The general stormed ahead, lesser officials and scientists bobbing in his metaphorical wake. His face was a black cloud, and his voice was thunder itself. Like one would suspect however, his vengeful wrath was directed ahead of him, rather than behind; a fact for which many of the scientists were very grateful.

He swept into the conference room and took his chair at the head of the table, fuming impatiently while the others found theirs. No sooner had the last butt found a seat than he growled out:

“Alright, so what do we have?”

The first to speak would undoubtedly earn some measure of his displeasure for their very own. Doctor Emila Destayne, P.H.D., M.D., with degrees in biology and genetics alone had the alphabet soup weight to survive such. Suppressing a sigh, she answered.

“Sir, at roughly 0900 yesterday morning, the empowered individual known as 'Omega Man' escaped confinement at the ARC facility under Wanata mountain; according to subsection 4 he was allowed out, then tracked while resources were called in for his termination, he managed to walk....”

“One moment, doctor. Why were resources not in place for his removal?”

A pointed stare told the general she wouldn't take any heat for the following decision.

“Budgetary concerns, sir.”

A nod and another growl.

“Continue.”

“Yes, sir. Omega Man managed to walk to the nearest town, one Snead. Interesting name, that. At any rate, our asset, one mister Smith, was en-route and less than an hour away, the long distance surveillance teams were in place, and all was going according to contingency plan theta 7. Then something unknown happened, and the town of Snead was irradiated.”

The general had several questions, but the first was the most important.

“How bad?”

“One block took the equivalent of a small scale nuclear device; perhaps a fabled “dirty bomb”. With proper treatment, all involved in the incident should make a full recovery, or nearly so. Those not involved in a number of random accidents at any rate. Fatalities were surprisingly low; only 14.”

And the next question, perhaps equally important.

“How? What do we know?”

“a surveillance satellite we tasked with tracking Omega man took these images at roughly 1930 hours.”

The doctor slid several glossy photos across the table. Sure, she would rather just hand the general a digital copy on a tablet, but the general was old school and appreciated well executed copies. Each still showed something slightly different, but the big money shots were the first and the last. The first showed Omega man's bald head glinting in the light as he faced a black head of hair. Not far from the unknown, a young woman lay felled for reason unknown. Closer to Omega Man were 3 more fallen victims; the implication was clear to one who knew Omega Man's methods.

“So he used the pulse? Did this one set him off? Who was he?”

If the black head of hair in the photo had set off Omega Man, he was dead.

“No sir, initial investigations have the young man with the cell phone as the instigator. The young man facing off against Omega Man here is a known delinquent of local reputation, one Victor Smith. Hmm, son of an army ranger with a purple heart and silver star from Iraq.”

The third question had to be asked.

“Mutant?”

“No sir, not listed as a mutant at all. Just an extraordinarily tough baseline. However, that dignosis was clearly wrong. Look at the next photo, please.”

The next shot showed Omega Man again clearly, his bald head a beacon. It also showed a smashed car. And inside that smashed car was a girl in a dress. What was a girl doing inside a smashed car?”

With a wry grin, Doctor Destayne shook her head.

“That's Victor Smith, sir. He lost the fight and shifted into that.”

Well that meant the youth was alive at least. The general was well aware of Simon Crane's mental... foibles.

“So a mutant after all, and a shifter?”

She shook her head again.

“No sir, the tests come up negative for both. Whatever Victor Smith is, she isn't a shifter. At least not as we understand the term. Besides, being a shifter would not allow Victor to hold off an empowered being of that magnitude for several minutes.”

Truthfully, calling three minutes several was being generous, but the last one to go toe to toe with Simon Crane had died in seconds. Even knowing how Victor had survived, her survival was remarkable. Just surviving long enough to peak Simon Crane's interest was a feat few could match.

“Sir, we found this note on the body.”

She slid a copy over. She had long since memorized the short missive.

Take good care of her. If you don't, I will know. Simon Crane.

The generals eyebrows, like ghost white caterpillars upon his head, managed to crawl their way up to the top of his head.

“Well that seems... ominous. And Crane's whereabouts?”

“He gave the surveillance detail the slip, sir. His current whereabouts are unknown.”

There was no hiding the general's surprise.

“What? What about the satellite?”

Doctor Destayne shrugged as she replied.

