Rosetta: A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

An almost teen with a slight disability takes a chance on a local legend. She ends up with more than she expected, including some powerful new friends.

Part 1

Note: this story makes use of elements of other MORFS stories, including "Angel's Tale" and "Journey to Humanity". Reading those stories first will help some parts make more sense.

She felt a little silly. As 12 year old Rose Reid made her way through the State Park, bundled against the chilly November breeze, she was more than half convinced that her classmates were pulling another joke at her expense. Just because she had a slight learning disorder when it came to language, and a related speech disorder, too many of her peers (and too many adults - even teachers) thought she was slow. But her high test scores in other subjects (when spelling didn't count) proved them wrong.

It didn't matter. Some said things like "idiot savant" (which she had to have her mother explain to her). Others decided that either - or both - of those aspects of her school performance made her fair game for taunts and cruel pranks.

But then there were the conversations she overheard. Even among some adults. Discussions about some hill becoming active again. About miraculously powerful morfs having made a wish there, and then gotten those powers.

And the stories about the other side seemed to make it more real. Like the girl who was always mean to hybrids. She went to the hill to get powers, so she could be even meaner to the hybrids. She didn't get the powers. Instead, the hill turned her into a hybrid, complete with a short, furry, black tipped tail.

It took her a while to find out which hill they were talking about. She had heard the historical stuff about Pope Hill, but had never been there. By all accounts, it was not all that interesting. There was a small marker of some sort, and some picnic areas not too far away, but that was about it. It was not even one of the better places in the park to see the wildflowers when they were in bloom.

When school got out early for some meetings, Rose decided to check it out. Her parents wouldn't be home from work for hours, and her sister would be at the high school at least until the end of her classes. And it wasn't all that bad a walk to get home from the park. Besides, her mother was always getting after her to get more exercise.

Her parents knew about the early day, and said she could play in the afternoon. Play... she hated the juvenile sound of the word. Here she was, in middle school. Almost a teenager. And they expected her to go play like a little girl.

They made sure her cell phone was charged, and that she had it with her. She knew that they could use it to find out where she was. And they probably would. But there was no reason for her not to be there. If they asked, she would truthfully say that she was curious about the marker.

When the hill came in sight, she got a little bit of a funny feeling. Almost a sense of anticipation. Kind of like when her mother, a lapsed Catholic, had taken her to High Mass just so she could experience it for herself.

As she got closer, the feeling got stronger. She remembered some of the images from the church - especially the statue and paintings of Mary. When she was there, she thought she looked like a nice lady. Now, even though she was older, she still found the image pleasant.

She had the feeling of being judged, but lovingly so. Like when her mother was making sure her hair and dress were just right for something special they were going to. The stories said that this was the time to start thinking about her wish.

Her wish was simple enough.

When she got close to the marker, something made her stop. It seemed appropriate to say something. She didn't know the proper way to address a Saint, or even the proper Catholic way to pray. But something told her that the form wasn't important. Besides, she wasn't sure whatever was granting the wishes was the Saint, anyway.

"Please, whoever you are. I know I'm nobody special. I don't want to be some super powerful elemental or anything. I just want to be whole, and understand what people are saying. And make them understand what I'm trying to say."

She got a feeling like she had said the right thing. Then she noticed something coming up out of the ground. It was all glowy and see throughy, and it seemed wonderful. As it took form, it started to look a lot like she remembered the images of Mary. She was smiling, and that made Rose happy.

"Oh, please. I'll do anything you want. I'll go to church a lot and everything, if you can help me."

The face smiled and shook her head. Rose understood that she was being told that she didn't have to do any of that. She should just live a happy and productive life. An arm appeared, and the hand came and touched Rose on her chest. She was sure that she actually felt the touch.

The image faded away. She somehow knew that her wish would be granted. Sometime soon, she would get sick for a little while, and then her learning and talking problems would be done. Somehow, it seemed right to leave then.

Once she was gone, two older girls appeared. "I think I may have overdone it again." the one with elven features said, ruefully. They vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

When she was about halfway out of the park, Rose realized that she hadn't read the marker. Her parents might think that was suspicious. She was about to turn and walk back when she realized that she had a very clear memory of what it looked like. And even though she had no memory of reading it, she knew exactly what it said.

What the heck. With all the other strangeness, that wasn't worth worrying about.

When she got home, she got a drink and then flopped down in front of the tube. She was still there an hour later, when the front door opened.

"Hey, Tit. Whatcha been up to?"

Rose hated that name. It was her sister's abbreviation for Turtle In Training, a reminder that her boobs were still small enough to fit in a training bra.

Generally speaking, Rose and her sister, Tara, got along fairly well. But they were sisters, and sometimes the button pushing was an automatic thing. And Rose had quickly gotten her chance to counter her sister's little digs.

"Not much, Prune. Just spent a little time at the park on my way home."

The name Prune was a reminder of a time when Tara was learning to drive. During Spring Break, she was practicing in the school parking lot, with their mother riding shotgun. She had it on full manual, and hit the accelerator rather than the brake. She ended up jumping a curb, and running over a large bush. Their mother described the effect as "terminally pruning the bush." She got a ticket for "destruction of property", and the family had to pay for a replacement bush.

The mutual jibes over with, the sisters went on with their afternoon. Tara got to work on her homework, and Rose watched "her shows." There was always a sort of race to see whether Tara would get her homework done before the one afternoon show they both enjoyed. If she did, she claimed the right (as the "eldest") to choose the next show. If not, Rose got to.

The system didn't always work smoothly, but it usually worked. And if either girl failed to turn in homework on time, she stood to lose the choice. And in particularly bad cases, she'd lose watching privileges entirely for some time.

The next morning, Rose was disappointed to notice that she felt fine. She knew it could be a couple of days, but still...

The day went by with the usual battles with language, the usual social slights, and the usual mix of classroom successes and failures. All that build up, and nothing had changed.

By the time she got home, Rose had all but forgotten about the business at the hill.

The next morning was Friday, and she didn't feel quite right. On the other hand, Fridays and Mondays tended to be that way. She didn't really think anything about it. But by lunch time, it was clear that something more than the usual longest day blahs was involved. She felt a little feverish, and the smell of the cafeteria food was enough to make her sprint for the girls room.

After rinsing out her mouth, she stumbled to the nurse's office. A quick scan confirmed her fever, and there was no question about the reality of the nausea. After a phone call to her parents, and a quick debate between them, Rose was collected by her father. She was not really keeping track of time very well by that time.

On the way home, she told him she was sure it was MORFS. Between the fever and her normal speech problems, she couldn't really explain why she was so sure. But she was so insistent, and so agitated, that he called their doctor and got her an appointment for that afternoon.

Her father was surprised when the doctor confirmed her suspicions, but she wasn't. It had to be from the hill. The doctor fitted her with an arm unit, and made sure she and her father knew how to work it.

When they got home, it was suddenly urgently important to her that she wait until her mother and sister got home before she pushed the button. Her father didn't understand her insistence - heck, she didn't really understand it - but he let her have her way. After getting her good nights from them, she pushed the button. She drifted off to sleep, wondering how much the MORFS would change the way she looked.

It didn't.

Sunday night, she stood in the bathroom and examined herself critically in the mirror. She was a little disappointed that it hadn't at least made her boobs bigger. Her few scars were gone, which she expected from what they had said in class, but otherwise there was nothing to indicate that she had even gone through it.

By the end of her shower, even the needle mark from her arm pack was gone. But they had said that she would heal quickly for a while after her change. But other than that, she didn't feel any different.

She had missed dinner, but she wasn't all that hungry. That was a little different than the usual pattern she had learned about, but not too much so. She joined her family for her mother's jack o lantern pie, made from the Halloween pumpkin, and learned that nothing exciting had happened over the weekend. Other than her MORFS, that is. Some of her friends had called, and wished her a speedy recovery.

After all the stories she had heard, Rose was disappointed. She didn't look any different, didn't seem to have any powers, and hadn't even slept through some Grave Family Drama.

She was so busy being disappointed that she didn't notice a difference in her conversation with her family. But they did. She no longer slurred or stumbled over certain words. Her voice wasn't different, but her clear speech made it seem so. And she seemed to pick up certain things more quickly and easily than before.

None of them wanted to say anything about it, for fear of making her self consciously return to her old patterns.

She got to stay up a little later than usual, since she had slept most of the day and she didn't have school in the morning. Her post MORFS checkup was scheduled for the afternoon, and her sister would be driving her to the clinic.

She decided that the night time newscasters must be better than the afternoon ones, since she could understand what they said a lot easier. She also decided that her family's late night viewing habits were terminally boring.

The next morning, everyone else left for their usual Monday destinations. Her mother, to the Marketing Research firm she managed, her father to the insurance company where he was a mid level executive, and Tara to school. Rose spent the morning alternating between playing on her computer, and trying anything she could think of that would activate any power she had. She would point her hand one way or another, mentally push or pull, and try to feel any new internal controls.

Nothing.

She tried some exercises from the net, with the same lack of results. By the time Tara got home to take her for her evaluation, Rose was a bit frustrated with her lack of results.

On the other hand, she did establish a few things. Listening to her music, she found that her tastes hadn't changed. For some reason, she could understand the words to one of the songs a little better, and those words were enough for her to like it a whole lot less. But the tune was still good, and she still liked the rest of her "old" favorites.

And she was somewhat relieved to find that something else apparently hadn't changed. Looking at her posters, and thumbing through her magazines, she still got the pleasantly strange feelings when she looked at the boys. And even more so when she imagined being with them. And looking at the girls did nothing for her. She still envied their boobs, and clothes, and boyfriends, and all the rest. Imagining herself with them, the closest she could get was a sort of sisterly closeness, or shared interests, or double dates.

The waiting room at the clinic was a little more interesting. Most of the apparent patients were older than her, but at least they showed some variety. The one person who seemed younger than her was a normal looking girl who seemed to be about eight years old. She seemed very sad, as she sat there staring at what looked like a driver's license.

Thinking she might be able to cheer her up, she went over and sat beside her. She was about to introduce herself, when she got a look at the card. It showed a young man, about twenty years old, who resembled the girl in some ways.

Suddenly, she thought she understood. The man on the license had morfed into the little girl. Rose thought the idea was gross. She had heard about such things in class, but never thought about the fact that she might encounter someone like that.

She had nothing against morfs. She was one, some of her friends and family were ones, too. Some of them were even hybrids. But the idea of a grown man running around as a little girl was just... just too icky.

The girl looked up, and looked Rose in the eyes. "Yes, that was me," she said, sadly but quietly.

Rose jumped, guiltily. Could she read her mind?

"No, I can't read your mind," the girl responded, as though she had done so. "At least, I don't think I can. It's just that I've seen that look a lot." She shook her head, and looked about ready to cry. "I see it in the mirror all the time."

Now Rose was confused. Was he one of those jerks that thought girls were subhuman or something? Like little boys, scared of kooties? Was he so sad because he turned into one of those mysterious creatures - a girl?

He read her face again. It wasn't hard. "There's nothing wrong with girls. There's nothing wrong with being a girl, if you’re born a girl like you were." He looked at her face. "No, no mind reading. you would not be so indignant if you were born a boy and morfed into a girl. Think how you would feel if you woke up as a little boy."

"But that's not all. Think how you would feel if that little boy was a toddler. All that time you spent learning, the differences in the way you are treated, everything... gone. That’s where I am. I was an adult. I already went through being a kid, then a teenager, once. All the way through. Nobody will take me seriously now - not for years. Or maybe never - some people who turn young this way are stuck. They don't age."

"But even if I do age, I will have to go through all that again, but differently this time. Think about what you've gone through the last four or five years. Think about what you will be going through from now to the end of high school. Even though I will legally be an adult, everyone will treat me like I am the age I look. Just like you were."

"You were trying to be nice. But you were trying to be nice to a little girl, not to a peer... not to some adult. And not everyone will be nice."

"I know." She defended herself. "I know people can be not nice. Until I got MORFS, I had a bad speech problem. People treated me like I was stupid. And those were the good ones. A lot of them were just mean because I was different. I was a target. And you won't go through that. You turned into someone who looks and sounds like a normal, pretty little girl. The people who treat you like a little kid will at least treat you like that kind of kid. Not like they treated me."

"You're supposed to be a grownup. You're supposed to have that perspective thing, so the things that might hurt if you were a real little girl won't. You'll see them for being ignorant and narrow, and understand that the kids who do it will grow out of it. And the adults will face their mistakes sooner or later."

"I don't have that. I haven't been an adult, and those people saying things have been doing so my whole life. And I still spend my whole day with them at school. So go ahead and feel sorry for yourself. Cry for all you lost, and for what strangers will say, if you want to. Prove to the world that you are the little girl you look like, not the man you claim to be."

With that, she got up and flounced back to her dumbstruck sister. She was just about to sit down when they were called in for her evaluation.

On the way in, Tara commented that it was the longest speech she had ever heard Rose give.

The physical was uncomfortable and embarrassing. Especially one part. She knew she would have to go through such things sooner or later, but she expected it to be much, much later.

After she got dressed, she went through the creepiest part. She could almost feel the guy rummaging around in her head. He didn't say much to her, other than to have her look at a couple of dumb pictures. But he did write down a whole bunch of things.

They sat down with their doctor, and she explained the results. Her physical changes were almost nothing. Some old scars and things were gone, that sort of thing. There was no sign of hybrid qualities, and no signs of significant powers.

Her brain, on the other hand, had changed. Her general intelligence and memory had improved somewhat. So had her hearing. She was somewhat resistant to probing, as well. But the biggest change was in the language centers of her brain. They had improved significantly.

The doctor went on to explain that the closest thing to a power she seemed to have was the improved hearing, which would probably give her headaches for a little while until she got used to it, and the language thing. She would probably have a much easier time than some people with learning, speaking, and understanding new words.

She went on to tell them that of the three characteristics that make up most MORFS derived powers - power, control, and processing - She had only gotten an improvement in processing.

Rose was cleared to go back to school.

The mood at dinner that night was mostly one of relief. Her family thought that she was just being brave, trying to hide her disappointment that she didn't get any cool powers or stuff. But she was just realizing that she had gotten exactly what she had asked for at the hill. While she figured that she could have asked for more, what she got was what she really wanted.

The next morning, she was vaguely disappointed that she had to miss her classes. She spent the whole morning being tested, broke for lunch, then got tested some more. Because of her status as a "special needs" student before the change, she had to go through all sorts of educational evaluations on top of the usual morf tests.

The morf tests were a waste of time, as far as she could tell. She didn't have any of those kinds of changes. She wasn't any faster, stronger, or anything. By lunch time, she was tired and discouraged.

At lunch, her few friends came up and asked about her MORFS. They seemed disappointed and somewhat sympathetic that she didn't get anything interesting. They also seemed relieved that she hadn't gotten anything really bad. At first, she mentioned that she lost the speech thing. After a while, she just started saying that she got a third ovary instead. At least that sounded more interesting to them.

After lunch, things went a little better. At first, she was a little insulted by the easy reading and math things they gave her. But they moved on to more and more complex challenges. Finally, they got to things she either didn't know or had to struggle with. Things like elements of geometry and trig, which she hadn't learned yet. But the reading remained almost insultingly easy.

In the end, she was shifted out of her original English class and into an advanced placement class, and the "special accommodation" notations for her other classes were dropped. Now, when she wrote a paper for History the spelling and grammar would count. She wasn't sure she was all that happy about that part.

She also wasn't entirely happy that she was losing the last class she had with some of her friends.

And she wouldn't even get a shopping trip out of it. A lot of the morfs she knew had gotten bigger or smaller, or grown a tail, or had some other reason they needed a lot of new clothes. Everything she had fit the same as before.

And while she was on the subject of being unhappy, she was given two days of missed classwork and homework to make up. It didn't seem fair. She was ready to come back to school on Monday, but they had to make her go through all those tests and things before they would let her.

It wasn't that the work was hard. There was just a lot of it. And there was no way she would be done with it before their show. Tara was going to get to choose her dumb show again. On the other hand, Rose would be too busy to watch it anyway.

The reading went faster than she expected. She should have known that without her mild dyslexia, that would be the case. The writing was also easier, but still time consuming. She didn't notice any difference in the math, other than the book seeming a little clearer.

And she wasn't nearly finished in time for the show. After it was over, she pretended to ignore Tara's smug look as she selected her show. Rose just let it go as she went back to her room to get back to work on her backlog.

That night, she dreamed of being back in school. Everywhere she went she felt safe and accepted. While she wasn't part of some of the little in groups, they were nice in their own way. Even the teachers were nice. And the deans. She could clearly understand what everyone was saying, and had no problems with the classwork.

She woke up feeling cheerful and optimistic. She couldn't wait to get to school.

Sometimes, dreams are prophetic.

Once she got to school, her good mood lasted all of thirty seconds. She was walking toward the door, smiling at everyone, when she walked past a small knot of girls.

"I hear the little dummy is a freak now, too." one of them was saying. Then she turned to Rose to make it clear who and what she was talking about. She needn't have bothered - Rose understood exactly what she was saying.

She also knew exactly what to say to hurt her tormentor just as much. But she didn't say it. It was just not in her to say such a thing, even to someone like that.

The verbal abuse continued, growing more intense as the others joined in, until it was interrupted by a dean putting his hand on the shoulder of the girl who had started the harangue. He escorted the girls to his office, telling Rose to come along as well.

After seating her tormentors in one office, he had Rose go to another office and discuss the event with another dean.

When she got in, the dean was looking intently at a vid screen and listening to an ear bud. When she was done, she asked Rose to describe the event. She did, repeating as much of the screed as she could remember. She wasn't aware that she mimicked the patterns of their voices almost exactly.

When the dean had listened to the whole account, she looked at the screen again. After a moment, she dismissed Rose and told her to hurry to class.

Sometimes, dreams are prophetic.

Most of the time, they are not.

The rest of the day had its ups and downs. On the up side, she could understand what the teachers were saying without the effort it used to cost her. On the down side, more people seemed to be going out of their way to be nasty to her. Even some of the teachers.

If she had any illusions of omniscience, she quickly lost them. Her new english teacher, a notorious anti-morf, had not been thorough when sending the assignments home. And when she called on Rose to answer a question in the unmentioned work, Rose flubbed the answer. Some of the other students laughed at her for the answer, but the obvious morfs in the class just looked grim.

It was sort of a draw in Changes. They were still on the Sex Ed unit, so her status as a recent morf was not relevant. On the other hand, what they were covering was more than embarrassing enough to make up for it.

On the up side, she did very well in her spanish class. Her teacher complimented her on her pronunciation, something he rarely did. And she aced the vocabulary quiz.

Lunch was uncomfortable. She learned that the girls who had tormented her that morning had gotten detention. And it was clear that their friends blamed Rose. When she sat with her friends to eat, something seemed a little off. They talked around it without saying anything directly, but she understood what they were saying.

Now that she was no longer saddled with her language problems, she wasn't really one of them any more. Without that element in common, she was virtually an outsider. They didn't know what to say to her, and they didn't have the shared class to discuss any more.

They wished she would find somewhere else to eat.

They weren't rejecting her entirely. Not all of them. It was just that they really didn't share a school any more. She was a part of the "others" now.

Rose spent the rest of the school day holding back tears.

After school, she couldn't face the bus ride home. She headed across the shortcut through the State Park, letting the tears flow.

She was so caught up in her crying that she didn't notice the group of high schoolers until she almost literally ran into them. The three high school women were as tall as her sister, if not taller, and old enough to be juniors or seniors. The man was taller, with large white wings.

After getting a better look at them, she recognized one. The blank white eyes were hard to miss. She was that telepath, the one Tara called Radar or something like that. The other two women were a slightly shorter blonde, and a slightly taller woman with black hair.

At first, she was afraid. They were older, stronger, and at least one was very powerful. But then something told her to trust them.

They asked what the matter was, and soon she was telling them everything about her change and her day. She even let slip that she had been to Pope Hill before the change. As they calmed and reassured her, they introduced themselves. Radar introduced herself as Lena, and the others were Angel, Robin, and David. They walked with her, down the path.

Angel explained that she was a bio elemental, and could tell things about people by looking at them. Especially morfs. She offered to do so for Rose. Rose somehow trusted her, and was curious what she would say. But she was in a hurry to get home.

She asked if they could do it another time. To her surprise, they agreed. When they reached the street, they went one way and she went another. She felt better than she had when she started her walk.

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"Well?"

"Well... she has a little bit of telepathy, but it's all tied up in her language centers. She has a pretty good shield, if she learns how to use it. As far as I can tell, she should learn languages almost instantly from native speakers, and pick up written and recorded forms very quickly."

"And...?"

"And... she can apparently understand what people mean to say, even when they don't say it directly or well. And she can tell whether someone is telling the truth."

"That can be dangerous for her," Lena agreed. "We'll need to keep an eye on her."

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When Rose got home, she grabbed a snack and went right to work on her homework. She wouldn't have the evening available, since it was museum night.

For almost as long as she could remember, her family had been volunteers at the Museum of Nature and Science. When she was too young, one of her parents would stay home with her, while the other (and sometimes Tara) would go. They got to work a lot of the traveling exhibits, which were special exhibits which moved from museum to museum.

With all their other activities, their volunteer time was somewhat limited during the school year. One Wednesday night and two weekend shifts (Saturday or Sunday - not both) a month. During the summer, they volunteered more often. And Tara was involved with the Teen program as well. Rose was looking forward to being able to join that, after she turned 14.

Rose enjoyed volunteering. It gave her a sense of accomplishment, something her life had all too often lacked. Sometimes she would do special demonstrations just for the children, but a lot of the times her audience was either adults or a mix of adults and children.

She had only had problems there twice, and both times involved students from her school. The offenders quickly found out that the museum was very protective of its volunteers - especially the younger ones.

The current exhibit was called "Prehistoric Luxembourg", and her assignment that evening was a "cart" about cave paintings. When she went through the training for the exhibit, she had reworked the scripts to work around her speech problems. It was a relief to realize that she didn't have to worry about that any more.

She didn't think there was anything unusual about the group that approached her cart. There certainly didn't seem to be anything different about the way she did her presentation for them. It was only when another volunteer came up and complimented her on it that she realized that she had done the whole thing in Spanish.

A short time later, a little girl came up to her and did a familiar dance. By the time she looked around for the girl's parents, and saw that nobody there resembled the girl, the dance had gotten more frantic. She told the girl where the nearest restroom was, and watched from the doorway to make sure she got there ok. The girl, who looked oriental, was followed by a very occidental woman Rose had noticed.

The man who Rose had seen with the woman came up and thanked her for helping his daughter. Then he asked her how much time she had spent in Southeast Asia. Rose politely responded that she had never been there. He looked very surprised about that. He was about to say something else, when a group of visitors arrived at her cart. She excused herself and started her presentation for them.

By the time she was done, the couple were in another part of the exhibit. The girl was with them, holding the woman's hand in a way that clearly said Mommy.

Soon it was time to go home. Per longstanding family tradition, they had gotten some fast food on the way to the museum. On the way back, it was dessert. Even though it was Tara's turn to choose, Rose approved of her choice. The rest of the way home, while she enjoyed her NitroDots, they all discussed their shift. Her parents had heard about the Spanish presentation, and the little girl. Apparently, both groups had made it a point to compliment the shift lead (who happened to be her mother) on Rose's fluency in their respective foreign languages.

Rose was beginning to wonder what was going on. She could sort of understand the whole thing with Spanish; she was taking it in school, and the people at the clinic said she should learn languages well. But she had no idea what language she spoke with the little girl, or how she knew to speak it.

Since it was a school night, she went right to bed when they got home.

She woke up the next morning with vague memories of some very strange dreams. Something to do with children, animals, and strange adults jabbering away. She could understand them, but they couldn't understand each other.

Breakfast was the usual weekday hit and run. Her parents took turns leaving "late" so that at least one could be home for last minute note signings, money grubbings, and the like. The window was short - almost long enough to grab the box of cereal before saying something - but it was a lot better than coming down to find both parents already gone. Some of her friends had that happen regularly.

Some of her friends. Well, they weren't Best Friends or Forever Friends to begin with. And they hadn't really rejected her completely. They just... weren't comfortable with the new, improved Rose. She guessed that a lot of recent morfs went through something like that.

It still sucked.

At school, Rose was standing at her locker, getting ready for her first class, when she overheard a conversation nearby. She vaguely knew the girls, a couple of eighth graders from India or Pakistan, or somewhere like that. They were in her Algebra class, but they didn't socialize with younger students like her. Usually, when they had their heads together like that, they were speaking their "old" language. This time they seemed to be speaking English.

When one asked the other about their class assignment, and the other admitted she didn't know, Rose opened her mouth to respond.

*DON'T DO IT!* filled her mind, startling her to momentary silence. As the girls moved off, she looked around and asked "Who said that?"

*I did. Don't answer out loud. People will think you are nuts or talking on the phone, and either will get you in trouble.*

Rose saw the sense in that. She wanted to make the voice understand her, though. *Ok. Who are you?*

*Would you believe I'm your conscience?*

*No.*

*Why not?*

*Because,* she cracked, *We haven't been on speaking terms for years.*

She got the impression of a mental laugh, then the response she was half expecting. *I'm Lena. We met on the shortcut through the park yesterday.*

Radar, or Lena, was hard to forget. But... *Why are you in my head?*

*You have to be careful. You don't know the full extent of your abilities, and if other people found out about some of them you could be in trouble. And in danger.*

Rose shivered, and Lena went on. *We need to talk later. I can help you understand your new self, and teach you to be safe.*

*Why do you care?*

*Because someone did the same for me when I was about your age.*

Rose got the impression that the statement was true as far as it went, but there was more to it than that. But considering who was on the other end of the conversation, she didn't "say" anything. Before she could continue the conversation, the bell rang and she had to hurry off to class.

English class was not much better than the day before. One of the few good things - relatively good, anyway - was that the teacher spread her toxic attention around among the obvious morfs rather than concentrating on her.

One time got to her more than most. She was absolutely certain that the teacher was lying to the boy. She was so upset that she opened her mouth to protest, when it happened again.

*Don't do it!*

*Why the hell not?* she shot back, her anger momentarily overcoming her awe of the telepath.

*It would only give her an excuse to cause you more trouble.*

*But she lied! I know she did!*

*Yes, but it would be your word against hers. And she's a teacher. And an adult. Who are they going to believe?*

*But...*

*And even if you could prove it, if you had a recording of what she said and could prove it was wrong, you would still be in trouble for disrupting the class.*

*That's not...*

*Fair? No, it's not. But life isn't always fair. You are about to get a crash course in some of the ugly side of humanity. And you are going to go on as though none of it was happening. Just be glad you're not a full telepath.*

*Why?*

*You only get what they say, what they mean. The unspoken things, the memories and dark fantasies, are much more disturbing. You don't have to see what I saw at your age.*

Rose shuddered. *What do I do?*

*Ignore the lies, for now. Learn to choose your battles. Let us help you, like we were helped. And remember, you have a family that loves you and new friends who can look out for you. Look out. She's about to call on you. The answer is a past participle.*

Rose made it through to lunch time without any more major incidents. She did find it disturbing that so many people around her were lying, and that it was about stupid stuff so often. Friends groundless brags to each other. Excuses about homework. Stupid, pointless lies.

At lunch, she realized she didn't have anywhere else to sit. She joined her friends, despite the scene the day before.

She found that she could join in some parts of the conversation. Mostly the parts outside of school, like vids and games. She just had to be careful about discussions of school stuff.

One conversation, about a show they all watched as kids, gave her an idea. She focused her attention on Knut, like the characters in the show, and informed him that he really wanted to give her his pudding.

"No, I really don't" He grinned.

"You don't understand..." She began.

"I do understand. You want me to give you my pudding. I want to eat it. Since it's mine anyhow, I win." With that, he lifted a large spoonful to his still grinning mouth.

Oh, well. So much for Qwert' yui Mind Control. Rose thought she heard a chuckle at the back of her mind.

*Lena?*

*Guilty. Nice try, though. I can help you learn some ways to get closer than that, but even I can't really control someone's mind like those fuzzballs in the show.*

Rose smiled and finished her lunch.

After school, Rose met Lena at some benches where the middle school and the high school overlapped a little. After getting a promise that she could get home quickly when they were done - a promise she knew to be true - she started her education in the dark side of Powers. And humanity.

"If people suspect that you might learn their secrets and expose them, you would be lucky to remain free and alive for a week." Lena told her, in a way that spoke volumes to Rose. Lena was quite insistent that she keep her lie detector a secret outside trusted family members and a few powerful friends. Rose understood that some, if not all, of the group from the path knew her secret.

"Don't worry." Lena assured her. "We're very good at keeping secrets."

"I need an assistant for my next lesson." Lena smiled.

Rose was startled when the woman introduced as Robin suddenly appeared, with a deck of cards in her hand.

"One of my abilities," Lena explained, "Lets me see through things. Like these cards. Robin," she turned to the other woman. "The top card is the two of clubs, then the seven of spades, then the five of diamonds."

On the second one, Rose could tell that Lena was not telling the truth. She wondered why, but didn't say anything.

"Now, Robin, tell Rose what those cards are." Robin named the cards in order, lifting each as she named them. When she repeated Lena's description of the second card, which was really the queen of diamonds, Rose noticed that she was apparently telling the truth.

"It is very important," Lena told Rose, "that you realize something. You can only tell whether the speaker believes a statement. Not whether it is really true. People can be tricked, like Robin was, or they can just be wrong in their beliefs. All you will know is that they believe it to be true. Or somewhere between true and false."

Before sending Rose home, Lena told her that she and the others needed to meet with her and her parents after dinner that night. They would explain some things then. Rose started to ask how they'd know when she was done with dinner, but realized the answer was obvious.

She wasn't sure she liked the idea of Lena being in her head all the time. In fact, she was pretty sure she didn't like it.

"I'm not. Not really. I will be aware of certain things, just like you will become aware of certain music when it plays somewhere near you. But I will give you your well deserved privacy, otherwise."

Again, she was clearly telling the truth. At least, the truth as she understood it.

"You're learning." Lena smiled at her.

"Ready for some magic?" Robin grinned at her. Rose nodded and...

She was standing by her front door. She shook her head at the thought of how powerful those women were, then went inside.

When Tara got home, Rose told her about talking with Radar, and about the after dinner meeting. Tara was curious, but didn't seem upset.

Tara was less happy when she failed to get her homework finished before their show - and Rose did. She accepted defeat, commenting that her show was probably a rerun anyway. She clearly didn't believe it.

Rose told her parents about the impending visit when they got home. Then she started getting nervous. All through dinner, she wondered about the meeting. After they finished dessert, it was almost a relief to hear the doorbell ring.

Rose answered the door, and Angel and Lena were there. After they were invited in and the social niceties were observed, they got down to business.

Lena started the discussion. "We actually had a couple of reasons for coming here tonight. When we ran into Rose yesterday..."

"Or vice versa." Rose added, ruefully.

"Yes, well... when we met her, we noticed certain things about her."

Angel took up the thread. "I'm a bio elemental. As some people around here are aware, I have some small ability to perceive what MORFS has done or is doing to someone. What I noticed with that ability..."

"And what I noticed on the surface of her mind..." Lena added.

"...made us think that we should talk with you all. She has more abilities than you know - more than she knows. And those abilities have the potential for getting her in a lot of trouble if she isn't careful. You are already aware that she can learn new languages almost instantly from someone who speaks them. Not so obviously, she can learn the written forms of those languages far more quickly than the rest of us as well."

Lena jumped in. "She has other abilities, too. Abilities which are almost as dangerous to her as mine were to me at her age. She can clearly understand what someone is trying to say, no matter how poorly they actually say it. She can make someone else clearly understand what she means to say, as well. Possibly the most dangerous part is that she can tell when someone tells a lie, tells the truth, or does anything in between."

"And when Radar... uh, Lena... says truth, or lie," Rose explained, "She means I can tell whether he or she believes it to be all or partly true. I don't know whether they are right or wrong, as she proved to me today."

Lena went on. "That can have a big impact on your family. Big and little lies and half truths are part of the oil that keeps social and family interaction going. For her own sake, she needs to learn when to ignore such things."

Lena took a breath, then continued. "She also needs to learn how to pick her battles. She will encounter kids and adults, even teachers and administrators, who will lie maliciously some times. If she challenges those lies, she can get a lot of unwanted attention. She can end up in a lot of trouble."

"I had to go through a lot of that when I got my powers, and it wasn't pretty. At least she won't be bombarded with the thoughts and images I had to deal with at her age. But she will have to grow up in a hurry, and face some very unpleasant truths about human nature."

She looked around and continued. "I... we... would like to help her, if it's all right with her. And with you."

Her mother looked at the visitors shrewdly. "What's in it for you?"

"Good question. We had people help us through some similar problems, and we feel a sort of a moral obligation to help when we can." Lena explained. "On a more personal note, the kinds of agony she would go through without some kind of help can be very painful to me. Like the way a speaker squeal can hurt your ears - especially if it's loud."

Rose's dad cut in. "What do you want from us?"

"Your permission. And your understanding of what she will be going through. There is no issue of payment, or favors owed, or anything."

"Which brings up another danger." Angel added. "When some of her abilities become known, there will be a lot of people anxious to exploit them... exploit her. And others who are afraid of ways they can be used against them. She will need to become more aware of her personal safety. She will also need to learn to carefully evaluate any offers or requests she gets."

Angel looked a little embarrassed. "And speaking of that, I have such a request." At the looks from Rose and her family, she hurriedly added "It's not a condition for our help or anything. Just something that would be really useful."

"As a bio elemental, I sometimes do volunteer work with the Children’s Hospital. This afternoon, I found out about a very frightened little girl who is on her way there for some major surgery. The problem is, nobody around here speaks her language and she only speaks a little english. If you would be willing, it would be really nice if you could go in and talk to her. Her parents won't be with her, and she will be in a strange place with a lot of strange adults."

Angel paused to let it sink in, then continued. "Because of your age, we can't really pay you or anything like that. There are laws designed to keep you from being exploited that way. But as a friend, and I would like to be your friend, I might be able to get you some good things. I work for a theater chain, and could probable get you some movie passes and snacks. I also work for a kind of exclusive spa downtown. Maybe I could get you or your family some services there some time."

Rose's mother looked thoughtful. "You're Mrs. Tabor's bio elemental?" she asked.

"Guilty as charged." Angel grinned. "I guess my reputation precedes me."

"We want to be clear." Lena cut in. "Angel is not offering those things as a bribe, to get you to do anything. Those things, like the help we offered, are just part of our offer of friendship. We will understand if you don't feel you can help the girl at the hospital. That won't make us like you any less, or make us any less likely to give you things. We have to be clear about that, for legal reasons. And we want to be clear about it for personal reasons."

"Rose, honey," her mother commented. "you've heard me talk about networking. Sometimes it is very useful to have powerful friends. These two certainly qualify."

"We have other friends, as well." Angel added. "Not just morfs with useful abilities, but their parents with money, position, and social connections. They would be just as happy to welcome you as a friend as we are."

Tara cut in. "I've seen you guys around school." She turned to Rose. "They don't hang out with the Supers, and certainly not with the Pures. While they hang out together as a group, I've never seen them be mean to anyone, or try to exclude anyone. Two of them were part of the group before they even morfed. I would not have been afraid to walk up to any of them and talk, but I never had any real reason to."

There was more discussion, during which the family practice of volunteering at places like the museum came up. The visitors were duly impressed. In the end, the only potential problem was transportation.

"No problem." Angel assured them. "One of our friends is a teleporter."

Rose smiled, remembering her "trip" home earlier that day.

That settled, it was decided that Rose would get a 'port home after school, change clothes, then 'port to the hospital. Angel and Lena would meet her there and they would go from there.

As Rose settled into bed, she thought about the changes she was going through. She was losing some of her friends, but gaining new, older, powerful friends. She lost her speech problems, but now she had to be a lot more careful about what she said. She lost the comfortable routines and protections her special status had given her at school, but gained more challenging classes.

Well, maybe that last one was a lose lose situation.

Her life was changing quickly since her visit to the hill, and not in ways she expected.

End part 1

Rosetta: A MORFS Universe Story By Joreymay

A little girl collapses, near death. Spies, kidnappers, and assassins pop up in unexpected places. A morf hostile teacher gets Rose in trouble. On the up side, holiday preparations and a favorite relative comes to visit.

Part 2

It wasn't fair!

Rose spent the late afternoon talking to the girl, learning about her family and her pets and her village. Sharing the quick friendship such little girls give so easily, and even older girls like Rose remembered how to accept and cherish. Watching her face light up when she had someone, anyone, who could talk to her in her own language. Laughing about the antics of the animals and the other children back home. She was so happy, so alive.

Then she collapsed. Rose yelled for help, and got pushed out of the way by a bunch of people in doctor and nurse uniforms. Even her new friends moved her away. First, they pulled her out of the room, then zapped her home with hardly a word.

When she tried to "ask" Lena what was happening, she just got a brief image of guts and blood, and a promise to tell her later. Then, nothing.

Her parents weren't even home yet. She ended up throwing herself into the arms of her puzzled and concerned sister, sobbing incoherently. For all her newfound language ability, all she could communicate was that she was upset.

Some time later, their mother came home and replaced the soggy Tara. When she finally got bits and pieces of the situation from Rose, she found herself in the uncomfortable position of not having any answers.

Even the usual platitudes wouldn't work. When she tried saying that she was sure that things would work out for the best, Rose recognized the lack of conviction behind the words. But she also recognized that her mother, however helpless in the face of the emergency, sincerely wanted to help and comfort her. That helped, a little.

*************************************************************************************************************

Lena felt bad about cutting Rose off... for about a quarter of a second. She had been dropped into one of the most complex, intricate, frightening activities she had ever experienced, and doing so with no preparation whatsoever.

And she was not alone. The sudden change caught the hospital somewhat unprepared. The girl had been scheduled for a few hours of imaging and prep, then a methodical procedure. Their team was hours away from being ready.

And the crisis was immediate.

A freak accident had left her body perforated with needle-like capsules of a highly reactive - and toxic - chemical mixture. Normally, these were handled in a completely sealed environment as part of a process for breaking down certain manufacturing byproducts into usable materials.

Most were fairly easily - if extremely carefully - extracted at the regional medical center. Three were not. Two were lodged, somewhat superficially, in her heart. The third, in a tissue mass adjacent to a major artery.

The problem was that they were cracked. The tissues they were embedded in were the only things holding them together. If any of them broke open, she would be dead in minutes.

The regional medical center couldn't handle it. No facility in her entire country could handle it. Nor could the usual assortment of morfs. Only a rare combination of equipment and skills, such as those found at that hospital, would even have a chance.

And they weren't ready.

The crisis came when a crack widened, allowing a tiny leakage of the contents. Not enough to trigger the normal reaction of the core, and not enough to immediately kill her. But close... far too close. And it was damaging her heart.

Lena had expedited the bond between two of her friends, Angel and Robin, and the surgeon. What they did was probably a violation of any of a number of regulations, but an innocent life was at stake.

With the doctor taking the lead, Lena coordinated the team of her friends. They explored several options at the speed of thought. Robin could not teleport the capsules out - her control was not that fine, and they had breached too many dangerous places. Angel didn't have the range to deal with any of them. Even with Robin giving her "ghost hands" to get close enough to do some good, the capsules were too brittle and thin for her to do anything about them. Even the surgeon, with ghost hands or regular tools, couldn't do the job.

Her heart was badly damaged, and barely beating. Using her ghost hands, courtesy of Robin, she got the blood flowing and repaired some of the heart damage. Some parts were degrading as fast as she could heal them, so she concentrated on the other parts. She got the heart going enough that it could sustain the girl for a few minutes without her, then pulled out.

