Prudence Walker

Thousands of years in the future, man has become something else, since they fled the wave of destruction that was going to annihilate all life on Earth. Now they are a race of people living in a galaxy far far away in huge space habitats. They are people that cycle regularly from partly male to somewhat female in a strange hermaphroditic process, due to gradual genetic changes in their DNA caused by the radiation from space. One rebel that lived on the edge of the space laws, falls captive to a wormhole while fleeing from those that wished to board the unique ship the rebel had found abandoned. Araya Lightsword survived the emergence from the wormhole to find the legendary Earth, only to find it intact and under siege by aliens. This story tells of the travails Araya goes through, to bring back the news, and of Araya’s body transformation back to the original human form using the undamaged store of DNA preserved on the ship called Hope.

Story:

ARAYA’S HOPE
By Prudence Walker

Whoop! Whoop! Warning, imminent danger

WHOOP! WHOOP! WARNING…

“SHUT THAT OFF!” I screamed, over the com, drowning out the ship’s alert system.

“Sorry captain, but that’s not under my direct control,” the AI that I call Puda, replied. “I have, however, rerouted the alert system so your cabin is isolated.”

“On my way,” I acknowledged.

Fumbling to drag on my pants, I cursed the day I’d left Orbiter Nine, my birth habitat as I raced to the control deck and headed for the bridge. There, a myriad of flashing lights greeted me. I had no crew, not that I needed any, as Puda controlled all of the ship, bar the alert system. It seemed.

I shut off the alarm manually, and looked at the screens in front of me. “Situation?” I asked, already sensing that the news wasn’t going to be good.

“We have four inbound raptors coming from the Clementine,” Puda announced.

“Damn!” I cursed, knowing it could be tricky to survive those semi intelligent missiles.

“Countermeasures?”

“I’ve locked onto one of the AI’s and have control of the raptor and am now trying for a second,” Puda responded, strain tingeing her voice.

“Great, but what about the other two?” I asked worriedly.

I keep forgetting that Puda isn’t the usually run of the mill AI. Her personality was feminine for a start, not like the sexless monotone of a standard ship’s AI. I remembered the day I found the strange ship which I named Hope. My life as a privateer often saw me one step ahead of the law, not that I considered myself a lawbreaker.

“I have two, but the others have shielded themselves from my data acquisition.” Puda announced, breaking into my train of thought.

“Can you detonate the two you have? Maybe that would disrupt the others… wait, do you have full control of the two raptors?” I asked, getting an idea.

“Yes to both captain,” Puda answered.

“Use the two raptors to take out the other two,” I told her quickly.

“Executing, captain.”

“I wish you would call me by my name and stop calling me Captain. I keep wanting to look over my shoulder,” I grumbled, checking the screens for the missile plots. “I want you to head for that nebula with the dust clouds. We need to hide before they really get organized.”

“Done, Araya, but I’m picking up some anomalous data from that area. Do you still want to head there?”

“We don’t have much choice, I just hope whoever built you did a good job,” I muttered.

“Detonation accomplished, Araya. All four raptors destroyed. Clementine turning to new heading and has loosed four more raptors and a Rex Class corvette.”

“DAMN, open her up Puda! We need to vacate,” I cursed.

I watched the numbers changing as Puda accelerated to point 9 light, trying to calculate in my head whether or not we would reach the cloud before the missiles reached us. I knew the raptors would now be screened against Puda’s manipulations. The Hope could still surprise me with her capabilities. Unfortunately, her data base concerning her origins had been erased, but whether that was a deliberate act by whoever had owned her previously, or just damage from age, I hadn’t worked out yet.

The Clementine had been after me for some time before the current situation. It was a military D Class super dreadnaught from Excelsior 2 habitat in the Psion quarter. The captain had demanded I return the cargo I was carrying, saying it was tech stolen from their government. When I refused, saying it was a legitimate cargo from a Psion noble, and was being delivered to Quasmat’s scientific research station, he went berserk. He threatened to destroy me before I reached Quasmat station and set about doing just that. I had eluded him for sometime, by using one of Hope's extra features, which had apparently come from her original builders. Unfortunately, this cloaking device had burned out when I was doing an upgrade to her wiring and accidentally shorted out a bus line.

“Araya? I sense a serious disturbance ahead. I’m getting a large K particle bombardment. There’s something else too, I detect a gravimetric anomaly 3 degrees up on the port side. It could be a wormhole.”

“How close?”

“Four thousand units … wait, the K particle count has gone off the scale, I’m turning away to port,” Puda called out.

“A nova storm front?” I gasped, knowing the significance of K particle sources.

“Affirmative. Our only chance is the wormhole,” Puda answered, resignedly.

“You up for it?” I asked, looking worriedly at the approaching wave of nova energy boiling out of the dust cloud.

“We’ll soon find out,” Puda replied tensely. “Inertial damping at maximum. Hull integrity shields on. Araya? You need to buckle up.”

I lay back in the command chair and the auto restraints activated sealing me in. I wondered whether I should have put on my protective suit, but if the ship broke up, I was dead anyway. Looking over at the screens I could see the missiles were closing on us, as was the corvette which had decided it was to close to avoid the nova storm and had decide to follow our lead. I noted that the Clementine was making a sharp turn away and building speed, obviously trusting to their more powerful shields and distance from the wave front to avoid destruction. I wished him well, as his survival was just as uncertain as ours.

As we entered the wormhole, I could see the missiles following us. I hoped that without the inertial damping the Hope carried, the missiles would tumble and destroy themselves in the wall of the wormhole. One did almost immediately creating a flash that flowed down behind us.

“Did the corvette make it?” I gasped out as the Hope bounced around, making speech difficult.

“Yes, just in front of the wave front.”

“Execute an acute vector shift at the emergence. We want to avoid being fried by what’s coming down the hole from the nova.” I told Puda.

“Brace yourself, emergence in 20 seconds.”

I did a quick calculation. That was about 10 centons. ‘That’s another curious thing,’ I thought, as I got ready for a rugged turn, ‘Puda persists in using her own time units. I always have to convert to the universal one all colonies use’. She won’t or can’t change to our system and I often find myself using her system unconsciously.’

As I felt the ship groaning under the sudden stresses forced on it as it emerged from the wormhole and made its vector shift. That was when the remaining missiles decided to explode. I felt the ship lurch, and the lights flickered as systems rerouted extra power to the shields. We made an ungainly exit, but we did make it.

The corvette wasn’t so lucky. It was hit by both the missiles' explosive back wash and almost simultaneously by the outer edge of the nova wave, which struck it while it was still in the wormhole. Unable to avoid them, it tumbled out of control with all systems dead, erupting from the wormhole like a cork out of a carbonation enhanced wine bottle. Instead of being enveloped with foam however, it was surrounded by flame.

The inertial dampers flicked off for a moment and I blacked out for a timeless moment from g forces not meant to be withstood, by flesh and blood. During those seconds, I relived parts of my life again.

*****

“Araya Lightsword, where are you going?” Asked my life mate, as I packed my few belongings.

“Away from this place,” I answered.

I seemed to become more claustrophobic living in Orbiter 9 the older I got. I wanted, no… I needed to get out and make my own life away from the press of life in this place. I checked myself in the mirror, hating the sight of my lack of height. For my age, I was the shortest “Niner,” (as we called ourselves) for my age on board, it seemed. Even my unit cohabiter Tryst, who happened to be entering estrus and would be considered under the norm, as hir body changed, becoming smaller and more feminine, was a head higher than myself. At least my honey blonde hair was my crowning glory. Most went around with hair cropped close, but I liked to wear it long, for some unknown reason.

“You really think that wreck you call a ship will take you to Psion?” Tryst laughed.

“Sure it will,” I answered, sounding positive, even though I did have a few niggling doubts about the shield generators holding together.

“Blip me sometime, okay?” Tryst asked, giving me a hug.

“Okay, I’ll let you know how I’m doing,” I promised my life mate.

The ship I’d cobbled together lasted until the second gravity well, before the shields failed. I found myself without main power as the wiring in the Saur runabout burned out.

I found myself in the middle of nowhere with no communications and only the mass reaction thruster controls working. I looked for any place I could reach with the fuel reserves I had, but nothing habitable was within reach, so I drifted along under the momentum I had accumulated. It was a pity that I hadn’t stuck to the usual navigation routes and had let youthful enthusiasm and over confidence dictate my eventual route. I managed to get the radar working and started searching space directly ahead for anything that I could land the Saur on. The Gods must have been smiling on me, as I detected a small barren planetoid somewhat higher and to the right of my azimuth.

I calculated furiously, trying for anything that would give me a soft landing. I worked furiously, altering and slowing my direction and speed. At the last moment I looked up at the planetoid and saw a strange ship on the surface, directly in front of me. I was going to hit no matter what I could do. I hit all the thrusters together trying to avoid a collision.

I blacked out to a roar of crushing metal.

*****

“Araya? Araya?” I heard, as I came around.

“Argh, not so loud,” I protested, flailing around before realizing I was back on the Hope and not my doomed first ship.

“Bad dream Araya?”

“Yeah, I was back in my first ship when I nearly crashed into you,” I explained, with a shudder.

“The corvette seems to be dead in space, do you wish to investigate?” Puda asked.

“No, let’s move away quietly. I don’t trust them not to be playing dead on purpose. What’s our status? And where the hell are we?” I asked, climbing out of the chair’s restraints.

“Some of the new gear you fitted to me has been disabled, but the basic ship systems seem serviceable. Our location is still unknown, but I have a strange feeling that I’ve seen these constellations before …” Puda trailed off.

I looked out the view port, shocked at how few stars were within visual detection. Surely we hadn’t left our home galaxy. Looking back at the now receding wormhole and its belching mouth, I knew we weren’t heading back that way for some time.

“Is the cargo still strapped on?” I asked Puda.

“There was some damage to the cargo hull and the environmental controls are out,” she answered.

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. That meant a space walk in a suit. The Hope only had limited hold space, having been built for … well, I wasn’t sure what she was built for, but whatever it was, it wasn’t for carrying much of a load. I’d basically gutted my first ship of everything I could salvage and strapped it onto the Hope. It also served to disguise the fact that the Hope was not a conventional vessel, and was in fact an alien craft.

The military knew something was different about the Hope from the energy signature of her engines. This, more than the supposed cargo violations, was probably the reason for their hounding.

I moved to the hatch and donned an EPS prior to depressurizing the airlock. Once the helmet was fixed and sealed to the protective environment suit, I pumped the air from the airlock to the reservoir to be stored until my return.

I paused before opening the hatch to the secondary hull, which hopefully contained my cargo. Memories of the last time I’d had to do this came flooding back. I’d awakened from the crash where I’d narrowly missed some strange ship, at least I hoped I’d missed it, as it might be my only salvation. I remember being thankful I had been smart enough to seal my helmet to the suit prior to the landing in case of a hull breach.

Although the suits are supposed to be skintight to aid the flexibility when working in the vacuum of space, there is always some air trapped inside and this made the suit balloon a little, making movements stiffer. I had a hull breach, and my life was only going to last till my suit air ran out. If I was lucky and the ship still contained a supply, I might last a quarter turn; otherwise I had only a sleep cycle worth.

I finally climbed into the cargo hold, or what was left of it. The outer section had sheered away from the stresses encountered and I could see the star field all around. Somehow my luck had held, as the magnetic sleds holding the cargo to the deck were still in place. Some of the packages had been damaged by explosive decompression as air inside had sought a fast route out.

I checked the Hope out for damage looking down at it from over the broken edge of the old hull. Nothing discernable seemed amiss. Whoever had built her had done an excellent job.

When I’d first entered her on that barren planetoid, looking for help, I’d been surprised to find her empty. Although it was obviously not from any of the known habitats in this corner of the galaxy, I’d had hardly any problems figuring out how to power up the ship.

I made my way back into the Hope, chuckling as I remembered the way I’d almost wet myself the first time Puda had spoken.

“Something funny about losing half the hull of that bolt on garbage can?” Puda enquired, in a tone that suggested raised eyebrows.

“No, just remembering when we met … Wait! How did you know we’d lost half the … argh! Never mind, I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Basic mass extrapolations. I kept track of the extra mass you attached to me and I know what the current cargo massed when you loaded it. The rest is simple,” Puda insisted on informing me with what sounded like satisfaction.

I knew Puda hadn’t been happy with my modifications, but to earn money, I had to move freight. And as beautiful and graceful the Hope had been, she had no room for storing cargo, which in itself was strange, given the Hope’s external dimensions.

I’d tried to investigate some of the internal spaces near the engines, but there seemed to be no access, and Puda wasn’t very forthcoming about those spaces. Mind you, that might have been due to the odd gaps in her memory banks, rather than a deliberate evasion on her part.

Even her engines were as frustratingly mysterious. Most craft sported Mag 2’s with the military craft using anything ranging up to Mag 6’s. The Hope’s engines were the equivalent in size to a Mag 5, something unheard of, given her light mass. Unfortunately, something seemed to limit the engine’s potential, giving her only a marginal gain over most other similar sized craft.

“I know you don’t like my additions, but you needn’t sound so pleased they are damaged,” I grumbled.

“I think I know where we are, at least in relation to where we were? Several systems became active while you were outside,” Puda informed me. “One was a navigational system, which showed the local star systems. The other … is an archive system.

I asked resignedly, “So where are we?” as she waited for me to react to the news.

“We are near the outer edge of our galaxy in one of the arms near the rim.”

That was something that annoyed me about Puda; she could be rather frustrating and temperamental, just like a citizen in estrus

When I’d tried to load my old ship’s AI through the only compatible data port, it refused to take. Puda had somehow kept control and just mined the data stream for the star charts and other useful bits of information, like docking protocols.

I despaired. That far out would take years and years to return using maximum speed, even if we had the fuel.

“I don’t suppose there’s a handy wormhole around we can to use to return?” I asked not very hopefully.

“Not handy, but there must be one around. The wormhole we came through is one way only, so I couldn’t have used it to get to where you found me.”

Her words drilled right though me and a surge of hope blossomed.

“You came from here? How can you know that for sure?” I questioned her.

“Those systems that came online?”

“Yes!” I nearly shouted, “Yes!”

“The navigation system shows a star chart covering this area…and my home planet.” Puda answered, drawing out the suspense.

“That information would be nice to know sometime this rotation,” I pressed, trying not to get annoyed at her delaying tactics.

“According to the information I just accessed, we are in an arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. The nearest sun is a white dwarf circled by nine planets and something known as an Oort cloud. According to this information, your home habitat lies within Baade’s Window which is near the edge of the Sagittarius star system.”

“Baade? Psion is in the Baade’s cluster, but I haven’t heard of Sagittarius, I wonder if it’s a local name for Sagenous?” I questioned.

“The planet where I was constructed is the third planet from the sun known as Sol.”

“SOL? You come from SOL? The legendary birth system of man?” I gasped unbelievingly.

“Yes, I have proof aboard that I am from the long lost cradle of humanity. After the great exodus when man fled the predicted collapse of the Van Allen belt and the resulting extinction of all life on Earth, we were … we were …” she broke off.

“You were what?” I asked impatiently, thinking this was another ploy of Puda’s.

“I don’t know, the data stream in the archive is corrupted beyond that,” Puda acknowledged apologetically.

“The data stream?” I asked, thinking if I could get at it, I might be able to run it though some programs to find out more.

“The file opened by itself, but is incomplete; there is no more to find.” Puda answered sounding angry that she couldn’t finish what was obviously a message.

I thought back to what I’d learned of our history. I knew we were not natives of our system, and that our habitats had been constructed by our ancestors. I’d heard of speculation that we’d once been planet dwellers strange as that might seem. Seeing most planets were hostile to life and only a few actually had domes large enough to support any sort of real populations, made that seem unlikely. I’d always believed that the legend of Sol and its water planet was mere myth, as if free water could exist in nature without special containment.

The closest I’d got to a planet was Hadras 3, where I’d picked up a cargo of pure water from the orbiting station. Hadrian’s were even stockier than I was, due to their planetary gravity being higher than the standard maintained in the habitats. The water was mined from the rocks, as there was none on the surface with its ammonia nitrogen rich atmosphere.

“So which planet did you come from?” I asked curiously.

“The third from the sun … it’s called dirt, no … ground?’ Puda replied slowly, sounding somewhat uncertain.

“Earth!” I gasped, a million thoughts racing though my head.

I barely heard Puda agree on that, as my mind was cast back to when I first heard of the legend of Earth. Even though I’d doubted its validity, I found the concept of a water planet struck a chord deep in my psyche. I wondered what was left of it now, probably just another barren nondescript ball of rock by now. In some way, I didn’t want to destroy my childhood image of the legend, by visiting something that bore no resemblance to my dream.

Back at the habitat, there had been a growing undercurrent of unease, as the population grew. Even though I’d fled the massed humanity in the habitat and ended up in the tighter confines of the Hope, I’d always felt freer in the vastness of space.

I was so deep in my thoughts that at first, I missed Puda’s question.

“Araya? Do you want me to set a course for Earth?”

“Yeah, yeah, I answered distractedly. “I’m going to get some food. Alert me if anything unusual comes up.”

I made my way to my cabin and opened the food dispenser. I took out two protein bars and added a flavour cube to the water container. I lay back down to get some rest, as I knew I’d be too worked up later when we neared our goal.

I don’t know why, but my dreams took me back to my meeting with the Hope. I remembered starting up the engines, half expecting the magnetic bottles to fail as the matter-antimatter drives kicked into life. With the systems powered up and everything on the strange ship seeming to be working normally, I’d lifted off the planetoid and checked to see if I had a viable craft before I did anything else. Once I’d established that her cargo capacity was negligible, I’d returned to try and salvage the wreck of my hull. It had taken a long time to free it and strip out what was useless, before welding it to the Hope.

“ARAYA! WAKE UP.”

“WHAT IS IT NOW?” I shouted, feeling adrenaline fighting off the remnants of my dream stupor.

“Earth seems to be under attack, I detect energy weapons being directed at the planet.”

“Holey hull,” I cursed as I raced to the command center. I hope I wasn’t going to be deprived of my goal this close to achieving it.

Puda filled me in as I strapped in. We were just on the edge of this solar system, having negotiated the Oort cloud without incident. We were still doing 0.5 light and should have been slowing our descent into the gravity well of Sol. By the readouts I could see our engines were throttled back to idle.

“Sensors indicate that the Earth is surrounded by a large unknown fleet which is bombarding it with both fusion and optical weapons.” Puda reported.

“Damage?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“None at this time,” Puda answered.

“None?” I asked incredulously, a wave of relief flooding though my body.

“There seems to be some sort of force barrier protecting the Earth’s surface. It must be generated from the surface.”

I questioned, “How is that possible? I thought Earth was abandoned,” as I tried to see it on the screens.

“What are your orders? Should we proceed on?”

Now I had a dilemma; as far as I knew, we had no offensive weapons, but something was calling me home to Earth. I couldn’t explain how that could be so, as I’d never been there or ever expected to. Maybe it was something inherent in our souls that felt a bond with our long lost home. I couldn’t leave, I just couldn’t.

“What are our chances if we sneak in behind the shadow of the outer planets?”

“Earth has a large moon, we could use that to hide behind, but you need to jettison the hulk on my back. It will complicate matters later on,” Puda insisted.

I didn’t protest. After all Puda knew the ship best, and violent maneuvers might break the hull off and cause damage to the Hope. I suited up again and took up a plasma cutter and cut the old hull free. I left it in a Trojan orbit outside Neptune’s orbit that I could find later.

Using the planets’ gravity wells and a complicated spiraling orbit that took advantage of the screening effects the planets afforded, the speed of the Hope was reduced. On the last hop from the forth planet to the moon of Earth, we coasted, using no power at all from the engines. Several things in the Hope’s favour were her small size and the black finish of her skin. I Hoped that whoever was out there, wouldn’t be expecting a solitary craft to come barging in.

For the first time, I was able to get a good visual of Earth. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful. No wonder someone wanted to fight to make her their own. For the first time in my life I had to struggle for words to describe her. Earth was a brilliant blue jewel in space, interspaced with glimpses of brown/green and covered with blobs of white from some sort of vapour.

As we neared, I realised that the moon we were shadowing was huge as moons go. The fleet surrounding Earth was about a thousand strong, with all sizes being represented. As soon as we got into the penumbra formed by the moon’s shadow, Puda fired up the engines to slow our velocity while the emissions were shielded from the alien fleet by the moon.

Once all the Hopes speed was washed off, Puda navigated to the edge of the terminator, where we could get our first close up view (relatively) of the Earth. One thing was for sure, whatever was stopping the bombardment from having any effect, was definitely a shield of some sort. We could see the flashes of missile detonations splashing on a spherical surface well away from Earth.

“We need to land on Earth,” Puda spoke up.

“What? And how do you suggest we do that? It has an impenetrable barrier around it, with an armed alien fleet surrounding it, and we are in an unarmed vessel of questionable reliability,” I scoffed at her suggestion.

“All will be revealed,” Puda replied enigmatically, as I felt her accelerate forwards.

“Stop! You’ll get us killed,” I shouted, a horrible gut wrenching feeling forming inside.

Puda ignored me and I felt a kick in the seat of my pants as she went to full boost. She didn’t being bother being subtle. Our only hope was that our actions were foolhardy and brash. Once they detected us, they might think we would try to escape or at least veer away. I noticed several lights come up on a board that had remained dark until now.

“What’s that? Have they detected us?” I called out, checking out the sensor screen.

“It’s a hail,” Puda replied calmly.

“From the fleet? What are they saying?” I asked hopefully, feeling that if they were willing to talk, we might get to keep our skins intact.

“No, it’s coming from Earth,” Puda answered.

“Well?” I pressed, feeling frustrated that I wasn’t really in control of the Hope, merely its passenger at times. Puda flew the ship and controlled most of its functions while I just told her where to go, and like the current situation, sometimes not even that.

“It’s sending a code, asking us for a password for permission to penetrate the shield.”

“Do we have one?” I asked, hoping that the new lights on the panel meant the Hope had recovered more of its original functions.

“Searching.”

“Has the fleet detected us yet?” I asked her, seeing some odd movements in the fleet immediately ahead of us.

“It appears so. The attack has paused, and the ships directly ahead have moved aside.”

“Probably wary, until they can decide whether we are a threat or not.” I answered.

We hadn’t slowed, and I was rather worried that Puda had forgotten that Earth had an atmosphere. I didn’t even know if the Hope was capable of a landing on a planet, let alone lift off from one. I suppose I should have investigated her capabilities more, but I hadn’t wanted to risk damaging her just to find out something I might never need.

I heard a channel open as someone from the fleet tried to communicate with us. The language was unrecognizable to either Puda or myself. Puda sent a general greeting and a “we are peaceful” message in all the languages used by humankind, but the rise in tone as we continued on made their meaning clear, regardless of the language barrier. They were getting angry.

Suddenly there came the sound of alerts coming from the instrumentation boards, and more lights began flashing. I didn’t know where to look first, at the instruments or at the screens showing the fleet maneuvering closer. We were very close to the barrier now, and I saw several missiles launched in our direction. Just as I was expecting to be killed by either the missiles or the barrier, something unexpected happened.

Everything stopped dead and a huge flash filled the screens, nearly blinding me. If the internal inertia dampening hadn’t been on max, I would have been a red smear on the panels.

“What’s happening?” I shouted, trying to regain the use of my sight.

“We are safe Araya; it seems Earth control has taken over our descent.”

I looked out of the ports. A shimmering column surrounded us. Puda reported that a tube-like force had engulfed us just prior to us reaching the barrier. It had also taken the brunt of the missiles impact without any injury to the ship. The column was now sinking back into the barrier and continuing to hold us in its grip as we neared the planet’s surface.

All of a sudden, our descent was halted just above the vapour layer, which Puda informed me were clouds of water vapour.

“Why have we stopped?” I asked, as the readings indicated that the engines were idling and not providing any thrust to keep us aloft.

“I suspect we are to be interrogated before being allowed access to the surface,” Puda commented.

“Strange, I thought if you came from here, they would allow you to land.”

“It’s not me they want to interrogate, it’s you,” Puda answered, and I thought I detected a smirk in her tone of voice.

As I wondered what that meant, a small craft of some unidentified type flew up and docked to us somewhere on the top of the Hope. I heard a small clang as it locked on to the ship.

Moments later all the lights on the control panels lit up, most of which hadn’t been active before.

“What’s happening?” I questioned feeling a sense of alarm.

Some time passed before Puda painfully cranked out a reply.

“Ship ... to … ship … transfer … recalibration,” she managed, before her overworked drives forestalled further voice communication.

I waited anxiously, wondering what recalibration meant and how long it would take. While I waited, I looked out the ports and noticed that the fleet outside had resumed its barrage. I could see occasional glimpses of the Earth between gaps in the clouds and what I saw made me want to go down there even more.

“Recalibration complete,” Puda announced, breaking into my reverie.

I glanced up to see most of the lights had shut off, but more were alight than before and most seemed to be active.

“What happened?”

“My record files were downloaded and my damaged files and all the lost data I suffered have been restored,” Puda answered.

“What about me? What did you tell them?” I asked.

“I’ve explained that you are one of the descendants of man that I was sent to find?

“You were sent to find us? So if I’m a descendant of the people living here, why did they stop us from landing?” I asked, feeling a bit confused.

“First, there are no people left on Earth. That was one of my primary objectives, to return mankind to its ancestral home.”

“No people? Then who or what is controlling all of this,” I interrupted, waving my hand around above my head indicating the shield and where we were stuck.

“Second,” Puda continued, ignoring me and carrying on with the answer to my first question. “Mankind has changed physically during its long sojourn in space. You are no longer able to stand the gravity of Earth and there is another factor. Your immune system isn’t able to cope with a non-sterile environment.”

My heart dropped, ‘Am I going to be denied access to the planet of my ancestors?’

“Tell me who’s in charge if there’s no people,” I pressed.

“She calls herself Gaia.”

“Gaia?” I queried.

“It’s an acronym, she’s an A.I. Her main function was to produce a Gamma Ablation to Insulate the Atmosphere. It got shortened to Gaia, which is also the name given the Earth mother.

“There’s an Earth mother?” I asked, feeling even more confused.

“Earth as a whole is alive, in a sort of gestalt that forms a mother figure. The thoughts are slow, but the AI has managed an interface that allows a type of communication to exist.”

‘The Earth thinks?” I interrupted, not so much as a question, but as statement of surprise.

“Think of it like your brain. You can analyze every tiny bit of it yet in no one part can you locate the mind. The Earth is like that. All the land and the living biomass on and in it, make up an intelligence that’s been there for millions of years.”

“So what does this intelligence or Earth mother want?” I asked.

“She wants her children back,” Puda stated plainly.

I thought about this for a moment feeling a rush of emotions that brought a tear to my eyes and a weird sense of sadness for a planet that had brought a species to life and then felt their loss when they had abandoned her to her fate.

“Wait, I thought you said the collapse of the Van Allen belt killed all life on Earth.” I protested, trying to get my head around all this.

“A few dedicated scientists remained behind. They had started project Gaia once predictions of the collapse became indisputable. Gaia carried on their work after they died, building a vast array of generators that form the basis of a force screen that protected the Earth from the dangerous radiation coming unabated from the sun.

“After it was in place, Gaia started cleaning up the toxins left by man. Strangely, about 300 years after man left for the stars, the Van Allen belt reformed. Earth has blossomed in the meantime and most of the animal species has been repopulated. Gaia maintains the shield generators just in case, which was fortunate, given that half a rotation around the sun or 6 months ago in local time, an alien craft landed here.

Gaia observed it without giving away her presence, until it started to loot resources left behind. Unfortunately, it avoided the automated defense robots sent against it, suffering only minor damage. It left, but two months later, the fleet you saw turned up. Gaia detected it as soon as it passed Mars the fourth planet, and had the shield up in time.”

“When we entered the shield, exactly what happened? What was that flash I saw?” I asked, remembering I’d forgotten to ask, what with everything else happening.

“The shield can be manipulated to form a tube so ships can enter without leaving a vulnerable opening. One end of the tube is always closed, so if enemy fire was directed down it, nothing could get through. Initially the planet side of the tube was closed as we entered. Then the tube was closed behind us, preventing the missiles from destroying the Hope. Now the Hope was moving at a tremendous velocity, generating a huge store of kinetic energy, all of which had to be dissipated as the shield gripped the Hope and stopped its forward motion instantly to prevent it impacting the lower end of the tube. The energy was released as heat which the shield was designed to handle harmlessly.”

“Ah,” I said, crossing one of my many questions off the list.

“If the Earth wants us back, how can that happen, if it will kill us?” I asked, sorting out another question from the flood of new information bouncing around my skull.

“We will modify you on the genetic level using the vast store of human genome stored in my hold,” Puda answered, dropping the bombshell calmly

“Modify?” I gasped, thinking the worst. Then another thought. “What genome store?”

“Many ships like the Hope were sent out into space with a collection of human genome. They were destined for the use in the colonies that were built in the far flung reaches of space. Besides being stored in extremely well shielded holds, lined with a Lead-Osmium alloy, they had force shielding similar to what surrounds the Earth now, powered independently from the ships engines, using a tiny fusion fuel cell.”

I vainly tried to sort out this overload of information, my list of questions quadrupling by the second. I decided not to ask the obvious, figuring I’d be here for a full rotation listening to Puda spout forth, otherwise. I shelved the questions for later, deciding to stick to the immediate one that concerned me.

“You intend for me to change into an Earther?” I pressed, trying to clear my head of a backlog of questions.

“That’s Terran, not Earther, and yes, we need to give you the best chance of survival on Earth. You can refuse of course, but that’s your choice,” Puda pointed out.

I looked at the Earth, marveling at its beauty from the view port. I felt it calling me like a mother to a child. I had to go there, that was an absolute. Maybe the dissatisfaction in my old life that I’d felt since I was young was finally going to be remedied.

“What do I do?” I asked, giving my tacit assent.

Puda, in answer, brought up a screen view of two people. One looked similar to an Orbiter in estrus, except the two breasts adorning the chest were much larger. There was no sign of the erectile organ, but the familiar vaginal slit was there. The other person was much taller, but seemed deformed by the absent of even non-estrus-sized breast tissue. It seemed that the erectile organ had compensated for the lack of upper development, and was huge in terms of Orbiter comparisons.

“This is what is considered the norm for human beings on Earth,” Puda explained. “The taller one is a male and the other a female, humans are supposed to be two separate sexes, not a mix of both,” she added.

A third person was projected up on the screen between the two, and I recognized my own body being displayed there. Height-wise, I was more like the male, but my breasts, which had been a minor source of embarrassment to me, due to them being larger than norm for an Orbiter not in estrus, were formed more like the female’s, only not as large. My erectile organ was miniscule compared with the males, but I knew it was only undersized by Orbiter standards, having seen Tryst’s in the refresher.

The other main difference, now I could compare myself against a true Terran, was the stockier build of the Terrans. Even the female with the more slender physique, was stronger looking than my spindle like legs.

“You need to choose which one you want to become,” Puda announced.

“I thought about it for a while. I hadn’t realised how much man had changed from the original design. Obviously radiation screening hadn’t worked as well as expected with unforeseen changes and mutations taking place. At present, we were pretty much both sexes in one body, with the body cycling from non-estrus to estrus, which meant going from a more male like form to a female form similar to the images on the screen before me. Looking at the choices, I knew with certainty, which I would pick. I’d always felt most comfortable when I was in estrus, so the choice wasn’t so much a choice, but a necessity.

“I choose to become like the female,” I told Puda.

“Noted, Araya,” acknowledged Puda without hesitation.

“So what’s next?” I ventured, somewhat anxiously.

“You know that part of the ship you figured held some secret?”

“Yes?” I answered, looking back to the rear section of the ship in question.

“In it is a regeneration booth, where I can re-sequence your genes based on a stored genotype.”

I moved back along the passage and saw the blank panel which I’d spent hours wondering what was behind it, was now open. I ducked through the opening and saw a long cylindrical tube with a transparent lid that was hinged back waiting … waiting for me. I walked over and looked inside at the sterile padding that lined the bottom.

Following Puda’s instructions, I stripped down, got inside the booth and lay down. Puda brought up a display that moved out on an arm from the side and stopped in front of my face. On it, Puda showed different images of females that could be selected for my final form. They ranged from black skinned women to ones with a yellow tinge. Other details were available. I decided to keep the same white skin colour I was born with, but I could see where the origins of some of the different Orbiter inhabitants came from, even though now, those features were muted by time and intermingling.

My honey blonde hair, as well as my skin colour, were to remain the same, with just a general feminization of my face so I was still mostly recognizable as Araya. My height would be reduced a little with a body that fit into what Puda termed, “the classic female form.”

I okayed the choices, and the process began. Puda had said that the process would take two Earth days, and that I’d be held unconscious while I underwent my change. I could feel the pricks as needles began to do their robotic worst. My last thought as I slid into sleep, was that I hoped everything worked.

I woke suddenly, as a sound punctured my dream. I could hear metal disengaging from somewhere on the outside of the ship. My fear of being boarded made me jerk up in the booth. Luckily the lid was open, or I’d have smacked my head on it. The distraction of the added weight almost stopped me calling out to Puda … almost.

I yelled out, “Puda what’s happening? Are we being boarded?” hearing my new lighter voice for the first time.

“No Araya, we are safe. I was undergoing a refit while you were asleep. That was the auto-up-grader docking module just leaving,” she reassured me.

Panic over, I looked down at my body, but the view was partially blocked by my chest, which swelled out in two enormous mounds.

“Puda? They look huge. Are you sure these are normal sized?” I asked, cupping them gently and hefting them up to judge their weight.

“Those are in the range known as a C cup, which was considered average,” Puda responded.

“Good grief, if this is average what was large?” I whispered, more to myself than anything. Of course Puda heard me and decided to enlighten me. I was glad I’d not gone large with my choice, as these moved much more than I’d ever experienced before, even during estrus.

I clambered out, feeling odd. I was much more limber and I felt stronger than before. My musculature felt denser, even though it didn’t show on the outside.

The lack of my organ wasn’t bothering me at all, but I suspected that the wiring of my nerves to it had been re-routed or removed altogether.

I did a quick appraisal of my new body, and checked it out with a few exercises that gave me a better idea of its fit. I went to get dressed, but discarded that idea when I realised I’d need new clothes.

“Hey, I need new clothes,” I wailed in protest.

“In the locker to your left.”

Clothes being made synthetically, I was expecting the universal coverall that most spacers used. When I opened the locker, I was shocked to see real clothes made of some kind of silky fabric.

“What’s this?” I asked, lifting two curved triangles of white shiny fabric with attached loops of thin material.

“That’s called a brassiere,” Puda replied.

“I don’t care what it’s called, what is it used for?” I voiced with frustration.

“It holds your breasts up,” Puda answered with what sounded like a giggle.

“Um … okay …” I answered, looking at it dubiously and trying to figure it out. “Does it come with instructions?” I hazarded, twisting the thing about.

Puda make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. I figured the upgrades must have included a personality transplant.

Puda brought up a view screen with a woman wearing a brassiere on it. The woman was rotating, showing how the garment was positioned and fastened. I orientated the thing in my hand and tried putting it on. My first try had it inside out. After fixing that problem I struggled to fasten the hooks and eyes. Didn’t Earth have Velcro like everybody else? I finally figured it out and realised that the brassiere made things much more stable. Breasts in the Orbiter population were never this big, even in estrus, so no additional support was needed. As a result, this was my first time wearing a brassiere.

One thing I felt in this new body of mine was the sense of rightness. It was hard to explain, but the times I’d been in estrus had made me feel almost complete. That feeling was back, only better, and I exulted in it.

“Where did all this clothing come from?” I asked as I felt the softness of the undergarments.

“One of the upgrades was a clothing replicator, Gaia has been developing new technologies while you humans were gone and even since I was produced.” Puda announced with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “One of those upgrades is really neat though,” Puda added with more animation in her voice.

“Oh?” I queried, concentrating more on pulling on the clothes.

“Watch this,” Puda warned.

I was just fastening the skirt and looked up to see someone standing in front of me.

“What the!!” I exclaimed, stumbling back in my low heeled leather boots.

“It’s me, Puda!” the female figure announced, her voice seeming to come from the girl’s lips.

“How …” I spluttered, my heart finally managing to climb back down my throat to its usual position.

“Holographic emitters,” Puda said, doing a twirl.

“Please don’t do that again. I nearly died of fright,” I growled.

I reached out and tried to touch her. I felt a slight resistance as my hand entered her body image.

“I can provide a more physical presence, if I combine my image with a holosytropic force field,” Puda added, trapping my hand inside her as she provided proof of her substantiality.

“Hey! Leggo!” I protested, wriggling my wrist in a vain attempt to free my hand.

Puda laughed as she cancelled the effect, nearly causing me to fall on my ass as the sudden lack of resistance to my efforts overbalanced me.

“We need to acclimatize you to the Earth’s biosphere. I suggest you get back into the booth where I can administer the full spectrum of antibiotics to immunize you against the non-sterile atmosphere of Earth.”

“Okay I grumbled, not looking forward to being exposed to the numerous bacteria that said filled the air of Earth.

I felt the Hope settle towards the Earth. Eventually a slight tilt of the ship indicated that she was now on the planet’s surface. I waited as I heard pumps starting up. I felt a humid breeze on my face and smelt an odd aroma, my nose filled with the scent of a million organisms some decaying, some living. It wasn’t unpleasant exactly as a hint of perfume overlaid some of the (excuse the pun) earthier aromas.

My nose itched and I sneezed. I could imagine the bacteria gleefully running amok in my pristine body. In only a short time, my temperature rose, and my nose started running.

Puda administered more antibiotics, then gave me another burst of Earth’s germ laden air. Soon I itched all over and my fever grew, my stomach grew leaden and my joints ached. I lay exhausted for what seemed ages, feeling like I wanted to die.

I clambered slowly out of the booth and made my way to the hatch. I had decided to end it all and let the Earth’s germs do their worst as I opened the hatch against Puda’s protests.

I stumbled outside feeling the Earth’s gravity for the first time, wincing as the bright sunlight struck my unaccustomed eyes. Greenery stretched everywhere, some tall, some small. I fell to the ground and lay on a green thatch that I realized must be grass. My whole body was assaulted by smells and sounds. I lay on my back, watching the clouds of water vapour scud across the sky. Somehow, despite feeling like death warmed over, I felt a wonder and a sense of coming home. The absolute beauty of the flora and fauna of Earth more than made up for the agony of my body. If I died now, I felt it was worth it to finally experience the magnificence of actually being on the Earth, the home of us all. My only regret would be that Tryst wasn’t here to see it also.

As I lay there, an unseen breeze cooled my brow as I experienced natural wind for the first time. I rolled onto my side and watched some tiny black creatures scurrying busily along the ground. They seemed to be following some sort of invisible path as they greeted those going in the other direction with silent communication. I lay there entranced, moving my gaze upwards to where some sort of flying creature was singing high in the sky, before it suddenly plummeted to the ground and was hidden by the grass.

A noise alerted me to the fact that I wasn’t alone. I turned my head and saw a huge beast rambling along in my direction. I’d taken no weapon out with me, figuring I wouldn’t need my stun stick on Earth, where I was supposedly the only human there. I didn’t even know if it worked anymore, having never had to fight off what few pirates were reputed to exist.

I rolled over and struggled to my feet, edging away from the approaching beast. I didn’t think the stun stick, which was the standard weapon aboard space craft would have much effect on the animal in front of me, so I kept backing away, trying not to show the fear that was growing.

I didn’t have any other weapons. Projectile or energy weapons were a thing of the past, being too dangerous in an airless environment where only the thickness of a hull stood between you and an agonizing death. Pirates were more of an old myth than an actual threat, but there had been occasions of people struck by space dementia, who had then gone on a rampage of destruction.

I was backed against the ship and the animal was now between the hatch and myself. I was too terrified to try and run from the animal and stood still, hardly breathing as it plodded relentlessly forward. It stopped an arm’s length away and sniffed curiously in my direction, before making what I thought was an attack call.

“MOOOOOO!!” It called, making my chest vibrate with its volume.

“It’s harmless. It’s only curious,” a voice I recognized as Puda’s rang in my ear.

I sagged in relief and turned to see Puda’s holographic form next to me.

“Shoo,” she shouted at the animal, making it jerk back in surprise.

I thought it rather cavalier of her to do that while I was in such close proximity. It was okay for Puda in her intangible state to be gung ho, but it was my flesh and blood that would suffer if the animal decided to be unfriendly. My protest died unspoken as the animal lumbered off with the curious bulbous growth between its back legs swinging wildly side to side.

“What was that?” I asked instead, trying not to show how relieved I was now it had gone.

“That was a cow. It’s a common herbivore and harmless.” Puda answered with a smirk, showing she had known I had been frightened by it.

“Hey, how come you can project yourself outside like this,” I spluttered. “Why didn’t you show up earlier?” I added, feeling angry at being seen as scared over nothing.

“Gaia has enabled me to project myself anywhere on Earth using the force field surrounding it as a type of mirror to bounce my image anywhere I want. It took some time to set it up after you decided to go outside. I got here as soon as I could,” she answered with a hurt tone.

“Sorry, but I nearly soiled my panties,” I admitted. “Are there any other animals that could be dangerous still wandering around here?”

“Not in the immediate area. This place is an autofarm, which produces meat and other products for human consumption. Wild animals are kept outside the perimeter with sonic fences.”

“Wait a moment; I thought you said there were no humans left on Earth, so why have a farm to produce food for them?” I asked, seeing the flaw in Puda’s explanation.

“Gaia reactivated this farm, when she received a transponder signal from the Hope, half a solar unit out. Most of the domesticated animals have been kept suspended in stasis fields. Only the animal life that could fend for themselves were allowed to remain active and continue to live normally,” Puda announced.

“So how many farms have been activated for me?” I asked, curiously, feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the significance of my arrival.

“Only this one. Should you move somewhere else, then another farm will open in that area and this one will be shut down.”

I moved out from the side of the ship and looked about. Puda mimicked my movements, seemingly walking also. A row of what Puda informed me were Pine trees stood a short distance away. Curious, having not seen much other than algae cultures before, I decided to take a closer look. As I walked over, marveling at how this new body of mine was adjusting to gravity twice what my old one had been used to, a pungent smell grew stronger. It was coming from the trees. I stood there, marveling at how anything could grow that tall. I breathed in the wondrous smell, trying to figure a way to preserve it for the Hope’s air system.

A noise from behind alerted me that the Hope was lifting off. I panicked, thinking the worst, and ran back towards it unthinkingly. What hope did I have of reaching it, when it was already higher than my head. It turned and hovered over me, as if saying goodbye then it sped off, leaving Puda’s holographic image, which had appeared in front of me just at that moment.

Frantically, I asked Puda, “What’s happening? Where is the Hope going?” Without the Hope, I was stuck out here without food or shelter.

“The Hope is going to be refitted and armed for the journey back,” Puda calmly replied.

“The journey back?” I echoed stupidly. “What about me, stuck out here alone?” I pressed.

“You’re not alone, you have me,” Puda announced cheerfully.

I could have groaned, thinking ‘Sure, I have a helpful hologram, what else do I need,’ but I didn’t want to upset Puda, so the groan died stillborn.

“The Hope’s returning to the Orbiters?” I repeated my first question.

“Not without you, so don’t worry. You have much to learn here before you are ready to return,” Puda answered.

“Um, what am I going to do right now? I have no food or shelter,” I pointed out, waving my arms around at the horizon.

“Gaia will provide,” Puda spoke with assurance.

Sure enough, soon after, a low hum preceded the arrival of a small one person hover vehicle. Puda explained how to mount the bike, as she called it and how to control it. I climbed aboard gingerly; hoping whatever powered it could handle a novice driver. Steering it was remarkable easy. It had a crossbar, which was grasped in both hands and pulled, depending on which direction you wanted to head. Speed was controlled by a twist grip on the left hand side of the bar, and height was controlled by pulling the bar towards you. It had several safety features. It couldn’t be driven into the ground, as the lowest it would go was a handbreadth above the terrain, nor could it go too high. Speed was limited by the height. The higher you went, the faster you could travel, which made sense, really. Up high, there were no obstacles like trees and animals to avoid.

I set off, keeping above the ground at about twice my own height. The ride quickly became exhilarating as I got used to controlling it. Puda stayed at my side, which was more than a bit disconcerting at first, seeing she seemed to be standing on nothing. We zipped along, covering quite some distance, before the setting sun indicated that night would soon follow. I slowed, yelling to Puda that I needed to find somewhere to shelter for the night. Her image shifted nearer. Reaching out, she pressed a glowing icon on the control surface at the center of the steering bar.

The hover bike took over control, and veered away towards some hills in the distance, without any assistance. A lake in a forest appeared. The bike dropped down and as it slowed I saw a structure on the shore of the lake. It appeared to be made of stone, and looked to have been there a very long time. The hover bike slowed and stopped near the building.

Trusting that it would not take off on its own, leaving me stranded, I climbed off and went towards the stone building wondering what to expect within.

A door made of some unknown material faced me. It had a simple latch with no obvious locking mechanism. What was disturbing were the deep vertical gouges scored into it near the top. Puda’s answer, when I asked about them, didn’t reassure me a whole lot. I hoped I didn’t meet one of these Bears she’d described. The inside was a complete contrast to the outside. Where the stone outside blended into the surroundings with its obvious aged worn look, the inside was clean and up to the minute with comfortable furnishings and eating facilities.

A window faced the lake on that side of the building. Puda pointed out numerous devices designed for the preparation of food and cooking, neither of which I knew how to do. Orbiter food usually consisted of nutrition bars that need no preparation or cooking. I didn’t know what was in them exactly, only that alga was the basic ingredient. Puda explained the devices, but it really didn’t make sense what a cooker did, or an oven. The building was powered through some tight beamed power via a geo synchronous satellite and had light and heat.

I’d grown thirsty, and as there were no fluid baggies in sight, I asked Puda if the lake water was safe to drink.

“Yes it is, but why not look in the SAT,” she pointed out, directing my attention to white box like appliance. SAT turned out to mean Sub Ambient Thermaliser, which on opening, revealed all manner of objects. Puda indicated I take out a metal cylinder that had a ring device attached to the top. It was filled with some kind of liquid, that much I knew as I shook it. Puda gave me a smug look that warned me that she had something up her sleeve, metaphorically.

On her instructions, I opened the ring pull. Luck must have been with me, as the foam that erupted from the top squirted away from me and landed over Puda’s holographic image. The smirk on her face turned off in a flash as did she, as she vanished from sight.

I looked at the can, wondering for a moment whether this was some sort of anti holographic weapon. The smell of the liquid once that first burst of foam had ended drew my nose close. It smelled fantastic, so I took a sip, then another. My world exploded. It tasted like nothing I’d ever had. I couldn’t describe the tingling bubbly feel of it as it went down my throat. My world closed down to that can and my mouth as I swallowed the rest of it down.

Puda popped back into existence and coughed to get my attention.

“What is this stuff?” I asked, ignoring her chagrined expression.

“It’s called beer. It’s an alcoholic drink made from hops, malt and other ingredients.”

I knew about alcohol. Its general use was frowned upon after the Carlstone incident, where a drunken spacer had vented his whole section after a binge. Its use since then was tightly controlled, and death was the penalty if one was caught with it.

“I suggest you eat something before you decide to have another,” she offered.

“I don’t see any Nutebars here,” I told her, looking around in the shelves above the SAT.

Puda sighed. “You could catch your dinner, you know. There are trout in the lake for the asking.

“Trout?” I asked, now totally confused.

“It’s a fish. You catch it with a hook and line. Then you cook it,” she explained patiently.

I was still no wiser, although it sounded like I was expected to kill some living denizen of the lake and eat its flesh. The thought turned my stomach.

“Isn’t there anything else?” I questioned my holographic companion. It was okay for her, she didn’t have a stomach.

Puda shrugged, telling me I had to learn to eat real food sometime, the sooner, the better, in her opinion. I acquiesced to her demands, as my stomach began to rumble. The beer had given me a small buzz on my empty stomach and I figured, ‘What the hell.’

Following Puda’s instructions, I went to a door that led into a sleeping compartment. In there I found a cupboard that contained a tapering metal rod with several buttons on the thicker end. According to Puda, I was supposed to place the tip with its small hook and feather arrangement in the water and press the red button.

I took the rod outside to the lake shore, again marveling at the peacefulness of it all. There were just a few avian calls and the odd sound of some animal in the far distance. Placing the tip of the rod under the surface of the water, I pressed the red button. At once I heard a very high pitched whine coming from the rod. I scanned the waters, wondering what I did next, but as I was about to ask, a silvery shape struck at the hooked lure that had been at the end of my rod, leaping clear of the water, the surprise of it nearly making me lose my balance on the stony bottom.

The trout, as I assumed it was, took off with the lure which seemed to be attached to the rod with a fine line. Puda then suggested I press the other button on the rod, which I did. I almost dropped the rod as the line drew taut and I felt the weight of the trout as it struggled to free itself. Puda told me to keep the rod tip up and keep pulling it in via the button. It took longer than I expected, as the trout thrashed back and forth. There seemed to be some sort of tension device, which released the line when the strain grew too much.

Once the fish had exhausted itself, and it lay panting in the shallows, Puda told me to pick it up. I did so reluctantly, as it seemed too beautiful to kill it and eat it. Puda spouted something about the natural order of things, as I released it from the hook and carried it inside the building. Puda took over the “cleaning” of the trout, as her image solidified sufficiently to manipulate a knife. I watched squeamishly as she disposed of the head and some other bloody contents. I felt like I was about to throw up, before she washed it clean.

She had me open a container filled with a white powdery substance called flour, and had me put some on a plate to roll the fish in. Next was finding a pan and learning how to operate the cooking appliance. While that was heating, Puda had me open the SAT and take out some yellow putty like substance and place a portion in the pan to melt. The butter, as she called it, apparently came from the large animal that I had first encountered.

The smell of the sizzling butter made my nose twitch and my stomach rumbled loudly. Placing the fish in the pan as instructed, another far more appetizing smell issued forth. Once the fish was cooked on both sides, Puda told me to put it on a plate and season it lightly. By this time, all signs of queasiness had vanished as my taste buds prepared themselves for what was to be a sensory delight.

Puda seemed to be genuinely delighted with my reactions to “real food” as she called it. For my part, I was in heaven, so to speak. The whole trout disappeared in no time flat, and my stomach seemed to find it acceptable as well, at least the complaints stopped. The pan and plates all went into another box to be cleaned with a combination of steam and sonics.

I went outside to look at the stars reveling in the freedom to walk on a planet without needing a suit and its complementary air supply. The stars could be seen clearly as the moon hadn’t risen yet and even looking at them through the thickness of the atmosphere, the lack of pollution in it made it easy to see through. As it had been a fine day, only a few wispy passing clouds occasionally blocked the view. I tried looking for the area where the majority of our colonies now resided, but it was only with Puda’s help once she appeared beside me, that I could locate the region. The stars in that area were a little denser, but it was hard to image how far away it was from Earth.

I looked for signs of the craft that were attacking the Earth, but the trees obscured the view when Puda confirmed their position for me. The evening air took on a chill and having only light clothing on, I decided to go indoors. Besides, animals were now making their presence known by calling to each other, and I saw a large dark shape splash into the lake on the other shore. Puda informed me that it was a bear and could be dangerous if cornered.

Inside, I entered the sleeping quarters, which were separated from the dining and food preparation area by a wooden door. The sleeping equipment there was rather different from that on board the Hope and on the Orbiters. There were none of the restraints that normally would be pulled down over the sleeping mat to prevent one from being flung about the cabin if the inertia controls failed. The normal sleeping platform had a mesh net that clipped to the edge of the sleeping platform to allow you enough space to turn over and no more.

This bed was huge in comparison. It could have been used by three people side by side, and the pad was six times the thickness of the pads used in space. I reasoned that Earth’s gravity played a large part in the construction of the pad, which Puda told me was called a mattress. Puda showed me how to use it, which was helpful as I’d not encountered ‘blankets’ and ‘sheets’ before in the temperature stabilized environments all space vehicles provided.

I looked around for a sonic shower as I undressed, but saw no sign of it. Puda saw me looking and guided me to another door leading off the bedroom. Puda called it a bathroom, which led to more explanations as to what a bath was. All these new terms for things were starting to fill my head and I had to concentrate on what each new thing did.

The toilet needed little explanation, as it was similar to what I’d been used to except instead of vacuum assisted suction as used on the Hope to rid it of the excretal matter, it was flushed clean by water. The orbiters used a different method, as they needed to recycle the solid mass for the algae vats.

In spite of being called a bathroom, there was no bath, just a shower, which to me, used water in seemingly wasteful quantities. Puda remained with me, instructing me on what to do with the knobs and all the other things on the shelves. Unlike the sonic method of cleaning, where the hypersonic vibrations shook free all grime, water needed soap to do the same job. My smugness over our superior technology being better was soon wiped away, as the warm water cascaded down over my body in a rush of sensations. I reveled in the scents coming from the soap, and the shampoo and conditioner were equally enjoyable.

Having Puda’s image presence near me while I showered seemed a little odd, but I’d always had her voice with me all my waking hours while I’d been in the Hope, so I wasn’t put off by her presence. It was just strange seeing her standing in the shower telling me this or that while unconcerned that water and spray were passing through her image without effect.

When I finally tore myself away from the wonderful feeling of the warm water spraying on me, she hardened her image enough to pass me a towel and then showed me the hairdryer.

Dry, I padded naked into the bedroom and donned the gown Puda held out to me. I wasn’t expecting the slippery softness of the material, nor its lack of weight as it drifted airily around my body. I didn’t think it was particularly practical, as it didn’t exactly conceal anything underneath with its near transparency, however, it felt good against my body, so I didn’t complain.

I pulled back the sheets on the bed and slid in … and almost slid out the other side. The slick material, which Puda called satin, seemed to be another oddity. I was sure I’d have trouble staying in bed without slipping out accidentally if I moved at night. As with the nightgown, the feeling of the sheets as I brushed it with my hands and the rest of my exposed flesh, more than made up for any inconvenience it might cause later. Whether it was the combination of both materials on my body or static charges forming, my body seemed to react in a way similar to when I’d been in mating posture with Tryst. As I drifted off the sleep, I wondered. ‘If I feel like this on my own, what would coupling with a partner feel like in this body?’

I woke up wondering where I was. Then I remembered as I slipped out of bed, somewhat faster than intended. I looked up accusingly at the sheets from my position on the floor. Of course, Puda was right there to catch my embarrassing tumble out of bed. She saved most of my dignity, by not saying anything or even cracking a smile.

Looking through the closet Puda pointed out, I found I had new clothes to wear, supplied by Gaia. Puda explained that clothing in my size was now in all the places I might visit during my time on Earth.

I got dressed, thinking the lilac shorts exposed a lot of flesh to the open air and I wasn’t used to that. A ship’s jumpsuit was almost the only thing worn by anyone in space. Exposing skin to sunlight was a big no no, as radiation from unfiltered light left the skin red and blistered. Of course here on Earth that wasn’t such a problem.

I looked for something to eat, and Puda suggested a cereal from a package with some milk poured over it and sugar added.

“Why couldn’t I have had this last night instead of eating that fish?” I observed, watching Puda get the meal from a cupboard and the milk from the SAT.

“Because your body needs proper protein not that stuff you ate on the Hope. “Fish is a very good source of protein that the body can readily assimilate. By starting off with the right food, your body will stay healthy.”

“Okay,” I concurred, seeing the logic in her explanation. Following Puda’s directions, I was soon eating a cereal called wheat, compressed into a rectangular biscuit like form.

Puda sat down in front of me as I savoured another new flavour and texture of food. She looked at me with an anxious expression that made me pause in my eating.

“What?” I pressed.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

I waited, taking another bite of food, eyeing her carefully.

“When you selected that body, Gaia insisted on giving your mind a memory dump to assist you while you’re on the surface of Earth.”

“You messed with my mind?” I challenged, feeling alarmed at the intrusion.

“Not me, Gaia. I was prepared to stay at your side and give you the answers as needed, but Gaia said you’d need to recognize danger when you saw it, not when you might decide to ask about it.”

“This memory dump, what does it contain?” I asked, slightly mollified at Puda’s answer.

“If you want to access it, I can give you a synaptic trigger that will allow you to activate it. What it does is give you the right words for an object that you observe. If it is a threat, you will have instant knowledge of it. The longer you concentrate on it, the more information the dump releases. The contents of the dump can’t be accessed all in one go to prevent the flow of information from overloading your brain.”

“And if I refuse the trigger?” I asked curiously.

“That’s your choice of course,” Puda declared.

I only needed to think about it for a moment. This was a strange new world with many things new to me. My decision was a foregone conclusion. “Trigger it please.”

Puda spoke a word, and my world crystallized. I looked around the cabin, realizing that I knew what each object was called without thinking about it. I put the bottle of milk back into the refrigerator, former known as the SAT. I still had access to the old words I’d used for objects, but new words seemed to pop out in my mind, insisting to be used.

I finished breakfast then as Puda showed me how to make coffee, a hot stimulating drink once a mainstay of the long vanished people of Earth. I tried it with just milk at first, but it was too bitter for my uneducated palate. With the addition of sugar, I knew I’d be trying this again, as the drink made me more alert.

After I finished the drink, I did the few dishes and went outside. The sun was just above the tree line, beaming its warmth right on my body. The crisp air with its scent of pine filled my lungs with a richness I didn’t want to end. I could have stood there forever taking in the view as several birds I now identified as ducks, flew in low and skidded to a landing in the water, making a ripple in the lakes placid surface.

In this solitude, I could sense life all around, from the calls of birds to the buzz of insects. The lake showed signs of life from the small disturbances fish were making on the surface as they searched for insects on the water. Even the trees seemed to be breathing in a soft susurrus of wind aided movement. I couldn’t get over the stark contrast of this from the sterile environment of space.

Puda interrupted my reverie, reminding me that we needed to explore this new land further. I reluctantly dragged my attention away, and moved to the hover bike. Once in the air, I turned in the direction Puda indicated and off we went.

After several hours of flying over verdant green countryside, interlaced with forests and other assorted trees, I needed a break. I motioned downwards to Puda, ever present at my side, who nodded and pointed towards some rectangular shapes to the front and right of our line of travel. Angling the bike and descending to about tree top level, I saw rectangular shapes that grew into recognizable buildings. These were much larger and taller than the odd building I’d seen while flying that morning.

I landed the bike between the buildings on what looked like the remnants of a road that ran a short distance beyond the buildings and then vanished into grassy fields. Puda directed me to the lowest building, which had the word Café on a board above its entry. I looked at it and realized information about what a Café is, was just there, below my conscious thoughts, obviously info implanted by Gaia.

“Was this just activated for my benefit?” I questioned Puda, seeing some movement within the glass frontage.

“Yes, Gaia has activated all buildings within attainable distance along your route,” she supplied.

I went inside to meet an indescribable aroma. I was going to taste fresh baked bread, Puda informed me. Inside, it looked like automation had taken over jobs, people might have done in the past, as small flying robotic manipulators whizzed back and forth between the tables and the counter where the food and drink were being made.

Puda indicated a table, set for one. I sat down and fiddled with the knife and fork that I’d only used once before in the cabin. One of the spherical bots flew to the table with a card in one of its manipulators. On it was a list of different foods and types of drinks. Not knowing what I was in for, I asked Puda to choose for me. She asked how hungry I was. My answer prompted several of the bots to scurry around the machines behind the counter area.

Soon I was treated to a bowl of vegetable soup and two small warm rolls that had already been buttered. For a drink Puda had selected a chocolate milk shake. I didn’t know what to taste first. I tried the soup, and then the bread roll. I didn’t even try to identify the vegetables in the soup, but just closed my eyes as my taste buds were treated to a symphony of flavours. The bread was equally delicious, its yeasty flavour demanding that it be eaten. I let the flavour subside, before trying the milkshake. I couldn’t get over the fact that there were so many flavours still to be savoured. I felt sorry for those back in the Orbiters, having to live with just bland nute bars on which to survive. I could have anything I wanted, if I could bring back an unlimited supply of the foods from Earth.

I soon polished off the soup and the bread, forgoing a second helping in favor of something called a doughnut. I felt as if I could have lived in the Café permanently, just spending all my time sampling the different foods.

While I was finishing off the milkshake, I asked Puda a few questions. “There seems to be no reason for the buildings here. Were there more here at one time?”

“Mankind had left Earth in a terrible state. Very little of the natural world was left without a tangle of buildings and old transport systems. Gaia managed to restore most of the biosphere once the abandoned buildings were demolished using robotic help. After the land was cleared and the debris broken down or recycled, many supposedly lost plant species were found springing up from where cities once stood. Small pockets of habitation were left in case they returned. Now that Gaia knows that man has survived his ordeal in space, more buildings will be constructed. Now that roads are no longer necessary, there was no need to keep more than that to separate the buildings themselves.”

I walked outside to look at the other buildings. A tall multistoried building had the words Grand Hotel blazoned above the entry, and the word hotel triggered the memory dump, telling me its purpose. I wondered why a building existed here that could house around a thousand people Existed here in the middle of no place. I looked at the other buildings trying to see what the reason might be for having accommodation for that many. I walked into a glass fronted building that held some puzzling items inside. There were racks full of these long colourful objects with curved points at one end and a strange arrangement in the middle scattered in circles on the floor and hung up on the walls.

“Are these weapons? I asked Puda who had ghosted along behind me.

“No,” she laughed gently. “These are what are called skis. They are used for recreation on the ski fields north of here.”

“Ski fields?” I asked, the word conjuring an anomalous image from what I’d seen outside.

“The mountains just north of us are covered with snow in winter. People once skied the snow covered slopes on these things,” she explained, pointing to the skis in front of me.

The words snow and winter brought forth more knowledge from the memory dump, so my earlier question was answered as everything gelled. “That’s why they needed the hotel. It was for the people to stay in, along with the Café and the other buildings for entertainment.”

I went outside as I digested this influx of information, looking towards the building named Sensorplex, and Amelia’s Restaurant next to that. I sat down on a bench seat outside the ski shop and looked toward the mountains towering in the distance, trying to visualize this filled with people in the winter season.

“I can’t believe people left this place,” I sighed.

“Well, Earth several thousand years ago wasn’t like this.” Puda pointed out. “Despite all the best intentioned environmentalists, the world was a dirty polluted place. People were sick of the cramped living conditions and the smog laden air. Even those bent on making money, had little better conditions in the end. Man was ready to leave the planet and saw the then looming disaster of Earth’s imminent sterilization as a chance to be free.”

“They didn’t gain much then,” I told her, thinking of the cramped conditions I’d left in the Orbiter.

“They did learn how to conserve the air and the water, and their recycling was almost 95 percent.”

“I guess,” I conceded. “They were fools.” I grumped, thinking of how life could have been for me if they’d not left for space.

“They thought they had no choice, Araya. For them it seemed to be stay and die or leave for somewhere better.”

“I wonder what happened to those that were the major contributors of Earth’s pollution.” I asked, not expecting an answer.

“We can’t be sure, but we don’t think a lot of them survived. When the colony ships were built, they were designed to hold, transport and sustain the lives of many thousands of people each, whereas the rich had their own ships built on a smaller scale holding maybe a few hundred, or even less. Even if they had the best minds aboard, they couldn’t survive longer than a few generations before serious inbreeding would cause irreparable damage to their survival.”

“I don’t know very much about our history, as they say it was destroyed not long after they reached the final destination, but surely they could have bred with others in the Orbiters?”

“I think they went off in different directions to be by themselves, fearing being attacked for their luxury items.”

I thought about the many people that must have died on their voyages to the stars. When I asked Puda how many people were on Earth at the time of the exodus. I was staggered and suddenly felt ill at the waste.

What’s wrong?’ Puda asked concernedly, seeing me turn pale.

“Puda, there are barely 5 million people left, between the Orbiters and the planet based colonies.”`

Puda put her arm around me, firming it up to solidity, so I could feel some comfort from it. “I know, but think about this. How many children are born?” she asked.

“Well it depends on the death rate and then you have to earn a chance at having a child.” I mused.

“Exactly, the population is static, replacing a life for a life. I would hazard a guess that most that are left are the cream of the Earth’s ancestors.”

“Cream huh? I didn’t think you’d try to butter me up,” I laughed milking the intentional pun for all it was worth.

Puda surprised me, by grinning and churning out one of her own. “Cheese, that was pungent.”

“Yeah, I know, it stank.” I laughed feeling much better.

I made a call of nature, using the amenities provided by the restaurant and taking a look at the inside of it while I was there.

After that, we, or rather I took to the air again heading in an easterly direction. I saw herds of animals that my new knowledge told me were buffalo. As I came lower to look them over, they began to run, and the dust raised by their passing made me veer off and go higher. I became so intrigued with the buffalo I nearly flew into a flock of geese. Only Puda’s timely warning saved me from hitting them. I slowed, asking Puda about the numbers of animals below.

“Buffalo like a number of other species were made extinct. Only the DNA saved by various organizations allowed them to be regenerated by new processes Gaia developed after man left for the stars.”

Returning to full speed again, we continued on over vast expanses of fertile land. One might think that traveling as I was doing would become boring after a while, but after Puda suggested setting the auto pilot, I just sat back and watched the scenery flash by while letting the bike fly itself.

I couldn’t get enough of the variety of animal and bird life I saw, not to mention the way the land changed colour and shape. It seemed to fill my senses, soaking into my psyche like a sponge. I wished I could show the rest of our people in the Orbiters all that I was experiencing.

I mentioned it to Puda who just grinned. “I have a complete record both visual and audio of your journey so far,” she informed me.

“Not all of it right? Just the traveling bit?” I asked hopefully thinking of several embarrassing moments.

“All of it, from the first visual sighting of Earth,” she announced proudly.

I groaned, thinking my life would be over unless I edited certain parts out. I was already replaying certain conversations out in my mind.

*Your meeting with the cow was really amoosing.*

*I geese you should have ducked when flying with the birds, or were you just too busy avian a gander at the flock of sheep.*

I mentally slapped myself, before I punished myself further. Lunch was another tasteful experience, as Puda had me try cooked meat for the first time. We had dropped down to a village on the shores of a lake, where another hotel was joined by several eating establishments. When Puda mentioned I should try some roast chicken, I felt somewhat uneasy. I’d seen flocks of the birds on my journey and they didn’t seem particularly appetizing looking.

I soon changed my mind as I entered the restaurant that had been opened just for me. A smell unlike anything experienced till now filled my nostrils. It was combined with another smell that I’d eventually associate with cooked sliced tubers, known as French fries. I felt somewhat guilty having all this done just in case I might drop by. I wondered if there were other places nearby that also had food ready prepared for a possible visit and would now be wasted, so I asked Puda about it.

“Don’t be worried about wastage, Gaia only releases places from their stasis fields along your route. As soon as you select a place to stop, anything that was being prepared elsewhere goes back into stasis.”

“This stasis freezes time?” I asked, wanting further clarification.

“Sort of, the field stops all motion down to the atomic level. If a human was put into stasis, it would seem as if no time had passed once it ended. Things like heated food remain at the same temperature they were before the field is activated. Once the field is on, the items are calculated to have no temperature until the field is collapsed.”

“Calculated?” I asked, pouncing on the uncertainty.

“Once the field is on, it generates its own barrier to outside influence or measurement. This protects you from putting your hand into it and having it become a lifeless solid. The emitters of the field limit the size of the stasis containment and have to be placed on the perimeter of the area you want to cover.”

I finished my meal while Puda explained, and then sipped the indescribably delicious taste of some fizzy drink called cola. My mind wandered, thinking, that given everything I’d tasted in the last few days I didn’t think I could go back to eating nute bars. I HAD to get some of this stuff back to the colonies. If nothing else, this would convince them to come back, I’m sure after tasting what I had, they’d breathe vac to get back.

Once again we resumed our journey. I wasn’t sure of the purpose of traveling this way. Surely it would be easier to do it in the Hope in a fraction of the time. I suspected another purpose might have been to get me used to the wonders of the Earth in gradual increments. I wondered what more could outdo what I’d already seen. My unspoken question was answered four hours later.

As the sun was getting low in the sky over my right shoulder, I looked ahead, wondering where we would be landing for the night. A sudden flash in the distance somewhere in front of me caught my attention. It looked like a column of orange fire spearing high into the air. I slowed the bike, not sure whether what I saw was a warning of some sort. When Puda motioned me to continue, without explanation, I figured it was my next surprise.

As I started the bike again, I noticed that the glow changed slightly and other flashes also showed themselves. I finally figured it out. It was a reflection of the sun, but what was it being reflected by? I was about a hundred feet up and the reflections were as high, or even higher than my current position. As I got closer, I saw huge buildings gradually take shape. Not just one, but hundreds of glass faced buildings of many different shapes. One thing in common was that they all towered high into the sky and I wondered what kept them from falling over. I circled the city from the north, as the word ‘city’ sprung forth from my memory dump.

It was then I truly did stop as something else caught my attention … water. A huge lake spread out in a huge expanse that stretched to the horizon and beyond. I asked Puda about it and she corrected me, saying it wasn’t a lake, but an ocean. The word ‘ocean’ triggered a whole host of information regarding its size and composition from the memory dump.

As I swung my gaze from the ocean back to the city, my gaze was arrested by another surprise. A huge statue of a woman stood on a small island. It wasn’t as tall as some of the city buildings, but it had a presence that made it stand out. She held a torch in one hand that belched real fire from some unknown source. I circled closer, fascinated by the statue’s unusual green color.

A lump swelled in my heart as I gazed upon it. “Who is that, some famous leader?” I choked out to Puda.

“It’s called the Statue of Liberty, and was a gift from another nation across the sea.” Puda then gave me a brief history lesson, which supplemented the facts brought forth from the memory dump at the mention of the statue’s name. I mourned for all those that had missed seeing this statue, tears flooding forth as I cursed the loss of the history files back at the Orbiter colonies. I had to tear my eyes away from the statue before the night overtook me.

Puda directed me back to the city and led me into the glass and steel canyons made by the hand of man. Gaia had lit up the city in welcome. The coloured signage was nearly overwhelming.

I noticed curious gaps between the buildings as if something was missing, and asked Puda about it. “Gaia determined that certain buildings were now inappropriate, given the conditions on Earth and the advancements in robotic technologies. What remain of the old buildings are those to be lived in and places of entertainment. Buildings of historical significance remain and some office towers, but buildings for insurance and all those dealing with any facets to do with currency have been removed, and replaced with parks. Also, all buildings failing certain levels of safety have been removed.”

I stopped at a modest hotel building that would afford views of both the ocean and the Statue of Liberty and got off the bike. As I walked towards the doors, the bike automatically moved off to an underground storage area.

The entrance doors opened as I approached and I heard music coming from within. I entered, feeling like an interloper as I surveyed the grandeur within. There was a reception area, for assigning people rooms, serviced by an autobot. To one side, behind a huge glass wall, sat tables for dining. It looked as if it had been set up for hundreds of people, instead of just one. Pictures hung on one wall showing attractive couples, presumably of the rich or famous. Looking at the clothes the women were wearing, I felt rather underdressed.

“Who are those?” I asked Puda, pointing to the pictures on the walls.

“Once famous movie stars and other renowned people from the past,” she answered, triggering more information from my memory dump.

“I need a shower,” I stated, feeling positively grubby in this immaculate setting, even though hunger assuaging was equally high on my current list of needs.

An autobot came out immediately, and guided me up to a penthouse suite. I looked around at the huge multi roomed penthouse, thinking ‘This is all for me?’ Water running in another room, attracted my attention away from the opulence of my quarters and I moved in search of it. The bathroom from whence the noise was coming from sported a huge oval bowl like contraption that was being filled with hot water judging by the steam. An autobot was in attendance and was adding something to the water that reminded me of the flowers I’d smelled on my first day on Earth.

Puda appeared and suggested that I have dinner served up to my room for when I was finished with my bath. I nodded, undressing so that I could enter the bath now it was ready. I shooed away the autobot, preferring to wash myself, rather than allow it to do it for me.

“Ah heaven,” I murmured to myself, as I slipped into the frothy foam covered water.

Later, after another gastronomic delight, eaten in only my nightgown, I asked Puda what was next on my tour of Earth.

“Well, my refit is nearly complete, so once supplies and the weaponry are loaded, we could start on our return.”

“Weaponry?” I asked, feeling a sense of dread enveloping me.

“The new Hope is armed with the latest technology, and that includes weaponry. Remember we have to pass our attackers and avoid leading them to our existing colonies.”

“Ah, of course.” I’d forgotten about them in the heat of discovering all the new things the Earth had shown me so far. “So how long before you are ready?” I felt a certain sadness, knowing I’d soon be leaving this paradise.

“About a day longer. Oh and don’t be surprised at the Hope’s new look. She went though a major refit.”

“I hope she has room for some luxuries, I don’t think I could live on nute bars anymore,” I told her.

“Don’t worry about that. Food will be one of many selling points when we return to the Orbiters.”

I spent the next day exploring the city, trying to get a feel for what it might have been like before the exodus. Puda remained my guide, explaining most things, where there were gaps in the memory dump. I went into a sensodrama theatre, where one could feel what the characters in the show were feeling. The one I saw was about a polar expedition, using old fashioned transportation. I could feel the biting iciness of the air searing into my lungs, as the explorer breathed. I could also feel appendages I no longer owned, shriveling between my legs, as they tried to disappear into whatever warmth they could find. I’d never seen dogs before, and as the Huskies in the expedition dragged the sleigh I was on over the ice, I wondered if they still existed today.

I spent time in clothing stores, checking out the ancient fashions of my ancestors. The variety of styles and types of clothing boggled my mind. As old as I knew them to be, they still looked fantastic to eyes accustomed to utilitarian jumpsuits. Autobots continually enquired if I needed assistance, and after browsing for a while, I accepted their help. I was in a place called Vees and their selection of underthings was staggering.

The memory dump was hard pressed to supply names for all of the fabrics and items on show. I asked how I could pay for these items, as I had several I’d tried on in my hands. When I was told my presence was all the payment needed, I must admit I went a little crazy. A handful became an armful, then several bags full. Autobots took charge and organized for the clothes I selected that day to be delivered to the Hope. I worried that they’d be no room to move with all I’d picked up, but I couldn’t help myself.

I’m afraid I made a pig of myself, trying different foods from the numerous cafes along the way. I didn’t know how much or what Puda had selected to take back, so I figured I could eat now and be sick later.

I was ready to leave when the day started ebbing and the shadows grew in the canyons of the city. Even the bright lights on the frontages, couldn’t dispel the feeling that I was alone, and for the first time, I missed the bustle of Orbiter life. It felt almost as if the city was sucking my soul out in its need to be filled with its long absent humanity. For all her seeming insubstantiality, Puda was a welcome companion as I walked back to the hotel.

After another sumptuous meal, Puda announced that I should follow her to the transport entry under the hotel. “We have a longish journey to where the Hope is being made ready for launch. You can sleep on the way and arrive there in the morning refreshed.”

The underground transport system was a Maglev train that arrived as soon as we did. I climbed aboard and found the sleeper carriage. The train moved so quietly and so smoothly, I hardly noticed it was moving at all in the tunnel out of the city. Once out of the city limits, the tunnel rose and I saw just how fast we were traveling, as we sped through the countryside. As it was night, not a lot could be seen, so I settled down for the night, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

“Time for breakfast Araya,” Puda announced, waking me from formless dreams.

“Argh, what!!” I spluttered, dragging my eyelids open.

I raised my head and looked out the window. Ocean greeted my eyes, as the train ran down the coastline. I got up, and dressed before following Puda to the dining car. The smell of something delicious cooking greeting me before I even sat down. Bacon and eggs, toast, beans, and hash browns served by the ever present autobot, followed by coffee.

The Maglev stopped while I was finishing breakfast and I could see a massive building in the distance. It must have been a thousand feet tall and was shaped like a cube. Nearby, I could see some space craft, which looked to be out on display. Of the Hope, I saw no sign, so I assumed it wasn’t there yet, unless it was inside the building.

I climbed out the train and got into a hover vehicle driven by an autobot that started a running commentary as we neared the complex. The ships I’d seen were old space craft from Man’s first flights into space. They had been preserved as reminders of Man’s first faltering steps into space.

We moved closer to the building and a door opened to allow us entry. Inside, the immense size of the building became apparent. A huge spherical craft lay on a motorized carriage that seemed hardly able to support such a giant object. The craft was almost 6oo feet across and took up most of the room that wasn’t taken up by gantry cranes and support equipment. I didn’t see the Hope anywhere, so I asked Puda who was still by my side.

“This is the Hope,” she replied with a grin, waving towards the spherical craft.

“You’re kidding right? The Hope could fit inside this … this thing a hundred times,” I gasped.

“All that was essential in the old Hope is now incorporated inside the new Hope. Only your personal effects, the computer system and the genome bank were saved. The old Hope is now scrap waiting to be recycled.”

I hardly hear Puda’s words, my mind trying to take in that this was now my ship. As I walked towards it, a ramp extended from a hatchway on its belly and I walked up it like an automaton.

“Welcome back to the Hope, Araya,” Puda’s voice came from both the hologram standing beside me and from the ship’s com system.

“Thanks,” I answered, trying to look at everything at once. EVA suits lined one wall next to a locker containing what looked like weapons. I looked askance at Puda, who explained that they were non lethal.

“They are keyed only for your use unless you specify another user. They are gas weapons and stun weapons using high voltage neural disrupters. There are a flash bangs as well, guaranteed to temporarily blind any sighted being.”

“Hmmm,” I murmured, ardently hoping I wouldn’t have a need for any hand weapon.

I walked over to a vertical shaft that appeared to extend from the top to the bottom of the Hope. Puda urged me into it. I must admit that it was unnerving at first as there seemed to be no apparent floor to stand on. I found myself suspended on an invisible platform probably formed using a force screen.

“Bridge,” I commanded, seeing there were no buttons to press.

The expected stomach falling sensation as I accelerated upwards, failed to eventuate as I rose up to the bridge level in the middle of the ship. Obviously, inertial damping was included in shaft itself, negating the acceleration effects on the body.

I stepped out at what appeared to be the bridge, judging by the consoles and command chairs. I examined the room, which was 50 times the size of the old bridge. It was wedge shaped, like a segment of an orange, with the point ending at the center at the shaft. Ports looking outside lined the perimeter of the room, with screens above showing other views of the exterior of the ship’s hull. The command chair ran on a rail that could move sideways so that any screen could easily be reached in seconds. Behind the command chair was another, mounted higher so that the view from it wasn’t obstructed by the command chair, should it be directly in front of it. It too, ran on a rail system independent from the command chair.

Puda sat in the rear chair, as I went to sit in the one in front. Puda demonstrated what she had been explaining, by making her chair move side to side at high speed. I hoped there was a speed control or I’d suffer whiplash. I sat in the command seat, noticing that besides the manual drive controls, there was now a tactical weapons display.

“We will need that, once we leave Earth’s protective shield,” Puda explained, seeing where I was looking. She had stopped playing with her chair and was stationed just to one side of mine. Her antics with the chair reminded me of children playing with a new toy, and I wondered how much more humanlike she would get in time.

Puda ran over the weapons list, explaining their function and power ratings. It was quite impressive, but I had no idea what the aliens waiting outside the shield were fully capable of. I had to survive and get back to the Orbiters. Not only did Earth need humans to help ward off the attacking fleet, humans needed to return home to avoid further genetic damage that was taking it away from the original human norm. For those that decided to stay out there, the cargo of pure undamaged human genome was essential for their continued existence.

I would have liked to have had more time to familiarize myself with the ship, but Gaia had detected more ships entering the system, and we had to leave before they got within range. Puda lifted the Hope off at my command and we ascended quickly through the atmosphere. I shed a tear, as I looked down at Earth, as it grew smaller, the higher we went. I had Puda power the shields on the ship as we broke though the portal Gaia generated for us in the Earth’s protective shield.

At once, we were under attack, and our screens blurred into white incandescence as the fleet concentrated all their firepower on us. Alarms sounded, and then went silent as Puda acknowledged them

“Are the screens holding?” I asked stupidly. Of course they were holding, or we’d have been reduced to random atoms. What I really meant, was could we keep them up against the barrage of energy weapons from the alien fleet.

“Yes Araya, power levels are within tolerance,” Puda reported, politely ignoring my mental lapse.

I checked the instruments and the heads up display showing the position of the fleet. We were still moving outwards and the attacking fleet was repositioning itself to englobe the Hope as we moved further away from Earth. Strangely, no missiles were directed our way and I had a suspicion that they wanted the Hope intact. That gave me an idea.

“Puda, how much of this energy can the hull withstand?”

The hull is made of 3 inches of Cobalstantium, a tungsten cobalt platinum alloy, covered with a refractory layer of CCT, a ceramic composite that acts as an ablative. At the present levels of dissipation, we could withstand the forces on the skin for about an hour before things would get desperate.”

I watched the ships closing around us, negating our relative movement out of the system. I wanted them closer so I could deploy weapons that so far we hadn’t deployed.

“Reduce the screen power, and slow the ship. I want them to think we are in trouble.”

“Reducing power.”

Although I knew we were safe, I felt nervous at allowing us to become more vulnerable to alien weaponry. The incandescent grew even brighter and I had to filter down the visuals from the view screens. I watched as the screens powered down and the CCT took the full brunt of the attack.

Puda put up a view fed by one of Earth’s orbiting telescope via a tight beamed communication link. In it, I could see the Hope under attack. We looked like a brilliant comet as the ablating CCT streamed off the ship leaving a comet like trail.

“Energy levels dropping,” reported Puda.

For a second I thought she meant our power was dropping, but I could see the attack was waning, as they obviously wanted us intact and were tailoring their attack to our apparent diminished defense.

‘A little closer,’ I thought, watching the screens.

‘”Now!” I gave Puda the command to attack. Immediately, the defensive screen went back up and the incandescent flare from the vaporizing skin rapidly died away. The magnetic pulse weapon the Hope had deployed sent a globe of energy at the speed of light out to the encroaching ships.

I noted that the screens of the smaller of the alien ships were overwhelmed and flared into a rainbow of colours before going dark. Those ships seemed to lose cohesion in the englobement and fell away in our wake. The larger ships screens seemed to have handled the damage from the electronic pulses better. There was no indication they were damaged other than the attack on the Hope had stopped.

Puda had already launched a secondary attack consisting of 2000 Blackfire missiles that launched in every direction from the surface of the Hope. Many were destroyed, but a lot got through as there were at least 20 missiles for every ship still active. Of the nearly100 ships, about 60 were hit resulting in varying degrees of damage.

I had Puda open the Hope’s throttles and we hiked it out of there before the aliens could regroup. I set course to intercept my long abandoned cargo which I’d placed in a Trojan orbit around Neptune. I knew it was foolish, given my soon to be pursuers and the incoming reinforcements, but I hadn’t lost a cargo yet, and I was just stubborn enough to take a chance. Puda refrained from pointing out the obvious, instead, suggesting a plan that would allow me to get to the cargo without losing too much speed.

The new engines had a unique braking system, which allowed the kinetic energy of the ship to be dissipated by focusing it forward in a type of presser beam. This would normally be deployed against planetary bodies with little effect on them.

My route was anything but direct; something I hoped would confuse those following if they planned an intercept. I looped around Neptune, my presser beam fully focused on the small target that was my cargo pod. With the discrepancy in the masses, instead of slowing the Hope much, it sped up the pod.

Just as we neared the pod, Puda sent another beam against Neptune itself, slowing us further and acting like a fulcrum for the beam’s lever. Puda grabbed the cargo pod and opened a hatch to allow it to enter the vast hold just before we arced out in a normally impossible curve from Neptune.

Puda announced that the fleet around Earth hadn’t followed, but that the incoming fleet had diverted half its numbers to intercept the Hope based on our original direction of flight. I figured we had about 5 minutes before they could close on us. Luckily, we knew where we were going, or at least Puda did. This meant that any intercept course made by the alien fleet had to guess our intended direction based on our previous course. Having used Neptune’s mass as a brake, our tighter than usual turn caught the pursuing fleet by surprise.

I looked over the specs for our primary weapon, with it; I hoped we might survive long enough to reach the wormhole the Hope had initially used to reach the colony habitats. We were already going faster than the alien ships as we vectored across their path. They opened fire with their main weapons, but the shields barely registered it as we accelerated away.

Once they came into line behind us, Puda released a gaggle of mines in a roughly circular pattern. That would hopefully take out a few ships. Made of the same ceramic as the Hope’s hull, they should be nearly undetectable and filled with a new chemical explosive that would go off via a smart proximity trigger that would calculate the correct firing time based on the enemy’s speed and vector. The mine didn’t rely on the explosive itself. That only served to launch the main stage of the weapon, several thousand one inch balls of solid cobalt, expanding in a near invisible cloud, which with luck, should pass through the toughest hull. Unlike nuclear based weapons they wouldn’t give off a detectable radiation signature, which could alert them to the danger.

The lead ship ran into the exploding mine’s effects and broke out of formation, obviously damaged. The next in line dropped back, taking more care, but still following our lead. We managed to put some distance between us and the next ship that took up the lead position. As soon as contact was cut down to instruments, rather than visual, the Hope underwent a transformation. The bright silvery skin of the hull from the midline to the rearmost side broke away like an empty circular bowl. The skin of the body of the separating Hope was black by contrast, making it hard to see against the backdrop of space. The Hope used her engines for a short vector change, while still shielded by the breakaway portion. The empty shell continued on, veering slightly off course due to the effects of the thrust upon it from the Hope, providing a diversionary target, while the darkened Hope vectored off at an angle.

The wormhole we were heading for was about an hour’s distance at the speed we were traveling. I wanted to get there faster, but realized if we used the engines again, our energy signature might be detected by those following.

While Puda prepared for arrival at the wormhole’s event horizon, I got up and wandered through the ship, letting Puda update me via the ships com system. I felt like having a shower and changing into something less constricting than the jumpsuit. It wasn’t that it was particularly uncomfortable, but its body conforming tightness rubbed distractingly across my chest and my much more sensitive breasts.

I found the “head” and was amazed at its appointments. I saw a real shower and turned on the water to test it. Even though we maintained a half gee, slots in the base of the shower would allow no gee showers by using suction to keep the water flowing away. I promised myself I would try that if I survived the next few hours. I was tempted to take a shower right then and there, but I could see time was ticking away, so I headed back to the bridge.

“Ring deployment will be activated in three,” intoned Puda.

I watched on the monitor as one of two rings the diameter of the Hope separated from the hull at the point of maximum girth of the ship. The second ring remained in place while the first was pushed ahead of the Hope using the energy beams the Hope carried. It started getting larger as sections of the ring slipped out from each other like a telescoping antenna, except it remained in a loop. It finally ended up as a loop that could have encompassed a ship three times the size of the Hope. I knew of no ship in the colonies, bar the habitats themselves, that couldn’t easily pass through the ring with ease.

The ring was pushed far forward of the ship, for the next maneuver would be critical as we neared the wormhole, which was now in visual range. I saw the direction of the wormhole was working against us and I hoped the ring would do its job or we would have a very short journey ahead.

The ring grew till it reached the calculated diameter of the mouth of the wormhole. Gaia must have retrieved the data of the size from the memory banks of the Hope when it first used the wormhole. I watched anxiously as the ring entered the outer edge of the wormhole. Instantly, the force exerted on it was reversed, causing the ring, with its lighter mass, to stop, while marginally accelerating the Hope in return. With barely seconds to spare, the ring activated, causing a complete force barrier to form across the mouth of the wormhole. This had the effect of reversing the direction the wormhole with a hydraulic shock effect. The barrier dropped as the nose of the Hope approached the event horizon, and then we were in.

The ring would be undetectable, masked by the wormhole energies formed at the entrance. The wormhole had to remain open for it to work, so there was a possibility that more ships could enter the wormhole behind us. I trained our main weapons rearwards and waited for the inevitable.

Why is it that when you are waiting for something to happen, time seems to crawl? I felt an itch begin to niggle under my bra strap and I shifted my stance to see if it would go away without having to scratch. Of course it didn’t, and just as I reached to scratch, Puda interrupted. “Three alien ships have entered the wormhole.”

My senses galvanized, the itch forgotten as Puda read off the distances. I couldn’t fire too soon, or the back blast might damage the ring, even though it had it own screens. Too late, and we would risk damage ourselves, from either our own weapons or the alien’s fire.

Taking a deep breath, I fired a burst from the quantum particle cannon Gaia had developed. The burst hit the leading craft and sliced through its shields like a hot knife though butter. Its engines took the full brunt of the hit and exploded, sending the hulk careering into the wall of the wormhole. A massive portion broke off and breached the wall itself, never to be seen again. Where it would end up was anyone’s guess, but survivability would be a long shot. The rearward section slowed and impacted the following ship, whose screens failed to hold. The ship opened up like superheated tin can, spilling its contents into the path of the third ship, crippling it and leaving its crew dead or unconscious.

Momentum kept the last ship moving after the Hope, as Puda readied the second ring for launch. I slowed the Hope as Puda launched the ring just before we reached the wormhole’s other mouth.

“More ships have entered the wormhole,” Puda announced.

“I see them; do we have enough time to deploy?” I asked, checking the instruments.

“Affirmative.”

The crippled alien ship shot out of the wormhole moments before the ring gate placed at the mouth of the wormhole was activated reversing the direction in which the flow was directed.

“What will happen to the ships inside the wormhole once the flow of the wormhole is reversed again?” I asked, as the gate sent a coded signal to the far gate reversing its polarity.

“Anything from hydraulic crushing, to breeching the wall. Even if the ships survive the reversal, the crews will be crushed to a paste,” Puda intoned emotionlessly.

I shuddered, at the thought, but it was them or us, and my vote was for us. Now we had control of the wormhole, I relaxed somewhat. I checked the drifting alien ship, seeing it was still on its original trajectory and showing no signs of activity. I wanted that ship, but wary of surprises, we approached within grappling distance with full screens up.

Once we connected, Puda sent a diagnostic probe into the ship through a hole bored into its hull. An atmospheric seal around the probe’s entry point kept the “air” from escaping. “It’s breathable, but it does contain sulfides.” Puda announced after analyzing the air inside the other ship.

“Fart gas?” I joked, needing to laugh after our close shave in escaping pursuit.

Puda didn’t comment. The small remote she had sent into the other ship started sending back pictures of the alien interior. I was puzzled at seeing no alien bodies, until Puda pointed them out.

“But those are only metal robots, surely?” I retorted, seeing the oddly shaped machines scattered inside.

“Apparently not, and don’t call me Shirley” she replied, chuckling at some inside joke, as the remote zoomed closer to the shattered ‘head’ of the alien and highlighted the organic ooze seeping out.

“Eeewh,” I commented, feeling my gorge rising up. The androids if that could be applied to the alien crew consisted of a conical base with what looked like a variety of mobility systems in its base. Going by the views shown by the remote, some had tracked wheels, some had small manipulators sticking out, some even had what looked to be some sort of propulsion system, but it might easily have been a suction system that allowed them to stick to any surface. It was hard to tell what the cone-like projections were used for with them all lying inactive.

One thing was clear, on a second look, each system retracted into or extended from the base depending on which one was needed at the time. The torso was basically a metallic tube from which four arm appendages, two on each side, one under the other. The arms themselves seemed to be flexible all along their length and held different type of manipulators on each ‘hand.’ The head was cone shaped, making the whole thing look like a short two stage missile or rocket. Obviously the organic brain inside, was the weakest part of it and smears of brain and what might have passed for blood could be seen leaking out of the joint at the base of the head.

“The atmosphere is a 60 percent nitrogen 30 percent oxygen mix with the rest being carbon dioxide and a 2 percent sulphur dioxide.” Puda reported.

“So can we get rid of the stink?” I asked.

“I need to interface with the computer systems first to see if the sulphur is an original component of the air or something produced by the aliens themselves. I could replace it with our air, but I would have to shut their air system off.”

“Get on it, please. I’d like to examine the ship in person, but first I want to get a shower,” I told her, getting out of the chair and stretching. Having a real shower in space using water was a luxury I couldn’t do without now. The system worked fine in the half gee conditions that were standard in space flight. The added suction in the base helped prevent the water from bouncing up my legs. I wondered idly how much fun null gee showers would be if I asked Puda to shut off the artificial gravity. Lots, I figured, if you had a partner with you. The tensions of the last few hours were happily washed away with the imaginary dirt I felt I’d accumulated, and when I turned off the water and turned on the hot air towel, I felt as if I could tackle anything, even the insides of an alien ship filled with dead bodies. I realized I’d probably need another shower after that job, but at this point in time, having another shower later, didn’t seem like it would be any kind of chore.

Encapsulated in my EPS with the visor sealed, I opened the hatch of the Hope. Puda had turned the alien ship around using grappling arms so that its own port lined up opposite our own. An extendable and flexible coupling now joined the two ships, as Puda had determined the two hatches were incompatible for a direct mating. A force tube was put up around the coupling to ensure that any breach in it couldn’t cause depressurization of either vessel. I pulled myself along the coupling tube using the hand rope attached to the other end, seeing I was in a weightless environment.

I readied my stun stick, just in case there were any survivors hidden away. Opening the hatch proved to be anticlimactic, as the manual controls for it were easy to access and simple to use. Like the Hope, there was a short corridor leading to the inner hatch. Even though there was pressurized atmosphere outside the first hatch, the inner one refused to open unless the outer hatch was closed. I hoped this meant that the ship wasn’t capable of landing on a planet, which made it inferior to the Hope in capabilities.

I didn’t like being without a speedy exit if something untoward happened aboard, but I had no choice as the outer hatch shut behind me. Once inside, I confirmed that no hostiles were waiting to pounce, before venturing very far from the airlock.

“Everything seems okay,” I informed Puda, adding ‘so far,’ under my breath. I walked to the command center by following my instincts and the amount of traffic wear on the floor decks. There was about 1 gee gravity aboard, so I assumed some ship functions were still active to keep the artificial gravity running. I was glad I hadn’t removed my faceplate, as the alien’s demise looked particularly messy and smelly. I knew the Hope carried several robotic drones that would clear away the remains, once I’d established some control.

The controls, although the alien symbols next to them were, of course, undecipherable, but as to function, they looked reasonably recognizable. There were no chairs to indicate where the captain sat. The alien’s body form must serve as a platform from where they worked and controlled everything.

I examined the control board minutely, looking for some sort of port, so Puda could access the ships systems. I located it eventually, but found it was occupied by a fallen alien body’s manipulator.

I set aside my stun stick before I tried to pull it free, and suddenly found myself fighting off an arm that had whipped around my neck and was doing its best to separate my head from my body. As I started to black out, I wondered briefly if the alien was indeed dead or whether this was some programmed self defense system built into the mechanical part of it.

As I fell to the floor, my leg kicked the stun stick leaning against the control console. Luckily, the active end fell against my chest and I managed to grasp it and shove it past my face into the alien’s body with all the force I could muster. A stun stick can be triggered two ways, either by using the control button on the grip, which sends a high voltage arc out of the tip for a no contact defense, or by physical contact when the tip is pressed against an opponent, as I was attempting now. Luckily it activated, and being insulated by the EPS I didn’t feel the shock from the metal arm around my neck. The alien twitched and the arm relaxed as the brain encased by metal and whatever served its neural network was fried by the supposedly non lethal discharge.

I rolled out of its embrace, trying to suck as much oxygen back into my lungs as I could. The air seal to my suit must have remained intact, as I smelt none of the vapour now issuing from the alien body’s neck joint. At this point I still wasn’t sure if the alien had been alive or if it had reacted to my pulling its plug by some unknown defense mechanism. I vowed to tread warily around any others I wasn’t sure were obviously dead.

“I’m okay,” I informed Puda, who had been calling insistently over the com from the moment of the attack.

I placed the gadget Puda had cooked up, over the now vacant port, and Puda went silent as she started interfacing with the ships computer systems.

“I have a lock,” she told me, a few minutes later.

Once Puda had gained control of the ship’s systems, she sent over several of the Hope’s bots to clean up the ship. Most of the bodies were dumped into space keeping only those that looked reasonably intact except for the fact they were dead. They were stored in a stasis field in one of the holds on the Hope, so that further examinations could be carried out.

“Is there anything useful onboard in terms of technology?” I asked after a while, having seen the last of the aliens removed.

“They do seem to have a cloaking device attached to their propulsion systems, which eliminates most of their ion trail.”

“Can we utilize it for our own drive?” I asked looking for any advantage for the future.

“No, we use a different propulsion method, but it has given me an idea how to mask what little trail we do leave. I can have it in use by the time we get to the colonies.”

“Have you found out who they are yet?” I queried, asking the next important question.

“They call themselves the Eleven and they originate from a star system halfway across our galaxy called 01011 in their binary language.”

“They use binary as a language?”

“So it seems. They are little more than organic powered computers, searching the universe for resources. They haven’t used the wormhole method for travel, as they are so long lived time and distance has no meaning for them, they just travel though normal space till they reach a suitable planet.”

“What about the new ships that arrived as we left?” I asked, thinking they couldn’t have traveled so far in so short a time, if it was in response to my arrival on Earth.

“It would seem their arrival had more to do with the discovery of Earth than our arrival.” Puda replied, seeking out the information in the alien database. “Fleets of ships were sent out in all directions. This ship was part of a fleet. The second part was just moving out to investigate Alpha Centuri, when they were called back by the fleet that had arrived at Earth.”

“So we were just unlucky to be leaving when the second fleet entered the system?” I asked, more to myself that Puda.

“The fleet around Earth sent a message saying the target planet had a visitor, and another alerting them that we had departed,” Puda confirmed.

“Ah,” I replied distractedly. I’d been exploring through the ship where I could reach. The only passage big enough for my body was the passageway from the bridge to the airlock and from there to the hold. There were other passages, but they were only as tall as the aliens themselves and I didn’t feel like putting myself at risk going into such small openings.

The hold was filled with ingots of metallic ore and what seemed to be some kind of sugary syrup in vats. I figured that the sugars were to be used to feed the organic part of the alien’s brain. The ore, well I supposed that would eventually end up as either new bodies or new ships. Finding nothing else of interest, I decided to get back on board the Hope and get a meal.

“Wow! I didn’t expect to have fresh fish, and these chips are also excellent,” I enthused, still feeling pleasure at the new and unaccustomed textures and flavours from real food. “I hope you have plenty of supplies on board, or I’ll run out of food once I let certain people have a taste.”

I decided to get another shower before heading to my sleeping quarters. I knew I wasn’t dirty, but I just wanted to rid myself of the intangible stink from the alien ship. Maybe the penchant to bathe my body was because I was now fully female instead of the mixed gender of my birth. Having sensitive breasts was certainly a plus when showering, and I spent a long time washing imaginary dirt from them, until arousal was almost too much to bear. I felt guilty using so much of the precious liquid for such frivolous enjoyment.

“Are you sure we have enough water?” I asked, speaking to the invisible presence inhabiting all areas of the Hope.

“We are carrying 500 tons of pure water,” Puda answered from the speaker in the cubicle I was in.

“500 tons…” I gasped, trying vainly to imagine that volume aboard the Hope. “That’s worth a fortune, where I come from.” It was true; water was the most valued commodity among the habitat communities. Recycling can only go so far, before inherent losses in the system means you need to acquire a new supply.

“The Hope will use no more than one ton of water to reach the colony and that includes your personal usage, which will, of course, be filtered and used for fuel,” Puda reassured me.

We resumed our travel back to the colonies keeping the alien ship on tow behind us. It was two days before I began recognizing the stars familiar to me. Unfortunately, as we neared familiar territory, someone was nearing us.

“Unidentified vessel, this is the heavy cruiser Basher. Power down and prepare to be boarded,” an authoritative voice broke in on the com.

“This is Araya Lightsword out of Orbiter Nine, commanding the Hope,” I replied to the hail.

“If that’s true, and I don’t believe it is, then you are under arrest for trafficking in stolen goods and for the destruction of the Clementine from the Excelsior sector,” the as yet unidentified voice replied with venom.

“I deny those charges, and I’m on a mission of greater importance to the colony than you can imagine,” I spat back, unrepentant. Nevertheless, I urged Puda to continue on and be alert for incoming fire.

Puda moved the Hope so that the alien craft attached to the hull, was facing away from the incoming cruiser, just in case. I didn’t want it destroyed by the cruiser’s fire should she attack, not knowing its own defensive capabilities. I knew it didn’t stand up to our own fire, but while I was assured that the cruisers weaponry was inferior to our own, it might still overwhelm the defensive screens of the alien vessel.

“Last warning! Power down or face destruction!” the Basher’s commander warned.

“Screens up,” I ordered needlessly, knowing Puda was already acting. I sent a tight beamed message aimed at Orbiter Nine’s calculated position. It would arrive too late for any help to arrive, even if they decided to send any, but at least I had sent a brief description of my travel and the location of Earth.

I watched as the cruiser fired a salvo of Crip missiles. She obviously wanted the Hope intact, so had sent the ship riddling fragmenting missiles that would cripple a ship without totally destroying it. I didn’t bother to retaliate and the proximity fuses detonated, sending several tons of shrapnel into the shields. I saw the flare as the kinetic energy was dissipated in a blaze of pyrotechnics. Seeing the ineffectiveness of their missiles, the Basher unleashed its main weapons, her Ionic Cannon.

As the beautiful looking, but deadly blue beams bit trenchantly into the Hope’s shields, I watched the screen's readouts while Puda monitored the load on the screens themselves.

“I guess its time to show our own teeth,” I ventured, wondering what the commander of the Basher was thinking about our seeming indestructibility.

“It looks like they are preparing to ram us,” Puda noted.

I sighed, ‘Some people never learn’. To put one’s crew at risk to ram an unknown ship was foolishness in my eyes.

“Can you place a shot on her bow, preferably non lethal?”

“Yes, Captain,” Puda agreed somewhat happily.

I guessed that Puda felt the need to defend herself, so I didn’t pip her on the use of Captain.

I watched our main weapon fire upon the Basher. Although the ship had her own shields, our beam cut through it like a hot knife though butter, something I had done on Earth, so knew what the term meant. The skin of the Basher’s nose vapourised instantly, even though it must have been several feet thick. After checking that no serious damage had been inflicted apart from some minor loss of air in the forward bulkhead, I called the Captain.

“That was just a warning. If you continue on a ramming course I will fire once more. Please break away. I don’t want to cause loss of life, but I will fire if you persist and then it will be on your head. As I said, I’m on a mission more important than the lives aboard your ship, so I will fire.”

I waited, and watched anxiously, meaning every word I said. If I had to fire, I’d try only to cripple it. Slowly, the Basher turned away, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is Captain Kurt of the Basher; we are breaking off, but will be paralleling your course to your destination.”

“Understood,” I answered, knowing he’d decided to play it safe until the situation changed or he got some backup in the form of a galaxy class Super Dreadnaught.

“Puda? Let’s get the lead out. We have a date on Orbiter 9,” I prompted, urging her on before we needed to defend against the might of the Excelsior sector’s navy

We traveled onward, ever alert for more of the Basher’s support ships. It wasn’t until we were nearing our destination that Puda detected several heavy ships on an intercept course. I was working out where our position would be from Orbiter 9 when they’d eventually catch up to us when I spotted what I’d hoped I would see, ships coming from the Orbiter. I knew then that the Basher and others following would have to stay their hand.

“This is the Constance and the Ulysses from Orbiter 9. Please advise your vessels to observe protocol approach,” I heard the Captain advising the Basher and myself.

“Hope complying,” I replied, slowing my approach speed, with a sigh of relief. The Basher took longer to execute the same order, closing in on the Hope as if he could take us before the others arrived.

“Acknowledged, Hope. Please stand down, Basher, or we will be forced to act,” the Captain of the Constance admonished the Basher.

I watched the Basher slow reluctantly, but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet. If they could prove their case, that I was carrying stolen contraband, then I could be turned over to them and my ship confiscated, something that I had to prevent at all costs. Time for some legwork. I grabbed the inventory for the cargo I had been dragging over half the galaxy and went in search of the damaged portion of the old Hope that had contained the cargo.

Puda directed me to where the cargo had been placed within the ship, I started opening the seals and then had a thought. “Puda? Can you record what I’m doing so no one claims I tampered with the goods.”

“Go ahead Araya; footage will include time stamping for continuity veracity.”

I opened the first container, checking its contents against what was listed on the manifest. I finished about an hour later, confirming my suspicions. What I found inside bore no resemblance to the goods listed on the sheet I had been given. Someone was playing a double game, and had used me as a pawn. Someone would pay for that, and pay dearly.

I headed back to the bridge feeling rather angry. Checking that everything was still okay, I headed to the galley to indulge my anger on a huge helping of ice cream. One thing for sure, it was going to be interesting once we reached the Orbiter.

I felt too nervous to sleep, so I indulged in a hot shower and dressed in a military style uniform Gaia had designed for me back on Earth. It looked impressive on me. The dark navy blue cloth with its abundance of gold piping fitted my new form exactly. I even had a medal with a ribbon. Gaia had insisted I accept one representing the rediscovery of Earth. The medal itself was gold with the outline of Earth’s continents engraved on its face. On the collar I had Captain’s Pips. Checking that my hair and makeup were fine, I made my way back to the bridge. In the hours before we reached the docking bay at the Orbiter, Puda had sent a remote to bring some food for me.

The Basher and its two fellow ships stood off some distance from the Orbiter, with the Constance and the Ulysses in attendance to one side. As I prepared to dock, I noticed a gig coming from the Basher, heading towards the Orbiter.

I still had the alien ship attached to the hope, which made docking a bit more difficult. Our size was another problem, as the Hope was bigger than the usual ships that berthed here. Once the docking tube mated with the Hope’s airlock and the umbilical with its electrical and data transfer connections were tight and sealed, I shut down the drives.

When I stepped out, Puda had a remote go with me. Although it could fly on its own, I had it perched unobtrusively on my shoulder with an earpiece connected to it to relay anything Puda might need to tell me privately. It looked more like an ornament than a high tech surveillance device. I didn’t need to tell Puda to refuse entry to anyone else trying to enter the Hope, no matter what section of officialdom they claimed to be.

“Captain Araya Lightsword reporting,” I told those gathered at the airlock, standing still, but poised.

“Captain, there seems to be some confusion, if you are claiming to be the Araya Lightsword from Orbiter 9,” one of the officials stated, looking over my form with more than a hint of interest.

“Sorry, Sir, let me introduce myself again. I’m Araya Lightsword 95632. I know I don’t look like my original ID picture, but I can explain.”

I waited while the official verified my registration number, but another, who was too impatient to wait, broke in. “What about this ship? It’s nothing like the Hope we have registered. That was a hybrid vessel, much smaller than this ship. I say we have it towed out of here, so we can examine it thoroughly for any possible threat to this habitat.”

Just as I was about to protest that no one was to touch my ship, several men in the military uniform of the Excelsior Navy burst into the room with several security personnel from the habitats own force.

“I want that person arrested for murder and trafficking in stolen property belonging to us,” a forceful hir, whom I assumed was Captain Kurt, shouted over the voices of the officials.

Kurt hadn’t seen me before this, and as hir parted the ranks and took a good look at me, hir stopped, hir’s anger fading into a type of stunned awe.

‘What’s going on? I hissed to Puda via the lapel com, making sure no one overheard me.

“I think that maybe they are awed by your appearance,” Puda answered after a pause. “Remember, you are the epitome of the female form. I’m guessing that buried deep into every male’s psyche, is an image of the ideal mate. Even those Hir that are in estrus and take on the more feminine traits will be attracted to you, as they still have a masculine side to their altered forms.”

“So now I’m everyone’s wet dream?” I whispered back, worriedly. I didn’t have time to ponder on that bit of news, as we were all interrupted by the arrival of several of the Orbiters Presidential security team. I was then asked to follow them, along with Captain Kurt, overriding any objections from the first officials that had questioned me.

We entered the chambers of the high council where the President held sway over the governance of the colony. After we were shown to seats set some distance apart, the President entered in ceremonial dress. It looked as if we were to be judged, going by the colours of the sashes. The President had many duties besides running the day to day events in the colony, even being judge, jury and if need be, executioner.

“Opening statements,” the President stated formally.

I waited, allowing Captain Kurt to go first. “I claim that Araya Lightsword did willfully take on stolen contraband from the Excelsior 2 habitat and failed to yield to the Clementine when ordered to submit to an inspection. In the subsequent battle, the Clementine was lost with all aboard. We demand that the ship Hope be turned over to us and Araya be punished by our laws.”

“These are serious charges. What say you in the defense of these accusations?” The President asked me.

“If it’s not too much of a burden, I would like to have Princie Constantine Bregen from Excelsior 2 brought here to substantiate my claim that the cargo I was carrying was legitimate,” I pressed. I had a gut feeling that the Princie was nearby, either already onboard the habitat, or on one of the two ships accompanying the Basher, since that was where I would have been had it been me in hir place upon hearing that the Hope was back.

“But Princie Constantine is a respected noble! What makes you think hir would have any dealings with you … you?” spluttered Kurt, obviously coming up short of a word to describe my womanhood.

The President, powerful as hir was, still needed justice to be served, even if it meant a delay in getting this matter resolved.

“Enough, Princie Constantine will be duly summoned. Until that time, you’ll both be assigned quarters where you will stay until we reconvene.”

“That shouldn’t be necessary,” Kurt spoke up. “The Princie is on my sister ship, the Nebulon. I can have hir here shortly,” Kurt added somewhat red faced.

The President wasn’t happy with the Captain playing hir for a fool and wasting hir time. The President glowered, as Kurt put in an urgent call to the Nebulon.

“Araya Lightsword, will you answer the charges of the destruction of the Clementine while we wait for the Princie?” the President asked

I nodded and began to speak. “The Clementine was lost to an ion storm in Epsilon Minor 14 degrees above the galactic plane, after attacking and pursuing me to that region. It was captured by a wormhole I’d entered a short time earlier in my attempt to avoid destruction.”

“See? This person even admits hir caused the loss of the Clementine,” crowed Captain Kurt.

“I’m a SHE, not a hir,” I informed Kurt, deciding to put everyone straight as to my new gender.

“A she? What is this term? Is that why you look like your body has gone to the extremes of an estrus cycle?” The President fired at me.

“A she is the term for a female of the human species, and “he” is the term for the male. My form reflects the feminine half of the human race as it used to be long ago when we first ventured out to this place,” I replied, laying the bombshell into utter silence.

“What are you saying?” the President demanded. “We have always been like this, cycling back and forth in and out of estrus.” the president added, becoming sidetracked from the main issue, as I had hoped.

“Think of it as being permanently in estrus,” I added for clarification. “This is how life was lived back on Earth before we emigrated into space.”

“Earth? That’s just a legend,” snorted Kurt.

“Oh it exists alright. I’ve been there.” After dropping this second bombshell, I waited for the noise to die down as the people gathered in the room argued back and forth.

I saw an official whisper to the President and then hir looked at me with anger before calling for silence. “As I’ve just been informed, Earth did exist thousands of years ago, but it was destroyed, so your statement that you were there doesn’t hold up. I’m inclined to believe that if you are willing to lie about that, then you could be lying about the other,” hir finished with a smug look.

Of course Kurt smirked as well, seeing that the Hope would soon be in hir hands very soon.

“I have proof the Earth still exists. It is aboard the Hope,” I protested.

“Show us, then,” the President demanded curtly, not looking amused.

Before I could say or do anything, we were interrupted by the arrival of Constantine Bregen. Now sharp objects were really going to hit the vac seals. “Ah just the person I want to talk to,” I started, before anyone could get set.

“Araya? Is that you?” Constantine asked with some surprise.

“Yes. Now please tell Captain Kurt the deal we made to transport a particular cargo to Quasmat’s scientific station.” I cut short Constantine’s greeting and waved the manifest I’d just removed from my pocket.

“Ah yes,” Constantine sighed, seeming reluctant to admit having had a deal with me.

“You still owe me payment, even though I didn’t get to deliver it yet. I named a figure just off the top of my head, which made the Princie’s eyes widen.

“You still have the cargo?” hir asked. Not realising that the question had confirmed my deal with the noble.

“Yes. It’s aboard the Hope safe and sound. I would like everyone to come and examine it, and realise why I’m asking for such a high payment.”

This turn of events caused a considerable buzz among those gathered in the room. The President had to again call for silence before announcing that we would go and inspect the said cargo and either validate or invalidate Kurt’s claims.

We walked back to the docking bay, where I admitted only the President and hir bodyguard, Kurt and Constantine, into the Hope itself. The rest had to wait outside, as I flatly refused to allow so many into my ship. As it was, I could see the greed in Kurt’s eyes as hir looked around at the interior of a ship hir hoped to own very soon.

I led them to the cargo bay and showed them the cargo manifest and the identifying codes on the boxes. Kurt, of course, soon spotted most had been opened and protested that I’d tampered with them and had probably got rid of the evidence.

“Check these. They haven’t been touched. They are supposed to be propulsion unit parts,” I interrupted, moving towards the rear of the cargo bay.

Kurt attacked the cases, intent on proving hir claim of contraband. The others and I stood back and let Kurt open them without hindrance. As Kurt pulled the top free and removed the packing aside, hir face dropped and reached in and pulled out what I’d found in the other cases.

“What is this?” Kurt shouted angrily, throwing the lump of plaster to the floor.

“That’s what I want to know. All the cases I opened contain the same worthless plaster,” I asked, looking at Constantine for an answer. “I don’t like being made a diversionary target and having my life put on the line while you play political intrigue among your own people. That’s why I asked for such a high fee. I nearly died several times, and put my ship though hell carrying your useless cargo.” I accused Constantine.

“I’ll pay it, not because I set you up, but because the goods actually got to their destination. I’m sorry you went through all this. I had expected you to submit to a search while the real cargo went by another route. The reason I went though all this rigmarole was that we had a spy, who was alerting certain parties to our deliveries, and thus allowing them to intercept them. We set this delivery up to uncover the culprits. I never expected Captain Kurt to be involved in this smuggling ring. What say you, Captain?” Constantine accused Kurt.

“Stand back, I’m taking this ship, and nobody had better try stop me,” threatened Captain Kurt, unlimbering hir weapon and pointing it in our direction. The President’s bodyguard twitched automatically to the threat, and Kurt fired a blast, catching the bodyguard high in the chest. The guard slumped to the deck with blood pumping out of a steaming hole in hir chest.

“Move it,” Kurt ordered, waving them out of the hold with the barrel of the weapon.

“We’re going, no need for further violence,” I growled, heading towards the bridge. I had foreseen this kind of problem and knew Puda would be alert and ready to help.

Once on the bridge, Kurt looked around to see a radically different setup from the normal layout. While we waited in a group, Kurt ran back and forth, trying to find out how to get the Hope underway. Finally, Kurt came up to me and ordered me to get the ship moving.

“It is voice activated, but you need to sit in the command chair,” I spat at Kurt.

Kurt leered at me before striding over the command chair and settled in.

“You’ll get yours … unnn,” were hir last words before Puda put the command chair into a stasis field, cutting Kurt off short.

It took a few seconds for the others to realise that my precautions had taken effect.

“We need to get your guard to medical help,” I called, shaking them out of their shock.

“What? What happened to that traitor?” Constantine demanded, starting forward angrily.

“Don’t get too close,” I warned. “My ship’s defensive system doesn’t discriminate between friend or foe,” I added, not wanting to reveal too much.

“My guard is dead, no one can survive those injuries,” the President stated mournfully.

“Puda?” I queried.

“The patient is in critical condition, I had the droids move Tyler to the med unit. We can save Tyler, but not the body, Captain. We need to use the regeneration booth to resequence Tyler’s genes and build hir a new body,” Puda’s dulcet voice echoed throughout the bridge area, startling the others.

“Tyler’s still alive? … How is that possible?” the President asked incredulously.

“I set the cargo hold up in a similar manner to my command chair, just in case of trouble. Unfortunately, I wasn’t expecting Kurt to be so desperate as to fire a weapon, and when Kurt fired, hir was outside the range of the four defense fields I’d installed.”

“What was that about a regeneration booth?” The President asked.

“This ship, as you no doubt noticed, is radically different from anything we have ever built. It was built on Earth, and has superior technology, and part of that is a regeneration booth to rebuild a person’s body back to Terran standard. I can save Tyler, but only by giving hir a male or a female body.”

“Earth? That is only a legend,” scoffed the President. “This whole story is ridiculous. Do what you want with Tyler’s corpse,” hir finished, turning and heading back to the airlock.

“Puda? Commence the procedure. I suggest making Tyler male,” I finished before heading after the President, who’d signaled to some security personnel outside to take Kurt into custody. I led the security people back inside to the bridge, where I had Puda release Kurt from the stasis field once they were ready.

Saying Kurt was unpleasantly surprised, was an understatement. Luckily, the highly efficient life support systems worked like a charm and kept the air from turning blue from hir curses. Finally, only Constantine was left lingering on the Hope’s bridge.

“I hope that’s my payment you’re working on,” I told hir, as Constantine worked a small handheld com unit.

“Check your credit balance,” came my answer.

“Puda?” I asked, knowing she didn’t need anything explained.

“The credit you demanded has been transferred into your account,” Puda spoke, having accessed her existing records through the umbilical data connection.

“That’s some AI you have there,” Constantine stated, as I accompanied hir off the ship and back through the docking bay.

“She’s one of a kind … one of a kind,” I added under my breath.

“I need to go back to the Basher now that we need a new Captain,” Constantine sighed, as we parted at the dock.

I was torn between going after the President with my claim about Earth, going to find my unit mate Tryst and staying to oversee the bodyguard’s recovery. I finally decided to check on the guard. After all, I needed to make sure the Hope was empty and secure before attempting to convince everyone of my claim.

While Tyler was being processed, I went for another shower and then ate a meal. I managed to open a link to Tryst in our unit.

“Tryst? It’s me, Araya.” I said once the com was connected through.

“Araya?” Is that really you? I don’t recognize you,” Tryst sounded confused.

“Yeah, I have changed a lot I guess. This is my new body. I hope you like it. It’s the latest fashion on Earth.” I tried making a joke of it.

“Earth?” Tryst replied, the question clear in hir voice. “It is kind of cute,” hir added hastily, looking me over in the Vidcom screen.

“Want to meet me? I’m at dock 12. Buzz me when you get there, and I’ll let you in,” I told hir.

“Dock 12? Where in dock 12? The city side or the waste plant side? You know I hate looking for you in amongst the other ships.”

“There are no other ships. The new Hope is a bit bigger than the old one,” I laughed.

“No other ships?” Tryst’s reply sounded puzzled, knowing that the docks were usually full of ships loading or unloading goods of one type or another. “I’ll be right there,” hir answered, breaking off the link before I had time to explain the sheer size of the Hope and its alien passenger was too huge to allow other ships to dock along side.

I checked on Tyler again and saw he was nearly finished changing. The new regen booth worked much quicker than the old one in the original Hope. While I was there, I got a call from Tryst, saying hir had been prevented from coming aboard. Puda informed me that several security people were standing across the boarding tube. I raced down to the airlock, which Puda opened as I reached it. I could see Tryst standing, arguing with the security guards. I stepped forward and reached past them and grabbed Tryst’s hand.

“Stop! We were ordered that this ship was off limits to unauthorized personnel,” one shouted, trying to stop me from pulling Tryst through.

“Hir is authorized … by me,” I replied, bringing Tryst onto the docking tube regardless.

The guard unlimbered hir weapon and shouted that unless we stopped, hir would fire.

“My mate is now standing on Earth’s sovereign territory.” I indicated the boarding tube of the Hope. “Fire, and you’ll be in breach of the international space treaty 604.” I retorted firmly. “I suggest you look it up,” I finished, turning my back and guiding Tryst into the Hope.

“I couldn’t believe it was this big. When I was on the concourse, passing the other airlock doors, all I could see was the side of one huge ship out the viewing ports.” Tryst enthused. “I thought the guards were just there for routine duty. I wasn’t expecting to be stopped from entering. What have you done to upset everyone now, besides showing up in a cute new body?”

“Well …” I hedged, wondering where to start. “It’s like this,” I added, taking Tryst to the bridge. I started telling my tale from the time I’d accepted the cargo from Constantine, right up to the present moment. I left a lot of the more embarrassing things out … or tried to, as Puda chimed in and revealed all … the blabber mouth.

Of course Tryst was charmed by Puda as she revealed what I’d tried to hide. During the explanation, Tryst wandered around the Hope curiously checking it out. With Puda’s ever present voice taking over, I felt like a replaced broken vac seal. … pretty useless.

Tryst seemed interested in seeing the med bay when Puda got up to the part where Tyler got injured.

“So this is what the other sex looks like?” Tryst asked, looking in at Tyler’s new form, where he lay in the chamber.

I nodded, waiting for Puda to confirm the question, but she remained silent, letting me take over again.

“So if I decided to be your life mate, I’d be expected to become like that?”

“I had hoped for that. … Yes. Of course you’d be able to pick out exactly how you’d like to look. …” I paused, wanting to see hir reaction.

“So I wouldn’t ever have to go through estrus again?”

“No, I take on that job. Only the women give birth on Earth,” I offered, hoping this would be the key point in hir decision.

“When can I get started?” Tryst asked with a grin.

“When the oven timer goes off,” I joked, nodding to the comatose Tyler.

“That is not an oven,” sniffed Puda, sounding highly put out.

Tryst laughed, saying it did contain meat.

To my question, Puda informed me it would be 15 minutes longer before Tyler was finished. Tryst looked blank, until I explained that the ship was on Earth time and explained the difference.

“So what can we do to fill the time?” hir asked suggestively.

As much as I wanted to take hir suggestion, 15 minutes wasn’t going to be anywhere long enough. Instead, I suggested a shower. I grinned at Tryst’s blank look, then took hir hand and led Tryst to my favourite place. At first, when I started getting undressed and suggested hir to do the same, Tryst, who thought we were going to do something else, came close and clinched together with a kiss. Feeling sneaky, I dragged hir into the shower and kicked the door closed with my foot before reaching out and turning on the water.

Tryst yelped as the first touch of the water hit us. I’d had Puda preset the temperature to what I liked, so it was nice and warm. “What’s happening? Your water supply has sprung a leak,” was hir first reaction.

“No it’s okay, it’s called a shower, its supposed to do this,” I explained, seeing hir eyes widen at the extravagance of using water for the mundane purpose of washing ones body.

Of course Tryst didn’t object to the kind of fun two can have in a shower, especially when the soap came out. I almost regretted starting something that due to time restraints, we had to curtail … almost.

“Tyler is waking,” warned Puda, as we were getting dried.

“Be there shortly,” I replied, accepting Tryst’s help getting dressed.

Leaving Tryst to dress and catch up, I left for the med bay. Tyler was just stirring as I got there and I signaled Puda to release the lid. “Where am I?” He asked groggily, once he became coherent. “I remember getting shot, then nothing … What … What happened to my body?” he asked, looking down at his newly defined chest.

“You were shot and would have died if I hadn’t applied Earth’s technology and given you a new body. Even the President had given you up for dead,” I explained as I helped him from the booth.

“It feels so much bigger and stronger,” Tyler commented without too much concern about his near fate, just as Tryst entered the lab.

Tyler was naked and I saw Tryst’s glance down at the newly minted man’s endowments. Hir eyes widened, then turned to look at my blushing face, as I tried to hide the fact that I was turned on by the sight. Tryst grinned, knowing that soon hir would own one of those monsters and knew the perfect receptacle to test it out in.

I handed Tyler some clothes to wear, which Puda had produced in advance.

“Be careful of your strength, it’s set for Earth norm of 1 Gee,” I warned, seeing him bounce a little in the half gee conditions.

“Wow! This will take getting used to,” exclaimed Tyler, looking at his arm and flexing his muscles.

“Let’s go, I need to visit the President again. I have important news to give him,” I urged, guiding Tyler outside.

“What about me?” Tryst asked with a pout, as if I’d already discarded hir for the hunk Tyler was now.

I turned and gave hir a kiss, “Ask Puda how to set it up and I’ll see you later.” I winked suggestively.

“Activate security protocol five,” I told Puda, as we headed for the airlock. Tyler looked at me, curiosity written over his face, but I just shrugged and muttered, “Routine stuff.” I wasn’t about to reveal any of my plans just yet, especially when I didn’t know what reception I’d get to the suggestion that everyone move to Earth. I’d taken the remote off my shoulder earlier and now it rested in my pocket, thinking it would be prudent not to reveal its capabilities just yet. At the airlock, I handed Tyler back his weapon, which I’d retrieved from his discarded clothing.

“Thank you, and thanks for saving my life. I owe you one,” he added with a smile before we stepped out to confront the security detail outside.

After the airlock cycled open, we were confronted by the sight of two weapons leveled at us by the guards. Tyler strode forward, confident that the men would give way to his approach. He slammed to a surprised halt when the unmistakable whine of charging weapons indicated their readiness to fire. I’d intentionally held back to watch developments should anything occur.

“Halt and release your weapon,” one ordered Tyler, who was holding it down by his side.

Lacking a place to put it, as his holster was still with his discarded clothes, and reluctant to stick a weapon in his waistband, Tyler had held it muzzle down and the safeties on.

Realising that they wouldn’t recognise his new body, even though a lot of Tyler’s original facial features remained similar, (due in part to Puda selecting a close match from the DNA bank aboard the Hope.)

“I’m the President’s bodyguard Tyler Dillon 56784. No lower ranking officer can request my weapon, under article 5 dash 7843c of the Presidential house code,” he rattled off, bringing his weapon up to lay it across his chest protectively.

I cringed, expecting to see Tyler go down in a hail of fire, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the guards check their com links for verification before lowering their weapons and engaging the safeties.

“Sorry, Sir, we were expecting your corpse, not a complete stranger.”

“I would have been a corpse if Araya here hadn’t saved me and given me a new body. Now she and I need to see the President on an urgent matter. Please alert hir for our arrival,” Tyler finished.

“Yes, Sir!” they snapped instantly, parting to allow us to pass.

I wondered what the President was going to say when hir saw Tyler next.

“You’re saying that you are Tyler?” asked the President, when they finally managed to get an audience. The President walked closer and studied the face of the person who claimed to be hir bodyguard.

“I know I look different, but it is me and I can prove it,” Tyler stated emphatically. “Two cycles ago, we played Hango (a null gee chance game) and I won the first round 6 to 3.”

“Who won the second?” asked the President, more than half convinced.

“You did 4 to 1,” smiled Tyler.

“So that is what a human male body looks like?” the President mused curiously, as hir examined Tyler closely and even felt Tyler’s muscle enhanced body.

“I can now do this,” stated Tyler, showing off his one gee strength by leaping up to touch the ceiling of the room without any apparent effort.

“Impressive.” The President agreed. “Araya? You mentioned having important news for us and wanting to setup a broadcast to all the colonies. Before I can authorise that, I need to know what it is you’ll be talking about.”

“I have found Earth, the planet where we all originated. It wasn’t destroyed like they said. It is ready for us to return, we can go home,” I pleaded my case. “I have footage of my visit to Earth in all its glory,” I waxed enthusiastically.

“Our records show that the Earth was destroyed. It can’t be still there,” the President argued. “We even have footage of its destruction,” hir added, calling on one of the aides to retrieve the data from the archive and put it up on one of the screens.

I watched the footage play out, never having seen it before. Having seen the real Earth from close up, it was easy for me to see that the footage had been faked. I knew Puda was watching this through the com link she had provided me with prior to this visit with the President.

“Puda?” I whispered, putting all my emphasis to make the one word a question.

“Checking Orbiter Nine’s database,” Puda’s voice via the sub dermal speaker fitted behind my ear replied. Seconds later… “Retrieving data.”

“Play it,” I hissed quietly.

Suddenly the footage that was playing flickered and was replaced by a person speaking. He was recognizably a human male, which I knew placed him in the early years before everyone’s DNA mutated under the influence of cosmic radiation.

“This is my confession. I hope everyone will forgive me for my deceit regarding the Earth’s fate. I am the last of those who decided to prevent those foolhardy souls who wished to return to our native solar system from going back. In a few hours, I’ll be dead. The cancer is inoperable and I have decided to end my life on my terms. We faked the Earth’s destruction to prevent those who believed they could return to it and survive from attempting it. Instead of depleting our precious resources on a doomed quest, we, the Cabinet of Elders decided to put the matter to rest. In light of the uncertainty surrounding the Earth’s fate, we made sure no one would try to attempt a return by faking its total annihilation, therefore preventing future adventurers from trying to return. We need everyone to remain here and rebuild our civilization with our eyes looking forward, not backward. Now that signs of human genetic changes are taking place due to long term exposure to radiation, we need to accept these inevitable changes, instead of looking for a place to flee. The lack of absolute proof either way has troubled me. In the event that the Earth did escape its destruction, although I truly believe it didn’t, I leave this confession. If I was wrong, then God forgive me and all those of us that remain isolated from home.”

The screen went dark, leaving everyone shocked and silent.

“How come we didn’t know about this before now?” Demanded the President, after gathering hir thoughts.

I got the answer from Puda, who had already anticipated the question. “Maybe it was hidden behind a type of dead man switch,” I suggested, repeating Puda’s explanation coming from my SDP. (Sub dermal patch).

“What’s that?” asked the President as hir aides scrambled to find answers in the mainframe.

“It’s an ancient Earth term,” I supplied via Puda. “It’s a mechanism that works only if the person in control is incapacitated or dead. Maybe he only wanted it known well after hir death. When was the footage last accessed?” I asked curiously.

The President nodded hir understanding and waved for the aide to find out the answer to my question.

“The file was last accessed well before Elder Thomas’s death. The person who we just saw died on the fiftieth anniversary of our foundation.”

‘That would explain why I hadn’t seen the footage before now,’ I thought to myself.

“This puts your story in a much different light,” the President offered, sounding much more polite.

Just then, a pounding on the door heralded the entry of an out of breath official, who then proceeded to gasp out, “Is the news about Earth’s faked destruction true?”

“What!” The President shouted, sounding angry that anyone else knew about the revelations.

“It was on all the screens! It even overrode communication screens, so other habitats also got the transmission,” the official explained, cringing as the face of the President purpled in rage.

“Your work?” I queried Puda under my breath.

“Of course,” her voice replied, sounding smug.

Whatever plans the President might have had to capitalize on this new data were now blown out of the airlock. I only hope hir didn’t trace the leak back to Hope and take it out on me.

“You say you have proof of landing on the Earth?” Asked the President turning to me with a speculative look.

‘Oh, oh!’ I thought, sensing another scheme fermenting in the President’s head. ‘I’ll have to be careful here.’ “I do have a clip of some footage approaching the Earth and some from on the surface.” I offered, glad that Puda had edited any sign of the aliens surrounding Earth. That was something I wanted to keep secret just a bit longer.

I handed over the cube containing the recorded material. The aide that took it then put in hir console and stood ready for the President to give hir consent to play it. The President looked around those assembled as if considering having everyone leave the room, but apart from me, only hir trusted staff remained, so after commanding the entry to be locked off, hir signaled for the data cube to be played.

Everyone gasped as the first frames showed Earth in all its glory. The planet with its mostly blue colour and the white clouds looked like a gem in the heavens. The picture changed, showing the Earth swelling in size as the ship approached. Now patches of green and brown could be seen as the continents became visible in detail. The next shot showed me standing on the field where I first put foot upon the Earth. The detail was magnificent. Everyone chuckled, as I was greeted by the bovine ambassador. There was a shot of me catching my first fish by the lake, which drew more gasps than my eventual dinner.

“Is that all water?” asked the President eagerly.

“Yes, but that’s just a small portion of what the planet has to offer,” I answered, trying to down play its importance as if it had none of the value it did in space.

“We must go there,” stated the President with new resolve in hir voice.

I tried not to show the jubilation I felt, knowing that anyone visiting there would likely remain. “So can I make my announcement?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes, but only after I make a statement first,” the President cautioned.

Obviously, the President wanted to be in the limelight, not that it bothered me. I was more concerned about getting my message across than worrying about people making political points.

At last it was all arranged. I had intended to stay dressed in my ‘uniform,’ but the President insisted I dress in something more elegant. “To show off your body in a way to make it obvious that you are now a native of Earth,” Hir suggested.

I figured it was more so hir could ogle my breasts, but I didn’t demur, as I loved to have an opportunity to show off my body to its best advantage.

Puda out did herself, producing a glorious gown in a material she called Glitterweave. It was a floor length gown with a red glittery effect that changed hues in certain light conditions to a deep purple. It hugged my body like a glove, yet it was lined with something so smooth and slippery, that it made my new uniform feel like rags. I could only wear the flimsiest of panties to avoid what Puda called panty lines, apparently this was a big no no back in Earth’s fashion history.

I wore no bra, as the gown was apparently self supporting, even though it felt like my breasts were going to fall out at the slightest movement. I wore high heels as well, not that anyone would see much of them unless I was walking. I felt like I was perched up on stilts. Luckily my one gee muscled calves made easy work of moving around gracefully in the half gee gravity.

Puda, using her ‘hard image’, which enabled her to interact in a physical sense, gave me a makeover, which included a new hairstyle called a French Twist. I wasn’t used to having my hair styled in this fashion, usually having opted for the natural unkempt look or gathered together at the neck with an elastic band. That had been my tidy look for when I was working. Most of the population had little need of styling, as they kept it cut short for practical reasons.

Puda lamented that I didn’t have my ears pierced, and vowed to do it in the med lab before my next public appearance. She did, however, produce a lovely necklace with a semi precious stone from Earth called Tiger Eye as its center piece. Looking in the mirror, after she pronounced me ready, I saw someone I barely recognised. Not one to be tied to a mirror all day checking my appearance, I was still getting used to seeing my new self, as it was, when I used the bathroom. I hadn’t bothered using makeup when there had been nobody to impress, so what I saw now blew me away.

“I’m gorgeous!” I exclaimed, twisting and turning before the mirror to check myself from all angles.

“Tryst will love you,” Puda agreed.

“Tryst … oh crap!” I felt a little guilty not having checked on his progress in the lab, but I guess I’d known he’d have a few hours to go before he would be ready to get out. I hurried to the med lab as fast as my dress would allow, wondering what Tryst would think of my getup.

Tryst was just climbing out of the regen unit as I minced in. We both stopped and stared at the other. My eyes went down from his face to his toes, lingering at a certain point for a few seconds, while his eyes seemed glued to certain points of my body. I giggled girlishly; thinking we both had a few points to check out later.

“You’re gorgeous,” we stated simultaneously.

Tryst was nicely muscled without being overly beefy. In my mind I saw him as having the ideal male form. Broad shoulders, slim hips with a six pack that wasn’t blatant like a weight lifter’s, but softer, and more subtle. Arms that showed muscle with a sleek look that gave a hint of hidden power leashed, but ready. Long legs rippling with sleek athletic strength finished off his overall look. He’d opted to keep his non hairy chest look, which I preferred, keeping only the hair on his head and at the groin. I licked my lips unconsciously, as I checked out his new improved play toy.

“I got the new self supporting deluxe model,” Tryst chuckled seeing where my eyes rested.

“I wondered what was holding it up like that,” I flirted with a giggle.

Tryst came towards me, took my hands in his and devoured my body with his eyes.

“Can I unwrap you now?” he asked, leaning in for a kiss.

“Oh no, not yet,” I squealed, moving my head back to avoid smudging my makeup.

Seeing his look of disappointment, I explained what I was about to do, and gave him instructions in case anything untoward occurred. “Wish me luck, and hopefully I’ll be with you later,” I finished regretfully.

Tryst kissed me lightly on the cheek, and gave me a hug, which I returned.

Back in the habitat, I could feel both lust or envy from everyone I met, depending on the particular stage of the estrus cycle of those I passed. I’d begun seeing them in terms of Earth’s standards being either feminine or masculine, rather than using estrus or non estrus. I surprised more than a few by glancing back after I’d walked passed, catching them standing there openly gazing at my departing back with desire in their eyes.

I felt like one of those models that paraded on a catwalk back on Earth in the centuries long passed. I wiggled my ample ass, making the most of my five minutes of fame.

“That is a very interesting gown,” the President complimented me, as I entered his quarters.

“Well, with a restructured DNA, you could wear one just like it,” I offered jokingly, knowing that what I’d said was probably the last thing hir would accept. I could see the President would like to get into my dress, but only to touch what it contained, not wear it.

“I don’t think I could carry it off like you can,” hir replied with a wink.

Then the President escorted me to the room where all public announcements were broadcast. The President began hir speech with the announcement that the Earth was indeed still intact, and that the footage broadcast earlier was not a hoax.

I was pretty nervous when hir handed over things for me to continue. “My name is Araya Lightsword. I am the first to rediscover the Earth and set foot upon its verdant surface. As you can see from this footage, the Earth is indeed alive and well.”

I signaled for the technicians to roll the footage I’d shown earlier to the President. “My body has been modified to not only withstand the full 1 Gee of the Earth’s gravity, but also to withstand the myriad of micro organisms that are part of the natural biosphere that hosts life on Earth.”

I went on to explain how the radiation in space had led us on a divergent path from our ancestors, and how on Earth, a person could choose to be either one sex or the other. I had the camera pan across to Tyler’s new form for a comparison. I went on to explain the abundance of food and water and even mentioned that even many of the old habitations had survived the ages. I didn’t mention Gaia or the alien fleet, thinking that they might deter some from returning to Earth. I finished off by saying that the Earth needed us as much as we needed Earth.

I knew things would galvanize soon, as room aboard the habitats was stretched to its limits. Everyone wanted children, but only the lucky few got to reproduce. With resources running low, everyone’s life was hounded by the need to conserve and recycle everything. There was a growing hubbub, as I stepped down and let the President take over again.

I went back to the Hope as the President talked about setting up a committee to check out how to facilitate a move back to Earth. Tryst welcomed me back with a hug and a kiss, then marched me to my quarters to unwrap my present to him. Of course, like an idiot I said, “What present?”

I sure found out in a hurry. I was his present, and Tryst took great care in unwrapping me from my clothes. What followed next was the best sex I’d ever enjoyed, and by the grin on Tryst’s face, I gathered it was more than adequate for him as well. I would have stayed for another round, but Puda called, insisting I get dressed.

“There’s some activity on the com network. There’s been an attack on one of the habitats. Our friends, I suspect,” Puda explained.

I jumped up, adrenalin washing away my sexual languor. I threw on some clothes, opting for a more practical jumpsuit. I gave Tryst a quick kiss, while insisting he not leave the ship under any circumstances.

I armed myself for the first time, strapping on a weapon Gaia had made for me and made sure my little friend was in my pocket. Then on second thought, I slipped the com remote into my hair and concealed it there with the addition of a couple of hair clips. Some instinct warned me not to let it be seen by anyone.

On exiting the ship, Puda sealed it off from uninvited guests. I didn’t encounter the guards, so they must have been called away. I didn’t know if that was a good sign or not. I found an access panel that lead to a com duct, took out my remote and placed it inside unobserved. I knew Puda would send it up to the nearest nexus point where it could tap into the communications hardware.

“Araya Lightsword?” asked a stern voice from the left of me, as I passed a cross corridor.

“Yes,” I answered automatically, as I turned to see who it was.

“You are under arrest for sabotage and the attack on Habitat 2,” shouted an armed guard, as hir brandished hir own weapon.

‘Habitat 2? Not this again,’ I thought to myself, feeling stunned at hearing what I was being accused of doing. Habitat 2 was one of the furthest distant of the group of habitats, and one I’d only visited twice.

The guard brandished hir weapon, indicating I move ahead of hir. I was surprised I hadn’t been disarmed, but then decided the guard did not realise I was. The weapon that sat in the wide belt around my waist was unlike any conventional weapon, having no barrel or handgrip. Even the trigger was concealed. It looked more like a bar of soap, slightly flatter and longer, but rounded at both ends. It looked more of fashion accessory that would sit in the palm of my hand. Truth be told, I hadn’t tested it and wasn’t exactly sure of its function. With my back to the guard, I slipped the weapon out of its pocket unseen, then slid my hand up to the top of my jump suit where it was opened, and slipped it under my left breast inside the bra.

“Hold!” exclaimed the guard seeing my gesture and thinking I was reaching for something. I spun around, pretending to massage my breast, and getting hir attention focused.

“Sorry, my bra is a bit uncomfortable. I just threw it on in a hurry and the cup needed adjusting,” I said in my sexiest voice. I unzipped the jump suit a bit more, revealing more cleavage and fiddled with the other cup.

The guard’s eyes seemed mesmerized for a moment, before duty reminded hir of where we should be going.

“Right, now move along,” hir choked out with a hard swallow.

Relieved that hir hadn’t frisked me; I felt exhilarated and walked jauntily along, swinging my hips out in what I hoped was a sexy walk, as I’d seen catwalk models do in some old Earth footage Puda had found for me. It must have worked, because the tone in hir voice changed as hir gave me further instructions, or directions. Eventually, we reached the security quarters, where I was locked in a secure cell, until my ‘accusers’ got there.

It wasn’t long before I was taken to an interrogation room. Several military personnel arrived along with the President and hir guard. I was pleased that Tyler was back on that duty, but he didn’t acknowledge me in any way, so I gathered this was a serious charge.

Curt introductions were made before questioning began. Chris, the head of the defense council began, while hir aide took notes. “Habitat 2 was attacked by a group of alien craft just after you went back to your ship last night. Fourteen people died from hull breaches, before we managed to fend them off. It was only after pictures of the alien craft were sent to us that we realised that you were involved.”

Here, hir turned and activated a monitor on the wall and bought up a picture of the same kind of ship that had attacked me. “This ship, when pictures of it were sent out to all naval vessels was recognised by the Basher, which was then confirmed by the docking crew. It is the same vessel you have attached to your ship.”

‘That is true,” I admitted, without a qualm. “There is one thing that you missed, though,” I stated calmly, watching Chris’s face intently.

“Oh? And what might that be?” hir snapped, anger flaring in hir eyes momentarily.

“The craft that is attached to the hull of my ship is damaged, and all its crew is dead as a result of a battle against the Hope. I had hoped to release it for study, but we have no time for that now,” I warned.

“I demand you turn over the Hope and the alien craft to me! … What do you mean we have no time?” Chris spluttered, as my last words sank in.

“Was every attacking ship eliminated?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “Because believe me, any that escaped, will be back with reinforcements.”

“We can fight them,” Chris retorted, not willing to be scared by my words.

“Yes we can, but for how long? Our resources are limited, remember? If we stay, we die, and those that flee will be hunted down. Are you willing to risk the lives of everyone because you don’t want to make a tactical retreat?” I pressed, knowing with a sense of fear that all of us could be doomed if Chris was unwilling to accept my advice.

Chris stood up and began pacing the room, moving behind us as we sat waiting, hir face was a mask of concentration. “We will take the Hope and use the technologies of both ships to fight them,” hir ground out finally.

My heart sank, even as I made my reply. “You won’t get my ship. That was built on Earth and given to me to use. It is not your property to just commandeer as you wish,” I angrily retorted.

“You have no say in this as you are still under arrest and have no say in this.”

“You’re a fool,” I retorted. “You will never set foot aboard the Hope,” I fired back in anger.

“Wait, we don’t need to do this,” the President broke in, trying to placate Chris.

“Shut up, you weak willed puppet! I’m taking control of things from now on,” Chris demanded. “Have both of them taken to the cells.”

“But sir, hir’s the President,” groveled Chris’s aide.

“Not for long, I’m taking charge under article 15.”

“Article 15? Isn’t that only for when the President is incapacitated?” asked the aide uncertainly.

Chris turned towards the President, who had stood up and was about make a call on hir com unit, and struck the unit out of the President’s hand. Chris’s other fist crashed into the Presidents jaw, sending hir slumping to the floor unconscious.

I stood, but made no move, waiting to see what Chris was going to do next. The aide scrambled to the Presidents side to check for life signs, fear showing in hir eyes, at the insane action of hir superior.

“Are you going to hit a woman?” I asked, as Chris advanced on me.

Saying nothing, hir grabbed me roughly, slapped restraints on my wrists, put a devocaliser in my mouth and fastened it around my head. I watched as the President was hauled upright and restrained in a similar fashion before more security people were called in. I stood, trying to ignore the taste of the buzzing gag designed to mask any attempt to make a sound, while Chris concocted lies explaining our being restrained. If looks were daggers, I’d have filleted Chris to the bone, as I tried to convey my fury using only my eyes.

I was forced into a small cell with no windows except for a small grill in the door. The President was dragged in and left on the floor. The door clanged shut and the sound of locks closing seemed to signal a sense of finality to things. My hands were fastened behind my back preventing me from reaching the weapon lodged under my breast. I knelt carefully by the President, hoping hir would awaken soon. Hir hands were fastened at the front, and there lay my only hope of getting free. I wondered what Puda would do if a boarding party tried to storm the Hope. I just hoped Tryst had sense enough to stay secure inside and not try to rescue me.

I waited, hearing nothing outside our cell. At last the President stirred and groaned, before opening hir eye.

“Whaa … where are we?” The question seemed self evident to me, but being gagged, I couldn’t answer.

Seeing my predicament, the President struggled to sit up. Bringing hir hands up, the President cursed, seeing the bindings on hir wrists. An attempt at releasing my gag failed, as the releases were positioned above both of my ears. They were designed so that they needed pressing at the same time, something that was impossible when cuffed, which prevented one from self releasing the gag.

I had to get the Presidents attention and make have hir find the weapon I carried in my bra. I tried looking at the breast concealing the weapon and nodding my head in that direction too. I moved closer and tried nudging my breast against his hands. At first, the President leaned away, moving hir hands down to hir lap.

I increased my nodding and eye movements and the President finally grasped what I was trying to signal. He slowly moved hir hands up near my breasts, watching for a negative reaction. “You want me to touch your breasts?”

I nodded, and then shook my head sideways.

“You don’t want me to touch your breasts, but you want my hands there?” The President asked again, trying to figure out what I wanted.

I nodded yes, this time. I turned away, so my back was toward hir and tried a poking motion with one finger.

“Ah, you want to poke your breasts?” The President questioned, looking puzzled.

I nodded vigorously, and turned so my left breast was in reach of hir hands.

I felt him poking my breast gently, so I lifted up so the underside came into contact with hir finger. The President’s finger paused at it came into contact with the hard surface of the weapon. I pulled away a bit so hir could reach in. The President reached up and pulled down the zipper on the jump suit. Sliding hir hands in, the President retrieved the weapon from its warm nest.

“What is this?” hir asked, turning the ovoid over in hir hands clumsily.

I moved over to the wall and managed to point at a spot with my fingers.

“It’s a weapon?”

I nodded and smiled as best I could with the gag in my mouth. I watched hir examine it closely before pointing it at the wall and depressing the dimple on the side. Suddenly, a red pencil of light flashed out and scorched a hole into the metal lining the cell. The President immediately used the weapon the cut the link between the cuffs on my wrists. Once free, I rubbed my wrists, trying to avoid the hot ends. The gag came off next, and I worked my tongue, trying to rid the taste of the foul thing. Taking the weapon back, I cut the link on the President’s cuffs, leaving just the cuffs themselves as we’d need the key to release those.

As I’d heard nothing from Puda since my incarceration, I suspected this section of the ship was screened against any radio transmission. I needed to know what was happening before we attempted to escape. I discussed several ideas with the President as to the most likely thing Chris would do next.

As we could hear nothing outside, we decided to make a break for it. The President indicated the best place to use my weapon. I made a circular cut in the door near where the locking mechanism was located, hoping the weapon had enough power to last, as the sparks flew. Luckily, before the circle was completed, we heard a dull clunk as some unseen part was cut and dislodged. I shut off the weapon, which was getting quite warm by this time, and pressed on the door. It moved slightly, and then stuck. Both of us leaned on the door adding more pressure, until it snapped open.

With the door open a bit, we listened for any activity, but heard nothing. We swung the door open and stepped out quickly. I had my weapon held out ready. The room was empty, as was the next.

“Looks as if you were right. Mirs President, when you said Chris would take all the personnel out of here on some order so no would be tempted to check on us or consider a rescue.”

“Please Araya, you can drop the formality now and call me Thomas,” the President urged. “We need to proceed carefully or we might find ourselves back in a cell, or worse, the recycling plant.”

“Let’s see if I can contact the Hope,” I offered, but still got no response on my com link.

I moved over to the desk where the communication setup was housed. I flipped on the viewer to see my worse fears. The Hope was under attack. Assault crews were attempting to force the airlock with a MAP. The Mobile Assault Platform was firing a jet of plasma, which should have gone through the door in seconds. Somehow the door was resisting, and the backwash was masking the details of what was actually happening. I switched viewers, getting a better wider angle of the docking bay. I could see more of the Hope’s hull, and saw the screens were active. Unfortunately, the screens had severed the umbilical that provided the Hope with information from the Habitat’s own system.

Suddenly I noticed the people operating the MAP withdrawing. I hoped this was a good sign, but something told me otherwise. We heard klaxons going off in the habitat and I looked at the President nervously. Thomas drew my attention to other screen showing the area just outside the ship near the docking bays.

The Basher had closed the distance to that section of the habitat where the Hope was docked. I watched with shock and amazement as the Basher opened fire on the Hope with its main weapons. “Idiots!” I shouted unbelievingly.

The Hope’s screens shone brightly as the energy from the Basher’s beam weapons was rebuffed and deflected. The habitat’s hull took the full brunt of the deflected energy and flashed instantly to hot metallised droplets. Air pressure within the breaches vented everything not fixed into space. With horror, I saw bodies, some mangled beyond recognition fly into the void.

Immediately the captain of the Basher stopped the futile attack as new alarms began sounding.

“Hull breach! Hull breach, sections 9f and 10g have been sealed off. Please vacate the adjoining sections in the docking section,” an automated voice intoned.

I tried vainly to contact the Hope, but it seemed, apart from the video links and the warning system, the security section was completely locked out of the habitat’s communication network.

“Let’s get out of here. I need to contact the Hope from outside of this place,” I urged Thomas.

“Yes, okay. I can’t get through either,” Thomas agreed. “Chris has tripped the isolation mode, which shuts this section off from the rest of the habitat.”

The door out was locked, but Thomas punched in an override code that opened the locks. Once we had checked to make sure the corridor was empty, we slipped out and headed for the President’s quarters.

I called the Hope on my com link and immediately got a reply. “We are holding station in the dock, even though we severed connections when they started to force their way in,” Tryst spoke, sounding relieved that I was safe.

“Stay there, I don’t think they will attack you again, while you’re so close,” I advised.

The President managed to find out what was happening once we entered hir quarters. Tyler was surprised to see the President alive and well. Apparently Chris had convened an emergency council, stating that I had killed the President. That’s why the boarding attempt on the Hope had been sanctioned. There was still some confusion as to just where Chris was now, but as reports started filtering in from the damaged section of the habitat, it seemed most likely that the security chief was one of the nine casualties killed in the section that had lost atmosphere due to the Basher’s weapons.

I asked Puda if she could help, now the danger was past, thinking her screens might be widened to cover the damaged section.

“Moving into position now,” Araya reported a short time later. “The area is secure. The screens are in place, so you can pressurize the damaged section.”

I passed on the information to Thomas, who then had teams rush to pressurize and weld emergency plates to the damaged hull.

While Thomas was busy with getting the habitat emergency teams co-coordinated and repairs underway, I talked to Puda on my com link. “Any sign of the aliens return?” I asked quietly in the hubbub of the President’s quarters, as people were shouting orders and relaying information back and forth.

“I did intercept a call that I believe came from the alien ship, at least it was a binary code similar to the language they use.”

“What do you think it was? A call for reinforcements?” I pressed.

“It’s possible or it might have been a distress call. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for everyone here,” Puda answered.

I agreed, and as soon as I could get a moment to speak to Thomas alone, I warned hir of the coming threat.

“I agree that isolated in space, we are vulnerable, but even if we started right now, we don’t have enough room to take everyone in the limited number of ships we have. Even if we did have room, we don’t have enough fuel for the voyage.”

“Puda? Did the remote find the information in the habitat’s records that Gaia told us to look for?” I asked, waving off the question Thomas started to ask at my query.

“Yes it did. Gaia’s research into the old construction plans of the habitat was proved correct. The habitats can come home.”

“I have new information from the Hope,” I told Thomas, explaining that I had a direct com link to my ship. “In the old records on Earth, we have found out how the habitats were constructed and sent out into space.”

“So the habitat is a ship?” Thomas mused. “It still leaves us with the question of fuel and that it won’t fit through the wormhole control rings because of it being larger than the rings themselves.”

“Fuel isn’t the problem. The Hope is a floating ocean of water,” I replied. I was listening to Puda’s explanation of the construction, for she was answering the President’s questions as soon as she heard them over the com link. Then I relayed the information to Thomas as soon as Puda finished explaining.

“The habitat didn’t start out this big. It was built from smaller units after it reached its destination, becoming one combined whole,” I relayed.

I paused, as I listened to Puda outlining her plan.

Impatiently, Thomas started pacing and voiced perceived flaws in my explanation so far. “We don’t have time to deconstruct the habitat! Even if we knew how, that information was lost after the purge.”

I knew only of the purge from hearsay. It was way back in the beginning when certain groups of people wanted to return to Earth. They had `caused some damage to the habitat in their aborted coup. To prevent this happening again, many of the key records were destroyed, along with all information and data relating to the Earth and its location in space. Of course the story of the Earth was then passed on by word of mouth, becoming legend.

“Puda says the process is automatic, once the codes are given to the main computer. It should only take an hour before the habitat is ready to move.”

“Puda is the Hope’s AI, right?”

At my nod, Thomas, became very business like, brushing aside the people pestering hir with reports and updates. The President asked for an immediate priority call to all habitats, citing a community wide catastrophe priority.

Once the channel was cleared for the Presidential announcement, Thomas declared all habitats prepare for a coded transmission that would reconfigure the habitats for space travel capability. Thomas explained the reason for our return to Earth was to avoid extinction of our species by a threat from an enemy that cared nothing for anything but its own survival. All ships capable of carrying passengers were to rendezvous with the orbiting station at Hadras 3 and pick up all personnel on the planet.

“Stand by for the coded data stream.” Finished Thomas, signaling me to have Puda to send the code.

Once Puda transmitted the code, alerts sounded throughout the habitat, warning everyone to proceed to their duty positions and accompanied by verbal orders that no one was to go through the airlocks situated within the habitats themselves. We had 5 minutes to comply, before the habitat began its reconfiguration. I called to Thomas, saying I was heading back to the Hope. Thomas nodded, before turning hir attention to the screens before hir.

I raced though the corridors, half expecting to be crushed as the ship broke into sections or whatever it was supposed to do. I breathed easier when I saw the loading dock, and the reconnected airlock ramp to the Hope. I raced aboard, noting some burned areas where the damage from the Basher was still evident.

The Hope launched even before I got to the bridge, and once there, I saw the reason why. Lines in the habitat’s skin opened and I could see small puffs of air from within the cracks voiding into space, as the moisture in the air produced a brief fog effect. The cracks became even wider. Fortunately, the air loss slowed, then stopped as all the air trapped between the separated sections was dissipated.

Once there was a hand’s span gap between the surfaces, huge sections began sliding forward and backwards, revealing guide slots that allowed movement of a particular section against another, but still retained the section via a mechanical linkage. This linkage performed the secondary function of allowing the section that had originally been alongside it to change directions and move to join with it end to end.

With Tryst by my side, we watched spellbound at the sight of the shifting sections of the habitat as its surface seethed in a sort of choreographed dance. Slowly, the roughly spherical shape of the habitat began to elongate into a cylinder slightly larger than the diameter of the Hope.

The interesting part was the rearmost section. Originally buried deep in the core of the habitat, the engines with their thruster nozzles slid into position, looking large, dark and powerful. The engines that once powered the habitat and all its secondary systems, now regained their primary function, that of moving the total mass of Habitat 9 … no, it was more than just a living place, it was now a ship. I wondered that the people on the other habitats thought, seeing their world turn into a space craft again.

I asked Puda for the status of H9’s fuel load, as I knew it would probably have enough for the journey.

“There is enough water for the journey, if they ration it for human consumption. Once started, they will be committed to reaching Earth, as there will be too little left to go anywhere else.”

“I thought there should be enough water aboard. It’s just the fleet and cargo ships that will require the extra water.”

“In the ship configuration, the habitat’s water resources are concentrated, as the hydroponics growing algae are shut down. I have signaled all ships with low fuel reserves to rendezvous with the Hope as we journey. That way there is no delay in trying to come here.”

“So they will be plotting intercept courses with the Hope to refuel?” I affirmed.

“Correct, as will all the other Hab ships.” Puda answered.

The Basher and the escort ships that had joined it in pursuit of the Hope, now had to queue to get some much needed water for the upcoming journey to Earth. Once all the ships in the immediate region of space were refueled, Hab 9 ordered a course change, the first since arriving at this point in space. As the ship moved ahead gathering speed, the others fell into a conical formation, so that no ship was following in the emissions of a preceding ship.

The Hope was now resting in the belly of Hab 9’s now fully enclosed loading bay, barely fitting there. The bay took up much of the cross section of the ship, leaving only a thin crescent of hull within which lay access tunnels that connected both ends of the ship, along with life support and communication ducts. With the doors closed over the Hope, it could be pressurized to normal atmosphere. The rest of the naval ships became the escorts for the Hab ships, as they joined and swelled the convoy’s ranks. I tried to come up with a plan to get past the alien barricade surrounding Earth. Scientists were examining the alien ship, now that it was in an atmosphere filled environment. So far, they hadn’t learned much more than Puda had found out.

I posed my problem to Puda, hoping for some insight from her. She didn’t reply for some minutes, which told me a quick solution wasn’t coming.

“You could use me as bait,” she whispered with a voice I hadn’t heard before.

“What?” I asked, feeling a shiver of dread at her tone.

“I could leave Tryst you and on the Hab and fly direct into the alien fleet and then self destruct by shunting my primary weapon on itself.”

“NO!!” I cried feeling my heart break.

There had to be an alternative. Puda was more than just an AI. She was my friend, and had saved my ass more times than I could count. I paced the bridge while looking at the men swarming over the alien craft sitting next to the Hope.

I stopped, a germ of an idea brewing, then went outside and talked to the person in charge of investigating the alien craft. I explained my problem and then my idea, and asked if it was feasible.

“It could work if we borrowed a few things and stripped out some of the guts of the ship to make room.”

“Get on it, our very lives will depend on this being a success,” I urged with all seriousness.

The next few days were filled, as we worked on the Hope and the alien ship. As well as that, a steady stream of people were making use of the booth to become human females or males. Counter to my first impressions, the ratio of male to female forms chosen, was tipped slightly more to the female side. The water reserves had been transferred to the Hab 9 so that refueling the fleet of smaller craft could be facilitated much better.

I did have one last glorious shower with Tryst before deciding to conserve the rest of the water for more important things. It culminated with us both making a life bond together, before sealing our commitment with another round of sex. Then it was back to business preparing for our eventual emergence from the wormhole.

As we neared the wormhole entrance, I called for a ship wide conference. We used tight beamed optical transmission systems, linking each and every ship with a fool proof way to avoid broadcasting our plans to our enemies if we were to use broadcast radio communications.

It was then that I came clean about the alien threat on the other end of the wormhole, and also about Gaia, the Earth’s caretaker. I heard some dissent about being left in the dark, saying that we should have stayed where we were.

As I was about to reply, Thomas spoke up in my defence. “Fighting an enemy in space with our resources already just on the limits for survival is foolhardy. Being based on a planet gives us a much better chance. Not only will we gain the resources we need, we will also have the defence shield to give us time to develop and build new weapons and upgrade our current ones to defeat our foe.”

I interrupted, reminiscing over fond memories, “We all want to breathe air that hasn’t been recycled a million times, and drink fresh water that hasn’t been … well I won’t go there. Besides, Earth has real food.”

“I want to hold a baby of my own, when I want it, not when and if I win a lottery after someone dies.” I added with feeling.

“Just ask any one of those who have undergone the process to regain their genetic inheritance, what real Earth food tastes like.” Tryst surprised me by adding his voice.

I smiled, remembering the looks on the faces of those we had rewarded for going though the process to become either a male or a female. We had set up a meal from the Hope’s stores, using real food and drinks I had particularly liked myself. The looks of amazement on their faces will be something I’ll cherish forever.

The response was better than I’d expected. All protests died as they absorbed our words and our sense of commitment. I told them my plan and what I expected them to do, whether I survived the next part of the journey or not.

Later, with the Hope leading the fleet some distance ahead of the rest, it was time to send a drone through the wormhole. The drone probe was barely large enough to contain the sensors needed to check out the other end and report back. Being mostly made of a composite material and matte black, it should escape detection should there be an alien craft waiting there. It was also set up to communicate to the ring via an optical link, which would send a signal back to the ring on our side. The fleet, meanwhile, had slowed and lined up to enter the wormhole. Luckily, there was still no sign of any pursuit, even though Puda had detected some spurious communications from the direction of the first attack.

“There is one ship near the portal,” Puda announced, giving the coordinates to me

“Damn,” I groaned, having hoped for a free run. “I guess it could be worse,” I temporized, glad that a whole fleet wasn’t waiting there.

“Same plan as before?” asked Tryst anxiously.

“Yes, just the action starts a bit earlier,” I answered, trying to look less worried than I was feeling. “Oh why do I have to be the hero here? I don’t think I’m cut out for it,” I sighed.

“You’re a hero anyway,” Tryst pointed out. “You found Earth for us,” he added.

“I thought heroes were always strong and dashing,” I half complained, feeling somewhat confused about my role in all this.

“Signal the fleet we are going in, and for them to close up and enter after me,” I told Puda, feeling the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach.

The only thing I felt glad about was the fact that the wormhole was already working in the right direction, from when I’d reversed it the first time to prevent entry by the alien ships. This meant that the one waiting would have no warning. One second there would be nothing, and then a second later we would appear.

“Control systems working?” I asked, Puda, checking that the remote control system for the jury rigged alien ship that was preceding us was working as expected.

“Yes, all systems are nominal Captain,” Puda replied, showing the stress she was under by calling me Captain.

“Engage.”

We entered the wormhole, watching the salvaged alien ship ahead shut its engines down so we wouldn’t end up with thrust exhaust emissions disrupting our sensors and control systems. The fleet behind us would be doing the same, getting into line and coasting though the wormhole. This didn’t mean we were going slow, as the speed built up prior to shutting down the engines, would hardly diminish with the added thrust from the wormhole effect. The smaller craft would tuck in between the Hab ships.

I had Puda prime our main battery of weapons so there’d be no delay firing them, once we exited the wormhole. Time seemed to drag by, not helped by what felt like a feeding frenzy by the butterflies in my stomach. Tryst sat behind me, more for moral support than anything else.

We watched the alien craft disappear as it exited into normal space. This was a critical moment, as it wasn’t under our control until we too, emerged from the wormhole. I barely heard Puda announce the first of our fleet were entering the wormhole, as my concentration was directed to our imminent engagement with the enemy.

We were out. I looked out to where I expected the alien craft to be from the coordinates relayed by our probe. It wasn’t there, for it had moved to intercept its sister ship, which had ignored its hails.

Instead of being a problem, this actually was better for us. We had originally expected to change vectors to concentrate our attack on the waiting ship. Instead, it had moved to follow the emerging ship, which brought it almost into our direct path.

“Fire,” I called, as I corrected for optimal impact. With that, beams of coruscating energy flashed out from the Hope, and bit trenchantly into the energy screen of the alien ship. Energy flared, as the beams from the Hope overwhelmed the alien energy screen. The surprise attack didn’t give the alien time to retaliate, and even though their screens flashed to incandescence as full power was fed to them, it was already too late. Our beams penetrated the hull and wreaked havoc inside. Suddenly the ship disintegrated as the engines torn apart from our plasma beam annihilated themselves in a fiery pyrotechnic display.

Our own screens flashed to brilliance when the debris from the ship impacted on it as we flew though what remained of the alien ship.

“There was a brief transmission before the end,” Puda announced.

I nodded. It was what we’d expected would happen. I just hoped the rest our plan worked.

“There’s a fleet of heavy ships on an intercept course from 15 degrees right ascension, about 30 minutes out,” Puda reported a minute later. We altered the course of the alien ship under our control to intercept, and followed about 3 minutes behind it. Time to set the bait and arm our secret weapon. We were still 15 minutes from engagement when Puda announced that the fleet behind us was all out of the wormhole and headed Earthwards, away from our current course.

I wished them a silent farewell, wondering if we would meet up with them again. I had to concentrate on what was coming up. I had warned the fleet about the aliens surrounding the Earth. I hoped that what we were about to do would draw most of those ships away when we engaged the approaching ships. Puda had assured me that Gaia had contingency plans for the arrival of our fleet, so even if we didn’t survive, they would be safely looked after.

Tryst climbed down from his seat to come back and hug me. I hugged him back, giving him a quick smile of reassurance. He wasn’t fooled, but pretended to be cheerful for my sake. This mission was dangerous and our survival uncertain, but at least we had a fighting chance, unlike Puda’s chances under her initial plan of self sacrifice.

As we neared the alien fleet, we started firing on our captured alien ship. Not wanting to damage it unnecessarily, we kept the power levels of our weapons around 50 percent. We had preprogrammed a set of instructions that would have our captive alien ship react to our attack, so that it too, would fire back at us at reduced power, giving the approaching fleet an impression that there was possible damage to both of our ships. Being closer to them, the damage on our tame alien ship from the fight in the wormhole would substantiate the impression we were trying to give. We hoped that this damage would be an acceptable reason for it not communicating with its own kind.

The alien fleet maneuvered to protect their own ship by forming a protective ring and returning fire at the Hope. Our screens flashed in defense and we increased our firepower back at our alien ship, ignoring the others. We wanted it to look as if we needed the fleeing ship destroyed at all costs. Puda had postulated that the alien ships might think this meant that the damaged ship might contain secrets of our technology, which is why we wanted it destroyed before it could rejoin its own fleet.

The approaching fleet slowed and closed upon the pursued ship. They must have captured it in some kind of linked screen that acted like a giant hand and slowed the forward velocity of both the single ship and their own fleet. This was a signal for Puda to veer the Hope away from the approaching danger the fleet posed. It was better than trying to reverse thrust. Veering away meant our speed could be maintained as we arced back towards Earth.

The screen net deployed to capture their missing ship had the effect of drawing all the alien ships together, just as a physical net would have done. The fleet had slowed, but because of the mass difference between the fleet and the single ship, it was still moving forward, while the single ship has stopped and was being pulled in reverse. I watched as the fleet crowded close to the damaged ship and had Puda put full power to the screens facing the alien fleet.

“Brace yourself,” I shouted to Tryst, as the universe exploded.

At least that’s what it looked like, as the main weapon that the Hope used to have, self destructed. We had mounted it in the alien ship prior to leaving the area where the habitat orbited. The explosion radiated out in a spherical pattern, annihilating everything in its sphere of influence. The Hope was just starting to increase the distance between us and them when Puda tightened the arc as much as vector shift would allow as the wave front from the explosion engulfed us.

Without the inertia free environment on, we would have been crushed into paste as the Hope tumbled out of control. I heard the shriek of metal twisting and alarms sounding before the lights went out, both on the ship, and us. As consciousness fled, I wondered if I’d ever wake up.

Pain… my world was filled with it. Everything was dark, so I didn’t know if all the power was out, or that I was blind. I vaguely remembered the last moment before I fell unconscious. I struggled to remove the seat restraints while calling to Tryst. Silence was all I heard back. My whole body felt like one huge bruise, and even the slightest movement brought pain. I was still breathing, so there mustn’t be any air loss, but I was freezing, even in my EPS that I’d been wearing just in case. I looked around for my helmet, but couldn’t see it anywhere in the pitch blackness. It looked like it had been torn off the hook on my seat. I closed my eyes to better visualize my bridge, even though I might as well have left them open. It just seemed more normal to do that in the circumstances.

I realized with horror why I was having trouble getting out of my chair. It had nearly been torn from the floor and was leaning at an angle. With that realization, I had another. Something was still working. The Grav was still working, or we’d be in freefall. I managed to struggle out of my chair and crawled back to the chair Tryst had been sitting in. It wasn’t there; obviously the null gee had failed at some point and it had broken from its moorings. I panicked, imagining it and my love crashing with force into the unyielding walls of the bridge and crushing Tryst to a pulp.

I felt around the floor where the chair used to be and found some cables that were part of the control system that connected to the arm controls. I pulled one, expecting it to come free, but there was resistance. I crawled down its length, hoping it was still connected to the chair itself. It seemed an age before I felt the base of the chair. My heart leapt, it was still connected. I felt over to the other side, disregarding the pain every movement caused. There, Tryst was, still strapped in. My heart began pounding as I reached up to see if I could feel a pulse at his neck. I cursed the ring of the EPS as it limited my explorations. At last, I confirmed that he was alive, but still unconscious. With his greater mass, the forces that had bent my chair over, had broken his off completely. Only the armoured cables had prevented his chair from impacting the wall.

I was too hurt to undo his restraints, so I decided to leave him and try and get some systems working. Puda still hadn’t responded to my calls, and I felt a deep fear that she had been destroyed in the back wash of the explosion. That brought up another point. Where were the alien ships? I couldn’t tell how long I was out, so I had no idea of the situation outside the Hope.

I crawled to the main board, feeling my arms and legs stiffening now that the adrenaline rush had faded. If anything, the pain was slowly increasing as the numbing effects of shock wore off. I just wanted to stop and lie there on the deck, but a voice inside made me crawl on. I could hear thumps and bangs on the outside of the ship. I hoped this wasn’t the aliens trying to gain entrance. The sounds helped urge me forwards.

Once I’d reached where I thought I needed to be, I had to gather every ounce of strength to pull myself up to the panel controls. Damn, I was too far left. I pulled my body along the panel’s surface, my legs barely holding me up. There! I fumbled over the panel, searching for the control breakers. The gee forces on the Hope had tripped them off. I switched them on, the sudden rush of light blinding me in its brilliance.

I looked slowly around once my eyes had adjusted. Devastation met my eyes. Anything that hadn’t been fixed down was smashed, and even some of the fixed panels were leaning over at a drunken angle. The power had restored some systems, but Puda remained silent. I saw a screen glowing and made my way over to it. It was a scanner with the external view of the ship. I controlled its movements and checked out the area where the alien fleet had been. All I could pick out was an expanding debris cloud, some of which was already hitting the Hope, which explained the thumps and bangs earlier. I couldn’t see any survivors, so I panned the scanner back to the Hope’s hull.

What I saw there made me wish I hadn’t looked. There was a huge flattened area on one side and the hull itself was torn to shreds. We were lucky not to be breathing vac. I wiped some sweat from my brow, but realised it wasn’t sweat when I looked at my hand. It was red. I needed to get to the med bay, but knew I couldn’t just crawl there. I looked around and saw one of the bigger bots in its recharging niche. It looked okay, so I called it, hoping its voice command circuitry was undamaged.

“Attend bot,” I croaked out, my sore ribs preventing a stronger voice to issue.

The bot stirred and finally floated over to my position.

I grabbed hold of it, wrapping one arm around its levitating body. It sagged with my weight, but remained afloat, barely.

“To the med lab,” I ordered, feeling awful at leaving Tryst behind. As the bot struggled to move me along, I rationalized that I couldn’t be of much help to Tryst if I was to collapse as well. At least with him unconscious, he wasn’t in any pain. The airlocks opened as we approached, showing that so far we had atmosphere other than just in the bridge.

The bot grew hot trying to float a load beyond its design limits, but at last we made it. I entered the med booth and triggered the diagnostics from inside. I used the limited setting, as a full setting would take too long. All I needed was to have the most urgent injuries seen to, so I could aid my beloved Tryst. My last thought as needles rendered me unconscious, was to hope that Tryst would survive long enough for me to get back to him.

It seemed like seconds, before I woke, relatively pain free. I struggled out, feeling stiff, but reasonably mobile. I had to find a robe, as the booth’s robotics had cut my EPS open from neck to groin to access my body.

I regretted the waste of a good EPS, but I had been too weak to remove it before getting in the booth. I hurried back to the bridge, knowing that the aches I still felt were from the bruising, and would need more time to heal properly.

Tryst was moaning and had managed to half free himself from the seat, by the time I got there.

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt?” I asked, fussing over him.

“Did you get the number of that space cruiser?” he groaned, making me grin, knowing that if he could make jokes he wasn’t too badly hurt. “You should ask me were it doesn’t hurt,” he added, wincing when I lifted him up a bit.

“Does this hurt?” I asked kissing him on his lips.

“If it does, you’ll never get me to admit it,” he replied after a bit.

I tested that spot again, while managing to get him up on his feet.

I half carried him to the med bay and put him in the booth, ordering full diagnostic and recuperative help for him. Once I saw everything going as programmed, I went back to the bridge to see what I could do with the mess in there. I was very concerned that Puda still wasn’t responding. I managed finally to pull up a schematic of the Hope. My heart dropped. A as l had suspected, the area where the hull had taken the most damage was close to where the main computer systems were housed.

It looked like I was going to have to Captain the ship for real. I next checked out the propulsion systems to see if we were going to be a helpless derelict or not. It looked as if 3 of the 4 engines were offline. The remaining engine was only working at 50 percent efficiency. I then checked our speed, position and vector. We were heading roughly in the direction of Sol and at point 2 light. I sat down and thought. At our present speed, it would be a month before we neared the solar system, but with our current vector, we’d likely pass across it at about Jupiter’s orbit. As we had no power for weapons, any alien ships in the region would make short work of us. Okay, now that I knew the problems, it was time to work on the solutions.

Without Puda’s constant chatter, the Hope felt abandoned, especially now Tryst was in the med lab. I went to the galley where I fixed a meal, hoping the distraction of food would help with the problem solving. I did have one idea as I was finishing my drink, so after checking in on Tryst to see how he was progressing, I went back to the bridge to see if my idea was feasible. We had enough water left, now I only had one engine to use it, so I set about making a course correction that should have us pass between the orbit of Mars and the Earth. We were too far away to get a more accurate vector, and my math skills weren’t up to the standard of Puda’s lightening computations. I did ascertain that the other engines were history. The gee forces had knocked them out of alignment, which was something I couldn’t fix out here. I needed to get the remaining engine up to speed, but I needed Tryst’s help with that, so I had to wait. At the moment, we were coasting on momentum after the vector alterations had been completed. I was trying to maintain the derelict look by not using the engines, in case there were some alien survivors of the explosion.

I did one more check of Tryst before I tried getting some sleep. Tried was right, as the stiffness in my body prevented me from getting comfortable, plus my mind was awhirl with what ifs and second guesses. Finally, I gave up, got up, and indulged myself with a shower to wake up fully.

Tryst came out of the booth and hugged me tight. “Ouch!” I winced, feeling my body protest. “Not so hard, Hon. I didn’t have time for a full rebuild.”

“Sorry, I don’t know my own strength yet,” Tryst apologised, giving me a kiss instead. “Are you going back in?” he asked, looking at the booth.

“No, not yet, maybe later if we fix the engine,” I told him hopefully.

“Do I have time to eat something?” Tryst asked, innocently.

“If you mean food, then yes,” I deadpanned, watching his face fall. I might have allowed the other, given the circumstances and our bleak near future, but sadly, my body wasn’t up to it right now.

I went and prepared a meal for him while he cleaned up and got dressed. I sat and watched him eat, stealing the occasional tidbit off his plate. After clearing things up, we headed back to the bridge. I gave instructions on what I wanted him to monitor, while I went down to the engine bay. I got into a fresh EPS suit in case there were any environmental problems down there.

At the airlock into engineering, I found a slight difference in pressure between the two sides. I had to use the manual override to force the door open. When I cracked the face shield, I could smell burnt insulation, but otherwise it was breathable. The first thing used was the leak detector, which was basically a pressurized can of orange smoke. The highly visible trail of smoke I vented from the can, lead me to a slight fracture near a support girder. I slapped a self sealing patch on it and watched it heat up and flow over the fracture before it cooled and hardened.

Using more of the smoke, I verified it had been the only leak before I turned my attention to the power transfer couplings. One was hanging loose, causing the loss in power. Unfortunately, I could see it needed replacing. This meant I had to shut down the cold fusion reactor, which would leave us without power. I checked out the other three fusion reactors, but only one was capable of producing any power. Checking the schematics again, I conjured up a makeshift bridge, which would reroute enough power to run the lights, artificial gravity and life support, while I shut down the reactor I wanted to repair.

“What are the power levels like?” I called over the com link, after hooking up the temporary power link.

“It’s holding, at 20 percent.” Tryst answered back after a few seconds.

I did a mental calculation. It would just be enough. I instructed Tryst how to shut down all systems bar the essential life support. Then I shut down the reactor, watching the lights dim a little, as my bypass took up the load. I waited for a minute before starting the repair, in case the bypass failed to hold. The repair took about an hour, and by the time I was finished, every muscle ached.

“What’s the power level showing now?” I asked, after initializing the reactor.

“89 percent,” Tryst replied after a delay.

“Okay, I’m coming up,” I said somewhat resignedly.

I had hoped for more, especially as I’d kept the link from the other fusion reactor connected. At least it should shorten our journey by half. I hoped my idea would work as planned, or our trip would either end in destruction by our enemies, or we’d shoot right though the solar system on a journey to oblivion.

“We’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way,” I distractedly told Tryst that night in bed.

“Oh? That sounds kinky,” chuckled Tryst, as he moved against me.

“Not that, Honey. I meant getting back to Earth,” I chided gently, while fending off his more amorous moves.

“How so?” Tryst asked, sounding a little disappointed.

“We don’t have enough power to use the repellors to slow us down. We will have to turn over just before we enter the solar system and use the engine’s thrust to reduce our speed if we are going to have any chance at a having an entry window.

“Won’t that advertise our presence to the alien fleet?” Tryst asked, now sounding worried.

“Yes, but it can’t be helped. I hope my idea works.

“Idea?”

“I plan on making our entry very noticeable,” I finished enigmatically.

I was too sore for sex, but wanted some sleep before using the med booth for the full healing treatment. Besides, I wanted to be near my lover after our close shave.

When I woke, I found Tryst had woken earlier and had brought some breakfast for us. While we ate, I filled Tryst in on what to monitor on the ship, while I was unavailable in the med booth.

Awakening from the booth the second time, I felt great. No more pain as I climbed out of the booth. Tryst was there and handed me a robe, after giving me a hug and a kiss. After two days in the booth, I wanted to take a shower, and proceeded to get one while Tryst filled me in on the status quo.

The next few days were spent working on my idea. I had Tryst do the heavy work, rerouting some pipe work from the fuel storage to the injectors on the three defunct engines. I rigged the redundant pumps on the three engines to a control operated from the bridge. We were now ready.

Tryst was still in the dark about what I was up to, so I searched the Hope’s data base for Earth’s astronomy records and pulled up a display of rare astronomical events. I let him read it while I did another round of checks.

“Impressive. Do you think it will work?” Tryst asked, finding me looking out at the star field.

“It better, it’s all I could come up with,” I answered, turning to look at him.

“It’s going to take a lot of water. If it doesn’t work, what will happen then?”

I couldn’t answer. Tears started flowing, giving him all the answer he needed.

It was time. We were just outside the orbit of Pluto and coming in hot. We flipped over so our thrusters were facing in the direction we were heading. I started the pumps, feeding water from the storage tanks and firing it out of the three crippled engine nozzles. I used the remaining external scanner to monitor the effect and adjusting the flow till the hope was enveloped in a white misty cloud. Comet Hope was about to return home. At least I prayed she would. Now all I could do was hope this simple disguise would shield us from the alien’s interest until we were much closer to Earth.

At least in the time spent getting to this point, Tryst and I had tweaked up our remaining engine so we had 98 percent power available to the mag 10 engine. The increase in power meant we could leave our braking maneuver till just before we crossed the orbit of Mars, the fourth planet in the system. Our speed would gradually increase the nearer to the sun we got, just like any other comet entering the system. I increased the water flow as well, making our “tail” grow in length. Waiting was the hardest thing left to do. Both of us were in our EPS suits, and had our helmets on with the visors open. Tryst and I were on the bridge together to face whatever fate was going to mete out to us.

We kept a close eye on the long range sensor trained on Earth’s close environs, trying to see what the aliens were up to. There seemed to be some activity there showing energy readings spiking seemingly randomly. This presumably was energy discharges that indicated intermittent weapon fire. There seemed to be some changes around the Earth itself, but with the only optical scanner being distorted by our own wake flowing past and over the scanner, it was hard to make out exact details. So far, our luck seemed to be holding out, with no undue interest from the alien fleet, but that was about to change as we closed in on Mars orbit.

I looked at Tryst, with a look filled with love mixed with hope and regret. He reached out with one hand and placed it over my hand that was about to throttle up our remaining engine. I appreciated this simple gesture that we both were responsible for whatever may come. I opened thrust control and felt the Hope shudder as the first deceleration forces hit. Now the engine was at maximum thrust, I adjusted our trajectory in a best guess for an interception with Earth’s orbit. It was Tryst that pointed out that we had something incoming. He wasn’t sure if it was missiles or an alien ship. We waited anxiously, counting down the seconds, knowing that with every second’s grace that the aliens gave us before attacking, the Hope was getting closer to Earth.

Our luck ran out, as a huge flash burned away our shroud of water vapour. The Hope rocked under the impact of a missile hit. We snapped shut our visors as alarms blared out depressurization warnings. If we hadn’t had a partial screen up, we would probably be a floating debris cloud. Now that we were a target, I broke radio silence and sent out a distress beacon. I didn’t hold out much hope of our naval vessels coming to rescue us, as they were probably on Earth with the crews enjoying life on the Earth’s surface.

“The screen is down,” Tryst called over on the EPS com channel.

I acknowledged that info with a curse, knowing we couldn’t take another hit. Tryst shouted that there were more incoming missiles and my heart sank. We were so close! I could see the Earth there just out of reach. Tears flooded my eyes, knowing I would never be able to show my love the wonders there just a short distance away.

I kept my eyes glued to the image of Earth, made bleary by my tears. I could see it shimmering and something expanding from its surface. I uselessly tried to wipe my eyes, forgetting the visor made that impossible. I could hear Tryst shouting that something was happening. I looked at him, then back to the screen. The Earth seemed to be becoming indistinct, as a wall of something seemed to be expanding outwards. I thought I could see the circling alien ships, being pushed outwards as the wall reached them. The wall was closing on us, as were the missiles. I didn’t know what the wall was or what its effects would do to us, but seeing it coming from Earth, I trusted it more than the alternative.

In a last ditch attempt to avoid the missiles, I cut off the engines and rotated the Hope on its axis before starting the engines again. We were headed directly into this opaque wall, hopefully giving us a few more seconds before impact with the missiles.

The aliens must have seen my maneuver and guessed my intentions. Seeing the ship would be swallowed by this mysterious wall before their missiles could reach us, they remotely detonated all of them in a last attempt to destroy us. Our world went blindingly white and I could feel the Hope tumble out of control as all systems went down. Blackness descended as the raw energies put our restrained bodies back into unconsciousness.

I struggled to consciousness, to see only darkness. Only the tell tales in my helmet showed me that I could still see. I flicked on the suit light mounted at my shoulder and twisted around in my replacement command chair, feeling glad I’d had it reinforced after the earlier disaster. I could see Tryst was still secure in his seat, but trying to get out of it. I turned my attention to the console, trying to get any readings on our situation. Nothing, every instrument was dead. I wasn’t sure why, as we still had power for the artificial gravity. My suit indicated that I shouldn’t open my visor, as the air pressure in the bridge was down 50 percent.

I got out of my seat, wondering, if I should. There was no telling if the Hope would break up or not, without knowing her present condition. I checked on Tryst before I went over to look out the view port, trying to see anything that would clarify what was happening. A shadow moved over the Hope, blocking my view of the star field. I moved away to the weapon’s locker, and got out a wicked looking energy weapon.

I shook Tryst, trying to rouse him, as I felt a deep vibration that I assumed was a ship grappling on to the Hope. I heard a moan from Tryst, but I didn’t think he’d be alert enough to help repel boarders. I left a weapon with him and went to the corner of the bridge that had an excellent field of fire towards the entry door.

A silver form, moved in the doorway, and I nearly fired, but a voice coming over the suit com link stayed my finger.

“Araya … Tryst? Are you okay?” It was Tyler’s voice.

I moved out into view, lowering my weapon as I did so. “Tyler? What are you doing here?” I blurted out in surprise.

“We figured, you’d need to hear a familiar voice, just in case you thought it was the aliens boarding.”

“A good call, I nearly did fire, but why not one of the other guys on the Basher?”

“Let’s get you and Tryst on board the Basher and I’ll explain.”

“He needs help, we had a bit of a shake up and he’s still a bit groggy,” I explained, as Tyler moved over to where Tryst was moving sluggishly.

Tyler lifted Tryst and walked him out, while I supported Tryst on the other side. Eventually we reached the airlock where the Basher was attached. I let the others go ahead, while I lingered on the Hope. I felt awful, abandoning my ship and the ghost of Puda. It took Tyler a few minutes to get me to board the Basher, and then only after he insisted that they weren’t going to leave the Hope behind.

Once I got out of my suit, I helped Tryst out of his. By this time he was able to walk on his own, but I insisted he go get checked out. Tyler signaled for a person to guide Tryst to the med bay. I watched them go, then asked to be shown to the bridge. It was there that I realised why they had sent Tyler, as Princie Constantine, was now a Prince. I looked around, seeing all the crew were now either male or female.

“Welcome aboard. I wish it was under better circumstances,” Prince Constantine greeted me in an unrecognizable timbre.

“Me too, so what’s happening? Where are the aliens?” I asked, moving towards the screens on the bridge.

“We are moving back to the Earth. Gaia’s screen is preventing the aliens from penetrating it, but we have to make it quick, as the energy to produce the screen this far out is limited to about 10 minutes.

Ten minutes wasn’t very long. If it failed, we could find ourselves under attack again. I had an idea, but first I needed some information.

“The screen is stationary at the point the Hope entered it?” I asked.

Constantine checked the instruments and nodded.

“Have Gaia reduce the diameter of its screen coverage to match our changing position, but place it between us and the alien fleet. As we get closer to Earth the energy requirements for the screen will reduce, allowing it to remain up long enough for us to get back.”

“You’ll need to tell her yourself, she seems rather temperamental. She refused our landing on the surface till you returned,” the Prince answered.

I went to the com and sent my message, getting an affirmative and a welcome home from Gaia.

“You mean you haven’t been down to the surface?” I asked incredulously.

“No, we have been in low orbit getting everyone changed back to human norm and going though immunisation,” Constantine answered.

I turned my attention to what was happening to the Hope. I felt I had to look after her, even though to many, she was barely more than a hulk. I had a strong feeling, of her being family, and I was determined to take her back home to her birthplace where she could rest in peace.

“What about the Hope? You just can’t hold it by the airlock, and magnetic grapples won’t work on the Cobalstantium hull metal,” I stated.

“It’s secure, trust me. Let me start from where we diverged from you at the wormhole,” Constantine began.

“Okay, I’m all ears,” I urged.

“When we turned for Earth and saw you heading for the alien fleet, we were concerned over your safety. Then when our sensors picked up the magnitude 6 energy burst, we feared you’d been destroyed. When we neared the Earth, all our naval ships formed a cordon of fire against the alien ships, not that we caused much damage, but it did allow the habitats time to get within reach of Gaia. Once we reached the shield around the Earth, it opened and allowed us to enter.”

“She talked to you?” I interrupted.

“Yes, she contacted us and asked where you were, and the Hope. She didn’t accept our speculation that you’d been destroyed. She said that until you arrived, no one would be allowed to land. We docked with low orbit stations where Gaia had set up regen booths for all of us to select our new bodies. She had supplied the stations with food and water, which were gratefully accepted.”

“Just as well I survived then,” I grinned, wondering what might have happened if I’d been killed, along with Tryst.

“I think she considers you to be her ambassador, and that you should be there to welcome us to Earth,” Tyler suggested, having joined the conversation.

“Gaia seemed positive you were alive and had us make a special cradle that would allow us to make a secure grapple for the Hope. This was finished several days ago, and is what’s holding the Hope secure at the moment. It’s weird … I mean it was like she has a 6th sense or something,” Constantine continued, sounding somewhat puzzled.

‘Yeah, a sixth sense,’ I thought. ‘Wait till they find out that the Earth has its own kind of sentience.’ I felt comforted that while we were going through hell, someone or something had faith in our survival, prompting a rescue package to be built, without ever sighting the Hope or its eventual condition.

Tryst walked in, interrupting my thoughts. We hugged each other, both of us glad that we had survived.

“You okay?” I quizzed him.

“Yeah, just some whiplash and strained muscles,” Tryst answered with a wry grin. “I thought a male’s body was stronger than a female, yet you survived better than I did.”

“It’s not the strength, Hon, it’s the mass. Rapid acceleration or deceleration of a heavier mass means more forces are acting against it.” I explained, trying to bolster his self esteem.

“So just how does the grapple connect to the Hope?” I asked curiously.

Constantine just laughed at my persistence, and waved to Tyler to explain.

“Using the airlock connection as an initial brace, the grapple was moved down from the links on the Basher, to lie against the skin of the Hope’s hull. Thermal lances at the ends, burned through the hull and then special tungsten vanadium expanding bolts were inserted and pulled tight. There is no way they are coming free until we want them to,” smiled Tyler.

I let my fears subside, knowing the Hope would return home. I still felt sad about Puda, and turned to Tryst for another hug. I think Tryst knew where my thoughts lay. He asked Tyler for a place for us to rest.

I woke, after having some odd dreams regarding Puda. I looked over at Tryst, who was sleeping beside me and just watched him sleep for a while before I got up in search of a bathroom. It felt odd, not having to be on the bridge, or worrying about landing vectors and the myriad of other details the Captain of a ship deals with. Truth be told, I felt kinda useless. I got dressed and kissed Tryst, leaving him to sleep on. I left a note for him under his pillow, telling him how much I loved him and then made my way back to the area where we’d boarded the Basher.

There was no one in the airlock bay, so I found my EPS and put it on. I looked at the airlock controls and bypassed the sensor contacts that showed the status of the airlock. What I was doing was dangerous and foolhardy, but something was driving me to go back to the Hope.

I checked out my suit systems before opening the airlock and entering the Hope. I closed the airlock after entering and made my way back to the Hope's bridge. Opened some panels and checked power connections to the instruments. I found fuses blown, from shorts in broken circuit boards. Replacing these boards and replacing fuses, I got about half the instrumentation back online. I checked the status outside the Hope, and saw the massive cradle connecting the Hope to the Basher.

I could just see the Earth past the hull of the Basher and knew we were only hours from entering the atmosphere. I decided to go check out the damaged area near the main computer control system. It was awkward work in an EPS, trying to squeeze down the access tunnels. It took longer than expected as some access doors were so warped, they couldn’t be opened. Detours got around this problem eventually and I entered the computer bay, which housed that entity I called Puda.

A few telltales indicated that the main power systems were out. Despite the power failure, and the backup fuel cell failure, the memory core still seemed to be powered up according to instruments I’d dragged along with me. The computer that made up much of Puda was bio organic with a lot of volatile elements that would die if all power were lost. The only thing keeping the core up was the Iridium Hydride chemical cell, which only comes into play as a last resort. I checked its status and was horrified to see it was nearly exhausted.

Due to the delays getting to the computer, my oxygen reserves would only give me 5 minutes before I needed to return to the Basher. I agonized as I knew I had to return power to the computer before the core went down. I crawled to the fuel cell, but saw it was cracked, and totally useless. I then checked out the main bus that usually fed power to the computer. The multiphase array was dead and there seemed to be a short across the output. I worked frantically, not daring to look at my O2 gauge. I knew if I left now, the chemical battery would die, and with it, any faint chance of retrieving Puda would die also. I had to clear the short before attempting to replace the fuses to the multiphase array.

I found the fault. It was the fuel cell. Being the primary backup, it was connected to the main bus, and the damage it had sustained resulted in an internal short. Luckily, there was a secondary backup to keep the all important core powered. The only reason the battery hadn’t been affected by the short was due to the dead man relay. Normally powered by the primary system, it kept the battery isolated, until the changeover contacts connected the battery and isolated the core from the primary system.

I scrambled to bypass the fuel cell, knowing I was cutting it close, time wise. Unfortunately, I couldn’t just switch it out. I had to physically unbolt the power rail from the fuel cell. I finished and went back to the main switch control and replaced the fuse links. I did one quick check for any more shorts before closing the circuit. I saw the telltales change and then I started to crawl out of there.

I knew it had been hours, since I’d come aboard the Hope. I wasn’t sure if I’d be missed, with Tryst sleeping and the rest occupied with landing preparations. I felt the air getting worse in the EPS, but struggled on as fast as I could. I managed to get as far as the main deck, before I knew I’d gone as far as I could. There was no way to reach the Basher, and my com link wouldn’t reach past the hull of the Hope. I lay there panting, fighting the urge to sleep as oxygen starvation clouded my mind. I called out in my mind to Tryst, trying to send my love and say I was sorry. I reached up with my last strength, to open my visor. I didn’t know if there would be any air left to breathe, at this stage I didn’t care. I cracked the visor, hearing a hiss.

I gasped, feeling ice fill my lungs. I lost consciousness, but not before thinking I heard faint voices, one sounding a bit like Puda’s and I knew then that I was hallucinating even as I died.

The next seconds, minutes, hours seemed filled with dreams. A tiny analytical part of me seemed to be saying to me ‘this is your brain cells firing off memories as they die.’ Another part seemed to be saying ‘don’t give up, you’re not dead yet.’ I didn’t seem to have a choice in the matter as the dreams seemed to grow stronger and louder, seemingly coming from outside of my mind space. Voices, I was hearing voices … I was alive.

Things went from fuzzy to crystal clear in an instant, as I came to.

“She’s awake,” a voice I recognised as Trysts spoke up.

I turned my head, and saw my love getting up from the seat by the bed I was lying on. I tried to get up, but felt restraints holding me down firmly.

“Don’t move love, let me undo the restraints,” Tryst offered, unfastening the straps holding me down. “We had some turbulence and were worried you might fall out of bed.”

“Turbulence?” I asked puzzled by the word, then realising what I wanted to say, given my survival and what I’d thought had been my last thoughts on board the Hope.

“I love you. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“It was a close call, Araya.” Constantine’s voice coming from the other side of the bed, informed me sternly. “The turbulence is from atmospheric disturbances in Earth’s atmosphere.”

“What happened?” I asked. “Did the Hope make …”

“The Hope is safe on Earth,” Tryst interrupted, answering my unfinished question.

“I should lodge a complaint against you for damaging my airlock and putting yourself in danger, but I won’t,” Constantine admonished gently. “I’ll let Tryst explain the rest, while I go and pilot the Basher.” Constantine said, before leaving the room.

“I thought I was going to die, after I released my visor, the first breath froze my lungs.” I told Tryst, once we were alone.

“We’re not sure how you survived. Maybe something you did allowed the Hope to protect you, but let me start from when I woke up.”

He sat down on my bed and we held hands, as he started to talk. “I woke and found you gone, I figured you’d gone to get something to eat, so I showered and dressed. I went looking for you but got sidetracked in the dining room. I looked for you on the bridge after I’d eaten something, but nobody had seen you. A limited search for you was done. Limited, because preparations to achieve orbit required most of the men to be at their stations. We were nearing the outer edge of the atmosphere, when we discovered the airlock tampering.

We suited up and went in search of you on the Hope. One area seemed to be sealed, near the computer core, so we overrode the airlock and found you on the floor inside, with your visor open. I feared the worse, but I noticed your breath steaming in the frigid room, so I knew you were alive and breathing air. Somehow the Hope had closed the airlocks to your area and pressurized it from the rarefied atmosphere that we were passing through. There was just enough to keep you alive and the frigid air reduced your brain’s need for oxygen.”

“I did manage to activate a lot of the bridge systems before I went down to the computer core. Maybe Puda had something to do with it. Near the end, I thought I heard voices. I’m sure hers was one of them,” I got out.

Then I asked, “Is Puda okay?” I grasped at Tryst’s arm.

“I don’t know, you probably heard our voices over the suit com, the rest, well, it might have been delirium or wishful thinking. I never heard Puda at the time, and as soon as we got you back on board the Basher, Gaia insisted we release the Hope into her hands.”

I sank back, ‘Were my efforts in vain? I hope not. At least she’s now with her mother.’ I felt tears run down my cheek at the thought of not seeing or hearing Puda again.

Tryst kissed the tears away and gave me a gentle hug. I could have stayed there like that for much longer, but a call over the ships com, brought us back to our current situation. “Araya Lightsword, your presence is required on the bridge.”

Tryst drew back, pulling me with him. I realised I was now dressed in a white gown and not the clothes I’d been wearing. I was barefoot, but I didn’t delay searching for something to put on my feet. Tryst and I ran for the bridge, wondering what was so urgent. I could still feel my aches and pains, and wished I’d had time to go the med bay myself and get the full treatment.

“Ah, glad you could make it,” Constantine greeted them, as they entered.

“What’s the problem?” Tryst asked as I caught my breath.

“Gaia wants to talk to Araya,” Constantine offered with a shrug.

I walked over to the communication console, and keyed the transmission channel. “Araya calling Gaia,” I tried to sound calm and collected.

“I had heard of your personal dissolution in the conflict with the alien invaders from the returning fleet. I’m glad to see my trust in you was justified,” Gaia intoned.

“Is the Hope okay?” I asked, getting the first thing on my mind answered.

“The Hope is being dismantled as we speak,” Gaia replied. “I require you to come to these coordinates, where we will facilitate the landing of the fleet and welcome back Earth’s children.” Gaia added, sending a coded blip to the navcom.

The area selected seemed to be located in the southwest of the landmass I’d landed on my in my first visit, namely North America. The blip from Gaia must have included more than just the coordinates, as when the area was magnified, it showed an overlay of towns and roads. The landing place, which had once been called Nellis Air Force base, was slightly south and east of a place called Las Vegas.

The Basher, due to my being aboard, was the first down, aided by Gaia’s force screens. Then it was the turn of the habitats. They looked so long, but the area had been cleared and was now a vast flat area covered with a product called concrete. As each huge ship landed, smaller craft started landing, filling in between.

Gaia had provided fully adjustable mobile ramps to match up with our airlocks. Once one had mated with the Basher’s, I was escorted out first, with Tryst on my arm. The sun felt great, and I breathed in the dry desert air with relish. I looked at Tryst, who was experiencing this for the first time, enjoying the look of amazement on his face. I felt a momentary twinge of jealously that nobody had to endure what I’d gone through in my acclimatization to the biospheres germ laden air.

We went down the ramp with the Captain and the crew following cautiously. They moved slowly, looking around, the strangeness of everything impacting their senses all at once. I felt at home immediately, even though I’d never been to this particular place on Earth. I could see streams of people coming out of the other ships, and a huge crowd gathered at the base of the individual ships.

I saw a path ahead lined with rope directing us towards a raised dais. I went toward it, dragging Tryst along with me. The rest of the Basher’s crew stayed by their ship, whether by Constantine’s order, or a natural fear of leaving the safety of their ship, I couldn’t be sure.

I stepped up on the dais, and noted the microphone and address system. It seemed that everyone out by the ships stopped and were waiting for me to speak.

“I’d like to welcome you all home,” I began, taking Tryst’s hand in mine. “This is where we belong, until we, as the human race, can become strong once again. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but I’m sure Gaia, the guardian of Earth will shortly enlighten us.” I waved then, hearing a muted roar from those gathered as they cheered. I stepped down, which must have been a signal, for the speakers came alive again, as Gaia spoke.

“When mankind left their birthplace so long ago, it was for their very survival, or so they thought. The Earth Mother was dying, not from the threat from space, but from the ravages which mankind had inflicted upon her from decades of abuse. Yet, through the work of a few people, members of a talented and far seeing group, I was born. So not only was the threat from space nullified, but also they put into place the building blocks of the Earth’s recovery. It has taken a long time for this recovery to reach fruition, time for me to build a rapport with the living Earth, I call the mother. Now as her long lost children, she welcomes you to her bosom.” Here, Gaia paused, as a roar rose from the multitude gathered by their ships.

“Transportation will be provided over by the red building. It will take all of you into what used to Las Vegas, where accommodations have been provided. There you will be given information to help you make choices as to which part of the Earth you wish to live on. There is no rush to decide and your choices can be changed at any time. Each ship’s and habitat’s crew will stay together, so familial ties can be restored and joint decisions made. Now I will allow you to make your way to your next step on the journey home.”

Knowing a little of what was in store for the mass of humanity behind me, I took the stand again and called for attention. I suggested that people only take personal mementos of value, and leave everything else, as clothing and food would be provided for them. Here, Gaia broke in and announced,

“All items that could conceivably be considered personal will be held for at least a year, so that forgotten items can be retrieved later. Each will be documented as to where it was located before we begin to disassemble the habitats. 1800 days from now, all unclaimed items will be available for the asking, first come, first served, for 200 days, after which they will be disposed of.”

I further suggested that each ship’s personnel stay together and transport as a group before the next ship’s crew left. “If anyone does get lost or separated from their group, just ask any of the autobots you encounter for help and directions,” I suggested, knowing that Gaia would probably have a myriad of them at our disposal.

I wandered over to the red building with Tryst in tow. As we had no belongings with us, and nothing in habitat ship 9 worth keeping, it made sense to head the first of those to follow. Truth be told, I was as curious as hell, and wanted to spend a lot of time showing Tryst the marvels of Earth.

The transport turned out to be a maglev subway with long carriages that would hold nearly a hundred people each. Guiltily our carriage left with us alone, but I could see more coming up behind, so I shrugged off the feeling and looked forward to reaching our destination.

The carriage soon reached full speed, and judging by the way the tunnel lights flashed past, it was fairly substantial, given it was land bound. Our journey took only minutes and soon we emerged at a station in Las Vegas. An autobot took up station at our side, floating along at shoulder height. It gave a running commentary on some of the history of the place and how the city was now more of a giant hotel than a gambling haven. Having privilege status as Ambassadors to the Earth, we were allowed the freedom to pick anywhere to stay. I asked the bot to save us a room somewhere central, in case anyone wanted to see me for any reason.

Once that was confirmed, I decided to treat Tryst to a meal. My own stomach was grumbling, and I had the bot direct us to the nearest dining place. It pointed out that the lowest level of the huge high rise buildings lining the single road consisted of shops and restaurants. It also told me that with the expected influx of people, Gaia had got things in motion to feed the rest of humanity that were soon to follow us. All of the restaurants had meals waiting. We could smell food, before we even entered.

We turned our attention to the menu supplied by the ever present bots. I let Tryst choose the meal, although I had to explain roughly what each item was like. I decided to eat the same choices he’d made, and watched the expressions on his face as he tasted certain foods for the first time with amusement.

We watched the street, having chosen a window seat, and saw the first of many walking slowly along, faces filled with awe. We waved to a few as they spotted us sitting there at the table. It wasn’t long before others entered the place, drawn there by the smell of hot foods. Soon there was a party atmosphere about the place, as people wandered in and out of the different places to eat.

It was past midnight, before we got away from the crowds. Tryst was intrigued with the concept of night and day on a planetary body, and had to go outside to look at the night skies. Unfortunately, the lights from the city made seeing anything other than the moon impossible, so we hailed the nearest bot and asked to be shown our room. Our identities must have been on a data base, for it needed no prompting as to who we were.

Our room proved to be the penthouse suite, whatever that meant. All we knew was it was at the top level of the hotel unit assigned us. We were both in awe of the amount of room in the penthouse, and Tryst even asked the bot how many others were going to room with us, and was gob smacked when told it was for us alone.

While Tryst checked things out, I went into the bathroom to fill the bath, only to find a huge tub already filled with hot water. After questioning the bot, I called Tryst and told him to get undressed and come try out the Jacuzzi. We had a lot of fun that night with the pulsating jets of water making us feel really relaxed.

The following days and weeks, were so filled with organizing people and educating them on all the things they’d need to know, that I hardly had time to dwell on the absence of Puda. Each room had audio visual entertainment systems, which had documentaries about the Earth, its history and all the different countries it was made up of. This helped people choose whereabouts they wanted to live. It was weeks before the exodus from Las Vegas began to be noticed in the reduced number of people remaining. The population slowly grew less, as they were moved out by train, planes or various styles of hover vehicles.

I started to feel something was missing, and was getting a bit antsy. I felt I needed time to regroup my thoughts, so I told Tryst that I wanted to be alone for a while, and that I’d be back later that evening. I asked for a hover cycle similar to the one I’d ridden on my first visit, and headed out of the city going into the desert. I didn’t have a destination in mind, I just wanted to commune with nature away from the distractions of the city.

I must have traveled about 200 miles before stopping near a mountain range. I climbed up a ways on foot, needing to stretch my legs. I sat and looked out at the desert, marveling at the changing hues. I drank some water, I’d brought with me, content to let the stillness seep into my senses.

Something about being on this planet hit a chord in my soul, Earth with its ever changing moods, filled me with wonder and excitement at what I might discover next. I knew I’d fight to my last breath to preserve this wondrous place for all our future generations. Somewhere out in this desert, I found a sense of peace.

The end? Or just the end of the beginning?

*********************************************
© 2006 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Notes:

Look for "The Return of Hope" soon.

Araya's Hope -2- The Return of Hope

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Synopsis:

Back on earth with the remnants of mankind, Araya makes a decision that could cost her her life. But she makes it willingly to rid the Earth of the alien threat waiting just outside the protective screen around the Earth. Join our heroine as she makes a sacrifice no woman should should have deal with.

Story:

ARAYA’S HOPE

By Prudence Walker

Part Two
The Return of Hope

After refreshing my psyche in the desert north of Las Vegas, I returned to Tryst, filled with a renewed sense of purpose. I wanted to take him on a tour to some of the places I’d seen on my first visit.

My presence wasn’t in so much demand now, as people made up their own minds on what they wanted to do. Like myself, everyone had been provided with a memory dump, courtesy of Gaia. This was essential to help people cope with living with relatively primitive Earth conditions when compared with those of habitat life.

I now had time to think. Unfortunately, that meant my thoughts turned to the loss of Puda, who had been my constant companion and saviour aboard my ship the Hope.

I knew that Thomas, the ex-President would remain in Las Vegas until the last, guiding the remaining people to their final destination, his sense of responsibility having not ended with the end of his Presidency. This fact helped make up my mind to leave as soon as possible.

There was still one thing I felt uneasy about. The alien fleet was still out there, putting a dampener on our celebrations. Just because we were safe at the moment, didn’t mean we would be safe forever. I wasn’t one to just run away and hide my head in some far away location. I felt I needed to be doing something, even if it meant losing Tryst.

After a few days trying to decide where to go to first, I felt like taking a break. Leaving Tryst shopping for some fishing gear, I took a ride back to where our fleet had landed. I was surprised to see the vast area empty of everything, bar a few marks on the ground. Only the platform where I’d made my speech remained. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. If Gaia was capable of rebuilding the planet like she had, she could easily remove the space craft to wherever she wanted.

I went over and sat on the platform, wondering if the ships were now scrap, or just stored someplace else. I felt kind of sad, so I decided to return to Las Vegas.

As I stood up and turned to climb down, Gaia’s resonant voice spoke from the platforms speakers, almost making me stumble in surprise.

“Araya, why are you here?”

After a pause, I replied, “I don’t really know. I guess I feel that the alien threat still needs dealing with.”

“Anything else?”

“I feel sad that I couldn’t save Puda,” I admitted sadly.

Gaia’s reply, “You did save her,” sent my heart pumping.

“Puda’s alive?” I asked, thinking I’d misheard her.

“Yes, what you did was foolhardy and put your own life at risk. Yet you did it without regard for your own safety for something, most wouldn’t call life. Can you tell me why you went to the brink of death to save a bioelectric jumble of synapses?” Inquired Gaia gently.

“To me, she was my friend … no it goes deeper than that. She was family! I just couldn’t leave her to die,” I got out, feeling tears forming.

“She didn’t die, thanks to your bravery. It was close, but the repairs you did on the bridge prior to that, allowed her in turn to save you.”

“So, I did hear her voice?”

“Once the main power was restored, she was able to shut the airlocks surrounding your position and pressurize the area enough to ensure your survival. She did try to call to you, but her audio unit failed due to a short circuit,” Gaia explained.

“Where is she now?” I responded, urgently needing to know. And when can I meet her?”

“She is on a shake down cruise of the new Hope at the moment. She could be here in oh … about 2 minutes.” Gaia laughed.

“In the new Hope?” I asked curiously, wondering what was going on.

“Yes, the new Hope is much bigger than the old Hope. It has the latest innovations in offensive and defensive weapons.”

“Bigger? How can you have made it so quickly?” I gasped trying to get my head around the idea.

“It was started not long after you departed Earth, and with the analysis of the alien’s weaponry from the data stream of your encounter as you left to go back, I think we have a solution. As for the size, see for yourself,” Gaia finished.

I looked up as a shadow came over me. All I saw was a huge ball of darkness in the sky, blocking out the sun. Scale was hard to make out, until it got closer and closer, becoming ever more gigantic with each passing second. I was almost afraid of being crushed, as it descended vertically almost directly overhead.

As I watched, it stopped just out of reach. Then a hatch opened as it hovered, and a ramp slid out to the ground.

Then I heard a voice I’d feared was ever stilled. “Welcome aboard Captain,” Puda chuckled.

“Puda!” I yelled, racing for the ramp. As I boarded, a series of shrill whistles piped me aboard the ship. Inside, I paused, not knowing which direction to head. I needn’t have worried, as Puda’s holographic form appeared before me. I ran forward and tried to hug her, but ended up running straight through her immaterial form.

I heard her laugh as I turned, only to find myself in a hug, as she firmed up her form. “Got you,” she giggled, sounding more like a meddlesome child than ever.

“No, I got you,” I refuted, squeezing her form back.

“You like?” Puda asked, waving her hand at our surroundings.

“It’s huge, I still can’t estimate its size,” I laughed.

“Hope 3 is about 3000 feet in diameter, with a main hull of Cobaltstantium nearly ten feet thick. There is an ablative armour outside of that, of a new refractory ceramic, about four feet thick, with another property we think will help.”

“Oh, wow!” I gasped, too shocked to say more, as the statistics gradually sank in.

“That’s not the best bit,” crowed Puda, seemingly unfazed by it all.

“Puda, thank you for saving me back there.” I sobered, feeling a need to get that off my chest.

“Well, I consider us even; after all, you saved me first. That’s something I will never understand, why would you risk your life for me, when Gaia could have easily rebuilt me from scratch.”

She was right in a way. Gaia certainly seemed more than capable of doing just that, given this ship as an example. I knew at the time that I wanted to save the Puda I knew, not a re-creation, no matter how similar it might end up as.

“I was saving you, not some copy Gaia might have produced. To many, you might just be an AI, but to me, you are family. One doesn’t abandon family,” I stated with feeling.

Puda was silent for a moment, which I took to mean she was surprised. Her holographic image hardened as she hugged me.

“Come on, show me the ship,” I urged, breaking the hug, before I let my emotions overwhelm me.

Everything was huge. Instead of four Mag 10 engines, the new Hope had twelve Mag 15’s, an unheard of size. The engines were located at the widest girth of the ship. Besides propulsion, the engines powered the new force field generators that acted as tractor and pusher beams. This would help in vector changes within the solar system, by using the planets and anything else with enough mass to counter the momentum the Hope generated. Puda stopped for a moment to show me the living quarters where the appointments were even more luxurious than the last Hope.

Finally reaching the bridge, I saw that there were still command chairs. I had thought they might not be needed on this new ship, seeing all the other improvements.

“Check these out,” Puda gushed, moving over to the chairs.

I went closer. They were certainly different from the front, more like pods than chairs. I looked through the clear visor-like window in the lid, seeing the seat inside.

“These are high-g seats,” announced Puda proudly, opening one for my inspection. “Fully self contained and vac-proof with its own independent environmental systems, so no need to be suited up,” she added.

The lid hinged on one side like a shell, revealing a form fitting gel padded interior. All the controls were there, plus a few more I took to be weapon controls.

“Seems a bit excessive,” I muttered, pressing on the gel padding.

“Well, if in the unlikely case of null gee failure, you can still survive the stresses of extreme gee maneuvers.”

“Looks like a cocoon,” I mused, getting in it and looking for the belts.

“There are no belts, Araya.” Puda informed me, preempting my next question. “The lid padding prevents your body from moving about, while still allowing you hand control.”

“How fast does she go?” I asked curiously.

“Point nine five light.”

“Oh crap! Look at the time! I left Tryst shopping back in Vegas,” I cried, having not noticed the passing time.

“We can be there in a minute,” claimed Puda calmly.

“Please,” I urged.

“Close the pod,” Puda advised.

I closed the pod, feeling it close gently against my body and found that the clear window in the lid was now a vision screen from the inside. On it, I could see a view of the ground passing below the ship.

“Puda?” I questioned, more for some reassurance that she was in control.

“Yes Araya?” Her voice sounded close in the command pod.

“Where are we?” I asked, not having seen the route to Vegas from the air.

Immediately, an inset appeared in one corner of the screen, showing the ground terrain at a lower magnification. This allowed me to see the city we were headed for and a moving red blip which represented the Hope’s position. I let Puda fly the Hope, content to watch until I could learn how to pilot it myself.

As we neared the city, Puda took us lower, and I saw people looking up at us in shock at our vast size. Some started to panic and run to the nearest building; obviously thinking we might be one of the alien fleet.

“Puda! We are scaring them! We need to tell them who we are,” I warned, fearing someone would get hurt in the panic.

“On it.”

I kept watching the ground and noticed that the people stopped running and started waving, and jumping up and down.

“What did you do?” I asked, seeing no reason for the change in mood.

“Oh sorry, watch this feed from Gaia,” Puda apologised, switching the view on my screen.

The video feed I was seeing must have been from somewhere on the streets of Las Vegas. It showed the huge silver grey craft hovering above, but on the underside was emblazoned in lights the word … HOPE 3.

“How am I going to get down? You can’t land here,” I put to Puda.

“Do you trust me?” she asked.

“Implicitly,” I retorted with a snort.

“Go to the turbo lift,” I heard a hint of a smile in her voice, and wondered what she was up to.

Opening the pod, I made my way to the lift, and I stepped into it with a sense of wariness, knowing Puda. I wasn’t scared, I trusted her with my life, but she wasn’t above pushing my buttons for a reaction.

As I stepped into the floorless void, I looked down the shaft. Instead of darkness, I saw the bottom was open, and I could see the street some hundred feet below the ship. Suddenly, I felt myself falling, it wasn’t exactly free fall, but it just felt like it. I fell right out of the ship, but although one part of my brain wanted to scream in fear, another more logical part held fast, as I could feel no wind rushing past, as if I was supported by the energy field used in the turbo lift.

By the time I reached the ground, Puda had slowed my descent, allowing me to land gracefully like one of those mythical superheroes, I’d read about as a child. I looked around at the crowd that had gathered, wondering if Tryst were among them.

“Tryst,” I called out, as the crowd closed on me all filled with questions. I held my hands up, making hushing gestures. Seeing a raised part of the footpath surrounding a drinking fountain, I stepped up on it, still with my hands raised. As the crowd quieted, I could hear a familiar voice, asking to be let through.

“Tryst,” I called again, as I saw him coming through the crowd.

“Araya,” I heard him call back as the crowd parted, allowing him through.

Reaching me, he planted a kiss, the crowd cheering and making encouraging comments.

When I broke it off, I faced the gathered people, one arm around Tryst for support. “As you can see, the Hope is back, bigger and better than before,” I announced. “With it, we hope to eliminate the threat hanging over our ancestral planet.”

I went on to explain a little of Puda’s survival, before asking for a little room. I knew Puda was monitoring me, so I pointed to the cleared space and introduced Puda, who in her holographic form, suddenly appeared at my command.

A cheer went up, as Puda waved to all the people gathered around. “Ready to go?” she asked, as she came and stood next to Tryst and myself.

“Anytime,” I answered, clinging tight to Tryst.

Suddenly, both of us lifted into the air and I heard Tryst gasp as we rose about a hundred feet into the air, before entering the Hope. The next hour was spent showing Tryst around the ship.

In the meantime, Puda was going north to the cabin I’d first stayed in on my first visit. Because there was no space to land the Hope, we both went down the scary ATT, or, Atmospheric Transport Tube, as Puda called it. Puda told us she’d be back the next day, as she still had some tests to do before the Hope could be signed off for active duty.

I didn’t say anything, but it went through my mind, ‘had the ATT been checked out before I used it over Las Vegas, or had it still been untested.’ I pushed the thought away, knowing I’d start feeling paranoid if I dwelt on it.

Tryst was every bit as curious about the cabin and the lake as I’d been. I suggested he catch us dinner, using the new equipment he’d bought. It was funny watching him trying to take on the traditional role of man the breadwinner, or in this case, trout catcher. I sat and watched after explaining how to use the fishing rod. I knew the memory dump would be telling him what each bit was and how it worked, but it didn’t automatically confer the skills to use it.

I felt a bit smug when he took longer to catch our meal than I had, but I didn’t let him suspect that I thought he wasn’t as capable a fisherman as I. Instead, I applauded his efforts, and commiserated when he lost several fish after hooking them. By the time he’d caught the last fish, the first one had expired and didn’t jump about when Tryst attempted to de-head it and clean it. That was one job he could have with pleasure. The second was pretty much gone too, by the time its turn to be gutted came around.

I took on the traditional feminine role, and cooked the meal that Tryst had eventually caught, while he sat back and sampled a can of beer. I decided to try some wine instead, and sipped it while I watched over the fish. Gaia must have known I’d end up here, as she’d had the cabin restocked with a more varied selection, and realized Gaia had been keeping close tabs on me. I’d watched some recorded cooking programs while in our room at Las Vegas, and had learned what a salad was, and now I saw the cabin had the tomatoes, lettuce and other ingredients necessary to build a salad. I did get Tryst to butter the bread rolls I’d noticed in a basket. At least I knew there would be no food allergy problems or the worry of getting sick from overindulgence. Gaia had taken that into consideration and had tweaked the DNA bank that had been in the Hope I’d piloted back to the colonies. She’d seen my reluctance to try eating meat for the first time, with my thoughts of getting sick. The tweak, meant, that the human body could eat a wide variety of foods with little or no adverse effects.

Dinner was a success. Tryst enjoyed his trout immensely, saying it was the best meal yet, but I think it had more to do with the fact that he had caught it himself. I agreed with him, knowing that you can’t beat something cooked fresh and simple. I enjoyed eating tomatoes for the first time, the salty sweet taste complimenting the relatively bland taste of the lettuce. Of course the bread rolls went down like, well, like bread rolls. I watched Tryst eat five to my modest two. Oh well, I knew a certain exercise he could perform later to work those buns off.

Later, when the day’s exercise was over, and we lay together in post orgasmic languor, I brought up the subject of the Hope’s return. I didn’t know if Tryst realised the import of the new and improved ship, or whether he did and was not letting on.

“I have a duty to finish off what I started,” I began, turning on my side towards him.

I watched Tryst turn and face me, his eyes shadowed by the dimmed light behind him. “You’re talking about the aliens, aren’t you?’ he asked quietly.

‘So he did know,’ flashed through my mind. I nodded, not trusting my voice at this point.

Tryst turned on his back and looked up at the ceiling. “As soon as I saw the Hope, I knew you’d be going out there.” He paused, then turned his head and looked at me. “I’m going with you,” he stated.

“NO! I can’t risk you,” I protested. “I love you, and if you’re on board, you’ll be on my thoughts, and your safety might sway a major decision I make at a critical moment.”

“I’m coming,” Tryst argued. “My life would be over anyway if you never came back. If I’m there, you won’t throw your life away needlessly if it comes to the crunch.”

“I couldn’t ask you to risk your life …” I choked out.

“Then don’t, because I’m coming anyway,” Tryst replied, sealing the deal with a kiss.

I had to turn away as tears flooded out. Soon we would both be risking our lives for the defence of all the people on Earth. I considered our lives forfeit, seeing I’d led the remnants of humankind home, to an uncertain future.

~~~~~

We awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. I looked at Tryst, who was stirring next to me.

“Puda? Is that you?” I called out, as I slipped out of bed.

“Who else knows where you are out in the wilderness?” Chuckled Puda.

“Good point,” I admitted, as I walked into the cooking area pulling my robe about me.

“Pancakes Okay?”

“I don’t know what those are, but judging by the smell I’ll have a double helping,” I agreed.

“Triple helpings for me,” Tryst urged, having followed his nose.

Puda served the pancakes, explaining the various toppings one could choose. I went for the lemon juice and sprinkled sugar, while Tryst, having more pancakes, tried most of them. Maple syrup, golden syrup, lemon and sugar, honey, and even one with jam and whipped cream. Seeing him stuff them away with gusto nearly put me off my own, but I stuck to the lemon and sugar ones, enjoying the acid tang against the flavour of the fluffy pancakes.

At last, it was time to leave this idyllic hideaway. We went outside and drank in the sunshine in the crisp clear air of the morning. I wondered if this might be the last time we experienced this. I looked at Tryst, seeing the same look in his eyes. It was then that I vowed that if it was ever humanly possible, I’d bring us both home safely.

Puda brought the Hope over from behind the tree tops, so that it was now directly overhead. Taking Tryst’s hand in mine, I nodded to Puda, standing next to us. We shot vertically into the Hope, using the ATT, and went directly to the bridge. Immediately, I got to work, checking out the systems in detail, as Puda showed me all the new improvements and what Gaia hoped the new weapon developments would be able to achieve. For hours, I was so deeply involved studying every facet of the offensive and defensive weapon arrays that I closed off all other distractions.

“Araya! ARAYA!” Tryst shouted repeatedly, finally dragging my attention away from refractive indexes, and force field coefficients.

“Oh, hi, Hon,” I answered, shaking my head to try to refocus my thoughts.

“You have been at it for hours. It’s time for a break,” he scolded me.

I nodded, suddenly feeling guilty for ignoring him all this time. I took both of his hands in mine and lifted my face, trying for a kiss. He resisted for all of three seconds before obliging me with a tonsil extraction. We would have stayed lip locked for longer, but my stomach had other ideas and complained loudly.

“I guess it’s mealtime,” I giggled, breaking off the kiss.

“That’s what I was about to tell you.” Tryst huffed indignantly, obviously feeling somewhat miffed that I’d preempted him.

In the galley, he heated something called chicken soup. While we ate, and made small talk, my mind was working on another level, trying to come up with a plan that would see the demise of the alien fleet. A plan that wouldn’t let the same fate happen to us. I was partly aware that Tryst noticed that my mind was busy elsewhere, but he never called me on it. I guess he knew that whatever I was planning, involved our survival in the coming battle.

~~~~~

It was time. The Hope had been waiting just inside the screen protecting the Earth, while I strategized and grew familiar with the Hope’s controls and weapons. Tryst was with me on the second pod while I was in the command pod.

“Have Gaia open a portal, we are going out,” I requested, opening the engine’s thrust plates.

The Hope surged forward and passed the now opened protective force screen. Within seconds, we left the blue sky behind and embraced the blackness of space. My instruments started cataloging the numerous blips of the alien fleet. They were widely scattered around the Earth, not ideal for what I had in mind.

I needed a new plan, so I headed towards the nearest ship within a normally possible vector change. I didn’t want to give any advantage away by revealing the Hope’s true capabilities too soon. I charged up the particle cannon. We closed rapidly, and for the first time I saw a change in their tactics. Instead of advancing on us and attacking, the ship fired a few salvos at us and turned to run.

I guess our sheer physical size had suddenly made them decide to be circumspect. Our particle cannon beam lashed out at them in a lethal frenzy of annihilation, which seared through the hull of the fleeing ship. All that remained of it was a flaming fireball streaking though space, shedding bits of incandescent hull fragments.

Puda announced the next ship’s coordinates. For this target, I had to use the tractor beam to help us change the Hope’s vector quickly. At the same time, Puda fired the self targeting million watt maser beam at our prey. This would jam all transmissions from it and might even destroy some of the more poorly shielded electronics. We didn’t want them warning others of our tractor beam.

The tractor beam, as we had named it, was really more like a force tube energy screen. This tube could envelope a target, and lock it inside an impenetrable wall of energy that could be retracted. The way it was being used at the moment, was to help the Hope and the alien craft to assume a converging vector change. In layman terms, it was as if the alien ship was a ball flying past you and you reached out and caught it in your hand. If the ball (alien ship) has mass, and your arm (the force tube) is locked to your shoulder (the Hope), then your shoulder is pulled towards the ball and vice versa. As the Hope had more mass than the alien ship, the net result was that it was forced to assume the Hope’s velocity and direction.

The alien ship tried everything to wriggle free of the Hope’s grip, jinxing back and forth in vain. It also tried firing down the tube directly at the Hope, using beams and missiles. I let them come, knowing I could alter the way the tube worked. As the beams flashed closer, with the missiles trailing behind, I changed the nature of the tractor beam. Instead of a hollow tube, it became solid, starting at the hull of the Hope and working outward towards the incoming attack. As the beams hit the blocked off tube of force, they rebounded and the energy being reflected back up the tube exploded the missiles. With nowhere to go, but back, the exploding ball of energy took the path of least resistance and continued back up to the tube to impact on the alien ship.

“More of the alien fleet is converging on us,” Puda warned as I watched our captive destroy itself with its own weaponry.

“Good.” I smiled as I shut off the tractor beam and watched something truly amazing happen.

When the ship exploded within its cocoon of force, it had grown hotter and brighter, consuming itself, but without expanding in size, due to the constraints on it by the force field. Once I shut off the force field, the energy suddenly expanded like a mini supernova, leaving not a trace of ship.

I had Puda move the Hope back in the direction of the Earth, as if fearing the advancing fleet gathering against it. I took the time to take a drink of iced coffee from the dispensing straw fitted into the pod.

“You okay over there?” I asked Tryst in the other pod.

“Yes, I’m just nervous,” he replied with a hint of tension in his voice.

“Me too,” I offered, showing him I wasn’t superhuman.

As the ships gathered against us, the Hope came under fire from their weapons. Puda fired back in a desultory fashion, trying several different experimental weapons to test their effectiveness. This was done not to destroy ships per se, although should that happen I wouldn’t be complaining. It was more to be seen to be attacking, without having to use our main weapons.

Some of the weapons we used had marked effects, some had none. It didn’t matter too much as it was all data for Gaia to digest and analyze.

As the alien fleet moved to englobe the Hope, they resorted to using energy weapons alone. I wasn’t sure if this was in case missiles fired at us might be avoided, and could endanger those on the opposite side. In any case, it was what I wanted. Taking a deep breath, I dropped the Hope’s protective energy screen. When the energy output from the alien ships reached the maximum limits of the ceramic composite outer hull, it began to evanesce.

As the surface layers puffed off in a haze of particles, the unique properties of the hull began to come into play. “Energy levels rising,” announced Puda.

“Power storage systems engaged,” I acknowledged, watching the levels climb as the attack against us intensified.

I suddenly realised that Tryst might be terrified at the sight of the hull burning away. “It’s okay Tryst, we are going to use this energy against them. The hull is designed to gather energy directed against it. We lowered the screens so we can gather it. We need more than a million exawatts of energy to power the weapons we intend to deploy. The ceramic composite has a unique property. As it reaches its destructive thermal tolerance, it converts the energy directed against it into power that we can feed into our storage system. We will allow the outer hull to disperse until it’s all gone, hopefully providing us with enough energy to complete our task.”

“I’m glad you told me that,” grumbled Tryst with a relieved voice. “Otherwise I might have been worried,” he added dryly.

“Sorry, I’m not used to having another person on board when things start getting tense.”

“How much storage do we have?” he asked.

“We have one hundred storage units.”

“I didn’t think you could store that kind of power in a battery or accumulator storage system, especially at the rate it’s being fed,” Tryst mused.

I tried explaining, while keeping an eye on the increasing energy levels. “That’s because it isn’t a battery. It’s more like a capacitor, which can absorb vast quantities of energy quickly and discharge it just as quickly.”

“It still sounds impossible to me,” Tryst argued.

“Okay, imagine the storage system as a black hole that can absorb as much energy as it can get and then turn itself into a white hole and eject that same energy.”

“You have a black hole on board?” I heard fear in Tryst’s voice.

“Well, it’s a tame black hole and there’s not one, but a hundred,” I joked. “Actually, they are quantum anomalies that act like black holes,” I reassured him.

Tryst said nothing. By switching some settings on my monitor I could see his face from within his pod. I could still see confusion written there as he tried to take in my haphazard explanation.

I took a breath as I settled into teacher mode. “Okay, let’s try this. The way Puda explained it to me, Gaia found this effect when she was designing the tractor beam. Actually, I’d prefer to call it a force tube, because that’s what it is.

“When we fought the first ship, we sent out a tube of energy that caught it inside. The tube then sealed itself, trapping the ship in a sort of test tube of force. When Gaia was developing this, she tried narrowing the tube down even further, to see what would happen. When narrowed to the point that the inside of the tube was touching itself, it cut off, leaving just a doughnut like ring, except the hole in the center was only on one side of the ring and hardly detectable. When she tried finding out what it was the hole did, she likened it to the event horizon of a black hole, but one only a few nanometers wide. When she tried sending energy into it to see the effects, it absorbed vast quantities, seemingly with ease. Once she stopped filling it, the ring lay dormant, with no sign of where the energy had gone. But when she collapsed the ring, a huge pulse of energy erupted out. Gaia thought it was the equivalent of all the energy poured in, but done in an instant. It destroyed all the equipment in the place where it was being generated, so Gaia could only make an assumption of the energy output, but it should be enough to deal with our friends. Especially as the ones we have are a hundred times the size of the one Gaia was experimenting with.”

“Wow! So where are these rings?” Tryst asked in wonder.

“Think of them as flattened spheres with a hole on one side than a ring. All one hundred are embedded into the surface of the Cobaltstantium hull under the outer ceramic hull. That’s why we can’t use it till the outer hull is burnt off. The ceramic serves two purposes. One, it protects the main hull from damage while the screens are down and two, it’s destruction under fire, generates the power to arm our main weapons.”

“Araya? All units have received the specified charge,” Puda interrupted.

“Keep them charging, till we are ready,” I told her. “Let me know when the ceramic hull is less than 2 inches thick, so we can jettison it cleanly.”

There was one item I’d kept from Tryst, we had a hundred charged weapons, but the scans showed more than a hundred alien ships. I just hoped my backup plan, crazy as it was, would work.

I watched the alien fleet move closer to us, as we had offered no attack against them. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we would start our attack. When the skin was down to 3 inches, I decided it was time. “Check all systems. Inertial dampening on max and prepare for spin attack maneuver. On my mark of ‘Engage,’ blow the outer skin and activate the screen.”

“All systems check complete. Ready for hull dispersal,” Puda intoned immediately.

“Engage,” I ordered. The primary hull was so thick that with the inertial damping on full, it was impossible to feel the outer ceramic hull breaking off. Only the screens showed the shards floating off into space. Now, only the screens protected the main hull against the onslaught of fire from the alien fleet.

The Hope began a spinning motion, using the thrusters to give us an oscillating spin, rather than just a plain spin. Because the ring weapons were in fixed positions on the hull, to aim them meant rotating the ship to align them at the enemy. The idea was for Puda to take over and fire at the ships as they crossed the alignment path of any unfired ring. Due to the fact that the pulse of energy from the rings was so massive, and of such a short duration, the speed of the Hope’s rotation wouldn’t be a factor.

I watched the star field gyrate around crazily as Puda targeted any ship in line with a ring, nearly making me dizzy. Only the fact that there were no middle ear reactions, due to the artificial gravity and the inertia control, kept me from losing my last meal. I used the targeting program to keep track of one of the ships as it took the full brunt of a ring’s discharge.

With this program, I could pick a target and receive a picture from all the scanners that moved into that point of view as the Hope spun madly. It was a bit jerky, but I could see the burst of energy from the ring spear out in a coruscating beam of lambent fire that was almost too bright to make out. It speared through the target’s screen and hull in an instant, leaving a fulgent auroral glow as the ship dispersed into a cloud of incandescent atoms.

I was stunned by the effects, but Puda’s announcement that we were down to our last 10 ring weapons brought me out of my fugue.

“How many ships left?”

“Twenty five ships remaining,” Puda calmly announced.

“Kill ratio?” I asked, trying to work out what we’d be left with.

Puda replied smugly, “One ring to one ship.”

I sighed. I might have known she wouldn’t have missed any shots. Fifteen ships to deal with.

Knowing the battle had taken less than a minute, I asked, “Are they reacting yet?”

“All weapons fired, the remaining 15 ships are beginning to veer away.”

I knew it would take some time to change vectors, but we couldn’t let one get away.

Now was the time for my plan. “Prepare Hope for ramming, target the one furthest away,” I ordered.

Puda used the force tube to encapsulate the enemy ship, and then retracted the sealed tube. Then, as in our first attempt, the difference in mass meant that it was pulled more towards us than we to it. Not content to wait for it to fall into our grasp, Puda opened all thrusters to the max, accelerating the Hope towards its target.

If the alien ship had fired down the tube, we could have finished it off earlier using our earlier tactics. Instead it had turned to flee, vainly firing its thrusters against the tractor beam. We impacted the alien ship with enough kinetic energy to burst it open like a tomato dropped 10 feet onto concrete.

Immediately, Puda targeted another ship, using the explosion of the alien ship as impetus to alter our vector. Our hull took no damage, and thankfully, only a few sensors had been taken out from the physical deformation of our defensive screens as they were compacted against the hull. We weren’t going to be left blind however, as the Hope had replacements retracted deep into the hull.

This battle seemed to be in slow motion compared with the first. Not only were the ships beginning to separate, the vector changes grew ever more extreme. When Puda caught one ship heading in the opposite direction to the Hope, the sudden impact of having the mass of the Hope being applied to it, simply crushed it into oblivion. After 2 hours of this, we finally ran out of targets. Sensor readings could find no trace of any more alien ships within the solar system itself.

I was too wound up to just return to Earth. On a hunch, I decided to check out the moon. I’d noticed that there’d been some activity around it when we had launched from Earth. I was thinking that they might have been setting up a base from which to attack the Earth from.

As the Hope passed the terminator, Puda called out a warning.

“Araya! I’m detecting a high radiation reading over a vast area. I think it’s some kind of weapon.”

“A weapon? What’s it doing on this side of the moon then?” I questioned, and then a possible answer suddenly struck me. Oh shit! … You don’t think they were intending on changing the moon’s orbit, do you?”

“Given the quantities I’m detecting, it’s possible. There’s worse news, I’m detecting some sort of detonation sequence. They must have triggered it during the fight, seeing they were losing.”

“How long do we have?” I screamed, my blood running cold.

“59 seconds.”

My heart froze and my mind went into overdrive trying to come up with a plan, any plan. Ideas flashed into my head and were discarded. Was this the alien’s plan all along? To disrupt the moon’s orbit, and cause widespread havoc on Earth? Any change at all, could cause tidal motions that would see gigantic waves and earthquakes smash the Earth, which might spell the end of Gaia and all the human life so recently returned.

I could hear Tryst screaming in the background and Puda counting down the seconds as I tried to come up with a workable solution. Firing on the weapon base, would only hasten the inevitable end and add to the destruction of all I held dear. Same with using force screens against it. Sure, it would prevent the explosion from hitting us, but it would only magnify the effect on the moon, as the energy would be trapped against the lunar surface. I needed to separate it from the moon itself.

When Puda announced that there were only 45 seconds left, a glimmer came to me. “Puda, can you encompass the entire weapons base with a force tube?” I shouted, coming up with the only idea I had.

“Yes I can. 40 seconds,”

“Enclose the base in an open ended tube and make sure it ends below the lunar surface, before sealing the ends.”

“Done,” Puda replied a moment later.

“Pull away and bring the weapons base with us. Rotate the away from the Lunar surface as soon as you’re clear.” I ordered, trying not to think what the effects upon the Hope would be if it went off prematurely. “As soon as the end clears the moon’s horizon, open the far end of the tube.”

I hope it would minimize the damage against us if the blast had another route to vent itself, although I had no illusions as to our survival.

I could see the base moving away as Puda applied full thrust, trying to arc us up and away.

“Prepare for impact,” was my last order.

I looked at Tryst through my monitor, seeing his face directly in front of me. If this was to be my last moment alive, I wanted his face to be the last thing that I saw. His eyes looked into mine. He must have had the same idea in mind. I saw no fear, just trust, and my heart broke, thinking I’d failed him. I didn’t hear the final second count down, but I saw the screen wash out as a brilliant flash of actinic light wiped away all vision. I heard a noise getting louder, like a runaway rocket engine firing, and then all went to hell as the explosion forced the collapsing force tube backwards into the Hope. My last thought as oblivion took me, was ‘Oh hell! … not again!’

~~~~~~

I was walking along a bush trail with Tryst at my side. We were looking for a mountain lake reputed to have salmon just waiting to leap onto a hook and line. All of a sudden, I slipped off the path and down a muddy bank. I yelled out to Tryst before tumbling head over heels down the slope, ending in a muddy pool where I was covered with a sticky layer of mud that prevented me from moving. I struggled to move, somehow knowing that if I didn’t, I might never get back to Tryst.

It was then I awoke. Shaking off the dream, I tried to move and found that just like in the dream, I couldn’t wriggle an inch. I panicked for a second, thinking I was stuck in my dream. I opened my eyes and saw the dark monitor blinking with a tiny icon in the left hand top corner. Everything came rushing back. I was still on the Hope, it had survived the explosion, but what shape was it in? I wondered if I was paralyzed, as I could feel no pain and my inability to move could be the result of a spinal injury.

“Puda?” I called, hoping she was still able to communicate.

“Puda?” I repeated, somewhat louder, her silence, starting to worry me. I wondered if Tryst had survived, feeling frustrated that I couldn’t use the controls to see into his pod. In my heart I felt he was still with me, but I needed to see his face.

“Puda?” I screamed, venting all my feelings into the shout.

The screen blinked a few times, before text started showing on it. I read, # Yes Araya, I’m here. My audio and holographic systems are down, but I can communicate by text. #

“I can’t move, I think I’m injured. Can you check on Tryst, please?”

#You’re surrounded by a polymer called collision foam, that’s stopping your body from moving. Both you and Tryst are okay. I’ll use the release agent to free you, but please remain in the pod till I can make some repairs to allow pressurization of the essential areas. #

When I heard a hissing sound, I hoped it wasn’t my pod leaking air. I started to feel something damp spraying my body and I realised I could move again as the polymer was broken down by the spray of release agent. The smell wasn’t very pleasant, but I managed to purge it by increasing the oxygen flow. My exposed skin felt sticky, and I wished I could get a shower to clean up. When my hands were free, I tried accessing Tryst’s pod to see how he was doing.

The only views I could access, were an exterior shot of the hull and one from the propulsion bay. What I saw seemed impossible. The ten foot thick hull had a dent about 50 feet across and 80 feet deep. I could still control the sensor mounted near the edge of the damage, so I extended it and looked over into the damaged area. At the deepest point, there was a hole about 10 feet across, penetrating the hull to an indeterminate depth. I switched to the other available view and could see some of the effects the damage had caused in the propulsion bay. Warped walls and sheared girders stood as a stark testimony to the ferocity of the impact on the Hope.

“Can you patch me through to Tryst?” I asked Puda.

# You can come out of the pod, as long as you remain on the bridge. It is the only area I have managed to pressurize so far. # Puda wrote on the screen.

“What’s the problem with pressurizing the other areas?” I asked her again.

# Most of the bots I need to move the mobile screen units are out of action. Unlike you, they broke loose and were smashed. #

“Can we help move the units into place? After all, our EPS’s are stored on the bridge,” I suggested, as I cracked open my pod.

# It’s dangerous, and you’ll be exposed to danger, but I could do with your help. # appeared on the screen as I climbed out.

“You’ll get it, just let me check with Tryst,” I told her, not waiting for a reply.

I stumbled over to the pod containing Tryst. I felt like yuck as my clothes stuck to my skin, thanks to the residue from the foam.

I cracked open the lid on his pod, my gaze going straight for Tryst’s face. He smiled, sending my heart aflutter. I leant over and gave him a kiss.

“Come on lazy bones, we have work to do,” I told him, helping him climb out.

He was as sticky as I was and the hug he gave me made it hard to separate, as our clothes stuck together. It did give me some kinky ideas for later, but preferably with naked bodies.

“See, I’m stuck on you,” he claimed proudly.

“We’d better stick to the job in hand. Maybe later you can stick it to me,” I offered with a wink.

With that, we went over and struggled into our EPS’, struggled, because the form fitting suits clung to the remnants of the sticky residue coating our clothes. Suit on, I went over and tinkered with the boards, to see if I could get Puda up on audio instead of relying on the clumsy text printouts. I must have lucked out, as Puda’s voice crackled over the com, before becoming steady.

As we sealed our suits, Puda informed us of the damage, and what needed to be done. After venting the air from the bridge, we passed through the airlock and entered the main part of the ship. Unlike the ultra protected bridge, the rest of the ship’s lesser priority areas showed some damage, whether it be minor or major. Puda directed us to a bot, setting up force screens to seal off the worse hit areas.

The bot, when we caught up to it, had one manipulator hanging off. It was trying to fly a portable force screen generator that would have weighed a hundred pounds on Earth. Here, while it weighed only half that, a load easily flown by the bot if it had two manipulators, it was unable to stop one end from dragging on the ground.

I reattached the dangling arm, and tightened it using my trusty universal tinker tool. After I joined the severed cabling with Gripits, it was as good as new … well, good as second hand, at least.

Leaving the bot to fly on unassisted, we went to the storage unit containing the portable force screen units. There, we dragged out a unit and followed after the bot.

Finding the bot, we started to set up our unit near some damaged I beams that had borne the brunt of the forces that had penetrated the hull. We lifted the unit to where we thought it would overlap the bot’ force screen. Once in position, I waved Tryst away to help the bot, while I secured the unit in place using percussion bolts fitted to the unit.

As I fired the last bolt into what I thought was a secure girder, everything went wrong. The explosive charge, instead of penetrating the girder, shifted it away. Another beam that was resting on it shifted and fell on my leg, trapping it and puncturing my EPS. The first beam prevented me from reaching my leg and applying a sealant. I could feel the effects of vacuum, burning my skin. I looked down to Tryst and was about to call for help, when I saw that the other end of the shifting beam had swung around and knocked Tryst over. Worse news than that was the fact that I could see blood leaking out of his suit, so I knew he’d suffered a puncture as well. I knew I only had seconds to do something. I looked at the unit by my hand. The activation button was on the ship side, and once it was turned on, I’d only have seconds to pull my arm back, if I didn’t want the screen to cut it off. If I activated it, it would allow Puda to pressurize the area where Tryst lay under the beam. The only problem, was that I’d be stuck where I was pinned, still be out in the vacuum of space, separated from safety by an impenetrable field of force.

“Puda, once I activate the screen, pressurize the area inside. Tryst’s trapped there in a punctured EPS.”

I switched on the unit, biting my teeth against the agony flooding my lower body, knowing this was the end. I could feel my blood boiling as it was drawn out of my leg. Only the sticky residue and the snugness of the EPS stopped the air from venting out in a rush. This meant I was just going to suffer for longer. I couldn’t even call to Puda or say goodbye to Tryst because the screen blocked my suit’s transmissions. I felt the pain growing further up my body and I moaned, as it became too much to bear. Eventually I blacked out.

~~~~~~

Some indeterminable time later, I came to. ‘Is this heaven?’ I thought. After what I’d been through, being pain free got my vote, what more could heaven offer? As I drifted in that strange twilight zone between waking and slumber, I realised all wasn’t quite perfect in paradise. My body felt different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I moved. Yes, there was something seriously different with this body. I felt uncomfortable.

Suddenly light flooded my world, and there, looking down, on me was Tryst. He looked haggard and his eyes seemed haunted by grief. There was a sort of embarrassed silence as his eyes slid away from mine.

“Tryst? I’m alive?” I got out before stopping in horror. My voice sounded different, deeper, more masculine. I realised then why I felt ill at ease in this body. It was male.

“What happened to me?” I asked, as I struggled out of the med booth unassisted.

“Araya, I’m sorry, I couldn’t save your body. It was too far gone. We only saved your brain in time. I came to just after you activated the screen. The bot came and helped free me from the beam, after Puda turned off the grav control and began pressurizing the room. That was when we realised you were still outside.

I slapped a patch on the puncture, not bothering about the wound and had Puda depressurize the room again. I jumped to where the screen unit was and turned it off. With the grav control off, I managed to free you from the beam and dragged you back in before switching the unit on again. Puda pressurized the room a second time and told me to place you in the bots arms. Using the bots system, she put you into a stasis field that stopped you from dying.”

“But why give me a male body?” I asked, as Tryst paused in his explanation to hand me a grey coverall. I pulled on a coverall, wincing at the difference in texture to my regular clothes. Maybe I could get Puda to … nah that would be a waste of time and resources, even if she could provide them in satin and pink.

“Because the DNA store was breached, there were only two samples left intact.”

“Oh! What was the other then?” I asked feeling somewhat mollified.

“To get back to Earth, we require your strength and drive, which is why Puda didn’t keep you in a stasis till we got you back to Earth or use the only other DNA sample, which was a female child. Trying to put you in that body could have killed you.”

I felt bad that Tryst had had little choice in making that difficult decision, but part of me was so uncomfortable in this hunk of a body that I wanted to scream out to give me the female child’s body. “Couldn’t Puda just alter the DNA sample so I would have the child’s genetic code, but in an adult form?” I heard myself whine.

“No, it’s more complicated than that. Each sample contains nanites that break down the host’s DNA and replace it with the new DNA. But it also contains instructions on the physical make up of the new form, such as age and size. To break down your larger body, even with the damaged parts, would probably have killed you, or at best, left you with memory loss. A child’s brain is physically smaller than your own and some part of it would have been cannibalized. All your bone structure would have had to be broken down to size. As it was, your body was fed an organic cellular soup to replace the body mass lost to vacuum burn.”

“Okay, I get the picture,” I snapped at him, feeling instant regret at my outburst. After all, it wasn’t his fault. Luckily, he didn’t react like I thought he would, but I could sense I’d hurt him, when he was already feeling down with the way things had turned out.

This body was filled with testosterone, and I was already having problems controlling my aggression. What was I going to be like in a few days, constantly seeing my love and not being able to have any sort of sexual contact? I wanted to fall into his arms and beg forgiveness, but as soon as I moved towards him, my body reminded me that I couldn’t do that any more if I wanted to preserve our life bond, or what was left of it.

This fact didn’t help matters much, so I apologised. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. It wasn’t your fault. I think it’s the shock and these male hormones I’m not used to. Please forgive me, and try to make allowances until we can rectify this situation. I love you dearly and thank you for saving my life.” I tried to make my voice sound softer and more feminine.

I opened my arms for a hug, worrying that because we were both male, he wouldn’t accept it. Tryst, to his credit, didn’t pause and hugged me. I must admit that it didn’t feel the same, so I broke it off after a few seconds.

“It’s okay Araya. Puda did warn me that your emotional control would be subject to fluctuations from the influx of male hormones.”

“You don’t look too good either, have you been in the med booth since your injury?” I asked solicitously.

“No, Puda wasn’t sure the med booth would last through two cycle’s, with all the damage incurred, so I decided to let you go through first. I can take my chances later; at least I’ll have you there to take charge if something goes wrong.”

“Strip,” I ordered, doing just that … taking charge.

I watched him blush, and I wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. To put him at ease, I told him I want to see him naked so I could check his body for his injuries.

“How long has it been since the accident?” I asked, as he started to disrobe.

“Five days, we are now somewhere near the orbit of Saturn,” he answered, removing his coverall.

“Damn, we must have picked up some serious velocity. Puda hasn’t been able to get the engines online?” I questioned, as I came close and ran my much larger masculine hands over Tryst’s body.

“Not yet. There’s only so much she can do with only one functioning bot.”

I could feel Tryst tensing up as my hands neared the wound site on his side. He’d applied a general purpose wound dressing over it and I could see the purpling redness through its transparent surface. I was no doctor, but I knew this needed more than just a dressing.

“Lie down on the table, on your side!” I instructed, going into insistent nurse mode. I giggled, or tried too, as the thought of my wearing a female nurse’s uniform on this body, suddenly struck me. The giggle sounded more like a chuckle, which made Tryst ask what was so funny.

Knowing he could do with something humorous to laugh at, I explained my thought. He chuckled too, which made me grin. I picked that moment to rip away the bandage, and his chuckle turned to a yelp, for which I apologised. While I was examining the wound, I asked him if it would be easier if I did wear female clothes in my size, while I was stuck like this.

“Let’s see how things go first. Hopefully we will be able to repair the Hope and go home before it becomes an issue,” was his careful reply.

I hoped so too, but then a thought occurred to me. Could Puda jigger the med booth to change this body into a more female looking one, even if I was stuck having this third leg between my thighs. Maybe I could finagle some breasts if the repairs took a lengthy time.

I treated the wound with the standard med pack, and recovered it with a second skin dressing. “Let’s go, we have work to do,” I told him, my voice threatening to betray my feelings over his close call with death.

I made my way to the bridge, letting Tryst to get dressed by himself.

“Puda? What’s our status?”

“We have been at a two gee acceleration since the explosion. We are somewhere near the orbit of Saturn. I have been endeavoring to alter our vector with one of the remaining thrusters, so we should encounter the outer planets. The main engines are offline, as are all defensive weapons and force beams, and we only have minimal life support, due to power loss.”

“So nothing major then,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood in the bridge, as I’d noticed Tryst had joined us.

Puda chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do Araya.”

“Come on love,” I told Tryst. “I think I’m going to need your help checking out the engines.”

~~~~~~~

“Something’s odd here. This engine checks out, as far as I can tell.” I informed Tryst a bit later. “There’s something I’m missing. Let’s check the fuel lines.”

“They are empty,” Tryst told me a few minutes later.

“Impossible, unless the tanks … THE TANKS! OH, SHIT!” I was feeling real fear, as I raced to the gauges on the far bulkhead. There, my fears were realised. The tanks containing the water used to fuel the engines were empty. We were dead in the water, to use an ironic expression.

“Puda? What water reserves do we have? The main tanks seem to be empty according to the readouts down in engineering.”

“I don’t have any readings coming from down there. I just thought the sensors were damaged. We do have some water on the accommodation level used for washing and cooking.”

“How much and is it separated from the main supply?” I asked, hoping it was.

“It is fed from the main supply, but there is a one way valve that stops back feed, if that’s what’s worrying you. It should last for several days, maybe a week if you ration it.”

“How long if we use it for the propulsion?”

“Five hours at maximum thrust.”

I sat down wondering if it would be better to drift and drink, or waste it trying to slow the ship somewhat. With the velocity we had accrued, 5 hours wasn’t going to put much of a dent in our speed, unless we had a force tube working and something to push it against.

“Okay Tryst, I have a job for you. I need you to find out how much food the Hope has that has liquid in it. That includes tinned foods and fresh food in storage. If we are going to use most of the water for the ship, we will need every drop of liquid contained in the foods for us to survive.”

“I guess that means no showers?” Tryst grimaced, lifting one arm and sniffing.

“No cleaning anything, except after bathroom needs and then we’ll be using antibacterial wipes.”

“Right.”

“I’m going to the bridge. I have an idea, but it’s a bit of a long shot,” I told him, leaving him to go to the galley.

I knew we needed water. The trick we had pulled off on our return to Earth, had given me an idea. Ice. I didn’t think we’d be lucky to find a comet, but often there are moons that have ice on them. Our lives depended on coming close enough to a moon of one the planets remaining in our path.

Once I reached the bridge, I asked Puda about my idea. She went into a search of her data base and came up with several possibilities. Problem was, the moons of Uranus and Neptune were out, because they weren’t in our path at this time. Charon, the moon of Pluto, the last planet in our system and therefore, our last chance as well, was it.

“We might be able to get close to Charon if I use the main engines to alter our vector without wasting it in braking,” Puda announced.

“Just remember, we need some power for the tractor beam,” I cautioned.

“If I could have some the thrusters from the aft and port section shifted across the starboard side, it would increase our chances, without using water for the main engines.”

“Okay, I’ll get right on it,” I promised, even though I had a major chore fixing up the broken tanks. I knew the sooner the thrusters were moved, the bigger the effect over the distance we still had to go.

“Tryst, I’m going to need your help,” I called as I entered the galley food lockers.

“Here, time for some food,” Tryst offered, holding up two cans of beef consume soup.

As urgent as all the work ahead of us, I knew we had to eat, and his choice was just what we’d need before going EVA to work on moving the thrusters.

“Great, let’s heat and eat, we have a date outside.” I grinned, trying to make light of our situation.

Over our tasty soup, Tryst discussed our food and liquid situation. He seemed to think we could survive for a month without having to use supplemental water.

I told him what we were about to do and its importance to our survival. “I know you had a bad experience in our last EVA, but we need to focus on our goal, if we want to get back to Earth.”

“I guess there is one good thing about this … no washing the dishes,” Tryst grinned, to which I nodded.

Moving thrusters is hard work when tethered to the outside hull of a ship. They were constructed to be disposable, as the solid hydrogen fuel feeding a micro fusion reactor would need replacing after a hundred hours of continuous use. The liquid hydrogen was compressed using force screens, to a metallic monatomic form, which provided a long lasting fuel source.

Using a special key to unlock them, the thrusters would rise out tubes set into the hull, where they could be rotated 90 degrees to release them. Moving a mass of about 500 kilos was easy if you pushed long enough to overcome the inertia. Stopping it was another matter. Even in weightless conditions, the thruster’s momentum was an unseen beast that wanted to take control.

It took us five days to move 20 thrusters. Each was placed near an existing thruster and shock bolted into position. Control cabling was linked to the nearby thruster through the access ports built into the hull. The end result was a forest-like group of thrusters looking like candles in a cake. The danger was enormous, as Puda had to shut down the thrusters each time we approached the starboard side, then fire them up again as we left to get the next one.

We slept little and ate sporadically, mostly when we had to refill the tanks of the EPS units. We were exhausted, by the time we finished, conversation reduced to ‘pass that’ or ‘hand me this.’

I checked the wound on Tryst’s body, as he lay exhausted on the med booth table. It looked a bit red and puffy and felt warmer than the surrounding skin. I made a call and ordered Tryst into the med booth, with it set to a diagnostic and cure setting.

While he was resting in the med booth, I dragged my aching body into an EPS and checked out the main tank that had once held the water for the engines. The stresses from the force of the explosion had split the tank. I figured it would need several days to weld it up again. Satisfied that there should be no surprises, I climbed out the tank and went to check on Tryst.

Seeing he was due out in a few minutes, I decided to wait for him. I pulled a fold out chair from the bulkhead and sat waiting, while my mind tried to slow down to sub-light velocities.

The recent strenuous activities in this body had allowed me to come to terms with it, now it didn’t feel as alien as it had when I first woke up in it. But it still wasn’t me and I don’t think I could ever get comfortable in it. I liked being female, no, make that loved being female, even if I was a take charge kind of girl.

“Araya, wake up,”

“Sorry, I just thought I’d wait for you,” I mumbled tiredly, realising I must have nodded off.

“You have been pushing it too long. Let’s get some sleep,” he insisted, offering a hand to help me get up.

Such a simple gesture, yet one he knew I’d appreciate. I knew despite my appearance, that Tryst was looking past it to see the real me, the one who loved him.

I guess we were both throwbacks, to our ancestors. Before my discovery of Earth and the change to either male or female, most of the space colonists were happy to have sex together in either phase. When two became partners, their cycle changed so that they became compatible in both phases. Tryst was different. He would only have sex with me when I was in the fem part of the cycle. Not that I was insistent on sex while he was fem, as she didn’t turn me on then. Although strange by the standards then, it made a certain sense in light of developments. Tryst was as male as I was female, even masked by our changing forms.

The problem now was, while I still saw Tryst unchanged as a male and still wanted sex with him, he saw another male, and was turned off sexually, despite my being his life mate. It must have taken great strength of mind to help me up without a thought of my changed sex.

We walked back to our cabin in silence, where I stripped off my coverall for something smoother and cleaner and in pink. I pulled on the extra large gown that I’d had Puda whip up for me. I didn’t care what I looked like; it was comfort I was going for. I turned and saw Tryst changing into some clean shorts. It was then that this body of mine truly became uncomfortable, by revealing its arousal, as I caught a glimpse of the twin of what was tenting my gown. I turned away, hoping to avoid his seeing it.

Climbing onto the large bed, I turned my body away to my side, thinking about this awkward situation. Back in the habitats, when I was in the male or non estrus phase, and Tryst was consequently in estrus, I didn’t feel sexual attraction for hir body, even though I still loved Tryst the person. As Tryst felt the same way, sexual intimacies weren’t a problem. We had just abstained, while cohabiting the same living space. Now however, we were both male. I still felt attraction for Tryst, as he was still in the form I loved. That attraction translated into sexual arousal, the kind that made me get hard. It was so frustrating, I could scream.

I felt Tryst get into bed and turn on his side.

“Goodnight,” I whispered, turning my head a little.

“Night,” I heard him reply.

We slept. I woke the next ship’s day feeling achy, but better than the day before. Tryst was up already, and had opened our first meal of the day. This consisted of tinned peaches and a small cup of coffee to brush any lingering cobwebs away.

Tryst couldn’t assist me in the tank repair, as there was only one plasma welder aboard. Instead, I had him check out the state of the tractor beam units we’d need later, under Puda’s instructions.

I got to work, venting my frustrations on the obstinate tank by frequent use of foul language and several swift kicks at the metal with my boot. It seemed to help somewhat, but not enough.

Plasma welding in a suit is hot dangerous work, but I stuck to it and got over half the tank done that day. During one of my breaks, Tryst came up with another problem. “The tractor beam generators are mostly intact, but how are we to get the ice collected by the force tube into the ship?”

“Fuck, I don’t know! I shouted. “I’m still fixing the effing tank,” I burst out, as everything seemed to boil over.

In the deathly silence that followed, the female part of me wanted to break down and cry, then beg forgiveness and then get it within the comforting arms of my lover. Unfortunately, this testosterone driven body seemed adamant that not only would it not cry, it wouldn’t allow me to seek comfort in Tryst’s arms. Fueled by frustration and anger, I stamped off, going back to the job of welding.

While working, I went over and over the way I’d reacted, trying to understand why I’d taken it out on Tryst. Now that I was alone with my thoughts, I felt bad about how I’d treated Tryst. It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t mechanically minded. He’d been part of the hydroponics section looking after the algae, the mainstay of the oxygen and food supply.

I began to hate this body with a passion. I didn’t know how Tryst handled his so calmly. It must be a mental thing. I knew I didn’t have it. Thinking about it logically, I needed to calm myself down. Only on Earth could I be given a new female body. To get there, I needed to fix the ship, get the water we needed and find a way of filling the tanks so we could go home. Nothing to it … suuure.

I made a mental note to apologise to Tryst, and then concentrated on finishing the tank. I must have lost all track of time, because by the time I decided I’d had enough, I found myself eating alone. Puda had informed me that Tryst had already eaten and had gone to bed. I felt bad that I’d left him to stew so long about my verbal outburst. After eating, I went to the bridge, where I did my best thinking, and paced for a while, trying to come up with a solution to the problem Tryst had brought up.

I tried not to disturb him as I crept into bed. I didn’t sleep all that well, what with everything on my mind. I did eventually get to sleep, but it seemed like moments later Tryst woke me up to give me breakfast in bed. Nothing special, just toast, with marmalade and fruit juice.

When we both started to speak at once, Tryst deferred to let me speak first. I got out, “I’m so sorry I took my frustrations out on you. I couldn’t seem to control myself. I hate this body, and some part of me feels angry that you put me in it, even though you only did it to save my life and you had no other choice. I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to squash that niggling feeling. I love you and pray you still love me.” I finally managed to shed some tears.

“Araya, I know you feel uncomfortable with that body. I anguished over the choice, knowing I’d have to see you everyday in it. You were always feminine even as a herm, and suddenly being drowned in a wave of male hormones can’t be easy for you. I don’t forgive you because there’s nothing to forgive. I wondered how you seemed to be taking this disaster in your stride, without seeming to flag or falter. You seemed almost to be superhuman, but now I know you’re not. I love you and always will. Whatever happens… happens. Don’t try to do it all on your own. I know I’m not that good with mechanical things, but I can assist you whenever you need a hand.”

“Now eat your breakfast,” Tryst admonished gently. When I reached out my arms to hug him, momentarily forgetting my body’s sex, he placed the tray in my hands with a grin.

“I’m keeping count,” I muttered with a rueful sigh.

“Of?” Tryst asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of the hugs I owe you,” I mumbled around a mouthful of toast.

When I got dressed later, I sniffed at my armpits, regretting it immediately. Even though we hadn’t bathed properly, the fug surrounding our bodies hadn’t seemed to bother us unduly. My male nose didn’t seem as sensitive as the one I used to own. Armpits were another matter, however. I sprayed on my perfume, not caring if it seemed inappropriate. Even if I was male temporarily, it didn’t mean I couldn’t indulge in a little femininity.

Puda then announced that our present course would intersect that of Charon’s, which was good news. While I finished off the last welds in the tank, I pondered our water collection worry. Then it came to me. I finished off the tank and had Puda do a pressure test to see if it held atmosphere.

While that was going on, I called Tryst to get him to put on a suit and meet me in by the damaged section of the ship.

“I have this idea,” I told him, once he arrived.

“Oh?”

“Let’s check the tractor beam emitters at the bottom of the point of impact.” I said.

The tractor beam emitter ring that had contained the explosion from the moon was now sitting at the bottom of a funnel-like depression. If they could be reactivated or replaced, it could be the ideal position to collect the water. I explained to Tryst as we worked, that if we removed the center section of the ring, we could rig a pipe to feed directly into the tanks, which were less than twenty feet away. We’d need to fit a screen generator to the opening to seal it up afterwards, but after the work we’d done already, that should be relatively easy.

We got to work and in the end, we found it easier to cut a hole in the newly fixed tank and fit a force tube array to connect it to the opening in the back of the external tractor beam array. Two intervening bulkheads also had to have holes cut through them. We strengthened them as best we could with some scavenged metal from less important parts of the ship’s structure. The tank was also fitted with a screen to seal off the opening once it was filled. This did leave a potential weakness, but it was the only way we could do it, with what we had.

Two days later Puda fired up the engines, veering our course towards Charon.

~~~~~~

Finally, Charon was within the reach of a tractor beam.

“Activate beam,” I told Puda, hoping against hope that everything would hold together.

Both Tryst and I watched, as the beam flicked on and speared outward to Charon. It bit deep into the frozen crust, encircling many tons of frozen water ice. Puda closed the end as soon as the beam hit the solid rock of Charon’s core. While we still had some power in reserve, Puda used the beam as a braking pole. Titanic kinetic forces warred against the comparatively stationary moon. Cracks formed in the icy crust as the Hope slowed, braced by the slowly compressing force tube of the tractor beam.

The beam remained intact, bleeding off our massive speed as Charon’s far greater mass absorbed the energy. Such was the heat generated, that the ice in the force tube melted, as did the ice surrounding the base of the tube where it intersected the moon.

“We are getting very close,” Tryst warned unnecessarily. “Are we going to hit it?” he asked anxiously.

“No,” I told him, as the tractor beam got even hotter.

“Shut off all screens protecting the damaged section. Leave up only the force tube connecting the tank and the tractor beam,” I ordered.

“What you doing?” asked Tryst.

“The heat is turning the ice into steam and it’s coming up the center of the tractor beam tube. Once it hits the cold tank, it will condense into water again. Opening the area surrounding the tank to the vacuum will ensure the heat can radiate out and will keep the area cold,” I explained.

Puda announced that water was collecting in the tank, as the tube was allowed to compress a bit.

The rigid stick effect of the tractor beam started the veering the Hope away from a direct impact with the moon, as the end half buried in the core acted like a pole-vaulter’s fulcrum. Once Hope’s changed vector showed it would clear the moon, Puda started retracting the tractor beam, bringing back our means of survival, water.

As we flashed past Charon’s now marred surface, we could see the molten surface where a core of ice had been extracted.

Puda announced that she had captured 20 metric tonnes of water, to which Tryst and I yelled out our glee.

Now that all the work we’d done had resulted in success, I could let myself relax. I felt exhausted, but somehow freed from having to be the one making the tough decisions. I left to get a shower for the first time in ages. Although I enjoyed being clean, I was too tired to really do it justice. After the shower, and wrapped only in a damp towel, I flopped onto the bed and passed out in fatigue.

I slept like a log, and when I woke, it was to see Tryst. He then told me I’d slept for two whole days straight.

“How’s the ship?” I asked, once I’d reactivated a few brain cells.

“We are going home,” Tryst announced proudly.

“Already? I questioned, thinking we’d need a few more days yet.

“Yes, Puda spun the ship around after you left, and used the tractor beam to latch onto Pluto as we went past. It enabled us to pendulum around and Puda released us as we neared the correct vector to intersect the Earth.”

“We are going home?” I repeated in wonder. No word ever sounded so sweet.

“Puda said that Charon has a slight speed wobble, but nothing that will affect it long term.”

“Well we did bleed a lot of speed off on it,” I agreed. “I’d hate to work out how much energy it absorbed from us,” I called over my shoulder as I scrambled to the toilet.

It was time for a real meal. Now that water wasn’t restricted, we could eat something that wasn’t soup or fruit. I think I enjoyed that meal almost as much as the first one I’d had the first night on Earth. Maybe the lack of stress contributed to its flavour.

With nothing urgent to do, I wandered back to the bridge, Tryst following behind. I stood by my command pod, but didn’t enter, as the residue from the acceleration foam still clung here and there. With the Hope at full boost we were already closing on Saturn’s orbit.

It was then that Puda announced an approaching craft of unknown origin. It was coming from the inner system and was making good speed.

I was getting fed up with all these seemingly endless crises. We had no offensive weapons left and only one working tractor beam.

“Is it hailing us?” I asked Puda, forgetting that communications were still out since the initial explosion at the moon.

Puda gently chided me, “I only have the sensor array up, not the communication array. You didn’t get around to fixing that.”

“I’m not running away. We can ram, if they get close enough,” I suggested.

“They are decelerating, I detect thruster burns, shall we slow too? Puda asked.

I thought about it, and then came to a decision.

“No, if they are friendly, then let them do the work. I want to reach Earth quickly. If they are the enemy, the same applies.”

We continued on, our eyes glued to the sensor readings, trying to discern any more info on the approaching craft. It seemed to be slowing faster than one would expect. All we could discover when it had spun end for end in its braking maneuver, was that it was teardrop shaped. I hoped this was a sign of non-aggression, as usually weapons are directed from the front of a craft, which was now pointed away from us.

Suddenly, the Hope’s engines shut down.

“What happened?” I called, thinking we’d come under some new kind of attack.

“I shut the engines down,” Puda announced calmly.

“What? Why?” I countered, feeling confused.

“The ship’s from Earth… from Gaia.” Puda answered.

My protest died stillborn, as that bit of information struck home.

“How do you know for sure?” I asked warily.

“I only have visual contact. They must have figured that out that from the lack of answers to their hails. Someone started sending laser coded messages. It seems to be commanded by Prince Constantine,” Puda elaborated.

“Can you communicate back?” I asked, feeling a sense of relief.

With wry humour, she stated, “No. I don’t have anything to signal back with. Maybe with the next model.”

“You don’t seem to be able keep your ships together very long,” I poked fun gently at Puda.

“Don’t blame the tools, blame the operator,” she snapped back, before a noise sounding suspiciously like a giggle issued forth.

“Point taken,” I conceded, feeling too jubilant to argue.

Tryst defended me, “I think the operator did a pretty damn good job if you ask me.”

“Point taken,” Puda admitted, making that sound again.

“Puda must be having some harmonic distortion problems,” I muttered, winking at Tryst.

We were now coasting along with the engines off, neither accelerating nor slowing appreciatively. The other, as yet unnamed vessel seemed to require less time to reverse vectors and was already on the move to match our velocity and vector.

“It must mass less than us, yet it is only slightly smaller than the Hope,” I speculated.

“Either that, or it has some new kind of engine,” Tryst pointed out.

“Or both,” Puda added.

We watched fascinated, as the teardrop shaped ship closed on us, having switched directions in a seemingly impossible way. Eventually it closed to match our speed, before attempting a docking maneuver. Both Tryst and I went to the airlock dock bay to await our visitors.

The first through, came dressed in EPS suits. They obviously thought that with the damage they’d seen on the Hope, that they would be needed. When they saw us through the view port in the airlock door standing there unsuited, they seemed overjoyed. As they took off their suits and waited for the airlock door to cycle open, I realised with a shock that they hadn’t expected us to have survived.

“Boy, are we glad to see you alive. Where is Araya?” were the first words Constantine greeted us with. “We were sure that only Puda had survived, although Gaia had said there was a 50:50 chance of your survival.”

“It was a close thing,” I replied, uncertain as to how to explain my new sex.

“We wouldn’t have survived without Araya,” Tryst pointed out.

“I thought there were only two aboard. Who are you, and where is Araya?” Constantine asked me.

At our continued silence, as both Tryst and I looked at each other and pondered how to break the news to him, his face took on a look of alarm. “She’s okay isn’t she?” he cried, obviously fearing the worst.

“Well, sort of,” I started to explain. “Araya’s body was killed and Tryst had to rebuild her with the only viable body left. This one … I’m Araya.”

“You … you’re Araya?” Constantine repeated, trying to come to terms with my changed visage.

“Can you explain …” I turned to Tryst before running to my cabin in embarrassment, as tears of frustration and pain overwhelmed me.

I ignored Tryst’s anguished call and shut the door, leaning against it as my body warred with itself. Mentally, I wanted to fly to the bed and weep till I could cry no more, but physically, my stoic testosterone imbued body tried to block the emotions from showing. This dissonance between body and mind was slowly tearing me apart. I wanted out of this body with such urgency, I could hardly contain myself.

A soft knock interrupted my misery. “Go away Tryst, I can’t face them right now,” I answered.

“It’s me, Constantine,” I heard him say. “I’m sorry if I upset you out there. It was insensitive of me, please let me talk to you?”

