To Save the Worlds

Chapter 2

The sun was shining through a gap in the drapes, casting plenty of light. Michael found himself squinting as he woke. The bed was comfortable, probably the best he had slept in for quite some time. He lay still for a bit, just enjoying the feel of the bed and the scent of fresh linen. These were things that he had not had a chance to experience in quite some time.

His view of the room was obstructed somewhat by how the bedcovers were gathered over him. He attempted to move them out of the way, but he quickly realized that the blanket was not bunched up but was just resting on his body. To his utter astonishment, he found that the body parts in the way were two lumps of wiggly flesh where his rock-hard pecs should have been. He gasped as he realized that he appeared to have grown a pair of female breasts. When he rolled over to the side of the bed, the shifting of his chest and the pulling of his hair confirmed that assessment.

As he grasped his new breasts an electric feeling of shock went through him even as he refused to accept the evidence before him. He was sure that he must not be fully awake or that he was hallucinating. He practically threw himself out of bed. Looking down at himself, a pair of generous breasts tented out a shorty nightgown that revealed shapely legs below. Light colored hair curtained around both sides of his face as he looked down.

This had to be a continuation of the dream he had been having last night, but it was not like any dream he had before. Had he been drugged somehow? And was it still affecting him? He didn't feel as if his thoughts were clouded or running slow. It felt like he was thinking as clearly as he ever had.

As he looked around, he saw the sweats he had worn earlier tossed into an armchair against one wall. What really caused a chill to go down his back was a dress uniform hung neatly in the open closet. This definitely had to be a dream as he had left all of his uniforms behind in Afghanistan. A closer look told him that the uniform was a blouse, jacket, and skirt, complete with ribbons and decorations, some that he had never earned.

He found it odd that he would be dreaming of being a woman, but not upset about it. It must be somehow due to all the stress he had been dealing with over the past few months. He must be trying to escape it in some way. Still, everything was especially clear with none of the vagueness he was accustomed to in dreams. This was more vivid than the nightmares that had been plaguing him.

The bedroom looked the same as it had the night before, but the bags he had brought in were nowhere in sight. As he looked around the room, he noticed a large white envelope leaning against the lamp on the bedside table. He had not seen it in the flurry of jumping out of bed and his brief self-examination.

A name was written on the outside of the envelope. He seemed to recall hearing somewhere that people usually could not read any kind of writing in dreams. He frowned as he could plainly see that the envelope was addressed to Alexa Concordia Davis.

As he read the name, things seemed to somehow shift around in his head. It could only be likened to clicks and thumps as things reorganized themselves in his mind. It was barely perceptible to him that he found himself changing his mindset from male to female. He did notice that his initial panic at discovering his transformation faded and that he was much more comfortable in his new situation.

It was Alexa instead of Michael who opened the envelope to find a current driver's license from New York state with Alexa's name on it. The small picture showed a pretty, ash-blonde woman. The birthdate showed that she was just in her late twenties, about ten years younger than Michael had been. Looking over the other documents revealed a diplomatic passport with a similar picture, a birth certificate in her name that matched the birthdate on her license, and a valid military ID card. She was still an officer in this dream and, apparently, still in the good graces of the Army. It was somewhat gratifying to see that she was still held the rank of Major.

It was interesting to her that she now had memories of being Michael Davis, Special Forces commander and discharged from the service with a general discharge, and also of being Alexa Davis, a combat fitness instructor at West Point. She would have explored the dichotomy, but a familiar sensation called her attention back to her physical needs and she hurried into the bathroom to empty her bladder. As she sat automatically, she reflected that she should be freaking out at peeing as a girl, but it seemed normal to her. Once she was finished on the commode, she removed the nightgown to study herself.

The mirror showed an attractive blonde woman that matched the picture on the license, with hair down past her shoulders, braided for the most part to expose a heart-shaped face. Michael's formerly brown eyes were now a vibrant dark blue that almost had a glow to them. She appeared to be about five feet nine inches; a few inches shorter than Michael's six feet. Michael had been fairly well-built, though his muscle tone had started to slip with his age and she appeared to be in good physical shape.

Her shoulders were no longer as broad as they had been, but she was well toned and had just the right amount of fat to give her some very feminine curves. Looking at her assets in the mirror, they were not nearly as large as they seemed to be when she looked down at them. Holding a breast in each hand, she found them to be firm, with little sag but they had some weight in her hands. She squeezed slightly and found them firm, but soft at the same time. It was strange to have memories of Michael being with a woman and fondling her breasts and to also be holding a pair of her own now. But squeezing her breasts evoked no erotic thoughts that would normally go through a man's head.