They needed more help. At Lena's suggestion, Robin brought David to the operating theater. With Dr. Baker providing knowledge and guidance, and Lena coordinating them mentally, and effectively sedating the patient, they began.

Robin gave Angel the ghost hands again, which she used to get close enough to stop the damage and reverse it. David went in with his telesense focused down to microscopic detail, and centered on the needles. One by one, he transmuted first the toxin, then the covering into a copy of her blood plasma. Then he chased down and neutralized the traces that had escaped earlier. In the process, he found another capsule. The scans had missed it, because it was hidden by a bone. He quickly transmuted it, as well.

With the needles and toxin gone, Angel was able to heal the damage they had caused. With relief, she withdrew her hands and they became solid again. Partway through the process, some people came in and "fed" energy to the three girls, and the patient. They offered the same to David, but he didn't want to risk the distraction.

In the end, it had taken more than two hours. Angel was exhausted. They all were.

The usual post op specialists took charge of the girl. As far as anyone outside of that room was concerned, the process was carried out as originally planned. The specialists, having been there for parts of the process, were happy to let it stand at that.

One by one, the teens vanished and appeared in their own homes. Lena, the second to last to leave, conveyed the thanks of the medical staff to the members of the team.

When she got home, she "looked in" on Rose. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep, worrying about the patient. Lena woke her, and told her the good news. She gave her a brief replay of what they did, reinforced it with a little emotional boost, then let her get back to her family.

*************************************************************************************************************

Rose was happy that her new little friend was going to be all right. But it had been a sobering experience. As powerful as those women had been, they were almost unable to help that little girl. It took all of them, and others, to do the job.

She hoped she had helped. She hoped that her visit the next day would help. But she had learned that even incredible powers like theirs had limits. And that teamwork and knowledge could push those limits.

Maybe she could make a difference in the world, after all. With a little help.

Rose was not able to visit the hospital Saturday morning, since the doctors wanted their patient to get a good rest. She didn't understand all of it, but the collapse and the "surgery" apparently drained her in some ways. So Rose spent the morning watching her shows, and fooling around on her computer.

The afternoon was a revelation. After getting together and talking for a little, the patient dropped her voice and confided in Rose.

"I had a scary dream." Rose understood her to say. "I was almost dead, and I could see myself. Then some angels came and saved me. One put her hands right inside me, and fixed everything. Another, a man angel with big wings, did some kind of magic. Something made me feel confident and loved and relaxed while they were there. And when they were done, they just vanished."

She saw the smile on Rose's face, and misinterpreted it. "Don't laugh at me! It seemed so real."

"I'm not laughing. Not at you. And it was real. Those angels you saw? They were morfs, and friends of mine. The one who put her hands inside you is even named Angel. They all had to help each other help you. The doctor was a big part of it, too. He told them what to do and where."

"But we kind of have to keep it our secret. The doctors were not ready yet when you collapsed. The 'angels' weren't supposed to do anything, but they risked getting in trouble just to help you. A lot of trouble."

"Like the people who got me here." The girl added.

Rose didn't understand what was involved, but the girl was saying that some people had already put themselves at risk to get the girl to the country and to the hospital.

"Everyone else will think that all the doctors did the work," Rose explained. "and that Angel just healed the scars. Let's let them keep thinking that."

With a very solemn look, she agreed to keep the secret. Then she smiled, and they went back to talking about their lives.

Some doctors came and went, asking questions through Rose, and often getting answers the same way. Then a man and a woman came, and they were not doctors. And when they introduced themselves, they weren't telling the truth. For a moment, Rose didn't know what to do. Then she remembered: she had friends.

*Lena!*

*What's up?*

Rose shot her a quick image of the two, and their lies.

*The bad news is: they're shielded. The good news is that I can probably get through the shields if you keep them talking.*

"They say their names are Mr. Tower and Ms. Strickland." Rose told the girl, with an emphasis that conveyed her disbelief to the girl, but not necessarily to them.

*Be careful. The woman speaks a little of the language.*

"What do they want? Who are they with?"

"Good questions." Rose turned to the adults. "She asked who you represent, and what you want."

"We're with the government, and we just want to make sure she is being treated well."

"Which government?" Rose hadn't needed any other help to pick up the almost-lie in the first part, and the outright lie in the second.

"Ours, of course." The woman snapped. "Now just tell her, so we can get on with this."

When Rose turned to relay their claim, she made sure she blocked part of their line of sight. "Push the button." While the girl moved to comply, she continued. "They claim they are with the government, and that they just want to ask you some questions to make sure you are being treated well. The angels want us to keep them talking."

"What do they want to ask?"

"What do you want to know?" Rose asked them, warily.

The woman turned to address the girl directly. "How do you feel?"

"It's just a polite question. She's asking how you feel."

"With my hands, usually." the girl giggled.

The woman was already looking a little annoyed when Rose formally translated "She says she usually feels with her hands."

The man rolled his eyes slightly, then waited for the woman to continue.

Recovering her composure, the woman asked "Were you comfortable on the way here?"

Rose understood a little more. "This is a way to sneak up to the important stuff. She asked whether you were comfortable on the way here."

"I don't know. I was asleep."

"She was asleep, so she can't really answer that."

The man and woman both looked a little disappointed. But the woman pressed on. "Who brought you here?"

*Whoever they are, that is a big part of what they want to know. And they don't exactly want to congratulate whoever it was.* Lena warned her.

"They want to know who brought you here, so they can do something bad."

"Tell them I was asleep."

"Again, she was asleep and can't really say."

The woman was about to press the point, when the nurse walked in. She asked the adults who they were and, without waiting for an answer, told them that visiting hours were over. She indicated the door, standing open, and the uniformed security person visible just beyond it.

Rose and the security guard tensed when the man reached into his jacket, but he just pulled out an ID wallet. The man and woman walked out of the room, and were talking to the guard as the door closed.

*The guard doesn't believe their story, either. They were a little concerned when he said he was going to check their credentials. I guess they figure they will stand up to a superficial check, but not a deep one. They said they would be back, but they might not.*

Rose was comforted by Lena's reassurance.

"They're gone, for now," she told the girl. "They won't be back for a while. If they come back at all."

The girl seemed to relax at the news. Soon, they were visiting again and enjoying each other's company.

All too soon, it was time to go. With a wink at the girl, she mentally asked Lena to ask Robin to 'port her home.

*She'll see you.*

*She saw the rest of you leave that way. She still thinks you're angels.*

*Well, one of us is. And the hunky one looks like it.* Rose could hear the laughter in the first part, and something more personal in the last.

With a little wave to her friend, she watched the room suddenly change to her living room.

Rose didn't care what "Poor Richard" said; early to bed and early to rise makes a girl cranky. Especially on a weekend.

First, there was Church. Usually, they went to the later service. But they had a shift at the Museum and their usual service would have conflicted. On the way in, Rose took some comfort in the fact that Tara was almost as grumpy as she felt.

It was unusual for them to have two Museum shifts so close together. But they had family plans for Thanksgiving weekend, and they wanted to keep up their hours. So Rose found herself at the Museum once again, talking about cavemen and their art.

During one of her breaks, Rose wandered across the way to a part of the permanent Egypt exhibit. They had a replica of something called the Rosetta Stone, left over from an earlier traveling exhibit. It was this big, broken stone tablet thing, with three different kinds of writing on it. Looking carefully at it, and concentrating, she found that she couldn't read a word of what it said. Apparently, she needed more than that to learn to read a new language.

Rose was just finishing another cart demonstration - this time, on flint tools - when she got the call.

*Rose!*

Rose jumped, much to the amusement of her audience. *What?*

*Your new friend is frightened. She is calling for you, and almost incoherent. I can't understand her thoughts, except for a few images and her emotions. I don't speak her language.*

*Just a second!* Rose thanked her audience and excused herself. She called over another volunteer to take the cart, and went outside the exhibit. She pretended she was talking on her phone.

*Can you tell me what she's saying or thinking?*

Lena relayed the thoughts. The girl was convinced she was in danger. The duty nurse was unconscious - not just asleep - and the girl heard struggles. She thought they were bad people from the groups that were fighting in her country. Rose told Lena what was said.

*She's right. The nurse is drugged, and there are three heavily shielded people on the floor. We should get her out of there.*

*Tell her this.* Rose suggested, then switched to the girl's language. *I am the angel Radar. You can talk to Rose through me. We will get you to safety. Do you need to take anything with you?*

The girl answered in the affirmative. A second later, even Lena could understand her request that they hurry.

*We have her at Robin's house. Where are you?*

*In the Museum, just outside the new exhibit.*

*How do we tell her where she is, and what we're doing?*

*What are we doing?*

*We'll bring you here, then make sure she will be safe.*

Rose gave her the words to use, which Lena passed on. Rose asked Lena to tell her mother what was going on, and that she would be disappearing (literally).

*She is not happy about you skipping out on your shift and the family stuff. She doesn't entirely believe the emergency.*

Rose was not surprised. Her parents were very stiff necked about such things. Still, it would have to do.

*Found you. Robin will be there in a moment.*

Almost as quickly as she "heard" the thought, Robin was walking up to her. They went to the ladies room across the way, made sure nobody was watching, then vanished.

As soon as they appeared, a very frightened girl all but threw herself on Rose. She was shivering and sobbing, and very frightened. Rose hugged her, and tried to comfort her.

"I'm here. The angels will keep you safe."

As they sat on the sofa, and Rose gently rocked the girl while Lena calmed her down somewhat.

"We told Dr. Baker and hospital security about the situation. They're closing off that area from the rest of the hospital and bringing in help." She paused a moment, then looked surprised.

"She wasn't the target. The boy in the next room is the son of a diplomat. He was injured in a failed kidnapping attempt, and they're trying again. Stay here."

Rose explained to the girl, as Robin and Lena vanished.

*************************************************************************************************************

David moved his attention to the hospital corridor, and looked around. There was an armed woman standing outside one of the doors, watching the corridor. He moved his view inside the room, where two men were struggling to lift an uncooperative boy from the bed.

Using a trick he had learned on his visit to Sun City, he temporarily blocked the carotid artery on the one struggling with the feet. He knew he had chosen wrong when he "saw" an invisible Robin throw herself on the other and extend her energies. That could only mean he was a teleporter, and she was blocking him. In a move that David found more than a little disturbing, she shoved her intangible fingers inside her foe's neck and did her own version of the trick.

He unblocked his own now-unconscious victim, then used another approach on the woman. Remembering one of the attacks on Angel, he produced a small amount of the "dart juice" in the woman's blood. For good measure, he did the same to the two unconscious men.

Robin flitted out, and he watched as Security, alerted by Lena, collected the three sleepers. Seconds later, hospital staff were examining the boy and the drugged staff members. He gave Lena the All Clear as he withdrew from the room and followed the security people.

Taking a good look at the three sleeping prisoners, he found all sorts of hidden items. While he wasn't sure what some of them were, others were clearly weapons or communications devices. He had Lena relay the images to Robin, who popped in invisibly, removed everything with her teleport tricks, and stacked them neatly a distance away from the sleepers.

Neither of them could believe where the woman had hidden one of the communications devices.

*************************************************************************************************************

Rose explained the situation to her little friend, as the others told her about it. Even with their assurances about her safety, the girl was too afraid to go back to her hospital room. After some consultation, Rose was flitted back to the museum to talk with her parents. Even though they had met Lena, they were still not comfortable communicating with her telepathically.

Ironically, much of that discomfort was in the name of protecting Confidential information - information Lena already knew and didn't really care about. In the larger scheme of things, it was trivial at best.

While she was starting to talk with her mother (her dad was busy with some visitors), the teens were busy dressing the patient as a boy. With much mental consultation with Rose, they explained that it was a disguise to keep her safer during her brief time in public. That done, they would take her to the Museum, to be with Rose.

Rose's mother easily agreed to hosting their little guest. Maybe a little too easily. Rose suspected Lena had a subtle hand in that. It didn't really matter. Once her mother made her mind up about something like that, it tended to stay made up.

Rose went to a secluded corner and "told" Lena that she was ready. Robin appeared, with someone who looked like an ordinary little boy. Even the flying hug "he" wrapped Rose in didn't spoil the illusion.

Rose finished out her shift with her new appendage. Soon, it was time to sign out and go home.

The weekend family ritual was slightly different from their weekday ritual. Since they were leaving around dinner time, it would be fast food en route and dessert at home. Rose's mother was the one to raise an important question.

"What can she eat? She's been in the hospital for a while, and that can have an effect."

"I'll find out."

"How? She probably doesn't know. Do you have Dr. Baker's number?"

"No. I have something better. Or someone."

Before she could get her thoughts together, she noticed the look she was getting. She explained the conversation to her little friend. Once she had reassured her, she made the "call."

*Lena?*

*Yes? Is there another problem?* Rose seemed to catch an overtone of worry, quickly replaced by mild amusement.

*How...?* Rose started to ask. Then she was hit by the obvious. *Oh.*

*He says that she should be able to eat anything she wants, as long as it isn't too spicy. Your mother was right - she's been on a bland diet for long enough that her stomach needs a little time to get used to regular food again.*

In the end, she got a Hawkalo steak sandwich with fries and slaw. And enjoyed as much as she could eat of it. She was feeling guilty about wasting so much food, but they assured her they could save the leftovers for another time.

In the meantime, Rose was getting brief updates about what was going on at the hospital. A bug was found in the girl's room, and left functioning. They assumed it was left by the man and woman from the day before. David created an illusion of the girl coming and going from her room a couple of times, in case there were watchers. The doctor, and a trusted nurse, carried on a simulated examination of the girl, getting "uh huh" and "uh uh" responses courtesy of the illusion.

The doctor told the illusion that she would be well enough to go home the next day.

After they got home, and enjoyed a little ice cream for dessert, the deception bore fruit. Rose was told that the phony government types tried to sneak in. They were easily caught by hospital security, which was still on high alert after the kidnapping attempt on the boy. They were told that they could come the next day, and go through proper channels.

Lena warned Rose that Robin and the doctor would be appearing in a moment, and Rose warned the household. Even then, her parents found their sudden appearance a little unsettling. Rose invited Robin to have some ice cream while she waited, then showed doctor and patient to her bedroom.

While she translated questions and answers, the doctor gave the girl a brief examination. After using his portable scanners to verify a few things, he pronounced her fit to go home. He also told them that the records would show that she was is the hospital all that time, and would continue to be there at least another day.

The girl was happy she could go home, but sad she would be losing her new friend. Especially that suddenly. While Robin flitted the doctor back to the hospital, she tearfully told Rose and her family good bye, and thanked them for everything.

Robin returned with the girl's own clothes and possessions in a small bag. She changed in Rose's room, then she was ready to go. With a final sad smile, she waved goodbye and vanished with Robin.

Rose learned that Robin had taken her to a downtown spa, where she was met by the teleporter who had brought her to the US in the first place. After Lena read her benevolent intentions, the two vanished on the way to take her home.

While Rose checked her homework and then got ready for bed, she realized that she would really miss the little girl she had known so briefly.

The next morning, she got a brief contact from Lena, telling her that the teens would be busy keeping up the illusion that the girl was still in the hospital. Rose didn't quite understand all that would be involved, but somehow she had the impression that they would be fitting two days worth of activity into one day. It had something to do with Robin, but Rose didn't really understand that part.

Rose was glad that it would only be a three day school week. After a weekend filled with more than she usually did in a couple of weeks, she was looking forward to a short, easy week.

As if.

She wasn't sure, but she thought she set a new personal record for getting into trouble. Less than five minutes after getting to class. The teacher was passing back papers. The girl next to Rose, one of the more obvious morfs, didn't get hers back. When she asked about it, the teacher said she hadn't gotten one from her.

And it was a lie.

Rose blurted out "That's not true!" before she could stop herself. And that was why she found herself in the office of the dean. Again.

On the way, she realized that she had done what Lena had warned her against. But she still had time. And now that she thought about it, she had a way out. It wouldn't get her out of trouble, but it would keep her secret.

"I knew she got it. Linda used that bright metallic pink gel pen to sign her name. I saw when we passed the papers in. I saw the teacher..." Rose couldn't bring herself to use her name. "pick the paper up and look at it. Then she looked right at Linda before she put it down again. She got it, and she knew she got it."

"Why would she lie about something like that?" the dean asked, mildly.

"Because she hates morfs! She's a pure, or something."

"You are making some serious charges, young lady. Do you have any proof?"

Rose looked down. She had her power, but Lena had warned her that it wouldn't count as proof. "No."

"Even if you did have proof," the dean went into lecture mode, as in lecturing a naughty child, "you do not talk back to your teacher - to any teacher. Especially not in front of the class. And you don't throw around wild accusations without proof. Particularly not accusations against a member of the faculty or staff."

Rose noticed something in the way he said it, and couldn't resist. "Have there been a lot of complaints about her treatment of morfs?"

"That is none of your business, young lady." He might as well have said "Yes, but I won't admit it." Even without her "upgrade", she would have heard it.

In the end, Rose got a lunch-time detention. And her parents would be told.

Joy.

She got out of the office barely in time to get to her second class. Later, when she got to her locker, there was a small thank you note from Linda. And a more practical form of thanks: a description of the classwork and homework assignment. Rose was confident that the teacher would try to penalize her if she didn't turn it in.

During her lunchtime imprisonment, she had a brief contact with Lena. There was a funny quality to it, like some kind of echo, but she didn't explain it. Rose learned that another couple of unauthorized visitors had gone to the hospital, and gotten close enough to see the illusion of the long gone little girl before they were stopped by security.

Rose told Lena where she was, and why. Lena reminded her to be more careful, but congratulated her on the misdirection. Rose got a sense of approval and encouragement from the contact.

When Rose got home, she was greeted with a list of things to do. The family gathering for Thanksgiving was going to be at their house this year, and they had to get ready. Tara and their parents had done some of the work while Rose was at the hospital, but there was still plenty for both girls to do.

Between the housework and her homework, Rose barely had time to notice the occasional feeling of contact she experienced. Some, she recognized as Lena. Others, she didn't recognize at all.

Lena seemed surprised that Rose noticed them at all. She said that most people don't. She reassured her that they were harmless, and advised her to ignore them. Somehow, that assurance sounded right - like the contacts were somehow saying "Just passing through".

Rose managed to get through the next morning without getting in any more trouble, but there were a few close calls. Before her change, she wasn't exactly in the popular groups because of her speech problems. But most either ignored her or were neutral toward her. Now, the ones who had been in the hostile minority were more so, and some of the others - the Pures and their friends - were hostile.

The other morfs were not automatically friends, either. She was too "normal" for the hybrids, and not powerful enough for the wannabe supers. Even though she had undergone a very significant internal change, she best fit with the morfs like her sister, who just had superficial changes.

But they were not a coherent group. They tended to keep most of their pre-MORFS friends and social positions. There was no real "them" to become a part of.

Her only real allies at school were her SE buds, and even they were seeing her more as an outsider now.

Between the rude comments, turned backs (and other snubs), and general hostility of some students, and the nastiness of some teachers and staff, school was becoming a difficult and even dangerous place. She didn't fear for her life, but the opportunities for trouble - already widespread in Middle School - had multiplied.

It was a relief when Lena invited her to join some of them for lunch. She had to laugh at the idea of the Magic Toilet Stall, but readily agreed.

Lunch was more than a relief. The biggest thing was that they didn't treat her like some kid, tagging along with her betters. They treated her like one of them. Whether talking about the events at the hospital, or about the latest songs, they accepted or rejected her comments the same way they did each other's.

It was like water in the desert.

Angel complained that she was so busy at the spa that she didn't have time to anticipate the holiday. And she would be busy right through Thursday morning. She hadn't thought about it before, but the kind of high end, high maintenance people who spent so much to frequent the spa tended to have significant family politics to deal with during such holidays. They had to look their best to maintain their status. And Heaven forbid that they sag or wrinkle anywhere inappropriate.

The others agreed that it seemed kind of sad.

She went on to mention that some of her other clients were attending less family oriented events. In fact, two of her repeat customers were apparently attending some sort of political or diplomatic event in DC - maybe in the White House itself.

Rose was impressed - almost to the point of awestruck - that Angel was dealing with such important and famous people.

Angel waved it off. "An ambassador, or even a queen, is still just a person under all the makeup and clothes."

Lena shot David a dirty look, as he waggled his eyebrows in a way which clearly said that he was imagining some of those people under - or without - those clothes. Which struck Rose as dumb, since he could see all that with his powers.

*It's a boy thing.* Lena explained, rolling her eyes.

Robin mentioned that she had been - and would be - almost as busy. Rose hadn't been aware that Robin worked for the spa, too. Or that she made very good money for teleporting people to and from the spa. It was just not something she would think of on her own.

Near the end of their lunch, Lena gave Rose some books to study. She reminded Rose that she had promised to help her learn how to leverage her new powers, and said that the books would help. If she had any questions, she could ask any time.

"Oh, goody. More homework!" Rose commented wryly. Everyone laughed at that, including Rose herself.

After her reappearance in the restroom, when she learned about Robin's special two part entrance trick, she found it jarring to be back among her peers. They all seemed younger, somehow. And more petty.

Especially Missy, the girl who got in trouble for attacking her the week before. Every time they passed in the hallway, Missy made it a point to drop some comment or other to her friends. Listening, Rose could hear layer on layer of anger, fear, pretence, and finally, desperation. Somehow, Rose got an image of Missy stuck in her head - an image of a cranky toddler, lashing out at the world because she didn't get her nap.

While she resisted the urge to pat Missy on the head or stroke her hair, she did give her the kind of tolerant smile she had given such children when she babysat. She wondered whether Lena was helping her somehow.

*Nope.* Came the amused answer. *It's just your ability. You know how to make yourself understand, too.*

It made sense to Rose.

When she got home, her first job was to finish getting the main guest bedroom ready. They would be picking up her great grandmother from the airport that evening, to allow her some time to rest and get used to the altitude before the family gathering.

While the family delegation was waiting at the area set aside for greeting arrivals, Rose overheard two men talking in an unpleasant manner. She let her attention wander to them, without turning her head and looking. After a moment, she found she could understand them.

"...we'll be able to get that royal bitch out of the way once and for all."

"If that fool of a doctor hadn't botched things so badly, this wouldn't be necessary. When the others get here, we'll take care of it ourselves."

Rose understood that they intended to harm the person in question - maybe even kill her. There was no question that they were both speaking the truth, as they knew it.

"We shouldn't be talking so openly about it."

"Relax. Nobody outside of the province knows our language. They think it's too insignificant to even put in the translation systems, and nobody in this" (something Rose didn't understand) "speaks anything like it. Watch. 'Oh, God! That man up there is aiming a gun at that girl! He'll kill her!'"

Several people, including Rose, turned and looked at him because of the tone of his voice. None of them looked up to find the gunman. Rose had recognized the comment as a lie, so her reaction mimicked those of the others.

*Lena! Help!!*

*What is it?*

*Some men here are talking about killing someone. And they mean it!*

*Just a second.*

*Cassandra just got the same thing. Take a good look at them.*

Rose did as she was told. She knew that Lena could read the image from her mind.

*I can't really read their minds, damn it!* Lena exclaimed.

*Are they shielded?*

*No. Their self-talk is in some language I don't know. Whatever the language is, they think in it as well as speak it."

"Is something wrong, Tit?" Rose could tell that Tara was tired of waiting, and was concerned about something.

"Yeah, Prune." Rose replied. "But I'm talking to Radar about it. The angels will deal with it." For some reason, the little girl's description of them struck her as a good way to collectively refer to them.

"The angels?"

"Yeah. Radar, Angel, and the others. But I might have to help. They can't understand some things."

"And you do?" Tara looked at her dubiously.

"Yeah, 'cause of my super power." Even Tara could hardly miss the implication that Rose considered her abilities as anything but super.

*Rose! Do you trust me?* Lena's question sounded odd, but struck her as important.

*Yes.* After all that had happened, she really did.

*Relax, and let your mind flow. I will be sending some of their thoughts to you and reading your translations of them. Hopefully, it will be so fast you'll barely notice it. Is that ok with you?*

*Fire when ready.* Rose leaned back on the bench, closed her eyes, and tried to relax.

The effect was kinda like a radio playing in the background, when something much more interesting was happening elsewhere.

*************************************************************************************************************

Lena was not happy. Their target was Angel's re-virgin princess, now a queen. She would be stopping in Denver before going to Washington, DC for some sort of official reception and Thanksgiving dinner at the White House. For part of the visit, she would be at Mrs. Tabor's spa, and their plan had something to do with it.

And then, just as they were getting ready to give her some useful details, they were distracted by some nearby girls. Their thoughts and words were worthless after that.

Lena relayed what she knew to her friends. Angel suggested she contact Mrs. Tabor with the information.

And then she lost her use of Rose's mind.

*************************************************************************************************************

"There she is!" Tara exclaimed, elbowing her sister to emphasize the point. "Gram!"

Rose got caught up in the excitement of seeing one of her favorite relatives. She joined Tara in swooping in for their expected hug. They were not disappointed.

Rose briefly felt a now familiar sensation, and realized that she understood what her Gran was murmuring. "My sweet flowers. Be blessed as you bless me."

Somehow, she knew it wasn't completely traditional, and it felt right to answer in kind "Safe roads, Gran, and clear skies."

Her Gran looked startled. "When did you learn Gaelic? And how did you learn to speak it so well?"

*Rose?* Laura interrupted. *I need your help again.*

"I'll tell you all about it when we get home, Gran. But right now, I need to do something." She closed her eyes, and let herself relax.

Tara caught on. "She's talking with a telepath, Gran. And it seems important. So, how was your flight...?" With one arm around each, she guided her bemused great grandmother and her seemingly sleepwalking sister toward the baggage area and their waiting father.

*Can you focus on the men again?*

Rose nodded, and thought about them. The sensation of mental voices in the background returned. She absently noticed that there seemed to be two new voices, one male and one female. But she understood that any attempt to focus on the conversation would interfere with Lena. And that would be bad.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and let herself become more conscious of her surroundings and her actions. She didn't want to carry on a conversation, for fear of shifting out of her translation mode. She still wasn't sure what her limits were.

Tara noticed that she looked more like someone lost in thought than a sleepwalker, and decided that was a good thing. Still, she kept up her conversation with her great grandmother, and kept Rose pointed in the right direction.

*************************************************************************************************************

Lena was beyond concerned. The conspirators included some powerful morfs, as well as more conventional agents. One, in particular, worried her.

He was a teleporter, like Robin. But unlike Robin, he had decades of experience and a new trick. He could follow - and anticipate - other teleporters. Worse, he could block them. Teamed with a telepath or telesensor, he could track the queen and intercept her any time a teleporter tried to take her anywhere.

She learned that he normally worked for the boarder enforcement agency of a country neighboring that of the queen - one that opposed her marriage. But he had come from the same small region as the other conspirators.

She also learned that this was not his first moonlighting assignment.

She warned her friends, and Mrs. Tabor. While aimed at the queen, this was a danger to them all.

*************************************************************************************************************

*Why can't you just call the cops?* Rose asked.

*They're not terrorists. Just murderers - assassins, really. The police are limited in what they can do with what a telepath learns. Besides, with their contacts they would know almost as soon as we told the police. They'd just change their plans. And they would know that someone can understand their language.*

*What if I told them I overheard it?*

*Just as bad. They would find out you can understand them, and you would have a hard time convincing anyone to take you seriously. You'd just be some kid with an unlikely story.*

Rose didn't like being called a kid, but she saw Lena's point. *What can I do?*

*Go home. Do your homework. Enjoy your visitor. But be ready to open your mind.*

Rose was frustrated at the thought of being left out. She thought they were accepting her, that she was becoming a part of the team. One of the angels.

*You are.* Lena reassured her, having picked up her response. *You are our secret weapon, our biggest advantage. They have no idea that anyone can understand them, and that's made them careless. As long as you stay under the radar, we keep that advantage. I don't know what we're going to do, but you are an important part of it.*

Somewhat mollified, Rose turned her attention to her Gram. They had reached the baggage area while she was dealing with the crisis, and her father was coming to greet them. Her suitcase wasn't there yet, so they stood around and visited.

Once they were back in the car, luggage stowed, their Gram turned to Rose and confronted her point blank.

"What was that all about? Just what did MORFS do to you?"

"What makes you...?" Rose started, but stopped when she read her Gram's body language.

"It's still kind of a secret, even from most of the family. The only visible changes were the healed scars. But now I can learn whatever language someone near me speaks."

"Like learning Gaelic from me?"

"Exactly. I can do more things, too. I can tell what someone really means to say - even if they are doing it badly. And I can make myself understood, too. One of the most dangerous and secret parts is that I can tell whether someone is telling the truth, a lie, or somewhere in between. At least, whether they think it is the truth or not."

"What else?"

"That's really all I know about."

"So what was with the," something Rose didn't understand, "imitation back there?" Rose was startled to realize that they were conversing in Gaelic.

"What is that? An imitation of what?"

"I thought you understood the language. You speak it very well."

"Some things don't come through. Things I don't already know the concept of, for instance. Or slang terms based on someone or something I don't know about."

"What about reading?"

"I don't learn it instantly, but I can learn the written form of a language pretty easily if I already know the language. If I don't already know the language, I'm just like anyone else when trying to learn to read it."

"Now that we have that out of the way, what was going on back there?"

"I overheard something while we were waiting. Something in a language not many people speak, apparently. The people were planning to hurt or kill someone. I contacted a woman I know, a telepath with powerful friends. She couldn't understand what they were thinking, so she was using the special part of my mind to translate. That's what was happening."

"So why did you stop?"

"They apparently stopped thinking about what they were here for, and shifted to more mundane stuff."

"Well, it certainly sounds more exciting than my brush with MORFS."

"You're a morf? One of us?"

"Of course. Nothing useful, like yours. But it did get exciting in a sad sort of way."

End part 2

Rosetta: A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Rose learns some family history. A royal kidnapping goes horribly wrong, with deadly results. Rose has an unexpected visitor. The family prepares for Thanksgiving dinner and for Rose's impending birthday party. After the family gathers for Thanksgiving dinner, a prank freaks Rose out.

Part 3

"Well, it certainly sounds more exciting than my brush with MORFS."

"You're a morf? One of us?"

"Of course. Nothing useful, like yours. But it did get exciting in a sad sort of way."

Rose consciously switched back to English. "Exciting and sad? What happened?"

"I grew up in a small village near the coast of Eire - Ireland, you call it. We used to joke
that it was a toss up whether the town prospered more from shearing our sheep or from
shearing the tourists."

"What village?"

"I don't want to say. I haven't been back, and I have no intention of doing so. My parents are
long gone, and I've no family left there. And if you or any of the rest of the family go there, I
want you to make up your own mind about the place."

"It was an exciting time, the turn of the century. As a young girl, I barely understood all
the fuss about the new millennium. But I understood that some people were afraid that
New Years Day would see the end of the world as we knew it. All I really got was that the
telly might stop working, and I might not be able to play my games on the computer."

"The new year came and went, and life went on. The worst part was getting used to
starting years with 20 instead of 19." She shook her head at the triviality of it.

"Even then, I had become a little vain. I had beautiful, fiery red hair and sparkling green
eyes. I won some pageants, and generally got a lot of attention. And I took it for my due.
I wasn't completely stuck up, but some saw me that way."

"Then it all changed. The year I turned 14, I won another title for the regional festival. The
next morning, I thought I had celebrated too much. But it wasn't that. The doctor just
said it was a bad flu, and prescribed the usual drugs and bed rest."

"We had heard the rumors of some people getting sick and undergoing weird changes,
but they were just that - rumors. We never thought it could come to our village."

"I was sick for four miserable days. When I got better, I got a shock. My beautiful red
hair had turned a dull brown - all of it." Rose understood that last to mean the change
was not limited to her head. "And my eyes - the sparkling emeralds had turned brown
as well. I was devastated."

"Some of the more jealous girls started saying it was a Judgment from God, a
punishment for my vanity. Their boyfriends took up the theme as well. But things didn't
really get bad until the local Father took up the theme. He was a grumpy old Scot to
begin with, always complaining of frivolity and excess, but he got worse."

"Then some of the others started getting sick. And started blaming me for it. There
was even talk of me being a witch. Here it was the twenty first century, and you'd think it
was the dark ages. Some even said I'd traded my red hair and green eyes to the devil
or the Sidh - the fairies - for unholy powers."

"Few people, if any, really believed it. And over time, we started learning more about
MORFS. But the mood had been set. I was blamed for the other cases in the village,
even though I had nothing to do with them. People got uncomfortable around me, even
those who claimed they didn't believe the stories. Friends, people I had known my whole
life, started to shun me."

"As the months dragged on, things got worse. Da's shop got vandalized, and the police
wouldn't do anything about it. In fact, we later found out that one of 'em was involved. We
got shop doors closed in our faces. Families who'd known ours for generations refused to
have anything to do with us."

"It came to a sort of a head when one of the leaders of the attacks got sick, and then died
from complications of MORFS. The family tried to blame me, but most people saw that it
was their own damn fault; the doctor told them it was MORFS, but they refused to get him
the necessary help."

"His mother confronted me in the street, calling me a murderer. She had come prepared,
carrying a big rock. I'm lucky it wasn't a gun, but the crazy old bat was too wrapped up in
some religious lunacy of the scot's for that. She threw the rock at me, as hard as she
could. I dodged it, and it passed me. Unfortunately, it hit a bystander."

"The crowd that had gathered did not take well to the sight of a five year old girl sprawled on
the walk, unconscious and bleeding from her head. With everything that was going on, it took
me a minute to recognize her. She was the mayor's youngest, the fair haired girl of the village."

"At first, the madwoman didn't know what had happened. She only knew she had missed me.
But after she took out another stone and raised her arm to throw it at me, she saw. And then
she saw the crowd. She changed her shouts, trying to blame me for the injury, stupid old bag.
She tried to rally the crowd against me, forgetting that her earlier shrieking had drawn their
attention - that they had seen the whole thing."

"One of the larger lads stepped up behind her and relieved her of her stone, none too gently.
She ended up with a sprained wrist, in fact. She was lucky at that - the crowd was about
ready to do to her what she had tried to get them to do to me. The only thing that stopped
them was the arrival of a panda and an ambulance, called by some of the witnesses."

"There was no question about what had happened. Some tourist thought the whole thing
was staged at first, some kind of historical recreation or something, and recorded the
whole thing. His video made it clear that the girl was visibly in the line of fire - and visible to
my attacker - when she hurled the rock. And the recordings of her rants made it clear that
she intended nothing less than murder."

"After that, the public attacks stopped. Anyone trying to speak out against me or the other
morfs was none too politely reminded of the attack, and its results. On the other hand, I
was still an uncomfortable reminder of what happened - worse than an outsider. I was socially
isolated, treated with an impersonal formality like some disagreeable (and cheap) tourist. It
was better than the outright hostility and threatened violence, but not by much."

"I finished school - it worked a little differently there than it does here - and went off to college.
My Da' had a brother in England, so I arranged to stay with him for a couple of years."

"But my troubles weren't quite over. People started noticing I looked young for my age.
For a while, it looked like I wasn't aging at all. These days, you probably know someone
who got something like that from MORFS. But it was pretty much unheard of back then.
People just didn't believe my story - or my age. My ID was always checked and double
checked."

"And people got jealous of that. I considered it a curse, but they were jealous of it." She
shook her head.

"Eventually, I worked it out that I seemed to age about three years for every ten that I lived.
Ironically, that helped me meet and eventually marry your great grandfather (God rest his
soul). He was younger than me, but was attracted to the way that I seemed so much
younger than him. He was an American, and we ended up moving here to raise our family.
It took a lot to convince Immigration that I was who I claimed to be." She sighed.

"And here I am."

By this time, they were home and the girls were settling her in the guest room.

*************************************************************************************************************

The queen had her own ideas. Lena didn't like them, but in the end she gave in.

The trip to the spa went as planned. Robin took the queen back in time, transported her
to the spa, then brought her forward to the present. At the same time, another of Mrs. Tabor's
most trusted teleporters took a direct line to the spa and appeared in an adjacent transport
room. This gave the tracer something to trace, and set up the rest of the plan.

Despite the best efforts of Mrs. Tabor's staff, the queen was anything but relaxed by the time
she was done there. So were the friends.

Lena did her best to warn Rose that she was about to be dropped into something nasty, and
made her excuses to her parents. Rose went to her room, where she could disappear and
return without disturbing the rest of the family. Robin briefly flicked in and out, to make sure she
had a lock on where Rose was.

Combining their resources, Lena, Cassandra, and Robin got ready to track the bounce. With the
slight time shifts, they would seem to appear at the same time as the queen. The queen insisted
that the other teleporter take her, and immediately leave. She also made sure she had mental
images of the plotters and understood who had what abilities.

As expected, the queen did not appear in her apartment. Instead, she was in what appeared
to be a basement of some sort. The man who had intercepted her teleport barely had a chance to
part his sneering lips to make some comment before his head exploded. Before the body had a
chance to fall, Robin, Lena, and an avatar of David appeared and subdued the other plotters.

The avatar flickered briefly, when the room shielding activated. The kidnappers' original plan was
that it would happen as soon as the queen appeared, trapping her and her teleporter. They hadn't
counted on a group of defenders appearing with them, or with someone on the outside who could
quickly disable the shield generator by remote control.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of it. Robin flitted in a folding screen, and then brought Rose.
Rose took the stern instructions to stay behind the screen seriously. The rest were not so lucky.

The queen had survived a number of attempts, and loyal friends and relatives had died - some
horribly - at the hands of these people or their co-conspirators. She wanted names and answers,
and was not in a merciful mood. Her anger was almost as hot as the effects of her powers as a
heat elemental, and she wielded both expertly.

Even hidden behind the screen, Rose was not completely protected. Between translating thoughts
and questions for Lena and reading the truth (or lack thereof) of the statements of the kidnappers,
she got a large and horrific part of the proceedings. She nearly lost it entirely when one of the
translations described the nature of a sort of explosive sound she heard as having been the
destruction of one man's scrotum - and its contents. Lena helped her keep it together,
suggesting that it seemed unreal, like an unpleasant vid playing in another room. That, and the
emotional boosts, helped.

Some.

In the end, the queen had her answers. Angel was brought in to heal the survivors enough to
make sure they would live through their arrests. Robin and the other teleporter flitted them to
the consulate, where they were put in the hands of the queen's people. Then they did the same
for the bodies. They would be someone else's problem now.

Rose was the next to go. Lena briefly warned her mother that she was returning, and would need
comforting. The moment she was back in her room, she broke down and cried. Her mother came
in and, between Rose's racking sobs, wrapped her in a hug. Rose returned the hug so powerfully
that her mother was afraid of cracking a rib. But she hung in there. Lena had warned her not to ask
for details, and she accepted the advice.

After a while, Lena appeared in the room. Rose was not sure whether she had teleported or walked
in, but she didn't really care. With another hug, and a look to Rose to make sure it would be ok, her
mother left the two of them alone.

Lena talked, and thought, and used emotions, and eventually got Rose to a place she could live with.
A part of her childhood had been burned away, and was lost forever. But she still had her life, and
ways to enjoy it. When she was sure Rose was well on the way to recovery, she reminded her that
what happened was confidential. She should not discuss it with her parents, her other friends, or
anyone else not specifically cleared by Lena.

Before leaving, Lena handed a note to Rose's mother. It explained that Mrs. Tabor considered the
events to morally - but not legally - involve the spa, and invited her to bring Rose to the spa for
counseling sessions with the staff therapists. While she waited for her daughter, she could enjoy
some complimentary spa services as well.

