I blinked several times trying to figure out if the gray light coming from the window was from a street lamp or from another sunless morning. It had been thirty days since I last saw the sun. This is rather typical of Vancouver weather.

Glancing at the clock, I have just over an hour to get to work. It’s tough to get out of bed but I remind myself I’m a good worker, even if I don’t enjoy my job. I’ve struggled keeping a good attitude as more and more I’ve felt like I’ve let myself down. Ever since my parents vanished six years ago, I’ve never quite found my purpose.

Scrambling to eat an unheated pair of maple sugar and cinnamon Pop-Tarts before heading out the door, I stepped outside. The cold sank deeply into my bones. It doesn’t matter how many layers you have, the high-humidity cold of North Vancouver goes through everything. Gray mist clings to the buildings and trees like a soggy, wet blanket.

“Perfect.” I whisper to myself.

Walking down the steep hill towards the SeaBus, gravity provides me a little extra energy as I head towards my lackluster job. Being a salesman at TechIsUs brings in steady pay but hardly challenges me. Someday soon I hope to find love, travel, find a good job, and make a difference in the world.

As I arrived at the SeaBus terminal I looked around at the other working zombies and as the doors open we filed on board much like a herd of cows on Prozac. The doors closed and finally I have eleven minutes of warmth as I stand at the front of the enclosed cabin and peer through the water drops on the windows out towards the dark, choppy waters between North Vancouver and Vancouver. I know there must be something better than mindlessly slogging through day after day

By the time I get to work, I’ve used two bus transfers and walked another mile. I stand a minute and stare up at the monolithic gray cement structure wondering if perhaps the designer chose to camouflage the building to match the gray swirling mists. Stepping in through the back door, I was immediately reminded of a scene from Joe vs. the Volcano as a fluorescent light buzzed and flickered above the punch clock. Pulling off my jacket, I hang it up in a locker before finding my timecard. The management tracks every minute and even punching in before hanging up my jacket is grounds for reprimand.

Making my way to the computer department, I pass row after row of cheap knock-off televisions and stereos. The place is laid out much like a supermarket where you can’t get milk without going through the entire store. In this case, computers are the hot items people come in for and they are in the back corner, furthest away from any windows. If you need a flash drive with your computer, it’s at the other end of the store.

The truly unfortunate thing of working at TechisUs is that the people that come here for cheap computers are generally the ones that don’t know what they’re looking for. Any moderately tech-savvy person with a reasonable budget would go to a name-brand store.

“Welcome to TechisUs, ma’am. My name is Troy. How can I help you today?”

Listening to Troy perform his sales pitch is like listening to that annoying sound your fork makes when it squeaks on a dinner plate. I started rummaging an aisle over organizing hard drives.

“I need a computer to do that face story thingy with my grandkids.”

“Ah, yes. I assume you want something powerful then and mobile. This laptop has two terabytes of RAM and over sixty gigabytes of storage. Perfect for what you need.”

I cringed. Troy knows just enough about computers to turn them on and sometimes I wonder if he even knows how to do that.

“Uhm… What’s RAM?”

“It’s where you store all your files.”

“But that computer is very expensive. I was thinking something half that cost. Are you certain there’s nothing cheaper that can do what I want?”

“To do what you want to do, you must purchase the appropriate computer. This is the one you need.”

I couldn’t help myself and came up behind the glassy-eyed, perplexed lady. “Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhearing. While my colleague is correct in that this computer he has chosen for you would more than adequately do the tasks you wish, it is overpowered for most everyday applications. Since you’re just learning, I’d recommend starting with a smaller system that’s capable of growing with you. One like this computer here.”

Troy lost it. “No one’s talking to you, Brent! Go back to stocking shelves where you can be useful. Ma’am, I’m the assistant to the assistant manager and I know what I’m talking about. You need this computer.”

The woman looked at me and then at Troy, performed a beautiful pirouette and headed for the nearest exit.

“You really should learn more about what you sell, Troy. Don’t you know the difference between RAM and storage?”

“You’re in big trouble, Brent! You cost me that sale!”

Troy spun, far less gracefully than the lady had, and headed straight for the manager’s office.

Shaking my head at the inevitable, I went back to work on the shelves. “Perfect.” I mumbled to myself.

Two minutes later the manager taps on his window overlooking the sales floor and wagged his pudgy finger at me to come up there. I passed Troy as he descended the stairs. He was wearing a smug smile and I knew I was in trouble.

“Troy is our top salesman, Brent, and your little stunt down there cost us a sale. I don’t care if he’s wrong if he makes a sale. You’ve been here eleven of your twelve weeks of your introductory period and with your attitude I’ll be recommending that we extend your introductory period another three months. This means you won’t be getting your twenty cents per hour raise.”

I’m in no mood for this and I know my job record is dismal. My counselor feels it’s because I’m not challenged at work. She says I’m too smart for regular jobs and since I opted not to go to college higher paying jobs are out of the question. “One of the first rules of marketing is establishing trust with your customers if you want them to come back and buy more. Lying to them is only going to hurt business in the long run.”

“I don’t need any smart lip from you. Look at this place. When you build an empire like this, then maybe I’ll listen to you. Until then, drop the holier-than-thou behavior. If you just swallow your pride a little, you might aspire to take over Troy’s position when he’s promoted.”

This is unjust, but I held back my anger over the situation. “I was only trying to help the poor lady. Had Troy not been trying to reach his sales target for the month he would have agreed with me and sold her the right computer.”

“We have sales targets for a reason, Mr. Daniels. As I look over your sales, I see they’re dismal. How do you aspire to be anything in life if you can’t even meet your sales target? Clearly, Troy has what it takes to get ahead in this industry. He’s smart, makes sales, and the ladies love him.”

I tried hard to make my face appear contrite and somber in the middle of being berated, but the image the manager’s words about Troy formed in my head caused a slight fit of laughter to erupt from my stoic features.

“What is your problem?”

“I’m sorry. I watched Troy the other day get angry at a monitor; hitting it several times because the screen was black. He had failed to make sure the power cord was plugged in. Troy’s not smart, sir, and I’m not sure he would know what to do with a woman.”

The bald man turned bright red. “Troy is my nephew. You’re fired!”

I stood outside of TechIsUs and pulled my jacket around myself a little tighter. “Perfect.”

Since the day was turning out so well already and it was still early, I stopped in at Mr. Aikido’s Martial Arts Studio on the way home. Mr. Aikido allowed me to use the facilities for extra work I do around the place. I been coming here on a regular basis for years since I lost my parents. Today feels like an excellent day to unleash on the punching bag and relieve some pent-up frustration.

After changing out of my work clothes, I stepped into the gym and headed straight to the bag. “This is for Troy! This is for TechisUs! This is for…” I spend the next thirty minutes pommeling the bag with fists, head-butts, and roundhouse kicks. I’m exhausted but not done yet. “This is for my parents leaving me!” I slammed the bag with a dozen more kicks. “This is for my crappy life!” I threw my elbow into the bag followed by my fist. Tears began to flow as the reality of my life poured over me like an unstoppable tide.

“Brent?”

A tap on my shoulder startled me so badly that I reached over, grabbed a wrist, spun, swept with my leg, and slammed the person down hard with my fist inches away from their face. Staring into the eyes of the studio owner my shame was utterly complete.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Aikido.”

As I pulled him up he laughed lightly. “I see you’ve been paying attention in the classes. It’s my fault, Brent. I shouldn’t have interrupted you. Some of us are going for some lunch and want to know if you would enjoy coming along.”

I’m too embarrassed and dismayed to consider this right now. “I’m sorry…”

Rushing into the locker room, I grab my things and headed straight home.

“Perfect. Just perfect.”

***

Living in North Vancouver isn’t cheap even when you have a dark, damp, seven hundred square foot basement studio apartment. My day jobs were never enough to cover the rent and additional expenses, but I managed to stay ahead by taking on contracts and mining cryptocurrencies.

Being fired from work and almost breaking Mr. Aikido’s nose hasn’t improved my mood in the least. Sitting heavily down in front of my computer, I flipped on the screens and launched an online game. I built my computer myself, complete with liquid cooled processors and advanced graphics cards. I loved the immersion of three-dimensional fantasy worlds and the extra computing power helped me churn out code faster for my contracts.

Today, however, I simply stared at my character on the screen. In this fantasy game I’m popular, attractive, and extroverted. I have mansions and would be considered rich in-game. Although my character is female, it is far from the typical hyper-shaped, huge-breasted, scantily clad female characters other men might create. I crafted my avatar carefully, preferring conservative beauty and elegant dress styles. Because of this, I regularly have male characters in the game believing I’m truly female in real life. This doesn’t bother me at all as my character is an outward extension of everything I wish I could be in real life. Everything except for the gender, that is.

After twenty minutes of not moving my character, I sighed and shut the program down. Who am I kidding? I need a change in my life. If I can only get a little money, then I can get out of here. A change in pace is definitely in order.

Moving to my browser, I scanned Craigslist under computer gigs for anything that might potentially pay well. Most of the ads are either scams, or to help set up a computer that someone just bought from TechisUs. The odd time I find something more intriguing, like today. Amongst the pleas for help, a single ad seems out of place. It was posted only minutes ago.

‘Looking for assistance in obtaining my security deposit.’

On the surface, this will appear as any crazy Craigslist ad, but I’ve seen some like this before. This is dark web speak for I need someone to hack into an organization and deliver me a file. What’s unique about this ad is that there is a link to an image. Normally I would avoid anything with links as it can often be a method of someone putting malware on my computer, but I find this one holding my interest.

Launching a virtual workstation to protect my computer from any harm, I downloaded the image. It’s a picture of three businessmen and one woman standing in front of an old industrial building in Vancouver. I recognize the building as it’s a place I’ve walked by nearly every day the past eleven weeks as I headed into work at TechisUs. Using Google’s image search, I found the photo appeared in a local newspaper article from seven years ago.

‘Old building goes high-tech. Synthodyne Corporation has purchased the old textile manufacturing building in Vancouver’s south side.’ The names of the four founders are listed as Gerard Goebel, Chang Huan, Abed Alraheem, and Svetlana Alesnikoff. The article continues to explain the history of the building, extensive renovation process, and some subtle hints into the company’s focus.

Not relying on the article, I do some digging into the company, coming up with little additional information other than it was founded in Germany and some names of the executive team. If an organization has a product, certainly I would find more details about them. Stymied, I looked up each of the founder’s names and only Gerard Goebel appeared to have much information about himself, but even that was limited. Apparently, he is involved in lobbying the German and Canadian governments regarding social justice issues.

Using software I wrote myself, I scanned the image for anomalies. The results were fascinating. While the photo is unedited, there are incongruous bytes of information interspersed every hundred pixels throughout the data of the image. In other words, the photo contains hidden information. This is known as steganography; hiding messages inside a digital photo. The person that placed the Craigslist ad, hid the contract information in the photo itself.

This is the most elaborate assignment I’ve ever seen. Using my program again, I assess each of the anomalous pixels as to what value it should have had and output the numerical differences as text.

‘RETRIEVE SYNTHODYNE DOC FILE = 20091113FLU.DOCX. $50K. TEXT 4053435616’

Sitting back, I stared at the screen. I normally avoided hacking jobs but my recent job failure is forcing my hand. Fifty thousand dollars to get a copy of a file? I’m in.

***

The next morning, I began my attempt to hack into Synthodyne. I started with a phone call.

“Synthodyne Corporation. How may I help you?”

“I have a friend that told me about a job opening that might be coming up. Do you happen to have an email address of the right person in HR I can send my resume to?”

“Certainly. [email protected].”

“Thank you very much.”

“No problem. Have a good day.”

Running a quick Internet search for Jen Frank, I found her FaceBook page and a couple of other social media sites. I began taking notes about her, jotting down key bits of information like her spouse’s name, children, pets, and hobbies and interests. On several sites, I found her personal email address and used that to attempt to log into her social media accounts. Using a combination of names and dates, I spent five hours trying to breach one of her accounts, finally striking gold. Her password is her pet’s name with the year her oldest child was born. Moving to her other accounts, I found all her social media accounts used the same password. This gave me hope for her Synthodyne account.

For my next step, I tried to log into Synthodyne.com using her work email and the password she used for her social media sites and I’m soon reviewing Jen’s files, emails, and the corporate directory. My initial scan for the file produced no results, but that didn’t deter my efforts. Using a copy of an email from the IT department I found in Jen’s mailbox, I sent messages to ten of the executives requesting they change their passwords. The link they will click on will go to one of my servers and capture their credentials.

By dinner, I have two executive’s passwords and their credentials and logged into their accounts. The first account, a VP of Marketing, produced no results, but with the second, the VP of BioProducts and Testing, I hit pay dirt. His account had access to a file directory where I found the 20091113FLU.DOCX file. I quickly downloaded it and was about to log out when I noticed a directory called Test_Subjects_Daniels_20110503.

My finger shook as I clicked to open the directory. Daniels is my last name and my parents disappeared in May of 2011. What a strange coincidence.

The directory opened and I found only one file. The file contained mostly information I couldn’t understand about DNA payloads, inducible pluripotent chromosome exchanges, and chemical reactions. But then I discovered the names and birthdates of both my parents and references to a video file. Maybe these people have something to do with my parent’s disappearance.

Saving the file, I scanned for the video files and only found a reference to security videos being stored in a room off the lab. My hands were shaking as I logged out and opened the file someone was willing to pay $50,000 dollars for. The document was large and contained far more biotechnical and chemical information. I couldn’t see the value.

I created a Google voice number and texted the number provided by the requestor. ‘Have file you requested.’

Seconds later I received a text back. ‘Need proof. Describe contents of page 57.’

That’s an odd request. Skimming through the document to page fifty-seven, I saw a quote from Chang Huan. ‘In order to break down the fabric of society and create a utopian government that can control the world, a catastrophic event must occur; one that leaves all humanity questioning themselves and the only place they can turn is to us. The only way forward is to alter the consciousness of the world individual by individual and in such a way that race and gender are no longer obstacles. We propose leveraging vaccines to deliver viral genetic payloads that will transform black to white, Hispanic to Indian, women to men, and men to women. The resulting chaos will destroy global economies, but for us that are prepared, we will control everything.’

I had to re-read the quote several times. “They’re insane! And what does any of this have to do with my parents? This is terrorism!”

Pulling out an encrypted flash drive, I put the two files onto it and began wiping my hard drive clean. I can’t leave any evidence. My breathing is shaky. I need air.

Slipping the flash drive into my pocket, I left my apartment and walked several blocks to a restaurant. There I sat down and ordered a burger as I contemplated my fate and what to do. My phone chirped and my Google voice had another text. ‘We’re waiting.’

Ignoring it, I push my food around on my plate. This is crazy. I should go to someone like the FBI, confess I hacked Synthodyne, and show them the file. I’ll likely go to jail, but it must be better than what I’m getting myself into.

My phone chirped again. ‘We know who you are and where you live, Brent Daniels.’

“Damn!”

Throwing a twenty down on the table I ran back to my apartment just in time to see two black vans pull up. Men with guns get out and break down the door. I stood transfixed by the sight. Who are these people?

There’s a shout and I see a muzzle flash. The stop sign right next to my head clanged as a bullet passes through the metal. Run damn it!

I ran full speed down the hill and cut across gardens and yards. My pursuers were hot on my tail. Turning a corner, I slammed smack into the side of a minivan. Momentarily stunned, I heard a man inside the minivan screaming. “Get in!” It’s Mr. Aikido.

What the hell is he doing here?

Not wanting to be shot, I pulled the door open and jumped inside just as the passenger side mirror shattered. Mr. Aikido floored the minivan and we pulled away from the people chasing after me.

“Put on your seatbelt, Brent.”

“My seatbelt? People are shooting at me! What are you doing here? What the hell is going on?”

We careened around a corner and turned onto Lion’s Gate Bridge. “Seatbelt first.”

Putting the seatbelt on, I glanced over my shoulder. There were no black vans following us.

“You’re being played, Brent.”

“What do you know about any of this?”

“More than you might think. I promised your parents to watch out for you.”

“You knew my parents? Stop the car!”

“You need to hear me out and we can’t stop on the bridge anyways. I need to get you someplace safe.”

“Who are you?”

“I worked with your parents. They were good people. We belonged to a division within the CIA. Our team was responsible for identifying major global terrorist’s threats and stopping them.”

“You’re lying. My dad was an accountant.”

Mr. Aikido continued. “Six years ago, your parents were investigating Synthodyne Corporation. Things were getting dangerous and they asked me to watch out for you in case anything happened to them.”

“You think I’ll believe this? That they were spies? And even if you’re telling the truth, you and I both know you never looked out for me. I was fifteen and had to go into a foster home. I’ve struggled every day since their disappearance.”

“I was always watching out for you, Brent. I arranged it so that you would come to the gym. I provided you jobs through Craigslist to give you additional income. You’re extremely talented.”

“You set this up!”

“No, that ad wasn’t from me. I believe it’s from the agency where I worked.”

“The same people in the black vans that tried to kill me?”

“No. They were Synthodyne security. They tracked you. I know you have no reason to believe me, but you’re in danger. I believe your parents were set up by someone inside the CIA and Synthodyne is an extremely dangerous group. You may have both looking for you now.”

“Getting shot at usually indicates there’s danger. Let me out!”

“I’m here to help you. I think it’s best to get you out of the country.”

“I don’t know who to trust right now and you’ve lied to me.”

“You must trust me.”

“Trust you? Let me out!”

Mr. Aikido pulled to the side of a road in the heart of downtown Vancouver. “I can help you, Brent.”

“Then you should have done that years ago.” I slammed the door and walked away.

***

This is ridiculous! My parents couldn’t have been part of the CIA. If Mr. Aikido didn’t set up the Craigslist ad, then who did? All I know is that Synthodyne is somehow involved with my parent’s disappearance and if the documents are true, then they may have video footage of them. First, I need money. Next, a computer.

Walking from downtown, I stopped at a BitCoin ATM on Davies street. I have mined half a dozen coins over the years and with values skyrocketing, I had virtual money to use. The problem has always been converting BitCoin to cash, but I can get a few hundred dollars out at a time with the BitCoin ATM.

With cash in hand, I headed to my friend Jerry’s place. He’s a gamer and has a computer I’m sure I can borrow. Jerry’s a strange one and would never get involved in hacking, but I can’t go back home.

Jerry opened the door and looked at me quizzically. “What are you doing here, Brent?”

“It’s a long story. Can I come in and borrow your computer for a bit?”

“Sure. What’s going on?”

“I’m in trouble, Jerry. I lost my job yesterday and it turns out a gig I took on Craigslist wasn’t legit. There are people at my house with guns.”

“And you come here?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong… Well, not exactly, anyways. I think it was all a setup as I found information regarding my parents.”

“Your parents that disappeared years ago?”

“Yes… There is a company in town that referenced having video footage of them. I need to get inside and find their videos.”

“Just ask for them.”

“It’s not that simple, Jerry. I think the company is up to no good. Global terrorism stuff.”

“The police, Brent. Go to the police.”

“I’ve thought about that. However, I’m not entirely sure who is hunting me right now, plus, I did break into the company’s files.”

“I can’t let you use my computer, Brent. I’m sorry. If they found you, they’ll find me.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Jerry.”

“Go to the police.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

***

The police department is the last place I’m going to go. Staring at the back of the Synthodyne building all seemed quiet. I saw no cameras on the exterior of the building and there’s a metal ladder that can take me to the roof.

I’m in over my head. Corporate espionage, perhaps? Cyber theft? Now breaking and entering. At least I know where my next meal is coming from. Placing my hand on the cold, damp metal rung, I hesitated for just a second. I need to know what’s going on.

The old manufacturing building had two skylights on the roof. They appeared to be as old as the building itself. With a bit of work, I managed to pry one open and after listening for anything inside, I dropped down into the hallway below. I needed to find the security office in the lab. Moving quickly and silently I scoped out each floor until coming to the basement. Here my access into the lab was blocked by a numeric digital lock. Sighing in frustration, I stepped away from the door just as it opened. A guard veered immediately down the hall letting the door close by itself behind him. He didn’t even see me. Grabbing the door frame and as quietly as I could, I slipped inside the lab.

It’s eerily quiet and I swear the guard could hear my heartbeat the way it pounded in my chest. The only light in the lab was coming from the dozens of computer monitors and devices throughout the room. There were tables in the center of the lab that vaguely reminded me of something I might see in an operating room except these had straps attached to them.

Finding a side room, I opened the door to see an elaborate DVR system. In the back of my mind I think this is all too easy. If this is really a global terrorist organization then where is the security? It makes no sense, but I’m here and I need to get what I came for.

Recalling the video filename that referenced my parents, I moved to the computer and performed a search. It didn’t take long to find and in seconds I brought the footage up. The first thirty seconds was surreal. I’m watching my parents dressed in clothes that make them appear as cat burglars and they’re using an electronic device on the lab door. They really were here. Does this mean they worked for the CIA like Mr. Aikido suggested?

Heat washes over me as I realize I’ve been a fool. If they have video of my parents, then they have video of me. Taking my flash drive, I quickly copied the video file to watch later. I must get out of here!

Sliding the memory stick into my shoe and next to my foot, I turned to retrace my steps. As I reached for the door, it opened and four heavily armed men pulled me from the room and pushed me face-down on the cold tile floor. A pair of black stiletto shoes stopped inches from my nose.

“Check him for weapons and get him on his feet.”

The woman had a Russian accent. Hands roughly patted me down and then easily lifted me off the ground. My wrists were bound behind my back with zip ties. I was standing face-to-face with Svetlana Alesnikoff. A guard handed her my wallet.

“Let’s see who we have here. Brent Daniels. You’re the one that hacked into our computer system. We’ve been tracking you ever since your call to our main line asking for someone in HR. You seem to have inherited your father’s looks and your mother’s tech skills.”

I’m done for. They already shot at me once before. “What did you do to my parents?”

“Where’s the file?”

“Destroyed. When I saw what was in it, I erased my hard drive.”

“You more than erased your hard drive. It was cleansed, wiped with zeroes multiple times. I’ll ask you again, where’s the file?”

“I told you already. What did you do to my parents?”

“Did you ever see the movie, Finding Nemo? That little fish is so cute. You might not realize this, but Nemo was a clownfish. Clownfish have a rather unique ability to change genders. Did you know that?”

I realized what she is implying. “Chang Huan said the only way forward is to alter the consciousness of the world individual by individual and in such a way that race and gender are no longer obstacles. We propose leveraging vaccines to deliver viral genetic payloads that will transform black to white, Hispanic to Indian, women to men, men to women. Is this your plan? Take some DNA from clownfish and inject people? Is that what you did to my parents?”

Svetlana was beautiful but I saw no beauty in her. She slid her fingertips across my cheek even as I struggled against the firm grip of the guards.

“You’re a bright one, Brent, but it’s not so simple as just using clownfish DNA. You must first understand the biological processes that are triggered when it changes. This is then codified into what we call an intelligent genetic payload. A payload that first analyzes the recipient’s DNA, working with what is already there, and re-engineering the body into the most opposing scenario possible. You see, we‘re all such a mix of races and nationalities these days but sometimes the percentage of one race is small and lies hidden behind recessive genes. Each strand of DNA, in computer terms, holds as much information as two CDs. Your entire body’s combined genetic information vastly exceeds every piece of information that mankind has ever produced. The information is all there, nicely locked up inside you.”

“That still doesn’t answer what happened to my parents.”

“It doesn’t? Did you know that your parents were spies? They broke into our facility here, much like you just did. They came to steal information from us. Perhaps you would like to watch their crime in action? Sam, play the Daniel’s video for us.”

One of the guards left my side and headed back into the DVR room. Moments later monitors around the lab flickered to life displaying my parents breaking into the lab. I watched as they moved from computer to computer, inserting flash drives, searching, and copying information. Lights activated and guards poured in from all sides. They put guns to my parent’s heads and forced them onto the floor. The video paused.

“You shot them.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, no. They came to get a first-hand look at our technology so we decided monkey testing, human testing… We thought we would show them what they were looking for. Keep playing the video, Sam.”

The scene shifted to my parents being strapped down on the two tables. IVs were put into their arms. That’s when the screaming began and their skin started to bubble. I couldn’t take it anymore and looked away.

“Unfortunately, our process was rather rudimentary back then and our delivery mechanism flawed. They didn’t survive.”

“You just admitted to murdering my parents. I hope you all die.” I was seething and struggling hard against the guards.

“Did I? I guess I did, in a way. On a good note, we have vastly improved the technology, but it’s still very painful as the transformation requires energy and that is handled through the consumption of cells. Luckily, we’ve managed to reduce consumption to thirty-three percent. It’s still a lot, but for a male your size to a female around the same age, that’s about right. However, we have challenges when transforming females into males. Taking a one-hundred-and-twenty-pound woman and consuming thirty-three percent, leaves only eighty pounds. To make it right, we must reduce the person’s age to match the new weight. It’s all tricky business.”

“Why tell me any of this?”

“We’re always looking for a few more test subjects. Practice makes perfect they say. We want it to be perfect for when we release this upon the world and I have no desire to kill you. However, you did break in and committed multiple crimes. You could go to jail for a long time, or, I can test our procedure and you walk away free. Even your old face wouldn’t be on our video after that.”

“You already tried to shoot me and I’ll still know what you’re doing and have done.”

“True. However, you have no proof, you’ll be a different person with no identification or money, and quite frankly, your story is very implausible. Can you imagine going to the police and telling them Synthodyne Corporation, a highly respectable company, transformed you into a… How old are you and how much do you weigh?”

Does it matter if I give her that information? “I’m twenty-one and one hundred and eighty-five pounds.”

“…transformed you into a one hundred and twenty-four pound, twenty-year-old young woman, and plans on destroying the world’s economy and altering the lives of billions.”

“You’re nuts. The technology to do this doesn’t exist. You’re just deranged murderers!”

“Hmmm. Maybe you’re right, Brent. Strap him down.”

I struggled violently, kicking out with my leg and throwing my shoulder into the guard on my right. He went down with a yelp of pain. Taking a step forward, my body seized as 50,000 volts of electricity coursed through it.

***

I could feel myself being lifted onto one of the tables and strapped down. The after effects of the taser left me dazed and confused.

“Bring up the monitors. I want to watch the intelligence system select Brent’s new design.”

Walking over to me, Svetlana held up a rather large needle.

“Don’t do this.”

“Put in the tongue guard.”

My mouth was forced open and a rubber bite guard inserted. I’m terrified.

“The final solution is much smaller. It will be inserted into a normal vaccine and will be time-released. This way, everyone that had the vaccines will get transformed at the exact same moment. This one is larger because we have communication nanobots that will relay information to our screens.”

Struggling against the straps was futile as she pressed the needle against my neck. I felt a sharp prick.

“All done. That’s not so bad, is it?” She pointed to a screen. “The intelligent genetic payload is assessing your DNA. This pie chart shows the percentages of different races found in your body. You’re mainly of Irish descent, but we can see Swedish, German, and my favorite, Russian. These don’t really matter as we’re looking for the smallest percentage race for the most radical change. There. It just selected Israeli. Now watch as it analyzes your hair color and eye color.”

I felt perfectly normal still. She is enjoying this too much. If I survive, I’ll kill her.

“You have sandy-brown hair and hazel eyes, so it is selecting a dark brunette hair with gray eyes. Sam, would you say that’s a pale blue?”

“Definitely more of a gray, ma’am.”

“And… were ready! How exciting. Brent, I think you’re going to enjoy this next phase.”

Pain erupted through my body. I felt like I was lowered into a pot of boiling water. What little skin I could see began to bubble. The straps cut into my wrists and ankles as my muscles convulsed. My teeth clamped down on the rubber stopper in my mouth. I heard a hissing sound and the light began to dissolve away from my vision even though I was still conscious. Fire consumed me from the inside out until finally I was overwhelmed and drift in oblivion.

***

I woke with a start and opened my eyes. My vision had returned and the pain was gone but my body was completely exhausted.

“There you are. All done. You’ll feel weak for a while as all your muscles have been torn apart and rebuilt. You came out surprisingly pretty. You’ll need a bath or shower as the process leaves a lot of dead cells on your skin and hair. Be well, Miss Daniels.”

I tried to speak but I could barely move.

Svetlana had turned away, but she paused and leaned over me one more time. “About keeping you alive… I’ve changed my mind.” She turned back towards the guards. “Get rid of her.”

I tried to scream even as hands lifted me up from the table but I drifted into unconsciousness. The next thing I knew, I was in a car and could see lights flash by. Two guards sat in the front seat. The car began to slow as we neared the entrance to a large bridge. I fumbled with the car door and fell out into the street just as the guards turned around to try to stop me.

I heard the car screech to a stop and people yelling. I staggered and rolled down a steep wooded hill, coming to a large culvert near the ocean’s edge. Using what little energy I had left, I crawled inside and passed out.

***

How long I’ve been lying where I was, I’m unsure, but I could feel something warm my body. I ached like I had the flu in every cell of my body. Even my ears ached. Opening my eyes, the world quickly came into focus. Sun. How long has it been since I’ve seen the sun? I’m in the entrance of a large culvert. What happened to me? I remember… Synthodyne… The lab… Pain. My jacket is wrapped around me loosely. I slowly pull it down and away from my body.