She continued to look at herself, turning from side to side to get a better idea of who she was now. So, he was dreaming that he was now a woman. While the change was a bit confusing, there was really nothing wrong with it. He had no close family left alive to explain things to and no girlfriend who would go to pieces about it.

Michael found himself approaching this new wrinkle like any mission he had ever been on. Instead of becoming upset about conditions he had no control over, it was best to accept those things you cannot control and go forward with it. That was the best way to survive things. That meant that he was no longer Michael Davis, the guy, but that she was Alexa Davis, the lady. Things would snap back to normal when he woke up.

Her self-study was interrupted by the ringing of the phone beside the bed. She answered by the third ring.

“Hello,” her voice was richly throaty and mellow.

L’s measured tones came through, as if he were standing before her. “Good morning, Miss Davis. You have no doubt noticed some changes. Would you please join me for breakfast after you have prepared yourself for the day? I would like to brief you on your mission.”

"Mr. Logan, I'm not sure what is going on," she told dream-Logan. "I'm having some problems at the moment!"

"Major Davis," L said. "I assure you that you are wide awake and that you are completely sane. Please come down to the café and I will explain what you need to know." There seemed to be a bit of an undertone of amusement in his voice.

“Very well,” she replied. All she could do was allow this to run to the end. “I’ll be ready as soon as I can.”

“Excellent,” he replied. “I’ll have Luk call for you.” The line clicked as he hung up.

She put the phone back on the cradle and looked around. She found her luggage in the closet, below a full complement of skirts, tops, and dresses. The drawers of the bureau were filled with panties, bras, and hosiery. All different colors and styles. She even found a set of BDU's in what she knew was her size. She considered wearing them, but it just did not seem right to do so.

While she had a wide variety to choose from, she opted for more utilitarian undergarments to start the day with, choosing a plain white bra and panty set. For all her acceptance of her new state, Alexa feared the time that she might have opportunities to model some of the racier items she saw in the bureau.

She examined her hair in the mirror and determined that it did not require a shampoo treatment as yet. That made sense in a dream. She pinned up her braid, the knowledge of how to get her hair into that shape making itself known as she needed it. There was probably an entire library of information on how to be a lady stored away in her head. She would have to see what all was in there.

In the shower, she soaped herself and rinsed as she always had when she had been Michael. Yes, certain parts of her body were more sensitive and hinted at being more responsive as well. Now was not the time for exploration though, but the possibility of doing so was appealing. Hopefully, not later than tonight. But she needed to meet with Mr. Logan to find out what was going on.

Michael had been quite happy to be a man and liked the strength and authority that went with it. He had enjoyed more than a few evenings with members of the opposite sex and he knew that they had enjoyed being with him. Now that he was a woman, he still felt quite natural. The big change was that he would be the hunted rather than the hunter. As a woman, he would not be easily caught.

Intellectually, she knew that she did not have the same body strength as a man and would not be accorded the same kind of deference that a man received. But she could deal with that. His training and experience as a soldier had taught him to Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome and she would apply that philosophy to this situation as well.

Looking at her wardrobe, nothing presented itself in her mind to guide her as to what would look proper for the day. She opted for a pair of nude, stay-up stockings, a sun-yellow blouse and a royal blue skirt that matched her eyes perfectly. Based upon the amount of blue in her wardrobe, it was probably her favorite color. Her complexion was completely clear and flawless. The old scar that had marked Michael's right cheekbone from a piece of shrapnel was gone as if it had never existed. Surprisingly, when she didn’t think about it, she knew how and what she needed for appropriate daytime makeup and she only used some mascara and a minimum of blush. A coat of a light-colored lipstick capped it off.

After letting her hair out of the braid, she used the brushes she found in the bathroom to smooth it to a glossy finish. There seemed to be streaks of lighter blond interspersed with the dark so that her hair almost seemed to sparkle as the light struck it. The braid had given her mane a bit of a wave, which only accentuated the attractiveness of the girl that looked back from the mirror. She found herself feeling a bit of pride in her appearance, which disturbed the Michael side of her a bit. As an Army officer, he had always taken pride in how he looked, but this was different somehow. She knew that her hair was long enough to be out of regulation and she would need to put it up in braids again if she were to be in uniform. But the longer hair would also be good camouflage to hide her identity if someone were looking for a military person.

There was a knock on the door as she was pulling on the two-inch heels that she found in the closet. She automatically picked up the handbag that had been set on the table in her room and went to open the entry door to the suite.

Luk stood waiting for her outside, dressed in a dark grey business suit. He bowed slightly to her and said, "Good morning, Major Davis. May I escort you to your meeting?" He was very formal in his bearing and it was obvious that he was trying to show her a great deal of respect.