“It’s not your fault. It isn’t anybody’s fault, I just feel off balance in this body. It’s so not me. Even as a herm, I could fool myself on my off cycle. This body won’t allow that. I’m more masculine than Tryst, and that’s saying something.” I wailed to Constantine, through the door.

“Please let me talk to you,” Constantine pleaded once again.

I turned and reluctantly opened the door before going over to sit on the bed.

Constantine hovered by the door for a moment before coming and sitting next to me on the bed.

“The main thing is that you are alive,” he pointed out. “I wish I could help you right now, but the ship we came out on only has the bare essentials. It’s not even finished yet, but when Gaia saw what happened on the moon, she rushed to complete it for the recovery of Hope.”

“It’s fast?” I asked, curious despite my current misery.

“Yes and a lot of other things too. It has new shields, new engines, new shape, and new communications,” Constantine enthused.

“Weapons?” I couldn’t help, but ask.

“Um, none at this stage. I said the Hope wasn’t complete yet.”

“Oh yeah, sorry.”

I slipped back into disinterest, as my present problem didn’t have the quick fix I’d hoped for. I had mixed feelings about the new ship. I felt jealous that the new one had superior technology, that the Hope didn’t, but at the same time I felt pride that the Hope had come through such an ordeal and had survived to go home under its own power.

“When I saw the Hope and the damage it sustained, I thought that neither of you had survived. You know you are both heroes back on Earth. Gaia managed to capture the battle and had broadcast it to all of us. I think they are going to give you medals.”

My immediate reply to that bit of news was, “I don’t want to be seen like this!”

“I’m sure Gaia will have something worked out by the time we get back,” Constantine promised. “Would you like a tour of our ship?” he offered, trying to bring me out of my fug.

“I woul … uh, no, it’s okay.” I’d started to accept realising I’d have to meet people in this body.

Constantine shrugged, but didn’t press me to accept, for which I was grateful. I got up off the bed and wiped my face.

“I guess we should get back to the job of getting the Hope back to Earth,” I sighed.

Of course Tryst jumped at the chance to tour the new ship while I languished in our cabin in my self-imposed restraint. Constantine had promised that the crew members who had already seen me would keep quiet about my unfortunate circumstances. This did help a little, but in my desperation, I still felt like punching a hole in the hull with my fist.

It didn’t help when Tryst got back from the tour, all enthused about the new stuff he’d seen.

“The hull is only two feet thick and is made of a new cerametal that works in a similar fashion to the sacrificial hull we had on the Hope. But it’s protected from being burned away by a force screen that covers the entire hull. Energy weapon fire can be selectively passed through to allow the energy to be converted into power, while the bad stuff is kept out,” Tryst informed me happily.

I grunted, wishing we’d had that capability before all this started.

Tryst babbled on, oblivious to the mental anguish I was feeling.

“They also have instant communication to Earth via a super light sub quantum energy beam. There’s even talk that a new FTL drive being developed will allow a ship to go anywhere without relying of wormholes. Apparently, Gaia has been gathering information from the gate rings we installed on the wormhole and the new drive is based on that.”

Damn this stoic face of mine! I had to grit my teeth and clench my fists under the table to stop the anger that threatened to boil over and end in a physical attack against Tryst’s seeming indifference to my mood. I knew it wasn’t his fault and I hated feeling this way, but the body I occupied seemed to have its own rules of behaviour.

When I got up and smiled sickly at my love before turning away and pacing the deck, Tryst, bless him, finally caught on to the fact that I had other things on my mind right then. He came up to me and turned to face me, before giving me a gentle hug.

“Gaia knows what happened love. I talked to her and she thinks she has the solution. You’ll step back on Earth as a female.”

At the news, I stood there and silently wept, tears finally flowing with the promise of regaining what I’d lost. I cried my anger and my fears away in a paroxysm of pent up emotion. Tryst waited patiently, patting me gently on the back as he allowed me to cry myself out against him.

Things were a little easier after that. With the other ship now following us, we could relax as the Hope reached the inner system and the beautiful sight of the Earth grew in the view screens.

Puda took the Hope through the docking procedure with the orbital station circling the Earth, while Constantine landed the other ship directly on the Earth at the space center where all the Hopes had been built. Apparently something there had to be picked up and delivered to the orbital station.

Once we were ensconced in the orbital station, Puda took the Hope back to Earth for a refit. We had a communication link with Earth on the station and watched the news broadcasts of our survival. The reason given for the delay in our arrival was that I needed a surgical procedure on the station before I was fit to return to Earth.

Within an hour of our arrival, Constantine returned and docked with the station. He had a DNA sample with him that he guaranteed would please me.

His other news wasn’t so good. “The Hope is being scrapped. Gaia deemed it easier to build a new ship rather than bother repairing her.”

I felt sad and a sense that I’d let Puda down again by not being there for her in her time of need. I wished there was some other alternate outcome.

“Let’s get this started,” I pressed, trying not to weep in frustration at my helplessness in looking after my ship.

Constantine handed me the sample and turned to leave. Before he disappeared from the room, he said, “I have to return to Earth. Gaia will send a ship back up once your body is rebuilt. Good luck and I’ll see you soon.”

Tryst followed me to the med lab where so many of our people had recently gained their new bodies. I placed the sample in one of the many lab machines there and climbed into the adjacent booth. Tryst held my hand and said, “I love you,” before I closed the lid and started the procedure that would hopefully, return me to my proper sex.

After what seemed only a moment, but was in actuality many hours, I woke. As is usual at first, things were a little hazy as my scattered thoughts gathered themselves back into cognizant awareness. My body felt different, yet familiar. I didn’t need to touch myself to know that I was a woman once more. I couldn’t help, but smile. No matter what I looked like, I was now female. I just hoped Tryst could love this body as he’d once loved my first female form.

I opened the booth’s lid and saw Tryst waiting for me. He helped me out and took me into a fierce embrace that threatened to smother me.

“Air,” I gasped, before he captured my mouth in an ardent kiss.

We broke at last and I got a chance to look at my body, at least what I could see. It was remarkable similar to the one I’d picked originally. Same colour skin and my hair seemed to be the same colour and length.

“I wasn’t sure you’d recognise me,” I admitted my worry to Tryst.

He grinned and his expression aroused my curiosity. I could tell he was hiding something from me. He gestured towards the wall, where a mirror had been strategically placed. I walked over, keeping one eye on Tryst and his growing grin.

When I turned my attention to the mirror, my world rocked. There before me in her naked glory, was … me. The exact same person I’d been before the accident. My knees buckled under the shock of seeing my ghost, or the body I’d thought lost forever.

Tryst caught me, supporting my weakening legs. “How?” I gasped out.

“I talked to Gaia after you went into the booth. I wanted to know what to expect when you’d finished in the booth,” he began, as he held me in his arms.

“And?” I prompted, looking up into his eyes.

“Did you know that the original Hope had a backup of its samples?” he asked.

When I shook my head, he continued. “Well there were duplicate DNA stores in case one was breached through some mishap. This meant that each sample had a duplicate. Once the original Hope returned to Earth, she removed the DNA banks back into storage. The second Hope had a whole new set of DNA samples. Once she heard of the loss of your body, she searched the original banks to locate the only sample that had its twin missing. The one you had used. Your new body is the twin of the one you lost.”

I was so overjoyed, I jumped upward, flinging my arms around his neck and kissed him while scissoring my legs around his waist in a vice-like grip. His hands dropped to my ass, cupping my buttocks to hold my weight while I tried my best to give him a tonsillectomy using only my tongue.

He carried me, still lip locked, to the nearest sleeping quarters and set me down on the bed. As I used my hands to undress him, I tried not to break our kiss. The sex that followed was a feeding frenzy that took the edge off our desperate needs. A second round followed the first. This time we could take our time and get to know each other’s bodies again in a less urgent manner. Eventually, we lay entwined, our passion sated for the moment, drifting on the aftermath of our orgasms content to hold each other in silence. Somewhere in the silence, we both drifted off to sleep.

Waking up in Tryst’s arms made me smile remembering the night before. I squeezed out of bed, trying not to disturb Tryst as my bladder sent me to the toilet. Afterwards, I took a shower, reveling in the way my body felt under the stinging droplets. By the time I was ready to come out, Tryst entered with some clothes he’d been given by the AI that ran the orbiting station.

I got dressed while Tryst took his own shower, nearly tempted by his offer to join him, but I knew where that would lead, and I didn’t think the bowlegged walk look was the impression I wanted to give at our arrival on Earth.

We ate a leisurely breakfast with just a bit of small talk going on between us. I think we were both we wondering what our arrival back on Earth would bring.

“Ship approaching,” the monotone voice of the AI informed us.

“Screens on,” I ordered, activating the monitors in the dining area.

It looked like Constantine was back in the ship he’d commanded before. We finished our breakfast and made our way to the docking level. There, we were directed to the bay where the ship had docked.

The airlocks swished open as we approached and we entered the ship once more. “Constantine,” I called, seeing no one was there to greet us. Hearing nothing, we ventured further in and started making our way to the bridge.

“We’re underway … that’s odd!” I exclaimed, feeling the subtle sensations only one used to space travel would recognise. We saw no one, and the ship's com remained curiously silent as we arrived at the bridge.

The reason became clear once we reached the bridge. There was nobody around. The bridge was empty. “Ship? Where is everyone?” I asked the onboard AI.

“SHIP? SHIP? What am I, a piece inanimate cerametal?” An instantly recognizable voice snorted.

I screamed in joy, “PUDA!”

“Welcome aboard the newest Hope, Captain,” Puda announced with pride. “I hope you won’t break this one too soon, I’m getting tired of having my memory core transferred to and fro.”

My voice filling with choked up emotion, I cried, “I could hug you.”

“Easily accomplished Araya,” Puda responded, shimmering into holographic existence.

I moved to embrace her, hoping she was using her hard light mode. She was, and I could put all of my relief and joy at seeing her into that hug. Once I released her, Tryst gave her a hug too, which I found moving. Tryst’s association with Puda hadn’t been anywhere near as long as mine, yet he obviously thought she was more than just a run of the mill AI.

“Thanks for saving both our lives,” I heard him say to her.

“A ship is just a pile of metal without its crew” Puda replied with an astonishing touch of insight.

“Well, hardly just a pile of metal. You are unique in whatever shell you’re in,” Tryst told her.

I’m sure I saw a blush appear on Puda’s holographic face, as she stepped back a pace.

“We have a reception to attend,” Puda began. “I have some clothes for you that I thought would look appropriate if you’d like to try them on.”

“Darn, and here I thought jeans and a tee would be fine,” I giggled, trying not to show my nervousness at the upcoming reception.

“Well I thought you’d like to show off that body you just regained,” Puda astutely pointed out.

“True,” I agreed. “This was all the AI could supply us,” I grumbled, plucking at my top.

“Well let me show you what I selected.” Puda smiled, leading the way to the Captain’s quarters.

The Hope entered Earth’s atmosphere, tearing a hole in it and creating a contrail of water vapour as it traveled across the continents in the upper atmosphere. Puda took the Hope down once we neared the legendary Cape Canaveral, where Gaia had created all of the Hopes for me. The ship slowed, and descended to tree top level near what Puda informed me was the rocket garden.

It was here that the history of early space travel was preserved, using old rockets as statues. Redstone, Atlas and Titan rockets stood there, along with a Saturn 5 that dwarfed the others. Alongside that were several Russian rockets, including the one that had launched Sputnik 1, and others that had been used to build and supply Mir, the first long duration space habitat. Then there was the space shuttle and a Nimitz class asteroid miner along with a Pegasus Mars Lander.

As Puda moved the Hope slowly past them, she pointed out three new additions that dwarfed the others into insignificance. I gasped and tears sprang from my eyes, as I saw the three ships that had borne the name, Hope. The three stood in silent testimony to the trials they had endured to save mankind and bring Earth’s children home safe again.

“They were saved as a reminder to the future generations of mankind,” Puda explained. “Gaia left them in the same state they were when they arrived back on Earth, still showing the signs of damage in their efforts to save mankind. They stand as symbols of Earth’s determination to recover her children and of the few brave souls that commanded them, meaning, you and Tryst.”

“Hey I didn’t command anything,” Tryst protested, looking as embarrassed as I surely did at this role we’d been placed in.

“Just a second, if I have to bear the honour of being famous, then you are going to suffer along with me,” I joked.

“Damn, does this mean I can’t slob around anymore? I’ll be stuck wearing this suit forever?” grumbled Tryst, twisting the collar of his dark blue military style suit.

“Tough,” I giggled. “What about me?” I pointed out. “I can just see myself working outside in this,” looking down at the ankle length gown in shimmering Aquamarine silk that hugged my form like a cocoon. My 4 inch spike heels, and the severely limited leg movement from the gown, made walking an exercise in precision navigation.

“You certainly look appropriate for placing on a pedestal, in my opinion,” approved Tryst, winking at Puda.

“You’d soon grumble if I lazed around idle while you did all the work,” I laughed.

“Ready to meet your adoring public?” Puda asked with a raised eyebrow.

“NO!” We both chorused together.

Puda laughed, and the Hope moved away at speed, heading towards Vegas. Apparently Gaia had provided coverage of the last battle for everyone that had scattered around the globe. She’d also gathered up them for this gathering, just to celebrate our success. It was going to be a daunting time, being the focus of attention with everyone’s eyes.

It was around midmorning when we arrived, not at Las Vegas as expected, but at the spot of the first landing. Looking down on those gathered there, we could see a huge arc of people seated in front of a platform, where I guessed we were to stand. For those further out from the platform, huge screens had been provided to allow them to see and hear us clearly. Looking at the immense gathering, I suddenly felt overwhelmed.

I staggered, my knees becoming jelly, feeling more nervous than I had facing the enemy in space. “Don’t worry, you can lean on me,” offered Tryst, moving to support me with an arm around my waist.

“It’s these shoes,” I lied, looking up at him in gratitude.

“Of course it is,” Tryst agreed, seeing through my fib. “But we can’t have our heroine going barefoot, can we? You know, I’m scared too, But together we can get through it. The world needs its heroes right now, and we got handed the job.”

“Darn I know I shouldn’t have signed that job application,” I wailed, pretending to hit my head against the view screen.

Tryst’s support had sent the collywobbles off to pack their bags. Hovering twenty feet in the air, Puda sent us slowly down to the ground via the ATT, then put the Hope down behind the platform, away from the crowd.

After the tube had been shut off, we walked carefully to the platform. I held on to Tryst for dear life as we could hear the ever increasing cheers start to wash over us.

We climbed up onto the platform, still holding hands. And the roar from the people peaked as they waved and cheered. A huge screen was mounted above us, replaying everything we’d been through in the last battle. There was even footage of our struggle afterwards, as we struggled to repair the Hope. I suddenly realised that Gaia must have got that footage from the monitoring cameras that allow Puda to keep track of our movements aboard the ship.

The footage ended when Tryst carried my dying body into the med booth, for which I was grateful. I turned from the screen, letting go of Tryst’s hand and raised both my hands slowly. The roar slowly died, as they saw I wanted to speak. I waited until things quieted before I started to speak.

A million things flashed through my mind as I tried to decide what my opening words would be. Stupid things, most of them, such as “Dearly beloved, we are gathered …” I shook my head, trying to come up with something decent people would remember.

“People of Earth, I’m not a hero. I am just an ordinary person like you, forced to do extraordinary things. Any one of you would have done the same in my place. What I did, I did for all of mankind and Gaia, the giver of life. Let us celebrate our return to this planet and our continued survival upon it. Our enemy is defeated for now, but we must build a civilization that will endure past those who might try to take it away. Let Gaia guide us in our endeavors.”

I finished, stepping back to Tryst and taking his hand. “You want to say something?” I asked, expecting him to say no.

Tryst paused before nodding. Surprised, I let him stand forward and address the crowd.

“I’m not a speech maker, and speaking to you all scares me silly, but I need to get something off my chest. After the near disaster with the moon, the Hope was in poor shape, with very little fuel and with a horrendous velocity debt to overcome. I watched Araya get stuck with trying to repair the ship with little thought of her own fragility. She even sacrificed her life unflinchingly, to save my own. She never gave up, never thought of defeat. I was constantly in awe of her spirit’s attempts to overcome the odds that were stacked against our ever getting home. She is the real hero here, I’m just glad I was along for the ride.”

Tryst stepped back and took me in his arms and kissed me, while the people responded with a roar of approval. I felt stunned by what Tryst had said. In hindsight, even I could see that everything he’d said was true, but at the time it had just been the right thing to do. I wasn’t a hero, just a survivor. I guess Tryst saw it differently.

I broke the kiss and smiled at him. “Come on love, we have a world to discover.”

Of course we didn’t get away that easily. More speeches were made, and it wasn’t until the celebration party had been in full swing for quite awhile that we could slip away.

Puda, who’d appeared at our side after the speeches, had flown the Hope away with the excuse that it needed to complete its refit. As we were still seen there, nobody bothered much, as the bots flew around supplying everyone with food and drink.

In reality, Puda had flown back to Vegas to await our arrival. Feeling like children sneaking away from the party, we took the rail transport back to Las Vegas. There, Puda waited with the Hope.

We quickly boarded and the Hope flew up into the afternoon sky. “Where to Araya?” Puda asked with a snappy salute and a grin.

‘Where to? Indeed’ I thought.

“That way,” I literally pointed with my arm at the horizon, not caring which direction my finger was aimed.

Puda took the ship in the direction I’d indicated. I held Tryst as we watched the every changing terrain flow past below. Occasionally we would pass over some habitation, but nothing I saw caught my attention enough that I wanted to stop. Eventually, the East coast came into view and I had Puda take the Hope North along the coastline.

“There! Stop there,” I insisted, seeing a familiar landmark rising into the evening light.

The Statue of Liberty shone like a beacon, still welcoming her weary traveler’s home. I felt it was rather appropriate, and choked up at the thought. Tryst who’d never seen it before other than on the records we’d seen back on the habitats, said he liked the way the torch was lighting up the way home. I nodded, shedding a tear. Puda circled the statue once before depositing us next to the hotel I’d stayed in last time.

“I’ll see you soon, I really do need to go back and finish the refit,” Puda announced. “If you decide to move anywhere else before I’m finished, there are plenty of hover cars. Just ask the nearest bot,” she added before taking the Hope South.

I took great pleasure in showing Tryst the sights in person. Having someone to share the experience made it so much more satisfying, especially at night between silken sheets.

At first, we were alone, seeing no people at all, but gradually others started coming back. Maybe it was because they wanted to see the place where I’d been and subsequently seen on the video clip of my travels. Often, we’d meet them in restaurants, where the time ingrained routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner guaranteed synchronicity of our movements.

In space and in particular the habitats, this routine had been observed as well. But because of the need to have people awake and alert every hour of the day, these routines were staggered so that while some were sleeping, the others were awake. On Earth, that need disappeared, and once more, waking life was governed by the diurnal cycle of earth’s planetary motion.

Meeting others was strange at first, as recognition only went one way. They knew us, but mostly, they were anonymous to us. The adoration of these strangers was nice, but it made me feel like I had to be circumspect in public, as if having been placed on a pedestal, I wasn’t allowed to put a foot wrong. I wanted to scream at times. Just yell out. “I’m just like you.”

It got better after they got to know me, but there was always someone new coming along as people traveled the earth searching for the right place to stay.

Then one day it all changed. The Hope was back. We were on the island where the Statue of Liberty stood, having a picnic, when Puda appeared standing next to us. We literally jumped and I nearly exhaled my drink through my nose in shock, not a nice feeling when it’s a cold fizzy cola.

“I’m baack,” she quipped, striking a pose.

“You … you …” I spluttered, looking for something to throw at her.

“You know, you’re not supposed to snort coke,” she laughed unrepentantly, as I wiped liquid from my face.

“Where’s the Hope? I asked, changing the subject. I knew I wouldn’t win if I tried playing her game.

“Behind you,” she grinned, watching me spin to look.

I saw nothing but the city backdrop. I searched the sky above, still seeing no sign of the ship.

“Where?” I finally asked.

“Keep looking,” she urged.

Suddenly the sky seemed to darken and from nowhere it seemed, the Hope emerged, solidifying into physical form. Both Tryst and I gasped, as the now visible Hope moved lower, settling down near the island’s shoreline.

“Not only is she now fully armed and has the fastest engines, she has cloaking technology. Gaia discovered a curious property of the cerametal hull. She found it has a crystalline structure which not only has energy absorption properties; it also can emit energies as well. By connecting each crystal to its diametric opposite with micro filaments, light impacting on one would emit out its opposite, rendering the mass in-between invisible,” Puda explained.

“Wow! I guess next you’ll be telling me about faster than light drives,” I kidded her, seeing how enthused she was with the cloaking device.

“How did you find out about that?” Asked a puzzled Puda. “Gaia only just started work on it.”

I was the one caught out this time. I didn’t really want another explanation like the last, so I swallowed the obvious question, and pretended to be all knowing.

“Well it is the next logical progression,” I put to her.

“I think Gaia wants to make a fleet of similarly equipped ships,” Puda mused as we followed her back to the Hope, our picnic forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Once aboard, we found that the Hope contained the new clothes we’d acquired over the last month we’d been in the New York area.

“I take it we are going someplace?” I asked.

“Gaia thought you’d like to take a tour of Earth, seeing you saved it from the alien fleet,” Puda answered.

I looked at Tryst. “You up for a tour?”

He grinned, “Sure, let’s blow this joint.”

“You’ve been watching too many old movies,” I laughed, at his expression.

It was good to be back in the Hope, even though it was a new ship. Puda chattered on about this or that, imparting the local history of the places we visited to us. Things were different though. Without the need to fly into space, transporting goods, and avoiding the pirates that used to ply the void between the habitats, I felt restless. I guess I missed the excitement and the danger that came with my old job.

Visiting the wonders of the Earth helped assuage the feeling of missing something. That is, until one particular morning over Africa. I had had just awakened and got dressed, when suddenly I felt nauseous. I barely made it to the toilet before retching. I felt somewhat better afterwards, so I didn’t mention it to Tryst who was still abed. I wondered if the native fruits I’d sampled the day before were responsible, so I resolved to limit experiencing new flavours today.

But the next morning, I experienced the same nauseous feelings, and after worshiping the Earth mother, to which all things eventually return, I woke Tryst.

“I think I need to use the med booth. This is the second day that I’ve been sick after I woke up.”

“Okay, Love, let’s go,” Tryst offered, as he scrambled out of bed.

“Diagnostic mode,” I ordered, as I climbed into the booth while Tryst looked on anxiously.

“Diagnostic completed,” Puda announced in a strange tone, several minutes later.

I climbed out of the booth and posed the question burning in my mind. “What’s wrong with me and is it curable?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. Curable? No, there’s no need of a cure for pregnancy. In nine months or thereabouts the situation will resolve itself.”

“No cure …” I started to protest, before the rest of her words began to sink in. “I’m pregnant? I’m going to have a baby?” Shock making me babble on.

“You’re going to be a mommy. Congratulations Araya and Tryst. Welcome to the cycle of life.”

I stood there with a jubilant Tryst hugging me, while I tried to contemplate being pregnant. Puda rattled on about how I might have three more months of morning sickness before it subsided. I was going to bring new life into this world, something that might never have been possible in the cold reaches of space where I’d lived most of my life. I suddenly had a purpose again, nurturing the beginnings of Earth’s new future civilization.

I rubbed my stomach in anticipation. “Tryst, you’re going to be a daddy,” I giggled, feeling giddy.

“I think we need to read up on what’s in store for us … and you.”

The news that I was going to be a mother gave me back my sense of purpose. No longer did I need to go exploring in outer space for excitement, because I had something exciting happening in my inner space. As I sat on the bridge of the Hope watching the Earth turn below me, I cried with joy at the thought of our children having the freedom to wander where they will on this magnificent globe we call home. I turned to Tryst and hugged him, knowing our future together was complete. “Honey, let’s go home.”

The end.

Postscript: Araya and Tryst never did settle on one particular place on Earth. Instead, they used the Hope as a sort of mobile home where Puda took on a secondary duty as a nanny. They did stay at various places around the world for months at a time, enjoying the beauty of a particular spot, but always returning to the Hope. Araya decided to have her first child in the hut where she had first stayed, as a symbolic gesture, with an ever watchful Puda at her side in case she was needed.

Araya went on to have four children, two boys and two girls, who later commanded their own ships, having inherited their mother’s passion for adventure. Each had their own AI, based on Puda’s memory core, but with an individual personality. It was they who commanded a new fleet of FTL ships bent on discovering if there were any other survivors of man’s first exodus from Earth.

The alien fleet that had plagued mankind’s return to Earth was never a threat to Earth again, thanks to new innovations in robotic weaponry that protected the solar system from their positions in the Oort cloud.

Notes:

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Araya's Hope -3-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Science Fiction

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Araya’s children have grown up and now are ready to set off on a mission to retrieve another lost Earth colony. Unfortunately, they encounter more than they bargained for. The colony was split and at war with each other, then things get really complicated as the war attracts the attention of an old enemy.

ARAYA’S HOPE III

By
Prudence Walker

Children of Hope

“Araya? Your children are hailing us,” Puda interrupted over the comm link.

“Which ones is it now?” I asked, having just finished my exercises in the onboard gymnasium of the Hope.

“All four,” replied Puda with a laugh.

“Put them on,” I groaned, wiping my face with a towel and hurriedly straightening my workout tracksuit.

“Mom, we all want to take our ships and go on this latest mission to check out the search probes report.” A chorus sounded as soon I allowed an open channel.

“Not on your own you aren’t. You either pair up or take someone else with you,” I insisted vehemently knowing I’d get a concerted howl of protest.

“Oh mom, our AI’s are more than capable of taking care of us, and our ships are the latest models, not like your old thing.” Rachel grumbled loudly with the others chipping in with their affirming opinions.

“You heard me. You’re lucky I’m considering letting you go at all, if it wasn’t for your father” I trailed off, my thoughts going back a few months.

“You want me to what?” asked a stunned Tryst, as I tried to appear nonchalant over my suggestion.

“I think you need to spend some time in the Med unit, I think you’re going deaf in your old age.” I giggled, trying to delay the inevitable.

“Me? I’m not the one suggesting I have the next child,” snorted Tryst indignantly.

“Well you did mention having more children, I’m just offering you a chance to experience the joys of creating a new life and nurturing it yourself,” I prompted.

“Butbut,” sputtered Tryst, getting rather red-faced, as he tried to weasel out of it.

“I can have a fertilized egg transplanted from my body to yours, after you change sex. That way you don’t have to get pregnant the old fashioned way and I don’t have to become male to do it either.” I countered, overriding his protests.

In the end, I won him over. I mean it wasn’t as if he had to remain female forever. A lot of the other families were choosing to do the same, becoming more empathic with their spouses as they shared the same experiences and joy.

With the tradition role of breadwinner being made redundant thanks to the new technological wonders Gaia produced, men were sharing the role of mother to help repopulate the Earth.

I thought having had four children a year apart, two of which were twins, it was time for someone else to pop them out. The eldest, Kevin was followed by his brother Chris, with the twins Rachel and Cindy following a year later. Being a mother and giving life to another human being was such a satisfying experience that I wanted Tryst to experience it as well.

Two weeks after Tryst became pregnant with our fifth child, a shock announcement from Gaia revealed that one of the early probes sent out across the galaxy, had found another human outpost. The probe had encountered a serious threat which had caused it to abandon its primary objective and limp back to earth with its discovery. Before it was forced to retreat by an attack on itself by unknown forces, it had detected human life in conflict with those same forces.

If I had held off on getting Tryst pregnant by those two weeks, it could have been me that would have led the expedition to search out the last remnants of humankind. It now looked like my children would be taking my place, so I was going do my darnedest to make sure my children were going to be safe on their voyage. I knew that the AI’s in their ships that they all received on their 20^th birthday were clones of Puda herself, and as such, were the best there was, but I also knew you need at least two people aboard a ship in case of the unexpected.

Each of my children had chosen ship hulls of differing shapes. The boys had selected a spherical, and a cylindrical hull, while the girls had chosen a teardrop and a saucer shape hull. Each had the latest armaments and cloaking technology available and didn’t need natural wormholes to travel intergalactic space, as the ships generated their own, sort of like pulling themselves along with their own bootstraps.

If it wasn’t for Tryst, I would have gone along too, but I’d promised I’d stay with her during her pregnancy and I didn’t want to go gallivanting around the galaxy with her when there was a chance of a battle. Not that I was happy that my children were going into harms way, but they were the logical choice as they had lived aboard the Hope most of their lives and knew shipboard life intimately. Everything I could teach them about weapons strategy and navigation had been drummed into their heads and I hoped some of it had stuck there.

“What do the kids want now?” asked Tryst, who had just entered the bridge, dragging my thoughts back to the present.

”They want permission to head the search to find the last colonists,” I answered, turning to look at my husband come mother.

Tryst looked nothing like his male self, having chosen to pick a young female body that most resembled me 25 years ago. Unlike the time when I had been forced to inhabit a male form, there was no reticence at showing our closeness together. I hugged her, receiving a hug and a kiss in return.

“I take it from your expression that you are letting them go, even though you want to be there as well?” Tryst asked with a delicately raised eyebrow.

“You know me too well,” I sighed, nodding my head.

“They do have to learn to rely on themselves, you know,” Tryst pointed out.

“Maybe I’m feeling old,” I joked.

“Well you could get your body clock reset,” winked Tryst. “Then we could cruise bars together,” she added, striking a provocative pose with one hand on her hip.

“Watch it missy, or I’ll show you some bars in the brig,” I quipped with a giggle.

“We could both go with them, you know,” offered Tryst.

“No!” I cut her off, trying desperately to resist the temptation.

“So what about it?” Tryst persisted.

“Huh?” I replied intelligently, having forgotten what we were on about.

“Getting a younger body, I wasn’t kidding about hitting the bars. I figured seeing I have this body, I could wangle a few free drinks.” Tryst reminded me.

“But we don’t have to pay for drinks anyway,” I snorted, feeling like I was in some sort of melodrama.

“Well?” Tryst began doggedly, ignoring my rebuttal.

“Okay, okay. I promise I’ll do it tomorrow,” I gave in, knowing arguing was futile at this juncture.

“I’ve made the appointment, Araya,” Puda announced with a laugh.

“Hey! I thought you were on my side?” I half-heartedly grumbled.

“Oh I am dear, I am,” Puda replied.

The next few days were hectic, as after I went through the age reversal process, I then went and inspected each of my children’s ships, for a final check. I spoke with each AI, all of whom had been given different personal names as chosen by my sons and daughters. I felt better after that, even though I knew nothing counted more than having experienced an actual battle and surviving. Each AI had the knowledge base from the original Puda and would guide my children as Puda had done for me.

In the end, they each took along one of their friends to crew their ships and after a brief shakedown exercise, they started their journey into the unknown.

After moving clear of the solar system, they blipped (blipped is the kids expression for wormholing) out towards the heading supplied by the probe.

Gaia had thoughtfully provided small drones that would deploy just prior to each of their jumps. These were designed to communicate through the sub space link created by the wormholes. This provided a link through which we could keep in touch with the ships in real time.’ Once they were past the first several jumps, they decided to separate, forming a square with each ship at the corners. The distance between them was determined so the overlap of their sensor fields left no gap in the centre of their formation. This increased their search sweep range while still being within sensor range and help from their sibling ships.

It was Quda, (Cindy’s AI aboard her ship the Hopeful) that located the first signs of life. She then informed the other ships to close on her position. Kevin commanding his ship, the NewHope came to within 50 K of Cindy’s ship, positioning it alongside, with Rachel and Chris in their ships the Hope and Glory, and the Hopetown, lining up behind 500 K to the rear.

“Listen up folks,” Kevin spoke, calling a four ship conference. “Cindy and I will proceed ahead together, while Chris and Rachel remain here as backup. But if I give you the order to leave, YOU MUST OBEY. I don’t want you foolishly committing yourselves in the face of overwhelming odds. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Kevin insistently demanded.

“Loud and clear bro, but in that case, we want you to make all attempts to survive too. We don’t want to face mom without you.” Chris answered.

“We shall try our best,” offered Cindy, as she fell into line behind Kevin.

The NewHope moved out with the Hopeful following in close support. Sensor readings indicated multiple weapon discharges, and there were snatches of human communications indicating that someone was under attack.

Fully cloaked, and defensive screens on, the two Hopes pressed on towards the planetary system where all the action appeared to be located. Kevin sent a tight beam Maser transmission to Chris and Rachel.

“We are out of their line of sight behind the shadow of a gas giant in this system. It seems quiet here so you can advance to this point while we head into the inner planets. Do not show yourselves until we give you the go ahead.”

Kevin didn’t expect a reply, knowing Chris and Rachel wouldn’t want anyone to know their exact position to bother sending a beamed reply in case it was possibly detected by the unknown forces gathered in the area.

Kevin and Cindy then moved forward, past the gas giant and moved towards the centre of activity. Suddenly, Kevin’s AI, Duda, informed him that there were two fleets of ships ahead, both seemingly being manned by humans. It seemed the conflict was the result of a civil war and didn’t actually involve an alien race.

Back on Terra firma

“Araya? There’s an urgent call coming in from Gaia,” Puda announced, sounding agitated.

“Put her on,” I acknowledged, wondering why Puda sounded so concerned.

“Hello my child, it seems we might have been misled in our haste to recover our other lost children,” the motherly sounding voice of Gaia began.

The contrite tone in her voice sent shivers down my spine. I braced myself for bad news as Gaia continued. “On further analysis of the data, the probe returned with, we have determined to a 97% chance of possibility that the conflict was between humans calling themselves the Chosen and the Mutoids.”

“SO?” I asked, waiting to the hammer to drop.

“It appears that there are no aliens. Both groups are human.”

“Oh crap! I exclaimed, knowing this was bad.

“Indeed,” confirmed Gaia.

“What’s bad,” tryst chimed in, having just entered and catching the last bit of our conversation.

“We sent our kids into a civil war. There are no clear cut aliens to fight against, only other humans. Trust me, that’s bad. Who’s to say which are the bad guys, or even if there are any. Just read any of the old history files from earth’s civil wars and what happens to third parties that try intervention to stop them.”

“Gaia I need a new ship a big one,” I asked, turning away so Tryst couldn’t see my tears. My children needed me, I had to go.

Meanwhile, in an uncharted region of space.

“They have stopped attacking each other,” Cindy reported, via a tight beam, having seen the multi-hued fire fight flashing between both fleets.

“Yeah, they seem to be moving apart. I wonder why?” Kevin commented with a hint of worry in his voice.

“I don’t suppose they have detected us?” asked Cindy, echoing Kevin’s worry.

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” Kevin beamed back. “We are fully cloaked against visual and electromagnetic sensors.”

It became apparent by the movement of the two fleets that they had detected something approaching. The fleet nearest the planet had started to turn and head toward the two ships while the opposing fleet remained relatively in the same place, apart from closing ranks and turning to face the same way as the other fleet.

Cindy had a premonition and opened a channel to her sibling ships far behind and had Quda relay all the telemetric data as it occurred as well as the voice logs.

“The nearest group is heading straight for us. Somehow they know we’re here,” stated Kevin, as he calculated the vectors.

Shall we decloak and hail them?” asked Cindy in reply.

“Yes, tell the others to be ready,” agreed Kevin, sending the command to decloak the ship.

“Already done brother,” as she too, began to decloak.

Before either of the two Hope’s could deliver a message to the approaching ships, both of them came under attack from the fleet closest to them. Their screens flared white, but sustained no damage as the barrage increased in intensity. Their relief was short lived though, as soon both Quda and Duda reported hull breeches.

“How can they get through our screens,” shouted Kevin, as choking dense smoke filled the bridge.

“It’s some kind of knock out gas, choked Cindy, feeling dizzy and nauseated as she breathed in the toxic cloud.

“They are using a wormhole weapon,” warned their AI’s. “They opened a miniature event horizon inside our hulls and sent their loads through it,” they explained to their nearly unconscious captains. “More incoming,” they warned, as small balls of sparkling energy disrupted everything electrical with an EMP like pulse. The computers fell silent and the two Hopes drifted helplessly as everything shutdown and all members’ aboard succumbed to the gas.

Chris and Rachel were in a quandary. They were torn with the need to stay and protect their brother and sister and the duty to retreat and report the situation back to Earth. The decision became moot, as they found themselves under the same attack from a breakaway group from the other fleet. They had no defence against the wormhole weapon, and Chris barely managed to send several data probes back to the last jump point before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Kevin awoke to hear strange voices near him. He opened his eyes and coughed in reflex to clear his lungs. Hands from several strangers pulled him to his feet and he got his first clear look at them, as they threw questions at him in some barely understandable English. He feigned weakness as he tried to figure out where he was. The people shaking him for answers were dressed oddly, their clothes seemingly mismatched and looked like hand me downs.

As Kevin shook his head, the men turned their attention to Jennifer his only other crewmember. Seeing that they were only firing questions at her, Kevin took a moment to look at the screens that showed the outside of the Hope. He was shocked to see that the ship appeared to be underground. They must have taken the ship down to the planet where they used the manual access hatch in the hull. Although some electrical systems were active, most were not. He took a chance and spoke a single word.

“Duda?” He called out to his AI.

Silence answered, at least from the AI. The men turned their attention back to him.

“Crikey mate you do talk, we thought you didn’t understand our lingo. Is that your name or hers?” the one in charge asked, pointing at Jennifer.

“It’s my ship,” Kevin answered, not wanting to be caught in a lie that might bite him in the ass later. It was true anyway, just not all the truth. “Where are we, and why did you attack us?”

“You and this ship are on New Australus. We were at war with the Mutoids and we thought you were their new secret weapon. We were surprised when we took you so easily. The Mutoids have developed a defence against our inter-dimensional transporter.”

“Where is my sister’s ship? Is she okay?”

“The other ship is here as well, our men are about to enter it now. Where are you from? You are obviously the chosen, but we don’t recognise this ship or your style of clothing.”

“The chosen?” Kevin questioned.

“Crikey mate! The chosen are the fair dinkum from flippen Urt, surely you know that much.”

Kevin struggled to make sense of the man’s words, but eventually he worked it out.

“You mean Earth?”

“Yeah mate, you got it in one,” the man answered. “So where did you come from?”

“We all came from Earth.” Kevin stated.

“Yeah, I figgered that much, but where do you live now?” the man questioned, seeming to get annoyed with his obvious evasion.

“We live on Earth, we just travelled here to find you,” Kevin elaborated.

“No bleeding way mate! The Urt was destroyed millennia ago. You can’t come the raw prawn wid me mate.”

“It’s true, the Earth wasn’t destroyed. We were lost just like you, but now we have returned home. We came to bring you back home as well,” insisted Kevin.

“Home,” the man sighed, his gaze lost in half remembered history lessons.

“My name is Kevin Lightfoot, and this is my friend, Jennifer Matisse,” offered Kevin.

“They call me Jack Dundee,” the man in charge returned. “What happened to the rest of your crew?”

“This is all I have and need,” smiled Kevin at Jack’s disbelieving look.

“We’d better discuss this later. Let me show you New Australus. I’ll have your people on the other ship join us directly,” Jack said, starting to lead off.

Outside, Kevin could see they were in a huge underground cavern. It seemed that the planet had an atmosphere, but it wasn’t one suitable for humankind, so everyone lived underground in an oxygen atmosphere separated from the surface by an airlock. Kevin walked along his cylindrical ship to where he could see the teardrop shape of his sister’s ship. Cindy, and her navigator Jenna were being escorted towards them with several strange men guiding them along.

As everyone gathered in a control/command room, one of the men there came over to Jack and whispered in his ear. Kevin gave Cindy a hug and shrugged at her questioning look.

“Did you have another two ships with you?” Jack asked, looking upset from the news he’d been given.

“Yes, my other brother and sister were lagging behind us, why do you ask?” Kevin answered.

“They have been captured, taken by the Mutoids to their moon.”

Back on Earth

“What do you mean I have to wait?” I fumed in frustration at hearing Gaia’s call for patience. “If I have to, I’ll take the Hope and go now.” I told her. “I will take on anything to protect my children,” I ranted, pacing the bridge angrily.

“My child, your ship is larger than theirs are, but it will do you no good if you leave now,” Gaia spoke with a quiet patience.

I felt guilty acting like a petulant child to her calm response, but my protective maternal instinct knew no reasoning when it came to my children’s safety. I had wanted a huge ship bristling with arms to frighten anyone I encountered out there.

“We have new information.” Gaia continued undaunted. “A probe from your son’s ship returned with new data. It seems the human colony has a new weapon. If you left now, you’d be just as vulnerable to it as they were.”

I sighed, knowing she was right. If I rushed off now I could be compounding the situation instead of countering it.

“What sort of weapons do they have?” I asked hopefully. “More to the point, will we have a counter for it?”

“It appears to be dimensional in nature. Duda reported containers of anaesthetic gas being ported past the screens directly into the bridge. The last stream of data, before the AI’s transmission stopped was that there was some kind of electrical disrupter sent aboard. We postulated that it was most likely an EMP generator to knock out the computer systems.”

“And the defence against it?” I pressed.

“We’ve come up with one. The ship will be enclosed in a warp field of its own and anything trying to pass through it will be redirected away. It may even be possible to return the fire to its source.

“Why is the new ship being built in a low moon orbit?” I asked curiously.

“Until the ship is complete and the warp field is energised, the sheer mass will would cause gravity disruptions on Earth,” Gaia explained.

“Oh? So just how big with the new ship be?” I asked.

“Well this ship could serve as a life boat on it. The diameter will be 125 miles, and the outer hull will be 1 mile thick. If the screens failed completely, the adamantine/tungsten composite hull could withstand a direct strike against a planet.”

“Wow! I know I said I wanted a big ship, but I wasn’t expecting it to be that big.

“This will be the last Hope we need build. It will carry your ship and all of the other Hopes your children have in it, plus any survivors left to be returned to Earth.”

“The last Hope. That sounds like an apt name for it,” I mused.

“There’s more,” offered Gaia.

Somewhere inside a cavern on a moon circling New Australus

Rachel woke with a pounding headache, then realised the pounding was coming from somewhere in her ship.

“Juda?” She called, trying for a response in the darkened bridge. There was no response, just a few telltales lit on the console. She saw that one represented the airlock on the hull. It had been opened, which meant she’s been boarded. She staggered to the weapons bay and after opening the biometric lock, pulled out a non-lethal dart gun. She waited by the console, trying to regain control of the ship, while listening to the approaching intruders as they forced their way through the inoperative doors. Frustrated in her efforts, she started a cold boot of the ship’s systems, knowing that she would be captured long before the ship finished its task. While she waited, she wondered how her friend Susan was doing. She’d been down in engineering when the shit hit the fan.

Chris in the Hopetown had faired a little better. He’d guessed what had disabled the others and having been the last attacked, had time to crash the ships systems, so that the EMP effects would be minimal. When he woke, the ship had still not been boarded, as Cuta, his AI had rebooted and prevented the unauthorised entry attempted via the hull airlock.

“Cuta? What’s the situation outside?” Chris coughed out, trying to clear the fuzziness out of his head, while checking out his companion Bob, who was still unconscious.

“We are currently 600 feet below the surface of the moon circling the planet known as New Australus. The atmosphere outside is an oxygen/ nitrogen mix with a higher than normal concentration of carbon dioxide, plus some exotic gasses. Pressure is Earth normal at sea level, 14.7 psi. It’s breathable.”

“How did we get here, and who did it?” Chris pressed.

“We were captured by a group humans called the Mutoids. While I was rebooting, they used a tractor beam on both the Hope and Glory and myself and towed us to their moon base. I can’t communicate with Juda, but I did detect that your sister is okay at the moment. However, that may change, as she has been boarded by the Mutoids.”

“Can we do anything?” demanded Chris, feeling frustrated in his helplessness.

“Not at this time. I can’t defend against their weapon at this time and I’d need time to counter the EMP weapon they used against our ships.” Cuda shrugged, her hard light form moving from panel to panel, her hands disappearing eerily into the guts of the panels as she worked to harden the circuitry by attaching bypasses to bleed off unusual voltage potentials.

Rachel watched as several figures entered the bridge. She showed herself once she determined that they were men, her weapon held ready, but facing upwards in a non aggressive manner. The two “men” stopped and took in her stance, their own weapons dipping towards the floor, seeing she could have fired on them and hadn’t.

“Gday. You speak Strine, missy?”

“I speak English. I don’t know this Strine,” offered Rachel, slowly lowering her weapon carefully and placing it in her belt.

The two men grinned at each other and holstered their own weapons. Rachel could see that the two men had what looked like genetic damage. One had an extra finger and seemed to have an extra ear below his left one. The other had an unusual skin problem that left patches of his face mottled alternatively red and black, which, with his hairless head, looked rather odd.

“Where am I?” Asked Rachel, and who are you?”

“We are on Mutant moon, least ways that’s what the Australins call it,” offered the taller of the two. “I’m Conrad and this is Elliott. They call us Mutoids, but we’re as dinkum as they are, we just don’t fit into their concept of normal.”

“Rachel Lightfoot of Earth.” She responded, seeing a shocked look cross their faces.

“You’re from Urt?” questioned the two men incredulously.

“Yes, we came out to find the lost colonies of man in this sector of space. We want to return everyone home.”

“I don’t suppose you will want to take us back, deformed as we are.” Muttered one of them, turning away with an angry voice.

“It doesn’t matter what how you are different. My parents were originally male and female in one body. With Gaia’s help they now have new bodies, and so now you can too,” promised Rachel.

Just then, Rachel’s AI appeared in her hard light form, startling the two men. They whipped up their weapons and fired at Juda reflexively before realising this was a seemingly unarmed human. The weapons’ beams passed harmlessly through Juda’s semi solid body.

“Your brother’s ship is berthed alongside,” she informed Rachel in an equanimous tone, not reacting to the actions of the two men.

“This is my AI. She runs this ship. Is my brother Okay? What of the other two ships with my older brother and twin sister aboard?”

“We haven’t gained entry to the ship next to you yet. It’s overriding our efforts to board it. The other two strange ships were taken to New Australus,” the shorter man admitted.

“Juda, contact Chris and ask him to stand down,” Rachel ordered.

A screen lit up in response, and Rachel could see her brother’s concerned face in the view screen.

“How are you okay sis? Are those guys threatening you?”

“No, I’m okay. Can we meet outside?”

“Okay, but I’m leaving Bob aboard.”

“Damn, that reminds me. Juda? Where is Susan, and is she okay?” Rachel asked, feeling stupid for not remembering to check on her companion.

“Susan fell and suffered a cracked rib and bruising when the gas knocked her out as she was climbing through an access hatch. She is now in the med bay recovering.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rachel turned to the still stunned men and spoke.

“Let’s go meet my brother outside, shall we?”

Later, in more comfortable surroundings two sets of brothers and sisters were asking their captors on different planets very similar questions.

“What is your war all about?”

They received differing answers.

Kevin and Cindy heard this version from the Australin’s.

The Mutoids had been banished from New Australus as soon as they were discovered. The first ones were given a ship and supplies to enable them to live on the nearby moon. They were told not to return. Babies and any young children found with deformities were sent up in space pods out to the growing colony of Mutoids. The pods contained radio beacons to ensure that they would be picked up and taken into care. The Mutoids grew resentful of their forced exile and attacked any ship that dared to stray near. They also raided the planet for minerals and other things, like the food crops grown under domes on the surface of the planet. This raiding was what had started the bitter feud, according to what Jack told them.

The Mutoids answer to Chris and Rachel was simpler. They needed supplies, and the moon didn’t provide them. The New Australin’s wouldn’t trade for them. They grew bitter, knowing they’d been born on the planet, but were now denied that which upon their very survival depended.

“Do you have any technology aboard those ships that we could use against the Mutoids?” Asked Jack Dundee. “I know your defences suck, but what about weapons?”

Kevin looked at Cindy, seeing the same thought pass through her mind. *No way are we helping to destroy more humans.*

“We still need to see if we can reactivate our ship after you overloaded the peripheral systems,” stated Kevin defensively.

“We can help replace your computer hardware,” promised Jack confidently.

“I kind of doubt that. Anyway it won’t be necessary, the ‘Computer,’ as you call it, is perfectly alright. Even though you caught us out with your EMP weapon, it didn’t disable us permanently,” Kevin laughed. “Give us 15 minutes and the ships will be back in action.”

“And your weapons?” Persisted Jack, still looking expectant.

“We only have defensive weapons, nothing that would be any use for offence,” Kevin lied smoothly.

“Maybe we could test that for ourselves, once we strip your ship down,” suggested one of the other men who had since joined them.

“Hey! There’s no need to start doing that,” protested Jack, with surprise at the newcomer’s suggestion.

“I’m afraid it’s no longer your decision. The Security Council have decided to utilise any technology on the captive ships, especially now that the Mutoids have captured two similar ships themselves.”

Both Kevin and Cindy started to protest, along with Jack, who saw the opportunity to return to dear old mother Earth slowly disappearing. The new man waved to some others standing nearby and had them escort Kevin, Cindy, and their crew to holding cells, where their protests fell on deaf ears.

It seemed like hours passed, before anyone bothered to visit them.

Finally, when someone did, it wasn’t exactly who they had expected. It was Jack.

“It seems the men assigned to open up your ships are having difficulty,” he grinned conspiringly. “Without power, the hatches to the engine bay won’t open, and the metal is resisting being cut by plasma torches. What the hell is your ship made of?”

“Cobaltstantium with a Cerametal coating,” ‘not that it will help you knowing that fact’, Kevin answered bitterly.

“Hey I’m on your side,” Jack protested. “Earth can be reached in my lifetime?” Jack asked hopefully.

“It’s about three solar days away with our jump technology.”

“What’s that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“That reminds me,” Kevin added, kicking himself for not warning the wrecking crew. “They better watch out for the black hole we have on board.”

“Black hole?” Shuddered Jack, not liking the grin on Kevin’s face.

“We call it a quantum anomaly, but essentially it’s a black hole, and if the containment system is breached or bypassed, it could swallow this planet and send it God knows where.”

“Bugger mate, why didn’t you tell them that?” Jack remonstrated.

“We didn’t exactly get the chance before we got bundled off to here,” Kevin pointed out, waving his hands at the surrounding bars.

“True. Is there a way to stop them destroying the ship and us along with it?” Jack asked worriedly.

“Sure, we could power up the ship and then safely deactivate the anomaly,” Kevin dissembled smoothly.

“I’d better skedaddle then, before they try something that will really put us up shit creek,” Jack said before rushing out.

“What are you planning, oh brother of mine,” asked Cindy with a hushed voice.

“Just a little surprise, but it will take two of us,” Kevin whispered in her ear.

It wasn’t long before both captains were released from the cell and escorted by guards to their ships. The other crew members were held as hostages to their good behaviour. Under close scrutiny for any attempt at sabotage, they were ordered to initiate the powering up of their ships. Cindy followed the instructions Kevin had given her in the cell. Going to a near invisible access panel, she opened it under the gaze of her guards, who then pushed her aside and looked inside. One guard radioed to the team in Kevin’s ship, just as Kevin was explaining what was inside the panel on his ship.

“This red button supplies emergency backup power to the green reset button. Hold the red button down and hold it, then push the green button for 2 seconds,” he told the one looking inside the panel for any booby traps.

“You do it,” he said finally. “Remember, if anything untoward happens you will die and your sister too,” he threatened.

Kevin complied, doing exactly what he’d told them to do. The ships instruments flashed momentarily, before going dark again. A simple “rebooting” message flashed on a screen, as a deep whine of systems slowly powering up.

When the instruments started showing signs of life, the one in charge radioed the okay to the man aboard Cindy’s ship to repeat the sequence on her ship. Kevin tried moving towards an instrument cluster, but was observed and prevented. The man ordered him and Cindy to be taken back to the cells where they could cause no more interference.

The guards herding them back to the cells might have been suspicious, if he’d seen the slight grin on Kevin’s face, when Cindy winked to Kevin unseen.

“Everything go okay?” Kevin asked her, when they were all together again.

“I’m glad you remembered about the red alert button,” she laughed.

“They swallowed the lie like lambs to slaughter. Once the AI’s detect that the emergency alert buttons been activated, I wouldn’t want to be in those guys shoes.” Kevin grinned evilly. “You still have your ring on?”

“Yeah, they only did a cursory body search for concealed weapons with a hand held device. With our hands held out, they never bothered to sweep them.

Just then, a quiet beep sounded from their rings. Instantly, Kevin brought his ring to his mouth and spoke into it quietly.

“Duda, you and Quda are to execute an immediate withdrawal, ASAP. Try not to hurt the humans aboard too much. You are not, repeat, NOT to fall into the hands of the New Australin’s. You could see if the others are okay, but only if you can do it safely. Don’t attempt a rescue unless you have all possible backup. I’m worried about the EMP weapons, can you guard against them?”

Somehow Duda’s tinny voice managed to sound concerned as he confirmed his orders.

“I can rig a dead man’s relay to reboot the ships systems in case I get overloaded again. It will mean I’m out of action for five minutes, so there is a danger if there’s something directly ahead of me once I’m in motion. I’ll disable the outer hatches so I can’t be boarded while I’m down. Good luck, Kevin,” Duda offered as the com link went silent.

“Good luck too,” Kevin responded.

Mutoid moon, some time earlier

“So this weapon of yours, how does it work? If it can get past our defences, how do you defend against it?” Asked Chris, as they sat in a room under the moon’s surface with their new acquaintances.

Steven Durral, the tall bald man with the patchy skin colouration problem laughed.

“You should see the inside of our ships. The weapon was developed on New Australus. The first time they used it, we were helpless against it, just like you were. We managed to capture one of the ships after it attacked one of ours that was heading directly at it. The captain must have been inexperienced or a fool. Once the EMP generator had disabled the drives, it turned our ship into an unstoppable mass. The captain continued firing, not realising in time that it had worked and the oncoming ship was un-manoeuvrable. He realised his mistake at the last moment, but the two ships collided, putting both out of action. We concentrated on retrieving it to gain the weapon system aboard.”

Steven got up then and motioned them to follow him, while continuing to explain. He led them to one of his ships docked nearby and showed them inside.

“The weapon uses a dimensional warper to get past the hull of a ship. The only drawback is that it needs a clear space for the exit point. Any object in its way prevents it opening a portal to send through the canisters of gas or EMP devices.”

Chris and Rachel pushed their way into the ship, pushed, because the corridors and the cramped cabins were filled with hanging threads of clear plastic material. It was like walking through a gigantic hair brush.

“This stuff is enough to prevent the weapon working, but if you make a big enough space, then it can get through.” Steven demonstrated by brushing aside the strands to clear a space.

“The warper is hard to use on a fully prepared ship. You’re constantly sweeping the ship, looking for an entry point as the focus diameter is very small.” We keep the rooms small and the engine bay is filled with foam beads, as are all spaces in the bulkheads and instrument panels.”

“That must make it messy to work on,” Rachel mused aloud.

“Well it would be if we had to do it in space. We use a large volume suction hose when we open anything up on the moon base.”

“What about the moon base, can’t they use the weapon to gas everyone or knock out your life support systems?” Chris asked.

“No, it will only penetrate solid material to 500 feet, before the beam attenuates. We are over a mile beneath the surface,” Steven answered.

“My man Elliot said that you mentioned that you had a way of reversing the mutations in our body. I’d like to see that, as we have some very serious cases of deformity on the moon base.”

“Tell you what, I’ll demonstrate it for you,” offered Chris with a smile. We can have the demo shown to all if you’d like?”

“You brought DNA templates with you?” Rachel asked, mentally slapping herself for not being as prepared as her brother.

“Sure, sis, I figured that any colony out in space would need some sort help, although my DNA supply is limited to about 50.”

So saying, they left the Mutoid ship and boarded the Hopetown. Chris led the way to the med bay, while the hard light figure Cuda introduced itself to Steven.

“Cuda, interface with the moon base’s visual and audio systems, please,” Chris ordered, after getting the okay from Steven.

“Communications link established captain,” Cuda said after only a few seconds.

“You don’t have any nudity taboos do you?” Asked Chris as he started to undress.

“No, with our limited resources we had to implement communal bathing,” Steven replied.

“Cuda? I want the sample W459,” Chris ordered.

“W459? Are you sure?” Cuda repeated, sounding surprised.

“I’m sure. I want to make this an unquestionable demonstration of our claims,” Chris reaffirmed.

Rachel grinned, knowing what the W meant in the sample selected. Chris stood naked, his sex unmistakable as he turned to step into the chamber.

“This should take about 20 minutes Earth time. You can stay or go, but I want the video stream to be broadcast continually,” Chris said before the lid closed down.

“I’d like to stay,” Steven said, as the process began. Cuda materialised two seats for them to sit on, while Bob, Chris’s crew member brought out refreshments.

“What’s this, and that?” asked Steven, as he gazed at the unfamiliar offerings.

“That in the dew coated bottle is beer, an alcoholic drink and the food is sliced cheese and tomato on a buttered wafer biscuit,” explained Rachel with a knowing grin.

Steven’s trepidation at trying the strange food, soon turned to delighted enthusiasm as his taste buds were treated to a sensorial extravaganza.

“Are all earth foods this delicious?” He asked hopefully.

“Oh no, some are even better,” laughed Rachel, amused at how such simple foods could be so enjoyed.

“We only have agar bars grown from algae and some illicit alcohol that’s brewed occasionally.” Steven explained, as Rachel mentioned some of the treats in store once they all got back to Earth.

“You know, it’s still a mystery how Earth survived, as our records said it was destroyed completely.”

Rachel gave him the pocket edition explanation of the Earths survival, knowing her words were being heard by all people on the moon base.

A low chime sounded, from the chamber and Cuda materialised again and started pushing some buttons on a clothing fabricator.

A slender arm pushed up the lid of the chamber and a form flowed out in sinuous grace, making Steven gasp.

“Like what you see?” A throaty contralto asked, as the newly reformed Chris did a twirl.

“That that’s amazing,” stuttered Steven as he took in the beauty standing coquettishly before him.

Chris was now a raven haired Caucasian with flawless features and a figure that struck a chord deep in Steven’s core, as being the perfect womanly shape.

“I suppose you’d better call me Christine while I’m like this.” She smiled, as she took the clothes offered by Cuda. “Not only can we fix your deformities, we can change your sex if you should so desire it,” Christine offered to her wider audience.

Anticipating unfamiliarity difficulties in donning feminine apparel for the first time, Cuda helped Christine into her undergarments and then the tight jumpsuit she’d produced for her charge.

“Wow, somehow I feel more naked now than when I was naked,” grinned Christine, as she ran her fingers over the figure hugging outfit, cupping her breasts on the way.

“Stop that girl, you’ll give Steven here a coronary,” chided Rachel with a half smirk.

“Don’t stop, it’s a risk I’m prepared to take,” pleaded Steven, with a shit eating grin.

Everyone laughed.

Now dressed, Christine and the others all trooped back to the control centre back on the moon base.

“Nice body, sis.” whispered Rachel with a grin, as they walked side by side.

“Well I’ve been meaning to try this for some time, so this was a great opportunity,” Christine whispered back.

Christine’s form drew all the attention once they entered the control room, and not just from the men either. One man who stared a little too much prompted Christine to direct a comment his way.

“See? You too, can have a body like this,” she said, striking a pose and looking directly at the man in question.

He blushed scarlet and finally looked away embarrassed. Something in his look made Christine certain that the man wouldn’t remain a man long, once he was returned to Earth.

A man at the communications panel suddenly called to Steven.

“Sir, we have some odd radio traffic coming from the planet where they took the other ships.”

“What sort of traffic? Never mind, open the channel to speakers.”

What they heard seemed to sound like the other two Hopes had escaped from where they had been housed. Attack orders had been issued, among some confusion that the ships held some of their own people.

Steven ran out, indicating they follow them to a better station where they could observe the action. Christine then offered a better place aboard the Hopetown, where they should be able to communicate ship to ship using the AI’s. As they entered the bridge of the Hopetown, Christine called out for a situation report.

“The New Hope and the Hopeful report that they have broken free of the planet and are under attack. They have aboard the crew that was sent to pirate the technology, but they have succumbed to the gas sent by their own people. We have rigged a dead mans system to reboot us if an EMP attack gets though. We are working on hardening our systems against such an attack, but conclude that it will only give us minimal protection.”

“What of our brother and sister and the crew?’ Rachel chimed in.

“They are still on the planet. They ordered us to leave them.”

“Crap!” was Christine’s only expletive, but it carried a wealth of emotional overtones.

Back on Earth

“There’s more?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed already.

“Yes, the inside structure is built like an orange, with segments going from the outer hull to the inner spherical hull of the warp engine bay.”

“Warp engine?” I queried.

The Hope has FTL capabilities. It’s an offshoot of the jump technology. Once we have the last jump co-ordinates we can jump directly to it in one go. If there are no pre-surveyed coordinates to emerge from the wormhole, a drone can be sent ahead of the ship to emerge into real space before the ship reaches it. The drone will then send data about the conditions at the point of emergence.” Gaia continued.

“Sort of like poking your toe into the ocean to see if you want to go swimming?” I glibly added my own simplistic interpretation.

“Ah yes, I suppose,” Gaia replied slowly as if thinking about it.

“What about weapons?” I pressed, wanting to get to the good part.”

“Well, along with the tractor beams and the force tubes, we have 60,000 pulse weapon rings.”

“Sixty thousand?” I gasped incredulously. I knew the power requirements of the hundred such units on Hope 3 was about a million exawatts or one yottawatt. It took the incoming fire of the opposing alien ships to help supply that power.

“Are you out of your mind? How will we power that many?”

“The engines are new and much bigger now. Even without any external input, they will generate nearly 300 yottawatts. That’s more energy than the sun generates. As we won’t be firing all of them at once, we have more than enough capacity.”

“Anything else to surprise me with?” I asked, feeling more than a little stunned.

“Well there is one thing. The ship can become inertialess, allowing instant changes in direction from any speed or vector.”

“Wow! So when will she be ready?” I pressed, wanting to get going as soon as possible.

“We are just installing the AI’s now, once they are loaded, you can take control. I would estimate that the Last Hope will be ready in hours.”

“AI’s? There’s more than one?” I gasped.

After Gaia explained about the AI’s, I knew I had to talk to Tryst. I felt excited and nervous as I went to tell her the news.

“How would like to tour the galaxy with me?” I asked once I’d found her soaking in the bathroom. “We could pick up our errant children along the way,” I added with a grin.

“Just how safe is this trip going to be and how long do you expect to be away?” she asked, her hand rubbing her lower abdomen meaningfully.

“Would I put you in danger when you’re carrying our child?” I asked, quirking my eyebrow, while rubbing her back with a sponge.

“Not intentionally,” she answered cautiously, neatly avoiding the question.

“Would you rather stay behind then?” I asked, changing tactics.

Tryst leaned back against my ministrations on her shoulders, and then tilted her head back to meet my lips in a kiss.

“Of course not, when do we leave?” She asked after breaking our lip lock.

“Hours,” I replied simply, before capturing her lips again.

Back on New Australus

While waiting in the cells, Kevin and Cindy heard a sudden commotion. The sound of weapons firing made them grin, as this meant the AI’s had taken control and were now escaping. They heard a huge booming sound and their ears popped as the two Hopes breached the airlock/hanger doors leading to the surface causing a pressure drop. Secondary, not as loud booms, came as pressure doors closed, separating the living habitat from the hanger bay.

As they were adjusting to the pressure increase as the area repressurized itself, several angry men rushed into the room with weapons raised.

“Call your ships back. They have some of our people on board, and we want them back safe and well,” they demanded angrily.

“Sorry, you must have triggered their self preservation protocol. They don’t like being pulled apart just by any so and so. Your people won’t be harmed. We came to rescue you, remember?” Kevin retorted, sounding bitter and unrepentant.

One man shoved the barrel of his weapon into Kevin’s face, his expression turning ugly. Kevin didn’t back away. He just looked calmly into the face of the guy who’d demanded the ships recall.

“Killing us won’t bring them back, and even if we could, we wouldn’t. We refuse to allow you to destroy our ships just to find something that will help kill other human beings.”

“They aren’t human any more,” scoffed the one with the aimed weapon.

“Of course they are, stupid,” countered Kevin. “What’s the bet that they or their parents worked in the domes on the surface of this planet?”

The one in charge had to call off the man with the weapon as he threatened to smash Kevin across the head with the barrel.

“What makes you think that is a factor?” he asked interestedly, having had his own doubts about the origin of the Mutoids.

“You may have an oxygen atmosphere inside those domes, but you’re missing one thing. The Van Allen Belts. You need a magnetosphere to protect against the sun’s cosmic radiation. Without that, human DNA mutates. We suffered the same thing in our space colonies, so we know how it works,” Kevin explained.

What happened next took everyone’s mind off the conversation, as some severe ground quakes and loud impact noises heralded the wail of strident sirens.

Everyone vanished, as they ran out to see what was happening. The noises grew and they seemed to be getting closer. This worried Kevin and the others, as they hadn’t any clue what was going on, and stuck in the cells, they were helpless.

One man ran back and unlocked the cells, urging them to follow him if they wanted to live.

“What’s happening?” Gasped Cindy, as they all raced down narrow corridors going moving ever deeper into the planet.

“We’re under attack,” the man wheezed back, trying to keep up with the fitter members of the group.

“From the Mutoids?” Kevin asked, guiding his sister through another airlock in the tunnel.

“No, these craft are much bigger and deadlier, from what little I saw before I had to leave the control area,” the man panted as they stopped before a large metal door. He punched a code into a keypad and the door groaned open. When everyone had scrambled through, the door closed with a resounding clunk.

On the Mutoid moon

“Those ships are not all from New Australus,” offered Steven, as he checked the screens. “See those larger craft? I don’t recognise those at all.”

They watched, as the group of larger craft split up, half starting to attack the planet, while the other started attacking the New Australus ships that were pursuing the two escaping Hopes. Something in the shape of the strange ships triggered a recollection in Christine’s mind.

“Those are the same type of ships that mom fought to free the Earth,” he finally stated.

Just then, the pursued Hopes, having re-established contact with the Hopetown, reported that they had encountered alien craft similar to the ones that they, in an earlier incarnation had fought on Araya’s Hope.

“Any idea how to defeat them?” Christine asked, half dreading the answer.

“No, but we can resist them for several more hours,” came the gloomy report.

“I do recommend evacuating those on the planet and bringing them to the moon,”

‘What!” exclaimed Steven angrily.

“They don’t have any proper defences against the aliens attack. Their airlocks to the hangers and subsurface living quarters don’t have airlocks strong enough to resist a vacuum like yours do. Theirs are little more than thin membranes separating the two atmospheres. As the external pressure is only a few pounds lower than the internal pressure, they only needed a thin barrier to stop them mixing. Any leaks would be from the inside to the outside. That’s how we broke free so easily,” stated the AI’s logically.

“We need to unite against them,” affirmed Rachel, seeing Steven was about to object. “All humans against the aliens,” she added, seeing him wavering on his stand.

“They won’t stop with just the New Australins, they’ll be after you next,” Christine added her input in an attempt to sway the man’s mind.

“What about our warper? Won’t that be effective against them?” Steven offered, still trying to avoid joining forces.

“They are more mechanical in nature, so gas won’t be very effective, and their ships are more cramped than yours, so there’s no guarantee that the EMP load will work either.” Christine answered, sealing the choices for Steven.

“I guess we’ll have to use all of your ships to ferry them here, seeing they have more room in them,” Steven capitulated suddenly, giving out orders to the rest of his men.

“Our ships are smaller than the one our mother has, but I think we can squeeze in about 500 people in each. How many people do you think are on the planet?” Christine asked Steven.

“I’m not sure exactly, but I would guess it’s around four and a half thousand,” Steven answered.

“I suggest you let us do most of the transfer. I think our hulls can take more punishment that yours, as they are based on the one our mother used to defeat the aliens in our system,” offered Christine.

“Your mother sounds like something else, I hope to meet with her,” sighed Steven enviously.

“You will, trust me you will,” Rachel grinned.

Before contacting the planet, Christine suggested that one of the more deformed undergo DNA repair to show once and for all, that the Mutoids were still human, and not some sub-species. The procedure would be recorded in time lapse, so it could be sent and viewed by the New Australins in short order. The man selected had an extra arm and leg on the left side of his body. Christine instructed Cuda to just reverse the genetic damage and not give him a new body. When questioned, she explained.

“He will still be recognisable as the same person, with just the damage removed. If a new body was selected, they would think there was a switch somewhere. I will send my own change after, to show them further possibilities.”

The next few hours were spent contacting the forces of New Australus which were arrayed against the aliens. Finally, a truce was called as the Australins viewed the tapes of the transformations and then accepted the Mutoids offer of help.

Planetside

Cindy, Kevin and their crew found themselves in a huge room that was a hive of activity. Instrument panels showed various views of the surface while others showed feeds from ships in space. There was even a shot of the pursuit of the two Hopes. They were both relieved to see that their ships were so far undamaged. The man who’d led them here, had left them and was now talking to a group of people gathered round a table.

One of the group waved them over. “Do you know anything about these new ships that have appeared over our planet?” He asked, pointing to a monitor set into the table top.

Both Cindy and Kevin thought they recognised something about the ships shown in the view screen, but what? Their crew shook their heads. Then the realisation dawned to the two who’d been shown similar video clips on their mother’s lap. Mom had fought these very ships to a standstill way back when.

“Yes we do,” they chorused solemnly.

“Can they be defeated? We are losing ships and people to their assault,”

“Maybe. It might be barely possible, if it was just this lot, but if they run true to form, they will have sent for reinforcements now that they have found a suitable target,” Kevin answered less than enthusiastically.

“Any advice, young Captain?” Asked an older man, who seemed desperately happy to delegate the responsibility of the defence of the planet to him, in the wake of their own inability to do so.

“Try avoiding a frontal attack. Withdraw your ships to the edges of the alien fleet and maintain a defensive position, falling back if they press forward. I’d also get everyone deep underground in one central location and blow the tunnels accesses, apart from some to the surface that haven’t been attacked yet,” offered Kevin. “Oh, and pray for mom to get here in time,” he finished with a shrug.

“What’s a MOM? Some kind of weapon on your other ships?”

“It’s not a MOM, it’s our mother, and yes, you could say she’s a weapon all on her own,” Cindy explained, poking her brother as he smirked knowingly at the question.

“Just who is your mother?” the men asked incredulously, wondering who it was they had in their midst.

“Araya Lightfoot, heroine to all that survived the great evacuation. She located the lost Earth and led her people home, fighting off fleets of aliens like these,” Cindy choked out, suddenly realising how much she owed and loved her mother in that instant.

The men gathered there felt stunned. Cindy’s impassioned explanation struck home in their hearts, as they tried to visualise a person who could have done all that and survived. The simple words “and led her people home,” held them in awe. Every one of them still hoped, in a tiny corner of their soul that they also could go home. Memories only last so long, and history often gets corrupted by bad recall or data loss, both of which had resulted in myth and legends of the lost Earth. Now standing in front of them was a group of people claiming to have come from Earth. Their minds boggled.

“You’ve seen Urt, um Earth?” one half whispered, still not fully believing.

“Seen it? We were born upon it,” Cindy answered, tears running down her face as home sickness struck.

It was then that communications became very busy as messages from the Mutoid moon started coming in. Cindy and Kevin grew very interested when they heard that their siblings were coming to help as well.

A truce was called in short order, and Cindy nudged Kevin in the ribs as Chris’ demonstration was beamed throughout the area.

“We outnumber you three to one now,” she giggled. “I’m sure you’d look cute as our forth sister,” she teased gently.

“What about my girlfriend, Jennifer? I’m sure she’d have some problems with that,” he sighed, not actually rebuffing her offer.

“Let’s ask her, shall we? I wondered if there was more to her just being a crewmate,” Cindy pressed, dragging Kevin over to where his crewmate/girlfriend stood.

“Ask me what?” Jennifer began, having heard her name mentioned.

“You saw that Chris is now Christine well I was just proposing that Kevin join our ranks as well, for a short period at least,” laughed Cindy.

“A short period? I wish,” began Jennifer, the double meaning very clear. She cocked her head and looked at Kevin, visualising him in an entirely different form. She smiled, which sent alarm bells off in Kevin’s head.

“I’d kinda like the statuesque redhead look,” Jennifer offered. “What do you think?”

While his sister and his girlfriend seemed engrossed in redesigning him into some iconic female figure, his panicked thoughts raced in ever decreasing circles in his head. This was getting too close to some of the thoughts that he had shoved away in the hidden corners of his mind. He’d always had a thing for the female form, thinking it was one of the most beautiful shapes in the world.

His mother hadn’t tried to force any stereotypical male/female roles on any of her children, letting them decide for themselves just who they wanted to be or act. So Chris’s change hadn’t surprised him too much, as he’d always been a gentler soul.

Being the eldest, he’d unconsciously taken role of protector to his brother and sisters. This self imposed responsibility had often clashed with some of his hidden thoughts of being more like his sisters. His sisters seemingly carefree attitude and their obvious joy in being flamboyantly female often struck him with an irresistible attraction, which then flared into pangs of intense jealousy. He’d tried burying these thoughts as unworthy of him, but every now and then they’d surface, as he’d wonder what it might be like to be young and female.

“Okay, that’s settled,” the two girls said, as Kevin’s thoughts came back to the present.

“Settled? What’s settled?” Asked Kevin worriedly, as he’d missed what they’d been saying.

“See? Typical male, never listens to important stuff,” Cindy laughed to Jennifer.

“Well that will change, won’t it,” Jennifer agreed, with an anticipatory gleam in her eye.

‘Oh boy!’

As alerts sounded throughout the complex, telling everyone to move to deeper levels, the comm board lit up with incoming messages from Duda and Quda, the AI’s of Kevin and Cindy’s ships. Putting them on speaker allowed each to report their situation. Both Captains were glad to hear that their ships were close at hand, and that they would soon be united. While they were updating each other, a small swell of song started among the people gathered, as they prepared for the oncoming assault.

Once a holly swagman camped by a billabong.
Under the shade of a Cooliba tree.
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled.
You’ll come a waltzing my ilda with me.

“What’s that song?” Asked Kevin intrigued.

“It’s our national anthem. Don’t ask us to explain it, some of the words don’t mean anything to us now, but we sing it as it was passed down from our ancestors,” explained one of the men there.

“Kevin? My archives have the original version of that song,” offered Duda.

“Can you pipe it in through here?” Asked Kevin.

“Affirmative.”

Just as the chorus of the song was being sung by those in the room, their slightly out of tune voices were overridden by a strong male voice and accompanying music coming from every speaker on the planet.

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda.
You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled.
You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.

The room fell silent in awe as they recognised how far from the original their own version had drifted. Duda started the second verse as the people began to join in with the correct words and tune.

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that Billabong.
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee.
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag.
You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.

The eyes of all the men glistened as they finally heard the full version of Waltzing Matilda as sent by Duda.

Then it was time to move. Everyone was to assemble in a cavern under the original landing site. It had the only real metal airlock on the planet, made from the original colonist’s ship. It was set into rock, and so far hadn’t drawn the attention of the alien invaders.

“You realise that once we begin, there’s no stopping the evacuation. The aliens will target that lock once they see our ships dock there?” Kevin apprised those gathered.

“Understood Captain. Once all our people are aboard, all our ships will form an escort to the moon base.”

“They do realise its only personal keepsakes they can bring, no clothes or equipment?” added Kevin.

“Yes, that’s been made clear.”

As the New Hope settled onto the airlock on the planet, it came under heavy weapons fire from the aliens above. Little damage was done, as most of the energy was focused on the screens and no offensive weapons. Duda helped guide the horde that flowed onboard, while Kevin, who had been at the head of the crowd, checked out the bridge and the situation there.

Once Duda announced that she held as many as could be handled, Kevin had his ship vacate the lock while defending it for Cindy’s Hopeful to take its place. The other two Hopes were hovering in place, when Cindy’s ship filled. It seemed that Christine's ship was the last in the line, and surprisingly found that everyone on the planet had been vacated. There had been some deaths and all the ships the planet had on hand were filled with people.

The four Hopes kept a close formation with all the other craft, providing a shifting shield around them. Occasionally a bolder alien craft would try and penetrate the shielding ships to get at the Hopes. Fire concentrated against it usually saw it destroyed, although some damage to the defenders was inevitable.

As they withdrew from the planet, some alien craft remained behind, searching for their precious requirements. By the time they fought their way to the moon base, the Hopes had been reduced to defensive tactics.

Suddenly another fleet of alien ships emerged into the system. This group had some larger ships that easily dwarfed the Hopes in size. Everyone groaned, seeing the reinforcements heading their way. They were pressed back as the combined forces against them began to take its toll. Kevin had the Mutoids and New Australins forces retreat into the moon itself, while the four Hopes sat on the surface around the airlock, like a huge plug. This allowed the aliens free reign to gather around them, but the superior hull construction continued to take the brunt of the attack. The AI’s spread the screens across the four ships, synchronising them so they meshed into one whole. But as the energy beams arrayed against them, even those mighty hulls began to show signs of failing.

“How long can we take this?” Kevin questioned Duda worriedly.

“At the exponentially increasing load, about 10 minutes,” Duda announced solemnly.

“We need a miracle,” sighed Kevin heavily.

“Or mom,” offered Cindy over the com.

“Or mom,” echoed the others.

All the comms in the ships were opened to those gathered inside, so that they were aware of the critical situation. So far, there had been no panic, merely a resigned realisation of their possible imminent demise. When the limit of the screens was reached, the skin of the hulls reluctantly evanesced away.

“Four minutes to penetration,” intoned the AI’s voice.

At that moment, the system’s sun broke past the edge of the planet and the Hopes were bathed in possibly their last sunrise. Kevin could just see the sun through the myriad of ships arrayed between them and the life giving sun. It was a poignant moment.

Then, as he stood looking, the sun was blocked out. Something had eclipsed the light, something huge, by the way the fleet before them was put into shadow as well. Something odd was happening, but Kevin couldn’t work out what the bright beam-like flashes that seemed to be coming from where the sun had been.

“Is that an optical effect?” He asked Duda, curious to the last.

“No, it is weapons fire, I think she’s back.” Duda answered without further elucidation.

Everyone turned to the instruments that read the hull integrity levels. The time to failure remained at four minutes, even though it had shown that a minute ago. Everyone either prayed or held their breath. Some did both, as eyes were glued to the screen. Five minutes came up to a hail of cheers and exhaled breaths.

Emergence

The jump went smoothly with the new Hope performing perfectly. We emerged into a planetary system and Puda immediately began reporting energy weapons fire somewhere ahead. As we cleared the edge of the planet ahead, I could see the moon beyond that. The sight of a familiar looking fleet attacking what seemed to be four incandescent ships on the moons surface made my blood. I recognised those glowing forms.

“Fire on my mark,” I shouted. “Mark.”

Immediately, streams of unbearably intense energy streamed forward and stuck the rear guard of the fleet. Such was the energy, the ships struck flashed to incineration in an instant. We bored on, closing at normally insane speeds for a planetary environment. I let Puda take over the targeting, a job she was far more suited for than I was. I wasn’t even concerned if the ships before me couldn’t move fast enough to escape our impact as we mixed company.

“I’m back,” I crowed, more to myself than anybody else as destruction of the alien ships began in earnest.

Kevin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A ship the size of a small planetoid was ablaze with actinic sunbursts that annihilated anything they touched.

Duda announced contact with the planetoid, confirming that it was indeed his mother’s ship.

“Way to go, mom,” Kevin’s sense of pride going hand in hand with relief as the energy levels on the hull fell with every passing moment.

Seeing my children were safe for the moment as Puda fed me data directly from their AI’s as to their status, I gave them a quick call, before turning my attention elsewhere.

“Hi kids,” I vid’d to them, enjoying the irony, that at the present moment, I was no older than any of them with my rejuvenated body.

“I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes. I just have a few house cleaning chores to handle.”

Before I turned my attention to the aliens, I noted the changed status of Chris, as my children each answered my hail. They had seemed to take my rejuvenation in stride, with Kevin saying I looked hot. Cindy and Rachel commented on my outfit. Only Chris remained quiet. I’d have to speak with my new daughter, but now I had other things to do.

Besides firing my weapons on the ships around me, I zigzagged amongst them, using the sheer bulk and speed to crush their ships like papier-má¢ché. This inertialess drive was amazing. Being able to change vectors without worrying about conservation of momentum, I felt like a pin ball in one of those ancient game parlour places I’d read about. The only difference was, instead of forces acting against me to change direction rapidly, I was the force doing the moving, and my targets were the recipients of that force.

It was soon evident that they had no defences against me and no weapon they turned on me had any damaging effect. I took them all out in about ten minutes, leaving only lifeless hulks of shattered metal behind. After checking the region for any other threats, I moved the Hope back to the moon. After warning my children, I used the new transporter device based on the weapons used against my children, once Gaia had deduced the function from data gathered from the probe.

Each of the Hopes were transported into the holding bay of the planetoid, coming to rest next to the Hope I’d been using before they’d left on their adventure. Once aboard it didn’t take long to evacuate the rest of the moon’s personnel, and move them aboard the planetoid.

“Araya? Your children are here,” announced Puda.

“Show them in,” I replied, checking to make sure my figure hugging jumpsuit hadn’t developed any wrinkles. Tryst, who’d been waiting with me as well, stood up slowly, her figure showing the nice curve of motherhood.

“Mom,” they chorused, as they ran to hug me. I then brought Tryst into the group hug as well, since she was also a mom now.

“Looks like we have a hold out,” I said, looking at Kevin, who immediately went red.

“Not for long if his girlfriend has anything to say,” challenged Cindy with a grin.

“Sons or daughters we don’t care. We both love you no matter what. Even your father is expanding her personal horizons.” I offered with a smile.

“Is it Chrissy or Christine now?” Tryst asked the latest convert, eyeing her former son with a critical eye.

“Christine.”

“Okay let’s talk later, we have a home to go to,” I interrupted.

“Incoming anomaly,” warned the ever vigilant Puda.

“On screen,” I ordered, feeling a sense of unease.

“On screen.”

What we saw displayed was a nebulous cloud like formation with coruscating swirls that was clearly under some alien direction. It was moving across the region where the remains of the alien craft lay scattered in space. Where it came into contact, the hulk disappeared entirely, releasing a short burst of x-rays according to Puda’s sensor reports. It moved around the Hope clearing away all signs of the alien ships. It then moved down to the planet and scoured it clean of any ships left there. Once it had finished its unknowable task, it came up to the Hope and floated there, its internal swirling gathering intensity.

“Screens on max,” I ordered, somehow feeling that it might be a useless order in the face of the unknown out there.

“On max,” Puda confirmed.

“Shouldn’t we fire at it?” asked Kevin worriedly.

“No,” I answered emphatically, somehow knowing that that was the last thing I should do.

(((ARAYA LIGHTFOOT, REPRESENTING THE PLANET EARTH.))) Suddenly boomed a voice throughout the ship. (((YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLEET OF SHIPS OF OUR ANCESTRAL COUSIN’S.))) The voice continued, emotionlessly.

“Two in fact, to date,” I answered honestly, feeling unrepentant at my actions to save our people.

“Database is compromised,” Puda informed me.

((AH YES, WE SEE FROM YOUR AI, THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER. CURIOUS YOUR AI IS MORE THAN IT SEEMS, AND HAS A LOYALTY UNHEARD OF IN A MACHINE.))

“Puda is more than a machine, she is my friend,” I defended stoutly.

((SO IT SEEMS.))

There was a pause as if the cloud was conferring. I’d just been talking aloud, and not using any communication network, as it seemed to know everything about us and its voice had just sounded in the air and hadn’t seemed to be transmitted via the ships systems.

((WE REGRET THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR MEETING AND WOULD LIKE TO TREAT WITH YOU FOR A WHILE.))

“If you mean you’d like to meet and discuss things, then yes, I am willing to meet you here on board.” I offered generously.

No sooner had I spoken than a swirling cloud materialised inside the bridge. It condensed and coalesced into a figure resembling a female humanoid.

“Merry meet, Captain,” the figure spoke in normal tones.

“Welcome aboard the Hope?” I responded, before introducing my family to the figure.

“I, or we, are called the Valkarie, but for this meeting you can call me Val.”

“We were forced to destroy your cousin’s fleets, they gave us no other option,” I began.

“We regret you had to do our job, Araya, and we regret the loss of life suffered in doing so. Even we, as powerful as we are cannot bring them back. They are now on a higher plane of existence beyond our reach.”

“Your job?” I asked Val.

“Let me explain,” she offered.

I nodded, and indicated she sit, even though I wasn’t sure she required it. Once she sat down, we gathered around and sat too.

“We the Valkarie, are an ancient race. Once, long ago our home system was under threat from our very sun. Our people became divided. Some of us decided to transcend our physical bodies and roam free in the universe without needing material things. The others decided to flee in a huge armada of ships while developing ways to prolong life in their physical bodies so they could survive the immense distances between the stars. Even as we that had managed to free our minds prepared to leave, we could see that those you know as the aliens, were already integrating their bodies with machines.”

“How could they have changed to what they became?” I asked. “They attacked and tried to destroy us without reason,” I added.

“We are not sure, but suspect that during their long initial journeys, they became warped mentally, becoming more of a hive mind bent on survival at all costs. It is to our shame that we didn’t foresee this, and our own journeys through the cosmos let them spread unchecked. Once we became aware of what was happening, we returned and tried to remedy things. Because they hadn’t developed your warp drive, we were forced to follow their trails through normal space. We developed a sort of sense where they had travelled in space.”

“What happened to those you came across?’ Asked Tryst.

“Let’s just say we were able to cure them of their machines, and bring them back into the fold.” Val answered slowly.

“So what happens now?” I asked, changing the subject.

“We will scour this region of space for any more of our wayward souls, before checking out your own region of space. We think they had homed in on the increased energy discharges in this region. Ah, I see what the conflict was all about,” Val smiled wistfully.

“Are you reading our thoughts?” I questioned warily.

“Only those that are broadcast outside your heads. I’m sorry if this concerns you, but being mentalists, it’s kind of second nature to read thoughts. It is why we are conversing so well, and it helps prevent misunderstandings.”

“It sounds like you and Gaia would get on together, I’m sure she reads my thoughts too,” I half grumbled.

“Ah, Gaia, yes. We see from your thoughts that you are fortunate to have a sentient world to live upon. Those are rare among the cosmos. Even our own world was bereft of a similar trait. We now understand why your AI is so different. She was made on your Earth, through another like her.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of confusing. We have Gaia, who was constructed by humans to protect Earth, and the Earth itself, who was often referred to as Gaia by our forefathers. The constructed one has an interface with the living planet we call Earth,” I explained to our guest, knowing that it was also being heard by all the humans we had rescued.

“We will treat with you and Gaia later, but before we leave, we beg to grant you a boon for all your trouble,” Val offered.

“Oh?” I asked curiously.

“The reason for the initial conflict in this area was due to genetic damage causing fear and isolationism. We can fix all those affected.”

“It’s kind to you to offer, but everyone will need to undergo a body change, anyway. We have stored DNA forms that are resistant to the Earth’s natural environment. Normally we’d get them to choose a form from a list that would be pleasing for them to reside in,” I explained again.

“We can accommodate those conditions in a fraction of the time it would take you. Everyone would have Earth’s bio immunity. All they need to do is for each to visualise how they’d like to look and which gender they want to be. They can even remain as they are at the moment, if they so wish, and I’ll remove any genetic abnormalities due to accidental inbreeding. I’ll exclude your son, as I see her future is in other hands,” Val added with a wink to a rose faced Kevin.

‘Hmmm, I’m really going to have to talk with my boy,’ I thought to myself.

“I’ll let them know their choices,” I said aloud, indicating to Puda to put me on ship wide comm

“As you may have gathered, each and all of you require genetic changes to rid you of any undesirable traits. We will also give you immunity to Earth’s biospheric conditions.” I explained to the nearly 9000 people gathered together in the huge living sector of the ship. This sector was three levels deep, and encompassed nearly a third of the circumference of the ship. The outermost walls of these levels were filled with multiplexed screens so closely fitted that it looked like one giant screen. It was on these screens that the images from the bridge and that of myself were being displayed. I could also see those gathered and was judging their collective reaction to my words as I spoke.

“All you need to do,” and here I paused, while I got a confirming nod from Val. “Is for you to visualise the form you wish to look like. Remember, if you later change your mind, we can give you another of your choice,” I continued.

I looked to see the reaction and saw most seemed happy with the news. A lot were already deep in thought, judging by their closed eyes and signs of concentration on the multitude of faces.

(It is done,) Val spoke sonorously, and I saw that it was.

I did notice quite a few changes in sex going both ways from the few I happened to be looking at. All the Mutoids, changed, not surprisingly and with that, the subtle tension in the air seemed to vanish.

“Thank you. That would have taken weeks back on Earth,” I told Val.

“Our pleasure. We have also gifted your AI with the power to do the same, but due to its physical nature and computational limitations, it will take about six times as long.”

A quick calculation put that at about ten seconds. Still a tremendous leap forward in technology from where we stood at the moment.

“Thank you. That gift is truly appreciated,” I gushed in awe.

(Till we meet again,) Val bowed her head before vanishing from sight.

We watched, the cloud outside move off and soon it was gone. We all drew our collective breaths as we contemplated the future and what we had all just witnessed.

I went around and hugged my family again, feeling pride in how everyone one of my children had acted in their trial by fire. I looked at them all and said, “Let’s go home.”

“I’ve put out refreshments for our passengers while we return to the jump co-ordinates, Captain,” announced Puda.

“Thanks, I hope you kept it simple. We don’t want them throwing up some exotic dish they find hard to handle. Remember, they are survivalists, not gourmets.” I warned.

“I do remember, Araya,” Puda answered, sounding somewhat offended. “Orange juice and/or milk, with beef or chicken sandwiches,” she added haughtily.

“Sorry, Puda, I know you don’t forget. It’s just me. I tend to think of you as just another fallible human like me and not an AI that can run rings around me in terms of brain power,” I apologised.

“Thank you Araya,” Puda replied, sounding much happier.

I wondered what she was thanking me for, but decided it wasn’t worth pursuing, as we watched through the monitor, the passengers eating their first Earth fare.

It was amusing the expressions on their faces as they gingerly sampled the food and drink. At first, the expressions of wonder and delight reminded me of my own first experiments. I guess I wore a similar look, as I reminisced.

Of course the kids were rapt watching people taste Earth food for the first time. I think they realised just how much they took for granted, having never had to go though a similar trial themselves.

“Christine,” I whispered to my newest daughter, beckoning her aside where we could take quietly.

Christine came over, a look of trepidation on her face as she looked at my face.

I schooled my expression, letting no signs of my thoughts show until she reached my side.

“Welcome to the club honey. Now dish!” I ordered, wanting to know details. We hugged and her face broke into a smile at her acceptance. We talked, and she told me of her desire to experience her feminine side.

“Okay, but what about Kevin?” I asked as talk ran down.

“You’ll have to ask her,” Christine perked with a cheeky grin, emphasising the “her.”

“Sheesh it didn’t take you long to learn to tease,” I grumbled, feeling pleased inside.

“Well I learned from the best, MOM.” She laughed, looking me directly in the eye.

“Ready to jump, Captain,” Puda announced.

“All hands! All hands! Ship is ready to transition into hyper jump. You should not feel any effect, but be seated just in case,” I announced ship wide.

We jumped.

The moon instantly loomed before us, its pock-marked scars clearly detailed in the airlessness of space. I had the screens show the exterior views for our passengers and I could see all eyes were riveted to them. Part of the gantry that had been constructed to hold the Hope as it was built, was already being dismantled. The metal tracery that reached out from the surface of the moon to about a mile out was being recycled by the tiny machines that had built it. I wasn’t sure if the passengers thought the moon was Earth, judging by their expressions.

I grinned as I had Puda manoeuvre the Hope over the horizon formed by the moons curvature.

We in the bridge heard the murmur grow as the Earth in all its speckled glory rose into view. Clear of the moon, we accelerated, shooting to a low Earth orbit in a minute. Cries of wonder and joy grew from the passengers and faces were flooded with tears as they beheld the brilliant jewel that was Earth itself. I slowed the ship, knowing there was one more surprise for the passengers.

The Earth seemingly turned below us, as the ship orbited the Earth, showing off its blue seas and green and brown landmasses. The clouds added another dimension to its beauty as they scudded in a myriad of shapes. Then a land mass hove into view. Australia, the land from hence the passengers ancestors once lived. There was a sudden collective silence, as the symbol that had been their icon on their adopted planet, became reality. People began to dance and hug each other as they recognised the land of their ancestral beginnings. Song broke out as the Hope flew down towards the Earth below.

As we hovered over Australia, a mere thousand feet from one of the restored cities. Gaia’s voice interrupted the celebrations among the passengers eagerly waiting aboard.

“Welcome home, children, may your lives be filled with as much joy as mine at your return. All is prepared and your new life has just begun.”

Cheering broke out and didn’t stop as Puda in her multiple selves guided the passengers to the transport tubes, where the Hope would deposit them on the surface to the waiting bots.

Twenty minutes later, the Hope rang with silence, as the last passengers disembarked. I hugged my children and told them “Job well done.”

We returned north, rising back into the rarest parts of the atmosphere and creating a fiery trail as we travelled at high speed just for the fun of it. We said goodbye to the huge Hope, as we boarded our individual ships and left for our homes. The planetoid Hope would remain in low Earth orbit, keeping a close watch on us all. I did get to talk to Kevin and his girlfriend and extracted a promise from them that I would be included in their future sexual experiments, although I think Kevin’s sisters were also interested in educating their future sister to be.

That night, after a meal of fresh caught trout, salad and fresh baked crusty bread, Tryst and I sat out under a star studded sky. We held each others hands as we lay on the extra wide lounger provided by Puda.

“Do you think there are any more humans left out there?” Tryst asked idly.

I thought about her question before answering. “I don’t know, but I suspect that if there are, we will soon know about it.”

“How?”

“Think about it. The Valkarie are searching this area. I think that if they come across any others left out there, they will let us know.”

“Do you think we will see the Valkarie again?’

“Count on it,” I replied.

We sat there in companionable silence till it grew too chilly to stay outdoors. As I helped Tryst inside with her widening dimensions, I looked once more into the night sky. There! I saw a shape occlude the stars above. I smiled, secure that the last ever Hope was watching down on us. I went inside to my future, feeling extremely happy.

The End.

Carversion

Author:

Prudence Walker

Organizational:

Title Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Other Keywords:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

----------=BigCloset Retro Classic!=----------

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A.
What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever.
He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again.
He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Carversion

by Prudence Walker

Admin Note: Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Monday 01-09-2006 at 10:33 pm, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers.~Sephrena

Dedication: This is a story dedicated to my friends, of most appear within the following chapters. I wish to give a special thanks to SaraUK for her artistic efforts, both as original artwork and photo manipulation, most of which can’t be appreciated without seeing the original photos she altered. I’d like to thank Maggie O’Malley, Jenna hitch, Tyrone, and Cindy, for their support and encouragement and for helping fix the inevitable errors that plague amateur writers, along with the many people who tried their hand at proofing this epic. There are more that I should thank, but I don’t want to make a book of this dedication. You know who you are, and I thank you for being there for me. Now on with the story, which incidentally, took over a year to write. I hope you enjoy it. - Prudence Walker

Carversion -1-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter one

Scott's blood ran cold, as the fear, from what he was seeing, held him motionless. He was sure the pounding of his heart as it gathered itself for the flight or fight demand, would be plainly heard by those gathered below him, not a few hundred feet from where he was crouched. Scott cursed his old clunker for expiring in the middle of this barren landscape, leaving him to foot it alone. If it hadn't, he would have been miles away, safe in the city with his friends, instead of having to find a camp for the night in this god forsaken spot. Obviously, this was the ideal spot to land a spaceship without being observed. Yes! A spaceship that had caught Scott's eye, as it descended in the evening sky, as he searched for a sheltered spot off the road to bed down.

He had crawled forward to see the ship land, keeping his body hidden, by the sparse undergrowth. He could see several people, who he assumed were human, by their appearance, standing by a beat up Ford crew cab pickup. The dull, metallic looking ship was gray in appearance and around fifty foot across. It landed with a low thrumming vibration, which sent shivers through Scott's body. Visions of nightmarish beings coming out of the ship had Scott holding his breath. The reality of it, when an iris like portal opened in the ship, was disappointing. One of the people standing by the truck had lifted the hood and fiddled with something, before walking towards the portal in the ships side. He disappeared, followed by the others, who were carrying several metal boxes. The door closed silently like a camera shutter and sealed invisibly before the craft lifted off. The level of noise increased slightly, as the craft moved upwards, barely disturbing the ground below it, as it headed for the heavens.

Scott scrambled down to the landing area, intent on finding some evidence left behind of what had just occurred. The pickup, still with its hood up, was the first thing Scott examined. Peering in at the engine was a disappointment; no futuristic flux capacitors or other unearthly looking engine sat there, but there was something glowing there. Something that reminded Scott of the movie "Predator," where at the end, the mortally wounded alien used a device to blow himself up. The device had a circular disc with concentric rings cut up into segments. The segments were mostly all lit up, but as Scott looked, several segments went dark. It was a bomb; Scott knew that instinctively, it was there to destroy any evidence of the truck. Scott's first thought was to run, but then he decided to try to remove the bomb. Maybe the truck could serve as temporary transport out of here. He knew that if it was nuclear he wouldn't have a chance either way, as there was no way to get far enough away to be safe.

There was a deep ravine nearby, hopefully deep enough to contain the resulting explosion. Scott worked feverishly to free the bomb from where it was fastened to the engine. More than two thirds of the lighted segments were dark, by the time he had it free. He carefully stepped to the ravines edge and tossed it in, turning to run to the leeward side of the truck in case it exploded on impact. Thirty seconds passed, before a low "crump" sound preceded a wave of intense heat that rose up into the desert air. Scott waited until he was sure it was safe to stand, brushing the dirt from his jeans, from lying on the ground. The ravine now had a glassy look to it from the effects of the explosion, and Scott was glad he'd decided to throw the device down there, rather than try and run from it.

He turned to the truck to see if there was anything unusual about it, but he came up with nothing. Climbing into the cab, he started the truck, revving it momentarily. He shifted into low and drove the creaking truck up the slope heading back to the main highway. He stopped to pick up his bag with his clothes in from where he'd left them, and threw it into the tray at the back of the truck, before heading west along the blacktop. Taking a chance at being hauled up for driving a vehicle he didn't own; Scott set off to complete his journey.

He along with three school friends had decided to head for the big smoke for a chance at a new life, far away from the one horse town of Orderville, Utah, on highway 89. William, Kevin and Daniel, had headed off together a few days earlier, William taking them in his old Buick. Scott had to stay behind, while he did some repairs to the radiator in his ramshackle Studebaker, repairs that had held up to somewhere between Rachel and Tonopah, north of the Nellis bombing range in the Nevada desert. San Francisco was going to be their final destination, a place to start a new life and meet some nice girls.

Scott was driving carefully, mindful of the rattles and squeaks of the old truck. He wondered why it had been so important to destroy it, as an abandoned pile of junk like this was, wouldn't have drawn much attention. His thoughts turned to the aliens, if that's what they were. Were they gathering information? Being near to the Nellis Air Force Base, lent credence to that idea, but was it aliens, or just some secret experimental craft, maybe it was one of those suspected crashed UFO's from area 51. Spotting a track leading off the main road, Scott drove the truck down until the low shrubs hid him and the truck from view from passing traffic. Stopping, he got out some crackers and a bottle of water from his bag on the tray of the truck, his only food till he restocked somewhere further on. Pulling out a blanket, he snuggled down to try and sleep on the tray at the back of the truck. Sometime in the night, the chill desert air drove him to get into the back of the cab and spend the rest of the night crunched up on the bench seat.

Driving along in the morning with the sun glancing in from the rear, Scott stopped at Tonopah for a quick breakfast. No one looked askance at the truck with its unshaven occupant, as he started back on the road, hoping the truck would stay together till he reached Sonora. He passed a police cruiser parked off on the side of the road somewhere between Basalt and Benton and although he drew no attention, he unconsciously speeded up, wanting to put as much distance between them as he could. He found that the truck accelerated faster than he expected and was soon hitting the limit of 80 mph shown on the speedometer. The truck was handling smoothly on the flat road and Scott was surprised to feel the truck was still accelerating. Checking the speedometer, he gasped as the dial itself started to rotate, revealing the speed to be 95 mph. Scott, still feeling in control kept his foot pressed down on the pedal. As the truck hit 100mph, the noises that had been a constant worry as to its reliability, quieten to nearly nothing. Taking a chance, Scott took the truck with its now quiet thrumming sound to 150mph, before he chickened out, due to a curve in the road coming up. He knew the truck had even more in it than that, which meant it was no ordinary truck, despite its appearance.

Slowing down to the posted speed limit heralded the return of the rattles and squeaks. Something Scott assumed was more for show than indicating any frailty. Scott looked over the dash of the truck, looking for anything that might explain its miraculous performance. He saw no secret nitrous oxide injection system, not that he believed that was the reason, but it was more a case of eliminating the mundane possibilities before assuming the impossible and exotic alien technology. The only thing he did notice was a knob that looked out of place, almost hidden under the steering column. It had some unidentifiable markings indicating that it rotated. Tentatively, he turned it around to the next setting, but nothing happened that he could see. None of the settings seemed to do anything unusual. A blast on a horn brought his attention back to the road, as a car heading the opposite way swerved to avoid hitting the truck as his inattention had caused it to veer into the other oncoming lane. Flicking the knob back to what Scott thought was the original setting, he concentrated on the road not noticing that it was on the second setting.

Traffic was building slightly as he got closer to civilization and the road got windier. Suddenly a siren sounded behind him indicating a police cruiser on his tailgate. Scott panicked and instinctively floored the accelerator. The truck leapt forward leaving the cruiser behind in his wake. Now Scott cursed, knowing even if he stopped he could be arrested and with a stolen truck, any thing could happen. He continued to race ahead reaching 180 mph. The cruiser dropped behind, but Scott knew he wasn't out of trouble yet. He fully expected to find a roadblock ahead. As he was wondering how he could escape his inevitable capture, fate took a hand. As he and the vehicle dipped out of sight of public view in a dip in the road, things became very weird.

It seemed as if reality flowed and altered. He slowed to a crawl, luckily maintaining control of the car as he wondered what was happening. As he eased onto the broad shoulder of the road, the first thing he noticed was the truck seemed to alter, becoming lower and more streamlined, as well as changing from brown to red. Even his fingernails turned red as he clung to the changing steering wheel as the truck morphed and twisted into a new shape. Scott could feel his body changing; parts of him were enlarging and also diminishing. Looking with a sense of fear into the rear vision mirror, he could see his face changing and his hair growing longer and blonde as the car slowed and rumbled onto the shoulder. The change had only taken a few seconds allowing no time to fully comprehend the extent of the alterations. The strident wail of a siren changing pitch from the Doppler Effect jolted his thoughts back to the mundane, as a police car rocketed past in a blur of motion. In spite of his strange experience, Scott felt relief that he had somehow avoided being caught by the police. Scott pulled over to the side and stopped the car. Stepping out, he realised his clothes had changed too, becoming a mini skirt and a blouse that was tied under his breasts leaving his smooth tanned midriff bare.

"Breasts!! I have BREASTS??" He cried out loud with sudden realisation. 'I'm a girl,' he thought, wonderingly, feeling all over himself. Make that herself, for she found out in her exploration, that Scott junior was gone. Scott walked around the car checking it out, not realising at the time that she wasn't having any problem walking in the 4-inch heels she was wearing; in fact, she was still too shocked to realise how natural her movements were. The truck had disappeared; in its place was a red Trans Am. A quick check under the hood revealed the engine looked perfectly normal for such a vehicle.

Scott didn't realise what a picture he or rather she was presenting to the world. A well-endowed, sexily clad young woman, bent over the engine compartment of a sporty car. A car pulled over in front of her and out popped two young men who sauntered back admiring the view. Scott stood up as one asked the inevitable question, "Do you need a hand there?" Scott blushed, feeling embarrassed to be seen as an object of desire, seeing that the guy was speaking to her new chest.

"No thanks, I was just checking the fluid levels," she responded in her new feminine voice. Inwardly, she cringed at the sexy way she sounded. The two guys reluctantly turned around, walking back and getting back into their car, as Scott closed the hood and got back into the Trans Am. She noticed as she fastened the seat belt, the way the strap went between her breasts. In its former truck appearance, there had been only a lap belt. Scott got under way hoping to sort out things later when she could have some privacy. She saw no point in getting worked up about her gender change, as this body seemed strangely comfortable. She saw the car that had stopped, was now following behind. Her adherence to the posted speed limit soon drove them to show off and they decided to overtake her in a show of masculine pride for their car. On a whim, she accelerated also, keeping right up their tailpipe. The boys tried to lose her, but wanting to see if this incarnation had the same speed as its predecessor, Scott wound the car up, finally overtaking the boy's car as she reached 150 mph, after they chickened out. She kept her foot down, reaching 250 mph before she, chickened out as things started to blur past. Her reflexes seemed enhanced and seemed to anticipate the small adjustments needed to control the car at that speed. She held at that speed for several miles, before resuming her previous legal speed. She laughed as the boys caught up and stayed behind her this time.

Luckily, for them they did, as further down the road, the police had set up a roadblock. She saw the police unit that had started to chase her there as well. The officer looked pissed as he argued with his fellow officers, that they must have seen the truck, as there were no roads leading off from the main one. Scott opened her window, as an officer approached, signalling her to stop.

"Hello Miss, can I see some identification and vehicle registration please?" he asked.

Scott reached instinctively up to the sun visor where Scott usual kept his registration papers, before realising, that she had no idea if they would be there. Luck was with her revealing the cars registration folded neatly under a flap. She took it out and handed it to the officer.

"Is there a problem officer?" she asked, trying to gain time to figure out where her wallet would be, seeing she no longer had any pockets in her skirt.

"Did you happen to see a brown Ford truck in the last 20 miles?" he asked checking out the interior of the car as he did so.

"No sorry officer, I haven't seen anything like that in over a 100 miles," she replied, sighing in relief as she spotted a handbag on the seat across. She opened it hoping that whatever magic/technology had changed her, had also given her a valid ID. Opening the wallet, she found various items of interest besides her drivers license, handing it over; she managed to see her name before the officer read it out loud. 'I'm Sara Connor?' she mused, smiling inwardly at the thought of having the same name as the woman in the Terminator movie. 'How apt, talk about science fiction,'

"Miss Connor, can you pop your trunk? It's just a routine check, to ascertain that there are no unauthorised hitchhikers," he offered with a smile.

Sara/Scott had a moments doubt if they spotted her old bag with Scott's stuff in it, as she pulled the release.

Another officer walked past her, tipping his hat as he queried the first officer.

"No just a suitcase," she heard him answer, as the second officer continued on to the car behind. The first officer closed the trunk lid and waved to those at the roadblock to allow the newly named Sara through. Sara drove on, managing to put aside her worries for the moment about this strange situation, instead, relishing the more comfortable conditions in the Trans Am compared with the truck. The air conditioner kept the heat at bay and the car was very responsive under her slender fingertips.

She resumed driving on a sort of autopilot, wondering why she wasn't screaming out against this sudden change in gender. Scott hadn't been one of those males that thought females were somehow inferior. His normal curiosity about what it might be like to be of the opposite sex was being answered, but that didn't explain the acceptance of the situation to the point of feeling normal, even the acceptance of using feminine pronouns like she and her in her mind. 'Was it a function of the alien technology to make the aliens blend in?' One thing she was sure of, it was reversible. The vehicle had the ability to change both its appearance and the occupants inside. When the aliens abandoned it, it was a truck, which led Sara to believe that the changing option had been used for whatever reason and had then been returned back to a truck. First, she needed to explore the identity of this Sara Connors, and then try and discover the mechanism that initiated the change.

Civilisation in the form of Oakdale had her heading towards Manteca and from there, north to Stockton where she would stay the night in a hotel. San Francisco was close enough to reach in a few hours the next day. Scott was supposed to contact the others at an address in Fremont that had been pre arranged.

She found out that being an attractive female had its advantages, when Sara stopped outside one of the better looking hotels in Stockton. She had someone park her car for her and bring in the one piece of luggage that she now appeared to own. Taking only her handbag, she clicked her way to the reception desk to book a room for the night. She took out the platinum credit card she had seen in her purse when she had to find her drivers license for the police. She paid in advance and ordered a meal to be sent to her room. The luggage got there almost before she did, with the bellhop paying her much attention as she searched for a tip in her purse.

As soon as she was alone, she went into the bathroom to examine her new body in some detail without any prying eyes. She saw a statuesque strawberry-blonde haired, young woman, around twenty one-two years old, with nicely sized breasts. Her new body seemed to be only a few inches shorter than Scott's, but it was hard to judge, without a tape measure. She examined her face, seeing the fresh-faced innocent bloom of youth enhanced by a subtle mix of cosmetics. A sudden thought had her wonder how she might have to recreate that look, if she was stuck in this body for longer than she expected. Sara Connors was very attractive, and had Scott met her before the change, he would have counted himself very lucky.

Sara took off her clothes, to further explore this body from a more personal viewpoint. It wasn't till she reached behind her back and adroitly removed her bra without any difficulty, that this enhanced her suspicion that there must be some sort of built in ability to cope with the changes, after all, aliens would probably need the help even more to dress as a female on this world. Sara wondered if that might be the reason she felt so comfortable in this body. Taking in the sight of her sexy body, seemed to confirm that there was some sort of automatic programming. Instead of feeling lust and sexual attraction for the image in the mirror, she found herself checking out her butt and silhouette to see how she compared with the average female standard for her age. A sense of pride that she fell into the upper range of attractiveness was the most evident emotion. She did explore her new sex, but only so far as to see the differences. Just a quick probe to her clit was enough to make her wonder what it would be like to have sex as a female, not that she planned to go out on the prowl that night.

She turned back to walk naked into the bedroom to check out her "luggage." Opening it revealed that she now had at least four complete outfits, with a selection of tops and skirts. A small case inside revealed that it contained makeup and other feminine essentials. She took out a piece of flimsy black material and held it up, realising it was a nightie, a baby doll in fact if she was any judge. She took it and some toiletries into the bathroom and started to take a shower. Wow! That was different. This newly minted body didn't react well to the harsh scrubbing Sara started out with. Being more sensitive, the skin only required soft wipes of the washcloth. Sara wondered if she should look for one of those fluffy nylon poufs, which her sister used to use before she moved out with her boyfriend. Looking in the mirror after the she had finished in the shower, she saw that the makeup on her face was still partially in evidence. After wrapping her wet hair expertly in a towel turban, she rummaged through the toiletries till she saw the bottle of makeup remover. Using some cotton balls, she carefully returned her face to its natural look. Still attractive, she could see how the makeup had enhanced her natural beauty without being overdone. Clad in her nightie, she went back to the bedroom to check out the contents of her handbag, while she waited for her dinner order.

She slipped on a robe when a knock on the door announced the arrival of dinner. She took the offered meal and ate it distractedly, as she digested the information she had found. The handbag and the purse confirmed that she had a valid ID as Sara Connors. She was twenty-Two years old, a year younger than Scott had been. It also revealed that she owned a condo at Half Moon Bay. Sara assumed this was a genuine home, not a fictitious fabrication; after all, even aliens have to live somewhere while they do whatever it is, they do on earth.

It seemed she had a job as well; there were security swipe cards with her new ID on them with her level of clearance, proclaiming that she worked for the US military as a temporary clerk. Sara wondered what that entailed and was shocked to feel the information flooding into her consciousness, detailing her job and her fellow colleagues. Wow! She had a job and apparently was on leave at the present moment. Checking the memories stored in this body, Sara Connors had a healthy bank account and owned the condo outright. 'Hmmm, maybe being Sara for a bit longer could turn out to be rather profitable,' was the thought that crossed the former Scott's mind. Sara decided to check out the condo, before contacting her friends. Anyway, she needed time to find out how to change back, and it wasn't far from where the others were staying. She wondered what they would say if she showed up as Sara, while proclaiming to be Scott. Maybe, (and this thought surprised her,) she might want to interact with one of them in a sexual way, sort of break the new body in. Her body reacted to the thought of sex, with a hardening of her nipples and a feeling of moist warmth between her legs.

Dragging her thoughts back to the here and now, it seemed that as Sara, she had a completely new life set up for herself. This gave her a sense of relief that if she ended up being stuck in this form, at least she could survive in the sense of a home, a job, and some financial security. The first thing was to check out the condo and see if there was any information to be gathered on Sara Connors. Climbing into bed, she realised her sleeping habits had to be modified slightly. Sleeping on her stomach, as Scott used to do, was uncomfortable, so she turned onto her side after sweeping her hair upwards onto the pillow so it wouldn't get tangled. Realising her earrings were still in as they rubbed against the skin of her neck, she adroitly removed them and placed them on the bedside table. Sighing softly, she prepared to take her first nights rest as a female.

Awakening suddenly, it took a few seconds to chase away the remnants of the odd dreams Scott, now Sara, had experienced. Scott usually had vivid dreams, but now experiencing them as Sara with the altered viewpoint of seeing herself as female in the dreams, gave a whole new meaning to the word "different."

Sara washed the sleep from her eyes, after using the toilet. This was another instance where the bodies programming became evident as she sat automatically and wiped herself correctly without even thinking. She dressed, choosing to use the same clothes as yesterday, with just a change in panties. She brushed her hair into a simple style, glad that her hands seemed to know what to do. Makeup went on in a similar fashion, as long as she didn't consciously try to control the movement of her hands, it went on flawlessly, recreating the look of yesterday.

Breakfast over without any drama; she had her luggage brought out to her car, before she set off for Half Moon Bay. A quick stop to buy a local map book soon had her heading to her destination. The address of the condo was located near the beach, off Kelly Avenue. She turned right onto Balboa Blvd. Finding the number, she saw the condo. The place certainly had an excellent ocean view. She drove into the property slowly, feeling somewhat like an intruder. As she neared the house, a beeping sound from some hidden place behind the dashboard started the built in garage door opening automatically. Sara drove in, seeing it was expected, wondering what other surprises were in store. Getting out of the car, she opened the door that led into the condo's interior. It was empty, with no signs that anyone else lived there. She spent the next hour going painstakingly over the house. Apart from a few photos in the main bedroom of Sara with a young man, there was no sign of others having lived here. The Sara in the picture, looked somewhat older than her current age, but whether it was just a bad picture or the effect of makeup, she couldn't tell.

Checking the obvious, she saw that there was still food in the refrigerator. Sniffing the milk in its carton, she decided that the entity that was the previous Sara Connors must have left only a day prior. There was one phone message, from a man calling himself Ken. From the message content, she figured it was from her 'boyfriend.' He was asking why she hadn't called. Sara wasn't too happy to have an instant boyfriend, despite curiosity about the prospect of sex as a female; it was way too soon to even contemplate it. One thing struck her, as she looked around. There was no sign of disarray, or signs of hurried departure or things left untidy. It was as if Sara Connors had just left one day never to be seen again. Sara was sure that the beings that had departed weren't coming back. Why destroy the truck otherwise? Whatever their mission, it must have been completed. Sara did find papers in a cupboard, which showed the ownership and deeds to the place with her name on them. Sara did a quick calculation of the worth of the property and was staggered by the value she had roughly worked out. If she was prepared to stay as Sara while she sold it, she could be a multimillionaire. The only downside was having to remain female to accomplish it. Although, if she couldn't find how the mechanism worked, she may have to keep the condo and possibly the job Sara already had with the military.

Getting peckish, she stopped her investigations, to scrounge up a meal. Finding plenty of food in the cupboards, she made herself some chicken sandwiches after checking that the cold left over chicken in the fridge was still fresh. A glass or two of white wine, also in the fridge, accompanied the meal. Eating it out on the deck leading out from the kitchen, Sara relaxed on the outdoor furniture as she looked out over the ocean. Reluctantly, she finished up and went downstairs to the garage.

Once back in the car, she looked around for a while before discovering that the strange knob she had fiddled with before wasn't on its original setting. Turning it back did nothing, until on a hunch she started the car. At once, the strange sensation of being transformed again hit her, as the car morphed back into a Ford pickup truck.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, as Scott returned to his old body. Checking that everything was intact, and that his clothing had altered back into jeans and a tee, Scott was determined to check out the other settings of the knob. Turning it quickly to the third position, he felt the same blurring effect in his vision, as forces beyond his understanding, again changed both the vehicle and his body.

For and instant the truck flashed red then blue, as it passed through the red Trans-am model to a Volvo station wagon. The physical change of going from male to a partial change back to Sara and then on to another male, made him feel queasy, as his internal organs rearranged themselves. Scott looked in the rear vision mirror to see an older man about 35 years old. Scott climbed out of the Volvo, finding himself in a dark suit. Checking in his pocket, he found a wallet that proclaimed him to be Steven Ellery, married with two children, according to the photos of his (presumed) wife and children. One of who looked about Sara's age and just as cute. The other was a boy, slightly younger with similar features to the girl, but with dark hair, not blonde.

Scott wondered if the wife and family were still around as actual people, or just part of the same group of aliens disguised as a family unit. A thought crossed Scott's mind about what would happen if there were more than one in the car when the change was activated. Would the others become the 'family?' It led to possibilities for more interesting experimentation. 'Maybe his friends could help out in trying that possibility,' he thought with a grin.

Wanting to try out another setting, he got back in and tried the next setting. Scott found himself changing into a female again, this time; he felt his breasts expanding much further, as the Volvo changed into a pink VW convertible. 'Wow! This body is stacked, a real wet dream,' was Scott's first thought, as he checked out her new body. Finding the purse sitting next to him/her, she took it upstairs to the bathroom mirror, where she looked in more detail at this voluptuous body of hers.

Jennifer, as the purse confirmed, was wearing a halter top and a cotton skirt. Her breasts were huge, 46 DD, according to the sizing inside the bra that she had removed in order to ogle her assets better. Her age was 24 according to her driver’s license, and she found that she had a job as an air hostess with Quantas, an Australian airline. 'I guess a job with an airline where one can get into many different countries with little or no effort, would be advantageous for an alien from another world,' thought the now Jenniferised Scott. Trying to fathom the reason for the alien visit and what they had found out was a pointless exercise. 'So many possibilities, and not enough information,' the feminised Scott reasoned. No point worrying about invasion, or other sinister plots born of the many sci-fi scenarios born of popular fiction. Scott decided not to divulge his knowledge of contact from another species, no telling where he'd end up. Those tales of government interrogation and secret agencies did scare him.

Jennifer/Scott was so turned on by his sexy image in the mirror; she/he started feeling aroused and moisture gathering in that as yet unexplored nest between her legs, called out to her burgeoning excitement. A little game of sticky finger soon had her gasping as she sat on the edge of the bath. Jennifer came with a rush, her body suffusing with both heat and languidness as the feeling of her first female orgasm flowed throughout her body before slowly ebbing.

Jennifer took a slow shower, enjoying the sensations as she gently lathed her body with a soapy cloth. She barely contained the urge to fondle herself to another wonderful orgasm, deciding that she could be her, any time she wanted. Feeling naughty, she went down to the car naked, leaving the clothes generated by the car on the floor of the bathroom. She got in and tried some more of the settings, becoming several different people in turn. Most of the options ended up with Scott being female, something that had him speculating. 'Were females more likely to be able to gather information than males? Maybe they were using feminine wiles and the power of sexual attraction? Most of the security issues were handled by the male segment of the country so by being female, they could get closer to the people with the right information. Who knows, maybe they had other powers of extracting the information they were after,' thought Scott having returned to his original body.

There was one more thing that Scott decided to do, before contacting her friends. The setting that produced the Volvo belonging to family of Steven Ellery had a residential address in nearby Sacramento. Seeing it wasn't too far away, Scott decided to check it out by assuming the identity of one of the family. As a further experiment, Scott started the truck up and shifted over into the passenger's seat, before moving the knob to the Volvo setting. Once the change was completed, a feminine sounding "Yes!!" came from the former Scott's body. Scott was now the wife of Steven, according to the driver's license she hurriedly pulled out of her new leather purse. Having confirmed the theory that the position in the car while the knob was activated was all-important to who you became, Margaret Ellery carefully eased herself out of the passenger door and got into the drivers seat. Carefully adjusting her butter soft leather mid calf length skirt so that it wouldn't wrinkle, she tucked an errant strand of her shoulder length honey blonde hair behind her ear with an automatic gesture, before reversing the car back out of the garage.

Somewhere in the mind that looked out of the eyes of this attractive thirty year old woman, a voice was questioning the way her feminine actions had seemed so natural. Why did she choose to become female when a perfectly good male body was available? She argued with the male part of her mind as to whether it just was part of checking out a theory, or a desire to experience further, the feminine side of life. Thoughts that Scott was turning gay, or that he was a latent transsexual, were quashed with difficultly. Perhaps the fact that living in a female body was sexual turn on for a male mind, given that despite only having been a woman for barely a day, it felt perfectly normal to be one. Was the programming that good? Alternatively, was there something else she was overlooking? Scott knew one thing for sure. Becoming an older man didn't have much going for it, but becoming a woman, even a mature one, had a certain attraction. It was a buzz to become someone whose body was radically different, to experience living with breasts and a vagina was a choice that couldn't be turned down.

Letting her body remember the best route to her home, Margaret drove the Volvo though the early afternoon traffic, till she reached Sacramento. The home at Rolling Green Drive was between the Sacramento River and the Lighthouse Golf and Country Club. The stately home was set back down a drive lined with trees. The gates were open and as Margaret approached the house slowly, the auto garage opener in the car beeped a warning as it neared the double garage built on the side of the house. Both doors opened, and Margaret gasped as an identical Volvo to the one she was driving was revealed. It had the same registration number and looked identical, except for one thing. There was no knob. It looked as if this was just an ordinary car. Obviously, one morphing car was sufficient for their purposes and was less likely to be discovered.

Margaret found a key in her purse as she approached the front door. It wasn't needed, as the door was unlocked. Whether that was on purpose to help would be burglars, ransack the place, or they saw no need to lock it in the first place, she couldn't speculate. She entered, closing the door behind her and locked it. Maybe aliens had no concept of the use of locks, but she didn't want to be disturbed while she explored the place.

It looked similar to Sara's place, as if the family had just gone out for the day. The bedrooms still had clothing and the usual things that accumulate over the years. No sign of hurried departure or untidiness from a forced evacuation, there was food in the fridge and cupboards. Trying to recall any information from the built in memories of the body, Margaret found that she didn't have a job as such, but Steven was a naval attaché, her role seemed to be more involved with social gatherings with others in the naval arena. Perhaps she was gathering information in a more informal way, through the wives of high-ranking officers.

Margaret was puzzling over what vehicle to entice her friends into first, the Volvo or the truck. She decided the truck was the only option, as then at least she could talk to them as Scott. If they used the Volvo as their default mode, would that mean that they couldn't become the Ellery family? Margaret had another thought, what if they were in the Volvo as themselves and changed the knob to another setting, on returning it back to the Volvo setting, would they return to their original bodies? Or would they become the Ellery's? If so, how could they get back to their normal male bodies? She shuddered, realising the risk she as Scott had taken getting into the truck. Scott could easily have been changed into someone else forever, when he'd turned the knob back to the truck mode.

Deciding to call her friends, Scott returned to his body and marvelled again, as the truck shimmered into existence from what had been a Volvo. Scott sighed, as he looked down at his missing cleavage. Breasts might be strange to experience, but they had their good points too. He sniggered at the unintentional pun, as he walked into the house to phone his friends.

Scott waited and watched as his three friends smoked into the driveway of the Ellery's residence. The old Buick had seen as many miles as Scott's now defunct Studebaker. Looking at the oil smoke coming from the exhaust, as the car coughed to a halt, he knew it was time to dump it. He'd told them that he was staying free at the Ellery's and for them to pack up and come over too.

"Hey! Some house you got here," Daniel exclaimed.

"Yeah, how come you got to house sit these folks place?" grumbled William, as he checked out the gabled frontage.

"Nice," was Kevin's only comment, as he eyed the place speculatively.

"Come in, there's more surprises inside," Scott laughed.

They all trooped inside, admiring the decor and more importantly the contents of the fridge and wet bar. Soon, all had cans of beer, bar Scott, who mixed up a cocktail from the bar. Feeling rather wicked, Scott decided to play a prank.

"Hey you guys, I'd like you to meet someone, I'll just go get her," he said, trying not to laugh out loud.

"You have a girl stashed here?" scoffed Kevin, knowing how unlikely that was, given Scott's shyness with the fairer sex.

"Sure, she's a knockout," replied Scott, as he headed out towards the door to the garage.

The guys laughed as Scott disappeared, and argued amongst themselves, as to how many paper bags were going to be needed.

Scott got into the truck, hoping they wouldn't follow, should they hear it start up. He selected the Jennifer option, hoping to leave the boy's drooling when they caught sight of her. In less than a minute, Jennifer strutted back inside and stopped just inside the doorway unseen as yet, by her friends. She struck a pose with one hand up on the side of the door above her head and the other on her jutting hip as Jennifer looked in at the oblivious guys as they continued drinking and still commenting on what a dog Scott would drag in.

"Woof woof, boys, want to take me walkies?" she asked in her sexy voice, as she watched the stunned expressions on the guy's faces.

To be continued.

*********************************************
© 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Carversion -2-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Two

Scott, inside the very sexy form of Jennifer watched the expressions flitting across her friend's faces, surprise, shock, and lust and embarrassment, given what they had been discussing.

"Hi, we are friends of Scott. My name is Kevin, and this is William and Daniel," Kevin opened with. He stood and walked over to her, offering his hand

"I'm Jennifer Adams, I meet Scott a few days ago took him to bed with me, he's a real stud, when he gets going." Scott was nearly busting a gut inside Jennifer's calm sexy exterior, as the expressions on the faces of his friends, showed surprise, admiration, envy, and jealousy. She allowed Kevin to take her hand, and felt a shiver of excitement go though her body at the contact.

"Our Scott?" William asked incredulously.

"Yes, Scott with the little scar on his butt," she replied. Giving them verification of her intimacy with Scott, as she mentioned the mark Scott had got several years earlier from an accident on a barbed wire fence. Scott had been fleeing from a orange gathering raid into a neighbours place with the others, and caught himself on the fence as they scrambled over in there haste to avoid being caught red handed.

"Do you like my body?" she asked coquettishly, batting her eyelashes at the guys, as she looked up at them though her bangs with a slightly angled head.

"Oh yes, it's superb," echoed a chorus of agreement.

"I bet you would like my body?" Jennifer spurred them on. Seeing them nod frantically, she continued. "Want to know what to do to get a body like mine?" she asked, licking her lips suggestively.

"Yes!" chorused the guys simultaneously.

"Then, just do what Scott tells you, okay?" Jennifer said, as she walked amongst the guys, touching them with a trailing arm as she ran her hand over their chests as she passed by. Jennifer didn't need to look to know that the guy's pants were straining under renewed tension. She walked away, back to the door she had entered from, giving them a wink and a little wave.

Jennifer had to almost force herself to walk away. This body of hers was so turned on, it took all the will she could summon not to give those randy boys something to remember. She quickly reverted to Scott, before she lost control, realising that the Jennifer form must have a raised libido level. It was fun being Jennifer. Scott hoped the guys might find it so, as well. Making preparations for what he had in mind, with the use of an old broomstick, he went back in to see the boys.

Scott strolled in to see the boys talking avidly amongst themselves. They had a million questions for Scott when they saw him re-enter the room. Beginning with asking where he and Jennifer had met and how she was in bed. Scott laughed and said they could find out soon enough, if they followed his explicit instructions.

Getting everyone's promise, Scott led them one at a time to the garage. Kevin went first. Kevin submitted to being gagged with some duct tape and having his hands taped together, after being told Jennifer needed to feel in control. Scott covered Kevin's face with a blindfold so he could led him unsuspecting, into the drivers side of the truck. There, he reached in through the opened window and started the motor. Scott then took the broom shaft and used the end to flick the knob to the VW setting. Removing the handle, Scott watched Kevin's body alter and flow into Jennifer's. It was odd watching it from without, seeing Kevin shrink and his clothes change. Working quickly, before Kevin realised what had happened, Scott hustled the now smaller woman into the back of the normal Volvo in the garage. There, he taped her ankles together so she had to remain lying down on the seat out of sight.

Scott next took William and did the same, saying Kevin was resting after getting into Jennifer's panties, (well, it was the truth-sorta.) Scott hid the latest version of Jennifer out of sight behind the Volvo, before going back for Daniel. As soon as Daniel became the spitting image of Jennifer, Scott helped her out of the car and using the broom handle again changed the VW back into the truck. Switching it off, he didn't notice the small red light by the fuel gauge glowing.

Scott left the Jennifer/Daniel standing while he released the tape on the legs and wrists of the other two. He helped them stand as they removed their own blindfold and gag. Scott looked at the three Jennifer's, although identical, they all had variations in their clothing, courtesy of the technology of the aliens. Daniel was wearing a smart air hostess uniform, complete with her name badge. William was wearing a light summery frock and white open toed sandals with a 2-inch heel. Kevin looked like she was ready for a nightclub. Her tight LBD clung to all the right places and with her hair up in a French twist and standing in her 4-inch heels, she made Scott salivate. Her makeup was dramatic and complimented by the dangling earrings and necklace.

Each of the guys- Girls? Were now standing in shock, looking at each other and at themselves in shocked silence, as they tried to come to terms with their extraordinary transformation into Jennifer.

"What happened? How can I be Jennifer? Why is there two more of her? Scott! You did this somehow. Turn me back now!" Kevin screeched, in her new voice.

Scott walked back into the house, letting the others follow behind, in confusion, as they babbled out their true identities to each other. He went for his drink, ignoring the pleas from the others for a moment, as he took in the sight of three luscious ladies crowding round him.

"I seem to recall you each saying that you wanted her body and were in a hurry to get into her panties," Scott reminded them. "As you can see, you got your wish."

"Damn it, you know that's not what we meant," whined William. He looked down at his protruding breasts with a look of awe.

"Please reverse it," pleaded Kevin, feeling decidedly strange with the unaccustomed sensations coming from this body.

"Yeah, I can't be no chick, I want my dick back," threatened Daniel, as he tried to intimidate Scott by getting in his face. Unfortunately being now smaller than Scott, he couldn't pull it off, plus getting that close made his new breasts compress against Scott's chest.

Scott grinned, and on an impulse, grasped Daniel in his arms and kissed him flush on the lips. Whether it was surprise, or something else, Daniel didn't pull away immediately. Scott managed to get his tongue into Daniel's mouth, tasting the subtle hint of lipstick before Daniel pulled away.

"What's the matter with you? Are you a homo?" she yelped. She wriggled in his grasp, before getting free and attempted to hit Scott.

"Me a homo? I kissed a girl, not a boy," Scott answered, catching Daniel's fist with ease.

Daniel gave up, seeing he/she was no match for Scott in this body. She slumped down on the couch, still looking defiantly at Scott. Scott noticed she sat down very femininely, sweeping her skirt before sitting, something that registered with Daniel only after a few seconds.

"What's happening to me? This is really weird." She muttered.

Scott noticed that despite them all wearing female clothes and high heels, none of the three had tried to remove them or kick off the shoes in disgust. The programming that was built into the forms was making them feel comfortable in their bodies, something Scott had already experienced. He wondered if it was addictive, as he sort of missed wearing Jennifer's body already. He assumed it was the hormones and her libido that had made Jennifer such a joy to wear. He sat on the couch next to Daniel and took her hand, saying he would explain every thing. The others sat too, William opting to sit on the other side of him while Kevin sat across on the other seat. Daniel didn't pull away from Scott's touch, but continued to complain about his situation.

"You don't know how this feels, I'm sort of horny, and that is doing something weird to my head."

"I know exactly how you feel, woof woof." Replied Scott, winking at Daniel, while squeezing her hand gently.

"Huh?" Daniel questioned, still not realising that the first Jennifer had been Scott.

"You were THE Jennifer? OH BOY! I feel so stupid," Kevin said, feeling embarrassed, as he finally twigged.

"Yes I was, now please listen and I'll tell you the whole story." Scott confirmed. He got up and made them all drinks, handing them all a strong cocktail. He didn't take one for himself, as he needed a clear head to tell them his story.

The next hour was taken up with explaining the discovery of the truck and its abilities. The girl's loosened up as he plied them with drinks, becoming more relaxed and receptive. Scott ended up with his arms around the two on the couch as they leaned against him. He finished his tale and waited for their reaction.

"Wow! That's like so totally awesome, I can't wait to try that," slurred Daniel in a totally excellent valley girl voice. The others giggled, seemingly in agreement. Scott realised that the others had over estimated their new drinking abilities, and all were pretty much drunk as skunks. He suggested that they sleep it off overnight and experiment further in the morning. Surprisingly, they all agreed, and with a little help from Scott, they tottered off to the main bedroom.

There, Scott helped them undress as they fumbled drunkenly with their clothes. Scott was wary of pushing them into a situation that they might object to, but they seemed comfortable with him seeing them undress and accepted the nighties he found in Margaret's drawers. He started to leave the room, as the girl's all piled together in the king-size bed.

"I'm still horny," moaned Daniel as he fingered her new sex.

"Me too," chorused the others, looking at Scott.

"You want me to stay?" queried Scott, holding his breath.

The three Jennifer’s looked at each other and then down at their bodies, before nodding.

"Will you respect me in the morning?" Scott asked as his pants tightened uncomfortably.

"Only if you perform well," smiled Kevin, as she made room in the bed.

Needless to say, Scott performed very well that night. He knew that they might still be angry with him in the morning, having taken advantage of the girl's alcohol lowered inhibitions, and the horny factor of those luscious bodies, but if they killed him, it was worth it.

Morning dawned, without bloodshed, as the three women got up and left the exhausted Scott asleep in the bed. They decided to have a shower together, before going and changing themselves back. They discussed their feelings from the night before, as they soaped each other up. As Jennifer/Kevin mentioned, it was a unique opportunity to experience something new, even if they were tricked into it in the first place. It didn't seem odd to have had sex as a woman with a man. They decided it was the programming that made them feel so comfortable with it and not because they were closet gays. Even Daniel, who had protested the most in the beginning, seemed accepting of her change. She admitted with a giggle, that Scott had certainly scratched the itch she'd had, to which the others agreed, but made a pact not to mention it to Scott.

"We don't want to give him ideas, I think it's our turn next," Jennifer/William smirked.

"Yeah we don't want him to get a swelled head-just a swelled-coc..."

"Shsssssssh! You're making me wet again, thinking about it," Jennifer/Kevin said, interrupting Daniel's musing.

Dried, apart from their hair that they had wrapped with towels turban style, they went out to the garage in their filmy nightwear.

Scott was in heaven, his dreams filled with ardent nubile women demanding to make love to him. In his dream, he was trying to recover from all the sex, as he cried "no, wait a while-no-no-NO!" He woke still protesting, as the girl's shook him out of his dream.

"Ah! Sheesh," he mumbled, trying futilely to recapture the dream fragments. "What's up?" He asked as the insistent women continued shaking him and calling for him to wake up.

"The car won't work, we are stuck like this you idiot," one of the girls informed him.

That dashed the sleepiness from his brain, as the implications struck him immediately. He lunged out of bed, still naked, and rushed to the garage. Even though they could be stuck as females, due to Scott, the seriousness of the situation didn't stop the girls from ogling Scott's naked butt as he raced before them.

Scott got into the VW and started the engine. It turned over sluggishly before rumbling to life. He noticed the red light immediately and saw that the so-called fuel gauge was on "E." Worried now, he got one of the Jennifer's to sit in the car while he got out and watched from the outside. Turning the knob as instructed, Scott saw the light stop flashing and stayed on continuously, while a warning buzzer sounded. Nothing else happened, no reversion back to the truck. Puzzled, Scott had Jennifer, back the car out of the garage, into the morning sunlight. Hopefully, there they could check the engine for some loose connection or faulty battery.

Once the car was fully clear of the shadowy garage, they could hear a quiet whine coming from the roof of the car. Scott watched as a circular section irised open, revealing a dark section, laced with intricate gold threads. It took a few seconds before the significance of the patterns hit him. Looking back inside the car, he confirmed that the red light had turned amber and was slowly blinking.

"It needs sunlight to recharge," he informed the others. "All that use in the garage must have drained its energy. Now we need to wait till it's charged," Scott finished.

"So we are stuck like this for a while?" asked one of the Jennifer's.

"Um, yes," said Scott disconcertedly. He realised that without the original clothes that each had worn as they transformed, he had no idea who was who anymore. One of the Jennifer’s noticed, and smiled to herself, despite being unable to change back to her original body. 'We can have some fun with this, while we wait,' she thought. Shooing Scott out of the bedroom with his clothes, the girls put their heads together, before getting dressed.

Scott started getting breakfast, wondering how long he could avoid showing his inability in naming his friends in their identical bodies. He hoped that he could pick them out by the way they talked and what they talked about. When the girls first came out wearing the clothes that the car had generated for them, he drew a breath of relief, thinking that they had decided to wear the same clothes as yesterday, but then, some instinct told him to be wary.

"Hi, eggs and hash browns okay for breakfast?" Asked Scott, as Jennifer in a stewardess's uniform entered the kitchen.

"Yes, but don't make it too greasy, I have to watch my figure, you know," she answered running her hands down her body in emphasis, in an all too feminine gesture.

"Me too," Scott muttered sotto voice, while eyeing her figure with interest. Whoever was animating that body, was making full use of the programming. Scott would never have thought that one of his friends could be so convincingly female in just under a day.

"What did you say?" Prodded Jennifer, as she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh, just that you have a body worth watching," Scott answered truthfully. He turned back to the stove to check the food and didn't see the wink the first Jennifer gave the others as they joined her. Scott turned to see three Jennifer’s in the room, all dressed in the clothes from yesterday. The Jennifer in the LBD had recreated the same look with the makeup and hair in the French twist. They all giggled as they watched his surprised face.

"Wow! You all look beautiful, are we all going out somewhere? Or is this all for me?" he winked suggestively.

"You wish," came a unanimous reply, accompanied with a few girlish giggles as they teased Scott with some suggestive poses.

"Is it hot in here?" asked Scott, as he pulled at the neck of his tee, "or have I got a fever?"

"No, but I think you got the hots for us," the LBD clad Jennifer said with a smirk.

"Hey! Stop that," came a weak protest, as the three Jennifer’s crowded round Scott touching his body in a way guaranteed to leave him aroused, but frustrated.

The Jennifer trio laughed and flounced out of the kitchen, giving him a backward glance and a finger wave, before seating themselves expectantly at the dinning table. Scott heard some giggling going on and marvelled again at the thoroughness of the built in programming. Having experienced the Jennifer form, he knew the power of that programming. That body was built for sex, and had urges that were almost impossible to resist. He recalled feeling those same urges when he first showed Jennifer to his friends. It was so easy to fall into line with the urges, even after being male just a few minutes before. He suspected that remaining longer in that form had contributed to the way his formally macho friends had seemingly surrendered to the overwhelming femininity of that form.

Scott served breakfast to the girls. Having nibbled while cooking, he hadn't set a plate for himself, so he just sat and watched the girls finish eating.

"What do you think we should do with the car?" asked Scott, as the girl's finished breakfast.

"Before or after we get our revenge?" quipped one of the Jennifer’s.

"Gulp!" Scott looked worriedly at the trio of grinning faces, trying to see if they were being serious or not. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean for you to get stuck like that, even if only temporarily. I just thought it would be fun; after all, you have played some good jokes on me in the past. I hadn't planned on what happened last night," he tried to explain.

"Guys? I don't see no guys- only you, and that may not be for long," one of the Jennifer’s spoke, eyeing first their own forms, then glancing at Scott's with a calculating look, as if already imagining him in a dress.

Scott blushed, but soldiered on. "We could make a lot of money out of this. I mean this house alone would fetch over a mil. Not to mention the condo that one of the other options owns."

"You want us to become the Ellery family, while we put the property on the market? Who gets to become the wife and daughter, huh?"

"Well, we could draw straws," offered Scott, trying to placate the girls.

"I guess we don't all have to become the family. One of us could try Jennifers job, maybe she has a rich boyfriend." The air hostess dressed Jennifer suggested, preening herself, as if seriously considering it.

"Did you check out her airline handbag? Maybe we could take turns at being her," another Jennifer said excitedly.

"Hey you gu...girls are seriously weirding me out, remember who you really are," complained Scott, feeling that things were getting out of hand.

"Oh? And who is that exactly?" the third Jennifer asked, winking at the others.

"Kevin, Daniel and William, of course," Scott started, sweating bullets in case they asked the next question.

"You can tell us apart?" they chorused together, waiting for his response.

Scott pondered, knowing they were going to ask him that, so he came up with the only choice he could make.

"Well- I figure that you aren't wearing the same clothes that you had at the beginning. So that means you aren't Daniel, Scott pointed to the air hostess dressed Jennifer. That means you are either Kevin or William, the same goes for the others. I'm guessing you are Kevin, as you seem a little more aggressive than William would be. That would make you, Daniel," Scott said, looking at the Jennifer attired in the summer frock. "That leaves you as William," Scott postulated, looking at the Jennifer in the LBD. "So how'd I do? Am I right, or way out in left field?" Scott asked, feeling under pressure.

"Good try, except, I was deliberately mimicking Kevin's more aggressive nature," smiled William, feeling good at fooling Scott.

"William?" was Scott's one word question.

"That used to be me," confirmed the grinning Jennifer.

"I knew we should have done this naked," Kevin laughed. "He'd not have a clue then."

"True, but we didn't want him drool into our breakfast he cooked," Daniel winked.

Repeating his earlier question about what they should do with the car, Scott hoped to distract the girl's from thoughts of revenge. He wasn't particularly against becoming Jennifer or any female for that manner, it was the thought of having sex with his friends once they returned to being guys again. Being sober and male at the present moment, that thought didn't appeal at all. With the others being girl's at the time, he hoped that any decision in regard to some of them remaining female as part of the Ellery family, might not seem as repugnant if they were in their own bodies. There were still the possibilities of further experiments with the car. For instance, what would happen if the four were in the car when the Trans Am option was selected? Would they all become Sara? Or maybe two couples? Or even Sara with three other girls her age? Scott wondered what the limits were. Surely, every different form that the car generated didn't have a home and job.

Scott was brought out of his introspection by the sudden cessation of conversation from the girl's. He saw they were all looking expectantly at him. Scott looked blankly back; trying to recall what had been said. As the seconds ticked by with no reply, as Scott desperately tried cover his inattention, the girls looked at each other and snorted.

"Typical guy, never listens to what women say," one of them said with a wink. Then as that statement sunk in to the former males brains, they started laughing at the realisation that they also had been guilty of the same thing when in the same situation.

"Sorry all, I was miles away?" apologized Scott. "I was thinking of doing further testing with the car with all of us in it. What did you decide?"

"Well comfortable as these bodies are, it’s hard to stop thinking of jumping your bones. Jennifer's libido is rather notched up. How about us becoming the Ellery family for now, while we come up with a plan, we don't want a nosey neighbour or a casual visitor coming over and seeing strange people using their house. We don't know who could visit, perhaps looking for why the Ellery's aren't at work or school etc."

"Are we drawing straws?' Scott asked, nodding his head in agreement to the suggestion.

"How about flip a coin or pick a card?" Kevin suggested.

Hours later, Scott in the form of Margaret looked at 'her' husband/Kevin and her two children and smiled, she was happy to be female again, just for the novelty aspect of being a woman. Julie/William was 18 years old and very attractive in her miniskirt and halter-top. Daniel was now male and younger than Julie/William.

"I don't want to be Terrence, it's boring to be male and 15 again," Daniel complained vehemently, after the initial change.

"Um okay, let’s see what else we can come up with,' Scott said, understanding Daniel's reasons.

Scott as Margaret sat in the driver's seat and Daniel as Terrence sat in the front passenger seat, while Julie/William sat in the same place as he had been sitting before. This time instead of going back to the truck setting, Scott turned it to one of the other settings, before bring it back to the Volvo settings. Julie and Margaret came back unchanged, but Terrence had now been changed into Janet Rockwell, an 18 year old girlfriend of Julie's. There were photos of the two of them together in Janet's handbag, showing the two blonde haired beauty's eating ice cream together at a fair.

"Now this is more like it," responded a happy ex Daniel. "I can learn loads being a girl," she added, seeing the looks she was getting. Scott/Margaret could see that Kevin was getting an envious look on his face, as both Janet and Julie snuggled together, feeling each other's bodies. The Margaret personality that was currently influencing Scott's brain had him/her feeling attracted to 'her' husband. Margaret whispered in 'Steven's' ear. The look that crossed his face had obviously driven any thoughts of envy of the others. He took Margaret's hand and led her to the bedroom. Margaret felt both a sense of excitement and a little fear. To find out what sex is like as a female is one thing, but to find out by doing it with a man is another. Fortunately, Steven/Kevin sensed the conflict in 'his wife' and took up a bottle of whiskey to help loosen her from any doubts.

Knowing from the previous night, exactly what feels good for a woman, Kevin in his mature Steven body, took Margaret to heights of passion, she had never experienced before. Her squeals and moans as she climaxed over and over drove her lover over the edge, and they collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs as their passions ebbed.

Julie and Janet weren't oblivious to what was going on in the bedroom. The noise Margaret made was clearly heard throughout the house. They tip toed to the main bedroom where they watched the two lovers through the slightly opened bedroom door. Janet poked Julie, and jerked her head towards the bedroom that she knew belonged to Julie, winking as she did so. Soon they were making noises of their own, as they got naked and started to 69 each other, using their tongues to good effect. Their inexperience in lesbian techniques was soon remedied, as each copied the other once they found the most sensitive spot.

Scott/Margaret lay in the bed, thinking about what had just happened. For a guy with hardly and sexual expertise, except for a quick blow job from the school slut behind the bike shed, this was the most mind blowing experience in his lifetime. How odd was it, that his first real orgasm was felt doing it with a man, with himself as a female no less. Mind-boggling. She, for that's what this body was telling her in so many little ways, felt relaxed, and not a bit regretful. This was one experience she was willing to try again. A sudden thought sent a weird, half excited, half scared chill though her, as she felt Steven's residue seep from between her legs. What if she got pregnant? Would she be stuck as a female for the gestation period? For a guy that was horny for women, the thought didn't bring the instant terror expected. Scott assumed that the programming in the body had a great deal to do with that.

As Margaret showered and found a new way to play with the detachable shower head, she wondered if whether the aliens had any children while on earth, and if so, were they fully human. Maybe they had left them behind on earth while they themselves left to do whatever it is, aliens do.

Later, after finishing up in the bathroom and having selected something slinky to wear out of Margaret's wardrobe, she prodded Steven's still drowsy body.

"Hey wake up and get a shower, we are going out," Margaret insisted.

"Hmmm, you look good enough to eat. How about we go another round?"

"You did that already, maybe later I'll let you have another meal." Margaret grinned, pulling on Steven's leg.

Steven moved then, trying to grab his erstwhile wife, but she was too quick for him. He resigned himself to taking a cold shower, rinsing the excesses from his athletic body.

Margaret heard some moans coming from Julie's bedroom, so she quietly looked inside, just cracking the door open. Janet and Julie were still in a tangle of arms and legs, as they worked on each other, oblivious to anything else. Margaret, playing up the mom role, walked in and started picking up the discarded clothes the girl's had strewn around with their hasty disrobing. Margaret starting folding the clothes without speaking, but kept an eye on the activities on the bed. She started getting aroused again as she watched what would have been a Scott fantasy.

"You should really keep your room tidy," she admonished the girls in a calm tone, interrupting them just after the moans went quiet. "You never know who will walk in," she finished, grinning at the guilty expressions on their busted faces.

"We were...just...um -- we heard you and ahhh....sort of...ah...gulp," the two girls tried to explain.

"Hey! I'm not your mother, or am I?" laughed Margaret, thinking about it. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, I might try some girl on girl action myself. I wonder if I can get someone to be Jennifer for me, maybe we could all be Jennifer and try something interesting," she mused.

"Count us in," the two girls chorused, grinning at each other.

"Well then, I suggest you grab a shower, before I jump in that bed with you two. We need to get going." Replied Margaret, as she eyed the pair.

She watched amusingly, as the girls rushed to the bathroom, stark naked, seemingly oblivious of the feminine way they moved. Margaret went to the car and waited, thinking about how all their lives had taken a right angle turn. So much had happened so quickly, it hadn't really sunk in how their lives had been irrevocably changed by all this. To be able to become a completely different person of either sex was mind-boggling. Margaret wondered idly if they would survive this experience, or get subsumed in some alternative identity for life. She couldn't get over how comfortable and natural she felt in this body, even though if she had to pick, Sara or Jennifer would probably be her favoured choice. Thoughts of how it would feel to be pregnant, to give birth, lingered in her mind. The absence of horror of that occurring from a "Scott" point of view, showed how the in built programming had managed to alter her way of thinking.

To be continued.

Carversion -3-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Three

By the time everyone had dressed and wandered out to the car, Margaret/Scott had the beginnings of a plan. She outlined it to them, as she drove out to the condo belonging to Sara.

"So we sell off the Ellery's place and investigate who of the others have property and decide which we will keep. Then we divide the assets between us. The only catch is, one of us will have to be an owner of the property. We need to find out if there are assets elsewhere that we can liquidate." Margaret finished, looking at the others for any objections.

"What about Jennifer? From memory when I was in her form, I seem to recall that she had a place in Australia. How do we get there?" Janet asked quietly.

"Simple, one of us takes her role and flies there as a stewardess on one of her Quantas flights." Margaret explained. "The memory thing should make it a breeze," she added quickly.

"But that will mean whoever goes will be stuck as Jennifer till she gets back," Steven/Kevin pointed out.

"Think of it as a holiday away from yourself. You get to see Australia for free. All those beaches and the surf." Giggled Margaret.

"All those studly lifesavers, leering at your body." Steven reminded them.

"Hmmm, studly huh?" grinned Julie, thinking about it from a girls point of view.

Before long, Margaret had driven up to the gates of Sara's condo. Not thinking about it, she turned the knob back to the Trans Am mode so the auto gate opener in the Trans Am could operate the gates. Suddenly, as the rear seats containing Janet and Julie morphed away leaving just the tiny bench seat they too were changed, becoming two poodles, that starting barking immediately.

Steven/Kevin, who had been the front passenger next to Margaret, also changed. Margaret became Sara, but Kevin's borrowed form became a guy that Sara remembered as being in a picture along with herself in the bedroom. Feeling bad that her two friends had turned into matching poodles complete with ribbons, Sara drove quickly into the underground garage and reached for the knob again. The guy Steven/Kevin had turned into, closed his hand over hers, preventing her from reversing the effects on her friends.

"Wait, this is one more opportunity to find out how this car works." He offered. So saying, he pulled the reluctant dogs out from the car, where he examined them. "This ones a bitch," he indicated to the one with pink ribbons tied around its head. "The other one is a male, a perfect set." He laughed, picking the male up in his arms.

"You think they are William and Daniel inside those bodies? Which is which I wonder?" Sara asked worriedly. "I hope they are okay in there, how long are we going to keep them in those bodies? It doesn't seem fair."

"Not long, just want to see if they have retained the same intelligence as in their human body."

A few simple tests with commands to do certain things showed that the dogs, while unable to verbalise their thoughts, did retain their human intelligence. A command to the poodles to sniff around the property for any hidden surprises using their heightened sense of smell had them scamper off like any normal dogs. Sara went inside, after unlocking the door with the key from her purse. Kevin followed, pulling out his wallet to find out who he was at the moment.

"Ken Roland," he spoke, looking at the name on the driver's license. "I'm 28 years old," he added.

"That's odd," Sara paused, looking at Ken in puzzlement. "There was a message left on the phone from a Ken. I thought it was Sara's boyfriend, but if you are the same Ken generated by the car, how could he leave a message if he doesn't exist?"

"Maybe the car made me into a duplicate of the real Ken, seeing that if he was your boyfriend it would look okay to see him with Sara in her car." He offered.

"If so, things could get complicated, what if Janet was an actual person and had come around to the Ellery's and seen a duplicate of her self." Sara mused.

"Didn't you say that Sara has a computer?" Ken/Kevin asked. "We need to do some research on who is real and who isn't."

"Okay, but William will need to do his thing. I couldn't open it. It was password protected."

"Hmmm, okay, speaking of which, where are they?" Ken said, moving to the balcony to look out for the dogs. "Oh crap, they are copulating. Quick let's get them turned back before we end up with a litter of puppies." He yelled, running back outside to try and separate the two poodles.

Sara was in a fit of giggles, as the dogs seem to resent being forced apart. Luckily, the penis of the male hadn't yet enlarged into the knot that prevents separation during sexual coupling. Ken finally scooped the pair up and walked back to the car. Handing one to Sara he placed the other dog into the passenger seat and started the engine. Turning the knob back to the truck mode, made them both return to their original bodies. William climbed out looking very red faced. Kevin then turned the truck back to Sara's Trans Am before getting her twin (having changed into Sara) outside to place the other dog in the seat. Repeating the process, had Kevin and Daniel back in their male forms.

"Hey that was something else," Daniel enthused, as he checked his body over.

"Maybe for you," William replied sourly. "You weren't the one being humped," he blushed again.

"Ah sorry, I let the instincts take over for a moment. But you must admit, bring a dog was fun for a while," Daniel apologised, throwing an arm over the shoulder of his friend.

"The sense of smell thing almost makes me feel like I can't smell anymore. Its so acute, but the colour blindness sucks." Daniel admitted.

"You had full cognitive ability?" Sara asked curiously.

"Yeah, although we couldn't speak to each other even in doggerel," laughed William, cracking into laughter.

"I suppose being a dog could have certain advantages during a party. People wouldn't hesitate to talk about sensitive military or other secrets in front of a dog." Kevin speculated.

"Count me out; if I'm going to be a bitch, I'd prefer to be a sexy human one," pouted Sara, trying to look imperious.

"Would madam like one lump or two?" Kevin grinned, bowing to Sara in a depreciating manner.

"I think she already has two lumps," sniggered Daniel, looking pointedly at Sara's cleavage.

With a chuckle from the others, they all trooped inside. Sara showed William the computer and told him what they wanted to find out. William grinned, cracking his knuckles as he sat down to do his thing. Leaving him alone, the others explored the place, even going down to the ocean to check out the beach. Sara decided to go for a swim and went back to change into a swimsuit. The others moaned that there weren't any suits for them in the house, having decided to join her. Sara laughed, and told them the one way they could find something to wear.

Sara left them and went down to the beach, leaving Kevin and Daniel to decide what they wanted to do. Ten minutes later, Sara watched two female figures walk down from the condo. One was her twin, and the other was Julie Ellery. Both were of a similar build and so Sara's swimsuits fit Julie like a glove.

"Nice bikini's, love the bodies," crowed the already wet Sara.

"Well Daniel wanted Julie's body, and with William having his nose deep into the computer, it was too hard to manage getting Janet's body. I decided to be your twin," Sara/Kevin explained.

"No problem sis, just don't fight over our boyfriend," giggled Sara/Scott, seeing the disgusted expression on her twin.

"Why didn't you just wear a bikini bottom? At a distance they look like a pair of Speedo's." asked Sara/Scott.

"Yeah, pink Speedo's-sure." Sara/Kevin replied sarcastically. Well you know I'm not a great swimmer, so I figured I'd try the model with the built in life preservers," she added, hefting her globes experimentally.

"Oh sure, any excuse to get into my body." Laughed Sara/Scott, as she flicked some ocean at her twin's still mostly dry body.

"Hey! Cut that out, or I'll come over there and test out your floatability." An indignant Sara/Kevin spluttered.

Everyone dissolved into laughter. It seemed that the old camaraderie that existed before all this was still there, strong as ever. The fact that they were all now females, didn't seem to matter at all, there was no sexual interplay, given that inside those nubile bodies lurked horny guys. They played; they swam, marvelling at the added buoyancy their bodies gave them. They were having fun being together, laughing, and gasping as they ducked in and out of the surf. The fact that they were of another sex didn't seem to alter the way they enjoyed themselves.

Tiring quicker than they would in their more muscular male bodies, they soon retreated to the beach and flopped exhaustedly onto the towels they had brought with them. The beach was almost deserted, with just a few people further down. The girls lay on their stomachs, trying to warm themselves in the sun. Having their breasts pressing into the sand, made them feel a bit uncomfortable, until Sara/Scott found that scooping some sand out from under the towel in the appropriate position, made things much more comfortable. The others followed suit, and soon they were dozing lazily in the sun.

"Well, hello ladies," came a male voice from behind them.

The girls were shocked, as they hadn't heard anyone walking up. They turned over to see a guy with sun-bleached hair and wearing a skimpy pair of Speedo's that were struggling to contain his virile endowment.

"Wow! Twins, this must be my lucky day," he exclaimed, grinning charmingly at the two Sara's.

He crouched down to allow them to see him without craning their necks, and reassuring them, by adopting a non-threatening posture.

"Hi," Julie spoke, not sure of the correct protocol. "You from around here?" she asked, trying to be casual and not stare at his groin.

"John- John Maxwell," he introduced himself. "Yeah, I live down there a ways," he added, pointing down the beach. "You live around here? I've seen you before, but I didn't know you were twins," he asked of the two Sara's.

"I'm Sara, and this is my sister Susan," Sara/Scott replied, thinking fast. "We live up there," she pointed towards the condo. "This is our friend Julie. She's staying with us at the moment." Sara/Scott couldn't believe the way she had just blabbed out their life history to a total stranger.

"Nice to meet you all, I hope we can get together sometime, maybe come over for a barbecue one of these days." John said, rising to his feet.

"Sure, that might be nice," blurted the now Susan/Kevin automatically. She blushed, when she realised that her response might not be all due to the programming of this body.

John grinned, before sauntering back down the beach. He didn't see the confusion that his casual offer of friendship had caused between the newly minted females.

"Cute butt, oops!" Julie caught herself checking out John's retreating ass, before clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Umm, I'm going up to change," Sara/Scott, suggested, not exactly sure whether she was going to change her clothes or her body. It was fun being someone else, especially a female where the poses of every male wish fulfilment could be enacted in front of a mirror. The problem as Sara/Scott saw it was getting lost within the fantasy and taking on the role completely. The others had showed that with the right stimulus, they acted just like real women. Being attracted to strange men was a far different thing to exploring sex from the other side of the coin with your friends.

Sara decided to remain in this body for the moment. Not only did someone need to 'BE' Sara for appearances sake in case someone called, she figured that as long as she could rationalise her feelings and worry about being 'assimilated,' she was safe. Making a promise to herself, to keep an eye on the others, she then went into the bathroom to wash the salt from her hair.

Changed into a summery outfit, with her hair still turbaned in a towel, she checked on William, where he seemed engrossed in the computer. Sara heard the clatter of the other two girl's returning from the beach, as she asked William how things were going.

"Well I got in okay, they may be aliens, but they used earth technology and more importantly, Windows." He grinned at her as he explained how he bypassed the passworded system. Sara listened distractedly to his involved geek speak, as she heard the girls fussing in the shower.

"So what have you found out?" and can you tell us anything about the aliens?" she prompted, cutting off his technological explanation.

"Well, there were folders that had been emptied and lots of files that had been hurriedly deleted, but I managed to recover about 50% of the info using my undelete disks." He waved his floppy at her proudly. William always carried his software with him wherever he went.

"Shall we wait till the others get here? So I don't need to repeat myself," he asked, tidying up his disks and packing them away.

"Yeah, okay, I'll just go see what they are up to," suggested Sara, moving quickly to the bedroom, where she could hear the girls talking.

She found Julie and her twin pawing through the closet while discussing what they should wear.

"Girl's, how about we try to get rid of the extra Sara and select another form. I don't think William needs to be confused more than he is," Sara/Scott laughed.

Soon, with the help of the car and a bit of rearranging in seating, Janet appeared once again. Sara and Julie were a bit jealous of the fact that Janet now looked immaculate. Her once wet hair, now dry and smartly arranged, topped a face expertly made up.

Trooping in to where William was writing notes, they pulled up some extra chairs, as they prepared to discover what had been found out.

William looked them over appreciably, obviously liking being surrounded by such a bevy of beauties.

"Okay, let’s start. I think I know what they were after and why they had left so suddenly. I found some deleted emails, sending a recall message to the scattered members. It's not explicit, but it seems there was a crisis on their home world, which necessitated their quick withdrawal. No names were mentioned unfortunately, so we don't know how far away that might be. From what I can gather, they were after information on our nuclear situation." At the girl's worried looks, he quickly reassured them it wasn't to do with the Earth’s defence capability.

"I think they were trying to see how advanced we were and whether we were close to achieving a valid fusion system. There's all kind of articles on fusion research, with comments beside them, showing if they were worth investigating." William paused, excusing himself, before going to get a drink of orange juice to quench his dry throat, while the others talked between themselves.

"Do you think they are a threat to us?" Sara asked anxiously, when William got back from raiding the fridge.

"Funnily enough, I don't think so. They kept below our radar with all of this," William waved his hand at them, indicating their alien supplied forms. "Which means they didn't intend to cause us any alarm."

"Yeah, keep the sheep calm, while you ready the knives," offered Janet/Kevin sarcastically.

"No, I don't agree. Given that they had discussed giving us hints as to how clean fusion power could be achieved. I think they were more concerned about us destroying the world with dangerous radioactive waste, and the possibilities of using nuclear weapons on each other. The Ellery's have been here on earth for about ten years, building up public identities that will stand close scrutiny. Sara has been here for about 2 years, which is odd, as her age is supposed to be 24years old, according to her file."

"A computer glitch?" Sara asked, remembering the photo of her and 'Ken.' "What about these bodies? Are they legit, or are they just for show?" Sara asked curiously.

"There seems to be records for the Ellery's and Sara Connors. Jennifer Adams also has a valid ID. I'm not sure why your license says you're 2 years younger, unless changing back and forth resets the age to some default setting, that could be a problem in the future," William warned.

"Also, according to the records, Jennifer has a place in Australia, so it looks like one of us will have to take on the duties of an air hostess, till she gets a flight home. There's a few other that we hadn't tried out yet, but Janet looks like she is a real earth person. I did a Google search on her name and she does live near the Ellery's home.

"So that means what?" asked the fake Janet.

"Best I can figure out is that the car can somehow imprint on a real person, and can reproduce them as window dressing." William shrugged.

"Okay, what you're saying is, because the car has had the real Janet inside, while driving around, presumably with her friend Julie in the Ellery mode. It can now change anyone to look like a Janet, because it's something nobody would suspect as being out of place." Sara voiced, putting her thoughts into words.

"Pretty much, I guess, unless anyone else has a better theory," confirmed William, as he agreed with her.

The others sat and digested this latest revelation. The power of the alien car to transform others had grown in their eyes, and so too, the danger of it falling into the wrong hands.

Breaking the momentary silence, Julie quipped that if they managed to get a film star inside the car, then they could become them just like that. William thought that it might need repeated use before the car saw them as potential templates.

"Um guy's. I just had a thought. Do you think with our using the car, that it might be possible to change someone else into our old bodies?" Janet asked.

"Possible? Yeah I guess, but how will we test that, without bringing in another person. This is too important to let anyone know about, unless we totally trust them," Sara answered.

"What about Leanne? Kevin proposed. "I mean she's my cousin and did offer to let us stay at her place till we found a place of our own."

"Isn't she in the real estate business?" asked Sara, thinking this had possibilities.

"Well she works as a secretary for a real estate company, but I see what you're getting at." William elaborated. "She knows more than we do about the in's and out's of selling property."

I think it would be better if she took on the role of Jennifer and went to Australia," Sara insisted.

"Awwh, why?" moaned Julie. "I thought we were going to get a chance to visit another country."

"Look, who better to be able to cope being in a female body, than another female? Remember it could be some time before she gets back. There's no instant change back if things start getting a bit much. What if Jennifer has a boyfriend, do you think you can cope with that? Being female with all the hormones flooding your brain may cloud your judgement. We as males aren't used to it yet. Look at what happened on the beach this morning." Sara explained, patiently. "Even I wasn't immune to sexual thoughts about Mr. Maxwell, and I've been a female for a bit longer than you two." She confessed with a giggle.

"Did I miss something?" asked William, looking at the girls in turn. "Who is Mr Maxwell, and why am I feeling jealous?"

Sara explained the visit by John on the beach, and his offer of a barbeque at his place. She tried to explain about the way they each reacted to the attraction of the nicely built guy.

"Hey! Next time, warn me if there's free food on offer, I'll jump into a female form in an instant," William protested, with a laugh.

"Well we could make you into the poodle bitch so we could throw some sausages to you from under the table," grinned Janet.

"Dogs for the dog?" howled Julie, nearly falling off her seat with mirth.

"If I become Jennifer, he'll think you're the dog, as he will only have eyes for me," William bitched nastily.

"Hey! Ladies and non-ladies, listen to yourselves. Stop acting like bitches, or I might have to put collars on you both." Sara interrupted loudly, trying to defuse the situation. "We are in this together, I want no petty squabbles coming between us, now or ever."

William and Julie hung their heads, knowing they had got way out of line.

"You should kiss and make up," suggested Janet with a smile.

William looked hopefully at Julie at that suggestion, seeing her shrug agreement, he tilted his head towards the bedrooms, before standing up and moving in that direction. Julie following behind him looked at the others, as if seeking approval. Getting only a raised eyebrow and a shrug of nonchalance, from the girls. Julie disappeared in the direction William had gone.

Sara nodded to Janet, before heading into the kitchen to make lunch. She wasn't worried about her friends cementing their differences in a way uniquely given to members of the opposite sex. She was more aroused by the thought, and needed the distraction of preparing lunch to take her thoughts away from her own moistening crotch.

Janet helped her, before asking a question that had been weighing on Sara/Scott's mind.

"Why is it we are so comfortable being female? I wasn't gay or anything like that, yet it doesn't seem to feel weird living in a woman's body." She bit her lip nervously as she waited for Sara to answer.

"I've been thinking about that, from the very first moment." Sara began. "If you were going to an alien world and had to take on the form of a native there, possible one that is quite a bit different from your own. You would need more than just taking on the appearance of that form. You would need to act and behave as they would to fit in and not be noticed. That would suggest some sort of programming."

"Uh huh," agreed Janet, nibbling on a cracker.

"The more the physical differences, the better the programming. The aliens needed to act human, so the programming forced them to act, react, and behave exactly as the form they became, whether it was male or female. I think the programming works better on us, as we are at least human to start off with. Being female, while different from what we are used to, isn't totally strange to us. We have interacted with females and know to a certain extent how they think and react already."

"True," interrupted Janet.

"I also think that's how we found out some much about them, they had spent too much time as humans, and reacted to the crisis that led to them leaving, just like a human." Sara speculated, finding her thoughts crystallising.

"Oh?"

"They panicked, and left evidence behind. They were way more advanced than us, yet they forgot to destroy the files properly. They left the truck behind intact, relying only on a timed self-destruct. You would think they would have destroyed it first, ensuring its destruction, before leaving earth."

That's why you don't want one of us to go to Australia? In case we get to comfortable being Jennifer," Janet speculated.

"Yeah, that's part of it. It could take a month, that's a long time in a female body, without recourse to a quick change back." Sara answered. "Moreover, there's no one to check on how you're coping with the change. At least here, we can see if there's any adverse effect, from staying too long in another body," Sara concluded, finishing with the lunch preparations.

"LUNCH!" Sara called out, alerting the two in the bedroom. She took a plate and filled it with a few sandwiches, and took it out to the patio balcony. She set it down on the table there, and Julie joined her carrying a couple of cans of beer.

The others dragged themselves into view, after having been in the shower. Tucking into sandwiches and beer, they sat quietly eating, absorbing the suns heat.

"All friends again?" Asked Sara, grinning at the blush that showed on their faces. They nodded, mouths filled with food preventing further conversation. "What about bringing in Leanne, are we all agreed?" Sara asked, reminding the others.

"Shall I give her a ring and get her to come over here?" William asked, looking for confirmation.

"I think that will be best, seeing you're the only one in his original body," laughed Sara. "I don't think she'd accept hearing our voices when if we told her who we really are."

"Okay," agreed William, going inside to ring Kevin’s cousin.

Kevin and Daniel returned to their old bodies, while Scott remained in Sara's body. He hadn't meet Leanne, so it didn't really matter what body she/he met her in. Sara argued that staying in the body of the 'owner,' of the property, gave them the safety of some legitimate ownership.

Leanne had agreed to come over, after being reassured that her cousin had come up with a deal she couldn't refuse. She drove up in a late model Chevy Nova, which she parked next to the garage. Sara watched her look over the place with uncertainty, as if she couldn't see how her cousin had managed to finagle his way into a prestigious place like this.

Leanne was dressed neatly in her usual office attire, having left work early to answer her cousin's plea. Kevin met her at the front door and ushered her inside. Leanne looked around, taking in the décor, her mind automatically accessing the value.

She saw Kevin’s other friends, William and Daniel sitting with an attractive blonde woman, whom she correctly assumed owned this place.

"Hi Leanne," William and Daniel greeted her, as she was shown a seat. She nodded a greeting at them, waiting to be introduced to the woman before she sat at her table.

"Oh sorry, Leanne, meet Sara Connor." Apologised Kevin, hastily making introductions.

"Nice to meet you Miss Connor, what scheme has my cousin roped you into now?" Leanne smiled, extending a hand towards Sara.

"Something that will knock your socks off," Sara winked, looking pointedly at the absence of socks on Leanne's hose covered ankles.

Leanne saw something in the woman's face that bespoke of something unusual in the air. She looked at the others, seeing them grinning at some secret they all held.

"What are you hiding?" She asked, as William passed her a photograph.

She looked closely at the people shown in the picture, three of who were sitting right in this room. The forth person was another young man, who seemed to be part of their group in the picture.

"Is that Scott?" She asked, having heard he was to join with the others. "Am I going to meet him? Is that what this is all about?" Leanne guessed, seeing them nod.

"You have met 'him' already, 'he,' is right here at this table," William grinned, emphasising the personal pronouns.

Leanne looked at the only person in the room it could be, impossible as that was. She looked at Sara intently, trying to see if the woman was part of this joke. When Sara nodded, Leanne gasped, uttering the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh my god!"

To be continued.

Carversion -4-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Four

Leanne couldn't believe it. Surely, this couldn't be Scott. This was the genuine article, not some fake with artificial boobs and makeup.

"Okay great joke, now where is the real Scott?" Leanne pouted, feeling annoyed at being the butt of their joke.

"It's no joke cuz, this used to be Scott less than 24 hours ago. Scott had an encounter of the third kind you might say." Kevin explained, trying to soothe his cousin's ruffled feathers.

Leanne, I am Scott inside, even if the outside is packaged slightly differently," Sara interrupted, trying to help.

"You call that slightly?" Leanne scoffed, taking in Sara's impressive shape.

"Well," blushed Sara, as he looked down at her cleavage revealed by the skimpy top she was almost wearing. "There are more endowed forms I could have chosen."

"I must be going crazy, or you're all on drugs. There's no way a man can look like that, talk like that, even move as you are doing," she muttered, still trying to take it in.

Sara started to explain from the beginning, her seductive sexy voice drawing her in, along with the others, holding them spellbound, as she retold her story. Slowly, Leanne started leaning forward, getting enthralled as Sara/Scott unfolded her tale. Finally finished, she sat back thinking about what she had heard, moreover, what they had planned.

"Can I see the car? As much as I want to believe you, I need to see it in action before I can make a decision," Leanne asked.

"Sure, can we change you into a guy?" Daniel asked facetiously.

"Eeewh, no way. Get your jollies somewhere else, pervert," Leanne shuddered at the thought.

"Come on just for a few minutes, think of it as a rite of passage. We tried being girls." William added, agreeing with Daniel.

"No, just because you are weird, doesn't mean I am. I'm quite happy being me."

"Cuz, we need you to become another person for our plan to work. We need you to trust us as we will be trusting you." Kevin put in his two cents worth.

"Leanne, look at me," Sara spoke up. "I'm a female right now, do I look uncomfortable being in this body, given, that as Scott, I am a normal heterosexual guy. Being a guy for 5 minutes won't kill you and it might just settle any questions you might have about what it's like."

Leanne looked trapped, admittedly she had once wondered what made guys tick, before giving up trying to second-guess them. She shrugged, before nodding reluctantly.

"Okay, but I get my own body back- right?"

Leanne followed the others, listening to them discuss the best way for her to become a him. She didn't feel very happy. Obviously they weren't experts with this alien transformer vehicle, putting her body at risk seemed foolish, despite their continued reassurances that it would be okay.

Sara opened the door of the Trans Am and motioned to Leanne to sit in the drivers seat. Sara intended for Leanne to go to back to the truck mode to see if it was true that the guys base settings were now recorded and would allow another to take on those forms.

The first test went well, after having shown Leanne what to do. The truck appeared with Leanne now in the form of Scott. The choice of body, seemingly due because Scott had been in the drivers seat the most. Leanne, now Scott, got out of the truck in order to make it easier to examine his new body.

"Wow! This is different." He exclaimed, checking out his muscles. "You're right about it being comfortable. I'm so much taller and um-" he fell quiet as his questing hand did a dive into the pants he found himself wearing.

"Do you want to look at those in the bathroom?" Sniggered Kevin, after seeing the look of surprise on the new Scott's face.

"Well, I do need to use the toilet, I guess I can handle it," Scott/Leanne said, triggering a gale of laughter from the others at the unintended pun.

Sara waited while the new Scott took time to relieve both his body and his curiosity. It was strange feeling seeing the body that she had grown up in, being animated by another. 'Do I really look like that?' she thought to herself. Stranger than that, was the realisation that she felt a sense of attraction to her original body. She figured it was just another tribute to the thoroughness of the aliens in their body programming.

It seemed longer than the ten minutes that Leanne took to satisfy 'herself' in Scott's body. Strutting outside, Scott/Leanne grinned to the others.

"It's been christened," he laughed. "Seems kind of handy to pee standing up, but I miss my breasts. These things have hardly any feeling at all," he complained, touching his male nipples through the tee shirt. "I want to return to my body now," she added, moving to the truck.

Sara showed her the position of the knob to return to the Trans Am and stepped back as Scott started the truck. Once the Trans Am reappeared she realised things hadn't gone as planned. Instead of seeing Leanne, there appeared another Sara. A yell from the new Sara alerted the others to the problem.

Sara/Scott grew worried, just where was Leanne's body? She fully expected it to reappear, seeing it started off in the Trans Am. Obviously, the pre-programmed setting overrode the original body, exchanging it for the Sara default. Leanne, in Sara form, flung herself out of the car, slamming the door in her anger, making everyone wince. She strode up to her double with a wrathful look. Sara/Scott held up her hand, halting her twin before she could say a word.

"Look this is unexpected, but I'm sure we can get you back in your body. Getting angry isn't going to cut it. Remember, this is new to us too, we just need to figure it out first."

"Do it quickly," Sara/Leanne bit off, struggling to keep from doing somebody an injury.

Sara/Scott took her twins hand and pulled her into the house, away from the argument that was going on with the others.

"We can get your proper body back, I'm sure of that, we just need to sit down and calmly figure it out," Sara/Scott again reassured her twin. "You should have seen the others when they thought they were all stuck as Jennifer," She smiled, remembering the shock when the car ran low on fuel. At Sara/Leanne's look, Sara/Scott explained about the trick s/he had played on the others. Sensing that there was more to this than was being said, and wanting more details, Sara/Leanne finally dragged the whole story out of Sara/Scott.

Laughing at the thought of the three guys stuck as busty triplets, Sara/Leanne felt better, and began to relax. Her initial anger, thinking she had been tricked, had dissipated.

"Why are you so sure I'll get my body back?" she asked her double, sitting across from her.

"Call it intuition. Somehow, I don't see the aliens as a threat. In the time spent here, they must have interacted with humans, I mean there are so many stories floating around, it can't all be coincidence. I think it’s unlikely that they haven't had a similar situation come up with a special few they may have revealed themselves to."

"Female intuition?" asked a smiling Sara/Leanne, as her eyebrows rose.

"Come on, let's see what the brilliant minds have come up with," Sara/Scott grinned, referring to the boys in a slightly condescending way.

Sara/Leanne followed her twin back to the others, sensing that Sara/Scott was acting more female than ever. She wondered how it was that the former Scott seemed to distancing herself from the male camp.

The guys still hadn't come up with a solution. They wanted to try it with two people in the car in the hopes that one would change into Leanne. Sara/Scott sighed, resigned to working it out herself.

"That won't work, remember when we first came here and I changed the car from the Volvo to the Trans Am?" She reminded them.

"Yeah, things went to the dogs," laughed Kevin, making Sara/Leanne look at him in askance. "I'll tell you later," ginned Kevin, seeing the embarrassed looks coming from Daniel and William.

"No I meant when I became Sara. You were in the front passenger seat."

"Ah! I see, I became Ken Roland, your boyfriend. So it could happen again." Kevin answered himself.

Sara/Scott thought about it, trying to come up with a solution. Suddenly, it gelled. "Leanne, get into the car and go back to the truck mode," Sara/Scott said confidently.

"But?"

"Trust me please,"

"Okay," Sara/Leanne resigned herself to going back to being a male again.

Once she had gone back to being Scott in the truck, Sara/Scott told her to get into the passenger side of the truck and reverse the process. The cheers from the guys and the glad cry from Leanne on her successful return to her body, made Sara smile as she pumped her fist in victory.

"Good guess," Daniel opined, as Leanne got out of the Trans Am.

Sara snorted, and muttered under her breath, "guess nothing? That was pure deductive logic."

Leanne came over to Sara and hugged her in thanks, asking her how she had known what to do.

"Well, sitting in the drivers seat was clearly not going to work. We proved that. Adding another person wouldn't work any better, all that would do is put you into her boyfriend's body. Putting you into the passengers side, gave the car other options. It could select her boyfriend or another of Sara's friends, but that wasn't a given. Seeing Leanne was the most recent user of Sara's car made you the logical choice. Had it not worked the first time, repeating the sequence over again would have eventually worked."

"Well I'm not doing that again- ever." Leanne promised.

"Don't worry, next time we will start you from the truck mode. That should eliminate any problems." Kevin spoke up, having listened in on Sara's explanation.

"NO! Didn't you hear me?" Leanne's exasperated tone was clearly evident.

Sara took Leanne aside before things got heated. She explained about the idea of her taking on Jennifers form so that they could liquefy any assets she might have in Australia. Sara explained about her worry of possible lasting effects on any of the guys if one became Jennifer for the expected length of time needed to accomplish the job.

"I don't want one of us getting totally lost in the role, so we don't forget what and who we really are. Being female is so different; it's like a drug, giving you an experience and a rush that could become addictive." Sara elaborated, blushing slightly.

"You're feeling that now, aren't you?" Leanne asked, looked intently at Sara's face, watching her expression give the answer.

Sara's blush deepened, and she looked away for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"Yeah, it's weird. I was always a guy kind of guy if you know what I mean. Being a female with all the attendant sensations and emotional reactions is kind of freeing. I don't need to hide my feelings; I can wear them on my face and not thought to be a weak sissy. There is also the element of hiding behind a mask, one that nobody can see past to discover the real you. It gives you a sense of power that you can fool people and allows you to act in a way that you wouldn't normally do," Sara admitted. She wandered over to the low wall bordering the driveway and sat down looking out at the ocean. Leanne followed, sitting down beside her.

"Okay, so why won't I end up the same way, maybe wanting to stay Jennifer forever, if it's so addictive as you say?" Leanne asked, trying to get the answers she needed.

Sara was silent, for a moment, as she went over her thoughts on the subject.

"One, you are a woman, so the novelty factor will have less effect. You'll be bigger in the chest, and have different hair; a different look, but essentially, you'll still be a woman. Changing back to yourself won't be the same as having to change sex, and having to get used to being a man again."

"And two?" Leanne's eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Two," Sara paused, before continuing her argument. "You already know how to handle being a woman, and dealing with the emotional feelings and the way female hormones affect your thinking patterns."

Sara looked at the guys for inspiration, watching them fiddling with the car. "A male would have to rely on the in built programming to function normally, which could lead to a dependency that might be hard to break. You will only need the informational side of the programming, where she lives, how to do her job, how to recognise her friends."

"Sounds simple, so what do I get out of this?" Leanne's question indicating to Sara, a tacit agreement that she was considering doing the task.

"Whatever profits we make, will be split evenly between us." Sara smiled, hoping Leanne was starting to come around.

"Okay, but what will you be doing while I'm in Australia. I don't want to be the only one doing all the work, while you lot laze around on the beach."

"Well we will be selling the Ellery's place and also investigating the other options to see if there's any more properties belonging to the car generated people." Sara answered, giving Leanne their plans for the future.

Leanne then asked to see what Jennifer looked like, before she gave her final answer. Returning the Trans Am back to the truck mode, Leanne then got in and turned the setting to the V.W. mode, which would produce Jennifer.

The former Leanne got out and immediately hefted her new bosoms.

"Wow! These are monster, I hope I don't get back ache lugging these around," she joked.

Jennifer was once again attired in her airhostess uniform, which showed off her more than ample assets.

"I think the body is built for those breasts, at least I never had a sore back during the time that I wore that body," Sara answered, seeking confirmation from the guys, who had worn it for a longer length of time.

Before Leanne could ask about anything more, a toot from an approaching car disturbed further conversation. Everyone turned to see a blue Ford rumble up the driveway and stop in front of them.

The guys had moved protectively closer to Sara and Leanne, unsure of just who this intruder might be. When the person got out of the car, there was a collective intake of breath from both the guys and Sara.

"Ken," Sara called out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Ken Roland, the boyfriend that the alien Sara had acquired, looked around at the strange men, wondering what was going on.

"I left a message on your phone, after you failed to meet me the other day. When I didn't hear from you, I thought you might be ill or something, so as soon as I cleared my workload, I came right over."

"Sorry sweet, I had an emergency with a friend. I've only just got back not long ago." Sara answered, sensing that the endearment that flowed so easily from her lips was the correct one.

"Who are these guys?" asked Ken in a wary manner, looking askance at Sara. "Are we still on for tonight? I have the tickets."

"This is Jennifer, a friend of mine and these are her friends. My car's battery died when I visited her on the way home, so she brought me home after I had the car towed to a garage." Sara replied, hurriedly making up a story to satisfy Ken.

"You didn't answer about tonight. I thought you wanted to go to the cabaret, to see Shania Twain." He said peevishly, looking to blame the guys for hanging with his girl.

"Sure, tonight's still on," Sara said desperately, trying to distract Ken from digging too deep into the situation with the guys. "Let me say goodbye first, then I'll go get ready. Go inside and make yourself a drink and I'll be right in."

"Don't be long," Ken said, as he walked past Leanne's car on the way inside. "This your car?" He asked Kevin, who happened to be closest to him.

"Yeah, what's it to you pal?" Kevin replied snidely, taking an instant dislike to Ken.

"Nice handbag," Ken snorted, before going inside.

"Ouch!" Kevin spoke, as he spotted Leanne's handbag on the front seat of the Chevy Nova.

"Look you guys head back to the Ellery's with Leanne's car. Jennifer drives there too and waits till I call you okay?" Sara hissed quickly. "Remember, Ken is in the CIA, and we don't want to get him suspicious. I'll call you later." She urged, as she turned to go inside. She heard the cars departing as she headed straight for the shower. She was just rinsing her hair, when a hand brushed the curtain aside. Ken was standing there, holding a drink in his hand. He offered it to her, after pulling her head close for a kiss.

Sara knew she only had the inner promptings to rely on, in dealing with Ken. To act differently than expected at this point, could lead to exposure as an impostor. She allowed herself to be kissed by Ken, before tossing back the cocktail in one gulp.

"I love the way you do that," Ken laughed, patting her wet naked ass.

"If you want to stay dry, you'd better let me finish. We don't want to waste those tickets." Sara threatened, with a laugh.

"Okay, but next time, we shower together," Ken said, moving out of reach. "By the way, you look different, younger even, did you do something to your face?" he asked, looking at her face intently.

"Yeah, I'm using a new moisturiser. It's guaranteed to take years off your looks," Sara dissembled, hoping he would buy the impromptu explanation.

"Okay, its suits you, maybe I should try it," he laughed, before turning to leave.

Sara sighed in relief, as he bought her excuse for looking younger. She heard him moving back to the kitchen. She wasn't worried about the prospects of having sex with the guy. Being a woman meant that she would enjoy that. No, it was trying to keep up the pretense of being 'his Sara,' that made her nervous. This was something that had to be hidden from Ken, lest he think she had something to hide.

After getting ready, Sara went into the lounge, where Ken was idly flicking through the TV channels. She waited for him to say something, as she posed in the doorway. She was wearing a slinky sheath gown that hugged her impressive figure. Her simple silver jewelry set off the iridescence of the material of her dress. Sara was thankful that the in built programming had made putting on makeup relatively easy. She had put her hair up in an elegant style, which left her neck exposed. It felt strange to feel the coolness of the air flowing past, after having the feel of long hair brushing there. Sara realised that as Scott he would never have given that a second thought. Scott always wore his hair short and having a cool neck was just not noticeable. It just was. Sara on the other hand, had become so comfortable with having long hair sweeping around her neck, that the absence was more than noticeable.

"Great you're ready," was Ken's only comment, as he switched off the TV and stood up.

Sara felt slightly miffed, having gone to all the trouble to look nice, all Ken was interested in, was that she was ready.

Sara shrugged, and turned, placing the keys to the condo in her small handbag, checking that her cell phone was included and turned on. Ken moved closer and nuzzled her neck, before leading her outside with a possessive arm around her waist. Sara locked the front door, and then followed Ken to his car. She waited for him to open her door, before sliding in with elegant grace.

Ken spun the tires, sending a shower of stones flying, as he negotiated back down the once neat pebble drive. Sara scowled, but made no comment. Obviously, Ken was still harbouring some resentment towards her visitors. She kept her mouth shut in case she exacerbated the situation.

Ken started talking about the guys, and Sara felt a shiver of fear run down her back despite the warmth of the late afternoon sun, as he wondered why they had really been there. His training in the CIA told him that there was something screwy going on. Sara tried desperately to pooh pooh his suspicions, saying that Jennifer had a lot of casual friends due to her job at Quantas. She thought Ken was just jealous, and told him so to his face, saying, if he was going to be like this with everyone who just happened to visit her, maybe he should move on.

Ken looked at her to see if she was serious, before turning his attention back to the road. Sara was half hoping for a blow up, so that she would have an excuse to dump Ken. Having a relationship with someone in the CIA might have been advantageous for the alien Sara, but not anymore. Now Ken was more of a liability than an asset in her eyes, especially trying to step into an ongoing romance.

Ken was silent for the rest of the journey, only commenting on trivial stuff, like the traffic, for which Sara was grateful. She made an effort to lighten the mood, because despite the situation, she wanted to enjoy the evening.

The show was great. There was a meal served before the show, and Sara relaxed, enjoying the pampering that befitted being a beautiful woman. Having chairs pulled and doors opened for her was a new experience; one, she felt she could get used to. Being asked what, 'madam' wanted by the doting waiters was also pleasant. She realised what power being an attractive women had over the men, and she reveled in it. She could see how it annoyed Ken, to have fawning waiters wait on her hand and foot, and she grinned inside as she took every advantage of it. Even knowing that the men were mostly admiring her cleavage, using the pretense of the noise in the background to bend lower to her while speaking, just to get a better eyeful, didn't detract from the vicarious thrill. It was hard to remember that she was really Scott, a young man with little or no romantic prospects.

She enjoyed listening to Shania Twain, and thought one of her songs was particularly apt. "I feel like a woman." Sara felt the urge to jump up and emulate Shania's moves, as she danced through her act. Sara was totally wired by evenings close, feeling she needed to release the tension inside. She half hoped Ken would take her dancing, even though it meant being with the guy for longer. She was about to suggest it in the car as they got back to the car to drive home, but a tune from a mobile phone interrupted her. It wasn't hers.

"Hello," Ken answered, after keying a small phone.

Sara waited, while Ken listened to the person on the other end. She could tell by his darkening expression that the news wasn't good. A halfhearted protest from Ken about being off duty was cut short by an increase in the volume coming from the phone. Although Sara couldn't make out the conversation, she could tell that it was work related. This was confirmed by Ken's next words as he put the phone away.

"I have to report in right now. I can't even drive you home, as it's urgent. I'll call a cab for you okay?"

Sara agreed, saying she would wait back in the club. Ken kissed her, apologising for the way the evening turned out. He waited till she re-entered the club, before moving off, smoking the tires. Sara wasn't about to wait for a cab. She had other ideas. Twenty minutes went by before a familiar car cruised past the club entrance and pulled over. Sara ran to the Volvo, jumping into the double parked car, before it caused a backup on the still busy road.

"Hello Margaret, nice to see you again," grinned Sara, wondering which of her friends it really was.

"What happened with Ken?" Margaret asked curiously, as she made her way through the traffic.

Sara gave a brief account of her evening, leaving out her worry about Ken maybe investigating further.

"So why are you Margaret? You could have come as yourself." Sara asked, trying in an oblique way to find out who Margaret really was without actually asking.

"We thought if Ken was maybe still in the area, it wouldn't look good for any of the guys to turn up, given that we were suppose to be strangers. We drew straws and I lost or maybe I won." She grinned, while grabbing at one of her breasts and rubbing it.

"You'll get arrested for that," quipped Sara. She was about to ask who Margaret was, seeing she still didn't know, but Margaret interrupted.

"Sheesh! I nearly forgot. We found something under the front seat of the truck. It's a silver box about 3 inches deep and a foot square. When Leanne changed back from Jennifer, she dropped an earring. While looking for it, we spotted this box tucked tightly under the seat."

"Oh? So what was in it?" asked Sara curiously, her interest piqued.

"That's just it, we don't know. It won't open. Nothing we tried works."

Sara's interest grew. What could be inside that box? She couldn't wait to look at it. Would it hold the key to something earth shaking?

She sat thinking about it, her thoughts distracted.

To be continued.

Carversion -5-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Five

Arriving back at the Ellery's, Sara jumped out of the car with an urgent need to use the bathroom. She saw Kevin and William in the lounge watching a football game on TV as she passed through on the way to the toilet. Daniel had followed her in, having changed out of Margaret's form. He stopped in the lounge, as the others asked if Sara was okay.

Once Sara had finished recycling the wine she had drunk, she took a shower, ridding herself of the smoky cigarette smell that the club had imparted on her clothes and skin. Borrowing a nightie and a robe from main bedroom, she then wandered into the kitchen to make herself a hot chocolate drink. She found herself making cups of hot chocolate for the others, as they heard her pottering around in the kitchen and came in to hear about her date with Ken.

Once the chocolate worked its magic, Sara just wanted to crash. Not even the mystery of the box the guys had found could deter her from going to bed, alone. Saying she was exhausted, she left them to it, as headed to the master bedroom. She knew the morning would be soon enough to start solving the problem of the box. She went out like a light, as soon as her head hit the pillow. She never stirred or woke, as Kevin slipped in beside her, several hours later.

Sara woke, feeling something poking her. She lay in bed trying to recollect the previous night. She could feel the warmth of a body spooned against her back and felt the weight of an arm draped across her body. For a panicky moment, she thought it was Ken, till she snapped her eyes open and saw where she was. She could feel the turgid love muscle twitch, as she moved to see who was in bed with her. Kevin, his face relaxed in sleep, gave her a naughty idea.

Reaching over to her purse, Sara withdrew a small foil wrapped package. She opened it and slid the sheets down to expose Kevin's weapon. Kevin stirred and rolled onto his back while Sara held her breath lest he wake. She slowly eased the condom over Kevin's penis, marveling at its silky texture. Having owned one for most of her life, touching someone else's wasn't an experience Scott had ever indulged in. It felt different touching a penis without the attendant feelings it generated. It was familiar, yet odd, as if the nerves that should have been sending their erotic message her brain had been cut off.

Her task done, she positioned herself astride Kevin's body, her waiting sex engorged and wet as she lowered herself onto Kevin. Keeping her body clear of Kevin's by holding herself up with her hands, she slowly thrust her body against Kevin's. She was building up to release when Kevin's hands gently cupped her swaying breasts. The sudden increase of stimulation sent her over the edge and she came, gasping as the tide of sensation sweep her away. She felt Kevin throb within her, as he reached his own nirvana, just before she collapsed onto his chest.

Kevin brushed aside her hair as it caressed his face. He kissed her languidly; slowly caressing her body with his hands. He was content to let her stay in the dominant position, enjoying the morning wake up call.

Sara felt a sense of power in her act of sex, in what was generally a more passive and accepting role, she had taken control and satisfied her needs to her time frame. None of this wham bam thank you maam, in taking the initiative, she had allowed her body the time to slowly build up to a glorious orgasm.

"Can I order this wake up service tomorrow?" Kevin chuckled.

Sara smiled, before rolling off Kevin's body and headed for the bathroom. She paused at the door, looking back at Kevin, as she grabbed a fresh robe.

"Maybe, it all depends on what body I'm in. Maybe you'll be sitting on my cock tomorrow," she threw back, laughing at Kevin's widening eyes.

Later at breakfast, Sara was eating her cereal, when Kevin plonked the box in front of her.

"This it?" mumbled Sara, swallowing quickly.

"Yeah, that's the sucker. There's no catch and no gap to prise it open," Kevin replied disgustedly.

Sara looked at the slim box sitting in front of her as she finished her bowl of Wheaties. The silver box was uniform in colour with a metallic feel. She picked it up, gauging its weight. There was a fine hairline crack running around the sides, indicating that it was designed to open. She placed her hands on the box to try and open it. The second all of her fingers where in contact with the box, it popped open, much to the surprise of the others at the table.

"How come you could open it when we tried to and failed," complained William indignantly.

"Maybe it was coded to open only to aliens in their borrowed forms, as a security thing." Sara answered, loving the way this new brain of hers seemed to come up with probable answers.

"Okay, we can check that out later," Daniel interrupted, leaning closer to look inside the opened box.

Inside were four silver bracelets, nestled in slots. They were about an inch wide and the surface was dotted with slight depressions. Sara went to touch one, but Kevin cautioned her, saying there was no way to tell what they did.

Whether or not it was some kind of budding feminine intuition, Sara dismissed Kevin's warning and promptly slipped one of the bracelets on her wrist.

"They are meant to be worn," Sara retorted, supplying the guys with her reasoning.

The bracelet tightened, until it was a snug fit against her skin. No longer would it slip off accidentally. Sara had a moment's worry, thinking that she might be stuck with it on her wrist. Not wanting to be told, "I told you so," she rubbed at it gently, hoping to trigger its release. Thankfully, pulling it towards her fingertips triggered it into loosening.

"It must do something, besides being a fashion statement," offered Kevin, picking up a bracelet too and examining it closely.

"It could be just jewellery," argued William, picking up one himself.

"No, the way it tightened shows it's not meant to come off unless you take it off. That smacks of something you wouldn't want to fall into just anybodies hands." Sara stated emphatically.

"I agree," confirmed Kevin, placing watching the bracelet tighten to his own wrist.

Sara had put it back on and pressed on one of the slight depressions that dotted the outside. She watched in amazement as the bracelet faded from view. It was as if it had melted into her flesh leaving nothing to be seen or felt, as she confirmed that fact by feeling her wrist with her other hand. This was stuff of fantasy, maybe a little horror too, as thoughts of that TV show where Borg and their assimilating implants, flashed across Sara's mind. She calmed, trusting her first instincts that the aliens were not inimical to the human race. Touching her wrist in the same spot as she remembered the one on the bracelet was, she pressed down, despite not feeling the bracelet under her fingers.

The bracelet shimmered into view, much like the Klingon decloaking device used on a popular TV show. Sara looked at the others, hoping her makeup had covered the way her face had paled at this extraordinary display of futuristic technology.

"Wow!" a statement echoed by the others.

"Okay, this is getting scary," Kevin stated with a hint of fear in his voice.

Sara, who had been the unofficial leader, since all this had started, made a decision.

"We can't stop now, we have to find out the purpose of these things. The lengths that they went to, too prevent the bracelets falling into the wrong hands, means they are probably more dangerous or powerful than their truck. I'm willing to test this, but first let's synchronise our bracelets." With that, she examined her bracelet more closely; noting that the spot she had pressed was slightly larger than the others.

Once the others found the same identifiable spot on their bracelets, Sara said she would press the next one along going clockwise. If anything untoward happened, they would know not to press that one. Hopefully that way, they would avoid the same trap should there be any. Sara trusted her instincts, and wasn't too worried, but it was better to be prudent with unknown technology. She pressed the next spot.

A familiar feeling overtook her body. It was the same one Scott had felt when he first experienced the change. Once the pulling/pushing sensations finished their work, Sara was no more; instead, Jennifer was standing there in her place. The bracelet was a portable form changer.

"Oh boy, no wonder they went to all that trouble to keep them secure. If anyone got hold of these, think of the neat stuff you could get away with." William gasped, fingering the bracelet on his own wrist.

"And we wont, I suppose?" Daniel said with a grin.

"Hey this doesn't work," complained William, as he fruitlessly pressed at the unresponsive bracelet.

When none of the other bracelets responded like Sara's, the conclusion was obvious. You had to be in one of the forms supplied by the truck, before it would work. Jennifer changed back to the less endowed form of Sara, feeling more comfortable in that body. To check on something that had just occurred to her, Sara asked Kevin to try pressing on her bracelet while she was wearing it, both in the visible mode and the invisible. Nothing happened, it was obviously keyed to her touch. This relieved Sara's worry that someone grasping her wrist could trigger an unplanned change, something that would be disastrous.

They all decided to keep this discovery from Leanne, seeing that there was only enough for the four of them. Time enough to reveal the bracelets if there was a dire emergency. Sara experimented further while the others went to change into alternate forms so they could activate their own bracelets into stealth mode.

One of the settings once pressed opened a lens like opening in the bracelet. 'Was it a camera? If so, what was its purpose?' she thought. She pointed the lens at the TV, which had been showing the morning news. The attractive black anchorwoman was introducing the next news item, when there was a soft click, and the lens disappeared back into the bracelet. When Sara pressed the same button again, she felt herself changing. Looking at her arms, and seeing her clothes, she knew she had changed into a copy of the woman on the TV. This surprised the others as they re-entered the room, after having changed their own bodies.

"It's me- Scott," she forced out, fighting off the urge to say Sara. "I just found another function," she explained, telling them what happened.

"Damn these things are going to be hard to resist using. We have to be extra careful, we could blow ourselves out of the water if we duplicated the wrong person." Groaned Margaret/Kevin.

They experimented further, finding out the limits of this new function. Finally, they made a list of what they could do with it.

One, any person to be duplicated, could be stored in the next setting and used repeatedly, like any of the other forms.

Two, the stored form would be overwritten once another form was captured.

Three, to get the complete form and voice, the person needed to be talking and in full view. (Partial scans where only part of the person was visible, only gave them that part, resulting in a confusing mix of the two bodies, and clothes.) If the person didn't speak, during the capture scan, the voice defaulted to the original form, with hilarious results.

Four, anything the original body had on/with them, at point of scan was duplicated, including documents in purses/wallets.

Five, as with the original forms that the car produced, there was a residual memory assist, allowing them to act and behave largely as the original person.

The first thing they did, on completion of playing around with the bracelets, was to capture their original male forms in the bracelet. This meant using a complicated series of changes with one person becoming the one required and the owner (in an alternate body,) storing the final image. This had to be repeated till all had their own form stored. This meant that they could wear the bracelet invisibly in their own form and still be able to use the bracelet, unlike when they first tried to do so.

Scott said he would take the truck back to the condo and change back into Sara in case Ken called her again. Now that they had the bracelets, they could use the normal Volvo in the garage if they needed to go anywhere. Scott phoned Leanne and told her to come to the condo so she could become Jennifer again.

Scott now back as Sara, drove to the condo, realising as she did so, the clarity of her thinking. She wondered if her IQ was higher in this body than in her own. It stood to reason that the aliens would ensure that any body they had to live in would be optimal both in intelligence and in health. That would possibly, why she was getting more comfortable in this body. That was another thing, after her night out with Ken; she hadn't suffered any adverse effects from all the alcohol he had plied her with. Scott would have had headache at least, if not a full-blown hangover, a far cry from what Sara had felt that morning. Thinking of that morning and her sexual romp with Kevin, made her chuckle and she felt a slight moistness gather between her legs.

By the time she reached the condo, she was feeling rather horny again. She saw that Leanne had beaten her there, and was waiting in her car. Sara wasted no time in getting Leanne into Jennifer's luscious form. It took several attempts to produce the air hostess garbed Jennifer with her attendant papers and passports. Once that was out of the way, Sara offered Jennifer a drink, saying she needed one herself. Accepting, they sat on the couch together with a bourbon and coke each. Sara informed Jennifer about her thoughts about her IQ and the whole health thing. Jennifer noticed Sara wriggling and looking uncomfortable.

"What's up? You look like you have ants in your pants."

Sara blushed, and admitted that she felt horny and in need of some relief.

Jennifer laughed, saying maybe she could help.

"Huh? You mean-"

"Yes, I'm bi," admitted Jennifer, reaching out and taking hold of Sara's hand. "Ever since I first saw you, I wanted to take you to bed, but I didn't, because I wasn't sure how you would handle it, plus it didn't seem right to confuse the issue of gender roles."

"Ha, ha, ha." Sara laughed, thinking that talking about gender role confusion was hilarious in this situation. "Come on, let's get naked," urged Sara, pulling Jennifer to her feet and moving towards the bedroom.

Jennifer didn't protest, but went willingly, hoping that this wouldn't create problems later on. Soon, both were naked, and Sara was being initiated into the intricacies of lesbian sex. The only disadvantage in Sara's mind was the fact that they were not face-to-face when in the throes of their orgasms. Changing position to kiss each other, both tasted their own love secretions; content to lie in each other's arms as they relaxed in post orgasmic bliss.

"What the fu-?" Ken uttered, stepping unheard into the bedroom filled with the laden smell of sex.

Ken roughly pulled the two entangled bodies apart, demanding an explanation.

Sara was furious, how dare he come barging into her home and start man handling her.

"This is my home," she screamed. "What I do in here is my business. How dare you come sneaking in here and start demanding things." She continued, her anger overcoming any caution she may have had about upsetting someone in the CIA. Even though she was naked and standing before a man who could easily subdue her, the frustrations and fears she had had about not arousing suspicion and having to play along, all boiled over, giving her courage to face up and refuse to back away from the obvious danger.

Ken was stunned, backing off from the fury shown by Sara. His normally easygoing girlfriend had suddenly turned into a wildcat, seemingly growing in stature, so that he never considered offering any resistance.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have entered without calling," he admitted, trying to mollify Sara. " I got called away to start an investigation into a strange explosion caught by one of our satellites a few days ago, near Nellis Air Force base," he blurted out, revealing more than he should have in his haste to explain. "I came to tell you in person, that I could be away for a while. I wasn't expecting to find my girlfriend in bed with another woman, but I guess that's better than finding you with another guy." He half apologised.

Sara paused, her anger dying an uneasy death, as Ken's words sunk in. 'Was that the same explosion that had nearly destroyed the truck?' She thought. 'What if the satellite had picked up the alien craft, or more worrying, herself, amending that to Scott- himself, damn it, was like Scott was becoming a separate person.' These thoughts flashed across her mind in the time it took to draw one breath. Mollifying her belligerent stance, she waved him off, turning to grab a robe.

"Okay, your said your piece. I'm still upset, so don't think this matter ends here," she stated in a calmer tone. "Go sort out your crashed UFO or whatever," she threw in, trying to see if she could elicit more information.

"Who tol.." he broke off, before starting again, eyeing her with a hint of calculation. "What makes you think it was a UFO?' He asked, trying to untangle his feelings of suspicion, worry, and uncertainty.

Sara laughed, despite feeling a sense of dread, knowing that they knew something more than were letting on. Ken's first reaction had told her enough. Showing no hint of the fear inside her, she came up with an explanation.

"One," she ticked off on her fingers. "Everyone knows area 51 is located near there in Nevada, with its associated UFO connections. Two, there was nothing mentioned on the news, which would have happened, had it been a plane crash or some terrorist attack. Three, the CIA is involved, end of story," Sara finished smugly, before starting to head out to the bathroom. "Coming Jennifer?" She asked, her meaning plain.

"I'd better go," Ken said sadly, seeing he wasn't being included in her invitation.

Sara didn't reply, as she left the room to get a shower. Jennifer scampered after her, still naked. She was glad to get out of that room and never paused to pick up any clothes. Jennifer heard Ken leaving, and felt relieved that he'd gone. Joining Sara, they spent some time washing each other, especially around the more sensitive areas. Sara wished they had endless hot water, as she could have spent all day in there.

Clean, coiffed, and clothed, the two women got down to details. Jennifer told Sara that she could be on the next plane out of here. She had quit her job that morning and was ready to take over the role of Jennifer. Sara gave her a list of phone numbers should she need any help. Jennifer's instructions were simple, find out what she owned property wise, and check out any bank accounts. Avoid where possible any persons that may or may not have been friends of Jennifer. Liquidate assets and return. Simple. Sara hoped it would turn out to be as simple as that.

Jennifer had selected a few clothes that fit her from Sara's wardrobe, mostly skirts and loose tops that fit Jennifer's more endowed bosom. She only needed something for a few days. In case there was a layover in Hawaii on the flight over.

Sara had Jennifer check in on the airline, asking when the next flight was available. There didn't seem to be any problems. Jennifer was told that there was an outbound flight at noon if she wanted.

Sara made a quick lunch while Jennifer put on her stewardess's uniform. They ate quickly so that Jennifer wouldn't miss her flight. Once at the airport, Sara gave Jennifer a tearful goodbye, and wished her luck, before Jennifer disappeared behind the boarding gate. Sara stayed at the airport lounge window, waiting till she saw the Boeing 747 take off. On the drive home, she tried not to think about the possibilities that Jennifer was heading into danger, alone. Sara thought about the way she had felt in bed with Jennifer. She then made a difficult decision, one that would affect her whole life. She hoped the rest of the guys would understand.

To be continued.

Carversion -6-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Six

Sara returned home and went directly to the computer. She needed to find out exactly how her host body's finances were if she was going to do what she planned. She knew from the 'memories,' that she was wealthy and that she was on leave, but for her to pull off what she had planned, she needed precise details. She rang her employer, and found that she still had a few days before she needed to return to work. Sara thought about that for a while. 'Did she want to, or even could she return to a job she hadn't had any experience in, even using the knowledge base that came with this body, it would be a harrowing experience at first. Being a temp clerk for the military might be okay for some, but she would rather not be in a classifiable situation, where her moves would be scrutinised all the time.'

She looked into her back records and found that she was still employed by a temping agency. 'Maybe she should ask to be transferred.' She found her photo I.D. It showed a picture of Sara as she looked now, but noted that it was dated two years ago. Could she pass as her older self, using the same excuse she had given Ken. She knew women could get away with this sort of stuff, as they always seemed to be chasing the illusion of youth. Shrugging, she turned her thoughts to more important things. She picked up the phone and rang the guys. Sara dreaded having to tell them her decision. She could imagine their derision and taunts.

"Oh hi Kevin, um Margaret, what's up?"

"Okay, I'll come over, I need to talk to you guys anyway," Sara responded, wondering what was making Margaret sound worried, her "something's come up," wasn't very informative. Changing into something more comfortable, Sara drove over to the others at the Ellery's.

She was welcomed by a mad flurry of activity, as she saw the 'guys' in disguise. Both William and Daniel were in the Ellery's children forms. Who was who wasn't clear, but the sense of urgency clearly showed that problems were afoot. Margaret spotted Sara and quickly filled her in. Apparently, because both children had been absent from school, a councillor had been dispatched to check up on them. The school had rung to let them know, but hadn't accepted Kevin's excuse that they had been away visiting sick relatives, possibly because, caught by surprise, Kevin was still Kevin, and not Margaret nor Steven, so hearing a stranger's voice was not conducive to trust.

Deciding that now was not the time to tell them of her decision, Sara asked if she could do anything to help.

"Not really, the others are just gathering up their school work and making sure they have their uniforms on," supplied Margaret. "We don't need Steven, as he is presumably at work, at least that's what I'll say if they ask."

Sara filled them in on the information that Ken had involuntarily revealed about the explosion that the aliens had set to destroy the truck being captured by satellite. Just as she was finishing, an authoritative sounding knock was heard at the front door. Kevin in his role as Margaret went to open the door. Sara heard voices, but didn't bother going out. 'Better to stay out of this till the dust settled,' she thought, as the voices rose heatedly.

Calling for the 'children,' Margaret came inside for her handbag, giving Sara an apologetic look, before escorting her "children," to the car. Sara resigning herself for a wait till Margaret came back from the school, and feeling bored, started tidying up the mess left by the "kids." Scott had never been what you might call a tidy person, often leaving things on the lowest level, mainly the floor, but Sara was finding out that she must have inherited a "tidy" gene along with her lady wranglers.

Margaret was back within the hour, and made comment to Sara about things looking neater.

"Women's work I guess," laughed Sara, as she put down her cup of coffee. "Want a cup? I just boiled the jug not long ago." She offered, getting up from the couch and taking her cup back to the kitchen.

"Sure, I need one after dealing with that blockheaded principal." Margaret accepted gratefully, plonking herself down on the just vacated couch.

"So what happened at school?" Sara called out from the kitchen, as she brewed up two cups of coffee.

"Well, the guy said we should have called to say they would be absent from school, and went on about being responsible parents and a load of other twaddle." Margaret answered, straightening her skirt idly.

"I guess that's a fair call," Sara said, as she brought out the coffee and handed one to Margaret.

"Yeah, but he went on and on and how the school councillors time was valuable and shouldn't be wasted having to call to check up on homes of wayward children. He was a pompous ass," Margaret finished, sipping her coffee with appreciation.

"You'd make a great wife, this coffees great." Margaret jokingly complimented.

Margaret saw the way Sara blushed and looked away nervously. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she was hiding something.

"What's up?" Margaret prompted gently, not wanting to pry, but needing to know her friend was okay. She realised that Scott had been in Sara form for pretty much all of the time, since all this started. She hoped that things weren't getting on top of her, considering having to deal with a strange boyfriend.

"Is it about Ken?" Margaret prodded, seeing Sara still hadn't answered.

"Yes and no. Scott might have to lay low for a while, if any footage of him was caught near that explosion." Sara began.

"And no?" Margaret asked, feeling a sense of unease at the way Sara was referring to Scott as a separate person.

"It's about me," Sara simply replied. "Me, as in 'Sara.' I want to stay as Sara. I feel more real as her in these last few days, than I ever did all my life, as Scott." Sara blurted out in a rush. Tears started falling as she hung her head, waiting for the caustic remarks.

Kevin, in Margaret's body first felt shock hit him/her. A feeling of unreality about the situation coupled with a sense of compassion at Sara's tearful confession filled him/her with sadness. Was Scott losing it? Could this just be a side effect of living in Sara's body for too long? These thoughts and more, flashed through his/her head. Was he in danger of wanting to stay as Margaret or one of the other female forms he/she had tried? Being in female form at the moment, may have coloured her next words, as she struggled to formulate something to say that wouldn't exacerbate the situation.

"Sara, are you sure it's not just the body talking? Why not revert to Scott for a few days or maybe even Steven."

Not hearing laughter or poofter comments, gave Sara hope that all might not be as bad as she had anticipated.

"No, I've thought about that, but it's like I'm more me as her, than I was as Scott. I feel like my brain is really alive now. When I turned back to Scott the other day, it felt like I had a filter placed over my thoughts, I was struggling to make decisions that had seemed so simple just prior to becoming Scott."

Margaret felt compassion fill her, as she too, had felt that same thing, the pull to remain female. Strangely, this clear headedness wasn't so evident when swapping back to Steven, or to some of the other male forms that the aliens had produced. It made her wonder if the aliens were a matriarchal society, with the females being more intelligent, than their male counterparts.

"Look Sara, it's your life. No matter what your form, be it male or female, you'll always be my friend," Margaret added, feeling as if she had somehow matured in these last few minutes.

"What about the others?" Sara sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Well, we could always send them to bed early, seeing it's a school day tomorrow," laughed Margaret, managing to get a smile from Sara.

"You know, I sort of feel the same way about remaining female, even with this older body of Margaret," admitted the transformed Kevin. "So I know where you're coming from," she added. "In my case though, I think it's the programming. "I don't want to give up my original body at least not permanently."

Sara went over and hugged her friend. Glad to know she still retained one of her friends, despite her decision to bat for the other team.

"Have you done anything about putting the house on the market yet?" Sara asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I rang a few agents, they said they would be around later today. Hence, I'm Margaret for the day. Oh! That reminds me, I told the principal that I'd be taking the kids out of school permanently. I let him stew, before adding that we are moving away, and he won't need to worry about them being absent, ever again."

Sara laughed, knowing Kevin had got a kick out of turning the tables on at least one principal. She remembered Kevin being singled out as a troublemaker in his old school and having to stand judgement under an overbearing principal, who often threatened expulsion.

"Good one," she laughed, feeling much better.

"Daniel had rung Steven's work, after changing into Steven. He had resigned his commission as a naval attaché. His superiors obviously hadn't been happy to be informed of this on such short notice, but they didn't have much choice, as luckily Steven's tour of duty was up in a few days anyway." Margaret explained.

"Want me to stay to help with the real estate agents?"

"Sure, we can have a girl's day together, and swap recipes," giggled Margaret pretending to go all girly.

"Shall we bake a cake, and once they have gone, we can hit the mall's and shop till we drop," suggested Sara, playing along just as girly.

"Okay, uncle," begged Margaret, knowing when she was being out girled. "You win this time," she grinned, happy to see her friend looking animated again.

"Shouldn't that be auntie?" Sara winked, as she sobered slightly.

Margaret deigned to be drawn in, saying with a smirk, that it was all relative anyway. Then both of them set too, and made the whole house look more presentable for when the agents came. Sara didn't bake a cake, but she located a bread maker in the kitchen cupboard and soon had the smell of baking bread filling the place. The agents finally arrived after lunch that had consisted of freshly baked slices of bread with cold chicken.

Margaret showed then around, while Sara moved in the background, content to stay out of the limelight. The agents were positive that the place would sell quickly and would return a tidy sum. When pressed, they mentioned it being in the area of 1.5 million. Considering their finances just a scant few days ago, this was indeed an unexpected bonus. The agents did say, that if the house was left furnished, it would fetch much more. Margaret said that it would be, so the agents noted that, and left, saying they would be in touch. Sara was feeling nervous about facing William and Daniel when they came home from school, so she made excuses to leave, asking Margaret/Kevin to break it to them first.

Margaret reluctantly agreed, seeing she couldn't convince her friend that things would be okay. Sara drove distractedly, narrowly avoiding an accident as some impatient driver ran a red light. Home at last, she sat thinking on the couch, her hand fiddling idly with the now visible bracelet. She didn't realise that her fingers were moving on her Sara setting, until she felt a tingle. Surprised, she checked herself over, expecting some change. It wasn't till she went to examine herself in the mirror that she realised what had happened.

She looked at herself, seeing her older face looking back. Somehow, she had aged two years and now matched her photo and her job records. She went and sat down, trying to figure out why. Sara tried to think of what she had done to alter her age. She was fiddling with the bracelet, that part she knew. She went and found a magnifying glass she had seen in one of the drawers in the kitchen. Using it, she examined the bracelet in fine detail. Comparing the Sara setting with the others, she could see a sight difference. Unnoticed before, the surface of the bracelet had a fine grain to it, running lengthways around the circumference. What she noticed, and how she picked it out, was the fact that the setting that marked Sara's had the fine grain running crosswise to the other. Somehow, the setting could be rotated, which had caused her age to change.

'Okay now for a test,' she thought, putting down the magnifying glass. She put her finger on the setting and instead of pressing, she twisted her finger, feeling it move. The tingle was back and she confirmed her age had regressed back to what it had been, just minutes ago. It was adjustable only within those two years, the same time that the Sara identity had been on earth, or at least the time the records showed.

Using her enhanced intelligence, she thought hard about it. The aliens did age, that was evident, but using the car obviously reset the person's age back to the original default. The bracelet allowed one to move from the default age to the real-time age. A horrible thought struck her, 'Jennifer.' Leanne was in the default body, 'oh crap!'

Sara hurriedly switched herself into the Jennifer body using the bracelet. Once there, she twisted the setting, feeling the familiar tingle. The Jennifer she saw in the mirror was older by two to three years, indicated by an increase in the laugh lines around her eyes. Nothing much else had changed, apart from her hair length, which was easily changed or could be accounted for. It was too late to contact Jennifer, as she would be on route now, and unable to receive a phone call. Sara hoped Jennifer had covered for herself if asked about her appearance.

Sara changed back to the body that she was beginning to call her own. She adjusted the age setting to look around 21 years old, so that Ken wouldn't notice another sudden change in her appearance. She still looked younger than her true age, but not so much as to be hard to explain by just new make up. She rang Margaret about the new discovery, and mentioned the problems Jennifer might run into.

"What about William and Daniel?" Kevin asked, having returned back to his original form.

"I'll check Julies age, while you check Terrence's age," Sara suggested, immediately suiting actions to her words. One quick change later, and a dash to the mirror, Sara picked up the phone again and gasped out her discovery.

'Julie looks about the same made be a fraction younger, what about Terrence?"

"Good," sighed Sara in relief, as Kevin confirmed that Terrence should get by unnoticed.

Just then, a demanding knock was heard at the front door and Ken's voice called out.

"Sara, open up. I need to talk to you urgently."

"Oh crap, I gotta go. Ken's at the door," Sara hurriedly told Kevin, before hanging up and cutting off Kevin's frantic reply.

Opening the door, Sara was confronted with an angry Ken, who pushed his way in and dragged Sara along into the lounge.

"Okay, what do you know about a guy called Scott Taylor?" He confronted her, after spinning her to face him.

"Scott Taylor?" She asked, trying the best she could to conceal the shock, as Ken's words hit her like bullets. She hoped her make up was doing its work and concealing her blood drained face.

"Don't come the innocent with me, this guys friends were just here the other day." Ken added angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sara replied archly, trying to put Ken on the defensive. He hadn't seen her reaction, so her make up had done its job, giving her the chance of pulling her little miss innocent. All she needed was the balls to bluff it out, something she'd had not too long ago.

"You'd better explain and make it good, I'm still not sure I forgive you for the other day. I thought you were investigating some explosion," she added sternly, adroitly changing the subject.

Ken looked at her, now unsure of his earlier suspicions. She seemed so, sure of herself, even a little indignant at his accusations. He turned and paced the room, trying to decide what to reveal to her. Sara had also moved away, getting herself a shot of Vodka before going and sitting down on the couch. She waited, watching Ken pace, her heart thumping in her chest.

Ken stopped, having come to a decision. He turned and sat on the arm of the couch, facing her.

I flew out to see the explosion site. The people in charge had some trackers nosing around. They backtracked someone we believe was Scott Taylor, to an abandoned car he owned. From the satellite surveillance, we know there was a truck left at the site of the explosion, which we believe this Scott took and drove off. We had a police report of an abortive chase with a truck fitting the description. Somehow, he managed to elude police on a clear road that had roadblocks set up. The direction he was last seen going was towards the west, possibly to meet up with his friends." He paused long enough to grab himself a beer, while Sara pictured the scene again in her mind.

"We got a picture of Scott Taylor from the police data base, and rang his parents. Apparently, he was headed here to San Francisco, to meet with a Kevin Black, William Roberts, and a Daniel Sackett. Kevin had a cousin here that they had planned to stay with."

"So? That's all very interesting, but what has that to with me? I don't see why there's all this interest in this Scott guy. He stole a truck. Big deal. It happens every day. Why is the CIA interested in him?" Sara was feeling more confident now, even though the danger of discovery was still hanging over her head.

"Well, the explosion has the experts puzzled," Ken explained, having decided to tell her all. Sara had signed the official secrecy act before being allowed to work at her job, so she could be sent to jail if she revealed what he was about to tell her. "It appeared to be of atomic intensity, this is why there's such a flap about it. The explosion set off all kinds of flags when it was captured on the live satellite feed. Trouble is, there's no sign of radiation or radioactive residue. The calculation of the temperature based on the glassy effect of the rocks, was in the millions of degrees, but it only lasted for a fraction of a second. The feed also captured some other anomalies. A weird distortion effect just prior to the explosion was noticed after the feed was enhanced. We need this Scott person; only he may have the key to the mystery. We ruled out that any possibility that he caused it, seeing his scholastic records, but he may have witnessed, or knew who did."

Ken stopped to finish his beer, gulping it down, like it was going out of fashion.

Sara was a bit peeved at the backhanded insult to Scott's schooling, but for obvious reasons couldn't show it.

"Okay so this Scott person has important information. I can understand why you want him, but I have never met him, so why come to me?" Sara asked, forcing Ken to reveal what he knew.

"One of the officers remembered checked a drivers licence belonging to a Sara Conners. When questioned, he described you."

"I told you I was visiting a sick friend. I don’t need your permission to go anywhere. Don’t go accusing me of being involved in some mystery explosion, just because I was passing nearby," Sara snorted, not letting the fear reach her voice.

"Okay, I didn’t mean to be so accusing, but when we wired for pictures of his friends, boy was I surprised to see that they matched those of the guys that were here the other day. I also ran the plates of that car they were driving. It belongs to a Leanne Stewart, Kevin's cousin. I sent part of my team to her place to find her and hopefully Scott's friends, while I came here to see what my girlfriend had to say about it all."

"Look, Jennifer turned up with them. I hadn't seen them before although they seemed nice enough, nor have I seen Scott. Maybe this Leanne knows something. When I asked Jennifer about them later, she told me that she had just met them. I wasn't the only one with car troubles that day. Jennifer had stalled her Vee dub at an intersection, and they were in the car behind her. They pushed her car to the side of the road, and offered to help. Apparently she had some filter problems that was causing the car to miss as dirt was clogging the carbur- something." Sara explained, trying to act ignorant of car engines. "They got it going for her and offered to follow her here, just in case, personally I think they were more interested in scoring a date." She laughed, desperately trying to distance Jennifer's involvement with the boys. That would be all they needed, Ken looking into the whereabouts of Jennifer.

"She's an air hostess right?" Ken mused, thinking that this was looking like hopeless lead.

"Yeah, I think she was on a flight out that day," offered Sara, trying not to be too specific.

A chirping cell phone interrupted the silence, as Ken tried to work out his next move.

"Ken here."

"Damn."

"She has?"

"Okay, check that out."

"Call me okay."

"Bye."

Ken hung up, with a muttered curse, and started for the door.

"Something wrong?" Sara asked, getting up.

"Looks like they were there, although none of the neighbours reported seeing Scott or the truck, only the other three guys. Leanne wasn't there, and she wasn't at work, apparently, she quit suddenly. No one has seen her since. Something tells me that there's some connection, unlikely as that is," Ken responded, sounding frustrated.

"Why unlikely?" Asked Sara, hoping she hadn't ruined Leanne's life by involving her.

"She was working, during the time that the explosion occurred, no, I think those guys may have taken her somewhere. Something stinks, and I'm going to find out what," Ken said determinedly, as he kissed her goodbye. "By the way, you keep this under your hat. No one is to know about this-ever," Ken added, before making his way out to his car.

Sara slumped back on the couch, drawing a huge breath as reaction set in. She sat there thinking, while her heart returned to a somewhat more normal pace. The only possible link back to them was Jennifer. Sara hoped that when she went back to being Leanne, they would have come up with something to satisfy any inquiry by the CIA.

Chancing that Ken hadn't had the time or the interest in bugging her phone, she rang Kevin back. Whether it was a sign, instead of hearing Kevin's voice, she heard Julie's sweet voice.

"Oh, hi there, it's Sara. Can I speak with your mother? It's imperative that I speak to 'her'." Sara stressed the 'her,' hoping Julie would get the implied message, without spelling it out. 'It pays to be careful,' she thought.

"I'll go get 'her,' Julie replied, having got the message.

Sara waited, knowing Kevin was probably changing. Margaret's voice sounded worried as she answered the phone.

Sara told Margaret to meet her where they first met Mr Maxwell, and for her to bring the girl's, as they had much to discuss. Kevin in Margaret's body didn't ask for details, obviously sensing that the phone wasn't the most secure way to talk about things. Margaret agreed to bring the girls and then hung up.

To be continued.

Carversion -7-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Seven

Sara was swimming, when the others arrived. Margaret was wearing a light sundress beneath which, one could see her swimming costume through the gauzy material. Julie and Janet were just wearing swimsuits with a towel tossed over one shoulder. Margaret played the mother role, by taking the towels from the girls and arranging them on the beach next to her beach bag. Both girl's raced into the ocean and slowly made their way over to where Sara was floating. To anyone watching, this was a picture of innocence. A casual meeting, where they could talk without being over heard. Facing away from the beach, no one could read lips or use directional microphones to pick up their conversation. There was enough wave action to mask their voices beyond a few feet.

"Go get Kevin, he needs to hear this as well," Sara spoke, once Julie had got close enough.

"Okay, nice suit you almost have on," Julie said, smiling in appreciation, before swimming into shore.

Sara watched her put on the 'come on in, the waters fine,' act with Margaret/Kevin, pulling on her arm insistently.

Sara saw Kevin gracefully slip off her sundress, revealing her lilac coloured swimsuit underneath. Sara thought she looked spectacular in the suit, as it didn't leave much to the imagination. Margaret still had a very good body, despite being older. She was glad that her own skimpy bikini in hot pink made the most of showing her own assets. For some reason, she didn't want to feel out done in the fashion sense.

"Nice suit," both Sara and Margaret chorused together, as they met in the water.

Laughing, at the simultaneous comment, they splashed each other in mock battle, while the girl's squealed on the sidelines.

"You sure took enough precautions against being overheard. I guess you have something serious to tell us." Margaret began. "Are you sure that those seagulls aren't wearing a wire?" Margaret asked, pointing to some loitering seagulls floating nearby. "One of them could be a CIA plant, you know."

Sara giggled, disagreeing, but said she had seen a suspicious flounder by her feet a while back.

"Oh don't worry about him, he's one of ours. He won't tell a 'sole,'" Margaret said straight faced.

Sara cracked up laughing, at the pun, and feeling much better now that she was with her friends, despite their outwardly changed appearances.

Sobering up, Sara managed to tell they about the situation with what Ken had found out. Despite the seriousness of the situation, they maintained the appearance of a group of women frolicking in the surf, with no care in the world. Sara had warned the others about keeping their true selves hidden from public view until the situation resolved itself. She made mention that being in the female bodies with their enhanced intelligence, a solution might be easier to find. The others agreed, Daniel and William seemingly unconcerned about being women although, Kevin was concerned about the acclimatisation factor of being female for an unspecified duration.

"I haven't told the others yet, about your decision. You rang just as they got home, so I haven't had time," she whispered privately.

"Leave it till I tell them myself, after all, it's about me, so I should be the one to tell them. I'll come over tonight when we can put our heads together to plan our next move. I'm concerned about Jennifer, we may have to go to Australia ourselves, if she has problems," Sara finished.

"Damn, that creates more problems, none of us has a passport, and I'm not sure these bodies do either," Margaret cursed, as she made her way to shore.

Wading in with her, Sara mentioned that the airports would probably be on alert for their old bodies to show up. Should they try to get a flight out.

Sara went up to her condo, picking up her towel on the way, while the others made there way to their own towels, to do a bit of sunbathing, before heading home. This was to further the impression of this being just a chance meeting by two unrelated parties.

Sara showered and changed, before heading out onto the deck with a drink. She watched the beach carefully, to see if there was any interest in Margaret or the girl's, as they lay in the sun. She didn't see anything suspicious, but admitted to herself that she wasn't an expert in spotting covert surveillance.

She saw them making tracks, after about an hour sunbathing. Sara stayed out on the deck, to give Margaret and the girl's to drive home, before she made her own move. First, she removed her bracelet. She didn't know if the car's own power would work on her if she had it on, so a few tests were in order, before she went too much further. She headed for the garage, making a careful search for any hiding surveillance gear. Luckily, the garage was pretty much clear of places to hide anything, so she began her first test.

The bracelet didn't seem to be effected by the car changes. It remained on the seat where Sara had placed it prior to her changing the knob setting on the Trans Am. She then placed it on her wrist and left it visible. Once the cars setting was changed so did Sara's body, but if the bracelet was in its invisible mode, her body form remained the same while only the car changed. Armed with this new information, Sara set off into town, leaving the bracelet in its visible mode.

She drove normally not trying to do a James's Bond, or in her case, a Lara Croft act of trying to avoid a possible tail, by weaving rapidly through the traffic. With the power of the car, she didn't need to do any of that. Finding an underground car park near a mall, she pressed for a ticket and drove though the now raised barrier arm to one of the lowest least busy levels, where she selected a setting that would change the Trans Am into a form she knew would throw off the most ardent follower.

She, for her new form was still female, drove the little Suzuki motorcycle back up to the exit. How the aliens managed to break the law of conservation of matter, with the reduction of mass from the Trans Am to the motorcycle, she couldn't begin to guess. Maybe it was done with wormholes, or pocket universes where the vehicles and bodies were stored just a dimension away.

Possibly the changes were triggered by the knob, to exchange the stored vehicle with the one in this reality. Trying to work backwards to come up a plausible theory of the mechanics of the change was near impossible without the alien's knowledge. The thought of having four people in a car and turning it to the bike setting, made her wonder what happen to the extra people. Would they disappear, or was there some failsafe that would prevent the change. Maybe it was possible that you might end up with two bikes, each carrying a pillion passenger.

She had thought of changing to one of the other male options, but something inside hated the thought of returning to a male form, even for a temporary stay. Sara, or rather Susan, referring to the name of the female form she had adopted, was garbed in soft leathers in a striking mixture of yellow and white, with a white helmet. She marvelled at her ability to handle the bike, having never driven one before. She felt slightly cheated knowing her ability was initially aided by the programming.

The vibrations coming through the frame were pleasant to feel as they moved up her body via her firmly planted crotch, as made her way out past the barrier arm. She didn't need to pay as her ticket was only several minutes old, so she gunned the throttle, as she accelerated into the traffic, hearing the motor scream in the typical tinny sound that Japanese two strokes all have.

Margaret was surprised to see Susan instead of Sara, but took it in her stride, as she hugged her friend.

"Nice outfit," Margaret said, as Sara/Susan stood her bike on its stand. This immediately reminded them of the scene at the beach, making them both giggle.

"Oh it was just something I switched on," (more laughter) Sara/Susan casually remarked.

"So Miss Margraves, what do you have up your sleeve?" Margaret's banter accompanying them, as they went inside.

"I'll show you inside, once I get these leathers off," winked Sara/Susan.

The others were still in girl mode, although there was a change in bodies. Daniel was wearing Jennifer's body, while William was trying out a culture change by adopting Mieko Toshiko's slender Japanese form.

"Gather round everyone, I have something to say, before we get down to our problem with Ken." Sara/Susan began. She waited till everyone was sitting down on the couch, before telling William and Daniel of her decision to remain as Sara. There was silence following her admission, silence that weighed heavily on her, as she waited for their first comment. Daniel sighed, and gave Sara a tremulous smile.

"Thank god, I thought I was the only one that was feeling that way," she finally admitted.

To say shock followed that admission was an understatement.

"Well, I guess being a woman is a pretty attractive package and one that two of us have decided to try and buy." William was the first to say. He shrugged, seeming to accept that two of his mates had made a major change in the way they would live. "Having seen both sides of the coin, I can see how the attraction in being female can change one's thinking. I must admit a certain envy of the female form, but I think I'll stay male for now, if that's okay? I can still have a testosterone vacation if I want too," he added with a grin, as he hefted his own modest breasts.

"Well, now everyone's finished confession time, lets get to the problem in hand," suggested Kevin.

Sara was relieved that it was all over without any outbursts or condemnation. She wondered if everyone being in female form had helped in some way, to be more accepting. Sara gave Daniel a look that said, "We'll talk more later." Moving along, they started to put out ideas on how to circumvent Ken's interest in Kevin and William, seeing that both Daniel and Scott would not be reappearing anytime soon. They figured Leanne would be in the clear if she just said that she offered her cousin a place to stay while the guys found a place of their own. Just then, the phone rang. Looking at the time, Sara figured it must be Leanne/ Jennifer calling.

"Hi Jennifer," Sara answered; keeping to the name belonging to the body Leanne was wearing.

"Sara?" came a questioning voice, as Jennifer heard a strange female voice answer her call.

"Oops, sorry Jen, it's Susan, if you know what I mean," Sara/Susan apologised. "I'm in 'a' fine form, tonight," Sara added, hoping Jennifer would twig.

"Ah! I understand, boy trouble?" She asked, giggling a little.

"You could say that. Um, was there a problem on the flight over? We found out that you should be several years older than you appear. We only found out after you left." Sara explained.

"Yeah, there were one or two comments made. One of the other stewardesses asked if I had got some work done. I wasn't sure why she asked, so I just nodded. She said it made me look years younger, so I figured that there was a slight glitch. I'm just heading home now, so I'll call you when I get there. The taxi driver is giving me strange looks-byeeeee."

Sara hung up the phone and relayed Jennifer's story to the others. Kevin/Margaret got up to check the oven, saying she had made dinner. Sara raised her eyebrows at this, as Kevin had never shown any culinary expertise before. Daniel, seeing Sara's surprise, laughed.

"Don't worry, it's not his usual burnt offerings, I think it's Margaret's entertainment skills coming out. I watched her myself, seeing I'll be doing my own share of cooking in the future. She surprised me too, but remember the alien Margaret entertained lots of people, so her skill levels would need to be good."

Dinner was good, and Sara asked for the recipe much to Kevin's embarrassment. There was much laughter over the suggestion Kevin stay as Margaret just so they could eat well. They had almost finished, when the phone rang again. Suspecting that it was Jennifer again, Sara took the call in the other room, allowing the others to finish dinner.

"Hello. That was quick."

"Susan, I'm in trouble. I've been uncovered." Jennifer's voice was tight with stress.

"What happened?" Sara asked, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. Sara heard some muffled voice demanding the phone, before an angry male voice barked in her ear.

"Whoever you are, I want my Jennifer back, not some impostor." The voice demanded. "I want her back now or you'll not see your agent again."

"Hold on there, calm down," Sara started to say.

"CALM DOWN!" Screamed the irate voice. "I get to my girlfriends place to find a woman who looks like my Jennifer, but is clearly not. Why should I calm down, what have you done with my girl?"

"Look, she's safe okay, it's a matter of life and death, please let me talk to my colleague," Sara insisted trying not to sound scared.

There was a sound of the phone being handed over, before Jennifer's voice came back.

"I'm here."

"You okay?"

"For now," Jennifer answered.

"Is he listening?"

"No, but..."

"He's nearby right?"

"Yes."

"Have you told him anything, anything about you know what?

"No."

"He called you an agent?"

"Yes, I had to tell him about my mission, you know, the terrorism stuff?"

"Good thinking, okay you're an undercover agent. Working for the um... CIA. The real Jennifer witnessed some terrorist activity aboard one of her flights, and she was taken into protective custody, after the perpetrators were nullified and arrested you took her place to see if the threats made against her life were real or just some excuse to get better treatment for the terrorists. Now let me speak with him again. Oh wait, does your memory assist tell you what his name is?"

"Robert Calvini."

"Okay, put him on."

"I want to tell you something," Sara said, as the phone changed hands. My agent is a rookie; I only selected her for her uncanny resemblance. I value my agents and I hold you responsible for her safety. I don't want you harming her. Is that understood?"

"Then get my girl back here right now, or you wont see your precious agent again." He snarled back.

"Listen here punk," Sara forcing as much assertiveness into her voice. "I could have people from pine gap, (a place she had heard in Australia which had been in the news, concerning CIA involvement there) come and find you in a hour. Don't push me or I'll push back. I don't want my agent harmed. We will get your Jennifer back as soon as we can, it may be 48 hours at least before can get our hands on her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, okay."

She heard a lessening in his belligerence. "I suggest you take her to your place, as she could still be a target. We will phone her using her cell phone, when we arrive, got that?"

"Yes."

Sara hung up, sagging against the wall near the phone. She fumbled, dropping the hand piece to the floor as she went to put the receiver back on the wall mounted cradle. The noise brought the others in and they immediately saw the tears in Sara's eyes after she stood up after retrieving the errant receiver, and placing it unsteadily on the cradle.

A clamour of, " what's the matter?" "Was that Jennifer?" "Why are you crying?" Came from all sides, as the girl's surrounded her concernedly as she broke down in tears.

""It's all my fault, I shouldn't have let her go alone," she sobbed, making the others worry about what had happened to Leanne in Australia.

The girl's coaxed her to the couch, where Kevin/Margaret gave her a shot of brandy to calm her down. Haltingly the conversation she had had with Leanne and her 'boyfriend,' finally came out amid a flood of self-recrimination.

"Stop that, it's not your fault." Demanded the others, in a joint rebuttal. "You couldn't have foreseen this, no one could." Kevin in his soft Margaret's voice reassuringly offered. "Your reason for sending Leanne instead of one of us was sound, besides Leanne went in with eyes open. She knew there would be a risk, but she chose to accept it. Both you and Daniel are proof of what might have happened to either William or myself, had we gone there instead. I can't talk for William, but I was sorely temped, and still am for that matter, to stay female too. In fact there was only one thing holding me back from that, and that was your decision to remain as Sara." Kevin blushed at this admission, making Margaret's face seem younger. She looked away for a moment before looking deep into Sara's eyes.

Sara stopped crying, to see a strange look in, well, Margaret's eyes, as she turned back to look into her soul. There was still something Kevin like in her look. One she hadn't seen before.

"If I'd gone to Australia, I don't think I would have come back, only Jennifer would." Kevin/Margaret stated flatly.

William was nodding his head in agreement, as Sara glanced around at them all. Suddenly, she felt great. Her friends had stuck with her, accepting and not judging or laying blame. Despite the circumstances, she felt as nothing could stop them now. There was one thing she needed to ask, Kevin, but that could wait for now.

"Thanks, I needed that. With your support we can achieve anything, so let's work on a plan to rescue Jennifer."

They decided that one had to take on the role of the older Jennifer that left three, who needed bodies that had passports, as it was decided that all of them were going to go to Australia. Sara would let Ken know that she was going away for a while to think about their relationship and where it was going.

Margaret would notify the real estate agents and drop in a set of keys, to enable them to show potential buyers the place in their absence. She would tell them that any offers were to be phoned through to her on her cell phone.

Sara remembered a thought that she had, when she first used the motorbike. Where would the passengers in the car setting go, if it were changed directly to the bike form? Sara had to find out, so she explained to the others. They first loaded the car, having reverted it from the bike, with suitcases of clothing. Changing it back to the bike and back, they found out that the cases disappeared while in bike mode, but were safely restored once the car was back. Next Sara offered to be a passenger for the next test, but she was out voted. Daniel and William offered to be the guinea pigs, while Sara remained the driver. The trust they showed and their unhesitating offer, brought tears of gratitude to her eyes.

The test was scary. One minute they were with her in the car and the next, they had both disappeared. She waited for the agreed five minutes that seemed like hours, before switching back. Both Daniel and William seemed unaware that the test had been completed, and were openly surprised to find out that they had been gone for five minutes. A check of their watches confirmed that they were both now five minutes slow. One watch was a digital one and the other was an original spring/escapement type.

"It didn't seem like any time passed," William stated. I watched you reach for the knob; then you looked at me and said, "Welcome back."

Daniel agreed, saying it didn't seem like they had lost five minutes of their lives.

Sara was happy with the results, and explained why. The others laughed, hearing her plan.

"Better than being dogs," William suggested, grinning hugely, after hearing that the dog option had been Sara's first idea. "Just think if they mated, what would happen then? If they could be changed back, what would happen to the puppy's?"

Sara opted to take on the Jennifer role, which left the others to find alternative bodies. They decided to wait till tomorrow, before trying Sara's idea. Sara, again in her body, stayed at the Ellery's that night, not wanting to leave her friends.

Dealing with the real estate agents was easy; dealing with Ken was less so. He wanted to know where she was going and with who. Sara got angry with him, saying it was those kind of questions that made her want to rethink their relationship. If he didn't trust her, then maybe they should call it quits. This made Ken back off dramatically, seeing he had no choice. He asked her to ring him when she got back, which Sara promised to do.

While plans for the next stage were being carried out, Jennifer was dealing with her own problems. Her flight had gone over relatively easy. She had managed to draw on the memories of Jennifer to aid her in the job of airhostess. Some of the crew had known her from previous flights; the others were introduced on board. One of the stewards had remembered her and commented on her new look. This had Jennifer worried, what new look? It wasn't till a stewardess from the rear of the plane had recognised her on one of her breaks, and where she'd come up to Jennifer and complimented her on her surgery, that Jennifer realised something was amiss. Jennifer had bluffed her way out of the tight spot, and carried on.

Arriving at Perth and going through customs had been a breeze, despite the increased security since 9/11. She refused an offer by one of the crew to drive her home. Her memory had provided her with the address, so finding it wasn't a problem. She just didn't want to show unfamiliarity in her own home, in case the woman invited herself in. She'd called a cab and then called the others at the Ellery's to tell them she was safe. Hearing that she was supposed to be older came as no surprise, it did add a complication that she didn't need right now, but she thought she could deal with it okay.

She hadn't been in her home more than 10 minutes, before a knock sounded at the front door. She hadn't had time to check for any gadgetry the departing aliens may have left; even her clothes were barely unpacked when she answered the door. At first, the guy just stood there, looking down at her, before asking her a question. He was huge and made her seem like a doll in comparison. His words were slurred with the effects of alcohol, and his showering habits left much to be desired.

"Whers my Jenny? Whosh the hell are you?" He threatened. He pushed past her and grabbed her arm, before pulling her inside, out of sight of the neighbours.

"I'm Jennifer, who are you?" She asked quickly, before realising her mistake.

"I'm Jenny's boyfriend, ash you should know if yous wass her." He muttered, pushing her backwards into the couch.

Cursing her scared response, that showed she didn't know this stranger, she tried bluffing.

"You're not my boyfriend, I don't date drunks," she responded, trying to sound angry. Unfortunately, it came out sounding more scared, as the guy leaned closer and got in her face.

"Shut up bitch, you ain't my Sheila, that's fer sure. She's much more respecting of my needs. Now tell me whas you is doing here in her place, are you some kinda spy, trying to get info from me? Fess up, or do I has to play rough with you." He shouted, squeezing her arms in a vice like grip.

Belatedly, she found his name in her borrowed memory. Robert Calvini, one of the members of the Italian underworld that resided in this part of the world. She remembered a nickname he had acquired from an English TV program for kids. 'Bob the Builder,' although in his case it was 'Bob the Wrecker for obvious reasons, seeing he was huge and had massive hands.'

"Okay, stop. I'll tell you," Jennifer cried, fearing for her life, as 'Bob' continued to manhandle her. Thinking quickly, and using Robert's suspicions as a guide to what he might believe, coupled with a recent news item she had heard; she told him that she was an undercover agent.

"I'm on a case against international terrorism in the flight industry. Let me ring my superior, and I'll let her explain." She gasped, as he continued to shake her about.

He stopped, as slowly, his brain decided that the sort of terrorism she was talking about didn't have anything to do with his organisations type of terrorism.

"Okay, but you don't say anything, about nutting, you know bout me, cappish?"

If things weren't as serious as they were, she would have laughed at his poor impression of the 'Godfather.' Getting out her phone gingerly out of her purse, conscious of the way Bob was eying her movements, she rang the number of the Ellery's, hoping they were there.

Susan/Sara answered, and quickly Jennifer said she was in trouble and had been uncovered. She had stressed the 'uncovered,' hoping to wise her up. Fortunately, when Bob wrestled the phone away, and started yelling at Sara, he mentioned the word agent to her. Jennifer held her breath, praying that Sara had picked up the clues. All seemed fine, as Bob reluctantly relinquished the phone to her. He hovered near, while Sara outlined her plan. Bob was quiet, after talking to Sara for the second time.

"Get your things, we are moving to my place." He said, still seeming angry, at the deception. Jennifer quickly threw her clothes back in her case, realising that Sara didn't want Bob staying here, in case he found something he shouldn't. It also gave Sara a place to stay and plan when she came over to help her. Going with 'Bob the Bulk,' as Jennifer had personally renamed him, was scary, but she knew Sara would come to rescue her, that was never in doubt.

Robert drove erratically from her place at Scarborough near the beach to the less affluent Armadale. Once Jennifer was ensconced at Bob's less than salubrious home, Bob became more demanding, saying that if she was a substitute for his real girlfriend, then she should take over all her duties, as well.

"Well don't just stand there, clean up this place. It's a mess." He demanded, shoving her towards the kitchen. "Oh, get me a tinny, while you in there." He added.

Jennifer looked at the mess in the kitchen and nearly threw up. The place was a pigsty, and she doubted the former Jennifer had ever been here, much less cleaned up. She wondered why the alien had hooked up with this lout, but there was no figuring alien beings. She sighed as she got Bob can of beer from the grubby fridge, her mental assist, helping translate Bob's request.

Bob tried to grab her for a kiss, saying Jennifer should play the role properly. She shuddered hoping he didn't mean to have sex with her, but his next words sent a chill through her, as she dodged his grasp.

"We can see if you're as good as she is in bed. I can't wait to break that rookie body of yours in."

Jennifer escaped to the kitchen, the smell, and sight of it looking better than what awaited her in the other room. Several hours later, the kitchen looked somewhat better, considering the gross lack of cleaning products.

Dinner was a pizza, ordered on the phone. Jennifer had on appetite and only nibbled on a section. Bob ate the rest, belching frequently, s he watched TV. He washed it down with beer, his huge body absorbing the alcohol like a sponge, albeit a dirty one.

The moment she was dreading came as he dragged her to a filthy bedroom that smelt of a mixture of socksegen, (the smell dead socks give off) B.O. and urine. He tore her clothes off and flung her on the bed, unmindful of her cries of protest. He undressed only slightly slower and pinned her to the bed with his weight. This was too much for Jennifer, who then fainted, as Bob entertained himself with her unresponsive body.

To be continued.

Carversion -8-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eight

The cabbie stood no chance, as he stopped for the frantically waving girl. She leaned in and begged for his assistance in helping her two friends, down the alley he had just passed.

"Please, can you help? My mother is worried our car is about to blow up. We need a man, as I'm afraid we are just three ditzy females with no knowledge of cars." She said, between slow deliberate licks of her ice cream cone.

He reversed the cab so he could see down the quiet alley, his cab effectively blocking the way. He looked down to see two sexy looking women bending over, as they looked under the upraised hood at the engine. Getting out to help, the girl who had flagged him down, started fawning over him, thanking him and running her hands over his body.

No man could resist being led towards two lovely helpless women, not with an amorous girl urging him on.

"Can you sit in the car while I turn on the air con?" asked Margaret, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's making a funny noise."

He never saw one of the others aim a bracelet at him, as he was too interested in the driver's cleavage, as she leaned forward to turn a knob on the dash.

The cabbie was quickly tucked away in non-space, as they had nicknamed it, after Margaret/Kevin had become Susan/Kevin with the change from the Volvo to the motorbike. Jennifer/Daniel then climbed onto the back of the motorbike, before driving out past the taxi, which was even now turning back into traffic. The alley was quiet with only the melting ice cream cone left on the pavement.

Julie/William, who had snapped an image of the cabbie, was now his double. William drove the cab back to the airport and parked near the rank. He left the cab and went inside to wait for his targets. He watched the boards announcing the landings. He was especially interested in those Quantas flights from Australia. Eventually, his patience was rewarded.

Three passengers, one adult female with her husband and a blonde teenager had picked up their luggage and were struggling towards the terminal doors. The toy Koalas clipped to their lapels and their accents giving their nationality away like signposts. William, who had fortuitously procured one of the ever-scarce baggage trolleys, came forward.

"Can I take those? I have a taxi waiting outside ready to whisk you to your destination."

"Thank you matey, by crikey that's the best offer all day," grinned the man.

William loaded their heavy bags onto the trolley, for which they were very grateful. William led them to his cab and loaded their luggage in the trunk. He then headed out on the road, after finding out where they were headed.

The alley where William and the others had done the first switcheroo was on the route from the airport to the city, a fact taken into account at the start of this operation. William slowed, faking a problem with the cab.

"Sorry folks, there seems to be problem with the cab. I'll have to stop here and call for another."

He stopped the cab in exactly the same place where he had taken it from in the first place. He suggested that the passengers take themselves and their luggage to the café on the corner, while he phoned for a replacement. Grumbling, they agreed, and William said there would be no fare charge, which made them happier. Ordering and paying for their coffees, William quickly left and headed back into the alley where Susan was waiting.

The cabbie was puzzled when the driver asked him to leave. He hadn't even had time to listen to the problem they had mentioned. He shrugged and left to get back to his cab, wondering where the young girl had gone. He drove off, none the wiser that he was missing several hours of his life.

Julie/Daniel was in the café, listening to the tourists grumble about the wait. She moved closer and finally offered them a lift with her friend.

"My mother has her car in the alley next door, we are headed into the city, so we could drop you off."

"Well, if it's no trouble, then thank you," the woman agreed, wanting to get to the hotel and freshen up.

Within minutes of accepting, the three tourists were in non-space, as Margaret/Kevin in her Volvo, became Susan/Kevin on her bike. Julie had pretended to load their luggage in the trunk, while Margaret had started the car. Instead, Julie had just left them out behind the car, so that it wouldn't disappear along with the tourists.

Jennifer/William drove the Ellery's Volvo, (the plain every day version,) up to where the luggage lay on the ground. Susan had taken Daniel back home to get it and return with it to the alley to wait for Williams return.

They loaded the luggage and Susan followed the Volvo on her bike, back to the Ellery's. Once there, they hid the bike in a secure room that only they, had the keys to. Kevin and William tossed a coin as to who was going to be the adult woman, as Daniel had chosen to the young girl.

No one was sure if Kevin had won or lost when the coin determined that he would be the woman. Using the image taken of the tourists with the bracelets, it wasn't long before they were the spitting image of the three in limbo. Kevin was now Glenda and William was Trevor, according to the documents, they found with their new bodies. Daniel was now Cindy, a cute 15-year-old blonde.

Glenda complained about her heels as she walked unsteadily around, in the garage.

"Damn, I don't seem to be able to manage these like I did with Margaret's," she moaned.

As time was of the essence, there wasn't time to stand around complaining. So once William called a real cab, it wasn't long before they were at the airport. With a huge deposit of cash, and the excuse that they had to return home for a family emergency, they were soon on a flight destined for Australia. Sara/Jennifer had wangled her way onto the same flight, taking the place of one of the scheduled stewardesses with a suitable cash bribe of course.

Sara thought it hilarious, that she was serving her friends refreshments, in her role as Jennifer. On the pretence of offering Cindy some candy, she crouched down and quietly asked her how she was coping.

"I'm fine, but mommy keeps complaining. I think she needs a sick bag." Giggled Daniel in her teenage body.

Concerned, Sara turned to Kevin in her Glenda form and asked if she was okay.

"Have you anything for air sickness? I don't think this body travels well," she moaned, looking slightly bilious.

"I'll ask if there's some Dramamine I can give you for that. We want you fit and well for when we arrive," Sara suggested, consoling her distraught friend.

Later on, when she checked, Glenda looked much better. The flight seemed to take forever, especially with Leanne in a dangerous situation. Once the jet was on its final approach, thoughts turned to their next move once they landed in Perth. Sara was using Jennifer's memories to assess the time to get to her home in Scarborough from the airport, to work out how much time they had to plan.

Leanne woke up alone, smelling the stench of the room mixed now with the smell of Roberts's musky semen drying on her body. She ached below and felt sore around her nipples. She saw by the clock radio, that it was 9 am. She could hear the TV going in the other room, and guessed that was where Robert was. She got out of bed, fumbling for her ripped clothes, before giving up that idea. The windows offered no escape, as they had security screens fitted, made of extruded aluminium covered with fine mesh, which doubled as fly screens.

She pulled on her panties, one of the few items to survive Robert's handling. She walked out the room and saw her suitcase in the hall. She took out a change of clothes, and went looking for the bathroom. Once found, she examined her body, looking for the bruises she could feel. There wasn't much to see, there was some bruising, but not as much as she thought, she should see. This body must have marvellous healing powers to put up with Roberts abuses. She found some soap, but no shampoo. Returning to her suitcase, she found her shampoo, and hurried back to the illusionary safety of the bathroom.

She scrubbed and scoured her body, trying to feel clean in more than just the physical sense. Being raped by that brute made her feel dirty inside, where no soap could reach. Even though she hadn't any memories of the rape, she still felt a sense that it was her fault. She tried to shake off the guilty feelings and substitute feelings of anger towards her attacker.

Cleaner, and feeling better dressed in clean clothes, Jennifer/Leanne went out to the kitchen to find something to eat. Robert saw her and told her to get him something too. She looked in the fridge and in the cupboards to see what there was, that was still edible. The best she could come up with was some stale bread and some cheese that she had cut to the mould off. Slicing the bread into fingers, she spread grated cheese over the bread and laid them on an oven tray to bake in the oven, while she made some coffee. She brought the coffee into where Robert was sitting, just escaping his reaching hand to hurry back in to the kitchen. Once the cheesie's were cooked, she divided them and took half into Robert. While he tasted them, she went back to eat her share in the kitchen, making enough noise as she cleaned up, so that he didn't have to worry what she was up to, and come in checking.

Sara in the older Jennifers body had been accessing the memories this body had of Robert. She knew once she contacted him, he would likely pose some questions, questions only his Jennifer would know. Once started, it seemed as though there was a lot more in her head, than in the Jennifer she had been before. She reasoned that the older body simply had more memories to access. Kevin in his Glenda body had complained that there were no memories or other help to assist in her impersonation, like with the other female bodies. It took a few minutes for 'Glenda,' to remember how to walk in heels. Only the experience in the alien produced bodies allowed her to pick it up quickly.

Leanne in the younger version Jennifer hadn't had a chance of pulling her deception off, not without all of the accompanying memories. Sara hoped she could do better. It was not only her life on the line, but Leanne's too.

After landing, and the usual rigmarole in customs and collecting luggage, they called a taxi. Forty minutes later, they reached Hale road near the West coast highway. The taxi deposited them all at number 9 Yaltawa road, where they unloaded the baggage and paid off the taxi driver.

Producing the key provided handily, with the body, Sara/Jennifer opened the door and went in. The others followed, dumping their gear in the hallway, so that a quick reconnoitre to see if the place was empty could be carried out. Seeing the place first hand brought up fresh Jennifer memories that told Sara, where a secret room was hidden.

Jennifers fingers placed on a certain spot on the wall near the bathroom, triggered a panel to open. It was one of several that were lining the wall, which looked perfectly normal. Entering the small space, barely 4 foot square revealed that the alien Jennifer had been here when the call to return home had come. Things were strewn around in a hasty attempt to destroy the evidence. The laptop there had been smashed with a blunt object and its LCD screen was shattered. William, who had returned to his body as had Kevin, said the drive might still be salvageable.

"Sheesh, I bet she didn't even try and delete anything," he exclaimed. "Even you could do a better job of it, than this supposedly superior race."

"You know what this means, don't you?" Sara replied. "No magical car. She probably ditched it in the outback and its now destroyed." Sara grumbled.

This was confirmed when Daniel still in the Cindy body came in from her inspection of the garage.

"Nothing, not even a second hand push bike," she grinned wryly.

"Okay, that means we stay here and draw this Robert guy back here," Sara suggested. "This is what we'll do," she added, outlining her plan.

"Hello, is this Robert?" Asked Kevin, in Susan's voice, having taken on Jennifer's CIA superior's role.

"Yes, have you got my Jennifer?" answered Robert, in a nonchalant tone.

"Yes she is standing right next to me," a worried Kevin replied, wondering why Robert seemed almost uninterested.

"Let me talk to her."

"Not so fast, let me speak to my operative," insisted Kevin.

Robert hummed and hah'd, trying to argue with her. Kevin felt he was hiding something, and demanded Jennifer be put on.

"You okay hon?" Kevin asked, as Jennifer was allowed to answer.

"No, I saw nobody suspicious," Jennifer answered, using her head.

"Has he done something to you?" Kevin asked, realising that Jennifer was answering in a way that wouldn't alert Robert.

"Yes, I hope I can finish this job before tonight," she answered, telling Susan that she wanted out before nightfall.

Kevin immediately thought Robert had sexually attacked her despite the warnings. Perhaps that was why he wasn't in a rush to get his girl back.

"Okay, tell him Jennifer wants to speak, and hand him the phone, don't worry the cavalry's here.

Kevin alerted Sara/Jennifer that Robert had attacked Leanne in the time Robert took up the phone.

"Hey baby, you got me a present?"

"Sure, its open right now, waiting for you," Sara answered, knowing he was referring the whisky Jennifer usually brought home with her, duty free.

"Johnny walker black label right?" he asked, trying to trap her.

"Look if you want to change you drinking habit's, you'll have to tell me in advance. I got the usual Glenfiddich. You want me to tip it out?" Sara asked turning the tables on Robert.

"Nah! That's fine just warm like usual. You at home?"

"Yes come over please, I missed you," Sara purred, trying not ton gag.

Sara handed the phone over to Kevin, who made sure that Robert would bring Leanne with him.

Robert pulled up outside Jennifers home. He could see a woman standing outside, presumably the CIA woman who had contacted him. He got out and allowed the fake Jennifer to run to the woman. She pointed to the house.

"Jennifers in there waiting for you, we'll wait here till our ride comes. Goodbye Mr Calvini." Susan/Kevin said coldly, holding Leanne close.

Robert shrugged and went inside. There he saw his Jennifer sitting on the couch smiling. She was naked to the waist and had a brandy balloon full of scotch nestled in her cleavage, the swell of her breasts cupping the glass warming the fiery liquid inside. He smiled, now this was his girl.

Sara inside her Jennifer body struggled to remain smiling, as the hulk loomed closer. She hoped she had used enough Nightquil in the scotch to do the job she wanted.

"Hi honey," she purred, handing him the glass.

"Hmmm, now that's what I call a welcome home present," he said, gulping the drink straight down without looking away from her breasts.

Sara wanted to run and puke, as his huge hand fondled her breasts roughly. Seeing he had finished the drink without blinking, she squirmed away, trying to make it look sexy.

"Let me get you another, I can't let my man get thirsty now, can I?" she smiled, getting up and taking his glass to the kitchen.

"Okay, but hurry back. I want to play with my babies," he urged, eyeing her departing butt, greedily.

"For you, anything. I'll just be a minute," Sara shuddered as soon as she was out of sight. She refilled the glass adding another dose of the liquid sleeping potion. She hated to see the expensive scotch being adulterated, but even worse how Robert consumed it, gulping it down as if it was lolly water, instead of fine whisky.

After the second glass followed the first, Robert wanted to fondle her breasts. She allowed herself to be manhandled, or should that be brute handled, as she could see that even Roberts's bulk, was being affected by the tranquillisers. She felt dirty even allowing him that privilege of plundering her body. God knows what it must feel like to be raped, as she suspected Leanne had endured. At last, Robert collapsed over her and started snoring, as the drugs and the alcohol kicked in.

"Help me! This bastard is heavy," Sara called out, as she struggled to lift Robert's dead weight from her body.

Daniel and William rushed in from the bathroom, both wearing their male bodies, as agreed. They had wanted to take on Robert from the first moment he had entered, but Sara objected. She didn't want them hurt, because of her; she was still struggling to hold back her emotions over what Leanne had gone through.

Kevin and Leanne entered on the heels of the others, hearing Sara call out. Leanne was looking more than a little surprised at Kevin, who had just morphed in front of her just seconds ago, without the aide of a car.

Robert was rendered harmless, by the adroit application of the humble plastic cable tie, granted the ones used were thicker than you normally see. Once Robert's hands and ankles were secured, they blindfolded him and put earplugs in his ears to prevent him hearing anything.

"Kevin, how did you change from Susan to yourself like that?" Leanne asked, her face filled with puzzlement.

"Long story, tell you later. First, we need to discuss what we are going to do to this piece of shit." Kevin angrily said, having been filled in outside, by Leanne.

Sara ran to Leanne, hugging her, as tears of remorse, fell from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry I put you in danger. I can't forgive myself," she sobbed.

It was strange seeing two Jennifer's embracing each other. It was kind of erotic from the men's point of view, even though the reasons for it, was not something pleasant. Sara broke off, asking Leanne if she could forgive her for getting her into this mess.

"I felt awful, just letting him paw me like some pet he owned," she explained. " I can't imagine having to go through what you did," Sara added, still not knowing all the details.

"Stop that, I won't have you blaming yourself or feeling guilty for one second, because of this piece of garbage. I knew there might be danger, but I accepted that. Anyway, there are two things that make it bearable. One, I was unconscious at the time, for which I thank my lucky stars, and two; he didn't really violate my body, only Jennifer's. Once I change back it will be like it never happened, apart from the memories."

Sara hugged Leanne again, tears of anguish, turning to tears of happiness, as Leanne's words lifted the burden of guilt that had hung over her since that second phone call.

"Well, seeing it was you he abused, you get to chose his punishment. We can turn him into anything from a bitch to a baby girl," offered Sara with a grin.

"Is this something to do with the way Kevin changed from Susan to his old self without a car?" Leanne asked excitedly.

Thus began the catch up of news since Leanne had left them. After showing her the bracelet, she posed a question.

"If Robert has the bracelet on he cant use it himself, how are you going to change him?"

"Simple, we push the buttons, because we are in the alien produced bodies, it accepts our commands. As long as we don't give Robert one of those, he couldn't even change even if he was able." Sara explained. "My guess is, that if one f the aliens became incapacitated for any reason, possibly an injury, the others could still change him/her/whatever."

Leanne thought for a while, voicing her choices to the others. "I could turn the tables on him and change him into a women and have "a Robert," rape him. Now that would be justice, to be raped by his own male body," she laughed. "Unfortunately it would mean someone would have to be him. I couldn't do it, and I wouldn't ask others to do it on my behalf. Turning into a female dog would be good too, take a picture of a pedigree bitch and his life is set as a breeding mother. It also takes care of him going to the authorities. I can't see him getting anywhere barking at the police." She giggled.

Sara was glad that Leanne's spirits were up, as thoughts of the various punishments acted as therapy. She waited, listening as, Leanne continued.

"A baby girl might be nice, it solves the problem of his silence, and eventually he'll be the one worrying about being raped."

"What about doing all three?" William suggested with an evil grin on his face. After all, Leanne was his cousin; he had a right to want a serious punishment meted out.

"Hmmm, not the first, otherwise we are no better than he is," objected Leanne, putting her foot down. Sara nodded agreement, not relishing that idea. She realised suddenly that Scott wouldn't have objected, he would probably have agreed to mete out the first suggestion. Becoming a woman had changed the way she thought about things. It wasn't a change she had noticed, just a subtle shift in the way she saw things, like men for instance. Dragging her thoughts away from men's bodies, Sara concentrated on Leanne's alternative suggestion, but not before a quick flash crossed her mind that she found Kevin looking attractive.

"I think we should make sure she can't do us an harm when she wakes up," Leanne said, smiling with anticipation.

"She?" They queried.

"Can we make him into a little girl, before he wakes?" If she then plays up, we could turn her into a bitch to see how much worse things can get." Leanne asked, looking pleadingly at the others.

"You betcha, I hope she plays up, I surely do," William winked enthusiastically rubbing his hands together, as he turned on the television, and readied his bracelet.

Finding a children's program, William soon had an image loaded that everyone approved. Slipping the bracelet on Robert's wrist, Leanne did the honours. Where once was a giant of a man, now there lay a cute 9 year old girl, with cute blonde pigtails. The transformation had given her a clean fresh smelling body with a princess dress in pink and white with a cute bow tied at her back. The change had also worked it's magic, by cleaning the blood of the drug laden alcohol, that Robert had consumed. She started to stir and opened her eyes, blinking.

"Whaaaa, what happened? Why are all these people here?" She asked, before the pitch of his voice, told him something very strange had happened to him. She looked down at what he was wearing and screeched, her high pitch voice penetrating right through the house.

She redoubled her efforts, making enough noise, that they worried the neighbours would hear. William clamped his hand over her mouth, as she drew breath for another attempt. William cursed and cuffed her, as she bit his hand. He looked at the blood she had drawn and said 'woof,' suggestively.

The others nodded. Sara crouched down to the struggling child, as she fought against Williams grasp while cursing a blue streak.

"Bobbie, if you don't behave, things can get much worse," she promised. "Life can be a bitch, you know."

"What did you do to me, you bitch?" cursed Bobbie, spitting in her face.

Sara straightened up, her anger just barely held under control. "Do it," she ground out.

Daniel forced the other loaded bracelet over Bobbie's wrist, motioning to Sara to activate it. Bobbie fell to the floor as she started to transform into a dog, a female Cocker Spaniel to be exact, the irony of the breed, not being lost on the others.

"Shouldn't that be a Cockerless Spaniel?" snorted Daniel, almost choking with mirth, as he voiced, the thoughts of the others.

Bobby wasn't happy at all, she whined piteously and lay subdued on the floor after once sniffing at her groin. It was obvious that bobby was female. She even had a collar with a nametag, on which was engraved the name Rosie.

"Well Rosie, it looks like you need to stay outside, until we know if your house trained," Sara laughed, fetching a piece of clothesline she had found. She led Rosie out into the front yard, tying her to a sturdy tree.

"I hope, there's no stray males wandering around, we know that you're in heat. You may find yourself attracting all the dogs around." She taunted, knowing that this was lie, but it would make Rosie nervous.

To be continued.

Carversion -9-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Nine

Robert, now Rosie the dog, trembled in fear. She urinated on the ground, seemingly unable to control herself as she whined and bit at the rope. Eventually, she seemed to sink into a lassitude born of defeat. The others watched carefully from behind the curtains, making sure she wasn't going to be molested by any roving males of the canine variety.

Sara had left a bowl of water out for her, and as the day's heat built into the mid thirties; Rosie had to learn how to lap up water. Kevin had gone to the shops with Leanne, in Margaret's body, as her original body wasn't stored in any bracelet and she wanted out of being Jennifer. They had gone to pick a few items needed for both Rosie and the others.

Seeing it was a nice hot day, they had decided on a traditional ozzie barbie. The Fremantle Doctor, as the afternoon sea breeze was called, had kicked in, cooling Kevin, with a nice refreshing breeze as he stood by the glowing BBQ. The smell of frying steak was making mouths water, including Rosie's who had been led around into the back yard and allowed some freedom to run around the enclosed yard. Daniel had returned to his favourite female form, Julie, and was attired in a skimpy bikini.

Leanne and Sara in Margaret and Jennifer's bodies respectively, were preparing some salads and bread rolls for the snags (sausages) that were being cooked, while William opened a can of 'Chum,' dog food for Rosie. He called to her, telling her that her dinner was ready.

Rosie came over and looked at the brown mush that constituted dog food. She whined and turned away, looking at Kevin, who was sampling a sausage, (cooks prerogative).

"This is dog food," William spoke to Rosie. "You're a dog, so this is what you'll eat-forever, if you don't behave. You have a choice, stay as a dog, and eat this," William nudged the plate of dog food in emphasis. "Or you can become Bobbie the little girl, and eat real food."

Rosie barked, managing to do a reasonable begging act. William took it as an agreement to going back to being a girl.

"Okay, but if you misbehave in any way, and try to run away or even act other than a girl should, it's back to being a dog forever, which isn't that long, maybe 12 years."

Another affirmative bark.

Once they changed Rosie back to Bobbie the 9-year-old girl, they gave her a plate of food and then told her not to get her dress covered in tomato ketchup, as she sat quietly eating. She looked embarrassed, dealing with her skirts, and fidgeted on the seat, trying to get comfortable. At least her foul mouth was silent, as she looked at these people with fear. She stayed quiet the rest of the evening, not fussing too much when she was given a nightie that Leanne had purchased earlier on her shopping trip. She seemed resigned to her fate, which she knew rested with these people. Just the thought of becoming a dog again was enough to curb the most rebellious thoughts of disobedience.

As before, with the Ellery's home, once the place was put on the market, they were assured of a quick sale. The place was just across from the beach in a quiet street and ideal for a quick commute into the city of Perth itself. Kevin and William removed the alien sensor for the hidden room, covering the hole with a piece of corkboard that could be used to pin notes or pictures. The rest of the stuff in there was sorted and removed, leaving just the shelves and the phone socket for the computer. There was one thing found that caused a few minutes interest. In the corner under a pile of scattered papers was a pair of sunglasses, they looked like those ones used as a fashion statement with almost clear lenses with a pearlescent look to them than functional sunglasses. Once it was determined that they didn't imbue the wearer with X-ray vision nor had some other alienish power, they were put aside.

The girl's, Leanne, Sara, and Julie, looked after Bobbie, teaching her how to behave and act, while they waited for the house to sell. They spent a lot of time on the beach getting a nice tan, while the boys tinker with the alien computer. They managed to salvage the hard drive and soon had it installed in a second hand laptop of the same model. They discovered why Jennifer was involved with Robert. Apparently, she was getting information from him through the network of corruption that the Australian based mafia had their fingers in. Government secrets, CIA involvement, the whole shebang. It seemed corruption had spread its tentacles everywhere, and Jennifer was feeding this information on to her companions. There were no references to the aliens, just dates, people, money transfers, and of course the information collected.

"I think we should drop this off to the police, there's nothing we need here, maybe with this, the corruption might be cleaned up," William suggested.

The other's agreed.

Bobbie did ask a few questions, when she thought it was safe, like how they had made her into a girl and a dog.

"Do you really want to know?" Kevin asked menacingly. "We could tell you, but then you'll have to understand that we'd have to tell the people we work for, that you know too much. Your fate will then rest in their hands, as to whether you live or die, not ours. I repeat, do you really want to know our secret?" he repeated.

Bobbie shook her head, making her pigtails swing about. She was too terrified to answer. These people already scared her with their powers. The thought of strangers deciding it was too much of a risk to keep her alive, terrified her.

"Please don't kill me, I won't tell anyone...please," Bobbie pleaded.

