Synopsis:

Synopsis: A Navy SEAL is transformed into a sexy female super soldier by an alien machine. Now romance blossoms for Brandi, and she takes a major step in accepting the girl she has become. But her adversaries are on to her, and will stop at nothing to recover the weapon they desire…Part 4 of 5.

Warning: This story contains no graphic sexual content but does have adult situations and language and scenes of graphic violence, including an extended gun battle.

Story:

Genomorph Part 4 of 5

By Breanna Ramsey

Edited by Janet Nolan and Carla Winters

CHAPTER 27

Sunlight flooding in through the window awakened Brandi late Saturday morning, and she opened her eyes and felt Melissa behind her, arms wrapped around her. She smiled and thought it was a very good way to wake up. She closed her eyes again, pulling Melissa’s arms tighter around her and sighing contentedly.

She was content, but she was also quite confused. She and Melissa had made love the night before; it had started out more as frenzied sex but Melissa had gradually worked her down from where she had been after their night out and into a more steady, tender pace. The end result had been more passionate, more fulfilling than anything she had ever known before and was certainly a far cry from what she had experienced as Brandon. As the pleasure of orgasm had swept through her body, brought on by the tender ministrations of someone who truly cared about her, she had never felt more whole, more complete in her life as man or woman.

It was afterwards, when Melissa had drifted off into a contented sleep that the confusion had come. Brandi had lain awake, trying to hold on to that feeling of contentment, but it began slipping away and the fear returned. For the first time since the transformation she had allowed herself to be a woman, completely and eagerly, and the memory of how good it had felt frightened her. One more piece of the man she had been had slipped away, but should she even be trying to hold on to it? For better or worse, she was Brandi now; she could never go back.

There were more complications as well. She knew she was in love with Melissa, as surely as she had ever known anything in her life. She was certain that Melissa felt the same way, but she was not ready to acknowledge those feelings. Brandi suspected that it had a lot to do with the death of Melissa’s parents; she was not ready to open her heart to someone yet because she was not ready to face the possibility that she might lose them. She understood those feelings; Brandon had gone through the same thing. It was very hard to give so much of yourself to anyone after having suffered such a loss.

And of course I bring a whole world of complications with me, Brandi thought.

She felt Melissa stir behind her and despite her thoughts she smiled again. It was good to feel the warmth of her body pressing close, the softness of her skin. She felt Melissa gently brush her hair aside and kiss the back of her neck. She could be confused later; right now she just felt too good to let any of that bother her.

“Good morning beautiful,” Melissa whispered, “You’ve been asleep for a whole eight hours; it’s almost noon.”

Brandi rolled over so she could face Melissa. She touched her friend’s cheek and then gently kissed her lips.

Melissa smiled and asked, “How do you feel?”

“I don’t think I can describe it properly; wonderful, fantastic, elated…none of them seem to be enough,” Brandi sighed. “Thank you Melissa. You were so right. I needed to be with someone and I’m so glad it was you.”

“Your welcome, but believe me it was my pleasure” Melissa said. “Now tell me what else you’re feeling.”

“I am a little confused,” Brandi admitted.

“A little?”

“Melissa I don’t want to hurt your feelings…”

“Sweetie telling me what you feel won’t hurt my feelings,” Melissa said. “I know what you felt last night; I know you enjoyed what we did because nobody could have reacted the way you did if they weren’t enjoying it.”

“Enjoy hardly does it justice, it was the most incredible thing I have ever felt,” Brandi said. “But afterward I felt really scared by how much I enjoyed it.”

“And you felt guilty too, right?” Melissa asked. Brandi nodded her head and looked as though she were about to cry.

“That’s what has me so confused,” she said. “Is it wrong for me to feel that way? Am I giving in to the programming?”

“Brandi we are all programmed to enjoy sex, it’s one of the nicer parts of being human,” Melissa said. “It makes sense that you would feel some confusion. I wish that one night of love making could take it all away, but I’m afraid it’s not that simple. You have a whole new perspective to explore, and I really think you need to explore it; all of it, when you are ready.

“I feel guilty too; I feel like I used you. I’ve wanted to be with you since the night we met, and seeing what was happening to you…well I convinced myself it was the right thing to do. I was so afraid you would be angry. I knew I could…seduce you. I’m sorry I took advantage of you, but I just didn’t know what else to do.”

“Stop it,” Brandi said. Her words were firm but she still smiled and her voice was soft and gentle. “You did the right thing; you did what had to be done. I’m not sorry about what happened, and I’m very lucky to have found such good friends. I guess you and Karen were plotting this whole scene last night.”

“Oh you did see that?” Melissa said. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear what we were saying.”

“I was more out of it than I realized,” Brandi admitted. “Even after Renee found me and stopped me it didn’t stop; if anything it got worse. Part of me was very glad that she had found me, but another part was so frustrated. Like I said, I had pretty much totally given in; I was going to say yes to whatever he wanted me to do. To have the brakes put on me like that…well I think if you hadn’t been there for me I would have slipped out and found the first willing guy I could.”

“Yes we noticed, and we decided that something had to be done,” Melissa said. “Karen even volunteered to be the one.”

Brandi’s eyes widened, “She did?”

“She’s still as straight as ever,” Melissa laughed. “But she loves you sweetie, and seeing you like that was hurting her too. And she knows I…I care about you a lot. She didn’t want me to risk hurting our relationship.”

“I love you, Melissa,” Brandi said softly.

Melissa looked at her, filled with conflicting emotions. She did not know what to say, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Brandi. She did love her, but she was not sure she loved her, not yet.

“Brandi…”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything,” Brandi smiled. “I know you’re not sure. I can wait. But I wanted you to know how I feel; I wanted you to hear me say it. And I want you to know that no matter what, nothing can ever come between us, even if you find you can’t love me the way I love you.”

Brandi snuggled up close and laid her head on Melissa’s shoulder. She felt different, and she knew she had cleared a hurdle in her path to truly accepting who she was. Yes, there was confusion but as she lay there in Melissa’s arms it did not seem to be so bad. Really, there was only one more hurdle left, one very big one. But for now, she was perfectly content to lay there and cuddle with her friend.

“So tell me, truthfully, how was it?” Melissa asked after they had lain there in silence for a while.

“It was wonderful…really…it’s just…”

“You can be honest Brandi,” Melissa smiled.

“Well it’s just that I was, like, on autopilot,” Brandi said. “I was so hyped up…I mean I don’t know how good I was.”

“You have nothing to worry about there,” Melissa sighed. “You were absolutely incredible. You may not be entirely comfortable in a woman’s body, but you certainly know your way around one in bed.”

Brandi started giggling hysterically. When she regained control she said, “At least I have experience with that.”

“I’d say a whole lot of experience,” Melissa said with another contented sigh. “Still, if you’re really that concerned, I think I’m rested up enough for another go; if you’re in the mood of course.”

“Silly girl,” Brandi giggled as she slid her hand slowly down Melissa’s stomach. “I am always in the mood.”

And to hell with the confusion, she thought.

*****

Susan was surprised as she entered the parlor late in the morning to see Amanda talking to a very attractive redheaded woman.

“I’m sorry, Amanda, I didn’t realize you had a guest,” Susan said as she turned to leave.

“No that’s quite all right, Susan dear, please join us for some tea,” Amanda smiled. “This is my neighbor Sabine Rosseau. Sabine, this is my dear friend, Susan Covington. She’s staying with me for a few weeks.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Susan,” Sabine said in a warm alto. She was young, certainly no older than thirty and her dark red hair and deep green eyes gave her a very sultry appearance.

“Sabine was just telling me about a charity fund raiser she is holding next month,” Amanda said as Susan sat down.

“It’s for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation,” Sabine explained. “I was hoping to enlist Amanda’s support.”

“That’s certainly a worthy cause,” Susan said.

“I will be glad to contribute,” Amanda agreed. “I think it’s wonderful that you are doing this Sabine. If you like, I can make some calls and get the word out to the right people.”

“I’d really appreciate that, Amanda,” Sabine said. “I don’t have anywhere near your status and connections, and, well you know how it is.”

“Of course,” Amanda smiled.

Gretchen brought in a tray of tea and coffee and served the three women, who exchanged small talk for some time. Inevitably Sabine became curious about Susan.

“Have you known each other long?” she asked. “I don’t mean to pry…”

“Not at all, dear,” Amanda smiled. “Susan is a genetics researcher. We met through one of the foundations I help and became friends. I’ve contributed to her research on several occasions.”

“That sounds fascinating, what kind of research?” Sabine asked.

Susan took her cue from Amanda and stayed as close to the truth as possible, “It mainly involves the regeneration of tissue as a means to fight disease and heal injuries.”

The explanation was basically the truth; before becoming involved with the Forerunner project Susan had been doing research along those very lines. It was one of the things that had drawn her to the project, once she had been allowed to see some of the data deciphered from the Forerunner files. Their understanding of genetics was incredibly advanced.

“That does sound interesting,” Sabine said. “I had no idea genetics were involved in healing injuries.”

“Well we are still trying to determine how involved they are,” Susan said. “People heal at different rates; a cut that may take a week or more to heal on one person can heal on another in a matter of days. There are many factors involved of course; the overall health of the person, age, physical condition and even diet, but there is still a genetic link. Some people are born with a more robust immune system than others; they never seem to get sick, or if they do they recover much faster. If we can discover the genetic link to this, we could develop treatments that could have far reaching results. Eliminating or reducing disease in humans could conceivably extend the natural lifespan by decades.”

“Won’t you stay for lunch, dear?” Amanda asked Sabine. “I’d love to have a chance to chat more. It’s been so long since we visited.”

“I would really like to but I’m afraid I must decline,” Sabine said. “I have several appointments today and I really need to be going.”

They rose and walked Sabine to the door. Her limousine was waiting out front, and Amanda gave her a warm hug before she walked down to the waiting car.

“I’m sorry, Susan,” Amanda said as they walked back to the parlor. “Sabine’s visit was a bit of a surprise. Gretchen was away in town picking up some groceries and I was unable to let you know she was here. When she got back, she did not know to go and tell you.”

“I don’t see how it could do any harm,” Susan said. “I’m sure she has no idea who I am. What I told her about my research is public knowledge.”

“Sabine is a dear girl,” Amanda said. “Her mother was a very good friend of mine and Sabine has had a rough go since she lost her a few years back. To be honest, she went a little wild. I’m glad to see she is finding purpose in her life now.”

As the long black car wound its way along the drive, Sabine sat in the back, smiling as she idly fingered the pendant that hung from a silver chain around her neck. She regarded the purple stone for a moment, and then picked up the car phone and began dialing.

*****

Karen came home shortly after Melissa and Brandi had finished a very late breakfast. The three girls went out on the deck and talked for a long time about the night before. Mostly Karen and Melissa talked about the band’s performance and ways that they could improve upon it in the future. Brandi made a few comments, but mostly they were limited to things such as “Yeah, I really like that song”.

“Brandi what’s wrong?” Melissa asked. “You seem like you’re in another world.”

“I guess I am,” Brandi smiled. She lit a cigarette as she collected her thoughts, regarding its glowing tip for a moment before speaking.

“I never told you this but I didn’t start smoking until the day I met Arnie,” she said. “But when I saw his cigarettes, something inside me clicked, and I wanted one; more than that I needed one. And when I took my first drag, I felt very content, like I had passed a test.

“I felt the same thing yesterday when Dylan kissed me and I responded, and again last night. I’ve been sitting here thinking back, and I see now that I felt the same thing every time I have taken a step towards accepting who I am. The first time I explored my body; the first time I dressed like a girl, even the first time I altered my appearance. I think the programming in me has a kind of checklist, and I have to accomplish certain tasks on that list, like it’s trying to verify that I’m operating like I’m supposed to. And the longer I resist, the more it pressures me to act.”

“And there’s only one more thing on the checklist,” Karen said.

“Well there’s only one thing I feel pressured to do,” Brandi smiled. “What bothers me though is I still don’t know who I am. Is everything I do based upon behavior that was programmed into me? Am I just a weapon that acts like a person?”

“Brandi if you can ask that question I think you have the answer,” Karen said. “If you were nothing more than a weapon, a human looking machine, you wouldn’t have these doubts and fears.”

“I guess you’re right,” Brandi said.

“After last night do you feel different towards girls?” Melissa asked.

Brandi considered the question carefully before answering, “No, not really. It’s very hard to explain. What I feel about sex is one thing; there is this very powerful attraction to both men and women. The thought of being with a man still scares the hell out of me, but after last night…after we were together, well I’m not afraid of being with a woman, and I still very much want to be. I really wasn’t afraid of it before; I was more afraid of giving in to the sexual desires I feel in any way.

“So, no, I don’t feel different towards girls, and yet I do. If anything, I know more than ever that emotionally I am far more attracted and comfortable with another woman…one in particular.”

Melissa blushed and Brandi smiled at her lovingly.

“Maybe once you take that last step, you won’t feel attracted to men anymore,” Karen suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Brandi said. “The sexual desire is designed to allow me to perform the missions a Genomorph was created for, and to do so convincingly. I think I will always find men attractive; I just hope that there won’t be a constant, driving need to be with a man. I find myself thinking about it more and more everyday. Worse, I find myself wanting it.”

“So were you in that Zen sleep thing last night?” Melissa asked, deciding she better change the topic before Brandi got too worked up. “You were sure out, and then when you woke up you were ready to go.”

“Ready to go huh?” Karen grinned.

It was Brandi’s turn to blush now and her cheeks turned bright red, “Yes, part of the night I was in Zen sleep. It beats waking up hung over.”

“You drank enough to float a frat house,” Melissa giggled. “I’m surprised you could even walk.”

“Even when I don’t control it, there seems to be a limit to just how drunk I can get,” Brandi said, “though I was certainly acting the part.”

“Well, except for the end, did you have a good time?” Karen asked.

Brandi smiled warmly, “I had a good time, even at the end. I was enjoying every minute of it even then…but I’m glad Renee found me. I’m still not ready to sleep with a guy.”

She blushed again before adding, “After last night though I think I’m a lot closer to it than I was before.”

CHAPTER 28

“Susan if you have a moment I have something you should see,” Amanda said from the base of the stairs to the basement. Susan had spent many hours the last few days looking through the artifacts that Amanda had collected, and had stumbled across something she had seen before.

“Sure, I have something to show you too,” Susan said. She retrieved a large canvas bag from the work table and slipped it over her shoulder as she joined Amanda.

They made their way to Susan’s office, and upon entering she saw that there was a large crate on the floor.

“This arrived by courier from my source in Nevada this morning,” Amanda said. “I believe it is very important.”

Susan stepped over to the crate, and upon seeing that the top was already pried loose she lifted it away. The inside was lined with a thick layer of foam, and once the top piece was removed Susan saw a gleaming silver cube; a storage case for Forerunner technology.

The cube was two feet on each side, and as with other such containers, was seamless with no apparent way of opening it. Generally, such cases had a small black square on top, which when pressed caused the lid of the case to open, in actuality the lid would simply disappear. Another square on the side was used to reseal the case.

This one was different, however. Instead of a square there was a black hand print on the top. Next to it were some lines in Forerunner script and one word in English….Brandi.

“This came from the cache at the lab?” Susan asked.

“Yes,” Amanda confirmed. “My contact found it while cataloguing some of the artifacts. There were several other identical cubes, but only this one had Brandi’s name on it.”

“Whoever your contact is, they took a big chance smuggling this out,” Susan commented.

“Yes and I was not at all pleased,” Amanda said, a frown on her face.

“Well it is obviously connected to the Genomorph Protocol, and intended for Brandi,” Susan said. “When I saved her data file, the computer must have transmitted the data to this container and encoded it for Brandi.”

“Shall I make arrangements to get it to her?” Amanda asked.

Susan nodded, “I have no idea what it is, but it must be important, or at least highly useful.”

“I’ll make the arrangements,” Amanda said. “I was just about to have tea on the veranda, won’t you join me? You can show me what you found then.”

A few minutes later they were sipping tea and enjoying the lovely fall day. Susan reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a large PDA and set it on the table.

“I found this in your collection,” Susan told Amanda as she showed her the device.

“It looks like a tricorder,” Amanda smiled.

“I should have known you would be a Star Trek fan,” Susan grinned. “As a matter of fact that is basically what it is. It’s a miniature computer and scanning device. We had several in Nevada but this has one major difference…it’s fully functional.”

“Can you operate it?” Amanda asked.

“Now that it has been interfaced with my computer and has translated itself, yes,” Susan said. “With this we can scan for changes made by the brainwashing device, and program the device you have to remove those changes, even after the sleeper has been activated, as long as the programming has not been active for too long.”

“You should scan me, and Gretchen as well,” Amanda said.

“Amanda I trust you,” Susan said.

“Trust is not the point, Susan,” Amanda said. “If we have been programmed, we wouldn’t even know it. The only way to be sure is to scan us.”

Susan ran the scan, finding Amanda clean. She then scanned Gretchen who was likewise clean. After that was done, she showed Amanda how to run the scan so she could verify that Susan was free of the sleeper programming.

Amanda ran the scan and gasped, “Susan…”

Susan looked at the screen, which displayed a list of programming that was buried within her mind. She could not tell what she was programmed to do, just that there was code embedded in her sub-conscious. She stared at it for a long time before speaking.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said quietly. “They had ample opportunity to get to me in the four years I was working for them, I just have no idea when this was done.”

She began shaking, and soon she was crying as Amanda held her.

“It’s like being raped!” she cried. “They violated my mind! Those fucking, evil bastards got into my head!”

“But we can fix it, Susan,” Amanda soothed, though inside she was seething. It was, just as Susan said, a kind of rape; even more perverse and violating than a physical assault in many ways.

“I feel like I know some of what Brandi must feel now,” Susan said once she had regained her composure. “I mean intellectually I understood it before…but to really know that something has been put in you to make you act in a certain way…it’s a very uncomfortable feeling. The one thing we truly can call our own is our thoughts, and yet these people have no problem invading that sanctuary and shaping it to fit their design.”

“I imagine the programming is intended to make you obedient and supportive of their agenda once they initiate their plan,” Amanda said. “They would still want your knowledge available to them.”

Susan shuddered, wondering just how obedient the programming would make her.

“Why didn’t they just activate me and use me to get to Brandi?” Susan wondered.

“We caught them by surprise,” Amanda said. “I do know they can activate individual sleepers, but it requires them to be close. In order to activate you now, they would have to use their satellites to send out a general signal and activate all the sleepers. They are not ready to do that yet.”

“So they don’t know about you?”

“They don’t perceive me as a threat,” Amanda told her. “I have been very careful to cultivate that impression, and it has required me to turn a blind eye to some things they have done.”

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight,” Susan said, smiling.

  Amanda smiled as well, “Sun Tzu also said, ‘All warfare is based on deception’, and we must never forget that our enemy is a master of deception.”

“Yes, indeed,” Susan agreed. “Now let’s get this garbage out of my head.”

Susan rose and then turned to Amanda, a smile crossing her face.

“Wait, I have a better idea,” she said. “A little deception of our own. But we’ll need some help.”

CHAPTER 29

It was early Monday morning as shadowy figures began taking positions near a condominium building in Las Vegas. The sun would be up in about two hours, and the street was quiet and deserted. Petty Officer First Class Mark Lewis peered through the scope of his weapon at the black sedan parked outside the condominium complex. The Condor air rifle was a far cry from the weapon he generally used, but it was up to the task at hand. Capable of launching a twenty-two caliber pellet at over twelve hundred feet per second, it was more than enough to puncture the tires of the car without making a sound or the risk of over penetration or ricochets that could endanger innocent civilians. Three more of his platoon mates were in concealed positions around the vehicle and on his command they would disable it.

Inside his condo, Ryan Sanders woke to the sound of his phone ringing and looked at the clock. It was just after four in the morning and he muttered angrily, wondering what was wrong at the lab now.

“This better be good,” he grumbled as he picked up the phone. “Yeah what is it?”

“Ryan there’s no time to explain,” Susan’s voice said in his ear. “You know you’re being watched. I need your help. A black Excursion is pulling up out front right now. Move!”

Ryan dropped the phone and quickly donned a pair of jeans and a shirt, and then slipped on his sneakers. Rising he grabbed his laptop computer and a brown leather duffel bag; he had kept the bag packed and ready for weeks now, and sprinted out of his condo. He ignored the elevators and took the stairs, flying down three flights and out of the building.

The black Ford SUV was pulling up just as Susan had said. It slowed to a crawl but did not stop as the back door opened. Ryan launched himself and was pulled in by strong hands. The door slammed shut and the SUV sped away. Ryan’s shadows started the engine of their car to pursue.

“Take ‘em.” Lewis whispered into his radio. The car had barely begun moving when all four of its tires went flat. By the time the two agents were out of the vehicle, the four SEALs had disappeared into the night.

*****

Brandi, Melissa and Karen entered Keller Karate Tuesday evening and immediately drew stares from all the men who were working out. It was much later than Brandi’s usual workout time and there were more people there, but tonight she was not here to work out. Dylan had called her the day before and asked if she could fill in for his women’s self defense instructor, who was out with the flu. Brandi had been reluctant at first, but Melissa and Karen had convinced her it would be good for her to interact with other women and that she could provide them with information that would be very valuable to them.

“Don’t worry about the boys, they do that all the time,” Brandi said. “Just smile and try not to make eye contact.”

“Speak for yourself, kiddo,” Karen said. “There are some real hunks here.”

Brandi was about to reply when she saw Dylan approaching. She held her comment and smiled as she greeted him.

“Well you are certainly raising the class of this place, Brandi,” Dylan said. Melissa and Karen shared a look as Brandi greeted Dylan with a warm hug.

“These are my friends Melissa and Karen,” Brandi told him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Dylan said, flashing them his roguish smile. Brandi felt a tingle rush through her, and fought the sensation down. She really liked Dylan, and her growing friendship with him was making her sexual urges even harder to resist. Besides Arnie Belcher, she had not develop a close relationship with any man since her transformation until she met Dylan.

“I really appreciate you taking Jenny’s class tonight, Brandi,” Dylan said. “Jerry will be your ‘dummy’ tonight. He’s getting suited up now.”

Brandi led Melissa and Karen to the smaller room that Dylan used for private workouts and small classes. Her friends both began giggling as they entered at the sight of Jerry, his six foot frame encased from head to toe in red foam padding. Brandi explained that the protective suit allowed the class members to practice on the ‘dummy’ as though it was a real attack, without actually hurting him.

Brandi stripped down to her sports bra and tights and began limbering up as several women of various ages slowly filed into the room. When the time for the class to start arrived, there were twelve women there including Melissa and Karen. Dylan came in to start the class off and introduce Brandi to the women.

“Our regular instructor, Jenny is out with the flu so Brandi here has graciously agreed to take over for tonight,” Dylan told them. “Now you may think she looks like a model and not a martial arts instructor, but I can tell you she has taught me a thing or two, most importantly to never underestimate someone based on appearance.”

Brandi blushed slightly and thanked Dylan as he turned the class over to her. She then had everyone introduce themselves and passed out a handout them that listed some basic tips and the defensive moves they would be learning over the course of the class.

“The first thing I want to stress, before we talk about anything else or learn any defensive techniques is preparedness and awareness,” she told the class. “I’m not trying to scare you, but we are all targets. There are predators out there, and they see us as prey; weak and vulnerable. The plain fact is that it’s true; the average woman is smaller and weaker than the average man. The trick is to turn that against an attacker, because he won’t be expecting you to fight back.

“Awareness is your number one weapon. By being aware you can avoid potentially dangerous situations. Always be aware of your surroundings and if a situation feels wrong, get out of there. Think about where you park your car, where you are going. Look around before you get out of your car, even if it’s at home. Never park in a dark, secluded area. When walking out to your car, have your keys ready in hand. If you can, get a remote keyless entry system.”

Brandi saw several heads nodding, knowing she was relaying information many of them had heard before. It was really no different than what Brandon had learned as a SEAL, only he had always known when he was going into danger. She felt a bit awkward preaching to them about the importance of awareness; with her enhanced senses she did not have to think about it, her mind was aware on a subconscious level constantly.

“With awareness you can hopefully avoid getting into a situation,” she continued, “but even if you can’t, it can give you enough warning to allow you to react. That’s where being prepared comes in. The moves you will learn here are part of that, but they won’t do you a bit of good unless you make up your mind, right here and now, that you will not be a victim.”

For the next two hours Brandi worked with the women, first demonstrating a technique with Jerry and then allowing each of them to practice it several times. She stuck to Jenny’s outline; the moves were basic enough to learn easily but very effective. She also stressed that the goal of each was to stop the attacker long enough for the woman to make an escape and that she was not teaching them to fight it out with a man.

“Once you put him down, don’t give in to the temptation to kick him while he’s on the ground,” she told them. “Run as fast as you can and scream as loud as you can. In most situations, the combination of your unexpected resistance and the commotion you make as you flee will convince him to retreat.”

Brandi was quickly over her initial nervousness and actually had fun. By the time the class was over she felt truly sorry for poor Jerry and was certain he probably had a few bruises despite the heavy padding; some of the women had been quite enthusiastic. Brandi could tell, thanks to her enhanced sense, that many of them had very personal reasons for taking this class.

“I’m glad I told Dylan I would do this,” Brandi told Melissa and Karen after the class. “It felt really good.”

“You did a great job,” Karen told her. “I think you made a big impression on everyone. Of course, we already know you’re wonderful.”

“It makes me think,” Brandi said. “I’m really lucky; I’ve never had to deal with that kind of fear. The one thing I wasn’t worried about when I came to LA was being attacked.”

“Well that’s obvious,” Melissa giggled. “You are the only woman I’ve ever met that came to LA looking to be attacked.”

Brandi blushed at the reminder of her first night in Los Angeles, when she had taken a taxi to an area virtually controlled by street gangs to basically pick a fight. She realized now how foolish that had been; though not because she had been in any real danger of being hurt, at least not physically. Instead of helping her resist her growing sexual urges however, the fight had very nearly caused her to give in to them.

Dylan was working with a group of young boys as the three girls entered the main room. Brandi waved and smiled as they walked towards the door, and Dylan left the group and jogged over to catch them. Brandi felt a definite thrill run through her as he neared, followed by a surge of fear and apprehension. She could feel her mind ‘changing gears’ as her anxiety tried to shift her into ‘bimbo mode’, but she took a deep breath and fought it off.

Calm down, you can handle this.

“Jerry tells me you did a great job,” Dylan said as he neared them.

“It was fun,” Brandi told him.

“Well you know we have a lot of interest in the class,” Dylan said. “I wouldn’t mind starting one on another night.”

“I’m happy to help if I can like I did tonight, Dylan,” Brandi said. “I couldn’t commit to anything more. For all I know I could be gone tomorrow.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Dylan said, leaning forward quickly and kissing her on the cheek. “That would be a very sad day.”

Dylan said goodnight and returned to his students and the three girls left the gym. As soon as they were outside Brandi reached into her purse and took out a cigarette. Melissa and Karen both notice her hands trembling slightly as she lit it.

“I win,” Melissa said. “It was under five seconds.”

“You’re right,” Karen said. Brandi looked at them both in confusion.

“We made a bet about how long it would take you to light up once we were outside,” Karen explained.

“Very funny,” Brandi said, exhaling smoke in their general direction.

“You have been smoking a lot more lately,” Melissa said.

“I know,” Brandi said. “It’s not even like I really enjoy it that much. I mean I get a sense of satisfaction because it is programmed into me, but I do it mainly as a distraction. I can focus on that rather than…other things.”

“Dylan is very handsome,” Melissa said. “It’s obvious he likes you a lot.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Brandi said, her voice betraying a hint of bitterness. “I was made to be desirable. That is the hardest part about the feelings I have, and the attention I attract; I don’t know if any of it is real.”

“Brandi, listen to me,” Karen said. “What you are feeling is nothing new; we women face the same questions all the time. Is he interested in me or my body? The trick is to give it time, get to know a guy. If he’s just after a quick tumble, he’ll lose interest if you don’t put out fast enough. If he really cares, if he really wants to know you, he won’t give up.”

“There’s more to it for me though,” Brandi said.

“True, you have an artificially elevated sex drive,” Karen said. “Men are largely driven by their bodies when it comes to sex, where women are more driven by their emotions. But you are driven by both, and it causes conflict. I can’t tell you how to balance the two, but I believe you will find a way.”

“You’ve lived with those feelings for months now,” Melissa added. “If you were going to be ruled by them, it would have happened by now.”

“It’s come close,” Brandi said. “Fortunately I have people looking out for me.”

Brandi’s head snapped to the right as a sound reached her hyper sensitive ears, and she began walking purposefully up the sidewalk in the opposite direction of their house.

“Trouble,” she said as Melissa and Karen followed.

Soon they could hear a young woman’s loud protests and ahead they could see the altercation. One of the girls from the class, Sally Prescott, was being confronted by a man who was yelling at her angrily. As they neared the scene, he reached out and grabbed Sally’s wrist and started pulling her towards a car.

Sally dug the nails of her other hand into the back of his hand and with a cry of pain he released her. She turned to flee but he quickly wrapped an arm around her throat and pulled her roughly back.

“I suggest you let her go,” Brandi growled as they reached the scene.

“Get lost, this is none of your business,” the man shouted back.

“I disagree,” Brandi said. “You are on a public street assaulting a young woman. I’m making it my business.”

The young man sized Brandi and her friends up and did not seem terribly impressed. Brandi knew she could step forward and take him down in less than a second, but she saw something in Sally’s eyes, a very deep fear. She knew this was a crucial moment for the young woman.

“Sally, it’s time to make your choice,” Brandi said softly.

Sally’s eyes hardened at her words, and she acted. She smashed her right foot down on his toes even as she snapped her head back into his face, squarely on his nose. His grip loosened slightly and she grabbed his thumb, prying it away painfully and twisting free from him as he tried to balance on one foot. He lost the fight and fell to the sidewalk as Sally rushed away, stopping when Brandi was between her and the man.

“You bitch!” he screamed. “You broke my fucking thumb!”

“I seriously doubt that,” Brandi said. “At the most she dislocated it.”

“It’s over Craig, why can’t you get that through your head?” Sally said.

“It’s over when I say so!” Craig shouted, rising to his feet and taking a step forward.

This time Brandi did step in; Sally had done what she had been taught. She had acted to defend herself and stopped the assault, and then gotten clear of her attacker and found help. He would not touch her again. Brandi did not try anything fancy; she simply punched him in his already bloody nose hard enough to send him staggering back. Craig snarled in rage and launched a punch of his own. Brandi caught his fist and twisted, forcing him down to his knees and then shoving him away. He sprawled to the sidewalk once more.

“You’re lucky, a few weeks ago I would have broken your arm on principle, but I’ve grown since then,” Brandi said. “If you try to touch her again though I will put you in the hospital.”

“I’ve already called 911,” Karen said, wiggling her cell phone for him to see. “I can call an ambulance while I’ve got my phone out too if you want.”

A look of fear crossed Craig’s face and he scrambled to his feet and got in his car. With squealing tires he sped away from the curb. After he was gone Brandi turned to Sally.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes,” Sally nodded. “He didn’t hurt me…this time.”

“We all saw the assault,” Karen said. “When the cops get here we can give them a statement.”

“I already have a restraining order against him,” Sally said.

“Good, that means they will pick him up with no problem,” Brandi said.

