A dying man is given a second chance. This story is a fan fiction that takes place in the Whateley Universe.

--------------------

The couch was nice and comfortable, especially as I sat back with my feet on the coffee table while sipping a cup of coffee. It was early in the morning, and like yesterday, I was the first one up. It was becoming pretty clear to me that my new body didn’t need as much sleep as it used to. With barely more than four hours, I was wide awake and bursting with energy, which meant that I might end up making a habit of this early morning quiet time.

I finished reading the book I was holding, then as I closed the cover, I also closed my eyes and thought about what I’d just read. I’d absorbed everything so fast that it took a moment to put it all together in my head and look at it consciously. This was the fourth book I’d read this morning and it still amazed me at how easy this was. There had been two books on computers, one on household plumbing, and now I’d just finished a horror novel that I’d found sitting on the couch. I shuddered faintly, deciding that in this case, my new photographic memory might end up being a downside.

But in spite of the bad imagery that the horror novel left in my head, I was still feeling eager and excited. After learning so much from the other books, I was looking forward to finding something else to read. It was strange, but being able to absorb knowledge so quickly and easily only made me hungry for more. I realized that books were becoming like potato chips for me. I couldn’t stop with just one. And since I’d never been much of a reader before, this was almost as big a change for me as turning into a girl.

Like yesterday, Melanie was the next person to get up, and when she saw me sitting there with a small stack of books, she let out a loud yawn and asked, “Do you really plan on reading all that?”

“Actually,” I responded wryly. “I just finished reading all that.” She gave me a look of surprise and I pointed out, “My new powers include speed reading and a photographic memory.”

Melanie stared at me for a moment, then let out a sigh. “You know, I’m really starting to wish I could get that mutant upgrade too…”

I chuckled at that, then joked, “Well, we could always see if your sister can hook you up…”

“No thanks,” Melanie responded with a visible shudder. “I don’t want to risk waking up with tentacles…”

I nodded as I looked at the small stack of books, then mused, “I think I’m going to need a visit to the library…”

Melanie gave me another odd look, then shook her head, “You know Alyss…”

She hesitated at that, obviously using my new name to help her get into the habit of using it. We’d gone shopping yesterday so I could buy some clothes of my own, especially shoes and underwear, and Melanie and Kimberly had both slipped and called me ‘Dad’ or ‘Grandpa’ while we were out. I’d already gotten some odd looks because of my hair, and this had definitely added to it. However, I was pretty sure that the people who’d overheard just thought they were teasing me because of my hair color.

“When I was growing up,” she continued, “I don’t think I remember you ever reading anything other than a magazine…”

“People change,” I told her with a sigh, feeling self-conscious as I thought about just how much I’d been changing in so little time. “Even a stubborn old bastard like me.”

After this, I went to go take a bath, this time giving in to the temptation and using the bubble bath. Not only did the thick layer of bubbles help to hide my body so I didn’t feel like some kind of pervert, it was also the kind of silly fun that I hadn’t been able to enjoy since I was a kid the first time. The way I figured it, since I was stuck being a kid again, I might as well take advantage of it.

When I was done with my bath, I turned my attention to drying off, which as I’d learned yesterday, was a real pain in the ass. I was rather proud of my long hair, but it took forever to dry. I sat down and began to dry my hair and brush it the way Melanie had shown me yesterday, making sure it didn’t tangle and knot up. But considering the nature and texture of my hair, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t have nearly as many problems with that as most girls would.

Eventually I was able to go back to my room to get dressed, which left the choice of what to wear. My eyes went to the dress in the corner that I’d worn all day yesterday, even while we were out shopping. Though it had been hard to admit, I’d actually had a lot of fun wearing it. I was pretty sure, a large part of that had simply been because it brought back so many good memories.

“Little girls should dress like little girls,” I mused, having said that same thing to Meg and our daughters on numerous occasions. Of course, Meg usually had her own thing to say about that. I smiled at the memory.

Then my attention turned to another dress that was hanging from the closet, one that was purple and a bit frilly, and which went well with my violet eyes. That was one of the main reasons I’d bought the dress while we’d been out shopping. Since I’d been having fun in Kaylie’s hand-me-down dress, I’d decided on an impulse that I wanted one of my own. And since I now had it, today seemed like the perfect time to wear it.