Tara was not told much. She only knew that Rose had gone through something horrible,
something that she could not talk about. And that she may well have saved several innocent
lives. She didn't like the mystery, but made sure her sister knew she was there for her.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Rose went to bed. She was asleep almost immediately.

Her great grandmother was not content to leave it at that. *Telepath! I don't know your name, but
I want to talk with you.*

*My name is Lena. Or Radar. What do you need?* There was a bit of an edge, and an overtone
of her own exhaustion, in Lena's reply.

*I need to know that Rose will be all right. And what she really went through.*

There was a pause, as Lena took a deeper look into the woman's mind. What she saw surprised
and impressed her. The old lady could take it.

*She will recover, but she will never be quite the same. She did some growing up all at once, and
handled some things nobody should ever have to see.*

*What did she see?*

*Very little, directly. We kept her hidden during the action. She came in on an attempted
assassination by a terrorist group, and then was there while the intended victim tortured members
of the group - some to death - for information needed to stop other imminent murders. She didn't
see any of it, and I'm sorry that I saw what I saw of it. Unfortunately, she heard, and translated,
enough to have altogether too good of an idea what went on.*

*What part did you play?*

*I read their minds, with Rose's help, and helped them feel more like thinking and talking about
what we needed to know. Otherwise, I just coordinated the group.*

*How dare you! How could you do that to her?*

*We protected her as much as we could. Lives were at stake, a lot of them. And there was no
time. If there had been any other way, if we could have left her out of it, we would have. We didn't
have that luxury. She means a lot to us, and we owe her a lot for this.*

Gram took another tack. Something she knew from experience. *Her dreams will be the enemy,
now. What can you do about that?*

There seemed to be a brief, somewhat strange shift in Lena's mental voice. *I'll watch them
through the night. And change what I need to.*

*After you did all that, you expect to stay that awake and alert all night?* She put a lot of doubt
into that thought.

Lena replied truthfully, if a little misleadingly. *I am refreshed now. I will be in good shape to do
so.*

*How? Are you that powerful?*

*An aspect of our powers helped. But I will have to pay a price.* She did not want to let her know
about Robin's abilities with time, or that she had stopped in mid conversation, slept deeply for
more than her usual, and then returned to the time of the conversation and finished it. She would
lose a day of her life that way, but Rose was worth it.

Mollified, but not entirely satisfied, the older woman let the matter drop.

The next morning, Rose slept in. The school district had long since given up on having school
the day before Thanksgiving - too many families were traveling that day. And too many teachers
and staff members wanted to travel.

She was surprisingly refreshed, and didn't remember so much as a single unpleasant dream.

When she got ready for her shower, she had another shock. A few drops of blood stained her
underwear. She fought back panic as she started to flash back on the events of the previous
night, but just as quickly found herself calming down.

Too quickly.

*Lena?*

*I'm here. It's ok. It's not what you were thinking. Just something else - something you knew
would happen sooner or later.*

Rose took a second to understand what that indicated. Then she understood. *Oh! But... why
now, all of a sudden?*

*Sometimes stress can bring it on. Welcome to womanhood.* Rose could "hear" the ironic grin
in that last comment.

Her Gram insisted on making her a good breakfast, and keeping her company while she ate.
Both of her parents were already at work, and Tara was out with some friends. The two of them
talked as she ate, shifting easily back and forth between English and Gaelic. It was the nicest,
most relaxed mornings she had in a long time.

She should have known it couldn't last.

*Heads up!* Lena's thoughts broke into her own, breaking the mood. *A couple of official types
are coming to talk to you. It's all right - they aren't there to make trouble. They just need to
interview us all about last night. I'll be here if you need me, just a thought away.*

With that, the doorbell rang. "That's for me, Gram." she shrugged, as she went to get the door.

"Precog?"

"No, just a little help from my friends."

She opened the door a little and looked at the neatly dressed man and woman standing there.
As she heard her Gram arrive behind her, she deadpanned "My parents aren't home, and I'm too
young and naive to buy anything from you." She twisted her mouth into a half smile. "Or are
you here to save my soul?"

They did not look amused. The woman sounded like a government type from the tube when she
replied "Miss Reid, I believe your friend told you we were coming. May we come in?"

"Who are you, and what do you want with my grand daughter?" It was a minor conceit, but
dropping a generation brought her seeming age more in line with expectations.

"Your great grand daughter," the woman replied, emphasizing the dropped descriptor, "witnessed
something important last night. We are here to investigate the event."

"It's all right, Gram." Rose assured her, in Gaelic. "They are not here for trouble. I have heavenly
help if I need it."

Somewhat mollified, her Gram invited them in and offered food and drink. They accepted the
invitation to enter, and politely declined the refreshments.

"We will need to speak with her alone." The woman informed her, pointedly.

"I can't allow that. Her parents are trusting me to keep an eye on her."

After a bit of discussion, they compromised. She would go to the kitchen, where she could
see them but not hear them very well. They would activate a device that would block her
even more from eavesdropping, while allowing their unimpeded conversation.

*Don't worry. I'll be "listening" too, and help her if she needs it. And if you need to know
or say something, I'll pass it along.* Lena's thought was not as reassuring as it might be.
She was someone she hardly knew, and she had already put Rose in a terrible position.

Lena wisely refrained from commenting on that thought, but did "help" her to feel better
about the situation.

The two agents (as Rose thought of them) acted in what she would call an "Official" manner.
They were neither nice nor mean, neither overly polite nor rude. Businesslike. The woman
took the lead in the questioning, with the man asking for additional details and clarifications.

For the record, they asked her name and date of birth. After she gave those, they asked about
the events of the previous evening.

Even with the moral and covert emotional support of Lena, it was hard. They were not satisfied
that she didn't know the identity of the victim/torturer. "I only heard her called 'the queen' and
'that royal' bad word of one kind or another."

Then they got upset with her when they asked about what the kidnappers said and thought -
she answered in their original language. They thought she was making fun of them, not taking
things seriously. It took intervention from Lena to convince them she was being sincere.

After a brief mental consultation with Lena, Rose decided to hold back the bit about knowing
truth and lies. She didn't volunteer anything about it, and they didn't ask. She got the
impression that they attributed the evaluation of that issue to Lena, and she did and said
nothing to change their minds about it.

They took her through every moment of the experience, over and over again. By the time
the questioning was done, she was an exhausted, distraught mess. Her Gram stepped in to
put an end to things when Rose dropped her tear covered face to her hands and slumped in
her chair. The two agents accepted her intervention, and formally thanked Rose for her
cooperation. The woman gave her a card, asking her to call if she remembered anything else.

After they left, Rose sank into her great grandmother's arms and cried her eyes out. After a
while, she wound down and accepted the suggestion of a nap. Especially after Lena gave
them both assurances that it would be a healing sleep.

After Rose had recovered somewhat, her Gram distracted her with some books in Gaelic.
With her help, Rose picked up the basic rules of spelling and grammar with surprising speed.
Of course, it helped that she already had the spoken aspect of the language well in hand.

Even Rose was surprised at the speed with which she learned to read a language with a
partly different alphabet and very different rules. The better part of a single afternoon, and
she could read fluently and write passably. With some more practice, she would be able
to write the new letters as well as she did the more familiar ones. She was not up to the
standards of a calligrapher, but it would be clearly readable.

Tara had come home during the lesson, and quickly lost interest. She went around finishing
the cleaning, and otherwise getting the place ready for the next day's gathering. Privately,
she admitted to herself that she was trying to avoid thinking about what her sister had
gone through. Even without any details of the event itself, it was more than she wanted to
face.

Their parents were impressed with the language lessons, and sympathetic about the
questioning (which they had been told about). They also made sure to thank Tara for her
work on the house. Their own days had been pretty much as expected, trying to cram
three already overfilled days' worth of work into one day.

After a little decompression, the evening was filled with cooking and baking those things
that could be made ahead of time. Family members would be bringing food as well, and
the idea was to have as little to be done as possible when they were there. The brought in
dishes would need to be heated up or finished after the bird came out.

While they were working, they indulged in a widespread Day Before Thanksgiving tradition:
take out pizza. Rose's father was banished from the kitchen and sent for a resupply run when
a glob of half melted cheese and sauce fell into the uncooked meringue. Suspiciously, such
accidents were not uncommon for him on massive cooking occasions.

After a little more reading and talking with her Gram, Rose went to bed with her head
swimming with Gaelic poetry and stories. For all that, she had no trouble falling asleep.

The next morning, after a somewhat hurried breakfast, the ravening crowds started to arrive.

Rose had never realized what she had been missing all those years, at all those family
gatherings. There was a whole world of secrets, politics, and game playing going on, and
she had only scratched the surface until then.

The differences between what people said with their mouths and what they said with their
faces and bodies would have been fascinating, if it weren't so appalling. There were some
arguments that had clearly been years in the making. There were attempts to jockey for
position in the family pecking order, or to suck up to the few family members with a
measure of wealth or power.

And the undertones and meanings of what they said to and about her were the worst. She
would be turning into a teenager in a few days, and it seemed like it was all about sex. The
women were bad enough. When they talked about dating, Rose could see they were really
talking about sex. Even when they were talking about clothes, and how she would likely
start dressing, and doing her hair and makeup.

They seemed to fall into some basic camps. Some seemed genuinely happy for her, that
she would learn to enjoy things in life that were denied to children. Most were unhappy in some
way. They seemed to regard her as a potential embarrassment to the family (and themselves),
or as a potential rival (as if she'd even want their husbands, boyfriends, or sons), or a lost
opportunity (to share and enjoy her childhood). Some were excited, living their fantasies of
what their own young teen years could have been like, using her as a fantasy stand in. A
couple were even sizing her up as a potential playmate (as if).

Some, maybe most, of the men seemed oblivious. The rest seemed to be sizing her up as
a potential bedmate for themselves or their sons or other relatives. Or both, to judge by a
few overheard comments about sharing, between father and son or uncle and nephew. Or one
between man and wife. She certainly did not consider her enhanced hearing an unmixed
blessing that day.

Like the men, many of the younger children seemed oblivious. To those who were even
aware of it, a birthday is a birthday. A few seemed to have some ideas about the sexual
aspect but they were somewhat vague and, to them, funny.

The boys were the worst. Every one of them was sizing her up and evaluating their
chances of getting her in bed with them. And not just a passive evaluation. Their comments
were veiled and indirect, to the best of their abilities, but they came through clearly to Rose.
Double entendre, hints, comments ostensibly to other people about other things - all added
up.

Rose would have thought she was being paranoid or overly sensitive, except for two things:
her power and her friend. Much of the interpretation clearly came from her power - she
could recognize that. And Lena mentally "dropped in" from time to time to keep an eye on
her. And when she did, she verified the interpretations and helped put them in perspective.

That she was growing increasingly on edge did not go unnoticed. And it was not unexpected
that some of the people there - primarily her peers - would try to take advantage of that. What
was unexpected was the form it ended up taking in one case.

The Donaldson boys were a handful at any family gathering. They always had been, but as
teenagers, they had only gotten worse. They were not vicious, or seriously malicious - they
just had their own ideas of fun. They knew better than to target most of the adults, and the
very young children were largely safe from them a well. So they mostly targeted the older
children, teens, and a few of the younger adults.

Already that day, Tara and one of the other cousins had slapped their faces, to the
approval of most witnesses. But all they had done in response was exchange grins and
move on. When they had been given a talking to about one of their pranks, they managed
to look hangdog throughout, but that lasted only until they were out of sight of the speaker.

So nobody should have been surprised when they spotted a particularly tense victim, or that
they decided to make her jump. Nor was anybody particularly surprised by their ages old
approach. But when they slid up behind Rose and popped a bag, people were surprised by
her scream.

For a second, the boys congratulated themselves on getting such a reaction, but even they
took notice when her screams continued, and carried the unmistakable sound of terror. She
screamed, orally and mentally, and continued to scream until she disappeared.

The family descended on the boys with unprecedented unanimity. Most had no idea what they
had done, but all of them were certain that the two were the cause of Rose's reaction. Rose's
mother and father hung back a moment, as though they were listening to something, then
moved in to join the lynch mob.

**************************************************************************************

Rose found herself in familiar, comforting arms. "It's all right. You're safe. Everyone is ok.
It was just a noise, a meaningless noise." Lena said and thought to her, while projecting
calming, reassuring feelings.

The sound had brought it all back, all at once. Rose, already tense and feeling out of her
element, had flashed back to that room and the interrogation. But this time, the little part of
her mind that knew she wasn't there - knew she wasn't in immediate danger - worked against
her. It left her free to react, as she had not dared to when she had really been there. It all
came out - the terror, the anger, the helplessness... it all raged through her and left her in
that anguished, primal scream.

By the time she was calm enough to be really conscious of her surroundings, she had moved
again. She was in a comfortable office, with Lena and another woman. "Wh... where am I?"

"You're at Mrs. Tabor's spa." Lena reassured her. This is Ms. Hoffer, a staff therapist."

"You can call me Kiki, if you like." the woman smiled gently.

"Uh... ok." Rose replied, still somewhat disoriented. "How... long have I been here?"

"A little over an hour." Lena shrugged. "You had a lot to let out."

"Oh, God! What about everyone back at the party?"

"Your folks know where you are and what's going on. They told your sister enough to let
her cope. For the rest, I've been too busy with you to pay attention."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You haven't done anything wrong."

"But..."

"But nothing." Lena insisted. "We got you involved in some things that would have bad
effects like that on an adult, and then you were stuck learning more than you ever wanted
to know about your relatives, in what should have been a relaxed and festive setting. Finally,
you were suddenly and unexpectedly reminded of the scene in the basement. Your reaction
was nothing to be ashamed of. And now you can get some of the help you need."

Lena took a breath to let that sink in a little before continuing. "Mrs. Hoffer knows all about
what happened, and how you translated for us." *But not about the truth thing.* she added
silently. *That is for you to choose to reveal or not.* Then, aloud again, "You can speak
freely in front of her. She has my full confidence."

"But your dinner. Both of you."

"We have time." Lena assured her. "Our families don't eat as early as yours."

"My family," Ms. Hoffer confided, "is gathered in another time zone. One of the staff
teleporters can get me there in no time when we are done here."

"What about my family?"

"I told your folks," Lena reminded her, "and they would much rather have you here getting
help. They will save your food for you." She grinned. "The boys have been pointedly seated
facing your empty chair. It was their mother's idea."

"That sounds like Aunt Cathy." Rose admitted.

After another hour of hard work and a lot of talking - and a lot of leaking body fluids from the
faces of Rose and Lena - they were ready to go. Rose would be coming back to see Ms.
Hoffer for some follow up, but she was ready to face the world again.

Rose had changed, growing up faster than most people had to. Her old black and white world
of comfortable moral certainties was gone. The world was not fair, except when people chose
to make it seem so. She had faced the fact that the "good guys" can do horrible things for
good reasons, and the "bad guys" can be good people who think they are doing the right thing.
Or they can know they are doing bad things, and even enjoy it. She also knew how important it
was to keep to her own values in the chaos of the real world.

She could live with that.

And with that, she would be more likely to live.

When she got home most of the family had left, with the significant exception of Cathy and
the boys. When the boys told her they were sorry for the prank, they were telling the truth. And
they did not just mean they were sorry for the trouble they got in - they were genuinely sorry
to have caused her that much distress.

Sometimes, her new abilities were helpful. Without them she would have written off their apology
as the usual pro forma, "Mom's making us do this" sort of thing.

Before leaving, they handed her a nicely wrapped present and wished her a happy birthday. It
was another family tradition, because her birthday was so close to Thanksgiving. As she sat in
the living room and ate her servings from the feast, she watched recorded birthday greetings
from other family members. She noticed that the recordings seemed somehow muted... flat.

Then she realized what it was. Her sense of what they really intended, and whether they were
telling the truth (as they knew it) was not as strong. It still seemed to be there, but only just.

Or was it? these were people she knew well, people she had... what was the word Lena used?
Calibrated. People she had calibrated. But how could she test it? With recordings of strangers,
or broadcasts on the tube, she had no way of knowing whether her "readings" were correct.

Or did she? *Uh...Lena? You busy?*

*Just arguing about the game. Usual family stuff. How are you doing?*

That confirmed one thing, anyhow. She could read the intentions (and probably the truth) of
projected thoughts, as well. *Well...* How could she explain it? If she was sure what she
wanted to "say", her abilities would kick in. Frustrating.

Lena was way ahead of her. *I'm not sure it would be ethical, or all that useful, for me to read
those people. But I could do something better. I'll record some people you don't know, and
keep track of their intentions and truthfulness. Then you can watch the recordings and compare
your impressions with my notes. How would that be?*

*Great! Thank you!*

*You're welcome. Now relax, and enjoy your family.*

Lena was as good as her word, delivering a small stack of recordings to Rose early the next
afternoon. She explained that she would have brought them earlier, but she had spent the
morning with her parents and a few friends engaged in the yearly ritual of shopping the morning
after Thanksgiving.

Rose would have done the same, but she wasn't sure she was up to facing the crowds and noise
that early. Instead, she would wait for her parents and sister to get back from the first frantic
round and join them when they went out for the second, somewhat less frenetic, round of the
sales.

Her great grandmother, a little smug about having finished her holiday shopping days earlier, was
keeping her company. Rose explained about the test, and she agreed to help.

They didn't have a chance to start before they got a call from the road. The weary shoppers were
on their way home. Rose and her Gram went quickly to work, preparing the traditional "Leftover
Lunch" for everyone. They were almost done when the door opened and her family staggered in,
looking like refugees from a mall disaster.

Typical Black Friday, in other words.

After food, showers, a change of clothes, and a brief rest, they were ready to go out again. Rose
shrugged and agreed to join them. Before they left, Lena arrived with the recordings.

The mall was a surprise and a revelation. Rose halfway expected to have problems with the
crowds, but it turned out to be no more than the usual discomfort with the jostling, and the
fleeting images of falling and being trampled flat.

The usual.

What wasn't the usual was what she heard and how. She was surrounded by a sea of voices,
constantly ebbing and flowing and washing over her. And she could understand what every one
of them was saying, what they intended to say, and how truthful they were being. If she focused
on any voice or small group of voices, she could push the rest a little bit toward the background
and largely ignore the meanings and overtones.

Was this what it was like for Lena?

*Pretty close. How you holding up?*

Rose knew the question was largely pro forma, since Lena could tell how she was doing. Still,
she appreciated her asking. *Better. Are you watching me all the time?*

*Not closely. If you get upset, or call me, I'll notice. Otherwise, you are largely in the near
background. I have my own shopping to do.*

*How do you stand it? The voices...?*

*Practice. But now your sister is asking you a question.*

Rose shifted her attention to Tara, picking up the missed parts of the question from the context.

A little later, they passed a small knot of older teens who somehow made Rose uncomfortable.
She didn't understand why until she (along with Tara and her mother) came out of their next shop
and saw them again. They were using a sort of personal code, combining seemingly meaningless
words and gestures to converse.

And they were getting ready to rob someone.

Rose barely had time to think what she should do about it, when she was interrupted.

*Don't do it!* Lena commanded.

*But...*

*I know. They are planning a crime. Someone might get hurt. Someone will lose their stuff. Believe
me, I know.*

*Then why...?*

*First, because it could get you killed. Second, because even if they get caught, it could get them
off the hook.*

*That's nuts!*

*It's true, anyhow. We talked about this. Under the law, you are not all that different than me.*

*But I can't just...*

*I'll do something.* Lena almost sighed. *An undercover mall cop is aware of them now, but he
doesn't know why. If they try something, he will step in. And we don't have anything to do with any
of it.*

Rose wasn't very satisfied with that, but knew it was the best she would get.

The rest of their time at the malls was a real education for Rose. Overheard scraps of conversation,
complete with her special understanding of their meanings and truthfulness, exposed her to the good,
the bad, and the downright weird. As some of her peers were fond of saying, waaay too much
information. She was so distracted by it all that she almost missed her mother's evasion.

Almost.

The girls had separated from their parents for a little gift shopping, and to give their parents a chance
to shop for presents for them, and were rejoining them for a trip to the car. In the time honored
tradition of parents and their offspring, Rose asked her mother what was in one of the larger bags.

"Party supplies." came the unsurprising answer. Rose expected the answer, and even expected the
usual double meaning and evasion. The intention was to convey that it was party supplies and
presents for her upcoming birthday party. And that she was not going to be told the specifics. But
there was the tone of significant equivocation in the answer.

Her suspicion grew even deeper when she caught her father blushing. Clearly, they were up to
something. Before she could think of a way to ask some pointed questions, they were swept up
in the crowds as they made their way to the doors and then their car.

If she was confused by that, she was really thrown by the too casual question her mother asked in
the car.

"Will you be inviting your new friends to your birthday party?"

"Um... I don't know. Would they even be interested in a middle school party?" After spending a little
time with the older teens, she wasn't even sure how she felt about partying with people her own age.
What's more, she could tell there was something else behind the question. Something that was
being deliberately hidden from her.

"Well, you'll never know unless you ask." There it was again... something unsaid - deliberately
unsaid.

But she was right. Rose liked the idea of having them at the party. *Uh... Lena?*

*I wouldn't miss it for the world!* came the amused reply. Rose picked up the same overtones
of something being deliberately unsaid. But somehow, she felt ok with it.

*Would the others want to come?*

*If they don't have a conflict, I'm sure they would.*

*If you think so...* Rose couldn't shake the feeling she was being set up for something. Nothing
dangerous or the like, but something. But at the same time, she trusted them. Her mother would
not be party to something really bad, and her new friends were, if anything, even more protective.

After they got home and put away their purchases, Rose called the others and invited them. Angel
and Robin had to work after school, so they would be a little late to the party. But they made it
clear that they wanted to come. The others accepted without reservation.

Rose noticed something different about the call to David. With all the others, she had the sense of
some hidden meaning. With him, it just seemed like a routine invitation and acceptance. Maybe it
had something to do with the fact that he was a man - the "simpler sex" as her mother and Gram
called them.

Her mother's reaction when she told her about the acceptances only reinforced her suspicions. She
was being set up.

End part 3

Rosetta: A MORFS Universe Story By Joreymay

Parties and traditions fill the weekend and beyond. The Pope Hill Gang help foil the attempted kidnapping of a friend, and Rose helps with the aftermath. A pleasant tradition at school is dampened by a former friend turned tormentor.

Part 4

Rose wasn't given much time to brood on her feeling that she was being set up. While she was making the calls, her father and sister were breaking out the supplies for the other part of their Black Friday tradition - putting up the Christmas decorations. Before she knew it, she was anchoring and testing the animated yard display, while her father was stringing the DanceGlows along the roof and around the windows and her mother, sister, and Gram handled the indoor decorations.

While the trio worked away inside, they kept the Christmas music playing through the speakers nearest the front of the house. When Rose tried eavesdropping on them, all she could make out was the music.

Even if she could have heard them talking, it wouldn't have helped much. The nefarious plans she suspected them of making were indeed underway. But between the shorthand conversations and the occasional telepathic relay (courtesy of Lena), there just wasn't that much to hear.

When she was finished outside, she went in to help with the decorating there. By then, the only discussions taking place concerned the decorations and dinner plans. And the occasional "do you remember..." story.

Shortly before dinner, Rose got a call from Angel. After reminding her about her job with the theater chain, she asked whether Rose would like to see a movie the next afternoon, as her guest. Rose checked with her mother, who absently agreed while doing something with the dinner preparations, and then accepted. Her mother said that she could probably drop her off, or have her father do so.

With those arrangements made, it was time to set the table for dinner. In another nod to long time tradition, it was hot turkey sandwiches, with leftover sides and fixings.

Knowing that she would be leaving all too soon, Rose made it a point to spend as much time with her Gran as she could. She learned a lot about Gaelic stories, songs and poetry, as well as bits and pieces about Irish culture. But mostly, she enjoyed spending the time with her.

Not that she was selfish about it. Tara got her share of Gran time as well. But Rose just did her best to make the most of the time she had with her. She even skipped her usual Saturday morning shows for more together time.

They started working on Rose's experiments, with the recordings that Lena had done for her. Tara asked what they were doing, and when they explained the "game", she wanted to try, too. It made sense to Rose when her Gram described Tara's participation as a "control", a baseline set of responses that she could compare her own impressions to.

She would have even considered skipping the movie, if her Gran had not truthfully said that she had things to do. In fact, everyone seemed to have things to do. Rose suspected that at least some of it had to do with her upcoming party.

She had no idea how right - and how wrong - she was.

When her father drove her to the theater, he dropped her off and told her (honestly) that he had some errands to run. As he drove away, Angel came out to meet her and took her inside.

The movie was full of action, adventure, and emotion - the perfect thing to hold her attention completely. When she walked into the lobby, blinking at the relative brightness, she had forgotten about her plans and suspicions. Angel met her there, and asked how she liked the movie. As they talked, Angel was making some notes on her tablet. After writing a few things, she shut it down and took Rose to a small room at the side while she used the scanner to sign out.

She told Rose that her Gran would be picking her up, and she appeared at the door almost on cue. Angel waved goodbye to them, and declined an offered lift. On the way home, she again was asked about the movie. The movie discussion lead into other topics, and they were still talking as they walked up to the door.

Rose stepped inside to find the room full of women. Her mother, sister, and aunt were there, as were Lena, Robin, and - surprisingly - Angel.

"Surprise!" They chorused, in a ragged unison.

"Welcome to one of the secret traditions of our family!" Her mother started, smiling. "There are three special parties which welcome the most important parts of your life. At these parties, you are among your own kind - women - and you will talk freely about things you could never begin to discuss in mixed company. They are the most profoundly embarrassing, but most important celebrations, of your life. In, hopefully, reverse order, they are your first baby shower, your first bridal shower, and this: your period party."

"You have now crossed a line into full womanhood. We are here to celebrate that and, more importantly, to share our experiences and answer the embarrassing questions that you try to even hide from yourself."

"There are a few rules. We are talking woman to woman here. After the party, things go back to normal - or as close to normal as it ever was. What is asked or said here today stays here. There will be no repercussions for anything that is asked or said. That being said, if you later want to ask any of us for more advice on any of the things we discuss here, you may do so privately."

"It's like a cross between Truth or Dare and Las Vegas" Lena grinned.

"The usual rules about language do not apply. It is much better to get a point across with crude slang than to stumble around trying to figure out a polite way to say or ask something. I know it is not so much of an issue for you, with your special abilities, but it applies to us as well."

Throughout the speech, Rose was mildly amused to notice that every word was believed to be true, and the intentions were close to the statements. But when the real fun started, she was still surprised when the language turned frank and to the point.

She was also startled at the ease with which she matched it. It was still strange and kinda embarrassing, but not overwhelmingly so.

They started with a more personalized review of information she had half slept through in health and sex education classes, and went on to take turns with descriptions. They were not formal, serious, or clinical, as she had half expected. They were frank, to the point of being coarse and gross, and frequently lightened the mood with jokes.

When they took turns describing the way their periods affected them, she was surprised at how varied they were. They even disagreed on what helped, with a single exception. Forget diamonds; a girl's best friend at such times was chocolate.

They also went around with cautionary - and often funny - stories of their most embarrassing period related mishaps.

After that, it got more interactive. Rose asked some questions, and got individual answers. Then she inadvertently got into unexpected territory.

It started innocently enough, with Rose asking about their first periods. Angel's answer was clear enough on the surface, but she read some serious evasion. Then her next question nailed it down some more.

She asked about their own period parties. Her family's descriptions were fairly similar, to no one's surprise. Tara's description helped make a connection, and Rose finally realized the reason for an unexpected father/daughter day a few years earlier. It had been fun, but she had always suspected there was something more involved.

Robin didn't have such a party, and just shrugged it off as a difference in family tradition. Lena had one, and hinted that she had provided an element from them for later in the party. Rose found a frustrating hole in her abilities, when she realized that all she could read from Lena's words was that the surprise would be a good one. Lena smirked at that realization, and Rose responded by sticking her tongue out at her, then grinning.

As each person answered, Angel seemed to get more and more conflicted. When it was her turn, she looked squarely at Lena and apparently asked a mental question. Lena, in turn, looked around the room for a moment, then nodded slightly as she apparently answered.

"I didn't have one, per se," Angel began, somewhat nervously, "but I did have something similar." She took a breath, looked around, and continued. "What I said before, about my first one catching me by surprise after I morfed, was true. What I didn't say was that there was a reason for that surprise. Before last Summer, when I morfed into the stunning beauty before you," she chuckled at the irony she had laced that description with, "I was as Latino as my parents. And male."

After allowing a moment for that to sink in, she described her "girl boot camp", particularly the relevant parts.

Rose was surprised at her own reaction. She had come a long way since the "little girl" in the clinic waiting room, but somehow she would have expected such an announcement to be a big deal to her. And it wasn't. Whatever Angel had been before, she was all girl now and a proven friend.

If she had turned her head, she might have caught the brief flash of a satisfied smile on Lena's face.

Rose and her family seemed to recognize the compliment Angel was paying them by revealing that little known aspect of her life. Her trust in them, and the rules of the party, touched them deeply.

With that done, Rose's mother suggested a break for refreshments. Lena produced what appeared to be a chocolate cake. When it was cut, it was revealed to be a Red Velvet cake. Nobody missed the chocolate and the symbolism of the color of the cake.

While they ate, they resumed the conversation. Rose asked them what had been the hardest question for them to ask at their own parties. They laughed, and answered. Robin answered in terms of her dialog with her mother and grandmother, while Angel dredged up a story from her boot camp.

After the cake came the presents. Lena was careful not to damp Rose's embarrassment too much, since it would give away what she had been doing up to then. The special little purses would not have raised much of a reaction outside of the party, but brought a blush to Rose's cheeks when she realized their purpose. The SatuLarm puzzled her at first, but the others were delighted to explain that it buzzed when its disposable sensor indicated it was time to change a saturated tampon. Once she realized where it sat, so she would be sure to notice the alarm, her face started to match her name. It was almost a relief to open the next one, a BludErase kit.

Of course, with each present came stories of times they would have come in handy.

The rest of the party flowed more easily, with frequent outbursts of laughter and occasional agreements about the ick factor. It made Rose feel special, in a way she never had before.

All too soon, it was over. Her mother formally reminded everyone of their pledged confidentiality, and declared the party to be at an end. Then she added a final declaration. "Welcome to the Secret Female Conspiracy, Rose. You are now a full member. The males in our lives will joke about it, but their poor little minds just couldn't handle it." Everyone laughed about that, but nodded in agreement.

As the non-family girls left, Rose reminded them about her other, more public party. They laughed and repeated their pledges to appear. Each took one of the final pieces of the cake home to share with their mothers, per another of Lena's traditions.

Her aunt left as well, saying she would see them at the party. She also confided that she might change her mind and let the boys come, if only to meet Rose's exceptional friends.

Rose's mother made a phone call, which was uncharacteristically short. Just four words: "It's safe", and "Sounds good." She announced that her loving husband would be bringing home dinner soon.

They all got busy clearing up the last signs of the special party which, of course, should never be seen by a mere male. Rose could not remember any time when housework was done with so much laughter.

After dinner, Rose, Tara, and their Gram spent some more time with the recordings from Lena. Rose was impressed with Tara's accuracy. She only got it completely right about a quarter of the time, but she was reasonably close more often than not. It made a good baseline, since both girls were about equally intelligent before the change.

Rose was either dead on or very close every time. She was getting used to the muted impressions the recordings provided, and was starting to get good at getting the subtleties of her responses.

They were so involved with their project, the girls didn't notice their father's thoughtful look as he watched them.

After an hour or so of that, they decided to watch a vid. Their father was in the kitchen when they were choosing, and returned to find himself faced with a very feminine romantic comedy. He retired to his study, to spend some quality time with the net.

The next morning, after their usual Sunday morning activities and a shorter than usual service, Rose was spending some more quality time with her great grandmother. They both realized she was being a little possessive about the limited time available, but she rationalized it as wanting to get more information about their now-shared language and the culture that went with it. Deep down, she knew that she was just feeling bad about the impending end of her visit.

While they were talking, her Gram raised a point about Lena's recordings - one which Rose didn't know the answer to. Naturally, she chose to go to the source.

*Lena?*

*NOT NOW!* Rose was startled by the vehemence of the reply.

A moment later, they heard a loud, resounding boom from the direction of the reservoir or the nearby State Park. Rose's first thought was another attack on Pope Hill... one more successful than the two others she had heard about.

That notion died when Robin appeared in front of her, holding a very wet - and apparently unconscious - wolf hybrid in her arms. He looked to be somewhere between Rose's age and Robin's, but it was hard to tell.

"We need you! Be ready to travel when I get back!" With that, they vanished again.

Even without her new abilities, Rose could have read the urgency and seriousness of that pronouncement. Rose quickly slipped on her shoes, and shouted a quick goodbye to her family.

Robin appeared. Rose was startled to notice that she was wearing different clothes, and looked a little less urgent (and a lot drier) than she had before. She turned to Rose's Gram and said "We'll be at the hospital - same one as before."

With that, she wrapped Rose in a hug, looked her briefly in the eye, and then the two of them vanished.

Rose recognized the room they appeared in as the one the almost-kidnapped boy had been in. In addition to a familiar doctor and nurse, there was an unfamiliar girl in the room. She looked to be between one and two years older than Rose, and was dripping wet.

Robin introduced the girl as Flo, and said that she could fill Rose in on the situation. Then she vanished again.

Flo said "Hi," and went to shake Rose's hand. She suddenly seemed to notice how wet she was. She stood still for a moment, and the water on and around her seemed to move by itself. It collected in a ball, then flew to a sink and vanished down the drain. "That's better."

Noticing Rose's expression, she explained. "I'm a water elemental. We were down at the reservoir, with some visitors from the EastBlock Confederation, when we were attacked. I'm not sure what it was all about, but my folks thought I would be safer here, with Sergei."

"They told me about you, somewhat. Sergei mostly speaks Russian, but he hasn't learned to speak clearly since his morf. From what they told me, you should be able to translate despite those problems."

As Sergei started to stir, and tried to speak, Rose noticed the familiar stirrings of newfound recognition. While she waited a few seconds to be sure she could understand him, she reflected on the extent to which Flo's comments seemed to be leaving out some important information.

As soon as she was confident with the new language, she noticed streams of thought flowing in and out through her mind. She recognized Lena's touch, and the more nebulous caress she associated with Cassandra. Despite a brief flashback to the scene in the basement, she allowed them her full trust. She put her attention on Sergei and the others in the room.

Rose had only been half right about the details Flo seemed to leave out. In fact, she didn't fully know what was going on, either.

Flo's parents, who were important people in business and politics, were entertaining counterparts of theirs from the EastBlock. Their son, Sergei, had morfed a few months before, and this was his first trip away from home since then. In addition to his new hybrid form, and the physical attributes that came with it, he had become a combination elemental - cold and air.

Despite the language and speech problems, Flo and Sergei hit it off immediately. They talked their parents into a Sunday afternoon outing to the reservoir (most of which was nominally closed for the winter), where they coordinated their abilities to create ice sculptures and the like.

Flo noticed a person swimming in the water, and started to be alarmed. Then she recognized her as a girl she had met over the summer - a hybrid known as Otter. She started to wave at her, when her eye caught some other motion.

A man, standing on the road at the top of the dam, had something on his shoulder. There was a brief flash, and something was coming toward them. Instinctively, Flo threw up a wall of water in front of it, causing it to detonate prematurely. Sergei was stunned, and knocked into the water. Flo was also stunned for a moment, and when she came back to herself a lot of things were happening at once.

Otter was there, pulling Sergei from the water. She had managed to avoid any harmful effect from the explosion, due to the angle and distance between them. The girl who called herself Flit (but who Flo also knew as Robin) seemed to be all over the place at once. David, a winged morf with illusion powers was there, so she assumed that most of the Flits were his illusions.

Radar came into her mind, and assured her they would take care of things. Flit appeared next to Sergei, pulled him up into her arms, and vanished. A moment later, she was in front of Flo, saying she would take her to him. No sooner had she said that, when she wrapped her arms around Flo and the shore vanished. They were standing in the hospital room.

Flo didn't know the half of it.

There had been some warning. There were enough Russian speakers in the area that Cassandra had been able to get some hint about what was about to happen, and pass it on to her friends. Angel had been at work, and couldn't leave right away, but the others responded to the call.

The original problem had been nasty, but relatively simple. A hit squad from an EastBlock organized crime group planned to kidnap the teens, and use them as leverage to force Sergei's parents into helping some plot of theirs. They would fire a flashbang rocket grenade in among the families. When the family members and their security shadows were disoriented, a couple of their people would 'port in, grab the kids, and 'port out again. To further confuse things, they had spread explosive charges across the face of the dam, to be detonated while they escaped.

The plan quickly went to hell. First, the grenade (which should have been relatively harmless) hit a wall of water and detonated prematurely, with additional force from the unused propellant. One of the men tried to grab the wrong girl - the swimmer - and quickly learned that she was much stronger than she appeared, and very agile. Then they found themselves faced with what appeared to be an army of nearly identical teleporters in the form of teenage girls. Before they had fully registered that impression, they were losing consciousness.

When they woke up, they were in a security enclosure complete with suppression field.

Robin lost five days of her life. And even with the time she had taken off to eat and sleep, she felt every minute of it. She was two days into the back and forthing before she had time to pick up Rose and take her to where she was needed. Most of her time had been spent either getting people into place or finding and moving all the bombs. And many of the bombs had been well camouflaged.

With Lena coordinating, David had first knocked out the conspirators, and then disarmed the charges. In order to get them all in time, Robin had needed to flit him back and forth in time as well more than a few times.

Lena had been very busy as well. In addition to coordinating the rescue, she was filling in the parents, the security people, the police, and the doctor. As a practical matter, she could not use Robin to multiply herself. Her telepathy would have interfered with that of her earlier or later selves. The only real time advantage was that she had been warned by a time flitting Robin enough ahead of time that she could give the doctor an early heads up, so the hospital room would be ready.

She regretted snapping at Rose the way she had, but there was no help for it. She would have to make amends later. And while thinking about that, she noticed that she needed to feed her some information.

Sergei was awake, and asking about his parents. Actually, asking doesn't begin to cover it. He was in a strange place, after a strange and frightening set of events, and he had every reason to believe his parents had been hurt. Or worse.

Lena "told" Rose that Sergei's mother was on the way to join him, by way of more conventional transportation. His father was dealing with the authorities. Everyone but the "bad guys" was all right. And the bad guys were all taken care of.

Rose calmed Sergei a little, telling him what Lena had told her, and helping him communicate with the doctor and nurse. Flo helped, although she only spoke a few words of Russian.

"Hey, Step. Cto?" she asked. Rose translated the last as "What?", and the intention as a shorthand for a general inquiry about his well being. But Step, other than obviously being a name of sorts, didn't translate.

When Rose asked him about it, he explained that he was trying to adopt a use name of Steppenwolf, from mythology. That, despite the fact that he was a city boy born and raised, and no sort of warrior. Rose recognized the exaggerated self importance in the name, and his own recognition of it. It was, she thought, typical of a boy.

The three youngsters were locked in a conversation about popular music when his mother, and Flo's, arrived. The doctor assured them that Sergei did not appear to be significantly injured, but indicated he would like to keep him overnight for observation. The concussion seemed mild, but it would be prudent to make sure.

About that time, Rose's mother arrived. Lena had given her a brief description of the situation, and told her that Robin would not be able to get Rose home.

