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“Children should be seen and not heard,” was the too often used phrase that was physically hammered into his budding consciousness before he even realized he could think. It became the toddler’s mantra.

The teasing and taunting started in kindergarten, which also happened to be his first exposure to life without the puritanical hand of his aunt. Dave Fink was tagged as Stinky Finky that very first day. No one could stand to be near him. By the day’s end his seat was segregated from the rest of his classmates by at least six feet, and even then, the students sitting closest to him only did so because the teacher assigned them there.

As the years progressed, it had become an unofficial policy for all his teachers to move misbehaving students to the seats nearest him as punishment. In the cafeteria, he was not only the last in line, he had to wait until the cafeteria ladies filled a tray for him and left it by the checkout as they stepped back. The school even provided a small table well away from everyone else for his exclusive use.

Since he never experienced friendship, Dave simply accepted the fact he never had any friends. Sure he saw his classmates become friends, but no one ever approached him and if he ever approached them, they held their noses and shooed him away. To occupy himself during recess, he ran laps around the outer perimeter of the playground. No one ever objected and he quickly developed superior speed and stamina as well as a stoic unemotional persona. In class, he had no distractions so put everything he had into learning, quickly discovering reading opened a whole new world.

In fourth grade, already strong for his age and size, he’d seen a gang of sixth graders in a blind corner of the playground working over one of his classmates who had been deemed a faggot. Even though he’d had virtually no interaction with the boy, he understood the pain of being different. To see the boy being beaten was simply too much for Dave to ignore and anger cracked his stoic facade. Using his speed he charged toward the five bigger boys as the victim sank to the ground by the wall. Forming a semi-circle the bullies proceeded to kick and jeer as the pitiful crying boy curled into a fetal position. Going full tilt, Dave stuck his arms straight up and leapt, twisting his body so he was parallel to the ground about three and half feet in the air. Dave hurtled into the delinquents, slamming all five face first into the brick wall of the school. The center three took the full brunt of Dave’s aerial assault and were knocked cold. The other two were knocked silly. Dave was barely bruised as the five cushioned him. Without saying a word he climbed to his feet and silently resumed running laps.

The school suspended Dave for three days, the bullies for two weeks. They needed the time to recover from their myriad injuries. Everyone realized Stinky Finky was not someone you ever wanted to piss off. The taunts and teasing faded, but didn’t disappear completely. The mumbled epithets and pinched noses made clear what others thought. Upon his return to school Dave found a brief thank you note from the boy he’d saved. It was the first time any of his classmates
had ever been polite towards him. Dave treasured the note and kept it in his bible.

When Dave moved into the junior-senior high school there were many who didn’t know it was not smart to piss of Stinky Finky. A few weeks after starting seventh grade Dave entered a restroom to find three eleventh grade boy trying to stuff a stereo-typical geek classmate into the trash can. For the second time in his life anger cracked the facade of his stoic persona. Dave’s ever-present odor made the bullies aware of his entrance a split second before he slammed into them taking all three down at once. The guy closest to the wall, boy one, had his face mangled as it slammed into the aluminum frame of the big mirror above the sinks. His cheek bone, nose and several teeth shattered as the edge of the frame gouged his face open from hairline to eyebrow, thankfully skipped the eye proper, but resumed from cheek to chin. The guy in the center, boy two, hit the first sink, shattering it. Water instantly began spraying from the broken pipes. The boy followed the sharp edged porcelain remnants of the sink to the floor. Boy one toppled on top of boy two jamming the razor like porcelain edges into boy two. One piece completely pierced his right biceps as others jammed into his shoulder and back causing major damage. The guy on the outside, boy three, went down to the floor with his left arm twisted behind him. Dave ricocheted off boys one and two as they slammed into the mirror and sink and landed atop boy three with all his weight and force. Boy three’s left forearm snapped audibly as both bones punctured his skin. The agonized screams of the three injured boys brought teachers and staff running into the restroom in time to see Dave helping the geek out of the trash can. Upon seeing his mutilated attackers, the boy promptly fainted. A true geek, he was too afraid of Dave to even thank him.

Dave was suspended for a week for what was labeled unnecessary use of force. The three bullies were suspended for two weeks, but their injuries would have kept them out that long anyway. What really pissed most people off was that Dave had taken out the center offensive line of their up to then unbeaten football team. Any hope Dave might have harbored for acquiring a friend during high school was destroyed. On the positive side, Dave was so physically imposing no one ever tried to trifle with him.

By sixteen, Dave was strong, tough as nails, and muscular. Standing six feet two inches tall and weighing one hundred ninety five pounds, he could easily squat by the pallet full of hundred pound feed bags and heft a bag onto each shoulder, stand, and effortlessly carry them the thirty feet to the feed blender where he shrugged them onto the lip of the four feet high, five feet across mixing bowl. The constant daily work he did on the farm had made him physically imposing.

Each day Dave stoically ignored the taunts and sneers of his fellow passengers on the school bus just as he did in the halls and classrooms at school. Being the first student picked up had it’s advantages as he was always able to take the rear seat. He always sat by the window on the passenger side of the bus. No one ever sat beside him or in the seats in front of him on both sides of the bus. They’d sit three to a seat before getting near him.

There were two positive things about his situation. First was that he never endured the pushing, shoving, and normal hubbub in the school halls as he moved from class to class. Everyone made sure to stay at least five feet away from him. The same applied to the rest rooms. When he entered, everyone quickly left. Anyone who entered while he was inside turned and left. The second thing was that other than a few verbal taunts, no one ever bullied him.

Dave was the only person in phys-ed to have an alcove of the locker room to himself and was always excused from any activity that might involve physical contact with his classmates. If their activity involved that, he was assigned to run laps. In the weight room, he was able to bench press a phenomenal four hundred pounds. Over the years he’d developed a lot of stamina from all the running, not to mention doing more than his share of the farm work.

Each night in bed, the stoic unemotional facade crumbled as suppressed emotions demanded release. Then he’d find himself unable to fall asleep as he silently cried while rehashing his hard life. His mother had died giving birth to him. His father, heartbroken, literally drank himself to death the next day, ODing on Old Crow Whiskey. His maternal aunt and uncle took him in... after all it was their Christian Duty... and they never let him forget that. His aunt was bitter that he had caused the death of her beloved baby sister. His cousins were all adults and already out on their own when he came into the picture. Once they’d escaped the self righteous piety of their parents, none of them ever returned to the farm. This only served to make his aunt and uncle strive to make sure he was brought up as a proper Christian. There was no love in Dave’s life, only duty God, family and mankind, in that order. It was because his aunt and uncle thought Dave was serving mankind when he’d been twice suspended that they never punished him, only admonished him to continue to use his strength to help the weak.

Aunt Rachel and Uncle Adam only went to church on Easter and Christmas as they didn’t cotton to the modern interpretations their church now proclaimed. They much preferred the hell and brimstone preaching of the early twentieth century. They began each day with a bible reading after breakfast, and another after lunch, and yet another after supper. They weren’t short readings, either. A chapter each at breakfast and lunch, and five chapters after supper. They read from one end of the bible to the other, then began the cycle again. There was no television... it brought the devil into the home. The only thing they listened to was gospel radio, and then only the old standards, never the new stuff.

Dave hated his life, having become convinced that, as his aunt constantly reminded him, he was a bastard. In the eyes of his guardians he was a child of sin and his parents had died because they had premarital sex and when the pregnancy was discovered they didn’t marry. Now it was his duty to pay for the sins of his parents. He’d never experienced love from his aunt and uncle, only their sense of Christian duty in saving him from a life fore-ordained sin.

In his heart he felt oppressed. In school he saw others smiling and having fun, hanging with friends. His strict upbringing would have meant he’d be ostracized, but that never became an issue. Dave quite literally stank... at least that’s what everyone told him... or more accurately jeered at him. The jeering and name calling had grown worse since the seventh grade. “Soooeee... Sooeee” really irked him, but “Here piggy piggy” was a close second. The “OINKs” and the guttural nasal snorts were merely irritating. It was the “PHEWs” and “GAHs” that hurt the most.

When he’d come home in tears after his first day in kindergarten, Aunt Rachel told him they all smelled of the pig farm but since they lived with it 24/7, they simply didn’t notice it. She’d said the odor was a sign of their Christian work ethic which kept the heathens from contaminating their righteous lives. Since he didn’t know any other life, the five year old accepted what he was told. But in the years since then he realized the hog farm smell was locked into their clothes since they were always hung out on the wash line to dry. They were too frugal to buy a dryer and waste electricity when the sun did the same thing for free. The smell was also locked into their hair and on their skin despite their weekly Saturday night baths. Each night sleep eventually claimed him before he could begin to fathom a solution to his unhappy life.

Quite naturally, Dave grew into a silent, contemplative guy with no friends and virtually no social skills. This didn’t mean he wasn’t a total dweeb. If nothing else, his aunt and uncle had ingrained politeness and manners into his being. Saying ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ were second nature. Waiting his turn to speak was another, with a guilty ‘excuse me’ if what he had to say was pertinent enough to interrupt someone. In school his homework was always done and handed in on time. In every class he was at the top of the class academically, being a straight ‘A’ student and on the top honor roll every marking period. His main pastime in the little free time he had was reading. In elementary school since he was so ostracized and so far ahead of his classmates he was allowed to spend class-time in the library where he read Time, Newsweek, People, and any other popular magazine as well as the newspaper since at home only non fiction was allowed. There he read science and how-to books and articles as well as environmental material to help preserve God’s earth.

Uncle Adam was constantly complaining that the increasingly strict environmental restrictions on farming had been making heavy inroads into profitability. By age ten Dave had been able to explain to his aunt and uncle how the methane from the hog manure could be harnessed to generate electricity as well as heat their home and barns. The sales people and engineers who came to the farm to sell their methane collector products were more than a bit shocked to be answering penetrating questions about their proposals by a ten year old but quickly realized Uncle Adam deferred to the boy. Of course it was Uncle Adam who bargained the price once Dave had selected the best system. The huge capped manure storage tanks were easily modified to capture the methane.

Dave also selected the methane collection equipment which compressed the gas for storage in large strong tanks. This allowed gas lines to be run to the house and barns for heat and cooking. It also allowed a powerful electrical generator to burn the methane, producing more electricity than the farm could use, the excess being sold to the local electric utility. They were even able to use the compressed gas to fill thirty three pound industrial propane cylinders like those used on forklifts. All the farm equipment was converted to dual fuel capability, even the big F350 king cab pickup. Dave’s Aunt and Uncle were delighted to have the electric company pay them and to virtually never buy gas or diesel fuel since they never drove far enough to empty one of the methane filled tanks. The money they saved and earned paid for the system in two years.

After that, Dave’s aunt and uncle pressured him to find other ways to save or make money. Although skeptical at first, Uncle Adam quickly adapted no-till farming after a small trial proved successful. The sludge from the pig manure, when dried in a large methane fueled tumbler oven, became the only fertilizer the farm used. The oven burned off all noxious odors, sterilized and granulated the remains. They were able to build up a solid side business selling organic dried manure in fifty pound bags. Of course this meant Uncle Adam had to hire several workers, but at Dave’s suggestion, did so through a temp agency so he wouldn’t be responsible for the pay roll or benefits. Dave’s reward for all this were subscriptions to every conservation, back to earth, and how-to magazine on the market with the expectation he’d find more ways help the farm’s bottom line.

Dave’s normally wretched life went totally bonkers one afternoon as he got off the school bus. Sampson, the gregarious (to the family) but fierce (to all outsiders) German Shepard was not waiting for him by the mail box. This meant there had to be trouble at the farm. As was his routine, Dave pulled the mail from the box and stuffed it in his backpack before slipping it onto his back. From the road he could see two black vans and a black SUV parked in the turn around between the house and main barn. Everything was strangely quiet. Something was definitely wrong! Sucking up the budding anxiety he stoically started down the three hundred yard long rutted gravel farm lane.

About fifty yards from the road a stream ran through two large pipes under the lane. As Dave approached the dual three feet in diameter pipes he noted three people dressed in combat fatigues lying on the far bank of the stream. It was obvious they were cautiously watching him while keeping their heads below the top of the bank to avoid being seen from the farm. This only added to his growing unease but he kept it suppressed. Were they some sort of SWAT team? Had some criminals taken over the farm?

Dave slowed his pace and gave the trio a once over as he willed his heart not to speed up. They appeared to be about his age which was a bit disconcerting. All wore a headset for communication so there must be others near by. The guy in the middle seemed to be in charge. Bizarrely the Asian teen had blue hair showing from under his beret. Dave cooly met the boy’s serious and stern gaze as they measured each other’s mettle. On the outside of the trio was a pretty Native American girl with a serene look of peace on her face but her blue eyes were definitely out of place. The third member of the group was also a girl, cute even in fatigues. As he locked eyes with the blue eyed blonde he thought he could feel a subtle tickling in his brain as if she was somehow reaching out to him, soothing his suppressed anxiety while reassuring him that everything would be okay.

The girl raised one hand flat, palm up, and used the first two fingers of the other hand on the open palm to indicate walking, then pointed at Dave. She repeated the walking motion then pointed to the farm.

Dave understood she wanted him to continue towards the farm. Instantly she smiled and nodded her head as if she was able to sense his understanding. As he came closer she pointed to herself and the guy, then back to him before reaching around to touch her back. Dave took that to mean they had his back covered. Again she smiled to show she knew he understood. Then she pointed to her eyes, then to him, then to the farm. Somehow he understood she wanted him to keep his eyes on the farm instead of looking at them.

Dave understood something bad was going done. Summoning his unemotional stoicism he realized he was walking into a trap, why that might be he had no idea, but he seemed to understand the lives of his aunt and uncle hung on his actions and that the three teens hiding in the creek bed were on his side. Crossing the stream he steadily made his way down the lane. As he moved away from the girl, he felt the tickling in his brain dwindle until it stopped. About fifty yards later he noticed the birds that normally flocked about the retention lagoon were no where to be seen. The faint but ever present squeals from the three thousand hogs could be heard, as could the constant thrumming of the motor for the electric generator.

The anxiety producing situation, instead of inducing panic in Dave simply made his resolve and determination solidify. As he drew closer to the farmstead he could almost feel his senses becoming sharper. Even though he couldn’t see them, he sensed there were at least nine people watching him from various positions about the farmstead. Their gaze was cold and calculating and he instinctively knew he was their quarry. Unconsciously his heightened senses followed those gazes back to their sources and pinpointed each man. At the same time he could also feel nine associates of the three he’d passed at the stream stealthily hiding just outside the farmstead out of the line of site of those watching him.

Stepping between the first of the out-buildings, Dave stopped and turned his head. Behind each of the buildings he’d passed stood a man in a black commando uniform aiming an assault rifle at him. The men he’d spotted hiding showed themselves. Five were armed with assault rifles, the one atop the silo and the one atop the manure tank held sniper rifles with scopes. All were aimed at him. Another black clad man stepped out onto the porch of the house to glare at him.

Dave instantly understood this was the man in charge.

With a nod of the man’s head, two other black clad men emerged from the house with mean looking pistols jammed against the heads of his gagged terrified aunt and uncle. The man guarding his aunt limped and had a blood soaked bandage wrapped around one leg that could only mean one thing. Looking between the SUVs Dave saw the body of Sampson. Obviously he’d attempted to protect the farm when these bad guys arrived. Sampson... the only being that ever shown him unconditional affection. Dave’s anger began to knock down the facade of unemotional stoicism.

Dave felt no fear. Although he had no idea why these people were after him, he knew they were bad and no matter what he did they’d coldly kill his aunt and uncle as they had Sampson. A tear trickled down his cheek as he looked at Sampson’s short still fur.

“We mean no harm,” the man on the porch stated in what on the surface sounded like a gentle voice.

Dave saw right through the deception but remained still.

“Move to the center of the parking area and no one will be hurt,” the man stated.

Appearing calm but barely controlling his anger, Dave slowly walked to the center and stopped. Suddenly a black clad girl about his age stepped from behind the SUVs and stared at him. Dave felt a sharp ping in his mind where he felt the tickle from the SWAT girl. There was no doubt this girl was rapidly and ruthlessly probing his mind!

“The others are here, twelve of them, and closing in,” she shouted as he felt her abruptly leave his brain. “He hasn’t had first emergence yet but he’s pissed at us for killing the dog.”

The pain of the intrusion and exit felt as if someone had hit him over the head with a manure shovel. Dave dropped to his knees clutching his head in pain.

“Positions,” the man on the porch barked as the black clad men dove for cover. “We finally have the advantage on those bastards from the Center. We’ll take them as they close in. Karen, get piggy boy inside the SUV. Miller, Davis, cut their throats then take up positions.”

Without looking up Dave felt the men holding his aunt and uncle holster their weapons and pull nasty looking knives from sheathes as the leader began to jog to the barn. The girl who had probed him hurriedly left the protection of the SUV to grab him. Upon once more feeling her ping his mind he angrily fought back, pushing her back out. This obviously shocked her and he felt her sudden fear. Anger at the rude mental intrusion flooded Dave. As the adrenalin pumped into his system, time seemed to slow. Suddenly the ever present odoriferous smell of the hog farm multiplied a hundred times.

“First emergence,” the now clearly terrified girl gasped before she staggered back a few steps, dropped to her knees and began to puke. The men ready to cut his aunt and uncle’s throats began to hack and gag. In the process they released their hostages as they too dropped to their knees desperately trying to regain control of their sudden violent nausea. The other black garbed men hiding around the farm were doing the same thing. The sniper on top of the manure tank lost his footing atop the rounded dome in the slime of his vomit and slid down and off the edge to fatally thud onto the concrete pad surrounding the tank. The sniper atop the silo followed suit but dropped a hundred feet to land on the ground with a sickening thud. The man hiding by the open second floor loading window of the barn followed the contents of his stomach out of the opening to take a header on the hard packed ground. The others were on their knees in desperation as they dry heaved until they were spitting up blood. Even his aunt and uncle were on their knees getting sick. The only man still on his feet, although barely, was the leader. He staggered around the SUV with his pistol in his shaking hand. Dribbles of vomit dripped from his lips and chin. Raising the weapon, he took aim at Dave.

Dave could sense the overpowering stench that had suddenly surrounded them but it didn’t phase him in the least. As he rose to his feet he instinctively realized he’d somehow created it. He also saw the crazed leader taking aim at him. Without really thinking he concentrated on the man’s mid-section. Almost instantly the man’s stomach began to swell as sheer agony etched his face. The gun dropped from his fingers as loud popping noises came from his still swelling gut. Blood and entrails gushed from his mouth and the black commando outfit he was wearing exploded throwing pieces of his entrails up to thirty feet in all directions. The dying man’s eyes showed his disbelief as his nearly severed disemboweled body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Time sped back up to normal as Dave saw the bloody entrails covering his body and the vehicles. The intense stench he’d somehow created quickly dissipated in the air. Seeing what he’d done Dave looked about in awe and self loathing. Except for their leader and the three who fell from the high spots, all the bad guys including the girl had literally puked out their guts. They’d suffocated in their own blood and vomit. Besides himself, the only ones left alive were his unconscious aunt and uncle. Thankfully they’d managed to remove their gags before they too had puked. Their long exposure to the hog farm stench had saved their lives.

Two groups of three people dressed in SWAT camouflage like the pair he’d passed came running into the compound from different directions with weapons at the ready. Two of each team were his age while the third was a normal soldier All winced at the still intense but now barely bearable stench. They were clearly stunned by the carnage. As the would be rescuers began checking the bodies, the trio he’d passed on the way in jogged up the lane to survey the scene. They too recoiled at the smell but continued to approach Dave.

“Beta squad, report,” the blue haired Asian guy spoke into his mike as he sought out his missing squad.

Dave couldn’t hear the missing team’s response. “Liz, the porch,” the Asian guy ordered as he headed off to the quadrant from which the missing team was to have entered the farmstead. Obviously Dave’s assumption he was the leader of this crew was dead on.

The Indian girl instantly headed for Dave’s aunt and uncle. The other girl, with a smile of friendship, approached Dave.

Although nearly exhausted, Dave braced himself for another mental intrusion.

“It’s okay, we’re here to help you,” she stated softly. “My name is Lise. I won’t enter your mind like she brutally did.” She nodded her head towards the black clad girl. “But if you let me, I can soothe your anxiety and explain what’s going on.”

Wary but sensing he could trust these people, Dave saw the leader return helping the missing squad stagger into the farmstead from the down wind side. They’d been down wind of the stench and had obviously been violently sick.

Dave wearily nodded his head. Almost instantly he felt a sense of safety and caring envelop him. Ignoring the gore covering him the girl quickly moved to his side and helped him sink safely to the ground. Looking into her caring eyes as she cradled his head on her lap, Dave began to cry. For the first time in his life, another person truly cared about him! The long suppressed lonely agony of a life time of denied affection was suddenly released. Sobs of pent up denied emotion engulfed his body. Worn out by this sudden emotional release Dave gave into his exhaustion and closed his eyes.

~
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> pew!
o
Image Credit: Short Red Hair
 

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Chapter 2

“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” Dani apologized as she joined Dr. Lynchburg and Lise as they waited for the newest recruit to awaken. “How’s she doing?”

“Physically she’s fine,” Dr. Lynchburg replied. “Well have to see how she handles the change when she wakes up.”

“At least the ventilation system did it’s job,” Dani sniffed at the lingering remnants of the stench that had been created during the second emergence. Even so, the entire campus had to be locked down and the intake system for the complex shut down until the stench dissipated.

“Her aunt and uncle really did a number on her,” Lise said with a shake of her head. “I still find it hard to believe I’m the first person who ever gave her a hug! That’s simply outrageous!”

“It really is,” Dani agreed. “That’s why we want you here when she wakes up. She knows you care. Rita was stunned when she erased the memories of her aunt and uncle. They actually believed Dave was a child of sin, conceived through Satan’s corruption of his mother. They quite literally pounded the fear of God into him. They actually thought the black ops guys were minions of Satan come to claim his own!”

“That’s sick,” Lise shivered. “But it explains what I felt when he broke down after he wiped out the bad guys. What do his aunt and uncle think happened to Dave?”

“That he gave into Satan and simply ran away,” Dani explained. “I don’t think anyone will doubt that he ran away. The poor guy had absolutely NO friends.”

A suppressed whimper drew their attention to the table where Dave was secured. As he slowly awakened he’d become aware of their conversation.

“It’s okay, Dave,” Lise exclaimed as she quickly moved into the new girl’s line of sight. “We’re here to help you.”

Dave opened his eyes to see the girl who had cradled his head after... he didn’t want to think about what he’d seen... or done.

“And to be your friends,” Dani added as she stepped to the other side of the table into his line of sight. “I’m Dani. I’ll be your guide as you learn about the center.”

“Wh... Where am I... My voice! What’s happening? Why am I tied down?” Dave almost croaked as fear gripped him. He felt much weaker and even smaller. Nothing about him felt normal.

“Relax,” Dani soothed as she used her empath abilities to blunt the burgeoning fear. Tenderly and with great caring she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’ll explain everything.”

Dave felt Dani’s consolation wash over him. On some weird level he felt her touch his mind, much like Lise had done. It wasn’t an invasion like that nasty girl had done when she’d raped his mind for information. What he felt was caring and reassurance. This helped him relax a bit. Looking about he saw he was in some sort of room with bare concrete walls and ceiling and his throat felt like a desert. “Can I please have a drink of water?” Something was definitely wrong with his voice. He sounded down right girlish!

“Sure,” Lise smiled at him as she produced a cup with a straw and put it to his lips.

“Thanks,” Dave said after he’d drained the cup. “What’s going on? What’s wrong with my voice? Why am I tied down?”

“Lise,” Dani began. “Would you like to explain what’s happened and where he is while I help Dave stay calm?”

Dave looked at the smiling short, mocha skinned girl and managed a shaky smile as he realized he could trust these people.

“It seems you have the situation well in hand,” Dr. Lynchburg smiled. “I’ll take my leave now.” With that he left the room.

“Dave, this is all going to sound strange and unbelievable but it’s the truth,” Lise began. “Do you remember what happened back at the farm?”

‘Sort of,” Dave whispered as he frowned at the strange voice coming from his mouth. He sounded like a girl! “But it seems like some weird nightmare.”

“Unfortunately it wasn’t,” Lise sighed.

Dave felt terrible if he’d really done that. “So I somehow made it stink so bad everyone puked to death?”

“Yes, except for the one guy who exploded,” Lise shivered at the memory. “But your aunt and uncle survived.”

“That guy was trying to shoot me,” Dave explained as tears flowed from his eyes. “I didn’t mean to do that to them! I just wanted them not to hurt my aunt and uncle.”

“We know,” Lise ruefully smiled. “That’s why we were there to help you. That’s why you’re here now.”

“But that’s also why I’m tied down,” Dave reasoned. “Where are we?”

“We’re in The Center,” Lise explained. “You’re tied down for your protection as well as ours. The transition is always uncertain and possibly dangerous.”

Dave was becoming confused. “Transition?”

“Yeah,” Lise nodded. “You’ve just completed your transition. We’ve all been through it. It’s part of what makes us unique. I’m sure you’ll be as shocked as we were when it happened to us. During the transition we change sex.”

“What? That’s impossible,” Dave exclaimed not wanting to believe what he’d heard. The soothing vibes he was now getting from both girls seemed to reveal Lise was telling the truth. It would explain why his voice sounded so girlish... and why he felt so strange. “There’s no way you two could have ever been boys! You’re way too cute. If I’m a girl now, I have to be an ugly one!” Dave imagined himself as a muscled feminine behemoth similar to the steroid enhanced ‘female’ members of the old East German Olympic team.

“We were boys, but the transition changes everything about you,” Lise explained. “Your fingerprints, your body shape, even your DNA. There’s a mirror over by the restroom door. We’ll release you and help you over to see the new you.”

As the girls released Dave, he flexed his arms to relieve the stiffness. As he did so he saw his hands but they certainly weren’t the heavy, calloused hands he’d had! They were slender with longer fingers and his wrists were much thinner and hairless too! Lifting his right elbow he noted his familiar powerful bulging biceps and triceps muscles were now girlishly slender. It seemed as if the girls were telling the truth... somehow he’d changed into a girl! Taking a deep breath he slowly moved a hand to his groin. The familiar shape of his manhood was gone!

“It’s true, somehow you changed me into a girl,” Dave declared in amazement. Without his boy thing he couldn’t sin anymore! He’d been freed! A timid smile snuck onto his face as he looked at the girls. “But why did you change me?”

“We didn’t change you,” Lise patiently replied. “We’ll explain how you changed after you’ve seen yourself. Sit up slowly and swing your legs over the edge. You may feel a bit lightheaded at first but it will pass. Then we’ll help you stand. Your new body will move and feel a lot different but it should only take a few moments until you adapt to the new you.”

A brief wave of vertigo swept Dave’s mind as he sat up so he closed his eyes until the room stopped spinning. The girls held his arms until he regained his balance. When he opened his eyes hair obscured his vision. He’d always worn his blonde hair short, no longer than an inch. Obviously this weird transition thing had made his hair grow. Almost instinctively he reached one hand up to move the hair away from his face. At the same time he could feel the unfamiliar twin weights jiggle slightly as he moved. That could only mean he had breasts! Looking down he could see his new mounds pushing the gown he wore out in an almost provocative way. At the same time he could feel the fabric brush over the teats at the tip of the breasts. A very weird but not at all pleasant sensation seemed to emanate from them causing the teats to swell and make little pinpoints tent out against the gown. What was happening? Then he suddenly realized what was happening and he flushed deeply and brought his hands up to cover his breasts.

“Just relax,” Dani soothed as she sensed his growing confusion and concern. “Your reaction is quite normal for a girl. It happens to us all the time.”

“But that’s a sin,” Dave gasped as his eyes filled with tears. “Aunt Rachel used to have Uncle Adam whip me with his belt whenever my... boy thing... reacted. She checked my bed every morning to see if I’d touched myself. She even threatened to have Uncle Adam castrate me if I couldn’t get it under control. I’d helped him snip the male piglets. They really squealed. I didn’t want him doing that to me! I was hoping now that the thing is gone I’d be able to be a good Christian.”