"Your fate rests on how you behave, until we are ready to leave," promised Kevin, lightening up on his tone of voice.

It was Sara that found the disk, as she tidied the place in readiness for the first prospective buyer. They had done a search, looking for anything of use, but hadn't found anything of note. Sara had pulled the bed out in the main bedroom, that she and Leanne were using. As she was changing the sheets, she saw something drop from behind the headboard to the floor, as it went past the gap between the headboard and the mattress. Managing to squeeze her slender arm though the gap, she retrieved a floppy disk from the floor. Calling William, all activity stopped as he inserted the disk into the laptop.

"This is interesting," he said, as he accessed the data contained on the disk. "It seems Jennifer was wise to our friend Bob, or is that fiend." He added with a laugh. She was never abused by Bob in any way. Only Bob didn't realise it. Apparently, each night he thought he was having sex and roughing her up, was spent in a hypnotic trance, as she interrogated him. She mentions a code phrase she used to take him in and out of the trance state. She would get him to do things for here, like accessing information, which he wouldn't normally do. She does mention something called a Spectraliser that she first used on him."

"A Spectraliser?" Kevin asked, rubbing his chin with his hand in a thoughtful way. "Is there any other clues to what one of those looks like?"

"Sorry, no."

Sara then asked what the code phrase was, having getting an idea.

"Zeeplattern, for entering and kelicran, for coming out," supplied William.

"Zeeplattern," Sara repeated, speaking the phrase to Bobbie, who had been in another room when William had first uttered the keywords.

Bobbie's eyes glazed over and she stopped moving about. Sara tested her, checking to see if she was really under. Once this was established, she began to question her.

"Robert, I want you to think back to when you first saw me," Sara suggested, using Roberts original name. As Sara was still in Jennifer's body, so she used that in her questioning. "I want you to describe what you saw."

The others gathered round watching, guessing what Sara was up to. Bobbie started talking, slowly building a picture of the first meeting with Jennifer. Something she mentioned, sparked Sara's interest, and she asked Bobbie to repeat it.

"We where at this bar, and I looked into eyes, behind those swirly glasses of hers, and I felt a strange feeling-" Sara interrupted, and got up and brought back the glasses they had found in the secret room.

"Like these?" she asked.

"Yes those are the ones." Bobbie confirmed.

"Kelicran." Sara said, happily, ending the trance.

Sara put the glasses on and asked Kevin if he saw anything unusual in them. Looking closely, trying to see what was so special, Kevin was unaware that his gaze was fixed, as the pearlescence seemed to draw his attention.

"Um nooo, I doon't-" He trailed off, seemingly struck dumb.

"Can you hop on one leg Kevin?" Sara asked hiding a smile, as she realised what was happening.

"Sure." Kevin replied, hopping on one leg without seeming to notice what he was doing was in anyway strange.

"You can stop hopping now," sniggered Sara, sharing in the grins of the others.

"Well we know what those do," laughed Leanne. "I just might borrow those," she added."

"Darn, it's a pity they are so girly," grumbled William good-naturedly. "I could use them on my future girlfriends."

"Well you could try a lesbian relationship," hinted Sara suggestively. "I hear they lick the alternative," she laughed.

"Hmm, it's not the alternative I want licked," he grinned, getting the joke.

"Hey! You don't need any girlfriends with me about," Daniel in her Julie form blurted out unthinkingly, pouting prettily. Her words fell into one of those silences where everyone's thinking, making more of an impact than she realised. Whether Julie was joking or not, it set off a train of thought that continued past the immediate moment.

William looked at Julie, seeing in her the possibilities that had sprung to mind. Julie realised that she had meant what she had said. William had taken on the image of a perfect boyfriend, and her thoughts towards him had taken on a deeper meaning. She wondered why she hadn't realised this before. This girl stuff was sneaky, one minute; your friend is just a pal. The next, you find yourself looking at him in a different light, as a potential lover and soul mate. She blushed at the thoughts rushing though her mind and her body tingled in a way that said it wanted more.

She tried to act like nothing had been said, as she brushed at her hair idly. William caught her eye, and for a moment, they looked at each other. Something passed between them, some unspoken communication, which said volumes, yet was still not quite understood.

Sara and Leanne caught that glance and looked at each other. They too, passed a silent message between them, but one that was completely understood. A slight upward quirk of the lips and the faint crinkle around their eyes was all they needed to confirm, what the other had thought. This would bear watching in the future to see if anything would develop. Sara thought it was the best thing that could happen, if the result was as she anticipated, and the two of them ended up together. Just thinking of the possibilities made her slightly jealous. She sighed, wishing she could find the same solution.

Leanne caught Sara's faint sigh, and knew immediately what it meant. She also knew something that Sara had seemed oblivious of. The way Kevin looked at Sara when she wasn't looking at him. She knew the signals of physical attraction, having been a women all of her life. She had also caught the odd look that Sara had given Kevin when he was busy doing stuff. Leanne grinned inside, letting no hint reach her lips. She hoped they would find each other the same way that William and Julie seemed to be doing. If not, there was always the possibility that a bit of careful prodding from her might set them in the right direction.

The moment passed, and although conversation picked up again, as they discussed the uses for the glasses, a seed of thought had been planted in their minds. Kevin, having missed the signs, blathered on regardless, his words only being half listened to, by the others.

"...so I think we can deal with Ken in that matter, don't you think?" He concluded.

"Um, yes," Sara agreed, dragging her thoughts back from her mental wanderings. "I'm sure the glasses will help there," she added, concentrating on the idea of Kevin's for dealing with an overly suspicious Ken.

After that, things settled down. Sara had no problems with withdrawing all 'her' money from the various banks. Amongst the litter of paper left behind, were her bank accounts and deeds of ownership to the property. They enjoyed the lazy days in the sun on the beach and did the usual touristy things.

Sara made sure she had the glasses with her all the time, as a recurring problem with Bobbie kept coming up. Oh no, Bobbie wasn't the problem, far from it, as she stuck like glue to Jennifer's side as if her life depended on it, which in all truth it did. No, the problem was her age; she should have been in school. Police officers often came up, as well as nosey busybodies that had nothing better to do, and enquired as to why she wasn't in attendance. Most were fobbed off with excuses, like she was just coming from the Doctors, or she was excused for family reasons, but it became a chore. Only the pleading look from Bobbie and the thought of dragging nappies and the rest of the paraphernalia around stopped her from regressing Bobbie to preschool age.

One persistent biddy, which saw her regularly going to the beach with Sara on school days, started getting annoying. No excuse was good enough for her, so Sara resorted to using the glasses, telling the woman, that no despite the evidence of her eyes, she couldn't see Bobbie at all, thus making her invisible to the woman for all practical reasons.

It must have worked, as she never acknowledged Bobbie ever again, even when Bobbie poked her tongue out at the woman the next time they passed.

Eventually the house sold and they had the money sent to their account in the states. The time had come to make a decision about Bobbie. Leanne had changed her mind about what she was going to do; instead, she gave Bobbie several choices, making it very clear that there was no way he was going to get his manhood back.

"I can change you into an adult woman, but you will have no identity and the only way you'll make a living is by using your body, plus we will erase your memories of us. You can if you want, have your male memories erased to make your new life easier to bear, or you can retain full knowledge of who you were, but not how you became female." Leanne explained.

The other option is to regress you to a baby, female of course, and make sure you'll be taken care of. You will grow up having an identity given you by the courts, so you can eventually get a good job. You have the same choice over the memories, to retain them or not. I was going to have them blocked away till you reached 20 years old, or the first time you had sex, when they would return, minus the how and why. These are the choices, you have till tomorrow to think about them and make your decision." Leanne finished.

Bobbie nodded, not happy, but resigned to accept one of the choices. She spoke slowly, weighing the results of her decision.

"I'll decide now. Looking back on my life, I can see I wasn't a particularly useful member of society. I didn't finish school, and I turned to crime to survive. I treated women abysmally, but found enough that would tolerate my abuses, that I never bothered to change. Since I've been with you as a little girl and seen the difference in the way that people treat me, I could do it, live as a female, I mean." Bobbie looked around at them for a moment before continuing. "I'd rather not be an adult and forced to sell my body to survive. If I have to be female, I'd rather grow into it, learning the skills I need to live normally. In addition, I'd like to have my memory blocked, so I grow up thinking I'm female until about 18 to 20 years old. That way I can learn the proper behaviour to continue living as a woman." Bobbie stopped then, and looked at Leanne, tears building in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you; I was an animal and deserved to be treated as one. Maybe I should have been left as a dog, it was a fitting punishment." The tears then fell, as Bobbie finished, sobbing quietly, showing the genuine remorse she felt.

Leanne wasn't made of stone, her heart melted. She went and hugged Bobbie and the last of the pain she had felt about her rape, washed away, as her tears joined Bobbies.

Sara promised it would be done and that Bobbie would get the best body available. Sara said she would make it so that when Robert's memories returned; they wouldn't cause her any conflict with her new life. As a bonus, if she were ever in a situation where she was in danger for her life, prior to her memory return, Robert's memories would return and allow her to deal with the situation, before fading away again.

It took a whole day to set things in motion. Pictures of female babies were sourced and selections made. Even the parents IQ became a factor, in increasing the odds of getting an intelligent infant. Bobbie joined in on the selection process, seeing it was to be her body for life. Once the final selection was made, the hard work began. Under hypnosis, the blocks were set. It was important to take every precaution to make it work as promised. Trusting in the alien device that had put Robert into his first trance, they worked ceaselessly to perfect the commands that would awaken Robert's old memories at the right time. The change into the infant was an anticlimax by comparison. She was such a beautiful baby; it seemed a crime to abandon her at the city hospital. They left the swaddled baby in her basket in the waiting room, with a note. "Her name is Bobbie, give her a good home."

Sara watched and waited till the low cry of Bobbie, attracted the busy nurses attention. Seeing no one close to the basket, and getting no response to several paging messages for the mother, the nurse called a doctor and Bobbie was taken away into the maternity ward.

"Goodbye Bobbie, I hope you have a wonderful new life." Whispered Sara, as she turned to leave, hurrying so the tears she shed wouldn't attract attention.

To be continued.

Carversion -10-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Ten

The flight home, went like clockwork. Everyone took up the same roles as before, with Leanne being the only exception. Using the same template they used on Bobbie, she became a baby, Glenda's child in fact, travelling on her mother's passport. Glenda was wearing the glasses and used them to convince any officials who asked, that they saw Leanne's name added in her passport.

Before they boarded the flight home, they watched a news broadcast on the television in the airport lounge, about the discovery of an abandoned baby at the main hospital. It showed a close up view of Bobbie's cute face and the presenter was asking for any information that might lead to the mother, as concerns for her, were being expressed.

Glenda had to use the power of the glasses as one passenger sitting next to her noticed the similarities between 'her' baby, and the one on the news.

Leanne may have been in a baby form, but her mind was still adult. She wasn't able to move much on her own due to the weak limbs she now possessed. She never made a mess in 'her' nappies as she warned Glenda in advance, before that happened. "Weee" and "poooo" made to sound baby like, were the prearranged code words for potty time. Glenda changed her, three times during the flight, allowing her to go without dirtying her disposables. Leanne had made sure her feed was going to be ordinary milk, unheated, and that her baby food was mostly of the pulped fruit sort. She may look like a baby, but she wasn't prepared to eat baby food, or drink formula.

Once they landed, it was time to reverse the process, to release the family stuck in limbo. Some preparations were in order though. They rebooked the family's rooms at the hotel they were destined to stay at, and arranged a new flight back home set a few weeks later. They also left several thousand dollars in their luggage as compensation for their trouble. Susan drove back to the alley on the bike, while Sara took the ordinary Volvo there with the luggage, then drove off leaving Daniel to finish. Once Susan/Daniel changed back to the Volvo, she got out and loaded the luggage. The family seemed fine and well despite being nowhere for 3 weeks. Margaret/Daniel dropped them off at the hotel and then left them there.

Sara was checking on the net for any Australian news updates on Bobbie. She was pleased to see that she had been placed into foster care with what seemed to be a nice family. Leanne was pleased and made sure she would check off and on for more news.

The Ellery's house did have a buyer who was just waiting on the banks to approve the loan, so preparations were made to vacate and move to the condo. The computer, the clothes personal items, and food were al packed up. All linen towels and the like, that the buyer didn't want, which included furniture, drapes or appliances, were destined to be sold at a garage sale, at the weekend, then anything left over from that would be offered to the good will people.

The Ellery's place was sold and all the unwanted stuff was either sold that weekend or given away. Obviously, something needed to be done with Ken, now that they had moved to the condo and settled in. If he came around and spotted his wanted suspects at Sara's home, he would hit the roof. Daniel had promptly returned to become Julie again, so Sara suggested that William pick a male form other than his own and be Julie's boyfriend. Sara was going to suggest that Kevin do the same with Leanne, but for some reason that didn't feel right. Leanne saw the wheels turning in Sara's head and told Sara that it would be better if Kevin were someone she had just met. It would account for her not having called Ken all this time.

Leanne took the glasses, just in case, and went back home to await the inevitable developments. She was there barely an hour before the first of Ken's operatives came calling. He'd probably have called 3 minutes after she had got home, but had waited to see if the others might arrive too. Being prepared, she'd first speed dialled Sara on her mobile phone and left it in her purse nearby, before opening the door. Sara listened in, while waiting down the block in her Trans Am with Kevin in a new body, he'd picked that morning.

"Hello, miss, I'm from the...(silence, presumably showing Leanne his badge) I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding your cousin Kevin."

"Okay, but I haven't seen him in weeks, is he in some kind of trouble?" Sara heard Leanne reply.

"We aren't sure at this stage, may I come in?" (More silence while Sara heard the door close) "We are looking for his friend Scott who was on his way to meet him here."

"Look I'm sorry, but I haven't seen Scott. Kevin and his friends went looking for him, several weeks back and I've not heard from any of them since. I'm getting worried; they said they would be back here before me. I was on a holiday up north and just got back." Sara heard Leanne explain.

"Okay, look if you do hear from them, give us a call. Here is my number, remember day or night, someone will answer."

Leanne casually put on the glasses then drawing an odd look from the agent. Looking at Leanne's eyes, he fell into a trance. Sara could hear Leanne asking him whether there was any hidden surveillance equipment in or around her home. She also questioned him whether there were orders to maintain a presence outside her home and whether she herself was to be followed. Getting first a negative for bugs and then a yes for the ongoing surveillance at her home and where she went, she then told him to forget the last few minutes.

A few minutes later, Sara heard Leanne pick up the phone and told her that he'd gone. Sara suggested that Leanne drive back to the condo, where they could await the agents next move. Sara knew Ken would be told and that he'd likely visit himself.

Sara then left, wanting to get home before Leanne arrived. The next few hours would be critical to their continued safety, and Sara wanted to be prepared.

The others were ready, when she arrived home. Julie and Bill, as William had been temporarily renamed, had their cover stories down pat as a couple, visiting Sara. Kevin was now a tall Japanese man in his twenties, courtesy of one of the settings on the bracelet. Because it was an alien generated form, he had documentation and the skills of a martial artist to go with it. When Sara got home, she found him outside stripped to his waist, doing some exercises.

"Wow! That's so cool, is that Thai Chi? I wish I could do that," Sara sighed wistfully.

"It's a mixture of Chen Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Do, with a bit of Chi Kung, thrown in. I could teach you, you know. It's strange, but it so easy for me that it seems to flow like water."

Sara walked up to Kevin, or Huang Chien Liang, as his new drivers licence proclaimed, and ran her fingers lightly over his very fit body. Kevin's new body wasn't overly muscular, but as he moved, no one would deny that it was a very powerful one. Sara needed to clear her mind, so she stood facing Kevin and started mimicking his deliberate movements, as he continued more slowly. The exercise was relaxing and she found herself concentrating on the movements and letting the distractions around her to fade into the background.

So it was a shock to suddenly be interrupted by loud voices as Ken and several of his men burst out from the house into the back lawn where she and Kevin were working out. Leanne was sitting with Julie and Bill watching the display on the lawn, and they were equally surprised by the manner of Ken's intrusion.

Sara stood still, waiting, as Ken approached her. That he was pissed was obvious, but Sara felt a sense of inner calm, as her every sense went to red alert.

"Who are these people, and who is this?" he stabbed, pointing at Huang. "Why is a suspected accomplice, of a group we are looking for, doing here?" He ranted, looking at Leanne.

"Shut up Ken." Sara said coldly, her calm voice managing to cut though the air like a knife. At Ken's look of surprise at her defiant words, she continued.

"First, you come barging in here like you owned the place, after I've already warned you about that before. Second, where's your warrant, this isn't a situation which allows you to ride roughshod over our right's. Third, I don't think that who my friends are, is any business of yours. Leanne is my friend, and as far as I know, hasn't done anything illegal and has every right to be here. Unless you can prove your allegations, I suggest you leave before she rings her lawyer."

Ken was angry that Sara, a girl that had never defied him before, was now embarrassing him before his men. His anger overrode his judgement as he grabbed at Sara roughly. Suddenly, Kevin, who had stood quietly by while the words were being exchanged, moved swiftly. Ken found himself on the ground with his wrist twisted into a lock that was most excruciating. He tried to use his own training to break the hold, but found it countered easily and the pain went up a notch as Kevin's hold threatened to break the joint in his elbow. The other agents tried to intervene to their cost. In movements that defied the eyes, Kevin flew into a complicated moment of aerial ballet, which had the two agents lying groaning beside Ken. Kevin stood back, after quickly divesting the three men of their weapons. Sara took out her phone and called the police, while Kevin used the agent's own cuffs to hold them.

They sat and waited while the agents cursed, not seeing the tape recorder that Julie had started when the agents had first burst in. Sara winked at her, glad that at least one aspect of her plan had been carried out. Once the police came, three very red faced agents were released, as they identified themselves. The police then turned to the others asking for their side of things. Luckily, there was no love lost between the police department and the CIA, and Sara was allowed to explain, despite calls for the lot of them to be arrested by Ken.

The officer in charge wasn't afraid of the bullying tactics and threats of the powers that be, crashing down on their heads. He'd been witness to several over enthusiastic operations by the CIA, where innocent lives had been endangered, and wasn't about to let them worm their way out of this one.

Once Julie had handed him the tape, and all statements had been given, he told Ken to get lost, before he hauled him in. Before Ken left, Sara told him not to darken her door again and that their relationship was over for good.

Ken left then, but a look on his face told her that this wasn't over. He'd been made to look a fool; three men overpowered by one slim oriental, and disabled by their own cuffs. Sara said to the officer that she thought Ken would come back, and that she would take extra precautions. He said that he couldn't spare anyone to watch the place, but he gave her a number to call the rapid response unit should she need them.

Sara made sure that the place was secure, locking windows and dead bolting the doors. Together with the others, she set up the equipment they had purchased that morning. The small video camera that was promised to work in near dark with the aid of an infrared source of light was installed to view the lounge. It was the most vulnerable part of the house with the large glass French sliders facing the veranda. A video feed was monitored in the main bedroom, where all were planned to sleep that night. A passive infrared detector was also hidden, the telltale indicator light being disabled so it wouldn't alert intruders. The detector was wired to sound a buzzer in the bedroom, which was just loud enough to alert those that would be awake on their shift. No one knew when Ken would be back, but Sara was betting that night while they were all still there, plus, he had to regain the respect of his agents before they talked to others.

Kevin had the difficult job of staying hidden near the lounge inside the emptied broom closet. He was going to use the martial arts to obtain a level of meditation that would allow him to remain silent for long hours, yet be ready to act when alerted by the phone in his pocket. The one on watch would text his phone, which was set to vibrate, alerting him, but no one else. He was dressed in black and hoped to disable Ken and the others, before they did anything serious. Sara was praying that weapons wouldn't be a factor, as Ken knew she didn't carry one in the house.

The officer called out to the Balboa address at Half Moon Bay surveyed the footage shown on the video that was captured by the hastily installed security camera. He and two others were trying to untangle what had happened here. A frantic call for help had them on the scene in 8 minutes, to find the place in a shambles. Three men had sexually assaulted several women, beaten them and had tied up several young men in the process. They had broken down the door in the midst of the assault and had arrested the three men who proclaimed to be the CIA's finest. 'Sure, like I believe that.' He thought disgustedly, as he viewed the tape.

"Hey sarge, what do I do with these guys?" A junior officer asked, indicating the three men dressed in black.

"Haul them away and bury them, for all I care," he answered. "Book em for rape and B and E, and don't let them go, I might have more charges yet," he added, as the men were led away.

Starting the tape at the beginning, he could see them setting up the angles to get the best coverage. He knew from the earlier report that the owner had mentioned taking extra security measures. He wished more people had the same sense, as this provided excellent evidence that made his job so much easier. The footage showed the lounge to be undisturbed as the hours passed. He fast-forwarded the tape set on long play, until a flicker showed some activity. He rewound it a way then set it on normal play.

The video showed the oriental guy walking into the kitchen, with an empty glass. Then while he was still there, presumably getting a drink, the scene changed. What the camera, showed, was the three agents coming through the French sliders. Using two suction devices used to hold glass sheets, they applied it to the outside of one of the doors. They then lifted the door out of the running track at the bottom and angled it inside the house. One of the agents slipped though the narrow gap and released the catch. They stood the door up again, setting it into the groove and slid the door open.

The leader, who the officer now knew was called Ken, made a quick circular motion with his hand. The two other agents started a quick reconnoitre on the ground level. They didn't use torches, just trusting to the faint moonlight that entered the half closed shades. One of the agents must have heard the guy in the kitchen make a noise, as he flattened himself by the doorway and took out a baton. As Kevin came out with a glass of juice, the agent swung the baton against his head, dropping him like a wet sack, as Kevin fell to the floor, the officer winced as a boot from the agent cruelly struck Kevin between the legs.

Then the footage showed them coming closer to the camera as they climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. They passed out of view for a moment, before returning dragging the half asleep women back down stairs. The other young man must have been subdued then, as they had found him bound in one of the bedrooms. The officer watched as the women were thrown around roughly. He cursed that there was no audio, although the body language was loud and clear.

Ken was questioning Sara the owner, often slapping her when her replies failed to satisfy him. The other two women were stripped naked and thrown to the ground. Unfortunately, they were both out of sight of the camera as the large couch was in the way. The officer watched, intently as the two subordinate agents unbuckled their pants and freed their cocks from their underwear. They dropped partially out of sight as they impaled themselves on the women. The thrusting movements of the men where clearly seen above the couch and a pair of feminine legs that were visible past the end of the couch of was seen jerking in sync, with one mans movements.

Next, the footage showed the officer and his men coming into the room and promptly taking action at the scene before them. The tight-lipped officer stopped the tape and ejected the video, before placing into an evidence bag. He stood up, and walked out of the closet where the tape machine had been running.

He came down stairs to see two of the raped women hugging each other, while an older woman was comforting them. The Asian lad was holding a cold compress to his head, as the officer walked up.

"I took the liberty of taking several vaginal swaps for evidence," the older woman explained, handing him two zip lock bags with a cotton swab in each and the names of the two girls marked outside.

"I'm Margaret, I phoned you after seeing these men acting suspiciously.

"Where's the other woman...Sara, I wanted to talk to her?" the officer asked, looking around.

"Bill, Julie's boyfriend took her to her doctor, seeing he was the only one unhurt. Once the girl's have calmed down, I'm going to take them there as well."

"You sure? I should have them taken to the hospital and get them checked over." The officer sounded rather doubtful.

"Look officer I'm their friend and they are traumatised enough without having strangers prodding and poking." Insisted Margaret, looking sternly at the officer.

"Okay, okay," the officer held his hands up in mock surrender to the forcefulness of the lady, who seemed to know what was what.

"Just have them send a statement when they are able, and I'll see them in court."

I don't think they will agree to that, do they really have to appear. Won't that tape in your hand be enough to lay charges?"

"Sure, but being CIA, they might not get jail time, without their presence." The officer sighed.

"Will they get suspended?"

"Most likely, busted down to records is my guess. It depends on their past record."

The officer left then, leaving Margaret to her charges. Once the cars had left, and silence reined again, the two stricken girl's burst out laughing.

"Oh boy, that was just too much," giggled Julie.

"Great acting guys," Margaret said, as she morphed back into Sara.

"What about me?" complained Kevin, as he reappeared from the broom closet in his own body. "Did you see my boneless slump to the floor, now that took skill."

"It's a pity they couldn't see the first tape we made," smiled Leanne, as she went to get cleaned up. "Yuck, I need to get cleaned up. I hate having sperm drying on my body."

"I'll join you, having a strange guy cum over you to simulate being raped, isn't my idea of fun," complained Julie, following Leanne to the shower.

"I'll get you some clean nighties," Sara offered, heading to the bedroom. She spotted a marble near the stairs and stooped to pick it up, thinking back to a few hours earlier.

The real video taken of the break in showed an entirely different scene, once the three had entered via the French doors. Sara was glad she had watched all of the "Home Alone" films. Having the forth step from the top of the stairs covered with marbles was a great idea, along with oiling the banister of the stairs at that point. When the three men entered and quickly confirmed that the lower rooms were empty, they started up the stairs. Kevin had been alerted and eased open the broom closet door, ready to leap into action.

William moved silently into position behind the corner at the top of the stairs where they joined the landing at right angles. Ken led the way first, knowing the exact layout of the house while the other two followed several steps further back. Sara waited, hardly breathing as Ken placed his foot on the marble strewn stair. She couldn't' help smile as Ken did his best impression of her favourite cartoon character Wiley Coyote (the scene where he steps off the cliff, then realises where he is and windmills his feet trying to step back). Marbles flew everywhere as his dancing feet kicked them towards the others following behind.

Ken tried to grasp the rail, to maintain his balance, as he started to fall, but slick with furniture oil, it offered little or no purchase. The clincher came when William, hearing the noise and soft curses, stepped out from behind the corner, and tossed his final weapon at Ken. Having a tied up plastic garbage bag filled with wet towels and several wet blankets totalling around 60 kilos tossed at you, was the last thing Ken saw before it hit him squarely in the chest. He went crashing down, knocking both men behind him from their feet. As they unceremoniously ended in a tangled heap at the bottom of the stairs, the boys both leapt into action.

William took the speedy way down the stairs, not risking a twisted ankle; he held onto the banister rail and slid down with his feet on the bottom rail. His practiced slide, took him rapidly down to the tangle of bodies, only releasing his grip, as he got closer so he could dog pile on top of Ken and the others. Kevin was close behind, reaching the agents and administering the correct hold to disable the men until the cuffs supplied by the agents were again put into use.

Sara remembered the way the glasses she used on the agents put them all into a hypnotic trance. Setting up the scene for the police was child's play after that. The agents never realised that their blows were not doing any damage, as Sara had programmed them to pull their blows at the last second, robbing them of any real impact. The rape scene was carefully prepared and having the men orgasm on command dripping their juices on the top women, added the evidence they needed, without any penetration.

Sara suffered the most, having her in full view while Ken slapped her around. Ken did pull his blows, but not being a practiced stuntman who does that for a living, he couldn't help making mistakes. Several of the blows made her nose bleed, and one gave her a bruise under the eye. She didn't mind too much, because later, the police office took several pictures as evidence.

The agents never knew that the second scene wasn't real, to them; they thought that it had gone down exactly as the video in the police showed. Sara grinned, thinking of the last commands she had given the agents. Once the hearing started, they would find themselves confessing, making up their own reasons for the attack. Of course, having William in Margaret's form calling the police was a tricky piece of timing, luckily coming off during the rape scene and not later when Sara was going to have the agents do other nasty looking things to the girl's while waiting for the police to eventually arrive.

Sara took the nighties into the steamy bathroom, where the two giggling girl's were washing each other. She checked herself in the mirror, wincing a little as she touched the bruise under her eye. The blood from her nose was washed clean and she then poked her head behind the shower curtain.

"Hey, leave me some hot water, I want a shower too, you know," she complained, jerking her head back laughing, as a gob of foam was flung at her face. "You missed," she cackled, dancing out of range.

The next second, Sara regretted her words, as two naked foamy bodies steamed out of the shower and grabbed her, dragging her into the shower still clothed in her nightie.

Sara's first yelp of surprise, coupled with the shock of the hot water, soon turned to laughter, as a soapy tickle fest ensued. A knock on the door and a call from the boys asking if everything was okay was greeted with laughter.

"Come in, if you're a girl," the girl's yelled happily, their invitation plainly obvious.

"Damn, I might take them up on that," Kevin said, looking at William standing next to him, as another squeal of laughter emanated from the bathroom.

"I'm in if you are," William agreed, already touching his bracelet. What followed is best left to the imagination, as five women attempted to determine whether the fun would outlast the hot water. Sadly the hot water lost, as five bodies tried to exit the now cramped shower all at once.'

"Remind me to get a better hot water system installed," laughed Sara, looking for a dry towel.

"And a bigger shower," offered Jennifer/Kevin.

"Nah, it is the right size," countered Jennifer-2/William.

"Ah, but you weren't the one getting your eyes poked out," Julie pointed out, looking accusingly at two sets of magnificent cleavage.

"Well if you got it, you may as well flaunt it," teased a Jennifer, with the other nodding in agreement.

"Oh grow up, you lot," Leanne said, not choosing her words carefully.

There was a second's silence, before everyone dissolved into laughter. Sara fell to the floor helplessly laughing, unable to stand. She sat and tried to control herself. She knew this was the best thing to happen to overcome the night's stress of the CIA situation. She gathered herself to stand, but needn't have bothered, as Julie held up the now empty shampoo bottle.

"Next time, we'd better get the economy size."

Sara collapsed again, managing to cling on to one of the Jennifer’s as her mirth threatened to leave her a giggling puddle on the floor.

Finally the laughter subsided, into giggles as the lack of dry towels sent most hunting for something to wear. The Jennifer that was still supporting Sara somewhat cupped her face and gave her a kiss.

"Kevin? Is that you in there?" she asked, feeling overwhelmed.

"Yup, Kevin in the flesh," h/she grinned. "You know, messing around like this certain has its good points," s/he added.

"Yeah, your points are very good," laughed Sara, teasing Kevin's prominent nipples with her fingers. "Let's go to bed."

"Now that's an order, I'll gladly obey," offered Jennifer/Kevin, winking at her.

To be continued.

Carversion -11-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eleven

Sara woke alone, although the sheets beside her were still warm from her companion of the night. She had found comfort in snuggling close to another body, knowing she wasn't alone. People need people; the human race was not designed to remain solitary figures in life. It didn't worry her that Kevin had been female when they first went to bed. A body was a body, something warm and tangible to cuddle up to. It gave her a feeling of security of not being alone, and helped drive away the thoughts of what could have happened the previous night, if things had gone another way.

The door opened and a body still clothed in the nightie of the previous night, backed through the door, holding a tray in her? No his hands. Sara giggled at the strange sight of Kevin cross-dressed in her lavender nightie.

"Any more of that, and I'll not serve you this magnificent breakfast I prepared." Kevin said haughtily, trying to keep a straight face.

"You look as good as that breakfast," Sara managed to say without breaking into more laughter.

Kevin grinned, knowing he made an odd sight, but he'd changed from female to male, when he found that Jennifer's breasts are sensitive to heat, when wearing only a flimsy nightie. Scorched nipples were not on the breakfast menu, so he'd returned to his male form, without bothering to change his attire.

He placed the tray with the plate of scrambled eggs on toast on Sara's lap as she sat up in bed, as he approached. He took the glass of OJ and placed it on the bedside table so it wouldn't spill.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked solicitously.

"Yeah, although I dreamt I was eating a huge warm marshmallow," she replied, remembering waking in the night with her head cushioned on someone's breasts.

"I think that was me," Kevin chuckled, looking down where his breasts had been filling out the nightie, not long ago.

"Pity they disappeared," Sara winked, giggling again.

"Eat your breakfast before things get hot," threatened Kevin, with an evil grin.

"Yes mother," Sara quipped, taking a bite of toast.

"Oh boy," was his only comment.

The rest of the day was spent making statements to the police and giving them blood samples so that DNA testing could confirm that the vaginal fluid mixed with the semen could be verified as being from the women. It probably would be checked for a possible pregnancy. Sara was worried that their might be some other differences in the body, seeing they were alien generated, but then remembered that some of the jobs they had held required blood tests. The aliens must have taken all that into consideration, when they started.

Sara did receive a phone call at home. It was from some big wig in government. Whether it was Ken's boss, she wasn't sure, but it had to do with Ken's activities concerning her. He opologised on Ken's behalf, saying the CIA doesn't normally concern themselves in domestic matters, as that's the FBI's role. He did confirm that the whole incident, which started it off, had concerned them, and that things had been blown out of proportion. Although they would like to find Scott and the others, it wasn't a high priority now, and that there was no concern that the situation would be taken any further.

When Sara asked if she or Leanne would be under surveillance, he reassured her that it had been called off, once they had been made aware of it. Apparently, Ken had issued that himself without authority. He did ask if she found out where the guys were, to contact him directly, if they were willing to forward any information. He did ask her not to testify against Ken and his men, saying the matter would be dealt with internally. He wanted to save the government the embarrassment of a public trial, which was all. He did add that monitory compensation would be forwarded to the injured party's for their silence, and for the patriotic welfare of the country.

Sara was pleased that this was the end of it; as far as they were concerned, let the police and the CIA duke it out. Only Kevin and William needed to be careful, as Daniel seemed content to remain in their borrowed bodies just like she was. She would suggest that they assume their alternate male bodies till the dust settled.

Decision was at hand, Sara's holiday was ending, and she had to decide what she was going to do. Now that their joint funds provided financial security for the moment from the sale of the two properties, they needed to decide as to who was going go back into the workforce.

"Oh my God!" Sara exclaimed suddenly, alerting the others, as an idea, which hadn't been considered, just struck her, one that had serious ramifications for them all.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked, as he ran to Sara's side. He could see that she was pale and seemed in a sort of daze.

Sara didn't speak for a minute still standing by the window, looking unseeingly at the view outside. Her gaze was turned inward toward a future scene pictured by her minds eye.

Kevin watched her eyes refocus, as his gentle reassuring touch, brought her back from whatever reverie she had seen.

"We need to plan our future very carefully," she started to explain. "We need to invest our money for the future," she added, taking Kevin's hands in hers.

"There's plenty of time for that, we have ages before we need to worry about that," he reminded her, savouring the soft skin of her hands.

"That's just it, we have plenty of time, maybe forever if we play our cards right." She confirmed.

"Huh?" Kevin grunted, not seeing her point.

"With these bodies, we don't need to age, when we get older; we could just reset the bracelets to the younger settings. Even Scott's body isn't aging if it remains in the non-space," she urged, not noticing how she had referred to Scott as separate from herself.

Kevin thought about living life then resetting the body time back again. Suddenly he saw what she was getting at. They would need money to live on, and invest money in long-term accounts to keep providing for them over the years. Maybe they would need to generate new records to keep up with their ageless bodies.

As Sara explained to the rest, Leanne shook her head.

"Not me, I don't want to keep resetting the clock. I want to find someone to grow old with. I'll be satisfied with that," she finished.

Sara could understand her reasoning, but wondered if on her deathbed, she may change her mind. If so, Sara would give her the choice, if she managed to reach her in time and was able to do so. She was sure Kevin was of the same mind too, and wouldn't want his cousin to die when he had the power to prevent it.

Sara decided to keep working at her current job until something better came along. Julie made the suggestion to become a magic act along with William, using the bracelets to work the most impossible transformation of all time. Sara was hesitant at first thinking of the risks, but told her to work out some details before making any concrete plans. Kevin wasn't sure whether he could make more money as an exotic dancer (stripper) in Jennifer's body or as a bodyguard in Huang Chien Liang's form. The (alien) Huang had worked as a bodyguard before and had several references that could get him a high paying job with either movie stars or other wealthy people in need of protection.

"Maybe you could do both," kidded Sara. "Work as a bodyguard during the day and as 'Jennifer Jugs' the stripper at night."

"Hmmm, now that's a good idea," Kevin half considered, grinning at Sara's surprised look. "Hey I was kidding." He laughed, as Sara stalked off. 'Wonder what set her off,' he thought, realising that she hadn't expected him to give that reply.

Sara couldn't explain why she felt hurt, that Kevin might consider working as a female. Unconscious of whether it was her growing attraction for Kevin in his various male forms, or, jealousy that Jennifer/Kevin would be more attractive than her, it felt wrong somehow. She shrugged; this was getting beyond any normal way of life, with the constant body changes. Somewhere inside, she wanted Kevin to be her rock, the one stable person she could turn to when she felt doubts creeping in. She had been semi in charge since the beginning and the stress was beginning to show. All she wanted was a chance to enjoy this new life and have a stable relationship with-a man?

She realised as she thought that, how her values had flipped. No longer did the female form hold the primary sexual attraction as it once did. She loved being female and being the object of desire. She still liked the female/female play, but the female/male play held more interest now. Poor Scott would never again see the light of day if she had her way, unless it was someone else animating that form.

Kevin came up behind her, where she was gazing out at the ocean. The endless restless ocean, as it churned at the beach, relaxed her like no other sound.

"You okay?" he murmured quietly into her ear, as he stood behind her and cradled her in his arms.

She leaned back, relaxing into his comforting grip, as his words breathed into her ear tickled, as his lips disturbed her hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I just needed a minute to think. Do you suppose we should be doing this? I mean with the car and the bracelets. What if the aliens come back? If we are going to live as long as it's possible, we could see them return eventually." She whispered back.

Kevin was silent, thinking about her words. He held her, enjoying the feel of her slim body against his, while he thought about the possibility of the aliens return.

"Who knows, at this minute, I wouldn't swap this moment for anything," he breathed, gently turning her around to face him, and kissing her gently on the lips.

He drew back so he could look at her eyes wondering if he could see anything left of his friend Scott. Her unwavering gaze drank him in, and in that second his heart told him all he needed to know. Whether Scott was still looking out of that beautiful face or not, it didn't matter, the soul he saw bared there asking him the question, was that of the person he loved. Names didn't matter, even bodies, for that matter. The question he saw mirrored in her eyes was answered by his own in the communication that doesn't need words. He felt his heart leapt in his chest, as he recognised that his search was over. His soul mate, his lover was here in his arms

Sara felt Kevin turn her around, she looked up just as Kevin kissed her on the lips firmly, she responded, waiting for his searching tongue, but he held off, as if unsure, then drew back and looked searchingly into her ardent gaze. It seemed as if lighting bolts struck her soul as the curtains fell from her eyes. Their gazes locked for innumerable eons and she felt giddy and weak kneed as new emotions flooded her body. What a blind fool she'd been, not seeing what was really in front of her. She had loved Kevin as a friend for years, suddenly that love had changed bit by bit as she became acclimatised to being female. The impact of the realisation of that love staggered her. She loved Kevin. It was that simple. She smiled, sensing that Kevin had already realised that and felt the same.

"You too?" She started, seeing him nod instantly. Moments later they were oblivious, locked in an embrace that a wrecking ball couldn't separate. Tongues locked together as they confirmed their love with a kiss, and neither heard nor saw the others open the slider to the balcony,

Leanne smiled, knowing in her heart that the pair outside had finally found each other; she didn't even need to coax Julie or William away to leave the lovers some space and time. Leanne caught the look Julie sent William and her heart filled with joy. Her cousin’s friends had found love, and if the way the pair of them were walking to the bedroom was any indicator, they were going to show each other the depth of that love. Leanne shed a tear, thinking she was the last of the group to find their match. Knowing she wasn't needed here for a while, she went out to her car. Seeing the joy her friends felt, she decided not to wait a hope some nice guy would come into her life. No, she was going on the prowl. Her mind made up, she headed to a bar she used to visit. She remembered the looks Lewis the bartender used throw her way. He was young and cute; she hoped he didn't have a girlfriend.

"Hmmm, if those aliens ever come back, I think I'll thank them for giving me you." Kevin murmured into Sara's ear, as they sat together, watching the ebb and flow of the ocean.

"Do you think they will come back and if so will they know we have their property?" Asked Sara curiously, shifting slightly on Kevin's lap.

"Probably, they have made a considerable investment in time here, observing us and guiding us. It depends on what sort of crisis called them away. As for knowing we have their toys, probably. These changes might give off some kind of energy signature that we are unaware of, especially accessing that non-space universe or whatever it is. Somehow, I don't we need worry about them as a threat, as long as we are careful not to let this technology fall into the wrong hands or abuse it."

A cloud passed across the sun, and the sudden drop of warmth on her skin made her shiver involuntarily, she snuggled against Kevin's body trying to get warm. Kevin, burdened with Sara on his lap, struggled to stand. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her giggling body inside. He tried to dump her on the couch, while he went to the drinks cabinet, but Sara wouldn't release her grip from around his neck, so he stood and carried her there, trying to manage with only one hand. Sara offered the use of one of hers, holding the glass while he poured. He then carried her back to the couch, where they shared the glass of whisky between them.

Sara was feeling a nice buzz, when she reluctantly scrambled off to make potty run. Washing her hands, she looked in the mirror trying to see if she looked any different. Apart from a slight alcohol induced flush, she didn't see the message, "I'm in love," printed on her brow. It sort of disappointed her for some inane reason. She wanted the world to know, to share in her happiness. She hummed a popular tune, as she made her way back to Kevin.

A slight rumble from somewhere south of her belly button had her detour through the kitchen.

"Kevin? You hungry?" She called, opening the fridge.

"If he isn't, we are," a pair of voices chorused, making her jump.

Sara smiled at the sight of two slightly unkempt lovers standing arm in arm by the door. The undone buttons and smeared lipstick, told their own story, one that Sara rejoiced in. "I'm in love," she mouthed silently to Julie, who just grinned and nodded, and mouthed back with a wink, "me too."

Julie prised herself loose from William and came over to help Sara, who handed her two beers.

"Here, take one to Kevin, while I help Sara get lunch ready," Julie said, placing the cold cans of beer in William's hand. William got the message, "I want to talk with Sara," loud and clear, and left without a grumble.

Chicken sandwiches were made at half the normal speed as the two girls interrupted their lunch making, with hugs, as they talked of their sudden discovery of love.

"When we saw you two locked in that embrace, things gelled for us," Julie explained. "We knew as we looked at each other, that we were meant to be together."

"Isn't it wonderful?" Sara smiled, giving Julie yet another hug.

The smile Julie gave her was answer enough, as they finished putting lunch together and made their way back to the boys. The rest of the day was used to plan some way of making their future financially stable. William still liked the magic act idea, having Julie and he literally change into each in ways that defied belief, but knew that without having anything else to go with it the act, it was doomed to failure.

"What about contacting one of the best illusionists and being part of his act, that way you only need to do the one act? He could promote it as part of his act and you can share in the profits," suggested Kevin.

"You mean like David Copperfield?" Julie asked, getting enthused.

"Yes, but the hard thing is convincing him you have an act. You would have to prove that you can do it, and do it anywhere and in any situation. It may even mean doing it in front of him, without any props," Sara warned. "Although," she reconsidered, "If we used the glasses that might not be a problem. In fact, we could convince him, it was all part of his act, except that he could only do it with you."

That night, in bed with Kevin, Sara made love. It wasn't the hasty, try out the sex thing, which had been their first motivation after their first sex changing transformation. This was the leisurely build up of mutual pleasure that two people in love can achieve. After round one, and while Sara was still sitting on Kevin's softening member, she teased him, saying she bet he missed Jennifer's larger endowments. Despite Kevin's earnest denial's she continued to bet that he thought sex would be better if she looked like Jennifer. Giving him a squeeze with her thighs, she touched the bracelet to test her theory.

The instant, she transformed into Jennifer, the feeling of being filled vanished, as in place of Kevin beneath her, lay a twin Jennifer. Both gasped in surprise, as Kevin hadn't touched his bracelet, having had his hands occupied in cupping her breasts. Kevin quickly reset his form back using the bracelet, sighing in relief that it was reversible. Unfortunately, Sara grew heavier as she transformed into Kevin also. They separated quickly, knowing unconsciously that while two females in close contact didn't automatically mean they were gay, but that couldn't be said the same for two males.

"What happened?" asked Sara in her temporary male voice, as she fiddled with her bracelet.

"I don't know, unless it was triggered by your change to Jennifer," offered Kevin, relieved to see his twin revert to Sara again.

Sara reached out to Kevin to see if the twinning effect was still active. Nothing, they embraced, falling back into bed while Sara went over every possibility.

"I think there's only one possibility," she stated, quite sure of herself.

"Oh?" Kevin enquired lethargically, happy to let Sara come up with a solution.

"Yes you pinhead," she mocked, knowing why Kevin's brain wasn't fully operational. "I know the blood still hasn't returned to your brain," she giggled, grasping his tumescent member in her hand. "But you do need to pay attention."

"But I am at attention," he quipped, deliberately twisting her words, as he twitched against her silky grasp.

"MEN!" She snorted, the capitalisation in her tone being obvious. "When I changed into Jennifer, I was in contact with you, flesh on flesh as it were."

"Flesh in flesh, more like," Kevin sniggered, interrupting.

"Quiet, bone head," Sara commanded, waggling his bone like a pointer. "As I was saying before I was crudely interrupted," she grinned, emphasising her point with the one in her hand. "As it changed me, those changes affected you, making you also into Jennifer."

"Are you sure?" Kevin groaned, feeling almost ready to erupt under Sara's guiding hand.

"Pretty much, I wasn't sure at first, but when I turned into you, I noticed I had a scratch in the same place you have. We had copied each other's bodies exactly. The other thing I'm sure of is we just need to touch another to do the change. The second time we had just skin contact."

"Oh boy,"

"Exactly, all we need to do is hold someone's hand and change and it will drag them into a similar change." Sara finished.

"I wonder if it would work in reverse," Mused Kevin, thinking of the possibilities.

To be continued.

Carversion -12-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, after breakfast, Sara asked everyone to hold hands for a moment. Kevin guessed what was going to happen as he grasped Sara with one hand and Julie with the other, leaving William to hold on Julie's other hand. Once everyone was connected, Sara triggered her bracelet, using her free hand to activate the change. Immediately, instead of four individuals, there stood four identical Jennifer's dressed identically. Letting go her hold on Jennifer/Kevin while he/she released Julie/Jennifer, she started to tell the two stunned friends what they had discovered. After several experiments of their own, William and Julie returned to their chosen forms. Sara and Kevin had done so already, and were watching the others discover their newfound ability.

"There's a possibility that it maybe used in reverse," offered Sara, as she mentioned Kevin's theory.

"Oh?" came from the others as they paused in their testing.

"We may be able to copy others by the same method, we just need to find out if its possible," she continued.

Once the implications sank in, there was enthusiastic support, and a mass fiddling with bracelets began.

"Hold it," Sara shouted, trying to make herself heard over the babble of excited voices. Their attention caught, she continued. "We need to do this methodically, not just willy nilly," she paused, smiling as she looked at William in particular. "First we need a volunteer. Either William or Kevin goes back their original bodies and removes the bracelet to act as our normal person on the street."

"Why can't...um forget I said anything," mumbled William, as he was about to ask why the girl's were excluded. The raised eyebrows from the girl's, was enough of an indicator to prevent him putting his locomotive appendage into his facial digestive orifice. Seeing he had spoken, he was volunteered by unanimous vote.

They took till well after lunchtime to come up with the solution after trying different ways and means. Julie had her bracelet visible when she activated the camera function. Her wrist was resting on Williams, when he flinched.

"Ouch, you scratched me," he said, looking at a tiny drop of blood on his arm.

The significance of that statement sunk in quickly, knowing that there were no sharp edges to the bracelet. On closer examination, a tiny puncture wound showed where the bracelet had, "sampled" Williams blood. It took a few more minutes to find that the bracelet had altered somewhat. Where one depression had been the setting for Jennifers form, it now had divided into two. Repeating the sequence, this time with Kevin as the victim, once the blood sample had been taken, another setting was shown to be divided.

"Looks like we can store as many blood samples as there are settings," Sara commented. By pressing the newly divided setting, Julie became first William then Kevin, before returning to her Julie body.

"Judging by the way both your stomachs felt, you're as hungry as I am." Julie smiled. "Let's eat."

They promptly charged to the kitchen, and scrambled for food like a starving horde, albeit a horde of just four. Hunger assuaged for the moment, they sat outside watching the ocean as discussions about their future continued.

"Do you really have to start work on Monday?" William asked of Sara.

"Well, I have used up my holiday leave, but I guess I could call in sick, or there is some special leave I could take...why?" Sara replied.

"Despite your worry's about work, I think we should investigate the places of the remaining alien/human bodies. If there is anything of value or of alien origin, the longer we leave it, the more likely it will be discovered and removed." William said, making a good point.

"Okay then," as Sara saw all, were in agreement. "I'll take my special leave entitlement and we can go search. If we split up into pairs, seeing they are widely separated, we can get it done quicker. Don't forget to change into the correct age so all the relevant memories can assist you." At Julie's sour look, Sara laughed. "Sorry Julie that might mean giving up that body for a short time. At least William can take on the male forms, while you take the female."

It was decided that William and Julie take the Ellery's Volvo and head south, while Sara and Kevin take the Trans Am and head east. William had three places to visit, leaving the others for Sara. The glasses were staying with Sara, seeing their journey was longer and therefore could be more dangerous. Once things had been decided, things then moved rapidly. Cars were filled with the immediate essentials, before Sara and Julie made tearful goodbyes.

Williams first stop was Los Angeles where Huang Chien Liang had been living, while drove the Trans Am out through Frisco's traffic congestion, and out towards Reno. Sara noticed a walkie-talkie like radio resting on the top of the dashboard. Picking it up and examining it, she asked her question with a look and a raised eyebrow to Kevin.

"It's a scanner, I picked it up before I left home. A friend I know gets them before they're modified, so it covers the whole radio spectrum."

"Modified?" Sara asked, knowing she was in for it now.

The US bans scanning receivers that cover the whole bandwidth. Most have certain frequency bands blocked. With this one, we can receive low wave to UHF frequencies. Seeing we will probably be exceeding the speed limit, I thought it would be nice to know when and where the police are, so we can avoid any problems."

"Excuse me Miss, did you know you were travelling in excess of 200 mph?" Laughed Sara, attempting to sound like a highway patrolman.

"Sheesh, must be a real effeminate patrolman to sound like that," offered Kevin. "Why the Miss?"

"Well its a universal fact that all patrolman's brains can be turned to mush at the sight of a sexy blonde," Sara giggled. "If you're pulled up for speeding, you'd better be prepared to show some cleavage."

"Maybe we could outrun them," he retorted, smugly.

"I don't think even this car can reach 186,000 miles a second," Sara pointed out, holding up the scanner and waggling in front of him.

"We could..."

"Yes, but I don't want to limit ourselves by having the Trans Am on everyone's wanted list," Sara interrupted, forestalling Kevin's likely suggestion of morphing the car to avoid capture.

Things settled down as they finally hit the open road, after passing though Sacramento heading for Reno. After a lunch stop at Reno, they headed northeast towards Salt Lake City. Kevin opened the car up on the road passing though the great basin of Nevada. Sara smiled, knowing this was his first time to test the car out. Having already experienced it herself, she knew that ever-present danger of crashing out of control would soon curb his impulse to race.

Sara took over the driving at Lovelock, while Kevin tried to nap. She kept the speed just over the limit and was soon eating the miles up. She was alerted to some police activity near Salt Lake City, as the scanner began picking up calls. She slowed, not sure what was going on, but deciding to play it safe. It wasn't such a surprise, when a she came across a police roadblock. Sara nudged Kevin awake, who, on being quickly filled in, turned off the scanner and placed it under the seat.

Sara slowed as she navigated through the road cones set up to divert the traffic. She noted the cars leaving Salt Lake City, were being searched thoroughly, but the cars being towards Salt Lake City were only held up while an officer spoke to the driver, before being allowed to proceed. Sara wound down her window, as she approached the officer.

"Hello maam, we have an escaped prisoner on the loose. I advise you not to stop until you hit town and don't pick up any hitch hikers."

"What should we be looking out for, just in case?" asked Sara, feigning concern.

"Well, you know it's unsafe to pick up any hitchhiker, male or female," the officer replied, seeming to be uncomfortable about answering her question.

Puzzled, but not willing to press for more, Sara just nodded and drove on.

"That was odd," commented Kevin, as he looked backwards at the police. "They usually ask for anyone to keep an eye out and will give detailed descriptions."

"Yeah," agreed Sara, continuing to drive on. Ten miles on, the road twisted and turned, and Sara watched the car ahead of her suddenly brake and veer to the other side of the road. It slowed then sped up, leaving a huddled form lying on the road. Sara slowed to a crawl as she approached the figure. It seemed she must have dashed out from behind the boulders at the side of the road to flag down the oncoming car, and been hit.

Why are you stopping?" Kevin voiced his concerns. "This could be the escaped prisoner," he added, worriedly.

"She's been hit, prisoner or not, I'm going to help." Sara insisted, as she stopped by the prone figure.

"Looks like her wig fell off, if it is a her," Kevin warned, getting out to assist Sara.

When Sara examined the young lady, it was plain to see she was a he. There was some blood from a cut on his head, but seemed relatively intact. A rip in the dress, attested to the fact that he'd have a painful bruise from where the car had given him a glancing blow. His disguise would have worked better had his makeup not been messed up.

Sara started to lift him in an attempt to get him into the car.

"Sara? Your not thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I'm not handing him over to the police, at least not yet. Sheesh he must be only 16 years old, look at his face."

Kevin saw a face made androgynous, by makeup, even smeared as it was. The slender body didn't seem to fit into the normal criminal profile, and seemed too innocent to have caused the police to take such drastic measures.

Between the two of them, they got the youth in the car before anyone arrived on the scene. Kevin took over the driving as Margaret, after having changed the car into Volvo mode, seeing they needed the extra room. Sara checked on their passenger that was lying across the back seat. A low moan and a face grimacing in a rictus of pain convinced her that he might have internal injuries. Holding his wrist, she touched her bracelet, and took a blood sample of the youth, to save his form in one of the bracelets settings. She then touched yet another more familiar setting, which immediately changed both her and the youth, into copies of Julie. Releasing his wrist, she quickly returned to her Sara body, leaving him in Julie's body form. At once, her moans ceased, seeing that the injuries he had were now gone along with his old body.

Kevin, now back in his body, after using his own bracelet to change from the car generated Margaret form, looked at Sara and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I had to do something, and seeing how he was dressed, a female form seemed appropriate." Sara offered, defending her decision.

"I didn't say anything," protested Kevin. "But wont this complicate things once she wakes up?"

"What's one more complication in this crazy life we have," shrugged Sara noncommittally.

A stirring in the back, heralded the return to consciousness, of their extra passenger. A "what happened? Where am I?" was next.

Sara turned, to see a confused Julie checking herself out. Catching Julie's attention, the girl gazed mesmerised into Sara's just donned sunglasses.

"You are Julie, a female, riding with us. You will sit quietly and do what we say, understood?" Sara commanded, seeing Julie had gone into a trance.

"Yes," the newly minted Julie replied.

They drove on until they reached Salt Lake City. Consulting a tourist information centre, they found the Colonial Village motel at 1530 S Main Street. It was just far enough away from the city centre to allow some peace and quiet. They paid for a room for one night, then, they drove around to the unit, and parked outside. As it was late, getting 'Julie' inside with her torn clothing without attracting attention was easy.

They prepared dinner from the supplies they had picked up on the way, mainly a cooked chicken in its foil bag and some fresh bread rolls. Making a quick salad to go with it, the three of them settled down to eat. Sara and Kevin watched Julie as she ate, both wondering what she was thinking. Once their hunger had been satisfied, Sara used the glasses to question Julie, or Kim Ashton, as they found out after questioning.

Kim had been making his way to his uncles after losing his parents in accident where they died in a fire in their trailer. Not having much money, or possessions after losing everything in the fire, he set out to hitch hike. One of the neighbours had given him some clothes in sympathy, before he had announced his intentions to seek out his uncle.

"The trouble was, she only had teenage daughters, so she gave me some pants and a tee shirt that had once belonged to them, but had grown out of. Pity, I couldn't ask for some dresses," Kim sighed.

"You like wearing dresses?" Asked Sara, incredulously, not believing her luck.

"Yes, from when I could fit my mom's. We didn't have much money, so I wore her clothes to supplement the few I had of my own." Kim replied, the trance robbing him of any embarrassment from the confession.

"Do you dress for necessity, or because you like too?" asked Sara, persisting in her question to find the truth.

"Well it used to be only while I was at home to save my other clothes, but I grew to love the feel of them, and wished I could wear them all the time." Kim said, as s/he narrated her story.

He had been wearing the girl's clothes, when she was picked up just outside Salt Lake City, by the sheriff. He tried to charge her for vagrancy, despite his protests that he had money to pay his way. The sheriff, being alert, had picked up on the fact that the clothing he was wearing belonged to that of a female.

Sara and Kevin listened amazed, as Kim's story unfolded. How the sheriff took him to his place instead of to the precinct, where he forced him to don the clothes she had on, saying he knew what kind of person he was. The sheriff had him wear a wig and put on makeup. Part of him was delighted to be fully en-femme, but part knew there was something very wrong with the situation.

Once dressed in presumably his wife's clothes, the sheriff undid his pants and indicated that Kim perform according to the gender he was portraying. Kim didn't know what to do, but was sure that giving the sheriff a blowjob wouldn't end there. Kim knelt, as if submitting forcing himself to take the tip of the engorged organ in his mouth, but instead of sucking as expected, he bit down as hard as he could. The sheriff screamed, pushing Kim back, as blood streamed from the injured organ.

Kim scrambled away, spitting the coppery tang from his mouth, as the sheriff continued bellowing. Kim ran for his life, before the sheriff decided to further action against him. He ran losing the heels he had been wearing, as he rushed outside and fled down the street. He took to hiding, as sirens heralded the arrival of first an ambulance, then more police units. Kim had managed to avoid capture as he fled the city and made his way back towards where he had come from.

"No wonder they wanted him captured," sighed Sara, sad that there were people like that out there. "I bet the sheriff wanted this covered up before it became public knowledge. What's the bet he gave orders to shoot on sight, so Kim couldn't talk."

"Yeah, he wouldn't want it to be known what he was up to," Kevin agreed. "He probably cooked up some trumped up charge to ensure his kink wouldn't be uncovered."

They both looked at Kim, thinking life on the run was a poor start for the tragedy stricken boy. Sara looked at Kevin seeing his thoughts echo hers. She brought Kim out of his trance, and allowed him to see himself as she was now. Kim's surprise was tempered with shock, as he realised he was now a she.

Kim's myriad questions were brushed aside, as Sara interrupted her.

"Kim, how you became female is not important. What is important is that at the moment, you are safe from the police and if you want to return to being male again, then that can be accomplished. One thing, your original body has injuries, possibly internal. I don't know how serious, but if we do return you to it, you'll need to be near a hospital to be taken in for treatment."

"We can provide another body for you, if you don't like this one,' offered Kevin, as Kim went to look at herself in the bedroom mirror.

Sara gave Kim one of her nightgowns to sleep in and hustled her off to bed, saying they'd talk more in the morning. Sleep took a while in coming for Sara, as she cuddled up to Kevin's warm body, when it did her dreams were a strange mix of police sirens mixed with scenes from an old TV series, the fugitive.

The next morning, Kim was awake early and enjoyed her first shower as a female. When Sara got up and started breakfast, Kim entered and gushed.

"This is amazing, are you some sort of aliens, or am I just dreaming this?" Kim asked, as she posed and looked over her new body critically

"No we aren't aliens, let's just say we are using technology the world has never seen before," Sara answered, trying not to be too forthcoming.

"I can hardly believe this. I love the feel of this body, somehow being female seems so right," Kim said with a huge grin on her face. "I won't even ask how you did it. I only want to thank you for the experience, for as long as I'm allowed to stay in this body."

Sara was pleased that not only was Kim happy to be female, but it seemed that she wasn't going to ask any awkward questions.

"Where's your uncle living at the moment?" Kevin asked, wondering how much of a detour they'd need to make sure Kim arrived safely at her uncles.

"Oh he lives in Kansas City, but if you are only going to Denver or Topeka, that's fine. I still have a thumb that works, even if it is a little smaller, anyway, I could hitch my skirt to get a ride," she giggled, demonstrating that very same.

"I think we'd better change her back," Kevin laughed, having got up and joined them. "It may save many male drivers lives; I can just see them running into telegraph poles or into oncoming traffic if we let her loose on the road." He added grinning, seeing Kim pout at the suggestion.

"We can take you to your uncles. We have to stop there anyway for a while on our way through." Sara said, thinking Kim was really getting into acting like a girl.

What's your uncles name and whereabouts in Kansas City does he live?" Sara asked.

"Steven Kennedy is his name he lives in Gladstone, just north of the city."

"Not 26 north Cleveland road by any chance?" asked Sara, going slightly ashen.

"Why yes, do you know my uncle?" Kim asked brightly.

Sara didn't answer, her thoughts churned in a maelstrom of shock and confusion. How could she say "yes we know your uncle the alien, we are just going to impersonate him so we can sell his property. Just who was Kim? Was she an alien too, or was she some progeny produced from them whilst they were in human form?

Before she could gather her thought, her cell phone burbled.

"Hello, oh hi William," Sara answered.

"What happened?"

"Is she okay?"

"Call me okay?"

Sara ended the called, putting the phone away. Kevin looked at her, seeing her pensive look, as Sara chewed her bottom lip.

"What happened? Is there a problem?"

"Yup."

To be continued.

Carversion -13-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirteen

Leaving the others seemed scary at first, not having the backup of the car or the glasses, not to mention Sara's keen insight on overcoming difficult situations. William was thinking how different Scott had become since becoming Sara. She had blossomed, and seemed to be a take-charge person now, unlike the layback person she'd been as Scott. He knew she was only a phone call away, but having thousands of miles between them, made the point moot, they would have to solve their own problems, if push came to shove.

They drove through the outskirts of San Francisco heading south before driving the Volvo onto the highway leading towards Los Angeles; they took their time, knowing that the others had many weeks before they would be back. They spent some time in Reno and visited Bakersfield, before William changed into Huang Chien Liang in readiness to checkout his property in Los Angeles.

They drove through the centre of the city heading southeast towards Boyle Heights. They managed to get off the freeway and drove past the Evergreen playground heading for Wellington heights. They slowed as they approached their destination, stopping outside 34 Gleason Street that overlooked the nearby Obregan Park.

Everything looked quiet from the road, not that much of the house could be seen through the trees and shrubbery surrounding it. William swiped his security card that was included inside his, or rather Huang's wallet, allowing the main gate to open. Driving through, William saw the gates closing after them, probably from a buried induction sensor under the driveway. The card also keyed the house and William quickly disabled the alarm system inside using the memories supplied with Huang's body.

After a hasty reconnoitre, to establish that they were alone, they began a more thorough search. Strangely, the place was immaculate, showing no signs of hasty departure. The two-storied place was fully furnished with contemporary furniture. A swimming pool was visible from the back windows, along with an entertaining area with seats and table by a gas-powered barbecue. Checking the fridge brought the first shock. The milk was fresh. According to the date, it must have been put there in the last day or two. There was cold meat, that when Julie smelt it, indicated it wasn't old. Considering the weeks since the aliens had left, if this place had been abandoned, why wasn't the food stale and fit only to throw away.

"Maybe he had a cleaning service or a person who kept the place stocked up." Julie offered, hoping this was the correct answer. "Are there any memories available in that body that might help?"

"No, at least nothing that helps, remember, it’s mostly names and skills, not actual thoughts, which carry over. You could be right about the maid, either that, or he never left with the others," William mentioned nervously, looking around.

"See if there's a computer, I'll check in the garage," suggested Julie.

The pair split up, Julie headed towards the built in garage at the front, while William headed upstairs. Julie came across a battered looking motorbike of questionable heritage, but saw no signs of a car, which disappointed her. In fact, the garage was full of a home gym and looked like there had never been a car there. Obviously Huang was interested in keeping fit, and with his martial arts skills, this seemed appropriate. 'Maybe he ran everywhere,' she thought, dismissing the eyesore of a bike as a practical mode of transport. She heard William call, so she left and went back to see what William had found.

"Hey! Jules," William said, calling her by the nickname he had started using. "This computer hasn't even been wiped, and seems to have had a message left for us."

"For us?" A suddenly frightened Julie asked, feeling a shiver run down her spine.

"Well, not for us exactly, but for whoever eventually opened the computer." William elaborated, making Julie feel a tiny bit better.

"But I'm concerned that the time of the entry, post dates the date when they were supposed to have left."

The chills came back, as Julie thought about what that meant, there were still aliens on earth, possibly watching them now invading their homes. Julie's first thought was to leave immediately.

"What did the message say?" She finally asked.

"Here, read it yourself," William said, allowing her see the screen.

The Unipodstor is available for use. Make full use of it, to seek out that, which will determine your future.

Julie stared at the words sitting on the screen. It didn't seem particularly directed at them; she even considered that it was just a message for another alien, maybe the Unipodstor was their name for a space ship.

"What makes you think it was for us and not a message for another alien?"

"This," William answered, scrolling up the screen.

Julie read the words outlined there. 'To those reading this, we leave you our gifts, use them wisely.'

"Wow! Exclaimed Julie. "That is pretty explicit. I wonder what else we will find here. Is there anything else on the computer?"

"No, it's like there has been nothing put on the laptop, other than the latest regular programs. It shows no signs of being used at all unless it was cleaned thoroughly. I checked the install dates on the programs and they have all been loaded within the last two weeks. That's the weirdest part."

"Maybe someone formatted the drive and reloaded everything."

"Yeah, but that still leaves us with a someone." William added.

"I'm scared," Julie said, snuggling closer to William in search of reassurance.

William put his arms around Julie, holding her close. He liked being the protector around Julie, it gave his life meaning, and she was so huggable as well. He kissed her hair, before pushing her back a little in his arms, so he could see her face.

"I trust Sara and her instincts. She's been on the money so far, and if she thinks the aliens aren't out to do us harm, then that's how I'm going to deal with it. I won't be running around, looking over my shoulder thinking the aliens are going to get me. That's no way to live. Let's play it as we go and trust in Sara." He comforted her, before kissing her luscious rose bud mouth.

Tummy demons interrupted their intimate moment, reminding them with a growl that they hadn't eaten in hours.

"I'll go get some 'real' fresh food, while you continue the search," William suggested, reluctantly pulling out of their mutual embrace.

"But, but I'll be here alone," protested Julie weakly, feeling strangely vulnerable.

"I'm just going to be ten minutes, twenty at the most, You're a big girl now, you'll be fine," promised William, as he pecked her on the cheek, before heading outside.

Julie watched him drive out from one of the windows overlooking the driveway. Trying to curb the feeling of loss, as her lover departed, she tried to put her mind on other things, as she continued the search.

William seemed to be taking longer than twenty minutes, as she checked her watch. Her search had netted a selection of sunglasses in a male style, but wasn't sure if any had the same powers as the pair found in Australia, maybe Huang just wearing lots of different glasses. They may only work with a male anyway. She put them aside and waited for William.

An hour had passed and Julie was fretting. This was one of the drawbacks of being female, the sense vulnerability. Being smaller and lighter than Daniel, she had used the others as a shield against any threat she may have sensed. Knowing there was two strong bodies nearby, (William and Kevin) along with Sara, who by force of personality made her presence seem more imposing, had allowed her let the others take charge, while she fell more into the role of the helpless female. Daniel had been the same, in a way, allowing the others to be in charge, whilst he was content to follow their lead. Maybe that's why she felt more comfortable as a woman, seeing Daniel lacked that aggressive drive so commonly found in the male population. Being a woman meant she didn't need to compete to get ahead, but that didn't mean she was a pushover, she found that women held the reins to a lot of things that were not that obvious. Julie considered herself more empowered now, than before, as a man. With a look or word, she could make William do what she wanted far better than Daniel ever did. She loved being a woman, and if William didn't get home soon, she'd show him just how much of a tiger she could be.

A toot on a horn drew her out of her introspection. She ran outside, her resolution to tell William off for worrying her, forgotten. She halted, seeing a cab, instead of the Volvo. She'd thought the horn had sounded different. Julie chided herself for not checking before going outside. That could have been anyone driving up. Seeing William paying the driver and pulling a few shopping bags out filled her with questions.

"Sorry for the delay, I should have taken the cell phone. I guess I'm not used to carrying one yet," William opologised, seeing her expression. "Her, give us a hand will you, our luggage is in the trunk." He added, taking the bags of their belongings from the trunk of the cab.

"What happened? Where's the Volvo?" Julie asked, taking some of the lighter items.

"I'm afraid the Volvo's kaput. A concrete truck ran a red light and struck the front, as I was moving forward. The car got sandwiched between the truck and a bus waiting at the intersection. It's totalled. I guess we can claim insurance."

Oh crap, are you okay? No injuries? What about the bus, was anybody else hurt?" Julie's rapid-fire questions coming almost too fast for William sort out.

"Yes, no, the bus was empty, and no, I think that's correct," William smiled, kissing Julie to stop the next seventy trillion questions. "The car was towed and I called a cab so I could unload our gear from the Volvo. Oh, and I picked up dinner as well." William added seeming pleased that he hadn't forgotten that.

Later, when their belongings had been placed in the bedroom and attention was given to satisfying their hunger, William asked if she'd found anything. Julie went and retrieved the glasses after finishing dinner and showed them to William. Removing her bracelet, William tried them on in turn, testing them on Julie. A ray ban look-alike turned out to have the same hypnotising power as the pair Sara had.

"Great work hon," William congratulated her, making Julie feel like she'd achieved something. Now all we need is some new wheels."

"The only wheels are attached to a wreck of a motorbike." Julie informed him, her tone indicating what she thought of that idea.

"Well if it's the only option," William left the question hanging.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Julie smiled.

"Okay first thing in the morning, I have a date with a bed and a warm body," grinned William, giving Julie a cuddle.

"That body better be mine," she pouted back

"Um, well-ouch! That hurt," he protested, laughing, as Julie punched him lightly.

Morning saw them up early; having satisfied their animal needs that night. Once breakfast was over, they moved the motorbike out into the morning light for a closer inspection. First impressions confirmed Julie's opinion that it was a wreck. However, as William stood it up on the bike stand, Julie saw something she had missed. Having only viewed it from one side in the garage, she hadn't seen a small knob that looked very similar to the one on the truck.

It struck her like the proverbial blinding flash and deafening report, that just like the default setting of the car was a ratty old truck, this could be the default setting of another car like Scott had found. Excitedly, she hopped on and turned the ignition switch, before William could even protest. She saw that despite its apparent age, it did have an electric start. When the engine rumbled into life, she felt the vibrations send tingles through her groin.

"Wait, are you sure you want to test it?" asked a concerned William, as he saw her hand on the knob.

"Better stand back in case it transforms into something that might cover where you are standing," warned Julie.

William was almost knocked over, as Julie turned the knob. Having only just stepped back, he was still forced back by whatever the bike had become. The instant the knob was turned, the noise of the engine ceased to be audible and a brilliant sphere or coruscating light appeared in its place. As it expanded, it pressed against William forcing him back. It was like a pressure wave, pushing him outwards, without any tangible sensation against his skin. It swelled into a twelve-foot ball of glittery light, completely covering Julie.

William called to Julie, fearing for her safety. No answer, the ball remained silent, shedding its light all around. William took out his cell phone, deciding to ring Sara.

"Sara, it's William."

"We have a situation here, Julie found a motorbike with a knob like the truck, but when she used it, a huge ball of energy enveloped her."

As William spoke to Sara, he saw the ball starting to diminish leaving an outline of Julie to be seen, still covered by the glow.

"Wait, it's starting to change, I need to see to her,"

"Okay, I'll ring you back," he finished. Seeing that Julie's body was clear of whatever had covered her. William could see that Julie was sitting in some sort of daze. Her eyes unblinking were staring straight ahead and didn't react to his hand waving into front of them. He called softly to her, trying to bring her out of her fugue.

After five minutes, a shiver ran through Julie's slender body, as she came out of her frozen state.

"What happened? Are you okay?" William asked, worriedly, as he held her close.

"Um, well, sort of, it talked to me," Julie said, trying to collect her wits after the weird experience.

"What talked?"

I guess the owners- the Shelke," Julie replied, not realising at first the import of her words.

Sara's cell phone chimed about an hour after William had called the first time. She'd been sitting nervously in the motel waiting for this call. She had told Kevin to take Kim shopping to get her some new clothes, as Sara didn't want their guest to see her worrying. She listened to William, as he related the events that had followed his first call. Sara told him about Kim and her worries, about the situation. Sara was just ending the call, telling William, that she'd call soon, when Kevin and an excited Kim came back.

"Was that them?" Kevin asked, as Kim bounced into the room waving bag filled arms.

"Yes, I'll tell you in a minute," Sara answered, looking at Kim.

"This is so great," gushed Kim, pulling out a dress. "I can not believe that I bought dresses and skirts."

"Kim, honey, I know you're excited, but I need to talk to Kevin. Do you mind going to your bedroom and amuse yourself with your new clothes while we talk?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll be trying everything on again," she bubbled, not sensing the air of tension in the room.

"What happened?" asked Kevin, once Kim had left the room.

"Well," Sara started, smiling at the happy noises emanating from Kim's bedroom. "It seems while Julie was trying out another version of the truck, she was enveloped with a type of energy screen. She went into a fugue state while she got a pocket version the Shelke’s history."

"Shelke?"

"Our alien friends, at least that's what Julie said it sounded like." Sara elaborated.

"These Shelke talked to her?" Kevin interrupted again, as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"Yes, now stop interrupting," she chided, poking him in the ribs. "Or I'll never get the story finished." She smiled, seeing him do a zipping of lips motion, as she started again.

"The Shelke come from deep in the galactic core. They are, but one of many different races living there. The Shelke are more adventurous than some and were drawn here, once they left the more populous areas near the core."

"Drawn here?" asked Kevin forgetting his promise.

"Yes, apparently we advertised our presence by all of our radio transmissions beaming into space. Once they got closer, they picked up our television signals as well. Once they realised how far away we were, they knew that a better way of space travel was needed, as their first generation jump ships were limited in range. Knowing that there were others living out here, helped give them the impetus to develop a new way of travel. Julie couldn't understand the technical terms, but it uses some sort of wormhole drive. A micro black hole powers it. Julie thinks there was mention of a white hole involved as well."

"Wow,"

"Yeah, once they reached earth they use a magnetic resonance drive that feeds off the natural ley-lines around the world. Julie said it came across like the old trolley buses with the arms that connected to the overhead wires. Instead they have a loop field that slides along the nearest ley-line, getting shorter or longer as they move in the opposite direction to the lines. Once the ley-line gets further out of reach, the loop field flashes across to the next nearest ley-line. Julie said that it looked similar to one of those Van De Graff generators where the electric arcs wave around looking for something to ground on. Once an 'arc' if you want to call it finds a ley-line, it latches to it and thickens, as it draws power. Once the distance gets too great it thins, allowing the other arcs to search out the next nearest source of power. Oh and it needn't just be ley-lines that it uses, any power source with do. High voltage lines, cars, you name it."

"That's fantastic," Kevin broke in. "What else did she find out?"

"The reason they were called back from earth." Sara said sombrely.

To be continued.

Carversion -14-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fourteen

"WHAT! She did?"

"Yes, apparently there's a threat from an star in a neighbouring galaxy. It's been tampered with, and it's going to nova. They have to help shift their people to an adjacent galaxy, that's far enough away to be safe from the radiation pulse, which the super nova generates. At this point, they aren't sure if the nova triggering was a deliberate act, or an accident, by over zealous scientists. It may be the act of an unknown invading race, trying to expunge any competition."

"Oh boy," Kevin was riveted by the tale unfolding. "What about us, are we in danger? What are the Shelke's intentions?"

"From what Julie told William, they are trying to guide us from repeating some of the disasters that they have seen other emerging races falling into. We have two choices; continue as we are, polluting the earth with poisons. Which eventually lead to global annihilation as food gets scarce and nuclear war eventuates- or," Sara paused, to collect her thoughts.

"Or," prompted Kevin, unnecessarily.

"We turn to a new power source, one that isn't going to kill off all life on earth, and one that will eventually give us the universe to play in." Sara looked at Kevin, anticipating his next question. "Julie thinks this message was left for us, maybe not for us, specifically, but for whoever discovered the true purpose of the motorbike." Sara quickly added, seeing the almost uttered question forming in Kevin's mind. Julie and I think that the Shelke must have anticipated this and left the message to whoever found it."

Kim, in the bedroom paused, as she admired herself in the mirror, a smile crossed her face as she uttered a near silent, "yes." She changed for the final time, selecting a nice sundress, that although not of top quality, given the rush of buying on the run, still managed to make her look elegant, in a youthful looking way. She heard the indistinct conversation in the other room stop, so she made her entrance with a loud "Ta Dah," doing a quick twirl in front of the others.

"Very nice," Kevin was quick to comment, seeing Sara was still deep in thought.

"Um, oh...oh yes. It suits you," Sara said belatedly, complimenting Kim on her choice.

"When are we leaving?" Kim chirped up.

"Soon, very soon," answered Sara, getting up from the couch.

As promised, they were soon on the road again in the roomier Volvo. Kim was bubbling with excitement and dominated the conversation with her light patter. Sara was hard put to think of Kim as nothing other than the young girl she appeared. Her thoughts about her uncle being an alien were driven into the background, as Kim's cheerful mood rubbed off on all of them. There was one moment of worry, as they passed through the police cordon heading away from the city. They had to open the trunk to show that no stowaway's were hiding there. The police checked out the women carefully, before allowing them to pass.

"I wish I could get even with that brute," Kim complained, after they resumed their journey.

"It's a nice thought, but we aren't in the business of revenge just now," Sara counselled. "Maybe we might come up with a plan on the return journey, which might see him exposed as the corrupt official he is. We have certain powers at our disposal, but we can't go righting every wrong in this world. We could end up abusing our power and be just as great an evil."

"No way! You're both my hero's. I just wish he could have been put in my place, to see just what it feels like." Kim muttered.

"Hmmm, maybe we could," mused Sara, looking thoughtful. "I'd rather he was punished the normal way though the court system, but we'd need photographic evidence for that."

"We could do it you know," offered Kevin, who had just been listening up till then. "Make him into a young girl, then take his place and photograph him doing exactly what he did to Kim."

"You could do that? Make him suck... well you know what I mean." Kim enthused.

"Well, not exactly, but we could make it look like that for the photographs. I think the threat would be enough, especially after the shock of becoming a girl. As Sara said, we don't want to fall into the trap of exacting that kind of revenge, or we'd be no better than him." Kevin explained, hoping Kim would understand, despite her natural need for revenge.

Kim pouted for a second or two. Sara, who had turned to look at Kim in the back seat, saw a fleeting look of... something cross Kim's face. She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but it seemed to be a look of approval, but at what, she wasn't sure, seeing her wish for real revenge had been diluted somewhat.

They made great time, using the speed enhanced Volvo. They had a moment of fun just before Denver when they sped past an Evo 6 on one of the fast stretches of road. It must have blown the driver away, seeing a stately Volvo saloon whip past him. Kevin grinned, as the driver of the Evo floored it and started to gain on them.

Kevin waited till the other driver was close enough to see him wave bye bye, before Kevin accelerated away. At 300 mph, the Evo was soon a speck in the distance. Kevin shocked the girl's by letting go the steering wheel, for a few seconds before taking control again.

"Please don't do that again," pleaded Sara, her heart thumping in her chest. "It's bad enough to be going this fast, without risking our lives on a stunt."

"Relax honey, I don't know how, but there's some sort of built in stabiliser in this thing when it's at speed. I bet we couldn't get out of control if we tried," he said, trying to reassure her.

"Maybe that's true, but I prefer both hands on the wheel in future," Sara insisted, trying to act like a responsible adult in front of Kim. "Let's hope we don't need to prove it any time soon," she added.

"Maybe I should use the bike setting, and tuck you both in non-space," laughed Kevin jokingly.

"Well if you want to be alone on the bike, maybe you might like being alone in bed," sniffed Sara archly, trying for a disdainful look with her threat.

Kim wasn't following this, so just looked out the window as the byplay continued. Sara's sudden laugh, as she saw Kevin's exaggerated contrite look, broke the mock seriousness of the moment, and Sara revelled in her sense of power from the baseless threat. Kevin grinned at her, knowing she had been kidding, but letting her have her moment of glory. They sat in silence till they reached Denver, content in the non-verbal communication of looks and glances.

They picked up a lunch to eat on the way, along with hot coffees. They wanted to make Kansas City that day and didn't want to waste time eating lunch in Denver. Sara took over the driving at Denver, glad to be doing something except watch the scenery flash by. Kevin feed her the sandwiches they had bought, handing another to her, as she finished eating the first.

Late in the afternoon, just before Topeka, Sara noticed a light showing on the dashboard. Alarmed at the thought of something going wrong, she slowed and pointed it out to the others.

"Maybe it’s a radar detector," offered Kim, seeing their confusion.

"There is a bit more traffic on the police bands," suggested Kevin, having pulled the earpiece from the scanner from his ear.

Sara slowed to the limit, watching the light blink steadily; she thought it had started to blink faster, as they went about a mile further on. Suddenly with a whirr, a small barrel like object rose out of the dash pointing out towards the windscreen. Two reflectors at the rear of the barrel swung out, looking like some kind of focusing mechanism. The device swung sideways, before pointing steadily in one direction. Weaving the car side to side, proved one thing, it was locked on something as it compensated, remain fixed at something on the road ahead. They heard a Zzzzzt, and a click and the flashing light went out. The device whirred again, retreating back into the opening on the dash. Looking at each other in surprise, Sara shrugged at Kevin, who also showed puzzlement. A bit further on and still doing the legal limit, they passed a police cruiser parked behind the Topeka welcoming sign. They saw that the officer had his laser in his hand and was more concerned about the smoke coming from it, to notice them pass.

"Wow! A laser detector and killer too," chortled Kevin, imagining the officers surprise at seeing the ruined laser gun.

"This car has more surprises than a Xmas cracker," Sara grinned.

"I get the paper hat, next time," laughed Kevin.

"I would have thought you would be asking a million questions, Kim," Sara asked, looking back at Kim in the mirror.

"I would have normally, but you did say not to ask questions, besides, being turned into a fully functional female holds more interest than a super fast car with James Bond accessories." I don't care how you did it, only that its been done," Kim responded. "I wouldn't be surprised at anything this car can do. It's like a sort of dream for me, I bet if you pressed those blank panels there, all sorts of gadgets would show up." she followed up, pointing to the small oblong shapes on the dash.

Sara looked at the dash with new eyes, wondering. The small depressions Kim pointed out were common on most cars. They were usually the places where extra switches for luxury models where fitted, but left blank for the earlier versions. She fingered one nervously, not sure if she should press it while driving, just to see if Kim's idea had merit. What if something radical happened? She looked over at Kevin, to see he was also looking at her with the same thought. He shrugged, not commenting, but his message was as clear as if he had spoken out loud. "Let's try it."

Sara pressed on the nearest depressions. Immediately, the laser gun disabler, rose out of the dash, but this time there was a display showing two sets of numbers. One was reading 55 and was steady, while the other was varying around 60. It didn't take them long to realise that the one varying was the actual cars speed, as it shot quickly to a 100 when Sara pressed on the accelerator. Seeing the other was set at the legal speed limit, it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the other must be some sort of radar scrambler which would make it seem that that were doing 55 when in fact they were exceeding the limit. A dial next to the set speed was obviously to set it for city speed limits.

Kevin pressed the next one, leaving the other still working. Again, the change was instant. The colour of the Volvo changed from blue to sliver. Seeing a ring materialise on her finger, Sara knew something more than a colour change had occurred.

"Check your ID in your wallet and the one in my purse, will you." Sara asked Kevin, who hadn't noticed the ring or the significance of its positioning.

"Wow!" Kevin marvelled. "I'm somebody else now...and I'm married to you." He added, having checked her ID. "How do you like being Mrs. Elaine Cosworth, married to me, Mr. Steven Cosworth?"

"I'll tell you after the honeymoon," Sara quipped. "Sheesh! Talk about a shotgun marriage, I never even got to hear the "I do's," she giggled. Sara sighed, seeing the ring disappear again, as Kevin touched the depression again. 'One day that will be a real ring,' she thought, missing the sight of it already.

"I'll buy you a ring of your own to keep," Kevin said, echoing her thoughts, and surprising her with how he'd known what she had been thinking.

Even Kim was getting into this new box of tricks.

"Can I try one?" she asked excitedly, meaning the last one left.

"I thought James Bond gadgetry was just old hat to you," Kevin laughed, giving her the go ahead.

"Well this is fun," she giggled, leaning forward to reach the last one to try. Just as before, there was an immediate reaction. A shimmer of light seemed to cover the car, before fading away. A small icon lit up in the instrument panel itself, showing a three dimensional depiction of the car. It was rotating through all three axis, giving them a view of every side of the car, including underneath. Kevin and Sara were stumped as to its purpose, as there seemed to be no actual change. Kim put forward a possible explanation.

"It reminds me of a science fiction movie in which a spacecraft has a force field up. Every time it was hit, it showed on a screen where the impacts were, except it wasn't rotating like this one. Maybe the shimmer was a similar protective force field," she proposed, suggestively.

"Well it sort of fits with everything else," agreed Kevin. "Speed, disguise, and indestructibility."

"Oh, oh, trouble ahead," Sara interrupted, seeing two police cruisers heading towards them from out of Topeka.

Kevin quickly retracted the radar device and stuffed the scanner back under the seat again. As they approached the oncoming cars, they turned on their lights and swung across the road blocking it in a practised move. Sara slowed, and then drew to a stop near the cruisers. One officer walked forward warily, one hand on his holster, leaving the other standing by his car. Sara wound down her window and waited, till the officer reached it.

"Anything wrong officer?"

"Please step out of the car Miss, and that goes for the others." The officer demanded bluntly.

"Why? We haven't done anything, just driving through." Sara asked a little more firmly.

"Well, Miss, we had a report that something on this car destroyed police property, namely, a hand held speed laser." The officer said coldly. "Now please step out slowly and walk to the front of the car placing your hands on the hood. You first Miss, right, now the front passenger, okay, now the girl in the rear." He ordered, as Kevin joined Sara at the front of the car. Kim climbed out under the watchful eye of the officer and added her hands to the hood, as the officer stood back. "Keep your hands there and don't move, while I check over your car."

"Fine, but we didn't have anything to do with this laser thingy. Search away." Sara insisted, taking one hand off the hood and slipping her sunglasses down off the top of her head to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. The officer looked inside. He checked inside the glove compartment and tried to see anything added under the dashboard. He then had everyone stand back before he released the hood and checked around the engine and around the front of the car. Frustrated at not finding anything obvious, he went and sat back inside the car.

"What's this knob for, Miss?" he asked, finally discovering the only anomaly.

"What knob? Officer," Sara asked, allowing the glasses to have their full effect on the officer. "There's no knob- is there?" Her voice held a command that couldn't be resisted.

"Ah- no- there's no knob," the officer repeated, following the words that were overriding his own perceptions.

The officer stepped out of the car, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Belatedly, he asked for her driver's licence and registration papers.

"You don't need to see my papers," Sara insisted, feeling like she was in a Star Wars movie.

"I don't need to see your papers," he parroted, as the effect of the glasses overrode his will.

Sara had to bite her tongue to stop her from adding the next line. "We aren't the droids you're looking for- move along.

He walked to the other officer and spoke to him, before returning to tell Sara that she was allowed to go. Sara thanked him, allowing a certain amount of sarcasm show in an, "I told you so," tone.

Getting back in the car, they drove slowly past the police and Sara burst out laughing, telling the others what she had wanted to say. The others cracked up, and Star Wars puns flew thick and fast, till they were in hysterics.

"Obi One has taught you well," was Kevin's last word, as they carried on to Topeka, where they stretched their legs and had a coffee and a pastry, before hitting the road for Kansas City. The nearer they got to Kim's uncles house in Gladstone, the more nervous Sara got. With the return of the gnawing doubts about the exact relationship Kim had with his/her uncle popping up in her head, she didn't feel exactly confident. Kim hadn't been to her uncle's place, so a map book was their guide to number 26 North Cleveland Road. The gates opened automatically as they went to park in the driveway. Sara wondered if the car had a transmitter that opened all the gates of the Shelke's residences, or was there someone home.

Kim insisted that they drive in, saying that they could stay a day or two before continuing on their journey. Sara wondered if the Shelke had a reason for liking two storied buildings that were set back on the properties. The screen of trees at the front certainly provided a secluded setting, and the maximum privacy. When no one answered the door, Kim entered the six-digit code into the Cipher Keypad to the right of the beautiful inlaid red oak door. The code was one her uncle had given her earlier in the year, one he trusted with no one else. The place was empty. Kim found a note from her uncle, on a corkboard in the entry. It said that he was away for an unspecified time, and that Kim if she visited, was to make full use of the place.

Kim wandered around the house with the others in tow. Once Kim spotted the Jacuzzi, her interest in the rest of the house vanished. She had located a bedroom for herself, and was more interested in getting her clothes brought in and using the hot tub. She was happy to let the others explore, and told then to find a bedroom for themselves.

Kevin and Sara quickly took the opportunity to split up and check out the place. Knowing what to look out for, they soon located a computer room. A laptop sat there, seemingly intact. There was no disarray as in the other places, and the computer fired up first time. Leaving Kevin to play, Sara went over the place with a fine toothcomb.

Kim had started to sing to herself in the hot tub, surprising Sara at first, as the dulcet tones rang through the house. Knowing she wasn't going to be interrupted in her search, she went into the main bedroom, presumably used by Kim's uncle. Wanting to satisfy her feminine curiosity, she checked out the large walk in closet. It was divided into two sections, one half was full of men's clothes, and the other half was full of women's clothes. Curious, she pulled out a gown of white satin and held it against her body, luxuriating in its slinky touch.

'Did the uncle have a partner,' Sara wondered, admiring herself in the built in mirror, as she idly imagined herself wearing the gown. 'Maybe he lived a double life, as both male and female,' she thought. Putting the gown back with more than a little regret, she went and checked the drawers that were part of a vanity and mirror set. The top was covered with an assortment of men's paraphernalia that wouldn't have looked out of place anywhere. One thing that Sara noticed was a hair bush and comb set. Looking closely, she saw one anomaly that stood out. Picking up the brush and comb, she couldn't find one strand of hair that surely would have been there, had the owner been human.

The drawers revealed more male accessories like cufflinks, watches, and rings. Another had ties and even a selection of leather wallets. There was a small oblong box about 4 inches wide and 6 inches long and 2 inches deep. Inside was filled with 100 dollar bills neatly stacked together. Sara guessed that there must be around ten thousand dollars there. She put it back, and closed the drawer, thinking that Kim might need to use that money, if she remained here for a while.

Looking at the vanity again, she noticed a design on it that looked odd. It was a symbol, shaped like a molecule with different colours for the atoms? When she touched it, wondering what it represented, the vanity shimmered like a heat mirage. She noticed the symbol had changed shape along with the look of the vanity. Now it was unmistakably a woman's vanity. The top was covered with an array of beauty products, including makeup and perfume bottles. Sara checked the drawers again, seeing that the contents had changed. The top one held her interest with the many items of expensive looking jewellery, but one item held her gaze riveted. She picked up the bracelet and looked it over carefully. Her breath quickened, as she identified it as a twin to the one she was wearing.

To be continued.

Carversion -15-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifteen

Sara stood holding the bracelet, wondering what she should do. She could easily take it and no one would be the wiser, especially Kim. But was it right to take something that she might need. Like the money, it wasn't something they couldn't do without. However, the risk of leaving such a device in the hands of someone they hardly knew was making the decision hard. As she pondered, it seemed as if a voice in her head was weighing the pros and cons. She had a sense that her decision would have lasting consequences, whatever she chose. A shiver ran down her back, and it seemed that the very air waited on her to make her choice.

She closed the drawer and touched the symbol again, reverting the vanity back into male guise. Walking out without the bracelet was the hardest thing she had ever done, as the temptation to take it, was very strong. Yet, there seemed be a presence in the room that seemed to rejoice in her decision. It wasn't anything definable, just a sense of rightness like the whispering of her conscience, somewhere in the back of her head.

Kim, relaxing in the Jacuzzi, had a Mona Lisa like smile on her face. She climbed out and wrapped a towel around herself, calling to the others, that she had finished in the Jacuzzi.

Sara met Kevin in the bedroom they had picked out to sleep in. He had the laptop with him, and seemed excited about something.

"Why have you taken that?" She inquired, curiously.

"This is really something else, besides a laptop." Kevin explained, trying to keep his obvious excitement from making his voice rise where Kim might overhear it. "Look at this," Kevin demonstrated, removing the power cord. Then taking out what looked like the battery. The laptop remained running. Then when Kevin covered what Sara guessed was a solar panel, two small filaments slid out at each side of the display and Sara heard a low crackle like static electricity. The laptop seemed to be perfectly happy to run on what seemed like nothing at all.

"Yeah, I know what your thinking, how does it work," Kevin pre-empted her unspoken question. "Well, I don't know what kind of battery this is, but it's much lighter than a conventional laptop battery. I'm assuming that the solar panel works in a similar fashion to the one on the car, but if that isn't enough; it has the ability to tap into the energy of the earth's magnetic field. I figured that out from the information Julie told us about how they power their spacecraft."

"But why?"

"Didn't they power the car the same way?" Kevin again voiced her next thought.

"Hey, get out of my head," laughed Sara, punching Kevin on his arm.

"Think about it a moment," Kevin continued, ignoring Sara's interruption. "If you were moving to Australia, would you take the kitchen sink, or just the basic essentials?"

"You're saying the car came with them, but the laptop came later?" she asked, seeing where he was heading.

"Sort of, the car came with them, but I think those extras where added later, laser speed guns are the latest development. I don't see that they needed those gadgets when they first arrived. Same for the bracelets, I'm sure this laptop is the latest development, either it was brought here or made here."

"Okay, assuming it was made later, why the need for it to have such a versatile power source?" Sara asked.

"It makes it truly portable. No need to be stuck near a source of power to recharge it," offered Kevin, waiting for Sara to answer the next question he could sense coming.

"Then it must be more than just a laptop. It must serve another purpose to go to those lengths."

"Correct," Kevin congratulated, knowing Sara had a head on her shoulders. "I found out that it's a communication device, a sort of video phone, I think the one William found is its twin."

"I need to ring them, and find out what else they have found, we can tell them about the laptop then," Sara stated, determinedly.

"You guys hungry?" Kim's voice asked from just outside the doorway.

"Sure, give us a minute and we'll be right out," Sara answered, watching Kevin put away the laptop.

They found fresh food in the fridge, just like Julie had in Huang's home, but decided to use it instead of buying their own like the others had. Sara figured food was food, and if it was cooked, then no harm was likely. Finding some steaks and some skinned chicken breast fillets, she decided to cook. Rummaging around in the pantry, she found what she needed. Kim offered to help, so Sara got her to get the deep fryer heated and peel some potatoes. Kevin was made a temporary dogs body, and sent to set the table and open some wine, she'd seen.

Kevin was chastised for walking around with a can of beer in his hand, obviously purloined when he was getting the wine.

"You'll spoil your appetite with that," Sara pouted. "Why not checkout the backyard while we're busy," she added, shooing him out from under her feet.

"Women," was his one word retort.

Sara grinned, assuming that was a compliment, as she turned back to crumbing the chicken breasts. Asking if Kim wanted steak or chicken, she got her to cut some fries, for herself and Kevin, while Sara popped a washed potato for herself, into the microwave for 5 minutes, before transferring it into the oven to make the skin crispy. Sara made a small salad for herself and cut some tomatoes to be grilled with the steak. Once the food was ready, Kim called Kevin inside to eat, while Sara poured the wine. Sara did filch a piece of Kevin's steak and popped a bit of chicken in his mouth in exchange. Hardly any words were exchanged, as they enjoyed a home cooked meal. Kim made a perked coffee, as Sara found some Neapolitan ice cream for dessert.

Later, when things were cleaned away, Sara mentioned to Kim that they'd be heading on in the morning.

"We need to talk about your original body and whether you want to return to it." Sara broached the subject.

"Okay, fine. I haven't really thought about it a lot. I've been having fun just being female," Kim replied calmly.

"Well." Here, Sara paused, wondering if what she was going to reveal was the best thing. "I found something that you may need if you want to return to being male- after we leave of course."

"Oh," Kim replied curiously.

Sara took Kim upstairs to her uncle's bedroom and showed her the vanity. At first, the lovely gowns distracted Kim from paying attention, just as Sara had been. Sara showed her the money after getting her attention. Kim took the morphing vanity calmly, too calmly, again raising a niggling feeling at the back of Sara's brain. Sara showed her the bracelet and patiently explained its uses and abilities. Kim got excited and promised to use it wisely, giving Sara a measure of relief that she understood the responsibilities that came with having such a powerful device. Sara left Kim there to play, saying she was going to bed.

While Kevin was getting ready to join Sara in bed, she explained what she had revealed to Kim.

"You sure that's the right thing to let loose on the world?" Kevin asked.

"For all her odd behaviour, yes I do trust her to be circumspect with the bracelet...there's something about her."

"I know what you mean, I've felt it too," admitted Kevin, before climbing into bed, and reaching for the light switch.

"Wait, aren't you forgetting something," Sara said stopping his movement with her hand on his arm. "I know you're anxious to test the mattress, but we need to ring William and Julie, and find out how they got on."

Kevin reached for the phone on the wall near the bed and handed it to Sara, looking a little abashed at forgetting his friends.

Sara dialled the number William had given her for Huang's house. It rang for a while with no answer, before Sara slapped her head and hung up. She redialled, the cell phone this time, she had forgotten that William was in a different time zone and were probably at the beach, or shopping.

"Hello," answered a feminine voice.

"William?" Somehow, despite hearing Julie's voice, Sara knew it was William and not Julie speaking. "It's Sara, how are things going?"

"Oh hi, things are fine, we are at the beach at the moment, what's been happening to you?" Julie/William answered cheerfully.

Sara shrugged, figuring that the whole story, of why he was Julie would eventually be revealed, gave him a brief run down of the situation. She then passed the phone to Kevin, who wanted to mention the laptop.

"It's got a solar panel?" was William's first question. "Where?"

Sara listened to Kevin laugh, having heard Williams question by holding her head near the receiver.

"Think about it," Kevin grinned. "You're the computer whiz... well not at the moment." He added chuckling, thinking how he'd got one over on the expert. Sara hadn't thought about that point either, when Kevin was showing her. Either she was attuned to William's thoughts or he to hers, as she heard William/Julie exclaim just as the solution came to her.

"Its got to be the screen, it doubles as a energy collector," William yelled. "That's a neat trick, I would have guessed it soon enough, but I've had a hard day."

"Sure, sure, whatever," grumbled Kevin, not wanting to have his moment of triumph, diminished by excuses.

The two traded friendly insults, and the fact that William was female at the moment, didn't seem to alter their friendly banter, Sara was thinking about the screen doubling as a light collector. Was there some kind of feed back loop from the emitted display back to the collector cells... or whatever they used, almost like a perpetual motion machine, using the energy it produced to re-power itself. Maybe that's why it worked indoors under low levels of artificial light. It only needed a little extra energy to keep it working. Trying to understand alien technology was starting to give her a headache, of biblical proportions, so she turned her attention back to what William was saying.

"After I rang you to tell you what Julie had found out, she wanted to try the motorbike again." William started to explain. "I told her no, of course." William then related what was said next.

"No, you just had an experience to end all experiences," William argued.

"But we need to see if it changes like the truck," insisted Julie, not to be put off. "The Shelke did say we could use it," she continued with irrefutable logic.

"Okay, okay, but I'm doing it. What happened to you scared the crap out of me. I thought I'd lost you there for a moment." William conceded, reluctantly.

What followed, was very similar to what the truck was capable of, only the selections were different. The energy ball effect didn't occur this time, showing it must have be a one off. The first setting turned the bike into a gleaming silver Lamborghini. William in Huang's body form didn't change, nor did he change at the second setting, a red Ferrari. Checking a hunch out, William asked Julie to sit in the Ferrari, set the knob to the Lamborghini, and then back to the second setting.

Julie wasn't impressed when she ended up in Huang's form for both settings. She got out of the car and used her bracelet to set things right again.

"Satisfied?" she asked sourly, not wanting to be reminded of her male beginnings.

"Sorry honey, I just needed to be sure. It seems our Mr Huang owns both these cars. Believe me I like the body you have now much better, he wheedled, making goo goo eyes at her. She laughed and punched him on the chest.

"You just like my tit's, I think it's time you had a pair of your own to give mine a rest," she giggled, playfully.

"Awwwwh!"

The next setting he tried, granted Julie's wish, and she roared with laughter at his/her disgusted look. William had found a new form in the shape of a raven-haired Asian beauty. William, or Mi Ling, as it turned out, was Huang's wife, so her documentation stated. She struggled out of the yellow corvette, trying to move in a very tight kimono. The emerald satin gown, with its fancy woven designs outlined in red, covered her like a glove, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Mi ling was half a head shorter than Julie, a fact she gleefully pointed out. Her hair fell like an inky waterfall to the middle of her back, its blue-black sheen glistened in silky perfection. To Williams's credit, he didn't try changing back by using the bracelet immediately. Walking Mi Ling's body inside, in a dainty short paced shuffle, William looked at her new body in the hall mirror.

"Wow! She's hot," he/she exclaimed, with an accent, posing a little while admiring her form.

"You're hot, you mean," corrected Julie with a wistful look. Julie made sure she captured the body in her bracelet, as it looked like a neat body to visit later. Mi ling blushed and a fan seemingly flashing out of nowhere, snapped open, covering her face.

"Nice reflexes," Julie commented, amused at seeing the epitome of femininity, which stood before her.

"Sheesh! Talk about automatic responses," William in his Mi Ling's sweet accented voice, grumbled, feeling embarrassed by his actions.

"Well, are you Huang's wife? Is there any memories to go with that body?" Julie asked.

"Weird, but I can’t seem to find any memory that confirms it. Even in Huang's body, I thought he was still single. It's almost like this is a blank form, which was never used. Maybe it was intended for someone that hadn't arrived yet, who knows," William put forward.

William ran her hands down over her silken clad form, wishing that he could be on the outside doing this. 'Maybe Julie would-' his thoughts trailed off.

Julie could see the direction Williams's thoughts were heading, as if she was reading a map. Feeling generous, knowing that she wanted to try it out, she flicked her bracelet, becoming William's twin. William was so engrossed in his reflection, that he didn't notice the change till she spoke.

"Hey don't wear the mirror out, I want to see myself too, you know." She giggled, seeing her lover spin around in surprise.

"Oh boy!" William gasped, lost for words.

"Boy? Sheesh, do you ever need glasses," laughed Julie/Mi Ling.

"Can we I mean, you know?" William nodded upstairs, towards the bedroom.

"Sure, I'm just as horny as you are," Julie grinned, with a gleam in her eye.

"Let me change," William went to finger her bracelet.

"Um wait," Julie grasped her twin's hand preventing the move. "I want to try a little girl on girl action. I figure that body knows some great moves," Julie said wickedly, pulling her lover upstairs.

The next few hours were a revelation to both of them. Mi Ling knew a lot of moves, and they were nearly all tried out, before exhaustion from too much sex overtook them. William roused first, and had to force himself to revert to his male body before he took a shower. Mi Ling's body seemed to be one huge erogenous zone, and taking a shower in her body, would send him back into an orgasmic ooze of boneless flesh.

Getting an idea, William changed back into Huang's body, and slipped back into bed where 'his wife's' body lay asleep. He had to feel for her bracelet as it was in the invisible mode and slipped it off, silently thanking the Shelke for making it possible for another wearer to remove someone else's bracelet as he slipped it under the pillow. Feeling deliciously evil, for trapping Julie in Mi Ling's body temporarily, he woke her up with a kiss.

"Hey dear wife of mine, how about we go out for lunch?"

"Hmmmmm, sounds nice," the new Mi Ling, yawned, stretching the kinks out of her body. "But I don't think I have anything to wear," she added seeing she was now several sizes smaller than Julie.

"I like the kimono, or we could get the car to alter your outfit," he offered, giving her a long kiss.

Julie never missed the bracelet, as once it was invisible, it didn't feel as if you were wearing anything. It wasn't until trouble loomed at the restaurant, that she realised it was missing.

William in Huang mode has driven them to a select Chinese restaurant in his Lamborghini. The car had attracted the attention of some unsavoury gentlemen. Huang, as a bodyguard, had roughed up these same men as part of his duties. One of the men had thought it a great opportunity for some payback, especially as Huang had company. The thug had called up for some of his pals to help out, while the pair inside enjoyed their meal.

Huang and Mi Ling were attacked once they had exited the restaurant and were moving to their car. What happened then could only be described as being on the film set of 'Enter The Dragon,' in fact bystanders stood by, thinking it was a movie shoot, and failed to realise the situation till it was over. It was only after the bodies lay bleeding on the floor with no, "Cut," that they called the police. Although seriously outnumbered, Huang's reflexes took control, as the surprise attack began. Julie, in Mi Ling's fancy attire, was grabbed from behind. She struggled to use her bracelet, before realising it wasn't there. As she saw her loved one being attacked with a pipe, something snapped inside her. No longer was she going to allow herself the coy kitten, no, a tigress was born in those fleeting seconds, a tigress, determined to protect her own.

Mi Ling flicked her wrists in an action that brought out two silver fans. In her hands, these became weapons, not something one simpered behind coyly. The man holding her didn't have time to react, as she flashed her fans in his face. Instantly blood curtained his vision, as the deadly fighting fans drew first blood. Julie was a passenger in her own... well Mi Ling's body, as the fighting skills of her host took over. Flick, flick went her fans, leaving the man's face in ribbons. When she turned to help Huang, she saw she wasn't the only one to draw blood.

One man lay groaning, bleeding from a broken nose and a lacerated scalp, the result of having his piece of pipe used against him. Another had a broken arm where Huang had snapped it like a dried twig forcing the bone to protrude from the skin. He was trying to crawl away, from where Huang had thrown the last attacker. Huang straightened his jacket and took Mi Ling's arm as if nothing had happened. They didn't see the man in a dark suit that had been looking at them very intently from across the street. He gaze fixed on the couple, seemed to awaken an awareness of his scrutiny in Julie, as they walked to their car. Julie turned, seeking the source of the unaccountable itch. He eyes passed over the spot where moments ago the man had been standing. Seeing nothing and feeling the end of the odd sensation, Julie dismissed it as nerves. Julie, having returned from her alter ego's mindset, heard some applause from the bystanders. Just to be sure, William switched the cars settings to the red Ferrari, in case the police arrived, as soon as they were out of sight.

"Where's my bracelet?" you idiot? I could have helped you," demanded Julie, as reaction set in.

"Calm down honey you did help, I think you might have been in more trouble had you tried to change, especially in front of those witnesses," William tried to placate her.

Julie realised he was right, but couldn't stop the tears from starting, realising how close it had been.

"Who were those guys, and why did they want to hurt us?" Julie sniffled, trying to regain control of her wayward emotions.

"I don't know, obviously, someone Huang had pissed off. I hope that's the end of that, I don't want to be looking over my shoulder while I'm in this body," William sighed.

They had driven straight home, and once there, they spent the day checking the other settings of the bike. They found that there was an overlap of the settings found on the truck, which produced the Volvo and the Trans Am. Getting tired of the constant changes, and seeing the day was hot, they decided to eat out for dinner. They decide to check out the beach, and pick out someplace there to find dinner. Julie wanted to go swimming, and wanted to have some feminine company for a while.

William grumbled a little, but not too much, as he looked at Julie in the mirror. Going, as twins had been Julie's idea, she thought it would be fun, and that maybe they might get a free meal out of it from some would be suitor.

"But we can afford to spend, it's not like we're poor or anything." William had complained.

"I know, but think of it as a challenge. To get a free meal, just for looking pretty," Julie had urged. "I promise to be your Mi Ling for you tonight."

That was enough of a bribe for William, so here he stood, checking his/her makeup, before they headed out. Finding a nice spot wasn't hard, but finding a place to spread a towel and just sunbathe was another on the crowded beach. Walking along in matching swimsuits, and carrying identical coloured towels, (Julie insisted on buying them on the way) had certainly made them stand out. Julie alone was a match for any of the other lovely beauty's on the beach, but wouldn't have stood out in the crowd on the beach. However, two identical Julie's made everyone sit up and gawk. Once they claimed a piece of beach for themselves, a parade of single (and married) men seemed to become very interested in the real estate the girl's had claimed. They had been sunbathing for an hour, fending off the over enthusiastic come-ons from men with only one thing written on their faces... and a little lower than that, when the cell phone they always carried rang. William answered it.

"So that's what's happened so far," William, explained. We are just looking for some nice men to feed us dinner," h/she laughed.

"I bet they'll want to feed you something else after dinner," Kevin replied pointedly.

"We just want to find a nice mark, with lots of money," grinned Julie/Julie.

"Ah you don't want someone with a little tent in their pants, you're after bigger fish with a marquee in their pants," whipped back Kevin with a laugh. "Don't go pole fishing, you might end up with a groper." Kevin added, laughing harder.

"Whale eel be put in his plaice, if he does it on porpoise," retorted William, reeling the puns off quickly. William giggled at the punishment s/he was handing back. "Anyway, it looks like our meal ticket has arrived, I'll contact you later," William finished, as two shadows loomed over them. Looking up, William saw two guys in casual clothes; one had one of those lens things that simulate a camera viewpoint. He was looking at the girls though it as if imagining them in front of a camera.

"These two would make excellent actresses, the camera will love them." The one with the lens enthused.

"I trust your judgement," the other said, smiling at the twins. "Would the two of you be interested in taking part in a movie?"

Julie looked at Julie/William, and their thoughts meshed silently. Both knew it was possibly a con, to get them into bed as part of a promise to star them in a movie. There was still the chance it was genuine, either way, they knew a free meal was theirs if they said yes.

"Sure," they spoke in unison, startling the others as well as themselves. "We were" - 'Just going to' - "Buy dinner." They spoke in sequence, each completing the others sentence. It was as if one brain was connected to the two bodies, sharing the sentence. It was eerie. However, inside their heads, they were laughing at the expressions of the two guys.

"Let us buy you dinner and we can discuss it." The leader of the two finally said.

The girl's made sure they ordered well, in the restaurant the guys had taken them to. The twins had changed out of the swimsuits and back into the slinky dresses that they had worn at the start. They had fun leading the guys on, flirting harmlessly while promising nothing, but the right to turn them down. The two guys were so enamoured with them, that when the meal was over and paid for. They never even grumbled when the twins just pecked them on the cheeks and said they'd let them know. They got back to their car, walking arm in arm, and drove off home where Julie fulfilled her promise to William.

To be continued.

Carversion -16-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixteen

Kevin hung up, hoping the others knew what they were getting into. Sara smiled, saying they could take care of themselves, again catching his unspoken thought.

"You're starting to scare me with that mind reading trick of yours," Kevin laughed, as he turned out the light before turning to kiss her goodnight.

"I can read you like a book," she replied, sleepily, snuggling closer to him.

"Comic book, probably," he whispered in her ear.

He got no reply; Sara had fallen asleep, content to feel his protective body next to hers. Kevin smiled, feeling the love overflow for his life long friend. A silent prayer, thanking the gods for the alien's gift that had brought them together as lovers crossed his mind, as he too, succumbed to nights embrace. Kim, sleeping in the other room, had a smile on her face as she turned over in bed.

The next morning had the pair packing their stuff back into the Volvo along with the laptop. Talk was subdued, knowing that they were leaving Kim to an uncertain future. When it came time for them to leave, hankies were in demand as tears flowed.

"We'll be back," promised Sara, hugging Kim at the door.

"I know, good luck," was Kim's reply.

As the pair got into the car and drove away, Kim closed the front door, turning her back to it and whispered to herself. "Just one more."

The mood in the car soon lightened as they started thinking about the next destination. Kevin was driving again, because being shorter; Sara found the morning sun shinning into her eyes as distracting. Kevin didn't need the aid of the sun visor as the tinted area at the top of the windscreen cut the morning glare to tolerable limits.

Sara busied herself arranging the road maps in order to be used, so there would be no confusion. She navigated them back to the highway east and then brought out the laptop. Turning it on, she waited till it booted up, before accessing the menus.

Seeing an unfamiliar icon flashing, she clicked it, thinking it might be a message from William, but instead two distinct beeps were heard. One came from the laptop and the other from somewhere behind the dashboard on the car. Startled, she looked up and saw a light blinking near where the sound had come from. The laptop then opened a window showing a map of what seemed to be the area they were travelling. A single icon was glowing on the road marked on the displayed map.

"Looks like we don't need our maps," Sara laughed. "If I'm right, this is some sort of GPS. I wonder what resolution you can get," she wondered, clicking on an icon at the edge of the display.

The picture expanded showing the roads in more detail. The maximum resolution brought it up to a point that the individual roads were named. Sara happily played with the menu, trying to find out its limits.

"Hey, we can set the destination, and it will guide us there. There's even the option to take the most direct or the scenic route," she laughed.

""Let's take the shortest route. I want to get this over with. We can do the tourist thing on the way back, if you want," Kevin suggested.

Sara tapped some commands into the laptop, and then settled back, calling out directions as they left Kansas City. They stopped at St Louis for a morning coffee and a doughnut, before again hitting the road. They had lunch in Louisville, opting to eat there rather than in the car. On the way back to the car from the diner, Sara caught sight of someone familiar, or at least she thought she had. Hurrying to catch up when the other turned the corner ahead of her, she saw no sign of the person in question. When she stopped, looking puzzled, Kevin who had caught up to her asked her what the hurry was.

"I thought I saw Kim, I'm sure it was her, but she disappeared."

Our Kansas City Kim?" He asked, feeling a sense of foreboding about her answer. "But it can't be her, we left her without transport, and at the speed we've been doing, she'd have had to have flown to get here, before us."

"Yes, our Kim," Sara said seemingly not hearing Kevin speak.

"You're repeating yourself, I heard you the first time." Kevin replied, feeling weird.

"Huh, what are you talking about? I only said it once." Sara now felt a sense of confusion.

"But I heard you think it" Kevin started, before realising what he'd said.

There was silence, even though they stood on a busy sidewalk in the middle of the day, as those words, crashed into their brains, obliterating all other thoughts. Like an avalanche sweeping all before it, the idea of hearing each other's thoughts, pushed all the little coincidences in the past few days to the fore. This was more than guessing the other's thoughts. This was big, very big. To be able to communicate mind to mind was stuff of fiction, yet it made perfect sense, given the little clues of each answering the others questions, or knowing just what the other felt, without saying a word. They stood there, seemingly oblivious to the world as it passed them by.

'Let's talk about this in the car,' Sara thought, knowing that Kevin "heard" her plain as day, reaching for Kevin's hand as it reached for hers. They turned as one, their thoughts meshing as the last barriers fell. A million thoughts passed back and fro, searching and finding the souls of each other.

Preoccupied with the discovery of their new talent, they failed to see a familiar face looking at their retreating backs with a smile on her face. Nor did they hear the, "So it begins."

Back in the car, the pair tried to verbalise their thoughts, in an attempt to slow down the jumble of questions that they both had.

"Do you think all our body swapping, is the cause of this?" Sara asked.

"Most likely, remember these bodies may look human, but they are the product of alien technology. They probably used telepathy as a part of normal life." Kevin answered.

"So you think we slowly gained the power to talk mind to mind, it would explain all the coincidences. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this was happening." Sara finished.

"I think so, it might account for the odd feelings we've been picking up. Maybe there are still aliens here. It wouldn't surprise me if there were," Kevin postulated.

"Oh no, do you think it's happening to William and Julie? That may account for how I knew it was William even though he had Julie's body when we rang." Sara gasped.

"Probably, can you sense them, or hear their thoughts?" Asked Kevin, as he turned his mind to the task.

I think I've been feeling something, it's not thoughts yet, just a feeling of awareness." Sara tried to send her thoughts out to her friends. She sensed a warm fuzziness that seemed to be attached to the mental image of her friends. She sent the image to Kevin directly, and she heard his mind agree that he too, had felt that.

"Should we try ringing?" she verbalised.

"No, let's see if we can control this first. We'll ring at the agreed time," Kevin said.

"Control?"

"We need to figure out a way of shielding our thoughts from each other," Kevin replied.

"Oh course," Sara agreed, seeing the reason for it, form in Kevin's mind. "We can't be driving and concentrating while having another's thoughts filling your mind, plus having all the non essential stuff coming though as well."

"Yeah, I don't fancy experiencing your thoughts when you are having a period, or when you take a dump." Grinned Kevin, knowing he was heading for slap of some kind.

A gossamer slap was sent mind to mind, and Sara grinned, knowing he'd been expecting it. It was true, much of a person's thoughts were about body sensations and stuff that didn't need to be sent to another. She tried imagining a shield around her head to cut out the communication she was getting from Kevin's mind. At first she could feel him doing the same, as her caught her thought. It was hard, like trying to use a muscle that had never been used before. Slowly, she felt like she had achieved something.

"I think I have it," she spoke into the shared silence of their mental struggle.

"Don't give it to me, I'm healthy," quipped Kevin, making a joke while still struggling to achieve a shield.

Sara laughed, happy that she hadn't picked up the thought from Kevin as it had formed in his mind. It would be terrible not to be able to make jokes, when you'd know the punch line, before the joke was finished.

She relaxed her shield, feeling his thoughts return. She showed him mentally what she had done, and when his thoughts cut off suddenly, she knew he had achieved it.

"Wow it went silent all of a sudden." Kevin exclaimed. "Did you turn blonde?" he joked, looking at her blonde hair, while waiting to be thumped.

"Oh puhleeze, that is so like totally-whatever. Thuh only thought in my head is like wow! How totally gorgeous your bod is fer shuuuure," drawled Sara, in an exaggerated valley voice. Knowing this was better punishment, for subjecting her to the clique that blondes don't think, than an outright smack.

"Ouch! Just hit me next time, it's less painful," Kevin pleaded, covering his ears.

"Just remember that won't stop telepathy," chortled Sara, knowing she'd scored again. "Any more blonde jokes and you'll find yourself in skirts, twin sister." Sara threatened, grinning as he capitulated by raising his hands in surrender.

"Truce, truce." He called. "What do we try now, seeing as we have a shield?" he asked, changing the subject adroitly.

"Before we go into that, do you notice something?" Sara asked.

"What?"

"Can you hear any one else's thoughts, I think we've been attuned to each other, a type of selective telepathy if you will," Sara pointed out. "As for the shield, we need to see if we can make it so we can only 'hear' thoughts directed to each other, not just full on or fully blocked. Let's hit the road, while we practice achieving that."

On an impulse, Sara who had taken over the driving turned north heading towards Indianapolis, instead of towards Cincinnati.

"Um why are we going this way?" asked Kevin, curiously, opening up the laptop.

"Just curious, this is off our route to Washington DC. I wanted to see if we are being followed, seeing Kim knew we were heading that way."

"Ah, okay. Well I always wanted to go there and see the 'Brickyard,' Kevin grinned.

"Brickyard?" asked Sara looking puzzled.

"The Indianapolis speedway, it's called the Brickyard," Kevin explained.

"Uh huh, just in case you had any ideas, we aren't racing the car at the speedway," Sara warned.

Just over an hours driving, saw them in Indianapolis. Along the way, they had managed to perfect their mind shields to the point where only a directed thought to each other could be received. Just so it wouldn't bring unwanted attention, they decided to use speech in public unless it was an emergency, or very important. Getting off the main highway, they started looking for lodgings. Although they had the laptop to guide them, it didn't show things like hotels, which for tonight, Sara insisted that was what she wanted. The problem was, she didn't want to be in the downtown area. They drove aimlessly, not bothering to use the computer, just cruising the quieter streets seeing as they had plenty of time. Sara chuckled seeing the sign reading East South Street as they headed west along it.

"Let's stop and ask a local for the nearest hotel," Kevin suggested.

Sara agreed, seeing they hadn't spotted anywhere suitable. She slowed, but not enough, as a woman on a bicycle shot out in front of them at the intersection on Alabama Street. Sara braked hard, squealing the tires in a painful protest to no avail. Then came a sickening crunch, as the pushbike impacted into the side and a shape flew over the hood, and tumbled heavily to the road.

Sara and Kevin were out of the car in a flash, the instant it halted. They ran back to the huddled form that was curled over in pain. A man in another car, which had been coming from the same direction as the woman, just wound down his window and yelled out, 'good riddance to bad rubbish,' before speeding off.

Sara and Kevin were shocked at the callousness of it, as they crouched over the meter maid. Obviously, the man in the car must have been chasing her after getting a parking ticket. No wonder why she crashed into them. The woman groaned, showing she was still alive at least. Kevin picked the woman up gently, after checking to see if anything was broken. Sara opened the car door so Kevin could slide her in. So far, no one had bothered to stop, just driving around the obstruction of the mangled bike. Kevin went back and picked it up, placing it in the trunk of the car, and tied the lid down, leaving one wheel hanging out.

They drove down Alabama Street, seeing this was the direction that the woman was headed. They stopped a bit further on and checked the tall red haired woman. To a question of where she lived, they heard a mumbled address, as the woman tried to struggle up. Restraining her gently, Sara got the laptop running and gave Kevin directions from the back seat, where she sat with the injured woman.

It turned out that she lived on Alabama street but further down past the highway 70. They had to turn down East South Street, to get to Terrace Ave, where again they found where Alabama Street continued. They stopped outside her home and transferred the woman inside, using the keys found in her purse, to unlock the place.

Once inside, Sara did a quick search to find the bedroom, directing Kevin who was carrying the woman in his arms. Laying her on the bed, Sara undid the woman's clothes, directing Kevin to get some bandages and to find something to clean her injuries.

The woman roused, feeling the attentions given to her ravaged body.

"Who are you?" she asked dazedly.

"You hit our car, so we brought you home. You have a few bruised ribs I think, looking at your chest. There are some abrasions, but nothing that won't heal by themselves." Sara spoke gently, trying not to alarm the woman. "My name is Sara, and I'm here with Kevin, my boyfriend," she added, introducing herself.

"Maggie O'Malley," replied Maggie, doing the same. Maggie blushed seeing that her chest was bare. Moving brought pain, as she attempted to cover herself.

"Don't move please. You're completely safe with us," soothed Sara, holding her still. Sara ran her fingers gently over the bruising that was beginning to show, pressing to check for fractures. Kevin returned with some warm water mixed with a pungent antiseptic that was easily smelled. Maggie tensed seeing a man, then she relaxed as she realised she was in no danger. Kevin lathed her scrapes with a soft sponge, gently teasing the dirt from her wounds. Maggie sucked air as the antiseptic stung on her abused skin, but made no sound as she toughed it out.

Finding nothing broken, Sara went and rummaged in the fridge, returning with some ice, which she had placed in a plastic bag. She laid the bag on the bruises, to try and reduce the bruising and swelling.

Sara got an idea and used the bracelet to take a sample of blood from Maggie. Maybe using that, she could change Maggie back to her uninjured self, as it should replicate her body using the DNA profile and give her a healthy body again. She slipped off her bracelet and put it on Maggie's wrist, and activated the correct setting.

Maggie's body morphed instantly, but instead of returning to a healthy female form, to Sara's horror, it changed into a male form albeit being healthy.

"Oh no!" gasped Sara, seeing the young man clad in a skirt and hose.

Maggie, or the young man who used to be Maggie gasped as well, seeing her form change.

"What did you do to me? I'm a male again," he cried, fighting to get up.

The "male again," struck horror into Sara. She realised that Maggie was a transsexual, possibly having transitioned. Using the DNA had returned her to her original form, having ignored the hormone changed woman.

Sara thought fast.

"Don't worry, we can give you back your body, but it may be slightly different." She temporised, as Maggie sat up.

"Please let us explain, this wasn't supposed to happen. I took a DNA sample from your body to bring it back to its undamaged form not realising you had once been a man. The device on your wrist cured you of your injuries, but also cured you from the hormone changes. It thought those were injuries as well. But we can fix it I'm sure." Sara explained, hoping Maggie would accept that without getting angry.

"Just my luck, I get abused and chased by an irate driver, crash into a car and injure myself, then to top off the rest of the shitty day, I get turned into a guy. What more can happen?" S/he wailed, scooping up one of her stuffed dolls and hugging it to her/his chest.

Sara felt her heart go out to this forlorn figure, hugging a stuffed doll for comfort. How would she feel in the same circumstances? She looked around at the tidy but sparsely decorated room. Obviously, the money wasn't very plentiful, and even as a guy, s/he looked very thin.

Maggie I want to tell you a story, in return, I want you to tell us yours, okay?"

With Maggie's nod, Sara gave her a brief run down on what the bracelet could do and where it had come from, leaving out the rest as unnecessary. Then it was Maggie's turn, and both Sara and Kevin wept inside at her tale of woe. How her adult body had a little girl child inside just waiting to be released from the terrible injustice of being born to a male body. She told how at the age of three, she knew she should have been a girl, and that denied growing up in her rightful form, had preserved that girl child inside her, not willing to let her grow up a boy. As soon as she was able, she changed her body to fit the mind inside, but her girl self had been left behind, locked inside a body that was already an adult. Only at special times was she allowed to peak out and play, before the harsh realities of life had her scurry back into hiding again.

Sara and Kevin both hugged her as the story unfolded, tears running freely down their cheeks. Sara directed a thought towards Kevin. She smiled as Kevin answered her in same.

Maggie had been telling them about her job as a meter maid, and how awful it was. The abuse from motorists was a constant nightmare, as she went around just doing her duty. She didn't make the rules; she just enforced them, like any other public servant. She didn't make the drivers park illegally or overstay their welcome. She only made enough money to survive, and sometimes that was not enough.

While this was being said, another level of conversation was flowing between Sara and Kevin.

'Remember when we first experimented with the bracelets,' Sara thought at Kevin.

'Yes.'

'Remember when we took partial images of bodies and changed only that part,'

'Ah yes.'

'If we can marry a picture of Maggie's head and the torso of mine, we could give her a proper female body.'

'True, I'll get right on it, are you going to tell her the rest of your idea?' Kevin thought back, standing to go get the laptop.

'Yes, but not until we explain this,' Sara finished.

"Maggie, do you like this body of mine?" Sara asked.

"Well it’s a lovely body, but it doesn't do anything for me sexually, if that's what you’re asking," Maggie replied.

"What if I could give you this body with your female head on it, would that do for a temporary solution?"

"You can do that? Give me a real female body,"

"Yes, if you'd accept it."

"Wait, you said temporary solution?"

"Well, we are on the trip right now and can't look after a toddler, but on the way back, we could come and take you with us."

"Me a toddler! You mean that?" Maggie screamed jumping almost onto Sara's lap.

"Yes if you want, we will adopt you as our child. In the mean time clear up any loose ends, and get what you want to take with you together."

Maggie's eyes widened and tears of joy spilled from her eyes, as she tried to take in the wonder of the moment.

Kevin was back in a jiffy, and set up the laptop. He found the program that was part of the image capture used for sending images and sound to another laptop. Sara stripped off her clothes; not worrying that Maggie was currently male. Standing in front of the screen, Kevin captured an image of her naked form. Saving the image, he asked Maggie for a picture of her female form. Maggie found one and handed it to Kevin, who held it in front of the screen.

He worked with a popular program to manipulate and join the two images, cutting and pasting a resized head to fit Sara's torso, minus the head. Then Kevin used an airbrush technique to blend the union of the two. He tweaked Maggie's face a little, making it even more feminine, before saving.

Sara touched the bracelet that was still on Maggie's wrist, bringing up the image capture function. Within a minute, Maggie was again female, but this time, she was the genuine article, able to bear babies.

All this took time, and it was now getting late and stomachs were rumbling. Maggie offered to feed them and for them to stay the night, but looking in her cupboards, Sara came up with a better idea.

Telling Maggie to get changed and pack a nightie, they took her with them to a hotel for the night. Maggie made the most of the meal that the hotel provided. That night, they shared one bedroom with a king size bed, Kevin having taken on the smaller female body of Julie, so that they all fit on it comfortably. Needless to say, Maggie was over the moon with her changes and that of her promised form.

To be continued.

Carversion -17-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Seventeen

Kevin changed back in the morning, much the disappointment of Maggie, who had spooned into 'her' back that night. Kevin and Sara had breakfast sent up, and they all enjoyed it before they started to make tracks to leave. They dropped off Maggie at her home and left her enough money to live on, seeing her bike was trashed and she would be unable to continue her job. They promised to be back as soon as they could. Sara gave Maggie her phone number to ring if there was a problem.

With hugs and some tears, Sara said goodbye to Maggie, waving to her as Kevin drove the car away down the street.

"Sorry you didn't get to see the Brickyard," Sara broke the silence. "Maybe when we return, you'll get to see it."

"Its no biggie, what happened was more important. As you said, we might get to see it next time," Kevin agreed.

"You realise what taking on Maggie means, don't you?" Sara smiled at Kevin.

"That you get to change the diapers?" Kevin answered with a question, being deliberately obtuse.

"Grrrrrr," Sara half growled, seeing the corner of Kevin's eyes crinkle up in humour. "You know that's not what I meant."

Kevin pushed the envelope a bit more, knowing exactly what she was getting at, but he was enjoying the teasing too much to give her the right answer.

"Oh I know," he smiled, keeping his thoughts from leaking to Sara. "We'll have to go shopping again, for toddler sized clothes oowwh." He complained, as the awaited poke in the ribs signalled the end of the kidding.

"Men," the single word Sara uttered, hung in the air, conveying a multitude of meanings. The fact that Sara had been a man once showed Kevin just how far she had embraced her femininity. He decided to capitulate and give her the answer she wanted.

He pressed the panel on the dash, which produced the change in identity for the occupants. The instant that Sara became Elaine Cosworth married to Steven Cosworth, Kevin/Steven turned to Sara/Elaine.

"Will you marry me?"

"Kevin" Sara/Elaine began, before looking once again at the rings that adorned her finger. "Looks like I already have," she giggled, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"Is that a yes?" he insisted.

"YES!"

Kevin leaned over and got his own kiss in, warily checking the road with a corner of one eye. He went to change the setting back, but Sara as Elaine held his hand.

"Please, I want to keep the ring for a while."

"Okay, why not take the ring off and we could change back, then you'd have the ring for your own finger," Kevin said, thinking of the saving.

Sara did try to take the ring off, but it was too tight to go over the knuckle. She gave up, saying it was just as well it wouldn't come off. "It's probably the wrong size anyway." she added sadly.

Once past Dayton, they sped east to Columbus where they stopped for a comfort break and bought a coffee and a bun.

Wanting to get to their final destination before nightfall, they took full advantage of the cars speed and radar jamming devices to reach Pittsburgh for lunch, again buying something to eat on the way, after finding some restrooms for the inevitable comfort stop. Then it was back on the road, heading southeast, though the Cumberland valley. Traffic increased the nearer they got to Washington DC, and they slowed to a crawl, to just above the posted speed limit. Eventually, the high-rise buildings hove into view, as they got closer. Kevin got out the laptop to locate the street they wanted, while Sara, now back in her body drove the Trans Am. The city had a lot of one way streets, that made getting there through the traffic just that much harder for visitors, but eventually, they found the place at the corner of 17th street and Church street, where the road forms a crescent turning back into 17th street in a loop.

Instead of a house like the other places, they saw an apartment block. Kevin who had used the bracelet to become Brian Somers, the owner of unit 15, told Sara to drive into the underground parking facility, directly under the building. He handed her a magnetic card from his wallet, which she used to open the barrier arm protecting the resident's garage. Unit 15 proved to be on the top floor and took up the entire level. The card had to be used, both in the lift and on the front door just outside the lift landing at level 15.

Kevin as Brian handed Sara the security card, while he used the bracelet to return to his own body, not wanting the card to disappear with the rest of Brian's apparel. Taking back the card, Kevin went to open the door.

"Wait, look at that," Sara called, pointing to the marks near the edge of the door.

"Damn, it looks like someone has tried to force the door. I wonder how they got to this level, seeing you need a card." He mused, looking around.

"What about the fire escape?" Sara asked seeing a locked door with a release button at the far side of the landing.

They walked over seeing that it was electrically locked. Pushing the button resulted in a low clunk as the bolts withdrew. Opening the door, showed that there was no signs of forced entry as they stepped out onto the fire escape landing that led down the outside of the building.

Going back inside, they looked for any clue to how an intruder had made it to the front door.

"Maybe they cut the power to the place, and got in through the doors then," suggested Sara, clutching at straws.

"No, that wouldn't work," Kevin answered, having had an uncle in the security business and had picked up some knowledge of it from him. "The security access system would have a backup system, probably batteries that keep it up. But... there is one way of shutting the doors down." He said, as he peered up at the sprinkler heads. "Look at those, they have been replaced recently, see how the paint is new."

Sara looked up at the ceiling, seeing that new paint had been applied near the sprinkler heads. She saw one spot that had been missed showing a rusty looking mark. She pointed it out.

"Yes, some one made the fire system go off. Breaking a sprinkler will set them all off and that would shut down the security, releasing all doors so people can evacuate. Still, that still doesn't show why there are marks around the door."

"So you’re saying, is that the persons who set the sprinklers off, got in through the fire escape door, but still couldn't get inside the apartment?"

"Yes, let's check inside. Hopefully, we'll find the answers there." Kevin answered, opening the door warily. The solid thunks as the door unlocked, showed that the security had been added to. They swung the overly thick door open, seeing multiple latches and what seemed like a steel plate running though the doors core. As they moved silently, splitting apart to check different rooms they could see that the sprinklers hadn't been set off, they were obviously the originals as they had paint on them from when the ceiling was repainted. Kevin found the reason why the intruders hadn't got in. He pointed out a suitcase-sized box near the door.

"This place has its own power backup. That's a UPS, I guess that they had a reason to keep the door secure, I just hope we haven't brought ourselves more trouble." Kevin reiterated.

"Wow! Look at this," Sara exclaimed, struggling to lift up what looked like a small cannon.

Kevin took the weapon and slid open the magazine. He whistled, showing Sara the long shells seated inside.

"It looks like a modified Desert Eagle. He turned over the weapon looking at the silvered triangular shaped barrel. "It must be at least a 44 or a 45 magnum, but these hand gun shell's these are for a rifle. No wonder it has porting on the barrel, the recoil must be something wicked." He said awestruck.

"It's so long, why would they need something that powerful?" Sara asked, feeling a sense of impending doom.

"The 10 inch barrel is to reduce muzzle flash and aid in reducing recoil, as to the reason?" Here Kevin shrugged. "You could shoot and kill a car with this. It would crack open an engine block." Kevin slid the magazine with its deadly load back into the weapon with a metallic snick.

They searched the rest of the place, finding nothing, no clothes, and no more devices. The place was bare, even the cupboards and fridge. The only thing there was the gun. Sara felt that something was wrong, it felt like a trap, one in which they were meant to find the gun, but why that? It didn't make sense, not with what they knew of the Shelke.

"Let’s get out of here, now!" Sara demanded, sharing her fears with Kevin. He nodded, silently, agreeing that things didn't add up. They left the place, not even bothering to lock it behind them, as a sense of danger started taking hold. Kevin touched his bracelet to assume Huang's form, somehow knowing the martial arts skills that came with this form might be needed. He tossed the heavy gun to Sara, instructing her silently to use both hands should she need to use it.

The lift dinged, almost immediately after they pushed the button, meaning it had been only on the floor below. Warning bells flashed in their minds and instantly they jumped to the side of the lift door as it started to open. Dull pops sounded and the wall opposite exploded as the bullets from silenced guns, tore the plaster to shreds. Kevin and Sara having flattened themselves against the wall beside the lift, held their breath, as two forms walked forward into view. They were holding guns with silencers fitted. These were held out in front of them, as they stepped forward. In a move made possible only by having minds synchronised together, Sara slashed down across the wrist of the nearest person with the heavy gun she was holding. She saw Kevin/Huang smash the wrist of the other with a blow from a lightening kick, and watched the two weapons skitter to the floor as the two men screamed in pain from their broken wrists.

Sara kicked the fallen weapons into the open lift and entered it, turning, and holding the Desert Eagle to cover the two groaning men. She took in their appearance as Kevin managed to frisk them quickly. The two men looked like twins, heavyset and reminded her of agent Smith from the movie Matrix. Kevin had found a pair of handcuffs, and had locked the two men together by their undamaged hands.

"We know who you are, and what you're doing here." One of the men shouted. "Give it up, and tell us where the rest of the Shelke are hiding. We have men everywhere, you can't escape."

"Who are you?" Sara yelled back, waving the gun threateningly.

"Your worst nightmare," the other answered menacingly, as the doors of the lift slid shut in his face, Kevin having pressed the button for the ground floor.

Sara was shaking so hard, as reaction set in, but she pulled herself together, as she knew they weren't out of the woods yet. Watching the lift level numbers light up as they passed the floors, she desperately pressed the level four button, then started pressing the buttons of the floors they had passed.

"What are you doing?" demanded Kevin still in Huang's body form.

"Making it take longer to find us in case they have men waiting below." Sara answered with a weak smile.

All the floors from four down were pressed, making the lift stop at each one. Sara dragged Kevin out at four and together; they ran down the stairs to level three. There, Sara went to the fire escape to climb down to ground level. Using the bracelets, they changed identities again, handing the gun to the other in turn, to stop it disappearing into limbo. It was Jennifer alone, who walked inside to the car park, her large handbag managing to conceal the gun. She checked out the area near the car as she walked closer. With her hand in her bag holding the gun, she was alert for anything. She finally reached the car without anyone jumping out of the shadows. She opened it and started it up. Driving the car towards the exit, two men stepped out, holding shotgun like weapons. She gunned the car heading straight for them. The wheels screamed in protest on the concrete floor, making a banshee shriek that would scare the dead.

The two men, who looked exactly like the ones on level 15, avoided being run over by the narrowest of margins. They fired their weapons at the retreating car; sending showers of sparks flying as the car easily deflected the projectiles. Sara slowed just long enough to allow a sprinting Kevin to leap aboard. Sara handed him the gun, knowing that he knew what was coming up from behind.

Trying to race through streets in an unfamiliar city, without causing accidents or become lost is a huge ask. With Kevin occupied with looking out behind them, he wasn't able to use the laptop, so it wasn't long before they found themselves lost. Kevin had spotted several cars following them; most had been lost, due to Sara's fancy driving and sudden turns at the last second. They had picked up another later on and this one seemed to cling to their tail like glue. Going down a relatively quiet street, Kevin asked Sara to spin the car sideways facing a side street and stop.

She didn't question Kevin, as she slowed and slid the car across the road, blocking it, as the pursuer closed on them. Kevin jumped out and reached out over the top of the car resting his hands on the roof to steady his hands, before taking careful aim with the gun and firing at the approaching car. The shot rang out deafeningly, echoing down the street, seeming to stop time for a second. Sara saw a flash of flame from the muzzle of the gun spear out over her head, and saw another flash of steam come from behind the grill of the car approaching them.

"Go now! Shouted Kevin, bringing the smell of cordite, back inside from the still smoking weapon.

Sara floored it, her ears still ringing from the single shot, and headed directly down the side street they had been facing. She saw that the other car had slowed, as oil smoke poured from under the hood. Racing through the littered strewn street, she saw that the wounded car had made the turn into the street on momentum alone, as it ground to a halt. She did a sharp left, as Kevin sat back and booted up the neglected laptop. Several minutes later they were headed to the outskirts of the city, finding a park to stop, where they changed the car into the more sedate looking Volvo.

Sara's phone rang, making them both jump at the sudden noise. It was William, and he wasn't happy.

"They have Julie." William blurted out.

"Who have?" asked Sara, sensing that William was in a panic.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure it's to do with a fight I had earlier," William explained.

"Are you sure? We just ran into a problem ourselves," Sara asked, giving William a quick rundown on their current situation.

"Yes pretty much, I think I can handle it, but I wanted you to know in case- well you know- something happened," William answered, filling them in on his situation.

"I wish we could help, but we have our own troubles to sort out, be careful okay, and let us know the situation, when you can." Sara looked at her watch, seeing it was a quarter past five, time to find some food and a place to stay for the night.

To be continued.

Carversion -18-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eighteen

William put the cell phone down, and checked the time, two fifteen. His initial panic had subsided after talking to Sara. He hoped their situation wasn't linked to their own, but the co-incidence of them both finding trouble at the same time was unsettling.

After the rough and tumble from the other day, William had thought that the phone call from Julie's kidnappers, were from friends of those they'd beaten up, but now thinking about it, he wasn't so sure.

Julie had gone out after lunch, saying she wanted to go shopping. She'd refused his offer to come with her, saying it was just clothes, and she didn't want to be rushed, knowing he'd just be hanging around waiting for her. Julie said she would get something for tea, and not for to expect her till around four.

When the phone call came not long ago, he was shocked. The unidentified person had demanded that he and that other bitch meet at an address downtown, or the girl seen leaving his place that afternoon would suffer. William assumed that they didn't know that they were already holding the 'bitch.'

He'd cursed, realising that he should have known that they might know where he lived and had set up surveillance. He'd called the others, to let them what had happened. Knowing that they themselves were in trouble didn't help him feel calm. His lie that he had a plan was just to try and stop them worrying about him, so they could concentrate at getting away safe. Sara's plea that if anything was to happen to them, then he had to try and find Maggie and look after her, signified the seriousness of their situation.

Turning his thoughts to rescuing Julie, William paced the room, making and discarding various harebrained schemes. Finally, he decided to use the KISS principal, "Keep it simple, stupid, and play their game and just meet up with them seeing he couldn't be two people at once, he decided to go as the bitch. Not that he wanted too, but it seemed the safer option.

If he went as Huang, they might just kill him and be done with it. Going as Mi Ling however, might just do the trick. They could have no former grudge with her other than what happened outside the restaurant, and if they thought they would still get their hands on Huang, they wouldn't kill her outright. Being a woman, they might underestimate her abilities viewing her more as an object of desire than that of revenge. As Mi Ling, she'd even use sex as a way of keeping Julie alive. He used the bike in its corvette mode to become Mi Ling and then drove off to rescue his love.

It was 5.30 when Sara clambered back into the Volvo with the food she had bought. Time to find somewhere to sleep. Kevin was worried about being tracked down if they went to a hotel, so they cruised randomly until they found an out of the way motel. They used their Cosworth identities, hoping this would buy them time to regroup. Making dinner was the first priority, as hunger was making their stomachs growl.

Then it was discussion time. Trying to work out what went wrong and what to do next. Kevin was looking at the gun, checking the magazine.

"Did you see the mess this made of that engine? It must have cracked the engine block wide open. It's funny I don't have sore wrists from the kick," he enthused.

"Well remember, you have an alien produced body, I'm sure that they have stronger muscles and better healing powers than most humans. I just wish we didn't have to resort to using a gun, even if it was only to disable a car," Sara sighed.

"Do you think those MIB's were waiting for us? I mean we hadn't been there very long, and they certainly had enough of them there." Kevin asked, putting the gun away.

"There was something strange about that whole situation. Something tells me it's linked to Julie's capture. It feels I can't describe it, but I know it's not what it looks like. Something else is happening."

"I hope William is okay and Julie of course," Kevin said, reminding Sara of their friend's plight.

Sara tried to sense Julie and William, using her newly awakened talent. She could feel something, it wasn't exactly thoughts, but as she stretched out her mind, she felt that Julie was okay and that William something felt different. She felt certain that William had changed. Female? She wondered if she was just imagining it, or had William changed to a female form, allowing a closer bond between them. She thought to Kevin, and tried to link their minds, trying to see if two minds could increase the connection. Nothing, well, not nothing exactly, she could hear his thoughts, but it wasn't helping. What they needed was a Vulcan mind meld, like was popularised on Star Trek.

"Where's a handy Vulcan when you need one," Sara complained, breaking contact with Kevin's mind.

"Maybe if we got naked, and tried physical contact as well," Kevin proposed, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sara was about to retort about how thinking of sex at a time like this was inappropriate, but then changed her mind. The idea had merit, although if Kevin thought he was going to get lucky, he'd be sadly disappointed. At least for the moment, she added silently to herself.

"Okay, let's try it."

They shed their clothes hurriedly and got together on the bed, lying facing each other. Warm skin on skin was nice, and as Sara felt Kevin grow, she almost changed her mind about not letting him get lucky. They wrapped their arms around each other, and looked at each other's face. Thoughts flashed between them as they felt into each other's eyes. Thoughts blurred, as they mixed and blended, fusing into one.

As their two minds fused into one entity, they spent a second... an eon in wonderment at the beauty and totality of the union of their thoughts. There were no 'her' thoughts or 'his' thoughts, an instants worry as how to separate back into individual minds was washed away as unimportant for the moment. They saw their entwined bodies from a single separate viewpoint, seemingly from a few feet above their actual bodies. All of this took barely a moment as they turned their mind to the task in hand. As one, they turned their attention towards the two minds they were seeking. With hardly any effort, they reached both William and Julie's mind.

William, or rather, Mi Lings mind was clear and bright, while Julie's seemed sluggish and hard to read. Settling into William's mind, it was as if they were there riding along with him/her. Knowing that William didn't need the distraction of finding out about having a passenger in his/her mind, they decided to remain silent, only if they thought he/she needed their help, would they let their presence be known.

William as Mi Ling had her hair tied in a chignon at the nape of her head. Two ornate wooden sticks held it in place, forming a cross. Her clothing consisted of a tight red chrysanthemum covered top

She wore a pair of loose white silk pants, which allowed free movement, in case she needed to move quickly. Traditional wooden soled sandals adorned her feet, and although her top was form fitting, she found that the top had three flat bladed throwing knives fitted just under the edge of the top that crossed her chest.

She pulled up at the address she had been given. The place had a foreboding look that didn't help her peace of mind. The warehouse was blacked out and there seemed to be no sign of life, as William/ Mi Ling got out of her car, and clicked her way to the only door showing.

She opened the door, finding it unlocked and stood in the doorway before stepping inside. She stepped sideways to stand and allow her eyes to adjust to the darker interior. Looking around, she saw a mostly empty interior in the middle was a stand alone office with a table sitting outside, one of the chairs around the table had Julie tied to it. She looked drugged, which would explain why she hadn't been able to free herself. Her hands were firmly tied to the arms of the chair.

It was purely Mi Ling that walked over to the table. William was put aside, so no slip of character would alert Julie's captors. Just as Mi Ling reached Julie, a man stepped out of the office. Although he didn't have a gun in his hand, Mi Ling knew he was armed. Mi Ling went to Julie and crouched down to check her as the man spoke.

"Where's Huang?" He asked curtly."

"He said he would come in once his friend was released unharmed. I'm here to be your hostage instead." Mi Ling answered, looking into Julie's eyes.

"He doesn't get to set terms," the man shouted angrily.

Mi Ling just shrugged, as if it made no never mind to her.

"You should know how difficult he is, he doesn't like following instructions." Mi Ling offered, while checking for Julie's bracelet surreptitiously. It was there, but the man was watching her like a hawk and she dare do nothing, to help.

"And just who are you? We had a report that you interfered in our business, causing one of our members to have extensive surgery on his face." The man said menacingly, taking her arm and pulling her away from Julie.

"I'm Mi Ling, Huang's wife. I just came here from my home in the orient. We were attacked outside the restaurant, so I defended myself. I had no idea what was going on, but I dislike being man handled," she said with spirit, looking at his hand on her arm, warningly.

The man laughed, but she noticed he let go her arm, as he directed her inside the office. So far, he hadn't bothered searching her, seeming to view her more as a nice piece of ass than as a serious threat. To the combined mind of Sara and Kevin, something seemed out of kilter with the situation, but not knowing what, decided to remain as observers only.

Mi Ling saw another man in the office, talking on a phone. She waited while the second man concluded his conversation. Hanging up the phone, he turned and leered at her voluptuous form, before he spoke.

"Looks like we can have a little fun with you, before the rest of our men arrive. Seems they are delayed, which will give us time to sample a little oriental pleasure," he cackled, rubbing his hands together.

Mi Ling saw that neither of these men had been present at her earlier fight, and either didn't consider her a threat, given her slight build, or were too confident in their own macho strength. Mi Ling decided now was a good time to act, before reinforcements arrived. She backed away from the advancing man, forcing him to advance. Mi Ling felt the first man grab her, stopping her retreat. Quick as a flash, she reached up to her hair, freeing the two hair sticks. Pulling them out, she stabbed the points, into the side of the man's head, spearing though his earlobes. The man bellowed in pain and released her, immediately she spun and used the wooden soled sandals to good use, kicking him in his most treasured organs. The man dropped to his knees like a stone, seemingly frozen with his eyes bulging and his mouth open in a rictus of pain.

Spinning away from him, Mi Ling whipped out two of her throwing daggers and looked at the second man who was backing away from her in fear. He was trying to reach a gun as he stood back against the wall of the office. Mi Ling held her aim, turning it slightly as she let fly. Instead of killing him with shots to the heart, something indefinable changed her target. One knife caught at his wrist pinning his arm to the wall by the sleeve of his jacket the force driving it deep into the wall. The second knife pinned his other wrist to the table where he was trying to reach a gun. Mi Ling ran outside to Julie and used the third knife to slash at her bindings.

Mi Ling used the bracelet on Julie's wrist to switch her into her another Mi Ling. The transformation took care of the drugs in her system and her mind became clear. She looked at her twin and the force of her gaze was palpable. The hovering mind in William's head rejoiced, as they felt the same union of thoughts begin between William and Julie. The meld of mind that was Sara and Kevin withdrew, not wanting to intrude on what was the most intimate moment of their friend's lives.

The gestalt that was both Kevin and Sara, watched as William/Mi Ling updated Julie/Mi Ling in a flurry of thoughts, as he apprised her of the current situation. So urgent was to need to convey the danger they were in, that they didn't take time to question their newfound ability. William wanted to get out of there, communicating his distrust of the situation and the odd feeling, he had, but Julie stayed his hand.

She felt the same odd feeling that William had described in his mental conversation. Sensing that there was more to this than met the eye, she outlined her plan to him in an instance, making the face of mi ling smile as he approved of Julie's idea.

Some time later, two men strode from the warehouse and got into the car mi ling had been driving. With a quiet squeal of tires, it sped along the streets in the late afternoon sun, heading for Huang's home. Once clear of the area the two men disappeared as they shimmered and changed back in mi ling twins.

"That was a great idea, honey," the driver said, looking over to Julie/Mi Ling.

"I thought changing places with them would buy us more time, especially having tied them up and taping their mouths." Julie replied with a grin.

I think that the one I kicked was even grateful for changing him into your body, at least the pain had stopped for him," chortled William/Mi Ling. "I wonder what will happen to them, I can't see them heading for the cops, that is, if they do convince the rest of their friends of what happened to them."

"I get the feeling, we won't hear or see from them again," Julie stated positively. The gestalt silently agreed with Julie's conclusions.

"You don't think they'll kill them," gasped William in her Mi Ling's worried tone.

"No I don't, something stinks, it felt almost like a test...as if..." Julie trailed off, her mind trying to track down the reasons she felt that way. The gestalt was about to reveal themselves to the others, when the sound of a cell phone began to jar their union of minds apart.

William felt something lift away from her mind- it had a familiar feel about it. Julie reading Williams thoughts, also recognised it as familiar, she almost swore that if felt like Sara and Kevin. Now they were out of the immediate danger from their kidnappers, they turned their thoughts to the miracle of the telepathy they had acquired. They came to the same conclusions as the others had for it happening. Seeing William in Mi Ling's body, made Julie moist, and she was glad he'd retained stayed in that body for the moment. Once back at Huang's home, Sara pulled her twin to the bedroom, after making sure the place was secure, to indulge in a mutual sexual engagement. During their need to express sexual release, that found that point where they lost themselves in the other, both in body and mind, forming their own unique gestalt.

Using their combined powers, they went over the previous hours experience with the kidnappers.

*It was a test- and the others were here with us, looking on. See the traces they left,* the gestalt thought. *I think we passed the test, at least that's the impression I'm getting.* The more intuitive part of the gestalt's thought formed. *This feels like the Shelke are involved, maybe Sara and Kevin are having their own test, let's hope they pass as well.*

Sara came to herself, hearing the strident chirp of the cell phone, making its insistent call. Rolling away from Kevin, she grasped the annoying object and pressed the receive button.

"Hello,"

"Your worse nightmare is calling, no don't hang up." The voice said, anticipating Sara's instinct to end the call. "We have a friend of yours, she wants to say hello."

Sara's heart froze, turning to a lead block that threatened to drop out of her body. She heard the phone being handed to someone and a small worried voice spoke, chilling Sara to the bone.

"Hello Sara, this is Maggie, I'm sorry, but these men came and…"

"Heard enough?" interrupted a man's voice, having taken the phone off Maggie.

"What do you want?" demanded Sara, anger starting to replace the fear for Maggie's life.

"Meet us at the park nearest you, we'll discuss terms there," the voice said, before the line went dead.

"They've got Maggie," cried Sara, as she turned to Kevin.

"Who?" asked Kevin uselessly, suddenly realizing he already knew. "DAMN!" His expletive saying it all.

"We have to meet them at the nearest park. We'd better get changed, before they decide to hurt Maggie."

"Are you going as yourself, or maybe Mi Ling? She does have the advantage of knowing martial arts." Kevin suggested, having used the bracelet to become Huang again.

"No, I'll stay as I am," Sara replied, further showing her adaptation to her current form, as at one time, Scott would have been 'yourself.'

"They saw us like this, we don't want to give away any advantage, in case I might need to become her later, besides, I will have the cannon." She grinned, lifting the proven killer of cars in her dainty hands.

"Just don't point that thing at me, I'm not that fast that I want to test whether I can dodge bullets."

"Can't you leap over tall buildings in a single bound," teased Sara with a disappointed look.

"No, but I can leap on a single naked Sara's with one," he mock threatened, trying to lighten the seriousness of the situation.

"One what?" Sara asked, seizing the irresistible opening.

"I'll show you later honey," he quipped, waggling his eyebrows up and down and mimicked flicking his imaginary cigar.

Sara laughed at his bad Groucho Marx imitation. One thing, she felt better now about handling the situation than a few minutes ago. They had to succeed in getting Maggie back unharmed; to fail was unimaginable, even if it cost them their lives. Maggie was an innocent, a chance encounter. It would be their fault for involving her, something she couldn't live with if anything happened.

Kevin didn't need to use telepathy to know what Sara was thinking at that moment. He put his arms around her and pulled her close for a kiss.

"We'll get her back, or die trying." He said breaking off the kiss to whisper in her ear

Sara smiled weakly, knowing he meant it. She wished she felt as confident. Straightening up she forced the doubts away, and got dressed. Kevin was already dressed, having used the bracelets power in becoming Huang. He was dressed in a black Gi, which seemed a rather appropriate choice. Sara wondered if the bracelet had sensed the need for the traditional fighters wear. She hoped so and that it wasn't a portent of the future that there would in fact, be a fight. For herself, she selected some jeans that fit comfortably and a pullover top in gray.

They used the Volvo form to locate the nearest park, the laptop proved essential as well.

The night was lit only with a few lights at the children's park. Sara and Kevin got out of the car and waited. Kevin was at her back giving her some warmth and a sense of security, as she searched for sight of Maggie and the others in the ill lit park. Three shadows moved amongst the trees that dotted the area. The shorter one in the middle proved to be Maggie, as the light caught her face, as they advanced. One of the men was holding her by the throat, his black gloved hand opening, and closing involuntary.

Maggie looked drawn, but her eyes lit up, on seeing Sara. She didn't say anything seemingly cowed by the men looming at her side. When the group came within ten feet, they stopped.

Sara raised the cannon with both hands, and pointed it the man holding Maggie's throat.

"Release her, now," she threatened, her voice filled with menace. The man just grinned and then his face changed to one of concentration. The gun in Sara's hands seemed to morph, becoming a banana. To say Sara was shocked was an understatement. It looked and felt like a banana. How? Obviously, the man had done something. Something within her kept the 'banana,' aimed at the man. She was trying to nail down something that seemed to be trying to tell her something. But her mind seemed to be full of pillows, and she couldn't concentrate enough to pull up the thought.

Kevin had seen the gun morph as well, and saw the conflict struggling in her mind as he tried to come to terms with it all. He touched her, top show her he was right there for her.

As Sara felt Kevin's touch, her mind cleared a little, and the answer came. The banana still had weight, it might look like a banana, but it weighed like the cannon. She gestured with her fruit, treating it as a weapon and not a banana. As dearly she would have liked to shoot him, instead she pointed it between his legs; she squeezed it, hoping for the right result. The banana erupted with a roar, sending a three foot discharge of flame from its end and kicking viciously back in her hands. Dirt spewed out of the hole the bullet cut into the ground between the man's legs. The bullet having struck a rock, then ricocheted, making an eerie keening sound into the shattered silence. The man flinched as dirt stung his legs and his face paled as Sara concentrated on making the banana look like a gun again, because she knew that the man had somehow controlled her mind, making the gun look like a harmless fruit.

The man wasn't about to release Maggie; in fact, a knife appeared in his hands, but whether it was real or not, Sara couldn't tell. It was a Mexican standoff. Kevin took up a fighting stance looking every inch the warrior; still, he held his position and waited.

Each side looked at each other, as if daring someone to make the first move. Kevin and Sara joined into their special gestalt, not needing the trigger of physical contact, now they knew how to initiate it.

The two men facing them, must have sensed their mental union, because they tensed suddenly and the one not holding Maggie, brought out a sinister looking weapon.

Every inch of their bodies screamed to take action at this new threat, but the gestalt held off, seeking some other solution. On a level, not really understood, the part which was the ying, of the gestalt, allowed the cannon to drop, despite seeing the other man's weapon being raised towards them.

"STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice familiar to the gestalt demanded. Breaking the union, the two minds returned to their bodies, and spun to see a familiar person standing behind them.

To be continued.

Carversion -19-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Nineteen

"STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice familiar to the gestalt demanded. Breaking the union, the two minds returned to their bodies, and spun to see a familiar person standing behind them.

Seeing Kim standing there came as no surprise, having recognised her voice. She was striding towards them and waved to the man with his weapon dismissively.

"But they made a Nexus," the man protested, still keeping the weapon trained on the pair.

"I said enough. They have passed the test now go and take them with you." Kim ordered, her voice taking on an authoritative edge.

Sara and Kevin turned back to see the two men and Maggie walking away. Kevin made as if he wanted to go fetch Maggie, but Sara held him back, whispering that it wasn't Maggie, but another of the Shelke. As she spoke, they saw 'Maggie' shimmer and become a similarly dressed man as the others.

"I guess you have a few questions," Kim asked when she reached them, standing quietly by their sides.

"A few," agreed Sara, looking at an older looking Kim with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's go talk somewhere comfortable, your place or mine?"

Thinking about the not so nice place they had found, the answer was easy.

"Your place."

"Okay, but I'll drive, I love the old Vumerkoln, it has more features than the later models."

"Vumekoln?" Sara and Kevin both chorused.

"Sorry, the truck... car, that you have been driving."

Kim had started driving, the minute they had got in, and it looked like they were headed into the city. Kim touched a bare section of the dashboard with her finger. At once, the panel, which hadn't had any features on it to draw the eye, suddenly folded out, revealing more pad-like panels. Kim seemed to be deciding which one to press. She looked at the others in the back seat and grinned.

"I think you'll like this," her eyes twinkled charmingly.

She pressed the one she had decided on. Immediately, the car morphed into a white silver ghost Rolls Royce. Kevin found himself back in his original body, stylishly dressed in a black tux with a red cummerbund about his waist. Sara found her vision partial obscure by a white gauzy veil. She felt the clothing constricting her gently and heard the rustle of her gown. She looked down, 'OMG, I'm in a wedding gown,' she thought, surprised. Kevin looked at Sara, sharing what he saw, to her mind, so she could see herself from his viewpoint.

The gown was gorgeous and felt wonderful as she moved in it. The sensations of satin sliding against silk sent rapturous tingles throughout her body. The bodice with it's thousands of seed pearls finished at the empire style waist. The satin sleeves came right down to her hand partly covering the back of it and held in place with a loop round her middle finger. She had a short veil that came down to the middle of her back. It was almost too much to take in at once.

"We have a suite reserved for you at the Hilton Hotel," Kim said, forestalling the obvious question. "You are newlyweds for the moment. Isn't this cool? There are some classic cars in here for special occasions; you can even program more in. I think this one even has a Hum Vee added." Kim told the flabbergasted couple.

Kim drove them into the entrance of the hotel and helped Sara get out. She told them to ask for the Thompson suite, while she drove the car into the parking provided. Sara felt like every eye was on her as she walked with Kevin to the front desk. Kevin asked for their suite as Sara looked at herself in one of the mirrors adorning the columns. A bellhop guided them to the suite on the tenth floor and unlocked the door, then handed the key to Kevin. He seemed to be waiting for them to enter first and Kevin clued in by a silent thought from Sara, picked her up and lifted her over the threshold. Oddly, the bellhop closed the door behind them, seeming to forgo the chance to get his tip.

Kevin took Sara to the bedroom and lowered her to the huge bed. She plucked at the gown, wondering what they were doing here rigged up as newlyweds. Although the gown was beautiful, it was hardly practical for what she assumed would be a long explanation from Kim.

A knock at the door heralded the entry of Kim, who smiled at them encouragingly. Sara and Kevin sat with Kim in the lounge and waited for her to speak.

"I know it's late and you still have your questions, but I suggest we start fresh in the morning. I will say this, before leaving you. As you suspected, I'm one of the Shelke race, I was born here from the union of two humanised Shelke. You have been under observation by those who remained here after our emergency recall, from when you first started using the Krin." Kim paused, seeing their confusion. "The Krin is our name for the bracelets you're wearing."

"How?" interrupted Sara, seeking more information.

"They are more than just a portable means of body changing. For us, they help us in our telepathic communication. They help us broadcast our thoughts without needing concentrated thought processes, which drain mental energy."

"So while we were wearing them, you could pick up our thoughts?" asked Sara, seeing the link to their own telepathic abilities.

"Yes, to a degree. At first, your thoughts were very faint, but the longer you wore them the stronger they grew. The others wanted to neutralise you as a threat to our security, but with your constant shifting around and then your travel to Australia, it made it difficult to arrange."

"You were going to kill us?" Kevin asked, with a shocked voice.

Kim laughed. "No silly, we aren't that barbaric, we would have erased your memories like you did to Robert. By the way, you did an excellent job there. In fact, that act, gave me the ammunition to fight for you to be allowed to continue. The others agreed, but insisted on testing you, to see if you could be trusted not to use your baser instincts."

"We passed?" Kevin asked.

"Both you and the others passed. Your test was more prolonged, as you were the leaders in your group. I'm sorry that we put you through the stress of it all, but in fact, you were not in any danger." Kim paused, looking at her watch, "Look it’s late, and you'll need to be alert for tomorrow. Enjoy the room, and I'll see you in the morning, around ten."

"One more thing," Sara asked, kicking herself for not asking earlier. "Is Maggie okay?"

"Of course, I should have mentioned that your friend knows nothing of us. We wouldn't have dragged an innocent into this situation." Kim answered, smiling as she saw Sara visibly relax. "See you in the morning. Oh, I forgot to mention, there are clothes in the wardrobe for you." With that, she let herself out, making sure the "Do not disturb" sign was up on the outside of the door.

Sara looked at Kevin. Trying to take in all of Kim's explanation was making her head whirl. She still had a million or so questions, but fatigue from the day’s activities was making her head spin.

"Take me to bed please, I need some loving." She told Kevin.

Never one to allow a suggestion like that to pass, Kevin took her literally, scooping her up in arms and carrying her back to the bedroom. Kevin looked at Sara in her gown and thought to himself, 'one day that will be for real.' He started taking her gown off as she shifted to allow him to get to all the tiny pearl buttons. She felt sad that this wasn't for real, but then smiled, knowing one day soon, it would be. Kevin was all man, but having experienced being female with all the attendant sensations from wearing sexy clothes, he felt a moments pang of jealousy at not being the one in the gown, as he reverently put it aside, laying it carefully on a padded foot locker at the end of the bed.

"Silly boy, you could always be me if you wanted to wear it," Sara offered with a grin, seeing the longing in Kevin's eyes.

"But if I'm you, who will be me?" Kevin laughed, pouncing on the scantily clad Sara and attacking her ticklish spots.

"Hehehe, hey stop that," gasped an out of breath Sara. "I guess I could... for a short while anyway," she emended, seeing if he'd pick up on the opening.

"You calling me short?" Kevin snorted stripping off his pants and demonstrating just how wrong she was.

"Hehehe, well that worked," she crowed, reaching out and grabbing him by his convenient handle.

"I think you made your point," laughed Kevin, as he took off his jacket and shirt.

"No, I think you made the point," Sara giggled tugging on the warm handle in her hand to emphasis her meaning.

Kevin let himself be pulled willingly on to the bed, where he looked at Sara's aroused nipples.

"Two points to one... love," he returned, with a smirk.

Not to be outdone, Sara served a last volley.

"The balls in your court, my lover," she giggled, kissing him quickly before he could say anything more.

The game changed in the next few minutes, as they wriggled out of their remaining clothes, to tonsil hockey. Then Sara stopped, pushing gently at Kevin.

"Wait, I don't want this moment to be shared with anyone," she said, slipping off her bracelet, and placing it on the table beside the bed. Kevin did the same, before taking up where he left off. As Sara's orgasm started to build, she shared the feeling with Kevin. Kevin reciprocated, feeding her his feelings as they neared climax. So tight was their mental bond that their mutual orgasms pulled them back into the gestalt, or Nexus, as the Shelke had called it. They wondered if this was something new or could the Shelke do this without the bracelets as well. They could see their bodies locked together in sexual union just as their minds had done the same. With a thought, they flashed away, seeking their friends in California.

It seemed that the others had formed their own nexus as they arrived. Both William and Julie were in Mi Ling's forms, as they lay on their bed in Huang's home. The two Nexi touched, flooding each with their own shared experiences. In a dance of thoughts, they filled in the gaps that the others hadn't been aware of. The minds of William and Julie were told of Kim's revelations and they promised to try and be there when Kim came in the morning. Making them aware of the nature of the bracelets power to leak information to the Shelke, they promised that they would try and achieve a gestalt without using it.

Leaving them to experiment, the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara, left with a mental hug to the others, before heading home to get back to their bodies. On the way, they detoured to see if Maggie could be found. It wasn't hard to sense her, seeing the bond that they had formed with Maggie. It wasn't like flying over the land looking for a physical body; all they needed was a mental image of her to guide them. Maggie's thoughts stood out like a beacon; her former desperate longing had turned to newfound joy as her situation had changed. At the moment, she was sleeping, dreaming of her future as a child, the nexus hovered near, sensing the chaotic images associated in dreamscapes. Maggie must have sensed them being near, as she smiled in her sleep and reached out her arms. The nexus gave her a mental hug, whispering to the slumbering mind that they'd be together soon.

Reluctantly, they left her then, seeking their own bodies, so they could get some much needed slumber themselves. Slipping back into their individual bodies, they noticed that although it seemed longer, they had in fact only been away for a few minutes. This mind to mind thing was bit like the internet, the better the connection, the better the speed. Kissing one another again, Kevin and Sara snuggled against each other as they relaxed into sleep.

Morning came exactly on time, with Sara waking first as usual. She felt the need to go, as her bladder was complaining. As she slipped out of bed, she grabbed a robe and slipped it on, before heading to the toilet. She felt a little crusty from the previous nights romp, so as soon as she finished, she headed for the bath. Deciding on a bath was a no brainer, once she saw the scented bath salts supplied.

She luxuriated in the bath feeling the tensions from the trip, become a memory. She lay there, head back with her eyes closed, smelling the herbal scents wafting up from the steamy water. Suddenly her lips were attacked with the slightly bristly face of Kevin. She smiled, not opening her eyes, as she felt him step into the bath and straddle her body. Kevin turned his attentions to her breasts as they poked out of the bubbles like lost continents. The combination of his raspy tongue and the bristly unshaven face started to send signals everywhere like an all points bulletin.

"Hey that tickles," she giggled, pushing him gently away, as her body spasmed in delight. "You need a shave," she added handing him a triple bladed razor supplied by the hotel.

"So do you," was Kevin's cheeky response, as he ran a hand down her leg.

"Shave me, I don't feel like moving," Sara pouted, as she lifted one shapely leg up for inspection.

Kevin did as she commanded willingly, taking advantage of Sara's closed eyes to ogle her sexy body as he stroked the razor over her silky skin. Both legs done, he handed her the razor. Knowing what he wanted, Sara opened her eyes to see where the can of shaving foam was. She sprayed Kevin's face till he looked like a Father Christmas with white foam, instead of a white beard. She shaved him carefully as so not to nick him, feeling a sense of joy at this simple intimacy.

They might have explored the possibilities of sex, had not a quiet knock on the door of the suite interrupt them.

"Ma-am- Sir, breakfast in 5 minutes," came a woman's voice.

Grinning, Kevin pulled Sara out of the bath and handed her a towel. They dried each other and headed to the bedroom to see what clothes had been supplied for them.

Dressed again in casual wear, this for Kevin was jeans and a polo top, and for Sara, was a blue cotton skirt worn just above the knees and a white stretchy ribbed top that clung hungrily to her curves.

Breakfast, when it came, was French toast, and a grilled breakfast, with bacon and eggs and sausages and tomatoes, with coffee and orange juice. As before with the bellhop, the woman bringing in the breakfast trolley refused to take a tip. Shrugging, Kevin put away the wallet that was supplied with the clothes. Kevin tucked in; eating all of his plate and half of Sara's that she said he could have. Breakfast over; they tried to relax while they waited for Kim.

Kim arrived 5 minutes later, along with someone who took away the breakfast trolley. Kim sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her, indicating that they sit there.

"What's with the staff here?" Sara asked as she sat next to Kim. "They refuse to take tips."

Kim laughed. "The hotel is owned by us, much of the staff are Shelke. One can find out a lot of information about guests in a hotel." She explained. "Especially in one that frequently has politicians staying here."

"Ah I see, I suppose the rooms are bugged." Kevin asked.

"Yes, I make no apology for that, we are here to observe. The devices were turned off here last night, as a sign of good faith. We did know you were awake and having a bath by monitoring the water flow in the bathroom. We had estimated the normal time taken to have a bath, before announcing breakfast." Seeing them blush, Kim knew she made an error. "I take it, that you weren't ready for breakfast then? If so, I apologise."

"It's okay Kim, we were just getting a bit carried away," Sara giggled.

Kim reached down and pulled out the laptop from the bag she had brought with her. She set it up, explaining that we could contact William and Julie with it, so they could participate in the question and answer time.

"No need Kim, we have a better way." Sara interrupted, taking out her cell phone. Kim looked puzzled, as Sara spoke to the others on the phone.

"Julie? We are ready."

After a minute, the nexus that was William and Julie were settled in the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara.

"I feel a very powerful nexus, but I notice your not wearing the Krin, how is this possible?" Kim asked, looking at them in surprise.

The combined nexus of the four decided to let Sara do the talking for them all.

"We have made a nexus with the four of us together, we found that once we knew how to do it, that using the bracelets is unnecessary. We all can hear and see everything, so let's get started."

"You are astonishing; it's no wonder that some of us had concerns. You're doing something in months that it takes the Shelke many years to achieve, and we are born telepathic," admitted Kim in a look of awe.

To be continued.

Carversion -20-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty

"Just why are you observing us? What makes us so interesting that you travel so far?" Sara asked, seizing on Kim's comment.

"Let me give you a little background to your question," Kim replied. "Most of our exploration was confined to the stars in the core. The Shelke live on the outer reaches of the core about 10,000 light years away from here. Only a few groups had ventured further out on long duration ships. It was while one group were checking out a star system about 120 light years, away that they found a strong source of radio waves. It was coming from a virtually empty corner of the galactic arm. They realised that these signals were not the random hash that some stars produce. With the strength of these signals, they knew that they must have been coming from populated star systems. They decoded the signals and began to learn about mankind. Technology being cruder then, a ship had limits to the distance it could jump, before it had to realign its navigation systems."

"Jump?" asked Sara, wanting clarification.

"Jumping is the method we use to conquer space travel, other than what we use in our in-system magnetic resonance propulsion. Imagine space as a sheet of paper and then mark two separate spots on it. If you fold the piece of paper so that the two spots line up, but aren't touching, the distance between is much shorter. The jump penetrates space or the piece of paper and travels the short distance of no space to emerge at the other spot in a faction of the time." Kim explained.

"Sounds like the explanation for hyper space."

Kim nodded. "True, we tried to give your science fiction writers a fairly accurate explanation to add to their stories."

"Don't tell me you had a hand in our film industry," Sara asked, remembering Huang's home in California.

"Let answer that later, I want to do this chronologically," Kim replied patiently, before continuing with the story. "As they jumped closer, they found that other signals were being broadcast into space, what you call television. They studied these and used it to further extend their knowledge. Once it was clear that instead of a developed civilised star system, it was all just coming from one small planet, they were amazed." Here Kim paused while taking a drink, which Sara had handed out.

"Amazed? People who can cross interstellar space are amazed at us who just made it to the moon?" snorted Kevin, through Sara.

"They were amazed at the inventiveness of such a new race, that didn't have the advantage of mind to mind communication, to use other media such as the radio spectrum. No other species uses such a method unless it is tightly beamed. You seemed content to announce your presence to all and sundry. This planet produces more coherent radiation than the biggest radio star, especially coming from the less dense arm of the galaxy. It's like sending an invitation to anyone with space capability to come and investigate. Not all are as restrained as the Shelke.

"There are other races out there?" Sara asked curiously.

"Oh sure, some are planet bound due to their physiology or technical advancement, some have limited star hopping capabilities. Then there are others, which show aggression when approached."

"About the truck, was that left there for me to find?" Sara interrupted again.

Kim laughed, "No we didn't realise at first, until the Krin were used. Let me continue about the early discovery of earth." Sara nodded; content to wait, seeing she had a partial answer.

"When the first ship arrived in system, they stopped on the moon, while they studied the languages here. Having so many made it difficult, so we took a few samples."

"Samples?" Sara asked, not liking the term or its implication.

"We took several humans up to the ship while they were sleeping to use the Krin on them. Hearing them speak with the mental imagery being broadcast as well helped our understanding. We then placed them back on earth and made them forget about it by using hypnotic trance state, similar to the method used by the glasses you found."

"It didn't work too well; otherwise all those abducted by alien stories would never have got started." Sara grinned wryly.

"Yes, some of the people we used had unusual resistance to the trace state. It's a redeeming factor in your race, some developed psychic abilities, just like you did, but with a shorter time in contact, they didn't reach your level."

"Ah! So that would explain some of the feelings I had." Sara again interrupted. "I seemed to be able to sense things that I couldn't explain."

"Just so. You all had that ability to some degree. It made our work that much harder," Kim grinned.

"Julie said she thought someone was watching her outside the restaurant after the fight as Mi Ling."

"Yes that was one of our observers, he was clumsy and was nearly caught out. He, like many others of the Shelke underestimated the acuity of your senses. Just to put your mind at rest, those thugs were human but under instructions not to do harm, if your friends refused to fight back. They were under compulsion to give themselves up to the authorities after that, and confess to the various crimes they had committed."

"I don't understand. Why set thugs onto us, even if they couldn't hurt us?" Julie asked through Sara.

"The elders wanted to see how you reacted to threats against yourselves, seeing you had the ability in those bodies to do more than just disable them. Mi Ling had lightening reflexes built in, she could have easily have killed the man holding her. It was the same with William in her body at the warehouse. Instead of killing the man with her knives, she showed uncommon restraint, even though William was angry. It showed a strength of character we hoped would override your baser instincts. We needed to show that you could be trusted to handle the power you had at your disposal, in a benign way."

"So we were manipulated all along, did you use your mind powers to make us jump as you wished?" Sara speculated.

"No, only at the end. We let you live uncontrolled lives, while we observed you. It wouldn't have been free will otherwise. The test would have been meaningless. Although I did interfere a bit with Sara at Louisville and helped push her in a direction I hoped might show another side of her." Kim looked chastened, at having to admit exerting a little mental influence.

"Maggie!" Exclaimed Sara, realising what Kim was talking about.

"Yes, I'd hoped you might meet and help her," sighed Kim, wondering if she'd ever get the story done. Humans liked doing things back to front.

"Okay I'll accept that you had good intentions. That was you I saw in Louisville wasn't it?" When Kim nodded, Sara continued. "But how did you know what would happen, and for that matter, how did know about her in the first place?" Sara asked, sensing that there was something her that she wasn't seeing.

"I'm particularly sensitive to strong emotions, even at some distance. I have to filter out the normal emotions that humanity produce. When I arrived at Louisville before you, I sensed Maggie's intense emotional need. It stood out like a beacon above the normal background level. Luckily with the aid of the Krin, I was able to locate her. When you showed up, I hoped you might divert north, when I sensed your feeling, that you were being followed. I sort of nudged your mind, so you would meet, although I hadn't planned on her being hurt. I was very pleased at the outcome, and if you still want to adopt her, we can provide the necessary paperwork."

"I felt very maternal towards her, and will adopt her as soon as Kevin decides to propose to me." Sara smiled, giving Kevin a mental poke.

Kim hugged Sara, before continuing the story. "Where was I? Oh yes, once we had a working knowledge of your language and customs, we used the Krin to mingle with humanity. Do you know how blessed you are to have music and art? It's not something the Shelke developed. We are born telepathic and learn virtually everything at once. The drive for individual endeavour is non-existent, not when anything you think, can be 'heard' by anyone. Everyone was intrigued with earth music. Samples were taken back to our people where they were devoured eagerly. That was what prompted us to try and help preserve this emerging race. We knew of the history of wars, and when nuclear power was discovered, we stepped up our efforts to prevent the chance of global annihilation that plagued many other struggling races."

"What about us? Julie, and for that matter myself, want to know if there was any influence used to have us switch sexes," Sara began.

"No none, at least not from us directly. We are hermaphrodite in nature with a predominately female body shape. So that means that you either had a predisposed acceptance to being female, possibly triggered by the Krin, or you that once sampled, you felt it more in keeping with your inner sense of identity." Kim offered.

"You mean like being transgendered? I thought that would have shown up before, instead of catching us by surprise."

"From our studies, we found that about 20 percent have gender dysphoria problems. It may not even show. It could just be a person who can show more emotions and be more nurturing than others. Sometimes not even that, it might be that a person is restless and unsure of his goals in life, but if you changed him totally into the opposite sex, then something triggers deep in the psyche, and everything falls into place."

"Wow! That sounds like what happened to us," Sara sighed, speaking both for Julie and herself. "So when we ran into you, was that another set up? Were you really assaulted by the sheriff, or was that just made up?"

"Knowing where you were headed, gave me enough time to set up the meeting. The sheriff is a paedophile, so I set him up. I allowed myself to become his victim. I used my glasses to induce a trance state, which had him believe that I had bitten his member off. I had him set up the roadblocks, so you would be aware of the danger of stopping for strangers. The accident was faked, for your benefit; I was hoping you would let your feelings for an injured person overrule the possible threat I might pose. I'm glad to say that you used compassion and wisdom in changing me to the Julie body."

"We thought it strange how calm you took it all, we did suspect that you might be one of the Shelke, especially after saying it was your uncles place we were heading for." Sara interjected.

"It was done deliberately to see your reactions first hand. We didn't know what reaction we would get, knowing you might think I was an alien. Again, you showed that you could handle it with aplomb.

"So what about the sheriff, does he just get away with it?" Kevin asked through Sara allowing his disgust to show though.

"He turned himself in, not much later, confessing to his crimes. We made sure he experienced just what he did from the victim's point of view. I don't think he'll ever forget what he did."

"Good." Kevin’s anger flowed away, knowing justice had been served.

What about the truck? You said you were going to explain that," asked William, going off at a tangent.

"When my birth parents left, to organise the defence against the threat in the home systems, they intended to destroy the truck, as it was an old model anyway. We didn't know about its survival till it went through its first exchange. By that time, the ship was too far away and in n-space. We can detect the use of the truck, but not who is using it. We assumed mistakenly that one had decided to remain here, and was using the truck. Once you discovered the Krin, we had partial access to your thoughts."

"Only partial?"

"The telepathic abilities triggered by the Krin were very weak at that stage. It's become much stronger since then. You have undisciplined minds and don't know how to keep your thoughts from being splattered everywhere. The Shelke learn to keep their thoughts tight and direct them to the one they want to communicate with."

So you knew we were coming when we checked out your houses." Sara mused, thinking of the freshly stocked refrigerators.

"Yes that was my idea, I wanted you to think, about the possibilities that maybe all the Shelke hadn't left. I didn't want to panic you with a full confrontation. I wanted to see if you could adjust, to see if our work in the film and printed media had had a positive effect." We had hoped that saturating the film industry with films dealing with aliens on a friendly basis, might inure the populace from falling into a fear driven shock of a real meeting with us."

"Hmmm, so are George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, really Shelke?"

Kim looked at the two and laughed. She hugged herself, trying to contain her giggles, before managing to speak.

"I wish no, but we do have people closely associated with them, that whisper in their ear, so to speak." Kim finally got out.

"Ah! Pillow talk huh?"

Kim laughed again, neither confirming nor denying.

"Talking of films, what do the Shelke look like?" Sara asked. "Are they like the aliens in Close Encounters, or maybe the Ewoks in Star Wars?" she grinned.

"Neither actually, well... Close Encounters came closest," she smiled. We are bipedal like you, a bit taller with hairless bodies that have a greyish tinge to it, and binocular vision that sees further into the infrared and ultra violet spectrum. We don't have ears, although we can pick up some vibrations, unless we take on a form that has ears."

"Didn't you say that music was a hit with you? I don't see how that could be if you don't have ears." Sara argued.

"Imagine if you will, a car that holds thousands of Shelke, and then change them to humans or Pharrisian's, another race with keen auditory senses. We have the means to do this. Our race flock to venues featuring a body change to enable them to listen to music that came from thousands of light years away. Once heard, they can relay it to others mind to mind."

They fell silent them, thinking of the impact music might have on a civilisation without it. Kim got up and stretched her arms, knowing that the explanation was mostly finished. She hoped that the next bit wouldn't be too much of a challenge when she told them what the Shelke proposed to do next.

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of lunch. The minds of William and Julie decided food was a good idea too, so they broke away from the nexus to return to their respective bodies. Kevin and Sara did the same, as the smell of hot food made their stomachs rumble. Kim dismissed the waiter who had brought the food in, and started uncovering the dishes.

"Hamburgers?" laughed Sara, who was expecting something else entirely.

"Hey, nothing wrong with hamburgers," Kevin said eagerly, reaching to get one.

"These are the best burgers around," grinned Kim, grabbing a burger for herself.

Sara had to agree that they looked great. Seeing the huge buns with a meat patty nearly ¾ of an inch thick, with lettuce and tomato. Sara took one of the smaller burgers with cheese on it, while Kevin grabbed the one with the works, fried onions, egg and bacon, plus cheese and the salad. In a short time, only the quiet sound of three mouths chewing, interspersed with appreciative moans, could be heard. Sara grinned as she saw the juices escaping Kevin's monster, running both down his face and through his fingers, as he struggled to hold the giant burger together. Sara and Kim tried to eat more elegantly, but soon gave that up as a lost cause, and just got stuck in. Using the napkins supplied, they wiped their sticky sauce covered fingers, and wiped their faces, before relaxing back against the couch. Kevin opened a can of beer, while the girl's stuck to sodas, washing the food down with relish.

Before Kevin and Sara went back into their nexus, to allow their friends to join, Sara asked a question.

"Seeing we passed your test, I take it, that there's a particular reason for it. It can't be just about being responsible about the use of the car or the Krin. You could still erase that from our memories and take them back." She said shrewdly. "You want us to keep those for some purpose that you haven't told us yet. What are you hiding Kim?"

"Well, I'd hoped I didn't have to tell you this, but you may hold the key to your planet's survival," Kim revealed, reluctantly.

To be continued.

Carversion -21-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-One

"We do?" gasped Sara as the implications of Kim's last statement sank in. She quickly formed the nexus that would pull the others in, so they could be there to hear this.

"We have tried to turn your race towards a better path than the one you are on. It's slow work, but people are beginning to change. There is another matter that we need to address, your burgeoning mental powers, shows the start of a new era in understanding. Do you realise that soon, if you progress at the same rate, you will surpass even us. Already you are maintaining a nexus without the aid of the Krin. We do wish you to continue to wear it, so its powers can further advance you to our level. There will be no further monitoring of your activities, unless you call for us. It will act as the interface for us to join our minds, until you no longer need it."

"Okay, that's fine, but you still haven't told us the reason why we hold the key to our races survival." Sara, acting as the mouthpiece for the nexus, reiterated.

Kim looked down at her hands for a moment, as if weighing the information she had to impart.

"We think a race inimical to the human species will be here within 200 years. We ourselves have encountered them, with initial disastrous results. Without the power of mental communication, humans encountering alien life will probably panic, and start a self-destructive downward path, that could end all life here. We hoped that the first contact, would be with us, so we could assist you, when the need arises."

"Holly crap!" Uttered Sara, as the shock rippled through the nexus.

"We need you to help us spread the power of telepathy throughout the world."

"How is that going to help, other than save us on phone call costs? Why are we so important? I'll buy the saving us from ourselves, to preserve our uniqueness and culture, but we aren't going to be able to fight off an invading enemy with a shuttle and a few missiles," argued Sara, as each mind in the nexus tried to find fault in Kim's statement.

"First, you won't need ships to fight the Nemesis, that's not how it works. Neither can we be seen to fight them either, if that happens they will come back later when we may not be here. The way this race works is in secret. They work on people's fears, getting them to fight amongst themselves till they are easy pickings. They are only effective on non-telepathic races, where each individual is isolated in his own head. They have some sort of mind projector that brings up each persons fears and magnifies it a thousand fold. Now that you have proven that humankind can deal with the concept of aliens and use telepathy as a means of communication, we can start more overt means to introduce ways to help earth become a telepathic race."

"I'm not sure everyone will be enthusiastic to have their minds open to all," Sara smiled, thinking of the politicians and the other covert agencies.

"Understood, but it must happen, things will change drastically. The effective way is to get the next generation to develop telepathy, that way, it avoids the people who would likely use it to gain more power than they have already."

"What will we have to do?" asked Sara, seeing her ideas of living a normal... well a sort of normal life with Kevin fly out the window.

"For now, not a lot. You need time to learn more about your gift. Once you find that you 'hear' the thoughts of the non-telepathic, we will show you how to develop a shield that will block them from being heard. I know it sounds cool to be able to read the minds of anyone, but you'll some realise that it gets annoying very fast." Kim explained to them.

"So what about the places we sold and the money we got for them?"

"Keep it, you'll need someplace to live, and something to live on, until we get you set up. We will make sure you have proper identification, for all the lives you will be living. You realise while the Krin will make you immortal for intents and purposes, you will need to take on new identities as time goes on."

"You mean like that TV series Highlander." Sara asked, intuitively.

"Yes if you stay at one place for a long time resetting your age to stay young will raise questions. The other thing, is that with computers monitoring our personal details for most of our lives, a person with the same name and address living longer than four score and ten, will certainly raise flags. We will organise new identities and your home will appear to have been sold to a new couple. It's easier for your previous identities to disappear or die than to retain them."

"One question, why did you have us appear here as newlyweds, not that I didn't enjoy it." Sara asked, looking at Kevin speculatively.

"Well I could tell you were in love, when I was with you in the car. I just wanted to give Kevin a glimpse and a hint of what you would look like. Has he proposed yet?" Kim smiled, looking at Kevin with a raised eyebrow.

"Not exactly," sighed Sara, "but he's hinted a few times," she added in his defence.

"I haven't found the right moment for it yet," promised Kevin. "I want it to be special," he added, taking her hand in his and touching the back of it with his lips in an unspoken agreement.

"Will we be getting the use of the car again, or will you be taking that?"

"As I said earlier, it’s an older model, with a lot of add ons, our new ones have sophisticated holographic screens that show you a list of the options. It’s still reliable apart from the crude recharging method. The new cars use the same tech as the Krin, which mostly superseded the use of the car as the main means of transformation. I guess you experienced the bugs in that model when switching back and forth," grinned Kim.

"Yeah, we nearly got stuck several times," admitted Sara, remembering the time when the car ran out of power leaving the others stuck as triplets. Then there was the time when Leanne was stuck as Sara for a time.

"The new cars are just that, they can change shape and colour, but not the occupants. We developed the Krin as a better solution. Now can I ask you a question?" Kim asked, looking at Sara.

"Sure." Sara replied, wondering what Kim wanted to know.

"You never used the car or the Krin in a way I’d have expected. Having that kind of power at your disposal would have some corrupting influence, and yet you showed restraint, apart from selling the Ellery’s home and the property in Australia, you kept a low profile, why?"

"Well, once I knew the truck was alien property and had the power to change, I knew if we told anyone it would be taken away and never seen again. It has the power to help people and extend lives, but I couldn’t see it being used for that purpose, once the government got their hands on it. We didn’t have the knowledge to duplicate it and by the same token, we couldn’t trust anyone to find a way to do so, if it stopped working that would be it. Once we found the bracelets, the truck wasn’t so important, but who could we go too without having it become public knowledge. Ken would have taken it away, had he found out about it. It was more important as a weapon than as a benefit for mankind. Our lives would be put at risk. The government would probably kill us or at least incarcerate us for the rest of our lives to ensure nobody else found out about it.

We only sold the properties so we had something to live on while we thought of how best to use the bracelets. We just wanted to live our lives in a bit of comfort and we weren’t after power or fame. In time, we would have thought of ways where we could help those in need, other than ourselves. Helping Maggie has shown us one way in which we can help, and if we are still allowed to, we would like to help more of the transgendered to gain the body of their dreams."

"I understand, thank you. These transgendered people, would they be likely to aid us if we recruited them, after giving them what they wished?"

"Sure, I don’t see why not," Sara asked. "Recruited for what?"

"To help spread the telepathic gift, if we started with them first, and then work towards similar methods to help mankind achieve its destiny. We would also like some ideas of how to introduce the next generation to devices that act in a similar fashion to the Krin, without the changing mechanism," Kim added.

"How small can you make it and does it have to be a ring shape?" Sara asked.

"It can be about the size of a pencil eraser and any shape at all," supplied Kim.

"What about implanting it under the skin?" asked Sara?

"We have tried that with our test subjects, but most have been discovered when they broke their conditioning and asked to be checked by X-ray."

"It’s a pity the device is so big and couldn’t be injected," sighed Sara.

"Oh? Whys that?" Kim asked, looking interested.

"Well all babies born in hospitals, get a vitamin K injection after they are delivered. It would be the perfect opportunity for introducing something," Sara proposed.

"Interesting, we could use nanite based machines to assemble the device in the body. That could be feasible. I’ll pass that idea on. Now we need to find ways to introduce devices to the current youth. Don’t suggest anything now; keep it in the back of your head for later, and I’ll be in touch."

With that, Kim showed Kevin how to use the laptop to communicate with the other one that William had, and gave Kevin another code to get access to Kim whenever they needed. Kim said she had to get the ball rolling on the vitamin K idea, so she gave both of them a hug and a kiss and told them that when they wanted to leave, they just needed to call the desk. She told Sara that the weeding dress was a gift and to take it with her. Kim left then, promising to keep in touch.

Sara and Kevin decided to use the spa in the suite to unwind while they discussed their next move. Sara wanted to head back and pick up Maggie, whereas Kevin wanted to see the White House before they left.

Sara agreed to stay for the rest of the day to do some sightseeing.

"We can make an early start tomorrow," Kevin promised.

They decided to get a cab, instead of using the car. This way they didn’t have the bother of finding parking, and they got the added bonus of the cabbies knowledge of Washington, as he drove them to the various sights. Spotting something, Kevin had the cabby pull over. He pulled a confused Sara out of the cab and paid off the driver.

Kevin covered Sara’s eyes as he turned her to face what had made him stop the cab. Walking back a few steps, he uncovered her eyes, leaving her facing a Victoria Secrets.

"Do you feel an urge to buy something sexy here?" He asked, with a wicked looking grin on his face.

Sara looked at the display in the window, seeing assorted sexy lingerie draped over the display models. She looked at Kevin, seeing his now puppy dog expression, as he silently begged her to go in.

She did feel interested in checking out the store. As Scott, she would have drooled at being able to wander about inside, unnoticed, while checking out the other half. Now it was more a case of seeing what she could find to make Kevin drool in the privacy of their home.

"I think I should have you model something for me," she laughed, seeing Kevin blush scarlet.

"Um how about you go check out what you like, while I go look at that hardware store," Kevin said evasively. "Give me a call when you’re ready," he added, as he hurried away.

"Chicken," scoffed Sara, feeling sad at being abandoned.

Sara went inside the shop, not bothering to see where Kevin was headed, as a nice mauve bra and panty set caught her eye.

Kevin looked back, checking to see if Sara had gone inside, before entering the shop he’d really wanted to go in.

To be continued.

Carversion -22-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Two

As Kevin hurried to get want he wanted without Sara seeing him, Sara was being overwhelmed by all the choices. She knew that VS was one of the exclusive sellers of intimate apparel, but she hadn't realised the myriad of styles they had, she didn't really know where to start. With her unique perspective of having been a man, she knew what would appeal to Kevin. It was only a matter of making sure she felt comfortable in it as well, luckily money wasn't a problem as she checked out the prices.

Kevin meanwhile, was looking at something entirely different. Having settled on the particular item, he then left the premises and found a quiet corner to finger his bracelet. Returning, Kevin, now looking entirely different checked the item he'd been admiring before. This time, Kevin was checking the sizing, making sure of the fit before purchasing. Once paid for, Kevin left, walking back into VS's his heels clicking on the floor as he searched for Sara.

"I think your sister is in the changing room," a shop assistant said as she saw him/her.

"Thank you, I'd like to take these to her, can you tell me which one she went in?" Kevin asked sweetly, giving the girl a smile.

"Sure, it must be fun being twins," the girl said, leading Kevin to a curtained cubicle.

'If you only knew,' muttered Kevin, under her breath, as she slid past the curtain to surprise Sara.

"Hey!" exclaimed Sara, as a touch on her neck alerted her to the intruder. "KEV... in," she started to cry out, hissing the last of his name, as she confronted her twin in surprise.

"Thought you'd look great in this, sis," grinned Sara/Kevin, holding out a long black negligee.

"Is everything alright in there?" a female voice uttered just outside.

"Yes thanks," replied Sara, sticking her head out to answer the older woman outside. "My sister Kevita just surprised me that's all," Sara added. Seeing the woman's doubtful look, Sara pulled the curtain aside a bit more to reveal 'Kevita,' clutching a black negligee against herself, while facing the mirrored wall.

The woman smiled, and left them, wondering why some people used male sounding nicknames for themselves.

The curtains swished closed, not doing a lot to contain the sudden giggling from those inside.

"Kevita?" snorted the newly christened, checking her body out. "I don't look like a Kevita," she grumbled.

"Sorry, it was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment," Sara giggled, looking anything but sorry.

Kevita couldn't hold her face long in a pout, as the hilarity of the situation took hold. More giggling ensued, with a few muffled laughs as Kevita tickled her sister. The two of them then ran amok in the store, trying to embarrass the other in a contest of the 'who looked the hottest.' Once they'd settled on a draw, they took their purchases to the counter, totalling over 900 dollars worth of under things.

"Seeing we bought this much, I hope you'll help me wear them out," laughed Sara, realising she been having fun.

"Okay, but I get to wear that blue number you picked," Kevita agreed, playing along.

As they passed another store, Kevita rolled her eyes, in a 'here we go again,' look. This time it was outerwear, from skirts and tops to full gowns. An hour passed, then another, as the two tried different styles. Seeing each other in the flesh, instead of only in a mirror, made it so much better. Sara trusted her twin's opinion, when she said she looked hot or not. Just as Sara trusted Kevita, when she said something was comfortable to wear or not. Sara had Kevita promise to do this again whenever she wanted to buy more clothes, Kevita agreed only if Sara never used Kevita as a name, ever again.

"What about Anita?" Sara suggested, liking a name that would remind her of this time with her twin.

Anita nodded, bowing to the inevitable. She had to admit that it had been fun. The shop assistants hadn't had a chance, as the dynamic duo had decimated the clothing racks. Although still firmly in the male camp, it was fun to take a break and join the other team for a while. One thing, as Kevin, he'd never complain about clothes shopping again.

Destined in the meantime to remain Anita for appearances sake, seeing she was helping carry the brightly logoed bags filled with their latest spree, Sara decided to eat out at a steak house, before heading back to the hotel.

Both girls' were happy to put down their weighty armfuls and kick off their heels, as they sat down at their table. The steak house had bench seats instead of chairs, so they sat opposite each other, and filled the bench beside them with the many bags, each had carried. This was an easy way to avoid any hungry male from sitting down to try and chat them up.

"I'm glad my boyfriend sent his sister Anita along to help me," giggled Sara, as the waitress left with their order.

"Yeah, that's why I love him, he's so thoughtful," returned Anita, praising her alter ego.

"Seeing he's not here, and it's just us girl's, do you think he'll pop the question soon?" Sara asked hopefully, playing the game to the hilt.

"I'm sure he will," offered Anita, conspiringly. "Has he had time to buy a ring yet?" she asked, playing along, while giving Sara something to think about.

"Darn, I hadn't thought of that," sighed Sara, knowing things had been kind of hectic recently.

"Does Kevin know your ring size?" Playing the sister thing thoroughly.

Sara shook her head, sighing again; seeming to forget it was Kevin sitting across from her.

"Maybe when you go back to California, he'll have time then," Anita suggested, making Sara's eyes light up, as she smiled thinking about it.

Arrival of food stopped further conversation, as they consumed the fillet steaks they had ordered. After a desert of strawberry cheesecake, they lingered over two coffees and watched the streets empty of most of the hustle and bustle. As they paid, they had a cab called, to take them back to the hotel.

Anita flopped onto the bed, just happy to lie there, while Sara put the bags of clothes away in the suitcases that Kim or the hotel had thoughtfully supplied. Sara even found room to put away the wedding gown. When she had finished and went to check on Kevin, she found him/her asleep, still as her twin Anita. Sara pouted for a moment, then grinned, as she went over and slipped off Kevin's bracelet. Hiding it on her other wrist, Sara then undressed her sleeping twin, and got her into bed. Getting quickly undressed, Sara slipped into bed as well, snuggling against her twin's soft body.

Sara was up and dressed, before her twin, 'Anita' woke. She had packed away the male clothes that had been Kevin's, into a second suitcase and locked it. The only outfit no packed away, was sitting on the bed beside the slumbering Anita/Kevin.

"Hey wake up, rise and shine," Sara called, shaking her twin gently.

"Mrphhle -whaat- oh," groaned the as of yet, clueless twin.

"I've put your outfit on the bed, hurry up Anita, breakfast is coming soon," warned Sara.

The words, 'outfit,' and 'Anita,' seemed to spear into Kevin's mind, waking him/her from her torpor. Kevin sighed, feeling the breasts attached to her body quiver as she turned over. Finding that she was stuck, having realised something was missing from her wrist, she got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom, to plonk herself on the toilet. After finishing the call of nature, she took a shower, which woke her up fully. When she finished and went back into the bedroom, she groaned seeing the outfit and the heels that went with it. A worried look crossed her face, until she spied the handbag Anita had carried yesterday. Hurriedly checking its contents, making sure she was alone first, brought the smile back, as she fingered the item she had bought yesterday.

"Do I have to wear this? Why is my bracelet missing?" Complained Anita/Kevin.

"Honey, you need more practice being my twin. You got all tuckered out, just being me for one afternoon, after which you were too tired to change back. I have decided that you need to build up your strength if you want do that again. I have your bracelet, so you don't weasel out of it," laughed Sara, as she came in to check on her twin.

"But heels again?" grimaced Anita, looking imploringly at Sara.

"Yup," replied Sara unsympathetically, as she quickly turned around to leave, so Anita couldn't see her grin.

Anita sighed, resigned to being Sara's twin for the day. 'At least the clothes looked comfortable,' she thought, as she started to dress.

Sara rang the front desk and said they'd be leaving after breakfast. She asked that Kim be informed as well. The woman said that their car would be brought around to the front, as soon as Sara rang them to get their luggage brought down.

Breakfast arrived soon after Anita had finished dressing. It was accompanied with Kim, who promptly invited herself to breakfast. Seeing there were settings for three, Sara knew it had been prearranged. Kim showed no surprise at seeing Anita. She just complimented her on her taste in clothes, as she admired the light flowing sundress Anita had on.

"Oh it was just something I threw on," Anita said breezily, seeming unconcerned about it all.

Kim grinned, knowingly. "Girl's clothes feel nice huh?" having no problems telling who was who.

"I guess," Anita admitted grudgingly. In fact, the silky fabric was driving her crazy as it brushed against her stocking clad legs. She’d placed one of Sara's pads in her panties to absorb the wetness from her arousal that she could feel forming.

"You don't seem surprised to see my twin sister, Kim?" Sara asked curiously.

"I was told that the shower was used twice, and that the sensors in the floor indicated they were identical in weight. Seeing the weight was too light to be a male, I assumed you were twins. I hadn't been monitoring the room for video or sound, but I didn't need too, did I?" Laughed Kim, as she marked an imaginary scoreboard with her finger.

"Amazing what a few sensors in the bathroom can tell you," agreed Sara.

"It's what gives us our reputation for prompt service. We know exactly when people are finished in the bathroom and are ready for a meal... except for the odd occasion when the visuals and audios are turned off," confessed Kim, thinking of Sara and Kevin's activities in the bathroom, the day prior. The twins blushed, knowing what Kim was on about.

"Off to pick up Maggie today?" Asked Kim, as she finished her last piece of toast.

"Yeah, if we hurry we can be there by late evening," Sara replied, looking pointedly at Anita, still eating.

"Hey! A girl's gotta eat," grinned the every hungry former Kevin.

"Sure, but that's my plate your finishing," sighed Sara, rolling her eyes.

"You can make a girl out of the boy, but you can't take the Kevin out of the Anita," quipped Kim with a giggle.

Anita finally finished, and pushed the plate away, ignoring the looks, as she took out a compact from her purse and checked her makeup.

"I worry about you sometimes," Sara said with a laugh, as Anita replenished her lipstick, so naturally.

"Hey, if I'm going to be stuck as Anita, I don't want to look a mess, remember, I'm your twin. So my appearance reflects on you as well." Anita smirked, as she made kissy faces at Sara.

More eye rolling from Sara, had Kim burst out laughing. Anita joined in, knowing she had set up Sara, beautifully. Sara started smiling, and then joined in on the merriment.

Kim stood up, as she got ready to leave. "Remember, I'm only a thought away, if you need me, and if you want to talk face to face, there's always the laptop. There is an interface to the Krin, you know, she added, looking at Anita. Kim quickly demonstrated with the laptop, seeing it was handy. She explained that images captured by the Krin's visual data mode, could be uploaded through a wireless link into the laptop where it could be stored or manipulated later. Sarah, having left to touch up her makeup and letting the others talk tech, didn't see the look of interest that Anita showed, as an idea came into her mind. Kim smiled, as Anita let a stray thought past her shield. When Sara returned, Kim gave them both a hug. She left then, leaving the pair to gather their purses, and check to make sure nothing had been forgotten.

They rang down to say they were ready to leave, before putting the two bulging suitcases near the door and heading out to the elevators. As promised, the car, now a Volvo, was ready waiting for them. Nobody seemed curious that it wasn't the same car they arrived in, so they assumed Kim had taken care of that aspect of it. A bellhop struggled to get the heavy cases inside the trunk, as they got into the car. Anita gave him a sympathetic/ half apologetic smile, as if to say, "It wasn't me who bought all that," when he signalled that they able to go.

"Stop flirting with the hired help," Sara giggled, as she pealed out of the entrance in tire melting display. Wisely, Anita didn't respond, although she did stick her tongue out at Sara, who nearly lose control and almost took out a defenceless lamppost, as she struggled to contain her laughter.

At a coffee break and after having eating several cream doughnuts, Anita excused herself to visit the toilet. Sara, who had already been, waited while Anita did her business, after 5 minutes, Sara wondered what was taking so long. Not wanting to seem impatient, she continued waiting.

Anita had wanted to go, but she had something else she wanted to do as well. She undressed in the toilet cubicle, placing her clothing down on the closed toilet seat. She then used the bracelet that Sara had given back to her in the car, having extracted a promise to remain looking like Anita for the day. She touched the setting that switched Anita back into Kevin, and then used the image function to take a frontal picture of his nude body. Then, he switched back to Anita and hurriedly dressed. Taking another picture of herself and storing the image, she sat down and did what she had come to do in the first place.

"You okay sis?" came Sara's concerned voice, as she entered the toilet.

"I'll be right out," Anita answered, as she finished and then flushed the toilet.

Sara waited, while Anita exited the stall and went to wash her hands and check her appearance. Smiling innocently, Anita took her twins hand and pulled her outside.

While Sara continued driving, Anita was busy with the laptop, surreptitiously uploading the images from the bracelet. She made sure Sara couldn't see what she was doing, by angling the screen sideways. She started with the graphics program, playing with the two images until she was happy with them. She then saved the result and managed to get the image stored into the bracelet without Sara noticing. She closed the laptop and started to pay attention to the scenery outside.

They had decided to stop for lunch at the Rocky Gap State Park, so turning off route 68 at exit 50 they drove into the park towards Lake Habeeb. Following the signs, they found a place selling food and drink to the visitors. Anita was checking a map of the place, while Sara loaded up with some food. Anita gave Sara some directions to a nice spot along Pleasant Valley Road, which took them into an area filled with native trees. Sara marvelled at the stands of Chestnut, Elm, Hickory, and Birch. There were other types of trees there as well. Ash, dotted the area, along with dogwood, gum, and ironwood to name a few. All in all, it was a very scenic and restful area with the placid lake in the foreground.

They got out of the car and breathed great lungfuls of tree scented air. Taking their food and drink, they found a spot where they could eat and see the rowers on the lake. The sounds of birds in the trees, was a welcome change from the constant thrum of the drive in the car. Sara ate slowly, not wanting to rush, as the tranquillity of the surroundings seeped into her senses. Anita told her to stay there, while she took the rubbish from their meal to the bin near the car. Sara never saw Anita finger her bracelet, nor see her get something out of her purse, that had been left in the car. Her eyes were closed as she tried to imprint the memory of this place in her brain.

As Anita walked back, she winced, and a hand went down to her groin and readjusted herself. As she came up to Sara, and seeing she still had her eyes closed, she gently kissed her lover on the lips.

"Hmmm, nice," mumbled Sara past her partially sealed lips. Sara turned to look at Anita, seeing the love in her twin's eyes.

"I have something to ask you, but I never expected to be female at the time," Anita blushed. Anita handed Sara the small box, which Anita/Kevin had purchased prior to their fun at Victoria Secrets. As Sara's eyes widened at the box, Anita spoke.

I want you to be my wife, my partner, my lover, for as long as we both live. Will you marry me?" Anita waited, seeing Sara open the box.

To be continued.

Carversion -23-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sara opened the box to reveal a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring. She gazed at it, turning it so the sun glinted through the facets. Her mind was awash in emotions, as her soul mate asked to marry her. She could feel the depth of the love being offered with the mental link they shared, as well as by the words spoken by her lover.

Her mind was struck by strangeness of being offered a ring, instead of it being the other way around. Who would have thought that in just a few short months, she went from Scott, a potential groom, to Sara soon to be a bride. She paused, searching in her psyche for a hint of a protesting voice from Scott's former life at being a bride. There was none, although she still remembered being Scott and had all his experiences, Sara was now who she felt she was.

She realised suddenly, that her twin was anxiously waiting for her answer.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she answered, smiling as she saw the look of joy in Anita's expressive eyes. "Um, who's going to wear the gown?" she quipped, looking at Anita suggestively.

"Who cares," Anita said flippantly, only concerned with her positive answer.

"Maybe we should have two brides," giggled Sara, pinching Anita in fun.

"Whatever you want," agreed Anita, happily oblivious to the suggestion. Something had come up and was feeling slightly uncomfortable, so Anita fingered her bracelet and sighed in relief.

"What are you doing now? Asked Sara, seeing the movement.

"Oh just a little surprise, I had planned." Anita blushed.

"Show me," demanded Sara.

"Press here then," Anita said, showing her the bracelet.

Hmmmm, you have been busy," Sara replied, as she felt someting shift in Anita's groin where her twin had placed her hand. "The thing with the laptop?" Sara asked, getting an affirmative nod.

"Let's test it out in celebration, of our proposal," suggested Sara.

"Here?" Asked Anita, looking around the immediate vicinity.

"Sure, we both have full skirts. You lay down on your back and I'll sit on top. With your skirt pulled up and mine covering it with mine, nobody will be the wiser." instructed Sara.

Anita sighed, resigned to being on the bottom, but as Sara arranged her skirts to cover the lower half of her body, the naughty side of it, started her grinning. The most anyone could see, was two girls having a bit of a lesbian romp, not that there were many people around. The few canoeists on the lake, were probably more concerned about their own world.

Having shucked their panties in the first moments, Sara eased Anita's rampant addition into her. She sat there and wiggled making Anita pant as the friction made her swell. Sara leaned forward, kissing Anita hard on the mouth. Using small lifting motions with her hips, Sara stated to build her own excitement. Anita managed to thrust upwards to help met Sara's downward motions.

Being exposed to the public view, added extra excitement and danger of being caught, to their lovemaking. This had the effect of bringing them to a mutual orgasm, so much quicker. As they collapsed together, smothering each other with kisses, they heard a vehicle stop nearby. Anita quickly used her bracelet to return to being all female, while Sara rolled off laughing her head off.

Anita straightened her dress and stood up, glancing towards where the car had pulled up. She stepped out of her panties that had tangled around her ankles, seeing another pair belonging to Sara lying in the grass there as well. The park ranger had stepped out of his vehicle, as Sara came and tagged Anita and then ran off giggling. Anita took the hint and chased after Sara, yelling to her that she would get her for that. The pair ran around, seemingly enjoying themselves in innocent play. As the ranger walked towards where they had been sitting, the girls circled around so that they could reach the car and get in. The last sight of the ranger, as they drove off, was him reaching down to pick up their abandoned panties. Needless to say, the hysterics in the car, made for very erratic driving for the next several miles.

Calming down slightly, except for a few giggles that kept bursting out, as they pictured the ranger holding their underwear, and wondering what to do with them, they continued driving through Cumberland, heading for Pittsburgh. Sara kept looking at the ring, and thinking back to the moment when Anita proposed. 'Maybe the wedding might be a little different to what Kevin might envisage,' she thought.

Sara was thinking about her parents missing out on her wedding and it made her feel somewhat sad. As a bride, she could do with her mothers support with the arrangements and her dad could give her away in the traditional wedding ceremony. It seemed unfair that they should miss out, just because Scott had become a Miss.

Her sombre mood alerted Anita, who sensed Sara's unhappiness.

"Why the long face?" she asked.

"It's about my parents," Sara replied, explaining about them having to miss out.

"Maybe Kim could help," suggested Anita, giving it some thought as well. "I'd like my parents to attend as well, but I can't say I'm marrying my best friend Scott, who's now a woman."

'You might have to explain more than that, if I have my way,' thought Sara, keeping those particular thoughts well concealed.

Can you ring Julie and William to tell them the good news, they should be finished breakfast by now," Sara asked, passing the phone to Anita.

"Coverage is a little patchy here," Anita mentioned after turning the phone on and checking the signal. Anita punched in the number and waited for it to connect.

"Hi Julie, it's An... Um, Kevin here." Anita said, as Julie's voice came on.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," Sara heard some faint laughter coming from the phone.

"We are getting married... yes I proposed to her just a short time ago... yes like this." Sara heard Anita explain.

"That's what Sara asked," Anita sighed, leaving Sara in no doubt what Julie had asked.

Anita spoke for a while, filling in Julie with their current news and whereabouts. She left out the part about the shopping spree, and the romp in the park, knowing Sara would tell her that herself. Anita hung up after this, returning the phone to Sara's purse. She passed on the others congratulations and comments about why had it taken so long.

Sara pressed on, trying to make up for the time spent in the park. She broke the speed rules frequently, when it was safe to do so. They passed through Pittsburgh in the early afternoon, opting to bypass the city so they could reach Indianapolis that day. They only had two skirmishes with the highway patrol. One had a hand held speed gun, which was only turned on at the last minute, giving them no time to detect it. The car was sitting behind a billboard, and by the time it pulled out onto the road behind them, they had long gone. At the speed they were travelling, they had put several bends between each other. By that time, the car that the patrol officer radioed in about, no longer existed, as Sara switched to the Trans Am, and was going at the legal limit, when the officer sped past them. Later on, an unmarked patrol car had turned its siren on, as it pulled along side them. The officer looked at them and waved for them to pull over. Deciding to do so, as the traffic was getting too heavy for a safe getaway, the girls decided on another strategy as the patrol car pulled up behind them. Ducking down out of sight for a moment, the girls used their bracelets to become Scott and Kevin, before straightening up, as the officer started to approach them. Imagine the surprise he got as he bent down to the open drivers window, to se two young men instead of the two women he knew he'd clearly seen. His eyes widened and his words, "do you know that you were speeding Miss," was choked off. He looked frantically into the back seat hoping to see the missing women. Finding it empty, he stood looking out over to the other side of the car to see where they had escaped to, as they had obviously slipped out while he had bent down to run off. Sweat beaded his face as the side of the road showed no signs of the girls nor was there anyplace for them to hide.

The officer felt confused as he bent down to ask the driver where the girls had disappeared to, but stumbled back shaking his head as the driver now appeared to be a well endowed air hostess with her unbuttoned uniform exposing her generous cleavage. The passenger was now clearly oriental in her colourful satin kimono. The officer walked back in a daze, rubbing his eyes as he wondered what drugs had been slipped in his last coffee.

Sara drove off, leaving the stunned officer sitting in his car. Kevin, having changed from Mi Ling back to Sara's twin, Anita, was having hysterics.

"Did you see his face?" She gasped after a few minutes. "I thought he'd wet himself," she giggled, trying to get herself under control.

"Just as well, Kim loaded Mi Lings form on our bracelets," grinned Sara-"It was certainly a far different image from seeing Kevin." She added.

"By the way, I noticed you flaunting yourself at him, with your buttons undone," chided Anita, waving her finger at Sara.

"I needed the shock value those puppies have on men," giggled an unrepentant Sara.

"Sure, that's your excuse," grinned Anita, light heartedly baiting Sara a bit more.

It was getting around 5 pm, by the time they reached Indianapolis. They decided to pick up Maggie first, before finding a hotel to stay for the night. They hoped she would be at home, as Maggie didn't have a cell phone, and they had been getting a busy signal on the landline. The house was dark when they arrived, not a good sign. They got out of the car and knocked on the door with no response. The door was unlocked, which worried the girl's as they opened it cautiously and entered quietly. Moving quickly, their search yielded a huddled lump in the bedroom.

"Maggie?" enquired Sara, her voice full of concern. "Maggie it's us, we have come to take you home with us."

"Is that really you, I thought I was dreaming, I can see two of you," came a weak voice.

"What happened, why is there no power?" asked Anita, futilely trying to turn the light on.

"I hadn't paid the utilities, and wasn't going to after you said I'd be going with you. They cut off the power the next day, so I haven't had power or phone on. I couldn't get my pay, as my boss refused, seeing I hadn't given him any notice of my quitting the job. I don't have any savings only the few dollars I had in my purse. So I've been living on crackers and water and snuggling with my stuffies." Maggie explained tiredly.

"Omygod!" exclaimed Sara, stricken with remorse. She uncovered Maggie, and saw she looked awfully weak and haggard. "This is Kevin, he's being punished, sort of." Sara grinned as she explained, pulling Anita closer.

"Punished? Or rewarded?" Maggie offered, smiling weakly.

"I'm learning how to cope with heels for more than 5 minutes, so I can keep up with her on her shopping trips," winked Anita.

Anita took off her bracelet, and offered it to Maggie without a moments hesitation. She knew Maggie's Shelke generated body was tougher than a normal human, but even so, it still needed food.

After Maggie slipped the bracelet on Sara touched a setting, smiling, as Maggie became another twin to her. Instantly, the ordeal of no proper food was gone, as Maggie had the exact same body as the others.

"We're triplets," laughed Maggie, feeling immediately better. "This could be fun," she added, preventing Sara from resetting the bracelet to Maggie again. "Can I be you for a while longer?" she implored, looking up at Sara with guileless eyes.

Anita laughed, and hugged Maggie, which made Sara's mouth quirk in amusement, at the thought of the attention that identical triplets booking in at a hotel for the night, would bring.

"Okay, but first we need to get you dressed," Sara agreed.

They decided "in for a penny, in for a pound." If they going to make an impact, they may as well make a big one, so using the car to produce three identical outfits, the triplets were now impossible to tell apart. Maggie collected her small bag of personal items and the others brought out her collection of stuffed animals, which were placed in the trunk.

Anita rang the hotel that they had stayed in last time, but they were booked solid, at their recommendation, they rang another hotel nearer the city centre that showed it had rooms available on its online booking system. As a treat, Anita accessed the panel that Kim had revealed to them when she made the car into a Rolls Royce. Selecting a white Ford LTD, they drove off to the Hotel Royale. To say Maggie was excited was an understatement. She was bouncing around in the back, like a little girl, hampered only by the shimmering emerald green gown that clung tightly to her new curves.

As the limo swept sedately into the entranceway of the hotel, guests that were either leaving or entering stopped to see who was arriving. Hotel staff scurried to the doors to assist the occupants of this unexpected arrival. The doors were opened and three identical hands went out for someone to assist them out. Once everyone realised that the three were identical in everyway, they became the centre of attention. The staff fawned on them, instinctively knowing that these were not just ordinary people. Guests gasped, and the stunned men were hard put as to which one to look at first.

The three waited together, while three white cases were unloaded from the limo and taken inside. One of the staff drove the limo to the underground car park below the hotel, as the women moved inside. They started to attract a group of patrons that seemed to have developed a sudden interest in the immediate area surrounding the check in desk, pulling them away from what they were doing, before the girls arrived.

All the attention was making the girls feel like celebrities, as they were offered a premium appointed room. Accepting graciously, the three were shown the room and their luggage brought up. After asking for dinner to be sent up to their room, the three collapsed on the huge king sized bed in a fit of giggles.

"This is fun," Maggie said, once she finally calmed down.

"Hey what about me, I'm supposed to be Kevin," Sara lied, trying to get the others confused.

"Huh? I thought I was Kevin," said Kevin/Anita, checking out his/her body, as if confused. He/she knew what Sara was trying to do, so he/she played along. "Maybe I'm Maggie, I'm so confused," he/she lamented, while holding his/her hands to his/her face to cover a grin.

"Then I must be Sara," Maggie grinned, quickly catching on to the game, with a smirk. "I think you are Maggie and you are Anita." She continued, pointing first at Kevin/Anita, then towards Sara.

The timely arrival of dinner, stopped the silly game they were playing, and they sat down to a sumptuous meal with all the trimmings. Maggie marvelled at the amount of food there was, she was drooling as saw the slices of roast turkey on her plate with roast potatoes and assorted vegetables. The others grinned at each other, seeing the delight that Maggie was showing as she nearly inhaled the food in her haste.

"Leave room for desert, honey," Sara told her, barely halfway through her own meal.

The bottle of complimentary champagne that had been supplied, was followed by a second, as Maggie drunk it as though it was lemonade. Being in these bodies, meant that the alcohol had a much lesser effect that to a normal person, but it did mellow out the triplets, as they finally finished their meal.

They had talked about the Shelke to Maggie, explaining everything to her. The subject of Maggie's dream to become a child was put aside for the moment, as Sara told Maggie that she wanted to talk with Kim first. Sara offered Maggie the chance to be a bridesmaid, after telling her that, Anita had proposed to her. This was said with tongue in cheek, as Anita blushed. Maggie hugged both of them, accepting with a squeal of delight. Maggie looked at the both of them, and voiced the same question that Julie had asked earlier.

"Who is going to be the bride?" she asked, looking at the twins in turn.

To be continued.

Carversion -24-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Well?" Maggie asked, still waiting for her reply.

Both Anita and Sara pointed at the other. Maggie giggled, at the looks on the faces of the twins as they both poked their tongues out at each other, before shrugging and looking apologetic towards Maggie, at their unresolved decision.

"Great, two brides. This I got to see," Maggie laughed, having seemingly decided for the pair of them.

Anita didn't immediately object, as the idea of two brides was tempting; after all, being in a tux wasn't something new to Kevin. The attraction of being able to feel what her bride felt would make the ceremony all the more special, as long as she was man enough for the wedding night, that was all that mattered. She did wonder how they could pull it off, without having anyone object. The only downside she could see was the parent thing. Kevin's parents would be expecting their son to be the groom not another bride. The way she looked, she couldn't even pretend she was Kevin just dressed up in a wedding gown. She sighed, thinking it was probably just impossible to achieve.

Sara didn't need any mind reading powers to realise the significance of that sigh. Who wouldn't want to wear a delicious creation in silk and satin, with all the pomp and ceremony that goes with being a bride? She wasn't in the least worried about Kevin wanting to change sides permanently unless Sara decided to return to the testosterone side of the fence, something she knew wasn't going to happen, except for certain emergencies. She remembered Kevin stating some time ago that he'd been tempted and that only the fact that she was going to remain female had prevented that possibility. Now with the bracelets making it easy to swap around, Sara was going to make sure that Kevin had ample opportunities to sample the feminine gender. She had a few ideas on the two bride ceremony, even with the parents being involved. She just had to check with Kim to see if she would to agree to lend a bit of help.

Changing the subject, Sara said she was going into the huge roman style bath, before going to bed.

"Great idea, up for a bit of company?" asked Anita, her question clearly indicating that it included Maggie as well.

"Sure, the more the merrier," laughed Sara, as she stood up and went to start the bath filling. They all needed a little help with the dresses, to get them off. Soon, three very naked nubile bodies scrambled into a hot, scent-laden bath.

The three washed each other fastidiously taking extra care to prolong any contact with breasts or groin, until it wasn't just the water that was feeling hot. Some kissing was lamely passed off as special longtonguetudinal washing, which everyone joined in. Longitudinal or not, it certainly went across with flying colours.

Anita said she had something that hadn't been cleaned yet as she touched her bracelet. Like a periscope rising from stormy seas, her penis rose above the soapy bubbles, signalling its readiness for action. Maggie squealed and threw a sponge at the sea serpent, before dissolving into laughter, when Anita said, "blowing ballast tanks." It was Sara, who tamed the intruder, by sitting on it, so its length was swallowed by her eager beaver.

Maggie felt awkward, seeing that these two, who would eventually be her parents, were engaging in sex while she was in close vicinity. Sara, with her more developed sensitivity, realised Maggie, while adult, felt uncomfortable, with the current situation. Sitting stationary on Anita's prong, with it buried out of sight inside Sara, gave the impression of normalcy, well, as normal as triplets in a bath together, can look. To an outsider it would have looked like three girls playing in the bath, as no signs of Anita's organ could be seen.

Sara reached out to hug Maggie, as did Anita, a second later.

"There is nothing shameful in sharing our love Maggie. We will not be hiding anything behind closed doors, like our parents did. We are going to try and be as open about everything as we can, and not worry about nudity taboos or expressing our love in front of members of this family to be. We aren't asking you to join in, unless you feel comfortable. We aren't related, so there's no worry about it being incest, if we kiss you on the lips, same with sex, if you don't want to be a part of it, then it's fine. It's your choice. But we do love you as a friend and will love you as our child when that time comes."

Maggie hugged them back, wondering how come she was so lucky to find herself loved by these two wonderful people. She kissed them, saying she loved them both.

"I will let you have more room to play, while I find something to wear," Maggie said, getting out of the bath and grabbing a towel.

"Look in the case for some nighties for us all," Sara suggested, before starting to move slowly on her impalement.

Maggie was gowned and happily watching TV, when the others finished they bath, and went to put something on. They wandered back to where Maggie was sitting; having donned nighties and looking relaxed. Sara picked up the phone and ordered some ice cream to be brought up to their room. Maggie's eyes glowed, with anticipation at the mention of the treat.

When the ice cream was duly delivered, the young man left without asking for a tip as his mind was trying to burn in the sight of three lovely triplets in a near state of undress. Maggie giggled; setting the others off, as they recalled the young mans glazed eyes.

"It's a bit like that TV program, 'The Charmed Ones,' with the power of three," giggled Maggie, before she turned her attention to her bowl of double chocolate ice cream.

While they relaxed, Sara brought up a point that had just occurred to her.

"Maggie, I don't understand why you had no money. I thought we'd left you enough, to tide you over.

Maggie looked embarrassed, and a little guilty. She started to explain, but broke down before making much sense.

"Maggie it's okay, we aren't worried if you spent it all, we were just surprised that you had nothing left when we came back," reassured Sara, hugging the tearful Maggie."

"After you left, I went to the library to say goodbye to my friends in a chat room I visit. It's a place where other people like me visit and chat. Anyway, while I was there, I got talking to HER."

"Her?" Queried Anita. "Who is she?"

"No, H.E.R. She changes her name to suit the initials each time she comes on. I think her real name is Helen Elaine Reynolds," explained Maggie. "She was in a bit of strife at the time, she needed money to pay her landlord, or she was going to be thrown out on the street."

"Ah so you sent her the money," Sara asked, seeing where this was leading.

"Yes, I thought I would have enough from my last pay check to cover the time till you came back, so I sent her a money order that day."

"But your boss withheld your pay? Asked Anita, getting angry.

"When I told him about quitting, he asked for the Palm Pilot and printer I use for the meter maid job, to be returned, along with the cell phone they supply. That's when I realised I didn't have the cell phone and the Palm Pilot was broken in the collision. I must have lost the phone then as well. They are worth over 500 dollars, more than my paycheck would cover. So I didn't go back to work, knowing I owed more than I would get back."

"Well, never mind, I don't mind that you gave the money to a worthy cause. It just shows us that even though you don't have much, you were willing to share to help your friends. I'd like to talk to you about these friends of yours, but first I think its time for bed." Sara finished, pulling Maggie into her arms for a hug.

"I think Maggie can sleep with us," Anita winked, taking Maggie's other arm.

Maggie grinned as she was led unresisting to the king-sized bed and told to take the middle of the bed.

"We can't have our future little girl falling out of bed now, can we?" Sara laughed, slipping in beside Maggie, while Anita climbed in the other side. After kissing everyone goodnight, the three clung together till slumber took them into dreamland.

The next morning was filled with the sight of three nubile bodies dashing for the bathroom. The scuffle as each vied to be first to the toilet, resulted in an impromptu tickle fest, which soon had them all giggling and jiggling the tinkle two-step. The next decision to make was what to wear. Having booked in as triplets, Kevin wouldn't be making an appearance, so it was Anita filling in again, especially in her bra. Maggie was wanting the "I'm a clone effect," with them wearing matching clothes, but Sara said that the gowns they wore last night were not appropriate, plus the fashion guru's would scream if they saw them wearing the same outfit twice.

Without the car to duplicate the look, and not having anything they had bought the same, Sara told Maggie that they'd have to wear different clothes. Anita then remembered another of the bracelets powers, one they had found in bed when Sara changed to Jennifer, while Kevin was making love to her. It had made Kevin a duplicate of Sara/Jennifer.

Sara grinned at the memory, especially when they'd shown the others by linking hands and suddenly making quadruplets. Sara found a smart, but casual dress to wear, got her makeup on, and accessorised herself. She had the others strip off their nighties as she didn't want them consigned to limbo after having just brought them. Holding hands with the others, she touched the Sara setting on the bracelet, seeing she was already Sara as were the others, only the clothing and the make up and hair were duplicated, as were the accessories

"Oh oh, I hope the FBI don't catch us duplicating your identity," laughed Anita, showing Sara a duplicate set of identification and drivers licence from her new handbag.

"Lucky, we look alike then, think of the problems they would have trying to prove we were different people. I bet even our DNA and fingerprints would prove we are the same person," grinned Sara.

Maggie was hardly paying attention, she was twirling, and half dancing to make the new dress she was wearing swirl around her legs.

"This is so neat, I got from naked to dressed and made up in seconds and I didn't have to do a thing, " Maggie sighed wistfully.

"Shall we eat in our room or eat downstairs?" asked Sara, looking expectantly at the others.

"Here/downstairs," came two voices simultaneously. Anita sighed, seeing the eager look in Maggie's eyes. "Okay downstairs," amended Anita, grinning at the look that shone on Maggie's face.

The three held everyone's attention as they made their way to a table in the hotels dinning room. Even Anita, who had been the most reluctant, had to admit the funny side of it, as some of the men stopped and gawked, their spoons or forks frozen in mid air as the three breezed past them.

Maggie was in a dither, seeing the selection on the menu. The others waited for her to make up her mind, before giving up and ordering the lot. As the plates arrived, they each shared a portion of food, grinning at the way Maggie's eyes darted from one item to the next. While they were eating, several children sort out autographs, figuring in their own simplistic way that they must be movie stars. It was kind of embarrassing, but cute too. Sara signed the napkins offered, "The Vostock Sisters," which sounded sort of exotic.

The only problem that arose was when they checked out a bit later. As they walked towards the LTD, which had been loaded with their luggage, a smarmy looking man came up to them and told them that they were just what he needed for his movie. He even addressed them as the Vostock Sisters, so he must have talked to the young autograph hunters.

"Not interested," was Sara's terse reply.

"But you'll make millions," insisted the man not giving up. "You'll be famous," he went on, expounding the benefits.

"What part of no, do you not understand?" Anita countered in the same tone as Sara.

"Take my card, in case you change your mind," the man said, making a last ditch effort as he handed Maggie a card from his pocket.

Maggie stopped, she looked at the card, then while the hotels patrons attention was glued to this scene, she slowly and deliberately tore the card into small pieces and stuffed the bits into the surprised mans gaping mouth.

The hotel lobby erupted into laughter and cheers, as the man spluttered, spitting bits of card from his mouth. Without another look, Maggie took her twins hands and ushered them out the door, before they spoiled the effect by collapsing into laughter themselves.

Once in the car and having driven a few blocks down the street, Sara stopped the car. There was silence for a moment, and Maggie was all set to apologise, thinking she'd done something wrong, when Sara started laughing. Anita started too, until tears were running down their cheeks.

"That was brilliant, Maggie, utterly priceless," Sara gasped as she finally found breath to speak.

"I'll remember that look for the rest of my life," Anita added, as she wiped her eyes.

Maggie grinned and relaxed as they started on their way again. She couldn't wait to see what new adventure lay around the corner. Even though they hard barely started, the child inside was already bouncing with impatience. She had to resist the urge to say, "are we there yet?" As they travelled further from her old home.

William and Julie were having a much more restful time, knowing that the others wouldn't be back for some days. There was nothing to do, regarding the house, seeing they had decided not to sell it. Knowing it truly belonged to the Shelke, made them slightly uncomfortable in taking over such a beautiful home without paying a cent. Even though they knew it had been gifted to them, they felt guilty at their presumption of just claiming it for themselves.

They had been practising their nexus techniques, trying to see what they could do with it, while their bodies lay entwined in bed. They had visited the others, and seen some of the highlights of their travels. Like Sara and Kevin- or Anita as he was temporarily, they liked Maggie immediately and knew she'd be a welcome edition to their group. Luckily, they had been eavesdropping when the triplets had exited the hotel, and had seen the altercation and its results. The nexus broke, as they too, had trouble containing the laughter that had forced their minds to separate, while their bodies shook as laughter burst forth.

"She's a keeper, that Maggie," William grinned as he turned to Julie.

"One things for sure, she'll keep them on their toes, adult or child," offered Julie, as she dried her eyes.

"Oh boy! And us," William exclaimed, having had a sudden thought.

"Huh?" Julie questioned, not seeing the problem.

"Who do you think will get the babysitting job," chortled William, grinning as he saw the sudden realisation cross Julie's face.

"I don't know how Sara has that worked out." Julie said, not really seeing a problem. "I mean how she will do Maggie's regression. I hope its not like Robert's was, it would seem like a shame to have the adult just wiped away, leaving the child."

"I'm sure that's not Sara's plan, she's too humane to just kill off the adult personality. We will have to see what she has planned when she gets back," William reassured her. With that, he kissed her deeply, making her squirm closer into his embrace.

"What about we go visit the holly wood studio's today," William suggested at breakfast a little while later.

"Do you think they will let us in?" asked Julie, as she nibbled her toast.

"Well, I do have the security passes from when Huang was a body guard. I don't see why not,"

"What about me, I don't have a pass," Julie brought up.

"Ah but as Mi Ling you could go as my wife." Grinned William, relishing the whole idea of having a wife.

"You just want to see me in that outfit we bought yesterday," pouted Julie, pretending to be put out.

"Or out of it," William blurted out, before he could stop himself, having dreamily visualised Julie in Mi Lings gloriously naked body.

"Owwwh ouch!" complained William, laying it on, as Julie poked him in mock outrage.

"I think I'll go as Huang, and you can go as Mi Ling, just like yesterday," Julie threatened.

William's mind flashed beck to yesterdays shopping trip as a twin of Mi Ling. Julie had copied Sara's example with Kevin and had cajoled William into being her twin, while she shopped as Mi Ling. William needed cajoling, not because he didn't want to be a female, but because of the reverse.

When he'd experiences being Mi Ling and wearing the sexy clothes she had while rescuing Julie, he'd had to constantly block out how delicious those clothes had felt on Mi Lings sensitive body. He was supposed to be a man, not a seductive female, knowing Kevin had plunged across the gender divide with little reluctance, made William feel a little better. With Julie seeming not to care whether he made love as a man or a woman, only made the decision harder to resist. He'd given in and enjoyed him/herself, modelling clothes with Mi Ling beside her. He had tried to force the fact of his being way to comfortable as a woman, deep in his mind, so that while joined in a nexus with Julie, she wouldn’t guess his darkest secret.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to lie and say I don't like you as Mi Ling, I do, but without you driving the controls, she has no interest for me. I guess it's the exotic look of her coupled by the fact you are inside that body," William answered honestly.

"She is kinda nice to drive, isn't she?" winked Julie, pleased with his honest answer.

She knew he liked being her. In the nexus, nothing much could be kept hidden from the other, but she didn't let him know she knew. There must be some quirk in these Shelke made bodies that allowed a greater insight from the female POV. Sara had mentioned this before, and although the Shelke were hermaphroditic in nature, the predominance of the female form seemed to have given them extra abilities. William, as the yang in the nexus was an open book, to her ying, but the reverse couldn't be said.

Having a unique outlook on the gender differences, Julie couldn't refuse William the pleasure of delving into the same experience. As long as both of them loved each other and received mutual satisfaction in their sex life, did it matter who was ying or yang. Being fully committed to remain in the feminine camp, there was little likelihood of them having male-to-male sex. The negative social connotations aside, there was that overshadowing threat of aides that seemed to be ever on the increase, even in the heterosexual group.

William laughed, jolting Julie away from her thoughts.

"What?" She asked, recalling her last words.

"I wonder if next years model has bigger headlights," chortled William, trying to think of Mi Ling as something you could trade in.

"Men!" Julie snorted, saying it all. "If you want bigger air bags, you could try becoming Jennifer."

To be continued.

Carversion -25-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Uncle-aunt-sister-whatever," William called out, laughing, as he threw his hands up in defeat.

Julie went to the bedroom to change, while William used the bracelet to become Huang again. When Mi Ling did emerge from the bedroom, Huang was surprised that she had decided not to wear the outfit she... no, they had shopped for, instead opting for the outfit, he had worn for Julie's rescue.

"I thought..."

"That I'd wear the kimono and those Geta sandal's." She finished off, shooting him a warning look. "This is California and that kimono would be too much in this heat. And those Geta sandals might look cute with those toed Tabi socks, but they aren't meant to be worn all day." The Geta sandals were basically small skateboards with a velvet thong to hold them on, but instead of wheels, there were two wooden slats running across the sole of the shoe. They made a cute clacking sound, but would be murder after several hours on them. "I can play geisha girl for you later, in the privacy of our home," she offered, grinning as she saw his face light up at the thought.

"Are you loaded?" he asked curiously, as his eyes tried to see past the satin of her top.

For an answer, Mi Ling flicked out her fans as if from nowhere, and struck a defensive pose.

"Try not to use those, we don't want to offand anyone," Huang joked, deliberately mispronouncing offend, then watching amazed, as the fans were hidden with an equally quick gesture.

Huang's car was acknowledged with a wave, as Huang drove past the guard at the entrance to the studios. Parking, they got out, and decided wander around. Although William had never been here, the built in memory of Huang, surfaced enough to help him recognise where he was. Spotting a cafeteria, where some of the stars and many of the extras spent time between takes; Huang guided Mi Ling to a table, in the hopes that they might see somebody famous. There was a selection of people in costume, for the current productions. Some bizarre, with lots of painstakingly applied prosthetic rubber covering not only their faces, but their bodies too. Ordering a coffee, they sat and watched the crowd as they came and left.

"Hey Hu!" came a call, interrupting their stargazing.

Huang turned around, and looked up, as a hand clamped on his shoulder. A memory, courtesy of the Shelke that formerly wore this body, supplied a name to the face looming over him.

"Hi Donald," Huang replied, wondering if he was busted.

"Mind if I sit? I wouldn't want to interrupt anything between you and this gorgeous creature," Donald asked, looking appreciatively at Mi Ling.

Seeing the look of interest, Huang introduced them. "Donald Haskin, meet my wife, Mi Ling."

"Entirely my pleasure, I assure you," Donald greeted her, kissing her proffered hand.

Mi Ling blushed, and nodded, not saying anything. Donald sat, and asked if Huang had come back to work again. Huang said no, and that he was just showing Mi Ling around, seeing she had only just arrived here. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Donald's face took on a troubled look.

"Why so down?" Huang asked, seeing Donald had something bothering him.

"I'm having a party in two days, and my main entertainment just cancelled due to ill health. I need someone to replace them. I was gong to pay eight grand for the magic act. I wonder if you know of anyone available to replace them. I'll pay you two grand as a finder's fee, but they have to be good and they had to me some sort of magic act, as I've already promised the guests that. Can you help?"

Huang looked at Mi Ling, thinking back to a suggestion to go into business as a magic act, with the help of the bracelets. After going into a brief mental communication with Mi Ling, Huang looked at Donald and said.

"Pay us the ten grand and we'll be your act."

Donald looked doubtfully at them. " I need something spectacular, not just a parlour trick," he demanded. "I don't think you have what I need, no offence."

"None taken, but let us demonstrate right here, without any preparation." Suggested Huang, challengingly.

"What, where?" Donald spluttered, wondering what they had in mind.

"See those toilets over there? I want you to go into the men's and check for any other exits, then come back here." Huang suggested, with a smile.

Donald did as he was asked, and was soon back at the table. Huang who had explained the plan to Mi Ling in the meantime, stood up and walked to the men's toilet, leaving Mi Ling to walk to the female toilet. Donald, who had been warned not to take his eyes off the two doors that were six feet apart, watched as the pair entered their respective toilets and closed the door behind them. No sooner had the doors closed they began to open again. Donald gasped as Mi Ling walked seductively out of the male toilet, while Huang scurried quickly out of the female toilet. They walked directly to the table and looked at him with Cheshire cat sized grins.

"Well?" William asked, in Mi Ling's sexy form.

"That's impossible, there's no way you could pull that off," growled Donald, suspecting a trick.

"Then you're suggesting I'm really Huang," William batted her eyelashes, as she leaned closer and gave Donald a kiss.

"I,I,I, iyeeee..." Donald stuttered, trying unsuccessfully to come up with anything intelligible. There was no doubting his senses, even if his brain seemed to be telling him he'd just seen the impossible.

"You're hired," he finally managed, as the memory of Mi Ling's kiss was stored away.

"Wait, we will need some props," as both Mi Ling and Huang discussed what they needed.

"Okay I can get those, plus the magicians equipment is still stored at my place, if there's anything of it you can use," Donald agreed.

Plans where made to meet at Donald's the next day to see the props, and work out a routine before the party the following day. Donald then took Mi Ling and Huang on a quick tour of the studios. At the first opportunity and out of Donald's view, they changed back to themselves. They also captured images of a few of the characters they saw with the bracelets, to possibly use in the magic act.

They spent the rest of the day there, enjoying themselves while keeping out of the way of scene shooting. Huang seemed welcome everywhere, and he had to make constant introductions to Mi Ling. That night, after having eaten out for dinner, they went over some basic routines for their magic début.

Sara took it easy on the road, once they cleared the outskirts of the city. Having the time to relax and enjoy the trip, they stopped often; allowing an inexperienced traveller like Maggie, time to broaden her knowledge. Anita was retired for the moment with Kevin taking her place. Maggie was again in the shape that the others had created for her after the accident. Kevin and Sara looked on and grinned, as the child in Maggie felt free to bounce around in the back as she spotted some new surprise along the way. Although Maggie was every bit an adult as the others, she was content to be led around and accepted whatever food was placed before her.

Sara tried to make rest breaks in the open country, rather than in the towns along the way. They would stop and use the toilets if needed, then go and buy something to eat later. They'd find a nice river with a lay-by where they could stop and eat there food and drink, taking time for Maggie to dabble her toes in the water or run around in the fields, or trees, depending where they had stopped. They began to feel like a family, bonding in a way that few get to enjoy. Maggie blossomed in the love that she felt surrounding her. Slowly, the child within peeked out more and more as Sara and Kevin accepted her without question.

"Mommy, look at this pretty flower I picked for you," Maggie said, showing Sara a small pink bud of a wild bush rose. "I didn't even get prickled," she added proudly.

Sara's heart melted at Maggie's term of endearment. Trying not to cry, she hugged Maggie, thanking her with an emotion choked voice. She desperately hoped Kim could help her to make Maggie's dreams come true, without losing that part of her adult personality. Sara and Kevin could see Maggie changing back and forth more often, becoming the child whenever she could. The adult part of Maggie was only ever visible when they interacted with the rest of the world.

Maggie would sleep with them at night, as she needed the constant reassurance that this was not a figment of a fevered dream. This meant Kevin, had to take his opportunities where he could, mostly in the shower. To save water was their excuse to Maggie, who giggled knowing that the noises emanating from the bathroom had little to do with saving water. Maggie made certain she used it first, after finding that the save water campaign usually meant not hot water afterwards.

The sacrifices Kevin and Sara made to ensure Maggie had no nightmares, wasn't lost on Maggie. She felt a little guilty, but after one incident, where Maggie had tried sleeping separately. Sara insisted that she sleep with them. Maggie had woken in the night, feeling scared in the unfamiliar room. She had screamed, before grabbing all her stuffies and bolting for Sara and Kevin's bedroom. Sara had then to calm her down from her imaginary fears, and found out that she had a nice singing voice, as she sung a lullaby to Maggie that she remembered from Scott's childhood. From that moment on, Maggie wheedled a song from Sara each night, as she settled down to sleep.

William and Julie in their alternative forms of Huang and Mi Ling set out Donald's place the next morning. Donald was there, and showed them the gear left by the other magicians act. He left them then, to supervise the other catering arrangements, saying just to holler if they needed anything.

William and Julie found that the magician's clothes and his assistants had been left there as well. Luckily, both sets of clothing fit, so they put them aside to check out the rest of the equipment. They found the pyrotechnics that went with several of the acts, giving William a brilliant idea for the opening act. The instructions were simple as the devices once primed were set off by a radio signal. Most of the stuff was discarded, s they didn't have the expertise to use it. They set up the ground were the first act would begin, and told Donald what to do to assist.

The party was in full swing with lots of the rich and famous gathered around the pool area, when there was an altercation at the gate. A man dressed in 'scruff,' rode his battered motorbike through the guests to a spot near the pool. He had snatched a glass of wine as he passed a waiter carrying drinks, and had stopped to take a sip. The security guards hired by Donald moved the curious crowd back, leaving a half circle backing on to the side of the pool.

People gathered close to see what was going to happen to the obvious interloper. He couldn't get away as he was completely surrounded. Several guards picked up a large black silk backdrop that had been hanging nearby. They threw it over the man and his bike, completely obscuring it from view. There was a loud bang, as flash powder canisters buried in the grass surrounding the man and bike went off. Everyone jumped and flinched backwards, and when they looked again, the scene had changed. A guard had dragged the cloth away to reveal a Lamborghini, from which Huang and Mi Ling stepped, resplendent in their borrowed costumes. After the initial shock, everyone cheered and clapped, although some needed to sit after seeing the unexpected. The pair bowed, pleased that the act had gone as plan.

William and Julie had dressed into their costume, after becoming Huang and Mi Ling. Then getting into the Lamborghini, Huang had switched back to the motorbike mode, sending Julie into limbo, while Huang adopted a scruff identity. He had then driven to Donald's to create the illusion of gatecrasher. The guards had then followed their instructions to the letter, throwing the cover over him to hide the changeover.

Huang bowed to the awed audience, as the guest argued about how it was done. He then explained that he was substituting for the original magician, who, being I'll, couldn't attend. Huang then said that they were unfamiliar with the props the other had left and mentioned that he hoped there would be no accidents due to his unfamiliarity with them. Huang then introduced Mi Ling as his assistant; again mentioning it was her first time as one. Although there were some doubters, seeing the calibre of their opening act, they got a very voluble round of applause.

Huang had a 6-foot long wooden box brought out. It was only barely as wide as Mi Ling and just a foot deep. It was closed off at one end and mi ling stood still with her arms above her head as the men who had brought it out gradually lowered it over her there was a bit of a struggle to get it to fit as there was hardly enough room for her to fit in it. Finally, the box was squeezed right down to the concrete floor, trapping Mi Ling in its tight embrace. Huang asked the two men to stay and hold the top of the box steady, as Huang brought out a chain saw.

"As you could see, the box is tight about her, not even allowing her to bend her knees. So there's no way she can duck down as I cut the box in half with this saw."

The audience gasped, crowding round in a tight circle. Huang started the saw, placed the blade halfway down the box, and began to cut into it moving the blade across. After an inch or so, there was a scream from within the box, as the blade caught on some material, dragging it outside the slot cut by the whirring teeth. Some of the material looked stained with red, but Huang didn't stop till he'd cut completely through. The top half wobbled, threatening to fall off, as Huang pulled the bloodstained blade free. Only the grip of the two men stopped it from falling. Huang looked at the blade covered in red and shrugged.

"She needed to lose weight anyway," he clearly said, drawing only a few nervous laughs. "How are you in there?" he asked, speaking close to the box. After several seconds where everyone held their breaths, Mi Ling's muffled voice replied.

"I'll get you back about that cutting remark about me being fat," she laughed, as the top half of the box wobbled with her laughter. Huang signalled the two men to lift the top away from Mi Ling. Huang heard the collective gasp of the guests, as Mi Ling was revealed not only unharmed, but also facing in the opposite direction from when she started.

The two men lifted her out of the remains of the box, setting her down unharmed so she could bow to the audience, how erupted into cheers and clapping.

"Why did you scream? Huang asked, raising an eyebrow at Mi Ling.

"I thought I broke a nail," Mi Ling said with a straight face, which made the audience laugh again.

Huang rolled his eyes theatrically, shaking his head, as if saying, "women," this got more laughter.

Mi Ling had used an image of a young 6 year old girl, captured by the bracelet to change into, the moment the box was placed over her, this gave her room to duck below the painted half way line marked inside, to indicate where the saw would enter. The top had sufficient gaps to see it clearly, and when the saw blade started entering above her head, she prayed it with some red dye and thrown a piece of cloth that matched her outfit, all of which they had prepared prior to the act, onto the blade. They had found that holding things like the cloth and the spray container with the dye could be stored with the body of the girl, as long as she was holding them before changing back into Mi lings form. Once the blade had been removed, it was easy to spin around and face the other way, before returning to the adult form of Mi Ling.

The next act was equally well recieved, judging by the applause. Mi Ling stepped into a large black silk bag, which had the opening fastened to a golden metal loop. Guests were volunteered to participate, and three gentlemen came up to surround the much smaller Mi Ling standing on the bag where it lay on the ground at her feet. Huang had the men take hold of the ring and lift it to waist height, which left the upper half of Mi Ling in plain view. Huang then asked if the location was all right or did they want to pick a place for the illusion to take place. His manner plainly told them he didn't want to move, so of course everyone suspected a hidden trapdoor in the lawn, notwithstanding the fact that they had all been walking on that very spot. Mi Ling had to shuffle along as she and the men holding the bag where told to move to another place acceptable to the audience, while huang showed signs of nervousness and worry at the new destination.

Finally, when everyone was sure there was no trapdoor under the spot where Mi Ling, and that they were sure huang's attempt would fail, they stopped. Huang's expression of worry vanished, as he had the three men lift the ring as high as it would go, about eight feet above the ground, completely swallowing Mi Ling from sight. Huang muttered something under his breath and waved a wand theatrically, before letting the men lower the ring. The men and the guests both gasped. Expecting Huang's assistant to still be there, they were shocked to see a towering Wookie in her place. The men nearly wet themselves as the hairy Wookie growled baring very real looking teeth. They stood their ground purely because they knew it was somehow a magic trick and that to run away would show themselves up before their dates or wives.

"Throw the ring up and let it go," huang suggested, grinning at the ashen faces of the three men.

They complied all too willingly; glad to move back as they released the ring. The ring flew up, taking with it, the bag. As it reached the apex of its flight and covered the Wookie, it began to fall. As it passed the place that should have exposed the Wookie, it only showed nothing it fell... and fell... to reveal at last, a cute 6 year old girl, in a party dress. Huang went over and presented her with a lollypop, before lifting the ring one handed to about chest height before lowering it almost immediately to reveal a crouching Mi Ling.

While everyone was reeling from that display, huang had two large sealable plastic drums rolled out and set by the side of the pool. He then bade Mi Ling to doff her costume, leaving her showing her obvious charms in a gold lame bikini. He then had her climb into the drum. The top, which had been painted with pink paint, was then fastened down, sealing her inside. A rope was tied to the top and the barrel with its cargo was pushed into the pool, where it bobbed, and wobbled as it was towed to one end of the pool. Huang shrugged out of his costume as well, leaving him in a silver lame bikini bottom that left no doubt that he was all man. He then climbed into the remaining drum, which had a blue lid that was then fastened down.

This drum was towed to the other end of the pool, nearly twenty feet away from the other. The guests were allowed to line the pool, wondering what was going to happen, that could top the last act. The barrels rocked as they heard a subdued knocking on the inside. Anyone observant might have noticed the change in the depth that each barrel floated, as the two inside changed into each other, correspondingly affecting the level the drums floated as the weight changed. The wobbling that the two deliberately caused, helped disguise that fact.

Donald had the two drums lifted out of the water, leaving them at each end of the pool. As the tops where unfastened, the heads and bodies of huang and Mi Ling popped out of the others drum. Again, there was no doubt as to who was who in their skimpy costumes. Everyone was amazed, the hubbub as people argued about how it was achieved, enabled the pair to clothe themselves again.

The final act was similar to their first one. They climbed back into the Lamborghini and had a cloth draped over the top of the car. Ladies volunteered to hold the cloth level with the roof height, and the remaining guests were to stand in a circle beside the women, till a cordon of humanity hemmed the hidden car in. Suddenly the centre of the cloth rose as a draped figure showed. Whipping away the cloth, revealed a sexy blonde on the original tatty motorbike. She smiled at the parting crowd as she gunned the bike out onto the street and roared away.

Huang and Mi Ling returned in the Lamborghini five minutes later, wearing normal clothes, well normal for a party anyway. Donald couldn't stop going on about how incredible they were and led them around the guests like a trophy, introducing themselves. Offers came thick and fast, to perform for other gigs as the rich and famous vied for their magic act to impress others that hadn't seen it. Huang politely declined, saying this was just a "one off," as a favour to Donald. Hearing this, Donald dragged them away to a slightly quieter corner and got out his checkbook. He wrote for a moment, then handed them a check. Mi Ling goggled at the amount, twenty grand.

"Sorry, but I meant it when I said this was the one and only time," Huang insisted, handing the check back.

"No you don't understand, this is payment for today, I'm going to be famous forever with those people, especially if its never going to be repeated. I've had so many propositions handed my way, that this is my thanks for a job well done," Donald explained, pressing the check back into Huang's hand.

Huang thanked Donald, taking the check. They only stayed for a short while longer, as the guests questions about their act, began to wear thin, and their "eastern mystical traditions," only satisfied some of the guests. They drove home, glad to have tried something like that, but knew in the long run, that they couldn't sustain that and not become the target of debunkers, which might just expose them to others that might want to exploit their abilities. They settled down to a nice home cooked meal, before Julie went to get changed she gave William a lame excuse for not doing the geisha thing with the kimono instead she paraded around in the bedroom, in a certain gold lame bikini. This certainly made things appear without the aid of magic. The next act had things, or a thing appearing and disappearing and appearing in rapid succession, accompanied with the appropriate approval voice by an audience of two.

To be continued.

Carversion -26-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Six

Meanwhile, back with Sara, Kevin, Maggie was keeping the journey from being routine, with her seemingly endless questions about, "where were they headed next? What were they going to do when they got there? How long will it be? Can I have an ice cream? Are we there yet?" With Maggie's bouncing around, Sara and Kevin could swear they already had a young child in the back seat, if they didn't turn around.

Maggie's antics only endeared her to her future parents as they patiently answered her as best they could. Maggie's antics might have been due partly to some unconscious need to test her future parents, to see if they could cope with the boundless energy that her inner self seemed to have in spades. The adult in Maggie knew she was being a pain in the neck, literally, as Sara kept looking over her shoulder to answer Maggie's questions. Despite all the questions, Sara showed only boundless patience with a quirky smile as she tried to reconcile the sight of an adult exhibiting the childlike wonder that comes with the innocence of youth.

Maggie learned of Sara's and Kevin's past lives and was particularly interested in Sara's and Julies fence jumping. The bonding that was going on between them was rudely interrupted with the cell phones ring. Sara answered it.

"Hi Kim, how are you?"

I'm fine, but we have a problem," Kim answered.

Sara grew worried, if Kim was having problems, what use were they to help out.

"Oh? What's up?" she asked, hoping it wasn't anything major.

"You know that chat room that Maggie told us about, where HER and some other transgendered meet?"

"Yes, what of it?" replied Sara.

"They won't talk to me and there's some concern over Maggie's whereabouts, seems she has a lot of friends there that check in with her, some by phone. Now that line is down and Maggie has been absent from the net. Things are stirring, I even got accused of doing something to her."

"You want her to go there and tell them she's okay?" Sara asked.

"Yes, I don't talk the lingo, we need these people on our side, maybe you can expedite things on your end, with Maggie as your go between."

Okay, I'll see what we can do."

"Thanks, I'll be in touch. Byeeeeeeeeee..."

"Byeeeee Kim..."

Sara hung up and told Kevin to find a place to stop. Sara filled the others in, as she got into the back seat with Maggie, as soon as Kevin had stopped the car. Handing the laptop to Maggie, she told her to visit the chat room that she used to frequent, when she was using the libraries computer.

"But it's not connected, is it?" Maggie asked puzzled, as she examined the sides of the laptop.

"This is special, Maggie, it interfaces directly into the Internet without cords or a server.

"Coolies," smiled Maggie, quickly typing in the address she knew from memory. Sara watched fascinated as the screen opened to a room where several people were listed as being in the room. Maggie logged in as Maggie the kitten, her usual Nick. There was a flurried response as the others greeted her excitedly. Some were more reserved, seeking assurance that she was indeed their Maggie. One, a person with a Nick of "twisted," questioned the fact that there was no IP address or server listed when she joined. Maggie tried to explain she was on something new and that she was travelling in a car at the moment. Twisted seemed to accept that the more Maggie 'talked,'

Sara was amazed, Maggie typed in a Pidgin English that everyone seemed to understand, although as people continued to 'speak' it was obvious the Maggie had a style of her own that couldn't be counterfeited. It was this, more than anything, which convinced the others she was indeed Maggie. Sara watched, as the greetings came thick and furious, along with questions about where she had been. Maggie gave them a pocket history, leaving out about her injuries and subsequent transformation, telling them she had bumped into friends who were going to give her the one thing she had wished for, all her life. At this point, she introduced Sara, showing how to change the nick from Maggie to Sara, on the screen.

At once, the chatters in the room could see the different typing style and word choice that showed there was another person at the keyboard. Sara tentatively greeted the people, mentioning that she was heading west from Indianapolis and taking Maggie to her new home. This bought out a flurry of questions that showed the true concern and love that this people had for their 'Kitten,' a name that they used for Maggie. Sara got another call from Kim, on the cell phone while this was going on. Somehow, Kim was able to monitor the room via whatever link the laptops used. Kim told her that there was nobody spying on the chat if she wanted to mention the Krin, and that each person in the chat room had been located, just in case there was trouble.

Sara asked the people gathered what their wish was, in terms their fantasy body, if it was possible to achieve it. Some wanted female bodies. Some just wanted to be able to change back and forth, as many had wives or partners. Sara heard of the tales of woe from those suffering from everything up to the big C. some had sick spouses and a few were truly happy as they were. Sara laid a bombshell, when she offered a way to give them what they so desperately needed. Of the Americans in the chat, the only one that was closest and in the general direction that they were headed, was a person called TyrificGal. He or she agreed to meet Sara and Maggie the following day, as it would take that time to reach her place. Maggie showed Sara how to initiate a private chat to get the address and work out a rough ETA.

Sara was going to tell her more, but TyrificGal had to leave for a few minutes to attend to her sick spouse. When she signified her return, with the obligatory,' back,' Sara told her that what she had to offer could cure her spouse as well. Obviously, this claim was meet with some scepticism, but Sara insisted it was true and would prove it tomorrow. She put Maggie on and let her confirm that they had the power to do the things they claimed. Maggie didn't elucidate too much in case they came off sounding like nut cases, instead, saying she would show TyrificGal her own changes tomorrow.

Sara allowed Maggie to sign off, and had her urge. The others to meet this time tomorrow and to tell as many of the others not present to be there. Sara contacted Kim and let her know what they were doing.

"We'll need to drive most of the night to get there by tomorrow, I think," Sara explained. "We could do with more Krin, or whatever you were going to make to give these people," she added.

"Okay, it's not a problem; we have built a new option for the car and will stock it with everything you need. Please access the panel for the extra cars and push the blue button next to upload. This will give the car access to a new vehicle stored in what you called non-space. I've left you some instructions with the new Krin, as they work slightly differently to your own."

"Thank, I'll talk to you later," replied Sara as she hung up.

Sara gave Kevin the instructions, seeing it was too much of a stretch to reach through from the back to do it. Once the blue button was depressed, another light flickered on and off, showing that something was happening. A soft ding about a minute later and the flickering light extinguished itself, having finished its task. Looking at the option list, Kevin could see that an extra one was listed under SRV. After relaying that fact to the others, debate as to what the letters stood for began. Assuming the RV meant recreational vehicle, only the S remained in doubt. Was it Shelke, as Kevin suggested, or special, as Maggie offered? Sara thought it might be sleeper. The friendly dispute only lasted till they were clear of traffic, so they could test it out. It turned out that they were all pretty much correct in their guesses.

Once Kevin was out of view from any traffic, he pressed the new option. Sara and Maggie felt themselves moving away from Kevin as the interior enlarged. When the car stopped evolving into the final shape, Sara was a good ten feet away from Kevin, and was sitting on a bed. Maggie was squealing as she found herself sitting on another bed, inside the huge RV. Kevin had to stop, before his craning head caused an accident, as he tried to check out the new interior.

The Shelke special sleeper, as they nicknamed it, was huge. It had two beds, side by side, with a bunk over the drivers cab. Two bucket seats fitted at the front had an aisle to let one step into the back section. There was a kitchen and fully stocked cupboards with food and other essentials. A small fridge and a toilet and shower, were also installed. A fold away table could fill the space between the beds, making them double as a seat for the table.

A TV and a DVD player were also part of the deal. Sara and Maggie played search and discover, while Kevin started driving again. Both the girl's kept Kevin informed of each new discovery as they ummed and ah’d, so that he wouldn’t feel left out. Maggie found a mini freezer, which contained semi frozen meat, which must have been placed there only a few hours ago. Sara didn't find the Krin, so she had to ring Kim for help.

"See the cupboard next to the fridge, well there's a button just inside at the top. Press that and you'll see the secret drawer," Kim informed her on the phone.

Sara thanked her profusely for the RV, before hanging up, and checking said drawer. Inside were about twenty thin bracelets. The only distinguishing marks on them, were two small in dentations that Sara assumed were the on and off switches for the owners ideal wish form. She saw the instructions, for them, but at the moment, she was too interested in the RV to bother reading them right then.

She was surprised as she moved around the interior, that the movements of the vehicle on the road didn't have her swaying around or having to hold onto something to keep her balance. She smiled as she saw Maggie claim the bunk bed over the cab as her own. Maggie squealed in delight when a overhead locker, revealed her stuffies. Leaving Maggie to arrange her pets, Sara went forward to talk to Kevin.

"How's it ride?" she asked, seeing they were moving along at a decent clip.

"It's weird, it should be a bitch to handle with all that weight behind, and the wind resistance," Kevin stated. "It handles just like a car."

"Power steering?" Sara asked, hazarding a guess.

"No it's more than that, power steering makes the wheel light, but tends to take the responsiveness out of the steering. This feels like normal rack and pinion configuration, I can feel the road but without the leaden feel, that you're pulling a multi ton RV behind you."

"So I'll have no problem driving it?" Sara grinned, poking Kevin in the side.

"Hey less with the poking, I'm the one that does the poking round here," Kevin tried to sound indignant.

"Promises, promises," giggled Sara, poking him again for good measure.

"Just you wait, till I get you alone, you tormenter, you," Kevin grumbled good-naturedly.

Sara pecked him on the cheek, causing him to swerve sharply. Sara noticed that she wasn't thrown around with the movement, and mentioned it to Kevin.

"I don't know why that is, more Shelke technology?" he speculated.

Sara decided to annoy Kim again with another call. Kim laughed and said well done, obviously expecting this very question. Apparently, it was the latest Shelke technology, borrowed from their spacecraft. Inertial damping, she called it. This prevented anyone in the interior from being thrown around despite the exterior movement. If Kevin had to slam on the brakes for an emergency, or if he deliberately drove into a brick wall, the G forces that would normally affect the occupants, and fittings, get converted to heat that is vented out of the rear. That meant they were safe to stand in the back and even a cup of tea on the table wouldn't become an instant missile, should Kevin do a sudden 360.

After letting Kim get back to whatever she doing, Sara decided to make a sandwich and a coffee for them all. Maggie bounced down from her bunk and offered to help. Sara got her to butter the fresh bread that had been stored in a built in bread bin, while Sara found some shaved ham in the fridge. Adding some sliced tomatoes and lettuce; Sara built up sandwiches for them all. Maggie took Kevin's to him, while Sara poured a coffee and had Maggie place it in the cup holder that folded out from the dashboard.

Knowing that they had to drive all night, Sara decided to lie down and catch some zzzed's. Maggie went forward to keep Kevin company and to make sure he stayed alert. Maggie and Kevin bonded, swapping stories, while Sara slept.

Sara woke, feeling refreshed. She checked with Kevin and found Maggie sitting in the passenger seat dozing while Kevin drove. Getting assurances that he was fine, Sara helped Maggie stumble to her bunk to snooze, while Sara prepared dinner in the kitchen. An hour later, Kevin moaned as his stomach rumbled, the appetising smell that was wafting forward didn't help either.

"Kevin, find someplace to stop, so we can have dinner," Sara called, as she roused a weary Maggie.

Soon, all three of them were tucking into a grilled steak, with grilled tomatoes and oven fries. Fresh bread accompanied the meal, with a beer for Kevin. Maggie had a can of coke, as did Sara, as she was going to take over driving, while Kevin rested. They all took a short walk to the river that Kevin had stopped near. It helped stretch their legs, and settle their meal. Kevin showed Maggie the fine art of stone skipping, helping her throw the flat pebbles across the placid water, trying for the maximum amount of bounces before the stone sank.

Back on the road, Kevin and Maggie washed the dishes before settling down for a nap. Sara drove into the deepening dusk, as the light faded to black. With the lights spearing the darkness ahead, her thoughts turned to their future and what it might hold. She didn't see any problems accepting Maggie as their child, which was the least of their problems. Tomorrow was the start of something new; she hoped things would go smoothly.

The cell phone chirped. Sara answered it, hearing Kim's voice on the other end.

"Sara, I know that if you're driving at the moment, I’ll need to tell you about the headlight option. If you push the dipping switch down to high beam and then rotate the end, you'll find it will be a lot better, but only if there's no traffic, those actinic beams will blind oncoming cars, there is an auto dip mechanism which detects on coming light, but it's best used when there's no houses or public to see them."

Sara experimented, while still on the phone, gasping as the extra light gave her a 30 degree angle of light to each side of the road and stretched forward about 4 times as far as normal lights, rotating the knob either spread the light to a fan shape or focused it to a narrow beam straight ahead. It was like having those huge carbon arc searchlights that you see in the old war movies. Every detail was lit up, giving her perfect visibility. She talked to Kim for a while, before hanging up to concentrate on driving.

About 3 hours later, around midnight, Maggie stumbled sleepily forward to sit on the passenger’s seat. She had her teddy bear in one hand, clasped tight to her chest.

"I couldn't seep," she murmured childlike, at Sara's enquiringly raised eyebrow.

The interior of the cab was lit by a subdued glow emitted from the array of instruments on the dash, so each could see the other reasonably well. Watching Maggie fiddle with the seat, in her long brushed cotton nightgown, Sara could imagine it was a child sitting there, having woken by a bad dream.

Sara let her sit there, welcome for the company on the long drive ahead. Maggie found a lever that allowed the passengers seat to swivel, so that it could face the passengers door or rotate 190 degrees to face the narrow walkway between the seats that led to the rear. Sara smiled, as Maggie began to play, spinning the seat back and forth like some amusement park plaything. Getting bored with the unending monotony of the night clad land, Maggie said she was tired and gave Sara a hug, before heading off to her bunk. Sara drove on into tomorrow with a faint smile on her face.

To be continued.

Carversion -27-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Organizational:

Series Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was 4 am in the morning, when Kevin surprised her with a cup of hot chocolate. She hadn't heard his quiet movements in the back as she'd had the radio on low.

"I thought of coffee, but you won't sleep with just having had a stimulant, so I brought you this."

"Thanks, I was thinking of pulling over and getting something anyway. You have earned your brownie points today." Sara thanked him.

"What would I need brownie points for," winked Kevin. "I already have a point," he added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well I could easily change that, and give you two brownie points instead," grinned Sara, leaving the rest unsaid.

Kevin got the 'point,' and covered his groin protectively, as he whined his protest.

"Ah no, leave that stuff for Maggie, she'd make a great brownie."

"So would her twin sister," laughed Sara. "I can see you both skipping hand in hand in your cute uniforms."

Kevin blushed, knowing Sara wasn't above doing that just for a laugh. Using the age-old technique of distraction, he tickled her just as she was took a sip of her drink. She tried to not giggle with her mouth full of hot chocolate, and as it was still a bit hot to swallow in one gulp, she ended up snorting her mirth through her nose adding a little chocolate snot to the situation. Kevin laughed seeing her predicament and handed her some tissues to wipe her face. Swallowing at last, Sara turned to scold Kevin, but another tickle attack ended that idea. Kevin walked away to let Sara recover, content to have misdirected Sara from her previous thoughts.

Sara could hear the shower running, as Kevin washed himself, before getting dressed. She wondered if there was room for two in the shower, as she pictured running her hands over Kevin's naked steamy body. Damn, why doesn't this thing come with an autopilot, maybe she should trade it in for the next model. With a giggle, she tore her thoughts from having a hot and wet tryst with her lover, and turned her thoughts back to the task in hand.

"Where are we, exactly?" Kevin asked, smelling pleasantly of soap and skin, as he came forward half dressed.

"Well, I took the short cut past Salt Lake City an hour ago, so we should be arriving in Twin Falls soon. We can stop there and have breakfast, preferably after a hot shower." Sara answered.

"I might be dirty again by then," offered Kevin, with a grin.

Sara smiled, but shook her head regretfully. It would have to wait till later, besides, she didn't want to leave the RV without water.

"Sorry, you'll have reign in that parade, for now," she opologised, feeling Kevin's disappointment.

Maggie's catch phrase of "are we there yet?" came sleepily from the back, as Maggie heard them talking.

"Almost ready to stop for breakfast," Sara shouted back to her. "Do you want to eat out, or do we make something in here,"

"Eat out," Maggie called back, as she struggled to get dressed.

"Fine by me," Kevin agreed, glad to be able to get out of the RV and see someplace new.

Sara drove the RV to a park just north of the city centre. She stopped the RV and went and got a shower, while the others checked around outside. By the time she was finished her shower and had put on a new dress, the others were back.

"There's a nice place, within walking distant," announced Kevin, smiling as he gazed at Sara in her nice flowing sundress. "It has English style breakfasts, with crumpets and pancakes. Judging by the amount of 18 wheelers parked nearby, the truckers love the food."

"Sounds like a good recommendation to me," Sara agreed, as her mouth watered and her stomach made some very unladylike noises.

Maggie laughed, hearing that, as hers was agreeing in a similar fashion.

"Darn," wailed Kevin, hearing the belly thunder, "I was hoping to finish what you couldn't eat, but it doesn't seem like there'll be anything left on your plates."

"Oh dear, we can't have you starve," grinned Sara, winking at Maggie. "We might leave you some crumbs," she added with a deadpan face. Maggie held it for a good 5 seconds, before she burst out in a fit of giggles.

"Oh the pain, the pain." Kevin groaned, trying to look hurt and failing badly.

The three trooped off, after Sara had locked the RV. There was a beep, as she got about 10 yards away, indicating that the key ring had an auto arming system for the RV. Reaching the restaurant, they had to wait for a seat, as the place was packed. Fortunately for the three hungry travellers, a table came free in 5 minutes, allowing them to sit and peruse the menu.