After getting assurances that Sergei was in good hands, and that his communication problems were handled, Rose and her mother turned to leave. On an impulse, Rose turned back and invited Flo and Sergei to her birthday party. Both answered noncommittally, but there was no rejection in their tone.

As they stepped out the door, they were joined by his mother. She thanked Rose for her help, with a depth of feeling that startled Rose. When she thought about all the woman had been through that day, it made more sense. She assured her it had been her pleasure to help, and wished their family well.

She didn't realize how much the whole thing had taken out of her until she was settled in the car and on the way home. She was asleep so quickly that she might as well have been flitted home for all the impression the trip left on her.

A good lunch and another short nap later, she was feeling much more human. Well enough to engage in another tradition - baking birthday cookies with her Gram and mother. She would be taking some of them to school with her the next day, to be shared with her friends and selected teachers and staff in celebration of her birthday. And since it would have been unfair to fill the house with the smells of baking otherwise, the family would get some as well.

The best part was sharing the time and talking. Somehow, the kinds of talking shared while baking was different than any other. She would learn about her mother's childhood, and sometimes about her Gram's. Stories of baking triumphs and disasters, of seriousness and silliness.

After dinner, the girls went to their rooms to make sure their homework was ready for the next day. With an entire four day weekend to prepare, Rose had left most of it for the last minute. Luckily, most of her teachers had given little or no homework.

Unluckily, the major exception was her new, least favorite teacher. But even her english homework was not all that bad. She knew that she would have to work twice as hard as the non-morf students to get a good grade. And even then, the teacher would probably pick out invented "flaws" to mark her down for. But she would do the best she could, and that would be that.

One thing was certain - no cookie for that teacher.

The next day, things went better and worse than usual. She had forgotten that one of her usual tormentors, a girl named Sally who had been a friend for a few months in elementary school, knew when her birthday was. And that she made it a point to try to spoil things for Rose every year.

Rose never quite understood what had turned Sally against her. One day, they were doing things together and everything seemed fine. Rose even invited her to her upcoming birthday party. The next day, Sally was not at school. And the rest of the week. When she got back the next Monday, she had fading bruises, and wanted to have nothing to do with Rose. When Rose tried to get back together with her, Sally started going out of her way to be mean to her.

Finally, Rose had given up, and the attacks tapered off. But they never stopped entirely, and one always happened on the school day when Rose celebrated her birthday. Today was no exception.

While Rose was at lunch with her friends, passing out the birthday cookies and making sure they knew when and where the party was, Sally came over to the table. Rose's first indication of her approach was when she saw some of her friends look up and stiffen.

Sally leaned around Rose, and started wishing her an extremely insincere happy birthday. As he moved around, she put her hand down - supposedly to brace herself - and ended up putting all her weight on the cookie bag. After a moment, she seemed to notice where her hand was and offered an equally insincere apology.

At first, Rose felt the usual sting of her deliberate cruelty. But then she realized that it was not much of a loss. All that was left in the bag was a few spare cookies. The others for her lunchtime crew were already distributed, and the cookies for after lunch teachers and others were still in her locker.

She realized that this was an opening, that she might be able to find out why Sally kept doing such things. As she drew a breath to ask the necessary question, she felt and "heard" a familiar touch.

*Don't!* Lena advised, sharply.

*But I can find out why...*

*You don't want to know. And finding out could only make things worse. Trust me.*

*But...*

*Please, trust me on this. It is something you don't need.*

*Ok...* Rose turned to Sally with an assumed look of shock and dismay, which seemed to satisfy her. After she turned and left, Rose composed herself.

"Anybody want some ice cream topping?" she asked, shaking the bag to help cover the way she really felt.

The laugh broke the tension that had built around the table, and they all went back to eating.

*Are you still coming to my party?* she "asked" Lena.

*Of course. David will be there, too. And Angel.*

*What about Robin?*

*That's more complicated. She won't have time for much more than eating and sleeping for the next few days, because of yesterday.*

Rose noticed that Lena was leaving something out - something significant.

*It's not mine to tell.* Lena responded, having picked up Rose's conclusion.

It was not very satisfying, but it was all she was likely to get. More mysteries. *What about the others?*

*Sergei and Flo can't come, for security reasons. They are sending presents, though.*

*They don't have to...*

*Don't knock it. They're happy to do so, and I think you'll like what they're sending.* Rose could "hear" the grin behind that comment. *And speaking of absentee presents, there will be one from a certain royal lady - both thanks and apology for what she put you through.*

As she was saying that, Lena carefully monitored Rose's reactions, and damped much of the reaction to the horrific memories. In time, she wouldn't have to do even that.

After she recovered the remaining cookies from her locker, she headed for her next class. She had forgotten that Sally shared History with her, so she was a little surprised to see her scowl when she pulled out an intact cookie to give to their teacher. She would have to be careful to save the cookies for Algebra and PE.

It turned out not to matter all that much. Sally wasn't anywhere near her for the rest of the school day, and Rose easily shielded the bag from the normal press of corridor crowds. The cookies were delivered intact, and the usual wishes exchanged.

When school was over, she hurried home. She found herself wishing for a useful visit from Robin, then shook her head at the way she was starting to take her new friends for granted.

Her new friends. It still amazed her that such women (and man) paid much attention to her, much less treated her like a friend and equal. Maybe she wasn't the nobody she had thought.

At home, she quickly changed and then helped her Gram finish getting the house ready for the party. When Tara got home, she joined in the preparations. After decorating for a while, their Gram reminded them that they still had homework, party or no party. After a token effort at grumbling, they rushed through their assignments.

Dinner was early and quick, to allow time to clear up before the party. Rose really liked it better when her birthday parties were on the weekend. They would party in the afternoon, and later she would have her choice (within reason) of restaurant for a family birthday dinner.

Promptly at 6:30. the doorbell rang to announce the arrival of the first wave of her guests. Three of her long time friends shared the porch with Lena and David. They all wished her a happy birthday and then took their gifts to the designated table. Over the next few minutes, her other school friends, her Aunt Cathy (with the cousins in tow), and Angel arrived.

After greeting Rose, Angel went and spoke quietly with her mother. She handed her a bundle of small papers, then returned to the festivities. There was music, talk, and the usual birthday silliness. Lena noticed that David and the cousins were starting to get involved in a conversation while moving apart from the rest of the partygoers. She brought them back into the group with a suggestion that David entertain the partygoers with some of his illusions.

Angel gave some of the guests "tan tattoos" and otherwise just joined in the fun.

The cake and ice cream were well received, and then it was present time.

Rose made it a point to open the presents from her younger, longer-time friends first. They were all fun things, clearly chosen by the givers rather than their parents. Then she moved on to the presents from her older friends and her family.

The terrible twosome and some of her school friends were a little confused by her reaction to a few of the presents. She clearly liked the purses, but seemed embarrassed by them. Her aunt's comment about matching coin purses only deepened the confusion.

The present from Sergei was a little puzzling at first. It was in the shape of a largish egg, beautifully decorated in enamel, with golden filigree and simulated gems. At least, she thought they were simulated. Her mother mentioned the name of a makeup manufacturer, which confused Rose a little. It was one of those references that even her abilities would not resolve.

It came with a small stand, and an instruction book. Unfortunately, the book was written in Russian and she hadn't learned to read that yet. It seemed to indicate that one of the jewels was a button of some sort, so she pushed it. The egg hinged open, revealing a more familiar display and controls.

The ePlay was preloaded with some Russian stories, and a selection of Russpop music vids. But it was clear that it would take the standard chips. It had connectors for external displays, earphones or speakers, audio/video/hol input and output, and computer hookups, and there was plenty of room for more vids. Rose sighed about the fact that it lacked the communications aspects of a full eCom, but otherwise it was a fairly high end unit.

The present from Flo was also welcome. It was a selection of movie and vid chips. And they were all in English. Somewhat suspiciously, they were all chips she had wanted.

While she was impressed with the generosity of some of the presents, they seemed to have the opposite effect on most of her school friends. It was not so much that they were jealous of the largesse, as that they seemed to feel that their own presents to her looked so cheap beside them. It seemed to emphasize how different she'd become, and how far away from them she was growing.

As their reaction quietly grew, Rose failed to see the look of distaste Lena shot toward Rose’s Mother. If she had seen it, even her powers would not have been able to tell her what was happening.

Rose made it a point to thank her long time friends for their presents, in ways that would communicate the idea that she treasured their gifts because they were the ones who had given them, and that they were wonderful presents in their own right.

But everything that she did to try and impress them, a standard part of the protocol at any of their parties, just seemed to make matters worse. And some little touches by her mother, with help from some of her new friends, made it worse still.

When they were given the traditional party bags, they found movie passes in addition to the usual trinkets and candy. The passes alone put the usual party bag fare to shame. The fact that some of the other contents were a little higher quality than usual did not go unnoticed, either.

It being a school night, the party broke up all too soon. Rose consoled herself with the fact that it gave her a little more family time with her Gram before she had to get to bed. She balanced that against the sad thought that she would be leaving the next day, while Rose was at school.

At Lena's suggestion, one of the gifts had been left to be opened in the privacy of the family. The queen had sent a set of beautiful jewelry, set with Topaz - Rose's birthstone. Rose's mother pronounced them a little old for her, and declared she would keep them safe until Rose grew into them. In the meantime, Rose could look at them. She just couldn't wear them outside of the house. Rose bridled at the claim that she was too young for the jewelry, but in the end she accepted her mother's decision.

With all the conflicting emotions, Rose had a hard time getting to sleep that night. And when she did, it was anything but dreamless.

End part 4

Rosetta:
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

A sad goodbye leads to trouble at school. Rose spends a day at work with her father, testing her powers and learning about the unpleasant side of big business.

Part 5

Rose woke with a feeling of empty loss. Some of it was a normal reaction to the day, but there seemed to be something else - something from her dreams.

She experienced the normal part every year. There had been so much build up to the events of the last few days, what with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and her birthday, and now it was suddenly all over. On top of that, the visit by her Gram was ending. When Rose went to school, she would say goodbye and then not see her again for months.

Another part made sense, as well. The surprise party had effectively put a big, red period to the end of her childhood. For better or worse, her life would be more complicated from then on. She could hold on to parts of it for a little while longer, but the ultimate loss of that part of her life was inevitable.

That thought seemed to go to the heart of some of the largely forgotten dreams, as well. As little as a few weeks earlier, she could never have imagined the things she had seen and done lately. Some of them were good, like her friendship with the little sick girl and her new, older friends. Some was terrible, like the horrific events in the basement. And a lot were just ucky, like all the things she had heard and understood since her change, and the hostility of some of her classmates and teachers.

Parts of her had changed, as well. She was more restrained in her reactions to some taunts and the like, in part due to the influences of Lena and her other new friends. But at the same time, she caught herself imagining doing horrible things - things she would have found unthinkable a few weeks ago - to her tormentors. She was more mature and confident in some ways, but it had cost a large chunk of the cheerful, naive ignorance that had been a hallmark of childhood.

Enough of that. The sooner she got up and dressed, the more time she could spend with her Gram before saying goodbye.

She had no idea that events would soon change her world even more.

When she got down to breakfast, she had recovered a little of her cheer. She had been reminded of all her presents during her shower, when she used the new body wash one of her friends had given her. While she dressed, she imagined wearing her new jewelry to school, or taking the egg with her. Somehow, it struck her as funny, like the times she and Tara had played dress up with their parents' clothes when they were little. Such things were just not a part of her school "career".

Her family were used to her post birthday letdown, and were relieved that she was not as deeply into it as she had been on some years. Still, they added their traditional touches, like playing Christmas music in the background as a "subtle" hint that there were still things to look forward to. And adding festive holiday touches to the meal.

Truth be known, Rose was not the only one going through the letdown. They all had been preparing and participating, with the events of the long weekend acting as a powerful focus. And they didn't even have all those presents to console them. Well, except for Tara, who figured she could borrow some of her sister's haul from time to time.

Rose's father surprised her toward the end of breakfast, by giving her a note to take to school. It said that she would be missing school the next day, due to some MORFS related testing. At her puzzled look, he said he would explain it all that evening.

She tried very hard not to cry when she got to school. Her mother had driven her, along with her sister and her Gram. She would be dropping Tara off next, then would drive Gram to the airport, so this was her time to say goodbye. Despite her newfound maturity, her attempt was not entirely successful - little streams of salty moisture leaked from the corners of her eyes.

She barely noticed the other students as she made her way to the office, to deliver her father's note. Even when her tormentors of the previous week blocked her way. She tried to go around them, and they shifted to stop her. Then it happened.

Missy, their leader, said something particularly vile, which Rose barely noticed. She did notice the malevolent intention behind it, however, as well as the attempt to establish dominance. Without thinking, Rose delivered a counter - perfectly crafted to shatter the other girl, without per se violating any school rules.

The stunned girl, and her companions, stood like statues as Rose made her way around them and toward the office. She wasn't even conscious of what she'd done, until she heard the heart rending sob. A quick glance behind her showed Missy collapsing against her two friends. Rose suddenly understood what she had done, and it made her feel bad. She had sunk to their level and beyond, and had really hurt the other girl. And she had done so without a thought.

Rose gulped down her guilt, and continued to the office to complete her errand. On her way out, she saw the sobbing girl being escorted to the counseling office. She also saw the body language of the nearby dean, who was preparing to gesture at her. She turned to hurry toward her locker, and anything he said was drowned out by the bell. Changing directions, she went directly to her class.

It was only a temporary reprieve.

The class had barely started, and one of the other morfs had already gotten the sharp side of the teacher's tongue. She was just winding up when she was interrupted by a beep from her desk screen. Rose didn't need her powers to see that the gleam in the teacher's eye foreshadowed trouble for some poor student - probably a morf.

"Miss Reid." the mistress of the classroom pronounced, "you are to gather your things and report to the dean's office. Immediately."

Rose made it a point to drop her homework in the designated basket on her way out - turning it in. She didn't trust the teacher to allow her to do so later without penalty, if at all.

On the way, she tried to call for help. *Lena?*

*Sorry, Rose. You're on your own this time.*

*How bad is it?*

*That depends on you. Be honest, and it shouldn't be too bad.*

*Why didn't you stop me?*

*You need to get used to doing it yourself.* Then she relented. *You really didn't give me much of a chance. You barely reacted to the other girls, and you didn't think about it much before you spoke. By the time I was aware of the whole thing, you were regretting that you made her sob like that.*

When she got to the deans' office, she was sent right in to see her dean. He looked serious as he waved her to a chair, then went back to viewing something on his screen. From her earlier visit, she assumed he was reviewing recordings of the confrontation.

It seemed she was right.

"Now, Miss Reid. Why don't you tell me what happened this morning."

She started with the sad goodbye in the car, and her distracted trip toward the office. As before, she repeated the conversation word for word, including all the original inflections. The dean nodded from time to time, acknowledging the accuracy of her description.

"Why did you say that to her?"

"I just wanted to get away from them, and get to the office. It was the first thing that came to mind, that wouldn't violate school rules."

"You just happened to come up with something that reduced her to tears - upset her so badly that she had to be sent home?"

"Not deliberately. They wouldn't let me go, and I needed to get to the office and then to class. It was the only way to do that, other than something against the rules."

"Did you intend to hurt her that badly?"

"No. I just wanted to get to the office."

"Did you use any MORFS created powers against her?"

"I don't have any powers like that. I just learn languages easily, and can understand people with speech problems."

"So you are saying that you did not use any such powers against her."

"Yes. I'm saying that."

"What about your friends? You have been keeping company with some very powerful, older students lately. Did any of them do anything to her?"

Rose hadn't thought of that. It seemed out of character, though. "Not that I know of. I'll ask." *Lena?*

*No, none of us did anything to her. It was nothing more than your words.*

"None of them did anything to her, either."

"You're certain?"

"They have no reason to lie to me. I trust them." It was true. In spite of everything she had gone through, she trusted them completely.

"Very well. We will notify you - and your parents, if appropriate - of the outcome of this investigation. You may return to class." He handed her a hall pass, then turned to his screen and started typing. The dismissal was clear.

As a practical matter, there was not enough time to get back to her English class. She went to her locker, swapped things around, and headed toward Changes.

While she was eating lunch, Rose got a note that she was to report to the dean's office after school. The fact that she was not being hauled in immediately seemed promising.

She started becoming aware of others around her. Her friends, other students, even faculty and staff members. A lot of them seemed to be noticing her. Her sensitive hearing picked up bits and pieces about the encounter, most exaggerated almost beyond recognition. Some were expressing disapproval. Others, who had been attacked by her "victim" in the past, approved. Others were just cheerfully spreading the scandalous rumor, as something interesting in its own right.

The speculations about what had happened, or would happen, to her as a result made her somewhat less confident. And Lena's continued silence wasn't helping.

When she got to the dean's office that afternoon, she was surprised and a little upset to see her mother there. And it was clear that her mother was not exactly overjoyed to be there, either.

The meeting turned out to be somewhat of a draw. The school wanted her parents to be aware that Missy, and some of her friends, had been harassing Rose of late - more so than their previous pattern. That had become a safety issue for Rose, as far as the school was concerned. Also, he wanted it to be very clear that the school frowned on her actions that morning. Yes, the other girl attacked her first, and no, her actions did not explicitly violate any specific rules. But the effects, on the girl and her friends, and on the school, were disruptive.

While the school would not take any action against Rose for the exchange, she was on notice to watch her behavior. He also advised them that Rose's planned absence the next day would be seen by many as resulting from the confrontation. There was nothing that he could, or at least, would do about that. Her teachers were already aware of the nature of the absence, and that she was not being subjected to any disciplinary measures. This time.

Rose took her cue from her mother, who formally acknowledged the statements. Then she, and Rose, formally thanked the dean for his time and attention and left. On the way home, Rose was treated to a lecture on appearances vs technicalities, and the importance of the former. There was also a short side trip into the importance of maintaining her awareness of her surroundings at school and elsewhere. Throughout both parts, her mother regarded everything she was saying as unquestionably true.

Though Rose had seen this side of her mother before - what she called the Executive Mom person - she hadn't really realized how thoroughly that person was her mom. Up to then, she had just been... well... Mom. Or Mommy, when Rose was younger. But now Rose began to see that the Mom part was the more limited role. The other woman was who her mother was in the rest of the world. Even among some of the family.

Now that she thought about it, Rose could even remember a number of times when she had been dealing with that other woman. It wasn't some split personality thing or anything. Just her way of facing the world and getting things done.

It made Rose start to wonder about the faces her father wore, when he wasn't with her. She didn't know it yet, but she would soon have the chance to find out.

At dinner that night, he told her what they would be doing tomorrow. "Your experiments gave me an idea. At work, we have some special conference rooms equipped to suppress psionic powers and the like. They are used for certain kinds of sensitive discussions and negotiations, to prevent anyone from gaining an unfair advantage."

"I thought it would be interesting to see how you would do in one of those rooms. Will you still be able to use the new languages? Will you still understand what people mean to say? That sort of thing."

Rose noticed the glaring omission, and the fact that it was intentional. For some reason, it was important to him to know whether she could tell true from false in such a room. The thought made her a little uncomfortable. But this was her father, who loved her as she loved him. He was family, and had never deliberately caused her any harm. Whatever was going on, she would have to go along with it for the time being.

She also found out that she had another appointment with Kiki, to talk about what had happened. Her father would take her there from his office, and make use of some of the services there while he waited. She had heard him talk about the fact that appearance was important in his line of work, so that part didn't particularly surprise her.

She still had one bit of unfinished business to attend to. *Lena?*

*I'm here.*

*Are you mad at me or something?*

*No, not mad. I'm a little tired, and a little busy just now. And a little sad for you.*

*Why?*

*You're losing bits and pieces of your childhood, just like you were thinking this morning. And there is more to come. It just reminds me of when I went through that, and it makes me a little sad. All I can really advise is to hang on to who you are, and find fun and happiness where you can. If you let yourself get bogged down in the whole maturity thing, it's too easy to lose the joy that makes life worth living.*

*Oh.*

*Sorry for the gloom and doom. As I said, I'm kinda tired. And so are you, you know. Make an early night of it. Tomorrow will be a long day. Call me if you really need me, though. I'm here for you, even now.*

*Good night, Lena. Thanks*

*You're welcome. Good night.*

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Lena contemplated her young friend's situation. She was only starting to become aware of her parents as people, rather than as her parents. And Lena, for one, did not find them particularly likable. They loved their daughters unconditionally, and did their best for them. But outside of their somewhat artificial roles as nurturers, they struck Lena as somewhat cold and calculating. Their careers and plans were important to them, and they chased those plans with a single minded determination that seemed to leech the humanity out of them.

And their approach to their daughter's future was similarly Machiavellian. Lena had been seriously surprised when Rose's mother asked for her help in weaning Rose from her SE friends, and (eventually) making new, more useful friends. It wasn't until she played the trump card - "I know what is best for my daughter, and I must ask you to respect that." - that Lena agreed to hold her nose and do as she asked.

Even with his love for Rose, her father was planning on making shameless use of her if she was able to function in the suppression fields. And her mother was watching the results, for similar opportunities of her own.

But Rose herself was a whole different matter. She had some of the quirks and self focus typical of her age, but overall she was very nice - a likable girl. And a strong one; the things Rose had gone through recently could have devastated a lesser person. Unfortunately, she would need that strength, and all the help she could get, to make it through the accelerated growing up she would do over the next few months.

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Rose took particular care getting ready that morning. She knew how important appearances were to her father, especially at his office. She had been there once before, when she and her mother had stopped by to pick something up. It was a very formal place, with everyone in suits and the like. She almost expected a library-like quiet, but instead there was the hum and buzz of intense activity. No voices were raised, but there did not seem to be any whispers or the like, either.

She hoped she would never work somewhere like that. It seemed the complete opposite of fun.

When they arrived, she found that things were much as she remembered them. Except... the body language and intentions behind some conversations added a new and troubling dimension.

They didn't like her father.

Most of them respected him. Some feared him. Some even hated him. But nobody seemed to genuinely like him. Worse, he seemed to be a different man - a stern, disapproving, rigid authoritarian who seemed to live only for the company and his career.

It was hard to see the loving man she had shared breakfast with.

That wasn't to say that he didn't smile. But his smiles were professional - expected gestures, nothing more. Even she got only the briefest of smiles.

Her father took her into a conference room, and explained what would happen. She would start alone, but he would be watching from outside the room. At some point, the suppression field would be turned on. If it was too much for her, she could raise her hand and he would get her out of there.

If she could deal with it, there would be other tests. In one, he would bring someone else in and have a conversation. She would note truth levels and intentions, and then they would review the results.

"Is that something that can get him in trouble?" she asked, worried. The whole environment had thrown her, and she wasn't sure what to think.

"No, it will just be an information exchange, and he knows exactly what is happening."

She could tell that he believed what he was saying. That was a relief.

Next, someone who speaks one of the languages she had learned would join her in the room, and she would carry on a conversation (if she could). After that, she would meet a speaker of a new language in the room, and see whether she could learn it.

There would be other tests, based on the results of those.

The first test was the worst. She had no idea what to expect, and that made her very nervous. But in the end, she trusted her father. Despite his transformation in the office, he was still her father and she was confident that he would not let her be hurt... significantly.

On the other hand, he didn't know what would happen, either. Thus the safety precautions.

She sat in the room for a few moments, wondering when the test would start. Suddenly, she felt an oppressive heaviness surrounding her. It was like a super high humidity day, without the wet. Her mind seemed to be wrapped in cotton, but there was no pain. As an unconscious reaction, her breathing had gotten fast and shallow. She slowed it down, and got it under control. The feeling was unpleasant, but it was nothing she couldn't handle for a while.

After a few minutes, the feeling went away. She slumped with relief, which caused her father to come in with a look of concern.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, with genuine concern.

"Relieved." She admitted. "It was ucky... unpleasant, but not painful or anything."

After a brief break, during which she got a drink and found the ladies' room, they started again. She sat in the room, and the field came on. Her father came in, followed by another man. He seemed a little bit younger than her father, but still old. Mid thirties, at least.

They sat down and began to talk. It was a lot like the test with Lena's vids, with the added discomfort of the field. She caught truth, lies, and shades in between, and a variety of intentions. She seemed to read her father more easily than the other man, which she noted. The conversation itself was one of those things her powers would probably not have helped her understand, even at full capacity. It was full of concepts she didn't have a clue about, technical terms, and shorthand jargon.

After the field went away, she went over her notes with them. She was spot on. It seemed that those abilities were not directly tied to the psi part of her "powers".

After another break, they started the next test. After the field came on, a young man came in and sat down. He introduced himself, but lied about his name for some reason. They talked for a while before she realized that they were speaking Sergei's language: Russian. With that, she understood the lie about his name. It turned out that his name was Vlad, and that he took a lot of kidding about it.

During the next break, her father promised to take her out for a nice lunch after the next test.

Even though she half expected it, that test was disappointing. Back in the room, with the field on, she didn't get any hint of the now-familiar sense of having scanned in a new language. And when he spoke, it just sounded like gibberish.

Unlike Rose, her father was quite happy with all of the results. Even the last test had told him some valuable things about her limits.

Lunch was at a restaurant that clearly catered to executives and the like. Fancy, but subdued - a feeling of wealth and commerce. Conversations were equally muted, but her sensitive ears still caught bits and pieces of conversations. And none of them were the least bit interesting.

Rose was mildly horrified when she saw the prices, but her father didn't blink. She ordered a cheeseburger, which turned out to be much larger, juicier, and better than any of the fast food versions she was used to. So much so that she ended up getting half of it packaged to go for later. She did finish the fries, however.

After lunch, she rested a bit while her father took care of some work. After what seemed like an hour or so, he turned to her.

"This next test is going to be a little more complicated." he told her. "We will be simulating a real world situation."

Rose could tell that there was more to it, but it was true as far as it went. She also understood that this was going to be very important to her father. He continued.

"The scenario is an international negotiation. I will be going in with two other people from 'our side', and the 'other side' will be three people from another country - people who normally speak another language, but are fairly good at English. You will apparently be acting as an interpreter, as needed. The negotiations will be primarily in English, but the other people will sometimes talk among themselves in their language."

"Your real job will be to quietly advise us of their intentions, truthfulness, and the substance of their conversations, as well as to translate anything that either side needs translating. And to do so without letting the others know about anything but the translating." She nodded her understanding, and he continued.

She would have a few minutes at most to get what she could from the men as they were introduced before the meeting. The meeting itself would take place with the field active. They would go through the meeting, then get back together (without the field) to discuss what happened.

"Wouldn't this be cheating?"

"This is not a game." Rose winced at the sharpness of his tone. He noticed, and went on in a gentler tone. "This is the real world of business. Each side in these negotiations will do just about anything they can get away with to gain an advantage. That's why we have the field - it got common for negotiation teams to include or hire a telepath or a telesensor... or both. Do you understand?"

Rose wasn't sure about all that. It still seemed kinda shady to her. But her father was saying it was appropriate, so she would give him the benefit of the doubt. "I guess so. But why are you doing this whole fake meeting?"

"That's a fair question. Soon, we will be in a real negotiation with a similar group of people. There will literally be millions of dollars at stake. We know some of the tricks they use to gain advantage, such as playing the language card. So we hold these practice negotiations, with our people doing the same things, to work out our own strategies for dealing with them."

"Do they know you are doing this?"

"Almost certainly. Any prudent company would do so."

"So, won't they just change their own tricks?"

"Certainly. But they will employ a mix of the old and the new, so it is best to prepare for what we can."

"Won't they be doing the same thing?"

"Yes and no. In this case, we are putting together a new negotiating team with members of two other teams. Our own tricks and tactics differ from team to team, so this should make their preparations less effective against us. This is a very important negotiation."

"I... see." The whole thing made Rose uncomfortable. "So I'm to be a new trick."

He looked startled, and nearly laughed. "I wouldn't have used that term. It has other connotations. But yes, we will be seeing how much of a tactical advantage you can provide."

Rose realized that he was referring to prostitution, and the connotations he was talking about. Even as she blushed at the thought, she noticed how well the metaphor fit the situation.

"Will I get paid for any of this?"

"Your friends were right about that. We can't pay you for what you do here. But if it works out well, I will be given a large bonus, and some of that will make its way to you."

*Just like a pimp. I do the work, he gets the money, and gives me a small cut.*

*Welcome to the real world, kid.* Lena's tone was sympathetic, and somewhat rueful.

*Lena!* Rose was ecstatic to hear from her. *Have you been listening?*

*Some of it.* Lena admitted. *But remember, some of us are in school today. The teachers get kinda testy if I don't listen at least some of the time.*

Rose laughed at that, getting a puzzled look from her father. Her abilities came to her rescue.

"I just realized how well what you said fit with those connotations you were talking about."

He accepted the explanation, then went on with the briefing. "Things will get intense in there. That is part of the process. People will be trying to establish dominance, throw the other side off balance, and generally get the advantage. They may seem to be getting angry or upset. They may even seem like they are about to get violent. But don't worry. You will be safe."

Somehow, even the fact that he was telling the truth (as he knew it) didn't reassure her. The image of grown men (for some reason, she didn't picture any women involved in the process) doing the things her father described was downright frightening.

"And it won't be all one sided. You might see us doing things that don't seem very nice. Even me. Just remember, it's all part of the process."

Rose gulped, and nodded her understanding. They stepped into the room and sat down.

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*Wait! Stop! Don't do it!* There was no response, and Lena had no sense of Rose. *Damn!*

Cassandra had just told her about a potential problem. If Rose successfully completed the run through of the negotiation, she would be in danger. Her most dangerous secret - her ability to discern truthfulness, and to do so within a suppression field - would reach the wrong ears. More than one set. That, in turn, would lead to attempts to either control or eliminate her.

And Lena couldn't warn her in time.

Rose had been betrayed by her own father - despite their warnings - and he and his company, in turn, would be betrayed by some of the people at the company who learned of it. While at least one of them was someone from the negotiation exercise itself, There was no indication who, or which others, would leak the information. And little indication why.

Nor could Cassandra tell when the direct dangers would come. The sources were too divergent.

Robin couldn't help with her time hopping. She was still busy with the bombs at the dam and other aspects of that situation. And it was already clear that she would be too wiped out later to come back in enough time to do any good. Besides, her powers would probably be needed when the real danger started.

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Just as the suppression field was activated, Rose thought she recognized the feeling of a telepathic contact from Lena. Unfortunately, the field cut it off before she could get any of the message. Even her "reading" of intentions needed more than that to go on. She resolved to contact Lena as soon as she was done with the exercise.

Her father's warning fell far short of the reality.

The men looked oriental, and their language sort of sounded that way. She again regretted the fact that she learned the language without really learning the name of the language. While things were underway, the men on the "other side" had quiet conferences in their language, which Rose dutifully (and quietly) relayed to her father, with evaluations of truth and intent.

Similarly, she discussed their more overt statements and tactics with him.

It quickly became clear that they knew something about her abilities. They started to sprinkle false or misleading statements into their quiet conferences, with the intention of having her feed her father the translations. She gave him that information as well, and he suggested that they pretend to be fooled.

The negotiations themselves ranged from sweetness and light declarations of mutual understanding and benefit to table pounding, shrieking, and a couple of abortive attempts to round the table (apparently bent on mayhem). At the best of times, it was unpleasantly tense. Much of the time, Rose was scared half out of her wits. Only the comforting presence of her father made it at all bearable.

By the end, she was starving and exhausted. When she all but collapsed on the table, her father declared an end to the simulation.

When the field was turned off, Rose noticed the familiar contact. *Lena?*

*Rose! Are you ok?*

*Tired and frazzled is all. Why?*

*Cassandra says you're in danger. Did you demonstrate all your abilities in there?*

*Um...* Rose considered for a moment. *Yeah, pretty much. I learned the language out here, though.*

*Damn! I was afraid of that. Someone from there isn't trustworthy. At least two people from your father's company will pass on information about your gifts, and you will be in danger because of it. We just don't know who will do the talking, and to whom.*

*Uh, oh. What can I do?*

Rose's father was looking at her in a funny way. She sort of shrugged. "Sorry. I kinda zoned out there. I'm really frazzled. Is there anywhere I can rest a little?" She didn't like to mislead her father. On the other hand, what she said was true. The test had taken a lot out of her.

As her father took her to a small lounge area, with a sofa and a closable door, she listened to Lena.

*Not much we can do now. Most of the people there are shielded to some extent, and nobody else is thinking about saying anything. We'll just have to keep an eye out.*

Rose noticed that her father was starting to speak again. "This door is locked, so be careful. You can come out, but you'll need to find me to get back in. There's a small restroom through that other door, and some cups for water. You can use the phone to call me if you need to."

Behind all the apparent concern, Rose noticed an undertone of "stay out of the way, and out of trouble." She was too tired to care, though.

Once she was alone, she picked up her conversation with Lena.

*So what happened?* Rose asked.

*Your father told a trusted superior about you. All about you. He also told one of his coworkers some of it. And everyone in the room got at least some of it.*

*Why is it so dangerous?*

*You can do something I can't. Something no telepath can. You can gather all of that information while you are in the middle of a suppression field. You can readily tell whether - and how thoroughly - people believe what they are saying. You can understand what people mean to say, even through severe speech impediments. You can function in virtually any language on Earth. In certain circles, you are either tremendously valuable or, in the hands of an opponent, equally dangerous.*

*Oh.* Somehow, Rose had never thought about it that way before.

She was sorry she did, now.

*whe... when will something happen?* Rose hadn't known she could stutter in her thoughts.

*We don't know. Cassie couldn't tell, exactly. It's not immediate, but it is not distant future. All we really know is that things have been set in motion.*

*It's not fair!*

*No, it's not. But it is life. And it beats the hell out of the alternative.*

Rose conceded the point, and settled in for a nap.

End part 5

Rosetta

A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Work, school, and family take a lot of Rose's time. Who are the mysterious figures watching and following her?

Part 6

Her nap was not as refreshing as she would have liked. She almost attributed the things she heard to dreams, but they were not said "in the language of" her dreams. It was clear that the speakers had no idea they were being overheard - much less by a thirteen year old girl.

The general consensus was that the ogre - her father - had scored a major coup of some sort and was in a position to parlay that into an even bigger score. There were speculations that it involved her and her powers, but few seemed to have any idea what those powers were.

There were even jokes about trying to get a piece of the action - or useful information - by dating her, marrying her, or having one of their sons (or daughters) date her. That talk made her very uncomfortable.

Finally, she gave up and got up. A couple of startled junior executive types hurried out the door, surprising the knot of people talking outside.

In a way, she was sorry to see them all go. A part of her hoped she would hear something that would give a clue about the dangers. No such luck.

There were still a couple of hours before her father would be taking her home, so she decided to get something done. Her classmates would be home... well, out of school, anyway. After looking up the number, she called Linda to get her English notes.

"Did they really suspend you for just saying something to that nasty cow Missy?" Linda asked.

Rose assured her that she hadn't been suspended at all.

"That's not what a certain teacher said. Or what Missy was saying."

"They're not worth it. The truth is, I came down to my father's office for some more tests of my morf abilities."

Without going into specifics or mentioning the whole negotiation thing, they talked about what a pain in the butt the tests were, and how little she actually learned. Then she got the class information and they said their goodbyes.

A quick check with Lena told her that her friends didn't know anything more about the threats. They would keep an eye out, and let her know when they learned anything.

On the ride to the spa, she watched her father go through a transformation almost as startling as MORFS. She would have sworn she saw him change - right before her eyes - from the Insurance Company Executive back into her father. He even joked with her.

It was unnerving.

Her time with Kiki seemed pointless. She came out of it just as sure that the thing at school had nothing to do with the earlier events as she had been going in. Other than giving her a chance to vent about the Teacher From Hell, the snob squad, and the dean, it was a total waste of time.

As soon as they got home, Rose went up to her room and went online to get her other assignments. For the most part, they were the usual lame busywork. She noticed that, as usual, the English assignment as posted did not match what was given in class. But the assignment for Changes got her attention.

Apparently, someone was mouthing off in class. The teacher was known for tolerance, but there were limits. The outline of the class discussion did not contain the specifics, but she could guess the general direction from the assignment.

They had to write a paper on the challenges facing those with MORFS induced sex changes. And they had to address those who ended up asexual, intersexed, or hermaphroditic, as well. And include a section describing how they, personally, would adapt to becoming each of the four "options" - the opposite sex, no sex at all, part way between the sexes, and fully functionally both sexes.

This was no two page essay. They were to take the issues seriously, and had to get an outline and partial draft in the next day.

Ouch!

She saved that for last, hoping that she could get some leeway because of the official nature of her absence. She did not fool herself that she would be able to get out of it entirely, however.

With the exceptions of English and Changes, she got her homework done before dinner.

After dinner, she got back to work, and was careful to finish her English homework the best she could. Not that it mattered - she was sure she would barely pass, no matter how well she did. It was just a point of personal pride.

Her first thought about the Changes paper was to consult the only such sex-changed morf she knew. But that went against the agreement at her period party, and she really wanted to keep Angel as a friend. So she was back to doing it the old fashioned way: research.

She was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the available information. She narrowed her focus, and it became more manageable. Still a lot, but manageable. She would never be able to read it all, but sampling bits and pieces gave her enough of a picture to do her outline and start the draft.

Between the stresses at her father's office and the effort she put into her homework, she was too tired to stay up very late. In fact, she was in bed and asleep more than half an hour before she usually started getting ready.

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Rose was lost, and frightened. They were after her, and she didn't - couldn't - know who might be one of them, or working with them. People were all around... strangers, with a different body language than she was used to. And almost all of them were ignoring her. The few who weren't were giving her the creeps - their interest seemed to be sexual, and not in a nice way. People were talking to each other and to their eComs, and she could understand the words but not the conversations. There were signs everywhere, but she couldn't understand the funny squiggles they were written in. They were almost like something out of a cartoon.

She couldn't remember how they had taken her there, or how she had gotten away. She needed help, but there was nowhere to turn. She couldn't even trust the police - some of them might be in on it. Her angels were too far away... even their powers couldn't help her. She had to keep moving, but she was so tired. After stumbling on a few more steps, she tripped and fell...

Into her own bed. She sat there, shaking, almost afraid to call out in case they were nearby.

*It's ok. You're safe now. It was only a dream.* Lena's soothing words came into her head, and she started feeling better. *I'm here for you. The only people there are your family, and nobody is paying attention to your house.* A sense of calm certainty and safety filled her.

*Do you want to talk about it?* Lena invited.

Unthinkingly, Rose nodded, and thought about the bits and pieces she could remember from the dream. Before she could really "say" anything, Lena was starting to reply.

*It seems pretty normal, for a nightmare. The people in the test were oriental, and you knew about the threat that was coming from the test. Your mind put that together with some parts of shows you like to watch, and came up with the dream.*

*Is it true that you might not be able to reach me somewhere like that?* Rose asked, not sure she really wanted the answer.

*Most of us. David,* Rose felt a trace of an alien emotion, or rather a combination of emotions that she hadn't experienced. There were elements of lust, of love, and of things outside her experience. She knew Lena and David were a couple, so she assumed that was where it was coming from.

*Oops... sorry.* Lena apologized. *It sort of slipped out when I was thinking about him. Us.* Her mental tone became more businesslike. *David can probably reach you anywhere in the world, or even in orbit. If he can find you. He doesn't think I know,* they both chuckled at the absurdity of keeping a major secret from a telepathic girlfriend. *But he has even reached the Moon with it. He couldn't do much that far away, but he looked around with his telesense and created a small illusion before he came back.*

*What about you, and Robin, and Angel?*

*Angel, you already know. Her range is almost limited to touch. My own range is around fifty or sixty miles, give or take. Robin can go somewhere between five hundred and a thousand miles, but only under certain circumstances. And you know about your own range.*

Rose hadn't thought about her own abilities in terms of distance. Now that she thought about it, she realized that she had to be relatively close to learn a language. Not really close - she had done it from twenty yards or so away - but relatively close. The rest was just limited by her ability to see and/or hear the speakers. But all that raised another question.