“The satellite malfunctioned for approximately 4 minutes, and when it came back online he was gone, out of effective range. Possibly some now power, or an old one re-imagined. Radiation mimicking the effects of sunspots, perhaps. We will know more if we can recover the satellite. All we know for sure is something knocked out the primary systems. We have several teams scouring the area searching for him.”

The general's copy of the note was crumpled up, and the growl made its return.

“And the casualties?”

Doctor Destayne knew the general was masking concern over one particular survivor over asking about them all.

“Being treated as we speak, as stated, most will fully recover. Decontamination teams are already at work as well.”

“And our asset?”

Doctor Destayne took a long drink to mask her unease before answering that question.

“Still in place near Snead, just in case.”

The general stood up abruptly.

“Very well doctor, well done. The young man... woman... whatever, is in your care as requested. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a manhunt to oversee.”

Without even waiting, he swept out of the room. Doctor Destayne waited patiently as the good general's entourage followed, then turned to hr own team with a glee most found disconcerting.

“Let's go attend to our patient, shall we?”

….............................................................

I had gone ten rounds with the mutant version of King Kong. I hadn't even had a plane, not that that would have helped. I remembered it all, and there was no doubt every bone in my body was broken.

So why didn't I feel any pain? A quick check revealed that everything worked, but there was something odd, something wrong about my arms. Legs too. I couldn't quite place what it was though. And what the... some joker had put me in a hospital gown. I was going to have to hurt someone, injured or not. At least, if that someone hadn't been a hottie nurse. Or maybe I had bumped my head a little too hard, and was hallucinating. That sounded pretty plausible, actually.

I was in a huge room with a white theme. A white bed with a shiny steel frame, white sheets, white ceiling tiles, white paint on the walls, a dark wooden bedside table the only real splash of color. The bed had a wired control I recognized, as if the smell and look alone wasn't enough to tip me off. I was in a hospital.

Well I didn't see any bandages or IV's or even machines hooked up to me, so I didn't seem to be too badly hurt.

I also figured out what was wrong. The hospital gown almost completely covered me, and my feet stopped about halfway down the bed. Maybe a bit more. I swung myself up and sat on the edge, and my legs dangled well short of the ground.

What the hell, had the rat-bastard been packing a shrink power too?

The long thin glossy strands tickling my shoulders like threads of silk belied that notion; My hair wasn't it's usual brown nest. Instead it was a curtain of inky black that could stretch down well past my shoulders. There was no ray or mutant power I knew of to shrink people while making their hair grow. Let alone change color and grow.

A short hop off the bed and I bolted for the bathroom, my tiny feet beating a nice staccato on the tile. I had maybe a foot on the door handle height wise, it was hard to tell. The bathroom was bright enough to need no extra light with the door open; the mirror was set at a height that I could no longer fit all of me in, but it showed enough.

A girl was staring back at me.

Long black hair framing a very angry looking but perhaps overly delicate face. Small thin straight nose, high cheekbones, small thin eyebrows that appeared to be drawn on over large brilliant green eyes. Somewhat larger lips than I was used to proportionally. Short hops showed nothing save the hospital gown. I would have to feel up this stranger to learn the truth.

Small swellings on the chest, sensitive to the touch and covered with some for of cloth that could only be a bra? Check. Small flare in my new hips? Check. Butt beginning to hang out behind me like a train caboose? Check. And... Yep, damn it, someone was going to die. Well more than one. Some joker had put Disney princess panties on me.

Perhaps even the entire hospital would have to die, depending on how many saw me like this.

The door opened.

“Hello?”

A cultured female voice I didn't recognize entered, followed by someone I didn't know, judging from the footsteps.

An amused grin belonging to a tall statuesque blonde greeted me when I peered around the door. She had blue eyes and the kind of figure that would draw comments from anyone, including a fair number of women. Her name tag read: “Dr. Destayne, MD.” Something... some presence, moved inside my head with the sight of her. It felt like part of my brain belly flopped inside my skull.

“Ahh, there you are. Hello, Victor.”

“Are you responsible for this?”

Her eyes positively sparkled with her growing amusement as she replied.

“Responsible for what?”

I gestured.

“This! Putting me in this shape. The stupid under-roos, the hair, the stupid size! And who are, you? How do you even know me anyway?!?”

I couldn't really get in her face; I had to settle for staring up at her and pointing a finger. Hardly an intimidating image, but she still backed up.

“Calm down Victor. Nothing will be gained from shouting. No, I am not responsible for your current condition; Omega Man is, according to our best intelligence. How we don't know, as his abilities are well known and include no possibility of shape shifting another organism.”

