Author's Note: A Retroactive Continuity, or Retcon if you will, is the altering of previously known facts in order for the universe to conform to new story lines. This is mine. The fourth in a series of stories, a followup to this universe is a retcon of The Mighty Thor in the Marvel Comics Universe. Marvel Comics owns the character and all rights associated with him/her/it. Pic Credit: Marvel Comics found on Comicvine

Part 2

Mjolnir got me out of the Green Lantern's little green prison and back to my apartment, on campus, quickly enough, but from there I was stumped.

Loki could be at any one of the other eight worlds and could disappear just as handedly as he did from this one. We must wait until he shows himself again, said Thor, from within Mjolnir.

I looked at the hammer. "And I'm supposed to do what in the meantime? Just sit around and play squish squish games with my new tits? I've got classes... a life outside of this," I waved my hand in the air, "nightmare."

Be that as it may, as long as I am trapped inside this hammer, you are trapped inside that body. Are fates are as one.

There was a rectangular mirror hanging above the small fireplace which I gazed through, stunned at the beautiful blonde Norse goddess staring back. Her face was angular and chiseled with determined blue eyes, and not quite pert nose. She had wide shoulders and muscled arms.

I shook my head. It was me. I had all of those things. I looked like a Valkyrie of myth, ready to smite someone.

You are more than that, Harald Carlson, you are the embodiment of Thor, God of Thunder.

"Goddess." Considering the gender of the person staring back at me, there could be no other conclusion.

Semantics.

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime? I can't really walk around looking like this, and my student ID is now useless, so that means no food, in case you haven't been paying attention."

I heard an internal sigh. Use the memories I've graced you with. I have resources that could last several lifetimes. I've been in Midgard long enough to see nations crumble and blow away in the sands of time. Do you think that I wouldn't have enough money for a meal?

Thoughts of Thor's hotel room ran across my mine, along with his belongings, which included clothes, money, and transportation.

"What about school?" I was making vain attempts at being annoying, hoping that he was holding something back from me, a loophole I could take advantage of, but I knew it was fruitless in the end.

You can use my computer to withdraw from your classes. Once this crisis is complete, I will return with you and speak to your Deans. They will not refuse me a boon.

That one, I could believe. The man was imposing in the truest sense of the word. I seriously doubted that anyone would ever say no to him for any reason.

"Compensation. If I'm doing this thing then I'm not doing it for nothing."

I could tell he was becoming annoyed. Very well. Would paying for the rest of your education suffice?

I shrugged. "I was planning on getting my Master's and maybe going for a Doctorate."

Do not try my patience, Harald Carlson. The God of Thunder has given an offer of an education. If that includes three Doctorates then so be it.

"You know, talking about yourself in the third person like that is a sign of mental instability."

The sense of impotent rage swelled within me. Do we have a bargain?

I made a portal to his hotel room, found the wad of cash in his saddlebags and nearly kicked myself for not demanding more. But a deal was a deal. Besides, the money I would save on college would be more than enough to invest and have a seriously nice nest egg for the future.

He showed me how to do the costume switch. Why was I not surprised to find out he dressed like a B&D queen? Meh.

Once I settled accounts with the university via computer, I leaned back in the uncomfortable desk chair. "What's the plan now?"

A resigned sigh sounded in my head. Now we go on with our life, checking regularly throughout each day for any presence of my adopted brother. Until he reveals himself, there is little that we can accomplish. However, fear not. He won't be gone for long. Loki has vengeance to seek as do I.

After packing everything away, I found the sweet leather riding jacket, which covered up the porno outfit. Then grabbed the saddlebags. "I assume you have a destination in mind?" I said as I closed the door behind me.

Someone was coming out of the room next door at the same time. A guy and a girl right behind him that had a decidedly rumpled look about them, like they'd been using the hotel room for something other than sleeping "Pardon me?" he said.

I just shook my head and moved on, hoping that by ignoring him he'd let it go. I was right.

After checking out and settling the bill with a credit card under the name Tyra Gustav, I found the motorcycle and secured the bags. "My name is Tyra Gustav?"

Tyra, Thor said making the short I-sound like in tyranny. Plans are already in place for the next fifteen years. It would be inadvisable to change the name at this juncture.

