Born in a Watery Grave (AquaGirl 1) by mittfh Copyright © Ben Norwood 2010 Mark Foster is terrified of water. So what's he doing on a cross-channel ferry... ...at the bottom of the sea... ...alive?! With thanks to Lilith, Lynceus and EnemyOfFun - you know your roles in producing this!

Image credits:   Original: DC Comics (found @ ComicVine)   Modified: mittfh

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Mark Foster ambled up the boarding ramp, trying desperately not to appear nervous as he felt. He had originally planned to take the Chunnel to France, but all Eurostar services that day had been cancelled, following a bomb threat by an outfit calling themselves "Domesday". Nobody had heard of them beforehand, and they didn't appear to be pushing any kind of agenda. As far as he knew, they'd just appeared in news bulletins on Today threatening to blow up cross-channel traffic unless £25m was paid into a Swiss bank account by 10am that morning. As if.

So he was forced to take a ferry. For most people, this wouldn't be a problem, but he was absolutely terrified of water (which was why he'd planned the Chunnel in the first place) and even felt nauseous when crossing footbridges. So he just stared at the people ahead of him, muttering to himself "Don't look down. Don't look down."

Somehow, he made it on board, settled in a lounge in the middle of the boat, and let out a long sigh. This was supposed to be the start of a nice, relaxing break. He'd been employed as a software developer with a major bank before the recession hit and he was made redundant. That was six months ago, and since the economy wasn't picking up, he'd earned some extra money through home PC repairs, where he'd acquired the nickname "Doc" Foster, for his ability to repair PCs and retrieve accidentally deleted files. He'd now saved up several thousand pounds, and was planning on a camping tour of Europe before returning to the job hunt. However, he could think of better ways to spend ninety minutes than trying not to puke on a cross-channel ferry. Even if it was supposedly the fleet's flagship ("Since when did ferry fleets have flagships?", he thought) and had numerous shops, restaurants, bars and even a discotheque on board. Presumably it was used to longer trips than this 1½ hour jaunt.

After several minutes attempting unsuccessfully to take his mind off the rocking motion of the boat, he almost couldn't hold it down any more and raced up onto the deck to throw up over the side. He quickly regretted that decision after nearly bashing his head against an air intake vent with the force of the wind, but managed to make it to the railing in time. After emptying his stomach, he looked at his watch. 10:33am.

"Great. I've only been on this boat twenty minutes and I've already lost my breakfast. How the heck am I going to survive the next hour and a bit?" he thought. After dry retching a few times, he tentatively sat down on the deck. He still felt nauseous, he could taste the vomit in his mouth, and he could smell it on his lips. "Time to get cleaned up and hope I survive the rest of this trip."

Several minutes later, while attempting to stand up again, his attention was diverted by the sound and violent rumble of several large explosions, which knocked him back to the deck, but not before hitting his head, hard, on the bl**dy air intake. As he struggled to retain consciousness, various disjointed thoughts passed through his head.

"I'm gonna die."
"Typical - can't swim, hate water, end up kissing it."
"Well done, Barry, you finally got me."
"I'm gonna die."
"Thanks a bl**dy lot, Domesday."
"Trust me to find the one bl**dy ship they target."
"I'm gonna die!"
"Oh gawd, help me, please, someone!"
"I don't wanna die like this!"
"Please let it be quick."
"Barry 2, Mark nil."
"I'M GONNA DIE!"

If Mark had been able to reflect on his thoughts, he would have noticed that the stories he'd read when younger were wrong - your life does not flash before your eyes in times of crisis. In his case, it was two specific events that kept on replaying in his mind while the ferry capsized and everyone fled for the lifeboats (not noticing the body lying on the deck next to an air intake vent).

He had always been apprehensive around water - saying he had a phobia of drowning was probably more accurate. The first major incident to confirm this occurred at the age of five, when attending his first (and last) proper swimming lesson. He'd been in the pool every week for the past month, but he'd always had an inflatable ring around his waist to support him. This week, the instructor had deflated the ring once it was around his waist. "It's as flat as a pancake!", the instructor confidently declared, before inviting Mark to swim towards her. He lifted one leg up, but noticing the absence of buoyancy around his waist, stood rooted to the spot, terrified he'd drown as soon as he lifted his left leg. Nothing the instructors could do would change his attitude. One mum got into the pool and held his stomach up, but as soon as she released her arm, he panicked and swallowed several mouthfuls of pool water while trying to stand back up again. The jeers from his classmates didn't help, and he refused to cooperate through the remainder of the lesson. The following week, he just stood at the poolside and froze at the spot, before running back into the changing rooms in tears.

The second incident occurred much later, when he was eleven. His class had been on a school trip to Gloucester, and were walking alongside the canal during a rainstorm, when Barry Jones, the class bully, thought it would be a laugh to push Mark into the water. Although the water was only waist high, it was still a major shock to Mark. Worse still was that it provoked howls of laughter from Barry, which quickly set off half the class. Of course, when questioned on the incident, everyone was quick to corroborate Barry's story that Mark had slipped on some wet grass and ended up in the canal. Despite being obvious to the teachers that this wasn't the case (Mark was hugging the wall on the far side of the towpath), because nobody would back Mark up, Barry got away with the incident.

Back in the Channel, the ferry had been evacuated and was sinking fast, as water rushed into the car decks unimpeded. Nobody had noticed a solitary person lying on the port deck, half hidden by the air intake.

 

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Mark became aware of his surroundings again. He felt surrounded by water, cold water (yet strangely didn't feel cold himself), didn't appear to be breathing, but didn't seem under any physical stress. He passed out from the shock.

A few minutes later, he regained consciousness. He briefly considered flailing about and trying to get back to the surface, but then reconsidered, deciding instead to try and work out what had happened. The last he could remember was passing out on the deck of the ferry as it was about to sink.

"So I must have drowned - but why am I still alive?"

He briefly considered the possibility he'd somehow been reincarnated and was about to be reborn, but quickly dismissed that idea. He concentrated a few minutes and could feel something... different... about his neck. Tentatively putting a hand to his neck, he touched what appeared to be loose flaps of skin.

"Of course - gills. But hang on...humans don't have gills."

While pondering this, he gradually became aware of the rest of his body. His clothes felt different - the top half of his T shirt seemed to be pressing against his nipples...

"Nipples? But they should be flat against my chest!"

...he brought a hand to his chest, and it stopped further out than he expected, but seemed to slope away either side of his palm.

"OK, so I've got breasts... BREASTS! How the heck have I grown a pair of breasts?!"

