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

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

Categories: Male to Female, PSI

Timeline: 2060

---

Chapter Nineteen: Using our gifts

The professors continued to trace the epidemic. It continued to spread among the pures, pretty much leaving everyone else alone. Whoever designed it did a very good job.

We found out from a news broadcast that the fur on an AMORFS victim is resistant to follicle deadener. Whoever did this did a really good job.

Church was interesting. Tina Shepherd, the young lady that we treated for cancer, made the long trip to our church. As promised, she had morfed into a winged kitty person. She has the same seal point Siamese features as the Martins, but the colors are subtly different and go well with her blue hair and violet eyes. Amy and I were both flattered when she chose that color combination.

Praise reports are always great. Everyone in the congregation was happy that not only were their prayers answered, they were exceeded. Tina, her parents, and Doctors Herbert and Candice Josephson all thanked the congregation for their prayers. Some people noticed that the doctors looked like they were doing well. Nobody mentioned the part that we played, which was fine with us.

The sermon was about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. They were talking about money, not skills -- though it works for either.

A master gave three of his servants varying amounts of money. Two used the money well and multiplied it, while the third hid his away. The two who used their talents were rewarded, while the one who hid his away lost even that.

"We all are given gifts, and we are meant to use them," said Pastor Dan. "Some of us are given more than others, but that doesn't matter. We need to use what we have. If we're faithful in doing that, we'll get more." He pointed out that we honor the giver when we enjoy and use our gifts, and that we honor him even more when we share our gifts and use them to benefit others.

We had yet another pot luck. This time, we were celebrating Tina's cure. I could get used to getting lunch at church just about every Sunday.

I was pleased that a couple of the people from my old church that were released from jail were here. They greeted Amy and me warmly, and thanked us for helping them get out of jail. Those that were young enough joined the youth group

Cindy had talked Jim into coming, too. Actually, that wasn't difficult. A whispered invitation would have been enough.

Tina's parents were hesitant to allow her to come with the youth group because they were so used to having to protect their fragile daughter. It didn't take much convincing to get them to see that she is no longer fragile, and that she has missed out on a lot of her childhood because of her illness. She needed to make up for lost time.

This time, we helped a number of our older church members with house work, yard work, and home repairs. Everyone had a good time and ate lots of pizza. After they were done, the Martins invited them over for a swim. Mom, the kitty four, and I amused them with our water spout trick. Tina joined in once she saw what we were doing.

While we were gone, the Martins and the Shepherds had been plotting. When we got back, we found that Tina had been moved in to a spare bedroom, and that the Shepherds were packed and ready for a romantic week at some unspecified resort. Tina wasn't the only one who needed to make up for lost time.

At dinner time, there was a horde of hungry teens to feed. This requires much food in the best of circumstances, but this time, some of those teens are feeding MORFS-induced powers. The Martins had made a special shopping trip just for the meal.

After dinner, there was more splashing and laughing and chasing each other up the oak tree in the corner of the yard. After a while, though, the teens started to drift toward home. By the time the sun was heading for the horizon, everyone who wasn't spending the night was gone.

Even with all the members of the youth group gone, the living room was full. Between the Martins, my family, and the Shepherds, we had ten people crowded into what is usually a spacious room.

We asked Tina about her plans for the future. After having terminal cancer for so long, she wasn't used to thinking past the next few months, let alone plan out a career. Still, the medical profession has a place in her heart. With her new gifts, she will make an outstanding doctor.

The conversation shifted to our own powers, and what we can do with them. We talked about our adventures in discovering what we can do, and promised to use the next week to train Tina. That included, of course, plenty of swimming and skateboarding.

Markus sat quietly on my lap the whole time, occasionally lifting his wings so that I could stroke the soft fur underneath. Tina was fascinated with him, so I tossed him over to her. A couple flaps of his wings, and he landed gently on her lap. Amy gave the virus packet that she had used on Markus to Tina so that she could store it and use it later.

It had been a long day. Cindy, Larry, and I had used our TK a lot when doing all the yard and house work. Amy used her bio powers a lot, too. For the most part, she did it quietly. The people she helped felt better without knowing why.

Tina got a good workout, too. We asked her to do things mostly for the training she would get from it, but they also provided value to the people we were helping.

We all decided to turn in early. After getting Tina and her parents settled, we all went to our own rooms and crashed. I laid on my side in a half-folded position, and Markus laid down on my thigh. I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next day, we decided to skate to the park. Cindy mentally called Jim, of course. Soon, the nine of us were heading down the road.

When we got to the park, Marvin Donaldson and Dolly Vincetti waved at us. We introduced everyone, silently reminding Mom and the Martins of the earlier incident where Amy had given them MORFS.

They were a whole lot more attractive this time. Apparently, their second case of MORFS went over well with them.

"I didn't know it was possible, but we got MORFS again! We got rid of those horns, got our strength and flexibility back, and even a little bit of empathy," Marvin said.

I smiled at them. "I noticed that you're no longer red, and that your faces look more angelic than devilish."

"Yes," Dolly said. "I definitely like this look a whole lot better. We have fun changing our colors, and it's amazing how sure-footed we are with these hooves."