I got dressed, then created a couple of small purple ribbons which I tied through my hair. When I was done, I felt satisfied that I looked like a proper little girl. I couldn’t really say why I was so interested in playing up the whole little girl look, though I definitely was. Maybe, it was because it made me feel like I wasn’t only accepting the second chance I’d been given, but was embracing it as well.

Once I was ready, I went to get breakfast, finding that everyone else was up now as well. However, Mark was just on his way out the door to work. He paused to stare at me for several long seconds, looking a little surprised, though I wasn’t sure why he was since he’d seen me in a dress yesterday. Then he called out a goodbye to the family before leaving.

“You look really pretty,” Kimberly told me. Then she looked down at the pajamas she was still wearing and announced, “I wanna wear a dress too…”

“Not me,” Kaylie responded emphatically, apparently having reached her limit by wearing one for a couple hours yesterday.

“Isn’t Grandpa…I mean Alyss pretty?” Kimberly pestered her sister. “I wish I was that pretty…”

“You’re a lot prettier than I am,” I told her with a smile, earning a squeal of delight from the little girl.

“Yeah,” Kaylie said, staring at me with a skeptical look before almost reluctantly admitting, “But you look kind of…weird.”

“Weird?” I asked, reaching up to touch my hair a little self-consciously.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Melanie said, looking down at me with an uncomfortable expression. Then she quickly blurted out, “I mean, you do look very pretty, but…”

I let out a sigh at that, wondering why I felt bothered by that. I’d never considered myself vain before, at least not about anything but my beard. But now, I actually felt a little bothered by the idea that they thought I looked weird. And the fact was, with my eye and hair color, it wasn’t a surprise.

“You do make a very pretty little girl,” Melanie told me, choosing her words carefully. “And it isn’t just that your hair color is…different. It’s…a lot of little things. I mean, you look like a little girl, but you don’t talk like one or have the right body language. And the way you look at people… It’s just…” She paused at that, trying to decide how to say what she wanted to.

“Creepy,” Kaylie blurted out, though she looked at me and suddenly looked guilty and embarrassed. In a quieter voice she said, “You come off as just a little creepy…”

Melanie gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry…”

I frowned at that, then went to the bathroom where I got a footstool so I could get a better view of myself in the mirror. A single look was enough to see just how exotic I looked, not only with the hair and eye color, but with the dress. After all, I knew that most little girls didn’t wear dresses like this except on special occasions. But now that Melanie had pointed it out, I could see what she meant. There was something in my facial expression and the way I was holding my body. But even more than that, there was something in my eyes. I didn’t have that innocent look that would have been expected from a real little girl. Instead, these eyes were just a little too knowing.

“Ah, crap,” I exclaimed in annoyance. I went back to Melanie and the girls, saying, “Now I feel like a damn idiot…”

Kaylie had a guilty look on her face, as though I was going to somehow blame her for pointing out that I came off as a little creepy. Then she stared at me and suddenly began go grin. Without saying a word, she ran back to her bedroom, coming back half a minute later.

“Here,” Kaylie exclaimed excitedly, holding out the pin I’d seen her wearing. It looked like a skull with a pink bow, something which should have been dark but which had been made girlie instead. She put the pin on my dress, then she held out a hair clasp that also had a skull on it and put it into my hair. I let her do this, wondering what she was up to. When she was done, she announced, “There…”

Melanie stared at me for a moment, then started to laugh. When she stopped she said, “Actually, that does sort of help…”

I went back to the bathroom to check myself out in the mirror, and it took me a moment to see what Melanie meant. Though I looked every inch the cute and innocent girl, my hair, eyes and more adult mannerisms clashed with that and came off as a little creepy. But with those skulls, it looked like I was intentionally trying to look a little dark and creepy, so it actually reduced the effect.

“That might actually be a good look for you,” Melanie told me a few minutes later. “I mean, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to you looking like this, but…” She paused at that, giving me a thoughtful look before adding, “To be honest, you’ll never be able to look like a normal little girl, so you might as well stand out on your own terms.”