"Right." I went routing around my head for a scrap or two regarding those plans, and then I had to roll my eyes and groan. "Houston? Have you been to Houston? The humidity sucks, the traffic sucks..."

The women are plentiful, fierce, and once tamed, eager to please. Additionally, I already have a business set up that will serve as a home base, for now.

I looked down at the twin swells on my chest. "I don't know if you've noticed anything in the last few hours, but I'm a girl now, and I'm not playing on the other side of the fence if you get my meaning." Waiting for a two beat, I continued before he stepped in. "That means I don't hump guys."

Houston, also has one of the larger lesbian populations in the country.

I mulled that one around in my head for about, oh, about three seconds. "Okay, lead on. We're taking a portal, right? I don't know if my ass can handle a ride cross-country, even if it is plump and juicy now."

~O~

We came out around a multitude of warehouses and I started the bike. "Doesn't that scare the locals when we pop out of nowhere like that?"

No, it's part of the magic associated with the mode of travel. Mortals will look away at a convenient time or rationalize our appearance in some way that makes sense to them. We could appear in the middle of rush hour traffic and nobody would be any wiser, however upon seeing us it would cause them to react. This is the reason I choose lesser populated areas as destinations.

He directed us to a specific building, in the back, a lot smaller than any of the others. It appeared abandoned until we entered through an electronically sealed door and took the stairs down to what looked like a bomb shelter below ground.

Another series of numbers punched into a keypad and the big steel door opened up.

"You are so incredibly weird. You know that, right?" I flipped the light switch just inside the door and looked around. "Who lives underground? Can't you just buy a house or something?"

No mortal may pass through these walls unless escorted by us, and it is warded against magic, protected by Gaia, surrounded by her essence. Only those of her blood may breach the wards. Here, we are safe.

"Paranoid much?"

Live a few millennia and then ask me that question again, Tyra.

I paused for a moment, dropping the saddlebags on the ancient and ornate recliner at hearing what he called me.

You must become familiar with your new persona. It must become second nature for you to respond to the name as if it has been your own for twenty-two years.

"That's how old I am? Well, thank god I'm not a teenager. I couldn't go through puberty or high school again. Small thanks I guess."

You're welcome.

"Being rhetorical here, Thor."

I invented sarcasm, mortal, he said dryly.

I couldn't really argue that point, he very well could have.

The decor was a little ornate and kind of ancient in places. There were a few swords, and other various weaponry that I had no clue about, in what some people would call places of honor. Just spaces of empty wall that didn't have anything else around, basically.

Spoils of war.

"No kidding? Wow." I was suitably impressed.

These will be our lodgings for the time being. Familiarize yourself with the layout, the armory, and the amenities. You will need to procure supplies for daily living. There should be a number of suitable retail establishments in the surrounding area.

His tone sounded like I'd be doing this alone. "You going somewhere?"

A tired sigh sounded in my head. Even trapped within Mjolnir, I require sleep and rest. While I am in here, I do not have access to the constitution afforded my status that you now possess. In this body, you could fight for days without food, water, or rest. He paused for a moment and became thoughtful. Or at least that is how it used to be. With Odin's punishment there might be further pitfalls regarding our powers. It is best that you stay well fed and rested in the interim, just in case.

I nodded to nobody. "Okay. What about pass codes and uh, other godly things?"

I gave you my knowledge, Tyra. Use it. Good evening.

The constant comforting presence I'd unknowingly felt since becoming the Goddess of Thunder was gone and I felt surprisingly... normal. Well, barring the new body and all.

I checked out the sound system that looked like something out of the seventies. It must have been a while since he'd been in Houston. There was a record album sitting on the turntable, and once I'd figured out how to turn everything on I was treated to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, of course. What else would Thor have queued up on the disco version of an iPod? Maybe Stairway to Heaven or maybe Valhalla, Bad Company, of course. That goes without saying. Beast of Burden, Magic Man... who am I kidding? Thor had to be a Doors man. Riders on the Storm, yeah. That suited him just fine.

The one overwhelming difference between life as a man and life as a woman, other than the obvious, is the attention a statuesque blonde wearing a latex top and leather pants receives while in line at the supermarket. I didn't know if wearing the jacket helped or not, since it just made it more obvious when guys worked their way around to the front to get a better look at me.

