I Am The Night- Part Seven by: Enemyoffun Steven Brown has a rough time, wanting to be a girl and hiding it from his angry abusive father. But when Steven gets a chance to express his hidden side through a fantastic opportunity, things change, including himself.

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Author's Note: Here's Ch. 6, sorry for the delay. I had to clean up a mess in my backyard in the form of the shed that I had to knock down. Unfortunately it took up a lot of my free time. This is a filler chapter, after the last chapter I figured Stephanie needed a breather before the heavy stuff started up again. I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters. UPDATE: New Pic to reflect the New Stephanie :)

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Chapter Six:

“I think she’s coming around”

I opened my eyes and blinked, a bright light was shining back and forth in front of them. At first, all I saw was the light and it hurt like a bitch. When the light disappeared and the blotchy vision began to fade, I saw a dark shape looming over me. At first, I almost freaked until the shape started to take form, turning into Leslie. I smiled and then got really confused. I tried to remember what had happened but it was a bit of a blur. I remembered the warehouse. I remembered almost burning to death and somehow getting out of the ropes... then I think I jumped up to a window. Everything else after that was a bit hazy.
I tried to sit up but Leslie gently pushed me back down. When she did so I noticed I was wearing a paper gown and that I was lying in a bed. I looked around, realizing I was in the Clinic. How and why I was here was still a bit lost on me. I tried sitting up again but she kept her hand on my chest and shook her head. I opened my mouth to say something but found my throat was a bit dry.

“Water” I croaked and Leslie nodded.

“Sure, sweetheart” she said and then turned to someone else. “Barb, honey, can you bring her some water.”

Barb? My head snapped in direction Leslie was talking and sure enough, Babs was there. I heard the whirl of her electronic chair and then she was at my bedside, smiling at me. It was funny that Barbara had such shocking red hair, seeing that she was the only one of the family who did. Our mothers were sisters and both of them were blonde. Uncle Jim---before it was gray---had been brown. So where Barbara got her red hair from was a complete mystery to us. I used to pick on her about it from time to time and she used to mock me for sounding like a little girl. It was good harmless fun. Seeing her now though made me realize that something bad had happened.

She frowned at me, holding the paper cup just out of my reach. “Next time you’ll listen to me and leave it to the proper authorities!”

I nodded and reached for the water. She handed it to me then brushed a long strand of hair from my face. I hardly noticed the gesture as I chugged the water like a maniac. My throat was so dry like my throat had been scorched. When I finished drinking, she took the cup from me, still running her fingers through my hair.

“What happened?” I asked, noticing a slight change to my voice but shrugged it off as my throat still being a little parched.

“You tell us,” said Leslie, pulling out her stethoscope.

I frowned and looked at Barbara. So I took a deep breath and told the two of them everything I remembered. When I got to the part about the fire, Babs punched me. I deserved it. I’d done something really stupid last night and it almost killed me. It should have killed me actually. That had to be one of the biggest questions on my mind. When I finished all I could remember, I asked Leslie why I was still alive. She looked at Barbara and then moved away. I thought maybe she was dodging the question until she came back over with a hand mirror. When I took it and frowned, she raised my head so that I could see my face in the mirror. What I saw shocked the hell out of me. No, it wasn’t because I was horribly burned or something. It was the opposite in fact. My face wasn’t scarred at all; in fact, the bruising was gone, too. It was like none of it had ever happened. But there was more, much more. My skin looked healthier, softer even. My features were different too, not drastically different but different nonetheless. My nose was a bit smaller and a tad bit narrower and my cheekbones were higher. My lips looked a bit fuller too.

The most shocking were my eyes. Before, they were blue but now they were piercing, like two sapphires.

“What in the hell happened?” I asked and grasped my throat.

It wasn’t the result of a dry throat. My throat was fine and yet my voice was completely different. I pulled the mirror back a bit and caught sight of something else, my hair. Before it was long for a guy, at my shoulders. Now it was not only long---probably down my back---it looked shinier. I held the mirror with one hand and ran my other hand through it. It was softer too, like Jen’s. I gasped. There was no way anything like this was possible.