"We no longer have that strange aversion to clothing," Marvin said, "but we have grown quite used to running around that way. After all, we have nothing to hide."

"And we can change our colors for a variety of looks," said Dolly.

"And we save money," commented Marvin.

"But I kind of miss shopping," pouted Dolly.

"There's nothing stopping you from shopping," I commented. "With your face and body structure, you will look nice in girl's clothes."

"What about me? I used to be a guy," said Marvin.

"So did I. Welcome to the club."

"Do you ever miss being a guy?"

"Sometimes," I replied. "When I do, I just count my blessings -- I look at everything I have gained." I gestured to my family and friends. "My life was sterile and heading downhill. I've lived more in the few weeks since I've morfed than I had in the previous fifteen years."

*Contact me telepathically if you need any help dealing with your change, or just want to talk,* I said to Marvin.

*OK,* he replied. *I was wondering if you were telepathic.*

*Yes, I have telepathy and empathy. There are a bunch of careers open to those talents. You two might want to check it out.*

Marvin and Dolly sat and watched as we practiced our routines and taught Tina how to skate. With her enhanced strength, agility, and balance, she caught on quickly. She'll do very well with practice. She looks very good skating with her wings partially unfurled for balance and control. At one point, she came smoking up out of the half pipe, soared through the air for about fifteen feet, grabbed her board, spread her wings, and flew over to us.

*Marvin and Dolly don't look like regular MORFS survivors,* Tina commented. *They look more like the AMORFS people.*

*You noticed that, eh? It's something that only a bio elemental is going to notice,* said Amy.

*There are no secrets among us.* Kim indicated our current group. *However, the pures are very upset about the AMORFS thing, and would gladly take it out on anyone that they think might have caused it.*

*Amy didn't cause AMORFS,* I said, *but you and she both would be prime suspects in the eyes of the pures if they knew what you could do. You really need to keep some abilities a secret.*

*In general, people will distance themselves if they know that you have powers. In general, it's best not to flaunt them,* added Sara.

*Indeed,* said Mom. *You want people to like you for who you are, not hold you in awe because of your powers.*

*You want people to relate to you as a person, not to your powers,* I commented.

I did a quick scan and noted that nobody can hear us. "If you want to hang out with the supers at school, you can do that. It's more fun to hang out with people who actually like you, though."

"That's pretty much the case with all cliques," Cindy observed. "You can make friends, but it's more status and political maneuvering than anything else."

"Actually," Larry observed, "We seem to have created our own clique."

"My power is part of who I am. If I have to hide it in order to be more easily accepted, I can do that. Still, it's wonderful to have a group where I don't have to hide a thing." Amy smiled at all of us.

Tina looked kind of wistful.

"Don't worry," I told her. "Between your telepathic and empathic talents, and your ability to see MORFS powers in people, you'll have no trouble finding kindred spirits."

"And if you ever need to just talk," Cindy said, "we all are literally just a thought away."

We refreshed ourselves with some power bars and energy drinks, then did more skating. We put a lot into it, and ended up all hot and sweaty. After we were done, I used my TK to push the sweat off of my body and clothes, then I did Amy. Everyone else followed suit, including Tina.

After we got home, we all showered and ate lunch. After that, most of us went down to the labs. I did my usual chores in the MORFS labs, then followed Larry over to the electronics bench. We worked on a couple of our projects, and I studied for my ham radio license. I also used the lab equipment to practice at 'reading' electronics. I can tell when there's a current in a wire, or when there's a voltage potential between two points, but I couldn't put numbers on it until I compared it with the measurements I made with the oscilloscope and multimeter. The 'scope was the most interesting, because I learned to actually 'see' the waveform, along with the DC level it was riding on.

Chapter Twenty: Reconciliation

After dinner, I went up to my room and did some light reading. Later, I picked up father's letter and reread it. That's when I realized that I was thinking about him without twisting my guts. When I thought about him, I saw a man who was paying for his mistakes. I no longer saw the man who struck me when I failed to stone Amy. I no longer saw the man that I fled from. When I shared this with Mom, she asked me if I wanted to visit him some time. Mom had visited him since receiving a letter from him, but I had declined. She didn't press me at the time, and I knew that she wouldn't press me this time. Still, I allowed that it might be a good idea to visit daddy.

Daddy? Where did that come from? I hadn't called him that since I was about three years old.

That night, as I was saying my prayers, I thanked God for taking the burden of hate from my heart.

When I woke up the next morning, I remembered the story of Joseph. He suffered, but the end result was the salvation of his entire family. Dad followed the wrong people, but the end result was that I was there to rescue Amy. Was that worth my stolen childhood?

Even if that was the only benefit, it was worth it.

But there was more. Tina is alive because Amy was there to save her. Countless of Doctors Herbert and Candice Josephson's patients will live, or live better, because Amy was there to give them the powers that they need. My own life is richer because of my relationship with the Martins, and with Amy. How many more lives will be enriched in the future? We're still discussing strategies for using our powers to benefit as many people as possible. We'll probably have Amy infect each of us in order to allow us to spread custom MORFS infections without drawing attention to any one person. Those who can't create the virii can at least store and deliver them.