I needed a sign or something that announced I was a lesbian, maybe a rainbow colored choker or something. I rolled my eyes at the situation I was in: a perfectly normal heterosexual guy who was now a bondage lesbian... Thunder Goddess. I wondered if my life could possibly get any weirder.

Motorcycles were not made to haul groceries.

Once I'd stored everything away I toured the Thunder Bunker. Yes, I'd named the bomb shelter. I was seriously bored and feeling a little loopy at the time. If I could tolerate the earthy brown and burnt orange colors of the decor, I could live pretty comfortably. Thank god there wasn't any shag carpet. Yeeaaah Baby!

The armory wound up being a closet in the second bedroom. It wasn't even a walk-in. Swords, swords, and more swords, all wrapped in oil cloths. There were several oversized knife looking things and a couple of maces with spikes decorating the business end. To one side was a safe bolted to the floor, which I didn't bother with. It did raise a question though. If nobody could get into the Thunder Bunker then why have a safe to protect wads of emergency cash?

A fruitless search through Thor's memories resulted in simple paranoia. The guy had serious daddy issues that needed to be dealt with.

The TV sucked; no remote and no cable. There wasn't any wireless connection underground and I wasn't even sure if there was any possibility to have something connected. A brief memory of his previous set up in Los Angeles showed me that yes, it was possible, even in the middle of a bunch of old warehouses. I just needed the proper set up.

What I'd been itching to have was a drink. After the morning from hell, and the afternoon of bad seventies acid flashbacks, I just wanted to let loose a little.

Heading to the bedroom, I stripped off the latex top and wiggled out of the leather pants. The strange part was that I wasn't even sweaty or smelly after wearing that all day. Apparently, goddesses don't stink.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the dresser mirror and damn!

"Well, at least my drinks are free tonight."

There was no way I wouldn't be hounded.

I stilled at that thought. Knowing I was going to be hit on by every horny guy on the planet if I went to a club, just took the fun out of going out, and without the internet connection, I didn't have clue one about where the closest lesbian bar was located. I didn't know crap about Houston. I'd never been there, except for a two hour layover at Bush Intercontinental the previous year waiting for a connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Spring Break.

The only thing I knew was that the humidity and heat sucked, and that was in March. I couldn't imagine what it would be like in August. Probably four-hundred degrees in the shade. Hey, I'm the hyperbole king... queen, whatever.

With a sigh, I resigned myself to riding around looking for an out of the way pub or maybe a pool hall. It was Texas wasn't it? Wasn't there supposed to be saloons every twenty feet and gunfights in the street? Maybe I just had to follow the guys in the ten gallon hats, none of which I'd seen earlier during the great grocery bag/motorcycle fiasco of 2010. Stupid plastic bags.

The wardrobe consisted of more of the same. The tamest stuff Thor owned was similar to what I had just taken off, or sexier.

"Hold on. Why are there girls clothes here?"

My question was answered a few moments later when I remembered Odin's newest punishment because Thor couldn't keep his pervy dick in his pants. That thought led to others, that eventually led to a five way including three guys, and I just about lost my lunch and definitely lost my sex drive for the evening.

Putting on a similar outfit, but going with a cold blue looking top, I picked out a pair of funky high-heeled sandals and slipped them on. Then I realized I'd been wearing high heeled boots the entire day and hadn't fallen flat on my face.

"This playing catch up thing is starting to annoy me."

It was part of the package. Odin couldn't have his son snapping an ankle in the middle of battle, could he. So, instant perfect balance in spiked heels.

Grabbing a decent wad of cash from the saddlebags, I stuffed it in the coat pocket and put it on. Everything else was in the inside pockets: ID -- strangely enough a Texas Drivers License, credit cards, and two blank keycards all stuffed in a single fold wallet type thing that wasn't a wallet. It was probably a girl thing that I hadn't figure out just yet, but it wasn't important.

I locked up behind me and ascended the stairs. When I hit the cool outside air, I grabbed the little Mjolnir charm bracelet and made a search for Loki. No sense in forgetting why I was still sporting the body of a weightlifting swimsuit model. The sooner Loki revealed himself on Midgard... Earth, the sooner I could get back to my life.

No joy.

The bike purred between my legs, which I kind of relished for a moment or three, and I pulled up the kickstand and took off.

~O~

Cornbreads. That's what the local poolhall was called. Could a town get anymore redneck than that? I thought about central Kansas for a few seconds and all the rednecks that I'd left behind. "I guess it can."