I sat up slightly and turned to look at Barbara, trying to figure things out. When I did so, I noticed something else immediately. There was a weight on my chest and it shifted when I moved. I looked down and realized the blanket didn’t slide off me when I sat up. Instead, it rested there, supported by the two protrusions sticking from it. I dropped the mirror. A smile split across my face and I threw off the covers. Excitement coursed through my whole body. I tried to get out of bed but Leslie held me steady. I pushed off her hands though, I wanted to see this. There were several wires and an IV in my arm. I grabbed the IV and pulled, wincing at the discomfort.

Then I jumped off the bed. My center of gravity was off and I wobbled a bit. Leslie rushed around the bed to keep me from falling.

“Stephanie, you need to get back in bed, dear.”

I brushed her off. “I want to see,” I said excitedly and before she could stop me, I rushed for the bathroom.

I was faster than before, lighter on my feet or something. When I got to the bathroom, I shut and locked the door behind me. Then I rushed to the mirror. It was true, the image staring back at me was me but so much different. So much better. I grabbed the gown and tore it over my head, staring at my naked body. It was the body I should have had, the body I was meant to have. Staring back at me from the mirror was Stephanie Brown, all girl. A huge smile spread across my face and I squealed in joy. Yes, squealed. Hey, I was a girl after all.

There was a knock on the door. “Honey, are you ok?”

“I’m fine, Babs” I said excitedly. “Better than fine.”

Barbara laughed. “That’s great, sweetie, but you need to come back to the bed so that Leslie can finish running some tests.”

I frowned and opened the door. When Barbara saw my naked form, she shielded her eyes for a second. I grabbed her hand and pulled it away. “Why hide your eyes,” I said happily. “We’re all girls here.”

I laughed and gleefully trotted back over to the bed. When I jumped up onto it for a second I felt lighter than air. It was kinda cool. It was clear what had happened to me, only an idiot wouldn’t know. But what I wanted to know was why it hadn’t happened until now. I’d read some stories on the Internet, I knew how Terra changed and even Myka. But why hadn’t I changed until last night. I racked my brain and came to the conclusion that it must have been the fire. It must have been some kinda catalyst. As I sat there and thought about it some more, Leslie ran her checkup. She took some blood, mentioned something about sending it off to a colleague at STAR Labs for testing. Then she ran through what could be a routine physical. When she got to my weight and height, I frowned when I discovered not much had changed there.

When she was done, she told me to get dressed. I smiled, gave her a big hug and ran off into the locker room. I only had a few selections from before, down by one since my Dad ripped the one I had been wearing pretty good. I found a clean pair of underwear and quickly discovered that I’d definitely need to do some shopping. Neither the panties nor the bra fit right, both were too tight. But then again I’d been dressing a male body not a female one. I got giddy with excitement though as I looked down at my breasts, my real ones. They were mine, not fake blobs of whatever. I reached up and touched them, feeling their weight in my hands. I had to be at least a B Cup, possibly a C.

I tried putting on a skirt but my hips were too big for it. So I ended up rummaging and found a pair of stretch jeans. They molded to my body, showing off my new butt quite nicely. Then I found a plain white tee, it was a bit tight in the chest area but it would do. My shoes were pretty much the same which made me frown. I had small dainty feet to begin with but I was hoping for something a little bigger. Oh well, life goes on. I was too damn happy to really complain. After dressing, I took some extra time and got the makeup kit that Leslie had made up for me. I decided to go all out because I had nothing more to hide. After my face was done, I went out into the main room.

Barbara whistled, I blushed.

“No one could tell that you were ever a guy.”

Leslie smiled too. “Are you feeling all right, sweetie?”

I nodded. “I’m fine, better than fine actually.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Leslie with a frown. “I talked to my friend at STAR Labs; she’s dealt with this kind of thing before. She wants me to bring you over to run some tests just to make sure that you are in fact a Meta.”

“I think the answer is staring us right in the face,” said Barbara “She was in a horrible fire and should be covered in burn scars. Look at her, Leslie, there isn’t a scratch on her.”