My hands were what I noticed first. They were smaller, more delicate looking. There’s a grayish dust covering them. Looking down I could see my clothes looked very loose except I could feel my pants pinching a little at my hips. I pulled at my shirt and peeked inside to see the tops of two large breasts. One hand moved between my legs to find it empty and void.

I’m a girl. Oh my god! It wasn’t a horrible nightmare. I’m a girl.

My legs shook at the strain as I tried to stand. Long hair fell in front of my eyes. It’s a dark brown color but also has the same gray dust matted into it as is on my hands. I slowly made my way out of the culvert and further into the sunlight. I have no idea where I am. Are the guards still waiting in the forest for me? My first step caused a sharp pain in my foot and I realized my flash drive was still in my shoe. They didn’t find it! With my feet much smaller than before, I easily slipped off my shoe and took out the flash drive, slipping it into my coat pocket. I checked all of my pockets hoping to find my wallet or phone, but everything was gone.

I quietly and cautiously made my way along the water’s edge until the forest gave way to buildings. I recognized the area and walked up from the ocean towards the streets. Glancing around, I spotted an old van and hesitantly walked over to it. The driver’s side mirror reflected the dirty, frightened face of a young woman. My face was covered in gray dust and I rubbed my hands over my smooth cheeks revealing olive-toned skin. My eyes were wide and my irises gray. They’re captivating.

What am I going to do? Where will I go? Mr. Aikido. The gym. Maybe he wasn’t lying.

It's difficult walking when your pant legs are too long and your shoes are too large. I looked a fright as well. At the end of the alley I spotted a gas station and slipped quietly into the bathroom. Locking the door behind me, I stared at myself in the larger mirror. Using the sink, I washed my hands and face, and rinsed out my hair the best I could before drying everything with paper towel.

My hair was definitely brunette and my skin flawless. My lips were full. I’m beautiful. Feeling like I’m slightly more presentable, I stepped back into the shop and realized a man was waiting outside the door. I had gone into the men’s bathroom by mistake.

“Sorry.” I croaked out. My voice was a little scratchy and I hesitated to speak more as it sounded so foreign to my ears. He looked at me strangely and stepped into the bathroom. The gas station store helped me recognize my hunger and thirst. I looked over at the attendant and mirrors, reached out for a muffin, but pulled my hand back. Look at what I’ve gotten myself into. First, I hack a company, I’ve been transformed into a girl, and now I’m resorting to stealing? I can’t be that person.

Hungry, thirsty, and confused, I leave the store and check out my surroundings. I’m about two miles from the gym. I started walking, aware that as I passed people they were staring at me. I tried hard to act nonchalant but inwardly I felt people think I’m an imposter. I wanted to scream but I must try to remain calm.

The walk seemed to take forever. I was exhausted to begin with and my mind was working overtime analyzing every sway and bounce of my new body. Stepping into the gym, I could immediately smell things were different. The air was far muskier than I ever remembered it before. People stopped and stared at me.

Ignoring them, I spotted Mr. Aikido and made my way over to him. “Mr. Aikido?”

“Yes?”

He doesn’t know me at all. “May I speak with you? It’s about Brent Daniels.”

His eyes registered concern and he led me into his back office. “What’s this about?”

“I’m Brent and I need your help.”

“That’s not possible. Who are you?”

“When I left your van last night, I broke into Synthodyne Corporation. I discovered references to my parents and I needed to find out the truth. The guards caught me and Svetlana Alesnikoff injected me. It transformed me into what you see.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“I’m wearing the same clothes as last night. Look at my feet. Nothing fits me. This is what Synthodyne is planning. They’re going to use vaccines to inject their virus into millions, if not billions, of people. The virus rewrites DNA. They want to cause global disruption.”

Mr. Aikido eyed me warily. “If you found all this out, then why would they let you go?”

“At first, Svetlana was going to let me go because they knew no one would believe me. However, she changed her mind and ordered her guards to kill me. I managed to escape the vehicle and hide in the forest. I have proof. They never found my flash drive. Take a look.”

I watched as he placed the drive into his computer. “It’s encrypted.”

“QQ4t$yop32. The main DOCX file describes what Synthodyne is trying to do. The video is what I found last night when I got to their lab.” I turned away when I heard the screams of my parents and started to shake. The pain I had gone through was unbearable.

Turning back towards Mr. Aikido, I continued. “I almost hit you two days ago when you tapped me on the shoulder. You saved me from the people that were shooting at me last night. You must believe me. I have nowhere else I can go. I have no money, no identification. I’m starving, frightened, and exhausted.”

Mr. Aikido walked around his desk and stared deeply into my eyes. “You’re completely different. You don’t look anything like Brent.”

Pulling my shirt to the side by my neck, I exposed my shoulder. “This gray dust is the consumed cells leftover from the process. I’m Brent. You must believe me.”

Mr. Aikido sighed. “I believe you.” He sat down heavily into his chair and placed his head in his hands. “I’ve failed you and your parents.”

“It was my choice, Mr. Aikido. I got out of the van last night and I was the one that broke into Synthodyne. I just don’t know what I’m going to do now. I’m a girl.”

“Do you know if there is any way to change back?”

“The process is incredibly painful. I’m not sure I could ever withstand that again. Svetlana seemed to enjoy explaining the everything in detail. She stated that thirty-three percent of the body mass is consumed during the transition. Assuming I’m now one hundred and twenty-four pounds, then the next transformation would take me down to eighty-three pounds. I’d be age adjusted to probably ten years old and who knows what I would look like. The risk is too great. I don’t even want to say this, but I’m afraid I’m stuck.”

“I’m sorry, Brent. I really am. I have a room in the back where you can stay as it’s best not to go back to your apartment. Synthodyne is likely looking for you still and it’s highly probable that the CIA is as well. I’m positive it was the CIA that set up the Craigslist ad knowing you could crack their code, even intercepting your Internet traffic to put you on a fake Craigslist page.”

“What am I going to do? I’m itching from this dust and I need clothes. I’m starving.”

“We can measure your height and weight and I can send my niece to pick up a few clothes for you. You can take my lunch. After watching the video of your parents I’m not very hungry anymore.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aikido. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

“You were right, Brent. I didn’t deserve your trust. I won’t let you down again.”

Walking back into the gym, Mr. Aikido has me take the jacket and shoes off and step up onto a scale. It was embarrassing and I’m tried unsuccessfully to ignore the stares. My breasts moved heavily under my shirt and I’m sure everyone around could tell I’m not wearing a bra. I’m starting to realize just how traumatizing this will be. To think billions could have this happen to them at the same time.

The scale showed I weigh one hundred and twenty-six pounds. Adjusting for clothing, that puts me at one hundred and twenty-four, exactly two thirds of my previous weight. I have also gone from just over six feet to five feet eight.

Mr. Aikido called to his niece and she asked for five more measurements; the length of my foot, around the back, under the armpits, and above the breasts chest measurement, and then the circumference including the furthest points of the breast measurement, waist, and hips. I measured all but the foot while still in my clothes and deducted some for the excess material.

“Go into the back room and take your time, Brent. My niece, May, should be here in about an hour.”

Moving into the back room, I closed and locked the door before slowly disrobing. I’m scared. My clothes fell to the floor with gray dust kicking up into the air. My breasts seemed large to me. My hands couldn’t fully hold them. I breathed a small sigh of relief in that I at least had the right number of toes and body parts and there were no obvious deformities. Although the gray dust covered most of my skin, my reflection indicated I had a beautiful and lean body.

After quickly eating a banana, I stepped into the shower and took my time to wash myself thoroughly. My long hair took several washed. I spent at least thirty minutes cleaning every crevice. This body is so sensitive.

I dried myself carefully and stared into the mirror again. Without the gray dust, I’m gorgeous. My skin looked tanned and free from any moles or spots. This is the new me then.

Wrapping a towel around my body, I used my slender fingers to somewhat comb out my hair. It’s long; going to the middle of my back.

The door to the room suddenly opened and a young man stepped inside. I shrieked and backed into the corner, holding my towel tightly against me.

He stared at me with lustful eyes. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Your room? Mr. Aikido said I can use it.”

I felt like he was removing my towel with his mind.

“Craig, don’t go in your room!” Mr. Aikido came around the corner.

“You let this girl use my room, Uncle?”

“You’re never here. Come on out. Give her some privacy.”

With another look at me and a smile, he turned and closed the door. I’ve never felt so small and frail before. With a little peace and quiet again, I sat on the bed and continued to stare at my reflection until there was a light knock on the door.

“Hello? I’m May. I have some clothes for you.”

Carefully moving to the door, I opened it slightly to check to see if any men were outside. Feeling safe, I let May in and closed the door behind her.

“Wow! You’re gorgeous! You must be a model. What happened to your clothes? How do you know my Uncle?”

“Would you believe I was kidnapped and my clothes and identification taken from me?”

“Yeah… kind of. That would explain a few things. Uncle’s always been getting himself wedged into weird situations. I bought you some flats, two pairs of panties, a bra, and two dresses. Let’s see… the bra is a 36C and the dresses are size six. You’ve got killer measurements. What’s your name?”

I’m about to blurt out Brent, but that made no sense now. I recalled just before my transformation that the system selected Israeli. What Israeli female names do I know?

“You’re obviously distracted. They never took advantage of you, did they?”

“Who?”

“The kidnappers, of course.”

“No. But it was still frightening.”

“I’m sure it was. Take your time, Uncle and Craig are waiting for you when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.”

May turned and exited the room leaving me alone to examine the clothes. There’s a red and a white dress, with a pair of white flats. Two pairs of frilly light-pink panties and a lacey light-pink bra. Making sure the door was locked again, I dropped my towel onto the bed and slid on a pair of panties. I’m surprised at how comfortable they felt and how there is nothing pinching or too loose. The bra was difficult to put on, but after a few minutes of struggling, I managed to get it connected. I felt a little guilty wearing women’s clothing.

Checking myself out in the mirror, I’m surprised by what I see. With my hair mostly dry, and the bra and panties accentuating my breasts and the narrowness of my waist, I looked like a lingerie model. I slipped on the flats and reluctantly pulled the red dress over my head. Now I look stunning even if I’m in a dress.

I’ll need a new name. The only Israeli women’s names I can recall are Gal Gadout, the woman that plays Wonder Woman, and Bar Refaeli, a model. It’s going to be important to have a name that reflects both north American and Israeli cultures in case I find myself on the run and need to get out of Canada. I just can’t seem to give up on my roots. Perhaps Adele as a first name, Elizabeth after my mother, and Refaeli as a last name. Adele Elizabeth Refaeli. It sounds good.

Stepping out of the room I made my way back to Mr. Aikido’s office. To get there I had to go back through the gym and I was feeling very exposed and self-conscious. The bra helped keep everything from bouncing, but my hips still swayed.

Once again, the gym goes silent, but this time there were a few wolf whistles. This frightened me.

Tapping lightly on the door, I caught Mr. Aikido’s eye and indicated with a finger for him to come join me in the hall. Craig’s eyes bored into mine and he smiled broadly. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

“I would have never known you were the same person, Brent. In women’s clothing and cleaned up, you look beautiful, but I guess you don’t want to hear that.”

“If this is me from here on out, I need to get used to many things. Have you told May or Craig about me?”

“No.”

“Please don’t. It was hard enough to convince you let alone someone that never knew me. I’ve come up with a name for myself. Adele Elizabeth Refaeli.”

“You remind me so much of your parents. I like how you included your mother’s name as your middle name. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but you’re thinking about the future and your new last name is good. You’d make a good spy.”

“And wind up like my parents, dead and missing.”

“Come inside, Adele.”

I continued to feel exposed and vulnerable. I’m happy to at least have Mr. Aikido looking out for me. Craig still hasn’t peeled his eyes off me and that made me wonder if he knows what’s going on.

“I guess formal introductions are needed. This is my niece May and my nephew Craig. May and Craig, this is Adele Refaeli.”

“May, thank you for finding me some clothes.”

“My pleasure, Adele. I should be going. I hope you recover quickly.”

May left quickly and Craig turned to Mr. Aikido. “What’s Adele recovering from, Uncle?”

I thought it best to have a consistent story so I interrupted them. “I was held captive.”

Craig smiled and his eyes danced merrily as if he was imagining something. “Was that your boyfriend that did that?”

Mr. Aikido closed the door behind him. “Synthodyne held her captive.”

Craig knows about Synthodyne?

“You’re lucky to get out of there alive, Adele.”

“How does Craig know about Synthodyne?”

“Not to worry, Adele. Craig has been involved with my side business for a long time now. We’ve been surveilling Synthodyne for years and trying to find ways to get proof they were involved in the Daniel’s disappearance.”

Pulling Mr. Aikido aside, I whisper to him. “Craig knows I was Brent?”

“No. I’ll not tell him.” Stepping back to his desk, Mr. Aikido sat down. “In light of Adele’s recent experience, I think it is high time we step things up a notch. We need more information and samples. No one will believe what we already know about Synthodyne without hard evidence. I’ll make some calls about getting a team together. Adele, if you’re feeling up to it, we can really use your help.”

Synthodyne killed my parents and transformed me. If there is any way I can help put them away, then I’m all in. “I’m not sure I want to go back to that place, but if I can help put them behind bars, then all the better. I’m a little stuck though. With no access to my old place and my identification and phone taken, I can’t even get a job or even take the bus. I need a few more clothes and a laptop would allow me to hack into Synthodyne. This time I won’t let them track me. I made some mistakes before.”

Craig whistled. “You hacked Synthodyne and you lived to tell the tale. I’m impressed by more than just your beauty now.”

Craig was pushing my buttons in all the wrong ways.

“Craig, why don’t you check on the gym for a minute. I need to speak with Adele privately for a moment.”

“Sure thing, Uncle.”

Once Craig left the office, Mr. Aikido pulled out an envelope and a camera. He handed me the envelope. “Your parents have a house in Seattle that was your home before they moved here. There’s a key and an address in there. You’ll be able to settle there when you get the chance and we have your identification figured out. I have contacts in many places and can get you legitimate identification. There’s also three thousand dollars in there. Get yourself some clothes and a computer. Stand over by the wall. Let me take your picture for the identification.”

Not sure what to say, I stood and let Mr. Aikido take my picture.

“Thank you for everything. I’m sorry I messed up so badly last night. Look at me… I’m a girl. They’re going to do this to billions of people.”

“It’s time for us to go on the offensive. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted. Confused. Hungry. Scared.”

“Go back to your room and rest. I’ll have Craig bring you some more food, then you can sleep. Hopefully in the morning, you’ll have a better sense of things.”

“I hope so. I just don’t know how I’ll live as a woman.”

“You’ve got heart, Adele. You’ll figure it out.”

Heading back to my room, I sat on the bed and stared at my reflection, legs, bust line, and hands. In some ways, I looked a little like my mom and somewhat like the character in my fantasy game.

Craig knocked thirty minutes later. “Come in.”

“I hope you like Chinese take-out.”

“You could have brought me parsnips and I would be happy. Thank you, Craig.”

“How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Maybe because I’ve only been a woman for a day now. “I’m new to town.”

“How do you know my Uncle then?”

“I’m related to the Daniels. I’m sorry, Craig. I’m starving and exhausted by the ordeal with Synthodyne. Perhaps we can talk later?”

“If you need extra warmth, there’s an electric heater in the closet. You can use that or I’d be happy to stay here with you tonight to make you feel secure.”

“The heater sounds lovely. Thanks again for the food.” Strangely, I found I had been subtly changing the way I speak to more like how I would chat in my game. I don’t recall ever saying lovely before.

“If you change your mind…”

Now I was getting irritated. “I won’t. Good night, Craig.”

I’m happy when he turned and left. The smell of Chinese food was intoxicating and for the next half hour I satiated my hunger before climbing into bed and falling instantly asleep.

***

I woke feeling rested and refreshed, but still confused. I thought, perhaps it had all been nothing but a bad dream, but one look at my surroundings and I knew I’m not in my bed back in my apartment. Lifting the sheet confirmed I’m still Adele Elizabeth Refaeli and no longer Brent. I must keep repeating my new name to myself if I’m ever going to fully accept it.

Four things, no five. I notice five things as major differences about being a woman. It’s more comfortable not having junk between my legs. It’s less comfortable having pendulous weights dangling from my chest. My hair is everywhere. My hips are wider and butt less firm. And finally, my brain isn’t working as it did before as I seem to be thinking of multiple things at once.

Sighing, I got out of bed and relieved myself before struggling with the bra again and slipping into the dress. I’m grateful I didn’t dream last night as I’m not sure what kind of nightmares I might have had.

My hair was clean, but a mess. Finding a rubber band, I pulled it back out of the way making note to get a brush and some conditioner.

Mr. Aikido and Craig were in his office when I arrived. “How are you doing, Adele?”

“Better. Rested. Still in shock but anxious for some retribution.”

“I’ve got word your identification should be ready tomorrow morning. What are your plans today?”

“I need some additional clothes; a jacket, and a couple of exercise items. I’ll pick up a computer as well as a prepaid cell phone.”

“Would you like Craig to take you shopping?”

Looking over at Craig to see his not-so-boyish grin, I knew my answer right away. “I can pick up a bus pass. That should work for now.”

“Stay in touch and call if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aikido.”

Taking my old jacket that was much too large for me, I wrapped it around me and headed out to catch the bus to WalMart. On my way into the store, I left the jacket with a homeless man sitting outside. It won’t do me any good now.

My first stop is the hair salon. I wanted to cut it all off, but after the stylist told me how gorgeous my hair was I decided just a trim and style to see if it could become more manageable. Even with the shower yesterday, it still had flakes of gray cells in it.

With a wash, condition, trim, and style, I could see the stylist was right and I’m grateful I never cut it off. It looks amazing. Without the oversized jacket, and styled hair, I’m drawing much more attention than I did before. My life before was very anonymous. I could go into a store and blend in. No one would stare at me. The added attention I’m getting now is both exhilarating and frightening. I wonder if women ever get used to it.

Stopping in the jeans section, it took a while to figure out what size I needed. I tried on nearly a dozen pants, finding one pair of jeans that felt comfortable and looked good at the same time. I’m trying hard not to admit to myself, but the dresses simply feel better. I like the look, and oddly, they make me feel more secure as if I was under a warm blanket on a cool winter’s night.

I bought one pair of jeans, two blouses, one exercise bra, two pairs of panties, some socks, runners, a jacket, and some stretchy exercise pants and top. This seemed like a lot, but wasn’t enough to weigh me down for the rest of the day. I also picked up a brush, some shampoo and conditioner, a tooth brush and paste, and I was too embarrassed to buy any feminine hygiene items.

Donning my new jacket after checking out, I caught the next bus to take me to TechIsUs. Since they didn’t allow bags in the store, I checked my jacket and bags at the front and wandered through the aisles back to the computer section. Troy was there hovering near a couple but the moment I got close, he hustled over to me with a glassy-eyed look. For the first time since my transformation, I felt powerful.

“Welcome to TechIsUs, Miss. I’m Troy. How can I help you?”

I wanted to make this difficult for Troy and with his Uncle suggesting Troy was such a lady’s man, I felt this strange need to put Troy in his place. I deliberately used a different name for him. “Hello, Tommy. I’m Adele. I need a fast computer for hacking into multinational corporations.”

“Seriously?”

“Do I look like a hacker to you?”

“No.”

“That’s pretty assumptive of you. Don’t you think girls can’t be hackers?”

“I… Uhm…”

“I still need something fast and portable.”

“I know exactly what you need.” He reached out and put his hand on the small of my back to guide me. I wasn’t thinking about trying to get him into trouble, but…

“Keep your hands to yourself!” I raised my voice as customers and sales agents looked our way. It was perfect timing as Troy’s pudgy manager was walking nearby.

“I didn’t!” The color drained from his face.

“You touched my backside! I demand to see your manager.”

“What’s going on here?”

“This salesman touched me.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to, Miss.”

“You’re taking his side? Is that the type of establishment this is? I guess I’ll go and speak to all my friends about your less than moral behavior here. Twitter maybe. I have eight hundred thousand followers… That should get the word out.”

Turning, I struggled keeping the smile off my face.

“Miss?”

I turned back trying to put on a contrite and slightly wounded face. “Yes?”

“I can assure you that Troy is a stellar employee, but mistakes can happen from anyone. I’m happy to extend a discount to you and promise I’ll deal with him.”

“You know, my mother’s neighbor came in here the other day looking for a computer. She told my mother about the terrible service she received here. She left dismayed because one of your salesmen didn’t know what he was talking about. She called the salesman sort of tall and lanky, having a mustache. Sort of like Tim here.” Troy blanched. “She said another salesman very politely tried to set him straight, but the first one started yelling at him. You don’t happen to have the other salesman around that can help me, do you?”

“Uhm… no…”

“Such a shame. He sounds like a smart guy with good customer service skills. I’ll take this laptop here. You said it comes with a fifty percent discount?”

Fifteen minutes later I left the store with the best laptop they sell. I could see the manager cuff Troy over the head. I hope Troy’s not fired. What greater punishment than to stay working there for many years?

***

Having returned to Mr. Aikido’s gym, I had too much energy to get my new computer set up. I sat in my room and stared at my reflection for a good thirty minutes. I’m very easy on the eyes, but I’m a woman. There was a moment at TechIsUs that I felt good about my situation. I’ve never been treated so well before and knowing I’m the same person but in a different shell speaks volumes about how people treat others based on looks. The whole situation with Troy and our boss the other day was nothing more than testosterone fueled primitive male behavior. I must admit that I participated equally in that; trying to show my superior status. How many times did I do that in the past? Is that why I’ve struggled with jobs? Was my testosterone addling my brain and mouth?

My reflection does little to assuage my thoughts. It’s all in the past. I must learn to live as a different person. Can I see myself getting into arguments with my bosses now?

A knock sounded at my door. “Come in.”

Mr. Aikido poked his head in. “Are you ready to tackle Synthodyne, Adele?”

“I’m struggling, Mr. Aikido. I’m fooling myself to think I think I can succeed. I failed as me before, how much more will I fail now as a woman?”

“You clearly don’t remember your mother much.”

His statement made me irritated. “I remember her just fine.”

“Not from the same perspective as I have. She was incredibly talented and confident. She was a gifted martial artist. You had size and mass before as Brent, but would you say you could have beaten me in a fight?”

“No one beats you, Mr. Aikido.”

“And yet I’m smaller than you are now. Do you think size has anything to do with ability?”

“You have a lower center of gravity and you’re faster than most.”

“Exactly. Did you pick up some exercise clothes?”

I nodded.

“Good. Put them on and join me in the gym. You need to realize what you’re still capable of. I need the old Brent that’s still inside you if we’re going to take down Synthodyne.”

He turned and left making me wonder if there’s some hole I could go hide in for a few years. Slowly I got up and changed before heading into the gym. With proper gym clothing and my hair looking wonderful, it took no time for the gym to once again go silent. Do they think I was a guy before? I know they don’t even though I feel like an imposter myself.

Instead of embarrassing myself right away, I opted for some stretching and warm up. My flexibility is amazing. With my legs straight out in front of me, I could put my head on my knees. Of course, this pressed my breasts into my thighs reminding me of what I am once again.

Men slowly began inching closer to me like I was a black hole sucking them into my gravitational field. Some were even posing nearby. Why do I suddenly feel like a female peacock during mating season?

Putting on some pads for my hands and feet, I moved to a punching bag to get away from the commotion. It took me a moment to think through the moves and my first punch made me wince as my weaker wrist almost gave in.

“You’ve relied on your muscle mass too much to compensate for bad form.” Mr. Aikido whispered to me. “Concentrate on your alignment. Knuckles need to be perfectly aligned with your wrist and forearm. Use your hips to drive through the bag. Start slow and focus on perfect form.”

My next punch was much more satisfying as were my next kicks. I have everything inside me still, but this body has never exercised like this before.

Standing still before the bag, I lifted my right leg and tapped the bottom of the bag with my foot. My balance was far better than before and my flexibility allowed me to move my foot higher and higher up the bag until my foot connected solidly higher than my own head.

“Nice form. I’ve not seen you around here before.”

I turned around to see a hulking mass of maleness.

“Beat it, Frank.”

Craig was leaning against the wall of the gym and had obviously been watching me. Frank scowled and disappeared as Craig sidled up to me.

“Maybe I was interested in Frank.”

“He’s not your type.”

“I wasn’t aware I broadcast my type.” Do I have a type? I haven’t thought about sex and suddenly my mind lurched to a stop. Oh God! They turned me into a heterosexual woman!

“You need a take-charge kind of man.”

My sudden realization made me very upset. “You don’t know me. Maybe I’m fonder of take-charge kind of women?”

“That’s really sexy. Do you have some nice female friends that can join us? Here, let me guide your hips as you practice. You’re not following through enough.”

He reached for my hips and I slugged him. I still had the pads on so it didn’t do any real damage, but he certainly felt it. It was a good hit and inwardly I smiled. I could hear Frank laughing in the background.

Craig’s eyes flash dangerously and I quickly felt small again. “You’re feisty. Maybe we should spar?”

“That’s quite enough, Craig. Adele needs to get on with her work, don’t you Adele?”

Mr. Aikido’s giving me an escape. “Yes. Yes, I do.” I needed some time alone right now. Pulling my hair loose from my ponytail, I turned and headed back towards my room thankful for the respite.

Once back in my room, I locked the door and changed into the white dress. At some point I’ll need more dresses. Did I really just think I need more dresses? How did Synthodyne do this to me? How did they make me want to be feminine and get turned on by guys? Somehow, this is all part of the disruption to cause as much mental anguish as possible, and it’s working.

Sitting on the bed with my back to the wall, I curled my legs up underneath me and turned on my new laptop. Within a few minutes I connected to Mr. Aikido’s WIFI and began downloading my backups from the cloud.

After several hours I had replaced the operating system on my computer with a secure Linux version and copied the contents of the flash drive to my hard drive. Satisfied I was back up and ready to take on the world, I decided to set my computer aside for a moment and go find Mr. Aikido.

“There you are, Adele. I was just about to head to get something for dinner. Care to join me?”

“Let me get my coat, Mr. Aikido.”

I was indeed hungry and getting out of the musky smelling gym and away from the possibility of running into Craig was an added benefit. As we walked down the street, Mr. Aikido checked in on me.

“I want to apologize for Craig’s behavior, Adele. Obviously, he doesn’t know your situation but you must realize by now your beauty will be hard to resist for many men.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that. I feel both powerful and vulnerable at the same time. Do you realize what this could do to the world? I’m lucky I had you to go to and that you believed me. Without you I would have had no resources. I would have been utterly lost.”

“That’s why we need to take Synthodyne down, Adele. World economies will be disrupted, stock markets will crash. I believe this is their ultimate plan.”

“It’s not just the whole waking up as a girl, Mr. Aikido, it has also messed with my mind. Somehow the transformation has left me desiring to be feminine. I find men…”

Mr. Aikido chuckled. “I’m sorry, Adele. I’m not trying to make light of a terrible situation for you. This is a huge shock for you and I can see this is causing you grief.”

“Why did you laugh?”

“The thought that maybe Craig would have a chance with you came to mind, but I see you’re still very much Brent inside. It would be like putting two tigers in a cage together.”

“Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad if he weren’t so blatantly trying to seduce me. It’s crazy to imagine being on the receiving end of… Let’s talk about Synthodyne. I have my new laptop ready to go, but we must be careful. They seemed to be aware I was hacking them before. We would need a subtler approach. Perhaps social engineering someone that works there. What do you think we need to bring charges against them?”

“By now they have tightened security and possibly encrypted their files. How you got the file before wasn’t through legal methods and thus wouldn’t be admissible in court. If you could get close to a Synthodyne employee and get back inside the building, there’s a chance you can steal more videos and a sample of their virus.”

“But that’s still stealing and wouldn’t be admissible either.”

“True, but if you went to the authorities with a story… You were involved with a Synthodyne employee and you began to feel uncomfortable with things he was saying at his work. While taking you on a tour of the building one night you heard screaming. Feigning that you needed to go to the bathroom, you witnessed something terrible and were afraid for your own life. As you were trying to escape you found recordings of people being tortured and a vial of some substance. You took some and ran. It would be enough for the authorities to launch a full investigation.”

“But why me? Can’t Craig try to get in with the secretary at the front desk?”

“You forget how sophisticated their technology is. When someone enters their building, they perform facial recognition that is tied in an elaborate network of justice system databases. Craig’s identification would be flagged and in turn linked back to me. Within seconds, Craig’s face would set off the alarms. I suspect they knew who you were within minutes of your entering their building, perhaps even tying you to your parents. Your new face is in no databases yet. It will be soon but I suspect we have some time before your identification photos will be updated to the specific databases Synthodyne has access to.”