That stopped me. I turned away and jumped on the bed, collecting my thoughts. There wasn't anywhere else to sit in the room, something a little odd, so the doctor sat beside me.

“Omega Man? The name of the rat bastard who attacked Penny was Omega Man? How stupid sounding.”

Her reply was laced with more of that same amusement.

“Yes, well, at the time, the phrase meant something. You see it's based off an old movie that.. you know what, never mind, it's not important. What is important is that Omega Man is very dangerous; he has the ability to irradiate entire cities and is strong enough to pull apart a tank. Not to mention how nigh-invulnerable he is.”

“I know, believe me, I know. He ran over me like I wasn't even there. But if his power is punching things or nuking them, why am I a girl?”

She shook her head.

“We don't know, but we suspect it wasn't from him. After all, do you think a normal person could go toe to toe with a walking nuclear weapon, even for as long as you managed?”

That tired old lie again.

“I am normal; I've been tested three times. Unless you have a different test than the MCO uses, I'm as normal as it gets. And who might this “we” be, hmm?”

The doctor smiled again, and the delight all but dripped from her tone.

“Oh! Well, “we” are the United States government. In my case, the United States Army medical corps, research division. And as for that test, no we don't have another test. Just common sense. Everyone else who even annoys Omega Man simply keels over, organs cooked from the inside. Several of your townsfolk are in intensive care as we speak... though here you are, hale and whole. Somehow, you survived without even so much as a minor burn.”

I could remember burning, and my bones breaking. But for now, my own needs paled.

“Yeah, hale and whole and looking like a kid. A girl kid. How's Penny?”

“In intensive care but expected to make a full recovery.”

Whoever this doctor really was, she was definitely government; something which raised my hackles. I remembered dealing with VA doctors about my dad's care. That worked out so well. Dealing with this one would probably be worse.

“I want to see her.”

“Of course. We can go now, unless you'd rather get dressed first?”

Snide little witch. Well not so little really. She was probably a good 6 feet. I really didn't want to go anywhere with my butt hanging out – made things a little cold.

“Yeah clothes would be nice. But I'm pretty sure mine are trashed and won't fit.”

She nodded with a grin that bore an uncanny resemblance to the Joker's.

“Absolutely correct. In fact, your old clothes were nowhere to be found when we located you. Even your underwear. However it just so happens that I recently took it upon myself to make sure you were cared for. So in the closet are several outfits which should fit you with ease. I'll be outside and down the hall, waiting.”

And out she walked. So I was found like this, sans clothing of any kind? Yep, I'd have to start murdering people. I might even have to start with her.

Then again, aside from one overly girly looking and overly frilly dress, there were jeans tee shirts without logos or frills, a pair of sweat pants and shirt that looked like they might be comfortable, and even a nightgown, which I knew I wouldn't use.

So maybe I'd save her for last. That seems like a plan.

I grabbed the sweat-clothes... I didn't want to wear anything particularly form fitting at the moment. Taking the gown off revealed the small bra nestled against my torso like a second skin. It was plain white, and appeared to have sensors woven into it.

For all of that, it fit so well I almost couldn't tell it was there. I wasn't sure what it was made of, but it wasn't irritating to have there, even though the small bug bites I was currently sporting were pretty sensitive. So I left it there. I didn't see any replacements for Disney, and I was half tempted just to shuck them and do without, but no sooner would I do that than the doc would try to pants me or something.

With her sense of humor I wouldn't put it past her.

So I just shimmied into the pants, which were too damn small, and threw the shirt over my head. A quick peek out revealed the hallway was empty, and the good doctor was at the nurse's station to the left, chatting up the nurse... who was in fact, as good a major a hottie as she was. They could have been sisters. Again, that.. something in my brain flopped, with a sense of weight. Oh well, I was used to worse sensations than that.

As silently as I could I crossed the distance. It was never polite to eavesdrop, but whatever I happened to hear while she was expecting me was fair game. I considered that rule to be something like that rule the cops used to overhear things in public places. If it worked for them, after all, it could work for me.

What really concerned me was the lack of army guys. In any army installation there were army guys, right? Granted this was just one hallway, but no guards on the dangerous bad ass who went one on one with one of their rogue guys?

That was another thing; the hinted army presence pretty much assured that this Omega Man jerk-off was one of their somehow, gone crazy. I didn't ask before, and the good doctor didn't say. But maybe, just maybe, I should pin her down on that issue. She had to suspect I suspected... or something.