After checking in with the lady at the bar I found my assigned table and a pool cue that didn't entirely suck.

An hour and seven solo games later, I was on my fifth beer and feeling absolutely nothing from the attempt to chill out. The jacket had found it's way to a coat hook near the bar stool where I would take the occasional break to look around. Full dark had settled around the Houston area and the hall was beginning to pick up with all of the people coming in on their way home for a drink or a round of pool with friends. I even had to give the warning eye to a couple of guys who make tracks toward me after seeing what I was wearing. That's probably why I didn't notice when someone had snuck up behind me.

"Looking for a partner to shoot a round?"

I turned my head to see a short, maybe in the mid-five foot range, blonde girl holding a longneck beer with her index finger wrapped around the mouth. She didn't look older than sixteen or seventeen at the most.

When I didn't answer right away, she continued. "All the other tables are taken and I'd like to blow off some energy. What do you say?"

If she was drinking, that made her at least twenty-one, but it still kind of felt like I was pedo-perving while I was checking her out. "Uh, sure."

Holding my hand out I said, "I'm... Tyra." Almost slipped up on that one.

She took it and squeezed firmly. "Courtney."

She looked like a Courtney. Long blonde hair that fell to her waist, athletic body that filled out her tight blue jeans and a very cute face. I moved to the end of the table and racked the balls, putting them in proper order. She seemed suitably impressed. Most girls I used to know didn't realize that the balls went in a specific order depending on the game.

"You want to break?" I asked.

She shrugged and chalked up her cue, while I made my way back to the stool and took another pull from my bottle. Courtney's form was excellent and her use of the cue, deft. A thunderous crack filled the air and I was taken aback at how the balls were flying around the table.

Pulling back, her eyes widened a little. "Whoops."

Four balls pocketed themselves immediately and another two, seconds after. Apparently the girl packed more punch than what was apparent. I eyed the table appreciatively at her talent.

"New in the area?" she asked.

I nodded. "Just got in today." When my eyes found hers, I cocked my head. "Am I that obvious?"

She smiled. "The outfit. You look like more of a downtown girl or maybe New York or L.A."

I looked down at myself. Oh yeah. I guessed latex and leather isn't what the average housewife wore around there. "I haven't really had time to do any shopping."

Courtney ran the table in less than two minutes and was racking the balls before I knew what was happening. It's like she had been playing for decades. When it became my turn to break, I could tell she was checking out every inch of me. What were the odds that I would find a possible prospect so soon after arriving? Well, considering what I was wearing, probably pretty good. So, I tried not to read anything into it.

This time it was me that put a little too much strength into the opening shot. The cue ball went flying from the table after connecting with the others and exploded into a wooden beam against the wall.

Courtney looked at the scratch with amazement and then back at me. Her eyes narrowed just a touch, before falling to the table. Two of the balls were cracked and the head of my cue was splintered.

Dropping the cue on the table, I grabbed my coat. "I got to go. Thanks for the game."

I threw a hundred to the bartender on the way out of the bar and made quick tracks to my motorcycle.

"Tyra, wait!"

Courtney was steps behind me. I spun around. "What?"

She came to a stop and looked somewhat energetic. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was excited, but I wasn't that familiar with her mannerisms as of yet.

"It's okay. Really. You surprised me is all. I just wasn't expecting to meet another metahuman in Houston."

I was confused for all of about three seconds. "I'm not a metahuman."

Courtney gave me a dubious look. "Maybe you don't realize it, but you are. A regular person wouldn't be capable of doing what you just did to those balls and your cue." She paused for a second. "Look, I'm meta as well. I just found out last week."

I looked at her and then stepped back to take her in. Short, blonde, long hair and athletic build. Oh shit, she was American Dream, who is friends with Jade, who I just escaped from. It was a set up. They'd found me.

I looked around and then up in the sky. "Where are the rest of them?"

When I brought my attention back down to her, she looked at me like I was losing it. "What are you talking about?"

"You're that American Dream, girl," I said, accusingly.

Her mouth dropped open. "Dammit, I'm not even in costume and you know who I am. I suck at this secret identity thing."

She wasn't acting like she was going to jump me or like she was stalling. It made me pause in my evaluation of her intentions. Maybe she really didn't know who I was. One more look around and I tried to reel in my panic mode.

