Matthew Jones is the only son of Randy Jones, honored deacon of the Church of Genetic Purity. He and his girlfriend, Amy Cox, have been taught from birth that MORFS is a symptom of moral depravity. While they had quietly questioned that doctrine, they were not prepared for the opportunity to find out for themselves.

sex: 1/10
violence: 7/10
profanity: 3/10

Categories: Male to Female, PSI

Timeline: 2060

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Chapter Twelve: Learning and plotting

Doctor Miller divided the use of elemental power into three components; the raw power itself (analogous to muscle strength), the automatic control (analogous to coordination), and processing (analogous to intelligence and/or idiot-savant skills). In my own case, the amount of weight I can move is power (moderate), my fine control is similar to coordination, and my ability to write or draw (translating a concept in my mind to the movement of the pencil) is intelligence.

Yes, I know that TK is not an elemental power. Still, many think that it comes from the same source.

In Carol's case, the amount of raw power (voltage times current) that she can produce is power, her control over that power is coordination, and her ability to read or control external circuitry is intelligence.

Amy explained to me that there seems to be a hidden part of her mind that works on things without her attention. That's how she can see infections and get some indication of the direction of a MORFS patient.

Amy borrowed a microscope from the basement lab and used it to identify various microbes. She would put some bugs on a slide, then use her powers to clean all but one type. Then, she would look under the microscope to identify the bugs. She tried that with food, dirt, and various surfaces about the house. The Doctors Martin were impressed, and promised to bring her some cultures from the university.

Meanwhile, I played with my telekinesis. I tried setting up an invisible boundary around myself. I went outside, turned on a sprinkler, and watched the water run off of my 'shield'. I changed the properties a bit so that the water, rather than being deflected, changed direction so that it would miss me. It was as if the rain parted in order to leave me dry. I decided to leave a ghostly shield in place to stop any fast-moving object that might be heading my way. Who knows what the pures will try next? A bullet-proof shield sounds like a useful thing.

I found some paint that consisted of small beads of plastic pigment suspended in a clear resin. I mixed the colors, then separated them. I spread the mixture on a piece of paper, then lifted most of it off, leaving an image.

Cara Jones, human camera.

Since I was playing with microscopic pieces of plastic, it occurred to me that I might be able to focus down and look at microbes with my TE vision. I excitedly told Amy about it, and we tried combining our perceptions so that we could compare them. This made the process of identifying microbes much quicker. I got to be almost as good at using her bio vision as she was. I had to be reading her mind to do it, of course. Later, we practiced our telepathy by probing each other's minds. We tried allowing each other in deeply, poked around to sense the source of our powers, practiced putting up shields, practiced breaking through shields, and the like.

Well and truly tired out, we headed to our separate bedrooms, said a telepathic *good night* to each other, and were asleep in seconds.

After all the fuss, school was routine. Amy had missed better than two weeks, so she was loaded down with homework. She qualified for advanced gym, so we have yet another person to train with. I found myself wondering if Mom would be working out with us, too.

We received a call from our lawyer when we got home. Apparently, the local Genetic Purity Church made haste to remove everything that wasn't nailed down from their building, then officially disbanded. Many of the members have disappeared. They got away with the undocumented contents of the building, but their financial assets were frozen by the court. The building and property will go to the winners of the suit. Because there is nobody left to sue, the court entered a default judgment. The only hold-up now is a mandatory wait for more plaintiffs. Since the forensic work on the graveyard is stirring up quite a bit of attention, additional plaintiffs are likely. As nice as it would be to grab all the dough and run, I would rather see the others who have suffered get their piece of the action.

On Thursday, I felt my mother's familiar thoughts when we were all eating lunch. "Mom's waking up," I told them. We made haste to sign out and head for the hospital for the grand unveiling.

Mom had just finished her shower when we arrived. She looked like she could be my twin sister (fraternal twin, anyhow,) except that her curves were more womanly than girlish. Still, the regenerative power of MORFS gave her the fresh look of youth.

"Wow, Mom, you look great!" I gave her a big hug.