Dani and Lise exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Having sexual feelings and reactions are normal for boys and girls,” Dani assured Dave. “Sexual arousal is not a sin. Occasionally it might lead someone to sin but it certainly is not a sin on it’s own. I’m sure your aunt and uncle meant well, but their beliefs about Christianity are way out of line with virtually every Christian denomination.”

“I know,” Dave nodded. “We only went to church on Christmas and Easter. Aunt Rachel said all the members had been seduced by Satan into warping the true faith. That’s why we had to stay away from mixing with the misguided heathens.”

Once again Dani and Lise exchanged looks of disbelief.

“We’ll help you adjust and accept real life,” Dani stated. “Almost everyone here is about our age so we all go through the same things and help each other deal with any issues that arise. You are not alone. You’ll have plenty of friends here.”

“I’ve never had friends,” Dave sniffled.

Tears filled the eyes of Dani and Lise as they sensed Dave’s utter loneliness and the despair of his soul. They’d read the dossier that had been gathered about Dave. It had sounded like his life was horrid, but it took empaths to feel the true depth of his pain.

“The past is over,” Dani managed to speak. “You already have two friends, and soon there will be many more.”

They hugged the new girl as she was wracked with heart wrenching sobs.

When the tears finally subsided, Dave looked at Dani and Lise and smiled sheepishly. “I was never allowed to cry before. My aunt and uncle told me boys don’t cry, but now that I’m a girl it’s okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Lise smiled. “But it’s all right for boys to cry. Friends provide shoulders for their friends when we need a good cry. Now, do you feel up to seeing the new and improved you?”

“Not really,” Dave whispered. “I’m afraid to see how ugly I am.”

“You are not ugly,” Dani stated firmly. “Now try to stand up while we support you.”

Dave placed his hands on the edge of the table and slid off. Instantly he understood why they insisted on supporting him. His center of gravity was totally skewed. The giggling of his breasts was disconcerting, as was the fact he gown he wore was open in the back.

“First to the mirror, then we’ll get you something to wear,” Dani stated knowing Dave’s concern as she and Lise lead the wobbly new girl to the mirror while insuring her modesty by holding the back of the gown closed.

In the few steps to the mirror it was obvious that Dave was already learning how his new body moved.

Dave was totally unprepared for what he saw. The mirror showed a cute girl between Dani and Lise. At first he was confused that he didn’t see what he’d imagined to be himself as a girl. Then he realized the girl in the middle had to be him... no... her! He was indeed now a she! Standing about five feet seven inches, the girl had straight red chin length hair. There was an almost pout on her cute face. His familiar hirsute suntanned muscular Aryan flesh had been transformed into unblemished, soft, pale and undeniably girlish flesh. Her button nose was cute and slightly upturned. Her petulant lips perfectly fit her emo appearance. But the most visible feature was her piercing sparkling emerald green eyes. She could be a Celtic princess!

Even clad in the skimpy gown he could see the enticing curves of her new body. It was only when he compared his new shape to that of Dani and Lise that he realized they were dressed alike in what looked like a provocative school girl uniform of black, gray, and white plaid skirt, white button down shirt with almost no sleeves, just little poofy things at the shoulders, a really low cut vest that curved under the breasts squishing them together, a black tie with silver stripes, and black knee high nylon socks under what looked like high heeled boots.

Dani and Lise looked quite attractive in the uniforms, too attractive as Dave found himself becoming aroused. But arousal as a girl felt a lot different that it had as a boy... it felt better... but it was still a sin... wasn’t it? Then he wondered if he’d have to wear the uniform. That made him quiver with apprehension. With his new body he’d probably look as alluring as the girls. All his life it had been pounded into him that sexuality was the work of Satan to tear people away from God.

“Being attracted to someone is not a sin,” Dani reinforced their earlier proclamation. She’d never been exposed to someone who was so prudish and repressed. “Here at The Center everyone is free to express their personality and sexuality. Since all the students have transitioned, many of us have mixed attractions. What we found attractive before we changed we still find attractive. But the hormones of our transitioned bodies also draw us to our now opposite sex. Don’t mistake our acceptance of mixed sexuality as hedonistic. We’re not sexually promiscuous but we do have relationships with a significant other. Whether that significant other is male or female is irrelevant.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Dave replied as the repressed sexuality of his upbringing fought to remain it’s mastery. “But God only wants us to have sexual relationships after we marry someone of the opposite sex and then only for the purpose of having children.”

“Dave, you’ve been brainwashed by your aunt and uncle,” Dani sighed. “We’ll work on de-programming you. But understand this, you will see same sex couples and modest shows of affection in public. We need your promise that you won’t use your mental power to hurt them.”

“Mental power,” Dave queried. “What’s that?”

“It’s the other thing that makes those of us who have transitioned special,” Lise explained. “Dani and I are empaths. We can sense other people’s emotions and sometimes their thoughts and memories. We can also use our power to calm people.”

“That’s what you’ve been doing with me,” Dave acknowledged. “I can feel you prodding my mind but you’re not intruding like that girl did back at the farm. She jumped into my head and it really hurt. She must have read my mind because she told the guys she was with you were there. When she tried to get back in the second time, I was able to keep her out. That seemed to surprise her.”

“It surprises us too,” Dani stated. “It’s our policy not to enter another person’s mind unless we have permission. But when we’re out on a mission, sometimes we have to do so although none of us like it. But few people who aren’t empaths or dominators can resist our intrusions. I’d guess your ability to sense mind probes and resist them is a secondary power you have.”

“A secondary power,” Dave shook his head. “What’s my main power?”

“We’re not exactly sure,” Dani replied. “From the reports of what happened at the farm, we think you can control gases or smells. You took the normal smell of the hog manure and intensified it to the point it made the bad guys so nauseous they choked on their vomit. Their leader was strong enough to push through the nausea. The forensic team thinks you made the natural gases in the digestive tract expand so rapidly his intestines simply exploded. We’ve never come across someone able to do what you did at the farm. We think it’s some unique variation of aerokinetic.”

“That’s an absolutely horrible power,” Dave whispered as he realized the implications of what he’d done. “I don’t want to ever do that again.”

“Few of the transitioned like using their powers to kill someone,” a new voice spoke from the door. “Certainly no one at The Center. We try to subdue our enemies but there are situations where killing is necessary. I’m Kristyn Keyes, I’m in overall command.”

Dave looked at the girl and saw a beautiful girl who at best was just a bit older than he was. She wore an Army uniform with Warrant Officer insignia. How could someone his age be a Warrant Officer much less be in charge? Yet the blue haired Asian guy was in charge of the unit he’d seen and that had included regular soldiers. When he met her blue/gray eyes he saw a look of confidence that could only come from hard earned experience although her smile seemed genuine.

“Welcome to The Center,” Kris smiled as she crossed the room to extended her hand in greeting. “We’ll work with you to figure out your power and how to control it.”

“Why would we have enemies.” Dave asked as he shook hands. “We’re just kids.”

“We’re not normal kids, we’re kids with powers,” Kris replied. “Imagine how people would treat you if they knew what you can do. Then there are others who would love to use us as super soldiers or for crime. We’re a part of Homeland Security. Our job is to prevent the misuse of our powers and to protect the country and world. It’s a huge responsibility. You saw our team in action. Our goal is to recruit the transitioned or soon to transition. We work with other government agencies to clean up messes like you unintentionally created so the population doesn’t panic.”

“I’ve got to get back to my duties,” Kris smiled. “I just wanted to welcome you onboard.”

“I’ve got to get back to my classes,” Lise added. “Dani will take you on the grand tour.”

“Thank you,” Dave called out as they two girls left.

They both turned their heads and nodded.

Dave looked at Dani. “School?”

“Of course,” Dani smiled. “None of us finished school before our change so we do it here as well as learn to control our powers.”

That made sense. Dave nodded his head.

“There’s undies, a sweat suit and flip-flops in here,” Dani said as she opened the restroom door. “Do you think you can dress yourself?”

“I guess so,” Dave replied as he stepped inside. Seeing the toilet he realized he had to go but wasn’t sure how girls accomplished that task.

“You just sit down, spread you legs a bit, relax and let loose,” Dani explained through the closed door. “The first time for all of us was a bit disconcerting, but your body knows what to do. Just be sure to wipe yourself after you’re done.”

Dave managed to perform the task without any major issues although it certainly did drive home the fact he was now a girl. After removing his... no... her gown, SHE looked down at HER pert breasts. They were cute and she could feel himself becoming aroused by the sight. That was so totally wrong. Quickly she stepped into the cotton panties. The undershirt seemed weird until she realized it had to be a bra. Blushing, she managed to slip it on before quickly putting on the sweatsuit. After slipping her feet into the flip-flops, she opened the door.

“Everything seems to fit,” Dani smiled. “You need to think of a complete new name. Dave is no longer an appropriate name. You need a girl’s name. See if you can think of one while I take you down to wardrobe to get you outfitted. Let’s go.”

Dave began thinking of a new name as SHE followed Dani out of the room. As he exited he saw the walls of the room he’d been in were quite thick and there was a heavy steel sliding door that could seal the door.

“It’s a safety bunker,” Dani explained. “Some transitions are ugly and dangerous and we’re never sure what might happen. We have to take precautions. Kris is an electokinetic. She can produce and control electricity. When she transitioned, even in a room like this, she blacked out the entire complex.”

“Wow,” Dave replied but at least she now understood the need for the transition room.

As they traveled the halls and stairs to the wardrobe room Dani explained about the internal terrorist attack at a genetics lab, not too far away from a bottled water facility as the cause of their situation. How unbeknownst to the water plant the tainted water was bottled. shipped around the U.S. and any women who were pregnant at the time wound up contaminating themselves when they drank the water. How the mothers all died in childbirth and their babies became the transitioned. That scientists have so far been unable to determine what triggers the change, but do know it is unavoidable. That the transition will happen to those children, it's just a matter of when. How some kids didn't make it until they were ten before they changed although most happen sometime around age sixteen. That the first manifestation is the appearance of the psychic power and then within the day the physical change occurs. How some go rogue and need to be stopped while others simply don’t survive the change. The tale sounded so bizarre it had to be true. It also explained all he’d experienced.

Dave was taken back when they entered the wardrobe room. The cavernous space was a warehouse! Dave was clearly bewildered at the amount of everything that was available. Row upon row of clothes as well as pegboards of packaged goods of socks, underwear, and assorted girlie necessities scattered throughout the room. Since Dave had never been in a mall she had no idea such a variety of clothing could be found in one place.

“The boys have one just like this,” Dani smiled as she sensed Dave’s awe.

True to her assumption, Dani outfitted her in the same school uniform Dani and Lise wore. The daring outfit was the girls’ school uniform. The high heeled boots were daunting, certainly changing the way she moved. Looking at her reflection in the mirror she felt the uniform accentuated her breasts almost too much for Dave to handle. The uniform was much too revealing for her prudish sensibilities.

“I don’t think I can let anyone see me dressed like this,” Dave apologized. “I know it’s the uniform, but... it’s so naughty.”

“It’s not naughty,” Dani patiently reassured Dave. “The uniform is designed to make sure you know you are a girl. The heels force you to stand correctly and not slouch. The skirt makes sure you smooth it before sitting and don’t bend over. The top, well, it certainly reminds of our girlishness. The whole idea is to force you to learn to move and behave like a girl. Unlike girls who were born that way, we new girls have to learn in days what they learned over sixteen years. Don’t worry if you make a few mistakes, we all did. But I talk from experience when I say you’ll adapt quickly.”

“I hope so,” Dave sighed. “I look like an teenage Irish hussy. I was so Aryan before, why do I look so Irish?”

“As far as the scientists can figure, most of us change into something from our lineage,” Dani explained. “You must have had some Irish genes.”

“My dad was half-Irish,” Dave nodded.

“There you go,” Dani smiled. “Have you thought of a name yet? You really should at least have a first name before we start meeting our classmates.”

“I guess I should pick something Irish,” Dave mused. “How does Shamrock sound for a last name?”

“Cute,” Dani giggled. “I’m glad to see you have a sense of humor. With your restricted past, we were concerned that might be an issue.”

“Oh I have a sense of humor,” Dave giggled in response. “I just never had anyone to share it with. Sometimes I think it was the only thing that kept me from going wacko.”

“Well you’ll have a chance to sharpen your wit here,” Dani chuckled. “There’s nothing like having a bunch of teenagers interacting for a few laughs.”

“That’s a bit daunting,” Dave replied solemnly. “I never interacted with anyone my age.”

“Well you’re doing fine so far,” Dani smiled. “We’ll let the others know you were isolated from your peers so they don’t get upset if you don’t respond the way they think you should.”

“That should help,” Dave said then started giggling.

Dani cocked her head and smiled crookedly wondering what caused the giggles.

“Brose,” Dave smiled. “Short for Ambrosia. Ambrosia is the taste or perfume of the gods. Since I apparently can control smells, I think it’ll be quite appropriate.”

“It certainly will,” Dani chuckled. “Come on, Brose, let’s go to the cafeteria. I’ll bet you’re really hungry about now. We should be able to get our food and be seated just as the other’s come in for lunch. Then I can introduce you!”

“I really am hungry,” Brose replied. “Lead on!”

Of course it wasn’t quite that easy. Brose almost fell several times until she was able to get the hang of walking in heels. With the remnants of her physical prowess and coordination of her previous life, she was walking surprisingly well by the time they reached the cafeteria.

“Brose, if you adapt to being a girl as quickly as you have walking in heels, you won’t have any problems,” Dani smiled as they took trays and headed down the line.

Brose was surprised by the wide variety of selections available. It all looked quite appetizing.

“Take as much as you like,” Dani reassured her. “After transition, nearly everyone is ravenous. We’re also hungry after using our powers. We need to replenish ourselves. Everyone is accustomed to seeing others eating humongous portions and meals. Or you can come back for seconds, thirds, fourths, whatever.”

“If I want more, I’ll come back,” Brose smiled as she filled her tray with numerous normal portions of a wide variety of choices.

As she savored the delicious food Brose decided she needed a signature perfume to go with her Irish appearance and surname of Shamrock. The only truly appropriate fragrance would be clover in bloom. She had always loved the sweet scent of the clover fields when they were in bloom as it was a welcome respite from the stench of the hogs. That brought back memories of her farming expertise. Clover was used on the farm since it puts nitrogen into the soil and was used in rotations between corn, wheat, oats, barley, or rye crops. It also provided forage for the few beef steers they raised an served as silage for winter feed.

Wondering if she’d ever again need that knowledge, a feeling of mischievousness grew. Being mischievous was something that had been strictly verboten in her previous existence, but here being a bit whimsical seemed somehow appropriate. Closing her eyes she retrieved the fragrance from her memory and concentrated on gently summoning it from the air in the cafeteria. As she concentrated on the sweet aroma of clover the nasal memory became so vivid she swore she could smell it.

“Wow, that’s fantastic,” Dani enthused.

Brose snapped out of her engrossment. “What?” Instantly she realized the delightful scent of sweet blooming clover filled her nostrils. “Oh, it worked,” she gasped in pleased surprise.

“I’ll say,” Dani smiled. “It’s very relaxing, like aroma-therapy! You got it just right too, not too strong, just elegantly moderate.”

“That’s what I was going for,” Brose smiled. “I didn’t know if I could do it but apparently I can!”

“You go, girl,” Dani praised. “I think this means you’ll be a quite powerful odourkinetic.”

The sounds of people talking and walking grew louder and closer as students began entering the cafeteria from various halls. Most stopped talking and sniffed the air as they encountered the fragrance of clover. Wondering where it was coming from they looked around and most conversations resumed with that as their main topic.

As she exited the serving line, Lise waved and headed for their table followed by the Native American girl who had been at the farm. “Dave, this is Liz,” Lise introduced as the pair joined them at their table.

“Hi Liz, I remember you from the farm,” Brose smiled. “But my name is now Ambrosia Shamrock but you can just call me Brose.”

“Ambrosia Shamrock,” Liz smiled. “Quite appropriate. I like Brose too. I’m glad to met you. Do we have you to thank for the clover?”

“Yeah,” Brose blushed. “I was just trying out my talent and I felt it would be an suitable scent.”

“It’s a LOT better than what we encountered at the farm,” Lise chuckled.

“Brose is an odourkinetic,” Dani explained.

“That’s a new talent,” Liz smiled. “I’m a reikikinetic, a healer.”

“That’s impressive,” Brose smiled.

Two other girls joined them at the table. “This is Brose,” Lise introduced. “We can thank her for the clover scent. She’s an odourkinetic.”

Brose smiled at the two girls. The taller had stark white hair styled in a becoming coiffure. The other girl had black hair and briefly looked up from the book she was reading to smile and nod.

“Thank you, it was a pleasant surprise,” the first girl smiled. “I’m Heather, a photokinetic. This bookworm is Debbie, my girlfriend, and she’s an omni linguist. She can read ANY and ALL languages, even extinct ones! She’s not much of a talker though.”

“That’s because you never let her get a word in,” Dani teased good naturedly as everyone giggled and Heather stuck out her tongue.

Just then the blue haired Asian boy stopped at their table. Unlike the other boys in the male version of the school uniform, he wore an Army Uniform with Warrant officer insignia. “You must be our new recruit,” he smiled at Brose. “I’m Max Stevenson. I’m base commander and my talent is hydrokinetics. I like the clover smell and I think everyone else does too. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Brose blushed a bit as she wondered how he became base commander. But wasn’t that what Kris had said too?”

“She’s selected a name,” Dani smiled. “Ambrosia Shamrock, but we’ll call her Brose.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Brose,” Max smiled. I’ll see you around The Center.”

“I’m confused,” Brose said. “I thought Kris said she was in charge.”

“We have two bases with a third opening soon,” Liz replied. “Max is in command of this site but he reports to Mom. She’s is in overall command.”

“It’s complicated,” Dani smiled as she sensed Brose’s growing confusion. “When Lis transitioned, she did so in Kris’ arms as she was comforting her. As near as we can figure out, they somehow imprinted each other. Since Kris was ‘caring’ for Liz, she became the mom and Liz the daughter. It’s a very real emotional link.”

Brose nodded her head. The explanation sounded bizarre but reasonable. At least as reasonable as the whole idea of transitioning. “But how can Kris and Max be Warrant Officers at our age and how can they be in command?”

“We’re a part of Homeland Security,” Dani said. “Colonel Harris is the head of our branch. He personally selected Kris as commander of The Center. As the Beta Site came on line it was her job to select one of us to be it’s commander and she chose Daniel Davidson. When he was given the rank of Warrant Officer to be the Beta site field and team leader, Kris was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer as Company Commander. Then she selected Max to take over this site so now he’s our field and team leader.”

Brose was still digesting the info when another thought occurred. “Since they’re holding rank in the Army, have they had basic training?”

“No, with us it’s all in house training and on the job experience,” Dani explained. “Most of us have no rank and are not officially on the Army roles. All those who do hold rank are on the Army roles with what’s considered field commissions.”

Brose nodded. “So I take it Kris, Max and Daniel have seen some sort of combat?”

“You saw what we face,” Lise solemnly declared. “They can make instant decisions, even if it means killing others. They do all they can to protect us, save pre-transitioned, and protect the public and country. Most of us don’t want their jobs and couldn’t handle them if we did. They have what it takes to get things done quickly and to not let it haunt them.”

Another girl came up to the table. She was a really cute blonde and took the open seat on the other side of Dani, promptly kissing her on the cheek. Then she smiled at Brose. “I’m Tina, I’m an empath like Lise and Dani.”

“I’m Brose,” Brose replied a bit stiffly. “I’m an ordourkinetic.”

“Cool,” Tina enthused. “Thanks for the fragrance. It’s simply scrumptious!”

As Brose ate she listened to the conversation about the table and jovial voices throughout the cafeteria. There seemed to be a few cliques, but there was none of the posturing she'd seen in her school. Everyone seemed to respect each other. Not being a conversationalist, she'd politely answer when someone spoke to her, but didn't initiate conversation.

On another level she watched the students and assimilated what she heard and learned in her short time as a transitioned. This place was quite amazing. Not only did they provide a warm environment for the transitioned, they selected their leaders from the ranks of students. That they apparently went out on missions and sometimes fought skirmishes seemed unreal. But Brose knew they'd have engaged in battle at the farm if she hadn't taken out the bad guys first. Now that she'd had a bit of time to think about what she'd done, she realized she had been in a fire-fight with the enemy. She'd single-handedly killed thirteen people, twelve apparently well trained experienced soldiers and one enemy transitioned. Their deaths were still unsettling, but by now she understood it had been necessary. She'd probably saved some of the Recovery Team too since they had not had to openly engage the enemy. In fact, now that she'd come to terms with it, the killing was only a bit more upsetting than slaughtering hogs on the farm. That concerned her and required more thought.

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 3

One thing still bothered Brose. Heather had introduced Debbie as her girlfriend. The two touched each other and smiled warmly in a tender manner she'd witnessed in school between boyfriend and girlfriend. Heather even kissed Debbie on the cheek in a most affectionate manner. The same seemed to be true for Dani and Tina, the appeared to be in a committed relationship too. Brose had been brought up in moral condemnation of homosexuality. Her gut reaction to their open display of affection was moral outrage. But she remembered Dani's admonition that same sex couples were allowed here. Looking about she even saw a few male couples holding hands! That was disgusting! Then as she thought about it, she realized she was still attracted to girls. Sure, Dave never acted on such attractions because no girl would have ever dated Stinky Finky and his aunt made sure he didn't touch himself. But the interest was definitely there then and it still was! That meant he was now homosexual! But it hadn't been her fault she'd changed into a girl. So if she was still a guy mentally, it seemed okay to like girls. The same had to be true for the rest of the students. They had no choice in their transition. So homosexuality for the transitioned wasn't really homosexuality as she'd known it. But did that mean the heterosexual couples she saw were gay? It was all too confusing, but at least she understood the warning she'd been given about not being offended.

The word that Brose was responsible for the clover fragrance spread like wildfire through the cafeteria. Brose was a bit overwhelmed by the positive response of her fellow students. Many came over to thank her as well as introduce themselves and welcome her to The Center. Those that didn't smiled and waved.

Brose had never experienced warm greetings and open acceptance. Naturally shy and reclusive, she timidly smiled and greeted everyone. Deep inside, her stoic sense of self waited for the accustomed hurtful oinks and phews that were the normal response Dave had experienced when his former classmates derisively greeted him. Tears of joy trickled from her eyes as she realized this place was truly open, accepting and welcoming.

As the meal wound down, Heather eagerly looked at Brose. "I've become the unofficial fashion maven. I love helping new girls select their new wardrobe. If you'd like, after supper, we can head down to the wardrobe to find your style!"

"Go with her," Lise giggled. "She LIVES to shop for clothes!"

"Okay," Brose said hesitantly not sure she needed more clothes or wanted to be alone with a lesbian. "But I thought we have to wear the uniform?"

"Only to classes," Heather enthused. "After school and weekends we can dress as we want. Besides, you'll need undies and nightwear too!"

Brose could see Heather was excited and the others were smiling which indicated this was par for the course with Heather. She seemed like a nice girl and recalling that she'd been told promiscuity was frowned upon she felt she'd be safe. "If you don't mind me not going with your choices if I feel uncomfortable with them, I'll go. But I was raised in a prudish Victorian environment and the uniform is beyond what I feel comfortable wearing."

"Victorian mores are soo out of date," Heather sighed. "But I'll find things that will make you look good and let you feel comfortable. All I ask is you at least try on what I select. You don't have to keep it, but we need to know how you look in different styles so we can hone in on your comfort zone."

"Sounds fair," Brose smiled. "As long as I don't have to leave the wardrobe room wearing your selections if I don't want to."

"Agreed," Heather smiled as she and Debbie stood. "I'll see you at supper then!"

Tina, Dani and Brose were among the last to leave. As they parted ways, Tina gave Dani a quick kiss on the lips. Dani could see that bothered Brose so she explained their relationship as she led her to the Clinic where she was to have her physical. “Tina transitioned at ten. She was one of the first but no one knows why she changed so early. She was happy being a girl and suddenly changing into a boy really emotionally hurt her.”

Brose was stunned. “Tina is a boy?”

“Yeah. His name is Christopher but he goes by Tina when in girl mode,” Dani explained. “She’s just more comfortable en femme so spends as much time as she can as a girl. Before you ask, yes, we’re a couple. I have the best of both worlds in her, a boyfriend and girlfriend all in one!”

“This place is going to take some getting used to,” Brose sighed.

“Like I said earlier,” Dani smiled. “We’re very accepting. Lesbian couples, gay couples, cross-dressing, basically whatever floats your boat and doesn’t hurt someone else as long as it’s tastefully done.”

“A LOT of getting used to,” Brose nodded.

Gwen Fry, the receptionist who doubled as clinic security greeted them as they entered the waiting room of the clinic as did Linda Martin, an LPN standing by the desk checking a file After introductions, Linda left to summoned Judy Jones, the RN who would be present to assist the doctor and to ease any worries about indecent exposure. Dani said her goodbyes when Judy came into the waiting room to lead Brose back for her exam. Once in an exam room she had Brose remove her clothes and don an open backed paper robe. Judy took her temperature, blood pressure, weight, and height, then called for Jane Bridges, the lab tech to draw the needed blood samples while she went for the doctor.

As soon as he entered the room Brose recognized Dr. Lynchburg from the bunker. The exam was quite thorough and professional. The breast exam and being taught how to do self-exams were quite embarrassing. But that was soon eclipsed by the last procedure.

They had her lie back on a short exam table with her butt at the edge and legs hanging uncomfortably off the end. The nurse took two metal contraptions with pads and stirrups from a shelf under the table and inserted them into the end of the bed. Brose found it quite disconcerting as the nurse had her put her feet into stirrups on the end of the contraptions and loosely strap her legs into the calf pads.

"This isn't the worst part," Judy comforted. "Relax while I position your legs."

Brose did her best not to panic as Judy adjusted the contraptions so her knees were bent and legs spread as wide as was physically comfortable. It certainly wasn't mentally comfortable! Her entire groin was exposed! Then it got worse as the doctor took a seat right between her legs staring at her private spot!

"Try to relax," Dr. Lynchburg said as he saw Brose tense. "I know this is uncomfortable and embarrassing, but it’s a necessary part of a female physical. I'll be as quick and gentle as I can."

"Dr. Lynchburg is the best," Judy soothed as she stood beside Brose laying a comforting hand on her arm.

Unable to turn her eyes away, Brose looked down between her outstretched legs in horrified fascination as the doctor began to gently probe her nether region with his gloved fingers. It felt weird for someone to be touching her so intimately, yet it felt strangely tingly with a hint that such contact could be quite pleasant in other circumstances. It was only when she saw him raise a stainless steel implement that Brose felt a sense of panic.

"It looks worse than it is," Judy soothed.

All Brose could think of was the castrator her uncle used on the boars and steers. Her aunts oft used threat to castrate Dave if he didn't control his hedonistic urges flooded her mind. Terror engulfed her, as did the sudden overpowering stench of hog manure filling the room.

Dr. Lynchburg dropped the nasty looking device as he and Judy began gagging because of the stench. Brose could the smell the horrible odor too and it nearly gagged her. Suddenly she realized she was unconsciously creating the stench. Memories of what she'd done on the farm flooded back and she promptly shut down the nauseous production. Unfortunately in the closed space of the room the smell didn't dissipate as it had in the open air breeze of the farm.

Reaching down she undid the straps holding her legs in place as the doctor and nurse were by then incapacitated on th floor by their retching. Brose grabbed Judy under her armpits and dragged the nearly unconscious women to the door.

Opening the door she pulled her through into the hall. "HELP! Someone please help," Brose yelled.

Hearing someone running towards them she ran back inside for the doctor. A claxon began sounding as Brose dragged the by then unconscious doctor out of the room. As soon as she was the doctor’s feet were clear someone slammed the door closed behind her. The three women, Gwen, who had slammed the door, Jane, and Linda, who had responded to her call for help were coughing and nearly sick as the stench had wafted through the open door but at least they were still somewhat functional.

"Move down the hall," Brose ordered as she dragged the doctor in that direction.

Jane and Linda each grabbed one of Judy’s arms and proceeded to drag her down the hall behind Brose and the doctor. Gwen bent over and puked, then stumbled behind them to fresher air.