Leslie nodded. “We need to be sure, though.”

Barbara nodded and turned to me. “What do you think, Steph?”

I shrugged. I didn’t need tests to prove to me what I already knew: I was Meta. But I nodded just so that Leslie could be reassured. She smiled and went to the phone, picking it up and calling her friend. I wandered over to Babs and bent to give her a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and for a moment, everything was right in the world. I knew it wasn’t of course. There were still a lot of obstacles and I’m sure what happened last night was going to get back to me; I think I was still on a bit of a high. After all, it’s not every day that some one’s fondest wish comes true.

Leslie came back over. “Jenet wants to see us now.”

__________________________________

I have to say that I don’t remember the ride to STAR Labs because I kinda dozed off. When I woke up again, Leslie was pulling her car into the parking lot. Barbara wanted to go with us but couldn’t because she had to get to class. I was kinda glad she didn’t tag along. She started mothering me before we left, poking and prodding---asking me if I was really all right. I think it surprised her a bit that I had yet to cry. She seemed to think that what I went through last night was extremely traumatic and as such, I should be a wreck. To tell you the truth, it kinda freaked me out that I wasn’t a wreck too. Something like that should have made me quivering but I was actually OK about it. Sorta like what happened to me after the Roving Ravager saved me in the alley. It affected me but not in the way it should have. How freaky is that?

We got out of the car and went in to a nondescript gray building. It looked like any other building except it had a glass dome on the top of it and on the front in large block letters was the words STAR Labs. I didn’t know much about the place other than what was in the papers. They were a cutting edge research facility, dealing with a lot of different scientific fields. They’d been in the papers a lot lately for Meta related things. They were on the forefront of trying to identify the Metagene in individuals. I’m not sure what their ultimate goal was and it never really concerned me until now. I just hoped that they weren’t taking my blood just so they could use it to cure me. There was no way I was going back to the hell of being a girl stuck in a guy’s body.

When we reached the building, Leslie led me through a pair of high-tech sliding doors. The lobby was sterile and pristine, every surface seemed to shine. Three of the four walls were made of glass while the fourth was where a circular reception area was located. There was a pretty blonde behind the counter, filing her nails. She couldn’t have been much older than Babs. She barely looked at us as Leslie announced herself. The girl typed at her computer keyboard---looking bored. Behind her there was a hiss and a door opened. Leslie smiled and ushered me forward.

“State of the Art facility and a flake like her at the desk” she said, loud enough for the girl to hear.

I smiled as I followed her. The hall was long and just as shiny as the rest of the place. I felt like I was in the Manor again, except here the floors were linoleum and the walls were white, without any bit of decoration whatsoever. I felt like I was in a hospital, except in hospitals they at least tried to make the place look cheerful. This place was sterile and creepy, like it was only meant for science people. I shuddered as the hallway turned onto another one just like it. Except this new one had doors, lots of them. I tried to count how many but it got too annoying so I stopped.

Finally though we came upon a door with a glass window and a name stenciled on it in gold lettering: Dr. Jenet Klyburn, Geneticist. I took a deep breath as Leslie knocked on the door. A muffled voice on the other end told us to enter. When Leslie opened the door, I was surprised at how much the room contrasted with the rest of the place. It was still white and sterile looking but at least there was some color. There were prints on the wall, a few potted plants on the windowsill and a small desk in the corner. Sitting behind the desk was a red headed middle-aged woman in a white lab coat. She smiled at both of us as she quickly got up, went around the desk then gave Leslie a hug.

“It’s been too long, Doc” said the woman when they separated.

“Jenet, dear, you don’t have to call me Doc anymore.”

The woman---Jenet---waved it off. Then she turned to me. “This must be Stephanie?”

I nodded. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Klyburn.”

She laughed. “Please, it’s Jenet. The only ones who call me Dr. Klyburn are the kiss ass Grad students.”