We'll probably also target the medical community. It's a real shame that lives are being lost because there simply aren't enough bio elementals around to save them. It's hard on the elementals, too. They have to live with the fact that taking a break actually costs lives.

Daddy made a mistake, and is paying dearly for it. Meanwhile, a whole lot of people may benefit. What man meant for evil, God turned to good.

All of that ran through my mind as I did my morning rituals and went downstairs to help prepare breakfast.

Summer has been going by pleasantly, if not eventlessly. We all had mixed feelings about the upcoming school year.

A few days after finally coming to the point of being able to face Dad, I found myself riding to the jail with Mom. I never heard so many doors close behind me in my life. I was led from the guest waiting area through several places where I was scanned and my mind was read. Of course, they weren't the only ones doing the scanning. It was interesting to see the lengths to which they go in order to keep telekinetics from opening the doors. The locks are quite complicated, and they all have a bunch of sensors designed to detect any unexpected movement of the internal parts.

As an experiment, I put up a phony public mind, and kept myself totally shielded. The telepath who read me didn't even notice. I don't think he was very strong.

When they finally led me to an empty room where Dad was standing, I surprised myself by running up to him and enfolding him in a big hug. He tried to hug me back, but the chains he was wearing prevented that. The people who run the jail don't take any chances. We retired to a couple chairs that were provided for us and chatted. He was very interested in hearing all about my adventures and my new life. I was shy about telling him about how happy I am because it contrasts so much with his sterile life, but he wanted to hear it, and was genuinely happy for me. He made me promise to keep him informed. He told me that he is using the leadership skills that he had learned in our old church to good advantage. He is now heading up a Bible study class among the inmates, and is even learning how to act as a counselor. He seems to have gained a wisdom that I have never seen in him before.

All too soon, our time was up. Tears were in both our eyes as I enfolded him in a hug.

"Good bye, Daddy. I love you!"

And I meant it.

As promised, I started keeping a journal. Daddy tells me that reading that journal is the bright part of his day.

I asked him to start a journal for Mom and me to read. He was hesitant, but agreed. I'm glad he did, because it turns out that his life isn't as sterile as I had assumed.

He spends a lot of time studying. Even with the 'no parole' option tacked on to his sentence, he can get out if he makes a complete and telepathically verifiable turn-around. He plans on going into the ministry when he gets out. Meanwhile, he is still running the Bible study group. He also spends a lot of time counseling other inmates. He has managed to bring a lot of his former church members around. Amy and I both celebrated as, one by one, her family members turned away from their past hatred.

By the time Tina's week at the Kitty Mansion was over, she had formed a strong bond with all of us, and was also well trained in her powers. We hated to see her go, but she missed her parents.

Her parents came back from their vacation on Saturday evening, spent the night, and attended church with us again. After church, we all lounged around the pool until it was time for them to head for home.

One day, while I was leafing through one of the many textbooks authored by the professors, there was a knock at the door that leads from our apartment to the outside. The woman introduced herself as Jorey Robbins, and told me that she was sent to do a special post-MORFS assessment of me for the school to determine if I would need any special services.

She seemed pleasant enough, and there was no hint of malice or deception in her mind. I led her to my room so that she could assess whatever it is she was sent to assess.

She talked to me for a while about how I felt about my transformation, and how I felt that I was adapting. I was honest enough -- no reason to be deceptive.

Then, she started asking me to do some simple math problems. I was starting to get irritated. Why was she asking me to do simple addition and subtraction problems when I would be taking calculus in a few weeks?

Then, she pulled out a thin book and handed it to me. "Dick and Jane get MORFS?" I asked incredulously.

"Very good!" she said brightly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Can you read it?" she asked.

"You want me to read this?"

"Yes, can you do it?"

I sighed. "Sure, no problem."

I hopped up, tossed the book on my seat, and sat down on it.

"See Dick. Dick is sick. Dick feels bad," I read with my remote senses. "Dick is sad. Mom puts Dick to bed. Mom gives Dick a stim pack. 'Yum Yum. This is good', says Dick."

"Whoever wrote this tripe obviously never tasted a stim pack," I commented.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm reading the book with my butt," I said. "Do you have something a bit more challenging, like, maybe a chapter book?"

"Young lady, don't you realize that how well you do on this test will determine where you are placed next year? You need to take this evaluation seriously!"

I read out loud, "Copyright 2045, Church of Genetic Purity."

"Why are you using a book written by those people?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

I picked myself up off of the book, grabbed it, and opened it to the first page. There was a piece of tape over the copyright notice. I caught a fingernail under it and used my TK to help lift it off.

"Why would you use a book written by MORFS haters in a post-MORFS evaluation, and why cover the copyright?" I asked.

She looked confused. "It's the book they assigned for this case," she replied.

"What are you supposed to evaluate? What information did they give you about me?"

I read the information from her mind as she tried to formulate a tactful answer. Someone had told this lady that MORFS had lowered my intelligence, and she was to figure out where to place me in the system.

I sighed. "Let's cut to the chase."

I set my tablet between us and brought up an on-line course designed to prepare students for calculus class. "I wasn't quite ready to take the advanced placement calculus class, but the professors told me that they would help me get into the class if I complete this course satisfactorily."