*Will it always be that way?* The mental overtones carried the meaning of the question more than the words themselves.

*Probably not. From now until we become adults, our range and strength will probably grow. Especially if we exercise it and work on it. Angel will never be very far - probably no more than a couple of inches. But I should be able to reach a good deal of the world, and some parts of near Earth orbit. Robin's range will probably be greater than mine, even then. I sort of doubt that David will be able to reach beyond the Moon, but he will be able to do more where he can reach. I have no idea what your abilities will do.*

The prospect should have excited Rose. It did, in an intellectual way. But mostly she was becoming acutely aware of how tired she was, and found herself gently drifting back to sleep.

*'Night, Lena.* she barely got out.

*Pretty dreams, Rose.*

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At school, Rose's day did not start out well. After she turned in both sets of English homework, she saw the teacher going through the stack. She recognized her earlier assignment, the one that had been due the day before.

"This was due yesterday." The teacher sniffed, haughtily, then dropped the assignment in the trash. She looked Rose in the eyes, as though she was daring her to react. It took all of Rose's strength to deny her that reaction.

"At this rate," she thought, "I'll be lucky if I even pass the class."

*Don't worry.* Came the familiar mental voice, with overtones of humor. *You'll pass. You won't like the grade, but you'll pass.*

*Won't that screw me up for the rest of school?*

*That's the deep, dark secret. Your grades there don't mean all that much. When you get here, it's another story. But there... as long as you pass, you're all good.*

*Thanks. I needed that.* Rose saw the suspicion on the teacher's face, as though she was aware of the conversation. Or was guessing the truth. She dropped her eyes to her book and notes, and prepared to pay attention.

After surviving English, she expected to relax somewhat in Changes.

No such luck.

She learned that the paper she (like the rest of the class) was working on could account for as much as 30% of her final grade in the class. And they would be expected to keep up with the rest of their assignments in the meantime. The final paper would be due the day before Winter Break, which didn't give her much time.

In the hallway between classes, she had another run-in with Missy and her crew. Rose just fixed her with her eyes, and gave her a smile. A confident, but not entirely pleasant smile, which spoke volumes about their new relative social positions. Missy sort of shrank at the implied challenge, and walked by without overtly acknowledging her.

That was fine with Rose.

*Don't get too confident.* Lena warned. *Sooner or later, she will challenge you at a time and place of her choosing. She wants her status back, and you really don't want it yourself.*

*I don't?* Rose was genuinely puzzled.

*No, you don't. Status is not that important to you to begin with, and the stresses of maintaining the position would tear you apart. Besides...* Lena went in for the kill. *you really don't want to be that lonely.*

*Lonely?* Rose was even more confused. *She has people around her all the time.*

*As far as she knows, they are there for the status, not the person. Without the status, she fears that they might drop her. Or worse, actively turn against her.* Lena seemed to sigh. *Sadly, she is not too far off in some cases. So, no - you don't want the status. Or at least, you don't want what comes with it.*

With a shrug, both physical and mental, Rose hurried to Spanish.

The rest of the school day was largely uneventful. She understood why her homework load was building so much: the semester would end soon, and it was time to prepare for the finals and finish projects and the like.

She understood it, but she didn't have to like it.

Her only consolation was that Tara was going through the same thing. And that the longer term projects were not a part of the battle for the vid remote.

At dinner, her father surprised her by giving her another note to take in to school. He explained that she would be missing school the first part of the week, and helping him at the office again. And again, it was being justified as a test and exercise of her morf abilities.

She asked how long it would last, and he couldn't really say. And in that, he was telling the truth. He doubted it would be more than a few days, but there was no real way to tell.

After dinner, it was back to the homework. If she was going to miss even more school, she needed to get as much stuff done and turned in as she could. Especially if her English teacher was going to refuse late work for excused absences.

It just wasn't fair! How could she get away with that kind of thing?

*Get used to it. You'll face it for the rest of your life.*

"Yaaa!" Rose jumped. She'd been so wrapped up in her self pity that Lena's response startled her. But that didn't stop her.

*It's not fair!* Rose complained. *She shouldn't be able to screw us over like that.*

*Of course it's not fair.* Lena came back. *Life isn't fair. And the sooner you find a way to live with that unfairness, the happier you'll be.*

*But...*

*I'm serious, Rose. In a way, she is doing you a very big favor.*

*A favor? I can do without favors like that!*

*Think about it. Yes, your grade will be the pits. But you are not really in any danger from her. She won't physically attack any of you, or anything like that. She will insult you, maybe even try to humiliate you, and torpedo your grade... but that's about it. And you can survive all of that. There are others who, if given the chance, would do things that you might not survive.*

*...* Rose was stunned at the unvarnished, almost brutal truth of the statements.

*You have resources. You have family, friends, and faculty and staff at the school who will protect you in limited ways. You have your powers. You have your brain... you're not exactly stupid.*

*Gee, thanks... I think*

Lena ignored the reply. *You need training, and you need strategies. And you need them now. How can you use what you have to get what you need?*

It was clear that Lena expected an answer. It would have been clear even without her abilities with language.

*Ummm...* Rose was getting tired of learning new limitations on her abilities. If there was nothing in the other person's language (past or present), bearing, or situation that would give her any good clues, she could be as stuck as the next girl.

Besides, the question was too broad.

*Ok, let's narrow it down.* Rose had forgotten - again - that Lena could understand her thoughts at least as well as she could.

*One problem at a time. Your English assignments for the next week or so.* Rose could almost see Lena ticking off points on her fingers. *First, how do you get them turned in in a way that she can't ignore or reject them? Next, how can you get those assignments in a way that would keep her from claiming they were something else?*

*You could...*

*Don't even think it. If any of us get in the middle of all that, it will just get worse for you and for us. We can't give you that kind of help.*

A passing fantasy of things that the angels - and some of the other morfs she knew - could do to the teacher flitted through her mind. But she knew she could never be a party to such a thing. Even after the things that happened in that basement. Especially after the things that happened there.

Lena had mentioned some of her resources, then specifically asked Rose how she could use those resources to solve the problem. Her friends couldn't help - not for something this limited. Her family could stand by her, and could maybe apply a little useful pressure where it would do the most good. And her father was an experienced negotiator.

The adults at school were less absolute. If they could be convinced to help her in some direct manner, it could go a long way toward limiting the teacher's available responses.

Put them together, and she had a possibility. If her parents could convince the dean to get her assignments while she was gone, and to accept and turn them in for her, the teacher's options would be limited.

That could work.

*It might. It's gotta be better than just butting heads with The English Teacher From Hell, Dun Dun Duuun.*

Rose could feel the forced sense of melodrama and the humor behind it. She had to admit it took some of the sting out of thinking about She Who Will Never Be Named.

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Lena was relieved to see that Rose was relaxing again. Things were likely to get worse before they got better, and the more perspective and humor Rose could summon up, the more likely she would be to get through it relatively unscathed.

In some ways, the dangers from her "outing" were the least of her problems. She would have to learn a delicate balancing act in order to make and keep friends - even casual ones. She would see unbelievable flaws - even ugliness - just under the surface of people she was close to, people she looked up to, and people she wanted to get close to. She would find things everywhere that would frighten her, disappoint her, and even disgust her.

Everywhere.

If she didn't learn to deal with it - as well as the dangers and rejection - soon, she would lead a very lonely and unhappy life. And Lena was all too aware of how close she had come to the same fate. If it hadn't been for her parents, and her mentor... well, she didn't want to think where she would have ended up. Anything she could do to help Rose get past the more painful parts of the learning process intact, she would do.

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Rose went down to speak with her father. It was easier than she expected, and in a matter of minutes she was on her way back up to her room. And her homework.

Somewhat refreshed, Rose dove into her homework. By the time she needed to get ready for bed, she had it as good as it was going to get.

Sleep was not long in coming.

The next morning, she didn't remember any dreams. All told, she decided it was probably just as well. After getting washed and ready for school, she went down to breakfast.

She was surprised to see her father at the kitchen table.

He was dressed for the office, so she decided to go for the obviously wrong guess. "Taking the day off?"

"In a manner of speaking. I will be picking you up after school to take care of some formalities. Meet me in front as soon after class as you can." That said, he took a last gulp of his coffee, wished the three ladies of his life a good day, and left for work.

Her first class was interesting. Not for the usual lesson and tension, but for what happened at the end. While not having gotten an excuse to cause Rose more suffering, the teacher had caused unnecessary problems for two other morfs.

As Rose was getting ready to go, she found herself near the woman. Not sure why she was doing so, she pitched her voice so that her teacher was the only one who could hear her. "Do you really hate MORFS survivors?"

"No." The teacher looked horrified for a moment, then conspicuously ignored Rose.

Rose was aware of two things. Two puzzling, important things. The teacher hadn't intended to say that - it just slipped out.

And it was true.

As Rose hurried to Changes, she had two things to think about. The surprising, but truthful answer, she filed away mentally for later consideration. The voice thing - that could be useful.

She wondered whether she had somehow forced - or finessed - the answer out of the teacher.

*No. You just caught her by surprise.*

*Lena!* Rose was happy to hear from her friend. *You "heard" what happened?*

*Yes. And no, you haven't found that "command voice" you wanted. it's just a refinement of your ability to make yourself understood.*

*What about her answer?*

*It's... complicated. For now, it's better that you don't know* The infuriating thing was that Lena clearly believed that was true.

Rose blew her a mental raspberry, on general principle, then stepped into Changes.

She managed to get through the rest of the day without any run ins with Missy or her crowd. And without being sent to the office.

When she stepped outside to meet her father, she had no trouble finding him. Once in the car, she found out that they were going to update her passport. When she asked why, all he would say was that it was a surprise for after the negotiations.

"Um... you know I can't turn the whole Truth meter thing on and off... right?" she began.

Her father was annoyed, but quickly gave in. "It is a counter move to a possible strategy in the negotiations. The less I tell you, the less some telepath can read in your mind."

Rose decided to ask Lena to help her with her shields.

*Sure. It will have to be this weekend, though. David and I have a date tonight!*

Rose could clearly "hear" the gushing in the name and the word "date". *Will I ever be that bad?*

*If you're lucky.* Lena "laughed". *And if some boy is even luckier. Or would you prefer a girl?*

Rose was quite aware that Lena knew she was just attracted to boys, so she decided to play with her. *Oh, no. My secret is out. Do you think the two of us will make your poor boyfriend jealous?*

*More likely turn him on.* Lena laughed.

*Boys are weird.*

*You have no idea. But you'll have lots of fun learning.*

Rose had to cut off the conversation, as they arrived at the passport office.

Somewhere, at the back of her mind, Rose had probably been aware of the complications her new status as a morf would add to international travel. But she hadn't really remembered. Now, she would not forget. Not only did they take a whole new set of biometrics (which was never her favorite process to begin with), but she had to go through another set of screening to make sure she still was not a dangerous morf.

As if.

Finally, they were done. One of their favorite Chinese take out places was nearby, so (after consulting her mom) they picked up some for dinner. Despite a lack of consultation, they made sure to get one of Tara's favorites while they were at it.

They needn't have bothered. As soon as they got home, Tara announced that she had plans for the evening... unless her parents vetoed them. Sometime, while everyone was concentrating on Rose and her issues, Tara had acquired a boyfriend.

Actually, they had been friends for years. During their freshman year, Tom had gone through MORFS with no apparent changes (although there were rumors of a certain amount of Male Enhancement, from which he had gained an unfortunate nickname). Since he had neither (apparently) gained or lost anything significant, he had gone right back to hanging around with the same loosely knit group of friends as before.

Including Tara.

While Rose had gone through her own bout with MORFS, and her later adventures, he had provided a soggy shoulder and a sympathetic ear for Tara. Sometime during all that - Tara wasn't even sure when - they had become something more.

With all the activities of the last few weeks, there had been no time to do anything together outside of school. Until that evening.

When Tara mentioned that she would be going to dinner and a movie with another couple and with Tom, Rose couldn't help herself.

"You're dating TDH?" she grinned.

"You know he hates that name. And yes, Tom will be my escort." Tara replied archly.

"is it true?" Rose teased.

"I wouldn't know." Tara sniffed.

Rose heard the partial truth in that. This was getting interesting.

"TDH?" their father asked, distractedly.

Suddenly, both girls lapsed into an embarrassed silence. After a moment, Tara explained "When he went through MORFS, there was a rumor that... parts of him had gotten particularly... uh, hairy."

Even if Rose hadn't known the truth, the lie would have been obvious to her powers. However, their father didn't have her powers.

He did have contacts. And a good memory. "Wait a minute. Is that the Johansen boy? Tom Johansen?"

"Um... yes?"

"Ah." he said, not meeting anyone's eyes. Including his wife's. "I... see."

*Lena?* Rose "called". *Does he know?*

*You know, it's really not a good idea to go poking around in your parent's minds. You wouldn't believe what I learned about Mom before I got it under control.*

*Ok, fine. Does he know?*

*He has heard the rumors, but doesn't know if they're true.* Lena sighed. *Now, shoo! You're cutting into my David time.* Rose heard the humor and the deliberate sexual overtones in the comment - and blushed.

"Rose?" Her mother asked.

"Huh?" Rose replied, intelligently. "Oh, sorry. Later this weekend, Lena will be helping me learn to shield my thoughts from other telepaths. I was just talking to her for a moment." It was misleading to imply a connection between the two, but not really a lie. Not really.

"That would be a very good idea." her father said approvingly. "Maybe I should ask for her help as well."

"I wouldn't, right now. She was leaving on a date with David." Rose fluttered her eyelashes and sighed out the name. She "heard" a giggle at the edge of her awareness.

"Ah... yes, well... ah." her father stuttered. "Maybe I should wait and ask her during the weekend."

He was saved by the bell, when Tara's friends arrived to pick her up. After the usual last minute exchange of instructions and assurances, she was gone.

Dinner went quickly, with the usual exchanges about their days and their weekend plans. After she was done eating, Rose went up to work on her homework. With the planned shield lessons and whatnot, she wasn't sure she would have time later.

Working on her paper for Changes was starting to make her feel funny. Maybe it was the hints from Lena just before dinner, or the talk about TDH, or maybe it was something else, but paying that much attention to sex without any possibility of doing much of anything about it was frustrating. She didn't even dare to do things with herself, for fear of her parents hearing.

It was frustrating and... something else. Something not really familiar.

Damn!

She tried getting back to work, and the distraction worked. A little. By the time she got to bed, she was all worked up with nowhere to go.

Her dreams had a feverish quality to them, with combinations of danger, nakedness, and certain athletic contortions that would have been impossible in her real body. When she woke up, her sheets were soaked with sweat... and maybe something else. She didn't think she would be able to fall back asleep under those conditions, but her body soon proved her wrong.

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"We gotta get that girl a boyfriend." Lena thought, after catching the raw edges of Rose's dreams. Of course, just the word "boyfriend" was enough to conjure up visions of David, and some of the times they had shared.

"Maybe not." she conceded, grinning.

She was concerned for other reasons. Cassandra's pronouncements had her on edge, and she and David had taken time out from their earlier fun to scan the area around Rose's house. They had found four people watching the house and one more watching Tara.

And all of them were heavily shielded. From her experience, it felt like high-end industrial shields, which were expensive. Not the sort of thing your garden variety thug or investigator would wear. And not the sorts of shields the government types had worn. If the two of them hadn't "seen" them with their telesense, she wouldn't have known they were there at all.

Their appearance was generally oriental - not exactly uncommon in the neighborhood. In fact, if they hadn't been so heavily shielded she might not have noticed them.

At first, she couldn't tell much about them that was useful. But after a while, a few things were apparent. There were two groups, and they didn't seem aware of each other. And both groups seemed to be settled in for watching, rather than doing anything.

It was disturbing, but not immediately threatening. Lena and David went back to what they were more interested in doing, and just "glanced" at the others from time to time.

After David went home (darn it!) and things settled down in Rose's house, the men left as well. Lena stayed up for a while, to keep an eye out (and see if Rose's loud dreams were going to need an intervention).

After making the boyfriend joke, Lena settled down and let herself drift off to sleep.

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After spending time monitoring her weekly communications - ok, watching her Saturday morning cartoons - Rose got ready to go to Lena's house for her lessons. Despite the chilly weather (it was threatening to snow), she was going to walk the terribly long distance of a block and a half. It was tempting to ask Robin for a lift, but she didn't want to abuse their friendship. Besides, Robin was supposed to be working somewhere.

On her way there, Rose was unaware of three sets of "eyes" on her. Lena was "watching" her approach, and looking around for dangers. Two of the watchers were back, one from each group. Lena saw the others, but they seemed unaware of her or of each other.

Lena started out with a sort of lecture, before getting to the practical lesson. "This is Telepathy 101." she intoned, in a passable imitation of Rose's Changes teacher.

Lena's tone returned to normal "There's passive telepathy and active telepathy. Passive telepathy is like hearing. There is sound all around you all the time, and you basically hear all of it. With practice, you learn how to pay selective attention to the parts that interest you and largely ignore the rest. You can listen to a conversation behind you or across the room, while ignoring the prattle of people right in front of you." Her voice seemed to hold a slight edge as she said the last. which she lost again as she went on.

"We could beat the analogy to death, but it really is a good way to think about it."

She went on "Active telepathy is more like vision. You see what you are looking at, and usually a little more, but the view is much narrower than your hearing is. And you need light to see. In fact, to see in the dark places where all the interesting stuff is you need to shine your light in the right direction. How bright your light is, and how wide the beam is, make a difference. With me so far?" Lena could tell that she was, but that she needed a moment to process it.

"When people 'feel' a telepath, it is in active mode. Your own limited form of telepathy is active, as well. But you are shining your light down in the basement, where nobody really looks or goes and looking at the enviro unit, where nobody really looks. They don't notice the light, and none of the locked doors and barred windows upstairs interfere with you."

Again, she paused to let Rose digest things.

"People - strong telepaths - will be able to get through your shields. The next things you will need are layers and hiding places."

The lesson started with Lena pushing against Rose's existing shield, and helping her to notice the "feel" of that. She gave her exercises to control the intensity of the shield, and managed to get it to a semi decent strength. She reassured Rose that it would probably get stronger as she got older.

She went on to show Rose how to create things for them to find, and how to hide things in a way that only the most powerful and experienced telepaths would have any chance of finding them.

The "top" layer behind the shields would be the sort of mental chatter someone would expect from a somewhat empty headed thirteen year old girl. Below that would be some really intense worry and imagery of particularly bad experiences with periods.

"But I've only had one, and it wasn't all that bad."

"You've barely had one, and you have much worse in your life." Lena said, sagely. "The reality doesn't matter. I can feed you the imagery and stuff, and help you put it together."

"Why that?"

"It still freaks out a lot of men and boys, so it will be more likely to distract a male searcher from anything more important. Women will take it more in stride, but will sympathize and find nothing unusual about such thoughts. Either way, it is a major distraction."

Rose giggled at the idea of her father trying to use that technique.

She understood that she would suddenly find herself thinking about the practiced things any time someone tried to probe her mind. Lena demonstrated unexpectedly from time to time, so Rose could get a "feel" for it.

Finally, Lena taught her a way to lock certain thoughts, ideas, and information away, in a way that would make it unlikely that even a strong, probing telepath would be unlikely to find.

By the time they were done, the day was pretty much gone. Lena invited Rose to stay for dinner and, after checking with her parents, she accepted.

Lena's mother was a revelation. Her sense of humor was a lot like Lena's, but more extreme. But throughout the jokes, teasing, and deliberate discomfort, Rose could "read" the benevolent intent and the love for her family. It was impossible to maintain proper company manners around her, and Rose soon gave up the effort.

Lena's father was equally welcoming, in a quieter, almost serene manner. Rose sensed his acceptance of her, as a person and as a friend of Lena, in his words and his silences. His quiet warmth set off his wife's boisterousness perfectly.

Rose enjoyed herself thoroughly. But all too soon, it was time to go home. She had homework to finish, and other things to get ready.

On her way home, Rose noticed that the "For Rent" sign in front of one of the houses was down. She wondered whether they had kids - whether they would need a babysitter. It was one of the few ways she could think of to make some money, and maybe use her gift to do some personal good at the same time.

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Watching her on her way home, Lena was struck by the difference a few years could make. Despite what she had already been through, Rose's world was still the narrow, relatively simple world of a 13 year old. With a skill that could make her - and those who had her help - millions of dollars in a few years, her idea of making money was the pocket change she could get for babysitting and the like.

Not that Lena was all that concerned with money, herself. She knew her own abilities could bring in more than she could ever use, with very little effort. But her own focus was more on quality of life. All too often she had "seen" the effects that an intense focus on wealth had on people - and she wanted no part of it. She would never be hurting for money, but it would never be all that important to her.

She wasn't sure why, but it surprised her a little bit that Rose hadn't somehow known or guessed that the house had been rented by one of the groups watching her. Over time, she would have to work with Rose on increasing her awareness of her surroundings.

Though she still couldn't read them, or even sense their minds, she could "see" that the watchers were back in place. As before, they seemed to be doing nothing more than watching.

Once Rose had safely arrived home, Lena turned her attention to her own homework.

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Rose was greeted with questions about the visit. She moved her hands like she was building an invisible wall, which had no effect on the conversation.

"Rats! It doesn't work on family questions!" Rose grumped theatrically. With a shrug, she answered their questions. Soon, they had all settled in front of the tube to enjoy some of their favorite shows.

After a little relaxing family time, it was back to work. She had homework to finish and preparations to make. She would still have some of Sunday, but putting things off seemed to cause more trouble than it was worth.

All too soon, it was bedtime.

The next morning was pretty much routine. It was going to be a Museum day, so Rose and Tara had to get as much as possible of their homework done before they left. Their mother pointed out that they wouldn't be scrambling that way if they had gotten it done Friday night or Saturday, and they pointed out that they had been working on it then, but there was just too much.

Pretty much routine.

It got less routine on the way to the Museum.

*Rose, we need to talk.* Lena started out, trying to gently lead into things.

*Lena? What's wrong?* Rose started getting concerned. *Is it about Cassandra's visions?*

*Probably. Try not to get too worried, but two groups of men have been watching you and your house.*

*Who are they? What do they want?*

*I don't know. They are wearing high quality shields, and I can't get through them.*

*Shit! How many men? Where are they now?*

*There are five of them total. Three in one group, and two in the other. They are in two cars a little bit behind you.*

*What can I do? Should I tell my parents?*

*Don't tell them yet. The men are not making any suspicious moves yet - just following you. Just be aware of what's going on around you, and stay safe.*

*What do they look like?*

*They look Japanese. They are dressed like businessmen, but carrying cameras like tourists. They are driving mid range rental cars, one white and one blue. They are about a block or so behind you, with some cars between... WHAT THE HELL WAS...*

WHUMP!

End part 6

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

First, the deadly accident on the way to the Museum, with widespread collateral damage. Then a disturbing note. And that was supposed to be the relaxing evening volunteering. Rose goes to work with her father, but this time the negotiations are for real. And exhausting. On top of all that, someone is trying to prevent Rose's promised trip.

Part 7

WHUMP!

SCREECH...BOOM... tinkle... crash!

"Shit!" Rose almost never heard her father swear. but his eyes were in the rearview mirror, looking shocked.

Looking back, she saw a large truck sitting across the traffic lanes behind them. The front end was on the other side of the road, blocking part of that traffic as well. There was wreckage everywhere.

*Lena! What happened? Are you ok?*

*I'm... fine. Just before the crash there was something... some big psychic burst in your general vicinity. Then the crash.* Lena's tone got more upset, *I was watching when it happened. The cars with the men in them... both were destroyed. Like they were the targets or something.*

Rose had never seen Lena lose it like that. She was always the strong one, keeping everyone else together. The kidnappings, the torture, the other horrors she had told Rose about - the ones before they met - for everything that was bad, she was a center of (relative) calm.

But not now.

"I need a 'com. Quickly. Please!" her mother gave her a brief look, then handed over her eCom. She punched in a number from memory.

"O'Connor" came the professional sounding response. The figure looked at the screen. "Oh... Hi, Rose. What's up?"

"It's Lena. Something bad happened here, and it got to her. Badly."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. She was mind talking to me, then something upset her, then there was a ginormous crash behind us. Then she was even more upset. She needs her friends."

*I'm... I'm ok. It was just a shock, that's all. Thank you. Both of you.* Rose hadn't remembered that Lena could talk to more than one person at a time.

"Thanks, Rose." Angel assured her. "I'll take it from here."

The connection went dead.

Rose wished she hadn't thought of it in those terms. She handed the 'com back to her mother, thanking her mechanically.

"What's wrong?" her mother asked.

Rose paused a moment, considering. "It's Lena. She was watching and talking to me when the accident happened. Something about it hit her hard."

"Should we be worried?"

Rose deliberately chose to misunderstand. "I don't think so. Her friends - her other friends - are on the way and they should be able to take care of her."

"Young lady!" Even without her abilities, Rose would have understood the intent behind that one.

"I don't know. Some of the people in the accident were following us - me - when they got hit. They were wearing thought shields, so Lena couldn't be sure. She thinks they have been watching us for a couple of days, but that they didn't seem inclined to do more than follow and watch."

"Hmmm..."

They were almost to the Museum by then, so they decided to continue with their plans.

Rose had one somewhat unnerving moment, when she was asked to help with a tour group. When she got to the staging area, the group was oriental, and some of the men were dressed in suits. She was a little relieved to feel her power kicking in, indicating they spoke a language she hadn't learned.

It turned out that they were from China, and were in town for a convention of some sort. Their tour guide had slipped on some ice at a previous stop, and was getting medical attention. The company that arranged the tour was sending another guide, but he was not there yet.

Teamed with one of the regular docents, she took the group around the Museum. At times, she described the exhibits and answered their questions based on her own knowledge. Other times, she relayed the questions and answers. She was really in her element when she took them through the traveling exhibit - her exhibit - giving them the VIP treatment.

While they were intently examining one of the displays in that exhibit, the docent pulled her aside.

"Why am I even here?" The docent's question was angry and hurt. Rose knew she had to make it up to her.

"You are the one who knows where to go, and when. You know how to make them enjoy the tour, and get the most out of it. Sure, I speak their language, and know a few things about the exhibits from the years I've been here, but you are the director... the docent. Without you, it would just be aimless wandering and random facts."

As Rose spoke, she watched the docent's reactions. By the time she had continued in a similar way for a few more minutes, the docent clearly felt better. She took up the tour with a renewed energy and enthusiasm that made the tour a lot better for the group.

The tour went well, and they were thankful for her services. One of them offered her a tip, as token of their gratitude for her stepping in at the last moment. She had to decline, explaining that it was against Museum policy. However, they were more than welcome to make a donation to the Museum on their way out.

As one of the women in the group shook her hand, Rose felt a piece of paper being pressed into her hand. Her first thought was that it was another attempt at a tip, but the paper did not feel right. She put it in her pocket, then waited until the last of the group was out the door.

The docent was starting to thank her as well, and she acknowledged the thanks but pleaded an overfull bladder. Once safely in a stall and ready to take care of business, she took out the paper and opened it up. Her first thought was that it was gibberish. The neatly lettered message was in the usual alphabet, but the words were meaningless.

She tried sounding a couple of them out, and then she understood. It was the same Chinese language that the group spoke, but written phonetically, using American conventions. After she puzzled out the message, she was glad she was where she was. The note disintegrated, and the dustlike residue flew between her legs and into the toilet. She took care of her bodily needs with unusual vigor.

It was a warning. There were three groups interested in her father's negotiations, and her part in them. One was a group inside the company he was negotiating with, and the other two were outside. One of the outside groups had arranged the accident, as a message to the other two.

Finally, it indicated that she had at least one friend in the process, part of a group that was more interested in the activities of the other three groups than in the negotiations themselves. She was not sure how comforted she was to think that the "friend" was watching her in there, and had the power to do that to the note. In fact, it was kinda creepy.

She spent the rest of the day in the exhibit, losing herself in explanations of cave paintings and ancient lifestyles. She was extremely happy to be so busy.

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Despite her assurances, Lena was anything but ok. She had a splitting headache, and had a weird, very unpleasant feeling in her head - something she had never encountered before. And both got worse when Robin flitted her to the one place she was most likely to get the help - and the answers - she needed.

The spa.

There, she got checked out and herbed. But more importantly, she got comfort, information and perspective. This situation was one which crossed many normal barriers. The entire community of local telepaths - except for a couple of "secret" telepaths - was involved. And even the secret telepaths were helping indirectly. Police, government and military types, criminals, corporate workers, freelancers, and even the youngsters - everyone. It was that much of a threat to all of them.

Working together, and with a number of their less-local compatriots, they quickly formed a fairly complete picture of what happened.

The mind blast was a powerful result of a rare combination of psi abilities and raw power. There were only three people in the world known to have the ability, and none had been known to be in the US. None of them had more than a 50 mile range with it because of the nature of the combination. They quickly narrowed it to one of the three.

He was a powerful - and very expensive - freelancer. He was 'ported in about two hours before the blast, and out immediately after. Unlike the other two, he had a particularly fine degree of control - he could confine the effect so narrowly that others would be hard pressed to detect it, or take out the better part of a city block.

The truck driver was an innocent. He was subtly maneuvered into place, and then blasted. His mind was destroyed, and his body crudely but effectively controlled.

The accident itself killed 9 people (including the truck driver), and seriously injured 17 more. The mind blast killed one nearby telepath, and sent three others to the hospital. 23 others, including Lena and (secretly) Mrs. Tabor, suffered lesser effects.

They had been allowed to find out more. There were four groups (not counting the two companies) that were interested in shaping the outcome of the negotiations Rose and her father were involved in. One, an ultra nationalist group in Japan who objected to international ownership of Japanese companies, had hired the contractor as a way to send a message to the other interested parties. The widespread effect was deliberate.

The five "businessmen" were subcontractors, hired by two other interested parties from the Neo Yakuza to watch (and potentially take other action against) Rose . One was hired by a group within the target company, with a hidden agenda. The other by a rival company, with plans of its own for the target company.

The fourth group was largely unknown, with an equally unknown interest in the matter. The telepaths knew about Rose's note (and its disturbing exit), since she hadn't thought to shield the information.

Conferencing with a speed and effectiveness otherwise impossible, they made some plans. For the public and all but the most select parts of the local governments and police, the driver had an undiagnosed, rare condition that resulted in sudden death by brain embolism. Nobody's fault (not even his or his doctor's), just a senseless tragedy happening in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Select elements of the police and governments (US and otherwise) would get a more complete report... eyes only. Those elements, in turn, would make the decision about who in Rose's family or her father's company would be told what. It was acknowledged that Lena and her friends would be watching over Rose.

On that note, the conference dissolved.

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After they got home from the museum, Rose pulled her father aside for a private talk. She told him the rest of what she'd learned about the groups interested in his negotiation. He nodded and said that it explained a couple of things. When he didn't elaborate, she got a little impatient.

"So what do we do about it?"

"Nothing." He replied, then relented. "Well, you don't need to do anything. When we go in tomorrow, I'll warn a couple of the more trustworthy people at the company, and they will take it from there. You and I will just go on as planned. I suspect it will take a while for the groups to get more people into place."

He didn't entirely believe it, according to Rose's gift. But he firmly intended to do as he said.

Her next step was to call Angel, and ask about Lena. Before she could finish dialing, she had her answer.

*I'm fine.* came the familiar mental voice. *Just a little shaken. Thank you for helping, though. Robin got me to somewhere I could get the help I needed.*

*The Spa?* Rose asked, remembering the aftermath of the horrors in the basement, and suppressing a shudder.

*I forgot you knew about that. Yes, the Spa. They got me fixed up and helped me get more information.*

They swapped information about the "accident", with Lena leaving out the body count and the specifics of the attack. She did tell her about the nature of the group that hired the killer, though.

It made sense. And it scared Rose spitless.

Still, she was reassured to know that Lena was ok, and that the whole thing was over for the moment. She also felt safe, knowing that her friends were looking out for her.

After spending some more quality time with her homework, and making sure it was safely sent to the Dean's email address, she joined the family in front of the tube for some good old fashioned mind rot. Somehow, they all seemed to feel that was the right entertainment for the evening.

During the breaks, there was a discussion of what she should wear the next day. While it was mostly between her parents, with a few suggestions from Tara, she did get a word or two in. Eventually, an outfit was decided on. It fell somewhere between her "good" school clothes and her Formal Occasion outfits. The partial emphasis on the schoolgirl look was intended to help make the other negotiators underestimate her, while the more formal parts would help avoid any excuse to exclude her.

After a quick good night to her family, and another to Lena (quickly returned), she was off to sleep in no time.

And all too early, she was (more or less) awake again.

Despite the technicalities, this was effectively her first day at work. She was nervous and a little excited. She dragged herself into the bathroom to take care of the immediate necessities, then took her shower. She washed more thoroughly than usual, for fear of making a bad impression.

She dressed just as carefully, and was ready to go. She and her father would be stopping for breakfast on the way, and he would be briefing her about the negotiations. With quick goodbyes to her mother and sister, they were on their way.

The condemned girl ate a hearty breakfast. The restaurant they had eaten at before still didn't seem very kid friendly, but at least the food was good.

The office was the same as before. But this time, knowing that it would be for real made it even more daunting. And the looks and body language of her father's co workers hadn't softened, either.

The conference room doors were closed, but the window shades were open. Inside, there were people sweeping the room with a variety of instruments (none of which she recognized). Standing outside the room and watching, were three oriental men in business suits. When she got close enough, she noticed that she didn't get a new language from either of the closest two. The third, however, gave her a sensation she recognized. It was the same feeling she had from her Gram - someone who speaks one language she knew and a second language she didn't. She absorbed the new language, then turned her attention back to the other two. There was a ghost of the feeling, as though they also spoke two languages - two languages she already knew.

The third man was a little different, now that she knew his other "unknown" language. He seemed to know three languages, two of which she had already known. And those two were the two the other men knew. She guessed that the two common languages were English and Japanese, but she had no idea what the third language was.

A small light by the door went out, and the technicians came out. They gave a gesture partway between a nod and a small bow, and indicated that the suppression field was fully functional.

While that was going on, two other people from her father's company joined them. She recognized them from the practice session. She acknowledged them, and they her. Once the techs were done with their report, the two groups of businessmen came together. Her father introduced the other men on his team - and her - to the oriental businessmen.

In turn, the older of the two-language men introduced himself and his team. He asked why she was being included in the negotiations, and her father answered that she was there as an interpreter, in case language problems came up. The man's body language and tone of voice expressed his reservations, even as he formally indicated acceptance of the explanation.

Once they were settled into their seats, Rose felt the oppressive indication that the suppression field was in place. From that point on, it went from bad to worse. The practice session had been mild compared to this one, and she didn't have the way out she had used then. They had scheduled breaks, but until then, she was stuck.

The others seemed to know something about her. They started saying things - false things - quietly, in the hope that she would pass them on. As they had practiced, she passed them on quietly with a subtle indication of their validity. More annoyingly, they quietly made some very personal, very embarrassing comments about her (and her father). Those, she didn't translate - especially the ones that they somehow seemed to believe. With the help of some of the exercises and perspective Lena had taught her, she managed to avoid reacting to them.

By the time of the first scheduled break, she had learned another valuable lesson: it was far better to be thirsty than to have to sit there with an overfull bladder. She would try to balance the two, but just to be sure she added an extreme absorb pad where it would do the most good.

In the longer than usual session after lunch, where they seemed to be trying to take advantage of the usual after lunch lethargy, she came to appreciate her precautions. She was also glad that she had eaten somewhat cautiously - a chicken salad without dressing - when the field clamped back down on her. All in all, it was a tense, miserable experience for her.

She was not having fun.

It was a relief to get home, even though that meant working on her homework. Somehow, her usual stress over the homework just didn't seem all that important. She was later than usual, so dinner came before homework this time. She barely noticed what she ate, or what was said around the table.

She was barely back into her room, when she "heard" a familiar "voice".

*Tough day, huh?* Lena "sounded" sympathetic.

*You don't know the half of it!* Rose grumped. *I don't know how those people do it!*

*For one thing, they don't have the suppression field affecting them. It makes a difference.*

*Oh, yeah.* Rose responded emphatically. *I noticed.*

*Also, they were taught and trained for it, and grew into the role. Did you notice how old they were?*

*They all looked ancient to me. But so did my father.*

Lena "laughed". *Yeah, I know how that is. I'll let you get back to your homework. Call if you need anything.*

*Ok. I don't suppose you have a good excuse for skipping the homework entirely?*

*No such luck. If I did, I'd use it myself. Bye.*

Rose was relieved that Lena seemed to have recovered from the events of the previous day. She had been so busy that day that she had not really thought about it until then. She shuddered at the memory of the accident and the note, then determinedly got back to work.

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What Rose didn't know was that her father was on the phone, talking with Angel.

"I have a favor to ask, for Rose." He told her, leading with his strongest argument. "It's somewhat confidential. Is there somewhere we can meet?"

Like Lena, Angel was not entirely comfortable with Rose's parents. Something about them just set her teeth on edge. But Rose herself was a friend, and Angel would do anything she could for her. She needed help walking this tightrope.

"I can't get away, right now. If we can't discuss it on the 'com, maybe I can get Radar to help." She wasn't sure why she chose to use Lena's nickname - it just seemed the right thing to do.

While he had been hoping to avoid the telepath in this matter, it did make sense. And he really did not want to discuss it over the 'com. "Maybe that would be for the best."

Lena, who had just finished "talking" with Rose, contacted him almost immediately. *What can we do for you?*

*I have a problem.* Lena wisely kept from commenting, and let him continue. *I was arranging a trip to Japan for Rose next week, but suddenly something or someone is blocking the paperwork.*

*And you think our "friends in high places" might be able to unblock it?* Lena could not keep a hint of acid from her mental voice.

To his credit, he picked up on it. *Yes, part of it - a big part - is wanting to have her there in case we need her for the business part. But I really do want to give her the experience of traveling there and getting to see the sights.*

Lena could tell, as she relayed the conversation to Angel, that he was being fairly honest about that part. She didn't have Rose's ability with it, but her "read" of his emotions and supporting thoughts seemed to support the conclusion.

*Who is blocking it?* Angel asked through Lena.

*We don't know. We strongly suspect that it's one of the groups from the accident.*

All three of them shuddered at the thought. Of the three, only Lena knew about the hired assassin and the actions of the area telepaths. But all three knew about the watchers and their sudden death.

*We'll do what we can.* He couldn't tell whether that assurance came more from one of the girls or from both, but he knew he had done the best that he could.

*Thank you. I'll make sure that Rose has a good time there.* Neither of the girls missed the "unspoken" part - "after the work is done."

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Lena wasted no time, and went directly to her onetime mentor and longtime friend and advisor. If anyone could find out what was happening and what it would take to unstick Rose's papers, it was Mrs. Tabor.

Besides, Lena had a deep suspicion that the Grand Lady enjoyed unraveling that sort of thing.

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Worn out from a full day at the office and then her homework, Rose had no trouble getting to sleep that night. The only scrap of a dream she would remember somehow involved grainy, black and white images of ancient airplanes dropping bombs.