"Thank you, Mr. Luk," she replied. As she looked at him, Alexa did not see a man who was barely five feet tall and was almost as wide. For some reason, she saw an image superimposed over him of a seven-foot-tall bear of a man, carrying a battle axe. The memories of her dream meeting of the night before came back to her and she decided to go with the weird feeling she had.

"Mr. Luk? May I ask you a strange question?" At his nod, she continued. "I know this might sound strange, but are you a war god?"

The small man smiled at her a bit sadly and answered, "I was once, ma'am. The villagers who worshipped me were successful in many battles. But they lost faith in me when they lost a few times and found themselves dispersed at the end. There must be someone out there who remembers me, but my essence would have passed on into memory without L's help."

For some reason, Alexa, as a warrior herself, could see into Luk's heart and mind and knew that he had done what he could for his worshippers. Apparently, a god can only do so much for his people, then they need to do the rest. He must have been a good and powerful war god for them.

She stopped as they were walking to the elevator and turned to Luk. Scarily, her first impulse was to curtsey. Fighting that, she bowed deeply to him and said, "I am honored to meet you sir. I can see that you did what you could for your people."

Luk was taken aback at the respect she was paying him and there were tears at the corners of his eyes as he returned her bow. "Thank you again, ma'am. I did try. It is you who honor me by agreeing to be our avatar."

They stepped into the elevator and she looked at Luk. "Yeah, about that,” she said dryly. “I would have thought that the avatar for war would traditionally be a man."

Luk nodded in understanding and smiled at her. "Yes, I understand. L will explain everything to you. I know that there is a good reason for your current form."

"I hope so," she responded. "I would like to find out if I get my jock strap back when this dream is over." That joke got a broad smile from Luk.

The elevator stopped at the first floor and opened into the brightly lit lobby. The other side of the lobby no longer ended with the blank wall that had been there yesterday. It now opened into a large dining area and a collection of tables. Logan sat at a large round table near the center of the room. Looking around the restaurant, Michael saw that they were either the first customers of the day or maybe only customers of the day.

She followed Luk to Logan's table and her host stood to welcome her. Luk moved to hold the chair for the newly minted woman as she took her seat. She automatically swept her dress under her to avoid creases. Logan watched her behavior with a slight smile that went unnoticed by Alexa. She smiled her thanks at Luk for his help and nodded again. Her act of respect was not lost on her host.

"Mr. Luk," Logan began. "I had not thought to include you in this morning's conference, but I believe that Major Davis wouldn't mind having you join us. Please take a seat." He indicated the third chair at the table. The one that had not been there when they had approached the table.

"Thank you, sir, ma'am," Luk said, bowing his head to his boss and to Alexa.

L turned to Alexa and said, "Good morning, Major Davis. I hope that you slept well."

She smiled at Logan. "Yes, I did. But I am obviously still dreaming." She cupped her breasts with both hands and said, "I will admit that I always found a woman's breasts attractive, but I never realized that I had a subconscious desire for a pair of my own."

L smiled slightly at her. Even though he was obviously amused at her statement, there was no condescension in his voice as he asked, "Why do you say that?"

Alexa looked at him for a moment and then waved her hand to indicate their surroundings. "I dreamt of going into a room in the hotel that was actually larger than the entire square outside and met a bunch of people who said they were god. They asked me to do something strange and then I find myself in my hotel room as a thirty-something cute girl. To top it off, I am then invited to breakfast in a restaurant that was not here last night when I checked in."

Her voice had risen has she made each point and she was doing her best to rein in her emotions. Bad manners, even in a dream, was something that she did not believe in.

L smiled at her. It was not mocking or indulgent, it was a smile of someone who knew a secret, intended to share that secret with you, and meant you no harm.

"Please, relax and have some breakfast. Since you skipped dinner, you must be starving. I will explain everything you need to know and put your mind at ease."

A breakfast cart now sat beside Alexa's seat and she served herself while L began his orientation. She noted that neither of her hosts were eating, they did not even have a coffee cup on the table before them.

"First, and foremost, I assure you that you are completely awake and not dreaming. Last night, you drank yourself into oblivion with the vague desire of not waking in the morning. We waited until you were dreaming before we asked you to join us. After all, a mortal does not easily walk into a conclave of gods."

He gestured to indicate their surroundings.

"This is a very special hotel. All of the many deities that have been worshipped throughout history have come through my doors at one time or another. When you said that you dreamt that they told you they were god, that was not accurate. They are gods who no longer have the importance and power that they once had. Many of them could be thought of as retirees as they are only remembered as myths and legends."