He'd already noticed he had no feelings 'down below', and armed with this rather worrying new development, gently moved his hand downwards. His T-shirt now ended just above his belly button ("probably just hitched up with my new, err, 'growths'"), and while the waistband of his jeans was quite loose, they were pressed very tightly against his skin lower down. He couldn't reach inside his jeans, but pressing his hand against them en-route down to his crotch revealed (or rather, revealed the absence of) certain features he'd grown rather accustomed to during his 34 years of existence. In almost any other set of circumstances, he would have panicked, but given that he was on the bottom of the sea and (a) still alive, (b) had grown gills, and (c) grown breasts, losing his 'package' was just another item on the growing list of impossible things that had happened to him over the past...

"Actually, how long have I been down here? Do I dare open my eyes? What else has happened to me?"

He tentatively opened his eyes, decided to look straight ahead (he'd look down and assess the changes later), and was surprised by how well he could see. He'd expected the water to make his eyesight blurred and fuzzy, but he could see as clearly as on land ("One more impossible thing..."). He brought his watch to his face, used his other hand to rotate the face to where he could see it ("I'm sure that was tighter this morning...plastic straps don't normally expand in water...do they?") and surprised to see that not only was it still working ("Ooh... a pleasant surprise for once - this watch iswater resistant!") but registering a time of 10:57.

"OK, so only twenty minutes since I was on top. What next?"

He sat up and looked around. He was sitting on the sea bed ("Not much in the way of wildlife down here..."), about a hundred yards away from the ferry. For want of something better to do, he decided to walk over to it.

"Hmm, there must be a quicker way." He thought back to the occasional glimpses of swimming races he'd seen on the TV."OK then Marky boy, time for your first swimming lesson."

He crouched down, then jumped up, waving his legs up and down. After a few iterations, he eventually found a rhythm that worked and turned towards the ferry, wondering how he'd stop himself when he arrived.

The swim didn't take as long as he expected, and as he approached the deck he grabbed hold of the handrail to stop him. He pushed himself onto the deck, and was about to enter the ferry itself when he saw what appeared to be the contents of a litter bin floating in the hallway beyond the door.

"OK, maybe that's not the best way in. I wonder if everyone got out in time..."

He quickly swam to the bow of the ferry ("Hmm...I'm sure I shouldn't have been able to swim that fast...") , then turned around to examine the hole left by the explosives. It looked big enough to swim through, but the edges were rather jagged. Even so, with that hole alone the ferry would have taken some time to sink. He thought back to the moments before he passed out.

"Of course - there were multiple explosions! I wonder how many bombs they used to make it sink that fast?"

He swam to the other side of the bow, and sure enough, saw another similar-sized hole.

"They really wanted this ship to go down. I wonder if they also targeted the stern door?"

He set off towards the stern, while noticing that he was moving suspiciously quickly.

"I'm sure the swimmers I saw on TV didn't move this fast with so little effort. Something weird is definitely happening to me."

He soon reached the stern, tried to turn the corner, but soon found himself swimming back the way he'd come.

"Hmm...seems I don't need to try so hard to corner either. Let's try again."

He stopped swimming and learned slightly to the right, letting momentum change his direction more slowly. After swimming back to the stern, he angled himself to examine the stern door.

"Looks as though they used a bigger bomb here - but just the one. There's definitely room to get through there without trouble."

Using a minimum of leg movement, he slowly swam up to and through the hole in the stern and onto the primary car deck. He still wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to explore the sunken ferry, but hoped that at the least he could satisfy his own curiosity as to what exactly Domesday had done that day.

He was initially relieved to see no litter around the car deck, but then made the mistake of looking through a car window - to see a toddler still strapped into a car seat, but no other occupants. The car had filled with water, so there was no chance to rescue the poor tot.

Mark sat down in shock, the enormity of what had happened washing over him. People had actually died in this attack. Ordinary people, who had no chance of escaping in time or defending themselves - not that there's much you can do to defend yourself against people in speedboats with very powerful bombs. He felt he had to help somehow - but given there were no survivors on board, how?

He swam back outside the ferry, and looked around - perhaps there was a dropped doll he could retrieve for a surviving child? But with dozens of children on board, how could he ensure the right doll got to the right child? He started to look, then spied a pair of undeployed lifeboats on the top deck.

"Bingo. I may not be able to save anyone from the ferry itself, but I may be able to help those left 'up top'."

He swam over to the lifeboats, and examined the release mechanism. He decided the best approach would be to release the ropes from the lifeboats themselves. After unwinding the first boat a few inches to access the quick release mechanism, he released each end in turn, then pushed it away from the davits to float to the surface. He then repeated the process with the second lifeboat, before following them, hoping they'd help the surviving passengers.

On his way up, he briefly considered whether he'd be able to survive in the air now he had acquired gills, but quickly reasoned that as he'd retained his limbs, he was probably still capable of air breathing - somehow.

He swam directly towards the surface, and after breaking water immediately took a large breath as his lungs reinflated.

"OK, another impossible thing to check off - any water in my lungs spontaneously disappeared."

He took a good look around (noticing in the process that his previously short brown hair now appeared to be long and black), and was both confused and pleasantly surprised to notice a distinct absence of floating bodies - just lots of identical rubber dinghies containing the passengers, as well as the two lifeboats he'd released a few minutes beforehand.

"This is getting weirder by the minute - my hair's grown and changed colour, and I definitely didn't see any dinghies on the ferry when we set off, now I'm surrounded by lots of the things."

 

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He treaded water for a few minutes, then cast a glance skywards to see what appeared to be a green-haired teenager wearing a rather fetching green and black leotard flying through the sky in his direction. This was clearly yet another impossibility, but he had a niggling thought in the back of his mind that she seemed familiar for some reason.

She flew down and hovered a few feet away from him, and while ogling her, his mind suddenly clicked. Of course! She was the new Green Lantern that had been in the news a few times over the past few weeks (and spawned numerous fansites plus several thousand links on Google). Which made him think back to a few months before then, when the first Green Lantern had appeared on the news, saying something about "metahumans". He still wasn't sure of what all the metahuman business was about, but it could possibly explain all the impossible stuff that had been happening to him in the past...

He looked at his watch again - 11:18am - and smirked.

"What's so amusing?"

"Whoh! She spoke! To me!"

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Oh...errr...sorry."

At least, that's what he thought he said. Only it didn't appear to be his voice. It sounded rich, and sultry, and err...feminine!

"You wouldn't, by any chance, know anything about two lifeboats that suddenly surfaced a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah, that was me."

"How?"

"Err...I just swam over to them and released the catches."

"Nobody could survive that long underwater!"

"Err...I just did. It's a long story."

"But why?"

"I just wanted to do something to help."

She thought for a minute, as though listening to an inaudible voice.

"Does the name 'metahuman' mean anything to you?"

"Yeah - the other Green Lantern - Jade, is it?"

She nodded.