Both she and Leslie laughed. It was clear the two of them were old friends. After the laughing was over, Jenet got right down to business. She pointed to the examining table and told me to hop up. I did as I was told and then she started to ask me questions. She didn’t want to know anything about me before---which was a relief---but she did ask me some questions about how the change happened. I tried to be as vague as possible. It was something that Leslie, Barbara and I decided before we got into the car earlier. They both thought it would be in my best interest that I not advertise that I was moonlighting as a vigilante when the change happened. There were too many questions and not enough answers. I tried to convince them that it wasn’t what I was doing, but they didn’t seem to want to listen. So together the three of us came up with a cover story, stemming from Dad catching me dressed and almost beating me senseless. Speaking of him, the police caught him. Well, actually caught him wasn’t the proper term I guess. I’m not sure when it happened but he was dropped off in front of the nearest precinct, practically gift wrapped. Barbara didn’t know much but when they examined him they found traces of soot and other damaging evidence on him linking him to the warehouse. I think the DA wants to prosecute him on the warehouse fire as well as trying to beat me to death, which is fine by me. I promised myself to ask Uncle Jim about it as soon as I was done here.

“So I take it this turning into a girl thing was a happy occurrence then?”

I nodded. “Oh God, yes.”

Jenet smiled. “I wish all my other patients were as enthusiastic as you about the change.”

“You’ve had other Meta patients?”

She nodded. “I’m not supposed to say anything but there have been quite a few, one of them who favors blue and gold in fact.”

She gestured toward the wall behind her desk. I looked over and saw a framed poster of Booster Gold, standing in a sexy pose. I’m not sure how it happened but Myka was the Poster Girl for Metas everywhere. Not that I’m surprised. Her posters were all over the city and her face was all over the TV. She didn’t do much hero work but she did a lot of selling. She was a big time celebrity, peddling everything from suntan lotion to sports equipment. I suppose she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to our kind. God that felt good to say.

After the few questions, Jenet asked me to remove my shirt so she could do her doctor thing. I did as I was asked and got the complete physical. I was kinda annoyed that I got more than two in one day though. At the end of which she stuck a cotton swab into my mouth, after that she stuck it in a test tube and put it in a glass cabinet in the corner. Then she told me I was set and to put my shirt back on.

“Will that be able to tell you what I can do?” I asked as I pulled my shirt over my head.

Jenet frowned. “Don’t you know, sweetheart?”

I shook my head. Leslie piped in. “After the battering she took it’s clear that she’s got some regeneration capabilities at least.”

Jenet looked deep in thought. Then she smiled. “Can we run a little test?”

I nodded and she smiled. She walked over to her drawer and took out a scalpel. When she walked over to me and approached my arm, I pulled back. She reassured me everything was going to be fine, she was just going to make a tiny cut. I held out my hand and she tried to slit the tip of my index finger. But nothing happened so she tried again. All three of us stared at finger like it belonged to an alien. Then Jenet looked at her scalpel, probably wondering if it was a dull blade. She pricked her own finger and cursed as blood appeared and slowly started to run down it. Ok so I’m not regenerator girl but apparently I’m a freaky girl who can’t get hurt. How messed up is that?

“Interesting” Jenet asked, still being the scientist.

I nodded. “That’s definitely not normal.”

She chewed her lip. “Would you mind if I ran some X-Rays?”

I looked at Leslie. “It’s up to you, sweetie.”

I gave her my consent then we moved onto another room. She made me undress and put on one of those paper gowns. I was kinda embarrassed about it but it was real quick. I’ve never had an X-Ray before but it was cool. It didn’t hurt at all and it didn’t take very long. Afterwards she had me get redressed and took me to a room where I could wait. Leslie stayed with her. I found myself alone in a room that looked like a doctor’s office waiting room. There was chairs lining the walls, a TV mounted in the corner and a stack of magazines on the little table in the center. I rifled through them looking for something interesting but they were all pretty much out of date.

I frowned and decided to find something on TV. As I was flipping through the channels, the door opened and another girl came into the room. She was about my age, reddish brown hair, t-shirt and jeans. She looked out of place and as nervous as hell. She smiled at me and took a seat on the other side of the room. I watched her for a few minutes but it was clear that she was really uncomfortable. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was a Meta too. It was the way she sat and walked, it screamed guy. It was the way she looked, too. Her clothes were a bit too tight even though they were for the proper gender and her hair was done all wrong. I felt bad for her because it was clear that she didn’t want this at all.