"It's, uh, not like there are a whole lot of hot girls with long blonde hair that are superheroes."

Dubiously she glanced up at me. "So, process of elimination then." She sighed and then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's nothing I can do about that. I've tried cutting my hair, but the scissors wind up losing in the end."

Everything became kind of awkward at that point. I wanted nothing more than to just go back to the Thunder Bunker and hide out until Thor woke up, but I really didn't want to turn my back on Jade's little justice squad just in case I was wrong.

"So," said Courtney. "What's your power?"

I glanced to the side wondering how much to reveal. "I'm not a metahuman."

Her tongue worked under the front of her lips. "Fine." She held her hands up and backed off. "There's not a lot of us out there and I thought you might have wanted a friend or something to talk about it. I'll leave you alone."

Courtney spun around and walked off, over to a little SUV and jumped inside without a single backward glance, then pulled out to leave. In order to do that, she'd have to drive past me. Her vehicle slowed to a stop, a few feet away, and the window rolled down.

"Sorry to have bothered you," she said before easing off and exiting the parking lot.

I didn't waste any time jumping on the bike and heading back to the bunker.

Ten minutes later and I realized that I was tailing her, or she was going the exact same direction that I was. When she disappeared into the first entrance of the warehouse park, I took the second. The creepy feeling of being watched came over me, except Courtney was the one that was being tailed if anyone was.

When I parked the bike, I looked around and didn't see anything.

Transform and take to the air, Tyra.

I jumped at Thor's voice and his familiar presence inside my head.

"Jesus, I really wish you wouldn't do that."

Stop speaking. I can hear you well enough through thought alone. Now take to the air, quickly.

I knelt and tapped the Mjolnir charm bracelet on the ground transforming it and my clothing into that of the Goddess of Thunder. Willing the wind to center around me, pushing me from below, I was quickly lifted into the sky.

Looking down I saw one of the neighboring warehouse doors opening and a large motorcycle exiting with a familiar costumed hero at the controls.

"American Dream's secret hideout is three buildings away from ours?"

It would seem so. This poses a problem. We are bound to cross paths eventually.

"We already have."

I felt Thor digging around in my memory for once.

We should confront her. While she is alone. The only one of the three that poses any difficulty is the Jade women. It would be best to speak to this Courtney girl on our terms.

"Then I better get a move on. That bike of hers is almost out of eyesight." I concentrated harder on seeing the motorcycle and while holding Mjolnir out in front of me I willed the wind quickly in her direction.

My hair whipped behind me and I could hear my cape rippling in the wind. "Why exactly do we need a cape?"

It is an á†sir tradition.

"All you had to say was it looked cool. By the way, have you ever seen The Incredibles?" I brought to mind a specific scene where wearing a cape was a deathtrap for a particular superhero.

As the embodiment of Thor on Midgard, you have an image to uphold. The cape stays.

"If I get choked to death, or sucked into a gigantic fan, I'm so kicking your ass."

Once I overtook Courtney on the freeway I came to a hover in the middle of the freeway above traffic about a half mile ahead so she'd have plenty of time to see me and exit. Once I saw her slow I moved to the side. It was kind of funny seeing a lot of cars slow down to get a look at the flying girl. Luckily, the freeways were clear enough so as not to cause any wrecks.

There was a fairly empty strip center soon after the exit where I touched down and American Dream came to a stop as she entered. She killed the engine and kick it up on the stand before stepping off.

"So, you're not a metahuman?" She didn't seem very pleased to see me.

I shook my head. "No I'm not."

Stretch your senses out, Tyra. Be aware of who is around you.

I concentrated on the surrounding area and in the sky as well.

Courtney's hand was resting atop the pistol hanging on her hip. She didn't look like she was going to pull it. It was more like just another place to set her hand, having the added advantage of being very close to the gun if needed.

"Alien?"

I blinked. "Uh, no. Up until yesterday I was just another college student in Kansas."

She nodded at me, looking at Mjolnir, curiously. "So it's your hammer then." She casually pointed at it. "The flying, the lightning today, the disappearing human trick you pulled on Jade."

I looked at Mjolnir briefly. "It helps, but the power is in me."

"And you're not a metahuman?" she confirmed. "Right."

She's stalling you until the other two arrive.