“Let me get this straight. You want me to get friendly with a Synthodyne employee and have him give me a tour of their facility within a month? Assuming I can even get someone interested in me enough to grant me a tour without them thinking I’m some freak, it could take weeks. Then relaying my story to the police might kick off an investigation that could take months or years. It sounds like we don’t have that kind of time, nor that I would have any ability to act womanly enough to make it happen at all.”

“So, you want to give up and let what happened to you and your parents happen to the rest of the world.”

“I didn’t say that. Can’t you get a small army together and break in, steal what’s needed, and destroy the building?”

“Synthodyne has offices around the world. Destroying the building would be very suspicious and would ruin our ability to provide a realistic situation that the authorities would be willing to investigate. It would also be like killing a single mosquito in a room of thousands. It wouldn’t hurt Synthodyne at all. I’ve thought this through, Adele. There are few options for us right now.”

I feel trapped. Nothing feels right, especially my bouncing breasts. My intuition is telling me this is all a bad idea. My female intuition.

“All right. I’ll give it a shot.”

“Do you think you can get a copy of their corporate directory? This will allow me a chance to gather intelligence on the staff to see if there is someone we can target. I received word that your identification will be ready in the morning.”

“I think so. That’s good news about my identification.”

***

Back at my room, I once again sat on the bed with my legs curled up underneath me. My dress covered my knees and feet and it felt warm and comfortable. It’s one thing to sit here in isolation and quite another to be outside in the world. Dinner with Mr. Aikido once again put me in front of the world and I continue to struggle with the stares I received from men. Do I believe I can date someone from Synthodyne? How will I pull this off?

Using my computer, I connected to a server in Russia and then back to another server in Vancouver, making sure my tracks were covered. I attempted to log into Synthodyne’s network using the VP of Marketing’s credentials I had collected earlier. I was shocked to find the password unchanged and my access granted. It was only a matter of a few minutes to find a corporate directory, download it, and log out. I was confident my activities hadn’t been tracked.

Using a flash drive, I copied the file and headed to find Mr. Aikido. The gym was now dark and empty but the musky male scent remained. A light glow emanated from Mr. Aikido’s office. The door was mostly closed. As I approached I could hear two muffled voices.

“We need her, Craig… I must keep… low profile. You… criminal record.”

The voices were light and the building fans stopped me from hearing some of the words.

“…buyers? Are they ready?”

“…accounts already established.”

“…Adele? I could…”

“…expendable.”

I reach for the door but hesitated and quietly slipped back to my room. I was startled when a few minutes later there was a knock at my door.

“Adele? Any luck with the directory?”

“Yes, Mr. Aikido.” I unlocked the door and handed him the flash drive. “I covered my tracks well. They shouldn’t be able to see that I got the file.”

Mr. Aikido held up the flash drive and smiled. “Good job, Adele. I’ll get working on this. Get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

When the door closed I felt a wave of relief but it was still hours before I could sleep.

***

The next morning, I woke to the sounds of clanking weights and sparring going on in the gym. After a quick shower, I put on my jeans and a blouse cursing how uncomfortable they felt in comparison to the dresses. In my sleeplessness last night, I had washed the dresses in the sink and hung them up and this morning found them still not dry. It was the jeans or a wet dress and I almost decided to still go for the dress.

Finding Mr. Aikido in his office, I knocked gently and let myself in.

“Good to see you this morning, Adele. I’ve been gathering information from the Synthodyne directory and have identified three men working for the company that are likely prospects. Here are their pictures.”

“The first one… He was there the other night. He might recognize me.”

I was leaning over Mr. Aikido’s desk looking at the photos when I shrieked as a hand smacked my butt. I was spinning with my fist ready to connect with whomever did that but it was stopped easily by Craig’s hand. He was laughing.

“You just presented the perfect temptation, Adele. I would say your jeans are very nice, but it’s what’s inside them that give them the perfect shape.”

Slugging him would be the best option but I had already lost my element of surprise. I sat down angrily, ignored Craig, and pointed to the two men on the desk. “I don’t recognize either of them.”

Mr. Aikido handed the photos to Craig. “Have them followed. I want to know their every move.”

Craig took the photos and placed one hand on the arm of my chair and the other on the desk effectively trapping me. He leaned forward and stared at my cleavage. “One of these fellows will be very lucky. I’m envious.”

Smiling his disingenuous smile, he turned and left the office.

“Honestly, Adele, I have a hard time believing he’s family sometimes.”

“Unless you have leech blood in your family, then perhaps you should make sure.”

“He has a soft spot for beautiful women. You should give him a chance.” I rolled my eyes as Mr. Aikido pulled an envelope from his desk drawer. “Here’s your identification.”

I opened the envelope and pulled out a half-dozen pieces of ID. “This is a United States passport?”

“Your parents were U.S. citizens and you are as well. It’s also a way of deflecting your true identity from any connection you had here in Vancouver. Your driver’s license is from Washington state with the address of your parent’s home there. I’ve been working on changing the ownership of that home into your new name.”

“I have a home?” The thought of having someplace to go was heartwarming. “Thank you, Mr. Aikido. How can I be in Canada then?”

“You might have missed the other pieces of identification. You have a student’s visa and you’re enrolled at the University of British Columbia. I took it upon myself to get you signed up for several classes. Your first class starts in three hours.”

“University? Why am I going to university?”

“It’s just temporary until we get through this. You’ll be starting partway through the semester.”

“I avoided university. Why would I want to learn from someone that’s never had a real job in their life when I can learn from the world and Google?”

“It will expand your horizons and provide a backstory for you.”

“What classes did you sign me up for?”

“Diversity studies and Applied Artificial Intelligence 401. They were the only two I could arrange. You’ll find a schedule right there with your student card.”

“Diversity studies?”

“It seems suitable for what you’re going through.”

“Please tell me I’ve died and this is my torture in hell.”

“Do you still have some money left?”

I nodded.

“You should get a backpack and some school supplies. I suggest you catch the bus soon as you’ll need to find your classroom. You don’t want to be late for your first day. You’re giving me an exasperated look, Adele. It will take a few days to get the patterns of the Synthodyne people figured out. This will give you something else to focus on.”

“You know I had nightmares about school? I used to dream that I had to get to class and I couldn’t find the room. When I finally found it, they said I missed the test, failed, and would need to repeat the year. I hated school.”

“That’s because you’re too smart for school. You better get going or your dream might just come true.”

Sighing, I rushed back to my room, grabbed my jacket, and headed off to class.

***

It was easy to get a bus to the university, or U.B.C. as the locals call it, however, it took me an hour of asking around to find the right building for my diversity class. When I finally arrived, I was still a couple minutes late.

Poking my head in to the class, I had second thoughts and was about to turn around when the professor called my name.

“You must me Adele Refaeli. I was told we had a new student coming today. Please, come in.”

All eyes turned towards me and I suddenly felt very small. There were some people that were clearly displeased by what they saw, others appeared lustful, and some completely disinterested.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Take a seat. Perhaps you can tell us how you self-identify.”

Looking around the room I found myself in a different world. I have no idea what I was being asked. “I’m Adele.”

“Yes, but are you a he, she, ze, or hir? Are you hetero, bi, lesbian, gay, pansexual, trans, queer, binary, or non-binary?”

“I didn’t know I get to choose. What’s a ze?”

Students began giggling. “The good news, Adele, is that you’re in the right class as you clearly have some learning to do. Your homework will be to create your nametag. You will have a color of your choice, pink if you identify as female, blue if you identify as male, purple as neither, or gray for non-binary. You will then put your name on it, followed by the pronoun you wish others to use for you, and a letter signifying your sexual orientation.”

Looking around the room I could now see nametags on everyone. There were girls with blue nametags, and guys with purple ones. “So, if I wanted, I could be a gay male even though I’m a female?”

“Whatever you believe yourself to be, that’s what you are.”

“Could I declare myself as being a sixty-five-year-old PhD that’s retired and collecting social insurance?”

The students laughed at that but it seemed to frustrate the professor.

“Of course not. That would be ridiculous.”

I should know when to shut up. “Isn’t using blue for males and pink for females sexist?”

“Now that, Adele, is a great discussion point. What do you think students?”

***

The hour had taken at least three hundred hours in my opinion. I was grateful to get out of the stuffy classroom and looking forward to finding some privacy and lunch before my next class. Unfortunately, I was like raw meat to flies and found myself surrounded.

“Adele, wait up!”

Several students pulled me to the side. One girl with a blue nametag that displayed the name Tony, ze, and a B started asking questions. “Do you really not know how you self-identify?”

I sighed. I didn’t want to get into this right now. “Let’s just say I’ve been asking a lot of questions about myself lately.”

“It’s straight forward. Are you a male or a female?”

“Tony! Ze could be non-binary.”

Tony bit her lip. “Sorry.”

Looking down at my cleavage, I didn’t think it was all that difficult. “Female. I have all female parts.” Even admitting that felt somewhat freeing.

“Then you must be questioning your sexual preferences.”

“That would be an accurate assessment. Listen, I’ve never talked about this stuff before.”

“Oh! You’re still in the closet. How sweet. You must like girls then?” Tony batted her eyes at me.

I quickly found an escape route and headed for the cafeteria only to be confronted by a group committed to saving the Alaskan horsefly or something like that. This is torture.

For the rest of lunch, I thought about my nametag homework. The color is simple; pink. I don’t need people calling me a ze or a hir. She it is. Glancing around the cafeteria, I noted all the people and the only ones to stir my body were men. I’m a female, she, heterosexual. God, how did they do this to me? If I had been a gay male, would I have become a lesbian female? This is insane!

I already determined to get a new dress for tomorrow’s diversity class. If I’m a feminine, straight, female that will never be male again, then I might as well succumb to my body’s desires as mentally I can’t keep fighting it. I do empathize with those that feel they’re the wrong gender because my memories and body are at odds and it is debilitating.

Luckily my artificial intelligence class was interesting. I even had a chance to develop a program to find a way through a maze and was quite pleased when my algorithm beat out every other routine from the other students. This had a rather negative effect as a successful programmer that’s also a pretty young woman in an artificial intelligence class is apparently very rare. So rare, in fact, that I was asked out on at least five dates before I left the campus.

I stopped off at a second-hand clothing store on the way back to the gym and found an elegant dark blue dress with matching low heels. I told myself it was in case I needed to go out on a date, but the reality was I just wanted to wear it because it felt better than pants and look good at the same time.

The gym was quiet so I took advantage of the lack of prying eyes and did a workout. Something happened to me today that was making me feel better about my situation. Perhaps it’s time and distance from my old life, but it’s like a switch activated in me and I’m no longer in denial and quickly on my way to acceptance. I’m still angry with Synthodyne and knowing they ruined my life, not once, but twice is still a great incentive for me, but I’ve been mulling over the options. I think a parallel strategy might be in order. One I should keep to myself.

My exercise routine went well and lasted a few hours. It seemed the more I repeat doing something the easier it becomes, almost as if my brain memory is helping my body catch up to my old muscle memory. I’m quite pleased with this and the more I work out the better I feel about myself.

After my workout I took a long shower and shaved places I’ve never shaved before. After my hair was dry and brushed out well, I put on the red dress and headed back into the gym to find Mr. Aikido.

“How were your classes today?”

“Although I admit the artificial intelligence class was interesting, I realize I made a wise choice avoiding university. It’s frightening to think these same students will someday be running the government. How long do I need to keep up this façade?”

“Until we get what we need from Synthodyne and that depends on whether we can get you involved with one of the staff there.”

“That could be weeks, or never. I’m not sure I know how to date like this.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You could always do practice dates with Craig.”

“You don’t happen to have other nephews, do you?”

“Craig isn’t that bad, Adele.”

“I’d consider it if I had a contingency of body guards and a taser.”

“You should get some rest, Adele. Your classes start early tomorrow.”

“Oh joy.”

***

Being the rebellious sort of person that I am, I wore the new blue dress to give me a far more feminized look for my diversity class. Slipping my homework badge on, I made quite a statement to my fellow students. Tony was disappointed.

“Pink, She, H. You’re like completely normal. That’s so uncool.”

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll choose to be a purple, it, B, but today I woke up feeling satisfied with myself.”

“I think you’re afraid to come out of the closet and you’re too pretty to waste on a guy. You’re not afraid to be in the minority in this class?”

“Isn’t university for stimulating my mind and expanding my horizons?”

Tony smiled mischievously. “Well, when you’re ready to be stimulated and your horizons expanded, let me know.”

“Take your seats, students. Adele, I see you completed your homework. Can you explain why you chose what you chose?”

“I’m female, so I chose pink. I don’t pretend to believe anyone outside of this class will see me and call me anything other than a she. And, my heart goes pitter-patter for guys more than it does for girls.”

“That’s all well and good, Adele, but you shouldn’t be determining your self-identity by how others might perceive you. If you wish to be different and use a different pronoun for yourself, then that’s your prerogative.”

“I learned a long time ago that the only person I can control is myself. Maybe I would prefer to be a ze, but I can’t expect or get offended when someone sees me and calls me something different. If I get offended, then I have given others control over me. I am what I am whether that is trans, pan, or hetero, however, none of that changes my intrinsic value to contribute to society and whatever I am should never affect my ability to perform good work.”

One of the other students laughed. “Spoken like a white, rich girl. I bet you never questioned yourself or wished to be anything other than you are. You probably grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth and got to wear frilly dresses and played with dolls. Your parents brainwashed you into thinking you were a girl.”

“He makes a good point, Adele. Are you just the product of your environment that tells you what you are and how to dress? Why did you choose to wear a dress today?”

“Perhaps you would be surprised to know I was born a male. When I was fifteen, my parents were murdered by a terrorist organization. Last week, I broke into the organization and was captured by them. They’re planning on releasing a time-delayed virus that will completely alter humanity as we know it. Men will become women, and women will become men. Black will become white and white will become black. Millions of people will be affected. I know because they used it on me. I’m now a female with the full memories of growing up as a male. I chose to wear a dress because they’re a heck of a lot more comfortable than pants.”

“As lovely a prospect as your story sounds, Adele, it’s not feasible nor believable.”

“Whether it’s believable or not, that’s how I self-identify. I’m sorry if I don’t live up to your expectations, but I believe if I don’t yield to what I am, what I’ve become, that I will fall into despair. We should rejoice with those that find peace in who they are.”

Another student lashed out. “But you’re perfect. Of course, you’re okay with who you are.”

“I’m the first person to say I’m not perfect and believe me that I struggle with my own sense of self. I don’t judge you for I have enough judgement for myself. At the end of the day, I can’t magically make myself what I think I should be.”

“And what do you think you should be, Adele?”

“I know you don’t accept my story, but for the moment, assume it’s true; that I was a male a week ago. You might think I would want to go back to what I know, to my life before, but I surprise myself in that the longer I am who I am now, the more at peace I am. If I could roll back time, I don’t think I would go back to who I was. I was nobody. Invisible. I didn’t even think to consider life from a different perspective. People see me differently now. I’m noticed. While I’m physically weaker and more vulnerable, there are times I feel stronger. I even find I have more creativity as a female. I can choose to wear pants or dresses, have long hair or not. My clothing becomes far more tied to my emotional state than ever before. While I wasn’t excluded from doing these same things as a man, it’s culturally not as acceptable.”

“That’s exactly why we offer this class, Adele. Little by little we’re trying to allow people to be who they are. So, what if a man wants to wear a dress or have long hair? Our culture needs to change.”

“Culture is already changing.”

“But not fast enough. That’s what social justice is all about, change.”

“But the harder you push for change, the more you ostracize yourselves and make yourselves a target. People’s character and beliefs are hard to change. When you confront them, you force them to decide on the spot. This makes them reactionary and might cause the opposite affect than you’re intending.”

“Then in your worldly wisdom, Adele, how would you change the world?”

I suddenly recalled the words of Chang Huan. ‘… The only way forward is to alter the consciousness of the world individual by individual and in such a way that race and gender are no longer obstacles...’

“Through relationships. One person at a time. Imagine yourself a father or mother whose son declares himself gay or a girl. Do you stop loving them? Do you blame yourself? At some point, there is likely going to be acceptance of the situation; a softening of their hearts towards that which they considered offensive before.”

“Is that why you signed up for this class, Adele? To change your perspective? Are we in this room offensive to you?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake no. None of you are offensive to me. My perspective was already changing. I can’t say that I can truly, fully understand what anyone in this class is going through, but with my own struggles, I can certainly try to empathize.”

The professor tilted his head thoughtfully. “Welcome to the class, Adele.”

***

“That was intense, Adele. I’ve never seen anyone grilled so hard in class before.”

Biting into my sandwich I stared into Tony’s eyes. “I should learn to keep my mouth shut.”

“I thought what you said was profound. I wish people saw me for me instead of a freak.”

I laughed. “They just need to get to know you before deciding you’re a freak.”

Tony giggled. “I think it would be magical to be injected and be changed into a guy.”

“What about your family and friends? Wouldn’t they have a hard time with it?”

“They might if I had any family. I’m all alone in this world.”

I gave Tony an appraising look. “Sometimes getting what you wish for doesn’t always turn out to be the best. It’s extremely painful.”

“What’s painful? Being a guy, or the transformation?”

“The transformation and to a lesser extent, being a guy.”

“I have a hard time believing your story, if I’m being honest. Look at you. You’re gorgeous. No guy ever changed into something like you before; not with all the money and best surgeons in the world.”

“I understand it’s hard to believe. Sometimes I question it myself. But just remember this when overnight half the world claims they had the same thing happen to them.”

“Can you imagine the chaos?”

“I don’t have to imagine it, I’ve lived it.”

“You’re sure you’re not interested in expanding your horizons?”

“If I do, I’ll call you first.”

***

By the time I arrived back at the gym, I realized I was starting to enjoy the classes and the environment at the university. Perhaps I missed out on the social aspects by going straight from high school into work. The students I’ve met show a lack of urgency. While some are concerned about their future, few seem to have any work experience and many are living off scholarships and grants. To have few worries about earning enough money to pay for your rent and food, and to spend the day socializing and taking classes you might find interesting is a paradigm I find hard to wrap my mind around.

I was about to change into my workout gear when Craig intercepted me. “Wow, girl. You look amazing.”

“What do you want, Craig?”

“There’s a good chance Alex Whitely will be arriving at a bar in an hour. He’s one of the guards at Synthodyne. I suggest you go there and get cozy with him.”

“I still don’t see why we can’t just replicate his badge and go in and get what we want.”

“We need a believable story so what you find can be admitted as evidence. This is the best method of getting in and getting what we need to put them away.”

I’m not so sure about that. “Where’s the bar?”

“I can drive you.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer if I made my own way there? Who knows, maybe Alex would see me getting out of your car and think something is up?”

“Don’t tell me I was never gallant in offering.”

“Is that what being gallant is all about? I thought it had more to do with letting the woman get what she wanted instead of the other way around. What have you found out about Alex?”

“He’s a bit of a loner. He seems to eat out a lot. Fast food mainly. He gets testosterone supplements, PC World, and Concealed Carry magazines by mail.”

“Sounds like a real winner.”

“Here’s a copy of his photo and the address of the bar. Good luck, sweetheart. Let me know when you want a real man.”

I hate Craig’s attitude. I left him standing there feeling his eyes on my backside until I was out of view. Heading to my room, I grabbed an envelope I had previously prepared, some cash, and my identification. With all these things in my hands I realized I had no place for a wallet and I never bought a purse. I stopped by a store on the way to the bus to find something small that I could use.

Thinking practically, I chose a small black purse with a long thin strap as I would hate to hold it in my hand all night. Here is one difference I think I will not enjoy so much. Wallets are so much easier to deal with. Will I one day be carrying a purse the size of a duffle bag for all my womanly things?

The bar turned out to be a seedy place only regulars would likely frequent. My identification showed I just turned twenty-one but one look at myself in the filthy blackened external windows of the bar and I knew I would be out of place here. I need a reasonable story as to why I would come to a place like this.

Stepping inside, I was immediately assaulted by the smell of spilled beer on the old wooden floors. There were a few women in the place but they seemed to oddly fit right in with the run-down décor. I spotted Alex right away sitting on a stool at the bar. He was still wearing his crisp blue security uniform from Synthodyne. Recalling the last time I saw a suit like that made me shiver.

My dark blue dress was still very colorful for the dingy bar and drew stares as I weaved my way through the tables. When I got up to the bar, I stood next to Alex but ignored him and asked the bartender for a glass of white wine.

“We don’t get much call for wine these days, but I think I might still have some around. You have ID?”

I pulled out my driver’s license and handed it to the man. “I hate dating sites. No one is who they say they are. I met my date at a restaurant down the street. Instead of being six feet two and a computer engineer as he claimed, he was shorter than me, obese, and knows only enough about computers to set up his fake profile.”

The bartender handed me back my ID and a glass of wine. “You don’t look like you need any help getting dates.”

“Thank you. I was merely hoping I might find something in common with the guy.”

“You should talk to Alex here. He works for one of those high-tech companies and even helped us with our website.”

I giggled inside. These guys have a website?

Alex’s eyes had been glued to me since I came up to the bar. He smiled. “You don’t seem like a normal computer science nerd.”

“My dad worked at one of the many tech companies in Seattle. I grew up around it. U.B.C. has a few great classes in artificial intelligence so I thought I would take one of those to see if it would round out my education. You don’t seem like the normal web developer yourself.”

“It’s just a hobby. I’m fine with working as a security guard. A lot fewer hassles and I get a lot of high-end throw away technology. They do a lot of A.I. where I work.”

“Really? I was considering using A.I. for robotics and autonomous driving cars. What do they use it for?”

“Biotechnology. They create injections that can find anomalies in someone’s body.”

I reached out and touched his arm feigning interest. “A.I. in injections. They must be using nanobots then. Fascinating. I’d love to see what they do. Do they offer tours?”

Alex shook his head. “Never. They’re a pretty uppity bunch. Security is very tight. It was nice meeting you. I need to join my boyfriend over in the West End.”

I stared after him confirming that my alternative course of action is a wise one. After paying for my wine, I headed to the downtown Vancouver police headquarters and waited in line to see someone.

“How can I help you, Miss?”

“Do you have an investigative department?”

“Of course.”

I pulled out a small envelope. “Can you make sure you give them this?”

“I can’t do that without knowing what it is and who you are.”

Looking around the room I could see half a dozen cameras and I suddenly became fearful. “It’s video footage of a dual murder six years ago. Please take it!”

I turned and quickly start moving towards the exit.

“Miss! Come back here!”

I ran lightly to get away from the station and turned a corner even as two police officers came out of the building looking for me. I kept moving towards the bus stop hoping I’ve not just blown everything.

By the time I got back to the gym I was in little mood for chitchat. The gym was closed and Craig and Mr. Aikido were in the office.

“Back so soon, Adele?”

“Alex was there and I spoke with him. Perhaps Craig would have been better than me as Alex is gay.”

Mr. Aikido put his face into his hands and looked up at Craig. “You didn’t check social media like I asked you to. That’s shoddy work.”

“We still have the second option.”

I waved at them as I turned towards my room. “I’m tired and I have to get up early for my classes tomorrow.”

I could hear the two arguing back and forth all the way to my room.

***

“Find a partner. We’re going to do a little role playing.”

Tony pulled her chair up next to mine. “Gotcha.”

The professor waited for everyone to partner up before continuing. “Today I want each of you to exchange nametags. Imagine you are both on a date together and wanting to learn as much as you can about the other, however, the catch is that you must try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and imagine their thoughts and emotions. We will pause several times for each of you to confirm you have the correct perspective.”

Tony grabbed my arm and pulled me into the back corner of the room. “This will be fun. If I knew I’d be you today I would have worn a dress.”

“I don’t always wear a dress, Tony.”

“As if.”

Tony was right. Given the chance, I would always choose a dress. “Let me make sure I have the correct starting point. You’re a girl that wants to be a boy, but likes girls as well as boys?”

“Not quite. I’m a boy trapped in a girl’s body. I love girls, but being with a guy is also fun.”

“If you became a boy overnight, you would still want to be with a guy?”

“Oh. No. Only with girls.”

“Do you need a starting point for me?”

“Nope! I’ve got this, Adele. We should set the scene though. Where are you taking me on the date?”

“I’m taking you on a date?”

“Of course, silly. You’re the guy here because you’re me, remember?”

“Is this a first date or further into the relationship?”

“First date. In summer.”

“All right… let me think about this. I’d start with a long walk around Stanley Park followed by a sunset picnic on the beach.”

“Ohhh… You’re a romantic. I like that.”

I sighed and reminded myself I need to try to be Tony. Feeling like a guy trapped in a female body is easy even if I’m feeling less and less trapped. “Well then, Adele, how are you enjoying your classes at U.B.C.?”

“I’m really enjoying my diversity class, Tony.” She giggled calling me Tony. “It’s opening my eyes to the challenges people face every day.”

“Challenges?”

“I’m a girl that used to be a boy and I’m supposed to be a girl now, but my mind keeps telling me that’s wrong. Others are experiencing similar things. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.”

“I can relate. It’s not easy being male in a female body.” Taking a cue from Tony’s hints and suggestions over the past few days, I added a little more. “If I were a guy you might be more interested in me.”

Tony’s eyes danced merrily. “I never said I wasn’t interested in you. My male brain still tells me I’m attracted to girls.”

The professor saved the day. “Pause! Now check in with your partner how you’re doing. Are you reflecting their inner struggles properly?”

Tony grins. “You’re doing great, Adele. How am I doing?”

“Unfortunately, while my brain struggles, my heart and body win when it comes to sexual preferences. When I was male, I never thought it wrong for two women to be together because I loved women and couldn’t see why women wouldn’t also be attracted to other women. But now, my brain yields to my body’s desires. While I find women attractive, I have little sexual desire towards them.”

“Continue!”

Tony looked at me a little sadly. “Tony, you’re a wonderful person. I love your personality, but I’m not sure we can be anything more than friends.”

Her sad eyes compelled me to fall into Tony’s role further. “You don’t know that for certain. You should…”

Tony glanced around the room before kissing me long and hard. I gasped when she pulled away. There was something sweet and innocent about it, forbidden even. But I felt nothing stir within me. A wave of emotions hit me hard. I grabbed my backpack and ran from the classroom before I burst into tears, unsure as to why I was even crying.

Tony rushed out behind me apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry, Adele. Forgive me!”

I sat down on a bench as my tears continued to flow.

Tony sat down next to me. “I’m really sorry. What’s going on?”

“It’s not you, Tony. It’s me. You’re a wonderful person, but your kiss just shook my worldview to the very core of my being. It made me realize… more unlocked something I was secretly fighting within me. I held onto the concept that I might still be me, but I’m not.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They won’t miss us.” Taking Tony’s arm, I found a small, private collaboration space and pulled out my computer. “My story is true, Tony. Six years ago, my parents vanished. I’ve learned that they were CIA operatives. They were investigating a company in the city. I… I found an ad on Craigslist that asked for help accessing a file. It was a hacking job. The company turned out to be the same one my parents were investigating. When I hacked the company and discovered the file, I also discovered references to my parents.”

“Okay. I’m not sure where this is going, Adele.”

“In the information about my parents, I found that there might be video surveillance of them, so I broke into the company to find this video; the last video of my parents.” I started playing the video as Tony watched in fascination. “Those are my parents trying to discover evidence on the company. You can see them being confronted by security guards, and being strapped to the tables.” Pausing the video, I turned to Tony. “What happens next isn’t pretty. My parents believed this company was planning a global terrorist plot.”

“What happens next?”

“The company was testing their virus. A virus that analyzes a person’s genetic makeup, changes men to women, women to men, and finds the smallest percentage of intact genetic racial markers in the DNA and changes them to that race. Six years ago, their virus was rudimentary and had many flaws.”

I hit play and watched as my parents began screaming and dissolving away. We both remained silent for a while.

“You broke in, got this video file, and then what happened to you, Adele?”

“I entered the building as Brent Daniels. I slipped the flash drive into my shoe just before the guards found me. Like my parents, they strapped me down on the table and injected me with their virus. Unlike what happened to my parents, this time their virus worked. I woke up still strapped to their table and found myself completely transformed. They were going to kill me, but I managed to escape. The virus consumed a third of my body mass, turning me into what you see now. Apparently, I had a small percentage of Israeli genetic markers in me, which is why I look the way I look.”

“Oh my god! You really are telling the truth. I’m sorry I never believed you.”

“It’s not a story anyone would believe. This same company is planning to release this virus on billions of unsuspecting people.”

“I have thousands of questions, but you really were a man that’s been transformed against your will. How are you coping? You must be really struggling.”

“At first I was devastated but slowly I’ve been adapting to the change. It was a complete change. My eye color, hair color, wants, desires, even how my brain processes things changed. For days, I’ve been trying to figure out if I’m still me or not; am I still male at some base level. When you kissed me, it was like the final straw. It was sweet, nice, but my body just didn’t respond. I now understand that I’m completely a heterosexual female. I think like a female and my body responds as a female. Somehow the transformation even makes me want to be feminine. The only thing left of my maleness are my memories of what I used to be and even those feel less and less prevalent each day.”

“So, it’s not that you don’t like me?”

“You’re a great catch, Tony.”

Tony smiled at that. “At least I can say I kissed the prettiest girl at U.B.C. Why would this company want to do this?”

