Insert standard disclaimer here: The one that reminds everyone that this is a work of fiction. No one is real and any resemblance to someone who is real is purely coincidence, honest. This is also a Fan Fiction set in the Whateley Story Universe. No Canon characters were permanently harmed in the making of this story. I hope. :)

Note: I got distracted by my Mystique story, then I got another story idea and I sorta blocked on the last bit in this chapter. Sorry for the delay. Thanks for my beta readers and resident SEAL expert for their feedback and patience. And last, but not least, djkauf for his magical editing.

** Chapter 38 **

<Wed Feb 21th, 2007>

With Sara’s departure, I look around my Jacuzzi and pool area and decide that I just don’t feel like hanging out here anymore.  I will myself back to my living room and into my new pajamas.  That is one nice thing about VR, it’s not real, so I don’t need to waste time drying off.  

With a sigh, I plop myself down on the couch and look around for something to do.  I know that I promised myself that I would delete Amanda’s girl mag as soon as I could, and I could do that right now, but now I am bored. Plus, after my new clothes, first dress, I mean, skirt, first bikini and Jacuzzi time with Aunt Julie, I’m actually interested in reading a few more of the articles.

Shudder...

I sigh with defeat, open up the magazine and start reading. I hope that Sara won’t be gone for too long.  I make it through the advice column about why a boy is sending the girl text messages and what that means. The girl asking for advice is so clueless that I want to scream. Plus, she gets an answer that isn’t at all helpful and is totally not what boys think. I could have answered the girl’s question with just three simple words.  “He likes you, duh!”  Okay, four words.

After reading that, I feel like throwing the magazine in my mental shred machine, but I accidently turn the page and find an article about nail colors and proper nail care.  I make it halfway through that article when I hear Sara cough to get my attention.  Well, it’s an improvement over her last method.

I look up and she is not alone.  That reminds me. I need to ask her how she is able to get into my head because standing next to Sara is another girl.  She is beautiful and looks to be about my age, but she also looks older somehow. I don’t know how to explain it, but I get the feeling that she had been through a lot. While she looks around my VR living room with undisguised curiosity, I notice that her black hair has some vivid blue streaks running through it. I think it looks kind of cool, but her most striking feature is her eyes.  They are a brilliant electric blue. Not just her cornea, but her entire eye is blue, like Paul Atreides from Dune.

“Okay, Bree, this is Paige. Paige, this is Bree, my new cousin on Nikki’s side.” Sara says as she looks back and forth between us.

I stand up, nervously smile and cautiously offer my hand to her.  I am not used to having visitors, well, except for Sara, in my VR world.  She shakes my hand, but surprises me with a quick hug and a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, Bree, and I can’t wait to find out what Sara interrupted a really good dream for.” Paige says with a wistful expression.

“Paige is a, umm, friend of mine who is good with computers and I thought that she might be able to help us.” Sara says with a warning glance at Paige when Paige looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

I think that Paige is wondering why she is a ‘friend’, because there seems to be more to it than that.  What is Sara trying to hide or protect me from?

Paige regains my attention. “So, Bree, I was able to look up the CIA agents based on the info you provided Sara, but I need to know a bit more for my search.”

“Umm, okay. I can show you what they looked like and I have a video of what happened with everything they said and did; would that help?” I ask.

Paige’s eyes widen with surprise. “Sure?”

I play back the start of my kidnapping and up until I shoot John in the shoulder. “Stop!” Paige says, then with it paused, she intently studies the image of John.  “Hmm, so we have two CIA agents with gunshot wounds...okay, I think that might help. I can search all the hospitals and clinics in the area for patients admitted this evening.  They will probably be treated anonymously, but their wounds should be specific enough for me to get a match on them.” Paige turns back to Sara. “If I do find them, what do you want me to do?”

“Let me know. I am very interested in finding out more about this medical exam and who the ‘doc’ was that they mentioned. I might have to make a quick trip to Virginia.” Sara says menacingly.  “Also, can you find out who their boss is?  I might have some extra questions to ask of him, or her.”
“Okay, anything else?” Paige asks.

“Not at the moment, but I might have more work for you to do when you get back.  How long do you think it will take you?” Sara asks.

“Oh, not that long. I just need to hack into the CIA’s personnel database and maybe root around some of their other less secure databases.” Paige pauses thoughtfully. “It could get a little risky if I need to go deeper into their ultra-secure mission and intel system, but I could use the challenge. How deep do you want me to dig?”

Sara purses her lips as she mulls the idea over.  “Hmmm, let’s not take the chance right now.  I just need to know who we are dealing with here.  Sorry Paige, I know how bored you are right now, but we just can’t take the risk.”

Paige looks a little disappointed with that. “Sure. I’m sorry. You’re right, but this could get us a little payback.”  She sighs with frustration. “Okay, with just the surface hack, it should take me five to ten minutes, tops.”

Sara holds Paige by her shoulders and looks seriously into her eyes. “Okay, do it, but be careful too, please.  If there is even a chance that they will discover you, cut the cord. Okay?” Sara asks.

“Sure.” Paige says and receives a reward hug from Sara. Paige surprises me by giving me a quick hug. Then with a smile and quick wave, she fades away.

Paige seemed to be hinting at something else. Maybe something in her past, but I don’t see how she can break into the CIA’s systems.  It is the freaking CIA! Their stuff is super-secure and super top ultra secret.  If she can do what she seems to think that she can do, then when I get to Whateley; I am so going to try and be her friend. Also, I am witnessing a new side of Sara. This side of Sara is calmly planning on breaking into the CIA as if it is a normal and everyday thing. It is kind of cool.

“Is there anything that I can do to help?” I ask Sara in the hope that I will get to do something fun and exciting.

Sara smirks at me. “Haven’t you done enough over the last few days?”

Ouch. She just had to remind me.  “Hey, it’s not my fault!” I say, somewhat petulantly.