It didn't take us too long to get her sprung. We went straight to the post-MORFS testing area. Interestingly enough, she came out with changes identical to mine. The DNA tests showed the same modifications. The 'reader' couldn't read through her shield. We handed in her paperwork, got her ID changed, and dragged her to the mall.

Pay back time! Hee hee hee! Cindy, Amy, and I gleefully chose some fashions designed to show off her new charms.

"Hey, Cindy!"

"Yes, Cara?"

"Somebody here needs to have her bellybutton perforated."

"Two somebodies," my mother reminded us.

Mom ended up with the same set of stones that I did. Amy could only be talked into a simple silver loop. She wouldn't let the salon do the job, either. She used her bio elemental powers to perforate herself. She didn't have to be coaxed into increasing her wardrobe. She used the debit card that her parents had earlier given her for clothing purchases. Apparently, they hadn't gotten around to canceling it.

Actually, they really couldn't cancel it or do anything else to close out her life without causing suspicion to fall upon them. They had to look like worried parents who were holding out hope that their child would return soon.

We went home and hit the pool. Anyone watching would swear that we were holding a teen party at the pool. Of course, only four of the seven were teens.

Friday found us in court again. Amy's mother, brother, and sister glared at us as we sat next to each other. Amy testified about her original stoning, and I testified about the attempt on my life. Mom added her own testimony.

The second group of defendants were denied bail. At my suggestion, the prosecutor allowed that anyone who wants to submit to a telepath may get a second hearing.

We sat in the visitors' section as a third set of defendants were brought in. I recognized some of them as the parents of church members who had disappeared. None of them were at the original two stonings, but they were arrested based on forensic evidence from the makeshift graveyard. Most of them had been collected from other congregations. They had moved after suspicion fell upon them after the disappearance of their children.

We met with the prosecutor after court. She leveled with us about the likelihood of getting a conviction based on forensic and circumstantial evidence. She suggested that offering a plea bargain to our assailants might convince them to testify against their former partners in crime. Without the plea bargaining, she would be seeking the death penalty. She will settle for life without parole in exchange for their testimony, though -- if we are agreeable.

It didn't take us long to agree. Allowing the plea bargain is clearly the path to putting the most people behind bars for good. The prosecutor said that even without allowing the adults to plea bargain, the teens that were coerced into attending could give some convincing testimony with telepathic verification.

Emotionally exhausted, we headed for home -- surrounded by our police escort.

We got home in time to see the Martins putting the finishing touches on their new security system. The system had been installed by a contractor chosen by the police, but they chose to program it themselves in order to reduce the chance of compromise.

"I'm so sorry you have to go to such measures because of us," Mom said to them.

"Hey, the court paid for it. We essentially got a free security system out of the deal," said Kim.

"Besides," said Sara, "You guys have become like family to us. We wouldn't consider doing any different."

After dinner, Cindy and Amy disappeared into Cindy's bedroom. They had a shield up around them, so they must be up to something. Shielding against empathy is difficult if you're not an empath, and I haven't tried to train them. My empathy sense gave me an impression of mischief and maniacal giggling.

They're definitely up to something.

I took Mom upstairs and introduced her to the wonderful world of TK and TE. It was easier to connect with her because we used to 'talk' before she became empowered. Once she learned to retract her shield, it was easy for me to directly show her the techniques. She could sense how it feels to me when I move something, and do the same thing. Also, when I share a TK or TE view with her, she can also sense what I have to do to get that view.

It was an intense session, but well worth the effort. Just like any other recent MORFS survivor, Mom has a bit of somatic dysphoria -- the body she is inhabiting isn't what she sees when she thinks of herself. When there are definite advantages to one's new body, it's easier to get used to wearing it.

Mom and I were getting ready for bed when Amy came in. "All right, what have you two been up to?" I asked her.

"What makes you think we were up to something?" she asked innocently.

"You were well-shielded, but that doesn't affect my empathic sense. I caught the distinct impression of maniacal giggling and mischief."

"Looks like you're busted," said Mom.

Amy just smirked. "It'll be even more fun to watch you try to figure things out."