"She mentioned something about it on TV a few months ago..."

He saw her smile, and thought he had an idea what she was inferring.

"...and it could explain some of the impossible things that have happened to me today."

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Get back to shore, find a change of clothes, and work out what's happened to me."

Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh, and get a bite to eat."

"Didn't you eat before setting off?"

"I had breakfast, but I was seasick and lost most of it overboard."

"I think I can do better than just taking you back to shore - especially as you tried to help the others."

"Yes?"

"We - well, that's me and Jade, we've helped a few others that have changed - and who want to help others."

"Cool! You mean..."

"Hang on - not so fast. You'll have to leave the old 'you' behind completely. You can't go back to your home, your job, your partner..."

He snorted. "Chance'd be a fine thing. House - rented. No job, I was just about to spend three months backpacking around Europe. No girlfriend or wife."

She smiled again. This was becoming a habit. "So I assume you didn't always look like this?"

He looked around and saw his new hair and breasts. "Errr..."

"Don't worry. I'll explain later. Just trust me on this."

"OK." He didn't sound too convinced.

"Right. Are you sure you want to come with me. This is your last chance to back out."

"I'm sure. I've no life to go back to anyway, and I don't think anyone I knew would recognise me now. But hadn't you better finish sorting the others first. I'm quite happy treading water for another few minutes."

She sighed. "Everyone that could be saved has been saved. The coastguards are on their way, and Dover are sending another ferry to pick everyone up... under police escort."

"How many?"

"Died? According to the ring, forty three didn't get off the boat in time. Although we got permission to assist pretty quickly, it went down so quickly I couldn't get here in time to save them."

"Look - you can't always save everyone. Think of the regular emergency services. But how many did you save?"

"One hundred and forty eight."

"That's not so bad - think, if you hadn't come here, they'd probably be dead as well. One hundred and ninety three died on the Herald of Free Enterprise back in 1987. Anyway, no time to hover there and feel miserable. Are you going to pick me up?"

"Just hang on a minute while I make a call."

She looked down at her ring, whereupon it started glowing bright green.
"Jade, are you there?"

"How did it go?"

("Wow! How cool is that?! A ring that acts as a communicator with the original Green Lantern.")

"One hundred and forty eight saved, but forty three drowned."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Listen - can you meet me on Jordan in half an hour? I've picked up a new recruit."

"OK - on my way - see you soon!"

She reached down, and he found himself enclosed by a green bubble as she brought him up to her chest and took off into the sky.

Mark thought he'd experienced a lifetime's worth of impossible events in the past few minutes, but none of those compared with the next half hour. He couldn't find words to describe being hurtled up through the sky at top speed, punching through the earth's atmosphere, across the vast reaches of space, and around the backside of the moon to a real, honest to god, spaceship. Without dying, feeling a rush of wind, or losing breath in the process.

 

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About half an hour later, they arrived at the Starcruiser Jordan. His escort pushed her ring against a panel in the side of the ship, and they entered a small square room. The door closed, Mark heard a rush of air, then the green bubble surrounding him and his escort dissipated. Shortly after, an interior door opened up and Mark was escorted through a series of corridors, all the while staring around and touching the walls at every opportunity.

"Yes, it's a spaceship. Yes, it's got air and artificial gravity. Now stop gawping before your jaw hits the floor!"
"Sorry," Mark mumbled.

A few minutes later they entered a large room, several storeys high, featuring what appeared to be a full height glass window. Alena dug her elbow into his side as he'd started staring around him again.

"Alena! How are you?"

Mark turned to one side and noticed another girl with shorter, black hair and a black and green bodysuit.

"Hi Jade. It was terrible - the ferry had sunk before I arrived, and over forty died."

"Who would do a thing like that?"

Mark coughed. "Err...permission to speak?"

"Oh sorry, are you the new recruit Alena found?"

"Yes. It was a group calling themselves 'Domesday'. They came out of nowhere and demanded £25m from the government. A couple of hours later, and *BOOM!* - two holes in the bow and one in the stern."

Jade looked puzzled. Alena responded: "She was a passenger on the ferry. Her powers kicked in when it sank, enabling her to survive underwater."

"I only took that damn ferry because the Chunnel was closed."

Jade looked puzzled again. "Chunnel?"

Before he could respond, he heard a third female voice respond, leaving him confused.

The Chunnel. Colloquialism for The Channel Tunnel, an underwater train tunnel linking the ports...

"OK, that's enough, we get the message." She looked at Mark's confused expression, then explained "My ring contains an AI which feels the need to 'educate' me on anything it thinks I need to know. Normally only I can hear it, but it evidently felt the need to speak out loud in case Alena didn't understand. Anyway, continue."

"I am, or rather was, terrified of water, so the ferry wasn't exactly my first choice. Anyway, I'd just been seasick over the railings when the bombs hit. Next thing I know I'm waking up at the bottom of the sea, somehow able to breathe unaided. Anyway, first impossibility of the day dealt with, I decided to learn to swim - and see if I could do anything for the other passengers. Hence why I know about the damage."

"So how did you help?"

"I didn't know what to do at first - it's not every day you wake up at the bottom of the sea and discover you can both breathe and swim. I started to take a look around the ferry, but it was completely flooded, and - oh god..." Mark suddenly paused, burying his face in his hands.

"What?"

"Toddler...dead..." he shook his head, took a deep breath, then continued: "Swimming along the car deck, I looked into a car." He sniffed, fighting the tears which were starting to well up. "There was a toddler still strapped into her car seat."

Alena and Jade gasped, then reached over to hug and comfort Mark. Several minutes later, he'd recovered enough to finish.

"She was sitting there, so serene - she never stood a chance, all strapped in so she couldn't move." He took another deep breath, then raising his voice, started "If I ever catch..." before shaking his head and continuing, more quietly, "No, wrong attitude.At least it would've been quick, poor mite."

He paused a while, before concluding, "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. I couldn't save her, but I was then determined to see if I could help those that had escaped and were floating around 'up top'. I swam around the ferry, looking for anything I could do to help, when I spotted the lifeboats."

Alena then spoke: "I'd been spending several minutes creating dinghies and liferafts for the passengers - the ferry sank before they'd managed to deploy their own - when suddenly two lifeboats bob to the surface from below. I knew they couldn't have come away unaided, so I flew down to take a look, and found our little mermaid here."

"Mermaid? But I'm a..." Mark suddenly noticed a stray lock of his new hair, "...oh," blushed, and tried to bury his face in his hands. "So, erm..."

"Yes, you're a girl now. Don't worry - we're not going to call you a freak or anything - you're not the only one it's happened to."

"Really?"

"Let's see... you've heard of Terra, then there was Doris..."

Jade corrected: "Giganta."