Alexa took a sip of juice and looked at Logan with an indulgent smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Logan. Are you saying that I am dreaming of a retirement home for old gods?"

L smiled at her unintended joke. "Yes. In a sense, that is true. I would like to correct a couple of things. To the outside world, I go by the name Logan, but here I am known simply as L. I know that this all seems like fantasy to you, but I assure you that you are completely awake and you are now completely a woman named Alexa Concordia Davis, avatar to the god of War. As another point, I know that you consider your breasts to be large, but they are not. They are proportional to the rest of your body." He smiled a bit more as he pointed out that Alexa's endowments were not out of the ordinary.

"As you have noted, Luk was, or is, a war god," L continued.

Alexa nodded cautiously in agreement. As Michael, she had never had a dream like this before and they had never been this vivid. If she accepted that this was reality and not a dream, it meant that what L was saying to her was real as well. One of the first things a soldier learned was to let the briefing unfold as the leader wished and save questions for when it was your turn. Besides, it was not wise to annoy someone who could change your body, if not your entire life.

She frowned at him. "If I am an avatar to the god of War, what's with this body? Shouldn't I be a guy and covered with muscles? I would think that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be preferable to Shirley Temple."

L nodded to her. "I will admit that your current form was strongly influenced by Peace. You have her to thank for your looks and shapely form. I believe that War insisted that you at least be a Valkyrie. As far as a woman goes, gods and avatars are not produced from a template. They come in all sizes and shapes. Basically, you cannot judge a book by its cover."

He continued, saying, "There are many gods of war, peace, good, and evil. Any emotion, desire, or belief that humans have had through the centuries has found its way into manifesting itself as a deity in some form. The term god or deity only means that they have more ability and knowledge than the average mortal. There is still something greater than us and I have been tasked to find a champion to save us all."

Alexa argued back at L's statement. "What do you mean save? You have far more power than someone like me will ever have. I bet that I can't even lift my old backpack now and I certainly can't fight with it on my back."

"Deities are not immortal. They have the choice of remaining in this realm and continuing their existence. Those who choose to go into the mortal world must take a corporeal form. They might still have some of their abilities, but they also risk their lives like any mortal. Gods with avatars are tied closely to their avatar's lives and run risks as well. There is a movement afoot in the mortal world to eliminate the god of peace so that war will become ascendant by default."

L leaned forward to look Alexa in the eye and said, "If one world destroys itself in this way, all other worlds will die as well."

Alexa blinked for a moment, trying to marshal her thoughts. There were many questions to be asked and many topics as well. But L's statement of worlds stood out to her.

"What do you mean worlds?"

"Many worlds exist in conjunction with the one you are familiar with. You would term them parallel words."

"Then how would all worlds die if something happens here? Wouldn't there still be worlds where the disaster did not happen?"

L nodded. "That would be true when only mortals are involved. I'm afraid that the death of a god or their absence transcends all worlds. You have accepted the task of defending the avatar of Peace. As an avatar of War."

"Okay," Alexa said. "I can understand that the god of War would not want everything to end and he has just as much to lose as Peace does. But why am I a woman?" She also wanted to ask why she was comfortable with being transformed from Michael into Alexa, but she would bring it up later.

L smiled at her. "A god is neither a man or a woman, it all depends upon how they are perceived by mortals. There have even been some that were all tentacles, but they have not been seen for a while. The reason you are Alexa Concordia Davis is because you will be safeguarding Harmony Moon. Michael Davis would not be able to escort Harmony everywhere, so you became Alexa to remove barriers.

"Your name quite literally means Guardian of Peace."

L produced a folder that he slid over to her. "This is the information that has been compiled about Harmony," he said. While Alexa glanced through the pages, she listed as L explained that Harmony was the chief negotiator for the U.N. and was highly successful at resolving disputes. This was not surprising as she was the current avatar of Peace. Harmony was not aware of what she was as it might affect how well she did her job. Her bond with Peace was so great that she had manifested aspects of Peace in the world around her.

Alexa stopped at the various photographs of the woman that had to be Harmony Moon. She held one of them up to show L.

"I've seen her! I met her a year or so ago," she said, a bit excited. As Michael, he had only met her briefly and had only exchanged a hello. But there had been something about her that had entranced him at the time and had been in his thoughts for quite a while after that.

"Yes, I am ware of that, Major," L replied. The connection Michael and Harmony had experienced was one of the reasons Michael had been desired for this mission. "At this time, Harmony and her security team are preparing to return to New York from a summit meeting between several sub-Saharan Africa nations. She has secured a cease fire between them all with promises of aid from the more developed nations. The goal is to restore the farming districts and help the region work toward becoming self-sustaining again. She is traveling with a large security team that has already stopped one attack on her.