They had to leave the clinic area exiting into the main hallway until the smell dissipated enough to make comfortable breathing possible. As soon as she laid the doctor down, Brose cleared the vomit from his air passages and began performing CPR. Judy began spitting and hacking to clear her airways while the three white faced rescuers slumped against the wall still coughing and gagging.

Footsteps came pounding down the hall, armed soldiers in SWAT gear in the lead. Seeing the injured sprawled in the hall, the Swat team wrinkled their noses at the now weak stench as they prepared to enter the Clinic.

"Don't open the door," Brose ordered with such authority the soldiers hesitated.

"Brose," Max stated sniffing the air as he came running up. He clearly recognized the reek. "You?"

"I'm sorry," Brose apologized as others took over the CPR and she stood. "It was an accident. I've shut it down but it needs to dissipate."

"Keep the Clinic Suite air system on look-down but release the rest of the complex," Max ordered into a handset he was carrying. "Vent the clinic outside and flush with fresh air... and turn off the claxon. You can stand down," he ordered the SWAT team as he disconnected the call. "It's under control. Did everyone get out?"

With their color slowly returning the women nodded. The doctor began coughing and slowly returned to consciousness.

"What happened," Max asked Brose since she was the only one that seemed capable of responding.

"Ah... I..." Brose began blushing redder than a rose.

"Max, I think I'd better handle this," Kris said as she joined the throng. "I'll write up the report and brief you."

Max nodded suddenly realizing it was probably a female issue. He still wasn't accustomed to dealing with that even though he'd been a girl before transitioning at fourteen. He’d never had a pelvic exam.

"Do you need Liz," Kris asked.

"No, we'll be okay," Dr. Lynchburg coughed as he looked at the others. "Fresh air, a bath and change of clothes and we'll be okay."

"I think you should put Liz on alert," Brose boldly said then blushed at her brashness but continued in a more contrite manner. "I mean, I've apparently taken out the entire medical staff for at least an hour. If anyone needs assistance till they recover, Liz will be needed."

Kris glared at Brose as she took out her phone. "Liz, please come to Medical. We have a situation. No need to run, it's not an emergency. Is Dani with you?" Kris nodded her head as she listened. "Tell her to come too and grab a robe."

That reminded Brose she was wearing vomit soaked ripped paper gown and way too much of her was now exposed. With Kris’ continued penetrating gaze Brose felt increasingly uncomfortable and guilty as she began slipping back into the meek submissive habits from her past life. Her head bowed and shoulders sloped in defeat. Knuckling under had been growing harder to do in the last months but there had been no feasible alternative. But that life was gone, here she had a chance to change the past that had nearly crushed her spirit. This place was supposed to help her grow and learn, not continue to repress! She could feel the adrenalin pumping into her veins.

"I messed up," Brose declared as she stood tall and boldly returned Kris' glare. "I panicked when Dr. Lynchburg picked up that thing and aimed it at me. All I could think of was how much it looked like the tool we used to castrate livestock. My aunt had often threatened to have my uncle use it on me if I didn't keep my sexuality under control. When I heard them start gagging and saw them getting sick I smelled the reek of the hog manure. I realized my fear had unconsciously summoned my talent. I promptly shut it down, unstrapped my legs, and dragged Judy out of the room and shouted for help. Then I went back inside for Dr. Lynchburg. I won't lose control again."

"She took control of the situation," Gwen responded. "I sounded the alarm when I heard the call for help. By the time we saw Judy gasping in the hall, the stink had already reached us. As we reached the open door Brose was coming out dragging Dr. Lynchburg. I could almost see the stench billowing from the door. We were all pretty disoriented by then but I managed to shut the door to the room as soon as Dr. Lynchburg’s feet cleared, then I got sick. Brose ordered us to drag Judy down the hall away from the smell as she pulled the doc. I followed as Linda and Jane pulled Judy out. When we got here, she cleared his airways and started CPR on Dr. Litchburg. We were too wiped out to do more than watch. She saved their lives, and probably ours too."

Kris nodded her head then turned to Brose and smiled. "We've all made mistakes before we learned control. I knocked out the power grid more than once. Tomorrow after breakfast we'll start your talent training. After lunch, if Dr. Lynchburg is up to giving it a try, perhaps you'll be able to complete your physical before going back to training. I wasn't sure what to expect after reading your dossier, but so far you've impressed me. I really like your new name, Brose. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Your ideas and input are always welcomed. But at the same time learn that an order is meant to be followed."

"What happened," Liz exclaimed as she and Dani arrived and looked at the beleaguered medical staff.

"I happened," Brose sighed. "It's more than a little ripe in there. I hope the smell doesn't linger in the furnishings."

"We'll simply replace them," Kris declared. "We've had to rebuild walls and training facilities and equipment that was damaged in training and little accidents like yours. I pretty well fried one of the training rooms during my training. What you did is not a problem." Then she turned to the medical staff. "Now that Liz is here, you can get cleaned up. Liz, we'll need you to cover the fort until they get back. Brose suggested we use you while the staff is indisposed. I think it was a marvelous idea. I'll have any incoming med calls patched to you phone."

"Sure thing, mom," Liz smiled.

As the weary med staff staggered to their feet and headed to clean up, a clean-up crew arrived to begin cleaning the mess from the hall. Brose quietly explained what had happened to Liz and Dani as Kris began to brief the clean-up crew.

"Facilities say the worse should be vented in about fifteen minutes," Kris explained as she checked a message on her phone. "Go in slowly. The smell is nauseating but harmless. The worst room is Gynecology. Do that one last. If the smell gets to you, take a break. We need the facility up and running as soon as possible, but do it safely. I've already told Max to authorize anything that'll need to be replaced, down to the walls and ceilings."

"Come with me, Brose," Dani smiled understanding her job. "Slip this robe on and I'll take you to the showers and show you the facilities. Then we'll head to your bedroom for fresh clothes."

"But I don't have any fresh clothes," Brose replied with a bit of confusion as slipped the robe on glad to cover her near nakedness.

"All clothing in wardrobe is tagged," Dani explained as she lead the way through the halls. "I logged us in when we entered. The system automatically detects and logs any items taken from the room so they can be replaced and so we know what you've got. It prevents over-zealous shopping... A.K.A. Heather. That's why she enjoys helping others shop. The system recorded your uniform, and the staff delivered four sets to your room."

“I’m so glad I’m here,” Brose sniffed back tears of happiness. “I can actually smell the odor of hog manure clinging to my skin and hair. It was so ever-present before that I never noticed it until my transition took it away. Even though I was only in the stink for a few minutes, I reek of it. No wonder no one ever wanted to get near me.”

“A good shower will get rid of it,” Dani assured her as she felt Brose’s happiness to be away from the damning smell of the hog farm.

"This is the dormitory wing," Dani explained as they entered a large brightly lit room furnished with comfy looking sofas and chairs with large and small tables scattered about. "This is our main lounge. We have rooms for gaming and TV and movies. There are rooms down those halls and your's is down this one."

As they entered the hall with doors leading off to either side at regular intervals. Plates with space for two names were beside each door designating the occupants. Most had two names listed although a few only had one. Half way down the hall was a room clearly marked 'GIRLS'.

"This is the girls' bathroom," Dani explained as she led Brose inside.

There was a security wall inside to keep any gawkers from seeing in. Off to one side was a room with about a dozen stalls for commodes. Opposite them was a row of twenty sinks with well lit mirrors and shelves for supplies. The room connected to an even larger room on the opposite side of the main entrance. The space behind the wall blocking the line of sight from the main hall had lockers and benches similar to that of a normal school locker room. In the larger area beyond the lockers were spacious shower stalls with glass doors that doubled as privacy cubicles. Dani showed her that inside each was a bench and shelves for putting robes, towels, shampoo and other sundries as well as a lighted mirror and GFI outlets for plugging in hair dryers and curling irons. A low wall extended across the back of the area. On the other side of that wall were four tubs.

Brose was surprised. She'd seen luxury tubs in magazines from the school library but they seemed bland to what was here. These were certainly nothing like the cramped old clawfoot tub Dave had used for his weekly bath. These obviously luxurious tubs had a place to lay you head! There were even chromed holes in the sides for what she correctly assumed was a Jacuzzi effect.

"You're going to love this," Dani smiled as she saw the wonder and anticipation on Brose's face. "Drop the robe down in this laundry chute and jamb what's left of that gown in the trash. Then jump in a shower to rinse down while I get body wash, shampoo, conditioner and a towel. While you take care of your hair, I'll get side by side tubs ready for both of us."

Brose quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. The promised supplies appeared in moments as she luxuriated in the hot shower. Dani explained how to wash and condition her hair since she correctly assumed Dave had never done more the wash his hair with a harsh soap.

Brose loved the lilac scent of the shampoo and conditioner. Her hair never felt this clean before and it certainly never smelled nice. As she finished, she did a reasonable job wrapping the towel around her just under her arm pits. Brose didn't hesitate to step around the low wall where she saw Dani wearing a towel waiting for her.

"All right," Dani smiled as she indicated the towel. "That's one lesson you've already mastered. I've put bath beads and a bit of bubble bath in the water. It's time to drop our towels and get in."

With that Dani removed her towel and placed it on a ledge behind the tub. As she prepared to step into the water she realized Brose hadn't moved. One glance toward the new girl revealed the new girl was stunned into inaction.

"It's okay, Brose, we're both girls," Dani reassured. "I'm sure you saw naked guys in the phys-ed showers. It's the same now only we're girls. Relax and step into the tub."

Brose watched in awe as Dani settled into her tub. Her words slowly penetrated the fog of her mind. "I'm sorry," Brose said as she loosened her towel but held it over her breasts as she carefully stepped into her tub. The sweet scent of lilacs filled the air as her foot broke the surface of the water. "I never saw any of the guys naked in phys-ed as they kept me separate. Heck, I never even looked in mirror to see myself naked as a guy! Aunt Rachel thought mirrors encouraged vanity so the only mirror we had was a small one in the bathroom to comb our hair."

Dani turned her head so Brose could slip under the water without anymore embarrassment. "That's so not right. Just relax, Brose," Dani spoke sweetly. "We all went through this. You'll get over it."

"I'm in," Brose replied. "Thanks for understanding. It's just that I'd never even seen pictures of a naked girl before. I haven't even seen my new self in the nude! Your body is just so... cute. I never imagined a girl's curves could look better with no clothes than they do with clothes!"

"Thank you, Brose," Dani graciously accepted the compliment. "Are your breasts tingly and your nipples hard?"

"Yeah," Brose said wondering how Dani knew. "Oh God," she gasped as she realized what it meant.

"Chill, girl," Dani soothed extending her empathy to help calm Brose. "It's normal. There's no reason to be upset."

"Thanks, Dani," Brose smiled. "I know what you're saying and I've seen how open everything is here, but it's going to take me awhile to overcome my past. This morning I was almost freaking out as everything hit me, but I'm already adapting. I think whoever designed our uniform was onto something. Making me face my girlishness instead of denying it is a good thing. I even handled Heather and Debbie and you and Tina being GIRLFRIENDS. Granted, it still grates against my morals. I knew my aunt and uncle were out of date, but I had no choice but to do as they said. Now I'm starting to break free."

"Now I understand why you impressed Kris," Dani smiled. "You feel your emotions but can use logic to over-ride them. You not only took responsibility for you actions, you knew how and why you messed up. On top of that you took command of the crisis and got everyone out, then saved Dr. Litchburg's life with CPR. But the most impressive thing is you stood up to Kris. You didn't demean her or her authority and what you had to say was valid. Asking that Liz cover for the clinic staff was brilliant. That means a lot to Kris."

Brose smiled and blushed as she squirmed a bit in the water, enjoying the freedom to move about and even stretch out, something she'd been unable to do in the tub back on the farm.

"One caution," Dani said. "If you want to lie back and close your eyes, make sure you put your head in the headrest. It'll keep you from slipping under the water when you fall asleep and an alarm will sound if you remove your head. Now, reach up and press the button by the shelf." Dani pressed her button activating the soothing air jets.

Brose did the same. The lilac scent now filled the air and soap bubbles began to foam the top of the water. In less than a minute, only the heads of the girls were visible above a frothing sea of bubbles.

Brose couldn't believe how refreshing and relaxing the bath felt. The water even seemed somehow to be slippery! The combination of massage from the jets and the swirling of the scented water sapped all the tension and anxiety from her. Following Dani's admonition and example, Brose nestled her head into the headrest nook and closed her eyes, letting every care she had in the world swirl away.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Dani and Brose woke at the sound. It was an alarm that set automatically for twenty minutes when the jets were activated. It usually woke the relaxed dozing occupants before they turned into prunes.

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 4

This time Brose was quite a bit less hung up about exiting the tub. Both girls kept their backs toward each other until they had patted themselves dry and wrapped their towels around themselves.

"I can't believe how soft and smooth my skin feels," Brose exclaimed as she explored her new flesh.

"It's one of the many pleasures we girls get to enjoy," Dani smiled. "Now, let's slip into clean robes and scuffs, then I'll take you to your room. While you check it out and slip into a clean uniform, I'll go to my room to dress."

It only took a few moments before Brose was in her room. Like most dorm rooms in The Center, it was set up for two people. While compact it looked comfortable. Bunk beds were provided for sleeping. A pair of matching dressers were along one wall while matching modular desk sets sat back to back near a spacious window looking out into a manicured lawn with several oasis of trees with benches and picnic tables.

"With your past, we thought it would best to give you some privacy until you acclimate to having friends," Dani explained. "You can personalize the room to your tastes but once you have a roommate you may have to compromise on that a bit. Fortunately that's usually not an issue since we try to make sure roommates are compatible."

Brose nodded her head in understanding but her eyes were focused on one desk. Her emerald eyes sparkled with excitement to note the desk held a computer! "Will I have a computer of my own?"

"That IS your computer," Dani smiled. "The Center provides one to almost every student as well as internet access. We're not allowed on Facebook, Myspace or in chatrooms."

"Oh wow," Brose giggled. "I've had a tiny bit of computer experience in school but never had open access. My aunt and uncle certainly wouldn't have one in their home. I've got so much to learn!"

"Some of our classmates are infokinetic," Dani stated. "Their talent allows them ultra-expertise on virtually everything involved with computers. A couple enjoy teaching novices. I'm sure once they hear of your limited exposure to techy things, they'll be falling over themselves to teach you."

"This place is so great," Brose enthused. "If all I had to do to get all this was to become a girl, I've made the deal of a lifetime!"

"I'm glad you're happy," Dani smiled. "Look about a bit and get dressed. I'll be back when I've changed and I can take you on a tour of the classrooms and training facilities before supper."

The room was at least three times the size of her old bedroom. Even with a roommate she'd have more space. Best of all was the view out the window! No barn or manure tanks! Just a green park like space. Opening the closet she noted a full length mirror on the inside of the door. The uniforms were hanging from a rod while a pair of heeled booties sat a shoe rack beneath them. Smiling at the efficiency of this place, she selected a uniform and laid it out on the lower bunk. Then she went to her dresser and removed a set of undies. As she slipped off the robe, she paused to look down at her nude body. There were definite curves in the right places. As her face flushed, she decided to look at her reflection in the mirror. What she saw stunned her. The winsome red haired Irish lass that had greeted her at the earlier glimpse in a mirror was there. But now that she was fully exposed her lithe body was undeniably beautiful! Strangely, Brose didn't feel offended by her nudity. The curves and swells of her body seemed poetic and pleasing to the eye.

In light of the sheer aesthetic of her nude body, the prudishness and moral indignation she'd grown up in concerning modesty could not be right. A life changing revelation hit her. God had created man and woman naked! They didn't have fur or scales, only flesh. Their physical perfection had to have been made to be seen and enjoyed! It was a testament to God's creative skill and love. It was only AFTER Satan had corrupted Adam and Eve that mankind insisted on clothing and modesty!

The conversations she'd had with Dani and Lise concerning the inappropriateness of her strict upbringing now really hit deep into her psyche. The ultra-Victorian moral standards of her aunt and uncle were now clearly revealed to be warped by their self-righteous misguided interpretation of the Bible. No wonder their children never came home. They doomed themselves to loneliness.

As these ruminations flowed through her mind, seemingly of their own accord, Brose's hands gently began exploring her new body. The softness and suppleness of her flesh was wonderful and intriguing. Hefting her perky 'B' sized breasts she felt their youthful firmness and sensed the promise of sensuality. As she realized what she was doing and the sensations it engendered a smile filled her face as she felt the fetters of her fuddy-duddy past disintegrate.

A knock on the door snapped her from her voyeuristic musings. Guiltily she looked at the door.

"Relax, Brose," Dani giggled. "I can feel your anxiety out here. I'll wait until you're decent."

Brose was torn by her prudish reaction and her new found liberation. It only took a few seconds to make up her mind. Dave and his life were over. She now had a new life as Brose. Quickly she stepped to the door and opened it enough to peer into the hall to make sure Dani was alone. When she saw the coast was clear, she opened the door to let Dani enter although she did use it to shield herself if anyone should appear in the hall.

Dani was surprised at Brose's actions. Quickly she stepped inside so the door could be closed.

"I've decided I like my new body," Brose explained as she stood before Dani in all her glory although her blush was body-wide. "I'm determined to start over, and since God didn't see fit to clothe us, I'm not going to be so priggish."

"Good for you," Dani exclaimed. "You are really beautiful! It's a pity I don't like girls."

Brose began to dress but was a bit confused about Dani's last remark. "What about Tina?"

"Tina is ALL boy where it counts," Dani giggled. "Before my transition I knew I was a transsexual, a boy trapped in a girl's body. That's why I understand Tina's need to dress as a girl. I was in love with my best friend who didn't have a clue I had a huge crush on him. He was such a hunk, kind, caring, strong, and with a tremendous sense of loyalty and right and wrong. When I transitioned I was delighted to have my body finally match my mind, but I really missed my friend. But the really weird thing is a few months after I transitioned, so did my best friend."

"Really," Brose exclaimed. "Is she here too? Why aren't you lovers?"

"We're still great friends but a love affair was never in the cards for us," Dani sighed. “She has a steady boyfriend now and is so busy she hardly gets a chance to socialize. The traits I liked in him not only carried over through the transition, they became more pronounced."

"Wow, she must be an awesome person," Brose

"That she is," Dani agreed. "You've met her twice today."

Brose thought for a moment of who she'd met twice that met Dani's description. Then it hit her. "Kris? Oh my gosh!"

"Got it on the first guess," Dani smiled as she helped Brose adjust the uniform tie.

With that, the girls exited the room. Over the next hour they talked about life at The Center as Dani showed Brose the educational classrooms, the gyms, the training rooms, the weapons range, and nearly every other area of the school.

The tour ended up in the cafeteria. As they exited the serving line everyone smiled at Brose and most of the girls giggled.

Dave had been accustomed to malicious giggling of his classmates but now Brose felt betrayed. She'd never experienced happy giggles so was unable to tell the difference. To her knowledge giggling from others was meant to be demeaning and hurtful to the object of their attention. It wasn’t supposed to be like that here. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as anger bloomed.

“No, Brose, don’t,” Dani loudly exclaimed as she dropped her tray and grasped Brose in a hug. Projecting all her empathy she tried to avoid a calamity. “They’re not laughing at you! Tales travel fast here and they know what happened in the clinic. All of us girls know how scary, embarrassing and humiliating that first pelvic exam is. They’re smiling because you got one back on the man. They’re NOT laughing at you!”

Everyone in the cafeteria froze when Dani dropped her tray. All eyes were focused on the duo as Dani hugged Brose and spoke. In the silence they could hear every word Dani said. They knew from the tears on Brose’s face she was upset and they knew what she had done earlier when she was upset. Fear gripped them.

Brose was already summoning her talent when Dani’s emotional empathy and words cut through the mental turmoil. While Brose had figured out how to shut down the odors once she’d created them but she hadn’t figured out how to cut the smells off as the talent was manifesting. Realizing she couldn't shut down summoning the manure smell, she dropped her tray. Stink bombing the cafeteria would ruin any hope she had for friendship. Doing the only thing she knew that would help, Brose shook off Dani’s hug and bolted for an emergency exit. Just as she slammed the panic bar the stench began to manifest. Fortunately she made it through the door with it safely closing behind her before the full strength smell emerged. Brose continued running across the lawn until she reached a flowerbed where she collapsed in tears.

Just enough of the rancid manure smell had emerged in the cafeteria to give everyone a hint of what could have been. Fortunately it wasn’t anymore disturbing than when someone passes gas. Dani ran to the door but wisely waited. Everyone looked out the windows to where Brose lay in a heap convulsing in tears. Many of the onlookers shivered as they noted the flowers near Brose wilting.

Through her tears she struggled to shut down the stink, but was unable to do so until it had reached full strength. Brose cried herself out after five minutes but was thoroughly embarrassed by the near catastrophe. Slowly she sat up but kept her back to the windows as she desperately tried to figure out what to do.

“It’ll be okay, Brose,” Dani said as she knelt by the stricken girl. The lingering smell was still powerful but tolerable. “Everyone is concerned about you. They're sorry they upset you. Turn around and look at them.”

Slowly and with quite a lot of trepidation, Rose turned to peer back at the cafeteria. What she saw, stunned her. Everyone had followed Dani outside and were standing in a semi-circle about 20 feet away. All had expressions of concern on their faces.

"They understand what happened," Dani explained. "They've all been through the transition and been fearful of acceptance from their fellow students. They know how emotionally exhausting transitioning is and how difficult it is to control your talent at the beginning. They know you ran out here to save them. Each one came out here on their own to welcome you as a classmate and to thank you for thinking of your welfare. Now stand up and greet them."

Brose felt Dani's empath abilities soothing her and from the looks of concern on her classmates faces she knew she was speaking the truth. Slowly she stood to face them, unsure of what to say.

Every face broke into a grin, then someone began to clap. In seconds everyone was applauding. Brose bit her lip and tears began to flow down her cheeks, only this time they were tears of happiness.

Most thanked her for thinking of them. Not one blamed her for almost stink bombing them. It was like Dani had said. They understood the turmoil of being newly emerged.

As they headed back inside, Dani led her back to the showers. Brose's hair and clothes reeked. Fifteen minutes later, Dani and Brose re-entered the cafeteria and went through the serving line. There were no giggles this time but nearly everyone had an understanding smile. They joined Tina, Debbie, Heather, Lise at their table.

Dani saved Brose the embarrassment of explaining what had happened earlier. All were understanding and sympathetic. They giggled as they swapped horror stories of the messes other newly transitioned had unintentionally created before they learned to control their talent.

"Well, girlfriend," Heather exclaimed as Brose was finishing her meal. Are you ready to go shopping?"

Brose smiled realizing just how eager Heather was to get another shot at the wardrobe. "Not really," Brose sighed. "But at the rate I'm going through uniforms I'll need more clothes."

They chuckled at her sense of humor, glad she was taking things in a positive manner.

Dani, Tina, and Heather led Brose back to the wardrobe. Dani explained that Tina was a bit of a fashionista too, although not as flamboyant as Heather. Heather stuck out her tongue and they all giggled.

Once inside the wardrobe Dani spoke. "I'll be monitoring Brose to make sure her emotions stayed controlled. If I tell you to back off, do so."

Brose smiled at Dani's concern and was glad to see Heather and Tina nodded their agreement.

Then the shopping began. Skirts, blouses, sweaters, slacks, shorts, as well as shoes of every sort came flying at Brose. At first she was a bit worried about Tina seeing her in her undies, but Tina maintained a girlish demeanor and showed no signs of sexual arousal. Dani explained again that Tina's personality had never adapted to being a boy. Christopher could role play being a boy quite adequately but that Tina, her default personality, was all girl.

True to her agreement, Brose tried on everything they brought to her and modeled it before the mirrors and her friends. The things Heather brought were nice and feminine in a sultry mod sort of way. Most revealed way too much flesh for Brose's still slightly prudish tastes. Heather was definitely the head fashionista but she had difficulty working with tastes that were not similar to hers. The outfits Tina selected were feminine but more demure, tending to be more emo in style. They allowed her figure to be seen yet maintained her modesty. Tina could sense Brose's fashion likes and dislikes, and the likes were heavily slanted towards Irish and Celtic symbolism. In the end, Brose accepted almost everything Tina had selected. Three quarters of her new wardrobe were from Tina's selections.

The only real issue was when Heather insisted Brose have a bikini to wear to the pool. It was the only time Dani had to step in. Realizing her rejection of the bikini had really frustrated Heather, she did choose a cute one piece suit that Heather then selected.

The last thing they picked up was jewelry, again with a heavy emphasis on Irish and Celtic. Necklaces, bracelets, rings here bagged as well as earrings for when Brose had her ears pierced.

Fortunately, Heather wasn't upset by the results of their shopping expedition. She knew her tastes often varied with the other girls, but eventually most sought her out for 'special occasion' outfits.

The four girls had their arms full as the returned to Brose's room. Brose smiled as she noted her name on ID plate by the door. Inside they laid their selections on the empty desk and lower bunk. Heather helped Brose organize her closet while Dani and Tina did the same with her dresser. When they were done, Dani suggested they head down to the cafeteria for a snack before lights out.

Dani helped herself to a frozen yogurt desert while the others all went for ice cream sundays. Brose made a humongous banana split and quickly demolished it.

"God I'm so jealous of all of you," Dani complained in a good natured way. "I have to watch what I eat or I'll get fat while you three can pig out."

"I'm sorry," Brose apologized even though she understood where Dani was coming from. "I love ice cream but only got it once or twice a year."

"Go for it, Brose," Dani smiled. "I’m accustomed to watching others chow down. Using your talents takes a lot of energy so most people can eat what they want as their kinetic talent burns up the calories. My talent doesn't do that so I have to watch my calories."

Brose smiled, understanding that while Dani was being ultralistic she was still jealous of their unhindered eating.

As she prepared for bed Brose thought back over all that had happened. From the time she awoke in the bunker until now had been a non-stop whirlwind of activity. She didn't think she'd ever experienced a more hectic, at times embarrassing, yet fulfilling day. Deciding to banish the puritanical demons of her past, she chose a daring babydoll nightie that Heather had selected. The ruffled lace hem barely covered her tush. The tin lace edged straps tickled her flesh as they moved on her shoulders. The pink satin main body was light and transparent yet wherever it touched her it felt cool and sensually slippery. The way it rubbed her nipples kept them aroused in an all too obscene manner. The matching bikini panties felt simply scrumptious as the sensuously caressed her nether regions.

Feeling adventurous she crawled into the top bunk and covered herself with the satin sheets Heather had insisted they get. As tired as she was, she was simply too aroused to sleep. Her new body demanded release and the satin enveloping only accentuated the burgeoning need. At first she tried to resist the hedonistic urges but Lise and Dani's admonitions that such emotional repression was way outdated forced their way into her thoughts. At the height of this internal conflict she recalled Dani's parting advice.

"What you do in your room is no ones business. Here you're free from old fashioned moral restrictions. Get to know your body." With that she winked and left.

Her hands slowly rose to her breasts. As she cautiously touched the engorged nipples waves of pleasure swept them throughout her body. Tentatively she cupped her breasts and began to squeeze and massage them. That felt so good she began to moan in pleasure. The warm pulses of pleasure seemed to fill her body and mind. Something that felt this good couldn't be wrong! A growing warmth formed in her crotch and as it's demand for attention grew, one hand slipped down to tentatively explore the now wet forbidden place.

Brose fell asleep satiated and exhausted. She'd never known orgasms were so delightful. Each one was bigger and more powerful than the last. She couldn't even remember how often she'd come as one flowed into the next. In her dreams she found herself eagerly making out with a boy. While they hadn't gone all the way, they had satisfied each other. The only thing that disturbed her was that even though they had been kissing she was unable to recognize his face.

In the morning Brose awoke in a highly aroused state. Her nightie, panties and even the sheets were damp with her lovemaking. Embarrassed she climbed down from the bunk, stripped the sheets and put them down the laundry chute along with her nightie. Donning a robe, she scurried to the showers to rid herself of the sensuous aroma.