Mark thought: "You mean - the girl who stopped that volcano in Japan was a bloke? And that gorgeous redhead who grows..."

Jade and Alena both rolled their eyes and grinned.

"Hey, I'm a geek - I can't help it if I 'accidentally' stumble across the occasional fansite..."

Alena looked across sceptically.

"...or three. OK, OK, I've deliberately visited the sites - and taken a look at the photos. But I promise you I wasn't sad enough to join in the forums - or photoshop any of the pictures."

Jade and Alena nearly exploded: "WHAT?!"

"Err...just the standard stuff really. Take your head and put it on someone else's body..."

Jade suddenly furrowed her brow. "No, ring. I DON'T want to know. TMI! What do you mean, you don't understand 'TMI'? Go revise your pop culture. And don't tell me when you've done it. Anyway," looking back at Mark, "who are...or should I say, were you?"

He sighed. "Mark Foster...."

Age: 34. Occupation: Computer repairs, sole trader. Formerly software developer at Southern Stone PLC.

"...thank you, but I guess that's not so relevant now. Is there a mirror anywhere - I haven't really had a chance to look at the 'new' me yet - been preoccupied with other stuff."

Jade waved over to a door on the other side of the observation area. "There's a bathroom over there. Feel free to spend as long as you like and get freshened up while you're there. We're not going anywhere in a hurry!"

As Mark walked over to the bathroom, Jade looked over to Alena and quietly said,

"She seems to be taking it well, considering what happened."

"Yeah. I think she's still on an adrenaline high though. She'll probably need some TLC when she comes down though."

"And you?"

"Trying not to think about it. But at least I've got you, Ali and mum to help me through it. She's got no-one."

"We'll have to place her with someone. And if her powers are water-based, I can't imagine she'd be too happy in Vegas."

"Doris?"

"Maybe. But what would Lena think - especially as our mermaid was fawning over her?"

"Why don't you ask? Actually, what is the time now? It's hard to keep track when you're globetrotting."

"About 6am in Chicago. Probably best to get her settled, then call them in a few hours."

"Good point. I don't imagine Lena would appreciate an early morning wake-up call."

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Mark quickly found a mirror and examined himself. The first thing he noticed (apart from the hair, which seemed completely dry, even though his clothes were still very damp), was his complexion. Whereas before his skin had been pale, it now appeared to be more Mediterranean in origin and completely flawless. He stripped off his T-shirt and examined his breasts for the first time. His nipples were far larger than they had been before, and seemed a lot more sensitive. But no time for that now - he was a guest in someone else's home ("Could you call a spaceship - sorry, 'Star Cruiser', home? Well, I suppose as Jade's an international celebrity, this is the one place she'd be able to chill out without any danger from nosy paparazzi trying to boost sales of their red top.") and that sort of thing wouldn't be polite ("Oh yeah, what was the phrase now - 'No sex please, we're British!'").

Next to go were his shoes (which felt rather loose, as well as soggy) and socks. He looked closely at his feet. They were definitely smaller than before, but while free of callouses, the soles felt quite tough. He stepped into the shower tray, and was surprised to learn that while he could feel the non-slip surface, it didn't feel as course as they usually do. He put this to the back of his mind, putting it down to a high-tech alien polymer. Finally, he wriggled out of his jeans ("I'm sure there wasn't such a big difference between my waist and hips before...and I'm sure they didn't end up so far up my leg before!") and boxers, to reveal the most fundamental aspect of his transformation. The one he'd been steadfastly ignoring until now. He (or rather, she) slumped against the back of the shower cubicle, and entered a deep period of thought, trying to assimilate everything that had happened during the day.

Hearing the noise, Jade and Alena rushed over to the bathroom entrance, and simultaneously called out the obligatory "Are you OK?"

Quietly, they heard the reply: "I think so. I'll be just a minute - it's rather a lot to take in."

Jade and Alena nodded at each other, then returned to their previous position.

Several minutes later, Mark emerged, with a towel draped around her waist. Alena was the first to notice and mimed pulling it up further.

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm not used to having these."

"Don't worry - you'll get used to it in time!"

"Err...have you got any clothes? My old ones are rather damp and smelly - besides which, they don't fit very well any more."

"Jade?"

"Yes?"

"Ring?"

"Oh, right." She walked over to something that looked a bit like a drinks vending machine located inside a wall, touched her ring to one side, then returned a few minutes later with what appeared to be a copy of her ring, except the symbol was the same colour as the band rather than green. She walked over to Mark, saying "Trust me on this - put on the ring then imagine what you'd like to wear."

Mark took it, thought a bit, then said "Erm, I'm sorry, I haven't a clue. I'm a geek - I have no experience of women's clothing whatsoever. Help!"

Jade looked down at her ring for a few seconds, as though they were having an internal conversation about something. Then she briefly tapped her ring against Mark's

"OK, it's now been programmed with a variety of styles of clothing - underwear as well as outerwear. Just think of the look you want and it'll do the rest."

"OK then, here goes nothing..." Mark's body shimmered, and a few seconds later was covered in female-cut bootleg jeans plus a purple T-shirt, proclaiming in pink letters:

Jade sighed and looked over at Alena, who replied "You know as well as I do that Alison doesn't have access to the AI. That's evidently what it's picked up from the 'net as a suitable T-shirt."

Meanwhile Mark returned to the bathroom, took a look at the T-shirt himself, then grinned. ("Hmm...I wonder...") A few seconds later, she emerged, still grinning. She appeared to have the same style of T-shirt on, only this time it's slogan was written in black ink on a white background, in a font reminiscent of OMR text:

There are 10 types
of people in the world:
those who understand binary
and those who don't.

Jade groaned. "Yes, for once it actually understands the joke. Now, what shall we call you? Mark doesn't seem very appropriate any more."

"I was thinking about that while in there," gesturing back to the bathroom. "I swotted up on my Spanish a bit before starting the trip, which probably helps explain my appearance, so I think a Spanish name would be the most appropriate. I think I'll go with 'Lorena Marquez'."

"Eh?"

"Well, the surname's fairly common in Spain - I did learn a bit about Spain before setting off on my doomed trip - it is the local form of 'Mark', and 'Lorena' because it's similar to Lorraine, which I quite like."

"And nothing to do with..."

"My, it's quick off the draw! Yes, OK, it is a bit of a joke but it is quite appropriate - after all, she removed his you-know-what, and in a way the 'new' me has removed my 'old' you-know-what. And I do like the name Lorraine, but it wouldn't fit my new looks. Call me 'Rena' for short."

"OK, so Rena it is. Once America wakes up, the ring will sort out making your new ID official. Now I know you've only just manifested, but have you given any thought to a codename yet?"

