TFOS: Freddy On The Loose, Part 22

by

Rodford Edmiston

Note: This story uses background and concepts from the Teenagers From Outer Space role-playing game, Copyright and Trademark 2001 R. Talsorian Games, Inc. The characters and story are Copyright 2002 Rodford Edmiston Smith.

"I am so glad Ramet agreed to go on that date with Huron," said Freddy, as he changed back into his civvies, talking a bit loudly so Karen could hear him. "In spite of the fact that I'll be paying him off for over a month."

"Well, I think it was worth it, too," said Karen, in the next cubicle, where she was similarly occupied. "I really enjoyed going with you. Also, having someone else pretend to be the female you for that date made it clear to him that 'the magic was gone.'"

They left the small cubicles - installed by Sooltong to maintain propriety for staff changing clothes, something which had to be politely explained to him - simultaneously, which made them start and laugh a bit.

"I am also very glad Sooltong hasn't had any of those special demos recently," said Freddy, as the pair left by the employee door in the rear.

"Hey, I thought you looked kyuuute! as a ham-ham," snickered Karen.

"Well, it wasn't that I minded so much, but when he started talking about 'breeding stock...'" Freddy shuddered.

"He was joking," said Karen, laughing and hugging him. "Anyway, I'm glad we were able to work extra during Spring Break. The money will be handy, especially for you. However! I'm also glad school starts back Monday."

"Yeah," said Freddy, grinning. "We're supposed to get new, high-tech lockers."

They exited the service corridor into one of the main sections of the mall. Though closing time was just a few minutes away, the area was still full of last-minute shoppers. The pair, arms linked, dodged through the flow expertly, heading towards the exit where their bikes were parked. However, before they were even halfway there, something odd began.

A wave of disturbance swept across those nearest the main exit, at the front of the mall. In fact, the noise and motion scanned back and forth, moving further through the crowd each time. As the scan came closer, Karen and Freddy could hear that part of the noise was chirping Gender Guards and see that people were changing sex.

Freddy sighed resignedly.

"I'm glad I have my Gender Guard," was all Karen had time to say.

The effect scanned past them, Karen's Gender Guard chirping. Then she changed into a guy. Oddly, Freddy was still one, too.

"What the Hell?!" said Freddy, making a quick check to assure he was still all male. "I didn't change!"

"And I did!" said Karen, in a pleasant baritone. "I think it zapped me twice, real quick. I heard the Gender Guard, and nothing happened, and then I changed."

"Maybe that's why it missed me," said Freddy.

The crowd was getting a bit ugly (especially with all the involuntary cross-dressing) so they ducked back into the service hallway. Karen pulled out his Gender Guard, only to have it snatched by a really homely woman in men's clothing who ran past them. She got swept away by the crowd before either of the teens could react.

"I bet Sooltong's already gone home," sighed Freddy.

That he had. The doors - front, side and service - were securely locked, the lights were out and the spot assigned by the mall for their boss' saucer was empty.

"Oh, well," said Karen. "You have your Boy/Girl Gun at your home. I'll just ride with you to there, then on to my home. It's not much out of the way."

"Just don't expect me to hold hands with you, like usual," teased Freddy.

"You could if you switched," snickered Karen.

"Looks like this was set up to work rapid fire, and to hit people with Gender Guards twice," said Freddy, peering out at the teeming mass in the mall. "Clever. Playing dirty, but clever."

"So why didn't you change?"

"Y'know, I think I did," said Freddy. "It was like when I was a girl because of Huron's spell. When I got zapped I just automatically changed myself back right away."

"Or maybe you've just building up an immunity to it," Karen guessed.

"Hey! If so, that means that not only did I not change, for once, but I didn't change when everyone else did!" said Freddy, triumphantly.

"Except you just said you think you did change. Twice!"

"That's not... I mean, I didn't get stuck!"

"Come on, let's get out of here," said Karen. "Looks like the crowd's thinning out and I want to get back into the right chromosomes."

* * *

Flinkpoid hopped towards the entrance of the school, nimbly maneuvering under the skirts of several girls in the process. He realized, too late, that his next target was not only one of the teachers, but a predator. He hit the brakes but slid helplessly between her feet, flipping over on his back, looking up. He decided that even if she killed him now, his life had been a full one.

Ms. Furrpect grabbed the pink bunny boy by the scruff of the neck and held him at eye height, snarling.

"Where I come from, we eat little pink bunny boys who peek under females' skirts," she told him.

Flinkpoid thought about apologizing. He thought about pointing out that Ms. Furrpect habitually wore so few clothes that everyone in school had seen practically her entire body, anyway. He even thought about pleading for mercy. Instead, he turned to look at the girls gathered around him, cute little bunny eyes big and moist and showing multiple highlights. This time, they weren't buying it.