Sara joins me on the couch and pats my leg affectionately before turning to face me. “Now, tell me the rest. Once you made it to the mall, how did you manage to evade the police, the MCO and find Lord Vincint?”

I tell Sara all about my illusion tricks and before I can get too far, she makes me show her what I look like as Chloe.  Then, she embarrasses me by forcing me to admit that I had a crush on the real Chloe back home, but she does admit that I had good reason because Chloe is hot.

Sara is fascinated by the real life Lord Vincint and she decides that “Aunt Julie” is a keeper. “Hmmm, maybe the next time I have Lord Vincint in my grasp, I will have to ‘accidentally’ let him escape. So, you went out and attacked a SEAL team?”

I can’t stop the groan of shame. “You just had to bring that up?”

“Well yeah, I mean you should have realized that they might be friendly forces when you were able to crack their radio systems and if not then, you should have been more suspicious when you ID’ed their weapons.”

“I didn’t know...” I say with a definite whine.

Sara grows still and motions for me to wait. “Sorry, hold that thought. Paige is on the way.”

Paige materializes in the center of my living room. “Maybe I should add some Star Trek style transporter discs there.” I mutter.  

That earns me a brief giggle from Sara before she turns back to her business mode.  “So, what did you find?”

Paige looks at me curiously, like she doesn’t recognize me.  Then, I realize why that might be. I am still in my Chloe disguise for Sara.  

“Well, after doing a search on the local hospitals, then matching transactions made with government issued credit cards, specifically CIA issued cards, I was able to find the rendition team. They are currently holed up in a hotel in Williamsburg, Virginia.” Paige says.

Wow, Paige is good.

“And their boss?” Sara asks.

“As of yesterday, he is now former CIA Operations Director James Falk.”

Sara stops Paige. “Sorry, former?”

“Yes, he was allowed to tender his resignation...”

Sara’s expression darkens and more of those spooky tentacle things start to emerge from her body again.

Paige notices Sara’s display of displeasure and hurriedly provides more of an explanation. “But, he was also ‘burned’ or blacklisted.  For them to do that, he must have really pissed off his bosses with his attempt on Whisper.”

Sara manages to calm down and the spooky stuff recedes back into her body. I really need to find out more about her and this new “Unkie” of mine.  What is she and what is he?  Do I really want to know?

Paige resumes her update. “So, without digging into the operations database,” She frowns with distaste by that limitation. “...I was able to find out that he had a long and successful career with the CIA. He served eight years in the Army as an intelligence analyst, made it to E-6, and then was hired by the CIA in 1982.  Worked his way up from there. Nothing too juicy in his personnel file, but he did receive a commendation for his role in Project Kitten.” Paige says, putting emphasis on the last bit of data.

“What was Project Kitten?” I ask.

Paige and Sara glance at me with surprise. I think that they forgot that I was there. While Sara looks angry about something, hopefully not me, Paige’s eyes look positively haunted.  Was she involved in this Project Kitten thing?  How could something called Project Kitten be that bad?  Did the CIA try to train Kittens to be spies or something?  Maybe they turned cute kittens into deadly assassins, but then the kittens got out of control and they had to put them down? Okay, now I think that my imagination is running out of control.

“Umm, it was just a dark time for me and I still don’t feel comfortable talking about it, sorry.” Paige softly says as her eyes begin to tear up.

Now I feel bad for asking.  I jump up from the couch and give her a hug. Not sure what possesses me to do so, but I just feel like she needed one. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I say while Sara smiles appreciatively at me.

Paige smiles through her tears. “It’s okay. Not your fault. So, Bree, is this what you really look like or what?”

I glance back down at myself and blush from embarrassment. “Umm, no. Sorry. This is the disguise that I used to sneak out of a mall with the MCO and police hunting for me. I really look like I looked when you first, umm, visited.” I say as I drop the virtual illusion of Chloe.

“Oh, okay. Well, you looked pretty like that, but I think that you’re prettier as yourself.” Paige says.

Sara coughs to get our attention and I am a little relieved by that since I was starting to feel uncomfortably pleased by Paige’s appraisal of me.  “So, can you provide me with the address for this Falk guy? I think that I will want to pay him a special visit sometime very soon.” Sara asks.

Paige nods her head. “Sure, I have all that, plus his DMV records for you, too. Is there anything else?”

Sara studies me and ponders the question way more than I would think is necessary. “Yes, can you put together an ID and background for ‘Chloe’?  I want it to be as real as possible, but we probably don’t have much time to make it bullet proof.  It just has to be able to pass the standard background check process.”

Paige’s eyes gleam with excitement with that request. “Sure! What can you give me for her background?”

Sara glances at me with a bemused grin. “Chloe? How about if you fill Paige in on yourself while I go check out that new hot-tub of yours?  Then, when you are done, join me.”

I find myself gulp for air at the thought of that. “Sure.” I manage to squeak out.

As Sara saunters from my living room and into the pool area, her outfit morphs into a very revealing string bikini thing and it is even more revealing than the one she surprised me with the first time.  Both Paige and I take a few seconds to regain our focus. “So, Umm, this Chloe ID?” Paige says, breaking the spell.

I fill her in on everything that I know about the real Chloe back home and what Aunt Julie told her sister in New York.  When done, five minutes later, Paige gives me another hug before she stands to leave. “I can’t wait until you get to Whately!  I so wanna go over your internal security with you; maybe show you a few things...”  Paige says, trailing off with as if she expects me to refuse her help.

“That would be awesome!” I say.

Why is everyone so eager for me to get to Whately?

I shake my head with amusement at that thought as I stand and follow Paige as she peeks her head into my Jacuzzi area. “Wow! This is nice.” She says with a wistful glance back at me before she turns back toward the frolicking Sara. “Heading out, Sara! I will let you know when her ID is ready.”

“Cool!” I hear Sara say. “Sorry! I would ask you if it would be okay with Bree if you could stay, but no rest for the wicked!”  