"You will act as her bodyguard within the larger group. The large amount of protection is necessary until our agents are able to find and neutralize Nyx and Erebus. When we are finished here, War has asked that you meet with him. Use the elevator to go to the seventh floor and it will open to where you are supposed to be."

Alexa frowned and said, "But there are only six floors to this hotel. I know that I only saw six floors on the elevator panel just now."

L smiled. "When it is necessary, there are many floors available in the elevator. Welcome to Deity Arms, Major Davis."

With that, L rose and excused himself with a bow to her. As he strode out of the small restaurant, Luk scrambled to take his leave of Alexa and he hurried after his boss.

Alexa watched L walk away and wondered what he was the god of. He struck her as confident in himself, but she did not get a feeling that he was a war god like Luk was and he did not give off a vibe that she had sensed in Peace the night before. No, he was another kind of god altogether.

She shrugged the question off, she had enough on her mind right now. Sitting back in her chair with her juice, she took time to think. First, it was apparent that this was not a dream but reality, regardless as to how unbelievable it was. She was a woman and feeling fairly comfortable about it, which was confusing all by itself. Next, she was supposed to be the human representative of the god of War. That is what an avatar was, right? Finally, she had agreed to be the bodyguard for the avatar of Peace. Simple, right? She shrugged and thought, ‘as they say in the teams, if it was easy anyone could do it.’

She finished off the juice and pushed the remnants of breakfast away. It was time to keep her appointment with the god of War. She smiled and nodded her thanks to the young woman she saw waiting in the back of the restaurant. Was she a god as well or an avatar? It did not really matter. Respect should still be paid.

The elevator door opened immediately when she pressed the call button to reveal War leaning against the back of the car with his arms folded. Alexa found it strange that the embodiment of warfare, death, and destruction was looking dapper in a business suit. His dark eyes again put Alexa on guard, there was a sense of power in them. It was not directed at her, rather it was just part of him.

"Finally," he said. "I was about to come after you if you didn't hurry up." While his statement was sarcastic in nature, she did not get a sense that he was being an ass, it seemed more like an attempt at humor. The smile that appeared confirmed that. Once she stepped in, he reached to the panel and pressed the seventh floor.

"This is an interesting elevator," Alexa observed. "Does it only go up and down?" She returned his smile with her own.

"Yes," War responded, with a smile, showing that he got the joke. "Who needs a Willy Wonka elevator? This one will take us where we need to go."

The door opened almost as quickly as it had closed to reveal a large room that was part conference room and part workout room.

"Please sit down, Major," War said. "L wanted to give you the basic orientation of your transformation, but I asked him to allow me to finish briefing you on your mission." He had a lop-sided smile on his face as he continued, "After all, L has never had an avatar. He won't know some things as well as some of the rest of us."

Alexa took a seat, thinking that the god's attitude was rather disrespectful toward L. From what she had gathered, everyone was here through the courtesy of L. If he had the ability to provide a home for deities who could claim to have powers, just how powerful was he? She wished that she knew more about Greek mythology.

He studied her face for a moment and said, "Harmony Moon is in the process of finishing her current assignment and will be returning to New York after that. Your mission will be to act as her bodyguard until Nyx and Erebus have been neutralized."

"Do you know how long that will take?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I don't. L is unable to track them, except by their activities. When Harmony arrives, you and she will stay here in the hotel while she is in New York. There is no place safer. Do you have any particular questions?"

"Yes, about that," Alexa started. "L said that I was made into a woman to protect Harmony. When this is over, will I change back into Michael? Being a woman is not something I'm very comfortable with." She omitted the fact that she had found much of what she had done so far this morning to be second nature.

War looked thoughtful for a moment. "There is no reason why that cannot happen. Let me explain a bit about your situation or condition.

"First, you were given the knowledge you need as a woman by Freya. She is another resident here and is very knowledgeable about all things woman. You will feel better as time goes on.

"As for being my avatar, it can take a long time for a god to bond with an avatar. There are many people attuned to gods like Peace and myself. As a warrior, you were closer to me than the average mortal. We endeavor to have these connections so that we are always part of the world. The Chaos goddesses have worked to eliminate everyone who could easily become the next avatar of Peace if Harmony were to be killed. That is why Peace will be unable to bond with another avatar immediately and the worlds will be plunged into conflict. She will have to wait for someone whose personal philosophy is close to matching her aspects.