"Yeah, I realized that when you told me to search the area, Obi-Thor Kenobi," I thought back to Thor.

"Look, I'm not here to harm anyone. The fight this morning wasn't even me, sort of." I listened to how that sounded. "It was at the end, but the beginning was totally not me. And it was the other guy that was the bad guy."

Courtney smirked a little. "Yeah, I kind of got that impression when he knocked me halfway across the county with one punch. But let's back up a little here, to the it wasn't me at the beginning, thing."

"Can I tell her about you? About what happened?" I thought to Thor.

He didn't seem entirely pleased, but didn't really have a whole lot of say in the matter. As you wish, Tyra, however, be wary not to release too much information about your true identity until we can assess their intent.

I shrugged internally. "This morning I was in some old Indian caves directly below the battle. When I came out it looked like there was going to be a tornado so I went back underground. Safer, you know?"

Courtney nodded. "Okay."

"The next thing I know," I hefted Mjolnir, "this came crashing down collapsing the cave and trapping me inside, and breaking my ankle in the process."

That's when I felt a presence of otherworldliness. "Your friends are here, by the way."

I watched her forehead lift a little underneath the mask, in surprise. "How did..."

A green streak raced downward and landed beside American Dream. It was Jade and her sidekick... Terry, or Tarry, something like that.

Terra.

"Right."

Jade looked uneasy and Terra was downright nervous as hell.

"I'm assuming you guys heard everything I've said so far?" I asked.

Terra couldn't keep her eyes off of the hammer. I looked at it for a moment and then took a chance. "Would it make you feel better if the hammer wasn't here?"

Her eyes ticked up to me and she nodded minutely.

"Fine, nobody do anything stupid while I do this, please."

I knelt down and hit the head of the hammer on the pavement. In the next instant I stood, transformed out of my costume and Mjolnir was gone. Ruffling out the leather jacket, I shoved my hands in the pockets, gripping the wad of cash that was in the left and trying to act casual all the while.

Courtney blinked. "Nice trick."

I smiled.

"So you're trapped in the cave." Jade encouraged the story along without trying to appear wary.

"Right. I grabbed the hammer and poof, I'm talking to this guy inside the hammer."

"Inside," Courtney clarified.

I nodded. He says the guy outside was bad news and he was kicking your butts and if I didn't do something about it then the Earth was doomed." Before anyone could get another question in, I continued. "I said I'd help. That's when Jade here gets in the way and lets the bad guy escape."

Terra looked at Jade and Courtney gave me a doubtful eye.

"But from her perspective a girl throwing around lightning was probably a bad thing, so it's understandable. It sucks, because until this guy gets caught, I'm stuck in this body, But it's understandable."

"And you're not a metahuman," Courtney asked one more time, still highly doubting my word.

I shook my head. "I'm a god."

~O~

Cars began stopping and people started gathering, so we moved to a more secluded location. Jade offered the use of her green bubble thing that carried all of us to the warehouse where Courtney's home base was after I told them I already knew about it.

There was a handful of guys in casual dress and a lady hanging out there.

"So, the bad guy is Loki and you're Thor," Courtney confirmed my claims.

I nodded. "Not the original one, of course, but I have all of his powers and knowledge, so yeah, Thor."

Terra piped up, finally. "I thought Thor was a guy"

"Yeah, he is. Monster of a guy. Muscles on his muscles if you get my meaning. Scraggly, three day beard, sheepskin outfit, hair halfway down his back. He's currently be punished by his father for being a horndog and not respecting women like he should. Only I'm the one that's getting punished while he's himself, locked inside Mjolnir."

"You're getting punished?" asked Jade.

I cringed. I hadn't revealed my true identity to that point. "Yeah... this morning, I was a guy."

All three of them looked knowingly at each other. Terra held her hand up. "So was I."

Courtney nodded. "Me too."

Jade just looked at me with a serene smile on her face, very Mona Lisa-like.

I cocked an eyebrow at them. "Are all metahumans... uh..."

Jade nodded. "So far."

I pointed at her. "And you're an alien."

Terra laughed.

"No, I was just someone the ring here picked out to get the job done." She waggled it so I could see. "It's the alien."

Make your excuses, Trya. We have business to attend.

"Are you in a rush?" I thought back to Thor.

Have you forgotten Loki?