The police arrived and twenty minutes later had taken their statements. Brandi was able to give them a detailed description of Craig’s vehicle and the tag number, and within minutes of putting out a bulletin on the radio the officers informed them that Craig had been picked up a few blocks away after running a red light. He was being taken to the emergency room to have his injured thumb treated and then would at least be spending the night in jail.

“I’ve seen you at Keller Karate, haven’t I?” one of the responding officers asked Brandi. His name tag said Montoya on it.

“Yes I work out there a few times a week, Officer Montoya,” Brandi said. She had thought he looked familiar; he was one of the regulars at the dojo.

“Yeah I heard you put Dylan on his butt a few times,” Montoya laughed. “He’s a great guy but he can be a little cocky at times; I would have loved to see his face when that happened. Were you the one who messed up this guy’s hand?”

“No that was all Sally,” Brandi said. “She showed him a few things she learned in tonight’s self defense class. I only stepped in when he didn’t get the message.”

“Well with the prior incidents and his violating the restraining order the judge will probably throw the book at him on this assault charge,” Montoya said, turning Sally. “If he gives you anymore trouble be sure and call us.”

“Thank you officer, I will,” Sally said.

“You know I could go for a drink,” Karen said after the police had left. “Why don’t you join us, Sally?”

“That sounds nice,” Sally said. There was an air of confidence about her that had not been there before. “We aren’t going to be picking up any guys are we…I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

Brandi put her arm around Sally’s shoulder and smiled, “You and me both, Sally.”

CHAPTER 30

Three days after he had been pulled from his condo, Ryan entered Amanda Breton’s Virginia estate with an awed look. He had spent two of those days at the safe house the SEALs had in California while they made certain that no one was tracking him, and then he had been flown to Virginia.

The house was not quite what he had expected; it was certainly opulent enough but there was a definite warmth that such mansions often lacked. Many of the walls were decorated with paintings, but rather than pieces from famous artists they looked like something one might find at a local art show. It felt like a home, not a museum, and Ryan’s initial nervousness quickly vanished.

Like many, he knew of the wealthy woman through her work in humanitarian efforts around the world. She was one of the few wealthy people he found truly admirable; always ready to use her influence when it mattered but never flaunting it. Amanda and Susan were waiting in the foyer to greet him, and he was more than a bit surprised when Susan gave him a big hug. He had always liked her, but she had never been a person who went in for emotional displays; at least not before Brandi had come into her life.

“I’m so glad we got you away from that place safely,” Susan said. “Let me introduce you to our benefactor and someone I have come to regard as a close friend, Amanda Breton.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Breton,” Ryan said as they shook hands.

“Please, call me Amanda. Being called Mrs. Breton makes me feel like an old lady.”

Ryan laughed, knowing that Amanda was well into her seventies, though she did not look a day over fifty. They went into the parlor and Gretchen brought in a tray of refreshments. The pretty blonde gave Ryan an uncharacteristic smile as she served him, and actually blushed when he thanked her.

“Gretchen likes you, Ryan,” Amanda said as the girl left the parlor. “She’s rather shy around men. I’m afraid she had a rather traumatic childhood.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard her speak,” Susan said.

“She is quite fluent in English, as well as her native Dutch and French and German,” Amanda told them. “As I said, she’s very shy.

“I found her five years ago. Her parents had died when she was very young, and when she was twelve the administrator of the orphanage she was in sold her to a wealthy Dutch business man. She was his plaything for six years, until some people I was working with freed her. Her former ‘master’ as well as several members of the orphanage staff were arrested and imprisoned.”

“It sounds like they got off lucky,” Ryan muttered, outraged that someone could do such a thing to human being, not to mention someone as lovely as Gretchen.

“Indeed they did. I brought in counselors and teachers to work with Gretchen. Naturally, after being treated as a sex object for so long that was how she saw herself. She had a long road to travel, and she has made tremendous strides. Of course she will deal with issues arising from her treatment for the rest of her life, but she is a remarkable young woman.”

“She must be incredibly strong,” Susan said.

“I hope she and Brandi can meet,” Amanda said. “In many ways Gretchen has had to deal with programmed behavior of her own.”

“I think that would be wonderful,” Susan agreed. She then turned to Ryan, an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry we had to whisk you away like this, Ryan,” she said. “The situation is far worse than we ever suspected, and we desperately need your help. But first, I need to run a scan on you.”

Susan reached into her bag and took out the Forerunner handheld scanner. The scan revealed that Ryan was free of any mental programming. She quickly explained to him what she had learned about the programming of the sleeper agents and showed him the scan results revealing the programming within her mind.

“I guess they had bigger fish to fry than me,” Ryan said, relief obvious in his voice.

“You’ve only been with the project a little over a year,” Susan said. “From what Amanda has told me, they have been stepping up their efforts to program people in power. They likely reasoned that you would be easy enough to get to once they enact their plan.”

“What do you want to do?” Ryan asked. “I assume you’re after something more than just removing the programming they put in you.”

“Yes I am,” Susan said. “What we need you to do is write a new program, one that will leave their programming in place so that I will know when they activate the sleepers, but still allow me to act under my own free will. I need to know what the programming is trying to make me do.”

“If they had any sense at all it will require you to make contact for instructions,” Ryan said. “It probably includes code words too so they will know you are under their control.”

“Can you do it?” Susan asked. “The only Forerunner computer we have is this hand unit.”

Susan passed the device to Ryan and he examined it for several minutes.

“Yes I can do it with this,” he said. “My laptop has custom interfaces attached that will hook up to this unit. I can use it to enter the data, which will speed up the process. It’s going to take time though.”

“Is there anything else you need?” Amanda asked.

“Lots of coffee and sweets,” Ryan grinned. “I don’t plan on sleeping much until this is done.”

“I’ll have Gretchen keep you supplied,” Amanda said, smiling. It would be good for her to have contact with this charming young man.

CHAPTER 31

It was a pleasant early October day a week later as Melissa pulled her SUV into the garage, with sunny skies and the temperature in the upper seventies. It had been her usual day; nine hours split between her own classes and her work as a teaching assistant in the music department, mostly tutoring undergraduates in piano and cello, which was often maddening to say the least. Yet as she walked in through the garage door she felt a smile spreading across her face. Coming home to Brandi always made her smile, no matter how tired she was.

It had been nearly two months since the night they had met; the night Brandi had saved her and turned her world upside down in a wonderful way. For the past two weeks they had been lovers, but Melissa was still uncertain of her feelings. Being in love with Brandi brought with it a host of unique complications. She could deal with the fact that Brandi was in hiding, and that perhaps one day they would be on the run. She actually found that somewhat exciting. But could she deal with growing older while Brandi was forever young? Could she see her own body age and wither and not feel her love turn into resentment?

Who are you kidding? She asked herself. She’s everything you want.

It was not Brandi’s looks, although Melissa was not ashamed to admit that she had been physically attracted to Brandi the instant she saw her. But more than anything it was her innocence. Some of that had been programmed into her by the alien machine, a behavior designed to lull an enemy into believing she could not possibly be a threat. But more than that, it came from the fact that Brandi was seeing the world through a new set of eyes. Every experience for her was fresh and new, and Melissa loved watching her grow. There was also a definite strength that came through when Brandi became comfortable with someone and no longer felt the need to hide who she was. She was the most fearless person Melissa had ever known, and that too was not a product of her transformation; if anything it was one of the reasons she had been transformed.

Still Melissa felt she had to be sure, and so she was waiting for some indefinable sign that would let her know for certain that she really and truly loved Brandi and wanted to be with her for the rest of her life.

She got it sooner than she expected.

Brandi was nowhere to be seen as she passed the kitchen and entered the living room. She wasn’t out on the deck either, so Melissa went upstairs and checked her bedroom. She was not overly concerned, but Brandi was always there when she and Karen got home, and usually had dinner in the works. And today they were going to the range for some shooting practice, and Brandi was always ready for that.

Her bedroom was empty but the door to the bathroom was slightly ajar, and Brandi generally kept it wide open if she was not in there. Melissa stepped up to the door and knocked gently.

“Brandi I’m home,” she called. Of course with her enhanced senses Brandi should already know that.

“Brandi?” Melissa called again when there was no reply. Finally she decided that Brandi must not be home and swung the door open wide.

The sight before her caused her heart to freeze in her chest. Brandi was in the bathtub, completely submerged beneath the water, her eyes open and staring at the ceiling. Her skin had a pale, squalid look to it, and her chest was not moving.

A thousand things flashed through Melissa’s mind at once but what came out of her mouth was a heart rending scream of anguish, bellowing up from the depths of her soul. She felt as though a dark pit had opened beneath her and she was falling into eternal blackness. It seemed as though hours passed as she stood there, feeling that her world was coming to an end, though it was only seconds. In those seconds it was as though she could see her life stretching before her, empty and barren without Brandi in it.

The moment was broken as Brandi literally exploded from the water, leaping from the tub, dripping wet, her eyes darting about to find what had frightened Melissa so she could kill it. All she saw was Melissa, standing there, eyes wide in horror.

“Melissa?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Melissa screamed, finding her voice at last. “Do you have any idea what you just put me through?”

“Melissa I’m sorry… I was…”

Melissa slapped her, hard, across the face, and though it barely stung physically, to Brandi it was as though she had just had her heart ripped from her chest. Melissa slapped her a second time and tried for a third but Brandi caught her wrist and gently forced her hand down. Melissa began shaking, tears streaming down her face.

“I…I’ll go…” Brandi whispered, choking back her own tears. “Thank you for being my friend.”

Brandi slipped past the stunned Melissa and began looking about the room, trying to decide what to pack first. She wanted to fall down on her knees and beg Melissa to forgive her, but the anger and hurt she had seen and felt in her friend was too much. Brandi was certain she had destroyed the one chance she had to hold on to her humanity.

“Don’t you dare leave me Brandi,” Melissa said softly from behind her, and as Brandi turned she saw Melissa rushing towards her, colliding with her and knocking her to the bed.

Melissa grabbed Brandi’s face in her hands and kissed her. She kept her lips tight against Brandi’s, their tongues dancing, even as her hands moved to her blouse, ripping it open. She felt Brandi responding to her, helping her undress, and all the while her mind was shouting with joy. She knew now, beyond any doubt, that she loved this strange, wonderful girl and whatever time she had she wanted to spend it with Brandi!

*****

Karen was feeling a bit nervous as she approached the office of her advisor, Dr. Richard Evans. She had turned in her thesis a week earlier and was surprised when he had asked her to stop by his office this soon. The quarter was not even half over and her thesis would not even be presented for review for several weeks. The process of turning it in to her advisor early was simply to allow him to review it and give her some preliminary advice on any revisions she should make.

“Come in and have a seat, Karen,” Dr. Evans told her as she entered the office. “I’m sure you’re dying to know what’s up.”

“I am a little curious,” Karen admitted as she sat down.

“Well let me put your mind ay ease by saying your thesis was masterful,” Evans smiled. “What I want to talk to you about is your future. What do you want to do?”

“I hope to work in international relations,” Karen said, breathing a mental sigh of relief. “I’ve already had contact with several corporations.”

“What about the government?” Evans asked. “Have you put in a resume with the State Department?”

“Yes I have,” Karen said. “Working for the State Department is my dream really, but I’m certain I’ll need some experience in the field before I have a chance at a job there.”

“I’d like to give your name to some people I know,” Evans said. “I would also like to send them your thesis. The State Department is forming a new threat assessment group and they are looking for fresh, young minds. I can’t really tell you a lot about it, as I don’t have that many details. I do know this group will work closely with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community.”

“Dr. Evans, I don’t know what to say.” Karen said. “Thank you.”

“I can’t promise you anything, Karen,” Evans said. “All I can do is put a few words in the right ears. If they do take you, it will mean you’ll have to go to Washington, probably before the quarter is over. That shouldn’t be a problem as all your work is done. Your thesis still has to be reviewed by the board but I can assure you that is only a formality. As I said, I can’t promise you anything, but you might want to start making arrangements; they’d be fools not to take you.”

“I will,” Karen said, looking at her watch. “If they want me, I’ll do the very best job I can.”

“I know you will, Karen, you have a bright future ahead of you,” Evans said. “I have to get back to reviewing more papers so I won’t keep you any longer.”

Karen left the office and walked to her car in a daze. She really knew nothing about what the job would entail, but she was already excited. Dr. Evans would not have even mentioned it if it was not something he felt was important and rewarding.

The only bad part was telling her friends, Melissa and Brandi in particular. She knew they would take it hard; she and Melissa had been friends for six years, and though she had only known Brandi for a fraction of that time she loved her like a sister. It never ceased to amaze her that despite Brandi’s awesome abilities, emotionally she was tremendously fragile. Brandi was a warrior capable of tremendous destruction packaged in the body of a young woman who could so easily be broken. The last thing Karen wanted to do was hurt her, and yet there was no way she could turn down an opportunity like this.

“Well, there’s no sense in getting them worked up yet,” she muttered as she started her car. “I’ll wait until I know something definite.”

*****

“Next time can we skip the whole fight part and just make up?” Brandi giggled as she and Melissa lay entwined in bed.

“I love you Brandi, but don’t you ever scare me like that again.” Melissa said, her voice cracking. “I thought you were dead. I’m sorry I slapped you…I just lost it. It was like my whole world was coming to an end when I saw you there.”

“I’m so sorry Melissa.” Brandi whispered, pulling Melissa’s head onto her breast. “I…I didn’t mean to. I would never hurt you…I love you too.”

“I know you do, silly blonde,” Melissa smiled, and then her smile turned to a frown. She pushed herself up and smacked Brandi on the shoulder.

“What the hell were you doing anyway?”

Brandi rubbed her shoulder before answering.

“I was seeing if I could regulate my body’s oxygen consumption,” Brandi explained. “Since I started taking those yoga classes like Renee suggested, I’ve really learned a lot. I’ve found that I can actually visualize the parts of my mind; it’s like my brain is partitioned like a hard drive. Every aspect of who I am has its own part; my personality, my combat abilities…even my sensuality. When I meditate I can actually isolate and examine those areas and I’m learning that I can regulate all sorts of things, like my heart rate, my body temperature and my respiration.

“I guess I went too far ‘cause I slipped into something really close to Zen sleep. I knew what was happening around me but it was like through a fog. I heard you come in, and I heard you call my name and I was coming out of it slowly.”

“And then I screamed.”

“That woke me up fast,” Brandi said, her voice pained with the memory. “It wasn’t just the noise…I could feel you in that scream…oh God Melissa please forgive me for putting you through that!”

“Hey, I do forgive you love,” Melissa assured her. “Just promise me you won’t try anything like that by yourself again.”

“I promise,” Brandi said.

“So how long were you underwater?” Melissa asked, settling back down to snuggle with Brandi.

“A little over three hours,” Brandi said.

“I ought to slap you again,” Melissa sighed. “So you were holding your breath the whole time?”

Brandi nodded, “Those yoga classes have really opened up a lot of new possibilities to explore. The other day I lowered my respiration to one breath every ten minutes. So I figured if I could get into that state and take a really deep breath I should be able to hold my breath a long time.”

“That’s very interesting love, but what good is it really? I mean if you are as helpless as you get in Zen sleep, what can it do for you?”

“Well for one thing if I ever get buried alive it could be useful,” Brandi offered. “I am pretty sure though with more practice I’ll be able to control my bodily functions while still being able to move. I just need to learn to put one part of my mind into that state, while the other parts remain active.”

“Like you can when you lower your pain threshold?”

“Exactly,” Brandi said. She still had not told Melissa exactly how her pain management ability worked. “It’s all a matter of training, not just my body but the nanocyborgs in me. I think they start out with some basic functions, but are capable of doing much more.”

“It is amazing, everyday you seem to grow,” Melissa said, then started laughing. “I’ll never forget the look on those guys’ faces at Muscle Beach last weekend when you bench pressed two hundred pounds.”

“Imagine what they would have looked like if I’d really decided to show off,” Brandi grinned. “In the lab I benched over six hundred, and I lifted nearly a thousand in the squat. As Brandon I could never come close to that, not even at my peak.”

“My girlfriend is Buffy the Vampire Slayer on steroids,” Melissa giggled.

“Actually none of that is superhuman,” Brandi told her. “There are weight lifters that can lift that much. Of course they are all men and are huge, but my strength is not outside human capabilities.”

“Well it’s still pretty cool,” Melissa said. “I get that thing women are supposed to long for; a pair of strong arms to hold me, all wrapped up in a cute, sexy, cuddly girl package.”

“That’s funny,” Brandi said. “When I’m in your arms I don’t feel strong, but I do feel safe. Right now, I feel protected by your strength.”

“You do tend to be a bit submissive when it comes to making love,” Melissa said. “Probably you’re supposed to be that way, but I think it’s mostly because you’re never more vulnerable than when you open yourself to someone else, and making love is the most open two people can get. I also think that maybe it’s the one time you really feel comfortable as a girl.”

“Whatever,” Brandi smiled, snuggling close to Melissa. “I just know I could stay here with you holding me forever.”

“That may be but we have to meet Karen at Gary’s shop,” Melissa reminded her.

Brandi was out of the bed in a flash, pulling Melissa with her.

“That’s right, I forgot!” she exclaimed.

“Oh sure, stay in bed with me forever she says,” Melissa said in mock disgust as Brandi began hurriedly dressing. “But give her a chance to go blast some holes in paper targets and I am totally forgotten.”

Brandi grinned mischievously, “I’ll make it up to you tonight. Wait ‘till you see how hot I get after a session at the range.”

*****

Dear Mom,

It’s hard to believe over two months have passed since I made my escape. Living with the constant fear that they will find me is hard, but I have decided I have to get on with my life. I know it’s going to happen one day, but I try not to let it worry me too much.

I have some interesting news I’m sure you’ll want to hear….

I’m in love! And what’s even better … she loves me too! I’m sure I don’t have to tell you but yes, it is Melissa.

I know there are all kinds of issues involved with this, not the least of which is the fact that I will likely live a long time and have to face watching her as the years take their toll, but I don’t care about that. What can my life be like if I allow those concerns to deny me happiness?

And I realize we have only known each other for a short time. I knew she was attracted to me from the start, but I wasn’t sure if it was just a sexual thing or if she really had feelings for me. It all kind of exploded today, and I do mean exploded. I’ll tell you about that later.

It really is mind blowing to think that the eleven year old girl I saved from drowning fourteen years ago is now this beautiful young woman that I am madly in love with. Where would I be without her? Melissa has helped me so much in becoming more comfortable as a girl. Hell if it wasn’t for her I’d be dressing, well, like a slut. I still dress sexy, I just can’t help it, but she at least keeps me under control. And it’s not just with fashion that she helps me. She corrects me when I start acting like a guy…I still have a tendency to come in and flop down on the couch with my legs splayed out and stuff like that. She has also helped me get my eating under control. I still take in calories like crazy, but she pointed out that since calories are just energy to me if I eat the right things regularly I don’t have to pig out at meals. I think chocolate may have been created for Genomorphs. Of course I have to keep that away from Melissa…she has a definite chocolate addiction and she can gain weight. I can’t wait until you can meet her.

I still have a lot of doubts and fears, not the least of which is the big M word. I’m not as afraid of it as I used to be, though now I have a new worry. If I give in to my urges to have sex with a man, I know I’ll feel horrible, like I am being unfaithful to Melissa. Oh well, one complication down and another pops up.

It kind of brings up a bit of confusion too. I mean, what am I? Am I really a lesbian now, since I’m in love with another woman? When it comes to sex, inside I still see myself as male, so being in love with Melissa feels like the most natural thing in the world. In everything else though, I look, act and even think like a woman now. It’s confusing, but I can see the wisdom in it. By setting the Genomorph program up so that it altered the subject to sexually accept both genders, the Forerunners left us free to decide for ourselves who we would love. In the end, that’s all that really matters. Being open to sex with a man was necessary for the primary mission of the Genomorph; to infiltrate a male dominated society and get close to the men in power, but we can still choose who we will care about.

I think if I were really to be truthful though, the thing about having sex with a man that frightens me the most…the thing about being female that frightens me the most…is the idea that I can bear children. That is something that nothing in my past experience can even begin to help me deal with. Yet even though it scares me, it excites me too…does that make sense? Logically, if the Forerunners had not wanted Genomorphs to reproduce, it would have been simple enough to make them incapable of bearing children. So the fact that the transformation made me fertile means that childbearing was probably something they desired. I wonder if I will desire it someday. Right now I can say for certain that when I look at a man, I am not evaluating them as a breeding partner, I am evaluating them as a sexual partner. That’s enough to deal with for now.

Well I have to go for now. I’ll write again soon. I love you.

CHAPTER 32

Gretchen entered the room where Ryan was working on the modified control program carrying a tray piled high with food. He did not even stir as she set it down on the table behind him.

“Mr. Ryan, you must eat,” Gretchen said.

Ryan turned, a smile coming to his face. He had been working on the program for nine days, and Gretchen had kept him well supplied with caffeine and sugar, as well as more substantial food, but this was the first time she had ever spoken. She had a lovely, soft alto with just the barest hint of an accent.

“Thank you, Gretchen, you’re right,” he said. “I could use a break. Would you join me?”

“I really should get back to my duties,” Gretchen said, blushing.

“I’m sure Amanda wouldn’t mind if you kept me company for a bit,” Ryan said. “I’d really like to have someone other than my computer to talk with for a while. And please, you can drop the mister and just call me Ryan.”

“All right…Ryan, I would like very much to stay for a while,” Gretchen smiled shyly.

Ryan thought she had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He stepped over to the small table and sat down, eying the food hungrily. Gretchen moved to serve him and he held up a hand.

“Please, you’re on a break,” he said. “I can dish out my own food. Have a seat.”

Gretchen sat in the chair opposite him, her posture very straight and proper. Ryan realized sadly that while she had come far from the girl Amanda had taken in, she still had a long way to go. In effect, she had replaced one type of programming with another; from sexual servant to domestic servant. Now she hid behind that programming.

“If I may be so bold, you are working too hard,” Gretchen said hesitantly. “You never leave this room. The grounds are lovely, and I find that taking walks helps me to relax.”

“That sounds nice,” Ryan smiled. “Would you take a walk with me later on?”

“I…I could not,” Gretchen stammered. “I have much work to do.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who works too hard.” Ryan grinned.

“It…it is hard for me, Ryan,” Gretchen said softly. “I know Mrs. Breton told you where she found me…what I was. Even after all this time…I am never far from that place.”

Ryan’s eyes softened and he almost reached out to take her hand, but somehow knew it was too soon for that. Instead he said, “I can’t begin to imagine what you went through, and I would do anything in my power to make those memories go away. I don’t have a lot of friends, but I would like to be yours, Gretchen.”

“I…I would like that too, Ryan.”

*****

Gary Rand was an old friend of Melissa’s father who ran a gun shop and indoor shooting range that drew a lot of business from law enforcement. Melissa had introduced Brandi to Gary when she had asked about gun shops a few weeks earlier. In addition to selling guns Gary was also a gunsmith and did custom work, and Brandi had talked with him at length about getting some special work done.

Security was something that concerned Brandi a great deal, with good reason. While the people that were pursuing her were technically government agents, they operated outside the law. The very fact that they had held her in the Nevada lab and were pursuing her now that she had left was a violation of the law; she had done nothing wrong and had in fact fulfilled the agreement she had signed before she was transformed. That the machine had done something unexpected was irrelevant; she had demonstrated that she was no threat and several of the scientists had said the same.

Still, that would not stop them from trying to force her back, and they would not hesitate to hurt or use those she had become close to. She was not worried about herself, but Melissa and Karen were another story, so a few weeks earlier she had asked them how they felt about guns.

“My dad’s guns are in the closet in my room,” Melissa had told her. “They’re registered in my name now. I’ve fired them before; he took me to the range several times when I was younger. They haven’t been used in several years though.”

“I have no problem with guns,” Karen had said. “I’ve never touched one in my life but I understand that they are not inherently evil. I’ve just never had a reason to touch one before.”

The next day Brandi and Melissa had gone to see Gary, taking her father’s pistols with them. He had used a pair of Colt Python revolvers; one with a four inch barrel as his service weapon and a second with a two and a half inch barrel as a back up and concealment piece. They were in good shape and well maintained but had been sitting in a case for over two years. Brandi had asked Gary to give them a full check and make any repairs necessary, and then had talked with him for some time about a special order.

It had only taken a few days to get the Pythons back into pristine condition, and in the three weeks since then they had returned to Gary’s regularly, using his indoor range. Brandi worked with Melissa and Karen on becoming familiar with the revolvers, loading them with thirty-eight special rather than full magnum loads so they could become comfortable with them. She had also encouraged them both to apply for concealed weapons permits so that they could carry them when they were away from home.

Brandi had been pleased that her skill with weapons had improved just as her hand to hand combat skills had. It was not surprising, but she had been uncertain as to just how much better she would be. Mercer had never allowed her to have any contact with weapons of any kind in the Nevada lab, probably because he feared she would try to escape.

A lot of good that did them, Brandi thought with a smile.

They drove to Gary’s in Brandi’s newly purchased car. She had wanted to get something practical, along the lines of Melissa’s Escape hybrid, with good cargo capacity and fuel economy, so that if they had to run they could load up and go.

She had ended up with a bright red Pontiac Solstice convertible. The little sports car had just been so adorable and sexy and she had just known that she would look absolutely hot driving around in it. It was impractical at best, and yet on another level it was perfectly within the character she presented to the world. A girl like her looked much more natural behind the wheel of a sports car than an SUV.

“We can use yours if we have to bug out,” she had told Melissa sheepishly when she brought the car home. “What can I say….I’m just programmed that way.”

Brandi had become far more comfortable with the behavior that was programmed into her. Fighting it only led to stress, and a stressed out Genomorph tended to break things. She dressed like a sexy girl and even enjoyed it, though Melissa often had to rein in her more risqué selections. It wasn’t that she minded the way Brandi dressed; in fact she loved that her girlfriend was not afraid to show off her body. But she knew that there was still that last bit of behavior that Brandi was struggling with; her attraction to men, and dressing too provocatively would only make them notice her more. It was not like Brandi actually tried to dress sensually either; I fact the opposite was true. When Brandi had first been transformed and escaped the lab, she had thought about her appearance constantly and dressed to hide it. Now, she tended to dress without thinking about how she looked, and her programmed nature led to her dressing in a way to best display herself. Usually all it took was a raised eyebrow from Melissa and she would correct her look.

Being with Melissa helped her deal with her desires a lot, but it was getting harder. Brandi knew it was only a matter of time before she succumbed. As for her flashy car and dress, well, she thought of it as hiding in plain sight when she gave it any thought at all. If the people looking for her were around, they would have in mind the frightened, insecure girl from the lab who tried as hard as she could not to be a girl. They would be unlikely to think the hot blonde in the flashy red sports car was the fugitive they were looking for.

She silently thanked Ryan Sanders again for the identity he had constructed for her. Her credit history was spotless and that had smoothed the transaction. Her paying cash for the car had smoothed it even more.

You get at least two big wet kisses when I see you Ryan, Brandi thought with a grin. And who knew, by then she may be over that last hurdle and he could get a lot more. Ryan was a geek, but he was a really cute geek.

Of course she would not even have the car were it not for the money from Amanda Breton. The trust fund provided her with a monthly allowance that more than covered her expenses, and she could access larger sums for major purchases, like buying the car. She had already replaced the cash she had spent from the ten thousand Susan had provided her, and added more to it. They now had twenty-five thousand dollars in cash hidden in the condo in case they had to run. In addition, each of their vehicles had a ‘bug out’ kit in it, which included an additional five thousand dollars, so they could make a getaway without ever having to return to the house if necessary. She had also given Melissa and Karen the information necessary to access the numbered account should something happen and they became separated. Should the worst happen and they had to flee while they were separated, Amanda had provided them with the location of a secluded house in the mountains north of Los Angeles where they could meet and regroup.

She thought of all the people in her life now; Susan, the Admiral, Mrs. Breton, Arnie and now Melissa and Karen. How could she survive without them? And how had she been so fortunate, with so much arrayed against her? What about the connection to Brandon? Amanda, Susan, Arnie and even Melissa…all people whom Brandon had crossed paths with and saved. It certainly did seem that fate was working overtime in her life.

“Do you believe in fate Melissa?” Brandi asked as they drove to Gary’s shop.

“I believe you are fated to get a ticket if you don’t slow down.” Melissa told her. Brandi grinned and dropped her speed down from sixty to the posted forty-five.

“Sorry, some of the old me is still there.” She giggled. “I always was an adrenaline junky.”

“Now to answer your question, yes I believe there is such a thing as fate.” Melissa said. “I believe there is something out there, something greater than us, that subtly guides us. Why do you ask?”

“Just thinking...” Brandi said growing quiet. The wind was whipping her hair back and in her mirrored shades, tight jeans and low cut blouse, Melissa had to admit that this was the perfect car for her. She looked like she belonged in a music video.

“So much has happened to me, and I thought I was in control, but now I wonder.” Brandi continued. “Someone or something was looking out for me during my carefully planned escape. If they hadn’t been, I’d be locked up in that hell hole in Nevada right now.

“And even before then, there are so many people that through some strange twist of fate crossed Brandon’s path at just the right time, you especially. If I hadn’t been on that beach in San Diego to pull you out of the water….I can’t even think about what my life would be like now.”

“You are in control Brandi.” Melissa said. “You control your destiny. Fate is what life hands us; sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Destiny is what we make of it; and I believe that some people, those that have the capability to handle it, get handed more by fate, so that they can forge a greater destiny. Fate put all of those people in your path, but you made the choices, you took action and you set the course of your destiny.”

“That still puts a lot on me then.” Brandi said.

“Yes it does.” Melissa admitted.

“Good. I don’t like being controlled.” Brandi said, and then flashed one of her sunburst smiles. “Gently nudged in the right direction from time to time I can tolerate.”

CHAPTER 33

Gary Rand looked up as the door chime sounded and smiled as he saw the two girls entering his gun shop. Karen was already there, waiting at the counter as her friends entered.

“Melissa, Brandi how nice to see you!” He greeted them. Brandi giggled happily and bounced up to the counter, leaning over to give Gary a kiss on the cheek.

You would never guess she was a man less than a year ago, Melissa thought.

It was true; in the two months that Melissa had known Brandi she had changed completely. Once she had made up her mind to embrace being a woman she had launched herself into it with a passion. That did not mean she did not still have doubts and fears, but she was dealing with them. And there was still one last thing that she had to deal with. Melissa felt it would be soon. At least she was on birth control, having opted for a Depo-Provera injection, which would protect her for twelve weeks. Two weeks after getting the shot Brandi had told her that she would not need them in the future, because her body now knew how to duplicate the effect.

“I got your message that my pistols are ready.” Brandi said to Gary. She was practically hopping with excitement.

“Yep, and the paper work is all set.” Gary smiled. “You can take ‘em home with you.”

“Cool.” Brandi said.

Gary left the counter and stepped into the shop in back, returning almost immediately with two boxes. He opened them and grinned as Brandi practically squealed with glee. She was an odd girl, he thought. Kind of dizzy but she sure knew her firearms. And she could shoot like no one he had ever seen.

“A matched pair of Heckler and Koch P2000SKs in .357 Sig. I replaced the stock sights with Trijicon night sights and tuned the trigger pull to minimum weight just like you asked. They’re Heckler and Koch so they are pretty nice out of the box, but I tweaked the action a bit. They should shoot real smooth.”

“Sweet!” Brandi exclaimed. She examined the weapons, working the slide to feel the action. “Wonderful work Gary.”

“Those are kind of cute,” Karen said as Brandi admired the pistols. “It’s nice that they make guns for little girlie hands.”