There were quite a few girls in the showers or getting ready to go in. To her surprise she picked up multiple scents of female arousal. Apparently she hadn't been alone in her exploration. Although similar, each scent was slightly different. A few were mixed with a musky scent she had smelled before but she had difficulty recalling what it was. Finally it hit her. It was semen. Some of the girls had sex with the boys! Initially offended, she quickly shut down the Victorian indignation. Here it was okay. Even she had dreamed of being with a boy. It couldn't be bad if it felt so good. As she moved about, she could tell which girls had been with boys. Every one of them seemed bubbly and eager for the day to begin.

"Good morning, Brose," Dani greeted as she made her way through the other girls. "Did you enjoy yourself last night?"

Brose smiled and blushed, revealing she had.

"Way to go, girlfriend," Dani beamed. "Put on one of your jogging suits and pack clean undies and a spare jogging suit in your backpack. There are showers in the training area and if you mess up your outfit, you'll be able to change without walking through the complex."

Brose nodded her head as she stepped into a shower. She had smelled the scent of sex on Dani realizing it was connected to her normal body scent. Yet there was another scent, a male scent. It suddenly hit her the semen scent was from Christopher! Dani and Tina had done it last night! Apparently each boy had a scent distinctive to his emission.

It was at this point that Brose realized she could smell the scents of every person! It had to be a part of her talent. Having grown up on the constantly malodorous farm, she had never even smelled BO on others. The transition had cleared her nose and revitalized her nearly ruined sense of smell. She had been picking up a lot of new scents since she'd emerged but had no idea what they were. Now she realized it was the scent of other people. Going back over her thoughts she realized she could even smell the differences in a person's mood! Happy, anxious, angry, fear, love... she could detect the slight variations. She understood that would prove a valuable skill.

As she emerged from the shower she headed back to her room turning over this new bit of information. Soon she was dressed and in the cafeteria having breakfast. She practiced separating the unique scents of each person and following them back to their originator. She was also able to tell their emotional status. The ability simply blew her away.

After breakfast, Dani led her to the training rooms and introduced her to Mr. Lions, the talent coach. He led her to a hermetically sealed room and donned an oxygen tank and mask, explaining the precautions. Brose understood the need for such risk management and didn't feel offended.

Once sealed inside the room, they sat to talk before practicing.

"You're the first odorkinetic we've had," Mr. Lions smiled. "Do you know how to summon smells?"

Brose could tell by his scent he was excited and looking forward to exploring her powers. "All I have to do is think about a smell and concentrate on it. I can also control the intensity. Yesterday at lunch I created a light scent of clover in the cafeteria. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Then during my physical I panicked and summoned the manure stench without really thinking about it. That was strong, especially in the closed exam room. I could smell it but it didn't phase me. When Doctor Lynchburg and nurse Judy began coughing and getting sick I realized what I'd done and shut the smell off. Then I dragged them from the room. The stink spread into the hall while the door was open. Even though Gwen slammed the door shut when I got the doc out, but the small was gagging them. Gwen got sick. Linda and Jane dragged Judy out while I pulled the doctor. It wasn't until we were out of the clinic until the smell diminished enough to breath freely."

"You did a number on the clinic," Mr. Lions smiled. "You're talent was so powerful it permeated everything it could. They've had to tear out the walls and ceilings and replace most of the furnishings."

"I'm so sorry," Brose exclaimed. "What will happen to me for causing all that damage?"

"Your punishment is to stay with me until you learn control," Mr. Lions smiled. "We've been around enough newly emerged to expect some accidents. It's part and parcel of The Center. Now, what happened at supper?"

Brose blushed. "I'm used to people snickering and hassling me because I always smelled of the hog farm. When I came out of the serving line, I saw all the giggling and thought it had started here. I didn't realize they were not teasing. I got angry because I was told blatant teasing wouldn't be tolerated yet that's what I saw. I wanted to hurt them like they were hurting me so I started making a big stink... oh... that’s a bad pun.”

Mr Lions just chuckled.

“Dani sensed what I was doing and hugged me telling me they weren’t laughing at me.” Brose continued. “But when I tried to stop the stink bomb, I realized I couldn’t. So I ran outside before it fully hit. Only a tiny bit got into the cafeteria. Once I was outside and it hit, I was able to shut it down. I was so embarrassed I broke down.”

“That fits what we saw on the surveillance tapes,” Mr Lions said. “So it appears you can start your talent at will, have some control over the intensity, and can shut it off once it’s been released. So you need to learn how to shut it down before it manifests.”

When Brose nodded her agreement he went on. “Since it appears the odor you create comes from your body or next to your body, we also need to try to see if you can project the smell. Now the reports from the team that brought you in indicated you were able to successfully fend of a mind probe. Please tell me what you felt and did.”

Brose thought back. “When I was coming down the lane, I saw Lise and the others in the creek bed. Lise started using sign language to communicate with me. When she did, I felt a weird subtle tickling in my brain. We sort of linked up, I was easily able to understand what she was trying to tell me and she could tell I understood. I think she also calmed my apprehension. Then as I got close to the farm I somehow felt I was being watched by bad guys. It was like I could literally feel them looking at me as if I was a target. I was able to trace their gazes back to their hiding spots so I knew where they were. Then I saw a girl step out and I felt her jump into mind. It really hurt, both physically and mentally, as if she was raping my mind. She must have read my thoughts because she told the others your team was there and that I hadn’t had first emergence.”

“They began setting up an ambush and the girl came closer to pull me into the SUV,” Brose said softly. “When I felt her try to ping my mind again, I fought back and pushed her out. That shocked her and she yelled ‘first emergence’. I was totally pissed and it seemed as if time slowed down. I had no idea how I did it, but I was able to make the hog manure smell stronger, so powerful it incapacitated them. I made it too strong and they puked so much they choked to death on it. All except their leader, he looked like a war toughened vet and he tried to shoot me. I looked at his gut and made the gases inside expand until he exploded. By then they were all down so I cut the smell and time seemed to speed back up. I was so exhausted I collapsed.”

“That fills in a lot of holes in the reports,” Mr. Lions said. “How far away from you was the leader when you zapped him?”

“About twenty five feet,” Brose answered. “That means I can project my talent.”

“Yes it does,” Mr. Lions smiled. “It also means you might have a secondary talent of mind control, or at least the ability to block mental probes. Are there any other talent manifestations?”

“Yes,” Brose replied. “I noticed it this morning although looking back I sensed it as soon as I emerged. I can smell other people. Everyone has there own scent and I can identify who the person is once I’ve smelled them. But I can also tell how many scents are co-mingled. If I get a whiff of air from a room, I can tell how many people are in it and whether they’re male or female. I’m also starting to tell how a person feels by subtle variations in their scent. I think each emotion has it’s own scent that blends with a person’s normal scent. Happiness changes the scent one way, fear another, anxiety another and so on. I can tell which scent is from which person and also how they’re doing emotionally. Since I only started doing that this morning, I’m not that good yet, but somehow I can detect the various combinations. Like right now, you’re excited about my talents even though you’re not showing it on the surface.”

“Wow, that is amazing,” Mr Lions declared with a smile. “You’re quite correct that I’m excited about exploring your talents. How about we get started with your training by creating the clover scent in here.”

In seconds, the pleasing sweet smell of clover filled the room. It was not cloying, but perfectly relaxing at the correct intensity.

Then he took Brose out into the hall and lead her to the classroom area. After having Brose stand with her back against the wall by a door to a classroom, Mr. Lions knocked and stepped inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm testing a talent and need to have the door open for a few moments. I'll shut the door when we're done."

"All right, Brose," Mr Lions said when he returned. "What can you tell me about the people in the classroom?"

Brose sniffed the air for a few moments. "The teacher is a woman. There are eight boys and nine girls. I recognise Debbie and Heather. I recognise a few others but I don't know their names."

"That's amazing," Mr Lions said. "You're absolutely correct!"

They repeated the exercise at three more classrooms before returning to the training room. In each case she was able to identify number and gender of everyone in the rooms just by sniffing the air.

Next he had Brose expand the gas in water balloons sitting on a row of stands until the line went through the open emergency exit and continued down the lawn. Each was two meters apart and the distance increased from Brose to each succeeding balloon.

Brose had no problems until she reached a distance of sixteen meters. Each balloon swelled rapidly and burst in under two seconds. After that she had to put more concentration and effort into popping the balloons, each taking a few seconds more than the last. Finally at fifty meters she failed to pop the balloon.

“Very good, Brose,” Mr Lions smiled. “You did extremely well. Take a break, eat some chocolate bars and drink some Coke to replenish your strength.”

Brose didn’t turn down the offer for candy and Coke. These were treats she seldom enjoyed in her past life. But she was fatigued. She now understood Dani’s complaint about kinetic talent users being able to eat anything and not have to worry about their weight.

After Brose had refreshed herself, they headed outside. The nearest balloon was now twenty meters away. Staff members had moved the balloons five meters apart and the most distant was now two hundred meters away.

"I want you to focus on what you had to do to pop the balloons," Mr Lions instructed. "Mentally go through procedure without actually doing it. Practice the sequence until it becomes natural. When you're ready, let me know."

Brose did as she was told. Going through the mental procedure on dry runs seemed to hone her ability. With each run through, it became easier and required less concentration. After fifteen minutes Brose announced she was ready.

As soon as he had the monitoring equipment on line, Mr. Lions nodded.

Brose began popping the balloons. The first required little effort and each required a bit more than the last. The time lag between pops went from two second to ten seconds by one hundred meters. It wasn't until she reached one hundred meters that she began to push herself. By one hundred fifty meters she was panting and perspiring freely and it had taken twenty seconds to pop that one after the last.

"You can take a break," Mr Lions said.

Brose shook her head and concentrated. After fifteen seconds, the balloon at two hundred meters burst, then in two second intervals, each closer balloon burst until they were all popped. Then she plopped down on the grass, "Whew, that was fun! Tiring, but fun."

Good," Mr Lions said obviously impressed. "Why did you start with the last balloon?"

"I realized I was wasting energy trying to just jump out to the next balloon,” Brose smiled. “So I pumped up to pop the last one, then just did the rest while dropping down the power."

"Very good, Brose," Mr Lions smiled. "You're already figuring out how to work smarter."

"I'm used to doing that from working on the farm," Brose smiled. "I almost always found easier ways to do my chores."

"It's almost lunch," Mr Lions said. "Why don't you go now and chow down. Build yourself up for this afternoon."

"Sounds like a plan," Brose replied. "Any word if Dr. Lynchburg is ready to complete my exam?"

"Let me check," Mr Lions said as he pulled out his IPhone clone and began tapping. It only took a few minutes to get a response. "The clinic is only taking emergencies until they get everything repaired. You're safe until tomorrow."

Brose nodded guiltily and headed off to the Cafeteria. There she heaped her tray with goodies and took a seat at the table she'd sat at previously. By the time the other students began arriving, the cafeteria smelled like a field of clover. They all smiled and waved to Brose. Dani, Lise, Tina, Debbie, and Liz soon sat with Brose. Brose explained what she had done and how things were going.

After lunch Mr. Lions led them outside to the roof of the tallest building. Several air sample vacuum bottles were set up around the roof. Several assistants sat by each set-up with a gas mask by their side as did Mr Lions.

"Okay, Brose," Mr. Lions instructed. "Give us a shot of your stink bomb."

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 5

Brose waited until everyone had donned their mask before concentrating. A fine mist began to form about five feet in front of her, then blew up. Being unprotected, Brose smelled the familiar stench of the hog manure pits. Even through their gas masks, everyone began gagging. Brose quickly shut down and in the slight breeze the stink rapidly dispersed. "It's safe now," Brose called out.

Mr Lions and crew pulled off their asks. Their eyes were watering and the drew in huge droughts of fresh air.

"Did you get samples," Mr Lions called to the assistants.

They nodded their assent.

"That was quite a stink," Mr. Lions looked at Brose. "It even penetrated our masks. I can understand what happened to those people at the farm when you stink bombed them. Can you do other smells?"

I can do the clover," Brose said. "I haven't tried others. How about a skunk?"

"Go for it," Mr Lions smiled as he signaled the crew to don their masks.

The results were much like the first stink bomb. Brose did the smell of methane, the rotten egg smell of natural gas, the smell of a freshly baked apple pie and several other smells. When they had filled all the sample bottles they headed back to the outdoors area they used to pop balloons.

Now there were rows of Plexiglas boxes set at five, twenty five, fifty, one hundred, one hundred fifty, two hundred, two hundred fifty, and three hundred meters. The task was for Brose to recreate some of the smells she'd done on the roof in a smaller scale inside the boxes. The boxes were sealed and had most of the air vacated. It took Brose only thirty minutes to fill all the boxes with the gases Mr. Lions selected.

The samples from the roof and samples drawn from the boxes were all carefully labeled and taken to the lab for analysis. Then Mr. Lions had Brose sniff compounds she wasn't familiar with and then try to duplicate those, not only in the concentrations she sniffed but in higher densities inside high pressure two liter vacuum bottles. Only after she'd duplicated the sample did he tell her what it was. The last exercise was to see if she could smell methane as it burned. This she easily accomplished. Then he had her fill a Plexiglas box with methane followed by having her pop in a tiny bit of burning methane. The explosion was tremendous.

When released from her training, Brose was worn out but felt happy. The practice had honed her skills so she could pick a spot and create the odor there. She could also control the intensity from mild to overwhelming. As she returned to her room, Brose felt more alive than ever. From what she had learned in her short time with The Center, Brose realized her training was geared to utilizing her talents in combat. If she could help others like herself, she was up for the challenge. Besides, it had always been Dave’s plan to join the army once he graduated and turned eighteen. He had hoped that with his academic record he’d be able to secure a full ROTC scholarship. Now that she was at The Center, she was already part of the military. Wisely, while she was not looking forward to battle, she had already seen the elephant and took it down.

That analogy made her smile. Seeing the elephant... so archaic yet so appropriate. In her past reading she had learned the expression dates from the third Century B.C. Alexander the Great's Macedonian warriors defeated the elephant mounted army of King Porus in the Indus valley. These men brought memories of the strange beasts back to their hearth-sides to thrill and excite their families. Considering the remarkable distance traveled by this army and its exotic exploits, it may be that "seeing the elephant" became synonymous with journeys and experiences in strange and far-off places. In military terms, if you see the elephant, you experience much more than you wish to when in combat.

Brose wasn't proud of what she did on the farm but knew it had to be done. Lise and Liz were certainly not bad people, yet they had gone on missions and faced combat. Even Max and Kris, their leaders, were concerned with keeping the transitioned safe. The fact they had been promoted to positions of leadership from within their ranks really sealed her confidence in belonging to The Center and doing what she could to help. She felt confident that The Center was all about helping the transitioned and protecting the population at large from those who might misuse the talents of transitioned for evil.

Dave had never shied away from a difficult or unpleasant task. He always did what had to be done. This didn't mean he liked what he did, but he did it anyway. Now that she was Brose, that same steadfast determination was still present in her being. If that meant she had to repeatedly go see the elephant, possibly killing it, then that's what she would do.

After dropping her smelly clothes down the laundry chute, she donned her robe and headed for the showers. She really enjoyed the showers, it felt good to be clean and rid herself of any unpleasant odors. Back in her room, she put on clean undies, then daringly stepped into a denim mini skirt that ended in a ruffle at mid-thigh. For a top she selected a light green knit top that had a four leaf clover printed on the front and rear. Already feeling comfortable in heels, she donned a pair of green sandals with two inch heels. For jewelry she selected a gold chain necklace with a Leprechaun dancing by a pot of gold and a green jade bracelet.

She entered the cafeteria at the same time the other students were coming in so she simply joined the line. Everyone spoke to her, welcoming her on board and telling her how glad they were she was adapting so quickly.

With her tray heaped full she joined her friends at their usual table. When they asked how her training had gone she gushed with excitement. Everyone was happy for her.

That night she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

The next morning she dressed in her exercise outfit and headed for breakfast. The conversation was lively and fun. As they headed off to their classes, Dani pulled Brose aside.

"Your training has been pushed off until after lunch," Dani explained. "Dr. Lynchburg is ready to finish your physical. Then you're to go for your psych evaluation. Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Thanks, but no,' Brose said. "I've made up my mind to do what's expected of me. I'm a big girl. I can do this."

Dani smiled at the bravado Brose was exhibiting, rightly sensing she was determined to do this on her own. "Okay, girlfriend," Dani smiled. "But don't be afraid to ask for a breather if things get to hot."

"Thanks, Dani, I will," Brose smiled in reply.

A few minutes later Brose entered the clinic waiting room. Gwen looked up and smiled. "You can head on back to the room you were in last time, strip down and slip into a gown. I'll let Judy and Dr. Lynchburg know you're here."

Brose could sense Gwen was being sincere and held no grudge for what had happened. That made her feel better as she headed back to the exam. room. She also noted all the floors and ceilings in the hall and exam room were new. She'd just donned the paper gown when there was a gentle knock on the exam room door.

“Good, you're all ready to go," Judy smiled as she entered.

By the time Dr. Lynchburg arrived, Brose was on the table with her legs in the stirrups. "If you start feeling upset, tell us," he said kindly. "None of us want a repeat accident."

That was all that was said. Brose marveled at the way everything just seemed normal. Dealing with the transitioned had to have been quite an experience. Brose flinched a bit when the cool speculum touched her nether regions and she wriggled a bit as it slipped inside. But other than feeling a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed, the ordeal was over just a few minutes after it began.

"That's it? I freaked out about that?" Brose was embarrassed.

"Yes, that's it," Judy smiled. "But practically everyone freaks out the first time. You just had a bad response."

"We had one girl who's talent is probability manipulation," Dr. Lynchburg chuckled. "Every time I touched her with the speculum, she made it disappear. It think I lost 3 before she finally calmed down enough. She apologized too and brought the speculums back."

That tale brought a smile to Brose's red face and made her feel better. Once she redressed, she was guided to the psychiatric department for her eval.

Dr. Tipps was polite and put Brose at ease. For the first hour they just sat and talked about how life had been for Dave. Then they spent a half hour discussing how Brose felt about being at The Center. Brose could tell the doctor was upset by her past life but delighted with her eager acceptance of her sex-change and new life.

Then came the written tests. On some questions it was difficult to choose the most appropriate answer. On others she realized if she had taken the test as Dave her answers would have been different. By the time she completed the exam, it was lunch time. Dr. Tipps smiled and dismissed her telling her she'd notify her of her next session.

Brose was the last to take her seat at the table. Naturally everyone wanted to know how the physical went. She blushed as she admitted it wasn't something she'd ever look forward to but it wasn't totally horrible. To her relief, all the girls shared her sentiments.

Max stopped by the table. "I'm here to make it official. Brose, you're now a full member of The Center. Mr. Lions was thrilled with your effort and how quickly you learned. Here is your I-phone."

Brose was delighted and basked in the warm congratulations of her companions as Max left. Then she blushed as she looked at the phone. "Err... how do you turn it on?"

Except for Dani the others looked at her as if she was from another planet. "Take it easy on her," Dani cautioned. "Her family only had an old fashioned dial telephone and she wasn't allowed to use it. They didn't have a computer either."

"Like, no way," Heather exclaimed. "How did you live like that?"

"You don't miss something you never had," Brose explained. "I did get a tiny bit of computer experience at school, but I really don't know much. I know the stuff exists and that it can do a lot, but I have virtually nada experience in most techno stuff."

"We definitely have to take care of that," Heather exclaimed piously. "I'll round up some expert help and we can start teaching you this evening."

"I know this may sound weird," Brose said. "But is it possible to have a dominator download the info into my brain?"

Everyone looked askance.

"No one likes to probed," Lise said.

"That's a new idea," Dani stated thoughtfully. "Dominators have copied memories from others into themselves, but to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever tried to download information into another person. I think you'd both have to have a lot of mutual trust to be able to do that."

"I said it was a weird idea," Brose added.

"It certainly is," Dani agreed as she began taping away on her phone. "But it might be worthwhile exploring. I'll send a note to Kristyn and we'll see where it goes from there."

"You're one amazing person, Brose," Lise smiled. "You'd be willing to do this even after a dominator raped your mind?"

"If it was with someone I knew and could trust, sure." Brose answered. "If it gets too nasty, I'll boot them out like I did the dominator I killed."

"You threw a dominator out of your mind," Debbie asked looking up from her ever present book. "Other than another dominator, I know of only one person who successfully fended of a dominator. That was Luce and she's a probability manipulator."

Brose smiled. "Is she the one who kept making the speculum disappear?

"That was her," Dani chuckled. "I know you could sense when Lise and I tried to sooth you so I have no doubt you have some form of internal mental shielding."

"Enough gab," Tina said as she scooted her chair next to Brose. "I'll give you a quick lesson."

Brose was amazed by all the apps. She easily learned how to activate the phone, then to navigate the icons. She really liked the maps of The Center and the locator feature. Using the phone was fairly simple but text messaging was a bit too far afield. At least she could now navigate The Center, read her calendar, and make calls.

After lunch Brose joined Mr Lions for more training. "Your talent is amazing. Chemical analysis of the odors you created from memory match the chemical analysis of the real thing. The odors you replicated after a sniff were also perfect replicas. One of the gases we exposed you to was laughing gas, nitrous oxide, a slightly sweet smell and taste. What you duplicated in the vacuum bottle was strong enough to knock out a grown man. We had you sniff pure methane, which is odorless and colorless, yet you were still able to duplicate it in the vacuum bottle at enough pressure to cause it to liquify. They scientists were able to use it to fuel a Bunsen burner for almost two hours."

"We'll be heading out to the ballistic firing range," Mr Lions said as he led Brose outside to an SUV. "We'll see if you can flood a sentry post with enough nitrous oxide to knock out any occupants. We've even had a few soldiers offer to be guinea pigs so we can see how rapidly it works. We'll have crews outside with oxygen to revive them when they drop.

"Then we'll see if you can flood a room in another building with methane and ignite it,” Mr Lions said as they drove about a mile to the ballistic firing range.

When they arrived, they gave Brose the option of how far she wanted to be from the targets. “My accuracy past two hundred meters seemed a bit cattywampus,” Brose said after a few moments of thought. “Were the results past two hundred meters accurate?”

“At two hundred fifty meters you hit the target but never came close to filling the box,” Mr Lions smiled. “At three hundred meters we detected a whiff of scent but virtually no accumulation. How did you know you lost your accuracy?”

“It just didn’t feel right,” Brose replied. “I thought you would say something to me about it.”

“During testing we seldom give you full results until the tests are completed,” Mr Lions explained. “We don’t want to erect what may be artificial barriers in your mind that could effect your performance.”

“That makes sense,” Brose agreed. “So lets start out at Two hundred meters.”

“There are two men inside the sentry post,” Mr. Lions explained. “They know what you’re going do. One is looking out an open window and the other is seated at a desk. There is a panic button on the desk they are to hit if they sense a gas attack. The object is to overwhelm them before they can hit the button.”

Brose scanned the area. “Is the rescue team outside the building?”

“Yes,” Mr Lions answered.

“Please tell them to mask up as a precaution,” Brose politely ordered.

Mr Lions had an assistant relay the message. He nodded when he got an affirmative reply.

Brose closed her eyes and concentrated on the target. At the very edge of senses she could find six people, four had oxygen tanks on, two were waiting nervously. Taking a deep breath, Brose created a concentrated mass of nitrous oxide inside the building. She kept the density constant for thirty seconds until the assistant barked that both men were down. At that point she shut down the nitrous oxide and flushed the building with a dose of fresh air. The alarm had not sounded.

By the time Brose and Mr Lions reached the building, the two effected soldiers were outside leaning up against the walls. They still had oxygen masks in place and had regained consciousness but were still quite groggy.

The sergeant in charge of the rescue team spoke as they surveyed the building. “They saw us don our masks so they knew the attack was imminent but they never knew what hit them. By the time they realized they were getting groggy, it was too late to reach the alarm.”

“I hope I didn’t hurt them,” Brose stated. “They will be okay, won’t they?”

“They’ll have a bit of a hangover but will make a full recovery,” a medic answered.

Next they walked about a quarter of a mile to a two story concrete block building. A sergeant there assured them everyone was at least a hundred meters away from the building.

Brose scanned the area. “Is everything ready.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the grizzled veteran answered. “All monitors and cameras are rolling.’

“Good,” Brose smiled. Closing her eyes she concentrated on a first floor room. In less than ten seconds the entire building disappeared in a tremendous BOOM that nearly deafened Brose and the others. A debris filled mushroom cloud of flames shot up fifty meters and out nearly the same distance. The dust and debris filled concussion wave hit them milliseconds after the ignition knocking them all to the ground. Tiny chunks of concrete block and bits of wood from the floors, joists, and roof pelted them from the sky for nearly thirty seconds. The medic and men from the first test site sprinted to the fallen people.

Brose pushed herself to her feet, shaking her head to clear the ringing and disorientation. Feeling her nose running she wiped it on her sleeve only to see blood. Looking about she saw the soldiers and Mr Lions just starting to move. They were all bleeding from the nose and ears. Brose reached up and felt her ears to feel the sticky blood trickling down.

Reaching in her pocket she pulled out her phone and dialed 911. She couldn’t hear the operator ask what was the emergency. “We’ve got injured on the ballistic firing range from a massive explosion. We need medical help STAT. If you’re talking I can’t hear you. The explosion deafened me and we’re all bleeding from our ears and noses. Please send help ASAP!” Brose repeated her message three times then left the phone on while she placed it in her pocket to serve as a locator beacon. Then she began to help the injured.

The entire complex had felt the explosion. It rattled all the windows and set off a few alarms. Everyone was already scrambling when they got the call from Brose.

Liz scrambled with the rescue squad as did Max and Kris. They met up with the Dr. Lynchburg, and nurses Judy and Linda in the motor pool to man the ambulances and rescue truck. Soldiers jumped into the three vehicles as drivers. Two trucks loaded with armed soldiers followed them out. They were at the site of the explosion eight minutes after it happened. They were shocked at what they found.

All that was left of the two story concrete block building was a hole fifteen meters across and five meters deep. Chunks of the building were scattered in a circle about five hundred meters across. Dust still hung in the air and a black cloud about two hundred meters in diameter was slowly drifting away from the site. A few soldiers were staggering across the debris field to where Brose and the relief squad from the first test were giving first aid to a moaning group of ten men. All but the relief squad were covered head to toe in a grayish tan dust broken only by blood.

The ambulances and rescue truck stopped at the make-shift first aid site. The trucks split to circle the devastated area, pausing every so often to drop four man rescue squads off to search for survivors.

By this time, Dr. Lynchburg trusted Liz and as he triaged the wounded, he pointed her to those who needed her skills most. Within twenty minutes, the injured had been gathered and were headed back to the clinic. Quite a few had serious injuries. Two would have died without Liz.

In all, eighteen people including Brose and Mr. Lions had been injured by the massive explosion. Brose, Mr Lions and the sergeant were the last of the injured to be evacuated. They were able to climb into the back of the rescue vehicle on their own power.

Two hours later, the cleaned up but still battered Mr Lions and Brose sat in the conference room facing Max and Kris. Their ears were still ringing but they were functional. Max began the inquest by dimming the lights and critiquing the surveillance tapes. It was a good thing the equipment had been set up transmit rather than record as every camera withing one hundred meters had been destroyed. They saw the explosion start then each feed went blank as the blast’s concussive ring hit them. The cameras further out showed the massive explosion in all its destructive glory. An aerial shot from a helicopter revealed the scope of the damage.

“The only good thing is that no one was killed or permanently injured,” Max summed up. “Everyone should make a full recovery.”

“It’s my fault,” Mr Lions declared. “I take full responsibility for what happened. I was too eager to test Brose’s skills. I should have evacuated the men further back and we should have been in a bunker.”

“Actually it’s my fault” Brose admitted. “I didn’t follow instructions. I was supposed to pump in methane, then ignite it. I though if I put too much methane inside, it wouldn’t have enough oxygen to ignite. So I created a mixture of 80% methane and 20% oxygen. That’s what I pumped in. I knew it would be a spectacular explosion but never expected such a massive detonation.”

“Obviously,” Kris growled causing Brose to slump. “Mr Lions, I expect a full report on everything you’ve done with Brose. Brose, you will be punished for what you did.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Brose sniffed fearing what her punishment would be.

“Your academic background shows you were a straight ‘A’ student,” Kris declared. “But obviously you need more physics and chemistry. Therefore I’m exempting you from regular school classes and sentencing you to full morning sessions of chemistry and physics. I expect you to get straight ‘A’s. You need to learn all you can about the combining gases. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Miss Shamrock?”