“Now you look cool,” Kaylie told me.

I gave her a look of mock hurt and asked, “Are you saying I wasn’t cool before?”

She had a look of being caught in a trap, until Kimberly, Melanie, and I all burst out laughing. Kaylie just glared at me for a moment before announcing, “You’re mean…”

I had to admit, I rather liked this look myself. I’d been surprised to find that I liked wearing a dress and playing up the whole little girl thing, but I’d had too much life experience and too many bad memories to feel comfortable with the sweet and innocent look. In spite of being a little girl, I wasn’t sweet and innocent. My hand went to the pin Kaylie had given me and I ran my fingers over the skull, smiling faintly at the sight. The skull was a traditional symbol of death, but for me it was a good reminder of just how close I’d come to dying, and more importantly, just how lucky I was to even be alive.

“I think I like it,” I admitted, though I knew that I’d have to experiment a bit to make it really work.

Melanie shook her head, though she looked amused as she said, “Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined my Dad would go for the gothic lolita look.”

I laughed at that, then teased, “Just think of this as revenge for the time you came home with a purple mohawk and damn near gave me a heart attack…”

“My little sister was a mutant,” Melanie responded, turning bright red in obvious embarrassment. “I had to stand out somehow…”

“You had a Mohawk?” Kaylie demanded of her Mom, suddenly looking quite interested.

At that moment, I suddenly saw my opportunity to pay my daughter back for all those ulcers she’d given me when she was younger. Sure, Rachael had given me more, but Melanie had still contributed to them. Now, I had plenty of embarrassing stories to share with her daughters, and perhaps a few ideas to give them at the same time. I began snickering as I thought about my long delayed revenge.

After this, we all settled down for breakfast, though I took the opportunity to entertain Kimberly and Kaylie with a few stories about their Mom. Melanie kept trying to change the topic or distract them, then she finally threatened me with no dessert if I told them anymore. I stuck my tongue out at her, trying to play the part of little girl, but I figured she’d had enough for now. Besides, I needed to save some material for later.

Eventually, it was time to leave for my appointment at the MCO powers testing facility. I’d always believed that the MCO were necessary, that they helped to track the dangerous mutants and protected normal people from them. But now that I’d become one of those dangerous mutants, I couldn’t help but remembering all of Rich’s paranoid claims and conspiracy theories about them over the years. And more importantly, I couldn’t help but wondering if maybe I’d been wrong.

Melanie drove me to where I was going to be tested, and as I got out of the car she said, “We can wait for you…”

I took one look at the girls, who were sitting in the back seat and shook my head. “This will probably be all day,” I told her, remembering what Dr. Franklin had told me to expect. “I’ve got a cell phone so I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Good luck,” Melanie told me, looking just a little worried. “And be careful.”

“I will,” I promised her.

Once Melanie drove away, I carefully adjusted my dress then did my best to get into the ‘sweet and innocent’ little girl mode. Dr. Franklin had warned me that the local MCO probably wouldn’t mess with me unless they thought I was dangerous, so I’d specifically chosen to wear the dress partly because it would be more difficult to think of me as a threat. I went to the front door, trying to act like a normal little girl, at least as much as I could.

To my surprise, there was someone standing by the front entrance who I recognized. It was Pinnacle. He took one look at me, then his eyes went wide and he did a double take.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting you to adjust so quickly,” he told me, still looking surprised.

I looked up at him, then responded, “You don’t seem surprised to see me though…” I bit my lip thoughtfully, then added, “Running into you isn’t a coincidence…”

“You got me,” he agreed with an easy smile. “Doctor Franklin told me about your appointment today, so I thought I’d show up for a little moral support.” He paused at that, then admitted, “And because it will be more difficult for anything to happen if you’ve got a witness who saw you come and can confirm whether or not you actually left.”

Somehow, those words weren’t all that comforting. Sure, it was nice that he was trying to look out for me, but the fact that he thought this kind of thing was necessary only made me more nervous about my testing.