For a change, she woke up knowing the significance of an image from her dreams. Her review of her history notes had reminded her of what day it now was.

Pearl Harbor Day.

She wondered whether it was coincidence that she (through her father) was involved in serious - almost warlike - negotiations with Japanese businessmen on a day like that. A small, superstitious part of her did not exactly regard the timing as auspicious. More like suspicious.

She snorted quietly at the thought that she wanted - badly wanted - to go to school instead of to another day at the office. Who'da thunk it?

At breakfast (in the same restaurant), she snuck an innocent question about celebrating the day into the conversation (or was it a briefing?). Her father briefly choked, muttered about the need for a "Pearl Harbor File" (whatever that was), and assured her that it was probably a bad idea to discuss the matter within earshot of the negotiators.

By lunch, she was beginning to feel like one of the people from the naval base. It was clear to her - and apparently even clearer to her father - that negotiations would not finish that day. And the other team was leaving that night. And it was clear that the delay was a deliberate maneuver. She just didn't understand why. Presumably, they expected to have some advantage when they met again - in Japan.

On the way back from lunch, her father was given some news that made him almost smile. Rose didn't know what it was - she couldn't get the right angle to read it - but it apparently made his day.

He didn't have time to tell her until they were on their way home.

"Your travel paperwork has cleared." he told her with a smile. "We leave for Tokyo day after tomorrow."

He looked at her expectantly. She was tired, and wrung out from the negotiations, but she managed to express some enthusiasm for the trip. She had been promised time to play tourist, and to generally have fun while they were there. Unfortunately, there was a price.

"How long will we be working there?"

"Probably half a day. Maybe a little more." He was telling the truth as he knew it.

Still... Japan! She had not been outside the USA more than a few times, and that was either to Canada or Mexico - within an hour or so of the border. This trip was a Big Deal.

But first things first. Home, getting washed up, and dinner. At dinner, her dad told the rest of the family the news. Tara got briefly excited, thinking that she might be going along. And then she was pissy, when she found out it wasn't so.

Her mother (whose body language expressed her own disappointment) promised Tara some shopping - very expensive shopping she said with some emphasis, while looking pointedly at her husband - and other mother/daughter activities. Tara got an evil gleam in her eyes, as she returned her gaze to her father.

But exciting news or not, she had homework to do. Far too much homework to do. She went upstairs and got to work.

At least she would have one day back in school before she left.

Her mother interrupted her in the middle of her revision of the Changes essay to get her laundry. While Rose worked the night away, her mother would be doing laundry so that she would have clothes to take on the trip. Rose quickly changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt, and gave her mother her more formal clothes to go in the load.

Before she got back to work, Lena "called" to congratulate her on her upcoming trip.

*I'm not sure congratulations are right.* Rose admitted wryly. *I gotta work for it.*

*Oooh, pooor baby.* Lena replied insincerely. *A free trip to Japan and she has to sing for her supper.*

*Thank you for your support.* Rose grumped back. Then laughed.

Lena reminded her that she would be out of range of everyone but David. And then she promised that he would look in on her from time to time, if she wanted.

*How often?*

*Not too often. He still has school, and... ahem... other activities* Lena left no doubt that those activities involved her, and some degree of intimacy.

*oh, no... my poor virgin ears!* Rose quipped.

*Yecch! Who'd want to do it there? You'd never get the gunk out.*

*Ugh... Way too much information!* Rose complained, trying for her best little girl mental voice.

They exchanged goodbyes, and Rose got back to work. She was determined to turn in her homework through the newly established channel, rather than just take it all to school with her. Somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to trust The Nameless Teacher that far.

After she got to bed, it took her next to no time to get to sleep. And before she knew it, she was dreaming.

And all too soon, it was morning.

It seemed a little strange that she would be going to school rather than to work. And that was funny, too - she just thought about it as "work" now, rather than going into her father's office. She wasn't an employee, and she didn't get paid, but as far as she could see she worked every bit as hard as any of the other people she saw there.

At least she could dress more comfortably. Somehow, that made her feel younger than she had for the last two days. Or maybe it was just that her clothes and activities those days made her feel older. She shrugged off the question, and got ready for school.

Breakfast was almost disappointing, after the restaurant. And it was her favorite cereal, too. She hated to think what that would mean about lunch. Maybe her friends could disappear her to another off campus feast?

Walking into the school was even stranger. It was like she was in the student body, but not of the student body.

*I went through that, too.* came the welcome mental tones. *It comes from being more aware of what you are and what you have been doing than of what you used to be. It will wear off, shortly after you find a new balance.*

Maybe it was her gift, maybe not. But Rose understood what Lena was saying. And it made a certain amount of sense.

She still felt the way she felt.

Even the dreaded English teacher had no real impact. She seemed like nothing more than a minor irritation, a transient part of Rose's day.

Unfortunately, her middle school friends made no impact either. Neither her old friends nor her more recent friends there seemed entirely real. They were more like children she encountered while babysitting. Her high school friends were real, and important, however.

She was a little startled to notice that it was time to go home. All told, she remembered almost nothing of the day. Luckily, she had written down her assignments, or she would have forgotten about them as well.

Home was more real. So was the packing she had to do. The Laundry Fairy (as her mother sometimes called herself, with heavy irony) had cleaned her "work clothes", so it was just a matter of choosing her tourist clothes and getting it all packed.

*Excited about tomorrow?* a familiar mental voice chuckled.

*Lena!* Rose was happy to hear from her friend. *Yes. I've never been anywhere like that.*

*Neither have I. Bring me back a soo vee neer.* Rose laughed at Lena's playful tone.

*I'll do my best.* she laughed.

*I just wanted to remind you that we'll be out of range. Have fun, but be careful.*

*Yes, Mom.* Rose expertly blended the humor and sarcasm in that rejoinder. *But I would be happier to know that you guys were watching out for the rest of the family.*

*Don't worry. They'll be safe.* Lena assured her. *Gotta go. SOME of us have school tomorrow.*

*Ugh. Don't remind me. I have to keep up my homework while I'm there.*

After a quick goodbye, Lena left Rose to her efforts.

She had her packing done before dinner. The meal itself was not the usual dinnertime discussion, either. Tara was alternating between envy, excitement, and worry. Except for the envy, their mother was going through much of the same. Rose's father was going over preparations in his head, and completely missed the byplay between the female members of the household.

When she got back to her room, Rose noticed the pin David had given her for her birthday. She had not planned on bringing any jewelry on the trip, but the pin seemed to call to her. It would remind her of her friends, and give her strength to face whatever those negotiators might throw at her.

And when she was playing tourist, it would remind her to bring things back for them.

She got to work on her homework, sending it to the Dean's email as soon as she could. She knew she would effectively lose Thursday, due to the time difference, so she wouldn't have time to make up any skipped work. Luckily, the load was light. Even in English. All the teachers were concentrating on preparations for the upcoming finals.

So light, that she was able to spend some time with the tube (and oh, yeah... her family) before going to bed.

Her dreams were unusual. Every time she started to get into trouble, she would rub her pin and find the inner (and occasionally, physical) resources to get herself out of it. Almost like a magic talisman.

The morning was hectic. She dressed in reasonable school clothes, since she would be going to her father's office before they left. She made it a point to add the pin before going down to breakfast.

Her mother had gotten up a little earlier than usual, to fix her a good breakfast before the trip. She joked about not knowing what Rose would be eating over there - "Probably raw octopus or something" (which Rose automatically translated as "Taco" in her head) - and wanting to sustain her poor daughter through such trying culinary times.

Tara enjoyed her servings, then hugged Rose goodbye and dashed off for school. Her mother's goodbye was a little less hurried, and more intense. All too soon, Rose and her father were on their way to the office.

After some last minute paperwork, they would take a teletaxi from the office to the Tokyo (Tele)port of entry. Her father gave her a last minute briefing about what to expect, gave her her paperwork, and sent her on her way to the departure room.

Her first thought was that the 'porter was nothing like Robin. Close on the heels of that thought was the observation that he was a hunk - maybe even better looking than David. After he gave her a thousand watt smile, he asked if she was ready. A brief, somewhat stunned nod, and they were gone.

And they were in another room. The room looked much the same, except for the paintings on the wall. He gestured her through the door, then vanished.

She was met on the other side of the door by a man and a woman in police style uniforms. "Miss Reid? Please come with us." Even knowing what to expect, it was a little unnerving.

Once she handed over her papers, they ran her through a scan and compared her biometrics with those in the documents. After taking much longer than Rose thought was absolutely necessary, they gave her back her papers and escorted her to Customs. They left her with a polite, pro forma "Enjoy your stay," and went back to their stations.

Her father was waiting at Customs, and they went through the usual bothers together. Just having him there made it a lot less uncomfortable than the whole biometric thing.

Even though it was about 9:00 in the morning for them, it was midnight in the city. They made their way to the hotel, and to their room. In the way of fathers since the dawn of time, her father went over the issue of changing their "internal clocks" to match local time yet again.

"We have two basic choices," he lectured. "Pay up front, or pay later. For what we are doing here, the first option will work the best." Basically, they would drink the contents of a little bottle, go to sleep, and a few hours later they would wake up with their bodies on local time.

They would have time to get ready for work, eat another meal, and get to the office. Before the negotiations proper, there would be meetings with various executive types. Rose would be expected to act as interpreter and advisor as needed during the discussions, speak if directly addressed, but otherwise play the silent, obedient underling.

English class was looking more and more inviting.

The meetings were polite and technical, and bored Rose stiff. The only part that directly involved her was when one of the female executives complimented her on her pin. But even with the boredom, it seemed all too soon when it was time to start the meeting.

The negotiators were the same three as before, plus one additional man. Rose did not feel herself get any new language pieces from the new man, so he didn't make much of an impression on her. On the other hand, she noticed that the bilingual man (trilingual, if you counted his limited but serviceable English) had a briefcase with him, much like her father's. She also noticed that his nostrils were flared somewhat more than before.

After some ritualized greetings, they went into the conference room. Even though the size, shape, and decoration were a different, there could be no mistaking the fact that it was the same kind of room as the one that hosted the negotiations back in Denver.

With a cup of ice in hand, Rose followed her father inside and took her place beside him. They were barely settled when she felt the suppression field settle over her, as uncomfortable as ever. Her only solace was that the new man seemed uncomfortable as well.

Her father and the other man opened their briefcases, and the others prepared for the talks. Something bothered Rose about the body language of the other man as he opened his briefcase, but she wasn't sure what. What bothered her even more was the quiet hiss that her sensitive hearing picked up.

Before she could mention it to her father, she started to feel... off. Blackness closed in on her, and she didn't even feel her head hit the table as she slumped in her chair, unconscious.

End part 7

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

After escaping from her kidnappers, Rose is alone and on the run in Tokyo. And effectively illiterate. She overhears a group of teenaged morfs talking about wanting to be a team. If she approaches them, will they be friends or enemies?

Part 8

David did not like what he was seeing. He was able to use the pin he had given Rose as a homing beacon, making it easier to shift his awareness to her vicinity whenever he wanted to and wherever she was. Unless she was in a suppression field.

And she was about to be in a suppression field for a long time.

While she was meeting with the other negotiators, and speaking to them in a language he didn't understand, David gave them a quick going over. He found one strange thing: one of the men was wearing nose filters. Sophisticated ones, at that. Whatever that was about, it couldn't be good. He went inside of them and used his transmutation abilities to open channels in the filters, rendering them useless.

He was just about to check the man's brief case when they stepped into the room. David recognized the kind of room, and beat a hasty retreat outside before the field inside came on.

He kept his location outside the room, fixing it in his mind so that he could go back there with little trouble. Since he was not projecting any illusion of himself, nobody would notice that he (or at least, the focus of his telesense) was there. He had the whole evening free, and would not suffer from the time difference since his body was still back home.

The field in the room came on, rendering the room opaque to him (and uncomfortable to look at). After a good imitation of forever - even though it was less than ten minutes - the field went off. He looked around outside the room and noticed that all but two of the people in the office were unconscious.

The two exceptions were very strong looking, well dressed business men. One carried a briefcase, the other some tools. Both carried guns of some sort, and both wore nose filters and night vision goggles. David assumed that the lights were out, a situation that did not hamper his telesense.

The men went into the room and to the man with the nose plugs. One prodded him, but he was as unresponsive as the rest seemed to be. They swapped briefcases with him, carefully positioning the new one where and how his had been. While his cohort did that, the other one put a piece of paper under the briefcase of Rose's father. The one without the briefcase picked Rose up and carried her out the door.

David followed them to the emergency stairs, looking closely at Rose as he did. She was as unconscious as the rest, but seemed otherwise ok. After they opened the door, but before they got to the stairs, he used the "dart drug" trick he had learned from Angel. As he had hoped, the one carrying Rose sort of collapsed, rather than dropping her or falling on her. Their bodies blocked the door open, which was also as David had hoped.

Using the approach he had learned helping the little girl with the poison needles in her, he went through Rose's body and found - and eliminated what he could of - the blood borne effects of the knock out gas. He gave her a strong jolt of adrenalin - one of the few stimulants he was familiar enough with - and formed a small illusion of himself in front of her.

"Huh? ... Wha?" she tried, eloquently.

"It's me, David. No time to explain. You need to go down the stairs to the landing after next. You're in danger, and there's only so much I can do."

Rose nodded groggily, and climbed to her feet. While she started toward the stairs, he went back to the room, and spent a couple of moments in the briefcase of Rose's father. He barely got out before the power came back on and the suppression field snapped back to life.

He caught up with Rose, and saw that she was approaching a landing. He dropped his illusion and went through the door on that landing. The good news was that nobody was nearby or looking at the door. The bad news was that the door opened into an office area rather than a corridor. Even with that, he decided it was a good risk.

He reappeared to Rose, and told her to go through that door quietly. The door was locked, but he was able to remedy that in short order. They made it to the front door of the office suite with no trouble, but saw that there were a lot of people standing around outside, apparently talking to each other.

It was all gibberish to him. "What are they talking about?"

"The blackout, and the alarm. Apparently, a lot of police are in the office two stories up, and people are hoping they'll release the elevators soon."

David, who had faded out again, took a quick look and reported "They seem to have done so. At least one of them seems to be operating normally."

He guided her to the working elevator, and she did her best to blend in with the crowd waiting for it. While David couldn't quite manage a full body sized illusion at that distance, he did disguise her face and hair. After another eternity or two, they were able to board an elevator for the descent to the lobby.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rose's father came around slowly, to find himself face to face with a policewoman. She asked him a question - at least, he thought it was a question - in a language he didn't understand. "I only speak English," he groaned.

He looked around for Rose, hoping she would translate for him. When he didn't see her, he grew alarmed. "Where's Rose? Where's my daughter?"

In heavily accented English, the officer explained that Rose was not in the room when they arrived, and they assumed they would find her elsewhere in the office. She went on to question him about the events leading up to his unconsciousness. At her suggestion, he checked his briefcase to see whether anything had been disturbed or taken. Everything seemed in order, except for his business cards. Since they weren't important, he didn't bother mentioning that part to her.

When he had a moment, he looked at the cards. The second to top one had been changed. There was a logo there, with the letters CP sprouting wings, and a somewhat cryptic message: "Rose safe, free. Feign ignorance." He knew the message had to be from Rose's winged friend David. He slid the card back into the stack, then went back to dealing with the situation.

When he moved his briefcase, he noticed a piece of paper under it. He pulled it out and read it. It said that Rose was alive and safe - for now. He was not to tell the police, or anyone else, about the note. And that the people who had arranged things had a similar hold on one of his opposite numbers.

Their involuntary agent would utter a code word sometime during the negotiations. In response, he was to agree to whatever the agent proposed. If the agent gave another code word, he would suggest that they adjourn for the day.

After he read the note it disappeared, leaving a rapidly disappearing residue.

It was going to be a long, hard day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rose had to get away and hide. She was conspicuously neither Japanese nor an adult, so somewhere quiet was probably out of the question. She needed crowds of people, preferably including a lot of people about her own age.

She made her way to the nearest station, paid at the kiosk (which talked, much to her relief) and got on the first train she could. Safely (well, relatively safely) seated, she took stock of her resources. She had a small guidebook, which she had planned to read during her breaks so she could plan out her later sightseeing and shopping. She had some local money - not a lavish amount, but enough for her likely immediate expenses - and a little American money. Out of recent habit, she had a few sanitary supplies as well. And a pen and a small notepad. Not much, all told. But it was better than nothing.

Her non tangible assets included her language abilities, her education, her youth, sex, and general health. Not the stuff of legends, but it would have to do.

She got off a couple of stops later, and got on another train. She hoped that would help throw anyone who tried to follow her off the trail. That train she rode to Tokyo, to an area her guidebook had recommended for teens.

Mini-David popped in to let her know that her father was safe, and that he knew she was safe. It would not be safe for her to contact him or her family for a while, or to go back to their hotel. Even the police were out for the time being - no telling who might be on the "wrong side". She would have to disappear and lie low for a day or two, until things blew over.

It was like a scene out of a nightmare. Now that she thought about it, it was a scene from a recent nightmare. She was in a strange city, where most of the signs were incomprehensible, and all of the people were strangers. Customs and social behaviors were subtly different, and she didn't know the rules. And she was being chased by strange men in suits. Dangerous men, on their home turf, who could be anywhere.

She wanted to hide, but she knew it would be even more dangerous to try. She wanted to blend in, but she stood out with her western face and American clothes. She wanted to go for help, but she didn't know who she could trust. The government might be involved. Some of the police might be involved. Or they might have been fed some misinformation about her. The phones, even the eComs, might be tapped or monitored.

Anyone she saw or spoke to - anyone who saw her - could be a part of the problem.

More than anything else, she wanted to be safely home, surrounded by her family and her powerful friends.

She did the only thing she could think of - she walked along, acting like she was window shopping, and listened. Most of the conversations were surprisingly unexotic. They were the same kinds of things she would have expected to hear at the mall. The names and so on were different, but the gist was the same.

She got very nervous when she caught parts of some conversations about finding "her" (or even "him"), but after a moment or two of frantic concentration she was convinced that she was not the person any of them were talking about.

Finally, she caught something that might be useful.

"It's not fair! Here we are, a team of super powered morfs, and our lives are boring. Boring! We should be having adventures, fighting the bad guys, saving the world... that kind of thing. What do we get? Homework and cram school." The boy had red orange hair, and stood almost a head taller than the tallest of the girls.

"You've been watching the tube too much." The blue haired girl chided. "Besides, we're not a team. We're friends, sure. And we have powers. But teams train together. They are organized and have formal rules and things. They don't just hang around together and wish for something exciting to happen."

The third girl turned toward Rose. *Hey! This is a private conversation here! Eavesdropping like that is rude!* A shout would not have carried half as far - or as clearly - as that thought did. Obviously a telepath.

But could they help her? Would they help her? She was tired, scared, and - despite the occasional appearance of Micro David - alone in a strange place. A place that was altogether too much like a recent half-remembered nightmare. They seemed like her only hope. The fact that they seemed to be about the same ages as her friends David, Lena, and the rest seemed reassuring as well.

Summoning up her best abilities with communication and persuasion, she suggested that helping her with her problem might provide just the excitement they were looking for. She outlined the problem, and waited as they argued over helping her.

In the end, it came down to a sort of shrugged "Why not?" Not exactly the enthusiastic support she would have liked, but she would take what she could get.

"First, a makeover." Yuko, the tallest of the girls with straight black hair, said with a half smile. "That face just won't do."

As she raised her hand, Rose understood. "You're a bio elemental." It wasn't a question. "One of my friends back home is, too."

Yuko nodded, and then waved her hand about six inches in front of Rose's face. Rose felt a skin crawling sensation over her face, just like those some people had described. When it stopped, she looked at her reflection in a store window.

A stranger looked back. Her skin was a different color - a little less pink, a little more yellowish tan. Her eyes were very different, their new brown color peeking out through typically Japanese epicanthic folds. Even her cheeks and lips looked different. While she was looking, the rest of her skin changed color to compliment her face.

"Rose?" a familiar voice asked, next to her ear.

"Yes, David. It's me." She saw that the others were looking at her like she had a screw or two loose. "Could you let my new friends see you?" She held out her hand, palm up.

Mini David appeared over her palm, and waved at the startled teens. Kohaku, the boy of the group, caught himself starting to wave back and quickly dropped his hand.

"I have good news and bad news," David told her. He waited as she translated for the others. "Your father knows you are free and safe, but he has to pretend you have simply vanished. I will keep watch over you two, though there is not too much I can do at this distance. He suggests that you find somewhere to hole up for a day or two, while he works things out."

"What about the rest of my family?"

"Lena let them know the situation. They are safe for the moment, and the others are looking out for them."

Somehow, that sounded ominous to her, but she could also "hear" the implied "don't ask" under it. "so what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, for starters you could introduce me to your friends."

Embarrassed, she did so and translated greetings back and forth. Once he was confident they would help her, he vanished.

"And now..." Aoi, the blue haired girl announced dramatically, the boy flinched and the three girls chorused "Shopping!"

Rose wasn't so sure. She liked shopping as much as the next girl, but... "I don't have much money with me. And I don't dare use any credit - they'd find me in a nanosecond."

Maki, the green haired telepath, looked her in the eyes. "Are you good for it?"

"Of course I am. Well... my folks are, anyway."

Maki looked at her seriously for a moment. Then she grinned. "No problem then. Let's go!"

What followed was a whirlwind familiar throughout the civilized world: teenage girls shopping, with a token boy to carry the bags.

While there was as much of the other girls trying things on as there was looking for things for Rose, they were remarkably efficient as far as their token male could figure out. Some of the styles and cuts were a little different than Rose was used to, but they had her looking like one of them in no time.

Rose had a brief moment of disorientation when the girls insisted she try on some oddly cut shorts. It wasn't the shorts themselves (although they were disconcerting). It was the name: "Dromedaries". At first, it didn't translate. Then she realized that the word wasn't in Japanese. It was in English, with a decidedly Japanese pronunciation.

"They will make you look more Japanese. No American girl would be brave enough to wear them, I bet. You have some weird ideas about sexiness over there." Maki shook her head. "You guys would not believe the things I have seen in their heads!" She rolled her eyes.

Rose still wasn't sure, until they pointed out three other girls about her age, all of whom were wearing the fashion.

Rose shrugged. "When in Rome..." she muttered, pulling them on and handing the tags to the others. They were right about one thing; nobody looking for an American teenager would give her a second look in those pants.

She made sure that she transferred her pin to her new outfit, pinning it in place where it would not be easily visible to the casual observer. Somehow, that seemed important.

They paid for the clothes, and bundled her clothes into a shopping bag. They left the store, and moved to an unoccupied bench. Then they started in on her makeup.

Yuko looked at her watch, and swore quietly. "I have to run. My danna" (some sort of title, which didn't translate) "will be very disappointed if I am not there and ready when he arrives." She shook her head and dashed off.

Rose was confused. The untranslated title carried some sort of sexual and business connotations, but also something else - something she didn't have the concept of. It was not that Yuko was someone's mistress, or some kind of prostitute, but there were similar elements.

Maki read her confusion. "I thought you said you could learn languages. What's the problem?"

"If there's a concept I don't know, I won't understand the word for it."

Aoi, looking exasperated, muttered "Ignorant American culture..." and Kohaku just shook his head.

Maki was a little more understanding. "Have you ever heard of Geisha?"

Rose noticed that the term didn't translate, but she did understand it. Somewhat. "Only in the movies. And even I know better than to trust that."

"Classically, they were a highly skilled combination of entertainer, hostess, courtesan, and what you would consider a mistress for pay. They were not prostitutes, like some of you westerners tend to think, but many did have sex with their client as part of their duties."

Rose could tell she was oversimplifying a much more complex concept, but at least she was following the explanation.

Maki noted her understanding, and continued. "Earlier in this century, the new realities of business and our culture gave rise to a new variation. The men of wealth and power didn't have as much need for personal entertainers, and it was more appropriate for wives or employees to serve as hostesses at formal functions. But the concept was too powerful a part of our culture to just fade away as a historical novelty."

She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then continued. “Women’s roles had changed. We were always a part of the power structure of business and government, but only in a limited way. Now we became much more integrated into those power structures. We could head multinational corporations, and not just as figureheads."

"Girl power!" Aoi grinned.

Maki nodded, then continued. "At about the same time, MORFS took hold of the world. Some people gained abilities that the powerful found useful. Telepaths, bio elementals, technopaths, cyberpaths, and so on could be powerful allies. Human nature being what it is," she paused a moment, then shook off whatever she was thinking, "they felt they needed a way to gain control of such people. They weren't stupid... mostly... so they knew that any attempted use of force would be counterproductive, and ordinary employment is subject to poaching by others."

She grinned. "It's not clear who came up with the idea, but there are stories that it was an Okami..." another word that did not really translate. Maki noticed her confusion and took a moment to explain. "Think of a convent. There are nuns and novices, and over the whole thing is a Mother Superior."

Rose looked a question at her. "Don't ask." Maki replied lightly but firmly. Rose accepted her desire to avoid talking about where she learned about convents.

Maki continued. "The convent is called an okiya, the nuns are geisha, the novices are maiko, and the Mother Superior is the Okami." She grinned. "Anyway, this particular Okami was apparently smart and ambitious. She wanted to reach beyond what she saw as a dead end position."

She took a moment to think. "Whether or not it was her, a new form - an evolution, according to some - of the more traditional geisha emerged. Instead of an entertainer and hostess, she became a sort of a highly skilled personal assistant and confidant, with a knowledge of business and its specialized culture, skills at negotiation and building relationships with potential customers, joint venture partners, and so on, all of which was more of a match to the more traditional ways than you might think."

She looked at Rose as though gauging her. Rose felt a telepathic probe, and let it through. Maki withdrew, frustrated. She continued with her explanation. "Like some schools of the more traditional geisha, they are also highly skilled in the arts of seduction and the arts of the bedroom."

Despite the change to her skin tone, Rose's blush almost lived up to her name.

Maki smirked a little, then continued. "The other part that made it all work so well with the more hidebound elements of the corridors of power was the MORFS-induced abilities. The notion of having a," she pulled a face, "pet telepath or the like was tremendously appealing."

Rose was puzzled. "I can understand that part, but why the s...sex?"

The others grinned at her difficulty with the question.

"Three main reasons. The first is tradition. At first, that was a major part of it. Now, less so. The second and third take a little more explaining." Maki drew a breath, then continued. "The training and apprenticeship is very expensive. Most families, including Yuko's, simply couldn't afford it. After all, she comes out the other end with the equivalent of an MBA degree and a position very high in the hierarchy of a major corporation. Her danna pays for all that - with or without help from the company - and her lodging in the okiya and general upkeep as well."

She let Rose absorb all that for a moment, then continued. "One element of the sex is that it symbolically and psychologically binds her to him, making her more likely to stay with the program and with him. That being said, there is also an element of his getting something for his money along the way. Not just sex per se. He gets a companion with whom he can safely share all the secrets, frustrations, and company politics of his day - she is bound, legally and in other ways, to protect all such information. That is especially valuable for pillow talk. It is very distracting to have to carefully watch what one says in the throws of passion and post orgasmic bliss."

She seemed to enjoy the way the more direct references to sex brought up a blush in Rose.

"Why not his wife?"

"In part, so his rivals and enemies can't get the information from her, or otherwise threaten her. In large part, because she would probably find some of it more than a little disturbing; major companies being what they are. And again, the element of Tradition raises its hoary head."

Aoi gave a twisted half smile. "And in some cases, the company or the husband could not really trust the wife."

"You watch the tube too much." Maki grumped, humorously. "But it has been known to be a problem from time to time."

Rose decided she had passed the point of Too Much Information about the whole thing far too long ago. But she still had one question: "How long has she been doing that?"

"About six months ago, right after she turned 16. That's the minimum age for starting the training."

Another big question came to mind. "What does her family think of all this?"

Maki looked uncomfortable "That's... a little more complicated. For historical reasons, it's not the kind of thing her family is going to brag about. Among other things, it points to the fact that they do not have the money and influence to get her that kind of education and those kinds of training and opportunities themselves. On the other hand, it's not going to make them turn away from her or hang their heads in shame."

Rose knew that it would take a while for all of that to sink in. At least she had some idea what was going on. She didn't need all of the details. There was one detail that seemed a little off. "With all that, how does she have time to hang around with you guys?"

"It's part of her preparations." Maki explained. "She's supposed to use the time to network and develop resources." She grinned. "And what better resources to develop than a group of powerful morfs?"

Rose smiled at that. But then she remembered what David had told her. She was going to have to find somewhere to stay for a day or two. She wasn't cut out for the life of a street person. Especially in a strange city with unreadable signs and unknowable customs.

"Don't look at me." Maki said, apparently noticing her thoughts. "Small apartment, big family. And I don't think you're qualified to move into the okiya with Yuko. " She paused and then grinned. "I'm sure Kohaku would love to have you spend a night or two." Rose could read the sexual innuendo in Maki's voice and body language.

Rose looked dubious. "Uh... I'm not sure I could afford the rent."

Kohaku just grinned. Then the three of them turned and looked at Aoi. Having missed the nature of the last few statements, she just looked back at them - blankly. "What?" she asked, more puzzled than annoyed.

Maki looked at her pointedly, and Aoi's eyes briefly glazed over. "Oh. Well... yeah, I can probably work something out."

Rose looked a question at Maki.

*No, I can't control anyone's mind. I just filled her in on the last little bit of the conversation. Her mind starts to wander sometimes.*

"Thank you" Rose said to Aoi, noticing that it came out "Domo arigato". "You're really saving my butt."

"Nah," Aoi came back, grinning. "Kohaku isn't into that. Yet."

Rose wiped her forehead in an exaggerated gesture of relief.

Aoi got on her eCom and called home. After a moment, she gave them a smile and a nod. "All set. You're a friend of Yuko's, from America. You obviously can't stay with her, and we have room."

While they had been talking, they had finished working on her makeup. That done, they went back to their shopping. Even Kohaku ended up getting a couple of things.

When they stopped for lunch, Rose was a little surprised that they all chose American style food. Somehow, she had expected them to go for what she thought of as Japanese foods - tempura, sushi... that sort of thing.

"Hey, this is the exotic foreign food to us." Maki teased, 'hearing' the thought. "Actually, it's pretty much as common here as anywhere else. Even at home. My mother makes a killer burrito, but her tempura shrimp can't hold a candle to Aoi's mom's."

Rose decided it was time to change the subject. Turning to Kohaku, she asked "Since I was sort of eavesdropping earlier, what kind of a team did you really want to be?"

"You know, a hero team... like in the manga," (which sort of translated as "comic books", but not completely) "... movies or the tube. That kind of thing."

"My friend David - the one you sort of saw before - is part of a team like that. They don't have uniforms or some formally recognized organization, but they really are a team." She paused for a moment. "I guess I'm part of that team, too."

"You guess?" Aoi asked.

"They're all older, and they've been together longer than I've known them. And like I said, there is no formal organization. They just sort of operate as a team. And they do it well."

That got their interest. They started to pepper her with questions.

"How did they get together?"

"Do they have secret identities? Code names?"

"Do they really fight bad guys?"

...and on and on.

Rose was a little worried that they might attract attention, and "said" as much to Maki.

*We're teens. Any group of more than two of us is going to attract attention. And just as quickly lose it. It's like a law of nature.*

Reassured, Rose tried to answer their questions. "I don't know how they got together. They were like that when I met them. They don't really have secret identities, but most of them have code names. David is known as The Captain or CP. Their telepath is known as Radar. Their teleporter is called Flit."

Aoi interrupted her. "What about you?"

That stopped her. She hadn't really thought about it before. Her hand moved to her semi hidden pin as she considered it. That gave her the answer. "I haven't really used it, but I'm Rosetta."

Maki looked like she understood, but the others gave her a blank look. She briefly described the Rosetta Stone, and the light dawned.

That taken care of, Kohaku got the conversation back on track. "So... do they really fight bad guys?" His friends gave him a brief scowl, but turned their attention to Rose for her answer.

"Well... yes. They have fought kidnappers, bombers, assassins," she shuddered at the reminder of the events in the basement. "and the like. But mostly, they like to help people. Like when they rescued a little girl who was hurt in an industrial accident."

They were impressed. Then they got down to more practical issues.

"How much do they train together?"

"What is their headquarters like?"

"How do they hold the team together?'

The questions were sort of all at once, and Rose had the thought that it must be something like the experience of telepathy. Gamely, she plowed in again, answering what she could.

"No headquarters. They - we - get together at someone's house or at a lunch place or something." That seemed to disappoint them a little, but she went on.

"I've never seen - or even heard of - them training together as such. They'll get together sometimes to help each other develop parts of their abilities, or even to help each other with homework or the like. And David and Radar are a couple. But mostly, they seem to hang out like you guys. That seems to be more than enough to hold the group together."

She looked around the table. "We know what each other can do, and what other resources we have available. Sometimes we'll work on ways to combine abilities." She thought about Lena using her translation abilities to read the assassins' minds.

*Who's Lena?*

*Radar. Her real name is Lena.*

Maki nodded, and gestured for her to continue.

"One big thing that we do," Rose went on, "is to help each other think of new ways to use our powers... individually or together. Ways we might not have thought of on our own."

"Like what?"

"Well... what are your powers?"

Maki was a telepath, with a moderately strong TK as a compliment. Rose wondered whether all telepaths had additional powers, since most of those she'd met did.

Aoi, in contrast to her blue hair, was a fairly powerful fire elemental. She could absorb, produce, and control fire. She sometimes amused herself by creating flame sculptures.

Kohaku, the red headed boy, was an electrical elemental. In addition to producing, absorbing, and controlling electric currents, he could sense them.

And Rose already knew that Yuko was a bio elemental - apparently more powerful than Angel by a good bit.

Even with her limited experience in combat or the like, one obvious thing came to mind. "If you two stand close together," she indicated Aoi and Kohaku, "you can confuse an enemy pretty easily. People tend to think that unusual hair color tends to match a person's powers. If you made it look like Aoi was shooting lightning and Kohaku was shooting flames, they would guess you had each other's powers and attack accordingly."

They liked that idea. A lot. Rose commented that Maki could use her TK on nearby plants to make it look like she had some plant-related power which complimented her green hair.

Rose went on. "That sort of thing. And it doesn't stop there. Think about the things you know about - hobbies, training, family businesses, and the like. Yuko already knows a lot about big business, and the specific business her danna is in. If you needed to deal with something like that, her knowledge is a huge asset."

An avid technophile, Kohaku had been disappointed to learn that he was neither a cyberpath nor a technopath. The others had equally useful skills and knowledge.

"And finally, there's the issue of who you know. Who your families know. Even who your teachers know. All potentially useful."

She looked at them seriously. "And all potentially dangerous. Any of you could seriously hurt or kill the others. The people who know you might try to manipulate your friends - the rest of the team - through you. And your specialized knowledge and hobbies tend to make you think in certain ways - ways which might be less than useful in a novel situation."

Wow. Here she was, lecturing the older teenagers after they had been so nice to her. And while she still needed their good will. Their reactions reassured her.

Their shopping trip got cut short when Maki noticed the time. "We'd better move. We may have had the day off from school, but cram school waits for nobody."

At Rose's expression of distress, Aoi suggested she come along and see the school while she waited. The three of them went to the same one anyway, so they went together. On the way, they explained that there were two basic kinds of cram schools. One was just for exam preparation, sometimes specializing in a particular school. Rose was surprised to learn that some prominent American schools were among the targets.

The other kind of cram school - the kind they went to - also offered preparation for entrance and qualification exams, as well as for graduation exams. But they also offered specialized instruction in other areas. Some offered programs in the arts, martial arts, business, or the mastery of morf powers.

The three of them were enrolled in the exam preparation program at their cram school. Since theirs was one of the ones that also offered powers mastery courses, they were well set up to handle powered students in their more conventional programs.

When they got there, Aoi and Maki introduced Rose to the head teacher for the program, explaining that she was visiting from America and was interested in seeing how a top flight cram school operated in Japan. Rose thought they were laying it on a little thick, but they got the job done.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuko was happy that she had managed to impress Tanaka Sensei, her danna. After exchanging the ritual greetings, he told her that he was setting her an exercise. There had been an event at a certain office, and it was being kept very quiet by that company and the police. He had given her just enough that she was able to recognize it as the situation Rose had described.

Working from the outline Rose had given them, some images Maki had relayed from Rose's mind, and a few shrewd guesses, she gave him a narrative of the negotiation setup (including Rose's role as translator), the attack, and Rose's escape. She finished with a vague description of Rose coming into the city and changing her appearance.

Impressed, Tanaka Sensei asked her the expected question. "Where did you acquire this information?"

Her answer was wrapped in ritual. "You have heard this information from me."

He nodded, satisfied. Like so much else, there were laws and traditions (often more binding than the laws) concerning certain sources of information. In particular, the uses of information gained by way of telepathy were severely circumscribed. But as is so often the case, there was a formalized workaround.

Information from a properly trained subordinate, especially a trusted maiko who is not a telepath, could be assumed to come from appropriate sources. There was simply no need to know those sources. By saying what she did, she was telling Tanaka Sensei that he did not want to know the sources of her information. Knowing that at least one of the teenagers she spent time with was a reasonably powerful telepath, he was satisfied with her warning.

While he did ask her whether she knew where the girl was currently, and she was honestly able to answer that she did not, he did not ask her more about Rose.

Acting as teacher and mentor, he explained his interest. A division of his company was in competition with the firm that Rose's father was trying to acquire for his firm. He had been aware of Rose, and her power with languages, since her father first brought her in. He had even sent a couple of hired investigators to watch her and gather more information. Their deaths had been regrettable.

At her look of distress, he told her about the third group, and their violent opposition to the acquisition. To the best of his knowledge and belief, the girl and her friends had nothing to do with the deaths. That being said, he warned her to be aware of the dangers the nationalists posed - especially when she continued to gather information for him.

He mentioned that it would be in his company's interests to gain some leverage over Rose, or especially her father. But even getting an idea of where she was could be helpful.

He gave her a brief smile of congratulations for her initiative and results, then moved on to other aspects of her training.

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After cram school let out, her three new friends escorted her to the station and shepherded her aboard the correct train. Kohaku, as usual, was stuck with carrying the shopping bags. While they rode, they talked about ideas for bringing themselves together into a team.

After getting off the train, they walked down what seemed to be a sparsely populated street. At least it seemed that way to Rose, judging by how few and far between the gates were. After a particularly long gap, they turned through a gate and into the grounds of what Rose could only think of as an estate. A large house, with a number of outbuildings, stood surrounded by several carefully manicured acres.

"Well, this is it." Aoi grinned, then went on "I think we can fit you in somewhere."

The others laughed in what Rose recognized as a friendly way, and they continued their hike toward the house. When they arrived, Aoi let them in and ushered them into the kitchen. They were met there with a variety of snack foods, set out for their predictable hunger.

As they were setting down their burdens and getting ready to dive in, a woman walked in. She was slightly taller than Kohaku, and elegantly turned out in what appeared to be designer clothes and an immaculate coif. Rose noticed a resemblance to Aoi, and assumed she was her mother.

The woman greeted them in a friendly way, then asked whether Rose was to be their guest.

"Yes, I am that person." The construct was better - and more proper - in Japanese than it was in English. "Thank you very much for honoring me with your hospitality, Mrs. Tanaka."

End part 8

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Rose learns what she accidentally invoked. She gets a tour of her temporary home and a demonstration of the powers of two of her new friends. Rose's father learns that she is safe, but in the hands of a powerful business rival. Back home, two attempts are made against Tara - one successful.