"Is he the one?" demanded a brunette. "I told you I felt a draft!"

"Let's get him!"

Flinkpoid gave a terrified bunny squeal of pure fright, zapped Ms. Furrpect to make her let go, then scampered wildly between female feet to escape.

* * *

"You heard that the cops found the Boy/Girl Gun at the mall?" asked Karen, as she and Freddy got off their bikes.

"Yeah," said Freddy, locking his front wheel to the bike rack. "Heard that my guess was right. Modified, rapid-fire Boy/Girl Gun, hooked to a sensor and an aiming device. Scanned and zapped everyone, and those who had Gender Guards were zapped twice. Guess I'm lucky it wasn't measuring whether the target actually changed, or it would've stuck on me. No telling what that would have... What's going on up there?"

"Looks like a riot," said Karen, worried.

The pair hurried up to the tangled knot of girls to see if they could help. Unfortunately, the girls were so busy A) trying to catch the cute little pink bunny boy and B) trying to keep the cute little pink bunny boy from staring up their skirts in the process that they were in the collective act of falling en mass. Karen jumped out of the way, but Freddy, chivalrous fool he, tried to catch them. And wound up on the bottom.

"There's a guy with his hand on my hip!" one girl screamed.

"It's just Freddy!" another panted, as she tried to wiggle herself free.

"Well, he has his face under my chest, so he better be a she, right quick!" said a third.

Freddy actually didn't need much effort to change, since the third girl was one of the most buxom non-cheerleaders in school, a gorgeous, dark-skinned teenager from California. Once the pile was unpiled the "under my chest" gal lifted herself and took a quick look, then laughed. She helped f-Freddy to her feet.

"Sorry about that. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," said Freddy, a bit breathlessly and in a higher voice than usual even when a girl.

Then she yelped and jumped, and shook herself. Flinkpoid dropped out of her shirt and scurried away.

"You pervert!" screamed over a dozen girls in perfect unison, one of them Freddy.

There followed a mad chase as the girls tore after the hapless bunny boy, more females joining in on the way on general principles. Unfortunately, Flinkpoid was experienced at this sort of thing, in addition to being able to fit places most of the other students couldn't. Shortly before first bell the chase wound down, a panting Freddy leaning against a wall as Karen finally found her.

"Here!" she snapped, shoving Freddy's book bag at her. "You dropped this!"

"Why... are you mad... at me?" gasped Freddy. "I'm the one... who had a bunny... in her bosom."

"Oh, stop being such a girl!"

The bell rang, and Freddy had no choice but to trail behind the angrily-marching-away Karen.

* * *

"First day of school after Spring Break, and I'm a girl again," sighed Freddy, quietly, to Ramet.

"So change back," the shapeshifter advised.

"I'll need to catch my breath, first, so I can concentrate," said Freddy.

"You may remember that we are supposed to start using the new school lockers today," said Mr. Hoomdorm, the teacher for this home room. "They look exactly like the old ones, so much so that many of you may have already used them without realizing it, but there is now no more need for combination locks. So please remove your lock at the first opportunity. Each locker recognizes its assigned user - and, yes, you shapeshifters, it's ID keyed - and unlocks when you stand in front of it."

_Cool,_ thought Freddy. _Oh, wait; automatically? What if a bully holds a victim in front of his locker and..._

"These lockers are more secure in other ways, too, now having integrated sensors to detect break-in attempts, fires, illicit chemicals and devices and so on," Mr. Hoomdorm continued.

That brought a mixed reaction, but a muted one. Freddy still didn't hear anything which would prevent bully abuse, either.

"So, please take a few minutes now to go and examine them. Then proceed to your next class at the bell."

The big, egg-shaped alien simply stopped and closed his one big eye, settling down on his singular hopping foot, a signal that he was finished.

The students rose and exited in a more-or-less orderly way, Freddy torn between staying behind in the quiet and trying to change or going to see the new lockers. Curiosity won. Besides, she wanted to see if it actually would open for the female her. Uh, him. The female Freddy!

* * *

Inside his locker, Flinkpoid chuckled deviously to himself. He'd fooled them all, with that triple-double back, and the detour through the wiring channel under the floor. Even if they figured out he'd ducked into his locker, they'd never get it open, not with the new security mechanisms. Of course, he did have to pee... He listened carefully, noted that the time was middle of home room class, and decided the halls were safe for now. He'd sneak out of here and into the boys' restroom on this floor. He pushed on the door.