"Err...I know it's a bit lame, but let's go with the obvious. 'Aquagirl'. As far as I know, my powers are all water-based, and I am a girl now, so 'Aquagirl' seems the most appropriate." She paused for a while, then curiosity got the better of her and she asked "So what else can your ring do? Disarm opponents, open locks, override passwords?"

"Theoretically, almost anything I will - although courtesy of one of the Green Lantern Corps directives, it has to respect local laws. So for example, I can't use it to break-and-enter unless I own the place."

"OK then. And you'll brain me for asking this, but how's this ship powered? Fusion, Ions, Improbability, Antimatter, Temporal Rifts, or something even stranger?"

Jade stared at her ring a bit, then replied "Something called 'Green Energy'. It's also what powers the rings, and before you ask, I haven't the foggiest idea of what it is or how it works either - other than by willpower."

Rena stood a while, wondering what they were going to do next, when her stomach decided to voice its opinion on the matter. She looked at her watch - 12:37pm.

Jade smiled. "Lunchtime?"

"Nearly - I suppose you could say brunch, as I lost most of my breakfast on that damn boat."

"What do you fancy?"

"What have you got?"

"Anything you want - we've got a good selection of food in the galley and replicators for practically anything else."

"Hang on - did you just say..."

Jade sighed. "Yes, just like the ones on Star Trek. Although they're specifically wired for human food, so don't expect them to make Klingon Blood Wine or a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster."

"You tried?"

"No, but someone else did," looking over at Alena.

"And what happened?"

Alena briefly stared back at Jade, then looking back at Rena replied "It told me in no uncertain terms that the drinks requested were fictitious, and as the 'real world' derivatives contained alcohol, it wasn't going to produce those either."

Rena looked puzzled for a bit, then Jade explained: "Remember the 'uphold local laws' Directive? Oh, that reminds me - you may be chronologically 34, but as you've now got the body of a seventeen year old, that's going to be your legal age when your documentation's been sorted."

"Oh well, I can make do with grape juice for a year or so."

"Make that four - the legal age is twenty one over here. Besides which, as we're effectively 'on-call' 24/7, it wouldn't do for any of us to turn up drunk."

"Oh - good point."

By this time they had reached the galley, and Rena started pulling out ingredients from the fridge. "Righteo, anyone else for a fry-up?"

"You can cook?"

"Believe it or not, not every bachelor exists on a diet of microwave meals and Chinese take-aways. I'd never be on Masterchef, but a good old fry-up or a grilled steak combined with frozen veg and spuds nuked in the microwave - no problem!"

"So what are you planning?"

"Full English - two each of fried bacon rashers, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and bread."

"Cripes - I normally just have scrambled egg on toast."

Alena added, "And I normally have pancakes, but I'll have what you're having."

"Well, I must confess I normally only have a bowl of muesli, but after what I've been through today I could do with something more substantial. Anyway, I'm not used to cooking for three, so I'd appreciate some help."

Later on, when all had eaten their fill, Jade led them through to a cosily furnished room that appeared to be a lounge.

"It's still only 7 O'clock in Chicago and 5 O'clock in Vegas, so we'll stay here for a few hours."

Once everyone had settled, Jade then asked "So how are you coping with everything?"

Rena thought for a while, before responding, "I guess I've been trying to ignore it by keeping myself busy. It's a lot to think about, and I can't help but think of the phrase 'six impossible things before breakfast'. In my case: choosing to take a ferry despite my previous fear of water, being on the very one that happens to get targeted by 'Domesday', waking up at the bottom of the sea very much alive, discovering I had gills, swimming underwater without any prior experience or breathing apparatus, helping to save lives, meeting a flying girl..." she nodded at Alena "...who then launches me into orbit at breakneck speed...what?"

Rena looked confused as Jade and Alena grinned and pointed at each other. Alena explained: "If you think I'm fast, wait 'till you've been with her. I'm a slowcoach by comparison!"

"As I keep telling you, you just need more practice. You'll catch up - remember I have had several months more experience than you."

Rena slowly shook her head, then grinned. "What have I let myself in for! Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, being hurtled into orbit, finding a spaceship parked behind the moon, artificial gravity, replicators, and meeting the girl who's got half the male population of the planet drooling after her."

"Don't remind me (!) And what do you think of your new body?"

"Well... it's different... and I'm kinda stuck with it now, so I'd better get used to it."

"Your past life?"

"I'm a geek, remember - no girlfriend - or, indeed, many 'real world' friends at all. Somehow I think that's going to change for the better - especially once I've met the rest of the gang."

"Gang?"

"The others you've recruited. Do you - we - have a team name yet?"

Alena replied, "We haven't really thought about it yet - someone once suggested 'The J Force', but Jade's not really keen on it."

"Just be grateful they didn't suggest 'The J Team'!"

"Considering the huge upheaval in your life, you don't seem to be very concerned."

"Well, I'm a hopeless optimist. I can't change anything about the past, so I try to always look on the bright side of life."

They continued chatting for a while, as the conversation drifted from talk of Rena's former life to sightseeing, to the weather, before eventually turning to the subject of the other metahumans Jade had located.

 

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As the conversation wound down, Jade announced that 'the others' should be awake by now, so it was time to introduce them to their newest member. At this, Alena nodded and walked off.

"Why's she leaving us?"

"One thing you're going to need if you're going to do any heroics in public is a costume - and Alena's sister happens to be a whiz at fashion design. So while I invite the others into a video conference session to introduce them to you - and you to them, Alena's going to fetch Alison, so you can work on your costume design together."

Over the next hour, Rena was introduced to the majority of the team, while scribbling down who was who ("I have a terrible memory, and while I may be new at this, I don't want to embarrass anyone by getting their names muddled up.") Doris and Lena were persuaded to stay on the line after the others had left, so Jade could approach them with her proposal to move Rena in with them.

Finally the calls were over, and while Rena's head was still spinning from the details of the various conversations, which ranged from the obligatory welcome to their varied 'origin' stories to people / organisations to watch out for (Rena contributing with the mysterious 'Domesday', about whom even Jade's ring drew a blank when asked for more details), Alena arrived back with Alison.

After initial pleasantries and recounting her story and powers for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Rena finally relaxed as she watched Alison draw up her designs. The first, a rather skimpy bikini, was instantly rejected:

"Could it cover even less skin?"

"I could certainly try!" Alison replied with a broad grin.

"I was being ironic."

"I know, but you're really fun to tease!"

"How does Alena put up with you?"

"!"

"That was a rhetorical question. One all!"