"A god does not just choose an avatar. Rather, an avatar makes themselves ready for a god. A person is not normally aware of that bond as it can affect how they behave and interact with others. This can affect how the god might affect the world through them. Your case is different though. When you agreed to become my avatar, I was able to bond with you immediately because you were aware of what I am. I then impressed the lifeforce of a Valkyrie upon you. You currently have twice the normal lifeforce of a mortal as a result.

"Because you are my avatar, you will have access to some of my abilities or attributes. I have prevented the more belligerent aspects of my personality from showing through in you. I do not believe that having the people around wanting to start fights all the time would be beneficial to your mission. You have physical abilities and improved healing as well as some esoteric abilities that are usually attributed to me. The main reason you were chosen for this task was that you were already a good tactician and you are an expert at hand-to-hand combat. Those skills will be somewhat enhanced. Unfortunately, I will not have time to educate you in what you might be able to do. You will have to learn as you go.”

Alexa frowned in confusion. "Why is War providing a bodyguard for Peace? That does not make a lot of sense to me."

"I think that you have the wrong idea about War and Peace," War said with a serious look. "Most people do."

He leaned against the desk, folding his arms before him. "In its simplest forms, war is nothing but conflict. In actuality, I am the god of Conflict. Over the centuries, conflict has come to symbolize death and destruction of all forms. The same kind of thing has happened to Peace. When things started out, peace meant tranquility. It now symbolizes the opposite of War. But people have failed to realize that war and peace, conflict and tranquility are inter-related and that they are both necessary.

"If only tranquility existed, people would not advance and civilization would stagnate. The world would be filled with a few hundred thousand shepherds and farmers. By the same token, if there was only conflict, there would be a handful of city-states constantly fighting with each other and always minutes from annihilation.

"War and Peace act as natural limits on each other. By allowing conflict during periods of peace, humanity grows, both in technical and in moral aspects. Every major advance has come about as a response to conflict in some form. It is the moral side of people that ultimately reins in conflict."

"It sounds to me like you are justifying your own existence," Alexa replied with a shake of her head.

"Not at all," he replied. "I exist because of conflict. I do not create it. Peace and I are two sides of the same coin. Neither can truly exist without the other. Conflict comes in many forms. Game play is a prime example. You get satisfaction at winning a game at the expense of the other player. If the competition remains civil and controlled, tranquility remains in some form. But when that competition becomes violent or is to the detriment of someone, things become corrupted and more intense.

"That is why I am sending my champion to safeguard the champion of Peace. It is as much to my benefit as hers. Who better to defend Peace and her avatar than a warrior. You have access to some of my power. You have a connection to me that you can draw upon in an emergency. My 'powers' come from the people in the world. The more believers or adherents I have, the stronger I am. By extension, you will also be powerful." He gestured to the workout area and said, "I would suggest that you make use of the equipment in here to get used to your new body."

Alexa was heartened to know that she would be able to return to being Michael when this was over. From what she understood from L, Nyx and Erebus had become mortals. She could only hope that they would make their move soon. She would have to wait and see. She wanted the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder to morph back into Michael's skull-and-dagger.

War bid her a good day and left her to check out the room. She found workout clothes that fit her in a small locker room in the back. The weight resistance equipment seemed designed for someone with extraordinary strength and she found herself able to handle a great deal more than she had as Michael. Her endurance on the treadmill was surprising as well. She found herself able to run at a sustained pace for quite some time. It appeared that she would be able to carry that backpack after all.

She tried her hand at some floor gymnastics, something that Michael never had the skill for. After a few attempts to come to grips with her coordination, she was soon leaping and somersaulting across the floor like an Olympian competitor. As an experiment, she ran across the room and partway up the wall in some Parkour moves she had seen once. Her feminine form was much more flexible and nimbler than when she had been a man.

* * * * *

The captain in charge of Harmony's security detail knocked sharply on her hotel room door. Impatient as he was, decorum kept him from immediately bursting in on her. Time was becoming a precious item, but things had not reached the point where respect and propriety needed to be dispensed with.

The door opened in just a minute or so, to show the woman they were guarding. Harmony was an attractive woman, whose very presence seemed to draw attention. When people were around her, they seemed to automatically go quiet and look at her.

Even though he was accustomed to the affect she seemed to have upon him, Jackson had to make a conscious effort to keep his focus.

"Yes, Captain Wilson?" Her green eyes seemed to bore into his.

"Ma'am, we have a problem that needs to be addressed immediately." He cut right to the point, dispensing with any pleasantries. Their current mission had come to an end and they were only waiting to fly out on the military transport that was due to arrive the next day.