But of course, true to my luck, the nurse pointed me out well before I was in range to hear them; this hall was stupidly long. Must be 50 rooms here. A sure sign that I wasn't anywhere I knew anymore.

“So where are we? This doesn't look like Phoenix.”

It was a shot in the dark; the air didn't feel like Arizona; in Arizona even through hospital air conditioning you could feel the dry, brittle heat. This air was too moist.

“Oh, just an army medical facility somewhere. I can't really tell you where, except we are still in Arizona.”

“Doctor Destayne, you shouldn't have even told her the state!”

She waved the nurse off as I got close enough to read her tag; Nurse Joy. Really.

“Oh relax Joy, Victor here isn't going to cause any trouble.”

The nurse and the doctor had matching gleams in their eyes. This wasn't going to be fun at all.

“Victor huh? Shouldn't that be Victoria?”

Yeah, no. I wouldn't be spending any more time looking like this that I had to. I'd force the doctor to use her zap ray on me, and go back to being me. Then I'd shake the dust of this shit hole off my feet and head home. If I could, I'd take Penny with me, I wasn't fond of leaving her here at the army's tender mercies. Seen enough of what could happen with that from my dad. The doctor put her hands on her hips as I got close enough, a sure sign of feminine outrage.

“Well that won't work. You can't go see any patients like that.”

The she pulled out a hairbrush and attacked me with it while the nurse laughed.

“What the hell, lady!”

I couldn't fend her off, she was too strong. She had me gathered up with one arm, in an iron grip every bit as good as the one Omega jerk had, and was running that torture device through my tangles with the other.

“Wouldn't do to see Penny with your hair in knots, would it?”

I wanted to move my head, I really did. But if I did, it would hurt worse. That weight in my brain began to get worse.. and I had to actively push to keep it down. Though I'm not sure what I was pushing, or how.

“Penny won't care about my stupid hair! Now let go!”

Abruptly, she did, so fast I almost fell over. Oh yes, she'd get hers.

“Of course! All done, anyway. Now lets go shall we? Ground floor, elevators are this way.”

I followed a wary three steps behind. Well three of my old steps anyway; seemed to be around 6 now. I didn't see any other weapons on her person, but either she was very strong, or I was very weak, so it wouldn't do to take chances.

But then again, as we stepped into the elevator, we were alone. I was sure there was a camera, but with the emergency stop engaged, that wasn't necessarily a problem. It was time for real answers. I moved as she pushed the button for basement one, noting I was on the tenth for some reason. That pressure in my head increased suddenly, and shoving the good doctor away from the control panel while hitting the emergency stop was all too easy. I was gentle enough not to rap her head on the wall at least; wouldn't do to knock her loopy and not get my answers.

“Alright so now that we're alone, you're going to answer my questions for real this time. First question; who is Omega Man really, and why did you assholes let him go?”

She shook her head, absolutely unconcerned but at least serious this time. I'd make her concerned if I had to; that choice was hers.

“Omega Man is a former American agent for the CIA who took part in a specific super soldier program that I cannot discuss; mainly because I don't know all the details . He is an extremely powerful altered human who went insane and was locked up in a top secret facility because it was considered impossible to euthanize him in painless fashion.

He escaped yesterday morning and we were tracking him easily when something in your hometown set him off. The rest you know better than I.”

I snorted.

“Yeah, that would be an asshat by the name of Mica. Local moron who thinks of himself as a tough guy, never been anywhere harder than the 'burbs. Tried to call H1 and the MCO on the old guy.”

“Well, he's alive, though he probably wishes he hadn't accosted anyone that day. The long term effects of the dose of radiation he received were... extensive.”

I wasn't about to get side tracked. I shook her to make sure she understood that.

“Second question; what did you do to me, and how do you reverse it? Because you better damn well be able to reverse it.”

“What do you mean what did we do? We picked you up and took you here for medical care. Medical care which you didn't need, I might add. At any rate we picked you up in your current form among the other survivors; the form you wear is one we didn't give you.”

If they didn't do it, then who did? Damn it, how could I kick ass without the appropriate ass to kick?

“Not saying I believe you, but if I do, do you know a way to reverse this?”

She shook her head.

“I wouldn't even know where to begin. At least not yet anyway; I do have a few theories on what happened and why.”