Part 9

"Thank you very much for honoring me with your hospitality, Mrs. Tanaka."

Rose noticed that her new friends flinched at the way she said that, but the woman seemed unperturbed.

The woman responded that Rose honored them with her presence. Rose understood that the response was cloaked in ritual, but that Aoi's mother genuinely meant it. The woman went on to invite Rose to enjoy the snacks, including the other two guests in the invitation. She gave Aoi a significant look, which Rose's powers interpreted as "you know what you need to do".

Aoi smiled and shrugged at her old and new friends, then turned to follow her mother out of the kitchen.

*Now you've done it.* Maki commented.

*What?* Rose was genuinely puzzled.

*You used the formal forms, and invoked the Traditions of Hospitality.*

*And that's a bad thing?* Rose enjoyed being able to hold a conversation while chewing on a snack.

*Not just the "stopping by for a visit" kind of hospitality. The kind that obligates them to treat you like visiting royalty.*

*Oh.* Now she got it. By trying to be polite, she had ended up putting Aoi in an uncomfortable position, and had turned her visit into something more formal. It was annoying to recognize her own ability to screw such things up, despite the nature of her powers. *Is there any way to undo this?*

*Not without both sides losing face. Especially Aoi. It would be a terrible insult to their family.*

*No way out but through, huh?* Rose was becoming resigned to the situation.

"Pssst...Rose!" a quiet voice whispered in her ear, startling her. "It's about midnight here, and I'm going to bed. I still have school in the morning. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I'm not sure I'd anything you would do, CP. Night." At a puzzled look from the others, she explained "Just a quick message from my little winged friend. It's midnight back hone, and he needs his beauty sleep."

They laughed at that, and went back to snacking.

*Don't fill up too much.* Maki warned. Part of the hospitality thing is feeding you. Generously.*

*You think she'll make some of that tempura you mentioned?*

*I guarantee she would, if you asked. It's that hospitality thing. But it's a lot better if you let them choose. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.*

*I wouldn't want to be an imposition.*

*Too late for that. But don't worry too much. Aoi's mom loves to show off her cooking.*

Aoi came in in a beautiful, but very formal, dress. Her hair was neatly done up, and she had a little more makeup on. "You honor us with your visit, honorable guest," she intoned, bowing. The comment wasn't as redundant in Japanese.

Sensing that some reply was needed, she looked a question at Maki. *Wing it.* came the grinning reply.

"I'm honored by your generous hospitality. Thank you."

The bowing out of the way, Aoi got down to business. "May I show you our home?" she asked, still somewhat ritualistically.

"I would like that, very much."

*You can relax a little now.* Maki advised her. *Aoi will make sure you know when any formal stuff is coming up.*

Kohaku spoke up. "Mind if I use the dojo a while?"

Aoi grinned, and answered informally, "Sure. Go ahead. We might join you later."

"You have your own dojo?" Rose asked, impressed.

"Oh, yes. It has been in the family for a very long time, but they modified it to fit my powers. I'll show you as part of the tour."

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*Why does it always have to be a school night?* Lena grumped, as she coordinated their threat response.

*Tell me about it!* Robin agreed. *If I have to do much, I'm gonna lose my whole weekend just to make up the school day.*

*I'm already beat.* David complained. His efforts at helping Rose and her Dad long distance had left him more than a little drained.

*We'll do what we can without you.* Lena assured him. *After all, we have plans tomorrow night.*

The emphasis she put on the "we" got his attention, all right. He was looking forward to their Friday night out as much as she was. And what might come afterwards...

*None of that, mister! I'm trying to concentrate, here.*

The three men were shielded, but it was a different, lower quality shield than the five dead men had employed. They didn't seem as coordinated, either. Lena decided they were locals... well, relatively local, anyway.

*Shit! The short one's a 'porter.* Robin complained. *And he's warming up for a jump.*

*Where?*

*Dunno yet. Probably waiting for one of the others to give him a location. Or to jump them out if they get caught.*

*How do they see out through that field?* Lena complained. *It gives me a headache just to look near it.*

*Want me to kiss it and make it better?* David grinned.

*Not... There! Tara's room!*

*On it * Robin was there in a flit. And invisible, as usual.

*Something's wrong here. Don't do anything yet.*

Robin watched as the intruder flitted in and froze for a moment, looking at Tara. Now that she could see him better, she could see he wasn't much older than her. Maybe a college freshman or sophomore. Apparently satisfied that Tara was still asleep, he moved to her dresser. Quietly opening the top drawer, he stole a pair of her panties and closed the drawer as silently as he'd opened it.

A final look at Tara, and he flitted back outside. Robin followed, and before he and his partners in crime could escape, she turned off his shield.

David and Lena both got mental fixes on him before he took hold of his accomplices and 'ported out. They helped Robin find where they had gone, and she 'ported after them.

Robin listened invisibly, and Lena "listened" as they talked about their panty raid and the old guys who had suggested it.

*Get back here! Carefully!* Lena warned Robin.

While Robin and Lena were dealing with the boys, as they now thought of them, David had been looking and "looking" around the neighborhood. He quickly found three men - definitely not teenagers - parked nearby and apparently discussing the raid they had just watched.

They spoke Japanese. At least, he thought it was Japanese. He really missed having Rose around, just then.

Lena confirmed that they were wearing shields, of the same sort as the dead men from the truck crash.

The men parked the car just a little way from Rose's house, and then they seemed to concentrate.

Seeing that this was not the time to mess around, Robin pulled out three of the darts David had made for her, and flitted into the car. She quickly stabbed the driver and one of the other two with the darts, when a still sleeping Tara appeared on top of her.

She was intangible (except for her finger tips), so neither of them was really harmed, but it was really unpleasant for Robin, and startled her enough to make her drop the dart.

As the other 'porter looked around at his companions, telling them something she couldn't understand, she picked up the dart and stabbed him with it. Falling into her sitting position roused Tara, and she was starting to move around. Robin went tangible, grabbed Tara, and flitted back to Tara's bedroom.

Tara woke up the rest of the way and it was not a pleasant awakening. Robin went visible, and shushed her. Using Lena as a relay, she gave Tara an overview of the events, and reassured her that everything was in hand. She suggested that Tara go back to sleep, and they would take care of the rest.

Tara, who also had school in the morning, agreed.

Lena "called" one of her police contacts, who was on duty that night. She quickly filled her in, but asked that they just take the report of the three suspiciously unconscious men at face value for the time being. She would produce the pranksters the next day. Or rather, later that day.

David slouched over and physically watched the car until Lena warned him that the police were getting close.

In the meantime, Robin flitted back to the older boys. After invisibly flitting the stolen underwear back to Tara's room, she moved in front of the boys and appeared.

"You idiots!" she yelled into their faces. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Shocked by her sudden appearance, and taken aback by her yelling, they just sort of stammered.

"Those old guys who talked you into that stupidity? They just tried to kidnap that girl!" To her ears, the emphasis she put on "kidnap" sounded a little more shrill than she had intended. Still... no sense in backing off. She glared at them, one at a time.

"She could have been killed. You could have been killed. They were using you as decoys, to test our defenses. If we hadn't seen through it, we could have seriously injured you. If they had succeeded, they could have killed you to keep you from identifying them. Idiots!"

She took a few breaths to calm down, keeping them pinned with her eyes. "In the morning, here is what you are going to do..."

After she spelled it out, Lena reinforced the point. *Don't even think of trying to run or hide. We'll be watching you!* She gave them her best overtone of frightening authority. *Tell them Radar sent you.* Robin was amused to notice that one of them blanched at the mention of that name, but she kept her face stern.

Spearing each of them with one final glare, she flitted back to the others.

"I don't know about you guys, but it's way past my bedtime. If there's any more trouble tonight, I'll flit back to now to tell us." She waited a moment for herself to appear. When she didn't, she yawned a good night, then flitted herself back home.

*Hey, what about us?*

*You live next door, lazy! Kiss your boyfriend goodnight.*

Lena did so, and Robin popped in, sent David to his room Flit Delivery, and went back home.

Surprisingly, after everything that happened, she was asleep within minutes of crawling into bed.

David took even less time. He kicked off his shoes, fell into bed fully clothed, and was out by the time his head hit the pillow.

Lena had to stay up a little longer, answering a few questions from the officer. But only a few.

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After helping Rose settle into her guest room, Aoi began the tour with her room. By Rose's standards, the room was very small. She had somewhat expected that to be the case, from her reading, but it still took her by surprise a little. It was also very neat, another thing she expected.

On a shelf over the small study desk, she spotted a familiar looking gold and gem covered object. Her face lit up.

Aoi got nervous, because under some circumstances an object of such admiration would be expected to become a gift to an honored guest. But that egg had particular value to her.

"Hey, you have one too!" Rose exclaimed, relieving Aoi no little bit, but puzzling her. The eggs weren't really on the market yet, the last she had heard. Rose made as though to reach for it. "May I...?"

Aoi nodded, and watched as Rose expertly opened the egg. She grew alarmed again when a look of what could only be envy crossed Rose's face.

"Is that...?" Rose pointed to a portion of the controls. "It has to be. You're so lucky!"

Now Aoi was very worried, since she wasn't sure what it was about the egg that Rose was looking at. Until Rose continued.

"That has to be the comm functions. Mine doesn't have that. Probably my parents' idea. They keep saying I'm too young to have a full eCom." She gave Aoi a Universal Teen Look that said "Parents. What can you do?", closed the egg, and returned it to its stand.

"So, you know Step?" Rose grinned.

Aoi was puzzled. "Who...?"

"Sergei?" At Aoi's look of recognition, she continued. "Last time I saw him, he was calling himself Steppenwolf, because of the change."

It had been a while, and they hadn't kept in touch. "The change? He got MORFS?"

"Big time. He's a wolf hybrid now, with elemental powers. How did you meet him?"

Aoi indicated the egg. "My father's company makes some of the components for that, and some of the other products of Sergei's father." The actual comment in Japanese wasn't quite as awkward, Rose noticed. Sometimes her power was like watching a dubbed movie.

They moved on, touring the more public areas of the house. Then they moved outside. Aoi indicated a nearby wooden building that looked very old, but extremely well maintained. "That is the dojo. Father had it modified for my use, and it works well for Kohaku as well."

Rose noticed that the inside of the building was covered with what looked like some high tech materials - the sort that were extremely fireproof, among other things. On one wall, there was a case filled with swords and other weapons. Some of them looked more or less familiar, some not so much.

Aoi disappeared briefly behind a screen. Rose watched Kohaku apparently throwing small lightning bolts at a small metal target on a stand near one corner. Aoi reappeared wearing what rose recognized as a ghi.

"Want to see a great trick?" Aoi asked. Across the room, Kohaku stopped what he was doing and grinned knowingly.

"Sure." Rose agreed.

Aoi selected what seemed to be some kind of practice sword from the cabinet. Rose noticed that there seemed to be a small channel along the blade.

Aoi struck a pose. "Hai ya!" The blade was surrounded by a ribbon of flame. Aoi held the sword aloft, and the flames grew bright and hot. As she did so, Rose could feel the heat from several feet away. Aoi turned, and swung the sword through what looked like some sort of log sitting across a couple of saw horses. A slice off the end fell neatly to the floor, leaving behind a thin trail of smoke which quickly dissipated. The smell pleasantly reminded Rose of campfires, as though from a distance.

Aoi extinguished the flame, then moved the blade to her side as though sliding it through her belt. She looked at Rose, expectantly.

"That was... fantastic!" Rose enthused.

Aoi grinned, then put the sword away. "I have a pair of daggers I can do it with, as well." she explained. And I'm working on doing the sword without a physical blade."

"Like a light saber." Kohaku grinned, relishing the ancient reference.

Rose recognized the reference, and just smiled. "There's no question about it," she thought to herself, "boys are boys, wherever you are."

"I've been trying something similar, but I just can't get the hang of it." Kohaku griped.

That gave Rose an interesting idea. "Can you shape the path your electricity takes?"

"To an extent. Why?"

"I just wondered if you could make it go in circles."

"I don't see why not." Then his eyes widened in understanding, and he grinned. He turned toward a small piece of steel that he had been using as a target, then sent out what looked like a low powered lightning bolt. It snaked and bent for a moment, then formed a circle perpendicular to his hand and a few inches in front of it. The circle briefly got a little more intense, then seemed to vanish. It was clear that something was still happening, however.

After a moment, his target jumped from its stand and smacked into his hand. "Ow! Sonuva..." He shook his hand, sucked on his knuckles a moment, then grinned. "I would say that worked. Thanks for the idea." While he would never be a magnetic elemental, this opened up some interesting new possibilities.

"This is all fantastic, but can you two do anything practical with your powers?"

Aoi and Kohaku grinned at each other. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Let's." Aoi nodded.

They went to a cabinet in the corner of the room, and pulled out what looked like leather aprons. While Kohaku put on a pair of leather gauntlets, Aoi brought a pair of very dark goggles over to Rose. "You'll need these."

After the two of them put on face shields with dark visors, they went back over to Kohaku's target. With a barely visible grin, Aoi pointed her finger. A small flame sprang into being in front of her finger, bright at first, then somehow dim and intense at the same time. Using her other hand, Aoi took hold of Kohaku's target and moved her flame across a part of it - neatly cutting off a corner.

Kohaku, with what looked like a very thick wire in one gloved hand, took the severed piece in the other hand, and held it next to the metal stand. He brought the wire close to the two, and a very bright spark briefly arced from the wire to the metal. He pulled the wire away, then brought it to the other end of where the corner adjoined the stand and repeated the process. He let go of the corner, and it remained in place.

He went to the cabinet, put down the wire, and picked up a spray bottle. He sprayed liquid on the corner, and it sizzled and evaporated. He repeated the spraying until the reaction was no longer violent.

"Ok. You can come look, but it's still very hot." he cautioned. As Rose approached, she could feel the heat radiating from the piece. She carefully looked, and each place he had touched with the spark was neatly welded to the stand.

"I have to admit that's practical. And impressive." she grinned. She looked back and forth between Aoi's hands and Kohaku's gauntlets. "But why...?"

"With my power," Aoi explained, "things can get very hot without bothering me."

"No such luck, for me." Kohaku said, ruefully.

"Voice of experience?"

"You have no idea." he replied, rubbing one gauntleted hand over the other in memory. "It doesn't seem fair. She can heat things up and hold them no problem. I warm something up just a little too much, and I'm branded for life!"

"Don't be such a baby," Aoi shook her head. "Yuko fixed the damage."

Kohaku tried on his best hurt victim look "But you have no idea how much it hurt, until she got around to it."

"Yeah, all of a minute and a half." Aoi laughed. She turned to Rose. "Can you imagine a wimp like that surviving childbirth?"

Rose smiled, but shuddered slightly. "I'm still not sure I can imagine surviving that myself." she replied, ruefully.

They all laughed.

After returning the welding accessories to the cabinet, Kohaku excused himself and left.

While he was putting the things away, Aoi slipped behind the screen and changed.

When they got back to the house, a well dressed man was waiting there. Aoi introduced him as her father. Rose gave him a slight bow and formally thanked him for his hospitality. He nodded politely, then looked meaningfully at his daughter.

"You have been showing her the dojo?" he asked, with a somewhat complex overtone. It seemed to convey something improper, but that the act of showing the dojo was not the improper part. Rose guessed that it was something to do with Aoi's less than perfect appearance.

"Very good." he continued. He turned again to Rose. "If you are willing, my wife would like to ask you something about food. I believe she is in the kitchen." The invitation was polite and pleasant, but the implication that he wanted her to leave the room was clear.

Once she was gone, he turned and addressed his daughter, quietly.

"Is she the girl Yuko changed?" he asked.

It would have been unthinkable to answer less than honestly. "Yes."

"And is her name really Rosetta?"

"It is her hero name. Her name is Rose."

"And did she ask you to lie to us in order to gain our hospitality?"

Aoi was scandalized at the idea. "Of course not. I just... simplified things when I spoke to Mother."

He nodded his head. "Very well. She has had a very bad time of it today, and she is in danger. It is your responsibility" he stressed that word in a way that spoke volumes about family honor and tradition " to see that she is safe. You will need to know where she is at all times, and I may ask you about her activities from time to time. Do you understand?" Again, the tones spoke volumes.

Aoi did understand. For some reason, Rose's well being was important to her father, and what she did - and probably when, where, and with whom - was also very important to him. He didn't casually invoke family honor when telling her what to do. "Of course, Father. I will do as you ask."

"Good. Is she in contact with anyone, other than your friends?"

"One of her friends from America appears to her in the form of a winged boy."

He nodded. That would complicate things a little. The boy was most likely the lawyer's son he had read about in the briefings. The reach of his powers was truly impressive.

"I see. Anyone else?"

"No, Father." Aoi answered formally.

He nodded a dismissal, and she left.

He knew that there were limits to what he could ask his daughter to do, even by invoking sacred honor. But that didn't really matter. He could get all the information the girl had easily enough, without distressing either girl (or their friends). He suspected that she didn't have much. Her talent with languages would have made her useful to her father in the negotiations, but she was too young and undisciplined to be entrusted with too much sensitive information.

So the girl would be safe. And comfortable. And right where he wanted her.

His was a subtle game, not the overt moves of the ultranationalists or the outlaw faction in the company Rose's father was working to acquire. Slight, almost ninja like moves now could pay off quite well in the months and years ahead. Just as with his company's takeover counteroffer (which had been a feint), the opportunities this opened the door to were long term rather than immediate.

The fact that she was in contact with the boy almost certainly indicated that she was in contact with her father through him. On the other hand, that contact was not constant, and the boy was at the other end of a rather large time differential. That could work to his advantage.

He would be busy after dinner. And he would not be the only one. Turning to his computer, he checked his available information and then sent a couple of discretely worded messages.

Aoi's mother did not like having Yuko come to the house. She was a perfectly nice girl, and had been a good friend to Aoi for some time. But the plain truth was that she was jealous. She understood the traditions and nature of the girl's position, but there was still a part of her that could not get past the fact that the girl was having sex with her husband. And the very fact of her jealousy made her uncomfortable - tradition said she should not be.

Such a dual relationship - the head of the family becoming danna to a friend of an immediate family member - was unusual, but not unheard of. It just presented some complications, political, emotional, and logistical. For instance, since their guest was a friend of the girl, it would normally be most appropriate to invite her over to join her friend for dinner. But as the family of her danna - and especially the wife of her danna - a certain distance is expected. One of the functions the girl serves is as a barrier between the family and certain company information. Too much social contact would create the impression that the barrier was compromised, which would be dangerous for her and for the family.

In the end, she would have to leave the decision to her husband. And she was honest enough to know that a decision against inviting the girl would not exactly reduce her to tears.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of their guest. Putting on her happy hostess face, she asked Rose about her preferences and limitations about food.

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Rose's father was not looking forward to the evening. The day's activities had disrupted business enough that he would be at meetings all day Saturday - without Rose. His dinner plans were doubly disrupted, with his opposite number detained for questioning, and his would be hostess recovering from a suspiciously safe and comfortable hostage experience, his original plans were out the window. Instead of sharing a pleasant (if somewhat political) meal with Rose at the home of his opposite number, he would be having a somewhat hastily arranged "banquet" with people from both companies (all of whom had to cancel other plans to attend) without the personal comfort and linguistic (and other) help of his talented daughter.

Worse, he was still effectively obligated to go through a time honored sucker punch for the visiting businessman - the Holo Bar "wind down". He was completely aware that the tradition was, more than anything, a way to disadvantage the visiting negotiator the next day, and probe for information and personality quirks in a theoretically informal setting. And had been for decades, with little change beyond the nature of the participatory entertainment at the bar.

And turning it down - even under the circumstances - was unthinkable. Whether it really was or not, it would be treated as an insult to the people, the company, and quite likely, the Country and its culture.

He had prepared for the games as thoroughly and diligently as for any other work related assignment. The outline of the evening was ancient and inexorable. After thanking his hosts for dinner, he would join members of his team and the other team for some "relaxation". Jackets and ties would come off, drinks ordered, and the ritual would begin. He would allow himself to be talked into trying "the game" (he was glad it wouldn't be a retro karaoke bar - his singing voice was somewhat embarrassing), and he would show a respectable but not exceptional skill at it. Drinks would flow, everyone would (apparently) relax, and he would be one of the first ones to make a fool of himself with a rapidly declining skill at the game.

But there were rules to this game as well. Use of an alcohol inhibitor before or during the festivities would be considered cheating and a sign of weakness. While it could be useful to have the opposition underestimate him, that kind of weakness went beyond useful limits. Position would not matter - everyone would act like equals. Rude jokes, of a sort more common for boys Rose's age, would be exchanged and laughed at. But even then, there were places you did not go.

This excursion was never going to include Rose. For one thing, it would inhibit the festivities, and for another, things would be said and done (including by him) that he did not want her to see. Powerful tool for commerce or not, she was still his barely teenaged daughter. He had a flash of worry at the thought of his youngest. Her winged friend had assured him she was safe, but it was not the same.

When he had discussed the planned evening with his wife, she was more than a little amused. While his wife's side of the family was known to favor the bottle, his branch of the Reids was little less than legendary. He endeared himself to his then fiancé’s family by drinking the family champion - an uncle of hers - under the table. He was careful not to go to excess around the girls, but the occasional mad night out with his wife was never a sober experience.

He had also carefully observed the stages of drunken behavior. His own would never be appropriate - he tended toward the serious and over dignified, a sort of staggering stuffed shirt. That would be a problem in the schoolboy atmosphere. So he would allow himself to seem progressively drunk, with the slurred speech and the declining reflexes, while adopting a more relaxed and convivial persona.

That was the plan.

Dinner went as planned. Well, pretty much in line with plan B, anyway. The food was good, and the atmosphere was business semi formal. Whether an act or not, he could see that some of his companions were a lot more relaxed on their way out than on their way in.

The transition to the bar, and the beginnings of the elaborate dance there also went pretty much as planned. Until he was on his way back to the table from his first, lightly lubricated, attempt at the game.

He was intercepted by an elegantly dressed man accompanied by a teenage girl in smart business attire. He was more startled by her than by him, since she seemed to be about Tara's age. A quick glance at his table showed his companions to be impressed by the man, and their clear expectation that such a meeting was more important than their bar hop.

A professional smile and unspoken invitation by the man found them at about as quiet a table as the place offered. The man nodded to the girl, and she put a device about twice the size of an eCom on the table and activated it. The noise level seemed to drop a little.

"We should be able to talk freely now, Mr. Reid. This," he nodded toward the device, "should prevent any eavesdroppers or telepaths. My name is Itsuo Tanaka, and this is my intern, Yuko."

Abashed, Rose's father acknowledged the greeting. Of course he knew who the man was, and he should have recognized him. He allowed himself the partial excuse that he would not have had any reason to expect to see the head of one of the largest conglomerates in Japan - and his chief rival for the company he was there to acquire - in such a setting.

Tanaka San gave a slightly more personable smile. "You can relax, Mr. Reid. I am not here as a business rival. In fact, we have come to see your acquisition of that company as potentially advantageous in our own long term plans. We have withdrawn the bid."

At the mildly puzzled look, he continued. "I have actually come to reassure you on an entirely different matter. Your daughter is now a guest in my home."

Rose's father was stunned, and a moment too late to prevent it showing. Tanaka San continued.

"You have no need to worry. She is perfectly safe and comfortable." He handed a fully functional business card across the table. "You may contact her at my home at any time. I have included my daughter's eCom number as well, in case they are out somewhere. Of course, you can also contact her by way of her small winged friend." Even without Rose's power, her father could read a certainty in the other man's smile, a sharing that the last comment more clearly identified Rose.

"She is welcome to stay with us as long as she likes, but I would suggest that she visit her new friend, the bio elemental, before you go home. I would suspect that you prefer her original appearance to her current disguise." He pulled out an eCom and called up a display of an attractive Japanese girl of about Rose's age.

His mind racing, it took Rose's father a moment to realize that he was looking at the new face the bio elemental David had told him about had given Rose. Tanaka was playing a deep game, and he could not yet understand its dimensions. It was clear that Rose was not a hostage or anything that crude. If anything, she was in about the safest place she could be. She didn't know much about any company secrets, and understood even less. So she was safe, but out of play - a factor that Tanaka apparently understood to some extent.

"I thank you for that. I had been told she had somewhere to stay, and I'm relieved to know she is so safe. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Two things. First, while I am no longer a rival or a threat, you still have enemies within and outside your new company. I can keep your daughter safe from them while she is in my home, and I believe that she would be reasonably safe if she goes out with her new friends for short excursions. Until you have completed your business, she would likely be unsafe elsewhere."

Mr. Reid understood the subtext in the comment. Tanaka knew that he was losing a useful - almost vital - part of his functional team by allowing his daughter that safety. But she was his daughter, and no other choice was possible. She had already been attacked once at the company, and he didn't want to risk another attempt.

"In light of your loss of her talents, I can recommend this firm for an interpreter and document checker." Tanaka San slid an ordinary business card across the table. "I believe your firm has used them before, and found them satisfactory."

It was another warning - a reminder that he could not trust anyone recommended by the other side of the negotiations. The firm was a familiar one, with an excellent reputation for both their work product and their discretion.

"Thank you. I will keep them in mind. And the other thing...?"

"Far more worrisome, I'm afraid." he paused briefly, then went on. "Your daughter went on a shopping spree with money borrowed from her new friends, as well as their enthusiastic encouragement. I am afraid that she will be expecting you to repay a rather substantial sum. But then again, I understand you are already familiar with the effects of teenaged shopping."

Rose's father remembered the evil glint in Tara's eyes after her mother's mention of a shopping trip in his absence, and gulped.

"You have my sympathies, my friend. I know what a daughter that age can be like." Tanaka San gave a rueful smile, then rose from his chair. The girl rose as well, glanced at her mentor, and deactivated the device.

The men exchanged brief bows, then shook hands. Mr. Reid nodded to the girl, as well. and watched the two of them leave. Then he made his way to the table where his wide eyed companions waited. At their half spoken questions, he smiled.

"We just reached an agreement to join forces and take over the world.' He causally told them. Then his smile turned to a grin at their stupefied faces. "Not really. He let me know that they dropped their counteroffer for the company, leaving the way clear for the business at hand. Then we discussed a mutual acquaintance for a moment before he left."

At their continued silence, he mused. "His intern certainly seemed poised, for someone so young."

That brought them out of it. They explained that the only way she would be in that position would be if she was a very powerful morf - probably a telepath, cyberpath, or bio elemental - acting more as his apprentice than his intern. He had a vague understanding of the geisha derived tradition, so he understood what they were getting at. He was even more impressed.

After briefly wondering whether something like that could be set up in the States, he decided that it probably couldn't. And even if it did, he was nowhere near high enough on the ladder to have such an apprentice.

He bought the next round of drinks, and the evening settled back into its expected pattern.

On the way to drop Yuko back at her okiya, he explained. "I am aware that the insurance company is sending him another translator, and that person is secretly in my employ. I also have an understanding with both of the translators that company I recommended would be likely to make available. Either way, I can exercise a certain control over the final wording of the agreement. I have also contacted the rogues in the company, and arranged their cooperation in this matter. If we do this well, his employer will never notice the way their agreement ends up benefiting our company. Where force may draw only attention and resistance, subtlety may draw power."

Yuko was impressed. This was the sort of major league activity that she had barely dared hope she would ever witness. However, one thought still bothered her.

"Is Rose still in danger?"

"Very much so. The nationalists would like nothing better than to strike at her, and some of the rogues are so afraid that they are likely to try something even more stupid than they already have." At her questioning look, he went on. "In addition to the unfortunate events this morning, they tried to kidnap her sister. Because of her rather powerful friends there, the attempt failed badly." His voice took on a new emphasis. "She should be safe enough at the house. None of them would be foolish enough to try anything there. But if she goes out, it is vitally important that you and your friends keep her safe. It is now a matter of honor, as well as a business matter."

That much she understood. Whatever she expected when she started her new career, it was certainly turning out interesting in unexpected ways.

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Rose enjoyed the dinner. Feast was more like it, with a wide variety of dishes she had never seen before. They certainly didn't have anything like it at the local tempura takeout. She was mildly relieved to learn that Yuko wouldn't be joining them, since it avoided the complications of the "friend from America" story. She still felt bad about being there under false pretenses, but she knew that she was still in danger if those mysterious people found out where she was.

Besides, there was something odd about the body language and tones of Aoi's mother when Yuko's name came up. Rose got the distinct impression that she didn't like Yuko, but the reasons were complicated and she didn't want to show it. Strange.

After dinner, Rose offered to help with the dishes, and was politely but firmly rebuffed. Aoi took her aside and explained that it would be a breach of hospitality. Then she assured her that her mother understood that customs were different in America, so no real offense was taken. Aoi explained that it was now her job to properly entertain Rose, but conceded that they could just listen to music or watch the tube or a vid if Rose wanted.

After the excitement of the day, Rose was all for such simple, low key pleasures. Aoi put on a morf hero show that her friends liked. With a couple of character explanations from Aoi, Rose had no trouble following and enjoying the show. After that, and listening to a little music, the day started getting to Rose.

Aoi loaned her a neosilk nightgown, then made sure she was safely in bed and wished her a good night. She was barely out the door before Rose was sound asleep.

End part 9

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Rose learns about her host and his rivalry with her father's company. He asks for her help in a delicate matter, and she soon finds herself translating in another unpleasant business meeting. Why does everyone keep telling her she's too young to be paid?

Part 10

David was surprised... and impressed. While his observations of Rose's late night were pretty boring - she got to bed early, so he just saw her sleeping - her father was another matter entirely. That man could drink! And from the internals David could sense, it seemed like he was faking his seeming impairment as he played the bar games. And he wasn't using any anti drunk pill or anything.

He thought people like that only existed in the movies.

There was nothing to tell him - Rose was sleeping safely in the same house she spent the afternoon in - so he kept his observations silent and invisible. Besides, he had to get ready for school.

It wasn't until he looked in between classes that he finally saw him get back to the hotel. It seemed like a good time to reassure him, so he popped up his image and caught his attention.

"David?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I was afraid I got a bad neutralizer pill. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Rose is safely sleeping at the house I followed her to. I'll look in on the two of you while you sleep, and let you know if anything changes."

"Something has changed." He filled David in on the meeting at the bar.

"Oh... shit. Is she really safe then?"

"Yes. Hurting her wouldn't benefit him. Keeping her safe is good for his honor, and keeping her away from the negotiations is good for his business. He won't keep her a prisoner, but keeping her safe will involve keeping her away from the office and hotel." He explained to the tiny apparition.

"Oh, yes... and he knows about you. He probably expects you to let her know what is going on, so go ahead and do so when she wakes up." He paused a moment, then went on. "And tell her I love her and I'm glad she's safe."

The tiny David smiled. "I will," he said, as he vanished. He only had one class to go when she finally started to wake up. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" he smiled as he appeared.

"Wha.. who.. David?"

"In all my terrible majesty." the tiny figure intoned, striking a pose. "I come bearing tidings."

"Daddy?"

"Safe, sound, and sleeping it off. He sends his love."

Rose waited, knowing that David would not be going to that much trouble if everything was fine. After a brief pause, David gave her a brief outline.

"So he knows about me, and assumes you know everything. I can fill you in more in about an hour, when I get out of school."

"What do I do?"

"Pretend you don't know. And your host will pretend he doesn't know. It's a social thing. I've gotta get to class. I'll be back after school."

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye." There was a quiet popping sound, and the brief image of a small cloud of smoke, and he was gone.

"Cute." she half grinned. She knew the theatrics were an attempt to distract her from what she had just learned, and it wasn't working.

There was a knock at the door, and Aoi poked her head in. "Oh, good... you're up." She stepped into the room, wearing an embroidered bathrobe and carrying another. "You were too tired last night, but we can give you a couple of choices for a morning clean up. You can have a western style shower, or you can experience a more traditional Japanese bath." She was clearly pushing for the latter.

Rose had read a little about the baths, and a hot soak did sound nice. "I would like the bath, please."

"Good choice." Aoi grinned. "Throw on your robe, and I'll show you what to do."

She was as good as her word. Rose quickly understood that the whole room was effectively a bath/shower enclosure. She would take a bowl of water to get wet, thoroughly wash herself, rinse with another bowl (or bowls) of water, and only then get into the tub.

"The main thing," Aoi explained, "is to not get any soap or stuff into the bath water. In the big public baths, a number of women will be sharing the same water and it would quickly get nasty otherwise. In the old days, the water in the home tube would be reused as well, after getting reheated. Now it's filtered and put to other use instead - at least we do so." Rose caught the pride in Aoi's voice. Both pride in her family and pride in her culture.

Aoi showed her the controls, then helped her wash up. Her casual attitude toward their shared nudity put Rose at ease as well. While they were both washing and rinsing, and scrubbing each others' backs, Aoi had the tub filling with pleasantly hot water. The water stopped when the sensors determined that the tub was full enough for the two of them to use it without overflowing. Aoi explained that their tub was somewhat larger than the usual home tub, since her parents wanted to be able to share it. Rose easily caught the overtones of suspected sex in the description.

Whatever the reason, they were soon relaxing in the hot water. And they were still relaxing in the water when a voice in Rose's ear said "Am I interrupting anything?"

"David! Get out! We're taking a bath, and it's girls only Captain."

"Spoilsport. I'll look in a bit later, when you're done."

Aoi was looking like she was caught between righteous indignation and a severe case of the giggles. "So the angel's a pervert, huh?"

"Pretty much. His girlfriend usually keeps him in line, though. She's a telepath, and he can't get away with much."

"The one you called Radar?"

"That's the one. I think she's the one who gave him the hero name 'Captain Peeper' though." Rose automatically used the "hero name" term Aoi had mentioned, rather than her more familiar "code name". Since the spell of relaxation was broken, and they knew he would be back soon, they got out, started the tub draining, and quickly dried themselves and restored the room to its earlier condition. Rose had noticed that they didn't seem to let cleaning tasks accumulate like at home. With a few exceptions (like clothes and towels), things were generally cleaned and stored immediately after use. The guide books mentioned it in passing as a cultural thing.

The two returned to Rose's room, and Aoi helped her dress quickly. Then, to give her some privacy with David and to get dressed herself, she went to her own room. As soon as she was gone, he appeared.

"Is it safe?" he grinned, knowing perfectly well she was alone and dressed.

Rose pretended to check the door, window, and bed before she said it was.

David finished filling her in on the situation, and answered her questions. Yes, she should stay there even though Mr. Tanaka is a business rival and gains something from her absence from the negotiations. She was much safer there than on her own or back with her father. No, David had no idea who the girl at the bar with Mr. Tanaka was. As far as he knew, Rose's father didn't know either. He wasn't certain how much her host knew about her powers. And so on.

He promised to pop up from time to time to keep an eye on her (and her father), but admitted that he had social plans in a few hours that might distract him. And Radar. With a grin, and a quick goodbye, he vanished.

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Tanaka San was annoyed. More than annoyed. And in the privacy of his home office, he allowed himself a brief expression of that annoyance.

The meeting that day, with an executive of the Brazilian branch of the company, was vitally important. There were irregularities, and he suspected the man was complicit in them. But the carefully planned meeting to investigate and confront the man was starting to fall apart. The corrupted data transfers and the like were bad enough. But now he had lost his very special translator, who was a key part of the plan.

He considered a possible solution, but he didn't like it. The girl knew he was a business rival of her father's, and Tanaka had pledged to keep her safe. And it would be a gross breach of hospitality to even ask, much less expose such a young girl to the inevitable unpleasantness. On the other hand, she had been prepared for her father's negotiations and the potential (and as it worked out, real) unpleasantness there. And the situation at hand would have no impact on her father or his company either way - the branch was in an unrelated business area.

In the end, he had little choice. He would ask her, and make it worth her while. She would undoubtedly want to check with her father via the winged boy, which would only be proper in any case.

Aoi was startled by her father's appearance. She knew he was preparing for an important meeting, so his suit and grooming were not unusual. But a subtle difference in his bearing told her something was wrong. He was upset, but had it locked behind his professional mask. Whatever it was, it could not be good.

"Is our guest awake?" he asked, almost formally. Aoi knew that this was not a time for familial informality.

"Yes, father. She is dressed and in her bedroom. I believe she is speaking with her friend in America."

"The winged boy?"

"Yes, father."

"When she is finished, I need to see her in my office." He indicated the direction of his home office with a small wave of his hand.

"Yes, father." Was her new friend in even more trouble? Was she in danger? As her father nodded at her response then turned and walked toward his office, she grew worried. But there was no choice for her - she would do as he asked.

Rose read the worry in Aoi's voice as she relayed the request. But, in the end, she had little choice in the matter. From what her father had told David, this was the man who was keeping her safe from the people who were still looking for her with bad things in mind. And he was the man whose hospitality he was enjoying.

She followed Aoi to the door of the office, and (at her urging) knocked. When Mr. Tanaka opened the door, he seemed to be all business but not angry at her. If anything, he reminded her of times she had been to see school officials as a witness to something that had happened rather than as a participant or suspect.

After offering her a comfortable chair, and watching her sit, he turned to shut the door. By keeping an eye on her surreptitiously, he caught her reaction when the closing door activated the suppression field in the room. Her slightly enervated slump told him that she was more than a little uncomfortable under such a field, but her otherwise attentive demeanor told him that she knew the feeling and was not afraid of it.

Still, he had an obligation to ask. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Rose wasn't sure how much he really knew about her, but that particular aspect didn't seem to be all that secret. "A little. Suppression fields make me feel icky."

He gave her a small bow. "I apologize. The field comes on automatically when I close the door, and I have little control over it otherwise." She reacted to his lie, but he couldn't be sure whether it was just natural disbelief or something more specific. "Unfortunately, what we must discuss is... very delicate. It is vitally important that we are not overheard."

Rose nodded, reading him as believing that last part to be true.

He continued. "I will try to make this as short as possible." As he picked up some papers from his desk, Rose glimpsed a picture of her as she was before Yuko's handiwork. If she had any doubts about what David had told her, they were gone.

"I know much about your abilities," he continued, "but I need to ask you a few questions if I may. I know about your ability to learn languages almost instantly, but are you otherwise telepathic?" When she shook her head, she was surprised to hear him say "Excellent. Are you able to learn the written language as well?"

"Not by way of my power. If I can learn the rules for the written language, and any letters that aren't part of our usual 26, my knowledge of the spoken language can help. That's about it."

He seemed somewhat disappointed by that reply, but determined to press on. "Are there any other abilities?"

If Aoi had briefed him, there were a couple of parts he should already know. "My hearing is sharper than normal, and I can understand what people intend to say - no matter how garbled."

That was useful. Now for one more critical part. "Do you have to translate to English when you deal with your learned languages, or can you go right from one of them to another?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes, I can go directly from one learned language to another. I will still understand both as though they were English, but it should have no real effect on what everyone else hears."

That was just as he had hoped. "I find myself in an awkward position. One in which your abilities could be of immense help." At her shift in body language, he hurried to assure her. "It has nothing to do with my business with your father or his company. I would not ask you to be involved if it did."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then looked at her seriously. "You are, of course, completely free to decline my request. But before we go on, I must ask you to agree to tell nobody - not even my daughter and her friends - what I am about to tell you. It is... very sensitive information." That set off some minor alarm bells for Rose. "I may need to talk to my father about some of it. I really can't tell until I know what this is about."

"That is reasonable. When we are finished with our discussion, it will be clear what you do or do not need to discuss in that way. But I would ask you to keep the rest confidential."

"I can do that."