All three opted for the English breakfast, which included bacon and eggs with a sausage and baked beans, with a choice of toast or crumpet. Kevin said he felt like a bit of crumpet, but had to settle for the ones you get toasted with butter on them. Both Sara and Maggie had the same, seeing they had never tried one before. They nearly ordered pancakes as well, but one look at the size of the serving at one of the other tables, decided reluctantly to pass this time. The meal was something to write home about. The pork sausage was excellent, having the claim to be made from an original recipe by the chef. Kevin even refrained from drowning everything in tomato ketchup, so he could actual taste the meal.

Kevin and Sara got fresh filtered coffee, while Maggie chose a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The drinks came with something called pikelets, which looked like baby pancakes, about 2-3 inches across. They were buttered and had raspberry jam on top with a dab of whipped cream on top of that. They were delicious and Maggie wanted more, so several more were brought for them. Sara was so impressed; she asked the waitress if she could get a recipe. The waitress smiled, winked, and was soon back with a pre-printed card with both the pancake and the pikelet recipe on it. Obviously, they had been asked before and had some cards printed up for interested customers. When they had finished, they wandered back to the RV via a grocery store, to pick up some fresh bread and fruit, along with enough ingredients to make pikelets.

Suddenly, the key chain began beeping, or more correctly, the plastic fob on it was. Hurrying back, thinking someone was breaking into the RV, they saw a tow truck attempting to lift the front end of it.

"What's going on?" they asked, when they got nearer.

"City bylaw, no RV's allowed to camp here, said the over zealous towie.

"But we aren't camped here, we just stopped to get breakfast," explained Sara indignantly.

"Too bad," sneered the guy. "It's going, seeing I got it connected," the man said, ignoring the look of anger from Sara.

Sara rang Kim on her phone, to ask for advice. Kim asked how big a tow truck it was

"Just a normal sized one, why?"

Sara heard Kim laugh. "Remember those inertial dampers I told you about, well push the centre button the key fob. It will stop the RV from moving. It will anchor the vehicle to the ground and will withstand a hurricane or a tornado; I wish I were there to watch the guys face when he tries to lift it.

Sara pressed the button as the guy stated to lift the front wheels of the RV in readiness for towing. Instead of the RV lifting, the front of the tow truck began to lift off the ground, leaving the front wheels in mid air. The man shook his head and released the cable, then tried again, moving the lifting boom, to a more favourable position where it had more leverage. This time Sara turned the dampers off, allowing the RV to lift off the ground, satisfied that he could tow it, the man got in his cab and started it. With a grin, Sara activated the dampers. The RV came down to ground in a flash without even a bounce of its suspension. The sudden forces applied to the lift boom and cable and the inertia of the truck not allowing it to rise fast enough, snapped both the cable and the boom mounting.

While the man stumbled out cursing, to survey the damage, Sara climbed into the cab of the RV and started it. Kevin adroitly released the hook from the front and jumped in after Maggie had got aboard. Leaving the irate man screaming at them, they pulled away and headed back to the main highway towards Boise, where Kevin took over the driving.

They passed though Baker city and then Pendleton without stopping, while Sara was in the back talking with Maggie.

"Here is your bracelet; Kim loaded a program to the laptop last night while everyone was sleeping. I want you to pick out a picture of a child that you can use as your temporary body. They are all 6 years old and there are options for changing their appearance. Once you've chosen, we can load it into the bracelet and you can switch from your adult body to the child, whenever you want."

Maggie nodded and got to work. Sometime later, she had picked out a blonde curly headed 6 year old with blue eyes and dimples on her cheeks. Sara nodded with approval and loaded the image into the program. Maggie wanted to try it, but Sara said that Kim was having it created, along with clothes and a temporary identity. Kim had told her it would take an hour to create and get ready to be used.

Passing through Arlington, Maggie suggested they stop somewhere along the Hood River for lunch. Sara started mixing up a bowl of pikelet mix and had Maggie spoon it into the fry pan on the gas stove, soon the RV was filled with the aroma of fresh pikelets. Kevin found a nice place where they could walk to the river. Sara set aside the pikelets to cool, while she made lunch. Then she told Maggie that it had been an hour. Maggie knew what that meant, as she touched the Krin on her wrist. Maggie's transformation into a 6 year old was dramatic. She shrank, as the Shelke; formed body replaced her adult one. Dressed in a pink sundress, it set off her dimples and rosy complexion, even the few freckles seemed to enhance her childlike qualities. Maggie went immediately to the mirror on the cupboard where the clothes were stored. She stood there, looking at her new body, for what seemed forever, tears trickling down her cute cheeks, as she faced her dream. Sara went and hugged her, knowing that she didn't need to say a thing, as Maggie took in her new appearance.

Maggie's, "I love yous mommy," made Sara's eyes moisten as they hugged each other tight. Sara left Maggie twirling in front of the mirror, while she finished the lunch arrangements. Kevin parked the RV and got out. He walked outside to the back door to meet the others, and was surprised to see Maggie in her 6-year-old body, but took it in his stride as he piggybacked her giggling body down to the river.

Sara made Maggie eat two sandwiches before allowing her to have a pikelet. Maggie was having trouble buttering them herself, using the unaccustomed tiny fingers of her child's hand. Sara and Kevin laughed as she tried to squirt the canned whipped cream onto the jam topped snack. Her aim was off and cream sprayed everywhere but where she wanted. Maggie looked imploringly at Sara with her newly minted blue eyes, begging silently for some help. Sara buttered the rest of the pikelets, knowing they'd all disappear in minutes. Adding the jam, she then gave them a squirt with the cream. She gave Maggie's cute button nose a squirt too, which made Kevin and Sara laughed, as Maggie tried to look at the cream on her nose, going cross-eyed in the process.

Sara wanted Maggie to resume her adult body for when they met TyrificGal. This was met with a few tears, but when Sara explained the need to demonstrate the power of the Krin, she switched back, after finding out she could change back later.

Lunch over; they drove the last 30 miles to Portland. They found the address for TyrificGal and parked outside. They climbed out and together walked to the front door and knocked on the door. They weren't sure what to expect, they knew TyrificGal was a guy with a sick wife, and that his name was really Tyrone, but how he'd look was anyone's guess. What they didn't expect, was a guy in a nurse's uniform that looked a size too small. He opened the door and waved them in, careful not to show much of himself to the outside world.

"Hello, I'm Maggie, and these are going to be my parent's." Maggie quickly introduced herself. She giggled as she went and hugged the stranger she'd only spoken to online through the limits of text on a screen.

"You look terrific gal, and I love the outfit," Maggie whispered in his ear.

Tears ran down Tyrone's face at the way he'd been unreservedly accepted and shown no ridicule, or laughter.

"I'm Sara and this is Kevin, my husband to be," Sara said, stepping forward to hug Tyrone.

"Hi, sorry, but I'm on nurse duty, Carolyn likes me to look the part when I have to give the meds." He said, blushing as he indicated his attire.

"Nice, she must be very lucky to have you see to her needs like that," Kevin stated pleasantly, as if seeing guys in nurse’s uniforms was an everyday event.

Seeing no derision or other negative looks from Kevin made him feel relieved. He showed them into the lounge where they all sat down.

"You look fabulous Maggie, but the photo you sent me, doesn't do you justice." Tyrone said, looking at her body in wonder.

Maggie giggled and said the face was hers, but the body was by others. Tyrone looked puzzled at that, so Sara began to tell him the story of the Shelke. While Sara gave Tyrone the pocket edition of their tale, the others watched his face change in expression as the tale unfolded. They could see doubt wage with hope, as the promise of his dream coming true seemed like coming true.

"So Maggie is fully female now?" Tyrone asked, his breathing seemed laboured as emotions choked his body.

Sara had Maggie stand up and spin round. She then nodded her approval of Maggie's next action.

"Yes, that and more," Sara confirmed, as Maggie touched her Krin and shrunk to her 6 years old form.

Tyrone gasped as the sight of Maggie the Kitten appeared, freckles and dimples included. Maggie did a pounce onto Tyrone's lap, giving him a hug as she spoke in her new voice.

"See, it's me da Kitten, all growed liddle," she spoke in her pidgin English style, that was so familiar to her online text way of conversing.

This more than anything convinced Tyrone, that this was indeed, the same person he knew as Maggie the Kitten. Tears trickled down Tyrone's cheeks, as the love from Maggie was finally expressed in an actual physical embrace, instead of the many previous cyber hugs.

Tyrone's first thought was for Carolyn his sick wife.

"Can the Krin help her get better?" he asked hopefully, raising himself in esteem in the eyes of the others, for thinking of someone else, other than trying to achieve his own dreams.

"The words he'd prayed he would hear, left him sobbing, as Sara said "yes." Maggie hugged him tighter, as Tyrone wept openly at the good news.

"What will happen, is that we will change her body into one we have stored in our Krin. This will place her body in non-space, where the Shelke can convert the body to her ideal form without any of the ravages her illness may have caused. The Shelke will alter her body on the inside to gain the same physical benefits that we have, which means good health, and much longer life, and slower aging effects."

"She will look like herself? I don't want her looking like a stranger," asked Tyrone, imagining the Shelke tinkering with his wife's body.

"Of course, she will. The main change will be the effects that aging has had. There'll be fewer lines and she'll look younger, as the Shelke improvements cause the body to resist the aging effects. She will have a choice of a second form, but that can be done later."

"Let's get Carolyn sorted before we do Tyrone. After all, she might want to have some input to his choice of body." Sara suggested, winking at Tyrone.

Tyrone grinned and led them into the bedroom where Carolyn was watching TV. Tyrone introduced everyone, before saying that they were here to cure her.

"Carolyn, you know when your car needs to go into the shop for a while, and you get a courtesy car to use while it gets fixed," Sara explained. "Well, we are going to put your body into the shop, and give you a courtesy body to use, while your own is getting fixed. This should take a couple of hours, okay?"

Carolyn looked at Tyrone, in askance; obviously thinking these people were crazy. However, when Tyrone nodded his reassurance that this was legit, her eyes opened wide as she reached out for his hand.

Sara took the Krin off her wrist and placed it on Carolyn's other wrist motioning to Tyrone to stand clear as she touched the setting that would give Carolyn, Margaret Ellery's form. Too late to stop Carolyn from grabbing Tyrone's hand again, as the change took effect, Sara grinned as Tyrone became Carolyn's twin, in form and attire.

The two Margaret's gasped, as they turned to look at each other, and then at themselves.

"Oops," Sara giggled seeing the surprised look as the former Tyrone felt the differences of his inadvertent change.

To be continued.

Carversion -28-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Organizational:

Series Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Oops? I hope that doesn't mean I'm stuck like this," questioned the Margaret that used to be Tyrone.

"Oh no, it's not permanent, unless you wish to keep it as your alternate form, giggled Sara, looking at the two twins.

"It is a nice body," approved Carolyn, looking at her twin and then at herself.

Tyrone had to agree, he had planned to choose a more mature body, than what Sara had. Still it would have been nice to have a say in its design. He shrugged and turned his/her attention to her wife.

"Are you okay love? I hope you feel like I do, in this body. It's kind of overwhelming for me." Tyrone stated.

"I'm fine Ty..rona," his wife confirmed, altering his name to the feminine.

"Tyrona? Hmmm, I guess that's more appropriate at the moment, although I kinda like Tyrissa."

Sara smiled, and interrupted the twin's debate over Tyrone's name to be, explaining that there would be a price for this gift of a cure.

Tyrissa nodded, having wondered what price, all this would cost.

"I don't have a lot in the bank, Carolyn's medical bill's have drained them out, but I'll find some way of getting whatever you want."

Sara, who hadn't told Tyrissa the full story of the Shelke and what was looming in mankind's future, smiled, and told them that money wasn't needed.

"What I'm going to tell you mustn't leave this house. After I'm done, and you don't wish to participate, then we will leave you alone without the Krin, and the gifts it will give you," Sara told them quietly.

"Does that mean Carolyn will still be sick?" Tyrissa asked worriedly.

"Not at all, we would leave her in a healthy body as good faith," answered Sara, reassuringly.

"Then go ahead," Tyrissa urged after getting a nod of agreement from Carolyn.

Sara told them both of the impending fate of mankind and the danger if something wasn't done now. She told of the power of the nexus, which came with the use of the Krin. The twins nodded in agreement, of wanting the chance to become closer to each other. Tyrissa still had some questions, seemingly unaware of the natural way she was sitting and acting like a woman.

"Why us... I mean the transgendered community in general. Why are we the first to benefit, why not the sick and dying, not that I'm objecting at all, we will all benefit greatly?"

"Well, for one thing, you can keep secrets, the other thing is you have just as much to lose if this got out to the general public. Think of the witch-hunt if it got out that transgendered where getting the power to change their bodies at will. The other thing is that you dare to be different, whether this was a condition at birth or not."

"I wouldn't say I dare to be different, just I can't stop being the way I am." Tyrissa admitted shamefaced.

"Hey there's nothing wrong with getting in touch with your feminine side, is there Kevin?" Sara asked looking at Kevin for support.

"Hell no, it's kind of liberating really," Kevin admitted, smiling at Sara before poking his tongue out at her. Just to show he was being genuine, Kevin touched his Krin and became Anita to the twin's surprise. Here before them was another set of twins just dressed differently. Sara was wearing a sundress that was obviously comfortable, while Anita was ready to go out on the town in her figure hugging evening gown.

"When I'm like this, I'm called Anita, explained the former Kevin, without a hint of embarrassment.

Sara went and hugged Anita, glad that Kevin wasn't worried about being exposed as Anita in front of relative strangers. She kissed Anita deeply, causing the twins turn to each other and follow suit.

"Getting back to the sick and dying," Sara started again, having broken off her kiss with a lingering look at Anita. "We need people who have a flexible mind, open to new things and possibilities. Most old people that are ready to pass on are just not able to handle this. We will be targeting groups like those that good to science conventions or anime conventions. Also cancer victims that will suddenly go into remission, we need people to form a nexus all over the world and raise babies with telepathic powers. Are you willing to be a part of this, and help save this planet?" Sara finished.

The twins looked at each other without saying anything, but it was plain to see that they were both in agreement.

"Yes," they said together, "count us in."

"What if one of the people that get a Krin decides to blow the whistle?" Tyrissa asked, thinking of all the possibilities.

"The Krin does allow the Shelke to monitor partially. In addition, the Krin once placed on the wrist will be keyed to that person. Not only will it not work for another, it will become an inert ring if it's removed. Oh don't worry about people thinking you are wearing a woman's bracelet in guy mode," Sara added quickly seeing the question in Tyrissa's eyes. "There's a stealth mode where it becomes invisible and undetectable by anyone touching your wrists."

"So, how do I select this alternative form?" Tyrissa asked, as she turned the Krin that Sara had handed out to them, around on her wrist.

"We have this program that I'll load on to your computer. It lists all the forms stored in non-space as well as some that can be generated easily. We can alter your male form as well, seeing you’re not using it at the moment," grinned Sara.

Anxious to start, Tyrissa led them to the computer, while Anita swivelled out to get the laptop.

"Even though I know Anita was Kevin, I can't believe how sexy she moves, it’s as if she was born female," Tyrissa said wistfully as she watched Anita's departing derriere.

"Believe me that's all man in there," giggled Sara, just packaged differently. The body comes with a handy built in program to help ensure you look feminine and can put on makeup. I bet you haven't noticed the way you walk either," Sara added.

"Hell, I haven't had time to do more than look," complained Tyrissa, with a pout. I've been dying to get myself alone to check everything out," she sighed.

"Why don't you and your twin, go do that now, while we set things up? Just take your time and if you make any noise in your explorations... well, we just went deaf." The implied suggestion wasn't lost on the twins, as they hurried off to the bedroom and closed the door.

Maggie, who had been tagging along underfoot, giggled and held up her hands to the now alone Sara. Smiling, Sara lifted her up and hugged her, as she waited on Anita, who seemed to be taking her time. Hearing some sounds emanating from the bedroom, that suggested the exploration was fully underway, Sara turned the TV on for Maggie to watch, while she opened her mind to find out what was holding up Anita. She smiled, as she heard Anita move the RV from where it was parked on the roadside, to up the driveway of Tyrone's house.

When Anita came inside, she was red faced.

"Flirting with the law now, are we? I bet it was that powerful motorbike that got your juices running," teased Sara.

"Hey! You told me to park there, I didn't know I was blocking a fireplug." Anita explained, blushing.

"I heard you talking that nice officer out of giving you a ticket, did you give him a phone number? You did, you minx, I'll have to put you on a chain, giggled Sara as she caught the thought from Anita's mind.

"Yeah, but we are gone by the time he decides to ring that number, smiled Anita, joining in with Sara's playful banter. "Anyway, looking like this did pay off," Anita added with a smug grin.

"Hey! Leave the girl tricks to me, you are getting too darned good at it," protested Sara.

"Well I learned from the best," Anita, replied, sashaying over to Sara and planting a nice one on her lips.

"Hmmrfph," was Sara's cut off reply, as they tried to suck each other's tongue out.

Coming up for air, Anita asked where the others were. Sara nodded to the bedroom door where some interesting moans were coming from.

"Ah I remember that song well," laughed Anita quietly.

"Where's the laptop?" asked Sara, changing the subject.

"Oops! I forgot it." Anita blushed and ran back outside, her haste making her move in interesting ways as she coped with moving rapidly in a tight gown and heels. Sara looked at the computer, avoiding looking at Anita return with the laptop. Any more stimulation and she'd be banging on the bedroom door telling them to hurry up, so she and Anita could sate themselves.

Coming back in with the laptop, Anita grinned at Sara, as the squeals and moans from the bedroom continued unabated. Obviously, sex had been off the menu during Carolyn's illness and Tyrissa's initiation into how the other half played, was being met with repeated success.

"Hon, can you take Maggie out to the RV and make up a triple batch of pikelets. I think we'll have some hungry people after all that exertion," Sara asked Anita.

"But haven't they just eaten?" Anita grinned back.

Sara gave her the 'look,' before turning away to hide her smile.

"Maggie? Will you help Kev...um, your aunt Anita make some pikelets?" Sara asked, having walked to where Maggie was sitting watching TV.

"Uhuh," agreed Maggie, tearing her attention away to grin with glee.

"Oh and no eating any, till they come inside," warned Sara, with raised eyebrow. "And that goes for the big kids too," she added, giving Anita an arched eyebrow.

"I show daddy...um awnty Anita how we dids it," Maggie squealed happily in her kidlish (kid English).

"Come on munchkin, you better show me good, or I expect we'll be in big trouble," laughed Anita, as she walked over to Maggie.

Maggie's hands went skywards, a signal that would become familiar for when she wanted to be lifted up. Anita pulled her up into her arms and carried her giggling burden outside.

Sara started setting up the laptop and loaded the program to Tyrone's computer. She wanted to do something extra for the couple, so she rang Kim to see if there was a way to accommodate them. Sara smiled when Kim said it was possible, and when she hung up, she was very pleased with herself. Checking with Anita, in a mental communion, to when they would be finished, Sara went to the bedroom door. She could hear muted talking, and figured that the sexercise was finished for the moment.

"You two have 5 minutes to shower and freshen up, before afternoon tea is served." Sara spoke through the closed door. She grinned hearing the scramble going on inside, as the pair hurried to comply. Sara put the jug on and found where the cups and saucers were kept. She had just poured the water into the teapot, when Carolyn and Tyrissa emerged flushed and steamy. Sara took no notice of their embarrassment and ordered them to sit like errant little children. Both of them sat with eyes cast down with the occasional sideways glance at each other.

Sara couldn't hold it any longer, and giggled, as she went and hugged them both.

"I'm very happy for you, just as well there are no men in the house. Or we'd all be pregnant probably." She grinned, gently poking fun at them.

"Sorry, but it's been so long, and Tyrissa needed instructions," Carolyn blushed, grabbing Tyrissa's hand.

"Sounds like she learned pretty quickly," Sara replied with a grin at Tyrissa.

"It's funny, I'm not a lesbian, but knowing it was Tyrone in that body turned me on in a way I didn't expect." Carolyn admitted.

"So how was it Tyrissa? Judging by the noise you enjoyed yourself," winked Sara.

"Words can't describe it. I thought that I was only a cross dresser, but having experienced that, I know that just looking like a female wont be enough. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that experience, but I don't know if I should take you up on your offer, I might never want to turn back, and as much as I wish to I don't want to do that to Carolyn." Was Tyrone's heart felt admission.

Anita and Maggie walked in, preventing further discussion. Anita carried the plate of pikelets, while Maggie followed with the canned cream and jar of jam. Carolyn poured the tea, while Sara buttered the pikelets to the sounds of anticipation from Tyrissa and the others. Silence ensued with the consumption of pikelets and tea. Maggie had a glass of cold milk, instead of tea, in keeping with her looks. Looking at Maggie, Sara laughed, with the others following suit at seeing her jam and cream encrusted face, as she tucked into the last remaining pikelet. Carolyn was quick to grab a paper tissue to gently obliterate the impromptu beauty regime applied to Maggie's face.

"I've heard of a peaches and cream complexion, but not a jam and cream one," teased Carolyn as she finished her task on the satisfied looking face of Maggie.

"I like peaches and cweam too aunty Carolyn," giggled Maggie, prompting another round of laughter.

"I bet you do, I bet you do," Carolyn repeated wistfully, as she ruffled Maggie's hair.

Maggie due to her cunning disguise as a child escaped having to help tidy up after the afternoon tea. She was allowed to got watch TV again while the big girls talked in the kitchen.

"Tyrissa, don't give up on your dream just yet, I have a surprise for you that I think you'll like. Kim says it’s possible, so let's see what we can do first, okay?" Sara offered, with a wink.

Tyrissa, nodded, hope rekindling in her eyes, as once again, her wish was being offered. They moved to the computer, which had Tyrissa's old male body spinning slowly like a puppet, on the computer screen. With a few keystrokes, Sara explained how they could alter the body, so that it would look slightly more feminine, without being obvious. The face was softened, by slightly reducing the nose and building up the cheekbones. Reducing the forehead in depth and then disguising it by lowering the hairline, gave her a face that could be made feminine with the use of cosmetics, and yet could still look like he'd only changed his hairstyle.

Next came the body changes. Narrowing his shoulders wasn't really noticeable and making his hands and feet smaller wouldn't really be noticeable to most men, who don't pay much attention to another guys hands, as a rule. Sara smoothed out his legs to make them softer looking and not so angular. She left his waist the same size, which puzzled Tyrissa, until she explained. Bringing up another menu, she selected a corset from a list of clothing options. She then used the mouse to drag the corset over to the body, where with a click, magically fitted itself to the body. Using the mouse instead of hooks or laces, she made the corset appear to tighten. The extra flesh that was left on the waistline was forced up and downwards as the waist was narrowed. When finished, the body had a very feminine set of curves, as the flesh pooled at the hip and formed nice breasts.

"This looks painful, but Kim says, we can narrow the skeleton of the torso, and yet hide it with a layer of flesh that will move easily up and down, once a corset is fitted. Without the corset, it will look like a normal male body, Sara explained.

Tyrissa and Carolyn looked suitably impressed, but Sara wasn't finished yet, as she opened a file containing Carolyn's old body.

"Wait there's more," she said, as she dragged Carolyn's image over the top of Tyrone's

"Oh, oh, I know this one, if I order now, I get-" Tyrissa started, but was downed out in a chorus from the others.

"STEAK KNIVES."

Everyone burst out laughing at that tired out cliché. When everyone recovered, Sara pointed to the screen where the male body of Tyrone was now covered by his wife's form.

"See, you can now wear Carolyn's clothes perfectly," Sara grinned triumphantly.

"Oh no," wailed Carolyn melodramatically, lifting her arm and putting the back of one hand to her forehead. "I have to share my clothes now."

Everyone laughed.

To be continued.

Carversion -29-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Don't think of it as sharing clothes," giggled Tyrissa, in response. "Think of, no more stretched clothes, instead. Plus we'll save money, only buying one size," she added, hugging Carolyn.

"Okay, now that we have sorted your base model, what about your second one. I have talked to Kim about an added wrinkle you might like," Sara continued.

"I prefer wrinkle free, if you don't mind," quipped Tyrissa, interrupting, Sara and making everyone grin.

Sara let Tyrissa take over as she brought up a menu showing thumbnails of a selection of the female forms available. Whether it was because of the body she was currently wearing, or because her first female orgasm had been as Margaret, she clicked on Margaret's thumbnail. She played with the image, making it subtly different from the original, changing the hair colour and a few other things. Carolyn made several suggestions, which Tyrissa implemented. Once they were both satisfied, Sara dropped her bombshell.

Sara took over the mouse and brought up something that Kim had sent only an hour ago. A small picture of what looked like a female groin came up. Sara dragged it with the mouse, placing it over the one on the altered Margaret image. Everyone, including Anita looked puzzled, as there seemed to be no difference.

"Watch," was all Sara said, grinning widely as she right clicked on the transplanted groin.

The others watched in amazement as the perfectly normal female groin, started changing. It started morphing into a male groin, producing a nice sized cock and its twin accessories.

"Oh wow!" chorused the others.

The morphing groin was on a continuous loop and cycled back to a female groin again, repeating the sequence, as both Carolyn and Tyrissa watched fascinated.

"With this form, you can go and do anything a woman can, like trying on clothes, without the fear of discovery and still get excited as a man if you wish to. Plus it has a definite advantage in the bedroom, if you know what I mean." Sara giggled and looked at Anita with a gleam in her eyes.

"Kim said it can be triggered on or off by either of your bracelets, so Carolyn could make you pop out any time she wanted," explained Sara. The look that crossed Carolyn's face at that moment, told Sara, that Tyrissa was in for some interesting times.

Anita looked interested as well, and Sara whispered into her ear, that it was already programmed into her Krin. Sara demonstrated by activating the change, on her own Krin. Anita's gasp as she felt a sudden tightness in her panties as a certain something started growing, made the others look at her. They looked down as something distinctly masculine marred Anita's ladylike silhouette.

"Going camping?" Asked Tyrissa with a knowing smile, as Anita's skirt, tented up.

"Nice pole she's carrying, all she needs now, is some guy ropes," Carolyn added.

"I think she's happy to do it without ropes, judging by the size of that," Sara joined in, with a grin.

Anita didn't respond to the gentle ribbing, she was lost in a wave of sensations, that almost felt like an orgasm itself as the change continued to completion.

"Wow! That is..." was all she could say.

"I'll have what she's having," Tyrissa said, quoting an old movie line, as she looked enviously at the expression on Anita's face.

"I think I'll take those steak knives too," agreed Carolyn, finding herself getting hot and bothered.

Maggie wandered in and seeing Sara was busy on the computer, turned to Anita instead.

"I need to go potty, can you untie my bow?" she asked plaintively as she reached up to grasp Anita's skirt. Maggie's tiny hand grabbed a convenient handle and tugged to get her attention.

Everyone collapsed, laughing uncontrollably as Anita plucked up Maggie from the floor and swept out, trying to muster as much dignity as she could, that a beetroot red face would allow, as she took a giggling Maggie to the toilet.

"The little minx, I bet she did that on purpose," sighed Sara, after recovering somewhat.

"Well, that's one way of getting attention," spluttered Tyrissa, her double meaning not being lost on Sara.

"That's one toy that's all mine to play with," grinned Sara at the thought.

"Well don't leave your toys out, where she can find them, next time, put it back in your box," hooted Tyrissa, as she cracked up.

Carolyn looked at Sara apologetically. "I just washed her and can't do a thing with her."

"Must be comedy central," Sara pouted, before giving in to the laugh that wanted out.

"I envy you your time with Maggie, she's such a sweetheart and I love her already," Carolyn sighed.

"Well you can come and visit any time," suggested Sara. "We have a huge place, you can stay for free."

"We might just do that, if I can get ‘her’ out of the bedroom," laughed Carolyn, looking at Tyrissa.

"Hey!" Tyrissa half protested, pouting at the accusation. "Who was holding me down and." she blushed, not decided not to complete that sentence with company around.

"Okay, we will then," Carolyn capitulated, emending her previous comment.

Sounds of flushing and taps running heralded the return of the others. Maggie skipped in first, trailing a decamped Anita, showing no sign of her former embarrassment. No one said a thing, but Anita could see what was on their minds as she sat down and smoothed her skirt.

"I thought I'd wrap it up and put my present back in the box for now," Anita informed them.

Everyone burst out laughing, considering what had been said just a few minutes earlier. Sara used her mind link to let Anita in on the joke, and Anita chuckled along with them.

"Shall I put on a movie for Maggie?" asked Carolyn, thinking of keeping her occupied while they sorted things out. "We have Free Willy." Carolyn froze, thinking how her innocent words would be taken in light of the recent topic of conversation. She needn't have worried as Anita howled in laughter sending the others into fits as well. She sat and let her own laugh join the others.

Tyrissa was in tears, not only from the humour, but from watching Carolyn laugh as well. It had been so long since they had anything to laugh about. This day marked several miracles, but none as important as seeing the happiness of Carolyn bloom once more.

"I don't suppose you have Jack in Jill, do you?" Anita asked, keeping the hilarity going,

"No, but I think we might have a jack in the box nearby," Sara returned, looking pointedly at the skirt of Anita.

It took a few minutes to get composed, as even just a look at Anita would set them off again. Tyrissa got up and gave both Sara and Anita a kiss and a hug, thanking them for everything. Maggie came in, complaining of being, tired (in her words) seepy. Anita lifted her up into her arms and cradled her there while Sara informed Tyrissa, that her base model should be ready. She slid the bracelet on her wrist, and touched the spot Sara had pointed out.

As the change hit, her face changed slightly, taking on more of Tyrone's original features the hair remained the same colour and length and looked perfectly normal for a woman. Tyrone's cloths changed to a full-length gown that emphasised her womanly curves. Tyrone's makeup was flawless and there was even a nice handbag supplied.

"What happened? I thought I was returning to a guy," Tyrone's voice cracked, going from a soft contralto to his own masculine tones and back.

"You are a man, check downstairs," Sara grinned. I had the Shelke dress you enfemme. This is what you can look like, while still fully a guy." Tyrone rushed to the bathroom to check his appearance and something else more important. He came back in tears, sniffling as he hugged Sara again. He took off the wig, revealing his normal hair underneath. Carolyn was amazed at what the corset was able to achieve. Tyrone had very normal looking breasts showing at the cleavage of his gown, proof that what had been promised had been delivered.

"Go change while we put Maggie down for a nap," Sara suggested, taking a sleepy Maggie from Anita and moving to the front door.

When Sara returned, Tyrone was back in male mode, only the nail polish on his fingers, remained in evidence. His longish hair was brushed back and secured by a scrunchie, supplied by Carolyn.

"My hair is much longer now, and seems fuller," stated Tyrone, as he flicked his head sideways making the ponytail flick about.

"Yes, I thought if it's longer, you have more choice of styles, it's actually a feminine head of hair that won't recede as you age," Sara explained. "Carolyn, now it's your turn to trade in Margaret's body for your own improved version," Sara told her.

Carolyn looked at Tyrone, taking a deep breath, as she touched the bracelet, which Sara had given her. She changed, becoming her former self, but not quite. Where her hair had been barely visible before, having only started growing out after the chemotherapy treatment, it was now long and luxuriant. She looked younger, but not too young. Most of the lines in her face were gone, and her body looked fit and healthy. She didn't need a mirror to see herself; just looking into Tyrone's eyes was enough to tell her that he found her beautiful.

"Honey, you are " Tyrone's voice broke in emotion, again moving into a feminine register as he tried to express his love to Carolyn. "What's up with my voice, it's cracking like I was going through puberty again," he complained, trying to clear his voice.

"Oh that's something I thought might help you while enfemme," admitted Sara. "With a little practice, you can switch from the masculine to the feminine and talk in a contralto that will be indistinguishable from a real woman's voice."

"You mean like this?" Tyrone asked in a very sexy contralto.

"Yes."

"Well why didn't you say so, honey. I can just see the reaction when I talk like this to the guys," Tyrone vamped, batting his eyes at the others.

Carolyn poked him in the shoulder at his antics, which made him drop the voice and complain in his own voice. "Oh the pain, the pain."

Tyrone found with a little effort, that he could switch from either voice at will. He was having fun with it, using the fem voice while being in male mode, until Carolyn scolded him gently, saying, go change if you want to.

Sara explained that in the handbag that the Shelke had supplied with Tyrissa's new body, had new documentation, with ID's showing the improved Tyrone's face and that of Tyrissa's. Tyrissa now had a legal identity, which would stand up under any scrutiny. Sara offered the same deal to Carolyn in terms of her other body, but that she didn't need to choose at that moment. Tyrone had the program and knew what to do. Even though Carolyn was happy with her body, she could see the advantage in having a spare. Maybe she could have the second one be a twin, but dressed to the nines, and then instead of having to spend time getting ready to go out, she could go from grub to glamour in seconds.

"That thing with the changing groin, is it possible to have it in this body as well?" she asked Sara quietly, while Tyrone had gone to get the handbag.

Sara blushed, and whispered that she had already taken care of that. Sara also added that Tyrone in his male body also had that option, but it was only going to be controlled by Carolyn's bracelet, unlike the Tyrissa body which both controlled. She added that Tyrone didn't know about this at all.

Carolyn's face lit up as she grinned mischievously, at the fun she could have, if Tyrone ogled at another woman. She'd seen him getting hard at the sight of a well-dressed female, but knew it wasn't the woman he was after, but the clothes. He'd be imagining himself wearing her clothes, which got him as hard as a rock. Carolyn giggled, imagining the scene. Tyrone would see a nicely dressed female and when he got hard, she would activate the bracelet, making him wet instead. She vowed to carry a camera to catch that moment of surprise on his face when that happened. Oh yes, this was going to be loads of fun.

Tyrone came back bringing his handbag, and showed the ID cards to Carolyn, proudly.

"Carolyn? I hope you don't mind, but I had the Shelke add a memory program for you. I want you to look at Tyrone's hair and tell me what you think should be done with it," Sara asked, hoping she hadn't overstepped the bounds, by adding something unasked.

Carolyn looked at Sara with a puzzled look, but did as requested and studied Tyrone's hair for a minute. She walked up to an equally puzzled Tyrone, as he wondered if there was something wrong with it.

She walked around Tyrone, studying it from all sides and ran her hands through it releasing the scrunchie. Tyrone stood still, letting his wife play with his hair as she lifted it and moved it around, before speaking.

"I could do a lot with it, even style it so the wig needn't be used. I could cut it in a pixie cut that would look great, yet would still allow him to brush it back into a man's style." Carolyn's eyes widened, as she realised what she had just said. "I know exactly what to do with his hair, yet I never cut hair in my life, and my knowledge of styling has been limited to just basics for myself. I used to go to the salon for anything special, when I had hair, that is."

"Tyrone, I want you to look at Carolyn's hair. You also have that hairdressing program added." Sara smiled. I figured you can do each others hair now, and it will give you a hand when you do go out enfemme."

"What about make up? And will Tyrissa have this program?" he asked as he got excited.

"Tyrissa will come with everything to help you look female, it will be as if you learnt everything, any other natural born women would know. Tyrone's body has the hair and the voice and gestures added, but not the makeup. We didn't want to take all the fun out of it. If you spend time as Tyrissa, you'll soon learn, by observing your own actions. Besides, Carolyn is now a qualified beauty consultant, come hairdresser. She can help you in the meantime.

"Wow! This is too much, like a dream."

"No not really, you will be travelling all over the country to help your sisters achieve the same results. The Shelke can set you up as a mobile fashion salon that will be a business and an extension of the Shelke self-preservation program. We will be helping as well, but we can't be everywhere." Sara explained.

Carolyn and Tyrone hugged each other, partly to confirm it wasn't a dream, and partly because now, they could travel the country giving others the same kind of joy they were themselves, experiencing.

The two engulfed Sara and Anita, as more hugs were shared. Tears flowed, as they blubbered incoherent thank yous. Sounds of stomachs rumbling broke them apart with giggles, as the growing appetising smell of something cooking, alerted Anita's ever vigilant tummy monster.

"Well I'm hungry, and something smells great," Anita said, unrepentantly.

Tyrone dashed into thee kitchen to check the roast, he'd had set to cook in the oven for dinner.

"You will be staying I hope. I put in a large roast this morning, knowing you were coming." Begged Tyrone, looking hopefully at Sara and Anita.

"I guess there's no rush to get back, Julie and William have to see a few people in Hollywood, so I don't expect them back for a while," Sara answered, accepting the offer.

Anita checked on Maggie while the others went into the kitchen to help organise the rest of dinner.

"She's sleeping like a baby," Anita reported with a smile, when she returned.

"When you have worn the bracelets for a while, you'll find that your thoughts will start meshing," Sara mentioned as she peeled some carrots. "We found that having sex made our bond so tight, that our thoughts joined as our bodies did. It's what's called as a nexus, and it will allow you share fully everything of the other. It also allows you to travel astrally. It took us a few months for this to happen, but as you already have a close bond with each other, it could happen any time. We just don't know, even the Shelke were surprised at the ease we achieved it."

"We can't wait," came in unison.

To be continued.

Carversion -30-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty

Soon, dinner preparations were completed. Having four people mucking in helped speed up the progress. Sara showed Carolyn and Tyrone the recipe for the pikelets, and soon several batches were cooling on wire racks. Tyrone, having been the one who had looked after the kitchen duties while Carolyn was ill, kept popping in to check the progress of the cooking, while the others relaxed with a celebratory glass of wine. Anita decided to return to being Kevin, so he could enjoy dinner as a man and hopefully get a larger portion, without being hassled by dietary concerns about his figure.

Of course, Sara saw right through his ploy and gently ribbed him about it. The others laughed, seeing the love that existed between their two benefactors.

"Maggie's awake, I'll go get her," Sara said suddenly, sensing with her burgeoning maternal instinct, that their child to be, was rousing.

Sara went out to the RV to see Maggie rubbing sleep from her eyes as she stretched her arms.

"Mommy!" she cried, flinging herself off the bunk with a leap into Sara's welcoming arms. "I's be woked up now. Can I go play outsides?"

"I think missy needs a wash to freshen up," chided Sara gently, lifting Maggie over to the small vanity, next to the shower.

"Awwh, do I have to?" whined Maggie, as she wriggled to get free.

"Remember what little girl's are made of?" asked Sara, poking Maggie on her nose.

"Sugar and spice?"

"Yes and things that smell nice," adlibbed Sara, with a smile. " Let's get you smelling nice." With that, Sara began to wash Maggie's face, bringing back a rosy glow to the youngsters pouting face.

Maggie scrambled for the door of the RV as soon as she was done; she had her favourite stuffie with her, held tight, as she managed the steps to the ground. Once back inside the house, she pounced on any lap that seemed available, giving the owner a hug as payment.

Carolyn couldn't get over the fact that Maggie had been an adult, so camouflaged was she in her role as a little girl, that it was nearly impossible to think of her as anything, but a child. Maggie stayed on Carolyn's lap the most, knowing it would be some time before they met again. Maggie hoped she would still be able to remember her aunty Carolyn the next time. Carolyn was so taken by Maggie, she was considering having another child, or... looking at Tyrone speculatively, maybe Tyrissa could experience childbirth this time. Oh the possibilities. One thing for sure, their lives were going to be exciting from now on.

Dinner was delicious, and luckily the pikelet scoffer, didn't smell or see the desert treat, with the others smells around. The stuffed roast turkey was gobbled up (sorry, couldn't resist lol) till everyone was stuffed. Maggie even ate the vegetables; luckily, there weren't any Brussel sprouts in sight or there might have more resistance. Sara used the tried and true method of getting vegetables inside reluctant tummies, by promising a treat afterwards.

Even Kevin was replete; Tyrone had made sure there was more than enough food to go around, twice in Kevin's case, as he went back for seconds. They adjourned into the lounge to watch the news on the TV while their food settled. Maggie wanted her treat, having endured the vegetable clause. Sara sighed and made to get up, but Carolyn pushed her back in the seat and said she'd do it.

Carolyn with a small shadow following close behind, went back into the kitchen to get Maggie her treat. She put the jug on for a hot drink for the others and poured a glass of milk for Maggie. She enjoyed the hugs that Maggie bestowed her, in thanks for the pikelets and milk. She watched the child eat, while Maggie found space somehow for everything.

That night, Sara and Kevin joined in a nexus to check in with Julie and William. While they were still hovering in the RV, checking on Maggie's sleeping form, they sensed a new presence nearby. Their nexus was drawn over to the house, where they floated above the bedroom of Carolyn and Tyrone's. They saw the two entwined together, but who was penetrating whom, wasn't clear. One thing that was clear was the beginning of a new nexus, as the minds of the pair joined in way closer than that of their bodies. The nexus flickered, as the ying and the yang fought for dominance, finding a balance, the glow of the nexus steadied, becoming a thing of beauty.

The Sara (Kevin) nexus contacted the Carolyn (Tyrone) nexus forming a bond that allowed instant communication. The Sara (Kevin) nexus expressed surprise at the others rapid achievement, and indicated that they join them when they went to visit the Julie (William) nexus. Soon, the three were together, as distance was no barrier to the power they generated. Being more experienced, in nexus travel, Sara (Kevin) pointed out the faint lines trailing from the nexus back to their bodies, to their newest member. Introductions were made and soon everyone was up to date with each other's news. Kim had contacted Julie and William and had given them a number of the modified Krin along with the program and shown its capabilities. Their motorbike was also given an upgrade, and the pair were keen to try out the RV option on their next task.

Returning to their bodies, the three nexi broke apart. The Carolyn (Tyrone) nexus decided to experiment, seeing this was all new to them. They flew across the country, revelling in the freedom of their incorporeal minds. They eventually returned and settled back into their bodies to try and sleep.

The next morning, Kim was a surprise visitor as she drove up behind the RV. Sara was up and working on breakfast, when Kim knocked on the door.

"Hi Kim, I thought you were down with Julie," Sara asked, as she invited her in.

"I was, but you know how things change, and the drive through the night doesn't take long in one of our cars." She grinned, somewhat sadly.

"What's up? You don't sound too chipper this morning." Sara asked, sensing something was troubling Kim.

"It will wait till after breakfast, I don't want to spoil your appetite." Kim answered, with a shrug.

Sara looked worried, but held her silence, wondering what was wrong. She offered Kim some of the bacon she had cooked, saying she could cook some more. Kim ate the bacon sandwich distractedly, after accepting it with thanks.

The smell of bacon soon roused Kevin and Maggie and they sat down at the table just as Sara finished cooking. Greetings were exchanged as they noticed Kim sitting there. Food being more important than conversation, it wasn't long till everyone was finished. Then while Kevin and Maggie dressed, Sara filled Kim in on the speed that Carolyn and Tyrone had formed their own nexus, while they cleaned up the breakfast mess.

"I'm surprised, but then you surprised me too, so I should have expected this development," Kim offered. "The bond that existed between them, before the Krin were introduced, may explain the speed at which they were able to form a nexus," she added.

"That was my thought," agreed Sara.

They were soon back inside the house and introduced Carolyn and Tyrone to Kim. To say that tears flowed was understating things, as the two grateful beneficiaries of Shelke technology showed their thanks. Kim thanked them as well, for taking on the job of spreading the Krin, and congratulated them on forming a nexus so soon.

Kim had them sit down, as she paced in front of them, saying she had something to tell them. She asked Sara to ring Julie and have her fire up the laptop at her end. Kevin turned on their own laptop, and soon a video link was formed between the two. Sara could see Julie and William in the screen, and knew they would be hearing every word spoken in the room.

Next, she had Tyrone fire up his computer, and asked William to do the same with the one in Huang's house. Then telling them both to type in a command, she waited as the screen cleared.

"This is what we are fighting against," she said, as the image resolved. The scene showed a chaotic street scene where hundreds of humanoids were either attacking or being attacked by each other. Even though it looked like a scene from Star Wars, with some very realistic stage settings, there was no doubt in any mind that this was real. Even though the physiology was different to a human, there was no mistaking the look of fear that was on every single face. The smallish grey bodies were being pounded under foot as the main mass trampled them in their rush to escape the nameless terror that was striking their minds.

Some were cowering in corners tearing at their heads as if trying to rid themselves of the demons invading their minds. Sara and the others were glad that the footage was bereft of any audio. The scene suddenly flashed into blinding whiteness before it cut off. The scene switched to one that was obviously from out in space. In the foreground was a planet of reds and browns, with patches of blue marking seas or lakes. Clouds were in evidence, as were bright flashes from what looked like nuclear explosions. The sun was an orange white ball and much larger than earths sun, and could be seen looking past the planet. Suddenly, the sun started to grow larger, turning whiter and whiter as some unknown power had increased its reaction. The screen bloomed, causing the planet to look like a black dot in a sea of white. The ship from where the images were coming from tried to swing away and escape from the exploding sun. Just before this image was cut off, one could see the planet tear apart as the forces against it proved too much.

"This was from 10 light years away from a ship that managed to jump from that solar system moments before," Kim spoke into the silence.

A star field was shown, with millions of white points filling the screen. In the centre, a bright star was shown, and this was the one all watched, as it grew even brighter. Everyone gasped seeing the bright star grew a 100, then a 1000 times it original size.

"We lost many of our people when the sun went nova. Kim stated emotionlessly. " The images on the planet were remote camera's luckily, but 4 ships like the one that beamed the planets end were lost with all aboard. The way she said it, alerted Sara's hackles.

"Were there friends of yours on board?" she asked, reaching out for Kim.

"My birthing parents were in the one that took those images of the planet."

There was a collective gasp, from everyone, and Sara wrapped her arms around Kim, beating the others by only seconds as the others crowded around.

"We are so sorry. You must be devastated, come sit down," Sara burst out, feeling awful for Kim.

Kim sat woodenly, having managed to get through this retelling of news. The others came and hugged her, not really knowing how to comfort Kim in her moment of loss. Not knowing how the Shelke dealt with grief, made things awkward for the others.

"It was quick and we think it caught the Nemesis by surprise and they also lost lives. The Brandorian's were a race that refused our help; we could only observe their demise. "They proved to be more advanced than we anticipated." Kim continued, her gaze fixed, staring into a point that only she could see, as she feed them more information. "They had a weapon that set on a dead man switch that would destroy the sun, in case they were ever overwhelmed."

"Was that the only planet that supported that race?" asked Carolyn.

"No, but the other was consumed as well, there may only be a few survivors in space craft that were out exploring."

As they sat, contemplating the demise of a whole race of beings, it was born in to them that as powerful the Shelke seemed to be, they were subject to the same frailty's as man. They could be killed. In their fight against this implacable foe, they were not perfect. This made the importance of doing something themselves to protect earth so much greater. Humans might not have the ability to destroy the sun, but they could render earth into an unliveable cauldron of nuclear fire.

"Has anyone seen the enemy?" asked Tyrone, as he tried to come to grips with what he'd just seen.

"No, not even us," admitted Kim sadly. "They either have a powerful stealth technology, or are able to able to affect minds in a way that makes them invisible," she added.

"Or both," came William's voice over the video link.

"But I thought..." started Kevin.

"That our mental powers would prevent that?" Kim completed.

"Yes!"

"What we do is resist their coercion powers. We keep in touch with each other with a mental link, this doesn't mean that we are constantly monitoring each other's thoughts; it's more an awareness of the other nearby, so to speak. We found that if a mind is being coerced in some manner, that feeling all changes. Just as you can be aware of a person living in your house, even if they aren't talking, you know they are there doing their normal things they do. However, if they suddenly start jumping up and down or acting oddly, you know something's wrong. With us, when that happens, the link strengthens as we feel the disturbance in normal thought patterns. Once another mind finds the cause, it links up with another to fight off the influence, adding more minds, as necessary till the threat is overwhelmed by sheer willpower."

"Sort of like dog piling on someone till he surrenders," Sara verbalised, thinking of school fights Scott had been in.

"Dog piling? You cover someone with dog excrement?" asked Kim, trying to understand the term.

"No, not that sort of piling," Sara chuckled, seeing the image in her mind. She explained the term and Kim nodded, her understanding.

"Yes dog piling is correct." She gave a faint smile.

There was silence for a few minutes as Kim's explanation sank in

"What if there's not enough minds to overcome the threat, what happens then?" Sara asked, thinking of the limited number of Shelke on earth at the moment.

There was a moments pause, as Kim steeled herself for the reply she didn't want to answer.

"Then we die."

To be continued.

Carversion -31-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-One

Kim's bluntness, stunned everyone, and made it clear that the stakes were high for everyone, including the Shelke.

"We have started at the hospitals inoculating newborns with the nanite Krin. We also started giving older children the same treatment, wherever we could justify giving them a needle." Kim broke the tension, left by her earlier words.

"We have to win," came a voice, and in that instant, time seemed to freeze for Sara, as her panicked mind raced, realising that Maggie had seen all of that graphic scene. Even knowing she wasn't what she seemed, that is, just a normal 6 year old girl, having her witness that would destroy the innocence that was the kitten. Sara's heart thudded as she turned to look behind her, where she had last seen Maggie. She expected to see a very traumatised little girl, sitting in the seat behind her. 'Damn, she should have sent her out of the room, had she not been wholly occupied,' she thought regretfully. Instead of seeing a forlorn form needing a cuddle, there sat Maggie the adult, still holding on to her baby.

It was she who had spoken, and had triggered Sara's mind about Maggie. Maggie looked at Sara's face and saw the concern written on her face.

"Don't worry, she didn't see that," Maggie whispered to her, as she held up her Krin adorned wrist.

Sara didn't need to be told who 'she,' was, and marvelled at the complexity of Maggie's twin personas. Obviously the Kitten had used the Krin, or that the part of her, that was the adult, had.

"I had to protect her from seeing that," explained Maggie, with Sara nodding understandingly.

Sara got up and went and hugged Maggie, not caring whether she was young or adult, she need love in both forms, and Sara was determined to see she got all she could give. The others having heard Maggie were not slow in joining in on the hug. Sara gave her up to the others, seeking Kevin for a hug as well.

"We will win," Kevin reassured her, as he poured his love into a kiss for his soul mate.

Kim seeing the way each were comforting the others, smiled. There had been some doubt at first whether this race could or should be saved. She knew mankind was capable of terrible destruction in its blind search for personal gain and power, but it was also capable of doing noble things and making sacrifices for the good of others. She hoped that mankind would eventually join the other galactic communities, adding their own uniqueness to the rest of the sentient civilisations.

"I do have a few other things to tell you before I leave," Kim interrupted.

Everyone went back to their seats, looking expectantly at Kim. She could see that they hoped it wouldn't be any more bad news, as they shifted nervously in their seats.

"I have brought your mobile salon with me," she said, smiling at Carolyn and Tyrone. It's in its other guise at the moment," she added, as the new owners started to rush outside to see it.

Everyone trooped out, with Kevin bringing the laptop along so Julie and William wouldn't miss out on the inspection tour. The car in the driveway was a yellow Camaro, sporting front and rear spoilers and mag wheels. There was an air scoop in the hood, behind which, showed the chrome barrels of the carburettor, and when Tyrone started it up and revved it slightly, the throaty roar of a V8 motor, broke the morning peace, making the chassis twist in response to the torque developed by the big motor.

Tyrone drooled as he exited the muscle car; hearing the twin exhausts burbling as the engine idled.

"That's some car, but it's a mite small to do hair in," he joked.

Kim got in and showed them the all-important knob. Getting everyone to stand well clear, she activated the change that would produce the RV. The sudden transformation, as the Camaro expanded into the new RV, caught Carolyn and Tyrone by surprise. Even though they knew about the ability, of the Shelke technology, seeing it actually happening, was breath taking.

"Wow!" they cried in unison, as they walked around the outside of their own piece of heaven. Climbing inside caused more gasps and a few questions. Inside, showed an interior similar to the RV that Sara and Kevin owned, with one double bed, one bunk over the cab with wardrobes and shower, along with the bathroom and toilet.

"It looks great, but where's the equipment for the salon business?" asked Tyrone, as he looked in some cupboards.

"This is the living mode, not the working mode," Kim explained just press this," Kim said, showing them a small button inside a small flap on the wall.

Tyrone offered Carolyn the pleasure of doing that, which was readily accepted. On activation, the insides changed, as did Carolyn and Tyrone's clothes. Looking at the equipment that appeared, they didn't notice that they were wearing a pink uniform, similar to those worn in salons everywhere. Carolyn chuckled when she turned and saw what Tyrone was wearing.

"I can't seem to keep you out of skirts and heels for long, can I dear?" she teased as Tyrone plucked at his skirted uniform, trying to get a look at his nylon-clad legs.

The others crowded in, taking in the view of the four reclinable seats with individual height adjustment. The seats swivelled around, and were held in a slot in the floor allowing them to reach a hair washing bowl on one side, to be slid across to four hair drying hoods fitted on the other side the walls were mirrored, allowing the clients to see themselves from all sides. Every conceivable item relating to the hair business was provided, including shampoos, conditioners, and hair dyes. Tyrone picked up an item in curiosity. It had a handle with a cord on it and a sliver barrel that had a metal curved piece the fitted to the curve of the barrel and way able to be opened like a lopsided pair of tongs. As he touched it, he knew instantly what it was, even though moments before, he'd had no clue. It was an electric curling wand. Tyrone knew exactly how to use it to its best advantage, even though it was the first he'd seen.

"You're surprised at knowing what to do with that," Kim guessed seeing the expression on his face. "It’s the programming we gave you, along with the diploma's on the wall. Tyrone belatedly took in the four diplomas on the rear wall. Two were for advanced hair design for the two of them, plus one each for makeup and beauty products. He noted that Tyrissa was the name on two of the diplomas; there were also photos of them both looking extremely feminine in close company with several famous movie stars. Obviously, the Shelke had thought of everything.

Carolyn had walked through a curtained area at the front end of the salon where two more seats were arranged in front of a vast array of make up products. She looked into the mirror there and saw that her uniform had CT Styling on the left breast; only the spelling was Cee Tee. Underneath was her name. CT...Carolyn and Tyrissa. She laughed, seeing that CT could also sound like city.

Tyrone had also spotted that, while looking at himself in the mirror. He didn't look like a he, although by a furtive check below, he knew that the lady in the mirror was definitely a male. Although the figure in the mirror showed a feminine silhouette with a narrow waist and curves in the other places, he didn't feel uncomfortable from the corset he was obviously wearing. Ignoring the others that were admiring everything, he unzipped the uniform and let it drop to the floor, leaving him standing in just lingerie.

"Oh my," he gasped as he took in the view of his near naked body, ignoring the giggles from the others. "I have a woman's body," he gasped as he ran his hands over the naked skin of his waist. He wasn't wearing a corset, only panties and a garter belt, to which his stockings were fastened and a bra that cupped almost C cup breasts.

"Like the corset?" asked Kim with a smirk on her face.

"What corset?" replied Tyrone, looking puzzled at Kim.

"It's in stealth mode," Kim explained, handing him a ring. "Turn the gem around."

Tyrone slid the ring onto his hand then rotated the ruby like gem on it. The skin that looked naked from his hips to his breasts disappeared from view, as a white silky material appeared around him. It was seamless with no obvious fastenings or tightening laces.

"The ring controls the corsets shaping power, and whether its visible or not. Pressing on the edges of the gem control the degree of shape in the waist hip or breast, pressing it in the middle releases it altogether." Kim demonstrated, giving Tyrone a wasp waist that looked incredible. "Just make sure you pull it up to your nipples when u put it on. It controls the shape of your breasts, so that the bra can be taken off. In invisible mode, you could walk topless and appear to have normal breasts, just like any other woman." Kim added.

"That will be great when Tyrone's shopping for bras, going topless, while he tries them on, if he looks this good," Carolyn teased, tweaking one of his rounded globes.

"HEY!" protested Tyrone protecting his breasts from further spousal attack. "What's good for the goose is good for the goose," he said, adapting the saying for the current circumstances. He mock lunged for Carolyn's own breasts, missing, but not seeming to be mind, as she danced out of range.

Kim caught their attention, as she showed them a secret drawer that contained about twenty Krin. Tyrone turned serious as he mentioned the risk of carrying such a valuable cargo.

"What if they get stolen, or we pick someone that's not honest and we end up with the police or the FBI on our necks."

Kim asked Tyrone and Carolyn to place their hand on the spot where Kim had made the drawer appear.

"Now it's keyed to you, and won't open for anyone else, as for the other, I suggest you use these," she said, handing them a pair of feminine styled sunglasses. "To check each person for the veracity of their claims." Kim explained that these glasses would allow them to hypnotise the most strongest will.

"They look a little too fem for me," suggested Tyrone, as he tried a pair on.

Wear them as Tyrissa and when you change back to Tyrone, they will look more masculine," Kim explained, grinning at the incongruity of seeing Tyrone all dolled up, complaining of something being too fem.

Sara realised that they hadn't worn the pair of glasses that they had found, during a transition from female to male. She mentally kicked herself, for a moment, before realising that she had just been careful not to lose the only pair they had at the time, and didn't want to damage them by experimenting with them. Sara made a mental note to ask Kim for a pair for Kevin.

"What about break-ins, can they be jimmied open or cut in from the outside? Persisted Tyrone, determined to make sure every thing was done to protect the cargo.

"The RV is invulnerable to attack. It's made of the same material as our spacecraft. plus there's an Null Zone protecting the skin from projectile weapons. Kim explained. Before the question, "what's a Null Zone?" She explained. "It's a thin barrier that's activated when an object tries to penetrate the skin. It's designed to operate at a pressure just short of scratching the surface. We use the same thing against meteorite hits in space. What happens is that the moment anything exerts enough pressure to mar the surface, its sent into a Null Zone, similar to the zone where we store all our bodies and cars. It's a stasis field with a dimensional rift that sends meteorites, missiles or whatever into."

"Hey wake me up somebody," Tyrone cried, slapping his face. "I've fallen asleep and dreaming I'm in a Star Trek, James Bond, and the Twilight Zone fantasy.

Everyone giggled.

Kim showed them a laptop that was similar to the one Kevin was holding, and explained the functions. It could communicate both with Sara or Julie as well as Kim if she wanted. In addition, it would be used to chat to their new customers on the net. The software that was used for Tyrissa's body modification was also loaded, and ready to go. Both Carolyn and Tyrone were in a daze, after being given the 50 cent tour of the RV and shown all the gizmo's and special features. Kim got serious for a moment, handing them a list of the most urgent cases that they'd have to deal with first. Tyrone read the list, nodding his head in approval. He could see they were in for a long journey, but one with rewards, if they could give these souls peace, as they repaired or transformed their bodies, like they themselves had been.

"I think we'll start with Cathy_t first," Tyrone said, looking at the list, "Then work our way into Canada to Rikki b, and the others there, before coming south again. Jenna and Cathleen aren't as urgent, but I know some that are suffering from cancer, or other life threatening diseases that need to be seen first," Tyrone added, wiping a tear from his eye, as he thought about his chat friends. Carolyn hugged him and dabbed away his tears, knowing how much his online friends meant to him.

"What about those in other countries?" Tyrone asked, gaining his composure again, as he thought of another Sara in the UK.

"Once you start your work, and the word starts to spread, we can send more mobile units like this one, to all countries. They will have other Shelke driving them, but we should be able to reach everyone within a month," Kim explained.

Tyrone could imagine the upheaval in the TG community, as people started to live the life they'd only dreamed of up till now. He wished he could see each face as each one realised their dream. Kim's next words brought more tears to his face.

"What we can do, is have you there in a conference mode on the laptop. Having a known person, who has been through the process, will allay doubts, and be a reassurance for the subject. You will also get to see the finished product," Kim suggested, having sensed Tyrone's need to do just that.

Tyrone hugged Kim tight, not caring if anyone saw the tears. The others gathered round, making it a group hug, as they realised this was the beginning of something momentous for the transgendered of the world.

To be continued.

Carversion -32-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Wow"! Grinned Tyrone, as he stepped outside the RV.

Sara nudged him so that he noticed the sign on the side of their new mobile salon. There, in all its pink glory was the words Cee Tee Styling. Underneath it had the words, 'fashions from the stars to you, we can make anyone outshine the rest.' There was a web site under that, showing the address as [email protected].

"That's for those we might miss on the way." Kim explained. "The website will direct inquires to you laptop," she added.

"Oh boy, that will certainly alert anyone who has read any of the TG fiction stories online," agreed Tyrone. "What made you pick VainGirls?"

"Well, we do our research, we needed something that readers would associate with what you will be doing."

"Good choice," Tyrone said, as he explained the significance to the others.

When Sara mentioned getting on the road again, a protest from Carolyn and Tyrone, had them change their plans. Both Carolyn and Tyrone wanted to repay them for the miraculous gift that they had bestowed.

"The least we can do is give you all a makeover, free of charge. We need to practice and you're the perfect guinea pigs," they laughed. "It could be our debut event," they both insisted.

Sara gave in quickly, and Maggie agreed without reservation, plonking her cute backside in a chair immediately. Kevin looked on resignedly, knowing once Sara had agreed; there'd be no budging her. He sat and watched as Sara and Maggie had their hair washed and shampooed. Even Kim, after a few nudges, sat in the third chair, as Carolyn and Tyrone flitted from one to the other, in a flurry of pink.

Sara moaned in pleasure, as Tyrone massaged her scalp. This was only the second time she had her hair done by others, and she loved it. Maggie giggled and was a handful to keep still. Kim closed her eyes and relaxed as her pampering in turn, eased the stresses of the long journey overnight. Kevin sat and felt a bit left out, even though he had refused to participate either as himself or Anita. Sara knew that he wanted to try it, but didn't want to look too eager to join in as Anita.

Maggie was eventually finished, Carolyn having given her a Shirley Temple look, with lots of curly ringlets that bounced as she moved. When Sara got up from the chair to head to the makeup section, she whispered in Kevin's ear.

"For me?" Her message clear to him to join in.

Kevin shook his head, wondering if he was a man or a mouse, as he touched the Krin. Becoming Anita again, she moved into a chair vacated by Sara, feeling its warmth though his skirt, as she sat down. Maggie wanted to experience another go as her adult form, so that her new hair do would be available for when she had to return to adulthood again. Anita saw the attraction, once her own head was being massaged, during the shampoo and conditioning.

Tyrone spent a while on Anita's hair, knowing it might be a while before Kevin allowed himself to experience it again. Anita wasn't bothered watching Tyrone, knowing that once he was Kevin again; he'd be back to normal. She relaxed and dozed, while Tyrone played with her hair

Therefore, it was with some surprise, when she woke and found she was finished. She gasped as she looked in the mirror. She didn't know whether to be pleased or not, seeing such an ornate arrangement on her head. Some part of the primitive in Kevin, wanted no part in the girlification of her appearance, having only just put up with the coming female bit, but that small voice was overridden by the more enlightened part of Kevin that saw it as just another step in experiencing what women feel like when they go all out. No point in agonising over if she was losing her masculinity, while she was female and looking like a model. She relaxed admiring the look, as she turned and checked out her new profile.

"Great job, I see you did my makeup as well," Anita said, smiling at Tyrone, to show she approved.

"Well you dozed off, so I thought I might as well," Tyrone grinned, as he walked behind her and teased her hair a little more.

"With talent like that at your finger tips, I don't see how you can go wrong," Anita laughed, as she stood up.

"Hmmm, you look scrummy," giggled Sara, looking at her twin with an evil glint in her eye.

"Hey! I just got it done, bedroom Olympics will have to wait," pouted Anita, as she saw what was on Sara's mind.

The rest laughed, although Tyrone could see the wheels turning in Carolyn's mind as the idea of Olympics with her femmed out husband looked pretty good.

"Pole vaulting for gold, might be nice," she said, blushing as she realised she had verbalised her thought.

I think swimming for me," Tyrone came out with, covering his wife's fau paux.

"Swimming?" echoed around the others, looking puzzled.

"Breaststroke." He said, demonstrating on himself as he ran his hands over his enlarged chest, making everyone giggle.

"Backstrokes nice too," Maggie giggled, still in her adult form. She demonstrated on Tyrone's back, making him arch back and let out a theatrical moan of pleasure.

Carolyn looked at Maggie and winked, before saying archly, "hey! That's my man's... woman's back."

Maggie used her Krin to turn back into a toddler-sized handful of trouble, lifted Tyrone's skirt, and looked up. Her muffled voice, as Tyrone looked down at this new intrusion, was filled with giggles.

"Aunty Carolyn, aunty Tyrone, already has a pole vault."

"Hmmm. I have just the place to keep it safe," smirked Carolyn, as she activated the option on her bracelet that controlled whether Tyrone or Tyrissa was the poker or the poked.

Tyrone let out a startled 'eep,' as his member withdrew from the boys club and joined the girl's team.

"Don't fight it hon," Anita said, patting Tyrone on the back. "The women really have us by the balls," she added, with a coy smile while looking at Sara in the eye.

"I don't mind that so much," Tyrone grinned. "As long as they don't lose them when they are finished playing with them," he added half seriously.

Once the laughter stopped, the five women, (well, Tyrone passed as one) and little Maggie, trooped inside. Anita went to change back into Kevin, but Sara shook her and whispered it would upset Tyrone if he got rid of it so soon.

Seeing the day was a bust as far as leaving, they went over Tyrone's plans for their own journey. Maggie was asked to take her adult form and spend time in the chat room contacting as many of her friends on what to expect. Tyrone suggested giving certain people, he trusted more than just the one bracelet, saying that it would speed things up, if more people were actively involved. Kim agreed, and mentioned that whenever they wanted more of the Krin or needed extra money for anyone in need, all they had to do was ring her, then switch from the RV to the car form and back again, to restock.

They decided to eat out for lunch and went into the city to a nice place Tyrone recommended. Tyrissa, not Tyrone drove them around the local sights as they made their way in driving a people mover that Kim converted the RV from. Maggie stayed in her adult form, as Carolyn suggested they go clothes shopping afterwards. The rest of the day passed quickly, as everyone had fun turning the men's heads, and a few ladies, as they showed off their new hair dos. Coming into a shop in a group, they claimed, much of the attention and the racks of clothes trembled in fear as they were systematically plucked and plundered, leaving a wake of near destruction as they donned, discussed and then discarded dresses by the dozens.

Deciding to eat out for dinner, after their hectic afternoon, they found a nice place that was quiet with a relaxed atmosphere. While waiting for their order, Anita grumbled.

"How come only Tyrissa and I ended up with any clothes, while you lot didn't buy anything."

"Well that's because both Carolyn and I already have loads of clothes. Kim probably has hers made for her and Maggie won't need any in her adult size, after she goes back to being underfoot again," grinned Sara, looking at Maggie with a wink. "You need to build up a wardrobe for the times when we want to go out as twins, same for Tyrissa, isn't that right Carolyn?"

Carolyn nodded, and put one of her arms around her glamorous lover and hugged her close. "She needs her own clothes, as I'm looking forward to more times like this," she laughed.

"Besides, we can always borrow your clothes, if we want," Sara giggled, at Anita's expression.

"Hmmm, then that white bustier was for you to wear then," suggested Anita hopefully, remembering the way it looked on her, and imagining it on Sara instead.

"Maybe, if you're a good girl," Sara winked.

I'd prefer to be a good boy," Anita sighed, knowing it was useless to argue.

Sara looked at Kim with a half smile, as she activated the recently loaded program to her Krin.

"Maybe you could be both," she said quietly as watched Anita's eyes widen in surprise and saw the smile form as her panties got suddenly crowded with little Kevin.

"Hey where's my addadictomy control?" he whispered loudly to Kim.

"It's loaded, but..." Kim started to say, but saw it was too late to tell Anita of the extra twist Sara had asked for, seeing Anita had already activated her Krin. Sara blushed, as she felt a growth spurt in her crotch. Knowing what was going to happen, Sara watched Anita's face, as her recent addition retracted back to its former state.

"Huh? Why'd it do that?" Anita said, reaching for her lost member.

Sara laughed as Kim explained, that both of their options were linked, so that if Kevin or Anita gave Sara a penis then they would lose their own if it was present. This was to prevent there being two outies at the same time.

Anita accepted that quite calmly, knowing, that as Kevin, he had a normal anti gay mindset. He change the setting back, seeing how uncomfortable Sara was with her male reminder of her life as Scott. Anita grinned at the thought of the possibilities of this option while having sex, in near public places. They could lie facing each other with a towel or a blanket over their naked groins and have sex without even moving. The thrill at doing it in public would add a new twist to their sex life.

That evening Sara took Carolyn aside with Kim, to discuss possible wedding ideas an options, and also, while Maggie was on the internet chatting to her friends of her adventures, what Sara wanted to do about Maggie's wish. Kevin, seeing the ladies had abandoned them for the moment, asked Tyrone, who had also gone back to being male with normal male clothes, about how his obsession for wearing women's clothes had started. As Kevin listened to Tyrone's somewhat disjointed tale, he began to get a deeper understanding of the attraction of the whole business. Kevin asked Tyrone why Sara seemed to enjoy it when she persuaded him to become Anita.

"Possibly Sara sees Anita as a possible sexual partner, because of who she used to be. Scott would see Anita as attractive, and I think there's still a bit of Scott still in her that sees that as being normal. Then again, she might be a latent lesbian," he laughed. "You seem to enjoy it when you get relaxed as Anita, I wouldn't worry too much about it, think how lucky you are instead," Tyrone added.

Kevin nodded; knowing he would never have to guess what Sara was feeling, seeing he could become Anita and know exactly. Maggie trotted in, having finished on the computer and gone back to her toddler body. She climbed up on Tyrone's lap and from that vantage point, kissed Kim good night, before hurrying off to see if Carolyn would tuck her in for the night.

The next morning everyone said their goodbyes, as Kevin and Sara prepared to drive back home. There were more than a few tears on all sides as readied to depart. Kim, who was cadging a lift back with them, lifted Maggie up into the RV. Kevin, who had decided to drive in the morning started up the motor, glad that the sunglasses he'd donned hid the telltale moisture in his eyes. This had been one of the most memorable times in his life, attested to, by the joy that they had managed to give to this loving couple. He knew that this wouldn't be the last they would see of them, and this made the departure easier to bear. Finally, all the waving and air kisses were thrown, and they drove out onto the street, heading for home.

To be continued.

Carversion -33-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Three

William and Julie were happy for the others, as they made their own preparations to travel. They hoped for a similar experience, when they met their first client. They were having just as much fun in their new RV as the others were, trying out all the fun stuff. First off, was picking up Cindy from where she worked at Hollywood. Cindy had agreed to be their liaison; between them and the others, they would meet, seeing she was well respected and known throughout the TG community that met online. Cindy had told them that she didn't have any holidays left to go gallivanting around the countryside, but William said they would solve that problem.

A little persuasion with the glasses they now both wore, soon had Cindy's bosses insisting that Cindy take as much time as she needed on full pay for her new trip. Cindy was amazed and a little suspicious with the way her bosses fawned over the three of them, as they made their way out to the RV.

Julie whispered in her ear that they used hypnosis, on them and that everything would be fine. Cindy grinned, as she saw the logo emblazoned on the side of the RV.

"Kind of says it all," she commented, looking at 'TG Enterprises' in big letters with 'we can change your life around,' in smaller letters underneath.

"What did Tyrone tell you about us?" asked William, as he studied the athletic looking blonde haired woman.

"Only that a couple called William and Julie wanted me to join them on a mission of mercy," Cindy answered, cautiously.

"Well come sit in the RV out of this sun. We have a tale to tell you," Julie offered, taking Cindy's hand.

Cindy seemed reluctant, about entering a strange vehicle with people, she didn't know, but the smiling face of Julie, showed no sign of being part of any sinister plot to kidnap her. A new female voice from behind her had her spin in surprise.

"Maybe she will be more comfortable talking with women, than having a strange man with her," Mi Ling said, having just been William.

Cindy looked around for the guy that had just been standing where there now appeared to be a smaller oriental woman in a fancy kimono.

"What! Where did... you haven't hypnotised me..." she stuttered, trying to complete the different threads of thought, that flashed through her mind.

"No, not this time," Mi Ling, laughed, her musical voice filled with humour. "Come, we will explain inside," Mi Ling finished, shooing Cindy inside, as she picked up the hem of her kimono as she prepared to climb the steps of the RV.

Cindy sat, watching the two women with an intent look as they found seats. Julie got out some cans of diet coke and offered them around. Cindy noted that Mi Ling looked at the can in sufferance, before opening it. Cindy could see undercurrents flowing between the two women, but couldn't guess as to the significance of the looks that passed between the two dissimilar women. They began to speak in turn, one starting from where the other left off as they took drinks from their cans. The story they related was as good as the scripts she'd seen in her work. As the story took on (to her) soap opera proportions, she called a halt.

"I need some proof of what your saying, or I'm leaving right now," she demanded, thinking, 'what a load of hokey.'

Mi Ling looked at Julie, with a grin, and made pay up motions by rubbing her thumb against her first and second fingers.

"Told you she would need convincing, before we finished." She chortled. "Pay up."

"Right now, like that?" Julie asked, nodding her head towards Cindy. "What about later tonight," she added, not thinking of the impression she was giving Cindy.

"Now," Mi Ling demanded, with a gleam in her eye.

Julie sighed, before she leant nearer and gave Mi Ling a long tonsil searching kiss. Cindy watched, turning a nice tone of pink as she blushed. There was something very erotic in the kiss that had her breathing deeply in response. She wanted to turn away, but something kept her eyes watching, as the two slowly parted with a secret smile on their faces.

"William bet me that we'd need to prove that what we are telling is true before you let us finish. I'm just paying him off," Julie stated, grinning at the red faced Cindy.

"But...erk!" exclaimed Cindy, as she was about to ask why kissing Mi Ling would pay off Williams bet, when Mi Ling's body shimmered into that of William.

Cindy fainted.

Cindy struggled to consciousness, wondering why she had fainted, when it all came back to her. The two strange people that believed that aliens, that could look like anyone, were on the earth trying to save mankind. Cindy's mind flashed forward, recalling the moment before she fainted. She tried to raise her head from the bed that she'd been obviously placed on. She opened her eyes to see the two people, now a man, and a woman, sitting watching her with looks of concern.

"You okay now, sorry for the shock, sometimes William doesn't think," Julie explained.

"I'm fine I think, except for the odd hallucination," Cindy quipped, wryly, knowing in her heart that what she saw was anything but. Suddenly she gasped and her eyes opened wide, as everything fell into place.

"You're that magic act that everyone's raving about. I thought Mi Ling's name sounded familiar. You had the best transformation act ever, according to the buzz going around. Donald Haskin, made some very important friends with that party."

"That was us, but it wasn't magic or illusion, it was for real," confirmed Julie, looking Cindy in the eye.

"But," Cindy started, remembering how some of the acts had been described.

"Yes all done by these," Julie finished for her, as she held up her wrist and pointed to the bracelet on her wrist. "We actually became each other, that's how we pulled off the swaps."

Cindy reached out to touch the Krin, as Julie brought her hand within reach.

"Wow! That's incredible, what else can it do?" Cindy asked, fingering it carefully.

"I think a demonstration would answer your question," replied William, getting another Krin from a drawer. He then opened a laptop and began busily typing, as Cindy slipped on the fine bracelet. Turning the screen towards Cindy, she saw a selection of thumbnail pictures of people young and old, male and female.

"I suggest you pick one that's radically different from your current body, so you'll know it's not a hypnotic trick," William finished

"I can become any of these and still return to my own body afterwards?" Cindy asked wonderingly.

"Yes, I suggest trying a male form just to see how it feels," Julie proposed. "It will be all the more convincing if you take on a male form while we finish telling you the rest of it."

Cindy shrugged, and then pointed to a picture on the screen. If she was going crazy, then she might as well get her money's worth.

"That guy, the one that looks like a fitness instructor," she agreed. Although happy being female, she saw the logical in the choice. If they could do it, then have a body of the opposite sex would be a convincing argument that the rest of this fantastic was also true.

William attacked the laptop again and then pressed enter. He sat back with a smile and showed her what part of the bracelet to press. Cindy took a breath, not knowing what to expect as she pressed the spot indicated. The feeling of change swept over her, almost too quick to take in. The most prominent feeling was the sense of growth all over her body. She didn't feel the expected shrinking feeling as her breasts dwindled away. It was most a swelling of the rest of her chest as her breasts were engulfed by the mass of muscle that made her breasts look like well-defined pecs. She felt strong as her arms and legs swelled with muscle. She felt herself being stretched, as she grew taller, but suddenly other things took precedence, as her clitoris seemed to grow; things grew tight in her panties, before her clothes changed to a more masculine style, shown in the picture. She felt two soft pops, as her very own testicles emerged from within her changing body. All this took barely a second and she had to take a minute to let all the sensations catch up as she categorised each feeling as best she could.

Julie pointed out a mirror to Cindy, as the changes finished. Cindy caught the admiring glance Julie gave her new body as she stood to go look at herself? Cindy realised with a shock, which Julie looked very attractive, and a twitch in her pants agreed with that assessment. Cindy blushed, realising where her/his thoughts were going. She was glad that Julie could only see her/his back, as Cindy stood in front of the mirror. Not being a lesbian in any form, this gave her/him a moments worry, until realising that it must be the testosterone in her/his body coupled with the programming that came as a built in package, that the pair had mentioned, which was causing these most un-Cindy-like thoughts.

"Well? What do you think?" William asked, seeing Cindy examining her new form with interest.

"It feels weird, parts of me seem to be on automatic pilot, how do you control this thing?" Cindy asked, trying to adjust the crotch of her/his pants.

"Sorry, I never did get an instruction manual with mine, it's been a learn by experiment," William laughed.

"I think this ones faulty," complained Cindy, as she/he struggled to get it in a more comfortable position. "It's all swollen up by itself," Cindy added, turning around to make her point.

"Try thinking about naked men," William sniggered, knowing exactly what had triggered it off.

"Whaat? Oh... um." Cindy blushed. She tried to visualise being with a hunky guy in bed, and found that to her surprise that it did work. This was so confusing

"That body you're wearing is heterosexual, so thinking of men in a sexual way, will turn off the erector set," explained Julie, seeing the confusion of having her appetites reversed, written plainly on Cindy's face.

"I think I'd better change back now," Cindy pleaded, "this doesn't feel right to me."

"Fine Cindy," Julie said as she stood and reached across to grasp Cindy's wrist with the Krin on. Cindy felt Julies breast contact her/his chest, and the sensation brought out just how different men's bodies react to that sort of stimuli, as her newly acquired penis jerked, sending an electric shock though her/his body.

Cindy nearly moaned out loud as the reversal to her body, felt orgasmic in nature, as her outy turned innie. Happy to be herself again, she returned to her seat to await the rest of the story to be unfolded. No longer doubting, she listened avidly, as the two told of the Shelke and the possible threat to mankind.

"You want me to go to every transgendered person I know in the chat rooms, and help them become whole?" Cindy asked in surprise.

"That and more, I'm afraid," was her answer.

"More?"

"We need you to become a match maker as well," offered Julie, taking Cindy's hand. "We need couples, for everyone, whether it be between two transformed 'men,' or two transformed 'women.' Once they bond, they can form a nexus, their individual sex isn't a barrier to love. We hope on this journey that you will find someone as well, so you can join in with us."

Cindy went silent then, as she pondered her decision. Being the person she was, she knew what the answer would be. Many questions still bubbled in her mind, but they could be addressed later. Knowing Tyrone was on a similar mission to hers, made the task seem a little less arduous. She wondered who else would be recruited into a similar role; perhaps she could make some suggestions, based on her knowledge of the chat room regulars. She looked at the waiting couple and nodded, seeing their smiles, as she accepted the responsibility of her difficult task.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's get going?" she asked, grinning as her question caught the others by surprise.

Julie went to the drivers seat and started moving the RV out onto the road with surprising ease.

William handed out a new bracelet and explained its functions. Cindy decided the keep her original body, but regress it in age 10 years. Asked what form she'd like while her body was the 'shop,' as it were, Cindy asked if she could try the Mi Ling one.

William smiled, and took her hand with his Krin adorned one, then touched the setting with his other hand. Instantly, there were two Mi Ling's in place of William and Cindy.

"Wow! What a rush, gushed the altered Cindy, as she took in her appearance. William switched back to himself, leaving Cindy as Mi Ling.

"Be careful, you're probably armed," he said, eyeing her kimono clad body. William explained Mi Ling's abilities and choice of weapons, to Cindy's delight. Cindy snapped out fans and did several flicks that cracked the air like a whip snapping. Grinning, she holstered her fans to Williams's relief, as he mentioned her hair sticks in the topknot of her hair.

"I'd love this to be my other choice, then I'd never have to worry about walking out at night ever again." She enthused. "I love this kimono," she added smiling as she plucked at the material. "So who is our first lucky customer," she asked, settling down in the cushions of the bench seat.

"Erin is first, I believe she has a great deal to do with the TG community," William replied, consulting his laptop.

To be continued.

Carversion -34-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Four

Authors note: When I started this chapter Erin’s SO was still with us, although ill, unfortunately she passed away and is now at peace, sort of like the character in the story ended up in no pain. I hope Erin won’t be upset upon reading this, as she did give me the okay when I started, and being reminded of her grief is the last thing I want to happen.

Finding Erin Halfelvin, as the rest of the TG community knew her, proved easier than they had thought. The laptop had her address already located; obviously having used some advanced tracking software of the Shelke.

When they drove up, Cindy went to the door first, knowing Erin had seen her 'pic,' on numerous occasions. William and Julie. Stood behind her, content to let Cindy make the introductions.

When the door opened, 'Erin' was looking slightly worn and weary, her long greying chestnut hair looking in need of a Tyrone special. She stood barely 5'7" and looked nicely rounded, with an ample chest. Her ruddy complexion spoke of a mixed ancestry. Cindy had filled the others in on Erin's problems with a sick spouse and money problems, not to mention the long hours trying to keep her website updated and having to fend off attacks by hackers.

"Hi Erin, I'm Cindy Winters, and these are two people you must get to know," offered Cindy, as she went to hug Erin.

Erin looked at the others in puzzlement, from over the shoulder of Cindy, as she returned the hug.

"What a surprise, I wasn't expecting to see you in real life, and more than a bit alarmed at how you found me here." She said, warily in a voice hinting of her Irish origins, before pulling back and looking at Cindy's face.

"Erin, meet William and Julie, they are going to change your life around forever, if you let us in and explain," Cindy replied, doing the introductions.

"Come in, come in," repeated Erin, finding her manners. "I go by the name of Joy Melton in the real world," she explained. "My other half is sleeping at the moment, so please talk softly," she added, showing them into a slightly scrumpled lounge. The others looked around, seeing a computer in a corner with a sever network in a rack, with a froth of cables snaking all around the area.

Both William and Julie were surprised at seeing that Erin was a woman. From what Tyrone had told them, Erin's other half was female, so they'd mistakenly assumed Erin was a guy. They looked at each other, knowing that this was going to be a little different and would need a more delicate handling.

"Take a seat," offered Erin, as she slid the tech magazines on the various chairs off onto an already piled up table nearby. "Sorry for the mess, it's the maid’s day off," she said wryly, pointing to herself as to the identity of said maid.

"Are you the people that Tyrone has been raving about?" asked Erin, surprising the others for a moment. "Because if you are, I need your help."

"What do you need?" asked Julie, seeing the look of desperation in Erin's eyes.

"I heard that you can pull off genetic sex changes, if so, I need you to change my lover into a man," she blurted out, blushing from embarrassment.

"Yes we can do that," offered Julie slowly, sensing that there was more to it than that.

"I know you have questions," Erin continued, seeing their faces. "Joanne has a disease that only women can contract, as much as I love her and would hate her to have to become a man, I don't see I have a choice." She offered by way of explanation.

"Erin, there maybe another choice," Julie smiled as she saw Erin's look. "Just what do you know about us from what Tyrone told you?" asked Julie, trying to decide how to tell Erin about the Shelke and their technology.

"Not a lot," replied Erin. "Just that you have a way of giving anyone a genetic sex change that's the real deal. I didn't know what to think about it, when Tyrone first told me, it seemed too far fetched, but I trust Tyrone, so I tried to keep an open mind about it," admitted Erin.

"It's real, but there's more to it than that." Julie started. She looked at William for support, but he nodded that she should continue and she heard his thought that it would probably be better being a woman-to-woman conversation. Julie sent the thought back that he could easily join in if he wanted to jump the gender fence again. His rolling eyes gave her his answer to that thought and it made her grin as she turned back, to concentrate on Erin.

William saw the gleam in Julie eyes and knew he wasn't about to get out of it that easily. He waited, while Julie started the story of the Shelke, and their part in it. He watched Erin's eyes widen at the thought that aliens were among us. His mind wandered, replaying their adventures, and marvelling at how calmly he had taken his own side trips into femininity. He jerked alert when Julie calmly volunteered his services to demonstrate the proof of the story. 'Oh boy, here we go again,' he thought, as Julie's words penetrated into his consciousness.

"You want me to what?" He asked, knowing full well what Julie wanted, but trying to delay the inevitable anyway.

"I want Mi Ling here," Julie repeated, giving him the look.

William sighed, knowing he couldn't resist the look. He used the Krin to transform once more into the diminutive form of Mi Ling. Erin's eyes bugged out on stalks and she gasped at the sight of a six-foot plus guy becoming the delicate flower of oriental femininity that was Mi Ling.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming what I just saw," muttered Erin, shaking her head.

"But there's more," offered the transformed William, as Mi Ling gestured to her side, as if indicating a display of steak knives. Mi Ling fingered her bracelet again, while a rapt Erin kept running her gaze over Williams's sexy new body. Erin waited but didn't see anything different, just the woman rubbing her legs together beneath the kimono. It wasn't until Mi Lings 'more,' was almost fully erect, that Erin spotted the tented kimono at Mi Ling's groin.

Erin stood and walked over to Mi Ling, her gaze riveted to the erection that William using the sensual fabrics clothing Mi Ling, had managed to stimulate. She looked at Julie and then at Mi Ling for permission, before reaching down and coping an exploratory feel.

Realising it was the real thing, having felt it twitch at her touch, Erin blushed and released it after an infinitesimal squeeze of thanks. She returned to her seat, not seeing the grin Mi Ling gave Julie.

"We will cure Joanne and give you a Krin each, to select two forms for yourselves," explained Julie, seeing Mi Ling had turned back into William. "We also want you to seek out those that you think will benefit from this and help spread this world wide. The Shelke will be in contact with more Krin and whatever you need, including transportation."

I'd do anything, if it meant Joanne were healed again, even without the obvious benefits that those bracelets have to offer, but I do think this is a slow way of doing it. I'm sure there must be a better way," Erin suggested.

"This is why we will leave it to you," Julie grinned. "We will sort you and Joanne out and return home. This is more your field of expertise than ours. I'd still like to see you and Cindy working together on this."

"When can we cure Joanne?" asked Erin, thinking of her love.

"No time like the present," offered Julie, eager to get things underway.

Joanne's cure went smoothly, once she was brought up to speed by Erin's rushed explanation. Joanne, a very pale 5'11" woman of Lithuanian-Irish descent had short gray hair with Baltic blue eyes, held Erin's hand possessively as she listened to the story. Joanne, once she had accepted the proof, (again supplied by William,) had then taken on Jennifer’s form, while her own was being reworked. Erin had made sure Jennifer came with the additional extra that Mi Ling had demonstrated. The look on Joanne's face when she realised she had a shemales body, made those gathered around giggle. Having a body that was healthy and full of energy along with a semi tumescent appendage, soon made Joanne excuse her and Erin for a short time, while they celebrated this welcome change.

"If you're going back I think I'd like to separate from Erin and head north-east to see Bob Arnold," Cindy requested, looking at Julie and William for any objection.

"This Bob, is he anyone special?" winked Julie, hoping for a positive answer.

"Well, he's a writer and has several web sites and has helped many people online with little reward. I know he had to quit work due to ill health, so I'd like to give a little help back and see what develops." Cindy blushed as she finished, thinking Bob would be a good catch in a younger healthier body. Even the thought that Bob might want to delve into the feminine didn't deter her from thinking about making a play for his attentions. She knew from chatting with him online, that he was a very nice person and his deeds in providing access for the transgendered and others through his chat rooms, spoke of his character, better than words.

"You do what you gotta do," Julie spoke, interrupting Cindy's reverie. "I'm sure that Kim will get you sorted with a vehicle to go touring in," she added, giving Cindy a hug.

"Great, I'd love to meet this Kim, you're told me about," Cindy responded, giving Julie a hug back.

"Kim can be here tomorrow," William interrupted, having just finished a call to Kim on his cell phone. "She wants to hear this idea of Erin's and see how quickly they can get it implemented."

Not knowing how long Erin and Joanne were going to be in the bedroom, William suggested ordering in some pizza, seeing it was nearing feeding time. They decided to wait out in the RV, and give the celebrating pair a bit more privacy as the noise level from the bedroom increased. William gave Cindy a copy of the software needed to program the Krin that he gave her. He watched as she used the laptop to program her own Krin with the forms she desired.

Meanwhile further north, while Tyrone and Carolyn were heading east to meet up with Cathy, Sara and Kevin were driving down the west coast towards home. Kim, who had just got a call from William, asked to be dropped off at the next town, so she could arrange for more transportation for Erin and Cindy. When Kevin, who was driving, started to speed up, Kim told him to relax as she wasn't due there till tomorrow.

"Take your time and enjoy the trip," Kim admonished, having seen the speed he'd reached. "I could be there in a few hours if need be, remember you have a child to entertain," she grinned looking at Maggie glued to the window looking out at the passing countryside.

"Yes mother," Kevin quipped, acting like a chastened child, being reprimanded.

Kim smirked, and cuffed him gently about the head, loving the way she'd been accepted into the family group. She hoped this race would survive the threat that loomed in the future. A race that could produce people like these shouldn't ever be lost to some predatory race bent on universal genocide.

Maggie, sensing that Kim was leaving soon, went over to Kim and lifted her hands. Kim, knowing from previous experience that this was Maggie's way of asking for a hug, bent and scooped the hug monster into her arms. No words were needed and Kim made sure Maggie didn't see the tear that formed in her eyes at the thought of the child's innocence being destroyed if they ran out of time.

Sara came in from the back where she'd been cooking another plate of pikelets and transferred Maggie to her own arms, before taking her to help butter the soon to be eaten treats.

"I'll have to call you Miss Scoffalot," chided Sara gently, as Maggie devoured another one she'd snuck off the plate. "At this rate, they'll be none left for the others," Sara said, waggling her finger at a temporarily chastened Maggie.

Maggie promptly got off the seat, took a buttered and jammed pikelet in each hand, and trotted to the front to hand one each to Kevin and Kim. Sara smiled, enjoying playing mother, even though she had missed the pregnancy part of it. If her children turned out like Maggie, she would truly be blessed.

Tyrone was in 'his?' element. Driving the RV, dressed as Tyrissa, made him want to sing. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he/she felt like this was the start of a great new adventure. Carolyn was taking an interest in everything around her, glad not to be restricted to either staying at home in her bed or spending time at the hospital. Knowing that all that was now part of the past was the greatest gift, she could think of. She looked at Tyrissa all dressed up in her beautician uniform and smiled. Tyrone had given up so much during her illness and deserved a little happiness no, a lot of happiness. With a synchronicity that only comes when two people were as close as they were, they both started to sing, "on the road again."

The strident wail of a siren broke up their singing as they saw the flashing lights of a police cruiser on their tailgate. Confident that he'd done nothing wrong and that might just be a random check on license or such, Tyrone pulled over. Even though Sara had regaled them on their own brushes with the law, Tyrone was too mature to emulate Sara and Williams's example. Sooner or later, you'd get caught, with the penalties being more severe. Tyrone watched one officer exit the car and walk towards the driver's side of the RV. Too late... Tyrone realised, as the officer addressed him as ma-am. Tyrone was in his male form and dressed as a female; so comfortable had he grown to wearing dresses, he'd forgotten to switch to Tyrissa's fully female form, before the officer had got a good look at him.

"Ma-am, you have a busted tail light, I'm going to have to write you up," the officer gloated, seeing what appeared to be two women that would easily be intimidated by the officer.

Tyrone knew something was up, as the Shelke built RV was hardly going to have a faulty taillight. As he struggled in his nervousness to find his female voice, he saw the other officer walk up to the rear of the RV.

"I think you're wrong about the tail light," Tyrone refuted, just before hearing a thump from the rear.

The officer grinned; knowing his partner had just smashed said tail light with his boot. He looked sternly at Tyrone at her denial of his claims. Something in the tone of the drivers voice triggered a memory and he scrutinised her more closely.

"It's busted now," he snarled, as if daring her to object. He looked at his partner as another louder thump issued forth. His partners shaken head, worried him, as he looked for confirmation of his false claim. Carolyn decided to look, climbing down and walking to the rear of the RV. She was just in time to witness the second officer hitting the taillight with his Billy club. He cursed as the light refused to shatter, and then looked up guiltily, as Carolyn coldly asked him what he was doing. He pushed past her, making her stumble on the uneven roadside. She fell heavily on to her back and rolled down the slight gravel embankment, making her cry out in pain.

Carolyn's cry galvanised Tyrone, sending adrenalin surging throughout his body. He slammed open the door and knocked the officer aside, as he rushed to Carolyn's aid, cursing volubly in his normal voice. The first officer knew what it was about the driver that had sent warning bells to him. The driver was a guy dressed as a female. His anger of being fooled again, drove all thought of reason out of his mind. Revenge for the prank his fellow officers had set up, when they had arranged a blind date with a transsexual, had fuelled his anger. He'd not realised till after things had got amorous, that his date was a guy. His fellow officers never let him forget it, having snapped a photo of the pair lip locked.

He followed Tyrone to where Carolyn was trying to get up from the ground. He spun Tyrone around and punched the ersatz women in the face. Tyrone slumped, barely conscious, as the officer kicked him repeatedly. The last thing Tyrone heard from the first officer, as things turned black, was,

"Help me get rid of these two."

To be continued.

Carversion -35-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Carolyn screamed, seeing her husband being brutally kicked by the angry police officer. She struggled up the bank and tried to cover Tyrone's cross-dressed body to prevent any more injuries. She caught a few blows meant for Tyrone, until the officer dragged her off and told her to stay out of it.

The second officer had had enough. He grabbed his partner and dragged him away from Tyrone.

"You'll kill him man, let's get out of here," he urged. Pulling people up on false charges of unsafe vehicles was one thing, but this attack on the tranny went beyond the pale. He wasn't an innocent party himself, having contributed to the fracas by rudely shoving the woman aside thereby causing her to fall, but he was no murderer and wasn't to be a party to whatever plans his partner had hatched up.

"Get off me, you're in this, whether you like it or not," retorted the first officer, shaking free of his soon to be ex partner.

Looking sadly at Carolyn, trying not to envision her fate at the hands of his out of control partner, he backed away and got into the cruiser. While the officer was distracted, having gone back to Tyrone, the second officer started the cruiser and pealed back on to the highway where he soon became a speck on the deserted road.

The first officer cursed, kicking Tyrone once more as he vented his frustration at the cowardice of his partner. He rolled Tyrone over, handcuffing him, before dragging him back to the RV, where he slung the unconscious body in the rear. Then he grabbed Carolyn, who had followed him uncertain of what to do, but unwilling to leave Tyrone's side. Being in a desolate part of the country, she knew it was useless trying to run away, besides the rouge cop could just shoot her before she'd get anywhere.

The officer tied Carolyn up with a cord from a hair dryer, as the RV was still in Salon mode. He climbed in the front, intending to drive somewhere off the beaten track to dump the two passengers. He was duly impressed with all the gismo's and knobs as he drove along. He thought he could get a good bit of cash for it, from one of the dodgy chop shops he knew of. That would be better than dumping it near town as he first planned. He drove off onto one of the many seldom used tracks into the desert, travelling over fifty miles in a convoluted route that would baffle anyone to follow.

Finally, he found an abandoned rusting hulk of a truck that had seen it's last days years ago. He pulled Carolyn out and handcuffed her to the truck, while he went back to get Tyrone, who was stirring. He planned to handcuff the pair together and leave them there to die.

He pulled Tyrone over to Carolyn and was snapping the handcuffs on Tyrone, when he woke. Tyrone found himself with one hand handcuffed to Carolyn with their linked hands going around the chassis member and unable to escape. Seeing the officer about to leave, Tyrone grabbed him with his free hand, holding on for dear life.

"Don't leave us here to die. What did we do to you?" begged Tyrone.

"You disgust me, you don't deserve to live." Replied the officer, trying to get his hand free, from Tyrone's desperate grip.

Remembering something, Sara had mentioned discovering when first experimenting with the Krin, Tyrone tried to plead again, hoping his idea would work if Carolyn picked up on his words.

"But to kill me, just for setting there with my Krin, trying to change my life around," stated Tyrone, trying to maintain his grip on the officer.

"Let go of me you pervert," demanded the officer, using his other hand to pry Tyrone's fingers away.

Carolyn heard Tyrone mention the Krin and the word setting instead of sitting and knew what to do. Using her free hand, she touched Tyrone's bracelet and changed the setting. Instantly, everything changed. Tyrone morphed into Tyrissa, her now more slender wrists, and smaller hand sliding easily through the handcuff. She gasped, seeing the hand of the officer, slim as well. Where once stood a 6-foot male officer, now stood a twin of Tyrissa.

"What the fu.k!" exclaimed the changed officer, as s/he looked down at her new acquisitions. Hearing herself speak, and seeing the dress s/he was weaning being filled with twin globes of her breasts, proved too much of a strain on the officers brain. She collapsed into the sand in a faint. Tyrissa was quick to capitalise on the situation and managed to tie the unconscious woman with the same hair dryer cord that had been used on Carolyn.

Carolyn couldn't get out of the cuff on her hand and the key was elsewhere now, along with the officer's former body. Tyrissa changed back into Tyrone so he could use his superior strength to get the former officer into the back of the RV. Meanwhile, Carolyn had grabbed the cell phone and had called Sara.

Sara answered the phones insistent call, seeing from the ID function, that the call was from Tyrone, she went back into the rear of the RV, where she could listen without distraction. Hearing Carolyn's distraught voice, on the other end, made Sara's heart miss a beat. As Carolyn gasped out the situation, Sara called Kim to the phone. Kim took the phone, seeing Sara's worried expression.

Kim and Carolyn talked, with Sara hovering near as she listened to Kim's side of the conversation. Kim then gave the phone back, as she went to the laptop and started typing furiously.

"How is Tyrone?" asked Sara, once she had the phone in her hand.

"He's ok now, once he swapped back to himself after being Tyrissa, his body was free of injuries, but I'm concerned over what he wants to do to his attacker. I think he wants to do something drastic for the treatment I got, more than for the beating he received." Carolyn answered.

"Don't worry, Tyrone might be angry, but he's not a killer, he won't stoop to that officers level, just calm him down, and try and think of a suitable punishment for that guy." Sara reassured her.

"Look I'll get back to you, Kim's loading some stuff for Tyrone on our laptop. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, keep in touch, I want to know everything," Sara said, as she said goodbye to Carolyn.

The handcuff on Carolyn’s wrist was removed by ingeniously changing Carolyn’s form, using the Krin, and then returning her back to her new default body form. Carolyn then went to change out of the outfit that came with the fresh body, donning a more comfortable set of clothes, before returning to see what Tyrone was doing.

Tyrone was at the computer, reprogramming his Krin for advanced options. Once it had finished, he went over to the officer, who had regained consciousness. Tyrone stood over the now changed man, as he struggled to understand how he'd become female. Tyrone clenched his fists, thinking of the callous disregard for life, the man had shown them. Carolyn came up behind him and put her arms around Tyrone, hugging him gently.

Tyrone relaxed, trying to put the anger aside, as he looked at his wife. Ignoring the man's calls for an explanation, he turned and led his wife outside.

"What are you going to do honey?" asked Carolyn, as they got outside.

"Well against my first instinct, I'm not going to dispose of that piece of trash. I think I'll let his own hatred of crossdressers, be his own punishment." He answered with a faint grin.

"Are you going to leave him as a female?" Asked Carolyn, curiously.

"No, that would be too good for him," replied Tyrone. "He's going to experience life as his worst dream."

Tyrone then left Carolyn outside while he worked the idea he had on the officer.

Driving back on the road, Carolyn, talking to Sara on the phone, filled her in on the situation, as they resumed their journey.

"He what!" exclaimed Sara in amazement, grinning at the thought of the man's punishment.

"Yes, I thought it was a great idea too," laughed Carolyn, as she recalled the sight of the officer in his final form.

Somewhere behind them, a lone figure struggled to walk in the heels, provided by Tyrone. The officer, looking nothing like his former self struggled to walk, cursing his tight red dress as he trudged along the road. He dare not take the shoes off, as they were the only protection against the gravel and the heat radiating up off the road. Same for the dress, it was some protection against the sun and concealed the male remnant between his legs just as it revealed the ample cleavage of his new breasts. He had to hope he could pull off the act of looking like a woman, well enough so that he could get a lift back to the city.

Now that he had time to think about things, he realised he was lucky. Abandoning people to die, that had the power to do what they had done, changing him first into a female and then into a shemale, was the stupidest thing he'd ever done. He wondered why they hadn't just used his weapon and killed him outright. A tiny voice in his head, called out. "Because they aren't murderers, you idiot." Thinking about it as he slowly got the hang of taking shorter steps, he went over the guys warning, again, feeling any hope of returning to a male sink away.

Tyrone had told him, that his new breasts were all his, no implants. No surgery would be effective, as his form was fixed for 5 years and even if he had the money to have the breasts removed, they would grow back in a week. The long blonde tresses he felt swishing around his neck, would grow back overnight, should he shave it off, as an added incentive to leave the hair alone, it would grow longer each time till it reached his waist, if he messed with it. Tyrone had also said, that someone would be in contact with him after the 5 years were up, to help him decide his future.

Checking his new ID that had been supplied with his new handbag, he winced and cursed softly in his new alto voice, as he read his new name. Candy Cumming walked into her new future as a stripper, finally managing to thumb a lift from of all people, his ex partner, returning home off duty.

Sara was worried about the former officer informing the authorities of his change in status, but Carolyn assured her that Tyrone's warnings against doing just that would ensure his silence.

"Tyrone had Kim make sure the new body would perform as promised, and have a tracking device embedded in the brain, plus a trigger to prevent him mentioning his old name." Carolyn explained in detail. "Instead of his name, he can only say the word "horny."

"Oh boy, I'd love to be there if he did that," laughed Sara, picturing a feminine clad shemale, telling the world that she wasn't Candy, she was horny.

"Me too," agreed Carolyn.

After hanging up the phone, Carolyn, went and gave Tyrone a hug from behind, as he drove further east on their mission, one which had taken on more urgency. According to the buzz in the chat room that Tyrone frequented, Cathy was no longer online due to her losing her job and the inability to pay the phone Bill. All her meagre reserves of cash where directed in providing food. Tyrone was going to email her to set up a meeting. Luckily, a young woman who wrote TG fiction stories, and was a regular visitor to the chat room, had saved Cathy's life from literally half a world away in New Zealand. She had met Cathy online, on a night that Cathy had decided to end it all. Only the fact that she had come online to take one last look, before taking the pills lined up in front of her, saved her life. She met Prue, who with the help of another in the chat room changed her mind. The emotional bond made that day, led to the friendship that followed. After a few rocky setbacks, Cathy turned to writing and this gave her a reason to live. Prue had been entrusted with Cathy's real name and once Tyrone had pleaded for assistance in locating Cathy and the reason, she agreed to reveal it to Tyrone.

Kim found Cathy's current address using the information, and Tyrone headed for Cathy's home at a high rate of knots.

Sara and Kevin had dropped off Kim at the next town as promised, and were enjoying a quiet moment alone where they'd stopped for a break. Maggie was asleep, having run herself ragged, chasing seagulls along the near deserted beach that they had found.

Sitting on a blanket on the grass near the parked RV, they kissed and cuddled, trying to recapture the mood that had been disrupted with everything that had being thrust upon them.

"What were you talking to Kim about?" asked Kevin, as he trailed a straw he'd found, down over Sara's exposed stomach.

"Oh this and that," she replied dismissively, as she wriggled, trying to avoid the tickling straw.

"Sounds serious," opined Kevin, knowing she was being evasive.

"It was just about the wedding," she capitulated, giggling as the straw found another ticklish spot.

"Ah!" replied Kevin, wondering what was planned and whether he even wanted to know.

"It's our parent's, I want them there at the wedding, but mine need to know who I am now. Your parent's are fine. Their son will be marrying Sara Conner, not his best bud... Scott Evan's. Either I have my parents and yours brainwashed, so that they accept me as having always been a girl, even though the last names are different, or change them physically into Mr and Mrs Conner." She explained.

"There might be another option," grinned Kevin, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh?" asked Sara curiously.

"Well you were considering having two brides at this wedding, are you still up for that?"

"Sure, I feel being a bride is so much more of an experience than being a groom. After all a tux is a tux is a tux. You get dressed and that's basically it, but being a bride, there's the whole thing of finding just the right dress and the fitting, then there's the whole pampering bit, getting your hair done, and makeup to make you feel a million bucks. And the gown... all that gorgeous sensuous material floating round you..."

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," laughed Kevin, seeing the far away look in Sara's eye as she imagined herself in her gown.

"How about just telling your parents about who you are now, unless you never want to see them again, you will have to tell them eventually." Kevin suggested, putting forward, a good point.

"True, I can't just turn up and ask them to baby-sit my baby," she grinned.

"I'll do it if you do, after all, telling my dad, I want to be a bride at my wedding to my wife will be just as bad as you telling your parents of your sex change, at least, given your new sex, being a bride would seem normal."

Sara laughed "Maybe we could make a ladies only wedding. And have our fathers try the other side as well."

"True, then they can't complain about us both wearing dresses while wearing one themselves," chuckled Kevin, thinking of their father's reactions.

"At least, William won't be involving his father, seeing he as much as said good riddance, and Julie only has her mother to worry about, seeing she lost her dad last year." Sara sighed. "I suspected that Julies mom will handle it better than ours. I think Julie was dressing up before she became a girl," Sara added.

"More of your feminine intuition?" Kevin asked. "You think her mom knows...about Julie? Questioned Kevin.

"Well, not about Julie, but maybe that her son had a feminine side. At least William won't have to deal with that drunkard of a father. I'm sure some of those accidents he had were caused by his father's rages."

"You think we should invite Julie's mom to the wedding?" Kevin proposed, hoping this would be a good idea.

"Sure, that's an excellent idea, but we keep it a surprise, oh, and don't mention we suspect about Julie's secret okay? We don't want to embarrass her more than we have to," Sara finished.

"You got it," Kevin affirmed, hugging Sara tight.

They made a move to leave, feeling sad that they'd be home tomorrow and the excitement of their travels would be over for now.

To be continued.

Carversion -36-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Six

The arrival of the pizzas coincided with the emergence of Erin and Joanne from in the bedroom.

Having used the shower in the ensuite, their hair was still damp. Not even their embarrassment of having their recent activities, known to the visitors, could shake the satisfied glow that shone from their faces.

Having the welcome distraction of fresh pizzas delivered, they avoided having to explain their actions, as they fussed about, getting plates and some drink, before joining in on the general mouth stuffing.

Julie thought it cute, when Joanne took a bite out of the same piece that Erin had just bitten into. Strings of cheese stretched between their mouths, so they used their tongues to gather it in, ending with both their lips touching as the last bit of cheese was captured. They kissed, before winking at the others, as if daring to do likewise. William ever ready for a new challenge tried it with Julies slice that she was holding. Unfortunately, the cheese string was thicker and as he pulled away with his stolen bite, it dragged a piece of ham off the top of the pizza. This hot piece of ham did a Tarzan swing at the end of its cheese vine and slapped against Williams chest making him wince. To add insult to injury, the ham decided to investigate his navel, falling off and slithering down inside his shirt.

The others convulsed, seeing him scramble to retrieve the hot meat, before it did any more damage. While the others laughed, nearly wetting themselves in response, William tried to pretend it was a deliberate act. He blushed, seeing they weren't buying it, then grinned and joined in on their laughter.

"You didn't need to ham it up, just for us," laughed Julie, gently rubbing it in.

"I'd give it a 9.5, I really like the half twist at the end, before the final descent," giggled Cindy.

"Pity we don't have an instant replay," opined Erin. "We could have analysed that action more thoroughly. What do you think?" she asked turning to Joanne.

Joanne, trying to keep a straight face, looked at her lap and mimed turning some invisible pages. "I don't recall seeing a similar play since... 1998 at the Dodgers after match party."

"Alright, enough already," sighed William, signalling defeat. "I was just making a pig of myself, piece by piece," he grinned.

Now that everyone had their hunger sated, they relaxed as they finished off their drinks. Erin broached the subject of getting the Krin circulated faster, without having to drive to each individuals place.

"Why not put up a web site endorsed by some of the major sites like Crystals, Sapphires and Big Closet. Fictionmania too, although they are a group and not an just a single individual. We'd need a name and a slogan, and offer a real solution at no charge to those that meet the criteria for this new method," Erin suggested.

"Why do they need to pass some test, why not offer it to all?" Joanne asked curiously.

"We may need to weed out those undesirables that are after a profit or aren't the genuine article. We can get them to email us a reply, and if the Shelke are as good as they claim, they can find out their background before giving them the okay. Then we send each a Krin of their own, and have them download the software to load the Krin."

What about those with old comps that don't have infra red ports or wireless communications?" asked Julie, seeing a problem in the suggestion.

"We will list what is required as far as that and have them list their equipment as well. If they can't afford to get it or aren't able to set it up, then we have your friendly neighbourhood Shelke come round and do it."

"Sounds like a plan," offered William. " One thing, if we need more Nexi, what will giving single people a Krin, do to help us? He mused.

Kim didn't tell you?" asked Erin in surprise.

"No, only that we find a way of spreading the Krin among those that would keep the benefits a secret." William answered.

"There must be a good reason," Julie suggested, seeing that doubt had been cast about.

Just then, William's phone chirped, interrupting the deep meaningful silence. After listening for a few minutes, William shut the phone off and then turned to the others.

"Kim's on her way from the airport, she said she'd be here in 30 minutes. We can ask her then." He finished, unwilling to speculate more.

Cindy who had been wearing her bracelet all day, was thinking about refilling her glass of wine, but the bottle was out of reach at the other end of the table. Just she was about to ask for a refill, the bottle wobbled, then slid across the slick surface so until it was next to her hand that had just placed the wine glass down on the table.

You could have heard a pin drop. Cindy froze, looking at the bottle as if it were possessed. She looked at the shocked faces of the others, hoping to see a smile heralding the words, "I gotcha," from pulling off the trick. All she saw was a mirrored expression of her own, as they looked at her for an explanation.

"Did you do that?" asked Julie, looking directly at Cindy.

"I... I...I don't know, I just thought about getting a refill, when the bottle moved." Cindy replied in a shaky voice.

"See if you can move it again, maybe try lifting it," suggested William curiously.

Cindy shrugged, not really believing it would work, as she concentrated on lifting the bottle. She imagined gripping it with an imaginary hand and lifting the bottle into the air. The bottle trembled, and then rose unsteadily into the air till it was several inches up. Cindy was so shocked that it had worked, that she lost her concentration for a second. The bottle dropped, nearly spilling its contents as Cindy's real hand caught the errant tumble.

"Oh boy!" Came a chorus from the others.

"It worked," said an amazed Cindy, as she filled her glass with wine, seeing the bottle was already in her hand.

Questions flew fast furious about how did she do it, and how did it feel. She tried to explain, but was at a loss as how she was able to do it.

Kim's arrival interrupted the discussion, as they welcomed her inside. After the introductions were made and Joanne and Erin having given her, their heartfelt thanks for the near instant recovery of Joanne, they told her about Cindy's display with the wine bottle.

"Telekinesis is a power that we hoped might be woken by the Krin, along with some of the other so called psychic powers." Kim informed them.

"But why has Cindy developed them so quickly and I haven't?" asked Julie, feeling disappointed that she who had been wearing the Krin longer, hadn't developed any powers.

"Cindy is the first true female that hasn't been ill, or recovering from life threatening diseases. She must have had a strong psychic ability, normally called woman's intuition. As you get more settled with your new body and become your true self, I suspect you will manifest these traits too."

"Woman's intuition is a psychic ability?" Scoffed William, more out of jealousy that anything.

"Yes, although we as a race don't have this ability, we have seen and interacted with races that demonstrate these powers. We knew from research, that mankind has these abilities too, but much of it has been derided as fakery. Woman's intuition is a throw back to primitive times, when man was barely surviving in caves. Women had little defences against the more powerful males, they compensated by developing senses that could aid and warn them of danger. This is how it developed in the other races, so I expect a similar occurrence here."

Kim looked at Cindy, as she continued.

"You might develop other powers as well, seeing the Krin hasn't had a long time to interact with you. You may develop a limited clairvoyance and other mental powers, along with spatial displacement or pyrotechnical skills."

"Will it be only the women that gain these skills?" asked William, feeling a little left out.

"Definitely not, men who are in touch with their emotions should eventually be able to access these abilities. Mankind as a race continues to surprise us with your quick adaptability. Cindy must have a strong empathic ability, to have manifested TK so quickly. Any powers that strengthen the mind will be of great benefit in the coming conflict. Another plus is that as telepathy becomes more widespread, finding compatible partners will be made easier, as you'll probably be drawn together almost instinctively."

"I think Cindy, already knows, who her partner is," supplied Julie with a giggle, as she explained Cindy's hurry to see Bob.

"Why not have Tyrone deliver the Krin to Bob, he lives not far from Cathy and it would save you a trip. Plus, if he's the one for you, he'll probable be heading down here." Suggested Kim helpfully.

"Maybe they could meet half way and continue from there." Erin said, putting in her two cents worth. "That would make three teams to help spread the Krin."

"I suggest that when William and Julie meet up with Sara and Kevin, that they try contacting Cindy while in a nexus to see if it's possible to form a union of minds without the necessity of having to always be in pairs. At least while she is still on her own," Kim proposed.

While Kim polished off the leftover pizza, Cindy demonstrated her TK for her. The bottle, now empty, served as volunteer for her tests. Cindy seemed to do better than before, saying it was like using a new muscle, the more you exercised it, the stronger it got, soon she could lift the bottle to the ceiling and move it anywhere in the room, while still aloft. Kim suggested Cindy try it blindfolded, seeing Cindy was using her sight to keep the bottle from smashing into things.

"Why do it blind?" she asked, after having a near miss with Joanne's head on her first attempt.

"You might find you need it to be able to do it at night in an emergency situation. It will also help expand your awareness of things around you and extend your abilities," was Kim's reply.

"Ah! Like Skywalker and his blind light saber duel against the remote. I'll give it another try then," Cindy grinned, before attempting once more.

Unfortunately, her concentration was broken again, as a chorus of "feel the force Cindy," and William's simultaneous Yoda impression of, "do or do not, there is no try," rang in the air. As everyone dissolved into giggling blobs, the bottle lay forgotten where it had fallen on the floor. Cindy tried to look angry at the interruption, but couldn't stop her mouth forming a smile, which soon turned to laughter as she joined in on the hilarity.

Meanwhile, far to the north, things had turned rather ominous.

Tyrone and Carolyn had reached the street where Cathy lived. It was about 1pm in the afternoon, as they tried to drive up to the house where Cathy lived, sharing it with her flatmate. A police cruiser was parked outside and the sight sent shivers through both Carolyn and Tyrone for several reasons. An ambulance was just pulling away from the curb as Tyrone managed to find a park further down the street. Tyrone used his Krin to become Tyrissa, taking no chances this time, as s/he climbed out of the RV. Carolyn joined her, as they made their way to the address they'd been given.

"Sorry miss, you can't go in there, until the investigation is finished," droned the officer as he stood guard outside the front door.

"But we are friends of Cathy... um Keith," protested Tyrissa, unsure of how Cathy was know there.

"If you're friends of the victim, you might want to follow the ambulance, I think they went to the memorial hospital." The officer offered.

"What happened?" probed Carolyn, trying to wheedle more information out of the officer.

The police officer looked reluctant to give out any information, but seeing the pleading looks from both women, he relented and gave them a quick run down.

"Seems the flatmate found her friend unconscious in the lounge after returning home from shopping. We aren't sure if it's a case of attempted suicide or just that she starved to near critical levels." Stated the officer, finishing abruptly, as his superior came to the door.

"Thank you," offered Tyrissa, as she turned to walk back to the RV.

"Wait! Are you friends of Keith?" asked a young blonde haired woman, who'd pushed past the office on her way out of the house.

"Yes we are," answered Tyrissa, turning and waiting for the woman to come closer.

"You know about Cathy?" the woman asked quietly, once she was out of earshot of the disgruntled looking officer.

"Yes we do, in fact, that's why we are here." Carolyn reassured her.

"I'm Tina, Cathy rents a room from me, but has been struggling to survive on what she's getting from social security. I think she has been eating barely enough to survive."

Tyrissa introduced themselves, saying they were chat friends and were coming to help, seeing Cathy had quit coming online because of non-payment of phone bills.

"She doesn't like charity. I think she's been selling what belongings she has just to survive. I haven't asked for rent for months now, hoping she could accept that she pay me when she could. I think she paid for her gender counselling by selling her laptop. Please help her."

"Don't worry, we will," promised Tyrissa. "We need to go now, if we are to help her." Tyrissa finished, giving Tina a hug.

The drive to the hospital was spent bemoaning the fact of their delay, if they'd got there sooner, this might not have happened.

In the hospital, the staff was less than helpful, seeing they were not close family. Cathy was in intensive care barely hanging on while being feed intravenously. Tyrissa needed to get to her, and pondered a way to achieve that. Pulling Carolyn along the hallway, she outlined her idea. After the incident with the rouge cop. Kim had upgraded her Krin so that it had the same properties as the original four found by Sara.

Using the image capturing option, Tyrissa captured an image of one of the nurses walking towards them. Then, using an unoccupied room changed herself into nurse Christine Chandler. Using the colour-coded lines painted on the floor, she stepped out briskly along the purple line leading to the intensive care unit. Carolyn followed in her wake, pleased to see that no one seemed to question her husband in his new guise. Arriving at the intensive care wing, Tyrissa waited outside, seeming to be in intense conversation with Carolyn. In fact, they were waiting for a nurse or doctor to exit the ICU. Carolyn soon became another nurse, as Tyrissa captured the image of Robin Caruthers on the way out of the ICU.

The two newly minted nurses went into the ICU and looked for Cathy. Tyrissa was aware of other doctors and nurses bustling around, and knew it wouldn't be easy getting Cathy out of there. Time for plan B.

To be continued.

Carversion -37-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Plan B? What was plan A?" Whispered Carolyn, having heard Tyrissa's muttered words.

"Oh that was the one where we waltz in here and walk out with Cathy without anyone noticing," Tyrissa whispered back.

Ah...that plan," Carolyn grimaced, trying to look busy by one of the patients.

Tyrissa had been busy scanning the room for Cathy, luckily catching sight of her, when a doctor had drawn back the curtains surrounding her, as he left the area to go to another.

Tyrissa led off, walking briskly to the bed that Cathy lay on. There was an intravenous drip in one arm and Cathy looked drawn, which contrasted sharply against the remnants of the makeup that still showed on her face. She was only semi conscious and was mumbling incoherently, something about her cat.

Tyrissa looked anxious, trying to come up with a plan, she saw that the bed was just a gurney and the drip was attached to the frame and not a separate stand. Getting a glimmer of an idea, she quickly outlined it to Carolyn before picking up the chart attached to the end of the bed.

Tyrissa drew back the curtain as Carolyn pushed the gurney containing Cathy, out into view. She headed towards the doors that they had entered from, determined not to be stopped.

"Hold it, where are you taking that patient?" asked the young doctor that had just recently been checking on Cathy.

"X-ray," answered Tyrissa, running interference, while Carolyn continued to move towards the exit.

"Why wasn't I informed, demanded the tired and testy doctor, as he moved to intercept his fast disappearing patient.

Tyrissa, still with the paperwork in her hands, glanced at it as if reading something. She managed to reach the doctor and grasped his arm before he got to Carolyn.

"The police just sent in a report that the patient may have sustained a fall, so they want to check the patient for fractures." Tyrissa explained, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"This is highly irregular, nurse chandler," he replied, looking at her name badge.

"Well you know what this hospital is like, run by bureaucrats, watching out for their own heads in case someone sues," Tyrissa ad-libbed, hoping it was true.

She smiled winsomely at the doctor, hoping to charm him with her borrowed ample bosom. Apparently, the doctor wasn't immune to her charms, and put his hand over hers, where she was still holding his arm.

"Want to meet me at the cafeteria later, on our break?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, see you then," Tyrissa replied, giving him a wink. She hoped the real nurse chandler didn't get into any trouble, as she walked out after the fast disappearing Cathy.

Catching up with them, Tyrissa pointed to a linen supply room.

"In here, just like in all the movies," she giggled, feeling herself relax after the excitement in the ICU.

They had to disconnect the IV and manhandle Cathy into the room, as unlike in the movies, there wasn't room for the gurney. While Tyrissa wrestled with the semi conscious Cathy, Carolyn pushed the gurney further down the corridor and left it outside a ward. She then scurried back to Tyrissa to give her a hand with Cathy.

Tyrissa had given up any attempt to explain what was about to happen, as she held Cathy awkwardly while trying to activate the Krin. Luckily, Carolyn came back in time to help, as Tyrissa operated her change back from the nurse's borrowed form. Being in contact with Cathy, they both took on Tyrissa's fully female form. Cathy jerked upwards as she regained the strength of her new legs. That wasn't the only thing she regained, as she became fully conscious.

"What the f...?" She burst out with, seeing herself in a strange room with two strange women.

"Shuush, we are here to help you. Do you remember anything of the last hour or so?" Tyrissa calmly reassured the panicked Cathy. Cathy immediately realised things about her were suddenly very different, as she looked down at herself.

"Sheesh! Either I've died and gone to heaven, or I'm having the dream of a lifetime," she muttered, feeling her new body with her dainty hands, seemingly ignoring the presence of the others.

"You're not dead, although it was a close call, and you're not dreaming. I'm also too solid to be a figment of your imagination," offered Tyrissa, giving the new Cathy's body a hug.

"Can we leave all the chatter till later, after we get out of here," prompted Carolyn, who in the meantime had reverted, unnoticed, to her own form.

"Cathy, we are in a hospital, where they took you, after you became unconscious. We came to get you out, hence the disguise," Tyrissa hurriedly explained, before moving towards the door.

"Ah that explains it," Cathy laughed, content to allow the others to urge her along. " I'm delirious and this is what not eating right has led me too. Prue always pooh poohed my idea that you could survive on the four basic food groups. Looks like she was right." She sighed, as the three of them made their way towards the main entrance.

"Four basic food groups?" asked Carolyn, who despite the current situation, was mildly interested.

"Salt, sugar, caffeine and grease," supplied the bemused Cathy, as she marvelled at the intensity of her current delusion.

Both the others laughed at Cathy's warped sense of humour. An announcement over the hospital intercom system to be on the lookout for a missing patient, soon wiped the smiles of their faces. The empty gurney had been discovered, and things could get sticky if Cathy blurted out the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Seeing a more diligent looking member of the hospital staff scanning everyone leaving the main doors, Tyrissa decided a change in plans. Looking like twins was bad enough to elicit some notice, but being dressed identically, would bring too much attention to Cathy and Tyrissa. Holding the others from advancing, Tyrissa snagged an unoccupied wheelchair from down the corridor. Using the Krin, she returned to nurse Chandlers form, rolling the wheelchair along to the others.

With Cathy firmly ensconced in the wheelchair, holding hands with Carolyn, Tyrissa pushed the wheelchair dutifully towards the exit. Cathy, still unsure if this was still some wild delusion born of her fertile imagination, allowed them to push her to the RV. There, she was bundled into the back with Carolyn, while Tyrissa made a fast exit from the car park.

Once clear from possible pursuit, Tyrissa pulled over near a park, overlooking the lake.

"I'm not dreaming this, am I?" was Cathy's first words, once they had stepped out of the RV.

"No, this is not a dream, but it could be a dream come true," replied Tyrissa.

I'm fully female, and yet I know that's impossible," muttered Cathy, trying to come to terms with her abrupt feminisation.

Carolyn, ever the practical one, handed Cathy her open compact. Cathy took it and looked at her face in the mirror.

"Oh boy! We aint in Kansas anymore," she gasped, realising that she wore a strangers face. This is just like one of those stories on Fiction mania, or Storysite, except this seems to be real," stated Cathy, as she angled the mirror to catch all her appearance.

"It's not a body suit like in one of those excellent stories you write," commented Tyrissa, having admired Cathy's stories she'd written.

"You've read my stuff?" asked Cathy, her eyes opening wide, realising that she still didn't know who these two strangers were.

"Oh yes, I'm a fan. We have met in the chat room before. My name is Tyrone, although at the moment I'm going by Tyrissa."

"How did you find me?" she asked, then... "You're Tyrone!" she exclaimed belatedly, as Tyrissa words, finally sank in. She looked Tyrissa over closely, seeing that she too, was all woman. "You're not what I'd expected," she added with a wry grin.

"Well, this is the improved model. It comes with all the knobs," laughed Tyrissa, smoothing the material around her breasts so her nipples stood out.

"I can see that," agreed Cathy, making turning motions with her fingers at chest height.

"Tyrissa, don't be such a show off!" admonished Carolyn, shaking her head at her lovers immodest display. "Those knobs are for me only," she added, with a grin, taking the sting out of her earlier words.

Cathy and Tyrissa chuckled.

"We found you thanks to Prue. She gave us your real name after some persuasion, and the Shelke found out your address for us." Tyrissa explained, answering Cathy's earlier question.

"I'll have to talk to that girl," Cathy said, shaking her head.

"Wait, before you go off at her, she more than likely saved your life... again," remonstrated Tyrissa, quickly coming to the defence of her informer. "Plus, we come bearing gifts you have only dreamed of," added Tyrissa, indicating the current form that Cathy was in possession of.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at her, just she can't keep adding to the debt I already owe her, not that she would accept any payment I could offer her," sighed Cathy. So just how is it, that I'm now female all of a sudden?"

"Let me explain," Tyrissa said in answer.

The next hour was spent getting Cathy up to speed on everything. However much Cathy would liked to believe this was just another great TG fiction story, the fact that she was in a woman's body and able to confirm it was real with just a touch, was proof enough that Tyrissa was telling the truth.

"So I get to have one of these Krin and be able to switch from male to female?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yes, you can choose, have you something in mind?" Carolyn asked, getting curious.

"Oh I'd like to look like Loni Anderson. Five six, 38c, 25, 36 and blonde," Cathy confirmed, having envisioned herself in that body from when she first discovered the difference between girl's and boy's.

"Well, I think there might be a problem looking exactly like a famous star, but how about a close approximation? We could make you taller, say, 5' 9." That would show your legs off better, plus we could make you about 22 years old," offered Tyrissa, crossing off possible problems with being recognised.

"I guess after all this time wishing, I should just be grateful for being female. Having any choice of appearance is just icing on the cake," Cathy agreed.

"Let's get started," Tyrissa suggested, offering a hand to Cathy.

Down south, Kim had supplied Erin with their own version of the RV. It was fitted with all the extras that Shelke technology could fit into the smaller van. With it, Erin could monitor her site, anywhere they happened to be. The Toyota Hiace van had room for one double fold away bed and a limited cooking area. The roof was adorned with communication equipment and computer monitors that could be used while lying on the bed if necessary. Keyboards on swing arms allowed one to type either sitting or lying down as well. Special lockers that used the no space worm hole effect, held both Krin and any personal effects that they may need, like clothing or supplies.

Erin and Joanne were soon on their way, heading towards Crystals hometown to join forces with the other major contributor of TG material. Cindy was supplied with a more normal looking car, as she didn't intend sleeping in it. On the outside, it looked like any normal German built GT Golf, but it was built to the same Shelke standards of invulnerability and safety. Like the Toyota van, it didn't come with the ability to morph, but the power plant under the hood ensured that it did have the legs on most cars. The golf also had a no space access, set into the glove box, which with just a call to Kim, could be loaded with Krin or other urgently required items. The no space access, in both vehicles, were protected so that if it was opened by someone not wearing a Krin, the space looked like a normal glove box or cupboard.

Cindy had decided to head to Bob's declining Kim's suggestion, that Tyrissa stop by first. Impatient to go, she was off before the others had even got organised.

"She seems intent on getting to Bob's quickly, I hope she isn't sensing a problem, with her new abilities," Kim sighed, looking after the fast disappearing car.

"You think she could be psychic?" asked Erin worriedly.

"Well, she did seem rather subdued this morning, but I thought it was just nerves," Joanne put in.

Cindy was glad to be on her way, something was niggling at her thoughts. It was nothing she could put into words, so she hadn't said anything to the others. Now that she was heading East so that she could eventually turn north, towards Syracuse the feeling seemed to have eased, as if it (whatever it was) knew she was coming. Normally a careful driver, staying within the speed limits, with the hidden power of the Shelke engine, and the nonchalant way the car handled at speed, she was soon tramping along at nearly twice the speed limit.

With the car loaded with snack bars and cool drinks, she sped along, stopping only for comfort breaks. She only slowed twice on the highway, other than when going through the towns. Fitted with the anti radar devices, she avoided being caught by the two speed traps, she encountered. After two hard days of driving from dawn to dusk, fatigue was starting to set in. When fatigue finally told her body to stop, she slept in her seat in a lay-by off the road, something she hadn't planned to do. The urge to continue had to be fought off, knowing that to continue would have her fall asleep at the wheel.

Being used to the feelings of fatigue and accepting that rest was usually the only cure, she settled down for the night, knowing that whatever was driving her onwards, would have be content with the delay.

Having only had the Krin for a short while, she never realised the hidden potential in being able to swap bodies at the touch of a finger. If she had, what followed the next day might not have happened. She could have changed into a fatigue free body and continued on during the night. During the night, her sleep was interrupted with dreams of formless terror that swirled with shadows and cries of anguish. She felt herself running to some a scene of horror that despite all her efforts, she couldn't seem to reach. All she knew in the dreams unfocused clarity was that she alone was needed to prevent a terrible tragedy.

Cindy woke suddenly in the dawns chill light. The fading remnants of the dream slipping elusively away. She groaned as she tried to move, as her stiffened body, protested its uncomfortable resting position. Moving slowly, to allow time for her muscles to work out the kinks, she got out of the car and straightened up. Easing herself into a few gentle stretching exercises, she took in her surroundings. Luckily, the lay-by had a toilet for the passing motorists, which she spotted, as she felt the call of nature made its presence known. That wasn't the only thing calling her, as she made her comfort stop.

Whatever it was that was urging her on, was definitely stronger, with a more urgent tone. Within minutes, she was again speeding her way unerringly in the direction of Bob's hometown. So focused was she, on her task, she never thought to phone the others. She drove through the gathering clouds as she neared her destination, the ominous blue look to them, mirroring her own mood.

Bob was a keen amateur weatherman, and often gave out reports on the net. He used a special program that monitored storm activity and cloud density. Having a server that hosted many varied sites for the Transgendered, he liked to give warnings of any possible outages due to storm activity. Today was looking like generation another local storm surrounding Syracuse. He checked his wind speed monitor, which sat up on one of his high radio masts.

"Damn, its on the fritz again," he muttered to himself, as the gauge didn't show a reading.

Going outside, he peered up at the 60-foot mast that he used for his amateur radio. He checked the weather station with its anemometer, only to see the vanes stationary, despite the moderate breeze.

He knew what the problem was. He'd been meaning to change the top bearing in it for ages, but had kept putting it off. Now the three windless days prior had allowed the bearing to seize, as the vane had been stationary. Bob checked the clouds that he knew were headed this way. Although blue, they were some distance yet and no thunder was evident. Deciding he had time to fix the vane, he went inside for the small pocket sized can of WD40 and a screwdriver.

He started to climb up the triangular shaped mast, using the angle bracing as convenient steps. He had a strong belt that had a strap he used to fasten himself securely to the mast whenever he did any work on it. However, ascending or descending was made with out it, unless he wanted a rest half way up. It took 8 minutes to climb to the top, slightly less to climb down.

He reached the top and fastened himself to the tower, the wind making it sway beneath him. He unscrewed the vane from the shaft and lifted it clear of the shaft. The skirt of the vane covered the bearing and provided a weather seal for it, but after time, wind driven water would get in and slowly eat away at it. Bob sprayed the oil over the rusty bearing and started turning the shaft by hand to allow the oil to work its way in. Once free, he gave it another burst of oil and returned the vane to the shaft. A sudden shift in the mast, nearly made him drop the screwdriver, as a sudden squall of wind gusted by. Bob looked up at the horizon to check the weather, and blanched as the gathering clouds loomed near. Quickly fastening the vane, he started to climb down, as the first prickle of static build-up made his hair stand up.

"Get down, get down now," his mind screamed to him as the first splatter of rain wet his shirt. A flash and then an almost instant crack of thunder sounded, telling him that the lightning was very close. He unfastened his safety line and started downward. He'd descended ten feet before he heard the crackle of electricity and saw the metalwork in front of his develop Saint Elmo's fire as a blue corona enveloped him. He heard/felt a flash/bang as the lightening bolt struck the mast and boiled down its length to the ground.

Bob's last thought, as everything went black and he felt himself being blasted away from the mast in a tumble, was,' Who was that calling him?'

To be continued.

Carversion -38-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Cindy drove through the outskirts of a storm, as she neared Syracuse. Somehow, she knew the storm was connected to the increasing feeling of imminent danger, which had her planting her foot harder on the accelerator.

She drove on, eventually reaching her destination. The rain had slowed to a few spits, but she knew it was soon going to be coming down in buckets, as it came up behind her. She drove down the driveway of Bob's place, parking next to the pickup, where the drive opened up to the back lawn.

Cindy got out of the car, intending to walk to the house, but whatever it was, that was sending the urgent message of danger, made her turn to the rear of the property, where an array of antenna's stood. She looked at the tallest, some 60 feet high and saw a man at the top...it was Bob. She could see him look behind her, his eyes looking towards the oncoming storm, before he started to make his descent.

Instinctively, she knew she had to warn him to be careful, as she felt the ominous portent of disaster looming. As she moved forward, she called to him, but her words were blown away in the increasing wind, and he never heard her. Cindy felt a chill, as her hair started rising and crackling with static electricity. She was still 30 feet away when the lightening struck the mast. Cindy saw a brilliant flash and suddenly things got very strange.

It seemed as if time slowed to a crawl, at least to her heightened senses. She could see the surge of lightening flash down the mast, covering Bob's body in an instant. She heard the detonation as air filled the vacuum left behind by the lightening strike deafening her as she saw Bob flung away from the mast and start arcing down towards her.

"BOOOOoooooob," she screamed, seemingly in slow motion, as she felt the earth leap up around her. The lightening dissipated its millions of joules of energy into the extensive earthing mesh laid by Bob for this exact purpose. Cindy could see steam rising from the damp ground as the energy converted to heat. At the same time, her eyes followed the falling figure. She screamed, and lifted her hands as if to stop Bob's fall by sheer will.

Whether it was the stress of the moment, or seeing what she believed was her soul mates imminent death, she couldn't say, but something awoke at that moment. She felt power flowing along her arms and she swore afterward, that she thought see saw a faint nimbus in the air reaching out to Bob. Her mind staggered, as she felt the strain of lifting something... even though she had nothing in her arms. Bob's fall slowed...dramatically, as he neared the ground. Cindy heard the soggy thump as Bob hit the ground as if from a four-foot fall. Cindy raced to the blackened form, as it lay curled in a foetal position.

Cindy could smell the acrid stench of burned hair, as she fell to her knees next to Bob. Unmindful of the increasing rain, she gingerly touched Bob, seeking a sign of life. Most of Bob's clothes were charred and were hanging loose. His skin seemed charred too, but some of it proved to be the ash from his clothes, as the rain started washing his skin clean. Apart from his hair and some scorch marks on his hands, Bob seemed relatively unmarked.

Cindy felt for a pulse, knowing electrical shock can stop the heart. She couldn't feel anything, and Bob didn't seem to be breathing either. As she laid her hands on Bob's chest, she noticed a glow coming from her hands. Putting them over his heart, she saw the glow intensify, and she felt something flowing from her to Bob. Just she was about to give a heart compression, she felt his heart kick, once...twice. Until a regular rhythm resumed, even above the increasing wind noise, she heard a gasp as Bob began to breathe again. Not knowing what the glow represented exactly, but knowing that it seemed to have a healing effect, Cindy ran her hands over any scorching she find, before attempting to wake Bob.

Shivering from the chill of soaked clothes, Cindy was glad when Bob woke up.

"Bob are you feeling okay?" she asked, her lips trembling with emotion and the chill.

"Uhuh?" Bob answered vaguely, wondering who the angel he saw bending over him was.

"Am I dead?" he asked, seeing the mast he'd fallen off, from his position on the ground.

"Do you want to be?" asked Cindy, giggling inanely from relief.

"Only if I get to have an angel like you at my side," Bob replied with a grin.

After checking that Bob was in no pain, Cindy allowed him to sit up.

"I know I was hit by lightening," muttered Bob, looking down at the charred remains of his clothes. "I remember falling from near the top, what I don't understand, is how come I'm still alive?" he asked, as he stood and patted himself down. "Did you somehow catch me?" he asked Cindy, knowing as soon as he said it, how stupid that idea was. No way could this slim somewhat rain bedraggled woman have caught his near 200kilos travelling at near terminal velocity. The guy wires that kept the tower stable were also in the wrong position to be responsible for saving his life.

"You could say that, in a manner of speaking," stuttered Cindy in reply. Her teeth chattered, as the wind whipped past her, plastering her thoroughly wet dress against her now standing body, as she helped Bob to stand. "Let's get you inside, where I can explain," she added.

"Of course, you must be freezing," lamented Bob, belatedly. "I'd offer you my coat or a shirt, if I had one, he tried gallantly, as he discarded the shreds of his burnt shirt.

Cindy laughed, as they stumbled towards the house. "I think I should be the one offering you my clothes," she shouted over the wind noise.

She saw him glance at her attire, where it clung wetly against her and exposed the shape and hue of her bra and panties.

"I might accept, if it wasn't for the fact that I know yellow clashes with my complexion," he quipped with a grin.

Once inside Bob went and grabbed towels from the bathroom and handed both to Cindy, while he stood empty handed and just dripped there, his eyes intent on his visitor.

Cindy threw a towel back at Bob, with a look at the pool that was forming beneath him. She turned and went in the direction of the bathroom to get out of her wet things. Bob shook himself, wondering what was wrong with him. Ogling wet women that may have saved his life wasn't like him, but something about her sent his heart beating hard and made it difficult to think straight.

He dabbed at himself while waiting for Cindy to emerge again. He heard the shower going then shut off shortly after. Cindy came out wearing nothing but a towel tucked around her breasts with another that she was rubbing her hair with.

"Better get a shower yourself," suggested Cindy, seeming unaware of Bob's surprised look.

Bob nodded, and went to the bathroom where he stood in shock. There in full view were Cindy's clothes, all of them. He saw that her dress was draped over a towel depleted rail while her stocking, bra and panties, were hanging off the shower rail, making the bathroom look very domestic. Stripping of his burnt pants and vest, he threw them in a corner to be binned later. He showered, ridding his body of the carbon and the acrid smell of burnt hair. As he showered, he wondered whom the woman was, having not asked for her name yet. He knew somehow that his life was going to inexplicitly changed from now on.

While Bob was cleaning up, Cindy rang Kim, using Bob's phone, finding that she could recall the number from memory without any trouble. She started making a hot drink for them both, while she told Kim about what happened to Bob and her new abilities. Kim told Cindy that she'd pass the information along, and then hung up, after wishing Cindy good luck with her burgeoning relationship with Bob.

Sara sighed, as she opened the door to her condo in Half Moon Bay. It was good to get back to what she considered home. Travelling was fun, but after driving many thousands of miles, some fraught with danger, it was good to just plant ones feet on the couch and vegetate for a few hours, without worrying what the next bend in the road would reveal.

Sara's skirt was brushed aside as Maggie ducked past her in her haste to explore the new house. Sara grinned and moved out of the doorway, where she'd been holding up proceedings, lost in thought.

She watched Maggie scamper around, trying to see everything all at once. Maggie's excited exclamations, as she spotted something new and wonderful, made Sara's heart, fill with happiness. This is what every home needed, the joyous sound of excited children filling the rooms with happy cries of delight.

"Where's my room?" Maggie asked, as she found the stairs and climbed them like a monkey after free bananas.

"Try the first door on the left," Sara called to her, thinking of the smaller room that looked out over the ocean.

The squeals of delight, that emanated forthwith, confirmed that Maggie approved of the choice. Sara walked up the stairs, hearing Kevin entering the house with the first of the luggage. She was still several feet from the top of the stairs, when Maggie galloped out of her room and flung herself from the top of the landing into Sara's arms.

"Oof! Careful there hon, you nearly sent me flying," chided Sara with a smile.

"MOMMY, I LOVE IT," Maggie screamed, hugging on to Sara tight.

Sara's heart filled with a wondrous feeling, and tears threatened, as Maggie's heartfelt words, filled her with joy.

"Up here Kevin, first door on the left is going to be Maggie's room," Sara pre-empted the question Kevin was about to ask.

Kevin wondered if Sara knew every thought in his mind, as he shook his head, and started to bring Maggie's stuff upstairs.

"Just the nice ones," Sara laughed, startling him once more.

"You scare me sometimes," he joked, not meaning it at all. In fact, it was kind of comforting that she could get into his thoughts. It meant that there would be no misunderstandings between them, which could occur when using only the spoken word. Words could often be misinterpreted, without knowing the thoughts that went along with them.

"Be very afraid," quipped Sara, with a grin. She took one of the bags that Kevin had brought upstairs, and went into the room destined to be Maggie's. She laid the bag on the bed, as Maggie hovered impatiently nearby. Opening it, Sara pulled out the first stuffed animal and handed it to Maggie. Sara then stepped back, allowing Maggie to find homes for all her friends, which were quickly pulled from the bag and arranged neatly on the bed by the pillow. Smiling at Maggie, Sara left to check on Kevin, to see where he was putting the clothes bought for Anita.

Sara smiled and snuck a kiss, as Kevin stood looking at the gown he was holding in his hands.

"Does Anita want to join us?" She chuckled, pulling another dress from the opened case, and admiring it in the mirror holding it against herself.

"I was just remembering wearing this and the fun we had," Kevin replied, with a smile.

"Well the fun doesn't have to stop, in fact, Anita is going to be a regular member of this family," Sara insisted, draping the dress she held over Kevin's shoulder.

"Does she get her own room?" laughed Kevin, before giving Sara a deep kiss.

"I can guarantee that you will be away when she is here, so she can sleep with me," smirked Sara, returning the kiss with fervour.

"Um, as much as I'd love to continue this, there's more to bring in from the car, and it's nearly lunch time, Maggie will need feeding," sighed Kevin, regretfully pulling away.

Kevin said, "Hold that thought," cocking his finger at her, before retreating downstairs. She heard him laugh, then yell up, "yeah baby yeah!" as she opened her mind to his, allowing him to see what she was thinking. Sara grinned to herself as she made her way down into the kitchen. 'Men were so easily led by their libidos, she thought, remembering that she'd been just the same when she was Scott. She vowed never to abuse her power over Kevin, not wanting to ever betray his trust in her.

As much as she loved him as Anita, he had to only to say no to her, if he refused to become her. She realised he'd always concede to her wishes in that regard, but ultimately it would be his decision to comply.

Looking in the fridge, she realised they needed to do some shopping. She found a frozen pizza, so she popped it in the oven. She opened a tin of spaghetti, knowing it was one of Maggie's favourites, plus she didn't feel like making pikelets at the moment, even if she had all the ingredients.

A call to Maggie soon had her scampering into the kitchen in search of lunch. She grinned, as she smelt her favourite food.

"Yum, can I eats all the sketti?" she asked hopefully.

Sara laughed, saying, "sure honey, just don't miss you mouth, remember it’s not as big as it once was," she reminded Miss Scoffalot.

"I won'ts, I prwomise." Came a half mumbled reply. Maggie, her mouth trailing a strand of spaghetti already, made her way to the table, eating on the way.

Kevin wandered in, looking for the two most favourite women in his life. He chuckled at the sight of Maggie's red stained mouth, as she tried to get the angle right for her mouth to snare the dangling tails of the spaghetti, held up by her fork. He brushed her hair in passing, as he entered the kitchen, where the smell of pizza was beginning to emanate.

"Hope there's enough for all of us," Kevin prompted, seeing Sara bent over the half open oven.

"Just save a sliver for Maggie, and be thankful I had the idea of filling her up on spaghetti," laughed Sara, as she closed the oven and straightened up. Kevin's kiss for Sara was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Being used to the strident chirps of cell phones, the ordinariness of a phone ringing jolted then in surprise. Acting like any child would, Maggie ran to the phone, chirping out, "I's gets it, mommy."

Kevin's arm tightened around Sara, knowing just how much that, "mommy," affected her. He knew because, he felt it too, when Maggie, lost in the child, gave them both her unconditional love. They both walked to where Maggie was holding the phone, and shyly telling the person on the other end, her name. Maggie's few wordless nods, as she listened to the questions, looked so cute, as the tongue tied Maggie, failed to realise the caller couldn't see her nods. Looking up, Maggie saw Sara, and her face lit up.

"It's awntie Julie, mommy, I thinks she wands to talk wid you," she called out excitedly.

Sara grinned, knowing Julie would have heard that auntie comment, as she took the phone from Maggie's outstretched hand.

"Hello auntie Julie," opened Sara, with a smile in her voice.

"She's cute, I can't wait to meet her," answered a chuckling Julie. "I just rang to let you know we will be there for dinner, so cook something nice, oh and Kim will be with us."

"Okay, one banquet coming up, will you want fries with that," Sara replied facetiously, before giggling.

"Sure, I'll have fries with everything... even ice cream," Julie giggled back.

"Ewwwh, you sure you're not pregnant," Sara shuddered, thinking of that combination.

"Hey! I'm not the one with 'child,' was Julie's riposte, meaning Maggie.

"Unfair, anyway I'm glad you'll be back, I might need a baby sitter." Sara issued this mock threat, knowing Julie would volunteer for that job. "Why is Kim coming here, I thought she'd be busy elsewhere?"

Kim got a call from Cindy, there's been some developments she wants to discuss."

To be continued.

Carversion -39-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Julie ended the call, grinning, which prompted a question from William, who was driving.

"So is Sara pregnant?" he asked, having heard part of the banter between Julie and Sara.

"No, but I'm now an auntie," she teased, with a smile, letting him try and figure that out.

"Huh?" He grunted, responding just as she'd expected.

"That Maggie is a cutie, I can't wait to meet her," Julie sighed, letting William puzzle a little longer.

"It must be strange to live as a little girl, after being an adult," William conceded, knowing she'd explain her earlier remark in time.

"I hope she gets what she wants, she sounded so shy and sweet on the phone, she called me auntie. It sent shivers up me, that's something I never thought I'd hear," Julie blushed.

"Sara and I have to work out what to do, to reconcile the adult Maggie and the child, without losing either of them," Kim said, joining in on the conversation.

Kim wouldn't elaborate further, saying it was up to Sara to tell them. They continued driving, stopping for lunch on the coast, where they picked some not very palatable takeaways. The seagulls didn't seem to mind the over cooked greasy fries, which were mostly uneaten.

"I hope Sara has that banquet ready," grumbled William, biting into a much more palatable apple. "Only without the fries, I think I've been put of them for life, with that poor excuse of a diner.

Julie laughed, knowing fries was one of William's staple foods, and that his definition of, "for life," would last only till the next time he smelt them cooking somewhere.

Sarah looked in the cupboards, and thought about what she could make that was simple yet tasty. She made a list of the immediate needs, and went and asked if Kevin would shoot down to the local super market for them.

Kevin half grumbled that it was woman's work; waiting for the nibble he knew he'd get.

"Well if that's what you think, then go as Anita, I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Sara responded. "I'd go myself, but I wanted to take Maggie to the beach for a play in the sand. Once you get back, you could take over while I start dinner, that way you can show off that bikini I bought you."

Kevin blushed, thinking of the three miniscule pieces of material pretending to be called a bikini, it was more string than anything, but it did make Anita look fantastic. The sudden hardening of his cock brought him out of his daydream, as Sara handed him the list.

"Okay, I'll go change," he capitulated, not sure if he'd won or lost.

Sara went and checked on Maggie, while Kevin went upstairs. Maggie had managed to eat most of the spaghetti and had left the table to check out the cable TV. Her chin still showed remnants of the meal and her sleeve looked suspiciously red as if she'd used it to wipe her face clean. Engrossed in the TV program showing the birth of lion cubs, Sara couldn't help thinking how cute she looked. She hoped Maggie would retain her cuteness when she was given her younger 3-year-old body. Maggie sensed Sara watching her and ran to her, pulling at her arm to see the baby lions.

"Look mommy, nice kitties, they just been borned, can I have a kitty, I looks after it special, mommy?" she rattled off in her excitement.

"I don't see why not," offered Sara, seeing how excited Maggie was.

"Yippee, I'm going to get a kitty, I'm going to get a kitty," Maggie sang, dancing up and down. She ran to Sara and hugged her, begging to go get one right there and then.

"Maggie, we'll do that in a few days, okay? Right now, how would you like to go down to the beach? You can make sand castles and even go for a swim when your lunch has gone down. Sara lifted Maggie up, complaining that she was heavy from spaghetti overload, as she went to get themselves changed into swimsuits. They passed Anita coming down the stairs, and Maggie held out her hands for a quick hug before Anita left.

"Looking smart, hon, you have great taste in clothes," Sara grinned, checking Anita's attire.

"Well, seeing they are yours, that's to be expected. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your sundress, the others are too dressy to just do shopping in," Anita explained, blushing a little, as she fussed with the skirt.

What's mine is yours... and vice versa," winked Sara, promising interesting times ahead. Sara kissed Anita, before letting her continue downstairs.

"Byee, auntie Anita," Maggie called, waving at her from over Sara's shoulder.

Once on the beach, Sara rubbed suntan lotion over Maggie, who was only clad in a pair of bikini bottoms. Sara welcomed Maggie's offer to do the same on her. Sara then watched Maggie running around on the beach, exploring every thing with a child's innocence. After an hour of bringing Sara every pretty shell and curiously shaped piece of driftwood, Sara lifted Maggie into her arms and waded into the ocean. The water being warm and calm, Maggie didn't object to getting wet. They played in the shallow waters, splashing each other with Maggie giggling at Sara's mock protests.

A call from the beach heralded the arrival of Anita, wearing her poor excuse for a bikini. Sara devoured her form with her eyes, feeling her body react to the way Anita's chest bobbled as she ran into the water. A quick kiss, and Anita turned to Maggie to respond to the splash attack she had mounted against the new target. Maggie squealed and ran sluggishly in the water, trying to escape Anita's indignant pursuit.

It was while Anita was flicking her now wet hair aside; as she pretended to lose ground in her race to catch Maggie the mischief monster, that Sara suddenly gasped.

"What happened to you lovely hairdo that Tyrissa did for you? I just realised you had your hair down when you went out shopping. I was sure the Krin would have saved it till you became Anita again," Sara asked sounding upset.

Anita broke off her pursuit of Maggie the little mermaid, and turned, grinning knowingly at her twin.

"When I changed, I realised that my updo was a little too smart for going casual shopping, and it would get ruined if it got wet in the ocean, especially with Maggie mischief here," giving Maggie an 'I'll get you look.' "So I stood in front of the mirror and used the Krin to save my image under one of the spare settings. Then by changing into one of the other identities, before choosing Sara/Anita, I got the default form which didn't have the hair style done. The rest was simple I grabbed you dress and you never even noticed," she pouted before grinning at Sara's guilty look.

"Hey, it's okay," Anita, added, realising Sara felt bad about not noticing her hair. She hugged Sara, before continuing. "Remember I only had that hair for a short while, compared to the time I had my normal Anita hairstyle."

"So you can retrieve the updo anytime you want? Asked Sara, feeling somewhat better.

"Yeah, just another use for the wonderful Krin," laughed Anita, as resumed her chase of Maggie.

"Okay, well if you look after Maggie, I'll get dinner sorted," Sara yelled to Anita, as she started to walk to the beach.

"Oh I picked up some dessert, and a treat for Maggie," called Anita to the departing Sara. Maggie's ears pricked, at the words 'Maggie' and 'treat.' She even let Anita catch her and scoop her up in her arms so she could ask what the treat was.

"You'll see. It came all the way from New Zealand as well." Anita said cryptically, not letting Maggie wheedle the secret out of her with those huge imploring eyes.

Leaving the others frolicking in the water, Sara headed to the house, grabbing her towel and sandals on the way. She rinsed off the salt and sand, using the outside showerhead designed for that very purpose. She peeled off her wet swimsuit and wrapped the towel around her naked form, her breasts keeping the tuck secure. She went into the kitchen, not bothering to change, feeling a sense of daring at being naked under her towel.

She washed some potatoes and put them in the oven to bake. She prepared a salad to go with the meal, not wanting to cook vegetables on this fine hot day. She got out the chicken breasts from the fridge, noticing the strawberry cheesecake that Anita had bought. She saw another box in there and had a quick look. 'Ah, Maggie's treats,' she thought, wondering where he'd got the odd looking chocolate confection. After coating the chicken portions in a beaten egg and then coated in breadcrumbs, she set them aside to be cooked later. She checked that there was some cold wine and beer in the wet bar, she went upstairs for a bath, knowing that the bathrooms would be in high demand when the others arrived.

She was just getting out of the bath, when she heard Julie's voice calling out for her.

"I'm upstairs, give me a moment," she called back, slipping on a robe.

Sara managed a quick change, putting on a white bra and panties before grabbing some pink shorts that showed off her derriá¨re and a white sleeveless shell top, which showed off her other assets.

Julie and William had brought up their luggage into the rooms they'd been using before. They were just coming out to go downstairs again, as Sara rushed out of her bedroom.

"Julie," squealed Sara, grabbing her into a hug.

"Wow! You smell fresh. Love the clothes. Is there any hot water left?" Julie rattled after, after returning the hug. "I could kill for a shower," she added, with a laugh.

"Sure, but you better get in first, Maggie and Anita will probably want a shower after their swim. They should be finished soon," Sara answered.

No sooner had Sara said that, Maggie's excited giggling was heard coming from downstairs. William, Julie, and Sara went down to see wet footprints on the floor leading from the backdoor across to the owner, who was stood motionless, looking at Kim sitting in the lounge room. Maggie was buck naked, having been divested of her bottoms by Anita, who had washed the sand off Maggie using the outside shower.

"Hello Maggie, nice to see you again," welcomed Kim, holding her arms out in welcome.

Maggie, knowing that Kim was responsible for her having gained the wonderful gift of her present body, and having had the most glorious time since, flung herself into Kim's arms, unconcerned with her present state of attire or dampness.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she cried, hugging Kim fervently, at a loss to say more at that moment.

Kim, understanding what Maggie was thanking her for, smiled, not worrying about the water that was being soaked up by her clothes.

"You are most welcome," she replied.

Sara and the others grinned at each other, as they advanced into the lounge, seeing the scene before them. Anita, came through the backdoor, her bikini top in her hand and pulling at the ties that would release the patch of cloth at her groin. She didn't notice the others, as she undid the knot that let her step out of her bikini bottom. She looked up and froze, seeing the others grinning at her. A blush suffused her whole body, as she realised that she was standing fully naked in front of her friends.

Julie swept forward with a rush, enveloping Anita in a hug, before Anita had a chance to flee.

"You look fabulous, I'm so jealous of that tan," she said, offering Anita, her body as a shield.

I wasn't expecting you yet, I thought I was alone except for Maggie, I feel so embarrassed," she returned, looking down at the floor.

"Don't be, we are all friends here, and William has been exploring the world of femininity as well. I'm glad to meet Kevin's sister at last," Julie giggled, kissing her on the cheek.

William, in a brilliant display of sensitivity, had used the Krin to take on Mi Ling's form, as soon as he had seen Anita's embarrassment. To show that Anita had nothing to worry about, Mi Ling took the opportunity to walk closer to Anita, so that she could get her own hug in, before Julie released her.

Anita felt Mi Lings arms slide around her and heard her whisper, "I'm glad to at last meet my new sister in the flesh as it were," grinned Mi Ling, before she kissed Anita on the cheek.

"You look particularly cute too," grinned Anita, as she took in William's diminutive form.

"Cute maybe, but decidedly dangerous," laughed Mi Ling, stepping back and flourishing her fans, as she posed in a defensive stance.

"Fantastic," was Anita's only response, as she stood looking more relaxed in her state of undress.

"You'd better go get a shower," offered Julie, resigning herself to the prospect of a cold shower. "Try and leave me some hot water, I'm all sticky and need to clean up," she added.

"Um, you don't need to worry about having no hot water," Kim said looking slightly embarrassed. "I had the system revamped while you were both away."

"You didn't?" Julie asked, looking at Sara with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry it sort of slipped out when we talked to Kim in Washington," answered Sara. She blushed, recalling the shower antics the four of them had together as women.

"Well, at least there's hot water," remarked Julie, deciding to overlook Sara's indiscretions.

"It's solar heated with a 2000 gallon tank, plus its gas boosted for those extra dirty days," Kim said straight faced.

"Everyone, but Maggie got the reference of "dirty days," and laughed, glad that Kim had a sense of humour.

Anita scampered upstairs keen to get clean. She knew she could have just used the Krin to switch to Kevin, and therefore not have to bother with it, but she felt it unfair to put Anita away dirty, likening it to putting dirty underwear back in the drawers. There were two other good reasons for remaining Anita. She loved the sensations of soaping her womanly charms, and maybe getting herself off if she was quick. The other reason was, that she wanted to show off the do the Tyrissa had giving her. She thought about which dress would set it off, as she started the shower.

While Anita was busy upstairs, Julie and William, who had reverted to his male self, were being introduced to Maggie. They both made a fuss over her, which soon endeared them to the pocket pixie. Julie loved her straight off, giving at Maggie's often scrambled recollections of her trip back with Sara and Kevin. William was a little more reserved, making sure that what he saw was the genuine article and not some kind a fraud that was taking advantage of his friends.

Maggie's enthusiasm won out, convincing William that Maggie was indeed a treasure to be kept. Julie was kept entranced, as Maggie related all her adventures to her fresh audience. It wasn't until a polite cough from near the stairs, that Julie realised how much time had passed.

Now that she had got their attention, Anita continued to walk elegantly down the stairs. The awed gasp from Julie, and the involuntary wolf whistle from William, made her feel strangely pleased with herself. Although Kevin was happy to be a man, doing what comes naturally when it came to women. While as Anita, the sexual part didn't change much, other stuff did. Looking nice meant so much more as a female.

Where Kevin just threw on what was clean and comfortable, Anita had to consider where she was going and what she'd be doing, before she could even start to get dressed. Then there was the whole co-ordination thing, what went with what, and what colour went with others, even the choice in makeup and nail polish had to be taken into account. Although it was more complicated, there was a certain pleasure when you got it all right, and the look in the mirror said, "that's it, you got it." Having a great body helped of course, but it made it hard to leave the mirror, when the male part of you mind was telling you that there was a gorgeous female standing in front of you under your full control. Being admired by others, after spending the time to get the look right, sent shivers through Anita's attractive body.

"You like?" asked Anita, as she twirled smoothly on her black heels. Her black mid length dress showed off her curves perfectly and the black lace shawl that lay slung low across her back and draped elegantly though her arms at the elbows, only helped set off the blonde updo that was Tyrissa's piece de'resistance.

"My god you look fantastic," gasped Julie running forward and taking Anita's hand. "I must borrow that dress sometime," she added, plucking at the material.

"Hey, buy your own, I did," Anita scolded, getting territorial for a moment before breaking into a grin. 'What a turn up, fighting over the right to wear a dress,' thought Anita, feeling somewhat foolish.

Everyone laughed at the display, knowing who was really inside that attractive body. Julie hugged Anita and whispered in her ear.

"You look so good, I could eat you up," before blushing and stepping back.

Maggie, not to be left out, ran forward to meet her dad/mom2/aunt, combination. Maggie sprang into the air, as if launched off an invisible trampoline, right into Anita's arm

"Hello scamp," Anita grunted, as she caught the airborne child in her arms. "I think you need to get a shower, maybe if you asked Julie, she would let you join her, when she gets her shower." Anita suggested, giving Maggie an exaggerated sniff test and wrinkling her nose at the supposed smell.

Maggie knew she had to protest anything to do with getting clean. She knew it was in the rules somewhere for all children to avoid all soap bearing water. Showering with Julie, on the other hand, sounded rather nice, and a great opportunity to bond with her new auntie.

"Awhh, do I have to?" She protested, half-heartedly.

"Well if you do... I might give you a treat before dinner, as long as you promise to eat all your food later," bribed Anita hopefully.

"I pwromise," was Maggie's immediate response, wriggling out of Anita's grasp and running to Julie.

"We gotta gets a shower, so I gets tweat," urged Maggie, tugging on Julie's arm.

The others grinned as Julie was led away upstairs by an impatient Maggie.

"It's so unfair," grumbled Sara, looking at Anita. "Kevin has my body and looks better than me," she complained to Kim.

Kim leaned close and whispered in Sara's ear, which turned her pout to a grin of mischief. She used her Krin to snap an image of Anita as she was moving to sit down. Sara winked at William, as she stood up to go check on the potatoes that were being to send the delicious smell into the room. Once in the kitchen, Sara used the Krin to make herself the exact copy of Anita, hairdo, and all. Feeling much better, she checked the potatoes, and started heating the pan to cook the crumbed chicken portions. She called out to William whether he or Mi Ling was joining them for dinner, as she tried to estimate how much meat would be required.

William came in with Anita following. At first, Anita pouted, seeing Sara was upstaging her. William looked on at the two identical women with a smile, before saying, it looked like Mi Ling would be joining them for dinner.

Anita, (Kevin) decided to go back upstairs and change, seeing Sara was busy in the kitchen. She did save her image in the Krin, so that her work wasn't all for nothing, then went and raided Sara's closet for something she knew Sara hadn't worn yet. Later, Sara (Kevin) came downstairs and flounced into the kitchen wearing a delightfully ornate gown in white satin. All it needed was white gloves and a veil and it would have suitable as a wedding gown. The real Sara looked daggers for a second, before seeing the humour of the situation. She hugged Anita, or was it 'herself?'

"Like it Anita?" asked the real Anita to Sara, sending her the challenge.

"Oh Sara, it's just you," gushed Sara, playing along.

Mi Ling, laughed, William having changed while Anita was upstairs becoming Sara.

"Up to our old tricks, I see, the old who's fooling who game,"

"Well, seeing she stole my best look," here, the pretend Sara tried to look hurt at the faux Anita. "Then I can get my own back and steal her wardrobe," she sniffed, trying to keep up the, "I'm hurt," look.

"Women!" sighed Mi Ling, throwing her arms up in the air in defeat.

That one word, coming from the epitome of femininity that William was now wearing with such grace, cracked the twins up. They hugged each other, as they tried to regain their composure.

"I love this," admitted the real Anita come Kevin. "How long do you think we will fool Julie and Maggie?"

"Well, sister mine, it depends on how well you play me, doesn't it, but I doubt it will be as long as you think," giggled the real Sara.

When Julie and Maggie announced themselves at the top of the stairs, dinner was ready to be served. Julie had raided Sara's closet and was wearing a turquoise gown in silk with an asymmetrical hemline that showed more leg on one side than on the other. She had managed to give herself an updo of her own, which while not as ornate as the one Tyrissa had fashioned, still looked respectable, given the time. Maggie was wearing a new outfit too, one she hadn't worn yet. It was a yellow sun frock with a white bow at the back and had little kittens chasing each other, around the hemline.

They waited till everyone gathered to watch them descend, before starting downstairs. Julie looked at Anita, thinking she was Sara, saying she hoped that she didn't mind her borrowing her clothes.

Anita, acting for Sara, said it wasn't a problem, as her sister was always borrowing her stuff. Sara giggled, thinking 'how true was that.'

Maggie once she reached the bottom of the stairs ran giggling to Anita and launched herself into the ever-welcoming arms.

"I love this game your playing," she whispered in Anita's ear. "Is mommy going to be my daddy when auntie Anita leaves?"

Anita was shocked that Maggie had seen through her disguise as if it wasn't there.

"Um, no- we are just playing with Julie, to see if she can tell," answered Anita softly. "How did you know so quick honey?"

"Your auras," answered Maggie, as if it was as plain and simple.

"Aura's? Oh boy!" muttered Anita, in shock.

To be continued.

Carversion -40-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty

"Oh boy! Muttered Anita, in shock. "You can see aura's?"

"Yup, yours is a lavender colour with streaks of pink and white running through it, and mommies is a rose colour with crimson streaks." Maggie explained still whispering.

Anita pondered this revelation, as they gathered by the dinning room table. Anita hoisted Maggie into her seat, before going and helping Sara bring in the food from the kitchen.

"Maggie knows," was all Anita had time to tell Sara, as she passed her on the way out.

Sara looked surprised, but then shrugged, as she carried out the bowl of hot baked potatoes to the table. She knew that Maggie was more than she looked and it didn't pay to take her at face value, and treat her just like any normal child, while still continuing the charade for Julie, she did notice Maggie was giggling a lot for no apparent reason. Sara did wonder what had given Maggie the clue, but the answer would have to wait for now.

Soon, everyone was enjoying their meal. Julie noticed the looks that Sara and Anita were giving each other, and Maggie had that look of a child with a secret. The occasional giggle from her, also hinted that something was going on.

"What's up with you lot? Have I split something on myself, or is this some secret code you've developed?" she asked suspiciously, looking at all three in turn.

"Remember the first day at the Ellery's?" Mi Ling hinted,

Julie thought back to that day, when they all ended up in Jennifer's body after being tricked into admitting they wanted her body. Although their desire for getting into Jennifer's pants, was meant for the purposes of having sex and not ending up actually wearing her pants, Julie remembered thinking of her secret longing to be female and how envious she was of Jennifer's great looking body. That first moment, after realising she had indeed become the object of her desires, was like a revelation. Oh, she had protested just as much as the others, not wanting to admit that this was a dream come true. She had to act all upset, while feeling something quite different inside. The greatest moment in her life was when Sara stated that she was going to stay female. That moment had given her the nerve to admit her own desire to stay female.

As Julie's thoughts flashed quickly over the events and the fun they had had the next morning, when Sara couldn't tell just who was who, she realised at last, what was going on.

"You... you didn't." Julie laughed, seeing by the expressions on their faces that she had guessed. "How could you steal Anita's body like that?" she growled, looking at Anita, knowing Sara must have initiated the scam.

Sara in Anita's guise, looked guilty as charged, and hung her head. She realised that she had stolen Anita's thunder and felt bad about it.

"It's okay Julie," the real Anita broke in. "This way, she owes me something later, besides I got to wear her dress first," Anita chuckled, saving Sara from more chastisement.

Sara took Anita's hand in hers, thanking the gods that the person, be it Anita or Kevin, loved her enough not to be upset over her actions.

Julie reached over the table, taking their free hands in hers.

"You two are incredible at being each other, I love you both whoever you are."

Mi Ling broke the circle of hands, adding hers to the link; Maggie added hers, taking Kim's hand as well.

"I knowed all along," giggled Maggie, breaking the silence of the heartfelt moment.

"That reminds me," stated Sara, looking at Maggie intently. "How come you knew we were each other?"

"She sees aura's," prompted Anita, as Maggie nodded.

"An interesting development, but not unexpected," Kim interrupted, making everyone look at her, in surprise.

"Let's finish dinner, I hear there is strawberry cheesecake for dessert," Kim added, as questions started to fly. "I'll explain after, when we can relax in the lounge," she offered, letting the others wonder what they were in for.

Dessert disappeared quickly, most not doing it justice, as their thoughts were on what Kim would reveal later. William and Julie only knew that Cindy had rung Kim, but Kim hadn't revealed the news to them, preferring to tell all, when everyone was together. All they knew was, that it was important, and that it could change their lives again.

Sara, helping clean up the dishes, could sense that the next few hours, were going to be very interesting. She could feel the emotions of the others, peaking with curiosity and a little fear. She shrugged off these feelings, as she wiped down the kitchen, thinking that she was reading too much into her premonitions.

As they gathered in the lounge and found a seat to relax in, Maggie decided to climb onto Sara's lap and settled there getting comfortable. Sara moved Maggie slightly, so that her weight wasn't pressing on her recently filled stomach. Maggie, knowing that what was to be revealed, concerned her as well, didn't even think of asking for her treat yet.

"Let's start from when Cindy called me," Kim opened, when everyone was ready. "She has developed telekinetic powers, as well as the beginnings of other psychic powers, one dealing with future events or premonitions, and one of healing."

"We saw some of that at Erin's," confirmed Julie.

"Yes, but it developed past simple parlour tricks of levitation," Kim explained. Bob was thrown off a high tower, by a lightening strike."

Kim paused at the gasps that her words had produced from the others. "Cindy reached him just as it happened. She caught him, using her power of telekinesis, and slowed him sufficiently to stop him being killed. Bob was burned, by the strike, but Cindy found that when she touched him, her hands glowed. She swears that Bob's heart was stopped until she felt some force flowing from her to him. Bob recovered and is okay, but what I wanted to explain to you, is that each and everyone of you could develop similar powers."

"You mean Maggie has them too?" Sara asked.

"How can Maggie have them and we don't?" asked Julie, feeling left out. "You told us at Erin's, that only women who were in touch with their feelings would be the first to manifest any sign of these powers. You said that Sara and I would take longer to get them, due to having been male. So how come Maggie has got a power?"

Maggie, when did you first start seeing aura's?" Kim asked gently.

"I saw the pretty colours soon after I gotted my new body," Maggie admitted.

"Ah, as I suspected, Maggie, were you a girl or a boy, even before your change?" Kim asked, knowing the answer already.

"I was neber a boy, even when I was liddle," Maggie stated emphatically. "Dat's why I started my transtission," she added, stumbling over the word, with her less articulate mouth.

"Maggie was female in her mind a long time before she managed to change her body. She has always been in touch with her feelings, so when the Krin gave her a genetic female body, her gift manifested immediately." Explained Kim, with a satisfied expression on her face.

"Maggie, why didn't you say anything to us?" Asked Anita, curiously.

"I thought it was part of the magic of the Krin. You neber asked, so I figures you knowed all bout it," Maggie hung her head, not sure if she was in trouble.

Sara hugged Maggie, showing her that things were fine, without the need for words. Maggie looked up, seeing nothing, but love in Sara's eyes.

Julie wasn't quite satisfied. She struggled with the idea of revealing the secret, which she had held so close to her heart for so long.

Sara could feel Julie's emotions churning and saw the way she was chewing on her lower lip. Sara realised that these feelings were coming from outside herself, coming in fact from Julie, as she wrestled with her demons.

"What's up Julie? I can sense that you need to tell us something, I think I'm developing an empathic ability," Sara admitted to the others.

That was the last straw for Julie; she burst into tears and ran to the door leading outside, her sobs echoing though the house, then fading, as she continued to run towards the beach.

'Why didn't she have any powers, it was so unfair? She had been cross dressing for years, that should have counted, yet Sara, who hadn't embraced her femininity, till she found the car and the Krin, already had powers.' She ran down to the beach, her scalding tears flowing freely, as she tried to distance herself from the others.

Sara and the others were stunned at Julie's outburst and subsequent tearful departure. William was the first to react, standing up to go and chase after Julie. Sara grabbed him first, as he passed her, stopping him in his tracks.

"Let me, I caused it, I'll follow and get her back, I promise," she reassured him.

"What set her off, she was fine just a minute ago?" William agonised, still resisting against Sara's hand.

"Well. Judging by the way her emotions peaked when I mentioned having an empathic power, I'd say she was feeling left out. I felt hurt, anger, and jealousy all at once; it was like a flare going off. I felt something else, behind the others..." Sara trailed off, as she tried to sort out what it was.

"What?" urged William, looking anxiously towards the empty doorway.

"Shame... she has something in her past that's she's ashamed of," answered Sara finally, having pinned down that elusive and partly hidden emotion.

Sara pushed William back, as she walked to the door.

"Stay here, while I try and sort this out," she insisted, as the others started talking, trying to figure out what Julie was ashamed of.

Sara could see Julie off in the distance, as she made her way to the beach. Those left behind went upstairs, and watched the two figures from the balcony. Sara managed to catch Julie before too long, grasping her arm and turning Julie, so they were face to face.

"Julie, please tell us what's the matter, relaying her words to Kevin though her mind link. While Sara managed to get Julie to stop and start to talk, Kevin feed the others, what he was getting from Sara.

"It's not fair," wailed Julie, having sat down on the nearest dune with Sara. "If Maggie has powers and you have them, why don't I?"

Sara, unsure of the reason, tried to console her friend's anguish.

"Maybe Kim has an explanation," she offered hopefully, "Julie, I felt shame before you fled, what have you to be ashamed of?"

Julie flinched, and then blushed, pulling away from Sara in fear.

"Hey. I'm your friend. I won’t hurt you. I'm just feeling your emotions, I'm not reading your mind," Sara re-assured Julie.

Julie debated what to say. The years of hiding behind the male facade, never revealing who she truly was, was starting to crumble. Ever since she had obtained the correct sexed body, cracks had started to appear, allowing small parts of her true soul to venture out into public view. Deciding with a resolve born of desperation and a need to fully reveal her secret, she began to talk.

To the others anxiously watching from afar, her relayed words finally started to fill in the picture. Tears glistened in eyes, as they felt the agony of her unburdening soul.

"I used to dress up at home, when mom was out," started Julie, pausing as she looked at Sara's face for signs of disgust. Seeing nothing, but concern in Sara's eyes, she continued. Julie told of numerous close calls from being revealed by both her mom and her friends when they unexpectedly called by. Julie explained how she hid her feelings, bottling them up, in her attempt to maintain the fiction of being a normal boy. As she talked, the walls to her emotions crumbled and were washed away in the tears that seemed to flood from years of being dammed up.

William was reduced to tears, as he heard his love's painful revelation. Kim had to restrain him from running down and hugging Julie to show her, his undying love.

"Wait, till it's over, William, Julie will be fine now."

As Julie finished, Sara grew thoughtful.

"I think your problem has been solved,"

"Huh?"

"You've been suppressing your true emotions for years, now that you have told us, they won't block your powers. There's no need for shame, you have just become whole." Explained Sara cheerfully.

"Us? Who's this us?" Julie asked worriedly.

"Well I knew this would be hard repeating, so I relayed our conversation to Kevin so he could tell the others."

"You did! Shiit how am I going to face them," she wailed,

With a cry, tears running freely again, Julie stormed off, leaving Sara sitting stunned on the dune. She watched as Julie walked away waving her hands around as she shouted at the uncaring ocean. Sara felt Julie's emotions increasing to high levels anger being the strongest. As she watched, Sara saw something flickering at the fingertips of Julie's hands. Suddenly great gouts of flame poured forth, leaping from her arms and enveloping Julie's body completely. A faint cry was heard, moments before a huge fireball consumed Julie entirely. A loud concussion was heard as the fireball expanded. Voices on the balcony, cried out in fear, including Sara's as the fireball died away, leaving only a small depression of blasted sand where Julie had been standing. Of Julie, there was no sign.

To be continued.

Carversion -41-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-One

It took a few seconds for William, who was still in Mi Lings form to react. With a cry, she raced downstairs, running outside to where Julie was last seen. The others followed, Kim scooping up Maggie on the way. Before long, they gathered, near Sara, where she was kneeling on the sand near the spot Julie had disappeared, with an intense look on her face.

"She's gone, there's no trace of her. No footprints leaving this spot," she said in a shocked, shaky voice.

Sara had tears running down her face and Kevin, who had changed back to himself, took her into his arms, where she immediately started shaking. Mi Ling looked shocked and bewildered, as she brushed futilely at the sand where Julie had been standing. She too stunned to even think about changing form and when Kim lifted her up, she let out a scream of anguish.

Julie was upset. She had poured her soul out to the one person, she knew would understand her, having felt the same call of womanhood. When she realised, that Sara had relayed her story to the others, she felt betrayed. Her emotions boiled over, as she stood up and stamped away towards the water. She threw her arms around, as she cursed, ever being born. She vented and argued, mostly to herself, as she tried to figure out her next move. Would William ever forgive her? Could she ever face them again? Not having anything to hide anymore, the sudden release of her emotions, started to overwhelm her. She felt flushed and something inside seemed to snap, as fire flew from her hands. Shocked, she could not stop the fire from engulfing her whole body. Strangely, she didn't feel her skin burning. The flow of suppressed energy increased suddenly, making it impossible to see anything but fire. She screamed out for it to stop, and it did. She felt her body twist, and then she was in blackness.

She was still conscious, that was something. She wondered where she was. Gone was the sunset, that had bathed the beach where she'd been last, gone was the fire that had raged around her. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed it wasn't entirely dark, and she could hear a muted drone somewhere close, as if a TV set was on nearby.

She could sense the closed in feel of a room and see the small chinks of light coming past the drawn curtains. Not wanting to move, until she knew where she stood, she wished there was some light, so she could see properly. With a flicker, her hands glowed with a pale blue flame that gave off sufficient light for her to see. Startled, she eeeped, both at the sight of her glowing hands, and what she saw in the room.

"I can't be here," she said softly, noticing that the flame wasn't actually burning her hands, but was forming a few centimetres from her skin. "I'm home, in my room, hundreds of miles away from where I was." She told herself, as if saying it would make it not real.

Creeping to the door, she eased it open, and peered out, as the sound of the TV grew louder. Julie slipped out, glad that her feet were bare, having lost her shoes in the sand on her run down the beach. She carefully looked into the lounge, to see her mom watching TV and knitting her latest project. Julie ducked back, and stood with her back to the wall near the lounge doorway.

'How did I get here?' she thought, as she moved back to her bedroom. 'Oh god! What about the others? They'll think I blew up or something. I have to get back,' her panicked thoughts tumbled around, as she tried to come up with something concrete.

Kevin stood looking at the depression in the sand. Something about it wasn't right. He looked at the edge where it met the undisturbed sand of the beach, looking at the striations in the sand made by moving gains of sand. They all met in the middle, like spokes on a bicycle wheel, but in the centre, there was a smooth circle about a foot across with no lines in it at all.

"Sara, did you feel a blast of heat or sand, when Julie bl...um...disappeared?" Kevin asked, deciding that the word, 'blew up,' wasn't prudent, with William standing there.

"No." Sara supplied, thinking back to that moment. "Why?"

"Where's the sand then?" Kevin asked, having stood up.

"Look at the edge of the circle," Kevin began, seeing the puzzled looks of the others. "There's no sand. If it had been an explosion, the sand from the depression would be scattered all over, and Sara, who was twenty feet away, should have felt it as a blast of heat and exploding sand."

"If it wasn't an explosion, it must have been an implosion," Sara answered, seeing what Kevin was getting at.

"Exactly, there's no debris, as it was sucked up into the space Julie had occupied. She must have shifted instantly leaving a vacuum. This caused the noise and the sand sucked up to this point, before lifting and being sucked along with her." Kevin explained, showing the inner smooth circle.

"She teleported," Kim said in wonder. "Her powers manifested almost together, she didn't burn out, like I thought had happened."

Kim had to explain the process of burnout in regard to developing psychic powers. Something that was known to happen in some of cases the Shelke had studied in other races.

"So where is Julie now?" asked an anguished William.

"Maybe she went home?" Maggie, who had been quiet all through this, piped up.

William was off like a shot, running back to the condo, to check their room. His despondent look, told everyone that she wasn't in the house, as they trooped in to the house shortly after.

Julie lay on her old bed, and considered the options. She didn't have the cell phone that was in her handbag at the house. She didn't have the glasses, to help get past her mom. The only phone was next to her mom, and she didn't know how she had teleported her in the first place, so trying again would take time. Even if she got out of the house undetected, she had no money on her.

Maybe she could form, a nexus with William, but she needed to relax to do that. She shifted, trying to get comfortable; unfortunately, her movement jostled the small table next to the bed than the lamp wobbled precariously. Misjudging the distance in the gloom, her attempt to steady it, just resulted in knocking it over. The crash sounded deafening, and Julie froze in fear of discovery.

Amelia Boone, heard the crash, and she clicked off the TV. The crash sounded like it had come from the bedroom, so quietly getting up; she headed to hall cupboard, where she kept the loaded shotgun. Armed, she moved quietly towards Daniel's bedroom thinking a burglar was in the house. She kicked open the door. Yelling "freeze," as she flicked on the light.

Amelia, whose eyes were already casting about, saw a small female figure hunched in a ball on Daniel's bed. The girl's eyes were blinking, trying to acclimatise to the sudden brightness in the room.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in my son's bed," growled Amelia.

"Mom?"

"Julie's at home," Maggie reasserted, tugging on Sara's skirt to get her attention.

Sara knelt down, so she was face to face with Maggie.

"You meant home with her mom?" she asked gently.

"Yes." Was Maggie's certain reply.

"How do you know this?" Sara asked, trying to stay calm.

"I feel her, I kinda know where ebebody wearing a bracelet is," Maggie answered snugly, as if it was no big deal.

"It looks as if those that manifest powers seem to gain two," Kim speculated, looking at Maggie with interest.

"Not me," argued Sara. "I've only the one," she finished with a sigh.

"So far," Kim replied. "Cindy, Julie, and Maggie have two each. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't gain another later. At a rough guess, Tyrissa and Carolyn should be gaining at least one power about this time, although that's not a certainty. Both William and Kevin, should develop soon, depending on how long they remain in female form." Finished Kim, winking at the men suggestively.

"If Julie's at her mom's, what can we do? We can't just ring her, asking if she has her daughter with her. If Julie is there, she maybe hiding. Do you think Julie can teleport back here?" Kevin asked, seeing if the others had any ideas.

"I don't know," answered Kim. Teleporters are very rare, and I don't have any real data on them. What we know is mainly rumour and legend. Our best guess is that they use the same method we developed for our spacecraft when we jump, except they don't use machines, they just use their brains. Just as we have to stop and take new bearings at each jump point, teleporters have to know the destination to be able to get there. She should be able to jump back here, but when is another matter."

The group went downstairs to the lounge to wait, hoping that Julie would soon contact them.

Amelia Boone heard the girl speak in a questioning tone. The word 'mom,' gave her pause, as she lowered the barrel of the shotgun. Seeing little threat in the cowering girl, Amelia walked closer, trying to get a better look at her intruder.

"Stand up," Amelia demanded. Her tone suggesting that obedience would be the better option.

Julie stood up. Seeing her mom like this, made her wish she had called her more often. However, with everything else, she'd never got around to it.

"Mom, it's me, Daniel. There have been some changes I need to talk to you about," she opened, hoping to convince her mom to listen before she threw her out.

"If you're Daniel, then changes is an understatement," Amelia scoffed. "Who put you up to this prank, one of Daniel's friends? If so it's in bad taste," she protested.

"I can prove it," Julie challenged, hoping to get the chance.

"I'm listening, go ahead," Amelia smiled, thinking this was too easy.

Julie knew she had to come up with something only her mom and she knew. Not something that Daniel might have told anyone else. In her state of shock at her recent discovery of her two talents, she never thought of the one irrefutable way she could prove it. Use the Krin to revert to Daniel's form. Maybe because she was so committed to being female and Julie in particular, that thought never entered her mind.

She cast her mind back to her life as Daniel, going over some of the things Amelia and Daniel had talked about. Suddenly, she had a revelation. Some odd things that Daniel hadn't been astute to pick up on, little hints and subtle questions that Amelia had dropped into conversations, that Daniel, preoccupied with his need to hide signs of his cross dressing had missed.

"Mom...when I was Daniel, I liked to dress in your clothes."

Amelia was stunned. She walked to the bed and sat down, placing the gun on the floor. Of all the things Daniel might have revealed, to others, this wasn't one of them. For years, she had suspected that Daniel was wearing her clothes. Little things like clothes placed on different hangers, or facing the wrong way in the closet. Not enough to confront him about it, but enough to know something was going on.

She wasn't an ignorant woman and knew the term cross-dressing and had read up on the subject, when her suspicions had first been aroused. She'd tried to drop hints to Daniel, hoping he would open up to her. With no male figure to worry about, she thought she could help him come to terms with his obsession.

She looked at this girl standing before her, claiming to be her son. Was it possible in the time since he'd left, to have had surgery to look like this? If so, where had he found the money? A million other questions filled her mind, as she sat on the bed.

Julie waited, watching her mom for a reaction, seeing if her guess was correct, that her mom knew of her hobby all along. Belatedly, she thought of the Krin, kicking herself for forgetting its powers.

"Mom, this body is a gift. I have the power to switch back and forth, from Julie to Daniel, but I'm living as Julie full time now." With that she touched the Krin, watching Amelia's eye widen, as she reverted to Daniel's form. She switched back immediately, hating to feel of her old body. Amelia gasped, at the change, fainting from shock at the sight.

The sound of the phone ringing galvanised everyone's hearts at the condo. William got to it first, half fearing what he would hear on the other end.

The others gathered round, as he answered the caller. His instant, "where are you?" and "are you okay?" answered the question of who was calling. William's conversation to Julie gave the listeners enough information for them to relax. They went back to sit in the lounge, so that William could have some privacy as he poured out his feelings to Julie. He came back after a few minutes, asking for Kim.

"Julie wants to talk with you," he supplied.

Kim went to the phone to talk to Julie, as William informed the others of Julie's situation.

"She is at home. Her mom discovered her, so she had to reveal who she is. Her mom fainted, when Julie used the Krin, so Julie took the opportunity to ring us," explained William.

Kim came back in and sat down. She looked at William, before asking him if he was up for a long drive.

"Julie wanted to know if I could help her teleport back, as she doesn't know how she did it. I said I could help, but I'd have to use the glasses to put her in a trance. We don't want to use our craft to pick her up, as there's still a lot of activity in the region from the military forces. Plus, it's not exactly an emergency situation. I told her, that you would drive across and pick her up, giving her time to set things straight with her mom. You could be back here in three to four days, depending if you drive right through on the way back."

William made as if to leave right away, but Sara restrained him.

"Wait till morning, you'll be rested then, after you drive today. We don't want you falling asleep on the road," she insisted, looking concerned.

"Okay mother," he grinned wryly. "I'll leave first thing in the morning," he conceded, giving Sara a kiss on the cheek.

He left then, to go upstairs and shower before getting an early night.

Maggie tugged on Kevin’s leg, to get his attention, now the drama was over.

"Where's my tweat?" she asked imploringly.

Kevin chuckled, glad of the distraction.

"Come on trouble, let's go fishing," with that, Kevin took Maggie out to the kitchen, to get her promised treat. Maggie's eyes goggled when he handed her a chocolate-coated marshmallow sweet in the shape of a fish.

"Dis I wat awntie Prue always gibs me in the chat room," she whispered, looking reverently at the fish in her hand. She raced back to the others, holding the fish as if it was swimming along with her, as she went to show the others.

Amelia awoke to find herself lying on Daniel's bed; she thought for a moment that she had dreamed everything that had happened from when she heard the noise. She heard a voice talking in the lounge, and knew with a certainty, that it was no dream. Daniel had come back, but not as her son. She felt a tear run down her cheek, knowing that Daniel wasn't coming back. Instead, a girl had taken her son's place and was making herself at home in her house.

She got up, and walked out to the lounge, noting that the shotgun was gone, presumably back into the cupboard. She checked, before entering the lounge, where it sounded like the girl, who claimed to be her son, was talking on the phone. The gun was there in the cupboard when she checked. She closed the cupboard, leaving the gun there, trusting something inside her heart that the girl was no danger. She walked into the lounge and listened to the end of the girl's conversation with someone called Kim. She heard the words teleporting and wondered if she was stuck in a strange episode of twilight zone. The girl hung up the phone and turned to face Amelia, looking straight into her eyes, searching, as if looking for some sign of acceptance.

"Why don't we sit and talk," offered Amelia, gesturing at the seats.

Julie walked to the nearest seat and sat down, taking care to sweep her skirt out before sitting primly on the edge. Amelia noted the fluid way she moved, marvelling at how femininely she moved. Amelia realised that despite being impossible, this girl was indeed her son. The brief demonstration might have been a delusion, or some hypnotic suggestion, but the real convincer was the confession. This was her son. Somehow, she knew it beyond a doubt. Accepting it might take some time, but accept it she would. No child of hers would be loved any less for having gone from pants to skirts.

Amelia looked at her new daughter and opened her arms, the gesture, needing no explanation. With a wordless cry, Julie flung herself into her mother's welcoming arms.

To be continued.

Carversion -42-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Two

"I think you have a long story to tell me," sighed Amelia, once the emotional Julie calmed down.

"Have I ever," muttered Julie, wiping her eyes.

"You said your name is Julie now?" prompted Amelia.

"Yes I'm living as a female full time with my boyfriend... oops."

"You have a boyfriend?" Amelia asked incredulously, her voice sounding shocked.

"Um you remember William from down the road? Well we sort of hit it off, after my change." Julie explained, blushingly.

"Not William O'Toole?"

"Yes mom," Julie answered, knowing what her mom thought of William's drunkard father.

"Wait a second, he and his friends Scott and Kevin, were all being sought after by the FBI, along with you... well Daniel, at least. Said you were in some sort of trouble with the air force. Is this why you're now a girl?"

"Sort of, but not what you think. Let me start from the beginning," Julie insisted, trying to calm her mom down.

While Julie told Amelia everything from the moment Daniel left home, back at the condo, everyone was in bed. Sarah and Kevin were in a nexus; having made sure Maggie was fast asleep first. They hovered over the sleeping child before heading southeast to Julie's home. There, they watched as Julie told her mom about the Shelke and about the threat to earth in the near future. Seeing that Amelia was taking things pretty calmly, they flew back home and checked on William.

William was tossing and turning, seeming unable to sleep without Julie at his side. The nexus of Sara and Kevin hovered near, seeing a fitful glow of what seemed to be Nexi energy. Not having it's opposite to join nearby; it flickered as if searching for it's other half. The full nexus drew nearer and extended a feeler out to the Nexi. At once, it latched on. They fed it images of what they had seen at Amelia's, and it seemed to withdraw, as if knowing Julie was okay. They watched as William slipped into a more peaceful sleep. Before they returned to their own bodies to fulfill the promise Sara had given Kevin earlier. Needless to say, they both finally succumbed to sleep with satisfied looks on their faces.

Julie talked almost through the night, being kept awake with the help of the constant stream of coffee that Amelia supplied them both with. Finally, all was said, and Julie looked at Amelia expectantly.

"So Scott is getting married to Kevin, as Sara," Amelia grinned. "I suppose you and William will be married soon after?" she asked, speculatively.

"That is, if Mr O'Toole doesn't find out about me," answered Julie worriedly.

"Oh I think Tom O'Toole will not be objecting, any time soon," laughed Amelia.

"Oh? Why not?" asked Julie, seeing a twinkle in Amelia's eyes.

"After the FBI came looking for William and his friends, Amanda went ballistic. She finally stood up for herself after all those years. She accused Tom of getting her son in trouble, by throwing him out in the first place. She really went to town; she threatened to send him to jail for his numerous abuses against her when he came home drunk. You'll find Tom O'Toole a different man now. She smashed every bottle of booze in the house and made him go on the wagon. Luckily he’d let her control the purse strings in the past, thinking she was a pushover. He now obeys her every command, otherwise, she will throw him out without a penny. She has him by the balls, and he knows it, so don't worry your pretty head about him."

"Wow, won't William be surprised." Julie grinned, feeling a load lift off her mind.

"If you decide on a similar wedding to what Sara has planned, I'm sure Amanda will have Tom in a dress that fast, the zippers will smoke.

The next day at breakfast, Kim was making noises about heading out.

"I need to check up on how things are progressing elsewhere. You need to explore the way your nexus works a lot more, I don't want to tell you what to do, in case my ideas limit you to the extent of my knowledge. By testing your own limits, you could surpass us."

"You think so," asked Sara incredulously.

"I know so," Kim assured her. Your youthful vitality as a race is the key to your success, unlike our older staid one. You have already passed our expectations, and I expect you'll be one of the key races in the universe. Try using your nexus to explore your talents, you might find you can enhance or share with others that are linked with you. Don't blind yourself to the possibilities, just because it’s never been done. Push the envelope as far as you can, and even try for a bit further."

"What if we need you, will you be around?" Said Sara, looking concerned.

"If it's not an emergency, I can be here in less than 14 hours, depending on what country I'm in. If it's an emergency, I can be here in one. I'll be kept informed of your movements by others, so I might be able to anticipate problems, should they arise. Don't worry, your privacy will be respected, but we do need to protect our star players, and for that, we need a light discrete surveillance. You can contact me by phone, day or night." Kim finished, hugging Sara warmly.

Kevin and Maggie said their goodbyes, Maggie first extracting a promise for Kim to return soon.

William had long gone, having left at first light, so the three said goodbye to Kim, as she got into a white limo that had appeared a few minutes earlier with a driver. The three went inside to finish clearing away breakfast, feeling somewhat subdued with the responsibilities that Kim given them to explore.

The phone rang soon after, and Sara answered it swiftly, thinking it might be Julie. Instead, she heard Leanne's anxious voice on the line.

"Thank god you're back. I need help that only the bracelet can fix," came Leanne's strained voice.

Sara mind linked with Kevin, urging him to pick up the phone upstairs, telling him, it was his cousin Leanne.

"What's up cous?" Sara heard a breathless Kevin answer, moments later.

"Somebody's after me, Kevin. I need help to disappear for a while," Leanne cried.

Kevin wasted no time asking questions. His, "where are you?" and "we'll be there in ten minutes," showed how seriously he was taking the threat to family.

"I'll be back soon honey," was all he offered Sara, as he gathered the keys for the car.

"Hey I'm coming too, you might need me to act as decoy," insisted Sara.

"What about Maggie? We can't bring her along. Who will look after her, while we're gone?"

"She'll be okay, don't forget she's not just a little girl." Sara threw back, determined to go with Kevin.

"Maggie, we have to go out for a while," explained Sara as she knelt down to explain why Maggie had to stay behind. "Don't open the door for anyone, and be a good girl for mommy okay?"

"Yes mommy, can I watch Telebision?"

"Sure honey, bye now," Sara kissed Maggie on the cheek and followed Kevin outside, locking the front door behind her.

Kevin was lucky that no police intercepted his race to where Leanne was holed up, as he exceeded the speed limit whenever he could do it safely. They pulled into an industrial area, where they found where Leanne had driven her car between stacks of wooden pallets that hid her car from the casual observer. Leanne jumped into Kevin's car where Sara used her Krin to exchange bodies with her. They exchanged clothes and Sara, now looking and dressed as Leanne got into Leanne's car.

"Will she be safe? These people are dangerous, I already got shot at once, and I don't want to get her killed too." Leanne asked fearfully.

"Sara has the Krin. She can look after herself, she's stronger that she looks you know." Answered Kevin, as they watched Sara drive off in Leanne's car, before moving off themselves.

"What's this all about?" asked Kevin curiously, as he looked in his rear vision mirror for signs of trouble.

"I'm in real estate right? Well I was looking over a property, prior to getting it ready for the market, when I found something in it. Something that the mafia think I still have. Apparently, it was a mobster's house and the guy had records showing lists of blackmail links between some prominent politicians and their mobster connections. I'm not sure whether it's the mob or the others that want those lists back, and me out of the way, preferably dead, I think."

Kevin knew he could lose any tails by changing the car setting, but Sara didn't have that luxury, driving Leanne's car. He tried warning her with a mental message, but either she was too far away, or he wasn't able to drive and maintain the concentration needed to communicate with her while she was out of visual range.

"I don't suppose you left your phone in the car?" Kevin asked hopefully.

"No, sorry," Leanne shrugged apologetically, showing him her phone still clenched in her hand. "She left hers in her bag, I take it," Leanne added, holding up Sara's handbag for Kevin to see.

"Damn, oh well, she'll have to take her chances." Kevin said, trying again to warn Sara with a mental message. Kevin spotted a likely tail, and started some cautious manoeuvres to confirm it. He took a spare Krin from the glove box and handed it to Leanne.

"Here, use this setting to change your body form until I can get somewhere that I can alter the car and us with it," offered Kevin.

Leanne was soon somebody else, a young 15-year-old male, with what looked like punk styled hair with assorted coloured streaks running through it.

The tail continued to pursue them, despite having no female occupants inside. Kevin assumed they were interested in the car, not who was in it. Maybe they knew Leanne had made a call for someone. They may have known the general area she had holed up and were waiting and watching anyone she may have contacted or been seen leaving the general vicinity. Kevin doubted it was the mob, more likely it was one of the politicians trying to protect his ass. The mob would just shoot first, anyone who might have the information they wanted. The politicians might have the clout to have Leanne's calls monitored, and would want to keep things discrete. They couldn't just rely on killing Leanne, they would need to silence anyone involved, before the information became public knowledge.

Kevin managed to get far enough ahead of the tail to duck into a side street. He altered the car into the Volvo, causing them to become Steve and Margaret Ellery. He stopped the car and waited, hoping that the tail had seen them turn right. Sure enough, the dark grey sedan tooled past, picking up speed, as it's quarry was nowhere in sight. Kevin, now Steve, pulled back into the traffic, trying to follow the car ahead. He knew it was a dangerous game, but he was playing a hunch.

Sara saw a car pull out behind her, as soon as she left the industrial estate. She kept a wary eye out, but didn't increase speed. She belated realised her phone was back in the car, as the car behind, closed on her. She hoped the tail had missed the others, but knew Kevin could shake pursuit if necessary. The direction she'd taken was opposite to Kevin's, knowing, he'd be travelling towards the city and back to the condo. Unfortunately, it meant she was leaving the bustle of the city for the quieter country roads.

This gave the car following the chance to do some panel beating, trying to rearrange her back bumper. Sara had the car going as fast as it could, but it was old and long past its use fast date. She couldn't shake the more powerful car behind, and the engine was protesting this unaccustomed pace by raising steam. Sara knew by the temperature gauge, that she couldn't keep going long. Her only defence at this stage was the Krin, and she wasn't sure just how she was going to get out of this one.

Kevin saw the car finally give up, and reduce speed, as the driver realised he'd lost his quarry. Kevin followed, hoping he wasn't doing something stupid. He just wished he knew where Sara was. Then he had a brain wave. Maggie could sense anyone wearing the Krin. Kevin phoned the condo, hoping Maggie was still inside and not asleep.

"Maggie, this is Kevin, I need you to tell me where Sara is," he asked, as he heard Maggie's voice answer the phone.

Maggie knew by the anxious tone that Sara wasn't with Kevin, and her, "she's with you," answer wasn't what Kevin wanted to know. She concentrated, getting into mental state that allowed her to sense the Krin enhanced aura of Sara. She then found the distinctive pattern that represented Kevin's location.

"She's north of you, about 20 miles." She told Kevin.

"There's a map in the top drawer in our bedroom, can you use that to pinpoint the location?" Kevin asked.

Maggie left the phone dangling, the noise of it banging the wall, making Kevin wince, as the sound clanged in his ear. He heard running footsteps and the rustle as the phone was picked up again.

"Mommy is moving north on Sutton road," Maggie panted into the phone as she saw the aura of Sara overlaying the open map of the area.

"Thanks honey, I'll call you again in a few minutes. Just keep track of her, while I get closer."

Sara desperately looked for any place she could that might serve to shake off her pursuer. The car struggled to maintain its present speed, as the punishment from the car behind, continued. Sara was pushed to control the car and keep it pointed in the right direction. She saw a sign, announcing that up ahead, was a turn off to a scenic lookout. She hoped that she'd be able to slow her pursuer on the narrower road, especially if it was a dirt one, like so many of the ones off the main road. She hoped her skills, racing as Scott in the back roads of home, were still with her, as she prepared to make the sudden left turn.

Tires squealed, as she flung the abused car in drift across the road. The other car missed the turn, giving her some breathing space, as she changed gear to make the most of her escape route. The dust from the road obscured the view she had of the car behind. She knew that it would be on her tail, and the dust left a clear indication of where she was heading. At least the dust meant time out for playing bumper cars, as the other car dropped back 50 yards. Unfortunately, the climb to the lookout killed what was left of the engine, and it was making grinding noises as she topped out on the small car park. Sara tried to brake, but the pedal just went to the floor with no response.

"Shit," she gasped, as the car careered out of control towards the light barrier where the edge of the cliff ended.

Sara managed to open the door, and jump out, before Leanne's car became another cliff ornament. She rolled in the dirt, getting slightly bruised and scratched in the process. She heard the car crashing over the cliff, making tearing metal sounds that slowly subsided. The car that was following arrived, just as Sara was getting to her feet. She started to get angry, her body filling with adrenaline, as she watched the car stop and two men get out.

The posture of the two men, as they advanced, showed that they weren't going to commend her on her driving skills. The guns they carried and were pointing her way showed that the likelihood of her walking away was remote.

Sara had no weapons, no glasses either. She realised that this was the end of the road. Still clad in Leanne's form, she stood waiting for the inevitable. Her thoughts turned to Kevin and Maggie realising all of what she had to live for. As the men stopped and raised their weapons, she felt something primal begin to boil up inside. How dare these people come along and try and take her life just when she getting to love it.

She raised her arms with her hands facing towards the men, as if she could ward off the death that was about to spew out at her, shouting "NOOO!" as the men fired their weapons at her.

Kevin was driving as fast as he could and was closing in ob where Sara was supposed to be. Time for Maggie to use her GPS on Sara again. He had Leanne ring Maggie.

"Hi Maggie, we need to know where mommy is now," Leanne asked, gently when Maggie answered.

"She's at the centennial lookout," answered Maggie, having already traced Sara's route on the map. "Hurry, cos something's happening," Maggie pleaded, sensing a change in Sara's aura.

"Why? What's happening?" asked Leanne, having relayed Maggie's message to Kevin.

"Her aura's changing," Maggie supplied, knowing something bad was happening.

To be continued.

Carversion -43-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Three

On hearing that Sara's aura was changing, Kevin felt a sudden chill. 'Was she okay? Had she been hurt?' These thoughts rushed through his mind like quicksilver.

"I'm nearly there," he let Maggie know, having turned up the dirt road to the lookout.

"Hurry," was Maggie's reply.

As Kevin approached the top where the map on the computer showed a dead end, he slowed. A car, similar to the one he'd tried following earlier, was stopped on the side of the road near the top. Kevin spotted two men, scrambling for cover, as he passed it. He was sure they were armed. Driving out onto the small car parking area, he saw a sight that amazed and scared him.

Sara was standing holding her hands outstretched in front of her. Two men were shooting at her with guns. What Sara was doing, nearly made Kevin hit the gunman's car, as his eyes caught sight of the nimbus surrounding her body. He swerved aiming for the gunman, not caring if they got in the way. They heard him and scattered, trying to shoot at him, as he passed. Kevin drifted the car sideways towards Sara, coming to a stop in front of her.

"Get in!" He cried, as he managed to get the rear door open. He could hear bullets spanging off the car, and knew the gunmen would soon move around the shield he'd used the car for. Sara stumbled inside, seemingly dazed at her survival, while Kevin planted his boot, causing the half open passenger door to snap closed. As he accelerated away, he heard bullets ricocheting off the cars invulnerable skin. Kevin spun the car around and headed for the exit, seeing the first set of men he’d seen, talking into a radio of some sort.

Sara felt an up welling of power flood her body, as she saw the men aim at her, as she cried out NOOO! She felt some energy fill her hands. In some instinctive move, she pushed at the gunman with this energy, hoping that whatever it was, it would protect her. To her eyes, it seemed that a violet nimbus shield, pushed out in front of her. It also seemed to be covering her arms, staying about an inch away from her actual skin. A quick glance down confirmed that her whole body was encased in this glow.

She saw the bullets fired at her, splash against the shield she held in front of her. Somehow, she could feel the bullets tugging at the shield, as their energy dissipated. Just then, she heard another car, and saw Kevin careen into the car park. He scattered the gunmen, who flung themselves aside, ending up on the ground. She was pulled out of her daze, by his shout to get in the car. She jumped in, leaving the door ajar, as Kevin floored the accelerator

Kevin was worried that the men with the radios were bringing backup, as he rocketed back down the road at break neck speed. He didn't want to meet another car coming the opposite way at this speed. He slowed, remembering that this was a public road and anybody might be coming along. Just as he thought he was clear, ahead, he saw another car turn off the main route and head towards them. Kevin realised it was the car he'd tried tailing, so obviously the men with the radio were with the people in the oncoming car. As the two cars neared each other, the approaching car turned sideways, skidding to a halt across the narrow road. Kevin didn't slow, aiming for a narrow gap between the ditch and the right front quarter panel of the car. The impact, as they struck the other car, was remarkably mild, as the inbuilt stabilisers kept the car in line. For the other car, it was somewhat different. The car jolted backwards with the impact with two tons of Shelke technology. The whole right wing and part of the suspension was torn away with a loud bang, imparting a spin that had it facing the other way.

"Yeah, go baby, go baby!" Cheered Leanne, as they passed the roadblock without a scratch.

"Looks like I owe you a car," Sara said, coming out of her daze.

"I want this one," laughed Leanne, half seriously, as she turned to look at Sara.

"Um, well we'll see," responded Sara, hoping she was joking.

"Just kidding, with all the knobs and gizmos, I'd spend more time playing with them than paying attention to the road. I'd be a worst driver than I am already," giggled Leanne, releasing the built up anxiety.

"How did you do that thing, back there?" Kevin asked Sara, now they were back on the road again.

"The bullet proof aura thing?"

"Yeah!"

"I have no idea," lamented Sara.

"It reminded me of that movie Matrix, with that Reeves guy, where he stopped all the bullets.

The two men working for the senator hearing the shots and Kevin's mad dash for freedom, advanced into the parking area in time to see the mobsters run for their own car. Guns were drawn as they spotted each other with the mobsters ending up dead. The men hadn't been given specific orders to shoot the woman, just to get the package back, but killing the mobsters was another thing. Not having seen the woman in the car that had left, Sara having been crouched down in the back, they searched around for the woman's car.

Finding no sign of her body in the wreck, or in the surrounding area, they concluded that she must have been in the car that had come and gone. Their calls to the backup team went unanswered, as they made their way back to roadblock they had asked for. The reason for the no reply became clear, as they found the wrecked car. The driver and passenger were still unconscious from the vicious impact. The deflated airbags the only reason they were still alive. A radio call for a helo was sent, along with a fresh description of the car.

Julie woke to the sound of her mom rattling around in the kitchen. She plucked at the strange nightgown she was wearing, as the memory of the previous night filtered through her momentary confusion. She rose, and sat on the edge of the bed, letting her brain recall what had happened. She spotted the robe her mom had left her, the night before, although technically it had been early morning when they'd got to bed.

She slipped the robe on and went to the bathroom, where, after doing the necessary, she washed her face to fully wake up. Making her way into the kitchen, she kissed her mom on the cheek, as she was busy cooking eggs.

"Hi mom," Julie greeted her startled mother.

"Ah! Don't do that, I nearly jumped out of my panties," chided her mom with pained expression.

"You must have, I don't see you wearing any," laughed Julie, looking at her mom's body, that was showing through her diaphanous nightgown.

Her mom blushed, as she realised that nothing much was really being hidden from view.

"I've been on my own for so long, that this is the way I usually look in the mornings. I'll go get dressed," her mom explained, making a move to leave.

"Hey! Don't change on my account," Julie countered. "I got one just like it," with that, Julie lifted her hem to show herself in all her glory.

"You may be a girl, but you need lessons in acting like a lady," opinioned Amelia, snatching a glance at her daughter's raunchy display.

"That's your job," grinned Julie, baiting the hook. "You didn't teach me much on being a lady when I was Daniel, so I figure you can do a better job this time."

"Oh honey, I feel awful," Amelia cried, hugging her daughter. "I knew you were dressing up, but I was scared to say anything. Part of me wanted to help and part wanted it to go away. I thought if I came right out and said something, I'd hear the news that you were gay or something. By not saying anything I'd hoped it was a passing phase that would go away with time. I agonised for years over whether I should have helped you with it. I loved you as a son, but somehow I wished you'd be my daughter too..."

Amelia sobbed, holding onto Julie with a death grip.

"Mom, its okay, son or daughter, I love you and always will," Julie cried, joining in on the shedding of tears.

Julie felt heartened at her mother's response; to be accepted and loved was all she had ever wanted, time now to make up for lost time. The smell of eggs cooking, prompted her to release her mom and take over the job of breakfast. Over the next few hours, Julie filled Amelia in on the details of her change and all the little bits; she had glossed over, the night before.

Amelia in turn, questioned Julie on just about everything she could think of. She was especially interested in knowing about her relationship with William.

"So he's the one that makes you melt inside?"

"Yes Mother," Julie emphasised, letting her mom know, she didn't want an in depth analysis of William's shortcomings.

"I never thought Scott would choose to be female, as I never saw any signs of it in the way he acted," Amelia said, tactfully changing the subject.

"I think it surprised her as well, but I'm glad she made her decision, or I might not have had the courage to declare my own true nature."

"Oh! So I have her to blame for the loss of my son," declared Amelia, feigning outrage at the information.

"NO! Mom, don't you go assigning blame on Sara, she is my friend, she made her own decision..." defended Julie, before seeing the grin on her mothers face. "Oh you really got me started that time," she grumbled, pouting a little.

Amelia laughed.

"Son or daughter, I'm glad you stick up for your friends. Maybe I should thank her for giving me a daughter I can pass my knowledge onto. I don't feel so useless now that I have a new purpose in life... to teach my daughter, all that I learned growing up. I hope you'll let me be part of your life now."

"Mom, of course I will, in fact, why don't you move west with us, there's nothing left for you here, and I'm sure I'll be needing your advice soon enough." Suggested Julie, giving her mom a pleading look.

"You're not pregnant are you?" asked Amelia, immediately jumping to the wrong conclusions.

"Do you want me to be?" answered Julie with another question, while grinning at the look on her mom's face.

"Only after a discrete interval after he walks you down that aisle, preferably 9 months," her mom answered, the implication coming across loud and clear.

"MOM, I'm not a virgin, but don't worry. I can't get pregnant accidentally, at least in this body," she explained, seeing her mothers, 'I've heard that before,' look.

"Where could I live, if I decided to move?" Amelia asked, changing subjects.

Julie didn't answer, her thoughts already turned to figuring out, which of the three spare bedrooms in the condo would suit her mom.

Bob came out with only a towel around his waist, after his shower. He'd been completely bemused by his visitor and forgotten to take a fresh set of clothes in with him. He saw Cindy turn and watch him, as he went into his bedroom.

He shucked the towel, as he reached the drawers containing fresh underwear. He had just retrieved a pair of briefs, when a cough behind him made Bob turn around. Cindy stood in the doorway, holding a cup of something hot, judging by the way it steamed. Belatedly Bob realised he'd given her the full Monty, and his embarrassed blush reached places, not usually seen by others.

"I made a hot chocolate for you," stammered Cindy, who was also flushed. She licked her lips, and brought her breathing back to normal, as Bob shimmied into his briefs and then grabbed some shorts to put on.

Bob hoped he hadn't offended his saviour, as he was normally very casual about appearing nude in his home.

"Sorry about that, I didn't realise..." He started, as he turned around again. Cindy planted a kiss on Bob's lips, cutting off the rest of the apology, having walked up behind Bob as he put on his shorts.

"You have nothing to apologise for; after all, this is your house. Besides I enjoyed the view," she added boldly, looking him in the eye.

"Glad to be of service Miss...?" Bob returned, wondering if she would volunteer her name.

Bob took the cup, and drank several swallows of the steaming liquid. He watched her over the rim of the cup, seeing a mischievous light flicker in those deep limpid pools.

"Cindy... Cindy Winters," she offered, holding both arms open for a hug.

"Not Cindy from the chat room?" asked Bob curiously.

"That's me," supplied Cindy, smiling wider.

Bob put down the cup, and enveloped Cindy in a hug, keeping his hands respectively on her back.

"What brings you up to my neck of the woods, not that I'm complaining, mind."

"You," giggled Cindy, while wondering why she was acting this way. Something about this man, made her want to tear off those shorts and hop into bed with him. It wasn't just because of Bob's endowment; it went far deeper than that. It was as if he completed her, despite the difference in ages. He made her feel like a teenage girl again. Some impulse made her loosen her towel above her breasts, so that when she pulled away, her towel dropped away.

Bob gasped and clutched his heart, seeing Cindy's soft perfectly shaped globes, made his heart flutter like a caged bird. Being the man he was, he refused to lower his gaze to seek out lost civilisations and boldly go... he slapped himself mentally from becoming captain jerk.

Cindy worried for a second, thinking she’d gone to a galaxy far far… (Sorry, couldn’t resist,) gone too far. She didn't want to give Bob a heart attack. She saw with relief that Bob was okay, although he still had a somewhat glazed expression on his face. Cindy noted that his eyes didn't wander from her face except for a brief flicker to her chest. To her, that meant a lot, and proved her initial judgement of his character was correct.

To be continued.

Carversion -44-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Four

"Shall I pick up your towel, or do you want to do it?" Bob asked hesitantly, pretty sure that she'd done it deliberately.

"You can, if you like," offered Cindy with a wink, stepping back and allowing him room to bend over.

Taking her answer as permission to gaze upon her body, Bob kept his head level with eyes looking straight ahead as he bent his knees in order to reach the towel. He licked his lips, seeing the gorgeous orbs pass upwards as his head lowered to about her navel. A quick glance down to look for the towel, gave him a fleeting glance at her neatly trimmed crotch, giving a shrouded view of her sex. Bob rose quickly to his feet feeling aroused and sad that once the towel was restored, that magnificent body would be hidden.

To his delight, Cindy slung the offered towel over her shoulder, and then walked to his bed and sat down.

"Bob, I take it that you like this body?" Cindy asked, beckoning him over.

"It's perfect," offered Bob, starting to walk to her.

"What if I said, you could have this body," there Cindy paused, letting Bob come to the obvious conclusion, before adding, "I mean really have this body, as in being me."

Bob paused, wondering whether Cindy was being serious, or on drugs. This was no bodysuit she was wearing; nothing artificial could replicate the beauty of this woman. For a second, Bob felt like he was in one of those stories he'd read on Fictionmania, or Storysite. He thought about his answer, as he sat down beside her.

"Theoretically speaking, it would be nice to experience having a body like yours for a while. What man hasn't, even for a fleeting moment, thought what it would like, to be female, having breasts and a vagina and experience what a woman feels during sex."

"I can make it happen if you like... for a short time, that is," added Cindy, knowing she preferred her men to be a man.

Bob sat deep in thought. He wrote TG fiction and had hosted numerous sites for the transgendered, not because he wanted to be female, but because he genuinely wanted to help. He had found that these people, despite their own problems, coming to terms with who they were or wanted to be, they still reached out, offering help and advice to the less fortunate. He had made many friends among those that frequented the chat rooms and was respected in return. What Cindy seemed to be offering would help him understand the female mindset help make his stories better, but a voice of warning clamoured in the back of his mind.

"Bob, before you say anything," Cindy reached out and took his hand. "I need to tell you about the Shelke. Hang on to your sanity, as this one story will strain your touch on reality."

Bob sat there, on the bed, while Cindy related all she knew about the Shelke and the Krin and what lay ahead for mankind.

Tyrone and Cathy had parted ways. Cathy, impatient to get going didn’t want to wait to get her own Shelke equipped vehicle, instead, she had used money that Tyrone supplied her, to buy a 4x4. She had decided to go south and meet up with Kim and piper, who were old friends of hers. She placed her pet cat, ‘Roadblock’ in the cab, making sure she didn't hog the driver's seat then she thanked Tyrone effusively, before tooling off in her sturdy 4x4. Oddly, she had decided to go for something most men would have chosen, but had laughed off Tyrone's suggestion that it must be the lingering testosterone in her brain that had chosen for her.

"Nah, I just want something rugged and reliable, a go anywhere vehicle. I don't want to be looked at like some helpless female in her dinky little car. Maybe I want to put some of those rednecks noses out of joint when I pull up at a truck stop," laughed Cathy, in high spirits.

Tyrone had posted in various message boards, his current location, for those game enough to take the plunge into femininity. He had wanted to head to Canada to see Ricky, another person, who needed help urgently, but decided to stay a bit longer, just in case. Just as Tyrone and Carolyn were about to head north, a timid knock on the RV door was heard. Tyrone switched quickly to Tyrissa, knowing her female presence was less intimidating to potential customers.

"Hello, are you the ones. I've read about on the net?" whispered a quiet voice, from their visitor.

Tyrissa looked at the guy, seeing an overweight male of about 47 years old. His vague question showing that he didn't want to give too much away, in case what he'd read on the boards was just a load of male bovine excrement.

"I'm sure we are," Tyrissa replied, keeping a neutral expression on her face, as she tormented her visitor briefly with her noncommittal answer. Seeing the guy squirm and fidget, as he tried to come up with a question that wouldn't have Tyrissa laugh in his face, Tyrissa relented, and gave him a big smile.

"Do you just want a full makeover, or do you want the special?" Offered Tyrissa, putting her arm around the guys shoulder before leading the way to the rear of the RV. Tyrissa could feel the guy's nervousness as he walked beside her. Carolyn opened the salons doors from the inside, in time to see the man's eyes widen at the interior. Tyrissa propelled the man inside, before her changed his mind. She closed the doors behind her, as she stepped up inside, behind the man.

"What's the special?" mumbled the man, as he looked at the two women warily.

"Full womanhood, with one extra form as an extra." Demonstrated Tyrissa, changing back to Tyrone. The man's legs buckled, and he half fell into one of the chairs, as he saw the miracle occur in front of him.

"So, so, it is t, true," he stammered, pinching himself.

Tyrone knew from Carolyn's small nod prior to the demonstration, that the man was the genuine article. Somehow Carolyn had developed the ability to weed the wheat from the chaff. There had been one incident where it had come in handy. A man, clearly a crossdresser, had accosted them while they were at a stoplight in the city. He'd asked for a makeover, then and there, even though it was late evening. Tyrone had been willing to do it, and had pulled over along the street. The man had entered the RV and Tyrissa had just started his spiel. Carolyn had put the apron on the man to protect his clothes, when she had shivered. She had then indicated that Tyrone speak with her in private.

"He's an undercover cop; I felt it when I touched him. Give him his makeover, but don't mention anything else." Carolyn had told him.

Since then, her gift had grown stronger. She didn't need to touch anyone anymore.

Tyrone had also gained a gift, mostly when he was Tyrissa; at least it manifested itself strongest while in female form. Carolyn could read the surface thoughts of people around her, but Tyrissa could sense future events when dealing with individual people. She'd seen the man as a female, living happily with another female, the moment she had touched him. This made the choice of whether to reveal the Krin's powers much easier.

The moment Carolyn had realised she was picking up the thoughts from people around her, she asked Tyrone to ring Kim about it, thinking if it was a side effect of the Krin, then she should know about it. Tyrone, after hearing that the others had also manifested paranormal abilities, soon realised that her own small flashes of insight, must be of a similar paranormal origin.

Finding out that they may end up with two abilities was a shock, but proved to be true, as they accidentally discovered them, not long after.

Carolyn could read minds and in a restaurant they were in, a waiter was constantly checking out her boobs. She could 'hear' him thinking how he'd like to play with them, if he had a chance. In disgust, she thought back at him, that he should get his own boobs to play with, not realising that her thoughts hit the guy like a bomb. Feeling the waiter's thoughts suddenly echo her thoughts, about acquiring his own, shocked her, and before she realised that she'd somehow influenced his mind, the waiter had run out of the restaurant in the search for his goal.

Tyrone remembered splitting himself laughing, as she told him what had happened.

His mirthful, "couldn't happen to a nicer guy," helped her get over feeling guilty.

Carolyn thought this was just part of her first ability, but Tyrone thought it more likely to be a separate, but related one.

Tyrone's second ability showed up when he was running his finger down the list of people they wanted to visit. When he stopped on Ricky's name, as being the most needy at the moment, he felt he could see where Ricky was. Apparently anyone's written name he touched and specifically thought about, allowed him to pinpoint them better than a GPS. Better still, they didn't need to be wearing a Krin

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Tyrone saw that Carolyn was asking him what his name was.

"Jerry Mason," he replied reluctantly.

"Don't worry Jerry, we don't go in for blackmail," Carolyn reassured him, sensing his thoughts. "You want the special, I see," Carolyn added, delving into Jerry thoughts.

"Are you mind readers as well?" asked a nervous Jerry.

"As a matter of fact..." here, Carolyn gave Jerry a big smile, before asking him to picture his ideal female form.

Using the laptop, Carolyn coaxed the image she had seen in Jerry's mind, onto the screen. Jerry added helpful comments, as the picture grew in definition. Once satisfied, Carolyn pressed send.

Tyrone asked Jerry a few questions, while they waited for the newly programmed Krin to arrive.

"You're married, I take it?" he asked, getting a nod in response. "Does your wife have long blonde hair with a reddish tint to it?" Again a nod. "Okay, does she have a mole on her wrist about this big?" Tyrone persisted, demonstrating with a pencil and paper.

"Yes, but how do you know this?" Jerry quaked in near panic.

"She doesn't know about your female side, does she?"

"Noooo..." wailed Jerry, holding his head in his hands.

Tyrone touched him gently, getting more impressions of Jerry's future.

"It's okay, trust me, once you get home, tell her, then demonstrate by using the bracelet to transform into your female form." Insisted Tyrone, nodding to Carolyn.

Carolyn gave him the Krin, which had popped into the special drawer, via the Shelke wormhole thing. She instructed him on how it worked, and repeated Tyrone's instructions to tell his wife with that extra power of hers.

"I take it, that his wife will accept his feminine self?" Carolyn asked, after Jerry had left.

"Yes, I saw them making love, in a classic 69. I think they will be very happy together, in either of Jerry's forms," replied Tyrone, kissing his wife ardently.

"Let's get on the road. I feel we need to get going," Carolyn insisted, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

Maggie's welcome, when Sara, Kevin and Leanne returned to the safety of the condo, looked more like the move of a pint sized gymnast, as she leaped into the nearest convenient set of arms. Kevin managed to catch the flying toddler, swinging her around, before giving Maggie to Sara, who had followed him in.

"Mommy, you's gots pretty purple colours in aura now," giggled Maggie as Sara hugged her tight.

"I guess if we needed a fancy Xmas tree decoration, you could hang me in the tree," grinned Sara, thankful to be home safe with Kevin and Maggie.

When Leanne entered, she was introduced to Maggie, before Sara handed her the wriggling child. Sara felt wiped out from the aftermath of her escape. She went and sat on the couch, while Kevin rewarded Maggie with another chocolate fish treat.

"Here, this is for showing me where mommy was, and giving me the chance to help her escape." He said, giving her a kiss in the process.

Leanne let Maggie down, allowing her to run over to Sara and offer her a part of her treat.

"Thanks honey, I love you," Sara said after giving her a kiss as well. The bite of the marshmallow, with its sweet taste, seemed to go straight to her head, making her feel much better. Sara felt her energy levels increase and realised that her powers come at a cost.

Whatever she did to stop those bullets, obviously took energy, energy that needed to be replaced as soon as possible. Kevin asked if there was anything wrong, seeing that Sara seemed to be without her usual 'zing.'

"Do you want a drink?" he asked, moving to the mini bar.

"Food please, I need to build up energy with something substantial," she answered, waving off his offer of Vodka.

Kevin got Maggie to give him a hand in the kitchen, leaving Sara in peace, in the lounge. Sara decided to ring Kim for some answers.

Leanne had unpacked the meagre belongings in the bedroom Kevin had assigned to her. She'd managed to grab a few clothes, which she'd thrown in a duffle bag, before her flight from the mob. She took out the CDrom that was the cause of her problems. She took it downstairs, to where Sara was on the phone in the lounge. She sat and waited, till Sara, asked if that was the disc with the information on it. Getting Leanne's nod, she imparted this to the person on the other end of the line. After a few minutes, Sara hung up,

"Well that was interesting," she said, as Kevin brought in some sandwiches for everyone.

"What was?" asked Kevin, helping himself to a huge doorstop of a sandwich, that he'd obvious marked as his own.

Kim says that I used a special kind of TK field that works to convert the air to form an impassable barrier. She couldn't be specific, not having observed it herself, but said it would stop anything that was of a lower mass than myself, anything higher would probably cause me to move backward, until I hit something of equal or higher mass."

"Then what?" asked Kevin, seeing an image of Sara being crushed in the advent of having a car hit her and being pressed back against a wall, squashing her.

If I was moved backwards against a tree for instance, it would become part of my mass and the field would use it as an anchor and protect me against whatever was thrown at me," answered Sara.

"So you'd become like the immovable object, then?" Queried Leanne in wonder.

"Yes."

"Okay, when can I get one of these Wonder Woman bracelets," Leanne laughed jokingly.

"How about right now," Sara replied, smiling as she saw the expression on Leanne's face.

"You really mean it?" asked Leanne, seeing Kevin nod. "Awesome," she gushed.

To be continued.

Carversion -45-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Five

While Tyrone and Carolyn were busy rescuing Ricky from the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, using a similar approach they'd worked out for Cathy, William had reached his hometown.

He was in disguise, as Mi Ling, not wanting to be recognised, in case his presence was reported to his dad, or the police. He'd adopted Mi Lings form just out of town, and had the car in the VW shape. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen her form over any of the others, he knew Julie wouldn't mind, and it was kinda fun when he stopped at the local hangout to get a milkshake. The usual red neck crowd were there, bragging to each other over their most recent conquest.

William knew most of it was lies, told to get some sort of edge over each other, in the prowess stakes.

When Mi Ling strutted in, wearing a tight silk dress that allowed a glimpse of her underwear in certain light conditions, due to its translucency, silence reigned, as all male eyes swivelled to take in her beauty.

She ordered a chocolate milkshake, licking her lips in anticipation. The guy behind the counter stumbled and nearly fell, as he responded to her order. William grinned inside his delicious form, knowing that his old school mate was taken in by his new body.

A stampede of feet, heralded the arrival of her would be suitors, as the men vied to be the one to pay for her shake.

"Boys, boys, settle down, give a girl a bit of elbow room here," she breathed, reaching for her order.

One of the bolder lads asked her if she would like something stronger. She wasn't sure if he was offering her an alcoholic drink or himself, seeing he was bigger than the others.

"Simon thanks for the offer, but I already have a lover," she replied, winking at the confused former school mate.

Simon blushed, feeling awkward as he tried to remember who this girl was, that knew his name. He knew she was a stranger, yet she acted as if she knew him. Her comment about having a lover finally sank in, making him realise, that she thought his offer of a drink, was mistaken for an offer of his body. Instead of being sad that she wasn't available, he felt pleased that she might have accepted him had she not already had a guy of her own.

He walked back to his mates, knowing that at least she let him down nicely and left him with a sense of self esteem for his effort. He took the ribbing of his mates in stride, knowing they wouldn't have faired any better. They watched the woman, who hadn't offered a name, finish her shake. The way she slowly licked her lips, after she finished, made them all imagine those same lips pressing against their own.

Mi Ling knew she was under scrutiny, as she finished off her drink. She grinned inside, knowing the thoughts going through the heads of her former classmates. It gave her a thrill, knowing that she had them in the palm of her hand, without doing anything, other than breathe deeply to cause the material over her breasts to become taut, or lick her lips seductively. She looked at her watch, sighing, as she knew she'd better get moving. She slipped off the stool and straightened her dress, moving her hands down over her figure in an attempt to remove the imaginary wrinkles. She turned to the guys, and gave them a smile and a half wave, before turning and walking out to her car. She blushed, thinking about that last show she had put on for the guys, as she got into the car.

'Mi Ling was such a flirt,' she thought, trying to blame her performance on the inbuilt programming of this body she was in. She noted with satisfaction, that most of the guys had come to the door to watch her leave. 'Being an attractive woman was fun,' she thought idly, before realising where her mind was heading. Trying to claw back her masculinity, she thought of Julie and how much she, as William, loved her. It didn't help much, knowing that Julie loved being with Mi Ling as well.

Within minutes of leaving the towns main watering hole, William... or rather Mi Ling, as she was currently garbed, stopped the car outside Julie's home. She noted, with a sigh, that one of the lads from the watering hole had been curious enough to have followed her. He didn't stop, seeing she was getting out of the car, but she knew that her whereabouts would be common knowledge in roughly 3 minutes, at the hole.

Mi Ling walked confidently to the front door and was about to knock, when the door was yanked open and a curvy form flung itself at her. Julie blushed, not expecting to feel soft curves in her grasp. She'd sensed William coming, but not the form he was in, not that it mattered too much. She glanced around to see if anyone had observed their amorous, but unorthodox greeting, before hustling Mi Ling inside, with a giggle.

Amelia was prepared to meet William, but seeing the slight but curvaceous form of Mi Ling in her daughters arms, was almost too much. William reverted to his own form, before moving forward to greet Julie's mom.

"Mom that was Mi Ling, in case you hadn't guessed," giggled Julie, seeing the shock on her mom's face.

"I thought William's face might be a bit conspicuous after that business with the FBI and all," explained William. "I think I stirred up another kind of interest, when I stopped off for a shake at the hole, before heading here," he confessed, blushing as he did so.

Julie laughed, imagining the scene at the hole, if the usual crowd where there. Amelia had a good imagination as well, and could picture the scene when Mi Lin's exotic form graced the establishment in question. She smiled, seeing that Julie seemed amused and not a bit jealous that her boyfriend in the form of an attractive woman had been the main attraction of the testosterone filled local yobs. If Julie could accept William like that, then she could too, after all it took a man with balls to be comfortable as a woman. Amelia laughed out loud, as the irony of that thought struck her.

"I'm glad someone thinks it's funny," muttered William feigning a hurt tone.

"Sorry," Amelia gasped, managing to get her giggles under control.

William hugged Amelia, showing her that he wasn't hurt. When Amelia explained the cause of her laughter, they all joined in.

"Being a woman takes balls alright," commented William, managing to avoid the poke in the stomach that Julie aimed at him.

"Simon Carstairs hit on me. He didn't have a clue. The funny thing was, despite of the reek of testosterone as the guys preened themselves, and jockeyed for position, I didn't feel the least bit intimidated by them, even though they outweighed and out numbered me." William added, seeming amazed at the recollection.

"Probably because one, Mi Ling could have wiped the floor with them, and two, you knew the kind of guys they are, seeing you use to hang out with them," supplied Julie with an amused look.

"It's quite a change from the reaction I used to get," admitted William with a grin.

"He probably did it on purpose, just to see the reaction," surmised a smiling Amelia, as she saw the guilty look on William's face

"Enjoyed it, he did, hmmmm," intoned Julie in a Yoda type voice.

"Hey!" He started to protest, but thought better of it when his blush gave him away. "It was pretty good seeing them drool, I felt I had them under my power, it was really heady stuff," he admitted truthfully.

"Maybe the three of us could go down there and really knock their socks off," suggested Julie, with a devilish look in her eye.

"You two could, but I'm too old for those shenanigans," Amelia retorted, shaking her head.

"Not if the Krin has anything to say about it," winked Julie, looking at Williams "oh," of surprise.

Speculation was rife in the 'hole' about why the woman, they'd seen not long ago was visiting Amelia's house.

"Maybe that's Daniel's new girlfriend, come to pay her respects," chimed one of the lads in the back.

"Nah, if she was, where's William then, he couldn't be dumb enough to allow her to come here alone with you lot." Scoffed the owner behind the counter.

Any retort as to who his ancestors came from, was cut short by the arrival of three young women, one of whom, was the subject of their discussion.

Julie, Mi Ling, and Sara entered the 'hole' together, stopping just inside, to accustom themselves to the darker interior. Amelia was wearing Mi Ling's form, after conceding to Julie's urging, decided if she was going to do it, then she was going exotic. William had taken on Sara's form, so she was in the same age bracket as the others, declining to take the older more buxom form of Jennifer.

Seeing the stunned looks of the local lads, they sauntered up to the counter with a walk guaranteed to work better than Viagra ever could. Julie swore afterwards that she thought she heard the sounds of material being stretched, as the pants of every male grew instantly tighter. They each ordered an ice cream cone, putting as much sex appeal into their voices as they could. The guys stood there, mouths agape, trying to sort out which one to look at first. The three women had chosen to wear tight dresses that left nothing to the imagination, although at first, Amelia took some convincing.

Having been given their cones, they stood to face the room, licking their cones slowly and suggestively. Trying to keep a sexy look on their faces and lick ice cream was hard when all they wanted, was to burst out laughing. Some of the guys were mimicking their tongue action unconsciously, as the women slurped up the drips that threatened to fall from the cone.

"Hi guys," Julie finally said to the captivated audience. "I'm Julie, William's fiancée, he told me all about you," she added to the stunned lads.

William made a split second decision that he hoped Sara would forgive him for.

"And I'm Sara, Kevin's fiancée, and this is Mi Ling, she's a friend," the disguised William added.

The three women then turned and left, after winking at the men, who started to talk all at once. As they made it into the car, they heard questions fired at them from the men who had followed them out.

"When's the wedding, and where are Kevin and William?" was heard.

Julie wound the window down as William started to move off.

"Sorry boys, you aren't invited to the weddings, it's a girl's only affair," she ended with a giggle, as William spun the tires and sped off down the street, leaving the boys scratching their heads, as they pondered that last statement.

The three women let loose on the short journey home, making it a somewhat perilous journey as tears of laughter made driving for William, the ersatz Sara, rather more difficult.

"I haven't had fun like that in many a year," Amelia chuckled, trying to get herself under control.

"We could set you up with a younger body if you want," suggested Julie.

"No, that's okay Julie, I'm supposed to older than my daughter, anyway, I've had a full life, so I don't need to live it over, now I've got settled in my life," Amelia answered calmly.

They got back home and changed back to their normal bodies. William and Julie kissed each other after Julie ribbed William a little about her time as Sara. Amelia saw the sparks flying, and was content to know that her troubled son had at last found herself and had found someone that loved her as much as she did. Even though the future was uncertain, she was glad that they could still take the time to have some fun while they could.

To be continued.

Carversion -46-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Six

"Is that the disk that they were after," asked Sara, seeing the CD in Leanne's hand, as she twisted her wrist around. She was admiring the Krin that Kevin had just given her and had nearly forgotten the reason that she now needed one.

"Yes," she answered, handing over the disk in question. "Did Kim have any suggestions what to do with it?"

"Yes, and we can take care of it right now." Sara opened up the laptop that had been put on the small table in front of the couch. Moving the plates and magazines aside to make room, Sara inserted the CD into the slot and brought up the files contained within.

"Phew! There's a lot of stuff in here, no wonder both the mob and the senator wanted it," muttered Sara, as she concentrated on the various items.

Sara clicked an icon, sending the data on the disk direct to Kim. She then sat back, and relaxed, giving Leanne a satisfied smile.

"There, it's all done."

"Done? What's going to happen now?" asked a bewildered Leanne.

"Kim will send the data to several reputable news companies around the states, once it hits the papers, you'll be safe. They'll probably go into hiding to avoid prosecution, if they manage to avoid the police, who will also be informed. You might want to have a short vacation from yourself," here, Sara, looked pointedly at Leanne's new piece of jewellery. "Just in case someone decides to take a risk and wants revenge, Kim thinks that's unlikely; as they'll be too busy getting out of the USA."

"Okay, Jennifer sounds like nice vacation," Leanne agreed, laughing, as she saw Kevin roll his eyes.

"Roll your eyes around like that while Jennifers around, and I'll use them for marbles," threatened Sara, jokingly.

"Either that, or make him wear a pair of Jennifer's boobs as well," winked Leanne,

"Nah, with hooters like that, there'll be no room for me in the same bed," chuckled Sara. "Anyway he might just like that a bit too much. We'd never get him to do any work around here," Sara added, enjoying seeing the changing shades of red on Kevin's blushing face.

"Either that, or she'd use up all the hot water in the shower," Leanne added, grinning as she mimed washing boobs six inches further out from her own bust.

Kevin's head was nodding agreement, making Sara and Leanne shake their heads in mutual exasperation.

"What?" asked Kevin, trying to look innocent and hurt at their pretty accurate accusations.

So for the next month, Leanne remained Jennifer as the news broke about corruption in high places. The senator wasn't able to get away with it this time, as the FBI uncovered more evidence as his cronies ratted him out in exchange for lighter sentences. Several large syndicates had their ranks diminished, as their members exploits were exposed and dealt with.

That month saw the return of Julie and William, with Amelia following a week later, after having managed to sell up and move out to the condo. Kim organised to have a granny flat built on the property, where Amelia could live temporarily.

Other changes included the arrival of both Kevin and William's psychic abilities. Using the nexus to explore Sara's and Julie's abilities, and accruing extra girl time, while helping Sara organise her wedding plans, they soon discovered they had joined the ranks of the other gifted.

Kevin found he could levitate and induce objects to release their energy bonds, which made spectacularly noisy displays, as things exploded. William found himself able to become non-reactive to light rays, which made him pretty much invisible for all purposes. His second power proved handy for chilling his beers as he could absorb the calorific value from any non living material.

The discovery of the primary powers came by doing such innocent things as trying to catch a ball thrown too high or playing hide and seek with Maggie. The secondary powers were also revealed by similar means. Kevin had looked daggers at a rock that he'd stubbed his toe on while walking on the beach. The rock exploded with a bang, releasing its energy in one fell swoop causing it to disintegrate in a mini fireball.

William's gift for freezing stuff came when he opened a warm can of beer by mistake. His wish that it was cold ended up with it freezing solid in a second while it was still in his hand. When Kevin saw the vapour pouring of the sides, he gingerly touched it with a finger, instantly getting it stuck fast as it froze the moisture in his skin. Kevin's yelp and William's realisation that he'd caused it with his thought quickly prompted the reversal, freeing Kevin's finger from the can.

William seemed immune to the freezing contact, which when measured later in an experiment, proved to be in the cryogenic range of many hundreds of degrees below zero.

The Shelke had been busy as well, spreading different variants of the Krin to different segments of the community. Those enquiring in the chat rooms about the possibilities of getting their own body of choice were being vetted and supplied by the Shelke. Usually it meant that more than one received a Krin. Wives and other family members were often included, getting one as well. This process was like a juggernaut, slow to start moving, but once it started to increase speed, it became nearly unstoppable. The Shelke were using the same principles overseas, using the internet to start the process off and then employing those converted to spread the word.

"Julie, what do you think of having a double wedding?" Sara, asked, her head deep in a glossy magazine featuring wedding gowns.

"Sounds like fun, especially seeing you're going ahead with the double bride ceremony," answered Julie with a grin.

"Telling our parents is going to be fun… not," sighed Sara, closing the magazine and looking up.

"Are you still going to do it this weekend?"

"Yeah, we booked a hotel for both Kevin and my parents for a week, on the pretence of seeing our new place. We paid for their coach ride, and I was going to ask for William's parents to come along as well."

"Oh boy, that should be interesting," chuckled Julie, as she picked up and opened the discarded magazine.

"Yeah, oh boy is right," agreed Sara, watching Julie browsing through the various outfits displayed.

Sara made a call to the hotel, adding two extra guests, under the name O'Toole.

"Hi mom, hi dad," Kevin said, greeting his parents a few days later at the hotel.

"Hi yourself son, I hear from your mother that you're marrying some rich girl," commented Kevin's father Ben Black. "I hope she's not one of those spoiled brats that change their husbands to suit their new hairdo," he added, giving Kevin a one armed hug.

"Now Ben, don't you go jumping to conclusions," admonished June, as she wormed her way into a hug with Kevin. "I'm sure she's as wholesome as a girl next door," Kevin's mom added, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Kevin.

"Sorry June, but you know the stories as well as I do," replied Ben.

"Mom's half right," Kevin muttered under his breath, as he ushered them out to the waiting RV. Leaving them there with instructions not to touch anything, he then went to pick up Sara's parents, Sue and Peter Evans.

William knocked on the door of the room in which his parents were booked into. Despite Julie's assurances that his father had changed, he was still nervous of meeting him again. He still remembered his fathers parting words to him, when he told him that he was leaving home. The opening of the door curtailed further thought on the subject, as the smiling face of his mother, greeted him.

"Tom, William is here," she called over her shoulder, as she grasped her son in a hug. Amanda O'Toole led William to the couch, to await the arrival of his father from the bathroom.

Williams's first question to his mom about their trip west was cut short, when Tom entered the room. William gasped, making Amanda respond with a chuckle, as he took in his dad's new appearance. 'Where was the fat hairy monster, he remembered having for a dad?' He thought, seeing the clean shaven and 50 pound lighter figure masquerading as his father. He was wearing a suit, which also lent further credence to this being an impostor.

"Dad ad?" William stuttered, having trouble believing his eyes.

"It's me believe it or not," chuckled his dad, knowing he had shocked his son by his appearance.

"Mom?" William called, turning to her, seeking an explanation.

"Son, I'm sorry for what I said, when you left home. It was the alcohol talking. I know that's not a good excuse for all the times I went overboard at you and Amanda. Since your mom went ballistic and took control of my excesses, I've been a changed man. It hasn't been easy, but I've stopped drinking completely and even quit smoking. I have a lot of years to make up to you both, but God willing I'll be around long enough to make amends."

William was gob smacked. Amanda nodded her head, smiling at her husband's admissions, seeming happy with the current status of their marriage.

"Son, I'd like your forgiveness for my past behaviour, and hope we can still be friends, even though I don't deserve it," offered Tom, holding out his hand like an olive branch.

William stood and ignored the outstretched hand. Instead, he held out both arms and moved to enfold his dad in a hug. Tom's eyes glistened, threatening tears as he held his son once more in his arms, reminding him of days when William used to hug him as a child. William too, was overcome with emotion, not afraid anymore of letting others see the tears on his cheek. Tom let his tears flow, thinking, 'I have the son that I nearly lost forever, back with me.' Amanda joined in the hug, stealing a kiss from Tom and another from her son. She wiped the tears from their faces with the ubiquitous hanky that moms the world over, seem to be able to produce like magic. Amanda, seeing those tears, knew that the healing process had started, giving her hope that they could be a real family again.

"You look great dad," William commented, once they finally broke apart.

"You know son, I feel a whole better now that the weight has gone," agreed Tom, patting his stomach emphasising its flatness.

"So, what's this Julie like, and how did you meet her?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Are you sure you're ready to marry this girl and settle down?" Tom added. "What about a job? You didn't mention anything about that."

Mom, dad, I'll explain everything once we are at the condo. It's too complicated to give you a quick answer. Be prepared for some shocks, is all I can say for now," offered William, side stepping the questions.

Amanda and Tom looked at each other and shrugged, each wondering what was going on that had their son so nervous.

William got them moving at last, escorting them outside to the Volvo, where he prepared to take them to the meeting with the others. William wondered if his new and improved dad could handle what was about to be revealed. He hoped that the shock wouldn't send him crashing back to his old self.

Kevin knocked on the door where Peter and Sue Evans were booked in. Kevin had no plan of what he was going to say to them, hoping that inspiration would come to him, once they started talking. The door opened to reveal Peter standing there.

"Come in Kevin, it's good to see you again," Peter greeted him, opening the door and beckoning him inside. "Sue's putting her face on, so sit down, she might be a while." Peter laughed, having raised his voice for the last part.

"Hey! I heard that," a voice echoed from out of the bathroom. "I only do it for your sake dear. You should try doing what I do, just to look nice for a husband that doesn't appreciate it," Sue grumbled.

Peter winked at Kevin, raising his eyebrows in that time honoured expression men use, when they are being chastised and where they can't be seen by the chastiser.

Kevin smiled, but not for the reason Peter assumed. Kevin was fully on Sue's side, having been there, done that. Kevin was also smiling for another reason. Peter, if things went as planned, would get the chance to appreciate just what Sue was doing in the bathroom. At least Sue should be receptive to the idea of her husband crossing the gender divide. Peter and Kevin sat waiting, knowing that to start a conversation without Sue, would find them in more hot water.

"There, all done," Sue winked at Kevin, as she emerged from the bathroom, posing in the doorway.

Sue looked very elegant in her blue silk dress that was hugging her figure. Her face, which the topic of discussion had just been about, was perfect, in fact, apart from the subtle hint of eye shadow and the enhanced hue of her lips, she didn't look like she had any makeup on, unlike the plastered on look that most teenage girls use.

"See what I mean," Peter argued, digging a deeper hole for himself. "All that time, just for some lippy and eye shadow," he scoffed, using the imaginary shovel furiously.

Sue pouted, and shrugged, knowing it was useless trying to explain to her husband. She glanced to her visitor and saw that Kevin seemed sympathetic. She swore that he had silently mouthed, 'men,' and winked at her.

"How is Scott doing?" she asked Kevin. "You mentioned that he was getting married. I don't understand why he didn't call instead." Sue started asking, having perched herself on the arm of Peter's chair.

"I promised not to tell you, as it's rather complicated," Kevin fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable. "Once all the parents are together, then we'll explain. It's going to be a double wedding, as William is getting married at the same time," offered Kevin, sweating a little.

"Has this got anything to do with those FBI guys that came asking questions in town?" Peter asked, searching Kevin's eyes intently.

"Yes and no," Kevin replied, trying to evade giving a direct answer.

"Is Scott in trouble with the law?" asked Sue anxiously.

"Let's say he looks a little different now," conceded Kevin with a half truth, not denying or confirming Sue's question.

"Take us to him," demanded Sue, standing up and making it plain that she wouldn't tolerate further delay.

When Kevin helped them into the RV, a few minutes later, and the Evans saw the O'Toole’s sitting there, confusion reigned. Each knew the other, but expecting to see the bride's parents, instead of their son's friend's parents, only made the tension increase and left each set of parent's wondering what was going on.

To be continued

Carversion -47-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Seven

William pulled up beside Kevin, just as he was parking the RV. Seeing him with his parents only started more speculation, from the others, as they exited from the RV especially, when Amelia greeted them at the door. They greeted each other cautiously, as they entered the condo.

Kevin and William directed them to sit in the lounge, offering them all a drink. The guys indicated that they would need one or two, before hearing what was going on.

A knock on the door, announced the arrival of Kim, who had been asked to help in this rather delicate situation. She came and introduced herself as a friend of the guys. She was wearing a pair of glasses, and made sure to make eye contact with each of the new arrivals, bar Amelia, who already knew the score. Kevin, William and Sara's parents felt slightly odd, after looking at Kim. Unknown to them, she had put them all into a light hypnotic trance, that would allow them to be more acceptable of her words.

"I want you to listen calmly to what you will hear in the next few hours. You will not be able to leave until we are finished. When we have finished, you can ask any question you might have, but up till then, you'll allow us to talk uninterrupted."

When Kim finished talking, both Sara and Julie entered the room and introduced themselves by their new feminine identities. They then dropped the bombshell, by informing everyone of their previous identities.

The eyes of the men widened and both Peter and Tom surged up from their seats, or at least attempted to. Sara could see the muscles tense and then their eyes change, as they found that they were frozen in their seats. Kevin's dad, Ben seemed shocked as well, but had made no move to rise.

"Relax gentlemen, have another drink," suggested Kim, as she pressed down on their shoulders from her vantage behind them.

Both men sagged back into their seats; while Sara started telling everyone a condensed version of what happened from the moment Scott observed the Shelke leaving Earth, abandoning the truck, to the present day. Julie added her piece, mainly dealing with her reason to remain female.

Sara also gave her reasons, adding that their adventures together, had brought the four of them together in ways none of them had dreamed of.

Kim then told her side of the story, but omitted revealing about the enemy they called the Nemesis, mentioning that they were observing mankind and were here to help. Sara didn't want them to know about something like that till after the wedding, and then only if necessary.

William and Kevin both added their bits to the story, and told each of their parents, how they felt about Sara and Julie. Mention of their bedroom Olympics were omitted, for obvious reasons, although it was plain to everyone, that they were having sexual relations with former boys.

Maggie hadn't been mentioned at this stage; until Sara found out the kind of reaction her parents would have to her own change. Leanne was looking after Maggie on the beach, and was to remain there, till summoned.

"Okay, that's about everything you need to know at this time. Now it is your turn to ask questions," Kim added, standing back from the group.

"You don't expect us just to believe you, without any proof now, do you?" Tom spluttered, as he regained the ability to talk.

"We will demonstrate what the Krin can do on ourselves, but I think you'll believe it more if you volunteer yourselves." Sara replied, using her senses to probe the men. She could sense fear and some curiosity in all three and in her dad's mind was a sense of conflict, at the thought that his son was no more.

She took three new Krin from Kim and placed them on the wrists of all three fathers. Then she touched the same button she had decided on earlier, on all three. Instantly, what was once Peter, Tom, and Ben, now became Jennifer triplets.

Sara had asked Kim to give them slinky outfits that showed off Jennifer's ample assets while making sure they were different, to avoid confusion as to who was who.

The three new women moved in synchrony, as they reached for their lost manhood, finding that gone they checked out their breasts that were almost spilling out of their dresses.

"Wow! Now this is proof." Ben exclaimed, looking at the other Jennifer's.

"If you want to check it out in more detail, I suggest you take your wife and find a bedroom upstairs," Sara commented with a half smile on her face.

The three newly minted triplets stood up and walked around the room to the full-length mirror that was in the entryway. The wives didn't miss the way they walked so sexily, nor did they miss the fact that all three were managing walking in 4inch heels for the first time.

"There's some built in programming for most of the feminine movements, and other things," Sara informed the wives with a grin.

"I can give you the chance to be someone else, if you'd like. I knew the men would be the hardest to convince, that's why I did them first. You could try being a man and show your men what sex is like for you," suggested Sara.

June and Sue nodded their heads, while Amanda refused, but Sara caught the gleam in her eye and figured Tom was going to experience some girl on girl. Changing the two women to men took only a moment. When the triplets turned back to ask when they were going to be turned back the men they saw two strange men standing with Amanda.

"Not till tomorrow, changing requires a day to pass before repeating," lied Sara glibly.

Kim started to protest, but Sara caught her eye and shook her head. Kim subsided, allowing Sara to take control of the situation. Sara knew that sleeping with their partner in whatever form would inevitably lead to sex, as she knew the Jennifer form had a very high libido. She figured, once the dads experienced the female orgasm, they would be more understanding of her and Julie's decision to remain female.

Surprisingly, there was no outcry at this news from the former husbands. Possibly because they knew it was reversible, but more likely the programming was responsible. Sara remembered how normal things felt when she had her first change. Okay, the body was different, but the absence of certain things and the addition of others, soon became rapidly normal feeling.

Amanda, who had passed on becoming male, had changed her mind after seeing the other former wives escorting their changed husbands upstairs. Her whispered request to Sara brought an evil grin to Sara's face. One Krin change later had Amanda in Jennifer's shapely body. The others giggled. Knowing just what was store for Amanda's husband.

"So far, so good," murmured Kevin, seeing the matched pair climbing the stairs.

"Time will tell, let's hope the rest of it goes down just as well," Sara acknowledged. "I hope Leanne's has enough clothes for them to change into. Having her in a Jennifer body as well, is going to be confusing."

"Leave a note that we will be back at lunch time, and go down to the beach," suggested Amelia. "After all, they'll want some privacy in their mutual discoveries."

"Good idea, we can let Maggie and Leanne know that we still have a house," giggled Julie, adding that there'd been no fireworks, when Amelia raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Maggie already knows, remember her talent? She would have felt six more Krin wearers arrive in the condo," laughed Sara, to Julie's disappointed pout at not being able to tell Maggie the news first.

"I hope Leanne doesn't get annoyed that you volunteered her clothes for use by the others," commented Amanda, as they made their way down to the beach.

"Nah, I'd already covered that earlier, remember I have been planning this. Besides, Leanne knows the body she is wearing is only a loaner, once she goes back to her own body, those clothes aren't going to fit," Sara replied.

They trooped down to the beach, keeping an eye out for Leanne and Maggie. Julie spotted them building sandcastles just above the wave line. Sara and the others waved to Leanne as they neared. Their arrival distracted Maggie from her castle building, as she turned her attention away to squeal in delight and point towards her efforts. Unfortunately, an errant wave, much stronger than the usual swept up the beach and lapped up by her sand fortress. There was a collective sigh, as the sand castle slowly leaned over, as its base was eaten away. Kevin and William raced to save it, as Maggie stamped her foot in frustration. Leanne and the rest of the girls laughed as the men scooped goblets of sloppy sand to bulwark the remaining structure. Maggie started giving instructions as to what she wanted next, and Kevin and William were soon oblivious to anything, but restoring Maggie's creation.

Leaving the men acting like little kids again, Sara filled Leanne in on the situation, regarding the other parents.

"I hope they don't stretch all my clothes," Leanne mock grumbled.

"Well honey, the way Jennifer's body is stacked, and those tight fitting clothes you wear, I say stretching them, is inevitable," giggled Sara, looking pointedly at straining swimsuit, that Leanne was wearing.

"Hey! These airbags came inclusive with the rest of the chassis, I bet you’re just jealous," winked Leanne, before giggling herself.

They sat in the sun, enjoying the sound of the surf, the heartbeat of the ocean, while watching Maggie having fun in the sand. No words were needed, just relaxing, watching, allowing the tension ebb away with each receding wave. They all knew lunch would be interesting, if nature took its usual course.

Sara, with her empathic power, reached back to the condo, her power was a short range one, and so what she felt was muted by distance. She couldn't sense any distress, which was good, so she made a move to head back.

She told Kevin to stay with Leanne and Maggie, so once the others came downstairs, she could tell them about her. All going well, she would mind link with Kevin, telling them it was okay to bring them in.

Sara started putting together lunch, as soon as she got back to the condo. She didn't make any attempt to tiptoe around, figuring if those upstairs could hear her, over their own noise, then they must be finished. Being closer to them now, she could feel their emotions so much stronger and what she felt coming from upstairs, made her smile. The feelings of surprise, and wonder were the most prominent, of those she touched. She didn't linger long, as she didn't want to feel like a voyeur, especially considering her parents were among those upstairs.

Sara rattled around the kitchen, trying to come with something suitable for everyone. She had just pulled some hot rolls from the oven, when, a pair Jennifer's entered the kitchen. Seeing they were holding hands, she knew one was Amanda and the other, Tom.

"Hmmm, something smells good," one of Jennifer's commented. "Anything we can do to help?"

"Yes, first write your real name on this post it sticker and stick on your chest, hopefully it should help the inevitable confusion later. Sara answered, handing them a pad of pink stickups and a pen.

While the two Jennifer’s did as instructed, Sara removed the shredded chicken pieces and popped them in the oven to warm. Amanda and Tom, now named, helped with the salad preparation. The smell of the hot baked rolls had finally percolated upstairs and had dragged the other couples down by their noses.

Seeing the stickups, the others named themselves as well, and gathered together near where the kitchen met the lounge.

"I take it you enjoyed yourselves?" Sara asked with a grin.

Blushes answered her question better than words.

"Don't be ashamed of your feelings, it's a matter of been there, done that, however, there's still a few things we didn't tell you before." Here Sara paused, gauging the mood before continuing. "Kevin and I picked up a child on our travels. We are going to raise her as our daughter. Her name is Maggie and she is adorable. The other thing we discovered while wearing the bracelet you have on your wrists, is that after a while, it opens your mind, allowing paranormal gifts to come forth."

The next few minutes, Sara attempted the answer the barrage of questions that were directed at her; finally, Sara's mom asked the important question. "Where is Maggie?"

"On the beach with the others," answered Sara.

"Well, get her in here," Sue insisted, her motherly instincts on full alert.

Sara made the call to Kevin via her mind link, and then turned to her mom.

"Okay they are coming in now, oh, by the way, Leanne is here also, and using Jennifer's form as well."

"Don't tell us, that you're telepathic?" Asked Sue incredulously.

Sara explained about her mind link, which formed once they found they could join together in a union of minds with their lovers. Sue looked interested in this, as did the others. Sue also didn't miss the word "lovers," she didn't comment with her voice, but her eyes spoke volumes to Sara who kicked herself mentally.

Sue laughed, breaking the invisible tension that surrounded Sara.

"That's my girl," she then said, her words striking deep within Sara's heart.

With those three words. Sue had accepted Scott as her daughter, something Sara had hoped to hear. Tears flooded from Sara, as Sue's tacit acceptance of her current gender sunk in.

Sue hugged her daughter, realising the significance of her words and how they were received. She felt strange hugging her son, now daughter, while she herself was a male. Not your usual mother daughter hug, but that didn't matter in this strange situation. A body was a body, was a body. Peter in her Jennifer form joined in on the hug, knowing a significant moment in his/her child's life. Sara loosened one arm from her mom and draped it over her dad's feminine shoulder to tighten the hug.

Just then, a patter of small feet was heard, and Maggie's sweet voice was heard calling for her mommy. Sara let go of her parents and turned towards the fast approaching Maggie. Sara squatted with her hands held out in readiness for the imminent Maggie pounce. She was just in time to catch the sandy swim suited child, as Maggie entered the kitchen on the run.

Sara lifted Maggie up in her arms and turned towards her curious parents, presenting them to the child, she'd sworn to take care of. Maggie reached out to them, knowing by the colours in their auras, that these two were Sara's parents.

"Are you going to be my gran mommy?" Asked Maggie hopefully, looking directly at Sue.

To be continued.

Carversion -48-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Eight

Sue looked astonished at the question, mainly because she wasn't exactly the image of a mother, let alone a grandmother. Her heart melted, as she saw the longing in the child's eyes. Sue reached out and took Maggie from Sara's arms and whispered the one word the child needed, into Maggie's ear.

"Yes."

Maggie's response was instant; she flung her arms around Sue's neck and hugged her almost to the point of strangulation. A tear glistened in the corners of her eyes, as she thought, 'what a strange, wonderful way to get a grand child.' Immediately followed by, 'my daughter has definitely got to be married soon.'

"Honey, how did you know I was your grand mommy, and not your granddaddy?" Sue asked, wiping some sand off Maggie's cheek.

"Cos you gots mostly mommy's colours, Rose, but wid with yellow streaks. Granddaddy has lots of crimson with green streaks. Mommy's is mainly Rose with crimson streaks, Maggie answered proudly.

"Maggie can see auras, it's her gift," Sara explained.

"I'm intrigued by the colour variations, but how can it be? We are all in three unrelated bodies, that aren't even our own," stated a puzzled Sue.

"I don't think its body related, but something in our minds that gives off the aura effect," offered Sara.

"It sounds from what Maggie described, that you have a predominance of you mother's aura, with a trace of mine," Peter interjected. "Maybe, that's why you decided to remain female, because your personality is more female than male."

"Possibly dad, but it came as a surprise to me, let me tell you," Sara responded, before turning to get the rest of lunch organised.

Maggie was passed around to the other parents like a novelty toy, where they clucked over her cuteness, even the femininely clad fathers, who seemed to find some maternal instinct welling up from their borrowed forms.

Of course, Maggie was in heaven with all this attention and played it for all she could. Leanne and the others filed into the house, hoping not to see any blood stains on the floor. They had waited, giving Sara's parents time to bond with their new granddaughter, before coming inside.

Lunch was a grab and snatch, then find somewhere to sit. Kevin had brought in the patio table and its chairs to boost the seating at the dinning table. Maggie wandered from one lap to the next, snatching a hot bun here and some chicken from somewhere else. She wasn't interested in the various salads dotted around the table,

Sue caught Sara watching the tyke's antics as she sucked up to anyone that would pay attention to her.

Sue leaned over to make her words heard in Sara's ear over the general hubbub of conversation.

"You love her, don't you?" nodding over to where Maggie was sitting. "I can see it in your eyes, Kevin's too."

"Of course, there's no question of that," replied Sara, turning to look at her mother.

Sue smiled and patted Sara's wrist. "Don't worry, you'll make a fine mom," Sue re-assured her, before passing some dressing down the table, to Leanne.

"Well, I will have you to teach me to do the right things," agreed Sara, as she checked on Maggie once more.

Lunch went smoothly and talk soon turned to the physic powers each had inherited from wearing the Krin. Demonstrations were in order, and the parent's were duly amazed at what their children could do.

It was time to broach the ideas that they had for their wedding plans, and the reasons for the all female attendance. At first, the fathers were reluctant to go that far, but their wives thought the idea was appropriate considering the whole bizarre situation.

Lunch cleared away, Sara had many willing hands to sort out the dinner preparations, so that the afternoon was free of such tasks. Once the large roast of beef was bagged for the oven, with a plentiful amount of onion added, and the potatoes and other vegetables prepared, everyone gravitated to the lawn outside, where they could relax, and watch the ocean.

Maggie had found a shady spot under a tree and had dragged a cushion from inside. She was currently asleep curled up on the oversized cushion. The visitors did a slow tour of the property, trying not to exert themselves in the sun. Sara noted with a smile that the tree Maggie was beneath came under intense scrutiny as the visitors walked past it many times.

In the heat of the afternoon, the natives got restless. Sara suggested that everyone go for a swim. At first, the new Jennifer's were a bit hesitant at showing off their bodies, once they saw how skimpy the swimsuits were. Sara pointed out that the beach was practically empty, it being a week day, and told them it was a great way of experiencing what women went though.

Urged by their wives, a crowd of bikinied buxom babes, congregated on the beach. Sara stayed behind till Maggie woke up, before they too, joined the fun. A ball introduced into the group, soon had everyone jumping in the slight surf, and generally having fun.

William was having fun with his new abilities, he'd freeze some seawater and then use his invisibility to sneak up on various Jennifer's and drop said ice down their cleavages. The resulting squeals, and hurried excavations, sounded just the same as from any normal girl experiencing that trick. The wives were in hysterics at their husband's antics, nearly collapsing in the surf from watching their men deal with something they'd never expected to experience.

Kevin also used one of his powers. He levitated himself, so that he could virtually sit on the surface of the ocean. It looked like he had an invisible inflatable seat that he was bobbing along on. Maggie promptly used Kevin's lap as a convenient launching platform, from where she pounce on anyone within reach.

Later that day, when everyone had left the beach, Sue collared Sara in the kitchen.

"You mentioned having an all female attendance at this wedding, so I assume both Kevin and William will be dressed as brides as well?"

"Yes and the guests. We wanted it to be a wedding to remember," replied Sara, as she moved aside for Julie, who was helping.

"We will have a lot to organise; I take it that our husbands will have different bodies than they do now?" Asked Sue.

"Oh that can be sorted out later, but yes they will have bodies that the two of you select together as being appropriate. We have a professional sorting out the hairstyling, but we need to go shopping for gowns for the four brides and the bridesmaids. Maggie will be the flower girl and probably be the easiest to please."

"How many bridesmaids are you having?"

"Well, there's Cindy, and Leanne and William and Julie." Sara counted them off.

"But William and Julie will be brides," countered Sue, looking puzzled.

"Well I said this wedding will be different," winked Sara. "We are doubling as bridesmaids for each other. We will get married first with them as bridesmaids, then a quick change with the Krin, and we are both bridesmaid for them." Grinned Sara, pleased with her ingenious plan to experience the most at this wedding.

"Oh my gosh, that is complicated," Sue gasped.

We get to experience getting dressed as a bride with all the usual pomp, and then store it in the Krin. The same goes for the bridesmaids, all we need, is a touch on the Krin and we switch across," explained Sara.

"What about our dress fittings, I know we have a week here, but that's not a lot of time, to sort things out." Sue pointed out.

"Okay, tomorrow, we were hoping that the husbands and the wives get together with Kim and sort out some female bodies that they would be happy with. Then, we can bundle them off to Marcie's bridal shop. She has everything we need from brides and bridesmaids wear to normal gowns for any female members involved in wedding occasions. I'm sure we can get things sorted before you leave to go home," Sara explained.

"Sounds fine, I just hope the guys don't get upset at staying female longer than expected," Sue retorted with a grin.

"Um dad seemed to be coping fine earlier today, before lunch," winked Sara.

Sue blushed, admitting that it had been interesting.

Nothing about the extended time as females was mentioned that evening. Sara had hoped the night might bring about a change in the way the husbands felt about remaining female, for most of the rest of the week. Sara knew first hand, how the body grew to feel normal, the longer one stayed in it.

After dinner, Sara pulled her mom aside once more. Sara was nervous about what she was about to reveal to her mom. Her pacing, as she wondered how to broach the subject of Maggie and her true age, finally got to Sue.

"Spit it out girl, I'm sure whatever you have to say, can't be more strange than what I've already heard," Sue burst out.

"Mom, I didn't tell you exactly how we found Maggie, just that we picked her up on the way, started Sara, as she glanced at her mom to gauge her reaction.

"I did feel that there was more to that, than you mentioned. I didn't want to say anything at the time, but I had hoped you'd tell me sometime," Sue interrupted, taking Sara's hand and pulling her down to sit next to her.

"Maggie was a Transsexual-she was an adult mom," here Sara paused, watching her mom's face intensely. Seeing her mom nod, she continued hurriedly to get it all out, before her courage failed her.

She told her mom everything, from the time they bumped into Maggie on her bike. Sara was in tears, as she told Sue how they had found her in the cold and dark, when they returned to pick Maggie up. Sara explained how Maggie the child had been buried inside the adult Maggie's body, never growing up, because she was being denied her existence as a child. How could Maggie be herself, when all she had was a tall adult body to show to the world. So Maggie never grew up and had been slowly stifled by the worlds view on how she should behave.

"She was dying mom," cried Sara, her tears falling unhindered, as she poured out Maggie's plight.

"You did good. I'm very proud of you," Sue softly hugged her daughter, her own emotions in turmoil.

"You are going to make her 3 years old, then?" Sue asked, struggling to keep back her own tears.

"Yes, we thought 6 years old was better for travelling, but I have a plan to allow Maggie her dream without losing her adult persona, but it has to wait till after the wedding," Sara answered, having recovered somewhat.

"I love her just as she and will at any age," her mom added. "I can see the child and I can see she is truly happy. She also loves her mom," Sue grinned.

"Oh mom," Sara relaxed, happy now, that the secret was out.

The two wandered back into the lounge in time to see a very tired Maggie off to bed.

Sara was glad the condo had excellent soundproofing in its walls that night, although with her own moans, she probably wouldn't have heard a herd of elephants in the house, as Kevin took her to the stars.

To be continued

Carversion -49-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Forty-Nine

"Hey, watch it with those pins," grumbled Peter, as he squirmed in his gown.

"If you didn't squirm like that, you wouldn't get stuck," admonished Sue, from her position next to him. "Look at me, do you see me complaining," Sue added, as her gown was adjusted to fit as well.

"I wish I hadn't volunteered for this after all," Sue's twin replied, trying to stay still.

Sue looked over at her husband, and tried not to laugh. He looked adorable as her twin, and while she was forced to remain posed for the fitting, she thought back to yesterday.

When the men were told about Sara's plan, there was rather little dissent about having to stay female. They could see the reasoning behind it, given that it seemed inevitable, that the all female wedding was going ahead. The next big hurdle was what form they were going to choose.

Just then Kevin came out as Anita and stood beside Sara. Explanations were then in order, as Anita told the other husbands that this was Kevin's preferred female form. The three husbands went into a huddle and talked quietly together. They seemed to make a decision, and came toward Sara and Anita.

"Can we become twins of our wives?" they asked, while looking over to they wives to see the reaction of their choice.

"Of course, no problem at all," smiled Sara, seeing a potential problem disappear, that of jealousy.

"With minor changes of course," the three men followed up with.

"Sure- said Sara warily, wondering what the husbands had in mind.

She got out the laptop and set it up. As all the women had been though the Shelke process, their forms were already in the database. Starting with her mother's naked form, Peter started suggesting the changes, while the other men politely left them to it. Sue came over and watched what her husband was doing, but said nothing. Peter had some good suggestions, he had Sara, idealise Sue's form, removing the small imperfections and adding muscle tone. Peter wanted the breasts firmer and more like they were when Sue was younger. Lines were removed and the inevitable sags and bags that accumulate with time.

Finally it was done, and saved and Sue spoke up.

"Don't you like me as I am," she sniffed, knowing the image was something from her past and long gone.

Peter knew he could be in trouble, but he avoided it like a pro. Sara gave him full marks for thinking on his feet.

"Of course honey, that image is exactly how I see you all the time. It's perfect, as are you, but I haven't the skills to look like that if I had your original body, I needed it to look perfect without me doing anything."

It was the perfect answer, and Sue was going to accept it, even if she knew it wasn't totally the truth. Just to be sure, she had a request of her own.

"I'll have what she's having," Sue said straight-faced, looking at her femmed husband.

The line from the movie sat in silence for a second, as it sunk in. Laughter suddenly filled the room, as nearly everyone joined in. Sara giggled, knowing the crisis was over, and called Ben over for his turn.

This time June helped with the suggestions, knowing just what her worst features were. Tom and Amanda did the same, getting an idealised form for them both. Once all was done, she took the Krin they were wearing, and reprogrammed them with their new forms.

Not long after that, Peter, Ben, and Tom were looking like their wives, in vamped up versions of the original model. Sue smiled when she remembered Peter's words once he'd changed.

"I know you wanted me to know what you went through to get gusified up, but isn't this taking it to the extreme?" He'd said, looking at himself in awe. Sue and the other wives had enjoyed dressing up their husbands and adding makeup to their walking talking, three dimensional reflections.

"These heels are killing me," moaned Peter, as the dressmaker tugged at the hem, bringing Sue back from her recollections.

Sue was wearing the same height heels, and although used to them, knew standing on one spot in them was rather tiring.

"Be thankful you're not the bride, honey. Her gown weighs four times the weight of that piece of confection you have on."

Peter tried to be cheerful for his wife's sake, one thing for sure, he'd never complain again about anything Sue did while shopping for clothes. It was a real eye opener, especially the underwear that Sue had bought for him yesterday. He had drooled when she modelled the corselet first, so sexy that he would have jumped her bones, had he a bone of his own at the time. He wasn't so happy to be squeezed into a similar outfit with all its laces tied up, but today he was glad of its support.

Sara and Kevin giggled quietly together, watching the couples get fitted for dresses. It had been a real challenge for the husbands to act like their twin. Unlike the Jennifer body, with its built in programming, the copies of their wives didn't have that luxury. They were forced to act like their wives, from memory, and a lot of coaching. The gowns that first came with the bodies were long, slinky, and tight and designed so that every movement in them would remind the husbands that they were women.

