“Doctor Miller? I have an update for one of your latest database entries. Uhhh…” He glanced down at the paper he was holding, “number 4572.”

“Thank you Larry,” I said as I took the file. Having a few interns working in my practice had helped a lot. The stacks of files on my desk were much smaller now.

I turned to my computer and typed in the name on the folder, Jeremy Ives. The file opened and I looked over the information that I had received just the previous day. Only twelve years old, Jeremy had morfed and while not changing much physically, he had gained an elemental ability. I opened the folder on my desk and removed the change of information form.

Usually I don’t receive these so soon after the original entry. I skimmed through the form until I came to the change and I let out a sigh. The change was to the address. Jeremy was now on a missing persons list. I’d seen this too many times. Whether he ran away or he had been kicked out by his family, didn’t really matter to me. What mattered was that there was a twelve year old kid out on his own somewhere.

I hit a button on the phone and a moment later Amy answered. “Hey Kitten. Slow day at the office?”

“Not really. I’m calling to let you know I have to go out of town on business. It’s urgent.”

“Another recent morf, or a dangerous one?”

“A recent, but this one is missing.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will, Amy. I can’t be as reckless now that we have the baby coming.”

“And you’d better not miss it, Missy!”

“Get Zack to call for me if I need to get you to the hospital, and I’ll be there in no time.”

“Of course. I love you.”

“I love you, too. See you soon.”

Ending the call, I went out to reception to let them know I’d be out of the office. Hopefully the kids wouldn’t get into too much trouble while I was away.

Back in my office, I focused on generating a disc of energy in front of me. Applying a bit of force, I twisted it into a spinning vortex. With my eyes closed, I concentrated on its signature and then reached with my mind to the time and place I wanted its exit to open. I felt the other end open as the vortex in front of me opened up, showing the busy city streets of Sydney.

I hesitated, still nervous to go through these things. But taking a deep breath, I jumped forward, feeling the vortex close behind me as I dropped into a crouched landing in the side street alley. Standing, I straightened my clothes before I walked out into the street.

Casually I walked over to a street vendor, who greeted me, “G’day!”

“Hello. Just the paper today. Thanks,” I said while I thumbed the pad and picked up the paper. I scanned through the headlines as I made my way through the city. There it was, on the bottom of page two. “Local Boy Missing” right beside the same picture I had in my file. The one taken at the MORFS center.

It wasn’t my job to talk to the family, it was my job to find the kid. I ducked back into an alley and brought up a shield underneath me Lifting it high into the air, I hovered over the white ‘sails’ of the Opera House as I looked down at the large city surrounding a magnificent harbor.

‘If I was a twelve year old boy, on the streets, where would I go?’ Looking around, I pondered that question. Then it hit me, ‘The beach!’ I reshaped my shield more like a surf board and brought up a full body shield before I rocketed southeast towards the coast.

Reaching Bondi Beach, I strolled up and down, looking for anything out of the ordinary. With so many Morfs visiting the beaches and without knowing his exact signature, just looking for a power signature scan would be a waste of time.

I spent hours looking for him at Bondi, and Bronte, even at Dee Why and Brighton, down in Botany Bay, without any success. I found a place near the water where I could sit and brought up his entry on my eCom projector. The holo wavered a bit and was hard to read. Something was interfering with its signal. I squinted and red through Jeremy’s file.

“Sub class/ Elemental: N/A”

I let out a sigh. ‘Did they even bother to do a telescreening on him?’

Eventually, as I wandered a Beach near the northern side of the opening to Botany Bay, it started to get dark. I sat and watched the sun go down on the far side of Botany Bay, debating what to do next. It had been a long, long day. Sunset here meant it was almost morning at home.

As I looked out over the bay, I saw a bright flash. A moment later there was another. I looked around and no one else seemed to notice. Grabbing my eCom, I started recording. The flashes appeared a few more times. I replayed the eCom recording, but all it showed was a beautiful Australian sunset. Apparently I was seeing something that wasn’t visible light. ‘Hey, when you can see through dark energy, you can see pretty much anything.’

I fished out a small device and connected it to the top of my eCom. There were a few more flashes and I pointed the device at them. It whirred for a moment and then returned its findings. High levels of Gamma, Beta, X-ray and Microwave radiation.

“This can’t be good. Hopefully it’s my kid.” I ran at the water and jumped up onto the shield I conjured up and sped towards the source of the flashes. As I neared the flashes, I could feel my skin tighten and burn. “Shield yourself stupid.’ I thought to myself as I surrounded myself in familiar darkness. I could feel my skin return to normal as I let my dark matter flow through my blood and bring healing to the surface of my skin.