I paged through to the end of the course, brought up a couple of the later assignments, and did some problems for her. Then, I showed her the text book I had been reading. On the front was the title Introduction to MORFS Studies, 12th edition, with the authors listed as Dr. Howard Martin and Dr. Sara Martin.

"I live with the people who wrote the book on MORFS," I said proudly. "They're working on the thirteenth edition right now. Since it's the textbook for a freshman level college class, they have recruited their kids, Amy, Mom, and me to act as test readers. By the time we're done, we'll all be able to skate through the class."

Jorey looked embarrassed. "It would appear that I have been sent on a snipe hunt. Please accept my apologies."

"No problem," I told her. "It was actually kind of amusing. I can't help but wonder what your report will look like, though."

"I'll be sending a copy to your mother," she told me. "I'll be sure to send an additional note telling her about your sense of humor."

I smiled. "If you like my sense of humor, you'll love Professor Kim. She has been acting as my mentor since I moved in here."

*Did I hear my name taken in vain?* asked Kim

I quickly let her know what was going on, and invited her to join us.

"Hello Ms. Robbins," Kim said as she walked into the room. At Jorey's confused look, Kim said, "When you live in a house full of telepaths, information travels quickly."

I got up and gave Kim a hug.

"You must be proud of your house guest here. She's quite bright, and has a great sense of humor," commented Jorey.

I handed Kim the Dick and Jane book. With a twinkle in her eye, she dropped it on her seat and sat upon it.

"What are you going to do if the students start sitting on your text books?" I asked with a smirk.

"If they can read 'em that way, more power to 'em," Kim replied. "Other than that, I'm not too worried about editorial comments. If they want to use them for toilet paper, I'll just smile and continue to collect the royalties."

Jorey rolled her eyes. "I think my assessment is done." She shook my hand. "Thank you for your time, Miss Jones." She turned to Kim. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Doctor Martin."

Chapter Twenty-One: Decisions, questions, plans

A couple weeks before school started, we discussed the possibility of having Amy induce MORFS in all of us. The fact that her induced MORFS tends to be very mild, very often without symptoms, in fact, makes the idea more palatable.

"So," said Amy, "Would you like to be a boy again?"

I felt a stab of panic from Larry that was quickly hidden. I put my own shields up and thought about it.

What would I gain? My masculine pride? The ability to attend something like that burp-fest that Larry attended when I was at the slumber party? How about physical strength? Probably not. My new body is sporting high-density muscles as it is.

What would I lose? Would my relationship with Mom be the same? Probably not. Would it be as good? Maybe. Maybe not.

How about Amy? I'm closer to her as a sister than I ever was as a boyfriend. Could I pick up where I left off? Maybe, but probably not. Could I be as close as a brother as I am as a sister? Probably not.

Would I want to look like I used to? Maybe I could be a kitty boy like Larry. The thought of Larry made me smile. Would he and I be buddies? Probably.

What about strangers? Would I get more respect? Maybe. In general, people would be more demanding, more aloof, and less kind. There would be different expectations. I would attract less lustful stares, but also less appreciative glances.

So, I would get more respect from strangers, and that would increase as I age. Does that matter? Who's respect do I want, anyhow? The people who know me well respect me for who I am and what I do. Male or female, that won't change.

I spent fifteen years as a male. Just after I switched, I Probably would have switched back if I had been given the choice simply because I had been male for my whole life. I have since built a new life; a much better life. If I switched back to male, I wouldn't get (or want) my old male life back. I would have to build a brand new life as a male. Would it be better than the life I have now?

Probably not.

I would pretty much do the same things with the same people. I wouldn't get as many hugs. I wouldn't get any kisses from Larry.

I like who I am. I like who I have become. Why change it?

Amy was waving her hand in front of my face. "Earth calling Cara!"

I opened my eyes. "Huh?"

"You had your shields up tighter than I have ever seen. We couldn't read you. Are you OK?"

I displayed everything I had been pondering in my public mind and dropped my shields. *Read my mind.*

Amy smiled. "I was hoping you would make that decision."

"Why did you ask, then?"

"Because it has to be your decision. Now that you have consciously made it, you know deep down that you have what you want, and not something that was foisted upon you."

Larry came over and gave me a kiss. "I'm glad you made that decision, too."

So, the week before school started, Amy induced MORFS in Larry, Cindy, Mom, and me. We are all bio elementals now. Also, Mom and I have high-power TK, and Larry and Cindy have my level of control and perception.

All too soon, summer was over. On the other hand, all four of us have identical schedules. That was largely by design -- Amy and I studied hard during the summer so that we could take the same advanced placement classes as the Martins. Jim has also managed to get most of the classes that we got. This pleased Cindy greatly, since she and Jim had been getting pretty close.

School cut into our extra curricular studying, and into our swimming, skating, and other summer activities. It didn't change our responsibilities in the lab, though.

We were all looking over the same map we had seen before. The blip from our household was still there, as was Sun City and the Pentwater Compound. Kim had the program look for changes in the results over the past few weeks. It turns out that things were pretty much the same, except that the Denver area has been showing some blips.

"So, what's the story with Denver?" I asked.

"That, my dear, is the million dollar question. I think we need better data," said Kim.