Brandi glared at Karen, who was grinning wickedly, and stuck her tongue out.

“Hey I got some info you might want to hear,” Gary told them. “I was talking to one of my friends on the force. When I heard about those punks that tried to hurt you Melissa I put some feelers out.”

Brandi stiffened noticeably at his words.

“Turns out those three had several outstanding warrants and pretty extensive rap sheets. They were very nasty dudes. I’m glad someone helped you out there Melissa.”

“Actually it wasn’t just someone.” Melissa smiled. “Brandi is the one that saved me.”

Gary looked at Brandi with a new respect. “They said those three were messed up pretty bad. You did all that damage?”

Brandi nodded and smiled, looking embarrassed as she said, “I’ve taken martial arts classes since I was old enough to walk practically. Daddy was a hand to hand combat instructor for the Navy at Little Creek.”

“So your dad taught Navy SEALs how to fight,” Gary laughed. “And his little girl too. Smart man; looks like those guys got off lucky.”

You have no idea, Brandi thought as she smiled sweetly. The story was close to the truth, though Brandon’s father had been a submariner. But the hand to hand instructor at Little Creek had always delighted in asking, ‘Who’s your daddy now?’ after having thoroughly embarrassed one of his trainees on the mat. At any rate the explanation seemed to satisfy Gary’s curiosity.

“Now let’s see what you three can do with these weapons,” Gary smiled. “I’ll buzz you through to the range and bring them around with some ammo.”

*****

Susan was seated in the office Amanda had provided for her pouring over the latest data from the Genomorph project. How Amanda had gotten her hands on the documents Susan did not know and did not ask. Amanda had simply assured her that she had a trusted source, the same person who had sent the package with Brandi’s name on it.

The files contained decrypted information on the capabilities of a Genomorph. The more Susan read, the more stunned she was.

Immediately upon completion of the process a Genomorph was physically perfect…by human standards. But many of the abilities could be fine tuned, and others only manifested after the subject had adapted both physically and mentally to their new body. She knew from Brandi’s emails that she was almost, if not fully, adapted already. And she knew she was already unlocking many of these new capabilities, and developing her body as well, even if she did not know why.

The last document was a direct translation of a file regarding the seven warrior genes.

There are many factors that combine to distinguish a true warrior from an ordinary soldier. A man or woman may be molded into a soldier through training and discipline, but the foundation of a true warrior is there from birth. These are the genetic traits of the warrior, those which distinguish them from mere soldiers.

Warriors must posses a physical and mental superiority that sets them above the average. They must be faster, stronger, hardier; they must be decisive and adaptable. Above all they must be committed and resolute, capable and willing to wreak terrible destruction but never reveling in the act.

Even among warriors, there are genetic traits that set some apart, in particular the seven warrior genes. To be considered for the Genomorph Protocol, a warrior must possess at least one of these markers; the Mother. Those warriors possessing more than three are truly formidable and able to accomplish great deeds. But only those possessing all seven will transcend greatness and become legends.

The Leader - Warriors with this genetic trait are gifted, natural leaders. They are able to inspire others through word and action and engender great loyalty and devotion in their comrades and fear and hatred in their enemies. Genomorphs possessing this gene have the ability to sense the motivations of others as well as inspire them to exceed their own perceived limitations.

The Destroyer - This genetic trait renders the warrior capable of acts of great violence and destruction. Unbalanced it is found in the most monstrous individuals of society, but when balanced by other traits it gives the warrior the ability to carry out the violence necessary in warfare, yet not be ruled by it. Genomorphs possessing the destroyer will generally develop natural weapons, most often expressed as claw or bone blades. The Genomorph must exercise great care in dealing with this dark aspect of their nature, as they constantly tread a fine line between darkness and light.

The Tactician - This trait gives the warrior an innate grasp of tactics and strategy. This is not simply limited to warfare, and can be found in those who are successful in many varied endeavors. They know the value of careful planning, and yet are not bound to it. They are masters of improvisation as well, and can adjust to changing situations readily. Genomorphs with this gene have highly developed minds; compartmentalized and capable of multitasking better than the finest tactical information systems.

The Just - Also called The Defender, warriors with this trait will naturally resist that which is wrong and defend that which is right. It should be noted that right and law do not necessarily equate, and warriors with this trait can be expected to rebel against unjust rulers. They will also have no fear of skirting the rules, as they are governed by an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong. They detest seeing power abused and the weak trodden on. This trait renders the Genomorph highly resistant to attempts to control them and cause them to act against their principles.

The Cunning - Shrewd and adaptable, these warriors are able to use guile as well as force to accomplish their objective. This gene gives the warrior the ability to overcome in the face of adversity, and to salvage victory from the very precipice of disaster. This gene suits the spy and assassin, the thief and the saboteur, but is also found in great leaders and generals. This gene is prized for Genomorphs because it augments their ability to mimic another’s form by allowing them to independently alter their appearance.

The Resolute - This trait gives the warrior the resolve to do what must be done - regardless of personal cost. This is the mark of the true hero, who will give the last full measure of themselves for others, and never seek fame or recognition. However it can also be found in the worst tyrants, who will stop at nothing to accomplish their own selfish ends. This trait allows a Genomorph to continue to function even when badly hurt, and to control the way her body responds to pain.

The Mother - Most prized of all, this most feminine trait is rare in males and yet seems to be disproportionably represented in warriors. At first, this may seem odd until one considers the nature of this trait. It is the gene of the nurturer, the lover, the caregiver and bringer of life; yet it is also the gene of the protector. One has only to consider a mother in the wild, protecting her young from a fierce predator to understand. To the warrior, all are their children and they will fight to the bitter end to protect them. With the transformation, this gene is fully enabled in the Genomorph, and as she grows will express itself in a strong maternal drive. This will provide the added benefit of producing future generations of warriors from the Genomorphs who will bear them. The Mother gene also serves to make the transformation less traumatic for the warrior, allowing a part of their nature which was never fully expressed to be freed.

Above all it must be stressed that the transformation is voluntary, and a warrior must be fully informed of every aspect before agreeing to be transformed. To take one of these proud individuals and subject them to this against their will could lead to unforeseen consequences. The mental reprogramming required necessitates a willing subject who is prepared and will not resist the changes. This is especially true of those warriors possessing the Just genetic trait, as they are inherently resistant to such reprogramming and the power required to overcome this resistance could damage the programming and result in unintended difficulties.

Susan smiled, finding it ironic. Deep within the greatest of warriors was a little piece of feminine instinct, which shaped their potential for destruction into a desire to preserve and protect.

It also explained more about her attraction to men. It was quite likely that the Mother gene, now fully expressed in Brandi, was in large part responsible for her desire to be with a man. It was more than sex; it was a mating drive.

The last paragraph was both enlightening and disturbing; Brandon possessed all of the warrior genes and had undoubtedly resisted the mental reprogramming instinctively. It could explain why Brandi was struggling with her sexual desire; if the programming had been corrupted it was possible she was faced with less control of the urges she faced.

It also raised another question; if the Forerunners were so determined that a subject volunteer to be transformed, why had the program been designed to trigger automatically? It was contrary to their stated purpose, and to everything she knew about these people. There was only one logical explanation; the trigger was not placed in the programming by the Forerunners. They already knew that the programming had been altered in an attempt to make Brandi compliant and controllable, and that Brandon had been targeted for transformation years ago, so it stood to reason that the program had been intentionally altered to make it look like an accident.

Susan opened up her email program and began typing a note to Brandi. There were many answers in the data, and little of it would be comforting, but Brandi had a right and a need to know it all. She already knew from Brandi’s latest email that the thought of bearing children frightened her, and in fact she was already beginning to deduce that a maternal instinct had been programmed into her. Susan wondered how she would take it when she found out that instinct had always been there, buried in Brandon’s male genetic structure.

CHAPTER 34

Once they were on the range, Brandi fired a few test rounds through the HKs to get the feel for how they fired. She had selected the .357 Sig chambering because it offered a good balance of penetration and stopping power. She knew the people looking for her were no fools; jerks perhaps but not stupid. When they came, they would come in force, and likely she would be facing men in body armor. The Sig round was becoming popular amongst law enforcement because of the increasing prevalence of criminals wearing body armor, and it had a one shot stop rating of better than ninety percent.

The guns fired well; consistent and accurate as she had expected. Satisfied, she unloaded them and set them aside for the time being.

“Just getting a feel for how they shoot,” she smiled.

Karen stepped up to the shooting station first. Though the Pythons that had belonged to Melissa’s dad were fine weapons, Brandi had gotten them each more modern Smith & Wesson 386PDs, a medium frame seven shot revolver in .357 magnum. The alloy frame and titanium cylinder made for a strong, lightweight revolver and the two and a half inch barrel made it easily concealable. To help with accuracy Gary had replaced the stock grips with Crimson Trace Lasergrips. Though a snub nose revolver was not ideal for novice shooters, they needed something that could be easily concealed. The integral laser sight would allow for fast target acquisition and accurate shot placement, and the magnum loads would guarantee a one shot stop. Even though body armor existed that could stop a .357 round, the target would still feel like they had been hit with a hammer.

Over the next hour Melissa and Karen worked with the pistols. Brandi had them load up with .38 Special rounds so that they could become comfortable with them, explaining that once they were proficient they could step up to full power magnums. The main thing they were working on was getting comfortable with the pistols, especially the considerable muzzle flash produced by the short barrels. Brandi had told them that the flash was not entirely a minus; if they were facing an opponent wearing night vision gear, the flash would temporarily overload it at close range, buying precious seconds for a follow up shot if they missed.

She was not too concerned about them missing at the ranges they would likely be engaging an opponent. With the laser sight, Karen was a very competent shooter. Melissa, however, was approaching gifted. On her last target, Melissa put seven rapid fire rounds from the snub nosed revolver into a five inch group, dead center in the target at a range of ten yards. Anyone of them would have been lethal in most cases.

“Pretty good sweetie.” Brandi said.

“Pretty good? Hah!” Melissa exclaimed. “Let’s see what you can do blondie!”

Brandi smiled sweetly and clipped a fresh target to the carrier. After running it out to its maximum distance of twenty five yards, she loaded the two HK pistols and began humming ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Once loaded, she chambered a round in each and set them down on the bench.

“Say when,” she said as she smiled at Melissa.

“When!”

Brandi snatched the two pistols from the bench, firing as she brought them up on target. Another reason she had chosen the HK pistols was their Combat Defense Action, which basically meant that the pistols had no manual safety. The act of pulling the trigger disengaged the safety and allowed the first round to be fired quickly, yet the pistols were still safe against accidental discharge if dropped or struck.

Brandi alternated her firing, first the right and then the left pistol, squeezing rounds off so fast it sounded like one continuous explosion in the range. When the slides locked back on empty chambers the roar continued to reverberate for several seconds.

Brandi resumed humming the tune as she punched the button to bring the target back to the firing line. There were nine neat holes in the center of the target’s chest, eight forming a circle and the ninth dead center. A similar pattern was in the center of the face.

“Holy crap Batman!” Gary exclaimed.

“Show off,” Melissa mumbled, sorry that she had goaded Brandi into a display in front of Gary. The girl was just incapable of backing down from a challenge.

“Let’s see Mel Gibson do that,” Brandi giggled.

“I have never seen anyone shoot like that,” Gary said, awestruck. “I guess your daddy taught you more than hand to hand.”

Brandi realized her display had probably not been a good idea. Gary had already seen her shoot and knew she was very good, but now she had shown him she was even better.

“Well, like, he did take me to the range a lot,” Brandi said, her nervousness over the slip causing her to slip into character. “He said I was, like, a pro…prosti…um, I mean a protestant?”

“I think you mean prodigy, sweetheart,” Melissa said.

“Yeah, that’s the word!” Brandi giggled. Inside she was still furious; both over the foolish mistake and that it was causing her to act like a ditz.

“There’s a gun show coming up in a few weeks,” Gary said. “I bet I could set up a shooting exhibition if you were game.”

“I don’t think so, Gary,” Brandi said. “I really don’t, like wanna advertise, you know? I’d rather be an enema.”

“Enigma,” Karen corrected.

“Oh, yeah,” Brandi said. She did not laugh this time. It had stopped being funny.

“Ok Brandi I’ll back off,” Gary said. “Hey before you go, I want to show you something. Wait right here.”

Gary left the range, returning minutes later with two gun cases. He set them on the bench of the firing station and opened them up. Inside were two compact submachine guns. They were styled along the lines of the Israeli Uzi but had a much more futuristic look. The matte black receiver was made of a steel reinforced polymer, and the weapons had a telescoping stock and a fold down fore grip.

“Now those are pretty,” Brandi said, regaining her composure. She was certain Gary thought she was schizophrenic; sometimes she wondered herself.   “MP-7 from Heckler & Koch right?”

“I had a feeling you would know them,” Gary smiled.

“I’ve never actually seen one, just read about them,” Brandi admitted. “I would guess you have these for demonstration purposes.”

Gary nodded and told her, “LAPD is considering getting a few.”

“Don’t they have enough guns already?” Karen quipped.

“The MP-7 is a personal defense weapon designed to defeat body armor,” Brandi told her.

Brandi picked up one of the 4.6 x 30mm rounds and showed it to Melissa and Karen.   The cartridge was a bottle neck design and the bullet was sharply pointed. She explained it had a steel core to increase penetration. The round did not have much stopping power, but it could punch through twenty layers of Kevlar and a titanium trauma plate.

“Yep, ever since the North Hollywood shootout in ninety-seven they have wanted something that could punch through body armor,” Gary said. “There’s stuff out there that can even stop a two two three round from an M-16.”

“I remember that shootout,” Melissa said quietly. “Dad was there. He wasn’t hurt but he said it was the most intense thing he had ever been in.”

Brandi did not speak, but Melissa saw the sad, far away look in her eyes. She knew when she saw that look that Brandi’s mind was in the Iraqi desert on a dark, overcast night. Gary too noticed the sad look on Brandi’s face. It was so out of place that he wanted to do anything to make the sad look go away.

“Care to burn through some magazines?” Gary asked.

The big smile that returned to Brandi’s face was worth the cost of the rounds.

“I would love to,” Brandi said.

She picked up one of the small weapons, it was not much larger than a large frame autopistol, and slipped a forty round magazine into the well in the grip. The magazine extended about three inches below the grip.

“I’m glad you have the extended magazines,” Brandi commented as she checked that the safety was on before pulling back the charging handle.

“Yeah the twenty-five round magazines go pretty quick,” Gary said.

Brandi extended the stock and sighted at the target down range through the holographic sight. She flipped the selector from safe to semi-automatic and fired three quick rounds, each impacting in the center of the target’s face. She then flipped the selector to full auto. She fired several three round bursts and then some longer six round bursts, each precisely controlled. The center of the target’s chest quickly disintegrated leaving a gaping hole.

“I like it!” Brandi laughed. “The recoil is very light.”

“So do we get to play?” Melissa asked.

As much fun as Brandi had shooting the MP-7s, watching Melissa and Karen as they experienced firing a full auto weapon for the first time was even better. Their targets looked like Swiss cheese afterwards, but they both had huge smiles on their faces.

“There’s just something about capping off some rounds on full auto,” Brandi told them. “It’s a great stress reliever.”

Thirty minutes later they were back in the shop and Brandi was as giddy as a school girl. She settled up with Gary for the custom work and the range time, and then they said their goodbyes.

“Oh wait, I almost forgot,” Gary called as they were almost out the door. He ducked into the back and returned with a package.

“I got that double shoulder rig you asked for,” He told Brandi.

“Oh great, how much do I owe you for that?” Brandi asked, reaching into her purse.

“This is on me sweetheart,” Gary said. “Just promise me your not gonna be carryin’ those pistols concealed without a permit.”

“I promise you Gary,” Brandi said as she accepted the package. “If I have need of those guns, they won’t be concealed.”

“I’ll meet you guys back at the house,” Karen told them outside Gary’s shop. “Oh and dinner is on me tonight.”

“Oooh what are we havin’?” Brandi asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Karen grinned, “but I thought of it just for you.”

Melissa and Brandi parted with Karen and climbed into Brandi’s car. As they headed back to the house Melissa asked, “Could you always shoot like that?”

“Yes and no,” Brandi replied. “First of all, for Brandon a pistol was a secondary weapon. He could have come close to that, with a single pistol in a two handed stance. The rate of fire would have been slower though. And he would have never considered using a pistol in each hand.”

“Why not?” Melissa asked.

“Well when you empty both of them what do you do?” Brandi asked. “Reloading with a pistol in each hand can be a problem; I know I can do it though. Also, once I know how a weapon shoots I don’t really need the sights. I can feel where the bullet will hit. Brandon would never have fired from the hip unless there was no choice.”

“Do you know what you just did?”

“No, what?” Brandi asked, looking back to see if she had run a stop sign.

“You referred to Brandon like he was another person,” Melissa told her.

“I guess I did,” Brandi said. “I…I have to think really hard to remember what it felt like to be Brandon. And even then, I remember most vividly the Brandon since the war. The way he…I was before that night in the desert…it’s very vague. Most of the time it’s like he was someone I knew…a long time ago.”

Brandi became quiet, and Melissa knew something was bothering her, but did not want to press. Finally she could stand it no longer.

“Brandi what’s wrong?”

“Melissa I want you to promise me something,” Brandi said, keeping her eyes locked on the road ahead. “If something happens, if I…if I don’t come home or something…promise me you won’t try to find me. Just run, you and Karen throw your bags in the Escape and run.”

“Brandi what are you…”

“Don’t go anyplace they can connect to you,” Brandi continued, her voice taking on an almost frantic tone. “Lose yourself, disappear. I swear to you, I’ll find you.”

“Brandi has something happened that you haven’t told me?”

“No honey, nothing has happened. And if something goes down I hope I will be able to get word to you.” Brandi said. “I just have a really bad feeling its coming soon.”

“I...I don’t know if I can make that promise Brandi.”

“You have to Melissa!” Brandi pleaded. “If they have you, they have me! I’ll do anything they want to keep you safe.”

“All right Brandi, I promise,” Melissa told her.

She hoped it was a promise she never had to keep.

They arrived back at the house before Karen, wondering what she was planning. Thirty minutes later they heard the garage door open, and a few seconds later Brandi sprang to her feet.

“I smell barbecue!” she exclaimed and rushed to the door. She disappeared into the garage and Melissa heard a squeal. A minute later Brandi and Karen came into the house, each carrying several large bags from Baby Blues Bar-B-Q. Brandi watched in awe as Karen laid out racks of ribs; Baby Back and Memphis style, along with barbecued chicken, pulled pork and beef brisket. There were numerous side dishes and when Karen set out one in particular Brandi squealed again.

“Collard greens!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Karen. “I think I wanna have your baby!”

“Honey, if any other girl said that to me I’d tell them it was flattering but impossible,” Karen laughed. “With you, anything is possible so I’d watch what you wish for.”

The meal was fantastic and accomplished what Karen had hoped it would; Brandi was so excited about the food that she did not pick up on Karen’s uneasiness.

“Brandi, did they ever tell you anything about how you can eat so much?” Melissa asked as she pushed her plate away. Trying to keep up with Brandi at the table was worse than pointless. “By the way, you did great tonight. You still eat a lot but you don’t shovel it in like a guy anymore, and I know you were tempted.”

Brandi grinned sheepishly as she pushed her plate away, “Thank you, love. Right after I was transformed, they thought my appetite was because my body was just starved for calories. After all, I went from over one eighty to one hundred twenty-five pounds in under two hours, and then slept for three days.”

“But it didn’t stop,” Melissa said.

“No, so they did lots of tests. I’ve only really found out a lot of the results since I ran away, from the emails Susan sends me. They still aren’t even close to understanding how my body works, and I’m no scientist, but I can try and explain.

“When I was transformed, it was more than just my genes and gender. I was altered at the molecular level. The way my body processes food is totally different from the way a human body does.”

“You make it sound like you’re not human,” Karen said.

Brandi was silent for a moment before she continued.

“I’m not really. I look and act and feel human, but at the most basic level, my body is nothing like yours. When you eat, your body takes the food and converts it into sugars which it then uses for energy. If you eat too much, the excess sugars become fat, which can then later be converted back into energy but it requires a lot of exercise to burn it off. My body skips all that and converts what I eat, even the parts a human body can’t digest, into pure energy, and then stores that energy. Since energy has basically no mass, I can store huge amounts without gaining any weight.”

“So that’s how you can take on the form of someone who is physically larger than you,” Melissa said. “You can convert that energy back into matter.”

Brandi nodded, “But it’s very hard…and it hurts. It’s much easier to alter my form within the basic shape and mass I normally have. Then it’s just a matter of rearranging what’s there.”

“Well I think your parts are arranged perfectly,” Melissa said. Brandi giggled and blushed at the compliment. Melissa smiled, thinking that one thing the alien machine had certainly gotten right in Brandi was a woman’s love for being told she was pretty.

“Well we better get this food in the fridge before you two get overcome by passion,” Karen said. “This was supposed to feed twelve people so it should last through tomorrow the way Brandi eats.”

Brandi stuck her tongue out at Karen and began gathering up the leftovers.

“It almost worked,” Brandi said to Karen as she loaded the dishwasher in the kitchen.

“What’s that, sweetie?” Karen asked.

“Your attempt to distract me with food,” Brandi smiled. “I can tell you’re tense about something Karen. I can also tell you’re not ready to talk about. Just remember we love you and are here for you.”

“I know that, and I love you guys too,” Karen said, realizing she should have known better. “When I can, I promise I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

CHAPTER 35

The next week and a half went by with little excitement; the fall quarter at UCLA was half over and Melissa and Karen were usually occupied with their graduate work. Brandi happily played the role of housekeeper and cook, and was almost able to suppress the worry that she would be located by the organization. She relished in the sense of normalcy the domestic chores provided.

She continued with her physical training as well, working out with Dylan three times a week and jogging almost everyday. She had stopped taking the Yoga classes because she had gotten all from them that she could; the class was really more about fitness than meditation. But the techniques she had been introduced to had allowed her to explore further on her own and she was becoming more comfortable with what she had become.

As Brandi walked into the living room after a Monday afternoon run, she saw that Melissa and Karen were waiting for her. Even without her enhanced senses, Melissa’s eyes, red and puffy from crying, were enough to tell her that something was going on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. She knew Karen had been uneasy since their barbecue feast almost two weeks earlier, but had not pressed her about it.

“Sit down sweetie,” Karen said gently, patting the couch next to her. “I have to tell you something.”

Fearfully Brandi took a seat next to her friend and waited for what she was sure was some kind of horrible news. As she waited for Karen to speak, her anxiety was only heightened by the signals she was getting from both of her friends.

“You know that I love you, both of you, so very much,” Karen said. “We’ve only known each other a couple of months and I just can’t imagine life without you Brandi.”

“Please, Karen, just tell me what’s wrong!” Brandi pleaded.

“I’m leaving honey,” Karen said, her own eyes glistening. Brandi’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Karen…why?” she asked, feeling the tears as they began spilling from her eyes. She could not help but think that she had done something, though she could not imagine what.

“You know I showed my thesis to my advisor a couple of weeks ago, Brandi,” Karen said and Brandi nodded. “He showed it to a friend of his and, well I’ve been offered a job with the Department of State in Washington.”

Brandi’s face lit up through her tears and she threw her arms around Karen.

“That’s fantastic, Karen,” she told her. “I’m so happy for you…I just can’t stop crying yet!”

“I know sweetie,” Karen said, holding Brandi tightly. “God I am going to miss you guys so much.”

“When do you have to leave?” Brandi sniffed.

“Thursday,” Karen said.

“No, Karen…why so soon…”

“I’ll be back the day before Thanksgiving,” Karen told her. “There are a lot of things that have to be done though and they want me to start in December, the Monday after commencement. I wish it didn’t have to be this way…I never thought anything like this would happen, not this soon.”

“Do you know what you’ll be doing?” Brandi asked.

“Some,” Karen said. “It’s actually very highly classified, and I won’t be given the full details until I pass all the security checks, but you’ve already shared your secret with me, and I have no worries about sharing mine with you.

“The group I’ll be working with is new; it’s called CTAG for Combined Threat Assessment Group. It will include people from the military, state department and intelligence communities, and we will be assessing potential hot spots around the world in the hopes of identifying threats before they get out of hand.”

“It sounds really great. I really am happy for you, Karen,” Brandi said, still crying. “I just don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

Karen held Brandi’s face in her hands and told her, “You will do just fine, I know you will. You don’t need me; you’re a beautiful, capable young woman and you will be all right.”

“But I’ll miss you so much,” Brandi said, and the tears started again. It was at moments like this when it was so obvious that despite having the memories of a forty year old man and the body of a mature young woman, Brandi was emotionally a teenage girl. Her mind told her that this was a good thing, a wonderful opportunity for her friend and something that had been inevitable. Her heart only knew that she was losing someone she had come to depend on and loved like an older sister.

It was some time before any of them could speak again. Brandi truly was happy for her friend but she could not get past the profound sense of loss she felt. Then she remembered that the Bimbos were scheduled to play their regular Tuesday spot and then again Friday and Saturday at The Backbeat, their first weekend as the main band.

“The band!” she cried.

Karen turned to Melissa and smiled, and then looked back to Brandi.

“We were just talking about that before you came in,” Melissa said. “Karen has a wild idea.”

“I was hoping you would take my place,” Karen said.

“Karen I…I can’t! I can’t be the lead singer for a band…it’s too dangerous!”

“Maybe if you were the lead singer,” Karen smiled. “But I was thinking more of you literally taking my place…as me. And I want you to do it tomorrow night.”

*****

“Andrew Stewart?”

Andy looked up from the table he was cleaning at the two men in dark suits. It was well after the dinner crowd had come and gone and the restaurant was nearly deserted.

“That’s me,” he said nervously. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Agent Reynolds,” the man said, flashing a badge. It identified him as an FBI agent and though technically fake it would stand up against any records check. “I’d like to ask you a few questions about the night of August nineteenth.”

Andy knew exactly what he was talking about. He had just gotten off for the night and was on his way home when he had happened upon an altercation in an alley. Several other people were there, watching in awe as a young blonde woman fought three men who had tried to attack another girl. He still could not get the image of that gorgeous blonde out of his mind. And the way she had taken down those three jerks in the alley had been amazing.

“I already told the police everything I saw,” he said. It was a lie, a white lie. He and the other witnesses had told the police what they had seen, but none of them could agree on exactly what either of the women involved looked like. The cops had not been too concerned, as all three of the men in the alley had outstanding warrants. He had also not mentioned that he knew the girl that was attacked.

“This is just a follow up,” Agent Reynolds said. “You’re not in any trouble and neither are the two girls involved. We’d just like you to take a look at this photo.”

Reynolds pulled something from his coat pocket, but instead of a photo it was a large, flat, purple gem. It flashed with light and Andy felt a little strange.

“Now, what did you forget to tell the police?” Reynolds asked.

“The girl was blonde with really big tits,” Andy said. “She was very beautiful.”

“Anything else?”

“The girl that was attacked is named Melissa. I don’t know her last name but she used to work at a bar a few blocks away.”

An hour later the agents had the name and address of Melissa Barlowe in Venice Beach.

CHAPTER 36

“You seem kinda nervous, Karen,” Amber asked as the Post-Modern Bimbos waited backstage at The Backbeat on Tuesday night. “Are you ok?”

“I just haven’t been feeling too well today,” ‘Karen’ replied. Brandi had taken on Karen’s appearance two hours earlier, and was dressed in one of her friend’s signature skin tight mini dresses. She desperately wanted a cigarette, but Karen did not smoke, so she could not either.

“Can you make it through the show?” Cyndi asked, concerned.

“I’ll be fine once I’m out there,” Brandi said.

Melissa pulled Brandi aside and pretended to be checking her outfit.

“You’ll be fine,” she whispered. “You know all the songs as well as Karen and you sound just like her.”

“It’s not the performance that worries me,” Brandi whispered back. “I’ve never held a form more than five hours. I’ve already been Karen for two and the show will last at least two. Then we have to breakdown.”

“They already think you’ve been sick,” Melissa said. “After the show, tell them you’re really feeling bad and need me to drive you home.”

“I don’t like lying to my friends!” Brandi hissed.

“It’s only for these last shows,” Melissa said. “Then we’ll be on break and have nothing scheduled until after New Year’s.”

“We’re on girls!” Cyndi called, and they made their way onto the stage. Brandi experienced a moment of extreme anxiety and then the music started and as soon as she began singing, she felt the fear vanish.

Brandi was quickly immersed in the performance and forgot about any other problems. She had not been concerned about her ability to pass herself off as Karen; she was designed to do things just like that. She was surprised at how much fun it was, and she really got into both performances; playing Karen and just being in front of the crowd. At one point she looked out and saw a blonde haired girl wearing dark glasses and a long, black dress, smiling and moving to the music. She smiled; Karen’s disguise was pretty good too.

It was exhilarating being up on the stage; the last time she had done anything even close to this had been years before as Brandon, singing Jimmy Buffet tunes at a navy bar near Norfolk. Now she was performing songs by Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch and other contemporary female pop stars, as well as several numbers Melissa had written for the band. It was nothing like the music Brandon had performed or even listened to, and yet she found she identified with the songs far more, and her connection to the audience was much greater.

The crowd was not thinning out as they neared the end of their last set and the management asked them if they would play a little longer. Two hours stretched into three and by the time they finally retreated backstage Brandi was feeling increasingly weak. She was concentrating so hard to hold her form that she nearly collapsed and would have fallen if Cyndi and Renee had not caught her.

“You better get her home, Melissa,” Renee said, solving that problem for them. “We’ll take care of packing up.”

As soon as they were out of sight of the club Brandi lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, sighing as she exhaled.

“Can you hold on until we get home?” Melissa asked in a worried tone.

“I hope so, otherwise I’m gonna ruin Karen’s clothes when my boobs expand,” Brandi said, in her own voice. It sounded very odd coming from Karen’s body.

Karen was waiting for them as they entered, having left the club before the show ended. As soon as they walked through the door she and Melissa stripped the clothes off Brandi and with a whimpering cry she returned to her own form and passed out.

None of them had noticed the black sedan parked a short distance away from the house. Brandi had been far too out of it to have any hope of detecting the two men watching them. They reported that three young women had entered the house, none matching the description of the Genomorph.

“Do we maintain station?” one of the agents asked his superior over the radio.

“Negative,” came the reply. “It’s too risky, she could spot you. Return to the safe house. We’ll come up with a plan to flush her out.”

  The car started and pulled away slowly, disappearing into the night.

CHAPTER 37

The next morning Melissa awoke and saw that Brandi was not there. They had been able to awaken her enough the night before to get her upstairs, but as soon as they had lain her in bed she was out again.   Though they knew she was in Zen sleep, the way she had collapsed had frightened them both.

Melissa followed her nose downstairs and found Brandi at the bar in the kitchen. Before her was a plate piled high with diced potatoes, sausage, bacon and fried eggs, all topped off with sausage gravy, which she was devouring with gusto. Brandon was raised in the south, and while for the most part Brandi’s culinary sense was very diverse, she still preferred very southern style breakfasts.

“Are you ok love?” Melissa asked.

Brandi looked up and grinned, “Just very, very hungry. And feeling very stupid too.”

“Why sweetie?” Melissa asked. “You did great.”

“It’s not that,” Brandi said. “I should’a spent time these last weeks working with my shape shifting abilities. But of all the things I can do…well, like, that part creeps me out the most. Well that and the claws.”