"I think I'm going to make myself scarce when you guys have that sleepover," Mom commented.

Amy smirked again, then got herself ready for bed.

I sent a telepathic *Good night!* to Mom and Amy, then to everyone else. *Good night, Kim; good night, Sara; good night, Cindy; good night, Larry!*

That was followed by a chorus of *Good night!* by everyone in the house. Finally, after it had pretty much died down, Kim said, *Good night, John-Boy!*

Sara snickered. *You're showing your age, Kim.*

Nobody else had any idea what she was talking about.

The next morning, when I was going through my morning routine, Larry told me to get dressed in my skating clothes. *I have been informed by the planning committee that I am to distract you for a few hours.*

*I know that they're up to something. They aren't giving me any clues, though.*

*Be afraid, be very afraid,* he snickered. *You're going to have to handle it on your own, though. I plan to be long gone by the time the girls start showing up.*

*Chicken!*

*You got that right, except the proper term is 'fraidy cat,'* he snickered.

I went down and helped him cook breakfast while Amy and Cindy did whatever they were doing. Kim and Sara had already left for a little rental cottage where they planned to spend the night. Amy and Cindy ate when they were called. They seemed to be conversing telepathically, but were otherwise silent.

"You guys go ride your skateboards or something. Amy and I will clean up," Cindy said.

So we went.

Chapter Thirteen: Here we go again...

Larry led me in the opposite direction to a park that's about five miles away. We still made it in less than ten minutes -- and without a speeding ticket, too.

This park was even better. Larry and I started working on a routine together. We criss-crossed, clasped hands to exchange momentum and turn each other, and a bunch of other stuff. After a while, we decided to make prodigious use of our TK -- just because we could, and because it's fun. We chatted telepathically as we worked out. For our grand finale', we decided to come up the half pipe at full speed, fly about fifteen feet in the air, grab our boards, and land on the grass.

There was applause.

We turned red. We didn't know that we had an audience. We smiled at them, bowed, then went to a bench to rest for a while. After a while, one of our fans came up and asked, "How did you do all that stuff? It looks impossible."

"We cheated," I said as I held my hand over my board and levitated it. "We weren't trying to impress anyone. We were just having fun and practicing our telekinesis."

"It was impressive anyhow. You guys make a great team."

"Thanks!" we said in unison.

We leaned against each other while sipping an energy drink and munching a power bar. All that exercise had worn us out. We were rapidly gaining our strength back, though.

"This park is for humans only, freaks!"

I recognized the speaker from my old church.

"Last I checked, I still had 46 chromosomes. You look like you might have an extra one or two, though." I really wasn't in the mood to take any crap off of the local pure supremacists.

"You two look mighty cozy. Are you going to have his kittens?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm likely to become a parent some day, yeah... which is more than I can say for you if you keep on your present course." I smirked at him. "If you keep on your present path, you're really likely to end up in the slammer with your daddy. The thing about the slammer is that there are very few opportunities to become a parent. That might be a good thing, though... natural selection. Survival of the fittest." He was starting to turn red. "Of course, that doesn't mean you won't get 'married.' Some large pig or dog hybrid might take a shine to you and make you his bitch. You can have a real cozy relationship with your cell mate."

*What are you doing?* Larry asked. *We need to get out of here, not antagonize them!*

*Look,* I said. *Those bastards stoned Amy and buried her alive. They chained Mom and me up like dogs and tried to kill us. As long as we just sit and take it, and run from confrontation, they'll keep killing kids like Amy and me.*

I made sure my shield was in place, and that my senses were poised and ready to pick up any sign of an attack. *Goliath taunted God's people, and they took it. It took young David to put a rock in a sling and send it to his forehead. Do you remember David's speech to Goliath?*

"You guys call yourselves pure humans, but you have the hearts and souls of animals! You are like tombs, all white and pristine on the outside, but full of filth and corruption on the outside. You are hypocrites, claiming to do God's will, but knowing nothing of His true nature."

"You are the animals," he said in a low, dangerous voice.