“Hi” I said, trying to make small talk. “My name’s Stephanie, what’s yours?”

She snorted. “Kevin…I mean, Kitty I guess.”

“That’s cute,” I said, trying to be nice. It was, too, I wish I’d thought of something that cute.

She scoffed. “My Mom’s idea.”

She shifted a bit, allowing me to see some of her ankle. It was then that I saw a purple dragon tat there. “Cool tat.”

She tugged on her pant leg but it was clear that it was just a tad short. “That’s Lockheed. He’s my school’s mascot. It was pretty cool when me and guys got them though it was on my arm before; I’m not sure how it got down there.”

I smiled and nodded. I decided to break the ice. “What’s your thing?”

She shrugged. “Damned if I know. I took a bad tackle in practice, knocked me out cold. When I woke up, bam, boob city. Two nights ago, I woke up underneath my bed. Then this morning I was in the basement, three floors beneath my room. My Mom freaked and brought me here. They said on the news they could help people like me.”

I nodded. We talked for a bit more. Kitty went to a school just outside Chicago or at least she did. After becoming her new self, she hasn’t been back since. Her mother was seriously considering moving, making a clean start somewhere else. Kitty said she found a brochure in the mail for some private school in Westchester County New York. She wasn’t too keen on the idea but it sounded cool to me. Ever since reading Harry Potter I was a big fan of private schools. Not that Dad could afford one and even if he could, there was no way he would send me to one. But a girl could dream. The two of us talked about other things until Jenet came to get me. I wished her luck, she smiled and grumbled a thanks and I followed Jenet back to her office.

“So what’s the verdict?” I asked as I sat on the edge of her exam table.

She frowned. “Your skin appears to be normal but there were some abnormalities in your bone density and muscle tissue.”

“Anything bad?”

She shook her head. “No, but I’d like to do some more testing if you’re ok with it.”

I wasn’t so sure I wanted all of this today. I told her as much.

“We don’t have to do it today but maybe next week, allow you to have some settling in time. I can call you later, schedule an appointment.”

I thought about it for a second. It might be cool to figure out what my new powers were if I had any at all. “Sounds good to me.”

____________________________________

Uncle Jim lived in Schaumburg, in a brown Victorian across the street from a park. I used to go there a lot when I was a kid but after Mom died, Dad said he couldn’t be bothered. When Leslie pulled up in front of the large house, I sighed. I looked out the window, staring with glee at my new home. Since Dad was now in jail and I couldn’t exactly live with the Morgans, Uncle Jim and Barbara were it. But Barbara lived in a little studio apartment in the city which was just big enough for her. Uncle Jim had a huge house with five bedrooms, two baths and a gigantic backyard. He was all alone too since Babs went to college. His wife, Barbara---Mom’s sister---died when I was three. So I guess that makes our family small and close knit.

“You sure you want to do this kiddo?” asked Leslie. “I have plenty of space in my apartment.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I’m sure.”

Leslie offered for me to live with her after it was decided I couldn’t go back to the Narrows. But I didn’t want to impose. We thought about Bruce but living in the Manor kinda creeped me out. The place was too big and foreign. Besides, I wanted to be near family. That’s when Babs called her Dad. They talked for about an hour; I think it took her that long to convince Uncle Jim about what was going on. He was a good guy---very understanding---and said he couldn’t have been happier. I’m not sure if that was true or not but it was nice of him to say so.

Leslie got out first and opened the door for me. Then she went around to the trunk and got my bag. I didn’t have much, just what I managed to grab from my room when I fled. Though she did offer to take me over there and get the rest of my stuff if I wanted. I was tempted but most of it belonged to Steven and that life was over as far as I was concerned. I wanted to start new and fresh and what better way to do it then here. Though there were still a lot of things to work out. School, for instance. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that actually. I still want to go to my old one though, it’s not like anyone would notice the difference. I was in my senior year after all and it would be stupid to switch what with it still being the second week of classes. Another thing was my new identity. I’m still not sure how I was going to get one of those.