No way to go back to being me? To be like this for the rest of my life? I'd done a lot of terrible things in my life, but I was pretty sure I didn't deserve this. Karma striking with that ham hand of hers again no doubt.

The doctor took advantage of my lapse of attention and promptly shoved me into the elevator doors; she had been sandbagging on me! That weight I felt in my head shifted and all of a sudden a blast of... something arced from my hands and blew her back into her wall.

Rather than slumping back as if hurt, or even looking shocked, she grinned suddenly and stretched.

“I knew it! I just knew it.”

Well she may not be shocked, but I was. My hands didn't look any different, but I couldn't deny that whatever that blast was, it had come from me. I was a mutant after all, somehow. And how was that possible, with the doc stating that I still tested negative?

“What do you know?”

“First you have to say you're sorry.”
What?

“Sorry for what?”

Her grin went ear to ear again.

“Sorry for attacking me of course; I really would have answered all your questions truthfully, violence wasn't necessary. Not big on trust, are you?”

No, I wasn't big on trust.

“I won't apologize, I'm really not sorry; you guys did kidnap me after all. I have no idea what you did to me while I was out, and you could have...altered me as easily as anyone else.”

She just stood there and grinned. I couldn't figure out why she wasn't making a move to hit the button behind me; once the elevator arrived at a floor I had no doubt that the army guys I hadn't seen yet would be there with guns drawn.

So why was she so comfortable in my presence?

Finally I could take the waiting no longer.

“Alright, fine, I'm sorry I attacked you.”

The smile dropped as if it had never been.

“It's OK, I know you aren't. But you need a better handle on your temper; there are some people out there that will make you very sorry for any sort of outburst. Willing or not, you've taken your first step into a very dangerous world.

Now on to business; the reason why you changed is simple; you're a special kind of shifter, and you took that form yourself subconsciously when you started losing the fight against Omega Man; you took that form because you knew it had the power to win, power you didn't possess in your old body. At least, subconsciously.”

Staring at my tiny hands begged the question:

“How? This body is actually weaker than my old one. If my old one couldn't do it this one wouldn't have a chance.”

Her head shook and it seemed as if she were laughing at me.

“Not at all; I'm stronger than I look. And I'm guessing you couldn't do that blast of yours before, or at the very least, didn't know how.”

I had to give her that one.

“True enough, I've never done that before. Don't even know what it is.”

She wasn't done with her theories.

“If I had to guess I'd say it was a version of Omega Man's radiation abilities. A small taste, but that's what it felt like to me.”

I didn't really want to ask how she'd survived a personal encounter with the guy who kicked my ass, but she was going to tell me anyway,

“No, nothing so epic as your encounter, with fisticuffs and knives at dusk against the unstoppable killing machine. I just have a few abilities myself. I'm a bit tougher than normal folk, a bit stronger than normal folk, and have another power that is little more than fun at parties. I can smell and taste mutant abilities in others.

And yet you were able to overpower me briefly, and then use an energy blast that smelled like those Omega Man uses... all the while smelling like a completely normal human. In your fight you used knives to wound Omega Man, yet his skin can withstand direct tank fire.

The only thing his skin is weak against are certain forms of monomolecular force fields, which can push their way into the spaces between cells. You had to be using those. So that's at least five powers you used; regeneration, super dense skin, force fields, the sense you used to avoid his blasts he sent your way... yes I noticed that too... and shifting. Just now you used a power that sensed almost exactly like someone you'd only met once. And you still test negative for mutation. So that's seven.

And yet, for all of that... you don't display them all at the same time. Why no force fields here? They would have worked as well as the blast you used. There is more at work here than I can piece together at present, but you my fascinating one, are a powers shifter.”

What the hell was that? Even looking directly into that infuriating smile, I had to ask, my own damnable curiosity raised.

“What the hell is that?”

“So glad you asked! Using some sort of determination or protocol I'm not sure of yet, you pick and choose between mutant abilities, most likely abilities you have been exposed to before, based on the situation you find yourself in. Specifically those abilities most likely to grant survival or victory over your enemies.

Of course there has to be a maximum you can use the ability at, as if there were not you'd have killed Omega Man in your encounter, but still all in all, a very terrifying ability to have. I dare say had you encountered anyone less powerful, you probably could win any encounter easily. At least, once you understand more of how it works.”

I shook my head, and something in my expression seemed to make her take a step back.