“Brandi we can cancel the performances on Friday and Saturday,” Melissa said. “Karen and I talked about it last night and it’s just not worth it. You’re too vulnerable like that.”

“I don’t want you to cancel them,” Brandi said. “I have a better idea. I want to tell the band everything. If they are in on it, then I won’t have to change until just before we go on. I can take clothes with me to the club. That will add a good hour and a half to two hours to my time.

“Are you sure?” Melissa asked. “I know you can trust the girls, but there’s always a risk they’ll freak out or something.”

“I don’t think so,” Brandi smiled. “Amber will think, like, ‘That’s so cool!’, and Cyndi and Renee will be all, like, ‘Fascinating Captain.’”

“Have I told you recently that I love you?” Melissa grinned.

“Not this morning,” Brandi beamed. “I love you too.”

For a moment Brandi was too busy kissing Melissa to eat. Then she heard the door to Karen’s room open and turned and smiled at her.

“Good God look at all the food!” Karen exclaimed as she came into the kitchen. She walked over to Brandi and kissed her on the cheek and then wrapped her arms around her and squeezed.

“I love you too sweetie,” Karen said. “You were fantastic last night. If I hadn’t known it was you I would have sworn I was going nuts. I never knew I looked so hot up there!”

“Oh believe me you do,” Brandi grinned. “I need to work on shape shifting, and I am gonna do that between now and the weekend.”

Karen took a seat on the stool next to Brandi and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be able to take my form if I’m not here for you to touch?”

In answer, Brandi altered her appearance until she was Karen’s twin, and then quickly shifted back.

“Once I have the pattern, it’s stored permanently,” she said. “I can still look like Susan if I want to.”

“It was so amazing last night, and I admit at times a little creepy,” Karen said. “When you were on stage and even when you weren’t; it was like looking at my life from outside. Sometimes you would do something or say something and I would think, ‘I don’t act like that!’, but then I would realize that I do. It was very surreal.”

“If I hadn’t known what was going on I would have never suspected anything,” Melissa said. “Did you get all that from touching Karen?”

“No,” Brandi said, shaking her head for emphasis. “When I touch someone I am getting their genetic information to help me physically duplicate them, but that is really only a small part of the process. The rest comes from observation, and the longer I have had to observe a person the better I can mimic them. I remember everything, even if I’m not trying to.”

“Then you can actually imitate someone without touching them?” Karen asked.

“It’s harder but I can do it,” Brandi said. “The genetic information gives me a blueprint to work from.”

“Well our DNA determines what we can look like,” Melissa said. “But what we actually look like is really up to us and how we treat our bodies.”

“Exactly,” Brandi said. “The DNA gives me a shortcut, but it’s my observations of the person that fine tune it. The GMU does something similar, though in reverse and at a much more complex level. In its most basic use, it uses a scan of the DNA of a subject to shape them into a perfect representation of their DNA. If there are any problems with their DNA; say they are genetically disposed to obesity or heart disease, it corrects those flaws.”

“It pisses me off,” Karen said. “That machine could end so much suffering and they are keeping it a secret.”

“I understand what you mean, Karen,” Brandi said. “But remember there is only the one machine. It needs to be studied so that we can learn how it works and make more like it. Until then, it has to stay secret.”

“Getting back to the band, how do you want to break it to the girls?” Melissa asked.

“Well I was thinkin’ about that,” Brandi grinned mischievously. “I think we’ll let Karen tell them.”

Before she could explain further she turned towards the back door, her grin disappearing.

“Someone’s here,” she said, and seconds later the doorbell rang.

“Stay out of sight,” Brandi said, and once more took on Karen’s form. She walked down the hall and through the utility room to the back door, looking out through the peep hole. A man stood on the porch, dressed in the uniform of an overnight delivery service, but Brandi could sense tension and alertness in him. There was also something very familiar about him, but she could not see his face clearly.

“Can I help you?” Brandi called out in Karen’s voice.

“I have a delivery for Brenda Williams,” the man said. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

Brandi opened the door and accepted a large, heavy package from the man, setting it down in the hallway and then signing the form on his clipboard. She looked up at the man’s face as she handed the clipboard back to him and stifled a gasp.

Matt Branch smiled pleasantly as he said, “Have a nice day, miss.”

Brandi closed the door and leaned against the wall for a moment, her entire body tingling. There was no doubt that Matt was a handsome guy, but seeing him as a woman she now realized just how absolutely gorgeous he was. She was also upset that she had appeared to him as Karen and not herself.

Get a grip, girl, she told herself as she shifted back to her normal appearance. Even if he knows what happened he wouldn’t have recognized you.   She picked the package up and took it into the living room.

“Is that the package you’ve been expecting?” Melissa asked, and then noticed that Brandi was very flushed. “Are you ok, sweetie?”

Brandi started giggling and when she finally got herself under control she told Melissa and Karen about her encounter at the door.

“I swear I wanted to grab him and kiss him,” Brandi said.

“Ok if you’re going to act that way you can’t be me anymore,” Karen laughed.

“Yeah, like it would really hurt your reputation,” Melissa told her friend. “So do you have any idea what this is?”

“Not a clue,” Brandi said as she began opening the package.

*****

“This is very risky,” the driver of the black sedan said.

“It’s necessary, Blake,” Agent Reynolds replied. “Trying to maintain round the clock surveillance is too risky; she would spot us eventually. If the Genomorph is staying with the Barlowe girl, this will smoke her out, literally.”

Across the street from the parked car was a four story apartment building. Hidden within wall outlets in the first and third floor laundry rooms were tiny incendiary devices. Once triggered, they would be totally consumed in a blinding flash of heat and flame, leaving no trace behind. Before that happened, they would send a surge of power through the building’s wiring that would cause it to overload in dozens of places. The authorities might suspect arson, but there would be no hard evidence to prove it was anything other than old wiring.

“That kid on the fourth floor won’t have a chance,” Blake said in a nervous tone. “That building will go up like a torch.”

“That’s the idea,” Reynolds told him, glancing at his watch.

“Five more minutes.”

*****

“That is really wild,” Melissa said as they stared at the silver cube.

“There are no seams at all,” Karen said. “How does it open?”

“Usually there is a square you press that opens it,” Brandi informed them. “This one seems to need a hand print, and since it has my name on it, I assume it needs my hand print.”

“And how exactly did it get your name on it?” Melissa asked.

“When I was transformed, Susan saved the data file under the name Brandi. She believes at that time the computer sent a signal to the box, encoding whatever is in here for me. It says Genomorph Biomorphic Adaptive Armor right above my name.”

“You can read that?” Karen asked.

Brandi blinked, realizing what she had just done. The Forerunner script was as plain to her as English.

“I guess I can,” she said. It was not the first time she had discovered knowledge she had previously been unaware of. She strongly suspected that if she had been given access to the stockpiles of Forerunner technology collecting cobwebs in Nevada she could have learned much more.

Just as Brandi was about to press her hand to the cube she stopped, her eyes narrowing. She rushed from the living room and onto the deck, her head swinging around to look north up Ocean Front Walk. There was a fire; she could hear a building’s alarm system and the screeching wail of dozens of smoke detectors. There was no smoke visible, and even to her keen senses the smell was barely detectable, but all that was not what had alerted her. It was a scream; the terrified scream of a child crying for help.

Without a word Brandi was moving. She vaulted the deck railing and hit the ground running as fast as she could. She was barefoot and dressed only in her knit pajamas as her legs pumped, propelling her up Ocean Front. Her breasts bounced wildly and painfully until her body compensated for the lack of a bra and tightened up her internal support structure.

Behind her she heard Melissa and Karen calling out but there was no time to respond. As she neared the four story building she could see the thick, black smoke rising. The first floor was already fully involved by the time she reached the scene and there were flames visible at the windows on the third floor. A cold fear gripped her as she saw the flames, a sudden realization coming to her.

Fire could kill her.

*****

“It is done, finally,” Ryan said as he entered Susan’s office. “I’m sorry it took so long, but the control programming they used is very sophisticated. It still has the same cosmetic errors in it that the stuff they tried to use on Brandi did; it was probably written by the same person.”

“What’s important is that it be done properly, not fast,” Susan told him. “You did well. It probably took them months of work with a team of programmers.”

Ryan grinned at the compliment, pushing his glasses back on his face.

“Well I don’t like to brag,” he said.

“Since when!” Susan laughed. “How soon can we use it?”

Ryan held up the programming mask, “It’s your turn now, Doc.”

Ryan set the eyepiece on Susan and activated it. When he seemed to remove it almost immediately, Susan looked at him curiously.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Nope, all done,” Ryan smiled.

“I thought it would take longer,” Susan said.

“It took almost two hours, Susan,” Ryan said.

“Oh,” Susan said. She did feel a bit odd, and Ryan noticed the look on her face.

“The feeling will pass in a few minutes,” he told her. “The original programming included instructions to ignore the missing time. I imagine it’s a bit disorienting when your brain tries to reconcile the gap. If we had just been removing the programming it would have only taken thirty minutes at most. Apparently it’s a much more complex process to put the programming in than it is to take it out.”

“So what happens when they activate me?” Susan asked.

“You will receive the instructions and programming as intended,” Ryan explained. “But you will not be compelled to follow it. It will be more like getting a report. The programming included some major personality alterations, to make you more like their kind of people. Those will require a bit of effort to control, as they will dominate your own personality to a large extent. I had to leave them in like that, otherwise you might have gone schizophrenic on us. The difference here is you will remember who you were. It will still be tough to deal with, and we can’t let you stay like that for more than a few weeks. ”

“What happens if it stays in too long?” Susan asked.

“The personality modifications will eventually supplant your personality entirely,” Ryan said. “You will be a different person.”

“Let’s hope we can put a stop to this before they are able to go that far,” Susan said.

“You know I can’t help but wonder why the Forerunners would even have a device like this,” Ryan said. “It seems contrary to their nature.”

“That’s because you’re seeing it misused,” Susan said. “I was curious myself, until I thought it through and then did some digging to confirm my suspicions. The Forerunners were very much like us; they were technologically and socially more advanced, but they weren’t perfect. They still had crime and mental illness. They could correct a lot of problems before birth with their ability to manipulate genetics, but they couldn’t prevent someone from making a bad choice, or eliminate mental and emotional trauma. This device was used as a rehabilitative measure. They could treat both mental and emotional problems and correct behavioral issues.”

“So like the GMU, they have perverted what was intended to be a healing device,” Ryan said.

“They’re tools, and any tool can be misused,” Susan said. “Don’t forget the Forerunners were not perfect. They fled here from a world that had been devastated by war. I can only imagine the extent of that devastation considering the technology we have seen.”

Ryan shuddered at the thought. It was true; the Forerunners could manipulate genetics and even alter the molecular structure of a living being without destroying the person in the process. Considering the power of their healing machines, the thought of a device built for destruction falling into the wrong hands was too frightening to contemplate. There was enough potential for destruction in the ability to reprogram a person’s mind like a computer, an ability they already knew was being used. Just how far it went, they could only guess.

*****

Secret Service Agent Kevin Driscoll removed the ocular device from the President’s Chief of Staff and placed it in its case. He then set the case, along with the crystal pendant, on the desk and returned to his post, unaware that he had ever left it. Had his absence been noticed by one of the other agents on the detail it would not have mattered, they had already been programmed.

The Chief of Staff blinked several times, and then looked at the case on his desk. He picked it up and slipped it into his coat pocket, and then picked up his phone.

“I need to schedule some time with the President,” he told his assistant. “It’s a somewhat urgent matter and we’ll need approximately two hours, uninterrupted.”

While he waited, his fingers kept drifting towards the case in his pocket, though he had already forgotten placing it there.

“Yes, Friday morning will be perfect,” he smiled.

*****

The knowledge that fire presented a real danger to her caused Brandi to hesitate for less than half a second. Then she sprinted past the swimming pool and the gathering crowd of spectators and plunged into the lobby of the converted hotel. The stairwell was blocked by a wall of flames, but instead of stopping she picked up her pace and charged through, lowering her pain response as she did. A burn was no different than any other kind of damage to her, but she knew if the building were to collapse around her or she became trapped under burning rubble she could be burned so badly that her body would be unable to heal.

The girl had stopped screaming, but Brandi had already pinpointed her location on the fourth floor. She took the stairs two at a time as the thick smoke burned her lungs. It was impossible to see a thing, until her vision shifted spectrum and the smoke seemed to disappear. In her eyes the world became shades of grey, darker for hot and lighter for cool, like the view through a thermal imaging system. She also noted that her respiration had slowed, despite her heavy exertion, to about one breath every minute. Her lungs pulled every bit of oxygen from each breath before she expelled the smoke and gas.

As she reached the fourth floor smoke was pouring from the wall outlets and she could see that there was tremendous heat within the walls.

Shit, it’s traveling through the wiring! No wonder the place went up so fast.

Reaching the end of the hall, she did not even stop to check the door. Her thermal vision showed her that the door was not dangerously hot yet, so she kicked it open and charged into the apartment.

She found the girl in the back bedroom, lying on the floor in front of a wheelchair with a wet towel wrapped around her face. Towels were also stuffed under the door to block the smoke.

Smart girl, Brandi thought.

She looked to be around fourteen and to Brandi’s great relief, she was still breathing. She snatched a blanket from the bed and knelt down, wrapped the blanket around the girl and then lifted her limp body in her arms. She paused just long enough to scan the rest of the building for signs that anyone else was trapped, and thankfully detected no one. If there had been others, there was no way she could have saved them. Carrying the girl she rushed back into the hallway as flames began erupting from the walls of the apartment.

The hallway was now engulfed in flames as well and the fire escape was at the opposite corner of the building; but the pool was just twenty-five feet beyond the window at the end of the hall. Even if she missed, Brandi was certain she could shield the girl from injury in the fall; though she did not dwell on what it would do to her own legs.

Pulling the girl close to her body, she wrapped her arms around her tightly. Then she ran, her legs pumping as hard as she could make them. At the last second she pressed the girl’s face into her breast and leapt for all she was worth.

Melissa and Karen reached the burning building just in time to see Brandi come flying through the fourth floor window, her legs still moving to keep her body upright as she arced through the air, shattered glass trailing in her wake. She cleared the concrete between the pool and the building and landed squarely in the middle of the deep end with a huge splash. She plunged all the way to the bottom and immediately pushed off, breaking the surface and pulling the unconscious girl to the side. A half dozen pairs of hands reached down and pulled them both out, and Brandi dropped to her knees beside the girl.

“Come on honey, wake up,” she said, gently shaking the girl. She began coughing and then opened her eyes and looked about wildly. As she started screaming Brandi pulled her up and held her tightly.

“You’re gonna be fine, sweetheart,” Brandi told her as she rocked her.

She could hear sirens in the distance and moments later paramedics arrived. Brandi let them take charge of the girl and started to walk away, coughing violently.

“Miss we need to check you out,” one of the paramedics said. “You’ve got some nasty burns there and smoke inhalation from the sound of that cough.”

Brandi turned, her eyes catching sight of a news van pulling up.

“I’ll be fine, you just take care of the girl,” she said, and started towards her friends.

“Wait please!” the paramedic pleaded. “At least give me your name. She should know who she owes her life to.”

“She doesn’t owe me a thing,” Brandi smiled.

The paramedic watched as the beautiful blonde walked away, shaking his head. A short distance away, Agents Reynolds and Blake watched as well.

“Do we take her?” Blake asked.

Reynolds gave him a withering look, “Do you want to die? She’d tear us into little pieces. We report in and wait for orders.”

Brandi did not argue at all when Melissa and Karen had her lean on them for the walk back to the house. Her feet were cut and blistered, as were her arms and legs. Her pajamas were scorched and totally ruined.

“Damn, and these are my favorites,” Brandi said as she looked at her pajamas.

“So do you need to take a nap?” Melissa asked as they had entered living room.

“No but I need to sit down, my feet are killing me,” Brandi said. “Could you get me some towels so I don’t ruin the couch?”

“Fuck the couch, sit down,” Melissa said.

“I’m sorry I took off like that but there was no time,” Brandi said as she dropped onto the couch, legs splayed wide.

“Ahem, young ladies, even those with third degree burns on their feet, do not sit like that,” Karen said with mock severity. Brandi stuck her tongue out and put her knees together in a more lady like fashion.

“Do you want me to get something for those burns?” Melissa asked.

“Well a couple of damp towels would feel nice,” Brandi admitted. “I’ll be fine within the hour, but they hurt like hell right now.”

Melissa disappeared into the bathroom down the hall and returned with several dampened towels. Karen had a pair of scissors and was cutting Brandi’s pants away as she returned. Once her legs were exposed, Melissa wrapped towels about them, and then wrapped her feet and arms as well, trying to be as gentle as possible. The action still caused Brandi to wince.

“I thought you could turn off pain,” Melissa said as she sat down next to her.

Brandi looked a bit guilty as she said, “I haven’t been totally honest about that. What I can control is my response to pain, and then only for a short period of time. I still feel the pain; I just don’t react to it. I was able to turn it off so I could pass through any flames without the pain bringing me down, but it’s back now, with a vengeance.”

“Well that makes sense actually,” Karen said. “Not feeling pain could lead you to aggravate an injury. Can I get you anything sweetie?”

“A beer would be heavenly,” Brandi sighed.

Karen went into the kitchen and came back with three bottles of Killian’s. Brandi took a long drink and closed her eyes for a moment.

“I have to tell you guys something else,” Brandi said, her eyes still closed. “As I went into that building, for the first time since I was transformed I knew that I could die. When I saw the flames it was like something clicked again; some part of the programming opened up and I knew that fire could kill me.”

“And you still went in,” Melissa said.

“I had to,” Brandi said. “I could hear her screaming for help…I just couldn’t stand by and let her die.”

“No you chose to go in,” Karen said. “Just like you chose to dive in and save Melissa fourteen years ago and you chose to stay behind in Iraq so your men could escape. Remember that, Brandi. That’s what makes you who you are, what makes you special; not a bunch of behavior that was programmed into you.”

“Thank you,” Brandi said. Despite her statement that she did not need rest, she was beginning to think that a little nap would not hurt.

“Why don’t you lay your head in my lap and rest,” Melissa suggested. Brandi smiled and did so, and in seconds she was sound asleep.

CHAPTER 38

“We have a positive ID on the Genomorph’s location,” Reginald Mercer told the Man.

They were deep within the Nevada site, having moved all essential personnel from the main office in Washington. Preparations to activate the sleeper agents were well underway, with only a few left to be programmed. If the effort with the President was successful it would make things easier, but it really did not matter. His entire Secret Service detail was already programmed, as were those of the Vice President and the Chief of Staff, along with most of the other members of the cabinet. The protective details were programmed to act should anyone attempt to reach their principles before the plan was enacted.

The main pieces which still had to be taken were the Joint Chiefs and the Genomorph. Having her on the loose was just too dangerous, but it would not stop the plan from going forward.

“Where?” The Man asked Mercer.

“Los Angeles,” Mercer replied nervously. “Venice Beach to be precise.”

“So her misdirection was itself misdirection,” The Man smiled. “She is everything we hoped she would be.”

“Except controllable,” Mercer commented, anxious to steer the conversation towards others’ failures.

“And you’re certain of this?”

“Yes, sir,” Mercer said. “We have a positive visual ID by Agent Reynolds. She is staying with two young women, a Melissa Barlowe and Karen Meadows. Both are graduate students at UCLA.”

“Begin assembling a full tactical unit,” The Man ordered. “I’ll handle any fall out from the locals. I want her taken at all costs.”

“Understood, sir,” Mercer said. “The team commander is working on assault plans for the house and for the campus.”

“Take the time and do it right,” The Man said. “We don’t want anything to alert her until we are ready to move.”

“I’ve pulled all surveillance off her for now,” Mercer said. “Everything will be ready to move by the weekend and we plan on taking her Monday. We’re going to hit both locations at once. If she slips away at the house, we’ll still have her friends.”

“Excellent,” The Man said. “I have also received information on the location of Susan Covington. She is at the estate of Amanda Breton in Virginia. I suspect that Ryan Sanders is there as well.”

“Do you want us to plan an operation to retrieve them?” Mercer asked.

“No, there’s no need,” The Man said. “If we capture the Genomorph in LA, then Dr. Covington will be activated along with the rest of the sleepers. If not, we can activate her locally. Then she can help us bring the girl in.”

*****

“Well, here goes nothing,” Brandi said, pressing her hand to the top of the silver cube. The two hour nap she had taken had done wonders, though she was still a bit aggravated over the loss of her favorite pajamas. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a halter top after she had awakened.

As her hand made contact with the hand shaped area on top of the cube there was a buzzing sound. Brandi pulled her hand back and the top of the cube seemed to melt away from the center.

The cube was filled with what appeared to be thick, black tar. The three girls looked at each other, and then back at the goo.

“Ok, like, I don’t have a clue here,” Brandi said.

“Alien milkshake mix?” Karen offered. “Maybe some kind of Genomorph super food?”

“I am not eating anything that looks like that,” Brandi said, her nose scrunching up in distaste. “Besides it said it was some kind of armor.”

“Nothing clicked when you touched the box?” Melissa asked.

“Nope, not a thing,” Brandi said. “If it is armor I’m gonna, like, need a brush to put it on.”

Cautiously Brandi stuck the index finger of her right hand into the thick mass. When she pulled it back, the goo came with it, and then she plunged her hand deep into it.

“Brandi!” Melissa exclaimed.

“I didn’t do it,” Brandi said, her eyes looking unfocused. “It pulled my hand in.”

“Well pull it out!” Karen shouted.

“No it’s all right,” Brandi assured them. “I understand now. I just hope I’m not about to ruin another set of clothes. Get as much of these off me as you can.”

The viscous black material began slowly creeping up Brandi’s arm as Melissa and Karen helped her out of her jeans and panties. There was nothing they could do about the halter top she wore but she had put on a strapless bra which was easy enough to free her from.

The goo was moving faster now, and at her shoulders it began spreading across and down her body. The sensation was very erotic as it formed itself about her breasts, beneath her halter. It was even more so when it reached her crotch and she let out a little moan.

“Are you ok?” Melissa asked.

“Oh yeah,” Brandi grinned. “That was really odd though.”

Within minutes the cube was empty and Brandi was covered from her neck down in what now looked like a glistening black cat suit. The material seemed to adjust itself somewhat, forming the outline of calf high boots and long gloves. Then the area about her torso thickened and formed a denser bodice. Once the alterations were complete, the material faded to a dull, matte black. Brandi was then able to remove her halter top without damage.

The suit had the feel of soft leather, and was very flexible. The bodice, boots and gloves were thick and heavy while the parts covering her arms and legs were much thinner. The boots also had wide, three inch heels.

“The aliens were into high heels?” Melissa asked, dubious.

Brandi looked down at the boots and giggled, “I think I did that. What can I say? I look really sexy in heels.”

“That outfit is going to make it real hard to move around without attracting attention,” Karen said. “Can you take it off?”

“Sure,” Brandi said, and as she spoke a seam appeared down the front as the suit opened up. “I can do better than that though.”

The seam disappeared, the garment resealing itself. Then the suit itself vanished, seeming to absorb into her skin. After a few seconds, it reformed about her body.

“That is a handy trick,” Karen remarked. “It’s kind of creepy too.”

“I could have really used this earlier,” Brandi said, her eyes looking a bit unfocused. Her mind was being flooded with data regarding the armor. “It’s fire resistant.”

“It’s, um, very sexy too,” Melissa said.

Brandi looked at her with an expression of shocked dismay which quickly became a provocative smile.

“Why Melissa, I had no idea,” she purred. Melissa’s face turned bright red.

“Well other than being fire proof and turning your girlfriend on, what does it do?” Karen asked.

“Fire resistant,” Brandi corrected. “It’s light armor, I can’t really translate the figures in the specs, but it appears it would stop a handgun round. About like Spectra body armor.”

Melissa and Karen gave her blank looks and Brandi explained, “Spectra is a synthetic fiber, about forty percent stronger than the Kevlar used in traditional body armor.”

Brandi’s mind was still awash in information about the armor. She knew that while it could stop a small projectile that was no more than a secondary benefit. The Forerunners had not been concerned with protecting Genomorphs from firearms; their enemies had far more lethal weapons, energy weapons based on laser and plasma beam technology. These weapons had been capable of virtually destroying a Genomorph with just a few good hits. The armor was an ablative material that reduced the damage from such weapons.

But even that was secondary to its primary purpose, that of aiding a Genomorph in infiltrating an enemy stronghold. Brandi knew that with practice, she would be able to change the form of the armor, just as she could alter her own form, into any type of clothing she needed. The matte black body suit was its basic combat configuration, but the color, texture and even the opacity could be altered to virtually anything.

“Oh that reminds me, shopping!” Brandi cried out, startling and confusing both Melissa and Karen.

“What reminds you of shopping?” Melissa asked. “You’ve been sitting there in a daze for five minutes.”

“We have to take Karen shopping,” Brandi said, ignoring the question. “She needs some really classy outfits for DC.”

Karen’s eyes narrowed and she glared at Brandi as she said, “You have the audacity to stand there in what amounts to a fetish outfit and imply that my wardrobe needs an update?”

Brandi looked down at cat suit and giggled. The seam had reappeared while she was absorbing data on the armor and now the suit had a plunging V neck that extended to her navel and exposed a good deal of cleavage.

“I guess it kinda responds to my programmed fashion sense, what can I say? But I do have some experience dealing with the crowd in Dark City. You have a lovely sense of professional style, Karen. You just need some upgrades in the label department.”

“Most of your stuff is all suited to California too, sweetie,” Melissa pointed out. “It’s going to be a lot chillier in Washington.”

“You’re right, I hadn’t thought about that,” Karen admitted, shuddering at the thought.

“The average temperature this time of year is in the mid fifties and it’s only going to get colder,” Brandi told her. “Where are you staying?”

“The State Plaza Hotel,” Karen said. “Dr. Evans suggested it.”

“That’s a good spot, it’s less than a mile from the State Department,” Brandi agreed.

“Have you ever been to the State Department?” Karen asked.

Brandi shook her head, “I did meet the Secretary of State once, back during Desert Storm. I had to give an after action report at the White House.”

“You gave a report to the President?” Melissa said. “What was it about?”

Brandi grinned, “I’ll tell you about it someday. Let’s just say for now that finding an alien machine that eventually transformed me into a woman may have been the weirdest thing that ever happened on a mission, but it wasn’t the only weird thing.”

*****

The three girls returned to the house from an afternoon of shopping and had just enough time to get ready for the rest of the band to arrive. They had picked up several nice suits for Karen, which Brandi had insisted on paying for. They had also stopped by the lingerie shop Karen worked at and Nikki gave her a bag of designer lingerie as a going away present.

“Where’s Brandi?” Amber asked as the girls settled down on the deck to watch the sunset and hear what Karen had to tell them.

“She’ll be joining us shortly,” Melissa said, barely suppressing a laugh. She wasn’t entirely sure Brandi’s way of revealing her secret to the band was the best way, but it would certainly be interesting.

After a bit of small talk, Karen told them her news. They were all happy and sad both, but they understood what an incredible opportunity this was for their friend.

“I guess we’ll need to cancel the weekend performances,” Cyndi said. “We better call the club right away so they’ll have as much time as possible to schedule a replacement.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Karen said. “Brandi will take my place.”

“Look Brandi is a fantastic singer I know,” Cyndi said. “But the club will not be happy about a change in the roster this late. They’ll probably cancel us anyway.”

“They won’t even know. You see, she sang in my place last night.”

The three girls looked at her incredulously, while Melissa struggled to hold in the giggles. Karen went on to tell them Brandi’s story, and exactly how she had performed in Karen’s place the night before.

“So you’re saying that Brandi used to be a guy?” Renee said.

“A forty year old Navy SEAL,” Karen nodded.

“Ok the joke has gone far enough,” Cyndi said at last. “I really don’t know what made you think this was funny, but it isn’t.”

“Yeah I knew you wouldn’t just believe me,” Karen said, picking up a pack of Marlboro 100s from the table and lighting one. She took a long drag and said, “That’s why we set up this little show.”

“Since when do you smoke, Karen?” Amber asked in confusion.

“I don’t,” Karen, the real Karen, said from behind them. They all turned to see her standing in the doorway to the living room, a huge grin on her face.

“And I’m not Karen,” Brandi giggled. As they turned back to her, she transformed before their eyes. They had made sure to dress her in clothes that would stretch enough to accommodate the differences in their figures.

“That is so cool!” Amber exclaimed. Cyndi and Renee both looked shocked, yet curiously fascinated.

“See I told you,” Brandi told Melissa.

Brandi was suddenly inundated with questions from Renee and Amber, and she did her best to answer them all. It was a great relief to no longer have to hide from her friends. Cyndi however was silent and Brandi did not need her enhanced senses to tell her she was disturbed.

It was Melissa who brought them all back to reality when she said, “You all must understand that Brandi has just entrusted you with her life. You can’t say anything about this to anyone.”

Amber and Renee both nodded, but Cyndi stared long and hard at Brandi before speaking.

“You’ve also put us in danger, isn’t that true?” she said at last.

“Cyndi, I’m sure Brandi…” Renee began.

“No she’s right,” Brandi said. “If they find me, they would not hesitate to use you all to get to me.”

“And you have been around us for weeks,” Cyndi said. “It wouldn’t have mattered to them whether we knew what was going on or not, would it?”

Brandi shook her head, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes.

“Cyndi, back off,” Melissa said. “Brandi had to get to know you first. She can’t go around just telling people what happened and you can’t expect her to just cut herself off from humanity. Karen and I only found out because Brandi healed my face. She had to tell us the whole story then.”

“Yes, and we’ve known each other for almost five years,” Cyndi said. “You should have trusted us. You both should have let us decide if we wanted to be a part of this.”

“It wasn’t for us to tell,” Karen said.

“Babe, Karen’s right,” Renee said. “They couldn’t tell us if Brandi wasn’t ready. You know she doesn’t want to put us in danger; she never asked for this.”

“How will that make me feel any better if something happened to you?” Cyndi asked.

Brandi’s head was spinning. More than anything else she still found her emotions the hardest thing to deal with. Cyndi’s reaction had thrown her and she found it impossible to think clearly.

“I’ll go away!” she blurted, tears flowing. “I’ll go away and you won’t have to worry…I’ll…”

“Like hell you will!” Melissa shot back. “Cyndi, if you can’t handle this, fine. We’ll cancel the remaining performances and you don’t have to have anything more to do with us. You’ll be safe enough; if they had found Brandi they would have made a move already. But you will not drive the woman I love away.

“What was she supposed to do, Cyndi? Let those people control her? Or should she go hide in a cave until they get tired of looking for her? She wants a life; she wants to be around people. Is that so wrong?”

Cyndi let out a heavy sigh and her expression softened.

“Why not go public?” Cyndi suggested. “You can certainly prove your story. Walk right into one of the network affiliates and do your fast change on national television. They wouldn’t be able to touch you then.”

“Maybe not,” Brandi said, her tears under control for the moment. “Or maybe they would. Maybe enough people out there would see me and react like you’re reacting and want me locked up. Whatever happened, my life would be hell from that point on. I’d never have a moment’s peace.

“Then there’s the technology itself. There is so much we can learn from it given time and study. But if the world knew it existed it would seriously hamper any effort to do real research. Everyone would want a piece of it and nothing would ever be accomplished.”

“There must be something that can be done,” Cyndi said, her anger redirecting towards the people who were after Brandi. “What happened to you is wrong. They have to answer for it.”