“They appear to have two directives. First is to remove the world’s barriers to gender and race. Second, which I think is their prime reason, is to take over control of trillions of dollars, destroy the global economy, and set themselves up as leaders within a new world government.”

“Have you gone to the police?”

“They won’t believe me and by the time there is enough hard evidence, the world will be radically altered.”

“To think they could use this technology for good. I could have everything I ever dreamed of.”

“Yes, but you would likely be age adjusted to ten or eleven years old. When the virus consumes a third of your body mass, there is an age adjustment that goes along with it. You’d be an eighty pound ten-year-old boy.”

“I could live with that.”

“But you’d likely be put into an orphanage or foster care. You wouldn’t be allowed to work, you’d have no identification, no money…”

“You really didn’t feel anything when I kissed you?”

“Not in a way that you might hope for. I’m sorry.”

“Can we please stay friends?”

“I’d like that. The very best of friends.”

Tony smiled and hugged me.

***

It had been an emotionally exhausting day and I arrived back at the gym tired but with my spirits high. Tony’s kiss had really set me free. Not that I still don’t think about the change, but rather I don’t feel guilty about wanting to be female. I have a new start on life. I could get a new job and perhaps even have a good career. My A.I. class is exhilarating. I wouldn’t mind continuing if possible. My paradigm has shifted. While I still feel university, in its isolation from the real world, can foster beliefs formed through ignorance, the people are far from the brainless zombies I once thought them to be. They have passion. There’s a zeal about the students which is infectious. There is also no question that the diversity class has inadvertently helped me cope with my own sexual identity.

Back in my room I thought long and hard about my next steps. It’s time for me to move on. Mr. Aikido found me putting the last of my clothes into my backpack.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. It’s not like I don’t appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but I’ve reached a point where I think I need to move on with my life.”

“What about Synthodyne?”

“We’re running out of time and getting close enough to someone working there for me to get inside and steal more evidence, is just too sketchy.”

“But all the people it might impact…”

“I’ve done everything I think I can do without risking my own life further. I’m hoping to get to the house in Seattle and rebuild my life the best I…”

Craig ran into the room. “We have to leave! Now! We’re being raided.”

There was the sound of a gunshot and people yelling. “Craig, take Adele to Seattle. Use the back exit. I’ll lead them away.” I hesitated a moment unaware of the real danger. “Go! Now!”

Craig grabbed my arm and pulled. I reached down and snagged my backpack just in time. We ran through the gym, sneaking quietly passed armed men in black uniforms, and quietly exited the building. Craig had his car nearby in the back alley.

“Keep your head down.”

I ducked down as Craig floored his vehicle. We bounced hard coming out of the alley and onto the main road. I heard squealing tires as we jumped right out into traffic. It was thirty minutes later when either of us spoke.

“What will happen to Mr. Aikido?”

“He’s prepared for almost anything. If he makes it, which I have no doubt of, then he will meet us in a day or two.”

“We’re going to Seattle?”

“We need to make sure we have our stories correct for crossing the border. You’re returning home for a week between exams. I’m your boyfriend. We will be spending the week before returning to Canada. You’ve been in Canada since August for your classes. I live here permanently.”

“My boyfriend? You’ve been daydreaming too much. Who were those people?”

“Synthodyne or the CIA. My bet is on Synthodyne.”

“How did they find out about us?”

“My Uncle is known to them. They have sort of a long-term enmity between them. I suspect the guard might have indicated something seemed fishy last night with you coming onto him.”

“But how does Synthodyne know I’m connected with your Uncle?”

“They watch the gym.”

I would have pressed the point, but we had arrived at the US/Canada border. I pulled my passport out and crossed my fingers that it was valid.

Craig rolled down the window. “Where are you heading?”

“Seattle.”

“Where do you both live?”

Craig answered for both of us. “I live in Vancouver but my girlfriend lives in Seattle. She’s attending U.B.C.”

“Passports please.” The border agent quickly scanned both passports and spent an agonizingly long few seconds glancing at the photos and our faces. “How long will you be in the United States?”

This is where I spoke up. “Just a week. I have to get back for exams coming up.”

He handed back the passports. “Enjoy your stay. Welcome to the United States.”

When we were a few minutes from the border I realized my toes were curled in my shoes. I don’t remember ever leaving Canada before and yet, if what Mr. Aikido states is true, then I was born here in the United States.

It was another two hours before we pulled up to a small, but quaint house that overlooked Lake Sammamish. The brown house looked to have been built in the 1970s. The driveway had cracking asphalt with weeds poking up through the cracks and the front yard was overgrown.

“My Uncle told me he gave you a key. This house belonged to the Daniels. Make sure your key works.”

My key did indeed work and I eagerly stepped inside hoping against hope that I might feel my parent’s presence just one more time. It was like a time capsule. Craig all but ignored the photos on the walls and the dated décor. He headed into the kitchen then came right back out.

“I’m heading to the store to pick up some groceries. You’ll be in the master bedroom at the end of the hall.”

I barely even acknowledged him as I stared at the photos of my parents and me as a baby. We must have moved to Canada when I was one or two years old. The front door closed and with Craig gone I let my fingers tenderly trace the images of my parents across the dusty surface of a photo on the mantle. I had surmised I might look a little like my mom, but seeing the picture of her in her mid to late twenties I can see more resemblance now. She was very pretty.

I moved from room to room noting that over the years, slight changes must have been made. What had obviously been a nursery had been converted into a guestroom but the walls were still baby blue with white clouds painted near the ceiling. Is this where I slept?

The master bedroom looked remarkably untouched. The closet was filled with clothes from my parents. Over two thirds of them were obviously my mother’s. Clearly when they left they knew they would be going away for a while as most of the clothes were in wardrobe bags or plastic. This would indicate they were planning on coming back. I pulled a dress from the closet, removed the thin clear plastic bag, and smelled it, saddened that my mother’s scent was no longer clinging to it. I checked the size and realized it might fit me. My mother had good taste in clothes.

How long has it been since anyone was here? The bed had been stripped of sheets and blanket. I found those sealed in plastic on a shelf high up in the closet. Even my mother’s clothes from the dresser were carefully put away in a way to protect them from any damage over the years. Once they were finished in Canada, would we have all come back here?

The master bathroom was small but had a nice shower tub combination. Another closet in the bathroom had towels, shampoos and conditioners, all sealed and protected. I reminded myself I could use a shower and determined to see if there was a robe or other clothes I could wear.

I headed downstairs to find another bedroom and a small family room. There was another door that was locked. On a whim, I tried the house key and was surprised it worked. The room beyond spoke volumes. Almost as if I entered a James Bond movie, the walls held half a dozen handguns, cleaning kits, bullets, knives, and tactical gear. Under the counter rested a digital safe.

On a whim, I began punching numbers to no avail until I recalled what most people used for passwords. I punched in my birthdate and heard a clunk and a couple of chirping sounds. Twisting the handle downward, the heavy safe door pulled open. Inside I found passports for my parents and bundles of cash for a variety of countries, including the United States. What was even more interesting was the DVD with my name on it.

Recalling that I saw a DVD player next to the television upstairs, I took the DVD and closed and locked the safe and room.

I sat on the couch watching my parents come into view on the television. The date in the bottom right corner indicated this was made a month before they disappeared.

‘Hello, Brent.’

It was so good to see them and to hear their voices again. They looked somber.

‘If you’re watching this then you know something terrible has happened to us. You probably also know that we lived secret lives. Working for the CIA has its benefits and, for the most part, is safe. We made this video knowing there are parts of our job that are not so safe. If we have gone missing or worse, have been killed, know that we love you very much. We chose this life so that you can live in a world free from fear of terrorism. That you can grow up feeling safe. We hope the corruption within the world never touches you.’

‘You are most likely watching this video in Vancouver. Our trusted friend and co-worker should have given this to you in the event of our death. He also has a key to a house in the Seattle area and copies of your original citizenship documents. We have planned carefully to make sure you will be taken care of. The house is fully paid for. We have bank accounts you will have access to. Your birthday is the code.’

‘Know that we hope you never have to watch this video. We love you.’

Mom’s hand moved towards the camera and for a moment I closed my eyes as if to feel her touch. When I opened them again, the video had ended but my tears had just begun. Why couldn’t we have just stayed here as a family? Why were you taken from me?

After several minutes, I wiped my tears and ejected the DVD. Mr. Aikido had the key, why didn’t he give me the video of my parents? Did they not have a chance to give it to him?

Taking the DVD back downstairs, I put it back in the safe and dug further through the contents. As my parents suggested, there was bank account information, balances, and my original birth certificate and other documentation.

Hearing a car pull up, I quickly put everything back and ran upstairs to the master bedroom where I began putting on the sheets to the bed. Moments later Craig was staring at me from the bedroom door.

“You hungry?”

I nodded. “Any word from your Uncle?”

“He got away and is working his way down to us. He should be here in a couple hours. I hope you like pizza and beer.”

“Yes. Thank you for getting that for us and for getting me out of the gym safely.” I followed Craig into the dining room. The smell of pizza wafted through the air making me hungry.

Craig eyed me appraisingly as he handed me a beer and a piece of pizza. “I don’t understand why my Uncle gave you a key or why your pack was ready.”

“I decided I was done with Synthodyne. After the guard never worked out, I realized I didn’t want to get involved again with them. Your Uncle was kind enough to suggest I could come here to restart my life.”

“There’s more to it than that. My Uncle never does anything without thinking of the long-term benefits. Letting you use this house seems incongruent with his desires. How exactly do you know my Uncle? Why did you come to him of all people after your encounter with Synthodyne?” Craig’s face was intense.

“I used to come to the gym. I thought your Uncle would be safe.”

I took a sip of the beer but Craig smacked it out of my hand. The beer crashed and broke against the dining room wall. “Don’t lie to me! You were never at the gym. I would have known.”

I stood and went into the kitchen to find a towel to wipe up the beer and to think. Craig’s eyes never left me.

“Your Uncle has his reasons for helping me but clearly you won’t be satisfied with that as an answer. I’ve tried to keep this a secret for my own sanity.” I paused for a moment deciding whether or not to continue. “I’m Brent Daniels. I broke into Synthodyne to find evidence of what happened to my parents, was caught, and they used their virus on me.”

Craig began laughing mirthlessly. “Now it all makes sense. They turned you into a little femboy.” He continued laughing, grabbed two beers and headed for the front door. Moments later I heard the car engine rev and tires squealing. Maybe he will at least leave me alone now. At least he left the pizza.

I was still a little shaky from Craig’s outburst. It’s frightening to know I’m so much weaker than before. I’m not helpless but I’m still not fully aware of my own abilities.

I ate the pizza and had one beer. I felt slightly tipsy and realized my smaller body mass will make me more prone to the effects of alcohol. After cleaning up I selected one of my mom’s dresses and headed to the shower. I felt a little nostalgic thinking that my parents likely used these towels before.

After my shower I found a hair dryer and dried my hair while brushing it out. I tried to emulate the hair stylist and it turned out quite nice. My mom’s dress fit me well and was a great improvement in style and quality over the dresses I was wearing before. I made note to get my ears pierced as someday I might need to wear earrings.

I was sitting on the couch when I glanced outside the window to see Mr. Aikido’s van pull up. It was getting late in the day and still no word from Craig. Not that I minded his absence in the least.

“Adele? Craig?”

“I’m here, Mr. Aikido. Craig left a while ago. He didn’t say where he was going, just happy to be away from me I think. How are you? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. It was a bit of a scramble, but I managed to get away with nary a scratch. What do you mean about Craig?”

“Craig put two and two together and demanded answers from me. He was becoming rather upset so I told him about what really happened to me and who I am. He laughed, took some beer, and drove off.”

Mr. Aikido chuckled. “I think he believed you were his next conquest. He’ll think twice about that now.”

“I hope so. Was that Synthodyne that attacked? What do we do now?”

“Yes. Synthodyne was behind it. I’m getting a team together. They should arrive tomorrow. We’ll do this the old fashion way.”

“Meaning?”

“We’ll break in and take what we need. If you want to stay removed that’s fine, but I still need you to come back to Vancouver with us.”

I’m not sure how I felt about this. “When?”

“We’ll get Internet turned on here tomorrow. The team will arrive by lunch. We will spend a week planning then head back up.”

“You sure you need me?”

“We might need an additional pair of eyes on surveillance and we need your computer skills to dig up the building plans. There’s still a chance we might need you to go into the main building during the day to gather reconnaissance. The only one that can do that safely is you.”

“What about my classes?”

“I thought you didn’t like university.”

“There are some redeeming values there. Strangely, I found it somewhat freeing to almost feel normal again. My parents had always planned on coming back here, didn’t they?”

“Yes. Things just got out of control in Vancouver and they never really came back. They used this place as a base sometimes, but most everything is the way they left it.”

“Thanks for taking care of this place for them. I only wish I had a note or something from them. It seems odd to think they knew what they were getting involved in with Synthodyne and yet there was no will or letter or anything.”

There was a flicker of annoyance from Mr. Aikido. “They never expected anything to happen. You were underage so the house came into my name to hold in trust for you. By this time next week, the paperwork should all be complete for the transfer into your name. There’s even a car in the garage. I just need to get time to change the title over to you.”

“It’s been a hectic couple of days. I think I’ll turn in for the night. Are you all set? Do you need anything?”

“I’ve stayed over at this house several times. I’ll toss some sheets on the bed upstairs here. Craig usually sleeps downstairs.”

“Good night, Mr. Aikido.”

“Good night, Adele.”

I made my way into the bedroom and locked the door behind me. After brushing my teeth, I rummaged through the dresser and found a nightgown. I ran my fingers over the delicate silky garment before stripping and putting it on. It made me feel wonderful and I loved how it glided over my smooth skin. Soon I was fast asleep.

***

I woke with a start. Loud music was playing and the sound of a car door closing hard outside jolted me into full awareness. It was late and my clock showed it to be nearly three in the morning. The front door thumped open and I heard heavy steps on stairs.

“Where’s my little femboy? I know you’re here.”

It was Craig and his words were all slurred. I was just getting out of bed when my door flew open with splinters of wood frame flying everywhere. Craig’s eyes found mine and he smiled evilly.

“Do you have all the right parts, femboy?”

I had just gotten to my feet when his hand reached for me. I batted it away which only made Craig angry. He was so fast. He grabbed me by the arms and threw me down on the bed. My nightgown was barely covering me as he climbed onto the bed. Fight Adele! Fight!

I thrust my knee up hard into his groin and slammed the flat palm of my hand into his nose. He fell off the bed and landed heavily on the floor with a large thump. He had one hand on his private parts and the other on his bleeding nose. I was getting to my feet when Mr. Aikido ran into the room.

One look at me and another at Craig and Mr. Aikido grabbed Craig’s ear and pulled him through the door and into the hallway. With a swift kick to Craig’s backside, Craig yelped and sprawled face first into the carpet.

Mr. Aikido pulled Craig’s hair back so that he could stare Craig in the eyes. “You dishonor me! Now get downstairs and out of my sight!”

Craig scurried away. Mr. Aikido turned towards me. “Are you all right?”

“I need a much bigger and thicker door. I’m all right, just shaken. I’m surprised he came after me after he knew what I was before.”

“He’s so drunk he’ll likely not even remember in the morning. Knowing Craig, he struck out at the bars and decided you were the next best thing.”

“Nice to know I’m thought of that way. Listen, tomorrow I think I should leave. I’ll do what I can to help you, but maybe it’s not such a wise decision for me to stay here.”

“Craig won’t touch you again, I’ll guarantee it. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow. Why don’t you take my van in the morning and go do something fun for a change? Come back in time for dinner and I’m sure it will have all blown over by then.”

“All right. Should I pick anything up while I’m out?”

“No. I’ve got everything taken care of. Don’t worry about Craig.”

“I’ll give it a try. I feel attached to this house. While I don’t have memories of it, I can almost feel my parent’s presence here.”

“I promise if things don’t work, then we will leave. This is your place.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aikido.”

“Try to get some sleep.”

***

I managed to piece together the door enough to close it, but the lock was broken and I wound up staring at the door most of the night and listening for sounds of footsteps. I wouldn’t say I was panicked, but adrenaline and fear held a tight grip on my mind. That was just too close.

I was proud of myself for handling the situation, but Craig had been so drunk, his reaction times were slower than normal even if they were fast. If I hadn’t fought back, I shudder to think of what might have been the outcome. Letting my mind drift to these thoughts kept me awake.

Having no desire to bump into Craig in the morning, I got up at the first sounds of stirring. Relieved the sounds were from Mr. Aikido, I quickly got my things together, begged for the keys to his van, and made my way towards downtown Seattle.

Finding a parking spot and a coffee shop with WIFI, I settled in with a cup of rich hot chocolate and set about some plans of my own. My first task was to email Tony and explain a little of what has been going on and why I wouldn’t likely be back at school. It’s surprising how attached I had become to our conversations. She was a good friend; better than any of my previous friends.

I have realized I’m happy; scared to death sometimes, but happy being the new me. I wonder if all men having this change would feel as I do. It helps that I’m pretty. I wonder what my parents would think of my change. I was purposeless and lost before, now I’m just lost.

My next step was to look up the local FBI agency. There was something not quite right with Mr. Aikido and Craig. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but there was a moment last night that I was sure Mr. Aikido knew about the video and for whatever reason never chose to give it to me. Finding the FBI office several blocks from the coffee shop, I made note of where it is on the map and moved on to step three.

Pulling a piece of paper from my backpack, I typed in the bank account information my parents left for me. While technically not in my name, I found I had full rights to the account; an account with over three hundred thousand dollars in it. If I have a house, a car, and this money, I can cautiously take some time and find myself. Perhaps I could travel some or maybe even go back to school.

Wiping yet another tear, I realized my parents never willingly left me. They tried hard to be there for me even in their deaths. I had blamed them for everything since they disappeared. Little by little my entire life was changing before my eyes.

I packed up my laptop and paused to look at my reflection in the coffeeshop window. Get rid of Craig, Synthodyne, and everyone else around me, let me be me and I know I’ll be happy. Truly happy.

The FBI building was a rather uninspiring old brick building. I’m not sure how things will go, but I’m willing to give it a chance. At the front desk I asked to see an agent and after numerous questions and a fifteen-minute wait, I was introduced to Wade Carrol. Wade escorted me to his office.

“What can I help you with, Adele?”

“My parents worked for the CIA. They were on a mission six years ago investigating Synthodyne Corporation in Vancouver, B.C. I have evidence they were murdered and a frightening story of national significance.”

“That’s out of my league. We’re the FBI, we don’t do anything outside of the country.”

“But you do investigate national terrorism threats?”

“Yes, of course.”

I hesitated a minute and felt small under the agent’s gaze. I unloaded my entire tale, provided the documents and video footage, and held out my wrists.

“Put your hands down, Adele. I have no jurisdiction over your hacking. You weave a compelling story and the video is disturbing, but clearly, you’re a young woman, have always been a young woman, and global conspiracies of this scale are never real. Either you’ve been put up to this or you truly believe it. Now I suggest you leave before I find something I can charge you with.”

By the time I stepped outside a light drizzle had begun. Seattle, it seems, isn’t that much different than Vancouver. I’m disappointed. Svetlana was correct. People won’t listen to me.

My phone rang as I got back to the van. “Hello?”

“Hey girlfriend.”

“Tony! I thought you’d be in class.”

“I got your email and was upset you’re not here. Diversity class was a bunch of rubbish today. Without you, a single, straight, white chick, they don’t seem to know what to talk about. It sounded like you were in trouble. I just want you to know you can always count on me.”

“Thanks, Tony. You don’t know how much your friendship means to me right now. You’re the only friend I have.”

“Then come on over. I make a mean margarita that can wipe out anyone’s troubles, at least for a time.”

“That’s sounds like fun but I’m in Seattle right now.”

“Seattle?”

“It’s a long story.”

“You certainly don’t live a dull life.”

“Before all of this, I thought my life was very dull. Now, that dull life didn’t seem so bad.”

“Are you having second thoughts about the new you?”

“No. Not at all. I’m enamored with the new me. I never would have thought it. That’s pretty gay, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s cool. Of course, it would have been cooler if you kept your sexual orientation and still liked women.”

I laughed. “You really are special, Tony.”

“Yup. Special needs. That’s me.”

“Maybe you can help me with something. I want to pierce my ears. Where do I go to get that sort of thing done?”

“You really are going all feminine, aren’t you?”

“My parents left me a house down here. My mom’s clothes were carefully put away. Sure, they’re twenty years old, but they’re gorgeous and they fit me. It makes me feel connected to my mom like I’ve never felt before. I know it’s strange, but I just need to get on with my life.”

“Beautiful dresses, huh? Sounds just your style. Most salons will do ear piercing for free if you buy a pair of studs. It doesn’t hurt much.”

“Thanks, Tony.”

“Stay safe, Adele.”

“I’ll try.”

***

I spent the afternoon finding a salon, getting my ears pierced, and taking in a movie. I needed something to take me into a different world where I didn’t have to think. It was with reluctance and trepidation that I pulled back up to the house. There was a large silver Ford Excursion in the driveway.

The afternoon had been so pleasant that I hesitated to open the door to a world of espionage, global terrorism, and murder. Craig will be in there as well. Get over your fears, Adele.

There was much conversation going on in the living room but it stopped the instant I opened the door. Mr. Aikido poked his head around the corner. He turned his head to speak with whomever was in the room. “All clear. Welcome back, Adele.”

At the top of the stairs I looked in on the living room. Craig was not looking too good in a corner chair. There were three new people. Two very large military-like looking men. Their broad shoulders, stature, two-day old stubble, and tattoos on their arms made them appear to be very dangerous. Their eyes practically disrobed me.

There was also a rather butchy looking Asian woman. She frowned as she looked at me. On the coffee table were notes and handguns. I felt like I just walked into a mafia convention or a drug deal.

Mr. Aikido introduced me. “Everyone, this is Adele. She’s a real computer wizard and is the most recent target of Synthodyne for her hacking and breaking into their building.” The Asian lady’s frown disappeared and there was a slight nod of appreciation. “Adele, these are some of the team I used to work with at the CIA. We have Teddy, Frank, and Luan.”

Teddy was the largest of the two men. “Teddy?”

He turned to the others. “Don’t you dare tell her.”

Frank laughed. “He got his nickname after buying a six-foot teddy bear for his daughter. He brought the thing into CIA headquarters to store for a few days before her birthday and it was confiscated.”

Teddy slugged Frank in the arm but Luan continued the story. “He kept roaming the CIA halls mumbling to himself about his teddy. The name stuck.”

I glanced at Craig in the corner. His eyes were all black. He didn’t look upset, rather he looked like a puppy that had just been caught peeing on the carpet. He looked over at Mr. Aikido and moved his eyes from everyone.

I pulled out my laptop and asked how I could help. “See if you can bring up any plans for the Synthodyne building. What we’re looking for is anything filed to show their renovations. This will give us insight into where they may be storing their most valuable items. Electrical plans could be very useful as they might show camera locations and alarms.”

“Unless they fixed the skylights, that’s how I got in and the lab and security office was in the basement.”

“We’re looking for a safe or a room with special ventilation or cooling.”

Thirty minutes later the doorbell rang. Everyone reached for their guns but Mr. Aikido waved them down as he headed to the door. Moments later he emerged with two large bags of Thai takeout.

As the evening wound down, I headed to my bedroom and was pleased to find a much heavier door had been installed.

“That was part of my punishment.”

Turning around suddenly at Craig’s voice, he stood just in the hallway with his hands raised.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t. I was angry that you and my Uncle had lied to me. I put my life on the line and it was for a lie.”

For a moment I felt sorry for him. “You’re right. We should have told you.”

“Let me finish. I used my anger as an excuse to get drunk and take that which I wanted. I know how the virus works, Adele. I know you’re not a femboy or ladyboy. You’re completely female and a damn good looking one at that.”

My anger spiked again, but once again he held up his hands. “My Uncle has offered you his protection and I have dishonored him and you. I’m sorry.”

Not wanting to fully believe his contriteness, I still held my tongue from what I truly wanted to say. “Good night, Craig.” I closed the door before my fear or anger put myself further at risk. Craig is much like the others although darker. They’re all rather insidious looking. My gut tells me they never worked in the CIA.

The door now had a heavy deadbolt which I latched making me feel only slightly safer.

***

The next morning, I tried on another of my mom’s old dresses. It was white with large pastel flowers that reminded me of spring. It was just what I needed to give myself a little emotional boost knowing that the rest of the day I’d be trying to help plan breaking into Synthodyne and save the world. I still don’t know how any of this will help but I’m sort of moving on autopilot right now. If I were honest, I’ve done everything possible to get the police and FBI involved. Stealing the virus and additional documentation might not do anything to avoid the inevitable.

After hours of searching I finally came up with some renovation plans for the Synthodyne building, but as I remembered the floor layouts, they were not what was provided to the city for permits. Taking a chance, I reviewed satellite heat signature footage and located a corner of the building that was much cooler than the rest.

“This is all I’ve got, Mr. Aikido.”

“It’s good enough for now, Adele. Can you give me a copy of those images?”

“Certainly.”

“We’re heading into Seattle this afternoon. I’m stopping off at the vehicle registration, finalizing paperwork at the title company, and we all need to meet some unsavory types that I would prefer you not to be around.”

More unsavory than the people you already hang out with? “Can I arrange dinner at least?”

“We won’t be back until late. On a good note, after today, the paperwork will be filed and very soon this will all be yours.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aikido.”

He turned to the others. “All right. Let’s get moving.”

In minutes the place was empty and silent. They even took all the vehicles. Thinking of vehicles, it reminded me that I’ve never even looked in the garage. There was a door to the garage from the kitchen. Unlocking the door, I peered inside. The car was a 1999 model Jeep, but it looked brand new except for the dust. Hopefully it had been run and maintained over the years or it would be a very low-mile vehicle with a seized engine. Still, this would be mine soon. The house, a Jeep, some savings, all spelled freedom to me.

Since the sun had returned today, I took a walk down to the lake and breathed in the clean air. More and more I’ve wanted to be done with all of this. Maybe I can convince Mr. Aikido they don’t need me.

It was late in the afternoon and I was sitting on the couch in the living room when all hell broke loose. The front door, back door, and door to the garage all burst open at the same time. Men in full tactical gear poured into the house from all directions.

“Put your hands in the air and get down on the floor!”

People were yelling back and forth. “Clear!”

My hands were roughly seized and pulled behind my back. Cold handcuffs were tightened around my wrists. I was lifted to my feet and plunked down into the corner chair. A man pulled off his mask. He was young, maybe twenty-seven or so. “Who are you?”

“Adele Elizabeth Refaeli.”

“Where are the others? Where is Kun Huan?”

“Who?”

“Don’t play smart with me. Where is Kun?”

“I honestly don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Feng Aikido.”

“You must mean Mr. Aikido? He and the others headed into town this morning. Who are you? What’s this about?”

“Sir, we have no Adele Elizabeth Refaeli records in our system. There is, however, an anomaly flag on her passport.”

Oh God. I’m doomed.

“We’re with the CIA. I think you know what this is about.”

Perhaps it was nerves or my new female hormones, but I spilled it. “It’s all my fault! I hacked Synthodyne and stole their file. I broke into their building to look for information regarding my parents. I went to Mr. Aikido because I was in trouble with Synthodyne. It’s all my fault!”

The men stared at each other clearly not comprehending when another man came upstairs. “Sir, there’s a locked room downstairs. It contains weapons and a safe.”

“Put everything back in order and relay to the team to get out of here. I want this place to appear exactly as it was and watched for the return of the others. Miss Refaeli, if that’s your real name, you’re coming with me.”

I was escorted by several agents and put into the back of a black van. The drive lasted almost an hour. I was taken from the van and hustled inside a building. There I was put into a room with a large mirror, a table, and two chairs. My wrists were cuffed to a metal bar attached to the table. It was thirty minutes later that the young male agent stepped into the room.

“Everything we say is being recorded. I’m Matt Damon and I’m in charge of this mission.”

Somewhere I got a little courage back and giggled. “Matt Damon. Really?”

He glanced at the mirror and shook his head. I recognized the standard configuration of an interrogation room from the movies. This one was complete with a one-way mirror. If Matt Damon is his real name I suspect he gets razzed for it by his fellow agents.

“I get that a lot. Yes, Matt Damon is really my name.”

“What were you doing with Kun Huang?”

“You mean Mr. Aikido?”

“His real name is Kun Huang.”

“He owns a martial arts gym in Vancouver, B.C. For six years I’ve been going to his gym. When I ran into trouble with Synthodyne he was the first person I reached out to.”

“That tells me how you know him, but not what you were doing with him.”

I sighed. “Maybe I need to start from the beginning.”

***

“That’s a fascinating story, Adele, but it isn’t the truth.”

“Did you take my laptop? I can show you. I have evidence.”

“We can’t break your encryption.”

I smiled at that. “I’ll give you the password.”

Matt waved his hand and someone entered the room with my laptop. “Turn off all recording.”

The other man gave Matt a questioning look but complied. “Yes, sir.”