The gowns made large masculine strides impossible, as they enclosed the legs with little room to spare. To prevent too many complaints, (although some were inevitable,) the wives were gowned in identical style dresses, apart from small changes like colour and material.

The ex men learned how to walk, and sit and generally move around with a feminine look, with a lot of help from their patient, but persistent wives. The late afternoon foray into a lingerie shop, the day before, was interesting to say the least. Eleven women, (Leanne and Kim stayed behind with Maggie,) descending in a group, help disguise a few awkward moments from the three new women. Having 4 pairs of twins also confused the staff, which helped keep them too off balance to notice that some of the women were a little ungainly at times.

Today, the men were a lot more at home in their borrowed bodies, even the complaints were fewer, as they coped with changes in clothes and lingerie. The staff at the bridal shop soon got over their surprise at seeing so many pairs of twins. Their compliments to the twins being fitted soon had an unexpected effect on the disguised men. They started to preen. Sara noticed it first, and then the wives, as the men soaked up how beautiful their looked comments from the girls in the shop. It also made the men relax and take their temporary role as women more seriously as time went on.

As gowns were selected or rejected, then fitted properly, the complaints stopped, and by the time it was all done, the men seemed to be, if not totally into it, at least acting as if they were.

The wives were impressed and said so, suggesting that they eat out for lunch somewhere fancy. They all changed into the more casual clothes that they worn that morning, and left to go to a nearby restaurant that was within walking distance.

The bridal shop said the alterations would be ready to pickup around 3 PM. Sara rang Leanne to let her know that they were eating out, and for them to get their own lunch. She also filled Leanne in on how things went at the shop.

It seemed that everywhere they went; the sight of four sets of twins drew attention, not all of it being appreciated, at least from the former husbands. The restaurant was no different, although the staff was more polite about it. The group had to split up to fit the available tables; this meant that some of them had spare seats at their table. Sara, Kevin and her parents, were one of those with a spare seat, and Sara had to resort to dirty tricks to get one slightly inebriated customer coming over and attempting to hit on her mother and father.

Luckily their table was in the corner and she was able to get away with it without being seen by the rest of the patrons there. Sara grasped the man's hand, after repeated attempts to tell him to leave failed to soak in. Checking that she was unseen, she used the Krin to change into Maggie's child form. This caused the man to do the same, becoming Maggie in an instant. Letting go the girl's hand, Sara reverted back instantly to her adult form, leaving the man stuck as a little girl.

The whole process took less than three seconds and nobody was the wiser. Of course her parents saw and were amazed at the speed of it. The man realised something was wrong immediately, as well, but Sara stood up and took the child in tow and left for the ladies restroom, giving her barely a chance to protest. Once there, she sat the child in a cubicle and then reversed the changes. She left the man there telling him not to move and then hurried back to the table, leaving a very confused man in the ladies. A squeal, about 5 minutes later, coming from the ladies, told of the man's discovery in there and heralded the sudden exit of the man from the restaurant by the manager.

"You didn't leave him in there… oh my," Sue giggled, as she got a mental picture of the man's plight. "Wait a minute," she spluttered, as another thought struck her. "You said there had to be 24 hours between any cha… ah!" Sue winked at Sara, realising they'd been told a lie about the need for a delay between changes in form. The wink acknowledged the fact that she'd figured out the necessity for the deception.

Peter spoke up, showing that there was nothing wrong with his hearing or deductive reasoning either.

"You mean we didn't have to wait till the next day?" he asked, mouth agape.

"Close your mouth dear, it's unladylike," countered Sue, as she reminded Peter not to make a scene.

"No Patricia, but think of the experiences you would have missed, if you'd become boring Peter again so soon, Sara replied, using the fem name they'd come up with for the bridal shop people.

Peter/Patricia had no answer for that, as it was true that he'd enjoyed the experience to a degree. In fact, he'd enjoyed it more than he had expected he would, but thought it was his duty as a man, to bemoan his current status, lest the women think that he thought that they had the best deal. He realised in that moment, what his son had been through and why he'd chosen to hop over the fence. It made him feel that bit closer to his new daughter, and proud that Scott had turned out so well as Sara.

Peter moved his seat so that he could give Sara a hug. He whispered in her ear, "I love you, my daughter." When they pulled apart, four sets of eyes were glistening with moisture, as Sue and Anita had both heard the words Sara had wanted to hear from her dad. Sara knew then that her dad had truly accepted her and was happy for her.

"Do you want to drive the RV back home?" Sara asked her dad. "I'll take Julie and William with us in the other car, while you finish up at the bridal shop. We have some shopping of our own to do," Sara explained.

Her dad's pretty eyes gleamed brighter, as she thought of getting behind the wheel of the tricked out RV.

"Is grass green?" was the instant answer.

"Not always, especially here in the summer," sniggered Sara unhelpfully.

"Grrrr- there's nothing worse than an uppidy daughter," growled her dad with no venom in his/her words.

Sara laughed, bringing a grin to her femmed out dad's face, before he poked his tongue out in response.

"Now children, behave," Sue interjected with a giggle, swatting at her twins arm.

"Hey she started-" Patricia began, before realising the inanity of it all.

Sara tossed her dad the keys and stood up. She went over to pay the bill, while the others readied themselves to leave. After thanking Sara for lunch, the others walked back to the shop, leaving the four young ladies to plan their next move.

"That went well," offered Julie, as they moved to get into the other car.

"Yeah, I thought dad would freak, when he saw me as Mi Ling," William agreed.

"So what are we doing now? Asked Anita, looking at Sara.

"Well, we have some food shopping to take care of," Sara answered, as she drove to the nearest food mall. "There's a jeweller just down the street, you might want to look in there," Sara added with a not so subtle hint.

"Oh goody, I need some new earrings," Anita cooed, deliberately ignoring the hint.

"Oh god, I've created a monster," sighed Sara, to which she just got a giggling response.

Anita and Mi Ling did buy some earrings, but didn't hint if they'd bought anything else in there, as they rejoined the others in the mall. Julie and Sara, sagely refrained from asking, knowing that their men wanted to pretend that they hadn't looked at or bought wedding rings.

Back at the condo, and having unloaded the groceries and the extra meat required for the extra guests, everyone decided to go for a swim, including Maggie, Leanne and Kim. Sara left out the meat for the planned barbeque, knowing that the salads could be prepared once the others returned from the bridal shop. She left a note on the front door, saying where they were, and inviting the parents to join them, before getting into her swimsuit and following the others to the beach.

Kim pulled Sara aside, before she entered the water.

"I found out that your next door neighbour had a stroke a few days ago," Kim said, having to talk louder to be heard over the crashing surf.

"Oh no, how is she?" asked Sara, not really knowing what else to say. The neighbour in question lived in a lovely big condo as well, but there hadn't been any social interaction between them, so she knew little about the woman, apart from the fact that she lived alone in the huge place.

"Not good, it seems she will have to sell the condo and go live in a nursing home," Kim replied. "The thing is we have put in a bid to buy it. We think it will come in handy for later."

"Later?" questioned Sara, feeling that there was more to this offer than Kim was telling.

"There's a family that could do with your help. The mother and daughter were originally adult males, while the father was rescued from a cancer ward in Canada. What you plan for Maggie can be used for the child, as she is currently 3 years old, but still has her adult memories."

"What's the name of the family?" Sara asked, her heart going out to the un-named family.

"They have taken the new mother's surname. The father is called Rich, and the mother is Jenna Hitch and Cathleen Hitch is the daughter's name," Kim answered.

To be continued

Carversion -50-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty

"So do you think the bid will be accepted?" Sara asked, as she watched Maggie in the surf.

"Pretty sure," grinned Kim, knowingly.

"Ah, silly question," laughed Sara, forgetting for a moment the resources that Kim had at her beck and call. "I keep forgetting that you're not just one of us mere mortals," Sara grinned.

"I'll take that as a compliment and you are anything but just a mere mortal remember," Kim pointed out.

"I guess you're right. Race you to the water," Sara changed the subject, taking off at a run.

Unfortunately there were no judges to determine who won, not that it mattered to the racers, who were laughing too hard to worry about it. It seemed like minutes, but was really half an hour later when they were joined by the parents. The husbands were still female, although they had been told how to change back. Peter even sported a bikini like Sue was wearing, possible to remain as similar in appearance as possible. The others had opted for one piece's, which wasn't surprising, seeing their wives were also wearing them.

They swam and played till the sun was edging the horizon and people began to get hungry. Help was plentiful to finish the salads as the 'men,' looked after the meat on the barbeque.

Anita came and whispered to Sara, who slapped herself on the face in disgust at forgetting the idea that Anita had reminded her about.

Sara asked the parents for their Krin, and opened up the laptop. Putting the Krin in the program slots that came with the laptop, she gave then the modification that Anita had used when she had proposed to Sara.

Giving the modified Krin back to the parent's, she explained that it was now capable of making either partner into a shemale, but had tied the option to affect the opposite partner so that they would be fully female.

This would mean if one was a shemale and the other a female and they decided to swap roles, with the female changing to shemale, the shemale would change to female, to be receptive to the other sexually. This news brought grins all round, and flimsy excuses of tiredness, soon had the parent's upstairs, where sleeping was the last thing on their minds.

The following morning, Kevin, and William's dad were back in their original male bodies, but to Sara's surprise, Peter was still Petra, having decided to remain female as a sign of solidarity with her new daughter's decision to become a bride. Sue was happy to see the bonding going on, although she hoped her husband wasn't getting addicted to being dickless. The punny thought made her grin, as Petra certainly wasn't like that, last night. She was still feeling a little tender from the night's activities, as Petra had been hard to stop…very hard.

Sue noticed, that although the other two husbands had relinquished the tricked up form of their wives, June and Amanda had kept, as Sue herself had, the souped up version of themselves that their husbands had altered. Even though Sue knew this was not her original body, but a Shelke look alike, it felt normal- well not normal, as of a few days ago, but like she had been in her youth.

This body had no aches or pains, and she found her energy levels were much higher, as if she was just twenty years old again. Just as well, seeing the amount of sex she had just had in the last two days. Obviously June and Amanda were of the same opinion, seeing they had retained the Shelke form of their bodies.

Breakfast was a free for all, as everyone got what they wanted themselves. Sara had the coffee machine going constantly, as nearly everyone bar Maggie came for more cups of brew. Maggie didn't seem to know who to run too first, as she snatched bits and pieces from everyone's plates. A piece of fruit here, a piece of toast there, obviously, Maggie was thinking of the washers up, deciding she didn't need to dirty any plates, when there was plenty of food on the others she could filch.

Seeing this was the last day, before the parents had to go back home, Sara told them they could use either the RV to go into the city, or take two cars, after changing the RV back into the Volvo.

The decision was to take two cars, leaving the rest at home. Sara wanted to look at the neighbour's house that they had an offer on and Julie and Maggie said they would join her. Leanne would drive Kim to the airport, seeing as she was needed elsewhere. The car that Kim had arrived in was now Leanne's, seeing her old one was now deceased. Leanne was pleased to accept the Pontiac look alike, knowing that the mundane look about it was deceiving.

Kim handed Sara the paperwork, concerning the buying of the house next door. Sara gasped at the amount that had been offered for it, not realising the worth that even the condo would fetch on the current market.

Kevin and William had some plans to do something for Maggie, and were content to potter around in the garage till the girls got back, from next door.

Amelia decided to go with the other parents, into Frisco, and soon the place seemed deserted as they left to go sightseeing.

Sara thanked Kim again, knowing that she owed her an overwhelming debt. Kim shrugged off her thanks, saying that Sara and the others needn't worry, and that if they won against the Nemesis, then it would all have been worth it. At least Kim accepted the hugs Sara gave her, returning them just as ardently.

Sara and Julie went and changed before going next door. Casual tees and shorts, and no makeup, didn't seem appropriate for buying a house, especially where a lot of money was involved. Half an hour later Sara emerged in a tailored suit with a nice blouse that had a bow at the neckline. Dark hose complimented the skirt, and she happily opted for medium height heels. Impeccable makeup, accentuated her natural beauty and just a hint of perfume lingered around her presence.

Julie was dressed more casually, as she was the obligatory friend and not the potential buyer. Her summer dress was light and feminine and her makeup subtle. Maggie was happy in her usual flouncy dress, with a big bow at the back. Sara cautioned her to be on her best behaviour, to which Maggie promised she would.

The three walked out the front door and went down the road to enter the property by the main entrance. A man greeted them at the door, after they had pressed the doorbell. He ushered them in, saying he was the realtor that was selling the house on behalf of the owner.

He deferred to Sara, as he showed them around, sensing that she was the one interested in buying the place. Sara said nothing, when he mentioned that an offer was already being considered. Both Sara and Julie liked the place, with its many bedrooms and bathrooms. There was even a large spa pool set out on the deck that looked out over the ocean. A huge barbeque that could cook a small animal with ease was also an attractive option. The property, like their own, had a large back yard that ran down towards the beach with a gate in the fence that granted access to the beach.

Sara said, that she wanted to buy it, there and then, leaving the man sputtering in her wake.

"Here is my offer," Sara said haughtily, showing the man her bank check. "As you can see, it's well over the market value, which I'm prepared to pay to make it my adjoining property."

The man goggled at the generous amount offered. He knew the property wasn't worth what was being offered, and he knew that the woman selling needed the money quickly. He could also understand someone willing to pay more to gain an adjoining property.

He decided to accept the bid on behalf of his client, knowing that a long projected sales campaign would not only be less profitable, but it was unlikely that the bid would be topped, plus the client had specified a fast sale.

"Done and done madam, let's sort out the paperwork now, and you can take the title in 30 days.

"Thirty days! Sheesh I was hoping I could get the keys earlier than that," grumbled Sara, despondently.

"Well if we work out a lease agreement, you can take possession immediately," offered the agent.

"Okay, let's do that," agreed Sara impatiently, wanting the deal to be finalised as soon as it could.

"Seeing that you're offering so much for the property, we can give you the lease for no additional charge," the agent added in a conciliatory manner.

"Works for me," said a happier Sara.

While Sara signed the paperwork, that allowed her to get the keys, Julie took Maggie out to the swing set in the backyard to pass the time. Sara finally said goodbye to the agent, after being handed the keys to the house. Sara then skipped out to give Julie the good news, feeling on top of the world.

"It's ours, it's ours," she screamed, catching the others by surprise.

"You sound like you've won the lottery," laughed Julie, giving Sara a hug.

"Mommy- can I- play on- the swings- alla time?" A rosy-cheeked Maggie gasped out, as she passed Sara on each downswing.

"Yes, once we get a gate installed and there's someone to watch you," Sara promised. "You might find you have to share that swing if things work out."

"With who mommy? Are you getting me a friend to play with? Maggie asked, having jumped off the slowing swing and running to Sara, with childlike exuberance.

"Her name is Cathleen, and she is like you, except she has a three year old body."

"Me's can look after her," Maggie promised solemnly.

"I know you will tiger," grinned Sara, lifting Maggie into her arms. "Hows about we go have lunch and see what the boys have been up to?"

"Sketti?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"You and sketti," sighed Sara, thinking of something more nutritious. Sara hugged Maggie, thinking back to when she first met her. The adult Maggie must have lived mostly on spaghetti, because it was cheap to buy and took no skill to cook. Sara vowed to spoil Maggie rotten with wholesome food, home prepared. She knew of Maggie's abhorrence of Brussel sprouts, but there were ways of getting her to eat vegetables if they looked the right colour, like butter beans. Then there were soups, where all sorts of vegetables could be pureed, and disguised.

"Sara look at this," Julie called, having wandered down the backyard, after being freed from swing duty.

Sara, still holding Maggie, walked past the fruit trees that were still bearing some plums. She picked a couple, giving one to Maggie, as she followed Julie's voice. Unseen from the house, behind some trelliswork, was a small garden. There were tomato plants with ripe fruit on them ready to pick, as well as some corn. The corn, according to the brown tassels was ready to pick, and Sara knew what was on the lunch menu.

Julie had a handful of ripe tomatoes, and started picking some corn, as Sara arrived.

"Lunch?" Julie asked, holding up an ear of corn.

"You betcha," drooled Sara, as she put Maggie down and started helping Julie pick the ripe corn.

Watching Maggie chomping on the freshly cooked corn, covered with butter, made the others smile, as her face collected bits of corn, which somehow missed her mouth. Maggie was oblivious of the looks she was getting, being concerned with eating the best tasting corn, she could ever remember.

Kevin and William were happy that the property next doors was theirs now, but when asked what they had been up to, they said it was a secret that would be ready after lunch.

It turned out, that they had been altering a couple of car inner tubes that they had found in the garage. They had made a flotation ring for Maggie to sit in. They had taken the inflation stem from the inside of the tube, and glued it on the outer edge, patching where it had been originally. This left the inside smooth without any sharp bits. From the second tube, they had cut a strip of rubber that went across the first, making a sort of thin seat that went between the legs and would prevent Maggie slipping right though the centre of the tire.

Of course Maggie wanted to try it right away, but was told to have a nap after lunch to let her food go down. After many catnaps, where she'd wake and look at her stomach, asking Sara, "is it there yet?"

Finally, Maggie got the answer she was seeking, and raced off to get her bathing suit on. Sara followed, knowing she'd get no peace till Maggie was in the water. After getting some sun tan lotion on, Maggie was off into the water, dagging her new play toy behind her.

The guys watched with interest as Maggie tested it out thoroughly. They went back up to start their next job of building a gate between the properties. Sara swam with Maggie, until she was sure that she could handle it, before going back to sunbath on the beach. Julie, who had already been sunbathing, went into the sea to look after Maggie.

The parent's came back around 3pm, but stayed in the condo while the women sorted out a surprise dinner for their sons and daughters. Once they were done, they trickled down the beach to swim or sunbathe, as if they had just arrived.

After recounting their day's activities, the parent's relaxed to enjoy what was left of the day on the beach. Around 5pm, Sara started to get up, saying she was going to make some dinner. Sue persuaded her to stay, saying they could order take out. Kevin and William, who knew what was going on, had been keeping an eye on dinner, as they worked on the gate.

When eventually they all started feeling hungry, they got up to head back. Sara smelt the aroma even before they got inside, recognising it as one of her mom's best recipes.

"Take out huh?" she accused her mom, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Sue laughed.

"I thought we could do something nice for you for once," she grinned.

"Okay, I'll forgive you this time, as long as you give me the recipe," Sara replied, licking her lips.

"Done, I suppose you'll want the rest of my recipes, seeing you're going to be a mom?" Sue asked her.

"Yes," was Sara's affirmative reply.

The meal, for all its simplicity, was delicious, and although some might scoff and say it was just a stew with dumplings, the combination of vegetables and meat, made it stand out among its peers. Proof of its perfection was shown by the empty plates at the end of the meal. Even Maggie, had eaten every delicious morsel, apart from the inevitable stains around her mouth.

That evening, William presented Peter and Sue with one of the spare laptops, as they were the most computer literate of the parent's.

"This is so you can talk to us anytime you want," William explained, showing them how it worked. "If my parents or Kevin's parents want to use it, they are living near enough to drop over to your place to contact either Kevin or myself," William informed Sara's parents.

That night, the parents decided to get to bed earlier, as their coach trip home left early the next morning. They said, not to worry about driving them to the departure point, as they'd call a couple of cabs instead.

Sara was heading to bed herself, when her cell phone rang. It was Kim; apparently, she had urgent news from Bob Arnold. Sara listened with growing fear starting to clutch at her stomach. Kevin noticed her ashen expression as he passed her, heading for the bathroom. He stopped, and waited till the call ended, before asking her what was up. Sara shook her head, trying not to vomit from the fear that was clenching her insides in a knot.

Kevin grew worried, sensing her palpable fear, as she struggled to centre herself enough to speak.

"That was Kim- apparently Bob Arnold rigged up a device that can move a nexus into space to an incredible distance."

"Wow! That's impressive, so what's got you all worked up?" Kevin asked.

"He thinks, he's found the Nemesis, or rather they found him. They are headed this way."

To be continued.

Carversion -51-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-One

"Oh no, Kevin gasped, knowing that the earth wasn't ready to defend itself yet.

"We can't tell our parent's. Having them know about it, isn't going to help," Sara insisted.

"So what did Kim suggest?"

"Well Bob is bringing down some of the equipment needed to replicate the device, and Kim is going to get a satellite dish installed right here in our backyard."

"A dish? How big a dish, and why install it here? Won't that be dangerous if the Nemesis can trace it back to us?" Kevin questioned.

"I think it's a 5 meter dish, and Kim wants it here, because we have the greatest concentration of power, once Bob gets here with Cindy. If the Nemesis do find Earth, nowhere is safer than anywhere else," Sara answered Kevin.

"Damn," Kevin stated, realising the enormity of the problem.

Sara nodded, climbing into bed. Kevin went and did his business in the bathroom, before joining her. They held each other close, trying to give comfort to the other so they could get to sleep.

In the morning, the leave taking of their parent's was more than a little emotional, and the moisture shed, had nothing to do with the weather. Peter's parting words to Sara struck deep and she couldn't help the leaking that followed.

"Sara? I want to say one thing. Son or daughter, I'm very proud of you. Remember we love you, no matter what, and in a month when you get married to Kevin, I will try and be the best damn female I can, to make you equally proud of me."

"Oh daad!" cried Sara, hugging her dad tight. "I love you too."

Then they were gone, leaving Sara to fill Julie and William in on Kim's phone call, from the previous evening. Everyone was nervous, waiting for the next development, which occurred later that morning. A truck with no logo stopped by, unloading a matt grey satellite dish. Two men started assembling it, running the cable into the house, via the garage. They didn't speak much, so the others assumed they were Shelke friends of Kim. They left, leaving some data sheets for the dish, saying that Kim would arrive later.

Kim arrived, shortly before lunch. She was driving yet another vehicle, this time; it was a dual cab truck, on which was loaded several boxes of gear. Kim had two passengers with her. Cindy got out and introduced Bob Arnold, her soul mate, to everyone.

Bob looked somewhat younger than expected and admitted to tweaking up his original form, by using the Krin. Sara could see why Cindy was taken by the man. He was very polite and respectful, and he had a great sense of humour, once he let it out. He also knew his stuff, as he started to explain what he'd discovered over the hastily prepared lunch.

"Once we got to know each other intimately, we attempted to form a nexus, just like you had. Having an electrical background, I suspected the nexus was electrical in nature. I wanted to see if it could be measured and quantified. I had some linear amplifiers from my radio gear and hooked them up to a computer. I designed a wideband antenna to try and pick up the nexus's energy signal. Once we formed a nexus, the computer overloaded when we hovered next to the antenna." Here Bob paused to take a drink of beer he'd been offered.

"We knew that the Nemesis was out there somewhere in space, of course, stupid me wanted to see if it was possible to find them," Bob castigated himself. "I knew that travelling on Earth was relatively easy, if we could envision our destination in our minds, or were actively seeking out minds that we had been in mental contact with. Travelling in space is much harder without a point of reference, or having a mind to connect with, so I hooked up several amplifiers, and feed it into a satellite dish I had in the backyard." Bob looked at Cindy, hoping she'd take over the story from that point, while he finished the beer.

"We formed a nexus that night, but found that as we touched the antenna, it felt like we were sucked through a black hole and spat out the other side. We were several light years away, before we realised we were heading out into space. Bob had thought we might ride a carrier wave and travel somewhere around the speed of light, but it was much faster that that. Subjectively, what seemed like a few minutes were actually several hours in real time. We figured how to stop, by referencing on the major constellations."

"Weren't you afraid of getting stuck out there?" Asked Julie with a shudder.

"No, we knew that all we needed to do was concentrate on moving back to out bodies. The route didn't matter. Anyway, we felt out with our senses to see if we could detect anything or anybody. That's when we felt a disturbance in a direction from what felt like our left. At first we thought it was a ship, as it seemed to have a semi solid shape, but reaching out to it, we realised that it was a small group of minds that had grouped together in a crude form of a nexus."

"Ah!" commented Kim, sounding like she had suddenly had something confirmed.

"At our touch, the group split up and enclosed us. We could feel the evil in its touch as it tried to subdue us. I'm afraid we panicked and fled home, the last we felt of them was that they had changed direction towards us." Cindy concluded.

"I wonder how long we have before they get here," Sara wondered out loud.

"That doesn't matter," Kim stated grimly. "We have to go meet it before it gets here, or we'll have more than we can deal with if they communicate what they find on earth."

"You mean we have to go find them and fight them?" Sara asked, worriedly.

"More than just fight them, we have to kill them all, before they get anywhere near us," replied Kim, determinedly.

"How will we do that…oh! You mean use our powers?" Sara asked.

"Yes, you have been practicing, haven't you?" Kim looked at Sara with a questioning eye.

"Yes, but will it work in space?" Kevin answered with another question.

"Your powers are mental, the environment shouldn't matter. Now William, have you tried freezing things without actually touching them? Julie, did you try what I suggested?" Kim asked, looking at her.

"Yes we did, I can teleport an object to anywhere on earth, as long as it weighs less than10 pounds. Over that, and I find I can only do it over a few miles. William can freeze any object he can actually see, mass doesn't seem to matter." Julie replied, answering Kim's query.

"Well that should work okay, if what I suspect is true."

"If what is true?" William asked.

"Well, this is just conjecturing on my part, but I suspect that the Nemesis has two forms, a physical form for planetary use and a semi or non-physical form for space travel, which might account for the reasons why we haven't actually seen any of their spacecraft."

"But if they are non corporeal while in space, how do they fire the weapons that destroyed your parents spaceship?" asked Sara curiously.

"We don't actually know. There are many theories, but nothing is certain. My guess is that they form a group mind, like your nexus and open a portal in the centre of a supernova and somehow direct the energy in a beam to whatever threat they find. I think that's how they destroy the suns of populated worlds; they just beam super nova energy into it until it becomes unstable." Kim supplied.

I think they must have a limited range, if that's true," Sara spoke up.

"Why do you think that?" Kim asked, looking interested in Sara's idea.

"They make super novas as they go, so they will always have a handy weapon source nearby." Sara explained, feeling she was right.

"Excellent theory," Kim congratulated. Kim looked thoughtful, before making a call on her phone. Whoever she called, gave her an answer that made her smile. She hung up and turned to the waiting group.

"The supernova positions have been plotted and the distance between them, is all within a narrow tolerance. I think Sara nailed it on the head. The Nemesis isn’t just randomly destroying suns; they are making weapon dumps as they travel. The good news is that point where you roughly discovered those scouts is beyond their access range of the nearest supernova."

"Won't they have taken steps to fix that, now they know we are here?" asked Julie anxiously.

"No I don't think so. I'm hoping it takes more than a few scouts to generate a nova from scratch. They would have to go back to get in range of the last one before they could open a portal, and then they would need a sun to fire into. Remember this region of space is pretty empty of suns compared to the galactic centre," Kim tried to reassure them.

Bob, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke up.

"We need to get the dish hooked up, now, to see if they are coming or going."

'I hope they are still coming," Kim agreed. "That might mean they don't think that your brief encounter, constitutes a threat to them. Also, it may be that they won't contact the rest of them, till they discover more."

"So if they are fleeing, they will have probably already contacted the rest of their species?" Asked William, clarifying a point.

"Yes, it's possible," was Kim's quick answer. "Bob, do you think you can repeat what you did, to get to the same co-ordinates where you arrived last time?"

"I think so, I know the original satellite dish's setting, and have calculated the difference for the new dish's position." Bob replied, looking over some notes he'd made. "It's just a matter of time and distance, but if we go along with the others, I think we can make it."

"We will need to mesh our Nexi together before we enter your device," Sara mentioned, looking at Bob and Cindy for any objections.

"Fine with us," replied Cindy, taking Bob's hand with hers.

While Bob started bringing in the equipment, with the help of Kevin and William, the girl's cleared lunch away and tried to work out possible scenarios for the upcoming fight. Of the six that would form the united nexus, only three had powers useful in a fight. William's freeze power and Kevin's energy release one. Julie's teleporting power might be able to be used as a weapon, if there was something dangerous nearby, like a sun or black hole she could send them into.

Leaving the men folk to their tinkering, the women, with the exception of Kim, who was taking an avid interest in Bob's nexus launcher, decided to pass the time by going next door. Maggie promptly inducted Leanne into the art of swing pushing, while Julie and Sara showed Cindy around, they checked out the inside of the house, discussing possible decor changes. Amelia wandered in and out, before deciding to pick the remaining plums, which were too soft for eating. She went back to bake some plum pies for desert, and make a start on dinner.

Several hours later, a pooped Leanne, with Maggie in tow, came and told Sara that they were heading back. Sara, Cindy and Julie called it quits and followed them back. They found the device had been finished, and that Amelia had something wonderful cooking.

They decided to have an early dinner and then test the device before Maggie went to bed. It was hoped that Maggie could monitor their well being and relay it to Kim.

Amelia's gumbo went down a treat, and Maggie's sea air enhanced appetite, meant she didn't fuss with any of the vegetables, although she did check the green bits weren't her hated Brussels sprouts. The pies with home made custard seemed a fitting end of the meal, and those that were about to risk their lives in the next few hours, savoured every scrap, in case it could end up being their last.

After things were cleared away, and final checks were made, Sara offered a round of brandy to help relax those about to do battle. Bob powered up the devices, before heading upstairs with Cindy, so they could form a nexus. Kim had Maggie check on them, seeing she was the only one who could see the Nexi form.

Sara and Kevin quickly got on the bed and formed the nexus, like it was second nature. They drifted out and floated downstairs. Two more Nexi drifted down, as they were formed by the two remaining couples. They touched each other forming a large Nexi of 6 minds.

Maggie described this to Kim and the others, as the large glowing orb neared the receiving antenna. Maggie then relayed the sight of them disappearing into the device.

Maggie extended her senses, seeking for the Nexi that had her mom in it. There! She picked up the feeling of the Nexi heading out into space. She struggled to increase her mental grasp on the faint traces she could sense.

To Sara and the others, they felt like a lemon pip being squeezed between giant fingers, as they were 'squirted' out into space. The view was strange, and not what was expected, no trailing lines as stars streaked past them. It was as if the universe was blinking, with a new set of stars flashing into and out of existence. A Bob flavoured mental voice, said "stop," having recognised a certain order of stars. The Nexi stopped, drifting in the dark reaches of space.

Casting their senses around in a globe, they used the mental image Bob was projecting of the Nemesis, to locate their target. They had come too far out, as Bob first sensed the enemy behind them, still heading for earth. Using the current position of the Nemesis as a waypoint, the Nexi sped back to their assigned target.

The Nemesis detected them as they approached and broke apart to surround the Nexi. Sara could feel nausea, as they tried a mental attack on the Nexi. The Nexi wavered, threatening to break apart under the assault of their attackers. Sara, having always been the dominant of the group, fought back, knowing that they had to win here. She shouldered the brunt of the mental attack, keeping an image of Maggie foremost in her mind, her maternal instincts to protect her child, giving her the strength to fight back. The slight lessening of the attack on the rest of the minds in the Nexi, gave them time to muster an attack of their own.

William's power of energy absorption flowed out to the surrounding enemy.

To be continued.

Carversion -52-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Two

At the same time that the part of the nexus containing the mind of William started his attack, Julie portion was looking for a suitable target. She could see a binary system nearby, presumably where the Nemesis was heading to check it out, before continuing on.

Their current position placed them within range of the systems outer planets, one of which was a gas giant, similar to earth's Jupiter. Picking that as the target, Julie reached out with her power to grasp one of the enemies and send it deep into the centre of the gas giant. Kevin was a fraction quicker, attempting to explode his target, as soon as he locked on to it. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to happen and the target seemed unharmed. Nothing he did affected any of the individual entities that made up the Nemesis. Julie's target suddenly disappeared, which seemed to agitate the remaining enemy.

Williams's power was slow to take effect, but as the energy was drained from their foes, they began to change, becoming more corporeal. The Nemesis grew larger and more solid looking, as they reverted to a more physical form. It was then that Kevin's power started to have an effect. One exploded, in a pyrotechnic display, which would please the most ardent pyromaniac. Obviously Kevin needed a physical form to work with. Two more went the same way, as William forced them to become tangible. Julie couldn't use her power on the changed, as they became too heavy to translocate. She turned to the two remaining enemy that were trying to flee, from William's grasp, and sent them both into the nearest of the two suns. With Kevin dispatching the last of the Nemesis into its personal incandescent display, the Nexi then took stock of the surrounding space.

Maggie had sensed the wavering of the Nexi, as the first attack of the Nemesis, sought to destroy the unity of the nexus.

She cried out in fear, as she saw the weakening aura almost flicker out. Kim and the others feared the worst, as they waited helplessly.

Maggie prayed for her new mother and father, and as if being answered, she saw the faint aura of the nexus, brighten again. Maggie wasn't sure what was happening, but could feel bursts of energy being released in some form. She dutifully relayed this to the others, as the battle was waged.

"They are coming back!" she cried, hoping it meant that they had won.

Once certain that no other threats existed, the Nexi thought of home, and were soon back in their bodies. Sara, who had taken the brunt of the attack, remained unconscious, worrying Kevin no end. He called to the others as he caressed Sara's comatose body.

Everyone, including Maggie, crowded into the bedroom. Cindy put her hands on Sara, hoping whatever was wrong, could be helped by her healing power. The others watched with bated breath, as Cindy's hands glowed with the nimbus that indicated healing was taking place.

"What happened?" asked a dopy Sara, as she opened her eyes, trying to get her thoughts together. "Take the number of that bus that ran me over," she managed, as she struggled to sit up.

The laugh from the others, with her quip, was a little strained at the near call. Kevin shooed all out, bar Maggie, who had already claimed part of the bed next to Sara as hers. Kevin kissed Sara, feeling a load fall away from his heart, now his love was back with the living.

Maggie clung to Sara, knowing by the aura she saw that not everything was as right as Sara made out. Sara tried to lift Maggie into her arms to reassure her that she was okay, but found no strength in her arms, as a wave of dizziness tried to send her back into unconsciousness.

"Mommy's all pale," stated Maggie authoritatively.

Kevin looked at Sara alarmed, but couldn't see what Maggie saw.

"Mommy's, just tired honey," he told Maggie.

"No, her aura's pale. It doesn't look right," returned Maggie insistently.

"Kim! Kim come quick, Maggie says there's something wrong with Sara, yelled Kevin, moving towards the door.

"I'm coming," Kim yelled back, her voice indicating that she was already partway up the stairs.

Sara started trembling, and beginning to feel really strange. Kim rushed in with a glass in her hand, and told Sara to drink it all. Kim needed to hold the glass, as Sara's hands were too shaky to do so.

"Yuck, that's too sweet," Sara, complained after just a mouthful,

"Drink it all, your body needs the sugars," insisted Kim.

Sara chugged the glass of sugared water, grimacing at the taste. A minute later she conceded, that Kim was correct, as the trembles subsided and the dizziness withdrew. Within 5 minutes, Sara was ready to get up and decided to go downstairs against everyone's advice.

"I need to talk about tonight," Sara argued. "We were nearly defeated out there, and survived mostly by luck."

Kevin assisted Sara downstairs to the couch, where he insisted she lay down while the others gathered around.

Sara started talking, slowly at first, as she gathered her strength, before becoming more animated as she gained back her energy.

"Okay. We defeated the enemy, mostly by surprise, and their lack of knowledge about who and what we were," she started. Our mental defence was woefully lacking, I felt like none of you were helping." She waved off Kevin's and the others apologies, and continued on.

"I'm not blaming anyone-yet. This was our first time under fire and we haven't worked out the bugs yet, but." Here she paused to gather breath. Our mental union needs to be as tight as a drum, that's the first consideration. Without that, we can't even beginning to fight back."

"Sara, I'm afraid I let you down badly," Bob interrupted. I'm new to the group, and sort of kept my distance in the nexus. I didn't have any fighting abilities, and thought my main job was to guide you to the rendezvous. I was afraid and held Cindy back from doing anything as well," Bob finished, looking ashamed.

"Bob, don't blame yourself. We all made mistakes. Treat it as a handy lesson and learn from it." Sara replied, holding out her arms for a hug from Bob. "Something else we learned was the nature of our enemy and ways of destroying them. Our powers worked at cross purposes until we sorted ourselves out." Sara added.

"William and Kevin's powers, worked well together, but Julie's didn't, although she did destroy three of the enemy. Her gift would have been useless without somewhere inimical to send them to. As I said, we lucked out, but we'll need something better next time, if we encounter the main body in the future. Now I have a question," Sara finished off with, looking at Kim. "What happened to me, why did I need the sugar on my return? After all, I only used my mind, not my physical body?"

Kim looked at Sara, before answering. "That's not exactly true. The mind derives its energy from the brain, and that needs energy from the body. You can't just expect to expend energy as you did, without consequences, when you took on the brunt of the mental attack. Your body used up all of its immediate available resources, which of course are the sugars in the blood. You experienced what some diabetics do when they don't eat enough sugar after taking an insulin shot. It might a suggestion for next time that we monitor blood sugar levels and apply a glucose drip just in case."

"Yuck, I hate needles," grimaced Sara, thinking, that hopefully there wouldn't be a next time.

"Do you think the rest of the Nemesis, will be alerted?" asked William, adroitly changing the subject.

"It's difficult to say," Kim answered pensively. "The scouts were probably out of range. But I don't know if the main group monitor the scouts tightly. After all if they can’t expect them to report in regularly if they haven't found anything. I suspect the scout's just head off on their own, until they find something they want or require, and then send one back to report."

"At least if that's true, we might have a breathing space," Bob spoke up. At their questioning looks, Bob offered his take on things. "The number of the enemy we destroyed was the same as we first discovered. They hadn't sent one home."

The rest pondered his words. Drawing their own conclusions.

"We will start setting up duplicates of your system, Bob." Kim responded. We will need to keep a watch on that region of space, so we will need others to venture out, once they gain the power to form a nexus."

"Won't that be dangerous? What if they encounter them and have no defences against them?" asked Sara, seeing the possible dangers for uninitiated.

"We will only select those that gain special powers like yourselves," answered Kim by way of reassurance.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starved," Sara mentioned, starting to get up off the couch.

"Stay," came a chorus of voices, as Julie, Amelia and Kevin, started towards the kitchen. Sara shrugged, thinking this was a bit much. She wasn't crippled, just tired, she could have made her own sandwich. Ten seemingly long minutes later, Sara finally got her food, a fat juicy hamburger with all the trimmings.

"Lucky, you had already made those patties for tomorrow's dinner," mumbled Kevin with his mouth full. "These really hit the spot."

Julie looked at Sara with a look that had, "don't blame me, he's your boyfriend." Written all over her face, as she handed Sara her burger.

"There's another cooking for you," Julie told William, who was looking at the fast disappearing burger in Kevin's hand in envy. William scuttled off to the kitchen, as Julie shrugged, and silently mouthed, "Men," to Sara.

Sara, who had just taken a huge bite herself, nearly blew it across the room, as she fought not to laugh. Snorting, trying to get the hot food down the right passages, she swallowed, and then laughed so hard her burger started to slip from her fingers. Juggling a bit so she didn't lose any of the fillings, Sara was once again struck by how lucky she was to have friends like this.

Everyone was glad to hear Sara laugh after the harrowing experience earlier. All knew that Sara was the leader, the strong one, and to see her struck low from the after effects of the battle, had given them a shock.

After William came back with his burger, Julie went and helped Amelia with the hot cups of chocolate for everyone. She had brought out some more pie, which she had warmed up. Julie and Maggie had a piece of pie and after Maggie had finished her drink, Julie took her upstairs to bed, with a promise of a story as enticement. Julie came downstairs ten minutes later and whispered in Sara's ear. Sara got up, waving off Kevin's help.

"I'm fine now, I'm just going to say goodnight to Maggie."

Sara entered Maggie's room and sat down on the bed.

"Mommy, I was scared yous wasn't coming back," Maggie said, all wide eyed.

"I'll never leave you honey, I promise." Sara hugged Maggie tight.

"I prayed for you, when yous was goned." explained Maggie, softly.

"I know you did, when I thought all was lost, I thought of you, and it was as if you were there helping me," Sara told Maggie in a whisper.

"I luvs you mommy,"

"I love you too sweetheart," Sara answered truthfully, pulling the blanket up to Maggie's chin.

Sara kissed Maggie on the forehead, as Maggie snuggled down in bed.

Sara turned to leave and saw Kevin watching her from the doorway. His eyes were shining as though tears were threatening. Sara could see in them, the love for herself and for Maggie. He slipped in quickly and gave Maggie a kiss on the cheek, before taking Sara's hand and drawing her out of the room. Sara resisted the pull just long enough to turn out the light, before allowing her soul mate to drag her away towards their own bedroom.

To be continued.

Carversion -53-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Three

The next few days flew past, as Bob showed everyone how the system for launching the nexus into space worked. He and Cindy were heading back to Syracuse to sell off his property, before going to live with Cindy in her home in Los Angeles.

Kim suggested that Bob spent more time in girl mode, to see if he or rather she would manifest a power that might help in the future. Both Bob and Cindy protested at first, not wanting to change the way their relationship was working.

Kim explained that once Bob achieved a power of his own, he didn't need to remain female to use it. Eventually they conceded the point, and Bob took on a form that both he and Cindy approved of.

They had used the computer to come up with a leggy blonde with modest endowments, that wouldn't hinder Bob when he worked on his assorted electrical projects. Bob just added an extra b and an i to his name, to simplify things. Bobbi and Cindy took off, three days after arriving, saying that they would let them know where they would be, come the wedding.

Things had been happening next door as well. Kim had organised extra furnishings to be added for Cathleen's bedroom, adding an extra wide bed in case Maggie decided to sleep over.

Fresh food was bought and the pantry stocked up with everything imaginable the day before Jenna's arrival. Kim disappeared the morning of Jenna's arrival, saying she needed to get the new family a welcome gift.

Midmorning, an old station wagon chugged into the condos driveway. Inside were three tired people, having been travelling since before dawn that day.

Sara took an instant liking to Jenna, who although tired, seemed cheerful and outgoing. Richard her husband, went and lifted a sleepy Cathleen out of her child's seat and carried the three year old in his arms, as he approached Sara and the rest of the welcoming committee. Sara hugged Jenna and Richard, introducing herself and the others, as the group moved indoors.

Amelia had refreshments ready, for when the new arrivals sat down gratefully on the couch.

Small talk about the journey and the weather filled the time, while the visitors quenched their thirst and started to unwind.

Guessing that Kim hadn't told their visitors much about their own changes and the involvement with the Shelke, Sara started giving the Hitch family a brief rundown on the current situation.

Jenna seemed to relax even more, as she learned that she wasn't the only male to female transformee. As if the floodgates had been opened, she began to tell of her own change and that of Cathleen. Richard, Jenna and Cathleen had all met in a chat room and somehow through some inexplicable magic, managed to form a family group. Jenna was in the throes of her transition to becoming female through conventional means, using hormones. Having to appear male to hold her job had hampered her wish to dress as a female full time, so when Richard had been rescued from the cancer ward, his news seemed like the answer to her prayers. Cathleen not only wanted to be female, but also wanted to be a young 3 year old girl. In the chat room, he/she could indulge in this role and it showed in her messages to the others.

Cathleen became, to all intents and purposes, Jenna's daughter, just as Jenna became Richard's virtual wife and partner. Richard had embarked on his own having been cured using the Krin. He took with him two extra bracelets for Jenna and Cathleen. Tracking them down was just a matter of time, and a lot of driving. Like Maggie, Cathleen had her near adult mind encased in a much younger body and pretty much acted the way she looked.

"Kim told us that if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here like this," Jenna told Sara. "We have a lot to thank you for," she added with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, I just blundered into something, and pretty much took things as it came," replied Sara modestly, blushing at the thanks coming from all three of her visitors.

"You might think that your part was nothing, but if you hadn't passed the test that the Shelke given you, I might not be alive today." Richard insisted. "Being mature and sensible to use the Krin, without using it for power or greed, allowed us to become a real family, something we can't ever thank you enough for," Richard added seriously.

"I hear you have found a small place for us to live together," Jenna asked, having no idea what was in store. All they had been told was to come to this address and meet their benefactors.

"Yes we have," Sara agreed, a small smile gracing her face, as she realised Kim hadn't told them any details.

"We'd like to see it and get settled in," Jenna smiled in anticipation. "Is it far from here? I hope we aren't too far away, as I'd love to be near the ocean," she added wistfully.

"Come with me," Sara replied, taking Jenna's hand in hers.

Jenna followed Sara outside to the back of the house overlooking the ocean. Richard and Cathleen followed, with Maggie tagging close to Cathleen's heels. The rest followed, not wanting to miss seeing the family's reaction.

Sara walked to the gate in the fence line joining the two properties. She handed Jenna a key, then pushed open the gate and led her through to next door.

"Here is your new home, I hope you'll be very happy here," she said with a grin.

Jenna gasped as she beheld her new home. Richard just managed to catch his swooning wife, feeling his own knees nearly buckling in surprise as well.

"Oh wow!" Richard got out, as he struggled to hold his wife up. Luckily, Jenna's fainting spell only lasted for a minute, before she stirred again.

"Tell me I'm dreaming," she finally managed to say, as Richard held her close in case she still needed his support.

"This is all yours," Sara said proudly. "Welcome neighbour," she added, giving Jenna a hug.

Jenna stood in shock, taking in the details of their new property. She looked at the key, still clenched tightly in her hand, and then looked at Richard, who was already looking at her face, watching the tears of joy forming in her eyes.

"Let's go inside," she said, handing the keys to her husband.

They walked to the door hand in hand, while the others followed respectfully, allowing them their space for this special moment. Richard opened the door, and then stood back. As Jenna moved forward, he bent a little as he scooped her up into his arms. Jenna squealed a little in surprise, as Richard carried his wife over the threshold of their first home. Jenna kissed him, tears leaking from her eyes at this very emotional moment. Cathleen stole the show by tugging on her daddy's leg.

"Can I go explore?" she managed excitedly.

"Yes honey, you can explore to your heart's content," Jenna told Cathleen.

Maggie came up to Cathleen, and took her hand, saying.

"I'm Maggie, I can shows yous eberyfing. I knows all bouts dis place, when my mommy byed it." She said proudly, dragging Cathleen further inside.

With the children occupied with their own explorations, Richard and Jenna slowly walked around the house. The others joined them, as the couple showed their joy at all that had been given them. Both Jenna and Richard were overwhelmed with their new home. They hugged and thanked Sara and the rest, who had taken them into their hearts and given them the ultimate dream home.

Investigating the garden outside, Jenna and Richard saw the two girls playing on the swing. Cathleen was sitting in it, while Maggie being larger, was pushing her back and forth gently. Jenna nudged Richard, drawing his attention from the garden to the sight of the two girl's playing. They both smiled, glad that Cathleen had found a playmate.

Once Cathleen spotted Jenna, she called out to her. As soon as Jenna came close, Cathleen whispered in her ear, making Jenna's eye widen as she took another look at Maggie.

"Richard, come here quick, Maggie here is our Maggie the kitten from the chat room," she called.

"I'm sorry Maggie, I should have realised who you were," Jenna apologised, taking Maggie into her arms.

Richard gave Maggie a hug too, glad that Maggie had at last realised her dream as well.

"It's otay awnty Jenna, eben cafleen didn't knowed till I tolds her," grinned the mischievous imp.

Just then a faint howl sounded faintly from behind the condo.

"Oh shoot! We forgot Bailey," Jenna exclaimed, rushing back to Sara's home.

"Who is Bailey?" Asked Sara curiously, seeing Jenna rush off.

"Bailey is our beagle, she was asleep in the back of the car when we arrived," Richard explained, feeling foolish about leaving the family pet alone in the car.

A faint cry from Jenna had Richard running to see what was up. The others followed him quickly, thinking something must be wrong. They arrived to see Jenna holding a wriggling dog, which was trying to give her a thorough tongue wash. Kim was standing there, next to a brand spanking new metallic blue Daihatsu Hi Jet minibus that would seat six people. Of their old car, there was no sign. Jenna was crying tears as Kim was explaining something to her.

"What's up m'luv?" asked Richard, as he reached her. "Where's the car?" he asked, looking around for the absent vehicle they had arrived in.

The others gathered behind them, guessing what Kim had meant when she had said she had a surprise.

"These are the keys to our car," Jenna managed to get out; handing Richard keys clearly belonging to the Daihatsu.

"Huh?" Richard queried, still a bit puzzled.

"Kim says that this is our new vehicle," Jenna answered, pointing to the minivan. "She took our old car away, when we were having refreshments, she didn't realise Bailey was inside, till she started to unload our gear into the new van. Bailey's already had a test drive in it," Jenna giggled somewhat hysterically as she tried to overcome her shock.

Bailey made her escape, after seeing her playmate Cathleen was nearby. Jenna laughed as the two met together in boundless joy, with Cathleen now the recipient of a multitude of puppy kisses.

Maggie eyed the two getting reacquainted with a longing expression, despite having a penchant for the feline species. This was something tangible that could be petted and played with, not just a promise of what might eventuate, coming from her mom.

Bailey broke off the play with Cathleen, to sniff out the rest of the group's ankles. She bounded hither and yon, running madly to check everybody out. Maggie seemed bemused when Bailey came sniffing and wagging her tail. Bailey seemed take Maggie's stature as a cue to adopt her, as she bounded up to lick Maggie's face.

Sara was the only one who didn't join in the laughter at the sight. She bit her lip, hoping that the surprise she had asked Kim to get would get along with this new four legged neighbour. Sara caught Kim's eye, with a questioning look, wondering if she had brought what she's asked for.

Kim nodded, tilting her head towards the rear of the minibus.

"Maggie? I have a surprise for you," Sara called, as she opened the rear door of the Daihatsu.

Maggie trotted around with Cathleen and Bailey trailing behind. Maggie looked to where Sara was pointing, and squealed in delight. There in a small cage, was a calico kitten, its huge green eyes fixed on the jubilant child.

"I's gotted a kitten, I's gotted a kitten," Maggie sang, reaching in to release the cages door. "Oh mommy it's just what I wanted," she added, as she pulled the small bundle of fur into her arms.

Bailey pushed her nose into Maggie's arms, seeking out the newcomer that she'd smelt in the van before. Before anyone could move to separate the two in case there was a fight, Bailey licked the cat, seeming to accept it without reservations.

This time Sara did laugh, as her worries evaporated. The two children scampered off to play with their pets, laughing madly as they chased Bailey into the house.

Kim continued to explain to Richard and Jenna about the van, seeing the distractions had vanished indoors.

"This is using the very latest technology we have," she waved them all forward to look inside. "It looks like it will seat six at first glance, but if you all climb aboard, you'll get a better understanding," she added, directing them to climb aboard.

Richard and Jenna sat at the front, while William and Julie opened the side door and sat in the rear seats. Sara and Kevin then took the last seats in the middle. Kim urged Amelia and Leanne to climb aboard, with Kim coming in last. As the extra people clambered aboard, expecting to try and have to squeeze in, the interior suddenly expanded, seemingly growing two extra rows of seats, to the surprise of everyone bar Kim, who has a grin on her face.

Richard saw something odd from his view in the rear vision mirror inside, not matching up from his view of the van outside in the wing mirrors. He climbed out of the driver's seat and looked at the van from outside.

"Hey! The van still looks the same length outside, as before, and I can only see four people in the back, instead of seven," he exclaimed excitedly. "Inside it looks much longer."

"One of our engineers, got the idea to adapt the pocket universe theory to allow for extra internal volume than the container would normally possess, after watching a Dr Who show on TV. Remember the Tardus? A telephone box on the outside and a huge time machine on the inside."

"He didn't invent time travel, while he was at it?" quipped William.

Kim laughed. "No, but what you have here will expand to bus like capacity, ideal for moving several families and their pets, plus the parents," winked Kim. "In fact, it will morph into a bus form to take advantage of using the bus lanes, when traffic is congested. Oh, and it will look as if there are passengers even when it's empty," Kim added, pre-empting several questions on that matter.

"Can you make my luggage space on my VW Golf like that? Then I'd have plenty of room for shopping," asked Leanne, half seriously.

"I intend to have this tech, retrofitted to all vehicles." Kim replied to a few whoops from the back of the van.

"I wanna handbag with the same options," laughed Julie, nudging Sara with her elbow.

"Oh no!" cried Kevin. "We're doomed, women already carry the bathroom sink in there already," he laughed.

"Well you should talk, I've seen inside your handbag, remember?" giggled Sara, turning the tables neatly on Kevin, who had the grace to blush.

"If you could fit a bed in it, you could sleep in your handbag." William added, jokingly, before getting a poke in the ribs from Julie.

Kim asked Richard to operate the switch that would change the van into a bus.

"Will you be all okay back there when I do it?" Richard checked cautiously, not having used anything like this before.

"Harm to us, there will be not." Replied Kim, opting for a Yoda like voice. The others laughed, with catcalls of, "the force is strong in this one," and "feel the force Luke," which had everyone in stitches.

Richard operated the switch, suddenly seeing those in the back disappear, replaced with what looked and sounded like a bus load of passengers, all of whom were strangers. Not knowing what to expect, Richard panicked, thinking he'd done something wrong. He never even noticed his changed appearance.

"Kim," he yelled out, "where are you?"

To be continued.

Carversion -54-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Four

"It's okay Richard, we are still here," Kim's disembodied voice answered.

"But I can't see you, just a pile of strangers," Richard shot back, before noticing that he was wearing some sort of uniform, including a peaked hat. He realised that he'd been given a bus drivers uniform, complete with identification, which told him, he was now Jason Potter, judging by the photo ID clipped to the sun visor.

"Jenna, can you walk to the back of the bus?" Kim's voice asked calmly.

Jenna stood up and turned towards the altered rear of the bus, seeing an aisle just like any normal bus. She moved towards the rear, suddenly disappearing from Richard's sight. One second Jenna could see the many strangers on the bus, the next, she saw only her new friends, seated on a few of the many empty seats.

To Richard, who was watching his wife move away, it seemed as if she walked through an invisible wall of water, before disappearing. There had been a ripple as she penetrated the illusion, much like that TV show, Stargate, when the actors walked through it to other worlds.

Richard laughed in relief, when Jenna stuck her head back though the illusion, giving her the look of a floating disembodied head.

"I think you should quit that while you're ahead," Richard then cracked up.

Richard poked his own head back though the illusion to check for himself. The illusion appeared to be only one way, as the view forward was unobstructed.

Kim had everyone file out of the bus so she could demonstrate one last feature. She stopped Richard from leaving, at least until he reversed the bus back into a van, thereby giving him his original body back. With Richard outside, Kim closed the door and the van became the bus again. Everyone could see that the bus looked full from the outside, with what seemed like normal passengers, doing what they would normally do on a bus.

Kim then opened the door, and told them to climb aboard. Kim looked cute in her bus driver's uniform, although she had kept her own body, unlike when Richard had changed.

Expecting to see the illusion of the nonexistent passengers, they were shocked to see what looked like the inside of an RV, kitted out with beds and kitchen and bathroom. Everyone was suitable impressed, especially Richard and Jenna.

"This has been just too much to take in," Jenna sighed looking overwhelmed by it all. "Don't show me anything else or I'll- I'll-" she staggered, her exhaustion catching up with her, preventing her finishing.

"Look I'll take her home for a rest," Richard said, taking her arm for support. "We'll catch up with you later to thank you properly." Richard suddenly remembered Cathleen. "Cathleen?"

"Will be happy with us," Sara finished for him. "Don't worry; I'll see she gets a rest in the afternoon, when I put Maggie down. Oh! Don't do anything for dinner; you're dinning with us tonight, so just relax."

"Thanks very much," Richard offered with Jenna following suit.

Richard walked Jenna home. Home, that had a nice ring to it, thought Richard, as he guided his wife into their new place. Jenna resisted his pressure to head for the bedroom to look once again though her home. She wandered slowly through each room with Richard on her arm, as she committed to memory, everything she saw. She allowed Richard to put her to bed, while her mind drifted over the day's events. Richards comforting warmth as he lay beside her, was all she needed to drift off into slumber.

Jenna woke feeling somewhat better, although she still felt a little flushed. Slipping off the bed, she headed towards the bathroom, thinking a shower would freshen her up. She discarded her travel worn clothes into the laundry chute, and turned on the shower. She made a note to thank her new neighbours for the soaps and shampoos that had been supplied.

Richard wandered in just as she was finishing, so he handed her a towel, while asking her how she was.

"I'm feeling a little bit odd, and the light seems rather brighter than normal, "she answered worriedly.

She had thought that the last few days of weird feelings had been due to stress, but now she wasn't so sure.

"It's not a migraine, is it?" Richard asked, stepping into the shower.

"No, it feels different, I feel as if something's building up inside."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Richard asked half hopefully, half wistfully.

"Not that kind of building up, you ninny," laughed Jenna.

"Well, ouch!" yelped Richard, as the water turned cold, as Jenna turned on the hot water tap at the basin deliberately.

Jenna dressed in a silk robe, grinned at Richard's reaction, before she left him to finish his shower. Looking in her walk in closet, she was surprised, when she saw several dresses hanging there. Checking, she saw they were her size. Going to the dresser, she discovered several changes of underwear, nighties, and stockings all in her size. 'This was Kim's doing, obviously,' she thought. Trust the Shelke to know the exact size of the body they had given her. Richard hadn't been left out either, as further investigation revealed.

She dressed in her gifted clothes, selecting a strapless sky blue sundress that gathered just above her breasts needing no other support. She found some matching strappy sandals with a comfortable heel to go with it.

While waiting for Richard, she dried and styled her hair and put on her minimal 'face.'

Richard took a while to get ready, dressing casually, but neat. Jenna took advantage of the delay to further investigate the pantry and the refrigerator. She also discovered the mini bar tucked into an alcove in the lounge.

Sara saw the pair coming back through the gate in the fence, and hurried out to greet them. Jenna's nose twitched, smelling something delicious cooking, as they where ushered into the condo, by an anxious Sara.

Cathleen broke off playing with Maggie and the animals, as soon as she saw her parent's arrive. She hugged Jenna's leg like some sort of human Koala bear. She bent down and lifted Cathleen up in her arms, smiling at her daughter, before a wave of dizziness made her relinquish her grip, handing her daughter to Richard.

She staggered, wondering why everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

To the others looking on concernedly, Jenna seemed to flicker and jerk as if on fast-forward. Suddenly Jenna disappeared completely, making Cathleen cry out in fear.

"Where did she go?" Richard managed to gasp out, as he looked everywhere for his missing love.

Nobody answered at first, all puzzled by the strange disappearance of Jenna. Maggie was looking around the room with a strange look on her face. Sara saw it and remembered that Maggie could see anyone wearing a bracelet.

"Can you see her?" she asked Maggie, crouching down to be on her level.

"She is here, but she's everywhere at once," Maggie stated, looking confused.

"How do you mean honey?" Sara asked, hugging Maggie close.

Maggie said that the aura representing Jenna was not in any one spot, but more like a streamer that was woven throughout the room.

"Like those overexposed pictures of traffic on the freeway at night. Where the headlights of cars look like a continuous streams of light," she whispered in Sara's ear, not wanting the others hear her reversion to an adult style of talking.

Knowing that Jenna was still somewhere in the room, Sara, opened her senses to see if she could detect Jenna's emotions. All she could get, that wasn't from the others, was a feeling of confusion and fear, which seemed to be coming from all around the room.

"Where's Kim? She might know what to do," Richard asked, not seeing her anywhere.

"She had to go see Cathy who has an emergency," Kevin told him.

"Well this is an emergency too," Richard fired back angrily.

"Calm yourself, I'm sure Jenna is okay," Amelia's soft voice, penetrated through Richard's anger.

Intuitively, Sara had a glimmer of an idea, and reached for a pad and pen off the table. She wrote something on the paper and set it back down, along with the pen. She stepped back for a second then took a look at the pad again. Sara then wrote something more and then turned to the others.

"She's okay, it's her new power, to her, it seems that time has stopped, or has been slowed to the point where everyone is a silent statue." Sara explained, showing them what had been written.

Jenna felt dizzy, she heard the others voice change pitch, lowering to an unintelligible growl. Everyone around her seemed to move in slow motion, and the light changed slightly. Sounds grew muffled, then ceased altogether, leaving her in deadly silence. Looking at the others, she was horrified to see them frozen like statues. She called to them, the sound of her voice sounding dead with no echoes as if muffled somehow. She ran outside to check something, as she couldn't hear the ocean pounding out its constant beat.

Jenna felt her heart stop, as she saw the frozen sea, stopped as if in a picture. Seeing a seagull over head, frozen in mid air, its wings stilled in mid beat, she knew that somehow that time had stopped for her. Something caught her eye, something that was moving in the sky far away.

It was a jet airliner, its contrails marking its passage high in the sky to the west. Checking closer, she could see movement on the ocean, about two miles away, it was a yacht moving gradually down the coast, but it was moving. Jenna was relieved to know that this effect had limits of around about 4 miles across.

Going back inside, she experimented a bit, seeing what she could do. She was reluctant to touch anyone; not knowing what effect her actions might have on living flesh. She looked at her wristwatch; surprised to see it was still running. She tried holding a wristwatch, which she found in one of the bedrooms to see if it would start up, once she had hold of it. Disappointingly, it stubbornly remained stopped. She had noticed while picking the watch up, that it had resisted her grasp, as if its inertia had increased tremendously, without having increased its weight.

Comparing it with her own, she tried to see if time really had stopped, or just slowed down. After about ten minutes of staring, she saw the second hand move. That single movement gave her hope that at least she wasn't in stasis, and that maybe there was someway to rejoin the main time stream.

Jenna was feeling hungry, and realised she'd been 'stuck,' for hours. She wandered into the kitchen knowing dinner had been cooking, before all this had happened. The oven door resisted her pull; making it an effort to open it, oddly there seemed to be no waft of heat escaping the oven, once she had it open. The lid of the casserole dish reacted in the same way. Experimenting, she let go the lid, after pulling it to one side. It hovered seemingly motionless in mid air, although she thought it was still moving ever so slightly.

Getting a spoon to sample the dish, took just as much effort, and sniffing the food, she was disappointed that it had no smell. Tasting it also proved a disappointment, although the longer she held it in her mouth the better it tasted.

Putting it back in the oven, Jenna went back to the others. Frustrated at seeing everyone still motionless, she went back to clock watching, trying to make that second hand move faster.

Jenna blinked, had the hand moved... "Yes!" She cried, seeing it move again. Concentrating, on it, she saw the second hand start to move every minute, increasing its speed. Jenna looked at the others in the room, seeing some slight differences in their positions. Jenna pushed her mind at the watch, not sure if that was the key, or just a way of focusing her mind on the problem. As the second hand sped up, Jenna turned to try and see if the others could see her. She yelled and waved her arms in front of everyone, hoping one might see her. She saw Sara moving slowly and picking up a writing pad. Sara wrote something, while Jenna waited impatiently for her to finish.

Jenna read Sara's message and wrote her observations down, of her current situation, before pacing up and down while Sara took ages to read her message. Time continued to speed up, until everyone seemed to be moving normally. Unfortunately Jenna was still in a zone of silence, and she started to panic.

How was she going to get back into the real world if she didn't find a solution soon? She saw Sara writing again on the note pad and went to read it.

To be continued.

Carversion -55-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Five

Sara sensed a difference in the room. She felt the beginnings of panic coming from Jenna. It was very clear and seemed to centred on the couch, unlike before when it seemed to pervade the room with no definite location.

Sara noticed her watch on the table, and was curious as to how it had got there, seeing she had left it in the bedroom. Picking up the pad, she wrote for Jenna to explain everything in detail, and asked why she seemed to be sitting on the couch at this moment.

The answers came slower this time, as Jenna replied in same. Cathleen was staring at the couch with an intent stare as if somehow sensing where her new mommy was. Although Cathleen had only met Jenna once or twice in real life, the bond forged from the many hours spent in chartrooms was as strong as if Jenna had been her real mom.

"I can hear mommy," stated Cathleen suddenly, startling the others with this surprise revelation. Tears of joy flooded Cathleen's eyes as she re-established communications with Jenna. "I talk with her in my head," she added after a moment.

"What does she mean?" asked Richard, getting rather worried.

"It looks like the situation has triggered Cathleen's gift of telepathy," Julie replied, going on to explain about the side effects of wearing the Krin.

"I think we need to ring Kim," Sara interrupted, having read Jenna's reply. "I think we are dealing with more than Jenna just stopping time. She seems to be in a separate dimension or something."

"I think Jenna has created a pocket universe, similar to our non space one." Kim suggested, once Sara had managed to contact her on the phone. "The changing time dilation effect is an interesting twist. I think her observations of everything stopping, is just an effect from within the bubble. If it really were occurring, then there would be catastrophic effects in the real world," Kim warned.

"I can only suggest two things for her to do. One, if the bubble has a radius of two miles or so, and it's a static form, she could try walking out past its boundary. Of course, if it's centred on herself, then that won't work. Or two, she could try to continue the mental effort she used to speed up the time dilation effect outside her bubble."

This information was relayed to Jenna via Cathleen. The rest waited, wondering how long it would take. Fifteen minutes passed, it seemed Jenna was trying the mental effort, as Sara could still sense her inside the lounge.

"CRAAAACK!"

Jenna popped back into existence with a sound like snapping timber. Her face was strained with the effort of concentrating on her task, seeing she had made it, she collapsed into the back of the couch, followed by Cathleen, who pounced on her lap to hug her. Richard was narrowly second, to welcome his wife back into the land of the living. Relief was evident all round as one by one, she was given hugs.

The next hour was spent talking about what happened. Luckily, Amelia, who decided that most of the discussion was over her head, left just in time to prevent dinner being spoiled. Amelia dragged Leanne aside long enough to help set the table, before Amelia announced that dinner was served. Jenna was glad of the meal, and mentioned the improvement in the taste from her first sample. Discussion slowed over dinner, as mouths were put to uses other than talking. Jenna thanked the cooks for the meal; saying it was the best meal she'd had in- here, she paused, looking at her watch, calculating the time spent trapped in that bubble universe. Her eventual answer got a few chuckles, as they figured out what she meant.

That night, Jenna was doubly thankful of sleeping beside her husband. Not only was she with the one she loved, she was in her own bed in her new home, something she had nearly been denied, had she not freed herself from that isolated universe. She kept hold of the arm; Richard had draped over her body, reassuring herself as she drifted off, that Richard was still spooned in behind her.

Elsewhere, Cathy was getting worried. She hadn't meant to drive over the rear wheels of the motorcycle gang, as she pulled out of the lone rest stop on her journey south. The huge 4x4 she had bought was almost too much for her to handle, now she wore a petite female body. Tyrissa, had wanted her to wait for a Shelke built vehicle, but Cathy was adamant that she had to be off. Money transferred to Tyrissa's salon on wheels by Kim, had been enough for Cathy to buy herself a huge truck nearly twice her height. She still had enough money to make her journey enjoyable and spaced with frequent shopping sprees.

Tyrissa had given her five bracelets for her friends she wanted to see, not counting the one she was already wearing. Not having a secure place to keep them other than in the glove box, Cathy put them on her wrists, three on each hand. They were all in invisible mode so they wouldn't attract attention, and the laptop to program them with was secured under her seat, in some bubble wrap.

Things had gone well at first, although she got tired of the comments about her needing help to drive her 4x4 when she stopped for gas or food. Some red necks got downright hostile at seeing her perched on her seat driving along. They seemed to think she was invading their territory, and she should be driving a Miata, or a VW. Some would even drive along side of her on the opposing lane, throwing taunts or egging her on to race. Having a 16-pound cat looking out of the window didn't help matters either. Having comments like, "nice pussy," and other derogatory comments, yelled at her, put Cathy on a not so slow boil.

Once, an oncoming car had to pull over onto the dirt at the side of the road, nearly losing control, as one hooligan ignored the blasting horn, as he refused to pull back into single file. Cathy was reminded of a joke, where one rednecks last words were. "Hey! Watch this."

Getting worried the innocent drivers might get hurt; Cathy needed a way to stop them. Stopping was out of the question, they might decide to stop as well, and do something worse. Cathy found that by slowing down to 20 mph her tormentors couldn't get to her on foot and they soon got bored, and eventually roared on with a blast of horns.

Although not wanting to waste time, Cathy didn't want to make the trip by driving day and night. She was determined to see as much of the country as she could, stopping at each town and lingering a while to look at shops.

Cathy had never been tall as a guy, but now that she was almost a third of her previous weight, she felt like she had springs in her shoes, as she bounced from one shop to the next. Being able to shop for clothes for was wonderful. Before, she had been limited to second hand shops and yard sales, and even then, she never felt like sizing clothes against her body. Anything she had bought was just her best guess to sizes that would fit.

Tyrissa had given Cathy her phone number just in case she found herself in trouble, along with Kim's as a backup. Cathy had purchased a new cell phone and now carried it everywhere.

Her last stop had been at a small eatery off the main highway. When she had stopped, the place was quiet, which seemed odd, given that the food she ordered was very tasty. She had given Roadblock some food and water, before leaving her in the cab of her 4x4. When she had first entered the place, she got some odd nervous looks from the staff, which all seemed to be male. She was finishing her coffee, when she heard a roaring sound outside. Bikes, and lots of them, spluttered to a stop outside the eatery. Cathy had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she saw the looks of the staff, as they scurried frantically out of sight.

The door opened, and in walked about twenty Hells Angels, all clad in black leather. They were surprised at seeing Cathy in the place, and the biker's girlfriends, who had followed their men, gave her disdainful looks, before grabbing the arm of their partner possessively.

"Well lookie here, looks like crumpet is on the menu," jeered one of the bikers, as he strode towards her.

Cathy remained seated, trying not to let his words rile her temper. She opened her purse and took out money to pay her bill, placing it on the table as she stood up.

"Hey babe, you don't have to pay me, I'll do you for nothing," laughed the leader, ignoring the resentful tugging on his arm as his girl tried to distract him.

"Pay you? You got to be joking," Cathy fired back, refusing to be cowed by this lout in leather.

Cathy saw that she wasn't likely to get any help from the owners of the place, not a great surprise, given the situation. Her anger grew, as this seemed the last straw in a string of grievances against bullying testosterone poisoned jerk offs. Suddenly, a strange feeling of euphoria flooded Cathy's body, making her feel powerful. Whether it was adrenalin, or something else, she made good use of it in the next few seconds.

The leader of the gang went to grab Cathy, but she snatched his hand in a seemingly unbreakable grip and twisted the guy's wrist. At first, surprise, then pain crossed his face at her brazen move, as he found he couldn't break this slip of a girl's grip. As Cathy continued to twist the leader's wrist, he was forced to one knee to try and relieve the stress on his arm, fearing that it was going to be broken. His followers gasped at the sight of their leader submitting to the girl, even more so when they heard an involuntary groan coming from him.

Cathy marvelled at the way she had bested the brute. She didn't seem to have to use much effort to force the man to the ground. Having proved her point, (at least to the leader), she let go his hand, and turned to leave. The man made as to get up from off his knees, but Cathy pointed her finger at him and said, "FREEZE BUSTER," putting as much force behind her words, as she could muster.

The man froze, almost literally, becoming like a statue. Only his shallow breathing showed he was still alive.

Cathy realised this was something she had done to the man and she wondered if this was one of those strange powers, that Tyrissa had mentioned to her. If so, she needed out of here before the others retaliated. She strode forward parting the gang in a bold move, holding her hand up threateningly. The leader's moll had fallen to her knees before her man, calling to him to wake up.

Cathy ran to her truck, as the rest of the gang crowded around their leader to check his frozen stance. Cathy gunned her engine and tried to get past the row of motorbikes lined up in front of her. The 4x4 bounced jarringly, as it knocked the line of bikes over, like a set of dominos, its massive tyres crunching over the rear wheels and making some of them unusable. A few missed being crushed, although they were still tangled in the carnage she had left behind. Roadblock didn't appreciate being woken from her catnap, by being bounced off the seat and mewed her discontent.

"Sorry pal, I didn't have time to pussy foot around," apologised Cathy, before giggling nervously at her unintended pun.

Bikers poured noisily out of the eatery, like a swarm of angry wasps, as they heard their beloved machines succumbing to the roar of the 4x4. By the time the usable machines were cleared from the mess, Cathy was long gone. Six incensed bikers roared off after her, determined to seek revenge for the damage to their friend's bikes.

Cathy called Kim on her cell phone, knowing if she had suddenly developed powers, then she was the best one to call. The 4x4 seemed to be okay, as it thrummed along the highway, luckily not having punctured a tire from the broken motorbike spokes.

Kim told Cathy to keep heading south, and that she would meet her at the next major town. She would send someone to deal with the man she had frozen and anyone who was involved in the incident. At Cathy's, "you're not going to eliminate them, are you?" Kim just laughed.

"No we will use the glasses to make people forget it happened, and check into the condition of the gang leader." Kim reassured her.

Cathy had to break off her conversation with Kim, as the roar of pursuing motorbikes became louder. One foolishly drew along side her, the rider shouting obscenities, as he brandished a pistol in her general direction. Cathy moved over towards the biker, her powerful truck moving over into the other lane, forcing the biker to pull further away.

Unfortunately, instead of dropping behind, he just moved into the dirt lining the road. His bike slewed in the gravel, fighting for adhesion until the inevitable happened. He lost control, flipping the bike and sending the rider hurtling through the air. The bike exploded in a nice satisfying (to Cathy) fireball as it hit some boulders. The rider, who didn't explode in a fireball, cartwheeled a few times before getting a nice gravel rash facial.

Looking in the rear mirrors, Cathy saw one of the bikers stop to check the fallen man. 'Two down, four to go,' thought Cathy, as she continued on as fast as she could. Picking up the dropped cell phone, she relayed to Kim what had just happened. Kim had her drag the laptop out and place it on the seat next to her. Roadblock had decided that discretion was the better part of valour and hid under the passengers seat, or at least attempted to, after all, she wasn't named Roadblock for nothing. After Cathy fumbled around to turn it on one handed, she was instructed to type a command.

"Okay, we have you triangulated now, help is on its way," Kim told her.

"They'd better hurry," urged Cathy as she saw the bikes closing again.

"Two minutes," Kim answered.

The four bikes were lined up two abreast behind the speeding truck; with the second set 20 yards behind the first two. A huge dark shape dropped in between the two sets of bikes, hovering just a few feet in front of the rear pair. The runner of the black helicopter swept towards the handlebars of the bikes, causing the two riders to lose control, before they realised what was up. Both were pulled into the open sided chopper, before they had a chance to fall off their bikes, a fact, had they been able to remember it later, they would have been grateful for.

Neither Cathy nor the two remaining bikers had yet realised what had happened behind them, as both the noise from the trucks engine and the roar of the motorbikes had drowned out the chuff chuff of the helicopter that had since joined them.

The two bikers rode up on both sides of the truck, showing more skill as they avoided colliding with it as Cathy weaved side to side. The one on the driver's side, managed to grasp the door handle and started to pull it open a bit, while his partner did the same to the passenger's door.

Cathy in a fit of desperation, screamed, "FREEZE," hoping that whatever she had do to their leader would work again.

It worked. The two men just had time to show fear on their faces before her command took effect, freezing them in position. Cathy slammed on the brakes, breaking their grip, as they sailed forward on their bikes, unable to brake or steer.

Cathy suddenly realised what she'd done. She didn't mean to kill them, which was likely if they crashed at that speed. Luckily the road was straight and clear of traffic, as their bikes continued on regardless. As the gap widened between them, Cathy nearly had a heart attack, as a black helicopter with no markings on it, swooped down in front of her. She watched gasping, as the pilot brought his machine within inches of the road, as he flew between the two bikes.

She breathed a sigh of relief as hands reached out from the rear doors on both sides of the helicopter and plucked the two unresponsive men from their bikes, bringing them inside, before closing the doors and lifting higher.

The bikes wobbled and slowed as the throttles closed. They eventually veered off the road, crashing noisily into the bush. Sara watched the helo, as she slowed the truck down. The helicopter veered sideways giving her a view of the blacked out pilots window, as it kept pace with her truck.

A gloved hand reached out of the partially opened window and made a fist with the thumb extended upwards for a few seconds, before both hand and helo rose up and away. It reminded her of the movie 'The Terminator II,' where Arnold did the same, as he was finally lowered into the molten steel.

Feeling like she was in a movie herself, Cathy stopped the truck, having first checked that no more bikers were around. She rang Kim again, to check that the helo was her people and to give her a piece of her mind, for scaring the crap out of her like that.

Kim confirmed that the bikers were in safe hands, and she just laughed when Cathy told her that she owed her a new pair of panties, and some catmint.

"I'll do better than that, I'll get you a new truck as well," Kim chuckled. "Mind you, you didn't leave us much choice when you froze those guys on their bikes. I take it that you didn't intend for them to become road kill?" Asked Kim with Cathy hearing a smile in her tone of voice.

"No, I guess I didn't think it through," admitted Cathy with a sigh.

"Hey don't fret honey; I think you did exceedingly well, considering you only just acquired your gifts less than half an hour ago."

"Seems like hours, already," Cathy blew out a big breath, as the tension eased.

"Talk to you later, Cathy, I have a special delivery to handle," Kim told her.

"Bye-"

Cathy resumed her journey, wondering if Kim was serious about the offer of a new truck. According to what Tyrissa had told her, nothing was impossible where Kim was involved.

To be continued.

Carversion -56-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Six

Cathy met Kim at the next town as planned. Cathy had a million questions about this gift business. Kim took Cathy to a small, nearly deserted café, where they could talk in relative peace.

"The gifts or powers you have, seem to be a result of wearing the Krin, more than having a Shelke built body. They are more correctly a psychic ability that humans under the age of 30 seem to be able to develop. Human females in good health seem to get it first, and then those transgendered men who get a female Shelke body are next, followed by healed female bodies, either with or without a Shelke body. Men get it last, if at all. It helps if they spend time as females using a Shelke form. The longer time as a female, the quicker any abilities show up. So far, each tend to get two powers, one of which might be stronger than the other, but not always."

Here, Kim paused, taking a sip of her coffee, as she looked intently at Cathy.

"You humans are amazing; we never expected to find such a race with the potential to achieve so much. And to think we nearly missed seeing you bloom as you did," Kim sighed.

"What do you mean- missed?" Asked Cathy.

Kim explained about Scott, William, Kevin and Daniel finding the truck and then the Krin and how they were nearly became candidates for the glasses, when her colleagues wanted to stop the four from learning more about the Shelke.

"If they hadn't passed the tests we set them, none of us would have found out about these powers and would have been less able to defend against the eventual arrival of the Nemesis.

"I'd like to meet all of them to give my thanks," Cathy said earnestly.

"Well-" beckoned Kim, leaning towards Cathy and whispering something in her ear.

"Roight, I'll let a few people know," Cathy promised. "Oh about gifts? What do you think I have?" asked Cathy, changing the subject, by telling her what had happened in the eatery.

"Well, it looks as if you might have some sort of hypnotic power, from what my people have informed me.

"I don't have a freeze power?" Asked Cathy, sounding disappointed.

"No, when we used our spectralisers to make them forget the incident, they unfroze; possibly because it overwrote the command you had given them."

"So because they forgot me giving them the order, it no longer affected them?" Cathy prompted, clarifying things in her mind.

"We believe so."

"Crap, then I didn't need to call you out, I could have told them to just leave me alone," Cathy said disgustedly.

"True, but you weren't to know that, my pilot thought you handled things well," Kim placated her.

"That reminds me, what was that with the fist? Is he auditioning for the next terminator movie?" Cathy asked, having to explain it to Kim.

"I'm afraid he's been corrupted by your movies. It's hard to get a sensible word out of him, unless it's a line out of an action movie," Kim laughed.

Cathy laughed with her, as she fiddled with her coffee cup.

"What about my handling of the leader? It seemed like I wasn't exerting much strength when I held his arm," Cathy questioned, getting back to the subject of her gifts.

"You may have gained extra physical strength that you amply demonstrated, by tapping your Ki or Chi as some pronounce it."

"You mean like Bruce Lee and that Kung Foo stuff?"

"Yes, although you don't have to yell like he did," Kim grinned.

"Thank God for that," laughed Cathy.

"The Shelke body you have is stronger than the equivalent in human terms. You still have the power to generate Ki, but in your case it gives you extra strength for sustained periods, than just the usually burst of power, that martial artists use," Kim postulated.

"So when does my X-ray vision kick in?" quipped Cathy, grinning at Kim.

"Hey, don't laugh, I wouldn't put it past your race, to eventually come up with something like that," Kim giggled, only half joking.

Once they had finished their coffee and sandwich. Kim walked with Cathy to her truck. Cathy sighed as she went to examine the damage caused by the motorbikes, when the bikers had scraped alongside in their attempt to stop her. Cathy took a second look and a third, trying to see the scratches she'd found when she had parked it, only an hour ago.

No scratches. The truck was as pristine as when she had bought it.

"Huh? Whoa!" Cathy exclaimed in puzzlement, before turning to Kim. Seeing the grin on Kim's face, Cathy knew she'd been had.

"Is this MY truck?" She asked quizzically.

"Yes and no," Kim laughed, enjoying the moment. "You own it, but it's a Shelke built replica of the original. It has optional extras that should help next time you decide to take on another gang of bikers."

Cathy was lost for words, she tried to unlock it with her key, but found it didn't fit. Turning to Kim, she saw a key on a plastic looking fob, which had several buttons on it. Kim handed it to her, explaining what it did. Cathy pressed the button that opened the door and disabled the anti theft mechanism. Before she could climb in, Kim had her look at the improved paint job. Having approached the truck on the shadowed side, it looked like the deep metallic blue, which Cathy had selected in the showroom. When they walked around to the side the sun was reflecting from, the colour started changing to a purple then to a red colour where it was in full sun.

"WOW! That's fantastic," gushed an awed Cathy.

"Okay let's look inside and I'll explain everything," Kim urged.

"Wait, what about my cat Roadblock? She was in my truck!" Cathy exclaimed panicking at the thought of losing her.

"She's okay," laughed Kim, "although the verdict's still out on the one that exchanged the truck," she chuckled. "You sure she's not part tiger? It's a good job we are tough, she protected her territory very well," smiled Kim.

"Well I know she's big,, but the tiger only comes out around strangers she hasn't been introduced to," Cathy laughed, as she saw Roadblock stand up to look as she heard her mistress's voice.

"Well if you introduce us, I'll show you the extras we installed," Kim grinned.

Cathy leapt to obey, wondering what could top that paint job. After the cat was introduced to Kim, she showed Cathy how to change the truck into a sleek low hung Jaguar XJ220S TWR. Kim said that the original Jaguar specs had the twin turbo V6 reach a top speed of 230 mph, but using Shelke technology, it would top 350 mph, while still looking the same under the hood.

Cathy drooled, and was further amazed when shown the colour bar control that selected any colour for both truck and Jag at a touch of a finger. Kim told her of a new option, which would allow her to either keep her present form, or an alternate form when switching from one to the other. Whatever form she became, would be stored in her Krin for future use. Before Kim allowed Cathy to get on with her journey, she showed her where the laptop was secured in the glove box in a non-space storage pocket. She suggested that the extra Krin could be stored there, as it was keyed only to her touch.

"Um, what will happen to Roadblock if I use the change form option?" asked Cathy.

"She will stay a cat, although her breed might change, as long as your new form is female. Should your form become male, then she will become a dog of random breed, depending on circumstances," answered Kim.

While Cathy was playing with all the knobs on her transformed ride, Kim slipped away to deal with another crisis back at the condo. When Cathy looked to thank Kim again, she saw she was alone. Shrugging, at Roadblock, she started the Jags engine and gunned the throttle, loving the throaty sound of the supposedly twin turbo V6. She pealed out with a chirp of tires, heading back on track to meet her friends, revelling in the feel of this attention getting exotic import.

"It purrs just like you," she told her cat, who ignored her in favour of getting comfortable on the leather seat.

Only one incident occurred on her way south. She had opened the car up, along a straight stretch of road that went for miles, its seeming endlessness, shimmering into the haze in the hot afternoon sun. A lone cop, basking in wait for the unwary racer, was half hidden in some mesquite alongside the road. Cathy flashed past, at around 300mph, the built in radar detector had given her a warning, but by the time she had figured out was the warning sound meant, she was already past the cop. Knowing she was caught, she floored it, adding another 50 mph to her already rapid speed. She laughed as the cop car pulled onto the road and then seeing her race away, give up the chase before it had started. Cathy punched the button that changed the jag into the truck again, once she was out of sight, knowing she couldn't outrun the radio message she was sure was being sent. She passed easily through the roadblock set up 10 miles down the road. She felt a little sorry for the cop who had radioed in. who would probably be taken to task about sleeping on the job and reporting figments of his imagination.

Knowing Cathy was safe, now she knew about her gifts and having a Shelke built vehicle, Kim flew back, to get to the others at the condo. She wondered at the variety of the gifts showing up, and wondered what Cathleen's would be when they manifested. There was one strange thing about Sara; she only had one currently, although she had used another for escaping being shot at, unfortunately it never stayed with her longer than for that one instance, whereas all of the others now had two, so why hadn't Sara manifested her other power? Kim pondered on that as she returned to the condo

Jenna was feeling much better when she woke early the next morning, so much so, she decided to go for a morning swim before the others woke up. She slipped out of bed, brushing Richards's lips with a soft kiss, before looking for that swimsuit she'd seen yesterday in her explorations. She found it and shed her nightie, before slipping on the pink and purple Lycra one piece. She took a towel before heading down to the near deserted beach. Only near because she wasn't the only one with the same idea. Sara was just putting her own towel down as Jenna approached.

"Hi! Great morning, isn't it?" Jenna called, walking over to put her towel down as well.

"Sure is," was Sara's unsurprised answer, as she turned and greeted Jenna with a smile.

Jenna remembered that Sara had an empathic gift, and had probably felt her emotions as she had approached.

They both wandered down the water's edge, where the calm ocean was licking at the beach with a soft susurrus of sound. No words were spoken, as none were needed to enjoy the glorious rays of the morning sun. They swam, making small talk, getting to know each other better on a personal level. Sara asked Jenna to be one of her bridesmaids, and for Cathleen to be the ring bearer, explaining that she would also be Julie's bridesmaid as well.

Jenna was tickled pink, by the offer, and accepted it immediately, saying it was a great honour. Sara went on to explain the unique aspects of the upcoming wedding, as the left the ocean and went to lie on the towels for a bit.

Jenna gigged at the idea of an all female wedding party, saying it was an excellent idea. She then sighed and looked a little sad.

"What's up sis?' Sara asked, feeling Jenna's emotions clearly, feeling her sadness and regret.

"Oh I just wish I'd had a church wedding, but we were in a hurry, so we just had a civil one." Sara thought for a minute, before setting forth a proposal to Jenna.

"How about renewing your vows with us, and make it a triple wedding?"

"With Richard as a bride too?" Jenna asked, seeing where this was leading.

"Yup, as a bride," Sara answered with a grin, as she explained that some of the brides would be sporting something special in their panties.

"It would be a different sort of experience for him, I guess," laughed Jenna.

"Exactly, that's why I decided to do it this way," Sara explained. "Do you think he'll go for it?" Sara asked hopefully

"Well, if I put it to him in the right way, I'm sure he'll rise to the challenge," sniggered Jenna, thinking exactly what it was, that would be rising.

"It takes a special man to become a woman," mused Sara, thinking of her own special man.

"Yes it does," agreed Jenna, already planning what she and Richard were going to wear.

Sara got up and said she was going to make breakfast for the others. Jenna suggested they have it at her place, as a thank you for the previous night. Sara thanked her, but declined, saying that as it was the first meal in their new home, they should celebrate it together without a load of strangers butting in.

"Tomorrow then," suggested Jenna, seeing the sense in Sara's words. "Oh, and you're not strangers, not after what you have done for us, either directly or indirectly. We can never repay you for the gifts you have given us," Jenna said with tears in her eyes.

They hugged each other, before parting to head into their respective properties. Sara eyes were decidedly on the moist side, as she headed inside to start the mornings chore of breakfast. She heard the TV on low, as she entered the door. Popping her head around the corner, she saw sleepy Maggie curled up on the sofa, with the kitten curled up on her lap purring softly as Maggie stroked its coat

Sara smiled, and started making pancakes, knowing that someone's nose would lead them into the kitchen on tiny feet.

The tiny feet came and went, followed by bigger feet, as the smell wafted upstairs and enticed the appetite belonging to those feet. Luckily the supply of pancakes didn't run out till everyone was filled.

"Tomorrow, it's somebody else’s turn to do breakfast," stated Sara, finally sitting down to eat her own meal.

Later on that day, discussion about Jenna's powers seemed the main topic, once Jenna came over to visit again. Sara had Jenna try to repeat yesterday's experience, now she knew the trick of returning. Jenna was reluctant at first, but saw the logic in mastering her gift, for the future.

Jenna found the whole thing becoming easier, and quicker, the more she did it. She found she could control the size of the sphere of influence down to a few yards, which looked odd when some of her friends looked like statues, while those out of reach moved normally. When Kim arrived back that evening, she had a few suggestions for Jenna to try the next day.

Kim had taken Sara aside and asked her about her only having one gift. Sara was surprised, saying she hadn't even thought about it.

"I thought that when I used that power to stop bullets hitting me that it was my second gift, but when I couldn’t make it happen again, I thought I was destined only to have one power."

"No I don’t think that was your second power, but more of an adrenalin enhanced power. Like when a woman lifts a car off her trapped child, the adrenalin kicks in to enable an ordinary person gain superhuman like power. You will get a second power. It’s just a matter of when," Kim informed her.

Although Sara should have manifested her second power soon after her first, there was still no sign of it. Kim was puzzled; surely the second gift should have shown itself by now.

"I can sense something, now that you mention it," Sara told her, thinking it odd that it hadn't occurred for her to seek it out. "I can't seem to get a grip on it, all I feel is a sense of dread when I do."

"Would you like me to use the glasses on you to see if I can nudge it?" offered Kim.

"Sure," answered Sara, trusting Kim implicitly.

Kim put Sara under, after shooing the others out of the room. She worked her magic on Sara's subconscious, before bringing her back.

"Whoa! What a trip. I feel like my brains been turned inside out," joked Sara, once she woke.

Kim was silent and pale looking, and avoided Sara's eyes.

"Well, what is it?" Sara asked, feeling around for the supposedly awakened power.

"I can't tell you, I can't take the chance that you'll find it," Kim eventually admitted, sending chills down Sara's back.

"Why not?" She asked tremulously.

"If it manifests, it will kill you." Replied Kim, her words impacting Sara's brain like hammer blows.

To be continued.

Carversion -57-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Kim had just delivered a death sentence to Sara, saying that if her second gift ever manifested, it would kill her

Sara sat stunned, her brain reeling, as she tried to digest the awful news. She couldn't think straight, and her body trembled in reaction.

"Why will it kill me?" She finally whispered, as if said quietly, it wouldn't seem so bad.

Kim debated telling her, knowing that if she got an inkling of her power, she might worry at it till it came clear, like worrying at a loose tooth, even though you know you shouldn't.

"From what I can tell, it is your primary power, not the secondary one. I think subconsciously, you know that the gift is potentially lethal and that it's suppressing it, to keep you from using it."

"So what use is it then? And how can you know so much about it?" asked Sara bitterly, feeling that on the cusp of her marriage, she'd been given a potential death sentence as a wedding gift. Kim's answer didn't make her feel much better either.

"Your subconscious is fully aware of the gift's potential. As to what use it might be, well, there might come a time when you have to make a choice, whether to use it and risk death, or let all the people of Earth die," Kim said soberly.

Sara sat and tried to take in what Kim had said. 'What kind of gift did she have that could do what Kim had implied?' She thought. Kim, almost reading the thoughts going on in Sara's head, gave her a partial answer.

"Your gift could be the most powerful one that I've known, but you aren't ready for it, so don't go looking for it," she warned.

"I could burn out like those stories I've heard?"

"Worse than that I'm afraid, that would only kill you, yes, but if you survive-" Kim's words trailed off, imagining living with the consequences, if Sara survived the ordeal. Kim was certain that Sara would have to make that choice in the future, as it was tied in with the Nemesis and she feared losing her friend in such a way.

"Don't tell me, I don't want to know," urged Sara, seeing the look in Kim's eyes.

"It might not happen," Kim lied, knowing in her heart, that it was probably inevitable.

The gifts seemed to be following a pattern, almost as if manifesting in a way that was most advantageous in the fight against the Nemesis. Was this race capable of manipulating the odds in their favour in the upcoming struggle for survival? Or was there some godlike force that was guiding them along the right path? Kim had seen some pretty amazing things on her travels, things that defied explanations or scientific analysis. Maybe God really did exist. She hoped so, for this raced needed every advantage on their side if they were going to survive.

"Am I likely to hurt anyone if it manifests?" Sara asked finally. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Kevin or Maggie or indeed any of the others for that matter, if she suddenly exploded or unwittingly created a black hole in the living room.

"No, at this point in time, it's only lethal to you." Kim assured her.

"Don't tell the others okay? I don't want them worrying about me," Sara urged, determined to deal with her "gift," in her own way. "I'm not likely to find out while I'm in a nexus, am I? Or Kevin for that matter."

"Unlikely, the conscious mind has been blocked, and that won't change, even in a nexus. You'll know when the time comes, if it ever does, and then you will have to decide." Kim answered cryptically.

Sara stood up and shrugged off her fears, knowing that giving in to them would end up with her going in to an ever-decreasing spiral of self-destruction. Putting a smile back on her face, she had the others come back in.

"I have as yet, an undetermined gift, but it's not ready to manifest itself." Sara answered simply, to the rush of questions from the others.

Kevin, more attuned to Sara than the others, sensed that she was holding something back. Not wanting to call her on it then and there, he made a mental note to ask her later.

Sara was extra attentive to Maggie when she finally announced her bedtime. She left the others speculating on what her gift might be, as she read Maggie a story, determined to carry on as if nothing was wrong. Maggie's as yet unnamed kitten wandered into the room and jumped up on Maggie's bed, giving her a goodnight lick, before settling down on the bedspread. Maggie giggled and gave the kitten a pat, before settling down. Kissing Maggie goodnight, she turned to see Kevin leaning against the doorway. As she made to pass, a quiet "wait," held her, while Kevin went and kissed Maggie goodnight.

"Okay, what's the real story?" Kevin asked, having pulled her into the main bedroom, with his arm around her.

Sara debated lying to Kevin, but knew he'd see right through it in an instant.

"It's serious isn't it?" Kevin asked, knowing from the delay in answering, that Sara was trying to avoid telling him.

"I didn't want you worrying," Sara replied, half answering his question.

"I'm going to share my life with you. That means the good and the bad. Tell me and we'll share whatever it is together."

"I have a gift, but it will probably kill me when I use it, if I get to that point," Sara blurted out. She turned and buried her face in Kevin's shoulder, beginning to sob quietly.

Kevin held her close, feeling his emotions swirling in confusion. Shock and fear filled him, as Sara continued to weep.

The next morning, Kevin was up early, having had a troubled sleep after Sara's revelations. He surprised a rousing Sara with breakfast in bed, followed shortly after by dessert, which wasn't on any menu. Sara rose and went for a shower, after being sated at both ends.

She'd been tempted to bypass the built in Shelke birth control, and try and conceive a child, from the morning's sex romp. She thought she might not get the chance later if her gift came. The only reason she didn't, was the fact that she'd be giving in to fear of the consequences of the gift. If she was going to have any happiness before that happened, she had to live life as if she knew nothing about it. She was determined not to let the threat of her gift, spoil the time she had left.

Kevin, entering the shower with her, put all thoughts about the gift on hold, as he gently washed her body with gentle caresses.

By the time they had finished and got dressed to go downstairs, the others had started eating their own breakfasts. Looking round the room, Sara noticed a missing head.

"Where's Maggie? I thought she'd be up eating with you." She asked, turning to go look upstairs.

"Maggie's next door, having breakfast with Jenna and Cathleen," Julie called out, before Sara had taken a step.

"Ah, I guess this will be a regular event from now on," Sara smiled at the thought. "I guess we will be having an extra guest at tomorrow's breakfast table," she added bemusedly.

Later, when Jenna came over, she was on her own. At Sara's questioning look, she explained that Richard had taken the two children to the beach to play.

"I didn't want Cathleen jinxing my tests today," she sighed.

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Sara, sensing there was more to the story.

"There have been some strange things happening around her. It's almost like we have a poltergeist or something," replied Jenna with a troubled look.

Sara called Kim over and had Jenna repeat her concerns. Kim looked thoughtful for a while, before asking just what had happened and when.

"Well it started after dinner, when I told her I was going to give her a bath," started Jenna, as she settled down on the couch. "Cathleen seems to have something against baths for some reason; something I feel as odd, given that she wanted to be female. I hope she grows out of it soon." Jenna laughed, holding her fingers to her nose in a pinching action.

"Anyway, when I went to turn the taps on, they were stuck, as if frozen solid. Richard managed to get them turning with a spanner, saying they were screwed closed too tight. The funny thing is, I was the last to use it and there's no way I could get them that tight. Then the plug went missing, sometime between me getting Richard, and him fixing the taps." She paused, as something else crossed her mind. "Oh, that reminds me, do you have any spare soap? That's all disappeared as well.

"All of it? Every bar?" Asked Sara, incredulously.

At Jenna's affirmative nod, Sara knew that something was going on. Having stocked the place herself, that would be about twenty bars of soap disappearing.

"Do you think Cathleen hid them all?" asked Kim, trying for the easiest solution.

I don't see how, as she was downstairs still, when we discovered the soap was missing. I asked her anyway, but she said no, although she was pleased by the fact that she'd miss her bath. I don't believe she had anything to do with it, at least not directly," finished Jenna.

"Indirectly?" The voiced question hung in the air.

"Well, there was this morning," Jenna paused, looking introspective.

"What happened this morning?" Prompted Kim.

"I made sketti-um, I mean spaghetti on toast for the girls," Jenna began.

Sara grinned; knowing Maggie probably had some input into making Jenna rename spaghetti.

"Normally Cathleen's a tidy eater, but this morning she and Maggie were covered in sauce and bit's of ske-spaghetti. She said it wasn't her fault, saying it kept slipping off the fork."

"Maybe her second gift is manifesting," proposed Kim.

"What kind of gift? The art of staying dirty?" Jenna grumbled.

"Maybe a type of TK", suggested Sara, looking at Kim for agreement.

"No, I don't think so for two reasons," Kim said, looking serious. "The way the gifts have been manifesting, seem to be following a pattern of diversity, at least in this group. Cindy has a TK gift, so I'm betting this isn't that. It's possible that this new gift may be the primary one."

"So what's the second reason?" asked Jenna.

The gifts seemed to be directly linked to the threat from the Nemesis, as if providing various means to fight them with. It's almost mystical in its way, as though something were guiding mankind along the path." Kim sighed, regretting her omission of godlike interference.

There was silence, as both Sara and Jenna chewed on that thought for a while.

"So what do you think Cathleen's gift could be?" asked the ever practical Sara, having put her speculations as whether they were acting under free will or not in the too hard basket.

"There is one thing it could be, but we might need further tests to confirm it," Kim mused partly to herself."

"What?' demanded the two women impatiently.

"Chaos- Cathleen might have the power to manipulate it." Kim said finally.

"Oh boy!" Came the chorus from the two women who knew that children were already experts in creating chaos.

To be continued.

Carversion -58-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Eight

"I thought all children were masters of chaos," Sara said, voicing both her and Jenna's thoughts.

Kim grinned at that, before becoming serious, as she explained.

"I don't want to bore you with chaos theory, let's go for something simple. You both know about Murphy's Law?" Here, Kim waited as the two nodded their heads.

"Whatever can go wrong, will?" Offered Jenna, filling in the pause.

"Something like that, there are other variations of it," Kim affirmed. "Just imagine if you could change the odds, so that everything went wrong in the worse possible way. You could disrupt everything. You were lucky you didn't get a power cut, or the hot water pipes burst, when Cathleen used her gift."

"That's pretty frightening," Jenna gasped, thinking of other possibilities. The last thing she wanted, was to be in fear of her own child.

"Don't worry, I think once you tell her, she won't do anything to hurt you or us," Kim explained, trying to calm Jenna's fears.

"What if she can't control them?' asked Sara, looking for some alternatives.

"We could use the glasses to help give her control," offered Kim.

Sara nodded. "This could make a very effective weapon," she mused.

"That is correct, and one which might help in the fight against the Nemesis. If Cathleen can project the chaos effect in a beam, it could disable the way they move though space and even prevent them using their primary energy source." Kim finished.

They sat there, digesting the news, until Julie interrupted their thoughts, when she came up and asked if they were going to test Jenna's powers now.

"Sure," Kim answered, after getting an affirmative nod from Jenna.

Kim put Jenna though a series of tests till lunch, before resuming afterwards. Progressing, a step at a time, Jenna could form the Nozone, as they'd named it, and walk out of it, into real time. Eventually, she could form bubbles of Nozone, without being inside it. One of the tests used a torch with new batteries in it, which was turned on and then enclosed in a small bubble of the Nozone. As the table and the torch on it vanished, everyone waited while the minutes ticked past. When the bubble was collapsed, the torch was out, having flattened the batteries, even though it had only been about 5 minutes in real time.

Kim wondered whether once Jenna and Richard managed to form a nexus of their own, if others could manipulate the spheres of Nozone with TK powers, once the different Nexi having that power were combined with them.

Kim called a halt to the testing, which pleased Jenna, as she was feeling wrung out. Luckily the evening meal had already been organised by Amelia, so everyone sat outside on the balcony, watching food cook on the large BBQ. Both girls chased the pets in and out of the house, laughing and giggling as they waited for the food to arrive. Jenna looked at Sara, swapping the same look, as they watched Maggie and Cathleen play.

Cathleen had been spoken to, about her gift, during lunch, and had promised not to affect anything around the homes. Until they knew the extent of her powers, Cathleen had to refrain from using it, until she could be tested and trained. Kim had used the glasses, hypnotising Cathleen, to help her understand and control her gift.

Several days passed, until Kim was satisfied that both Jenna and Cathleen could develop their gifts without outside help. The morning Kim left to over see more global matters, Sara promptly shanghaied, all the Hitch family for a trip to the dressmakers.

Richard had been surprised at the news about having a proper wedding, even more so, when he heard what he'd be wearing. Although Richard hadn't refused to be a bride, he thought that there was no way he could carry it off.

"Look at me," he'd urged. "I'm not exactly dainty. Even if you were to change me into a female, I'm afraid of messing things up with my clumsy attempts at being ladylike."

Jenna and Sara winked at each other, knowing the battle was nearly won. The built in instincts, which the Shelke had incorporated into these bodies would take care of all the former male mannerisms. Both of them knew just how effective those instincts were.

After Richard had selected a suitable female body from the laptop, Rachel, Richard's fem name was reluctantly ready to go. Rachel looked in the mirror before leaving, to double check that her new body hadn't reverted to Richard's while she wasn't looking, and making him look like some hideous drag queen.

Richard had done what others had, selecting a twin of the one they loved. Rachel was the spitting image of Jenna, except for one thing, her hair. Whereas Jenna had strawberry blonde locks, Rachel was brunette, giving them an almost, good twin, evil twin look. Not that anyone would believe that, given how cute Rachel looked.

Jenna was impressed. Not only by Richard's choice of body, have (they said imitation is a severeness form of flattery). But by picking out a hair colour that suited her and a means of telling them apart.

"I may have to try being brunette," laughed Jenna, checking Rachel out from all sides.

"Come on, next you'll be swapping clothes and makeup," sighed Sara, pretending to be impatiently waiting.

Jenna turned and winked at her, knowing the gentle ribbing was to help Rachel feel at home in her temporary body.

"Do I need more makeup?' asked Rachel worriedly, fearing her appearance wasn't up to scratch.

"You're fine as you are," Sara and Jenna said in unison, before swapping grins again.

With a last look in the mirror to fluff up her hair, Rachel turned to go. She couldn't see how feminine and natural, her actions seemed, but Sara and Jenna did. Sara gave surreptitious thumbs up to Jenna, as they flanked their newest addition to the oestrogen club, and escorted her to the car.

Cathleen and Maggie were already bouncing around inside, having given their pets into Julie's care, for the day. The three ladies were hardly enough to curb the two excitable children, as they made their way into town.

If the staff of the shop saw something odd in the way Sara kept bringing in more twins as either brides or bridesmaids, they kept their thoughts to themselves. They surrounded the Hitches, first with tape measures, and then with stylebooks, before showing them their selection of gowns they had in stock.

Jenna just revelled in the attention, as did Cathleen, when they fussed over her. Poor Rachel didn't know where to turn, as she was moved like a store dummy to get her measurements. Once they'd established that her size was the same as her 'twin sister,' then from then on, whatever Jenna looked at, was also presented to Rachel. All Rachel's experience about wedding dresses, was that, they were white and long, with either veils or and trains, and were supposed to look beautiful.

Most of the names of the styles and materials just went over her head, as she nodded at first one thing then another, as the questions threatened to overwhelm her. Jenna rescued her, before Rachel went under for the third time, pulling her into a changing booth with a pair of gowns.

"Phew! Is it like this all the time?" gasped Rachel, as she clutched at Jenna nervously.

"Only when there are gorgeous girls around," laughed Jenna, starting to disrobe.

"Well you qualify for that award," Rachel grinned, watching her love in just panties and bra.

"Hey! You have the same body as me, so kindly drool on yourself, before I get all damp," chided Jenna with a grin.

"I'm already damp," admitted Rachel, blushingly, feeling suddenly warm and moist down below.

"Here, put this on, you'll love it," promised Jenna, handing her a gown.

"Wow! It's heavier than I thought," she exclaimed, hefting its weight with one arm.

"It's lined, and there's a lot of material in that one, here, let me help you get it on," offered Jenna, turning and facing her, still clad in only her underwear.

"I know something else I'd like to get on with," chuckled Rachel, as she started to get undressed.

"Later, if you're a good girl," smirked Jenna, knowing what she meant.

"For what I want to do, I don't want to be a girl, good or otherwise" growled Rachel, eyeing Jenna's scantily clad form hungrily, and snatching a quick kiss.

"Don't start anything you can't finish," Jenna grinned wickedly, kissing her love back with fervour.

Only the fact that they were in a public shop with just a curtain dividing them from decency and discovery and that 'he' was now a temporary 'she,' stopped Rachel from ravishing the juicy morsel that was Jenna.

Jenna soon had Rachel in the gown, buttoning up the multitude of tiny pearl buttons, which drew the gown tight against her body. One thing Rachel knew was that without help, she was stuck in the gown until someone helped her out of it.

Then it was Jenna's turn, and Rachel fastened the buttons on her gown in turn. 'Being encased in this beautiful white gown did strange things to the senses,' thought Rachel, as she stood side by side with Jenna, looking into the mirror.

Running her hands from her bodice to her waist, Rachel felt a sense of wonder, knowing that the beautiful creature in the mirror was none other than him-herself? Rachel wasn't sure that looking like Jenna, albeit with dark hair, was a good idea. Seeing someone you loved, being reflected from a mirror was one thing, knowing that the reflection was yourself was another kettle of fish. Rachel had conflicting feelings. She wanted to ravish her reflection, seeing it was her wife's image there. Knowing that it was her/himself, made it feel like a kind of narcissism, which sent shivers running though her body.

"Hey! Are you two okay in there?" asked Sara from just outside, having felt the conflicting feelings emanating from Rachel.

'Um, sure, it's just a shock seeing myself like this,' answered Rachel, shaking her thoughts back to the present.

"Come on, let us see you," urged Sara, feeling that a little encouragement wouldn't go astray.

Jenna pulled Rachel out of the booth, disregarding any reluctance on Rachel's part.

"No more primping in the mirror, you look ravishing." Jenna urged, not knowing the effect her words had on her beloved.

'Was I primping?' Thought a stunned Rachel, trying to see herself from Jenna's POV. Thinking back, she realised that her actions might have been mistaken for primping, as she'd adjusted her dress and twisted about to look at herself from all angles.

Sara gawped at the sight of the twin brides. She was too blown away by their look to say anything. Her expression brought a smile to Jenna's face, knowing the impact of seeing two identical women, (apart from the hair) in identical gowns. Rachel blushed, which didn't detract from her beauty, as she felt herself come under scrutiny in such a feminine dress.

When the expected laughs didn't come, and the compliments began to flow from Sara and the staff, Rachel began to feel less uncomfortable, being in a wedding gown. As she paraded back and forth, she realised she could pull this off. This helped her to relax and join in with the general conversation, although when told 'her husband to be,' would be overwhelmed, only Jenna was near enough to hear the, "he is, he is," that Rachel muttered under her breath.

"I am, I am," Jenna confided, having moved close enough to whisper in her ear, then giggling at the blush that again suffused Rachel's face.

Being encased in this subtle prison of satins and silks that clung to the body from neck to waist, before sweeping outward in a cascade of skirts, made Rachel feel kind of liberated. She no longer felt in control, heck she couldn't even get out of the dress without help. The long skirts that grazed the floor at the front, and pooled in a wide swath at the back, made walking, even slowly, an exercise in caution. The toes of her shoes barely made an appearance, as she shuffled along carefully.

For the first time in his-her life, Rachel let go the macho role of being self-reliant. Of, 'I'm okay. I can do it.' Being able to take a passive role and accept help, whether it was just to adjust the skirts, or help her sit down, made her feel feminine and helped relax her into this strange new role. Rachel thought she heard a few last male thoughts crying out in despair at this sacrilege of surrender. She knew then why being female was so seductive. She giggled to herself as she threw a mental lifeline back to her old thoughts. 'You'll be back.'

Cathleen looking cute in her new outfit gave Rachel a big hug, before heading to the skirts of her mother.

Rachel blushed, after hearing Cathleen's whispered words. "You look beautiful daddy."

Once the wedding gowns were selected, it was time to leave. The bridesmaid's dresses they were going to wear for Sara's and Julie's wedding had to be made from the measurements taken, which meant another trip into town, for final fittings.

Sara took them out to lunch, with Richard still in Rachel mode, where Rachel was given a pass mark for her initiation into; "going to the ladies together," test.

The next day, Jenna announced that she and Richard had managed to form a nexus the night before. Whether it was due to the closeness of the bond formed while Richard was in Rachel mode or not, might never be known, but Jenna was sure it was the trigger event for what happened later that night.

Sara was elated at the news; she was pleased that now tests could performed at joining the three couples into a unity, to advance further, their skills at combining their individual talents into a cohesive force.

Far to the north, Tyrone and Carolyn were coming to a decision that would affect their future.

To be continued.

Carversion -59-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Tyrone and Carolyn had helped many people realise their dreams with their mobile salon, but were considering scaling down their travelling the highways in search of those in need. At the moment, they were back at home having a much needed break.

"You know we will be helping with the wedding arrangements," Tyrone mentioned to his wife, as he lay back in the Lazy boy with a cup of coffee.

At his wife's nod, as she sipped her own drink, he continued his line of thought.

"We are a bit far away to commute back and forth. I was wondering if you would like to sell up here and move south. We could see if Kim knows of any properties we could afford where we could set up a salon nearby and still be somewhere near the coast."

"Sounds good, I'd like to be somewhere warmer and being near Frisco, would mean more variety in shopping," grinned Carolyn, her meaning clear. "Plus we don't have to start explaining to the neighbours about Tyrissa or my miraculous recovery. We can make a fresh start without them sticking their noses into our business."

Tyrone nodded in silent agreement, and started the ball rolling by reaching for the phone to ring Kim.

Half an hour after Kim was informed of Tyrone's decision, Sara took a call from Kim.

"Sara, didn't you mention that there was a hairdresser's up for sale across the road from the bridal shop?"

"Yes I did. I mentioned that it was a pity that Tyrissa and Carolyn couldn't buy it for their business-why?"

"Well, it looks like they might be moving down here, and that would be an ideal place for them. All I need to do is find a house for them, that's not to far away," Kim answered to a rousing cheer.

"Yah! That's excellent, will they be moving straight away, or after they sell their old place?" enquired Sara eagerly.

"They will be heading down as soon as they pack what stuff they want to keep. I told them, we would take care of selling their place and buying something new for them. I didn't mention the hairdresser's, so if they ring, you know nothing, right?"

"Know what? Giggled Sara in reply.

"That's a girl; I'll give you more details, as soon as I get them."

"Oh, if your looking for a house, do you think they will mind being close to us? It's just I saw a property at the end of the road, about two miles from us. It is not on the beach side, but it has a good view, as it's on the slope of a hill." Suggested Sara hopefully.

"Is that the one heading into town?" Kim asked curiously.

"Yeah," just before the turnoff."

"Okay, I know the one you mean, I'll have someone round to get both properties and set them up.," Kim promised.

Two weeks later.

So much had happened, and was still happening, that Sara didn't have time to dwell on her other gift that had to show itself. Both Tyrone and Carolyn had moved down into their new home. Their mobile salon, doing double duty as a 'U Haul it,' for all their personal belongings. A huge house warming party had been organised, which had the new couple in tears, as they toured their new home. Tyrissa made an appearance soon after in her party dress, as did a few other former males, choosing to kick up their heels literally.

Late the following day, they were taken to see the hairdressing salon, which had been renovated, ah la Shelke style. They were overcome with emotion at seeing the culmination of their dreams.

Richard and Jenna had been fitted for the bridesmaid's dresses, although in truth, it was Rachel that had enjoyed the day. This time she was more confident in her ability to carry it off, and had a far more enjoyable time.

Tyrone had opened the salon with a huge advertising campaign, which Kim had helped organise. The wording of which left subtle clues for the discerning man who required something extra, than just a haircut.

No one seemed to pick up on the way that more women seem to come out than went in. Once the word went out over the internet, people started trickling in from all over the country. This prompted Kim to start up similar operations elsewhere, under the same name.

The wedding was only days away, and the parent's were due to arrive tomorrow. Sara had organised the church, while Kim had found a suitable minister to perform the ceremony. The minister, although male, had been one of those with penchant to dress in robes more feminine than the usual church attire. He was only too glad to perform the ceremony once he was brought into the picture, especially when a certain bracelet was offered as payment.

The day of the wedding arrived, and everyone was up early, as the first ceremony started at 10 am. The church was booked for the whole day, so there was no rush to get each couple married in time. The reception was going to be in the backyard of the condo, where curious eyes, could be avoided. Kim had organised for her people to set it up, while everyone was at the church, a feat that would tax even the Shelke in Sara's opinion.

"You are sure you can get it done in time?" Sara asked, as she looked out on her normal backyard, to which nothing had been setup in advance.

"Yes, and don't worry about how long it takes, the food will be hot and tasty, by the time you get back," Kim reassured her, touching the side of her nose with a finger in a knowing gesture.

Jenna and Richard came over with Cathleen at the crack of light to find the others already up and nervously pacing. Amelia, ever the practical one, made them all sit down to breakfast she had prepared earlier, as the others were too wound up to think of food, apart from Cathleen and Maggie.

"Can't have the brides fainting in church, because they didn't have a proper breakfast," scolded Amelia in full mother mode.

Maggie and Cathleen didn't need to be told twice, as they tucked into bacon sandwiches.

Tyrissa and Carolyn came over looking relaxed after their hard couple of days work prior to the morning of the wedding. Being able to capture and store images of their bodies via the Krin, meant that getting the brides and their parents' hair and makeup just right, was a breeze.

After each person was finished, their image was captured, so that all they had to do was click a setting and the perfection that both Tyrissa and Carolyn strived for, was instantly recreated as new, despite having it done one or two days earlier. All they really had to do was get dressed in their bridal gowns. When they needed to swap to wearing the bridesmaid's dresses, the Krin would take care of that, as each had worn them already and had them stored in the Krin also.

When Kim asked why they didn't do the same with the wedding gowns, so there would be no preparation time needed, she was firmly informed that some sort of tradition had to be upheld, even if everything else had flown out the window.

The one tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until the church had to be abandoned, as technically, there were no grooms. Sara wouldn't countenance having Anita dress in another room.

"We are going to share every experience and that includes helping the bride get ready," was Sara's adamant reply to the suggested separation.

After Julie and Mi Ling and Jenna and Rachel were finally dressed, they had to switch to the setting on the Krin, which had them gowned in the bridesmaid's outfits.

Jenna pulled off her wedding ring with some reluctance, before handing it to Amelia. Even though she knew it would soon be on her finger again, even removing it at all was poignant moment, especially after the miracle to get it there in the first place.

Amelia left with Kim to go to the church, taking along the girl's with their pets, leaving Sara and Anita, with Julie and Mi Ling, along with Jenna and Rachel.

Two white limos pulled up outside and they all went out. Julie held up the hem of Sara's dress, while Jenna did the same for Anita, so they didn't drag on the gravel drive, as they made their way to the cars.

The drivers opened the doors, seemingly not bothered by the sight of two brides. Sara made a note to ask Kim, if these were her people driving. Looking forward, once they were both ensconced in the rear seat, she had her answer. Going by the gadgets on the dash, she knew this was a Shelke special, obviously, Kim was taking no chances.

The drive to the church took only minutes, as they neared, Sara grew suspicious of all the new vehicles that were lining the road outside the church, most of which she half recognised as being Shelke specials, although she only recognised a few. One in particular stood out, it looked like a Ford 4x4, but the paint job was spectacular, and with its huge size dwarfing the others, it really caught the eye.

Sara pointed it out to Anita, as they pulled into the front of the church. Having left the wedding arrangements and invitations to Kim, Sara wondered if these vehicles belonged to her friends.

As they were assisted out of the limo, they drew some looks from a few curious locals that had paused on their way past the church. Sara saw a small altercation near the church doors by one slightly loud man. Apparently, after being told this was a private service, he began insisting that the house of God was never closed, and that he had a right to enter. Sara was distracted when a photographer insisted on a formal photo of the brides and bridesmaids together, and she never saw what had happened to the man. She only knew that everything had gone quiet again just before the church organ began the wedding march.

Entering the vestibule of the church Sara saw Amelia holding two little impatient angels by the hands. Amelia gave both brides a quick kiss, saying they both looked wonderful. A signal must have been relayed to the organist, as the music strengthened, just as the two doors leading down the aisle were opened from inside.

Cathleen was released and allowed to precede the brides with her basket of rose petals. She tottered slowly ahead, scattering the petals along the aisle. As Sara and Anita stepped into the aisle, both their fathers stepped to their sides and took an arm each. Peter and Ben, now resplendent as Patricia and Bernice, walked them down the aisle towards the pulpit. Sara looked around seeing her mother and Kevin's sitting in the front row. Cindy was sitting with her femmed husband Bob next to Leanne.

Knowing that originally they both had planned to be bridesmaids, made Sara a little sad, but Leanne, not having a partner, decided not to participate, and Cindy hadn't been sure she could make it, what with getting Bob moved to her home in the south, and so had forgone the pleasure of joining the others as bridesmaids. Sara noticed a lot of women, who unfamiliar to her, seemed to know who she was, from the smiles they were giving her.

Their 'dads 'relinquished their grip, and went to sit next to their wives, as the ceremony started,

"Dearly beloved-"

Sara hardly heard the rest, until the "I do's," Sara saw Maggie, who had brought up the rear bearing a velvet cushion with the rings on, lift it up, so the exchange of rings could proceed.

"The look of joy, when the minister in her feminine robes, announced them husband and wife, was clearly evident on their faces, as they kissed each other fervently.

After signing in the registry, they went outside to do the obligatory photographs after running the gauntlet of rice throwers; at least rice was easier to remove than confetti, a fact that was confirmed later. Sara wanted to talk to the newcomers who stood at the outskirts of the family group and acted like a screen from curious onlookers. Unfortunately, they were whisked away, once the photos were finished.

Sara and Anita kissed and cuddled while on route back to the condo. Kim met them there and stopped them from going and investigating the noises coming from the backyard. They weren't even allowed to look out of the bedroom windows, because it would spoil the surprise. Sara and Jenna helped Julie and Mi Ling get into their wedding gowns, after changing via the Krin into the bridesmaids gowns, Julie had selected. Once gowned and last minute checks to see if their own husbands (Anita and Rachel) were ready. The whole process repeated.

This idea had been decided as being better than all three couples getting married at the same time, as each set of brides had their own individual ceremonies with attention not being shared between the three couples. Of course it was only possible, given the Krin, as each time, gowns and hair had been stored ready for each occasion, plus it was a lot of fun.

When it came time for Jenna's turn as bride, the only difference was that Maggie was holding her kitten, as she walked up the aisle, while Cathleen strew more rose petals on the already rose covered path. When it came time for the rings to be exchanged, Cathleen turned and called for Bailey, who had been held back at the rear of the church by Amelia.

Bailey bounded forward towards her mistress, making the congregation chuckle and smile. Once Bailey and Cathleen were united again, she untied the ribbon holding the two rings, which symbolised that, most holy of unions, marriage. This display was of course; meet with huge approval from everyone, with calls of, "how cute," and "adorable," as Cathleen struggled to hold Bailey in her arms.

Once the photos were finished, the bridal party were again whisked away to the condo for the final event. This time, the three couples helped each other take off their gowns to rid themselves of the rice and then redo the hair and makeup using the Krin, which they had worn as brides. Jenna and Rachel, who like the others, had smudged their makeup and mussed their hair on the ride back, used the Krin to regain that just out of the salon look.

Once all six were looking their best in the wedding gowns that they had been married in, they waited for the signal that was to tell them that all the guests had arrived, so they could then make their grand entrance. The noise outside grew as cars drove up, then the six anxious brides heard things quieten down. The knock that signalled that all was ready sounded on the bedroom door.

To be continued.

Carversion -60-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty

As they opened to door, Kim presented the brides with their wedding bouquets that they had left downstairs.

"Give me a few seconds to get downstairs and join the rest outside, before you follow," Kim mentioned, as they gathered around her.

They waited, wondering what was going to greet them outside, as they watched Kim hurry downstairs and go outside.

"Well, let's go girls," prompted Sara, ever the leader, taking Anita's hand in hers.

They went down the stairs as couples, each holding hands as they negotiated the stairs in their gowns. They walked to the doors leading to the backyard, pausing as they opened it and swung it wide. They stepped out to the sound of cheers and whistles, as the guests caught sight of them.

Sara gasped, as did the others. The scene in front of them, took their breath away. A huge marquee with just the roof attached was sitting across the backyard- no yards. It was too big to fit between Amelia's unit and the fence, so the fence had been removed and it spread across into Jenna's backyard as well. Bunting and balloons were scattered everywhere it could be attached to. With the sides of the marquee removed, Sara could partly see what was set up inside, as she looked past the gaps in the cheering crowd.

Not sure what to do, the three couples lined up before the guests. Sara could see Maggie and Cathleen running around without a care in the world, trailing balloons and ribbons with a double set of four legged bundles of exuberance chasing close behind.

"Throw the bouquet," suggested a voice, from one of the strangers.

Sara shrugged, and turned her back to those strangers that had crowded closer. The others followed suite and took hold of their bouquets with both hands, so they could toss them over their heads. They let fly and turned to see the friendly scuffle for the six bouquets. There was some friendly ribbing among those lucky to catch one, and those that had narrowly missed out.

Then came time for the brides to mingle freely with the guests. The parent's were first in line, complimenting them on the way the wedding went and how beautiful they all were. Sara noticed that the fathers were still female and seemingly having fun. Sara collared her dad, and asked him about it.

"I thought you'd be in pants the moment the wedding was over," Sara stated, giving her dad a questioning look.

"Hey, I went through hell getting ready," here, her dad winked at her, showing that it wasn't as bad as he/her was making out. "I figured I'd get some mileage out of it, after all that work." Her dad grinned.

"Ah, so mom isn't considering a wardrobe purge then?" Sara asked with smirk on her face.

"Shush, she might hear you," her dad replied, pretending to look around worriedly.

Sara laughed.

Several people came up to Sara and introduced themselves, Jenna, who was nearby, gasped as they said their names.

"Cathy T? Kimem? Piper?" Jenna exclaimed, hurriedly introducing herself. The three women, who hadn't seemed to know Jenna till her introduction, quickly embraced her in a hug and chattering excitedly about the circumstances of their change to female.

Sara stood awkwardly by, not wanting to interrupt their personal reunion. Obviously they knew each other from chat room meetings, and although Sara was happy that Jenna had some friends to talk to, she didn't really know why they were here. Sara started to move away to find Kim, but Jenna clutched at her arm, and started to explain.

"Please stay; these are my friends from the chat room I used to frequent. They are all here to thank you for their gift of true fulfilment as genetic females," gushed Jenna in a rush.

Sara blushed and made as if it had been nothing.

"I'm no hero, I'm just lucky that I stumbled over the Shelke vehicle when I did."

"Well I won't argue over the hero part, but you are a heroine in our eyes," retorted the strawberry blonde haired Kimem, who gave her a wink.

"Yeah, if you hadn't had the moral fibre to withstand the temptation to abuse the use of the Krin, none of us would be here," added the blonde haired Cathy.

Sara blushed more, saying she had help in the form of her friends.

"Oh we'll thank them too, in a moment," laughed Cathy, as she planted a kiss on Sara's mouth. Anita chose that moment to interrupt.

"Is there any more of that going spare," she kidded, seeing Sara was lost for words.

"Just try and stop me, sugar," Cathy answered with a sultry voice, as she lip locked Anita in the same way.

Now it was Anita's turn to blush, as the others chuckled.

"Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. All these girl hormones are like having a super charger under the bonnet," here Cathy looked down at her cleavage as if emphasising her point, or two, which got another chuckle. "I'm not quite used to this package of mine. I'm still running it in."

"You have a good set of points," quipped Sara, not letting a good pun go to waste.

"Yeah, but I need to adjust the gap a few thou," Cathy struck back. I seem to missing a little and I get this cough." Cathy demonstrated by coughing while she squeezed her breasts together, nearly popping her breasts out of the top she was wearing.

"Hey, nice girls don't do that in public," Kimem remonstrated, trying to shield Cathy from the other guests, while Sara, Anita, and Jenna tried hard to contain their giggles.

"Who said I'm a nice girl?" Cathy shot back, winking at them from over Kimem's shoulder. Cathy then excused herself, saying she had a cat to check.

Sara told Cathy to bring her cat back with her, as staying in a vehicle for long would be bad for it.

"She's a bit aloof with strangers," warned Cathy.

"She'll be fine," reassured Sara, as Cathy went to get Roadblock from the 4x4.

With the ice really truly broken, Sara started to mingle, finding a lot of the guests were transformee's, who just wanted to thank her for everything. Finally cornering Kim, Sara grilled her about the altercation at the church.

"I thought it was some religious zealot, come to call down the wrath of God on our abomination of a wedding. Either that or the Nemesis had sent an agent to disrupt the wedding. I half expected him to burst in when the minister got to the part about anybody objecting."

Kim laughed, which just made Sara more insistent on knowing.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was just a case of someone who thought he had a right to a free show," Kim replied.

A waiter came up with a tray with glasses of champagne and offered it to them both. Accepting a glass, and taking a sip, Sara waited for Kim to continue.

"Well? What happened to him?" Sara blurted out, as her curiosity outweighed her patience.

Kim shrugged. "I let him in."

"You what! I didn't see any man in there. What if he talks?" Gasped Sara, wondering if Kim had finally lost it.

"I told him if he wanted in, he had to wear a bracelet. Once he accepted, I changed him into Jennifer's form." Kim went on, seemingly unperturbed.

While Sara did goldfish impressions, trying to come up with something to say to the news, Kim pointed out a woman, Sara recognised as Jennifer.

"Ask her yourself, that's her."

"Okay I will, but why didn't you change him back afterwards, or at least used the glasses to make him forget everything," Sara finally got out.

Kim just laughed, and moved off into the crowd, leaving Sara wondering if it was her, who had lost her marbles. Seeing Jennifer moving her way, Sara went up and asked the women, who she really was.

The Jennifer look-alike blushed and tried to look down at her feet.

"I'm really a guy. I can't believe I have jugs like this on my chest."

"They are called breasts," corrected Sara, not liking the term 'jugs.'

"Sorry, breasts. My name is Philip Dawson, and I was being rather a nuisance I'm afraid. I just adore weddings and couldn't resist trying to see yours, seeing there were two brides."

Sara, who had started to get a hunch where this was heading, decided to cut to the chase.

"You're a crossdresser or something?" she hazarded a guess.

The woman stayed silent, giving Sara part of her answer.

"Something," a whisper came finally.

"Welcome to the club sister," Sara hugged Philip, her anxiety gone, now all was revealed.

A call that everyone be seated interrupted further conversation, as Anita came up and stole Sara away to get her seated under the marquee. Here, Sara could see a wedding cake sitting just in front of where she would be seated. There were three tiers of equal diameter sitting on what looked like the tray of a truck, made of cake. Sara giggled, recognising it as the same truck she had found that fateful day. Each tier had two brides on it, representing one tier for each of the couples.

Before the food began to arrive, speeches were made and thanks given to Kim and the rest of the Shelke.

Despite wearing tight gowns that should have restricted the amount of food intake, all the bridal party managed to get through the courses without splitting a seam. Not having eaten since early morning and now being early afternoon had encouraged their appetites. Luckily, the well-sewn gowns managed to contain everything without showing any unsightly bulges.

"I think dessert squeezed up into my breasts," moaned an overstuffed Anita, as she looked down at her chest.

Sara giggled, having imbibed freely, the champagne that was being served. She poked Anita's chest with her finger to check the validity of Anita's claim.

"Good, that means I can get some more dessert, later tonight, when we're in bed."

"Only if I get to eat something too," Anita replied softly, showing a gleam in her eye.

After the cake was cut and served, the guests started mingling again. The brides were escorted to a table set to one side, where gifts were arrayed, in a colourful display. Some of these when opened, drew laughter and caused some blushes on the recipient's faces, like the double ended dildo that Sara got from her mom. She was all innocent of course, when Sara caught her eye, but Sara knew it was from her, as she had felt her mother's emotions peak as she'd opened it.

Once everything had been opened and everyone thanked for their gift, large or small, the six brides rushed off to get changed. It was too late to prevent Maggie or Cathleen's dresses from getting soiled, as the inevitable food gremlins had struck again. Maggie had to be consoled that her pretty dress wasn't ruined, and would be good as new after a wash. To prevent further soiling, Amelia had the girl's change into something more easily cleaned, namely their swimsuits.

Of course this led to the, "can we go for a swim now?"

Richard, William and Kevin, sighed in relief as they slipped out of their gowns and changed back to their manly selves. They agreed that they had enjoyed all the pomp and ceremony as brides, but were happy to go back to wearing something less confining.

Sara, Julie and Jenna, took off their gowns with a sigh of reluctance, knowing that the wedding gowns, as beautiful as they were, would likely never be worn again. At least the bridesmaid's gowns could be worn again at some suitable event, as long as none of the others turned up, wearing the same.

They eventually rejoined their husbands in something light and airy, Jenna having borrowed a sundress from Sara as well. At least now, their stomachs had room to move, even if it didn't show all that much, in a physical sense.

Apparently, the fathers had taken full advantage of their absence, and had doffed their feminine raiment and regained their manhood. Sara made a mental bet with herself, that this wouldn't be the last time those men felt the frilly fripperies of feminine apparel.

Mingling and mixing with the guests, Sara got a lot of compliments, both about her wedding and her home. Cathy asked her about Maggie, seeing she treated Sara as her mother. Once Sara started to explain, Cathy called Kimem and several others that had known Maggie from the chat room.

"LISTEN UP GUYS, Sara's daughter Maggie, is our Maggie the kitten," Cathy yelled out with glee.

Of course, little ears picking up a familiar term, turned and brought the rest of her scampering over. Once Maggie was informed of whom these women were, she flung herself into their welcoming arms.

"Awntie Caffy-awntie Kim-" she cried, granting auntdom to all of her old chat friends.

Sara waited, trying to hold back the tears, as Maggie hugged and was hugged in turn. Sara remembered she didn't need to hold back her emotions anymore and wept freely as the joyous reunion continued. Kevin came up and held her, saying nothing, but saying everything in the look he gave her. Sara waved him off, still choked up to say anything, but gave him a mental kiss for coming over.

Kevin left reluctantly, but knew the tears were born of happiness and needed no comforting for. Sara's heart nearly burst when Maggie proudly announced to the others gathered around her.

"Sara is my mommy now, she gibes me everything I eber wanted. I eben gotted a kitty kat, her name is Kurtain, cos she climbs up dem alla time." Maggie trotted out in her child like vocabulary.

Maggie then jumped into Sara's arms and snuggled close. The others watching, knew then that their lost little kitten that had brightened up their lives in the chat room, was finally home.

To be continued.

Carversion -61-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-One

Maggie was suddenly distracted by Cathleen, who ran up and asked if she wanted to play, as she was going to the beach to make sandcastles with her mommy.

Maggie, never one to miss an opportunity to play in the sand, climbed down out of Sara's arms and raced off to play, leaving Sara to tell the others the story of how they got together.

Of those that knew Maggie from before, there wasn't a dry eye among them, by the time Sara finished. Kevin having tuned in, knew tissues were going to be needed, so he made himself useful and slipped a box quietly to one of the group, who passed it around.

"Who is going to look after the children while you're on your honeymoon?" Asked Cathy curiously.

"Well. Seeing we aren't going on one, we will be able to," Sara replied, to their surprised expressions.

"Why not?" asked one.

"Several reasons, one of which is the fact that we have just come back from an extended tour of the States, besides, we have a beautiful place here next to the beach. Could Hawaii offer more, besides hula dancers and active volcanoes? I don't know what Jenna wants to do, but I think Julie's of the same mind.

"We're staying right here in our new home," Jenna stated firmly. I wouldn't want to be separated from Cathleen, even if her gifts hadn't kicked in."

"Gifts? What gifts?" asked one in the group.

Jenna looked at Sara worriedly, thinking she'd spilled the beans inadvertently. Sara looked around to make sure no parents were within earshot, before giving Jenna the nod to explain more. Cathy, already in the know about the gifts, pulled Sara aside.

"Has Kim told you about my gifts?" she asked quietly, sensing that it was a delicate subject.

"Yes, she did get round to it. It seems those wearing the Krin have slowly gain powers of different sorts." Sara stopped as her dad came up to her.

"We aren't stopping much longer, we are heading to the hotel Kim booked us in. We'll be back tomorrow morning-late," he winked. Sara wasn't sure if it meant, he knew that they'd likely be up to in the morning, or whether he has similar plans with her mother, either way, she'd get a lazy morning.

"I see you have a satellite dish now. Is that so you can watch the late late specials?" he winked suggestively.

"Daaad!" Sara shoved her father in the chest, shaking her head at his implied suggestion.

"Oops, I'd better go, I see your mother waving, byeeee," he called, before scooting off from his daughter's wrath.

Cathy grinned at the exchange, then asked a more serious question.

"Oh, that reminds me, when I was catching up with Bob earlier, he mentioned having installed that, but clammed up when I asked for details. Is it for communicating with the Shelke's mother ship?"

"Look can I answer that later? I see our parents are making a move to go and I have something to discuss that I'd rather they not hear." Sara asked, making a move to say goodbye to those leaving.

"Sure no problem," answered Cathy to Sara's retreating back, while wondering what that was all about.

William and Kevin had already given their parents a goodbye hug; by the time Sara reached them. She thanked them for coming and being part of her bizarre marriage, only to have them tell her it was the most interesting experience of their lives.

She opened the door to let them out, only to find an officious man about to knock on her door. Ignoring him for the moment, she waved goodbye to the parents, as they brushed past the man outside. Turning to the guy, she saw that he was carrying some sort of folder with papers inside.

"Yes?" she asked coldly, taking an instant dislike to him already.

"I'm Ted Wilcox and I'm from the local council. There have been some complaints made about unauthorised construction and wilful property damage. There's also a matter of some lesbian wedding ritual and the erecting of an eyesore, namely a marquee tent without consent. I'm here to address these problems and see if there's just cause, to call in the police."

"Just who made these complaints?" asked Sara, her instincts telling her that wasn't her neighbours. She didn't budge as the man tried to push past her, and he ended up knocking into her.

"Let me pass," he threatened, not the least bit apologetic.

Not knowing that Sara didn't scare worth a damn, she eyed him with a look that sent shivers down his excuse for a spine.

"Who was the complainant?" she repeated angrily.

"It came from above, and I'm not at liberty to tell you at this time," Ted conceded, giving way a little.

'Something stank about this, that was sure,' thought Sara as she grudgingly allowed the man inside. He started for the back and gave a satisfied grunt when he saw the marquee and the uplifted fence line. He wrote something on his sheath of papers, before turning to her with a smarmy grin.

"I see the property damage has been confirmed, along with the unsightly marquee." He gloated.

"That's unsightly?" Sara asked unbelievingly, as she pointed to the pristine white marquee with its satin streamers trailing out from the masts holding it up. "It isn't even visible from the road," she added, knowing that she hadn't seen it on her trips back from the church.

The man shrugged, saying it wasn't his call. He returned to the matter of the fence.

"What about this then? I'm sure your neighbour won't be too happy about the damage."

"Why don't you ask her then, she's standing right behind you." Sara countered, having seen Jenna approaching the disturbance.

He turned to Jenna, with some of the wind taken out of his sails." You approve of this," he waved towards the missing fence.

"Yes, in fact I'm thinking of having it taken down completely so that our properties are one," Jenna replied, looking at Sara for agreement, and getting it.

"Harrumph, well there's still the matter of the marquee and this cabin that's been built here." He puffed, pompously.

Kim, who had been standing to one side, watching this, came forward, and whispered in the man's ear. Sara watched the man blanch and stutter, as he tried to weasel out, saying he hadn't found any copies of the permits issued by the government in the city.

"What about this then?" he rallied, pulling some photos from a folder. This shows clearly you in some farce of a marriage with another woman." He thrust the photos into Sara's hands.

Sara looked at the grainy Polaroids. She saw someone had taking one of her and Anita, as they had entered the church from somewhere across the road. It showed their backs and Anita's face wasn't seen. The next ones were of them coming out of the church, here Sara's face was clearly visible, but Anita must have had her hand up lifting the veil, so her face was obscured. The last one had the two of them entering the limo for the journey home. Anita luckily, had ducked her head as she went to enter and again, her face wasn't clearly shown.

What was odd was the fact that there were no photos of the other brides or the guests, something that should have happened, unless they were only targeting Sara.

Alarm bells started ringing in Sara's head, as she thrust the photos back at Ted.

As far as I'm aware, there's no law saying the groom can't wear a dress at a wedding," Sara stated bluntly.

"You're trying to tell me that that is a man?" Ted cried, seeing his case disappear if it was true.

"Yes, that is me, and here is our marriage licence," offered Kevin, having retrieved the document from inside. Kevin looked at the man, daring him to comment, his steely gaze steady and unflinching.

Sara looked at Kevin, and nearly gave the game away, for this was not the Kevin she knew. Kevin had used the Krin to give himself a body that while still male, looked more like hers in shape and size. She had no doubt if asked to prove his claim that it was indeed him wearing that dress, that he could fit his body into it without and problems.

Kevin was now her height, something that even a blind man could have seen, had he retained his former height, being incompatible with the photo image. While he hadn't any breasts, his shoulders were narrower as was his waist. His hips were just marginally larger than normal male proportions, giving him the suggestion of a feminine shape. His face, while still recognisable as Kevin, had several feminine aspects to it that would aid in someone being confused with his gender.

The councilman made guppy sounds, as he took in Kevin's enhanced figure, trying to visualise him in a dress. He took the proffered papers and read them carefully, noting that indeed there was a male and a female name signed on them.

"I see-that there has been some misunderstanding here," he stated at last, knowing that if he said what was on his mind, he could end up facing charges himself.

"Tell Ken that the next false charge he tries to pull will cost him dearly," she told the man, having figured out who had been pulling the councilman's strings.

"He may have been in the CIA once, and my ex boyfriend, but that doesn't give him the right to harass my friends, or myself," Sara commanded, poking the man in the chest with her finger.

"Ex CIA?" Blurted the now ashen councilman.

"Oh yes, he was thrown out after trying to rape us. You can check with the local police, I'm sure they still have the footage on record.

"Footage?" squeaked the panicking man, wishing he had stayed in bed sick today.

Sara showed the now anxious man out, grinning as he scurried to his car like a rat deserting a sinking ship. She paused, looking around, wondering if she was in the sight of some telephoto lens somewhere. A shiver went down her back at the thought of her movements being under scrutiny, as she turned to go back inside.

Kim was on her phone, when she went back to see her. Kim gave her the thumbs up, just before she ended her call.

"You don't have to worry about Ken, if that's what you were going to ask me about," she said pre-empting Sara's question. I've called for backup," she smiled, pointing upwards.

"I bet you always wanted to say that," a relieved Sara replied.

"That and "Book em Dano," giggled Kim. "Seriously, I'll have people watching out for him and will remove him, like a prick from our hides."

"You mean like a thorn from our sides?" Sara corrected.

"Ah yes. I struggle to get your metaphors correct."

"Mind you, I think I like your version better," giggled Sara.

Kim grinned in agreement, giving Sara a few suggestions.

"Okay, but I don't want him killed," Sara demanded, fearing that Kim had something permanent planned. "He might be a problem, but he is still a human being, I wouldn't want his death on my conscience," she finished.

"You continue to live up to the standards you have shown me before," Kim smiled, knowing she'd pushed Sara's buttons enough. "Ken was in no danger from us, but when we locate him-" a beeping of Kim's cell phone interrupted her mid sentence.

"Good- you know what to do- carry on."

Kim hung up the phone and slipped it into her purse again.

"Seems Ken is in our hands already, he was located nearby, using a new infra red scanner we developed," Kim explained.

"What are you going to do with him?" Sara asked.

"Well, I have this idea-" grinned Kim.

Sara rejoined the others, hoping that Kim's plan would work out fine. She didn't think Ken deserved to be transformed into a female, as from her point of view, it seemed more like a reward. Having ruled out becoming an animal like a dog as being just a bit too cruel, she hoped his encounter with real aliens will satisfy his urge to encounter them in future. Kim would spirit him away on their craft and transform themselves into truly horrendous monsters for him. They would make him believe via the glasses that he had been experimented on in typical alien abduction fashion.

Becoming an abductee would cause him to lose what credibility he had left, should he try and report it. Having been in the CIA, he would know the sort of reaction he would be subjected to if he tried to go public. Having an ex CIA agent proclaiming aliens existed would probably see him in a nice padded cell somewhere secluded.

Kim had mentioned that they would tell Ken that a tracking device would be placed in his brain which if x-rayed or scanned, would self-destruct. Telling him the Shelke were interested in California and that they would be observing him, would probably see him leave the States to get as far away from California, as possible.

When Sara had asked about the device being discovered, Kim laughed, and replied that there was no chance of that, as it was all a bluff.

Everyone clustered around, asking questions, about the councilman, which she answered in turn.

Cathy reminded her about the thing Sara hadn't wanted her parents to know about. Sara nodded her agreement, and had everyone gather around.

"The gifts that have, or will soon emerge will be desperately needed for mankind's future survival." Sara opened plainly, shocking more than a few with her statement. "We face a real threat, which we have called the Nemesis. Some of us have already battled with its scouts; luckily we won, due more to surprise than superior strength." Sara paused, looking at the expressions on the people before her. "You will all be needed sometime, so make the most of the time we have left, to strengthen and test the limits of your gifts."

Sara finished then, fielding the inevitable questions that poured forth from the shaken audience. It was late when everyone stopped asking questions and Sara apologised for spoiling the evening, with her news.

Amelia with a little help then came out with warm snacks and hot chocolate for those in the cooling air of the evening. Small groups formed around the tables, discussing Sara's revelations.

The sides of the marquee were dropped and cots replaced the tables, so the guests could stay the night in the marquee overnight. Although many of the guests had trouble sleeping that night, Sara slept like a log, especially after Kevin consummated the marriage.

To be continued.

Carversion -62-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Two

Morning held a surprise when someone knocked on Sara's door, announcing the arrival of breakfast seeing that Kevin was still beside her in bed. Sara had woken only moments before, and was still fuzzy with sleep and the fading memories of dreams.

"Come in," she called, puzzling over the strange voice she'd heard at the door, while nudging Kevin awake, seeing it was already 9 o'clock.

A petite blonde in a maid's uniform, walked in carrying what turned out to be a sumptuous breakfast. Sara eyed the strange girl in surprise, noting that she filled out her uniform in all the right places. Kevin stirred in more ways than one when he caught sight of the maid entering. Sara placed her hand possessively over the bulge in the sheet, making it look like a natural movement as she covered it from view.

"Hello, has Kim sent you up?" Sara asked, giving Kevin a look to behave himself.

"No, although she did give me this uniform," the woman offered, giving her a wink, before setting the tray down across their laps, now that they were sitting up.

"Leanne?" Sara guessed, knowing there could only be two choices, given that Julie and William would still be in bed and the guests wouldn't presume to enter their bedroom.

"No, guess again," laughed Amelia, delighting in seeing their shocked expressions, as they figured it out.

"I see Kim gave you more than just a nice uniform," chortled Sara, seeing the humour in the fact that the sight of Julie's mom had aroused Kevin.

Yes it's just a loaner," Amelia grinned, doing a twirl. "You like it?"

"Very cute, I can see I'll have to keep you on if we get meals like this," Sara replied, eyeing the tray in anticipation.

"I'd thought I'd surprise you and the others with a wedding breakfast, so I thought I'd give you five star treatment, as if you were in a hotel." Amelia explained.

Thinking about her guests, Sara realised breakfast for them could be a problem.

"What about the guests?" She gasped, starting to rise.

"All taken care of dear," Amelia explained, holding Sara in place with a hand. "Where do you think I got that tray? Kim had things under control; she had caterers come in, loaded with food. The guests are enjoying breakfast as we speak,"

Kevin had already started sampling, and popped a bit of sausage in Sara's mouth, preventing her from asking any more questions. Amelia winked and curtseyed, before waltzing out with an exhibitionist wiggle of her derriá¨re.

Sara ribbed Kevin gently, for his arousal at Amelia's new loaner body.

"I was thinking of trading you in for the latest model," he quipped, knowing there was no denying Sara's claim. "It would have to have you in it, of course," he added hastily, seeing a loaded fork heading his way.

"If you like that cute blonde bimbo look so much, I'll make you wear it," Sara replied archly, knowing it wasn't going to be that much of a deterrent. "I'll give you a uniform and you can be my maid", she added a little more threateningly. She giggled, seeing Kevin still weighing up whether to accept her near baseless threat.

Finishing breakfast, they showered together as man and wife, even though Anita made a brief appearance when it came to washing their chests. Sara made certain that Anita retained a significant part of Kevin, so that she could handle her transformed husband, with her hand on his tiller. It seemed that it was like a remote control, with a little manipulation, she could push all his buttons, helping her to guide him in the direction she wanted things to go. Kevin had to be reminded every so often to slow down and make sex mutually enjoyable. Even though he spent time as Anita and knew the worth of foreplay in getting a female body ready for that moment, he seemed to forget, as he got excited and let his penis control his actions. Sara didn't mind Kevin's forays into femininity, as it gave her a chance to remind him just where her own pleasure centres were.

Several mutual orgasms later, they got dressed and went down to see their guests. Maggie and Cathleen were locked in battle with their pets, over the ownership of a pretty streamer that had been taken from the top of the tent. Obviously, Amelia had been the one to dress and feed them earlier. Once Maggie spotted that Sara was up and about, she left the tussle and flung her grass stained covered self into her mother's arms. She gabbled on about her adventures with Cathleen that morning, making Sara smile at her enthusiasm for life.

The marquee was being dismantled and rolled up, prior to removal, and the beds, tables and chairs were also slowly being taken into the waiting trucks. Most of the guests had decided to leave for home, after saying farewell to Sara and Kevin. Kim had spoken to a few about jobs to those out of work. Sara was pleased to see most making the most of the opportunities being offered.

Cathy had decided to stay in the general area, saying she had met a nice lad on the beach when she'd gone swimming that morning.

"I'm not quite certain whether to be a lesbian or not," she laughed when questioned about it. "But when I saw this guy on the beach, I felt kind of tingly yah know."

Tall virile looking guy with sun bleached hair?" Sara asked Cathy, who was still blushing.

"You know him? He said his name was John Max-"

"Maxwell," Sara finished for her, as she nodded her head. "We met him soon after we arrived here. He has a place down the beach a bit, I think he said."

"Well anyway, we got talking, and he's invited me to dinner tonight," Cathy admitted with a shrug.

"Great," said Julie, who had just joined them and managed to overhear Cathy's plans. "Give the guy a chance, he seemed okay to us and you might end up liking a bit of girl on boy action."

"Yeah well I figured I'd better not limit my options at this stage," Cathy continued.

"You are welcome here if you need a place to stay," offered Julie, getting Sara's affirming nod.

"Thank you, but don't wait up, okay?" Cathy winked knowingly. "Oh can you look after Roadblock for me?"

"No, but I'm sure the children will take good care of her," laughed Sara.

"I still can't get over how fast Roadblock took to those scamps," sighed Cathy.

"Well you know Maggie is half kitten, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise," Sara countered.

"Yeah but, she's never acted like that before, I swear she acting like she’s years younger, and tolerating Bailey, well that's one for the books," Cathy shook her head.

Everyone laughed.

Cathy left, saying she had to go shopping for a dress to impress. For an hour or two, after the last visitor had gone, peace reigned, as much as it does with two active children getting underfoot. Jenna, who had said farewell to her friends, came and sat with Julie and Sara, while Amelia busied herself making lunch. The men had removed the last of the fence still standing between the two properties, and were stacking the timbers in a corner of the back yard.

They had refused Kim's offer of having it restored as promised, say it would be a waste of time with the children being nearly inseparable. At least with the fence gone both families could keep an eye out on them when they played out the back.

"Is Kim still around?" Sara asked, not having seen their benefactor in some time.

"She said she had something to get," offered Julie, shrugging her shoulders at the limited information she had to share.

"She is up to something, I'll bet," Sara replied suspiciously, sensing that someone would be in for a surprise.

"That's a sure bet if ever there was," laughed Julie, also knowing the way Kim worked.

"This is great," Jenna joined in, as she relaxed in one of the deck chairs, watching the ocean idly.

"Sure is, especially when you get to see men working half naked, while relaxing in these chairs," grinned Sara, looking pointedly at Kevin with his shirt off.

Jenna giggled.

"Not quite as good as seeing a fully naked man," Julie mused out loud, thinking of William in the bedroom last night.

The giggles from the others, who realised Julie's thoughts, were still upstairs, made Julie realise that she had voiced her thought. She blushed, then joined in with the others giggling.

Amelia came out with drinks for the girls and one for herself, as she sat in a deck chair with the others.

"Lunch is ready for when the men finish," she said, before sipping her lemonade.

"Your mom works too hard," Jenna said, thanking Amelia for her drink.

The men finally finished and came up to where the girls were relaxing in the sun.

"Where's our drink? I think being female has some other benefits," winked Kevin, looking at William and Richard.

"There's a jug of fresh home made lemonade in the fridge, go get yourself a glass," suggested Amelia, deciding to stay where she was.

Just then, the two girls heard the magic words,

"Lemonade," and quickly joined the queue for a glass. When they returned, they sat on the deck next to their wives chairs forgoing the comfort of the remaining empty chairs that were further away.

Cathleen and Maggie didn't need chairs, as they balanced their drinks awkwardly. Seeing plenty of available laps available, they tried them all out in turn, giving the owner a hug in payment. Bailey and Kurtain followed their charges and Bailey gave a few licks on the toes of the women as she navigated between the chairs, making them squeal from the ticklish tongue. Kurtain disdained that approach, and just hopped up onto the nearest lap as she followed Maggie along.

The men only stayed for a short while, before Kevin decided it was lunchtime. Richard and William followed, saying they'd better keep an eye on him. The women said they'd be along shortly, knowing it was really just an excuse to get a beer.

The women had just sat down to eat after joining their husbands inside, when a knock announced the arrival of their parents. Seeing them eating, they decided to walk down to the beach, while they finished. Sara offered them lunch, seeing Amelia had gone overboard a little on the quantities, but the parents begged off, saying they had eaten a late brunch. A few sniggers from the table suggested that someone was thinking that food wasn't all that had been eaten.

Just after lunch was cleared away, Kim arrived with another RV, which made Sara think of getting the driveway widened.

The three sets of parents came back inside with their shoes in their hands, after washing the sand from their feet by the tap outside.

"Honey," Sara's mom started off. "We decided to sell up back home and take an extended vacation, before settling down somewhere closer." Sue let that bit of news sink in, before continuing. "Kim said she would sell our houses for us and supply us with money for the holiday and our future homes."

"But mom, Kim can't keep supplying us with money willy nilly. She's already gone silly with all the vehicles she had made for us," protested Sara, as she looked pleadingly at Kim.

"Money is nothing for us, as I've told you before," Kim interjected. "We amassed billions with our small innovations that we introduced to mankind. It's there to be spent, as it has no value back home. Also, it gives me pleasure to spend a bit of cash," she winked, sounding very humanlike. "The vehicles help keep you safe and we can track them if we need to find you," she added, with a smile.

"Ben and June are joining us on our trip in the RV Kim has supplied," Sue added, looking over to where Kevin's parents were sitting.

"What about you mom?" asked William of Amanda.

Tom and I are staying here- well not here as in your house, but in California. We are going house hunting and taking time to explore around. Tom wants a boat to cruise up and down the coast. Kim said she would find one for us,' she finished.

"Good job the Queen Elizabeth isn't for sale," Sara muttered under her breath, seeing it was pointless to stop Kim spoiling everybody. Kevin, who had overheard her, grinned and patted her leg commiseratively.

"Even with the RV, won't it be a bit cramped for you to live in?" Asked Sara wonderingly.

"Kim promised that there would be ample room," Peter spoke up, as he looked at Kim enquiringly.

"We used the wormhole effect to double its effective internal space." Kim explained. "It is really two separate living units with all facilities duplicated. It even comes with an intercom between the two, as the soundproofing between the two units is absolute."

"That will allow the others to get some sleep when you snore," June laughed, looking at Ben.

"I don't snore," Ben snorted, refuting the accusation vehemently.

"Sorry, then you must sleep with a pocket buzz saw," giggled June.

Kim asked if they wanted to see the inside of the RV, which started an exodus outside. Kim had provisioned it with everything imaginable, and made Sara wish she was going on it as well.

Soon their parents made leaving noises, so after tearful goodbyes and promises to take care of themselves, the three sets of parents drove off on their new adventures.

Things settled down after that, and for the next few days, nobody was interested in doing much except laze on the beach and do as little as possible.

Sara took the time to sort out in her mind, something she had been promising Maggie, her regression to a 3 year old. Maggie had wanted to let her adult mind find oblivion, and let the child find her own life to live without the adult memories interfering. Sara wasn't prepared to send the adult mind into that state and essentially kill her off. Kim had said it was possible to save her adult memories and still have an innocent child. Sara needed to ask the Hitches and Cathleen in particular, whether they wanted Cathleen to undergo the same treatment, she had planned for Maggie. The way she had planned it, would mean Jenna would get a child very much like Maggie, who would need to be taught all she would need to become a woman.

Sara walked over to where Jenna was helping the children make sand castles.

"Sis, can we go somewhere and talk, I have a proposition for you."

To be continued.

Carversion -63-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Three

Having spoken to Jenna privately and got her assurance that she would discuss her idea with Richard and Cathleen, Sara went and talked to Kim.

"Sure, I'll stick around," was her reply, when asked to oversee the process.

That evening, after dinner, Sara got Maggie dressed in her nightgown and sat her down on her bed.

"Maggie, I have something to discuss with you about your promised 3 year old body," Sara said, reaching out and taking Maggie's hand.

Maggie looked up at her mother with wide hopeful eyes, knowing her mother always kept her promises and tried to sit still while jumping up and down inside. Maggie's thoughts were bouncing up and down as well. 'I'm going to get my body, I'm going to get my body,' was the mantra her mind kept repeating.

Kevin entered the room then, cued by a thought from Sara. He sat down on the other side of Maggie and took her other tiny hand in his, smiling, as he looked at Maggie in her cute kitten covered nightgown.

"We think it's time to live up to our end. We have promised to give you your dream body, and now it time for that to happen," Sara said, speaking for Kevin as well.

"We love you and will care for you for eternity, but we care for the adult in you as well, and we don't want to see that part of your soul leave us, so we came up with this idea," Sara explained carefully.

After we change your body into that of a three year old, we will use the glasses to block your adult thoughts and memories from that of Maggie the child. She will be the innocent we picked up in Indianapolis. We will alter your memories so you'll think that you were always our little girl. You'll keep your memories of the trip here and everything that's happened since, but edit the adult memories out. You'll find that you will just be a little girl, like any other normal child your age."

"So what will happen to my adult mind?" Maggie asked astutely, reminding them that she wasn't just the cute child she appeared to be.

Kim thinks we can cause a split that will allow the adult part of your mind be an observer in your body, experiencing your joy and innocence in being a child. We hope she will act as a conscience for you without actually saying anything. All of us have a tiny voice inside, which tells us if what we are doing is right. If we plan it right, the adult in you will colour your thoughts without verbal interaction. As you grow up, your minds will begin to merge until it is fully integrated at around 18 years."

"Wow! dat's a long time," Maggie exclaimed.

"We hope to do something for you, similar to what we did to someone in Australia, for when danger looms," Kevin added.

"Yes, should you be in severe bodily danger, the adult mind will fully integrate with the child to help, then once the danger has passed, will disappear again." Sara explained further.

"So I won't remember you knocking into me on my bike, or giving me a loaner body, until you returned for me?" Asked Maggie sadly.

"Not until your 18 at least," answered Sara truthfully. We hope that the adult part of you will be like a guardian angel for the child in you, always there to look after you."

"Mommy? Can I say thanks and goodbye to eberyone first, for I gets liddle, and don't's remember no mores?" Asked Maggie, looking up at Sara, tears standing guardian in the corners of her eyes.

"Of course you can honey," answered Sara with a sob, crushing Maggie tightly to her breast.

Kevin held onto Sara, knowing how much this was tearing at her heart, as he fought the same tears himself.

Kevin took Maggie from Sara and carried her downstairs to allow Sara time to conceal her tears. Kim as usual, being one jump ahead, had rung Jenna and asked her and Richard to come over to say goodbye. Setting Maggie down, Kevin and Sara watched, as Maggie thanked her chat room friends for always being there for her. Jenna fought hard not to burst into tears knowing that the person she had known for so long was finally going to get her wish.

Jenna held on the Richard, after Maggie had hugged him as well. She was both happy and sad; knowing part of Maggie would be asleep until the little girl grew up. Her decision on Cathleen having the same done, hinged on what Maggie would be like tomorrow.

Maggie thanked Amelia, Julie and William, before coming back to Kim.

"I want to thank you for the gifts of the Shelke, and the Krin that gave me my dream. Without you, none of this would have happened and my mommy wouldn't have been going past my town and ended up giving me the most important gift." Maggie told her.

"I did little, but supply the technology, honey. There are the ones to thank," she replied, pointing to Sara and Kevin.

"I knows," Maggie nodded, before running back to Sara.

"I was just hanging on to life when you happened by," Maggie started, taking hold of both her parent's hands. "I need to thank you for saving me and the kitten within. I have so much to thank you for. Just believing the child in me and not just ignoring her presence as a figment of a warped mind, I thank you. You could have left me in that loaner body and not returned for me, but you didn't. You gave me something even greater than a young girl's body; you gave me love and took me into your hearts."

With that, Maggie, Sara and Kevin clung to each other in a hug where tears fell unashamedly.

Jenna and Richard turned away and wrapped each other in a similar hug, as Maggie's emotional outpouring, had them in tears as well. The others in the room were similarly afflicted.

"We promise to love you like no other," promised Sara, through her tears.

"Probably more than one of our very own children," offered Kevin.

"More?" asked Maggie, trying to work that one out.

"We will love any of our children that we are blessed with," explained Kevin. "How could we not? After all, we will be their parents, but we chose you to be our child. Parents don't get a choice, but to love their own children, no matter what."

"I's special?" Maggie giggled, reverting to her childlike persona.

"You is indeed," Kevin replied in same.

"I'm ready," Maggie said finally, reaching up to Sara to be lifted into her arms.

Sara took Maggie upstairs to her bedroom, with Kevin and Kim following close behind. Maggie was placed in her bed and made comfortable, as both Kim and Sara put on the glasses that would change her life forever. Giving one final round of thanks, Maggie settled back to accept her new life.

It took many hours, as both Kim and Sara used the advanced hypnotic techniques that the Shelke had developed for their glasses. Finally it was done and the two parents kissed their now sleeping child. Kim promised to stay the night, just in case, but said everything went exactly as planned. Sara and Kevin went downstairs to give those waiting the heads-up on the situation. Jenna hugged Sara, knowing exactly how she felt, wondering if she would have the same courage to do the same for Cathleen.

Morning came at last and Sara woke early, slipping out of bed to check on Maggie. She found Maggie half dressed, playing with Kurtain. Half dressed, because now that her adult mind was sleeping, she hadn't managed to fasten her favourite dress she had tried to put on. The back was undone, not that it seemed to bother her much. Maggie squealed in joy when she heard her mother enter the room, still dressed in her nightgown.

"Look mommy, I taughted Kurtain a trick," she giggled, demonstrating by holding up a hair ribbon and making Kurtain stand up on only her rear legs, as she pawed at the dangling ribbon.

"That's cute honey, how are you feeling?" Asked Sara, seeing little change in Maggie's behaviour.

"Me's not sick," stated Maggie emphatically, thinking her mommy wanted her to stay in bed. "Can I goes show Cathleen Kurtain's new trick?" Maggie asked, sliding off the bed, which rucked up her dress.

"After breakfast," Sara insisted, straightening her daughter's dress, while Maggie pouted at the delay.

"Want me to do your buttons up?" Sara asked, seeing if she could illicit any frustration from Maggie, at her lost ability at getting dressed by herself.

"Yes mommy," Maggie said simply, showing no sign of frustration.

Sara hugged her daughter, knowing that until she grew up a bit more, Maggie would really need her more than ever to fill the duties of a mother. Sara watched Maggie dash out of the bedroom, heading downstairs with Kurtain in hot pursuit. Sara went to get a robe, knowing her help in the kitchen would be needed, as Maggie looked for something to eat.

"How is she?" asked the now awake Kevin, as she was about to head downstairs.

"She's just fine, just a bit more dependent on me," Sara answered, moving to the bed and giving Kevin a kiss.

"Go…I'll be down in a minute," Kevin told her, shooing her towards the door.

Sara slipped out and headed to where the noise in the kitchen, told her where Maggie was. All that day, Maggie was quietly observed by Sara and Jenna, as she played with Cathleen and the pets.

"There doesn't seem to be much difference in the way she acts," confided Jenna, as she and Sara took a quiet moment together.

"No, there's not. I think Maggie was already living her life as a child, as much as she could, before last night," agreed Sara.

"Cathleen's agreed to have the same done, so I've decided to try it tonight, before I lose my nerve," Jenna nervously informed her.

"Good, it will be better now than later," Sara agreed. "Cathleen could mention something by accident, which might cause some problems, if Maggie's memories don't match what Cathleen lets slip."

So it was done, with similar results.

Two days later, Cathy came by to pick up her cat.

"I'm staying with John, for now, if you must know," answered a blushing Cathy to Sara's query.

"Nice, I'm so happy for you," Sara told her, seeing the obvious signs in Cathy's manner.

"I'll be around, his place isn't that far away," said Cathy, as she reached down to pick up Roadblock, who was rubbing against her legs. "Ooph, you feel like you have put on more weight than ever," she complained, as she struggled to lift the cat.

"I think that cat is too smart for its own good," laughed Sara. "Roadblock worked out a way to get fed here and fed again next door."

"I think I'll rename her, Detour," Cathy laughed.

In the days that followed, life returned to a semblance of normality to an outside observer. Amelia became a teacher to the children, giving them lessons, which would allow them to learn how to live as normal female adults when that time came along. They weren't the only ones being taught, as both Jenna and Sara sat in on the unofficial lessons, although Sara was the one most in need. The built in programming only went so far, and there were nuances that even the more advanced Shelke technology couldn't help with.

"After all," Amelia had commented. "They are Shelke, where I'm human, female, as well as a mother," Amelia said smugly.

Kim asked if she could put devices up to observe everything that was being taught, so that future body constructs could be further refined.

Nobody had any objection, knowing that this intrusion into their privacy was for a good cause and would be discrete.

Julie came and went, as she and William divided their time between the condo and Huang's place in Hollywood, where William either as himself or as Huang, gave Bob a hand at setting up a new satellite dish at his new home with Cindy.

Bob had explained that by having at least two dishes running, if the Nemesis was detected, a more accurate distance could be extrapolated by triangulation methods.

Julie wanted to have her mother live with them when they moved down to Huang's place permanently, but knowing that Amelia was helping the others learn, she didn't press the matter. Amelia knew that Julie needed little advice from her, having learned most of what she needed already. Amelia needed to feel useful and not just sit around a fancy place doing little but cook her daughter's meals. Not that she objected doing that, but being with little girls and big girls for that matter, who really needed her sage advice, made her feel young again, something she wouldn't trade for the high life. Amelia would visit with her daughter for a break for a week or so, before returning to the condo before Julie could get sick of her being underfoot.

Sara and Kevin practiced with their gifts while in a nexus, as did the others. Kim was often gone to help others who were on the cusp of forming their own Nexi, teaching them how to focus and develop this most fantastic of unions.

So time passed, and the years rolled by, until one day, the threat everyone had dreaded, came calling.

To be continued.

Carversion -64-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Four

"Mother, I just got a call from aunt Tyrissa," gasped an out of breath Maggie, having run from inside the condo to where Sara was tending the garden.

"Oh! And what did she have to say?" Sara asked, eyeing her scantily clad teenage daughter with a mildly disapproving look.

Maggie, clad in only in a pair of pink panties and matching maiden form bra seemed more concerned about her message than she was at displaying her 34B assets to all and sundry, as she bounced with impatience.

"You need to get dad and do your thing with the satellite dish. Tyrissa said she saw the Nemesis coming using her gift." Maggie cried, starting to run back inside. "I'll go ring uncle Bob to do the same," were her last words, before she vanished indoors.

All thoughts of chiding her 18 year old daughter for her lack of decorum, vanished, as Sara stood frozen in fear as her mind flashed back 15 years, to her last encounter with the Nemesis.

'Kevin,' she called mentally, feeling her husband's thoughts of fishing, come to attention at her silent call. Faster than any verbal communication, she filled him in on what Tyrissa had sensed with her gift of precognition.

'I'll be there shortly,' was his hurried reply, as he reeled in his rods and made preparations to bring the runabout back to shore.

She went inside and sat on the couch, watching her daughter on the phone to Bob. While Sara waited anxiously, her mind drifted back over the intervening years from her last encounter, with the enemy from the stars.

She had hoped that Maggie, who had grown from a toddler to an elegant teenage girl, would never have to face the threat that was looming. Her other daughter Becky, who had been born a year after Maggie had her adult memories placed aside, would be 14 in a month.

Becky's gifts had yet to manifest as she had been given the same injection that the rest of the world's younger generation had been given. She did have the ability to read minds, which had meant lots of fun and games while growing up. Kim had told her that this ability to hear thoughts was one being exhibited world wide by the youth of today. Sara thought back to the hue and cry that issued when the first proven case of telepathy was discovered.

At first, the child that had demonstrated it was sequestered away by the government, despite the parent's outcries, as they tried to take advantage of the child and her abilities. Luckily, the Shelke had other plans, and had the child back home, before her bed sheets had cooled. Once some 'evidence' of her illegal abduction was leaked to the media, the government excuse of "it's a matter of national security," fell on deaf ears, as the child's age (11) was released. The public outrage made the government back down and the publicity prompted other children to come forward.

It was soon evident that something strange was happening, as more and more children became telepathic. The scientists were baffled, especially, as it was occurring worldwide. Some religious groups said it was a gift of god and that Christ was preparing for the second coming. There were as many groups saying the reverse, in that the children were cursed and should be killed. This prompted new laws for the protection of children from exploitation and abuse, in which the Shelke helped enforce. Knowing that children could read their minds, child molesters and criminals in general became fewer and fewer, as many were caught and charged from evidence produced by children.

"Maggie…was Tyrissa at home or on the road?" Sara asked, once her daughter finished talking on the phone. With her gifts having re-emerged the year before, Sara knew Maggie could locate anyone; anywhere that was wearing a Krin

"She is at the salon," Maggie replied, as she headed upstairs to get some more clothes on.

Sara nodded as she went to ring Tyrissa for more information, thinking how well Maggie's integration with her adult mind had gone.

Kevin found her deep in thought as he dropped his catch in the kitchen sink.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said lightly, not wanting to startle her, as he went to give her a hug.

"I was just thinking about Maggie," she replied standing up from where she was sitting. "Argh, you stink of fish," she said recoiling from his advance. "Go shower and change," she told him, after he used his Krin to do a quick change into Anita to get his kiss.

Kevin changed back, and did as directed, knowing he'd get no peace. Sara didn't like him putting a dirty body away, as she put it, by using the Krin to avoid the mundane chore of showering. Sara followed him into the bathroom, telling him what Tyrissa had told her on the phone, while he showered.

"I thought Tyrissa's ability to see future events was limited to seeing an individual's future by physical contact?" Came Kevin's shower muffled voice.

"That's just it, Jenna was getting her hair done, when Tyrissa sensed her involvement with the Nemesis in the near future," Sara explained, feeling a sense of danger looming.

Kevin shut off the shower, gratefully accepting the towel that Sara handed him. Sara helped dry him, feeling the need to be close to her husband.

"I just wish Maggie was older, I don't want her getting hurt, plus there's Becky to consider too," Sara's voice trailing off as she wondered if she would still be around to see them both grow up.

"Maggie will be okay, after all, she coped with her integration last year," Kevin reassured her, as he went to get fresh clothes on.

Sara nodded, remembering back to that time, while dumping Kevin's dirty clothes down the laundry chute.

Maggie had started recalling things that had happened in her adult life, and had come to her mother to ask about it. Sara had sat her down and explained things from the beginning, telling her that she had indeed been born a boy. Maggie had seemed incredulous at first, as her memories of that were still lost to her.

Maggie then told Sara that she had felt her guardian angel's voice that she occasional heard whispering to her, had been getting fainter as she had grown up. It wasn't so much that it was going away, but the voice seemed to be merging with her, until it became indistinguishable from her own mental voice.

Sara was alarmed at first, thinking that the adult Maggie was being subsumed by the younger Maggie till they'd be nothing left. When Maggie had mentioned the voice merging, Sara's emotions took over, and she cried tears of joy, knowing that the adult Maggie had truly merged, becoming one person. This was proved later when Maggie found she could recall happy memories of talking to friends she had made in the chat room, so many years earlier. No bad memories seemed to have survived; obviously, they had been carefully edited out by the adult mind, long before the merger.

The nearest to a bad memory, was the day that Sara and Kevin returned from Washington to find a cold and starving Maggie they had had to leave behind. Maggie could recall the joy of seeing her new friends, after thinking all was lost. It had been a very emotional moment and one Maggie would continue to cherish the rest of her life.

"I don't suppose Tyrissa saw us winning?" Asked Kevin, jolting Sara out of her reverie.

"No…only that there was great danger, she only gets general impressions and even those are variable." Sighed Sara, remembering that she still had a cloud over her own head, if her primary gift ever eventuated.

If Kim's guess was correct, this coming conflict with the Nemesis could very well see it manifest, which in turn could seal her fate. This scared Sara. This was something she had no control over, and there was no way she could plan around it. The uncertainty ate at her confidence and made her feel depressed.

Kevin came and held her, knowing what was on her mind. He couldn't let her know how scared he was of the possibilities of losing her, and he had to lock those thoughts away in a dark corner of his mind.

"Come on honey, it might never happen," he said cheerfully, trying to get her mind on something else.

"What's for lunch?" he asked, the sea air having sparked his appetite.

"Oh, I think Maggie wanted to try something," Sara replied, waving her hand distractively in the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh no, not sketti again?" Kevin laughed jokingly, knowing that Maggie was an accomplished cook, courtesy of Amelia's tuition.

Kevin's joke was just the thing to get a smile back on Sara's face, knowing that the memories of Maggie with a face full of spaghetti when she was a child would do the trick.

"You'll be eating spaghetti all week, if you say anything nasty about her cooking," warned Sara, as she turned to go downstairs.

Kevin gulped theatrically, earning him a poke in the ribs from Sara, as they went downstairs together.

Maggie greeted them, and asked if they minded if she used the fresh fish for lunch, instead of what she had originally planned.

"Sure honey, it's there to be used," Kevin told her.

Kim joined them for lunch, having found out about the crisis from Tyrissa and wanting to help plan their next move. The whole Snappers that Kevin had only caught that morning, had been stuffed by Maggie, using some sautéed vegetables and boiled rice, and looked delicious with the alternative slices of tomato and onion on the top sprinkled with parsley.

Everyone was impressed, and said so, which made Maggie beam with delight.

After lunch, the serious business began. First, Kim got Jenna, who had since returned home, to come over, along with Richard and Cathleen. Being a weekend, Alan, Jenna's 14-year-old son, was off playing with Cathy's son Scott, who was the same age.

Of course, Cathleen promptly raced upstairs with Maggie and Becky to discuss their favourite topic, boys.

Sara didn't mind them missing the meeting, as Cathleen with her now developing telepathy, would keep them both informed of the discussion below.

After getting both Jenna and Richard up to speed on Tyrissa's startling revelation, both of them paled.

"Did Kim get any indication of a time frame?" asked Richard worriedly, knowing his wife was going to be in danger.

"No, but she did notice that you still had your hair in the style she had just set for you, so it could be anytime from a week or more."

"Oh crap!" exclaimed Richard, voicing everyone's thoughts and fears.

"It could be just more scouts looking for the ones we destroyed," Kim offered with a shrug.

"Is our umbrella up and running?" Asked Sara, at last.

"The alert has been sent out to all of those with gifts like yours. Also, all the children we Krinned, have a post hypnotic trigger planted should they feel any mental tampering to anyone within their personal range," supplied Kim.

"What about the children themselves? Are they protected?" asked Jenna.

"As part of them being telepathic, they learn how to block out thoughts. They will have a natural defence against the Nemesis, should any get through to Earth." Kim reassured her.

"The first thing we need to do, before anything else, is get a group up in a Nexi to try and locate the Nemesis to see if it's the main force or just another scouting group," Kim suggested, looking at Sara.

"What about Jenna and Richard being part of it? They have worked with us before in a group," questioned Sara.

"I'd prefer not to use her at this time. Her gift might be the one thing to turn things in our favour. We don't want to show our hand if it's just a scouting party, and they manage to get a message back to their main force," explained Kim.

"I've asked Bob and Cindy to unite with William and Julie, while you and Kevin, pair up with Tyrone and Carolyn."

Kevin rang Bob, to find out how to set up the dish, so that the computer controlling it could work out the minute delay between the two dishes, that would give them their triangulation. In the mean time, Tyrone and Carolyn arrived after having been called by Sara on her mobile.

"That's the wrong direction," Tyrone in his Tyrissa form told Kevin, as the final adjustments were being made. Tyrissa had her hand on Kevin's arm, and was sensing via her gift, the most likely outcome.

You mean the Nemesis are coming from a different direction?" asked Kevin, looking at Tyrissa standing with her eyes closed, her face a mask of concentration.

"Move the dish a little," was her only comment.

Kevin waved for Kim to come over, as he adjusted the direction in which the dish was pointing. Kim promptly took the phone from Kevin, relaying the changing settings. Finally, with Tyrissa acting as a kind of dousing wand, Kevin had the dish set correctly. Bob confirmed the new heading, allowing for the geological differences, and made plans to initiate the sequence in 30 minutes.

Maggie came down to monitor the final phase, giving her parents a hug and a kiss as they passed each other on the stairs, while Cathleen and Becky stayed in the bedroom out of the way.

With the four sets of Nexi ready, the computers sent a pulse via the net to synchronise the start sequence. Then the familiar sucking sensation as the two sets of co joined Nexi, were squirted into space.

To be continued.

Carversion -65-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Five

The two groups met out in the far reaches of space. As the two Nexi formed a whole, part of that, which was Bob, asked part that was Tyrone, how he knew to change the coordinates of the dishes.

'It was strange, came the mental voice of Tyrone. "As I touched Kevin, I could see the frustration in his future, when he failed to locate the Nemesis. It was as if I was seeing the future alter as the dish moved. The final setting showed him meeting the Nemesis, although I didn't get a clear picture of the outcome."

The mental conversation had taken only seconds, but already it had attracted attention.

'Can it, guys, we have bigger problems," Sara interrupted, as she spotted the enemy.

Fifteen of the Nemesis's shipforms were heading directly at them. The question as to whether they could see or sense the Nexi, or were heading directly toward Earth by intent, was answered, when the Nexi drifted to one side of the route the Nemesis were taking. Half of them broke formation and headed towards the Nexi. The others continued on, obviously following some signal or clue. One of the shipforms reversed its direction and looked like it was going to report back. It had gone, before an effective attack could be mounted on it. Some of those heading towards the Nexi changed to their more physical form and were already sending a mental barrage to the gathered minds.

This time, the Nexi knew what to do. With Sara stopping the mental attack, Bob and Cindy both bolstered her strength and gave the others time to work. Julie scanned the region of space to find anything lethal that she could teleport the mass less shipforms into, while Kevin and William used their gifts on the physical forms heading directly at them.

Julie didn't find a sun, but noticed an anomaly nearby. During the years since she gained her gift, she had developed a sense that prevented her teleporting into anything dangerous. She had found that out, when she had tried to move herself to a favourite spot in the forest, where she could relax when things got to tense. As she had tried to teleport, she had felt a sense of danger. Later, she had found out that a fire had ravaged the part of the forest at the time she had tried to visit. That sense was now warning her of a dangerous black hole a million miles from their current position.

Kevin and William started exploding or freezing the Nemesis that were nearly upon them, while Julie starting sending the shipforms directly into the black hole. She could take two at a time, now her skills with her gift had been honed with practice, and soon all the Nemesis that were heading to Earth were gone.

The ones that Kevin was attacking exploded with spectacular effect as all the energy within was released all at once. The ones that William acted on remained intact, but being frozen to near absolute zero didn't save those inside.

To make sure that the ships were destroyed completely, Cindy used her telekinetic gift to give a psychic punch on the frozen ships. Although there was no sound in space, it wasn't hard to imagine the cracking sound they would have made in an atmosphere as they literally shattered into a zillion pieces. Julie said it looked like something she'd seen in an old movie, where the bad guy who was made of liquid metal, (go figure) had been doused in liquid air and then shattered by a bullet.

With the enemy defeated, the Nexus was about to return home, but Bob wanted to study something, before they did. He wanted to find out if they had left some sort of trail that the Nemesis had discovered. Being a mind with no physical limitations, he searched up and down the frequency bands, trying to see if there was anything left by the Nexi in their journey into space. He found nothing, but then something made him look in the radio frequencies, and there it was, a cacophony of noise bleeding out into space. Mankind had been advertising their presence to all and sundry. Now it had attracted the unwanted attention of their worst enemy.

Bob signalled that he was ready, and the nexus sped back to Earth and to their various corporeal forms.

Sara and Kevin woke and were soon downstairs talking to Kim. Kim had set up a conference call on the laptops, so that Bob and Cindy could tell Kim about the mission. Julie and William joined in on their laptop a few minutes later, joining in on the discussion, adding their own input on matters.

"It looks as if the Nemesis knows where we are, or will do as soon as that scout reports back," Kim suggested. "The only good thing is it wasn't witness to the others demise and the methods of their destruction," she added with a positive tone.

"Do you think we can fight them before they reach Earth?" Julie asked worriedly.

"Unlikely, remember, I've seen this happen before. When there was resistance by a race to the encroachment from the Nemesis's scouts, the main force came at the home world from all sides. Any resistance was crushed by overwhelming mental attack," Kim finished.

"Do you think they will try and destroy our sun?" William asked.

"No!" Kim was very adamant with her reply. They will know there are resources here that they will need. They won't destroy Earth until unless there's no other choice."

"We need to destroy them all!" Sara snarled. "Before they realise that," she finished.

Everyone turned and looked at Sara hearing the out of character venom in her words.

"You okay honey?" Kevin asked anxiously, seeing a look of determination on her face.

"Huh? Oh sure," Sara replied distractedly, her very demeanour belying that statement.

Obviously, she had her mind fixated on something, but no amount of coaxing would make her reveal her inner thoughts. Sara knew the others were worried about her, but the latest bout with the Nemesis had opened something in her mind, something she suspected had to do with her primary gift. She couldn't let on how scared this made her feel, not when they needed to be strong with the obvious threat that would soon be upon them.

Knowing Kim's premise, that this gift might end her life didn't make her feel any happier either. She tried shrugging off the odd feeling, which was lurking at the back of her mind, and concentrated on coming up with a positive plan to defeat the Nemesis once and for all.

The final plan seemed risky, but as Kim explained, the reason made sense.

"We have to let them come to Earth. We can't fight them piecemeal. Once they commit all their forces, we have a chance at destroying them all." Kim finished.

"What if we don't get them all? Will they retaliate by destroying our sun?" asked Julie, with a shudder.

"They need at least 50 to do that, so we have to make sure less than that survive. It will mean that they are confined to this region of space until they can breed more, which will give us time to round up the remnants," Kim reassured her.

So they waited, but they weren't idle. Bob and Cindy paired with Julie and William, did nightly forays into space using the dish. Others, gifted with being able to sense threats at long range, were on the alert with orders to contact Kim or others of the Shelke. A decision to contact all Earth's government leaders was made. The Shelke made easy work of getting to the ear of the President and those in charge of the various governments. This was in part to prevent anyone sending up nuclear weapons once the Nemesis was detected.

The last thing Earth needed was a cloud of radioactive debris falling back into Earth's atmosphere. The Shelke knew that while in the mass less state, the Nemesis was immune to the effects of nuclear missiles; in fact it only fed them energy, much like they got from the destruction of suns that they themselves caused.

Of course, at first there was panic among the heads of state and the higher echelon of the various governments not only at knowing they would face a threat they couldn't fight, but knowing they had already been invaded by an alien race, so to speak. Once the Shelke proved they only wanted to help, and that humanity itself was going to be the principal defender of earth, they calmed down somewhat. The Shelke refused to curry favour with any one country in particular, which led to many heated discussions among the various political powers.

The Shelke remained strictly impartial, reminding those in power that any threats or attempted coercion, would lead to the Shelke withdrawing from Earth and letting them face the Nemesis alone.

It was assumed, although the Shelke admitted nothing, that the recent changes in their children was the work of the Shelke. With the rise of telepathic abilities becoming public knowledge, and the advent of several teenagers showing what was coming to be called super powers, the first of several spontaneous sexchanges in the teenage population, caused only a minor stir.

"I was always a girl, I just wished my body was female, and it changed," commented one of the changees in an interview with a reporter.

"Is that from the injected Krin?" Sara asked Kim, when she saw the item in the paper.

"Yes, we made sure that it could only happen to those who truly believed they were transgendered. You don't need to worry that everyone is going to change to look their current idol, whoever that might be," Kim explained. "Those that do change don't get to pick how they look, but it will be extrapolated from the genes of the parents. In other words, they get the body that they should have, had they been born the opposite sex."

"I guess that will put some surgeons out of work," laughed Sara, feeling happier knowing the word transgendered would soon become a thing of the past.

Some time later.

"Alright people, listen up," called Kim, wrapping her pointer on the podium before the gathered crowd. "The time is now," her voiced echoed into the vastness of the hall, now the crowd had quietened.

Sara’s image on the prepared screen, spoke to the gathered group from her bedroom. She could hear and see the gathered crowd via the setup, Kim had supplied.

"The enemy has gathered, as have we here today. We go to fight an enemy that has no conscience, they intend for us to die. All over the Earth, groups of the gifted have gathered together to form huge Nexi's that will be launched into the space above Earth, using the new Shelke technology that Bob pioneered. To fail this battle is not an option. I'm sorry, but there will probably be no holiday marking this day if we survive, for as you know, most of the public will be unaware of our efforts and sacrifices." She finished, her last statement getting a few boos.

Someone in the rear, called out. "Do we get overtime for this?" Which brought a few chuckles that lightened the mood.

Sara looked over the crowd, via the two way link seeing a few familiar faces, among the majority of strangers that had gathered from the neighbouring states. Beds were not required now to reach a Nexi with a partner, just holding hands and seeking the other was enough.

Sara saw Kim start up the device that would launch them into space. She sought out Kevin's hand as the signal to begin was given, and their own setup was similarly activated.

As the Nexi were projected forth, the Nexi that was formed of Sara and William separated from the main cluster that rose from California. They could see other groups rising with golden threads linking each to another forming a spider's web of connectivity, that englobed the Earth.

Looking outward, they saw the enemy gathered in a similar fashion, one lunar orbit out.

The Nexi all being linked together, attacked simultaneously, before the Nemesis could get set. The enemy's fleet was halved in the next few minutes, as they were destroyed in so many different ways. The nexus that was Sara and Kevin watched in awe, as they held off joining the others.

Some of the most powerful users of TK either ripped the ships apart, or sent them hurtling into the moon's surface. Others, of which Jenna was included, froze groups of ships in time, later to be destroyed at leisure. Some ships exploded for no apparent reason, probably caused by those like Cathleen, who could project streams of chaos that caused fatal system failures.

Most of the ships exploded from the abundant use of PK that the majority of the gifted had developed. Kevin wanted to join in on the fight, but Sara held off, knowing their role was to be of a different nature.

Sara knew what her main gift was and had to wait till the time was right. Kevin felt frustrated, seeing ships being teleported into the sun, or deep into Jupiter's core. They continued watching, seeing some ships slowly shrink and disappear, as if being sucked out from the inside. The mini black holes that one nexus was creating was being teleported inside of the ships by another, was the cause.

The sheer numbers of ships meant that some were able to fight back, before they could be overwhelmed. The mental attack was like nothing felt before. Many nexus lost focus and dropped out, leaving holes in the network surrounding Earth. Sara sensed rather than saw the attacks getting through to Earth.

It was time to act. Knowing the likely outcome of her use of her primary gift, she pulled away her mind links with Kevin, maintaining just enough to form the nexus. Kevin cried out and tried to break down the barrier she was erecting. She sent a wave of love through to him, before resolutely readying herself for the ordeal ahead.

To be continued.

Carversion -66-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Six

Maggie, like many of the gifted, remained on earth. Her powers were of little use in the fight, unlike Cathleen's. Her role was to monitor her mother's aura in case it changed and relay that information to Kim.

Kim was busy keeping tabs on her people through a fancy communicator, which let her hear the reports flooding in from all over the world.

Kim had just heard reports of erratic behaviour in the populace; luckily, the children in those areas had managed to screen out the worst of it with their telepathic abilities. Despite that, a few deaths from road accidents had occurred.

"Kim-Kim!" shouted Maggie, finally getting Kim's attention, as she paused in her issuing of instructions.

"What is it Maggie? I'm kinda busy at the moment," Kim answered somewhat tersely.

"Mother's aura, it's changing," an agitated Maggie cried.

"What's it doing?" asked Kim, her attention now fully on Maggie's anxious face.

"It's growing and getting brighter. It looks like a small sun and the colours are bleaching out," answered Maggie, who was wringing her hands worriedly.

Kim knew that Sara's main gift had kicked in at last, and that Maggie might never see her mother alive again, if she couldn't handle the load and burned out instead.

"It's Sara's main gift kicking in," she explained, not letting her know how dangerous it was for Sara. "Let me know if there's any further change."

"It's still growing and there's tendrils spreading down everywhere to Earth," Maggie supplied, reporting what her gift was showing her.

"Hmmm," Kim answered.

For Sara, it was like her mind was expanding, as her gift linked her first to those Nexi still in space and then all those on Earth that had a glimmer of a gift. It was too much too fast and she nearly blacked out from the sensory overload, as her gift to channel psychic energy flooded through her.

To an outside observer, had they the ability to see the energies involved, they would have seen a golden ball envelop Earth, half a diameter out. It filled the gaps between the linked Nexi, making them look like bright jewels embedded in its surface.

Another similar golden orb covered the Earth linking first those with the gift and then like a firestorm, it flashed into everyone human on Earth, making them part of the whole. Even the animals and trees were involved, giving part of their very living essence to support and maintain the defence of Earth. Linking the two spheres was one lone odd shaped nexus, which connected the two spheres with a column of golden energy.

In trying to shield Kevin, Sara had pulled the normal globe shaped nexus into a dumbbell shaped one, with a mind in each end separated by a thin link. The column of energy speared the end where Sara was, and passed out to the Nexi to feed them unbound energy.

On Earth in the bedroom where Sara was lying next to Kevin, things were happening also. Becky, who had been in her bedroom studying, called downstairs.

"Hey you two! There's a funny sound coming from our parent's bedroom."

Kim and Maggie raced upstairs, meeting Becky outside the bedroom, where a strange metallic smell was coming out. Opening the door a bit, they could just see Sara and Kevin holding hands on the bed. Sara's body was glowing and there were electrical discharges radiating off her body like miniature lighting bolts. The room was full of ozone, and Kim feared for the two's safety in breathing it.

"We have to open a window, but it's too dangerous. I'll go get something we can throw at the window to break it and let fresh air in," shouted Kim over the noise of the discharges.

Kim started downstairs, stopping when she heard Maggie cry out, "Don't go in Becky, you'll get killed."

Kim raced back in time to see Becky fearlessly entering the room. Becky had her hands held out in front of her, palms towards the discharges. As she neared, the energy being radiated seemed attracted to her and sank into her hands with no visible effect. Becky approached her mother and laid her hands on her glowing body. Immediately, the glow dimmed and slowly faded away, as Becky absorbed it calmly, and without being harmed. The discharges stopped, and Kim ran in and opened the windows, while Maggie peeked in from the doorway, her mouth open wide in awe at what her little sister had done.

Maggie came in and stood behind her little sister, hugging her, as Becky held onto Sara. Maggie's look at Kim, prompted her to explain.

"I think one of Becky's gifts has just kicked in. She must be an absorber of some kind, or a nullifier, from the way she can stop your mother radiating energy like that."

"Is mommy going to be alright?" Maggie asked Kim, seeing Becky seemed too occupied in her self appointed task to give Maggie an answer.

"I truly don't know honey. Your mother is channelling a lot of power, it could kill her or leave her a mindless shell," Kim answered, knowing that as hard as it was, she couldn't lie to Maggie.

Maggie turned to her mother and whispered, "Don't die mommy, we need you. Everyone does," she choked out, willing Sara to survive. Maggie reached out for her mother's hand and held onto Becky's arm with her other. Becky shifted one hand to Sara's forehead and with the other, grasped Maggie's hand that was touching her.

The strange circle of contact made up of Sara, Becky, and Maggie, caused them all to glow. The discharges that Kim expected to reappear, now Becky was using only one hand, failed to return. Only the glow that enveloped Sara before was evident. Waiting for a few minutes, to check that the three seemed to be in no immediate danger, Kim raced downstairs to check in with her colleagues to assess the situation.

The Nexi were all energised beyond anything they had experienced before. Where before, one could handle three ships at once, now they were destroying ten times that many. The Nemesis had never come across a single planet with such a defence system. Countless years of success had ill prepared them for the onslaught they were facing now. Sensing defeat, if not total annihilation, a group broke away to initiate the destruction of the yellow dwarf that gave this system life.

This move was fortunately planned for by the Earth's defenders, and several groups having long-range capabilities, were ready waiting for them.

Many years earlier, some of the most dangerous asteroids had been coaxed using TK into a safer orbit around the sun. They were now strung between Earth's and Venus's orbit, where their positions where carefully marked. The hardest thing was getting an equal amount of asteroids moving in the opposing direction. Moving them closer to the sun meant that they orbited at a higher speed. It was this speed that was augmented, when the Nemesis chose to move towards the sun.

The Nemesis never knew what hit them; as thousands of now TK guided rocks hit them from all directions. One vessel came between two rocks the size of houses moving diametrically in opposite directions. Needless to say, its destruction was a foregone conclusion. They tried to flee the now animated asteroid field, but their efforts were in vain.

The Nemesis died.

Back in near Earth orbit, the mopping up continued. The Nemesis was expunged to the last ship. The Nexi dropped out one by one, as they returned to their bodies. The rejoicing was great, as they celebrated their success. But things weren't quite as joyous in the condo of Sara and Kevin.

"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she waking?" Kevin asked worriedly, as he looked over at his still comatose wife.

Maggie tried seeing her mother's aura, but after the glowing incandescent display had ended, there was barely a flicker of colour in what was mostly now a black shadow.

"I think she's dying," wailed Maggie. "Her aura is nearly gone," she cried, flinging herself on her mother's motionless form.

Kim quickly took a blood sample, using a lancet, and dropped the bead of blood onto a test strip that was inserted into a diabetic's blood sugar level meter.

"Does she need glucose?" Kevin asked hopefully, remembering Sara's first encounter with the Nemesis.

Sadly, Kim shook her head, knowing it wasn't that simple. Although a little low, Sara's blood glucose was still in the normal range that could be expected.

"It's a little low, but not dangerously so," she told them, making their hearts sink even more. "I would like to transfer her to my ship, but knowing you as I do, I planned ahead."

With that, she called someone on her communicator. Within a minute, the house became dark as something large hovered overhead, blocking the sun. Even though none wanted to leave Sara's side, they were drawn to the window to peer upward at the Shelke ship.

To describe it, was hard, as the light grey surface shimmered in rippling iridescence, covering much of the surface details with an effect similar to that produced when a pebble is dropped into a calm body of water. The overwhelming feature was its size, as its circular bulk covered all of the property in shadow.

Kevin, Maggie and Becky hearing some odd beeping sounds, finally tore their attention from the amazing craft and turned to look back at Sara, thereby getting another surprise.

The bed around Sara was littered with strange machines that blinked and beeped incessantly. Strangers were connecting all sorts of probes to Sara, which made the machines emit more noises and flashy bits to light up.

It seemed that every bodily function was being monitored, and Kevin and the girls waited, as the strangers muttered in a technical language of their own. Kevin felt his heart sink, as the shaking of heads of these people spelt out the universal message that needed no explanation. It was bad.

Kevin hugged his daughters, as the machines were reluctantly disconnected and taken away. Maggie was in tears, knowing nothing had been done and her mother remained inert on the bed. Becky still had the disconnected look on her face that she'd had since she'd been released from her job as an absorber.

"Kim! What's happening?" asked Kevin frantically.

Kim looked at Kevin and motioned to tell him outside, but Kevin told her he wasn't moving, nor were his daughters.

Kim shrugged and started to speak, looking at the girl's reactions.

"As far as we can tell, there's nothing physically wrong with Sara. She has hardly any mental activity showing though, other than the autonomous functions that keep the body going."

"Is she brain dead?" Kevin asked fearfully.

"No I don't believe so; it's more like a deep coma, as if she is just waiting for a kick start." Kim answered him.

"How long before ?" Kevin trailed off, unable to complete the question, not sure whether he wanted an answer to it.

"She recovers? It could be days or weeks," Kim filled in, picking the positive of the two possible questions.

Kevin, deep in thought didn't reply. He sat on the bed and took one of Sara's limp hands and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently, as his mind spun uselessly in circles.

Maggie flung herself on her mother's body with an inarticulate cry of desolation; as she sensed the flicker of Sara's aura weaken even more. Maggie's heartfelt cry seemed to wake something in Becky's eyes, some glimmer of determination that wasn't there moments before.

In the shadowy room caused by the spaceship overhead, a light flickered, and grew. Kim saw Becky's hands glowing with a golden light. Becky moved past her and reached out for her mother's body. Maggie stopped crying, as she saw the light from Becky approaching. She slipped off the other side of Sara and moved into Kevin's loving embrace as they watched Becky place her glowing hands on Sara's forehead. On contact, Becky's whole body glowed with light, slowly pulsing in time with her heartbeat.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, and then a slight glow enveloped Sara's head. Becky's body seemed to pulse, with a sudden brilliant light, like a flashbulb going off, before falling away onto the floor. Kim was picking her up instantly, cradling her exhausted body, as they looked towards Sara's body.

It looked as if Sara was covered in Saint Elmo's fire, from head to toe as the electrical discharge crackled in the dim light. Like an omen, the Shelke ship must have moved off, allowing the room to brighten from the sun, coinciding with Maggie's cry of joy, as she sensed Sara's aura returning to normal. Sara stirred, causing everyone to yell in joy.

"Can't anyone get some sleep in here, what's with all the racket going on?" was Sara's first raspy words.

To be continued.

Carversion -67-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Seven

"So Becky came into her powers at last?" Sara asked, giving her youngest daughter a hug.

Sara replenished her strength with a meal hastily prepared by Kim, while her family sat next to her on the bed, regaling her with their own versions of events.

"It looks like Becky is like a battery, able to drain off excess psychic energy, and store it, before releasing it again," Kim conjectured.

"I've known that for ages," grinned Sara, feeling much better. "She used to wear me to a frazzle just keeping up with her. She's like that energiser battery; she just keeps on going and going."

This got a few laughs, and Becky had the grace to blush.

"What happened love?" Kevin asked gently, holding her close.

"It was strange, I kept pushing the power through me to those needing it, then it all stopped and I felt myself being sucked back down the other way like a backwash. If it wasn't for you, calling me, I might have been completely sucked away. At the end there, I saw a bright light, and I seemed to moving towards it when I felt this surge of power. I saw a golden rope coming towards me from the darkness. As I grabbed it the bright light went out and I felt myself rushing back into my body. Just your everyday death experience," she added flippantly, trying to break the mood.

"Well we'll have no more of that, thank you, at least not on my watch," Kevin responded gravely.

A sudden thought struck Sara.

"Kim, I used my primary gift right?" At her affirmative nod, Sara smiled.

"I survived, I didn't die." Sara laughed and gave everyone a hug, as tears of relief flowed from her eyes. "What about the Nemesis?"

"They all perished, thanks to your efforts," Kim answered her with a smile. "You realise Earth's going to be the centre of attention, now that you have destroyed the scourge of the universe. Many races will want to thank you for purging them of the Nemesis."

"Oh boy," sighed Sara, wondering what the future might hold for mankind, once visitors from space come calling.

"I hope the Shelke will be the first that mankind will meet," Kevin commented, looking pointedly at Kim.

"I'm sure something can be arranged," grinned Kim.

"Visitors," announced Maggie happily, as she bounced off the bed and scrambled downstairs.

Having a daughter that knew by the approaching auras when guests were coming before they in fact arrived was something Sara always took full advantage of in the past. Shooing all bar Kevin out of the room, she hastily grabbed a shower to freshen up.

She knew she could have just Krinned herself clean, changing into a fresh form with a change of clothes to boot, but unless it was a real emergency, the therapeutic value of actually cleaning your body with hot water and scented soaps and shampoos couldn't be beaten as it helped her relax.

Kevin helped dry her with the fluffy towel he handed her, and had laid out a selection of clothes for her on the bed. His judgement over what looked good on her nearly always coincided with her tastes, partly from the years of observation, and partly because he knew exactly how they felt and looked like on her body. Anita was never far away and often accompanied Sara on her shopping sprees.

Kevin took full advantage of being able to shop for the exact fit, whenever he bought Sara clothes as gifts. He watched Sara now, hovering nearby, in case she needed his help. Nearly losing her, had reminded him of how much he loved her and the special bond they shared both as Kevin and Anita.

They heard voices below, as their guests arrived and were welcomed inside by their daughters. Sara went and checked herself once more in the mirror, before giving Kevin a look as he took her arm. Opening the bedroom door, they heard mainly silence interspersed with a few gasps, and knew that the visitors were being told about Sara's ordeal.

They came down the stairs together, hand in hand and turned to enter the lounge. Their arrival was the trigger for an instant stampede, as Amelia, and Julie raced to be the first to hug Sara. Cindy followed at a more sedate pace, seeing she had a distinct disadvantage in the speed department.

She joined in the joint hug, her pregnancy helping push a slight gap between the tearful reunion. The men had followed, waiting patiently for their wives to release their hero of the hour, before getting in a kiss of their own to Sara's cheek.

Kim and the girls continued the story of her recovery, with Kevin adding his input to the narrative. Becky was the recipient of many thankful hugs and kisses once her part in it was known.

Amelia soon made herself busy in the kitchen, as the others speculated on what would happen next with the governments of Earth.

Just then Jenna, Richard and Cathleen entered, having knocked on the door. Alan, their son, followed with Cathy's son Scott, with Cathy and her husband John coming in last.

"We just went to pick up Alan and spent some time celebrating before we came here," explained Jenna, expressing surprise at the others presence in the house.

"I thought you were in LA?"

"We were, but caught the first flight up," Julie informed her.

Both Cathy and Jenna were shocked to hear the news about Sara, and asked her if she was okay now.

"I'm fine," Sara reassured them, enduring more heartfelt hugs in turn.

When Amelia announced that dinner was ready a little bit later, Sara noticed that she was favouring her back.

"You haven't hurt yourself, have you?" She asked with concern.

"Just a little, if you weren't such big eaters, I wouldn't have to handle such a large pan of rice," she answered, trying to make light of her pain.

"I've tried telling her to take it easy," complained Julie. "But she doesn't listen," she gently admonished.

"Well I have to keep up to you lot and I forget I'm getting older, while you remain much the same as you did- before all this," Amelia answered, waving her hands to indicate the condo and everyone in it.

"I've tried talking her into getting a Shelke body, but she won't have it," said an exasperated Julie.

"She needs a man in her life," Sara let slip out, before she realised she'd voiced her thought and everyone had heard. She blushed as silence descended, then just as Sara was about to apologise, Amelia burst out laughing.

"Maybe I do," she giggled, recovering a little. "Maybe I do", she added more wistfully.

"You do know that we have a template of your body, taken when you first met your new daughter?" Asked Kim, looking at Amelia's aging body. "We could duplicate it so it would age just as slowly as the others."

"Sounds great to us auntie," the girls piped up. "We love having you around, don't we Becky?"

"Sure do, I still need help with those recipes you try to teach us," agreed Becky, her imploring eyes meeting those of Amelia's.

The persistent ache in her back, finally decided for her. Amelia agreed, which was met with hoop and hollers from all around. Heads were put together, as all the women, bar Amelia, started talking in muted tones.

"What are you lot cooking up now?" asked a resigned Amelia, knowing they were planning something, due to her decision.

"Husband stew," quipped Julie with a grin.

"Husban-?" Amelia automatically asked, before she realised what they were on about. "Oh boy, here we go," she blushed. "Can't I find my own man?" she complained loudly, looking at Kim, who had stayed clear of the matchmakers.

Kim grinned and shrugged her shoulders, her meaning clear. She was staying well clear of it all.

"For a member of a superior race, you're not much help," grumbled Amelia.

"Not superior, merely more advanced," corrected Kim. "I just know when to stay out of sticky situations," she added, without changing her expression, hoping Amelia didn't catch on to the possible double meaning, inadvertent as it had been.

"Once she gets a man between her legs again, she won't be worried about the situation, sticky or otherwise," Julie boldly burst out with.

Most winced, waiting for Amelia to explode at her daughter for her crude statement, while Kim sighed, knowing she had somehow triggered the outburst to come.

Amelia felt shocked at first, hearing her daughter come out with such language in front of the others. She was about to reply with an old saying that had to do with the close interaction of soap, water, and mouths, when she realised Julie was right. She had resigned herself to the fact that the time for her own sexual pleasure was long gone. She had buried her needs in housework, looking after everyone. Caring for the children and teaching them had filled her days, but now they didn't need her so much, so her time had been spent going back and forth from Frisco to LA.

"You could be right, Julie, so who have you lined up?" she spoke calmly, surprising everyone.

Amelia laughed, as she heard the sudden release of air from those holding their breath. Julie giggled and hugged her mother, knowing her gamble had paid off.

"Well, there's a Bill Pickle-"

"Is he still single-?"

"Isn't he the hairy-?"

With one thought, the men moved out of the room, leaving their wives talking about prospective husbands for Amelia. Alan and Scott raced past, heading outside. They yelled that they were going to the beach, almost missing the warning to be careful as they ran by.

Kim followed the men outside to the patio, where she started talking.

"You do realise that the whole world was affected by Sara's gift?" she opened. "When she drew the energy from everyone, she connected everyone together. Those with the Krin know who she is and what she did. Those without, will unconsciously recognise her at some level knowing she had saved the planet from a threat."

"Will that cause us problems?" Asked Kevin, thinking the worst.

"I hope not, the government and the military might pursue the matter, they already know much about those with the gifts. Some even have Krin of their own. Only those at the highest levels know about the Shelke." Kim held up her hands at the sudden intake of breath from the men at that realisation.

"Don't worry, we know all about it. The Krin is in no danger of being duplicated. The people in the government that have their own Krin, would hardly give it up to scientists, knowing it would be lost forever. They have however, let leak that the children have been enhanced through alien tech, and that they possess powers that will change the world for the better."

"I wondered why there was no outcry, when we had the asteroid belt moved to the inner orbit," muttered Kevin.

"Yeah, there were only one or two reports from amateur astronomers, where they reported odd movements in the system," Bob agreed.

"Our sources told us that the governments clamped a lid on further observations of any change," Kim revealed. "I think as soon as they saw that none were heading towards Earth, they felt relieved. Now, there’s no chance of them being a danger to Earth, as there’s less chance of them straying and crossing Earth’s orbit."

Just then, the boys returned out of breath.

"There’s…police…and…army guys…surrounding the street." Scott gasped, holding his sides, as her tried to get his breath back.

"Yeah… we saw them… coming up the beach as well," confirmed an equally out of breath Alan.

"Inside, now," commanded Kim, instantly taking the initiative.

Quickly informing the women, they raced upstairs to look out the windows to get a better view of those surrounding the place. Flashing lights of police cars could be seen about a hundred feet away, and a line of men garbed in swat uniforms were advancing in a line. Army personnel were also mixed in with them, carrying rifles and other menacing equipment. Obviously the spaceship hovering over the condo had been reported and the local government had put two and two together, and astutely, hadn’t come up with three.

Everyone was nervous, fearing a full frontal assault on the place. Jenna wanted to freeze them in a time pocket, but Kim vetoed that idea.

"They will only send something heavy, if this lot stop reporting, we don’t want to show any aggression or make any hostile moves that would aggravate the situation."

The group gathered close, watching anxiously as the line reached the edge of the property and stopped. The army personnel, set up machine guns and hunkered down behind the hedges with their rocket propelled grenade launchers pointing right at them.

To be continued.

Carversion -68-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Eight

They waited, as more and more people gathered. Some of them were clearly identified as being in the National Guard. Kim warned them not to linger at the window in case someone got trigger happy and decided to let loose.

"What if they storm the place?" Sara asked worriedly. She didn't want her daughter's safety endangered by someone trying to be a hero.

"We sit tight, when I brought the ship here, I took some precautions, in case this situation eventuated," Kim reassured her.

Kim led them downstairs and showed them a grey metallic cube about three feet square. A cable lead into a wall socket, Kim went and pushed a button on top and a series of indicators started flashing softly on the top of the cube.

"There, the house is protected now," Kim stated with satisfaction.

"Um what happens if they cut the power out?" Sara asked, knowing from several movies that this was a common tactic in similar situations.

Kim laughed.

"No, this isn't being powered from outside sources; it's actually a special field generator that does two things. It uses the network of the power cables that run through the house to spread a protective force field throughout the walls and ceilings. It's a smaller version of our meteorite screen we employ on our ships. It usually flows through the metallic hull of the ship and generates a shield that forms about four feet from its surface. As the condo hasn't metallic cladding except for the roof, it's using the metal in the wiring as its conduit, if you want."

"So we are in a big protective bubble," asked Jenna, holding onto Cathleen and Alan protectively.

"Yes, the field fills in the gaps and protrudes out through the walls of the house to protect the walls themselves."

"Oh crap!" exclaimed Sara suddenly. "What about our cars? They will be outside the field."

"Check out the window," Kim grinned.

When Sara looked out the window that looked out over the driveway, she saw the three cars parked there with what looked like a cable running between them and one connecting them to the house.

"You wired them to the house?" she asked, surprised at Kim's foresight.

Not me personally, but yes I had them protected just in case," Kim confirmed.

"Lucky, we walked to Cathy's and back, so our van should be safe in our garage," Jenna mentioned, hopefully.

The sudden ringing of the phone seemed to shock them into silence.

"Don't answer it," called Kim, as Sara instinctively moved to answer it.

Kim went and lifted the receiver and then promptly hung up. She then took the phone off the hook and laid it down while she fetched a device that she then substituted for the phone cord at the socket.

"That will stop them bothering us and prevent them listening on the line with an infinity bug." Kim explained.

"If they want to bug us, won't they just use those directional microphones that they point at the windows?" Countered Kevin, resignedly.

"They could-" Kim started, as a bullhorn drowned out her words.

"THIS IS THE POLICE; EVEYONE IN THE HOUSE IS TO COME OUT ONE AT A TIME WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS..." The rest of the message was muted and finally went silent, as Kim fiddled with a setting on the grey cube.

"As I was saying, they could, until I adjusted the field so that now, even sound waves cannot penetrate in either direction," Kim continued calmly.

"I take it, that you have a plan other than our abject surrender?" William asked, to which Kim answered with a smile and a nod.

"Yes, but we have to wait till they make their next move."

Amelia, seeing the children fidgeting, announced that it was nearing dinnertime and asked the girls to help her in the kitchen. The boys went upstairs to check out the area in the gathering dusk.

You said the cube had another use?" Sara questioned, suddenly remembering.

"That's true, so what do you film buffs think they will try next, seeing it's getting dark?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Turn the power off?" Cindy prompted. She recalled a film where the FBI did that in some old action film that was in one of its numerous reruns. Meant to scare, it had enabled the bad guys to enter a vault, from what she remembered.

"And the prize goes to-" Kim beamed, giving a flourish towards Cindy.

As if on cue, the lights that had just been turned on, flickered, and then went out. A disgusted voice in the kitchen, announced that it wasn't just a light fuse blown either. Kim went to the cube and pressed a button, whereupon a slightly louder hum heralded the return of the lights.

"How long can that keep going?" Bob asked interestedly, looking closer at the cube.

"Longer than required," Kim answered enigmatically, giving little away.

"Won't we need to open the main fuse? What if they short out the cables?" an alarmed William warned.

"Then they better be wearing protective clothing, the flashover will be quite severe," was Kim's reply.

"That sounds like there will be thousands of amps available," Kevin mused. "Won't that fry all our house wiring, seeing its not designed for that kind of load?"

"You are right on both counts, but the field the cube is producing has a very curious effect. Any metal it travels through becomes a super conductor, so even small diameter wire can carry extremely high currents without over heating," explained Kim.

"Wow!" came from several male voices.

"So how long will we be stuck here?" Asked Sara. "We only have food for several days, with all the extra mouths to feed."

"I have trust in your government, things will come to a head before we need to diet," grinned Kim, seeming unperturbed by her own prediction.

Suddenly, the illumination from the interior lights was being augmented by bright flashes of light coming through the windows from outside. The boys called out from upstairs, that searchlights were sweeping the house.

The lights flickered once and returned to normal, just as the boys reported seeing a bright flash further down the street.

"Looks like they tried shorting out the cable," Kevin announced, having gone upstairs to check.

Eating the meal that Amelia and the girl's had prepared, was done in silence, as everyone's thoughts were on what was happening outside this seemingly normal everyday occurrence. Even so, everyone remembered to thank Amelia and her helpers for the nice meal.

Maggie turned on the TV to see if there was any news being shown of the siege. There was one channel reporting live, but they were obviously being denied the relevant information, apart from the fact that a flying saucer had been seen over a particular house. The reporter was getting little or no information, as to why the house was being surrounded, by the tight-lipped police that were keeping the public at bay. A view of the house from a news chopper some distance away, showed a window where two figures were shown, glued to the windows. The slight vibration in the picture showed that they were using extreme magnification to get the shot.

Sara's call to the boys to move away from the window, proved to be too late, as the reporter excitedly reported shots fired. Someone had decided to take matters into his own hand and fired at the figures outlined by the light inside.

The two boys didn't see or hear the impacts, which the sniper fired, as the bullets ricocheted away into the darkness, but they certainly saw the effects following that brief fusillade.

Every man surrounding the condo was feeling on edge. Hours earlier, they had been part of something strange, involving the safety of Earth, some just had vague flashes of memory of being part of something bigger than themselves, being connected to all who were in a life or death struggle against an implacable enemy. Others experienced more, depending on certain factors, to the point of knowing who the enemy was and who had been doing the fighting.

When the sudden orders to surround a house that had reportedly had a huge spacecraft hover over it, came, it was understandable that fear was high in their minds. The sound of a ricochet, at night is never pleasant and it always sounds like it's closer than it is. The men reacted instinctively, and fired their own weapons. The initial bullets had been angled up at the second story windows and their ultimate path had them pass harmlessly over the house to land, spent, into the ocean behind.

Not knowing about the protective shield, those that fired heavy weapons at the house at eye level, found themselves facing a hail off death, as the bullets and shells bounced off and came back at men positioned further around the perimeter of the house. Luckily, a rocket-propelled grenade that had been fired, showed what was happening, as its flame showed it bouncing off, narrowly missing some officers before it exploded harmlessly on the beach. Fire withered away as shouted commands to cease-fire were passed around. Medics rushed in to see to the wounded, fortunately, most were wearing body armour and only six had minor flesh wounds.

The house with its lighted windows, seemed to mock them with its seemingly undamaged appearance. Silence reigned as the police and the military men conferred on phones to others higher than themselves.

Inside, Sara gave the boys a talking to, despite her relief that they were okay. They gathered around the TV, watching for the next turn of events. Kim seemed to think that there would be at least one more attempt, before they gave up.

It wasn't long in coming. The reporter showed a tank coming along the road, as was gabbing on about futile fire fight, he'd just witnessed. The police were not happy about everything being filmed, and had tried to move him further away, but once the tank arrived, their attention was diverted to more important things.

The tank rumbled up towards the condo, deciding to use the driveway as a good means of approach, despite there being several cars in its way. Sara winced as the tank started to mount her car; even knowing it was supposedly protected the same as the house. Nearly everyone has seen a car being crushed by a tank. Everyone in the house, bar Kim, held their breath, as the tank climbed even higher. As soon as the tracks lost their purchase on the driveway behind it, the cushioning field protecting the still unflattened car, gave the tank no grip at all. The tank hung in the air for what seemed like forever, before it slipped over onto its side, leaving it at an angle of 45 degrees.

Undeterred, it used the track that was now in contact with the ground to move it forward past its obstruction. As it righted itself, and moved forward, its barrel hit the field surrounding the house. The tank stopped dead, with its tracks tearing at the ground uselessly. After digging two nice trenches for five minutes, it backed off, obviously having been given orders to withdraw. This time, it avoided the cars and made its own exit, by smashing a hole through the fence.

Silence reigned again. Kim suggested that everyone get some sleep, as tomorrow would be a busy day. Reluctantly, everyone agreed and people found places to sleep either in the bedrooms or on the couch, some having to resort to inflatable mattresses in the lounge. Sleep came slowly, but it eventually took all into its soft embrace, as those outside kept vigil.

To be concluded.

Carversion -69-

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixty-Nine

In the morning, it was breakfast as normal, as Amelia took over the kitchen, insisting that despite the circus outside, they all needed a hearty breakfast.

The children seemed to race through their food, like there was no tomorrow and as soon as they could be excused, they raced upstairs to get a good look at the latest situation. They watched the helicopters circling overhead, while the others sat around the TV to see what was being shown.

It was now being seen on most channels and the stories being told were as varied as those that were willing to offer an opinion. Some were saying they were the first of an alien invasion, others thought it was an elaborate hoax, while a few were heralding it as the dawn of a new age with having been contacted by Vulcans, which gave everyone in the house a chuckle. Obviously, with little factual information, some were a little eager to make up whatever stories suited them.

Kim had received information from her people in Washington, that the President was demanding answers. Shutting off her communicator, she went over and reconnected the normal phone and removed the anti bugging device. She got a few curious looks as she did so.

"We need to get in touch with the President," was all she told them, seeming pleased with the way things were occurring.

The phone started ringing, the instant it was plugged in. Kim answered it, listened for a second and then started speaking, although it was obvious that the person on the other end hadn’t finished. She demanded to speak to the President, and wasn’t going to be fobbed off to an officer, even if he was a general.

"Look, if you won’t allow him to speak to me, then at least get him to watch the news broadcasts. Tell him we need to talk." Kim shouted slamming the phone down.

"Idiots!"

"Well what did you expect?" laughed Sara. "We are still just primitive humans."

"Not all are," Kim replied, giving her a hug. "Come on, we have a show to put on for our military friends."

With that, Kim told Sara to got get spruced up in something sexy and yet tasteful, while she made a few preparations.

Sara went and changed out of her blouse and jeans and picked out a white outfit that made her look sort of cross between angelic and virginal. She looked like she was going to a party, rather than going to face the cameras and the military might surrounding the house.

Kim tied a fine length of wire that ran from her platinum necklace to one ankle, were it was tied off. It was near invisible as it passed under her dress and down her leg. Kim was similarly wired. Sara asked no questions, when a slightly thicker wire was connected to the one on her ankle and connected to the cube, as she realised she was going to walk outside surrounded in her very own protective force field.

Once connected, Kim told Kevin which button to press, once they were just outside the front door. Sara didn’t feel any different once the field enveloped them both. Kim had changed the field’s property to allow sound to travel through it, so she was able to hear the clicks as the weapons pointing at them were readied.

She felt a little nervous, knowing the world’s attention was focused on her. Kevin, watching the TV inside, was giving her via their mind link, a second by second account of the view from the cameras. Now she knew why Kim was dressed casually, while she was all dolled up. Kim was diverting most of the attention away from herself and more towards Sara.

Kevin said the camera view was only on Kim for a second, before turning to Sara. Her face was filling the screen as they zoomed in closer. Kevin told her that the reporters thought she looked familiar and that there was something about her that belied belief.

Kim and Sara had walked out about ten feet from the house before they stopped. A shouted command, from behind the fence, saw four men in body armour, two with weapons pointed at the house run out at them. Kim put a hand out on Sara’s arm to stop her flinching back, as the four collided with the field surrounding them.

The two with weapons recovered from their tumble as they bounced off the field. They squatted and aimed their weapons uncertainly between the house and the two women. The other two men conferred on their radios, as Sara realised they had been on a recovery sorti, thinking they were hostages that had been released.

"Shoot them," they heard as a panicked order came over the radio, which Sara could hear clearly.

Obviously their status had changed, seeing they were part of those in the house. The two rescuers drew hand weapons and pointed them at the women. The other two did the same. For some reason, Sara was unafraid, knowing that had the shield been down, they wouldn’t shoot at them. She looked at each one in turn, making sure she had eye contact with the men despite the face shields they wore.

The men paused; they knew in their hearts that this was wrong. They weren’t afraid of the women, but the blonde struck a cord within each of them. They knew instinctively that she was the one, the one that had saved them all. The link that Sara’s gift had forged with everyone on Earth was still there. As one, they lowered their weapons, and then dropped them on the ground. They stood at attention before her and saluted. Sara nodded slightly and they marched away to growing angry shouts.

"Raise your arms up, palms facing the sky, and keep looking up," Kim whispered to Sara.

Sara did as directed, trusting in Kim, but wondering why she was standing there, looking like she was calling something down from above.

As if from nowhere, the sky above was filled with the spectacular view of the Shelke’s main ship. It was stationary, about 100 feet up, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"Remember my chopper pilot with the movie addiction that saved Cathy’s bacon, way back when?" Kim whispered to her. At her nod, Kim whispered again. "Besides being a Terminator fan, he likes Star Trek. He was particularly taken by the decloaking effect that the Klingon’s used."

Kevin informed Sara that on TV everyone was going nuts. ‘They are shitting themselves,’ he linked to her with a chuckle tingeing his thoughts.

"Lower your arms," Kim directed.

As she lowered her hands, the ship silently descended, its lack of noise, being impressive for something that huge. It stopped 30 feet up, just clearing the trees beneath it.

"Why am I the one that looks like I’m in control of your ship?" Sara whispered to Kim.

"Because you are who you are," Kim answered enigmatically.

"Seeing the President, won’t come to speak with us, we will go speak with him," Kim suddenly shouted, her voice taking on a strange effect that allowed it to be heard to all those assembled nearby.

A bright yellow column of light from the ship beamed down on them, surrounding them and obscuring them from those watching. Then the end of the beam rose back up to the ship, leaving the spot where the two women were standing, empty.

"Wow! What a ride," exclaimed Sara, having felt herself rise up into the ship as if on a high speed elevator.

"He’s showing off again, he probably used monatomic sodium to give that effect," Kim half grumbled.

"Well you said I should conceal the method of transport," the man in question replied, having walked into the bay that the women had been deposited in.

"I’m Simon," he added, introducing himself to Sara with bow and an imaginary doff of his invisible hat.

"I’m Sara, so you used monosodium gloominate to spice up the show?" Sara asked him with a grin, deliberately mispronouncing the food additive, while introducing herself at the same time.

"Ah Sara, there’s pun fairer," he laughed, getting his own back. "Yes, we have to keep some secrets to ourselves, so I thought I’d blind them with theatrics, instead of science."

"Ahem!" Coughed Kim, wanting to interrupt the banter and leave the explanations till later. "Situation?" she asked, while bringing Sara into a different part of the craft.

While Simon filled Kim in with the current activities, Sara watched a large screen that showed the view below. She could see the four men that had dropped their weapons being escorted away, with an irate looking officer berating them as they vanished into a tent set up nearby. She hoped they weren’t in too much trouble, and hoped she could fix things for them, later.

"The President is being moved to the mountain retreat," she heard Simon tell Kim.

"Darn I thought he’d want to meet with us," grumbled Kim, seeing a complication she wasn’t expecting.

"Um, well he didn’t go willingly, apparently, he was going to meet with you, but our guy heard his staff mention something about Independence Day, and then he was bustled off to the chopper. We did manage to attach a transponder to his jacket, so we do know were he is going," Simon mentioned.

"Let’s go…oh, may as well give those below a show as we leave," Kim ordered.

Simon left rubbing his hands together happily. He walked to where some others were gathered and put things into action. Moments later, Sara could see the view below shift, and then blur as they moved rapidly away. It felt odd seeing the movement, but not feeling anything on board. It gave her a moment’s vertigo where she felt like she might stumble. Kim caught her and made her sit down, as Kevin told her of the view of the ship leaving, via their mind link. The pearlescent swirling effect on the ships surface had turned into an actinic blue that made everyone blink with its intense colour. Then the ship just vanished without so much as a whooosh.

Onboard, Sara explained the Independence Day reference to Kim, where in an old movie; an alien spacecraft had blown up the White House.

"Why would they harm a perfect harmless building?" was Kim’s only comment.

"We are there," Simon informed Kim, cutting off Sara’s answer. "The President is 1752 feet below our present position, which puts him 800 feet below ground."

"Good, hold position and keep the stealth mode running. We don’t want to scare him off again. Let me go change and we’ll drop in on the President shortly, Kim ordered.

While Kim changed, Simon explained about the transport tube. Apparently it was able to pass though solid objects, even the shields of the Shelke ships, partly because it was part field and used wormhole technology.

"We transfer people and objects from ship to ship with it, and without the need for spacesuits or airlocks," He explained.

Kim returned in a skin-tight silver, metallic looking outfit that would have showed a freckle, had she had any. It covered her hands and feet and left only her neck and head free. She climbed into silver boots that sported a 4-inch heel and came up just below he knees.

Needless to say, Sara was jealous in a second.

"Where’s my outfit?" she demanded, pouting a little. To which Kim roared with laughter.

"You are the epitome of earthly womanhood, while I get to be the exhibitionist space commander," she giggled. "Hey you can wear this later at home and make Kevin jealous," she winked, seeing Sara take that on board.

"Deal."

Kim had Sara stand next to her, as they prepared to "beam down."

"Close your mouth, or you’ll have your stomach come out of it," warned Kim with a grin, just before they felt the suddenly dropping feeling start.

In a long blink of an eye, they were transported from the ship to deep underground. They found themselves facing the back of President of the United States as he stood facing the urinal, relieving himself.

"Oh boy," muttered Sara, her face turning the colour of beetroot, as the President started to turn towards them.

"Sorry to catch you with your pants down, as it were, Mr President," Kim began, "but we need to talk."

The President gave them a quick startled glance, before resuming the task of making himself decent.

"You’re the two ladies, with the extraterrestrial spacecraft, are you not?" He stated calmly, as he walked over and dutifully washed his hands.

"Yes I am," Kim confirmed, pleased that he at least, had been watching events.

"I’m Sara Conner…no relation," Sara introduced herself, adding the last in a muttered tone.

"I’m aware of who you are, Mrs Conner, what I don’t know, is your involvement in all this," the President replied, having finished drying his hands.

"I’m just a pawn…" Sara started to say, as a man with an overabundance of gold braid on his shoulders, burst in. Seeing the two intruders, he fumbled for his sidearm, while yelling for assistance. Catlike in appearance, Kim swept Sara behind her with an equally feline manner, protecting her from possible harm.

"STOP!" Yelled the President, putting himself in front of the two women.

"But Mr President, these…"

"Can it, general, I knew coming here was a mistake, ladies, come into my office," he said firmly, daring the general, and the other men that now crowded around the doorway to do anything against his direct order.

"Even I can see that this lady is not carrying any concealed weapons," he indicated Kim. "At least none that God didn’t endow her with already," he added with an appreciative chuckle. "I suggest you take a good long look at our other guest," he ordered.

The general first looked at Sara’s body, looking for any threats while admiring it for its appeal. He froze when at last he glanced at her face, and then looked into her eyes. He flushed, and stammered, seeing what the President had already.

"It’s you…I thought it was a dream," he gasped.

"General, it was no dream, I saw her myself, and I believe she single handedly did more to save mankind than all the armies and weaponry on Earth."

"She nearly killed herself doing it," Kim broke in, making them realise the debt they owed Sara. "Even we couldn’t help save her, only her daughter could." Kim finished with a proud look on her face.

"General? I want your men pulled away, and immediate reparations for any damage to the property started immediately. Tell the press, that I’ll address the nation, after I get the story from these ladies." The President ordered, as he showed Sara and Kim into an office and closed the door after they entered.

Kim and Sara gave the President an edited version of events, leaving out the original identities of Sara and Julie, and avoiding mentioning the special properties that the cars had. The President listened, making small notes in a pad. When the girls had finished, the President sighed.

"I think that you are leaving a lot out, but I’m willing to avoid pressing you for now, if you’ll answer a few questions of mine." At their nods, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a bracelet. It was a Krin.

"This was recovered from a subject, who fell prey to paranoia and fear, after the woman was seen changing forms. Apparently, this trinket has the power to transform a man into a female. It came into our hands when the woman caught the notice of the FBI. I take it, that this is yours?" He said, handing the bracelet to a startled Kim. "It doesn’t work and couldn’t be opened," he added.

"Is the woman okay," Kim asked, looking at the President.

"Unfortunately not, she was beaten, and is still in a coma at Saint Margaret’s hospital in DC."

Kim reached into her cleavage, to the startlement of the President. Kim pulled out a small communicator that couldn’t have been concealed, despite its small size.

"Null pocket," Kim quickly whispered to Sara’s raised eyebrow. Kim flipped open the lid of her communicator, while the president finished blushing.

"You can’t call out, we are deep underground…" the President started, stopping when it was obvious that hundreds of feet of granite wasn’t going to stop Kim, from getting a response.

Kim placed the Krin back inside her cleavage, leaving no sign of its existence.

"My people have it and will help Diane recover forthwith," Kim informed the President.

"I won’t ask how you did that?" the President sighed, obviously wanting to delve further into that self same cleavage. "I ask a favour, my son… has a problem. I’ve been watching the news and seen an increase of spontaneous sex changes in the children reaching sexual maturity, as well as extra gifts. I take it, that this is due to this Krin that you had our children injected with?" he asked, getting a nod.

"Once children reach the stage where they are sure of their sexuality irrespective of their actual physical sex, the Krin allows them to correct it, should there be a conflict between the two. The extra gifts, should they manifest, appear then too." Kim explained. "Of course, all children we treated, are now telepathic in some degree," she added.

The President stood and paced the room nervously. "My child is transgendered," he got out with difficultly. "Can you help him? At his birth, he had a presidential doctor deliver him. He never had the Krin injected by the Shelke." He finished sadly.

"Are the rest of your family here with you now?" Kim asked, opening her communicator again.

‘Yes, next door in fact, let me call them in," the President answered, using a more mundane form of communication, as he keyed an intercom.

Once Gloria, the first lady and Gary her son, were introduced, things got more cordial. The President asked to be called Gordon instead of his title. Kim resumed her conversation on her communicator, then apologised in advance for what she was about to do.

"This is the only place I could fit a null pocket on this outfit, she lamented, as she reached into her cleavage and withdrew, not one, but three Krin.

"It looks like you had trouble fitting yourself into that outfit, let alone a pocket," Gloria teased, with a little friendly jealousy.

"A wormhole in a pocket?" asked Gary incredulously, having figured it out.

"Your daughter is correct," Kim remarked, making Gary glow, being addressed in the feminine.

"Gary isn’t our daughter yet," corrected Gloria, wondering if the alien female had bad eyesight.

Kim handed out a Krin to each of them. "These have just been specially made for you. With this, Gary can become the female she should have been from the start. The Krin will be keyed to your bodies only, once you wear them. Gordon? If you want to understand your daughter better, you can experience being female yourself."

Kim then went on about the Krin and its abilities, giving them instructions on its uses. Gary was soon no longer a male, as she was very anxious to try it out. And so Heather was born, having already chosen a name for her new self.

"Will I become telepathic?" asked the newly minted Heather.

"Unlike those that had the Krin introduced as babies, becoming telepathic at this stage, is in the lap of the Gods," Kim told her. "You will develop a primary and most likely a secondary gift, either of which could be telepathic in nature."

"Way cool," enthused Heather happily.

"Looks like we’ll have to mind our p’s and q’s, if she does," muttered Gordon, with a grin to his wife.

"That’ll keep you on the straight an narrow," Gloria agreed, giving him a wink.

"An honest politician, oh my," blurted Sara, before blushing at her rash utterance in the present company

"I’d like to think I’m one," chuckled the President, while his wife clapped her hands and laughed.

"I like her," Gloria, grinned. "At least she’s honest," she added, giving Sara a hug.

"Okay, let’s get down to business," Gordon interrupted, looking at his watch. "I’ll have to address the nation and probably, most of the world, as well. What are the Shelke’s intentions?" He asked Kim.

Kim outlined a plan, saying that America wasn’t going to get exclusive rights to anything that the Shelke were willing to offer. Some of her ideas would allow better health care and see pollution of the Earth’s resources stop. Clean cold fusion power for all, would help in that area. What surprised the President was her lack of interest in disarming all atomic weapons. When he asked her about it, she smiled.

"We can monitor it far better than you can, and prevent any from being deployed. Besides, humanity is feeling just a little vulnerable, having just come though a major crisis. If we removed them all, fear could cause more damage, once they learn they are not alone in the universe. I think that when your children grow up, they’ll see no need to keep weapons of that nature."

"I can’t wait," sighed Gordon. "What else will you do here?"

"Our role will be to work alongside you, to help mankind grow, without stifling your creativeness. The child needs to finish crawling, before learning to take the next step. In the near future, I see Earth being visited by other races, to share knowledge." Kim explained, "Won’t they be surprised, when they come to congratulate you on defeating the nemesis, once they see you all live on just one planet," she added with a laugh.

"Thank you," Gordon said earnestly, standing and offering Kim his hand. Kim ignored it and with a quick glance at Gloria, hugged the President.

"Of all Earth’s customs, I like this one best," Kim grinned.

"I concur." Agreed the President, as he opened his arms allowing his wife and child to join in on the hug. Sara wasn’t left out for long, as Heather broke the circle to gather her in.

"I have to go," Gordon said reluctantly. "I need to prepare for my address. Do you need an escort out? Or do you just beam up to your spaceship?" he asked Kim with a grin.

"We’ll make our own way out, Mr President, our ship is waiting," Kim answered with a wink.

"You have a ship? Oh I wish I could see it," heather begged.

"Um, may I make a suggestion," Sara asked, getting an idea. "Why not let your daughter come with us, and stay for a few days. I’m sure my daughters would love to show her the ropes, and you’ll probably be tied up with many meetings in the days to come."

Heather jumped excited at this, begging with her parents to allow it. The President shook his head in defeat.

"If my daughter is going, may I come as well?" asked Gloria, getting a look from her husband.

"Sure, no problem," replied Sara, after getting the nod from Kim.

"Look after my family, and promise me that I’ll get to take a jaunt in the spacecraft." Gordon said, giving his wife a kiss.

"You’ll get them back safe and sound," promised Kim, as she spoke into her communicator.

"Four to beam up, Scotty," she said with a laugh, as they were engulfed in the golden glow of the transporter tube.

The President turned and went out to deal with his subordinates, while high up above him; his family was getting a tour in an alien craft.

"And she talks about me being all theatrical, calling me Scotty indeed," complained Simon, trying to look pained.

"Sorry, I couldn’t resist," giggled Kim, as they all walked towards the display monitors.

"Does Heather have any girl’s clothes at home," asked Sara, looking at the tee and shorts of Gary’s that Heather was looking slightly uncomfortable in. Heather’s Krin hadn’t the same powers as Sara’s and had only changed her body. Being larger the tee was more dress like and the shorts had been cinched tighter to her narrower waist.

"She has a few, but I don’t think they’ll fit now, seeing she has shrunk in size," answered her mother.

"I didn’t shrink here," laughed Heather cheekily, as she cupped her breasts.

"Heather!" Gloria remonstrated, looking skyward in supplication.

"Don’t worry, after a few days with the girls, she’ll be acting just like them, I guarantee," laughed Sara.

After being suitable impressed by the ride to the condo, the four of them rejoined the others, after transporting directly into the lounge. Introductions soon lead to celebrations. Heather was taken in tow to the bedroom, where Becky, Maggie and Cathleen took charge of her first makeover.

Sara checked outside and Kevin filled her in on the details, as she saw people working on the damaged fence line. There were still a few police in evidence, mainly keeping the curious from being a nuisance.

"When you left, it was like someone had poured petrol on an ant’s nest," Kevin laughed. "You must have worked fast; because it wasn’t long after that the army at least started pulling out."

"Well when you catch the President in the toilet with his pants down, the hard parts over," giggled Sara.

"Oh! Tell me more," Kevin demanded, trying to act outraged and failing.

Sara did more than just tell him; she let him access her memories so he could ‘see’ what had happened, as if he’d been there in person.

"This Diane that was in a coma, is she okay?" He asked, after reviewing the events.

"Yes, Kim followed that up on the way back. Diane is fine, but they moved her away from her old neighbourhood and relocated her here on the west coast."

"Knowing Kim, she’ll probably end up with a mansion with oodles of money, a job and a boyfriend," Kevin guessed

Sara just smiled, knowing it was probable true, with Kim’s casual regard for wealth.

"But there’s more," they both quipped in unison, giggling at the next unspoken line.

They went back inside as Julie called to say that the President was on TV.

"The long awaited answer to, ‘are we alone in the universe?’ Has finally been answered," he was saying, as Sara and Kevin came into the lounge.

They watched as the President gave a brief rundown of the information Kim had given him. She showed a close-up view of Sara’s face, obviously taken by a covert camera in his underground office. The shot was a particularly good one, and filled the screen, while the President’s voice explained Sara’s part in the Nemesis’s destruction.

The President finished his speech with the news that Shelke ships would visit every country around the globe, bringing hope for a peaceful and prosperous future.

Later that evening, after Cathy, Cindy and Jenna had walked or started the drive home, Sara and Kevin were sitting on the balcony, waving the last rays of twilight bathe the sky in red and purple hues. They cuddled together as the temperature dipped, happy to be alone together without the girls around. They were upstairs picking out sleepwear for Heather, while Gloria chatted with Amelia. They waved to William and Julie, as the pair walked down to the beach for a late swim.

Sara and Kevin were having a mental conversation, not wanting to spoil the serenity of the moment with voices.

‘It seems odd the way things worked out in the end,’ Kevin mused.

‘Like it was preordained?’ Sara thought back.

‘Yeah, like there was a guiding influence, looking over our shoulder,’ answered Kevin, giving her a hug.

'God works in mysterious ways,’ was Sara’s answer.

‘She sure does,’ Kevin replied, earning him a grin from his love.

‘Do you think it’s all over?’ Sara thought to her husband, while wondering to herself if she could give up the excitement and just become a normal ordinary housewife.

‘You may be a housewife, but you’d never be ordinary to me,’ Kevin thought back, having caught her musings. He hugged her and looked up at the stars that were beginning to twinkle. ‘All over…? No, it’s just the beginning,’ he added, giving her a kiss.

The end.

Once again, I’d like to thank those that have supported me, during the time that I’ve been writing this story. I left the end open, so you the reader can dream the rest of it. If anyone wants to take up from where I’ve left off, or wants to write a story using this as a basis, to launch a new thread, of someone who got her/his Krin from the Shelke and her new adventures, feel free, as long as it doesn’t conflict with this story. If someone wants to take this story further using my characters, please contact me at [email protected].

Have a happy life everyone.

Clothes Horse

Author:

Prudence Walker

Organizational:

Title Page

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

TG Universes & Series:

Hugglebugs by The Hugglebugs

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

CLOTHES HORSE

A Hugglebugs story

by Prudence Walker

Clothes Horse A Hugglebugs story (Re edited)

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Transformations

Character Age:

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Bill’s wife has had enough of him bugging her to wear sexy clothes, so using Hugglebugs technology, she gives him a chance to see how it feels to dress that way. In the the process, they gain a deeper understanding of each other.

CLOTHES HORSE

A Hugglebugs story

by Prudence Walker ©

“Awww, Please you know I like seeing you in that tight little number,” Bill said pleadingly.

“Look Bill, if you knew what I go though just to satisfy your lusts, sometimes I wish you could feel what its like to dress this way,” replied Michelle, checking herself in the vanity mirror.

Then moving into the lounge to turn the TV off before they went out, she saw an advertisement for Hugglebugs. A word caught her attention and she stopped to listen. ‘Hmm,’ she thought, ‘I must see if their claims are true, that they can make a Nanite spray that will change your form to fit any clothing.’

That evening at the restaurant while they were eating, she mentioned the advertisement to Bill. He just looked at her and said.

“Okay, if you want to try it, go ahead. Maybe then you’ll be able to fit my favourite dress you keep saying, doesn’t fit you anymore.”

Michelle smiled to herself thinking, yes someone will be able to fit that dress, and it won’t be me.

The next day, she rang the Company to find out more about the Hugglebug product.

“Yes we can deliver what you need” the girl at the Company said. “Now what time limit do you want programmed into the Nanite spray, it ranges from 3 days minimum to anything up to permanent.”

“Three days will be fine I think,” replied Michelle. “When will it be delivered?”

“This afternoon okay? We deliver all our products to make sure the right person signs the receipt,” asked the girl.

“Yes thank you very much,” said Michelle, thinking of the fun to come when Bill got home that night. That evening after eating dinner, Michelle asked Bill to come into the bedroom.

“Okay dear,” he said when he entered. “What did you want me for?”

“Well I got this perfume I want to try out on you” Michelle answered, getting the Hugglebugs spray out, “But first I want you to undress, and then we’ll have some fun.”

‘Great’ thought Bill. ‘I love it when we have fun in the bedroom.’ As he stripped off his clothes, he saw Michelle getting out the dress that she said wouldn’t fit anymore, the one he loved.

“Ok what now?” He asked standing naked and rubbing up against Michelle.

“Close your eyes and don’t open them till I say so and no moving okay?”

“Okay honey” he said thinking this sounded a bit kinky, but he wasn’t complaining. Closing his eyes, he felt a cool spray misting his body from head to toe.

“Open your mouth, Bill” Michelle said, and he felt the spray going down his throat. Then he felt her fastening something around his chest, a bra? He started to say something, but Michelle’s finger across his lips was enough to halt him as she said.

“Don’t move or say anything till I’m finished, and I’ll promise you an experience like no other.” Michelle said with a smile in her voice.

Then she made Bill lift each leg in turn as she pulled a pair of panties up Bill’s legs. Bill was becoming aroused as the silky panties caressed his legs and then covered his manhood with a silky embrace. This was followed by a pair of pantyhose, which tented out, as his member grew rigid. A slip followed and he shivered as its silky texture as it draped down his body.

“Okay, now for the dress,” Michelle said, “and you can open your eyes now.”

Bill looked at himself in the mirror and saw himself, he looked ridiculous, but Michelle said that he had to put on the dress, which he noticed was the one she had been holding before.

“I’ll never fit that,” he said, “no way in the world.”

“Oh! Want to bet,” she said smiling. “Let’s see” and as she unzipped the back and motioned him to step into it, Bill started to feel strange.

As the dress was brought up his body and Michelle began pulling on the zip. Bill was waiting for it to get tight; knowing it would never fit his much larger body, but was very surprised when Michelle announced that it was fully fastened. At first he thought that she must have altered the dress to fit, but as he looked in the mirror he nearly fainted.

Instead of his 6 foot body with its slight paunch, now there was a 5’7” female torso with, he guessed 38c-24- 36 measurements. His face was still male at this stage, but as he looked, stunned. Michelle placed a blonde wig on, with shoulder length hair. Then Michelle grabbed his arms, and placed two elbow length gloves on his unresisting hands. As he watched, his face took on a female shape. His nose receded to a pert upturned one, and his lips reshaped themselves into a cupid’s bow. When he raised his hands to his hair he could see they were the graceful arms of a woman. With delicate hands and on the long fingers under the gloves, he could feel his fingernails sticking out beyond the ends of his fingers. Pulling on the wig, he found it hurt, as if it was now his own hair.

“What have you done to me?” he cried, and then stopped, as he heard his new contralto voice coming out of his altered throat. “I look and sound just like a woman,” then getting a sudden thought, he grabbed at what used to be his pride and joy.

“It’s gone!” he screamed. “Why did you do this?”

“Well you said you loved this dress, now you’ll get the chance of wearing it, and calm down, it's only for 3 days” replied Michelle. “The Nanite’s in the spray have entered your skin, and will change your form to fit the clothing you wear, but to stop it changing again, I can spray a fixer on it just in case just in case.” Getting another spray can out and moving towards Bill with it.

“No, no don’t do that just yet,” said Bill, “let’s think about this for the moment.”

“I don’t believe this,” said Bill, looking more closely at his new body. “I mean it feels so different. I feel so much lighter now, I never knew it would feel like this,” he said doing a twirl. Michelle laughed at his antics, then sobered and said.

“Bill, you’ll need a new name for the next 3 days, any thoughts on that?”

“Hmm, let me think,” mused Bill. “What about Belinda?”

“I think, just Linda is nice,” said Michelle looking at her ‘husband,’ preening in front of the mirror with a grin.

“Okay, Linda it is” her husband said. “Now, what are we going to do?”

“Oh, I can think of a few things,” Michelle smirked, looking at the bed pointedly. Linda looked at Michelle with surprise,

“I never thought you swung that way.”

“Well I don’t normally, but technically, you’re still my husband even though you look more like my sister.”

Starting to undress again Linda went over to Michelle for a cuddle, before pulling her clothing off as well. Then the two of them started kissing each other’s bodies as they sank down onto the bed.

Linda was finding out that a woman’s body was more sensitive to the kisses that Michelle was giving his, no make that her body, and he was getting very aroused. By the time Michelle had worked her way down Linda’s body from lips and breasts, to her crotch. Linda was starting to feel the onrush of her first female orgasm. As Michelle parted Linda’s legs and was entering uncharted territory, Linda started arching her back in the throes of ecstasy.

Linda started to reciprocate the actions Michelle was giving her clitoris, as they started to climax together. The heady feelings filling Linda’s brain was the best that she’d ever had. The unbidden thought passed though her mind, if it's this good with a woman, what would it be like with a man between her legs.

The next morning, found Linda and Michelle spooned together after their night of sexual exploration. Linda, waking first, as was usually the case, felt the need to relieve herself and so wandered into the bathroom to use the toilet, still half asleep. Standing in front of the toilet she started to reach for it, but not finding anything she woke fully. Oh my God, she thought, how did I end up like this? I mean it’s a lovely body, but it’s just not me.

After finishing in the bathroom, and finding out you needed to wipe after only urinating, she decided to shower, to cleanse herself of the night’s exertions. Showering was another surprise, as he found that the pressure of the water that he normally used was too much for her new sensitive skin. She found her nipples tingled, just from the water hitting them. Soaping them felt nice, but her hair took a while to shampoo and she had trouble trying to wrap it up in a towel, as Michelle did.

Going into the bedroom he found Michelle had woken and she smiled and said, "You smell great. You must have used my shampoo.”

“Yes I did,” Linda replied, “but I need help with this hair, can you do it for me?”

“Love to, but let me get a shower first, while you can pick out something to wear.”

“Okay” Linda said, walking over to the closet.

Linda started bringing outfits out and standing in front of the mirror, holding them up in front of her, trying to decide what to wear. Michelle had a nice selection of tasteful clothes, nothing too flashy, but not too conservative either. Finally, selecting a lightweight summer frock in yellow, she started to look for underwear.

Michelle finally came out of the bathroom, looking freshly scrubbed. She walked over to Linda and took the towel off. Examining Linda’s expertly, she told her that she needed it styled, and so only curled it with a brush and the hair dryer in the meantime. Checking Linda’s selection of undergarments, she discarded the black lace bra, saying it would show under the dress and handed Linda, a matching set in white satin. Then under Michelle’s guidance, Linda got dressed.

Michelle started Linda’s first lessons in makeup, saying she needed to learn this in case she wasn’t available sometime. Linda went along with it, thinking it’s only for a couple of days, I can put up with learning about makeup. Soon, Linda was looking fantastic under Michelle’s expert tutelage, and Linda strangely enough, was pleased at her new image, thinking if she was to be a woman, then looking great was important.

Soon, the pair of them were ready, Michelle handed Linda a handbag, reminding her not to forget it. Then driving to her usual beauty parlour, Michelle ushered Linda out of the car. Linda was hesitant, as during the ride she was conscious of her new femininity, and the looks she generated from the passing male population.

When Linda stepped out of the car she suddenly got scared, thinking she was a guy in drag, and was sure everyone could see his male self under this beautiful female shell. Michelle, realising in a true feminine fashion what was going though Linda’s head, reassured her that she looked great.

“Just relax, and enjoy the feeling of being beautiful,” she said, taking Linda’s hand and pulling her into the beauty parlour.

Entering the parlour, they were greeted by Rose, Michelle’s usual assistant.

“Hello Michelle, I see we have a new customer with you. Hello my name’s Rose” she said, looking over Linda with a smile. “I see I have my work cut out for me, when was your last appointment, love?”

Linda was silent, thinking how about never. Just as he was about to blurt out something inane, Michelle spoke up saying.

“Oh Linda has just come back from living in the country and hasn’t been to get her hair done in years.” Shaking her head in wonderment Rose said.

“Then be prepared for the works love, you’ll enjoy it.

Getting one’s hair washed by another was rather soothing, Linda thought. She enjoyed the gentle massage, and it relaxed her enough to put up with the conversation between Rose and Michelle, as they discussed what changes they were going to do to her.

Several hours later and a bit poorer having had her ears pierced and some new earrings, that Michelle, ‘just’ happened to have in her bag, plus a complete makeover. Linda looked in the mirror and was astonished. No longer seeing the unruly looking hair, but a beautifully coifed hairstyle and a face to die for, the subtle makeup emphasising her best features.

“Wow” said Michelle, “you really look hot now, let’s go have some fun.”

Going outside to the car, Linda was even more conscious of the way she looked, as the passing male population was certainly aware of her beauty, and as they passed, eyed her with lustful glances.

“Let’s eat,” said Michelle, “we can go to Josie’s restaurant and have a nice lunch.”

Lunch started out well, with them ordering a fish dish with a salad. Michelle putting any of Linda’s objections aside, saying she now had to watch what she ate. Then as they were finishing their meal, a couple of well dressed men walked over to their table. They introduced themselves, saying they had just flown into town for a conference and were looking for someone to accompany them to the conference's evening, farewell bash.

Linda looked at Michelle, and shrugged, as if it was up to her to make a decision. Michelle thinking this was an ideal situation to let Linda feel like a real lady accepted and told Keith and John to meet them at 8 pm at their house.

Michelle said to Linda, after Keith and John left that they needed to get a new outfit for tonight.

“But you already have some nice clothes,” said Linda, who was starting to regret, accepting a date with John. “Why do we need more?”

“Linda, you’ll have to learn that a woman feels her best when she goes out on a date in a brand new outfit, anyway, I need a new outfit seeing as I haven’t bought one in a month.” Sighing a little, Linda bowed to the inevitable and just went along with Michelle’s wishes.

Buying new clothes was a new experience for Linda, who was just used to going in, looking at something, and then buying it. Not this looking, then trying on, then looking, then trying on again routine. The one thing nice about it, according to Linda, was seeing the near naked women in the changing rooms. For once in his life, Linda was glad she didn’t have a penis, nothing to show off her obvious sexual interest, but she was feeling her body react in more subtle ways.

Her nipples went hard as she looked openly at the other women. Going unnoticed, in this inner sanctum of femininity was turning Linda’s or should that be Bill’s male mind on and this in turn was getting her new body turned on as well.

Finally, they decided on outfits that the both of them agreed, looked superb, accentuating every curve of their bodies. Linda was thinking she was showing far too much décolletage, but Michelle said it was fine, and that they were just out for a night's fun.

Getting ready to go out on her first ‘date,’ Linda found out first hand what women go though to get ready. Getting dressed, from the skin out in silk underwear, and hose, not to mention the cool caress of the bra, holding her ample breasts and the satiny feel of the slip, was starting to turn her on. Linda tried unsuccessfully to get Michelle to have a romp on the bed, but she just said to wait till they got back. Linda was starting to get a little worried at her feelings, they just seemed to bubble out of her, so unlike Bill’s.

She wondered whether she would be able to quell the feeling of excitement of going out with what should be an anathema to ‘his’ whole way of thinking? Pushing these male type thoughts into the background, Linda concentrated on getting dressed instead. Pulling on the gown and feeling it slither up over her silky under garments, was enough of a distraction that thoughts of men went out the window.

Perfumed and be-gowned they waited; as the time arrived when the men said they would come.

“Are you feeling all right Linda?” asked Michelle, as she watched Linda fuss with her hair.

“Well I am feeling nervous, I must admit.” Grinned Linda ruefully, “I just hope they don’t get too fresh with us.”

“You’ll be fine. Just don’t let them take liberties. Remember your first date with me and act accordingly.”

Just then, a knocking on the door announced the men had arrived. Opening the door, they saw that both guys were wearing tuxedos and looked very debonair.

“Wow! You ladies are a sight for sore eyes,” they said simultaneously, they grinned at each other, and then chuckled.

“We really lucked out today. In fact, we must have the most beautiful girls in this town.”

Both Linda and Michelle blushed. Linda felt herself tingle all over at these compliments, and suddenly, with a feeling of release; she relaxed and started to get comfortable with the more passive role she was playing.

Taking the initiative, Linda slid her hand around John’s arm and looked at Michelle with a ‘come on, get with it look.’ Laughing at Linda, Michelle grabbed Keith going one better and kissed him in thanks for the compliment. Linda took the plunge too, after a pause and let John kiss her; it wasn’t much different from kissing Michelle if you closed your eyes. The smell of John’s cologne, marking the big difference.

She took it slow, more because she was unsure if she could do it, than any intentions of making it last, but as the kiss deepened, she felt something deep inside, start filling her body with new feelings. She broke it off suddenly, one, to get a breath and two, to get a grip on her runaway emotions.

The men opened the car doors for them and Linda managed to get in without looking too unladylike, arranging her gown around her, after watching how Michelle entered first. John sat next to her making pleasant small talk, and it seemed only moments, before they arrived at the conference centre. John helped Linda out and took her hand in his, saying

“I hope you have fun tonight, there will be dancing after the dinner.”

Hmmm! Thought Linda, I hope I don’t stand on his toes. Looking up at him, with a smile she said.

“I’m sure I will John, it’s been a long while since I went out on a date with a gentleman.” Thinking, that’s so very true, with an inward giggle.

Dinner went great; the two girls got a lot of attention, as many of the group failed to turn up with dates. After the meal, the party started and Linda was asked to dance. Reluctantly at first, she soon found she was able to follow John’s movements with an ease that surprised her. Many of the other men there cut in on John for a quick dance and as the night wore on, she found herself enjoying the attentions of the men. Drinks flowed freely, and soon, she was a little drunk and had to sit down, before she fell down.

“Enjoying yourself?” Michelle asked when she got the chance to sit down herself.

“Yes, I’m having a great time, this is fun.” Linda giggled, “pity we can’t do this more often.”

“Why not?” asked Michelle, we could do this every now and then, when you have time off, I mean all we have to do is get some more spray from the company.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Linda asked, incredulously, “isn’t that a little over the top. Once yes, but I wouldn’t want to use all my spare time like this.”

“We’ll see,” said Michelle, “give it more of a chance. You may want to stay like this for longer than you think.”

Linda mused over this new information, thinking, ‘I wonder if she’s got more than a little lesbian tendencies herself.’ The drinks Linda had consumed started to hit her hard and soon put a stop to further speculation.

As the party came to a close, the guys took them back to their hotel room, supposedly for a night-cap. Linda wasn’t feeling nervous at all. The drinks had loosened her to the point where she didn’t care about anything, other than having a great time. Entering their room, the girls sat together on the sofa while the guys went and got some drinks. Linda kicked off her heels in relief, and stretched her legs out saying

“It’s strange, I didn’t have much problem walking and dancing in them, but it’s still a relief to get them off.” When the two returned, bringing glasses and a bottle of bubbly, Linda started to giggle in a most UN-Bill like manner. When John asked what was so funny, she said.

“If I start drinking that, I might pass out, right here.”

“One glass will be okay, surely?” said John, but he didn’t pour until she nodded her assent. Raising their glasses together they said.

“To the two most loveliest, gracious ladies around.”

Blushing, both Linda and Michelle gave each other a look that spoke volumes, and Linda now very uninhibited said.

“Well you may get luckier than you anticipated.”

Michelle looked at Linda with eyebrows raised, Linda seeing the silent question in her eyes; nodded and whispered in Micelles ear.

“I want to find out what it’s like, nothing else, okay,” Michelle smiled and whispered back.

“Okay, but I want it just as badly, and if you’re not going to accommodate me, then I’m going to do it with Keith tonight.”

Linda nodded agreement, as she couldn’t really blame Michelle wanting sex, if she felt as aroused, as she was at the moment. Michelle took Keith’s hand and led him into the bedroom, giving Linda a wink. John looked at Linda with a little concern, saying.

“You’re a little drunk, are you sure you want to go to my room for sex? I wouldn’t like to think I was taking advantage of you.”

“No please, I really do want to do it, I haven’t had sex with man in.......” she trailed off, as if trying to remember, leaving him to come to his own conclusions.

“Okay then, if you’re sure?” and so saying, John lifted Linda to her feet and then walked her into the adjoining bedroom in the suite and led her to the bed. She stood there waiting; thinking this was going to be an experience like none before, to have a man’s dick inside her, to experience sex from the other perspective. John looked at her and gave her a slow kiss, which started her trembling, as the feelings filling her body, made her weak kneed.

John started to undress her slowly and she reciprocated by loosening his clothing so he could step out of them. Soon they were both naked and John started kissing her lower, on her breasts. Linda felt a cascade of emotions flood her mind as her body responded to John’s attentions. This was far different from the way her old body felt and she began to appreciate the opportunity to experience this, even if it was only temporary.

Pulling him onto the bed, Linda started actively encouraging John and even started fondling his member in order bring him to the same level of excitement that she was feeling. John started stroking her between her legs, moving upwards, towards her sex. As he touched it with his fingers, shivers started running though her body. She arched her back and spread her legs, letting him get better access to her pussy. Her eyes closed in a sort of denial, that it should be this good with a man, she never saw him enter her, but felt herself being impaled as a huge hot cock entered her virgin pussy.

Gasping at feeling this alien intruder pushing into her body, she felt it was too large for her as she felt it filling her in a strange, but not unpleasant manner. Getting caught up in these new sensations, Linda lay passively, letting John do all the hard work as he stroked in and out in an increasing rhythm.

Linda was feeling her body responding and the feelings built up to a crescendo, as she had her first orgasm with a man. John, not having reached his own, continued, and Linda again went into orgasm, her mind was in the throes of ecstasy. Never had she realised that it could feel this good. John came with a rush, spurting deep into Linda, she felt John’s seed filling her and then felt his cock shrink and slide out leaving her feeling somehow empty. He lay spent beside her, then dozed off.

Sliding out of the bed, Linda found her clothes and dressed quickly then walking quietly to the other bedroom door, she listened for any noise. Hearing nothing, she was about to peek inside, when it opened and Michelle backed out, holding her clothes. Linda smothered a giggle at the sight of her wife sneaking out of a strange guy’s room, naked. Seeing Linda there, Michelle smiled and got dressed and holding their shoes, they quietly went out and then burst out laughing as they waited for the elevator.

“Love them and leave them” Michelle said, when she got herself under control, “did you have great sex?”

“Well it was the best sex I ever had with a man,” said Linda, trying to keep a straight face.

“Oh is that right?” Michelle said trying not to giggle, but looking at each other for a few seconds, they both cracked up again. Arm in arm they walked past the startled doorman at the exit of the hotel still giggling, as they hailed a cab.

Arriving home, they went for a shower together. Soaping each others slippery body felt nice and was starting to get them aroused again. Feeling tired after the long day, Linda wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and so after getting into silky nighties, they cuddled together in bed.

Next morning Linda woke to the sensations of having her breasts kissed, opening her eyes, she saw Michelle smiling at her as she continued to suckle.

“Sleep well?” She asked. “Any strange dreams of men in your sleep?” She added grinning at Linda’s pained expression.

“No thank God, just went out like a light,” replied Linda, “so what’s on for today? And where’s my breakfast in bed?” She asked wryly. (Bill usually made Michelle her breakfast in bed on Sunday.)

“Never a good man around to make it when you need it,” she giggled.

Michelle looked at her and said.

“Well, will you do this again, if I asked you?”

“Hmm....maybe,” Linda said noncommittally, “it’s certainly different and an experience I’ll cherish forever. It should help me improve our sex life now I know what buttons to push,” she said, looking at Michelle, intently. Michelle saw her scrutiny and asked what was the matter.

“Oh...... nothing, just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Nah you’d never go for it, Linda replied.

“Come on tell me,” Michelle insisted, getting exasperated with these non-answers.

“Well I was thinking, the next time we do this.......”

“Yes?” Michelle cut in trying to get to the bottom of it.

“Why don’t we both swap, then you could be the man and I the woman and you could feel what’s it’s like to be me.”

Michelle thought about it for a few moments, then said.

“You really want to try this again, as a woman?”

“Yes, but I’d like for you to try being a man this time,” Linda said looking at Michelle for her reactions.

“Okay, but it’s just for three days right? I mean I’m comfortable being a woman.”

Linda laughed thinking, ‘I thought I was comfortable as a man too.’

“Of course honey,” Linda said grinning at her and throwing her own words back at her.

“You might find you like being a man.”

Michelle started tickling Linda in revenge and soon they were both in paroxysms of laughter.

“Enough enough,” Michelle gasped, “I give up,” then jumping out of bed, she ran to the shower to cool off. “Don’t think of coming in here with me,” she called out. “Otherwise we’ll never get a thing done,” she added, giggling.

“Spoilsport” Linda pouted, trying to emulate a disgruntled lover.

Sighing, she started getting dressed ready for a new day living as a woman. As she got out some of Michelle’s clothes, fingering their silky softness, she thought to herself, how nice they were to wear. Making a mental note to buy some silk underwear and shirts, for when she changed back.

After breakfast they decided to do some window shopping, and maybe try on a few things. ‘It’s funny how shopping for sexy clothes is different, when you’re the one that’s going to wear them,’ thought Linda. Going into one store, they passed the children’s clothing section, Michelle paused, looking with sad eyes at little girls clothes, knowing she would never be buying from this section.

Linda, knowing that Michelle had a medical problem that meant she couldn’t conceive, had a sudden thought.

“You never used that fixer spray did you?” she asked.

“Huh! Oh no, we didn’t,” she said, coming back from her wool gathering. “Why?”

“Well, I have an idea,” and Linda then whispered into Michelle’s ear for a minute. Michelle’s eyes widened as she listened and tears started to glisten as she hugged Linda.

“I can’t believe you’d do that for me,” she cried.

“Well we have one more day before I change back, so this is my gift to you,” Linda said, starting to tear up as well.

Then they moved though the racks of girls clothing selecting a complete outfit from head to toe. Checking to see if anyone was watching, they quickly entered the changing room. Linda started disrobing while Michelle removed the price tickets from the items of clothing. Getting the girls clothing on was a slow process for Linda, as she had to wait while her body shrank as the clothes were pulled on. One thing they noticed was as the body shrank there seemed to be a lot of water vapour coming out of Linda’s mouth and nose, like as on a cold day as she breathed or spoke.

Slowly her body became that of a ten-year-old girl with head and arms to match. Even her voice changed as her throat got thinner rising to a clear soprano.

Linda couldn’t get over how easy she transformed, without any discomfort. She was now the picture of a ten-year-old. Having to reach up and open the door reminded her fall in stature, everything seemed so much bigger now.

She twirled in front of the mirror, then on a whim, said to Michelle.

“Do I look good mommy?”

Michelle bent down and hugged her, tears streaming from her eyes.

“Oh honey, you’re just beautiful, I love you for doing this for me.”

Linda felt very secure in Michelle’s arms and managed to give her a kiss. Michelle looked at her and then took her by the hand and led her outside to pay for the clothing. Linda’s clothes went into a plastic bag that had another purchase in it. Walking out the store, holding Michele’s hand felt strange from her new perspective, but looking up at Michelle’s face and the expression of joy on it, made her feel good that she could do this for her, if only for a day.

Being treated like a child again was funny, but Linda handled it, going along with every thing Michelle asked of her, they even went to a playground where Michelle pushed Linda around on a merry-go-round till Linda got that dizzy, she nearly fell off.

Eating out that night, they only had to pay for a child’s meal and Michelle said jokingly, it was one way to save some money. That night Linda crawled into bed with Michelle, struggling in the oversized nightie that was getting wrapped around her legs.

“Comfy?” Michelle asked, as she kissed Linda on the cheek. Linda pouted a little, wanting more than a peck on the cheek, but conceded that it would look, and feel a little strange for Michelle to get amorous with what looked like her daughter.

The next morning Linda was expecting some changes to her body, thinking she should be getting bigger and more masculine as the Nanite’s shut down, but nothing. When she looked in the mirror she still saw the cute 10-year-old girl. Waking Michelle she said.

“Nothings happening, shouldn’t I be reverting, I’m getting worried. Michelle said that maybe the changes were delayed or the time limit was fairly flexible. Still to calm Linda down she rang the company to make sure.

“Yes he or rather she should be changing back,” the girl at Hugglebugs replied.

“But she’s still a little girl,” she insisted, getting worried herself. There was silence for a few seconds, then the girl asked.

“Wasn’t he only getting a straight change to an adult female,” queried.

“Yes, she decided to become a child for my sake,” Michelle explained.

“Okay, that explains the delay then, when reducing the body mass to such a degree, the Nanite’s can’t just restore it like that. There would have been a major loss of fluid, mainly water as much of the body mass is made up of water.”

“Yes we did notice that at the time,” Michelle told her.

“Well, then to get back to full size, she needs a major intake of milk products, not only for the water, but for the calcium as well. Give her plenty of milk and she should be fine,” the girl said.

After Michelle put down the phone, she told Linda the news, saying it would be longer than expected. Linda took the news with a sigh of relief, thinking, at least she wasn’t stuck like this forever. ‘At least Michelle will get to play mommy a bit longer,’ thought Linda. She relaxed; feeling a sense of freedom as all her old responsibilities had been removed by the change in apparent age.

Chuckling as a sudden thought of Michelle as a little boy, and himself as the father and the fun they could have. Linda skipped into the kitchen for breakfast, knowing it would be Michelle doing the work. It made the future seem a little more exciting, thinking of the fun and the possibilities they could have transforming each other.

To be continued

Clothes Horse The Sequel - A Hugglebugs story

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

Hugglebugs by The Hugglebugs

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Hugglebug transformations can be fun, but watch out if there's no adults around.

CLOTHES HORSE

The Sequel

A Hugglebugs story

by Prudence Walker ©

““Bill. . .” Michelle said quietly in a voice that Bill knew from past experience meant she was after something.

“Yes dear,” he sighed knowing nothing good was in it for him.

“You remember that company, Hugglebugs?”

Now his ears really perked up, he remembered all right.

“Yeees,” he said, slowly wondering what Michelle had up her sleeve this time.

“Well. . . I was wondering . . .” Bill sighed again, thinking, “here we go again.”

“Yes dear?” Bill said, thinking back to the time when Michelle surprised him with the spray can of Nanite’s that changed him into a babe, then into a child.

“Can we try it again, with you becoming a little girl for the seven days you’re taking off from work?” She wheedled.

“I thought that we were going on that trip away up to the ski fields?” Replied Bill, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Well yes, but I thought we could enjoy being mother and daughter again,” Michelle said pleadingly.

“Can I think on it?” Asked Bill, knowing it was a lost cause already. He would do almost anything for Michelle, and he couldn’t help thinking of the fun they had had last time. She looked at him with her lost puppy eyes and his heart melted again.Sighing, he nodded assent and she reached over and hugged him.

“I’ll order it tomorrow from Rose,” she said, gleefully.

“Rose?” Bill replied, “Who’s Rose?”

“Oh, she’s the receptionist at Hugglebugs.Did you know she was the first person to undergo the trial of the Nanite’s?”

“No, was she always a woman then?” Bill asked.

“Funny you should ask that, but no, she used to be a guy. Now she’s a 5 foot 8 inch redhead with 38DD breasts. Apparently it was supposed to be temporary, but something went wrong and now she’s stuck.” Bill shuddered wondering if those sorts of things could still happen. Michelle, sensing what was going though his mind said.

“It’s okay Bill, that was years ago. Now all of the bugs are ironed out.” She then started giggling. Bill looked at her sideways wondering what was so funny.

“Bugs ironed out, get it? Hugglebugs,” she gasped.

“Hmmm, flat Nanite’s,” mused Bill, joining in on the joke, setting Michelle off again. Bill shrugged and added.

“Just a little humour.”

“Microscopic I’d say,” squealed Michelle, as she erupted into laughter. Bill reached over and started tickling Michelle in revenge, thinking it might be the last time for a while that he would have the upper hand in strength to best her.

“Stop! Stop!”Giggled Michelle. “Just you wait.”

“Promises, promises,” replied Bill with a grin.

Friday night came at last. Bill sighed as he came home and entered the house, glad of the next seven days away from the daily grind of work. Putting his bag away he sat down in the lounge and closed his eyes, relaxing from the pressure of rush hour traffic.

While sitting there, he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. He remained still, waiting for the inevitable.Suddenly feeling something icy against his brow, he looked up to see Michelle holding his favourite tipple, Vodka, Lime and Lemonade.

“Thanks dear, just what I need,” he said, accepting it gratefully.

“Drink up dear, it’s the last for a while, we can’t have you drinking after the transformation.”

“Oh, just when are we doing that?” Queried Bill.

“Right now, so drink up and come into the bedroom dear.”

As Michelle walked to the door Bill finished his drink and walked to the bedroom, finding himself getting nervous at the upcoming transformation. Even knowing that it would be painless didn’t put him at ease. This was messing with nature big time, and he didn’t want to become another statistic.

Michelle was waiting for him with the spray, so he undressed and as she started the process of covering his body with the contents of the spray, something unexpected happened. The top of the can split where it joined the body, and there was a whoosh as the contents erupted everywhere, covering Michelle as well.

“OH NO!” Exclaimed Michelle. “Does this mean I will be changed too?”

“Let’s find out,” said Bill, thinking fast, he grabbed the children’s clothing that was meant for him, and started putting it on Michelle. She was so shocked by the exploding can she hardly resisted until it was too late.

As she shrank to become an eight year old girl, she started protesting that it wasn’t fair, and said she’d just change back into her old clothes and regain her normal body.

“That’s what you think,” replied Bill, getting the fixer spray out and spraying Michelle as she tried to avoid it. Michelle protested long and loud in her now little girl's voice, saying he was the one that agreed to the change.

“Oh I’ll change,” he said, looking round the bedroom and spying Michelle’s clothes lying on the floor. To Michelle’s surprise he started to put on her clothes.

“What are you doing?” she asked with surprise.

“Well, I’m going to be the mother and you can be my daughter for a while.”

“What! No! Please, this isn’t what I meant. Please, you need to know something.”

As the changes started, Bill found to his astonishment that while he was changing into a female he was beginning to look exactly like Michelle.

“What’s happening? Why am I not looking like I did last time? I’m beginning to look like you.”

“Yes dear, I used a sample of my DNA, so that when you made the change you’d look like a younger version of me. Now it’s changing you into an exact duplicate of me,” she said, laughing in her child-like voice. “I hope you like being me, Michelle,” she said, giggling at Bill’s predicament.

“This is a turnaround,” grumbled Bill/Michelle, “so what are we going to call you?”

“What about Shelley? I know it’s a corrupt form of Michelle, but I like it.”

“Okay, Shelley it is. Now be a good girl and finish getting dressed for your mother.”

Michelle/Shelley giggled, getting over her surprise.

Bill/Michelle then did the same, finding it was starting to come back to him/her, how nice Michelle’s clothes were to wear.

It seemed odd to be wearing his wife’s body as he looked in the mirror while brushing his/her hair. He didn’t quite move like her, but he found himself mimicking her movements as if from memory. Maybe seeing her from his former body had ingrained her movements into his brain. Now that he was the owner of that body he was unconsciously copying them.

Finally they were ready. Shelley had stopped complaining; instead she wanted to know what they were going to do next.