“They aren’t supposed to ask you for your real name or any personal information,” Pinnacle continued grimly. “They’re supposed to track everything under your codename in order to protect your privacy, but sometimes a tester will try getting you to tell them more so they can put it in their records.”

“Thank you,” I told him appreciatively before I went inside, noticing that he was still staying outside.

I went to the receptionist desk and handed her my appointment slip. She stared at me with a look of surprise, then one of sympathy. “So young,” she whispered with a shake of her head. Then she gave me an obviously forced smile and asked, “What’s your name sweetie?”

I knew that the appointment slip didn’t have my name on it, only an appointment number. And since Pinnacle had just warned me about them trying to get my name, I gave her my best innocent smile and said, “My Mommy said I’m not supposed to tell you my real name.” I knew that even with the skulls decorations on my dress and hair, I didn’t look like any kind of a threat, and I wanted to continue giving that impression. I did my best to whine, “My hair just turned white…just like my Grandpa’s…”

The receptionist gave me another sympathetic look before saying, “I’m sorry to hear that. Now, why don’t you go right on back there. The nice men will help you test your new powers.”

“Thank you,” I said before going through the door she’d indicated.

A minute later, I was in front of a desk, being stared at by a short balding man with thick glasses. Though he was taller than I currently was, it was only by six inches, so I still considered him to be short. One look at him was enough for me to immediately think ‘accountant’. Or at least, that was the impression he gave off.

He pushed a button on some kind of recorder, then announced, “I am Doctor Henry Pivvens, and I am about to begin the power testing of a young female mutant who appears to be nine or ten years of age.” Then he looked at me again and continued, “Your MID and all records of your power testing will be tracked under your codename. Have you decided on your codename yet?” His tone was calm yet bored, adding yet something else that made me think he was an accountant.

“Yes,” I answered, not even having to pretend the nervousness I actually felt. I’d been thinking about a possible codename since yesterday, and I’d decided that I didn’t want it to be one that would draw attention to me or make me look dangerous. I wanted to play down the whole ‘dangerous mutant’ thing, so I’d picked my codename to help with that purpose. “Ribbon. My codename is Ribbon.”

Dr. Pivvens looked in the computer before confirming, “That is not a codename that is currently in use. I am officially registering you as Ribbon.” Then he said, “Now in your own words, tell me everything you know about your mutation, what your powers are, and how you think they work.”

I did my best impression of Kimberly’s bubbly enthusiasm as I said, “My hair turned all long and white…and my eyes turned this really pretty color…”

I rambled on a little, neglecting to mention that my mutation had also changed my sex and made me forty years younger. And I definitely didn’t say anything about the fact that my mutation had either been caused or triggered by an outside source. The last thing I wanted to do was give the MCO the idea that Rachael had the ability to turn baseline humans into mutants.

“I’m really strong now,” I told him proudly, just like a little girl might. “And I heal really fast. And I make ribbons…” I put a little extra excitement and emphasis on the word ‘ribbons,’ even making one appear in my hands at the same time. He looked less than impressed.

Once we were finished with the interview, Dr. Pivvens took me to another room and we began the testing. It started with tables filled with machines and piles of random parts. For the machines, I was told to try figuring out what they did, how to use them, and even to take them apart. For the parts, it was the opposite, with me having to try to figure out how to put them back together. I did pretty good taking the machines apart and with at least one of the piles of parts.

“I help my Daddy work on his car,” I told Dr. Pivvens, who wrote down some notes.

Dr. Pivvens then had me to some test for psychic powers and magic, as well as a few other things, but he didn’t spend a lot of time on the tests. I had the feeling that he was rushing through the tests, or at least, that he wasn’t putting much effort into testing for powers that he had no reason to believe I had. I wondered absently if he had an early tee time or something that he didn’t want to be late for.

Then we finally got to something that really interested me, testing my manifestor abilities. Dr. Pivvens had me make ribbons, starting with small ones and then moving to larger ones. He also had me try to create different colors, textures, and shapes. To my surprise, I discovered that I could do a little more than I’d realized. I could still only create flat pieces of fabric, but I did create a large square of silky fabric that would have been perfect as a sheet for a king size bed.