We dug into as many of the details as we could access. A couple of the MORFS cases in that area have the same neat DNA code that we see in Amy's MORFS cases, and in the AMORFS cases. In fact, the signature seems to be quite similar to the AMORFS cases. There aren't enough types of cases (all the AMORFS cases have identical viral DNA) to give us a statistically valid picture, but the similarity is quite striking.

Our access to the database allows us to query it for statistical information and some data about unnamed cases, but we need to know more about the individuals. We really should meet them, but we don't know who they are as individuals. That information is locked up in the MORFS database, and we don't have the proper access.

But the Doctors Martin know someone who does have access. They sent their analysis to Doctor Miller, the administrator of the elemental database, and requested a secure conference. They told her that they had more information, but that it was very personal, and had to come under the client privilege rules.

It didn't take much time for Doctor Miller to arrange things. The very next day, we were all downstairs in a heavily shielded room that had been hastily converted into a conference room. At the appointed time, a hologram appeared. Seated in the hologram chair was a petite cat hybrid with midnight black hair, gray cat ears, gray fur on her forearms and paw-like hands, a gray tail, and blue cat eyes.

"Good morning, Doctor Sanura. Thanks for 'coming'," giggled Kim.

"Good Morning, Doctor Martin. Still can't call me Doctor with a straight face can you?" said Sanura.

"Call me Kim. And even though we see you as a colleague, I can't help but remember you as one of our budding students."

"OK. By the way, when did you get a psi-proof room in your basement lab?"

"The room itself isn't psi-proof. Everyone in here is a powerful psychopath, so we won't have any problems."

Sara swatted Kim with her tail. "That's telepath, not psychopath!"

Sanura chuckled. "You guys haven't changed a bit!"

Kim flicked one of her ears. "Not even a little?"

"Behave yourself, Kitten Mitten," Sara said to Kim.

Sanura smiled. "Welcome to the Kitty Cat Club. Next time we meet, I'll have to show you the secret handshake."

"As long as you keep those meathooks of yours retracted, I'm all for it." Kim held up her hand and briefly extended her claws.

Markus chose that moment to stand up on my lap and spread his wings, begging to be petted.

"How are you keeping eavesdroppers from reading your cat?" asked Sanura.

"Markus is psi-linked to me," I replied. "It's actually safer to have him in here with me."

"He's a very striking animal," said Sanura. "Where did you get him?"

"He's a gift from my adoptive sister Amy," I said as I used my right arm to pull her in for a quick hug.

"The exact origin of the cat is something that we need to discuss with you," Sara said.

"Before we get to that, I want to catch up on the gossip. How is it that you ended up with a house full of powerful morfs?"

"Surely, you have that information in your database," Kim snickered.

"I have studied all the data I have, but there are some holes."

So, we all gave her a quick rundown about how we all came to live here. I watched her reactions as we told her about our old church, the stonings, Amy's rescue, and the like. It was disconcerting to not be able to read her with my empathic senses.

"You guys need to consider coming over to Sun City. We have our share of people who don't like hybrids, but we don't have any organized groups of morf-haters."

"Going into recruiting mode?" Kim smirked.

"The University of Sun City would be disappointed if I didn't," Sanura replied. "They want you back, especially now." She paused for a second, then snickered. "By the way, how's the weather over there?"

"We had a wonderful summer, if somewhat hot," Sara said. "We're getting some chilly nights, though. We already have the dome up over the pool, and will be shutting it down soon."

"We would go skiing, but I'm afraid my old bones would break," commented Kim.

"Nothing short of a Mack truck is going to break those carbon nanotube reinforced bones of yours," Sanura giggled.

"We are still trying to decide exactly where to go with our newly extended lives," Sara said seriously. "We have the resources to retire completely and spend the rest of our lives walking the beaches, floating the rivers, and hitting the slopes."

"And being bored out of your minds, if I know you," Sanura pointed out. "What would you do without all the students and researchers you seem to like to hang out with? Meanwhile, you can still do all that other stuff in Sun City."

"So sweeten the deal," Kim said. "Part of what we want to do with our extended lives is to spend them with our loved ones."

Sanura looked at Larry, Cindy, Amy, and me. "How are you doing in your advanced placement classes?"

"So far, so good," Larry answered for us. "Of course, the school year has just started."

Mom was the next person on Sanura's hit list. "Now that you have a new lease on life, as it were, have you considered going back to college?"

Mom nodded and looked thoughtful.

She turned back to Kim and Sara. I have been authorized to offer you a large condo on Sun Lake, plus five full ride scholarships to the University of Sun City, and four scholarships to Sun City Preparatory School.

Kim smiled at her. "Can you get them to add two more? Tina Shepherd and Jim Reynolds will need a college education, too, and I don't think Cindy would want to leave Jim behind."

Cindy blushed.

Sanura smiled and nodded.

"Also, we have a room full of bio elementals. Do you think you can get them positions at the Sun City Medical Center, along with the appropriate practical training?"

Sanura looked stunned. "Bio elementals? That isn't in my database!"

"That's because we did it recently, and the post-MORFS inventories didn't detect the new powers."

Sanura just looked at us and raised an eyebrow.