"Really? And you're the fine, upstanding humans? What human participates in the murder of his child?"

"A human who seeks the righteousness of God does what is necessary!" he scowled.

"Where in the Bible is there any record of a mother or father sending his child to his death? Abraham proved his dedication and faith by doing that with Isaac, and God proved his righteousness and love by refusing that sacrifice. After that aborted sacrifice, and Christ's true sacrifice, no more sacrifice is necessary or wanted!"

I continued, "Know this! You can catch MORFS just like anyone else. It happens to the people in your church all the time. Understand that if you came down with MORFS, and your father was able, he would kill you. Where is the love in that?"

*Keep sharp, Larry.*

"You defiled impure freaks are an affront to God and a blight on the human genome!" he screamed.

I looked around and memorized each face. I knew most of them, but they had no idea who I was.

"Do you remember Matthew Jones? Do you remember Amy Cox? Matthew and Amy were part of your congregation. They were betrayed by their own family members." I scowled. "But you know what? Both of them still live! Your vile murderous deacons were unable to harm two kids, and now they sit in jail. They sit in jail, and your old church building and all your money will soon belong to Matthew and Amy and maybe some other of your victims. You are all cowards. You tied us up so that we couldn't escape and you threw rocks at us. You buried Amy alive, but I rescued her. You failed before, you are failing now, and you will fail in the future." I stood up. "You will all fail because you are doing the Devil's work. God is not with you. God is not in you. You are nothing but filthy defiled tools of Satan!"

They looked at us with hate and frustration. "You dare accuse..."

I spat on the ground in front of me. "And I live. God is in me, and I live. My enemies gather around me and hate God, while pretending to serve him. Meanwhile, I am blessed and I live." I lowered my voice a bit. "I can see the blackness of some of your souls. I can see your hate." I paused a bit. "I can see that some of you are filled with filth. Others are confused and still have some goodness. If you don't want to involve yourself with death and hate, walk away now. If you are filled with hate, you can stand and be frustrated as all your attempts fail."

Someone in the front threw a rock at me. I deflected it just enough to miss by a few inches and laughed at him.

*Officer Saouda, are you around? We're being attacked by a bunch of the former church members.*

*Cara! You seem to be in the middle of things all the time. We have you pinpointed, and a fast response team is on the way.*

*Thanks! Keep reading our minds so that you can write a nice report.*

"You guys are truly pathetic," I taunted them. Another stone came at us. Larry and I were linked, so we could deflect the stones together instead of duplicating efforts. More stones came. I watched as they threw them, trying to keep track of who actually threw the stones. About half of the people left the scene and headed for home. Rocks were coming in one after the other, but none of them hit. We laughed at our attackers.

Three of the people came back.

*They're hiding weapons,* I sent to Larry and Officer Saouda.

I studied the mechanism of the shotgun as it was being carried toward us. I bent a couple of the internal parts, and moved on to the next weapon. A few bent parts later, and the two handguns were disabled.

I detected a small object heading straight for us at well over the speed of sound. It would take about a quarter of a second to reach us -- plenty of time to deflect it. I sent it into the ground well short of the crowd. No time for finesse. I used all the TK strength that Larry could lend to me to crush the end of the barrel. The next time he pulled the trigger, the gun blew up in his face.

"If God was on your side, you wouldn't be failing right now," I taunted them.

Six air cars came in from six different directions and formed a circle around our attackers. I started pinching carotids to make it easier for the cops. They soon had everyone rounded up, including the unfortunate fool who tried to shoot us with a hunting rifle.

*I think we need to assign someone to look after you guys.*

*Hi Officer Saouda,* I said. *I hope there's room at the jail for these clowns.*

*You taunted them on purpose, didn't you?*

*Yes, Ma'am, I did. If I keep running, they'll keep hounding me until the day I die. I watched helplessly while Amy was stoned. I was tied up like a dog and stoned. I'm just not going to take it anymore! I'm not going to live my life like a rabbit cowering before the big bad wolf.*

*This is off the record, but That's the spirit! Too many people say that we need to run away, but doing so just emboldens our oppressors.*

Larry and I watched the police load everyone up and carry them off to jail. Then, we sat down at a picnic table with Officer Saouda and gave our statements.