“Leave us, please.”

Matt spun the computer around. It was sitting at the logon prompt for password. “What’s your password?”

“Synthodyne will pay for what they’ve done. Replace the letter o’s with zeroes and the I’s with ones.” I watched as Matt got into my computer operating system. “You’ll want to open the CIC2017 folder.”

“It’s asking for another password.”

“P$5%fbww&hm”

“Damn. You encrypted a set of files on an encrypted computer.”

“It’s all 512-bit encryption as well. It’s my own code.”

“There are three files here.”

“20091113FLU.docx is the file I stole from Synthodyne when I hacked them. Page fifty-seven is rather telltale. Test_Subjects_Daniels_20110503.docx refers to testing done on my parents along with a reference to the third file, the security camera footage.”

I turned away once again when the screams sounded. Matt closed the laptop and stared at me. Taking the computer, he silently left the room.

An hour later he came back. “You need to come with me.”

It was only Matt as he escorted me through the building and to a blue sedan. He put me in the passenger seat and buckled my seat belt for me before getting into the driver’s side and taking us back out into the city. We drove steadily south for another hour. My bladder was about to burst when he finally stopped at an out of the way motel. Matt went into the motel, came out, then pulled the car around the back, before leading me into a room.

“Is this where you’re going to kill me and make it look like an accident?”

“You’re not in trouble.”

“If I’m not in trouble can you please remove the handcuffs so I can pee?”

“Sure. But don’t even think about trying to get away. You’re in a lot of danger and we need to talk.”

I rushed into the bathroom and relieved myself. Unfortunately, there was no window to jump out of.

When I came out, Matt was sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m risking my career because of you right now.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Everything you said was being recorded and analyzed as you spoke. Names, places, times. On one hand, you know more than you should, but on the other, you’re blatantly naïve. Everything you told us can be collaborated at some level. Everything except for your transformation.”

“How can anyone prove what I know happened to me?”

“If your DNA was re-written, then there is little to prove any connection to your previous life, however, there is coincidental evidence. I can lose my job for telling you the details of a mission, but I think I might need your help.”

“You’re with the CIA. I’ve given you all the information I have. What help can I possibly be?”

“As of an hour ago, I’ve gone rogue, off script.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You better sit down and make yourself comfortable. First off, I believe you. There is evidence to suggest Brent Daniels was in the Synthodyne building at the same time silent alarms were sounded alerting the police. The police received a call from Synthodyne stating that the alarm was false. The police were also alerted to shootings and a landlord called the police on suspicious activity in their basement suite rented to Daniel. There were even reports of an unidentified woman dressed in oversized clothing and looking very frightened at a gas station. The station attendant thought you might be in trouble or a thief and called it in. All of these tell me that you were there and these things did take place.”

Matt shifted a little as I sat down in one of the chairs. “I’ve been at the CIA for six years now. The day I began my work, I heard of the recent disappearance of the Daniels. As a rookie, it shook me up. For years the CIA has tried to follow leads but until today there has been no concrete evidence for their disappearance. Here’s what we did know. Kun Huang, was a CIA agent working with the Daniels. He was also secretly a silent partner in Synthodyne Corporation. You referenced Chang Huan in the flu file. Chang is Kun’s brother.”

“This is sounding rather ominous.”

“Chang was the mastermind behind the virus and Kun was the inside government spy that steered crime agencies away from what Synthodyne was really up to. When the Daniels decided to break into Synthodyne, we believe Kun had deliberately set them up. All we know for sure is shortly after the Daniel’s disappearance, Chang pushed Kun out of Synthodyne and Kun has been trying ever since to undermine them. Kun left the CIA, took an alias as Feng Aikido, and all but disappeared.”

“My parents never knew… But why would Mr. Aikido, I mean Kun, take me in?”

“I believe Kun is trying to get his hands on the formula. We’ve been tracking communications and ever since your incident at Synthodyne, Kun has been placing ads around the world. He’s been arranging buyers.”

“Buyers of what? The virus?”

“Yes. This is theory on my part. Kun places the Craigslist ad to get you to break into Synthodyne. He’s tested you and followed your progress for years. You break in and get the file, but he needs it and much more to sell the virus. He plants a seed in you about your parents and Synthodyne and you do exactly as he hopes. You break into Synthodyne. Kun was likely wishful in that you might just bring back more of what he needed. The problem is that you’re caught and the virus is used on you. You show up the next day as Adele, hand him what evidence you have, which he uses to presell the virus on the market. Next, he takes advantage of your new face. You have no record and even Synthodyne can’t truly track you. You become the perfect, expendable, revenge-filled person he needs to get the virus.”

“God. I’m feeling nauseous. Why didn’t Mr. Aikido just break into Synthodyne and take what he wanted? He didn’t need me for that.”

“First, he needed proof the virus works. You are that proof. Second, you’ve seen how Synthodyne has access to a small army of mercenaries and guards. Their alarm systems are complicated and state of the art. They needed you for two things; hack into the alarm systems to deactivate them, and be the mule.”

“The what?”

“A mule is a person that carries illegal substances across a border. You have a clean passport and face. If caught, you go to jail and not Kun.”

I stood and paced the room. “I overheard one of the agents say my passport was flagged.”

“It is flagged. You’re an American citizen with a Washington state driver’s license that’s only used your passport once to enter the United States. That’s anomalous behavior. Most likely you would never have been stopped, but we did some digging into your name.”

“So, you were after Kun because he was communicating with buyers about a virus that could be used as a terrorist threat.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t know about Synthodyne’s plot?”

“Nothing.”

“Why would you telling me this get you fired?”

“Because there were always hints that the CIA was compromised in the situation surrounding the Daniels, your parents.”

“How can the CIA be compromised?”

“Someone higher up in the CIA is also likely tied to Synthodyne. It’s why Kun could disappear so easily. It’s possible that person is still at the CIA and covering Synthodyne’s tracks. We should have heard about this plot.”

“I’m a threat to the CIA because I know about the plot?”

“Not the CIA, per say. You’re a threat to anyone that wants the plot executed.”

“So, Mr. Aikido, Kun, is just greedy. He only wants money and revenge for being pushed out of Synthodyne. What about the others? Teddy, Frank, Luan, and Craig? All of them, except for Craig, claimed to be CIA as well.”

“None of them were ever CIA. They each have long criminal histories. Craig has several domestic violence arrests and a few reported rapes but has never been convicted.”

Another wave of nausea washed over me. “I’m a fool. I’ve been trusting criminals that may have played a part in my parent’s death. Please tell me you found Kun and the rest of them.”

“It appears they crossed back over into Canada this morning. I suspect they were tipped off.”

“Mr. Aikido told me they were going into Seattle this morning to process the paperwork on my parent’s house and car to get them into my name. I thought they needed me. Why leave me behind?”

“Scapegoat and delay. We capture you and waste endless hours interrogating the one mostly innocent person in the group. If you take the fall, then they continue their plans without you. You were convenient for them for various reasons.”

“You said I was mostly innocent?”

“You did hack and break into an international company.”

I smiled weakly. “That was Brent Daniels that did that. If you can’t prove I was Brent Daniels, then you can’t pin that on me.”

“You got me there.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Me?”

“You’re Matt Damon, CIA world class spy. You have connections. You can pick up the phone and call the president.”

“You vastly overestimate my political clout. I’m rogue. I’ve taken a fugitive potentially tied to a global terrorist threat from the custody of the CIA. I think we’re safe though as the only person to declare me rogue would be the one that’s secretly spying within the CIA. Declaring me would likely expose their role in all of this. The question you should be asking is what are we going to do about it?”

“We? You and me?”

“I can’t let you walk. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me until this is seen through. What would you do? How would you stop this terrorist act?”

“I’ve already been transformed, hunted, and shot at. Haven’t I done enough?”

Matt ignored my plea. “What would you do, Adele Elizabeth Refaeli?”

I stomped my foot in frustration. “I’ve gone to the police, the FBI, and now the CIA. What I want to do is disappear and go live my life.”

Matt changed tactics on me. “You can live with the transformation?”

“I don’t have a choice, but even if I did, I love who I am now. Tony would tell me I’m an uncool, perfectly normal, single, white, heterosexual girl and I’m okay with that. I’m okay that the virus completely changed me into a young woman that loves dresses and is interested in men.” I realized I said more than I wanted to and quickly shut up.

“Who is Tony?”

“She’s a girl from my U.B.C. diversity class.”

“Ahhh. So, what will you do, Adele? How would you save the world?”

“Law enforcements agencies are out. Blowing up Synthodyne is probably not acceptable even though it would be satisfying. Blasting out a warning on social media would be a consideration. Stopping the vaccines that might have been altered by Synthodyne would be good.”

“I like the way you think, Adele. Warning the world on social media could cause almost as much disruption and damage as the event itself. Panic would set in, markets would tumble. Your last option is the best I think.”

“I have no idea where to begin with that. Even if we found the sources of the vaccines, what would we tell people?”

“I’ll take care of that. You…” He handed me my laptop and the hotel WIFI key. “…start saving the world.”

***

Several hours later I tossed my hands up in frustration. “This is useless.”

“What’s useless?”

“I know Synthodyne plans on altering and using vaccines as their delivery mechanism. When I search for vaccines in the Synthodyne document, it makes note of the flu vaccine, but hints that other vaccines could also be used. It’s an older document that lays out the framework of the process, not the specifics. When I research vaccine distribution, I find that there is no common source, meaning that dozens of companies might be producing the flu vaccine and those vaccines aren’t distributed through a common location either. In other words, we don’t have the information we need to stop the virus.”

“What if you treated the vaccines like the virus that they might be, how would you prevent that?”

“The Centers for Disease Control?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. What if we reach key people in places like the CDC. We warn them of the virus and use them and their communication processes and network to coordinate the effort of shutting down production and distribution of vaccines?”

I started a new search online. “Here’s what I’m finding. The CDC is in Atlanta. There’s the Francis Crick Institute in London, Beijing has the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Tokyo has the National Institute for Viral Diseases, and Melbourne has the Victoria Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory. These are the major centers around the world for disseminating information about viruses and other biological threats.”

“All right then. We go to Atlanta.”

“Aren’t you forgetting a few minor details? I’ve only got the clothes I’m wearing, I have no credit cards or money, you said I was flagged on my passport, and we have the CIA and Synthodyne supposedly after us.”

“I have some trusted people in the CIA and they’re working on our behalf. The flag on your passport has been removed at my request. Don’t ask me how, but I pulled in some favors. I haven’t been entirely idle while you save the world on your laptop over there.”

“And what about clothes, and money?”

“I have access to discretionary funds. These are accounts used for expenses when on a mission. Sometimes we need to use them for unsavory methods like buying drugs to get someone to talk. The taxpayers don’t appreciate us spending money on such things so these accounts are untraceable. Therefore, we have money to buy tickets, food, and clothes as necessary. Grab your things. Let’s go.”

I stuffed my laptop in my backpack and turn back to Matt. “Why do I get the feeling I’m being kidnapped?”

“Try not to think of it as being kidnapped, but chaperoned protective custody with a free trip around the world.”

“That sounds so much more palatable. I’m travelling with Matt Damon, my nanny.”

***

We headed straight to the airport and Matt purchased two tickets to Atlanta. I noticed he used a different name for himself. Once away from the counter I questioned him about it. “Stephen Smith?”

“Best not to use my real name. It generates too many questions and could be flagged in the system. We’ll get through security and stop by the shops. We can find you a few clothes, any additional things you need, and purchase a carry-on bag to put them in. You seem nervous.”

“I’ve never flown before.”

“You’re kidding me. Everyone’s flown somewhere.”

“I’m not kidding. I don’t ever remember going further than a few hundred miles from Vancouver. After my parents disappeared I had no spare money to go anywhere.”

“It’s just like riding on a bus.”

“But they don’t put you through metal detectors when you get on a bus, and busses tend to stay on the ground.”

“I promise it will be fine. Besides, you’ve got more important things to think about.”

“Such as?”

“What to wear to convince leaders of a global virus threat and learning our backstory for traveling.”

“I wasn’t aware you and I had enough history together to have a backstory.”

“We’ve got lots of history together. We’re married. Traveling as a couple reduces visibility, scrutiny, and questions.”

“I’m married to Matt Damon…”

“Technically, you’ll be married to Stephen Smith. You chose to keep your name for your client’s continuity.”

“I have clients now? Just what kind of clients do I have?” I crossed my arms and stared at Matt.

“You’re a criminal investigative consultant with a degree in cyber terrorism.”

“My job experience in computer sales at TechIsUs will come in real handy for that. Am I not a little young to have such a title?”

“You graduated high school two years early and finished your degree ahead of schedule. Take out your passport, we’re almost at security.”

Once through the first passport and boarding pass check “Stephen” guided me through the next phase.

“Take your shoes off, put them and your purse into a gray container. Take your laptop out and put it into a separate container, and your backpack will go through the scanner on its own.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

It was quite the juggling feat, but I managed to get everything onto the moving platform with herds of people pressing me from all sides.

“Step into the screening machine, ma’am. Put your hands over your head and step onto the spots marked for your feet.”

I tried to imagine that all of this is supposed to keep people safe that I should try to keep my cool. This is ridiculous.

“Step on through, ma’am, and collect your belongings.”

I found my shoes, slipped them on, then grabbed my purse and laptop. My backpack was missing.

“Is this your backpack, ma’am?”

“Yes.”

“Step over here please.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

The security agent pulled out a bottle of water. “What’s this?”

“Water.”

“You’re not allowed to take water through security, ma’am.”

Matt came up and slipped his arm around my waist just as I was about to blurt out some nasty response. “Sorry, sweetheart. I forget I had that in there.”

The guard tossed the bottle into a trash bin and handed me my pack. “You’re clear to go.”

When we were away from the security station I turned to Matt. “You can’t take water?”

“No liquids. Now that we’re on the secure side of the terminal we can buy more water, although the prices will be quadruple.”

“They’re worried about half a bottle of water, meanwhile billions will be melted down and remade by a virus.” I paused to stare at all the shops. “This place is like a shopping mall.”

“Airports are big business. Everyone is waiting around for their flights, usually have extra money for travelling, and so they shop. We’ve got ninety minutes before boarding. We should get what we need and eat. We won’t get food on the plane to Atlanta.”

Matt pulled me into a jewelry store. The perky lady behind the counter asked us what we were looking for.

Matt offered her a dazzling smile that caught me a little off guard. “We’re heading to Vegas. We’d like to see your wedding rings.”

The sales clerk’s eyes sparkled. “Congratulations! White gold, platinum, or yellow gold?”

Matt turned towards me and slipped his hand around my waist. “What do you think, honey?”

“Gold’s overrated. Platinum.” I’m going to make him pay for this.

“Good choice. Solitaire or multiple stones?”

“The flashier the better. I want the world to see the sparkle so I can prove to the world that Stephen loves me. I remember seeing an ad once that three month’s salary is a small price to pay for a lifetime of love.” I smiled as Matt winced.

“I’ve always been partial to this one. The largest stone is only point five karats but the total diamond weight is one point seven five. Let’s get you sized up.”

She slipped rings on my finger until she found the right size before pulling out the diamond ring. “Sir, would you like the honors?”

Matt frowned briefly before putting on his poker face and smiling. “I’d be happy to.”

Matt took my left hand in his. I felt his strength and how much larger his hand was than mine. It made me feel a little vulnerable and surprisingly weak-kneed. I glanced into his blue eyes to find he had been looking at mine. He quickly looked down and slid the ring gently on my finger. For a moment, I was lost. The ring dazzled and sparkled and my heart and mind fell into accord as I held it out in front of me. Matt’s eyes were as glassy as I suspected mine were.

The moment caught me off guard and played with my emotions. “It’s beautiful, but we’re spending a lot on the trip. I don’t need anything so fancy. I know Stephen loves me for who I am. How about that simple band over there?”

I even think Matt hesitated a little and the sales clerk looked as disappointed as I felt inside. There’s something about Matt that stirs me, truly stirs my heart, mind, and soul, and yet I know nothing about him.

We left the store with a simple platinum band with no diamonds. “It looked beautiful on you.”

“Maybe one day I’ll have one like the other one. I can’t let the taxpayers pay so much for something that is a fake symbol.”

“You want to be married one day?”

“Very much.”

“To a man?”

“Absolutely. I know what you’re thinking. I have memories of who I was before, but that’s all. My transformation was utterly complete. So complete, that I feel more and more like I was born this way and my memories are merely dreams. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to marry as it would be important to me that my husband loves me for who I am. That would include knowing my history. I want to be honest, if nothing else. What about you? No doubt you have young women lining up at your door.”

“Nobody has ever lined up in front of my door. My work has consumed me, but recently I’ve been considering going into different work. I want a family but working for the CIA can be a challenging lifestyle and very hard on families.”

“At least you’ll have a chance for true love. I’m not sure I will.”

“I don’t know why you say that. You’re stunning. There’s not another woman in this airport that can hold a candle to you. Your incredibly smart. You have a good sense of humor. And you’re practical.”

“Thank you. That’s a lot of compliments coming from someone that had me in hand cuffs a few hours ago.”

“There’s a clothing store. Why don’t you find what you need to impress and I’ll go look for a carry-on bag? I’ll meet you back at the store here to pay for what you get in twenty minutes.”

I walked into the store and found what I needed right away. A black, size six dress that was more on the formal side than casual. The hem came to mid-thigh without looking too daring. The plunge was enough to show cleavage yet was also conservative. A black belt with silver buckle accentuated my trim, narrow waist. Black stockings, low-heeled pumps, and a silver jewelry set which included necklace, earrings, and bracelet added to the ensemble.

Matt joined me and took care of the purchase. I carefully folded everything and put it into the new bag he bought.

“That was quick, Adele. I expected you to take longer.”

“The dress just leaped out at me. It fit well and looked good so I didn’t bother looking at anything else.”

“You could wear anything and look impressive, but I like your style, Adele. You have a straightforward approach that’s genuinely refreshing. Let’s get something to eat.”

“You weren’t worried I would run away?”

“I considered that a remote possibility and I would have been devastated that my wife would abandon me in the middle of our honeymoon. If it makes you feel any better, I kept my eye on you from a distance.”

“I won’t run, in case you’re worried; and when I give my word, I mean it.”

“I’m putting my faith in you, Miss Refaeli.”

“I’ll try not to let you down.”

“From what I’ve seen so far, I highly doubt you ever would.”

As we walked to a restaurant, I couldn’t help admiring Matt’s strong shoulders as he carried our bags. I’ve never felt this way around anyone before.

When we got to the restaurant, I pulled out my laptop as we waited for our food. I took advantage of the free WIFI and did a little more research. Grabbing a napkin, I wrote down the name of the deputy director of the CDC in Atlanta, the corporate address, and phone number. I pushed this over to Matt whose fingers lingered a few seconds at our touch before he pulled out his phone.

“May I speak with Deputy Director Thompson please?... This is a matter of global urgency and importance… My wife and I will be arriving tomorrow morning by plane… We must speak with him… A crisis of which the world has never seen before… Yes, of course. Stephen Smith and Adele Refaeli… We’ll see you then.”

“That sounded promising.”

“They said Jack Thompson will find time to listen to us tomorrow morning at ten.”

“If we receive a positive reaction from him, perhaps he can pave the way for us to meet the other leaders in the other countries.”

“Great idea. What are you researching now?”

“Hairstyles.”

“Hairstyles?”

“I need to figure out how to put my hair up. It will appear more businesslike.”

“I kind of like it down.”

***

The boarding process went quite smooth. We were in economy plus, which meant we had two more inches of legroom. I used to be close to Matt’s height and even with the extra legroom his knees were touching the seat in front. My smaller frame made me feel quite comfortable; that was until the plane started to taxi.

I was watching the wings slowly flex up and down as we rolled across the cement towards the runway. My fingers tightened more and more on my armrests. It didn’t help that the stewardess talked about what to do in a crash.

“Relax, Adele.”

“The wings are flexing. Is that normal?”

“Perfectly normal. Would you like to take my hand?”

I didn’t have to think about it. I remember how strong Matt’s hand felt at the jewelry store. I reached over and took hold of it. Immediately I felt comforted. As we pulled out onto the runway and the plane accelerated, I focused on Matt’s hand in mine. With a lurch in my stomach the plane lifted off the ground and I watched the land and city fall away. We banked west first before turning east and I had a stunning view of the sunset.

“It’s so incredibly beautiful.”

“It sure is.”

I turned back towards Matt. He wasn’t staring out the window at all but looking at me. His poor fingers were white as I had squeezed them so hard. “Sorry about your fingers. Logically I know flying is safe, but it’s unnerving.”

“Quite all right, Adele. We best settle in as we’ve got some hours to kill.”

I kept my hand in Matt’s but I did loosen my grip. He didn’t seem to mind. I stared out the window as darkness descended quickly and the stars were brilliantly clear. Below, when clouds permitted, I could see the lights of cities and towns.

After a while I turned my focus back to Matt. “Tell me about yourself. Did you always want to be an agent?”

“I was a bit of a hell raiser growing up. My parents didn’t know what to do with me but they were always supportive. One day I was caught stealing a stereo from an electronics store. The police called my dad who did something that totally surprised me. Instead of him whipping me with his belt, he took a week off his job and volunteered to work at the electronics store as restitution. He brought me with him to work every day that week. I felt so guilty watching my father, who is an electrical engineer by trade, sweeping floors. It was my fault yet he paid my penalty. After three days of watching him, I got up, told my dad to sit down, and I started sweeping the floors.”

“What happened in the end? Did that turn you around?”

“It did. At the end of the week the store owner was so pleased with the outcome that he told me if I work another week in the store he would give me the stereo. The feeling I got from earning the stereo was something that stayed with me the rest of my life. I worked at the store for another three years. It paid for my college and it drove a newfound sense of justice in me. It’s why I became a CIA agent.”

“I bet you’ll make a great father one day.”

“You know my dad never punished me for that incident and yet his actions profoundly changed my life. I look forward to the day I can be a father and have a chance to be half as good as my dad.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You have a lot of great character traits.”

***

There was a dinging sound and I was a little startled that I had fallen asleep. As I opened my eyes I realized my head was leaning against Matt’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I dozed off as well.”

“I hope I didn’t drool on you.”

“Buckets. I had to change my shirt three times.”

“You’re bad.” The plane hit a pocket of turbulence and I grabbed for Matt’s hand again.

“Just a little turbulence. It’s common on takeoff and landing.”

“What happens now?”

“We’ll rent a car, get a room for what’s left of the night, and get to the CDC by ten.”

The plane touched down and the stewardess welcomed everyone to Atlanta. Local time, one thirteen in the morning.

“The flight didn’t seem that long. The seats are quite comfortable.”

“You’re about five inches shorter than me, of course they would feel comfortable to you.”

When the plane stopped at the gate, Matt stood to get my pack and the carry-on bag. I placed a hand on his strong forearm. “Thank you for putting up with me and not treating me like a freak of nature.”

Matt sat down and gently moved some stray hairs from my eyes. “You’re not a freak of nature and perhaps you’re not recalling that when we first met I put you in handcuffs.”

“That’s my fault for hanging around the wrong people. You could have walked away and thrown me in jail forever. You’re risking your job by putting your trust in me.”

“Some people are worth putting faith in. Come on. Let’s get out of this cramped sardine can.”

Matt splurged a little and we stayed at the airport Hilton. They only had one room left, a single room with a king-sized bed. Surprisingly I was okay with this arrangement. I feel very comfortable and secure with Matt. Matt apologized profusely and suggested he could sleep in the chair.

“Matt, I’d like to take a bath and freshen up a little. I’ve been on the floor, in handcuffs, and dragged across the country. Why don’t you flake out on the bed?”

Matt was clearly very tired. When I came out of the bathroom I was halfway expecting a movie scene moment like I imagined while I was having my bath. I come out wearing nothing but towels, Matt is in the bed wearing nothing but boxers, he fawns over me and pulls off my towels, and we… I came out of the bathroom to find Matt face-down on the bed and fast asleep. He was still fully clothed, including his shoes.

I’m not sure what I’m thinking. There’s no way Matt will get over what I used to be. He’s just being kind. Sighing, I untied his shoes and gently removed them. I even pulled the blanket over him. I wasn’t tired at all and with the clock reading just after three in the morning, I pulled out my laptop and sat at the desk. I gathered information on the CDC deputy director, the deputy director of the Francis Crick Institute in London, and the Chinese CEO of the Beijing National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention.

Glancing at the clock it was now six in the morning and Matt was still sound asleep. I wrote a note and left it on the pillow next to him before changing into my new black dress and heading downstairs. There I pleaded with the girl just opening the spa for a manicure, hairstyle, and a little help with makeup.

It was seven-thirty when I quietly opened the door to our room. The bathroom door was closed and Matt was no longer in bed. I placed a tray of breakfast for us on the table and went to open the room darkening curtains.

“Wow!”

I turned to see Matt standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was rubbing the moisture out of his hair with a second towel. There was no question that his chiseled body triggered mine in a way that caused a flush to come to my face.

“You look fantastic, Adele. Why didn’t you wake me? Did you even sleep?”

Glancing in the mirror I must admit I looked great. With my hair put up, the silver jewelry, the high hemline of the dress, dark nylons that made my legs feel tingly and cool, and the subtle makeup I looked both alluring and professional.

“I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I was surprisingly wired when we got here and by the time I started getting tired it was already morning.”

“I was going to sleep on the chair. I’m sorry.”

“Think nothing of it. I brought us breakfast.”

Matt smiled and sat down, all the while not taking his eyes off me.

I was still flustered by his near nakedness. “You’re going to eat like that?”

Matt looked down at his exposed chest. “Something wrong?”

“It’s just… Nope… Nothing wrong.” I could feel myself blushing. “You’re very handsome.” I whispered.

I sat down across from Matt. For the past week I’ve been careful about my posture and how I sat and walked, and I was grateful I had because the short dress would have exposed more than I would want had I not automatically crossed my legs.

We didn’t speak much during breakfast.

“What are you thinking, Matt?”

“That I would never have known. I’m wondering if I will ever be able to…”

I know what he is thinking. That I was a guy before. He finds it disturbing. I looked away to hide my disappointment. He’s just being polite but inwardly he must be repulsed. It’s so unfair. I interrupted him. “You should get ready.”

“Oh… yes.”

I watched as Matt headed back to the bathroom. I should just leave. I’m a fool. I started gathering my things when my phone chirped. It was Tony texting me.

‘Hey, girlfriend.’

‘Hey back.’

‘How are you doing?’

‘That’s a bit of a loaded question right now.’

‘What’s up?’

‘I was arrested by the CIA, but the CIA agent thinks I’m not guilty so we are on the run from everyone while trying to save the world. We’re in Atlanta right now heading to the CDC. He’s gorgeous and I’m pretty sure he’s repulsed by what I used to be.’

‘Oh God. That’s a lot to take in.’

‘I’ll say. How are you doing?’

‘Not well. I’m feeling weak and I’m losing weight. I swear the whites of my eyes look a little yellow.’

‘I wish I was there to help. Did you see a doctor?’

‘I have an appointment today.’

‘I miss you, Tony.’

‘You just take care of that golden heart of yours, okay. That and save the world.’

‘Get better, Tony.’

‘I will, Adele.’

“I’m ready. I see you’re packed as well.”

I looked up to see Matt standing there. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I almost left. I tried to put enthusiasm into my voice but I know it fell flat. “Let’s go then.”

I stayed silent on the long drive to the CDC. I even pulled away slightly when Matt touched the small of my back to lead me into the CDC entrance. Matt looked at me with questioning eyes before turning to the woman at the front desk.

“Stephen Smith and Adele Refaeli to see Deputy Director Thompson.”

“Mr. Thompson will be down in a few minutes. You can wait over there.”

As we walked away from the front desk, Matt stopped me by gently touching my arm. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on, Stephen.” I almost forgot to call him Stephen.

“Ever since breakfast you’ve barely spoken a word. Are you upset because of the room situation last night?”

I unloaded. “I get that you’re revolted by me and you wish you didn’t have to be in this situation. I appreciate your kindness towards me, but after this meeting, I think it best for both of us if we go our separate ways.”

Matt was confused. “How would you ever think that I’m revolted by you?”

“You said that you would have never known. That you wondered why you even care. You despise the fact that I was…” I hated to even call myself male before. “…different before. There’s no way you could ever care for someone like me. I’m sorry this is difficult for you. It will be easier without me.”

“Oh God, no. That’s not…”

“Mr. Smith, Mrs. Refaeli.”

The Deputy Director of the CDC was approaching us. The world is about to end and Matt held his hand up towards the Director. “One second…” Matt’s entire focus was on me. “You never let me finish my sentence this morning. What I never knew was that my mission to take down Kun Huang would so radically alter my life. What you interrupted me saying is I’m wondering if I will ever be able to look upon another woman again and not compare them to you.”

I wronged him. Does such a man even exist in this world? One with good looks, strong morals, just character, and kindness? Matt had turned back towards the director but I couldn’t let this go. Instead of speaking, I slipped my hand into his and squeezed gently. He was already speaking to the director but his thumb stroked the back of my hand.