"Amy and Cara can induce custom MORFS changes. For that matter, we all can, if Amy or Cara gives us the genetic information that we need. Anyhow, Amy changed Marvin Donaldson, Dolly Vincetti, Tina Shepherd, Dr. Herbert Josephson, and Dr. Candice Josephson. If you analyze the viral DNA involved, you'll see that it all has a similar signature, and that the signature differs from that of the AMORFS survivors and the MORFS survivors that we noted in Denver," said Sara.

Sanura chewed on that for a while. "So, it would appear that we have some people who can induce MORFS. Most of them are in your house, and one is at large in the Denver area."

"I don't need to tell you," said Kim, "that this information must be kept in the strictest confidence. I can think of several groups who would stop at nothing to gain this ability."

"Also," said Sanura, "we need to protect the bio elemental in Denver."

"Which is why we contacted you," said Sara. "You have the data that we need to track him down, and you know people who specialize in dealing with potentially explosive situations like this."

Sanura sighed. "I haven't taken one of your classes for quite some time, and here I am getting a difficult assignment from you again."

"I guess some things never change," agreed Kim.

"... and others do," smirked Sanura. "This time, I'm way ahead of you. I have a pretty good handle on the bio elemental in Denver."

"That's good to know," said Sara.

"Can you get me a list of the people who know about your new abilities?" asked Sanura.

"That's easy enough," said Sara. "Aside from all of us, Tina Shepherd's family knows, as do Doctors Herbert and Candice Josephson. Marvin Donaldson and Dolly Vincetti have no clue, though."

Kim said, "That leads us to the next part of our discussion. Just exactly what are we going to do with these new abilities?"

"The world is crying for more bio elementals, but it's dangerous to even hint that we can produce our own. If we do produce our own, and I really want to, we should offer it to established medical doctors that we can trust," said Sanura.

"Or maybe we need to be a little less ethical about it and just cause it to happen without anyone's permission. Maybe we can make it look like an offshoot of the AMORFS epidemic," Sara said

"On the one hand, spreading the talent around increases the chance of exposure. On the other hand, it dilutes the danger faced by any particular wielder of the power," Kim commented.

"We need to be very careful about who we allow to cause custom MORFS, but we can anonymously give health professionals useful suites of powers that don't involve that ability," Sara said.

After much discussion about strategies for using the ability to create custom MORFS, Sanura ended things up by promising to get in touch with us about the bio elemental in Denver.

"Speaking of custom MORFS," said Kim, "Do you have any burning desires?" She was looking at Sanura.

"Amy has got millions of animals running around over here, so being a tamer like her would be useful, but my own elemental power does pretty much anything else that I might want. I still don't think I've discovered its potential," said Sanura.

Kim smirked. "Maybe Amy would like to become a halfie. That way, when you two decide to have children, you can have her baby."

Sanura put a grim look on her face and bit her lip, revealing her fanged teeth. "Kim, as a doctor I would assume you would know that the correct term is intersexed."

"Of course, sorry," Said Kim while Sara shot her a look.

"I was also planning to tell you that Amy is expecting our first," said Sanura, the smile returning to her face.

"Congratulations!" said Kim. "You and Amy are starting on a huge adventure. Trust me on that one."

Kim looked thoughtful for a second, then smirked. "There are other benefits to the arrangement, of course."

"Oh hush, you!" Sara said as she swatted Kim with her tail.

We four teens remained silent. We couldn't believe the way this conversation was heading.

"Speaking of having kids," Kim said as she looked at Sara, "If our next batch turns out half as good as our current crop, it'll be well worth it." Larry and Cindy blushed.

"That sounds good, but you get to squeeze 'em out this time, Kitten Mitten," said Sara.

"I guess it's only fair," said Kim. "I'll want your help nursing them, though. After all, with all these cat genes in our bodies, we might end up with a litter."

Sanura watched them with a weird expression on her face. "You know that there is no recorded case of that happening, Doctor Kim."

"And I sincerely hope it stays that way," Kim said with a shudder.

"So do I," said Sanura. "I had nightmares along those lines shortly after my change."

Mom looked amused. The four of us were doing our best to slide down our seats and under the table.

They ended the meeting and the hologram disappeared.

Epilogue

As it turns out, the University of Sun City made good on their promises, and then some. Kim and Sara have a beautiful detached condominium, complete with a separate apartment, on Sun Lake. Technically, it is mortgaged. The university is making payments for as long as Kim and Sara hold full-time professorships. If they quit, they will be responsible for the mortgage.

Mom used her money from the sale of our old house, divorce, and lawsuit to make a big down payment on a similar condo right next to theirs. The university, in lieu of putting us all up in the dorms, is paying rent to Mom for herself, Amy, and me. This just about makes the payments. Most of the money that we are earning by working as medical bio elementals at Doctor Miller's medical practice is being put away so that we can get a good start on life once we graduate. Jim and Tina both live in the dorms, but they visit a lot.

"We need to get over to the Martins'," Mom told us.

We all walked over and settled with them in front of the video wall. "The show's about to start." Kim told us.

"Welcome to our two year retrospective of the AMORFS epidemic," the announcer said. "Just two years ago, adults, mostly from the anti-morf movement, started morfing. The changes were amazingly consistent, and didn't follow the standard MORFS pattern. Nobody has yet identified the source of the epidemic."