"More paperwork," sighed Officer Saouda.

"Whatever it takes to get those people behind bars is worth it to me," I said.

"You seem to be taking this personally," observed Officer Saouda.

"Yeah, when someone tries to kill the people I love, I tend to take it personally. I know better than to go outside the law to do something about it, though. I'm not going to take even a single step in the direction they chose."

She smiled at me. "Good girl!"

I grinned back at our private joke. "By the way, Amy and Cindy are cooking up something for the sleepover tonight. I have no idea what's on their devious minds."

"You mean a powerful telepath like you can't figure it out?"

"Trying to bust through their shields would be impolite -- even if I could do it. They didn't shield against empathy, though. I got a definite impression of maniacal giggling and mischief."

*Do I detect someone taking my name in vain?* came Cindy's unmistakable mental voice.

*Nah... I just got done giving my statement to Officer Saouda, and I'm soliciting her advice on how to survive tonight with my sanity and dignity intact.*

*Oh, your sanity will be fine,* Cindy giggled. *I won't make any promises about your dignity, though,*

*Maybe I can do some minor infraction and get a free night in the slammer.*

*That won't work,* Officer Sauda chuckled. *I didn't see a thing!*

*Hi Officer Saouda! What brings you here? Is Cara causing trouble again?*

*She's definitely attracting trouble. If she keeps this up, our jails will be bursting with bigots.*

*Which will save a few lives, no doubt,* Amy commented.

*Meanwhile, I would really like for Cara to keep her hide intact,* commented Officer Saouda.

*Yeah,* said Larry. *I kinda like her hide, and wouldn't want to see it damaged.*

I gave him a hug.

*I was about to ask,* said Cindy, *Are you ready to bring your barely intact hide home?*

*Barely intact?* I huffed. *I'll have you know that every rock missed, as did the bullet from that high-powered military rifle.*

Cindy cringed.

*Don't worry. We were careful,* said Larry.

*High power? How high?* asked Amy.

*7.62X54 Mosin Nagant,* I said. *It's a shame I had to ruin it. That thing was probably made before world war one.*

*Unlovely rifle,* Larry piped up. *The Russians started developing it in 1882. Millions were made. It saw a whole lot of action. Ugly, but very, very effective. Venerable history.*

*What did you do to it?* asked Cindy.

*Pinched the end of the barrel,* Larry said. *It blew up in the face of that murderous bigot that was wielding it. It died an honorable death.*

*Maybe we can give it a decent burial after the police are done with it,* Amy said.

*Or fix it. That tough old workhorse can probably be made as good as new with a new barrel and maybe a few other small parts,* commented Larry.

*It's good to see you kids taking such a keen interest in world history,* Officer Saouda said with a chuckle.

*I wonder if the police will let me keep that bullet,* I mused. *It's the first time I have ever gotten shot at, after all.*

*Not something to celebrate,* Amy said.

Larry said, *Still, it puts us in rarefied company. That has to be worth something.*

"Well," said Officer Saouda, "It's time to get you two home. I'll just toss your skateboards into the trunk, and we'll be on our way."

"We can get home almost as fast by skating..."

"Nope," she cut me off, "I have been told that you need to be driven home."

I thought I heard Cindy chuckling in the back of my mind.

"Are you sure you don't have a nice, warm jail cell for me?"

"Now Cara," said Larry, "You can't run off. Carol needs your support."

*That's it, Larry. Appeal to her sense of duty.*

Cindy was having way too much fun with this.

"Larry! Don't leave me with those fiendish females!"

"The last time I checked, you were female, too."

"Yeah, but I'm not fiendish!"

"Alas, I shall have to leave you to your fate. My beloved sister assures me that you will keep your sanity, if not your dignity."

"Gee, thanks a lot!"

Chuckling, Officer Saouda led us to her squad car.

"I wish I could watch," she grinned. "I'm sure you'll all have a great time."

