He was wearing a black suit identical to yesterday’s minus the damage from the fight with the renegade metahuman. “Hello ladies.”

“I’m glad to see you,” Asuna said. “Just let me get my sneakers on and hug my mom goodbye and I’ll be ready.”

“That’s fine,” he shook Mihoshi’s hand while Asuna wedged her feet into her old sneakers. “It was a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Kagurazaka.”

Then he kissed Iris, “It was nice seeing you again Iris. Keep in touch.”

“I’ll do that,” she replied.

Asuna hugged her mom, “I love you mom! I have to go now but I’ll be back. I promise!”

Outside the same poo colored sedan from yesterday sat parked, “You really need a better ride dude. If this is standard issue I think I’ll be buying my own when the time comes.”

“It gets me where I want to go and gets good gas mileage,” he replied. “That’s enough for me.”

They drove to an ordinary looking office building in a corporate park. Outside on the grass was a big stone rectangular sign with the words “Department of Paranormal Activity - Branch Office”.

“We’re here, remember to sign in as Asuna Hinato,” Agent Spaulding said.
They walked in through glass double doors and up to the reception desk.

“Good morning Agent Spaulding,” the man behind the desk said. “Please show your I.D. and have your guest sign in.”

After they did so they made their way to a bank of elevators and rode up several levels. They ended up in what looked like a conference room but there was only one person there. She looked middle-aged and solid. She lifted her glasses and looked out at them and smiled.

“You must be the girl who helped our agents capture the woman who has been attacking hospitals and blood banks all across the state. It was a feather in our cap that we caught her before local or state law enforcement. Thank you for that.” She pointed to the paperwork she had been reading, “I just have a few things for you to sign. Please do read everything first and ask questions about whatever you do not understand.”

Asuna accepted the papers and read through them. The first was the formalized agreement that the DPA would pay for her High School and an undergraduate degree and that after school she would work for them for at least eight years. It stated that she must check in with Agent Spaulding or his designated alternate at least once per week and that she must maintain at least a B average each semester. It also delineated the fairly generous allowance or stipend she would be paid biweekly and that room and board would be included in tuition along with any necessary books or materials. She signed that one having no real questions and moved on to the next one.

That one was an security agreement stating that she was not to tell people she was being sponsored by the DPA without a very good reason and to be prepared to explain that reason if asked. She was to tell most people only that she was on a government scholarship. That would be left to her discretion though and Whateley’s senior faculty had been informed. It also outlined the penalties for discussing any sensitive or top secret information she came in to possession of with anyone not authorized. All such information was to be passed through appropriate channels only. She signed that one too.

After she handed them back, the woman thanked her again and handed her a third document, “Once you sign this one you’ll take it with you to get your new I.D. cards. Welcome to the department.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Asuna said. The third document said that she was Asuna Hinato and she was coming to pick replacement identity information after a fire had destroyed her originals. To her it was the scariest of the three. She looked up at Robert Spaulding, “So the old me is legally dead?”

“Yes, he is listed as dead in the attack. Your immediate family knows different but they have agreed to go along with it. There will be a closed casket funeral and that will be the end of it. When you return it will be as your mom’s cousin. Your little brother is excited to see you.” He smiled, “He seems to think all this is really cool.”

“And my father?” Asuna asked.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll come around. Your mom seems like a very determined woman,” Spaulding replied.

Asuna tried not to wince.

The woman caught it anyway and added, “Most fathers do come around eventually. It just takes them longer. If he can accept the mutant thing he can accept the other.”

Asuna nodded and took a deep breath then signed the last paper. “I’m ready.”

They were walking down the corridor when Spaulding handed her a box with the Fossil brand on it, “I know it’s not your birthday but I got you this.”

Asuna said “Thanks,” but looked a little puzzled as she took the wallet out of the box. It was pretty nice and already had a little money in it.

“You’re going to get some I.D. next and some of that should be kept on you and it’s good luck to add some money to a new wallet. Most of what you’ll get will be paid for by Uncle Sam but that’s just from me,” he said.

On impulse she hugged him, “Thanks!”

“Oof! You’re very welcome but next time could you squeeze a little less hard?” he said.