Harmony nodded in acknowledgement. Security always seemed to be a problem when she was traveling and she was always hearing about some issue. She opened her door to allow the officer into the room. Some things did not need to be discussed in the hallway.

"What seems to be the problem?" She knew that the captain would not bother her with anything trivial, but she was also becoming a bit tired of hearing about constant threats that never seemed to materialize.

"Ma'am, I've been made aware of a credible threat to you personally. I believe that it is serious enough that we need to take steps to get away from here as soon as possible."

Harmony had experienced security alerts of this type before, but this was the first time since her protection detail had been changed. She kept herself from rolling her eyes in annoyance as she said in a patient voice, "We've had these threats before, Captain. They have never turned out to be anything real."

"Yes, ma'am. I've read the reports from my predecessor," he answered. "The information I have received indicates that this is a serious threat and that it may very well intensify before help can reach us. You are the target here and I want to get you away from here before it might be impossible."

Harmony sat down in one of the easy chairs in the room. "Do you have a plan?"

"I've already spoken with one of the tour groups that is preparing to leave for England. After hearing the situation, the director has agreed to quietly fold you into the group right before they take off. The story will be that you were separated from your original group and they are picking you up. Once you are safely away, I will let it be known that you are gone and that should defuse things."

She mulled it over for a bit before nodding. "I understand. If I were gone, there would be no collateral injuries or damages. How much time do I have?"

It turned out that she had very little time and Harmony was packed and had joined the tour group that was in the process of boarding their bus to the airport in less than an hour.

Wilson followed the tour bus in one of the diplomatic vehicles and waited at the airport until he saw Harmony's plane leave the airport and disappear into the distance. Their own plane had finally arrived and was not due to leave for a few hours, so he had Harmony's remaining luggage and official documents packed. The security team made their way to the airport and made sure that they were quite visible. They wanted to make it obvious that Harmony was no longer with them in order to defuse the security threat. When the time came, they moved to their plane and boarded. The captain had explained to the rest what he had done and why. It made sense to his team and they were satisfied that Harmony was safe.

When their turn for takeoff came, the cargo jet thundered down the runway and left the ground. As the plane began its steep climb, a jet trail was visible as a small missile rose to meet it. The resulting fireball engulfed the entire plane and debris rained down over a huge area beyond the airport.

* * * * *

When Alexa finished her workout, it was late afternoon. While the clothes she wore were soaking wet from her exertions, she barely felt the fatigue that she would have as Michael. The muscles in her arms and legs tingled more than they complained about the exercise she had put them through. After using the shower facilities and the soaps that had been thoughtfully left for her, she changed back into her street clothes. Even though she had worn them for just a short time, Alexa wanted to go back to her room and change into clean clothes. That was new, she thought.

Before going back to her room though, she decided to check on her options for lunch and dinner. The elevator took her back to the lobby. Stepping out, she saw that the restaurant she had eaten in that morning was gone again, replaced by the blank wall with a single door set in the middle of it.

A large man stood behind the reception desk. He smiled pleasantly at her as she walked up. "Good afternoon, Major Davis. How can I help you?"

Alexa looked at the gold name badge on his chest to see that his name was Horace.

"Good afternoon, Horace," she said, returning his smile. She gestured to the wall where the restaurant belonged and said, "What happened to the restaurant? That wall wasn't there this morning."

Horace smiled at her indulgently. "This is Deity Arms, ma'am. The restaurant will be there when it is needed. Mr. L does not maintain things that are not constantly necessary." He looked down at the desk before him to read a note. Looking back at her he said, "Mr. L would like to see you in his office."

Alexa got the sense that Horace's statement did not convey 'if you don't mind' or 'when you have a moment'. The expectation was that L expected her to come to him NOW.

She nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Horace," she said politely. "I will go see him right away." Going to the only other door on this side of the lobby that had to be the office, she raised her hand to knock. Before she could actually touch the door, it opened quietly to reveal L sitting at a desk.

The room was rather large, made even more so by the fact that the only furniture it held was the desk L sat at and two office chairs. There were no potted plants, credenzas, or pictures to make the place look like an office. It was a stark room with off-white walls. It could have been an interrogation room for any number of government departments.

"Major, please come in," L said. He did stand politely and indicated a chair in front of the desk as she stepped into the office. He waited until she had taken her seat before he sat back down. He steepled his hands before him and said, "There has been a serious change to our overall situation.

"While they were still in South Africa, Harmony Moon’s security detail became aware of a potential attack. They made the decision to separate from her and hide her with a tour group that was preparing to leave ahead of them. The only way they could do that was to send her alone."