“Shopping,” was Michelle’s only comment.

“Shopping for what?” Queried Shelley, looking up at Michelle.

“Clothes,” replied Michelle, shooing Shelley outside to the car.

Driving into town, Shelley was beginning to fidget, wondering where it was going to end, knowing that Michelle hadn’t sprayed herself to prevent further changes during the Nanite’s' active phase. Reaching the store they went in, but as they were making their way over to the children’s clothing section, they heard a voice calling.

“MICHELLE” Looking up, Michelle saw a large woman waving and starting to head in his direction. By her manner Michelle assumed it was of his wife’s close friends.Shelley couldn’t see her over the racks, but guessed from the voice that it was Susan. Pulling on Michelle’s arm to get her attention like little girl would, she whispered that she thought it was Susan and to be careful of what she said to her.

As Susan came up to them she said,

“I’ve been looking for you for a while now, I expected a phone call from you about the meeting.”

Thinking quickly, Michelle told her, that due to her niece, Shelley, arriving suddenly she wasn’t able to call. Susan looked down at Shelley, as if noticing her for the first time, and said, in puzzlement,

“I didn’t know you had a niece Michelle.”

“Well we don’t normally talk about that side of the family,” Michelle replied, then whispered in Susan’s ear. "Bad blood and all that sort of thing."Nodding, Susan winked her understanding and said nothing more in front of the ‘niece.’

“Well I won’t keep you then, I just wanted to know if you’ll be supporting us on the issue we discussed.” Looking down at Shelley, Michelle saw her nod her head then shake it sideways.

“I haven’t yet made my decision,” Michelle replied, hoping she had interpreted it correctly.

Susan looked at her then at Shelley, seeing there was going to be no further discussion on the matter, replied.

“Okay, then I’ll leave you two to your shopping, but please let me know when you do decide, okay?” Nodding in the affirmative Michelle walked on, giving a sigh of relief.

“That was close,” Michelle said, looking down at his wife

“So I’m your niece now, am I,” smirked Shelley.Michelle shrugged,

“I had to come with something didn’t I? You couldn’t exactly be my . . . our daughter,” Retorted Michelle. “I thought it was pretty slick, considering.”

Moving back to the job in hand they started pulling clothes out and examining them for sizes and colours.

“I like this colour,” Shelley murmured, looking at a nice plum coloured dress. Michelle looked at it, but rejected it, saying,

“I prefer this colour,” pulling out a yellow dress with lace on it. Shelley pulled a face, but Michelle quickly said something that made Shelley’s eyes widen in surprise.

“If I’m going to wear it, then I get to choose.”

“YOU’RE going to wear it? You do know what that means don’t you?”

“Of course. I never said I wouldn’t become a little girl,” replied Michelle. “It’s just now, we can both be little girls,” she sniggered.

Shelley rushed to Michelle and hugged her saying,

“I love you, Bi -- er, Mommy,” she said, hastily correcting herself, seeing other customers nearby.

Paying for the clothing, they drove home and hurried to the bedroom where Shelley started helping Michelle to get the new clothes on.

Michelle felt the changes taking effect the gradual shrinking in height and the reduction in the size of her breasts. Sighing a little as they got smaller, thinking they were such a perfect size. Then as the changes finished and they looked at themselves in the mirror, Shelley whipped out the fixer spray from behind her back and covered Bill’s/Michelle’s body with it.

“Hey,” Bill/Michelle spluttered. “Watch it, I wasn’t ready for that!” He/she grabbed Shelley and started tickling her. “Umm, what about our names now, I guess you want yours back, so am I going to be Shelley or Linda or what?”

“Let’s stick with them, the way they are now. I kinda like being someone else for a change.”

“Okay,” replied the now re-christened Michelle.“So now we are little girls for the rest of the week, I just hope nobody questions why there are no parents present.”Shelley laughed and said,

“Who needs parents? We’re responsible, adult children.” At which she started giggling like the eight-year-old she appeared to be.

“Shall we walk to the park to play?” Suggested Shelley.

“Okay, but I get to play on the swings first,” laughed Michelle. Then as they checked themselves out in the mirror before leaving, Shelley said,

“I can’t get over this being an eight-year-old twin, it’s eerie! Apart from our clothes, we’re identical.”

“We even sound the same,” replied Michelle.“Are you ready?” Michelle asked, heading for the door.

“Coming,” answered Shelley.

On the way to the park (about a mile away) they drew some attention from passing adults, mainly women whom the girls heard saying as they passed, "What darling twins they are." Reaching the park they saw other children playing there with their parents in attendance. They joined in, playing hopscotch and a few skipping games that Michelle had a little difficulty with at first, not having ever learnt them as a young boy.

As time went on she started to pick it up reasonably well, the youth and flexibility of her body helping a lot.

“This is fun,” she gasped after a particularly difficult session skipping, using a double rope. Shelley just laughed, saying:

“Of course it is, that's why we play it."

Then it happened. Shelley was climbing up a pipe-constructed tower when she slipped and fell, hitting her head on a pipe on the way down. Michelle ran over to find her unconscious and blood seeping out on her head and matting her hair.

“Mich...Shelley!” Michelle screamed, lifting her limp body in her arms. Alerted by Michelle’s scream, some women that were nearby ran over to help,

“What happened?” They asked. “Where are your parents and what are your names?” They continued. So Michelle explained to them what had occurred and gave them the names they were using. When asked again about the whereabouts of their parents Michelle mumbled that they had just left for a few minutes to buy some ice cream.

One of the ladies had a cell phone and had rung for the ambulance as she said she didn’t like the way Shelley looked. Michelle was getting worried not only for the health of Shelley, but also about what would happen if they couldn’t supply the required ‘parents.’

When the ambulance men examined Shelley at the playground, they said she needed to get an X-ray in case of any internal bleeding.So going with them, Michelle and Shelley headed to the hospital. The men were asking difficult questions about their parents that Michelle wouldn’t answer (not wanting to explain).

To cover herself, Michelle just started to cry until they desisted. They took Shelley into X-ray on arrival and Michelle was allowed to wait nearby.Unknown to Michelle they had started investigating their backgrounds as best they could from the meagre information Michelle had given them.

After what seemed ages waiting, along the corridor came Shelley with a white bandage around her head, looking rather embarrassed about causing such a furore.With her, came the doctor and another lady to whom Michelle took an immediate dislike. Running to Shelley and giving her a hug Michelle asked her how she felt.

“I’m okay, just a bump and a graze, but the fall just knocked me out for a while. The doctor here says I can go home,” she replied.

“Great,” Michelle replied, “but we haven’t any money with us, and it’s going to be a long walk home.”

Just then the lady said she would take them there to sort things out. Michelle had a bad feeling about it, but it looked as if she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so they agreed.

Arriving home 20 minutes later, the girls entered their home and were going to say goodbye to the lady when she pushed herself into the place and started looking round. Michelle asked her to leave, but she refused, saying she couldn’t allow two young girls to stay in a place with no adults. Michelle said to her,

“We are the adults. We just changed into little girls with a Nanite spray from the Hugglebugs Company.”

“Oh yes and I’m the Queen Mother,” snorted the woman, disbelievingly.

“You're looking good for your age,” Shelley sniggered.Michelle sighed, knowing that comment was sure to bring trouble.

“Okay, that’s it. I’m taking you into custody care until we get to the bottom of this,” she replied, getting angry.

Despite the girls' protests that they lived here, she pulled them out to the car saying there was no sign that any children lived there; No children’s clothing or photographs that gave credence to the girl’s story. She was totally ignoring Michelle’s explanation as pure poppycock.

She drove them out of town to a large house with ornate gates, which automatically opened as she drew up in the car. As they approached the house the girls could see other children there, playing nearby.Opening the door, she took each of them by the hand and led them inside.

The girls found out that this was a girl’s only refuge, mostly girls from separated parents where custody issues were involved. The girls were shown a bunk bed each, and then told to go get acquainted with their new bunkmates.

Michelle looked at Shelley and shrugged her shoulders as if to say,

“Looks like our holiday plans have gone out the window." Shelley whispered back, “Won’t they get a surprise when we revert back?”

Michelle hoped things would be okay and nothing else would happen. They spent the rest of the day trying to blend in as much as possible, playing a little with the other girls. That night after dinner which was served in a manner more like a prison than a home, they discussed ways of getting out of there and back home.

One of the other girls there overheard them, and butted in; saying it wouldn’t be possible, as there was only one gate and it was controlled by a guard, though a camera system.

Feeling a little dismayed at this information, they went to bed to sleep uneasily though the night.

The following morning the lady was back and again took them in hand, saying there were no records anywhere that showed they existed. So she was taking them to a couple to be fostered out until further investigations had been undertaken. Glad to be out of this place they didn’t complain. Instead they welcomed the change in circumstances, thinking their chances of returning home better in a normal home.

It wasn’t until they found themselves boarding a small aircraft that it dawned on them; things had just got worse. Asking as to where they were going they were told to shut up and behave. Looking at each other they began to get an awful feeling of impending doom.

Being forced to fly to some unknown destination had the two girls' minds working overtime on the possible danger they were in.Michelle being the ‘man’ of the two, was blaming herself for trapping her wife in her present form, thinking none of this would have happened had there still been an adult around.Shelley too, was blaming herself, for falling off the tower and starting this whole thing off. As one, they turned to each other to apologise.

As they started to speak, saying the very same words they realised, what the other was going to say and instead of continuing, they reached out to the other and hugged, tears silently leaking from their eyes. Finding some solace in each other’s arms, they drifted off to sleep.

The feeling of being jostled woke the pair, and as they struggled to get themselves awake, they could hear the ocean surf breaking somewhere nearby. They found themselves lying on the back seat of what seemed to be a four-wheel drive vehicle. Looking outside, they saw that they were travelling along a narrow strip of road bordering some steep cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Wondering just where they were headed they looked to see who was driving. There was no sign of the lady that taken them this far, instead they saw a rugged outdoorsy looking man wearing an old fisherman’s jacket. Michelle looked at Shelley with an eyebrow raised then deciding that a question was in order, leant forward over the front seat and spoke to the man.

“Who are you? And where are we?” The man looked over towards Michelle, smiled and replied

“I’m Jack, and you’re going up to the house at Seaview heights.”

“Where’s that?” Michelle continued, thinking, ‘at least he’s answering.’

“It’s down the coast from Maine, don’t worry your little head about it, you’re safe now,” he added.

‘Safe? Yeah right!’Thought the girls, not needing to say what was plainly on their minds.

“We were safe before you, and that woman took us 500 miles away from our home,” Michelle retorted angrily.

“Yes just because they couldn’t find our parents they didn’t even look for our relatives,” rejoined Shelley.

“Sorry, I had no hand in that,” replied Jack looking at them with a puzzled expression. “If that’s true, then it shouldn’t take long to get things sorted.” He continued saying all he knew, was that Mrs Parker at Seaview was waiting to adopt twin girls, and had put out a few feelers in the children’s welfare groups.

Michelle and Shelley relaxed; thinking if all Mrs Parker wanted was twins to adopt, then things might not be as bad as they had feared. Arriving at a rather imposing house set back from the cliffs, with a large number of trees and plants bordering the house. Michelle and Shelley were ushered inside to see a rather strange looking woman coming forward to greet them. Her clothing was rather old fashioned and sombre looking; she wore a rather odd expression. One of satisfaction, but the girls saw with dismay that there was more of a predatory look to it as well.

“Welcome children welcome” she called to the girls, and came toward them with open arms as if she expected them to rush to her. Michelle and Shelley just stood there, silently wondering just how to take her overly exuberant welcome. Michelle didn’t miss the flash of annoyance that crossed the woman’s eyes at their lack of response to her greeting, and thought, ‘we’ll have to tread very carefully here.’

Shelley went up to her and said to the woman,

“You do know we are not who we seem to be?”

“Yes,” Michelle butted in, “we do have relatives that will be looking for us, you know.” Michelle saw Shelley’s look of puzzlement and her mouth open as if to say what Michelle was afraid she was going to say and blurt out about their transformation.Michelle nudged her surreptitiously and shook her head in a negative; the last thing they needed was informing this woman of their altered forms. Michelle had this sudden vision of her getting hold of a permanent Nanite spray and using it on them, to keep the girls stuck this way. This by-play between Michelle and Shelley took only seconds, and fortunately went unnoticed by the woman.

After having been told their rooms were ready by an oldish looking housekeeper, the woman, who’s name they found out was Janice M Parker, took them upstairs to show them, saying they needed to be bathed and to put on clothes that were more suitable to be worn.

Michelle gave Shelley the ‘look’ as if saying ‘what’s more suitable than what they were wearing already.’ Shelley shrugged a silent response, curiously thinking how, since they became twins they knew almost what the other was thinking, and how much could be communicated with just a ‘look.’ Maybe, Shelley thought, there was something to be discovered by the H B Company about artificially produced twins.

After being bathed together under the rather foreboding scrutiny of Mrs Parker, they were given clothing that looked like it came from the eighteen hundreds. Long ankle length dresses with petticoats just as long. Long gloves and bonnets. Even Shelley needed help to get dressed. Michelle was at a loss donning some of the clothes mainly the undergarments due to her inexperience in such matters.

It was plain to see that this woman had a big thing about the past not only in dress but in attitudes as well. The girls were reprimanded at any conduct not becoming young ladies, (even though they were apparently only eight) no loud talking, no running around, even play was forbidden. Instead, they had to sit quietly and demurely while they were given tasks ‘more suitable.’More of the ‘silent conversation’ passed between Michelle and Shelley, than at any other time. One of the tasks given them was embroidery; Michelle was at a loss of how even to start. Shelley at least understood the basics and managed to do a little of it.

When Mrs Parker came up to them a little while later she found Michelle just sitting there looking bewildered having not even attempted anything.

“Well if you’re not going to do anything at all, then you’ll not get any dinner,” she remarked tersely. At this, tears started rolling down Michelle’s cheeks.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Michelle sobbed. Mrs Parker looked over towards Shelley and at how much she had done.

“Your sister has managed to do some, I think you are shirking and so the punishment stands.”

It was a strange experience for Michelle so feel so vulnerable to these emotions flooding her young body, so unlike that of her adult male body. She felt like a child and her body reacted like a child’s would, even though crying, as she was seemed unnatural to her old way of thinking she couldn’t stop it.

That night at dinner she was told to sit at her place at the table where food was placed out for Shelley and Mrs Parker, but none for Michelle. Only a glass of water was permitted. Michelle’s stomach grumbled as hunger and the smell of food made it worse. Shelley too, was uncomfortable eating while her twin was unable to.

That night when they finally got to be alone in their shared bedroom, Shelley came over to Michelle and started to cry. Michelle hugged her tight saying,

“Not to worry it will soon be over, only 3 more days.”

“One more hour is one too many,” sobbed Shelley. Silently Michelle agreed, but said nothing to upset Shelley any more than she was already.

The next morning Mrs Parker went out leaving the girls to the tender mercies of the housekeeper. Her instructions were to supervise the girls in their efforts at hand sewing.Michelle had the sudden vision of another day without dinner, as sewing wasn’t something she knew much about either, apart from sewing the odd button back on a shirt, her knowledge of anything more complicated was woefully lacking.

Shelley though, was having no more repeats of yesterday and managed to give some help even swapping the items giving Michelle her finished one and finishing the one Michelle had started herself.

Suddenly, Michelle started feeling odd, as if her skin was crawling. Then as the feelings intensified, she realised what it meant.

“Shelley I think I’m starting to revert,” she whispered.

“But it’s not due for another few days at least,” Shelley whispered back.

Michelle thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up as the realisation of the reason hit her.

“One can is supposed to do only one transformation, but we got two so maybe it was only a half strength dose we got and so the reversion is earlier.”

“So what happens now, how will we hide it until we regain our full size,” Shelley said, excitedly.

“Well if things go as they did in my previous transformation, I should remain much the same size till a high dose of calcium rich food is eaten.I will turn back into a male though . . .” Michelle answered worriedly.

“We might be able to disguise you until the growth spurt starts.Remember last time your hair didn’t revert, it just stayed the same length so we had to cut it.”

“Hmmm, I see where you’re getting at,” mused, a thoughtful Michelle.

“If my hair stays long all I need is to hide my male bits which won’t be hard in this getup as long as Mrs Parker doesn’t dress me personally.I’m glad our hair is nearly the same shade,”

“Right!” Said, Shelley feeling much more optimistic. Later that day after a meagre lunch which unfortunately contained none of the required calcium, they were allowed outside to ‘take the air’ as Mrs Parker put it, having returned in time to allow them out after lunch. Michelle and Shelley promptly went about trying to find a way to escape the clutches of this seemingly bizarre woman.

While trying to force themselves though a hedge at the edge of the property they slipped ripping their dresses, and just as they thought freedom was near, a big hand literally grabbed their bodies and lifted them clear off the ground. It was Jack the driver who had hold of them, and struggle as they might, they couldn’t break free.

Jack carried them back like they were just so much luggage.Finally dropping them down at the feet of Mrs Parker. The girls looked up to see her angry face as she saw the tears in their clothing. Michelle tried to say something about them playing hide and seek, but she wasn’t buying it.

“Get up stairs and change . . . NOW!” She shouted, “I’ll deal with you two later.” Feeling like two trapped mice in front of a hungry cat, they slunk upstairs to change.

As Michelle disrobed she found that her body had reverted back to male her/his small penis silent testimony to the final change. Looking in the mirror with Shelley beside him he was disturbed to see they still looked remarkably similar. Close scrutiny showed slight differences, but none of a major nature.Small changes in the shape of the nose and cheekbones, eyelashes maybe a tad shorter. In one way this pleased and upset Bill/Michelle. Pleased in that it would make it easier to disguise the fact that he was in fact a he, and not a she, but upset, because he was thinking that the reversion had failed to complete itself.

“Why do I still look like you,” Michelle asked. Shelley looked at him, thinking.

“Do you remember that time when I had shown your mother my baby photos after we had got engaged? And remember what your mother said about them?”

“Not really.” Replied Bill, I know she made some sort of joke about it, that’s all.

“She went and got out a photo of you at about the same age.I think you were 6 or 7 at the time, and she remarked that if you had been wearing a dress, then we would have looked liked twins.”

“I remember now,” he mused, as Bill again looked at their reflections.

“It was that comment that started this whole transformation thing in the first place. At the time I just put it aside as something impossible to achieve until I saw the advertisement on the telly.”

“I’m still not convinced that the changes have gone back to where they should be. Maybe the smaller dose has had some effect like there not being enough Nanite’s left to finished the job completely,” Bill continued.

“Nothing we can do about it here Bill,” Shelley replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Shelley then started getting dressed and helped Bill into his clothes, needing only to pad out his chest slightly. Luckily Bill’s voice was still able to sound the same; it just took a conscious effort to keep it light and feminine where before it was naturally feminine.

They stayed in the room waiting to see what Mrs Parker had in mind when the housekeeper opened the door and indicated that they were required downstairs.

Going downstairs felt like they were going to meet their executioner, both Shelley and Bill getting very nervous about just what Mrs. Parker had in mind.

“Well at least you did do as I told you.” She said when she saw them. “Your punishment until you learn that disobedience will not be tolerated, nor lying is that for the next few days you will get only bread and water.”Both Shelley and Bill felt their hearts sink at this knowing they needed calcium and bread and water wasn’t going to give them much of that.

That night Bill woke Shelly up in the middle of the night whispering to her that he had a plan.

“Let’s go downstairs and raid the fridge.”

“Okay, but we have to be careful,” Shelley replied, easing quietly out of bed.

Opening the bedroom door they peered out checking to see if the coast was clear, then sneaking quietly down the stairs they walked to the kitchen to where the fridge was. Looking inside they saw very little in the way of calcium rich products. A little cheese and some butter, but only half a bottle of milk.Bill suggested only one of them take it so at least there would be one adult and not two teenagers. Bill insisted that Shelley take it, saying her normal form would require less calcium than his larger one.

He then started making some butter rich cheese sandwiches, while Shelley drank the milk. Giving her the sandwiches, she started to eat trying to get as much in as she could in the shortest time. Finally having finished, they went back up stairs to wait.

At about 4 am in the morning Michelle/Shelley had regained most of her growth and decided to try and leave the house and get away from the Parker residence. Having no clothes to wear now she was fully adult, she wrapped a blanket around her, sari style and tied the middle with a belt she had found. Again the two ventured downstairs, this time to look for the keys to the four-wheel drive vehicle.

Managing to locate them near the kitchen on a hook there, they quietly opened the front door and walked to the car. It was unlocked and they made little noise opening the doors, but didn’t attempt to shut them, fearing the noise might wake someone before they got it started. Holding their breath, they turned the key in the ignition. The noise of the engine as it roared into life was shockingly loud in the quiet predawn morning. Quickly selecting a gear they roared off spinning the wheels in the gravel driveway.

Bill, looking back though the rear window at the disappearing house saw lights coming on and someone run outside looking towards them. Michelle who by this time was fast approaching the front gates, which appeared to be shut, yelled at Bill to get a seat belt on, as she wasn’t stopping.Gripping the steering wheel tight Michelle accelerated at the gates crashing through with a sound of rending metal.It appeared that any damage to the vehicle was minimal and hadn’t stopped them from continuing on in their frantic rush for freedom.

Driving along the winding road in poor light conditions with no headlights, (they had been broken on contact with the gate) near the edge of cliffs, was nerve racking to say the least. Bouncing over unseen potholes and ruts made the vehicle jump around and they nearly left the road a few times.

As the miles widened between them and the house they slowed, gaining more control of the vehicle. Then as they started to come into the outskirts of a small township nestled in a valley overlooking the ocean, they spotted the flashing lights of a police car coming towards them. Slowing, they saw the car slow then turn across the road blocking it.Coming to a stop, Michelle stayed in the vehicle as the patrolman advanced on them, gun drawn.

As he neared he motioned with his hand for Michelle to get out of the vehicle.Michelle complied holding her blanket tight about her. Bill had also climbed down and walked to where Michelle was shivering in the chill morning air. Taking her hand in his they waited while the man spoke into a walkie-talkie. He advanced on them telling Michelle to raise her hands.She started to explain that she had nothing on underneath, but at his angry gesture with the gun, she reluctantly released the blanket.

As her hands started rising the blanket decided to slip down, falling from her shoulders, leaving her completely nude from the waist up.The mans eyes widened as they took in her naked form, her nipples on her breasts started puckering into hard nubs in the exposed air. He lowered, then holstered his weapon, saying she could pull the blanket up again, although his gaze lingered on her, as if reluctant to see her body covered up again.

Michelle started to explain, saying she had escaped from a house and had taken her niece with her. Bill looked up at Michelle wondering at the sudden change of relationship between them, but said nothing, thinking Michelle must have her reasons.As the patrolman listened, his eyes showed puzzlement.

“I was called in to a theft of a motor vehicle and the abduction of two eight year old twin girls,” he butted in. “Now ma’am your story tells me something completely different.I’m going to settle this back at the station, please get in the back of my car so we can get to the bottom of this.”

On the drive back to the police station Michelle again continued her story about the abduction of her niece and how she ended up without clothes.Saying she was held captive for two days in a locked room and naked so she couldn’t escape, and that it was Shelley who had finally helped her escape. At the station, a phone call to Mrs Parker resulted in more questioning of Michelle; she was accused of lying and of abduction of minors.

Things really started getting heated when Mrs Parker arrived, claiming Bill/Shelley was in her care and what had Michelle done with the other twin. Michelle having no ID asked them to call a number and ask the person there to give them a description of herself and her niece. One of the officers did and found to his puzzlement that the description that Susan, the person the call was made to, confirmed Michelle’s claims.

Mrs Parker was asked for papers confirming her story on the children’s placement at her home and when she couldn’t supply them, the police started to question the truth of her story, saying it sounded more like there was some truth in Michele’s story. Michelle said she wouldn’t press charges as long as she was given some clothes and a flight home.

Arriving home after a short visit to a clothing store where Michelle was given new clothing at Mrs Parker’s expense and a paid ticket for a flight back, they finally arrived home. Sinking into the couch they hugged each other too tired to do much more. After a supper consisting of dairy rich foods for Bill they went to bed to sleep like logs for the first time in days.

The next morning Bill woke to find himself back to normal except he thought he could still see a lingering resemblance to Michelle.Asking Michelle when she woke, she replied,

“Well there is a marked difference, but nothing that shouts out loud, maybe over time it will fade.”

“That reminds me we need to go to the Hugglebug Company and complain about the faulty can,” Bill said.

“Okay let’s go after breakfast then,” Michelle replied, getting out of bed and starting to get dressed.

At the company Rose the receptionist was most sympathetic to their story and went back into the warehouse coming back in a minute or two with two more cans of spray.

“Here is another dose of spray same type as before, but without the DNA element in it and another can of fixative spray,” she said, handing them the cans.

Driving back home from the H B Company Michelle looked at Bill and then at the cans a smile on her face,

“Bill?” Bill looked at her in amazement thinking she wouldn’t, couldn’t, be thinking of trying it again. Michelle saw his expression and laughed,

“No Bill I wasn’t,” knowing the thoughts plainly shown on Bill’s face, “in fact this is what I was thinking of,” as she opened the window and threw the two cans out towards the trees lining the roadside. “Now what do you say to an adoption of a child for us?” Bill replied as they drove on, that that sounded like an excellent idea.As they sped off not caring that one of the cans had fallen into a hole and the other, the form changing one, had bounced of a tree root and had landed at the edge of the road, where it could be plainly seen.

The End?

The Inheritor ( A Hugglebugs story )

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Stuck

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

“Dying, he found salvation from a can of mysteriously-mutated Hugglebugs spray, and sanctuary in the form of a dead girl.”

The Inheritor

A Hugglebugs story

by Prudence Walker ©

Readers note: Although this story is complete and stand-alone, this story follows on from the conclusion of Clothes Horse 2 (The Sequel), but two years later on. Readers are advised to read Clothes Horse and Clothes Horse 2 first, as it explains the presence of the can of spray used in this story.

Chapter 1

Somewhere along a tree-lined road between Celoron and Jamestown there rests an unused can of Hugglebug spray, exposed to the heat of direct sunlight and sub-zero temperatures, It has lain there, undisturbed for several years. The nanites inside have undergone a number of unplanned physical and electrical changes since their original programming. Polarisation shifts and subtle molecular changes, due to extreme thermal differentials have altered the properties of the nanites, far beyond those that its producers ever expected

Not far from where the can lay, a young man stumbles along an old railway track dressed in ragged clothing, held tight against his freezing body. He cut across the tracks, looking for some sort of shelter against the inclement weather. He then heads for the trees that line the same road where the can had lain undisturbed for so long.

In the nearby city, a girl breathes her last as two thugs toss her naked and weighted body off from the boat landing at the corner of Jones and Gifford Street and 8th into the icy waters below. Picking up her discarded clothing, some showing the fresh blood that had come from her recently inflicted wounds, they then bundled it up in a bag ready for disposal far from the murder scene. They drove rapidly toward the outskirts of town, the two killers heading in the direction of Celoron.

Drax finds some respite from the wintry winds between the trees, and he sits down thinking again of the circumstances that brought him to this sorry state. Once, some months ago, he was a healthy young man with good prospects for a job, having a knack for artistic design. His world came crashing down around him as he discovered he had only scant months to live. What began as a routine medical check-up ended up as a sentence of death, as the doctor found he had an inoperable tumour at the base of his Cerebellum that would end his life within a month or two.

Drax, (a name he had adopted from a comic book hero) was devastated by the pronouncement of his impending fate. He walked around for hours in a daze before making a profound decision to live the good life with his savings for as long as they lasted, before he got too sick to enjoy himself.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, his money ran out before the doctor’s prediction became a reality, and he was forced to beg and scavenge for food and shelter for the past few weeks. Wandering from place to place in the futile search for better sources of sustenance, he eventually managed to board an empty boxcar that he assumed was heading south away from the winter snows in his hometown. While sleeping, the train changing tracks had gone unnoticed, as it went from a southerly direction to an easterly one. In the comparative silence of the rail yards, the banging of the boxcars as they were being shunted had awoken him. Startled, he then stumbled out into the night in freezing icy winds not knowing where chance had placed him.

Meanwhile, not far away, speeding along on Livingston Street, the two murderers checked for observers, before they opened the car’s window, and threw the bag containing the murdered girl's belongings out in the direction of the trees that bordered the road.

“Well that’s the last we’ll see of Phoebe,” Tom, the larger of the thugs said.

“Yes, I’ll be glad to get out of this stinking burg,” replied Dan. I still wonder why we had to kill her off though.”

“Boss’s orders you know that” replied, Tom.

“Yeah! But she looked a nice kid, must have pissed the boss something awful to warrant her death.” Dan said sullenly.

Just then, Drax, hearing the loud thud of the bag landing almost on top of him where he sat against a tree, thought, ‘I wonder why someone’s throwing rubbish from a car at this time of night.’

Thinking that whatever had been tossed might come in handy as a windbreak, he started to search for it in the gloom between the trees. Luckily, a car passing threw enough light to show him the whereabouts of the bag. Bending over to grab it, the light from another car glinted off something metallic shinning in the grass.

Reaching down, he felt the outlines of a spray-can with its lid still securely fastened on top. Never one to throw something away until it was used up or broken, he took both the bag and the can back to the tree he had been using as a windbreak.

By the feel of the bag and a quick fumbled exploration inside, he knew it was some sort of clothing. Thinking that he needed to use one of his few precious matches to show just what it was he had, he got up, and started looking for a more sheltered area. Walking just off the verge so that he could duck out of sight should a vehicle start to slow, (the last thing he wanted was to be picked up as a vagrant). He spotted what looked like an old abandoned railway storage shed nearby.

Walking round it, he saw the single window had been broken and hanging partially open. Managing to chin himself into the room leaving the bag outside, he found that he could unlock the door. Retrieving the bag, he went back inside and shut the door. Looking around the shed he saw an old Hurricane lantern that was once used in signalling trains. Sniffing, he detected the pungent fumes of kerosene. Managing to use only one match he got the rusty lantern lit, leaving the top open, it threw strange shadows around the tiny shed. For a minute, he cupped his hands over the flame, relishing the small amount of heat to warm his near-frozen hands.

Looking down at the bag, he moved the lantern closer. Opening the bag, he found what seemed to be a complete, previously worn outfit for a young woman including handbag, shoes, and even jewellery.

‘How odd?’ He thought, but then as he held the clothing up he saw the bloodstains and surmised that something bad had happened to the young woman Going though the handbag he found credit cards and a drivers license plus the usual makeup and other female paraphernalia. Thinking of the cold outside he wondered if any of the items would fit him as added insulation as long as it was hidden under his old clothes it shouldn’t matter. From the blood, his instincts told him that Phoebe (according to the ID) was beyond caring who wore her clothes.

Normally, the thought of wearing clothing from a dead person’s body especially those of a female would have been repugnant, but this wasn’t a normal situation. It was survival, and anything that prolonged it was acceptable.

He stood there scratching at the scabs from the lice that had infested his once clean and unblemished skin. Seeing the can sitting next to the now empty bag, he lifted it up to the light to read what was left of the label. It mentioned something about hugglebugs, he shook the can, and he could feel that it was full by the way the fluid inside sloshed around. Removing the top, he sprayed a little on his skin to smell it. ‘Hmmm nothing detectable, could this be a bug spray?’ he thought. Returning to the bag, he started to remove his tattered dirty clothes.

Then standing naked, his skin starting to get Goosebumps in the cold air he reached for the spray and generously sprayed himself head to toe, thinking it may get rid of the lice if he’s lucky. The spray when it hit his open sores stung a little, but it soon wore off and feeling cold, he reached for the clothing. Grabbing the woman’s panties, he quickly pulled them on, then her slip. He was careful pulling on her dress, fearing that it might split, so delicate seemed its construction. With it over his head and smoothed into place, Drax was surprised by how well it fit. Reaching for the pantyhose he started to pull them on, but paused, thinking these need extra care if he wasn’t to tear them. Easing them gently up his legs, the enveloping nylon feeling unexpectedly pleasant as the gentle compression seemed to massage his legs. He had discarded the bra as unnecessary, and put it to one side.

As he started pulling on his old clothes, the sudden odd feel of his body struck him. Nothing felt right, it was if his skin was crawling over his bones. Even his bones felt like they were altering. Getting worried that the final stages of the tumour might be affecting his mind, he sat and waited to see if the effects would pass off.

Sitting there alone in the shed, the flickering light of the lantern seemed to be causing the shadow of his body to alter; he laughed quietly to himself. ‘If my friends could see me now,’ he thought. Dressed in female clothing, filthy, with sores all over my body, my short blond hair now grown to long silky black hair

“What?... I don’t have long black hair,” he exclaimed out loud, putting a hand up to his head and bringing a handful round to look at it.

“What’s happening to me? Why does my voice sound different too?” Looking at his hair, he noticed his hands had shrunk and were slender and his fingers were long and elegant. ‘Elegant?’ looking more closely, he noticed that his nails, once broken and grime encrusted now sported feminine tips, nicely rounded.

‘These are a woman’s hands,’ he thought. Now seriously doubting his sanity, Drax did a quick check over the rest of his body. Starting at his head, he could tell there had been major changes in his features. Higher cheekbones, smooth soft skin where before there had been beard stubble. His lips felt fuller and his eyebrows and lashes were different too. Getting more panicky by the minute, he felt his arms losing what muscle tone they had, becoming slender and graceful.

Looking down, he could see and feel something different about his chest. Not only was it pushing the dress front out where it shouldn’t be, but he could also feel what seemed like breasts there. Confirming his suspicions as he cupped them with his hands, he guessed they were very large. The sense of weight as they rested on his chest pulled his thoughts over to the bra sitting nearby. ‘Yes it looks as if it should fit,’ he thought.

‘What am I thinking? Fit! Now I know I’ve lost my mind.’ Suddenly the words of his old Sensei came to mind, about centering one’s self. Going into a near trance like state as he sought his Chi, Drax found himself calming then, as his feelings of panic washed away, he found himself able to think clearly again. Clinically and calmly, he continued his examination of his or should that be, her body. Logic told him/her that he/she had been fully transformed. Drax’s hands confirmed that indeed, she was now a woman. His once proud male organs were gone, replaced by the mysteries of a woman’s sex.

At about the same time Drax was discovering her new sex. In a run down house some 50 miles beyond the outskirts of Celoron, a phone conversation was going on.

“Yes boss all done.” Tom said. “The girl’s gone forever,” he continued.

“And the evidence, the clothes and belongings? Destroyed?” came back across the line.

“Um yes boss,” Tom said nervously.

“You don’t sound so sure, I want them destroyed completely, nothing to come back haunting us in the future. I need for her to just disappear without trace, you understand that?” The voice demanded.

“Yes boss.” Tom replied, silently signalling to Dan.

“Remember, I want no one to have cause to question the acquisition of her inheritance. Without her, the estate will eventually fall into my hands.”

“No problems boss,” Tom answered.

Hanging up the phone, he turned to Dan who was standing next to him with a questioning look in his eyes.

“What’s up Tom?” he queried.

“The damn bag is what! I knew it was stupid to just throw it out the window, we need to get our asses back there and recover it before anyone else does, and more importantly, before the boss hears about it.”

With that they went and got back into the car for the race to the bag.

Realising that if ‘She’ wanted to walk anywhere; the bra was now a necessary requirement. So pulling off the dress again Drax reached for the bra ... suddenly, a thought flashed though ‘her’ mind and instead, reached for the half full can of spray.

Turning it over carefully, as if it was a bomb, she tried again to read what was left of the label. She could see what looked like the words Hugglebugs Company and what looked like directions of use, but they were too small to make out in the poor light. Vowing to make sure, he/she kept the can to find out if there was some sort of antidote to the spray, realising that somehow the spray, impossible though it seemed, had been the agent of the changes. It had given him a body that seemed directly linked to the putting on of the girl’s clothes, had he now become the person that had worn these clothes?

The frigid air on her near naked body, (Changing to the feminine pronoun seemed a necessity). Stopped further speculation as to how it had happened and the true identity of her new body form. Pulling on the bra seemed like an exercise in gymnastics, but at last her breasts were sitting comfortably in the cups. Pulling on the dress again she noticed the fit was better. Starting to put on ‘his’ old shoes, she found the size of her new feet swam in them.

Sighing, she startled herself with the, oh so very feminine sound coming from her lips. She looked again at the shoes that had come with the clothes. They had 1 ½ inch heels and she was grateful that they weren’t any higher, slipping them on, she tried walking a few steps.

Meanwhile Tom and Dan had stepped out of the car along where they guessed they had jettisoned the bag, and were walking a few feet apart searching the undergrowth along the roadside.

“Too damn cold now?” grumbled Dan; “Can't we come back in the morning?”

“If you want our bodies joining the girl’s if someone else comes across that bag, then fine, go back,” snarled Tom. “Me, I want to live a little longer, thanks.”

“Okay ... I was only saying...” Dan trailed off, as he resumed searching the roadside. After having found nothing, they continued walking until Dan tripped over a root nearly falling. He cursed out loud, till Tom told him to shut up. Continuing on, they came up to the old shed where they leaned against it out off the wind were they discussed their options.

“I still say we come back in the morning,” Dan said, as he stood shivering.

“Well if we don’t find that bag you threw out and the contents show up, then we are as dead as the girl, you know that don’t you?”

“Well I feel nearly frozen to death now,” replied Dan, “I say we get back here at first light when we can see what we’re doing.”

“It should be here, we dumped it only an hour ago. You better hope nobody found it,” cursed Tom.

“At this time of night? Who’s likely to be out here now, in this freezing weather?” Dan replied, caustically.

Then before Tom could reply, Dan walked back towards the car with Tom reluctantly following.

As they walked away, inside the shed Drax shivered in the darkness, knowing that the bag in question was sitting at her feet. Luckily, she had doused the light when she had heard someone cursing nearby. Fearing discovery, she had huddled under the window out of sight from anyone looking in. Putting two and two together she realised that the two men outside had been the killers of the girl, whose clothes, she now wore and more than likely, resembled. She waited, silently praying that they didn’t want to look inside. As she heard the men saying that they would come back in the morning, she drew a big sigh of relief.

Drax looked in the purse searching for clues about why would people need the girl dead. The ID in the purse was for a 20 year old girl going by the name of Phoebe Wilson. As Drax suspected she now was identical to the dead girl’s body, it seemed that she might as well assume her name and identity. After all, what else could she do? Being a male on the streets was one thing, but a young girl. No, she’d have to find a way to begin again.

Wait a minute... If he was identical to the girl then might that mean the tumour was gone? This would change everything, if she were now a healthy young woman... that meant a full life as a female.

Coming to a decision. Phoebe as she had mentally renamed herself, decided to wait till just before dawn before leaving the shed. Five hours later, she picked up the rest of her belongings slipping the jewellery on her wrists and fingers and finding that the spray had duplicated the holes in her ears, put the earrings in. Slinging the bag over her shoulder and giving her old clothes one final look, she cautiously stepped outside into the pre-dawn light.

Thinking that she should get away from this spot in case the men returned earlier than expected, Phoebe started walking, finding that her old training in Tai Chi was helping her balancing on these heeled shoes. The feelings generated by her new form as she walked, the swivelling of her hips and the gentle bouncing of her breasts, and even her long hair blowing in her eyes as the wind blew it around her face was decidedly erotic.

Knowing that this was now her body made her feel like some sort of voyeur. Feeling sensations not meant for males to understand, it took all her control to keep calm. Feeling decidedly odd, wearing a dress, and walking in heels, Phoebe felt exposed and scared that everyone could tell she wasn’t a real woman. When she was about a mile from the hut the light grew brighter as dawn started breaking and Phoebe could now see that the bloodstains on her clothing were plainly visible. Wishing she had brought her old shirt to cover them, she tried vainly to cover some with her bag.

Five hours after getting to sleep in an old abandoned house, Tom woke.

“Come on you lazy sod, wake up,” shouted Tom, as he shook Dan in his bed. “We’re going to be late.”

“Mflfle..whaa..oh, bu” Dan grumbled, trying to clear his head.

“Okay, hold your horses.” He said scrambling into his clothes. “What’s the time anyway?”

“F**k**g 5 O’clock you moron, by the time we get there it will be light already.”

“I’m coming already,” Dan snarled back, running to the car while he pulled his jacket on.

While the killers had started driving back towards Celoron, Phoebe had begun walking along the road. Realising that she needed to reach the address on her new ID, to get some new clothes and to take the time to decide what she was going to do next. At that hour, there were very few cars on the road, but she kept an eye open for a possible ride. A car coming up from behind had her holding her thumb out in the universal gesture. As the car passed then slowed, stopping just ahead, she saw another vehicle going the other way with two men in it. She noticed them looking her way and hurriedly ran as fast as she could to the waiting car, wondering if their looks were just from curiosity or something more sinister. She anxiously climbed into the front passenger’s door, smiling at the woman driver, as she started moving again.

As Tom, was driving back along the road towards the lost bag they passed a female walking towards them. Something about her seemed familiar, then it struck them, it was the girlAlive! By the time these thoughts had gelled into actions, they were almost a mile further on. Tom slammed the car to a halt with a screech as the wheels locked up, then smoking the tires again; he spun the car and accelerated back.

“Damn! She was right there,” yelled Tom, looking past the edge of the road towards the fields, looking for any possible hiding places. Slowing, they cruised slowly past where they had spotted the girl.

“Maybe we were seeing things, or maybe it was her ghost,” retorted Dan, smirking a little. “I mean she was dead. There is no way she could have survived.”

“I tell you, it was her. I saw the bloodstains, oh shit! Are we ever going to get it, if it’s her.” Maybe she got a ride with that car that had stopped by the road. With that, they sped up trying to run down the car that, by this time had disappeared.

Phoebe looked nervously though the rear window checking on the other car as she saw the brakes lights come on, she knew with a sinking in her heart that that car meant trouble with a capital T. The woman noticed her worried glances in the rear window, looking in her mirrors, she saw a vehicle some distance away making a U-turn.

“Honey are you in trouble?” she asked, looking at her bloodstained dress.

Thinking fast, Phoebe said,

“I’ve been attacked I think the men in the car behind are still after me.” Looking back, the woman saw that the other car had slowed, opening the distance between them. Accelerating, she managed to put more distance between them, until a bend in the road hid them from view. Still keeping her speed up, the woman asked if she was hurt, or did she want to go to the police?

“No, only a few superficial cuts. I just need to get home,” replied Phoebe, trying to get comfortable with the unaccustomed pressure on her breasts from the seat belt.

“Oh! And just where might that be?” The woman enquired politely.

Phoebe gave her the address. 6 Hillcrest Street. Celoron, which was in her purse, hoping it was still valid.

“Well that’s good. I live in Avalon Road that’s not too far from you so I can drop you off at your home. My names Rose by the way.”

“Thank you so much, I’m greatly indebted to you, the names Phoebe, Phoebe Wilson.”

Rose had by this time taken the first road off to the left and was going the long way to Phoebe’s address hoping to shake off any pursuit.

“Do they know your address dear? If so, I can wait till you’re inside and you can call the police.”

“I don’t know Rose,” Phoebe replied, “They may do” She trailed off.

“Well here we are,” as they drew up to a small, but pleasant looking house in cream with green trim. “Now are you sure you’re going to be okay?” asked Rose, looking concerned at the rather bedraggled girl.

“Yes thank you,” replied Phoebe, giving Rose an awkward one armed hug before getting out of the car. Then she slowly made her way to the front door of the house.

After cruising the neighbourhood for what seemed hours, Tom snarled,

“We lost them, goddamnit.” Dan looked at his partner in crime and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well if you were the girl, where would you go?”

Tom thought a moment, considering, would she go to the police or to her home.

“Well, what say we cruise past her home and see what’s what, and if there’s any police we skedaddle okay? If there’s no sign of the police, we wait and see what develops. We can always enter at night and grab her then.”

Chapter 2

Meanwhile Phoebe had managed to open the front door with one of the keys in her purse. Hoping the delay in trying the others first hadn't alerted Rose's suspicions, as she waited in the car by the driveway. Turning to wave goodbye to Rose, she entered. Standing just inside the door, she looked around taking in the clean and simply styled interior. Quickly establishing that the house was empty, she went back and locked the door.

First priority. The bathroom, the uncomfortable feeling of a full bladder, insisting that she discover rather quickly, just how to relieve herself. Looking sadly at the toilet seat she realised that unless there was a cure/antidote to the spray then she was destined to having to sit down to pee. Pulling down her panties she sat and waited. Feeling the pressure build, she tried relaxing, letting nature take its course.

Hmmm, she thought, you still get the same sense of relief although it feels different and the sound... She found that you had to wipe after, unlike a man where you just flicked it dry. Finishing, she thought, now! The mirror, to get her first look at the person she had become. Walking to the bathroom where she found a ¾ length mirror, steeling herself for the shock, she stepped in front of it seeing for the first time, her new image.

At first it was hard to think as this person in the mirror as being her, years of seeing her old male image in a mirror was familiar and comforting. She or rather Drax knew every inch of himself, every expression and every little imperfection. Coming to grips with seeing a totally new and strange face was unnerving, especially when the movements mimicked her every thought. ‘She’s beautiful’... ‘I’m’... lost in the beauty of the image in front of her, Phoebe stood there entranced. Although now she was dirty and bedraggled, clothes ripped and bloodstained. The beauty of this young woman wasn’t to be denied.

Slowly, she brought her hands up to her hair watching the image do the same. That, which was still Drax was in love with this image. Suddenly an incongruous thought entered, I’m filthy, and I need my hair washed. Stripping off, she kept her eyes on her body admiring the full breasts and pert nipples. Brushing against one as she was removing the bra sent shivers though her new anatomy. Pausing, she started touching them, getting engrossed in the waves of pleasure coming them as she continued.

Her nipples hardened and the feelings increased spreading downward to her other as of yet unexplored pleasure centre. Reluctantly she stopped, thinking first things first. Clean up, get some new clothes then find out more about this person that I’ve become. Looking around the bathroom, she found all manner of scented bath soaps, shampoos, lotions and other feminine products. She suspected she’d have to learn all about them and their uses if she was destined to remain female.

Deciding to shower rather than have a more relaxing bath knowing speed was preferable at this time, she washed her hair and cleaned any smudges of blood from her body that had come from the clothes. She was conscious that her new body was far more sensitive to the ministrations of the soap and washcloth. Feeling she could have spent all day in the shower getting to know this gorgeous body, she reluctantly finished, and grabbing a nice warm towel, dried herself off. Then finding a hair dryer, went to work on her hair, spending more than 15 minutes getting it dry.

Not knowing a lot about styling, Phoebe just brushed it gently after it was fully dry, fortunately it seemed to fall into a natural style of it’s own, ‘either that, or it had been permed,’ thought Phoebe. Feeling somewhat exposed just in a towel, the next stop was the bedroom and some fresh clothes. Opening drawers, she found a bewildering array of underwear in all colours and styles.

All the knowledge Phoebe had of where and how woman’s clothing went on, was limited to the fact that women wore matching coloured underwear. Thinking that this young woman, whose place she had taken, was meticulous in her habits, she more than likely would have organised her clothing in an order ready to be worn. So taking note of where everything was, she took the top pair of panties, (which just happened to be a pale blue) then opening the drawer with the slips and bras picked out the ones that seemed to match.

Finding a new pair of hose, she took these to the bed and laid them out.

Walking over to the closet, Phoebe contemplated her next decision, what to wear. Laughing inwardly at the clique expression, knowing this would be literally true, as she had no idea of how to match woman’s clothing.

Staring at all the variety of clothes there, made her pause. Seeing there were a couple of jeans, she took a pair off its hanger, thinking ‘I can still wear pants although I’m a girl now.’ They seemed rather small to fit her body and holding them up against her, she realised that it would be such a tight fit that it might even be uncomfortable.

Opting for something that looked a little more comfortable, she picked out a yellow dress that had an elasticised bodice with a full skirt. Getting dressed this time was easier having the light to see what she was doing; in addition, having done it once, she knew the basic idea.

Having dressed and wearing slipper like shoes, (what she was to learn later were called mules). She started exploring the house, going from one end to the other. In her search, she found boxes of what looked like baby girl’s clothes, but there seemed to be no signs that a small baby had ever lived here. ‘Maybe they were from her childhood and was just storing them for her own sentimental reasons,’ thought Phoebe. Finding a photo album seemed to confirm this, as several pictures showed a child wearing the same clothing. The album seemed to be a record of the original Phoebe's life showing her growing up. Pictures of her parents were there too, a nice looking couple Phoebe decided. Wondering if she was ever destined to meet them, knowing there was no way she could fool them into thinking she was their daughter.

Phoebe started looking at the mail that had been delivered. Most of it was on a table near the hallway, but some were still in the mailbox by the front door. Taking these and some of the already opened mail Phoebe sat down at the kitchen table and started to read. There were a few from her parents, saying they would be arriving on the tenth of November and that they were looking forward to staying with her for a week or so. Looking at the electric clock in the kitchen Phoebe noted that it was already the 14th of November. Strange she thought if they had arrived, there should have been some sign in the house, but she knew from her search that only Phoebe’s belongings were here.

Looking at one of the unopened letters, she found it was from a lawyer and another from a funeral director. Getting a bad feeling she opened them hoping that this had nothing to do with her, well the former Phoebes death. Inside one was a police statement and contained a coroner’s report.

“Dear Miss Wilson,

We regret to inform you of your parents' death”

Phoebe hurriedly skimmed the letters. From the information she gathered, Phoebe’s parents had been killed in an accident on the way to her place. Apparently, the rental car had veered off the road and had crashed into the lake, drowning the occupants. The only thing that was found to be rather suspicious was some dents and scratches on the car that may indicate an impact with another vehicle.

Phoebe sat back in the chair, thoughts rushing though her mind. ‘Somebody wants this family dead, hmmmthat puts me right back in the firing line. They killed ‘me’ once, now if they know I’m alive again’ Phoebe shuddered, thinking, ‘I’ve just possibly been given a new lease of life even if it is as a woman, and now somebody wants to end it, before it’s really started.’

‘Well this little lady will not go down without a fight,’ she thought. Looking though the lawyer’s letter, she read that there was a considerable inheritance coming from the will that her parents had made. Noting a contact phone number in the letter, she decided to give them a call, even though it was late afternoon, hopefully, someone would still be there.

“Yes, this is Phoebe Wilson from 6 Hillcrest Street.” she answered, after informing them of the letter she had received. She wondered if the inheritance could be motive enough, for someone to consider killing people for.

“No! ... You’re kidding! And it’s all mine? Okay I’ll come in tomorrow to sign the papers.”

Phoebe dropped the phone not caring if it lay off the cradle; the information she had just been given had stunned her. She was rich, rich far beyond anything she could have imagined, 20 million dollars and a property at Lakewood. The reality of it was still sinking in. This changed everything, did she want to find a possible reversal of the effects of the spray and live as a male again without any money? Plus, there was the tumour; there might be no guarantee that it be gone. The other choice if she remained as she was, a beautiful young woman, she could live in comfort for the rest of her life.

Tomorrow she would try and find the company that made the spray, mainly to see if the change was permanent or not. Deciding that, no matter what she found out, learning to live as a woman would an interesting challenge. Phoebe relaxed then, thinking about the possibilities of being attacked, she stood up and went into the living room where she sat cross-legged on the floor preparing the go into a meditative state. As she sank into a lotus position, she marvelled at the ease at which this new body attained it without strain. Then changing her mind, she thought what better way of uniting body and mind than a few exercises. One of the reasons she had taken up Tai Chi was the graceful moments of the kata. Now with this highly flexible body she found that she was able to do the most difficult moves with ease.

Working until the body felt familiar and comfortable, she ended the exercise, feeling confident of her ability to defend herself against several attackers if worse came to the worse. Showering after her workout, she walked into the bedroom and slipped into a very comfortable nightgown that she found under the pillow. Then deciding that food was her next priority, she went into the kitchen. She did a quick check in the fridge seeing if there was any food handy. Making and eating a light dinner of rice and lightly sautéed vegetables, savouring for the first time in ages, food that hadn’t been thrown out or stale. Feeling fatigued, she decided to go to bed early as tomorrow promised to be a long day.

Later that same evening, Tom shook Dan awake; saying it was nearly time for them to make a move.

“I hate sleeping in a car, I end up all stiff,” moaned Dan.

“Rather stiff than being a stiff,” replied Tom testily, “I still can’t figure out how she survived, and then finding her clothes again, in the dark. I tell you, it’s downright spooky.”

“Maybe it’s not really her, maybe a sister?”

“No, she’s an only child, there is no sister,” replied Tom. “Anyway we’ll find out in a few minutes, I saw a light go out in the bedroom, so she’ll be sleeping soon and we can finally finish things.”

Meanwhile, lying in a bed with clean sheets was heaven, feeling the silky slipperiness of the nightgown against her skin was an unexpected bonus. ‘All because of this,’ she thought, as she turned the can over in her hands. Putting the can on the night table beside her bed she turned the bedside light off, and snuggled deeper under the covers and closed her eyes.

She never heard the two men, as they pried open the window in the bathroom. Suddenly she was jerked awake as the two men grabbed hold of the sheets, pinning her in seconds. A light was turned on and she saw her assailants for the first time, there was a gasp as the two men saw her fully.

“It is her, Tom, you were right.”

“SHUDUP! You idiot, don’t you ever think?” growled Tom. “Never say our names.”

“Well seeing as she’s not going to be talking to anyone, ever, it doesn’t matter,” Dan replied.

“Just how did you survive, girlie? Come on, I want some answers.” Tom demanded, shaking her violently.

“Er it’s a long story” Phoebe tried to say, but was interrupted when Tom ripped the nightgown exposing her breasts.

“Look Tom, there’s no wounds, how can there be no wounds?” Dan said, sounding very frightened.

Phoebe realised if she didn’t do something soon; she would end up dead in minutes. She remembered a lesson in her martial arts course about how anything can be used as a weapon. Looking to the side she saw the can of spray, thinking if she could reach it she could spray it in their eyes blinding them, which could give her the precious seconds to fight back,

“I’m a witch, you can’t kill me,” she shouted. They drew back a little at the venom in her voice.

Dan moved back loosening his hold on her body, enough so she got her arm free. Grabbing the can she flicked the lid off with her thumb and sprayed it directly into each of the thug’s eyes.

Reeling back with a yell, they started rubbing their eyes trying to clear them, flinging the now released covers back, she jumped out of bed. The thugs stumbled after her, bumping into each other in their rush. Phoebe pivoted with one leg held out in a high kick to Tom’s head felling him like a sodden tree. Vaulting over the bed she came at Dan and evading his clumsy attempts at catching her, she spun, placing her back against his chest. As he grappled her, she sank her elbow deep into his solar plexus. As he staggered back clutching his middle and gasping for breath, Phoebe executed a perfect backward spinning high kick to the head. Dan‘s head snapped back knocking him to the floor unconscious.

Standing there in the middle of the floor breasts heaving from the exertion, Phoebe considered the two thugs, should she call the police, or could she dispose of them another way? Getting the police in at this stage might cause more problems, until she had established herself comfortably into the original Phoebe’s role. Getting an idea, she retrieved the can of spray thinking if it could change her, it should do the same for them. Swallowing her distaste, she stripped the two men of their clothes, and then she used the some more of the spray over their bodies. Walking into the other room, she came back with an armful of clothing, which she hoped the spray would act upon.

Coming to some hours later, Tom realised something was terribly wrong. His body felt odd and the feeling of strange fitting clothing was even stranger. Looking down at him....herself, she promptly fainted. Dan, too, was feeling odd, as he woke, surprisingly without the pain he was expecting, knowing the girl had overpowered him. Looking around he saw a young child about 5 years old lying next to him, her pink dress bunched up under her body as she lay on the floor. Looking for signs of either the girl or Tom, he called out. The voice that issued from his throat sounded like a little girl's, high and sweet. Swallowing he looked down at himself and went faint. No longer was there any sign of his old body. Instead, he saw that not only was he now wearing a little girls dress similar to the other little girl, but his body was now that of a girl, too. Getting a suspicion that Tom was the other child he ... she shook what she guessed was Tom

“Tom? Is that you in there?”

“Uugh!... who... why’s my voice... ahhh... noooo... please tell me I’m dreaming,” Tom’s voice cried, plaintively.

“Ah! You’re awake at last,” came a voice from behind them. As they turned, they looked up to see the young girl they had tried to kill looking at them speculatively. "So what were your names again," she asked with an eyebrow raised?”

“I’m Dan, and that’s Tom, at least I think it’s Tom," Dan replied fearfully.

“Well I don’t think Tom or Dan are suitable names anymore,” she replied with a grin. “In fact, I think I’ll call you Tammy and Danielle.”

“Lady, how, and what did you do to us? This is impossible,” moaned the renamed Danielle.

“Impossible? oh I wouldn’t say that, merely a simple spell,” Phoebe retorted. “I did warn you I was a witch.”

“Change us back now,” demanded Tom, trying unsuccessfully to sound threatening.

“Please lady, change us back and you’ll never see us again,” pleaded Dan.

“I don’t think so, as far as I see it. I can either take both of you to an orphanage where you’ll probably be fostered out to who knows who, or I can keep you here as my long lost nieces. When I come into my inheritance I will be rich enough to raise you in comfort, where you can grow up as ladies of style.” She looked at them expectantly watching their expressions of dismay changing to ones of speculation. “Well, what’s your decision ... girls?”

There was silence as the two former men thought about their changed circumstances, then suddenly, the fight seemed to visibly drain from them.

“Okay, you win,” sighed, Tammy. “I guess we were dead the minute we failed to eliminate you. If we have to be girls for the rest of our lives I would prefer to be rich than the uncertainty of being fostered out.”

“Well, there is one condition on your staying with me,” said Phoebe. “I need to know who hired you to kill me and I assume, my parents as well.” She looked at the two cute girls in their pretty dresses, thinking they made better girls than men. Maybe they could lead productive lives and redeem themselves for their past acts of crime.

“Remember, your lives too, depend on mine. Do you think he will let you live even if he does have me killed? Plus, my spell is the only thing keeping you alive,” she lied.

“If I die then so will you,” thinking this would stop any acts of revenge on their part. “Should you think of going to the police, do you think they will believe your story? You’ll be lucky not to be put in an asylum for the insane.”

Danielle looked at Tammy and shrugged as if to say, 'up to you,’ Tammy sighed, which brought look of surprise to her face, as she had momentarily forgotten that her vocal cords were those now of a child.

“It is your Uncle, he’s the one that would eventually get the inheritance if no other members of your family showed at the hearing tomorrow. He knew of it before your family did, so he took steps to ensure that there would be no one but himself there.”

“Hmmm. Well we’ll just have to spoil his plans won’t we?” she mused. “Well girls... time for bed, seeing as you know how to do that, I’ll leave you here. There are pillows and a mattress on the floor here, and you can get your own nightgowns out from these boxes of clothes. For your own safety I’ll lock this door, you never know who might break in,” she said, grinning at the two former men.

Tammy and Danielle struggled with their unfamiliar clothes, finding that with since they were fastened at the back, they needed help, finally getting the other to unbutton them. As they looked in the boxes sorting out some nightwear, they felt the shame of not only having to wear such feminine clothes, but that they were those of a child.

Getting into some cute little nightgowns, they dragged two blankets over themselves as they lay on the mattress.

While the girls were trying to get comfortable, Phoebe, being too tensed up to sleep, got out the phone book. She leafed though it looking for the address she needed to discover about the contents of the can. Examining the can again, she tilted it under the table lamp. It looked as if there was an l or something using a vertical stroke before the uggle part, the last part she decided, was company. Going though the letters of the alphabet thinking what sounded feasible, she came up with huggle, juggle, luggle, tuggle. Starting with the H’s she soon found what she looking for. Noting the number, she decided that first thing in the morning she would ring them. Finally knowing there was nothing more to accomplish that night, she went to bed.

Chapter 3

The next morning Phoebe woke suddenly, wondering where she was until she moved and felt the sensations of the nightgown against her breasts. Then the previous day’s events flooded back. Jumping out of bed, she checked on the children, opening the door quietly she saw them cuddled together still asleep. Closing the door she took another shower, revelling in the way the spray felt against her nipples. Iit was mildly erotic. As she used one of the perfumed, shower gels, rubbing it gently all over her body the feelings from caressing her breasts started something she didn’t want to stop.

Using one hand on her nipples, she slowly started exploring her new sex, her fingers entering the folds and slipping into the opening. Going further she stiffened as her fingers felt? What! At the electric shock-like sensation she felt when touching that small bump, a surge of an oncoming orgasm threatened to overwhelm all rational thought. Rubbing at her breasts and teasing at her joy button, Phoebe could only gasp as the waves of her first ever orgasm flooded her body. Sensations that while similar to her male orgasm, felt even better as they filled her whole body. Slowly coming down from the natural high, she thought this was something she could live with.

She finished and walked out from the bathroom rubbing at her hair, unmindful that to an observer, she looked like any typical girl doing a normal everyday task. Then she walked into the room with the girls. Stirring them with her foot as they lay on the floor, she told them to find some clothes and get dressed. Going to her bedroom, she started doing the same, selecting a smart suit combination with a white blouse, knowing that she needed to look mature and responsible for the hearing.

Drying her hair using a hair dryer and brush, she managed to get her hair looking reasonably neat, then looking at jewellery she selected some rings and a gold necklace with a locket that contained photos of her mum and dad. Looking at the makeup on the vanity, she decided that until she knew more about it she would only use lipstick and go for the clean natural look.

Just as she finished her breakfast of orange juice and cereal the two children came out of the room looking like two patchwork dolls. Having even less of an idea of how to dress they had grabbed the first things that fit. As they were only in 5-yr old bodies they were dependent on Phoebe to get them something to eat, not being able to reach the cupboards were the food was.

As they were picked up and seated, seeing bowls of cereal sitting before them, they started complaining. Phoebe looked at them and laughed at their antics saying, "Get used to it, girls, you are going to be reliant on others for some time yet, until you grow up into young girls. You’ll eat what I say you eat or you can go hungry.” Phoebe made as if she was going to take the bowls away, but a chorus of plea’s stopped her, and she walked back into the kitchen leaving them to their breakfast.

Checking the time, Phoebe decided to ring the Hugglebug Company to see what answers she could get. When the receptionist answered, she explained about finding a can of their spray and asked what was in it. After a short delay another person came on the line and asked for the serial number of the can, explaining it could be found at the top of the can under the lid. Phoebe read it out and was told to wait while they looked up the records. After waiting for about 5 minutes, he came back and said that it was a normal batch of clothes adapting nanites.

When asked what they did and if they could duplicate someone else, he laughed, and said. “No way.” That would only take place if a blood sample had been taken for the DNA. Thinking of the blood on the murdered woman’s clothes Phoebe insisted that it might be possible. The man came back with the fact that the can in question had been sold two years ago and should not be used, especially if it had been lying outdoors. He said the nanites may have undergone unforeseen changes and might not be safe, in fact, he said he would check up on the original recipients of the can and get back to her.

Phoebe told him to tell them she needed the people’s name so she could contact them herself, but he refused, saying it was against company policy. Phoebe begged saying she had accidentally used it and need some information. The man relented, saying he would tell them her story and let them decide if they wanted to contact her, so giving him her phone number she hung up.

Going back into the dinning area, she saw the two girls had finished and were arguing with each other.

“Quiet! There will no arguing here!. If you can’t get on without blaming each other for the fix you're in, I’ll send you to the orphanage.” Phoebe said bluntly. Just as she was going to add more, the phone rang, picking it up, she asked who was calling.

“Hello, this is Michelle calling. I hear you found a can of HB spray that we threw away two years ago.”

“Boy, that was quick, I wasn’t expecting a call today,” Phoebe replied, surprised.

“Oh the Company rang me right after your call luckily, I was here. I thought I’d best ring you, as it sounded as if you were In need of information rather quickly. I felt sort of responsible for having just thrown away the spray where any one could find it.” came the reply over the phone.

Phoebe explained that she had found the can and had sprayed herself with it, leaving out the fact of her being male before using it. She then asked what sort of spray it was and how long the effects lasted, having found out more about the product from the Company.

“Well it was the fit to clothing type.” Michelle’s answered. “And it was only for a three day period. How long ago did you use it?” asked a concerned sounding Michelle.

“This is the third day,” said a dejected Phoebe. Was she going to revert back? She felt let down that it wasn’t going to be permanent, now her plans of living the rich life had gone out the window.

“What’s wrong, Phoebe?” Michelle asked, sensing that she wasn’t telling her the whole story. “Has the spray done something to you that you’re not telling me?”

“It’s not something I can say over the phone.” sniffled Phoebe, her emotions overcoming her as the upsetting news of possibly losing this new lease of life all, but dashed her hopes.

Sensing that something was terribly amiss with the girl on the phone, Michelle asked for Phoebes address, saying she would come over.

“I live with my husband in Celoron, so I can be there in 5 minutes,” Michelle said, when Phoebe told her the address.

A little while later, Phoebe opened the door to see an attractive woman standing there, dressed in a lovely figure hugging dress in pale lavender. Phoebe was admiring it when the unexpected thought of ‘what would I look like in that’ crossed her mind. Then the reality of the situation and her imminent return to her old form washed over her flooding her eyes with tears.

Michelle with that innate ability of women everywhere, stepped forward, hugging Phoebe, knowing she needed her. Holding onto Phoebe, Michelle steered her inside, and seeing the two girls in the dining room, stopped, and asked their names. Getting a rather subdued ‘Tammy’ and ‘Danielle’ she followed Phoebe into her bedroom, after telling the children to stay where they were, as some privacy was needed.

Michelle was shocked, when after much coaxing, she found out that Phoebe was once a man and that the children in the other room were once killers. She was puzzled as to how the can had made Phoebe into an exact duplicate of the dead Phoebe, saying it wasn’t that type of nanite.

Maybe she should call the Company, she suggested. Phoebe shook her head, not trusting her voice until she calmed. Finally, Phoebe explained the inheritance and the Uncle’s plans in getting it for himself. Phoebe told how her old body was dying and how she had been hoping to start afresh by stepping into Phoebe’s life.

Michelle thought a minute about the nanites, and then told Phoebe, "I think the nanites must have altered their programming over time and used the dead girl’s blood for a DNA sample and then changed you into her, I’m wondering if anything else about the nanite programming has changed. Maybe the change is permanent. Have you noticed any signs of reversion to your old body?”

“No, I don’t think so, at least nothing obvious,” replied Phoebe, brightening a little. “Do you think this might be permanent?”

“Well, seeing the way the nanites have exceeded their original programming, anything’s possible. You’ll just have to wait till tomorrow at least. My husband took more than the three days to revert from being a little girl. Mind you, it was delayed by a lack of calcium in the diet.”

“Your husband was a little girl?” Phoebe gasped in surprise.

“It’s a long story, but essentially he became a little girl because I can’t have children of my own.” Michelle sighed at the recollection of that time.”We have been waiting to adopt a child for over two years, but there’s such a demand and the process takes ages.”

“Take those two out there in the living room,” Phoebe joked.

Michelle got a thoughtful look in her eyes, “That's not such a bad idea.”

“Oh! I couldn’t burden you with them, that wouldn’t be fair.” Phoebe said wistfully.

Michelle could see that the idea was taking root, so she added a further incentive. “Look you need to go to the lawyers about this inheritance thing. Why not let me take them off your hands for now. You see to that business, and I can check with Bill and see what he says.”

Phoebe could see the logic in Michelle’s argument so she agreed, saying, “Okay, but only if you think you can handle them.”

Just as she was going to add more, they heard two voices raised and the sound of little fists banging on the door alerted them to trouble brewing in the other room. They both got up and opening the door saw the two girls pressing their hands between their legs and complaining loudly that they needed to go to the toilet. Danielle was so embarrassed, as she had wet her panties. Michelle promptly took over the task of helping them, opening the toilet door for them after learning its whereabouts from a gesture from Phoebe.

Tammy and Danielle had never felt so vulnerable and embarrassed as when they needed someone else to help them go to the toilet and having them explain how to hold their skirts clear while they sat down to do something that had been doing all their lives.

Michelle gave them their first lesson in feminine hygiene on how to wipe themselves dry afterwards. The former men cringed inwardly at having to finally touch their altered sex, mentally denying it had happened couldn’t stand up to the physical sensations they felt while patting themselves dry. It wasn’t until then that it finally sank in. This was their life from now on ... to be female ... Emotions that until now had been held in check suddenly burst forth in a flood of tears.

Michelle’s heart melted at the sight, and sound of two very distressed girls. She knelt down, and holding out her arms, she grasped them to her bosom.

Phoebe, walking in to see what all the noise was about, was stunned to see both girls sobbing in Michelle’s arms. Hiding a grin, she looked at Michelle with an eyebrow raised, Michelle, unseen by the girls winked back at Phoebe. As if to say, ‘see I can take care of them.’ The girls, strangely enough, found an odd sort of comfort in Michelle’s arms and seeing there was no censure from acting like the children they were, felt as if the tears were washing their fears away. Tammy and Danielle settled down and Michelle dabbed at their eyes with her hanky, telling them to go play out in the living room while Auntie Michelle talked to their Aunt Phoebe.

Turning the television on for the girls, Phoebe drew Michelle into the bedroom for another private talk,

“I have to see about my inheritance in a couple of hours. I need help getting dressed in suitable clothing and I know nothing about makeup, or even what to expect when I get there.”

“Well the suit your have on is fine, but you do need earrings and some makeup. Here, let me show you.” So, while they kept a watchful eye out on the two girls, Michelle started Phoebe’s first lesson in makeup. Phoebe was very attentive, as she was hoping that the lesson would still be necessary in a few days time, if she didn’t revert to her old form.

Finally, she was ready. Looking into the mirror, she was stunned to see how beautiful a young lady she was. She thanked Michelle, who just waved off the thanks, saying it was her pleasure. Feeling very nervous about going out all dressed up as well as knowing her every move would be under scrutiny at the hearing, she hugged Michelle before going out to the garage to get in her battered looking Buick.

Knowing that Michelle would be looking after the two girls was a relief for Phoebe, as she didn’t need the added complication of explaining why she had two children with her at the hearing. If things went well, then maybe, she could think about Michelle’s idea of taking them off her hands.

15 minutes later she was seated in a spacious office, tastefully fitted out in teak panelling. The man sitting behind an old well worn desk, greeted her with enthusiasm saying, what a pleasure it was to meet her at last. Shaking her hand in a friendly manner, he introduced himself as the family lawyer, saying his name was John Thomson.

“I’m going to be representing you on your behalf, as there seems to be another claimant present, but he hasn’t a chance, as you are the next descending relative in this matter.” he said, as he smiled at her.

Phoebe shivered, knowing who the other claimant was, ‘her Uncle.’ Wondering if she was supposed to recognise him on sight, she decided to ignore him and concentrate on keeping her cool.

“You brought the papers I asked for over the phone?” John asked.

“Yes I did. Here’s my birth certificate and current driver's license,” answered Phoebe nervously handing them over.

“Oh! One more thing if you don’t mind, I’d like to take your fingerprints, just for the record.”

Phoebe felt rather trapped. ‘"What if they have a record of them somewhere. Will they match? Too late now do anything,’ she thought as she applied her fingers to the inkpad and then had her fingers placed on the paper provided.

John then led the way into another room where three more men were seated. Phoebe looked at each of them, seeking the Uncle that had given her a death sentence. Her eyes caught a flash of something in the eyes of an oldish man that was quickly veiled. Looking him over more carefully, she noted the expensive looking suit and the air of power about him.

John pulled a chair out for her. Remembering the tips Michelle had given her, she swept her dress as she sat, smiling her thanks at him. John sat to her left and nodded to the man with a pile of papers sitting in front of him.

“We’ll begin with saying that the estates in question have been bequeathed to the direct descendants of Catherine Johnson, who passed away last month. Her estate, plus monies come to a total of 20 million dollars.” At this, he looked at both Phoebe and her Uncle.

“Now as I understand it, as her first descendants, your parents,” he said looking at Phoebe. “were killed just the other day, so that means you are the sole beneficiary of her estate.” At this, her Uncle stood up and said,

“I dispute her claim, I say this is not the Phoebe Wilson named in those papers.”

“Oh? You have evidence to show that this is not the person named here?” the executor of the will demanded.

“I DEMAND PROOF!” Shouted her Uncle. “No child is going to just waltz in here and take it all from me.”

“Calm down, we can verify everything in a minute. If you’ll take your seat.” said John, looking shocked at his outburst. Continuing he said, “I just took Phoebe’s prints not 5 minutes ago,” sliding the forms across the table to the executor.

“I took the steps of asking a friend of mine in the police department, who specialises in fingerprints to be here today. In addition, he will be bringing Phoebe's prints from the records kept there. She reported a burglary not two months ago, and the police needed her prints then to eliminate them from the crime scene.

Going to the door, John opened it and called for the man waiting outside. A man bearing that unmistakable stamp of authority entered, introducing himself as Sergeant Kowalski of the local precinct. After been given the set of prints that John had taken and comparing them with a set, he produced from a folder he carried, he set them both down and turned to Phoebe, saying with a smile, "It’s nice to meet you, Miss Wilson. Congratulations are in order, I believe?”

“Ah yes,” stammered Phoebe, blushing at all the attention. Glancing over at her Uncle, she saw such a glare of hatred and frustration that she thought that if she’d been alone with him just then, he may have attacked her himself.

“Well I see no reason to delay passing the property over to you, Miss Wilson.” The executor said, pulling out some forms. “If you’ll just sign here and here,” he continued, marking the appropriate places with a pen.

Phoebe signed the papers, then asked how long before she could see the house and property.

The executor coughed and remarked that the house, as she called it, could be visited anytime, seeing as there was no problem with her identification. He explained that the estate was mostly in shares that were still providing a sizeable yearly income, and there was about 3 million in Catherine’s bank account that would be transferred.

John interrupted, saying, “The inheritance taxes and transfers would be handled by him, and that she needed to give him power of attorney, so he could draw funds to settle everything on her behalf.”

The executor, after John had finished, continued saying, “The deeds she'd signed would be registered, and then she could pick them up anytime after that. In the meantime she was free to move in at anytime,” handing her a bunch of keys.

In a semi-daze that everything had gone so smoothly, Phoebe was escorted back out into John’s office, where he offered her a drink.

“Ah No thanks” she replied, “I have to drive back, and anyway I’m too excited for any more stimulants.”

“Well, anytime you need me for anything concerning your estate, just call me or my office.” John concluded before shaking her hand again and then escorting her back to her car.

Driving home, she noticed a black car with tinted windows following at a discreet distance. Wondering if this was her Uncle, she drove deliberately in a roundabout route back to her home. It stayed with her and as she neared the turn off to her house, she saw it slow then do a U-turn and speed away.

Only partly relieved, she continued towards the house. Then turning up her drive, she drove the car back into the garage. Michelle was there at the door, an expectant look on her face.

“Well what happened?” she said looking at Phoebe’s face for a clue.

“I’m rich” was all she said, as she hugged Michelle. “I can’t believe how rich I am.”

“I’m really glad for you,” returned Michelle, smiling at her.

“Look, I think I was followed. I don’t think it’s safe here anymore.”

“Hmm I have a suggestion, why not pack up what you need and we’ll drive to my place? You can stay there with us till you get sorted. We have plenty of room, even with the girls, and there’s no connection between us that they will find out.”

Phoebe, after a few moments thought, agreed, and started to pile a few clothes into a suitcase. Michelle helped, telling her the things she should take with her. As Phoebe looked around at her bedroom, she felt a little sad at the thought of leaving, she had begun to like this most feminine of rooms. Spying the can on the dresser she lifted it up, thinking, 'This saved my life twice, I’m not abandoning it now.' Shaking it gently, she could still tell that it wasn’t empty yet.

Grabbing some extra clothes for the girls from the storage boxes, they then packed everything into Michelle’s car. Bringing the girls out, they seated them in the car, while Phoebe lay out of sight on the back seat. Fortunately, the journey only took 15 minutes, Michelle, going the long way while checking her mirrors, was satisfied no one was following. She drove straight into the garage, the door closing behind them automatically. Using the connecting door from the garage to the house, they soon had everything moved into a spare room.

Sitting around the table nursing a cup of coffee, Michelle and Phoebe discussed their next move. The girls, having explored the house in search of something to do, soon settled in front of the TV.

Just then, the front door opened, startling Phoebe, who thought it was her uncle or his minions, but Michelle laughed, saying it was only Bill home from work. He looked a little startled himself seeing not only Phoebe, but also two young girls sitting in the living room. Phoebe could see the curiosity showing in his eyes, but he said nothing, waiting as Michelle made the introductions. She liked the open friendly manner Bill had, not condescending or impolite. After getting a fresh coffee, he sat down as Michelle told him the whole story.

Phoebe watched his face as the story unfolded, waiting for derision or disbelief, but all she saw was concern and wonder. He looked up at her when Michelle mentioned she had been a male, surprise in his eyes, but as Michelle continued, she saw anger and worry war across his face. Finally after Michelle had finished, he turned to Phoebe and said,

“Damnit! You should have voiced your suspicions to the police, even if you have no proof, there’s plenty of motive, and seeing the way he was at the hearing, it wouldn’t have taken a rocket scientist to see the a connection.”

Bill... hold on, she’s only just come to terms with being a woman, she still doesn’t know if she’s going to revert back yet.” interjected Michelle. "Don't go so hard on her.”

Sorry... it’s just those sorts of people get me angry. I’m only concerned with your safety,” he said, looking at Phoebe "and yours too," looking at Michelle.

“You took a risk too, you know? Not that I blame you.” He said smiling, “I would have done the same.”

“What we need is a plan, dear, to help her with her Uncle,” Michelle said.

“Well, I’m not too busy at work. I could take a day off and take Phoebe to see her new place at Lakewood. That way there’s less likelihood of anything happening.”

Michelle hugged her husband and said, “That makes me feel better, I can stay here and look after our two girls. Maybe I can teach them something that will help them later in life.”

“Mothering them already?” laughed Bill, “Okay, it’s settled then. Now what’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

Michelle gave Phoebe that look that said ‘men’ and then laughed, thinking of the incongruity of giving Phoebe, (a former man) that look.

Phoebe, on the other hand, understood the look, and felt oddly pleased in the fact that Michelle felt she belonged alongside her on the man/woman equation. It was as though there was a sense of joining an exclusive clique or club. It gave her a warm feeling inside, a feeling of acceptance.

Phoebe helped Michelle in the kitchen, preparing a quick meal while Bill watched over the girls. The two women talked about the inheritance, wondering what sort of place it was, and whether Phoebe was going to live there or sell it.

Danielle and Tammy had been bored out of their skulls and resorted to watching some shows on the TV. Strangely, they found the cartoon channel took their minds off their predicament and as they got absorbed they would start to giggle at the antics of the characters. At first, this would shock them into silence at the very feminine sounds issuing from their mouths and they would glance at each other, but as time went on, it was as if they had got used to it and soon it didn’t seem to matter. It was as if with the shedding of their adult bodies, they had shed all the cares and responsibilities as well, knowing that in their present form they had escaped the threat of being caught or prosecuted for any past crimes.

So it was with a sort of release, knowing they were stuck as young girls, they then began to enjoy things without the onus of responsibility and just tried to be the people they appeared outwardly to be. Not knowing the nature of the relationship between the people whose house they now found themselves in and Phoebe, or whether they knew who they had been before. They decided to act as if they had always been girls and when the man had asked their names, they responded with the new names Phoebe had christened them with.

Bill was quietly amused as he tried to draw the two girls out, asking them their names and what they liked to eat. They didn’t act like men, less that they were now ex-killers he wouldn’t have guessed as they came to him asking for ice cream. He promised them that if they behaved themselves and ate their dinner nicely, then ice cream would be for dessert. Squealing with girlish delight they gave him a quick hug and went back to watching cartoons.

Bill wandered back into the kitchen to see what the women were doing, satisfied that the two girls were okay. Entering the kitchen and seeing them working and talking together, he smiled, thinking that Phoebe seemed to be adjusting very well to her change. Thinking about his own reactions to becoming female, plus the fact that Phoebe had a good probability of living a full life now, he felt that she would accept being a woman and enjoy living as a female.

After dinner, Phoebe decided to exercise, so going out in the backyard, she started her Tai Chi, going though all her routines. She becamw so involved in her exercises she didn’t see both Bill and Michelle come out to watch her. The thoughts went though both their minds as they watched the graceful movements of the kata, that she looked extraordinarily beautiful. As Phoebe finished she was surprised and a little embarrassed to hear soft clapping. Turning, she saw both Bill and Michelle smiling at her.

“Oh God that was beautiful,” Michelle said, awe struck. “I wish I could do that, it seems a graceful way to exercise.”

“Well I’ll trade you, if you teach me all about makeup and the other necessities that being female entail, and I’ll teach you Tai Chi,” offered Phoebe, smiling at Michelle’s elated expression.

Chapter 4

Next morning, Phoebe awoke feeling great, knowing she had passed the three day limit of the original spray's program. Getting up, she had a shower, luxuriating in the hot water as she cleansed herself. After drying herself and dressing in a green silk robe, she wandered into the kitchen where Michelle had already made breakfast for the two girls, and had started on hers.

“I knew you’d be along soon when I heard the shower running, hope you like omelette and coffee for breakfast.”

“Yes, thanks, Michelle. Iit smells wonderful,” she said, sitting down at the table in front of the plate set out. “Are you joining me?”

Michelle laughed. “Well I had mine already when I got the girls, but I’ll have another cup of coffee.” Sitting down she looked at the two girls as they finished their cereal.

“Do you girls want anything more to eat? If not, you can watch TV if you like.”

The girl’s chorus of “No thank you Auntie Michelle,” surprised Phoebe, and when they had run into the living room she said to Michelle.

“You seemed to have them under control already.”

“Well when I had to help them dress I had little talk I said that we were considering looking after them until they get old enough to move out. I told them that they wouldn’t want for anything as long as they behaved themselves and learned all I had to teach about being female.”

“Wow, I thought they would have preferred staying with me, seeing I will be rich.”

“I think that they are frightened you might try something else on them, especially if they misbehave. I nearly burst out laughing when they said you were a witch.”

Phoebe grinned ruefully saying, “Yes that was the first thing I could think of to explain the changes. If they knew they could revert back by going to the HB Company I’m sure they wouldn’t be quite so obedient.”

“Actually, I wouldn’t bet on it being possible anyway,” replied Michelle “I think that it’s probable that these forms are resistant to further alteration by any nanite spray. Mind you, I’m not going to tell them anyway. I don’t want to risk them attempting any sort of experiments. I like them just the way they are.”

Phoebe looked searchingly at Michelle. “So you still want to adopt them, be it unofficially at least?”

“Oh yes, they are at a great age. I can start their training, and having adult minds they should be able to remember it. They should be in school, but as I was a teacher, I can do their schooling at home. Anyway, they don’t need it till later, until they need to interact with boys, that is. I hope that by then, they will be comfortable in their new roles.

They sat there nursing their coffees until Bill surfaced, when Michelle stood up and got his bacon and eggs ready. Bill looked over at Phoebe and asked if she was up to going to view her new property.

“Oh yes, I can’t wait to see my new house, hopefully it will be a little bigger than my old place.”

“Well as soon as I finish breakfast, we’ll take my car. Nobody will know it’s us by the car, that’s for sure.” Bill replied between mouthfuls of food.

Michelle looked at her husband and laughed. “I think I need to remind you we have guests and eating with your mouth full isn’t very polite.”

Bill had the grace to blush, and apologised to Phoebe, saying, I wasn’t thinking, except with my stomach.”

At that, Phoebe laughed. Don’t worry about it. Remember, I was a man till a few days ago.”

“I have an idea about further disguising Phoebe,” interrupted Michelle, “I still have that long blonde wig from Halloween. If Phoebe wears it, it may fool anyone watching the property.”

“Great idea! Why not get her dressed in some of your clothes as well, then we can pretend to be a couple, further confusing the issue.”

“Okay, just as long as you remember you’re my husband, not hers,” laughed Michelle, looking at Phoebe with mock jealousy.

Michelle led Phoebe into the bedroom where she started pulling out some clothes. Looking at them, Phoebe realised that with a blonde wig and wearing these clothes, even she wouldn’t recognise herself. Michelle's experienced tips greatly aided Phoebe's dressing. Stepping to the mirror revealed an amazing sight. The reflection there revealed a new person altogether. Then Michelle adjusted the wig, and brushed it into a mature style. This complimented the clothes Michelle had selected. When she added some subdued, but tasteful makeup, Phoebe disappeared entirely.

“Wow, you look great” Bill enthused, “I think this is going to work.”

Michelle gave Bill a hug and then turning to Phoebe, gave her the can of HB spray “just in case,” she whispered in her ear. “Look after yourselves now,” she said to them, as they left to get in Bill’s car.

Driving along East Terrace Avenue they made a right turn into New York Avenue, then driving slowly, they came to a ‘T’ intersection. Turning left along East Lake Street, they marvelled at the expensive looking properties facing out towards Chautauqua Lake.

“It’s number 41,” Phoebe said, looking at the tag attached to the bunch of keys in her hands.

“Well it looks like your house isn’t just a house,” replied Bill, as they stopped at number 41.

“OH MY GOD!” Exclaimed Phoebe, as she looked up the driveway leading to the ‘house.’

“Exactly my thoughts,” laughed Bill, “I think you’re going to enjoy living here, and is that a boat shed I see? It looks as if it’s attached to the property.”

“Oh boy, I never imagined something this big, I’m going to get lost in this place,” Phoebe exclaimed in surprise. They drove slowly towards the front entrance, taking in the immaculate gardens and pathways.

Pulling up at the front door of this mansion like building, Phoebe sat stunned as Bill stepped out and opened the door for her taking her hand like the gentleman he was.

“Come on my dear,” he offered, as he led her towards the imposing oak door. Just as Phoebe was about to try one of the many keys, the door opened and a young woman in a maids outfit about her age, greeted them. Phoebe was taken aback for a moment, but then she told the woman her name and that she believed this was now her property.

“Oh yes Miss Wilson, I’m Karen, the maid, although my duties cover more than that or I was, until now,” she said uncertainly. Opening the door, she bid them welcome, saying she would get the others.

“Others?” Phoebe queried, feeling rather confused. “What others?”

“Well there’s Sara the gardener, well she’s more a horticulturist. Catherine, ah Mrs. Johnson wanted nothing but the best. Then there’s Sandra the butler/driver. Last, but not least is Kim our handy person, who does all the maintenance on the house and vehicles and is a handy sailor. Then there’s Pickles, the cook, that’s not his real name.” She said laughing. “It’s just the nickname we have for him.”

“There’s four women staying here full time, plus a cook?” Asked Phoebe, in amazement, wondering who was paying them at the moment.

“Yes, Catherine was all for letting women enter into what would normally be traditionally, a man's job. Right now, the estate is paying for our services until the new owners decide whether to keep us. Please sit down in the Ferguson room, oops! Sorry, here let me show you.” Karen led them into a spacious room with oil paintings lining the walls, gesturing to the sumptuous leather covered chairs. Turning to Bill, she indicated the liqueur cabinet-cum-mini bar saying, "Please make yourself and your wife a drink while I go and get the others.” Turning, she exited the room, leaving them alone before Bill could explain.

Blushing furiously, Bill asked Phoebe what would she like, as he walked behind the bar. Grinning mischievously, she replied in a sexy voice. "I'll have a Gin and Tonic, darling.” almost spoiling the effect with a giggle

Bill looked at her. Seeing the twinkle in her eyes, decided to play along.

Pouring out two Gin and Tonics, he brought them back to where she was sitting, then sat beside her on the lounge suite, handing her one of the glasses. Before she could sip it, he entwined their arms, looping them, bringing their faces close to each other as they drank. Bill grinned at her. Suddenly the door opened, and they hastily broke apart both blushing a little as the women and the cook entered the room.

Karen introduced Phoebe and Bill to the rest of the staff, saying they were the new owners of the property. The staff looked nervous, obviously all thinking the same thoughts. ‘Were the new owners going to keep them employed, or was this meeting to be where they get their marching orders.’

Bill spoke up, saying he was only a friend escorting the real owner, indicating Phoebe.

Phoebe looked over the staff, seeing a petite raven-haired beauty with a glorious tan. Standing up, she walked over and took her hand. Then, instead of shaking it as she would have done when she was a man, she embraced her.

“Nice to meet you Sara,” before turning to Sandra, a typical blonde bombshell, saying. “I do hope we’ll get on well with each other.”

Turning, she walked to stand in front of Kim, another blonde, but with reddish highlights in her hair. She oozed confidence from her statuesque build. She was a perfect 10 in Phoebe’s old standards. Kim started to bring her hand out to shake Phoebe’s, but realised with embarrassment that it have some oil and grease on it. As she started to put it behind her back, Phoebe reached out quickly and grasped it, not worrying about the dirt.

At last, she turned to the cook, seeing a slightly built young man with a white apron, and a smudge of flour and his face. She smiled and said to him, “I hope to taste the quality of your work soon.”

He blushed and said, It will be my pleasure ma’am,” with a wide friendly grin.

“Ugh! Please not ma’am, it makes me feel old.” She shuddered.

“Please listen for a moment,” Phoebe continued, “I have just come into this inheritance, and I would like to continue to maintain the status quo as regards your continued employment. Now I would appreciate a tour of the house and property, and please, use first names. I don’t want to be stiff and formal unless I say otherwise.”

Phoebe thanked everyone and said they could resume whatever it was they were doing. As the staff filed out, Karen said she would take them around the property immediately, if that would be okay. Phoebe nodded,so Karen started showing them the ‘house.’

“This is the master bedroom,” Karen said as she entered what to Phoebe, was more like a mistress’s boudoir. The decor was very feminine, done as it was in pink and lilac. Knick knacks were dotted everywhere; in fact, there was nothing masculine about the room at all. Karen saw the expression on Phoebe’s face and said, "She lived alone, never married, but she did have the occasional gentleman staying overnight. I did take the liberty of removing most of her personal belongings and put it in boxes in the other bedroom for sorting out. If you like, we can go though it later.”

Phoebe looked into the walk-in wardrobe. It was bigger than her bedroom at her other home. A huge vanity lined one wall, with lights ringing the huge mirror. There was a wash basin, and the vanity top was covered in all manner of makeup items. Looking to the other wall, she saw loads of expensive looking gowns in all manner of colours and styles hanging off a long rail.

“I didn’t move those,” Karen said, “I thought I’d wait to see who would be taking over the place. Some of these are brand new and are very modern.” She sighed, and fingered a gown wistfully. "I wish I could afford to wear these.”

Phoebe turned to Bill, who had been following her though the house. "Bill, I want to stay here tonight. Can you arrange some moving people to pack up all my belongings at the other place, and have them sent here?”

“No problem, but you’re sure you want to stay here? What about your Uncle?”

“I think with everyone here, he won’t try anything, unless he can get me alone.”

Turning to Karen, she explained her theory about the deaths of her parents, and the possible threat on her own life, from her Uncle. Karen was shocked, and said that they all would protect her, as they had protected Catherine. She explained that all the staff had, as a condition of their employment, undergone varied courses of martial arts. Catherine had been more than a little paranoid about her safety, and wanted people around her that could protect her at any time.

Bill asked to leave so he could get things moving along, saying to Phoebe that she seemed in good hands. Phoebe hugged him, thanking him for coming with her and said she’d be in contact with Michelle tomorrow.

Leaving Bill, she continued with her tour. The place was enormous, having a room with an individual en suite for each of the staff. The staff also had their own common room, complete with an adjoining games room. Nearing the rear of the building, Phoebe could smell a delicious aroma wafting though the place. Opening another door following her nose, she came to the kitchen. There, she saw Pickles and Kim in an intimate embrace. Coughing quietly, she grinned, as the pair sprang apart, blushing furiously.

“I’m very sorry ma’am er miss,” spluttered Pickles, “I was just ”

“Look no apologies,” Phoebe interrupted, “I’m not an ogre, as long as you do your job properly, there will be no problems. The last thing I want is to interfere with your love life.”

Kim blushed, and said she was on her break and usually had to pay for her treats (meaning the cookies she had in her hand) with a kiss.

“Hmmm,” mused Phoebe.“ Will I have to pay too, to taste some of that delicious bread I smell in the oven?”

Pickles hung his head to hide his embarrassment, and Phoebe guessed that he often got paid in that manner. Pickles suddenly remembering, rushed to the oven to check on his baking, having been absorbed in certain other things. Opening the oven, he slid a bread paddle in under the loaves, bringing out bread with the most tantalising aroma Phoebe had ever smelled.

“They’ll be too hot for a while, come back in ten minutes and try some then,” Pickles said with a smile. “I’ll not charge my usual fee for it,” he continued.

Phoebe replied jokingly, that she may pay him anyway, if it tasted anything like it smelled. Looking at Pickles blush, she thought to herself. ‘Strangely, that idea isn’t repugnant to me, to kiss a man. Maybe, I’m accepting this change better than I thought I would.’

15 minutes later, the tour finished, Phoebe was directed into the dinning room where lunch was being served. Seeing only one place setting, she asked Karen, whose duties seemed to be more than just a maid, where the others were eating.

“They are in our common room, Miss, that’s where we generally eat.”

“Hmm, think they’ll mind me coming to eat there too?”

“You want to eat with us?” Karen seemed taken aback at the thought.

“Yes I do, I’d like to think of this as more a family than as a split you/me household.”

Well you’re very welcome to join us. It’s your home now, you can do as you like and we would welcome you to our group, so can get to know you better.”

“Thank you, it’s just I don’t like to eat alone, and from now on, I would like for all of us to dine together, whether it be in the common room or the formal dinning room.”

Walking into the common room, Phoebe saw the others were already there. She greeted them and repeated what she had told Karen. Kim, Sara, and Sandra all came up to Phoebe and made her feel welcome by giving her a hug. They showed her where to sit, just as Pickles brought out two large platters. One with the promised fresh bread and another piled high with fresh cookies. On the table were salad items including what looked like and she confirmed by tasting, freshly smoked trout. After having tasted a little of each food on offer, Phoebe leaned back from the table, and holding a mug of freshly brewed coffee, she looked at Pickle and smiled.

“I do believe I owe you some payment for that magnificent spread.”

Kim, who was just swallowing some coffee, choked as the other women looking at Pickles embarrassed expression, burst out laughing.

They told Phoebe, “Pickles hasn’t started that with you already, has he? We only let him get away with it because he’s so cute.” Pickles blushed even darker, mumbling something about not having had any complaints, at which, everyone giggled. Coming to a sudden decision, partly born of curiosity, and partly because she wanted to see how she would feel about it, Phoebe walked over to Pickles and kissed him right on the mouth. The chorus of WOohoOW ‘s from the other girls made them both blush, but Phoebe did find out a couple of things. First, that Pickles was a great kisser, and second, being kissed by a man made her want to experiment more. The feelings that had run though her body had made her shiver in delight.

“Well? What’s the verdict? Does he deserve being paid?” Giggled, Sandra.

“Hmm, I think I’ll reserve judgement on that for a while,” said Phoebe, trying to show that it meant nothing to her.

The crestfallen expression on Pickles' face, that he hadn’t impressed her, made the others laugh, and relenting, Phoebe joined in. Pickles tried to show nonchalance, but couldn’t hold it long as the girls all came and gave him a quick peck on the cheeks.

As Pickles excused himself, saying he needed to clear things away and start preparations for the evening meal, Phoebe asked the rest of the girls if they would stay a moment.

“I have an idea, I need to sort out some of Catherine’s clothes and I wondered if you would care to help me? I was thinking of sharing them with you if you wanted them and they fit.”

The glad cry’s of, “Oh yes” and, “You bet,” from the girls was enough to prompt a mass exodus to the main bedroom. There, they started pulling things off the racks and doing an impromptu fashion show, holding assorted gowns up against themselves while admiring their reflections in the mirror.

Phoebe wasn’t left out of this as they gathered round her with particular outfits, saying this would look great on her, or this would go with her colouring.

Suddenly realising she was still wearing the wig, she hushed them, saying she wasn’t a blonde. Pulling off the wig, she gave them the explanation that her Uncle was after the inheritance. After their cries of surprise and disgust about what a dirt-bag the Uncle was, Sara spoke up saying she wasn’t surprised. Apparently, he had tried to enlist her help with a bribe when he had visited, trying to get inside information on Catherine's personal life. She had refused and had promptly told Catherine, who had shown him the door, and told him he would never own this property.

Getting back to the matters in hand, she let them advise her on what looked good and what didn’t, saying she wasn’t used to wearing such expensive clothes. Finally, everyone had a pile of clothes in front of them which each had picked out.

Then Phoebe said, “Okay, you can have those as long as you do a fashion show for me.” The girls looked at each other for a moment then gathered together whispering. Breaking apart, they turned to her with a broad grin saying, "Okay, we will accept your gracious offer, but only if we all do a fashion show.”

Phoebe looked at their determined faces and sighed. “All right, you win, but you’ll have to help me.”

Half an hour later when Phoebe looked in the mirror, she was amazed at what new clothes and some expertly applied makeup could do. She looked sophisticated and glamorous and had she been able to look at herself from the male perspective she knew she would have been as hard as a steel bar. Now all she could feel was a sense of pride that this was her body now, and that looking nice made her happy. Looking at her image in the mirror, Phoebe knew her days of becoming sexually excited over the female form were over. Instead, she found herself thinking of that kiss with Pickles and how it might be fun to find out exactly what a woman felt when she eventually decided to have sex with a man.

Eventually, when Phoebe said she was thirsty, Karen excused herself saying, she would get afternoon tea. Kim then came up with an idea.

“Why not have a cruise on the lake and have afternoon tea on the boat"?”

Phoebe said, “Excellent idea. You will join me, of course?”

Kim went down to the boat to fire it up, ready for everyone to board her. Sarah went down to see Karen and tell her of the change in plans, while Sara helped Phoebe into some more suitable attire.

Walking down to the boat shed with Sara, Phoebe asked how big the property was.

“Well we are on the end of this road and the property extends from there another 300 yards further along and all the way to the water's edge, and totals about 5 acres. Those fruit trees you see there are the far boundary and there’s a sizeable garden, which gives us a lot of our fresh veggies. We even have um, I mean, you have a glass house, where that tomato and lettuce we had at lunch, came from.

“Wow, I certainly have got a great place here. This boat I have ... will it take all of us okay?”

Sara laughed. “It’s a bit of a squeeze, but we’ll manage, it has a name, the boat I mean, it’s called the ‘Dreadnought,’ it was named after a type of British fighting ship.”

As they neared the boat shed, Phoebe was surprised at its size. She noted that it went a fair way into the water and had piles that supported the whole thing. A door at the shore allowed access to the interior. Entering the shed, she looked up in shock, stopping so abruptly that Sara bumped into her. The boat was huge. She guessed it at being around 40 foot long. A sleek vessel of an unusual design in white with blue trim, it filled the shed and she could hear the low-throated sound of an engine that reminded her of the race cars at Daytona.

A cheery hail from above her made her glance up. Kim’s grinning face was sticking out of the bridge. “WELCOME ABOARD,” she yelled down at her.

Phoebe turned on Sara, looking at her grinning face.

“You, you,” she spluttered. “Yes it will be a squeeze, my foot.” She lightly punched Sara on the shoulder for her deception, then hugged her, saying, “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

Chapter 5

“Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your makeup,” Sara responded, hugging back.

Climbing aboard, Phoebe went on another tour, starting at the engine room. Kim was very proud of her baby as she called it, a supercharged V12 Rolls Royce Merlin aircraft engine, nestled in an immaculate engine bay.

“You see Catherine got more and more paranoid about her safety, and wanted to be able to get from one place to the other as fast as she could, if need be,” Kim explained.

“I wonder if my Uncle was after the estate before her death?” Mused Phoebe thoughtfully.

“It would explain a few things she did then, if true,” answered Kim. Then sighing a little, she patted the engine lovingly.

“I wish I could get to open her up to full throttle more often. Catherine used to like going out for a spin, but usually only at a modest rate of knots. It’s been modified from the original design, it has a secret weapon, Kim added cryptically.

“Well how about now, I’d like to see her put though her paces.”

“YOU mean that,” exclaimed Kim excitedly, she blushed and apologised, saying, “Sorry I feel so excited.”

“Me too, laughed,” Phoebe. “Come on, let’s see what’s holding the others up.” Climbing back up to the main deck they saw both Karen and Sandra bringing loaded trays of food. Pickles, was trailing behind carrying a cooler, ogling the girls behinds as they walked down the path. Phoebe smiled, as she knew just what he was thinking, the randy devil.

Helping get the food aboard, Phoebe could smell fresh baking coming from the covered trays and when Pickles arrived he handed her the cooler, saying, the bottles were chilled and didn’t need to be placed in the boats fridge. Looking up at her he commented on her hair, saying he liked blondes, but preferred black hair, which got him a dirty look from Kim until he smiled back at her indicating he was just pulling her leg.

Kim pretended to be hurt and walked off towards the stern, where she started casting off the mooring lines. Phoebe watched this by play between them and giggled, getting a wry smile from Pickles.

‘I’m going to learn a lot from these two,’ thought Phoebe. ‘It should be fun watching them both.’

At last everyone was aboard, bar Pickles, as he said, “Someone has to get dinner ready.”

As Kim throttled up the engine and she began manoeuvring the boat astern, the boat-shed doors started opening, “Remote control” Kim said, when asked.

As the boat gathered speed, Kim expertly reversed directions and headed out on the lake. As the speed built up the engine throbbed with the throaty roar of bridled power, Kim yelled out to Phoebe, asking her, if she wanted to navigate.

“Where are we heading?” Phoebe yelled back, grinning like a maniac as she took the helm.

Kim shrugged and waved her hand vaguely in the direction of open water then grinned, as she went below to tinker with her baby.

After about 5 minutes Phoebe pulled the throttle back till the boat was dead in the water, gently rocking in the backwash. Going back to where the others had arranged the food, she sat as Kim stuck her head out asking if the picnic had started.

Karen laughed, saying, “Kim had a 6th sense whenever food was ready.”

Kim blushed, muttering something about needing refuelling because she burnt it off, working so hard.

Sitting round the cabin while the boat drifted in the light breeze, they ate scones and muffins, while drinking chilled white wine. Phoebe was curious about the lake, asking if there were any fish in it. Sandra looked at Kim and grinned,

“Kim caught the Trout we had at lunch, from the lake,” she said.

“Yes, there’s Bass and lots of other varieties,” said Kim smiling.

“I love fishing too, so tell me next time you go,” Phoebe mumbled, with a mouthful of scone.

Finishing, they started putting things away, while Kim went back and fired up the motor. Just as Phoebe bent down to get her bag, she heard a loud splat and looking up she saw a hole in the bulkhead where her head had been moments before. Puzzled, she had just turned to mention it as something tugged at her hair and she heard a tinkle as glass broke behind her. She ducked instinctively and spotted the remains of the barometer on the wall.

Yelling out that someone was shooting at her, she ran forward to where Kim was standing near the bridge.

“Move it,” she shouted, crouching down out of sight.

Kim opened the throttle to full and the boat accelerated so rapidly, the girls back in the cabin were thrown off balance.

“Can you see anyone who might be shooting at us?” inquired Phoebe.

“Well, there’s a craft behind us with three guys in it,” replied Kim. “It’s coming after us.”

“Can we out run it?”

“It’s one of Jose’s hire boats. We should be able to keep ahead of it, as long as they don’t keep shooting at us. Here are a pair of binoculars, check them out.”

Grabbing them, Phoebe managed to hold them steady long enough to focus them on the following craft.

“It’s him, and one of the others has a rifle with him.” Phoebe exclaimed.

“Your Uncle?” Queried Kim.

“Yes, the bastards trying to kill me, he must be really desperate to try this.”

“I have an idea,” said Kim, as she swung the boat around in a sharp turn and started heading for the other craft. As they began heading towards the smaller boat, it slowed as if uncertain of their intentions, but as it became clear that they were intent on ramming them, they turned tail and tried running away from them.

Kim laughed. “Not so high and mighty now, are we? Well you’re not getting away that easily.” As she pulled on another lever, Phoebe heard a low thrumming sound and the boat started to lift upwards and the sound of the bow wave changed.

“What’s happening?” Phoebe asked as she felt the boat increase its speed.

“Our secret weapon, hydrofoils, with them, we can overhaul that boat in minutes.”

Looking at the fleeing boat with her Uncle on board, she could see the gap closing, then suddenly, she saw a puff of blue smoke come from the overtaxed outboard motor and the boat slowed dramatically.

Kim chortled in glee, “I’ve told Jose a hundred times to service those motors properly.” The gap closed fast and Phoebe could see the frightened faces of those aboard, as they loomed nearer. When they were only 10 yards apart the men, seeing death advancing, jumped overboard swimming frantically away.

Kim expertly judged the distance between them, turning away at the last possible moment, there was a slight bump as the edge of the hydrofoil wing just grazed the boat ripping a gash along one side. As Kim turned and slowed, retracting the hydrofoils back into the hull. The small boat started to sink, only the built in flotation devices kept it from disappearing under the water.

Kim slowly moved the boat forward towards the men, who by now, were widely separated, Phoebe pointed to one of them.

“That one, we need to bring him aboard, leave the others, they can swim back to their boat.”

Kim inched the vessel forward until Phoebe, with the help of the other girls, managed to hook onto the clothing of her Uncle with a boat hook, hauling him towards the stern so he could clamber aboard.

Wet, cold, and bedraggled, he spluttered indignantly.

“Let me go this instant, or you’ll hear from my lawyers and I’ll sue you for everything you have.”

“Oh shut up you blustering old fart,” Phoebe returned, just as vehemently. “We know you tried to have me killed as you did my parents. Now we find you shooting at me, I think I have every reason to punish you myself.”

Hauling him below decks they found some ropes and tied him securely then gagged him for good measure. Phoebe asked Kim if she had a phone on board.

“Yes, go into the forward cabin, there’s a cell phone there and you can have some privacy,” was her reply.

“Hi, Michelle, it’s Phoebe Can you come over to my house tonight for dinner? Oh, and I want you to pick up something for me first make sure Bill comes.”

“Oh! You have news about the girl’s. Hmm, Interesting, we’ll discuss it later.”

“Yes, I have my Uncle here. No, he’s all tied up at the moment, ha ha. Okay, here’s what I want you to get me.”

Phoebe continued speaking for a few minutes then put the phone down with a satisfied grin on her face.

On the way back, Phoebe asked everyone for their silence on the matter with her Uncle, saying she had a plan to get him out of their hair permanently.

“You’re not going to kill him are you?” Asked a worried looking Karen.

“No, I’m not letting him off that easily,” replied Phoebe cryptically. “He’s going to learn a lesson that will last a life time. One that is rather different from his present one,” she added, under her breath. “Remember your own safety depends on my plan succeeding, if he gets away, your own lives could be in peril. I’m sure he wouldn’t stop at killing you, to get at me.”

Kim informed them, that she had radioed the plight of the others in the craft to the police, saying she was unable to affect a rescue as they were experiencing problems of their own. And that she had radioed the house for Pickles to meet them on their arrival.

Phoebe asked if that wouldn’t cause problems if the police wanted to verify her claims.

Kim grinned, saying, “As soon as we dock, the engine will get overhauled and there would be no questions she couldn’t handle, should the need arise.”

Phoebe hugged her in thanks and said she would have dinner sent down to her with someone extra something extra she corrected, laughing at her slip of the tongue.

Kim laughed with her, knowing exactly what she meant. Phoebe felt very happy at this feeling of camaraderie between them, thinking. ‘I’m going to love living this life.’

Pickles met them when they docked, expressing concern over the closeness of the shooting. He took her Uncle back up to the house, and secured him into a storage locker in the basement. Arriving back upstairs in time to meet Michelle and the girl’s, who’d arrived with Bill. Introductions over, dinner was served and conversation ceased as they started eating another marvellous meal. Pickles excused himself, saying he would take his and Kim’s meal to have in the boat.

The meal over, Phoebe got back to business, asking if she and Michelle could speak alone with Bill. Moving into the main living room, leaving the girls with Karen, Phoebe asked Michelle what she meant on the phone.

“Well, it seems there have been some mental changes with them,” replied Michelle.

“Oh! I thought the nanites were not supposed to be able to do that,” said a surprised Phoebe.

“Normally they can’t, but remember these are normal nanites anymore.”

“So what changes have there been.”

“They seem to be acting more childlike, more like the girls they physically are, certainly not like men, anyway. I have a theory that combined with the altered nanites, their brains are becoming more physically childlike and the extra knowledge they have is being slowly unwritten, mainly memories, I quizzed them and it seems that they are losing most of their old memories. Their intelligence isn’t affected and they seem to be quite happy. Actually, I think in some ways they are doing it to themselves.”

“What do you mean?” Asked a curious Phoebe.

“It’s as if, their brains can’t store all their old memories, being mostly unformed yet, as would most 5 year old brains. They are choosing to rid themselves of anything that conflicts with their changed bodies, so in fact, they will become girls, retaining only memories that are suitable with being happy in their bodies. They still know who they were, but accept who they are now. The trauma of becoming girls seems to be fading away.”

“Well that will probably be best for them in the long run,” Phoebe said looking at Michelle. “Oh no.”

“What’s wrong, Phoebe? Why the worried look?”

“I need to ask them something that’s been on my mind, I need to find the original Phoebe’s body. Not only do I owe her so much, but it would complicate things if her body showed up somewhere.”

“Let me do it then, I have their trust and I think we are bonding together with a mother daughter relationship.”

“That’s great news. Okay, you do that while Bill and I take care of my Uncle. Have you got those items I asked for?”

“Yes they’re in the package by the front door, Bill? Will you get them for Phoebe, while I question the girls.”

In the basement a few minutes later, a strange scene was going on.

Bill, having released a struggling, angry man, was stripping him of his clothing, ignoring the protests and curses. Finally, stripped, he stood shivering looking at Phoebe in undisguised fury.

“Now stand still, while I release you, if you much as move an inch I’ll use this,” Bill said, brandishing a meat cleaver.

Phoebe got out her can of HB spray, and used it all up on her Uncle’s body, while he cursed. Then bringing out the selected items, she slowly began the job of dressing her Uncle. His outburst of laughter as her intentions of trying to get them on his body appeared to be ludicrous, changed to shocked silence as his body began to shrink. Then screams of outright disbelief turned to plea’s of mercy and then, as he continued to change, his voice started to change in pitch as well. Finally, only sobbing was heard as the changes reached the final step.

Sometime later that evening, a thunderous knocking on the front door announced the arrival of the expected police. After being invited in they, said that because of a serious complaint, they needed to search the house.

“What are you looking for officerum Sergeant McTavish?” Phoebe inquired, looking at his badge.

“We have reason to believe you have Mr Dobson in your house under duress. Now we don’t have a search warrant at this short notice. But if you object to our search we will leave, keeping a man outside while we get one.”

“Please, search away, we have nothing to hide, but I’ll tell you now, we have no one of that name here. Please look around. Karen will show you around if you like.”

“That’s okay I’d rather you assembled your staff here so we can question them while we search your property.”

Gathering in the living room, Michelle walked out cradling a baby in a pink sleeper and wrapped in a blanket, a bottle of formula held tightly in the baby’s mouth. As the baby wriggled and tried to make itself heard, it kept choking on the milk Michelle was feeding her and as the milk dribbled out of her mouth, a solicitous Michelle cooed at her. She asked the officer in charge if she could leave, as she needed to put Linda to bed.

Getting the okay, she whispered in Phoebe’s ear for a moment, then bid everyone good night. Bill said he would be back tomorrow, and would help her on that chore she wanted done.

After they left, the police came back from their fruitless search and started questioning the staff. Finding that all their stories matched about being shot at, then fleeing from the pursuing craft. Apologising for troubling them, they said they would investigate the shootings. After retrieving one of the bullets from the bulkhead, the police then left.

Looking round at everyone and they way they had stuck by her, Phoebe came to a decision, gathering them together she told them everything about her, from finding the can, till now.

Waiting anxiously for their reactions, she was surprised when they gathered her into a group hug,

“Your secret is safe with us, we need you to stay here with us. We would have to leave this place if you weren’t here to take over.”

“I can’t get over the fact that your Uncle is now a baby girl,” Pickles said.

“Well, if what Michelle said about the girls is true, then soon, he WILL be just that,” laughed Phoebe.

Karen grinned, “It’s only what he deserved, from a creep to a darling little baby, how appropriate.”

Pickles looked at Phoebe in a new light. Knowing that she had once been a man, he couldn’t see anything about her that seemed masculine.

“I can’t believe I kissed an ex man,” he said, with a wry grin.

“What about me? I kissed a man, and found I liked it,” Phoebe replied, with an answering grin.

Kim stood up and said, “Well I’m off to put my baby back together, we are going to need her tomorrow.”

Sandra sighed, “I suppose Michelle is going to keep Linda.”

“I don’t know, why do you ask? Don’t tell me you want her?” Laughed Phoebe.

“I like the idea of raising her, and Michelle has her hands full with the other girls,” replied Sandra, wistfully.

“I’ll talk to Michelle, but we had better wait till things settle down and we get this other business over with,” Phoebe continued.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Bill arrived just after breakfast, and, smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread muffins, he cajoled Pickles into getting two for him, then with a mouthful of food, mumbled about getting a move on.

Karen told them that the gear they needed had already been stowed on board the boat. Phoebe and Pickles walked with Bill down to the boat shed showing him the property on the way. He was duly impressed and asked if they could visit again sometime.

Setting off in the boat heading for Jamestown it was a sombre crew, each of them thinking ahead to the gruesome task before them. Kim asked Phoebe to join her as she navigated her way eastwards, saying she wanted the company. The two men stayed below talking.

Kim, ever curious, asked Phoebe, “What did she think of becoming a female and how did the two compare?”

“Kim, it’s really hard to explain, but so far it has been great, I mean I get chased by two men then threatened with death and shot at and now I’m looking for a dead body.”

She laughed. “No seriously, it’s been a blast, dying as a man is nothing compared with living a healthy life with friends like you and to top it off I’m rich.”

Kim giggled. “You know what I mean, stop evading the question, is it better being female?”

“Well... both have their good points, but I do like the way my skin feels when I’m in the shower especially my nipples when the spray hits them. I haven’t had sex yet for the simple reason I haven’t had time to think about it, but when I kissed Pickles, it did something to me that I never felt as a man. It sent shivers all though my body and I felt like I wanted to melt into his embrace.”

“Yes, he has that effect on all the female staff,” Kim giggled.

So do you think you’ll be having an active sex life with all that entails?”

“I think so, when I get settled and learn more of the female graces including makeup. Then I’ll just need to find someone.”

“Karen is a beautician, it was one of the many skills she has that Catherine hired her for. She will teach you all you need to know.

“Talking about finding someone... hmm... Sandra has a brother... I think his name is Keith.”

“Owwwh! What did you do that for?” Kim protested, as Phoebe kicked her gently in the shins, looking at her with a pained expression.

Laughing at Kim’s hurt expression, she said.

“I’m barely a week old in this body and already you’re trying to play the match maker.”

Kim grinned ruefully, “Well you can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Phoebe fell silent then, thinking of her future. She owed so much to the murdered girl. The least she could do was give her a proper burial and have words spoken over her so her soul could find some peace.

Soon they were wending their way up the river mouth, arriving at the jetty by the boat ramp. Tying up at the jetty adjoining it, they moored

“So this is where they dumped the body,” muttered Kim.

Bill came up to them, saying, “At least the waters cold at this time of year. Her body should be in good condition even after almost week in the water.”

Phoebe shuddered, knowing that beneath her, only a few feet away, lay her twin. Talk about someone walking on your grave.

“Why don’t you girls go into town while we do our thing, take the cellphone and we’ll call you when we have her secured.”

“Alright,” agreed Kim, anxious to be away from this scene.

“Come on, Phoebe, we can browse though some fashion boutiques.” Phoebe although not sure whether she was up to buying women’s clothing, decided it was better than staying here and watching the men retrieve a dead look-alike. So gathering her handbag she stepped on to the jetty and followed Kim.

Hailing a passing cab, they arrived in the centre of Jamestown at 10.30 in the morning. Spotting a nice cafe Phoebe said she was thirsty, and needed a coffee. Kim laughed, and said these delaying tactics won’t stop her for long. She was determined to get Phoebe into a dress shop if she had to drag her screaming.

Phoebe sighed, and said, “You can see right though me. I’m okay getting dressed in the clothes that I have at the moment, I didn’t buy those, but the thought of trying on clothes in a shop and looking at lingerie with the thought that I’ll be the one wearing it, scares me.”

“You never shopped with a girl friend? Never picked out lingerie for gifts?” asked Kim with surprise.

“No, never. I didn’t have a girlfriend as such at least none that I went shopping with, just casual friends. When my mom used to shop when I was little and she dragged me though the women’s clothing shops I was too embarrassed to do more than look. And when I did, I never really looked at anything for long in case someone thought I was interested in it.

“You poor girl,” Kim chortled, “Think of what you’ve been missing all these years. Well never mind, I’ll hold your hand and you’ll enjoy yourself, I guarantee it.”

Phoebe looked at Kim with a somewhat doubtful expression on her face, but decided to try and do her best to overcome the feeling she was the lamb being lead to the slaughter.

After coffee and a sandwich they both needed to go to the toilet plus touch up their lipstick. As they stood in front of the mirror after doing their business, Phoebe asked Kim.

“Does it get any easier putting on makeup?”

“Well I don’t use a lot while I’m working, only when I’m going out on a date. I guess it becomes automatic for my general stuff. I only need to think a bit when I’m after a certain look or co-ordinating it with what I’m wearing.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll soon pick it up. You did say you were good at artistic design, think of it in those terms.”

“I’m glad I have you and the rest of the girls to help me when I need it,” replied Phoebe.

“Never be afraid to ask any of us for help.”

Finishing in the ladies room, they went back to the table and opened up their handbags in preparation for leaving. Kim started getting out her purse.

“My treat,” said Phoebe quickly getting her own purse out and leaving the tip on the table.

Kim quickly had Phoebe into the nearest shop and led her to racks of dresses, saying.

“We’ll start off with the easy stuff and work our way back to the lingerie section, maybe by then you’ll have got over your shyness.”

Phoebe stood there looking at the bewildering array of dresses in all many of styles and colours.

“They all look great to me, but I wouldn’t know what to pick out,” she murmured.

So began an hour of discussion of what women wore to different functions and the ins and outs of colour matching and the mysteries of what should show and what to conceal. Phoebe found she had ended up with three gowns two casual sundresses, several skirts and had tried on over twenty others while Kim had explained their various merits.

Next came the lingerie, Phoebe by this time felt not so much of an intruder, she felt not as conspicuous, as all the women there either ignored her, being occupied with their own shopping or helpful like the shop assistants, giving advice or saying that something looked particularly nice.

She felt odd when looking at bras and panties when holding then up against her, knowing that she could wear these without any one thinking she was weird. There seemed to be as many styles and colours and many different fabrics used. One thing did strike her, was the fact that they felt nice. In the past, as a male, he had mainly worn cotton /wool or nylon or blends of the three. Now there was a myriad of fabric’s soft and sensuous from satins to silks, velvets to all the many synthetics.

When she had tried on the gowns, the sensations from their fabrics felt wonderful almost orgasmic.

She was starting to enjoy herself, making jokes with Kim. Saying wouldn’t Pickles eyes pop if he could see them now. Kim laughed throwing a rolled up satin panty at Phoebe’s head. As she dodged the pink missile it hit a gentleman who was passing behind her with his wife. He stopped, picking them up then with a strange expression he said.

“I think these are for you.”

Phoebe felt herself blushing furiously as she took them from him.

“They really do so suit you,” The man continued with a twinkle in his eye, then moving after his wife who was standing waiting, looking at him with a baleful eye.

Phoebe turned back towards Kim trying to suppress a giggle that just wanted to get out. As she looked at Kim, her face a picture of innocence, she burst forth with it. Kim started laughing with her and the pair hugged each other, tears running from their eyes.

“Did you see the expression on the wife’s face,” giggled Kim. “I thought she was going to say something to him.”

“Poor man, he was only being nice,” burbled Phoebe, collecting herself together.

“Well, did you enjoy shopping? I noticed you had your eyes full looking at the half naked women in the changing rooms.”

“Funnily enough I did, and looking at those half naked women as you put it, told me something important,” returned Phoebe.

“Oh, what was that?” Asked a curious Kim.

“Well, I thought at first I’d be embarrassed, then feel like a perv, but that didn’t happen. At first they seemed just like me...”

“Silly, they are just like you,” laughed Kim.

“No not that, I meant it just seemed natural to be among them like a group of friends, all polite and friendly. Then as I looked at their bodies I found myself comparing them against mine, seeing if I measured up. I never felt any sexual feelings towards them, Why is that?”

“Hmmm, I think you’re destined to have sexual relations with the male half of the population,” said Kim thoughtfully. “It looks like your days of lusting after women are over,” grinned Kim.

Phoebe sighed, “I can’t see it, but I guess you’re right, I really felt something when Pickles kissed me.”

“When Pickles kissed YOU, ha ha from where I sat I’d say it was the other way around.”

Phoebe blushed, “It was just a spur of the moment thing.”

“Yeah right, pull the other one,” Kim grinned, “It has bells on it, admit it, you were attracted to him.”

“Well yes alright, I was attracted, does that make me gay?” Phoebe asked worriedly.

“Not from where I’m standing, in fact I’d say you were a normal hormone driven female.” If what Michelle said is true then you have a female brain, only your memories and attitudes remain male, she said that the influence of the hormones from your body should change your sexual orientation. How fast that might happen depends on how well you accept it. Your brain will provide all the emotional needs of the body. If the original body was heterosexual then it will follow that you will be too.”

Phoebe sighed, “Well when you have been as close to dying as I was, this is heaven. To be able too have a full sex life again even if it will be with a male seems a minor detail. At least I’ll be able to find out the answer to the age old question, which way is best, as a male or as a female.

Kim looked at her with a speculative eye. “When you do find out, I want to be the first to know.”

Without thinking, Phoebe said “Yes okay.” Then as she realised what she had agreed to, she looked at Kim with surprise. “Did I just agree to tell you when I have sex with a man?”

Kim looked innocently away, “Umm, yes.”

“Okay, you’re on,” laughed Phoebe, at which Kim smiled back and began hugging her.

“First rule, girlfriends tell all.”

“Okay then, tell me then what it feels like.”

“Later.”

“Hmm.”

“I promise,”

“Hmm.”

“Had enough?”

“Huh?”

“Shopping, had enough?”

“Oh right yes for now, but I will want to buy you something first. For all the help you’ve given me.” Phoebe replied, her mind still full of thoughts of sex with men.

“I’ll take a rain check on that, we need to get this stuff back to the boat and see how the men are doing.”

“Hey let’s buy something for lunch for all of us,” begged Phoebe.

Kim looked at her. “You’re worse than somebody else I know, always thinking of your stomach.” The twinkle in her eyes belying the reprimand.

“Oh, who?” Queried Phoebe.

“Just a friend I have on the Internet.”

“A bit of a pig is he?” rejoined Phoebe, laughing a little.

“She actually, no it’s just every time I log, on she seems to be having a meal.”

“Well I like nice food and just recently I’ve developed an appreciation for good food, especially after what I had to go though.” Phoebe went quiet as they walked along the street, thinking of the times looking in bins for scraps of food.

Passing a bakery they smelled fresh bread wafting out the doors of the shop. As one they stopped, looked at each other, the thought of each clearly written on their faces.

Entering, they proceeded to buy a loaf of crusty bread along with four fresh cream filled doughnuts, the jam was oozing out. Kim licked her lips, saying she just felt herself put on ten pounds.

Next stop was a deli where they purchased some freshly sliced ham. Hailing a cab they bundled everything in, telling the driver the destination.

Arriving at the jetty, they scrambled out, clutching the results of their shopping binge. Hearing a shout they saw Pickles walking to wards them indicating they stay in that spot. As he came up to them he asked for the bags saying he would carry them. Instead Kim handed him the food saying, “Get started on that, we can handle a few bags,” with a wink to Phoebe.

Phoebe asked if there was any progress, but Pickles just said, they would fill them in after lunch.

Bill, when he saw them asked. “What’s that nice smell?”

“Lunch,” chorused the girls.

“Great, I’m starved,” he replied.

Lunch was rather subdued, nobody spoke much, the men were obviously keeping something from the girls, but Phoebe didn’t press them for details. It was plain they weren’t going to say anything until lunch was over.

When things were cleared away and the girls had refreshed their lipstick, Phoebe finally broached the subject.

“Well what did you find?”

“You sure you want to hear?” Replied Bill.

“No, but I can’t hide from it, give it to us straight.”

“Okay, we found her. Using the grapple though the live bait well,” Pickles said quietly, looking for signs of distress on Phoebe’s face.

“We opened the bottom door like Kim suggested which gave us a clear route though to the lake floor and dropped our grapple though it. Luckily we only had to move once before we found her. No one from the outside could see what we were doing as we closed the top hatch and worked in the well itself.”

“Where is she now?” Inquired Phoebe.

Still in the well, but I took the ropes off her and wrapped a blanket round the body,” Bill replied.

“I must see her, I owe her that,” Phoebe insisted.

“No, not yet wait till we get back to the boat shed where can ensure a little privacy and let us clean her up a bit,” Bill pleaded.

“Alright, please be gentle with her, she’s been abused enough.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things.”

Phoebe surprised Kim with a suggestion that they continue shopping while the men pilot the boat home. At Kim’s look, Phoebe said she didn’t want to stay aboard with her twin being so close.

“It feel’s weird knowing she’s so close I owe her everything, but it’s not just a dead person, it’s me.”

Kim said she understood and gave her a gentle hug, saying, “Let’s go. Pickles knows how to handle the boat so he will be okay.”

Telling the guys they would see them later, they left, catching another cab into town.

“We have two hours before we need to go back,” Kim calculated. “What with the speed restrictions going out to the lake and then the time to prepare the body. So where do you want to go?”

“Please anywhere, I don’t mind, remember that rain check? Well the offers still open.”

Kim laughed. “Okay, but I’ll warn you it won’t be cheap.”

“Hmm, I think I can cover it,” Phoebe grinned. “Oh, can you help me pick out something for the others too. I wouldn’t want them feeling left out.”

Two and a half, hours later, two tired shoppers hailed a cab for the ride home. On arrival, there seemed to be a hive of activity about the house. Plonking down on the lounge suite, Phoebe kicked of her shoes and started rubbing her toes. Kim smiled at her then grabbed the bags and took them away to their respective bedrooms. Phoebe smiled her thanks as she massaged her aching feet. ‘It wasn’t that the shoes didn’t fit,’ she thought, just her muscles were unused to putting most of her weight on the balls of her feet. Looking at the offending heels, she wondered why shoes that looked so great could make your feet so sore.

Sandra came in with a gin and tonic for Phoebe saying she might need it to help her unwind a bit.

Phoebe thanked her and asked, what was happening.

“Well, Sara is making a lovely wreath from the flowers she’s grown. Karen is touching up ‘Phoebe’s’ appearance for you, and the others have sewn up a burial bag from some heavy canvas. I’ll call when we are ready, okay?”

Finishing her drink, Phoebe went into her bedroom and finding some suitable paper, started wrapping the gifts she had bought for the staff. A knock on the door announced the arrival of Sandra, who, on entering, told Phoebe that everything was ready for the burial.

Phoebe sighed, then got up walking over to her wardrobe to find some suitable clothing. Getting dressed in a traditional LBD with the help of Sandra, Phoebe sighed, thinking about what was about to happen. Looking in the mirror, she looked very elegant in the black dress even if it was a little provocative. Sandra handed her a black scarf and helped her arrange it around her head and hair. Looking for suitable footwear, she selected some black sling backs with a low heel and with Sandra helping her do her makeup she was ready.

As everyone gathered by the boat shed, Phoebe could feel the tension. Everyone was looking at her, knowing that she had asked to see her dead twin and wondering how she would handle it. She climbed on board the boat where at the stern there lay a shroud-covered form. Bill was there looking at her, as she approached.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“YES,” she said, walking slowly towards the body.

As she stood beside the body, she watched as Bill drew the cloth away from her twin’s face.

Looking down she saw, strangely, considering the manner in which she was killed, a relatively peaceful looking face. Karen’s work was evident as the cosmetics applied to her face covered the ravages from the water, and it gave her face a look, that almost seemed as if she was just asleep. Lipstick and the perfume that was from ‘Phoebe’s’ own collection had been added. Feeling as if she was looking in a mirror Phoebe got a feeling of ineffable sadness. This person didn’t deserve this fate. She should have been standing in her place with this beautiful house and living the good life. Bending down she whispered in ‘Phoebes’ ear,

“I promise you I will try to live life as you would have wanted it for yourself. Rest in peace my sister, you have given me the gift of life and for that I will always love you. Go in peace, your death has been avenged in a manner I hope you approve of.” As Phoebe stood up, her eyes filled with tears.

Turning she walked straight into Bill’s gentle embrace and sobbed. Bill led her to the others who had stood further away respecting her right to be alone with her sister/twin. They gathered her into their arms and let her weep quietly, while Bill went back to the body to make the final preparations.

Kim reluctantly broke free from the group hug and started the boat up. Slowly, she manoeuvred it out of the boathouse and started cruising out towards the middle of the lake.

Using the sonar equipment fitted to the boat as a guide, Kim located a spot she knew was the deepest in the lake. Cutting the motor, she anchored and then went back to the rest of the group. As they waited till twilight they drank a toast to ‘Phoebe.’ Bill and Pickles had placed the covered form on a ply wood sheet. Gathering round the body, they listened quietly as Kim got out her bible and spoke a passage from it, which brought forth a few tears and sniffles. As the last rites were finished, Bill lifted the end of the board and the weighted body slid into the water with a soft splash and sank out of sight in seconds.

Sara threw the lovely wreath into the water where it floated bobbing gently in the calm water.

Returning, the mood lightened as if the burden of ‘Phoebe’s’ burial had lifted, and thoughts of the future were once again on the minds of those on the boat. Kim called Phoebe up to the wheel where she was navigating by the GPS and looking for the beacon on top of the boat shed.

“How are you doing?” she asked, as Phoebe came up to her.

“I’m okay, it was very upsetting looking at her, but I needed to thank her for this,” (indicating her body). I wish she hadn’t had to die, it feels almost as if I’ve robbed her of her life by becoming her.”

Kim snorted, “No way girl, you were as much a victim as she was. Be thankful you now have a life to live.”

“Oh I am, I am No, I think this will be something of an adventure that few people could appreciate.”

“Remember we are here to help you for as long as you want us.”

“Thank you, I couldn’t have done without all of you. I want you to stay with me for as long as you wish,” replied Phoebe.

“Do you think the body will be okay where it is? We don’t want someone finding it accidentally.” Phoebe asked worriedly.

“Unlikely, I found this place using my sonar. I don’t think there’s another soul who knows this spot. It’s a deep, mud filled depression according to my readings. ‘Phoebe’s’ body will soon be covered beyond anyone’s reach.”

After they docked and walked back to the house, Michelle who had stayed behind with the girls and the baby, greeted them with cups of whisky laced coffee which were thankfully accepted. While everyone went into the main lounge at Phoebe’s request, she went and brought out the gifts she had bought.

Phoebe handed them out, explaining that they were in appreciation for all of their help. Michelle loved the lovely black negligee that Phoebe had given her. The two girls were playing quietly at Michelle’s feet with the dolls that Michelle had given them looking and acting their apparent age and sex.

Once the girls had opened their gifts, and exclaimed over the clothes that just happened to be what they wanted, Phoebe winked at Kim, knowing that it was she that picked out what each wanted. Then Kim opened hers, one was a new barometer to replace the one broken by the shooting and a pale lavender peignoir. Bill got a brand new fishing rod and the promise of as many fishing trips on the boat as he wanted. Pickles looked on not having been given a present, a little piqued at missing out. Finally with a grin, Phoebe pulled out a small gift from behind her back, handing it to Pickles.

“We all know how you would like to get into our panties, so I thought, why not. So here is a pair from each of us for you to wear.”

Opening the gift Pickles looked at the five pairs of panties with a grin as everyone laughed with him.

“Pickles blushed, but quipped back, “I knew I’d get into your panties one of these days,” then he joined in with the fresh burst of laughter.

Later as Michelle and Bill were leaving, Phoebe noticed that baby Linda wasn’t with her.

“Where’s Linda?” she inquired.

“Sandra expressed a wish to raise her as her child so I’m leaving her here. That is okay isn’t it?” she asked anxiously.

“Of course, I’m sure she’ll be doted on in a little while, as everyone forgets who she really was.”

They hugged each other as they left, Phoebe insisting that they don’t become strangers. Walking back inside to a supper that Pickles had hastily prepared, they sat around quietly talking. Phoebe grinned at the sight of Sandra holding Linda, feeding her a bottle of formula.

That night in her bed, Phoebe lay awake, thinking of her future. At this point it looked great, she was rich, beautiful and had more friends now than she ever had in her old life. There was the question of what sex would be like with a man, but it didn’t repulse her, in fact she was looking forward to her first experience as a woman. As she drifted off to sleep she reminded herself to ask Sandra to invite her brother. May as well start looking for a suitable life mate was her last sleepy thoughts.

End

A footnote

This story is a work of fiction. It was written half a world away from the actual locality, but there were several eerie coincidences that occurred while I was writing it. I used Jamestown because my friend Cathy lives there and could fill me in on local colour. I also downloaded a map, which showed me the streets of both Jamestown and nearby Celoron, which I used in my story.

The character was originally going to be called Cathy Wilson (for obvious reasons), but got changed to Phoebe (another friend), who had asked to be in one of my stories.

I chose Celoron for the main part of the story to be based in. Cathy emailed me after reading a part of a rough draft. She was rather shocked, she told me that a girl by the name Cathy Wilson had disappeared from Celoron two years earlier, and her body has not been found.

Looking for a street near the lake for ‘Phoebe’s’ home, I picked at random, a street from my map. In the story, I had my characters drive along the street leading to the house.

When Cathy read this chapter a few days later, she told me I had done it again. Apparently, the street that I had picked out randomly, was the one from where another girl had mysteriously disappeared. Talk about coincidence.

As I said earlier, this story is a work of fiction. (I hope)

Now to dedications, most of the people who helped me in the writing of this story are in the story as characters. I’ll let you guess who they are, (most are writers themselves) For those that aren’t, I’d like to thank Jenny Jane Pope, Cathy_t, Virginia Kane, and a very special thanks to Karen Summerfield who did most of my proofing lol.

Formfit

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

7,500 < Novelette < 17,500 words

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Synopsis:

Having a wife who wears clothes too small for you, is very frustrating for a crossdresser. What if you had a wish granted that would allow your body to fit any sized clothes, forming your body to fit? Is it a crossdressers dream? What if, when part of your body wearing the clothes of another, became a near duplicate of the owner of those clothes. Would it still be as great? Add the fact that reality would change to make it normal for that to happen, still interested? Well read on.

Story:

~ Formfit ~

By Prudence Walker

Terry was frustrated. Two years had passed for the wannabe cross dresser since his marriage to Diane. He looked with envy at the latest purchases his wife had brought home, thinking that it was too bad she was 6 inches shorter than his own 5’ 10’ frame and many sizes smaller than his rugged form. He hadn’t been able to indulge in his hobby since they had married and bought the small apartment they currently owned. He’d had to purge his heartbreakingly small and painstakingly acquired feminine wardrobe, knowing that there would be no way of hiding it in the small apartment. He was too scared of letting his wife Diane in on his secret, fearing she would walk out in disgust. Terry hadn’t planned on marrying someone so petite. His dream of marrying someone who matched his size and who could unknowingly share her clothes with him had just not worked out.

Seeing her that day, as he came to in the hospital after an accident at the gym, had sealed his fate. She being his nurse and he being immobilized in hospital for a time, after having a broken leg all plastered up had been long enough for the two to cement a relationship that ended in marriage 6 months down the road.

Of course, that left him with the problem of finding something of hers he could wear that would allow him to relieve the pressure to dress that had been building up.

Terry picked at the skirts Diane had so casually tossed onto the bed, careful not to disturb the position too much while she went for a shower. As usual, she had bought fitted waists with a zip and button fastening that he knew would never get anywhere near closing if he tried them on. At least they weren’t the pencil type, which prevented even drawing them up his legs. He’d probably pull these up and hold them as best he could, while he luxuriated in the feeling of the soft lining brushing against his legs and imagining what it would feel like to walk around in them.Wait! One of the skirts had an elasticized waist. It was a full skirt in a floral print that was unlined. Terry glanced at the door to the bathroom, before quickly stretching the waist of the skirt tight and holding it against his waist as a gauge for fit. He rejoiced, as it seemed it might just accommodate his own waist. He placed it back, trying to replicate the look and position that the skirts had been in originally. Already trying to work out when he could try the skirt on, he went back into the kitchen to continue the dinner preparations.

Just because Terry was proficient in the kitchen, didn’t mean that he was a limp wristed househusband that deferred to Diane in all matters domestic. Far from it, Terry loved to cook and his job as a computer system troubleshooter meant he had more flexible hours and he was often home before his wife. He worked primarily for a big company, but often took on other jobs when things at the firm were running smoothly. They hoped the good income he got would soon allow them to buy a new larger home with some land to go with it. For now, they put up with the apartment and its relatively cheap upkeep, while they saved their money.

"Oh crap, I knew I forgot something," he lamented, as he juggled various pans on the stove.

"What’s that honey?" Diane asked as she entered the kitchen rubbing her hair with a towel. She snagged a piece of raw carrot and munched on it as she surveyed the organized chaos that was normally her tidy kitchen.

"We are out of oregano, and you know this dish needs it to taste right," he moaned shaking his head.

"Want me to pop out and get some at the local," Diane offered, knowing it was better to leave him in charge of things here.

"Yes please darling,"

"Okay, I’ll be back in ten," was Diane’s parting comment, as she picked up her keys.

The second she left, Terry turned down the heat on the remaining pans and hurried into the bedroom. He pulled off his shorts, leaving him standing barefoot in his jockeys. He nearly always went barefoot in the apartment unless they had guests, as the apartments central heating was set at a comfortable 22 degrees. He took the skirt from the bed, knowing he could try wearing it for a few minutes. It fit… barely; the elasticized gathers at the waist were stretched tight as he pulled it into position. Before looking at himself in the mirror, he went and pulled on a plain top of his that was almost gender neutral in appearance. There was no time to do any padding, but he saw Diane’s 2 inch heeled slides. He got them on with a squeeze, knowing his heels hung way over the back of the shoes, but not caring at this point. He walked over to the mirror in a sort of awkward shuffle trying not to lift the shoes more than necessary in case they fell off. Forgetting the lambskin mat in front of the mirror in his haste to view himself, he stumbled, crashing off the shoes and smacking his head on the chest of drawers. As his consciousness fled, his last thought was filled with terror of the prospect of being found wearing Diane’s new dress.

Being so traumatized by the sudden whiplash effect, Terry’s brain started to shutdown, bringing him to the edge of death. His breathing slowed to nearly indiscernible levels as did his pulse rate. In this near death state, Terry felt himself floating near a source of light with what seemed to be bright figures hovering nearby. In the timelessness of the moment, Terry wasn’t sure if what he was experiencing was real or some kind of dream. One figure drifted closer, although its identity was hidden till it spoke.

"Terry you must go back, you have a task o perform that will require your skills to achieve," came a voice that sounded like his grandmothers. This further confused Terry, knowing that his grandmother had died some seven years earlier.

"The dark one has caused an imbalance by aiding directly those that would do great evil, thus we have been granted the power to aid you by granting you one wish." The kindly voice went on.

‘One wish?’ thought Terry, his minds eye flashing over the possibilities were this not a dream.

"This isn’t a dream," countered the voice. "Make a wish now before our limited time together ends." The voice added, making Terry all the more certain it was a dream, despite the denial. He thought over what he would wish for in case there was a faint hope he was wrong. Many years of hiding his hobby was ingrained in his head and even now he couldn’t come out and voice his wish directly, so he couched it in a manner to allay suspicion.

"My wife often buys clothes that don’t fit me, so I wish that my body could change so that I can fit anything my wife buys in terms of clothing or stuff that would make us look nice."

He’d added the "us" rather than "me," so it would hopefully include stuff like makeup.

"Furthermore, these changes will go unnoticed so that no matter what I wear it will be seen as to be normal to everyone. Also, any changes my body makes, can be controlled in duration by me, just by thinking of it, after the removal of the clothes that cause the changes."

"Done and done," was the last thing he heard before things changed again.

"Breathe damnit, I’m not losing you now," Diane's voice slowly became clearer to his awakening senses. Terry felt Diane doing chest compressions and he let out a gasp of pain as he felt his ribs creak under the pressure.

"Terry!" Diane cried in relief as he came to.

Terry could feel pain as he took a breath, but he felt something else that made that pale in significance as shame filled his heart. He could still feel the skirt he had worn that had got him into this mess.

"I’m sorry, I will never do it again," he managed to get out, as he struggled to get up off the floor. He cringed as he waited for his wife’s disgusted voice to call him a pervert.

"I’ve warned you before to pick your feet up when wearing heels with a skirt. It’s a wonder you haven’t tripped before. Now how is your head? There’s a nasty gash in it. I think you were nearly comatose. I could hardly feel a pulse when I came back in and found you on the floor."

Terry had got to his feet feeling somewhat puzzled as her words started to sink in. He looked down and saw that yes, he was still wearing the skirt, but it looked different somehow and he could feel that the slides seemed to be securely on his feet and fitting comfortably. Looking into the mirror from where he was standing, it seemed as if his waist was much narrower than usual, in fact, it almost looked like he had the same size waist as Diane which was impossible, unless…the dream? The import of Diane’s words suddenly struck him like a mallet.

She seemed to find the fact of his wearing her clothes to be normal. It was if reality had been re written so that she was used to him wearing skirts. Was the dream somehow coming true as had his wish? Pulling his thoughts together, he realised Diane was talking to him.

"You’d better change that skirt, its got blood on it. Wear this while I go soak it in cold water," she said, holding out one of her fitted skirts that she’d just bought.

Stunned, he took hold of it, as he slipped out of the one he was wearing. Forgetting in his state of shock at her offer, he forgot one detail of his wish… to retain the shape of his body after removing the skirt. The instant it was off, his waist reverted to his normal male measurements. That wasn’t the only thing that changed instantly. Diane grabbed back her skirt, scolding him for even holding it, least he got blood on it.

"Get some pants on and get into the bathroom where I cam clean up that wound."

Terry complied, feeling more confused than ever at her instant change in demeanor. He pulled on his discarded shorts, noting that his feet were indeed smaller still clad in Diane’s slides. He noted that his toenails that were poking out the open toed slides were painted with pink nail polish and he restrained the impulse to giggle inanely at the absurdity at seeing his wife’s feet on the end of his legs. Diane of course noted nothing amiss at the sight as she followed her husband as he clacked into the bathroom in her shoes.

As he bent down so Diane could clean his injury, he revised his earlier thought that he had his wife’s feet. Looking at her bare feet and comparing them next to his, he could see slight differences between the two. This relieved him somewhat as the thought of having parts of him actually changing into identical parts of her body was a bit too kinky, even for him.

While Diane dressed his wound, Terry tried another test. He slipped off the slides, but thought to himself to retain the change for at least 12 hours. His feet looked dainty and the skin was paler than his own where it merged at the ankles. It was also hairless, which made the separation between the two all the more obvious.

"There, all done sweetie," Diane cooed, kissing him on the cheek. Do you think you’re going to be okay?"

"Sure, I’ll be fine," answered Terry, deliberately leaving the slides on the floor as he walked out the bathroom.

"Men! Always leaving their stuff on the floor," Diane sighed, picking up the shoes. "Here, put your own shoes away, while I finish dinner." She added, handing him the slides.

"I think I’ll change before dinner," Terry informed her, his desire to try something more making him breathe heavily with anticipation.

"Okay, I’ll be in the kitchen."

Terry tore off his clothes at the speed of light once he raced back into the bedroom. His next decision took much longer. What to wear? Like a kid in a toyshop, he grabbed a whole pile of Diane’s clothes.

A pair of panties went on first. Normally they would stop at his upper thighs as his legs stretched the panties leg holes to their limit, but this time they glided effortlessly into position and snapped around his waist. Looking down, he realised something he hadn’t counted on. His pride and joy was gone, sucked into a new configuration. He dithered, wondering if he should forgo the panties at this stage, but then thought why not experience it for a few hours.

With that, he picked up one of Diane’s nicer satin bras, and tried fastening it around his chest. He’d seen Diane put her arms through the straps and reach behind her back to fasten it, not really understanding how much more limber her arms were than his. He copied the way she did it, finding that his arms had no problems reaching behind him and connecting the hooks and eyes. The surprise came when he brought his arms back in front again. They were not his own. Somehow the magic that allowed his body to change form, had altered his arms to a feminine sleekness with slender fingers and hands that could grace any actress’s body.

Looking in wonder at his now graceful hands and pink nail polished adorned fingernails, he nearly missed the arrival of something or rather two something’s, his boobs. His chest hair disappeared and then his nipples tingled as his breasts started swelling up. Larger and larger they grew, until Diane’s bra strained to hold them in. Looking in the mirror he could see the changes went from his throat down to just above his bellybutton. He looked odd as he still had his old stomach that bulged like he was pregnant. A silk slip took care of that problem, giving him a body that was fully female from throat to crotch. He found a nice black dress that once on and zipped, showed off his new cleavage.

Pantyhose quickly reshaped his legs into alluring columns of feminine elegance.

He realised that he had lost a lot of height during his transformation, so a pair of Diane’s shoes with 4 inch heels gave a little height back.

Wondering if he should see if he could take it one step further and try one of Diane’s hats or hair clips and add makeup, to look the part completely, he stood and looked at himself in the mirror. A perfectly normal looking female body was reflected back with an equally normal looking male head perched atop of it. It looked bizarre, like someone had cut and pasted two images from a magazine together.

Thinking that this would be a better test than a full transformation, Terry walked out to the kitchen with butterflies in his… or should that be "her" stomach.

"That looks nice Terry, but you put me to shame. I guess I’ll have to change too," she winked at him. "I see you’ve borrowed one of my dresses again," she gently chided him, waving a ladle in a mock threat.

For an instant, Terry feared the worst as she realised he was wearing her dress, but her next words puzzled him even more, driving that fear away.

"Looks like I’m going to have to get my revenge on my wardrobe raider and borrow one of your dresses."

Terry was trying to work out what she meant, as he followed her bemusedly back into the bedroom. There seemed to be more ramifications to his wish than he’d bargained for.

"Come to watch me change into something sexy, lover?" she teased, putting an extra wiggle in her walk as she opened the split wardrobe where his clothes were stored.

Two things struck Terry at that moment. The place where his suits and pants used to hang was now filled with gowns and dresses of every description. Heels, every colour of the rainbow littered the floor where his shoes used to be. The other thing that struck him was that he was now technically a female, yet Diane had called him her lover. Did this mean she was now a lesbian? When she called me Terry, was that with an i, or a y and does she still see me as male or female. His head hurt trying to get a handle on all these different changes.

Logically, he could understand the reason his old clothes had transformed, as his old clothes wouldn’t fit the body he had now. He did a quick check in his underwear drawer, while Diane picked out a turquoise sheath that screamed "wear me." As he suspected, his drawer had all kinds of feminine frippery inside. Bras, slips, and panties in all manner of colours lay waiting to be worn. His heart beat rapidly and he drooled at the thought of trying everything on. Like a man dying from thirst in a desert coming across an oasis, he couldn’t wait to dive in. Even the thought that Diane might be a lesbian didn’t seem all that important anymore, as long as she only had eyes for him…err her.

He giggled at a thought that had just come to him. If he took everything off and changed back, while Diane was wearing "his" gown, would it turn back into its original form? The possibilities of playing around could take some time. He realised that as Diane had bought most of Terry’s original clothing, (he hated clothes shopping, considering it a waste of time he could otherwise spend on the computers he loved) he could now wear the changed clothing without fear of it, or he changing back.

"Well? How do I look?" Diane asked, rubbing herself up again her and fondling his now more than ample butt.

"Good enough to eat," he blurted out unthinkingly.

I’ll hold you to that later," she cooed. "But first, let’s eat some real food before we start on dessert." Diane laughed, squirming out of his embrace.

Terry blushed, getting her meaning all too well, as he followed her out. ‘Lucky I don’t have a penis right now,’ he thought, ‘I wouldn’t want to spoil the line of this dress.’

He had looked in his wallet for his driver’s license. It showed that he was still classified as Terry and even a male, though the photo showed a feminine shaped chest and top. Maybe as long as any part of him remained male he would be seen as male. It might even be more complicated than that, maybe if any visible part of him could be identified as being male, then he was male. He then wondered if looking like a woman from head to toe yet retaining his penis he would then be seen as a female by everyone. This was something he had to test later on.

Terry chickened out and decided to change back a little before bedtime arrived. He knew he’d like to experience sex as a female at least once, but too many things had happened to him in just a few hours and he didn’t want to rush into things too quickly. He retained the chest and legs, but took off his panties and let his member return. Immediately, the panties changed back into jockey underwear and he slid them back on.

Of course it didn’t take long for something to get as hard as a rock with all the sexy material slip sliding around. Nothing much else changed as a result of his hips returning to male proportions, as there wasn’t a lot of difference in dimensions given that Diane was smaller than he was. His waist remained thinner still presenting a feminine outline looking from the front From the side, his bum looked smaller and there was a certain something sticking out in the front.

He kept his male underpants on after Diane helped undress him. He was worried Terry junior might vanish if he left them off when Diane handed him a nightie to wear to bed. Sex was great, but with his boobs being unrestrained, and with the constant swinging back and forth as he pumped into Diane, he found them rather distracting, although when Diane grasped them lovingly the swinging lessened and the way they seemed directly connected to his cock more than made up for the initial awkwardness.

More ramifications of his wish showed up as he went to clean himself up immediately after the act. Diane would lie in bed in post-coital bliss while he always liked to wash the stickiness off straight away.

Still wearing the nightie, he pulled off his damp jockeys. Suddenly, ‘she’ didn’t have anything to wash, at least nothing externally. The nightie, as an all over garment covering everything from neck to ankles had treated his whole body as female, and made him conform to that standard. Not only that, but Terri could now taste Diane’s secretions in her mouth, seeming to retroactively take into account her now female body with a lesbian encounter not a few minutes ago.

‘Oh boy!’ she thought. This could get complicated. ‘What if I get her pregnant as a guy and then turn female? Would her baby disappear as one can’t get pregnant by cunnilingus?’ Somehow she doubted it. With the wish coming from above, they wouldn’t allow an innocent to perish just because he had a fetish. Maybe Diane would still be pregnant from a donor sperm in some IVF program.

She washed herself, just in case she changed her mind about staying female for the rest of the night and not wanting to find dried secretions over his penis if she changed back. When she got back into bed and tried to get comfortable with her newly acquired assets, she wondered if the effect she was causing was just a local phenomenon, or worldwide. Knowing the dark forces were active, she doubted the worldwide theory, as all the changes rippling through reality, would be like a beacon, alerting them to her presence.

Being new to boobs and the restriction of lying on her stomach without discomfort, she decided to doff the delicious feeling nightie in favour of being male and naked and getting a few hours sleep.

Monday morning dawned early, as strange dreams had made his sleep fitful. Waking before Diane, he took the discarded nightie to the bathroom. Today he was going to go ahead and try to become fully female. Though not because he had any special need driving him to do so, he was quite happy being a guy, but the temptation to try something new and exciting was too much to deny.

He donned the nightie, changing instantly into a woman from the neck down; even his feet were included in the change. Why his head didn’t change, he didn’t know, maybe it was to stop him from accidentally becoming female without thinking, as he would have to make a deliberate act to complete the change. She looked around for something of Diane’s that might to the trick. Spotting her makeup and a mock tortoise shell hair barrette, she set to work.

Makeup was one thing he had played with before without getting caught. She applied moisturizer and started with powder, marveling at the changes in her face. Terri’s male face was becoming feminine the more makeup she applied. Mascara automatically lengthened his lashes far more than stated on the label. Eye shadow made his eyes look bigger and wider as well as highlighting them.

Under the careful application of lipstick, his lips swelled, becoming cupid bows. With his face gorgeously female, he started fussing with his short hair, before placing the barrette in it. Instantly, his hair grew out, forming waves as the barrette settled into place. As Terri sat there taking it all in, stunned at the transformation, she didn’t hear the door open as Diane entered.

Diane pecked Terri on the cheek. "Terri, you look stunning this morning. You’re going to wow all your co-workers. Wear the dark skirt and jacket I put on the bed and the cream blouse," Diane added as if it was a normal thing she did everyday.

"Okay." Terri agreed, hearing her new feminine voice coming from her red adorned lips.

Picking up the skirt that had been left out for her on the bed, she looked at it and wondered if things were ever going to be the same again. After all, here he…oops she was holding something she could wear with impunity without anyone suspecting inside lurked the soul of a crossdresser. Thinking about it now that she was female, it wasn’t cross dressing at all. How did he go from being a frustrated male crossdresser to this?

Thinking back to her past, she didn’t fit into the normal transsexual niche, if being transsexual could be considered normal. Being a rather shy person Terry had never gone too far in his hobby, mainly because he had never been brave enough to buy the clothes he wanted to try on. No, his girl wardrobe consisted of a few nighties and bra and panty sets (gifts for non existent girlfriends of course). Buying online was out, as first he’d lived with his parents before flatting with mates while at university. The dread of having any of them open something addressed to him and finding what was inside had made that totally out of the question.

Yet here he, or she was, about to go out in public as a female. Funnily enough, she still felt male in her brain. She wasn’t hankering to go out and have sex with a man, and her feelings towards Diane, remained the same. The best way she could describe it was like being a secret agent taking on a disguise, except this disguise was as the opposite sex yet perfect down to the last detail. There was a thrill at having the chance to wear what she liked without so much as a naysay and fooling her workmates was going to be interesting to say the least. Terri would go back to being a guy eventually; it was just the chance to get things out of her system first.

"Hey wakey wakey, you’ll be late if you stand there like a statue," Diane chided her, dragging Terri from her reverie.

By the time she’d got dressed, had her hair fussed over by Diane, makeup on and accessorized, she only had time for a quick bite to eat, if she wasn’t going to be late. She wondered if it was worth all the hassle, and was glad she wasn’t stuck doing this everyday. She chuckled as she took her half finished cup of coffee out to the car. Here she was, not even a day in a woman’s body and she had already started to complain about it. One thing for sure, it made her appreciate the time Diane took to look her best.

Driving in heels nearly cost her the car, as the heel caught between the accelerator pedal and the bulkhead, causing her to speed dangerously while trying to get her foot free. She managed to stop by jamming in the brake with her other foot, stalling the engine. Once the shoe was dislodged, she continued on barefoot, glad no one had been hurt. Funnily enough, she wasn’t worried about a cop pulling her over for dangerous driving. Her driver’s license now showed her as being female and Terry was now spelt Terri. She didn’t like driving in her pantyhose covered feet as the surface of the pedals felt much rougher on her now much more tender feet.

Arriving at work was different. Instead of the usual mumbled greetings from her fellow workers, she found herself the center of attention, as she was the only female there. She even had a cup of coffee brought to her desk by her boss, something unheard off when she’d been Terry. She could see that being an attractive woman in a male dominated office could have its perks. But some of the attention wasn’t exactly welcome and she quickly grew tired of it.

Most of it was computer related. People she’d barely spoken to before were coming to see if she needed software updates, as if she couldn’t do it herself. As one of the company’s top troubleshooters, she’d usually been asked to help some of the lesser talented with problems. But today she found herself swamped with requests for help. As she leaned over the shoulder of one of those claiming to be stuck, she realised too late what they were really after. As the problem turned out to be a minor thing, something the guy should have been able to do blindfolded, she twigged to the fact that he was looking more at her than at the screen.

She blushed and stood up firing a look at the guy in question that would liquefy air. She stalked off back to her seat having strange feelings fill her body. Anger, shame, guilt, were all mixed in with a hint of pride warring with each other in a seething cauldron of emotional complexity.

That was the trouble, being a woman for only a few hours; she didn’t have any experience with interactions with guys, and therefore had fallen headlong into the trap of becoming nothing, but an object of sexual gratification. She felt as if she was being violated in some obscure manner and realised there was only one thing to do. She fobbed off the next requests for help and as people realised she wasn’t going to come at their every whim, and when things settled down, she went into the toilets. There, she took out her hair clip and used some makeup wipes and removed all her makeup.

This had the effect of bringing her male head back into being as Terri became a feminized Terry. He knew it was a risk, but he got a strange feeling, knowing that if they lusted after his body now, it would while knowing he was really a guy; at least he hoped that would be the situation.

He returned to his desk feeling nervous, as his heels seemed to be shouting out with every click. "Look at the guy in a dress and heels." To his relief, no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Back at his desk, he felt somewhat less concerned about it all. His boss came by and even complimented him on his dress, without blinking an eye, seeming not to realise how strange that comment should have been. Terry sighed in relief at being treated normally despite his inappropriate attire. Even so, he was still distracted enough that he didn’t spot the problem on his screen till after he’d run several other checks.

Someone had broken into his personal files and had got past the layers of encryption he used as a matter of form. Whoever it was, had been very good, in terms of hacking past his security, almost super natural in fact, knowing just how impossible that should have been. But luckily they’d lacked the same finesse when trying to leave untraceably.

A bit of software, he’d developed, had latched onto the intruder like a leech, and was showing a trail back to the source of the hackers. Checking the time, he was relieved that it had happened while he was Terry and not Terri. That made him feel somewhat better as he didn’t want anyone looking at Terri’s personal info.

The trail led to a company that Terry had done some work for several weeks earlier. He had flown east and stayed for three days while he worked on a specific problem they’d had. They had hired him because he was one of he best and held a high security clearance, when he worked with the government.

The company was developing Bioware, which dealt with implantation techniques of computer chips for humans. He had helped them get past a stumbling block in the human computer interface for which the solution was some programming routines he had come up with. Of course they’d paid him handsomely, that’s why it made little sense for them to have hacked into Terry’s computer, when he, as Terry, could have offered what they wanted without all the mystery. If this was some twisted way to find out more about him if they were interested in employing Terry on a full time basis, then it was a poor way of doing it.

He looked deeper into their systems, via the access granted by his leech program. Avoiding the pitfalls of their somewhat second rate security, he delved into anything that might prove a motive for their attack. Not really knowing what he was looking for, he accessed their personnel records and was suddenly struck by something odd. Several people he’d worked for during the time Terry was with the company, were now no longer employed there. In fact, records showed that their wages had been terminated. With no payouts at all, no accrued leave or sickness benefits paid, as they would have if they had left the company. And there were no records of them being fired or laid off for any reason. It was as if they had just disappeared and the company had cut them off completely.

Payments had ended a week ago, just a day after a new CEO had been appointed. And again, there was no mention of the old CEO or any payouts being made. The people Terry had worked with had been essential personnel, involved in the breakthrough of the Bioware innovation.

Something wasn’t right. Surely the new CEO had something to do with it. Nothing else made sense otherwise. He looked further, trying to find out more about the old CEO. There wasn’t much info on him and he suspected that there’d been some house cleaning done in the records.

Luckily, he knew his name and where he lived from conversations he’d had with him. He soon had the guy’s home phone number and tried ringing it. There was no answer and Terry finally hung up. Terry then rang Kevin, the guy he’d stayed with, while working for the Bioware Company. No answer there either. Terry was now becoming worried, and needed to go find the man and get some kind of answer. On a hunch, he checked other employee’s records and in the last week, he found that more than a dozen workers had been dismissed in the development section of the company.

Terry knew he needed a good excuse to get a few days off without any questions. So he went back into the toilets to become Terri again.

"I don’t feel well, I think I need to see my Gyno," Terri told her boss, hoping the mention of that particular kind of doctor would forestall any further questions.

"Okay Terri, I hope everything’s okay and I’ll see you tomorrow hopefully," replied her boss, falling for the excuse.

"Byeee," she flipped over her shoulder as she left the office.

‘It worked,’ she rejoiced, as she gathered her coat and bag. Returning home, she changed back into Terry and left a note at home for Diane, Terry packed a few clothes together, plus a few things of Diane’s, which might come in handy. It had been necessary for Terry to return so that he could be sure he had some of Diane’s clothes and not his femmed over ones. He debated whether to go as a female or male, deciding to stay male for his superior strength in case of trouble.

The flight east took 3 hours, not including delays at the airport. He rented a car and drove directly to the address of the CEO. His need to find out what was up was more important than finding a place to stay.

The place seemed empty when he arrived, although he knew there should be a wife and two kids presumably living there. He knocked on the door, holding a bunch of flowers he’d picked up on the drive from the airport. It was his excuse to visit, as he was going to say he was in the area and had heard of his demotion. (A polite way of saying being tossed out).

Nobody answered his knock. In fact, the front door was ajar which looked all the more suspicious. He nudged the door open with his foot, being careful not to touch any surface where he might leave his prints. He’d seen all the movies and wasn’t about to be caught holding the smoking gun, if it turned out to be that serious.

He stepped inside calling out at the same time, but only silence answered him. There was an odd smell in the air, musty with a sulphurous taint to it. He moved quietly through the house till he came across the first body. He soon found two others that left him ready to puke. Only those three were there, no others. If this is what was left of the wife and her two children, then he didn’t think he’d be getting any answers from the husband. He left quickly; remembering to take the flowers with him, breathing in their scent to try rid himself of the memory of the smell inside and what it represented.

He managed to drive a mile down the road before he was forced to stop near a small park, where he quickly emptied his stomach contents. Seeing the shrunken mummified bodies of the family in his mind again, he knew they had died from no earthly form of attack.

He wondered if this had to do with the forces of evil that he’d been told about when he’d his wish granted. As far as he knew, the Bioware just had to do with medical uses in the body. Kevin, the man he’d worked closely with, hadn’t been very forth coming, only showing the two interface types, without a lot of back ground detail. Maybe he’d just assumed it was for that, and Kevin hadn’t disabused him of the notion, when he’d asked. Was there a more sinister use for it, or was there some other reason? Maybe someone got wind of the breakthrough and decided to take over the project. Maybe they were eliminating all the people directly involved with it. He knew that was a lot of maybes, but he just had to know.

He got back into his rental and drove to Kevin’s place where he’d stayed while on the job. Kevin was single and had offered to let Terry to stay there instead of a hotel.

No one responded to his knock and unlike the CEO’s place, the door was locked. Terry hoped the spare key was still in its usual hidey hole, having used it before when arriving there before Kevin finished his shift. It was, and soon Terry was inside, looking around carefully. No strange smells or dead bodies were to be found, although there was evidence that the place had been empty for a few days. Terry wondered if it was safe to crash there for the night, as it was getting late and his stomach was rumbling. Chancing it, he decided to stay. After all, whoever was behind this must know Kevin was single, just as they knew that the CEO had a family.

Terry pottered around in the kitchen, making up an easy meal from some rice with a few other things thrown in. Later as he sat down to eat, he thought about Kevin and what had happened to him. Maybe they had been eliminated while at work, or maybe they had become victims of their own research, and were now weird zombie like creatures.

He tidied up after the meal and headed for the shower, to wash off the usual stickiness that comes after long journeys. He donned a nightie he’d borrowed from Diane, but didn’t go any further than that. He went into the guest bedroom where he’d stayed before and played with his nipples, till he grew moist, then he pleasured himself down lower till he’d orgasmed several times.

"What am I doing?" he said out loud, feeling disgusted with himself. ‘People I know could be dead, with me next, and Diane might be in danger too,’ he thought angrily to himself. ‘Here I am, a crossdresser whacking off half the across the country in someone else’s house while trying to play detective with the ungodly.’

Terry cleaned himself up, and got out his laptop, plugging it into the LAN, Kevin had set up last time. While accessing his work computer, he rang Diane. He told her to leave the house and go stay at friends until he contacted her again. When she asked what this was all about, he just told her about the incursion into his files and that her life could be in danger.

"Well if you are going to be away for a few days, I’ll go stay with Anita. That way we can drive into work together," Diane suggested.

"Okay, Bye love, I’ll keep in touch," Terry finished, getting a "take care and I love you," from Diane before he rang off.

Checking his computer, he checked the report he’d made on the Bioware job. He checked when it had been accessed last and found that the time and date coincided with the time his files were broken into. Looking at the report itself, he breathed a sigh of relief. It mentioned what he’d done and that he’d made no comment on its possible uses, just saying that the brain analogue to digital interface required…followed by the programming steps he’d taken. He took heart that they hadn’t tried to erase the file, which could mean that they didn’t consider it a threat. Hopefully that meant he and Diane weren’t in danger, but he wouldn’t get over confident just yet, especially as they had already resorted to murder.

Shit I’m overlooking something important he realised, as he shut down his computer. Maybe Kevin has some info about the project on his own computer. He wandered into Kevin’s bedroom and sat at the computer desk in there. He turned on the computer and entered the bios with an f8, changing the boot sequence, from A, C, D to D, C, A. He then rebooted after putting in a special CD-ROM he’d brought along. The program on the CD fooled the computer into thinking there was no password required.

Gaining access to the computer, Terry started searching for information. Most of it seemed the usual stuff you’d find on a computer, games, music and stuff. The only thing that caught his eye was a file called H.A.D.E.S. He soon found out the acronym stood for Human Analogue Digital Enhancement Systems, which seemed appropriate given the idea, but the word Hades sent shivers down his neck. The file didn’t contain what he’d expected, that is information relating to the project. No it was more of a diary on Kevin’s thoughts about it.

Apparently, the company designed and produced products destined for the medical industry, when they were approached by another company to develop Bioware. HADES as this new customer was called footed the bill, but used the expertise and the machinery of the other to make it happen. Kevin was all for it, until the uses to which it was going to be put were changed.

Skimming though the diary, Terry saw that from originally being used to control pain or enhance motor skills, the Bioware was now able to control the brain itself. The last entry from Kevin stated that the Hades people were doing clandestine testing on human subjects already. Kevin had gone back after everyone had gone home because he’d remembered he’d left his discs out on his desk. He found others working in a lab with what looked like a zombie. He wasn’t spotted and he’d left quietly, after ringing his superior and letting him know. The last words in the diary were. The CEO rang me back, looks like the shit has hit the fan. Why do I feel edgy?

It was dated the day before both he and the CEO disappeared.

‘Obviously he had good reason to be edgy,’ thought Terry. ‘He probably came to an untimely end along with his boss the next day.’ Terry didn’t know what to do. Should he call the cops and tell them his suspicions? At least the bodies would make a good argument to start an investigation. Terry took a copy of the diary and stored it in a USB micro drive he kept on his keychain. He then disconnected Kevin’s computer from the Internet, so it couldn’t be attacked that way. Before he logged out, he changed the password to one of his own, just in case.

He went back to try and get some sleep, deciding to call the police anonymously at the airport just before his flight home. He could do no good here, he wasn’t qualified to investigate further and although not a coward by any means, this situation scared him.

"Yes and don’t forget, the password to the computer is biblical," Terry stressed as he finished his somewhat harried conversation to the police.

Terry hung up the airport phone, half expecting to be approached by police as they traced his call. He’d been careful not the mention the dead family till late in the conversation to give him more time. He’d just said he was a colleague of theirs and that they had vanished without a trace. He’d mentioned what was on Kevin’s computer, and his suspicions. He’d then mentioned going to the CEO’s home and finding the bodies there. At that point, the officer grew much more attentive and started asking more detailed questions. Terry answered as best he could, but refused to give his name or location. He’d cut short the conversation before they could get a trace on him, hopefully.

He arrived home in time for lunch and as no one was home, decided to take the rest of the day off. He’d rung work and told them, wondering what reason they thought he’d told them yesterday, seeing as the Gyno one wouldn’t stand up as he was in Terry mode. He laughed as he hung up, his Gyno problem having changed to flu, as his boss told him to take it easy.

He knew he shouldn’t be wasting time on his kink, but he needed to experiment more, plus he need a welcome distraction. Deciding to become Terri again, he stripped off and donned a nightie, becoming female again from neck to toes. Then it was makeup time complete with hair clips to finish the look. She was glad that she’d added stuff that made them look nice in the wish, as it might have been a problem otherwise.

One more test had to be done before she ventured out. She stripped off the nightie, while willing her shape to remain as it was. She then went and admired her naked and very female body in the mirror, using her hands to check every inch. What a rush, but pity he couldn’t get a hard on without sacrificing the hips, if she’d kept a pair of Terry’s jockeys on under the nightie. Terri wondered if she could selectively return just parts of her body back to male without changing everything back. Concentrating, on her penis, she willed it back, while trying to retain her womanly shaped hips. She succeeded to a point, producing just a penis which seemed to pop out just where her vagina had been a second before. The rest of the dangly bits failed to appear, which made it look like she had a realistic dildo sticking out rather than having a real penis.

Deciding not to push her luck at this stage, she left it that way, deciding to pleasure herself while looking at her image in the mirror. When things came to a head shortly after, she found the orgasm to be different. There was no ejaculate, probably because the reservoirs were absent, so the primary pulse of ecstasy was missing, but felt great in another way lesser pulses lasting much longer than normal.

Not having to clean up afterward was a bonus when she started to get dressed. She paused before putting on her panties, knowing her penis would vanish again, but deciding against making a mess looking for her old protective sports cup hidden somewhere in the depths of her closet.

‘Oh poo!’ She thought, realizing it wouldn’t be there anyway, having transformed into something feminine along with all Terry’s male clothes.

It wasn’t long before she was dressed and ready to go out shopping for some clothes that would fit her current body in the local mall.

Having read the labels on the clothes she was currently wearing, she knew what sizes to start looking at, when she reached the mall. Browsing amongst the racks of clothing she’d only ever dreamt of doing was a big thrill. Knowing that she couldn’t be outed, didn’t lessen the excitement she felt.

She picked several outfits, one being the proverbial little black dress and took them to the fitting room. Once there, she took off her top and skirt, while thinking of keeping her current form for a minute or so. Slipping into the form fitting LBD she just managed to get the zipper fastened all the way up. It was probably too tight for her, but she loved the satin imprisonment of it as it hugged her every curve. She admired herself in the mirror for a few minutes, before realizing that she hadn’t reverted and exploded the dress off her body. Still, wearing the bra and panties would have limited the return of most of Terry’s body but her male waist would have split the dress apart. Realizing what a risk she’d taken while in the shop, she changed back and put the dress back where it came from. Deciding not to buy anything then and there, she put the other dress back as well, thinking it would be better if Diane bought the dresses, then she’d know she’d fit them perfectly.

Although Terri hadn’t bought anything, she’d learned several important facts. After using Diane’s clothes to become female, she could maintain that form even if clothed in dresses Diane hadn’t bought herself and that Terri’s body remained the same size regardless of what sized clothes she tried to wear in the shop. There was one more test Terri would have liked to do, but it could wait till Diane came home.

Thinking about how she might need some defense against this evil foe from below, should it show, Terri went looking for some crosses made of silver. She thought the ones in the jewelers looked too small and the prices way too high, so she wandered further and came across a curio shop that sold second hand goods. There, she found what she wanted; two silver crosses, each about 3 inches in length, made to fit a chain. She hoped Diane would consent to wear one, even if she wasn’t deeply religious. Although larger than one would expect to wear around the neck, because they weren’t very thick, they were not too heavy to wear. The gypsy like proprietor told her solemnly that they were old Romany heirlooms that would protect her when she needed it. Terri looked at her, when she said that, wondering if she somehow knew things she wasn’t saying. She certainly looked like someone with knowledge of the old ways.

As Terri handed over the money for the crosses, the woman snatched her hand, turning it palm up. Managing to stop the reflex to pull her hand free, Terri saw that the woman was examining her lifeline.

"This is very interesting. You have a double lifeline. See the two lines that join, then separate?" She pointed to the lines on Terri’s palm. "I sensed something different about you, that why I didn’t sell you the usual fake rubbish as I might have done."

Terri was shocked, thinking she’d rumbled to the fact that she was a guy underneath this attractive feminine form. Her next words however put her fears of discovery on hold.

"You will be fighting the dark forces soon and will require a weapon to aid you," she added, releasing her hand and moving to the rear of the shop. "Wait here, I won’t be long," she told her, as she went into the privacy of her office.

Terri waited, wondering what the woman was getting, hopefully a hellfire missile launcher or a devil fragmentation grenade. What she did return with was slightly less lethal looking, although the dagger didn’t look particularly sharp.

"This is an Athame a ceremonial dagger used in occult matters and this," lifting a small bottle from her pocket, "is holy water."

"Holy water?" Terri questioned, looking at the somewhat dusty bottle with a doubtful look.

"This dear is no ordinary holy water. This has been passed on for generations. It was blessed by the pope in the sixteenth century."

"Will that still work? I mean, wouldn’t it be better with a fresh lot? Terri asked looking doubtfully at the dusty bottle.

"NO!" The lady hissed, moving to close and lock the door to the shop and putting up the closed sign. "Once blessed, it is forever blessed, whether you use a drop or the whole bottle. It contains a part of God’s spirit in it and it will never diminish," she added fervently. "In the time that this water was blessed, many demons were thought to roam the land and the Popes of the day took account of that when they consecrated the water. Trust me, this is more powerful than the strongest acid, yet it leaves the skin unharmed."

Terri turned to the dagger picking it up and checking the blade with her thumb. Although ornate, the double-edged weapon was barely as sharp as a letter opener.

"It isn’t very sharp?" Terri questioned the woman.

The woman sighed. "You don’t know much about Athame’s do you?" She asked, expecting the shake of Terri’s head. "Come, sit down with me and I’ll explain, then you can tell me your story." The woman said, taking Terri’s hand and guiding her into the back of the store.

Terri was surprised to see that the woman’s store had another entrance that faced to the street outside the mall. The store was divided in half. One half housing the curio shop had its entrance on the inside of the mall, while the other half faced the outside of the mall and looked like a fortunetellers den. No wonder she knew about the occult, she obviously ran two businesses, one during mall hours and one outside those hours. While Terri looked at the small table with a shrouded lump on it and at all the other mystical paraphernalia that one would expect in a place like this, the woman’s busied herself, making tea for them both.

"I didn’t know there were fortunetellers left in the city," Terri commented, as she took the proffered cup of tea.

"Oh there are still a few of us around, but we have to diversify to survive now," the woman replied, indicating the door leading to the curio shop.

The woman, who said her name was Rose, took Terri’s hands again and examined them. "It’s strange, but when I touched you earlier, I felt the need to aid you. I sense that you are about to encounter great evil and you need protection."

"Do I use the Athame to kill my enemy?" Terri asked worriedly.

"No, the Athame is never used for cutting things like meat, thread, plants or anything else considered a solid object on this plane. Use of this blade for self defense will make it null and void for any magical use again."

"Then what use is it?" Terri asked.

"We consider the Athame to be a tool of center, of self, of evocation and banishing. The Athame is the tool wielded of one's own will, thoughts, emotions, and intuition, over all of the Elements."

"So how do I use it?"

"First you will explain why I get a strong sense of the yang mixed with the ying of your spirit, and then I’ll decide if I’ll help you."

Terri sighed, dreading this moment, even knowing that it had to be done least she fail at her task. She told Rose everything, baring her soul to this stranger. She even offered to prove it by changing back to Terry, but Rose waved that off, seemingly content to take her word for it. When Terri had finished, she felt drained, and wondered what Rose had made of all of it.

"It seems to me that you haven’t explored this reality enough. If what you say is correct. It may be possible that those people are not dead yet." Rose conjectured, shocking Terri into a state of confusion.

"But I saw…"

"In Terry’s reality yes, but in this reality where you are female, they could be alive. Do you have memories of staying with Kevin, while you were Terri?" Asked Rose, looking at her questioningly. "Did you check even once while you were Terri?

"NO BUT…"

"You were convinced that the changes in reality only affected those around you." Rose butted in. "I think you are correct as far as the small body changes, but when you become fully female or mostly female in that people refer to you in the feminine, I think reality as a whole changes. I feel a shadow of evil linked to you, but I don’t sense one in the here and now, only the potential of one which could be linked to that of your male self."

Rose sat back with a smile on her face, while Terri digested this possibility.

"But if I didn’t help Kevin make the breakthrough, then that other company might not have shown its hand yet. What I don’t get, is why they didn’t ask Terri to help in this reality. I’m still the best person to come up with a solution for them."

"Think back to the day you went to the office as Terri. Did they treat you different from Terry?" asked Rose knowingly.

"Yes they did," Terri answered thinking back.

"Did they take you seriously like they would of Terry?"

"Of cour…um…oh, I see what you mean. No they didn’t," Terri’s voice hardened getting angry as she thought back for being taken as eye candy. I guess I was a joke," she sighed.

"Don’t be too hard on yourself, becoming female, may have saved lives," comforted Rose.

Terri got out her cell phone and made a quick call to the company where Kevin worked. She asked if she could speak to Kevin Spencer. Once connected, she hung up after Kevin asked who was calling.

"He’s still alive, and I bet the CEO and his family are alive as well," Terri laughed feeling relieved.

"You know what this means, don’t you?"

"What?"

You’ll have to destroy the evil in this reality, while you’re female, while everyone is still alive." Rose stated solemnly.

"How? I mean if I haven’t helped the company yet and it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting the opportunity to, the breakthrough might not occur and H.A.D.E.S won’t show its hand. Can’t I just stay like this and it won’t happen, even if it means being female full time?"

"That’s your decision of course, but I don’t think something like Hades will just go away, do you? It may be delayed, but in the end it will come to the same end," Rose replied, answering Terri’s last question first. "It does however; give us some time to prepare, before you email the solution to the problem.

"Prepare, how? I’m physically weaker in this reality than the other and no matter how strong I get, it’s still me against a demon. I might as well prepare for getting killed, or whatever it is demons do to humans," wailed a despondent Terri.

"SLAPP!!"

"Ouch…that hurt," moaned Terri, as she rubbed a hand over the cheek where Rose had slapped her.

"Stop complaining, with that kind of attitude you are beaten before we start. Remember demons go for any weakness that shows. You need to be positive and project every confidence in your ability to defeat it. Besides who said you had to face it alone, I’ll be helping even if it’s you that ultimately faces it, first thing we need to do is attune the athame to you. There is a special ritual that will consecrate it and bind it to your and make it an extension of your own true self."

"How long will this take?" Terri asked.

Rose went and looked at the calendar, before answering.

"It’s the full moon this Friday, that gives us a day before the ritual starts, then we need another 7 days after that."

"Friday is 4 days away, why only a day before we start?" Terri asked, thinking these sorts of things were done on the full moon.

"The ceremony starts 3 days before the full moon, but there are a few things we need to get first, some I have, one I need to get, plus I’ll need to coach you on how to perform it and you need to choose a name for the blade once we begin."

Rose could see the doubt in Terri’s eyes as to how important all this was. She sighed knowing just what was at stake for this unique individual, whose life crossed many realities. Rose grasped Terri’s hands and looked into her eyes.

This is a very real ritual. It will bind the blade to you and give you the power to banish evil. Without doing this, we might as well just wave a plastic spoon around for all the good it would do."

"Okay, I think I’m starting to believe you," Terri admitted, seeing how earnest Rose was in her beliefs.

So it began. Leaving Terri to read over the ritual from an old weathered tome that had seen better days, Rose left to get what she called Solomon’s Seal incense and juice of pimpernel. While she was gone, Terri rang Diane to say she’d be back home in a couple of days. When Terri rang work and explained she’d need a few more days off, she was disappointed, but not surprised to find out that her absence seemed to make little difference in the running of the business, another sign of her relatively new, low importance to the firm. She sighed, hanging up the phone, hating how she’d gone from top dog to lap dog in one easy sex change payment. ‘But at least I get the steak knives,’ she smiled wryly, thinking of that TV ad, as she held the Athame in her hand.

Rose came back an hour later. She shut the shop and followed Terri to her car. They drove to Rose’s home a few blocks away, where Rose told Terri to meet her in there, first thing in the morning.

Terri went home to an empty apartment, which seemed deathly quiet without Diane bustling around in it. She hoped it wasn’t an omen of what was in store for the future. There seemed no point in returning to Terry mode, so she spent an uncomfortable night adjusting to sleeping with breasts.

The next day at Roses place, Terri got into an old faded blue Buick that had seen better days. Despite its outward appearance, it ran reasonably well, as Rose drove them out to a spot in the country, which was supposedly a powerful and significant place in the universe. It had obviously been used before as Terri observed the cleared circle amongst the boulders of the hilly mountainside. The cardinal points of the compass were marked out and Terri helped bring the brazier to the south cardinal point of the circle where it was lit.

The ritual took several hours as the Athame was brought out to the light of day from the black cloth it was wrapped in. it was washed, as if washing new metal from the earth and as thanks to the earth. Terri then carried it to the east point, where it was smudged with smoke from the incense and a feather. There, Terri meditated on the blades purpose tuning it with the reason of self and its use. Anointing it with oils from her skin from haft to tip, she visualized it being formed into the shape it should be designed for. Then she carried the blade to the brazier and heated the blade, tempering it in the cup of pimpernel juice three times. She pierced a finger with a needle and let a drop of her own blood drip onto the blade letting it slide down the blade to the tip and then into the brazier. She meditated on making the blade hers.

"Blade of steel I conjure thee. To ban all things as named by me, and as my words, SO MOTE IT BE." Terri chanted several times.

The blade was then carried to the west and bathed in a basin of water and anointed with her saliva to help form the emotional bond one chooses to form with the Athame. Terri then took it to the north and rubbed the blade from haft to tip with a magnet while chanting:

"Blade of steel I conjure thee, to attract all things as named by be, and as my words, SO MOTE IT BE."

Terri then buried the blade in an earth filled basin to rest as dead to be reborn seven days later.

Terri than spoke these words over the buried blade.

"Thee of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, made as mine. My will though thee, mastering all elements. My servant."

Rose took Terri back home, leaving the blade buried there, till they returned seven days later.

Before Terri could leave Rose’s home, she asked a curious question, one Terri had no answer for.

"I never asked Diane what our relationship was while I was fully female, I just assumed she was now a lesbian. My driver’s license has the same name on it except for the i where there used to be a y on my first name." Here Terri took out her license and showed it to Rose.

"Were you 27 years old before?" Rose asked, handing it back.

"Yeah,’ Terri replied uncertainly, checking the year of birth more closely. "I would be 28 in June next month," she added, seeing the same year of birth on the license.

"Next month is May, not June," Rose corrected.

"But today…"

"Today is the 25^th of April."

Terri realised she had gained a month in this reality, no wonder Kevin was still around and kicking. The events that led to the death of the CEO’s family hadn’t had time to occur yet. Thinking back to when she discovered being hacked, she realised how close it had been to have gone undiscovered. She had gone to work as Terri and had she not changed back to Terry after struggling to cope with the unwanted attention of her fellow workers, there would have been no sign of the break in due to the time difference. She told Rose of the discrepancy in the timeline, to which she nodded.

"That makes sense in a way and when you defeat it here, you should be able to go back to being Terry without worrying about people dying. By ridding it in the past in terms of your original reality, those events will be erased…I hope."

"I hope so too, being female is fine, but it was never my intention of remaining one for the rest of my life," Terri concurred.

"Are you sure that you’re a real female… I mean, maybe you might have had a sex change," Rose proposed. Seeing Terri bridle at the assumption, she quickly explained further. "I’m not saying you’re not truly female, but I’m saying there could be other reasons why you and Diane are lovers; at least I assume that would be so from what you told me that first night. Maybe you were married before you had a sex change and she still wants to be with you, I’m just stating a possibility. You’ll need to ask her about it. She calls you Terri, but you don’t know if she’s saying that with a y or an i."

"Hmmm, I see you’re point. If I became a shemale with most of my obvious appearance portrayed as a female, it’s possible I could have started to transition."

"Or it might be the result of a genetic disorder, like hermaphroditism or whatever they call it. In either case, she might just be accepting that you were once a man that’s gone though some unusual changes, whether it’s natural or deliberate." Rose speculated.

"True," Terri accepted the idea thoughtfully. "I’ll have to find out when I see her next."

Terri went back to the apartment and then left a message for Diane to say she was home. She was reluctant to change back to Terry in case it upset the ritual with the Athame in this reality. Better to stay here where she knew no demon from beyond was after her or Diane. While she had the chance alone, she undressed herself in the bathroom and checked her lower region out using a hand mirror. As far as she could tell, everything looked similar to what she had seen on Diane when she’d gone down on her as Terry. At least that answered one question, she was female.

Checking out the bedroom, she found a strange contraption in one of Diane's dresser drawers. It looked like a double dildo that had two soft rings in the middle that would rest up against the two bodies using it. Terri found that when the two rings on the dildo were pressed against each other, as would happen when the bodies were in close contact, the dildo woke up vibrating softly in her hands.

Being curious and still naked from her earlier examination, Terri decided to experiment, (in the name of science of course). She found it easy to insert, but felt the oddness of being the invaded instead of being the invader. Her breath caught, as she brushed her clitoris on the way in. It was different, but the same as the excitement built. Once fully in, she pressed against the ring. Bliss…she woke languidly, some time later having reached nirvana several times in succession.

Looking at the time, she reluctantly went and showered, knowing Diane should be coming home soon. She managed to remember to retain her current shape for the length of time for the shower so she didn’t revert into Terry. Cleaned and dressed again, she started dinner cooking, while she thought of the pleasure she’d had in the bedroom.

It had been weird looking at something familiar sticking out of her groin and although she was gripping it in her hand like Terry used to do, the sensations were coming not from what was visible, but deeper, from what was not. It was a very peculiar sensation that messed with her male mind.

Terri really wasn’t sure how Diane would react on seeing her home again, not having greeted her as a woman before. Would she expect a kiss as when Terri had said goodbye on her way to work the other day, or would she expect something more? Terri decided a hug and a kiss as normal couldn’t go too wrong and anything else would have to be played by ear.

When Terri heard Diane pull up in the driveway, she quickly checked her appearance in the hall mirror, before opening the front door. It took a few seconds to realise what she’d done, but her thoughts that she’d gained a bit more than just a female body, were suddenly interrupted by Diane grabbing her in a hug and laying a humdinger on her lips. So much for worrying about Diane’s reaction, it seemed she needn’t have worried, as Diane waved a shopping bag in front of Terri’s face.

"Wait till you see what I bought you," Diane burbled happily, as they went inside.

‘Oh boy,’ thought Terri, as Diane headed for the bedroom, sucking Terri along in her wake. Once there, Diane started disrobing and Terri wondered if sex was to follow. The light dawned as Terri watched Diane put on some more casual clothes after taking her uniform off. He was so concerned about the sex thing that she’d completely misread Diane’s usual practice of changing her work clothes.

"What’s with you? You usually have the bag open and are starting to try my presents on by now," Diane asked, looking curiously at Terri just standing there.

"Sorry, I was just thinking how gorgeous you looked," Terri adlibbed.

"You can jump my bones later, I wanna see you in this," Diane laughed, holding up the contents of the shopping bag.

Terri grinned, her anxiety distracted with the thought of wearing the black satin teddy, which Diane was holding up triumphantly.

If it wasn’t for some quick thinking on Diane’s part, dinner would have burned, as she nipped out and turned it down, while Terri was getting changed. Dinner was the last thing on Terri’s mind once Diane saw her in the teddy. No, she was soon concerned in eating out than dinning in.

"I shouldn’t have bothered changing," laughed Diane, as she shed her so recently donned clothes.

"You should have expected that, seeing what you got me to wear," mumbled Terri, nuzzling Diane’s ear.

Eating out came as no surprise to Terri, having done it before as a guy, but being eaten out was another matter as other points came into play as they 69’d each other. Nobody bothered to count the score as the points rose and hardened, and the play continued. Finally, with several touchdowns on both sides, they lay together catching their breath.

"Remember how we met?" Terri asked Diane, wondering and hoping she wasn’t making a mistake doing so.

"Do I ever?" Diane giggled. "You turned my world upside down, when I first saw you in the hospital. There I was, doing my rounds when you walked into my life, or rather were wheeled into it." Diane reminisced. "I remember the fuss you made when we had to cut open your leotards to look at your leg," Diane went on, poking Terri in the ribs.

Terri was partly relieved that this reality followed Terry’s fairly closely, apart from the leotards part. Terry had been wearing shorts when he’d fallen awkwardly off the gym equipment he’d been using, breaking his leg. She could see that wearing leotards would be appropriate apparel for a female in a similar situation. Still, the burning question remained. ‘Is Diane a lesbian?’

"I know it was love at first sight for me," prodded Terri, turning to watch Diane’s face for her reaction.

"I must admit that I felt an attraction for you that surprised me," Diane offered in return. "I guess it surprised me that my sexuality was in question. It never struck me that I was a lesbian till I met you. I guess I was too career orientated to form close sexual relationships, and I had no idea."

Terri had her answer, but suspected that her new abilities to change reality were to blame for Diane’s new sexual orientation, rather than something that Diane had been unaware of. Sleep finally interrupted Terri’s thoughts as she surrendered to the quiet oblivion of dreamland.

The next morning, Terri went to work, determined not to let her co-workers get under her skin. One thing she realised as she’d got dressed that morning was the effort Diane took to look nice. Having to go through the same rigmarole herself, gave Terri a new appreciation of Diane’s efforts.

At least no-one asked her about her illness, which could have been awkward to say the least, as she would have had no idea what to say. However, just as Terry was reluctant to ask Diane about her visits to the gynecologist, she guessed the others at work would rather not know the gory details.

Terri started working on a solution that she could present to the Bioware Company for their upcoming problem. Not only that, she had figure a way to attract their attention, but in a way that wouldn’t jeopardize her safety or Diane’s.

Terri agonized over whether to tell Diane about the wish she’d made. When she decided she would, she found it enormously difficult to get up the courage. Terry had never found the courage to tell Diane either and that was just about him and his penchant for feminine fripperies. This went much further, with far more serious repercussions. What Terry had caused with his wish had now affected Diane and her sexuality. Her only saving grace was that by becoming Terri, she could save many lives. She hoped it would be enough, as she psyched herself up.

The next day, fortified by several glasses of wine, Terri told Diane she had something serious to tell her.

"Diane, you know I love you, but…" Terri started, launching headlong into her story.

Diane listened, not interrupting, her eyes widening, the only reaction, as the twisted tale unfolded.

"So you see, you’re not really a lesbian and I’m not really female," Terri finished, waiting for the disgust and anger that was surely to follow.

"Only according to you," Diane opened with. "I guess you don’t have any proof of all this?" She added, sounding remarkably calm.

"Nothing I can prove I guess, if I tried any partial change, it would probably just seem normal to you and you wouldn’t notice anything different about me," Terri explained.

"Is the Diane in the other Terry’s reality prettier than me?" Diane asked, seemingly more interested in that, than the fact that Terri was really a man, and a cross dresser to boot.

"That’s just it, there’s no difference except the way we interact as a lesbian couple," Terri assured her.

"Come on, let’s try something small. Maybe if I concentrate on you, I could see some change."

Okay, but I don’t think it will work," warned Terri, as she yielded to Diane’s insistence.

Terri went into the bathroom with Diane following closely. She took her purse with her and took out her picture ID. Removing the barrettes and checking that her face was still covered with makeup, she turned to face Diane and allowed just her hair to revert back to Terry’ old short style.

The gasp from Diane surprised Terri. As she turned around, she assumed correctly that Diane had noticed the change this time.

"You know, you’re kinda cute with it short like that," offered Diane, as she recovered from her shock. "Sort of like a pixie," she added.

She reached out and ran her hands through Terri’s shortened locks, while Terri checked her ID seeing that the change hadn’t been enough to revert her to Terry.

"I don’t know how you were able to notice the change," mused Terri, seeing that she was still female from her photo. It now showed her with short hair, but the style was slightly different from the image in the mirror. Although her hair was now identical to Terry’s, with her new female face, there was no mistaking her for a guy. Terri suspected that even if she shaved her head bald, her facial structure would still say female, much like those female manikins clothing shops used.

"Maybe because you told me about it," Diane suggested. "I now seem to have parallel memories of the way our lives were. I still remember you with long hair, but I also remember you with short hair, like it is now. The only difference between them is the day you decided to cut it short a few months back."

"Can I ask you a question?" Terri prompted.

"I think you already did," laughed Diane.

Terri ignored her humour, being concerned with something she needed to know.

"Now you know who I was and what I did for a kink, does that disgust you?"

"Honey, strange as all this seems, I believe you were male in some other reality. Trying to imagine that, and the fact that you loved to dress as a female sort of seems ironic, as here you are wearing the same clothes, you loved as a guy. So no, you don’t disgust me. I get a mental image of you looking similar to the person you are now, but with a built in dildo." Diane giggled at the thought, before seeing Terri wanted more from her. "I love you now and I’m sure I’d love you as a guy, whether or not you were in women’s clothes. "I suggest you tell the me in the other reality about your kink. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised."

Terri looked relieved and hugged Diane, before kissing her ardently. Diane responded eagerly, confirming her statement that she still loved Terri. Somehow, they gravitated back to the bed, managing to fumble for a certain object in the drawer without breaking their kiss. What followed then, threatened to steam up every mirror in the place.

For Terri, being penetrated by the double ended dildo was a new, but enjoyable experience, especially now she had the correct equipment to take full advantage of it. There was a moment of reluctance as Diane approached her with it, once it was inserted at her end, but that soon changed as the sensations built once they were joined. It didn’t even feel gay, having something strange inside her. How could it, when she could see and feel her soul mate so close and intimate.

Afterwards they lay conjoined in a sexual languor, still speared by the resilient intruder that would never become flaccid. They slept, still wrapped together, their odd movements in slumber, sending spikes of pleasure into their dreams, as the dildo continued to send stimuli when it moved against their most sensitive of parts.

Morning was a rude awakening, as the reality of having to get up out of the cozy bed to get ready for work dragged them out of their pleasant dreams.

Terri managed to put together the software that would tweak the interest of whoever was the true power behind the management of the HADES Company. It was time to set the bait.

Days passed, with Terri visiting Rose to learn more about how to defeat demons and evil spirits. Diane was introduced to Rose and they soon were fast friends, as they had a common interest in ensuring Terri survived her next ordeal. Once the Athame was retrieved and blessed, Terri was ready for the next step.

An email was sent out from Terri’s work computer designed to trigger a response from HADES, then they waited. A day passed, then another. Terri could hardly stop fidgeting. Diane admonished her more than once to stop biting her nails as the days passed.

Then a nibble, someone was trying to break in to Terri’s computer. Terri was alerted when the program that she’d set up to alert her at home on her personal pc interrupted her web search on demons. She’d beefed up the security on her company computer, so that it would only release a small part her solution to the Bioware interface that she’d developed. She watched remotely, as her computer was plundered. As expected, when the hacker went searching for more information, and the computer defenses were finally overwhelmed, the worm she’d installed began eating all the files on the hard drive faster than they could be retrieved.

Terri grinned, as she visualized the last message the worm would deliver to the hacker. A laughing smiley, would ask for a meeting at a place Terri had selected if they wanted the solution, suggesting they bring a large sum of money. This was to give a false impression that Terri just wanted a monetary gain for her development.

She’d left a yahoo email address to be contacted at if they accepted and wanted to meet. Terri hoped to winnow out the middlemen and just get to meet the one the demon was in control of.

The wait for a reply took only ten minutes. It appeared that the one that had breached her files had answered, asking for proof of her solution. The address shown for the sender looked odd. Luckily, Terri had set her trace out to find the invading computer the moment it had tried to attack the company computer. This was obvious an invalid address and she realized she was expected to reply by showing her expertise in the computer industry.

Terri replied using the IP address, she’d uncovered and in turn, hacked into the hackers own computer. She left a detailed description of HADES objectives, and where they were presently in the interface program. She outlined her solution, leaving out only the key details that she’d developed that would prevent others from coming up with a solution of their own. The obvious conclusion that she knew too much about a supposedly secret development, would be a good reason for the demon controlled to meet with her and then eliminate her once it had the solution she was offering.

After leaving a time and directions for a rendezvous, Terri disconnected her computer from the cable modem just in case the demon tried finding her address. She had also taken the precaution of routing her computer through others based all over the world to prevent anyone or thing from tracing her back to the apartment, but it was better to be extra cautious, than overconfident in this situation.

Terri tried not to dwell on what was to come, knowing there was a chance she could die within the next18 hours. It made the remaining time with Diane seem so much more intense, as she took advantage of her time being fully female with her lover.

Soon it was time to leave. They met Rose at the place where Terri’s Athame had been blessed. Terri parked her car at the end of the track and saw Rose standing there. Diane had insisted on coming too, despite Terri’s worry she could be harmed.

Rose had insisted on being there before the demon had been given the location. She wanted to prevent the demon laying a trap so she had put up wards to prevent its entry until Terri allowed it to come into the circle.

"Where’s your car?" asked Terri, having seen no sign of it.

"I parked it back a ways in a copse of trees. We don’t want to alert the demon that there might be others here." Rose then assured them that the area was clear and warded and then explained that as soon as the demon appeared; she’d collapse the wards in front of it to let the demon in. Both Rose and Diane went to hide behind a cluster of boulders that marked the outer edge of the circle.

"Won’t you be in danger if the demon sees you outside the warded area?" Terri asked worriedly.

Rose smiled and said the wards went as far as the woods on their side of the circle and that they were safe.

Terri sat on a collapsible chair near where the demon was expected to appear. She had a CDROM in her hands containing the program HADES needed. Her other hand fingered the Athame hung around her neck on a silver chain that held her crucifix.

While she waited, thoughts of the last few days while they’d waited for the Athame to mature filled her mind. Diane had tried to immerse Terri in as much of the feminine experience as they had time for. Diane could hardly get her head around the fact the person she knew as Terri wasn’t the experienced female her memories told her she was, and was really only a novice created only a few days earlier.

Diane had expressed fears that she’d disappeared into limbo once Terri returned to the reality where she was Terry, but Terri reassured her that she should still be the person she was, with just a few memory changes.

Terri was sad that she couldn’t have played with more of the kinkier changes that left her with feminine traits yet retaining her/his penis, but she didn’t want to try anything that might jeopardize the chances of leaving the current reality. Hopefully, if the demon was defeated here, and she could return to being Terry, he then would tell the original Diane of her kinks and what the wish he’d made could do.

It was the sudden cessation of noise from the crickets and birds singing their evening chorus that alerted Terri of the arrival of the foe. A black limo oozed silently, but awkwardly over the rough track that led to the circle. It stopped by Terri’s car and sat there, as if waiting for a signal.

Terri rose and held aloft the CDROM in its clear protective cover. This was the signal for Rose to drop the wards to allow a gateway between Terri and the limo.

The driver of the car stepped out. It appeared he was the only occupant, obviously foregoing a possible witness to any trouble, by having someone drive him. The man walked forward, pausing briefly at the edge of the circle. Terri held her breath, fearing he suspected the area was a threat, but the man advanced towards Terri with more assurance, seeing he faced only a lone female.

The man was carrying a case, but what it held, she couldn’t tell. The man stopped a few feet away from her and she got a good look at her adversary. Physically, he looked like any normal male, although he would have been classed as handsome by any female other .than Terri. There was an aura about him that suggested the demon within was enhancing the man’s attractiveness. But Terri wasn’t fooled by the seeming innocent superficial exterior. One look into those eyes told her that this was one dangerous person.

"Is that the program?" the man asked, his voice deep and vibrant.

"Yes, is that the money?" Terri countered.

"Give me the disc," the man demanded, his voice taking on a strange quality, which sank into Terri’s chest with almost physical force.

He’d made no sign of offering the case to Terri, seeming to think that he could get it from her with just his demon enhanced physicality.

Whether it was the crucifix hidden in her cleavage, or the fact that Terri still had a male mind residing in her feminine form, she wasn’t sure, but the man’s voice did nothing for her, and she shook off her momentary unease.

"Give me the money first," Terri demanded back, trying to show no fear.

The man/demon seemed surprised, then just shrugged and opened the case.

"First, I check the disc before I decide what it is worth," he offered, taking out a laptop which he placed on the chair Terri had vacated.

Terri waited while the laptop booted, before inserting the CD into the drive slot. The man had stepped back, allowing her access to bring up the program. Once it was opened, she stepped aside to allow the man to check it. The man must have had a certain level of knowledge to understand what was in front of him. He nodded to himself, obviously seeing it was the genuine article.

He stood back and smiled at Terri.

"What’s to stop me from just killing you now and taking the disc?"

Terri smiled back, knowing no matter what, he wasn’t getting that disc.

"Go ahead, but any movement of the mouse will cause it to ask for a password. Without that, it will release a virus that will not only erase the data on any computer it’s inserted into, but will prevent the CD from opening.

The man looked at her with grudging respect, then lifted the lap top out of the case and unzipped a section that lifted out to reveal neat piles of hundred dollar notes. Taking out what Terri guessed was about fifty thousand dollars, he handed it to Terri, who promptly placed it in the bag she had slung over one shoulder.

"Now please, give me the password," the man ground out, barely keeping his anger at being on the back foot in check.

Terri, her hand still in the bag, let it slip off her shoulder. As the action drew the man’s eyes away from her, she opened the hand grasping the perfume atomizer she had hidden in the bag. Before the man could react, she had sprayed him with the holy water contained within the perfume bottle.

The man screamed. To Terri’s eyes, it seemed as if the man’s body shifted in shape before it collapsed bonelessly to the ground. The air where he had stood was now filled with a reddish cloud forming into a semi human shape.

"Ssilly girl, did you think that holy water would kill me?" The shape hissed eerily.

Terri stepped back as the amorphous shape loomed closer.

"Ah! Now that my senses are not clouded by the limitations of that human form, I can see why I wasn’t effective on you before. Do you think you can stand against me? You don’t deserve to be called a man you weak minded pantywaist. I’m going to send you back to your own reality where you’ll be neutralized.

With that, fire flowed out from the demon enveloping Terri’s body, obscuring it from view. Terri felt the fire incinerating her clothes. Everything she was wearing including makeup and hair clips turned to ash, leaving just the silver necklace with the crucifix and her Athame as her only adornment. Time slowed down for Terri, making every second taking an age to pass. Yet, somehow the fire wasn’t burning her directly; maybe the crucifix or the Athame was providing some protection. On one level of her mind, she knew she had nothing left to keep her in this reality other than her will to remain female. Having not specified a time, it was just her mind keeping her here. On another level she could hear the demon laugh as it shouted out for her to go back to being Terry. As well as that, she could hear Diane screaming out "Teeerrrrrriiiiii!!" as if trying to keep her grounded in this place. Somehow Terri could sense Diane had moved out of hiding and was advancing with her crucifix held forth, as was Rose with her own cross.

The demon grew angry cursing the ancient silver that comprised her crucifix and tried sapping her strength by attacking her mind trying to break the concentration that was the only thing holding her here. Just as her strength began to wane, as the demon loomed ever closer, Terri dimly heard Rose cry "NOW!"

Terri grasped the Athame and thrust it into the demons amorphous body, managing to gasp out, "With the spirit in my blade, I banish thee."

With an inarticulate cry, the demon shuddered, but then lunged forward with the last of its force and took hold of Terri.

Terri’s world grew strange. Images flashed past, too fast to really take in. dark, light, dark, light. All she could hear was a faint cry.

"Teeeerrrriii… come back to me," before everything went blank.

"Terriii, Terry," penetrated the darkness.

Terry woke feeling disorientated. He opened his eyes, realizing that he was male again. He saw Diane looking down at him with concern written over her face. Several things struck him at once. He was naked and he was in the bedroom of their home, although it looked like a bomb had struck it.

"Is the demon dead?" he asked, before realizing he was asking the wrong Diane. He saw her face grow worried at his question as he looked around from where he lay on the floor.

"What happened? I just left you to get the oregano you wanted and I come back to see you unconscious on the floor, looking like lightening has struck you," Diane asked.

"Oregano?" Terry questioned, feeling more confused than ever. He looked down at the grey ash that covered his body.

"For the meal you were making."

Terry got a bad feeling which was confirmed when he asked the date. It was the same day he had fallen while wearing Diane's clothes. The same day he’d had the dream which had resulted in the wish. Was all he had experienced just a dream? Some sort of weird wish fulfillment caused by his need to dress? Surely not, it seemed too real to be just dismissed as a dream. Then Diane leaned forward so that he could see down her cleavage to where a silver object lay nestled. Could it be?

Diane reached forward and grasped something lying on his chest. "You must have been hit by lightening. Look at your crucifix, it’s partly melted."

Terry looked down with a surge of hope; he had never worn a cross around his neck before all this. He took the strangely shaped cross in his fingers and brought into view. The supposed crucifix was indeed warped, but Terry recognized it. It looked like the Athame had become one with the crucifix. The handle and blade were clearly identifiable even though it was shrunken in size. Did this prove that everything did happen as he remembered? Did he still have the power to change? How to prove it? He looked at Diane, seeing the love in her eyes. The first thing to do was tell her everything, even if it was only a dream. Just maybe it was true. Time to take the first step.

The end.

Notes:

Readers, Please Remember to Leave a Comment

Small Changes

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Transformations

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

A man accused of a crime is on the run. His world is now reduced to that of derelict, facing starvation and cold. A chance of fate ends with him finding a can of Hugglebugs containing experimental nanites that had been destined for destruction. In his hands he could be holding salvation or a nightmare. Dare he use it, unknowing of its contents?

Small Changes
A Hugglebugs story
by:
Prudence Walker

Kim, from the research labs of the Hugglebug company in Auckland New Zealand put the very last sample of the psychic nanites on Prue's desk. Although ordered to destroy the dangerous development due to its potential abuse factors, she'd forgotten the initial sample left in the analyser. Only she and Prue, the head of the company were now the processors of that particular nanite in their body, and then only because they had undertaken a dangerous mission to recover several missing Hugglebug shipments to the US. The small aerosol can on Prue's had the power to make anyone able to become anyone they so desired.

Kim thought it too important to make a decision on its disposal, thinking Prue may have a change of heart and perhaps store it for future emergencies. Seeing Prue was absent at the present moment, she paged her cell.

"Prue? That sample I mentioned, it's on your desk, okay?"

"Okay, I'm in a conference at the moment. I'll see to it later, have a pleasant evening," her harried boss's voice replied.

"Don't work too late boss," Kim returned, knowing her advice would probably be ignored.

Kim left the small can on the side of the desk and left to go home. Normally each can carried instructions on its use but this one only carried the company's logo of two bugs embracing each other.

Prue was exhausted by the time she finished her conference call to the States. Her mind was filled with the thought of getting home and relaxing in a hot bath. She forgot about the can sitting in her office as she left, going directly to the lobby and signing out with the guard.

Later that night, the guard signed in the cleaning staff that service the Hugglebug company's offices. Marie, one of the women assigned the office duties went upstairs to do her usual tasks. As she moved the vacuum cleaner around the legs of the desk in the director's office, she caught her foot in the extension lead and stumbled against the desk. As she caught herself, she didn't notice a particular can tumble off the top of the desk and into the paper filled bin that sat next to the desk.

One of her jobs was emptying the trash, and so the can began its journey as just another item amongst many destined to be dumped.

The can was finally collected by a truck, which picked it up with the rest of the rubbish, early the next morning. Normally an aerosol vessel would long be punctured by the actions of the trash compactor in the truck, but an unusual set of circumstances saw it arrive at the rubbish tip intact, embedded in a pile of bubble wrap plastic.

Kevin Walsh shivered in the early morning chill. He needed new blankets, as the ones he'd scrounged were now falling apart. Life sucked as he turned over on his dilapidated mattress he'd scored from the rubbish tip nearby. He looked up at the tattered tarpaulin that covered his makeshift home in the bush near the reserve that bordered the Mangere rubbish landfill. The reserve had a border of native scrub that separated it from the rubbish dump and acted like a buffer zone to prevent the odd bit of windblown debris from contaminating it. It was in this scrub that Kevin had set up his hovel of tarp and plastic sheeting.

As he lay there, he contemplated his fall from grace and the penthouse suite he'd once owned. Now his wife owned it all and his business empire. Make that his ex wife. He had read she'd sued for divorce in the discarded papers found in the bins dotting the reserve. He'd had no clue that she was such an evil conniving back stabbing… he ran out of words to describe her vicious manipulating carcass.

He'd loved her unreservedly once. She was beautiful, he was rich. He'd been blind to any thought that she'd not loved him for himself and was really after his money.

Penelope Bennet had become Penelope Walsh two years ago and now she owned his company Esprit' that he'd developed from the ground up. He'd decided to enter the market of women's beauty products, as they always seemed to be in demand.

Kevin was methodical and scrupulous and wanted a product that really worked and used natural ingredients. In a small rented laboratory he scrimped and saved all he could to make ends meet while he developed a moisturising cream that not only moisturised, it toned and tightened the skin, while still leaving it supple. Bee products and natural plant extracts were combined with only those chemicals needed to combine and preserve the product. In the first stages of his work, he was his own guinea pig for testing, figuring that if it could do anything for him, then it should do wonders for women.

He finally produced a product and had some powerful women in the entertainment industry trial it. Once they realised its potential, they loaned him the capital to go into production. Soon Esprit' was a big name and Kevin moved up in life, developing other products in a similar theme. Hair products and lipsticks followed until he had a full range of beauty products. Needless to say, he didn't have to personally test all these items as he'd done with his first product. That didn't mean that he wasn't intimately involved in the tests as he applied it to his test subjects personally.

He shivered, his gaunt frame no longer retaining the fat he'd once had. Eating was problematic nowadays. You never knew what was being discarded into the bins around the reserve. No dole for him, as the police would surely find him for the crimes his wife had kindly set him up for.

He rose, anger fuelling the urge to do anything, but lie quiescent on his bed, as he thought again of his wife's treachery. She'd embezzled millions of dollars of investor's money and made it look as if he was the one that had stolen it. She had his assets frozen even before the police became involved and made it impossible for him to fight back. So he had jumped bail and lost himself in the underworld of the poor and destitute that was conveniently ignored by the everyday people of Auckland.

He drew on his coat, hating the smell of unwashed occupancy, but needing the warmth as he wend his way down to the track that ran around the edge of the dump. He was pretty safe there, as only the occasional jogger or person walking their dogs ever travelled along it. Out from the shelter of the bush, the wind bit into his body trenchantly, as it blew across the dump and passed unhindered through the chain link fence that marked its boundary.

Scouring the dump for anything that might be useful that he could retrieve when the workers working there left, he saw a bundle of plastic wrapping roll along the ground and take to the air as the wind gusted and lifted it aloft. It swirled like a living object, as if trying to escape the confines of the dump.

‘Go, fly free,' thought Kevin, as he watched it jealously, wishing he could do the same. The plastic lifted and just made it over the eight foot fence, falling as if exhausted, not ten feet away. Seeing it that close, Kevin could see it was a roll of bubble wrap. He scurried forward, catching it before it could blow further away. It would be good insulation, if he could resist the urge to pop the bubbles. He scrambled back up to his hideaway clutching his precious find to his chest.

Once there, he carefully unfolded it, trying not to tear it. A metal can half fell out of the middle, still hanging there by a piece of sticky tape that was attached to the bubble wrap. Kevin picked it up, shook it and then discarded it as he turned his attention to his new insulation. He carefully folded it and placed it ready for using that night. As he turned, he caught sight of the can again and he picked it up to toss it into the bush. His eye spotted the odd image of two bugs hugging each other and he paused mid throw. He examined it again, something telling him that he should recognise that image. There was no other information on the can to indicate what its contents were. Normally he would have just sprayed a sample into the air and sniffed it to determine the contents, but the same voice that said he should recognise the can, also warned against doing that.

‘Bugs hugging,' he mused. ‘Hugging bugs… hugging bugs,' he persisted, his thoughts running in circles.

"Hugglebugs!" he exulted, pleased he'd finally figured it out.

‘But if this is indeed the nanite marvel of Prue Walker's, why was it thrown away?' he argued mentally. From what little he remembered of the product, it was sprayed onto the body and into the mouth. Kevin thought it was unusual that there were no instructions on the can.

Kevin looked at the can, his mind awhirl with possibilities. This could be his salvation or his worst nightmare. No that was wrong, he was already living his worst nightmare. He didn't know what the can contained, but it couldn't make his life any worse than it was already. Most of the products the Hugglebug company made were for the improvement of the recipient. Okay, a lot were for changes in sex. Kevin wondered how he'd cope if he used the can and ended up turning female. At least he'd be free of the police, even if he didn't then have a valid identity for the new body. He screwed up his courage and decided to do it. First he undressed, ridding himself of his BO reeking clothes. He shivered in the morning's early chill, before depressing the nozzle on the can. He sprayed into his mouth first, not sure if there was enough to cover his body, then he used the rest on his body till the can ran dry.

He waited, and waited, wondering how long it was supposed to take. ‘Nothing, nada,' he slumped to the mattress dejected. ‘It must have been a dud, that's why it was discarded,' he thought sadly.

Too despondent to get dressed again, he wrapped the sheet of bubble wrap around his body, his thoughts turning again to the cause of his plight. As he visualised her sitting comfortably in his penthouse, his anger grew, blocking his awareness of the changes beginning to run though his body.

All of a sudden, he realised he was changing. The breasts pushing out of his chest were his first clue. He scrambled for the shard of mirror that he used to comb his hair each day. He could feel his bones changing as his pelvis widened and he lost height. Looking in the mirror he could see who he was changing into. Becoming female was a surprise, but he'd accepted the risk and would take it on the chin. What he couldn't take, was the visage that he could see in the mirror. It was the she devil herself … his wife. Well not quite, even with his larger male frame reducing to the size of his wife's, his starved body mass had been less than that of the form he'd visualised. He looked himself over, or make that herself. Although the body shape was right, the arms and legs he now owned were like some bulimics. They were pencil thin, had no fat at all. Even his or her ribs were showing and her breasts were not as full as his wife's was. Kevin seemed to recall a fact he'd read, that going from a smaller body mass to a larger one required energy in the form of food, something that was sorely lacking in Kevin's immediate future.

The other thing that struck him/her, was the fact of just who he'd changed into. It was impossible for there to have been a nanite made to transform someone into his wife. The odds of that happening to him was astronomical, not to mention the fact that the can must have been accidentally thrown away. There had to have been another factor, after all, there had been no change when he'd first used it. Only after thinking of his wife, had the changes started. Somehow that must have been the trigger. Could it be possible for his thoughts to have an effect as to who he became? The next problem he had was, was it permanent? He needed answers, answers that could only come from the source. He scurried to the pile of purloined newspapers he used as a windbreak next to his bed. He remembered seeing an article on the Hugglebug company about a month ago. He rummaged through the pile seeking the information he wanted.

"Prue? There's a collect call for you on line one, do you wish to accept it?" Rose asked over the intercom.

Prue was harried and fretful after the discovery of the missing can of nanites. They had questioned the guards and the night cleaning crew, with no luck. The women who had cleaned her office didn't remember seeing a can on her desk. After talking to Kim and finding out exactly where she'd put it, they finally surmised that it had been knocked into the rubbish bin directly alongside the desk. More inquiries had ascertained the likely destination that the rubbish truck on their route would have taken it to. A security detail, hired for the job had scoured the dump with no results.

Prue had hoped that the can had been punctured enroute or crushed by the bulldozers working the dump itself, and that no trace of the nanite would ever surface.

"What?" Prue asked Rose to repeat. "No … wait, yes I'll accept the charges," she told Rose, being generous hearted.

"Prudence Walker?" asked a female, but uncertain voice.

"Speaking, how can I help?"

"I need some information about one of your products, one that was discarded into the Mangere rubbish dump," the unknown voice replied.

"You found one of our cans?" Prue asked, barely controlling her excitement at this revelation.

"Yes, it was unmarked, apart from your logo," the voice confirmed.

"Where are you? We need that can badly, as it contains a very dangerous experimental product. We will reward you handsomely for its safe return," offered Prue, having confirmed it was the one they were after.

"That poses a problem," the worry in the voice growing.

"You didn't use it?" asked Prue with a sinking feeling in her heart.

"Yes I did, that's why I called you."

"We need to see you right away. Do you still have the can?"

"Look, I'll be honest with you, if you do the same for me," the voice sharpened. The can is empty, I used it all. I was … well still am in a desperate situation and I can't meet you, at least not yet. I need to know what was in the can and why I happened to change into my wife's body."

Prue listened carefully, hearing desperation in the words and sensing that there was more to this than met the eye. She sighed, making a decision. "Alright. The nanites in that batch you used can transform the body according to a mental command. They take image you see in your mind and make the body conform to that image. As you can imagine, this is very revolutionary and dangerous, for the user could abuse its use very easily," Prue admitted, sensing that the person on the other end of the line was being honest and not likely to run amok.

"Am I stuck in this form?" Kevin asked in a more relieved tone, knowing now that he wasn't going to die in some horrible way.

"The nanites remain active, allowing infinite changes, remembering the limits imposed on body mass increases," Prue explained further. "Now, will you come and see us? We can provide a new identity, as long as it's not for criminal intent," Prue pleaded.

"Not at this time, maybe later. I have an injustice to right first. Don't worry, I won't let the secret out and I'll try and not to put anyone's life in jeopardy, least of all mine," Kevin replied, ending the call.

Prue was left thinking and hoping this wouldn't backfire in their faces. Any whiff of this new nanite would have others trying for the same results, which would only end in chaos.

Kevin shuffled back from the payphone, his changed form swimming in his old clothes. He had to come up with a new plan, one that didn't involve wearing his wife's body.

Prue went to see Tim the guard that did the day shift. She let him know that the lost can had been found, without revealing the properties it contained. She knew he listened to a scanner to pass the time between shifts.

"The finder of the can of Hugglebugs is female, but doesn't want to see us for any help. I want you to let me know if you hear anything unusual on the police bands, I've a feeling she made be in trouble," she finished, having deliberately left out the fact that the person was once a man.

"Okay, will do Mrs Walker," Tim replied happily.

Prue went back to her office knowing she'd done all she could. She called Kim and let her know about the can and the situation so far.

Kevin thought deep and hard about his next move. He had to change to a body shape that could utilise what was left of his/her mass. He calculated that his next body would have to be a teenager, so the body could be fully filled out. The next choice was, should it be male or female? An unknown teenage female would elicit more compassion and a girl who claimed to have amnesia, as he'd planned to claim, would less likely be subjected to the rigorous questioning a male would receive from the police.

Now all he had to do was come up with a body that wasn't already in existence. H/she decided to do it in stages, correcting as she went along. First was the height and weight. She thought hard about the face and hair, trying to come up with an attractive package. Next she thought of the body and size of breasts and waist. Hips and legs were next, along with appropriately sized feet. Feeling the changes settle into place, she looked herself over critically. The figure she saw was five foot six inches, shoulder length curly honey blonde hair. She was Caucasian, with a toned svelte body with B cup breasts that sat perkily on her now hairless chest. A nice narrow waist swelled into hips that held promise for the future. Her legs were perfect in shape and length with tiny delicate feet. Overall, she looked about 16 years old, and her large blue eyes and rosebud mouth should melt any heart that beheld her.

Next she decided on what to call herself, although she only wanted a first name. She hoped the authorities would come up with an identity for her after her claim of amnesia precluded her remembering her own past and last name. Cursing the fact she still smelled terrible, she realised it might help her other claim of being kidnapped. She decided on Kelly, as it was short and simple.

She wrapped her naked body in the cleanest thing there was, the bubble wrap. She rolled it around her body like a tube and held the end tucked under one arm. It did a reasonable job of covering her assets, going from under her arms to just below her knees. She walked up hill to the ridge overlooking the reserve and waited till she saw some people walking the tracks. Not wanting to miss them seeing her, she began to run down through the last bit of scrub in her bare feet.

Maybe it was fate that caused her to trip over a root. Either that, or she wasn't used to the body she now owned. Either way, it caused her to slam into a tree trunk, as the restrictive plastic made it impossible to regain her balance. She hit the tree head first with enough force to knock her out and start her bleeding profusely from the wound on her forehead. Luckily, she fell on the downward slope of the tree and her body rolled into the reserve clearing, making a popping noise as some of the wrap burst under the twigs and debris.

Two people were walking their dogs in the reserve, when they heard a noise on the other side, higher up. Their dogs barked and pulled on their leashes as the man and the woman looked up to see a figure falling out of the tree line. It appeared to be female with some sort of plastic sheet flopping around her body. The two people looked at each other in shock, as the figure then lay motionless in the grass. The man handed his leash over to the woman while he ran to the fallen figure. The woman struggled to control the two dogs as she fumbled in her backpack for her cell phone. The man shouted for her to call the police and an ambulance, as he spotted the blood staining the girl's body. He felt for a pulse, but on finding a steady beat, he did little but watch over her till help arrived.

Soon sirens were breaking into the solitude of the reserve's peaceful air. Police arrived first, with an ambulance following along what would normally be a walking track. The police directed it towards the girl and soon the child was lifted into the vehicle and driven directly to hospital. The police searched the area and soon discovered Kevin's hide out. They found more of the bubble wrap there and concluded that she had been held there by persons unknown, as all they could discover were the clothes belonging to an adult male.

Prue took a call from Tim the guard. It was just about lunch time and she had just been getting ready to lunch out.

"Mrs Walker, I just picked up some traffic about a girl being found near the Mangere reserve. They are transferring her to Starship hospital, apparently she was found near naked and bleeding from a head trauma."

"Thank you, Tim, if you hear anything else, let me know," Prue said, before cutting the connection.

She sat back deep in thought. ‘This could be a link to the earlier call, seeing that it was in the vicinity where the can of Hugglebugs was recovered by her caller,' she mused. ‘Maybe I should call in a favour and have the girl's situation forwarded to me by a duty nurse I know who works at the hospital.'

Kelly, as she remembered to call herself, woke slowly. Her head was thumping and she could hear the noise of people and machines nearby. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew she was in a hospital. There's no mistaking that distinctive smell which hospitals all over seem to have. Wait? She could smell disinfectant, but she couldn't smell herself. The all pervading smell of BO that she'd lived with for months on end was now absent. Oh, joy! She could feel that her skin was much cleaner now. They must have given her a bed wash while she was unconscious. She thought back, recalling tripping, and hitting the tree head on. She opened her eyes and gingerly reached up with one arm and felt the bandage over her temple. A nurse nearby saw her move and promptly came over making reassuring noises and asking her name.

"Kelly," Kevin croaked out.

"Well Kelly, you had a bit of an accident. Can you tell me your surname, and today's date?"

"I'm Kelly … Kelly … I can't remember," Kelly replied in a put on, panicky sounding voice.

"There, there, try not to worry about it, I'm sure it's only a temporary loss of memory," the nurse said calmly, signalling to another nurse in the ward.

Kelly lay back down from her attempt to rise up. She closed her eyes and listened to the nurses talking. Soon a doctor arrived and trailing him was a policewoman with a notepad. The doctor prodded and poked her and did the usual stuff of calling for various tests, while the policewoman attempted to question her on the details of her ordeal.

"I'll have to assign a temporary name for her until we find out who she is," offered the policewoman.

"Kelly Doe? How original," snorted the first nurse as she read the name the policewoman wrote down on the sheet attached to the foot of the bed.

"I'd welcome suggestions," the police woman offered by way of apology.

"What about Kelly Dee?" suggested the nurse helpfully.

"Okay, she is now officially Kelly Dee," the police woman stated, changing it before snapping her notebook closed.

‘Kelly D,' mused Kevin, having not seen the name actually spelt. ‘It has a nice ring to it,' he thought, smiling inwardly.

After the doctors had finished with her and run all the tests they wanted, it became a matter of what to do with her. They couldn't naysay her claim to be an amnesiac, as it wasn't always caused by serious head trauma of which Kelly's was not, being only mostly superficial. So they attributed it to shock from her as yet, unknown ordeal in the bush. Kelly refused a rape test, and wouldn't allow anyone to examine her genitals, which further led to the conclusion that she'd been subjected to some physical abuse.

She was eventually allowed a shower, and luxuriated in the hot water as she soaped and shampooed her hair. She'd given her body a thorough examination, turning first one way then the other as she looked at her reflection in the hospital showers mirror. One of the nurses came up with a nightie she could wear, instead of the draughty old hospital gown. Although it was only brushed cotton, the nightie felt heavenly on her newly minted body. She got back into her bed just as dinner was being served. It might have been just bland hospital food, but to Kelly, it was manna from heaven. No picking bits of rubbish off this food. She ate ravenously, not caring if it seemed unladylike. One of the nurses saw the way she was eating and took pity on her. She left and was soon back with a second helping, along with some fruit she'd got from the nursing station cafeteria.

Kelly thanked her and set to again. Having an orange to eat was just icing on the cake. It seemed the word got around and trickles of food just seemed to magically appear as more nurses passed by her bed. At last she was sated, although her mind, if not her belly was telling her to eat just one more thing.

She lay back and relaxed, knowing she was safe now despite her uncertain future. She soon fell asleep, not knowing that things were being put into motion as to her future.

Unbeknownst to Kelly, her image was being shown on TV. A still photo taken just after she'd been cleaned up in the hospital was being used to see if anyone knew her real identity. One of those who saw the news item was Prudence Walker. Her contact in the hospital had already mentioned that they were thinking of turning the girl over to social services to be cared for in the next day or two. ‘Time for a visit,' Prue thought to herself.

After breakfast the next day, Kelly was again questioned, in case she had recovered any memory of her past. The police then left, rather dissatisfied at the lack of progress in that matter, leaving only a policewoman on duty as a cautionary measure. Later that morning, several groups of people were led to her bedside, all claiming she was their child. They had seen the TV broadcast and had insisted on seeing their child. The policewoman remained at her side as each came forward to speak to her.

It was hard for Kelly to stand by and listen, knowing the truth of the matter, but not being able to outright call them liars. She had to think of another way to counter their claims.

The first couple were older than average, and claimed she was their daughter Louise. She felt bad for them when she insisted she knew her name was Kelly. and not Louise. She thought they had deluded themselves into thinking she was their long lost daughter. Not from any criminal intent, but had thought to reclaim her as a last hope of being able to deny the real fate of their child.

The second family was easier to counter, as there was absolutely no familial resemblance to back up their claim. What their motives were was uncertain and the policewoman wasn't amused as she ushered them out of the ward.

The last to arrive was a greasy looking man in his forties. He and a horde of assorted kids swarmed around the bed, distracting both Kelly and the police woman. They never saw one child look at the name on the clipboard on the base of the bed and then whisper to the man, as the children swarmed around and pried into everything they could.

"Welcome back, Kelly, the family really misses you," the man said, having passed the one barrier of her name.

Kelly shuddered, as she'd had a horrible thought of being handed off to the man without any say so. All the kids then started greeting her by name, as if it was all rehearsed. She felt surrounded by a bunch of pickpockets, as the kids fingered and fiddled with anything not nailed down. The policewoman kept shooing them away from the small desk next to her bed as the kids kept trying to open it. Kelly saw one of her oranges she was saving for later, disappear into a pocket of one of the older kids. The family seemed mismatched, with little resemblance amongst them, almost as if the man had just picked them up off the street. It hit her then that it was possible he'd done just that and wanted another pair of hands to do the dirty work, whatever that happened to be.

Luckily the policewoman felt the same way and started asking some pointed questions that left the man uncomfortable. He soon left with a flea in his ear and both women sighed in relief at their departure. Peace reigned again, but only for a short while.

"Hello Kelly," came a voice from a well dressed woman with long brunette hair framing her face.

Kelly looked over thinking, ‘not again!'

"You don't know me, but I'm here to offer you a place to live till you find your own two feet to stand on," the woman offered with a genuine smile.

Kelly revised her mistaken first opinion of the woman, seeing her standing there as if waiting for an invite to come closer.

"A place to live?" asked Kelly, motioning the woman to come closer.

"A little bird told me that you've lost your memory and that soon you'll need a place to stay. I'm here to offer you a home, obligation free, with food and clothing and any other personal requirements thrown in," the unknown woman added.

"But I don't know why you should be so kind to a stranger?"

"Oops, here is my card. I often do charity work as part of my business. Let me introduce myself. I'm Prudence Walker, I own the Hugglebug company and I'm a highly respected member of society. I'm sure this nice policewoman can vouch for me."

Kelly strove not to show any recognition of the woman's name, instead she looked askance at the policewoman for confirmation, She nodded and shook Prudence's hand.

"Before you decide, my contact in the hospital who told me about you, mentioned that they will be discharging you into the custody of social services for temporary placement." Prue explained. "If you accept my offer, you will be sharing my home with several of my nieces from the States, who are currently on holiday here. I'm sure you will get on with them and they can ease you back into the swing of things, if you have forgotten anything important in regards of being a teenager."

"That's very kind of you. I will accept your offer, as long as I have the freedom to move around the city in case anything might strike a chord in my memory," Kelly replied, having decided that her being here was just a quirky coincidence. After all, she did need to learn a lot about how to behave as the teenager she seemed to appear to be.

"Great, now you must call me Prue, I don't like to stand on ceremony. As to be free to move around the city, I'm sure the girls will love to drive you anywhere you want, or there are the buses if you want some private time alone."

"Um … one thing," Kelly began, plucking at her borrowed nightie. "This is all I have to wear, and it was loaned to me," she said embarrassedly.

"No problem, stand up Kelly," Prue asked while getting out her cell phone.

Kelly slithered out of bed and stood up, smoothing out her nightie as she did so.

Prue looked her over from head to toe and began speaking to whoever was on the other side of the call.

"Five six, 34B, petite 6 in light blue, 20 inch waist, 34 hips, medium taupe, size 6." She rattled off efficiently without a pause or wasting words.

This amazed Kelly, who realised she was ordering clothing, using only her eyes as a gauge for measurement.

"Don't worry," smiled Prue, seeing surprise widen Kelly's eyes. I've ordered loads of clothes for young girls, so I have a pretty good eye by now," she laughed warmly.

Prue was still unsure whether this was the person who'd used the experimental nanites. The only connection was the proximity of the rubbish dump to where Kelly had been found. Either way, it felt good to be helping out a person in need. If it turned out that it was the person in question, all the better. So far the girl had conducted herself politely and respectfully, all good signs she wasn't mentally unstable and therefore a threat. Prue sat as they waited for the clothes delivery and talked about the place Kelly was to be staying.

A chattering chorus of voices heralded the arrival of Kelly's new clothes, along with her two nieces, who were acting as temporary delivery girls.

"Kelly? This red haired chatterbox is Shannon Michelle Johnson and the shy one behind her is Lily Sara Lucas." Prue introduced. "Shannon is 17 and Lily Sara or Lilsara as she likes to be called, is 15 yrs old."

Kelly looked both girls over. Shannon's shoulder length red hair framed a nice face and contrasted with her blue eyes. Shannon looked to be about three inches shorter than herself, with a similar figure to her own. Lilsara was only an inch shorter than Kelly despite being younger. Her golden blonde hair fell to mid back and was tussled and unruly. Her eyes were a deep jade green, and were large and guileless. She was slender and childlike, with what Kelly guessed was a 32B chest with slightly smaller waist and hip measurements than Shannon possessed.

"Hi, I'm Kelly. It looks like we will be living together." She smiled, liking the two girls' instantly.

Both girls gave Kelly a hug, which after an instant's hesitation, she returned fiercely.

"Look what we got you," they gushed, shooing Prue away and closing the curtain surrounding her bed.

"Here, let us help you," they offered happily, not giving Kelly a chance to refuse.

Off came her nightie, making Kelly blush. The girls didn't seem bothered by her nudity and with their chatter of how much fun they'd have at Prue's home, Kelly soon lost any semblance of shyness. Wearing a bra for the first time was a novel experience as Shannon did up the hooks. It did feel comforting and although her breasts were perky, she appreciated the support and sense of confinement. She put the panties on herself and then sat on the bed and attempted to pull on the pantyhose.

Seeing she was struggling, the girls showed her the way to doughnut the hose and roll them up her legs. She had to get off the bed to pull the waist up over her panties. A white satin slip with thin spaghetti straps followed. Kelly liked the sensation of it sliding around her body. Then the girls produced the dress. It was a pastel blue, with wide shoulder straps and a rounded neckline rouched under the breast line. The Viscose/Elastane waist hugged her figure, then draped to a knee length asymmetrical hemline. Kelly was filled with mixed emotions. Once a man, she was now dressed in a most attractive feminine dress, and she felt feminine. ‘Shouldn't I hate being dolled up like this?' She felt overwhelmed and uncertain, and a few tears leaked out.

The girls, seeing her face, mistook her tears for those of happiness and again hugged her.

"It's nice being pretty again," Shannon half asked, before producing the shoes. "Sit and we'll get these on you," she offered, pushing Kelly back onto the bed.

The shoes were strapped sandals with a modest inch heel. The ankle straps crisscrossed her ankle and went partly up her leg. Kelly was amazed that the thin straps could give such a feeling of support to her foot as she wiggled her feet in the air.

"We need to do your nails," suggested Lilsara, looking at her hose covered toes.

"And give her a manicure," added Shannon, taking one of Kelly's hands and shaking her head.

"Are you girls finished yet? came Prue's voice from the other side of the curtain.

"For the moment, but she needs a makeover," promised Shannon, as she drew back the curtain.

"Ta daa!" Chorused the girls dramatically, as they waved their arms to gesture at Kelly's debut.

"Very nice," Prue commented with a smile, moving in to give Kelly a hug.

‘What's the deal with all this hugging?' thought Kelly, as she returned it. It wasn't that she disliked it, but she'd never been one to express feelings so physically as a man. She as Kelly, now revelled in the extra human contact, after Kevin's nine months of being isolated and alone.

"Girls? Take Kelly to the car, while I sort out the paperwork," Prue ordered.

"Okay, auntie Prue. Let's go, Kelly," Shannon urged, taking Kelly's hand in hers.

Lilsara wasn't slow in grabbing Kelly's other hand and adding her impetus to moving her out of the ward. On the way to the exit, Shannon spotted a toilet and dragged Kelly inside, with Lilsara following closely behind.

"But I don't need to go," protested Kelly, her words seemingly falling on deaf ears.

"Silly, we aren't going in for that," laughed Shannon, pulling stuff out of her handbag.

Kelly felt uncomfortable being in the ladies. It was as if she was a voyeur, even if it was only the three of them in there at the time. It took a moment of rationalisation tp realize that she was fully entitled to be here now that she was a woman.

Shannon had pulled out a brush and was tugging on Kelly's hair, trying to give it more of a style. She added two small combs she'd found in her bag to the sides of Kelly's hair. Lilsara wasn't to be left out. She pulled out a lipstick and handed it to Kelly to use.

Kelly knew how to apply it to others, but had never tried it personally. She turned to the mirror and tried to apply it as she would to a model. The task was made harder by Shannon tugging on her hair, but finally she made a reasonable job of it. She handed it back to Lilsara with smile, before licking her lips to taste the strawberry scented concoction. Idly, she wondered how her own product would taste, and made a promise to buy a sample and try it for herself.

Shannon pulled some perfume out and spritzed Kelly on the sides of her neck and in her cleavage with it before claiming she was satisfied.

The three girls trooped out and were soon walking outside the hospital. Kelly noticed the attention they were getting from the male section of the populace as they made their way to a stretched Mercedes limo. Shannon had a fob that unlocked the car, with an accompanying beep from the alarm.

Kelly was ushered inside while the two girls sat on either side of her in the back seat. While they waited for Prue, the two girls quizzed Kelly more intensely than the police had. It seemed no topic was taboo as they asked her everything from fashion to prospective boyfriends. Kelly was hard pressed to keep to her story, professing ignorance of most of the subjects the girls covered. It didn't seem to matter as the girls grew excited at being able to mentor their new sister in most things feminine.

The front door of the limo opened and Prue slid gracefully in.

"All set girls?" she asked, looking at the three in the rear vision mirror.

"Yes auntie, but can we stop and get some clothes for Kelly? She hasn't a thing to wear," pleaded Shannon.

Prue laughed, half expecting the request.

"I'd be a gazillionaire, if I got a dollar for every time I heard someone say they haven't got a thing to wear."

"But it's true," persisted Shannon. "Anyway, I thought you were already a gazillionaire," she added with the impeccable logic of the young.

"I was just going to get a few essentials for her today, since I didn't want to subject the poor defenceless clothing stores to your feeding frenzy. Let her gain her strength for one more day before you drag her off screaming on one of your shopping orgies." Prue chortled, hearing the denials coming from the rear.

Prue drove away from the hospital and headed into the upscale part of the city. She drove into an underground car park and then led the girls to an elevator that took them up several floors.

Kelly stepped out with trepidation, seeing the swathe of feminine apparel on racks lined up before her. The two girls oohed, and tugged her deep into the bastion of femininity without hesitation. Instead of feeling shame at the prospect of having to wear all of this delicate flummery, she had a surprising revelation. After having been a heterosexual male for most of his life, with no penchant for wearing anything at all feminine, Kelly now felt something completely different fill her … anticipation.

Kelly ran her hands through the different fabrics. She hadn't realised it before, but women had many more choices when it came to clothing styles and fabrics. Kelly wondered if she would have the strength to return back to a male after using this experience to achieve her goal. The girls pulled off one thing after another, holding them up against Kelly as they discussed the pros and cons of each garment. Prue caught up with them holding several nighties in her hands.

"Don't let them decide that everything they choose is right for you," she warned, with a grin. "Girls, please limit your purchases to two full outfits, one casual and one dressy. Oh, and limit the makeup to the basics, Kelly might want to get a professional opinion as to what's best for her skin tones."

The girls grumbled, but soon had chosen the required items, and then pulled an unresisting Kelly to the makeup counter. Here, Kelly surprised the girls by choosing a few things with the Esprit' brand on them. Lipstick, pancake and blusher along with mascara and eye shadow were selected. The girl's only input was to pick the colours, which mollified them somewhat.

When questioned about her brand choice, Kelly pointed out the all natural ingredients blurb on the packaging. They just shrugged and accepted her choice, having not really thought of what ingredients went into the finished product.

Prue paid for Kelly's purchases with a card, and soon they were back on the road and heading for home. Kelly was impressed by the sight of Prue's home, even by the once affluent Kevin's standards. It was a single storied building that spread out over a large property overlooking the harbour. Kelly spotted a pool, as they rounded the corner to the garage. Once the car was stopped, the girls piled out and dragged Kelly into the house, leaving Prue to park the car in the garage.

Kelly didn't really have time to take everything in, as the girls showed her to the guest room where she'd be staying. Once there, she managed to catch her breath and look around as both girls took charge of putting away her new clothes.

It wasn't Kevin's penthouse, but compared with where she'd ended up, it was luxury unbound. The room had a queen sized bed with a TV and video player. Kelly saw there was an ensuite which contained a shower/ toilet combination, along with a mirrored vanity.

Once the girls had hung the clothes in the wardrobe and put her lingerie into the set of drawers, they decided Kelly needed a tour of Prue's home. At the end of the tour, the last stop was the girl's rooms which were also in the guest wing of the house. Kelly barely found the strength to keep up with their boundless energy as they showed off the contents of their own wardrobes.

Kelly hadn't been particularly interested in women's clothes when he was Kevin, other than how they looked on the women he'd met. Now she was getting an in depth lesson on contemporary teenage fashion, and found it eye opening. This was a valuable lesson, that was necessary for her continued deception and she was an avid spectator.

"Girls, are you hungry yet?" asked Prue, interrupting the discussion as she poked her head into Shannon's bedroom.

At the mention of food, Kelly's stomach growled, causing her to blush as everyone giggled.

"I guess that answers that question." Prue grinned, "Well, dinner will be served in 5 minutes, so I suggest you wash up and show Kelly to the dining room."

Kelly was looking forward to a real meal as she followed the girls to the dining room. A woman Prue introduced as Catherine Watts was laying out dishes of hot steaming vegetables on a side table. She was the live-in cook and she gave Kelly a smile as she was introduced.

The smells were mouth watering, especially the roast leg of lamb that Prue was carving on the side table. Kelly was told to get a warmed plate stacked next to where the food was, and help herself to as much as she wanted.

Kelly selected a little mashed potato, two roast potatoes, some peas and some chopped carrots. She also availed herself to some sprouts and broccoli. Prue added some slices of lamb to her plate, waiting till Kelly nodded she'd got enough.

Kelly took her plate to the table and sat down. There was mint sauce and gravy on the table, which she added as well. The girls followed her with their meals and then Prue came last, with her plate.

"Don't wait, eat it before it gets cold," Prue told Kelly as she reached for the gravy, seeing Kelly was waiting for her.

Kelly dove in, desperate to savour her first real vegetables in 9 months. You don't find many discarded vegetable meals in the trash. She closed her eyes and savoured each mouthful, trying not to moan in delight at the flood of flavours that her awakened taste buds sent her.

"I hope the food's acceptable," Prue said with the hint of a smile on her face.

"It's delicious," Kelly responded, managing not to reveal how long it had been since she'd tasted decent food. With her lie about having no memories of her past, she couldn't say much.

After the main meal, Catherine brought out a deep dish apple pie, obviously homemade, and a tub of ice cream.

After dessert, Kelly felt full for the first time since all this started. With everything that had happened today, now all she felt like doing was to go to bed and sleep. Luckily, Prue noticed her tiredness and told her she was excused if she wanted to go to bed.

Kelly didn't need to be told twice. After thanking Prue for all she'd done, she went directly to her room. Though the bed was calling her, Kelly decided to take a shower to freshen up before bed. Not wanting to deal with wet hair, she put on the shower cap she'd found. Soaping herself up, she had time to really explore her body and check out the vast difference between her legs.

She was too tired to bother with masturbating, but she did finger her clit to feel the beginnings of arousal. She decided it was worth exploring that option at another time, when she wouldn't be disturbed. She gently towelled herself dry after the shower and walked into the bedroom. She donned the nightie that had been bought that afternoon, delighting in the sensuous tingle as it fell down against her body. She climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up. She was asleep within minutes.

When Prue went to bed, she checked the LCD security panel that pulled out of the side of her bedside drawer. The screen had the property layout and schematic of the house showing the sensors on each door and infra red detectors in the house and the surrounding grounds. She watched the sensors outside the house flick from green to orange as the security guard activated each in turn as he patrolled the grounds. He had a transmitter that let him ‘talk' to each detector he activated, so it wouldn't raise the alarm. If an intruder did breach the security, the indicators would turn red instead of orange. This would alert both the guard, through a small waist mounted monitor, and Prue, via the internal system she had in her room. Prue noted that there was activity in Lilsara's and Shannon's room. Prue smiled as she guessed what the two girls were up to as the door sensor on Kelly's room activated. She waited for a few minutes, seeing that all sensors went back to green, before she shut the system down and settled down to sleep.

Kelly roused a bit, as the bed sagged and two warm shapes invaded her bed. The two intruders moved closer to Kelly, making a girl sandwich with a Kelly filling. Snuggling together, all settled down as Kelly unconsciously relaxed, still not really awake, but feeling secure as the warmth from her uninvited bed warmers enveloped them all.

Waking in the morning, Kelly found a head of blonde hair in her line of sight and then realised her hands were cupping the warm rounded breast of Lilsara. As Kelly tried to move her hand back, she realised that her arm was trapped by another set of hands coming from behind her and blocking her from retracting her hand. Blushing furiously at the thought of being caught with her hands full, she slid her hands down to Lilsara's waist. The feeling of being pleased she'd avoided any embarrassment lasted all of three seconds, as Lilsara turned over and smiled at Kelly. Her jade green eyes twinkled and her mouth curled into a smile as Kelly's blush returned.

"Morning Kelly, I hope you slept well? I certainly did," she said with a meaningful grin.

"I slept like a log," Kelly replied

"Me too," came Shannon's voice from over her shoulder.

"We thought a strange bed might stop you sleeping properly, so we thought having company might make you feel secure," offered Lilsara by way of explaining their presence in her bed.

"Ah thanks, I appreciate the thought," Kelly offered, acknowledging their thoughtfulness.

"So, are you rested enough to go shopping today?" asked Shannon hopefully.

"I guess so, but shouldn't we change first?" Kelly asked with a straight face.

Abruptly, Kelly found herself under attack by the two girls. A tickle attack, which soon had them all out of breath from all the giggling, as Kelly retaliated in same.

After a nightie clad breakfast of cereal and toast with homemade black current jam, the girls raced to get dressed so they could go out shopping. At least Lilsara and Shannon raced. Kelly was more sedate, knowing her inexperience in feminine fashion was going to be a daunting challenge.

Kelly was still only in panties and bra when her bedroom was invaded by two feminine whirlwinds in the shape of her friends. Kelly was still trying to figure out what to wear when they came in.

"Come on girl, soon going, we need to be. Clothes buying we shall do hmmmm?" Shannon cackled in a Yoda like tone.

"But I don't know what to wear." Kelly lamented, ignoring the takeoff, not realising she'd uttered an age old saying used by the fairer sex.

"Allow me my young Jedi, I am your mother." Shannon giggled, spoiling the effect, before quickly choosing a top and a skirt for Kelly.

"Oh God, spare me," uttered Kelly, throwing her hands up in defeat before pulling on the selections.

Everyone dissolved into laughter.

Prue waved goodbye, after fiddling with Kelly's top for a second, removing the label that was still attached.

Shannon led them to a yellow Ford Focus that Prue allowed them the use of while they were staying over. Soon they were heading into the city centre, where they left the car in a municipal car park.

"I have her position located," Prue heard the voice on her phone. "They are in Katie's, on the second floor," Michelle reported to her boss.

"Keep track, but don't get too close," Prue told her security chief. "We just want to be sure she doesn't get into trouble," Prue added before ending the call.

She'd managed to hide a tiny nanite built tracker to Kelly's top when she'd removed the clothing label. She hated having to do this, but if this was the person with the nanites, she was a potential risk. Kelly seemed perfectly normal, although her excuse of amnesias was particularly convenient to explain the odd things she'd noticed that seemed out of character. She needed to get the girl into her lab, where they could determine if she was the one for sure. Kim was already working on a means to detect the strain of nanites she'd invented.

It seemed Shannon had been given a credit card by Prue, and was fully planning on maxing out its daily limit. While they shopped, Kelly was getting lessons no boy would need to know … fashion. In particular, teenage fashion. Shannon and Lilsara both pointed out why some things Kelly thought were nice, were in fact, not so good.

"That top won't go with anything but a black skirt," Shannon pointed out. "You need to pick styles and colours that can be mixed with others so you can vary your wardrobe by changing just one item to expand your choices."

By the time hunger pangs called time out for food, Kelly had learned a lot. She had three bags full of underwear and sleepwear and all this before lunchtime. Lilsara suggested they drop the bags off at the car and then head for Wendy's.

After lunch, the girls decided to get some outerwear for Kelly. Being very feminine, they refused to look at any pants or shorts, so Kelly's wardrobe of skirts, tops and dresses began to grow. After an initial reluctance, Kelly soon found herself relaxing and having fun. All the dresses she tried on felt so different from anything she'd ever worn as a guy. It wasn't just the various fabrics that sent her skin tingling. It was the various styles, as well. Some hugged her whole figure while others hugged her chest and fell free further down. There was no way she couldn't feel sexy and feminine attired in some of the clothes she tried on. What puzzled her the most was the way it all felt so normal. The final purchases were in the swimwear section, where Kelly ended up with a lilac one piece and two pairs of bikinis, one in red and one in yellow. When she'd modelled them in the changing room, she really felt conflicted with her image. One part of her, (the Kevin side), was turned on by the body reflected in the mirror, while the growing Kelly part of her, felt proud to be able to turn the male side of her on. It was very confusing.

It was late afternoon before they returned to Prue's home. Once all her clothes were put away, Shannon suggested they go for a swim.

"Isn't it a bit early to be going swimming?" Kelly stated, just shivering at the thought of swimming in early spring.

"Silly, it's heated," Lilsara laughed.

"Come on, last one in is a slut," Shannon challenged, as she turned to race out of Kelly's bedroom.

Kelly should have had the advantage, seeing she was already in her bedroom and her new bathing suits were still on the bed. She'd stripped off quickly, but then she had to make a decision, one piece or bikini. Bikini won by a small margin. She pulled the bottoms on then struggled to get the tiny top to cover her breasts and tie the strings behind her back and neck.

"Looks like I'm the slut," offered Kelly with a grin, once she'd finally found the pool occupied by Shannon and Lilsara.

"Nah, you look too virginal in that yellow bikini," Shannon observed with a chuckle.

"Thanks … I think," Kelly retorted with a haughty sniff, before spoiling the effect with a giggle."

"Come on in, before you freeze. Your nipples are poking holes in your top," Lilsara pointed out with a huge smile.

Kelly looked down and blushed, she'd felt them pucker as soon as she'd stepped outside, but had been too distracted by the girls in their suits to check. She jumped into the water, feeling the warmth fill her with pleasure.

Kelly decided to leave the pool sooner than the others did, begging tiredness for an excuse. She went to her room and opened the mini fridge that was there and pulled out a can of cola. Seeing some other containers in there, she examined them, but was no wiser for it.

Dinner was homemade pizza followed by a ginger steamed pudding and custard. After giving Prue the lowdown on her day's activities, Kelly asked Prue about the strange containers in her fridge.

"Oh those are some left over supplements from our last guest," Prue explained.

"Supplements?" queried a curious Kelly.

"Our last guest wanted to experience being a little girl, using a temporary Hugglebug formula. Returning to an adult requires energy and proteins that the nanites can utilise to rebuild the bulk needed to return to full size.

"So it's sort of like a body in a can?" Kelly asked.

"You could say that. It's full of amino acids and proteins, along with high calcium content. It tastes a bit like beef consommé," Prue offered with a grin.

Kelly changed the subject and asked if it was possible for her to venture out the next day on her own.

"Why not let the girls drive you to wherever you want to go?" Prue asked curiously.

"I need to try and jog my memory. Nothing against the girls, but they can get quite distracting. I want to wander around at my own pace and see if something reminds me of anything," Kelly lied smoothly."

"Do you want the use of a car?" asked Prue.

"I can take a bus, if I had any money," Kelly answered, looking a little shamefaced at the thought of her lack of funds.

In answer, Prue got up and went to a drawer in a nearby cabinet. When she returned, she had a wallet and a cell phone in her hand.

"There's two hundred dollars in here," she said, handing Kelly the leather wallet. This is for any calls you might need if you have any problems," she added, handing the phone to Kelly. All our numbers are listed under our names," she finished.

"Thank you very much. I can't believe how generous you are to me," gushed Kelly with all honesty.

"Just be safe," smiled Prue, as she stood up and mentioned she was going to work in her study.

"Michelle? Get some sleep, tomorrow you have a busy day ahead of you," Prue told her on the phone.

"She's going out alone?" speculated Michelle.

"Yes, the phone and wallet I gave her are both bugged, don't lose her."

"No boss," chuckled Michelle as Prue hung up.

The next morning after another filling breakfast of bacon and eggs, Kelly put a few things together in a handbag borrowed from Shannon. She left the house and walked down to the nearest bus stop where she studied the timetable displayed there. Soon, she was on a bus that took her near to the reserve where she had survived her recent ordeal as Kevin. She walked to the spot where she'd stashed Kevin's wallet. It contained no money and the credit cards were useless now, having been cancelled by the bank under his ex wife's instructions. It did, however, contain an important piece of plastic, the security card that allowed access to Kevin's old apartment block. She removed the card and then she stashed the wallet back under the rock where Kevin had hidden it months ago.

Catching another bus downtown, she never knew about the topic of conversation her visit to the reserve was generating.

"She visited the reserve near the Mangere garbage dump. Do you think that's significant proof of our suspicions?" Michelle asked Prue over the phone.

"It's not conclusive. She did say she wanted to try to trigger her missing memories. Going to the place she was found would be a logical starting point." Prue argued.

"So we continue our surveillance?" sighed Michelle.

"Yes." Prue confirmed, feeling bad at having to do this to such a nice seeming girl.

Kelly alighted from the bus a stop away from her intended destination. She walked slowly around the building, checking that all seemed unchanged from when she was last here. Avoiding the ground floor restaurant at the front of the building, Kelly made her way around to the rear of the building. Knowing the security systems intimately, she knew there was a CCTV covering the rear staff entry. She stopped just out of range of the camera and concentrated on an image of the past, before moving towards the pin prox card reader. Kelly badged the card and punched in a 5 digit code. The rear door unlocked, and she slipped inside.

Kelly walked along the corridor to a door that led to the woman's staff locker room. There, she appropriated the uniform of one of the cleaners. Then she took a master key that allowed the staff to enter the apartments on the floors above the restaurant. After donning the smock and cap, she checked out her look in the mirror there. Instead of Kelly's visage, she saw the face of the woman she'd used to enter the building, Maria Louise DuPont.

Kelly took her bag and covered it with several towels that she arranged to cover the bag, while looking like she was only carrying clean towels. She then walked to the next intersecting corridor and turned left towards a dead end where there were no cameras.

Kelly stopped before a steel louvered door that had a sign on it saying DANGER Mains Riser Duct. The lock opened to the master key she'd borrowed. She then entered the small space inside, closed the door behind her, and relocked it from the inside.

Turning around she saw the four black three inch diameter PVC columns, which represented the power cables passing from the basement up through this floor to the floor above. They looked real enough, half embedded into a plaster wall that went from floor to ceiling.

Kelly took her security card and held it against the wall in a particular spot. A dull click came from the wall and Kelly pressed on one side, allowing it to swing inwards to reveal a hidden room. Kelly stepped inside and closed the false wall behind her.

Kevin had become very security conscious, as his developing enterprise took off. When he'd had the apartment/ restaurant complex built, he was deeply involved with the security systems that were installed. He'd managed to keep the hidden room a secret from all, but a few people. He'd learnt how to program and run the system, and his security card didn't leave an audit trail after he'd modified the programming.

The guard room that normally looked after the building security was merely a mirror of the room in which Kelly now stood. This room was the heart of the system and the footage from the CCTV's was recorded on a massive DVR system that had multi terabyte hard drives.

Kevin's penthouse was also under covert CCTV surveillance, a fact Penelope was unaware of, to his knowledge. Kevin had never mentioned it in fear she'd want the cameras removed, and he wasn't prepared to do that. The coverage from the penthouse was only recorded to the digital video recorders in the hidden room. Even Kevin's penchant for security didn't overrule commonsense in not wanting footage of his personal life to be accessible to the guards.

Kelly sat down at the computer desk and booted up the monitor. Several passwords later, she scrolled through some of the history of the audit trails for the penthouse. Kelly noted that only the passwords for the ground floor entrance doors and the penthouse had been changed, not that it mattered to the card she now held. It was a master, and would always be accepted by any reader in the complex.

Next, Kelly ran the recordings of the DVR. She skipped to different dates, looking for evidence of Penelope's perfidy. Kelly ran the last two weeks of coverage on fast forward, pausing and rechecking certain movements of Penelope's and her guests around inside the penthouse.

Kelly then opened the large handbag she'd borrowed and took out two containers that had been in the fridge in her room. She eyed the stolen Hugglebug body supplements with a thoughtful gaze as plan after plan was made and then discarded.

Kelly looked at the times Penelope left for work and when she returned. Taking an average, she calculated that she had 5 hours before Penelope returned home. She knew that the camera feed outside the lift on the penthouse landing would be monitored by the guards.

Her initial plan to get into the penthouse as either the maid or cleaning staff, by changing her body to imitate one of the staff could pose a problem if the person she imitated was questioned later.

She grinned as she made a video loop of the empty landing by the lift lobby of the penthouse. She then patched it through to the guard's monitors with barely a flicker as the feeds changed over.

Kelly then left her hidden room, keeping her temporary identity as a cleaner, until she reached the penthouse level via the elevator. She badged her card on the door to her former home and entered.

First thing she did was check out the hidden floor safe Kevin had installed under a removable tile in the walk in larder. In it, were the important papers with the patents for Kevin's formulas, along with some emergency funds. Kevin hadn't had time after the trial to recover the ten thousand dollars stored there or his life would have been radically different from what it was now.

Kelly lifted the money out after opening the safe. She crouched there, thinking of how her life had gone downhill, without those valuable pieces of coloured paper. Into the bag went the money, before she closed the safe. The other papers would remain safe inside until she returned in the future.

She looked around the rest of the penthouse, reading anything of Penelope's correspondence that looked interesting. Then she went into the bedroom which brought forth a swathe of bitter sweet memories.

Kelly poked into the large walk in wardrobe now filled with just her clothes. Nothing remained of Kevin's expensive suits or indeed anything masculine in nature.

Kelly looked at some of Penelope's business attire curiously. It must be because she was now female, that she wondered what she'd look like wearing some of the designer wear. On impulse, she took down a particularly nice suit and moved towards the full mirror with it. She held it against her body, imagining how it would feel on her. She put it back after checking its size and looked through more of her ex-wife's clothes, paying particular interest to the sizing.

Kelly found what she was looking for at the back of the wardrobe, clothes that were a size or two smaller. Penelope must have gained weight and probably wouldn't miss any of the clothes she knew wouldn't fit her anymore. Knowing Penelope, she would never get rid of any of her clothes, probable thinking she would wear them once she lost some weight. Kelly had counted on this and had planned accordingly.

"Kelly is currently inside the Walsh Building," Michelle reported, having followed Kelly around in her Mercedes.

She was currently parked outside and watching the small monitor that showed two blips that represented the two bugs Prue had stashed in the wallet and phone. "Is she eating in the restaurant?" asked Prue, having remembered it from a visit for a meal when it first opened for business.

"Hard to tell, without a floor plan. She does seem to be in the rear of the building on the restaurant level."

Okay, keep an eye out," ordered Prue as she hung up.

Michelle waited. She noticed the blips rising, obviously going up to the top of the building. She debated ringing Prue again, but decided to wait.

Pulling one of the shopping bags from yesterdays outing from her handbag, Kelly picked out a couple of garments before going to get some of Penelope's underwear and two pairs of her shoes.

Kelly then left the penthouse and went back to her secret hideaway, where she took out the clothes and hung them up on a convenient hook on the wall. She was going to take them with her, but with the curiosity of the girls, she couldn't take the chance.

Now Kelly got back onto the computer and logged into her former company's database. Here too, her old passwords allowed her unlimited access, and soon she was scouring the company's records and employee's employment records. She needed to get close to Penelope and the only way was to become someone she'd never suspect, her secretary.

Therein lay a problem. There was no way she could pull it off, not without knowing all the nuances of their business and personal relationship made over time. Through the records, she found out who took over Penelope's secretarial duties when her personal secretary was ill or was on vacation. She took note of the phone numbers and addresses of both the secretary and her temp. Now Kelly's plan began to come together as she shut down the computer and made her way out of the building.

Kelly returned home to Prue's place late in the afternoon, after buying some clothes suitable for the next stage in her revenge.

Prue asked Kelly how her day was, already knowing mostly where she had been. Kelly, knowing it was too soon to put her plans into action, just mentioned that she might have a job lined up.

"Oh! Who with?" Asked Prue interestedly.

"Walsh cosmetics… sorry Bennet's cosmetics, I happened to meet someone that works there and said I had the "look," whatever that means," fibbed Kelly, hoping nobody picked up her mistake on the renamed company.

"Isn't it a bit soon to be looking for a job? I mean, you are just recovering from a traumatic experience," reasoned Prue concernedly.

"Well I can't sponge off you indefinitely, and it won't happen for a while anyway as I've got no identification or tax records to give the employer." Kelly offered sadly.

"I can expedite getting you a new identity. Do you want Dee as your surname? Prue offered.

"Hmmm I'd prefer something more … what about Davidson?"

"Kelly Davidson? Yes it does seem to fit you," agreed Prue.

"But we like Dee!" protested Lilsara and Shannon unanimously who had been listening avidly.

"Well you can still call me Kelly Dee if you like," grinned Kelly.

"We'll be Deelighted to," the girls chorused together with a laugh.

"Come to the lab with me tomorrow and we'll see about getting things moving along. Remember, it's no trouble for me if you stay here indefinitely. I have plenty of room, and the girls need someone to play dress up with," laughed Prue, seeing Kelly wince a little at the cheer from the girls.

The next day, Kelly and the girls, who decided to go along, got the tour of the headquarters of the Hugglebug company. It was here that Prue finally revealed Lilsara and Shannon's secret, with their permission, of course.

Kelly was surprised to learn that both girls had originally been boys, now changed by a dose of Hugglebugs. Originally they had been teenagers, but when Prue learned of their obsession to be little girls, she'd offered them their dreams.

Prue had contacts that monitored the chatrooms that dealt with the transgendered, usually to advise those in need, of the Hugglebug product. When told of the financial plights of both Lilsara and Shannon, Prue offered to fly them to New Zealand free of charge to get their dream life.

Both were reduced to a very young age and allowed to grow up a second time, as girls. Prue often had them visit her as they grew older. This was another of those visits.

Kelly realised now why the girls were really into being extremely feminine. Not that she blamed them, she hadn't been a girl very long herself and already she was feeling more and more comfortable being female. The clothes available to her now were also part of the attraction of being female. Kelly had never had so much fun trying on the myriad of styles and fabrics that made up the available wardrobe for the female of the species.

Prue then took them to the lab, where she asked Kelly for a blood sample. When asked why, Prue said it was an essential part of her new identity, as everyone had their blood group listed.

Kim took the sample and hurried it off to some equipment, where she became oblivious of the others presence, as she busied herself amongst the assorted equipment.

"Well?" Asked Prue?

"O negative," Kim responded after a moment's pause.

"I'll talk to you later, Kim. I expect a full breakdown," Prue insisted, as she led everyone to her office. Prue offered Kelly and the girls refreshments as she picked up the phone and began calling her contacts. After a while, the girls grew bored and asked if they could leave.

Prue agreed and said she'd see them back home later. Kelly went with the girls, as they called a taxi and left for the inner city.

"Kim, so what's the report," Prue asked, when Kim entered her office an hour after the girls had left.

"Inconclusive boss, as you know, the nanites break down as soon as they leave the bodies biometric field. I did a trace element scan and it's similar to the one I ran on our blood."

"Isn't that enough proof?" Prue interrupted.

"Well if she was being held near the rubbish dump as the police suspect, it's possible, given the state of the camp they found, that she was being fed contaminated food. There are a lot of heavy metals there, and who knows what else was in her diet. It could be skewing the results unduly."

"So it's back to wait and see?" Sighed Prue resignedly.

"You mentioned the caller said he'd been turned into his wife?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow.

Prue nodded in the affirmative.

"Kelly is a bit young to be a wife," Kim pointed out.

"True," admitted Prue.

"So wouldn't it follow that if the person found she could change her form to Kelly, why didn't she change back to her male self?"

"That's what I was thinking. I don't have an answer for that," Prue acknowledged. "A man would need a very good reason not to return to a male body."

"Did the person say anything to indicate that there might be such a reason?" asked Kim.

"He, or rather she, did mention correcting an injustice," mused Prue idly.

"That doesn't exactly seem to fit Kelly's profile. She seems quite happy and comfortable being female from what I've seen," Kim pointed out.

"I agree, but with the seriousness of our dilemma we can't just reject her as a suspect," Prue argued.

"Suspect? He or she didn't commit a crime boss," Kim replied with surprise.

"You're right Kim. All this cloak and dagger stuff is getting to me. I'm just pretty wound up over this. If just a whiff of this gets out to the wrong people, our lives won't be worth spit. Kelly isn't a suspect. She is more a victim than anything if she has the nanites."

"Kim smiled, and gave Prue a reassuring hug. This was the boss she knew and loved.

"Either way, Kelly will be in safe hands if I know you, boss," Kim stated confidently.

Kelly, meanwhile, was feeling overwhelmed as the two girls dragged her hither and yon for that perfect dress they insisted she needed to have. Never in Kevin's life had he seen so many dresses. Even Penelope at her worst, had never modelled as many when she'd dragged him along shopping with her with his check book in hand.

Things only slowed down when she'd spied a little black dress that she thought was cute. ‘Cute?' hmmm where did that come from?' she thought, as she fingered the sensuous material.

"Oh that is so you," Shannon gushed as she turned to see what Kelly had found. "What do you think, Lilsara?"

"It's a great dress, but where's the rest of it?" she joked, before giggling madly.

Kelly looked at the dress to see what was missing before she realised that Lilsara was kidding. A small involuntary giggle fought its way out of her mouth, becoming full blown as Shannon joined in the merriment.

Prue had a surprise for Kelly when she returned home that evening. Prue handed her some papers and some booklet like items.

"What are these?" Kelly asked curiously.

"Your new birth certificate, passport, tax IRD number and a bank account book with a credit card." Prue explained.

"Bank account? Credit card?" Kelly questioned in shock.

"I've put 5000 dollars into it and the credit card has a 1000 dollar limit." Prue responded with a smile.

"But, but, I can't accept that, you have already done so much for me." Kelly stuttered. "I thought getting any sort of identity papers would take weeks, if not months," she added as an afterthought.

"Well, I have a lot of friends in high places and I have a fast track where it concerns my customers who use Hugglebugs. As to the money, I can afford it, and it will be an incentive for you to add to it once you join the work force. Once you're rich, if it still troubles you, then you could donate 5000 dollars to charity or help someone else in a similar fashion," Prue replied with a smile.

"I'm 18?" Kelly queried, looking at her new birth certificate.

"I'm sorry. If you think that's too old, but you seem more mature than Shannon, and being 18, you won't have any problems getting this job you're after," offered an apologetic Prue.

"No, that's fine. I guess it's just strange to suddenly find out your age.

"She needs a cake and presents," Lilsara insisted in a pleading voice.

"Huh?" an uncomprehending Prue questioned.

"Yes, a big cake," agreed Shannon, catching on quickly.

"It's her birthday, she just turned 18," Lilsara explained.

"Ah, um, okay, can we delay it for tomorrow?" Prue asked the girls. "I didn't get her anything, and I suppose you didn't either. We can get a nice cake and do it right," offered Prue, looking at Kelly for acceptance.

"It's okay with me," shrugged Kelly bewilderedly, trying to come to terms with this latest surprise.

"Yippee," chorused Lilsara and Shannon, as they started whispering plans together.

The next day, Kelly decided to stay at home, while the girls went out shopping. After breakfast, Kelly had gone back to her bedroom and thought about her plans for the near future. About 10am, Kelly's ruminations were interrupted by a knock on her door. It was Catherine the cook.

"Kelly? I'm going out shopping for a few hours. If you get hungry before I get back, there's some cold meat in the fridge if you want sandwiches."

"Okay, thank you," Kelly called back, not bothering to get off the bed and open the door.

Kelly listened to footsteps retreating then faintly, the outside door opening and then closing. She sighed and then putting her planning aside for the moment, she decided to find out what this body really felt like, now she was alone. First she needed to borrow something she'd seen in Shannon's half open dresser drawer.

She returned to her room, holding her borrowed toy. She flicked it on, hearing it buzz and vibrate in her grasp. She gingerly held it on her groin, feeling the vibrations sink into her body and begin to excite her new organs. She fought a fleeting revulsion that told her this was wrong. But as she circled the tip of the vibrator around her new sex, the feeling of her growing arousal caused an epiphany. She then decided she wanted to experience a female orgasm, after all, she was now a female and while the vibrator was shaped like a large penis, her body was designed to be penetrated by such a shape. She took a breath and pressed the vibrator in.

She became coherent some time later, remembering hearing cries and moans. She blushed, realising that it was her that had been making all the noise as she reached a sexual nirvana unlike anything she as Kevin had ever had. She rolled off the bed and wobbled into the bathroom. She then filled the bath, sitting weak-kneed on the edge, till it was full enough to slip into. She washed herself slowly taking extra care between her legs where she was pleasantly achy. Washing the vibrator, she promised herself she would buy her own, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time she'd play with one,

Kelly finished with the bath, and while still only attired in a towel, she snuck back into Shannon's room and replaced the borrowed toy.

She got dressed in a skirt and top and wandered into the kitchen for a bite to eat. Finding some cold roast beef, she sliced some off and made some beef sandwiches. For a drink, she found a milkshake machine on the bench. Soon, after finding the bottles of flavours, she'd made a raspberry milkshake for herself. As it was fine, she ate outside sitting at the patio table. While she was eating her lunch, she saw a guard doing his rounds.

"Um hello?" Kelly called out, trying to attract the guard's attention.

"Yes Miss?" the guard asked, coming closer to her.

"I want to go out in a while, and there's nobody at home. Do I lock the place up? I don't have a key."

The guard smiled, then spoke into a lapel microphone of his waist mounted Walkie Talkie.

"Follow me, Miss Kelly. I'll get you a swipe card."

Kelly followed the guard inside, bringing her empty plate in as well. The guard opened a metal cabinet in the hall and handed her a plastic credit card sized card.

"That will allow you to enter the house and gate. You don't need a key. You just close the door or the gate as you leave the property," he explained.

"Thank you," Kelly offered, taking the card.

Kelly got her handbag and put the card in her wallet, before going outside. After leaving the property, she walked down the street with no real destination in mind. She just wanted to do some thinking and enjoy the sun on the fine October day.

Michelle, who'd had a boring morning watching the property, while Kelly had stayed behind, now had another problem. How to follow a person walking without being obvious? She decided to let Kelly walk out of sight, before moving the car forward. She drove past Kelly until she was almost out of sight before she pulled into a side street. Michelle watched as Kelly walked towards her, then snorted in chagrin as Kelly took a small walking path that led down to the harbour's edge.

Kelly walked down the steps leading to the waterfront. She then paused as she waited to cross the busy road that ran the length of the shoreline. Once across, she headed for the beach, intending to sit in the sun for a while and soak in some rays. She wasn't intending to try and achieve a tan, as she could do that with a thought if she wanted. No, she just wanted to wind down from the last few days and think about what she'd felt earlier that day pleasuring herself.

In her vague plans for the future, she'd thought she'd dump this female form and return to being a man again. Now it didn't look likely that she could return to being Kevin unless she found overwhelming evidence of his innocence. Even if she did, Kevin's future in the business would be doomed, as the scandal would stick no matter how innocent he was.

His wife had kept the company going by calling it by her maiden name, Bennet cosmetics and the Esprit' brand had continued to grow strongly, having never been touched by the scandal. The only reason his restaurant/housing complex was still called the Walsh building was because the name was built into the building façade.