Dr. Pivvens began to test some of the ribbons I’d created, putting pieces under a torch, into bottles of chemicals, and into some weird scanning machines. When he was done, he spoke into the recorder, stating, “The default manifested material simulates the appearance and texture of silk, but it demonstrates thrice the tensile strength…” He continued to give a bunch of technical details from the testing that didn’t make any sense to me, but I paid close attention because I planned on looking it up online to find out what he meant.

After we were done testing my ribbons, Dr. Pivvens announced that we were taking a break for lunch, and that I should return in one hour. I was stunned that he took someone who he believed to be a little girl, and basically kicked her out the door on her own. Maybe he thought I’d have parents waiting for me in the lobby, or maybe he didn’t care. However, as I left the building, shaking my head in disgust, I half suspected the man was a robot.

As soon as I stepped outside the main entrance, Pinnacle descended from the sky and floated in the air in front of me for several seconds before he landed. “So,” he asked as a greeting, “How is it going so far?”

“Not too bad,” I admitted, annoyed at Rich for making me paranoid about the testing. Of course, Dr. Franklin and Pinnacle had done their share to make me worry as well. “We’re supposed to test all my physical abilities after lunch…”

Pinnacle nodded at that, then asked, “Do you want to have lunch with me? My treat.”

“Sure,” I responded with a shrug. I’d never been one to turn down free food.

We went to a small café right across the street from the testing facility, and though a couple of the other customers stared at us, the employees didn’t seem the least bit surprised to have a super hero sitting there. Then again, being located where they were, they must have a lot of mutants coming in from testing.

After we’d ordered, Pinnacle asked me, “What codename did you end up going with?”

I felt a bit self-conscious as I answered, “Ribbon.” I summoned a ribbon, then wryly pointed out, “It seemed pretty accurate…”

Pinnacle chuckled at that, then gave me an odd look. “I’m pretty surprised to see you dressed like that,” he finally told me, looking just a little confused. “I thought that with who you really are, that you’d be fighting the little girl thing tooth and nail…”

“I thought about it,” I admitted with a shrug. “Then I decided to embrace it instead. I mean, I’m going to be stuck as a little girl no matter what I do, so I might as well have fun with it.”

“Good way to look at it,” he agreed. He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Have you talked to Lady Havoc about this?”

I shook my head at that. “No, I haven’t seen her since the hospital. Honestly, I wish I did know how to get hold of her so I could at least let her know I’m alive.”

We continued talking for the rest of lunch, then we returned to the MCO building. He nodded to me, then flew up into the air while I went inside to continue my testing.

Dr. Pivvens had me change into a jumpsuit that apparently had some sensors build into it, then he had me run on a treadmill. Running was easy, even when he increased the speed and raised the angle. I kept at it, surprised to realize that it was not only easy, but that I didn’t feel the least bit tired. But then, without warning, he threw a tennis ball at the back of my head.

“No danger sense,” he mused as he wrote down a note, not even bothering to apologize to me.

Next, Dr. Pivvens had me test something that I’d really been curious about, my strength. There was a large machine, that didn’t look anything like what I’d ever seen in a gym, other than the fact that there was a bench and a bar in the middle of the whole thing.

When I asked about the machine, Dr. Pivvens answered, “It uses electromagnetic fields to help simulate whatever weight is required.” His tone was flat and bored, with a faint hint of annoyance at the interruption.

I climbed on the bench, then had to wait as Dr. Pivvens adjusted the bar height for my size. Once that was done, he turned on the machine and I lifted the bar up, finding it ridiculously easy. But as I held it there, I felt the weight increasing, pushing back with more and more weight. However, I continued pushing the bar up until it finally became too much for me to hold.

Dr. Pivvens stared at me with a look of surprise, and for a moment, I thought I even saw a gleam of fear in his eyes. Then he covered it up and wrote down a note.

“That was fun,” I said, still trying to play the innocent little girl routine, though I wasn’t sure how well it was actually working. “How much was that?”