“I have friends working on that right now,” Brandi said. “The question right now is what do you want to do, Cyndi? I understand your feelings. I wish I had told you all sooner. I wish that being my friends didn’t put you all at risk. But I can’t change what happened.”

“We’ll do the shows this weekend,” Cyndi said. “After that, I need some time to think. Maybe we should just step back for a bit and give it time.”

Brandi nodded; it was not the answer she had hoped for, but at least Cyndi was not ending their friendship outright.

Cyndi and Renee said goodnight a short time later and promised they would be at the airport in the morning to see Karen off. After they had left, Amber came over and sat down next to Brandi, putting her arm around her shoulder and squeezing her.

“I’ll always be your friend, Brandi,” she said. “Give Cyndi a little time. She has a tendency to over analyze things way too much, but she has a good heart.”

“Thanks, Amber,” Brandi said.

“Hey we blondes have to stick together,” Amber giggled. “I do have another question for you, if it’s not too personal.”

“You can ask me anything,”

“Can you tell me…well, what is it like?” Amber asked. “I mean you were a man and now you’re a girl, and a girl with a hyper active sex drive at that.”

“Think about who you are,” Brandi said, her voice growing quiet. “All the things about yourself, good and bad. The things you like and the things you hate. Everything that makes you …you, at least in your own eyes.

“Now take it all away. You go to sleep and you wake up someone else…someone you don’t understand at all. You’ve had your whole life to learn who you are, and now you have to start all over again. You think things and feel things that you don’t understand. You see the way people look at you and know they see you as someone completely different from who you feel you are. That’s what it’s like.

“Most of the time I’m all right, but when I get, well, moody, it’s because I’m struggling. I was female for four months before I wore anything feminine other than underwear. Every time I give in and let myself accept who I am more, I feel a tremendous sense of relief and at the same time an equal sense of loss. Melissa and Karen tell me I’m doing well, that no one would ever suspect that I used to be a man. But deep down inside I still don’t feel like a girl. I still don’t understand the person I have become.”

“Brandi, let me tell you a secret,” Amber said. Her voice was very serious; not the ditzy blonde that acted so much like Brandi was programmed to, but did so because she chose to act that way. “Sometimes I don’t understand who I am. I think a lot of what you’re dealing with has nothing to do with gender; it has to do with being thrust backwards in time. As Brandon you had forty years of growing and maturing behind you. If you had been changed into a teenaged boy, you’d still be having problems adjusting because things are very different from when Brandon was younger. The world has changed a lot in twenty years.”

“That’s true,” Brandi said.

“Don’t get me wrong, you were thrown a wicked curve,” Amber said. “Two of them really; you were changed into a girl, and a girl with fantastic abilities. If it makes you feel any better, I never suspected for a moment the truth. I knew there was something different about you, but I never had a clue that you were once a guy. Really I thought you were doing the same thing I do; acting like a dumb blonde.”

“Why do you do it, Amber?”

“Well, part of it is because I’m a pretty girl who wants to be an engineer,” Amber said. “It’s a very male dominated field, and I know that people are going to look at me and judge me on my looks. If I act the way they expect me to act, it disarms them; they think they know me, and so when I show them who I really am, that I’m intelligent and talented it catches them off guard.”

“That sounds a lot like what my programming is intended to do,” Brandi said.

Amber giggled, “Mostly I do it ‘cause it’s fun.”

“Thanks Amber,” Brandi said, giving her friend a hug.

“Like I said we blondes have to stick together,” Amber told her.

Karen disappeared into the house and returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and some glasses. The four girls talked until very late, and three bottles later when Amber had fallen asleep Brandi carried her up to the bedroom she had used when she first came to stay with Melissa and Karen and put her to bed.

“Are you ok, love?” Melissa asked, when Brandi came into the master bedroom.

Brandi nodded, “I’m fine. Tonight was a bit more emotional than I anticipated but I don’t blame Cyndi for feeling the way she does.”

“Amber’s right, she’ll come around,” Melissa said. “Cyndi is very protective of her friends, and especially Renee. You’re her friend too, and she’ll protect your secret.”

Brandi smiled, “I was just wondering what I ever did to deserve such great friends.”

“Just being yourself, love.” Melissa smiled as she took her by the hand and led her to their bed.

CHAPTER 39

They drove Karen to the airport Thursday morning and had another good cry all around. When Brandi and Melissa returned to the house in Venice, it seemed empty. Brandi knew that Melissa had to be feeling it more than her; she had known Karen for six years after all.

“Do you want to talk?” Brandi asked once they were inside. They walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

“It’s just, we always knew this day would come,” Melissa said, fighting tears. “And it had to be soon…I just wasn’t ready for it to be this soon.”

“And Karen was there for you when you needed her most,” Brandi said.

Melissa nodded, “I wouldn’t have made it this past year without her. Dammit she’s my best friend and I’m happy for her, so why do I feel so lousy?”

“Because you love her, silly,” Brandi told her as she wrapped her arms around her. “It always hurts to say goodbye.”

“I’m so glad I have you,” Melissa whispered, burying her head in Brandi’s hair. “I love you so much.”

“It’s exciting too,” Brandi said. “I remember how Brandon felt as he reported to Coronado after training. The feeling of being out there on the front and having a chance to really make a difference in the world. I’m so happy for Karen.”

“I know,” Melissa said as she nuzzled Brandi’s neck.

“Keep that up and you’re gonna get me started,” Brandi moaned softly.

“That’s my plan,” Melissa whispered. “Let’s go upstairs.”

*****

Friday morning dawned sunny but cool in the nation’s capitol. Even though she had most of Thursday free Karen had stayed in her hotel, reading through several stacks of material that had been sent to her by the State Department. None of it actually pertained to the Combined Threat Assessment Group; it was all mundane information on benefits and such, but she devoured every word. She was so excited when night fell that she had a hard time getting to sleep.

She was up early and had breakfast in her room; her expenses were being covered by the government, which was also a big thrill. After eating she showered and dressed and then headed out to meet the director of CTAG, Kyle Laughlin.

Karen paused for a moment as she approached the entrance to the Harry S. Truman building, home of the United States Department of State.   As she looked up at the impressive structure she took a deep breath and wondered if she was really ready for this.

She was definitely dressed for it. She wore a chocolate brown wool knee length skirt and matching tie front blazer over an off white silk blouse. It was a designer suit and even though they had found it for half price it still cost three times what her other outfits had. She had three of them thanks to Brandi, the other two in black and red. She was a little worried about overkill, but she had to admit she looked sharp.

Karen took a deep breath and entered the building. She checked in at the security desk and after reviewing and signing several documents on security she received a visitors badge and was told that someone was coming to escort her. She turned to walk over to the waiting area and collided with a tall man and found herself flat on her butt on the floor.

“Ow,” Karen said.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” the man said as he helped her up. “Are you ok?”

“Well I think my pride is a bit bruised but otherwise I’m fine,” Karen replied.

He was handsome; not a Brad Pitt certainly but he had a boyishly charming face that was countered by piercing grey eyes. His short hair was thick and brown and while it was neatly styled it had a hint of wildness to it; definitely not the standard gel cemented look of most men she had seen in DC so far. He looked to be in his late twenties or perhaps just over thirty, and he smiled rather sheepishly as he extended his hand.

“I had hoped our meeting would be a little less abrupt,” he said in a warm tenor. “I’m Kyle Laughlin, head of the TAG Team.”

Oh nice, what a way to make a first impression, Karen thought as she shook his hand.

“Karen Meadows,” she said, feeling her face getting warm. The last thing she wanted to do was blush. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Laughlin.”

“The pleasure is all mine and please call me Kyle,” he laughed. His demeanor was very relaxing and Karen felt herself developing an instant liking for him.

“I’ll do that, Kyle,” Karen said as he ushered her through the security scanner. “Please call me Karen.”

“So where are you staying?” Kyle asked as they approached a bank of elevators beyond the scanners.

“Just over at the State Plaza,” Karen said.

“Ah, good choice, it will make your commute easier the next couple of weeks.” Kyle said. “Is this your first time in DC?”

“Not exactly,” Karen said as the elevator doors opened. “I was a delegate to Girl’s Nation from Colorado.”

“Ah I see,” Kyle said. “And how did you like it?”

“It was a lot of fun and very informative as well,” Karen said. “I think it gave me a far better understanding of politics than I would have had otherwise.”

“So do you see yourself on the Hill one day?”

Karen shook her head, “Understanding politics is good, but I don’t have aspirations in that direction. I’d rather be part of the machine that makes everything work.”

“Good answer,” Kyle said as the elevator began descending. “I think we have just the place for you.”

The elevator descended to a sub-basement and immediately outside the car was a security checkpoint. The guard, a Marine, checked their badges and had Karen sign in and then buzzed them through. Kyle first led her to a secure door and swiped his badge. Inside the large room were numerous cubicles and one wall which held several plasma display screens.

“This is what we on the TAG Team euphemistically call the Pit of Despair,” Kyle told her.

“I see,” Karen said. “You wouldn’t by any chance have six fingers on your right hand?”

“That depends,” Kyle smiled, “on whether your name is Inigo Montoya.”

Karen laughed, sure now that she was going to like Kyle. Anybody in his position who was a fan of The Princess Bride had to be all right.

“So what exactly is the TAG Team?” Karen asked as they left the Pit.

“Let’s talk in my office,” Kyle suggested. “Not that the halls here aren’t secure, but it will be a lot more comfortable.”

Kyle’s office was spartan, like the rest of the basement area.   There were a few pictures, one of Kyle in Navy uniform, next to several framed decorations. Prominently displayed on the wall to the right of his desk was a framed newspaper article. The headline immediately caught Karen’s eye. It read, ‘Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor posthumously’. The picture with the article caused Karen to stare momentarily in shock. She quickly hid the look, but Kyle had noticed it.

“Did you know Brandon Anderson?”

Karen shook her head, but realized she could not deny the look of recognition.

“Not personally,” she said. “I know someone who was a friend of his though.”

“I keep that there as a reminder,” Kyle said. “I was in Naval Intelligence when he was wounded. We had information about the presence of Republican Guard units watching the objective, and we sent it up the line. Somewhere along the way it got squashed and never made it to the people who needed it.

“That’s what CTAG is all about. We are the Combined Threat Assessment Group, charged with identifying threats before they become threats. But more than that, we are here to cut through the interagency bullshit and see that information gets to the people who need it, before someone flies a plane into a building or sets off a nuke at the Super Bowl...before another good man has to lay down his life because of a screw up.”

Kyle looked for a long moment at the framed article, his eyes haunted.

“One ghost is all I ever want to have to deal with,” he said.

Karen spent the rest of the day going through a variety of orientation procedures. Kyle showed her around the facility, which was not very large, and introduced her to several people she would be working with. She was given a cubicle in the Pit where she would work from. Her primary duties would be to analyze intelligence from a variety of sources and look for patterns or warning signs. Each piece of intelligence would be reviewed jointly by multiple analysts, each with a different area of expertise. As they made notes they would instantly go into the system and be viewable by everyone.

There were a number of complex computer protocols to learn, and CTAG’s chief computer technician Mira Gallo went through them with Karen at length. Mira was a very pretty young woman; her Italian heritage was plain to see in her dark complexion and long, silky black hair, but she obviously went to great pains to look as plain as possible. She wore big glasses that were not particularly attractive and had her hair pulled back tightly in a functional but not very flattering bun. She was also very good with computers and had a mannerism that was very easy going. Karen strongly suspected that in her off hours the mousey look vanished and Mira literally let her hair down.

Much of the orientation material concerned the history of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, or INR, to which CTAG was attached. INR was founded as the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office for Strategic Services in World War Two. After the war, it was renamed and attached to the State Department while the OSS itself went on to become the foundation of the Central Intelligence Agency.

With less than two hundred analysts, INR was only about a tenth the size of the CIA, yet they turned out nearly two million written reports a year. And though the intelligence community had been widely criticized for its failures leading up to the war in Iraq, the INR was credited as having been ‘the least wrong’, and on more than one occasion the little agency with no spies and no satellites had outperformed their larger counterparts, delivering assessments that contradicted the bigger agencies…and ultimately proved to be accurate.

It was a matter of quality over quantity; most of the analysts had been with their particular region of expertise for a decade or more, and many had advanced degrees. They were encouraged to specialize in a particular region so they could more accurately read the meaning behind events.

The world was a changing place, however, and new threats that were well outside the bounds of reason were now all to real. A new approach and mindset was needed to counter these threats, but one that was willing to work with the more seasoned analysts. CTAG was quite in contrast to the rest of the INR. Most of the senior analysts were in their forties at least, but the Team members had an average age in their late twenties. Their mission was to think outside the box. They were there to follow up on leads uncovered by the more senior analysts as well as that from other agencies, and Kyle had told Karen that there would likely be field work involved, especially for someone like her who was multilingual. Through college Karen had taken numerous language courses and was fluent in Arabic, Russian and Chinese and had a working grasp of several other languages.

It was a long day, with a lot of information to absorb, but by the evening Karen’s visitor pass had been replaced by a security identification granting her Level Three clearance, an intermediate level common to the majority of the Pit crew. Her thumb and hand prints were scanned and stored as well as a retinal image, voice print and several full facial images for the photo recognition system.

On her way out of the Pit at the end of the day Karen ran into Kyle again, though not so literally as at their first meeting.

“So how did your day go?” Kyle asked.

“It was amazing,” Karen said. “There is so much to learn it’s like being a freshman in college again. It’s very exciting though, I can’t wait for Monday.”

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?” Kyle asked.

“Nothing special, probably just some sight seeing,” Karen replied.

“If you like, I’d be happy to be your guide,” Kyle said. “I think I can promise you some sights that aren’t on the usual tourist routes, but they will be very interesting.”

“That would be wonderful, but I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Oh yes, escorting a beautiful young woman is such an imposition, but I think I can endure it,” Kyle said. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner tonight?”

“I’d like that very much,” Karen said, hoping the flush she was feeling did not show on her face. “Can you give me an hour to freshen up?”

“Sure, I’ll pick you up at your hotel,” Kyle said. “It’ll be a semi casual place so you don’t have to get dressed up.”

“I’ll see you in an hour then,” Karen said.

*****

The Post-Modern Bimbos arrived at the Back Beat on Friday afternoon and set up their equipment, with Brandi’s help. She even went through several numbers with them for a sound check. It did not draw any unusual attention from the staff, Brandi had been seen with the band on several occasions and had done the sound check before when Karen was not able to be there early enough.

They returned to the club an hour before the performance was to begin and Brandi slipped into the backstage area unseen through the back door. She stayed out of sight in the dressing room until just before the show was to begin, and then transformed into Karen and quickly dressed and did her makeup. She had been spending a lot of time of the last few days with her form altered and could already tell that it was making a difference. The transformation was much faster and they were more than half way through the night before she started feeling the first hint of strain. Once the show was over she switched back to her natural appearance in the back of Cyndi’s van.

“You certainly don’t seem uncomfortable about your body,” Renee remarked as Brandi dressed.

“Modesty was not part of the programming,” Brandi said. “If anything, the opposite is true. For a Genomorph to accomplish her mission, she couldn’t be worried about being naked in front of others.”

“Yet you’re uncomfortable about sex,” Renee said.

“Sex with a man,” Brandi corrected, blushing as she looked at Melissa. “The programming for that is there, very strongly there. But it’s at war with forty years as a perfectly straight male. My body wants it and even my mind wants it, but the part of me that is still Brandon fights it.”

“You did really great tonight,” Cyndi told her. “If I hadn’t known, I would have never suspected you weren’t Karen.”

“It’s not like it’s talent,” Brandi said. She knew Cyndi was still uncomfortable about her and did not want to focus on her abilities too much. “I’m just mimicking her and thanks to my enhanced memory I can mimic every nuance.”

“That may be true when you’re being Karen, but when you did the sound checks you were being yourself,” Cyndi said. “I know your voice range is a product of the changes, but you have a presence that is all your own, and very, very powerful.”

“Thank you, Cyndi that really means a lot.”

“Brandi, I find what has happened to you both fascinating and tragic,” Cyndi said. “My problem was never about you.”

“Actually Brian the music director, was asking about you,” Amber said. “He wanted to know if you were going to be joining the band, or if you had your own.”

“I couldn’t even think about doing that as long as they are looking for me,” Brandi said. “I believe in hiding in plain sight, but that’s a bit too out there to be safe.”

“You won’t always be a fugitive,” Cyndi said.

No, but I may never really be free either, Brandi thought.

CHAPTER 40

“So where are you taking me?” Karen asked as she climbed into Kyle’s Lexus. When he had picked her up for dinner the night before in the luxury car he had explained it came with the job, as it was well above his salary.

“Someplace you will need to become very familiar with,” Kyle said. “We’ll hit some of the more tourist oriented sights this afternoon, but this morning we’re going to continue with your orientation.”

Kyle refused to say anything further about their destination as he navigated through the streets of Washington and turned onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway. He took the parkway north and as they drove he shared little bits of trivia about life in DC. Karen had a suspicion as to their destination, which was confirmed about fifteen minutes later when they exited the parkway. A few minutes later they passed a sign that read, ‘CIA: 1 Mile’. Soon they were turning onto the long drive that was the entrance to the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Once they had parked Kyle led her to the main entrance of the Old Headquarters building, and Karen was filled with a sense of awe as they crossed the famous CIA Seal inlaid in the floor of the lobby. To their right as they entered was the CIA memorial wall, adorned with eighty-three stars commemorating CIA officers killed in the line of duty. Below the stars was a glass encased book. Karen scanned the book, noting the forty-eight names marked with a gold star and another thirty-five stars with no names.

“Why are some of the names missing?” she asked.

“The others are classified, even in death,” Kyle said. “It takes a special person to accept a dangerous task, knowing that should they fall, their sacrifice will never be known.”

Karen nodded silently. She knew someone with that very dedication.

On the opposite wall to the south was another memorial. This one was dedicated to the Office for Strategic Services. On the wall was a single star, and on a pedestal to its left was a glass enclosed book with the names of one hundred sixteen men and women who had given their lives during World War 2. Standing watch to the right of the book was a statue of Major General William J. Donovan, head of the OSS.

“They called him ‘Wild Bill’, a name he earned playing football for Columbia University,” a voice said from behind them.

The voice belonged to an attractive woman in her thirties, with shoulder length brown hair. She was dressed smartly in a black tweed skirt suit and had a definite air of confidence as she spoke.

“In World War One he commanded a regiment and was awarded the Medal of Honor after leading a successful assault against the Germans despite being seriously wounded. After World War Two and his time as head of the OSS, he served as a special assistant to the chief prosecutor at the Nuremburg Tribunal, and took great pride in seeing Nazi leaders who had ordered the torture and murder of OSS agents brought to justice. Today he is acknowledged as the Father of Modern American Intelligence Gathering.”

“Karen Meadows meet Maxine Andrews,” Kyle said. “Max works in operations and has graciously volunteered to be your guide this morning. She will also be acting as CTAG’s liaison with the Agency. Now I have to speak to a few people while I’m here and will meet you back here a little later.”

For the next four hours Max showed Karen around the sprawling complex. They walked through the Cold War Exhibit and viewed espionage artifacts from that period, and then moved on to the New Headquarters Building and the CIA museum. Max introduced Karen to at least a dozen people in different areas of the building, and they eventually found their way out to the courtyard where they sat on a bench to enjoy the fall morning.

“I take it Kyle has not brought all of the CTAG people here like this,” Karen said.

“No, just you. I think he has plans for you.” Max said. She felt fairly certain after seeing Karen that Kyle’s plans for her might be as much personal as they were professional.

“Well I have to confess it’s all more than a little overwhelming,” Karen said. “A few days ago I was a college student and now here I am seeing things that most people are not allowed to see.”

“You’ll get into the swing of things,” Max said. “I envy you really; it’s been ten years for me but I still remember a bit of the excitement that was there when I first started working here.”

“I have a question about this morning,” Karen said, and when Max nodded for her to continue she did. “Everyone you introduced me to was polite and friendly, but I felt there was an undercurrent of hostility. Am I way off base?”

Max looked at her intently before saying, “No, you’re not.”

The courtyard was mostly empty; it was a popular spot for having lunch but was still a little early for that. A few of the weekend staff were out getting some fresh air, and Max looked around subtly to make sure no one was within earshot before she continued.

“They don’t want you or CTAG to succeed. You’re the competition in their eyes; upstarts that are just out to steal their thunder. You’re going to find the same thing at NSA, Defense and likely even within the INR and every other intelligence agency.”

“I don’t get that from you though,” Karen said.

“I believe in what Kyle wants to do with CTAG,” Max said. “There have been a lot of changes for the good over the last four years but there still needs to be more. The agencies are still too territorial. I know Kyle too, we’ve been friends for several years. He’s not interested in making a name for himself. Tell me, what draws you to this line of work?”

“Honestly, until my advisor mentioned the possibility to me, I had never considered it,” Karen said. “I always saw myself working in the private sector in international relations and then one day perhaps in the diplomatic corp. But when he told me he was showing my paper to some people here, well it all became so clear. This was a chance to make a difference.”

Of course Karen did not mention Brandi, or that when she had met the young woman and learned of her past and the things Brandon had done, she had felt a desire to emulate her. It was ironic; Karen knew Brandi saw her as a big sister and the role model of the woman she wanted to be and yet she saw Brandi as the role model of the person she wanted to be. The kind of person who made a difference.

Max looked at her watch and then smiled at Karen, “Kyle should be on his way to meet us back in the lobby, shall we go?”

Kyle was indeed waiting for them, and after Karen had thanked Max for the tour they signed out and returned to the car. They were back on the Parkway before Karen spoke.

“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”

Kyle grinned, thinking he had been right about this young woman. He had suspected she would pick up on the attitudes at the Agency.

“Swimming upstream never is,” he said. “We’ll have to fight the current for some time.”

“I prefer a more direct approach,” Karen said. “If you don’t want to fight the current, change the way the river flows.”

CHAPTER 41

The estate was located a few miles north of Los Angeles, secluded enough and yet with easy and quick access to several major transit arteries. It was not a flashy estate, but it was large and had several out buildings, making it an ideal safe house.

A convoy of vehicles, several vans and moving trucks along with a black Lincoln entered through the heavily gated entrance. The vans and trucks moved on to the collection of outbuildings while the Lincoln stopped in front of the main house.

Through binoculars Senior Chief Charlie Wright watched as four men got out of the sedan. They were dressed casually, like business men arriving for a retreat, but Wright was not fooled. Their close cropped hair and obviously excellent physical condition was not the real give away, it was the way they scanned their surroundings and the way they carried themselves. These men were soldiers, well trained and disciplined. Wright switched from the binoculars to a 100X spotting scope with an attached video camera and began recording the scene.

The vans unloaded close to a full platoon of identical looking men, who moved into the out buildings which Wright knew had been set up as barracks. They all carried simple luggage, no military looking duffel bags or such, but again there was no mistake as to who they were and what they were here for.

The arrival of the tactical team did not necessarily mean that his former CO had been found. In fact there had been activity at this location before. The organization had several such houses and had been stationing teams at each of them for faster deployment. The team that had been here previously had moved out a week ago, probably being shifted to another location. Since the estate was officially listed as a retreat for business leaders, keeping a team there too long would potentially draw suspicion.

Wright switched off the video camera and carefully withdrew from his concealed position on a ridge overlooking the estate. The observation post was distant enough that it would be hard to spot, but these men were professionals. The last team had regularly sent out patrols, pairs that to the casual observer would have appeared to be simply taking a stroll around the grounds. Undoubtedly the estate was routinely swept for electronic devices as well, which is why they had chosen not to plant any while it was empty. The organization was paranoid to the extreme, and they could not afford to tip them off to the fact that the estate was being watched. That would be a dead giveaway that Brandi was in LA.

Brandi. The thought that his former commander, the finest warrior Wright had ever served with, was now a beautiful young woman named Brandi was something that Wright still found incredible. Still, when he had read the reports detailing the events behind the transformation, the warrior genes that had made Brandon a desirable candidate for the Genomorph Protocol, he had not been surprised. Anyone who had served with him would have readily agreed that there was something different about Brandon Anderson. In a fraternity of elite warriors he stood out as someone very special.

Wright rose from the ground once he had crawled over the ridge and returned to the Ford Excursion concealed in the trees. He climbed into the passenger seat and Petty Officer Enrique Vasquez started the engine.

“What do you think, Chief?” Vasquez asked.

“It’s a new team, same size as the last one,” Wright said. “Other than that, I can’t say. You go back and report to the Skipper and I’ll maintain surveillance and get some more video.”

For the rest of the day Wright observed the estate but did not see anything that indicated the tactical team was up to anything. He managed to get video of the four men from the sedan who were undoubtedly the officers of this team, as well as shots of several of the others. Late that afternoon Vasquez returned and along with him were Petty Officers Lewis and Darrow, the SEAL platoon’s snipers. Wright briefed them both on what he had seen throughout the day and then he and Vasquez returned to their safe house with the video he had shot. The estate would remain under constant surveillance and the SEALs would be on alert until the mercenaries left. If they made a move, the SEALs would be ready to respond immediately.

*****

Brandi and Melissa spent Sunday just relaxing. Melissa shared a lot of funny stories about the times she and Karen had as undergraduates, but said she was saving the best for when Karen made it big in Washington; timing was everything with the really juicy dirt.

Brandi also spent several hours Sunday altering her form. She mimicked Melissa and Karen and Amber, who had gladly allowed her to record her patterns for practice; she thought it was ‘so cool’. Amber was the hardest, as she was four inches shorter than Brandi and very petite. Brandi found it required much more effort to hold a form that was so physically different from her own, and the process of actually becoming shorter and smaller was in fact very painful, as was returning to her normal form. Still she endured the discomfort knowing that it was like physical training and trusting her body to let her know before she went too far.

In addition to practicing altering her form, Brandi experimented with changing the form of her biomorphic armor. The first attempts were less than dramatic; she was able to change the basic design of the garment, but changing the appearance of the material was much more difficult. What she ended up with were variations that all looked like leather; tight fitting pants and a halter top or bodice were fairly easy. Forming the material into something like a skirt was very hard, as it tended to want to cling to her body.

Melissa had an idea, and asked Brandi to mimic her. She then showed her pictures of different hairstyles and Brandi tried each of them out, varying the color and length of her hair so Melissa could see how she would look with a variety of styles.

“This could be very useful,” Melissa said after Brandi had returned to her own appearance. “It’s like having my own life sized Barbie doll!”

That evening Brandi grilled steaks, one of Brandon’s specialties. They had been marinated all day in teriyaki sauce and fresh garlic. She prepared baked potatoes for a side that were large enough to be a meal on their own. After dinner the two girls sat on the deck in each others arms and watched the sun set over the ocean, a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

CHAPTER 42

Monday morning Brandi fixed a light breakfast for Melissa before she headed to the campus. Like Karen she was technically already finished with her graduate work, but she still had students to tutor and work to do for her advisor to help finish up the quarter.

Brandi spent the early part of the morning tidying up the house, as she had let it go the last few days. By midmorning she was done and she dressed in her workout clothes and jogged down to Keller Karate for a workout with Dylan.

“Hello beautiful,” Dylan called as he saw her enter. As usual, every male in the gym stopped what they were doing and looked at her. This time it did not bother her as much as it had in the past.

They had a good workout. In the few weeks she had been working with Dylan he had shown great improvement, not that he had been bad to start with. Now he was definitely world class, and Brandi felt certain he had a good chance at going all the way at the worlds.

“So when do you leave for Ontario?” Brandi asked as they sat down on the sofa in his office. She took the towel Dylan offered her and wiped away some of the perspiration from her face and neck, hoping Dylan would not notice the way her nipples were displaying prominently through her top. She always felt a strong sense of arousal after one of their sessions, but today it was stronger than ever before, compounded by the fact that she had really grown to like Dylan.

“Friday,” Dylan answered. “The competition doesn’t start for two weeks, but I want to be there early and get acclimated.”

“You’ll do great,” Brandi smiled. “In fact, I think you’ll win.”

“I feel better than I ever have going into any competition,” Dylan admitted, his arm slipping around Brandi’s shoulder. “Only one thing would make me feel better, and that’s if you were there with me.”

“Dylan I….”

Whatever she had been about to say was forgotten as she leaned over and kissed him. Dylan was surprised by her sudden move, but he readily returned the kiss. His surprise was nothing compared to Brandi’s. The most surprising part was it was not forced by her programming. Maybe nudged a bit, but not forced.

After several seconds they separated, Dylan smiling as he said, “Does that mean you’ll come?”

“No, that means I care about you very much,” Brandi said. “But if you’re looking for a girlfriend, I can’t be it. You see, I have a girlfriend, you met her, Melissa…I’m sort of a lesbian.”

“Ok, now I’m really confused,” Dylan said.

Brandi stood up and walked across the office. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Dylan, because she really had grown to like him. She had grown to like him so much in fact that she knew she wanted to be with him and wanted it to be now. But she would never love him, and she had to make him understand.

“I can’t blame you, I’m confused all the time,” she sighed. “Dylan I’m really complicated. I am madly, deeply, passionately in love with Melissa, but sometimes I just…I want…I need…”

Dylan rose and walked to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking down into her eyes.

“Sometimes you need a man?”

“Dammit I sound like such a slut!” Brandi cried. “I’m not like that, not really. I can’t help these feelings! And I don’t know how to explain it in a way that sounds good. I’m not emotionally attracted to men but I can’t stop thinking about sleeping with a man…I just really wanted it to be someone I see as a friend.”

“Brandi I care about you,” Dylan said gently. “And I won’t pretend I don’t have some fantasies about the two of us getting together. But I’m not looking for a steady relationship now myself. Asking you to come to Canada wasn’t a come on…ok, it was sort of a come on, let’s face it…you are hot and I am a man. But I really just wanted you to be there when I win, since you are a big reason why I’m going to win.”

“This was a mistake…I should leave,” Brandi said, crying softly. “I hope you won’t think too badly of me.”

She turned to go and was almost to the door when she was stopped by his hand on her shoulder. She turned and was in his arms, kissing him again. It was not compulsion and there was no conflict in her now. It was like Melissa had said when they first made love; she needed to be with a man, and she wanted it to be Dylan. Maybe her feelings were prompted in some way by the emotional turmoil she had experienced over Karen leaving. Whatever the reason, she knew that if she walked away from Dylan now she would totally lose control.

“My apartment is just a few blocks away,” Dylan said. “No strings, no expectations, ok?”

Brandi bit her lip, nodding her head and smiling. Dylan took her by the hand and led her out of the office, and she took another step forward in her journey.

*****

Chief Wright and Vasquez had been back at the observation post for less than an hour when a vehicle approached the gate, another black Lincoln. After the car pulled up to the main house Wright zoomed the spotting scope in to get a good look at who got out.

His heart began beating faster as the face of the man exiting the passenger side came into focus. He was average height, slightly balding and a bit overweight. His face was very distinctive; he looked somewhat like a toad.

“Mercer,” Wright whispered, recalling the name that went with the face from their briefing files. The driver of the car looked familiar also, but it took a bit longer for Wright to place him. He was very average looking, the kind of face that makes a perfect agent. Chief Wright finally put a name to his face as well, Reynolds, one of the organization’s senior field agents. Their presence here with the team of mercenaries could mean only one thing.

“Pack it up,” Wright told Vasquez. “They found her. We can’t make a call until we’re clear of the area so let’s move.”