After this morning's performance, Kelly was trying to find excuses to remain female by weighing the pros and cons, not that there were many cons.

She was younger now, at least physically, and thanks to Prue, now had a valid identity. She wasn't rich, but if her plans came to fruition, that matter would be resolved. Her age could be a disadvantage in the business world, but if things turned out all right, she should be able to prove her abilities given the right opportunities. There were a few ifs, buts and maybes, but overall, she would gain more remaining Kelly at this point in time.

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't see the person that came up to her. The first inkling that things were turning bad was when a hand grasped her shoulder and turned her around.

"Ah! I thought it was you, I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted you," the man's voice chortled evilly.

Kelly looked up at the person and her blood went cold at the expression on the man's face. It was the greasy man who had tried to claim her at the hospital as his own child.

"Go away and leave me alone," snapped Kelly angrily, trying to shrug the man's hand off her shoulder.

"Feisty words from a feisty girl," the man challenged with a sneer, moving his grip to her upper arm.

"I'll scream, if you don't release me immediately," promised Kelly.

The man instantly changed grip, moving behind her, he grasped her left arm with his left hand, while his right hand smothered her mouth, preventing her calling out.

Kelly struggled, realising one con she'd forgotten was the lack of strength in her smaller body. The man dragged her up to his car, parked on the waterfront. The only person near enough to see what was happening was an old frail woman, who for obvious reasons, decided to refrain from interfering. A jogger coming up to them slowed as the man pushed her into the door and closed it behind her.

"Kids… she's a real badun, played hooky from school today," the man offered, as explanation to the jogger.

The jogger shrugged and moved on, as Kelly struggled to get out of the car doors.

The man climbed in to the front, telling her to settle down or he'd hurt her.

"It's useless girly, those doors have child locks on them," he laughed, seeing Kelly pulling on the doors.

Kelly was trapped. The window winders had been removed, preventing her from escaping out of the windows. Instead, not wanting to give up, she tried to clamber into the front seat and see if she could get out of the front passengers door. As she got halfway over, the man lashed out and hit Kelly on the ear with his fist. The force bounced her back into the rear leaving her stunned and groggy.

Michelle was delayed getting down to the waterfront. The steepness of the cliff, which Kelly had walked down, prevented their being any roads directly leading down to the waterfront drive. She had to drive along the upper road for several kilometres before she could reach an intersecting road leading down. Several sets of lights further delayed her and the air inside her car was distinctly blue tinged before she managed to reach the road she wanted.

She did have her laptop open on the seat next to her. But trying to see a blip moving on the screen with scattered sunlight flashing on it while she drove made checking on her charge near impossible. The traffic on the road was also diverting her attention as everyone appeared to be suddenly acting like Sunday drivers, or so it seemed to her heightened awareness of the urgency to be elsewhere.

It wasn't until she was approaching where Kelly should have been, that she realised something was wrong. In the shadow of the cliff, her screen was clearly seen. The blip of the tracker was moving fast, too fast and it was heading directly towards her. Michelle kept a close eye out on the road, watching the approaching cars, none of which seemed to have a young girl inside. The blip passed her position, for her car was also represented on the screen to give relative distances. Michelle saw two cars pass by at that moment a red BMW and a nondescript brown sedan of unknown make.

Michelle spun her car over the low median strip, disregarding the horns from the cars behind and the oncoming traffic. She bounced in her seat as she narrowly missed a small sign stuck in the median strip. She heard a few shouts from the cars she had dangerously merged into with the car in front slowing as if to make her stop.

With a curse, she floored the accelerator, and swerved past the car on the inside, narrowly missing a parked car. She gave the shocked drive the bird as she squeezed past, laughing at his foul response.

"Call the cops, I don't care," shouted Michelle. This was one time the police would be welcomed in any form. She soon discovered which car had the tracker in it, as the BMW turned off and the blip on her screen carried on. Michelle had a sudden thought and reached for her phone.

"Prue, we have a situation," Michelle said, as soon as she was connected.

"With Kelly?" Prue answered with alarm.

"Her tracker is in a car heading east along the waterfront. I didn't see Kelly in the car and I'm wondering if she actually in there or someone has snatched her bag and left her on the beach." Michelle explained her worry.

"I'll call the police and have them check the beach there. Do you have a description of the car?" asked Prue.

"Only that it's brown and a sedan type. No licence number yet, I have to get closer. Hang on a moment," Michelle muttered, as she passed yet another slow poke on the road. "Okay, it is QM 45802, got that. I think it's a Toyota Crown?"

"Got it, calling the cops now," Prue responded.

Michelle hung up to concentrate on the car ahead of her.

Kelly struggled to stay conscious in the back seat of the car. She tried to shake the fuzziness from her brain as she lolled from side to side as the car approached more twisty roads, as the driver turned off the more trafficked routes. Kelly had time to slip her mobile phone into her top letting it nestle in her cleavage where it was harder to see. She knew she had no chance to ring for help in the car, so she bided her time, hopefully keeping it concealed till she had a more favourable opportunity.

Michelle had to drop back, as the traffic lessened and her car become more easily spotted as a tail. In doing so she failed to see the car turn off up a small bush lined dirt track that led to a ramshackle house. Luckily the tracker quickly had her back tracking after she realised the blip was behind her. She stopped by the dirt track and called Prue.

Kelly meanwhile, was dragged from the car and pulled into the house where she was immediately surrounded by the children she'd seen in the hospital. Her bag was torn from her grasp by the eager kids and was soon emptied on a rather grubby table. The wallet was soon divested of its cash and credit card with whoops of glee. The man soon took back the money and card after he shouted at the kids.

Kelly was glad that the her security card and other identity papers where still stashed at Prue's home. The loss of the money and credit card was a blow, but could be replaced in time. Even her clothes were plucked at as if they were going to be ripped off and given to the other girls.

"Leave them," said the man, having looked up from his scrutiny of the wallets contents. "They won't fit you anyway," he added nastily.

It was true. The girl was too skinny and a bit shorter than Kelly, however she didn't take the order very well, and scowled at Kelly as if it was her fault.

"You'll soon lose your high and mighty ways, once Jerald trains you," she sneered.

Kelly took it that the man's name was Jerald.

"What's the pin number for this card Miss Davidson?" Jerald demanded, stressing her surname in an unpleasant manner.

Kelly refused to answer, even though it might mean him getting abusive with her.

"Throw her in the hole," Jerald ordered to the eldest girl. "She'll soon come around in a couple of days," he laughed.

Kelly was pulled along by several members of the mismatched family to a closet. It was empty when she saw them open it just before they pushed her inside and locked the door.

Michelle waited impatiently, if the police didn't get here soon, she was going to do something herself. Prue had passed her information on to the authorities and told her to wait. Michelle opened the car door, her patience at an end and was about to walk up the track, when the police drove up. Their lights had been on, but they hadn't used their sirens in case they alerted the abductor.

"Any activity?" asked the officer in charge, as he put on an armoured vest and selected his weapons.

"No, it's all quiet so far?" Michelle informed him.

"Do you know if the person is armed?" he asked hopefully.

"No I don't sorry," Michelle sighed.

"Pity."

Kelly listened until the footsteps faded, before digging out her phone. She punched the number for Prue's mobile, and urged it to connect quicker.

"KELLY! WHERE ARE YOU?" shouted Prue, as soon as her phone ID showed who was calling.

"I'm locked in a closet of some house. I'm not sure where I'm at. I missed seeing where he guy was driving after he hit me." Kelly explained in a rush.

Prue nearly crushed her phone in her hand, hearing that Kelly had been struck by some wacko. She thought quickly, trying to come up with the next move.

"Is the man armed and is there anyone else with him?" she asked desperately.

"Not that I could tell. His name is Jerald and he has about seven kids with him of various ages. It was the same person who tried to claim me in the hospital," Kelly told her.

"Help is coming, I've called the police. Stay still and do anything they ask of you," Prue insisted. "Keep on the line, and I'll be here for you."

Prue used the landline to ring Michelle.

Michelle answered her phone when it began to ring. She listened for a moment before calling to the policeman in charge. She handed over the cellphone and Prue again relayed the information from Kelly.

Things began to happen quickly then. Michelle insisted on going with the police, even though they insisted she stay out of it. In the end, she convinced them of her qualifications to participate. She had to borrow a vest before they would allow her to proceed.

Michelle and five police officers walked slowly up the drive to the house. The officer used hand signals to have the men deploy around the house, while Michelle stayed with the leader. It took a minute before everyone was in place at windows or doors. Each one of the officers called quietly on their radio coms, once they were in position.

The officer with Michelle nodded to her, as he signalled the men to assail the house. Moments later all hell let loose, as breaking glass and smashed in doors gave rise to screams inside.

Michelle stayed outside. Her work was done and Kelly's rescue was now out of her hands. She didn't want to stay around to have Kelly question her about why she was involved. She would stay in the background, but she felt she had to be here when the police stormed the house as she felt responsible for her charge. Even if Kelly was the person with the special nanites, Michelle had formed a bond with the girl she'd followed day after day.

Kelly suddenly heard glass breaking and the slam of doors being smashed open and via the phone, so could Prue.

"Are you okay?" asked Prue anxiously as she heard the noise over the phone.

"Yes, but there's a lot of screaming going on out there," replied Kelly, suddenly glad she was in a dark closet away from the scuffle.

Soon the noise died down to just sobs and crying from the children and curses from the now subdued man. The door to the closet was unlocked and Kelly blinked in the sudden daylight as her eyes readjusted to the light.

"Are you okay, Miss?" a concerned voice from the blue clad officer asked, as he helped her stand and began to assist her out of the closet.

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered to both the officer and Prue who was still listening on the phone. "What will happen to the kids now?" she asked, showing a maturity belying her apparent age.

"They will be looked after, don't you worry," the officer responded with a smile.

Kelly was led outside, where she was handed her belongings and the cash stolen from her wallet. She watched as Jerald was bundled into the back of a police car that was parked up the driveway. The children were led to a small van and bundled inside. Kelly herself was led down the driveway past the car Jerald was in and past the van with the children on board. Kelly was directed into a plain car with a single magnetically attached flashing light on top. The driver removed the light and turned it off, before driving away with her sitting in the back.

At the station she was taken to, Kelly met with Prue, who had just arrived. They hugged each other and Kelly's body began to shake in delayed shock. Prue stayed with her during the questioning about her abduction. Kelly asked for and received a hot cup of chocolate to settle her nerves as she recounted her ordeal.

Finally, she could go home and Kelly sat quietly in Prue's car and thought over what happened trying to determine if she could have avoided it somehow.

Prue, sensing Kelly's reason for her introspective silence, spoke up.

"It wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck and people like that should be locked up or worse," she said into the silence.

Kelly, having come to the same conclusion, sighed. "You're right, but I can't help thinking of those kids, they deserve better than to be caught up in those circumstances."

"Do you want to call off your birthday celebration?" asked Prue, solicitously.

"Oh!... no, but I do wish we could have the kids share it with me," stressed Kelly, who had completely forgotten all about her ‘birthday' in the heat of the days abduction.

"You do?" asked Prue incredulously.

"Yeah, that could so easily been me there, having to steal to live," offered Kelly by way of an explanation.

"Let me make some phone calls," offered Prue, as they reached home.

Shannon's and Lilsara's chorus of "Happy birthday Kelly," when they entered, soon choked off as they saw the sad face of their new sister. Prue quickly filled them in, before leaving for her office study. The girls surrounded Kelly giving her sympathetic hugs as they led her into the lounge and sat her into the large settee there. Of course, they insisted that Kelly had to give them a blow by blow account. By the time the girls were satisfied, Prue came into the lounge with a grin on her face.

"It seems we might be able to grant your birthday wish, Kelly."

This prompted more questions from the girls, so Prue explained.

Catherine, the cook came in to see what the fuss was about and whether she should go ahead with the meal.

"You'd better make sure you have enough for seven extra appetites," warned Prue, as she continued talking to the girls.

"Thank God for microwave ovens," muttered Catherine good-naturedly as she left for the kitchen.

"It seems the police have located the families of five of the children and are checking the circumstances as to why the children were missing. The police commissioner has put the children into my temporary custody, while things are being sorted out. The two children without family will be looked after, until they can hopefully, be adopted. I've asked Rose and Kim to bring some suitable clothing from the company along with some other goodies. They will get their sizes from the police, and have them cleaned up before they arrive here. I've asked Michelle, my security chief to come as well. She can keep an eye on them here without it being obvious."

Kelly looked at Shannon and Lilsara, in case they thought it was a bad idea to have seven strange kids come visit for a meal, especially under the circumstances that Kelly met them. Surprisingly, they seemed to welcome the idea, which spoke volumes for their characters. All they asked was, how old each one was, which Prue supplied along with their names, having gotten that information from the police. They then asked if there was time for a quick shopping trip to which Prue laughed.

"A quick shopping trip? That I'd like to see," she laughed. "You have an hour."

Shannon dragged Lilsara out to the car, leaving Kelly with Prue.

"Don't ask?" suggested Prue to Kelly's unasked question.

"What will happen to Jerald?"

"Corruption of minors, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, are just a few of the charges against him. The police are adding to the list by the minute. I spoke to the judge who will be prosecuting the case. I suggested that when he's sentenced, she mention that he will be put into general population where they will crucify him. Then she will offer him a choice, general population in prison, or a new life and identity from a dose of Hugglebugs."

"The second choice seems a shoo-in, but isn't that letting him go unpunished?" Kelly asked curiously.

Prue smiled. "I guess to some, it would be a reward."

Kelly frowned, trying to see the punch line that Prue seemed have in reserve. Sighing, she asked the obvious.

"Reward?"

"He will have no say in who he'll become. Somehow I don't think he'd appreciate becoming a child again, especially not a female one," she chortled.

"That's evil. I love it!" Kelly responded with a grin.

Then Kelly grew thoughtful, "Will she remember who he was?"

"Oh yes, we don't condone identity death, which could occur if we regressed him back too far. At an age of five years, the brain is developed enough to contain an adult's entire memory. Think of a child's brain as a new computer waiting to be filled, and an adult's mind as a third full hard drive. All we are doing is copying the files across to the new unfilled drive."

"What happens when she grows up?" questioned Kelly, now fully interested in the subject.

"We have done this a few times before for some sexual predators, who were deemed incurable by the law. They are now living happy lives as young girls," Prue informed her.

"They adjusted to being female?" Kelly asked, having a personal reason for asking.

"Yes, but for a reason we are still unsure of. We did think it would create a transgendered person who would seek to return to being their original sex. It may yet do that if we turned a female into a male, which luckily, we haven't needed to do yet."

Kelly thought for a moment, before coming up with a theory of her own.

"Maybe it's because, all humans are female in the womb. A male is possibly a sort of corrupted female and when returned to the female sex, the person at heart, recognises its perfection in form." She mused thoughtfully.

You might be right, who knows for sure?" Prue laughed. "All I know is that the girls seem to fight it for only a year before finally accepting their lot. I did talk to one of them after being a girl for six years. She didn't want to return to being a man."

A knock on the door interrupted further discussion. Prue looked at her watch and suggested Kelly welcome the guests. Kelly went to the front door and opened it.

"Happy birthday, Kelly," a rather well endowed woman greeted her. Kelly remembered seeing her at the Hugglebugs plant.

"Thanks, Rose," Kelly acknowledged. Kelly then saw the children lined up behind Rose with another young woman bringing up the rear. Kelly assumed this was Michelle, which Prue had mentioned. The kids were now clean and dressed in what looked like new clothing. They were all looking sombre and downcast as if they were going to their own funeral.

"Come in please," welcomed Kelly, standing aside and allowing the group to enter the house.

The kids must have been warned to behave, as they were silent as they grouped together for safety. Kelly led them into the lounge as Catherine came out with a tray of refreshments and laid it out on the low table in the middle of the room.

Shannon and Lilsara picked that exact moment to arrive home and after a quick hello to everybody, they rushed to their bedrooms with the shopping bags they were carrying.

"Please help yourselves to the savouries and drink." Kelly urged the children, after the wake of the girls passing had settled.

The elder girl went first, filling glasses for the others and handing them out. She then picked out a sausage roll for herself. The others slowly thawed and began to eat either the sausage rolls or the small savoury mince pies.

Kelly and Prue joined in while there was still some food left, as the children went back for seconds and thirds. Shannon and Lilsara came out, just as Catherine replenished the rapidly dwindling plates of food.

"Save some room for dinner, children," she admonished gently, looking around at everyone and not just the newcomers.

"These are the best I've tasted," Kelly commented, with a murmur of agreement from the others.

"Catherine is a great cook," admitted Prue, trying to resist taking another hot sausage roll. " Today is Kelly's birthday," began Shannon, as Lilsara started to sing happy birthday. Prue and Shannon joined in and even some of the kids did too.

The elder girl and boy, realising what Kelly had undergone on her birthday, hung their heads and began to tear up.

"We are sorry we were mean to you. We have always had to fight for whatever Jerald brought us in the way of clothing and food. We have been with him so long, it's hard to imagine living like this," Susan, the elder girl waved her hand around the room emphasising her point.

"It's not entirely your fault, and I forgive you," offered Kelly as an olive branch. "Jerald is the one I blame." Her voice hardened at the thought of his treatment of the kids in his care. "Did he kidnap you as well?"

"No, our parents were both killed in a car accident. This is my brother Allan," Susan reached out to the older boy. "Jerald found us on the road after we escaped the wrecked car. He took us in and looked after us. We were six years old."

Kelly promptly hugged the pair, with tears flowing, as she thought about what a horrible experience these two must have endured. She wasn't the only one to join in on the hug, as Shannon and Lilsara were there too.

Slowly, the stories of the other children came to light, painting Jerald as a very evil man. He'd found some of them on the streets after they had run away from a family spat. Others had just been separated from their parents in a mall when Jerald took them. The ones that were old enough to resist and had tried to run away from Jerald were locked up in the same closet Kelly had been locked in. There, their wills had been broken as thirst and hunger took its toll.

"Present time," Prue finally stated, trying to get things on a lighter note.

"We have something for you as well," promised Shannon, as she looked at the children.

Kelly received her gifts first, being the birthday girl. Shannon had bought her a makeup kit with everything a normal teenager girl would ever want in it. Kelly thanked her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, even though her thoughts were mixed about the gift. With the nanites in her body, she could create any look she wanted without any actual makeup being used. The other thing about it was that it fell into the realm of femininity that the Kevin part of her was scared of having to visit.

"I don't think I've ever used makeup before," she sniffed. "At least I have no memory of using it," she added, knowing she'd need an excuse if she tried it and ended up looking like a clown.

"We'll teach you," Shannon and Lilsara happily chorused together.

Kelly smiled her thanks, thinking that once she was made up for the different situations she knew women used different looks for, she could commit them to memory and be able to replicate that look using her nanite power. Unaware of a faint male voice inside screaming ‘No!' she began to look forward to her first lesson.

Lilsara had bought a bottle of Chanel No5 â„¢ perfume for Kelly. She wasn't shy in showing her where she should apply it and soon Kelly was surrounded in a light nimbus of fragrance.

The children looked embarrassed at not having anything to give, not that they had known anything about it, and weren't expected to give gifts.

Rose, in the meantime, had snuck some small gifts to each of the children to give Kelly while Lilsara had Kelly's attention.

In the end, each shyly gave Kelly a gift that Rose had supplied. Things like lace hankies, perfumed soaps, hosiery, other small items a young girl needs.

Prue saved the best till last, her own gift to Kelly. She handed her a small wrapped box, which once opened, revealed a set of keys. Car keys. Kelly's eyes widened, as she saw the VW emblem on them and realisation of their use.

"Come on, it's outside," Prue announced, as Kelly protested about not being worthy.

They all trooped outside for show and tell. There on the driveway was a brilliant yellow VW five door Golf, well, four doors and a rear hatch.

Kelly sagged in surprise as it looked new. She went over and caressed its sleek lines, while still saying it was way too much to spend on her.

"Nonsense, it isn't new, but it doesn't have many miles on her. I have a friend in the business, so I got it for a song," Prue declared.

"What song did you sing?" quipped Shannon, trying not to grin.

Prue laughed, making everyone smile. Kelly opened the driver's door and sat in it. It looked immaculate inside and she fell in love with it. Now she had mobility, she could get on with her plans for revenge.

Reluctantly, Kelly was urged inside to continue the gift giving, this time to the children. They weren't expecting gifts and grew excited at the prospect. Shannon and Lilsara handed out the gifts they'd just popped out to buy. Most were soft toys for the younger children, with some board games for the older ones.

Rose produced some presents of her own, mainly new clothes from the clothing stockroom at the Hugglebugs company.

Catherine then called for them to start dinner. Because the guests outnumbered the seating arrangement, it turned out to be a buffet style meal. There were huge plates and dishes filled with food. The roast meat was already carved into bite sized portions and everyone took a plate and filled it with whatever they wanted. A huge paper lined basket held a huge pile of French fries which the children headed for first. Then people just went and found whatever seats they could, either inside or outside on the patio. Dessert was then laid out, jelly, ice cream and cake being the main items. Everyone watched the children gorge themselves. It was obvious they hadn't eaten so well before, and Prue had to caution them about eating too much, saying they'd make themselves sick.

About 8 pm that night, they had more visitors. Prue had asked the police to forward her address to those families the children had once belonged. The tearful reunion of family and child was almost too much for Kelly to bear, as she wept openly at the scene of each emotional reunion.

Four children were left, the two that had no parents and two whose parents lived too far away to reach them that night. Prue said they all could stay the night. The brother and sister whose parents had died, looked sad, wondering where they'd end up. Prue reassured them that they would stay together even if she had to adopt them herself.

A phone call about an hour later had Prue smiling. She gathered the brother and sister together and asked them a question.

"Do you remember your aunt Betty?"

At the mention of their aunt, they began to chatter.

"Well, your aunt has agreed to take you both and for you to live with her. She had always wondered what had happened to you, and had given up on ever seeing you again."

This excited the pair as they hugged each other and jumped for joy.

That night was an emotional one. Kelly didn't get much sleep after finally going to bed. The kids had been bedded down in two rooms, one for the girls and one for the boys. As Kelly tossed fitfully, she wondered if her heightened emotional responses were due to being female and an awakening maternal instinct. Strangely, that thought didn't fill her with fear, but more of a relief as a logical explanation for her emotional outpourings.

The next morning, Kelly awoke to noisy clatter, as the four children were being served breakfast. Clothed in only her nightie and robe, Kelly wandered in to see what all the racket was. She stopped, as the children raced around the room with pieces of jam covered toast, imitating aeroplanes. Catherine looked harassed at the turmoil, but Kelly saw Prue had a grin on her face as she sat at the table doing an admirable job of ignoring the kid's antics while she ate her own breakfast.

Kelly sat at the table, more to avoid being run down than to start breakfast. It seemed she didn't have a choice, as the ever watchful Catherine set down a plate of bacon and eggs along with some baked beans on a slice of toast. Kelly ate distractedly, watching to kids enjoying their meal. The kids finally slowed down to sub-light speed, as they eventually stuffed themselves.

Kelly found to her surprise that her plate was clean, and her glass of orange juice was empty, so she excused herself and left to get dressed.

Shannon and Lilsara passed her going the other way. They were already dressed and ready for breakfast, so Kelly just smiled and left them to it. After she showered and dressed, she returned to where everyone was gathered.

It wasn't long before the parents of two of the children arrived. There were joyous scenes as they were reunited, just like the evening before. Before they were whisked away, the two children gave Kelly a hug and thanked her for being the reason of their rescue. Kelly hugged them back, glad to have something positive come out of her ordeal.

Then it was Susan's and Allan's turn. Their aunt arrived later that morning with a repeat of the earlier reunions. Lots of tears later, they finally said goodbye to Kelly and the others. The house seemed empty by comparison without the children in it. Shannon soon had Kelly take her mind off the children, when she took her into the bathroom for her first makeup lesson.

Kelly found she could do her own makeup without too much difficulty. It was different doing it in a mirror instead of directly on a model's face, but she managed it okay. Shannon, with suggestions from Lilsara, showed her different looks for both evening and daytime looks. Once Kelly had got that down reasonably well, they showed her some exotic looks that bordered on sluttish. Kelly was having fun as the girls joined in, seeing who could outdo each other in looking outlandish.

"We look like we're groupies for KISS," giggled Shannon.

"You mean we're not?" pouted Kelly, before joining in on the giggling.

"Let's go for a drive in your car," suggested Lilsara after they'd cleaned off the latest clown faces.

"Great idea, why don't we go eat lunch out somewhere?" approved Kelly excitedly.

After telling Catherine they would be out for lunch, they said goodbye to Prue, who was working in her office finishing some paperwork.

"Have fun, and no breaking the speed limits," was all she said.

Kelly drove the Golf out the drive and followed the girl's instructions. While acclimatising herself to the car's handling, she fell in love with its sporty responsiveness. Shannon suggested going to the lookout at Devonport, which meant a trip across the Auckland harbour bridge, aptly called the coat hanger or the Nippon clip-on. (From the Japanese bolt-on extensions to both sides of the original bridge.)

Kelly felt happy, now she was free to move as she wished instead of being limited by public transport and timetables. They ended up at a burger place to indulge in their craving for grease and other less healthy food. They took their burgers and fries to the lookout, then sat on the grass overlooking the harbour entrance, and watched some yachts' plying over the water.

Kelly's thoughts wandered back to her plans and how she could accomplish them without putting herself at risk. So engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the other two wander off to look at the old gun emplacements of what used to be the harbour defence system in WWII.

So it was quite a shock when a male voice intruded in on her reveries.

"Hello, is this spot taken?" asked a male voice.

"Huh?" replied Kelly intelligently (not).

"I asked if you wanted company," the voice replied, getting nearer as the owner crouched down next to Kelly.

"I thought I already had some," Kelly answered, looking around for Shannon and Lilsara.

"He's a fool then, leaving such a lovely lady such as yourself alone," the young man stated.

"He, as you put it, are my two girlfriends who were here a moment ago," corrected Kelly.

"Name's Jack," he introduced himself.

"Kelly, but I don't know jack," quipped Kelly with a giggle.

"Beautiful and witty," laughed Jack.

‘OH GOD,' I'm flirting with him,' thought Kelly with a feeling of shock.

"Live around here? Or just visiting?"

"Visiting, I live over in Saint Helliers with friends.

"Nice, I live just up the road past Takapuna," he offered in return. "Taking a lunch break? Or are you just skipping school?"

"School? I finished school ye… last year," Kelly replied disgustedly, having quickly corrected her "years ago."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. I'm on my lunch break. I work for a courier service. My van's down there," Jack explained, pointing out the white Post Haste transit van.

"Jack be quick?" slipped out of Kelly's mouth, before she could stop herself.

He laughed. "Sometimes. It depends on the circumstances."

Kelly smiled despite not wanting to encourage the guy. Thoughts of sex hadn't been of high priority in her plans. Even though she had experienced some extremely pleasurable orgasms as a female, she hadn't thought far enough into the future to consider having actual sex with someone.

"Who's your friend?" asked Shannon, who had just arrived back with Lilsara.

"This is Jack Flash," laughed Kelly, continuing the joke from earlier.

"I guess I should be getting back to work," Jack observed, seeming to be wary of being outnumbered. He handed Kelly a card with his phone number, saying to call if she wanted to talk to him anytime.

Kelly didn't throw it away once he'd retreated downhill to his van, but put in her bag. ‘You never knew whom you might need in a crisis and Jack seemed nice enough to warrant a second chance.'

"Kelly's got a boyfriend," sang Lilsara, with a mile wide smile.

Kelly just smiled, knowing it wasn't worth the bother to disabuse Lilsara of that idea. As it was just after 1 pm, they decided to cruise up the coast, stopping whenever they saw something interesting. They stopped for ice creams in the afternoon and ate their cones on the beach at Browns Bay. While they were driving back home, Kelly planned her next move.

That night, after dinner, Kelly talked to Prue alone. "I have this job offer with Bennet's Cosmetics," Kelly reminded Prue. "Now that I have a valid ID, I want to accept the job as soon as possible."

"Is there anything I can do to assist you in this? I do have a lot of contacts," Prue asked.

"No. You have done more than enough for me. I want to stand on my own feet and do this on my own merit," explained Kelly.

"Well you are still welcome to stay here, are you thinking of moving out?" Prue asked curiously.

"I'm not sure just yet. I may end up sharing one of the girl's flat until I get organised." Kelly considered thoughtfully.

"So when are you going to start?" voiced Prue with some concern in her tone.

"Well, I'm going to a meeting tomorrow, but it might be next week, before I start," answered Kelly.

"That's only a few days from now. Are you sure you're up to it?" questioned Prue.

"I think so," Kelly offered positively.

The next morning, Kelly was up bright and early, but not before Catherine, who insisted she partake of the breakfast she'd already cooked for her. Prue joined her for breakfast just as Kelly was finishing her orange juice. Kelly gave Prue a hug, thanking her again for everything she'd done for her.

"Be safe," advised Prue, as she took up her cup of coffee.

"See you tonight," Kelly responded.

Kelly drove to the Walsh building and parked down the road a bit in a side street. She then walked back and entered as she'd done before. She hadn't changed her face this time to disguise it from the camera. If the guard had bothered to check her ID using the card's access code number, all he would have found out was the fact that she was an employee going by the name of her new identity.

Kelly entered her secret lair, glad that she'd had the forethought to issue a new card to a Kelly Davidson. Kelly finagled the security data base to show she had only limited access like most of the other employees, while in fact, she had full access to all doors in the building. Once her card swiped a reader she shouldn't have access to, it wouldn't register against her name. In fact, the card she had wouldn't register on the guard's screens at all.

First thing she needed to do was get Penelope out of the way temporarily, so she would have a free hand to do what she wanted.

Kelly started an email message for Penelope's PC. Using a series of protocols to make the email path untraceable, Kelly sent this message.

Dear Penelope, if you want the patents for the products I developed, then follow these instructions exactly. I will be checking. For the location of the safe and its combination, I want one million dollars in cash delivered personally by you to a deposit box in Sydney Australia by Friday evening. The box number is 55980. Ask for the key under the name of K Walsh. Once I hear that the money has been deposited, I'll instruct the bank to give you the safe's location and combination. Once this transaction is completed, you'll never hear from me again. Keep this to yourself. Do not inform the police, or your staff. You have two days. By the way, I like the new red dress with the sequined jacket, it suits you. Watching over you, Kevin. PS, you won't see me as I'm in another location.

Kelly had seen the new dress in Penelope's wardrobe and Penelope would wonder how Kevin knew about it. Hopefully, it would make her tread carefully and follow the instructions exactly. Although the deposit box was real and the bank would be instructed to inform Kelly/Kevin of the money being deposited, they wouldn't be holding up the other end of the deal, namely the safe's location and combination. Only she knew that, and that was the way it was going to remain. Penelope's not knowing where "Kevin" was at would also make her wary of trying a double-cross.

Kelly sent the email and then logged into the company's database for any activity coming from Penelope's office. She knew Penelope was there, all she had to do was wait. It took ten minutes before anything happened. Penelope made a booking with the airlines for a return ticket to Sydney on the Friday morning 8 am flight. She then made some transactions with her bank, before she signed off the computer. Kelly then logged into the security base and followed her movements from her office to the ground floor car park. Satisfied that Penelope was following her instructions, she changed her voice back to that of Kevin's before ringing the bank in Australia. It took a few tries to get the timbre right, and she felt weird speaking with her old voice while remaining female. Her business concluded for now, she changed her voice back to Kelly's. Kelly then made a few calls to the airline and booked several tickets, then reserved rooms in several Australia hotels before she made her way out of the building once more.

That night Kelly told Prue that she would be working full time from Monday. Tomorrow and Friday would used to get the feel of things and get all the paperwork sorted out.

The next day, using the computer, Kelly kept an eye on Penelope's movements. Penelope left work early that day and was soon back in the penthouse. Kelly watched her move around the suite via the covert cameras Kevin had installed when the place was built.

Penelope packed a small bag for her trip and then turned her attention to a large attaché case. She opened it and gazed at the bundles of money in 100 dollar bills for a moment, before grimacing and slamming the lid closed.

Kelly had seen enough and left then, confident that her plan was still viable. Tomorrow would be the clincher if she wanted to pull her plan off. That night at dinner, she ate until she was near bursting, getting a few looks from the others. Kelly had a reason to eat, and at breakfast, she had seconds. Once she was in her hidey hole, she rang the airport and confirmed that Penelope had indeed boarded the flight to Sydney. Kelly then went up to the penthouse with her containers of HB supplements. She then stripped out of her clothes and visualised wearing Penelope's body. As she grew slightly in height and started to fill out in the chest, the feeling of fullness from breakfast left her. She opened one of the containers of supplements and drank it down as her body grew. Soon her wife stood there in the mirror where once Kelly had stood minutes before.

She went and got dressed from the skin out in her ex-wife's clothes. Once in the business suit with skirt and jacket, she selected a handbag and shoes. She didn't need to do her hair or make up, as the nanites did all of that for her. She called for a taxi in Penelope's voice, which sounded eerie to her ears. She arrived at her office with no trouble, using a duplicate of Penelope's swipe card. She swept haughtily into her office like she belonged there, passing Brenda Sharp, her personal secretary.

It only took a minute before Brenda came in with a cup of coffee for her.

"I thought you were going to be away today?" inquired Brenda, with a questioning tone.

"I had to cancel," Kelly told her shortly, not knowing what story Penelope had given her.

"When did you last take a vacation?" asked Kelly, knowing exactly how long ago it had been.

"Eighteen months, I think," Brenda replied after a moments thought.

"I want you to take off this afternoon for Perth. It will be partly business and part holiday. I have the tickets paid for, all you need to do is go home and pack for the noon flight."

"But, but, right now?" spluttered Brenda, shock suffusing her face.

"Yes now… I will contact you once you get settled at the Casino Hotel. I have some bonus money here for you." Kelly offered, handing her five thousand dollars in Australian dollars. "I take it you can do that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, I can," declared an excited Brenda.

"Get going then," ordered Kelly, turning to her computer and dismissing her secretary. Once Brenda left the office, Kelly sighed in relief. Part two in her plan completed. Now for the final act.

Kelly looked around the office for anything incriminating she could use, but wasn't too surprised not to find anything useful to clear Kevin's name. Penelope wasn't stupid. Her plan to have Kevin take a fall for her profit showed that much. After about ten minutes, she walked out to see Kathy Smith, Brenda's substitute when Brenda was ill or away on vacation. Kathy normally worked as Brenda's assistant, but she also temped as a receptionist when needed to fill that role. She found Kathy at the coffee machine, making her first cup of coffee for the day. Kelly crooked her finger at Kathy, indicating she come and see her in her office.

Kathy came in looking worried, obviously wondering if she was in some kind of trouble.

Kelly indicated she sit as she tapped the keys on the computer.

"I see you asked for some time off to go see your sick mother in Melbourne."

"Yes, but I was told I couldn't have the time off," Kathy sniffed, tears starting to form in her ryes.

"As of five minutes ago, you are on a month's paid vacation with a 5000 dollar bonus to help your mother." Kelly announced. "Your flight leaves at 3pm today. I've booked a room at the Ritz hotel in Melbourne for tonight, and there will be a rental car available for your use during your time away. All this has been paid for, so go and have a nice holiday."

Kathy goggled, open mouthed, unable to speak. Finally she nodded and found her voice.

"Thank you, thank you."

"I will follow you home right now and help you pack. I know you have pets, so if you give me your keys, I'll look after your house and pets while you're away."

"Yes, okay," Kathy agreed readily.

Kelly waited while Kathy collected her handbag and then accompanied her down to her car. Kelly then went to her own car and drove to Kathy's flat, arriving only a minute after Kathy had arrived there.

Kelly then waited while Kathy busied herself packing for her trip away. She used the time to familiarize herself around the kitchen by making them both cups of coffee. Within an hour, Kathy was ready but anxious she'd forgotten something. She mentioned her worries.

Kelly handed Kathy an envelope.

"Inside is 5000 dollars. If you have forgotten anything, you can buy a replacement," was Kelly's answer.

After Kelly rang for a taxi, Kathy showed her the house and her pets, also where their food was. After Kelly waved goodbye to Kathy as the taxi drove her away to the airport, she sat down on Kathy's lounge suite and breathed a sigh of relief.

Kelly then took on Kathy's body image then went and looked in her host's closet. Choosing an outfit, Kelly then drove Kathy's car back to the office. No one questioned her, as she went and down sat at Brenda's computer and started working. Kelly managed to feel her way though the current projects and even typed up the outstanding letters Penelope had left to be done. She left work early and went back to Kathy's place, where she changed back to Kelly. Luckily, Kelly and Kathy were of similar build, and the change took only minutes to accomplish. Kelly fed the pets and locked the place up, then drove home in the Golf, leaving Kathy's Honda Accord in the garage.

Kelly informed Prue that she would be starting work on Monday and that she'd be flatting with Kathy and getting a ride to and from work with her. Of course this disappointed the girls that their new friend was going to be gone. Kelly told then that she could visit on the weekends if that was okay with Prue.

"Kelly, you will always be welcome here," Prue reminded her. "Keep the access card for the house in case you need to visit."

"Thank you again. I know it might seem strange my leaving so soon, but I feel the need to stand on my own two feet again, and getting a job is the first step in achieving that," explained Kelly, feeling somewhat awkward as if she was being ungrateful for all Prue had done for her.

"I'm glad you have such a positive attitude after such a traumatic experience. I know you'll do well," declared Prue with a smile and a hug.

Kelly put a smile on her face as she hugged Prue back, but inside she felt dirty, with all her lies she had told to these people. She was a total stranger, yet they welcomed her into the family as if she had grown up with them. With no thought of recompense, they had gone far beyond what anyone could expect. Somehow, sometime soon, she was going to make it up to them. That she promised herself.

Saturday was spent moving her clothes to Kathy's flat and doing some shopping to stock up on food. Looking at the kitchen, Kelly could see she was going to miss Catherine's cooking, as anything she ate was going to be cooked by herself.

Sunday was spent making preparations. Brenda had to be contacted, as Kelly had forgotten one detail that could cause problems. Kelly couldn't contact her on her cell phone, so had her paged through the hotel.

"Brenda here," she finally answered.

"This is Penelope," offered Kelly, having changed her voice to that of her ex wife. "I forgot to tell you to turn off your cellphone. I want you to relax and not have to worry about lugging your phone around with you in case I call and no calling me first. When I need you, I'll call on the hotel line, okay?"

"Sure, but I have it turned off already, as it doesn't seem to work over here anyway. I don't think the roaming function works." Brenda offered.

"Okay, well enjoy your holiday. I'll contact you later," Kelly ordered, before saying goodbye.

Kelly knew that Kathy had left her phone behind on her orders, so neither of them would contact Penelope nor could Penelope contact Brenda and find out she had gone away on her orders.

Kelly would carry Kathy's phone while she was doing her impersonation of Kathy.

Monday morning, Kelly took on Kathy's form and dressed in her clothes. She left her cellphone and wallet at Kathy's and took Kathy's instead. Only her special access card went with her as she drove Kathy's Honda to work.

She was early as she sat in Brenda's normal place outside Penelope's office. She checked and found that Penelope hadn't arrived yet. So she braced herself for the fiery reaction when she was informed of Brenda's absence.

Penelope strode into the reception area with an angry expression on her face, the expensively wasted trip fuelling her anger. Not only did the bank deny any knowledge of the whereabouts of a safe and its combination, they refused to give back the money she'd placed into the safety deposit box.

Penelope stopped, seeing Kathy in Brenda's seat.

"Where is Brenda? Is she sick?" she snapped testily.

"She quit on Friday," Kelly lied calmly.

"SHE quit?" screamed Penelope, her face turning blotchy red.

"Apparently she got fed up at not having any holidays, and decided to leave, Kelly elaborated.

‘But… oh, forget it. Get me a coffee!" fumed Penelope in frustration, before entering her office and slamming the door.

Kelly grinned as she rose to comply

Penelope rattled around her office most of the day and Kelly didn't have too much of a problem convincing her that she was Kathy.

Kelly kept track of Penelope's activity on her computer by using her backdoor access. Two things that were interesting was Penelope's attempt to access the building plans for both the manufacturing building they were in, and the Walsh building. She was paying particular attention to the offices and the penthouse, obviously looking for anything that might show where a safe might have been concealed. Kelly wasn't worried about the penthouse, as the safe there had never been entered into the design. Kevin had installed it himself. Kelly chuckled when from the plans, the office safe was located behind a hidden panel. She'd heard the scream of frustration from where she was sitting outside Penelope's office, when she found the hidden release catch. Kelly had emptied it of its petty cash two days ago when she was impersonating Penelope, and Kelly had left the empty safe door ajar on purpose. The other interesting thing was Penelope's attempt to break into the European market place. The people she had contacted were the same ones that had tried to convince Kevin to use their services, for the very same reason. Kevin hadn't been interested in going global at that time, preferring to consolidate the home market. Besides, he hadn't liked something about the demeanour of the two Italians.

"Something's not right, boss," Michelle intimated to Prue.

"Oh? What's not right?" Prue prompted, as she sat in her office with her first cup of coffee.

"According to the tracking signal, Kelly hasn't left the flat at all, but she should be at work," declared Michelle worriedly.

"She could have left her bag at home," Prue pointed out.

"And her phone as well?" asked Michelle, looking at Prue with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmmm, I wouldn't worry just yet, but I think you should still keep an eye on her just in case."

"As before?" sighed Michelle."

"No, not every minute, but keep an eye on her movements via the tracker and just randomly check on her." Prue instructed. "I'm pretty sure Kelly is the one we are after, but she hasn't gone screaming to the media and she seems to be handling things nicely."

"Then why don't we just ask her about it and confirm your theory?"

"Because when she first called me, it was a different voice I heard. She said she was in her wife's form, and that she was in a desperate situation. She also said she had an injustice to correct. Now, couple that with her going to the Bennet cosmetics company, what do you come up with?"

Michelle thought about it hard for a minute, while Prue finished her coffee and waited.

"Wasn't there a big stink about the director of the company a year ago? He'd supposedly embezzled funds, but he disappeared before they could take him to trial."

"His wife came out smelling of roses and denied all knowledge of it. She even got extra brownie points by repaying everything out of her own assets," Prue recalled.

"Ah! You're saying Kelly's so called abductor was this guy hiding out in the reserve?"

"I would call that a fairly desperate situation, and if he didn't do it, then there would be an injustice to correct, would there not?" Prue declared.

"So the husband became the wife, rang you, then became Kelly to avoid questions about who she really was," mused Michelle.

"Well judging the man by Kelly's behaviour, I think he is innocent." Prue stated. "You can change your form, but not that which makes up your personality. Kelly is courteous and generous to a fault. I would never hesitate to have her for a daughter. She must have had a horrible time after she escaped, going from riches to poverty like that."

"It would explain her lack of skills in the feminine department," Michelle commented.

"She covered that brilliantly with her memory loss excuse," Prue agreed. "She's no dummy."

"So what do we do?" Asked Michelle, chewing her lip pensively.

"Watch her, and be prepared to help out. She obviously has a plan, but she's still a young inexperienced girl in matters of the feminine arts. If she lets anything slip, she could be in serious trouble."

"I think I will go back to full surveillance. Guy or not, I like Kelly. Something tells me she won't be reverting back to a male form any time soon."

"If ever," Prue agreed with a smile.

Kelly then made her next move, to work at the company under her new identity as Kelly, before some of Kathy's friends discovered she wasn't the real Kathy.

Entering into Penelope's office, she waited till her presence was noticed, as Penelope surfaced from her computer activities.

"Miss Bennet? I'm taking time off the see my sick mother in Melbourne. I know this is not a good time, but if you won't grant me my paid leave, then I'll take unpaid leave and bring this matter up again after I return," Kelly stated firmly. "I do have a replacement in mind to do my job, she is going to stay at my place and look after it while I'm gone."

"Who is this person? I take it that she isn't with our current staff?" asked Penelope with some annoyance.

"Her name is Kelly Davidson. She's young, but extremely talented. She's a whiz on the computer and already knows her way around our systems."

"Okay, okay, have her report here today. I have a busy schedule. Get her paperwork done before you leave!" Penelope then waved her away distractedly.

Kelly was surprised that it was that easy. Obviously Penelope was so upset with the way things had turned out with Kevin that her mind wasn't up to dealing with normal office protocol. Kelly got the usual forms out for new employees and filled them out for herself. She sent them off to be signed and mentioned that Kelly would be in after lunch.

Kelly left the office as Kathy, driving home and then returning to her Kelly body. She dressed and drove her car this time and was back at the office at 1 pm. By the time Penelope got back from her lunch at 2 pm, Kelly was firmly ensconced in her new position.

Penelope stopped by her desk and looked her over, as Kelly finished the letter, she, as Kathy had started that morning. Penelope waited as Kelly handed her the typed letter, she read through it and nodded to her in approval.

"Come into my office, Kelly? Isn't it?"

"Yes, Miss Bennet," Kelly replied respectfully.

Kelly got up quickly and beat Penelope to her office door. Penelope's brief surge of annoyance at that turned to a good feeling as Kelly opened the door and held it open for her to enter.

"Thank you, but you needn't do that in future," Penelope instructed, feeling the day had taken a turn for the better.

Inside her office, Penelope questioned Kelly on different things, testing her knowledge of the business and her computer expertise. She seemed suitable impressed with Kelly's answers and started asking some personal questions about her background and upbringing. Of course Kelly lied brilliantly, while still keeping the lies easy to remember for the future.

During the time Kelly was with in her boss's office, the phone rang. Penelope answered it and talked for a minute, before making a note on her memo pad. Kelly noted from her side of the conversation that it was a private meeting, and gathered from what little Penelope said, that it was with the two Italian men trying to help her get into the European market. Kelly easily read the upside down writing on the memo pad that Penelope hadn't bothered to hide from her new secretary. The time and place made Kelly wonder. It was at night, and in a parking spot Kelly knew to be at a disused warehouse nearby. It seemed suspiciously clandestine, and made Kelly feel like something ugly was about to go down. Penelope didn't seem to be concerned about the meeting place and her mention that she would have the money just confirmed Kelly's suspicions.

After being dismissed from Penelope's office, Kelly's thoughts were frantic. She had to be at that meeting to see for herself what was going on. After work, she had time to make dinner and eat before she got ready to go to the meeting place. She decided to get there early so she could scout out a good spot to hide. She took her bag and her phone with her just in case and then drove her car to a street down the road from the meeting place. She never saw the car following discreetly behind her own.

Kelly scouted the place out carefully. There were several rubbish skips in the carpark off to one side. They were the large sized ones, being nearly 6 feet high and 6 by 10 foot sides. They had rubbish in them that was from the warehouse interior, as the owners were cleaning the place out prior to selling. Kelly decided to hide behind them as there was a narrow gap between that would afford her of a full view of the carpark. Kelly opened her coat and checked out the small tape recorder she had brought with her. She wasn't sure if it would pick up any conversation, but as the place was fairly quiet noise wise, she thought there was a chance. She waited, knowing there was an hour to go before anyone was due to show up. Luckily, there was a wooden box on the ground that had fallen off the top of the rubbish piled high in the bins. She used this to sit on while she waited.

At last, Kelly heard a car. It was 15 minutes early. She rose and looked at the car from her vantage point. Two men in dark suits got out and did a cursory survey of the area. One returned to the inside of the car while the other waited outside keeping a vigilant eye out. After the quick look, Kelly hunkered down, till she heard Penelope arrive in her car.

Both cars were little more than 25 feet away from were Kelly was hidden, and when Penelope greeted the two men who had both moved towards her, Kelly could hear her clearly. They talked business for a few minutes before the two men asked for the money.

"We heard that your ex partner conned you out of a cool mil," one man snorted.

Penelope just shrugged, but this news shook Kelly. ‘How did anyone find out about that?'

"For what we are doing for you, we want the patents for the process," demanded the other threateningly.

"I'm paying you enough now. Anyway, only Kevin knows where those patents are. I don't have a clue," protested Penelope heatedly.

"Well I guess after we find him and get those papers, we can eliminate him," offered the first man.

Penelope seemed shocked at the man's callused statement.

"I didn't want him killed, and still don't. In fact, I'm having second thoughts in doing business with you now," Penelope began belatedly.

"Too late, lady. The mob doesn't like its deals going sour. We own you now and you'll play by our rules now, or you won't play at all," snickered the second man, as he reached for the briefcase in Penelope's hand.

"NO! This has gone far enough," protested Penelope, tugging the case back and turning to get back to her car.

Kelly saw the man pull a handgun from his pocket at without compunction, shoot Penelope in the back of her head. The silenced gun's "phutt!" belying the deadly enormity of the deed.

Kelly couldn't help but gasp out loud in shock, and straightened up from her crouch, exposing her to the gunman's view, as he turned towards her.

Kelly was so shocked, she didn't realise the danger she was in. As both men pointed weapons at her, there was a louder "phutt, phutt," and the two men dropped as if pole axed. Kelly wanted out of there and the quickest way to her car was a direct route past where Penelope lay. Kelly went into panic mode and she ran past the prone men and past her ex-wife, not seeming to care who had killed the men or whether she was still in danger. She couldn't help but see the blood on the ground along with other bits she tried desperately not to identify. Once she reached the street where her car was parked, she vomited. Kelly shook in shock as her stomach roiled violently with nausea. She then staggered to her car and collapsed inside, unable to drive at that moment.

Elsewhere, a cryptic phone call was being made.

"Boss? Three b's to be disposed of."

"No… target is unharmed."

"No choice. They killed Penelope, and she would have been next."

"All three? Okay."

A shadowy figure then stepped out of the shadows of the warehouse carrying a black deadly looking handgun fitted with silencer and scope. The person held the weapon on the prone men, while checking for signs of life. The person then holstered the weapon and began dragging the corpses to the boot of Penelope's BMW. Once they were dumped inside, the person then hauled Penelope's body and placed her atop the others. Then the dark clad person climbed inside the BMW and drove it away, letting silence again reign free.

An hour later, another car drove quietly into the carpark. Two people got out. The first person had a large container of liquid which was then poured over the bloodstains from the two men. As the liquid hissed and bubbled consuming the blood, the other person moved the men's car over to where Penelope's body had fallen, covering the gore left behind. A fuel can was then produced and emptied over the car and inside it. The second person then poured a trail of fuel to the car where the other person sat behind the wheel. As the car moved off, a match was thrown into the fuel trail and seconds later there was a loud whoosh as the car burst into flames.

Kelly never saw the car that slowed as it passed her position in the side street. She was still feeling numb from shock at what had happened. She wound the driver's window down to try and clear her head. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of sirens coming closer. Thinking it was the police galvanised her into action. She didn't know if they had been alerted by a witness, and whether she might be a possible suspect, but she wasn't going to hang around to find out.

Kelly started the Golf and spun the front wheels, as she accelerated away and headed directly away from the approaching sirens. She never saw the fire engines that turned into the warehouse carpark to fight the burning wreck there.

Kelly drove aimlessly for a while before heading back to Kathy's place. She went inside and poured herself an alcoholic drink, something she hadn't done in a long long time. She sat and sipped her drink, grimacing at the taste with her new untrained palate.

‘What a disaster,' she thought to herself. With Penelope dead, there was no way to prove Kevin's innocence, as she hadn't found any concrete evidence of Penelope's complicity in the fraud Kevin was accused of. Now she had calmed down a bit, she wondered who had slain the two men. Was it a rival mob? She knew there was tough competition between factions, at least that's what was always portrayed in the movies.

Kelly didn't know what to do now. Once the murder of Penelope became public knowledge, the company would probably spiral into oblivion. Kelly knew Penelope had a half sister in the UK, but it was unlikely she would want to come out and take over the business. Kelly decided to go to bed and see if a night's sleep would produce an idea.

Kelly had a restless night for obvious reasons. An ambulance passing in the night had her waken in a cold sweat. In the morning, she readied herself for work, still stymied on a plan to get the company back. She was sure the police would be there to question the staff about Penelope, and Kelly being her current secretary would be questioned closely. She arrived at work and got a coffee before heading to her desk. She stared at the blank screen of her computer, not even with it to bother turning it on.

Kelly Kelly sat there, her thoughts turned inward and the outside world blurred into insignificance.

A voice from the dead brought her back to the present making her blood run cold.

"Morning Kelly, can I see you in my office in a minute."

Kelly looked up in shock, her heart pounding almost out of her chest. There before her, stood Penelope, looking calm with a slight smile on her face. Kelly's vision darkened just before she fainted.

"Kelly, KELLY."

Kelly heard her name being repeated, becoming clearer as she regained her senses. She found herself lying on a couch just outside Penelope's office, with someone who shouldn't be alive, looking down at her with concern written on her face.

"But, but you died, I saw you murdered," Kelly finally gasped out as she struggled to rise.

"Easy there, you just fainted and hit your head on the corner of the desk," explained the Penelope look-alike, as she gently restrained Kelly from rising.

Kelly felt confused. Did she dream seeing Penelope killed? Did she faint for some reason and dream everything that had happened since yesterday? As she tried to recall the details, she realised it was no dream. No dream or nightmare could ever produce the intense feelings of horror she had experienced.

"How?" Kelly demanded, her voice firm with determination.

"The same way you became Kelly … Kevin." Penelope answered back.

Shock flooded Kelly's body, making her feel faint again.

"Here, drink this," Penelope ordered, handing Kelly a small glass of brandy.

Kelly hastily drank the spirit, coughing as the fiery fluid flowed down her throat.

While she watched, Penelope's form shifted, becoming that of Prue Walker. Prue then shifted back to Penelope's form and watched Kelly as she struggled to understand.

Then before explanations could be made, Michelle exited Penelope's office carrying a lot of technical equipment.

"It's clean now, found several infinity bugs, two voice activated ones and a tracking virus on the computer," she stated to the disguised Prue.

"Let's all talk in there then," suggested Prue/Penelope, helping Kelly to her feet.

Once ensconced in the offices comfy chairs, Prue began to speak.

"Both Kim and I have the same nanite formula that you found. We used it to defeat a terrorist attack last year. The can you found was ultimately bound for destruction, but it ended up in the rubbish tip at Mangere.

"We did have our suspicions that you were the one that had found and applied the nanites, so I had Michelle bug your phone and we had you under surveillance until we could ascertain the risk you posed for the nanite's exposure to the public."

"You knew all the time?" Kelly gasped.

"No, not all the time. We felt there was a strong possibility that you were the one, given the timing and situation, but because we were not 100% sure, we never questioned you directly. It was Michelle's job to keep track of your movements by tracking you remotely, but not to check every second of your life. That's how we found you so fast when you were abducted."

"I'm sorry I didn't catch up to you to prevent that," interjected Michelle, who hadn't said anything up to that moment. "I got delayed in traffic when you took the walking track down to the beach."

Kelly didn't reply for a moment as she digested the information. Finally she looked at Michelle and smiled wryly. "Thank you for being there. I guess in hindsight, I don't have cause to be upset. I just feel somewhat overwhelmed at the moment."

"Understandable, kiddo," Michelle replied warmly.

"Wait, won't the police be coming here? Penelope's body would have been discovered last night. I heard sirens just before I was calm enough to drive away," Kelly asked worriedly, before having another thought.

"You knew Penelope was dead, didn't you? What's going on?"

"The police won't be coming. Please let me explain," pressed Prue, as Kelly started to get agitated. "Things began to add up, when you said you were working here. I remembered the person who called me when the nanites first change initiated saying he looked like his wife, then the person said something about an injustice to correct. The voice I heard on the phone was female, yet it was obvious that it was really a man that talking to me. When I had Michelle check into this company for information about its prospects, I remember what happened to the original president of the company. I put 2 and 2 together…"

"And got me," Kelly filled in."

"Yes. To cut a long story short, Michelle was concerned when you went to the car park last night, luckily you had taken your phone with you and she pinpointed your exact position. She scouted out the area and saw you hiding behind the bins. Not liking the scenario, she went back to her car and armed herself. She got back into a position behind you and waited just before the car with the mob enforcers arrived. She was the one that shot the two men after they killed Penelope."

"But the bodies?" insisted Kelly, interrupting Prue again.

"Have been disposed of… all three," Prue answered before Kelly could ask about Penelope's body.

"No one will ever find the bodies of the two men, but Penelope's is on ice so to speak," Michelle elaborated.

"We were sure that having her alive was better than the police finding her dead, that's why I decided to be her for a time," Prue added. "You can easily have her disappear at a time advantageous to your plans getting the ownership of the company back."

"I don't think I can be Kevin anymore," Kelly began sadly. "All the evidence is gone with her murder, and even if you as her admitted to the police as being the guilty party, the company wouldn't survive the publicity. Anyway, that would put you in danger of being arrested in her place. I think it's best that I get the company as Kelly somehow, maybe as a daughter of hers." Kelly responded.

"That could work, your DNA would match now due to the nanites as would your blood group. With Prue as Penelope supporting your claim of being her daughter, you could inherit the firm when Penelope announces her retirement or something similar," claimed Michelle excitedly.

They worked on it for a while, ironing out the details until everyone was happy. In the end they decide to have Penelope announce that she'd found her long lost daughter. Then Kelly would take over the running of the company, while Penelope went on holiday. Prue as Penelope would stage an accident on a yacht on which the frozen corpse of the real Penelope would be stored. Lost overboard, the corpse would be jettisoned while Prue changed back to herself. Even if the body was recovered, the sharks wouldn't leave much evidence behind. As a valued witness, a distraught Prue would back up the deceit with her reliable testimony. And so it was done.

Kelly's transition from secretary to Director wasn't as easy as moving the few metres to another room and desk. The top management team tolerated it while Prue as Penelope was still around, but when news of Penelope's death hit the news, they called a meeting, to discuss the situation without notifying her.

Katie, who had returned from her mothers, had been promoted to Kelly's personal secretary with an increase in wages, while Brenda, the original personal secretary of Penelope's had been moved to international sales division. Katie and Kelly got on well together, and when the meeting was called Katie, seeing Kelly hadn't been invited, managed to text her about it.

Kelly immediately dropped what she was doing and headed for the conference room. There, she found the management team trying to decide what to do with Kelly.

"There's no need to do anything about me," Kelly interrupted coldly, her voice freezing everyone in their place.

"But you're just a child. You would get chewed up and spat out in the business world," protested one on the men in the team.

"I may be young, but I'm no child that you can just dismiss out of hand. On the other hand, I can dismiss your ass right down the road, and if you don't sit down right now, that's just where you'll be in 5 minutes," Kelly emphatically retorted.

Such was the forcefulness of her promise, everyone sat down, and silence reigned. The man she'd spoken to, gulped, wondering how it was that Kelly seemed to grow in stature without doing a thing.

Kelly then proceeded to lay down her plans for the company, leaving no doubt in the minds of everyone there that she did indeed know the business. Of course this wasn't the only problems she had with her role as company Director. The press had a go as well, once they found out how old the replacement for Penelope was. She was bombarded with questions from a press of reporters, once they got wind of how things were running in her company.

If anything, they were more brutal, hinting at her illegitimacy and it all being a scam to get control. If that wasn't enough, Kelly found herself inundated with offers of everything from buyouts to prospective husbands.

Kelly gave a short interview to quash the speculation, and outlined her plans for the company. She also told the public that she wasn't looking for a romantic interest at this time.

Kelly stood at the gravesite dressed in black. Penelope's funeral was more for the ritual of consecrating her soul, than for the internment of her body, which had never been recovered. Prue and Michelle stood with her, along with Shannon and Lilsara. Further back stood a few of the company staff who had been given leave to attend the funereal if they wished. Katie and Brenda were there, along with a few of the management staff, but there were less than Kelly had expected. Obviously Penelope's relationship with her staff had left much to be desired. Fortunately, the press was held at bay by the security personnel Michelle had organised. Refreshments were held at the chapel afterwards. Prue lamented her sorrow to at being unable to save Penelope's life after she fell overboard on her yacht to anyone that seemed interested. The police investigation closed its case when blood from Penelope was found on the yacht's boom, surmising that it had struck her head in a wind shift and had knocked her unconscious body overboard.

Kelly never asked about the disposal of the two men's bodies, preferring not to know. After an appropriate time mingling, Kelly caught up with Prue and indicated she wanted to leave. Michelle brought up a limo with dark tinted windows to the chapel's door and Prue and Kelly got in along with the two girls. They arrived at Prue's place where they all changed out of their dark clothes and donned something more cheerful and casual.

Kelly had already told the girls her tale, and apologised for her deceit. She told them that their lessons in make up had been appreciated and asked if they could continue teaching the ins and outs of being a girl.

"Won't you be changing back to a guy now?" they'd asked.

Kelly then explained why Kevin was unlikely to return as she had not found the crucial evidence of his innocence.

"I guess I could become another guy and get a new identity, but I'd have to go though all this again just to get my company back. I don't think the public will swallow another "just discovered beneficiary." Besides, that leaves the problem of having Kelly to just up and leave. I have decided to remain as Kelly for the foreseeable future."

Both girls cheered and Prue and Michelle gave each other knowing smiles.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me. I don't think I deserve it for the way I deceived you," Kelly began, once they were all sitting relaxing.

"We understand what you were facing and as for being deserving of our help, don't trouble yourself over that. Even if we had known the truth from the very beginning, we would still have welcomed you into our hearts and home. Be you an adult male or a teenage girl, your innate decency shone through with each and every action you did." Prue replied, giving Kelly a heartfelt hug.

The girls then joined in the hug, agreeing with Prue.

"So what are your plans now?" asked Michelle, curiously.

"Well, I guess I go back to school," grinned Kelly, looking at the girls.

"School?" Queried Michelle.

"Girl school. I have my two teachers here," Kelly pointed out, indicating Shannon and Lilsara.

"Ah," Michelle nodded her understanding. "Well, I think you'll pass with flying colours," she encouraged.

After dinner, Kelly pulled Prue to one side and asked if they could speak privately.

"Sure, let's go into my office."

Once there, Kelly paced back and forth as she got her thoughts together. Prue waited patiently, knowing Kelly must have a weighty problem on her mind.

"You've dealt with many transgendered in your time?" Kelly stated finally.

"Yes I have," agreed Prue, waiting for Kelly to continue.

"Is it possible from what you have observed that I could be transgendered?" Kelly asked anxiously.

"Why are you asking this?" Prue urged, trying to draw out more information before she commented.

"At first, when I decided to use the can, I made a decision to accept whatever body and sex I might end up with, believing that nothing could be worse that the life I was living at the time."

"I can understand where you are coming from," Prue consoled the troubled teen.

"After I found I could choose any form or sex, I made a choice to become female, not because I wanted to, but because it could make things simpler when it came to joining the rest of humanity and starting a new life." Here Kelly paused, looking at Prue to see if she looked annoyed or angry. Seeing Prue smile encouragingly, she continued. "It was the right choice, as you found me and took me in, showering me with love and understanding. Strangely, I found I started enjoying being Kelly, even though at first I was terrified of being found out."

"Without our prior suspicions, we wouldn't have guessed you hadn't been a girl all your life," Prue observed.

"Well anyway, I liked being female and had fun dressing the part, yet I'd never considered doing it as Kevin. I'm just confused. You'd think I'd jump at a chance to return to a male body, now Penelope is gone. To be truthful, sometimes I wish the nanites had only been designed to produce Kelly's form only. Having a multitude of choices only makes my decision harder," Kelly clarified.

"Tell me one thing," Prue asked quietly. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, I'm happier than I've been in years. I feel like I've been given a second chance," Kelly admitted finally.

"Well there is no rush to change back. From what Kim has found out, you may live more than several normal life times. As the nanites rebuild your body template, you theoretically could live forever. We don't know exactly how long they will last in the body. The other thing is, you may have to force your body to age, as it is possible the nanites will keep you at this age." Prue revealed.

"I could live forever?" questioned Kelly, daunted by that revelation.

"We aren't sure. It was only developed several months ago. The production was stopped once we realised the possibilities of its use being abused. That's why we were worried about you going to the press about the discovery."

Kelly laughed, thinking that going to the press was the last thing she'd do.

"You don't need to worry about that happening," she snorted.

"I'm not," Prue acknowledged with a smile.

"Okay, back to my question, am I gay or transgendered?" Kelly asked.

Prue looked at Kelly, remembering how she carried herself and acted while in her care.

"It is possible for you to be transgendered and not know it. It might take a key element to trigger the realisation. Some people go all though their life feeling something is wrong, but because they never get that trigger moment, they never realise the truth."

"What kind of trigger?" Kelly asked wide eyed.

"Well sometimes a boy is dressed up as a girl, for a lark or for a Halloween costume. Maybe even by a sister forcing a younger brother to dress up. This action could trigger the realisation they are different. Often most know when they are teenagers or younger, but there are cases of adults finding out they are transgendered. A portion of those might have been transvestites that end up taking the next step."

"So my becoming Kelly could be my trigger?" Mused Kelly.

"Especially as you became genetically female, your brain is female and your body is full of female hormones. It is no wonder you feel feminine." Prue speculated. "As to whether you are gay, that depends on your point of view. If you liked only woman as a man and you still do as a woman, then that could be considered gay. You'd be a lesbian, but if you like men as a guy and now as Kelly, then you are not gay in a physical sense, only a mental one.

"I think I'm a lesbian, then," Kelly grinned.

"Just don't be alarmed if you start fancying guys in a few months. It could be your mind aligning with your body image," Prue cautioned with a smile.

"Well I think I'll stay as Kelly for now, I just wanted to know if what I felt was abnormal or something to be cherished."

"I think that's best," agreed Prue, as she reached over and gave Kelly a hug.

Kelly got up and excused herself for a minute as she left to go to her car. She returned with a cardboard box.

"Here are some free samples of our range of products. When you run out, let me know and I'll replace them. It's just a small token of my thanks for all you have done for me." Kelly explained.

Prue accepted the gift without protest, knowing Kelly needed to give something back as a token of her gratitude for that had been done for her.

"Thank you, I'm sure the girls appreciate the products, knowing they really work," Prue replied with a smile, as the two in question opened each wrapped product in gleeful abandon.

Kelly drove home to her penthouse a bit later, after getting the two girls to promise to visit for more lessons in make up. Now that the company discord was all settled and things were running smoothly again, she had time to think about her own future happiness. Although she professed to Prue about her current attraction to women, she often found her thoughts turning to other possibilities whenever she saw a nicely turned out young man in her daily routine. She decided not to fight it if she eventually found the attraction for males increasing to the point of trying a bit of experimentation. As she slipped into her satin nightie and slid into the luxurious bed, she smiled. Whatever the future might bring, she was going to be head into it with anticipation. With that thought running though her head, she drifted off to sleep.

The end?

The Maiden's Curse

Author:

Prudence Walker

Organizational:

Title Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

After hiding in a mummy's case, Bob undergoes physical and mental changes. Are they a curse or a blessing? And do they help in the quest to defeat an ancient threat that's fast approaching earth? A prophesy from the time of the pyramid building now has the world in fear. A search for an alien artifact that is crucial for the world's survival is now in the hands of Bob. Is he man enough for the challenge?

The Maiden's Curse

by Prudence Walker

The Maiden's Curse - Part 1

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Accidental

Permission:

Migrated from Classic BigCloset.

The Maiden's Curse
Part One

by Prudence Walker

Editor Note: This Story was originally posted on BigCloset Classic on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:10 am and transferred to BigCloset TopShelf on Sunday, 10-04-2009 2:49 pm for everyone to continue to enjoy. ~ Sephrena

Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Papyrus font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

The Legal Stuff: The Maiden's Curse © 2001 Prudence Walker

All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.

The images used for this story are obtained and used under royalty-free license* and fair-use policies from Free Stock Photos, 3D Desktops UK, and from Graphics Hunt.com , and Wallpaperstock.net . Cairo Airport Photograph credited by indiaiphonedownloads.blogspot.com .

Bob was pissed; his date had failed to show. She had arranged to meet him at the opening of the refurbished museum. They had first met at a bar, only two days prior to the opening. They had seemed to hit it off and Bob had been confident that, this time, he would make a go of it. Now it seemed that his luck with women was running true to form.

Wandering alone in the museum, refusing to fall into his usual despondency, he lost himself in the unfamiliar surroundings. As it was near closing time, there were only a few people about. In frustration, he decided to knock on a door that had a restricted access notice on it, hoping that someone was inside who could re-direct him to an exit.

When no one answered, he tried the handle and was surprised to find it opening freely. He called out, as he entered, but only received silence in return. Feeling somewhat nervous, he walked further into the room examining the exhibits, which seemed to be in some disarray. Possibly this was a workshop where they got the exhibits ready for showing.

Something seemed to be silently calling to him and as he sought the source of that call, he stopped in wonderment, for there in the corner a beautiful woman was standing, motionless. As he moved closer, he realised it was an image on the lid of a mummy case.

She was extraordinarily beautiful. As he gazed on her countenance, he couldn't resist running his hand over the lid's surface, tracing the contours with his fingers. Then, getting the same strange urging as before, he felt compelled to open the lid, which he did--revealing--nothing, it was empty.

Disappointed, he was about to close the lid when he heard footsteps approaching. Panicking, knowing that not only was he trespassing, but also having disturbed the exhibit, he looked for a place to hide. The open mummy case beckoned invitingly, on an impulse, he stepped inside the case, trying to squeeze his body into its almost form fitting lining. Pulling the lid shut, bar a crack for air, he was glad he had a slender build as he only just fit.

The door opened and he heard voices talking.

"Look at this beauty," he heard them say.

"It only arrived yesterday, it was only discovered last week. We were lucky to be the ones to catalogue its unique properties," a different voice spoke.

Bob was silent, hoping they wouldn't open it like he did. Then his blood went cold as he heard one of them say.

"Lets set it back down on this trolley and I'll get one of the guys to bring it into examination room tomorrow. Be careful you don't damage it, or you might be cursed."

Bob heard the man laugh, and he wondered what he meant.

"There's a curse?" came the other voice, sounding worried.

"Well, I don't know much about it, but I heard that when they discovered it, there was some mention of it being capable of changing your body. I wouldn't worry; they probably put their own interpretation on the inscriptions. Doesn't every mummy case have tales of curses associated with them?"

Bob had no time to dwell on the implications of a curse as he felt the case tilt backwards and with an ominous click, he heard the lid shut as the weight settled fully on his tenuous grip. The voices of the people outside became muffled. While he debated if he should call out, or wait before trying to extricate himself out of this self-imposed prison, he realised that it was too late--the men had already left.

Bob found that he was trapped, he couldn't find any release on the inside, obviously, there being no need for one for the last occupant. The confining space left little leverage available for him to be able to force it open. Already it was clear he was starting to starve for oxygen, as his lungs started labouring.

Slowly, as his oxygen starved brain started to fade, he grew aware of a voice calling him, a woman's voice. He sensed it more than heard it and, while he concentrated on it, his panic seemed to fade as he lapsed into unconsciousness. His last rational thought was wondering if this was the ghost of the original occupant finally calling to him to join her.

He awoke, wondering where, and after gazing around, when he was. The shadow from the half built pyramid sheltered his body from the late afternoon sun, which cast its slanting rays across the burning desert; told him he wasn't in Kansas anymore.

He was walking, no that was wrong, she was walking ... SHE? ...Yes, incredible as it was, he seemed to be in a woman's body. No, that wasn't quite right, it was as if he was a passenger in her mind. He could see, hear, and feel her body as if it were his own, but he had no physical control over it.

She was speaking in a foreign language, but not being particularly academic he couldn't say which one it was, but assumed it was Arabic. The other odd thing he noticed was that there seemed to be a pause between her thinking and speaking, as if she too, was speaking in a foreign tongue and was translating her thoughts into words as she went.

He could just pick up a minute amount of her thoughts and it was clear that it wasn't an earth language of any era. Her next words confirmed this as he listened in.

"But Krith, we didn't come all this way from Omicron IV just to fail now, we need to activate plan Chronus."

"I know Aglsha, we took a chance coming here, unfortunately we only had the one go at it."

"This world is in danger, it's a pity that this is the highest technologically advanced culture available at this time,"

Bob heard the woman say.

"You realise the sacrifice you'll be making, if you go ahead with the plan? It will be many hundreds of years till the technology that sent those signals to us, come to be. Finding a suitable candidate could take even longer, time that can hardly be spared."

"Of course Krith, but hopefully a candidate will come along that fits the criteria, and in the right time frame," he heard Aglsha answer. "Then I will live again if only as a guide."

"Well, if we are going to do it we had better start now before the ship loses all power," replied the man referred to as Krith.

"What will you do after the ship has finished reverting?"

The man sighed, "I guess we'll try and blend in with the natives, lending what help we can. Maybe we can start the process of advancing the knowledge base?"

"The orb? It may be needed in the future and I can't risk having it."

"Don't worry, my daughter, I'll put it in a stasis field. For the future candidate, you'll know its whereabouts and what to do with it. We will have placed the resonators in the pyramids in the exact alignment," he added, looking up at the still to be completed pyramid.

Bob then saw a series of quick scenes of the two of them entering a ravine that was hiding what could be only a spacecraft. Then the scenes flickered rapidly as if being fast-forwarded like a video. One scene showed a machine shining a device at the prone woman; the last was odd, as the only thing in view was the mummy case. It had the exact likeness of the woman, but of the woman herself there was no sign. Bob felt darkness descending again as his senses faded.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Came a voice. Bob woke; hearing the surprised yell of a museum worker, and found the lid had been opened. A man was staring at him with a shocked expression and, as Bob moved his body the man blanched, shock stopping him in his tracks at seeing the person in the case move. Bob started to apologise, thinking he was in serious trouble, but stopped in shock at the sound of his own melodious voice, which sounded just like that of the woman in his dream.

As he started to climb out of the mummy case he noticed a few other changes. His shirt was stretched tight across his chest and he could feel what could only be breasts underneath. He swiftly jumped up out of the case noting that as he suspected he was a female beneath his male clothing. The clothing felt uncomfortable and ill fitting on his newly transformed body and he was aware of the stunned reaction of the man standing next to him.

"You're her... I mean...the woman who... on the case...how could..." the man spluttered.

Bob just wanted to get out of there and find out what had happened to his body, so he/she ran to the door pulling it open with a ripping and tearing sound that indicated that it had been locked. Well, no more. It hung drunkenly off it's one remaining hinge as Bob ran though it without pause. S/he was out and running along a corridor before the man in the room had time to even think of stopping her.

As s/he ran, his/her mind was racing. 'How did I damage that door?' S/he thought, 'If I'm a woman now. I shouldn't have been able to do that, not even as a man!' Passing a darkened display case s/he stopped in wonder. 'Now I know why that man was so shocked,' thought Bob. 'I'm the spitting image of the woman on the lid of the mummy's case! How is this possible?'

Finding his way towards the exit, s/he realised it must be the next day as the morning sun, shone streaming though the museums windows. Bob paused near the unopened main doors and wondered if they were still locked. Suddenly a shout coming from behind galvanised him/her into action as a lean looking security guard came hurrying towards him/her talking into a walkie-talkie.

Bob decided s/he had places to be elsewhere, and took off running. Stiff-arming the solid looking door, s/he was hoping for a repeat of the last time. She was shocked, not only to see it open under his/her impetus, but that it came off completely and went flying several yards away down the steps.

Bob ran like the wind, taking the steps four at a time, leaving the security guard trailing behind in his/her wake. As s/he ran s/he marveled at the strength of this body, s/he was hardly exerting him/herself. Finding the car, s/he unlocked it and got in, squealing the tires in his/her rush to get home.

He glanced at his/her new face in the rear vision mirror, and nearly ran a red light in his/her self-absorption with the face that met his/her gaze. The fine boned features were surrounded with a mass of honey-gold hair that had the odd look of showing reddish highlights as it moved. Clear limpid blue eyes that invited one to drown in were framed with long dark lashes beneath highly arched eyebrows. The lips glistened, as if freshly coated with lipstick. The overall look was mesmerising, and Bob had fallen in love it.

Arriving home, the first thing Bob decided to do was strip off and examine more closely, this body of his/hers. Standing naked, in front of the mirror Bob was amazed. Of his old body there was no sign. Instead, the girl that greeted his/her scrutiny was gorgeous. Her long legs were perfectly proportioned and showed no sign of the strength that had allowed her to avoid the guard. Looking at her arms and hands, she saw no bruising, yet the strength hidden within was masked under a seemingly normal slender arm.

Looking at herself, having decided to think in terms of her obvious gender, she guessed that everything seemed in proportion. Breasts ample, without being too big and a slender waist over hips that seemed normal, but felt much wider and more padded than he would have imagined. Trying not to look to closely at her new genitalia, she sat on the bed not wanting the distraction, while she thought about how this all had occurred.

The girl in the past had obviously had a major part in her new form, just what the mechanics of it were, she couldn't say, but that ray thing must have been the key. Perhaps it imbued the case with her essence. It was plain that she was unlike anyone else on earth. Maybe she had some sort of super power which allowed her to change form, or at least change another's. With a sudden chill, Bob wondered if she was in fact a sort of parasite, living though others and altering them to a form of her choosing.

Searching her mind Bob could detect no other thoughts than her own. Maybe it had failed. It was a long time ago, hopefully too long. She tried not to feel guilty at that thought, remembering the words from the dream about the world being in danger. Perhaps the danger had passed, but the thought wouldn't go away that, somehow she was failing to avert the danger because somehow the woman, Aglsha had failed to survive whatever the process was that had changed Bob's body into that of hers.

Bob decided that nothing could be done at the moment about her obvious changes. She would have to think of the practicalities.

First, she needed some clothes and a name. 'Bobbi' seemed the obvious choice, but a perverse thought, possibly a memory of the original person, whose body she now wore, made her choose Angela as the modern day equivalent.

Getting up, she went and looked at her clothing to see if anything was adaptable so she could at least go and buy something appropriate. Putting on a clean vest and under pants was first. She shrugged at the look of the pants on her, but wasn't prepared to go out with nothing on underneath. She saw a sweatshirt that, although baggy on her, didn't look too out of place. A pair of shorts was the only thing that would fit. Having a drawstring it could be tightened around her narrowed waist. A pair of leather sandals completed her attire, on which the buckles were tightened to the last notches.

Taking a deep breath, she went back out to the car. She felt nervous, as she knew she was about to try and pass herself off as a woman. This time there was no adrenaline or panic to cloud his mind of the fact that he was in a woman's body, as was the case in her flight from the museum. No, this was the calm deliberate and intentional portrayal of someone that she had no prior experience of, to fall back on. It was scary, and she nervously looked around to see if she was drawing any attention as she got into her car.

Driving into town she had to stop for fuel. She noticed the attendant at the pumps looking at her, but it was a look that she knew. She should, as she had given that very same look to all of the pretty girls in the past. It was uncomfortable, the mental undressing he was giving her, and it felt embarrassing. The only positive thing about it was, she obviously passed as a woman with full marks.

Finally, she stopped near the centre of town and was in the process of reversing the car into a tight parking space, when a man walking by started directing her with hand signals so she could tell how far she was from the other cars. It gave her a new experience that she was of two minds about. As she got out and thanked the man, who was smiling, she was thinking it was nice to have the help, but did this mean the man didn't think she was capable of parking on her own, because she was female? Or was he genuine in helping for help's sake? She wondered, if she had been in the same exact situation, but as a man, would he have offered the same help?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Angela started walking towards the mall wondering what was in store for her. As she entered the mall doors a group of people came towards her. One of them was holding a video camera with the letters WMTV on the side. She stopped in her tracks, thinking that they knew somehow who she really was and what had happened in the museum. As she was about to turn tail and hike it out of there, Angela saw that one of the men approaching was holding a large jar filled with envelopes, curious, she paused, waiting till they got nearer.

"Welcome, welcome my dear, you as a visitor to the mall today, have been given the opportunity to win a prize just by picking out a lucky envelope from the jar. This promotion guarantee's that everyone will be a winner. Could please tell us a little about yourself and why you chose to shop here," he continued, thrusting the microphone in her face.

"I don't know what to say?" spluttered a surprised Angela.

"Well how about your name?" he laughed. "That's always a great start."

"Angela."

"Well Angela, "Can you tell us what you'll be buying here?" the man asked, interested.

Angela was fearful that she would be ridiculed if her photo was shown and her real identity was discovered. Knowing that to turn and walk away would make her stand out more, she decided to go along for the ride.

"Umm, clothes I guess," Angela replied, thinking fast.

The man laughed good-naturedly, " Of course, where's my head? I should have known that a beautiful lady like you would shop for clothes."

Angela blushed, as she realized that, even dressed as she was, she was beautiful. This was the hardest part of becoming female. To interact with others with a whole new set of rules, rules she didn't know. The physical side, by comparison, was easier to deal with. She still had two legs, two arms, only certain bits were different.

Realizing she was supposed to say something, she said that she needed a whole new wardrobe as she had lost a lot of weight. The man asked her how often she shopped here and how much would she normally spend. Angela blushed and said it was her first time here, and that she would normally spend about $400 dollars when she went shopping, managing to make up some on the spur of the moment facts about herself.

The man thanked her and held the jar so she could take out an envelope. Opening it, she saw that it contained a voucher offering half off any beauty treatment offered by any establishment in the mall.

'Oh great, just what I need now--not,' Angela thought to herself. 'Isn't having to learn how to buy women's clothes enough, without that."

Thanking him, before he could ask any more questions, she escaped thankfully into the sanctuary of a lingerie shop. She chuckled to herself that only a few hours ago, she, (as Bob) would have never had the courage to enter the place. Now, she was using that same fear most men have, against them.

Looking around the shop she realized that she was going to need way more money than she anticipated, the prices on women's clothes shocking her. Checking to see if the coast was clear, she ventured out seeking a money machine. Locating one, she inserted her card, not noticing the spark that went from her fingers to the card and punched her numbers in, wondering how much she should withdraw.

Checking her balance first, she was surprised to see that it had unaccountably doubled. Taking advantage of this windfall, she withdrew almost $2000. She settled on the shop that had a fine array of clothing for women. Entering, Angela went and asked an assistant for some advice, explaining that she needed an entire new wardrobe.

"Do you want some help picking out the right sizes?" she asked helpfully.

"Yes, please. I need everything from the skin out and head to toe," replied Angela, looking at her beseechingly. "I expect to spend a lot of my money here," she added.

The assistant told her to wait a moment, and then walked over to an older woman, who seemed to be the manager. As the assistant spoke to her the woman looked over at Angela and gave her a smile. She spoke quietly to the assistant for a moment before continuing to walk into an office. The assistant returned with a big smile and told Angela she was free to help her as long as she needed her. Even in the other shops, if necessary.

This was great news for Angela, as she sorely needed all the help she could get. The rest of the morning was a strange experience for Angela as Heather, the assistant, took almost full control, guiding her in the selections of not only clothes, but also makeup and accessories. Most of which Angela considered unnecessary, as all she wanted was look presentable. She didn't want to make her body stand out more, especially in the eyes of men, but couldn't come with a valid excuse to refuse. She didn't want to refuse Heather's selections as she valued her expertise in this department.

It seemed that they must have tried on everything in the shop and in the shoe store next door. Heather suggested a visit to the malls' salon after learning of the half off offer. When, after a few nudges from Heather, she gave in to having the works done, she had her hair permed in a very practical style that needed only a few brush strokes to keep it neat and yet it made her look extremely attractive.

While her hair was being done, she had her nails done and her ears pierced. Seeing that her ears didn't bleed at all, she had some small hoops inserted instead of the usual sleepers. Another girl did her makeup, commenting that she hardly required it bar a little eye shadow. After viewing herself in the mirror afterwards, the combination of the clothes, makeup and hair, made Angela feel very much at odds with the image.

In the mirror, in front of her, was an image out of her dreams, a beautiful woman with a body to die for. A woman, however, whose head still contained Bob's very male thinking mind. The thinking processes of that mind, as it looked at the vision in the mirror, were telling her that they would like to kiss and get to know this attractive person more intimately. Unfortunately, the sexual orientation of the body was firmly fixed in the heterosexual range and as such, did not respond to the image in a sexual manner.

This meant that Angela wasn't turned on physically with her image, which left her feeling worried. Was she going to find men attractive? At the moment she was too busy trying to survive her first day as a member of the fairer sex, to dwell too long on those thoughts. Walking out of the saloon, she thanked Heather again, and bought her lunch at a one of the little bistros in the mall. Angela noticed the eyes turning as she entered, and while she tried not to feel like she was piece of meat on the auction block, it was as if peoples eyes, the men's in particular, were burning holes in her.

It was a hurried lunch, as the attention from the men took most of Angela's appetite away. She felt like she was on the menu also, and wondered if she, as Bob, had given some other women the same feeling when he had admired a particularly attractive female. With lunch over, Heather helped carry her bags of purchases to the car. Promising to come again Angela thanked Heather, who promptly hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Taken aback at this display of affection, Angela smiled back as Heather waved goodbye, thinking that women don't worry about showing their feelings to others in public.

Getting back home, Angela unloaded the six bags of feminine clothes and other products. She spent the rest of the afternoon hanging up her new clothes after making room in her closets. The underwear went into the just emptied drawers and the makeup products she just left in their boxes on the dresser, as she wasn't planning on using them anytime soon, even if she knew how. Other feminine hygiene and hair care products went into the bathroom, along with the moisturizers. Looking at all the shoes she had bought she took off the heels she was wearing, opting for a pair of comfortable mules.

Scrounging in the cupboards for something to eat, she realised that tomorrow better be a grocery-shopping day. Finding enough for the evening meal, she sat and ate in front of the telly. She caught sight of herself on the news as they aired the piece on the mall. Looking at herself on the news item, she was struck by how feminine she looked in her odd assemblage of Bob's clothes. She did notice that her gestures and movements were feminine too, with no sign of the scared male within.

'Was this a part of living in a female body? 'She thought,' or was there another factor here, that she wasn't taking into account? Shrugging away these thoughts as unsolvable for the moment, she started getting ready for bed. The effects of the first full day as a woman, plus going on a marathon shopping spree, started taking their toll.

Looking at some of the nightwear she had purchased, Angela cringed a little inside. They were so feminine and delicate, and seeing that Bob normally slept in the buff, she wondered why she let herself be talked into buying them. Putting them back in the drawer, deciding to continue sleeping nude, she crawled under the sheets and was soon fast asleep.

Her dreams were unusually vivid. They seemed to contain scenes of pyramids and Aglsha and, when the dreams turned to normal present day things, it was as Angela that she saw herself, not Bob. Waking once during the night, with the need to urinate, she wandered into the bathroom. She seemed to be going on a female autopilot as she pulled up her nightie and sat down before doing her business and walking sleepily back to bed.

On awakening, Angela yawned. As she stretched her arms before sitting up she noticed the fact that she was wearing the nightie. 'How had that happened?' She wondered. She didn't remember putting it on, and looking over the drawers she noticed a few other things were out of place. Sliding out of bed, she noticed the way the nightie felt, as its silky folds slithered against her body. Feeling slightly aroused, as the sensuous fabric stimulated her nipples, she looked closely at her dresser wondering what it was that looked different.

'Oh my god!' She thought. 'The makeup.' Where, before the bottles and tubes and other items she had purchased had been still in their assorted boxes and wrappers, now they were open. Checking, she saw that not only had someone opened them, but also they had been used. The container of foundation had fingerprints in it and the lipstick was smeared on the end.

In a panic she rushed though her flat looking for an intruder. Not finding anyone and, seeing the doors were still locked, she sat down and wondered if she was dreaming. Getting an uneasy suspicion, she walked back to her bedroom and placed a finger in the foundation.

'SHIT!' She sat back down on her bed, stunned. It was a perfect match! Somehow, in the middle of the night she had opened the makeup and used it, as well as putting on the nightie.

'I'm losing it,' she thought. 'Something weird is happening to me. Apart from the body change, now I'm sleep dressing...or what?' Trying to come up with a word for it, and failing.

Looking closely, she could see traces of eye shadow still on her lids. 'Man! What happened last night?' Thought Angela with a shiver. She decided to dump the makeup in case it happened again, thinking that without it, maybe the possibility of her sleepwalking might diminish, but as she started to pick them up a voice seemed to shout (NO!)

Shocked, she froze, her hand poised over the bottles and creams. Slowly she moved her hand forward and again came that oh so faint plaintive cry. (NO, PLEASE!)

Angela thought this was the end, that she was mad. Hearing voices in her head was the last straw. Wasn't being transformed by an alien device enough? She sat and waited, fearing any further signs of insanity.

As she sat thinking in an almost meditative state, she could sense a struggle within her mind, as if someone or something was trying to communicate with her. Then, like a radio that had just hit the correct frequency, the voice began to speak, becoming clearer with every second.

(I am Aglsha speaking to you though this body I recreated when you entered my Hevreck capsule. I'm sorry that you were formally a male, but your particular aura was attracted to the capsules' sensorium.)

# Authors note: to make things clear, from now on, Aglsha's thoughts will be within (---) and Angela's thoughts within '---' normal conversation will use "---" #

'I don't understand,' thought Angela. 'What's a Hevreck capsule, and why was my what's-it attracted to your sensor thingy?'

Angela could hear the voice laugh in a very feminine manner. It was comforting in that it was very relaxed sounding laugh.

(Lets see if I can simplify it for you. The Hevreck capsule contained my disembodied essence or soul if you will. It contained a detector that was searching for a certain type of person to come within range. It was set to attract a person with psychic, or latent psychic powers, and get them to enter the capsule so I could re-enter the world again.)

'I have psychic abilities?' Angela thought back.

(Well, they are latent now, but with my powers at your command we should be able to accomplish my mission,) Aglsha replied.

'Your mission? What powers? I don't understand.'

(The reason for my being here is to save your planet. It was partly our people's fault that it was put into danger.)

'What danger?' Angela parroted, feeling a sense of dread.

(There was an enormous cloud of Pleolites entering our system, what you might call a scourge. They are a pestilence to all forms of life and they are now headed into your system. They will destroy all life on this planet in a few days, leaving nothing behind. )

Angela gasped, 'how long before they arrive and is there a way to stop them?'

(Not for another month or two as far as I can calculate, although it could be sooner. Time is short and we need to prepare. There is an orb, which can amplify the mental processes in the brain. I need to find it and set up the field with the aid of resonators placed in the pyramids by my father.) At that, her voice grew sad as she realised that her father was long dead and yet it was as if it was only yesterday when she last heard his voice.

'Go on please,' begged Angela, hoping to distract her in her time of sorrow. "What exactly are these Pleolites?"

"We don't know, only that our first attempts at contact resulted in the deaths of the crews that flew too close. We did find one thing; we managed to recover a craft that was left drifting after the cloud had passed by. Everything in the ship was dead, including the ships Helx, even plants where dead."

"Helx?"

"It's like one of your planets felines."

"Ah, a cat," Angela offered.

"Yes, a cat."

"Anyway...we...we managed to deflect them with a special energy shield before they could do any damage, as we are a spare faring race.) She continued, struggling to put thoughts of her father aside for the moment.

(We decided to re-direct them towards a sparsely populated part of this galaxy where they could do no damage, but four Konicons later, we started to receive radio waves coming from a point directly in their path. We established that a civilisation was growing in that part of the galaxy, as the transmissions grew far beyond what is normal. Much debate was held as to whether we should assist in any way, but it wasn't until a different type of transmission was received that we acted. We saw what you call television. It was quite a shock to see people just like us, but separated by the immensities of space. We couldn't stand by and do nothing, so we created a hyper warp craft that would make a one-way journey to your planet.)

'Wow! Just like a story from star trek.' Angela said, butting in on the narrative.

(Star trek? Oh yes I see the reference in your mind,) she replied.

'You're reading my mind?' thought Angela, getting alarmed.

(Only your surface thoughts, I would never violate the sanctity of your own mind without you inviting me!) The shocked thought came back.

Angela considered the situation. Here she was, in a body not her own, having a silent conversation with an alien female who was residing in her mind, worrying whether that female was reading her mind or not.

It seemed too ludicrous, and she started giggling in a very feminine manner, then that started to become a full laugh. Aglsha's thoughts grew puzzled but held a touch of amusement, as Angela's thoughts grew plainer.

'Sheesh. Come on in any time. My thoughts are your thoughts,' she laughed, using a line from a Star trek episode. 'Just don't blame me if it looks like a cesspit in there,' she added.

Aglsha's voice smiled, if such a thing can be said. It certainly felt like it did to Angela, as Aglsha's joy of being invited to share Angela's deepest secrets coloured her next words.

(Angela... I like that name. I see you took it as the closest to my own in your language. Thank you for the consideration. I'm honoured and I promise you that I'll try my best to help your world and though you, save your planet, not to mention guiding you though the mysteries of the female lifestyle.)

'Why did you have to transform me, though? Couldn't you have used my male form?' queried Angela.

(Unfortunately the orb is tuned to the thought patterns of the female mind and your psychic powers will blossom as a female, thereby adding to mine. Anyway, getting back to my story, there was a slight miscalculation due the vagaries of warp travel plus the fact that it was new technology and untested. Instead of us arriving here at the time we where expecting, with a technological presence, we arrived in your past where the best we could do was set up the resonators and prepare for the future.)

'Couldn't you have just warped forward a bit?' asked Angela, thinking of a recent episode of star trek.

(Unfortunately the craft was built in space, using a non-magnetic metal alloy, Lithium Phosphorite. It's the only thing that works in proximity with the warp engine. Unfortunately, because of its high reactivity as soon as we hit the atmosphere the hull started degrading and wouldn't stand the stresses of an escape from the earth's gravity well.)

'So what was the mummy...um... capsule? How did that work?'

(Is your entire race this inquisitive?) She sighed, (oh well, let's get the questions over,) Aglsha smiled. (The capsule contained my energy matrix. My physical being was converted and stored while my mind went into stasis. We still had the energy from the ship to do the conversion, but knew we wouldn't have it in this time period to reconvert it. That's why we...I, needed a physical body. The energy required is so much less to affect the body changes and download my mind into your brain.)

'I guess there was plenty of room in there,' joked Angela.

(Yes its surprising, I think your brain has a bigger capacity than our own, but we need to get the capsule back here, to complete our change,) Aglsha added, not fully getting the joke.

'You're kidding right? I mean, we couldn't get back in now, not with the exit I made. What more changes do we have to go though?' Angela asked, worriedly.

(Look, this is what we will do. Now where's that makeup? We need to dress appropriately.)

The woman that strolled though the museum bore little resemblance to the one that left such a trail of destruction a day ago. Elegantly made up and wearing an expensive silver sheath dress that showed every curve of that luscious body, she walked calmly past the same guard that had given chase the previous day. She strutted past as if she owned the place. The guard's eyes were riveted on her ass as she walked away from him towards the display rooms.

(See, I told you he wouldn't be a problem,)

'Did his eyes pop out or what?' Angela murmured.

(I'm sure something did, but I'm pretty sure it was much lower than his eyes.)

'Okay, now what?' Angela whispered, looking at the newly installed door leading into the room containing the capsule.

(This way, to the right. I can sense it. They must have moved it since you were here last.)

Angela, moved to the corridor on the right and walked along it till a command from Aglsha, stopped her outside another door. She looked to see if the coast was clear, then grasped the handle and twisted. The force from her extra strength hardly showed on her face, but the handle groaned and a metallic grinding sound indicated that the lock had given way.

Opening the door as if it had been unlocked, Angela strode determinedly in, barely pausing, as she oriented on the capsule as it lay on a table. She walked in and placed her hand on the capsules' lid. Aglsha concentrated, tapping into the well of Angela's untrained psychic power. She started the process of Zendo, whereby the capsule shrank rapidly in size until it was barely six inches long and as thick as a walking stick. The process continued, much to the amazement of Angela, as the ends curved inwards until they met and fused, becoming a circle only two inches round.

Pulling a leather thong out, she tied it though the circle making a necklace. She then placed it over her head letting the altered capsule slide between her breasts and out of sight. Just then, a shout alerted her to the presence of a staff member as he entered from another adjoining room.

"Hey! What are you doing in here? This is a restricted area," he shouted.

"Oh? Sorry, I just wandered in, as the door was unlocked. I didn't see any sign on the door," Angela calmly replied.

Scowling, the man went over to the door, examining it closely. Seeing that indeed the handle turned easily he was about let her off with a warning until his eyes saw the two sliding bolts that were now useless, the ends having been bent and broken. He glanced around the room looking for another intruder, one who might have had the strength to cause such damage. Seeing no one and dismissing the woman in her seeming frailty, he quickly made a call on his walkie-talkie.

"Intruder alert in room Alpha B," he intoned quickly.

A crackle of static preceded a voice saying.

"There's help on the way... anything missing?"

"Haven't checked yet, but there's a female here that needs questioning. I found her in the room."

"Is she our intruder? Are you in any danger?"

"No I don't think so," replied the man, feasting his eyes on the vision in front of him. "I think I'm in danger though. In danger of falling in love!" he laughed.

The room was suddenly inundated with burly guards and more of the museum's staff, all wanting to know what the story was. Angela kept her face calm as questions were fired at her.

"How did you get in?"

"What were you doing in here?"

"Was there someone else here?"

"Are you someone's accomplice?"

When the staff realised the mummy case was missing, the questions started turning ugly, until Angela shouted,

"Enough already! I told you I haven't seen it, or taken it! Does it look like I could have broken in here and removed a mummy's case or whatever it was you're looking for?" she said indignantly. "Ask the guard at the door. I'm sure he noticed how long ago it was when I entered." She gave them all a look of wrathful indignation at being falsely accused.

One of the brighter staff members called for the guard to be brought to them and they quieted down until he arrived. He wasn't long in coming and confirmed that she had indeed entered alone, just about five minutes before. The staff members, who had accused her, apologised saying it was all in the heat of the moment, what with finding her in the restricted room and all. One of the guards escorted her outside, saying the museum will be closed while they do a thorough search.

Angela could feel the miniaturised capsule behave oddly as she moved. It seem to press hard against her as she walked forward and it felt like it was resisting changes in direction by pressing into her breasts as she turned. She queried Aglsha, who laughed.

(When I compressed its spatial dimensions and its apparent weight I couldn't reduce its mass. It still has the same inertia of the original weight. It's slow to start moving and just as slow to change direction or to stop. I can bend some of the physical laws, but I can't break them.) She explained patiently.

Back home again, Angela removed the capsule from around her neck and placed it on the floor of the lounge. Aglsha, using Angela's hands again, returned it to its original mummy case form.

(What form of electrical energy do you use, Direct current, or Alternating?)

'Alternating,' Angela replied.

Angela, following Aglsha's instructions then fiddled with the lid, removing a section with a sliding, twisting motion. This revealed a fine coil of filament like wire, which she proceeded to insert in a power outlet after pressing on certain protrusions. Immediately there was a soft hum and several small pin like light's glowed on the mummy's lid.

Angela went into the kitchen to get something to eat, while the capsule continued to absorb energy. Looking at the lid after an hour, she noticed more lights were showing and some were blinking in a hypnotic pattern. A mental query to Aglsha gave her more information than she wanted, as Aglsha told her that they needed to return inside the capsule for the final changes.

'But why?' questioned a worried Angela.

(This body is strong, but the bones are not. We need to strengthen them and add a few features the capsule couldn't do with its stored power.)

Angela reluctantly climbed into the open capsule, and on Aglsha's instructions, closed the lid.

Aglsha climbed out of her capsule in the late afternoon. She stretched her arms and checked out this new body. She found it as limber as her old one as she went into her yoga style exercises. Feeling the body's hunger, she went into the kitchen to cook something sustaining. Taking her food into the lounge along with a strong cup of coffee, she relaxed, enjoying the solitude of this body without Angela's constant questions.

After thoroughly enjoying a meal prepared with her own hands, she sighed.

(Come on sleepy head--time to wake up.)

'Ugh! Wassup? Boy my head and my body, aches.'

(What do you expect when most of the calcium in your bones has been augmented with Molyhedrum?)

'Moly what!...?'

(Don't worry it's not as bad as it sounds. It makes your bones as strong as steel without the extra weight, but it won't show up on an x-ray in case you're worried,) Aglsha reassured her.

'So what else has changed?' asked a slightly mollified Angela.

(Well our flesh is denser and will take a lot of punishment and we are much faster in both speed and reflexes.)

'Wow, a female superman,' laughed Angela.

(Almost.)

'Anything else?' Angela pressed, sensing that Aglsha was holding something back.

(Yes, but its something only I can access at this time. Now lets get a few items before we dispose of the capsule.)

'We're getting rid of it? Won't we need it again?' Angela blurted out in surprise.

(No, but there's a few items we may find useful.)

Under Aglsha's instructions Angela slid and pressed at certain spots on the lid to reveal a tiny recess that contained a small silver disc on a necklace and a ring with clear crystal that caught the light producing a rainbow like flash. Placing the ring on her finger and the necklace around her neck produced a curious tingle though her body and she could feel something calling to her.

'What is this feeling I'm getting? It seems to be calling me?' she asked, startled.

(That's the orb. We need to find it, and those devices amplify its signal so your mind can sense it's whereabouts.)

'Is it in Egypt? If so, we are going to need money and lots of it,' Angela inquired.

(Money? You don't have enough?)

'No, and with the way I look, I've now got no job,' sighed Angela. 'Its a nice body an all, and it's starting to grow on me, but I can't go to work and say I was turned into a woman by this alien artifact. I'd be locked away and that's the last thing we need with the earth in danger.'

(All right, what types of credit systems do you use.)?

Angela went and got her old wallet with her credit cards and drivers license, all showing the name Bob Warner. 'Oh oh! We can't travel overseas with that.' She thought, more to herself than to Aglsha.

(Place the document in the capsule with anything else we need that has your old name on it. We can correct them and send that information to the appropriate places electronically.)

Aglsha told Angela to plug another fine wire into her phone jack and after a flurry of flashing lights signaled the capsule interfacing with the network. All the information was transmitted to the banks and the government agencies so that her new identity would hold up under any scrutiny.

Removing her cards, driver's license, and passports Angela saw that that they were all now showing Angela Warner. Even the photos had been replaced with her new image.

(I've augmented your current monetary accounts. I hope 3 million of your units of currency will be sufficient.)

'3 mill..... Oh my god, I'll be arrested for fraud...' Angela gasped. Wait a minute, it was you wasn't it, that altered my account balance in the mall?"

(Yes, I sensed that you needed more currency, and altered the card so that it would double whatever you had.)

'Where did we get 3 million dollars from?'

(Don't worry; it's been obtained though untraceable routes and it won't attract any attention from the authorities. I transferred a dollar out of 3 million accounts disguised within normal bank charges.)

The woman waiting quietly as she was issued her boarding pass on the direct flight to Cairo was the picture of calm elegance. One could have never of imagined the turmoil going though that woman's mind.

Dressed in a navy skirt jacket combo and matching heels, she fussed a little with the ruffles on her cream blouse.

"Are you sure I look okay?" Angela asked nervously.

(With this body? You'd look great in a sack,) sighed Aglsha, wondering how many more times she would have to convince her.

"I hope that passport stands up, we could end up in prison for a very long time otherwise."

(Calm down and just enjoy the flight. We will be very busy later and I need you in a relaxed state, not burning up your energy needlessly.)

Angela walked up to her seat that the stewardess had indicated and sat down. It was the isle seat of the row of two, running up the left hand side of the plane. The plane seemed rather empty to Angela. There was an old lady in the seat in front but nobody in the seats behind. Shortly afterwards a man came up to her right and placed a small hold all in the luggage locker above her head. He turned to her and said with a smile,

"Hello"

She realised he was going to be sitting next to her and started to stand to allow him to get past.

"No need for that. If you like, you can take the window seat and I'll take this one," he said smiling. "By the way, my name's Simon."

"Angela," she answered, as she moved into the window seat.

"A very apt name, if I may be so bold." He said, smiling at her.

"Thank you," she blushed. His frank gaze with his piercing blue eyes seemed to look straight into her soul. It felt different from the looks she saw from most men. His gaze never dropped from her face to the more obvious place that seemed to attract men's attentions. She dropped her eyes to survey his lean body that seemed to be turning her insides to jelly.

'What's happening to me? Why am I feeling like this about a man?' she queried. 'Is this something to do with you and those extra modifications?"

(Sorry, this is just a normal reaction to the male of your species. Doesn't he look gorgeous with that black, unruly mane of hair and those eyes?)

'But I'm a man... I was... um I guess not, at least not anymore. Is this how a woman feels when she is attracted to a man?'

(Yes, Aglsha smiled.)

'Oh boy, am I in trouble.'

To Be Continued...

The Maiden's Curse - Part 2

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Accidental

Permission:

Migrated from Classic BigCloset.

The Maiden's Curse
Part Two

by Prudence Walker

Editor Note: This Story was originally posted on BigCloset Classic on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:10 am and transferred to BigCloset TopShelf on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:34 am for everyone to continue to enjoy. ~ Sephrena

Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Papyrus font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

The Legal Stuff: The Maiden's Curse © 2001 Prudence Walker

All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.

The images used for this story are obtained and used under royalty-free license* and fair-use policies from Free Stock Photos, 3D Desktops UK, and from Graphics Hunt.com , and Wallpaperstock.net . Cairo Airport Photograph credited by indiaiphonedownloads.blogspot.com .

Angela's internal dialogue with Aglsha took only seconds. Looking back towards Simon, on the pretext of looking around at the other passengers, she managed to take in more of his physical attributes without making it obvious, or at least that was what she was hoping for. Simon was smartly dressed, and looked like a corporate executive until she looked at his hands. They seemed callused, as if used to physical work and not just paper pushing. While she was wondering what he did, she realised she was thinking of him as possible husband material.

'Oh my god! How can this be? I was a man until a few days ago. Surely it would take longer than that to change my attitudes and sexual preferences like this?'

(Um... oh dear... I think that's my fault, Angela,) came Aglsha's thought. (This body is extremely female. It's part of how our race is. That is why it is reacting to the physical presence of this man and the feelings you were getting, but the other is a bleed over effect from my thoughts. I was thinking he could be a suitable partner and that has coloured your thoughts on the subject.)

'Phew! I'm glad I know that. I was starting to wonder. Will this bleed over continue to happen or can you stop it?'

(I could stop it, but it's not advisable, it's part of the meshing effect that our minds are going to need if we're to work together with the orb. Maybe after, if all goes well, we can separate our minds and I can enter Entropheny.)

'Entropheny? I don't like the sound of that. What is that?'

(Dear one, it's like an endless sleep.)

'You mean death, don't you,' cried Angela, fearing the answer.

(Yes, but it will be for the best. You wouldn't want me sitting in your mind sharing your intimate moments.)

'No, I won't let you sacrifice yourself, I need you,' pleaded Angela.

(Let's survive the crisis first, then we'll see.)

Angela looked out of the window as a tear ran down her cheek. She didn't want to be alone in this body, and she valued Aglsha's advice.

"Is anything the matter?" asked Simon curiously, noticing Angela wiping a tear away.

"No, I'm fine, it's just I'm going into Egypt alone and I might never return if things don't turn out favourably," Angela sniffled.

"What a co-incidence, so am I. There's some research I need to do involving the pyramids," Simon answered with raised eyebrows.

"Research?" questioned Angela, thinking he could be worth cultivating further.

"You'd laugh, it has something to do with UFO's," he replied, looking for any sign of derision.

"Interesting, tell me more."

Simon looked at her in surprise, his estimation of her going up at matter of fact way she accepted his statement.

"Well, it seems a certain archaeologist deciphered a previously unknown text that tells of a visit by an alien craft at the time of the pyramid building. I've been sent to investigate the information, to see if there's any truth in it."

"Oh? You look into UFO's then?"

"Among other things. I work for a government agency..." he broke off suddenly, looking around the aircraft, checking for anyone listening. Seeing nobody particularly close and the woman in front sleeping, he relaxed, wondering why he'd divulged that information. He knew the agency wanted no one to hear anything about the report until it could be dismissed as a hoax.

"Oh I know, one of those I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you things," she laughed, seeing his hesitancy.

"Well, I guess that's close," he continued softly, "but for some reason my instinct tells me there something more to you other than your beauty. I can't put my finger on it, but it's as if part of my soul is telling me that our fates are entwined with each others mission," he said enigmatically.

'Aglsha, he knows something, I'm sure of it,' Angela fretted silently.

(I sense a power in him that's similar to your own, but of the opposite polarity. We may need him. I say we confide a little more to ensure he accompanies us.)

Angela smiled at Simon and told him that her mission was to save the world from a hitherto unknown threat emanating from space. Expecting him to scoff and dismiss her story as the ravings of a seriously troubled female, she was pleasantly surprised when his eyes narrowed and he asked from where was this threat coming from.

Getting the information from Aglsha, she said, "from the direction of..." and she rattled off the spatial co-ordinates as given by Aglsha, mentioning that the threat was about 1500 km across.

"How did you...? Never mind..." he paused, looking at her in speculation, and then coming to a decision, said.

"Nobody knows this, but two days ago a cloud of something unknown was picked up by radio telescope heading this way from that exact position. We don't know what it is, but it's moving fast. The text that was deciphered mentioning the UFO also mentioned a warning about a global threat unlike any other, coming from space. You wouldn't happen to know what that is by any chance?"

'Shall I tell him?'

(Yes.)

"It's a cloud of Pleolites"

"Huh?"

Angela sighed, "I know this is going to sound bizarre, but they are a pestilence which will destroy all life on this planet should they enter our biosphere. The only thing standing in their way is myself and an object called the orb which is what I'm looking for."

Looking at Simon to see his reaction, she was surprised to see him blanche.

"The orb," he whispered, more to himself than anyone.

"It was mentioned in the text," he continued. He looked at Angela intently searching her face for... what?

"There was one other thing in the text." He paused dramatically, watching her expression.

'Oh oh,' she thought, 'here it comes.'

"Yes," he continued taking her silence as a cue to continue.

"It said, 'protect she, who has the sun in her palms, for she is the bearer of the light that will keep the world from darkness.' "

(That was a message from my father), Aglsha told her.

'Sounds very dramatic, can we truly do this,' Angela thought back.

(God willing, we will.)

"Are you she?" Simon asked quietly.

She nodded and looked away from those piercing blue eyes

"I am she," she answered simply.

"Look at me...please," pleaded Simon, gently taking her hand as it lay on her lap.

She turned and he looked at her and the tears that welled in her eyes, and his heart melted. The sudden realisation that this woman had captured his heart made his next task all the more difficult to do.

"I have to inform my superiors about this. This is bigger than the both of us can handle. We need support that will give us a fighting chance. He took out his cell phone and started to make the call.

Angela froze in panic. Only the calmness of Aglsha's thoughts prevented her from trying to run, fruitless, as that was, seeing as they were 20,000 feet up in the air over the Atlantic Ocean.

(Calm child,) came Aglsha's thoughts, (he's right, we do need more resources, and the way he's been looking at you, I'd say he was smitten.)

'I'm finding myself attracted to him as well, but I'm feeling confused. In my head something tells me this is wrong, but my body is telling me otherwise.' Angela confessed.

(Honey, don't fret over it. At this moment, we have bigger fish to fry, to quote one of your sayings)

"It's all arranged," came back Simon's voice, interrupting her internal dialogue.

"What's all arranged?" Angela asked, worriedly.

"We'll be met at the airport by a team flown in from Hawaii. Now, a question, do you know where the orb is?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, I can't point it out on a map, but I can tell you the direction. It's sending me a signal that only I can sense," Angela reassured him.

"Then it looks like we need to keep you alive and well at all costs," he sighed.

"You believe me, don't you?" Angela whispered, looking at Simon.

"Of course. I can tell that there is something unusual about you that tells me you are the most important person on the earth at this time. I trust my instincts, they have never let me down yet."

As soon as they passed though the tedium of going though customs at Cairo airport, they were whisked away in a dark limo to a warehouse that was on the outskirts of the city. Uncertain of what was in store for her, Angela was nervously awaiting meeting her interrogators. Only the presence of Simon holding her hand gave her any comfort.

A door opened from a small office within the building and a short grey-haired man walked towards them. He was older than Simon by a number of years, his face lined with the ravages of time. He stopped, looking first at Simon, then at Angela, his eyes trying to pierce her seemingly outward calm.

"Simon, is this she?"

"Yes sir, this is Angela, the one mentioned in the texts."

"How can you be sure? She looks as if a strong wind would blow her away. Definitely not my idea of the saviour of the world," he scoffed.

"I can look after myself," Angela retorted, shocking herself.

'Why did you make me say that,' Angela communicated to Aglsha.

(We need to convince them now, not a week from now. Let me take the reins for a few minutes while I demonstrate)

'Okay, but don't do anything stupid, I don't think he likes us.'

"Please, if you want to see if I can handle myself then get someone to fight me, Aglsha said, imperiously.

The man smiled and whistled. At the whistle, another man came silently out of the shadows. He was about six foot three and built like a bulldozer. His neck was corded with muscle and he made Angela look like a porcelain doll in comparison. As he came forward, he crouched in front of Angela in what was typically a martial arts stance. Simon looked on in shock and stepped between them, thinking to stop what was obviously a serious mismatch. Aglsha pulled Simon's arm and whispered in his ear.

"I can take him on, just don't interfere."

Simon looked at her with speculation in his eyes, but conceded to her wishes and stepped back. As he did so, the man facing her lashed out in what was surely a killer blow. All hell broke out, as Angela seemed to move with blinding speed easily evading the hulk's attack.

To Angela, taking a backseat in her own mind, it was as if time had slowed down. She could see the man start a strike to her head, and then it was as if he started to move in slow motion. Aglsha moved her head out of line of the oncoming blow and started her own counter punch to the throat. It was as if she had all the time in the world. He had only just started to react to her movement by the time she had punched him, pulling the blow a little so it wouldn't do him serious harm.

Simon watched in amazement, as it seemed as if Angela hadn't even moved, and the man facing her had just sunk to his knees, gagging from the almost unseen blow.

Suddenly a shot rang out, shocking everyone, Angela seemed to flip over backward, one arm flung out in a spasmodic action with a speed that was frightening. As she lay on the ground shouts broke out, calling for a stop to further action. Simon rushed forward, hoping against hope that she was still alive.

The grey haired man was yelling to another for a medic and lambasting the shooter for being trigger-happy.

Angela fortunately, was still in her hyper mode when the shot was fired, and sensed the bullet approaching. With a flip of her body, she shot out a hand in time to intercept the bullet and, with the speeded up reflexes, caught the bullet in her hand. She managed to disperse enough of the bullets kinetic energy so that the bullet slowed enough so that it only bruised her palm of her hand.

Lying on the ground, she saw Simon rush over and she smiled inwardly as she saw his concern over her safety. He reached down and she shocked him by turning over and getting to her feet as he blurted out a question.

"Are you bleeding? Tell me where were you shot?"

"I'm okay, I'm not shot, Simon."

"Huh? But...I thought?"

Angela walked over to the grey haired man and took his hand turning it palm upwards. Dropping the bullet into the stunned mans palm she said,

"I believe this belongs to one of your men, please return it. I don't need it in my diet," she said, nonchalantly.

The man looked at her, and then at the bullet, turning it over with his fingers, then he threw it away towards the man still holding his weapon, saying.

"Enough, she's proved to me at least that she has a power. Hopefully, it's good enough to help us overcome the prophecy."

At her look, he explained that the text was in the form of a prophecy and, with the discovery of the cloud approaching earth; they weren't dismissing it so casually. One, because the text included the stellar co-ordinates of the cloud and two, because of the approximate time frame of its arrival. A fact that had a certain small group that was privy to the information, very nervous.

"Now, whereabouts is this orb that was mentioned in the text?" he continued moving over to a table, that Angela saw, was covered by a detailed map of the region.

"That way," Angela pointed, ignoring the map.

"Huh?" then seeing Angela with her arm out pointing, he sighed and took out a compass and moved behind her, orienting on the direction. "You're sure?" he questioned. Getting her nod, he moved to the map, aligning it with the compass. He then drew a line along it, starting at roughly the position where the warehouse was located. "Okay, we need to get another line from the east of town to get a triangulation." He muttered.

Angela and Simon were shown into a small room where a meal was served for them. Adjoining it was a small bathroom that had a shower which Angela took full advantage of, getting rid of the stickiness from the afternoons heat. The meal consisted of a salad with assorted cuts of grilled steak and a bottle of soft red wine. Angela was grateful that it wasn't anything heavier because of the oppressive heat.

Angela noticed Simon's curious glances at her during the meal. He looked appraisingly at her as if she had changed into something.

"What? Angela asked him.

"Sorry, I can't get over how you did that earlier with such apparent ease."

"We'll I do have a little extra something," she replied cryptically.

After eating, and a quick rundown from the grey haired man (who was introduced to Angela as Gary) on the next day's agenda, they were shown to a couple of rooms, each which had a rough bunk bed in it. Gary apologised for the bed, saying it was only a last minute set up and that conditions from now on would be Spartan at best. Angela didn't rest as well as she might have liked. Not only did the heat linger, but also the call of the orb was so much stronger, giving her some rather strange dreams.

The next morning saw her dressed in what could be described as an Indiana Jones outfit, even to the hat. Gary had got them sometime in the night from sources unknown, pointing out that the clothes Angela had brought with her were hardly suitable for the task ahead. She reluctantly agreed, but packed one of her nicer gowns in the small handhold she was given. She was determined to dress elegantly in the evening no matter where or what the location was like. Having to wear pants again seemed odd and restricting, after the freedom of wearing skirts and dresses.

Gary and two other men had loaded a somewhat battered Land Rover that had seen better days, but which, they were assured, was in good order. They had attached a covered trailer, which contained most of the gear required for a trip into the Egyptian deserts. Getting nervous, that the search for the orb was underway at last, Angela climbed into the front passenger seat while Simon got into the driver's seat. Gary sat in the rear with a communication rig on his head, while the two men mounted a couple of old English Army-Indian motorbikes, looking in similar condition to the Landrover. Then, with a roar, they sped off in front, presumably acting as lookout/escort.

As they moved out towards the east for the other reference line, Gary started questioning Angela.

"I did some searching of the data bases and sent your fingerprints for identification that might be available, but I came up empty handed," he said quietly. "Oh I know your records stand up according to the data bases," he continued, interrupting Angela's half-voiced protestations." The odd thing about them was that there's nothing on paper, no documentation of your birth, schooling, or normal stuff that a woman would accumulate over the years. It's as if you just materialised just a few weeks ago, if that. Care to explain how come a woman like yourself has no documentation other than what you're carrying in your handbag?"

'Should I tell him?'

(Well it looks like we need to, hon)

"Gary? If I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me, but you hit it on the nail. I didn't exist a week ago," Angela said resignedly.

"So who, and maybe I should ask, what, are you?" Gary replied, leaning forward to hear her better over the engine noise.

Angela looked over at Simon and bit her lip in anxiety as she saw the stony look on his face.

"Well this is the truth, I was given this form from an artifact that was discovered recently. It also gave me the powers that I demonstrated to you last night."

"Ah, the mummy case, I knew we shouldn't have let them take that. Did you remove it from the museum? I heard that it disappeared under odd circumstances."

"Yes, it is safe." Angela conceded, dreading the next question.

"So who were you then, and how and why did you get changed? Are you still human?" Gary's questions seemed to hit her like stabbing wounds as she considered her choices.

(Start with the easy ones hon and play your hand as you see it), Aglsha urged,

"I'm still human, just modified by an alien artifact that was sent here to save us from another world. The reason for my change into this shape was, so that the being that inhabits my mind can utilise her power to ultimately save this world. I...I...was formerly a man," she got out in a rush. Angela looked at Simon and saw his shock at her words, and he slowed the Rover to a stop and turned, looking at her in disbelief.

"You're a man? I mean used to be a man?" he gasped, trying to picture her as a male. I don't believe it you're so feminine! No man can talk, walk, and behave like a woman in such a short time."

'He believes me!' Angela nodded towards Gary. "Remember, I have a ghost in my head showing, and teaching me to be a woman." Angela turned and looked out the window, not trusting her voice, as her emotions at the anticipated loss of Simon's respect, started to overwhelm her mind. Not wanting to see his disgust at finding out that she was formerly a male, Angela opened the door of the Landrover and jumped out.

She ran towards the jumble of rocky outcrops bordering the roadside wanting to disappear into oblivion. Her newly awakened feelings for Simon were the reason for her fleeing before she collapsed in tears. Even Aglsha was silent, not willing to force her to stop as Angela's mind fizzed in a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. As she ran, a shout of "Angela, stop!" from Simon only made her run faster into the hot rugged land.

She stopped finally, not entirely sure where she was, and sagged to the ground in the meager shadow of a large boulder. Her muffled sobs were the only sound, as she let her pent up feelings run free.

'Aglsha, he must be disgusted that I'm not truly a woman,' she sobbed. 'I wish I was back in my old body with just my old problems,' she continued. 'I feel so mixed up. I have feelings for a male, and having him think I'm unworthy of his affections makes my heart ache! What's happening to me? I was a man not that long ago, I shouldn't be feeling this way! Oh why can't I sort my feelings out?'

(Angela, please hush child. Do you know how proud I am of you? You get your gender changed and sent on a mission that puts the whole worlds safety, on your shoulders. You're dealing with emotions and hormones that are new to you and you are carrying a ghost of a person from another world. Yet you have shouldered the load and everything else with hardly a protest. I'm truly astonished at your ability to withstand these pressures and challenges with no more than this emotional storm,)

Angela felt the ghostly equivalent of a hug, but was still too upset for it to register at that point. Hearing someone scrambling over the rocks from behind, she turned...her face streaked with tears, to see Simon standing there, a concerned look on his face. She turned away, hiding her shame and sobbed, her tears falling and wetting the boulder she was hugging.

"Angela, please come back, we? I need you."

"Go away, leave me to my shame," she said, making a pushing away motion with her hand.

"Angela, listen to me?"

"I said go away!" Angela screamed, interrupting him.

"Alright, I'm leaving," Simon said sadly, moving reluctantly back towards the road.

Angela's sobs renewed, feeling oddly abandoned.

Five minutes later her sobs subsiding into sniffles, a shock went though her body when a hand touched her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Gary standing there, an oddly satisfied expression on his face.

"What. Come to gloat?" She asked, resignedly.

"Now, I'm sure you're human," he replied with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder. Simon is a good man, I wouldn't want to see him involved with someone who's not human anymore."

Angela snorted, "yeah right, like he wants to have anything to do with me now that he know s I'm just a faux female," she sighed.

"You might be surprised. He was shocked at first by your revelations, as was I, but I think it will matter little, in the long run. I saw him when he lept to your defence and when he thought you were hurt. The man has it bad, trust me, now lets dry your tears and get back to finding this orb object."

He took her hand and lifted her to her feet, then, led the way back to the vehicle where Simon was waiting. As she neared her eyes downcast, she didn't see the look in his eyes, the look of a man lost in her beauty, even with her tear streaked face.

Angela stopped and looked up, seeking for any sign in his face that what she had revealed, hadn't destroyed their growing relationship. She wasn't prepared for the look in his eyes, a look of respect and something else. She hoped against hope she wasn't mistaken as he handed her a moist hanky to wipe away the tears. Her heart thundered in her chest and she felt a little dizzy as he pulled her to him in a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder letting the tensions go and relaxing as his strong embrace made her feel secure and wanted.

A cough from Gary interrupted them, bringing the both of them back to the harsh reality of a world to save. Simon handed her a bottle of chilled water, which she gratefully accepted in the growing heat of the day. Simon the helped her into the Landrover and soon they were headed towards their objective.

Having got another fix on the orb using Angela's finger to enable a triangulation, Simon and Gary pored over the map coming up with an approximation over the point to search.

Angela meanwhile was studying Simon in a new light, as a potential mate and lover, and having an intense mental conversation with Aglsha.

'I think I'm falling in love with Simon,' Angela thought.

(Well I'm glad. You don't want to live a life without the joys of love) Aglsha thought back.

'But I'm a man inside this body, I shouldn't be having these feelings. Its wrong isn't it?'

(Honey, I told you this body is ultra female. You can't be a male, ever again and that's that. It has needs, as you have already found out. Unless you want to fight this body and risk not being able to utilise the orb to its fullest, then just relax. Let your mind be influenced, it will be better in the long run.)

' I suppose so. I think I would have liked Simon had I been Bob anyway, so having feelings for him as a woman is just another step closer.'

(I'll bet he'll be a great lover.) Aglsha giggled.

Angela's thoughts about Simon making love to her seemed to trigger a flutter in her heart. She felt her nipples harden and a thrill went though her body ending up at her crotch that seemed to set off a reaction as her secretions increased and her panties dampened.

"Okay, it looks as if the orb is near the pyramids," Simon informed her, interrupting her daydream. "Its going to be difficult moving around there unobtrusively, so we thought that Gary could set up camp nearby and we could look around by being tourists. When we pinpoint the orb, we will decide then how to go about retrieving it."

The afternoon was spent driving to the area and setting up a camp and both Angela and Simon were each given an unobtrusive radio communication device with which to keep in contact with Gary. After being shown how to work it, Angela decided to take a walk in the evening air while the others concocted up dinner.

Feeling a light breeze coming off the parched land to the south, Angela breathed deeply and tried to relax before the next day's ordeal. She could feel the pull of the orb and it was as if, it knew she was nearby. She watched the setting sun cast its ever-changing hues over the tips of the pyramids that were just a few miles away, while wondering about the people who built them so very long ago.

Simon came up behind her and stood silently by her side, content to take in the view without breaking the quiet of the moment. As they gazed upward towards the heavens they seemed to move instinctively together until Angela felt Simons hand encircle her waist pulling her close. She was about to turn to him and ask him a question, a question she needed the answer to, when he gasped and pointed.

"Look, what is that?"

Angela looked towards the heavens where a few stars were beginning to shine. As she saw what had shocked Simon, she couldn't suppress a gasp herself. There in the heavens, near the constellation Ursa Major, was a glowing red cloud! It seemed to pulse, changing hues subtly. Even its very shape seemed to alter.

"Is that what we're facing?" he asked her anxiously, "It's so big."

After a quick consultation with Aglsha, Angela nodded, too shocked by the sight herself, to make a reply.

"Crap, oops, sorry for the language Angela, but that scares me," Simon muttered. Then as a thought hit him, Simon swore again under his breath, "The worlds going to know now after seeing that. I hate to think of what the reaction from seeing that is going to be."

Angela could visualise the suicides and religious ferment caused by those predicting the end of the world. She wondered if she could manage the task ahead without interference if word got out about her upcoming role. She was glad of the comforting arm around her as she involuntarily shuddered. Simon glanced down after feeling her tremble, and was struck with her seeming innocence.

"Cold?"

"A little," she lied.

"Come on, then the meals ready. I was coming to tell you before, but I got distracted with the view,"

"Yes the pyramids look great at sunset." She agreed.

"No that wasn't what I was looking at," he said hesitantly.

Realising what he meant, she blushed. She mouthed the words "thank you" silently, and turned back towards the campsite. Walking back, with Simon at her side, she wished this was all over and that they were just a couple on holiday. Even knowing that she was stronger and faster than the man beside her, she still drew comfort from having someone holding her secure as they made their way back into camp.

(It's nice to allow someone else to take over the dominant role and allow yourself to let go, and be able to lean on someone else for a change.) Aglsha said, interrupting her preoccupied frame of mind.

Gary had a lantern set up on a stand, overlooking a small table set for two. At Angela's questioning look, he shrugged and said,

"I've eaten enough while I was cooking. Anyway, I thought you two might want a private moment together."

Angela nodded her thanks and was seated by Simon as Gary placed a remarkably delicious smelling meal in front of her.

"This is great," she remarked, on tasting the food.

"It's potluck stew," he laughed. "Whatever you're lucky to have goes into the pot."

Simon quickly pointed out the cloud that was plainly visible now that darkness had fallen. Gary cursed, saying that due to the lanterns light he'd not noticed anything as his eyes were blinded to anything outside of the camp. He rushed off, saying he had to inform "Them" before they found out he'd missed spotting it first.

Angela continued to eat, her attention fixed on her plate, seemingly oblivious to Simon's presence. Her mind was in turmoil, thoughts of her and Simon in a sexual relationship. Could she? Should she? Was anything left of 'Bob'? Did she care even if there wasn't? And tomorrow, what about the orb? Was she going to be able to use it to defeat the cloud? It was almost too much. A tear started making it's way down her face. As she started to wipe it away a face loomed near, Simon's. He lifted her face with his hand, and gently kissed the tear away, then lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

Angela's heart pounded. Her body reacted instinctively. Her mouth opened letting his tongue probe hers like a frightened animal wondering if it was going to be refused entry. Simon, seeing she hadn't refused him, continued the lip lock and brought his hand to her head running his fingers gently though her hair.

Angela was feeling things unlike anything she'd had as man kissing a girl. For one thing, it seemed as if her whole body was awash in pleasure. Not only were her crotch and breasts sending strange pleasurable sensations to her mind, her whole body felt like an erogenous zone.

'Is this normal for females?' she queried Aglsha,

(Well... not exactly normal by human standards, but definitely normal by ours. We have a slightly enhanced nervous system that gives us more pleasure than the females of your world,) Aglsha admitted.

'It's strange, and different, but wonderful. I never knew it could feel like this, and we're not even having sex yet. How much better will it be then?' Angela thought.

(Wait and see hon), was the cryptic answer.

Simon pulled back, ending the kiss. Looking a little embarrassed that maybe he'd gone too fast, too soon. He didn't seem to care that Angela was once a man. The passion in the kiss told her that. Angela was glad that he'd let slip part of himself and had shown her that her past was a non-issue. Feeling much better, Angela smiled at Simon and asked him just to hold her for a while.

They sat, hearing a muted conversation coming from the tent as Gary contacted his superiors and informed them of their upcoming plans. Angela enjoyed having Simon sitting beside her, as she put her head on his chest while they held hands. A grunt from the tent signaled the end of Gary's transmission, and he came out and walked over to them.

"Having fun are we? I think you both need to get to bed--separately," he added, grinning at their expressions. " You're going to need all the rest you can get. Tomorrows going to be a busy day," he finished.

Simon gave Angela a goodnight kiss, as she entered the other tent that had been set up for her. Later, lying on her camp bed she thought about where her life was going and whether Simon would be a part of it after... the crisis, or would he go back to his job leaving her to go on alone. As the desert air cooled, she snuggled deeper into the sleeping bag, eventually drifting off into a sleep filled with images of orbs and of Simon.

She woke to the smell and sounds of bacon cooking. Getting dressed in a long skirt with a light blouse, she got out a pair of mid calf leather boots with a low heel. Trying to look touristy, without making it obvious, she was dressed to do a bit of scrambling around. She brushed her hair to get the tangles out. A scratching on the tent flap revealed Simon crouching there, with a bowl of hot water.

"Hope it's hot enough for you to wash in. Oh, breakfast will be ready in ten minutes." he added, taking in her attire with appreciation.

"Thank you, I'll not be long," Angela said, as she ducked back inside. Washing quickly, she put on her moisturisers and the barest essentials in makeup, deciding not to put on any lipstick until after breakfast. Sighing, she gathered her skirts as she exited the tent, wishing there was a way to enjoy a bath or shower, and made her way to the table where a very cowboyish looking Simon was serving the food.

"Howdy pardner," Angela giggled. "What's with the getup? Doing a Clint Eastwood impression?" she said, checking out the cowboy boots and jeans. "I like the Stetson. Wish I had one," she sighed.

"It's my impression of a tourist, and the boots are like yours, for scrambling over whatever we end up scrambling over. Here, get this down you, I need to get something." he added, with a gleam in his eye.

Angela started eating, wondering what Simon was up to as he went into his tent. She ate quickly, washing the food down with a mug of coffee and as she finished, Simon backed out of the tent hiding something with his body. Curious, she watched him conceal something under his shirt before her turned towards her.

"Hey! No peeking, close your eyes," he complained.

As Angela complied, smiling at the thought of a surprise, she heard him approach and then she felt a weight descend on her head. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the brim of a hat, a Stetson by the feel of it. Taking it off she saw it was white with a plain black band. She thanked him and placed it back on her head. Simon adjusted the rake a little, grinning inanely at her.

"What?" she asked, thinking something must be wrong with her appearance.

"Who's a cowgirl now," he laughed. "We make a fine pair now."

Angela smiled, and stood, as Gary came over and handed them the miniaturised radio communicators and telling them to have them on at all times. Gary had the two escort men break camp and soon they were on the road again.

The plan was for Angela and Simon to join one of the many tours of the pyramids to locate the orbs location then come back later when everyone had gone. The first part went according to plan. As they neared the pyramids, they could see that there were local tours that included the sphinx. As buses filled with tourists arrived, people started milling around and getting onto different tour coaches. Angela and Simon easily blended in and were soon on a coach heading for the nearby sphinx. There seemed an undercurrent of fear among the guides and they were muttering under their breath and looking up at the sky.

(They know about the scourge,) Aglsha informed her. (Somehow, they know what the cloud is. I wonder if the secret isn't exactly a secret,) Aglsha speculated.

'What about the orb? Do they know about that?' Angela worriedly asked.

(No, but they were saying something about an angel)

Angela could feel the pull of the orb getting stronger as they neared the site of the huge stone structure. She whispered to Simon that the orb was here. He nodded as they disembarked and they hung back in the rear of the group as the guides started their spiel. Angela walked to one side sensing the presence of the orb close at hand. The disc around her neck grew warm as the emissions of the orb affected it.

"Is that where it is?" asked Simon, touching the solid stone surface.

"Uh-huh," Angela answered, bringing her own hand nearer to the stone. The ring on her finger with the gem on it started glowing, as she passed her hand over the surface of the stone. By watching the way the gem waxed and waned in brightness, as it was moved over the unseen orb, she knew the exact position of where it lay, trapped within the rock.

(Look deeper hon seek the orb. Close your eyes and concentrate, then reach forth and pull it free.)

'From solid stone? You got to be kidding,'

(Trust me, close your eyes, think of the orb, only the orb.)

Angela sighed, and did as instructed. Closing her eyes, she could feel the orb calling her. Concentrating on the orb, it seemed that she could see it nestled in the rock about a foot in from the surface. It was as if the rock had turned transparent, as she reached forth, her eyes still closed, thinking only of the orb.

Simon watched in shock as Angela reached forth and, as her fingers touched the rock, they seemed to penetrate as if there was nothing there. One of the guides, who had come to round up the two stragglers, exclaimed and started to rush toward Angela as her arm slowly disappeared into the rock seamlessly. Simon grabbed the guy's arm, shushing him knowing that, however it was that Angela could do what she was doing, she needed no distractions at that moment. The guide stopped struggling and stared at the impossible sight of a woman who had her slender arm almost elbow deep in the stone.

Angela felt her fingers touch the orb it was if her mind was split in two. She knew that, on one hand her arm was deep into solid stone (she had felt the slight resistance as if pushing though Jell-O) and was even now touching the orb. In another corner of her mind, she was thinking how it wasn't possible for her to be doing this. Fortunately, that part didn't affect the part of her mind that was already doing the impossible. The orb sent a tingle though her hand and in her mind, she could sense it start to glow as her touch triggered it. As she grasped it she could feel it warm as slowly she withdrew her arm from the sphinx.

By this time Simon and the guide was joined by the rest of the tour group as they came to see what was so interesting at that part of the statue. Their assorted gasps and cries at the sight of Angela pulling her arm out of solid stone were soon silenced as nobody could take their attention from the slowly moving arm. Some of them were busily taking photos and several had a video-cam running. As the wrist became visible, they could see the stone take on a different hue as the orb's light showed though. The light brightened as it was exposed, until it showed itself as bright blue ball of scintillating brilliance.

Angela staggered, as the weight of the orb, now unsupported by the stone became apparent, plus the intense concentrated effort had drained some of her strength. Simon held her tight, supporting her, as she finally opened her eyes. Looking down at the orb, she was surprised at its beauty. It looked semi-transparent and although its light made it hard to look on for very long, she thought she could make out pinpoints of light inside it, moving in a random manner.

A shout from one of the guides soon had their attention. The other tourists had either backed away in terror or were shouting questions at her. The guide tried to take the orb from her hands, babbling something about the gods. As he touched it, it dimmed and went black and the orb sent a thin blue spark that stung the man's fingers. He backed off, his voice changing into terror mixed with respect and he bowed to Angela and then ran off, back to the coach.

Simon offered her small velvet bag that had been brought for the specific reason for concealing the orb.

(No, leave it out; I have a feeling about it.)

'Okay.' Angela shook her head at Simon, instead she held it up over her head and the orb pulsed sending out a flash that could be seen for miles. Angela felt as if her mind had caught a brief flash of the thoughts from all of those people surrounding her, as if the orb had touched them and signaled their presence to her.

Walking back to the coach, she saw that Gary and the Landrover were there, as well as the two escorts. Simon had radioed them to come and pick them up. Gary was fuming.

"Dammit, girl, I thought I said to leave it till after dark," he muttered, looking anxiously at the people that had gathered around her.

Quickly, before anyone could object, they climbed aboard and Gary drove off, the Land Rover protesting at the unaccustomed acceleration. They drove towards the pyramids getting there well before anyone came to interfere. Angela, under the guidance of Aglsha walked up to the base of Giza the great pyramid, unerringly going to a precise point near where the tunnel entrance entered the base. Moving her hand under her inner guide's instructions, she pressed on a small indentation on what seemed to be a huge stone block.

A fine sifting of sand fell down and a slow grinding sound indicated that it was moving inward, revealing a small access passage. Simon handed her a small torch and they scrambled in before anyone noticed their activities. The passage opened up so that they could stand, but it was very narrow and claustrophobic. They proceeded in single file for about 50 meters. The air was dry, and, although undisturbed for ages, it still seemed fresh. Finally, the passage ended at a small vault, the walls adorned with script that neither Angela nor Simon could understand. It didn't seem to be the usual Egyptian hieroglyphics, but an unknown script. A shock went though Angela's body as Aglsha screamed in her mind and Angela felt her senses fading as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

"Angela! Are you alright?" it was Simon's voice, seemingly coming from far away.

Angela could feel that she was lying on the floor, her head cradled on Simon's lap. As her head cleared, she struggled to sit up. Simon helped her stand, saying she had just collapsed.

"I'm okay, it's Aglsha. She screamed out and things went black," Angela reassured him.

'Aglsha, are you okay? What happened to you? Please talk to me.'

(I'm so sorry. It was such a shock, seeing that my father has left a message for me.)

'This writing is in your language?" Angela asked, looking around at the walls.

(Yes... let me read them and you can translate for Simon)

For five minutes, Angela looked at the walls, while Simon stood watching her patiently, as Aglsha slowly translated the message.

Then without a word, she turned, and started along the passage to the exit, pulling Simon along behind her. Unfortunately, their exit was seen by a few local residents who had gathered near the new opening, having noticed the break in the lines of the base made by the recessed block.

They backed away at first in surprise, but then they started sounding angry as if suspecting them of robbing some unknown treasure from within the new portal. The orb, which had since been placed in the velvet bag, and was now hanging off Angela's shoulder by a thin cord, caught the men's attention. One of the men grabbed it, tearing it off her shoulder and started walking off with it while the others tried to search their bodies for anything else.

While Simon struggled to prevent both he and Angela from such handling, Angela grew rigid as she listened to her mentor. Ignoring the fumblings of the men surrounding her, she threw her arms out directly over her head. Then, focusing her will, she started a theatrical chant that made the men pause and look at each other as her eyes rolled back in head giving her a strange look.

The man that had walked away with the bag suddenly stopped, as the bag seemed to pull against him. As he opened it, looking for whatever it was that seemed to have a life of it own, he cried out, as the orb floated out, its pulsing brilliance drawing every eye to it. The orb moved slowly towards Angela, picking up speed until it stopped, directly over her head. Slowly her brought her hands together clasping the orb. A brilliant flash greeted the contact, making it clear to anyone that she was indeed, the controller of the orb and not a thief as first assumed.

The locals, stunned at this display of power that was something truly unique, fell to their knees bowing so deep that their heads touched the ground. The man who had taken the orb came forward a face filled with fear as he handed her the bag making apologetic gestures. Angela smiled at him to show that she wasn't going to seek any retribution for their actions. Having set his fears aside, he turned to the others speaking in Arabic and they slowly stood up, looking like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Angela walked past them regally, still holding the orb in front of her, while Simon followed in her wake. The men parted and dipped their heads in respect as she walked back to the Landrover where another group of tourists where standing.

The flashes of cameras from the tourists were a pale imitation of the brilliance of the orb. As she neared, they parted, giving her plenty of room to enter the Land Rover. Simon could see one of the tourists running away, a video camera in his hand.

"Come on, lets move out. The excrement is about to impact the rotating atmospheric oscillator in short order, unless I miss my guess," he called.

To Be Continued...

The Maiden's Curse - Part 3

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Accidental

Permission:

Migrated from Classic BigCloset.

The Maiden's Curse
Part Three

by Prudence Walker

Editor Note: This Story was originally posted on BigCloset Classic on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:10 am and transferred to BigCloset TopShelf on Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 02:34 am for everyone to continue to enjoy. ~ Sephrena

Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Papyrus font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

The Legal Stuff: The Maiden's Curse © 2001 Prudence Walker

All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.

The images used for this story are obtained and used under royalty-free license* and fair-use policies from Free Stock Photos, 3D Desktops UK, and from Graphics Hunt.com , and Wallpaperstock.net . Cairo Airport Photograph credited by indiaiphonedownloads.blogspot.com .

Driving away rapidly, they headed back to a spot that Gary had found which should give them an uninterrupted time away from the public view. Simon helped Angela out and led her to a shady spot under a tree. Gary had brought several chairs, and some cold cans of drink. Seated, the men waited, watching Angela as she gratefully drank the refreshing liquid.

"I guess you want to know what "we" found out in the vault." She said, pausing as she looked at the two men.

"I'll admit to a certain curiosity," admitted Gary, with a grin.

"Me too," agreed Simon.

"According to the message that was left for me, we need to find the 'Vanishing point.' Its where I need to be to start the initial process off."

"The vanishing point?" chorused the two men.

"Its where two intersecting arcs that touch the edges of both sides of the three pyramids meet at a point, a very precise mathematical point.

Angela drew a rough sketch, showing the two men what she meant.

"I need to be some distance south east from the Mycerinous (or Menkure) pyramid, and Giza the great pyramid becomes the last one to be activated."

"Anything else?" inquired Simon, looking intently at the diagram.

"The other thing I found out was that I can't do it alone. I do need to pull energy from a large number of people, not a lot, but the more there are, the more likely I'll succeed," she said grimly.

"Well, with the cloud clearly visible, and your demonstration today, I guess getting an audience will be the least of our worries," replied Gary wryly.

"My... I mean Aglsha's father, said that after they placed the resonators they were going to be headed for Alexandria to teach the people there. I don't know if they made it okay, there was no confirmation in the script."

"I think we can assume they made it. I know that Alexandria was known as the greatest centre of learning in the world at that time," Simon reassured her.

"Simon?"

"Yes, Angela, what's the matter?" Simon asked, seeing her biting her lip in worry.

"We... I will be doing something that will need every ounce of my concentration tomorrow night. I will be vulnerable to anyone with a mind to sabotage things. I need your protection; to be by my side at all times. Nothing I do will harm you or me even if it looks dangerous. Will you be my guardian?"

"Angela, wild horses couldn't separate us tomorrow. I will guard you with my life if need be, count on it," he answered huskily.

"Thank you," she replied simply, feeling a lifting of her spirit at his words.

The rest of the day they spent resting, while Gary stayed on the radio to his superiors. While they talked sparingly due to the heat, they heard and saw a few helicopters flying nearby heading in the direction of Giza.

They speculated on the sort of reception that they would get when they returned to the pyramid plateau. Angela helped with the evening meal, learning Gary's secret recipe for the potluck stew (a pinch of garlic and a generous cup of red wine).

During the day, Simon had rigged up a solar heater bag for a shower and set up a three-sided enclosure for Angela under the tree. Suspending the bag from a branch, Simon told Angela her shower was ready. With a hug and a kiss, she hurriedly took advantage of the opportunity. She wet her hair and body, soaped and shampooed her hair with the water off, then rinsed everything off quickly. Drying herself, she called out to the men that there was plenty of water to spare for them to use.

Getting dressed in a flowing peasant dress that was gathered just under her bust, she felt so good in the simple act of just being clean again. She took over the cooking while the two men took a brief shower. She saw no sign of the escorts figuring that they were used to doing without the luxuries, probably eating k rations. She felt a little guilty at eating so well, when they were doing without.

She did get a surprise went Simon and Gary finished, and they walked out with only a towel around their waists. Gary had a covering of white hair over his chest as befit his age and there were signs of old battle wounds on his torso. Simon too, had a few scars, but the chest while muscular, was leaner, with no flab and only had a dusting of black hair on his chest.

They grinned at her and started acting like idiots, doing classic bodybuilder poses. Angela finally burst out laughing, to their chagrin, but soon they joined in, grabbed her arms, and started dancing in a circle. Unfortunately, for Simon it ended too soon as his towel fell down leaving him naked. He blushed and grabbed it, covering himself while muttering under his breath. Angela got a quick look and felt weak. It was huge!

(My god, he must be part horse,) Aglsha giggled.

'I hope this body can take it...oh what am I thinking,' Angela countered. 'Did I just think what I think I thought?' she continued, feeling strangely excited.

(Hey, don't confuse me with all the thinking,) Aglsha chuckled.

Dinner was strained, Angela kept seeing Simon's assets in her mind and Simon was looking embarrassed. Gary watched the two of them, a small smile on his lips. He finished first, and stood, saying,

"I'll just dick...duck off to the tent."

Suddenly both Simon and Angela choked, spluttering as they burst out laughing at Gary's unintentional? Slip of the tongue.

Gary grinned, which told them it was no slip. As one, both Simon and Angela threw the salt and pepper shakers at Gary's hurriedly retreating back, hearing him laughing inanely to himself as he ducked into the tent.

Turning to each other, they smiled, Simon reached out and took Angela's hand in his pulling her closer till their lips met. Having one's heart suddenly feel like it was about to leap out of one's chest cavity, startled Angela, but she didn't pull away. It was too nice. Simon's kiss was igniting her body in a strange, but an, oh so pleasurable way, that she didn't want it to end.

(Hon, we need to conserve your energies for tomorrow. Time enough for that later,) she heard Aglsha sigh.

Later that night, Angela lay in her bed (alone) thinking of Simon. She knew that the bond that had sprung up between them on the flight over was firmly cemented together now. It made her feel happy that she could share her intimate thoughts with another person regardless that it wasn't what she'd envisaged for herself when she had been Bob. With a shock, she realised that Bob now seemed like a dream. She had his memories, but trying to see herself in her old body while wearing this one was getting difficult, almost being over ridden, to the extent that it seemed odd to think she'd once had a penis.

Next morning, she was up and dressed before the men, chiding them, as they got up blurry eyed. Simon took a second look once his eyes focused properly, a low whistle escaping his lips as he viewed her attire. She had put on her best clothes, white satin underwear and an electric blue sheath dress that sparkled and shimmered with her every movement. It was almost ankle length and on her feet were soft kidskin boots (not exactly what she wanted to wear) but given the terrain, appropriate. Her hair was loose and flowing and had been brushed until it shone like a golden waterfall.

After breakfast, they drove slowly towards the plateau, each deep in their own world of thoughts. As the pyramids hove into view, they could see a multitude of vehicles and everywhere people stood waiting.

"Oh boy, I hope we can get though," muttered Simon.

Angela could see the faces turn towards them and seeing her inside started shouting and rushing forward, disregarding the danger from the moving vehicle. Finally, they could move no further. To do so would entail running over the crowd. With a command to her to stay inside, both Gary and Simon got out, made a plea for calm, and managed to make room for Angela to get out.

Angela gathered her courage and alighted from the vehicle with as much grace as was possible in the gown she was wearing. A roar of "that's the angel girl" and "she's here" flowed over her in a wave of languages, drowning out Simon's calls for quiet. On an inspiration, she took out the orb from its resting place on her hip. Holding it up above her head, its scintillating brilliance washing over the crowd seemed to stun everyone to silence. Moving forward, she stepped up on a nearby stone plinth that was half buried in the ground.

"Please..." (The orb pulsed in concert with her single call). Magically the crowd hushed, trying to listen to the voice of this extraordinary young woman, who's demonstrated powers were all over the news services.

"I have a task to accomplish." She paused, gaging the effects of her words. "To save the world from that!" And she pointed straight up. Although it was barely discernible in the morning sky, the people knew what she meant, having also seen the cloud on the television or witnessed it personally. "I need your help, both in information and in a spiritual way."

A chorus of support greeted her words.

"I need to get to a certain spot to do so, a place called the vanishing point." As she looked at the blank or puzzled stares, her heart sank. Moving off the slab, she turned and bumped straight into a man with a rumpled and sweat stained suit.

"Oh, excuse me, I didn't see you there," she apologised.

"Don't come all manners with me, girl. I want a stop to all this nonsense," he blustered, waving his hands at the crowd.

Angela was puzzled; who was this pompous ass? A jumped up little official who didn't want anything disturbing his little niche in the world?

"Stopping something is exactly what I intend to do," she snapped back, imperiously.

Then holding her head high, she swept past him, leaving him gasping in her wake. Simon was close on her heels and 'accidentally' bumped into the official, knocking off balance to be shoved around by the milling crowd.

After walking to a point where she guessed was near the V.P. she stopped and cast about, looking on the ground for any sign of the correct position. Suddenly a barking command signaled the arrival of the military, about fifty UN troops headed by a no-nonsense-looking man. He barked out orders and the troops fanned out in a circle, creating a barrier that kept out the onlookers and left Simon and Angela alone in an empty circle, some fifty yards in diameter.

Looking around, Angela could see that the troops were now facing outwards, towards the crowd. While she was taking that in, a cough brought her attention back to the man who was standing at attention before her. He saluted, saying,

" Brigadier Johnson...retired, at your service, ma'am."

"Um...Angela Warner...recruited," she added, with a smile.

According to my orders ma'am, I'm to be at your disposal to do anything, short of starting a war."

"Well, I'm sure we can avoid that, and please call me Angela. Ma'am is so, not me," she said, with a grimace.

"Thank you...Angela. I'm like you; I prefer the use of my first name. It's Peter, but call me Pete. I have an aversion to all the peter jokes, let alone the Johnson ones. Now is there anything you require of us other than making a perimeter?"

"I'll let you know okay? For now that is sufficient unless you can help us find the V.P." At his blank look, she explained her dilemma.

"Sorry I can't help you there," was his rueful answer.

"By the way I was to inform you that the super powers have already taken steps against this threat. In fact..." looking at his watch, "it should happen right about now," he added.

As she wondered what sort of steps could be taken against the cloud, the answer came as a series of bright spots appeared in the skies. Immediately, all shadows were outlined in harsh contrast as the actinic light from the nuclear explosions flooded down from the heavens.

A sound of cheering from the people showed that they had obviously known in advance about the sky show.

'Do you think it will have any effect on the Pleolites?' Angela thought to Aglsha.

(Very little, most of them would just be influenced by the energy front and ride it like a surfer. Only those in the heart of the explosion would be destroyed. No, the only way to destroy them is by the use of the orb.)

"I have been briefed by your superior," Pete said, looking at Simon. If the barrage doesn't work then we have to use Angela's talent with the orb. I must admit I was rather sceptical when I heard about it, but now I'm not sure. I've seen some pretty weird things in my time, but if this works then I'll most likely be able to get free drinks whenever I recount this story." He grinned at them both and called for a man to bring the van closer. "I need my luxuries," he told them.

Soon a large van arrived, along with Gary in the Land Rover.

"Boy it was hard going until I called in the troops," he said, shaking hands with Pete. "It's a good job I called for them to be on standby," he added, looking around. He started pulling a table from the trailer and set up an umbrella and chairs for them all. Meanwhile, Pete had asked his man to set out cold refreshments. Angela was getting distracted with everything going on and just sat down next to Simon and held his hand.

Raised voices near the perimeter line, drew Angela's attention, there seemed to be an old man and a boy gesturing in their direction. Finally, a crackling on the radio of Pete's van preceded a conversation from the UN man nearest the heated scene. Pete listened for a moment, and then called Angela over.

"Apparently there's a man who claims to know what you're searching for, but he won't say anything unless it's to the prophesied one, the one with the sun in her palms was how he put it."

Both Simon and Angela looked at each other, puzzled as to how anyone knew of the message in the discovered text.

"Shall I let him in?" Pete asked.

"Yes," both Simon and Angela chorused.

Waiting for the man was agonising for Angela as he shuffled slowly forward, aided by the boy. His robes were clean and looked ceremonial with curious symbols on them.

(Angela, this man knew my father), came Aglsha's excited mental voice.

'Impossible, he's old, but not that old. No one could live that long.'

(Those symbols are of our world, nevertheless), she replied, barely containing her excitement.

'Oh my God, I think he's blind. Look at that staff he has and the way the boys are helping him. How is he going to help us locate the spot when we can't find it with normal sight?'

(Don't be so negative. That staff... its... special.)

Looking at the staff again, she saw it had a curious cup shape on one end and carvings along its length.

The old man walked up to Angela, peering into her eyes as if searching for a sign. Angela could see that, although cataracts clouded his eyes, he could see her well enough. His face underwent a transfiguration as a look of joy suffused his tired looking face.

"At last, the time has come," he said. "I will be the last guardian of the staff and my grandson won't need to take up the burden of the prophecy like his forebears," he added, sounding relieved.

Simon offered him a seat and a cool drink, which he accepted gratefully. He continued his narrative slowly, pausing every so often, as he told of how two families ancestors, were given the task of ensuring that the knowledge of the staff and its use were to be passed down though the ages, until the discoverer of the orb came along. The other line had died out, due to disease and famine, but his had survived and had heard the news of the discovery of the orb.

By the time he had finished, it was midday, and they decided to eat lunch before going and locating the point. Pete had supplied a refreshing salad with cold chicken and pita bread, washed down with chilled white wine. Although Angela saw with a grin, that both Gary and Pete were drinking cans of German lager. To Angela it seemed rather surreal that here they were, calmly sitting round eating, while the world lay on the brink of destruction. Shrugging, knowing it was pointless to get overly worked up, she tried to relax, so she be ready for the crisis ahead.

During lunch, Angela, on behalf of Aglsha, asked the old man about the symbols on his garment and what they represented.

He replied, that they were from the homeland of the wise one, who had written the prophecy, and had begged that the symbols be preserved exactly as they were given. They were to be a sign to the orb holder, that 'she' who resided within had not been forgotten.

Hearing this, Aglsha's emotions burst forth in a sob that was so forceful, Angela herself started to cry. Tears flowed freely, startling those close by, as the two minds meshed in a mixture of joy and sadness, at the news of what her father had done so very long ago.

Simon immediately had his arm around her, pulling her head against his chest as she sobbed. He knew there was reason for her outburst at the old mans words, even if he didn't fully understand it, not knowing that the person mentioned, was the father of Angela's guide.

(I'm sorry. I... I...miss him so much; I knew that he would be dead when I woke. I accepted that, as part of what I knew had to be done, but knowing it intellectually and dealing with the reality are two different things.)

'Hey, if anyone's got a right to let out these emotions, it has to be you.'

'Look what you gave up, a life and a loving father, and all for a people not your own. I'm surprised you lasted this long. I was beginning to worry. It seemed like you hadn't grieved properly. I know I'd have lost it ages ago,' Angela re-assured her.

The old man seemed the least surprised at the emotional outburst from Angela and as her tears subsided, he lifted her head to face and said, "Child, I see that the death of your father has hit you hard. Be at peace, for your father was gifted. He foretold this very moment, and gave us this message. --Daughter, remember our purpose. Only if you fail, will our lives been wasted. Succeed, and you can rejoice, knowing that what we did was not in vain. Now go and finish it, so I can truly rest. God willing, we'll be together in the life after this.--"

The old man got up, holding out his gnarled hand to Angela. "Lets go find the place you need, shall we?"

With a sudden resolve, born of determination to complete the task, Angela took his hand and stepped forward to find the all too crucial final set-up point.

'Aglsha, I wish we could do something about his eyes,' she said sadly.

(Maybe we can, but we must be alone with him,) she said.

Motioning to Simon, who had got up too, that she needed to be alone with the old man, she reluctantly left his company to walk some distance away so the two of them could be alone. Taking the orb from its velvet prison, Angela held it to the old mans head and started concentrating. As the energy from the orb coupled with the directing force of their combined minds, Angela/Aglsha sent a fine tendril of energy to burn away the obstructing cataracts. The man gasped as his vision returned in full. Tears of gratitude flowed freely, and he sank to his knees in supplication.

"Thank you Maiden of the orb, I will be forever in your debt."

"Nonsense, I am in yours and your ancestors, for serving so faithfully. Please get up and help me one last time," she urged, wiping a tear of her own away.

Waving to Simon to join them, she smiled at his astonishment at seeing the man with his sight restored.

"You did that with the orb?" he whispered, at her nod, he grinned and said, "We could set-up a practice and earn millions," he joked.

"I already have millions," was her only reply, grinning back.

'He said "WE!"' she rejoiced.

(He's yours--handle him gently.)

'Hmmm,'

At the old mans urging, they walked further away than where they had been looking before. The man stopped and knelt, brushing away the sand from a hidden stone circle. It had a lump of something stuck in the centre. Producing a small knife, he worked on the lump until with a snap it popped out, leaving a small hole. Then, handing her the staff, he indicated for her to insert it into the opening.

As the staff went in, there was a click and Angela found that it wouldn't move any further in or out, it was stuck. The cup on the end of it was at chest level, and acting on a hunch, she placed the orb in the cup. A booming sound reverberated though the air and traveled out towards the three pyramids, startling everyone in the surrounding area.

(Angela, quick! We need to make sure the pyramids are empty of people. The energy released from the orb could kill someone.)

Relaying the message, Pete went into action sending men to ensure that the people stayed out. After being given the all clear, Angela placed her hands on the orb, suspended from the ground as it was. The orb brightened for a moment, then a curious beam leapt out heading for the pyramids. As it went, it split into several beams, two of which curved and touched the outside edges of the pyramids; similar to the sketch Angela had drawn. The third went to touch all three apexes.

What looked like St Elmo's fire flowed slowly down from the tips, and a low keening sound started to come from the pyramids. Even from where Angela stood, she could hear dull thumps as if slabs of the internal structure were being rearranged. A report from the men guarding the entrances said that huge stone slabs now sealed them all.

All the spectators had drawn back in a mixture of awe and fear from the area bordering the pyramids. The sound started to increase in pitch as the covering of St Elmo like fire slowly crept towards the ground. Everyone could sense that there was some sort of energy build-up. They moved nearer to Angela's position, seeming to find comfort in her stoic stance behind the orb.

Simon stood behind her, during the hours that it took to charge the pyramids. Only leaving to get some food and drink, which he hand feed to her, as her hands were otherwise occupied. To Angela it didn't seem as long, as her mind was intent on the task in hand. Food seemed to come from nowhere as she required it. Thirst too, was assuaged in the same fashion. She was only vaguely aware of people around her, only Simon's presence was noted. There seemed to be a link between them and she could sense his support like a warm glow.

Night fell and the evidence of the superpower's futile attempts at halting the cloud was clearly visible. The red glow was very bright and seemed even larger than before. The pitch of the sound emanating from the pyramids rose up into the ultrasonic and silence reigned as all the surfaces of the three pyramids glowed blue.

Angela knew it was time. If the effort to manipulate the orb was draining, she knew it was as nothing when compared to the task ahead. Everyone held his or her collective breath, knowing the moment was at hand.

Over the afternoon's effort, Angela's meld with Aglsha's mind had been completed. There was no me/you, anymore. There was now only "us" as they began the final steps. Aglsha's knowledge of the orb combined with Angela's now enhanced psychic powers was put to the test as they exerted their all on the forces within the orb.

Simon watched anxiously, as she drew on even more power from the orb. Her hair started to rise as the backwash of energy tried to separate every hair strand from each other, until it looked like a huge golden crown of hair.

CRAAACK!!... Simon saw the sides of the pyramids open as beams of coruscating energy soared to the heavens. Each pyramid sent a beam out at a slightly differently angle; making a triangular shaped funnel that enclosed the clouds boundaries. Immediately the cloud seemed to rush forward into the funnel, descending into the earth's atmosphere inside the narrowing funnel. As the cloud tried to burst out to invade the life it could sense on earth, the walls of the funnel flashed blue rebuffing any attempts to breach it.

Each time this happened Angela could feel a surge in the energy as it countered the Pleolites attempts. It took more energy and that was a finite source! Once Angela's energy was gone, the energy field would collapse and death would be swift. The cloud reached the tops of the pyramids and started to die. The people watching cheered, not knowing the toll it was taking of the slender girl with the orb.

The last remnants of the cloud seemed to sense their imminent destruction and were fighting against the energy. With only a few stragglers left, Angela felt her energy dwindle to the point where she was barely holding them within the field. There was not enough energy left, to force them into contact with the pyramids. In an act of desperation, she reached out with her mind to touch those gathered around her.

Simon felt Angela's mind reaching out, and knew something was wrong. He tried willing more energy into the woman who stood unresisting in his arms. Dimly, he could sense though the fragile link he had with Angela, that she was pulling energy from the others.

As the energy coming from the people grew, she again had the strength to force the last of the Pleolites to their destruction. Simon felt her collapse, bonelessly into his embrace as she removed her hands from the orb. The energy field winked out in a heartbeat and true silence descended as the pyramids went dark.

For a few seconds, silence reigned as the people digested the final demise of the cloud. Then, slowly a cheer went up, gathering volume as they realised they had survived. People started laughing and dancing in celebration, unmindful of the scene near the orb.

Simon was very scared; Angela was unresponsive to his attentions as he tried to rouse her. Pete, Gary and the old man gathered round, looking shocked that their saviour had fallen.

Angela was conscious but couldn't respond. Aglsha was dying; only Angela's mind that prevented her leaving.

(Hon let me go, it's my time.)

'NO! I need you.'

(You have Simon. I want to see my father.)

'Don't go. You can see him later. I need you now.'

(Bye...)

'Noooooooo!'

Angela grabbed Aglsha with her mental hand, and held tight swearing never to let go. She could sense Aglsha being drawn out towards a light, and slowly Angela too, was being drawn along. She tried to hold onto her corporeal body, but her grip was slipping.

'If you're going, so am I.'

(No...It's not your time.)

As Angela felt herself sliding over the edge to oblivion, in near panic at either losing Aglsha or Simon, she flung a mental hand out to Simon. There she stopped, holding on to both with a grip Hercules couldn't break.

Simon felt Angela call him though the link. As he willed her to come back to him, he felt the link strengthen, becoming like a steel cable. He could sense her struggling to return, but she was being pulled away. Frightened that she might be dying, he gave her every ounce of his burgeoning love and willed her back with every fibre of his being.

To Angela, the love that Simon felt for her impacted like an avalanche, flooding her soul with power. Using that love, she literally snapped back into her body, still holding Aglsha. The rebound effect flung their two souls together and they merged, becoming one. The link with Simon broke as she fell unconscious from the shock.

Simon, still holding Angela's body wept, thinking she was gone as the link snapped. As his tears fell upon her face, she stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. Looking into the grief stricken face, she felt a wave of love for this man who had risked his own soul to save her.

"Simon, I'm back."

Simon's eyes snapped open. The joy of hearing her voice filled him again and sent the feelings of doom away.

"Simon, I love you," she said quietly.

"Angela, I love you too. I felt like the sun nearly went out of my life just then."

Lifting her up in his arms, he kissed her, and then set her on her feet. She hugged the others, getting a kiss from all of them.

Walking to Pete's van, Angela felt like she'd run several marathons even with her augmented body. Lying down inside she rested, as Simon made a hot chocolate drink for her. She could hear voices outside as Gary and Pete discussed the events of the day.

"Shit!" Gary exclaimed, "We forgot the orb! It's still out there," he shouted.

Angela smiled to herself.

"Hell it's gone! The staff too. Where's the old man?"

Angela knew the orb was in safe hands, hopefully, it would never be needed again. Anyway she knew how to find it if necessary.

When Simon came back with the drink, he asked her if she was okay.

"Yes we are," she said with a smile.

"We?"

"Aglsha is now part of me I feel her in my heart and she is me as well. We are one. Now and forever, we both gained each other's experiences and knowledge. She can live out her life with me and I know all the things I need, to be the woman I now am."

"Hmmm, so I'll be marrying both of you? A bargain if ever I heard one," Simon said, looking at Angela, expectantly.

"Yes...SIMON! You're asking me to be your wife?"

"Yes, if you'll have me that is,"

"Have you? You had me at 'Hello'."

Finis

The Teg Legacy

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Novel > 40,000 words

Genre:

TG Themes:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Synopsis:

While looking for souvenirs from the fallen NASA space platform Skylab, which had crashed into the hot desert of Western Australia, Gary found something else that had fallen from space. Something non-terrestrial which would change his life forever. A legacy from an ancient race would see his life transformed beyond any expectations.

Story:

The Teg Legacy
By Prudence Walker

Gary was two hours away from his mother ship, as he liked to call it when disaster struck. As he surveyed the damage the Mallee root had inflicted on his scouting vessel, he cursed volubly into the unrelenting heat that pervaded this desolate arid region. No, Gary wasn’t some intrepid spacefarer lost among the stars. He only wished he was. No, Gary was stuck out in the sparsely populated region of Western Australia’s desert, north-east of Laverton, looking at his small Enduro mini bike with its punctured front tire.

A moment’s explanation here, a Mallee root is the remnants of a small local eucalyptus tree that grows widely in Australia. The tree rots away or is eaten by termites while the root section remains intact and hidden under the red ochre sand. Any unwary tire passing in the near vicinity of a root usually invites unprovoked attacks, as the shape of the root and the soft terrain cause it to flip out sharp points that will stab into the side wall of a tire and cause a puncture.

Gary’s mother ship was none other than a weathered, but reliable Holden station wagon that served as kitchen, bedroom and a garage for the mini bike.

An avid science fiction fan, Gary was on a search for parts of the US Skylab space station that ended its life in the desert of Western Australia. So armed with the latest model metal detector, he’d set up a base and was bush bashing, using the mini bike to extend his rather random search pattern. So far, he’d found several old horseshoes and one gold nugget, that while fully acceptable, wasn’t what he was truly after. The scattered remains of the Skylab were proving to be surprisingly elusive. He knew some of the larger sections that had made it to Earth had been recovered already, but all he wanted was a memento that wouldn’t attract US government interest in what he had recovered. If he was lucky to find several pieces, he knew several people who would pay a lot of money for them, more even than for any gold he might find.

As the days of searching passed with little result, his path had wandered away from where he had planned to search. Luckily, he knew exactly where he was, or rather, his handheld Garmen GPS did and he knew which direction he had to go to get back to base camp. The only problem, he was about 30 km away from camp, with a whole lot of hot burning ground to cover, dragging or carrying his mini bike and the detector. He made a choice, given the differences in price of replacing one or the other, and stashed the mini bike in a clump of salt bush. While he was relatively fresh, he decided to use the detector until the batteries died or he did.

That brought forth a sobering thought. If he died, then there would be no one left to look after his paralyzed sister, who was currently at a home for the disabled. One of his goals was to find souvenirs that could be used to support both himself and his sister so they could stay together. Dragging his thoughts away from his personal family tragedy, he once again thought about getting out of his current situation.

Checking the GPS and then taking a bearing from the sun, he set off. Taking a direct route, instead of the wandering along the one taken with the bike, would save time, plus he wouldn’t fall into the trap of following old tire marks in the desert, not that there were a lot of those in the first place.

After an hour swinging the detector, he’d had enough, and instead slung it over his shoulder after taking a drink from his canteen. The trouble with taking the direct route was that you couldn’t take the changing terrain into consideration. The saltbush in the area stood around fifteen feet high and was dense enough to prevent Gary seeing the breakaways until it was too late. (A breakaway is where the land changes level, and usually means a series of cliffs that could go for kilometers.)

It was then, while he was scouting along the base of the breakaways seeking a viable route to the top, that he spotted something half buried in the scree. It was silvery in appearance and rounded like a nacelle. Gary’s heart beat faster. Was this what he had been searching for? He scrambled closer, unmindful of the scrapes and bruises his ankles sustained from the sharp boulders he was going over.

He reached the object and gazed at it reverently, trying to ascertain its origin. It was about the size of one of those inflatable beach balls. Gary reached out and touched it, marveling at its silky cool surface that showed no blemish at all. He grasped it in both hands and pulled at it, expecting a heavier weight from the buried portion. Unexpectedly, it lifted with ease, and the muscle he’d applied made him tumble backwards as the object slipped free and fell from his hands.

Gary cursed as he heard it tumble with a metallic clang as he bashed his head on the rocks. He rolled over and got to his knees, wiping some blood from a gash on his cheek. The object lay a few meters down the slope, and its nature became clearer. It was some kind of helmet, but a hugely oversized one. Gary could see the inner liner of it, but it appeared pristine, something it shouldn’t be, considering where it had lain in the dirt.

Gary approached it more cautiously this time, considering what kind of person it might fit, noticing that there was some kind of visor attached. As he lifted it up for a closer look, a light began to blink. Curiosity drove him to carefully place it on his head as he tried to see what else was visible.

Although he was holding the helmet, it seemed to jump out of his grasp and he felt it shrink to fit his head. Then something weird happened that sent shivers down his spine. The helmet disappeared into thin air. He felt his head with his hands, as if searching, but it was gone completely and all he could feel was his sweaty head.

'What just happened?’ He thought. ‘It couldn’t be a hallucination brought on by the heat, I’ve still got water.’ He shook his canteen in reassurance and then decided to take a small drink.

“Damn it, where did the bloody helmet go?” Gary shouted out in frustration.

A distorted series of weird noises, coming from a sort of disembodied voice close to Gary’s ears began with, “Zzttrrfh … gyjuhjj … tyiokl,” ending with an understandable “testing?”

“Who’s that?” asked Gary, spinning around on the spot.

“Do you understand me?” the voice spoke again, seeming to come from inside Gary’s head.

“Yes, yes, I understand, but where are you?” Gary voiced his frustrated at seeing nobody in sight.

“I am adaptation unit 4000 property of the Przotegzzyx…” the rest of the word sounded like a buzz to Gary. “I am the helmet you put on. Using your biometric field, I topped up my charge up and went from standby mode to active mode,” the voice continued, answering the questions Gary had asked.

You’re a sentient helmet belonging to …” Here Gary struggled to remember the name. “The Teg?” he managed.

“Przotegzzyx …” the voice corrected. Then, sensing Gary’s problem with the name, relented, “Teg will suffice,” it agreed. “And yes, from your point of view, I am sentient, although the Przo ... er … Teg, would disagree.”

Here, Gary was sure he could hear some emotion in the mostly monotone voice. “How come I can’t see you or feel you, if you’re still on my head?”

“Well, I’m now point 356 degrees to the left of your plane of existence,” the voice answered as if that was sufficient explanation.

“Point 356 degrees?” Gary asked to himself in wonder. “What kind of weird measurement is that? Why not a whole degree?” He laughed, thinking what a surreal conversation he was having.

“Well the Teg were paranoid about having their technology move too far away from their own plane, so they decided point 356 was just far enough away to remain invisible, while still being able to access the unit’s abilities.”

“What was that weird garble I first heard? And why does it sound like you’re in my head?”

“My translation centers had to be recalibrated for your language, and at first, I used sonic vibration to convey my words. I am now stimulating your auditory nerve directly so no one else can hear me speak to you.”

“Not that there’s anyone to hear you out here,” Gary pointed out.

“True, but until my power levels rose, I had no means of determining that, so I took precautions.”

”Can I call you anything other than adaptation unit 4000?” Gary queried.

“Call me Ada,” the helmet replied after a delay.

Gary chuckled to himself, thinking the voice sounded nothing like an Ada. This prompted Ada to ask what that noise was.

“It’s just a laugh …humour?” Gary added to further explain. He told Ada that her name was female, and the discrepancy in the voice and the name was what had made him chuckle.

“Ah! Accessing now … hmmm. How is this?” Ada’s voice changed, rising to a dulcet contralto.

“Nice,” Gary commented, thinking it seemed familiar. “What were you accessing?”

“What you call the Internet. A fascinating system, but very open in terms of privacy,” Ada answered.

“You can get into the Internet out here? Sheesh, I can hardly get a radio station unless it’s after sunset,” Gary complained, feeling hard done by.

“Oh, I can get all the radio, and television bands as well,” Ada said smugly, further disgusting Gary.

He shook his head, trying to think of his next question rather than discussing what seemed like trivialities.

“Okay, what I want to know, is how you got here, and where is the Teg that was wearing you, plus, what is it that you do?” He finally got out.

“The Teg was killed when his craft disintegrated against these bluffs, after being attacked by a dinosaur some meaningless time ago.”

“Hahaha,” roared Gary, nearly falling over on the uneven ground. “The Teg was disin-Teg-rated,” he mirthfully gasped out.

“You are a funny species,” Ada commented. “I think I’m going to like being with you,” she added with a touch of humour in her voice. “What I did was help the Teg fit into whatever environment they may find themselves, adapting their form to suit the local indigenous species.”

A sudden thought quickly sobered Gary. “Are there any Teg still on Earth or likely to come to Earth?”

“No, that’s unlikely. The reason a few of the Teg were exploring the universe for possible habitable planets was that their sun was about to go nova. The Teg were never a space faring race, preferring to stay within their own system of planets.”

There Ada paused to access the Internet, looking for information from observatories and the current star information. From what I can determine, and the period of time that has passed, the home system is no more. Seeing that the Teg I was with was the only one visiting this system, and it died here, it’s unlikely any surviving Teg would venture this far.”

Gary nodded, feeling much relieved. Wiping his brow free from sweat gathered there, he noted the blood on his hand from the gash he’d sustained from his tumble. Reality intruded, reminding him of his current situation. He muttered under his breath about, ‘Teg artifact or not, I still need to get back, and it is going to be harder than ever, now I’ve hurt myself.’

“I can help,” Ada broke in.

“Huh? Oh, you can?” Gary asked, forgetting that Ada could overhear him.

Gary looked at his blood stained hand and noticed one nail was torn.

“Can you fix this nail?”

“Watch,” Ada prompted.

Gary held his hand out palm down, so he could watch whatever Ada was going to do. In a second not one, but all of his nails grew out, about 10 mm in length, repairing the broken one as well. Then the ends reshaped themselves into curved points and the nails changed colour, becoming a soft red.

“Hey!” Why did you give me girl’s nails?” Gary complained as he wriggled his fingers experimentally as if to check that the nails were really attached to his hand.

“I took a template from the person I borrowed this voice from,” explained Ada. “Are they not attractive?”

“Sure, on a woman, but hardly practical on a man,” Gary sighed. Obviously Ada needed to learn more about the difference between men and woman, and what was socially acceptable.

“Okay, I can fix that,” Ada promised.

Gary thought Ada meant she would remove the nails, but what happened next proved him wrong. Instantly his body changed to match the nails, becoming female, along with a suitable change in clothing.

“Ada!!” Gary shrieked, his new voice sounding ever so shrill in “his/her” ears. “What did you do? I’m a girl! Turn me back,” Gary cried, feeling very odd indeed.

“No.”

“Huh? What do you mean … no?” Gary’s first impulse to feel this strange body and check out his missing mate seemed oddly restricted to plucking at her blouse and making sure her skirt was straight and that she still had her handbag. The sight of her feet encased in stockings and heels didn’t even send the alarm bells ringing like it should have done. The fleeting thought that they matched the rest of her apparel crossed her mind, which suddenly sent her further into panic mode, as did the change in the personal pronouns she seemed to be using.

“What have you done to my mind? It’s full of girly stuff,” she gasped.

“I’ve given you the best chance of survival I can,” Ada replied, sounding rather put out.

“How?” retorted Gary instinctively cringing at the feminine voice coming from her lips.

“The body you have is physically perfect and uninjured, plus, I’ve tweaked it a bit. Now, you need to be a kilometer south of here when the helicopter arrives.”

What helicopter? You’re not making sense.” Gary said exasperatedly.

“The body you wear is that of missing actress/model, Bethany Chambers. She was on location doing a suntan campaign for Coppertone when she did a runner. There is a search party out now looking for her. I contacted the film crew via the cell phone network, and gave them your location as being a kilometer south of here. They should be here in about 15 minutes.”

“So how does that help me? I end up back in Laverton with no car, no motorbike and no money. Oh, and how do they know where to pick me up. In fact, why not pick me up here? Also, why does the name Bethany Chambers strike a familiar chord with me? Am I going potty?” Gary tried laughing at her weak joke, but the girlish giggle that came out of her mouth made her clamp her lips tight. Frustrated, she stamped her feet petulantly, as she started on her list of questions, not realizing how feminine she was acting.

“If you move now, I’ll explain on the way,” Ada prompted.

“How will I manage in these heels? They are not exactly appropriate footwear for the bush you know.”

“Walk, don’t talk,” Ada said cryptically.

Gary, or rather, Bethany, started to move down the slope, her slender body nimbly moving between the rocks with a grace that Gary could never have achieved. Spotting the metal detector, she went to pick it up.

“Leave that,” ordered Ada.

“Not on your Nelly I will. I paid 2000 dollars for this and I’m not leaving it here.”

“Okay, but I could out perform it by some magnitude,” Ada offered.

As soon as Gary/Bethany grasped the detector, it vanished. “What happened?” was Gary’s familiar cry.

“I placed it into p space where I am. I can retrieve it anytime and anywhere, as all points in p space are co-existent. The reason we need to be far away from this spot, is because the Teg that crashed here was after the 30 metric tones of metal ore you know as gold. From historical documents, I surmise it is what was called Lassiter’s reef.”

“Lassiter’s reef is here?”

“Yes, do I assume rightly that you wouldn’t want undue attention brought here?” Ada continued.

“TOO BLOODY RIGHT, MATE!” Bethany exulted, scrambling down in a rush, still managing to hold her bag on her shoulder as if it was glued there. In her rush, she didn’t question the curious fact that she had begun to identify herself as Bethany. If Ada was correct, then his financial troubles would be over, and he could get his sister every thing she needed.

“To answer your other questions, I located our position using your Garmen device.”

“But my GPS is turned off,” queried Bethany, as she started to run towards the spot Ada was directing her to.

“Yes, but I just accessed the non volatile memory for the way points you’d taken.”

“I suppose you can do a better job than my GPS as well?” Bethany asked sarcastically.

“Of course,” Ada replied, missing the point of the sarcasm entirely. “As to the benefits of masquerading as Bethany, I reported that you had been kidnapped by yourself. That is, by Gary Carstairs. And then you managed to escape while pretending a need to go to the bathroom.”

“What!” Bethany screeched, pausing in her run. “How is making me a criminal going to help reunite me with my belongings?”

“If you continue, I’ll explain. I reasoned that they could find your car from the GPS you stole from Gary before you escaped, and that would lead the authorities to the bike. They would then return them to Laverton for examination. Meanwhile, you can rest in ease, courtesy of the company doing the ad campaign. Then you can report that it was all a stunt to get more publicity. Later, Gary can call in and retrieve his belongings,” Ada finished with a satisfied tone.

“That could go wrong in so many ways,” grumbled Bethany. “What happens when the real Bethany turns up?”

“She accessed her Visa card some hours ago in Kalgoorlie, and I intercepted a cell phone call she made ten minutes ago. Apparently she’s headed back to Perth because she couldn’t stand the bush flies out here. But I made some slight changes in the records so nobody else will become suspicious.”

“Okay fine, but tell me why the flies aren’t bothering me then,” Bethany pointed out.

“Well, and this is coupled with the reason you can run in heels and feel familiar referring to yourself as Bethany and comfortable as a female, I enhanced your body. Flies are attracted to salt, sweat and sugars excreted by the body. Yours doesn’t excrete any of those, and to a fly or other biting insect, you’re just as enticing as that piece of granite you’re standing on. I’ve also downloaded some wetware to your brain that was extrapolated from the traits of the original Bethany.”

“What? You make it sound like you can just download files to my brain like a computer. Tell me that’s not possible?” Bethany pleaded, feeling like a talking, walking Barbie doll with someone pulling her strings.

“Your brain is an organic computer, and I have specialized processes that enable me to borrow traits from a subject and use them to enhance the Teg so they can act exactly the same.”

“Well I don’t want you doing that again without my permission,” Bethany insisted, trying to get some control over her life back.

The whaap, whaap, whaap of chopper blades as a bright red helicopter hove into view, cut off Ada’s response.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cue you with the right names and information if they ask awkward questions,” Ada promised as the chopper blew up dust everywhere while it came down for a landing.

Bethany clutched her handbag and held her skirt down as the rotor blast threatened to blow her skirt up around her waist. For the first time since her change, she was grateful for Ada’s foresight in giving her the ability to cope with a skirt and handbag, so she didn’t end up embarrassing herself by having her panties exposed to all the world. When the choppers motor shut down, near silence returned, bar the whooshing of the rotor as it slowly windmilled to a stop.

Bethany waited, allowing those inside to make the first move. A dark haired guy in jeans and denim shirt scrambled out and ran over to Bethany. He grabbed her in a hug. “Bethany, I’m so glad to find you’re alright,” he rejoiced, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around.

Bethany subvocalised, “Who is this guy?”

“This is Robert Farnshaw, your agent. Don’t worry, he doesn’t swing that way. There’s a rumor that he already has a boyfriend,” Ada communicated directly to Bethany’s inner ear ensuring that nothing audible could be heard by anyone else.

“Come on, girl, let’s get out of this heat and dust before you lose that beauty and dry to a crisp,” Robert admonished, dragging her towards the chopper. Robert’s comment about her beauty made her realise that she hadn’t had time to check out herself out in a mirror yet. Being beautiful wasn’t something she had ever expected to have to deal with, although knowing that the original was a model come actress, it shouldn’t have been surprising.

Bethany, who was still somewhat distracted about how she would deal with male attentions, allowed Robert to buckle her into a seat in the back and tried not to panic as the chopper lifted off. The flight back was both scary and exciting, as she, as Gary, had never flown before. She was still uncertain what would happen when they got back to Laverton.

Landing at the small country airport north-east of town, Bethany wondered where the film crew was staying. The town wasn’t exactly booming, having just one general store, a petrol station/garage, a pub and a few other small businesses. An air-conditioned Mercedes awaited them and the change in temperature made her shiver as she was assisted inside.

The drive back to town took all of 5 minutes, while she was fussed over and generally treated like a china doll. The car drove directly to the towns only camping ground, which at this time of the year was almost deserted. At least it had been when Gary had passed though a few weeks earlier. Now, it had three large mobile home units parked there, with another tractor/trailer unit emblazoned with the Coppertone logo on its side.

Robert escorted her back to “Her” mobile home and left her to clean up and take a nap, saying there’d be a meeting later with the director.

Bethany stepped up into the air-conditioned interior of the home, marveling at the luxury contained within it. Feeling like an intruder, she scoped out all the cupboards and closets, trying to familiarize herself as to where everything was. Seeing a shower cubicle, she decided to take advantage of it. Even though her new body was only hours old, and clean as regards actual dirt, in reality, Gary hadn’t had a shower or a bath in weeks. Having to get your water out of tanks supplied by windmills, which pump water from the wells dug to supply the sheep and cattle, you learn to conserve water. Although they are dotted randomly around the countryside, the quality is dependent on the terrain and how deep the well is. How much you used, depended on how much salt you can stomach in your drinking water. Some can be just palatable, while others taste like seawater. Needless to say, it makes soap almost impossible to lather, therefore you tend to use it only for cooking or hot drinks like tea or coffee. Actual drinking water that’s palatable is usually best stored in 20 litre containers just for that purpose. Gary had 60 litres left in his car, courtesy of a recent run into Kalgoorlie, which has pure city water pumped uphill over 500 kilometers all the way from Perth, in two giant pipelines.

Bethany went into the bedroom which took up all of the rear section of the mobile home, and there she saw herself in a floor length mirror for the first time. She was shocked to see a reflection that moved as she moved, yet was so different from her normal reflection as Gary. She’d known she was blonde from the stray wisps of hair that she seemed to be constantly brushing out of her eyes, but that told only half the story.

Unlike the fashion for models that are usually seen modeling clothes, she wasn’t boyishly thin. No; she filled out her clothes with a very sexy feminine shape. Judging by eye alone, Bethany was about 5foot 8 inches tall, with a figure Gary would have drooled over. Cupping her breasts and lifting them, she judged she was about a C cup or maybe even a D. A tiny waist which showed her exposed tanned tummy made her hips seem to jut out all the more in comparison.

“38C, 26, 38.” Ada accurately informed her, obviously guessing the direction of her thoughts.

“I’m a babe,” Bethany breathed softly in wonderment as she ran her hands down her form.

“Are you going to have a shower, or are you going to stand in front of the mirror for the rest of the day?” Ada prompted with an amused tone in her voice.

“Huh? Oh yes,” Bethany said belatedly, dragging herself out of her reverie.

Bethany undressed slowly, trying to watch herself in the mirror as she did so. It was like a fantasy come true, watching a gorgeous strawberry blonde haired goddess strip to her every command.

As much as she hated the thought of being female, she was in love with this body reflected before her. Her skin was flawless, tanned all over without any bikini lines, obviously why she had been selected to do the suntan ad. Looking at her crotch with its neat vertically trimmed section of hair, she was suddenly struck by the oddity that she didn’t feel a sense of loss at her missing manhood. Maybe it was the different feelings coming from her new sex replacing the ones she was used to that prevented her from feeling that there was something missing. It was really mind numbing to get her head around the fact that although everything felt different, it also felt normal. She wondered how much of it was due to the memory download Ada had given her.

Pulling herself together, she went into the shower cubicle and turned on the water. A quick check with some soap told her that it wasn’t local bore water. So she hurried the shower, not wanting to waste the real water, which was limited by the tanks in the mobile home.

Even though her shower was brief, it was long enough to find out that woman’s erogenous zones were widespread and immersed her in a whole new level of sensation. She didn’t orgasm, but she came close, and if what she experienced was any gauge, she determined to go that little bit further when she had more time.

She washed her hair with the shampoo the original had used, and although it made her smell feminine, she realised she had no choice if she wished to pull off the deception. .

Later, after drying herself and wandering into the bedroom with a towel arranged around her chest, she faced her next challenge, choosing something to wear. Ada didn’t have to tell her not to wear the same clothes she’d been wearing. Even though she was a novice at this girl stuff, Bethany knew better than that, even without the guide in her head.

Ada suggested some choices based on images she’d discovered online of the real Bethany. But Bethany wanted to see if she could manage on her own using the wetware in her brain. By not concentrating on specifics and allowing for the weather conditions, she managed to select a sundress that was cool, yet elegant. The part of her that was still very much Gary, cringed at the extremely feminine garment, but in keeping with her deception, she knew it was the thing to wear. Selecting appropriate underwear was less of a chore, as most of her bras were the same style, differing only in colour and material. She decided to go with an underwired one made of satin, with a tiny bow in the center. Panties were chosen for comfort, seeing they wouldn’t be seen under the dress and she choose a pair of high heeled, open toed sandals that would look elegant, but allow air to circulate.

Bethany thought that it hadn’t been too hard until Ada reminded her that she was only half done. “You can’t go out without makeup on, plus you need perfume and jewelry,” she pointed out.

“Can’t you do it for me? Give me a break! Look at all those bottles and tubes of gunk. I’d need to go into a trance all afternoon to let your programming do its stuff. After all, if you can alter my body, surely a little makeup won’t task your abilities,” she wheedled, hoping to get Ada to show off. In truth, she didn’t want to tackle makeup just yet. It was just too girly to be putting it on herself, better it be done for her, so she could make excuses to fool herself that it was all Ada’s fault.

“Okay, but you’ll have to spritz yourself with her perfume and I’ll help select your jewelry,” Ada agreed.

“There, it’s all done, and I’ve made it smudge proof, so you won’t need to redo it any time soon.”

“Wow! Already?” said a surprised Bethany, as her face didn’t feel any different. She checked in the mirror and confirmed it was true.

“Well, I cheated a little,” admitted Ada. “I coloured your skin with the correct pigments to emulate actual makeup, not that you need a lot anyway.”

“It’s a great job,” Bethany agreed, seeing her rosy lips and a hint of eye shadow as the more prominent features.

She picked up a bottle of perfume called Shalimar, which she applied to neck, ears and wrists, on Ada’s instructions. Jewelry provided more of a challenge, which Ada helped with.

“Bethany, are you awake?” a voice outside, called warily.

“Coming,” she called back cheerily, picking up her handbag without a thought. She opened the door, feeling the heat hit her like a wave. Robert was standing at the foot of the steps leading into the mobile home. His surprise at her cheery demeanor was quite evident.

Bethany stepped down, losing her balance slightly. She felt the earrings swing against her neck, something that would always remind her of her new sex. Robert reached out and steadied her until she got her balance back, then released her immediately. Obviously the original Bethany either was less polite at being “supposedly” waked up, or maybe she really was a bitch with a temper.

She followed Robert to the main trailer unit, where he opened a door for her and indicated she should enter. Inside, she found several people sitting in comfortable chairs around a table. One of them was obviously from the Australian police force; the other two were connected to the Coppertone agency, from the logos on their shirts.

‘Here we go,’ she thought worriedly, thinking they knew who she really was.

“Hello, Bethany. Glad to have you back unharmed. We have filled Sergeant Caruthers here in about your abduction by this Gary Carstairs character, but he’d like to go over the details and get those way points you mentioned from your GPS,” one of the Coppertone men explained.

‘That’s Toby Arrnot, the company director of this campaign,’ Ada silently informed her via the aural nerve.

‘To by arr not to by,’ Bethany replied sotto voce, trying not to break into a giggle.

“Miss Chambers, I’m Tom Caruthers from the Kalgoorlie police. Can I call you Bethany? I just want to get my facts straight before we start a search for your abductor.”

Bethany nodded her assent for him to call her by her first name, feeling somewhat better at his friendly tone. Feeling somewhat trapped by the story already circulating about her former identity, she just reiterated the story again while being silently prompted by Ada who kept the “facts” straight.

After the officer left, promising to do his best to find her abductor, the other two men asked her if she could continue with the ad shoot, as it was almost complete. Ada prompted her to agree, even though she was unsure what was entailed and not even sure she could do it. With her agreement, the director asked her if she wanted to dine out with him in Kalgoorlie, seeing the company helicopter was on hand. Bethany agreed, much to the surprise of Ada, who thought she should lay low for a while.

‘Hey, it’s been weeks since I had a decent meal. You don’t think I’m going to turn down the offer of a free steak dinner, do you?’ Bethany retorted in a low voice that neither man could hear. ‘Besides, the original probably flew out from there hours ago,’ she added questioningly.

‘She caught flight 34 from Kalgoorlie to Perth, departing at 2.15pm and arriving at 3.30pm, and yes, I’ve changed those records, too,’ Ada quoted from her endless supply of information. ‘So she is out of your hair, but we should still be careful,’ Ada added.

“Hey, I’m not going on a date or anything. It’s just a welcome back treat, plus, a few tinnies (cans of beer) would hit the spot,” Bethany replied quickly, just in case Ada got the wrong idea.

“Come along, Beth. If we go now, we’ll get the best selection,” the director prompted in a fatherly manner, interrupting her silent dialogue.

“Am I dressed for it, or should I change?” asked Bethany, not realizing she’d said it out loud.

“You look ravishing, my dear, Doesn’t she, Dennis?” he asked his assistant.

“She sure does, Mr. Arrnot,” Dennis confirmed with an American twang in his voice.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll help,” Ada reassured her, reminding her that she needed more dramatic eye makeup for an evening event.

“I’ll just get a wrap for the flight back,” Bethany said as Toby escorted her outside.

“Of course, I’ll wait outside and call the driver to come to your door,” agreed the director, walking with her.

Bethany grabbed a wrap and tied it around her waist as suggested by Ada, who also changed her eye shadow to a more dramatic look suitable for an evening on the town.

Ada told her wait for a minute or two to explain the time taken to redo her makeup before allowing her to exit the mobile home. Toby was standing by the open door of the Mercedes waiting for her. She got in, managing to do it elegantly with full skirts, prompted by the all knowing Ada, who told her to get her ass on the seat first and swing her legs in. (Just not in those exact words.)

Once in the air again, she felt butterflies in her stomach, but whether it was from the flight itself, or the company she was in, she tried not to speculate. She did love seeing the ground flash past, and often saw places she’d searched over as Gary. The time flew, literally, and once they’d landed, another car was waiting, having been arranged while en route.

Kalgoorlie was like a city, compared with Laverton, even though it only boasted one set of traffic lights. The hustle and bustle seemed overwhelming to one who’d been living alone for weeks on end.

Toby had the driver take them to the Exchange Hotel, which seemed rather appropriate, given the circumstances.

Bethany did get her steak, but not the one she wanted. While Toby ordered a 450 gram T bone steak with fries and salad, Bethany ended up with a petite fillet steak, and salad with no fries, under Ada’s firm insistence that the real Bethany wouldn’t order something that huge or that fattening. She also dipped out on the beer she wanted for the same reason. Settling for a Shandy was the best she could do, and when Toby looked askance at her order, she said she needed something other than wine to wash the dust down. This seemed to satisfy Toby as he could certainly attest to the benefits of dust settling beer. Bethany did steal a few fries from Toby’s plate, knowing this was acceptable under the rules. Toby didn’t seem to mind and even gave her a piece of his steak after she mentioned it looked tasty.

It was after 8pm by the time they finished. Toby looked at his watch and sighed. “We may have to stay here overnight, as it is too late to fly back now. The pilot has a curfew for flying past 8.30pm in the helicopter as it’s not fitted out for night flying. Do you want to browse in the mall? I’ll book two rooms here, and we can go buy you something nice to wear in bed, my treat.”

Bethany was silent for a moment, considering whether this had been planned from the start, but the look on Toby’s face seemed to indicate there was no ulterior motive, so she agreed.

She excused herself, heading for the restroom, while Toby arranged for the rooms. Going to the toilet for the first time was not without sage advice from Ada, who advised her on the correct action for wiping her bottom. Bethany redid her lipstick by herself, and once again, she was good to go. She was surprised by the way other ladies at the mirror chatted to each other without the reserve shown by guys in toilets, who have an unspoken rule about talking to anyone who they don’t know.

Bethany managed to buy a nightie with a matching wrap in one of the shops in the mall. True it wasn’t silk, but what can you expect when you shop at K-Mart? Toby had hovered near, but gave her space to browse the racks, which suited her just fine, as she felt like an intruder there as well. Ada assisted, which meant she was saved the embarrassment of getting someone to help her pick the right size.

Toby seemed embarrassed at the necessity of shopping there, but Bethany reassured him that it was fine, which seemed to puzzle him, as he kept apologizing for not foreseeing the need to stay overnight. From this, Bethany figured out that the real Bethany wasn’t so forgiving.

Back at the hotel, Toby thanked her for a lovely evening as they parted to enter their separate rooms. What had made her respond by giving Toby a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning and unlocking her door, kept her thoughts occupied till she got into bed. Maybe it was part of the profile in the files that Ada had downloaded in her brain, but then, if the real Bethany was such a bitch, surely that wouldn’t be like her at all. She puzzled over it for a while until tiredness caught up with her and she fell asleep.

Ada watched over Bethany’s sleeping body, while still monitoring the net and the whereabouts of the real Bethany. So far, she had used her credit card to get a taxi from the airport, so it was assumed from the amount paid and the rates from the taxi company that she had traveled about 10 kms, which would have allowed her to reach her home in the hills of Kalamunda.

What wasn’t so good, was the fact that she had tried to reach Robert, her agent. Luckily, his cell phone was turned off and she’d had to leave a message for him to call her. Ada set in place a call diversion, which would automatically route any calls made to Robert’s phone direct to Ada’s software. Similarly, if Robert tried to call Bethany’s phone it would be rerouted to the phone Ada had created for the faux Bethany. With this precaution in place, Ada resumed her scanning of the world’s communication network.

Bethany woke early, and got up to watch the sun rise. This body felt really different from her old one, more energy and zing. Now she’d had time to relax and get some sleep after all that had happened, her mind felt clear and full of ideas.

One thought that prompted a question to Ada, made her hold her breath in anticipation. “Can you fix seriously injured bodies? Not just superficial stuff?” she asked, thinking of her sister Amanda back in Perth.

“How serious?”

“Spinal cord injuries. I have a sister who is paralyzed,” Bethany answered, holding her breath.

“I can, but I’d have to be worn by that person,” Ada informed her.

“Yes!” Bethany exulted, dancing a little jig then and there. However, thinking about her old identity, and the trouble he was in soon sobered. At least Amanda should be spared any problems with the police, having been in the home for two years. She turned her attentions to getting a shower, determined to experiment while she could.

Bethany met Toby for breakfast later that morning, as arranged the evening before. Her time in the shower with unlimited hot water meant she had explored her femininity to the ultimate degree. Experiencing female orgasms had floored her, literally. She’d collapsed in the shower, ending up sitting on the tiled floor of the cubicle as her body became awash with more than the water streaming down over her body. She wondered if the feelings were that intense every time, or had it just been because it was a new experience that she wasn’t used to. Maybe it was because she hadn’t had sex for a while. In any case, she promised herself another game of stink finger just to see if it was as intense the second time around.

She was rather quiet during breakfast, thinking about her sexuality and the way she’d enjoyed being female so far. Toby must have noticed a difference in her from the way the original Bethany behaved. “Is something wrong? You seem self absorbed this morning. I doubt you listened to more than half our conversation.”

“Sorry, I was a million miles away,” she apologized guiltily. “I was just thinking about when all this is finished,” she added half truthfully.

“I’m sure Robert has you booked solid for months yet,” Toby laughed at her seeming worries.

Bethany nodded silently as her thoughts went back to the subject foremost in her mind. ‘Am I still Gary?’ The answer should have been clear-cut, with a resounding YES! But with what she’d experienced so far, Gary’s life style was looking a little shaky. Once the need to be Bethany was past and Gary sorted out how to recover the gold Ada had mentioned, there was clearly a question of which lifestyle to follow. A fabulously rich girl with everything going for her, and guys willing to fawn all over her? Or that of plain old Gary, with money to burn trying to find some happiness? There was also the problem of her sister Amanda. It wasn’t an easy question with a quick solution.

It wasn’t until they got back to Laverton that Ada told Bethany of the call her original had tried to make. At first, Bethany panicked and wanted to get out of this increasingly precarious situation. Ada reassured her, telling her of the redirects she’d put in place. She seemed confident of fooling the original Bethany by simulating Robert’s voice and mannerisms when she tried calling Robert again.

Robert met them in the car as they got out of the helicopter, saying that he’d got her message, but her phone went straight into the recorded message.

“I’m sorry, the batteries went dead just after I called you,” Bethany explained. “I just wanted to know if I could take a break after this shoot?”

“Well we do have that swimsuit campaign to do before next month, but I guess there’s room for some time out. I’ll explain the kidnapping to them, and say you want time to yourself,” Robert suggested.

“Thanks, that will be great.” Bethany sighed in relief. “So what’s on for today?” she asked, trying to get some idea of the days plans.

Robert looked at Toby, who answered for him. “Actually there’s not a lot left to do. We just need some closing shots to wrap it up,” he told her with a smile.

What Bethany had dreaded turned out to be a piece of cake. She had worried that if and when she had to take over the real Bethany’s job, she would soon be discovered as a fraud. As it was, all she had to do was rub lotion onto her skin while wearing a bikini and smiling at the camera. For this she was grateful, assuming the hard work had already been done.

That afternoon when the shooting was finished and everyone dove indoors to escape the heat, she went into Laverton to visit the local office that served as the police station. There, she was told that Tom Caruthers was due back in about 10 minutes. When asked if she wanted to wait, she said she’d come back later

Bethany decided to cool off another way and went to the local watering hole. She got more than a few looks from the locals, half of whom were aboriginals who must have got their social welfare checks that day. The women that lived in these remote towns were generally earthy types and didn’t bother looking glamorous for their men folk, while Bethany was a model, whose beauty stood out like a beacon.

She ordered a Schooner of beer and sat at the bar to enjoy her drink. Gary was used to being in these places and wouldn’t have worried about the clientele. As she took her first sip of beer, savouring the crisp coolness, she became aware of the gazes directed her way. They were almost like a physical touch, and the attention wasn’t particularly welcomed by Bethany. Several of the bolder members of the crowd came up to her, as if checking that she was real. Make that ‘drunker’ than the rest, for their gazes soon turned to lustful leers as they figured she must be some high class hooker who’d just happened to breeze into town.

Bethany realised that the original must not have left the camping ground where her mobile home was parked, preferring to stay there, than mingling with the local population. Given the type of attention she was getting now, Bethany didn’t blame her.

“Do you want me to provide you with a self defense package?” Ada enquired cautiously.

Despite her negative opinion about being treated like a plain old computer that need an upgrade, Bethany decided to be prudent and accept whatever help Ada could provide. She felt knowledge of martial arts slipping into her memory like a cool breeze passing over her skin. Her confidence, that had taken a sudden drop once she’d realised her new-found vulnerability, came back with a vengeance, as her awareness of what she could now do to protect herself, grew clear.

As her personal space was invaded by one of the bolder men, she finished her drink and stood up, preparing to leave. The man put his hand on hers as she placed her empty glass back on the bar, stopping her from withdrawing.

“Let me go,” she hissed, trying not to lose her temper.

“Come on, Babe. I know what a Sheila like you wants,” he leered, suggestively.

Her afternoon having a few quiet drinks now spoiled by this unwanted attention, caused Bethany’s anger to simmer for a moment before coming to a boil. “If you want to keep that hand, you’d better remove it,” she threatened.

The man laughed at her threat, turning to his mates, who just egged him on in support. In a flash, while his attention was diverted, Bethany twisted away out of his grasp and reversed the grip so that she had his hand in a hold that defied his delayed efforts to escape. With a move that turned her into his body, she put her back against his chest, and forced him to the floor, with a compelling grip that threatened to snap his wrist should he resist.

Seeing their hero fall to the ground, the rest of the gang moved forward to encircle Bethany as she crouched over the guy. Releasing the man on the ground, she stood up and assumed a martial art pose that was unmistakable. Her expression showed her confidence at protecting herself. She couldn’t resist doing what she’d seen in several action movies. Her outstretched hand, which was held in a vertical blade form, twisted palm up and she used her cupped fingers to wave them on while she grinned.

The mob stopped, unprepared for this slip of a girl, who oozed the confidence of a latter day Bruce Lee.

The man by her feet scuttled outside and ran smack dab into Tom Caruthers. “Well what do we have here?” he asked, picking up the man and straightening the guys clothes.

“There’s a crazy woman inside. She nearly broke my wrist for no reason,” the man whined, trying to weasel out of any blame.

Just then, Bethany backed out of the place, coming to a halt when she turned and saw Tom. As her eyes flicked to the man standing by him, Tom saw the man flinch away, even though Bethany made no aggressive move at all.

Although Tom showed no expression, inside he was laughing at the sight of the heavyset man being scared by this slip of a woman, whom he outweighed two to one.

“I think you’ve had too many drinks. I suggest you walk home before I bring you in for drunk and disorderly,” Tom ordered brusquely.

The man started to protest, but then thought better of it as the steel in Tom’s eyes turned to chilled gun metal.

“Yes, Officer.” The man obeyed, before turning and stumbling down the street.

“You wanted to see me?” Tom asked, looking at Bethany appraisingly.

“Yes, I was wondering what you had found out so far?’ she answered, looking back towards the door where the bar crowd were hovering around.

“You have a little trouble with them?” he asked.

“A little.”

“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Tom strode into the bar and started reading the riot act to those inside. In the nearly deserted streets, his voice was clearly heard from inside as he tore into them, for their behaviour.

“You know, you shouldn’t have gone in there alone,’ Tom said to her, once he returned outside. “Some of those men have been out in the bush for weeks. Seeing a beauty like yourself is like painting yourself red before a bull.”

Bethany shrugged. “I only went for a drink, and I can take care of myself… (Now),” she added under her breath.

“So I heard. I didn’t know you were into martial arts?” he questioned as they made their way by to his office.

“Well, a girl’s got to learn to protect herself you know?” she threw back as they entered the building.

“Hmmm. Strange it didn’t come up on your profile when I first checked you out when I got the message you were missing.”

“Well, a girl has to have some secrets. I wouldn’t want to scare potential boyfriends away if they knew I could break their arms,” Bethany retorted.

“Hey, I wasn’t implying anything,” Tom assured her, backing away from the subject.

Inside Bethany’s head, Gary was gagging. ‘What boyfriends? What am I saying?’ Showing none of the internal conflict, Bethany squashed Gary’s voice down. What Gary liked or disliked had to be put aside while she played this role. Tom wasn’t just a country cop who could be brushed aside. He was savvy, and would be quick to find any discrepancies, should she mess up. For now, she had to be Bethany and let the personality overlay Ada had provided control her actions and words. The Gary part of her grumbled, but accepted this with only minor reservations.

“Well, I found the car and the bike, but there’s no sign of this Gary character,” Tom informed her, tactfully changing the subject.

“Will you be bringing them here?” she asked, trying to sound disinterested.

“No, I’m sending them to Kalgoorlie for fingerprinting and forensic examination.”

This sent alarm bells ringing though Bethany. If they didn’t find any evidence of her being in the car, then questions would surely be raised. At the least, there would be a delay before she could get her hands on it, and at the worst, they might start looking at his flat in Perth. His whole life as Gary would be under scrutiny. Bethany silently cursed Ada for putting her in this situation. Okay, so far it had been pretty interesting and an experience she’d treasure for life, but she could see that coming clean about her so called abduction would lead to more complications.

Ada might be powerful and all knowing, but she wasn’t infallible. She needed a plan B. Returning as Gary seemed impossible at the moment. If she told them that the kidnapping was a hoax, she could end up in serious trouble, seeing how much time and resources were being used to find her supposed abductor.

Gary was the one with the prospector’s license that allowed him to fossick over both crown lands and farmers holdings. Tom’s voice broke into her musings. Was that all you wanted to know?” he asked.

“Um, yes thanks. I’ll head back to my place,” she answered distractedly, not seeing the disappointment in Tom’s eyes.

She left the office and wandered down the street looking at the town with fresh insight. When she saw the survey office, an idea came to mind. Walking in, she asked about the correct procedure to stake a claim.

Although she knew some of it, from her, (Gary’s) license, she needed to make sure that everything she intended to do couldn’t be taken away from her once she decided to stake out the reef. She’d heard stories of claims being overstaked by aboriginals who’d got wind of a claim. The original discoverer of the claim had flown to Perth to make his claim, but the aboriginals had found the pegs and overstaked it and then gone to the local survey office. Although a big stink was made of it, the aboriginals kept the claim and found a huge gold bearing area that was worth millions.

Although she gave no details of a discovery or any location, the man in the office got the distinct impression that she had discovered a worthy prospect from the questions she asked. Bethany never saw the aboriginal who was hanging around the open doorway listening intently to the conversation. When she did eventually leave, there was nobody in sight.

Stopping off at the hardware shop, she checked out the type of stakes that were available from the information garnered from the guy from the survey office. She made her way back to the unit in the camping ground, never realizing someone had followed her movements since she’d left the survey office, nor was she aware of someone keeping her in view as she entered her unit.

The next day was spent around the camp, as the others packed up the equipment prior to heading out. Bethany refused an offer to fly her home, as she wanted to stay around so she could go stake out the gold find. Obviously she couldn’t tell the director that, so she said she wanted to drive back. When an offer of going back in the Mercedes was rejected due to her interest in doing the touristy route, she decided to see if there was a hire car service in town.

“But you already hired our one and only car,” said a puzzled agent attached to the local garage. “We are still waiting on the car to be delivered back from Perth,” the man said.

The original Bethany must have hired the only car available, which put a crimp in her plans.

“Sorry, I had to fly back urgently, as a roll of film was bad and I had to shoot it again,” Bethany lied calmly. “Is there any other vehicle available? A four wheel drive was what I was really after.”

“There is one Landrover available in Leonora,” the man told her after consulting his computer. “I can have it delivered to you here by this afternoon, if you like?”

“Yes, that will be fine,” Bethany told him, knowing Leonora was a slightly larger place and roughly an hours drive away. She didn’t notice that there seemed to be rather more aboriginals hanging around as she left the car rental office, one of whom visited the rental place after she was out of sight.

Later that afternoon she went back and picked up the 4 wheel drive and drove it back to the unit. She packed a few of her more practical clothes and left the rest. She figured most wouldn’t be needed as she planned to return to being Gary, or at least some other male if Gary was still being actively sought. Originally, she wasn’t going to bother taking any of Bethany’s clothes other than what she was wearing, but as Ada pointed out, it would seem strange if all her stuff was left behind.

The rest of Bethany’s belongings were going to be flown back to her home in Perth, with her agent taking care of all of that. Once she said goodbye to everyone, she drove back into town and went shopping. Along with food supplies and water, she bought some survey pegs at the hardware store.

She set off, wanting to get to the place where she, as Gary, had originally left his car. There was fresh water there in what is commonly known as a Gnamma hole, which is usually just a hole in the rock that can go down to anywhere from a meter to up to thirty meters in depth. The one Gary had found was just under a half a meter wide and went down twenty meters. It had been covered by a slab of rock of a different colour to prevent contamination by animals falling in and drowning. That had most likely been done by the aboriginals that roamed this country.

She set up camp once she reached her destination, not that it entailed much. She hadn’t bothered replacing the tent Gary had used to sleep in. Things like that might have aroused suspicions. Not that she knew that it had been in vain at that point. Ada pointed out that if she remained Bethany, with her smaller body, she could sleep across the back seat of the Landrover. Never one for roughing in the ground on just a ground roll and sleeping bag, even as Gary, that seemed a good idea.

Only the fire pit remained of Gary’s gear. It had two metal rods spread across a narrow trench in which a fire could be built to keep it from spreading. She made a small fire and heated an opened tin of baked beans over it, using the rods to support the can. A still cold pint carton of milk followed the beans before she got ready to doss down for the night. Wanting to get out of her restrictive clothes, she opted for a short nightie that would make her rest comfortable.

The first inklings of trouble came when a hand went over her mouth and she woke to the sickly smell of chloroform, before lapsing back to oblivion.

Ada was aware that Gary, aka Bethany, had been subdued by a substance that rendered her unconscious by persons unknown at this time. She could have changed Bethany back to Gary and having done so, rid the body of the effects of the chloroform, but since this might be observed by others, it would surely make things worse. Anyway, Ada’s logic was alien, and not being alive in the same sense as humanity, she didn’t have a sense of self preservation. She did, however, have a certain fondness for her activator, unlike what she had felt for her previous Teg owner.

Deciding to do nothing until circumstances changed and things became clearer, she remained dormant, watching the dark skinned men remove Bethany from the four wheel drive.

Bethany came to feeling groggy, and with the start of a headache coming on. Trying to rub her head, she found that her hands were tied together. She opened her eyes, realizing that she was in trouble as she saw the group of aboriginals gathered around her. It was near dawn, and judging by the different terrain around her, knew she was some distance from where she had camped. She couldn’t talk, as a gag had been placed over her mouth. Nevertheless, she mumbled into it.

“You are approximately 15.34 kilometers due south of the campsite,” Ada answered, having deciphered her garbled, “Where am I?”

In other circumstances, Bethany would have asked, “If 15.34 k’s is approximately, what would an exact distance be?” Another mumbled question evoked a new response from Ada.

“Five indigenous natives used an aromatic sedative and then took you by a roundabout route to this place. No further activity occurred except one used a cell phone to call one Sam Bagalow and told him you had been captured.”

Bethany dearly wanted to know why Ada hadn’t done anything to help her escape or even to prevent her capture, but that would have to wait, as one of the group came over and pulled her upright.

When her gag was removed, she spat on the ground, clearing her mouth. She was about to yell at him, when an oily voice behind her spoke out, “Hello Miss Chambers, so nice to meet you in the flesh as it were.”

She turned, seeing a pudgy Italian with a moustache standing there. A white van parked nearby was obviously his ride. He was short, and his once white shirt was stained with sweat under the arms. He looked out of place and uncomfortable in the already climbing heat of the day.

“What is all this, and why have you had me brought here?” she cried, starting to walk towards him.

Two men stepped forward to restrain her, but the visitor waved them off.

“We know that you are fronting for Gary Carstairs and his find. Very clever of you to stage a false kidnapping so you two could meet. Obviously, he hit pay dirt from what my friends tell me,” he offered, pointing towards the group of aboriginals. “Like the police, we haven’t yet located Mr. Carstairs, which is troubling my trackers. Seems he vanished into thin air. I’m prepared to give you a considerable sum for your claim. Then you won’t need to soil those pretty hands of yours,” he suggested with a veiled threat.

Bethany was in a quandary. Obviously, she hadn’t been careful enough to hide her interest in making a claim. That is, if it was even possible in such a small town like Laverton. That they knew the kidnapping was a lie was bad enough, but they now had her isolated from help. At least they hadn’t found out about Amanda.

“No price you could pay would be enough,” retorted Bethany with false bravado.

“Ah! So it’s that big, is it? Well, Miss Sun Tan girl, if money won’t sway you, then maybe this will.” With that, he waved his hand in a beckoning gesture and two men pulled a struggling woman from the van, a hood covering her head.

She was wearing a short skirt and she still had her heels on her feet. She struggled to maintain a balance on the uneven ground, as her hands were tied just like Bethany’s. The men brought her nearer and Bethany began to see something familiar which filled her with dread. He fears were confirmed as the hood was lifted from the woman’s face.

“When we heard that you were involved, we stopped off at your home in case we needed something other than money to convince you to sell,” the Italian sneered. “We were in luck when we found your twin, so we drugged her and brought her here.”

Facing Bethany was her original and the expression on her face at seeing a twin belied belief. The transformed Bethany knew she had to do something quick. Yelling internally for Ada to do something, she ran at the other Bethany’s captors. The real Bethany may have been in shock, but she thought quick on her feet, as she stamped on one her guard’s feet with her heel.

“Bethany? It can’t be. You’re dead,” the girl shouted, to the faux Bethany.

“Run!” the faux Bethany shouted at her twin, trying to sort out what the real Bethany was going on about as she managed to give the other guard a shove that put him off balance.

The real Bethany didn’t need her advice, having already turned and started towards the Mulga trees to her left. Ada warned the faux Bethany that the other was headed into dangerous territory as there were several abandoned mineshafts in the trees.

Bethany shouted to her twin. “This way,” as she made off towards the left of where her twin was heading.

“Stay away from me you bitch, you can’t be my real sister,” was all she heard from her twin as she disappeared into the trees.

Bethany was too concerned about escaping herself, to worry about her twin and her strange words. A quick glance over her shoulder showed that pursuit was slow to start. The Italian seemed content to let them run, as tied up as they were, he knew they couldn’t get far away, especially as his trackers were there to help.

A high pitched scream that was suddenly cut off filled Bethany with dread. She didn’t stop running, though, even knowing the real Bethany could be dead.

Once out of sight of her pursuers, Ada told her to stop. “I can hide both of us where I placed the metal detector, but only for about 30 minutes. Then the power drain will force me to return to normal space.”

“Is that safe?” Bethany asked cautiously, while still moving onward.

“It will be hard on your senses. I would advise you to keep your eyes closed while there.”

“Is there any other option?”

“I could put you in the form of a wallaby, and then you could outpace your pursuers,” Ada offered.

“Um, no thanks, I’ll take option one.” Bethany shuddered, thinking about the problems that might incur.

“Commencing transition,” warned Ada, prompting Bethany to close her eyes.

What followed seemed to take an eternity. Being curious, and despite the warnings, Bethany peeked with one eye to experience the space she and Ada now occupied. After experiencing some mind numbing images that seemed to suck at her mind, she clamped her eyes close, determined not to risk seeing those twisting patterns of chaos again.

‘Think of something to occupy your mind,’ cautioned Ada, sensing from her flinch, what Bethany had done.

She tried to puzzle out what the real Bethany was on about. It was almost as if she’d had a twin sister who was now dead, but why called her Bethany, when she herself was the real Bethany? It made her head hurt thinking about it, so instead, she tried thinking about something pleasant.

Bethany tried remembering being at the beach, but somehow, the images she conjured up were decidedly wrong. Instead of them being of Gary ogling all the scantily clad babes, she saw herself as Bethany in a pale yellow bikini. Not only that, but she was the one being ogled as she lay on her towel.

The now irate Italian demanded, “Where did she go?” as he surveyed the ground Bethany had last occupied. “First you let a slip of a girl get away from you and fall to her death in that mine shaft, and now the trackers you hired can’t find the other,” he berated his men.

“What are they doing now?” the Italian asked as the group of aboriginals gathered in a huddle.

“I’ll find out, Boss.”

The Italian fumed as the aboriginals jabbered away, then started to walk away. The man sent to find out what was happening returned fearful of his boss’s response to his news. “It seemed the woman is a spirit, and they don’t want to anger her.”

“WHAT? Get them back here! The woman is no more a spirit than I am,” the man thundered angrily.

“They say they followed her to this spot and then she vanished into thin air. Her tracks end here.” The guard pointed to a spot in the dust.

It was plain to even a non-tracker that the woman’s tracks just stopped. There were no trees around for her to have climbed into. The Italian’s wrath grew with every second as his frustration built. He stamped off to the van to call for more men.

Bethany was glad to reappear back into the heat of the Australian outback, as Ada brought them back from the limbo they had experienced. Even the threat of falling into the hands of the Italian was starting to look good.

There was no sign of the men near them, and Ada scanned the area and announced it clear. Bethany backtracked a bit, then cut across to head in the direction the original Bethany had headed. On the way, they heard voices and realised that the men hadn’t left, but had withdrawn back to the van and its air conditioned comfort.

Bethany eventually found the open shaft that her twin had fallen into, almost stepping into it herself. Looking at it with dread, she could see why one could fall in so easily. The shaft was about 2 meters across and lay flush with the surface. Peering down over the edge, Bethany could see the sheer walls going down vertically for about 30 meters before darkness obscured the view.

“I detect life signs,” Ada announced her bombshell news.

“She’s still alive down there?” Bethany gasped incredulously.

“Apparently,” Ada confirmed.

“We need to rescue her, but with those people nearby, we can’t hang around,” Bethany stated, feeling helpless.

“You want to rescue her, despite the fact she could expose you?” Ada asked curiously.

“Of course! What kind of person do you think I am?” Bethany asked, dumbfounded by the question.

“Obviously, one that has a higher moral character than most in your situation,” Ada mused, adding this to her databank of information.”

Bethany looked around for some sort of idea. The area immediately around the shaft was clear of debris, which probably was one reason for the fall, as no warning of a shaft was evident until you were on top of it. Further away, Bethany could see old steel mine ropes rusting away on the surface.

This gave her an idea. “Can you call the police and have them scare off the men and help me get her out?”

“Already done, I put a call in as soon as you told me you wanted to affect her recovery,” Ada answered. “Now we need to lie low for 17 minutes, until they get the chopper here.”

“I didn’t know they had a helicopter available,” Bethany mused, as she sort out a hiding place among the debris left by the miners.

“They don’t, but the helicopter that Toby hired was delayed in leaving, due to a technical problem, so they commandeered that to fly out,” Ada explained.

Once she heard the beat of the chopper blades, there was the sound of someone driving away. Obviously the Italian had heard it too, and wasn’t about to risk being found in the area where a girl’s body lay.

The chopper circled the area and landed nearby. Bethany ran to meet it, waving her hands in agitation.

“We flew over a 4 wheel drive vehicle several klicks back. Is that yours?” one of the officers yelled to her over the noise of the whirling blades.

Bethany ducked her head and ran to the chopper, noting that the engines hadn’t been shut off.

“Yes, that’s mine, but we need to get it here, pronto. My sister is hurt, and we need my vehicle to rescue her.

“What about that other van we saw? The dust cloud shows it heading away from here towards Leonora.

Bethany explained, “They are the ones that abducted my sister,” not bothering to make up any fancy lies.

“Wait here! I’ll drop off one of my men at your vehicle, then we’ll follow the van. I’ll get an ambulance here as soon as possible.”

“Okay, but I’ll be over there by the mineshaft my sister fell into,” Bethany shouted, pointing in the direction of the shaft.

“The man nodded and signaled the pilot to lift off. Bethany just managed to catch his look as he turned away. He obviously thought her sister was dead, knowing how deep and treacherous these abandoned mines were. She crouched, then ran back, getting a blasting from the dirt stirred up by the blades as they increased thrust.

While Bethany waited for one of the officers to return with her 4x4, she looked around the mine area for things to make her plan work. Locating an oblong framework made from steel angle iron, she managed to drag it nearer to the entrance of the mine itself. There was a lifting bolt mounted on one end and it looked like it might have been part of a cage that the miners used to enter the mineshaft. It took all of her enhanced strength to move it, but finally it was in position. By the time she had checked out the lengths of discarded cable and selected which one she wanted, she could hear her Landrover coming.

Jim Collins, the officer that had been given to chore to assist her, was young and inexperienced, and Bethany had no difficulty persuading him to do her bidding. It wasn’t until long after, that she realised he was in awe of her, and already half in love.

“Tie this steel cable to this frame and then tie the cable to the Landrover,” she ordered, having outlined her plan.

“But, this cable has been rusting out here for over fifty years,” protested Jim.

“True, but it still has most of its strength. With the low rainfall and dry air, it only has surface rust. Heck, even the old tinned cans the miners used are still intact,” she pointed out.

“I should be the one to go down there. If you get hurt, they’ll tear me a new one for letting you do it,” Jim argued.

“Look, I know you mean well, but she’s my twin sister. I’m a lot lighter than you are, and I know she’s alive and where she is,” Bethany half lied, knowing only the first.

Bethany donned more practical clothes for the descent, then loaded a pack from the truck with her torch, some rope, and a first aid kit, along with Jim’s police radio. Jim found a frequency on the scanner that Bethany had bought that would let him monitor her progress and know when to lower or lift the frame. Once she wedged herself into the frame hanging over the edge, Jim drove forward, allowing her and the frame to descend into the shaft. At about twenty meters, she saw some blood on parts of the old timber framing that jutted out into the shaft. There was a terrible stench that told her something dead was also in the shaft. Ada turned her sense of smell down with a small change, after she complained.

Going deeper, the shaft narrowed and the light grew dimmer. Bethany hoped there was enough rope to allow her to find her twin. She spotted something reddish just below her, and she called on Jim to slow the descent. What she had spotted was a dead kangaroo, a big red, one of the largest in Australia. It had stuck on a piece of iron jutting out of hole cut into the side of the shaft. It was obviously the source of the stink, but there was no sign of Bethany, and the roo blocked the shaft completely.

“She’s in the side shaft,” prompted Ada.

She had Jim stop the descent as she neared the dead kangaroo. She shone her torch into the side shaft, seeing it sloped downwards on a slight angle.

Telling Jim to hold it there, she managed to get off the frame and into the side shaft. She crawled in, seeing some blood trailing forward on the bottom of the horizontal shaft. She spotted her target about 3 meters in, huddled in a ball against a curve of the shaft.

She tried telling Jim she’d found her sister, but the ground completely killed her signal. She checked Bethany’s pulse, finding it steady and strong. There was a gash on her head that looked like it had happened on the way down, as there was no blood on the rocks where she lay, other than what had bled directly under her head.

She figured out that the dead roo had fallen and had stuck further up the shaft where she had seen the dried blood. When the real Bethany had fallen, she must have landed on the roo and dislodged it, falling further down until it had struck the iron bar. Her impact must have been softened by the animal’s body and she had bounced off and rolled down the side shaft.

Bethany crawled back to the vertical shaft and let Jim know what was happening, and to wait till she could ascertain her sister’s injuries.

After Jim’s reluctant assent, she went back to the injured Bethany.

Carefully checking arms and legs for breaks, she applied a bandage to the head wound, staunching the blood loss. She could see bruising on her face which made her unrecognizable as her exact twin. She waited, hoping Bethany would recover consciousness soon.

Ada warned, “She may have some memory problems with that blow on the head.”

“She will be okay?”

Ada reassured her, “I don’t detect any major injuries.”

While she waited for the injured Bethany to rouse, she couldn’t help think of her own sister, Amanda, and the tragic circumstances of her injury. Their parents had both been killed in the accident that left Amanda crippled. Gary had found her, still crumpled in the wreck in much the same position as Bethany was in now. No one had seen the accident that took their parents lives. Only luck had saved Amanda from dying of her injuries, as Gary had followed their route up that sparsely trafficked road after them when they didn’t return from their blackberry picking venture. He’d called for help and tried to make Amanda comfortable, as much as was possible without moving her body.

Tears fell from her eyes as she watched Bethany, hoping she hadn’t suffered the same fate as Amanda.

There was a moan, and Bethany stirred, straightening out her body. With a weak voice “Bethany?” came from the injured girl.

“Hi, you had a fall, but I think you’ll be okay,” whispered the faux Bethany. “Can you recall your name?” she asked, trying to see if there was any memory loss

“Um Beth … no, it’s Liz …yes my name is Elizabeth,” she answered, slightly more forcefully, shocking Bethany at her side.

Bethany leaned back, trying to take in this new information. The person she thought was the real Bethany, was saying she was Elizabeth? Something was really screwy here.

“Is that you Bethany? Elizabeth asked, opening her eyes. “I didn’t mean to take your place, but I thought you were dead …”

“Hush, Liz. It can wait till later after we get you out of here,” Bethany insisted, trying to cope with this revelation. “Can you move? We need to crawl out of this hole.”

Elizabeth stretched slowly, testing for any injuries. It seemed to Bethany that all she had were some bruises and the wound on her head. Bethany guided Elizabeth to the exit of the tunnel, where she got herself astraddle of the iron frame. She took the rope from her pack and then guided Elizabeth onto the frame so she was sitting in front of her, so she could tie the rope around the frame, and around their bodies, making a crude barrier against falling out.

Bethany radioed Jim to back the Landrover, and slowly they rose up the shaft. Bethany used her feet to keep them off the sides where they might get hung up. Nearing the top, she called a halt. The frame was just below the lip of the shaft and any more pulling might cause it to tilt and threaten them with a spill.

In what seemed seconds, Jim was there, leaning over the edge of the shaft with a relieved look on his face.

“Okay, reach up and I’ll pull you up the rest of the way,” he told them quickly.

With Bethany supporting her, Elizabeth was soon on the surface and Bethany followed soon after. Jim fussed over Elizabeth, doing what his training recommended, using what bandages were available in Bethany’s small first aid kit.

The ambulance came 15 minutes later, and both Bethany and her sister were bundled inside. Jim stayed with the Landrover, promising to bring it back to Laverton after he did his best to cover the shaft with whatever he could salvage nearby.

The ride back in the ambulance was smoother than driving in the Landrover, for which Bethany was grateful. Being a passenger is often harder than being the driver, where you automatically anticipate the bumps. The attendant took Elizabeth’s vitals and radioed them to an unseen voice. Seeing the ride was headed towards Leonora Bethany lay down on the other cot, waving off the attendant who seemed to be a mite too familiar with his hands.

Although she was burning to ask Elizabeth questions, now wasn’t the time and it seemed Elizabeth was equally reluctant to start talking with the ambulance attendant in earshot. She just lay back and tried to rest, and Bethany followed suit, managing to get some sleep as the ambulance emerged from the bush tracks and hit the slightly smoother gravel roads.

In Leonora, Elizabeth was checked out and pronounced fit enough to leave after two stitches were used to close the head wound. Her nose was fractured but not broken and the sticky plaster over it contrasted with the darkening bruising around her eyes. All this coupled with the bandage around her forehead made it hard to notice that she and Bethany were identical twins. It was while Bethany was in the room as Elizabeth got dressed again, that she noticed something odd. Elizabeth had a birthmark on her left breast. Sure, it was small and normally hidden by her bra, judging by her suntan lines, but that wasn’t the interesting part. If she was a copy of Elizabeth, why didn’t she have a similar birthmark?

“I generated the body you’re in from the pictures I gleaned from the net,” Ada informed her silently, after a sub vocal query from Bethany. “Bethany didn’t have a visible birthmark,” she added, leaving out the obvious.

Bethany whispered a bit louder, “You mean I’m really her twin, and not a clone?”

“It would seem so, which means your double is still out there,” Ada speculated.

Bethany thought back to Elizabeth’s comments when they first met. Obviously she was of the opinion that her sister was dead. She queried this with Ada.

“I can’t find any record of her death, or even that she is, or was, missing. Looks like Elizabeth took care of that by impersonating her.” Ada cautioned. “Be careful asking questions. Don’t let on that you aren’t, in fact, her sister.”

Getting released from the small surgery that doubled as the local doctors office was hampered by the local law, who seemed excited at having something special on their books, something other than the usual drunk drivers and domestic disputes among some of the locals. Having a bona fide abduction involving a powerful crime lord, was an excuse to pull out all the stops, especially as it might mean a promotion and a transfer out of the backwater town.

The girls finally got away about 2 hours later, after giving only the minimum information they could get away with. Bethany did have to tell them she had found gold, (the reason the mob were after her for,) but she didn’t elaborate on it, which only fueled speculation by the officers taking their statements.

They did find out that those in the helicopter had caught the fleeing criminals. The driver in the van had been distracted by the chopper overhead and didn’t see the small wash in front of them. Filled with soft gravel, they beached the van hub deep. They were all now in Kalgoorlie, waiting transfer to Perth.

Bethany was in a quandary. Part of her wanted to resume looking for her gold, but with everything that had happened, she knew it wasn’t a good idea, as her movements would be closely watched. The other part wanted to go back to Perth with Elizabeth and find out more of what was going on.

Ada made the decision for her, telling her that going to Perth would put to rest most of the speculation, as she would be unlikely to leave if the claim was really of any major value. She could then find out about her true twin and organize a proper trip to locate and claim the gold.

After a chartered flight to Kalgoorlie in a Cessna Skyhawk, they caught a flight to Perth. Arriving late that afternoon, they were soon at the home where Bethany and Elizabeth lived.

Coming from the harsh dry landscape of the Western Australian goldfields, where the land was dotted with Saltbush, Spinifex and the occasional gum tree, the house was a pleasant change. The bright flowers of the Wattles and Bottlebrush lining the driveway contrasted and complimented each other, especially with the red flowers and verdant green of the Kangaroo Paws growing at their feet.

Bethany thought the place looked nice, but it was not as fancy as she’d expected, given the money models were supposed to earn. The house itself was tucked away on the back portion of the property, which gave it privacy, yet still allowed it to overlook Perth, with some spectacular views. Inside, the decor was very obviously feminine based, with no masculine input. Not that she wanted to go headlong into a romance with a strange guy, but Bethany was relieved, as well as curious. Where were the boyfriends these girls should have had? she asked Ada, as Elizabeth went and got two drinks from the mini bar.

“Okay, now that we’re alone, I think it’s time to talk,” Bethany started, after accepting the drink from Elizabeth. “Why did you say that I was dead?”

“Do you remember telling me that you’d decided to leave that bastard, Samuel effing Masters, and that you were going to stop shooting up with the heroin that he and his gang were always pushing?”

“No, not really ... Things were kind of fuzzy then,” Bethany ventured, playing along.

Bethany was shocked to hear her original was an addict. No wonder now where some of her earnings had gone.

She waited, hoping Elizabeth would elaborate, watching her sip her drink. Eventually she went on, “You said you needed to get your life straight, and apologized for making me sub for you when you were too spaced out to do your job. You said you were going over to Samuel’s place to tell him you were finished with him and his drugs. He drove round later, accusing me for trying to turn you against him. You were in his car when I saw you last looking like you were unconscious from an overdose. Robert just gloated, saying you’d begged for it when you’d gone over. But I knew he’d given it to you, I never saw you again. Samuel told me you had killed yourself, but I figured you had died and he’d got rid of your body. That was a year ago.” Here, Elizabeth broke into sobs, as she recalled those memories.

Bethany couldn’t help, but reach out and hug Elizabeth. All she could think of was to say, “Hush, Sis. I’m here now.”

Inside, her mind despaired. How was she going to break it to Elizabeth that her sister was in all probability dead? When she returned to being Gary, Elizabeth would lose her sister all over again.

Ada broke into her thoughts, “You may have a problem.”

“What?” Bethany said aloud, unthinkingly. Luckily Elizabeth didn’t react, being too caught up in her emotions.

“It seems that Gary Carstairs is being sought in connection with Elizabeth’s abduction, according to the alert I got on the police channels.”

“Whaaat?” Bethany hissed under her breath, remembering other ears were around.

“Checking the police computer systems, it seems that the Italian mobster has tried to shift the blame on your former identity, saying that Gary and Bethany had a falling out. The story he reported, said that Gary had approached you for some cash outlay so the claim could be worked properly, with a percentage going to you. You apparently wanted more and refused to fund it unless he gave you more. Gary then had Elizabeth kidnapped to force you change your mind. The mobster says he was just the middleman,” Ada reported.

“What a load of …” Bethany didn’t bother completing the rest, as Elizabeth stirred herself and looked curiously at her.

“What happened to you? Why didn’t come home, or contact us? I had to be you, as well as myself for mom. It was hard juggling between the two of us for a year. Samuel threatened to implicate me with your death if I went to the police, not that I could. If I had, then it would have become common knowledge and your … my ... only source of income would be lost. I wasn’t sure if you were really dead or not and if you were alive, and I’d reported it, then the drug scandal would still have killed your career. But by the time I’d given you up for dead, it had been months, and by my impersonating you in your job, I would have been jailed, as well as becoming a suspect in your death.”

“I found a file on Samuel Master’s computer,” Ada interrupted. “There's a jpg of a body belonging to the original Bethany. He or someone must have taken it just before they buried it in a sandy grave that’s shown in the picture. No telling where the location is, and there’s nothing else relating to your death. I’ve managed to delete the file and added a search and destroy virus that will wipe any attempt to reload it.”

“I’m sorry. I nearly did die. They left me in a shallow grave and covered me up. Luckily, I was face down, and had an air space.” Bethany explained smoothly, giving no sign of the information Ada was feeding her.

“When I came to, I managed to struggle out and lay on the surface till the next day,” Bethany lied, feeling awful while doing it. With the change in circumstances regarding her identity as Gary, she didn’t want to burn her bridges to her borrowed identity just yet. If and when the police tried to confirm what the mobster had lied about, it was going to look suspicious if she denied everything and then staked a claim to gold that supposedly never existed. It looked as if staying Bethany for the foreseeable future was going to be her best option.

“I was found by some real aboriginals and taken to their camp. I was delirious, and I think they knew I was on drugs. They never went to the police, probably because it didn’t occur to them, but whatever, they nursed me back to health. I must have eaten all sorts of disgusting food, Bethany explained.

“Seeing that Samuel thought he’d killed me, I decided to remain dead, figuring you’d just take my place in my modeling job. I went walkabout with the tribe until the lure of drugs was burnt out of my system.” Bethany was making up the story as she went along, drawing on her experiences as Gary.

Getting another drink for herself, Bethany walked over to the window and looked out over Perth before continuing her fabrication. “Once I was able, I walked into the desert to find myself.” Here, Bethany laughed, knowing that Elizabeth could never guess just how true that was.

“I ... I found something else Liz … I found gold, lots of it. But I need to give some of it to a sister of a friend who helped me out there.” Bethany stopped, turned away from the window and looked at her new sister. From the tears flowing from Elizabeth’s eyes it seemed like she was totally taken in by her lies. Bethany felt awful knowing it was all a lie, yet the truth wouldn’t serve any good purpose and would only end up hurting everyone.

When Elizabeth ran and hugged her, something in Bethany snapped and tears flowed for her, for Elizabeth, and for Gary and Amanda.

“Robert, your agent, rang me asking for you to contact him for some promotions. With you gone, I pretended to be you and he never guessed. At least I don’t think so. I was a bit standoffish and pretended to get angry easily to stop anyone wanting to get really cozy to me. I think I overdid it a bit and got a rep as a bitch, but as long as it didn’t stop the work coming, I think it helped me pull it off.”

“Ah!” Bethany exclaimed softly. “I wondered about that. Did you know I finished your … my Coppertone Campaign when you ran off?”

“No, I did try to ring Robert to apologize, but couldn’t get through. I thought I’d blown it, but those flies were just too much. I nearly drowned in repellent and they still came and tested every bit of skin in case I’d missed a spot. I was supposed to remain still, but the camera couldn’t see them on my back enjoying the shade, and I couldn’t move to brush them off … argh! The last stroke was when I swallowed one and threw up trying to get rid of it.”

“Been there, done that,” Bethany sympathized, knowing all too well the horrors of the bush flies.

Bethany strolled around the house with Elizabeth in tow, using the get reacquainted with everything again excuse. “I kept your room exactly as it was,” offered Elizabeth, opening a bedroom door to show her.

Bethany stepped in, checking out her room. It wasn’t overpoweringly feminine, for which she was rather glad, but it wasn’t anything like Gary had ever slept in either. She sat down on the soft bed and picked up a photo of Bethany and Elizabeth with an older woman, she assumed was their mother, going by the family resemblance.

“Mother will be glad to see us, both of us. She is always complaining that she never gets to see both of us at once. I’m just glad in a sad way that her eyes are bad enough that she never spotted the difference when I substituted for you.”

“When can we see her?” Bethany asked, thinking this would be a Bethany thing to do.

“Anytime, you know she never stops us visiting.”

“You have visitors,” Ada warned privately, just a moment before an authoritative knocking resounding through the house.

“Sounds like the police are here,” winced Bethany, moving to the door before someone outside decided to knock it down.

“Miss Chambers? Bethany Chambers?” The officer outside asked, when she opened the door.

“Yes? That is correct,” she replied calmly.

“I have reason to understand that you have had dealings with one Gary Carstairs, regarding a gold claim east of Laverton, which resulted in your sister’s abduction by Carlos Salvatore on his behalf.”

“I had dealings with Gary, yes, but the rest is a pack of lies. Gary wasn’t involved in my sister’s abduction. That was all the Italian …Carlos Salvatore I take it? doings.”

“That isn’t what I was led to believe,” the office refuted, sounding very sure of himself.

“So, you would take the word of a criminal over both mine and my sister’s?” Bethany asked archly.

The officer deflated somewhat and tried to bluster. Bethany cut him off and started telling him in no uncertain terms what he could do with his accusations.

“As a matter of fact, Gary approached me and offered the claim to me, saying he didn’t have the resources to develop it. If it turned out to be a significant find, then I was to give a portion to his sister and get her out of the institution where she is, and get her back into a normal life situation. He had found enough gold to live on and was going to look for alternative ways to help his sister.”

“He just gave up the rights to his find for nothing more than a promise?” the officer scoffed unbelievingly.

“No, not just a promise, if the find is as big as he suspected, I’m to set up a fund to help others with special needs. If you’re wondering why me, I grubstaked him for several years when he had a theory as to the whereabouts of Lassiter’s Reef.”

“You’re trying to tell me he found …that you know where …?” the officer gasped in shock.

Bethany silently cursed her slip of the tongue. If the media got wind of this, it would be a media circus and her every move would be under a microscope.

To cover her lapse, she laughed out loud, to throw the officer off. “I wish! Gary was always a dreamer. I doubt there are more than few nuggets left, but I did promise to search, so that’s what I’ll do. If you thought you had found that mythical pot of gold, would you leave it unclaimed and return here?” She threw the question back in his face, telling from the expression on his face as he considered her words, that she had scored a good point.

His disappointment was clearly obvious. “No I suppose not, but it would be something if it was true,” he offered wistfully.

“Yes it would, so you see, your information is incorrect. If you wish to question my sister about the abduction itself, then do so. Of course she doesn’t know about my dealings with Gary, as I’ve been out of touch with her for some time.”

The officer accepted and was led inside, where Bethany told Elizabeth what the officer wanted. Bethany got another drink, but stayed within earshot as the officer asked his questions. Elizabeth was annoyed at having to repeat herself all over again, and it showed in the shortness of her answers. Finally, the questions were over and the officer left. He didn’t bother to resume any questioning with Bethany as Elizabeth saw him out, so she assumed he was satisfied with the information supplied.

Bethany excused herself, saying she was going to get a shower to refresh herself. While there, she sought solace for her decision to remain Bethany with a few self generated orgasms. When she emerged, much refreshed as well as sated, she passed Elizabeth heading for her own shower.

The grin on her sister’s face told her that she hadn’t been as quiet about it as she’d hoped. “Looks like you need to get a new boyfriend,” Elizabeth giggled, undoing her clothes as she went.

“No, I need longer lasting batteries,” Bethany threw back, hiding her repugnance at the thought of having sex with a guy.

Elizabeth’s reply was another giggle as she slipped into the bathroom half naked.

Bethany hoped that the sight of a half naked woman evincing no sexual interest was the familiarity of seeing the almost identical image in a mirror, rather than that her sexual arousal might lead in a different direction.

“I called Mom while you were playing stink finger,” shouted Elizabeth, from the shower. “She invited us for dinner, so you’d better look your best. The luggage from the shoot came yesterday. It’s still in my bedroom. Wear the cream outfit, it was one I loved.”

“Yes, Motheer,” Bethany shouted back, altering course to her sister’s room.

Looking at the outfit Elizabeth had suggested, she could see why her sister loved it, but something told her to look in her sister’s wardrobe anyway. There, she saw a watered silk dress in lilac that would hug her curves, yet still allow her freedom of movement. Once she took it off the hanger and held it against her body, she knew what she was going to wear. Let Elizabeth wear the cream outfit, if she loved it so much.

“What am I doing?” she asked Ada quietly. “Why do I feel this is what the original Bethany would do, borrow her sister’s clothes I mean?” She fingered the fabric gently wondering what it felt like to wear. “I feel …I don’t know ... but it definitely isn’t me, that is ... Gary,” she stumbled to explain the weird way she was acting.

“It’s the program I used to help you. I took all the information I could find about Bethany, from her early school days to interviews just a few months back, and condensed them into a persona generating program.”

“A few months ago? But the person giving those interviews wasn’t Bethany, it was Elizabeth. How was that going to help build that persona thing?” Bethany pointed out, looking in the closet for a suitable set of shoes for the dress.

“Who better? If you were a famous model …?”

“Which I am,” laughed Bethany, interrupting Ada.

“Which you are,” continued Ada, without a pause. “Would you tell the media all the personal details of your life that matter to you? Now I’m not talking about details that are already public knowledge. I’m talking about the stuff that maybe only your sister would know.”

Seeing a glimmering of what Ada was leading to, Bethany replied, “I guess not. I’d probably gloss over that, and make up a few juicy lies to feed them.”

“Exactly, but Elizabeth being interviewed, and wanting to keep up the masquerade, and trying to fit into her sisters shoes as it were …”

“Like I am,” grinned Bethany, interrupting again as she looked down at the pair of borrowed shoes on her feet.

Ada chuckled at Bethany’s quip. “She would be more honest, giving out details only she knew, that would convince everyone, including friends and family, that she was in fact, Bethany.”

“Ah! So she might have said she borrows her sister’s clothes or had a favourite dress she always borrowed?”

“Yes, so if you relax and let the persona help you, it will help you make fewer mistakes.”

Bethany thought about that as she took her borrowed outfit and went to her bedroom. An army recruiting slogan echoed in her mind, only the words had changed to suit her situation. “Be all the sister you can be.” Having already decided to continue her role as Bethany, she would try not to get bent out shape if she acted more like Bethany as time went on.

“I see time away hasn’t changed your habits.” Elizabeth grinned, as she walked into Bethany’s room still clad in a towel and rubbing her hair with another. “I might have known you’d borrow something I’d just bought,” she sighed.

“I’m sorry, but your wardrobe was open, and this just called to me.”

“Me too, that’s why I bought it. I just never thought my sister would be wearing it before I did,” Elizabeth sighed wistfully.

“I can take it off if you want, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Bethany offered.

“NO! You can keep it on. I just realised how much I missed you borrowing my stuff.” With that, Elizabeth came and hugged her long lost sister, shedding a few tears along the way.

“You can borrow my cream suit if you want,” Bethany consoled, returning the hug with enthusiasm.

“Now you’re talking, Sis.”

The meeting with “her” mother went off without a hitch, at least she never saw through her deception. ‘Mind you, that might have been because her vision wasn’t what it used to be,’ thought Bethany. Heather Chambers had cataracts, yet she could still see a little, and her manner was so cheerful, you would think it never bothered her at all. She welcomed both into her arms and only got them mixed up at the start because she knew that the dress that Bethany had borrowed was Elizabeth’s.

Once the meal was finished, Ada dropped a private bombshell to Bethany. “I can cure her vision problem,” she announced silently.

“How?” murmured Bethany behind her screen of a napkin. “We don’t want to tell her about you, it would only raise more questions, and I don’t want to hurt this family.”

“I can send the actual occlusion into p space, leaving her lens clear, and we don’t need to reveal the true nature of her cure. If I send only a portion of it each time over a period of several sessions, the body should regenerate the missing lens, and the cure will seem to be working. If you take both of her hands, I can work though you. All you need to do is say you learned some aboriginal magic while you were away on your ad campaign.”

“Magic?” Bethany questioned, unsure of how that would go over.

“Look around you. Her walls are filled with mystic talismans from all over the world. Surely she must have some element of belief, if she collects all that,” Ada prompted.

“Mother? I have something I want to try.” Bethany started, trotting out her plan to affect a cure. Even though it sounded unbelievable to her, Heather ate it up. So it was with some props like lit candles and other esoteric items that the first treatment began.

All it took was for them both to hold their hands together, while Elizabeth looked on with an expression of disbelief and anger at the farce.

That all changed, when pleading exhaustion 15 minutes later, Bethany broke away and Heather opened her eyes and exclaimed, “It’s working! I can see much more than I did. It’s not completely fixed, but much of the blurriness has gone,” she rejoiced, giving Bethany a hug of thanks.

“We will try again in an hour, as it might take several more treatments,” Bethany cautioned.

Elizabeth couldn’t believe anything so simple looking could have done any good. Her anger at her sister for giving what she thought was false hope to her mother was replaced instantly with curiosity, and not a few questions.

Bethany fielded them adroitly, saying it was a type of psychic healing with no real explanation, other than the recipient must believe. When Elizabeth persisted with her probing, Bethany stood up and told her flat out that either the ancient lore she had learned had helped, or she must have been imbued with magical power from an alien device found in the outback. This stopped all the questions, as there was no doubt which choice Elizabeth chose to believe, but being Elizabeth, she threw a parting shot.

“So, can you use this magical device for other things?” she joked.

“You’ll never know, will you?” Bethany grinned evilly.

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her sister before turning to her mother to re-confirm this miracle.

While her sister talked to her mum, Bethany stretched her body and wandered round the room, taking note of everything.

“You took a chance then, you know,” Ada’s voice sounded in Bethany’s head. “I can see the way you manipulated your words so the truth was ignored for a more logical, if unlikely explanation.”

‘People believe what they want, but given a choice, will nine times out of ten, choose the simplest answer,’ Bethany whispered.

Having recovered her energy an hour later, Bethany began another treatment. This time, when Ada took a bit more of the occluding tissue and sent it away, there was nothing but a look of hope and excitement showing in Elizabeth’s eyes. Ada advised Bethany to wait a week before trying another treatment, so the eye could recover the missing tissue through normal regeneration.

To say Heather was grateful would be an understatement. Even though she knew it wasn’t the final treatment, she could see much better.

Bethany advised her to keep it quiet, as the cure wouldn’t work for everyone and she didn’t want to be the center of attention for a miracle cure that she couldn’t duplicate every time.

Elizabeth was quiet on the ride home and Bethany saw her sister glancing sideways at her as she drove.

“What?” she finally asked, wondering if her makeup was smudged?

“Oh nothing,” her sister blushed, seeing she’d been caught.

“Nothing, phooey! Has my mascara run?” Bethany prompted, turning to face her sister.

“I guess you have changed while you’ve been away. It’s just I don’t see it,” Elizabeth finally admitted.

“Should I have grown some horns or be surrounded by some sort of mystical aura?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s hard to explain, but even though we got on well together before all this, you just seem nicer now, somehow,”

“Thanks, Sis. Maybe I’ve grown up a little.”

Elizabeth reached out one hand and took her sister’s hand, and held it all the way home despite some shaky gear changes using the other hand.

The next few days were spent at home, mainly to familiarize herself and clean up the place from damage caused by Elizabeth’s abductors. Heather had visited again, and had another treatment that rid her of the remaining cataracts. Her vision wasn’t yet perfect, but Ada assured Bethany that Heather’s vision would return to normal as the lens reformed its proper shape after having some of the volume inside removed. This gradual return to full sightedness would help, if and when Heather was questioned by her doctor.

Bethany used the time to make some discrete inquiries into setting up a team that would help stake her claim and then protect it as work began to recover it from the ground. She also had Ada check to see if there was any police presence surrounding her true sister Amanda, at the institution.

“There does seem to be someone assigned to that duty,” Ada informed her, after checking computer logs in the police headquarters.

Bethany decided to go out on her own and scout around. Elizabeth had just gone out to get her hair done, so it was an ideal opportunity.

Bethany had found out that she now owned a muscle car, a two door Holden Monaco GT, in red. Apparently it was an image thing. Elizabeth had her own car, a blue Holden Estate, the one they had gone to her mothers in. It was a slightly more sedate car, as it hadn’t been modified like the GT.

Gary had never been one for messing with engines. If it ran, then you left it alone. Getting into the drivers seat of the GT and starting it nearly sent her into orgasm, as the deep throbbing beat of the V8 vibrated her whole body. She revved it, hearing the low throaty burble turn into a roar that nearly deafened her. She took it gingerly at first, never having experienced anything with so much power before. She could see why people loved these beasts as she gradually gained more confidence. Just a quick stamp on the pedal would send the car surging forward, pressing her back into the seat from the acceleration. Soon, she was speeding along above the speed limit in her new toy.

“Slow down, there’s a police unit ahead operating a radar device,” warned Ada.

Bethany giggled. “I have my very own radar detector,” she enthused, slowing the beast down just in time.

Avoiding the police was easy, but someone else soon had their eye on her, and made a quick call on their cell phone. “Boss, I thought you might want to know. Someone’s driving the Chambers GT. It’s not Elizabeth, I saw her at the hairdressers not 5 minutes ago.”

“I know, Boss, but the chick driving it is her clone.”

“I know that, but there seems to be another.”

“Okay, Boss, I’ll follow her till you catch up.”

Bethany drove on, unaware of the danger until the ever alert Ada filed through the millions of cell phone calls. “I think we may have caught some unwelcome attention,” she warned, before replaying both sides of the conversation.

Being a cell phone call and knowing that scanners could be listening in, the conversation Ada had monitored mentioned no actual names, nor was any incriminating information given out, but the tone itself seemed threatening, and the general conversation fit the present circumstances to a tee. The clincher came when Ada, through some means known only to her, accessed the number the observer had called. It matched that of the former Bethany’s boyfriend.

Nervously, Bethany drove along, keeping an eye out for her pursuers. A brown nondescript Ford that had been following her for some time without suspicion, now became a prime suspect, until another newer BMW took its place Ada advised that she head out into the country away from most of the public traffic.

“Isn’t that the opposite of what I should be doing?” she asked.

“Normally, but I thought that you’d like to eliminate the threat once and for, not have it linger.”

“Sure, but?”

“If we avoid a confrontation now by going into somewhere public, they get the advantage,” Ada calmly offered.

“Huh?” Bethany asked

“They will have time to plan another attack when you least suspect it. By letting them follow now, they will be caught off guard without the chance to plan something devious if you prove to be Bethany. At this point, there’s some doubt to your actual identity, and it will be least likely to end in violence till they prove it conclusively. Stop at that park up ahead and walk to the pond.”

Bethany did as asked, even though she was nervous about the whole thing. Ada, sensing her state of mind, assured her that she was safe from any attack, although she neglected to say why that was so.

She walked to the pond, noticing that the BMW had parked behind her, and three men got out. Two remained alert at the car, while the third moved in her direction. Ada, using her 360 degree vision, told Bethany that it was Samuel Masters, began keeping her apprised of his position.

Bethany turned as he got within a couple of meters of her. He gasped as recognition awoke fear in his eyes, and he turned several shades paler.

He looked her over from head to toe, trying to discover anything that would deny her identity. His eyes strayed to her hands and in particular, a diamond ring that Ada had supplied her with, when she generated her form.

“You are dead. I buried your body, and I took back my ring … that ring.” he choked out, pointing to the ring on her finger.

Bethany realised that when Ada created her, it must have been from data that had her still wearing Samuel’s ring. Prompted by Ada, she spoke, following her lines. “Do I look as if I am dead?”

“You can’t be her ... I checked my farm only last month. I even threw a rose on your grave,” he shouted angrily, reaching out for her.

She twisted away and quickly ran to a small copse of trees that would screen her and the pursuing Samuel from his bodyguards for a few precious seconds, until they caught up. Once she reached the trees, she slowed, allowing Samuel to catch up.

As he reached out to grasp her throat in a choke hold, Ada sent him into p space, leaving Bethany standing there alone, with just the memory of his hands touching her. The two bodyguards followed their boss into p space after grabbing her to force her to tell them what she had done with him.

“What will happen to them?” she asked, thinking of the time she experienced p space, as she made her way back to her car.

“I don’t suppose you want them to remain there permanently?” Ada asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, I don’t want them dead, although they deserve it,” muttered Bethany.

“With no warning to close their eyes, what they experience will overload their senses. I don’t think they will be sane when I allow them to return.”

“Will they be able to see each other in p space?” Bethany wondered, voicing her question to Ada.

“No, it doesn’t work like that. Think of it as having no lateral dimensions. Instead, objects are stacked one upon each other separated by time, rather than space. Your detector is in the same volume of space as the others but separated by a time coordinate. I can retrieve any item in any order I wish.”

“You mean it’s like a filing cabinet, except there’s only one extra deep drawer, with each item stored in a separate folder so there’s no contact between them?” Bethany asked.

“That’s an excellent analogy. I must remember that, but now, we need to go farming,” Ada replied, giving her direction’s to Samuel’s farm.

Bethany drove east along narrow roads that eventually turned to rutted dusty, bone shaking torture tracks. Ada had located the farm through her net access, telling Bethany that it was imperative to find the real Bethany’s body before she released any of the others from p space.

“They might reveal her location inadvertently if they ramble madly, and we need to get to her before any police get wind of it. Besides, I suppose you prefer to have her buried properly, even if it’s not official.”

It wasn’t too hard to find where the body lay buried. A four wheel drive jeep was located in a farm shed and the keys were found in the homestead that Bethany entered via a carefully thrown rock. Using the information Samuel had blurted out, they followed the most recent tracks made by the jeep. Ada helped by using her HUD to show the ground in an enhanced mode that highlighted the tire tracks made by the jeep. Once the area they were traveling over matched the picture that Ada had retrieved from Samuel’s computer, they slowed down. Bethany stopped and got out, scanning closely for any sign of a rose left on the burial site.

“Over there,” Ada prompted, having spotted it with her superior senses.

Bethany stood next to the rose, and a few tears fell at the thought of the wasted life lying just under the sand at her feet.

“I’m not touching her,” she protested, when Ada suggested placing her into p space.

“Just place you hand on the sand,” Ada reassured her, after checking that a body lay there. “I’ll send the sand and the body, so you won’t have to see anything unpleasant.”

After it was done, Bethany used the spade on the back of the jeep to fill in the hole created by the body’s removal. She was quiet on the ride back to the city, and after putting the car through a car wash to rid it of the reddish dust that clung to the sides and rear of the car, she drove home to do the same to her body.

Elsewhere, three men appeared out of thin air, falling to the ground as normality rushed in at them. One of the goons remained unconscious and was eventually found and placed in hospital, and from there, into a homecare unit where he did little more than vegetate. The other goon became a religious nut, claiming he’d seen God. He confessed to all manner of crimes and was eventually put away in psychiatric care. Samuel? No one knew what he thought. He’d managed to get in his car and drive off. The police later recovered his body from the wrecked car that had careered off the steep and treacherous zigzag road that wound down from the escarpment near Kelmscott to the valley floor below. Whether it was deliberate, or just another statistic of that particular road, no one would ever know.

Elizabeth was still out. She’d left a message, saying she was going shopping, and for Bethany to ring her on her mobile if she wanted anything special. Ringing her sister, Bethany found out when Elizabeth was due home and what she’d planned for dinner. She had avoided telling Elizabeth an outright lie by saying she’d been driving around seeing the sights, when asked what she’d been doing most of the day.

Bethany was in the kitchen helping towards dinner, when her sister arrived with arms full of groceries. “There’s more in the car,” puffed Elizabeth, glad to dump the bags of tinned goods on the bench.

Bethany went out to bring in the rest, jokingly asking if the stores were now empty.

“No, I ran out of money,” she flipped back, having already surrendered Bethany’s credit cards back to her sister.

Bethany was going to retort, but saw that her sister was being serious. “I’ll settle up later,” she promised, knowing how awkward it is to admit being broke.

“I forgot to transfer some of my …your earnings to my account,” Elizabeth blushingly explained.

“If you work out what you earned as me, I’ll transfer that into your account,” promised Bethany.

Elizabeth shrugged, not seeming too concerned about it. With her sister back in charge, things could go back to normal with Bethany becoming the breadwinner for both her and their mom.

Bethany could see she needed to get the gold find sorted out, but first she needed to see her real sister. After dinner, Bethany asked her sister if it was okay if they had an extra guest stay with them, as she planned to bring Amanda back the next day, keeping the promise she’d made to her friend Gary. Bethany found it strange referring to her former self as a separate person, but looking down at her body made the separation easier, as there was nothing left to show the association with her former identity.

“She can use the spare room,” Elizabeth agreed easily, showing no reluctance to having a stranger coming to stay. Bethany had not mentioned who it was that was coming, just in case Amanda needed a secret identity.

The next day, Bethany drove to the institution where Amanda was being looked after. Before entering, Ada changed Bethany’s looks with a little of her morphing magic, so the police presence wouldn’t recognize her and start opening a new can of worms. They had debated having her go in as a nurse, substituting Bethany for a nurse coming off duty, but Bethany pointed it out that questions could be asked if she suddenly returned, and there was the possibility of her being ordered somewhere else in the institution. Bethany, or rather, Gary, remembered the name of one of Amanda’s old girlfriends. Ada soon had her profile located and minutes later, an exact copy of Julie Rembrandt walked into the main entry of Harroway House for the disabled.

As a friend of Amanda’s, she was allowed entry and told where to go without much fuss when she mentioned wanting to visit Amanda. Bethany saw the receptionist look over to a man in a dark suit. Although not in uniform, it was plain he was watching everyone entering and he gave Bethany a cursory look before dismissing her and nodding back to the receptionist, who then gave the block and room number to her.

“There are cameras in reception and in the hallways,” Ada warned.

“Any in the rooms? What about intercoms?” Bethany asked, as she walked down towards her sister’s room.

“There are intercoms. I can’t be sure if they are being monitored all the time. I would suggest caution.”

Amanda was sitting in a wheel chair when Bethany entered the room, knitting what looked like a scarf from where Bethany stood. Amanda turned and gave a smile to what she thought was her old friend.

Even though Ada had checked and found no camera surveillance in the room itself, the intercom on the wall was enough reason to be cautious in what was said. So rather than explain anything right there, Bethany wanted her sister in a place where she could explain freely.

“Buttercup? I have a message from someone close to you,” Bethany/Julie began, knowing that ‘Buttercup’ was Gary’s pet name for his sister.

Bethany then asked Amanda to trust her, whispering that Gary’s life depended on it. Of course Amanda knew of the police’s interest, having been heavily questioned several times about Gary’s whereabouts.

“I want to take you to see him, but without the police knowing or following,” Bethany/Julie assured her. “I have a plan, but you need to be blindfolded to do it. It’s sort of like a magic trick, so things will get quiet all of a sudden. Promise me, no matter what you feel or sense, you’ll not touch the blindfold till you hear me tell you to.”

“I promise,” Amanda agreed, as her friend took out a blindfold and fastened it over her eyes. With Julie using Gary’s pet name for her, she knew Gary must be somewhere close.

Ada sent Amanda into p space as soon as the blindfold was secure. Bethany then walked calmly out of the place without any problem. After Bethany returned to her car, Ada removed the Julia disguise.

Then Bethany drove to a seldom frequented fishing spot on the banks of the Swan River. She figured correctly, that it would be empty since it was a workday. Checking to make sure that the area was clear of any visitors and she was completely alone, she had Ada bring her sister back from p space.

Ada brought Amanda and her wheel chair back from the silent world of p space and then removed her blindfold.

“Who are you, and where is my friend Julie? How come you are using Gary’s pet name for me?” demanded an angry and confused Amanda.

“What I’m about to tell you will seem bizarre, and totally unbelievable,” Bethany began, pacing back and forth before her sister as she struggled to get her story in order. Having decided it was necessary to reveal all to her sister if she was to help cure her, Bethany started telling her all that had befallen Gary, using third person, believing that telling Amanda she was actually Gary would be too much for Amanda to take.

At first, Amanda thought she’d been kidnapped by a weirdo, but as Bethany got into her story, her demeanor changed and Amanda started to see little mannerisms and way of speech that reminded her of Gary. It was hard to believe the tale that the gorgeous girl in front of her was explaining. In spite of the evidence of her own eyes and ears, Amanda felt that somehow Bethany was Gary.

Bethany was only three quarters of the way though her tale when Amanda stopped her and demanded an answer to a question. “Are you Gary?”

“Yes, Buttercup. I am Gary,” Bethany answered.

Amanda was almost sure she believed it was Gary, despite the appearance that said otherwise. Amanda wanted concrete proof to chase away the last doubts.

“Okay, if you’re Gary, then you’d know this. What did we go as, on our second ever Halloween night?”

“Sheesh, Sis. That was a long time ago,” grumbled Bethany, racking her brains for the answer.

“True, but I don’t think Gary would ever tell anyone the answer, either,” Amanda admitted, thereby giving Bethany the clue.

Thinking back, Bethany recalled the time Amanda had convinced Gary to trade costumes as a joke, forcing him to go out as a cute angel, while Amanda went in his Batman costume. It had been fun at first, fooling people. They were pretty much the same size and being young weren’t expected to have shapely bodies. What caused Gary the most embarrassment was being made up by their neighbour after she thought Gary needed to look prettier for her boyfriend, aka Amanda. Needless to say, Amanda held that over him when she had unpleasant chores to do, resulting in him doing them for her. Luckily she stopped teasing him and they became closer as a result.

“You went as Batman, and I went as a fairy princess, and the neighbour added makeup to my face,” Bethany whispered, blushing at the memory.

“You are Gary! Give me a hug, please?” Amanda cried, holding her hands out from her wheelchair.

“Well, at the moment, I’m Bethany Chambers, Sis,” she laughed, giving her sister a hug and a chaste kiss.

“And with makeup on as well,” Amanda giggled.

“And a whole lot more,” Bethany added, laughing at the irony.

Bethany then continued with all the details up to using Ada’s p space to spirit Amanda away from her home.

“You were Julie too? Amazing, but why didn’t you just return to being Gary to explain all this?”

“I can’t, Sis, at least not yet, and maybe not ever. Even though we might seem to be alone, I can’t take the chance someone might be in a position to see me if I’m under any kind of surveillance.”

“Not ever?” gasped a shocked Amanda.

“I have made a promise of sorts to my twin Elizabeth, and I need Bethany’s influence to get the gold claim started. I need money, lots of it, to do what I want, and nobody’s going to loan Gary any, even if he didn’t have the police after him.”

“You’re going to use a famous model and her feminine wiles to get a loan?” giggled Amanda, savouring the irony.

“Of course,” Bethany shamelessly admitted, striking a pose and batting her luscious lashes.

Amanda laughed, and Bethany joined in before sobering with another thought. “Sis, we can cure you and have you walking again, but unless we change your appearance, the “cure” will raise questions we can’t possibly answer.”

“I will walk again?” Amanda asked happily, seemingly not catching the changed appearance bit.

“Yes! Ada says she will have to be worn to affect the cure.”

“Koolies, just don’t turn me into a guy, okay?” Amanda enthused, showing she hadn’t missed anything Bethany had told her.

Bethany grinned, “No way! That would be just too confusing.” “We need to go somewhere better than this. I feel too exposed here, but I didn’t want to leave you in p space too long in case you thought I’d abandoned you.”

“What about going to your new home?”

No, we can’t Sis. Elizabeth doesn’t know I’m not her real sister. I don’t want to let her in on what I’ve told you. It would crush her.”

Amanda replied with an, “ah!” conveying understanding, far beyond the simple sigh. “Understood, Sis…I can call you Sis? or Beth?”

“Sure, I don’t mind either way, seeing Gary sure as hell doesn’t fit anymore.”

“I know, why don’t we go to that cave we found as kids?” Amanda suggested.

“Great idea, Sis,” Bethany agreed, already planning ahead.

Bethany bundled Amanda into the car minus the wheelchair which was hidden in the bushes nearby. Amanda was a bit reluctant to dump her only means of transport for so many years, till Bethany pointed out that the cave could only be accessed along the beach. “I’m not pushing a wheelchair in soft sand,” she pointed out.

With Amanda safely buckled up, they drove to the beach where as kids they had run freely in the sand and surf. Once again, Amanda was tucked away in p space, while Bethany temporarily regained her manhood, becoming just another Speedo (Australian male swimsuit) clad swimmer running along the shore.

Gary/Bethany felt strange being male again. Maybe because the body Ada had generated was bulkier and more muscled than Gary’s original body. Going from a slender supple female to a bigger heavier male body felt uncomfortable, and Bethany nearly had Ada change her back to a female, any female. Knowing it was just for a few minutes made it bearable, but Gary/Bethany realised that the time spent in a female body had irrevocably changed the way she saw her body image.

She still saw herself as female, even though her body was temporarily male. Shaking her head at the conflicting sensations, she tried to concentrate on the task ahead. The cave, set back into cliffs was empty, as was the beach around it. Bethany once inside, had Ada return her to her now familiar female body. She looked down at her body, realizing that she now looked at it as her own.

Once Amanda was released from p space, Bethany sat her down on an outcropping in the cave and the work began. Bethany had Ada return to the same dimension, becoming visible for the first time since Gary donned it.

Amanda giggled at the sight of the helmet, which still looked oversized for the head wearing it. “It reminds me of the helmet in that movie Spaceballs.”

Bethany grinned, slowly removing the helmet from her head. Bethany realised how much she relied on Ada’s help and advice and felt a reluctance to relinquish it. Steeling herself, for after all, she was only giving it to the sister she loved more than anything; she placed it on Amanda’s head.

Ada must have sensed Bethany’s reluctance and decided to remain visible for the duration of Amanda’s rebuild. Amanda had stipulated that she wanted to be similar in build to Bethany, as her body had gained weight due to the inability to exercise properly.

Bethany was spellbound as she watched her sister transform under Ada’s manipulative powers. Not only was her body changed, but her clothes as well. Ada even provided a purse, from which a hand mirror was produced so Amanda could see the results. For the first time in over two years, Amanda stood up, reveling in the simple task standing up.

Admiring her new form, Amanda realised that Ada had adjusted her new body slightly, until it became more like Bethany’s without becoming a clone. Now they looked like sisters or maybe cousins, a fact not lost on Bethany.

“My long lost cousin?” Bethany asked, when Amanda announced she was happy with her form.

“Ada says you do have a cousin in America, but her name’s Mandy,” Amanda grinned. “Do you think I’d make a great Mandy?” Here Amanda twirled, gleefully relishing being able to do it again.

“I guess Mandy’s close to Amanda, in case I make a slip of the tongue, but won’t being a relative be a bit awkward if Elizabeth or our mom start questioning you?”

“No, Ada says … well let her tell you herself,” the newly christened Mandy said, holding the helmet back out to Bethany.

“Mandy has never traveled out of the states and her face is similar enough to pass for the one Amanda’s now wearing. I have reproduced her identification papers and a passport, along with everything else needed to keep her disguise intact.” Ada informed Bethany, once the helmet was placed back on her head.

“Have you decided to go with being my cousin Mandy?” Bethany asked, double checking her sister’s decision.

“I think so, at least this way I can keep a close eye on you,” giggled Mandy. “I can’t wait to take you clothes shopping.”

“Oh no, the dreaded shopping gene,” wailed Bethany theatrically. “I’m doomed … doomed, I tell you,” placing the back of one hand against her brow, like some of the actresses used to do in the old movies.

Mandy just laughed. “Don’t worry, Cuz. I’ll teach you everything you ever needed to know about shopping.”

“Cuz?” Bethany asked, before slapping her head. “Oh yeah, I forgot about our change in family relations,” she added, ignoring Mandy’s comment about shopping.

“At least I’m still related,” Mandy pointed out. “It would be harder trying to be a total stranger.”

“True …” Bethany agreed, her voice trailing off as she wondered whether they could pull this all off.

Both girls walked barefoot from the cave and strolled back along the beach to the car. Brushing the sand from her feet, Bethany put on her shoes and started driving back home. Mandy remained barefoot, even after they had arrived, enjoying the sensation coming from her feet as she walked inside, holding her shoes.

Elizabeth was out when they came back, but arrived later around noon, bringing several French sticks that were still warm and a hot precooked chicken in a foil bag.

Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised to see Mandy, especially when she learned she was her cousin from the states. She scolded Bethany for keeping her a secret, and over a lunch of chicken on sliced French stick, tried her best to extract every scrap of information, from her newly minted cousin.

After lunch, Elizabeth wanted to take Mandy to meet her mother if she was agreeable. When Mandy expressed her desire to meet her aunt, Bethany quietly asked Ada whether that was a good idea.

“I gave your sister a pocket history of Mandy and her closest relatives, in case this might be needed. Before you ask, yes it was a memory dump, so she can recall it at will. I know you didn’t want me doing that sort of thing to you without your permission, so I asked Amanda, and she agreed to it,” Ada explained hastily.

Bethany stayed home, letting her ‘sister and cousin’ visit Heather on their own, explaining that she wanted to get things started on the gold find. Gary had come to know a few reputable people in the business and Bethany was soon sounding them out, while hinting she had a substantial find to develop. Agreeing to a meeting with one of them, Bethany felt relieved to be finally doing something.

It was soon cut short as Ada interrupted her thoughts. “It looks like we have stirred a nest of hornets getting Amanda out of that place.” The police channels are full of talk about it and the police have issued more warrants for Gary’s arrest.”

“What!”