“I don't need to, I think. During the fight with the jackass, I felt a pressure in my head and heard a kind of voice; only not really a voice. It was telling me what I needed to do to win, or at least break even. It told me I couldn't beat him, come to think of it. But the pressure hasn't really left; since I woke up it's been in the back of my head, telling me how to beat you if I have to. Telling me I can beat you, anytime I want to.”
Ah ha! Success, she finally looked uneasy.

“Relax doc, I got no plans of taking you out, at least not yet. That remains to be seen; if you're telling me the truth and have taken good care of Penny, I won't hurt you.”

She lifted an eyebrow that had to have been sculpted.

“You do realize if you hurt me, you won't make it out of here alive, don't you?”

I grinned; I could tell this was a front.

“You do realize that if I decide you screwed with me, it won't matter to you what happens to me after the fact, don't you?”

“Well then let's just go see your girlfriend, so you can put your fears to rest, shall we?”

I moved aside to let he push the stop button again, restarting our descent into what was no doubt the x-ray wing of the hospital. Why the survivors were there, I could guess.

“She's not my girlfriend. Just a friend.”

She shot me a look loaded with skepticism.

“Quite a drastic series of actions you’ve committed yourself to for a mere friend.”

I had a glare of my own in response.

“There is no such thing as a “mere” friend. Friends are people who trust you, and who you can trust. That sort of trust you go right to the wall for. I'd walk into hell if a friend needed me there; in fact I did yesterday. No regrets at all if she's safe. Someone like you probably can't understand.”

Well that shut her up, but it didn't stop her from staring at me all the rest of the ride down. AT least we were free of the standard elevator muzak.

With a quiet chime the doors opened, and I found myself staring into a bunch of guns; I followed the barrels to the faces of a bunch of pissed off army guys with a shrug. I could tell that at least a few safeties were off, but I felt no fear at all. That pressure in my brain flopped again, and I heard it clearly this time:

Small arms fire; useless. Weave in left, spin right, engage **** fourteen and threat neutralized.

The doc stepped in before they could fire; I was already half into my first step of the dance that I could see would end in many cut throats and a ton of blood behind her. I hope she didn't notice that. I also wondered what was wrong with me. The army guys were just doing their jobs after all, and they didn't need shit from me. They especially didn't need to die for pointing guns in my direction on orders from some petty excuse for an officer.

While the doc tried to placate the troops, I idly wondered what fourteen was... something was there, but I couldn't understand what the voice meant. Power maybe? Power fourteen? But if it was power, then that meant I had thirteen others locked away. If the doc was to be believed, I only knew seven of those.

“Come on Victoria.”

How quickly she forgets. I couldn't really do more than chide her with the army guys still there and looking at me cross-eyed.

“Don't call me that doc. We've had this discussion already.”

“Well, I know we have, but... never mind, we can talk about it later. Do you have a nickname you go by? Perhaps the ever original 'Vic'?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I go by Vic sometimes. If you want to call me that, it's fine.”

The walk down the hall was a short one, but the doc stopped me right outside the door, her key-card poised in the scanner.

“Have you thought about how you're going to do this? She's awake after all, but she won't recognize the new you.”

I shrugged.

“Hadn't thought about it really, but I should be able to make her believe me. If not, well then I'll at least see she's OK.”

The doc swiped her card and we entered.

“I have a better way, but it will involve you being quiet for a bit and letting me do the talking. You up for that?”

I rolled my shoulders again.

“Sure, what do I have to lose? I can always step in if you start screwing things up.”

I let her lead the way, since she had the plan. Through the door was a room that had maybe begun it's life as a storeroom, but now had little cubicle room much like a prison cell. Though these were made of a clear form of plastic, with some sort of mesh imbedded in it. Probably lead, if I had to guess. Moon suited people rushed to and fro with lab equipment, some of which I recognized, some I did not.

Most of them were filled with the citizens of Snead; I recognized many. There was big Mike, sporting a bandage over his head. Old Jed, who apparently hadn't been far enough away from things even though having a half hour head start. Come to think of it, he had slowed down some. Officer Leland, Mrs. Ackerman, Mr. Hogarth... and there in the last used cell, was Penny Merril, my lifelong friend. She looked up, curious and angry, as we stopped in front of the clear door to her cubicle.

“Well? I told you not to come back unless you could tell me what happened to Vic! If you're here....”

“Yes, young lady I bring news of your friend.”