A ways from shore I found a small island, really just the top of a reef near the old fortress inside the mouth of the bay. A melted inflatable raft lay stuck to the rocks.

In the center of this small charred piece of land was a small boy, his knees pulled to his chest. His clothing was burned and hanging off of him. As he looked up at me, his eyes seemed to plead with me to leave.

“Jeremy? I’m here to help you.”

His lip trembled and a piercing light peeked out of his slightly parted mouth. “Jeremy, I’m a doctor who specializes in dealing with people who have special gifts like yours.”

He looked back at me. “Just go!” he shouted, as another flash of light left his mouth and engulfed us. I was knocked backwards, completely off my feet by the force of the light.

He let out a sob and another flash from his mouth as I tried standing back up which sent me flying out into the water. I swam back to shore, trying to avoid the fish floating on the surface. I dragged myself up on shore and back over to Jeremy.

“Okay Jeremy. I need you to help me, so that I can help you. I need you to keep your mouth closed until I can help you control this. Okay? Nod if you are willing to let me help you.” He nodded slowly and let me sit beside him.

~~~~

*Trance!* Amy cried. The contractions were coming harder now. The animals in the house were all crowded around her, lending their emotional support.

*Amy, I’m on my way.* Trance ran out the front door just in time to hop over the railing and land on the back of an old friend. Brok wasted little time taking to the sky. *Mr. & Mrs. Miller. Your daughter in law is having her baby. Meet us at the clinic,* Trance shouted mentally as they touched down on the lawn in front of Sanura and Amy’s House.

Running to the door, Trance let himself in. He reached the living room where Amy sat clutching her stomach. Carefully using his TK, Trance lifted her off the couch and outside. “Zack, you’ve got to get Nura here,” pleaded Amy.

“I will. Just relax.” Hoping on Brok, they launched back into the sky. Trance used his TK to keep the wind from blowing on Amy, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible. As they flew to the hospital, Trance frantically searched for Sanura.

~~~~

“Okay,” I said. “Now I want you to concentrate on the feeling in your throat. Try to hold it back, like you’re trying to keep yourself from vomiting.” Jeremy looked strained, but I could see him trying to swallow.

“Okay, now while you’re holding that, I want you to try and say something.”

“What should I say?” Jeremy asked. A look of relief crossed his face, and for the first time in days, he smiled. “I did it!” he exclaimed.

“How does your throat feel? Do you think you can hold it?”

“It feels a bit like I have to burp. But it’s not bad.”

*Sanura. Amy is having your baby. You need to get back here.* called Trance.

“Jeremy, I have to run home. It’s an emergency. If you wait here, I’m going to send a friend back here to help you gain a bit more control. He’s a Telepath and should be able to set up some mental commands you can use to wield your powers safely.”

“Ummm… Okay. Sure.” I stood up, concentrated and pushed open the needed hole. The other side opened and I jumped through.

~~~~

“Zack!” I shouted from the doorway of the closet in which I’d arrived.

Trance stood and walked from the waiting area over to his best friend. “Next time you go half way round the world, try letting me know first. I had to get a teleboost from Brok just to find you.”

“Yeah, well it was urgent. Speaking of which, can I convince you to go down under?”

“What have you got in mind?”

“I found a runaway kid. He’s a radiation elemental. I’ve got him physically forcing control of his powers, but a set of telepathic triggers would help enough that he could go back to his family.”

“Radiation?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve left the wormhole open and I’ve got him behind a shield. You’ll be fine. He’s a really nice kid.”

“Yeah, I guess I can help. Not that I’m looking forward to going through that hole you made. Now go be with your wife. She’s in the maternity ward, room 505.”

“Thanks for everything, Trance” I leaned in, giving Trance a hug around his waist.

Trance hesitantly returned the hug before he extracted himself. I wiped away a few stray tears and smiled up at my taller friend. “Sometimes you’re such a girl,” he grinned I gave him a playful shove. “Now go, before she has the baby without you.”