Stunned by the leniency and appropriateness of the discipline Brose looked up at Kristyn. “Yes ma’am. Thank you ma’am.”

With that Kristyn stood and announced the inquest was over. “Brose, would you object if I joined you for dinner this evening?”

“No, ma’am,” Brose replied unsure if this was some sort of trap.

“I want to make sure my daughter is okay,” Kris smiled. “She expended a lot of energy today. If I’m at your table, everyone will know the matter has been settled. Besides, I need to relax a bit.”

“I’d be delighted to invite you to join us at our table,” Brose said returning the smile.

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 6

Kris and Brose were the last students to enter the cafeteria. All conversation ended. Kris just smiled and joined Brose going through the serving line as a tremendous buzz swept the students at Kris' unexpected appearance. At the table, Liz stopped eating long enough to stand and give her mom a hug. Kris put her tray on the table and turned to the waiting audience.

"I'm sure all of you are aware we had an accident today on the ballistic target range," She announced. "Thanks to Liz no one died. Everyone will make a full recovery. As you probably suspect, Brose was trying out her talents. Once will fill in the crater, we'll build a new two story concrete block training building. We'll leave the five hundred yard debris field in place as it simulates a devastated landscape. Like everyone there, Brose has a concussion. She's here because she's in better shape than those we're keeping in the clinic. It was Brose who called in for the med team. Her rapid response saved lives, allowing Liz to get there in time." Kris paused and looked at Liz who stood.

"The First Responder Team would like to thank Brose for the disaster," Liz said. "Since it was a real incident, we learned several weaknesses in our response training and execution. We're already incorporating what we've learned and are updating the base monitoring so we can instantly pinpoint the site of any type of impact. Thank you."

"Brose filled one room of the concrete house with a mixture of 80% methane and 20% oxygen, then inserted a spark," Kris explained after Liz sat down. "All the injured were within the debris field and knocked flat by the blast's concussive wave. If you're interested in seeing the results, we won't start filling in the crater until next week. Dr. Lynchburg wants Brose to take it easy tonight and Liz needs to recover from saving two lives and rebuilding eighteen sets of shattered eardrums. Give them some space tonight. Thanks for your attention."

The buzz started before Kris sat down. Those around the table had known Kris since she'd emerged. While respecting her authority, they also knew her as a kind and caring person. The pleasant meal was spent catching Kris up on the latest gossip. Brose listened intently, even occasionally joining in. Brose timed her eating to that of Liz so they could go through the serving line together when they were ready for refills. Both had used up a tremendous amount of energy that day.

When the meal ended, Kris told Brose she had the next day off to recover, then said her goodbyes and headed back to her office suite. Brose and Liz headed to the bathroom to enjoy a relaxing soak in the tubs. Although nothing was said, Brose knew Liz was joining her as much for her own relaxation as to keep a watchful eye on Brose to make sure she suffered no ill effects from her concussion.

Both were wakened by the tub’s built in warning alarm. Clean and relaxed, both were feeling the tiring effects of their hectic day. After toweling off and donning clean robes, they headed for their respective rooms and climbed into bed for a solid night's sleep. Brose noted the blue LED lights of the passive monitoring system at the head of her bed. It had an infrared thermal scanner that would periodically locate the person's forehead to check the person's temperature. Another device was an acoustic tool to monitor breathing. Liz had explained it was a safety precaution that was only activated on written doctor's orders in cases like her mild concussion. Whenever the system was activated, blue LED lights lit to let the bed's occupant know it was in use. Brose found the passive system comforting.

Brose slept through breakfast and awoke just before lunch. As she pulled herself from bed she felt aches and pains in places she didn't know existed. Realizing they’d allowed her to sleep in made her smile. It was just another manifestation that The Center cared for their students.

Heading to the showers, Brose took a quick hot shower to ease the myriad aches and pains. Returning to her room she donned a snug sports bra, track suit and trainers, deciding she'd go for a run and work out in the weight room, something she hadn't done recently. She also packed a skirt and blouse to change into after she used the gym showers. After a light brunch, she headed for the gym area. Everyone she passed warmly greeted her which made her feel welcome. At the track she met Mr. Weiss, the phys-ed instructor.

"I was wondering when you'd be down," Mr. Weiss smiled as he greeted Brose. "Your dossier indicated you liked to run."

"It was the only thing I could do at recess," Brose replied. "It sort of grew on me. When I run I zone out the rest of the world and just get a pleasant buzz."

"Runner's euphoria," Mr. Weiss smiled. "Just remember, you're not the tall powerful young man you were before transitioning. Your body will move differently and you now have certain assets that may be disconcerting as you move. Just take it easy until you develop your new rhythm and don't push your stamina."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Brose replied as she began to do some stretching exercises. She immediately knew her body was quite different as she was much more limber. Soon she began jogging around the track at a slow but steady pace. The first five minutes she did three laps around the quarter mile track. As she jogged she kept altering her style tweaking this or that until she fell into a comfortable rhythm. Then she stepped up her pace to just below a full run.

Mr. Weiss kept an eye on Brose, smiling at how she rapidly adapted her style. He raised his eyebrows when she sped up, but as she ran past him he recognized the glazed eyes of a runner in full sync with their effort.

Brose easily dropped into her running zone. The pounding of her feet on the track, the seeing yet unseeing eyes, the tempo of her breathing, all melding into a blissful runners euphoria that few can understand unless they've experienced it.

Mr Weiss was impressed by the stamina Brose was showing so ten minutes after she fell into a steady pace, he activated the lap timer/counter. Twenty minutes later he stepped onto the track to flag her down.

"Time to re-hydrate," Mr Weiss told her as she slowed to a walk. "Take a breather then see me."

Brose nodded her head and walked over to a Gator aid cooler.

Mr Weiss was stunned when he checked her times. "Brose, you are amazing," he enthused when she joined him. "You were running for thirty five minutes. For the last twenty minutes I activated the lap timer. You ran a steady pace of a mile just under every five minutes. You were running at that pace ten minutes before I began the timer. Young lady, you ran six miles at twelve miles an hour and you're barely winded. If you can keep up that pace for a marathon, you'd run it in two hours and ten minutes. That would top the women’s world record and is just six minutes off the world record of two hours three minutes and fifty nine seconds."

"I was taking it easy because of yesterday," Brose replied without bragging. "I can run faster and longer."

Mr Weiss shook his head in wonderment not doubting she was telling the truth. "Brose, I know you have the day off, but I've been dying to check your physical prowess. Your records show you could bench press four hundred pounds, just over twice your weight. It also shows you carried two one hundred pound bags of feed at a time on your shoulders. That was amazing even for a strapping young man. Now you’re five feet seven inches tall and weigh one hundred thirty pounds. You're smaller and weaker since your transition but apparently your muscle memory is still intact. Dr. Lynchburg weighs one hundred eighty five pounds, yet you dragged him out of the exam room, down a fifty foot hall, through the reception room and out into the main hall. It took Jane and Linda working together to drag Judy that distance and she only weighs one hundred fifteen pounds. Not only that, you were issuing orders and encouraging them as you led the way. Jane and Linda were exhausted by the time they got Judy out, yet you promptly began CPR on Dr. Lynchburg. Someone your size should not have been able to do that. On top of that, after yesterday's explosion, you were the first to recover and called for help. It seems obvious you retain the stamina and strength you had as a guy, just reapportioned to your new size."

"I was thinking of working out in the weight room," Brose smiled. "I wouldn't mind if you'd be my spotter."

Mr. Weiss smiled knowing Brose was willing to let him check her out without violating the day off restrictions. He felt he was really going to like this girl.

Brose was a bit disappointed that she only managed to bench press two hundred seventy five pounds until Mr. Weiss said she outdid all the girls and 95% of the boys not to mention it was over twice her body weight. As she flexed her muscles it was evident the hard bulked muscle she'd had as Dave had proportionally transferred over to Brose. The beef cake bulges Dave had were now masked by softer, graceful girlish curves that belied the hidden power.

Brose thrived in the physical exertion. With a tiny bit of concentration she modified the odor of her glistening perspiration to mimic blooming clover. Mr Weiss knew what she'd done and was pleased with the sweet scent. It was a pleasant respite form the normal BO that filled the gym.

By the time Brose headed to the shower, she was beaming. The endorphin high really picked up her spirits. Changing into the skirt and blouse she'd brought, she headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

Everyone noted her rosy face and bubbly attitude. She didn't hesitate to join in the conversation around the table or to greet others she'd met. As they left the cafeteria Heather waved a boy over to join them.

“Brose, this Barry Morrison,” Heather introduced. “He’s a technopath. Barry, this is Brose Shamrock.. She’s an oudorkenetic.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Barry smiled as he extended his hand. “I understand you’re techno-deficient due to lack of exposure.”

“That’s me, Brose replied as they shook hands. “Never even touched a cell phone until they gave me one here.”

“Oh, a techno-virgin,” Barry chuckled. “Let’s see how fast you learn.”

By then they were in the student lounge where they headed over to an alcove for a bit of privacy.
Barry began teaching Brose the intricacies of her I-phone. Brose proved to be a fast learner and quickly learned the basics of most functions and apps. As they were finishing up a girl wearing a sunglasses and a long sleeved hoodie joined them.

“Brose, this is my girlfriend, Becca Howe,” Barry introduced. “Becca, this is Brose. She WAS a techno-virgin.”

Becca managed a nod and tight smile as she joined them. Brose sensed she was a bit uptight about having her boyfriend spending time with another girl.

“I’m still a techno-novice,” Brose smiled. “I still need a tutorial on my desktop. I did a bit of word processing on the computers in my school but that was limited. I was just going to ask Barry if he could come to my room one evening and show me how to use my system. It would be cool if you could join us. You could translate his techno-speak into people speak.”

Becca smiled and nodded. “I heard you’ve been developing your people skills. I know how tough it is to be isolated and I’m still having issues opening up to people.”

“I NEVER had anyone to talk to,” Brose sighed. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I was just totally ostracized because I smelled like the hog farm I grew up on.” With that Brose popped a minuscule pig manure air fart.

Barry and Becca both recoiled and wrinkled their noses by which time Brose had flushed the area with her by then trade mark clover scent.

“I understand why you were ostracized,” Barry declared as Becca nodded. “How does tomorrow evening sound for a desk top tutorial?”

‘Sounds great to me,” Brose enthused. “I’ll meet you both after dinner and bring you back to my room.”

The next two weeks flew by as Brose dug into the chemistry and physics lessons. She amazed Mr Walton, the teacher, with her knowledge and aptitude for science and math. From reading her dossier he was amazed at what she'd accomplished on the hog farm in regards to the methane recycling and dried manure fertilizer. Happily he knew he had an adept star pupil on his hands who never moaned or complained about the difficulty of the assignments.

Brose sat in on every class, not only paying attention to what her fellow students were being taught, but simultaneously doing independent study. Brose eagerly learned of chemical volatility and how mixing certain gases had dire consequences. Everyone was amazed at how she could duplicate different gases gaseous mixtures with ease after an initial exposure.

It took people a while to figure out why their Bunsen burners would suddenly snuff out for no reason and then suddenly reignite. Mr. Walton happened to be looking at Brose and noticed she was looking at the burner of another student when she did a brief head nod. Instantly the burner went out. Once the student noticed the missing flame, Brose did another quick head nod and it re-lit.

“Brose, please join me in the hall for a moment,” Mr. Walton said.

Caught off guard, Brose feared she’d been caught in her mischief but obediently followed the teacher out of the classroom.

“That’s a pretty nifty trick you’re doing with the Bunsen burners,” Mr Walton smiled to let Brose she was not in trouble. “What are you using to snuff out the flame?”

“Carbon dioxide,” Brose timidly smiled. “Then I add a spark to re-ignite it.”

“Okay, I don’t mind a bit of fun in class, but please don’t let it get out of control,” Mr Walton smiled. “One other thing, when you snuffed or ignited, you nodded your head just a tiny bit. That’s how I figured out what you were doing. I would suspect that in some situations it would be beneficial if you made no movements.”

“I’ll work on that, thanks,” Brose smiled as they returned to class.

Barry and Becca spent several evenings in her room teaching her how to use her computer and telling her of their experiences with The Syndicate. They agreed with Brose that the people she’d encountered at the farm sounded as if they came from The Syndicate. This cemented Brose’s decision to actively participate in the mission of The Center. Barry lost himself in tweaking the computer for optimal performance as Brose and Becca compared notes on where their talents crossed, their heightened sense of smell.

Her training with Mr. Lions continued too. Under his tutelage she learned how to project gases into ever more minute containers with absolute accuracy up to two hundred meters. Between two hundred and three hundred meters the accuracy steadily declined and was virtually non existent beyond three hundred meters. What really delighted Brose was that she learned to shut down a summoned gas before it materialized. The speed of materialization also increased and took less mental concentration. She could zap a room full of gas at two hundred meters within five seconds of deciding to do so.

Based on the report from Mr. Walton, Mr. Lions also filmed Brose during the sessions. Together they worked on eliminating any physical evidence of Brose using her powers.

Another thing they practiced was multiple manifestations. This proved extremely difficult. The best she was able to do was pinpoint five tiny flames at fifty meters.

As for her sniffing ability, her skill improved dramatically. She could identify every student and staff member by their individual scent, even when dozens were in a room. She also honed her ability to identify the slight alterations in a person’s scent that indicated their emotional state. Everyone’s scent changed in the same manner for each emotional state and even combinations of states. She became an infallible lie detector. Her scent sensitivity was an ability she often wished she didn’t possess as she could tell whenever anyone had a sexual experience and, even after a shower, who had been the partner.

Mr. Weiss set Brose up on an exercise and weight training program that challenged her without overwhelming her. Each day she spent an hour working out in the weight room and at least an hour running on the track. Brose was easily the strongest girl at The Center. In truth there were only five boys who could best her strength. No one came close to matching her stamina or rate of recovery.

As Brose regained her physical prowess, her self confidence grew. She never bragged about her strength or physical prowess, but she regained the tough skinned persona she'd developed as Dave. The difference was that now she felt comfortable with normal teenage banter and with her sharp wit gave as good as she got. She also willing helped anyone when she saw a need and never turned down a reasonable request for assistance. Max found it incumbent to set up an 'aroma therapy' request page on the school calendar so the students could vote on what scent they wanted at which meals. This led to her being widely accepted by the students and faculty, a new experience for her. As Dave she'd been a pariah, now she was popular. It felt good.

Even though they had been girls, a few of the testosterone laden guys had become swaggering macho jocks and thus were intimidated by the athleticism Brose demonstrated. This led to a lot of back and forth jousting that culminated at a mid-week dinner where one of the guys challenged Brose to a race on the twelve and a half mile cross country foot/bike course laid out on the grounds of the complex.

Everyone knew of the rivalry the guys had with Brose, so the entire cafeteria fell silent waiting for her response. They knew she wouldn't let the challenge pass and they wondered how she'd try to intimidate them. They were not disappointed.

Not one to back down Brose decided to up the stakes. Standing up she looked around the cafeteria with an almost predatory gleam in her sparkling emerald eyes. "I'll go you one better. Let's do an Iron Man Race. First we do bikes starting with two laps on the track then two laps on the cross country course ending with three laps on the track. Then we run to the pool and swim two miles. We end by a running two laps on the track, two laps around the cross country course ending with three laps on the track. That'll be twenty six and a quarter miles bicycling, two miles swimming, and twenty six and a quarter miles running. The Olympic Marathon is twenty six and a quarter miles so we'll be doing it twice. Since I know only a few of us are up to the challenge I'd like to open the Iron Man Competition to everyone. You can enter as individuals or six person relay teams. Relay teams will have two cyclists, two swimmers, and two runners that switch at the half way mark of each leg. I think it will be a fun event for everyone, either participating or cheering. I think we should even open it to the staff and soldiers. It'll be fun to beat them."

Of course the majority of the students cheered the idea Brose had put forth. Dani relayed the challenge to Max with a copy to Kris as several groups immediately began setting up teams. The jocks who had started the whole thing were stunned. All felt capable of competing in any one of the events, but to do all three seemed way too extreme. Unfortunately they couldn't back down so they sucked down their apprehension and used their bravado to accept.

Brose smiled as if she had already won. She could smell the fear on the three guys.

By the next day the Iron Man challenge was officially scheduled to start mid-morning on Saturday. On line sign up pages were established for individuals and teams. Brose was the first to sign up for the individual section. By the end of the day four boys and two soldiers had signed on. All would be tough competitors but Brose felt they lacked the stamina to place at the top. Three student, one staff, and one army relay teams were also signed up. That meant there would be twelve competitors on the course. Those that were not participating volunteered to man re-hydration stations spotted about the course. Medic teams with ATVs were also set up around the course. Judges were selected to ensure the swimmers touched the walls of the pool at the end of each lap. Other judges were positioned at each relay point to ensure physical contact was made at the exchanges.

High quality twelve speed and mountain bicycles were available to all students and staff to use in a bike pool adjoining the motor pool. Those students who were really into biking were assigned their own bike they could modify to their own desires. The three macho guys and two teams had personalized bikes. Everyone else would select one from the bike pool.

With the assistance of the staff technicians, Barry had developed a new piece of equipment for use on missions would also be supplied to each participant as a trial. The staff decided the race would be the perfect test for the latest piece of equipment they had helped designed. The device worked under normal daily activities but had yet to be tested under harsh conditions that might be expected during missions. The device was a combination vital signs monitor, GPS locator, and communicator. About the size of two quarters stacked together it was attached behind an ear using a special waterproof adhesive. It could monitor heart rate, respiration and stress (by reading skin galvanic activity) in real time and send it back to a monitoring station. The GPS allowed the wearer to be tracked, with each person having a specific code. The communicator worked through bone conductivity. It made no sound when receiving a message as it silently relayed it's signals directly to the inner ear. In the same way the wearer could send outbound communications by softly whispering as the inner ear easily picked up the sound as did the device.

The device could be worn for a week before the adhesive weakened. The unit was continually powered by a specially shaped magnet that spun a piezoelectric motor/generator inside the device. The range varied by function. The GPS locator was satellite based and could serve as an auditory navigator. The vital signs monitoring was limited to five miles as it consumed the most power. The communication mode limit was also five miles, but small independent relay stations could dropped off to be used to extend the range. Of course, being inside buildings, underground or rough topography effected the range.

The day of the race was bright and sunny but the temperature promised to stay in the mid seventies. A steady breeze was also forecast. Everyone not on duty surrounded the track as the twelve starters did their warm-up stretches. With little fanfare Colonel Harris fired the starting pistol.

The three jocks with their own tricked out twelve speeds jumped into the lead. Brose on her bike pool cycle was in the middle of the pack. By the end of the two laps around the track, Brose was the third of the singles and three teams were ahead of her. The onlookers vociferously cheered.

By the end of the first circuit of the cross country course one single boy was in the top half with the two soldiers. That boy was in third right behind Brose and perfectly matching her pace. Brose recognized him as Ray Lomax. His talent was having photographic reflexes and it was clear he was mimicking Brose. Ray was also Kristyn’s boyfriend. By the time they entered the track for the last three laps, Brose was in fourth place behind team competitors with Ray still right behind her. Only forty feet separated the top five. By the time they finished the bike portion, Brose was in second place by a wheel while Ray was in third. The average speed for the twenty six and a quarter mile bike portion was a phenomenal twenty five MPH completed in one hour and three minutes. The two single soldiers rounded out the top six.

As each person finished the biking portion, they leapt off their bikes and passed them off to waiting students as they ran to the nearby Olympic sized pool. Brose could swim and had great stamina but since her swimming had been limited to pond on the farm she never developed proper style for speed. During the two days before the race she did get a bit of training and practice but still couldn’t meet the pace of the others. This certainly didn’t mean she was a slouch. The fastest team and Ray averaged a swimming speed of four MPH and finished the two mile swim in thirty minutes. Brose averaged three MPH and finished in forty minutes but had fallen back to fifth place.

Brose emerged from the pool and shrugged off the proffered towel as she calmly put on her trainers. With a grim determination she determinedly walked back to the track, being passed by two more competitors. Those who saw her stoic countenance were a bit unnerved. As soon as she set foot on the track she broke into a distance eating run. By the end of the initial two laps she was back in fifth place. Her stride was long yet fluidly graceful and deceptively effortless.

By the end of the first lap on the cross country course she was in third place with Ray once more closely following. They were ahead of the other individual competitors. Two of the last leg team runners surged past her shortly after they started but by the time they completed the second cross country lap she was back in third place with Ray in fourth. Brose and Ray entered the track behind the runners of the two teams who had just completed one lap. It was clear they were quite winded. Brose and Ray never kicked up their pace. Within half a lap they had passed the flagging duo. With a half lap to go Brose and Ray slipped past the nearly staggering duo to cross the finish line ten feet apart. The onlookers cheered and yelled over Brose’s stunning win as she continued running laps at her unflagging pace. As they crossed the finish line Ray and the two runners they’d passed stumbled into the waiting arms of the medics and collapsed.

When he’d regained his strength Ray acknowledged there was no way he could have even tried to pass Brose. It was only due to his ability to copy her movements that he even completed the race.

Brose continued to run until the last competitor still moving crossed the finish line. She’d run an additional twenty three laps. Of the three jocks, two collapsed before the end. The other was the last to finish. The monitoring devices being field tested worked perfectly. The rescue teams were able to promptly respond when the two jocks collapsed.

The women’s world record for the Marathon was 2:23:14. Brose had run the twenty six and a quarter miles in two hours and 38 minutes. Then she’d run another five and three quarters miles at the same pace. When she finally stopped she was mobbed by the onlookers. No one could understand why she wasn’t winded.

Monday after the Iron Man Race, Mr Weiss, who was also the small arms instructor, tested Brose's shooting skills. At their first session he asked, "Do you have any experience with weapons?"

"Yes," Brose smiled. "I'm a good shot with a .22 revolver, a .22 rifle, a Winchester .30-.30 lever action rifle, and a double barreled shotgun. One of my jobs on the farm was to kill rats. We also hunted small game and deer. My uncle thought knowing how to use firearms was part of our heritage."

Going to the armory, Mr. Weiss signed out the four weapons and ammunition. Brose was surprised by the security of the weapons locker until she saw what was inside. The firepower inside was quite intimidating. In moments they were out at the firing range.

"All right, Brose, show me what you know," Mr Weiss said as he laid the weapons and ammunition on a table.

Brose picked up the revolver and snapped open the cylinder to make sure there were no rounds inside, then peered down the barrel. Closing the cylinder, she spun it and checked the hammer. Next she sighted the gun down the range and pulled the trigger. After checking the revolver she placed it on the table. There was a bowl built into the table so she opened the box of .22 caliber bullets and dumped them into it.

Mr Weiss watched silently as Brose checked out the weapon. He raised his eyebrows as she snapped open the cylinder with one hand and deftly loaded the bullets, snapping it closed in about five seconds. His mouthed formed an impressed 'O' as she proceeded to empty the six rounds into the bull’s-eye of a target twenty five meters away in less than four seconds. Without even looking at the fresh bullets, she snapped open the cylinder, dumped the spent rounds and reloaded in five seconds. Snapping the cylinder in place she fired another six shots into the bull’s-eye of a target fifty meters away in five seconds.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were experienced and a good shot," Mr. Weiss praised. "Show me the others."

Brose smiled and proceeded to repeat the process with each weapon. Mr. Weiss had only seen one person her age so accurate over a diverse range of weapons, that was Ray Lomax.

By the end of the second day Brose qualified on 9mm and .45 semi-automatic clip fed pistols, the MP5 machine pistol, the M16 and AK47 assault rifles, and the M40 Sniper rifle. She easily picked up the quirks of each weapon and was able to disassemble and reassemble them as well as clean and oil them. By the end of two weeks of weapons training, she had qualified as expert marksman on all of them plus what became her favorite and weapon of choice, the semi-automatic Mark XIX Desert Eagle.

Brose was delighted when Mr. Weiss received authorization to provide Brose with a personalized Desert Eagle Mark XIX component system. This set-up gave the weapon the versatility to switch between three calibers (.50AE/.44 Magnum/.357 Magnum) with six-inch and ten-inch barrel lengths for each caliber. Brose had no trouble at all switching the pistol from one caliber and or barrel to another. She scored ratings of expert marksman with all three calibers at each barrel length.

Of the six options, Brose liked the .50 caliber with a ten inch barrel best. The hefty just under five pound weapon measured fourteen and three quarters inches long. The gas-operated action soaked up the magnum recoil with remarkable efficiency which allowed Brose to easily handle it. With the ten inch barrel, the Desert Eagle's big .50 Action Express cartridge propelled a three hundred grain bullet at 1,700 fps. That translates into 1,700 ft./lbs. of muzzle energy, or 40-50% more oomph than normal for a .44 Magnum.

The .50 caliber magazine held seven rounds. In a braced or two handed firing position Brose was deadly accurate out to two hundred meters, able to cluster all seven rounds into the bull’s-eye. She added an detachable laser sight, a detachable scope, and a detachable night vision scope for accuracy out to three hundred yards. Fully loaded and outfitted, Brose had no difficulty handling the big gun. With her strength she was able to fire it one handed with accuracy to fifty yards. With practice, she could accurately fire off a magazine in ten seconds, eject the empty magazine, retrieve a full magazine from her waist belt storage and insert it in seven seconds and begin firing back on target.

When asked why she liked the behemoth pistol she just smiled. "I know I'll be going out on missions. The way I look at it, my primary function will be to use my talent. If I wind up in a fire-fight, I want something with range, accuracy and stopping power that I can wear comfortably without over-encumbering me."

With her input the staff made her a custom bullet proof Kevlar vest with multiple pockets and attachment rings to carry the Desert Eagle components so she could modify the weapon in the field. The armory was even able to manufacture silencers for each caliber. The silencers didn't eliminate the report but cut it about thirty db and suppressed the muzzle flash without effecting accuracy. Spare ammo magazine pouches were also scattered across the vest.

Brose’s back up weapon of choice also fastened on the vest. The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System weighed three and a third pounds, was thirteen and three quarter inches long with stock folded and nineteen and three quarter inches long when unfolded with a barrel length of seven and three quarters inches. The 12 gauge pistol grip bolt action shotgun had a five round detachable box magazine, of which she carried spares.

On the farm she had become quite mechanically adept in repairing equipment, so at Brose's request a special mini tool kit was also developed that attached to the vest so she had the ability to do minor repairs or dismantles in the field.

The week after the Iron Man Race, with her weapons schooling completed, Brose began combat training exercises with fellow students and the soldiers attached to The Center. Brose proved adept at stealthy movement as well as tactical assaults and withdrawals. With her Desert Eagle she could lay down a withering covering fire that accurately took out targets. The shotgun opened doors and cleared hallways.

To further test her they kept giving her tougher and nastier tasks. Brose proved she could go nearly anywhere under the worst conditions and accomplish the tasks assigned. Her grim determination and drive made everyone glad she would be on their team.

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 7

Everyone on the staff was concerned about Brose. They were accustomed to the transitioned having awesome abilities, but when those abilities were used they severely drained the person’s energy and stamina. Brose did need to chow down to rejuvenate her body when she was using her oudorkinetic talents. But it was her physical strength and stamina that baffled them as it didn’t seem to be connected to her transitioned talents. Dr. Lynchburg and staff reviewed Brose’s medical status before and after her transition. The transition normally eliminated any physical issues or weaknesses and left them healthy and fit, often enhancing some pre-existing prowess.

Unlike most of the other transitioned, Dave was in exceptional physical shape before he transitioned into Brose. Dave had been strong, tough as nails, and muscular. Standing six feet two inches tall and weighing one hundred ninety-five pounds he could bench press four hundred pounds, two hundred five percent of his weight. The running he’d done to escape his school yard ostracization kept him slim and fit and gave him tremendous stamina. As he grew and took on more and more farm chores his strength and stamina grew. It was nothing for him to heft two one hundred bags of feed or to work for hours non-stop. The conclusion they reached was that Dave’s superior physical strength and stamina had been fully retained just downsized to fit Brose’s smaller five feet seven inches and one hundred thirty pound frame. If anything, proportionally her prowess was slightly increased since she was able to bench press two hundred seventy five pounds, two hundred twelve percent of her weight. Basically, the muscle memory and stamina made the transition.