CHAPTER 43

A dark grey Ford van was parked a block away from Melissa’s house in Venice. The interior of the van was a small operations center, with electronic monitoring equipment and communications gear. Spaced throughout the neighborhood were over a dozen agents in civilian clothing.

A brown delivery van pulled up to the house and the driver disappeared into the back. He reappeared a moment later with a package and walked up to the back door. In the back of the delivery van were a dozen heavily armed mercenaries from the tactical unit.

The fake delivery man reached the door and rang the bell. He waited several minutes, ringing twice more, before stepping off the porch. He took a quick look through the garage window and then returned to the van, taking the package with him. As the van pulled away from the house he spoke into his radio.

“There was one vehicle in the garage, I couldn’t see the plate,” he said. “Subject is not on the premises.”

Reginald Mercer cursed softly in the operations van.

“All right, pull everyone back from here,” he said. It was too risky to maintain surveillance around the house.

“Agent Reynolds reports the girlfriend is under surveillance,” the man at the comm panel reported.

“Have all units move to the campus,” Mercer said. “Tell Reynolds to maintain watch and wait for my arrival. We’ll grab the Barlowe girl there. Send word to the Washington team and tell them to be ready to move on the other one at a moment’s notice.”

“The Washington team wants to know if they should send a team prepared for a full tactical response,” the communications technician said after he had relayed the message.

“No, she’s just a girl not a Genomorph,” Mercer said. “Tell them to keep it low key.”

*****

What have I done?   Brandi thought as she left Dylan’s apartment building. She lit a cigarette, her hand shaking so badly she almost could not do it.

She was filled with conflicting emotions; far worse than she had felt after her first time with Melissa. There was a definite elation that she had finally gotten past a major milestone in her transformation and definitely shock over how wantonly she had thrown herself at Dylan. She felt dirty, cheap, and yet wonderfully satisfied. Most of all she felt guilty and unfaithful, even though Melissa had assured her repeatedly that she understood Brandi’s need and would not be upset when she gave in to it.

She saw the red and white awning of her favorite café ahead and decided to stop for a coke. She needed some time to think. She knew she loved Melissa and that Melissa loved her; but could their relationship last if she continued to have a need to be with a man? She desperately hoped it could. She had received a tremendous sense of sensual gratification from Dylan, but it was only when she was with Melissa that she felt truly whole.

She found a table outside and had a seat, lighting another cigarette as she did.

“Hi Brandi, having a late lunch?” The waitress asked as she walked up to the table.

“Just a coke today Sally,” Brandi told her.

As she sipped her soda she thought about what she had done. Did she feel any different? Yes, she did. It was as though a great weight had been removed, like she had faced a right of passage and come through the other side. She now knew in her heart that whatever memories, whatever experience she carried with her from Brandon she was now and forever a woman. She had experienced the same sensation she had before, whenever she had reached a milestone along the path to accepting herself as a woman. But did that mean that sex with a man was what defined her?

“Hi Brandi how are you today?” A voice said, breaking her from her reverie.

“Oh hi Sam,” Brandi said, smiling as she greeted the café manager. “I’m ok, have a seat!”

“Thanks,” Sam said as he joined her at the table. One thing Brandi immediately noticed was that she felt almost nothing in Sam’s presence. Of course, she had just had sex with Dylan…more than once actually, so it was no surprise her libido was sated for the moment.

“Listen, I just wanted to tell you something,” Sam said in a hushed tone. “A couple of suits showed up here about two hours ago flashing your picture and asking questions. I got a real bad vibe off them. I told them I had never seen you before.”

Brandi’s eyes grew wide and she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Before she could say a word her cell phone began ringing. She pulled it from her bag and opened it to see a text message from Susan. It said one word.

Run!

*****

Melissa had an hour to kill before her next class, and as was her custom stopped by the coffee shop in Kerckhoff Hall for a cappuccino. She took the beverage outside and sat at a table, enjoying the California sunshine. She was engrossed in a book when the two men in dark suits approached. They looked about for a moment, and when they spied her, one of them pulled a picture from his coat pocket and examined it. He nodded to the other man and they walked up to Melissa.

“Miss Barlowe, we’d like you to come with us please,” one of the men said.

Melissa looked at the two men, both wearing dark glasses that obscured their eyes. One was fairly short, about five seven with a toad like look to his face and a significant gut. The other was tall and fit and he gave Melissa an arrogant leer.

“Unless I see a badge and a warrant I have no intention of going anywhere with you,” Melissa told them flatly. She cursed the fact that her permit had not come through yet. Her gun was back at the house.

The toad faced man leaned close and whispered menacingly, “There are a lot of innocent people here Miss Barlowe. If you don’t want to see them get hurt you’ll do as you’re told.”

Melissa looked around at the students laughing and talking and knew that these men were prepared to hurt, even kill every one of them. Her cell phone began vibrating in her purse which was sitting on the ground next to her leg, and she knew it was Brandi calling to warn her, but it was too late.

Brandi I need you!

*****

Brandi dropped her cell phone into her purse and thanked Sam, giving him a twenty dollar bill to cover the coke and dashing away from the café. She sprinted the entire distance from the café to the house, and was actually a bit winded when she burst through the door into the living room. She had known even as she was approaching that the house was clear, though she was well aware they could be watching from outside of her range. She detected no foreign electronic emissions either coming from the house or going into it so she knew they had not left any bugs behind.

But they had been here; she knew it even though there was no evidence. They had tried to take her at the house and when they did not find her they had gone to their alternate plan. They were after Melissa.

She bounded up the stairs and into the master bedroom, stripping her exercise clothes away as she entered the huge walk in closet. She already knew what outfit she was going to wear, and with an energy that bordered on frantic she grabbed clothes from the closet and then hefted her black duffel bag to her shoulder. It had almost everything she needed, and as she quickly dressed and applied makeup she planned her next move.

In less than five minutes she was bounding back down the stairs, the duffel over her shoulder as she raced through the house. As she settled behind the wheel of her Solstice she tried Melissa again, and again got no answer. They either already had her or were close and Melissa did not want them to know Brandi was calling. She dropped the cell phone and threw the convertible into reverse, rubber squealing as she exited the garage while the door was barely high enough for the little car to pass under it.

Gary’s shop was closed on Monday’s, which was just as well. What Brandi was after she could not buy anyway. She was about to do something that went against everything she believed but she did not waver in her resolve for an instant.

She parked her Solstice a few blocks away and made her way around to the back of Gary’s shop. She knew he had an alarm system; she also knew it would not cause her any problems. Using her ability to detect electromagnetic fields, she located the sensors for the alarm on the door and placed her hand over the area. It took a few seconds to establish a connection, and then she was able to override the system without alerting the monitoring service.

Once the alarm was dealt with, she turned her attention to the lock. She was not sure if her nanocyborgs were capable of picking the lock but it was worth a try before she simply forced the door. She placed the index finger of her right hand over the deadbolt and grasped the doorknob with her left hand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on unlocking the door and immediately felt both hands tingling. Seconds later both the locks clicked and she opened the door.

She used the same method to open the gun safe and took the two MP-7 sub-machineguns from it, along with half a dozen loaded magazines for each. She felt terribly guilty; Gary was a friend and had been very kind to her. Now she was rewarding that kindness by stealing from him. If all went well, she would not even need the guns and would have them back before he ever knew they were gone. If not…she left a note explaining why she had taken them. No doubt by the time he saw it the story would be all over the news. With the note she left a stack of cash that would more than pay for the weapons and ammunition.

She placed the MP-7s, the magazines and pouches for them and the straps and clips for carrying the weapons in the black duffel bag with her pistols and other gear. In less than ten minutes she was out of the shop and had relocked the door and re-enabled the alarm system.

She made her way quickly to her car, tossing the bag in the passenger seat as she slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Rubber squealed as she released the clutch and pressed the accelerator of the Solstice to the floor. She would try to do this with as little violence as possible, but if they hurt a hair on Melissa’s head she would make them wish she had never been created.

“They wanted to know what a Genomorph is capable of,” Brandi muttered as she sped along the streets of Los Angeles. “They’re about to find out.”

*****

“I don’t really think you want to create a scene in a public place like this,” Melissa told the men, stalling for time. She knew Brandi was coming, she just knew it.

“Look missy, we don’t care who we kill here as long as we draw that blonde freak out.” Toad Face growled.

“I know you,” Melissa smiled at the man. “You’re that jerk Mercer! Brandi described you perfectly. You do look like a toad.”

Reginald Mercer’s face clouded and he grabbed Melissa roughly by the arm. She responded by throwing her cup of cappuccino in his face. Mercer cried out in pain and recoiled from the hot liquid, releasing his grip on her arm. Melissa shoved him away and into the other man and turned to run. His partner recovered too quickly and grabbed her by her pony tail, causing her to cry out in pain as he jerked her back by the hair.   Several of the students seated around the area began looking at the altercation and a few even shouted for someone to call campus security.

“Just bring her Reynolds!” Mercer snarled, wiping his face with a napkin from the table.   Melissa began screaming and fighting as the men dragged her south towards the street, until Mercer told her he would kill someone if she did not keep quiet. He turned to the angry students and flashed a badge.

“We’re Federal Agents and this is a matter of national security!” he shouted. “Do not interfere!”

Reynolds began dragging Melissa roughly along the sidewalk, heading south from the courtyard. She fought him every step, until Mercer again threatened to start shooting students if she did not cooperate. Melissa ceased her struggling but kept her pace as slow as she could.

They were nearing the street, a dark sedan parked and waiting there, when Melissa saw the girl approaching. She was oriental, with long, silky black hair that reached below her waist. She was dressed in a very short, black miniskirt and white blouse, with knee socks and a pair of patent leather Mary Janes on her feet. Melissa smiled; she recognized the outfit and even more she recognized the girl’s figure. When they were nearly even with the girl, Melissa could not help herself.

“You guys are so fucked,” she crowed.

Understanding came to Mercer and Reynolds too late. Brandi was already in motion, two lightning fast kicks catching both men in the face and knocking them back. Melissa dashed forward out of the combat zone so Brandi would not be hampered.

Reynolds, younger and much more fit than Mercer, recovered fastest, his hand diving under his coat. Brandi caught his wrist and twisted, the gun he was grasping falling as his hand went numb. Reynolds was good though, and punched forward with a left jab to her face, bloodying her nose.

“Brandi, look out!” Melissa cried, seeing Mercer leveling a weapon at her girlfriend. Brandi started to dodge to her left but Reynolds caught her with another hard jab and slowed her down just enough.

Mercer fired, the weapon making a slight popping noise as compressed air was released. Two tiny darts streaked forward, wires trailing behind, and struck Brandi squarely in the back. Her body convulsed as the taser discharged its fifty thousand volts, overloading her nervous system. To Melissa’s horror Brandi’s body went limp and she slumped to the ground. Brandi reached around to her back and pulled the darts free and then tried to rise but Reynolds hammered her with a vicious blow to the side of the head, knocking her back to the ground.

Mercer popped the cartridge off the front of the taser and fumbled in his pocket for another as Reynolds continued to beat Brandi. It was as though she could not get her limbs to respond, just as had happened at the lab when Evans used the taser on her.

Mercer snapped the new cartridge in place and was raising the weapon to fire again when Melissa spun him around. Before the surprised man could respond she drove her knee into his stomach. He grunted in pain and doubled over as Melissa twisted the taser from his hand and then kicked his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground. She smiled with satisfaction, glad that Brandi had been working with her on self defense.

“Damn you bitch!” Mercer snarled as he struggled to rise.

“Yeah, whatever,” Melissa said and fired the taser into his right buttocks. Mercer jerked and then fell to the ground, immobilized.

Reynolds’ attention was still occupied by Brandi, who had managed to get to her feet but was still struggling to defend herself. Melissa noted that she had lost control and returned to her normal appearance as well.

Melissa looked at the taser in her hand; she had seen them before. Her father had shown her how the defensive weapons worked. She knew that in addition to the darts, the pistol had a secondary contact stun capability. She popped the spent air cartridge free and walked up behind Reynolds.

“Leave my girlfriend alone!” she screamed as she jabbed the tip of the weapon into his back and pulled the trigger. Reynolds did a jerking dance and then fell to the ground.

Melissa tossed the taser aside and rushed to Brandi, catching her lover before she fell to the ground. Her face was bloodied and bruised from the beating she had taken, but she looked at Melissa and smiled.

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Brandi asked.

“Not since this morning, babe,” Melissa said and then kissed Brandi passionately.

“We gotta run, love.” Brandi said after the kiss. “They always hunt in packs.”

“You almost had me fooled,” Melissa said as she helped Brandi towards her car. “I was looking for a blonde in a black cat suit!”

Brandi giggled and said, “I decided to try the subtle approach.”

“Yeah a Japanese schoolgirl with those boobs is real subtle,” Melissa laughed.

“Well the outfit woulda been too big if I made them smaller!”

By the time they reached the car Brandi was much stronger, and she started around to the driver’s side. She caught a glint of light from the roof of the math sciences building across the street and saw several dark shapes rising. She dove back and knocked Melissa to the ground behind the car, throwing herself on top of her as a hail of automatic weapons fire tore into the street…and Brandi’s car. The tires on the left side and the engine compartment were riddled.

“Ok now I am pissed!” Brandi screamed.   

Brandi opened the passenger door and grabbed her duffel bag and pulled it out. She set the bag on the ground and began stripping off her clothes as her armor formed around her body. She did not have to worry about the shoes; they were shredded as her boots formed and expanded on her feet.

“You look way sexier in that outfit than Kate Beckinsale in Underworld,” Melissa said, grinning.

“Thank you, sweetie!” Brandi said.

“Why did they stop shooting?” Melissa wondered as Brandi slipped her combat harness and weapons on.

“They just want to keep us pinned down until their friends can flank us,” Brandi said. She passed the bag to Melissa, who reached in and removed her Smith and Wesson revolver. She clipped the holster to the waistband of her jeans and slipped a half dozen speed loaders into her purse. She then slipped the strap of the bag over her left shoulder. She could tell by the weight that Brandi had stopped by the house and collected their emergency cash.

Brandi slipped the shoulder rig for her pistols on, the pistols carried butt down for faster drawing. Pull through snaps through the trigger guards held the guns in place, and were released with a firm tug when drawing. Once she had the pistols secured, she took the MP-7s and slipped the straps for them over each shoulder, and then snapped them into clips on her belt to secure them at each hip. Melissa saw the MP-7s and moaned.

“Brandi you didn’t talk Gary into giving those to you?”

“No I stole them,” Brandi grinned. “I would never get Gary into trouble.”

Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes. She supposed they really couldn’t be in any more trouble then they already were.

“Just try to keep the felonies to a minimum please,” Melissa said.

“I will,” Brandi said, and then looked sharply at Melissa, “Is doing one-ten in a forty-five zone a felony?”

Melissa groaned again, knowing better than to ask if Brandi was serious.

Brandi scanned the area behind them, back the way they had come. There was no sign of enemies, and most of the students had sought cover within the buildings as soon as the first shots were fired. She guessed they probably had at least two teams; one here and one that had tried to get her at the house, but missed when she was not there. They were likely somewhere on the campus already.

“We have to move,” Brandi said. “I’m going to go left towards Moore Hall and draw their fire. You run back towards Kerchoff and take cover in the trees; I’ll cut through Moore and meet you in the courtyard. We’ll work our way around to one of the parking garages and steal a car to get out of here.”

“Are you recovered enough?” Melissa asked. “You really had me worried.”

“I’m fine,” Brandi assured her. “Now you know my weakness. The taser screws up my nervous system just like it does anyone else, but it also stuns my nano-cyborgs. All I needed was a little time to get my balance back, but as long as that bastard was hammering me I couldn’t recover. They must have pieced that together after Evan Mitchell beat the hell out of me in Nevada.”

“What about the police?” Melissa asked. “Won’t they respond to the gunfire?”

“I imagine they have already been told to back off,” Brandi said. “They’ll probably have the LAPD sealing the campus. If we run into them, great, we’ll try to slip by and if we can’t, we’ll surrender. Susan sent me a warning so they know what’s going down. They should be able to delay any attempt to move us until I can get us out.”

“Ok,” Melissa said.

“I’m sorry about this, love,” Brandi told her. “I never should have gotten you involved in my mess.”

“Don’t you dare!” Melissa snapped. “I wouldn’t give up one second with you. We’ll get through this…together.”

Brandi nodded, “Wait till they open up on me and then run like hell. If any of them get in your way, you shoot to kill. Remember, you have an advantage; they want you alive as leverage to use against me. Use that advantage.”

Melissa nodded, a look of fierce determination in her eyes. Brandi kissed her and then sprang to her feet, an MP-7 in each hand as she ran. The men on the roof tracked towards her and she fired, even as they too fired. She saw two go down before several bullets found her, stitching up her back and pitching her forward to the ground. She rolled with the fall and came back to her feet, hardly slowing her forward momentum. The men on the roof were armed with assault rifles, and the rounds had penetrated her armor though they had been slowed down somewhat. Even as she continued to run, returning fire all the while, she felt the armor sealing over the wounds. It would stop the bleeding like a tight dressing and allow her body to heal more effectively.

Melissa was on her feet and running as soon as the men on the roof opened fire. She did not dare look back, and she ran for all she was worth until she was under the cover of the trees between Kerchoff and Moore Halls. Ducking behind a tree, she stopped and looked back. Brandi was already out of sight.

“Well, well, look what we have here,” a voice behind her said.

Melissa turned to see the man named Reynolds standing there, an automatic in his right hand, held down at his side. He was wearing that same arrogant smile, which quickly vanished as Melissa raised the revolver in her right hand, the red laser dot settling squarely on his chest.

“Drop the gun and get on the ground,” Melissa ordered. She knew Brandi would have probably just shot the man, but she could not bring herself to do it without giving him a chance to surrender.

“I don’t think you have the balls to pull the trigger,” Reynolds said. “Your girlfriend would, but not you. You’re not the killer she is.”

Reynolds slowly began raising his weapon. At the last second, he realized he had underestimated Melissa, as he saw her eyes harden. Frantically he tried to bring his pistol on line to fire.

Melissa was surprised by the ferocity of the muzzle flash and the recoil; Brandi had neglected to tell her she had loaded the gun with magnum rounds, but the shot was still on target. Reynolds was dead before he hit the ground.

Melissa tracked the gun to the right, where Reginald Mercer was struggling to his feet.

“I’m unarmed!” he screamed as the laser dot settled on his chest. He opened his coat to show that he wore no weapon.

“Run or die, little man,” Melissa told him. Mercer ran.

*****

Karen was seated in her cubicle reviewing a file on her computer screen. A smile crept across her face.

My cubicle…my computer…

She noticed several people moving about the Pit hurriedly, and knew something was going on. She rose from her desk, and looked over the wall of her cubicle.

Every one was crowding around the television in the lounge area, and Karen walked over to see what was going on. The picture showed the Fox logo, and she could see a helicopter view of several LAPD cars forming a barricade across a street. As the view zoomed out, she recognized the location as the campus of UCLA.

“What’s going on?” she asked a young woman beside her.

“Some kind of shootout on the UCLA campus,” the girl told her. “They think it might be a terrorist attack.”

A sense of dread filled Karen as she walked slowly back to her desk. She knew it was not terrorists, at least not in the way the media was thinking. She tried calling the house in Venice but only got the answering machine. When she tried Brandi and Melissa’s cell phones, she got their voice mail.

There was no doubt in Karen’s mind that Brandi had been located. She knew her friends were now fighting for their very lives and she felt totally powerless to help them. There she was in the middle of a state of the arts intelligence gathering center and she did not know what to do. Then inspiration struck her. She was reaching for her phone when it rang.

“Karen Meadows,” she said after lifting the receiver. A smile crept across her face.

“Admiral Hammerstein, I was just about to give you a call.”

*****

Brandi crashed through the doorway into Moore Hall to the screams of frightened students. She dropped the spent magazines from the MP-7s and reloaded the weapons, looking about at the cowering figures.

“Stay down and don’t go near the windows,” she told them. This was already going much farther than she had anticipated. She had expected them to come in force; she had not expected them to bring an army. She and Melissa either had to get off the campus quickly or surrender. She could not let innocent students and teachers get hurt because of her.

Weapons reloaded, she ran down the hallway and then turned left and headed outside into the courtyard between Moore and Kerchoff. As she did, she heard the unmistakable sound of Melissa’s magnum discharge and headed for the noise. She arrived just in time to see Mercer running away as though the hounds of hell were chasing him.

“Are you ok?” she asked her lover when she saw Reynolds’ body.

“I’ll cry like a baby about it…later,” Melissa said, and then she looked down at Brandi’s right leg, seeing blood there.

“Your bleeding! I thought that armor was supposed to stop bullets.”

“Handgun bullets,” Brandi corrected. “They are using assault rifles. I’ll be fine; the armor has already sealed the wounds.”

Gunfire tore into the trees and both girls ducked low, seeking cover. Brandi stole a glance around the tree she was concealed behind and saw a half dozen men dressed in black BDU’s advancing cautiously from math building. She popped out in a crouch and triggered a burst from each of the MP-7’s. Two of the men dropped as the rest returned fire.

Melissa was relieved to see that the students outside Kerckhoff were gone, most likely taking cover inside. In fact the campus was nearly deserted. In the distance she could hear the wail of sirens, but they did not seem to be getting any closer.

In the distance two of the commandos appeared, creeping around the far corner of Kerckhoff Hall. Melissa stabbed her revolver forward and squeezed the trigger. Her three rounds missed, the distance was over one hundred feet, but caused the two men to hesitate, allowing Brandi to whirl and fire, standing to get a clear shot. The two commandos jerked back, even as the others advancing towards them fired again. Brandi’s body jerked as more rounds struck her, and she fell to the ground in front of Melissa.

“Brandi!”

Brandi moaned and rolled over, pushing herself back until she was propped up against the tree.

“I think their plan is to shoot me until I don’t get up anymore,” she said, struggling to stand. A few more hits and she knew they might well succeed. “We’ve gotta get out of here, they can box us in too easy here, and the longer we stay the more likely it is that they’ll hurt someone.”

“I can’t believe they think they can get away with this!” Melissa said.

“That’s what scares me…they do believe that,” Brandi said. “Something else is going on here. Until now the organization has been very low key, but this…there’s no way they can cover it up.”

“Which means they don’t think they’ll have to,” Melissa concluded.

With Melissa’s help Brandi rose to her feet and they limped off to the north, after Brandi fired a long burst from her weapons to convince their pursuers to be cautious.

“So how has your day been gorgeous?” Brandi quipped as she leaned heavily on Melissa. Her armor had once again sealed her wounds and stopped the bleeding, but the damage was beginning to stack up. She could distinctly feel eight bullets in her.

“It’s turning out to be a real pain,” Melissa replied. “How about yours?”

“Well it’s been interesting,” Brandi said. “I had sex with Dylan.”

“Really? Brandi that’s wonderful…at least I think it is…how do you feel about it?”

“Well, like, to be real honest I wish I was doing it right now…no offense love.”

They reached the corner of the building where the two dead commandos lay and Brandi stopped, bending down to snatch an M4 carbine from one. She handed it to Melissa and pointed at a lever near the trigger.

“That’s the safety,” Brandi said, flicking the lever. “It’s set for semi auto. If you have to use it, aim and squeeze just like with the magnum. If it gets bad, give the safety another click and you’re ready to rock and roll.”

“Ok,” Melissa said. “Um, honey, you know how you wanted me to let you know when ever you act like a guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Well you’re acting really macho right now and I love it.”

“Just don’t start getting any ideas,” Brandi grinned. She snatched three spare magazines from the dead man’s harness and handed them to Melissa who stuffed them into her purse, thankful that she routinely carried an oversized bag.

Brandi stole a glance around the corner in time to see two of the black clad figures emerging from the space between Kerchoff and Ackerman halls. As she watched, they turned west and headed towards Bruin plaza.

Big mistake, Brandi thought as she stepped around the corner and fired both MP-7s. The four round bursts struck both her targets dead center in the back, punching through their body armor easily. As they hit the ground she and Melissa were already moving.

“You shot them in the back,” Melissa said.

“That’s because that’s the side that was facing me,” Brandi said, dropping to her knees at the corner. She turned and looked at Melissa, her eyes hard.

“If you have any ideas in your head about fair play get rid of them now,” she said. “This is war and they started it. You never want to face the enemy on level ground. You want the odds stacked as heavily in your favor as you can get. Fighting fair will only get us killed…or worse.”

They cut north across Bruin walk and sought cover under more trees between the Student Activity Center and Powell Library. Ahead lay Janss steps and Wilson Plazza, and just to the west of that was a parking structure beneath the soccer field. If they could steal a car, they had a chance of getting clear of the campus.

As they approached the plaza Brandi turned, detecting that the men behind were closing. She saw one darting between two trees and snapped off a burst from the MP-7 in her left hand, the bullets striking his legs and bringing him down. Then she heard gunfire from behind her and heard Melissa cry out.

Brandi spun about, time slowing to a crawl from her perspective. She saw the muzzle flashes from the steps; saw Melissa going down, the front of her turquoise sweatshirt red with blood. A scream burst from Brandi’s throat and she tracked both weapons towards the four figures partially concealed by the low wall.

Partial concealment was not enough, and even as more rounds found her Brandi fired, her vision seeming to zoom in and lock onto each target. One by one their heads snapped back as her rounds struck home. Then, her weapons empty again, she let them fall to her sides and dropped down next to Melissa.

“Oh shit, no,” she cried. “Melissa, baby, hold on!”

“I’m sorry, love,” Melissa said, her voice barely a whisper. “I messed up.”

“No you didn’t now shut up and save your strength while I fix this” Brandi said, placing her hand over Melissa’s abdomen, covering the wounds and willing whatever it was that allowed her to heal another into action.

She felt the tingling, and after a few seconds Melissa’s ragged breathing had steadied, but she was still weak. Brandi tried to force the healing further and was rewarded with a pain like a tremendous electric shock.

“Melissa, I’ve stabilized you but that’s not going to get us out of here,” Brandi said.

“Just leave me love,” Melissa told her.

“Like hell,” Brandi said. “We either both get out of here or I surrender, but the only way I can get you strong enough is to use the Bonding.”

Susan had finally sent Brandi an email explaining what she had learned about the ritual, which was not much. It was however enough to tell Brandi that she could get Melissa on her feet and moving, if Melissa agreed to it.

“Do it,” Melissa whispered.

“Love I have no idea what this will do to you,” Brandi said. “You could wind up being like me.”

“I don’t care,” Melissa said. “If it means I can stay with you forever it’s worth it.”

That was all the permission Brandi’s programming required, and the pain was replaced by an intense feeling, like a million ants were flowing along her arm. Melissa felt it too, spreading into and through her body. The sensation bordered on orgasmic as their eyes met, and for several seconds their nervous systems were in direct contact. Melissa’s wounds began closing even faster than Brandi normally healed as she pushed herself to the limit and beyond to get her girlfriend mobile. Melissa felt her strength returning and then Brandi was overcome by dizziness and pitched forward across her.

“Brandi?” Melissa asked.

Brandi rolled, her hands reaching under her arms and yanking the HK pistols free of their holsters. As she rolled onto her back she brought them up and fired, her rounds bringing down the first of the commandos who had taken the opportunity to advance from behind them. The remaining four retreated as she continued to fire until the slides of the pistols locked back.

“Can you move?” she asked Melissa as she reloaded her weapons. She holstered the pistols and switched back to the MP-7s. Melissa nodded.

They rose but had only taken two steps before Brandi collapsed to her knees, overcome by weakness. She was bleeding from several wounds to the abdomen, and her armor was not sealing them. The Bonding had taken more out of her than she had anticipated, and she had actually pushed it far beyond the programmed safety limit, drastically reducing the number of nano-cyborgs in her body. Until they were replaced, she would be relying almost entirely on her innate healing abilities, which though far superior to a normal human’s healing rate were dangerously taxed by her wounds.

“Get out of here, love,” Brandi said as she struggled to rise. “I don’t think I can make it.”

Melissa was by her side, throwing herself under Brandi’s left arm. Her own wounds were healed nearly completely, and she knew that Brandi must have exhausted her own healing abilities to save her.

“Just leave me, please…”

“Just shut the fuck up and move!” Melissa screamed as she heaved, lifting Brandi to her feet.

They reached the entrance to the parking structure, Melissa half dragging Brandi. Once inside she quickly scanned the interior of the first level, smiling as she saw the perfect vehicle.

It was a jet black hummer, and not a mere H2 but an actual H1 nearly identical to the military Humvee. Melissa helped Brandi over to the car and started to reach for the handle.

“Wait,” Brandi said. She placed her hand on the door and closed her eyes, having to concentrate hard to disable the security system and unlock the door. The effort nearly made her collapse again.

“Dammit, Brandi, don’t you die on me!” Melissa barked.

“I’m not dyin’, love,” Brandi said, forcing a weak smile. “Just need a little rest.”

“Rest later,” Melissa said as she opened the door. “Get in the car now.”

With Melissa’s help Brandi was able to climb into the vehicle and crawl over into the passenger seat. Melissa was relieved to see that her armor had at last sealed the most recent wounds. At least she knew that she was still healing.

“Can you start it?” Melissa asked as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Brandi nodded and grabbed the ignition switch. With a twist she snapped the locking mechanism, even as her nanocyborgs hotwired the ignition. The Hummer rumbled to life as Melissa pressed her foot down on the gas.

“Damn I wish I had a smoke,” Brandi moaned. Melissa took a pack from her purse and lit a cigarette, passing it to Brandi.

“I thought you were quitting again,” Brandi said as she took the cigarette.

“I don’t think that matters anymore, does it?” Melissa asked as she put the Hummer in gear.

“Melissa…”

“It’s ok, love,” Melissa said. “You did what you had to. I can feel something changing inside me…whatever the outcome I meant what I said…I want to be with you forever.”

Melissa pulled the Hummer out of the garage, expecting at any moment to see police cars surrounding them. There were none in sight, and she turned left onto Sunset Boulevard.

“I can’t believe they haven’t sealed the campus,” Melissa remarked.

“Not enough time,” Brandi told her. “How long do you think all that took?”

“It seemed like hours,” Melissa said.

“Less than fifteen minutes from the first gunshot,” Brandi said. “Time compresses in a situation like that. It’s how your body deals with everything happening around you. Your mind starts working faster to keep you alive.”

“Mine didn’t do too well,” Melissa said. “If you hadn’t been there…”

“You wouldn’t have been shot,” Brandi said. “You did just fine. I’m proud of you. Now, where are we going?”

“I figure getting on the interstate is risky,” Melissa said. “Especially here. I’m gonna cut north to Mulholland and then take that up into the mountains. We’ll work our way to the cabin on back roads and lay low until you’re strong enough to move.”

“You still have the bag?” Brandi asked.

“Of course,” Melissa grinned. “You think I’m gonna lose twenty-five grand in cash?”

They reached Mulholland and began heading towards the Santa Monica Mountains. Melissa noticed then that the Hummer was equipped with a GPS tracking system.

“Brandi can they track us?” Melissa asked.

Brandi smiled, “I’m afraid the tracking system is experiencing technical difficulties.”

Within an hour they were passing into the mountains and the sun was beginning to set. Melissa pulled the Hummer off onto a small fire road. They took that for another thirty minutes until it reached another narrow paved road. When they finally reached the cabin it was full dark.

“This is some cabin,” Melissa said as they pulled up to the house..