Angel snickered.

The announcer went on to show several of the victims, and to describe the changes. He also speculated at length about the perpetrators.

"Investigators agree that the designer of the plague is a bio elemental of considerable power and experience, and that he worked with the support of a large organization."

"Or, maybe a low level bio elemental accidentally did it all by her lonesome the day after she woke up, without even knowing that she had the power," heckled Larry. That got everyone chortling.

The announcer then introduced Kim and Sara; "Doctors Kim and Sara Martin are the first known adult victims of MORFS."

"I would hardly call us victims," said Kim to the camera. "Who wouldn't want to trade in an old 71 year old body for a newer model with some nifty powers?"

"Those who want to keep the genome pure," commented the announcer dryly. "What do you say to the speculation that you are responsible for the epidemic?"

"The obvious statement is that there is no evidence to support the accusation. Conspiracy theories abound, but the epidemic caught us as much by surprise as anyone else. In fact, it bore no resemblance whatsoever to our own changes or those of our friend. Believe me, we sequenced the DNA involved, and found no correlation, much to our frustration," said Kim.

"What are your theories about the AMORFS-2 epidemic?"

"Someone wants to bless the human race by improving our medical resources," said Sara.

"Do you have any idea who is responsible?"

"Yes," said Kim.

"Who?" asked the announcer.

"A friendly group of bio elementals," said Kim.

The announcer, starting to show some frustration, asked, "Do they have names?"

"Yes," said Kim with a smirk. "I don't know of anyone who is truly nameless."

"Someone warned me that you two would come off like smart ass teenagers," the announcer grumbled.

"We're smart ass septuagenarians," said Sara. The camera zoomed in on her. When it zoomed back out, there was a different announcer.

Kim chuckled. "Are you going to cut all of this out, or are you going to show your viewers what they have to look forward to if they take one of our classes?"

"I'm sorry about that, Doctor Martin, Doctor Martin," apologized the new announcer.

"Don't worry about it," chuckled Sara. "I have a hard time keeping Kim reined in myself."

The announcer smiled. "Back to the subject at hand," he said. "What can you tell us about the AMORFS-2 epidemic?"

"In the first place," said Sara, "epidemic may be a rather strong word for it. Most people who contact AMORFS-2 are very pleased with the results, as are their patients."

Playing the straight person for once, Kim said, "AMORFS, or 'Adult MORFS,' is a bit of a misnomer. AMORFS has little to do with the MORFS DNA that was foisted upon us by the terrorists so long ago. Rather, it is a trio of virii that codes changes and forces a very limited somatic reconstruction. AMORFS-2 is similar to AMORFS-1 in that it is spread by a trio of virii. The genetic code of the virii have a different signature, however. In fact, there are several signatures, even though the results of all of the earlier AMORFS-2 infections are identical."

"None of the AMORFS-2 signatures resemble the AMORFS-1 signature, implying that AMORFS-1 came from a single bio elemental, whereas AMORFS-2 originated from several elementals, none of whom are responsible for AMORFS-1" added Sara.

"What else can you tell us about AMORFS-2?"

"AMORFS-2 appears to have been custom designed to make doctors more effective at caring for their patients. The bio elemental part is self-explanatory. The telekinesis that they are given has a very fine level of control, allowing for almost invasion-free surgery. The accurate telesensing that seems to be part and parcel with TK and telepathy makes x-rays, terahertz wave imagers, cat scanners, MRI scanners, and just about every other medical diagnostic tool obsolete," said Kim

"What about the telepathy and empathy?" asked the announcer.

Kim replied, "Well, the empathy part is simple. Who hasn't wished that doctors had more empathy for their patients? They tend to treat us more as people and less as machines in need of repair when they can feel what we're feeling. Also, to a limited extent, they can project comforting feelings. They can calm us down. As for telepathy..." Kim mused for a bit. "There is some controversy about whether we can really call it telepathy. They can't read our minds, though they soon become quite adept at telling when we are lying or maybe exaggerating. What they can do is read our senses. They can see what we see, hear what we hear, smell what we smell, and most importantly, feel our pain. They soon become adept at telling the difference between heartburn and angina, for instance, so the patients don't have to try to describe it."

"Medical professionals, generally doctors, receive the virus. It is sexually transmittable, so the doctor's spouse also becomes infected. No matter when the transmission of the virus suite occurs, the spouse always starts changing two days after the initial recipient of the virus finishes changing," added Sara.

"But, how does the doctor become initially infected?" asked the announcer.

"There is much speculation, but that is generally unknown," replied Sara.

"It turns out that a lot of doctors are taking their marital vows much more seriously now, since there were a few cases where people other than the doctor's spouse have become infected," commented Kim.

"Meanwhile, other doctors are attracting one night stands by letting it be known that they are doctors."

"What about the case where everyone in the office but the doctor's wife got infected?" asked the announcer.

"That one was bad," admitted Sara. "It had a happy ending, though."

"How so?"

"The doctor's wife sued for divorce," said Kim. "In court, however, the doctor stated that he still loved his wife, but that she hadn't shared physical intimacy with him in years. 'I tried to keep my promises,' he said, 'Even though she didn't keep hers.'"