By the end of a week of tactical training, her skills proved so impressive she was called in to meet with Colonel Harris, Kristyn, and Max.

"Brose, you've proved an adept student in your talent training and tactical training," Max began. "We're going to put you on the active duty roster effective immediately."

"Thank you, sir," Brose replied. "I look forward to contributing to our success in the field."

"Brose, I know you had a rough life before you came here," Kris stated. "You've really blossomed since your arrival and have whole heartedly jumped into life at The Center. I do have one concern. You're open and friendly, help anyone you can, and use your talent to make others happy. At the same time, you are driven to excell. What you did in the Iron Man Race was mind blowing. What you've endured in your training is more than anyone should expect yet you do it without complaint. It seems as if you have two distinct personalities."

"I don't have two personalities, but I do have two modes," Brose declared. "I have the 'me' mode which is what has blossomed since I came here. It was really repressed and secret before but it kept me sane. The other is my 'stoic' 'get 'er done' mode. That's what I used to handle my interactions with others before transitioning. My dossier shows how I was isolated, ostracized and how emotionally repressed and inexperienced I was. It does not show how I was abused at home."

"When I turned seven the exterminator my uncle had been using to control the rats retired. That only left a local affiliate of a nationwide extermination company. When the quote came in, my uncle nearly had a stoke. The new exterminator wanted to charge over twice as much as the previous man. When he tried to negotiate a better price, the new guy refused. It was a take it or leave it bid," Brose explained. "My uncle left it. It became my job each fall and spring to go rat hunting in the sewers beneath the hog pens. There were five hog buildings built side by side with fifty feet separating each. Each building was sixty feet wide and one thousand feet long. The concrete floors were gently sloped from the sides to the center where eight inch diameter drains were spaced twenty feet apart so the building could be hosed down and sanitized. The drain pipes emptied straight down into thirty inch round concrete pipes that ran from either end of the building to meet in a cess pit in the middle. Each cess pit drained into a thirty six inch round pipe that ran from cess pit to cess pit from the outer building under the other four buildings to empty into the manure lagoon."

Kristyn began to pale.

"We'd start the job by plugging every drain except for the very last one in each run which we covered with a large wire cage with a one way gate in at the mouth of the last drain," Brose continued. "I'd then slip into an old pair of overalls my aunt had modified by sewing leather over the knees and front bib. Then wearing an old miner's hard-hat with an electric light, carrying an old .22 revolver, a pouch full of ammo, a mean looking Bowie knife and donning leather gloves, I would crawl into the exit of the thirty six inch sewer pipe at the lagoon. Once I was inside, my uncle would place a big fan in the opening to force 'fresh' air into the pipe. That ‘fresh’ air was drawn from above the manure retention lagoon."

Max began to pale.

"Then I had to crawl through the hog manure sludge to the first cess pit," Brose stated. "Most of the rats would scurry ahead of me. Those that didn't I'd shoot with the .22 and crawl over them. Once at the cess pit, I'd let out a yell and Uncle Adam would open the lid. Since I was still in the drain pipe, I'd shoot any rats still in the cess pit before crawling into the pit. Uncle Adam would lower a piece of a steel frame covered with steel mesh. The quarter inch square openings allowed the air from the fan to flow through while it block the rats from the exit pipe. I’d prop it in place sealing off the pipe. Then we blocked the pipe from the next building and one of the side pipes with sheet steel covered wood. Uncle Adam would close the lid so the air flow would be forced up the side pipe I’d have to enter next. Then I'd set off down the 480 foot long thirty inch pipe under the building. These pipes were smaller so I had to wriggle through them on my tummy through the slop. It wasn't until the last fifty feet or so that the trapped rats began to panic. I had no choice but to became adept at reloading the revolver with one hand while fending off terrified rats with the Bowie knife. Uncle Dave took care of any rats that fled up the last drain into the wire cage. Crawling through the thirty inch pipe through the slimy stinking hog manure sludge while herding and killing rats wasn't the worst part though. Edging out backwards to the sump pit was an absolute nightmare. At each sealed drain I had to pause and make sure no rats were in the eight inch upright pipe above my head. I couldn’t do that on the way in because of all the rats in front of me. What that meant was that if a rat had climbed one of the sealed drains, it could drop behind me. If it decided to scamper my way behind me I had no defense."

Colonel Harris began to pale.

"Once I felt my feet push back into the cess pit, I'd yell again," Brose continued unflinchingly. "Uncle Dave would open the lid and rousted any rats. Then I'd exit the pipe feet first into the pit and seal off the pipe I'd just cleared with another piece of sheet metal covered plywood. By that time I'd be covered head to toe with hog manure, even in my mouth and up my nose. Even my nether regions were coated as my clothes were soaked. On top of that there was the rat blood and guts I'd crawled through. Uncle Adam would gave him a water bottle to rinse my mouth out and a rag to wipe my face. Then I'd set off down the opposite pipe to repeat what I'd just done. It took an entire day to clear all ten side pipes. When I hit puberty I started having problems squeezing into the thirty inch pipes. The last time I'd have gotten stuck if it hadn't been for the lubrication of the manure. My rat tally was usually between three to five hundred."

The calmness Brose exhibited while telling her story was unsettling but also signified what she said was horribly true.

"The experience forced me to become an expert marksman with the .22 revolver," Brose summed up her experience. "I'm also quite deadly wielding a Bowie knife in a confined space. I learned to overcome the terror by turning my fear into justified wrath while staying calm and being methodical. The adrenalin boost strengthened me and helped me endure the horrendous conditions and get the job done. Between the twice yearly pipe crawls, in the little free time I had, I'd take a book to read and set up a sniper post wherever there were rat signs. I had to be at least 25 yards away or the rats wouldn't come out. If the range was less than a 100 yards I used a .22 rifle. For longer ranges I used the scope equiped lever action .30-.30 my uncle used for deer hunting. Over the years I became an expert marksman with both weapons. My weapons skill translated over to small game hunting. I seldom missed rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, or quail with the double barrelled 12 gauge shotgun. I started going deer hunting with my uncle when I was twelve and we both bagged a deer every year. I used the shotgun with solid slugs while my uncle used the .30-.30 rifle."

"The animals we hunted never went to waste," Brose declared. "The meat was a substantial portion of our diet. I also learned how to field dress the animals we shot. It wasn't much different form assisting in the slaughter of a hog, chicken or steer."

"That's why I appear so calm and detached during training," Brose explained. "That's why it doesn't even begin to phase me to go into the worst conditions or situations. It's similar to how I can get into the runner's zone and just keep going. I'll probably be the same on a real mission. I guess seventeen trips crawling through pig shit in the sewers killing rats toughened me."

Colonel Harris, Kris, and Max now understood the dichotomy that was Ambrosia Shamrock. She was one tough SOB. None of them could even imagine crawling into a manure filled sewer to hunt rats, much less starting to do at age seven. They also decided they would like her by their side on any mission.

It was just two days later when Dani had a startling precog vision. This would be a first. A set of quadruplets were going to hit first emergence in a shopping mall. It would also be The Center's biggest open confrontation with an opposing retrieval organization. Their agents would get there first but only by a few minutes to apprehend the siblings. The quads wouldn't take kindly to being kidnaped and the stress would bring about first emergence. It would be messy with many deaths and injuries. The Center Team would arrive in time to prevent a total disaster and would take out several people from the opposing organization, but they would still manage to get away with the quads with Center teams on their tail. There had been a dozen opposition (or as they had begun to call them, oppos,) vans and SUVs involved as the pursuit left the parking lot. The final outcome was unclear.

What was worse, they only had nine hours to get to there. Kris ordered Max to scramble every available person and ordered people flown in from the Beta site to watch The Center. Four one time only squads were hastily set up. Kris would lead one, Max another, Luce a third, and Ray the fourth. Five soldiers would be assigned to each squad

Alpha Squad consisted of Kris (electrokenetic), Dani (an empath), Liz (a healer), Sheri (a token reader) and Kevin (a telepath).

Beta Squad consisted of Max (a hydroknetic), Christopher (AKA Tina, an empath) Lara (a pathfinder), Rita (an eraser) and Brose.

Charlie Squad consisted of Luce (a probability manipulator), Sean (a medium), Van (a pyrokenetic), Lili (a telepathic) and Heather (Photokenetic).

Delta Squad consisted of Ray (an expert marksman), Michael (a lactokenetic), Lise (projecting empath), Sydney (a spirit diver) and Samantha (a telekenetic/dracokenetic).

As the squads packed their gear, each expert marksman was given a modified .358 magnum revolver that had an integral silencer. The tip of the bullets was a hardened steel pin designed to penetrate metal. Behind it was a rivet that slammed the pin inside and firmly attached the round. Behind the rivet was a miniature GPS locator. The GPS tags that would allow the vehicle to be tracked.

Brose was nervous as they gathered their gear and put on their commando gear. This would be her first mission. While she felt she'd do well, she felt the same unease in the pit of her stomach she'd always felt as she prepared to enter the sewers under the hog barns to kill rats. She hoped once the action began, she’d drop into rat killing mode.

The forty team members boarded the jet. Each squad gathered together to review what intelligence they had and to familiarize themselves with the layout of the mall and environs as well as to get to know each other a bit better. Brose quickly learned the smell of each soldier. She could also smell the mingled controlled fear, anxiety, and excitement. What made her smile was the scent of determination and concern for the team emanating from Kris, Max, Luce, and Ray. They were natural leaders, although Ray seemed a bit unsure as he’d never led a squad. He did have a lot of missions under his belt so knew what to expect.

They landed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey under heavy security and transferred to waiting Hummers each with a pair of fully armed Green Berets as driver and guard. Each squad required two vehicles. The five soldiers rode in one and the five Center people rode in the other. A company of armed soldiers followed in trucks to secure the Mall until the clean-up teams could arrive.

It didn't take long before they pulled up to the Ocean City Mall in Toms River, New Jersey. The mall proper was shaped like a backwards stretched open 'C'. The Southeast corner had Boscov's as an anchor big box store. The southwest corner had a J.C. Penny Store. In the middle of the western side was a Macy's. The north end was anchored by Sears. The main Mall entrance was on the eastern side opposite the Macy's. There was a second mall entrance on the eastern side about 40 yards south of Sears. The last mall entrance was also on the east side directly beside the Boscov's. That entrance led into a main mall concourse with the mall food court on the opposite side. Alpha and Delta Squads deployed at the main entrance, Delta ready to pivot right and Alpha left once they reached the main concourse. Charlie took the smaller North eastern entrance while Beta prepared to hit the remaining entrance.

As they positioned themselves to coordinate their entry, the situation went south. A loud explosion rattled the shopping center and gunfire sounded. It seemed to be coming from the area of the food court.

"Go go go," Kris barked as all four squads stormed through the doors just in time to avoid the screaming patrons running for their lives. All four squads scrambled toward the food court. Seeing the armed troops, the civilian confusion and panic increased.

Once inside and past the fleeing patrons Beta Squad immediately ran into the opposition. Four heavily armed men stood by the wall of the entrance hallway peering into the food court. Smoke was wafting into the concourse. The five soldiers raised their weapons and immediately spread out as Max called out ordering the men to drop their weapons.

As could be expected, although startled, they reacted like soldiers and opened fire. The auto fire bursts lasted five seconds. All four oppo's fell mortally wounded, one with a .50 cal hole in forehead and the back of his head missing. One Beta soldier was down, another clamped a hand over a growing red spot at his thigh but still maintained his combat stance with his MP5.

Brose was in her rat killing zone. She remained standing with a two handed grip on the Desert Eagle as she scanned for targets. A new scent filled the air, it came from the soldiers, theirs and the oppos as well as the transitioned squad members who had seen combat. Brose quickly labeled it battle anxiety and socked it away with other memorized scents.

Rita headed over to render first aid to the fallen soldier while the rest of the squad moved forward. The sound of the fire-fight had been masked by the clamoring fire alarms echoing through the mall. Several small fires could be seen in the food court and the sprinklers had been activated.

Brose whispered into Max's ear as they peered into the smoke the smoke filled concourse after they'd stepped over the dead men. “Stink Bomb?”

At Max's curt nod, Brose threw the smell of a backed-up sewer into the food court. She made it strong enough to be nauseating but not powerful enough to incapacitate as she'd done on the farm.
Max keyed his headset. "Stink bomb in food court."

The effect was immediate as dozens of coughing, hacking and puking sounds came from the effected area. The mist created by the triggered sprinklers mingled with the smoke and sewer stench to blunt the full effect of the stink bomb but it had still broken up the oppo's coordination and physically weakened their team.

As Max tried to peer through the smog Brose knelt down by one of the dead men and pulled off his headset. Placing it to her ear she could hear the oppo leader calling for his missing squad. Brose nudged Max and passed the headset to him. After listening he cut the unit's mike.

"They’re heading out the back. We're going to move in," Max notified the other squads as he organized his team to dodge across the concourse. Before he gave the signal, he used his hydrokenetic power to shape the water from the sprinklers into a wall he sent crashing into the food court to blind and further disorganize the oppos as they charged across the open space.

As Beta Squad ran forward they could see Alpha, Charlie, and Delta squads charging from the other end of the concourse. A bit of blind wild firing came from within the food court as the enemy knew what was coming. At the same time Brose felt a ferocious mind probe stab out from inside. Most of Alpha, Beta, Charlie and Delta Squads stumbled to the floor clutching their heads in pain. Only Luce, Kevin, Lili, Samantha, and Brose stayed on their feet. Luce and Brose were the only two able to immediately push ahead into the food court.

Brose was able to sniff the scent of infuriated male arrogance to it's source. The person was obviously a powerful transitioned dominator. A look of absolute surprise appeared on his face when he saw Luce enter from the one side as Brose entered from the other. Before Luce could do anything a big black hole appeared between the shocked dominator’s eyes and the back of his head exploded as his body was flung violently back. Luce looked over to see Brose still running with a two handed grip on her .50 cal Desert Eagle. The gun barked five more times in as many seconds as Brose located and dispatched the surprised frightened remaining oppos by tracing the scent of their battle anxiety.

"They've taken them out the back," Brose called into her headset as she traced the diminishing scent of those who had fled out the back leaving what they thought was a powerful rear guard.

"The rear guard has been eliminated. Brose and I are giving pursuit," Luce added as she ran after the determined yet seemingly serene Brose. She'd never seen anyone as coolheaded and calculating as this new girl but now understood why the untested girl had been included in the away team.

With the mental attack disrupted, the disabled team members staggered to their feet. Luce looked to see who was functional, obviously those not totally knocked down by the dominator. "Kevin, Lili, Samantha and Kevin, come with me after Brose."

"All transport to the Beta Squad entrance STAT. All other troops, out to the vehicles," Kris ordered as she stepped into the food court to survey the carnage. The oppo bodies she saw revealed the power of Brose's Desert Eagle. She smiled tightly, then joined the rest of the team as they headed out. "Lock down the mall and cordon off the food court and south mall entrance," she ordered the accompanying troops. "We need a complete news black-out so confiscate any and all personal communications devices. There will be NO exceptions. No one is to be allowed in or out until the investigative crew arrives to begin interrogation of possible witnesses. The only thing you can tell the interned, the local authorities, and the news media is 'NO COMMENT BY ORDERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY'."

Brose burst through the back door of the South Philly Steak & Fries shop. Since this section of the parking lot was so far away from any mall or store entrance, the area was virtually deserted... except for fourteen black vans and SUVS. The oppos were clearly shocked to see someone in pursuit so soon. Several snapped their weapons up and opened fire while others hurriedly bundled the apparently unconscious quads into separate SUVs.

Brose dove behind a dumpster as bullets ricocheted off and dinged the thick steel. As she dove she hurled a stink bomb into their midst. Pulling out her .357 magnum 'tagging' revolver she stood behind the dumpster and plugged each of the quad bearing SUV's.

Hearing the massive fusillade striking the steel and building Luce knew Brose was taking heavy fire. Wanting to come to her aid she cautiously opened the door just as the shooting stopped. She immediately knew why and slammed the door closed as she gasped for untainted air. From outside she could hear the steady bark of the Desert Eagle. Seven shots in rapid succession followed by a five second pause before another seven shots rang out as well as engines roaring and tires squealing.

The four man crew she’d called to assist reached Luce shortly after the third pause to reload. They could smell the dissipating remnants of the stink bomb that had made it through the door when Luce had opened it.

"All clear," Brose spoke into her headset. "They separated the quads but I 'tagged" all four SUV’s.” The continued report of her Desert Eagle over the connection could be clearly heard as she spoke.

Luce, Samantha, Kevin, Lili and Kevin jumped through the door with weapons at the ready to see the carnage in the parking lot. Brose stood calmly firing at disappearing taillights. Brose had 'tagged' the four SUV's and switched to her Desert Eagle to empty four magazines, twenty eight bullets, in ninety seconds. There were seven dead men on the parking lot as well as two vans with the engines running and dead drivers slumped over the steering wheels. Inside the vans were an additional three dead men. Of the twenty two dead oppos, Brose had nailed nineteen.

As Brose reloaded, tearing around the corner of the Boscov's store came the eight Hummers. Kris and Max stepped out of the Hummers to look at the massacre. By the massive wounds in the bodies and the size of the holes in the vans they knew it had been the .50 cal doing all the talking. No orders were needed for Luce and crew to rejoin their respective squads as they set off in pursuit.

The ‘tags’ worked to perfection. The GPS tracking showed the four SUVs traveling in line heading southwest at just over the limit. The Hummers followed. Turning from the mall parking lot left onto Hooper Avenue they traveled about two and half miles before going into a series of short runs on side streets. First right, then left, then right, left, left, right and finally a slight right onto Dover Road. After about three and half miles they turned right onto Pinewood Keswick Road. Their GPS showed the RJ Miller Ocean County Airport was a mile and half ahead.

The lead Hummer saw the taillights of the last oppo’s vehicle make a hard left where there was no road. They’d driven through a twelve foot cut out section of the barbed wire topped chain link fence that bordered Pinewood Keswick Road onto the grass clearing leading to the airport’s Northeast to southwest oriented runway. A sturdy wooden ramp had obviously been constructed across the drainage ditch just inside the fence. About 50 meters inside the fence the last two vehicles had stopped by prepared defensive positions which the men inside the SUVs quickly manned. The combination of armed posts and limited access in the open area precluded pursuit or making another breach in this area. Delta Squad was tasked with securing the fence line and keeping the rear guard busy.

The rest of the airport was ringed by the dense trees of New Jersey’s pine barrens. The other three squads continued a bit further to turn left onto Mule Road and then onto Airport road, the looping access road to the airport proper. As they turned into the northern entrance, explosions about a hundred yards ahead on either side of the tree lined route toppled trees across the road. Two SUVs were parked across the road behind the trees and automatic weapons fire opened up on the Hummers from the defended the road block. Charlie Squad was designated to pin the defenders down and if possible to breach the position.

The GPS maps indicated a trail was cut through the trees behind a large industrial building to the north side of the access road before the main tree line. Beta Squad was sent to try to reach the runway by that route while Alpha Squad continued on to the second entrance about 700 meters further down Mule road.

Alpha Squad was saved from ambush by Kevin when he sensed the enemy waiting in ambush as they barreled down the southern entrance of Airport Road. His warning enabled them to stop thirty meters short of the twin explosions that toppled trees from both sides of the road. The trees would have landed right on top of them. Even so, the men waiting in ambush opened fire. It was only due to Kris sending massive jolts of electricity into the downed trees exploding and igniting them that enabled the team to extract itself from the ambush. The surviving oppos scrambled down the road to fire from the trees lining the road. Even with Kris’ jolts, the road was still blocked.

Beta Squad swept around the industrial building to the trail through the trees. As their Hummers entered the twenty meter wide former road they came under fire from crews of two SUVS parked under the trees, one on either side. Max quickly ordered the Hummers into the trees on the northern side of the cut.

Max ordered two of the Green Berets to cross the cut to guard their flank and put suppressing fire on their attackers. Christopher and Rita stayed on their side of the road with the other green berets to put down suppressing fire. Max and the three soldiers remaining in his squad began to cautiously make their way through the trees to attempt to outflank the bad guys or at the least keep them occupied. While they did that he sent Brose and Lara off further north through the trees in a wide arc to reach the runway.

It was pitch black inside the forest. Even so Lara was able to run almost soundlessly through the trees and underbrush with ease. Brose was about five paces behind. They ran almost 200 meters through the trees before reaching the cleared area around the taxi strip and runway. Lara was breathing heavily by that time and the sound of gunfire from the four firefights echoed through the night air.

Brose snapped the night vision scope onto her Desert Eagle to look at the large aircraft parked about 240 meters away in a northeasterly direction at the end of the runway. Before transitioning Brose had developed an interest in aircraft. She recognized the new Russian built Sukhoi Superjet 100 SSJ 60. The jet was twenty four meters long with a wingspan of twenty eight meters. A large Sa M146 turbofan engine was suspended beneath each wing. The craft needed a minimum of one thousand five hundred and twenty meters to lift off so the eighteen hundred meter long runway was more than adequate. The engines were cranking up in preparation to taking off. She could see four SUV’s pulling off the runway where the drivers abandoned them to head back to the aircraft.

Brose signaled Lara to stay and took off at a dead run southeast across the taxi way in the shortest path to reach the runway, a distance of about one hundred fifty meters. The whine of the twin engines peaked and the craft began to roll down the runway. Their paths would intersect about one hundred eighty meters down the runway.

"We've lost them," Lara almost cried into her headset. "The jet's taking off."

Brose pulled the .358 magnum ‘tagging’ pistol from her vest as she ran keeping the Desert Eagle in her left hand. Running full out Brose reached the runway as the nose of the jet reached her position. Raising the revolver she fired her two remaining ‘tags’ into the right side of the jet’s body.

Dropping the revolver she did the only thing she could to keep from slamming into the side of the plane. She threw herself to the tarmac and her momentum caused her to roll beneath the fuselage as the jet wheeled over her. Even though buffeted by the jet exhaust, she was able to keep a grip on the Desert Eagle. Rolling into a prone firing position near the far edge of the runway she used both hands to aim at the jet’s left engine. The seven .50 caliber slugs in the magazine were snapped off as rapidly as she could aim and pull the trigger. Several found their mark.

As Brose regained her hearing, she could hear engines roar to life and two of the abandoned SUVs peeled rubber as they came barreling down the runway in pursuit of the jet.

"This is Delta Squad," Ray said. "The rear guard has abandoned their positions and are retreating toward the runway. Our firing knocked out their vehicles but it looks as if they're heading to the abandoned SUVs on the runway."

Brose was already on her feet, and calmly reloaded the Desert Eagle as she moved to the center of the runway to take up a firing stance as the darkened SUVs approached. Doing about seventy MPH, the driver of the first SUV suddenly saw an unflinching figure standing directly in front of him. It was the last image he'd ever see as his head exploded. The SUV swerved violently from side to side barely missing Brose who didn't move. The careening vehicle turned sideways and rolled over six times flinging the two unbelted occupants through the doors and windows before it burst into flames.

Brose ignored the carnage as the second SUV, seeing the calamity, slammed on his brakes lighting the runway behind him in red light. The driver never had a chance to see what caused the first SUV to crash as his head exploded. The two passengers bailed and dropped belly first on the tarmac firing wildly down the runway as Brose calmly sent a .50 caliber slug into the still running engine. The engine went into a death rattle and burst into flame as it died.

By then Brose was silhouetted by the growing flames of the first SUV but stood still. Calmly she put a slug through the head of one prone man. The other man hit Brose with a three shot burst knocking her to the ground.

Cautiously he looked around to see if anyone else was around, then he rose with gun ready and headed towards the prone figure. By the light of the two burning vehicles he saw the person he'd downed was a girl and the big Desert Eagle was still clasped in her right hand. When he saw she was still breathing he prepared to finish her off.

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 8

Brose felt the three AK47 rounds slam into her chest taking her breath away and knocking her backwards to the runway. The bouncing of her head off the runway momentarily stunned her. As she regained her senses she smelled the tense oppo stealthily approach. She knew she'd be shot as soon as she moved so stayed still. When she sensed a slight change in his scent she realized he was taking aim so she acted.

An inhuman scream briefly erupted from the man's mouth only to be horribly cut off as his entire torso exploded ripping his clothes and snapping his ribs and spine. His hips and legs toppled to the right while his shoulders, arms, and head fell to the left. The rest of his body was splattered in a circle about ten meters across.

Brose wiped the gore from her face and rose to her feet. The silhouette of her body looked like a hell angel (quite a bit more appropriate than a snow angel), it was the only clear space on the tarmac amid the carnage.

The sound of fighting from the other three firefights slackened as the stranded oppos tried to escape. Ray and three of his soldiers along with one green beret came sprinting into the light cast by the burning vehicles. Ray had seen a lot of people killed but this apocalyptic demise almost gagged him. The repugnant smell of the exploded man was horrid. Even with all he’d been through, to see Brose calmly cleaning her Desert Eagle made Ray glad she was on his side.

In the flickering light the green beret looked at the gore covered girl, her silhouette imprinted on the runway, and the top and bottom of the man whose torso was spread about them. He noted the Desert Eagle she was carefully wiping clean. It made him shiver to realize she was cleaning her weapon before her face. One thing he knew was that he was glad he was on the same side as these strange teens. He'd heard the repeated bark of a powerful weapon but had not recognized it. Now he understood the source and would never forget the sound of the powerful .50 cal handgun.

"Delta squad reporting," Ray intoned into the headset. "All opposition on this end has been eliminated. We have three men down, no fatalities. We'll hold this entrance to prevent any escape."

"Roger Delta," Kris responded with a bit of frustration in her voice. "It looks like they're all trying to escape. Beta and Charlie squads, have your green berets fall back to Mule road to ensure none get around us. Everyone else pursuit. Since we lost the quads, we'll at least take out these bastards."

Just then an explosion was heard off to the southwest of the airport.

"It looks like the jet just lost it's left engine," Ray said excitedly as he saw the bright flash in the sky. "It's curving east and losing altitude!"

"I tagged the jet then fired into the left engine," Brose calmly added. "I saw I hit it but it must have taken a bit to knock it out. It looks like the pilot's going to try to bring it down in the boggy area on the other side of the road. Permission to pursue."

Ray and the soldiers looked at Brose in amazement. Not only had she wiped out the rear guard they'd been facing, she taken down the damn jet!

"Permission granted, Brose," Kris intoned. "I'm realigning the squads. Max, form Echo Squad, take Lara, Van and two soldiers. Luce, form Fox Squad, take Ray, Liz and three soldiers. Get Hummers, pinpoint the location the plane stops and head to it from opposite directions. The ranking soldier in Beta, Charlie, and Delta Squads is now in charge. We'll continue to mop up here."

As the squads reorganized Kris called in for more troops from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to secure the airport and the crash site which looked to be in Double Trouble State Park, a cranberry bog and prime Pine Barrens ecosystem that began eight hundred meters off the southwest tip of the runway in a southeasterly direction. She also asked for armed military helicopters cover to keep news copters out of the airspace of the airport and crash as well as to ward off a possible oppos extraction attempt.

Max and Luce with their two selected soldiers in tow each snagged a Hummer and gathered their people. The plane went down about fifty five hundred meters from the airport in a bog of Double Trouble State Park... a most appropriate name.

By the time Echo and Fox squads gathered their members and were on their way to the crash site, Brose had run thirteen hundred meters to the southern end of the runway and then east eight hundred meters along an access road that led to Dover road. Double Trouble was on the other side of the road. She followed the road about eight hundred meters further east before turning into Dover Forge, a historical site in the park. Here she turned south for two hundred meters due south through cleared area to cross Cedar Creek into the forest on the other side.

In the forest she followed the high ground along the south side Cedar Creek, thus avoiding the swampy area near the stream. Fortunately the area was sparsely treed. Brose was able to maintain a fast pace through the three hundred fifty meter fairly open stretch. Then came a soggy twenty stretch where a small side stream crossed her path. the next one hundred eighty yards was also sparsely treed. The next one hundred fifty meters was heavily treed but by then her eyes had adapted to the darkness so while she was slowed she was still able to make good progress. Then came another 200 meter sparely wooded section before she had to slow for twenty meters to cross another side stream. The next fifty one hundred meters was through a sparsely treed area followed by an easy crossing of another stream before continuing twenty seven hundred meters. The final eight hundred meter stretch to the crash site was along open land and access roads until she reached the northwest side of the bog. It took her only thirty five minutes to run the seven and three quarters miles. While breathing heavily due to the cross country run she was not heavily winded.