I gripped the hammer bracelet and reached out with my senses. Still nothing. "He's not out there."

I felt a surge of anger and the charm vibrated a little. A picture developed in my mind of Thor slamming his fist into a stone wall. Then he went silent again, like he wasn't there at all.

"Tyra?" Courtney looked like she was going to touch me to gain my attention.

"Sorry, Thor was talking to me."

Jade looked a little surprised. "You can communicate with him?"

I nodded. "Yeah. He's getting antsy being trapped in a cave. I can empathize. We have to wait until Loki reappears on Earth before we can act."

Courtney's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think he's coming back? From what Jade told us, he was seriously freaked out when you exploded out of the ground and came after him again."

"It's his first goal to obtain his vengeance," I explained. "He needs to conquer all of the nine worlds and then he'll have the power he needs to face the á†sir. He already ruled Jotunheim. Earth is the first and most easily conquered outside of his primary realm. But he wasn't expecting a fully restored Thunder God."

Courtney shook her head. "That doesn't explain why he bugged out so quick." She frowned. "It pains me to say that we were having our assess handed to us until you popped out of he ground."

I thought on it for a moment or two. "Loki thought he'd won. Thor was trapped in Mjolnir; it was only a matter of subjugating Earth. It must have shaken him to find out he couldn't contain Thor for more than a minute or two. As far as he knows, I'm the real deal."

Jade nodded, satisfied with my conclusion. "He doubts his power."

"Right," I confirmed.

Terra was playing follow the bouncing ball between all of us. "Hold on, what?"

Jade turned to her. "He thought he'd found the answer in containing his greatest foe. Some sort of magic power he didn't have before, I assume."

I nodded and she continued.

"It's like putting all your faith in a chemical weapon only to find out that your enemy is immune to its effects. It has made him doubt his power, so he's hidden himself until he can either explain why it didn't work and fix it or come up with an alternate plan."

"Probably the latter, if Thor's memories are anything to judge from," I offered. "Loki's not one to brood. He's more of a Plan B type person, except I don't think he had a Plan B. Now he's got to come up with one."

"Hey guys?" Terra interrupted. "Mom says if there isn't an emergency, then I have to be home before ten."

I blinked. How young were these people?

Jade stood. "I'll take you and then call it a night. I'm exhausted from today's events." She reached out her hand to me. "Tyra, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I'm sorry about what happened this morning. It wasn't my intention to step in the way..."

I understood what she was doing. "You didn't know. It's okay. Someone throwing lightning around usually equals bad guy."

She gave me a single nod. "Thank you for understanding."

I looked at the rest of their team, the more human aspect, standing around in the background. The lady looked like she was biting at the bit to interrogate me. She had to be a scientist. I've seen the look before, coming from several of my former professors.

Standing, I shook out my jacket and glanced to the door. "I better get going too."

Courtney mirrored my movements. "Can I give you a lift anywhere?"

I chuckled a little. "Actually, I'm three buildings down."

Her mouth opened and then she smiled. "That's how you knew where to find me."

She gestured to the door. "I'll walk you over, see if I can borrow a cup of sugar or something."

Looking back at the lady, I waved.

The night was cool, but not numbingly cold. It was another thing about Houston. Eighty degree days and forty degree nights during December. Ridiculous.

Courtney had pulled her mask back, letting it hang under her hair and I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She was cute as hell, but I couldn't get over the whole teenager-looking thing. I felt like I was perving.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but how old are you?"

She looked up at me and frowned. "Thirty-four."

That stopped me in my tracks. "What?"

Her arms crossed under her breasts, pushing them forward, in what I'd hoped was an unintended gesture. Like me, she was a former guy at one point.

"I was with the FBI. Someone found out that I had the metagene and wanted to see if they could activate it." She shrugged and moved on. "Of course I said yes. I mean, who wouldn't want super powers? And since I was in the business of saving people, it felt like the right decision."

I nodded in comprehension.

"We knew there was a chance that my body would change, but we took precautions... started with a blank slate, as opposed to how Terra changed."

At my inquiring look, she explained.

"She was in a Halloween costume, dressed like a girl."

"Ah."

"That's not the reason for the change in gender. They're guessing its a mental thing now. State of mind and all that."

I thought about the obvious conclusion to that bit of information.
"So you wanted to be a girl."