It didn't move. Flinkpoid blinked. Then tried again. That was impossible. He knew about the new lockers, and how they worked; the same type had been in his last school. The sensors were beyond malfunction; they infallibly unlocked when the locker's assigned user... approached... from... outside...

Flinkpoid gave yet another little pink bunny scream, and began to panic.

* * *

Freddy approached her locker and was pleased to note that it did, indeed, open freely, even though she was still female. She closed it and tried the locker next to hers. Locked tight. Ramet, at Freddy's smile and gesture, sighed and tried to open Freddy's locker. No luck.

"This is so cool," chortled Freddy.

"Simple minds and simple gadgets," said Ramet.

Freddy started to approach her locker again, when there was a disturbance down the hall. It started as muffled banging, then odd cries of panic, then louder banging and roaring. Then, with a huge crash, a towering pink bunny monster burst out of the wall of lockers.

"Eep..." said Freddy.

Others were saying other things, mostly variants on "Run away!" Freddy vaguely recalled that Flinkpoid could monster out, but the little guy usually ran in terror instead of getting mad. She turned and bolted. Or tried to. A giant, pink, furry hand grabbed her around the middle and hoisted her into the air for inspection.

"Prrrrettyyyy," rumbled the giant pink bunny monster.

It began kneading her attributes with a thumb. Her shirt promptly tore free, leaving sensitive skin bare to being rubbed by soft pink fur. Not the most unpleasant experience in the world, but one Freddy was not in a position to enjoy just then.

"Put me down!" squeaked Freddy.

"Want girl," rumbled the giant pink bunny monster, leering.

Freddy began to do a little panicking herself. She didn't know how long Flinkpoid would be like this, or what would turn him back. However, she knew what would turn him on; after a look down she immediately wished she hadn't taken, she could tell he was definitely interested, in the biblical sense.

Fortunately, before Flinkpoid could even begin to find an isolated romantic spot, school security arrived.

"Help," wheezed Freddy.

The mixed-species crew quickly but competently set up what looked like an anti-tank weapon, aimed at the distracted Flinkpoid, then ran around a corner. Just as Freddy was starting to think she'd be blown to pieces along with the giant pink bunny monster, the device activated, with a soft "Paf!"

A warm, off-white foam blew around them, cradling and comforting them. Freddy relaxed, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Freddy woke in the Nurse's office, the Nurse nearby. After a brief moment of mild confusion, she remembered everything. Her omniscience quickly faded as the lingering narcotic effects of the tranquilizer foam wore off.

"Ow?" she tried.

"Oh, good. I thought you should be waking soon. How do you feel?"

"I was mauled by a giant pink bunny with a dirty mind," said Freddy, with surprising mildness. "How do you think I feel?"

"Well, it wasn't his fault. It takes a lot to make someone from his species monster out, and when they do they go farther into the beast mind than most. Though he will be disciplined for the things he did before that."

"I should hope so," muttered Freddy.

She sat up, and as the covers fell away realized she was both naked and squeaky clean.

"Eep?" she stated, still a bit fuzzy headed.

"Oh, your clothes were ruined. I would have had to remove them anyway, to get the foam off. I put your personal effects over here."

"Great. The only other clothes I have at school are my emergency girl clothes. Unless I want to wear my boy gym clothes all day."

"You're not the only one inconvenienced," said the Nurse. "When he broke out of the lockers Flinkpoid did so much damage that the fancy new system shut down. No-one can get into their lockers until that is repaired, which won't be until tomorrow morning, at the earliest."

"Y'know," said Freddy, contemplatively, "that little pink bunny guy will be lucky if he's not lynched."

* * *

The next day, as Freddy and Karen approached the school, they spotted a new girl being swarmed by guys. She was petit and very curvy, with long, fluorescent-pink hair. Extremely kawaii. She looked miserable and embarrassed, and seemed to be having trouble walking.

"Who is that?" Karen asked Ramet, who was standing nearby, smirking, "and why aren't the teachers helping the poor girl?"

"That's Flinkpoid," said Ramet.

"Oh," said Karen.

"Serves him right," snickered Freddy. "I don't recognized half those guys, though."

"That's because they're usually girls."

"Oh," said Freddy. "Oh!"

He resisted the urge to participate. Instead, Freddy and Karen went on inside to their lockers.

"Looks like they're fixed," said Karen, opening hers.

"Great. I never even got a chance to look inside mine yesterday. See you in home room!"

Freddy walked around the corner to his locker, and reached for the latch. It didn't open. He checked, made sure he had the right one, tried again. Nothing. He looked around, and noticed other people opening their lockers. Freddy's, however, remained stubbornly secured.

"This isn't fair," he sighed.

End Part Twenty-Two