Larry smirked. "I know I will. I'm getting together with some friends so we can watch action movies, burp a lot, play some video games, do a little target practice with the pellet guns, go into his dad's workshop and goof with the tools... you know, guy stuff."

"That sounds like more fun than painting nails and playing dress up. I think I'll join you."

*Not on your life!*

*Eavesdropping again, dear sister?* asked Larry.

I had been mostly joking around, but I was now starting to get a bit depressed. I like video games, action movies, tools, guns, and all that stuff just as much as I always did. It sounded like Larry would be having more fun than I, but I don't fit in with that group any more. I would end up putting a damper on things, and that depressed me.

*It'll be OK,* Amy said gently. *A guy would put a damper on our evening, too.*

*You'll have fun. Just wait and see.* Cindy added.

*But...*

Cindy interrupted, *But nothing! We like tools and computers and stuff like that, too. Carol's a technopath, for crying out loud! There will be no lack of nerdiness tonight.*

*I doubt if there will be any lack of crudeness, either,* Amy commented.

*Girls' locker room talk?*

*Something like that,* said Amy.

Officer Trowbridge pulled into the driveway. Officer Saouda pushed a button to open the back doors so that we could get out, then got our skateboards out of the trunk. Larry immediately took his, thanked them, and went scooting down the road at high speed.

*Coward!* I called after him.

*Dern tootin'!* he called back.

*You're supposed to protect me, not leave me to my fate!*

*My sister has given me her solemn promise that she will take good care of you.*

*That's what I'm afraid of,* I replied.

Giggling, Amy and Cindy each grabbed an arm and steered me into the house.

"Thanks for the lift!" I called back to Officers Saouda and Trowbridge. They waved at me.

I went inside and plopped on the couch. I felt tension that I hadn't known I was carrying drain out of me.

Amy and Cindy looked at me with concern written all over their faces. I could feel their worry.

"I'm OK..." I started to assure them. Then, it all came crashing down. It was as if, after carrying a weight for way too long, I collapsed under it and was crushed. Amy and Cindy were there in an instant as I started shaking and sobbing.

"It's OK, it's OK. It's OK to cry. Just let it out. It's OK. You're safe now."

Part of me was appalled by my weakness, but part of me was well aware that they were giving me good advice.

"You're a girl now," Amy told me. "You are still strong and can hold it together when you need to, but you have to accept the fact that you're going to collapse when the adrenaline crashes."

"Is that what this is? adrenaline crash?"

"Bet on it," Amy said. "I could see it draining out of your body when you sat down. I can't believe that you managed to hold it together for as long as you did."

A power bar and energy drink came floating over. I'm sure glad they come in a variety of flavors, considering how many of them I end up consuming.

"What did you hope to accomplish by antagonizing those morons into a thundering rage?" asked Amy.

"I wanted to get the ones who seriously intend to do us harm tossed into jail," I replied.

"Well, it would appear that you succeeded. I hope the ones who walked away make good choices in the future."

"We can only hope -- and pray for them," I said. "The difficult part of all of this is that we used to consider some of them to be friends."

"We were in that world, too," Amy reminded me. "We would still be there, though perhaps not so close to the edge, if MORFS hadn't claimed the two of us."

I smiled. "Yeah, thank God for MORFS."

"Even if it changed you into a girl?" Cindy asked gently.

"Sometimes it's hard -- really hard. Sometimes, it really sucks to be reminded of what I have lost. Still, I've gained so much more. I wouldn't trade back. Even if someone could change me back right now, and let me keep all the relationships I have made... well, maybe if I also got to keep my powers. I don't know. Certainly, I wouldn't make any change at all if it cost me my friends." I gave them both a hug.

I sat on the couch with my two best girlfriends for a while, then went up to the apartment to shower and get ready.

I decided to put off getting ready, though. Instead of a shower, I treated myself to a long bath, then curled up on my bed and took a nap. I was never privy to the details of slumber parties, but I knew enough to figure out that a good nap would help me survive the upcoming marathon session of feminine initiation. I guess I really needed some rest, because I crashed and crashed hard.

(end of part 05)

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