“Hah! That means you should have left hours ago, right?” Paige asks with a grin that turns positively gleeful when Sara stands up in the Jacuzzi, topless while pretending to not notice that she is topless.  

Well, she has to be pretending, right. I mean how could you not know something like that?

Oh yeah, so, topless, Sara pouts mischievously at Paige.  “Paige! I’m not ‘that’ evil and I am insulted that you would make such an insinuation with poor young Bree there. Think of the children!”

Paige just laughs at Sara, but then, she glances back at me and notices how beet red my face is; Paige gives me a hug. “Don’t let her bully you...” She whispers into my ear.

“Hey! I heard that! I am NOT a bully!” Sara yells.

How did she hear that from way over there?

Paige sticks her tongue out at Sara, then winks at me and disappears.

“Awesome! Now that the party pooper is gone, get in here cousin! I only have 30 more minutes before I have to leave and you really look like you could really use another massage.”  Sara says, still accidently displaying her rather awesome breasts for me.

I glance back to the safety of my couch, and then back at an expectant looking Sara. At what I am sure is my best deer in a headlights expression, she smiles, exposing her dainty, cute little fangs as the steam from the water swirls around her body. The steam provides just enough obscurement to hint that it could provide her with some modesty while not providing any at all. I feel a brief, very brief, feeling of respite when she sinks back into the water, but then, she arches her back up just enough to leave her breasts out of the water as she angles her body to let one of the water jets massage her shoulders.

Yep, she really is ‘that’ evil, if not more.
 

**

MCO Special Agent Lainer blearily slapped his alarm off. The glowing numbers told him that it was six AM and time for him to head back into the office.  

“Three hours of sleep just isn’t enough.” He thought to himself as he forced himself to make his way to his bathroom so that he could take a shower to help him wake up.  He peeled off his clothes from last night, they were wrinkled beyond fixing.  He hoped that he had another clean suit to wear. It would not look good to his men or his superiors if he came into the office looking like a slob.

The warm water helped revitalize him and as his thoughts slowly began to churn, he found himself cursing the U.S. Government for their stupidity. Didn’t they realize how dangerous these mutants were to humanity?  The MCO and organizations like the MCO where the only thing that stood between humanity and mutant domination because he knew that power corrupts.  The MCO was the only reason that the damn mutants hadn’t realized just how powerful they were. They had to be repressed and divided because if they woke up and realized that they didn’t need lowly humans, the human race was doomed.

The government was hiding something here. Not really a surprise, but what was surprising was how well they were hiding it.  Even with the cockup from yesterday, there still wasn’t even a whisper of data on their new top secret pet mutant.

“Whisper? What kind of name is that?” Agent Lanier asked himself as he absently washed his body.  “Sounds like some sort of stealth name...”

“Why didn’t we spot her on the video feeds?  Can she make herself invisible?”

“No...that can’t be it. That takes magic and Whisper doesn’t sound like a good magic powers alias. Not like Fey or Cirque anyway.”

He was rinsing the shampoo from his thinning hair when a sudden thought struck him.

“What if she is a shape shifter?”

Shape shifters where the ultimate secret weapon, capable of infiltrating even the most secure facilities.  They made excellent spies and assassins, but they were also very very rare and thus valuable.

“Holy shit! That’s gotta be it.”  

That was the only reason he could think of for the U.S. Government to want to keep her so secret.  They didn’t want anyone to know that they had a shape shifter in their employ or that they were training one. Her fight with the H1 heroes indicated that she was very well trained already, but that she might be out of control. In his haste to turn off the water and get out of the bath, he accidentally turned off all the hot water first.  The sudden splash of cold water made him gasp for air.

“Fuck!  That’s cold!”

Agent Lainer forced himself to shave and he was in luck, he did have a fresh suit to wear.  Still, with traffic it took him over an hour to make it back to his office. He spent the next two hours poring over the tapes and keeping his team well supplied with coffee.  They looked for people who were seen entering the mall, but never leaving.  Then, they looked for people leaving the mall who were never seen entering the mall.  Then, just in case their target could have made herself look like one of the shoppers already in the mall, they also looked for people who appeared to have left twice.  

They failed to spot anyone matching that pattern, but by 11 AM, they had six, no seven, possible matches for people who matched the enter and exit criteria.  The seventh match wasn’t really a match, but it was interesting none-the-less.  They spotted Mirage, a mutant who was known to be working for the CIA, among the crowds.  She and her partner appeared to also be trying to find someone.  Could that mean that the U.S. Government had lost their little shape shifting pet mutant?  If so, what did that mean and how could the MCO benefit?

Now, it was just a matter of time and old fashioned detective work before they could try to match some names to the faces. Then, once they had the names, they could start narrowing down the suspect list and use that to pick up her trail again.

Yes, they already had one suspect that he felt confident that his team could identify and question in no time.  It was the pretty blonde girl that they spotted speaking with a team of MCO agents, followed by a K-9 police team and finally spotted leaving via a late model BMW.  She matched their search pattern, but he didn’t think that she was their target. Her behavior just did not fit with a wanted criminal, but if that girl really was their target; then she was pretty damn ballsy to attract so much attention to herself.

He just wished that the camera had been able to capture the license plate, but oh well; he would just have to make a few calls to speak with the MCO agents and the K-9 team to see if they knew anything about the girl that might lead them to her.

The remaining five suspects might be a bit tougher to track down, but that is why they paid him the big bucks.  That made him snicker.
 

**

The morning and Uncle Jim starting his morning routine did not come fast enough for me. Sara was very very naughty, but she tried to tell me that she was just trying to help me with my body image problem by eliminating the mystery. She never kissed or touched me inappropriately and I am not sure if I am happy about that or not.  She confused me so much, but by the time she had to leave; I no longer felt the need to avert my eyes every time she flashed me her boobs or when she made a show of displaying her body to me by lying next to the hot tub in a sexy pose. Instead, I was mostly able to keep my eyes on her face and hold a normal conversation.  Mostly, because 30 minutes of desensitization therapy as she called it just wasn’t enough to completely rewire my brain.

After she left, it took over thirty minutes of swimming in the cold pool to cure me of my Sara thoughts. Even after my cold shower treatment plan, I still think that she is hot and even though she is my cousin, still not sure how that works, just thinking of her makes my insides feel strange and my nipples embarrassingly sensitive.

Uncle Jim rolls into the kitchen promptly at 6:30 AM. I think that I surprise him by meeting him in the kitchen, completely dressed and presenting him with a fresh cup of coffee and a smile for his morning commute to the court house. He does grumble a little bit about me being one of ‘those’ morning people. However, he seems to like the coffee, but I am not sure because I had only made it for my parents twice before. The first attempt didn’t go over so well because I poured too much coffee grounds and used too little water, but they didn’t spit out my second attempt later that month. Which was good, because I really wanted them to get me the new Xbox game. It didn’t work, but Lyndsay volunteering to wash the dishes for Mom that evening got her the new purse that she wanted. How fair is that?

While Uncle Jim works on his cup of coffee, I decide to see if I can get myself and him something to eat because a good breakfast is the best way to start the day. Or so my parents and teachers claim.

“So, Chloe? Are you going to refresh your disguise now, just in case?” Uncle Jim asks from the little breakfast bar built into their spacious kitchen.

I glance down at myself and realize that I still look like myself. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, kind of forgot.” I say.  Then, simply call up my mental image of Chloe and cast the spell to make me look like that image. Unlike last time, I leave my clothes alone with the illusion. I only change my hair, face and body to match Chloe’s body. It comes much easier now and by not including the clothes in the illusion; I think that I could recast it in less than a second. As an added bonus, doing it that way took so little power that I think that I can maintain the illusion all day if I have to.

I spot some fresh bagels and a tub of cream cheese in the fridge. “Oh, Uncle Jim, would you like a bagel with your coffee?” I ask.

“Oh, sure, but I can do that myself.” Uncle Jim says, smiling appreciatively as his coffee starts to wake him up.

“Oh no! You just sit and drink your coffee. It’s not a problem.” I say as I dig the bagels out and glance at the eggs tray. Those would be good for his breakfast too, but I’d probably just end up with rubber hockey pucks if I tried to cook them. “I would offer to try making you some eggs too, but have only cooked eggs once before and that was with my mom’s help. So, I am not sure if I would destroy the kitchen or not with an attempt.” I say with a grin as I pop two of the much easier to cook bagels into the toaster.

Uncle Jim laughs.

“When is Aunt Julie going to wake up?” I ask as I wait for the toaster to finish its job with the bagels.

Uncle Jim glances at his watch, and then thinks about it for a second. “Umm, probably not for another hour.  She drank one glass of wine too many last night and stayed up a little later than normal.  So, I don’t expect for you to see her until at least 8.”

“Okay, does she drink coffee too?” I ask.

“Yep. One teaspoon of sugar and a splash of cream. If you have a cup waiting for her when she makes her way down stairs; I am sure that she will want to try and adopt you.” Uncle Jim says with a grin.

He silently watches me as I spread the cream cheese on his bagel for him. “You do like cream cheese, right?” I ask, probably just a little too late.

He nods and takes another sip from his coffee.  

I serve him up his bagel, and then refresh his coffee. I am not sure why I am feeling so helpful this morning. I have never done this for my parents without wanting something in return, but I guess that I feel so grateful for their help that I just need to help in any way that I can. They didn’t have to help me, but they did. I start to feel my eyes tear up.  

Damn it!

I turn back to the toaster and spread some cream cheese on my bagel as a diversion. I do not want him to see me crying over something so silly.  I gain a little more time for my eyes to dry out by pouring myself a glass of orange juice before I join him at the breakfast nook.

We both eat in silence, until he glances at his watch. That makes me check my clock. It is exactly 0700 hrs.

“Time to head out. Sorry and I hope that you and Julie have fun today.” He says. Then, he surprises me by giving me a hug before he leaves.

Sigh...another hour before Aunt Julie wakes up...maybe.

{“Alpha One, Delta Two. Secondary’s vehicle is leaving the garage.”}

{“Roger Delta Two. Charlie One, Secondary is yours.”}

{“Roger Alpha One. Charlie One, over.”}

It sounds like Uncle Jim’s protection team is going to follow him to make sure he stays safe.  That makes me feel better. I debate saying thanks to them, but I think that I have caused enough trouble already.  

Would they want some hot coffee?

{“Alpha One, umm, Whisper One? Would you all like some coffee or something?”} I ask, suddenly feeling nervous that I am messing something up.

The 1.239 second delay in a response gives me way too much time to second guess myself. {“Hehe, thanks Whisper One, but I don’t want my boys getting spoiled on this op. Alpha One, Over.”}

{“Damn...”} I hear an unidentified mutter that my system automatically triangulates as coming from the team that is positioned in the back yard.

{“Oh, I mean, Alpha One, Whisper One. Sorry. Umm, over?”} I say as a cringe at how pathetic I sound to myself, but it did sound like Captain Howards, I mean, Alpha One wasn’t mad at me for asking.

After I recover from my embarrassment, I spend the next 15 minutes alone, bored out of my mind.  I debate going into VR, but I just can’t dredge up the energy for that right now.  So, I start meandering around the house and find my way to Uncle Jim’s office.  His computer is sitting right there, in standby mode, all ready for me to play with.  I shift my vision into the magical band and I can see a very faint residue from GEO. I debate just leaving his computer alone, but I really want to check my mail and surf the web to catch up on my manga and anime.

A touch is all it takes to wake his PC and bring it out of standby mode.  He has it password protected, but I bypass that without thinking about it.  Unlike my parent’s PC, his is actually pretty clean. I don’t spot any malware infections.  I have two emails from John, which is a surprise since he might send me one once a month, if that.  What really surprises me is the one email from Lisa.  She has never sent me an email before and this one is pretty fresh. The timestamp tells me that she sent it to me late last night.
 

Bree,

I had so much fun hanging out with you the other night. I know that it was a little weird for you and John, but I can tell that he still likes you and thinks of you as his friend.  Only a friend, especially after I threatened to break him in half if he tried to think otherwise.  I just didn’t want my new BFF to feel weirded out by my horndog boyfriend and her best boy who is just a friend-friend. :-P

Okay, that’s a little ‘awkward’ and I am not sure if I should feel relieved or scared shitless. On one hand, I think that Lisa sees me still as me and likes me, but on the other hand, I think that she sees me as someone who might steal her boyfriend from her.  That is so not happening!
 

Lyndsay told us that you were going to be going to some private school called Whateley Academy and not returning home due to some H1 attack.  We were all devastated to hear that, even your sister.  I didn’t tell you this, but I think that she was looking forward to taking you to the mall to shop for clothes;  hehe

Hah! I knew it!  
 

Anyway, the other reason I am sending you this is because my dad got a strange call from one of his old Navy SEAL buddies.  After he got off the phone, he called me into his office and asked me a bunch of questions about you. I’m sorry, but I had to tell him about your change.  Please don’t be mad with me!  :-(

XOXOXOXO,

Lisa

Hmmm, how much do I want to bet that Captain Howards called Sensei Rogers?  But, even more importantly, what is up with the hugs and kisses stuff?
 

P.S. Please stay safe and come home as soon as possible!  We so need to go shopping!  LOL

I knew it!
 

P.P.S. Oh yeah, my dad wants to take you camping with us this summer and he NEVER lets me bring any friends with.  What did you do?

Yeah, what did I do and do I dare ask what camping with Sensei Rogers is like? I will have to reply to Lisa, but first, I need to read John’s emails.

John’s emails are pretty simple and refreshingly normal.
 

Dude!  Where the fuck are you and when are you getting home so I can p0wn you in Ghost Recon!

Pfft, like that would ever happen and that is what I reply with.

Oh shit!

Should I have done that? Will they be able to trace me with my email?  I start to panic a little until I remember that no one knows me as Brian and that my email is on the Gmail servers, so it isn’t even coming from the PC that I am currently using.  I am probably safe, but just in case, I decide that I probably shouldn’t reply to any more emails. At least, not until later and maybe I should set up a new email address.

John’s second email is from this morning. He sent it only 15 minutes ago.
 

Dude! Lisa told showed me the news about your fight with the H1 assholes. Holy fucking shit man. Remind me to never piss you off!  Anyway, I will still p0wn you in GR! LOL.

Lindsay also sent me an email and as I read it, I start to wonder if she was replaced by a Pod Person because I do not know this person.  Her email is over a page long and it details everything that she has done since I left.  She talks about how she feels about me and how sorry that she is for treating me so bad in the past. She tells me that she misses her big brother, but that she also loves her ‘big’ sister just as much.  Yes, she used quotes around ‘big’ to remind me that she is now a little taller than me.  Ha. Ha.

It takes me a few minutes to read it, but she predictably finishes with, “I can’t wait to take you shopping!”.  I think that I am done with shopping.  I was starting to think that it might not be that bad, but if I ever step foot in a mall again, it will be too soon.

I want to check my sites, but I feel a little guilty for using Uncle Jim’s PC without asking him first.  I look around and that is when I spot his wireless router.

Crap! Why didn’t I think to try using that first and more importantly, why didn’t I check for wifi when I first stepped into his house? If I can connect to his wifi, I wouldn’t need to use his PC.  I activate my wifi and try to connect to his service. It is secured with WPA2/TSA  and I don’t have the password. So, I decide to see if his router will be willing to help me out. A simple touch, one second later I have the password and I am in.

I have never surfed the web directly before and I have to say that it is pretty cool. It is almost like that “Johnny Mnemonic” movie with cyberspace stuff.  Everything looks like neon colored buildings connected with glowing white roads that lead to every building and I can soar above it all. I can also dive down and use the road to instantly go to any building that I know the address for. I lose all track of time as I explore and I discover that most of the sites that have passwords to access are super simple to bypass, but when, out of curiosity, I check out a bank’s website; I discover that it is very well guarded.

I would really like to send Dr. Edmundson and Mr. Reilly the videos from yesterday. They might help them find the CIA team, but when I try to connect to the mil-net again; no roads seem to lead to it. Maybe it isn’t connected to the internet?

“Chloe?” I hear Aunt Julie ask from upstairs.

Crap!  

I check the time and I am surprised to discover that it is 0832. Holy crap! I lost all track of time, but wow, I think I have found a new toy to play with when I am bored with my VR world.

“Aunt Julie? I’m down here!” I yell as I reach the hallway outside of Uncle Jim’s office.

“Okay. *yawn* I will be down in a few minutes.” Aunt Julie yells just loud enough to travel down from the top of the stairs.

I race into the kitchen, pop another two bagels into the toaster, I’m hungry still, and pour her a cup of coffee.  One teaspoon of sugar, a splash of cream later and Aunt Julie starts to make her way down the stairs.  I set her cup down where Uncle Jim sat earlier this morning and smile at her when she walks into the kitchen with a surprised look on her face.  She is wearing a warm looking white bathrobe over what appears to be a red negligee or something. I can only see a bit of red silk peeking up where the robe crosses her chest.  She also has on a pair of warm looking fuzzy pink bunny slippers.  

They are so cute and I can’t help smiling at her when I spot the slippers.  They are the last thing that I expected to see her wearing around the house.

“Chloe? You made me a cup of coffee?” Aunt Julie asks as she spots the steaming cup sitting on the breakfast counter.

“Umm, yep. Before he left, Uncle Jim told me how you liked your coffee. I hope that it tastes okay for you.” I say, suddenly feeling a little worried that she I messed it up for her.

“Thanks Chloe! That’s so sweet of you.” Aunt Julie says as she sits down in front of her cup.

I anxiously watch her as she takes a cautious first sip.  Then, she sighs with contentment and smiles at me. “Thanks, tastes perfect.”

Then our bagels pop up and she looks surprised at the sight of those.  “You made me a bagel too?” She asks.

“Yep.  Do you like cream cheese too?” I ask as I jump up a little so that I can pull a plate down for her bagel. I hate being so short.

“Yes, cream cheese would be great, but only a little. I’m trying to watch my weight.” Aunt Julie says with a grin before she hides it by taking another sip of her coffee.  

“Okay.” I say as I reduce the amount of cream cheese that I was going to spread on her bagel. It might be easier to let her prep her bagel herself, but I feel better doing it for her.

“How long have you been up dear?” Aunt Julie asks just before she takes a bite from her bagel.

“Umm, I’ve been up since 0130 hours or exactly 7.1 hours.” I say expecting her to not be happy with that answer.

Aunt Julie stops chewing her bagel for a few seconds. She is not happy with my answer. “Chloe!  That’s not healthy for a young...” She pauses for a fraction of a second. “...person.  You need more sleep than that!”

I think that her pause is because she was going to say “girl” or maybe even “woman”, but she changed her wording at the last second.  “Umm, well, I would like to be able to sleep longer, but it’s all that I seem to need now. The doctors checked me out, a lot, but the most that I have been able to sleep since my change has been 2 hours and that was only after a big day with a lot of stuff happening. So far, my normal sleep has been exactly 1.5 hours.” I say as she starts to look more and more concerned about me.

“As soon as I finish my bagel, I want to check you out again.” Aunt Julie says in her doctor to patient voice.

“Umm, okay, but...” I start to say before she gives me the “no buts” look. I decide to ignore it. “...I could just use Uncle Jim’s PC to show you everything directly from my medical status system.”

Aunt Julie studies me with a dubious expression. She opens her mouth as if to say no to that idea, but stops herself.  “You can do that?” She asks.

I nervously nod my head.  “Well, I think that I can. Dr. Edmundson has a special program on his laptop, but I am pretty sure that I can duplicate that for you on Uncle Jim’s PC.”

We finish our bagels, but I still feel a little hungry. I would ask Aunt Julie if they have any cereal, but she looks anxious to check me out.  I sit down at Uncle Jim’s PC and connect to it. I search my system for the monitor program and discover that I have a copy of Dr. Edmundson’s exe that he runs on his laptop.  I push that over to Uncle Jim’s PC, make a few tweaks to it so that it will work on this network, then I activate it.  

Aunt Julie walks into the room just in time to see my health data start to fill the screen. She rushes over, gently pushes me to the side and studies my data.  She glances back at me once, with a questioning expression. “Is that really you?” She asks.

I nod my head once. “Uh huh.” I say.

Aunt Julie looks back at the screen. “Amazing...this has everything. Heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, iron, oxygen content, red and white blood cell counts...If we had this at the hospital...” While she intently studies the screen, she absently reaches for her bag and pulls out her stethoscope.  “I want to listen to your heart beat to make sure that what I am seeing is what is really on the screen.”

She takes a long time with her stethoscope. So long, that it is completely warm by the time she is satisfied and that never happens.  “Amazing...well, I guess that you really are healthy or at least, your body is, but I still worry about how your sleep patterns might affect your mental health.”

Of course, she had to toss in that disclaimer for me. “Umm, sorry, but I feel fine in that area too. Well, except for all the emotions.  Do women always feel so...umm...on edge?” I ask as I try to avoid saying ‘emotional’ or ‘hormonal’ because I know that my mom has bristled at those words in the past.

Aunt Julie stops and just stares at me for what feels like the longest time. I can tell that she is surprised by my question because I think that she forgot that I used to be a boy or she deep down inside, the doctor in her just doesn’t believe me.  

{“Whisper One, Alpha One. I am on the way. ETA 5 minutes. Have some updates for you.”}

That snaps me to attention and makes Aunt Julie even more concerned.  “Chloe? Is everything all right?”

“Umm, sorry. Yes, but umm, Captain Howards will be here in five minutes.” I say.

{“Okay, Alpha One. Whisper One, ummm, over?”} I say in return.

That causes Aunt Julie to panic a little. “Oh my god! I am still in my bathrobe! Are you sure?” She asks.

I grimace and nod my head affirmatively.

“Crap! Ooops, sorry. I need to put some clothes on!  If he gets here before I am ready, just let him in and offer him some coffee or something.”  Aunt Julie yells as she rushes from the office and scrambles up to her bedroom.

She doesn’t make it back down before Captain Howards rings the doorbell. “I’ll get it!” I sing as I run to the door. I stand on my tiptoes to peek out of the spy hole, just to confirm that it is Captain Howards.  It is him, or it looks like him, but he doesn’t seem have his CAC ID on him, or it is shielded. So, I can’t use that to ID him. I open the door and motion for him to come in.

He looks surprised by my appearance as he furtively glances around to make sure that there isn’t someone else here. I am a little surprised by his appearance too. He is wearing a tasteful and expensive looking business suit with jacket and tie. I guess that showing up in this neighborhood or any “hood” wearing combat fatigues would be a little noticeable.

I decide to try and have just a little bit of fun at his expense. “Oh, hi! I’m Chloe. You must be Mr. Smith. Bree has told me sooo much about you.” I say using my best Chloe, the spoiled rich kid voice.

Captain Howards’ eyes narrow as he studies me. “Whisper?” He asks.

He still hasn’t entered the house. That means that I have an excuse to stay in character, right?  “Who?  Oh no, I’m not Whisper.” I laugh a little as if Chloe finds that idea amusing. Then, I glance meaningfully toward the kitchen area. “Whisper is in the kitchen...”

He takes the hint and enters the house without taking his eyes off of me.  Yeah, I don’t think that he trusts Chloe. I happily smile at him as he passes me, then I softly close the door behind him and turn back to face him.

“Okay Whisper, what’s going on and why do you look like that?” Captain Howards asks.

I debate dragging the charade on, but he doesn’t look all that happy. I drop my Chloe disguise. “Hi, Captain Howards. I kind of forgot that I was in my Chloe disguise when I answered the door, but then after I saw your face, I just couldn’t resist. Umm, sorry?” I say, wilting a little under his stern gaze.  

He doesn’t say anything, but his expression slowly shifts to a more thoughtful and less stern looking one.

I take that as a positive sign. “Umm, Aunt Julie is upstairs getting dressed. Would you like some coffee while we wait?” I ask as I move past him and head toward the kitchen.

“Sure.” He says, following me.

I motion him towards the breakfast nook as I pour him a cup. “Sugar and cream?” I ask, pausing before I bring his cup over to him.

He shakes his head, no. “Black is good, thanks.” Captain Howards says as I reach over and slide his cup toward him.  “So, just how did you do that little trick there?”

I fix Chloe back in my mind and activate the spell again. “What, this?” I ask as I feel the magic settle over my body.

His eyes widen with surprise, but only briefly. I might have missed it if I had not been watching for it and expecting it. “Yes, that.” He says.

“It’s an illusion and I thought that Mr. Reilly would have told you that I could do some magic?” I ask as I hear Aunt Julie start to come down the stairs.

“I saw it on your file, but it just said that you had a Wiz one rating and grudgingly at that.” Captain Howards says as he takes a sip of his coffee, then using his cup, he salutes me with appreciation.  “Is that how you were able to sneak up on my men last night?” He asks.

“What was that? Who was sneaking up on whom last night?” Aunt Julie asks from the edge of the kitchen.

“Umm, Aunt Julie, this is Captain Howards. U.S. Navy SEALS.  Captain Howards, umm, Julie Stiles.” I say, playing the proper hostess in the hopes that Aunt Julie will forget what she just asked about.

Captain Howards stands and shakes her hand. “Pleased to meet you Doctor Stiles and sorry about the surprise visit, but I needed to update Whisper and you on a few things.”

Aunt Julie smiles at him. “Oh, it’s not a problem Captain Howards.”

“Kurt, please.” Captain Howards asks looking a little uncomfortable with this scenario.

Aunt Julie laughs. “Okay, well then how about Julie for me then?”

“That would be fine with me, Doct...I mean Julie.” Captain Howards says as he stumbles a bit with using her non-formal name.

Aunt Julie turns back to me with a questioning expression. I don’t think that she forgot. “Now, what was that about some ‘sneaking up’ last night?” She asks.

I anxiously glance over to Captain Howards. He doesn't look like he is willing to lend me a lifeline here.  Actually, he looks like he is interested in hearing my side of the story. “Umm, well...last night when you were on your way home from the mall; I overheard someone on a nearby radio talking about a ‘Secondary’ being ‘inbound’ and I was worried that whoever it was, they were going to try and hurt you...” I pause and look back to Captain Howards. I really wish that he would just jump in and take over or even better say that it was Top Secret or something. He doesn’t.

“Go on, and?” Aunt Julie asks.

“Well, I sorta got mad and I took a knife...” I gesture toward the knife block sitting on the counter. “...and I snuck outside to try and stop them from doing that.” I say, cringing at the horrified expression on Aunt Julie’s face.

“Young lady! What were you thinking?” Aunt Julie asks as her horror shifts to anger.

“Umm, I was thinking...” I say before Aunt Julie stops me.

“No, I don’t want to know what you were thinking, because you clearly were not thinking! What if you had been hurt?”

“Ma’am, my men wouldn’t have hurt her.” Captain Howards says, coming to my defense.

Finally!

Aunt Julie turns on him. “Your men?! What men? Just how many of these ‘men’ did you have out there?” She asks.

Rut roh!  

Now we are both in trouble with Aunt Julie.

“Ma’am, my orders were to protect Whisper, yourself and your husband until the CIA Rendition team was found. Now, as to your original question. I had enough to ensure the success of those orders.” Captain Howards says without emotion.

His answer seems to take Aunt Julie by surprise. I don’t think that she is used to dealing with the military.  As a doctor, I think that she is used to getting answers to her questions. “I don’t care about your orders! What if she had been hurt?” Aunt Julie asks, glaring at Captain Howards as she reaches for me and clutches me protectively to her body.

“Aunt Julie, I know it was stupid of me, but they are here to help.  They stopped that guy from hurting you...” I say, trailing off when I realize that I might have said too much.

“Wait, what did you just say?” Aunt Julie asks, turning back to me, then glancing over her shoulder at Captain Howards as if to say that it is all his fault.

“Umm...” I helplessly look at Captain Howards.

“Ma’am like I said, my team was assigned to protect both, you, Mr. Stiles and Whisper. A man was spotted acting suspiciously towards you in the parking lot last night. Two of my men intervened to prevent him from harming you, but the primary reason that I am here this morning is to inform you that my team is no longer needed here.”

Now it is my turn to panic. “What? Why?” I ask.

“The CIA Team was located and brought in for debriefing 30 minutes ago. As a result, we feel that the immediate danger has passed and that can safely pull back your protection.”

“Oh.” Aunt Julie says, sounding a little deflated.

“How did they find them?” I ask.

Captain Howards hesitates, as if debating if the information is secret. “Luck.”

“Huh?” I ask.

“They used a CIA issued credit card to rent a hotel room and from what I understand, those cards are not tracked. However, due to a glitch in the credit card company’s system, the transaction was flagged for review as a possible fraudulent transaction.  That drew the attention of the CIA’s Internal Affairs.”

Wow, Paige is good. I really need to get to know her. “Oh, okay.” I say.

“Captain Howards, you said that you had a ‘primary reason’ for this visit and that has been answered, but what is your other reason or reasons for this visit?” Aunt Julie asks.

It seems like the adults are now more comfortable using the formal forms of address and I am amazed that she noticed that slip from him because until she mentioned it, I totally didn’t notice it.

“Yes, Doctor Stiles.  The secondary reason for my visit this morning is to get back to your original ‘sneaking’ question.  I need to know how Whisper was able to get the drop on my men so that I can address any training deficiencies that might exist.” Captain Howards says. He too is back to the formal mode of address.

Aunt Julie releases me from her protective grasp and turns to expectantly look at me.  I glance over to Captain Howards.

“Umm, well, I cheated?” I hesitantly say as I glance back to Aunt Julie, then back to Captain Howards to see how much more I am going to need to explain that answer.  I think that Captain Howards might be amused with my answer.

“Cheated?” They both ask in stereo.

I guess I have to show them. “Yes, like this.” I say as I cast my invisibility spell and take a step back as soon as I feel it take hold.

They both look shocked when I disappear right in front of their eyes, but Aunt Julie’s shock turns to panic almost immediately. “Chloe! Where are you?” She asks as she spins around trying to find me.

“Right here.” I say from off to her right, then cancel the spell before she really starts to panic.  Her reaction surprises me, but Captain Howards looks thoughtful.

“I am certainly no expert on magic, but that seems like more than a Wiz One power rating to me.” Captain Howards asks.

I shrug my shoulders. “Maybe? I don’t really know. I haven’t been trained.” I say with complete honesty because I really don’t know. Fey’s and Sir Wallace’s assessment wasn’t official and I haven’t been trained so I can honestly say that I am not lying.

Captain Howards doesn’t look convinced by my answer. “You have an idea though, don’t you?” He says with a dubious smirk.

I really am beginning to wish that I was a better liar and that he wasn’t so good at reading me. I glance back to Aunt Julie and she looks a little lost, but also curious about my answer. “Fine...” I sigh. “I have been told by a person that I trust, that with training, I might be a five, but they didn’t really know what my rating might currently be and that is the end of this line of questioning.” I say, glaring at Captain Howards with frustration.

“Chloe!” Aunt Julie exclaims.

I turn to Aunt Julie. “I’m sorry Aunt Julie, but so far, having all these powers reminds me of that line from Spider-man.” She looks confused. “You know, the one about ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, but in my case, it’s just been a whole lot of trouble and I’m getting a little sick of it.” I glance back to Captain Howards, daring him to say something. “I could go off about all the other cra...stuff that has happened to me just in the last 48 hours, but I don’t think that needs to be said right now. I’m mad. I’m frustrated and all I want to do is just go home and forget that this ever happened to me, but I can’t.”

I glance back over to Aunt Julie and I can see that her eyes are about to spill over. She has that ‘I just want to hug you’ expression. I pre-empt her hug by giving her a quick hug then stepping away before it can get all mushy.  I look back at Captain Howards. “Now, Captain Howards, would my video of last night’s little op of mine help?”

He smiles at me. “Why, yes. I believe that it might help answer a few of my questions now that I know about your ‘little’ trick there.”

We walk into Uncle Jim’s office and I sit down in front of Uncle Jim’s PC.  After it comes back from hibernation mode, I restart my monitor program.  Then, I pretend to use that interface to download the video to his PC instead of just directly transferring it. I might have let my magic rating slip, but there is no way that I am going to let him know about my computer skills.

“Do you want to watch it now or take it with you to watch later?” I ask as I glance around Uncle Jim’s office for a blank DVD ROM. I spot a box of blanks and turn back to look at Captain Howards as I grab them.

Captain Howards glances over at Aunt Julie and I can see him weighing the risk. If she saw the video with his men and their weapons, she might freak out.  “How about if I just take it with me?” He asks.

I pop a blank disc into the PC and start the copy. “Okay, this is going to take a few minutes.” I say as I sit back in Uncle Jim’s comfy chair and then, spin back around to look back at Captain Howards and Aunt Julie.

Captain Howards reaches into his suit and pulls out what looks like a ruggedized cell phone, but unlike normal phones I cannot detect any signal from it at all. This one is either missing its battery, it is totally powered down or it is somehow shielded from my power.  “Well, while we wait...This is a secure cell phone.” He holds it up for display before setting it down on Uncle Jim’s desk. “Mr. Reilly would like for you to call him at 1000 hours and the number to call is already loaded into the phone.” He says.

I check the time and realize that I have almost an hour before it is time to call him. I reach for it with my hand and it isn’t until hold the phone in my hand that I can sense its electronic guts. Unlike a normal cell phone that is turned off, with this phone, I can only sense the battery and the power circuit.  I guess it really is secure.

“You just push the button...” Captain Howards starts to say as I push the button that is connected to the power circuit.  “Okay, well. Whisper, Doctor Stiles, I am sorry that we couldn't have met under better circumstances, but I do wish you both the best.”

“Thanks Captain Howards and sorry about your guy.” I say as Aunt Julie looks back at me with one of those, “you have some explaining to do” expressions.

“Hehe, it is not a problem Whisper, but Spencer is a little put out by the fact that he will have to requisition a new vest and explain to our supply officer how he damaged his current vest while officially being on a training exercise.” Captain Howards says as he glances toward the door.  It looks like he is ready to leave.

Aunt Julie picks up on his non-verbal communication and with a smile, she leads him to the door.  I watch as they shake hands in what appears to be mostly friendly fashion. “Thanks for coming, Captain Howards, and please tell your men thanks for helping me last night.” She says after they finish shaking hands. She closes the door, then turns to me with a thoughtful expression that does not bode well for me.  

“Now, young lady, where is that video from last night?” Aunt Julie asks.