It took Fox Squad five minutes to disengage and gather together in a Hummer. Driving south on Mule Road the turned right onto Lacey Road which until they reached Carriage lane. From there they followed trails one and a quarter miles north until the they reached the southwest edge of the bog thirty three minutes after leaving the airport.

It took Echo Squad longer to regroup since Max and the soldiers were well into the forest and engaged in a fight. It took fifteen minutes before they were gathered in their Hummer. They traveled back down Pinewald Keswick Road five miles to turn south to a trail for three quarters of a mile into the park until they reached the east side of the bog seventeen minutes after leaving the airport.

Echo Squad arrived at bog thirty two minutes after the crash, Brose thirty three minutes after (since she'd started her trek before the plane was down), and Fox Squad thirty eight minutes afterward. The could see the torn apart wreckage in the bog. Echo squad was about six hundred meters away. Fox Squad was about two hundred yards away, and Brose was about seventy five meters away from the wreck.

The landing had not been smooth. The left wing had hit first, digging into the bog and pinwheeling the nose into the muck stopping it abruptly. The fuselage split open just behind the left wing and the momentum of the right wing acted like a lever to slew the tail section around ripping it completely off the face planted nose/left wing section. The right wing then hit the bog pinwheeling the tail section about thirty meters where it settled into the muck. The engines and wings were smoldering but the water had snuffed any open fire. There was no sign of life.

Upon arrival, Max did a quick visual of the crash and let everyone know they were in place and going in. Carefully he led Echo Squad into the morass towards the plane after having one of the soldiers disable the Hummer. They were about half way to the wreck when Fox Squad arrived. Luce notified they had arrived and after surveying the wreck and having her Hummer disabled they headed into the bog.

Brose didn't like what she saw and smelled. As she approached the bog she could see the headlights of a Hummer stop on the eastern side. In moments she knew it was Echo squad. She could see a one body at the wreck, but nothing moved. Her nose told her she wasn't alone so she decided to keep her presence off the airwaves. It took a few moments to determine there were at least seven very anxious and shook up oppos hiding in the tree line along the edge of the bog. A bit deeper into the trees she detected two more opps, obviously injured but functionally alert. With them she detected the still unconscious quads! Cautiously moving about she sniffed for the scents and was able to locate the area they were hiding. Slowly but steadily she began to circle to their rear, confident they were watching for signs of the approaching Echo Squad. For a moment she thought about warning Echo, but felt they'd serve as bait to distract the oppos until she get to the quads. She felt confident the oppos wouldn't open fire until Echo Squad was close enough not to miss.

As she stalked her prey she heard and then saw the headlights of Fox Squad arriving on site. So did the oppos. The seven split off three men to cover Fox. Brose paused until she was able to sniff out the location of the repositioned men, then began to move in on the two guarding the quads.

Brose stopped abruptly. Of course! Keying her headset she spoke. "This is Brose. I'm on site on the north side of the crash site. Echo and Fox Squads, it is vital to keep closing in on the wreck. Do NOT alter what you're doing or look off target. You're the bait I need to rescue the quads. There are two injured oppos guarding the quads about thirty meters into the trees. There are four fully functional in the tree line keeping and eye on Echo and three more watching Fox. Since they haven’t killed the quads I think they might be waiting for a dust off so they won't fire if they think you don't know they're near. When I secure the quads, I'll let you know, then you can hit them."

"Roger that, Brose," Kris cut in. "Echo and Fox, do as Brose said. When she let’s you know she has the quads, let the bastards have it. I already have three armed Apache's en-route. I'll have them circle until you're engaged so we don't spook them."

Needless to say the Echo and Fox Squads were nervous as they continued slogging their way into the ambush. Two minutes later Brose closed in on the duo guarding the quads. She found the quads lying under the tree canopy by a clearing big enough to land a chopper. Brose spotted one guard leaning against a tree looking towards the bog and his comrades. One leg was splinted and his head was bandaged but he still appeared capable of using his MP5. The other guard stood about six feet two inches and had to weigh a muscular two hundred eighty pounds. Obviously in pain, he was walking nervously peering out into the clearing in the opposite direction from the other guard. One arm was wrapped tightly to his chest in a blood stained bandage. An automatic pistol was gripped firmly in his good hand. Judging by his movement and labored breathing Brose guessed he'd probably broken his shoulder and collar bone as well as his arm.

It took another two minutes for Brose to silently make her way to a tree near the pacing man that was out of the other guard's line of sight. When he walked by the tree she waited until his back was to her before she moved. In two steps she was on him. One hand clamped over his mouth while the Bowie knife cut his throat clear through to his spinal column. The only sound that came out of him was a bloody gurgle as she lowered his already dead corpse to the ground.

Brose wasn't even upset, she'd just killed another type of rat. Calmly she wiped the blood off her hands and knife on the dead man's clothes. Then she began to stealthily move on to the other guard, keeping the tree he was leaning against between them. Three minutes later she reached around the tree and jammed the Bowie knife into the man's throat severing his spinal cord and pinning him to the tree. His death was instantaneous.

"Quads secured," Brose keyed her headset as she pulled the knife out of the dead man's throat. Again she cleaned up on the dead man's clothes.

Echo and Fox Squads had almost reached the crash site and their anxiety was at a peak as they waited for the oppos to open up on them. At Brose’s curt message they turned from the crash site to spray the tree line with fire as they scrambled for cover. The startled oppos quickly returned fire but lost the advantage they'd had. A heavy firefight erupted as Echo and Fox Squads spread out. As the squads fired withering covering fire, Ray was able to pinpoint and take out targets.

As the firing erupted from the bog Brose began pulling the quads one by one she about fifteen meters deeper into the trees eastward away from the clearing. With her strength, she had no problem accomplishing the task.

Realizing they'd been compromised the five remaining oppos scrambled back towards their prisoners. At the same time the thundering WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP of a chopper moving at tree top level gave them hope they could still get out of their FU'd disaster.

By the time she got the last quad moved, the oppos firing had ceased so she knew they were on their way. She knew they'd do everything in their power to kill the quads before letting them fall into The Center's hands. At the same time she heard the rapidly approaching chopper. She'd do her best to hold them at bay until help arrived. Without a trace of nervousness she readied her Desert Eagle for an expected assault by the remaining oppos and the arrival of the chopper. Once more she'd become the cold ruthless rat killing machine she'd been on the farm.

The forest canopy moved violently from the downdraft of the chopper as it dropped into the clearing. It was a commercial model, not an armored military type. Even so the two side doors were open, each with a hastily mounted manned machine gun pointed into the trees. Brose took careful aim and fired a round into the front canopy at the pilot. Almost instantly the chopper tilted sideways, the swirling blades bitting into the trees. The suddenly stopped torque slammed the chopper into the ground where it burst into flames. No one got out.

Seconds later the oppos scrambled into the area the quads had been. Clearly illuminated by the flames Brose could see their shocked expressions as they saw their slaughtered comrades and not the quads. Four stopped in shock looking towards the fifth man for orders. The man opened his mouth just as his head exploded. Brose was able to down another before they recovered.

"The chopper is down," Brose spoke into her headset as she searched for the three oppos. "I killed the man in charge and one other oppo. Three went to ground."

"Roger, Brose," Max replied. "We took out two at the tree line."

"That means these three are the last," Brose replied. "I can tell they’re hugging ground close together and they are terrified. They’re between you and the downed chopper. Let me know when you have them surrounded so I can drop a stink bomb. If they move before we’re ready I’ll let you know. I'll take them out if I see them but I can't leave the quads. Come and get 'em. Don't worry about my friendly fire, I can smell the terror on the three oppos."

“Try to take prisoners,” Kris added. “But DO NOT endanger yourselves doing so. We’ve got Apache’s over the area so there won’t be any more outside interference. Let’s end this.”

Brose’s comment that the three oppos were terrified was dead on. In the food court they’d left five men and a top notch dominator as rear guard. As they’d exited onto the parking lot they’d heard the distinctive report of a big gun that wasn’t one of theirs. They’d only gotten one quad loaded into an SUV when the door they’d exited opened and a figure rushed out. At once the startled oppos had opened up but the figure dove behind a dumpster. Then out of no where they were engulfed by the stench of a hog farm. Their fire slackened as they hacked and coughed. Before they could pull themselves together they once more heard the distinct bark of the big gun. Even as they began firing at the dumpster their guys began to drop. These mercenaries had worked with and faced the transitioned. They’d been impressed by some of the transitioned but always felt there was strength in numbers against them. Yet now this mysterious figure was methodically mowing them down. They even lost two vehicles to the insidious deadly accurate fire of what had to be a .50 caliber semi-automatic pistol. When they made good their escape from the mall they breathed a sigh of relief. They escaped a living nightmare.

As they began to relax on the jet as it began it’s take off run they were shocked to see the mysterious figure running full out at the plane while firing a pistol. The person was so close and going so fast they had to have rolled under the jet. As they looked out the other side they saw sparks fly off the engine and could feel the impact of the heavy rounds. Although they made it into the air, the engine exploded and they turned to left headed down. Now, over half an hour later, they heard the bark of the .50 cal followed by the impact and explosion of the chopper that was to get them out of their nightmare. When they got to the clearing they saw their two injured comrades almost beheaded and the quads gone. Then they saw their leader’s head explode as he was about to give them orders, followed instantaneously by the bark of that terrible .50 cal. Before they made it to cover the gun barked again and a huge hole appeared where their buddy’s stomach had been. All three had faced combat, but this wasn’t anywhere near that tension. They couldn’t see a thing but knew they faced a living demon. Their terror and indecision kept them hugging the ground.

One by one the members of Echo and Fox Squads announced themselves to be in position. “Stink bomb,” Brose announced.

The three oppos were suddenly engulfed in the vilest, most putrid smell they’d ever experienced. It was so bad they couldn’t even begin to tell it’s possible origin. They began to hack and cough, followed in seconds by what little was left in their stomachs. Overwhelmed, exhausted, and totally dispirited they were too weak to keep hold of their rifles. As the stench began to dissipate their survival instincts kicked in. They knew the soldiers from the bog were closing in behind them from the south. They figured their scourge was to the north of the clearing so they stumbled to their feet and with a staggering gait began circling the clearing to the east. The man in the lead had enough gumption to pull his handgun.

Suddenly their living nightmare stood before them with a massive Desert Eagle aimed at them. What added to their terror was they recognized their nemesis was a girl! The wretched man in the rear fell to his knees planting his face in the dirt as he began to cry. The guy in the middle just froze with his terror stricken gaze locked in the massive maw of the .50 cal. Nearly crazed with fear and hatred, the man in front raised his pistol. The Desert Eagle barked as the man’s arm separated at the elbow, the forearm flying five feet with the pistol still gripped in the lifeless hand. The benumbed man looked at his blood spurting stump and fainted. The second man dropped to his knees begging for mercy.

“Three in custody,” Brose calmly stated as she kept the Desert Eagle aimed at the broken duo.

In moments Beta and Fox squads rushed to Brose. The soldiers took down the two conscious prisoners and secured them while Luce knelt by the unconscious man and used her talent to staunch the flow of blood. Brose led Liz to the quads where she began to minister to their injuries from the crash.

Brose simply dropped to the ground sitting Indian style while she watched Liz work. Healing seemed to be a much better talent. The adrenalin rush that had fueled her cool unemotional feats throughout the evening crashed. Tears wanted to flow down her cheeks and she began to tremble as she realized how many people she’d killed, but she kept herself on a tight leash just in case more bad stuff went down. It was later determined Brose had personally eliminated thirty five oppos and captured three.

For The Center the operation had been a very messy success. A shopping mall was damaged with the food court basically destroyed. In addition to the twenty two oppos killed there, seven civilians died while twenty nine were injured.

Eight oppos had seized control of the airport at 7:30pm, the same time they hit the mall. The facility was closed down with one person in the control tower and two security guards, all were killed. Three janitors in other airport buildings went to ground and were uninjured. The escape jet with a four man crew landed five minutes after the airport was captured. The rear guard Delta Squad faced consisted of seven men. One had been wounded during the firefight, his comrades killed him when they bolted. Brose took out the rest. Delta suffered two green berets and one soldier wounded. Beta Squad suffered two soldiers wounded before they killed the five oppos they faced. Charlie Squad suffered one green beret and one soldier wounded before they took out the eight oppos that had ambushed them. Alpha Squad suffered the highest casualties, four soldiers wounded to kill the five oppos they faced. The twenty five man rear guard was wiped out. They killed their own wounded if they were unable to fall back, the last remaining defender wounded at each roadblock took his own life rather than be captured. The eight man force that secured the airport was the last to be wiped out. Once Kris determined their were no live civilians inside the control tower where they'd holed up, she decided her unit had already suffered too many casualties so she fried the control tower. The damages at the airport were high. The control tower was destroyed. The runway was damaged when the two SUVs Brose took out burned. Both sides of the Airport road were damaged at the road blocks from falling trees and burned out vehicles. Three more dead oppos were found in the vehicles used in the roadblocks. The .50 cal holes in the back of the vehicles with the dead men showed Brose had hit them as they sped out of the mall.

Ten oppos from the sixty man mall strike force boarded the jet with the quads. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, the other two crew members were injured as was the remaining transitioned member of the team, another powerful dominator. The remaining oppos killed the injured crew since they were not part of their group. They took great satisfaction in killing the injured dominator whose pain had at least temporarily rendered him unable to effect them. The two injured oppos were patched up and left as guards with the still unconscious quads. The reconstituted Beta and Charlie Squads covered Ray as he took out two oppos while Brose killed the pilot of the dust-off chopper. The two machine gunners were killed in the crash and fire. Brose then took out the leader and one oppo, then captured the remaining three.

The jet had crashed into the bog in Double Trouble State Park as well as the helicopter crashing in the nearby clearing.

In total the oppos suffered sixty six men plus two transitioned killed with three captured. The four man crew of the jet who were later determined to be innocent victims had been killed Of the sixteen green berets detailed to assist The Center Squads three were wounded. Of the twenty soldiers from the Center, ten were wounded. Brose accounted for over half of the dead oppos plus the three prisoners not to mention destroying two vans, two SUVs, a helicopter, and a jet.

The physical damage was too widespread, eighty dead were simply too many to create a believable cover. With the President's reluctant approval they went with a partial truth announcing the incident was the apparent result of a suspected terrorist commando attack that was intercepted by a specially trained army strike force operating under the Department of Homeland Security.

The incident had begun at 7:30pm, the jet crashed at 8:01 pm and Brose captured the last three terrorists about 8:45 pm. The White House press secretary held a news briefing at 9:30 pm to announce the foiling of the terrorist attack, identifying the locations of action and that all of those participating in the attack had been killed. The news media was told the sites were being guarded by armed troops from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and were off limits until the preliminary site investigations were completed. The preliminary investigations were expected to be completed before noon the next day and that the President would then address the issue and field questions at a press conference later that afternoon when more details would be available. Everyone was told to stay away from the sites and anyone attempting to gain entry would be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed. The news media was kept away until the sites were sanitized.

The Center Team, the quads, the green berets and the prisoners were choppered back to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Three medivac choppers evacuated the wounded from the airport landing directly at the base hospital. Guards were posted about the surgeries and ICU where they could treat yet safely sequester the injured.

The helicopter with the uninjured green berets landed near the Intelligence headquarters where they were taken for a secure debriefing. All the green berets were sworn to secrecy about what they’d witnessed. They would be the public face of the Homeland Security Strike Force, receiving medals and being feted as heros.

The four helicopters with The Center team landed in front of an unused ammunition bunker. Armed troops guarded the outside of the entrance and armed men were positioned around the bunker. A tech crew was just packing up after having installed secure communications systems as well as four cameras and thermal imaging units inside the innermost secure room in the bunker. They had vid monitors and computers set up in the next room. The spacious main ammo transfer area just inside the entrance had been stocked by the base Mess staff with food and drinks. Four gurneys waited by the entrance. Brose, Max, Liz, and Lara were in the chopper with the quads which landed closest to the bunker entrance. Eight of The Center soldiers ran from their choppers to retrieve the gurneys and head out to transfer the quads. Kris detailed Liz, Dani, Christopher, and Lise to accompany the soldiers to the secure room where the quads were to be sequestered so they’d be there to calm the quads if they awoke.

The brightly lit ammo transfer area allowed everyone to finally see each other. The terror that broke the prisoners at the end of their failed mission still effected them. They'd only been exposed to the transitioned two to four at a time but their smug superior cocky bullying attitudes most certainly intimidated them. Working together was a best an uneasy truce and the groups never mingled when not on a mission. It wasn't until they had entered the well lit ammo dump they realized they were surrounded by twenty of the transitioned and ten soldiers.

For the first time they saw Brose clearly. The big Desert Eagle secured to her vest still intimidated them. The man missing his right forearm timidly ran his left hand over the miraculously healed stump as he recalled what that gun had done to him. But what shook them even more was her icy calm demeanor. The entire front of her uniform was covered in blood and pieces of gore. Her face was even more terrifying as it was nearly covered with dried blood. On top of that three rips were clearly visible on the front of her vest indicating she'd taken a burst of gunfire apparently unscathed before their final encounter!

After telling Max to take over, Kris led Luce, Ray, and Brose to the rear where the four were told to be prepared to take out the quads if they went rogue. Kris was there to make that decision. Max assumed command of the others near the entrance to the complex to wait out the inevitable.

The prisoners were relieved when Brose followed the apparent leader and several others deeper into the ammo dump. They had witnessed 'interrogations' by the transitioned and dreaded being left with these teenagers who had just taken down their entire mission without any losses.

Max detailed their surviving soldiers to take turns guarding the inside of the entrance. Once everyone was settled in, he led Van, Lili and Kevin over to the prisoners to begin the interrogation.

"I can see you're afraid," Max declared in a menacing voice. "You should be. We could make your life a living hell."

The men noted the W-1 Warrant Officer insignia on Max's fatigues. How could a sixteen year old be a warrant officer? Yet it was clear the regular soldiers obeyed his orders. They looked at the steely eyes of the blue haired Asian teen with fear evident in their eyes.

"Fortunately, we don't like doing that," Max continued in a gentler but still firm tone. "But you will tell us everything you know about who set this up. Van is a pyrokinetic, he can burn you without killing you. Lili and Kevin are telepaths. They can simply enter your minds and get what we want, but that's painful and difficult on you and drains them. Instead you'll answer every question quickly and honestly. Lili and Kevin can tell if you're telling the truth with little effort. Please make this easy on all of us."

At that point Max signaled Mattie and Cori to bring over food and drink while he had Lili and Kevin untie the prisoners so they could eat. Van kept a wary eye on them and they knew better than to try anything aggressive.

After they'd slaked their thirst and hunger, the blonde, blue-eyed one armed man nodded and spoke with a heavy German accent. "If ve cooperate vhat happens to us?"

"I can guarantee that as long as you cooperate you will not be tortured and will be treated well," Max replied. "I would expect you'll be kept in custody indefinitely and incognito. Those of us here and our commanding officer are the only people who know you were captured. As far as everyone else is concerned, they've been told there were NO survivors. We're in the process of securing bodies to take your place in the body count. Everyone will 'discover' you were on the dust-off chopper and burned beyond recognition. Your 'dead' bodies will be cremated and eventually ID'd by DNA. Your superiors will have no reason to seek revenge against your loved ones."

Another man nodded. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"You don't, Max answered. "You'll just have to trust me. But think about this, we've treated you with respect as POWs. Since you were captured, have you in way been abused?"

They exchanged looks and shook their heads.

"We do have other incognito prisoners," Max stated. "You'll be placed with them in a comfortable secure secret lock-up."

Then the interrogation began.

The one armed man was a German Neo Nazi who as a teen had gone to Bagdad in 1991 as part of a five hundred man modern SS unit to aid Saddam Hussein during the First Gulf War. When the bombing began, the leadership had them flee the country. It had humiliated him and hardened his resolve to fight Zionism and American imperialism. His neo-Nazi cell been recruited several months before into what they knew as the Annihilate Zionism/Imperialism Front or AZIF for short. Their mission was to appear to have been a terrorist attack in an shopping mall to instill terror across the country. The plan had been loosely in place waiting for an appropriate time and location to snag a significant transitioning teen. It had been rushed into operation when they learned about the quads.

The man who had begged for mercy turned out to be frustrated dreadlocked Black American who was a Nation of Islam member and a member of the new Black Panthers. The hatred for whites and jews spewed by Louis Farrakhan and Malik Shabazz had driven him to want to strike out at the enemies. He'd been recruited into AZIF after a Black Panther rally.

The last man was a Bosnian Muslim who had lived in Serbia. Most of his family had been massacred by the Christian Serbs during the fighting during the mid-nineties. Forced to flee, he'd been drawn to Al-Qaeda and fought in Afghanistan before being pulled out and sent to join AZIF.

Once the prisoners started talking they tried to outdo each other revealing details of AZIF. All three were clearly ready to bail from AZIF. The promises and rhetoric of AZIF had faded before the mission. They felt the fiasco they'd survived had been due to poor planning, leadership, and execution. All three had buddies from their respective backgrounds who had lost their lives in the armed blunder. Max had video recorded everything they had to say and relayed it back to Mrs Fine, the head of security at The Center where she would disseminate the info.

Liz had been given a complete med kit on their way inside the ammo dump per orders from Dr. Lynchburg. Together with Christopher and Lise, she cut the soiled clothes off the twins. They were a bit shocked to discover they'd all been cross-dressing! The two who appeared to be girls were boys with padded bras. The two who appeared to be boys were girls with their breasts bound. Once naked, they proceeded to wash them. Before slipping hospital gowns on them Liz snapped photos of them from several angles. Liz then took cell scrapings from inside their mouths, snipped off hair samples, and drew several vials of blood from each quad while Christopher and Lise strapped them firmly to the gurneys. Each gurney was placed in plain site of a camera with the other three in the background. This would be their ’before’ base line.

The quads physically looked like siblings but like two sets of identical twins whose only difference was their gender. The smaller pair, a boy and a girl, were about five feet two inches with fair skin and blonde hair. The larger pair, also a boy and a girl, were about five feet seven inches with brown hair.

The quads had yet to be identified. No one had reported them missing even though the clean-up units had openly requested identities of people who might be missing in the Mall destruction. Those being detained at the mall had been identified and loved ones notified. But of the seven civilians killed, four were still unidentified. It seemed strange that no one had reported the quads missing... unless their family was among the unidentified dead.

The waiting was unsettling to Brose. It had only been five weeks since that day on the farm but her life was now totally different. For one thing she’d killed thirty five people that night. Killing rats, whether human or rodent, was one thing. Yet killing the quads seemed like it would be murder. She understood the necessity of taking out the quads if they went rogue but didn’t like it. The others shared her feelings. Brose cleaned herself up as best as she could while she listened intently while Luce and Ray explained their combat experiences. The happy teens she’d gotten to know back at the center seemed old and tired as they quietly talked. It was obvious none of them liked killing. They simply did what they had to do. This made Brose feel better for that’s the way she felt.

“It’s happening,” Dani called out. “All four at the same time!”

Just as they all gathered round the vid screens to watch, a ball of fire erupted from the smaller male quad. The intensity almost put the cameras into white out while the air visibly simmered from the heat. The readings from the thermal imaging device shot up to twelve hundred degrees in three seconds. As quickly as the fire started it was suddenly quashed. The air above the smaller female quad exploded in ice crystals dousing the flames. The two reactions canceled each other.

Less than thirty seconds later the area above the larger male quad seemed to explode in shimmering light of virtually every color and hue. Three seconds later the area above the larger female quad seemed to fade to blackness. Again the two opposite reaction canceled each other.

Dani and Kris exchanged looks of disbelief. Apparently both twin-like pairs had exactly opposite talents! Pyrokinetic versus cryokenetic and photokenetic versus umbrakenetic!

The monitoring equipment was linked by live feed back to The Center where Dr. Lynchburg and staff could observe.

Kris quickly contacted Mrs. Fine back at The Center to inform her of the conclusion she'd reached. Judging by the wreckage in the food court, the stress of the confrontation with the oppos had jump started the first emergence. Apparently the pyro had gone off first causing the massive explosion that ignited the gas lines in the food stands. That must have set off the cryo which extinguished the pyro flash over leaving only the gas fed fires. The two had apparently gone off within seconds of each other to cause the massive concussive damage and simultaneously limit the burn damage to the food court. Mrs Fine would share the info with the ‘official’ investigators.

The initial second emergence flash point danger had passed. Brose watched in fascination as they began to physically change. Their features seemed to morph then their bodies. The smaller pair grew to about five feet seven inches and their hair grew longer and darkened to a red that nearly matched Brose’s fiery mane. The larger pair also grew about five inches to six feet two inches while their hair also grew and turned the same shade of red. The quads now appeared to be even more identical - identical twin like in appearance. They all became prettier, with fair skin and a cute sprinkling of light freckles across their cheeks and light green eyes. What really seemed strange was that they didn’t seem to change sex!

~
*
> pew!
o

---

 

Chapter 9

The gurneys had been placed in a semi-circle with the each foot end lowered eighteen inches and touching so the friendly smiling faces of Dani, Liz, Christopher, and Lise would be their first sight. The quads awoke in their twined pairs, the smaller set first followed by the bigger set about forty five seconds later. Dani was using her empathic soothing talent to the max.

“Good morning,” Christopher spoke as they became aware of their surroundings. “You’re safe with us. You’re secured to the gurneys for your own safety. As soon as you’re fully awake, we’ll release you.”

The quads looked about in confusion and with a great deal of anxiety. They saw they were in a secure room but and felt the smiling teens were genuinely concerned for their well being. As they looked at their siblings, they couldn’t help but notice how they’d physically changed yet their quad sense told them who they were.

“You’ve physically changed, we call it transitioned,” Christopher went on once they’d digested what was going on. “Right now we’re in an unused ammunition bunker on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. It’s 7:35 am, the morning after what happened at the mall. You’ve been unconscious about twelve hours.”

(Quad speak Version-1 followed.) “The mall," "those soldiers" "came out" "of no where." "They said" "they were" "with the" "Department of" "Homeland Defense" "and were" "there to" "foil a" "terrorist plot." "Then they" "ordered everyone" "to get on" "the floor." "Once they had" "everything" "secured" "they came" "to us" "to take us" but granddad" "tried to" "stop them." "The leader" "shot him" "in the" "head" "then a" "ball of" "fire jumped" "out of me" "then nothing."

Christopher, Dani, Liz and Lise looked at each other and shook their heads. They’d heard of twin-speak, but quad-speak? They noticed that apparently when the quads spoke individual portions of a conversation, they did so in a definite rotation. The larger male began followed by the larger female, then the smaller male, and finally the smaller female. They would eventually discover their cyclical speaking always started with and followed the same rotation. If one or two were somewhere else, the conversation of the remaining quads simply skipped over the missing. Even more amazing was that each quad speak V-1 had each speak the same number of times. If four of them were talking, the total number of phrases was divisible by four, if three spoke, it was divisible by three, if two, then it was divisible by two.

“Wow,” Christopher chuckled. “Do you always talk like this?”

(Quad speak V-2.) “Sometimes, but other times we all talk together,” the quads replied as one before continuing. “What happened? How did we change? Where are our grandparents? Who are you?”

Christopher chuckled and looked at Dani. “Dani, is it safe to release them?”

“Sure,” Dani giggled. The group each went to a gurney to release a quad.

As the quads sat up, they saw Kris, Luce, Ray, and Brose by the back wall. They uneasily noted they were holstering their weapons.

“We were back here just in case there were problems,” Kris smiled as she came forward. “Some people who go through the transition go rogue. They're a danger not only to themselves but others. We have no choice but to put them down. Dani Marks, Christopher Duncan, and Clara Belle are empaths. They've been monitoring you to see if you're safe. Obviously you are. Liz Keyes is our healer. This is Master Sargent Luce Xiang, Ray Lomax, and Brose Shamrock. Welcome to The Center, you're now officially a part of us. I'm in over-all command of The Center. I'm Kristyn Keyes. I hold the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. The Center IS an actual branch of the Department of Homeland Security. We rescued you from your kidnappers."