“Deputy Director Thompson, I hope you have a private place we can speak. Our message is of vital importance.”

“I’m still unsure what this is about. Please follow me.”

We moved to a large conference room and once the door was closed, Matt offered a little more information. “Please forgive me, Deputy Director Thompson, but all of my communications and travel have been using the alias of Stephen Smith. My real name is Matt Damon and I work for the CIA.” Matt pulled out his credentials and handed them to the director.

“I’m a busy man, Mr. Damon. Please get to the point.”

“Adele and I have uncovered a global terrorist plot. An international organization called Synthodyne Corporation has been designing a time-released virus that will be used to infect billions of people around the world.”

“That’s not possible. Time-released viruses don’t exist. You’re wasting my time.”

I took a few steps towards the deputy director. “Sir! Don’t be so fast to dismiss what we must say. You know as well as we do that there are mechanisms to delay delivery of medicines, but these techniques are limited to twenty-four hours due to the fact they are ingested. Injected viruses don’t have this limitation as the blood stream will not be caustic to the delivery mechanism. In other words, you could time release a substance if a form of nanobot was used.”

“Mrs. Refaeli, while these mechanisms you speak of are being developed, they do not yet exist and your delivery mechanism is flawed. No one will willingly inject themselves with a virus.”

“But they will inject themselves with a vaccine. I’d like to show you something.” I pulled out my laptop and opened the flu document. “You graduated summa cum laude from Harvard specializing in bio-engineering. Look at this theoretical design.”

“You’ve studied up on me, Mrs. Refaeli.”

“I make it a point to know who I’m speaking with.”

He glanced at the page of information. “This is very intriguing and an excellent concept in theory, but from this point it would take at least three to four years to test and develop this. I don’t understand where the clown fish comes in.”

“I want you, for a minute, to think about your two daughters, Emma and Grace. Have they received any vaccinations this year?”

“Yes. Yes, of course. They get the flu vaccine every year. I don’t see what my family has…”

“I’m sorry for interrupting, sir. This formula was written six years ago. What I’m about to show you is very disturbing.”

I played the video of my parents, cued up from the point they were strapped to the tables.

“My God! I can see how this virus is manipulating their cells. It’s so rapid. I would have never expected that.”

“This video was also taken six years ago. The reality is that Synthodyne has been secretly perfecting a virus that will transform people, altering them completely. The process consumes one third of their body weight in cellular energy. They have very likely placed this time-delayed virus in vaccines and plan an imminent release.”

“Why? Why would anyone do this?”

Matt stepped in again. “To destroy global economies and establish a new government.”

“I… I can’t believe this. What can I do?”

“You can alert all vaccine distributors and suspend vaccines around the world. Immediately.”

“I… I can’t do that. You offer no concrete evidence, no physical proof. I would have to see the virus firsthand. Making a global communication like that would destroy the people’s trust in vaccines; a trust that we have worked hard to create.”

I stepped up and touched the director’s arm. “Then make a silent communication. Don’t tell the public but stop the delivery of the vaccines. That and prepare for the largest biological act of terrorism the world has ever seen.”

Matt took a few steps towards us. “Sir, even with this limited information we carry, we’re being hunted. We need to go. Adele and I are travelling to London’s Francis Crick Institute as soon as we can get a flight.”

“I can’t guarantee I’ll do anything and I have limited influence. You’re asking too much.”

On the way back to the car I stopped and turned to Matt. Throwing my arms around him, I hugged him tight. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was expecting rejection. I’ve misjudged you.”

“We’re both under a lot of stress right now but I meant what I said. You’re amazing! When did you learn about Deputy Director Thompson?”

“Last night.”

“It was as brilliant as you are beautiful. We need to find out when the next flights are to London.”

“I already have two tickets on the five-fifteen flight this evening. I sort of used your credit card last night. The one you used to pay for the car and hotel. I figured it would be safe.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? I’m starting to wonder if I’m even needed on this little adventure.”

“If it wasn’t for you, some poor guy sitting next to me on the plane would have his fingers broken. I’d say your needed.”

“That means we have time.”

“Time for what?”

“This is the first time you’ve been to Atlanta, right?”

“Yes. My first time anywhere.”

“Atlanta is known for their peaches and one can’t pass through Atlanta without stopping off at Mary Mac’s Tea Room for peach cobbler.”

“How did you know I have a sweet tooth?”

“It might have been the cinnamon buns you bought for breakfast, which you had two of.”

“It wasn’t two, it was one and the third you left.”

“If you say so. Did you find out when we arrive in London?”

“Eight-hour flight plus five hours ahead. If we leave around five that means we might arrive at six in the morning.”

“These international flights can be challenging. Sometimes they are freezing and other times they are too warm. I need to pick up some convertible pants and a t-shirt. You might need something to cover your legs. You only have dresses.”

“But I love dresses. Maybe I can buy a skirt and blouse and some leggings that would keep me warm. Yoga pants, perhaps.”

“At least we’ll get good service from the male flight attendants.”

“Yes, the gay ones when they see you in a t-shirt. “

***

“Oh my God! This is amazing peach cobbler.”

“I told you, Adele.”

“I almost feel guilty.”

“How come?”

“There is an imminent global biological threat and I’m sitting in a quaint little restaurant in the middle of downtown Atlanta eating peach cobbler.”

“Most everyone in here is eating peach cobbler.”

“That’s why I’m feeling almost guilty. Do you remember Tony?”

“The girl from your diversity class?”

“You have a great memory.”

“It’s selective. What about Tony?”

“I’m really worried about her. She sounds very sick.”

“You care a lot about people.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I was a bit of a pessimist and a loner before all of this. I could never hold a job for long and had few friends. I know how much I hurt when this happened. They stuffed a rubber stopper between my teeth so I wouldn’t bite my tongue off. My skin literally boiled away. I lost my hearing and vision as the virus ate through my ears and eyes. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. In many ways I felt like I was going nowhere in life and I had little passion for anything and now, I have purpose, passion, love my life, but I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”

“Whatever you do it will be a success.”

“You obviously don’t know me very well, but I appreciate the positivity. Should we get some more cobbler?”

***

I was far more prepared for airport security this time and with a few adjustments to what and how I packed and what I wore made all the difference in the world for ease of getting through. I love wearing the short little skirt with the warm leggings and instead of a blouse, I found a cozy but thin sweater. The ensemble had a nice side effect in that Matt couldn’t keep his eyes off me.

Matt found a pair of casual hiking pants and a snug fitting t-shirt with a shirt over top in case he got cold. The ready-for-nature look gave Matt a wholesome outdoorsy vibe. Combine that with a two-day old beard and the women were fawning over him, much to my dismay.

As we sat down to wait for boarding, something captured my attention. A news clip was talking about the CDC.

‘In a startling discovery today, Deputy Director Thompson of the CDC issued a communication to recommend stopping vaccine distribution and use. I was preparing to interview some medical staff regarding flu vaccines when they told me about the communication. When I probed for more details, they said the information provided was vague. I followed up with the CDC but they have no comment.”

“We made a difference, Matt! Why don’t you seem very happy about this?”

“There’s a good chance our moves are being monitored even though we’re being careful. It would have been best if this had been kept silent. It won’t be difficult for people that wish to stop us to put two and two together. If what we’re doing isn’t too little too late, then we just became much more visible.”

By the time we got settled on the plane, I was feeling more relaxed than before, but still nervous. The morning had started out so strained. This was, of course, my own fault. While I’m happy to be the new me, I’m self-conscious about my past. I try to put myself in Matt’s shoes, and I can only come to one conclusion, that my being male before would be a turn-off.

Being a bit of a movie buff, I see it happen all the time. Impending world doom, high action, a man and woman are thrust together and within days, they’re making love to each other. In the case of James Bond, that happens within minutes. While I don’t want to be swept away by the moment and circumstances, I want to know my feelings for Matt are real and not contrived. Likewise, I hope his feelings for me are reciprocated.

My hand reached for Matt’s almost automatically as the plane hurtled itself down the runway. I’m not a wimp or a ditsy, helpless, dumb brunette, but the warmth and strength of his hand was comforting and made me feel deeply connected to him.

Once we’ve leveled off, the flight attendants began coming through the cabin offering drinks. I was staring out the window when I overheard the female attendant flirting with Matt. I was immediately jealous and made a visible effort to display my ring as I reached for his hand once again. “Do you want the chicken or beef, sweetheart?” I don’t look at Matt but rather the buxom blonde flight attendant.

Matt, who had seemed oblivious to the attendant, looked at me and recommended the beef.

“Two beef dinners then?” The attendant’s smile had gone a little sour.

“Yes, please.”

Once she had vanished, I apologized to Matt. “You must think I’m a needy, selfish person. I grab your hand for takeoff and landings, and I’m messing up your life.”

“Why would you think you’re messing up my life, Adele?”

“That flight attendant was fawning all over you. You could have had a date or joined the mile-high club with her. I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think you’re needy or selfish. It’s kind of endearing that you seem to thrive on touch. Not all women are like that. As for the attendant, I wasn’t aware of any fawning going on. My mind is on other things right now.”

I was grateful for not being rejected or Matt being angry with me. “What’s your situation, Mr. Damon?”

“In what way?”

“How will your girlfriend, or maybe even your wife, feel about you posing as my husband?”

“You’re fishing, Adele.”

“Guilty as charged. Is that a bad thing?”

“I’m not married and don’t have a girlfriend.”

“But you were married before.”

Matt cocked his eyebrow at me. “Why would you say that?”

“You seem so confident and self-assured, you’re good looking, kind, and caring. I would think it unlikely that you would have escaped being snatched up at some point.”

“That’s probably more compliments in one sentence than I’ve ever received before. Yes, I was married. You’re rather astute.”

“Not astute. I didn’t do any sleuthing. Just a little deductive reasoning. It’s all simple math. Married or not is a fifty percent chance, but because of who you are, I leaned more towards the married before side of things, giving myself a seventy percent chance of being right. Are you going to wait for me to ask you what happened before you spill the beans?”

“I got engaged in my final year of college. She was pretty and very outgoing. We got married shortly after I started at the CIA. About a year into the marriage I returned early from a mission to find her in bed with another man.”

“Ouch. That would hurt. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I thought I did at first. I kept asking myself if only I had done this, or if only I hadn’t taken that mission. It’s taken years for me to recover emotionally from it. Looking back, I can see how wrong we were for each other. She seemed so drawn to the idea of being married, but she was so aloof. She would dress up for dinner and then not want to kiss because it would mess up her makeup. Everything was always on her terms. After the newlywed phase, her friends began to take center stage in her relationships. In any given week, she would be out four or five evenings. I was stupid and I should have seen it coming.”

I gently squeezed Matt’s hand. “For what it’s worth, it’s her loss. I’ve seen women like her before. They want to feel desired so much that once they achieve their goal of marriage it’s not enough for them. They keep looking and when someone new shows interest, it’s like a dog chasing after a squirrel.”

“I guess it’s hard for you, Adele. All your hopes and dreams have gone up in flames.”

“Not at all. If anything, this whole thing has helped me focus. Before I had a vague idea of what I wanted, and now, it’s much clearer.”

“So, what do you want?”

“To find someone that will love me with all my faults and flaws. Someone that I will willingly give my heart to forever. I want a family and to have two children. I also would like to go back to school and perhaps get into a career in artificial intelligence.”

“You want children?”

I sniffed as my eyes became teary. “I’m dreaming about having them. I’m sure you see that as strange.”

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Constantly put yourself down. I don’t see you as strange. You could have any man on this plane begging you for your hand in marriage. You’re quite remarkable.”

“I’ll try to do a better job of not putting myself down. How about you? What do you want?”

“After my experience with my wife, I didn’t think I would ever unchain my heart again. I think it’s time. I want what you want; a loving wife, a family. I’ve even been thinking of changing my job so I can be more accessible to a wife and children.”

We sat back and relaxed for a while. I stared out the window until our dinner came. After my first taste of overly cooked, salty, airline food, I tried to get comfortable so I could sleep. Even with the vents closed it was colder than I expected it to be. Matt found a pillow and a blanket for me, raised the armrest between us, and offered his shoulder to lean up against.

As I drifted off to sleep, I struggled with my heart. What I wanted most of all is sitting right next to me.

***

I woke with the first bump of air turbulence on our approach into London airport. Matt’s hand was in mine and he was sleeping peacefully with his head on my shoulder. Cautiously, I touched his cheek feeling the rough stubble against my fingers. Matt stirred.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Adele. Did you sleep well?”

“Surprisingly well.”

Matt winced as he sat upright.

“What’s the matter?”

“Sleeping on planes always leaves me cramped up. My neck is sore.”

“Lean forward a little.”

I moved my arm behind his back and let my fingers gently massage the back of his neck. I tried to be mechanical at first, but the simple act of moving my fingers across his neck and into his hair became something sensual and loving to me. I remembered my mom doing this to my dad. I closed my eyes and for a moment pictured Matt as my real husband that I loved. In the minutes that followed, my actions became effortless.

When Matt slowly sat up, his eyes could see right through me and I became embarrassed. He’s seen my folly.

“My wife would never do that. Thank you, my neck feels much better.” As we exited the plane, Matt kept his hand in mine. “We will pass through customs. This should be straight forward, but we need to be on the same page. We’re here for a business trip, heading on to Beijing tomorrow. We have to figure out our hotel in case they ask.”

“We’re staying at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel tonight. It’s only a block away from the Francis Crick Institute and we’re confirmed for early arrival so we can freshen up and change. We’re meeting Fasad Harref, acting director, at two-thirty. I didn’t book flights to Beijing yet but I did find there are seats open on the eight-seventeen morning flight tomorrow.”

“God, you’re good, Adele.”

“You might not be pleased with the cost of the room tonight.”

“This is London, everything is expensive.”

“This will be the first time I’m on another continent. I always wanted to travel.”

“Too bad we have so little time.”

***

I found London to be a bustling city of grand architecture and style. Driving on the wrong side of the road just seemed downright confusing. I was busy staring in awe at the people and buildings when the rear window exploded.

Matt dove over me. “Get down!”

Bullets riddled the car. I heard Matt cry out in pain and felt the heavy taxi crash headlong into something very solid. Everything was silent for a moment until I began hearing sirens.

“Adele? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Just shaken up a little.”

Matt raised himself up carefully, glass falling off his jacket. “It’s clear. The driver…”

The glimpse I got through the side crack of the front seat was all I needed to know. Blood splattered the front windshield. My attention then went immediately back to Matt. He was reaching towards the front to check on the driver, but I could see blood dripping down his left arm.

“You’ve been hit! Oh God! Matt!” My hand went to his cheek. My heart was racing.

“He’s gone. Don’t look. I’m all right. Let’s get out of the car. Be careful of the glass.”

Matt quickly took charge, assessed the street for any risks, and slowly and carefully pulled me out. I looked around as I stood on shaking legs. We had crashed into the back of another vehicle. Matt had a little blood on his face. I leaned him against the car and pulled an extra blouse from my bag. I checked his face, there was a small nick from glass. I wiped the blood before moving to his arm. He had a deep bullet graze. It was bleeding a lot. As gently as I could I wrapped my blouse around it.

I fell into Matt’s arms and hugged him tight. “You saved my life.”

“All I could think about was protecting you.” His hand cupped my cheek tenderly. I leaned my face into his hand. The sirens were becoming louder.

“Who…?”

“It was a professional hit, Adele. Two men on a motorcycle and one with an automatic gun. Synthodyne most likely.”

“But how? Even Synthodyne with their technology couldn’t track us, could they?”

“Not alone, but I don’t doubt they had help.”

I wanted to talk more, but the police arrived. The scene was chaotic. Matt received medical care and we were hustled to the police station. Matt revealed his true identity and his CIA credentials. After a few hours, we were released and dropped off at the hotel.

I kept looking around us as I clung to Matt’s right arm. After checking in to our room, I doted on Matt until he said enough was enough.

“It’s just a scratch, Adele. I’m fine.”

“You may be fine, but this is the third time I’ve been shot at in weeks. The poor taxi driver lost his life because of me.”

“No, Adele. He lost his life because of bad people. Not you.”

“But the driver wasn’t their target. He probably had a family.”

“What we’re doing is dangerous. We’re going up against an international terrorist organization and we’re causing them pain. We need to stay focused on our task. We have a few hours before we meet Fasad.”

I started fussing over Matt again. “If anything happened to you… Why don’t you lie back and rest? I’ll go get us something to eat.”

“I’m fine and we’d likely not eat much anyways. Why don’t you get ready and I’ll make some inquiries? I have a few highly trusted people at the CIA and I want to do a little digging.”

“You’re sure you’re all right?”

“Yes. Go take advantage of that four hundred dollar per night bathroom.”

Taking my dress into the bathroom, I closed the door behind me and started to cry. That was too close. Matt could have been killed. This is when I truly realized what was happening with me. I’m in love with Matt.

***

An hour later I stepped out of the bathroom with my makeup, hair, and everything the best I could possibly do myself. My other clothes I put into a bag for the hotel to clean as my skirt had got some blood on it.

“I’ll never get over the sight, Adele. Stunning is an understatement for how you look.” Matt had his suit laid out on the bed. There were some crackers, cheese, and water on the table. “I ordered in something light. I contacted someone at the CIA. They’re not hearing anything. Not about us, Synthodyne, the shooting, or anything.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means communications are being intercepted and funneled. Someone at the CIA is involved. I was going to send you someplace safe, but it appears the safest place is where I can keep an eye on you.”

I was angry and yet happy. “You wanted to send me away?”

“I… For your own protection. I should get ready.”

Matt quietly snuck into the bathroom leaving me confused about everything except for who I now am.

***

“Mr. Harref will see you now.”

“Thank you.”

We were led into Fasad Harref’s office and when the door was closed behind us, he greeted us warmly. “Deputy Director Thompson of the CDC speaks highly of you both. It appears, Miss Refaeli, you leave a lasting impression and I now understand why.”

I noticed Matt stiffen slightly. “You’ve spoken then.”

“Yes. I would like to see your evidence firsthand, but I’m prepared to follow suit.”

I stood and looked over London from Mr. Harref’s office window. “Mr. Harref?”

“Please, a woman of your beauty should never be so formal. Call me Fasad.”

Matt bristled again.

“You should be aware that Matt and I are being hunted. This means we’re having an impact with Synthodyne Corporation. They nearly killed Matt this morning during our taxi ride in from the airport.”

“Us. They nearly killed us.” Matt corrected.

“That was you? I heard about that. Thank you for the warning. I’ll take precautions for my family and staff here. Where are you heading next?”

“Beijing.”

“You’re heading to see CEO Xan then?”

“Yes.”

“I was to fly tomorrow to be at their formal dance event. I understand he flies out the next afternoon for Malaysia. I can call ahead to ensure you have a chance to meet. I think you will look amazing in a formal dress, Adele.”

Matt took over the conversation at that point. He seemed quite irritated with Fasad. We played the video and Matt relayed the story up until now. Fasad was amicable to freezing shipments of vaccines.

We dropped off my computer in the hotel but before I could change, Matt took my hand to lead me out to get a taxi. Clearly, he was irritated as we waited for the cab.

“That Fasad is a real piece of work. I wanted to deck him.”

“Hey…” I said softly. I placed my hand lightly on his chest while my other hand gently touched his left arm. The closeness was intoxicating. “It’s all right. How’s your arm?”

“He was rude.”

I smiled. “I ignored him. We did what we needed to do and we have an in to see CEO Xan. How’s your arm?”

“It’s fine.”

“Where are we going?”

“To see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Bridge, and to go find some fish, chips, and beer.”

Stretching up, I kissed Matt on his cheek. “Thank you. You don’t need to do this for me.”

Matt finally smiled and laughed. “Who said I’m doing it for you?”

When the taxi arrived, Matt put me on the left side of the car. He’s protecting me. At first, I was hesitant to get back into another cab so I snuggled up against Matt and kept away from the windows. Slowly, the sights and sounds of London drew me to the window, but my hand remained in Matt’s the entire time. It was magical to see places I never dreamed I would ever see.

We stopped at a pub and Matt insisted he open the door for me and extended his hand to help me out of the cab. While Matt paid the driver, I unpinned my hair and shook it out to be more casual. Matt reached for my hair and smiled before he put his hand on the small of my back to lead me inside.

The pub was dark, cozy, and charming. Soccer was playing on the televisions. The floors and walls were all wood, dark stained by years of use. The smells were heavenly. We found a comfortable red-leather bench seated booth, which I scooted into and made sure Matt followed me to the same side. I’m smitten with him and he seems to like me.

Matt ordered for us both, which I was perfectly fine with. First to arrive were two large dark ales. Matt raised his glass and touched mine with a heavy clink. “To the most beautiful woman in the pub.”

I giggled and looked around. “I’m the only woman in the place.”

“That makes it definitive then.”

I smiled and took a deep sip of the richest, smoothest dark ale I’ve ever had. “This is so good and the company isn’t half bad either.”

“The company, is excellent.”

We were both laughing and giggling as we arrived back at our hotel late. Matt stripped out of his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxers, while I slipped on his casual shirt. Matt made a move towards the chair, but I steered him back to the bed. It was a wonderful secure feeling to lay my head on his chest and feel his arm around me.

***

My phone alarm woke us in the same position we fell asleep in. Nothing had happened, which led me to believe Matt maybe just wants a friendship. Perhaps that is the best even though I know I want more from him.

We were a little rushed to get to the airport, through increasingly tight European security, and to our gate. For the long eleven-hour flight, Matt insisted we upgrade. We would be arriving around two in the morning.

The seats in first class were huge and amazing. They could almost lie flat and they had free Internet which allowed me to do some planning. The National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention is located down near Tiananmen Square. I booked a room for two nights at the New World Beijing Hotel where the gala formal event would take place.

The flight was long and boring and I was starting to feel more confident on them, but that didn’t mean I was letting go of Matt’s hand. Secretly I hoped my desire to be close would rub off on him.

“I assume you’ve got everything planned out for us?”

“I do. I hope you don’t mind.”

“What time is the formal event?”

“It starts at seven. Hopefully we can find something formal to wear.”

“Leave that to me. There’s no chance of seeing CEO Xan early?”

“Making excuses already? I’m not a good dancer so I’ll likely just embarrass you anyways.”

“There you go again talking down about yourself. You’ll be fine. Besides, we’re here to save the world, not dance.”

I glanced over at Matt. His last comment sounded a little cool. “What’s bothering you, Matt?”

“You can tell so easily. My wife never recognized my moods after nearly two years together. China requires a visa for entry. I just hope Fasad came through and Xan managed to speak to someone on our behalf otherwise we’ll be turned away at the airport.”

“Is that all that’s bothering you?”

“Just fighting my demons.”

“I’ve got those too. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

This time it was Matt that slipped his hand into mine. He’s processing something. I held his hand as I scanned through my email. There was an update from Tony. As I read through it I pulled my hand from Matt’s and rushed to the bathroom. A few minutes later I heard Matt at the door asking if I was all right.

“It’s Tony…” I grabbed several tissues and fell into Matt’s arms sobbing. “She’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors have given her three months to live. I feel like I just want to give up. It’s overwhelming. Poor Tony. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“She’s lucky to have you as a friend.”

“She has nobody to look after her. I sometimes wonder if that will be my fate.”

“How so?”

“Dying alone or that no one will even care that I’m gone.”

“Don’t talk like that. You’re important. People care for you.”

“I need to write Tony back. I don’t know when we’ll be back in Seattle, but when I get there I’m going invite Tony to stay with me.”

“You’ve got a big heart, Adele.”

“The problem is that I’ve kept it to myself ever since I thought my parents abandoned me.”

***

I slept fitfully for some of the flight and luckily, even though passport control was frightening with Chinese officials and people standing around with guns, we were finally allowed entry when CEO Xan’s message arrived. We got to the hotel around six in the morning and checked in. Breakfast consisted of rice porridge with pickles. The odd mixture of tastes shook me from my grief about Tony.

I apologized to Matt and I was pleased by his graciousness. We settled in until almost ten o’clock before going shopping. After browsing for a few hours, we had lunch. I had seen a dress in one store and I wanted to go back to try it on and Matt needed to go another direction for his tuxedo. I tried to persuade Matt it would be all right for us to split up.

“After what happened in London, I want to make sure you’re safe, Adele. I think we should stay together.”

“I appreciate that, but I want to be able to surprise you with my dress.”

“I’ll not look while you are trying it on.”

Reaching across the table I took Matt’s hand in mine. “You’re so wonderful and protective. While I don’t relish the idea of being apart, I need this opportunity to conquer my fears. I’ll be fine and I promise I’ll be back at our room in ninety minutes.”

Matt’s eyes searched mine before he relented. “All right. No more than ninety minutes. One second later and I’ll call out the army. I need to get my tux anyways.”

Reluctantly I left the restaurant and Matt behind. Matt’s continual presence was distracting and this would be our first moment apart since we met. While I didn’t want to be away from him, this gave me a chance to really consider my feelings and our situation. If anything, our short distance from each other only strengthened my desire to be with him. I found myself wanting to make an impression on Matt tonight so I stopped by a salon and had my hair, makeup, and nails done before trying on the dress. The dress I found was perfect, except I needed something fancier for shoes to go with it.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, I found Matt relaxing on the bed. His eyes lit up at the sight of me and I resisted the impulse to throw myself into his arms.

“Five minutes to spare. I was about to call the president.”

“That’s sweet of you to worry about me. I didn’t get shot or anything. I trust you found your tux?”

“I had women giving me their phone numbers. It’s very impressive. It makes me look quite dashing.”

“You must be meeting them tonight then. I can imagine dozens of women rioting in the street if you didn’t call them.”

“Dozens? I love how your hair is styled. Did you get everything you needed?”

“I did, but it’s a secret. I’m going to make you wait to see it. You have to go down to the event all on your own.”

“What are you up to? You have that gleam in your eyes that tells me you’ve got an ulterior motive.”

“I’m in Beijing of all places, with a CIA agent, and on a mission to save the world. It might not be a casino in Monte Carlo, but I want to feel what it’s like to be in a James Bond movie where the woman enters the building and spots the handsome agent across the room. Call me foolish and self-absorbed, but I can sure use a little brevity right now.”

“Then I’m happy to oblige. Although, I fear you will spot someone else that catches your eye and I’ll be left dancing with Olga the powerlifter from Bulgaria. If I had my druthers, I’d handcuff you to me so that you couldn’t stray too far.”

“You don’t need handcuffs to keep me from straying but the image is somewhat enticing.” Things were getting a little too heated and I continued in my nagging phobia that Matt is just being kind and polite to me but doesn’t have a real interest in me. I pulled out a sweet treat I bought for him. “I got you something to help with the jetlag and to keep you awake tonight.”

“To think of me like that takes a very special person. Kind, compassionate, and caring.” His eyes danced merrily. “That treat looks remarkably like the one I bought you.” Matt started to hand me a treat he had purchased earlier but pulled it back at the last second and took a bite out of it. “Mmm, they’re very good.”

“Give me that!”

I reached for it and he spun away laughing but I’m quicker than he is. I dove over the bed, rolled, grabbed the treat from his hand and ran towards the window. My back was to him as I stuffed the treat into my mouth just as he grabbed me from behind and pulled me back onto the bed with him. It’s a moment I will never forget. In the middle of everything going on, we found joy and laughter. My heart was racing as I swallowed the last of the treat and stared up into Matt’s eyes. He touched my nose with his finger and pulled it away with some powdered sugar on it. He popped his finger into his mouth, smiled, and disentangled himself from me.

“I need to get changed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

I felt cold and bereft even though his tone was soothing and kind. He seemed reluctant to leave and I would rather we simply stay in the room together. I watched as he straightened his hair, put on his tie, and pulled on his jacket. “See you downstairs. Don’t make me wait too long.”

When the door closed behind him, I rolled over in frustration and screamed into the pillow. Never have I wanted anything so much in my entire life. Would it be different had he never known about my past and we just randomly met on the street?

Sighing, I reminded myself of our mission and got up from the bed. I washed my face and touched up my makeup, fixed the hairs that had gone astray, put on my nylons, and slipped into my new dress and shoes. My reflection was no longer of another person, but a beautiful reminder of who I now am.

The woman in the mirror was flawless and regal. I lifted my chin, put my shoulders back, and felt my confidence rising. That I’m in love with Matt is without question and if he chooses not to be with me, then I know my heart will break, but the woman in the mirror is strong and yet tender. She will survive anything.

It was with a renewed inner peace that I made my way downstairs to the gala event.

***

A wide-eyed attendant checked my identification that I pulled from my small, handheld black purse. There was no question he would let me in, even if I wasn’t on the list, but he smiled after a head-to-toe look at me, handed back my identification, and welcomed me to the event.

The grand ballroom was indeed grand. A band played jazz music, which was oddly out of place for Beijing, but suitable for the golden shimmer of the chandeliers. Men and women were dressed in their finest suits and dresses. Many paused to turn their eyes my way and to take in my black and silver sequined formal dress. I ignored their stares as I scanned the room, alighting on a handsome man in a black tuxedo. His eyes never once moved from me as I moved as cautiously and elegantly as I could in the two-inch heels.