Eventually Alison came up with a design that Rena was quite pleased with. It consisted of a long sleeved top that ended just above her chest, in varying shades of blue and the illusion of scales on the arms, coupled with a matching pair of leggings. Rena initially wasn't too sure about leaving her stomach exposed, but decided that was one compromise she could live with. After 'trying on' the various designs with the aid of her ring, Rena could see why Alison was really enthusiastic about costume design. After all, she didn't need to buy the fabrics, carefully stitch them together and piece together the design on a mannequin, as the rings could instantly craft her designs and modify them 'on the fly', even changing the apparent texture of the materials.

Once both girls were happy with the design, Rena was persuaded to show it off in front of Alena and Jade, getting the thumbs up from both, before all three settled down to a light lunch. Alison seemed surprised at how little her sister was eating, until Alena described the morning's fry-up in great detail, much to the embarrassment of Rena. Once they'd finished, as Alison collected her sketchpad, Rena followed her and quietly asked,

"Did you hear about what happened earlier?"

"You mean the ferry? Yeah. Wasn't that where Alena found you?"

"Yes. Apart from rescuing me, Alena also saved one hundred and forty eight others."

"Wow!"

"But - and this is why I'm bringing the subject up, forty three died before she could reach them. There was nothing she could do, but I have a feeling she may try to blame herself for not getting there sooner. So if she seems down, offer her some TLC. She'll need it."

"Oh, OK. Thanks for telling me."

"No problem, you're her sister so you're best placed to help and support her. Anyway, we'd better get back before the others wonder what's taking you so long!"

 

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Once Jade had received confirmation that Alena and Alison had arrived home safely, she proceeded to give Rena the grand tour of the ship, stopping off at a small bedroom.

"These will be your quarters for the next couple of nights. It's very basic, but it's just temporary until your new room's ready down in Chicago. Oh, and your ring does has nightwear programmed into it."

"Erm, OK. Although it does feel as though I'm wearing real clothes, it it slightly disconcerting that it's all an illusion, and I'm naked underneath."

Jade smiled. "Doris was a bit like that, but strangely Lena was fascinated by the concept of being naked underneath the illusion..."

It was now Rena's turn to smile and chuckle a little. "I noticed on the video conference. They're really close, aren't they?"

"Practically inseparable - and I'm told Lena makes sure Doris knows she's been missed when she returns from a mission."

"OK, OK, I get the picture. Are you sure she won't mind having someone else around?"

"Not at all. She's genuinely excited about the possibility of having a new room-mate, and as she's been teaching herself programming skills..."

"...thinks I could be a great mentor. Is there anything in particular she's working on?"

"There is, as a matter of fact - and maybe it's something you can look into while you're up here."

"What's that, then?"

Jade sighed. "There have been several occasions when we've been in video conferencing sessions and the ring's contributed a comment. However, it's really snooty - only wanting to talk to me, and then only when it wants to. Lena's been trying to find a way to allow everyone else to interface with it."

"How?"

"I think she's hoping to use the ship's computer as a go-between. Since the ring works fairly closely with the ship's computer, and the computer itself doesn't have an AI, she's hoping that if we can get everyone's computer to talk to the ship's, then that's a useful first step."

Rena thought for a while. "If you can get me access to the ship's computer, I'll start looking at what information's on it, and see what the security issues are - and hopefully how to overcome them. If we can arrange security so the team, and only the team, can talk to the computer, the ring might be more willing to fulfil its share of the bargain."

"I hope so. First things first - let's head over to the main terminal and persuade the ring to set up your access to the computer."

Twenty minutes later, after intense negotiations which only concluded when Jade mentioned something about defending against a possible Sinestro attack, the ring finally backed down. Jade suggested she start off by researching something called the "Rules of the Book of Oa", then after asking if Rena would be OK for a few hours, disappeared - presumably to monitor the various international news networks for signs of assistance.

Rena was impressed that the input device appeared to be speech recognition, so first asked about the rules, raising an eyebrow when the computer described the modified rules. Naturally enough, she then enquired about the Sinestro Corps ("So essentially, they're superpowered terrorists that would make Domesday seem like babies by comparison. Not good.") and the ongoing war in Sector 666 ("Jade's going to need all the help she can get if the war spills over into our neck of the woods. No wonder her ring capitulated when she mentioned it.") before reading about the various people her teammates had encountered over the past few months.

After logging off the computer (and noticing that even high-tech alien hardware still asked if she was sure she wanted to do so), she sat back and reflected on what she'd learned. Apart from the crazy alien war, there were also apparently an increasing number of metahumans turning up. She was both saddened and angered by the revelation that LexCorp was kidnapping people and injecting them with some kind of metahuman converter, but pleased that Stephani seemed to be coping OK despite her rather extreme transformation.

She got up, and feeling thirsty, made her way through the labyrinth of corridors to the galley, while idly wondering if the ship came equipped with any robots. Then again, many of the ones she'd encountered in fiction (e.g. the Maschinenmensch and T-series cyborgs) were hardly friendly, and the functions of the more helpful ones (e.g. R2-D2, Robby) could be replicated by the ring.

"And talking of replicating things, how do I work the food replicators? I can't see anything resembling a manual to read..."

She thought for a while, then wondered "In films, they're usually voice-controlled. Oh well, here goes nothing..." She pressed a button, then said "Tea, white, no sugar."

She was slightly surprised when the machine replied "Please state the variety of tea required and the size of vessel."

"OK then... A mug of Tetley tea, prepared with semi-skimmed cow's milk and no sugar."

"Hope that's precise enough for the machine."

Shortly afterwards, a plain white mug of tea materialised on the tray beneath the machine, and it announced "Your preferences have been saved. Enjoy your drink. Have a nice day." She took the mug and leaned against the counter sipping it.

"Gah - does it have to say that greeting? Oh well, at least the doors around here are silent and I haven't encountered any robots or holograms of former crew members...yet!"

After finishing her drink, she took a saunter around the ship and eventually found a small gym. She'd never exercised much in her previous life, but decided that now she'd 'inherited' a well-toned female body, it was as good a time as any to start trying to keep it in shape. Not knowing how the multi-functional weight machine worked, she decided to mount the saddle of the cycle machine and (virtually) cycle a few miles. As she started cycling, she was surprised that she could increase the tension to 5/7 before feeling any strain on her muscles. She maintained a steady pace of 20mph, and kept going for about two hours before Jade poked her head around the door and suggested dinner.

The meal turned out to be a surprisingly tasty pork casserole that felt as though it had been lovingly cooked for several hours, even though she'd seen the replicator construct it in barely half a minute. "Yet another impossible thing for my list... not that I'm still counting of course." In fact, she couldn't remember when she'd stopped counting - so many impossible things had been happening to her today she decided to ignore her gut desire to find out how they worked and continue 'going with the flow'.

After dinner, Jade asked Rena if she'd given any thought to what she wanted to do with her life (apart from heroing).