She scanned open the door, ignoring the moon suits nearby and walked right into the small area, personal space issues forcing Penny back onto the small cot. With a shrug I followed; if she wasn't worried about it, I wasn't either. Following her motion, I shut it behind me and heard it latch, and sounds dampened a bit. Penny demanded attention, boring a hole through the doc with her stare. I guess I wasn't the only one with trust issues?

“Well?”

In response the doc pulled out her phone and opened a video on it.

“Watch this; it will answer all your questions.”

We both crowded around her. The video appeared to be a top down thing, showing Snead. Maybe a camera from a helicopter, on extreme zoom? It showed the diner, and there was Omega dick. Mica and the twins, and I had just stepped out with Penny. We watched as the fight replayed with crystal clarity; there was never any doubt about what we were seeing. Penny watched with interest, the concern, and finally full blown alarm.

I however couldn't help but be fascinated as I watched myself, already unconscious, melt somehow into the form I now wore, with my clothes somehow morphing into that silly girly dress I'd seen in the closet upstairs. Another question raised but that could wait; Penny had, after a long moment, made the connection and was now staring at me slack jawed.

“Hi, Penny.”

She switched from just staring at me to pointing while trying to talk.

“But he... and then... and you...!”

Then she poked me. Right in the bra.

“You're a mutant!”

I scratched the back of my head, then stopped as I caught myself doing it. Penny always used to tell me it was my nervous tell. Wish I had a cigarette.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

She sat back on the bed, leaning away from me.

“So, you're a mutant.”

She seemed to expect an answer, so I gave it again.

“Guess I am.”

“For how long?”
What? How long is one normally a mutant?

“All my life, I'd suppose.”

Wrong thing to say, apparently.

“No! I meant how long have you known?!? Have you been messing with me this entire time, laughing at me behind my back!?!”

“What! No! I just learned today! You know I always tested negative, every single time! The only way I found out was fighting the jerkbag for hurting you!”

The doc cleared her throat.

“If I may interject, Miss Smith is quite correct; conventional testing cannot reveal her mutant status.”

I winced. Did she have to call me a 'Miss'?

“So you're really a....”

“yeah.”

The doc interjected again.

“Miss smith is a shifter, of sorts.”

I saw it in her face. The very moment in time when I lost her entirely. She sealed the deal by turning her back on me.

“Whatever; I don't care. Get out of here and leave me alone.”

“Penny....”

She screamed loud enough that everyone in the large room took notice, sound baffling or not.

“Get out you filthy mutant! Leave! Don't come back!”

And then she stuck her fingers in her ears like a child as the doc opened her mouth. I grabbed the doc's arm and pointed to the door as her sculpted eyebrow raised once more like a pirate ship flag. With a shrug she buzzed us out, and I led the way out of the room amid the stares.

The hard looks said it all; there was no one else here I wanted to talk to.

Once out of the door I found a nice comfy wall to lean against with a sigh. Now I really needed a cigarette. Only one thing to say to sum up the situation.

“Well, that went better than I expected.”

After all I knew Penny had issues with mutants.

“Well that was fine thanks for you saving her life.”

I shoved the hurt down so it wouldn't taint my reply and started off down the hall towards the elevator; the doc fell in beside me.

“It's fine, she's alive and in good health. You did right by her doc, and right by me. But now I've got to ask; what are your plans? You going to try keeping me here? Or keeping them here?”

The grin was back, but in reverse.

“Oh no, those people are going home. Perhaps in 3 days, when the tablets we've given them finally purge the last of the radiation from their systems, with a prescription designed to reverse any long term damage. Well as much of the damage as we can reverse anyway. You, on the other hand, are a more complicated case.”

I stopped and looked up directly into her eyes, and the brain weight flopped again.

“You going to try locking me up?”

She didn't even hesitate, stopping and staring down right into my own gaze. I could see no guile in hers.

“Not at all, you are free to go wherever you will, whenever you will... but it's complicated. For one, I have another video for you to see, but I was hoping for a better time and setting for it. If you'll be patient?”

In my brain and then eyes I felt something shift, and I knew she was telling the truth. I also knew she smelled differently than all the other people I'd met. A special something extra involved, beyond the light airy scent of perfume and faint sour tang of sweat.

“I will if you do me a favor in return.”

The eyebrow flag raised again. I was half tempted to count the times she did that. At least the grin was on it's way right side up again. As annoying as the grin was, I felt there had to be something drastically wrong when she frowned. I wasn't sure why it concerned me.

“Oh, and what's that?”

“I need cigarettes. As soon as possible.”