“Please tell me you’re my date for the evening.”

I smiled, pulled two long-stem glasses of champagne from a tray hovering nearby, and handed one to Matt. “I didn’t know what to expect on my blind date from a Craigslist ad, after all, I was expecting Matt Damon to meet me here.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Who said I was disappointed? You’re much more handsome. Shall we dance?”

Matt smiled and set our glasses aside. “Who are you and what have you done with the girl that had powdered sugar on her nose?” His hand found the small of my back and led me onto the dance floor. It stayed there as he pulled me close against him, my hand slipped into his free one. My heart was beating so quickly, but I did my best to maintain control.

“You’re a very beautiful and special young lady, Adele.”

We swayed back and forth to the music and I was comfortable letting Matt lead. Even with my heels, Matt was still a few inches taller, but to me, this was perfect. I stared into Matt’s eyes and wished I knew what was going on inside there. I needed to know, so I braced my heart.

“Do you think you could ever fall for a girl like me?”

Matt paused our dancing and his hands gently cupped my face to force our eyes to meet. “I already have.” His lips touched mine ever so tenderly before pulling back. His eyes told me everything and I could read his thoughts. Was it too much? Did I cross the line?

I had to answer those questions before my heart exploded and left me in pieces on the ballroom floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

People danced around us, the songs changed, and yet I was lost in Matt’s embrace. My fingers slipped delicately through Matt’s hair at the back of his neck. With my head buried into his shoulder, all my insecurities and fears vanished.

“How long?” I whispered into his ear.

“Since Seattle. I’ve been struggling with my demons regarding my ex, and whether I was falling for you because of your beauty and charm, or that the situation has flung us together in such a way that once this is all over we wouldn’t feel the same way.”

“And I’ve known for days.”

“Known what?”

“That I’m in love with you, Matt Damon.”

That elicited another kiss and once again the world and its troubles faded from view.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.”

Matt kept me close with his hand around my waist as we turned to find CEO Xan and his wife. Matt wasn’t sure who it was so I spoke for us both.

“CEO Xan, and I see you brought your lovely wife, Jiao. We apologize for not seeking you out directly.”

“It is quite all right, Mrs. Refaeli. We were expecting you both here tonight and we only just arrived ourselves. What you have shared with the CDC and the Francis Crick Institute is quite alarming. China has heard rumors of such a terrorism act and yet without evidence we have been hard pressed to formalize a decision. I leave tomorrow morning for Malaysia, but can meet you both at seven-thirty at our home. Here is the address, it is only a few blocks from here.”

“Thank you, CEO Xan.”

“Please, enjoy the event and try for a moment to forget the cares of this world if only for one night.”

I smiled and tipped my head, trying hard not to blush. “We’ll do our best.”

With that the CEO and his wife vanished into the crowd.

Turning to Matt, I placed my hands on his chest and snuggled into his arms. “It’s been suggested that we forget the world’s problems for the night. Do you have any suggestions on how we can do that?”

“Champagne, food, dancing, and getting to bed early.”

Matt tugged me with his hand in mine towards the refreshments but I stood my ground and pulled back. “I’m not leaving this spot until I hear it.”

Matt smiled and kissed me between each word of his sentence. “I… love… you… Adele… Refaeli.”

“Mmm. You couldn’t have thought up a longer sentence? That was nice.”

“If my sentence was any longer, we’d have to skip the refreshments.”

“Oh, please. I’m not hungry anyways.”

That seemed to be all the incentive Matt needed and we rushed from the ballroom to the elevators sneaking kisses and cuddles all the way. During our short elevator ride things got pretty heated until an older couple got on. When we reached our floor, we ran to our room, and closed the door behind us. Matt pressed my back up against the wall; his left hand was on my hip and his right was in my hair as he kissed me passionately.

Our giggles and laughter subsided, replaced with passion and whispered words of love and commitment to each other. Matt’s touches became more and more tender and sensual and I will never forget the feeling of my dress falling to the floor. I had no hesitation, no fear.

***

My phone alarm woke me up at five-thirty. I was a little groggy, not knowing what time it was anymore due to time zone changes and jet lag, but I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Matt smiled and kissed me as he brushed the hair from my eyes.

“That was, without a doubt, the most amazing night of love making I’ve ever had. Please tell me you feel the same way about me this morning as you did last night.”

I stroked Matt’s stubbled cheek with my hand. “The only place I ever want to be is with you, my love. I’d do anything for you.”

“Anything?”

“Absolutely anything.”

“Then promise to never leave me or cheat on me.”

“That’s an easy promise to make.”

Matt smiled. “I’ll order us some breakfast.”

He started to pull himself away from me but I held him fast. “If the world ended right now, I’d be the happiest woman alive.”

With a kiss, Matt reluctantly pulled himself away from my naked body. “If I knew today was the last day on earth, I’d not leave you there without taking advantage of you until the very last second, however, because we have a chance to stop the end of the world from coming, I like to think my willpower will provide us many more years to come.”

“Willpower is overrated.”

I watched Matt briefly before carefully making my way to the shower and avoided stepping on our clothes that were littered across the hotel room floor from the previous night.

As I showered I contemplated everything that has happened so far. I looked back at my memories of who I was before and determined I never want to go back. I would sooner die.

***

We walked the four blocks to CEO Xan’s home. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and I wore the professional little black dress that was likely in need of a wash by now. I left my hair down as every time I tried to put it up Matt kissed me on the neck making it impossible to finish.

As we stepped up to the front door, two men came up behind us with guns. The door opened and we were quickly ushered inside. CEO Xan and his wife were each standing in the foyer with guns pressed to their heads. In all, five armed men now had us completely in their control. Chang Huan came out from another room with a briefcase. He set the heavy black case on a counter and walked up towards me. He was shorter than I am, but still rather imposing.

“You’re Adele Refaeli. The video footage I’ve seen of you doesn’t do you justice. I assume you know who I am?”

“You’re Chang Huan, one of Synthodyne’s founders.”

“Very good, Adele. Your partner in crime is Matt Damon from the CIA. The two of you have caused us much grief, but you, Miss Refaeli, are the reason we’re here today. It was you that exposed our plan.”

“You can stop your plan. You could be billionaires if you used your research for good.”

“You can’t stop a tsunami, my dear, and who would want a paltry few billion dollars when we can have trillions?”

He walked over to his briefcase and opened it. He pulled out a syringe and turned to CEO Xan. “You’re a traitor to your own country. To think I once respected you. Word on the street says you were looking for hard evidence of the virus.”

CEO Xan spit into Chang’s face.

“Hold him!”

Two big men grabbed CEO Xan while Chang wiped his face. Xan struggled to no avail. With a suddenness that was startling, Chang plunged the needle into Xan’s arm.

“No!” I yelled.

In seconds, Xan was screaming as his skin began boiling away. The men let him slump to the ground; his wife fainted next to him. Matt and I watched in pure horror as Xan transformed before our eyes turning into a slightly younger east Indian woman. When the transformation was complete, Xan slowly regained consciousness. She was in pain and very weak but the recognition of what was done could be seen in her fear-filled eyes. She could barely move and was no threat to anyone. She pulled herself into a corner of the room and curled herself into a ball and wept.

Chang ordered his men to take my computer and then they all headed for the door but Chang paused, set his briefcase down again, and produced another needle.

“You’ve been such a pain, Miss Refaeli. I only have one more dose with me. You get to choose. Who will I inject? Matt, or you?”

Matt lunged but was knocked back hard and a gun was pressed hard against the back of his head.

“You can’t do this!” Matt strained, his neck muscles were tight, but controlled knowing one wrong move and he would be dead.

I looked at Matt. I couldn’t let him go through the pain or the transformation.

“One of you will get this injection. Who will it be, Miss Refaeli?”

Either choice and our relationship is over. I don’t want to be a man again; a boy is what I would condemn myself to. Turning to Matt, I saw such anger and fear in his eyes. “Remember that I’ll always love you!”

I launched myself at Chang in such a way that the needle had no choice but to plunge into my side. I heard Chang’s laughter and Matt’s horrible scream of defeat and loss as pain ripped through my body.

I focused all my attention on Matt even as I collapsed to the ground. I reached for him; my arm and hand twisted spasming. I saw Matt tear himself away from the armed men and then I heard a shot just as everything went black.

***

I woke slowly and terribly afraid. I recalled the last moments in Xan’s house and I knew my life was over. Matt! What happened to Matt! Is he dead? I blinked back tears as I tried to understand the strange sights and sounds around me. I wasn’t on the floor of Xan’s house. There’s beeping and bright white lights.

“Matt!”

Matt was suddenly there looking down at me. His face looked weary and worried. “Adele! My God. You’re awake!”

“Where…” My voice was scratchy, but it sounded normal; like my normal female voice. I raised my hand to see a feminine hand and an IV attached to it. “I’m still me? What happened? You were shot?”

I tried to sit up but I was weak. Matt helped me. I looked down and realized I was definitely still me, Still Adele.

“I went nuts when Chang injected you. I was shot through my side and collapsed. Chang and his men left immediately after that. You’ve been unconscious with a high fever for four days. The doctors believe your exposure to the virus before provided you resistance. Your body fought the virus.”

My left hand reached for Matt’s face. “Are you all right? You were shot.”

“It was clean through my side. No vitals were hit. I’m patched up and soon will be good as new.”

Tears began falling freely. “I thought I lost us. I couldn’t let them hurt you. Please tell me this isn’t a dream. Tell me you’re all right. Tell me you love me.”

Matt’s lips were on mine in an instant. “I’ll never stop loving you, Adele, and I’ll never forget your sacrifice. The pain Xan went through and to know you would sacrifice yourself for me. I failed to protect you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, my love. You saved me from myself a thousand times every day since I met you. CEO Xan?”

“You need rest.”

“No… I need food, I need to get up, and we need to take Synthodyne down. What happened to CEO Xan?”

Matt sighed and I knew he was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear. “Two days ago, his wife wasn’t able to reconcile that Xan was now female. She left him and then board of directors refused to acknowledge him after his transformation. He committed suicide.”

I brought my hand to my mouth to stifle my sobs. “We have to put a stop to this.”

“I’ve been in contact with the CIA. They’re authorizing me to lead a team to take down Kun Huan and Synthodyne. My orders are coming from the highest level of the CIA.”

I pushed up, but was still very weak. “Matt, please take us out of here.”

“I would like that very much, but you need to stay here a bit longer. Your blood might prove to be the foundation for a vaccine.”

“Really?” I almost started laughing. “I can see that going over well. Ignore all these other vaccines while we give you this new one. Can’t they take a quart or two and let us go?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

I reached for Matt but caught a glimpse of my left hand. “My ring is missing!”

“The fever and virus caused your fingers to swell. The doctors cut the ring off.”

I almost started crying again. “You don’t know how much it meant to me…”

“I have a pretty good idea.”

I reached for Matt once more and pulled him to me for a kiss. “I assume there is a bathroom in here. I feel gross and could use a shower. Do I have my clothes here?”

“Yes, I went and got everything.”

“Maybe you can get the doctors to drain my blood after I have a shower.” I looked around at the room finally registering there were nearly a half-dozen bouquets of flowers. “Where did these come from?”

“The CDC, the Francis Crick Institute, the Chinese government, the CIA, and a couple from me.”

“The same Chinese government that didn’t want to let us into the country?”

“The very same. When word reached them about what happened to Xan, they met me here in the hospital for several meetings. While they understand the urgency and immediacy of the situation they also recognize your role. They’re quietly preparing for the worst and will remain quiet until Synthodyne is stopped.”

“Thank you for being here. Thank you for the flowers.”

“I’d do anything for you, Adele.”

I smiled. “You know I love you no matter what but maybe you could shower and shave. You’re a little scruffy.”

“It’s been a hell of a couple of days. I’ve never prayed so hard for anything before. Your life means everything to me.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy. My mind is going a mile a minute.”

“How so?”

“I need my shower, get dressed, give blood, get tickets to wherever we need to go next, I need a computer to hack Mr. Aikido, I need food because I’m starved and need my energy for the most important thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I need to make love to you when we’re both feeling up to it.”

“I’m so glad you’re feeling better. I’ll speak with the doctors and arrange for what I can. You go have your shower.”

After a kiss and a hug, Matt left and a doctor soon arrived to check my vitals and remove my IV. When he left, I headed to the bathroom and closed the door. I stared at my reflection a long time trying to assure myself I was still me. I had horrible nightmares and the images of watching CEO Xan melt before my eyes will forever be burned into my brain. Tears fell as I realized I was still me, but some were from the cold dread and fear of what might have happened. I was so close to losing Matt! I wonder if I’ll ever sleep well again.

After making sure I was indeed whole, I shook my fear and stepped into the shower. While weak, I was more determined than ever. After drying and brushing out my hair the best I could and changing into my travel skirt, leggings, and sweater, I felt much better. The one piece that was missing was my ring, something I had attached great importance to. While I have no expectations, I’ve never been happier than to have played Mrs. Stephen Smith’s wife.

By the time I stepped back into the room, Matt had found food and a nurse was waiting to collect blood from me. The food was incredibly welcomed because after taking what seemed like a gallon of blood from me, I was quite dizzy. I’ll be weak for a few days until I can rebuild my blood and body from four days of illness.

“We have an hour before we can leave. We have first-class seats to Vancouver and a limo to take us to the airport. I’ve been told someone will meet us there with a state of the art laptop for you.”

“You’ve been busy and this food is incredible. Thank you!”

“It was all arranged in one call. The Chinese government is very thankful for our support and had offered anything to assist us. They arranged for the flight, the limo and the computer and I merely walked down the street to find the food.”

I put my food down for a minute and stared at Matt. He looked so tired. “I’ve been incredibly selfish. How are you holding up? How are you feeling? Are you all right?”

“The gnawing fear and shock of seeing the love of my life risk herself to protect me will be emblazoned in my mind forever. It was worse than any pain the gunshot caused. Having just witnessed the horrible, excruciating pain that CEO Xan went through… And then waiting for four days as you suffered unconscious with fever, not knowing if you would recover… It’s hard finally feeling like everything is going my way one second, to only feel like it was almost taken from me the next.”

“Oh Matt… Come here.”

It was a tender moment as Matt and I gingerly fell back into the hospital bed together. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as he shook and cried.

“I almost lost you, Adele.”

“You’ll never lose me as long as you want me. And even if you decide one day that I’m not the one for you, my heart will still be yours as I’ve never given my heart so completely to anyone or anything before.”

Our kiss was a glorious soggy mess as our salty tears had covered our cheeks and lips. Gradually, our emotions settled and although it would have been nice to simply fall asleep in each other’s arms, we both knew we had things to do. This isn’t over yet.

Matt headed to the bathroom to shower and shave as I ate the squished remnants of the food he had brought. For a moment I had feared that Matt’s seeing Xan’s transformation would alter his perspective of me as he would be reminded of what I once was. I’m so thankful to have found such an honorable and caring man, one that’s not afraid to hide his emotions or his love for me. In many ways I feel I’m not deserving.

Twenty minutes later, Matt emerged looking clean, handsome, and dapper as usual. His countenance had brightened immensely and with some energy returning I sort of wished for more privacy and time.

“Let me see your wound.”

Matt lifted his shirt and I could see he had put fresh bandages on. The bullet went through him but it was close to his left side. His muscles and the area would take time to heal and he will be sore.

“It looks worse than it really is.”

“Spoken like a man that doesn’t want someone to worry about him. Too late.”

He smiled, kissed me, and wiped a little food from the corner of my mouth. “Do you have everything ready?”

“Yes. I’m mentally steeling myself for an eleven-hour flight.”

“We’ll set ourselves up in a nice hotel and it will take a week before we can make a move on Kun and Synthodyne. There’s a lot of coordination required between local law enforcement and teams around the world at Synthodyne’s locations.”

“Please don’t tell me I’ll be left on the sidelines for any of this.”

“I can’t take a chance you would be hurt.”

“Can’t I wear something protective? I thought I was a criminal investigative consultant with a degree in cyber terrorism?”

Matt smiled. “Let’s see how it plays out.”

A nurse came in and announced we were free to go and our transportation was awaiting us. I refused to let Matt carry both our bags. It was still an effort on my part as I was terribly weak. I leaned into him on our walk to the limo. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders protectively. I was grateful for the warmth and support.

I stared out the window as we drove to the airport. It was all so hard to believe. In less than a day, I’ll be back where it all began.

Matt leaned over and kissed the back of my neck. I reached back and held his head against mine.

“What are you thinking, Adele?”

“That so much has happened. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it has only been about a month. I’d never traveled, never left the country, never danced at a formal gala ball, and never fallen in love. I remember my first flight and how I almost broke your fingers, our peach cobbler in Atlanta, and the amazing fish, chips, and beer in London. I look out at the beautiful places and cultures I’ve only glimpsed at and wish for more chances to see and experience the world. Yet nothing, absolutely nothing compares to your slightest touch that sets me on fire. I could give it all up, everything, to be with you the rest of my life. I presume much though.”

“What if I were to tell you that I have the exact same thoughts?”

“Even if things get complicated?”

“I’ve determined I’m leaving the CIA after all of this. I’ll find some other line of work. One that allows us to live comfortably but where I would be home every night and weekend.”

I turned to face Matt; my fingers entwined with his. “I choose my words carefully, but I mean every word that I say. Please tell me when you say, ‘us’ you really mean it.”

“I certainly mean every word and ‘us’ is definitely you and me.”

As the limo pulled up to the airport, a Chinese man greeted us. He handed Matt our tickets and me a laptop that had to be one of China’s highest quality produced computers.

“On behalf of the Chinese government, we thank you. If there is anything we can do you only have to ask.”

I tipped my head in sincere thanks. “Feichang xiexie.”

The man smiled broadly, turned and left.

“When did you learn Mandarin?”

“I studied a few phrases on the flight here.”

“You’re truly amazing, Adele.”

***

Security was a breeze, especially since we were greeted by another Chinese government agent who personally escorted us to our gate. When we got seated on the plane I asked Matt about why the Chinese government was being so supportive.

“Their entire military are given vaccines. With our intervention, there is a good chance we greatly reduced the global impact of vaccine distribution and with your blood potentially being synthesized to produce a preventative vaccine, they’re exceptionally grateful. On one hand the world should know just what an important role you’ve played in all of this, and yet I’m also selfish in wanting you all to myself and not sharing you with the world.”

“I’ve not done anything deserving of global fame.”

“You have, more than you know. Vaccines have been silently removed from shelves around the world. Your blood will be distributed to scientists across the globe to prepare for the inevitable. Realistically, we may have no idea of the numbers of lives you have saved or prevented being transformed.”

I smiled weakly. “I know I’m not deserving of the praises you bestow upon me. None of this would have been possible if you hadn’t risked your career and took a chance on me. I’d likely still be in jail if it wasn’t for you.”

“I was smitten and you looked so cute in handcuffs. How could I resist?”

“What ever happened to the insider threat at the CIA?”

“They haven’t been exposed.”

“Aren’t we still in danger?”

“I suspect, but did you note how China provided us an escort through security?”

“Yes. That was wonderful to not have to take my shoes off.”

“We’re travelling incognito. We’ll be greeted by law enforcement in Canada and our names will never be registered in the system. Whomever has been tracking us has no knowledge as to your condition, mine, or our arrival in Vancouver. I’d say we’re pretty safe.”

I giggled. “So that means if we get caught in the airplane bathroom together, they can’t punish us?”

***

I spent the first hours of the flight hacking into Mr. Aikido’s gym’s computer system and eating everything the airline provided for first class food.

“From what I’ve found on Mr. Aikido’s computer, they have taken blueprints and plans for Synthodyne and the thermal imaging pictures I provided them and have worked out plans for infiltrating Synthodyne five nights from our arrival. Their team has grown from five to seventeen and they appear to be well armed. The gym is listed as closed, but phone usage that I’ve hacked, indicates they’re still actively using the gym.”

“I’ll never understand how you do that.”

“It’s easy when I set up Mr. Aikido’s network for him.”

“This will force us to speed up our timelines a little. Do you have names?”

“No, but I do have video footage of them all from the gym’s security cameras.”

“Download what you can and when we land we can work with local authorities. We have a conference room in the hotel set aside as an operations center.”

“I’m looking forward to taking these people down, but I’m even more looking forward to a king-sized bed.”

Matt’s passionate gaze upon me turned my heart to jelly. “The beauty of jet lag is we might be awake all night. You should try to get some sleep if you can.”

I laid my seat back and reached for Matt’s hand. I fell asleep almost instantly.

***

I slept soundly most of the flight. My body needed the rest to recover. Matt and I were met by law enforcement and escorted to a private room in which they processed us for customs. The treatment we were receiving was remarkable to me.

We were provided with a limousine to the hotel and given a few minutes to settle in before being called down to the conference room. Everything seemed so rushed, but my sleep on the plane helped me tremendously.

We had a few minutes to freshen up, change, and make out a bit before going down to the operations center. My energy levels were better and it was very hard to break away. I had to remind myself of the bigger picture and that meant putting my life and desires on hold for a bit.

As we entered the conference room, there were close to a dozen people hovering around computers. Matt got a few status updates and then quickly took charge.

“Team, I want to introduce to you someone that has been fundamental in the exposure of this international terrorism plot. Please meet Adele Refaeli. We will continue to utilize her skills and talents as we proceed with the planning. Adele, go ahead and plug in your laptop and show everyone what you’ve got so far.”

A man in a police uniform came up to me as I hooked my laptop up. “I recognize you. We circulated video surveillance of you coming into the downtown police department office. You left evidence and ran off.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“Why did you run off?”

“It’s a long story, but I didn’t know who to trust. All I wanted to do was to provide evidence of what was going on at Synthodyne and get out before I was shot or worse.”

“What would be worse than being shot?”

“You’ve not seen the footage of Synthodyne with the Daniels?”

“No.”

I turned to Matt. “I’m not sure they know what’s fully going on. They haven’t seen the footage of my parents. I have a copy I stored online. Do you want me to start from the beginning?”

Matt pulled me aside. “No. Not everything. Show the video, but please don’t say anything about you going through it yourself. I don’t want you exposed any more than you need to be.”

“Thank you.”

“You ready?”

“Yes.”

***

With questions and displaying videos of my parents, detailing our assassination attempts, and me providing copies of information, it was three hours and I was once again exhausted. Matt had me wrap things up and sent me back to the room.

When I got into the room, I found a bouquet of roses, a card, and a box. I sniffed the roses and read the card.

‘You’re not the only one that can use a computer. While you slept on the plane I arranged for a few things to let you know how much I love and care for you. Don’t wait up for me, but I should be with you soon. Enjoy the roses and I’ll enjoy your other gift. Love, Matt.’

I smiled as I tore into the box revealing a gorgeous, sexy, silk, red nightgown. I was tempted to put it on and go back downstairs, but the fabric was quite sheer. I showered, shaved, and got myself ready for bed before putting the nightgown on. It was absolutely adorable and very sexy.

I tried hard to stay awake, but eventually I drifted off to sleep only to be awakened hours later by Matt crawling into bed.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

“I’ve slept enough.” I rolled over on top of Matt and kissed him. I was very careful of his side. “Thank you for the flowers and…” I sat up exposing the sexy nightgown I was wearing. “I suspect this present is more for you.”

Matt’s eyes lit up with passion and even though he was tired, his energy immediately returned. I was grabbed and rolled over onto my back. Matt’s kisses along my neck and down the edges of my nightgown towards my breasts caused me to moan with desire.

***

The next day I woke to find Matt already gone. I despised how his work was taking him away from me, yet I know what we were all doing was vastly important. The hotel had cleaned all my clothes overnight and I slipped into the sexy, but conservative black dress I wore to our meetings with various dignitaries around the globe.

I found Matt in the conference room and I loved that he stopped his conversation to come to me. We stepped outside and I immediately took the lead by pressing Matt against the wall and kissing him passionately. “You were amazing last night. You should have woken me this morning. I can’t stand it when you’re not there when I wake up.”

“And you’re insatiable, my love. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you. I’m sorry about this morning, but it was very early. We’ve greatly sped up our timetable thanks to the information you gathered. We’ll be making our move on Kun Huan and his team tonight and Synthodyne tomorrow morning. There are a lot of details to iron out.”

“What role will I play in it?”

“None.”

I could feel the heat come to my face. “I deserve to be there.”

“I can’t risk you being injured. These people have guns.”

“And yet you think it’s all right for you to put yourself in harm’s way? You’re still injured.”

“This is what I’m trained to do. I’m sorry, Adele. I can’t have you involved.”

I bit my lower lip to keep it from quivering, but my tears spoke for me. My shaking hand went to Matt’s face. “I can’t lose you! I’d rather die by your side than be told by some police officer you didn’t make it. Please let me come.”

Matt’s eyes softened, but his resolve remained. “You can wait in the van, but that’s as far as you can go.”

“I’ll take that if only to be close to you.”

Matt kissed me softly. “I feel the same way about you, Adele. My world would end without you. I want this to be over so we can be together. I need to focus and organize a global attack on Synthodyne and the raid on Kun tonight. Can you handle yourself for the day? If you need to go anywhere, I can arrange for a driver.”

“I guess I can go to U.B.C. and check in on Tony. When should I be back to make sure I’m not holding you up tonight?”

“We attack Kun at ten tonight. Be back to join us here for dinner at six.”

“I will.” Matt kissed me and turned back into the conference room. “Matt?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Matt smiled. “I love you too, Adele.”

The door closed behind him and I made my own way out to U.B.C. I found Tony heading to diversity class. She looked weak and tired. Her weight was down.

“Tony!!!”

Tony stopped in her tracks and ran to hug me. “It’s so good to see you Adele. You must tell me everything.”

“There’s so much to talk about, but first, how are you doing?”

“Not too well. I keep going through the motions hoping that I’ll just wake up one day and be back to normal. I don’t even know why I keep coming to classes.”

“I’m in town for a few days, but how would you like to move in with me? I have a house in Seattle. At least I think I still have a house there.”

“Why would you do that for me, Adele?”

“Because I don’t want you to go through this alone and that’s what friends do for one another.”

Tony hugged me again and I could feel her bones through her clothes.

“Come on, Adele. You don’t want to be late for class.”

“What?”

Tony grabbed my hand and pulled. “It’s just not been the same without you. God, look at you. You’re glowing and that dress is killer. I take it you found love?”

Now I was blushing. “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes. Come on. I can’t wait to see the reaction of the class when you walk in.”

It didn’t appear that I had much choice as Tony pulled me into the classroom.

“Well, well. Look who finally returned. Our prodigal stereotypical heterosexual, white girl. Perhaps you can explain your absence to the class?”

I sighed but one look at Tony’s excitement and I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. “I had to find myself.”

“That’s it? Did you like what you found?”

I took a moment to ponder that. “Yes… Yes, I did.”

“Then please, Adele. Enlighten us about these discoveries about yourself.”

Everyone had turned to stare at me, but their scrutiny didn’t faze me one iota. I really have found myself. “Like many of you in this room, I questioned who I was. I wasn’t feeling secure that I would ever be accepted for who I am.”

“As if… You’re a freaking model. Who wouldn’t want to be you?”

I ignored the student and continued. “We all have our fears, our doubts, and insecurities. We can attribute much of that to our upbringing and environment. Women every day think they’re not pretty enough, or need more up here or down there. We all struggle with accepting who we are, no matter how beautiful.”

The professor looked disinterested. “So, what? That’s nothing new. How did you find yourself?”

“I was forced to make a choice.”

“Forced? We all have choices but none of them are forced.”

“Then you’ve obviously not been on the receiving end of gun pointed at your head. As I was saying, I was forced to make a decision. A decision to see the man I love be physically and irrevocably altered through intense pain, or forever give up who I am knowing either decision would destroy our relationship, the only thing truly worth having in my life.”

“I’ll remind you this is not a creative writing class, Adele. Do you have a point to this?”

I smiled. “I made the choice out of love. I’ve lived through the pain of who I was and had finally come to terms with my life. I couldn’t put anyone else through that pain so I chose to lose myself to spare the one I loved. At that moment, I knew, absolutely knew, that I had found myself, my true sense of being, because believing I would wake up as something other than what I am was the most frightening thing I could ever fathom.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you know you’re fine with yourself when you would despise being anything else.”

“You make it sound so blasé, but sure. I don’t think I could live with myself if I was anything other than I already am.”

The professor clapped slowly and rolled his eyes. “Oh, well done, Adele. You’ve just confirmed to the class what culture has already decreed. If you’re a beautiful, white, heterosexual girl. You’re perfect.”

I was about to provide an angry retort when Tony stood up. “You missed the point altogether! We are who we are but sometimes it takes something outside of us to force us to confront ourselves. Can you imagine the inner peace that can be gained by being confident in yourself, with all your quirks and flaws? I, for one, would fear becoming something I’m not. I may wish to be male, but to accept that I’m a man in a woman’s body and be happy with that, without a care of what the world thinks, is the greatest treasure any of us could possibly aspire to have. So, what if Adele is a beautiful, heterosexual, white girl, which is truly a shame because I’ve had a crush on her for quite some time…” Tony giggled. “What’s important is that she’s finally comfortable with who she is. At the end of the day, we are what we are, but what counts the most is if we can accept that ourselves.”