"Well, I'd really like to continue working with computers - but as I'm now seventeen and may have to dash off at a moment's notice, it would be difficult to get a job." She thought for a while, then continued, "I can't really continue fixing people's computers at home, partially because I don't know my way around the city, but mainly because it wouldn't do business any good if I suddenly had to rush off in the middle of a job."

"So now you've told me what you'd like to do but couldn't, is there anything you'd like to do but could do?"

"I suppose I could build PCs - I'd have to find a shop willing to sell them on, but it's something I could do in my own time at home - and if I can take over a corner of the warehouse I could potentially have several projects on at the same time."

"Good idea. I have some contacts, so with their support we may be able to kick start your customer base."

"Really?" Jade nodded. "Thank you so much. Anyway, I don't know what time it is in either London or Chicago, but I'm tired - I think I'll head to bed."

Rena headed towards the door, but on impulse stopped by Jade and gave her a hug.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for me - I don't know what I would have done without you and Alena."

"That's what I'm here for. Jade Cross, A.K.A. The Green Lantern, at your service!" Jade said, while attempting a military salute. Which would have been a lot more effective if she wasn't displaying her trademark broad grin.

They said their good nights, and Rena returned to her temporary bedroom. It felt really odd to change for bed simply by looking at her ring and thinking "Pyjamas." The ring's first offering of pyjamas were pink satin. She thought back to ordering tea from the replicator and sighed, while looking at her ring - "Guess I'm going to have to be more precise with you as well as the replicators. Navy blue, cotton pyjamas." Her outfit changed, and she smiled. "Much better. I wonder if/when I'll be comfortable wearing something like that last choice. At least for now this is not too far away from what I used to wear."

 

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The following day was largely spent divided between exercise, more computer research, and on a whim, some introductory Spanish lessons ("Might as well learn a scattering of lingo to go with the new body"),
and by the end of it Rena was starting to get a little homesick (well, longing to be back on the earth) - the starcruiser was hardly Entertainment Central. So she was relieved when after breakfast on the third day, Jade announced that her new accommodation was ready for her to move in.

They entered the airlock, and Jade held Rena firmly as decompression started and the pair became surrounded by a green bubble.

As they prepared to leave the airlock, Jade said "Don't forget to breathe - the ring ensures we have enough air to survive the trip. Talking of which, prepare for the ride of your life!"

Rena grinned back at her, and as they stepped out, exclaimed: "To infinity...and beyond!"

Jade shook her head: "Remind me not to send you on a joint mission with Alena and Terra."

"Why not?"

"You'd be so busy trading pop culture references you'd never get any work done!"

After about ten minutes, they gently alighted on the ground outside a rather nondescript looking warehouse near one of Chicago's many watercourses.

"Enjoy the ride?"

"Wow! I now know what you and Alena were quipping about the other day. I thought half an hour was fast, but that...wow!" Rena gathered her thoughts, then said more solemnly, "Sorry if I sounded a little over-enthusiastic just then."

Jade laughed. "Don't worry - I've had the same reaction from almost everyone I've taken up there - and back down again! Anyway, ready to meet your new roommates?"

"Yes - but it's all a bit anonymous though. I mean, this is the industrial district."

"Precisely. Nobody would expect to find a superhero living in a warehouse, and the high windows mean you get plenty of light, but nobody looking in. If she lived in a normal house, the press would have found out within days and set up camp outside.

"Ugh. I suppose she would count as a celebrity, and therefore be seen as a viable target for the paparazzi and press pack. And talking of anonymity, I'm feeling a little conspicuous out here - can we go in?"

Jade entered first, opening the door, and Rena followed. Although a warehouse on the outside, someone had done an excellent job of converting part of it into a spacious flat (albeit one with suspiciously high ceilings). Surprisingly, although there were plenty of signs of life within the flat, there was no sign of either Doris or Lena. Rena spotted one wall where the plasterwork looked fresher than the rest, and guessed that it was likely to be the entrance to her room... and where the pair were probably hiding.

She looked over at Jade and winked, before announcing very theatrically "Oh dear, it looks like no-one's home. Now I wonder which is my room?"

She then deliberately made a great play over opening the bathroom door and loudly announcing

"No no no no. This is the bathroom room room."

Rena closed the door again, then as she walked over to the next door, noticed Jade grinning and slowly shaking her head. Jade quietly said "I can see you three are going to get along like the proverbial house on fire. Good job none of you are pyrokinetics..."

Rena stifled a chuckle, wondering how well Doris and Lena were doing at the same thing.

She opened the next door, and saw what must have been Doris and Lena's bedroom. It was fairly tidy, but the one of the wardrobe doors was open, the bed had definitely been slept in, and there was a copy of a C++ guide bookmarked with at least a dozen post-it notes on the dresser.

She wondered for a minute how to announce this room, then remembered an old TV show. Realising that Jade probably wouldn't be familiar with it, she whispered to Jade "Just play along" before attempting to mimic the presenter's thick Boston accent as she drawled "Now let's look at the evidence. A bed built for two. A single set of clothes. A computer programming manual. Who lives in a room like this? Back to you, Jade."

"This could be tricky. A very unusual set of clues. A room used by two people, but only one set of clothes - and a computer manual. Now, who do I know that fits those criteria. Hmmm. I've got it! Doris and Lena!"

"So, by a process of elimination..." Rena opened the third door, and nearly stepped back out as she was overcome by a huge shout of "Surprise!"

Doris and Lena were standing on opposite sides of a white double bed, above which they'd pinned a "Welcome Home!" banner.

Rena tried to look serious as she beckoned them to her. Playing along, they pretended to look solemn as they stepped up to her and were engulfed in a hug.

"Thanks guys. I couldn't have wished for a better welcome. Did you hear my tease?"

Lena spoke up, "It's so hard trying not to giggle."

Rena broke off the hug, then said "Now are you going to let me see my new room?"

Doris and Lena stepped aside, and Rena took a couple of steps forward. In addition to the bed, there was a pine wardrobe and dresser, a vanity table, and a couple of pot plants.

She took a double take at the plants, then walked over to them, looking closely at their arrangements and the pots.

"Am I seeing things?"

By this time Jade had entered the room as well. "It's amazing what you can do with the right contacts. As you've officially died - well, as Mark has officially died - nobody thought anything unusual about a house clearance company emptying your flat ready for the next tenant. As you're our first international member, didn't have any next of kin and your flat was still intact, we thought we'd go the extra mile. Most is in storage but we brought a few mementos over."

Rena turned to thank Jade, then noticed Mark's electric keyboard and stand resting against the wall behind the door, next to a thick lever arch file containing various scores downloaded from the 'net over the past year. She broke into a broad grin, and enveloped Jade in a huge.

"Thank you so much - you needn't have - it's so generous - Thank you!"