When Dr. Pivvens told me, I nearly shit my pants in surprise. I stared at the machine in disbelief, sure that he had to be messing with me. I knew that I was a lot stronger than before, but I’d thought that I’d probably end up benching a thousand pounds or something. But to my shock, what I’d been lifting hadn’t been measured in pounds so much as in tons. Specifically, I’d just benched over seven tons.

“I can bench press a car,” I blurted out, only to pause as I realized that even my old truck would be fairly light for me now.

Until now, Dr. Pivvens hadn’t been telling me the results of my tests, though he still looked a bit shaken at this one. He cleared his throat and said, “You’re an exemplar six…and you’ll probably get even stronger as you get older.”

I stared at him as I absorbed that, knowing that mutant power levels ranged from one to seven with seven being the most powerful. I wasn’t among the most powerful exemplars, but I was definitely pretty high up there. This was way more than I’d expected, even after Dr. Franklin told me that I was probably a high level exemplar.

After this came a few more tests of my physical abilities, and I found myself surprised a few more times, but not nearly as much as I’d been by the weight lifting. It seemed that as a high level exemplar, speed, reflexes, durability, stamina, and numerous other things had all been improved. And as Dr. Pivvens pointed out again, I was still young, so my abilities would likely improve further as I grew older.

Eventually, the testing was finished and I ended up back in Dr. Pivvens’ office. He typed on his computer as he put together my MID, and when he was finished, he printed it out and presented me with the small plastic card that was the size and shape of a driver’s license.

My picture was on the card, and right across the top it said my name, Ribbon. My ratings were listed as exemplar 6, regeneration 4, and manifestor 3C.

Dr. Pivvens had lost much of the cold boredom after seeing how much weight an innocent looking little girl like me could lift, and he hadn’t quite recovered it since. He cleared his throat, then repeated what he’d already told me about being an exemplar and probably getting stronger with age.

“Your durability and resistance to injury are drastically increased as well,” he told me, looking as though he couldn’t quite believe it. “Your bones will be extremely difficult to break. Your skin will be tough enough to stop small caliber bullets, and higher caliber rounds will be unlikely to penetrate deeply or cause serious damage.” He paused at that, looking me in the eyes and adjusting his glasses. “I wouldn’t bother to explain this to most children your age, but as you’ve also acquired the exemplar mental package, I think you’ll be able to understand what this means.”

I nodded at that, still feeling a bit stunned by these revelations. “And even if I do get hurt,” I mused aloud, “I’ll heal.”

“Very rapidly,” Dr. Pivvens agreed. “You’re a high level regenerator four, and I believe that you’ll eventually grow to level five.”

Dr. Pivvens had much less to say about my manifestor abilities, which weren’t really all that impressive. That was okay though, as I’d known my ability to summon ribbons wasn’t going to impress anyone except little girls, which was why I’d chosen to use that as the basic for my codename.

Since we were done with the testing, I took my new MID and hurried out of the building, letting out a sigh once I’d stepped outside. After Dr. Pivvens’ reaction to my new strength, I’d been a little nervous that they might try something.

“Hey there,” Pinnacle called out as he flew down and landed beside me. “So, what are the results?”

I handed him my MID, then said, “Ironically, turning into a little girl made me really strong and tough.”

“You’re a brick,” Pinnacle commented, sounding just a little surprised.

I glared at him and demanded, “Are you calling me dumb?”

“No,” he quickly assured me. “That’s just a term for a power…or for an effect. Anyone who’s strong and tough enough gets called a brick.”

“A brick,” I mused, thinking that was probably a decent term for someone who was pretty tough.

“Admittedly,” Pinnacle told me with a chuckle. “Exemplars tend to be on the squishier side of the brick spectrum, unless they have something else like a PK shell going for them to…”

I nodded at that, then called Melanie to let her know that I was ready to be picked up. While I waited, Pinnacle and I continued to talk, mostly with him giving me advice on what to expect as a mutant and how to avoid trouble.

When Melanie finally arrived, pulling her car up in front, I told Pinnacle, “Thanks for all your help.” I shook his hand, adding, “I hope I see you again sometime.”

“Well, you know where to find me,” he responded with a smile. Then as I went to climb into Melanie’s car, he called out, “Good luck, Ribbon.”