She shook her head, probably expecting my statement. "I was thinking about my daughter."

"You're married?" I cringed. That had to suck.

"Divorced. It happened a long time ago. My daughter died and..."

She just let it trail off and I didn't push the subject.

"Anyway, physically I'm a sixteen year old, now."

I groaned internally. It was worse than I thought. There was no way I could make a play for her now. Granted, her head was thirty-four and that was the whole reason behind age of consent in the first place, but still. Society had ingrained in everyone a certain moral standard, and the thought of... nevermind. I didn't even want to think about it.

"That's got to seriously suck."

"You have no idea."

We reached the door and I keyed in the code. "Did you want to come down?"

She looked at the stairway immediately dropping into the ground. "Down?"

I laughed a little. "Yeah, Thor has a thing about security. It's a bunker."

Courtney smirked. "Maybe another time."

I gave her a nod.

Before she turned away, she stopped. "Hey, Tyra."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering..." She shook her head and frowned. "Nevermind. I'll see you around."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was on her mind, so I let it go and didn't make things worse for her. She was pretty much screwed any way you looked at the situation. She couldn't date in her physical age group for the same reason I couldn't date her. It was just wrong. And she couldn't date someone older because they would probably be a closet pedophile. Her social life for the next few years was going to be non-existent.

It was too bad I wasn't about four years younger.

Not too many decades ago the thought of being a maiden at the age of sixteen meant that there was something wrong with the woman, Tyra.

"Back again?"

I never left. There are times that I simply do not want to infringe upon your presence.

"I appreciate that."

Courtney was far enough away where she was half a building from making her turn and I saw her brush at her face.

The physical shell can be changed, Tyra. As easily as Odin did with me.

I didn't say anything for a few moments. "You're saying we have the ability to make me look younger?"

Even to this day the á†sir will travel to Midgard and the other worlds in disguise. The All-Father will often assume the figure of a frail old man so as not to be bothered or thought of with any seriousness by others he watches. It is simple magic that you may perform even without Mjolnir.

Courtney disappeared behind the last warehouse and I let the door close behind me as descended the stairs. It wasn't like I would be stuck that young, permanently. I could change back any time, if I wanted, if it was that easy. And it would be nice to actually talk to someone else that knew what it was like to be different, out of the blue. It would solve a lot of problems, actually.

The next morning, after a shower, I felt for Loki's presence again, to no avail. Thor was more sedate this time. Maybe being trapped in a mystical hammer was doing him some good. The next thing I did was reach out to feel for Courtney's presence. She was working out, pressing a serious amount of weight as well.

A glance at my wardrobe and shook my head. "Do you think that maybe we can visit your dad today and see if he could ease up on the clothing restrictions? I mean it's not like you're the one being punished or anything."

Disturbing Odin for something as frivolous as this would be inadvisable. My suggestion would be to wait until there is a reason to visit or if one of the Valkyries happens by with a message from him. It would also not bode well to let it be known that I am not in possession of my body.

"Why not?" I asked as I donned a black top and red leather pants.

While you possess my knowledge and powers, you do not possess my instinct for battle. I have many enemies that would seek to take advantage of your inexperience in this area.

"Oh. Good point."

On the way out, I grabbed my jacket while I tried to make my decision what to do. I'd spent the better part of the night previous trying to get to sleep and then waking up in a quandary, yet again. There didn't seem to be an easy answer.

I parked my bike outside their warehouse and before I had a chance to knock, the doors opened up enough to admit two people shoulder to shoulder. I stepped through to see the lady wave to me from the side where she had her hand on the switch that opened the doors, I assumed.

"Good morning, Tyra. I'm Doctor Sharon Rosenthal. We didn't have a chance to meet yesterday."

I shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm..." I paused, looking around.

"Courtney will be along in a moment. We've notified her of your arrival." She looked at me strangely for a moment. "Is it me? Maybe the light. You look younger than you did last night."

Before I had a chance to answer, I heard Courtney. "Tyra!"

I turned and she was standing next to a tent with a towel in her hand and wearing a big fluffy bathrobe. "Sorry I was just..." She stopped and looked at me, confused.

It was then or never. "Hi, Courtney. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and maybe go out and grab some breakfast or something."

She seemed to draw in on herself, looking smaller than before, then a bright smile rose on her face. "I'd like that."

TBC...

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