After releasing Jade, and noting she was starting to blush a little, she said "It's strange - I never needed to hug anyone in my old life, and would have felt strange doing so, but now I've hugged three people in as many days. You're all so kind and generous." She thought for a minute, then added "You don't think it's part of the package, do you?"

Jade replied non-committedly "Maybe. Oh, something I meant to tell you before. I've arranged for Lieutenant Caedus to pick you up at 7am for the next few days to test your abilities and find out what your new body is capable of."

Lena gasped "That's early!"

Rena smiled, thought for a moment, then replied "Not really - bear in mind that's the equivalent of 1pm in the UK, so it'll allow me to slowly adjust to Chicago time. When I do, you'll find you're not the only one in this household who doesn't like getting up in the mornings!"

As Rena and Lena started to compare notes on morning rituals, Jade called out "Sorry to interrupt, but as I hate to leave, I've got a ship to run and a planet to watch. Oh, and Rena?"

"Yes?"

"Catch!" Jade threw a matchbox-sized device with a micro USB port at one end to Rena. "It's a portable GPS tracker and altimeter - you might find it useful during training. Just turn it on, find somewhere to store it, then when you get back upload the data to a computer for analysis."

"Cool!"

"Anyway, must dash - see you soon!"

All three called back "Byeee!" as Jade closed the door behind her.

Doris then looked at Rena and said "Welcome to our humble abode. I would give you the Grand Tour, but something tells me you've already done that."

Rena grinned, "Well, with Jade announcing our arrival, I knew you'd be in here somewhere, so rather than spoil the surprise I thought I'd play with you..." then as Doris struggled to contain a giggle, "...not like that! Anyway, got some real tea? I could murder a drink now."

The three headed out to the kitchen area to get some drinks, and Doris asked "So, did you have anything planned for today? Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Well, I'd like to try on some 'real' clothes - these ring-provided outfits are all well and good, but it's just..."

"I know what you mean, but the ring does produce well-fitting clothes, and I'm used to their 'unique' nature by now."

"Oh yes - 'Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman' meets unintentional fan service."

"Gah, that was so embarrassing! Anyway, back to topic - anything else you'd like to do apart from investigate 'real' clothes?"

"Err...take a tour of the city? I mean, all I've seen so far is the bit of road directly outside here."

"OK, no problem. Anything in particular you'd like to see?"

"Not really - I'm afraid I'm completely clueless when it comes to Chicago attractions."

"Well, we've got numerous shops, restaurants, parks and museums; plus plenty of mass transit to take us between them."

"How about we head to the city centre and have a look what's there, and branch out if we have time?"

"Sounds OK to me. We'll start at Navy Pier and work our way South."

Twenty minutes later, Rena had dressed (conventionally!) in a pair of jeans and plain white top. It exposed her stomach, but she figured she'd better get used to it since her costume left the same area exposed. Lena tried to persuade her to wear a skirt, but she wasn't ready to take that step yet.

"This is only my third day of being a girl - and the first time I've worn 'proper' clothes. Just wait until I'm used to my new body, then I'll start experimenting with skirts, dresses and (low) heels. Sorry, but you're not going to see me in a miniskirt and stilettos for a long time yet!"

 

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After nine hours of exploring a few of Chicago's attractions, pigging out on junk food, and buying souvenirs (Doris and Lena had allegedly been 'too busy' to explore the city beforehand), the three girls dropped their bags and flopped on the settee. Rena had persuaded the others to buy her a digital camera and MP3 player, since her previous ones had protested at their rather unorthodox test of water resistance.

Just as they were about to decide who to cook dinner, Doris and Rena's rings suddenly chirped and a stereoscopic voice sounding suspiciously like Jade piped up "Knock, knock!"

Doris walked over to the door and let Jade in, clutching a large brown envelope. Jade emptied the contents onto the table then called over Rena.

"Good news - you officially exist!"

"Err...thanks, I suppose."

"Righteo. Your full name is Lorena Marquez - you didn't specify a middle name so you haven't got one - you were born seventeen years ago in Ashford to Spanish parents who'd emigrated to the UK three years previously."

"Right - so who are my phantom parents?"

"Phantoms - last seen heading to Dover three days ago."

"You didn't?!"

"No, I didn't fabricate records to show them as a passenger. If anyone asks, they boarded a train to Dover and haven't been seen since. There are no records to show them as a passenger on the ferry, but that's what everyone will assume. " She paused a little and looked sympathetically at Rena.

"I know it's tough, but it was the easiest way to solve that problem. As for how you got here, officially you're being fostered by Captain Koon, who for reasons unknown was friends with your parents. In reality, you'll continue to live here and any post will be hand-forwarded here. For obvious reasons, the fewer people know about this place, the better."

"OK, that's plenty to think about. What else have I got?"

"You're planning on being self-employed, so you thankfully don't need a full school history - but we've converted your qualification certificates. Oh, and congratulations - you're such a genius you took all your exams a few years early. In reality, that was the only way we could get your GCSEs, A Levels and Degree to fit your new identity. If no-one asks to see them over the next few years, we'll update them again with a more plausible set of dates."

"OK, that sort of makes sense - it'll probably take a few minutes for me to fully digest it."

"And finally a personal bank account. It should be OK to use for your business until it earns enough to attract the attention of the IRS, then we'll sort out a business account."

"You really do think of everything!"

"Well, I did have a little help..." she said while flashing her ring. "Oh, and there's a metal security box in your wardrobe for you to file these away in. "

"Thank you - although it does seem strange to think that the past few days I've been officially non-existent."

"Anyway, must dash - see you!"

After Jade had gone, Rena asked "Is she always like this?"

"She'll probably settle down in time, but when there's so much going on and new metahumans turning up all the time, she's a very busy girl!"

After Rena had packed away her documentation, and grinned as she noticed the eclectic CD collection from her former life had made its way into her room, she helped the other two cook their first communal meal together. As they were eating, Doris and Lena sat apart and attempted to ignore each other. Rena quickly spotted this and said "I appreciate you're trying not to embarrass me, but you're so obviously pining for each other you're annoying all three of us. Go on, scoot up to each other - you know you want to."

Doris asked "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I've been hanging out with you all day. I know you're head over heels in love with each other, so don't be afraid to show it! Besides which, I'm living here now, so the more you do it the sooner I'll get used to it and you won't feel embarrassed at being watched."

Lena spoke up: "Thanks Rena. You're the best," then after a glare from Doris, "Well, nearly."

After dinner, they spent much of the evening comparing notes on their respective interests before Rena headed off to bed a little earlier than the lovebirds. She pulled on a set of cotton pyjamas, climbed into bed, and drifted off to sleep, wondering what the new day - the first proper day of her new life - would bring.