It was really more of a lodge, a huge log home with an attached three car garage. Melissa pulled the Hummer around to the garage and got out. She keyed in the entry code on the outside keypad and one of the doors began opening. The bay behind the door was empty, but as Melissa pulled the Hummer inside she saw there was a Lincoln Navigator SUV parked inside. She knew the keys for the vehicle were on a hook in the kitchen.

Melissa helped Brandi out of the Hummer and into the house. They passed down a short hall and into the immense great room. On the other side was the door leading into the master suite. Melissa got Brandi to the bed and turned to go back to the Hummer.

“Melissa, I don’t think I can stay awake,” Brandi said groggily.

“Just sleep, love,” Melissa said, “I’ll keep watch.”

CHAPTER 44

Kyle Laughlin looked again at the picture of the young blonde woman. The thick file had been delivered an hour earlier by a courier from the Commander Naval Special Warfare, Admiral Michael Hammerstein. The information within was incredible to say the least, but the source was unimpeachable.

“You knew about this?” Kyle asked, his eyes fixed on Karen’s.

“I know Brandi, she’s my friend,” Karen said. “She told me everything about her transformation. She doesn’t even know the full extent of their plans though, so neither did I until I spoke with the Admiral.”

Kyle continued to look at Karen intently for a moment and she wondered if he was re-evaluating her. Her failure to divulge her knowledge of Brandi’s existence and location could technically be seen as a violation of national security.

“Kyle, if you feel I can’t be trusted after this, I understand,” Karen said. “These people have to be stopped.”

Kyle’s expression softened and he almost smiled as he said, “No, I’m just amazed that you would still want to work in government service after knowing what these people had done to your friend.”

Karen sighed with relief, “If anything what happened to Brandi made me want it more.”

Kyle looked back at the picture with the file, “This is really Brandon Anderson?”

“That was Brandon Anderson,” Karen said. “Brandi is someone totally different. She has all his memories and experience, but she is definitely her own person.”

Inside Kyle was furious. For two years he had carried what happened to Brandon Anderson like a weight around his neck. He told himself that he had not conveyed the seriousness of the threat strongly enough and that was why the information had not been passed on. To know now that it had been intentionally withheld by an agency of the government was bad enough, but to find out that agency was working to subvert the government was too much.

“Well I guess CTAG is going to get into the game a little earlier than planned,” he said at last. Turning his attention back to Karen, his face became hard again.

“They went after your friend Melissa and they will probably come after you too,” he said. “Have you had any weapons training?”

Karen smiled, “Not extensively but I would dare say my instructor was the best there is. I have a gun but I’m not licensed to carry.”

Kyle picked up the phone on his desk, his eyes remaining locked on Karen, “I’ll have your clearance upgraded to level five within the hour. That authorizes you to carry a weapon.”

Karen heard a muffled voice from the phone and Kyle spoke into the receiver, “Gunny I need you and your two best men in my office now.”

After hanging up the phone Kyle spoke once more to Karen, “I’m going to have two of our marine security detail escort you to the Plaza. Grab your things and come straight back here. Until this is over you’re staying here, we have a few rooms set aside for use as bunk rooms during extended operations.”

There was a knock on the office door and a moment later three Marines entered. There was no mistaking which was the person Kyle had spoken too. Gunnery Sergeant Alfonso Garibaldi looked like he had walked right out of a Marine recruiting poster. From his barrel chest to his chiseled jaw and high and tight hair, he was the very stereotype of a Marine; all that was missing was the Smokey Bear hat. His service “B” uniform was crisply pressed and the left chest of the khaki shirt was heavy with ribbons. The two young Marines with him, though identically attired and equally immaculate, seemed to pale in comparison.

“Gunny, we have a situation,” Kyle said. He quickly outlined the situation and showed Gunny Garibaldi selected portions of the file Admiral Hammerstein had sent over, holding back anything directly pertaining to Brandi’s transformation.

“Sir, I don’t exactly know what we can do about any of this,” Garibaldi said after reviewing the material. His face was stony but his eyes burned with outrage.

“Exactly what you are assigned to do, protect this facility,” Kyle said. “Miss Meadows here has key information and has been targeted by these people. I want her escorted and protected around the clock.”

“Hicks and Hudson here are the best, sir,” Garibaldi said.

“I want this clearly understood, no one is to touch her,” Kyle said. “I don’t care what kind of badge they flash, if anyone tries anything you are authorized to take them down on my authority. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Corporals Hicks and Hudson replied in unison.

“We’ll be in a meeting and when that is over you will escort Miss Meadows to her hotel and then back here with her belongings,” Kyle said. “We are now officially in a Level One state of alert.”

The Marines nodded and smartly left the office, with the two young corporals taking a position immediately outside the office door.

“I want you to take the lead on this,” Kyle told Karen as he rose and moved towards the office door.

“Kyle, I don’t have that kind of experience,” Karen protested.

“You have a good head and you’re committed,” Kyle said. “You understand better than anyone what these people are capable of. I’ll be right here the whole time. I’ll be making the decisions and giving the orders, but I want you to be the contact point for everyone.”

“All right, but we don’t have to tell everyone about Brandi do we?”

“Only if it becomes absolutely necessary,” Kyle said. “I’ll leave that decision to you.”

Karen nodded feeling like a swarm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. A week ago she had been a grad student wondering what the future held for her, and now she was the point person of an operation that was going to attempt to prevent the overthrow of the government.

Kyle helped her prepare handouts of the relevant material for the upcoming briefing, and then they entered the briefing room. Several people were already assembled, including Mira Gallo. When everyone was assembled they passed out the material and gave them a few minutes to look over the documents.

“Let’s get to it,” Kyle said. “I know what you’re reading seems incredible, but it is all verified.”

“Alien technology?” Mira said. “Incredible seems a bit of an understatement.”

Kyle looked at Karen and nodded.

“I can’t go into details but I have seen the product of some of this technology,” Karen told them. “Incredible is an understatement. It is capable of feats that seem like magic, but that’s not the point.

“We have to get beyond the notion of alien artifacts to the real threat; a group operating within the government of the United States that intends to subvert and subjugate that government. This organization has operated with very little oversight and almost total anonymity for decades. They have used this technology to cement their base of power and now they intend to turn the legal authority of this nation into a puppet government.”

“So what can we do?” One of the analysts from the Pit, a bespectacled young man named Craig Foster asked. “We have less than two dozen analysts here currently. We have no field personnel. We’re just the new kids on the block.”

“That is our biggest advantage,” Kyle said. “They have likely infiltrated every other intelligence agency, but they have probably overlooked CTAG. No one even cares about us, or thinks about us.”

“But we have the most advanced computer systems in the world,” Mira said, a wicked smirk on her face. “And we are interfaced with every government agency there is.”

“What we need is data, hard evidence,” Karen said. “If we can establish a pattern of activities through the years, we can demonstrate intent. If we can get our hands on some of their actual documents and plans, we can nail them cold.”

“Karen has the lead on this,” Kyle said, causing all eyes to shift to Karen, most with looks of surprise. “She has a unique knowledge of the situation. Bring everything you have to her and give her every bit of your support.”

“I know I’m very new at all this,” Karen said, still very uncomfortable about her role.

“Karen, don’t sweat it,” Mira smiled. “We’re all new at this, remember?”

*****

The UCLA campus was still sealed off, and the crowd of media gathering at the police barricades seemed to swell by the minute. Seaman Andy Talbot made his way through the crowd of reporters until he was near the barricade and then raised the video camera he was carrying to his shoulder. It was a real camera, but the microphone was a highly sensitive shotgun mic and as he recorded the activity beyond the barricades he was able to listen in on distant conversations. He finished his eavesdropping and lowered the camera and then made his way out of the crowd and back to the fake news van the team was using.

“They haven’t got her,” he said as he entered the van. “From what I picked up they’ve got a dozen dead mercenaries and several more wounded but she and her friend got away clean.”

“Not entirely clean,” Matt Branch said, gesturing to a monitor. It showed Melissa supporting Brandi as they made their way to the garage and disappeared inside.

“We got the feed from a live web cam,” Branch said. “She was hit pretty hard.”

Branch ran the recording back and let it run. It was obvious when Melissa was shot, and then Brandi too. But moments later the two were limping away, after Brandi had taken out four men almost completely concealed and at a range at the extreme limit of the weapons she was using.

“They should both be dead,” Talbot said.

“Yeah, what does she need us for?” Vasquez wondered. “It looks like the mercs got off lucky; she was more interested in getting away then taking them apart.”

“She was probably worried about her friend and collateral damage,” Chief Wright said. “These assholes sure didn’t care if anyone got caught in the crossfire.”

“All right, we’re out of here,” Branch said. “If they got away they’ll make for the safe house in the hills.”

The door to the van opened and Petty Officer Lewis entered, out of breath as though he had been running.

“What’s left of their tac team just left the campus heading north,” he said.

“They may know about the safe house,” Wright said.

“We have to assume they do,” Branch said. “Lock and load, we’re going in hot.”

*****

Fortunately Karen had not unpacked many of her things, just the outfits that needed to be hung up. She quickly put them back in her garment bag. Before leaving the room, she retrieved her Smith and Wesson revolver from her big suitcase and clipped the holstered pistol inside the waistband of her skirt. It had been a pain to fill out the paperwork required to get it on the plane with her checked baggage, but now she was glad she had. Her blazer concealed it completely, and she added several speed loaders to her purse before hefting her bags and heading for the door.

Thank God for wheeled luggage, she thought as she left the room. The two Marines were waiting right outside the door and Corporal Hudson relieved her of the largest bag, pulling it along with his left hand so that his right was free to grab the pistol holstered at his hip if needed.

Outside the hotel, they were nearly to the car when two men dressed in dark suits approached.

“Miss Meadows we need you to accompany us please,” one of them said politely, though the expression on his face conveyed something entirely different.

Hudson released the suitcase and the two Marines immediately stepped forward to place themselves between Karen and the two men.

“The lady’s not going anywhere with you,” Corporal Hicks said.

“Stand down Marine,” the agent said, his hand reaching under his coat. “We’re federal agents.”

Hicks did not reply, he acted, grabbing them man’s wrist with his left hand and holding it so that he could not withdraw it from beneath his coat. Before the agent could protest Hicks had his sidearm out and pressed to the man’s face. The other agent started to move but froze as Hudson drew his own Berretta nine millimeter and pointed it directly at him.

“I don’t care if you’re J. Edgar Hoover’s momma,” Hicks said as he shoved the agent against the car. He reached into the man’s coat and pulled out what he had been reaching for, a large silver pendant with a purple stone set in it.

“Doesn’t look like a badge to me,” Hicks said.

“Be careful with that, Corporal,” Karen said.

Hicks nodded, passing the pendant to Karen and then relieving the agent of his weapon as Hudson did the same with his partner.   “What should we do with these two, ma’am?”

“Bring them,” Karen said, examining the strange pendant. “Maybe there’s a way to convince them to help us.”

CHAPTER 45

“Brandi, please wake up!”

It was not the persistent shaking or the two slaps Melissa delivered that brought Brandi back to consciousness, it was the fearful tone of her voice. Never before had anyone been able to wake her from Zen sleep but Melissa’s frightened voice had cut through to her like a knife. For a moment she was very disoriented, just like any other person awakened suddenly from a fitful sleep.

“What’s wrong?” she managed to get out. She vaguely noticed that she was completely naked; her armor had reabsorbed automatically once she had settled into her restorative sleep.

“Someone is moving around outside,” Melissa said. “A lot of them.”

Brandi’s armor returned, forming about her body as she rose from the bed. She quickly donned her combat harness and weapons and moved to the window, carefully looking outside. She could clearly see several men taking positions up in front of the house, and no doubt they were all around it.

“Did you do anything that might have tipped them off that you saw them?”

Melissa shook her head, “I had all the lights off already. I can’t believe I actually saw them as dark as it is.”

Brandi looked at Melissa sharply and asked, “Can you see me now?”

Melissa nodded, “It’s kind of weird though; everything is different shades of grey.”

Brandi nodded her understanding; it was the same thing she saw. The interior of the house was pitch black; Melissa was seeing in the thermal spectrum.

“How long was I out?”

“Almost five hours.”

Brandi ran the tactical situation through in her mind; the house was surrounded and no doubt the drive way was barricaded. The Hummer could probably smash through or over whatever they had blocking the road but it was not armored and they would take a lot of gunfire in the process. When the mercenaries were ready they would enter the house at multiple points, both upstairs and downstairs. They would leave enough outside to cover the perimeter and probably precede their entry with flash bang grenades.

“Grab everything and get to the garage,” Brandi said. As unattractive as it was, their only option was to make a break in the Hummer as the mercenaries launched their assault.

There was not much to grab, and in minutes they were sitting in the Hummer.

“Are you ok?” Brandi asked as they waited.

Melissa turned and looked at her as she said, “I feel better than I have in my life. I’m also a little pissed at you. You went way beyond your limits to heal me didn’t you?”

“I had to,” Brandi said. “Even after the Bonding it would have taken time for you to heal enough to move. But once the Bonding was done, I found I could push it and flood your body with nano-cyborgs and use my own regenerative powers to speed your healing.”

“You almost went too far,” Melissa said.

Brandi nodded, “I know. I’m still learning remember. Besides, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Melissa leaned across the Hummer and kissed Brandi.

“Just remember that I feel the same way,” she said. “I couldn’t bear to lose you either, and we both know you’re not invincible.”

Brandi was about to speak when they both detected the sound of glass shattering in the house, followed by several loud explosions. The garage door began slowly raising and Brandi started the Hummer and threw it into gear as she stepped hard on the gas. The four ton vehicle exploded forward and smashed through the garage door, sending the mercenaries outside flying.

Brandi kept the headlights off and cut the wheel hard to the right, guiding the Hummer down the narrow drive. Gunfire erupted around them and the vehicle was struck several times but none of the rounds hit either of the girls. As they neared the highway, they could see that the drive was indeed blocked by a pair of vans.

“Buckle up and hang on!” Brandi shouted as she aimed the Hummer directly for the spot where the bumpers of the two vans met.

Melissa managed to get her seat belt fashioned and brace herself just as the bumper of the Hummer connected with the two vans. Sparks showered as metal ground metal and the two vans were sent careening away from the barreling behemoth.

Melissa let out a yell, not of fear but of unbridled excitement as they crashed through the barricade. Brandi spared her a quick grin and said, “You’re getting way too into this stuff love.”

Melissa smiled back and could not deny that she had felt more alive in the past twelve hours than she had her entire life.

The highway was just ahead as more gunfire sought the speeding Hummer. Just before the front wheels hit the black top Brandi detected a squat, dark shape by the side of the drive.

“Shit!” she cursed as she cut the wheel hard to the right.

It was too late. The roadside mine detonated with a thunderous blast that slammed into the right side of the Hummer and sent it flying. Brandi had never fastened her own restraints and after the first flip she found herself airborne, flung from the vehicle as it tumbled across the highway. She hit the pavement hard and rolled twenty feet before coming to rest. The Hummer also ceased its tumbling and came to rest upright, fifty feet from where Brandi lay and on the opposite shoulder.

Brandi tried to push herself upright but pain shot through her left arm and forced a scream from her lips. Her legs were in agony and she was afraid to look down at them; afraid if she did she would see them bloody and mangled, see the right leg barely attached. For an instant she was back in the Iraqi desert, bloody and dying after being blown from another Hummer. She could taste the gritty sand in her mouth and heard the gunfire of the approaching Iraqis.

It was all a dream, she thought. Just a dying dream.

There had been times when Brandi wanted it to be a dream; wanted desperately to wake up and find that she was still Brandon. For a moment it was almost a comfort to know that death was near; that all the months of pain and therapy were not to be; that the horror of waking up in a body so strange and alien would never come to pass.

But as she lay there she saw Melissa’s face, and more. Despite all that had happened, in the last few weeks she had been happier than she ever had in her life, and not just because of Melissa, though she was a large part of it. But more than that, she had come to like who she was, even if there were aspects of her new life that made her uncomfortable. She fought against the blackness that threatened to engulf her.

No! I want it to be real! I want to be Brandi!

Gunfire smashed into the asphalt near her head and snapped her back into reality. Despite the pain she forced herself upright, reaching for the MP-7 that was miraculously still hanging from her right shoulder. She flicked the safety off and snapped the trigger back, emptying the magazine towards the mercenaries in one long burst. When the weapon ran dry she let it drop and reached across her body for its twin. It had not fared as well as the other, having been torn free when she was thrown from the Hummer. Her pistol was still there however and she snatched it free. As she swung it on line to fire she heard automatic fire behind her and turned to see Melissa, her face bloody, firing the M-4 out the window of the wrecked Hummer.

Damn I love that girl!

As Melissa provided cover Brandi struggled to her feet. Her right leg was battered and sore and her left hip felt as though a white hot spike had been driven into it, but neither appeared broken like her arm. Her armor had shielded her from abrasion as she tumbled across the asphalt but she ached in a dozen different places and was certain she had several broken ribs. Slowly and painfully she limped towards the Hummer and cover, practically dragging her left leg which refused to move properly.

Brandi lurched to cover behind the Hummer and then opened fire on the mercenaries to allow Melissa to get out of the wrecked vehicle. She had to kick the passenger side door several times to finally get it open, and then she joined Brandi behind the vehicle.

“How many times do I have to tell you to wear your seat belt?” Melissa asked.

“Yes Mom,” Brandi said. “Are you ok?”

“Well I kind of threw up after I finally stopped tumbling,” Melissa said.

“It’s ok love, I don’t think the owner will notice,” Brandi said.

“What are we going to do?”

Brandi holstered her pistol and awkwardly reloaded the MP-7, and then popped up over the Hummer and fired three bursts towards the mercenaries. She saw one go down before she was forced to duck as they returned fire.

“I was kinda hoping Jack Bauer would show up and save us,” Brandi said.

“It does feel like we’re in an episode of 24,” Melissa admitted. “I’m afraid though sweetie that in this episode Jack is a girl.”

“They’re trying to flank us,” Brandi said as several of the mercenaries broke cover and sprinted into the trees on either side of the road. The rest split into two elements, one firing to keep the girls pinned down as the other advanced.

“Well they had to get a clue sooner or later,” Brandi said as the bullets slammed into the Hummer relentlessly. “They’re gonna keep us pinned while the others flank us and then it will be over. When I break cover I want you to run down the road as fast as you can and don’t stop.”

“Brandi I won’t leave you,” Melissa said.

“You have to,” Brandi pleaded. “Remember what I told you; if they have you they have me. I can barely move, Melissa. But I can keep them busy while you get away. I escaped once, I’ll do it again.”

Reluctantly Melissa nodded her head and prepared to move. Brandi rolled out from behind the Hummer and began firing. Melissa was just rising to run when gunfire erupted from the tree line on both sides of the road. The mercenaries were caught exposed by three overlapping fields of fire and the few survivors hastily retreated back up the road.

Melissa stopped and looked at Brandi, who appeared to be listening intently. Then the sound came to Melissa’s ears as well; stealthy footfalls from the woods to either side of them.

“Hold your fire,” a voice called out from the darkness. “We’re coming out.”

A dozen shapes clad in midnight blue emerged from the woods, their weapons lowered. One of the figures slowly approached Brandi and offered a hand to help her up as he stopped.

  “United States Navy SEALs,” Lieutenant Matt Branch said. “We’re here to get you ladies someplace safe.”

Brandi hesitated, unable to believe what she was hearing and seeing.

“It’s ok, Skipper,” Chief Charlie Wright said, approaching from the opposite side of the road. “The Hammer sent us to get you out.”

Brandi accepted Branch’s hand and allowed him to help her up. He grinned sheepishly at her and Brandi started crying like a baby.

*****

“Thank you Michael.” Amanda Breton said, and then hung up the phone. She turned to Susan and smiled.

“We got them.”

CHAPTER 46

“You look like hell Skipper, but you are still a lot prettier than you used to be.” Chief Wright said as the SH-60 Seahawk made its way towards the naval base in Coronado. The SEALs had hustled them into a van and cleared the area, taking them to a clearing where the chopper had been waiting.

“Well you haven’t exactly caught me at my best.” Brandi replied. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

“We’ve been ghosting those assholes for weeks, waiting for them to make a move on you,” Branch answered.

“This is way outside the chain of command Matt.” Brandi said seriously. “You had to know that, even if the Admiral ordered…”

“The Hammer didn’t order us Skipper, he asked us,” Matt said. “Every man on this bird owes you their life. There was no way we were gonna let them turn you into a lab rat.”

Brandi looked around at the faces of the SEALs and each one nodded silently in confirmation.

“We’ll deal with the repercussions later,” Matt continued. “There’s a jet waiting at Coronado. We’ll get you patched up and then it’ll take you somewhere secure.”

“You need to sleep, love,” Melissa said, pulling Brandi’s head onto her shoulder.

“I will when I know you’re safe,” Brandi said.

“She’s safe, skipper,” Chief Wright said. “You got my word on that.”

Brandi nodded and closed her eyes as Zen sleep took hold. Her armor disappeared, absorbing into her body. With the armor gone the numerous bullet wounds were plainly visible on her naked body, though they looked several days old now. One of the SEALs took a blanket and gently draped it over the two young women.

“Thank you,” Melissa said as she stroked Brandi’s hair. She could feel an irresistible urge to sleep herself.

“Thank you all so much,” she mumbled before drifting off.

*****

“This is absolutely incredible,” Kyle said as he gazed at the odd pendant. “The things we could do with this…”

It had not been hard to figure out how the device worked; pressing a small button on the back caused it to emit a brilliant purple flash that somehow mesmerized anyone within about a thirty degree arc in front of it that was looking at it. Once the device had been used on the two agents they were quite willing to tell everything they knew.

“Except for the side effects,” Karen said.

After being mesmerized, the agents had explained that using the device too frequently on a person would result in loss of memory and an overall decrease in the function of the brain; neurons would fire more slowly and impair the person’s higher functions. Continued use after that could cause far greater damage.

“I shudder to think how they found out about them,” Kyle said.

Karen nodded in agreement. Unfortunately other than the information about the crystal, the two agents had provided little else. They were able to confirm what was already known; that there was an ongoing conspiracy to subvert the government using alien technology, but they had few details. They had simply been told to pick up Karen.

“We could still try…”

“Absolutely not,” Kyle said. Karen had suggested they have the agents take her to their rendezvous but Kyle would not hear of it.

“We can’t control them unless we use the device again, and they wouldn’t exactly be of any use in a near stupor,” Kyle told her. The crystal made a person compliant and could be used to alter their memory of events, but it was not possible to reprogram them and the effect only lasted a short time. Once they had finished questioning the men they had released them, instructing them to report that they had lost Karen. They had kept the pendant; it was far too dangerous to leave in the enemy’s hands.

“You’re right,” Karen sighed. “I’m going to check and see what progress Mira and the Pit crew are making.”

“Good idea,” Kyle said. “The key to effective management is properly timed hovering.”

Karen smiled as she left Kyle’s office. She walked past the Pit and down a short hallway to the server room. She found Mira at one of the workstations, and the smile on her face told her she had good news.

“We’re in,” Mira said. “They’ve got some pretty nasty security protocols up, way better than anything at CIA or NSA even, but I got around them. I’d say they were far more concerned with intrusions from their peers than foreign agencies.”

“They would be,” Karen agreed. “What now?”

“I’m downloading their files to our system now,” Mira said. “If anyone on their system spots it they will see routine file transfers within their own servers.”

“How did you manage that?”

“Well I basically set up a server here that their system thinks is one of theirs,” Mira grinned. “It’s a clean server that has no files of ours on it and right now it’s totally isolated from our network. Once I have the files secured I’ll tie it in and we can go to work.”

“How long?”

“Give me two hours.”

Karen nodded and left the server room and walked back to the Pit. There was a lot to do to get ready for what would undoubtedly be a deluge of data.

At least I know Brandi and Melissa are safe, she thought. Admiral Hammerstein had called earlier and told them that the girls had escaped the campus and were on their way to a secure location. Karen had asked if she could get in touch with them, but the Admiral had said they were both asleep and it was impossible to awaken them.

Karen knew what that meant, at least for Brandi. She also knew about the Bonding process, and was concerned. Brandi had known very little about the process, but Karen knew she would have used it if Melissa had been badly hurt in the gun battle. She desperately wanted to talk to her friends, but knew for now the best thing she could do for them was what she had been doing, gathering information.

*****

Brandi and Melissa did not even stir as the SEALs carried them from the Seahawk helicopter to a waiting Boeing Business Jet. The SEALs looked about appreciatively as they boarded the converted 737 passenger jet. A door to the front of the cabin opened and the SEALs snapped to attention as Admiral Hammerstein stepped out of the private office.

“At ease men,” he said, looking at the sleeping forms of Brandi and Melissa. “There’s a bedroom aft.”

Seamen Talbot and Franklin nodded and moved towards the back of the aircraft with the two girls.

“Sir they haven’t moved a muscle since they passed out,” Branch told the Admiral.

“They’ll be fine Lieutenant,” the Admiral assured him.

The Admiral and the SEALs settle into seats for take off. Once the jet was airborne they unfastened their seatbelts and Petty Officer Greg Jennings, the platoon’s medic, went back to check on Brandi and Melissa. He returned a few minutes late and reported that they were both still sound asleep.

“I’m sure you have some questions,” Admiral Hammerstein said. “Feel free to ask them; I’m no expert but I’ll try to provide what answers I can.”

“I guess we’re all pretty amazed,” Branch said. “I just can’t believe that girl is Brandon.”

“Strictly speaking, she isn’t,” Hammerstein said. “She has all of Brandon’s memories, all his experience and knowledge, but Brandi is a completely different person. That’s something important to keep in mind. She won’t act or react the way you would expect Brandon to react.”

“I think we all saw that tonight,” Branch said. He quickly recounted what had happened as the SEALs prepared to take out the mercenaries advancing on the two girls.”

“I know she was trying to provide a window for Melissa to escape, but she didn’t have to break cover,” Branch said. “She intentionally exposed herself to fire.”

Hammerstein nodded, “Brandon was a courageous man and Brandi is no less so, but she has an intensity that borders on recklessness. In part it’s no doubt because she knows that bullets are not a real threat to her, but I suspect there’s more to it. I believe she is trying to prove something to herself, even if she doesn’t realize it.”

“There’s no way to fix this, sir?” Chief Wright asked.

“None,” Hammerstein said. “The energy required to reverse the process would tear her apart. Even if it was possible, I suspect that she would not want to go back now.”

“Admiral what’s our next move?” Enrique Vasquez said. “These guys…they started a major firefight at UCLA. It’s all over the news and they’re spinning it as a terrorist attack but that won’t hold water long. They have to know that.”

“They are getting ready to make their play,” Hammerstein said. “Once they set their plan in motion, once their sleepers are activated, it won’t matter. They will control the government, the military and the media.”

“The problem is it won’t work, not like they think it will,” Branch said. “People aren’t stupid, and they can’t have gotten to every member of the military. In the end they’ll only succeed in tearing this country apart.”

“That’s why we’re going to stop them,” Hammerstein said. “You men need to get some rest. When we reach our destination you’ll have a lot of material to review. I want you to prepare assault plans based on that information.”

“When do you want to review the plans?” Branch asked.

“Not me,” Hammerstein said. “You’ll be taking your orders from your old CO again. This whole operation will hinge on Brandi.”

“Sir, after what you just said about her recklessness, is that wise?” Branch asked.

“I said she borders on recklessness, Lieutenant,” the Hammer said, his voice hard. “Make no mistake; Brandi is a hundred times the warrior Brandon was, and she has every bit of his commitment.

“Remember this well; our enemy has operated for decades and feared nothing. They have had free reign to do as they pleased. What happened at UCLA is proof of one thing; they are afraid now. They’re afraid of Brandi.”

*****

Susan slid a fresh stack of paper into the fax machine in the office as it continued to spit out printed sheets. It had been going for nearly thirty minutes now, and the stack of documents was getting quite large.

The data was coming from the Combined Threat Assessment Group and was startling. They had uncovered a pattern of appointments, promotions and reassignments within the government going back over twenty years. Tying everything together were memos and reports recommending the changes.

Karen Meadows had done a masterful job of tying everything together neatly, but she had cautioned that the information was not admissible as it was. They needed the original files and computers, all of which were in the impregnable lab in Nevada. It was buried a hundred feet beneath the desert and could survive any assault short of a direct hit with a nuclear weapon.

“The jet just touched down,” Amanda said as she entered the office. “They should be here in less than thirty minutes.”

Susan sighed with relief, “I wish this was all over, but it’s far from that isn’t it?”

“Karen is quite right, we have to have those original files,” Amanda said. “We aren’t trying to build a criminal case here per say; this case will never go to court. But that evidence will destroy the protection the organization has enjoyed for so long. Even more, we must prevent them from sending the signal that will activate the sleepers.”

Susan knew there was only one way they could do that. An all out assault on the lab would just cause them to lock it down and send the signal and all would be lost. The only way to stop them was from the inside and there was only one person who could possibly get into that lab.

CHAPTER 47

Brandi opened her eyes and discovered she was nestled in a warm, soft bed. Light was streaming in through a nearby window, and there was a warm body nestled against her.

“Good morning beautiful.” Melissa whispered, snuggling closer to her. Brandi rolled over and crushed her lips against her lover’s.

“I thought I’d lost you.” she whispered when they came up for air.

“I thought we were both going to die.” Melissa said. “But that was ok; as long as we could spend our last moments together I was ready for it.”

Brandi turned away suddenly and began crying.

“Baby what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry Melissa I just couldn’t stop myself!” Brandi wailed.

“Oh pooh!” Melissa admonished her. “Are you still going on about sleeping with Dylan? Brandi there is nothing to forgive, but if you need to hear it I forgive you. And I still love you.”

“I did need to hear it,” Brandi said as she dried her eyes.

“Now tell me all about it.” Melissa grinned. “And I want details girlfriend!”

Brandi spent the next hour telling Melissa about Dylan; how they had met, what a condescending jerk he had been at the start, what a sweet and tender lover he had turned into.

“But what were you feeling and thinking inside?” Melissa asked.

“It started a lot like when we first made love,” Brandi said. “I was so keyed up; I wanted it but I was terrified by it. With you that first time I at least had an idea of what to do, but with Dylan I was lost. I mean I had been with women, I knew what to do but I just didn’t know how to do it. So I just let my body take over and it knew what to do.

“I was pretty awkward at first, but Dylan was so patient and when he touched me….”

Brandi grew silent and Melissa waited. When it did not appear that she was going to continue, Melissa tried to ease her mind.

“Brandi it’s all right if it felt good to be touched by a man. It’s how you were made; it’s part of who you are.”

Brandi looked pained as she continued, carefully choosing her words.

“It did feel good. Like I said I just basically let my body go and went along for the ride. The second time I was more in control and able to really enjoy it more.”

“The second time?” Melissa grinned.

Brandi blushed, “Yes. There was a second and third and fourth time. I’m afraid I wore poor Dylan out.”

“Tramp!” Melissa said with mock severity. “I don’t know what I am going to do with a shameless thing like you.”

“There is something I want you to understand Melissa,” Brandi said, her voice growing quiet. “There was nothing there…emotionally. I can’t say what Dylan was feeling, though I did my best to make him understand, but all I felt was pure lust. I know now it was something I needed, a hurdle I had to clear in this whole process.”

“So you’re saying sex with a man makes you complete?” Melissa asked, a hint of concern in her words.

“No that’s not it at all!” Brandi cried. “I don’t even know if I can say this right, but I’ll try.”