Dani spoke up. "What are your names?"

(Quad speak V-1) "We're" "the" "Conrad" "Quads," "Stephan, "Stephanie," "Michael," "and Michele." They spoke in the same rotation as earlier, biggest male, biggest girl, smaller male, smaller girl.

"Well, welcome aboard," Kris smiled. "I'll speak with you more a bit later. We're going to get ourselves something to eat and drink, then we'll bring some back for all of you. I should have our schedule in hand for our return to The Center."

After Kris and crew left, Dani began to explain about the tainted water and how they had all been effected by it. From the loss of their mother through the first emergence of their talent and the transition during the second emergence. She explained transitioning was the time their bodies changed as they had experienced but the fact they hadn't changed sex was baffling.

"We have a preliminary diagnosis of you’re your talents," Dani said. "Michael, you said a fireball came out of you at the mall. We saw another come out when you transitioned. You're a pyrokinetic. Michelle, you are the exact opposite. Even though you didn't see it, you quenched the fire ball at the mall and here when you transitioned. You're a cryokinetic. Stephan, you're a photokinetic, you can control light. Stephanie, you're an umbrakinetic, you can control dark. The floor is cold on your bare feet so sit side by side on a gurney and we'll push you into the next room where you can watch your transition.

The quads were mesmerized by what they saw.

(Quad speak V-1) "About the way" "we were dressed," Stephan and Michael began as their faces turned a deep crimson.

"It's cool," Christopher chuckled. "Back at The Center I spend most of my time as Tina. We're fine with cross-dressing, gay, lesbian, whatever as long as the relationship is between a consenting pair. We don't allow promiscuity or bigotry."

"Tina is my girlfriend," Dani added as she squeezed Christopher's hand. "It's the best of both worlds cause I've got a boyfriend who understands girls."

(Quad speak V-1.) "Our grandparents" "were cool with" "us cross-dressing" "even in" "public." "They just" "insisted we" "remain paired." "Where are" "our grandparents?” "Were they" "injured?"

At that point Kris and crew returned with a cart laden with clothes and another with food and drink. All eight dove into the makeshift repast with gusto.

"We'll be leaving in an hour," Kris informed them. "We've got you some basic undies and sweat suits to wear. Once we get back to The Center, we'll get you decent clothes. Our med staff will give you a thorough work-up.

"Kris,' Dani asked. "Has there been any word on their grandparents?"

"Nothing definite," Kris replied. "You said they were with you in the mall?"

The quads nodded as one.

"We've found the burned bodies of an older man and woman in the remains of the food court," Kris said with as much consolation as possible. "They were found near the epicenter of the fire ball. The man had been shot in the head, the woman had her throat slashed. They were dead before the fireball burned them. No one has reported you missing so we can assume they were your grandparents. I'm sorry."

Dani, Christopher, and Lise stepped up and pulled the tearful quads into a group hug. Their empathy would help them deal with the grief.

"That also means no one is looking for you," Kris spoke up once they began to settle down. "We'll find four unidentified bodies near your sizes to burn beyond recognition. They'll be 'found' in the food court wreckage later today. We'll see to it your entire family is cremated and the ashes spread on the ocean."

(Quad speak V-1) "Can we" "get our" "grandparents" "ashes" "instead of" "dumping them" "in the" "ocean?" "We'd like" "to bury" "them with" "our mom."

"Because of what we're doing we have to make it look like the ashes are being sprinkled in the ocean," Kris explained. "We can't let the funeral home or cemetery that handled your mom be involved for security reasons. However, we should be able to arrange that your grandparent's ashes are not dumped in the ocean," Kris replied. "We'll bring them back to The Center. We can store them or you can keep them in your rooms. After a year, we should be able to safely go to the cemetery and have a private service to inter them atop your mother."

The quads smiled their gratitude in their sadness. These people did seem to genuinely care about them. Once they regained their composure, the quads dressed in the undies and sweat suits before slipping their feet into flip-flops. As they dressed Dani explained the necessity that ALL transitioned could never contact their families and have to assume new identities. A lot had issues walking away from their loved ones but the quads would at least have closure.

As a group they all walked to the front of the bunker. They were surprised to see eleven more transitioned packing up gear. Introductions were made and the quads were welcomed. The 34 people loaded into three M35 two and half ton canvas topped army trucks. The truck with the quads and Liz, Christopher, Dani and Lise had four soldiers at the rear, the other trucks had three soldiers. A fourth truck was loaded with all the monitoring equipment they'd used during the transition as well as the med kit. Even the clothing, gowns, and gurney blankets were packed for shipment. No equipment with a 'memory' was left behind. In a close column they drove out to the runway where their aircraft was waiting to whisk them back to the Center. They boarded under strict security. The wounded soldiers would follow in two days. Even if their wounds left them disabled, they'd have jobs and support. The Center took care of it's own.

Once airborne, for the five hour flight, most of the team finally could relax enough to get a little sleep. They'd been going for over twenty four hours. Dani, Christopher and Brose sat with the quads and talked. Brose was still too wound up even try to rest so she explained all that happened at the mall and afterward. The twins were aghast at the carnage Brose so calmly described and her part in it all and how she had single handedly taken out their guards, dragged them away from the site, downed an armed helicopter, then killed two and captured three of the bad guys at the end. They also realized she wasn't bragging, just simply stating the facts. She made it seemed as if she'd merely done what had to be done. They couldn't believe she'd shot down a jet and a helicopter with a pistol until she pulled it from her vest. After removing the magazine and making sure there wasn't a round chambered, she passed it to the quads. They were surprised by it's heft and bore. Their grandfather had trained them in firearm use and safety. They'd handled .22 pistols and rifles with ease. But the size of the .50 caliber Desert Eagle was a bit mind boggling.

(Quad speak V-1) "It's hard" "to believe" "we actually" "survived a" "plane crash." "Why would" "someone want" "to kidnap us?"

"You have powerful talents," Dani explained. "There were two transitioned working with the bad guys. One was a damper, a person who can suppress other people's talents. When Michael popped the fireball, Michelle reacted by popping an ice storm to counteract it. The damper shut all four of you down at that point. That's why you can't remember anything. The damper was intended to keep us in check long enough for the rest of their team to make their getaway. The damper knocked us on our butts."

"Fortunately Brose has a secondary talent in that she seems to be able to shield her mind from intrusion," Christopher said. "She was able to bull her way through the dampening and put a round from her Desert Eagle in the damper's head. Then while the rest of us were recovering she followed the bad guys out the back and caught them in the parking lot while you were being loaded into their vehicles. They opened up on her but she dove behind a dumpster then threw a stink bomb at them."

"That's my talent," Brose smiled. "I grew up on a hog farm. I can create smells and pop them anywhere within a two hundred meter area. The one I used at my first emergence killed thirteen of the bad guys when they came to kidnap me."

(Quad speak V-1) "You can" "make a smell" "so bad it" "kills people?"

"I probably can," Brose said. "But what I use is a concentrated hog manure stench that nauseates. They can't do much more than hack and cough, then drop to their knees and vomit. I didn't know what I was doing on the farm so I kept the stink so powerful they began vomiting blood. Most actually suffocated on what they brought up."

"Except for the guy you blew apart," Christopher said with a shudder.

(Quad speak V-1) "You" "blew" "a man" "apart?"

"Not there, I just made the gases in his gut swell until his innards exploded. Last night the guy that shot me," Brose paused to point to the three holes in her vest. "wasn't so lucky. The impact knocked me down and I hit my head on the tarmac. By the time I regained my senses he was coming over to finish me off. He had the drop on me so I couldn't try to shoot him, so I put everything I had into expanding the gases in his innards. I guess I overdid it because his entire torso blew apart. His shoulders arms and head fell one way while his hips and legs fell another. Everything in between just splattered over about ten meters."

“That explains your messy uniform,” Christopher nodded as he, Dani and the quads shivered at the graphic image yet amazed at how complacent Brose was as she nonchalantly told them what she'd done.

“Yeah, I’ll have to make sure to bring a change of clothes on any future missions,” Brose sighed. “I thought I’d left the messy part of my life behind when I came to the Center.”

"Anyway, Brose tagged their vehicles with GPS marker bullets, then started taking out the bad guys with the Desert Eagle," Dani Continued. "By the time the rest of us got out the back of the wall they were tearing out of the parking lot. That's why were able to track them to the airport."

"At the airport we split into our four squads to try to get to the jet but they'd blocked all the ways in so we had to fight our way in," Christopher picked up. "Lara, who is a pathfinder, and Brose broke off from the fire fights to make their way through the forest to the runway. Lara was beat by the time they got through but Brose can run a marathon in near record time. She headed out to the runway just as the jet began to roll. She tagged the plane on the right side, rolled underneath it as it passed over her, then shot up the left engine."

The quads looked at Brose in growing amazement. Brose smiled weakly in response, obviously a bit embarrassed by the attention her actions had drawn.

"Six guys from the nearest rear guard ran out to the runway to snag the SUV's the guys on the plane had abandoned," Dani went on. "They drove down the runway right to Brose who took them out, one by blowing him apart like she said. Then as the plane got about a quarter mile away the left engine blew apart. It sent the plane into a left turn and down. It crashed into a bog in Double Trouble State Park. Thanks to the tags we were able to pinpoint the crash site."

(Quad speak V-I) "We've often" "visited" "Double Trouble" "State Park "with our" "grandparents." "It's beautiful" "and such a" "neat place" "but really" "a pine barrens" "wilderness."

"That it is," Brose smiled.

"Kris rearranged our squads and sent two units to the crash site from opposite directions," Christopher picked up. "Brose got permission to run there. Brose ran over five miles, most of it through the park. The first unit arrived on site about a two minutes before Brose, the second squad about three minutes later. Both squads had to slog their way through the bog but Brose was right there. She found the survivors waiting to ambush the squads and the guards with you."

The quads looked at brose in even greater amazement marveling that anyone could run through the pine barrens much less in the dark.

"Brose used our two squads as a distraction while she cut the guards throats and secured you. When she signaled she had you, the squads attacked. Brose dragged you away, then waited. A rescue chopper tried to land in a clearing by the spot you'd been held but Brose put a bullet through the pilots head and it crashed killing everyone on board. Then when the rest of the surviving bad guys got to where they'd left you, Brose killed two and captured the other three."

(Quad speak V-1) "So basically" "Brose is the" "one who" "rescued us."

"I just happened to be on the scene when action was needed and I did it," Brose demurred. "I'm just a member of the team. I don't like killing, but I'm really good at it.”

"Brose can do things most of us can't even begin to do," Christopher declared. "We had an Iron Man Race a few weeks ago. Twenty six and a quarter miles biking, two miles swimming, then twenty six and a quarter miles running. Brose ran the marathon portion AFTER doing the biking and swimming in near record Olympic Time."

"I'm just a lot stronger than I look, have great stamina, and am an expert marksman," Brose demurred blushing.

"Yeah," Dani smiled. "She can bench press over twice her own body weight."

"I'm not supergirl," Brose sulked. "Hey, what's your favorite flower?"

The quads were baffled by the sudden direction change in the conversation. After a moment's hesitation they spoke (Quad speak V-2) "Lilac."

Almost instantly the air around them was filled with the soft, spring fragrance of blooming lilacs. A look of surprise was clearly evident on the faces of the quads.

"I'm an odourkinetic," Brose pouted. "I don't just do stink!"

"Brose is also our resident aroma therapist," Dani chuckled. "We've had to set up a fragrance request page on our school web site for mealtime in the cafeteria. We’ve got it set up now that Brose fills a high pressure air tank with a fragrance, then the staff can add it to the ventilation system so Brose doesn’t even have to be there.”

(Quad speak V-1) "So this" "Center place" "is it some" "sort of" "really weird" "military academy" "for kids" "like us?"

"In a way, yes, but it certainly isn't like a normal military academy," Dani explained. "First of all, we all consider it home and we think of each other as a big family. The Center is a secure facility... secure from outside intrusion. Inside the complex we have a great deal of freedom. There are rules but they're common sense rules."

"For one thing, we all have a school uniform we have to wear," Christopher said. "I usually wear the girl's uniform and present myself as a girl. None of the teachers, staff or other students bat an eye if one day I show up as Christopher and the next as Tina, my girl name."

(Quad speak V-1) "Students," "so are we" "students" "there?"

"Most of us are," Dani picked up. "A few like Kristyn and Max are excused from classes because of their positions."

(Quad speak V-1) "We noticed" "they were" "in charge" "and Kristyn" "said she" "was in" "overall" "command." "So are she" "and Max" "some sort of" "ROTC Military?"

"Kristyn holds the rank of Warrant Officer W-2 in the regular army," Dani explained. "She is in overall command of the our operation which we call The Center. We have three bases, Alpha Site was the first and primary base, we recently opened a Beta Site base in the Rockies and are preparing Gamma Site as a third base. Max is regular army Warrant Officer W-1, Base Commander for the Alpha Site. Dan Davidson is W-1, Base Commander at the Beta Site. They are in over-all command of their base and any excursions. The soldiers and adult staff attached to each base all report to the base commanders. The base commanders report to Kristyn. Kristyn reports to Colonel Harris, our military attache, and he reports to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President. We are a secret division of Homeland Security. Our mission is to collect as many transitioned as possible to give us a home and a safe accepting place to live as well as to protect the country from terrorist attacks like the one that went down last night. In return for being given a safe place to live we are expected to go on missions to help retrieve transitioned, or in a few cases, put them down if they go rogue."

(Quad speak V-1) "What do" "you mean" "by going" "rogue?"

"Imagine someone with your pyrokinetic ability who gets super pissed off in a shopping mall," Dani said. "You saw the mess you made in just a few seconds. If your sister hadn't doused it, it would have been much worse. Now imagine that person walking through the mall burning everything, then moving into the parking lot, then the houses. A rogue is someone who has transitioned who uses their talent for death and destruction."

The quads nodded their head.

"Another concern is other groups trying to snatch us," Dani went on. "It was just such a group we faced tonight. They were out to grab you with no concern about anyone or anything that got in their way. You saw them kill your grandfather without blinking an eye. They want transitioned to become a part of their organization. They brainwash or otherwise corrupt you, then use you for crime or assassinations. There were two transitioned with them tonight, both dampers. That's what knocked you out when everything went down."

"The problem is we don't know how many bad guy groups are out there," Christopher added. "We've identified three so far and one of those we've pretty well taken down, at least in this country, but the leaders are still out there."

"Then there's the problem of the public learning about our abilities," Brose spoke up. "Imagine how terrified they'd be of us. They'd hunt us down like witches or the CIA would use us for espionage."

"That's why we live in The Center," Dani agreed. "It's for our own safety, but it also allows us to be kids... at least most of the time. The school is great. We take normal school classes in the mornings, then in the afternoon we work out to train ourselves to be physically fit and how to best use our talents while controlling collateral damage. Brose can hurl a stink bomb with pinpoint accuracy two hundred meters."

"We live in two person dorm rooms we're allowed to personalize," Christopher added. "Each person has their own desk top computer in the room and an I-phone with tons of apps for use outside the room. The cafeteria serves three meals a day plus there is prepared food, drink, and snacks available around the clock. We have a lounge where we can hang out, there are game rooms with mall type arcade games, rooms to do role playing games, as well as music rooms for playing an instrument or just listening. The school rooms are nice, the teachers are all great, we have our own medical center with doctors and shrinks, we have gyms, work-out rooms, an Olympic size indoor/outdoor swimming pool, an indoors track with soccer field inside the track, basket ball courts, volleyball courts, handball, you name it, we've got it. If we don't, just start a petition and if you get enough signatures, we get it. To the best of my knowledge, everything we've petitioned for we've gotten. We also have a cross country bike/running/walking track."

(Quad speak V-1) "The Center" "really sounds" "great!" "Do we" "get to" "chose our" "roommates?" "Will they" "split us" "up to" "different" "bases?"

"We try to let everyone pick their roommate," Dani said. “As far as splitting you apart, I don't see that happening. When we transfer people to another base, we ask for volunteers. We draft if we don't enough volunteers. What others have done is volunteer as a group to avoid splitting up friendships. We do all we can to keep couples, like Christopher and I, together. I'm sure they'll do the same for you."

(Quad speak V-1) "Kristyn and Max" "seem to be" "our age," "right?" "So how" "can they" "be Warrant" "Officers" "in the army" "and in charge" "of everything," "even adults?"

"Colonel Harris was in charge at the beginning, but he was looking for some of us to show leadership, decision making skills, guts, and the ability to make instant life and death decisions while still doing what's right. Kristyn was the first to show she could handle it. She's chosen the rest of our leadership. The idea is that we know the stress being transitioned creates, we also know the dangers a rogue presents. Those of us here before Kristyn was given command resented the adults trying to make us into normal kids. We'll never be normal. Don't get me wrong, they were trying their best and we were treated well, but with one of our own in command, it's a lot better. The adults and staff all respect us and accept Kristyn’s authority."

The conversation then turned to Quad’s life before yesterday. Like all the transitioned, their mother had died in childbirth. Unlike the others, their conception had been the result of a gang rape of their sixteen year old mom by five jocks from the high school football squad. The boys had only received probation but as a group had been ordered to pay child support for what had already at the time of the trial been recognized as quadruplets. Their maternal grandparents, who had their child when they were in their mid-forties, had been outraged by the gang rape and probation but made sure the five rapists each paid their hundred dollar a month child support. Only once when they were toddlers had the quads joined their grandparents picketing the parent's home of a recalcitrant rapist. They'd called the tactic legal public blackmail.

From an early age the quads had displayed their identicalness and sense of interconnection, part of which manifested itself as cross-dressing. The doting grandparents could see that what the quads were doing was second nature to them and not some sort of deviant behavior. To their credit they researched cross-dressing and instead of forbidding it, set up guidelines.

Their grandfather had served in Vietnam during the war and was proud to be a vet. Their grandmother had been a hippieish war protestor. Over the years their opposing views blurred and blended until they became proud Americans who wanted people and the government to be responsible for their actions. They felt anyone or any organization, including the government, who made excuses for failures or shortcomings demonstrated a sure sign of weak virtues and ethical corruption. They instilled those feelings into the quads with their words and actions.

"Have you picked out new names," Dani told them when the conversation dwindled. “You have a chance to pick names you feel appropriate for you.

The quads sat for a few minutes silently mulling choices while looking at each other. (Quad speak V-1) “We’d like to” “use the last” “name of Clover” “out of respect” “for our savior” “Brose Shamrock.” “For our” “first names” “we selected” “what we” “think are” “appropriate names” “that reflect" "our talent." "Michael is a" "pryokinetic" "so his name" "will be" "Blaze". "Michelle is a" "cryokinetic," "so her name" "will be" "Snow." "Stephan is a" "photokinetic" "so his name" "will be" "Sonny." "Stephanie is an" "umbrakinetic" "so her name" "will be" "Shadow." "Will they" "be okay?"

“They'll be fine," Dani chuckled. "Your quad speak will really take a bit of getting used too."

Everyone smiled and settled back to rest. Dani and Christopher dozed off cuddled together. The quads were to busy with their own thoughts about the abrupt change in their lives and the loss of their grandparents. Brose sat back and cried silently. The quads wanted to name themselves in her honor. That felt good and terrible. She had killed so many people. Despite her thinking of them to be on the same level as rats, it still hurt. In the thick of the fighting she'd gone into rat-kill frenzy. She became a cool, calm, and calculating killing machine. She'd nearly beheaded the two guys with her Bowie knife yet she never blinked and eye. It was only once she'd been relieved by Max and the others that she almost broke down and cried. Now the faces of those she'd snuffed flashed before her eyes. She was afraid to go to sleep.

By the time the plane landed, Brose was the only one who had not dozed. Kris could see how exhausted she was and Dani confirmed her inner turmoil and lack of sleep. "Brose, you did a fantastic job," Kris told her as she shepherded her away form the others. "I think you need to talk with Dr. Tipps as soon as possible. Go take a shower, I'll send her to meet you at your room. You can talk in private."

Brose wearily nodded. Slipping into the armory she placed her weapons and kit in her locker. Then she headed for the showers.

She felt better after a long hot shower. Dr. Tipps was waiting inside Brose's room.

"I heard what you did," Dr. Tipps consoled. "Even though you did what had to be done, it still hurts."

Brose nodded, then the tears began. "I was so cruel and ruthless," she sobbed as Dr. Tipps wrapped her in a warm hug. “It was like a drug. The more I killed, the better the high. I'm really one sick bastard."

"No you're not," Dr. Tipps soothed. "When it was all over you cried. A cruel and ruthless killer would not have cried. They'd have killed the prisoners to watch them die. Even when you were in your 'killing zone' you were able to differentiate right from wrong. You communicated with your team, you pulled the quads to safety, those are not things a cold blooded killer would have done. Brose, being upset about what happened proves you're a good person and an excellent soldier. Now, lie down and get some sleep. I'll give you a shot to help you doze off."

Brose felt the exhaustion sweep over her as the injection swam through her veins. She was asleep before Dr. Tipps left the room.

It was nearly noon when Brose awoke the next morning. She was stiff and starving. After taking a hot shower, she slipped into a set of fatigues to head down to the Cafeteria. There she joined Dani and the quads. After exchanging clipped pleasantries, she set to eat. As she went back for her third helping she could no longer ignore the stares she was getting. As she placed her tray on the table she surveyed the room.

"All right, I'm a killing machine," she scowled. "I grew up slaughtering rats in the sewers beneath the hog barns on the farm. Twice a year from the time I was eight I had to crawl into the sewers with a Bowie knife and a .22 pistol. It would take me all day to crawl through about five hundred feet of thirty six inch pipe and five thousand feet of thirty inch pipe then crawling backwards to get out. If I didn't kill the damn rats they'd bite me. Imagine spending all day crawling through hog shit and rat gore in those narrow pipes killing anywhere between three to five hundred wild rats each time. The hog shit and rat guts got into my clothing, soaking me through to the skin. I had shit in my ears, up my nose, in my mouth, in my eyes. I had to reload the .22 from a gunny sack I pushed in front of me as the rats tried to bite me and squirm past. I hate the bastards! All I did yesterday was think the bad guys were rats. Are you happy now? I'm a trained killer, so don't even think of fucking with me!" Tears were rolling down her face as she stood with her fists clenched so hard her entire body was shaking.

By that time everyone was looking at Brose with horror clearly etched across their faces.

"I was at the farm when we retrieved Brose," Lise stood up. "The smell was horrendous. I also saw that Brose did what had to be done yesterday. She took prisoners, shot down a jet airliner and a helicopter with her Desert Eagle, and rescued the quads. Brose is a hero."

Lise smiled at Brose and began to applaud, others joined, and soon she was surrounded by a standing ovation.

Brose wiped her tears with her sleeve, then nodded her head. "I'm sorry I blew up. I don't like killing people, even if they deserve it. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact I'm so good at it. Please excuse my poor behavior."

"No problem Brose" someone shouted. "I'd want you by my side on any mission," someone else added. The kudos flowed around her as Dani pulled her into her seat for a warm hug.

After the embarrassment of her outburst, Brose finished her meal and headed to the armory to clean her weapons and vest. The Desert Eagle was covered in gore as was the Bowie knife and vest. It took her two hours to clean everything. Then she sat down with the armorer to have the bullet holes in the vest patched and to request a few changes to the locations of the gear that had shown a slight inconvenience in combat.

As she left the armory, her I-phone buzzed with a message. She was wanted in the base conference room for a debriefing. Sighing she headed to the offices.

The secretary sent her right in. Max, Kristyn, and Colonel Harris were waiting at the table.

"You did good last night," Max smiled. "We expected a lot out of you but you far surpassed our expectations. You apparently scared the bejesus out of the prisoners. They've been spilling their guts about everything. They worked for a known terrorist organization based in Germany. Not even Interpol suspected they had the resources to pull off what they did yesterday. Intelligence from the plane and chopper indicate a link to the Syndicate, but it's still to early to tell if they're cooperating or if one has taken over. The terrorists identify themselves as the Annihilate Zionism/Imperialism Front, or AZIF. Their name says it all."

"The preliminary investigation of the assault revealed an intermixed semi-hidden trail amongst several terrorist groups," Mac continued. "With the cooperation of the Russians, we discovered the Russian built jet was originally sold to Iran. The fingerprints from six dead terrorists revealed they were ex-US military who served in Iraq. Two were Muslim. The crew of the jet was Canadian and apparently innocent victims who had been hired from a Toronto based charter service to make the flight. They had filed a registered flight plan in Toronto and had entered US Airspace bound for the RJ Miller Ocean County Airport. The fact the crew members who had survived the crash were executed only added to the consensus they were dupes in the plot. Flight plans and maps found in the wreckage indicated they had planned to head to St. John's in Newfoundland to refuel before flying on to Germany. This led to the suspicion their was a neo-Nazi connection since it was known there was a neo-Nazi link to Al-Qaeda."

"On the surface there would seem to be little to unite the Aryan racialist of the neo-Nazi movement with the terrorists of radical Islam," Max added. "To the neo-Nazis, Muslims are almost all members of "inferior" races; and to the Islamic terrorists, the neo-Nazis are almost without exception either atheists or members of fringe quasi-Christian sects. Yet there has been close cooperation between Muslim extremists and Fascists ever since the founding of the Nazi movement in the 1920`s. For all of their differences, Muslim extremists and Nazis have always been united by a common group of beliefs and goals: hatred of Judaism, conventional Christianity, hatred of democracy, and a desire for the destruction of Israel and the United States."

"Hopefully we cut off their head yesterday," Max concluded. "We couldn't have done it without you. In fact, if you hadn't been there, they would have made good their escape."

"Rescuing the quads is a coup," Kris began. “The preliminary tests show they are unique in many ways. Their quad-ness is impressive. We've discovered they are unique even among quadruplets. The Clover Quads actually consist of a combination of fraternal and identical siblings called super twins. Each has one identical and two fraternal siblings. Identical twins are the result of a single fertilized egg splitting into two embryos, each carrying the same genetic material. Since the original eggs were intersexed the fertilized eggs had XXY chromosomes. When eggs with XXY chromosome split the result is one XX and one XY twin who are genetically identical in every way but sex. This happened to both sets of supertwins. That explains why they didn't change sex during the second emergence as they were no longer intersexed. Their intersexed status had ended when the egg split to form identical twins. The dual identical twins are also the result of superfecundation, the fertilization of two separate eggs inside the mother during the same fertile cycle by sperm from separate acts of sexual intercourse. In other words, the quads had the same mother, but each set of supertwins had a different father."

"I addition, they have some sort of mental connection or they couldn't do the quad speak," Kris added. Preliminary testing shows their talents are exact opposites within each supertwin set. Moreover, it appears they can combine their powers, feeding energy from three into one, thus making the one far superior in abilities that anyone we've ever seen. If they had fallen into the wrong hands almost anything could have happened."

"Brose, you showed outstanding courage, superior intellect, and phenomenal leadership skills yesterday," Kris said. "To a person, everyone on the mission has said they would be more than happy to be by your side on future missions. You showed everyone what you're capable of accomplishing. Effective immediately you are being promoted to Staff Sargent. Congratulations."

Brose was blown away. "But at lunch," Brose began.

"At lunch you showed the people who will now be under your command that you are one tough person and put them on notice not to mess with you," Colonel Harris cut her off. "Welcome to the United States Army Sargent Shamrock."

Brose shook his proffered hand, then those of Kris and Max. She was still in a daze as she left the office.

Luce was waiting for her. "Well Staff Sargent Shamrock, you've been seconded to me. You’ll continue to go on missions while I teach you the ropes and get you a proper uniform. I've been told I'll be Base Commander at Gamma Site, and I'll need someone tough to back me up. You're the girl. Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you Master Sargent Xiang," Brose smiled. When she was a guy she'd daydream of joining the Army and becoming a hero. Dave had been waiting for his eighteenth birthday to do just that. Now, just four months past sixteen, Brose was a tried and true combat veteran and a staff Sargent. Life couldn't get better than this, could it?

The end?