~~~~

Jeremy tried to clear his mind as he had been asked to do. He could feel the white haired guy poking around in there. “Just try to relax. We’re almost done.”

~~~~

I rushed to Amy’s side. “Hey, I’m sorry I’m late.”

“You’re here. That’s what matters.”

“I love you. You’re doing great.” I kissed Amy on the cheek and stood up.

“Where are you going?” asked Amy in a panic.

I smiled at her. “Honey, I have to go throw on some scrubs if I’m going to assist in the birth. I am a Doctor, remember?”

“Okay, but be quick about it.” She smiled back at me. “I don’t think the baby is going to wait much longer.”

~~~~

Trance had Jeremy try out the triggers he had made. Jeremy still had a few problems controlling the amount of radiation he emitted, but now he could turn it on and off and he could choose which radiation to use.

He seemed to have the full spectrum of radiation types. Trance was impressed at the control the triggers were giving him. Sanura had obviously done a good job of getting started.

Shortly after sunrise, after a few hours of testing it and improving Jeremy’s control, Trance slowly TK-hovered them back to the beach and helped Jeremy get home to his family.

Realizing the time that had passed Trance got back to the small island they had been on earlier and went through the wormhole. Finding himself back in the hospital, he honed his senses and headed towards Sanura and Amy.

Sanura was in a regular room in the maternity ward.

~~~~

I turned towards at that sound of someone softly knocking on the open door. I knew it was Zack. He smelled like salt water and fish. I was glad to see him in one piece and not partially nuked.

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself. Everything go alright with Jeremy?”

“Yeah, everything is fine now. He’s with his family.”

With that good news, I concentrated on the hole in the closet downstairs and closed both ends of the wormhole.

“How are Amy and the baby?”

“They’re both doing well. Amy is having some internal cuts healed by one of the staff bios and the nurses are washing off the baby. Apparently, our daughter inherited my claws and did a little scratching on her way out. Hospital policy has got me waiting in here in case the baby gets here before Amy does. Once they’re both back, then visitors are allowed in.”

“So I’m not allowed in here?” Trance asked.

“Nope!” I grinned. “Go wait down the hall with our parents. I believe your fiancée is down their, too.”

~~~~

“Hey, babe,” Zack slipped his arms around Rakira’s waist. “Sanura says they’re just washing the baby, and one of her bios is doing a bit of healing.”

Brett Miller stood, putting his large hand on Zack’s shoulder. ”Did she say how long it’d be before they let us see them?”

“Just a few more minutes.”

~~~~

“Dr. Miller?”

I stood up from my chair and walked across the room to the nurse standing there.

“I believe this little bundle of cuteness is yours?” she said, handing me my new little girl. As I held her gently in my arms, her eyes opened slightly and I saw she had a beautiful mix of Amy’s green eyes with my feline pupils.

A moment later, Amy’s bed was wheeled into the room and I sat down on the mattress beside her. “Hey there, beautiful.” I leaned over and gave her a kiss.

“Nura, I’m sure I look far from beautiful at the moment. I just went through labour.”

“Amy, you’re always beautiful.”

Amy grinned at me and reached out for the baby. “Now let me hold my daughter.”

We sat there together for about ten minutes or so. Not much was said, we just enjoyed being together and watching our little girl. Eventually I smelled familiar people coming down the hall and could hear my Dad’s heavy foot steps. I leaned over closer to Amy and said, “Looks like they’re letting our visitors in.”

The room got much louder as over a dozen of our friends and family filtered into the room. Both of our parents were quick to come over and shower us with hugs and kisses.

“So, do we get to see the baby or not?” asked my sister. I suspected she wasn’t pleased to have been dragged away from the lake.

Amy lifted our girl a little bit so everyone could see her better and started to unwrap her a bit. “May I introduce all of you to Faline Bianca Miller.” Amy pulled the blanket Faline was wrapped in down to her waist and she squirmed around in Amy’s arms.

“that’s pronounce Fay-leen, but spelled f, a, l, i, n, e,” I clarified for everyone.

Faline definitely took after the two of us. She had Amy’s unique red hair, with a set of cat ears peeping through the short curls. She also had fur in all the places that I did, except hers was white. “Looks like she got her fur colour from her grandfather, Dad.”

“She has her parent’s eyes though,” said Amy’s Mom. I looked back and sure enough, Faline was gazing around blindly, her large green eyes shimmering in the bright hospital lights.

Our friends and family stayed and visited for a few hours. Faline was handed from one person to another as everyone wanted to ‘hold the baby’. She looked ridiculously tiny in my Dad’s arms.

Eventually she was handed back to Amy and I where she fell asleep in my arms, peacefully purring with her little tail wrapped around her waist.

~~~

The entire MORFS  Universe can be found at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/