Brandi thought for a long moment before speaking again.

“It’s like a painting of a beautiful woman,” she began carefully. “But it’s not finished. She doesn’t have a nose.”

Melissa struggled but could not hold in the giggles at the analogy.

“Hey I’m trying here!” Brandi pouted, and then continued. “So the artist puts the nose in, and it’s a beautiful nose. It’s just what the painting needed, and now it is finished. But as he looks at it, he knows it’s still not complete. So he takes it and puts it in an exhibit and people admire it, but still it lacks that thing that makes it complete.

“Then someone comes along and sees the painting and they feel themselves being drawn into it. So they buy it and take it home and hang it on their wall. And everyday they look at it and are drawn in to its beauty once more. Now the painting is complete, because someone loves it.

“Dylan finished me Melissa; he added that last detail that I was missing. But you love me. You make me complete. I won’t deny I care very much for Dylan; that’s why I think I finally gave in to the feelings. I wanted it to be with someone who meant something to me. But I know now that I could never love a man; not the way I love you.”

“I feel the same way.” Melissa said smiling. “Now, while I would like nothing better than to spend the whole day in bed with you, I believe there is someone downstairs that would really love to see you.”

*****

Susan was crossing the foyer on her way to the parlor when she heard a voice cry out from the top of the stairs.

“Mom!”

She turned to see Brandi flying down the grand staircase, quite an accomplishment as she was wearing heels. They were only one inch but Susan was certain she was going to fall and break her neck.

Of course she did not. Brandi reached the bottom of the staircase and Susan opened her arms. They hugged for a long time, each telling the other how glad they were to see them.

“It’s all right if I call you Mom, isn’t it?” Brandi asked.

“Of course it is sweetheart,” Susan said smiling. “Now let me look at my girl.”

Brandi stepped back and twirled around dramatically. She had dressed in a long coral colored skirt and a white blouse, very conservative for her. Her makeup and hair were perfect.

“It’s like a different person, not just from before the transformation but from the lab.” Susan said. “Brandi stunning doesn’t even begin to describe how beautiful you are. Are you ok, really ok?”

“I really am Mom,” Brandi said. “I know who I am now. I may not like all of it, but then a lot of people have to deal with that. But I know who I am and I can learn to live with it. I’m not saying I’m all the way there yet, but I know I can do it.”

“I’m very happy for you,” Susan said. “And very proud of you. Let’s go into the parlor so we can sit and have a long talk.”

“Oh wait, I want you to meet Melissa,” Brandi said, pulling Susan towards the foot of the stairs where Melissa stood.

“We’ve already met actually,” Susan said smiling and then gave Melissa a hug.

“Already met?” Brandi asked.

“You were in Zen sleep for almost three days,” Melissa told her. “You were shot twelve times and thrown from a car. You nearly killed yourself healing me.”

“Is that all I did?” Brandi asked, turning to look at Susan.

“Why don’t you two go get caught up.” Melissa said. “Susan and I have already talked and there’s a concert grand in the conservatory that’s calling to me.”

Brandi and Susan talked for hours in the parlor. They laughed and cried and laughed some more. The conversation was mostly from Brandi, and Susan asked her endless questions about how she was adapting. She asked not as a scientist but as a mother concerned for her only child.

“I wouldn’t have made it without Melissa,” Brandi said softly.

“She’s a lovely young woman,” Susan said. “I’m glad you found her.”

“I nearly got her killed,” Brandi said. “I don’t think I did a very good job keeping a low profile. A pretty poor performance for someone whose suppose to be the ultimate infiltrator.”

“You did fine,” Susan said, pulling her close and squeezing her shoulders. “You found yourself, or at least made a very good start towards finding yourself. But tell me, how do you feel?”

It was the same question Susan had asked her when she first awoke after the transformation. She had been unable to answer it then.

“I feel like a girl,” Brandi said with a smile.

Gretchen came in then and told them that lunch was ready. Neither of them had realized how much time had passed.

“After lunch I have a lot to tell you about yourself,” Susan said, “and Melissa.”

Brandi gave her a pained look and Susan hugged her saying, “Don’t worry dear, it’s not as bad as you fear.”

Melissa was waiting for them in the dining room and as they were about to sit down Ryan Sanders walked in, smiling as he saw Brandi.

“Ryan!” Brandi squealed as she rushed over and hugged him. He was startled but quickly recovered and gave her a big hug. He was in for another surprise.

“I made a promise to give you something when I saw you again,” Brandi said, and pulled his head down and kissed him firmly on the lips. Again it took Ryan a moment to recover, and even after he had he was a bit tense.

A gasp from the kitchen doorway broke the moment and Brandi turned to see Gretchen standing there, a look of shocked dismay on her face. Her lower lip quivered and it looked like she was about to drop the heavily laden tray. Brandi released Ryan and quickly moved to take the tray from Gretchen, setting it on the table. Gretchen stifled a cry and turned and fled back into the kitchen.

“Oh Ryan, I’m sorry,” Brandi said. “I had no idea.”

“Gretchen, she’s…well, we’ve gotten kind of close,” Ryan mumbled. “I better go talk to her.”

“You stay,” Brandi said. “I’ll take care of this.”

Brandi found Gretchen sitting on the steps outside the kitchen, crying. She stifled her tears and dried her eyes quickly as she heard Brandi open the door. Rising quickly, she turned to go back inside.

“Forgive me, Miss Brandi,” she said stiffly. “I should return to my duties.”

“Please sit down, Gretchen,” Brandi said. Gretchen made no move to do so, and Brandi said once more, “Please?”

Gretchen sat back on the steps and Brandi sat next to her.

“Gretchen, Ryan and I are just friends,” Brandi said. “If I had known…well I’m very sorry I hurt you. My mom told me what you went through, and I…well I would never want to add to the pain I know you feel always.”

“Forgive me Miss Brandi, but you can have no idea what I went through,” Gretchen said, her voice bordering on anger.

“Gretchen, did Mrs. Breton tell you anything about me?”

“I know bad men are after you,” Gretchen said. “I know they want to use you, like a weapon. But that is nothing like being used like a sex toy. Nothing like having a vile pig do with you as he pleases, until you actually think you like it!”

Brandi’s own eyes were moist as she said, “No it’s not anything like that. But I think maybe I can understand some of what you feel. Let me tell you how I was born.”

As Brandi related the story of her transformation, Gretchen’s eyes grew wide with amazement. And when she told her of the sexual desire programmed in her, the amazement became compassion and understanding.

“A few days ago, I finally gave in,” Brandi told her. “He’s a really nice guy and I like him a lot, which made it easier, but I don’t love him. I just needed him. And I enjoyed it the whole time it was happening.

“But after…after I felt wrong…dirty. And when I remembered how much I had been enjoying it I felt worse. And to make it even worse, I am very much in love with someone…not Ryan…and it made me feel like I was cheating, even though she assures me she understands.”

“She?” Gretchen asked.

“Yes,” Brandi smiled. “Melissa and I are in love. She’s the one I want to be with, and it kills me to know that just being with her is not enough because of what was programmed into me.”

“Then you and Ryan really are not…”

Brandi shook her head, “I would not be here if Ryan had not helped me, and I was just thanking him. If I had known how you felt, I would have just shook his hand.”

“We have never…I mean we just talk,” Gretchen said. “And we walk the grounds each day. We have not even kissed…I don’t know if I can.

“I know the feelings you are talking about. The shame you feel. I am afraid if we were…if we did…”

“You’re afraid they will come back,” Brandi said. Gretchen nodded. “I don’t have an answer for you, Gretchen. I still have so many questions myself. I know I’m a girl now, and I am comfortable with that, but I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with my desire for men.”

“I am sorry for you, Miss Brandi,” Gretchen said. “And I am sorry for the way I acted. Please forgive me.”

“Only if you forgive me,” Brandi smiled. Gretchen nodded and the two girls hugged.

“You are very beautiful for a girl who used to be a man,” Gretchen said, and then giggled. “That is silly; you are very beautiful for any girl.”

“That’s what I was made to be, sweetie,” Brandi smiled.

They returned to the dining room and found that the others were already eating. Gretchen blushed and began apologizing profusely to Amanda, who waved her hand dismissively.

“Gretchen I was preparing and serving my own meals long before you came to stay with me,” Amanda said. “I have told you many times that you are not a servant in my home, and though I will be sad to see you leave I know one day you will. Now sit down next to Ryan and have lunch with us.”

“Have you given any thoughts to college, Gretchen?” Brandi asked. “Amanda told us you have finished your high school credits under tutors.”

“I am too old for college,” Gretchen said. “I am twenty three.”

“I’m twenty-five and I still attend college,” Melissa said. “And I know people a lot older who go.”

“Well technically I’m forty,” Brandi giggled. “When all this is over I’d like to go back to school.”

“I think that would be a great idea,” Susan said. “What do you want to study?”

“Well history and political science would probably be sooo boring the second time around,” Brandi said. “I was thinking along the lines of something more useful to my current situation, like Women’s studies. God I can’t believe I just said that.”

“I think you could benefit a great deal from that,” Susan said.

“I would like to study psychology,” Gretchen blurted, as though the words had escaped despite her best efforts to hold them in. Everyone turned to look at her, and she blushed deeply.

“I mean, the people Mrs. Breton brought here for me, they helped me so much. I would like to be able to help others that way.”

Brandi smiled and put her hand on Gretchen’s. “I think you’d make a great therapist. You have a very caring nature.”

After lunch Brandi and Melissa helped Gretchen clean up, despite her protests. Ryan returned to his computer and as Amanda and Susan sat at the table they could hear the three girls giggling and talking animatedly in the kitchen.

“I think Gretchen may be leaving here sooner than you expected, Amanda,” Susan said.

“I will miss her, but just as Brandi needs to be out there in the world, so does Gretchen. I’ve done all I can. If she stays here, she’ll only be hiding from life.”

Susan got up from her seat and walked over to the older woman.

“She’s lucky to have you,” she said, bending over to kiss Amanda on the cheek. “And so are we.”

*****

“She escaped,” Barbara Currant said quietly.

“She had help. Admiral Hammerstein has decided to take an active roll.” The Man told her.

“That will make things even more difficult,” Barbara said.

“No we end this,” The Man said, “call the lab and have all the research personnel evacuated. I am moving our remaining tactical units there as we speak.”

“You expect her to come to you?” Barbara asked, dubious.

There was a ruthless edge to The Man’s voice as he said, “Yes, once we provide her with the proper motivation.”

“And what is that?” Barbara asked.

“I’m certain we can come up with a suitable enticement.”

*****

“Why don’t we talk on the Veranda,” Susan suggested after lunch. “You can smoke out there.”

“That would be nice,” Brandi said.

“Tell me something, Brandi,” Susan asked as they sat down. Brandi and Melissa both smoking. “Do you smoke now only because of the programming or because you enjoy it?”

“That’s kinda hard to answer,” Brandi said, playing with her hair nervously. “When I smoke, I get, like, enjoyment…I mean I do like it. Mostly I do it when I’m nervous or to distract me from other urges.”

“There’s a reason I ask,” Susan said. “I’ve learned a good bit about how your programming works. It’s really a classic method of reward and, punishment is really not the right word, perhaps discomfort. Or maybe positive and negative reinforcement is better. When you feel the need to engage in a programmed behavior, you get uncomfortable, right?”

Brandi nodded, “I get very uncomfortable.”

“She can get downright bitchy,” Melissa giggled.

“But engaging in a programmed behavior makes you feel good, even if it’s not the behavior that you are resisting.”

“Yes but it gets less effective,” Brandi said. “I was able to hold out on having sex with a man for a long time by doing other things. But by the time I actually did it with Dylan, I, like, really wanted to do it.”

“You had sex with a man?” Susan asked. “You didn’t mention that earlier.”

“It happened the same day they came for me,” Brandi said, blushing.

“And how do you feel about it?” Susan asked.

“I’m very confused,” Brandi said, her voice trembling. “I mean, during it…while we were…doing it…I felt wonderful. But after…now…dammit I feel like a slut!”

“Brandi you’re being much too hard on yourself,” Susan said.

“The things I did, though…and it’s not really even that. It’s that I…I…”

“You want to do it again,” Susan finished.

Brandi nodded. She turned to Melissa and began crying as she said, “I’m so sorry, Melissa! I thought maybe…maybe if I did it the feelings would go away…but they haven’t!”

“Brandi, listen to me,” Melissa said, taking her hands and holding them firmly. “I can handle it. I love you, and I know you have no control over these desires. I knew what you were going into this relationship. It’s no different than loving someone with a medical condition. Yes, it will be hard, but love will see us through.”

“There is good news too, sweetheart,” Susan said. “I believe you will find it easier to deal with.”

“You mean it will go away?” Brandi asked hopefully.

“No, the desire will always be a part of you,” Susan said. “Let me explain first what changes the machine made to you regarding your level of desire. The first involves your lovely tan.”

“My tan?” Brandi asked. “I don’t really do anything to maintain it. I thought I just had a dark complexion.”

“No it is actually a tan,” Susan told her. “When a person is exposed to the sun, the body produces MSH, melanocyte stimulating hormone. Melanocytes are cells in the epidermis, and MSH causes them to produce melanin, which makes the skin darken.

“A few years back a drug called Melanotan was developed, that produced the same effect. It was intended to be an alternative to sun exposure; you take a pill and get a tan without the risk of skin cancer. It actually works too.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming here,” Melissa said.

“Yes in testing there were side effects,” Susan said. “MSH can also affect the hypothalamus of the brain, causing a dramatic increase in sex drive and a lowering of appetite in many test subjects given Melanotan. For that reason Melanotan has been called the ‘Ken and Barbie drug’…because it makes you thin, tan and very horny.”

Brandi looked at her arm, her skin smooth and tan. It had never occurred to her that it could have anything to do with her level of desire.

“Your body produces MSH at a constant elevated level regardless of whether you are exposed to the sun or not,” Susan said. “That alone is enough to make your sex drive three times higher than normal.”

“But there’s more,” Brandi said.

Susan nodded, “The hypothalamus is not the only region of the brain that governs sexual desire. The amygdala, which is in the temporal lobe, also figures in. There are many cases documented where damage to the amygdala has resulted in hypersexuality. Your amygdala has a configuration that is different from a normal human brain, and I believe this also serves to add to your libido. Also, damage to the overlying temporal cortex can affect sexual behavior; not in the sense of increasing the sex drive but rather in choosing what is appropriate for sex. In cases of severe damage, the victim will literally attempt to ‘mate’ with practically anything in their environment. Your temporal cortex was not severely altered, but it is different.”

“So that’s why I’m attracted to men?”

Susan shook her head, “No, I suspect the opposite. That has reinforced your attraction to women that was carried over from Brandon. Your attraction to men is due to your transformation into a female, and one of the warrior genes.”

“The Mother gene,” Brandi said. “I kind of suspected that had something to do with it. You’re saying that eventually I will want to have babies.”

“The Forerunners needed warriors,” Susan said. “Apparently they were a very passive race; their pacifism was in their genes. When they found themselves embroiled in war, they began a program to produce warriors. We’re not sure if this was through genetic manipulation or selective breeding. Quite possibly it was a combination of both. The Genomorphs eventually became a part of this, since all of their children would possess the warrior genes of the parent.”

“Personally I don’t think very highly of these Forerunners,” Melissa said, her voice edged with anger. “They turned men into women driven by sex and then made them virtual baby factories too! What were they thinking?”

Brandi took Melissa’s hand and looked into her eyes. Melissa was surprised to see there were tears in those lovely violet eyes as Brandi spoke.

“Sweetie, please try to understand them,” she said. “They were against the wall…their race was on the verge of extinction. Remember that the men they changed volunteered. They did it for their people, and they did it gladly…I understand that.

“In the end, even the Genomorphs weren’t enough. Despite their efforts, they still lacked the one thing they truly needed to be able to defeat their enemies…the aggressiveness and the will to take the fight to them. They tried to fight a defensive war but the casualties were mounting. In the end something really terrible happened, and only a few survivors managed to escape their world and come here.”

“Brandi, where did that come from?” Susan asked. “How do you know that? I haven’t read any accounts in the files like that.”

“I just know it,” Brandi said. “I think there may be a lot of information in my head that I just haven’t learned how to access yet.”

“That’s very likely,” Susan said. “I do know that it took several years for a Genomorph to reach their full potential. It’s also likely you are still undergoing changes. The Forerunners created Genomorphs from their own people, you are not a Forerunner.”

“Not yet,” Brandi said. “I’m not really human anymore though either.”

“No, you’re not,” Susan admitted. “There are still so many questions, and we may never know all the answers. Genetically we and the Forerunners are very close, close enough that our species could interbreed. I also believe that while the protocol was triggered by your warrior genes, it was only able to transform you because of other factors. I think through some remarkable chance you had several Forerunner genetic markers in your DNA.”

Brandi lit another cigarette and regarded its glowing tip for a long time. Something had been nagging at her for some time, and now she felt as though she almost had a grasp on it.

“I think it was more than chance,” she said slowly. “I think I was meant to be…that I was planned. It sounds incredible I know, but I believe that they planned my creation thousands of years ago and have somehow been able to nudge and shape events, both in my life and long before, that lead to my being transformed into who I am now.”

“It’s not so incredible, love,” Melissa said. “They had technology that even to us seems magical. They traveled who knows how many millions of miles to this planet and left artifacts, but they disappeared. I mean think about it, ten thousand years ago they could have built a new civilization of their own here, but they didn’t.”

Brandi nodded at Melissa’s words. Something in what she said almost clicked…but not quite. There was a connection there but she could not quite make it…yet.

“So anyway, back to my attraction to men,” Brandi said. “Am I just going to have to accept that I need to go out and get laid once a month or something?”

“That may be the road you have to take,” Susan said. “I believe the programming was intended to allow you to accept and control your sexuality. But you weren’t a willing participant, and your warrior genes caused you to resist. The organization’s tampering with the program also played a part. As a result, the programming was corrupted. That doesn’t mean that you can’t control it, just that you will have a much harder time. There is more involved now, too. You see, Melissa is part of it now.”

“What do you mean?” Brandi asked, her horrified look shifting from Susan to Melissa.

“We’re linked now, love,” Melissa smiled. “Susan has already told me about this, and honestly I think it’s wonderful. To an extent, I can feel what you feel, at least when it comes to strong, emotional responses. And you will feel what I feel in the same way.”

“But you’re not gonna start wanting to be with men are you?”

Susan hesitated before answering, “Brandi, please try not to get too upset over what I am about to say.”

Brandi gave Susan her full attention and nodded, “I’ll try, Mom.”

“I learned more about the bonding process, which is how you were able to save Melissa. In fact you went beyond it, pushing yourself to the very limits of your abilities because you love her. Unfortunately, I was not able to get the latest information to you and at any rate even if you had known you would have still done what you did.

“When a Genomorph bonded with another, their mate was then immediately placed in the GMU so that the nanocyborgs could be reprogrammed for the mate’s genetic profile. By now Melissa has a full complement of them within her, but they are all encoded with your DNA.”

Brandi looked at Melissa and for the first time noticed that her lover’s hair was no longer black, but rather a dark, reddish brown. It was very subtle but the bright sunlight made the red highlights much more visible.

“Yes Brandi, I’m going blonde,” Melissa said.

“Brandi, there is still time,” Susan said quickly. “The nanocyborgs are currently working to rewrite Melissa’s genetic structure to match that pattern, but they can’t do it with the speed the GMU can. They have also concentrated their work initially on alterations to enhance her abilities because of the circumstances behind the bonding. Melissa’s senses will not be at the level yours are, but they should be close.”

“Still time…time for what?” Brandi demanded.

“Getting agitated will not help matters,” Susan said calmly. “Can you listen to what I have to say…please?”

Brandi nodded, lighting another cigarette. The ashtray on the table was rapidly filling up and Melissa was not even smoking any longer.

“As I said, Melissa’s genetic code is being rewritten to match yours,” Susan continued. “The nanocyborgs cannot do it quickly though. It will take days, possibly even weeks for them to complete the process, as long as you don’t introduce more into her system.”

“And if they do?”

“If, and I stress if, they are allowed to complete the process, Melissa would be your genetic twin. You would be physically identical in all respects. They cannot program her as you were, but they can make the alterations to her brain chemistry and configuration that give you your elevated sex drive.

“They also cannot turn her into a true Genomorph. That comes from the second set of DNA…Forerunner DNA…that was grafted onto your genetic structure creating your quad helix. She would share your ability to heal, though at a lesser rate; your immunity to disease and aging, and to a far lesser extent your physical enhancements. They are also incapable of altering her molecular structure the way yours was altered, so she would not have your ability to alter your form.”

“You said if,” Brandi said. “Does that mean we can stop it?”

“We can’t stop the enhancements, they were meant to be a part of the bonding. We can stop the cosmetic changes.” Susan said. “If we get her to the machine in Nevada, the nanocyborgs can be reprogrammed with Melissa’s genetic code.”

“Will that reverse the changes?”

“If we had a pattern of Melissa’s original DNA, the machine could restore her appearance completely,” Susan said. “But we don’t have that, since she has never been scanned by a GMU. At best, we will be able to halt the physical changes at whatever point they have reached.”

“Melissa I’m sorry,” Brandi cried. “I didn’t know…”

“Because I didn’t tell you,” Susan said. “If anyone is to blame it’s me.”

“Both of you, like, stop it!” Melissa demanded in a petulant tone. Brandi and Susan stared at her, until she burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding,” she grinned. “Brandi, you have nothing to be sorry for. If you had known, what would you have done…let me die?”

“No, of course not…”

“Then stop beating yourself up about it!” Melissa insisted. “Let’s just find a way to get to that machine. Preferably before you and I are able to share bras.”

Despite herself, Brandi started giggling. Then a thought occurred to her, and a smile spread across her face.

“We do have a record of Melissa’s DNA,” she said.

“Where?” Susan asked.

Brandi’s smile broadened as her form changed into Melissa’s.

“Right here in me.”

CHAPTER 48

Amanda Breton joined them that night for dinner, as did Matt Branch and Chief Wright. Brandi gave them all hugs and thanked them for their help. She was delighted to see that Admiral Hammerstein was there was well, and after getting a bear hug from him she turned and pulled Melissa forward.

“Admiral Hammerstein, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Melissa Barlowe,” Brandi said, her face lit by a big smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Barlowe,” The Admiral said.

Melissa stepped forward and gave him a hug as well. “Please call me Melissa, Admiral, and the pleasure is all mine. Brandi has told me so much about you.”

Brandi excused herself and stepped over to speak to Matt Branch. “I understand we have you to thank for our clothes being here.”

“I had Jennings and Talbot grab everything,” he admitted. “Oh and they turned your crock pot off too.”

“Damn I knew I forgot something!”

Matt laughed, “Actually I’m afraid they tossed it in the garbage. There wasn’t time to clean it and they figured it would be pretty ripe by the time you got back.”

They sat down to a marvelous dinner which Gretchen had prepared. Whatever her past, she was certainly a magician in the kitchen and seemed to truly love preparing lavish meals.

They kept the conversation casual during the meal. Brandi did notice that Melissa had already inherited her appetite as she attacked a huge plate of food enthusiastically. At one point she saw Brandi watching her and burst into giggles.

“I believe its time you all learned the history of the organization you are fighting,” Amanda said as Gretchen began clearing the table. “Even Michael does not the whole story.”

“And you do?” Brandi asked.

“Of course, dear,” Amanda smiled. “You see, I started it.”

*****

After dinner they retired to the parlor. Gretchen wheeled in a liquor cart and then closed the doors behind her as she left. Admiral Hammerstein played bartender, and then they settled in to listen to Amanda tell her story.

“First of all, forget Roswell and any other UFO stories you may have heard.” Amanda said. “Most of them are just disinformation spread to draw attention away from the truth. The first hard evidence of alien visitation of the earth was found in Germany at the end of World War Two. It was a cache of Forerunner technology that had been uncovered by the Nazi’s, a very small cache, but it was obvious that the objects were not from this world.

“I was twenty-two at the time, and had been part of the Office for Strategic Services for four years. You see when I turned eighteen I volunteered to aid the war effort. My family had lived in Germany for many years. My father was an American diplomat; my mother a native German. We moved back to the United States in nineteen thirty-nine, but I had spent my entire life until then in Germany, so of course I spoke fluent German. I was initially tasked with translating intercepts, but I soon demonstrated an aptitude for ‘reading between the lines’ and was moved into a higher security clearance. At the end of the war I was with a group that was looking for evidence of Germany’s atomic bomb program. What we found instead was the cache of artifacts.”

Brandi watched carefully as Amanda paused, sipping her cognac. There was something she was not telling them. It was very hard to read; far harder than it usually was, but it was there. Still, she did not detect that there was any malicious intent; just that Amanda was withholding something.

Amanda looked at Brandi and smiled as she continued.

“The artifacts were brought back to the states and we began searching for evidence of more caches. It was decided to keep the artifacts a tightly guarded secret. The initial team that found them was formed into a new, secret department within the newly formed Central Intelligence Group, which a year later would be renamed the Central Intelligence Agency.

“We were small at the start, and so I quickly rose in the ranks of the department, and four years later I was placed in charge. I had twelve people working under me, mostly researchers and three field investigators…the original ‘Men in Black’, though they tended to wear grey suits in those days. I realized there was great potential in this alien technology, and also that it needed to be separated from the rest of the intelligence community, which was entirely oriented by then to a cold war mentality. In nineteen fifty, President Truman created the organization; it was given no name and officially did not exist, but that very anonymity gave us a great deal of latitude in operations…and a great deal of power.”

“So ‘The Man’ was originally ‘The Woman’,” Brandi smiled, though she was fidgeting a bit nervously.

Amanda smiled as well, “Yes you could say that, though I preferred to be a bit less enigmatic than that.”

Amanda turned to Gretchen, who stood by the door, and said, “Would you get an ashtray for Brandi and Melissa, Gretchen dear?”

Gretchen disappeared and returned a moment later with a lead crystal ashtray which she set on the table before the two young women.

“Thank you,” Brandi said as she took out her cigarettes.

“I would say it’s a very bad habit that you should give up, as I did years ago,” Amanda said. “But then that is not really a problem for either of you now.”

“At any rate, where was I,” Amanda continued. “Ah yes, well, as the organization began gathering information, we quickly grew. We were able to provide the majority of our own funding, just as the movie said, through a few well placed patents and dummy corporations. They were nothing as dramatic as Velcro or compact disks, mostly some basic chemical processes which provided the basis for many other products.

“As the UFO hysteria began, we used that to draw attention away from our activities. In fact, the Roswell incident was used to cover up a cache discovered in another area. Then in October of nineteen fifty-one, a nuclear test, part of Operation Buster, revealed a substantial anomaly in the Nevada desert.”

“The lab,” Susan said.

“Yes the lab complex is constructed within a huge chamber that was hollowed out by the Forerunners,” Amanda confirmed. “To date it is the largest cache ever found. It also made an ideal base of operations for the growing organization.

“Over the next twenty years, we studied the artifacts and even located a few more caches. There were some breakthroughs in technology which were a direct result of these studies, but the major discovery still eluded us, the strange purple plasma that powers most of their equipment.

“The same substance which now powers your body Brandi, and to a lesser extent Melissa’s. It is the key to the Forerunner’s technology, and why the organization wants you so much. You see, they believe you will be able to manipulate this power because it is now a part of you.”

“Then there was a change in…attitudes.” Amanda continued. “There was a decreasing interest in developing the technology for humanitarian purposes and more interest in developing technology to gain the upper hand on the world stage. They wanted weapons.”

“Like me.” Brandi whispered.

“Yes dear, like you. You were to be their crowning achievement. I deeply regret that my connections still within the organization were unable to get word to me of their plans until it was too late, Brandi. I don’t know if I could have spared you this, but…”

“Please Mrs. Breton, don’t,” Brandi said softly. “I am not sorry, not anymore, for what I have become. I would never have found Melissa if this hadn’t happened. What they did was wrong, evil, but it backfired on them.”

“I know who I am now,” Brandi said, turning adoring eyes towards Melissa. “And now I am complete.”

“I am happy for you Brandi, for both of you,” Amanda said sincerely. “I always knew you would find yourself if given the chance.”

Amanda took another sip of cognac, and then resumed her tale.

“In the seventies, I was eventually forced out of my position as head of the organization. I remained on to help with the research; by this time I had advanced degrees in genetics, biochemistry and biotechnology. My replacement was someone who was far less interested in helping mankind and far more interested in power, though at that time I did not realize his designs were for personal power.”

“The Man?” Brandi asked, half laughing. “Who is this jerk? Doesn’t he even have a name?”

“His name is not important anymore,” Amanda said. “He gave that up along with any tie to humanity long ago, in favor of greed and lust for power.”

Again Brandi had the feeling that there was something more to it, and it was stronger this time than it had been before. There was a significant undercurrent of emotion coming from Amanda.

Again Amanda looked at Brandi and smiled as she continued. Brandi had the distinct impression that Amanda knew she was trying to read her.

“I continued to do research at the lab…I was using some treatments we had developed in the Congo when we first met, Brandi. Then ten years ago I left the organization for good after an accident at the lab.”

“What happened,” Brandi asked, not even needing her enhanced senses to detect   a deep sadness in Amanda.

“I lost my son,” Amanda said. “He was assisting me in testing a device…well it did not go as we planned. I left the organization but I kept my contacts. I knew by then that something was not right, but uncovering the secrets required unraveling a web of lies and half-truths.”

“We know his plan now though. He has been subverting individuals in key positions in the intelligence community, the military and the civilian government for years, even members of the media and scientific community. He has created sleepers that have had their minds altered by use of Forerunner artifacts. They are quite unaware of this, but when he is ready he will activate them, and overnight he will have taken over this country in a bloodless and silent coup.”

“One of the devices Amanda acquired over the years is capable of detecting these individuals through the changes made to their brain patterns.” Susan interjected. “We have verified that everyone here is clean, for the most part.”

“For the most part?” Melissa asked. “Susan that doesn’t sound very reassuring.”

“I have sleeper programming in me, inactivated as yet,” Susan said. “Ryan was able to devise a program to disable it without removing it. When they activate me, I will know.”

The conversation paused for a moment as they all took time to absorb what they had been told. For Melissa it was the hardest; the others were used to this to one degree or another, but it was all new to her.

“What am I doing here?” she wondered aloud. “I’m just a music student from LA. All I ever wanted to do was write songs and hear people sing them. I…I don’t belong here in the middle of something like this. I’m not cut out for it.”

Brandi reached over and took her hand and squeezed it. She looked lovingly into her eyes as she said, “It’s time to forge a greater destiny, love. I know you have what it takes; and I’ll be right by your side.”

Brandi rose from the love seat and moved so she could face everyone in the parlor. She had a look of determination on her pretty face as she spoke.

“Do we know where they will send their signal from?” she asked Amanda.

“As I’m sure you suspect, the lab in Nevada,” Amanda said. “They are consolidating all their security personnel there as we speak. They will be ready to act soon.”

“Then I have to get inside for two reasons,” Brandi said. “And I have a plan as to just how to do it. I just need to do one thing to make it work; I don’t want to do it, but it’s the only way.”

“What is it honey?” Susan asked.

Brandi turned and looked at Melissa, their eyes meeting. A look of realization crossed Melissa’s face and her eyes widened. Brandi held her gaze, and at last Melissa smiled nervously and nodded.

“We’re going to let them take Melissa.”

End of Part 4

Notes:

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