When I got out of the car, I looked up at the house. When I was younger, I thought it was the biggest place in the world. It had white columns and trim, a huge wraparound porch and a bunch of peaks and gables. I used to think it was like a castle and always imagined myself as the fairy princess. Now looking at it I couldn’t help but feel warm inside. This was going to be home. I think I could live with that. I took a deep breath and walked down the little stone path wedged in between a nicely manicured lawn. There were flower boxes under most of the windows and even trimmed hedges under the large window in the front. Uncle Jim didn’t have much time for yard work but whomever he hired to do it was fantastic.

When Leslie and I started up the porch, the front door opened. Uncle Jim was standing there in a red wool sweater and jeans, his casual look. His trademark mustache was well groomed, his glasses having switched to bifocals since I’d last seen him. He walked out onto the porch; a leather bound book tucked under one arm. He had a warm welcoming smile that always made me wish that this man had been my father. When he smiled at me now I did everything I could to keep myself from breaking down and running into his arms.

“So you must be my new niece,” he said with a hearty laugh.

I nodded. “Hi Uncle Jim, thanks for this.”

He smiled and nodded. Then addressed Leslie. “It’s always a pleasure, Leslie. Thanks for looking after my new girl here.”

Leslie smiled. “Anything for your family, Jim.”

It didn’t surprise me that Leslie knew Uncle Jim. Hell, Leslie seemed to know everyone.

The two of them chattered on the porch for a bit. I asked if I could go on in. Uncle Jim nodded and said it was my house now, so I didn’t need to ask for permission. So I walked inside and smiled. Nothing had changed since the last time I’d been here. Some of the electronics was updated but the main room looked pretty much the same since I was little. Aunt Barbara had decorated it and I think Uncle Jim was afraid to change it. I kinda liked it, it was very homy. It was definitely a lot better than the crap that Dad had in our old living room. I walked inside and flopped down on one of two large couches. I wanted to cry but instead I grabbed one of the pillows and sighed into it.

Ten minutes later, Uncle Jim came in. He was carrying my bag and walked over to his chair, sitting in it slowly. We both sat there in silence for a while. It was kinda awkward, what with the two of us not sure what to say. I felt really out of place, like an Interloper. After all, he was the Police Commissioner, my father was a criminal and the only time I saw him was when he was being interviewed on TV. It felt kinda weird sitting here actually. I think he might have been a little uncomfortable, too.

But he did finally break the silence. “I was thinking of putting you up in one of the guest rooms. It’s kinda bare at the moment but I’m sure we can get it decorated to your liking.”

I smiled and nodded. “Is it the one next to Bab’s old room?”

He nodded. “C’mon, I’ll take you there.”

He led me up the stairs to the second floor. He took me to one of the rooms in the front of the house, giving me a nice view of the park. I smiled because he remembered. When I used to come here, I loved the park. Sometimes Mom and I used to spend the night and this room was my favorite. Partially because of the view but also because it had such a huge bed. When Jim unlocked the door and let me in, I smiled because nothing had changed. It was kinda bare at the moment and it needed some color on the walls but it would definitely do. I surprised him and myself when I gave him a big hug.

It was kinda awkward for both of us. When I pulled away, he smiled. “When you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.”

I nodded and he left, probably back to his study to read his book.

I waited until I heard him go down the stairs. Then I closed the door and ran over to the bed, flopping down on it. The comforter on top was soft and welcoming. It also smelled a bit like Mom, which was a nice added bonus. I’m not sure how he pulled it off but I loved it. I laid there for a while---on my back---staring at the ceiling. Then I realized that I should probably call Jen, seeing that the last time I talked to her was before my stupid Dad stalking. I sat up, grabbed the phone off the bedside table and dialed her number.

She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey girlfriend, how’s it going?”

It was the way I started every phone conversation with her.

“Stephanie?” I laughed. “You sound different, is everything ok?”

I took a deep breath. “You’ll never believe what happened to me.”

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF