After David is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, his entire life changes in ways he never could have expected. This is a fan fiction taking place in the Whateley Universe.

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I stared into my half-empty cup of coffee, letting out a faint sigh. Mom had never liked to let me drink coffee, saying that it made me too hyper. Jackie and Emily didn’t care and let me drink as much as I wanted. This was actually my third cup today, but I still didn’t feel it. My go juice no longer provided any go.

“Stupid regeneration,” I muttered in annoyance. I’d already built up an immunity to caffeine, and even if I hadn’t, my power would have wiped it out of my system too fast to get much effect.

I was sitting in the living room and feeling depressed, but it had nothing to do with the coffee. In fact, it wasn’t even because of my gender change, as awkward as that was.

It had been four days since Damocles had told me that my change was permanent, that I’d be stuck looking like Jackie for the rest of my life. I wasn’t happy about that, but at least I knew what the situation was and didn’t have to go chasing after some false hope of turning back to normal. In a strange way, knowing that I couldn’t undo this was freeing.

Even though I wasn’t thrilled about being turned into a girl, I had to admit that it wasn’t really that bad. Sure, I still felt a bit weird, but I was starting to get more comfortable in my new body. And it wasn’t like losing the ability to pee standing up was a huge loss, especially when I considered all the powers I’d gained in exchange.

Over the last few days, I’d been trying not to cry or complain about my sudden sex change. Instead, I was just trying to get used to the idea and deal with it the best I could. After all, whether I liked it or not, this was who I was now. I just had to get used to it.

What was bothering me and had made me mope around for the last couple days was the thought of my family. In spite of what my Mom had done, and the fact that my parents hated mutants, I still loved them. The thought of never being able to see them again, of never being able to see Becky again… It felt like I had a knot in my stomach from thinking about that.

Jackie came into the living room and sat down with her laptop. I watched her typing for a minute before I asked, “What are you up to?”

“I’m just reviewing a couple job offers,” Jackie responded with an amused smile.

“Job offers?” I asked in surprise.

“Sure,” she agreed pleasantly. “I have one offer from an organization that is looking for some supers to keep the West Coast Wonders occupied and distracted so they won’t be able to interfere in a robbery. That one is a possibility.”

I took a sip of my coffee, then encouraged her to continue. “You said offers…as in plural.”

“Well, it seems like someone is also trying to put a group together,” Jackie continued. “This one looks like a revenge attack on some hero they haven’t identified. That one is out. For one thing, I’m not a killer and won’t be part of an assassination attempt. For another, revenge missions are unprofessional and tend to get messy.”

“And there is one more offer,” Jackie added, looking at her laptop again. “Someone is just putting some feelers out, looking for someone to recover an artifact of power from some heroes… That one is a possibility, but breaking into the headquarters of some hero group sounds just a little too risky.”

“So, are you going to take any of those jobs?” I asked.

Jackie thought about it for a moment, then said, “Maybe the first one. I’ll have to get some more details before I make a decision.”

“You know, listening to you talk about your work is pretty interesting,” I told Jackie, then before she got the wrong idea, I quickly added, “But don’t expect me to follow in your footsteps.”

Jackie gave me an amused look, then admitted, “Actually, I’d prefer if you didn’t go into this line of work. The work conditions are lousy, the union dues are too high, and the retirement plan really sucks.”

“Then why do you do it?” I asked. “Why not get a real job, like Emily?”

There was a long pause before Jackie carefully said, “Not everyone has that option.”

With that, Jackie closed her laptop and then got up and left the room. I watched her go, feeling guilty for bringing something up that obviously bothered her. However, a couple minutes later she came back into the living room, holding a duffel bag which I knew contained her costume.

“Come on, Dana,” she told me with a grin. “We’re going to go work on your powers a little more.”

I grinned at that, thankful for the distraction from all my worries and the pouting I’d been doing off and on for the last couple says. I was also glad for the chance to get out and do something. After all, living with a bank robber might sound exciting, but most of the time it was pretty normal and even a little boring.

After we climbed into her SUV, it didn’t take me long to realize that we weren’t going to the warehouse like I’d expected. Instead, we were heading in another direction entirely, though Jackie refused to say where our new destination was.

“Are we there yet?” I finally asked.

“Not yet,” Jackie told me.

I waited just another minute, then repeated, “Are we there yet?”

“Another ten minutes,” she told me.

I just smiled and gave her my best innocent look before asking, “Are we there yet?”

Jackie gave me a mock glare and asked, “Are you going to keep asking me that the entire way?”

“Maybe,” I responded with a cheerful smile. “By the way…are we there yet?”

We eventually arrived at a very large and open field, and when Jackie parked the SUV, my first thought was that she needed a potty break. But when she grabbed the duffel bag with her costume, I realized what she must have in mind.

“This isn’t quite as private as the warehouse,” Jackie told me as she opened the duffel bag and pulled out not only her costume, but also a bright red jogging suit, which she tossed to me. “But it’s a lot more open so we can cut loose more…”

Jackie began changing into her costume so I sighed and put in the jogging suit she’d brought for me. Obviously, she’d picked it because the color matched her costume, though at least she hadn’t brought me spandex. After looking at Jackie, I had to admit that I’d probably look awesome in spandex, but I still wasn’t sure I liked the idea of wearing something that revealing.

A few minutes later, Jackie and I began my training, which actually consisted of another game of racing each other, playing tag, and playing bumper cars. We both called up our force field bubbles and rolled around in the open field, giving me practice with moving and maneuvering at the higher speeds.

“Stay on the ground,” Jackie told me after I’d levitated my sphere into the air in order to avoid being hit by her. “We’ll work on that later.”

After practicing for over an hour, we paused to take a break. I was tired of keeping my force field up and definitely needed the rest. I also needed the power bars and energy drinks that Jackie had brought for us to snack on.

While we ate, Jackie mused, “I’m going to have to find a place where you can practice smashing into things and controlling your ricochets.”

“The inside of your warehouse won’t do?” I asked with a smirk.

“Not if I want to keep the place intact,” she responded with a chuckle, then quickly adding, “And I do. Of course, we could practice in one of the other warehouses there, but if anyone ever checked on the properties and found the buildings damaged, it would increase the odds of them searching and finding the one I’ve claimed for myself.”

When Jackie and I were finished with our break, we went back to work training. This time, she helped me practice with some of the things that I could do which she couldn’t. Specifically, I practiced flying around inside of my sphere, doing many of the same things I’d previously done on the ground. And then, we brainstormed to try figuring out some other tricks I might be able to perform.

By the time we finished, I was exhausted and no longer had the energy to summon even a grape fruit sized bubble. However, it had been a very productive training session and Jackie promised that we’d stop for ice cream to celebrate.

Several hours later, we were back at the house and getting ready for dinner. Emily had been late getting home for work so Jackie was giving her a back massage while I worked on the food.

The oven was full with over a dozen breaded pork chops while a large pot boiled potatoes on the stovetop. I was chopping up some broccoli to go with the meal, even though I didn’t really care for the stuff. Still, that was the veggie Emily had stocked the fridge with so that was what I prepared.

Cooking like this made me feel useful, like I was actually earning my keep here rather than being a mooch. It was kind of funny since I’d never had that concern when I was back home and had looked for any excuse to get out of what meager chores I had.

At the same time, cooking reminded me of my Dad, who’d taught me almost everything I knew. The depression returned as I thought about him and what he had to think of me now. Dad hated mutants which meant that he must be horrified that his own kid had turned into one.

Since I was a mutant, I knew there was probably a good chance that Becky would end up being one too. I shuddered at the thought of my little sister having to go through the same thing I had. Would Mom and Dad call the MCO on her too? I really hoped that she wasn’t a mutant, just so she’d never have to find out.

I was still thinking about my family and feeling depressed as we ate dinner. I barely contributed anything to the conversation as Jackie and Emily talked about a frequent topic, Whateley Academy. For the most part, the two of them reminisced about their days attending the school for mutants, though they also discussed the possibility of sending me there.

“What better place is there for her to learn how to control her powers?” Jackie pointed out. Then she grinned and added, “Besides with me that is.”

“But it’s also expensive,” Emily pointed out. “And then there’s the small matter of the legalities, specifically, the fact that we aren’t her legal guardians and have no legal authority to enroll her…”

“Details,” Jackie said dismissively. Then she teased, “For someone who used to be an anarchist, you sure are picky about the rules…”

Emily merely smiled at that and responded, “And for someone who used to be a straight arrow, you sure are eager to break them.”

“Rules are meant to be broken,” Jackie responded cheerfully, taking another pork chop from the plate.

Emily turned to me and gave me a concerned look. “Are you okay? You’ve been pretty quiet tonight.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Emily reached out and took my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. I felt the tingling sensation that told me I’d accidentally copied her powers.

Suddenly, Emily and Jackie both froze and began to scowl. Emily yanked her hand back and stared at me in surprise.

“You most certainly aren’t,” she stated firmly. “You’re projecting your emotions…”

“I didn’t realize you were having such a hard time,” Jackie exclaimed, giving me a sympathetic look. “You haven’t been complaining about being a girl, so I thought you were adjusting…”

“It’s not that,” I responded self-consciously, feeling exposed and vulnerable at having them knowing my innermost emotions so intimately. “At least not mostly…”

Jackie stared at me for a moment more. “Your family,” she said in understanding. I nodded at that, feeling guilty for making her worry.

“It’s okay,” Emily told me gently, giving my hand another gentle squeeze. “You have a right to be unhappy about this…”

“The whole situation stinks,” Jackie agreed sympathetically. “What happened with your family and turning into a girl…no matter how gorgeous. I know it can’t be easy for a boy to go through that.”

Emily nodded at that, then joked, “Though after this, I might have to give you some lessons on controlling my powers too. You don’t want to copy a psychic’s powers and then unintentionally broadcast all your thoughts and feelings to everyone around you.”

At the same time, Jackie had a grim expression on her face as she got up from the table. She grabbed her cell phone, an odd looking thing that was a dull black color and a little larger than most current phones on the market.

“It’s a divisor phone,” Jackie told me with a wry smile. “Encoded, untraceable, and VERY expensive. It’s also a necessity in my line of work.”

“Who are you calling?” I asked, wondering why she’d gotten up to make a call without any warning.

Jackie dialed a number, and a few seconds later, she announced, “Hello, I’m a friend of David’s.”

“What?” I gasped in surprise.

“He is safe,” Jackie continued, “and in good health. However, his appearance has been drastically altered due to his mutation and you would no longer recognize him.”

“Jackie,” I started, but Emily put a hand on my shoulder.

“Wait,” she told me, giving Jackie a curious look.

There was a long pause while Jackie appeared to be listening, then she said, “No, I will not put him on to talk to you, not right now. No, this is not a threat or ransom demand. I’m not interested in your money. My intention here is simple. I want to help David.” Jackie paused again, scowling as she did so. “The truth is, David was turned over to the MCO, who beat him, shot him, and intended to do far worse. He’s afraid to return home…for good reason.”

“What are you doing?” Emily asked Jackie, looking worried.

“Is that my Mom?” I asked nervously, feeling hopeful and afraid at the same time. “My Dad?”

“I can arrange a meeting,” Jackie finally said. “IF David agrees. No, your home is out of the question. Any meeting will be at a place of my choosing, somewhere I can keep David safe.” She paused again and nodded a few times. “I’ll discuss this with David, and if he agrees, I’ll provide you with the time and place.”

“Well,” Emily urged once Jackie hung up the phone.

“That was your Dad,” Jackie told me with a grim expression. “If you want to talk to your parents, we can do it in a safe place. Maybe you can reconcile with them…” The tone in her voice suggested that she was a little skeptical of that. “Or at the very least, find out where things stand once and for all.”

“Of course I want to see them,” I blurted out, though the truth was, I was terrified of doing so. But as Jackie had just pointed out, there were some things I needed to find out for certain.