She giggled then put a hand over her mouth, “Darkness, that sounded girly.”

“Consider it a sign you are adapting well,” Spaulding replied wondering to himself if BITs could change personalities as well as bodies.

Soon they came to an unmarked door and Spaulding walked in, followed by Asuna. The room inside ended with a wooden waist high partitioned. It looked like a high tech print shop on the far side of the partition and as they walked up to the partition a man looked up and smiled. He grabbed a sealed accordion folder and walked up to his side of the partition.

“You gave us a good challenge Spaulding so I decided to handle this one myself,” he looked at Asuna then back to Spaulding. “Is this her to your sure and certain knowledge?”

“Yes,” was all Spaulding said.

“Great!” the smiling man enthused.

Spaulding turned to Asuna, “This is Agent Zero, in charge of creating documents and new identities. We found him forging money so realistic that we only caught him because he told his girlfriend and she ratted on him after she caught him cheating on her. I’d introduce him by name but I have no idea what his real name is. In fact I’m not sure anyone other than his mother knows what she named him and maybe not even her.”

Zero smiled and held out his hand, “I’m nobody, pleased to meet you.” After Asuna shook his hand she handed him the form she had signed. Then he grabbed a clipboard from inside the wooden partition and handed it to Spaulding, “Sign here.”

Spaulding signed and returned the clipboard, “I hope you did your usual excellent job?”

Zero grinned and nodded, “From today on there will be no person anywhere who will be able to prove that she was not born Asuna Hinato in Seattle. She has full records going all the way back, and unless someone goes to Seattle and talks to the people who were there nobody will ever think she is anything other than a teenage girl from Seattle. Even if they do go there and do that they won’t be able to prove anything. School records, paper as well as electronic will be in place and the local city hall will have records as well. It’s a little easier when the subject is this young but it was still a masterpiece which you should appreciate like the work of art that it is.”

Spaulding grinned, “Okay, you’re an artist, a Michelangelo even, and I’ll buy you a steak dinner next Friday. Now can we see some of this art?”

The man grinned wider and held up the sealed document folder, “Of course!” He placed in on top of the wooden partition then looked at Asuna, “That internet video doesn’t do you justice. Are you really fourteen?”

Asuna blushed and said “Yes.”

Spaulding said, “None of your business how old she is. She is really a minor though so we better not catch you watching that video at work.”

“Oh, you won’t I promise you. Working here is the best gig I ever got. Much more interesting than forging boring old money, and the tools are excellent!” With his manic grin still on his face he opened the folder, “You should keep them in here and someplace safe once you leave, this case only looks like leather and it should protect them from most things but no reason to take chances.”

He pulled out the first document, “Your birth certificate from Seattle General. Treat it like an original but we do have master copies here for emergencies.”

She picked it up, “It looks real.”

“It damn well should,” Zero replied. He took it back and pulled out the next, “This is your diploma from your grammar school.” As he continued to remove documents he named them, “School transcript, you had a B average most years, a class picture so good I bet it would even fool you, your new social security card,” Asuna took that and put it in her wallet. He frowned briefly then grinned again, “You shouldn’t treat art so roughly.”

He handed her another card, “Library card, it’ll work too, family photos, beach pics,” at that last he started to say something then looked at Spaulding and decided against it. “Next, hand me that visitor badge and put on this.” He handed her a clip on badge with her picture on it that said “Asuna Hinato - DPA Consultant” and had a magnetic stripe on the back.

She stated to hand him the visitor badge but Spaulding took it, “I’ll just hand this back in myself.” He put it in his jacket pocket and asked, “What clearance did you give her?”

“The standard for consultants and subcontractors, Green two,” Zero replied. Then he pulled out one last thing from the folder, “Last but not least I went the extra mile and expedited your payroll.” He handed her a card, “This is your official USG Visa card. Your pay gets deposited on here every two weeks but it will also act as a no limit credit card if needed. However anything you purchase over a certain amount will need to be explained.” He shrugged, “You’d normally get this in two or three weeks but I figured you could use it sooner. All part of the Waldorf service,” he ended with a laugh. Then he put all the documents back in the folder, sealed it, and handed it over to her.