L paused for a moment and continued, "The plane she was on departed a few hours before the plane she was supposed to have been on. The plane carrying her security team was shot down with a missile as it was taking off."

L continued to speak, saying something about the need to send Alexa to London as soon as possible to meet up with Harmony, but Alexa really was not listening. Her thoughts were caught up with the fact that an entire squad of soldiers had knowingly put themselves into a situation they had no control over and were prepared to sacrifice their lives to safeguard their charge.

As Michael, she and her team had gone on missions many times where they risked their lives to stop attacks, a saboteur, or to gather information. But she had always felt as if she had some form of control in those situations and always felt confident of surviving. These men and women knew that there was a possibility that they would die. They deserved to be honored for their dedication and sacrifice.

L watched Alexa closely as he spoke. He could see that the news he had just broken had affected Alexa deeply. Many mortals would merely take note of the facts and move on, but it was good to see that the person they had chosen still had a heart.

Alexa raised her hand slightly to get L's attention.

"Excuse me, Mr. L."

"Yes, Major Davis?" L stopped and looked at Alexa. The hoped-for evolution of the young warrior before him appeared to be at hand from a simple soldier into a person that would stand head-and-shoulders above men. He wished that the circumstances were not so dire though.

Alexa faltered as she tried to communicate.

"I really cannot think about a plane flight right now." She blinked back tears at the thought that she was stepping into the shoes of people who willingly died to protect so many people. "An entire team of men and women have given their lives today to protect Harmony. I would like to pay my respect to them in some way."

"Of course," L nodded in acknowledgement. "Would you like to return to your room to change first? I will arrange a small service while you are gone." He rose from his seat and came around the desk to offer his hand to her. L escorted her to the elevator and turned away as the doors closed.

Alexa exited the elevator at her room and went to her closet, trying to think about what she should wear. A guy might have just changed into comfortable jeans or slacks, but her Alexa-mind was telling her that it was now more complicated than that. She needed fresh clothes from the skin out. And they needed to be color-coordinated. Then she realized that her decision was quite easy.

* * * * *

The elevator door opened to the lobby and Alexa stepped out. She looked smart in her class A's and found that she was able to deal with the higher heel of her shoes with no problem at all. Once she had arrived upon wearing the dress uniform, choosing plain white undergarments was easy. Fastening her bra was still a challenge and she didn't care what L said, her breasts just seemed too big.

L was waiting for her, almost as if he had not moved from the spot when he had sent her to change her clothes over an hour ago. He smiled at her as he stepped forward to offer his arm. Seeing that she was to be escorted, she slipped her arm into his elbow.

The blank wall at the back of the hotel lobby was gone again and had been replaced by an entry into a spacious room that seemed to be part auditorium and part pub. The room seemed to be filled with men and women, similar to how the outdoor amphitheater had been the previous day or night. Alexa was sure that the human race had not invented so many deities dedicated to warfare, so this might be all of the gods in residence here.

There were costumes of all varieties, from heavy furs to suits of armor, from leather scales down to brief togas. But Alexa knew that these were not costumes, but uniforms of the deities that were present. Idly, she wondered how many pantheons of gods were represented here. The silence was absolute as L escorted Alexa to a raised table along one wall. There were already drinks before the room's occupants, but no one had lifted a glass as yet and all eyes were on Alexa. Knowing that she was the only mortal present was partly flattering and mostly intimidating.

L leaned over to speak into Alexa's ear. "As our champion and an avatar currently present, you have the honor and privilege of offering the first toast."

Alexa looked at L with wide eyes. She had delivered the eulogy at wakes in the past, but Michael had been a close friend of those people. It saddened her to realize that the soldiers who had died would be remembered only by their families, all of their comrades had died with them.

A shot glass of Irish whiskey, her preferred drink, was before her as she turned to face the waiting multitude. Raising the glass to look around the room, she gave a toast that she had recited too often in the past, "We knew them as comrades, we'll remember them, and they will not be forgotten. To our fallen comrades. May their sacrifice and gift to us not be in vain." Her memorial was echoed back to her as well as others that the gathered gods preferred were spoken. A tear ran down her cheek as Alexa hoped that she would be able to live up to the memory of those people.

Turning to L she said, "Mr. L, I am a soldier. I know about espionage, infiltration, and destruction. Why do you need me? Why don't you just stop all of this from happening?"

Again, L nodded to her. "We have removed ourselves from the mortal realm. We cannot become involved in that way, only in the lives of mortals who give us leave to do so. Because Nyx and Erebus manifested their existence as mortals, they have removed themselves from our reach. That means that we must work with and through others."

"I will do my best," Alexa said solemnly.