“They seem to think you were behind her apparent disappearance, even though your whereabouts are still unknown,” Ada relayed, keeping track of all police communications. “They think you took her out of there from under their noses.”

Bethany laughed wryly, knowing how true that was, but annoyed they were blaming Gary without any evidence.

“I suppose they are looking for Julie as well now?”

“Well they have located her, but because we knew she was in New Zealand visiting a sick cousin, and she is provably there now, just hours after Amanda’s disappearance, she has the perfect alibi, so the police think the last person to visit Amanda was disguised. One officer even laughingly suggested that it was probably Gary in disguise.”

“Smart man, we should send him a prize.”

“It probably wasn’t a smart idea to tell that officer who visited your intentions to get Amanda out of that institution, as suspicion will fall on you,” Ada pointed out.

“True, but then I’m only human. I make mistakes,” offered Bethany. “Well I do have one thing in my favour should they come calling. I can say my plans to save Gary’s sister could only be undertaken once the claim produced some results. Besides, they can search all they want, since Amanda is now Mandy.”

Bethany made a call to Elizabeth on her cell phone and asked to speak with Mandy, as she had yet to get one of her own. Once Mandy was on, Bethany warned her that the police might come visiting and to be on her guard. Mandy thought it was all a bit of fun, like being a spy, knowing with her looks and the ability to walk again, she would never be discovered. Bethany hoped her sister/cum cousin continued to have fun being a sort of Mata Hari.

When the inevitable happened, it was the same officer who’d visited before who knocked on the door. Of course Bethany acted surprised at this extra visit, grumbling about having thought everything had been sorted out last time, as she invited him inside. Both Elizabeth and Mandy were still at Heather’s, so that added complication was avoided for the moment.

Bethany pretended to be shocked when Officer Benson introduced himself, and revealed that Gary’s sister Amanda was currently missing. ”Since when?” Bethany questioned. “Why do you think she is missing, as it hasn’t even been a day?”

“Surely she might just have gone out with a friend?” Bethany pointed out. “How come are you involved so soon?” she asked suspiciously.

“We had her under police surveillance in case her brother contacted her. He is now the prime suspect in her disappearance.”

“Sounds more like she was under house arrest the way you are acting. And if Gary is the prime suspect, why are you coming bothering me? I just wanted to help his sister if and when this gold claim proves worth while.” Bethany argued.

“Well, you did mention wanting to take Amanda out of there. We are just following up any leads we can at this stage,” Benson admitted.

“Well don’t bother me then. I haven’t even met her yet. So find her, I have a promise to keep,” Bethany demanded, ending the discussion.

The officer got up, seeing this was just another dead end. After all, the camera never showed Bethany visiting, and the hope that she was involved somehow seemed remote, given her attitude.

Things settled down after the police lost interest. At least they never bothered Bethany and Elizabeth again about Amanda. Bethany wasn’t fooled into thinking that the police had forgotten them, but suspected they were probably waiting for something new to crop up.

“What happened to the rest of the ship the Teg was piloting?” Bethany asked Ada as she planned for getting the gold out. She was going to hire bulldozers and was suddenly worried what else might be uncovered in the search for the lost gold of Lassiter’s reef.

“It is long gone,” supplied Ada reassuringly. All Teg ships have a self-destruct. Should they be critically damaged, the metals which form it all readily decompose in the presence of oxygen, once the field produced by the engines collapse. The fields shield the skin from damage and atmospheric effects. With the field gone, the hull degrades to dust in about ten days.”

“It’s that reactive? I would have thought it would have been the complete opposite. To think that a primitive dinosaur took out a futuristic space craft is incredible,” laughed Bethany.

“Well, the pilot was an idiot, and the dinosaur luckily broke an essential part of the craft. The reason the hull is so volatile, is because of the paranoia of the Teg. They feared having their ships falling into the wrong hands. It’s hard to examine a crashed ship if the metal is dissolving rapidly.”

“And you survived, how?” Bethany asked, intrigued.

“Remember, I was 0.356 degrees to the left of this plane of existence, so I didn’t suffer any damage in the crash. I survived, due to my maintenance programs, and solar power provided enough power to provide protection fields against oxygen degradation.”

“So you do have a weakness?”

“If you mean, can I be destroyed, then yes,.” Ada admitted without any hesitation.

“I can’t imagine what you went through all that time. I’m surprised you didn’t go insane with boredom,” Bethany muttered.

“I probably would have, had I been awake,” Ada laughed. “Once power drops below a certain level, my higher functions cease. It’s just like you going to sleep; I didn’t sense the passage of time after the Teg crashed.”

Having satisfied herself that her worries about uncovering a crashed spaceship were unfounded, Bethany set about organizing a BBQ for dinner. She soon had a few chicken drums immersed in a bowl with a soy sauce and honey marinade, while others were liberally coated in powdered paprika for a slightly different flavour.

She was preparing a desert when Elizabeth with Mandy in tow arrived home. Elizabeth checked what her sister was doing with a look of surprise, but didn’t say anything, until she saw the pie Bethany set into the oven.

“Wow, did aliens clone my sister?”

Bethany hoped her sister hadn’t seen the expression on her face on hearing the question.

“What?” she asked, wondering what she’d done to have her sister say that?

“You usually let me do the cooking, and I’ve never seen you make a pie before,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Well, I learnt a lot while I’ve been away. I just thought I’d help out,” Bethany replied.

Mandy wasn’t surprised; after all, she knew Gary was a good cook even before he became Bethany.

Elizabeth grinned, saying she didn’t mind her sister taking over the cooking duties. Bethany threw a wadded up hand towel at her in response, saying, “The duty will be shared.”

While Bethany went out to start the BBQ, the others showered before dinner. Mandy was finished first and joined Bethany out on the patio. Bethany told her what had happened that day, adding her thoughts that they hadn’t seen the last of the police just yet.

Then Mandy said something that shocked Bethany’s world and made her examine just who she had become.

“It’s a pity you didn’t make me into Bethany. Then you could have returned to being male again.”

Bethany froze as her sister’s words reverberated in her mind. ‘Damn, why didn’t I think of that solution? Ada could have given my sister a download of Bethany’s mannerisms and filled her in on her life to date, while I could have returned to being male, even if it isn’t as my former identity.’

Mandy saw the stricken look on Bethany’s face, as she realised her missed opportunity.

“Sis, take over for me please, I need some time to think,” Bethany urged, handing Mandy the tongs.

Mandy nodded, wondering why Bethany seemed upset. She watched Bethany walk out to the edge of the property and disappear down one of the many tracks that led into the bush surrounding the house.

Bethany walked away from her sister, going down a track that soon swallowed her from sight. Trying not to think about the thing on her mind, she found herself approaching a rocky outcrop that overlooked the surrounding bush. The track went past it and down a steep slope that led somewhere into the valley below, but Bethany didn’t have suitable footwear for climbing up or down such a track, so she just walked out to the edge of the outcrop. Even though there was a sheer drop of several hundred meters, she felt no vertigo as she looked over the edge. The view out towards Perth city center was magnificent, with the airport lying between her and the city, but she looked out sightlessly as her thoughts were directed inward.

Finally she spoke out loud to Ada, trying to clarify her thoughts into actual words.

“What’s happening to me? Did you program me to accept being female and to choose that over returning to a male form?” she blurted out.

“No, I did not. I did help you to use that body in a way that would appear feminine, to give you the same mannerisms Bethany would use, but I didn’t change anything about your mind,” Ada assured her.

Bethany trusted Ada to tell the truth, so the implications of Ada’s denial weighed on her mind. If Ada hadn’t influenced her to remain female, then it was obviously something she herself had chosen, at least unconsciously. ‘Does this mean I prefer being female?’ Oddly this thought didn’t seem as repugnant as she thought it might be, had she been asked when she was still Gary. She sat down with her legs hanging over the edge of the rock and thought back to the very beginning of all this.

While the thought of ever being female hadn’t entered Gary’s mind, he had wondered what it was like to be one. Now that she had gained that knowledge, life as Gary was looking decidedly second rate. It wasn’t that being Gary was bad, but that Gary had never stood out. He was average in height and looks and was never the brightest in school … school?

“Ada? Did you make me more intelligent than I was?” Bethany asked, realizing that there was a discrepancy in the way she thought from how she used to, knowing Gary had an IQ of 100.

“Well, Bethany was known to have an IQ of 115, so I tweaked it up a bit to 125, admitted Ada calmly.

“Ah hah!” exclaimed Bethany, confirming her sudden realization as to why her thinking seemed clearer. So that was another plus in her change of gender. Becoming Bethany, had made her the center of attention, something Gary never experienced. Being a famous model, and having people fuss over her and do everything they could to stay in her good books, was novel, and not without a certain feeling of power.

As far as the sexual side of things, she had been lifted to greater heights of pleasure in her short time as Bethany, than had Gary in his whole life, and this was solely via self masturbation. So far, the pluses to stay female outweighed any that being Gary might have. Also there were practical considerations as well. Gary was on the run from the law and unlikely to be seen without risk. To have to become some strange male instead, was hardly any different to becoming Bethany in terms of getting used to a new body. Being Bethany at least, gave her a history that could be verified and so far she’d pulled it off without a problem … ‘Well, only a few problems,’ she giggled to herself.

She wondered what her sister’s response would be when she told her that Gary might not be coming back. A 747 announcing its desire to take to the air brought Bethany back to the here and now. She watched it rise in the foreground, heading over the suburb of Belmont and starting to turn towards her, heading on its journey east.

“Bethany! Where are you?” came faintly from behind her. Mandy’s voice called again, sounding a little nearer. Bethany sighed, knowing she had to tell her sister her decision to remain as Bethany. She stood, looking down at the sheer drop and drinking in the solitude that would soon be broken.

“Bethany where are you …Bethany!” the last was squealed in shock as Mandy finally saw her sister and where she was standing.

“Come look,” Bethany urged, not turning from the view.

“Careful, that looks dangerous,” Mandy warned, as she approached her sister cautiously.

Bethany laughed, turning to take hold of Mandy’s hand and pulled her close. “Isn’t the view great?”

Mandy didn’t answer for a second, as her attention was on her sister’s face, searching for the reason Bethany had suddenly run off. “Are you okay, Sis? Why did you run off,” she asked before looking at the view mentioned.

“I’m fine now, but I have something to tell you, something that … oh, crap!” she broke off, before turning and starting to walk back.

“Sis!” wailed Mandy, running after Bethany and pulling her to a stop. “Whatever it is that is troubling you, remember this, I love you, whether as a brother or a sister,” she got out, intuitively sensing what was on Bethany’s mind.

Bethany turned and hugged Mandy, tears flowing as she struggled to find the words and the strength to admit she loved being Bethany. “Sis… Gary is dead,” she finally ground out.

Mandy nodded, her own tears stopping her from saying anything coherent. Instead she hugged her sister, silently mourning the loss of her brother, yet rejoicing in the fact her sister was alive and well. “I think I knew already, Sis,” Mandy finally managed to say.

Bethany let go of Mandy, holding her at arms length while she looked at her sister’s face in surprise. “How?”

Mandy gave a short laugh. “Feminine intuition.”

“Phooey,” grumbled Bethany at her sister’s glib answer.

“No, really! I noticed how comfortable you are. Not many people would have the guts to change gender and then excel at being a totally different person,” Mandy explained further.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly my idea in the first place,” Bethany looked up and nodded her head indicating Ada’s invisible presence. “And I had help,” she added.

“True, but you made the decision to remain female, and that counts just the same. I’m going to miss Gary, but no one else is likely to miss him.” Mandy reflected. “On the other hand, if Bethany disappeared again, she would be missed far more, and by a lot more people.”

“Elizabeth and Heather would be heartbroken, and I would miss the opportunity of teaching you the art of shopping,” Mandy pointed out.

This gave Bethany a chance to pout when shopping was mentioned. “I’ve changed my mind, save me from shopping,” wailed Bethany theatrically, pretending to shy away in horror.

“Oh you! You’re no fun,” Mandy grumped stamping her foot before the two dissolved into laughter at the other’s antics.

“Hey, who’s looking after the BBQ? I’m so hungry, I could eat ewe,” punned Bethany with a giggle.

“Elizabeth, and if it gets burnt, she’ll lambaste ewe you,” Mandy threw back as she turned to run back home.

“Sounds kinky,” Bethany laughed back, following her sister’s footsteps.

“Where were you?” asked Elizabeth, when they both got back.

Watching Elizabeth basting the chicken drums and turning the lamb kebabs over made the two in question, exchange a look and their stifled giggles delayed answering. “Oh I was at the lookout,” answered Bethany finally. “I needed to think about something without any distraction.”

“You aren’t thinking of leaving again?” asked a suddenly worried Elizabeth.

“No, Sis, just the opposite. I’m here to stay,” Bethany answered to a relieved Elizabeth. “Here, let me take over, while you get the salad out. “Nice kebabs sis,” she added using the tongs to turn them again.

“Thanks, I made them this morning, but obviously you didn’t see them in the refrigerator.”

“Well if there’s too much left over, we can always reheat them,” Bethany commented sagely.

The three girls busied themselves, working like a team. For Mandy, it was like old times when she used to help Gary at family BBQ’s. The thought brought forth a few tears, as she mourned the loss of their parents.

Whether it was because she was now female and therefore closer to her sister, or the often touted feminine intuition kicking in, Bethany sensed what the odd tear in Mandy’s eyes meant. She reached and gave her sister a hug of support when Mandy passed by bringing the wine. “I miss them too,” Bethany whispered out of earshot of Elizabeth.

Having put on some music, Elizabeth joined them outside to await the end of the cooking and the start of the eating.

Mandy had drunk several glasses of wine and was reveling in her newfound mobility, slowly dancing to the music in a world of her own after eating. Elizabeth got up and joined her, dancing next to her, but without contact. Bethany smiled watching them as she turned off the gas, and started piling a dish with the cooked meat.

“Thaank you both. Thaat was great,” slurred a slightly tipsy Mandy, giving the others a hug.

Bethany helped Mandy to her room, and seeing her just collapse on the bed, made the decision to undress her and pull a nightie over the woozy Mandy. Seeing her sister’s new body naked, drove home another point in her transformation. Mandy had a great body, one Gary would have drooled over, but while Bethany could appreciate that same beauty, it failed to arouse her sexually. “Poot,” Bethany muttered, knowing what the implications of her observation meant for her future.

The next few days were spent doing the touristy thing with Mandy, their supposed visitor from the states. Mandy gushed at everything, everywhere they went. It wasn’t hard to pretend to be surprised at anything, as her prior invalid status had precluded going everywhere she had wanted. Mandy made the most of it, keeping her promise, or threat, (depending on the individual point of view) of taking Bethany into as many clothing stores as they could fit into a day.

Bethany, of course, protested, albeit not very convincingly. She could see the fire in her sister’s eyes. The more she resisted, the more Mandy urged Bethany to try just another skirt or dress on. In fact, Bethany enjoyed all the fuss and hoo-ha, but didn’t let on, lest Mandy lose some of her enjoyment trying to make her sister uncomfortable with some of her selections. It wasn’t that Mandy was being nasty; she was just teasing the former male mind that was now housed in a totally different body.

Bethany gradually allowed herself to become enthused, so that she could fully know how the genuine pleasure she felt from trying on the sexy clothes. Finally, Mandy slowed in her headlong rush to have Bethany try on every single garment Western Australia had to offer, or so it seemed. While supposedly, what clothes they did buy were for Bethany, knowing her sister, and given that she was the same size physically, Bethany knew Mandy would be “borrowing” her new purchases very soon. As the days went on, Bethany and Mandy grew together, forming a much closer bond than they’d had as brother and sister.

One evening, because the day had been spent shopping, Elizabeth suggested they eat out for dinner, a suggestion that was agreed on with alacrity. Sizzler’s was crowded, but being a family restaurant, they hadn’t needed to dress up, or book a table. They just turned up in the clothes they’d been wearing shopping and waited in line. Being the place it was, Bethany and her sisters went up as many times as their stomachs would allow, refilling their plates from the excellent smorgasbord selection.

The day was topped off by a soak in the Jacuzzi at home, as no one felt up to a fashion show with the new purchases bought that day. While relaxing and letting their meal digest, Bethany mentioned that soon she would be heading out to Laverton again. “I’d like both of you to come, but I need to warn you about the conditions,” Bethany cautioned, anticipating the desire of both to participate. “It will be hot, dusty and probably noisy as well once the machines start excavating, not to mention the flies during the day. I will be renting a mobile home with aircon and full facilities, but one can’t stay inside all day,” she warned

“We still want to come,” chorused the two sisters, looking at each other in agreement.

“When will you be starting?” Elizabeth asked, thinking ahead.

“I was hoping,Tuesday. The RV will arrive tomorrow, and the others will meet us at Laverton on Thursday.”

“The others?” Mandy enquired curiously.

“I’ve hired a firm to do the actual work, provide the security and handle the filing of the claim once we discover the lode’s exact location. They will bring in the machinery. Once the paperwork’s even been started, we’ll need to stay on site and protect it from claim jumpers.”

“Wow! We will need to go shopping for clothes then,” Mandy enthused, rubbing her hands together.

Bethany and Elizabeth groaned and attacked Mandy in the tub and dunked her several times in protest. Laughing, Mandy attacked back and soon all were completely soaked with their hair wet and bedraggled looking.

“Don’t you every get tired of shopping?”

“Nope, anyway, we need clothes suitable for the bush, unless you want to go round in that sequin number you bought today.” Mandy pointed out.

Several days later.

“Here you go, I must say, I’m glad you’re driving this monster, Sis,” said Mandy, handing Bethany a cold can of Coke.

Bethany took her eyes off the road for a second, as she accepted the already opened can and gave Mandy a smile.

“Oh it’s not too bad once you get used to the size. Power steering helps too,” she added with a grin, as she negotiated past a wheat harvester moving along the highway in the same direction.

“Well I’m glad I don’t have to park it. In town, it would take up three parking spaces,” Mandy pointed out. She sat down in the swivel seat next to the driver and locked it in the forward facing position as per the regulations while the RV was in motion.

“How’s Elizabeth?” Bethany inquired, knowing she’d experienced a bit of motion sickness earlier in the day.

“Oh, she’s sleeping now. I think those pills she took finally kicked in.”

“Good, the last thing we need, is the smell of vomit on board,” laughed Bethany, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

“So where are we headed for tonight, Sis?”

“Well, I planned to drive till dark. We should be past Coolgardie then, and on our way north to Kalgoorlie. It doesn’t really matter where we stop, seeing we are self sufficient.”

“This is so exciting! I haven’t been on a trip like this since I was 10 years old and we all went up to Carnarvon.”

“Well, once we become rich, you will be able to travel the world if you want,” suggested Bethany.

“Not if I have to drive one of these brutes,” Mandy giggled.

“Wait till tomorrow, when we lose the sealed roads. I’ll be glad of the extra padding I gained when we hit the corrugations,” laughed Bethany.

Mandy eyed the extra padding mentioned, realizing what a change her new sister was experiencing. “Maybe it will be enjoyable, like a vibrator,” she blurted out before blushing furiously.

Bethany laughed, seeing her sister’s discomfiture. Yes, tomorrow was going to be very interesting indeed. Refueling at Bodallin, some 60km past Merredin, they made a real sight as they stretched their legs. Elizabeth had woken and decided to use the restroom rather than use the toilet onboard. Bethany grinned as Mandy flirted with the young pump attendant, as he tried to keep his eyes on all three of near identical looking girls.

“You know, when I asked you to get us some pants, I didn’t mean hot pants.” Bethany whispered in Mandy’s ear, as the attendant’s eyes tried boring holes in them. The pants in question left nothing to the imagination and were hardly longer than bikini briefs. Gary had pajama pants that covered more than these. It was just as well the RV had sheepskin covers on all the seats to stop people getting their bums boiled from the intense heat the Australian sun generated. It also stopped the itchy sticky feeling you get on long journeys when wearing such skimpy pants.

“Well, you did say you wanted something easy to move around in,” giggled Mandy, not at all repentant, as she bent over to tie up an already secure lace on her boots.

“You’re such a tramp! Are you sure you’re my cousin?” Bethany returned with a grin.

“Well I’m not the one that chose to wear the pink pair,” giggled Mandy.

“Harrumph! Well I figured if wore those, men wouldn’t be checking out my tits so much,” argued Bethany, trying to excuse her choice.

“Oh! Suure, Sis, I might believe that, if your stretchy top wasn’t pink too, and didn’t have ‘Girl Power’ emblazoned on the chest.

“Um, well ... they matched, and anyway, you bought them,” challenged Bethany, trying desperately to weasel out.

Mandy just giggled, not bothering to reply.

The pump attendant chose then to ask to check their oil, to which Mandy replied that he could check under her hood anytime.

Bethany pulled her sister aside, allowing the young red faced man access to the engine compartment inside the front of the RV. “Stop that, you hussy! Can’t you see he’s having a hard time dealing with you.”

“Hmmmm, hard …” Mandy moaned in a Homer Simpson takeoff, checking out the man’s pants.

“Sheesh, I can’t take you anywhere,” admonished Bethany, dragging her reluctant sister into the service station, where she told her to pick up some chocolate covered ice cream blocks out of the freezer compartment.

Of course Elizabeth had missed most of this, so when she finally got back into the RV and handed her ice cream, she was regaled of Mandy’s antics by Bethany. She laughed, siding with Mandy, saying a girl has to do what a girl has to do. She then made suggestive movements with her tongue as she licked her ice cream, which made them all laugh.

They were still some distance from their destination of Coolgardie when 5.30 rolled around. Bethany’s assumption they would reach there, had been based on driving a car, but the RV was slower and took more care to drive. They had reached Southern Cross and checked out the town for a place to set up for the night, but Bethany wasn’t impressed with the choices available. As the day was still hot, they decided to drive on towards Coolgardie and find a spot on the side of the road.

An hour later, they found a rest area somewhere between Yellowdine and Karalee that took them out of sight off the main road. The road to the rest area was little more than a track, and ended in a clearing among gum trees and brush. Elizabeth and Mandy piled out, thankful to stretch their legs. First, Bethany changed out of her pink hot pants into more practicable jeans like the others were now wearing before joining the others outside. Mandy had found a wooden picnic table made of halved coppered logs, and was sitting in the half shade waiting for the others to join her. Bethany stretched her legs walking around the perimeter of the clearing, then went back to the RV and brought out three cans of beer, which she took to the table where Elizabeth had joined Mandy.

After wetting their whistles, Bethany headed back inside to start dinner. She had made a stew prior to leaving, something she used to do as Gary when he was heading out into the outback. With no refrigeration, Gary would freeze a stew and would have it the second night. All meat had to be processed like bacon or sausages or (cringe) in tins, if one wanted to have meat at least once a day.

That problem was taken care of as the RV had both a fridge and a freezer, which ran on either LPG or electrical power. Still, the stew was handy, requiring no lengthy preparation, just heating. Bethany was making thickly sliced toast on which to serve the beef stew when she heard a vehicle draw up next to them. She just served Elizabeth her meal when she heard knocking on the door, and a voice call out that it was the police. Telling Mandy to take over cooking her own toast, Bethany went to the door and opened it.

“Hello, Miss. I’m officer Stevens, from the Coolgardie road patrol. I check all rest stops between Kalgoorlie and Southern Cross as part of my patrol. Are you stopping the night here?”

“Yes, we plan to head to Laverton tomorrow. We just drove from Perth this morning,” Bethany affirmed. “Is there a problem Officer?”

“Not with stopping here. I’m glad to see people using their heads when traveling long distances. It makes my work easier … hmm something smells great,” the man added, sniffing the aroma of stew drifting out of the RV.

“Plenty for another plate.” Mandy’s voice called out, from inside.

The officer looked hesitant, desire warring with his responsibility.

“Surely, sharing a meal would be okay,” encouraged Bethany, thinking it was the polite thing to do, then moving back and gesturing for the officer to enter the RV.

“I really shouldn’t, but that smells great,” the man said, following her inside.

“If you get into trouble, tell them you had to strip search three dangerous women,” teased Elizabeth, moving to make room for the officer to sit beside her.

The officer blushed, making him look even cuter. Even Bethany thought so, before catching herself and trying to deny it.

“I hope I don’t need backup,” quipped the officer, reintroducing himself as Tim Stevens.

Elizabeth made all the introductions while Bethany made more toast and got out an extra plate. Instead of a beer, like the girls were drinking, she offered a can of chilled Coke, which the officer gratefully accepted.

“There is one thing you need to be aware of,” Tim told them, accepting his plate of stew from Bethany with a smile. “There are two escaped prisoners on the loose somewhere in the area.”

“Prisoners?” questioned Mandy.

“We had caught one of two men involved in a rape case in Coolgardie and were transporting him to Kalgoorlie to be flown to Perth. The van transporting him was rammed off the road, presumably by the other one that had eluded capture. He must have lain low and followed the van before making his move. The driver was knocked unconscious and when he came to, the prisoner was gone.”

“Oh dear. So do you think we are in any danger?” asked Elizabeth, holding her hand to her mouth.

“It’s unlikely. They are probably headed into the bush, at least that’s what the tracks showed. If you like, I can check back here on my return run, although it might be around 3am. Just make sure you lock the doors.”

“Thank you, we would appreciate that, just in case,” offered Bethany.

Once the officer had left, Bethany was teased by Mandy about whether she thought he was cute. Put on the spot, and having Elizabeth interested to hear her answer, Bethany couldn’t just ignore the question, and to deny it might raise questions with Elizabeth.

“He was cute in his uniform, but then I guess most men in the police force look better than the average Joe Blow. I expect Mandy likes all men in uniform,” giggled Bethany, trying to move the target to her sister.

“I bet you just wanted to rip his shirt off and ravage him,” retorted Mandy, not falling for her sister’s ploy.

Bethany couldn’t help, but blush. The truth be told, she did find the man to be attractive, something that she hadn’t counted on happening so soon. ‘Maybe it was pheromones or something,’ she thought, trying to justify her reactions. “I’ll take those plates and wash them,” she said, not deigning to answer her sister’s question with anything verbal.

Mandy and Elizabeth looked at each other, knowing by the blush and the abrupt change in subject what Bethany’s answer was.

Mandy loved her sister/cousin Bethany, and her teasing was done to get her sister to admit to her awakening feelings of attraction to the opposite sex. She knew that it would be an uphill battle, with Bethany having been male for so long. So she just hugged her sister, then helped out by grabbing a pot towel and drying the few dishes.

That night, after everyone was bedded down, and conversation had died away, Bethany thought back to Mandy’s question, trying to come up with an answer. She drifted off to sleep, with the issue still unresolved.

“BANG, BANG, BANG.”

Bethany woke suddenly as the knocking on the door continued. She glanced at the luminous dial of the clock next to her, seeing it was 2.45 AM. She stumbled out of bed, straightening her nightgown, before walking to the door.

“Tim you’re early,” she mumbled as she unlocked the door, trying to get the wool out of her sleepy brain.

“Well, lookie here ... Ain’t we a sight for sore eyes,” growled a threatening voice.

Instead of seeing the expected, if somewhat early, Tim, Bethany saw two men she’d never seen before. She tried closing the door, but a foot prevented it from closing and a hand pulled her from the RV. Suddenly, it was like a switch being thrown. Bethany’s mind became crystal clear as she realised these were the two men wanted by the police. She had to prevent these two entering the RV at all costs, as her sisters somehow were still asleep and helpless.

“Don’t go in there, you might wake my husband,” she hastily improvised. “Whatever you want, you can ask me,” she added, trying to smile seductively.

The two men stopped and looked at each other and nodded, pulling her further away from the RV.

“Well we will deal with your husband later,” one of the men said menacingly. “For now, we’ll just see what you have to offer,” he added with a nasty grin on his face. With that, he tore her gown from her body and threw it on the ground. Both men whistled softly, eyeing her naked form with lust. Bethany didn’t show the terror she felt and just managed not to scream. She knew if she did, both Elizabeth and Mandy would wake and become extra fodder for these two creeps.

Ada made a few suggestions, which Bethany intended to follow as the men pulled her further away. The moonlit night helped her avoid the worst of the rough ground underfoot as she was hustled out of sight of the RV. Once she thought they were far enough away, she stopped still. The unexpected resistance brought the two men to a halt; despite the increased force they exerted trying to move her.

“You want it here, then, Missy?” the taller one asked, dismissing the improbable situation that she was actually stronger than the two of them.

“You might say that,” she said in a calm voice, belying the fear inside. “Well, hurry up and get your pants off! I’m getting cold here,” she added as sexily as she could. Bethany then knelt down between the two men and licked her lips suggestively.

The two men stared, surprised, but not wanting to question the gift horse, soon had their pants around their ankles. They shuffled closer to her as she reached out to grasp their erections, one in each hand. She ran her hand up the cocks to grasp them around the base and cupped their sacks as well.

“Well, boys, I see you have been naughty. Just how many women have you forced these into?” she invited, licking her lips and making kissy noises, showing none of the revulsion she felt.

“Oh, lots,” both agreed, seeing she seemed turned on at the thought.

“Well then, I’m going to make sure no others will suffer that fate,” she said, allowing Ada to do her thing.

Ada sent the organs cupped in Bethany’s hands into the same void, where Bethany’s metal detector had been stored. Somewhere in p space, two pieces of flesh appeared, destined never to be reunited with their owners.

The two men didn’t scream as their organs uncoupled from their bodies. In fact, they didn’t even realise they were missing, as Ada made sure the nerve endings continued to send the same signals they had been sending. Bethany had time to cup the crotch of both men giving Ada time to work on sealing the major blood vessels preventing any blood loss, other than some seepage from the capillaries. Ada smoothed the ends of the urethras, leaving just holes for urination. She then altered something in the two men’s Hypothalamus and Pituitary glands, which would have some strange repercussions for them both in the near future. She hadn’t had time to discus this action with Bethany, but had thought it made a suitable punishment.

The men still unaware of their penectomies, grinned at each other.

“Hurry up girl, get sucking on it, before I do something drastic,” one of them threatened, looking down at her face.

“Suck what?” she asked, lifting her blood stained hands away, with their Ada enhanced nails that now looked like talons.

The two men both looked down at where their manhood used to hang as Bethany stood up and gave them both an evil looking smile while licking her lips.

Both men cried out fell to their knees reaching for their missing manhood’s. At first, they thought the woman had cast some kind of illusion on them, as they could swear that they could still feel their missing organs, despite what their hands and eyes were telling them. Once they saw their hands being covered with the slowly oozing blood, they knew their greatest fear was realised.

“You’d better go before I do something else you might regret.” Bethany stated coldly, as she looked down at the men before her.

Ada made Bethany’s skin glow with a super luminescence, that gave her slender body an eeriness that belied description. The two men felt their blood run cold at the sight. They shied away, scrambling to their feet before stumbling away in shock. They ran, struggling to get their pants up before the she demon standing in the moonlight acted on her threats.

She knew both men would soon seek help and thus be captured, as the area of the men’s groins, while not bleeding a lot, was still a raw wound that would seep blood till extra surgery closed the skin together.

She felt some regret at having to take the matter that far, but it was only what they deserved, and she knew all the women they had raped would agree with her. She walked back to the RV, hearing the faint cries of the men fade away. She then started to tremble in reaction, as she gathered up her torn nightgown. Ada sent the gown and the blood on Bethany’s hands into p space and then clad Bethany’s body with an exact replica.

Bethany climbed back into the RV and locked the door, marveling that the others were still asleep. ‘The fresh air and the long journey has made them sleep soundly,’ Ada offered, noting Bethany's look and guessing her thoughts.

Bethany nodded and poured herself a glass of brandy from the mini bar before she went to her own bed. She tossed and turned, trying to get back to sleep, her mind running over possible alternatives to what had just happened.

The next she knew, it was morning, as she had finally fallen asleep. “Wakey, wakey,” chimed a cheerful Mandy, a hot cup of coffee in her hands. Mandy sat on the bed and grinned at Bethany. “Guess who I saw last night?” she asked smugly.

“Two rapists?” Bethany retorted, hoping she was wrong.

“No silly! Tim called around about 4 am. I was going to wake you, but you looked so peaceful. He didn’t stay long, just letting us know that the men they were after had been seen by a trucker and were subsequently captured by a search patrol.”

“Great,” Bethany responded, trying to sound enthused.

‘Why didn’t I wake up?’ she asked Ada sotto voice.

‘You needed sleep, so I turned your audio receptors down. Don’t worry, I was fully aware of the officer’s return and would have woken you had there been a need,” Ada answered.

“Great …” grumbled Bethany under her breath. ‘I wish you had done the same with the two rapists.’

‘Officer Tim was driving a vehicle whose engine sound I recognized. I also monitored his radio call a few minutes earlier to say he was going to check some women overnighters. The other two men approached on foot with no prior warning,” Ada stated defensively in a tone of voice Bethany recognized.

‘I’m sorry Ada, I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, I’m just upset.”

“Apology accepted,” Ada responded in a lighter tone of voice.

“Talking to Ada?” asked Mandy, seeing her sister’s eye grow distant.

“Sorry, Sis, just getting some updates, nothing to worry about.”

Mandy nodded, but sensed there was more to it than her sister was telling. Maybe later she could coax the details from her.

“Did Tim mention anything else about the two men?” Bethany asked as Mandy got up and started to head to the kitchenette.

“Yeah, he did. Apparently someone had attacked them. Probably in revenge, so Tim reckoned. He was a bit evasive as to what had happened, saying nice ladies needn’t know those kinds of details. You weren’t involved in anyway?” she asked, catching Bethany by surprise at her intuitiveness.

“Who me?” offered Bethany, trying her innocent look.

“Yes, you,” Mandy prompted, sensing Bethany was indeed involved. She didn’t press, as Bethany remained silent, but made a mental note to ask her later.

Bethany got up and had a quick wash. Even though Ada kept her skin clean and fresh smelling, she still liked to wash and bathe herself as a matter of routine. Elizabeth woke then, getting her own morning cup of coffee from Mandy.

“I didn’t know we had maid service,” she giggled, poking fun at Mandy.

“Oh yes, she rotates her duty with two others, Ma’am,” Mandy replied, making her meaning clear.

“More shopping? Asked Bethany, looking at Mandy, who returned a puzzled look.

“For a maid’s uniform,” explained Bethany, straight faced.

Elizabeth chuckled, to which Mandy poked her tongue out before joining in.

Breakfast smells started permeating through the RV as Mandy started cooking bacon and eggs. Bethany went to help while Elizabeth got dressed.

Bethany, getting a few minutes warning from Ada, promptly stopped what she was doing and went and put on some makeup. Mandy looked at her in surprise, before guessing what was happening. She looked chagrined, having to stay at the cooker, while her sister got beautiful.

Of course Elizabeth had no clue when a knock on the door heralded the arrival of Tim, once again checking in on his morning route. While Bethany answered the door, Mandy moved to her bag and quickly wiped some lipstick on and checked on her hair.

“Still on duty? asked Bethany as she opened the door to Tim’s smiling face.

“Actually my shift is over, but before I went home I thought I’d check you out … um, I mean, check that you were okay,” he blushed at his badly put words.

“I think I liked the first version,” Bethany laughed, feeling strange sensations fill her body. “Come in, we are just having breakfast, and you’re welcome to share.”

“Hmmm, that smells great,” offered Tim as he entered on her heels.

“You certainly know when to visit,” Mandy chuckled, adding more bacon to the pan.

“Well, we in the police force are trained for it,” returned Tim with a laugh.

Elizabeth scrambled to get her own makeup on while Tim was distracted up front.

“I hope you ladies had a safe night,” Tim opened, as the food was dished out and everyone was seated.

“Slept like a log,” opined Elizabeth, tucking into her breakfast with gusto.

“Anything happen in the night? Questioned Bethany curiously.

“Curious you should ask that,” Tim replied. “We caught the two men we were after. “Boy, they must have been stoned out of their minds, in light of their stories,” Tim answered between bites.

“What stories?” asked a curious Elizabeth.

“Well, they were seen running along the road about 5 kilometers east of here, heading back to Coolgardie by a trucker who put a call in to the police. Luckily, a patrol car heading west caught up with them minutes later.. Strangely, they just gave up when the car having first passed them had to reverse direction. Once in custody, they began ranting about seeing a vampire that ate their dicks off.” Here, Tim laughed.

“Wow! Some story, if they were on drugs, does that mean they were addicked?” Mandy quipped.

“More like dedicked,” Tim answered, with a grin.

“So it was true? Someone cut their cocks off?” gasped Elizabeth.

“Apparently. There’s a rumor that one of their victims got hold of them and castrated them both. I didn’t see them personally, but I heard whoever it was, made an excellent job of it.”

“Did the men describe their vampire?” asked Bethany, holding her breath for the answer.

“Well, I heard it was some kind of a glowing creature with teeth and talons, but then the men just clammed up after being questioned. I think the scorn heaped on them by the officers made them realise how re-dick-ulous it sounded,” Tim explained, grinning as he emphasized the word ridiculous.

Bethany sighed; she was in the clear so far. With the attraction she felt for Tim, she didn’t want to have anything jeopardize their burgeoning friendship. Suddenly realizing where her thoughts were headed, she excused herself abruptly and went outside to think.

She walked out in the morning’s clear crisp air, trying to get her head around the fact she found Tim attractive. Rationally, she could argue that it was just a normal female/male reaction, but the thought that she was actively thinking of some kind of future with him had caught her unawares.

She was so deep in thought that she missed Tim’s approach from behind. “You okay? You seemed upset. I hope I wasn’t the cause,” Tim asked concernedly, as he came up to her side.

“No, it’s not about you,” she answered not so truthfully, turning to face him. “It’s about me.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah, become my security man in a project I’m starting. I’ll make it pay ten times your current salary,” she laughed, more than half seriously.

“Sounds tempting,” replied Tim, wondering why this woman stood out from the rest he had known. Even Elizabeth, her twin in looks, didn’t have the same indefinable quality that made her stand out. “What exactly is this project?” he asked in more than just idle curiosity.

Bethany laughed, as she turned and started walking back to the RV.

“You’ll soon find out, along with the rest of them,” she threw over her shoulder cryptically. “It will be the biggest thing to happen in Australia in decades,” she added, catching his interest further.

Tim was intrigued. Bethany’s offer was certainly attractive. He could leave the department if he chose to forgo the police pension the force supplied its members. Being young, that day seemed far away and didn’t really figure into his plans for the immediate future. Having Bethany for a boss would certainly be an attractive option. He followed her back, deciding to wait and see what developed.

After finding out that the girls would be in the Laverton area, Tim said his goodbyes, knowing that it shouldn’t be too hard to find them in a small town like that. Bethany was the last to say goodbye, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Remember my offer,” she called as he started to walk away back to his vehicle-.

“I will,” she heard as he got into his 4 wheel drive.

The rest of the journey took longer than Bethany would normally expect. The RV wasn’t exactly suited for the rough dusty roads and the corrugations set their teeth rattling, and made talking almost impossible as every loose item vibrated and shook. Anything that wasn’t securely fastened down inside threatened to either fall off or shake to pieces and kept Mandy and Elizabeth on their feet rescuing their belongings.

Finally, Bethany had to slow down, which didn’t make the occasional traffic coming up behind very happy. Strangely, none of the drivers that eventually made it past their plume of red dust seemed to make a fuss when they caught sight of Bethany at the wheel. Whether it was because of their “Ah, it’s a women driver,” or the fact she was wearing a tight skimpy top that made them mellow out, she wasn’t going to speculate. Either way she was grateful.

Reaching Laverton in the afternoon meant nothing much was moving due to the heat of the day. Needing nothing in the way of fuel or groceries, having refueled at Kalgoorlie and topped up the tanks with the last place that had good Perth water, they decided to get a drink.

They pulled up at the pub, and went in. If Bethany’s prior experience in the place had made an impact, twins and a near look alike made a much deeper impact. The people inside went quiet as the trio entered and found a table.

Mandy and Elizabeth looked around in interest while Bethany went back to the bar and ordered Vodka, lime and lemonades for all of them. The noise in the bar slowly regained its former volume as the locals speculated on reason three citified women were here in their town. Luckily, (for the men), no one bothered the girls or made any attempt to interrupt their conversation.

Finishing their drinks, they went back to the RV and drove to the same camp where Bethany had stayed for the photo shoot. The plan was to stay there tonight and wait the arrival of the crew coming tomorrow to manage the gold mining. After making dinner and showering, they settled in for the night. With nothing other than the pub for entertainment in the town, the girls watched TV, using the small satellite dish Bethany had requested be fitted to the rear of the RV.

The arrival of the convoy of large vehicles the following morning was soon the buzz of the town, especially with the earthmoving equipment on some of the truck and trailer units. While most of the local attention was focused on the large trucks, two four wheel vehicles slipped away to meet up with the girls at the camp.

Bethany climbed aboard one of them, leaving Mandy and Elizabeth with the RV. Bethany told the driver where to head, while the other vehicle followed in their wake. Eventually, Bethany stood upon the spot where all her adventure had started. Ada then aided her, suggesting locations for the pegs to be placed to give them adequate clearance from possible interlopers.

The team of men in both vehicles had their orders, and didn’t raise any objections to her decisions on the placement of the claim pegs. Once the claim was pegged, GPS positions were taken and entered down. A Sat phone call was then made, transferring the information back to people ready at Perth and the claim was lodged, notarized and settled. Bethany was then taken back to town, leaving all but the driver to guard the claim pegs.

After a restless night filled with strange dreams of gold poachers, with Tim defending the claim single handedly, Bethany woke to the insistent knock on the RV’s door. “You might want to cover up a bit,” warned Ada, sensing that Bethany hadn’t considered her scanty attire.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” she called out to the person outside as she grabbed her robe and fastened it around her. The others were just stirring as she went and opened the door.

“Hello, Miss. Is Bethany Chambers available? We need her signature to sign the authorization allowing us to begin the fencing on the claim she’s lodged.

“I’m Bethany Chambers,” she replied to a surprised man in overalls and work boots. She took the paperwork from him as he gawped at her body for a moment before schooling his expression back into a professional manner.

“I’m sorry for the look, I wasn’t expecting someone as young and se … um, attractive as you,” he apologized, blushing over his runaway tongue, as he accepted the signed forms back.

“When are you heading out there?” she asked curiously.

“Right away, Miss Chambers.”

“Okay, let them know, we’ll be there in … an hour and a half,” she paused, making a rough calculation.

“Right, will do,” the man said, moving to head back to his truck parked just outside the grounds.

By the time the girls had all awakened and had breakfast, it was approaching 9 o’clock. Bethany was itching to get on the road and head out to their claim, so she bitched a bit about the other’s apparent slowness.

“Sis, the gold will still be there, no matter what time we arrive,” Mandy pointed out.

“Yeah, as the owners of the gold, we should make a good first impression,” Elizabeth added while putting on her makeup.

“Sorry, girls. I’m just rather nervous,” explained Bethany by way of apology.

Bethany did concede that Elizabeth was right in a way and put on some lippy herself. Not all that fussed about bothering with makeup, she had let Ada do her thing when it was needed while at the shoot. When they got underway, with Bethany driving again, Ada unknowingly tweaked Bethany’s makeup attempt, adding a little blush and straightening the bleedover of lipstick on Bethany’s lips. She also enhanced the eyes with a little colour. Because this wasn’t actually makeup, but the skin being tinted from within, Bethany never noticed the changes. Even the lipstick changed, becoming no more than a protective layer that just looked wet. The lips became the colour of the lipstick, which would never need touching up, not that Bethany would instinctively remember to do that yet. The waxy coating that gave the lips their gloss would be exuded from the skin all day, protecting them from drying out in the heat.

While the RV would normally be too wide to negotiate the windy bush trails leading to the claim, the arrival of the heavy equipment before them had cleared the route of overhanging trees and bush. The broken and sawn branches lay everywhere along the sides of the track as they slowly edged the RV over the worst of the ruts. It looked like a bulldozer had been used in places to allow access for the heavy equipment. They had smoothed out the banks of wash outs, caused by flash floods that had cut across the track. This made driving the RV across much easier.

Their eventual arrival caused a stir. The track ended in a hastily erected gate that had a guard on it. Fencing had already been erected on both sides of the gate, on its way to totally encircle the claim.

At first, the guard refused them entry, saying it was now private property. He was eventually convinced that they were indeed the owners, apologizing profusely when Bethany showed him the proof of just who she was.

Bethany drove the RV to a spot where there were some trees high enough to give some shade. There were already some portable living units for the men placed nearby. A generator was being set up to supply power and cables were already being strung to power up the living quarters. Two men walked over, as Bethany shut off the engine and got out of the RV.

“Hi, I’m Stewart Granger, the manager of this site and this is my second in command, Isaac Smith. I take it that you are the lovely owner, Miss Chambers?”

“Call me Bethany, please,” she replied, shaking the proffered hand.

“I take it that you will want power hooked up to your vehicle?” Isaac asked, signaling to the men working on the generator supply.

“Yes, but only after the rest have been hooked up. We are self sufficient at the moment,” offered Bethany with a smile.

The men gave each other a quick glance. They seemed impressed that the young owner and her companions, who had just joined her, were so accommodating. After further introductions had been made, the two men left to continue setting up the camp.

“Wow! This is some setup. The fencing alone is going to cost a bundle, do we really have enough to cover all this?’ asked an impressed Mandy.

“I called in some favours and used all our funds for this. The house and everything we own is up on the block till we see some returns.”

“We could lose everything?” cried Elizabeth, only now realising the scale of things.

“Sis, trust me, we won’t lose anything,” promised Bethany, hoping Ada was correct in her assessment of the size of the lode.

More trucks bringing assembled units came trundling into the camp area. One was a kitchen unit set up to provide all the crew with meals. A refrigerator unit was setup next to it, containing fresh meat and everything else one would need. Later, two more units providing seating for dining and entertainment would be set up alongside.

Feeling somewhat useless, as the manager seemed to have everything under control; Bethany decided to walk to where the gold Ada promised, was located. Elizabeth and Mandy decided to bring out collapsible chairs, placing them in the shade by the RV so they could watch the proceedings while enjoying a cold drink.

Bethany scrambled to where she had found Ada. Ada then retrieved the metal detector from p space, so Bethany could feel like she was doing something useful at last. Giving Bethany only a general direction, Ada guided Bethany towards the gold.

Hearing a detector locate something positive had always given Gary, a thrill in the past. To find something under the red dirt and rock, and then to catch sight of that yellow metal when you scratch away the surface, will always make the heart race. This time was no different. As soon as the detector bleeped its message, Bethany crouched and started to examine the dirt. Ada provided a trowel from another of her resources, making it appear in Bethany’s hand.

“Thanks,” Bethany muttered, digging at the soil with urgency.

Bethany gasped, as her trowel hit something with a metallic clink. She uncovered the object with a reverence, as if it was the Holy Grail itself. A nugget as big as her fist lay there, seeing the sunlight for the first time in ages. It was combined with quartz, but she estimated there was at least three and a half a pounds of gold in it, as she hefted it in her hand.

She held it reverently, not because of its worth, but because of what it meant in terms of their future. She didn’t even question just how different that future would be from what Gary could ever have imagined.

She looked around seeing the bluff before her with different eyes. Something about it looked odd. She was used to seeing the white and ochre colouration of the breakaways in the region, but the ochre looked more… she moved closer, coming within feet of the massive wall in front of her.

The detector sounded its alarm and it wasn’t anywhere near the ground. ‘Could it be?” She thought, bringing the coil up from waist height and moving it over the cliff face. The detector howled continuously and she dropped it in shock. Placing her hand over the ochre rock, she realised it was no rock. As the dust of centuries was brushed away, the dull gleam of gold shone through. The white in the cliff face was quartz and it was embedded with large areas of gold. She prised a few pieces away with only her hands.

This was unexpected, and posed new problems. She sat and thought, wondering what to do next. Gold in the ground was one thing, but this was another. She had been expecting to have the machinery turn over the dirt and process the dirt in the usual fashion, not have it showing on the surface where just anyone could pick a piece off and keep it for themselves. She posed the question to Ada.

“Well checking everyone leaving with a metal detector could solve it, but it wouldn’t stop someone from throwing bits over the fence to friends or for later retrieval.” Ada advised.

“True, we need to make sure everyone is trustworthy, but that is one hell of a task, and not exactly 100 percent accurate,” Bethany accepted.

“If you spoke to each and every person here while holding their arm, I could detect skin resistance changes that would indicate lying,” Ada proposed.

“That would work. I could introduce myself to each of them and ask a few questions,” mused Bethany, feeling a lot happier.

She gathered the pieces of gold and placed them out of sight in her pocket, hoping the sag wouldn’t be noticed. She picked up the detector and carried it back to the RV.

Showing the girls the nuggets caused them to gasp in wonder, relieving any doubts that the find was real.

Talking to the men proved relatively easy. She commandeered the office unit set up to manage the job. Stewart was inside at the time and invited her to sit. She shook hands with him again, letting her hand linger on his wrist as she asked if she could trust him. Getting prompts from Ada as to his truthfulness, she showed him the nuggets and explained her problem.

“I’m prepared to give each and everyone a generous bonus above what you will normally be paid, if everyone does their job and doesn’t try to steal from us.” She named a ballpark figure that made Stewart's eyes boggle.

“Miss, I would do my job anyway, even without the bonus, and I’m pretty sure all the men working here are trustworthy, but I can understand your concern and need to talk to each of them privately.”

“Bethany was relieved that Ada found him to be truthful. She then asked to meet with all the men, starting with Isaac. As it turned out, only two showed signs of deceit when shown the nuggets. When Bethany informed Stewart of her concern with the honesty of the two in question, he didn’t demur.

“Those two are recent hires and are only here to help my guys fence off the property. Once the fencing is done, I’ll send them packing. In the meantime, I’ll keep a close eye on them and make sure they stay away from the actual lode area. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, as long as they remain ignorant of the source of the gold and its availability,” Bethany agreed.

“What made you suspect them in the first place?” Stewart asked curiously.

“I got a vibe from them when I showed the nuggets,” hedged Bethany, knowing that Stewart was very astute. Anyway, it was the truth if you consider that Ada vibrated her auditory nerve when informing her of the results from the skin reactions the two men gave to her questions.

“Fair enough,” sighed Stewart, not doubting her hunch, considering she’d picked the only two of his crew that hadn’t been with him for years, something he was sure she couldn’t have known beforehand.

The next few days were critical, and the fence was the first priority. Interest in the site was already being shown by the locals in Laverton. There was just no way to conceal the fact that truckloads of equipment were being ferried to the site.

The first sign of trouble came when Bethany had commandeered and 4x4 and was driving alone outside the completed section of fence line. She was checking the pegs that marked the boundary of her claim when she saw another peg planted slightly further out. She walked over to it to inspect it and saw it was part of some attempt to claim jump. She started to pull it out in anger, when a shout from a patch of saltbush alerted her to the fact, that she wasn’t alone.

“Hey, girlie, I’d leave that alone if I where you,” the scruffy looking man in dusty clothing menaced, coming within smell range.

“If you were me, you’d be a lot cleaner, and smell nicer,” Bethany threw back, not at all worried about the rifle the man carried over his shoulder.

“Lookie here, lady. That is my claim peg, and you’re trespassing on my property, so I’ll thank ya to git offen it.”

“And your name is?” Bethany asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Clyde Smithers, to you,” he retorted.

“And to others, you’re?” she asked straight-faced.

“Enough of the cheek, Missy, before I put you over my knee and teach you some manners,” Clyde huffed.

Ada needed no instruction to do a search on the man. She found what she needed and informed Bethany silently.

“Well Mr. Smithers, I suggest you remove your claim jumping ass away from here before I have you arrested,” Bethany replied coldly. “Your tactics won’t work here like they did for a time in Leonora. I figured you would have learned your lesson when you tried over-pegging a claim in Kalgoorlie and found yourself in hot water. That’s when your once successful attempt was overruled in court,” she finished, throwing the accusation back into his face.

Clyde looked like he wanted to argue, despite the fact that this slip of a girl had the goods on him. He even shifted his rifle off his shoulder, bringing the barrel to line up in her general direction.

Just then another vehicle roared up to them, raising a boiling cloud of dust as it skidded to a halt. Stewart emerged like a lion protecting its pride. He was wearing a holstered pistol on his hip and one hand was resting on it, as he strode forward purposely. He didn’t stop as expected, but walked right into Clyde, giving the man no time to react. Stewart wrenched the rifle from Clyde’s grasp and threw it away into the dust.

“Get the hell out of here, before I decide that you might enjoy a fast trip down an abandoned mineshaft,” Stewart spat in Clyde’s face, the venom clearly evident.

Clyde went white and scrambled backwards, as if pushed by Stewart’s sheer ferocity. Such was his terror; he didn’t stop to get his rifle, as he ran back to where he had camped.

Stewart turned his attention to Bethany, frowning a little as he thought she’d been careless. “You okay? When one of my men radioed in that someone was out here, I came immediately,” he explained curtly.

“I’m fine. I was handling it okay, but thanks for the help,” she answered, wondering what was upsetting him. “You know him? He seemed to know you, or of you,” she probed.

“He and I butted heads a while ago. He tried this same stunt at a claim I was managing, down in Kalgoorlie. He came off second best and the courts decided to take back a decision on a prior ruling that had been in his favour.”

“Ah! I see.”

“Were you looking for anything particular, or was this just a joy ride?” Stewart asked.

“Actually, I was checking for this very thing,” Bethany replied, pulling up the abandoned claim peg and throwing it after the discarded rifle.

“I can see we will need to sweep this area each day,” nodded Stewart, his previous annoyance replaced with respect at her astuteness. The fence will be finished today, but I think the media have finally woken up to us,” he said sourly, looking up at a helicopter approaching from the south.

“Hmmm, I guess I should go back to meet them,” grumbled Bethany, feeling annoyed that her peaceful morning ride was fast going down the gurgler.

“Rather you than me,” grinned Stewart. “I think I’ll check the rest of the perimeter fence.” He chuckled, seeing Bethany’s grimace.

Bethany made her way back to the camp, to find that the helicopter had landed inside the fence. Isaac, with no clear instructions on dealing with any media, had refused to let anyone out of the helicopter and had posted several guards nearby. He was on the radio when Bethany pulled up, and looked relieved to let her handle it.

Gary had never been a super-confident person, and would have run a mile before wishing to deal with pushy reporters, especially given the situation of both his and his sister’s new identities. Bethany, on the other hand, felt supremely confident. Whether this was partly due to the change in sex and her short experience before a camera, or something Ada had given this body as a matter of due, she wasn’t sure. One thing that was certain, was her fierce protectiveness for her sister and ‘cousin.’ Knowing the effect her body had on others, she strode forward assuredly, waving the guards aside.

Of course, Mandy and Elizabeth were soon at her side, having been curious over the arrival of the helicopter. Once they spotted the TV station logo on the side of the chopper, they stayed back, allowing Bethany to confront the crew, as they clambered outside.

“Brian Stevenson, from Channel Nine news. Is it true that this is the site of the legendary Lassiter’s reef? And that you …” here, the man paused to look at his notes, “Bethany Chambers, now own the rights to it all?” he asked, thrusting a microphone in her face.

Bethany paused, her confidence taking a hit, as the unexpected question struck her. Seeing the cameraman was already filming, she knew she had to remain calm and not react. “Yes, I do. Or rather, the Chambers family has the exclusive rights to this claim, but whether it is the reef you refer to is best left up to the experts,” she replied calmly, not showing her dismay at the leaked information.

“Is it true that you paid for this claim with sexual favours to a known rapist called Gary Carstairs, who is even now, still at large?” the question thrown at her both angered and amused her.

“Gary isn’t a rapist and the police still have no proof he ever was, so I’d watch what you say. Yes, I got the claim from him, but, (here Bethany almost quoted a famous line from a former US president), there were no favours granted, sexual or otherwise.”

The man backpedaled, seeing she was not the pushover he first thought she’d be. He looked around the camp curiously before asking her another question. “This seems to be a well organized camp and the fencing I saw from the air suggests that the claim is a significant one. This seems to be a strange change in careers. Model to miner, how do you account for this?”

“Well everyone has a right to change careers, and if this pans out, I might not have to work again. Now I don’t want to sound rude, but I have work to do, so I suggest you fly back home and don’t bother us again,” Bethany curtly tried to end the impromptu interview.

“What about this Gary person? Isn’t it a little suspicious that you acquire a mine of substantial wealth, and then he disappears? Some might think that you may have put him out of the picture so you could get all of this,” the man persisted, waving his hand around at the camp.

“Look, I suggest you leave now, before I have you removed physically,” an angry Bethany retorted, signaling to the two men waiting nearby. “As to your insinuation …be very careful or might find yourself on the wrong side of the law,” she warned.

Bethany then turned and walked away, ignoring the next shouted question. The two guards didn’t have to use force, as they crowded the reporter and his cameraman back onto the helicopter. Bethany didn’t even look up as the craft lifted off in a swirl of noise and dust and started moving away.

As the sound of the rotors faded away, Bethany rejoined her sisters and told them that they had a leak in the camp.

“Someone must have told the media for them to have come out and mention Lassiter’s reef.”

“What about this Gary guy you got the claim off?” asked Elizabeth, who was still ignorant that Bethany, now standing in front of her, was once the Gary in question. “What if the police come asking where he is?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up,” Mandy reassured her, giving Bethany a quick grin.

“Don’t worry, Sis, I’m more concerned about who let the cat out of the bag,” Bethany reiterated.

Just then, a waft of something baking drifted past them. Following their noses, they found one man in the kitchen unit, baking bread and scones for the men in the camp. When the trio of girls arrived, he was powerless to stop them tasting a sample, not that he protested at all. He seemed to enjoy their company while they ate his baking with a timely cup of tea.

Elizabeth and Mandy even volunteered to deliver some to the men working outside the camp on the fencing. While they were doing that, Bethany went and questioned her two suspects that had proved to be unreliable in her earlier check. Finding out that they had indeed released information to the media by careful questioning, Bethany talked to Stewart. “I’ll have them replaced immediately,” he said angrily, feeling his reputation was being undermined by the two men’s acts.

“Won’t that just fuel more suspicion?” Bethany queried.

“Maybe, and maybe not. I have another crew doing work near Coolgardie. I’ll say they are being transferred there to help out, now that the majority of the fencing is completed. I’ll warn the work boss there of their dishonesty and have him fire them for some misdemeanor.”

“I suppose this place will be overrun with media if the press let loose with the Lassiter claim,” grumbled Bethany, getting a nod of agreement from Stewart.

That evening, the news on TV showed the brief interview with Bethany. The reporters played on the speculation that Lassiter’s reef had been discovered, and that Bethany had been involved in some nefarious scheme to do away with the original discoverer, Gary Carstairs. Bethany was furious; she stamped out the door of the RV, nearly ripping it off its hinges. The girls still in the RV looked at each other.

“I guess this means we do the dishes,” shrugged Mandy with a sigh.

“I’ve never seen her so mad before,” Elizabeth admitted, chewing her bottom lip with concern. “Shouldn’t we do something, like go after her?”

Mandy, who knew her “brother” better than anyone, knew it was best to let Bethany cool down on her own. “Nah ... She can’t come to much harm out here. I’d let her cool down on her own.”

She wasn’t so sure when they heard a vehicle leave the camp a few minutes later, especially when Stewart came knocking on the door enquiring why Bethany had demanded a 4x4 in such a rush. They could only mention about the new clip on the TV, and how angry she had got seeing it.

“We haven’t got a TV set up yet, too busy, so I didn’t get to see it,” Stewart told them.

They girls gave him a brief rundown on what had been mentioned, and Stewart grew more concerned. “You don’t think she’ll do anything silly now, do you?” he asked, pacing back and forth.

Elizabeth shrugged, knowing that Bethany had changed since she had come back, and she couldn’t be sure of anything her sister did anymore.

Mandy was more positive. “She’ll be okay. I just think she needs time alone,” was her response.

“How is it that our cousin thinks she knows more about my sister than I do?” grumbled Elizabeth, without any heat, shaking Mandy’s shoulder with her hand in a playful manner.

Mandy just grinned back, not taking any offense at Elizabeth’s mild accusation. “Well, maybe because I’m taking her only from what I’ve seen of her so far, while you are still judging her from the time before she came back,” she answered.

Stewart was listening interestedly, having little knowledge of the girls background. ‘Cousins and twins, no wonder they look alike,’ he thought as the girls continued to talk.

“Well, ladies, I’ll say goodnight, and hope she comes back before long. Driving in the bush at night is a recipe for disaster in my book. Last thing I want to do is put out a search party for a missing person.”

It was nearly midnight, before the phone in the RV rang, putting the worried girls out of their misery. “Hi, it’s me. sorry I forgot to take my phone.” “Where are you?” demanded Elizabeth, who had beaten Mandy to the phone.

“I’m in Kalgoorlie, ringing on the hotel’s phone. I have something to do before I come back. Tell Stewart I’m sorry I swiped his jeep, but I need a day before I return. Give Mandy a hug for me,” Bethany asked, before hanging up.

“She’s in Kalgoorlie, for God’s sake,” Elizabeth told Mandy exasperatedly. “Don’t ask me why she’s there,” she added, returning the Sat phone to its cradle.

Mandy nodded, having a good idea what Bethany was up to. She would keep a close eye on the TV news.

The next day saw the arrival of interested sightseers. They camped outside the fence line and were seen watching the activity with binoculars. Some were a group of Aboriginals and it didn’t take long before protest signs were being waved at them, proclaiming that they had no right to bar them from tribal lands.

The girls were worried without the support of their absent sister, and didn’t venture far from the center of the camp. Even Stewart seemed nervous with the protest showing signs of increasing tension. Late in the afternoon, a lone 4x4 drove up into the group stationed outside the gates. It honked its horn as it tried to pass through. Abuse was hurled at the driver and stones started being thrown.

Stewart was promptly on the scene and soon some of his biggest lads opened the gate and advanced in a group to escort the vehicle inside. The girls saw with relief that the driver was Bethany, having returned safely. They rushed over to greet her and give her a telling off for scaring them.

Bethany broke away for a moment to apologize to Stewart for taking his vehicle, and to get a quick update on the protesters outside. He could only tell her when they had arrived and their activities to date, and that her arrival was the first bit of violence seen.

Bethany then went to the relative privacy of the RV and filled them in on what she had been doing.

“You had video footage from a tape made by Gary?” asked Elizabeth incredulously.

“Yeah, I took it to the local news office and had them sent it to Perth,” Bethany answered.

“Why didn’t you say so? I would have thought you might have shown people it before this,” grumbled Elizabeth.

“First, I was hoping none of this would come up,” explained Bethany. “It’s nobodies else’s business, but ours, until some snotty reporter started throwing dirt around. And second, I couldn’t release it till Gary had secured his sister’s release from under police surveillance and took her to a private home.”

Mandy remained quiet, knowing there was more to this sudden video footage than met the eye. She couldn’t very well ask while Elizabeth was there.

The rest of the day was spent watching TV and keeping a watchful eye on the protesters. Bethany had to show her face, when another TV news crew arrived on the scene.

Bethany wanted to go and talk to the reporters, but fearing they might twist the story about, she asked Mandy to accompany her with the handy cam that Bethany had brought with her from her visit to Kalgoorlie.

“What do you have to say about the fact that you are working on an aboriginal reservation?” asked an over-eager reporter as he thrust his microphone in her face.

Mandy filmed the interview from nearby, making it look like she was covering the protest, rather that the interview.

“If you had checked your facts, you would have realized that the western border of the reservation in question, is two kilometers to the east of my claim,” she rebutted sternly. “I’m well aware of attempts by the local tribes to claim suddenly valuable land, claiming it was a sacred site. Especially, when strangely, they were never bothered about the land before the discovery of its valuable mineral resources. I’ve done my homework, so I suggest you do yours,” she finished before returning to the RV.

The news that night wasn’t very flattering. They had cut the first part of her interview out, which made the second bit seem like she was pouring on fuel to douse the flames. To say Bethany was irate, was like saying liquid oxygen is mildly cold. She grabbed the phone and made some calls. One was to the television station, demanding that if they refused to show the complete footage, she would sue them. She warned them that she had her own video footage of the interview and would give it to their competition.

Another call was made to the director of her latest ad campaign, explaining what was happening. She mentioned a video cam memory card that she had sent to the local news office in Kalgoorlie and that a copy had been sent to him, just for insurance.

From her responses on the phone, it seemed to the two girls listening in, that something was going to be done once he received the footage.

Bethany, quietly seething couldn’t settle after her calls, as she waited for some response to her actions. About an hour later, Bethany received a call from the director, saying he had got the memory card and was going to take it directly to the other network TV station. He said he would make sure it was aired, as she was a valued model, and friend, and any false accusations made and slurs on her character could affect his ad campaign as well.

The girls were nervous as the ten o’clock news time approached. They kept their distance from Bethany without trying to make it obvious, as she paced back and forth inside the RV. Bethany was aware of the situation, but she couldn’t relax as it seemed her body felt like a coiled spring.

When the news did come on, Bethany relaxed as the item she’d been waiting for, finally aired. The video clip showed Gary Carstairs making a statement that for an undisclosed sum, he’d relinquished all rights to his find to Bethany Chambers for personal reasons. He also stated that he’d taken his sister from the institution in Perth and was headed overseas with her to try some experimental procedures. The camera view showed him moving out of frame, and a moment later, his sister Amanda wheeled herself into the frame on a battered looking wheelchair.

Mandy gasped at seeing her old self doing something she’d done, but realised at once that this was Bethany portraying both her brother and herself, to settle any doubts of their existence.

The Amanda in the footage explained she had gone willingly with her brother, and for the police to stop their search for the two of them, as by the time this was viewed, they’d be out of the country. A date in the top corner of the footage confirmed that it had been taken about a week after her supposed abduction.

The network then showed the heavily edited footage shown by the other TV network and then they played the footage shot by Mandy, which clearly showed the first one to have been cut to inflame the situation.

Someone had done their homework and had checked the claim’s boundary and that of the aboriginal reservation to the east and clearly showed the claim wasn’t encroaching on the tribal lands.

Mandy opened a bottle of bubbly and poured them all glasses as they turned off the TV and sat back to celebrate. A knock on the door heralded the arrival of Stewart, who had managed to see the news broadcast on the camp’s newly setup satellite TV. He was invited in and given a glass as well, as talk turned from the news item to more personal matters.

He and Mandy seemed to hit it off and Elizabeth and Bethany winked to each other, as the pair got engrossed in conversation. Finally the two separated and Stewart headed off to bed. The girls followed suit, and some gentle ribbing at Mandy about her new “boyfriend,” had them smiling as they settled down to sleep.

Morning came on time the next day, but the girls didn’t see much of it, as they slept in late as a result of their celebrations.

About 10 O’clock, an insistent knocking roused Bethany from her slumber. She looked in the mirror as she grabbed a robe, and grimaced at her appearance, not even conscious that her thought that her hair needed brushing, was in anyway strange, given her background.

She opened the door expecting Stewart to be there, but instead … “Wow! I love the look,” laughed a voice she knew. Facing her was Tim Stevens.

She squealed and ducked back inside, while calling out to him that she looked a proper sight. His gentle laugh followed her inside. “You are a sight … for sore eyes,” he breathed through the closed door.

“What’s got you in a tizzy?” grumbled Mandy, having been awakened by the commotion.

“Tim’s outside, and I’m a mess,” hissed Bethany, rushing to get dressed, brush her hair and put makeup on, all at the same time.

“You’re such a girl,” giggled Mandy, watching her former brother acting just like any giddy schoolgirl in love. ‘In love? Oh my,’ Mandy thought, recognizing the telltale signs. In that instant, she knew Gary was no more. He wasn’t ever going to come back. Her momentary sense of loss was replaced with joy at the thought that her new sister had found love, something Gary never had.

She got up and helped her sister brush her hair now Bethany was dressed, and putting on a bit of makeup. Knowing that Ada could have done it for her in an instant, told Mandy just how far Bethany had settled into her new form.

Once ready, Bethany raced for the door, only slowing her headlong rush for a moment, before opening it. She cast a look of thanks to Mandy, before vanishing outside.

Mandy started getting dressed herself, hearing the voices outside fade as they moved away to the seats under the tree.

“I wasn’t expecting you. I just woke up,” Bethany confessed, feeling as if his eyes were boring into her soul, and blushing at the thought.

“I’m not complaining, you looked beautiful, still do in fact,” Tim admitted with passion, taking her hand in his.

His comment made her blush deepen and she looked down at the table, brushing some dust off it with her free hand. Tim captured her other hand and gently turned her to face him. “I saw you on television last night and thought I might be of service.”

“You quit the police force?” She gasped.

“Not quite. I took some leave I’m owed. They moaned a bit at the short notice, but when I mentioned why, they told me to take as much time as I needed. I think you wowed them,” he laughed.

“I’m glad you’re here. Things have been rather hectic the last few days,” Bethany grimaced.

“I saw some of it coming in,” Tim told her. It looks like all but the most determined have left the area. Mind you, they may not have seen the TV coverage on the news.”

“Probably the ones that went home last night, saw the news and didn’t return,” Bethany guessed, looking over to the gate area.

“Is this really Lassiter’s reef like the reporter speculated?” Tim asked her curiously.

Bethany looked into Tim’s eyes and saw no guile or greed, as her instincts had already assured her of his trustworthiness. “Yes it is,” she answered plainly.

“Wow!” was his only response, as he sat back in thought.

“You’ll need me to guard the ore if the legend of its richness is true. No offense to the people here, but they are miners first and foremost. I’ve had some experience in guarding gold shipments from the mines in Kalgoorlie.”

“Why don’t I show you the gold,” Bethany urged, feeling better now Tim was at her side.

Bethany stood up and led Tim to Stewart’s office, where after a brief introduction she got the use of his jeep. Stewart insisted on coming along and Bethany agreed. Stewart drove, while Bethany directed, and soon they were at the place where she’d picked up the ore off the ground. The others were gobsmacked when she showed them the vein in the quartz. Stewart had been more concerned with getting the fence up as directed and hadn’t explored the actual site of the gold’s source. To see free gold that could be worked out of the ground with bare hands told of the importance of the fence surrounding the claim.

“I can bring a tent up here and some supplies for you, so you can guard this round the clock.” Stewart offered Tim, who nodded his agreement.

“We need to get an armoured van to store the ore brought out each day,” suggested Tim.

“I’ll get right on it,” Stewart agreed, getting a confirming nod from Bethany.

They drove back to the camp, where Mandy invited both men in for breakfast that she was starting. Stewart regretfully declined, saying he’d had it earlier. Tim also begged off, having eaten on the way up, but both men accepted the offer of a cup of coffee. Elizabeth was still in bed, but awake, so the men went outside to wait under the tree, allowing them to finalize details on the guard duty.

By the time breakfast was ready, Elizabeth was dressed, so they took out the food to the table outside where the men helped chase away the persistent flies that threatened to fly inundate the table, one of the penalties of eating food after the flies woke up. During the conversation, Stewart admitted that he wanted to get out of the mining business. He already had a substantial bank account, as all one had to spend money on in the outback was beer, and he wasn’t a big drinker, preferring to drink beer as a means of washing the dust down after a days work. He’d figured that with the bonuses from this job, he could afford to retire if he wanted. This obviously interested Mandy, who seemed to have her own plans for what Stewart might be doing in the near future.

“What are your plans?” Bethany asked Tim, seeing they were on the subject.

“Well …” Tim paused, looking at Bethany. “I might be leaving the police force if things fall into place, and a certain someone finds me acceptable,” he hinted, none too subtly.

Bethany’s face blushed and Elizabeth giggled. She didn’t seem upset that both Mandy and Bethany had potential boyfriends and she had none.

“Bethany’s got a boyfriend, Bethany’s got a boyfriend,” she chanted gleefully, making Bethany blush more as she was put on the spot.

“What about you? Seems you’re the only one without a boyfriend,” Bethany retorted in irritation, not realizing the effects her statement had on both Stewart and Tim.

Elizabeth just giggled. She was facing the others and saw the mixed expressions of hope and dismay on the faces of Tim and Stewart respectively. “I have someone back in Perth,” Elizabeth replied, tartly. “Now I’m not being you, I can make further plans,” she added, rubbing her hands together.

The men looked confused, and Tim looked askance at Bethany. “I’ll tell you later, it’s a long story,” she shrugged.

“You have a boyfriend?” Stewart asked Mandy, obviously taking Elizabeth’s earlier statement to mean someone else.

“I do now,” Mandy said hopefully, taking Stewart’s hand in hers.

“So who is this mystery boyfriend you have?” Bethany asked Elizabeth, trying to divert attention away from herself.

“Oh, just someone I met while I was doing your job. He wanted to take things further, but I didn’t want to complicate matters when I couldn’t be myself. If you must know, he’s a struggling actor, trying to get into films,” Elizabeth added, before going into a thoughtful reverie.

“Does he know you as you? Or me?” Bethany asked curiously.

“As Elizabeth. I said I was in an awkward situation at the time we met and was covering for my sister. I dated him on and off between campaigns and we got on together.” Then as a sudden thought struck her, Elizabeth wailed. “Oh crap! What’s the bet he’s seen us on TV? I hope it’s not going to affect our relationship. I was getting rather serious about him,” she finished with concern written over her face.

The two men wisely stayed out of the girls conversation, even though what they had heard seemed to beg for an explanation.

Bethany saw the interest in the guys faces as they listened, and sighed. She decided to give them a pocket edition of her story, while Mandy and Elizabeth cleared away the remains of the breakfast.

They seemed impressed and not at all skeptical. She was worried that with his police background, Tim might want to pursue the issue further. Obviously, she had left certain details out, concerning Ada and her abilities to change forms.

“Did your time with the aboriginal tribe have any bearing on the discovery of the reef?” Stewart asked astutely.

“Yes,” Bethany fibbed, seeing it made sense. “One of the elders related a story hinting about the whereabouts of the lost gold reef. So when I grubstaked Gary Carstairs, I suggested looking in this general area. Luckily, he found it,” she finished, smoothing out the lie she had begun.

“Strange the others of the tribe hadn’t searched for it themselves,” mused Stewart.

“He was in his cups at the time and rambling quite a bit. I think they dismissed it as drunken wish fulfillment, more than any kind of truth.”

“Ah!” Stewart said, understanding first hand the effects of booze on the aboriginal population.

There were still a few hangers-on camped the outside of the now completed fence line, but they were mostly just the curious and hopeful. Some made attempts to prospect along the fence line with metal detectors, hoping the fence may have missed enclosing some of the gold bearing layers.

One curious thing was noticed. The remaining aboriginal protestors had disappeared after a visit from a group of others, some of whom Bethany thought she recognized. Stewart thought it may have been tribal elders, but Bethany had a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with her abduction by the mobster. She thought some of the aboriginals looked like the ones who had been instrumental in her capture. The way she had eluded them, must have been enough to send a message that she wasn’t to be messed with. Obviously, they had recognized her from the TV coverage. At last something positive had come from all of that ordeal.

Along with an armoured van, lights were set up around the actual gold vein to keep the place lit all though the night. Tim suggested having several PTZ pan/tilt/zoom cameras mounted around, as well. A few guards that Tim knew were hired to monitor and operate the PTZ cameras which also recorded their footage during the night. This meant Tim could get some sleep during the night time.

All the readily accessible gold was mined by hand, and rigorous inspections made sure no gold left the area unaccounted for. Bethany went around handing the workers selected nuggets that would fetch prices above their actual gold worth. This was an incentive to keep them honest, although Stewart protested that it wasn’t necessary. Tim thought she just loved to see the reaction on the guys faces as she handed out the two or three ounce souvenirs.

On a suggestion from Stewart, a crusher and a furnace were set up to smelt the ore into ingots on the site, so that it could be stored in a bank vault until needed. With the gold being free and not locked up in the bearing rock, all the processing the gold needed was to be crushed to free it from the quartz and then melted. His suggestion that flooding the market with all of the gold at once might upset the value of gold was a valid point, so Bethany planned only to use what they needed, when they needed it.

Ada informed Bethany that the gold ore was 90% gold and 10% silver. Once the ingots were forged, Ada suggested that she could remove the silver content without further processing.

“All you need to do is inspect each load before transport,” Ada offered silently.

After few days, when the crusher and furnace arrived, the refining finally got into full swing using the ore that had been mined in the interim. The ore was being removed from a quartz vein that lay at the base of the breakaway. The vein ran horizontally for about 100 meters, becoming thicker as it went deeper into the ground. At the rate of its extraction by back hoe and pneumatic jackhammers, it might only take a month before the lode was cleaned out.

With a further monetary incentive on Bethany’s part, sworn statements were received from those working the vein to remain silent about its actual size. Stewart suggested keeping the machines working the site long after the main lode of gold was gone. The idea was to make it look like her gold wasn’t in one huge lump, something that might alarm the gold market.

Bethany agreed, but she wasn’t interested in staying out there once she had her quota. Instead, she suggested allowing those working the site to keep what they found while she paid for the upkeep of the camp.

Ada told her that of the 30 tons of gold in the mine, there was bout a ton of gold scattered away from the main lode. The men left to work the mine would become rich in their own right with a little perseverance. Ada helped Bethany mark a map showing where the scattered gold could be found. Bethany saw then why the fence boundary was so wide when the main lode was so concentrated.

Once Elizabeth heard the estimated time for the recovery of the gold, she decided to go back to Perth reawaken her relationship with Andrew, her actor boyfriend. Mandy decided to stay with Bethany, as she had Stewart as a reason to stay. Plus, now she could stretch her legs literally, she was going on walks through the bush, reveling in her mobility.

Tim offered to drive Elizabeth to Kalgoorlie, so she could catch a flight back, which they did the next day. There were a few tears when she left, and Bethany told her to ring her regularly.

“You certainly seemed to have got into the tearful goodbyes,” sighed Mandy, wiping her own tears away.

“Yeah, it’s strange. Must be all the hormones flooding this body,” offered Bethany, defending her reactions.

“It still seems strange how easily you took to being a female, I mean look, you now have a boyfriend and everything,” Mandy pointed out.

“It wasn’t that easy, Sis,” refuted Bethany. “At first, I was terrified, thinking everyone could tell that I was a man in this body. Ada helped a lot there, thankfully.”

“I don’t get it. You changed from a guy to a gal with hardly a protest, and when you can change back, you don’t,” pressed Mandy.

Bethany sighed, thinking back. Mandy was right, in a way. She had accepted being a female too easily, but was unable to come up with a logical reason why. Knowing Mandy was waiting on an explanation, she tried to come up with something. “Sis, when I first changed I didn’t get a chance to refuse it, as my rescuers were almost on us. Later, being accepted as a beautiful woman did something to me. You know I wasn’t a macho guy by any means, but I hadn’t wanted to be a woman either … at least consciously,” she added the last bit as an out.

“When I had time to explore this body, it just seemed to fit. I didn’t feel like I had been stuffed into a body that was too small or was a wrong shape. It was me, it felt comfortable, like a glove.” Here, Bethany gave a frustrated groan as she tried to come up with the right words to explain.

“It’s okay, Sis, I think I know what you mean,” Mandy grinned and gave her a hug.

Bethany hugged her back, marveling at the ease females guess what another person is feeling.

“Females are more empathic,” Mandy added, answering Bethany’s unspoken thought.

“Mind readers, too,” Bethany agreed.

“Sometimes, Sis.”

Bethany went over to the dresser where her makeup was kept and started her daily routine, giving her face the ‘No, I’m not wearing makeup’ look, finishing it off with a dab of lipstick.

“I don’t see why you bother when Ada can do that for you,” Mandy said somewhat enviously.

“Well, I can’t let her do it all the time. What if I’m in the ladies, somewhere? I might attract attention if my makeup refreshes itself all by itself now, won’t I? Plus, if I ever do get married, I wouldn’t want to have to explain why I can’t let him see me put my face on in the morning.”

“True, I guess. But I wouldn’t mind having the same help Ada gives you,” Mandy grumbled.

Bethany paused, listening to what Ada just told her. “Um … Ada said she could make it happen if you want. You’ll have to wear her while she does some tinkering to your body.”

“Oh, yes, I want to,” gushed Mandy in excitement.

Ada became visible and Bethany handed her sister the helmet. Mandy grinned as she donned it, and stood still while Ada explained what she was going to do. Mandy repeated what Ada told her out loud, so Bethany knew what was happening too.

“Ada is changing my skin so that the outer layer is made up of a type of Chromatospore, like what some lizards and cuttlefish have. I’ve told her to do to my whole body, not just my face, so I can change my all over skin colour. She is going to let me have conscious control over how I want to look, but it won’t actually be makeup. I’ll still need moisturizers and lip balm to prevent my skin and lips from drying out.”

Bethany watched, as under the tutelage of Ada, Mandy’s face underwent several changes in colour. Mandy’s cheeks grew rosier and eye shadow appeared to show around her eyes, first green then turning to a blue colour. She crowed in delight as she figured out the control of her new skin. Ada was once again handed back to Bethany, and with a sigh of relief, she placed it back on her head. Even in the short time that her sister had worn Ada, she had missed the reassurance that Ada was right there with her.

Mandy started practicing changing the colour of her skin, going from a near ebony to an almost albino white. Bethany giggled at the incongruous sight of seeing her sister with dark skin and blonde hair. Mandy finally settled on a shade that was slightly more tanned than her original look.

“Who needs the sun to get a tan?” she boasted, checking herself out in the mirror.

“Just don’t go overboard, Sis., Remember Stewart might notice a sudden tan,” Bethany pointed out.

“Right,” Mandy agreed, changing back to her original shade, but keeping the eye shadow and blush colouration. “At least I won’t have bikini lines now,” she giggled, pulling her top and bra strap to one side to show an even tan over her shoulder.

Bethany laughed, while gathering her metal detecting gear together. Now that the lode was being worked, she had little to do with the extraction process and it was dangerous near the machines extracting the gold. Instead, she would walk out to where the gold was scattered in low concentrations and try and define the area more accurately with her detector. Of course Ada didn’t understand why Bethany refused her help. All Bethany wanted was to try pitting her own skills against the terrain, and exulting when she located a nugget or two for her efforts. At each find, she would mark the spot by building a small cairn using three or four small rocks of descending size one atop the others. Although Ada had shown her the places on a map which had been duly marked, it was a different thing to walk over the terrain to find the exact location, something that allowed Bethany to have her fun.

“I’m off to find another nugget or two,” Bethany announced to her preoccupied sister.

“Okay, see you at lunch.”

Bethany wanted to find three suitable nuggets to have mounted for a necklace for her sisters and herself. So far, she had one of a suitable size and shape. As the nuggets usually came with some quartz intertwined with them, it was hard to visualize the bare nuggets form without the quartz. Ada did help here, as she could scan each nugget and announce its suitability for mounting. The one she had already had been stripped of its quartz with the use of hydrofluoric acid, an extremely dangerous chemical that needed lots of care to be taken with it.

Walking out to her next spot, she noted that there were several people working detectors along the outside of the fence line, obviously hoping some of the gold extended further than expected. Bethany didn’t mind them being there, as long as they didn’t try getting through the fence. She carried a small UHF CB so she could call the camp in case of trouble, so she wasn’t worried about her safety.

Further along she noted a vehicle and several men working by a small rocky outcrop. As she started working her grid search with the detector, she forgot about them as she concentrated on her search. She was on her return path, moving towards the fence, when a loud explosion directly in front of her blew her off her feet and she felt a hot burning sensation as something hit her in the side. She could feel hot bits of rock falling on her as her senses threatened to leave her.

Bethany rolled over onto her side, wincing at the pain as the mixture of rock and sand ground into her injury. The blackness faded as Ada catalogued her injuries verbally and started countering her injuries. Bethany looked towards the area of the explosion and noted almost as an aside, that the fence was damaged with huge sagging dents, where large boulders had struck it. Without the fence catching most of the debris and preventing it from going though, she doubted she’d be alive.

As she struggled to her feet and looked down at her quickly closing wound, she wondered if this was some sort of attempt at breeching the fence. A moment later, she realised it wasn’t, as she heard cries of pain coming from where she’d seen the people over by the rock outcropping. She clambered awkwardly over the smashed down fence and made her way to the now overturned vehicle she’d seen before.

“Bounty Base, this is Bounty One, come in Bounty Base,” Bethany called on her UHF CB, using the prearranged call signs. She hoped it was still working as she called again.

“Bounty Base receiving, come in Bounty One,” she heard crackling back.

“Bounty Base, I need medical assistance over on the north west sector near grid reference 64. Three injured men requiring urgent attention,” she answered, checking on the men in question.

“Received, Bounty One, assistance on the way and flying doctor notified,” she heard a minute later.

Bethany waited, doing what she could for the injured men. Her own wound and bloodstained shirt were already back to normal, even the hole torn by the shrapnel had been fixed, courtesy of Ada. She still had minor abrasions and her clothing was still dusty from being on the ground, but Ada reminded her that people would expect that, her being so close to the explosion.

She heard the whine from the jeep as it made its way over to her position. Stewart was there, along with the first aid man for the camp. Mandy had come along as well, to no surprise.

“What happened?” asked Stewart, as he surveyed the extent of the damage.

As the other man went straight to work, bandaging the worst of the wounds suffered by the men, Bethany gave a brief description, leaving out her initial injuries, while Mandy fussed over her, dabbing her minor abrasions with a wetted cloth.

“This man has a broken leg, and I think the other had broken ribs,” Jeremy the first aid man called out.

“Okay, Jeremy, the flying doctors are on their way. I guess I should call the police as well.” Stewart sighed, bringing out his phone.

Only one man was able to talk, as one was semi-conscious and the other was too busy moaning and cursing. It seemed they had been trying to breakup the outcropping with explosives, but it had gone drastically wrong.

Bethany went to sit on a box nearby, but Ada warned it was full of unstable dynamite. She called Stewart’s attention to it and he opened it cautiously. Immediately he closed the lid and warned everyone to get clear.

“What’s wrong?” Mandy asked, as she helped lift the injured to a safer position.

“The idiots were using out of date dynamite. The sticks are oozing pure Nitroglycerine. No wonder things blew up,” grumbled Stewart, shaking his head in disgust.

Mandy had climbed over the ruined fence going over to where Bethany’s detector still lay on the ground where she had fallen. Bethany noted that she seemed to take her time coming back and when she did, she was ashen faced. She pulled Bethany aside where the others couldn’t overhear them.

“What really happened sis?” She probed.

Not wanting to scare her, Bethany shrugged and said she’d just been thrown to the ground with the blast.

“Don’t give me that, there was a pool of fresh blood covered with flies on the ground near the detector,” Mandy refuted angrily. “Don’t worry, I scuffed dirt over it in case someone sees it,” she added in a slightly quieter tone.

Bethany sighed, and filled her in, seeing it was useless to deny it anymore. Mandy wasn’t all that happy with the near disaster, but knew she couldn’t stop her sister from exposing herself to possible danger from the public that wandered outside the camp.

“Can’t Ada make you bulletproof? I don’t want to lose you, and I’ll know I will worry all the time now,” Mandy despaired.

“Bulletproof huh?” Bethany grinned, thinking about it.

“It could be possible.” Ada told her. “If I extended the effect I use to make me invisible, I could cover you with a thin micro layer of p space that could shunt away anything impacting it over a certain velocity,” Ada deliberated.

“Okay,” chirped an enthused Bethany. “So all I have to watch out for is slow bullets?” she laughed jokingly.

“She can do it?” Asked Mandy, getting the gist of the one sided conversation.

“Looks like it Sis, you’ll have to call me Wonder Woman,” laughed Bethany, hugging her sister.

“Oh, I wonder all the time,” Mandy quipped back punching Bethany lightly on the arm.

“Hey! That hurts,” came a mock protest.

The morning was busted, by the time the men were taken away. The police had arrived as well, and had questioned the one man still able to give information. They also had the dynamite removed to a safer spot. Stewart loaned them an explosive charge, helping them to detonate it where it could do no further damage.

Once most of the people had gone, Bethany went over to the hole left by the first explosion and used her detector to scan for any signs of gold. She did find a chunk of rock with signs of gold in it and she had Stewart take it to give it to the men for their trouble.

Stewart took them both back to camp in the jeep, where they had a late lunch. Mandy had wanted Stewart to stay for lunch, but he’d reluctantly begged off, saying he needed to go watch the perimeter while the fence was being replaced.

While he left to organize that detail, Mandy hurriedly made him some sandwiches and put them in a cooler, along with a few cans of beer. She caught him before he drove out of the camp and handed him his lunch. Bethany watching from the RV saw Mandy getting a quick kiss of thanks from Stewart, and she smiled knowing that her sister had found her love.

Bethany eventually found the nuggets she wanted. Tim was ever attentive around Bethany, and the attraction between them grew into love.

Once the value of the recovered gold reached several billion dollars, Bethany decided to leave and head back to Perth. The remaining gold would keep its silver content, and be valued appropriately. Stewart and Tim would remain at the camp for another month, until the majority of the gold would have been extracted, and they could hand over the mine to the rest of the team. As there was more than enough gold left to pay for the upkeep of the camp, Bethany decided to let the men take over that duty, keeping only the claim in her name.

The day prior to leaving, Bethany decided to climb to the top of the breakaway directly over the gold reef. The view was spectacular, as she watched all the activity below. She sat on the edge, once Ada assured her it was safe and dangled her feet over the face of the cliff. Sometimes an errant breeze would lift the dust being raised below and sent it swirling up to her, before sweeping back down.

She took her drink bottle from her pack and took a swig, placing it down beside her. The suns rays were beating down on her back, making things a little uncomfortable. As she stood, she stumbled a little, knocking her bottle over. The bottle bounced backwards and the top sprung off releasing its precious cargo onto the thirsty ground.

Bethany, racing to grab it before it was all gone, saw a glint in the sand where the water had washed the sand away from something shiny. Curious, she brushed aside the dirt and found what looked like a piece of blue glass. It was about a foot square and the edges didn’t seem ragged like one would expect from a broken shard.

“Strange,” Bethany muttered, feeling the low weight of the fragment.

‘That’s from the ship,’ Ada informed her.

“The Teg ship? I thought you said nothing could survive the atmospheric conditions after this long?” Bethany questioned.

That part isn’t of Teg manufacture, it’s really Covian. The planet Cove was subsumed by the Teg and parts of their technology were utilized to enhance the Teg ships, Cove has an oxygen helium atmosphere and the materials don’t react like Teg hull structures do.’

“It looks like a blue window. What does it do?” Bethany asked in wonder, knowing she had part of an alien craft in her hand.

“It’s part of a cooling panel. Face one side to the sun, and then feel the opposite side,’ instructed Ada.

“Wow! It went cold,” yelped Bethany, nearly dropping the thing in surprise.

‘Now face the cold side to the sun, but be careful touching the opposite side this time.’

Bethany did so and found that the side in the shade was now scorching hot.

“This stuff is amazing,” Bethany said excitedly.

‘What’s more, the effect can be cascaded,” added Ada. “If you stack them, the effect multiplies. Two together could form ice on the second shaded side or reversed, could boil water, if you were only using the sun,’ Ada elaborated.

“Does it only work with the sun?”

‘No, any heat source, whether it is hot or cold, can be utilized. The greater the heat, the colder the other side gets.

“What’s it made of, and could we make more of it?” Bethany asked, thinking of the global applications.

‘It’s made of a silicon based material encapsulating a polarized liquid Freon which is compressed and conductive though an ionic bond with the silicon,’ Ada rattled off.

“Phew! Sounds complicated. Could it be manufactured here?” she asked hopefully.

‘Yes, with a little help.”

This could solve a lot of our energy needs. Houses could have panels working both effects, one panel to heat water or heat the house, and the other to provide cooling or refrigeration.”

“Yes, it could even provide a source of heat for power generation,” suggested Ada.

“Do you think there’s any more around here?”

“It’s possible. Most of the ship impacted the cliff and destroyed the majority of the panels, but some on the top which may have landed on the cliff top may have survived.”

Can you scan for it?” Bethany asked hopefully.

Ada confirmed that she could do that, so Bethany set off on a grid search, using Ada’s directions. Only two more panels were discovered intact, with a myriad of useless fragments scattered around. Bethany had Ada store the panels in p space for the moment and decided not to mention it to anyone just yet. She set off back to camp, elated, yet forcing herself to appear normal to the others.

The next day they said goodbye to Tim and Stewart before starting the journey home in the RV. Both Mandy and Bethany said little on the way home, both engrossed in their own thoughts of those they were leaving behind and what the future was going to hold for them both.

Back in Perth, Bethany had to deal with the gold. Once the ingots were officially assayed for value, half went into the National bank, where they were stored; the remainder went into p space where they could be retrieved on demand as needed.

Bethany was now officially a billionaire. A portion of the bullion was used to buy gold coins, which unlike gold, whose value depended on the market at the time, would only appreciate in value. Both Mandy and Elizabeth had individual accounts of around 20 million dollars. Their mom Heather also had an account with 10 million dollars in it, “just for play money,” Bethany had joked.

One thing Mandy had played with on the journey back to Perth, was her chameleon abilities. She now had a nice tanned face from being outdoors, but her body was still as pale as ever, as sunbathing naked hadn’t been an option in the camp. She had remedied that soon enough, and figured she’d have a valid excuse before Stewart saw her again.

It wasn’t even an issue with Elizabeth, having not seen her in over a few months and anyway, she was more interested in her boyfriend than how Mandy looked naked.

Elizabeth was being cagey about her boyfriend, until they got a chance to meet at a celebration dinner that included their mom, Heather.

He wasn’t exactly tall dark and handsome, when he came into the restaurant with Elizabeth on his arm. Trevor Mallard was 5’11” sandy haired and had a rugged outdoorsy face.

“Gidaay folks, nice to meetcha, wow! This is a swank place,” were his first words, which earned a few giggles.

Somehow, this plain speaking guy with no apparent pretensions gave Bethany comfort that he wasn’t after her sister for money. He had a certain charm, Bethany admitted. She could see why Elizabeth was taken with him. This was reinforced as the dinner went on. Nobody went overboard on their orders, and the girls had probably spent more on their outfits, than what the dinner totaled.

When Trevor excused himself to go to the men’s room, Elizabeth was ribbed mercilessly in good humour.

“I wonder where he keeps his snake?” prompted Mandy with a giggle.

“You little bweauty, you’ll be right” Bethany quipped, imitating Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter.

“I think he took his snake to the bathroom,” chirped Heather to everyone’s surprise.

The sudden shock of Heather’s words stunned everyone for a second before everyone chorused, “MOM!” Then everyone dissolved into laughter. Luckily, the laughter had subsided into just a few giggles, by the time Trevor returned. Later, when Elizabeth was alone with the rest of girls she quizzed them on their thoughts about her boyfriend. She was relieved when they all gave their blessings and told her to go for it.

Bethany was busy for the next few weeks, sounding out people who might be interested in developing the new technology she had uncovered at the mine. She had to find someone who had no vested interests in the existing conventional systems that involved power or heating.

The firm she eventually chose was extremely interested in the panels and organized joint patents in their names, not that Bethany needed any more money, but it could be put to good use in developing other medical advances.

One question asked by the director of the company was about the origins of the panels. She knew from her research, with a little help from Ada, that he was a keen sci-fi addict. So her answer reflected that, “I found it in the desert, I think it is part of a UFO, unless you can come up with another idea,” she stated calmly.

The director just looked at her to see if she was serious. Knowing the properties of the panel, he knew something like this was world shaking technology and could never have been keep secret for long. He did want to ask her how she knew of its construction and material, but was afraid of the answer.

“Don’t ask how I know about the construction. Your job is to replicate it,” winked Bethany, guessing the unspoken question on his mind. “I have three panels, so after you’ve thoroughly tested it, you can pull it apart to analyze it more precisely. I trust I won’t need to sacrifice a second panel?”

“Oh no, in fact we might not have to destroy this one, if our techniques work out.”

“Even better,” finished Bethany, standing up to leave.

“I’ll keep you updated on our progress as agreed.”

“Excellent, I’ll have the research funds available as you require it.” Bethany added, shaking the director’s hand.

Bethany left then, heading back home feeling pleased that things were starting to get underway. She had some other ideas, but she needed to discuss them with Ada before saying anything to Mandy or Elizabeth for that matter.

The house was empty when she got there. Mandy said she’d wanted to look at a bigger place for them to live, maybe on the coast.

Bethany went out to the backyard and sat on the lounger there with a glass of wine. “Ada, is it possible to make another helmet like yourself?”

‘It’s possible that the physical part could be constructed from materials here on Earth, but I am unique, and I do have some limits. What is your purpose for making these helmets, when you have me?’

“Perhaps I should have explained.” Bethany apologised. “I can see how your transforming power could benefit certain people who can’t be treated by modern medicine. Like the paralyzed, or the transgendered, for two examples.”

‘That is a different matter then. Units could be made to operate remotely using myself as the interface,” Ada informed her.

“That’s even better,” Bethany crowed happily. “That would prevent them being stolen or copied by others, as only you can make them work.”

‘Yes, and no one could trace me back from one, even if they got hold of a remote unit.’

“Can this be done on our own? I don’t want to have this become common knowledge?’’ Bethany asked anxiously.

‘We can assemble the units, but I suggest we find different people to make the individual components, so no clue as to their eventual use could be discerned.’

“Let’s get started then,” Bethany said, reaching for the phone.

Things were well under way regarding the helmet construction by the time Tim and Stewart arrived back in Perth. Mandy had just tested the first one, giving herself a minor tweak that wasn’t obvious to anyone not in the know. Elizabeth had finally been brought into the loop with the explanation that her sister had discovered an alien artifact that had given her the information. Only Bethany’s true identity and the presence of Ada were kept a secret, for obvious reasons.

At first, Elizabeth was unconvinced, until they demonstrated the power of the remote helmet, transforming her into a male at her suggestion, as this would prove beyond a doubt that the experience wasn’t just hypnosis, or some other sort of quackery. She stayed like that for several hours to try a few things out. When she returned to her own body, she insisted on a few modifications of her own, after Mandy showed her that makeup enhancement the supposed trial test had given her.

Once the men folk arrived, there was much celebration. Elizabeth had invited her boyfriend Trevor, and all the men were finally introduced. The three couples paired off while a barbecue was started. Drinks started flowing, and while the women were in the kitchen, the men got together and talked quietly about something.

No one got over amorous that evening although there was some tongue to tongue communications that needed no translation. All the men were invited to stay the night, but strangely, they all begged off, saying that they had some business to do the next day. Disappointed, but resigned, the girls had a late supper alone, before retiring to their beds.

It wasn’t until lunch the next day that the men rejoined the girls. Even though they were now rich enough to afford caviar or have a banquet setting with exotic foods, the girls preferred to make a simple lunch of cold chicken and salad with some freshly baked bread from the local bakery. Their only indulgence was some imported champagne that the men gladly opened for them.

The men seemed fidgety during lunch. The reason why became clear after lunch when they were finishing off the champagne.

All three men got up and stood before their chosen partner. Then in unison, all knelt and took out a ring which they presented to Bethany, Mandy and Elizabeth.

“Will you marry me and be my wife?” they chorused together.

Mandy and Elizabeth squealed and gave their man a kiss as acceptance. Only Bethany’s response was delayed, as she looked at the ring and realized its significance. If she accepted the ring and its responsibilities, then she was accepting the fact that she would always forever be Bethany.

Then she made her decision. “Yes, I accept,” she answered, sealing her words with a kiss.

The delay, though miniscule, had Tim wondering if he’d pushed things too far, too soon, but that worry was washed away as Bethany granted him his heartfelt desire.

Needless to say, several more bottles of champagne were opened and the phone ran hot as Heather was given the news.

One more secret needed to be revealed, but Bethany held off until Heather arrived in a taxi about half an hour later. Bethany started off telling them about finding the alien panels and the alien artifact, that once it had given her information, had then disappeared, which was partially the truth. Again, the truth about Ada was kept secret to protect everyone should the remote helmets fall into the wrong hands. The men were very interested in the panels and were soon given a demo of their power. They were also impressed that Bethany had already organized things for their mass production.

The helmet was greeted with more skepticism and Elizabeth dared Trevor to undergo a similar test that she had gone though to prove its validity.

Trevor agreed, although Bethany and Mandy had to hide their grins when Elizabeth omitted what the test had involved. Elizabeth was going to go have the other guys watch, but Bethany had a better idea and whispered in Elizabeth’s ear.

“Come on, Trevor. Let’s do this somewhere private,” suggested Elizabeth, which made Trevor grin as he glanced at the other guys.

Once the pair had gone into the study room where the helmet was set up, the other men speculated about what Trevor was in for. Some of the suggestions made the Bethany and Mandy grin.

Bethany was informed via Ada that Trevor had gone through the transformation. After hearing the door opening to the Elizabeth’s bedroom, she motioned to Mandy that it was her turn.

“Stewart? Time for you to put up or shut up,” giggled Mandy, crooking her finger at him.

Casting a last questioning look at Tim, Stewart was lead away to experience his own trial. Once the transformation was done and the altered Stewart led off to the bedroom to change, Bethany took Tim’s hand and led him into the study.

“Where are the others?” he queried, looking around hopefully.

“Safe. You’ll see them soon,” she replied, placing the helmet on his head.

Bethany started the process, smiling as a familiar figure began to emerge from where Tim was sitting. Soon she had another twin, although the clothes were inappropriate. Tim looked astonished as he realized the extent of his/her change. He reached down and gingerly felt her new breasts and one hand shyly sneaked lower to confirm it was a complete change.

“Come, you need to change clothes before you meet the others,” Bethany grinned giving her twin a hug.

“The others are twins now, too?” asked Tim with her new voice.

“You’ll see them later. Now let’s get dressed,” Bethany, answered not confirming his suspicions.

Bethany started undressing and placed her outer clothes on the bed. She selected new underwear for her twin and told Tim to put them on. Tim looked dubiously at them, but complied, shedding her male clothes and donning the panties and bra with no problem, something that showed on her face as surprise.

“The helmet gives you the ability to act as a normal woman would and helps in both dressing and applying makeup,” Bethany explained.

Bethany pulled some new clothes out and started putting them on while instructing Tim to wear her old clothes. Tim felt strange putting on the still warm clothes Bethany had just removed, but was amazed that “she” wasn’t freaking out about it all. Bethany allowed her newly minted girlfriend time to caress her new body without comment as Tim satisfied “her” curiosity.

“Okay, you can explore it all a bit later, Honey,” Bethany urged finally, having dressed herself again.

Tim put on the clothes Bethany had been wearing and was instructed to go meet Mandy and Elizabeth and see if “she” could fool them into thinking “she” was Bethany, and not Tim.

Tim headed out of the bedroom, trying not to show the surprise on her face that she was walking without a problem in the heels Bethany had given her. Tim reached the lounge just as Mandy and Elizabeth arrived there too.

“What did you do to your boyfriends?” Tim ventured, trying to act normal.

“Made him see what’s on the other side of the fence,” Mandy replied, glancing both at Elizabeth and Tim. “What about you, and where are the boys?” she added.

“I turned him into a girl,” answered Elizabeth, with a strange gleam in her eye.

“Same,” Tim answered, with a giggle.

“I guess they are shy and don’t want to show themselves,” speculated Mandy.

“Come on out, girls,” Elizabeth called, raising her voice.

Three women emerged promptly, showing that they must have been close by and listening. They were twins to the ones sitting in the lounge, but being dressed in fresh clothes, assumptions were made that they were the men. Tim looked at the duplicate Mandy and Elizabeth coming into the lounge, thinking that there wasn’t any difference from those already in the lounge. Then the grins on the faces of the new arrivals made Tim look at the Mandy and Elizabeth that were already sitting down.

“Ah, good trick,” “she” laughed, realizing the truth.

It only took seconds for the other two former men to realize they’d been had. They stood up and offered the seats to their twins, as the real women in their fresh clothes started giggling. Heather was the one that seemed the most stunned, as she looked at the twins, so Bethany let her try something with the helmet too. A few minutes later a new younger Heather appeared, having lost 25 years. She readily joined the others, marveling in her change.

Soon, there was a babble of alto voices as everyone wanted to talk at once. Finally, things settled down as they paired off and found a quiet corner each where they could talk together. Heather went off to change clothes and experiment with makeup, trying for an even younger look.

Of course the ex-boyfriends couldn’t get over how complete the transformation was, nor how being female felt so different, yet similar, even ... dare they admit it, acceptable. One question sitting in their minds was what the aliens had used this technology for. The answer, being obvious wasn’t voiced for fear of upsetting the girls. Of course they couldn’t know that Bethany and Mandy already knew the answer. Bethany had guessed what was going through their minds, having asked that very same question, but she couldn’t reassure the “men” because of where that would lead next.

Everyone started mingling again, the “men” getting together and comparing their experiences. It was a tribute to the thoroughness of the change, which they were not screaming to be changed back immediately. It also spoke of their trust in their girlfriends not to cause any harm in their relationship.

Mandy came over to Bethany and pulled her aside.

“The men won’t want to stay like this?” she asked worriedly, seeing how femininely the “men” were acting.

“No, Sis. I made sure Ada wouldn’t make them too comfortable, even if they decided to experience … you know what,” she winked, making Mandy’s eyes widen. “Anyway, you can always tell them about periods and stuff. I’m sure that would put them off,” Bethany shuddered involuntarily.

Mandy looked twice at Bethany, as a thought struck her.

“Sis, is there something you’re not telling me?” She asked, curiously.

“No, why?” Bethany answered, avoiding looking at Mandy by looking over at the others talking.

“SIS …” Mandy hissed insistently, immediately detecting an evasion. At Bethany’s blush, she knew she’d hit pay dirt and something clicked in her mind. “Is there something wrong with you? We were together for months out in the bush, yet I never saw any signs that you’d had a period, except for a couple of days early on.”

Bethany sighed, knowing her secret was out. When she’d experienced her first period, she had been determined to see it through without Ada’s help. But as the cramps and mood swings progressed along with all the other things that where new to her, she’d finally called on Ada to help. Since then, she hadn’t experienced a period, but being ashamed to admit she couldn’t deal with a normal function of this body, she’d kept quiet about it.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, except for being a coward,” Bethany admitted, hanging her head.

“What?” Mandy hissed disbelievingly, and taking her arm to lead her into her bedroom.

“You’re no coward, so spill,” Mandy demanded firmly,

“I couldn’t handle having a period, Sis. I had Ada modify my body so I don’t have to deal with it anymore.”

“Modify?” Mandy queried, dismissing the first bit.

“When my egg isn’t fertilized and the lining of my womb is about to be shed, Ada made my body, or rather, my womb reabsorb it instead of having to go though everything a normal period entails. Ada counteracts all the other symptoms, like bloating, cramps, and to a large degree the mood swings. I still know when it’s happening, but it’s like a piece of cake to the first one I had. So you can see why I’m a coward for avoiding it.

Mandy shook her head dismissively. She was glad in one way of Bethany’s admission. It meant she was still human, and she still retained a bit of male in her. She’d often wondered if Bethany was really her brother, as she’d adapted so well to being female. Now, knowing she had a weakness, made her so much more human and fallible, just like the rest of us. “You’re no coward. If I had the same choice, I’d have jumped at it too,” admitted Mandy, grabbing her sister in a hug.

“Um, now that the helmet is an open secret, we can modify you the same way,” Bethany offered cautiously, feeling relief that her sister didn’t hate her. With that off her chest, Bethany felt a lot happier. Mandy decided to wait until she’d talked to Elizabeth before deciding whether she would go ahead with the latest body modification option.

Elizabeth came over to Bethany with a strange proposal. She and Trevor had decided to swap roles and allow Trevor to experience sex as a girl. What surprised Bethany the most was that Elizabeth had decided to take on Trevor’s form in order for it to happen as close to naturally as possible.

Mandy and Stewart overheard this, and after a little encouragement decided to do likewise, as long as Bethany could ensure that someone wouldn’t end up pregnant. Bethany ensured them that neither of them would get pregnant by modifying the sperm that the two newly converted guys would produce.

Tim seemed interested too, but Bethany didn’t want to return to a male form, even if it was Tim’s. She didn’t feel comfortable with the reminder of who she once was, so she proposed a different option.

Heather decided to leave the couples and head back home. Reluctantly, she traded her youthful body back to a slightly older one so her neighbours could still recognize her. However, she still looked about ten years younger and hoped she could come up with an excuse for her younger appearance.

Later in bed, Bethany asked Tim what she thought of sex as a female.

Tim fondled Bethany’s breasts, with a sated look in “her” eyes, before rolling together so their breasts mashed together.

“It was beautiful, and something I’ll treasure forever,” “she” answered, with a kiss.

“Yes, it was,” agreed Bethany, looking at her twin. It wasn’t exactly normal sex. Nor was it strictly lesbian sex, seeing they both had female bodies. Bethany could feel the penis, she’d had Ada add between her legs begin to harden again, as Tim moved against her. It was kind of strange, having a penis again, especially as she didn’t have any balls to go with it. She had asked Ada not to give her those, as that was too much of a reminder of her former identity. Tim also appreciated the absence, as it seemed more like sex with a warm dildo than sex with a man.

“Want to change back?” Bethany asked idly, tickling Tim’s breasts with her finger.

“Hmmm … later?” Tim murmured, capturing the wandering finger with her hand, and replying in same.

It was morning before Tim asked to be returned to his male body.

“I don’t know how you sleep with these,” Tim complained, hefting the breasts on her chest and jiggling them around. “I’m used to sleeping on my stomach, but it is too uncomfortable doing that with these in the way.”

“Maybe next time, I’ll put them on your back so I can play with them when you hug me,” laughed Bethany, poking Tim’s breasts gently.

“Um, I think not,” Tim answered, eyeing Bethany speculatively, seeing if she was being serious or not. “Maybe you could do that, then I would have four to play with.”

Bethany pouted for a second, before giggling at the thought.

Once Tim got his own body back, the others were also waiting for their turn.

All agreed that it was an experience to learn how the other half lived, but everyone seemed happy to remain in their original forms, although the guys didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a revisit to femininity. Bethany had Ada return her sex to normal, not that it had been obvious under her full skirts.

After a lazy breakfast, the guys wanted to head out to finalize some business matters, so they could begin their new joint business with a clean slate.

Bethany wanted to work out how to do the most good with the helmets without alerting the authorities as to what they were doing. The problem was advertising for customers in a way that would give them a free hand, and not have the government trying to seize their equipment for their own uses or limit its use to the privileged and wealthy.

Ada came up with the best solution. Seeing she was tapped into nearly every database on Earth, she could access those who needed help the most. For those in poverty stricken countries where no databases existed, another solution was needed. What Ada came up with sounded bizarre, but just wacky enough to work.

First, all had to agree to hold off on any personal plans while Ada’s idea was implemented. Luckily, no one was in a hurry to get married, so all agreed. Mandy wanted a birth certificate for her new identity anyway, and Ada soon had that underway. Everyone got caught up in the excitement of doing something very special for the needy, and all seemed happy.

“What’s up Bethany? You seem to be under a cloud lately,” Mandy observed, one fine afternoon.

“Um nothing, I just came out here to think?” hedged Bethany, knowing it was futile to hide anything from her sister.

Mandy sat beside Bethany at the lookout that seemed to be getting a lot of use recently by her sister. “You seemed to be doing a lot of thinking lately, is it about Tim?”

Bethany sighed, confirming Mandy’s question. “I just hate not telling him who I really am or was.”

“That’s easy. You are Bethany, now and forever,” Mandy declared.

“Tim deserves the truth, even if it means I lose him forever,” Bethany sighed.

Mandy remained silent, knowing that the painful decision was not hers to make. She hugged her sister in response, letting her know she would stand by any decision Bethany made.

Several months later… “Tim, I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure, Honey. I’ll be right there,” Tim answered, packing the last of the new helmets in their “wok” labeled boxes.

Bethany took his hand and led him outside to the two seat outdoor lounge chair. She sat him down, but remained standing as she gathered her courage for her confession. They were alone at the house as the others were out sorting travel arrangements.

She began by telling Tim about Gary in third person, from the time when Gary went looking for space craft fragments in the outback. Bethany slowed and choked out how, after finding Ada, Gary became Bethany. She watched Tim’s face intently as the tale unfolded; looking for the dreaded repugnance she feared would show.

Tim would be the envy of every poker player as he schooled his face from showing any emotion. “You’re telling me you are …were once a man?” he asked, his voice flat and expressionless.

Bethany’s heart sank, and it showed on her face as she faced her accuser. “I was once, but that life has ended, never to return,” she breathed, with anguish clear in her voice.

“And you’re telling me now, just when we are about to embark on this special mission?”

“I wanted to tell you ages ago, but I was afraid of your rejection. I love you, and I feared I’d lose you.” Bethany confessed. “I wanted to tell you the truth as the idea of holding a secret from you was gnawing at my soul. If you now decide not to have anything to do with me and decide to leave, I figured going to another country would help me get over the pain of my loss.”

“What about my loss?” Tim asked.

“Your loss?” Bethany asked in confusion, and then coming up with the answer she thought Tim meant “I can give you enough gold for keep you from needing to work again,” she added, with a sigh.

Tim stood up and turned away before speaking. “I don’t want your gold…I want you.”

Bethany, who had also turned away to hide her tears at her expected loss, now spun around as her heart flipped over in her chest.

“You want me?” she asked tremulously, hardly believing her ears.

“I am rather insulted though, by your offer to buy me off,” Tim answered turning to face her with a smile, taking the sting from his words.

The two people coalesced together into one form as they embraced. Their lips joined in an unbreakable seal and they attempted to join their flesh to each other.

“So only Mandy and I know that you’re not really Elizabeth’s sister?” Tim asked, once they were able to separate again.

“Yes. Her real sister is dead, but after how things worked out, I couldn’t just walk away. This way, she gets her sister back and I gain a family.” Bethany sighed with remembrance.

Tim nodded, and cuddled closer to Bethany. “You get me too,” he added with a grin.

“Well, I guess there’s always a down side,” teased Bethany, laughing at Tim’s hang dog look.

“I guess there’s one downside you like,” brightened Tim, as he rolled over on Bethany, pinning her body under his, as he assaulted her lips gently.

“Hmmmm,” she moaned, unable to respond with words.

“We could easily change that,” hinted Bethany as they separated to take a breath.

“True,” admitted Tim, thinking back to the day he’d become Bethany’s twin.

Bethany filled Tim on everything that had gone on since her transformation into Bethany. Tim was amazed at her adventures and considered himself lucky to have her at his side right now. Then the ringing of the phone inside reminded them that they had other responsibilities at the moment, so they got up and went inside to take the call.

~~~~A week later, in another country~~~~

“I’ve found the perfect place,” crackled Amanda’s voice over the radio.

“Where?” replied Bethany, as Tim slowed the 4x4 they were driving to a stop in the heat of the African sun.

Amanda gave Bethany the GPS coordinates and Bethany entered them into hers and then directed Tim to turn to the west. They were looking for a cave system, preferably near a village where they could set up the first of many sites where a helmet could be hidden. It would be even better if the place Amanda had found had some significance to the natives in that area.

They had flown out to central Africa to where the natives were in dire straits in terms of health and well being. They had split into three teams and hired well equipped 4X4 Landcruisers to help search the area.

Elizabeth and Trevor arrived soon after Bethany and Tim arrived at the spot Amanda had found. Amanda came out of a cluster of rocks and waved to them to come over. Nobody was surprised to see Amanda still in her dark African form. Talking to natives as Europeans didn’t get them very far, so they had adopted forms of the local tribes to make questioning them more likely to yield results. It was also helpful in warding off sunburn in the harsh African deserts.

“What do you think?” She asked, once they’d gathered in the cave formed by ancient erosion.

Ada did a sensor sweep of the cave, determining its state and the quality of the rock that formed it. She also had to find just the right place where a person might sit and have their head rest against the roof.

Everyone waited while Ada either agreed or rejected the cave. Finally Bethany gave the others the answer and everyone cheered. Elizabeth, Trevor and Stewart had been the last to find out about Ada, and only certain details about who Bethany and Amanda really were, had been kept from them. They were still in awe of Ada’s powers and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next, now the cave was found to be suitable.

Tim went back to his 4x4 and got one of the “woks,” they had brought over. In actual fact, it wasn’t a wok at all; just the basis of a remote helmet Ada had designed. Bethany took the helmet and placed it on her head then went to the position Ada had selected. Under Ada’s instructions, Bethany pressed the remote helmet against the roof while Ada did her phasing trick, allowing the helmet and the top of Bethany’s head to penetrate right into the rock. After a few adjustments, Ada had Bethany lower her head out and away from where the helmet had been placed.

Her head was now bare, with the helmet remaining entombed behind the surface of the rock. Only a small depression marked the spot, and no sign of the helmet was evident.

“Will it work like that, with a layer of rock between the actual helmet and a person’s head?” Bethany asked.

“Yes, I’ve altered the conductivity of the granite to allow the sensors to transmit the functions of the helmet,” Ada assured her.

The others crowded around and checked out what had been done.

“All we need is to show one of the locals its power,” Amanda pointed out.

“That’s next.”

In the village, a young girl of about 17 years old hobbled to the well to fetch her family the water they needed to make the first meal of the day. Aissa had contracted polio and was severely crippled, but that didn’t stop her from doing her chores.

She looked up from the well to see an old woman dressed in ceremonial robes standing in front of her. Aissa was sure she hadn’t been there a second ago, and she’d not heard her approaching. The woman beckoned, and turned to walk out towards the edge of the village. Aissa was torn between getting the water and following the elder. She knew she should obey the elderly shaman, even though she was a stranger. She made her decision and followed the woman.

Aissa paused, when the woman entered the rocks leading to the cave. Although it was reputed to hold the spirits of warriors, she had always thought that was a ploy to scare the children and stop them from entering. Feeling that there was something strange about to happen, Aissa closed the distance between them, even though it meant her leg hurt even more.

Once inside, the woman led her to one end, and bade her sit in a certain part of the cave so her head was pressed against a circular depression in the roof. All this was done without speaking, but instead of feeling afraid, Aissa felt excited. The kindness in the smile and in the woman’s eyes promised something momentous.

Ada interfaced with the helmet and opened her sensors to the child’s body. Using the good half of the body as a reverse template, Ada began to rebuild the child’s crippled body. Aissa felt a tingling rush through her body, and the constant pain she’d borne all her life began to fade away. She watched amazed as her leg reformed, straightening and becoming as perfect as her other leg. Other internal changes she couldn’t see, took place in an instant, assuring her of a disease free body. She looked to the woman, seeking an explanation, but the woman just smiled and opened her hands in a welcoming gesture, before fading completely from view, right before her eyes.

Aissa ran back to her village, calling out as she neared her home. She never saw Bethany invisibly ghosting along behind, her role as a shaman now ended. Ada had phased Bethany’s body ever so slightly left into p space so that while being invisible to those in the village, she could still observe them. She carried a small web cam and was sending a live feed of what she saw back to her group, who were hidden out of sight with the 4x4’s.

Aissa’s mother came out of her hut and stood amazed at the sight of her daughter running toward her. Her shout alerted others and soon Aissa was surrounded by most of her village members. After her rushed explanation, of the mysterious shaman and what had happened in the cave, many decided to check out her claim. A steady procession of villages took their turn sitting under the dome in the cave.

Ada checked each person out, and only those requiring healing were helped. Those that were healthy and weren’t helped in any way took comfort that the spirit that controlled the healing process considered them fit and not requiring any aid. Of those that were helped, most knew it immediately, while a few were healed of things not obvious to the eye.

There was much rejoicing in the village that night, and runners to nearby villages were sent out the next day. Before Bethany and the others left the area, one more thing needed to be carried out.

Aissa was playing tag with her sisters, rejoicing in her new found agility, when a hush dropped over the normal village activity. Aissa stopped and looked towards the cause. There, standing alone, was the shaman she’d followed to the cave. No one moved, half fearful of this powerful spirit who had given them so much. Aissa sensed that the woman was looking at her, so she edged forward a bit. The woman crouched and beckoned Aissa forward. Feeling awe that she’d been singled out, Aissa walked to the shaman and stopped.

The woman spoke, outlining her rules for the cave and its continued service. Aissa ticked off the rules with her fingers, hoping to repeat them to the villager leader exactly.

The cave was to open for all who needed help.

No fee was to be charged.

Don’t let anyone try to disturb the cave or its surroundings.

The woman stood, and shooed Aissa back to the village. She waited while the girl ran back before turning and disappearing from sight in front of those gathered watching.

Aissa was proud to be picked to be the messenger, for everyone made a fuss over her as she repeated what she’d been told.

The group left then and headed into several other countries to set up more helmets to help the people. Ada kept everyone informed via Bethany as to how the helmets were working.

By the time, they’d arrived in North America; several government officials or criminals had tried to suborn the guardians of the helmets, as the news their effects gradually leaked out.

The helmets themselves were unharmed, but the locations where they were hidden had been cordoned off and only paying customers or government officials were allowed in. Of course this didn’t last long, as Ada refused to allow any changes to be effected during this time.

Where people were being forced to pay before entering, it didn’t take long before dissent took effect as no cures were affected and the people trying to profit from the mystical healing properties of the caves were soon ousted by force.

Where officialdom controlled the caves Ada acted differently. If one of the guinea pigs ordered to submit to be tested under the healing area, had a genuine complaint, then Ada healed the affliction. If one of the officials then tried to benefit after seeing the results, Ada had several ways to take care of the situation.

In one case, a particular individual was particularly nasty and scathing of women in general, something Ada had picked up through the auditory pickup in each helmet. He’d dragged the woman Ada had cured of a nasty skin affliction out from under the dome and sent her stumbling on the uneven cave floor. His muttered comment about her was picked up by Ada, even before he sat under the dome.

Ada scanned him routinely, as she did everyone placed under the domes. This time she decided to act, even though he had no real health problems. The person that eventually reformed under the dome bore no resemblance to the male official that she had once been. Her screams, as she realized what she’d become soon brought other officials running to her aide. Her story was first ridiculed as impossible, and a search was set up to look for the man she had once been.

Eventually she was believed and the cave was sealed up to prevent others from falling into a similar fate. Unknown to the government, the person who had been the first cured by the cave knew of another way into the cave system, and soon a renewed, but covert resumption of the use of the caves powers were once again in full swing.

The use of caves in the US wasn’t a feasible option in the minds of modern Americans, as belief in sacred healing places was only held by certain elders in some of the native Indian tribes. They did take advantage of a story about a statue of Mary that was reputed to have cured several people. It was in a church of a small town and it always had a steady trickle of visitors seeking a blessing. Bethany noted that it had a large block of white marble at its base and worshipers knelt at its base placed their heads against the marble. Time for a miracle.

Bethany, in the disguise of a crippled old lady requiring crutches, took her place in the small queue of people. Once it was her turn, she placed her head against the marble and let Ada do her thing. To onlookers it looked as if her head sank into the stone as Ada placed the helmet beneath the surface and vanished the unwanted excess stone into p space, forming a hollow depression in the stone. A few gasps told her that this change in the base had been observed. The pastor of the church moved towards her, thinking she’d somehow damaged the statue’s base, but what happened next, made him pause in surprise.

Bethany had laid the crutches to each side of her and it had been obvious that her twisted limbs had hardly the strength to allow her to kneel. Ada made the most of the “miracle” and a glow of light covered Bethany’s spindly legs. Her legs took on flesh, straightening and becoming firm. Then, as the glow faded, she stood up, her face taking on a look of wonder, as she took a step without the crutches, which lay forgotten on the ground.

The pastor could see a dent in the stone left by the woman now standing firm before him as she smiled and walked out, to the gasps of those waiting next. A rush to be the next was thwarted as the pastor knelt down and felt the concave surface of the stone. He knew he’d just witnessed something wonderful, and got up to find the woman blessed by the statue.

Of course, she had vanished, but that only lent credence to the miracle, as some speculated that she was a messenger from god.

Knowing that the USA would need more than just one helmet, the group wanted to try something else. Going online and searching had proved enlightening. Not needing the same health benefits as some of the poorer countries, the helmet could be turned to another use.

“The New U Transformation Salon, how can I help you?” Came the sound of a caring voice over the phone.

Bethany knew from her own experience, how profound becoming the other sex was. From her searches online, she knew there were thousands of frustrated transgendered people who would never realize their dream because of circumstances beyond their control. Bethany had found a service catering to the transgendered and other similarly sexually confused people that gave makeovers to those wanting to appear as the opposite sex.

When Bethany first found the salon, she was amused at the name, but NUTS was anything but crazy, judging by the before and after pictures posted on their website. A visit was therefore a must.

When Bethany arrived at the salon, she was alone. She thought it best if the others remained anonymous. Bethany took on another visage just in case, and appeared as an older Negro woman.

Seeing the hair drying equipment, she knew the perfect place to hide the helmet. Looking around, she saw several “ladies” who were getting their hair done and knew her aid would be greatly appreciated. Feigning a penchant for intimate contact, Bethany held the owners hands as she asked a few discrete questions. Ada relayed the truthfulness of the woman’s answers, confirming Bethany’s suspicion that she would keep a secret.

After going though the usual routine of getting her done, Bethany was put under the dryer. Ada promptly incorporated the updated helmet invisibly into it. Because the helmet would be discovered if left unmodified, Ada had made a few changes.

The new helmet would remain in p space, separated by only a fraction of a degree from normal space. A built in sensor would detect the presence of a head in close proximity and the probes required to interface with the person under the dryer would then deploy, remaining unseen within the dryer body itself.

Bethany called Jessica the owner over and started to talk in a quiet voice. Bethany asked if she really wanted to help her special clients, using her eyes to indicate the somewhat masculine client to her left.

“I do what I can. Sometimes it’s barely enough,” Jessica sorrowed.

“What if I can give you the means to give them their dreams for real?” Bethany asked in all seriousness.

“How can you do that? Voodoo?” Jessica retorted, thinking she was being conned.

“Stand on the other side so the others don’t see what I’m about to do,” Bethany instructed.

Jessica did so, wondering what this crazy woman was about to try. Bethany then changed back to a white girl around the age of 16. The look in Jessica’s eyes was a sight to behold. She even looked under the chair thinking she’d done a swap of some kind. “I’m dreaming or I’ve gone crazy,” she finally gasped out.

“No, you are neither of those,” Bethany told her in the voice of the older Negro woman she had once been. This made Jessica goggle all over again.

“How did you do that?” she finally got out, looking around in case she was being filmed for some practical joke.

“It’s this particular dryer. It is now modified to make changes you only dreamed of.” Bethany informed her. “Let’s get the “lady” to my left under it,” she insisted.

“Okay, let’s do that,” agreed Jessica, needing a little more proof.

Bethany stood up and walked over to the woman in question and started talking to her quietly.

Jenny looked alarmed at first, having a real woman offer to give her dream. Jenny looked over to Jessica with alarm showing in her eyes, but getting a reassuring nod, she tried to remain calm as Bethany continued to spin her tale.

“You mean that if I move over to that other hair dryer, it can transform my body?” Jenny asked incredulously.

“Yes, it’s completely safe.”

Jenny thought she was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. But true to her wistful dreams of somehow finding The Medallion, or a rustic little shop tucked away in a mall, or indeed any of the miraculous means she’d read of to magically change her gender, she couldn’t turn down the offer. “Okay, let’s do it,” she agreed, feeling somewhat ridiculous, despite that tiny spark of hope she’d harboured of just such an opportunity.

A minute later, Jenny was telling Jessica and Bethany the details of her dream body. Ada, of course, was listing in. Once Jenny’s head was in position, the changes started. Jessica had known Jenny for ages and as the changes hit and her body shrank and expanded in all the right places, she knew what Bethany had told her was true.

As for Jenny, well her expression was filled with shock, as her blouse was distorted out of shape by the now redundant breast forms. Jenny didn’t realize what was happening as her own breasts pushed out from her chest. She thought something had gone wrong as she saw the ugly lumps the forms were causing under her bra. Her chest felt resisted as two objects tried to take the space meant for one.

Jessica realized what was causing Jenny’s distress and deftly slipped her hand in and removed the forms before Jenny could even voice a protest at the plundering hand. After that, all protests died stillborn, as Jenny felt a sensation she had only dreamed of, that of filling her bra cups with her own living flesh. Jessica handed Jenny a mirror, so she could see the changes in her face. Gone were the sharp angular planes that proclaimed her masculinity, and gone also was the dreaded apple Adam had gifted man.

Knowing, how she felt, Bethany pulled Jessica aside to allow Jenny the courtesy of a little private self examination, as much as could be had in the salon.

“What surname does Jenny use?’ she asked, knowing Ada would need to set a new identity for Jenny.

“She is a real girl now?” asked Jessica, after giving Bethany the information.

“Yes. Next time please have the person give their preferred name, as well as the way they want to look, so the chair can process new identity papers for them,” urged Bethany.

Bethany slipped her a card saying if there were any problems, she could email the address on the card.

Jessica’s attention was drawn away to Jenny, who had given a glad cry, discovering that she now had an inny instead of an outy.

When Jessica turned back to Bethany, she discovered her mysterious visitor had vanished. She looked at the card and wondered where else would she turn up to help those dealing with gender dysphoria.

Where else, turned out to be several states away, where again, Bethany used the Internet to find a suitable venue for one of the helmets. In all, five were spread across the states, making none to far away for those in need.

In Britain, the obvious place for a helmet was in the stone circle of Stonehenge. Advertising its new powers was a breeze, as there is always a trickle of sightseers visiting. Bethany had waited till a few with their cameras were close by, before she knelt before the largest standing stone. She was in the form of a large man, which didn’t feel comfortable at all now. In fact it felt almost alien and she was glad to be changing soon.

Placing her/his head against the stone, Ada embedded the invisible helmet into the stone leaving only a concave depression in its wake. Seeing someone had taken a photo of her in the act, she cued her change back to a young Asian female. Immediately there were gasps and the clicking of camera shutters increased dramatically. The white tee and grey shorts she had been wearing as a male grew baggy in her new diminutive form. The tee formed a makeshift dress and she slipped out of the shorts, while people gathered closer. She remained silent, as questions began being asked, giving only a smile as she hurriedly slipped away from the crowd. Luckily, no one stopped her, as they seemed more interested in taking pictures of her.

It hit the news that night, bringing a storm of controversy. Some said it was faked, others protested that their most sacred site was being made a mockery of, while others flocked to the place to either to try it for themselves, or to witness others that attempt to do so. There were plans to close the site to the public, but that just caused more problems. In the end, the stone had its own roped off walkway, so the ones interested in trying their luck, didn’t traipse all over the site, maybe damaging it in the process.

One thing that did come out of it all, after an enterprising individual tried blackmailing the early transformees, by filming them after the change and threatening to expose them, was government protection. They banned filming anyone around the stone and put up a temporary screen. Individuals signed in before entering the queue and the translucent plastic tunnel that led away from the stone was just sufficient to obscure their identities from the public eye. The tunnel lead to a large tent erected outside the stones and there anyone with a radical change was issued new identities for a small fee.

Of course not all supplicants got what they wanted. Bethany, posing as the first case reported, had tipped off the press as how she had achieved her new body. So all the people now knew that unless they stated their real name and what they wanted to change, there would be no effect. This information helped Ada to determine if the name given at the stone was the same as the one input at the computer which the government setup at the entrance. Checks could be made to see if any of the people were in actual fact, criminals, and all changes requested that didn’t involve a change in gender were refused unless the person was suffering from a debilitating disease or major deformity, such as lost limbs or paralysis.

There was a concerted attempt to do a scientific analysis of the stones powers in between the times Stonehenge was open to the public, but Ada’s precautions meant that not only couldn’t the helmet be detected without someone’s head being in the right position, the energies used couldn’t be detected by current technology either. No one volunteered to put their heads in the cavity when a huge powerful x-ray machine aimed at the stone tried to see anything out of the ordinary, so again, the helmet remained invisible.

It seemed the world was becoming aware of the existence of these special places and people all over, began searching for more depressions in stones that might yield similar powers. This made it easier for Bethany and the others to set up additional helmets.

Of course the type of changes permitted by the helmets became the main topic of speculation by varied groups. Why were sex changes with age reduction allowed, when just a pure age reduction was not? It was the same with the healing powers. People who could otherwise be treated by conventional means were not healed, unless they were in some of the poorer nations without the means or the facilities for such healing. That there was intelligence somewhere behind it was soon obvious, as people tried to fool the healing places by pretending to be destitute.

Of course, this led to talk that it was alien in nature, and that led to a drop off in attendance by the merely curious. Only those who were desperate for help continued to visit.

~~~~some time later~~~~

“Well, I’m glad to be back home,” sighed Bethany, looking longingly towards the bathroom where Amanda had made a beeline for after dropping her bags inside.

“Yeah, visiting other countries is fine, but there’s no place like home,” Elizabeth added, echoing everyone’s sentiment.

The next few days were filled sorting out the mundane things like paying bills and getting gardens back under control. Ada, via Bethany kept everyone informed of the situation with the remotely operated helmets.

Bethany checked with the company producing the solar panels.

“So far, we have produced panels with about 80 percent of the efficiency of the original sample. We think we can do better in the future as we develop better methods,” the company director told her over the phone. “This time next year, we should be producing 100 percent efficient panels for everything the industry needs.”

It was a few days later when Tim coming round to take Bethany out to lunch, found the house empty. “Bethany?” he called, wandering throughout the house. Getting no reply, he became a bit anxious, despite knowing Ada would always be there to protect Bethany. He went outside and called again, still with no answer.

Finally as a last resort, he wandered down the track to the lookout. “Bethany, I’ve been looking for you,” Tim called, seeing Bethany sitting on the overhang.

Bethany looked up, but didn’t move as Tim came up and sat down beside her.

“What’s up?” Tim asked, seeing her pensive look.

Bethany didn’t answer immediately, gathering her thoughts together. “I can’t believe just how things have changed for me,” Bethany finally got out.

Tim prudently said nothing, just nodding, as he relived the time since he’d met this remarkable woman. Not having seen Bethany as a male, he couldn’t imagine her as a man. Nothing he’d seen had hinted that she hadn’t been born a woman.

“I wonder what’s going to happen next,” Bethany added uncertainly.

Here, Tim had several ideas. He voiced them. “Well, first we get married, and have lots of kids. Then we live like the idle rich,’ he chuckled.

Bethany punched him on the arm. “Hey I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” Tim countered earnestly.

“I meant about the effects the helmets will have and the new solar panels. Certain people are going to doing their hardest to thwart the introduction of virtually free energy sources.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll be there at your side honey. We will face those problems together as man and wife.” Tim promised, putting his arm around her and drawing her close. “I’m sure with all the changes we have started, the future will only get better and the world will be a nicer place,” he assured her.

Bethany looked out over Perth, knowing she had someone to stand beside her no matter what. Now all she had to do was step into the future and meet everything head on. ‘It’s going to be a far richer life than Gary Carstairs could ever have imagined,’ she thought, as she accepted a lingering kiss from her boyfriend.

The end.

Notes:

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Venom

Author:

Prudence Walker

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

Synopsis:

When a woman runs away to escape the pressures from her rich parent’s attempts to control her life and ends up in deepest darkest Africa. She never realised that getting bitten from a mutated snake will make her escape permanent and that her lover will end up taking her place as her parent’s daughter.

Story:

By Prudence Walker

Brandon paced up and down the concourse overlooking arrivals, as he waited anxiously in the airport. Angela, his ex-girlfriend, was due to arrive in a few minutes, and he was impatient to see her after her extended sojourn in Africa.

He watched the jet she was on nose into the docking gantry before moving down to where she would emerge from customs. He thought back to the call on his cell phone, she had made a few days ago. It was the only thing left of hers, which he still had in his possession.

"Brandon, I need your help urgently, can you meet me at the airport, my flight is ... " she’d carried on, filling him in on the details of her flight.

He hadn’t wanted to meet her, as their parting wasn’t exactly amicable, but something in her voice told him something was very wrong, and he wasn’t the type to turn his back on a woman in trouble, even if she had caused him some grief.

When she taken off to deepest, darkest Africa, after their final breakup, her rich parent’s had then blamed him for the loss of their daughter. They doted on their daughter, spoiling her with everything she could desire.

Brandon, who had been staying with Angela in her flat, had then had to move out. For a guy out of work, with little prospects, this was a major blow. Admittedly he had been sponging off Angela’s wealth, but seeing he had been hoping to marry her, he didn’t think it was a bad thing.

Living out of a suitcase from out of the back of his old Buick, for two weeks, had been a rude awakening. He had heard that her parents were out to get him as they thought he was at fault for driving Angela away.

"Brandon! Over here," a high sweet voice called to him.

He looked to his left, dragging his thoughts to the present, as he spied Angela’s blonde hair and her waving hand among those milling around her. He worked his way over to her, his heart pumping as she stirred something inside of him. Even though she had left, saying it was all over between them, he still loved her, which made her absence all the more harder to take.

"Here, let me take that," he said, taking the single suitcase from her.

Angela gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before taking a good look at him.

"What happened to you? You look like a deadbeat," she asked, seeing his rumpled clothing.

"Well living out of my car doesn’t exactly help matters; it’s hard to keep clothes nice and tidy when you have to sleep in them." He finished, looking embarrassed at the state of his attire.

"What about my apartment?" Angela pressed, as they moved out of the terminal towards where he had parked.

"When you left, I waited a couple of days before I rang your parents to see if you where there." Brandon grimaced at the memory of that call and the repercussions that followed soon after.

"I guess they weren’t pleased," Angela hinted, knowing her parent’s disliked her choice in boyfriend.

"You might say that, calling the police, and accusing me of kidnapping, isn’t what I’d call being nice. If it wasn’t for your note and the fact that you’d packed a suitcase, I’d be probably be entertaining some brute in prison somewhere," Brandon ground out, as he unlocked the car door.

Angela politely refrained from commenting on the rank smell inside the car, as she already felt guilty about what she was going to subject Brandon to very soon. Brandon heard her sniff and started to apologize.

"Just drive to this address, we can pick up my car there," she broke in, handing him an address on a piece of paper.

Brandon drove to the address, which turned out to be a long-term storage facility. He waited in the car, trying to work out his feelings about Angela, while she went inside to get her car. A beep startled him out of his reverie, having come nowhere in his decision. Angela waved for him to get into her car, which he did reluctantly.

"Where are you going? Should I follow you?" he asked. "Hey! What about my clothes?" he yelled, as Angela started to drive off. "I left the keys in it ... wait up Angela," he screamed panicking, as she floored her BMW.

"Shut up and listen, your car will be taken care of," she said with a tone of finality. "The clothes can be replaced, seeing they are a bit on the nose. We have a lot to do before my parents come visiting my flat," she commanded.

Brandon slumped, feeling defeated, she was right. His clothes had seen better days.

"You called your parents?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, while they were getting my car ready. I told them on no circumstances, were they to come to the flat till I unpacked and that I’d ring them," she finished, pulling into a high-end shopping centre.

"Stay in the car, you’re in no fit state to walk into the shops I want," she ordered, as he made a move to follow her.

Brandon got back in and luxuriated in the far nicer seats of the Beamer. He tilted the seat back and started to doze off. Thumps from the back, woke him from his light doze, as Angela unloaded her shopping in the trunk of the car.

"You get everything?" he asked her, as she got in the front and started the car.

"Yes, you’ll see everything later, you’ll look so cute," she answered oddly.

‘Cute?’ wondered Brandon, feeling a little apprehensive as a chill ran down his spine.

Angela tossed the keys to the flat to Brandon and told him to go get a shower, while she brought in the bags. He did as ordered, even deciding to use her shampoo, to wash his hair.

"Use the conditioner, it needs it," Angela ordered, brooking no argument, as she took out his discarded clothes.

Even though he smelled like lilac, Brandon felt much better with clean hair. It was longer than he’d ever had it, and it had got matted and horrible, from sleeping in the back seat of his car.

Finding only a robe of Angela’s hanging on the bathroom door, his clothes having been removed earlier, he was about to call out for something to wear.

"Use the robe," Angela called out, anticipating this moment.

Sheepishly, Brandon slunk out wearing the mauve satin robe. Being of similar body size to Angela, meant that it fit him reasonably well.

"Well don’t you look cute?" Angela quipped, looking up from writing something in a book.

"I may not seem much of a man in your eyes, but please stop calling me cute," Brandon retorted, finding his backbone. He remembered Angela’s parting words, accusing him of constantly wanting her to dress more femininely. He knew she had loads of beautiful clothes at home, but she tended to just wear tops and pants. Angela had then thrown it back in his face, saying. ‘Seeing you can fit in my clothes, why don’t you wear them?’ When he had retorted that wearing her clothes as part of a Halloween costume had been her idea, she had then accused him of making a better woman than a man, before storming out. She had left the next day.

"Tell me what’s going on, why am I here with you? I thought you couldn’t stand me," he ranted.

Angela put down the book in her hand and patted the seat next to her.

"Please sit down, and I’ll explain."

Brandon sat, remembering to sweep the robe under him, like Angela had drummed into him two months ago, when he was practicing wearing her dress for Halloween.

"You know I left for South Africa? Well part of the reason was the pressure from my parents. They kept on about being with you, saying you were a deadbeat ... "

"But it wasn’t my ... " Brandon tried to explain.

Angela waved off his words. "My mother was like you, constantly urging me to wear elegant clothes more suited to my station. All those clothes you saw? She bought them all ... I swear she used to measure me in my sleep, to get the right sizes." She paused before continuing, getting back her train of thought.

"It all got too much for me, I wanted out, so I fled to a remote town where I could help the needy. I had withdrawn 10,000 dollars and was all set."

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know."

"I love my parents, but sometimes they smother me. I came back, because I nearly died," Angela said, shocking him.

"Huh? You? What happened?" Brandon gasped.

"I was out in a remote area, helping distribute clothing, when I was bitten by a type of Boomslang, it’s a type of tree snake," she elaborated. "Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be given the antivenin, due to my distance away from the nearest doctor."

"So what happened? You seem okay now," asked Brandon, as he became all ears.

"I sorta died," Angela shrugged, seeing Brandon flinch back in shock.

"You what?"

"I don’t remember much, after I became unconscious, but according to the other aide worker that was with me, my heart stopped. It was only because of the intervention of the medicine man who was nearby, that I’m here today."

"Did he suck the poison out?" asked Brandon, imagining all sorts of primitive rituals.

"No, he stabbed me in the chest with a sharp stick, covered in another very potent venom. He claimed it was a magical cure all; at least that’s what he seemed to believe. He was spouting some mumbo gumbo about two spirits fighting each other. His English was minimal, so I missed a lot of his explanation."

"Sheesh, I don’t believe this shit," Brandon snorted, shaking his head.

Angela just pulled up her top, exposing her chest. Brandon looked surprised, eyeing first the swell of her breasts as they tried to escape her pink satin demi bra. Looking closer, he could see an angry scar, just under her left breast, its puckered scabby redness, proving it was of recent origin. Angela pulled down her top, when she heard his intake of breath, knowing he’d spotted the wound.

"Have you seen a doctor?" He managed, after she had readjusted herself.

"I’m fine," she answered, lying with practiced ease. "There’s nothing more to be done," she added a little more truthfully. "I realised then, that I couldn’t just disappear forever, out of my families lives, so I came back to make amends."

"What about my life?" Brandon asked, his heart beating faster. "I’m letting you stay her, but not as Brandon. If I’m going to mend bridges with my family, you will have to disappear. I’m hoping my friend Brenda will consent to stay with me," Angela finished, looking at him intently.

"Brenda? Who is she?" Brandon asked with a sinking feeling, that he was being told to leave.

"Well that’s the thing see, my parents won’t mind me having a girlfriend staying, so I was hoping you’d become her."

"Huh?"

"You will become Brenda, and stay with me," explained Angela, seeing the light of understanding, flicker in his eyes.

"You got to be kidding; you want me to dress up and act like a girlfriend just to placate your parents? What about me? What do I get out of this, other than sore feet and having trouble breathing?" he demanded, remember the tightness of the heels and corset he wore at Halloween.

"You get me, and a place to stay for free, with all your needs taken care of," Angela answered, glad that he hadn’t just flatly refused to do it.

"For how long?" he asked, wondering why he was even considering it.

"Oh for about three months, until they are satisfied that I dumped you."

"But dressing up at Halloween was one thing, I won’t be able to pull it off in front of your mother, you know what she’s like," he protested, avoiding saying her mother was nosey.

"It’s up to you, it’s either that, or leave now," Angela told him, knowing that it wouldn’t quite be that easy leaving. She had cut up his discarded clothes and thrown them in the rubbish. He would have to wear something of hers or go naked, if he refused to go along with her plan.

"Look I’ve bought things that will surprise you. Why not see if you pass, before you throw in the towel," Angela pressed, hoping he would cave in.

"Okay," he agreed heavily. "Do your worst."

"No, I’ll do my best," she chuckled, shooing him back into the bathroom. "You know what to do with this," she said, handing him a bottle of Nair.

Brandon winced, having used it at Halloween and remembering the burning itching feeling as it worked on his body hair.

"I hope you bought more of that aloe cream," he called out, as Angela busied herself with more preparations for his transformation. The cream had soothed his irritated skin, and had made his skin feel silky soft, something that had made him feel guilty for liking its new sensitivity.

"What’s all this?" Brandon asked, having finished defoliating and having applied the aloe over his body.

Angela had brought in a stool and was laying out various hair products on the sink top.

"Are you colouring my hair? Why can’t we use the fall, same as last time?" He asked in a complaining tone.

Last Halloween, with Brandon’s already longish brown hair, Angela had decided to just add a fall to help fill out his own locks, saying it was cooler than a wig and less likely to come adrift.

"We need to divert Mom’s attention from anything Brandonish. I’m going to make your hair look like mine in both style and colour. Hopefully it will remind her of mine and that should keep her thinking we’re more like sisters than someone with a dick under her skirt."

"Ah," Brandon sighed, seeing the sense in Angela’s idea.

"I hope you haven’t forgotten how to speak like a female, keeping your voice soft and using the upper part of your voice box." Angela prompted, as she started working on his hair.

"No, although I didn’t think I’d be using it again so soon," Brandon answered in a light voice more suited for her Brenda debut.

"It’s a good thing my parents never saw or heard you last Halloween, that voice is near perfect, just remember to use lots of superlatives."

The almost Brenda, shuddered at the thought of Angela’s parents, had they seen him last Halloween. It would have just have added fuel to the argument, that he was no man for their daughter to marry.

Once the ordeal of having his hair dyed and dried was over, Angela used a hairdryer to give his blonde hair some bounce, adding a new fall that matched his new look. She stood back, and looked at it, comparing it in the mirror, against her own simple style.

"That will have to do for now, we can make it better when we have more time, luckily my own hair hasn’t seen the hairdressers in a while," she commented, letting him look at it in the mirror.

Brandon, saw a nice, even dare he say it, ‘cute’ looking blonde haired female looking back at him. He knew as Brandon, that his facial features weren’t particularly masculine by any means, but with what Angela had done with his hair, his features now looked decidedly feminine. Brenda was born, for surely no one with a name like Brandon could look as cute as what he now saw in the mirror.

Angela hurried him into her bedroom, wanting to get on with the next step. She gave him a dancer’s gaff, which she’d only just bought, telling him to put that on while she got the breast forms ready. In a flurry of activity Brenda, now looked the part, with her newly attached bosoms resting in a satin 38 C bra and her manly charms now securely hidden behind the gaff and a pair of satin panties. Brenda’s curves were further enhanced with the corselet, which pushed the excess fat from her waist, to her hips and chest.

Brenda’s corselet restricted body made breathing huge lungfuls of air impossible, and helped remind her not to try and speak from deep in her chest. Angela soon had Brenda in a dress and pantyhose, before bringing out some shoes she had bought. Brenda sighed in relief, seeing the new shoes in a size larger than Angela’s. At Halloween, she’d had to force her feet into the slightly too small heels of Angela’s, which had soon become torture devices, and had left her feet sore for weeks.

The last thing Angela did, before allowing Brenda to see herself, was apply the cosmetic’s that final hid any last sign of Brandon. Angela had to prove that Brandon as Brenda would not be recognized by her family. The look on Brenda’s face when she saw herself in the mirror, told Angela, that her desperate plan was going to work.

Just then, the phone rang, so Angela went to answer it, leaving Brenda admiring her new look.

"Oh, hi Mom," Brenda heard Angela answer from the bedroom. If it weren’t already compressed, Brenda’s stomach would have clenched, as a shiver of fear swept her body at the thought of facing Angela’s mom in her present attire. Even though she could see no resemblance to her former self, there was always that lingering doubt that she’d be revealed for who and what she truly was.

"No not tonight, Mom, we are still unpacking," Brenda heard, having moved closer to the doorway to hear better.

"Oh just a friend ... a girlfriend, Mom, her name is Brenda," Angela answered.

It didn’t take much imagination to fill in her mother’s responses, given the answers Angela was supplying.

"Brenda Stewart, she’s had boyfriend troubles too, so we are sharing my place for a while ... no Mom ... I haven’t seen him ... he’s out of my life now," Angela went on.

Brenda knew who the ‘he,’ was, and wondered if Angela was ever planning for her return as Brandon.

Brenda moved away from the doorway, as Angela promised her mother that she could come around at ten the next day.

"Are you sure you love me?" accused Brenda, after Angela returned to the bedroom. "Or am I out of your life forever?" She quoted, with a resigned expression.

"Brenda ... Brandon, I do love you, despite what you might think with my running away. It’s just that I need a break from my parents always harping on about you. No matter what happens in the future, I’ll always love you and we’ll live together as man and wife," Angela pleaded, holding on to Brenda with a tight embrace.

"Prove it," demanded a somewhat mollified Brenda, dragging Angela towards the bed. Angela was more than willing to prove it as the clothes piled on the floor. She took charge, making Brenda lie on her back, still wearing her corselet.

"You can’t pleasure me with that on. It’s restricting your breathing and I’m not taking it off now," she explained, ridding herself of the last of her clothing. "I don’t want you fainting from lack of air, so just lay there and let me do all the work."

Sex as Brenda, with her breasts bouncing and her corset restricted body, was a totally new experience. Angela had freed her weapon, by just pulling her panties aside and tearing a hole in the gusset of her pantyhose. Angela had gone to town, riding Brenda like a horse, galloping off to market. Whether it was the clothes or the situation, or just because it had been a while since they had last done it, for Brenda, it was like nothing else existed. She couldn’t remember climaxing as hard nor as long as she did that night. She fell asleep in the arms of her lover, her dreams filled with disturbing images of herself having sex as Brenda.

Angela stayed awake long enough to see the two vampire like bite marks she’d given Brenda on the neck during their lovemaking, start to fade. This according to the witchdoctor come medicine man was the first step in a series of transformations that would ultimately see the two of them together again. Luckily her enlarged canines where the venom came from hadn’t been noticed by Brenda, and the venom itself anesthetized the puncture wounds so that Brenda hardly winced. Before her thoughts drifted away in slumber, she hoped Brenda would forgive her for what was to come. Angela had thought of refusing to burden Brenda with the curse, but the thought of dying and the ultimate result, made her go through with it.

Morning came with relentless urgency; as Angela drilled Brenda on her make believe history. Luckily Brandon had a great memory for trivia, and so too did Brenda Stewart, as she now learned her new life in detail.

Today, they were both dressed casually in jeans and cotton tops. Angela had given Brenda one that showed more of her cleavage than her own, as a reminder to mother that this was indeed a female.

Cynthia Conrad arrived early, ten minutes to be exact. When Brenda, after prodding from Angela, opened the door, Cynthia swept in like a mini tidal wave, barely greeting Brenda, as she sought out her daughter in the lounge. Steven Conrad stumbled along in her wake, clutching armfuls of Angela’s unworn outfits, still on their hangers and cellophane wraps.

Brenda took a load of the clothes off Steven, which earned her a grateful look, before he blushed, having eyed her endowments appreciatively. Brenda carried the clothes to Angela’s bedroom, where she started to hang them up in the walk in wardrobe. Happy to stay out of Cynthia’s way, she busied herself putting away the gowns that Steven had brought in, having followed her to the bedroom.

Steven sat on the bed watching, trying to make polite conversation with her. At first, Brenda was nervous, as she answered his questions with her recently learned bio. She was thinking, ‘is he watching because he suspects something.’ But once she glanced in the mirror as she bent to pick up a gown that had slipped from her grasp, she saw him eyeing her butt with a look that was anything but (oops) suspicious. From then on, she relaxed, playing up for him, and exaggerating her movements and making sure he got an eyeful.

Angela’s call to her, made Steven jump up guiltily as he tried to hide his appreciation showing in his trousers. Brenda’s sudden nervousness at having to face Cynthia was tinged by a mixture of disgust and exhilaration of how she had been acting and the feeling of power her new form had generated.

"Come, come child, let me look at you," was Cynthia’s first words, as she scrutinized Brenda from every angle.

Brenda stood frozen, waiting for the inevitable, it seemed like an eternity, before Cynthia sighed and turned to Angela.

"I’m not too happy with that top she’s wearing; proper ladies don’t show that much cleavage in my opinion." She huffed.’

"Mom, that’s a top I bought, she can’t help it if she’s more endowed than I am. She had to leave her clothes behind, lest her now ex boyfriend suspected she was leaving him for good. I had to throw her other clothes out, as they stank of his cigarette smoke." Angela rushed to explain.

Cynthia’s expression changed instantly, on hearing the fictitious sob story.

"My dear, how awful, I apologised completely, we must buy you some clothes immediately," she gushed out, giving Brenda a hug. "I just wish I could make your ex wear those clothes of yours as punishment," she proclaimed enthusiastically.

"Well come on daughter, get a move on, we have Brenda’s clothes crisis to remedy," she ordered, grabbing Angela’s arm and ushering them out to the car.

What followed became a blur for Brenda, as the human whirlwind known as Cynthia Conrad stormed all the up market fashion houses, dragging everyone helplessly behind her into her wake.

Brenda would have been terrified, had not Angela run interference for her. Knowing what lurked beneath Brenda’s feminine appearance. Angela toiled against the onslaught of her mother’s insistence that Brenda try this or that on, rejecting everything that might show something it shouldn’t.

Brenda seemed to sort of stand outside of herself, just going with the flow, as Angela winnowed the choices, her mother had selected. She could see Angela’s point about her just being a clotheshorse for her mother’s ideas. Cynthia reminded her of one of those cartoon characters, whose trick was to whirl like a dervish, sucking up people and spitting them out in all directions. Not only were themselves sucked up, but shop assistants and managers too. Even Steven wasn’t immune, as he followed with an open checkbook. Occasionally, he’d be spat out, having to carry purchases back to the car. All the assistants were left drained, as they too were eventually freed from Cynthia’s sphere of influence.

Brenda’s feeble outcry about the cost of things was waved aside as being no consequence. Luckily the shops did have a closing time and they were finally disgorged, before hunger became a major problem.

Brenda was exhausted from trying everything from bras to gowns, including every pair of shoes that was purchased, none of which had a heel less than two inches. Even the fluffy mules, that were the fashion for slippers had a raised heel over a flat solid sole.

Brenda despaired of ever seeing himself in men’s trousers again, with the amount of clothes that had just been bought. Later that night, she brought up her concerns to Angela.

"Honey I know you have this image of yourself as a hunky male, but let’s face it, you and I are nearly the same size. Those clothes you’re wearing will fit me, so don’t worry about it."

"Don’t worry about it ... right. Here I am dressed to the nines in a skirt with a blouse trying to contain my new tits, plus I have achy feet from wearing heels all day, shopping for more feminine stuff than I’ve seen in my life, and she says don’t worry about it," Brenda said sarcastically.

"I’m going for a shower. My skin feels itchy, it must be all the clothes I tried on today," complained Brenda, as she started to disrobe.

"Try a bath, I’ll put something in the water to soothe your aches and help with the itchiness," a worried Angela told her, as she spotted some flakey skin peeling off Brenda’s back.

‘I didn’t think it would start so quickly, damn, I’ll have to scramble if I want hide it from her,’ thought Angela, as she went and started a bath, adding some effervescent mineral salts and a capful of scented bath oils. As an added precaution, Angela went and put in some bubble bath to make a nice foamy lather.

"Stay in there till I tell you, I’m going to pop out and get something you’ll love." Ordered Angela, as she went to gather her purse to go buy what she needed.

Brenda stepped into the hot foamy water, feeling the soreness in her feet start to ebb as she lay back in the water. Her faux breasts stuck out of the foam like twin mountaintops poking above the clouds. The sight made her giggle, as she wiggled her chest to make tittie tidal waves. A thought popped into her head, slipping past the ‘what am I thinking’ censors without raising an appropriate response, as she wondered what having real breasts would feel like, in the same situation.

Although the situation was ludicrous, the bath was the first in a long while, and she relaxed, almost falling asleep. She came back from her doze to feel something gently rasping her skin. Brenda opened her eyes to see Angela stroking her with a huge loofah.

"Just keep your eyes closed while I tend to my lady's needs," Angela said deferentially, continuing the gentle massage.

"Hmmmm, God that’s incredible," moaned Brenda, closing her eyes, as she savoured her erstwhile maid’s attentions.

Angela could see the skin shedding away under her gentle ministrations, leaving the skin underneath, silky soft. She had Brenda roll aver, while she did her back and the rest of her legs. She noticed the skin was thicker in certain areas around the waist and transparently thin in other places like the face.

Luckily the bubbles hid the evidence of the shedding skin from Brenda. Angela took care to drain the bath, while Brenda was busy drying herself, making sure she didn’t see what was going down the drain.

"Wow! You were right. That bath made my skin so silky, and it doesn’t itch anymore," Brenda commented enthusiastically, running her hands over her body.

Angela could almost swear that there were more changes than that. Knowing what the results the venom from her bite would eventually lead to, she could see the hint of the changes starting to happen. Brenda’s waist was just a bit trimmer than before, and when she removed the breast forms for cleaning, she could see a slight swelling developing. She knew she had to devise a way of hiding the shedding skin effect from Brenda as it went through its weekly schedule of renewal. There was no turning back now, and Angela hoped Brenda would forgive her when its effects became obvious.

Brenda saw some changes in her face, but attributed them to the way the makeup hid her old face. Angela would insist on doing it first, and then letting her try to recreate the look, telling her, she needed to learn to do it herself. Seeing herself daily in a mirror as Brenda became less of a surprise as the week wore on. Angela kept her occupied, trying to learn how to move and act as the person she was portraying. Angela was always writing copious notes, while Brenda learnt to act as much like a woman as she could.

Brenda’s second skin shedding, the following week, was cleverly covered up by an appointment to get a whole body mudpack beauty therapy treatment. Angela, who knew her own transformation wasn’t too far away, started organizing what she needed to be done.

Brenda was definitely looking more female, both in body and actions after her ‘treatment.’ Luckily she either didn’t consciously notice the widening hips or narrowing waist, or she chose to ignore it, as she said nothing to Angela about it. ‘Of course it might be due to the nature of the mutant venom as it protected its interests,’ Angela thought, trying to get her head around the fact that she was treating the venom as having its own agenda.

Angela took Brenda around to her parent’s place, something Brandon never got to, after his first brief visit when they started going out together. She showed Brenda her old room and got her acquainted with the house and where everything was. Brenda would have to know her house backward for later, when her final change took place.

Cynthia was happy to have her daughter bring Brenda around, often telling her childhood stories of when Angela was growing up. Angela took her mother aside out of Brenda’s hearing to warn her, that these visits might tail off when Angela told her she would be leaving the unit to go husband hunting, leaving Brenda to look after the place. She extracted a promise that she wouldn’t tell Brenda, as the topic of boyfriends in general was still a sore point.

Cynthia was sad that the visits would end, but pleased that her daughter was finally taking charge of her life. She promised not to go interfering in Brenda’s life while Angela was away.

The weeks passed. Another visit to the mud baths and still Brenda didn’t complain about the feminizing effects that followed.

Angela had let Brenda veg out a lot in front of the TV, where supplied with ample amber nectar, she was happy to stay watching her favourite sports. After a month, while cleaning the breast forms, Angela commented that Brenda was getting beer boobs, and that she hardly needed the forms anymore.

Brenda took the news calmly, too calmly, as she inspected her almost b cup titties. Angela was sure that the venom had another effect, other than that of gender transformation. In rewriting Brandon’s DNA to a copy of her own, it was also blinding her to the effectiveness of said change. Even so, Angela knew she couldn’t tell Brenda of her final fate, and that was the hardest thing of all.

Knowing that Brenda was seemingly oblivious of the changes to her body, eased Angela’s worries about her ultimate fate. Brenda got more and more feminine at each shedding of her skin and Angela didn’t need to hide it under a layer of mud. Instead, as the time for it to come off, and it started getting itchy, Angela had Brenda rub some emollient on it. In the next hour, it would start to peel off, leaving the skin underneath clear and clean.

Angela had told her this was supposed to happen, as a direct result of the crime, so Brenda calmly picked it free, shedding huge swathes of dead skin, thinking it was part of the normal treatment.

The relief from the itchiness was sufficient to stop her questioning the reason why she was itchy in the first place, although, Angela had tried to reason it away as an allergy or something.

When people started mentioning how similar they looked, Angela cut down the excursions to anyone they knew. She started sending Brenda out on her own to avoid confusion, when shopping for essentials.

Angela could sense her time was near, and she put her final preparations in high gear. She had a small cage brought into the garage, keeping it out of sight from Brenda. Modifications were made and she had all the paperwork needed attached to the lid. Having lots of money, made it easy to ensure her package would be delivered to the right person when the time came. She shed a tear, knowing that if what the medicine man/witchdoctor said was true, she would never feel her breasts exactly the same way again.

Twinges in her body told Angela that tonight would be her last in this form. She rang a number, organizing the pickup of the crate early the next morning, before making sure the garage door was left unlocked.

She checked over her diary, seeing if anything needed adding, making sure as much information as she could remember was written there for Brenda.

That night, after Brenda was asleep in post orgasmic bliss, Angela stole out of bed as the twinges of her now rapidly transforming body increased dramatically. Left behind, was a complete skin, which included the hair of her head and her fingernails. She didn’t want to see herself in the mirror in this state, wanting to preserve the memory of how she once looked. Judging by what she could see of herself, there wasn’t much left of the person who was once known as Angela. Her breasts were now just memories. In their place was a sheen of fine scales. Her arms were fused to her thinner torso down to her elbows, making opening doors very hard. Her legs were also fused together down to mid calf, making her mimic a penguin like shuffle. . If she had looked in a mirror, she would have seen just holes where her nose and ears used to be. Her mouth felt like it was much wider and her eyes had moved further apart as well, which made her already difficult task of moving quietly even harder to do. She paused, looking back towards Brenda for one last time, before leaving the bedroom, she couldn’t afford to kiss Brenda goodbye in case she woke, instead her tongue flicked out, tasting her lovers scent in way no human had done before. A trembling in her torso, prompted her to take one last look, as her legs continued to change providing less support for her body. She sort of slivered outside and then wriggled under the partially open roller door leading into the garage, as her legs became one.

Angela could feel her intelligence diminishing as she took on a more snake like form. She managed to get into the cage, despite not having arms and legs, as they’d now had been absorbed into her torso. With her tail fully formed, she used it to knock away the prop holding the cage open. The lid dropped and the self-latching mechanism that Angela had added, snapped shut.

Angela’s last coherent thought, as her body shut down for the final inevitable change, was, when would she ever see Brenda again.

Brenda woke to the noise of the garage door being slammed shut. Seeing Angela wasn’t in bed, she got up and looked out the window. A U.P.S truck parked in the drive, started up and moved out onto the road, where it rapidly disappeared.

Pulling on a robe, with a now automatic action, Brenda headed outside to see if a delivery had been made. Finding noting, either outside or in, Brenda came back in, to check with Angela, wherever she was. Looking in the kitchen, after calling with no response, Brenda saw a note propped up on the table, with the words "read this," on it. Brenda picked it up, seeing it was attached to the diary Angela was always writing in.

"Brenda, it’s the time for the truth to be told." She read, with a sinking feeling.

"In the diary is your life as you’ll have to live it from now on, so don’t get rid of it as you’ll need it to survive."

Brenda sat down and read the pages Angela had left behind. In them, she read of Angela’s close shave with the snake bite and the subsequent actions of the medicine man and his predictions. As she read, Brenda’s mind seemed to take on a clarity that had been missing for months. Needing a potty break, she saw with shock her altered appearance with new eyes. She could see that her facial features had taken on a more feminine appearance, becoming more like that of Angela’s. She still felt disassociated from her emotions so there was no feeling of panic, as she saw how far along the path to becoming Angela, she was.

She went back to reading the notes, determined to understand why this was happening to her. Angela told of her dilemma whether to pass the curse if you could call it that, onto Brandon or not. Knowing the consequences if she didn’t pass the venom on, made her choice, no choice at all, unless she wanted to doom herself to living a nightmare as a creature that crawled on the ground. Doing as she did, meant her life as a reptile of the suborder Serpentes, would be limited to a few months before her final transformation. She also explained that she had herself shipped back to the medicine man and that Brenda wasn’t to follow.

Brenda stopped reading, trying to take it all in. Her girlfriend had turned into a snake? For whatever reason and now she or rather Brandon was becoming a copy of Angela and was expected to take her place? It was just too unbelievable. Taking a break, she went back to the bedroom to get dressed, where the reality of the situation suddenly struck home. The mirror on the wardrobe door, showed the reflection of a woman, a woman that looked very similar to Angela, apart from the hair colour and her eyes.

Brenda removed her night gown and examined herself with eyes that were clear of the fuzziness of venom induced delusion. As she cupped her breasts, she realised they were not the fake ones Angela had glued on initially. Looking lower, she saw what was left of her manhood. No sign of the ball sacs remained, having retreated up inside her body. And even her penis was only a nub, barely usable as a directional nozzle.

The training to sit on the toilet and wipe that Angela had insisted would help keep her focused on who she was supposed to be, had become automatic. The need to handle it, had gone, had helped her venom clouded mind miss the significance of its slow, but constant shortening.

This was no external hormone induced change, which possibly could be reversed. This was her own body doing the changing, as it totally rewrote Brandon’s DNA. The scariest part wasn’t becoming a female so much, as becoming ‘someone’ else, someone whom she’d have become an expert on in a very short time, lest she be discovered as a fraud.

Brenda looked at her hair, seeing no sign of her original brownish hair coloured roots growing in, only a more natural looking blonde, replacing most of the dyed look, as she took on Angela’s traits. Out of habit, she brushed her hair, before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. As she tidied the bed, she pulled Angela’s nightgown, from where it lay inside the sheets. There seemed to be a brownish piece of material inside it, which at first, Brenda thought it was a pair of pantyhose. Not thinking, she pulled it out before dropping the gruesome rustling thing down on the floor, as she realised what it was.

It was a skin ... more than that; it was the complete skin of Angela’s body. It even had her hair and details like her fingernails, still covered in the pink polish she used.

It took a big effort to look of what was left of Angela’s human form, as it made her shudder. At first Brenda’s anger of her fate and Angela’s part in it, made her wish she could have seen the snake that Angela had become. But as the minutes passed Brenda realised that Angela hadn’t had a choice and the thought of being in Angela’s place, and having to go through the very same transformation, made her weep at the unfairness of it all.

Brenda opened the diary, knowing this was to be her bible if she were to succeed. Having nothing better to do, she started reading, noting that Angela had written "I love you, now and forever," on the first page. Angela had put down everything in order of importance, just who she was, with her likes and dislikes, favourite things that included colours and movies. Her whole life was laid open, just like the book it was written in, with all the highlights and past special occassions.

Her parents were next, with the same details as to who they were and what made them tick. Brenda could see past the details outlined and knew with a certainty the depth of Angela’s love for them. Having already been subject to her parent’s wrath when they thought Brandon had something to do with Angela’s first disappearance, Brenda knew they loved Angela equally so.

For a week, Brenda studied, although she was looking more like Angela by the time she finished. The shedding of skins, once a weekly occurrence, had sped up its process, to become once a day. Brenda/Angela would start feeling the itch that heralded the skin wanting to come off. She found that a hot bath in the evening would loosen it, and the use of a loofah would gently abrade it away.

She knew that Brenda was almost gone, when she’d answered the phone to find Cynthia on the other end. Of course not knowing that, she’d answered, saying.

"Hello, Brenda here,"

"Angela, I know I promised not to bother you, but isn’t pretending to be Brenda a bit much. If you don’t want to talk with me, I’m sorry, but there’s a party coming up, and I ... sort of promised you’d be there ... Angela? Angela!"

Brenda/Angela hurriedly picked up the phone she’d dropped in shock. The last thing she wanted was her mother, um Angela’s mother racing around to see why she’d dropped the phone.

"Sorry mother, I was in the bath and my hands are wet. The phone just slipped out as I was adjusting the towel," she lied, catching Cynthia, before she hung up.

Inside, Brenda/Angela was in shock, even if her voice sounded like Angela’s to fool Cynthia, she still looked a bit like Brenda, and seeing Cynthia was the last thing she wanted.

"Can I give it a miss, this time?" Brenda asked, before kicking herself for sounding pathetic. Angela would have been more forceful if she didn’t want to attend. Too late to take the words and whiney tone back now, as Cynthia pounced on the opening.

"I’ll see you tomorrow at the hairdressers; it’s booked for 3pm. I’ll bring the gown I want you wear, so don’t be late."

Feeling the onset of another shedding, Brenda/Angela agreed rather distractedly as she tried to scratch the itchiness.

For some reason, the prelude to this particular shedding felt different from the others, as a growing numbness around her genitals, seemed to be taking hold. She went into the bathroom and stripped off her clothes, which usually brought some relief before she ran a bath. Looking down, she saw that the head of what had been her penis was now flush with her skin and it felt dead to her touch. She’d been sitting down to pee for sometime, so she didn’t have to bother trying to aim her miniscule member and possibly get her fingers wet, so the sight wasn’t much of a surprise to her.

Running a bath seemed to take longer than normal, as the itching increased in intensity. Gratefully, she sank into its embrace, feeling the soothing effects of the minerals she’d added. Unlike what normally happened, the skin refused to shed in bits and pieces. It sloughed of from her body in one big piece, reminding her of Angela’s skin she’d found in the bed.

It had split down the back and Brenda/Angela struggled out of it. The top half came clear, hanging like a gross slimy bag as it hung around her waist. She tried pulling the rest off like a strange pair of pantyhose, but it seemed to be stuck at her crotch. She stood up and literally yanked it down, using the gathered folds as a grip.

She felt a strange pulling sensation from deep inside her, as it finally came free. Looking down, she saw some blood drip into the bathwater, and she nearly fainted at the site of her altered sex. The skin had a thick rod like material attached where her penis had been. Slipping out of the legs of her "body suit," she stepped out of the bath and pulled the plug out. Bending over, she saw her new feminine sex for the first time ... well not the first time exactly, having seen it when it was attached to Angela. Definitely the first time at this angle though, as she probed it gently with a finger. Her finger came away red from the blood, after touching a very sensitive nub. The bleeding was minor and soon stopped, as she wiped it with a tissue. Looking up at the mirror, she saw that the last vestiges of Brenda were gone. Angela was born, like a phoenix from the ashes.

The new Angela checked herself out, half in love with herself, and half wondering what tomorrow would bring. She was obviously made to take the original's place, but whether she could step into her lover’s shoes and carry it off, was another matter.

Her dreams kept her from getting a good night's rest, as visions of herself in white marrying some society son that Cynthia had approved of, had her waking in cold sweats.

Getting up early to get a shower, she saw the repulsive mess of what remained of her skin in the bath. Unlike the dry skin that the original Angela had left, this was a waterlogged slimy mess. Thinking of how to dispose of the skin, she grabbed a plastic bag and put her hand in it, making a crude glove. She scooped the soggy skin up and dumped it into the toilet, where it was soon flushed away. The other skin followed soon after, leaving no evidence of the weird transformations in case the police were ever involved in the future.

Angela dressed in ‘her’ clothes and started the task of removing Brenda’s stuff from the flat. If she were to pretend that Brenda had moved out, then getting rid of the clothes Cynthia had bought was paramount. Angela only kept some of the underwear, thinking ‘her’ mother would hardly be prying in her intimates. The rest went into bags for the goodwill, who would make excellent use of it all.

Angela checked her appearance one more time, before leaving for her dreaded appointment with her new mother. She dropped off the clothing on the way to the salon where she was to meet.

The only comment Cynthia made to her was that her hair was looking dreadful. No yelling and screaming that an imposter stood before her, not even when Angela told her that it was her life, her hair, did she twig (come to the conclusion).

"Angela Conrad, even though I’ve allowed you to go off and live how you please and date all manner of men, your appearance reflects on our good name and reputation. I shudder to think if it got to the press that our daughter was seen slobbing around," Cynthia sternly admonished her.

"Even that girl Brenda, had her hair done nicely, how is she doing?" her mother added.

"She’s moved out to a new address ... 36 Breast Street in the twilight zone," Angela answered, the last, muttered under her breath so Cynthia wouldn’t hear.

Entering a beauty salon is like no other place on earth. The smell tells you instantly that it’s a domain only women dare enter. There was still enough Brandon left in Angela’s head to make her quail momentarily, as she followed her mother inside. The mingled smells of perfume, makeup, hair setting products and shampoos, almost felt like a wall, they had to breach before entering.

Angela was overwhelmed by it all and meekly did as her mother bid her, as preparations began. Not having an opinion about, lest she show her ignorance about the current styles, Angela let Cynthia take charge over what she wanted for her daughter. When asked directly by the stylist, Angela shrugged, saying it was her mother’s party; let her chose the look, thereby absolving herself if it turned out badly.

And so the torture began, yes torture, for waxing was just another part of the treatment, Cynthia had organized. Vowing to Nair or shave herself to death next time, to save having her unattended leg hairs yanked out by their roots, Angela suffered in near silence, with just a few ouches and winces as they got near to the sensitive areas.

Once that was over and soothing cream applied, the rest went pretty tamely, except for the eyebrow tweezing. It took 4 hours before she saw herself in the mirror. Her hair was in an updo with just a few tendrils framing her face in bouncy spirals. She looked gorgeous and her face was flawless. For all the pain she had gone through, her legs looked spectacular and very sensitive to the material of her dress as it brushed against them.

Unfortunately her mother wasn’t finished yet. Taking her in tow, Cynthia dragged her screaming, (well would you believe, mildly protesting?) into a shop for a gown.

While Angela endured the arduous task of what women called shopping, a particular cage in Africa reached its intended destination, though not without some problems on the way. The men tasked by the former Angela, had to smuggle the cage and its deadly cargo past quarantine, not that it was that hard with its woefully inadequate bio-security measures. Just by placing the cage into a larger cardboard box labeled "car part," got the cage and its passenger on its way.

Once it was clear of the airport authorities, the cage was loaded on the back of a 4x4 Ute, minus the cardboard disguise. Being visible to all and sundry, made the golden hued serpent a much talked about topic, and subject to many offers to buy it, when stopping to put food and water into the cage.

Luckily the men were steadfast that the rare looking snake reach its destination, managing to thwart an attempt to steal the snake, when one offer to buy was refused.

The transformed Angela was only peripherally aware of her situation from the snake’s point of view. She existed in a sort of dream like state, where she seemed to be a servant to a snakelike Goddess who had tasked her to perform a service. When she was delivered to the old medicine man, she knew that her service would begin, and hopefully result in achieving her final change.

The old man removed her from the cage and draped her 6 foot length around his neck. This alarmed the ones that had delivered it, and began backing away, fearing the unknown type of snake would bite and kill the old man and then go after them.

The man's confidence in his belief, that the snake though venomous, wouldn’t bite him, prompted the delivery men to ask what kind of snake was it and why was it of paramount importance that it come out to this isolated region.

"The snake is most magical, it has a powerful spirit that will help many," the man told them. "Only I can release this spirit and the snake knows it," he added seeing their skeptical looks. "It doesn’t have a name, as it’s the only one of its kind in the world. I call it the angel snake," the old man finished.

"One bite and it sends you to the angels ... that would be right," scoffed one of the men, as they turned to head back to the city, so far away.

"No my angel, you will save many lives, once I milk your venom," the old man muttered to himself.

Angela was only partly aware of the old man’s words. She knew enough not to bite him, but wasn’t sure of her actual task as a snake, when most of her mind was engaged in a dreamlike state elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the copy of Angela was enduring being fitted into gowns and then being accessorized. Eventually, Cynthia was satisfied with her choices for her daughter, and they left the various shop assistants in peace, as they returned not the Angela’s flat, but to her old room at home.

Angela knew from a visit before, where her bedroom was located and headed straight there with her new purchases. Her protest about why they were not heading to the flat was that it was out of the way and seeing that they were going together, they’d take the Rolls.

Although Angela was sure she could manage to get ready on her own, Cynthia insisted on hovering, adjusting this and that, as she helped zip her into the gown.

Looking at herself in the mirror left Angela breathless. The gown was classic black, which set off her blonde tresses to a T. The material clung to her like a second skin, with the metallic threads in it, catching the light as she moved around. The material reluctantly relinquished its embrace on her body near her knees, where it flared out, allowing her to walk.

Cynthia gave her a diamond pendent necklace worth thousands, which she helped fasten for her daughter. Angela thought her heels were too high, but at least as Brenda, knew how to handle the 4 inchers. Cynthia left to don her own clothes, leaving Angela to browse around her new belongings.

The huge walk in wardrobe was full of gowns, which the old Brandon would have loved to see the original Angela wearing. Now it seemed she as Angela would have to wear them, if she wanted to admire them on her body. She fingered them, sorting them in her mind, those that she wouldn’t mind wearing just for the joy of feeling those fabrics against her skin.

Men, unless they were flamboyantly gay, were so limited in what they could wear safely. Silk shirts were about as far as the range went for the finer fabrics that women took for granted. When Angela had dragged Brandon along shopping when she was looking to buy something for herself, he had loved letting his arm brush along the rows of dresses or whatever garments the aisles were filled with, so he could feel the sensuous fabrics that were sadly off limits for him to wear. Now it looked like she’d get to experience them all, judging by the array hanging in her wardrobe.

Angela’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knocking on her door as her father announced that everyone was ready to go. Steven complimented her on her outfit, saying he hadn’t seen her so beautiful since prom night.

Angela blushed, allowing her father to escort her into the lounge where her mother was impatiently waiting.

"Oh do hurry, being somewhat late is fashionable, but there is a limit to what is deemed acceptable." Her mother urged, taking Steven’s other arm.

The Conrads had both a ‘maid’ and a ‘butler,’ who’s duties, included most everything else as well. Tonight, Darren the butler was Darren the chauffeur, as he helped the ladies into the luxurious comfort of the Rolls Royce silver ghost.

Angela tried not to gawk around inside, knowing the original had ridden in it many times. Steven opened a chilled bottle of bubbly from the built in bar. Nervous, Angela quaffed her glass much too quickly, getting a mild rebuke from her mother. A refill lasted longer, as Angela fought to relax and appear normal.

Arriving at the venue, they were directed to the main building where the party was starting. Several gentlemen were gathered as they were driven to the main entrance. Obviously they knew Angela was coming and had waited for her to arrive. Angela suspected Cynthia had informed them about her arrival, as they whisked her from the car into the massive ballroom, letting her parents follow in on their own.

Angela looked back at her mother with a questioning look, before she lost sight of her among the gathered guests. Cynthia just made a shooing signal, obviously content to allow her daughter to be escorted by the two potential suitors.

She stopped, refusing to be coaxed any further, till they introduced themselves, seeing they already knew who she was. The two men were scandalized that she apparently didn’t know them, given her station in life with the rest of the affluent.

The sandy haired one said his name was Henry James Worthington, while the dark haired young man said he was John Patrick Farnshaw, neither names ringing any bells for Angela.

They were obviously moneyed, as their fancy clothes spoke almost as loudly as their attitudes. Henry got her a glass of champagne from a passing drinks tray, as both tried to keep her to themselves for the evening. If she’d been a real female, Angela might have enjoyed flirting with them, as they tried vainly to woe her attentions. As it was, she struggled to maintain her poise as the high society daughter she appeared to be. Although somewhat flattered not only by Henry and John’s attentions, but by all the eligible young men, that eventually lingered in her presence, she felt uncomfortable being the target of all this attention.

Trying to analyze why this was, distracted her from noting the amount of alcohol she was being plied with. The guys were all attractive in their own way, but Angela wasn’t interested in them sexually, still considering herself mentally as a male, despite being physically female.

Having a much smaller bladder now, meant frequent trips to the bathroom as the more she drank. Luckily the place had many cubicles, so the waiting queue was mercifully short. Angela heard some talk about herself, while she was ensconced in the toilet, trying to cope with her tight dress and trying to relieve herself at the same time.

"You see that Conrad slut, trying to get her hands on our guys?" muttered one voice.

"Yes, you think she’ll last the night with all that booze she’s drinking?" laughed another voice. "I hope she’ll fall off those heels and split that rag she calls a gown," the same voice added cattily.

"She probably doesn’t wear panties, so it would be a great show," the first voice laughed in agreement.

Angela suddenly realised that she should have been a lot drunker than she felt at the moment. Thinking back, she worked out that she’d had at least 7 glasses of champagne, enough to cause Brandon to be weaving around the room. She only felt a mild buzz and felt she could drink a lot more before becoming inebriated. She reasoned that the venom in her body must have been keeping the alcohol from affecting her in some way. After all, anything that could change a guy into a gal was obviously powerful enough to have all manner of weird effects that defied explanation. Despite the horrible remarks she had overheard, knowing her tolerance to alcohol lifted her spirits (no pun intended ... yeah right lol).

She finished her business and made sure she was decent, before exiting the cubical. She washed her hands and repaired her lipstick, while checking out the competition. She saw no strange looks coming her way, so assumed that her detractors had already left. Feeling more secure that her body now had a higher tolerance for alcohol, she went back out to join the throng of willing admirers.

Although plied with enough drink to sink the Titanic ... again, she barely felt the effects. Learning to dance wasn’t too hard, as the boys that asked her were drunker than she, and didn’t notice any initial clumsiness on her part as she dealt with heels while moving backwards. She wasn’t particularly interested in dancing, but it beat standing listening to a group of ‘men?’ boasting about their accomplishments trying to impress her.

Even though she was a woman now, none of the men did anything for her sexually. She wondered if that would change as time went on, seeing she still considered herself having a male mind. Women still attracted her as much as they ever did, although had she still been Brandon, he still wouldn’t have acted on it, as Angela was the only one for him/her. She was still his, or rather her soul mate, she completed her something that made her sad now she was gone. She had implied that she would return someday, but as what? A snake? Or something or someone else? The thought made her shudder.

By the time her parents rescued her from the clutches of her admirers, Angela was feeling fed up. No wonder the original Angela hated going to these things. If being bored to tears listening to inane conversations wasn’t enough, they seemed to think they had the right to fondle her body at every opportunity, just because they bought her drinks.

She was quiet on the way home, refusing to join in on her mother's comments on the merits of certain individuals Angela had met. Angela was in a world of her own, lamenting the loss of the one person that should have been at her side.

Meanwhile, the focus of her thoughts was experiencing her own trial. The real Angela could sense herself being in two places at once. She was aware dimly of her snake self and what was happening to it, as well as being in a palace to a Goddess, were she had to perform menial tasks for same. Angela decided that the dreamlike quality of this existence was to protect her mind from the reality of becoming a snake. Obviously the snake’s brain could not hold her intellect without her going insane, so most of her mind was elsewhere, but just where and how much of what she experienced was real, she didn’t know. She thought there must be some symbolism to her performing the menial tasks, as cleaning and washing was one of the things she never had to do as a privileged child, her nannies did that, or the maid, when she was older.

The old man was using her snake form in some fancy healing rite, which involved having her venom tapped, to be used in a weird concoction that was then used on the sick patients he visited. Once imbibed or injected using his crude (to use) stick stabbing methods, the patients went into a light coma, as the venom worked its cure. From what she could see, which wasn’t much as the man put her in an open weave basket after the cure, the patients DNA was being rewritten, de-aging them and affecting a cure. There must have been more to the procedure than she could take in, as the man spoke to each while they lay in their coma like state, because one young boy changed sex, becoming a girl. Whether they were being told to become their ideal form, was hard to tell, especially as she couldn’t understand the language, but judging by the child’s elated cries the next morning, it was a change much wanted, rather than forced upon him.

This process went on for weeks, before she noted a change in the routine. No longer was her venom tapped for its curative powers, instead the old man took her on a long journey up to a mountain range, where nestled among its craggy peaks, they came upon a small oasis. Hemmed in by the surrounding mountains a small valley lay verdant with lush growth. A small spring supplied everything with water, before disappearing into a crevice on the southern side. The old man deposited her snake form there, as he prepared to complete the ritual to start the snake’s final transformation.

Angela in her dream state knew something momentous was about to begin, as the Goddess came to her smiling, as she presented her with a blue gem. Suddenly her body was wracked with pain, which made her faint, as her form twisted and warped.

The old man smiled, seeing the snake suddenly start writhing. Shapes bulged beneath its skin moving up its once sleek body. It grew larger, and its colour changed as the creature contorted, trying to achieve its final form. The old man waited till the throes ceased, before leaving it on its own, knowing that the Goddess would protect it, and see it to its final destination safely.

Angela didn’t know what to do with herself. She had spent a week at her ‘parents’ home, sorting out some of the stuff in her closet. Her mother’s efforts to find a suitable boyfriend had finally flared up into a row, which made staying there impossible. She had returned to the flat, taking with her, some of the nicer stuff in her closet, as well as the outfit that she wore to the "social event." After another week of playing ‘Barbie’ in front of the mirror as she tried on her new clothes, she became bored. Playing ‘Barbie’ with oneself was far better than playing with actual dolls, in Angela’s opinion at least, especially when the final result was breath taking.

The problem was seeing Angela’s form reflected in the mirror instead of Brandon’s or even Brenda’s as it began to weird her out. Seeing your lover's form reflected in a mirror wearing sexy clothes was one thing, knowing it was you in that body was another. She kept expecting her reflection to complain that she was leering at her in a manner that said she just wanted to get into her panties, rhetorically speaking of course. Angela snorted to herself at that thought.

Angela decided to go out ... anywhere, somewhere where she could forget what had happened to her life. So for a month, that’s what she did. Go out and party. Each night she went somewhere different, but ended up returning home alone. It wasn’t that she didn’t have offers from both men and women to stay over at someone’s place for the night; she did, but didn’t feel like taking anyone’s offer up yet. It was almost like her sexuality was switched off. She could admire the traits in both men and women that would normally be sexually attractive to either what remained of Brandon’s mindset or her new female anatomy in only a clinical manner, as her body just didn’t respond sexually to either.

It was on one of these fruitless nights, where she reluctantly said goodbye to a would-be suitor, that eyes followed her movements, from the shadows. The owner of the eyes shadowed Angela, as she made her way home. Angela was deep in thought as she walked the few blocks home in the dark.

‘I could have gone with him,’ she thought to herself. ‘He was pretty cute for a guy,’ she told herself somewhat despondently. Nearing home, she shook her thoughts away her dating misadventures and back to reality. She became aware of an itch at the back of her head, as if someone was looking at her. She instinctively turned, looking about her, but saw nothing, not even the glint of blue as the jewel belonging to the pair of eyes caught the streetlight, as it withdrew into the shadows again.

Angela paused, sure she’d sensed someone she knew, or that something familiar had been out there watching her. Shrugging, she turned again and entered the building that housed her flat.

The owner of the eyes withdrew, seeking the sanctuary that was now a temporary home, after the long ordeal in Africa.

That night, she tossed and turned as her dreams seemed to be filled with disembodied eyes that seemed to be all directed towards her. She woke, her heart beating rapidly, as she tried to make sense of meaning behind the eye filled dreamscape. Oddly, there seemed nothing threatening about the eyes, which stopped it short of becoming a nightmare. The only other thing about the dream that she could recall, was seeing a blue gem on a necklace of braided gold. She had no idea of the significance of that, anymore than that of the eyes that seemed to be watching her every move.

She tried to get back to sleep, knowing dawn wasn’t too far away, and she didn’t want to wake up feeling tired. She must have succeeded, as she woke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window and the sun streaming in through a chink in the curtains. She lay in bed for a while, going over the dreams she’d had. She still had no idea what they meant; only knowing they were of some significance in her future.

She finally got up and went into the bathroom. After doing what needed to be done and then taking a refreshing shower to fully wake up, she went back to get dressed. Wrapped in only a couple of towels, she opened the curtains to let the sunshine sweep in. Looking out, she saw that it looked to be a sunny start to the day, so she decided to dress accordingly.

Deciding to go to the mall after breakfast, she took no notice of the figure that followed her in the taxi behind her car. The figure followed her at a distance, keeping what few other shoppers there were between them. When Angela browsed in the lingerie department of a well known store, the figure remained outside, but kept a close eye on the doorway.

Later, Angela had bought a coffee in those disposable cups and had decided to drink it on a seat near the atrium that was the center piece of the mall, where small naturally growing trees in pots dotted the area. Finishing her coffee, she stood and put the empty cup into a nearby bin. As she looked up, she saw something that gave her a shock and momentarily froze her in place.

There, hanging from a low branch of a tree a few yards away, was a necklace with a blue gem on it. The necklace was the very same she had seen in her dreams, with the braided gold chain. She stepped forward, eyes focused only on the gem least it disappear like some mirage. As she reached out for it, a man’s hand came into her view and grabbed the necklace.

"That’s mine," Angela cried out, instinctively knowing it was hers. She turned to see a grinning face sneering at her, as the man pulled the necklace off the branch possessively.

"Not any more lady, I saw it first," the man replied.

Instead of replying, Angela made a snatch at the necklace, managing to grab the gem itself.

"I don’t think it suits you, so give it back," Angela demanded, raising her voice to attract the attention of a mall guard that was walking nearby.

The man struggled to free the gem from Angela’s grip, so he could flee with his prize, hurting her in the process. Angela’s cry of pain was tinged with anguish, as she saw the necklace being taken from her.

Just as the man turned to run, a large dark hand clamped onto his shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"What you up to man? I think you got some splaining to do, snatching the lady’s jewelry," the heavyset Negro guard stated. He took the necklace from the man and handed it back to Angela, who thanked him profusely.

The guard disregarded the man’s explanation that he found it first.

"I guess it went with the handbag you just happened to find last week?" The guard asked, as he escorted the man to the manager’s office.

"But it was just ... " Angela heard last, as the pair disappeared round the corner.

Angela looked down at the necklace in her hands. She knew by the weight, that the gold was solid and not just plated. If the gold was real it meant that the gem must be too. ‘It must be worth a fortune, no wonder the man complained,’ she thought, as she ran her fingers over it.

"Do you want me to help put that on?" Asked a voice she recognized, coming from behind her.

Angela spun around nearly fainting as she saw who was standing there.

"Angela?" she cried, knowing it could only be she in the form before her.

"It’s me, but hardly Angela, Angela." The person in front of her refuted, looking pointedly at the body, which once housed the original Angela’s mind. "Call me Brenda, as that is who I’ll be from now on."

Ang ... Brenda, what happened to you? And why are you now me?" asked the stunned Angela, as she looked upon her originally changed body.

"Well it’s a long story, but first, let me help you with that," Brenda replied, taking the necklace from Angela and fastening it around Angela’s neck.

Angela, being so close to her soul mate, couldn’t resist, and hugged her old form as tears fell from her eyes. The two kissed, not caring who saw them do it. As they walked away, Brenda explained what had happened to her since that night she changed.

"Were you following me the other night?" Angela asked, as she drove home.

"Yes that was me, I needed to see if you had forgotten me and were dating anyone," Brenda admitted. "I was so glad you went home alone. I nearly came to you then, but decided to meet you today. I had an idea that the necklace would draw you, it’s supposed to be charmed, and after what happened to me, I’m not going to deny anything that might be magical."

"I dreamt of it last night," Angela confessed, giving Brenda a one armed hug.

"I wanted to do something nasty to that creep that tried to take the necklace, but I saw the guard was alert and headed your way, otherwise I would have blown my planned entrance and kicked him in the only jewels he truly owned. I followed you this morning and saw you buying something sexy in that lingerie shop. I wanted to come in, but you would have spotted me in an instant in there."

"I missed you so much, I can’t believe what you went through," Angela said as they arrived at the flat.

"You and me both," Brenda hugged her, as Angela opened the door to go in. "It seems weird to be you, but I guess it’s better than being Brandon for me. I don’t think I could take being male."

So you’re fully female?" Angela asked, dragging Brenda into the lounge.

"And then some," giggled Brenda, as she kissed Angela deeply, while trying to get her soul mate undressed.

"Shall we get reacquainted in the bedroom?" Angela husked, her libido now fully aroused.

"Thought you’d never ask," grinned Brenda.

As they undressed each other, Angela asked Brenda a question to which Brenda answered.

"I think I was always bi, but didn’t realise it consciously when you were Brandon, but it could be what attracted me to you, with your slight stature. When you became Brenda, I knew something had changed, seeing my love for you became deeper. It made it doubly hard to go ahead with my plan to make you me. I thought it might make you hate me, and I’d lose you forever."

The new Angela kissed the new Brenda and laid a trail of kisses down to Brenda’s now bared nipples.

"I couldn’t hate you. I understand the dilemma you were in. Change me, and make me become you, or don’t bite me and become a snake forever," Angela mumbled around the nipple she was sucking gently.

"I couldn’t just bite anyone, it had to be you. By diluting the venom in my body, I knew I wouldn’t remain a snake for all the rest of my life. I knew that I would be back, but the Goddess chose what form I’d come back as. I guess becoming you was a strange sense of justice for what I did to you."

Brenda moaned, cutting off further conversation, as Angela knelt, kissing her further down. They fell onto the bed, entwining themselves with a snakelike fluidity, as they pleasured themselves.

Angela felt almost complete, having her lover back again. She felt an empty ache in her groin that felt like it needed something extra to fully fulfill her needs.

Brenda’s body lay along Angela’s, as they kissed ardently. Suddenly Brenda’s breath caught, as something strange began to occur. Angela felt something too, something warm and insistent pushing at her groin. They both separated, looking startled at Brenda’s groin. Where before it looked like any normal females sex, now it had a snakelike appendage that was pushing out of Brenda’s vagina. It had some very fine scales on it, but the business end had an opening that showed it had only one purpose. Brenda grasped it amazement, feeling something that she’d not thought would ever be attached to her.

Angela looked at it too, she knew what she wanted. She took hold of Brenda’s new organ and placed it against her own entrance. She nodded at Brenda’s questioning look, before the two rejoined together in a manner none of them expected. This time their lovemaking took on a different tone as Brenda became the aggressor, pressing her advantage on the willing acceptor. This time, Angela rose to heights undreamt of, as the two completed each other in the dance of love.

What surprised them later was the discharge that was leaking from Brenda’s surprise package. Could she in fact impregnate Angela? Angela was glad that she had been taking the birth control pills that her once girlfriend had left her. When she became Angela and a woman, she had realised that it was up to her to prevent any unplanned pregnancies, just in case she found a boyfriend or worse, was raped. Her not being attracted to men didn’t stop her using them to buy her drinks, an advantage she took the most of, and so the birth control pills gave her confidence to play with the big boys, so to speak.

"You think that’s viable, even though you have no testicles?" asked Angela, as she dabbed at herself with a tissue, before heading for the shower.

"Who knows? One thing for sure, I’m not getting it tested. Imagine fronting up at the doctors, saying a want to have a sperm count done," laughed Brenda. "Mind you, if it is, and I don’t see why not, it means we can have children."

"You mean I can," Angela corrected, feeling somewhat uncertain about it all. "Think of what Mom will say when we get married," laughed Brenda joked.

"Is that before or after the funeral?" Angela retorted with a snort.

"Funeral?"

"Yeah mother will kill you ... me ... us, damnit."

"I can’t wait till you tell her that you’re a lesbian," winked Brenda, as she ducked the wadded up towel flying her way.

"Oh boy! What a nice thought," sighed Angela, looking daggers at Brenda’s smirking face.

"No, oh girl you mean," Brenda relented, giving Angela a hug of support.

The rest of the nigh was spent cuddled together tight in bed, as each dreamt of the not so distant rocky future. The next morning, the two lovers talked, trying to come up with the best solution regarding Angela’s parents. They decided to do it in stages without telling them everything about who or what their real daughter was. Another round of lovemaking sealed their plans.

"Why do you get to keep a dick?" Angela complained, feeling somewhat sore from all the sex. "Especially seeing you didn’t have one to start with," she added.

"Do you trust me?" Brenda asked, rolling on her side to look at Angela.

"Is that a trick question? Of course I do," replied Angela, poking Brenda on her sensitive nipples.

"Well I had a strange dream last night, and something told me to do this." As she finished, Brenda leaned closer and quickly bit Angela on the neck. Angela cried out with surprise, rather than pain.

"What did you do that for?" She gasped, while fingering the bite mark with her fingers. "I’m not going to turn into a snake now, am I?"

"No not that, I’m giving you the power to do some of your own poking back

"So who gets to decide which will be the poker and who the poked?" Asked Angela, emphasizing her point with an insistent finger.

"Play cards for it ... best hand of poker ... eeeiiihh!" Squealed Brenda, as Angela used a poker hand of her own to show Brenda what she thought of that idea. "Stop, stop, I give up," Brenda laughed, as Angela tickled her mercilessly.

"Turns?"

"Okay, turns," Brenda conceded.

"What!" A dismayed Cynthia cried, as Angela told her about being a lesbian. "You can’t be, what about that Brandon guy you were with? Even marrying him is better than having to say my daughter is a lesbian."

"Mother!" Snapped Angela, interrupting her mother before she really got going. "Since when did you start worrying about what others thought? I remember you saying we start trends not follow them," she argued, glad of the preparations she and Brenda had organized beforehand.

"Anyway, I hear it’s fashionably to have a gay daughter," she added for good measure.

"Fashionable, schmashable, I don’t so much worry about that, it’s your happiness that’s more important, I thought you wanted children when you finally married? Oh my, that means no grandchildren to look forward to," lamented a sad looking Cynthia.

"Well ... don’t count that as an absolute yet," Angela countered with a wry look. "Anyway the reason I’m here besides what I’ve just told you, is I have my soul mate waiting outside in the car."

Cynthia might have been shocked at the news of her daughter, but she knew her daughter’s happiness overruled her own desires. Hear her daughter refer to her lover as a soul mate, struck a chord in her heart. She too, had found her husband to be her soul mate and wouldn’t trade him for the world. Angela’s soul mate might be the same sex as her, but the bonds of love don’t draw the line at gender definitions. She knew acceptance was what Angela wanted from her now. So acceptance she would get.

"Bring her in then child, don’t leave her alone outside," Cynthia urged.

Angela went outside to fetch Brenda, while Cynthia went and made herself a gin and tonic even though it was still morning. She figured she’d need it to cope with seeing her daughter’s lover. She was imagining a tall butch looking girl dressed in leather or jeans, guessing that Angela was going to be the feminine element of the pair. From what little she knew of lesbians, a pair was made up of a dominant masculine element and a yielding feminine element, not that she could see Angela in either role. For one, although she never went overboard in the usual feminine fripperies and was more at home in skirts and tops, rather than dresses, neither was she submissive or weak. Cynthia couldn’t see her being subordinate to another be it a girl or a guy.

Cynthia ordered lunch for three, letting the maid/cook know before going and sitting down with her drink in the Chelsea room as the sunroom had been nicknamed. Chelsea was the cat that seemed never to move from her position in the sunroom. Except for meals and toilet, she just lazed on a special cushion placed for her. A sudden bizarre thought that Angela would have her very own pussy to play with, made her giggle. It was then that Angela returned with Brenda in tow.

"Brenda!" Exclaimed Cynthia, as she spotted the two holding hands. "I thought ... "

"That I’d moved out?" Brenda filled in for her. "Well I had, but now I’m back."

"Her experience with the boyfriend has finally turned her off men for good," Angela filled in for Brenda.

"Yes, I had always known I was bi, but tried to bury that part of my sexuality until this last episode," lied Brenda evenly. "After I left your daughter’s flat, I realised I had developed genuine feelings for Angela. We got back together again last week to find she also had feelings for me," Brenda explained.

Cynthia nodded, still somewhat shocked by having her preconceptions shattered. She asked them to sit down an offered them a drink, showing them her glass, now half drunk. Both declined, as Cynthia refreshed her drink, hoping they didn’t think she drank like this everyday.

"So are you going to make it official?" Cynthia asked, once she returned to her seat.

"Well that depends on you and dad, we are happy just to live together as a couple, but it would be nice to have a civil ceremony to make it official," Angela replied, putting the ball back in her mother’s hands.

"Are you both going to be wearing a dress for it? I can’t envision either of you in anything masculine," Cynthia blushed, hoping she hadn’t overstepped the bounds of good taste.

"I think that’s a given, Mom," they grinned as the two girls hugged Cynthia.

"What about dad? Will he accept me?" Angela asked worriedly, thinking the worst.

"You’re still his daughter, of course he’ll accept you," Cynthia stated confidently.

"I’ll accept what?" Steven asked, having just entered the house and come into where he’d overheard his wife’s voice.

"Hello dear, I think you’d better sit down. Angela has made an important life changing decision which will forever change her future."

"Oh! Sounds serious, will I need one of those?" Steven asked, looking questioningly at the drink in his wife’s hand.

Cynthia blushed, and stood, taking her drink into the kitchen. She pecked Steven on the cheek, whispering to him to take it easy, as she made sure an extra place was allowed for at lunch.

Steven sat silent, while Angela repeated her news. When she had finished, she waited anxiously for a reaction ... any reaction from the face of her adopted father.

Cynthia, who had come back in halfway through, and had stood behind Steven’s chair with her hands on his shoulder, moved around so she could see his face.

Steven had schooled his expression, letting no hint of the emotions he held in check show, as his daughter’s story unfolded. He was torn inside, mourning the loss of any hope for a grandchild to dote over, while feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders that his daughter had finally found love. True it was love of an unexpected suitor, but love nonetheless. He stood up, noting Angela and Brenda’s anxious looks. Still showing no sign on his face, he walked to his daughter, who stood up along with Brenda to await his decision.

Angling his body between the pair stood before him, he opened his arms and waited. As expected, both gave a cry and moved forward into his embrace.

"I hope it wasn’t our fault, I know we kept pushing you at men. It was just that we didn’t want you to end up like Aunt Betty," he whispered into Angela’s ear.

‘Aunt Betty? Who is Aunt Betty,’ wondered Angela, realizing she hadn’t been told about her.

"No dad, it was nothing anyone did. Nobody’s to blame, I just wasn’t turned on by guys," Angela added truthfully. "Brenda and I, well we just clicked, and the rest is her-story," she finished, modifying the saying.

"I remember you telling me about Aunt Betty. She was the one that died an old maid, wasn’t she?" Brenda asked, having overheard her father, and deciding to ask the question in a way to help Angela out.

"Yes she was ... maybe she was a lesbian too." Steven ventured. "She might have decided not to do anything about it, as it was frowned on in those days. Poor dear, imagine giving up the chance to find someone to love because of social conventions," he added sadly, suddenly realizing the stupidity of so called civilized society for looking down on those wanting alternative lifestyles.

"Just promise me one thing," he said, looking back and forth at the both of them. "Be happy."

This released a flood of tears as the two lovers nodded together before hugging him even tighter. Cynthia broke the circle, adding herself into the hug between Brenda, Angela and Steven.

A quiet call announcing lunch eventually separated them, the women dabbing their eyes, before heading to the main bedroom at Cynthia’s insistence that they avail themselves of her mirrors and makeup to fix their faces, in what she called her war room.

Angela had never seen this special room that Cynthia used to counter the ravages of time. A huge mirror ringed with lights was fronted by a wide makeup strewn vanity, which out did most beauty salons. Most of it was new, along with brushes and pencils still in their packaging.

"War room?" Brenda asked for Angela’s benefit.

"It’s where I battle time, everyday," Cynthia laughed. "You don’t think this is natural now, do you?" as she picked up a brush and started dusting her near flawless face.

"I hope I’m half as beautiful, when I reach 35 as you are," Brenda said, deliberately understating Cynthia’s real age of 42.

"Oh, I’m going to love you around here," Cynthia replied, rewarding Brenda for her flattery with a hug.

Brenda set to, opening some new brushes and subtly guiding Angela along with what to use. Coming down in a group, ten minutes later, they met Steven at the door into the dinning room.

"Well, I think that went fine," Brenda said to Angela, some hours later.

"Yeah, but I thought your dad would have kittens, when he found out he’d be paying for two wedding dresses. I was quite surprised he took it without flinching," Angela giggled, feeling a little giddy after all the wine she had drunk.

"Well after hearing I had no job and that you ... um I mean I had lost my parents some years ago, there wasn’t much he could do about it," Brenda replied, still getting confused with just who was who.

"Couldn’t have his daughter getting hitched to someone in rags now, could we?" Laughed Angela, before running away.

"Rags! These are not rags," Brenda fumed, before chasing after Angela. "I’ll show you rags," she threatened, pretending to rip Angela’s dress to ribbons.

"Uncle ... auntie ... cousin," gasped a giggling Angela, as she tried to get her breath back from the ticklefest that ensued when Brenda caught her. They were both lying on the floor recovering, before Brenda resumed their previous conversation.

"I thought his eyes would pop out after all those glasses of champagne you consumed. It’s not lollie water you know, it was some of his best from the cellar," laughed Brenda, recalling it.

"Well, I was nervous, and it seems to take a lot more to get this body drunk. Even after how many glasses? I’m still only mildly inebriated," Angela replied, proving her point, as she didn’t stumble over the word "inebriated."

Reminding her of her new identity, Brenda explained, "Yeah, but as Angela, you were never much of a drinker before."

"That reminds me, I know this is just a civil ceremony, but you’ll still need a legal identity for it." Angela said before getting up off the floor.

"All taken care of my dear, meet the new Miss Brenda Ratchet." Brenda introduced herself with a twirl.

"Ratchet huh? I wondered what that strange noise was when I grabbed your handle. I think you’re nuts, I just hope we don’t end up screwed," Somehow, Angela managed to say this with a straight face.

With a glint in her eye, Brenda threatened, "The only one getting screwed around here will be you by me."

"Not if I get my turn first," giggled Angela.

"You know what they say about turns?" Brenda giggled. "One good turn deserves another."

"Sure they weren’t talking about Terns. I’d hate to think of those seagulls being lonely ... oof!" Angela’s quip was rudely interrupted by a well-aimed pillow.

Further conversation in the flat was put to rest, as a raging pillow fight threatened to fill the place with feathers. Exhausted, both girls collapsed onto the bed, which eventually led to another contest, as to who was the loudest at point of orgasm. It was deemed a draw.

It was decided to hold the ceremony at the family estate, where guests could be vetted easily. Brandon had no family or close relatives, not that they could have come anyway, seeing Brandon was no more, so any guests would be from "Angela’s" side.

Cynthia called those she thought might want to come and weren’t so set in their ways that they couldn’t accept Angela’s gay marriage. She didn’t bother with any that hadn’t known Angela as a child, so her list was down to a dozen people all told.

The wedding was a success, if you could call two women in identical dresses committing themselves to each other a wedding. Cynthia had pulled strings to get a judge to perform the civil union.

The reason both were in identical gowns was, that when Cynthia was showing Brenda an elegant dress that was finally accepted, Angela knowing it was her turn next to go though the selection process, decided to cut the process short. Her, "I’ll have what she’s having," movie quote got mixed reactions. Brenda had laughed, knowing Angela was chickening out on the long drawn out process, but felt kinda pleased that they would soon be able to go home and rest. Cynthia was disappointed, that she didn’t get to help pick her daughter’s dress personally, but seeing the look on her face, knew it was useless to argue.

After the ceremony there were the usual things associated with normal weddings, pictures and gifts along with lots of food and the cake. They had a good laugh over one of the gifts Cynthia had given them in private, after telling them to open it on the honeymoon. It turned out to be a double vibrating dildo with batteries. Angela wasn’t going to pack it, as they made ready to get their flight to New Zealand, but Brenda insisted.

"I know we don’t need it, but it might be nice to do it as two girls," she suggested, her meaning clear.

"A no boner night?" Angela asked with a raised eyebrow.

A grin was her only answer.

Flying to New Zealand proved to be a breeze, although Angela was nervous when they were passing though the airports, hoping Brenda’s fake ID stood up to the scrutiny of those checking it. Brenda seemed unconcerned, knowing she had paid for the best.

Both had a quiet giggle when asked if they were carrying any fauna or flora at the bio check, knowing that there were no snakes in New Zealand. Angela wondered if a trouser snake constituted having a prohibited import, swapping grins with Brenda, as she had obvious had the same thought.

From Auckland’s International airport, they got a hire camper, which was basically a caravan with a cab. Their destination was south to the ski fields at Ruapehu. Coming from a summer climate to a winter one seemed odd, but not as odd as driving on the wrong side of the road (to them).

"Upside down and back to front," complained Brenda, who was driving at the moment, and having had to correct herself from wandering to the other side of the road.

Angela, who thought it was extremely funny, giggled, "Well you can’t blame them for flashing their lights and blowing their horns when you’re on their side of the road."

"Wait till it’s your turn to drive," retorted Brenda irritably, challenging a suddenly wary Angela, "I can’t wait to see how many mistakes you make," she finished as she negotiated another sharp corner.

Changing subjects, Angela commented on the countryside they were passing though. "No wonder they call it God’s own," she mused, looking out at the green hills and valleys, seeing the scene change constantly about every 10 kilometers.

"Give me a freeway, any day," snorted Brenda, fighting the camper up another tortuous hill. The windiness of the roads, meant passing was hazardous at the best of times. The cars queued up behind the erratically weaving camper, seemed ever patient, waiting till a straight stretch of road allowed a few to pass, without the constant blaring of horns reminiscent of the American way of driving. At one of the many rest stops that they passed, Brenda pulled in. The traffic behind made its grateful escape, while Brenda stretched her legs.

It seems like campers are like herding animals, because as soon as one stops another wants to join it. While both women got a drink, no less than three identical campers pulled up alongside. As the twang of more American tourist’s complaining voices disturbed the restfulness of the rest stop, Angela scrambled to get behind the wheel and get the camper back on the road again.

"Didn’t you want to stop and chat?" asked a grinning Brenda, as she adjusted her seatbelt.

"Bloody tourists," Angela complained, using local idiom. The two women cracked up laughing, which earned Angela a blast on the horn from a logging truck heading the other way. That only spurred more laughter.

Eventually, highway 1 brought them to the shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. Being 41km long by 27km wide, it was more of an inland sea They were in no hurry to press on to the Whakapapa ski resort in the Tongariro National Park, so they decided to overnight at a motel in Taupo. They found a vacancy at one with hot pools advertised, so they took it.

As it was still too early to have dinner, they decided to do the touristy thing and browse the local shops. After buying a few souvenirs, a walk along the lake front yielded more surprises ... free pumice. The shores were literally littered with the stuff, evidence of New Zealand’s fiery past. There were plenty of items dealing with the most recent eruptions, in the shops. It mentioned that Lake Taupo was once the site of an ancient eruption, which made thinking about that eruption, just too mind-boggling, due to its sheer size.

They picked up a few pieces, hoping they could take them back to the States, if they cleaned them. As the sun sank westwards, they could see the mountaintops covered with snow. Ruapehu the highest of the three to the south of Lake Taupo was letting a plume of steam catch the dying rays of the sun, while her sisters, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro sat in her shadow.

Starting to become hungry, they stopped at a local restaurant to taste something local. No one batted an eye two see two women seated together, even though it was obvious they were committed to each other.

Angela ordered fresh caught rainbow trout from the lake, while Brenda opted for venison. They both chose salads, with Angela getting a hot bread roll, instead of fries. Needless to say, each had a taste of the other’s meal, feeding each other off their own forks.

A long soak in the hot mineral baths left them feeling toasty and ready for bed. The soporific effect of the baths had them asleep before either could even think of sex.

An insistent native bird called a Tui made waking a pleasant change, as it went though its repertoire of songs. Almost on cue, a knock on the door announced their preordered continental breakfast. As they threw on robes to get breakfast before it got cold, they wondered why anyone from the continent would order a boring old breakfast that they could get at home.

Hunger demanded that they stop talking and use their mouths for eating breakfast. Apparently, continental breakfast consisted of two small breakfast sausages, (how novel) a fried egg, three strips of bacon, and a fried potato patty. With this came two slices of toast with butter and jam in small sachets, you peel the top off. A glass of orange juice each, also came with it. Remarkably, they finished it all, plus they made themselves a cup of coffee each, from what was supplied in the cupboards of the motel.

Checkout time was ten, so they went into the hot pool for an hour before getting dressed. Once they were on the road again, they marveled at the scenery, with its backdrop of snow capped mountains.

In less than two hours, they were at their destination. The Chateau catered to many of the tourists bent on trying the ski slopes at Whakapapa. They both giggled when corrected as to the proper Maori way of pronouncing it. The (wh) in Whakapapa has an f sound which makes it sound like a swear word.

The place was huge and in a nice setting to view the mountains. There were hundreds (it seemed) of brilliantly clad skiers trudging in and out of the place lugging their ski equipment. The clatter from skis and poles, made getting their keys a shouting match as they raised their voices to cope.

Although they could have slept in their camper, they had decided on being comfortable. Judging by the brisk late morning temperature of 5 degrees centigrade outside, they knew they had made the right decision. At the altitude they were at, minus zero temperatures at night were a certainty, and would be more easily coped with inside the chateau. They brought in the stuff, which they would need from the camper, then went for an early lunch.

Putting on some of their warmest clothing, they took the shuttle that ran up the mountain to the ski-lodge that rented out ski gear. They felt the temperature drop as the bus snaked its way up the mountain and got excited as the snow covered ground got deeper and deeper. Surprisingly, the road was sealed all the way to the drop off point, ending in a large car park. Seeing other campers parked there for the day, Angela said that next time, they’d drive up and be free to come and go as they pleased.

"Well, I hope you drive a lot better if you do," Brenda commented dryly. "The camper hasn’t got skis fitted and I don’t want to make a slalom run down the mountain in it if you run over the edge."

"Hardy har har, you can talk," Angela replied, sticking her tongue out.

Getting out of the bus, they felt the full effect of the cold air as it blew past them. They moved quickly into the lodge, where a huge fire had been lit in the main area. Buying a hot coffee to go, they wandered around, enjoying the view and checking out the merchandise.

"That looks cute," offered Angela, looking at a ski suit in pink and purple.

"Hmmm, he does, doesn’t he? Oops," Brenda blushed, eyeing a ski instructor gathering his latest brood for their lesson.

"Hey!" protested Angela; turning to see what Brenda was on about.

"Well, he does fill out those pants rather nicely," Brenda argued unrepentant.

"Just remember you can fill out your panties just as well on certain occasions," Angela pouted.

"Spoilsport," Brenda snorted, before giggling at Angela’s expression.

"I’ll rent us one tomorrow. Just remember, you have to put him back where you found him, no sneaking him back to our room. I’m the only bed warmer you need now," Angela insisted.

Deciding to leave skiing till the next day they took a few photos and made a small snowman on the edge of the car park, where the snow was piled up. Inevitably, melting snow from the snowballs they threw at each other dampened their enthusiasm as well as their clothes. Deciding to catch the next shuttle down, they bade farewell to Ruapehu’s icy grandeur.

Showering together before dinner led to demonstrations on the proper use of ski poles. The eruptions that followed went unnoticed by the webcams that keep a 24 hour watch on the active volcano. Luckily, all thermal activity had ceased, bar a blush or two; when they went down to dine.

A bottle of wine later, they headed back to bedrock. Thank God for soundproof rooms and a sturdy floor. Boy, did that bed rock.

Now they were ‘married’, neither wore a condom and Angela threw off any worries about, "what if." If it happened, it happened. Angela wondered idly if they could still perform being the poker, while still being pregnant.

The next day was a lot of fun, once they’d mastered the snow plough technique and how to walk up a slope in skis. Even mastering doing an about face wearing skis, didn’t prove too difficult. Raising one leg and sticking the heel of the ski into the snow by the other ankle and then letting it twist so that foot was facing the opposite direction before lifting the other ski and swinging it to bring it into line, was accomplished with ease.

On one part of the slope where the sun hadn’t reached, lay a patch of ice, unseen by Angela as she skied across it. As her feet slid apart, forcing her into the splits, she was glad she didn’t have her usual accoutrement between her legs as it might have proved crippling. Finding it difficult to get up, as her skis hadn’t broken away, she waited till a giggling Brenda decided to help her up. "Told you that you had those bindings on too tight."

"Well, they kept coming off every 5 minutes," an unrepentant Angela complained.

"You’ll just have to ski better," Brenda retorted, still grinning.

"I’ll show you who skis better," threatened Angela, getting herself sorted out.

"Okay, let’s see who gets to the bottom first," she was challenged.

Due to a bit of skullduggery and some highly questionably tactics, Angela caught up to Brenda, just as she reached the bottom. The undignified pileup as Angela used Brenda as a convenient brake, ended up with them both laughing as they tried to untangle themselves.

"That was unfair," protested Brenda as she located her ski poles.

"Well you started off before I was ready, I had to take a shortcut and use the steeper slope."

"I think you owe someone a cup of coffee. That poor bloke you nearly bowled coming from the refreshment kiosk wasn’t expecting anyone to be skiing flat out though that area."

Angela grinned, "Well, I did yell out of control, coming through."

"I saw you wind milling your arms around, was that an act?"

"No, I ran over the front of his skis, and thought I was going end up splattered," giggled a red faced Angela.

"Don’t look now; I think he’s coming down," whispered Brenda, trying to look innocent of the whole affair.

"Hello, ladies, quite a show you put on there," the blonde Nordic looking guy laughed.

Both blushed in response, making them look even cuter as they brushed snow from their hired clothing.

"Well, I’m not so sure that she’s a lady," Brenda replied. "More of a klutz, I’d say," she added with a grin, seeing Angela stick her tongue out at her.

"I’m sorry back there; it’s my first day skiing anywhere. My skis seem to do what they want not what I want." Angela apologized; fluttering her eyelashes in what she hoped was a winsome way.

"Ah, that explains it. Maybe we could have a coffee together? I seemed to have misplaced my first one," he added with a chuckle, looking pointedly at his coffee splattered boots.

How could they refuse? While helping them on the rope tow back to the kiosk, he introduced himself to them.

"So tell me Stephan, are you Swedish? You don’t have much of an accent," Angela asked.

"Well my parents were, but I’m a dinky die Kiwi, I’ve lived in New Zealand all my life," he answered.

Angela offered to pay for Stephan’s coffee, but he wouldn’t have a bar of it, saying he should have been watching out for mad errant skiers, all said with a grin of course. His offer to teach them to ski better, was politely declined, saying they where only here for a short time and were happy staying on the easy slopes.

Angela was also aware that Stephan was looking at her in a way that suggested he’d want to give her lessons in something else, namely the horizontal tandem snow plough. Any reluctance to give up the chase on Stephan’s part was quickly quashed by Brenda simply saying that they were together. Stephan took a second or two to get her meaning, before sighing at his loss. He left, giving each a quick peck on the cheek, reiterating that his offer just to learn to ski was still open.

Driving down the mountain in the camper was harder than driving up as the setting sun reflected off the snow banks lining the road. It had been mostly in shadow on the way up, as the sun was rising on the opposite side of Ruapehu. Making it down in one piece, they were soon back in their room at the Chateau. One steamy shared shower later, they headed down to the bar for a few drinks before dinner.

To forestall any unwelcome attention by any would be suitors; Angela and Brenda were openly affectionate with each other. Holding hands and kissing each other quietly in the corner table attracted no unusual looks from the staff, unfortunately, that said couldn’t be said of a couple of drunken imports. A few ugly comments were brushed aside as their advances were ignored. They seemed to lose interest after spotting fresh prey. The table they were at seated six like all the rest, so they did expect to be joined by others as the bar filled up. What they weren’t expecting was a group of girls who didn’t seem to mind sitting next to them.

Apparently the two drunks had been pestering them too, and despite telling them they had boyfriends, were still on their case. They had decided to go to a table where there’d be no room for guys to sit and so chose the table where Angela and Brenda were sitting.

The new girls introduced themselves and soon all of them were having a nice hen session. Unfortunately, their laughing and giggling brought the drunks unwanted attention again. Seeing some of their quarry seated next to the lesbians, made them see red, as their twisted rationale blamed them for the reluctance of the other girls to party.

"Hey girlie, what you need is a real man, not that cunnie bunny, someone with a big dick," one boasted, trying to get Angela’s attention.

"I don’t see any real men here, all I see is a pair of pricks," Angela riposted, cuttingly. The other girl’s laughed, which helped matters not.

"I’ll show you a prick ... " the one nearest Angela threatened, making a big mistake as he put his hand on her shoulder to pull her around to face him.

Several things then happened quickly, as Angela gripped the offending hand and with a strength born both of anger and her mutation, forced it to the table, where she squeezed it crushingly. Several staff, one of whom was a large Maori lad, had quickly moved to their table at the onset of trouble and plainly heard the last remark.

"Let's have you out you two," the older but smaller of the two newcomers demanded.

"Yeah throw her out, this bitch is crushing my hand," groaned the drunk.

"I’m throwing you out, not her. You can let go now miss," he winked at Angela, seeing the way her grip was making the drunks hand turn white. "We have things under control, don’t we Mike?" this last was directed to the Maori lad, who just grinned and cracked his knuckles.

Further indignant protests about being the injured party and some derogatory remarks about the staff being lesbo loving sons of bitches, saw them both ejected permanently from the Chateau, much to the delight of the majority of the crowd.

The older of the two who’d ousted the drunks, returned to the table with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. He presented Angela and Brenda the bottle, apologizing that they’d had to put up with the disturbance.

"Damn, for a free bottle of champagne, I’d become a lesbian too," pouted one of the girls.

"Linda, you’d become a lesbian, if I offered you a ride home," laughed her friend Anne. "She’s so easy," Anne added, her smile taking any sting out of her words.

The man smiled as he opened and then poured two glasses out at their acceptance of the gift. He then asked the other girls if they wanted a refill, "on the house," before leaving to attend to the orders.

Brenda commented that she was surprised how well they had been accepted.

"Well we take our anti discrimination laws seriously here in NZ. It’s not that big a deal anymore, being gay I mean," Susan, one of the other girls spoke up. "I mean we even have a post op transsexual as a member of parliament."

"Does that mean she sees both sides of the argument," joked Angela.

The girls laughed at that, with one saying that it really took balls to do that.

"Took them right off," added Susan with a grin.

This started a debate about a recent fundraiser where the contestants were judged on their dancing skills, Georgina the said post op member of parliament having been one of the contestants.

Apparently, she didn’t win, but neither was she eliminated in the first round, a tribute to either her looks or her dancing, or both. Finding the subject a little close to home, Angela and Brenda excused themselves from the group, deciding on having an early dinner and then an early night.

They had enjoyed dinner, having had another free bottle of bubbly thrust upon them by the same man when placing their order. Things were going well, with the both of them feeling a nice buzz when they returned to their rooms. Angela then decided to head out to the van to bring the map book, to check out other points of interest in the region. Pulling her coat tight around her, as the chill air attempted to suck away the heat in her alcohol warmed body, she made her way cautiously across the slippery ground to where the van was parked.

She didn’t see a pair of eyes follow her, eyes that narrowed in sudden hate in having to stay outside for the night after being thrown out of the Chateau. She had just unlocked the side door of the camper van, when things went black as a searing pain crashed into her head.

The man gloated, over the fallen woman, as he lowered the tire iron he held in his hand. He had a momentary worry that he’d killed her as he saw blood seeping through her hair. Looking around quickly, he saw no one, so he lifted the woman’s dead weight and tossed her inside the camper. Climbing inside after another quick check to make sure he wasn’t being observed, he locked the door and closed the curtains fitted at the windows.

He then proceeded to undress Angela, at least as much as he needed to. What he didn’t know was that this was no ordinary woman. She had neither a vagina nor a penis, but a complex combination of both. The penis lay within the channel of what could be a fully functional vagina capable of giving birth. If the penis was active, it filled the vagina opening and acted as a normal penis would when aroused. When it need to be a vagina, the penis retracted back inside and pulled flush with the surface of the vagina from where it entered from the side wall.

While awake, pheromones from the other kept each as one sex or the other, depending on who was the dominant at the time. While asleep or unconscious the prompting signals were absent, so the vagina and penis were both present. What this meant was that the penis filled the vagina from inside and lay flush with the outside, protected from abrasion, by the lips of the vagina.

The would be rapist, pulled out his cock and tried to penetrate Angela to no avail. It was as if there was no opening for him to enter, as indeed there wasn’t unless he counted the pee hole in the end of penis.

"What the fu..?" he cursed, struggling to see why he couldn’t enter in the poor light coming from the car park lights. Getting frustrated and not yet realizing what was happening, he began to slap Angela about the face, making her face jerk under the impacts.

"Wake up bitch, just because you had it sewed up, isn’t going to stop me getting off," shouted the man angrily, obviously coming to his own reason for the failure

Angela felt pain, and more pain, coming to realise as she struggled to wake, that she was being slapped about the face. She moaned ... a mistake, as the man shook her harder. He stuck his penis in her mouth, forcing it into her throat, almost choking her. Angela panicked, struggling to breathe as he pressed his weight on her.

‘Goddess help me,’ thought Angela desperately as she fought helplessly. Suddenly, as if her prayer was answered, a sense of well being flooded her body, making her feel lightheaded for a second. Angela felt her canines grow longer and thinner, forming fangs. Instinctively, she bit down on the intruder in her throat, feeling something flowing from her into the meat.

Meanwhile, Brenda waited, wondering what was taking so long, Angela had said she’d only be a minute, and 5 had gone past without her return. Suddenly, a sense of dread came over her, and she scrambled to put some shoes on and threw on her jacket, before running for the camper van. Reaching it, she heard curses and she tried to open the door. Finding it locked she fumbled in her jacket pocket for the spare key and got the door open.

Inside was a shambles. Angela still lay on the seat that doubled as a bed, her clothes strewn around in disarray. The man that had been foul mouthed inside the bar was lying on the floor moaning and holding his bloody organ gingerly.

"What happened?" Brenda cried, knowing what it looked like, but wanting to know all the same. She hurried to Angela and helped her sit up. She noted the rather long fangs that seemed to be retracting in Angela’s mouth.

He thried to rapeth me, so I bith him," lisped Angela, struggling to talk around the fangs.

"Oh oh," Brenda commented, wondering if her guess to the man's fate would prove correct.

Brenda got the man up despite his complaints and kicked his sorry ass out the door. She watched as he slowly made his way to his car and collapsed inside. Checking that Angela was okay for the moment, she followed the man and made sure he had a blanket around him before closing the door. From the look of him and the way he was shaking, she figured he wouldn’t last the night.

Angela’s wound on her head had disappeared after washing her blood stained hair. Brenda checked closely, but couldn’t even see a scar. The black eye and bruises that Angela should have been sporting were similarly absent.

Their plans to stay longer had to be changed, as Brenda’s guess about the man's fate proved to be true. When Angela and Brenda went down for breakfast, when a scuffle broke out around some staff members and several police officers. A young woman, clad in some very baggy men’s clothes and a blanket, broke free and started shouting at Angela.

"She’s the one, she did this to me, arrest her ... "

"Sorry, I have never seen you before," Angela replied truthfully, although she had a good idea who this person was, given that the blanket was recognizable. "Actually, it’s good the police are here," Angela spoke loudly. "I was nearly raped last night by that same man that accosted me earlier in the bar."

This caught the attention of the police and effectively shut the man turned girl up. If she persisted claiming to have been changed, she would have to tell the police the circumstances that led to that change. She slumped and sat down on a nearby chair, looking dejected, as the police questioned Angela. The staff quickly collaborated her story, even giving the police a description and what car he was driving.

After questioning her further, one of the officers brought the ill clad girl over to them, asking if they knew her.

"Did she call you here?" asked Angela curiously.

"No, we were on our usual patrol though the national park," answered one of the officers. "We usually stop here for a morning coffee, and check if anyone had any lost luggage claims. When we pulled in, this lady came screaming over, saying someone had made her into a woman and that she’d been a man last night. When we brought her inside, she saw you and started yelling."

"Maybe she’s on drugs. I wonder if that same man who tried to rape me was more successful with her," Angela proposed. "Maybe she meant she was now a woman as against being a virgin. That she’d been ‘with’ a man not been a man. He may have given her drugs to have his way with her," suggested Angela, looking at the girl in question. "He needs to be found and locked up," she added for good measure.

"Oh we’ll get him Miss, don’t you worry about that," insisted the other officer. Angela and Brenda saw the girl shrink, as she realised there was no way out of this, even if she was changed back to a man. When asked again if what Angela had suggested was correct, she went along with it, nodding her head in agreement. As the officers tried to get more detailed information from her, Angela pulled Brenda aside where they couldn’t be overheard.

"I feel kind of guilty calling on the Goddess like that. She does look rather stricken and lost. I’m not sure she deserves to remain like that with no identity."

"You called on the Goddess?"

"Yes, just before my fangs appeared."

Maybe if we call her again, we can help her, someway."

"Can’t hurt I guess," Angela agreed.

Holding hands, they called to the Goddess, hoping for some sign.

Suddenly, as before Angela felt a glow in her mind. Angela tried to convey her concerns and offered forgiveness to the would-be rapist. Angela thought she could feel approval coming from the heart of the glow and felt a message coming back.

"Three months," both Brenda and Angela chorused, as the glow faded.

"You felt that?" Angela questioned Brenda.

"Yes I did, he’s going to remain female for 3 months."

"Let’s get back, I heard something else," prompted Angela.

They hurried back to where the officers were just finishing with the harried girl, as she tried to come up with some story.

"Officer? I think she looks a bit traumatized. Perhaps getting cleaned up and some proper clothes on will give her time to get herself together so she can answer any further questions?" Suggested Brenda.

"Come on Robin let’s get you sorted out," Brenda said, taking charge of the shocked girl.

Angela followed, after giving the police their room number and that they’d meet them in 30 minutes.

Brenda took the startled girl’s hand, before she realised it and was leading her upstairs to their room before she could even protest. Not sure what more these two were going to do to her, but glad to get out of the clutches of the police, she decided to go along without protest, hoping to find out more about her current status. They had reached their room with her in tow, before she suddenly realised something. She stopped, baulking at the now open door.

"I’m a girl." She stated rather obviously, with surprise in her voice.

"Yes you are, so come inside," offered Brenda with a wave of her hand.

"No, you don’t understand," persisted the girl, remaining where she was. "I’m thinking like a girl ... as a female, not as a male. These are mine," she added, looking down at her chest and cupping her breasts with her hands. "What’s happening to me? Why can’t I feel abhorrence at being in this body? I mean, I was a man, this isn’t normal," she wailed.

Brenda took the girl’s hand and pulled her inside the room, closing the door and locking it.

"We are protected by the Goddess, so you were changed as part of your punishment. But the one you violated, asked for mercy, and so you were granted it. I’d like to bet you felt different after we came back?" Brenda asked with a raised eyebrow.

The girl thought back to when things seemed to change.

"Yes you are right. I was feeling angry and frightened at being in this body. I couldn’t stand it anymore, but when you came back I felt a weight lift off me."

"That’s a gift from the Goddess. You were lucky Angela felt bad about what happened, you could have been stuck like that for life," Brenda explained.

"You mean?"

"Yes, after 3 months you will be returned to your male form, unless you wish to remain female, but that will be your choice. Consider this a learning experience on how the other side lives, hopefully you’ll learn something," Angela spoke up.

After that, it was rather anticlimactic. After suggesting she get a shower and put on some appropriate clothes, which Brenda supplied, being closer to her size. The girl then disappeared into the bathroom, while Angela talked to Brenda. What came out of the bathroom 20 minutes later was much prettier surprising both Angela and Brenda. Obviously the Goddess had been more than generous in her gifts.

The girl was dressed nicely and she had tidied her hair and even applied makeup. She did a twirl and asked if she looked okay. When asked about the hair and makeup, she shrugged and said she thought she needed it and somehow knew how to do it. It was almost like she was a different person. Maybe knowing it wasn’t permanent had made the difference to her attitude. Even suggesting that the guys would be all over her, didn’t make her recoil.

Brenda held out a laminated driver’s license with a photo on it that looked remarkably like the girl.

"Here take this, you’ll need it Miss Robin Perkins," suggested Brenda, emphasizing the new girl’s name.

"Whaa? How did you get this? It even has my surname correct. I used to be Robert Perkins." The now christened Robin gasped.

"It was one of many ID’s I had made for myself," Brenda supplied. "It seems the Goddess is one step ahead of us. She made you look like the photo of the one ID with the right surname I had made. Was your name Rob, or Robert?" Brenda asked shrewdly.

"Robert."

"Wow! When I heard the Goddess suggest you look at your ID’s, I never thought she was this thorough," Angela gasped.

"But I don’t want to be Robin, even for three months," she protested.

"You have to be somebody, especially as the police are still downstairs. The Goddess has provided you with an identity, without which you can't, do anything," Angela reminded her.

"Give me the ID and I’ll plant it in the car with a purse for the police to find, while you keep them distracted," offered Brenda.

Robin sighed, seeing the logic in it, handing back the ID. A sudden thought struck her.

"I don’t have any money or a job now that I’m female. How will I live? I don’t want to become a prostitute," she wailed, seeing it as the only job she had qualifications for now.

"I suggest you pray for the Goddess to provide," suggested Angela, knowing that there was one more surprise for Robin.

Robin looked thoughtful, and then knelt in prayer. She knew that the Goddess must exist; otherwise she wouldn’t be like this. After a few minutes, she rose looking more relaxed. She then thanked them and said she’d better go and see the police officers before they think she did a runner. She then minced out with a sway and a wiggle that shouted out that she was anything but a man.

"Wow! Do you believe that?"

"That’s some turnaround, I wonder if she’ll want to go back to being a guy after 3 months?" Wondered Angela.

"I wouldn’t bet on it," laughed Brenda.

"Officer, if the car is still in the car park, maybe the girl’s belongings are in there too," suggested Angela, once they met back up with the police officers again.

They waited together, as one officer was shown the suspect's car. Luckily, with the door still unlocked, it didn’t take long before the officer was back with a purse.

Angela and Brenda exchanged a wink, at the successful bit of trickery. The officers gave Robin her purse after checking in it first. "Miss Robin Perkins," he read out, before handing the purse to her. "It looks like everything else was stolen, so I’d like you to report to the nearest office at your convenience, to report of what other belongings you had stolen."

One of the officers left to check on the cars computer database for any priors under the name on the drivers ID, seeing if there was any relation to Robert Perkins under which the car they found was registered. As nothing of a criminal nature came up, and no links could be found, he wrote out a report that he faxed to the chateau’s number.

"Here you are Miss; take this copy of the police report when you reapply for your credit cards. I suggest you do that soon so you can cancel your old cards," the second of the police officers suggested, handing Robin the faxed copy of the report he’d collected at reception.

Angela could see a wrath of questions building up in Robin’s eyes, as she scanned the report. Wisely, she held her tongue till the police went back on their way

"This license is legit? How come an American is carrying around a New Zealand driver’s license with a photo ID?" She asked, tugging on Brenda’s arm. "Or shouldn’t I be asking you this?" She added, looking worriedly around.

"Well we won’t have to kill you after we answer your question, but don’t let it become public knowledge," laughed Brenda theatrically. "It’s a long story, but yes the ID is real and it checked out or you’d have been in custody by now. The long and the short of it is that a while ago, I went and did a runner from my friends and family. I had new identities made for many of the countries I might decide to hide in. One of those included the one you have. Each has money put aside in accounts under each name."

"So I have money somewhere?"

"Well technically it’s my money, but you can use it, seeing you’re now Robin." Brenda answered, handing Robin a visa card with her name on it. "It’s easy to do all this when you have money," Brenda added, answering the next obvious question she saw in Robin’s face.

"Can I go get a room?" Robin asked, trying to take all this in.

"Sure, sis, be my guest ... well the chateau's at least," Brenda added with a laugh.

Robin hurried off, conscious of how her new looks were attracting attention. She returned a minute later looking despondent. She sat down at the table where Angela and Brenda were having breakfast.

"There’s no room, they are all booked up," she moaned, holding her head in her hands.

"Hmmm, tell me, were you booked in here as Robert?" Angela mentioned sagely, raising an eyebrow in a questioning way.

"Yes, why?" Answered Robin, not seeing the obvious.

"Allow me," Brenda interrupted, catching on. She waved over to the man who had thrown Robert out the night prior, where he was keeping an eye out over the dinning room.

"I’m just wondering if the man that nearly raped us, still has a room booked here. I believe his name is Robert Perkins. My friend needs a room, and I’m willing to pay for it, if it could be made available. Somehow I don’t think Robert will be back any time soon." Brenda asked him once he had come over.

"Let me check? I’m sure I can do something." He answered with a smile.

He was soon back with a key, which he handed to a startled Robin.

"Here you are Miss, the room is on us, for as long as the original booking, which means a weeks free accommodation. I’m just sorry you had such an unfortunate start to your holiday," he finished apologetically.

Robin blurted out thanks, looking a bit bewildered at the turn of events and the deferential manner in which she was being treated. Just because she had the walk and skills to act and look perfect in her new role as a woman, hadn’t prepared her to the way women were normally treated by the opposite sex.

As a man, she had tended to treat women as inferior, something nice to have on one’s arm and just a plaything when he wanted sex. Now she was seeing how the other half lived and how nice it was to be treated as a lady by a proper gentleman. As she realised what it must have felt like, being treated as she, in her previous condescending manner as Robert had treated women, she felt a sense of horror at the vileness Robert had shown.

The two girls watched Robin, as a flurry of emotions crossed her face, while she put herself in the shoes of Brenda and Angela, when Robert had accosted them the previous night. They could almost follow Robin’s thoughts and so they weren’t surprised when Robin hung her head and started to weep. Knowing something of the reason behind the silent tears, Angela and Brenda gave Robin a hug, while Robin unburdened herself of the enormity of her wrongful actions.

Angela ordered breakfast for Robin while she tried to compose herself after her outpouring of emotion.

"Are you both servants of the Goddess?" Robin finally asked, looking at them both.

"Well ... not actually servants, but we do her work," ad-libbed Brenda, wondering just how much the Goddess was going to play in their lives, now that they were able to communicate in a fashion.

"I don’t understand why you interceded for me with her. After all, I was a right bastard. I treated women like playthings to be at my beck and call. Why didn’t you leave me with the police this morning and let me dig myself deeper?"

"What I did to you was not of my choice," answered Angela. "When I cried out for help, the Goddess chose to help me in a way I hadn’t expected. I couldn’t leave you to the tender mercies of the authorities, as a woman without any help. Look at it as a gift, which will let you experience a whole different life to the one you had. In learning how to be a woman, you can then become a better man, if you decide to change back."

Angela and Brenda wondered if Robin had missed the "if," or was distracted by the arrival of her breakfast, either way, she made no further comment. Angela suggested that they take Robin shopping for some personal essentials, like underwear and toiletries. Ever welcome to share her clothes, Brenda told Robin that she would give her a few of her own clothes, till she got someplace decent to buy her own.

"Oh sank you, I’ll need all the help I can get," Robin accepted, trying to talk with her mouth full.

At the arched eyebrow from Brenda, Robin blushed chewing rapidly to finish her food.

"Sorry, I need to brush up on my manners," Robin apologised, once she swallowed her mouthful.

After breakfast, they decided to go shopping at nearby Turangi, where they knew it was big enough to have some clothing stores that had more than just ski wear. Robin came with them, as she now had no car as the police had had her car towed away. Angela had a hunch about the car, but didn’t say anything in case she was wrong. She would make enquiries later in Turangi.

There were two clothing stores, plus a Woolworths that sold basic items at Turangi. At first, Robin seemed reluctant to touch anything, probably having it ingrained as taboo from an early age as a boy. Angela knew how she felt, having had the same taboo driven into her skull as a boy. In her case it wasn’t so much as a "look, but don’t touch." It was more of, "don’t look, don’t touch." If a boy or man looked at the sexy lingerie displays, he would get frosty looks from any females nearby and Angela often wondered, if that was because they felt a man was invading their personal territory, or whether they were thinking he was some kind of pervert.

"It’s okay to feel them, after all you are female now, no need to feel embarrassed," she told Robin, thrusting a sexy satin bra into her hands. At first, Robin treated it like it would bite her, but gradually relaxed when she realised no one was taking any notice of her, as she ran her fingers over its smooth silkiness. When they moved to look at outer wear, she had five pairs of panty/bra sets of different colours and styles.

"How will I know what to pick?" Robin asked, as she faced the rows of dresses and skirts. "I have no idea what to do, or what goes with what," she added, fingering a yellow scalloped necked top.

"Oh I think you do, and I’ll prove it," refuted Brenda, grinning as she pointed out a slightly overweight woman in a striped top.

"What do you think of what that woman over there is wearing?" she whispered so she couldn’t be overheard.

Robin looked over at the woman and examined what she was wearing, before whispering back.

"Her top is all wrong. The stripes are horizontal which just emphasizes her bulges. If the stripes ran vertical, it would be far more slimming. Her pants are too tight, and again makes you notice her fat bum and thighs a wider leg would help hide that or she should stick to wearing skirts."

Robin rattled her opinion off without much thought, then suddenly realised what she’d said. She turned to Brenda with amazement.

"How did you know I’d know that?" Her eyes wide with surprise.

"Simple really," Brenda replied smugly, looking at her nails. "When I gave you those clothes to wear before you had the shower, there were several tops and skirts to pick from. When you came out, you had picked out the set that most suited you, and you had matched the top with the right skirt."

"It looks like the Goddess has given you some fashion sense," Angela joined in with a smile.

After that, the girls watched Robin at work, needing little advice, although they did curb her spending, as the prices were higher than usual, obviously aimed for the tourist market.

As Robin was paying for her purchases, Angela spotted a police car cruising past outside. Remembering her hunch, she asked for directions to the local cop shop. Brenda said nothing, knowing Angela must have a good reason for her query, as she followed Angela outside and start towards the police station. Robin followed reluctantly, not wanting to go, but needing to stay with them for her own safety.

"Excuse me, do you have a car here that belongs to a Robin Perkins?" was Angela’s first question, after getting the attention of the officer in charge

The man looked at the three women before him, before answering.

"I take it that one of you is Miss Perkins?"

Robin nodded, her throat suddenly very dry.

"Funny thing," the officer started, looking at a book in front of him. "One of my men made an error and brought it back here thinking it belonged to a Robert Perkins, who is a suspect in an attempted rape. I take it, that you’re no relation?" he asked, looking at Robin.

Robin managed to reply in the negative. The officer picked up her nervousness, but assumed it was the normal reason, when facing officers of the law and not from any deceit on her part. When he’d first heard of the mix-up and the similarity of the names, he’d wondered if this "Robin," had really been Robert in disguise, having had his share of dealing with cross dressed drivers before. That doubt was clearly quashed, as her looked the girl over. ‘Another computer glitch,’ he thought, mentally apprising to his men at doubting their word.

"We took what prints we could, so you can have the car back right away. In fact, I was about to have it driven back to the resort. I’m surprised you didn’t tell the officers that it was your car though," he added, feeling something didn’t feel right.

"Well she was so confused from the drugs, I’m surprised she knew her own name," Brenda interjected.

"Ah yes," the officer agreed, giving Robin the car keys. "Please sign here and here and you’re free to go," giving Robin a form to sign.

"Are there any towing charges?" asked Angela.

"No, the local tow truck was tied up at an accident on the Desert road, and couldn’t make it, so seeing the keys were in it, one officer drove it here," the officer explained

Robin was able to put her shopping in her own car. She thanked Angela for getting her car back.

"Look, it’s 1pm. Time for some lunch I think. Want to join us?" Brenda asked, looking at Robin.

"No, you go ahead. I think I’ll have a nosey around, before heading back," Robin answered, sounding much more confidant and looking happier now she had her independence back again with the return of her wheels.

"Okay, we’ll see you later then," Angela grinned, waving goodbye as Robin started the car.

Alone again, the two women found a takeaway, where they got a selection from the menu. They then drove the short distance to the southern side of Lake Taupo where Turangi was located. Finding a new sheltered spot, near the waters edge, they ate their fish and chips, while lulled by the gentle lapping of the wavelets against the pumice strewn shore. Feeling sated, they lay next to each other, letting the weak winter sun do its best to keep the chill away. In the peace and tranquility of the spot, both dozed off. Angela woke to a tongue requesting entrance to her mouth. She granted access as Brenda’s perfume washed over her.

"Hmmm that’s the only way to wake up," Angela commented, once Brenda drew back.

"We’d better get back, it’s nearly 3 pm," Brenda suggested, helping Angela stand up.

The sun, now low in the sky gave off little heat. Angela shivered, and was grateful of the warm arm of her wife held around her waist.

When they reached the car park of the resort, they saw a sight that surprised them. Robin was standing by her car talking to the ski instructor, who’d had the close shave with Angela.

Stephan was smiling as he stood talking to Robin. The women noted with a smirk to each other, that Robin was smiling too, and seemed at ease talking to Stephan. They wandered off inside, not seeing Angela or Brenda as they gave the pair time to go in.

Entering a few minutes later, Robin was nowhere to be seen. Before they could speculate on where the two were, the manager spotted them at the stairs and called out.

He hurried over to them, with an anxious look on his face. Brenda knew something was wrong, before he even opened his mouth.

"We have been trying to contact you. Your parents were in an accident. They are both in a critical condition."

For once, the self-assured Brenda was at a loss. What to do next? Her mind was in a tizzy, trying to sort out the priorities. A voice inside her was screaming for her to drop everything and fly home the quickest way possible, before it was too late. She had to force herself to listen to the manager, as he continued speaking.

"I checked with the airlines on your behalf and see you were due to fly out next week. I managed to get a rescheduled flight out at 10pm tonight. I’ve contacted the rental company for your camper and explained things to him. There’s a branch in Taupo where you can leave it. I won’t refund the payment you made for the two weeks stay here, as I’ve booked and paid for an internal flight, from Taupo to Auckland that will get you there at 8pm. I’m sorry your stay in New Zealand was marred by this unfortunate occurrence."

"Thank you for all you have done," Angela said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"My pleasure ma-am," the blushing manger got out.

"You go pack our things and I’ll go see if I can find Robin." Angela suggested, knowing keeping Brenda busy was the best thing at the moment.

Brenda went woodenly, still largely in shock, while Angela made some discrete enquiries. She found Robin at the bar in a corner alcove, along with Stephan. They seemed to be very chummy and Robin blushed when Angela arrived. When Angela explained the situation, Robin was more than a little shocked. After getting Robin alone on a pretext, Angela reassured her that she would be fine, but for her peace of mind, she gave Robin her cell phone number just in case. Looking at her watch, Angela saw she still had plenty of time and so asked a few questions of her own, regarding Stephan.

"Oh he’s nice, we meet in the car park. He offered my some skiing lessons free of charge. He offered to buy me a drink and we’ve been chatting."

"Just remember you have the baby making equipment now, so use protection if things get that far," Angela advised, with a smile.

Robin blushed, not wanting to mention how her body was reacting to the sight and smell of studly Stephan. Her body was awash in hormones and her nipples felt like they could drill holes in her clothes. Her body, plus more than a little curiosity, were urging her see just how far Stephan’s lesson would take her.

Angela hugged her, and said goodbye, knowing pretty much what was running through Robin’s mind. Despite the unpleasant news of Brenda’s parents, she felt happy for Robin. As she walked away, she giggled, wondering if she’d get an invite to the wedding.

Things moved quickly, and both Angela and Brenda were soon driving towards Taupo in the camper. Brenda had to be curbed from exceeding the speed limit several times by Angela, telling her there was plenty of time.

"I can’t help it, I just want to get home," Brenda moaned.

Angela sighed, fully in agreement, wondering what was happening and could they help in any way.

The flight home seemed to be much slower and any delays seem to be magnified exponentially to the need to get home, but eventually they did arrive at their destination. Hailing a cab, Angela had to scramble to get the luggage in before Brenda had the driver move off.

Immediately after getting home and dumping their luggage, they raced out to the hospital where their parents were being monitored. Angela drove the car, fearing if Brenda did, she might crash the car in her haste.

At the hospital, Brenda had to cool her heels while Angela, as the official daughter identified herself to the staff. Brenda nearly screamed in frustration, when she was told she couldn’t visit as it was family members only. Angela patiently explained that she was family, showing their identical wedding bands. Ignoring the odd look given them, they followed the nurse to intensive care where her parents were being kept alive by machines.

Brenda gasped when she saw the state of her parents. Wires and monitors were trailing everywhere and her mom and dad had bandages covering most of their bodies. A doctor in the area seeing them next to the beds came over with a solemn expression.

"Angela?" he asked Brenda, seeing the tears flooding down.

Brenda nodded; reflex making her answer to the name she was born with. She was too distraught to correct the doctor’s error as he explained the condition of her parents.

After the first dozen of the injuries were described, Brenda stopped listening. All that mattered was the glaring fact of her parent’s imminent death. They were being held in a comma to prolong their lives until their daughter could reach them. As the doctor was explaining that there was really no hope for their survival, Brenda noted Angela’s head bowed in prayer. The doctor shut off the monitoring machines with their approval, and injected a drug that would hopefully wake their parents for one last time. He then left them to themselves, drawing a curtain to give them some last moments of privacy.

"There’s a way to save them," Angela whispered, noting the look of shock cross Brenda’s face. "But it will have to be your parents decision if they decide to accept it," she added.

"The Goddess?" asked Brenda, her hope slowly rekindling.

"Yes, by the way, do you still have that case in the car with your spare change of clothes?"

"Yeah it’s still there," answered Brenda, bowing her own head in prayer.

Angela rushed out of the room, leaving Brenda to her own prayer to the Goddess. She came back in about 5 minutes, hauling a small case with her. Looking at Brenda’s face, she knew the Goddess had communicated the same plan that Angela had received.

Slight moans from Steven and Cynthia, heralded their growing awareness as the medication wore off. Both girls leaned over to speak softly to the critically injured parents. Once they were sure that both were cognizant and able to understand what had happened to them, the laid out the plan for them. Cynthia looked shocked and doubtful, but nodded her agreement. Steven took more convincing, but a look at his chart that Angela had held for him to read, soon had him nodding too.

Working quickly, both Angela and Brenda reached for the arms that had been so recently attached to the machines and opened their mouths in preparation to injecting them with the venom that dripped from the fangs that had sprung forth. Angela had to stop Steven from pulling away, as he saw her new dental arrangement, and realised they were telling the truth, the implications of which nearly made him decide to change his mind.

Too late, as Angela bit down, injecting him with a life prolonging liquid that would do more than just make him change his mind. The Goddess, knowing the situation, had made sure the changes were immediate. The girls had to race to remove the bandaging as the forms beneath them changed drastically. Shocked at what they’d become, left Steven and Cynthia bemused and unresisting as the girls dressed them in Brenda’s spare clothes.

It was strange seeing an adult male turn into a petite female in such a short period of time. They had missed most of Robin’s transformation and only Brenda, then Angela, had been aware of Brandon’s change, as he had been in a mental fog to help him ease into the changes ahead. Cynthia, being female was coping well to her change, looking much like a younger version of herself from what Brenda told her. Angela guessed her new age was around 25 and as for Steven, he now looked like Cynthia’s sister or cousin around the same age.

Both were blonde with nice figures and although not identical, looked related. Both Brenda and Angela knew that they’d have to get them both out of the room quickly knowing their parents were only just keeping a lid on it as they probably had a million questions to ask. Angela looked out from behind the curtain, praying for a chance to exit without notice.

As luck, or a Goddess would have it, a machine near the far wall decided to pop its cork, giving out all manner of spurious alarms. Seeing the doctors and nurses rushing to check it, Angela waved the others out from behind the curtain and raced them to the doors. They made it safely along the corridor and past the nurse call station. Using Brenda and Angela as shields, Cynthia and "Steven" walked close behind, so that their shoeless state wouldn’t be noticed. Clearing the busy entrance without discovery, they made their way to the car, where at last questions started coming thick and fast.

"Look it was the only way. You shouldn’t even be able to walk with a broken back," Brenda snapped at her former father.

Steven looked contrite, which with his new face, made him look cute.

"I don’t care what I look like, I’m only glad the pain is gone," avowed her mother, to which Steven had to agree.

He’d felt only half of what he should have when he had woken, everything from the waist down was numb but the top half of his body had been in agony. Cynthia didn’t have that luxury of painlessness from half her body; she had to bear up to it all as the drugs wore off.

After a pocket edition explanation of the Goddess' intervention without going into specifics, Cynthia asked Angela one searching question.

"You’re not my daughter are you?"

"No, I’m ... was Brandon," Angela answered, glad to finally get the truth out at last.

"I’m your real daughter," Brenda jumped in, before giving out a more detailed explanation.

They seemed to take in it stride, as Brenda explained, while driving back home. Any tendency to disbelieve was slammed shut by the incontrovertible fact of their own transformation.

"I’m grateful of course, but will I be a girl for the rest of my life?" asked a rather uncomfortable looking Steven.

"Only if you want too," teased a giggling Brenda, seeing her dad's predicament as a chance for some payback and hugely hilarious.

"So when can I change back?" he asked hopefully, fiddling with his skirt.

"Not for a while I suspect. The Goddess is powerful, but not all powerful." Angela supplied, having communed with her on the journey home. "The venom in our bodies makes us a focus point for all the magic in the world, through which she works her deeds. Earth lost a lot of its magic over time and she expended quite a bit fixing you both. Your real bodies have to be healed before you can return. It could be 6 months before it’s viable to return. Anyway the police are going to be looking for you and us probably, seeing we were with you when you disappeared. It’s a pity we couldn’t have taken your medical records from the hospital, as it’s going to be hard to convince them of your remarkable recovery down the track."

Brenda grinned and pointed to the small case sitting by Angela’s feet.

"Look in there. While you were on lookout, I snatched all the medical charts clipped on the beds. There are even the X-ray plates. I think they wanted all the evidence handy to convince us to allow our parents to die."

"Okay, so what do we say when the police come knocking on our door and see us there?" Cynthia asked curiously.

"We’ll work that out when we come to it," supplied a miffed Brenda, seeing no one had congratulated her on her quick thinking with the files.

"Surely there will be some records in the hospital computer system," speculated Steven, not fully convinced.

"I think that any files they have on computer will have been taken care of by a certain deity," supplied Brenda, thinking back on what had happened with Robin's records.

Arriving at the flat, the first order of business was sorting out some suitable attire for the transformees, much to Steven’s embarrassment. Cynthia dragged her altered husband to the bathroom for what to her, was the first priority, a shower. What she did while in there with Steven, was never revealed, although judging by the sounds, Angela and Brenda had a good ideal. Whatever they did, it produced two clean girls one of whom seemed a lot more at ease in her strange body.

"Okay, let’s get Stephanie dressed, I’m starved and the quicker we get dressed, the quicker we can go eat out," Cynthia told the others.

The newly christened Stephanie shrugged at the girls raised eyebrows at the mention of her new name, but oddly didn’t seem too nervous about the mention of eating out.

Being all females of around the same age, Brenda and Angela didn’t feel the need to leave the room when Cynthia and Stephanie picked at the clothes that had been laid out. Cynthia being more astute, picked the more conservative outfit, leaving the more ... revealing one for her husband to don. Leaving Cynthia to her own devices, Angela and Brenda swooped on Stephanie, as they showed her the basics of getting dressed. There were a lot of giggles as she struggled with a bra for the first time, with Cynthia restraining from making the obvious comment.

Stephanie joined in a few times, knowing she was making all sorts of fundamental mistakes, but deciding to enjoy this vacation from himself, seeing he/she was stuck like this for a while. The orgasm she’d had in the shower while being washed by her wife, had opened her eyes to something marvelous, combined with the feeling of how great this body of hers was. ‘Ah youth is wasted on the young,’ she thought as she bent over and touched her toes trying to get a stocking on. ‘This body is so limber I feel I could put my head between my legs and look up my own derriere,’ she thought, before reaching for the next item to put on.

Once Stephanie was dressed, Cynthia took over the make up duties, having already fixed her own face. Brenda went and looked through her pile of false ID cards, to see if there were any suitable. Stephanie was ready to paint the town, judging by the war paint Cynthia had used, when Brenda came back.

"Looking for a hot date tonight, Dad? I’m sure all the men will be following you around like bears after a honey pot," she teased.

For the first time, her femmed dad looked worried, but then Brenda relented and said she’d protect her.

"I know why you look similar in appearance," she continued, handing each a card. When they looked closely at the driver’s licenses, they saw a near perfect picture of their current selves. Cynthia was now Cindy Conrad and Stephanie was now officially Stephanie Court, becoming a cousin to both Cindy and Angela.

"I think it might be better for you two to stay in a motel for the next few days," Brenda suggested. "At least until we see what happens."

"After we eat, I think we need to do a little changing ourselves," Angela interrupted.

"Oh? What do you suggest?" Brenda asked.

"Well I’m blonde and you’ve let your hair go back to Brandon’s brown colour. The doctor thought you were Angela, so if he gives a description of you being Angela, it will all be wrong. You need to change your hair to black or become a red head so the police don’t twig that the doc got us confused. Instead of looking for a brown haired Angela and a blonde friend, they will get a blonde Angela and a redheaded friend."

"And this will help how?" questioned Brenda, not fully convinced.

"Trust me, I know what I’m doing," Angela answered her with a smirk.

"Let’s go eat, I’m starving," Cynthia prompted, moving to the door.

Stephanie balked when it was time to get out of the car at the restaurant.

"I don’t think I can do it," she moaned to the others.

"Of course you can, just relax and let the body do the talking." Brenda told her

"Talking to who? That’s what I’m afraid of," Stephanie tried to joke.

"Look, this wasn’t intended as a punishment," her daughter told her. "Although to some men it might be considered to be just that. I’m hoping you’re man enough now that you’re a woman to treat it as a gift, a chance to explore how the other 50 percent of the population copes with life. We’re not asking you to jump into bed with the first guy that comes along. I’m sure Mom will want to be the first to do ... " here, Brenda paused, realizing she may have said too much at this time.

Stephanie didn’t pick up on the last hint, her mind thinking on Brenda’s earlier words about treating this change as a learning experience. Cynthia though, was alert enough to catch the drift of her daughter’s words. To have sex with her husband, as a woman was strangely attractive, not that she was a lesbian or had any leanings to trying it out. She wondered if her new view was part of the package the Goddess gave her, after all, 6 months was a long time to abstain from their regular periods of sex.

Brenda changed the subject, hoping that sex would hold a pleasant surprise once they found that penises could be grown at will.

"Check your lipstick, I think you smudged it," she told her dad.

Stephanie got out the compact that had been placed in her purse and looked at her face and then flicked her hair back as she examined her pristine lips.

"It looks okay to me," she said, raising an enquiring eyebrow to Brenda.

"What did you just do?"

"Checked my makeup like you told me," grumbled Stephanie, putting her compact away again.

"What else?" Brenda asked, getting a blank look in return, she explained. "The way you flicked your hair back was indistinguishable from the way any natural woman would do it. What I’m saying is that you’ve been given the deluxe package with the built in instincts to help you fit in."

"I noticed she walked and moved very naturally myself and wondered about that," Cynthia interjected, adding her two cents worth.

"Let’s eat," Angela argued, this time without a murmur from Stephanie, as she got out of the car.

Although the sight of four attractive women attracted the attentions of the male clientele in the restaurant, the meal wasn’t interrupted by any problems. Afterwards, they dropped Cynthia and Stephanie off at a motel, then went into the nearest chemist for some hair dyes and something that Brenda kept hidden from Angela. Once they reached home Brenda started the process of colouring her hair red. She was still in the bathroom finishing up, when an authoritative sounding knock on the door came.

Expecting it to be the police, Angela answered it, giving Brenda the hurry up on the way. Before she reached the door, she felt a faint tingle all over her skin that felt kind of weird. Shrugging it off, she went and opened the front door.

It was the police just as she’d guessed. They were then surprised when apprised of her identity, obviously expecting her description to be as reported. Being police, this didn’t stop them asking the questions they wanted answers to.

"Do you know the whereabouts of your parents? According to our report, you were the last to see them in the intensive care unit," one of the officers asked.

"They are in the hospital? What happened? Intensive care? Oh no! I must see them at once," Angela wailed, making as to go grab her car keys.

The police seemed nonplussed at her act, taking it as genuine as they tried to stall her rush while they explained the situation.

"You’re saying I’ve already visited my dying parents and then made them disappear into thin air? Who made these preposterous claims? Where are my parents? Last I heard, they were going abroad while we were on our honeymoon." Angela shouted, her anger plainly evident.

Her plan was working. Obviously there had been no video footage of their leaving the hospital. Her plan to deny everything and play innocent was paying off, putting the police on the back foot.

"You say you just got married?"

"Yes, my wife and I just got back from our honeymoon."

While the two police tried taking in the fact Angela had said her wife, Brenda decided to make her entrance.

The two police saw the widening of Angela’s eyes and turned around to see Brenda stride into the room. The shock of seeing Brenda in this new form, nearly made Angela give the game away. She was almost too stunned to speak, as Brenda introduced herself to the goggling policemen.

If they were expecting a shorthaired butch looking lesbian to appear, they were sadly mistaken. Looking like she had just finished a show in Los Vegas, Brenda, now a 6 foot tall redhead with legs that seemed to go all the way up and then some, waited, for the officers to respond, (intelligibly, that is) as she wasn’t fluent in gasps and gurgles.

Angela realised the Goddess had been at work again, making sure Brenda bore no resemblance to the person the doctors had spoken to. Brenda was barefoot and the view was uninterrupted, till what looked like a hand towel or even just a flannel was wrapped around her body. The towel, such as it was, started at her crotch and did little to hold up her massive boobs that were fighting the knot tucked in their grasp. To do other than stand straight would have her arrested for a decent exposure. Angela wished she had a camera handy, to take an exposure of her own. She wouldn’t even need to use the flash if Brenda lifted a leg, as that would provide a nice substitute.

"Brenda, stop that. Go get dressed, these policemen have pressing business, we don’t want to hold them up." Angela scolded with tongue in cheek. She had seen some pressing business tenting the officer’s pants despite their pitiful attempts at hiding their arousal. Brenda pouted and turned to leave, giving the men a small finger wave as she went out of sight.

Once the officers started breathing again, they asked only a few more questions to see if she knew of anyone who answered to the description that he gave her from his notebook. Angela was a bit puzzled why her own appearance wasn’t setting off alarm bells as it fitted the one described as the friend. Going to get a drink of water to delay answering, she found out why. The tingling she felt before answering the door must have been when the Goddess decided to change her as well. Noticing her reflection in the chrome jug, she saw that instead of blonde, she was now raven haired. Coupled with the fact that her hard won tan was gone, her pale face stood out in contrast. All she needed was a long black drapy costume to become another Elvira.

Her negative answer seemed to satisfy the two men, as did Brenda’s when she came out looking only slightly less sexy in a short, skintight, electric blue dress.

Although the officers seemed satisfied that they were looking for two other women in connection with the strange abduction at the hospital and were ready to leave, Angela had to play out one more scene to drive home another point to cement their innocence.

"I hope you catch those perpetrators of this bad joke. You really had me going, till you said that they were in hospital downtown. I had only spoken to my mom half an hour ago. When they get back in 6 months, I’ll have them contact you," a disgruntled Angela told them.

As the two officers left, Angela overheard one muttering about searching the doctors for the dope they must have been smoking. She waited till they were out of earshot, before erupting into laughter.

"Going into show business are we?" she asked Brenda, waking around her wife with a wide grin on her face.

"Speak for yourself," retorted a grinning Brenda, looking at Angela with a speculative look.

"I suppose this was your idea?" Angela asked, grabbing a lock of her black hair and shaking it at Brenda.

"Guilty as charged, I thought that even if they knew from records that you were blonde and it was just a dye job, seeing your pallid skin against it, would make it hard to visualize you as a blonde with a tan."

"Well done," was Angela’s reply as she went to kiss her wife.

"Lean down, damnit, You’re too tall," Angela grumbled, as she arched her neck up to reach Brenda’s lips. "I hope you’ll pay for the chiropractor, if you decide to stay like that. I can see I’ll be getting neck strain just looking up at you."

"Shoot ... I thought you’d just stare straight ahead at my cleavage," Brenda smirked, forcing Angela’s face down into her ample bosoms.

"Mrfle snuml ... " was Angela’s muffled reply.

"How long are we going to keep this new look?" Asked Angela the next morning, as she tried to co-ordinate her wardrobe with her raven hair and pallid face.

She felt a bit different today, but put it down to the slight change in her looks. She mentioned it to Brenda, asking if there’d been any other changes made she wasn’t aware of.

"Oh, I thought a few weeks," Brenda replied, coming up to her with a paper cup. "Can you pee in here? I want to check your electrolytes," she asked casually, handing Angela the cup.

"Okay, sure." Answered the unsuspecting Angela, failing to see the look in Brenda’s eyes. "Now?" she added, still trying to decide whether to wear a white top and blue skirt or the burgundy dress with the runched front.

Seeing her nod, Angela gave Brenda the chore of choosing while she went and filled the cup.

Of course, when Angela came back, she saw Brenda had chosen her L.B.D with the sequined bodice.

"Got something planned, have we?" she asked, handing Brenda the cup.

"I think so," was Brenda’s short reply as she whisked out the doorway heading to the bathroom.

Angela sighed and got ready. She found her black heels, but left them off her feet, walking around in her dark hose till they were ready to leave. She primped at the mirror while waiting for Brenda to return.

When she did come back, her look made Angela worry. "What’s the matter? That grin means trouble, I know it."

"Honey, guess what ... we’re pregnant!"

"Whaaa!" gasped a surprised Angela. "I’m so glad for you, it’s what we wanted," she finally got out.

"Not just me love, both of us. We are both pregnant. We are both about to become mothers ... Angela ... Angela?" The last fell on deaf ears as Angela fainted.

"Come on, Love, wake up, or we’ll be late," Brenda urged, her voice seeming to become stronger the more Angela came to.

"I thought you said I was pregnant," mumbled Angela, trying to make intelligible speech with her benumbed synapses.

"I did, we are both going to be mommies. Isn’t that wild?"

While the confirmation of her present status threatened another brown out, Angela tried to reply. "Wild," was all she managed, as she sat up. "Are you sure?" she added, now the blood flow resumed, flowing properly.

"I’m sure. I tested myself last night when my period didn’t start on time. You know I’m like clockwork. I was going to mention it before the police came, but afterwards in bed didn’t seem right."

"Well you had your mouth full most of the time," Angela reminded her with a giggle.

"Yeah, anyway, so I figured I’d wait till today and tell you when I tell Mom and Dad. When you mentioned feeling off, I checked your urine with the pregnancy tester I bought last night. This way we can both tell them the good news."

"I wonder how your dad will feel, knowing he has the same chance of becoming pregnant as well." Angela mused.

"Well, we won’t remind her now, will we?"

"You’re so bad," gasped Angela, seeing the glint in Brenda’s eyes. With her thoughts turned to the possible consequences of Brenda’s father becoming pregnant, she forgot about her own soon to be developing child. It wasn’t until they arrived at the place where the parents were staying, that it came crashing back, that this was what they came to tell them.

"Hi, Cindy. Hi, Steph," Brenda greeted her parents, as they breezed in. She had shortened their names as befitted their now apparent ages. Her mother looked too cute to be called Cynthia and she wasn’t going to call her father, Dad, or by any other masculine term.

"Girls?" Cynthia questioned, seeing their changed looks for the first time, even though Brenda had warned them about it on the phone prior to coming over. Stephanie just waved, as she struggled to fix her hair, her mouth filled with bobby pins.

"Just been teaching her some styles, seeing she’s stuck like this for a while," She explained to them.

Before mentioning that they were about to become grandparents, Brenda related what had happened with the police and why they now looked as they did.

Then she dropped the bombshell. Of course they were stunned at the news. Cynthia clapped her hands at the thought of having twins, even though it would be from different mothers. She didn’t seem fazed that the former male that now looked like her daughter was also pregnant. Stephanie, on the other hand, was obviously shocked. Maybe she realised that she too could become pregnant, now she had the same equipment.

"But who is the father?" Stephanie asked, obviously thinking they had outside help.

"We are, we impregnated each other. We are both mother and father," Brenda explained as if to a child.

"You mean those things work?" A shocked Stephanie asked, her reference to "those things," being obvious and meant that she’d experienced having one of "those things," in her recently added tackle box.

"Hope you used protection?" Teased Brenda, grinning at the sight of her father looking scared out of his/her wits.

Cynthia didn’t seem worried about the prospects of having another child. Maybe she knew that only her husband might be lucky to have the chance to experience bearing a child. Whatever the case was, she was happy to know her daughters were pregnant and was bouncing up and down like a teenager, which was pretty appropriate, given her new body.

"Let’s go out and celebrate," she cried, dashing to get changed into something suitable. She grabbed Stephanie before any protest could be voiced, dragging her into the bedroom as well.

"Um, is your father going to get pregnant?" Angela whispered to Brenda, now the room was vacant.

"Nah, I’m just pushing her buttons. I asked the Goddess to let her experience her flows after a few days. I guess I was being a bit mean, but its going to be funny, watching her deal with it. She won’t know whether to hate it or love it, seeing it will mean she isn’t pregnant yet. What’s the bet she goes on the pill in a few days."

Angela laughed, relieved. Brenda’d had a few issues with her dad, and Angela hoped that both of them being female and the same age, would help resolve them before her dad returned to being himself, if that is what she chose to do. Six months is a long time as a changee. You never know what decision might be made when the time comes to choose. Both parents might decide the age reduction was worth the price of giving up their old identity. And even as a female, Stephanie didn’t look too distressed. Maybe knowing he could father another child or become a mother might grow on or in her.

As for herself, well she was happy. Sure, being a mommy was going to be scary, but she had her love going through the same thing with her. She wondered if she wanted a boy or a girl. Oh well, whichever it is, there’s always next time.

The four young women left the motel, dressed to the nines and made their way to the car. Their future was uncertain, but sure to be a lot of fun. The Goddess looked down on them and smiled. She did good work. Time to involve herself in mortal affairs again. ‘It had been most enlightening,’ she thought. Ah! Now here is an apt candidate.

The end.

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ARAYA’S HOPE III

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Children of Hope

Back on Terra firma

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Mutoid moon, some time earlier

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On the Mutoid moon

Planetside

Emergence

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