There was silence in the room for a moment before students all stood and cheered for Tony. Tony turned and hugged me.

“Let’s get out of here, Adele. I don’t need this class anymore.” As we stepped outside we sat down on a bench. “All my life I’ve fought myself and now that I’m at the end of my life I see what I’ve missed. True happiness comes through accepting who you are. I’ll never be male, but I’m a damn good heterosexual male in a woman’s body. My male side of me gives me special insights that others fail to see. I believe who I am is a blessing to me and to those around me.”

“You’re certainly a blessing to me, Tony.”

“So, tell me everything, especially how you got your glow!”

***

I spent the afternoon with Tony and even helped her pack some. Once all of this is finished, I’ll take Tony down to my house. The doctors gave her no hope and they even limited her prescriptions. Tony deserves to have people that care for her around her.

Back at the hotel. I changed into my travel skirt and stockings and headed downstairs to meet Matt and the team. Matt looked weary and I wished I could take care of him but this was all life and death business and everything needed to be handled with detail and precision. Pizzas were ordered and everyone stepped through their role, where they would be, and the timing.

When the pizza came, I managed to get a nice corner seat with Matt. “I don’t mean to be nagging, Matt, but I want to make sure you’re going to be safe.”

“I know you’re worried, and if I’m honest with myself, I’m nervous. For once in my life I have everything I want and I don’t want anything to risk that future. Did you find Tony?”

“I did. She’s skin and bones but her attitude is admirable.”

“Being confronted with the realization your life is about to end can help people focus on what’s important.”

“I hope, one day, we can have a family.”

“That was a sudden shift in the conversation. You’re thinking ahead.”

“I am, but I also said we. You and me. I’ve already committed my heart, mind, and body to you alone. I hope you feel the same way about me.”

Matt headed back to the table leaving me hanging there. He returned a moment later with a white plastic soda bottle ring. “It’s not the most elegant, but with this ring, I promise I’m tying my future with yours. I share your wants and desires.”

“Where’s a bed when we need one?”

We spent the next few hours looking over the plans once again. Matt fitted me with a Kevlar vest and he rode in the van with me to the gym. It seems so long ago that I was here.

We parked nearby and the teams made their way around the gym. Matt kissed me as he left the van. He charged the driver to watch out for me. Five minutes later, I heard shouting and gunfire.

“Man down!” Came a voice over the radio.

More shouts and more gunfire.

Grabbing a nightstick while the driver was occupied on the radio, I raced from the van. The driver shouted after me but I couldn’t sit there and wait for someone to tell me Matt was killed. I had to do something. In the back of my mind I registered how foolish this was, but I was operating by heart and not by mind right now. Slipping into the back door of the gym, I headed up the stairs to a balcony that overlooked the gym floor. I have such a foreboding feeling.

My first glimpse of the gym showed me that Matt’s team had everything under control, but I noted that not everyone from Kun’s team was accounted for. Further down, in the shadowed recesses of the balcony, Craig was concentrating on the people below and sighting in a shot with a rifle. I didn’t have to know who he was aiming at, I could feel it in my bones and cold dread nearly froze me in my tracks.

Whipping out the nightstick, I flung it at Craig. The stick hit him solidly on his shoulder, enough to jerk his rifle up just as his finger pulled the trigger. Craig’s shock was all the time I needed before I was on him. A swift kick from me and his rifle clattered away.

Craig turned angrily and smiled evilly at his recognition of me. I heard Matt yelling to hold fire and heavy steps sounded on the stairs behind me. Craig knew it was over for him, but he pulled a knife and advanced towards me.

“You would have been my greatest conquest. You got lucky once before, but not this time.”

He lunged and all my years of training at the gym kicked in. I stepped forward and to the side, letting Craig’s arm pass my side harmlessly. Dropping my left arm over his, I locked his elbow against my hip as I spun to the right. I heard the crack, his scream, and the knife skitter away down the balcony. Letting go of his broken arm, I continued my spin, swept his leg, and brought my elbow down into his nose. I finished him with a kick to the groin. Craig was left moaning on the balcony floor.

“I hope your prison mates find you absolutely delectable.”

Seconds later, Matt was there by my side pulling me to safety while others cuffed Craig.

“You were supposed to stay in the van.”

“I heard there was a man down and I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Lucky for me you didn’t listen. How can I protect you if you don’t let me?”

“I’m sorry, Matt. I had such a bad feeling about all of this.”

“Come on, before we read Kun his rights, I think you might want to say hello.”

Matt led me downstairs and past Luan, Teddy, and Frank. Luan cursed me and spat as I passed her. “You little bitch!”

Matt kept moving me away until we came to stand before Kun, or as I’ve always known him, Mr. Aikido.

“You lied to me! I thought you were my friend; that you were looking out for me. You set up my parents! You’d sell your soul for money. I hope you rot!”

Kun didn’t even wince at my words. “Craig was right. You were always just a pretty liability. I have connections in the sex trade. I should have sold you to the highest bidder after giving you to Craig for a few days. At least that way I would have made some profit out of you.”

I saw Matt struggling, and I wanted to hit Kun, but he seemed pleased with himself he got a reaction from me. I placed a hand on Matt’s wrist to hold him in check.

Kun continued his rant. “I hope you know, Adele, that your parents were useless, meaningless people.”

I put everything I had into my punch. My form was perfect, everything was aligned; I led with my hip. Kun’s face snapped back with a resounding crack. His nose and possibly one of his cheek bones was broken. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me wince in pain.

One of the police officers quickly made a comment that civilians shouldn’t be in here. I suspect he was likely wanting to keep them from being sued by Kun.

Kun and the others were led away and I was left standing next to Matt. “We need to get some ice on your hand. That was one hell of a hit.”

“Maybe you can just kiss it better, starting here.” I pointed to my lips.

We headed back to the hotel and stopped in at the conference room to wrap things up. The raid on Kun was very successful and we were all set for Synthodyne mid-morning tomorrow. The team disbanded to get some needed rest so they would be ready to reconvene at eight the next morning. This left Matt and me a few precious hours alone together and I wasted no time in taking him back to our room.

Tonight, would be a special night. We both knew we needed sleep, but I wasn’t going to let Matt sleep until I gave him a massage to relax him some. It was a wonderful time of simply loving on each other without the urgency of making love. We fell asleep and woke up in each other’s arms.

***

The next morning was rushed as we got the team organized. Five Synthodyne locations around the world were being raided at the same moment in time. Once again, I was allowed to go, but this time I had to promise to stay in the van. Under no circumstances was I to enter the facility.

With a kiss and a promise this raid would be safer than the last one, Matt headed into Synthodyne with his team. This time, an all-clear message came over the radio, and the van driver was pulled into the building to help round up stragglers. That’s when Svetlana Alesnikoff snuck out the back and into the alley where I was staying in the van. A quick glance up and down the street told me there were no police around.

Biting my lower lip from the upcoming chastisement, I stepped out of the van and confronted Svetlana. She started to run but I quickly caught her and threw her towards the brick wall of the building. When Svetlana turned around she looked at me and laughed.

“You cleaned up nicely. How you’ve survived, I can’t fathom.”

“You’re done for, Svetlana. All your hard work is for not. Your murderous days are over.”

She laughed again. “Your efforts are too late. We began distribution months ago.” Svetlana tried to make a break for it by running, but I tackled her from behind and pushed her face into the cold, damp, filthy asphalt.

I was shaking with anger. “I should kill you for what you did to my parents. Maybe I should inject you with your own virus? I’d love to see your skin boil away.”

Svetlana was poised even while on her back in an alley. “You never mentioned what I did to you. You’re happy with the change. I can see it in your eyes.”

I couldn’t argue with that and I sat in stunned silence not knowing what to do. My fingers wrapped around her neck and began to squeeze. She began kicking and bucking underneath me. It’s when I realized I couldn’t do it. I stared at my hands and willed them to stop choking her.

Svetlana coughed and sucked in air before laughing. “You’re just a little girl, Brent Daniels. You can’t kill me.”

“I’m not a soulless wench like you. Why? With all the technology at your fingertips, why choose to destroy the fabric of society? There are other ways to get what you wanted.”

“You think you know what we truly want to do. This is just the start. The beginning. Stopping me will have little impact in the days and years to come. You think this is all over? It’s just begun.”

“Adele!” Matt spotted us as he came around the corner and ran up to us. “We have to have a serious talk about what the boundaries of a van are. What’s going on here?”

“This is Svetlana Alesnikoff, murderer of my parents and one of the founders of Synthodyne. You probably want to arrest her.”

Svetlana laughed once more. “You two are priceless. Just wait until Mr. Damon here succumbs to our virus.”

I looked at Matt. “Should I tell her?”

“I think you should.”

“When Chang injected me a second time, my body fought your virus. My blood has been synthesized into a vaccine to prevent your virus from transforming people. It’s being mass produced and distributed as we speak and Matt was one of the first people inoculated.”

Svetlana ground her teeth as Matt pulled her to her feet and placed her in cuffs.

“You will never be safe! Synthodyne has people everywhere. Our virus is mapped and stored in a thousand locations. Even if this event doesn’t work, we have other plans. It will happen!”

“I wish I had a dirty sock to stuff in her mouth.”

“Stay with the van, Adele. I’ll take her to join the others.”

***

Two days had passed and Matt was heavily involved in the wrap up of the missions to take down Kun and Synthodyne. While Matt was busy during the days, I spent time with Tony and helped her pack her place. She was becoming weaker and weaker and had now completely stopped her classes.

Not having people shooting at me made me feel like things were settling down, which was a huge relief. Yet, I miss those frenzied days with Matt and me travelling around the world. There was something special about that time together. Of course, each evening we made sure we found time for one another and whenever we could we were inseparable.

When Matt had finally concluded with the finishing details and we were making plans to head back to my place in Seattle with Tony, he was contacted by the CIA indicating one of the executives would be meeting us to thank us both for the excellent work.

I wore a new white dress that Matt insisted I get for the meeting. I had just finished getting ready and was still in the bathroom when a knock sounded at our hotel room door. I could hear Matt open the door and greet the man.

“Mr. Fairway, I wasn’t expecting you to come to our room. I thought we would meet you at the restaurant.”

“I just got into town and wanted to come by right away and thank you both. Adele is here with you?”

I was about to step out of the bathroom when I heard something odd. “She just stepped out. She’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“One at a time is far preferable anyways…”

The door slammed and there was a big thump against the wall and sounds of a scuffle. A shot rang out and a bullet sent splinters of wood into the bathroom. Frantically, I looked around the bathroom for anything I could use as a weapon but the only thing that presented itself were small containers of shampoo. The sounds of the fight moved away from the bathroom door and another shot rang out. I’m dead if I stay in here and I can’t leave Matt alone!

I burst out of the bathroom and grabbed the first thing I could find; a heavy table lamp. Ripping it from the wall outlet, I saw Matt struggling with a large, gray-haired man in a dark suit. Neither of them saw me yet. Moving behind the man, I kicked with everything I had at the back of his knee while slamming the lamp down on the man’s head.

Things never work out like they do in the movies as the lamp shattered and barely fazed the man. However, my kick to his leg had greatly diminished his leverage on Matt. Matt slammed his fist into the man’s solar plexus as I drove my elbow into the muscle tissue near the man’s neck. The nerve pain that blow caused forced him to drop his gun, but he spun and backhanded me across the room.

I collapsed in a heap and was momentarily stunned; feeling the coppery taste of blood in my mouth. I looked up to see Matt knee the man in the groin and then tackle him into the large flat screen television hanging on the wall. The man dropped heavily to the floor and with a powerful punch from Matt was out cold.

Matt scrambled to get his gun from the nightstand and he held it pointed at the man. Walking backwards towards me, Matt came to gently lift me up to my feet. “Are you all right?”

I could barely respond as I was looking over Matt carefully and kissed him. “I’m fine. Mostly. I might have a nice black eye in the morning. Are you all right?”

“Just a few cuts and bruises. This is Earnest Fairway from the CIA. I think our spy finally exposed himself. You and I need to work on our subtle cues. She’s not here right now is code for you to stay in the bathroom.”

“When are you going to realize I’m not going to let someone come in and kill the man I love? Work with me. Train me. I won’t feel right unless I’m alongside you.”

“You’ve proven to be able to take care of yourself. Even with your ability to fight, I hope you can’t fault me to trying to protect you. I love you, Adele.”

It wasn’t long before security and police were at our door. Earnest Fairway was taken into custody and after many long hours of calls, documentation, and relaying our story, we were finally allowed to be alone again.

“Do you think it’s all over, Matt?”

“I do. At least for a while.”

I snuggled into his arms as we were lying on the bed together. “Good. I’m hoping you might wish to move in with me.”

Matt smiled and brushed the hair from my eyes. “I’d love that. I’m thinking of putting in my resignation next week. I’ve spoken to some people at the FBI. The Seattle office has an opening.”

“Would the FBI be any different? I’m worried after this past week I might never see you.” I’m trying hard not to be clingy, but there’s no true promise to one another that we have a future together. Deep down I’m still a little insecure.

“The FBI is very different from the CIA, Adele. While there may be times I must work late or weekends, the work-life balance is much better. It also depends a lot on the role and I’m looking at a position that will bring me home on a set schedule. If I were to apply, I would like to take a few months off between jobs.”

“Can we pick up Tony and go home tomorrow?”

Matt threaded his fingers into mine. I felt the pinch of plastic as did he. He pulled my hand up to find I still had the plastic ring on. I was suddenly embarrassed.

“You kept the plastic ring from the soda bottle?”

“It’s stupid, I know. You must think I’m no different than your ex-wife. It warms my heart knowing you gave it to me how ever insignificant or cheap it is.”

“I’m touched by your heartfelt connection to the slightest gift I give to you. I want to prove to you I mean what I say. My ex-wife would never have let me put that piece of plastic on her finger. Do you mind if I take it off?”

I bit my lower lip. “Sort of.”

“You, of all people, shouldn’t be wearing a piece of plastic from a soda bottle. What if I take it off so I can replace it with something better?”

“You can do anything you wish, as long as you want me around.”

“Hey…” Matt cupped my face and kissed me. “Yes, we can go home tomorrow. Yes, I want you around. Yes, I want to move in with you. And yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The little plastic ring was almost a security blanket for me, but I realized it’s foolishness. Matt’s words need to be good enough. I pulled it off and held it up for him to take away. “You realize you could propose to me with this and I would be fine with that?”

Matt smiled. “I’m sure you would be, which is all the more reason you deserve something better.”

“You’re planning something. I can tell. Are you going to share what surprises you have up your sleeve?”

“Just this…” Matt rolled me over onto my back and began kissing me.

***

The next three weeks were hectic but fun. We moved into my house, the CIA helped us get the house and car into my name, something Kun never even started to do. We repainted the guest room for Tony, and set her up as comfortably as possible. Matt put in his resignation and applied for the FBI job, and I chose to settle in a bit before making any major changes or decisions about my future; besides, Tony needed a lot of care and I was doing my best to take good care of her.

Sitting down on the side of the bed next to Tony, I was shocked by how quickly she was wasting away. My heart ached for her. I was afraid she wouldn’t make it through the night.

“Hey, girlfriend.”

Tony had been sleeping and with the sound of her words I turned away so she wouldn’t see my tears. Wiping my cheeks quickly, I put on a smile before turning back to her and brushed the hair from her eyes. “Hey. How are you doing?”

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re here every day. I must have done something right in my life to have met you, Adele.”

I sniffed, unable to say anything. I grabbed for her hand more to strengthen my resolve than for hers. “I don’t want to lose you. I’m sorry, Tony. I should be stronger for you.”

“I know I’ll never see the end of the three months the doctor’s suggested I had. I’ll probably not last the week.”

Tony had rapidly deteriorated and I knew she was right. This was the most she’s spoken in a long time. “Don’t think like that. If anyone deserves to live, it’s you. You have too much to show and teach me yet.”

“I’m hindering your life with Matt and you know it. You know he’s going to propose to you soon, right?”

I smiled. “I can only hope.”

“Please. Matt worships the ground you walk on and I can tell you’re head over heels in love with him. It will happen. You’re still glowing by the way.”

“Maybe you’re confusing my glow for my first period.”

Tony laughed. “Welcome to womanhood.”

“I love it. It means I can have kids one day.”

“You don’t need kids, Adele. You have me.” Tony giggled, coughed, closed her eyes, and drifted fast asleep.

She’s so weak and frail. Her breathing is labored. Pulling the blanket up around her neck, I stroked her forehead before heading to meet Matt in the master bedroom.

“How’s she doing?”

“Holding up better than I am. I don’t want to lose her. I hate to even suggest it, but each morning I’m afraid to check on her for fear of what I’ll find.”

“Tony and I have been scheming. She’ll hang in there to see it through.”

***

I slept fitfully last night and woke to the sound of sirens. Not just one siren, but lots of sirens. Some were close and others further away.

Matt rolled over and kissed me. “Please tell me that you didn’t hack into someplace and the police are coming to get you.”

“Wasn’t me.”

“Turn on the television. Let’s see if there’s anything on the news.”

Turning on the television, I changed channels until the Seattle morning news appeared.

“… That’s right Bob, we’re getting reports from all over the city and confirmations from around the world. For those of you just joining us thousands, possibly tens of thousands of people claim to have been transformed overnight. We have reports of plane crashes, house fires, and a rash of suicides sweeping the city. There is only speculation, but this appears to be a globally coordinated biological terrorist attack.” They switched to pictures of people wandering outside, gray dust clinging to their faces and hair. Clips of the people showed the terrible extend of trauma they were going through. Some were screaming, others sitting in the middle of the road staring at their hands.

“Oh my God! Matt, it happened! We didn’t do enough!”

“Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe. We knew this was a distinct possibility. Synthesizing the vaccine took longer than expected and we had no idea the extent that Synthodyne had exposed people to the virus. If it weren’t for you, this day would have been far, far worse.”

Matt’s phone rang and he reached for it as I stared in horror at the images on the television.

“Deputy Director Thompson. Let me put you on speakerphone. Adele is here with me.”

I muted the television.

“Have you both seen the news?”

I still couldn’t speak. The horrors that people are facing shook me to my very core. Matt spoke for us both.

“Just now. Is it true?”

“Yes, but the numbers of those affected are greatly larger than the media is portraying. We estimated that just over one billion people had been exposed to the Synthodyne virus. We collected data from every medical agency, identified those that had a vaccine in the past six months and became a process of inoculation. We estimated we had inoculated seventy-three percent.”

I finally got my voice back. “But that’s nearly two hundred and seventy million people left! All those people. My God!”

“It’s bad, but not that bad, Adele. We’re now estimating between seven and thirteen million people were affected. Matt, Adele, the world owes you both an enormous debt of gratitude. It would have been much worse…”

I heard a repeated thumping sound coming from down the hall and could listen to no more of Director Thompson. “Tony!”

I ran from the bedroom and down the hall, pausing only momentarily to steel myself for what I might see. Opening the door, I was stunned to see a young boy jumping up and down on the bed causing the headboard to thump against the wall. Gray dust was falling from his hair and billowing up into the room. He was wearing Tony’s nightgown and a smile bigger than the sun.

“Tony?”

“I’m a boy!” He bounded off the bed and ran straight into my arms for a massive hug. He must be only around ten years old, age adjusted by the virus.

Kneeling down, I put my hands on Tony’s face and stared cautiously into his eyes. “The whites of your eyes are no longer yellow. How do you feel?”

“Sore, tired, and amazing!”

Matt was standing behind me now. “The virus must have completely over written Tony’s DNA, eliminating the cancer in the process. We’ll have to confirm when we get a chance.” Matt reached out and stroked Tony’s hair.

I looked up at Matt and smiled. “In everything going on, we forgot to give Tony the vaccine. Had we, Tony would never have had a chance to live.”

Tony was still bouncing on his feet. “I feel free for the first time in my life! What happens now, Adele?”

“I happen to have some experience with this. We’ll work to get you a new identity, we need to find you some clothes, and you’ll need several showers to get the dead cells from your body. I have no doubt you’re hungry and tired.”

“I’m famished. God… Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to diversity class and hear what they think about your story now?”

“Our story, Tony. Yes. Yes, it would.”

***

A few weeks had passed and slowly the world fell back into rhythm. Each day I still woke with a knot in my stomach about all those people that had been transformed. The Centers for Disease Control kept Matt and me up to date with the latest. Early estimates were that nearly seventeen million people around the world were transformed, higher than expected. Governments had been preparing for the event, even establishing counseling centers in advance, but no one could truly have foretold the impact this would have on society.

The aftermath will take years to sort out. The only proof people had gone through a change turned out to be viral markers left in their blood system, but that didn’t stop many from trying to take advantage of the situation and claim they were someone else before to gain access to wealth and fame. In the midst of chaos, people will still try and take advantage of each other. It’s such a shame.

One of the strange aftereffects was that rape crimes had rapidly diminished after the event. Psychologists believed this to be caused by a new awareness of vulnerability, but it was way too early to tell if this would be a lasting result.

Shelters were established for people to go, get tested for a positive change, get some needed counseling, free clothing, and begin the process of establishing their identification.

According to the CIA, Synthodyne’s virus design and the technology around it had vanished. Medical professionals around the world were united in their belief they would never be able to replicate it. Conspiracy theories were prevalent and widespread.

Life for me had changed as well. My house truly felt like a home. There was never a moment that Tony wasn’t smiling and Tony quickly adapted to life as a pre-teen boy with the exception that his skills for cooking and taking care of himself were on par with anyone my own age, which, in reality, he was. Tony and I volunteered our time to assist in the transitions of those that were impacted. In some ways this helped ease my burden over what had happened.

Matt and I were perfect and we continued our discussions about our future. Being so kind and gracious, Matt never even considered having Tony live anywhere else. I was even surprised when I spotted Matt and Tony throwing a football together the other day. Matt will make a great father.

I had been pondering all these things, lost in my thoughts, when a knock sounded at the bedroom door. “Your ride is ready, Miss Refaeli.” Tony giggled at the formality.

“What do you think, Tony? Am I dressed appropriately to meet Matt’s parents?”

“You’re always stunning, Adele. You’ll be fine. Matt’s a good man. I approve.”

I smiled. “What about you, Tony?”

“Have you seen Heather from across the street? I’m rather smitten with her. Did you know she was around our age when she transformed? Her weight as a boy was so slight she was age regressed like me.”

I laughed. “House rules. No dating until you’re sixteen.”

Tony laughed. “My new sixteen or my real age? You best not keep your date waiting.”

I slipped in the last of one of my mother’s gold dangly earrings, checked my hair and makeup, and met Matt at the car. Turning back to see Tony in the doorway of the house, I couldn’t resist the urge to tell him not to burn the house down.

Matt kissed me and opened the car door. “You look spectacular as usual, my love.”

“I want to make a good first impression.”

Matt reached over and squeezed my hand.

As we drove to Matt’s parent’s house, I stared out the window of the car at the houses and people I saw. I’m amazed at the resiliency of the world. Amidst the greatest catastrophes, mankind finds a way to rise up and come together, at least for a time. A year from now, who knows?

We pulled up to a lovely stone and wood Craftsman home that told me much about those that lived there. The landscaping was carefully tended and I could just picture a happy, loving family sitting together on the front covered porch. By the time Matt opened the car door for me, I could see his parents already coming down the front steps. His mother’s eyes were glistening with moisture as she rushed to envelope Matt in her warm and tender embrace. I stood back seeing the love this couple had for their son and was suddenly very self-conscious.

My nerves quickly evaporated as Matt’s mother took my hand in hers, looked me in the eyes, and hugged me like I was her own daughter. “You are the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Matt’s told us so much about you.”

“Thank you.”

“Please, come in.”

Stepping inside Matt’s family home, I immediately felt comfortable. It wasn’t pretentious or stuffy, but it was filled with quality furnishings and memories. A warm, cozy fire burned in the fireplace in the living room and on the mantle, were pictures of Matt. I lifted one small framed photo of Matt standing in front of an electronics store with a broom in his hand.

I felt a presence behind me and found Matt’s father watching me. “Good values run deep, Mr. Damon. Matt told me about how he started working here. It sounds to me like you were an amazing father to him.”

“He’s a good son. I don’t like to see him hurt.”

Placing the picture back on the mantle, I considered how I might respond to Matt’s father. Picturing Matt hurt brought tears to my eyes and they spoke for me more eloquently than any words I might have said. “I know you don’t know me, Mr. Damon, but hurting your son is the last thing I ever want to do. I love him with every fiber of my being.”

Matt’s father’s strong arms wrapped around me. “You’re right, we don’t know you, Adele, but I’ve already seen a depth of caring in you that goes well beyond what Matt has told us. Don’t worry about Agnes and me as we already think the world of you. I can see what Matt means to you and what you mean to Matt.”

My tears were quickly replaced with a smile. “What exactly has he told you about me?”

“He told us how you willingly offered your life for his, but that’s not the only thing he shared.”

“I’m sure his tales are woefully exaggerated.”

“If anything, my love, they barely scratch the surface of your character, grace, and charm.”

Matt’s father stepped aside as Matt walked into the living room to stand next to me. Matt’s mother pulled his father out of the room. Matt glanced back to make sure we had a little privacy before he took me in his arms and kissed me deeply.

“Your parents are adorable and so kind.”

“I’m very glad to hear you say that because if things go well, you may get to see them a lot more often.”

“What things?”

Matt dropped to one knee and took my hand in his. Even though we had spoken about marriage, nothing could have prepared me for a moment such as this. Heat rose to my face in a moment of eager anticipation and awkward embarrassment. What have I done to find myself so worthy of Matt’s love and devotion?

“Adele, from the moment I laid eyes on you, my heart has never been the same. There was just something about you that unlocked the chains I had placed around my heart. At first, your looks drew me to you like a magnet pulls on iron; a beauty that is unsurpassed. But it was your heart, wit, and kindness that won me over. I love that you like to touch and be close, the way you pull your hair behind your ear, and the way you bite your lower lip when you’re nervous, just like you’re doing now. You put others first, even at risk to your own life. How could I not fall completely in love with you? You would do me a great honor if you would marry me.”

“How can I not say yes to a man that has won my heart repeatedly every minute of every day since we first met? It would be easier for me to stop the ocean tides, or the moon from orbiting the earth, than to ignore that which I so much desire. My heart was yours well before you fed me peach cobbler or tried stealing my treat in China. My answer is yes. It will always be yes; for I can’t live without you.”

Matt smiled broadly and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the white plastic soda bottle ring and slipped it onto my finger. I laughed, and pulled him up to kiss him.

“You thought you were giving that ring up, but I wanted you to know how much significance I put on it as well. Tony thought it would be fun.”

“I knew you were both scheming something. I’d marry you any day, Mr. Damon.”

“Ahem…Is there something we should be informed of?”

I had been utterly lost in Matt’s embrace, forgetting we were in his parent’s home. Matt’s parents were standing not too far away. Matt looked at them a little sheepishly.

“We were just having a conversation.”

“Matt Christopher Damon. Don’t lie to me unless all your conversations begin on one knee.”

“You saw that?”

I wrapped my arms around Matt and kissed him. “If it’s all right with the both of you, I’d like the privilege of taking over responsibility for Matt.”

Matt’s mom came over and hugged us both. “I know we haven’t had much of a chance to get to know you yet, Adele, but if Matt believes you’re the one, then I’m happy to have you join our family.”

Matt’s father came and hugged us both as well and asked to see the ring.

Matt covered up my hand and hid it from them but one stern look from his father and Matt lifted my hand for them both to see.

“That’s a…”

I interrupted. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Matt sighed at his mother’s exasperated look. He fished into his pocket and produced a gorgeous platinum diamond ring, one far fancier than the one at the airport. “I thought if she accepted the plastic one, then I would know really loved me. Tony suggested I could always get my money back for this one as well.”

“I don’t need a fancy ring, my love. I just need you.”

Matt looked at his parents. “There’s history behind this plastic ring, just so you know.” He slipped the plastic ring off my finger and placed the new one on. It glittered in the firelight.

“Don’t you dare throw that plastic ring away.”

Matt’s parent’s smiled. “Congratulations you two. We’ll give you a minute while we finish up preparing dinner.”

I watched them leave before tackling Matt onto the couch. “I would have never thought that I could ever be so happy and it’s all because of you. I hope I never give you cause to want to leave me.”

“Not a chance in the world of that happening.”

I heard a click and found I was now handcuffed to Matt. I smiled and kissed him. “This will make for some very interesting lovemaking.”

***

***

Dear reader,

A great deal of effort goes into writing a story such as this one. My writing is a method of coping for me, allowing me to envision myself as that which my brain and heart yearn for but my body will never become.

I would probably still write even if no one left a single comment, but knowing that my words have touched you in some small way helps me feel like I’ve accomplished something worthwhile. Please take a moment to comment or review. I always look forward to reading each one.

Casey Brooke