"And?" asked the announcer.

Kim answered, "Even though the frigidity of the wife is generally not considered an excuse for infidelity, many consider it to be. In the end, his wife broke down in tears and offered to forgive him if he forgave her for cutting him off."

Sara continued, "The marriage was saved, but renewed intimacy didn't cause her to get AMORFS-2 because the infection had already left his body. That strained the already fragile marriage because of the difference in energy level and apparent age."

"Then," Kim smiled, "She came down with AMORFS-2, but the signature was different from the bug that got her husband. She claims that she hasn't been fooling around, and her husband believes her. More to the point, the skills he received from AMORFS-2 allowed him to see that she wasn't lying."

Amy looked away from the video wall to me. "You did a good job, Sis. She never suspected."

"What is being done about the AMORFS-2 epidemic?" asked the announcer.

"We're all praying real hard that more doctors get it," said Kim with a smirk.

"What about you? Do you want it?" asked the announcer.

"I already have some nifty powers," said Kim.

"I like her just the way she is," said Sara.

"Awwwwwwwwwww!" Chorused all of us teens.

"To be serious," said Kim, "we are actually doing something about AMORFS-2. We have set up a message board so that medical professionals can compare notes. We also have a place where doctors can request to get AMORFS-2, or request to not get it."

"How does that work?" asked the announcer. "Are you in communication with the perpetrators?"

"Nope," replied Kim. "The board is public, so anyone can read it. The engineers of this blessing can read it just like anyone else."

"Have you tried to track down the IP addresses of people who read it?"

"A number of people read it through anonymous servers or the TOR network, and we purposely mirror it through one such server. We want the people who read it to feel secure. We want them to read the board and use the information well."

"Has anyone thought of carefully watching the doctors who requested MORFS?"

Sara smiled. "I'm sure that some people have, but we always suggest that the doctors who want to get AMORFS-2 travel widely in public areas so that there is plenty of opportunity for someone to infect them."

"In other words, you're cooperating with the perpetrators of AMORFS-2 as much as possible," accused the announcer.

"Yes, we are," said Sara. "They are doing it to help us all, so we feel that we should do our part."

"What about people who don't want AMORFS-2?"

"So far, everyone who has contacted AMORFS-2 is very happy about it. We speculate that the doctors are carefully screened telepathically before they are infected. Our message board is simply another source of information for the AMORFS-2 team."

"How can you be sure that they are reading your board?"

Kim smiled. "We can't be sure. Still, those who don't want the bug don't get it"

"What generally happens once a doctor gets AMORFS-2?"

"Generally, his caseload goes way up for a while -- until he manages to cure those who have been repeat customers. Very often, his spouse lends a helping hand."

"Isn't it illegal to practice medicine without a license?"

"Yes, it is. On the other hand, a doctor can prescribe the help of another person. For years, nurses and other practitioners have provided services as ordered by a doctor. To a lesser extent, lay people have done the same thing," said Sara.

"So, as long as the doctor has done an assessment, and is in control of the proceedings..." said the announcer.

"Correct," said Sara.

"What about the doctors who choose not to contact AMORFS-2?"

Kim shrugged. "Those doctors are generally pures, and they generally already have a lot of pures in their practice. They advertise themselves to the pures. They generally have all the business they can handle."

"So there you have it," said the announcer as he faced the camera. "AMORFS-1 has frustrated the research community and devastated the anti-morfs movement, while AMORFS-2 is seen as an unmitigated blessing by many."

Sara pushed a button on the remote and the video wall went blank.

"It looks like the lecture tour that we did for the university was perfect camouflage for our project," commented Sara. "Little did the doctors know that we were giving them a present when we shook their hands."

"Team Teen did a great job of spreading the blessing, too," said Kim. "It's amazing how much you can do with a little bit of careful planning."

"I never knew I was qualified for so many odd jobs." I rolled my eyes. "Waitress, concessions stand attendant, life guard, baby sitter, maid, hostess, cashier, gofer..."

"Caddy, bus boy, bathroom attendant, valet..." added Larry.

"All that, just so that we can zap a few doctors and students," said Jim

"Using the Summer Work Program as camouflage was brilliant," said Kim. "While students from dozens of colleges and high schools were out there ostensibly building character by working all over North America, some came back with improvements, most of which were taken to be regular cases of MORFS."

"It made it easier for us to work at Doctor Miller's medical practice without raising too many eyebrows," I said. "The fact that the infection is so mild that some don't notice it made it easier for us to show up with elemental powers without having gone through a nasty case of MORFS."

"Gee, I might be a bio elemental and not even know it," quipped Jim

"You all did a wonderful job," said Sara. "How does it feel to be unsung heroes?"

"I hope we remain that way," Cindy said with a shudder. "The last place I want to be is in the hands of some powerful group that wants their own army of custom morfs."

"We need to develop some kind of a contingency plan," said Kim. "Perhaps we can develop a way to give them what they want, but have the changes revert to something else after a few months."

"Meanwhile, those who receive the change can infect their masters with something else," added Jim.

"This definitely bears some thought," said Sara. "We need to come up with a plan to keep our powers from being abused, and another plan to escape."

(end)

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