"Very well. I find myself in need of an uncommon sort of translator. There is to be a business meeting this afternoon, and the other main participant does not speak much Japanese. Or English, for that matter. And he is likely to lapse into his primary language when things get... unpleasant."

The expressions that briefly played across her face startled him. Whatever it was that she had experienced, it must have been horrific. And there was nothing close to that in his reports about her. Her features settled almost immediately, but her voice was somewhat flat as she asked "What is at stake in this... unpleasantness?"

"Money, certainly. Most likely, the man's career as well. It is serious, but not life and death."

He saw her relax a little, and continued. He told her that the man was in charge of a Brazilian branch of the company, and that he had reason to believe that the man had been less than honest in his dealings. He didn't want to tell her too much, for fear of affecting her perceptions of the exchange. "There would likely be a confrontation, however."

Rose could tell that he was embarrassed by the next part, but thought it was important. "As a matter of tactical necessity, I intend to arrange the meeting in ways that are likely to play to his weaknesses and distract him. And one such weakness is a certain... attraction... to young girls such as yourself."

Rose understood what he was trying to say, enough that she did not take offence at his description of her. But the thought of dealing with such a man was not entirely pleasant. She also found herself having disturbing - unbelievably unrealistic - images of what could be involved.

Mr. Tanaka quickly assured her that she would be perfectly safe, and that he would not ask her to do anything really untoward. She would be dressed in a way that was completely proper, but which played into his fantasies. There would be another girl there, who he described as his assistant. Rose understood that she was an assistant in the same way that Yuko was to her danna.

"Her appearance will be modified to make her seem to be about your age as well. Her job will be to assist me and to observe and learn from the meeting. And, of course, to subtly distract him. Yours will merely be to translate. Your presence and appearance will be all that is needed to distract him as well. He will be across the table from me, and in no position to do anything untoward. And he knows better than to overtly say anything untoward, though he may try a few hints or the like."

Rose thought she had a pretty good idea what the whole thing would be like. Not her idea of fun, but not horrible, either. What he said next caught her attention.

"Because of your age and status, I cannot employ you as such. Nor could you become my assistant, even if you wanted such a thing. However, there is no reason I can't give my daughter some money to cover what she and her friends spent in a certain shopping trip... and maybe treat my honored guest to a bit more shopping in a less frenzied manner."

In other words, her family would be off the hook for all her new clothes, and more. It sounded good to her. But... "I'll still need to check with my father."

"Of course. That would only be proper. But I would suggest that you do so by way of your winged friend, for security reasons. Can you contact him in some manner, or do you need to wait for him to contact you?"

Rose paused a moment. Would she be giving away sensitive information? No, that seemed unlikely. "I have to wait for him, unless I phone him or something. And I need to be outside of the field when he gets here, or he won't see me. He'll have a pretty good idea I'm in here, but the field would keep his projection out."

He stood up. "Please let me know when you have checked. And I would appreciate you saying as little as possible about the meeting, the man, or the strategies." He moved to the door and opened it.

"Of course." she agreed, enjoying her relief from the oppressive heaviness of the field.

As soon as she was around the corner from the office and alone, a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

"I was worried." David confessed. "Were you in that suppression field? Are you ok?"

"Yes, and yes. But I need to ask a favor." She outlined the message for her father in the most general terms practical.

David nodded, and disappeared. Rose felt a little bad for using him in that way, but he didn't seem to mind. She would have to get him a nice souvenir or something.

A couple of minutes later, he reappeared. He told her she had her father's ok, and that her father's business should be finished that day. Once that was done, the danger should be over and they could go do the tourist thing if she still wanted to. Or they could go home.

David also reminded her that he had personal plans, so his appearances would be a little less frequent. She wished him a happy date, and he grinned and disappeared.

She found Aoi, and together they found Aoi's father. He described the look he wanted, and they set to work. She was to be subtly eye catching, but not openly sexy or sassy. A look that would not be obviously out of place in an office, but with a suggestion of a youngster not quite successfully dressing up for the role.

After going through the available choices, the girls settled on a look similar to a school uniform. The skirt was just a little shorter than they would actually have worn, and the blouse was barely translucent enough to occasionally suggest the bra she wore under it.

As they worked, Rose felt a new kind of... nervousness? A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was like she was getting ready for sex, but not really. She knew there would not really be any danger of sex, especially with the creepy Brazilian man. But there was that same kind of feeling. At least, that was the closest she could come to figuring out the meaning. She was a total virgin - hadn't gotten anywhere near having sex with anyone - not even with herself all that much.

When they were done getting her ready, they presented her to Mr. Tanaka. He hid his first brief flashes of disapproval, and after a moment gave his approval. After giving Rose one more chance to back out, he escorted her to his car.

He directed his driver to pick up his assistant at her okiya. Rose had almost forgotten about the other girl who was to join them. She wondered whether the girl would be a bio elemental like Yuko, or someone like Radar or even a female equivalent of David. She assumed that she would find out, so she kept her questions to herself.

As they arrived at the okiya, he got a call on his eCom. Although he held it in such a way as to keep her from seeing the display, she could not help hearing the few spoken words. Not that knowing it was a "status update" told her all that much.

His response, however, did.

"There has been a slight change of plans. A young woman will come to the car and, as we pull away, will teleport us into the building. From there, you, my actual assistant, and I will be teleported to the office."

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing to worry about. My security people feel that there is somewhat more risk than usual, and that we may be under observation. If so, the observers will see what is expected - my assistant getting into the car and the car driving to the office."

"What about the driver?"

He was impressed with her calm response and her concern. "He will be safe enough. He has his own resources."

Rose understood him to be saying that the driver was a morf, without actually saying it. One of those social fictions, she assumed.

A young lady she didn't recognize got into the car, and they started to drive away. She 'ported him first, then came back for Rose. When she walked out of the now familiar type of small room, she was surprised to see who the assistant was.

It was Yuko. Rose quickly recovered from her surprise, then greeted her friend with a big smile. "Gonna lose the old woman look, huh?" she teased.

Yuko smiled briefly, then took on her business persona. "It is time to do what is necessary." Rose clearly "heard" the message that it was time to be all business. She also understood the warning that she might not like watching the transformation. She nodded and turned to face their employer.

A moment later, Yuko merely said "Done." then turned to her danna for his evaluation.

"That should do," he said as Rose turned to look. "As soon as you are dressed, we must leave."

Rose saw a girl who could be Yuko's younger sister. She looked a little older than Rose, but only a year or less. Her clothes did not quite fit her, especially about the bust and hips. Rose felt a pang of sympathy for the loss of Yuko's breasts, and became more conscious of her own lack of development. They weren't entirely gone, but they weren't much bigger than Rose's.

Yuko quickly returned in an outfit which seemed identical other than the fit. Rose assumed it was some sort of a standard outfit for someone in Yuko's position.

Thinking about Yuko's position, and some of the implications of it, reminded Rose of the sexual nature of what she was about to do. The funny feeling in her stomach was back in full force.

As in the car, Mr. Tanaka left first. Yuko went next, which Rose took as a sign of her status. Rose smiled at the teleporter as she stepped into the room, and thanked her after the room changed to what she guessed was her destination.

As she emerged from the room, Mr. Tanaka started to move away. Yuko gestured for Rose to fall in beside her, walking three steps behind him. Given the movies she had seen and such, Rose was surprised that they walked with their gaze ahead rather than turned down. She would have a lot to ask Yuko when she got the chance.

Outside of a conference room, they encountered a man Rose assumed was the guest of honor. He was fairly tall, slim, with features Rose thought of as South American. Although she couldn't put her finger on it, there was something about his suit that struck her as... different. It wasn't quite like the business suits her father wore, or the more expensively tailored suits she had seen Mr. Tanaka in. And his thick, dark brown moustache almost obscured his upper lip.

She didn't dwell on his appearance, because she sensed her powers working overtime. He seemed to know four and a half languages - two deeply and two somewhat superficially. The superficial languages were not surprising; he knew some English and even less Japanese. She didn't recognize the others, other than to note that what she thought of as a half language was a patois of the two deep languages and a smattering of English.

Unless he addressed her in one of the deep languages, she did not know which one to use. He greeted Mr. Tanaka, but his strained Japanese was no help. When she was introduced as their translator, he merely smiled, gave her a small bow, and repeated her name. In that single word, he demonstrated the lechery and tastes that she had been warned about.

She noticed, in passing, that Mr. Tanaka had used her "hero name" of Rosetta and did not specify a last name. She barely had time to wonder about that before he turned and introduced Yuko as his assistant (using the more formal term for her position). He only used her first name as well, so Rose figured it was a status thing. They were the hired help, in a respected sense.

She did the only thing she could think of - she indicated an urgent need to use the restroom, and subtly indicated that Yuko should accompany her. Once they were out of earshot, she explained the problem.

Yuko had been briefed more thoroughly. "Can you tell which of the deep languages he learned first?"

Rose thought for a moment. Only one of the languages seemed to have early childhood vocabulary, so that was probably it. "I think so. But I can't be sure"

"Is one of them sort of like Spanish?"

Again, Rose thought a moment. "Kind of. Sort of like the way Spanish and Italian are similar."

"Then use that one. He spent his early years with one of the more remote tribes, and learned their language first. When his family moved to the city, he learned Portuguese. Well, the Brazilian version of it anyhow. He will expect you to be translating to and from that one. He may lapse into the other one under stress, so use your judgment about whether to translate it."

"That's a relief."

"Do you really have to go?"

"No, I went just before we left."

"We'd better get back then. My danna will not appreciate being kept waiting."

Rose nodded, and they returned to the conference room.

With a slight bow, Rose apologized to the man and he seemed impressed with her command of his language. He commented on that, and Rose dutifully translated the compliment. Mr. Tanaka told her "Would I employ anyone but the best?" in such a way that she knew he wanted her to translate it. When she did so it seemed to amuse the man.

They entered the room, and the men took their places opposite each other and sat. Yuko moved to the seat to her danna's right, so Rose went to his left. Once they were seated, the suppression field came on. Rose was careful to avoid any overt reaction to the field, despite the way it made her feel.

At first, the meeting was pretty much what she had come to expect from a business meeting. A lot of passing papers back and forth and short, barely complete questions and answers. Every now and then, the man would drop in a double entendre or other supposedly subtle sexual remark in a way that he could readily deny any such meaning. Rose dutifully translated those as well, allowing Mr. Tanaka to set the tone of any responses. Other than the occasional implied reprimand, he largely ignored them.

As the meeting went on, he changed that pattern and suggested that she reply subtly in kind. He also indicated that it was time to start catching a little more of the man's attention. Yuko started leaning foreword more, while dealing with some of the papers. This gave him the illusion of seeing down the opening of her jacket. Rose adjusted her own posture a little to pull her blouse a little tighter across her chest. This had the effect of flashing hints of the contrast between her chaste white bra and her tan skin.

The whole thing was very strange to Rose. The translations took virtually none of her attention, so she was free to dwell somewhat on what they were doing. And there were no two ways around it - she and Yuko were deliberately doing things to get him sexually excited. And it was working.

It was strange and disturbing in some ways, but it was exciting, arousing, and empowering in others. On one hand, his increasing use of innuendo, sexual imagery, and suggestive body language was just... wrong. He was an old man - in his thirties at least - and he thought that they were little more than kids. And he clearly would have liked it to go well beyond talk.

On the other hand, she had a feeling of power, of being able to take this man with all his money and authority and almost force him to react to the barest hints of sexual promise. Even in public. Even in front of the man who held his future in the palm of his hand. It was heady stuff.

The man struggled to keep his concentration, but it was ultimately futile. Mr. Tanaka started quietly pressing for answers on the more sensitive issues. At one point, he suggested that Rose start shifting into the man's birth language for some of the questions and suggestions.

In short, he played him like a Stratocaster.

After a while, the man seemed to realize what he had been saying. He unconsciously shifted back to Portuguese, and tried to backtrack and explain. But by then his actions were all too clear. When he realized that he was exposed, he tried to play for sympathy. When that met with a stony response, things got ugly. After shouts and threats did him no good, he tried lunging across the table.

He never had a chance.

Mr. Tanaka stunned him with a well placed blow, then pressed a button to release the suppression field. Yuko gestured toward the groaning man, and he stilled (apparently unconscious). The door opened and two men in unmistakable security uniforms came in and took him by the arms.

When he came to, he found himself back in his seat and flanked by the guards. Looking at his superior's flinty expression, he wilted. While Rose translated, making sure he understood each word, his fate was spelled out. He would be allowed to return all the ill gotten gains - and everything he bought with the money - and then resign for "personal reasons". He would have no contact with the company or any past, present, or future employees of the company. Nor would he have any contact with any rivals of the company. He would drop out of sight, and do his best to assure that nobody even close to the company or the industry ever heard of him again.

He was given two documents to sign. One seemed to be in Japanese, the other in Portuguese. While Rose could not read either one, she assumed they were his letter of resignation. He signed those, then started writing down details Mr. Tanaka would need to recover the money and other resources.

He had barely started on that document, when Rose noticed him shifting his grip on the pen. There was a quiet click, too soft for anyone without her extra sensitive hearing. His body language shifted from a brief flash of determination and triumph to one of pain. Rose turned to say something, but Yuko was already ahead of her.

Yuko reached toward the man and gestured. "He has poisoned himself. I am holding it off for the moment. What do you want me to do?"

"Can you eliminate it entirely?"

"Easily."

He turned to Rose. "Tell him this: 'You will not be allowed anything so easy. I want you to spend some time remembering what you did, what you had, and what you have lost by your dishonorable actions. The time may come when you are allowed such an escape, but it will not be until after we are convinced you have returned everything it is possible to return.' "

Rose repeated the statement, with the inflections and emphasis added in as appropriate. Her voice was essentially Mr. Tanaka's, but pitched higher and speaking another language. She put the last sentence in his tribal tongue, making it clear that they knew about his extended family as well as the people he knew in the city.

Part of Rose was sorry for him. He was a creep and an embezzler, and he betrayed the trust of his employer in many ways, but he was a person. A person facing a life he would rather die than experience.

In what looked like a painful convulsion, he dropped the pen and his hand went flat on a blank piece of paper on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see Yuko gesturing and apparently concentrating. After a couple of moments, a couple of drops of inky liquid all but squirted out of the pinprick wound on his hand and landed on the paper. At Mr. Tanaka's gesture, one of the guards carefully took the paper and slid it into an evidence bag and then did the same with the pen.

The man was given an ordinary pen, and, after glaring around the room for a moment, went back to writing down the details.

Soon - but nowhere near soon enough for Rose - they were on their way to the car. Rose noticed some damage to the car, and looked sharply at the driver. She was sure he was the same one, despite the damage to his uniform. He briefly grinned in a somewhat sheepish manner, then resumed his professional attitude.

Mr. Tanaka had a brief word with him. They spoke quietly, but not too quietly for Rose to hear them. The driver reported that there was some trouble, but "nothing I couldn't handle." He went on to add that the car would be taken in for repairs as soon as they were done with it for the day.

Rose wondered about the kind of man who would be that focused on his duties. She didn't even know whether he was injured until he seemed to relax a little. Mr. Tanaka gestured to Yuko, who nodded and moved to the driver.

"He'll do well enough for a while, but I'd rather get him inside and do this now." Rose thought that Yuko sounded like a doctor or EMT on the tube. And it just seemed so wrong coming from someone who looked her age. When Yuko was being the businesswoman, she at least had her mentor there. Rose could sort of see her as a student, or something like a girl scout, acting a role. But this was different - it was all Yuko.

Was that what she was like when she was translating for her father and Mr. Tanaka?

They went back into the building, and made their way to a large office. It reminded Rose of a doctor's waiting room, with chairs and a couple of sofas around the walls and small tables between them. It was bigger than any she had seen, and the decor said business rather than medical. The young man at the desk in front of the inner door stood when they arrived, holding some papers and opened his mouth to speak. Mr. Tanaka stopped him, and showed them into the inner office. He practically had to order the driver to settle in on the sofa, as Yuko explained it would make things easier for her.

Rose was impressed - almost awed - by the room. It made her father's office seem like a broom closet, and that was the most impressive office she had seen before. Even the gazillionaires in movies and vid shows didn't have offices as impressive as that - and those were supposed to be exaggerations.

Rose drifted out of her contemplation of the office in time to hear Yuko scold the driver. Her hands were near his torso, and she was saying "You should have had that taken care of months ago. What were you thinking?"

He tried to make a joke of it. "I was saving it up, just for you."

Yuko shot him a dirty look, then went back to what she was doing. Two things were clear to Rose. His injuries were not as superficial as he had indicated, and this was not the first time he tried to tough it out rather than seek help for his injuries.

Rose thought he was an idiot.

The door opened, and Mr. Tanaka started back into the office. The man from the outer office was saying "... trace is almost complete."

Mr. Tanaka's reply was formal, as though he was repeating a ritual phrase. "Any response must be appropriate. I do not need details." Rose "heard" a rich blend of implications in those two sentences. He was giving his people the go ahead to take some sort of extreme action against the people in question, but he was isolating himself from it. If something went wrong, it would not touch him. And whatever action was taken, it would be extremely unpleasant.

Rose shivered at the raw power implied in that comment.

Yuko quickly finished what she was doing with the driver, then suggested he take it easy the rest of the day.

"I'll do my best. But..." he shrugged, conveying the effects of forces beyond his control.

Mr. Tanaka looked at Yuko, and said "It is time to become yourself."

Yuko bowed, then turned and walked through a side door and into what looked like another office - much more ordinary than her danna's office, but (from Rose's glimpse) well beyond the "ordinary" executive offices she had seen in her father's company.

She returned a few minutes later, looking like her old self. Rose figured that she must have had a change of clothes in the other office, since her current outfit fit her larger and more mature frame perfectly. There was a difference in her body language, as well. When she was in her younger persona, she seemed more like the Yuko she had met on the street. Now, she had the all business bearing of an executive assistant or a senior executive. It was uncomfortably similar to the changes she had seen in her father when he was in the office and in meetings.

And it reminded Rose of who she was. She was a barely teenaged girl, whose talent for languages and budding sexuality had just helped destroy a man. He was an embezzler, a pervert, and probably worse, but he was a person. And an adult, something a part of her saw as important. She had been acting like a peer with older teens like Yuko, Aoi, and her friends back home, and like an almost-peer with powerful adults like her father and Mr. Tanaka.

Her earlier friends, the ones from before her change, seemed like little children to her. Was that how these teens and adults saw her? She didn't think so. The teens seemed to treat her more or less like a peer... maybe on the young end of that. The adults seemed to treat her pretty much the same way they treated the other powered teens, which varied a lot but mostly seemed to be similar to the way they would treat adults in the same position. They treated her (and them) like subordinates or contractors.

Others, like her mother, sister, teachers, deans, and so on, seemed to treat her like a kid. Like she was still in elementary school or something. But those same school adults treated the rest of the students the same way, so it didn't seem personal.

Despite that link to her youth, it seemed a little sad. It was like she had lost the good parts of the last little bit of her childhood, and she was living more and more like a young adult. Or like an adult, period (without all the rights and privileges).

For the few minutes she had spent on those thoughts, life had gone on around her. Yuko and Mr. Tanaka were going over some papers, and the driver had settled in for a brief rest. Rose figured that the others simply assumed she was resting as well, and were going about their business.

After a few more minutes, the man from the outer office spoke through the comm unit on the desk and informed Mr. Tanaka "They're here."

He turned to Rose. "There has been a slight change of plans. My daughter and her friends will take you out shopping, and then back to the house." His tone was matter of fact, like something he could not conceive of anyone challenging. A part of her bridled at his presumption, but overall she just shrugged internally and went along with it. It sounded like a lot more fun than hanging around the office, though.

As she followed the driver into the outer office, she was surprised to see so many people there. The Brazilian was there, with two security types and a man who appeared to be his aide. So were a couple of women who seemed to be management types. The man from the outer office was behind his desk, as before. Mr. Tanaka and Yuko were behind her. And Aoi, Maki, and Kohaku were coming in through the outer door. Rose turned and half ran toward her friends.

Maki's face went from her "goin' shopping" grin to shock, and suddenly things were chaotic.

*Assassin!* Rose recognized the mental shout as Maki's.

Almost on top of that, someone yelled "Traitor!". Rose was spun around and knocked from her feet with a sharp pain in her shoulder. As she fell, the room seemed a chaos of flame, light, shouting, and movement. Then she hit one of the tables and slid to the floor with darkness closing in.

Her last conscious thought was "Not again!"

End part 10

Rosetta: A MORFS Universe Story By Joreymay

An anticipated shopping trip is rudely interrupted. Rose and her father are injured in separate attacks. One man barely avoids being reduced to a fine ash, and another has his life changed by a bloody bullet. And a matter of honor - or dishonor - is transformed.

Part 11

"This is going to be fun," Maki thought. The last time they took their new American friend shopping, it was a frantic effort to help her blend in with the crowds and disappear from those hunting her. This time, she was just another girl and they had all the time they needed. And Aoi's father was paying for it.

One of the company cars picked them up from cram school, and she spent the ride to the office mapping out the stores she wanted to take Rose through at a more reasonable pace. While she was doing that, and mentally consulting with Aoi about her ideas, Kohaku was playing with one of his toys.

One of his real disappointments about his change was that he had not become a technopath or a cyberpath. He was already a techno nerd, so it would only have been natural. And in a way, he had come close. He could sense and manipulate electrical currents - even those in complex electronics. The only problem was that as soon as he got beyond simple electrical circuits, he had no clue what shifting a particular bit of current in a particular way meant in terms of the device. Worse, most of them functioned so quickly that by the time he noticed a particular flow, it was way too late to change it.

He could do things like stop cars and change traffic lights and other slow-changing displays, but that was about it. He had all but given up on getting beyond that, but then they met Rose. Her talk about learning new ways to use their powers inspired him. And her demonstration of his ability to do things he had thought of as limited to other elementals - things like turning his hands into electromagnets - had broken some of his self imposed barriers.

He got himself a children's electronics set, the kind that taught the basics of elementary circuitry. And now he was playing with some of the simple circuits that were the building blocks of the more complex (and interesting) things. He played with them, trying to get the "feel" of things like resistors, capacitors, and simple logic gates.

Maki figured it would be about a week, tops, before he found some other hobby to waste his time on. He was an intelligent boy, and a good friend, but sometimes he had the attention span of a vid executive. Despite his teenage hormones, even girls had to work to keep him interested for very long. He wasn't fickle or anything - just easily distracted.

Maki hoped her friend would grow out of that. For his sake, as well as those of any future girlfriends.

Maki took a moment out of her planning to enjoy her anticipation of their arrival. She had only been to the company headquarters a couple of times before, and never to Aoi's father's office. She wondered what it would be like.

They arrived at the special VIP entrance, and piled out of the car. They would be taking the car, and the primary driver, of Aoi's father himself. "Nothing but the best for Translator Rosetta," Maki thought with a giggle.

She was still grinning with anticipation as they approached the huge office. Out of habit, Maki scanned the room as they arrived. As she expected, some of the people were shielded technologically or otherwise. But then, as she stepped through the doorway, she caught an unexpected thought that shattered her mood.

Someone was going to shoot someone else there. Right then. She didn't understand the words, but the image was clear enough. She reacted quickly, broadcasting a warning to everyone in the room: *Assassin!*

After that, things moved quickly. Before the man she had read got his shot off, someone dressed like a security guard turned, aimed a weapon she hadn't seen him draw, shouted an accusation about betraying their heritage, and fired at Aoi's father.

A fraction of a second later, the other man, her original assassin, fired as well. Neither shot found its mark, since the man dressed as a driver had thrown some sort of shield over Aoi's father and Yuko. One or both of the bullets must have ricocheted, because Rose spun like she had been shot in the shoulder and went down, and the man standing behind her - the one the security guards had been flanking - went down as well.

Aoi shrieked angrily and destroyed the weapon of the fake security guard - and the hand holding it - with a gout of fire. Kohaku knocked out the other gunman with a lightning bolt of some sort. Maki read the uncontrolled anger in Aoi's mind, and stopped her before she could reduce the fake guard to a fine ash.

Rose seemed to have hit her head on the way down, and Maki recognized that she was unconscious. A bloodstain on her shoulder showed where she had been hit. The man who had been shot sat on the floor, in shock, his hand over a growing dark stain on his arm.

As quickly as it had started, it was over. After a very brief consultation with her danna, Yuko got to work. She made sure the shooters were not about to die, then sent them into temporary comas. They would not be making any more trouble for the time being.

Rose was her next priority. Under her direction, Kohaku lifted her to a nearby couch, stretching her out to make things easier. She examined Rose, quickly evaluating her injuries. Luckily, they were superficial. The bullet had done little more than graze Rose's shoulder and knock her over. She healed that injury, then went to work on her head. The concussion wasn't serious, but there was no sense taking chances. She carefully healed the brain damage, then the external impact damage. Rose's unconsciousness shifted to a natural sleep, and Yuko left her that way.

As she healed the arm of the embezzler, she noticed something else. Leaving him as he was, but no longer bleeding, she consulted with her danna. He gave her a grim smile and let her do as she suggested. She finished healing the bullet damage, but did nothing about what the bullet had carried.

Two things were obvious to Yuko. First, the bullet that struck his arm was the same one that had grazed Rose. And second, that Rose was still in phase 3 of MORFS.

Rose's blood was giving him MORFS. And from what she had read during her studies, he had a better than average chance of undergoing a sex change in the process.

More security people arrived on the scene - real ones, this time - and carted off the unconscious shooters.

Rose woke up, catching a fleeting glimpse of the one handed man as they took him away. The images that briefly flowed through her mind, of men tortured to death in a basement room, shocked Maki. What had that nice young girl gotten herself into? No wonder she had been so desperate - and so resourceful - when they had first met. Maki regretted waking her, even though it seemed necessary.

The memories of the events in the basement briefly disoriented Rose. After a moment, she realized where she was, and what must have happened. She was surprised to notice that she didn't hurt anywhere, even though she could see blood on her blouse. She mostly felt tired. After some of the things she had experienced and heard, she suspected that indicated that she had been healed by a bio elemental - undoubtedly Yuko.

Right on cue, Yuko came into her field of vision and crouched down to talk with her. "How are you doing?"

Rose gave a half smile. "You're the expert," she replied softly, "you tell me."

Yuko was relieved. If Rose could joke like that, her emotional state couldn't be too bad. That was both good and bad. Right now, she had a job to do. Pitching her voice so low that only Rose would be likely to hear it, she advised "Follow my lead." Rose caught the meaning that they urgently needed to convince someone there of something. Then, in a normal voice with overtones of concern, Yuko asked "Are you still out of it?"

Rose gave the answer Yuko clearly wanted, a carefully crafted "Yes." The overtones of almost-little girl wanting to go back to sleep seemed to please Yuko.

"I'll take you into the inner office, where it's a bit quieter. You can rest there." She gave it her most reassuring tone. She turned to the uniforms who were interviewing witnesses, and added "She wasn't in a position to see much, anyway."

After one of them nodded her permission, Yuko gathered Rose in her arms, stood, and walked into the inner office.

"You're strong." Rose gave it her best "half asleep youngster admiration" tone as they passed through the doorway.

Once the door closed behind them, Yuko put her down on her feet. "You really could use some more rest, but right now there are important things to discuss."

"I figured. What do I need to know?"

Yuko gave the impression of a rare creature: a bio elemental with a headache. "Your presence and participation complicate matters. You are a juvenile morf on a temporary visa - one who is officially missing and presumed kidnapped. You are not anywhere you were authorized to be without your father, and you don't look like your entry scan. If they interview you, things could get... complicated."

Rose nodded her understanding.

From behind his desk, Mr. Tanaka spoke. "Yet another stone added to the weight of my shame."

From what she had read about the history and culture of the country and their attitude toward honor, Rose was somewhat taken aback by his tone and posture. He really was deeply ashamed.

Before she could say anything, he continued. "When you accepted our hospitality, I became responsible for your safety and well being. What is more, I directly promised your father that you would be safe. Because I sought to use your abilities for my own benefit, you have been shot and are in danger of having your identity exposed. I owe you a debt I cannot hope to repay."

Rose began to wonder whether they still practiced ritual suicide ("seppuku" her ability supplied), and worried about what to say. She knew a simple "That's all right" or "No harm done" wasn't going to do it. She tried to ask Maki for advice, but she couldn't get any sense of connection. "Is this room shielded?" she wondered out loud, before she could stop herself.

"Yes. You may speak freely."

The slight misunderstanding gave Rose an idea about where to go with this. She only hoped she was not going to trip over her cultural ignorance again. "As you are aware, I have a group of friends back home. Friends with impressive powers and powerful connections. Even though my powers are pretty insignificant, and I am a lot younger than they are, they have welcomed me as a friend and as one of their group. They do their best to keep each other safe, and that includes me."

Her listeners looked as though they were going to say something about it not being the same, but she set her body and tone to convey the idea that it was important to let her continue. "For all that, their actions as friends have sometimes gotten each other - and me - in danger or potentially in trouble. Much more danger or trouble than I faced here." Her expression and tone left no room for doubt on that last part.

"When that happened, they - we - worked together to limit the danger and consequences. And while we have apologized when our errors have caused such problems, we accept them as part of our friendship. We know that such actions may come from mistakes, or sometimes from friendly mischief, but never from malice. For all their powers and connections, they - we - are just human."

"And we ask for, and do each other favors. That is part of friendship. Many are trivial, like an easily obtained movie pass or a brief translation of some vid dialog. Others have been anything but trivial, and some have even been dangerous. We know we would never put each other in danger deliberately, unless the reason was overwhelmingly important. And even then, we make it clear that the favors are voluntary - that we understand if someone can't do it for whatever reason. And yes, we've been known to offer bribes and payments of one sort or another to sweeten the request."

Her non stop talking had accomplished one of her goals. It had distracted her listeners from their whole "depth of shame" mindset, leaving them somewhat confused and curious about where she was going with all of that. It had also set the stage for the important part. Before they could break their state and interrupt, she continued.

"My own family has done much the same thing. Most of the danger I have faced lately was because of my helping my father with his business thing. For all his focus on business, there is nobody in the world who is more concerned with my safety and well being. Except, maybe, my mother. But here I am, halfway around the world to translate business meetings. I have been followed, gassed, kidnapped, and the like - all before I even met Yuko, Aoi, and the others."

She shifted her tone. "When I met them, I was a stranger - a foreigner - alone and on the run from powerful people I didn't know. Despite all that, they offered me friendship, help, and shelter. They changed my appearance, helped me buy some clothes that would help me blend in, and even loaned me the money to do it so that the transactions couldn't be used to find me. They helped me find shelter, and you took me into your home and offered me shelter and hospitality."

She shifted her voice again, to convey a slight change of subject. "Isn't coincidence a strange thing? Just like my father, the father of my friend - the man who was giving me hospitality and acting as my temporary stand in father - asked me for a favor. Like my father's favor, his favor was likely to be somewhat... unpleasant. Like my father, he offered me some nice sweeteners, but also made sure that I knew I was free to say no. Like my father, he made sure I knew what I would be facing and what I needed to do, and reminded me that I could back out. Like my father, he took all reasonable steps to ensure my safety. And some unreasonable ones as well, I would guess."

She took a deliberate breath, then continued. "And like my father, he was right there when all that failed and something happened to me." She deliberately left out the whole part about business issues, strategies, and relationships - it didn't matter to her argument.

"When my friends' requests cause unexpected problems, they do their best to fix any damage and we go on with our friendship. There is no question of honor or shame, and the only debts come from borrowing each others' money or things. I owe Aoi the return of these borrowed clothes, and my best efforts to make good the damage to them. And I would owe her an explanation for that damage if she hadn't been there to see it for herself. As a friend, she knows that I did my best to care for these clothes. While I am sorry that they were damaged in my care, and will do my best to see them repaired or replaced, there is no shame, no debt of honor involved."

"We are friends," she nodded at Yuko, then turned back to Mr. Tanaka, "and family friends here. My friend healed my injuries, and I am confident that my family friend will help me make good for the damage to his daughter's clothes." She gave him her best "you gotta buy sumthin' " grin - the one she usually reserved for relatives. "but nothing has diminished the friendships. And I hope nothing will."

There. She had shot her bolt, and it would work or it wouldn't.

He was bemused, and somewhat stunned. This was not the frightened, injured child he was expecting. She had taken control, and kept it with more authority than most senior executives he had encountered. It was possible that some of that came from her powers, but the inescapable logic of her argument was compelling and persuasive.

And she was offering a way out of this situation without any loss of face.

Before he could answer, he was distracted by a soft signal from his desk. His people knew better than to interrupt for anything less than urgent, so he stepped over and glanced at the text. He turned back to Rose, and quietly said "There was another attack."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite his desire to give all his attention to his date, David had been keeping sporadic watch on Rose and her father. It helped that Lena was just as concerned about them as he was. Still... there were things they'd rather be doing.

Rose was still in the shielded conference room, so he went to check on her father. He was in his conference room as well. As David prepared to withdraw his attention back to the dance (and especially Lena), he noticed a sort of not-flash near the stairway door. Three men appeared, and each had a gun in position for a fast draw. And they were dressed in what he had started to think of as gangster suits.

The problem was that they could just as easily be there to head off trouble as to cause it. Until someone did something, he wouldn't know. And even then, his powers were limited at that range. He could disable the guns, in a way that he could undo fairly quickly if he had to, by transmuting a small mechanical linkage. His limited range forced him to "move" from gun to gun to do it, but it took very little time to do so.

It was funny... he had not thought to focus his viewpoint so small to do such precise changes until he had little choice about it. His limited range at this distance left few alternatives here, but that approach could be just as useful back "home".

He pulled away to look them over again. He thought it was a little strange that they seemed to be carrying a few nails with almost nonexistent heads and an oddly familiar energy signature around them, but before he could investigate things started happening.

The suppression field in the conference room switched off, and the negotiators started to exit. The three men drew their guns, one shouted something, and they tried to fire. It seemed to take them no time at all to realize that the guns didn't work and switch to plan B. They started throwing the nails, almost faster than David could make out.

He quickly shifted closer to one. Its tip was coated with some chemical he didn't recognize, and it seemed to be trailing something like a piece of yarn. He started turning the chemical to pure water as the nail hit one of the people from the room. He was glad there was no physical part of his being there; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold on through the impact and finish the job.

Pulling away, he realized his mistake. The men had already thrown another volley of the nails and were reaching for the third set. He moved to the men, and used the dart trick to knock them out. One dropped his nail before he could throw it, another threw his wildly as he passed out, and the third got in a clean throw before dropping.

And hit Rose's father.

Lena's "voice" came through to him. *Robin!*

Startled, he asked *How can you reach this far?*

*I'm right next to you. Your body, anyway. I've called Robin. Come back and brief her, then you can do what you need to.*

He was back at the dance, standing next to Lena. Then he was outside in the snow, facing Robin. He quickly told her what was happening.

"We'll need a better base to operate from." She said, finally. A blink and they were standing in her bedroom. A second later, Lena appeared.

"Before you go back, let's take a moment to think." Lena was in her best Radar mode.

David gave them as clear a mental image of the situation as he could, using Radar as a relay rather than creating an illusion. He had the feeling that he would need every ounce of power he could muster.

They made a list of rooms in their houses, then a list of what needed to be done. They had learned that, like Radar, too many of himselves too close together interfered with some of his powers. As long as he was physically separated, he could move his foci fairly close together with minimal problems.

Just as they were about to start, something clicked. No wonder that energy signature looked familiar. And he even understood the not-flash he had "seen" before the men arrived.

It was him. Robin flitted him to her basement and a few moments before the action started. He moved his focus to the office in Japan, just to the right of the stairway door. When the men appeared, he moved to the "nails" in the closest man's pocket. He transmuted the coating to water, then did the same with the tips of the nails. The result was a slightly damp, rounded tip in place of the sharp, poisoned point. It would sting when it hit, but should have the penetrating power of a cheap stylus.

On his third return, he was feeling the strain. He fully changed two of the nails, but barely managed to round the tip of the third. Exhausted, he felt his focus shifting back to his body, which was safely in his bedroom. Since he was already sitting on his bed, he just let himself fall back on it and drift off to sleep.

He woke to sunlight, and a sinking certainty that he was not finished with the time traveling.

He had to go back, make sure the job was done, and let Rose know.

*Yes, I know.* There was a genuine touch of sympathy in Lena's mental voice. *Poor baby. And I forgive you for skipping out on the dance. Even if it did take me hours to look that fabulous.* The humor had crept into that "voice" as she went along. Then she got back to business.

*You have time to shower, dress, and eat. If you have to do more there, you want to be ready.*

Lena was making sense. As usual. That's what he loved about her.

*Sure it is.* she laughed, sending him an image of herself in a much more daring version of the dress she had worn to the dance.

*One of the things.* he admitted.

Soon he was refreshed, dressed, and ready for action. When he found himself in Lena's bedroom - without her - he was almost distracted from what he was there to do. He recovered quickly, and sent his focus to the scene of the battle. Hovering near the ceiling, he watched the events unfold again.

He noticed that a young Japanese man seemed to notice the three men without them noticing him. He moved to a desk even more out of their view, and started typing something.

One of the first three nails - the one with his own energy signature at the tip - wobbled a little in its flight and hit one of the Japanese men in the collar of his suit coat. Another hit one of the men in the temple and he went down, seemingly stunned. The third hit another Japanese man in the neck, raising a welt. He put his hand over the injury and managed to look frightened and annoyed at the same time. In the second round, one hit the first man again, this time in the neck. The other two hit the women who were exiting the room together, both in the neck.

The final one hit Rose's father in the left eye. The damage looked serious - and very painful - from what was flowing down his face, but not life threatening. The three attackers were in a heap on the floor, and the other attack victims were coming to the aid of the fallen. As one of the women moved toward the desks, the young man risked another look at the situation and then spoke rapidly with her.

The front door and the stairway door burst open, the latter smacking into two of the fallen attackers rather than opening all the way, and two groups of armed, uniformed police officers swarmed in. At least, David assumed they were police.

He shifted to Rose, just in time to see her being carried into the inner office. He was about to follow when he noticed that the room was shielded. From what he had seen, she was not injured (despite the blood on her torn blouse).

More police were in the outer office, apparently interviewing everyone about something that happened there. The room was the worse for wear with the three B's - blood, burns, and busted stuff.

He went to the desk of the man who was apparently some sort of assistant to the boss, but saw no indication that he spoke any English. He was looking at a screen and typing something at another. Whatever it was that he was typing about, he didn't look happy.

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"What kind of attack? Where?" Rose asked.

"At the office where your father is negotiating. And there isn't much information available yet. There was violence, and weapons, and the police are there now, in force."

"And my father?"

"We don't know yet."

"Oh, God! I have to go there - I have to get to him."

"I can't let you do that. Not yet."

"What? Why?" Her tone was heartbreaking and heartbroken at the same time, without any trace of a little girl whine.

"It is still too dangerous." He took a breath, remembering her argument of moments before "As a family friend, as the man who is acting as your temporary stand in father, I cannot allow you to blindly go into such danger. Again."

"But my father..."

"Would not want you to put yourself in danger on his account. He undoubtedly has enough to concern himself about without adding that. He would call it a violation of my promise to him, and he would be correct."

At that point, Yuko quietly interrupted him to point at his screen. He looked, and then nodded. "Is your office clear?" he asked Yuko. Rose heard the implication as stripped of all confidential materials.

"Yes. It currently contains general study materials rather than the more sensitive ones."

Hearing that, he turned to Rose. "It appears that you have a visitor. My assistant tells me that a very small winged man has appeared on his desk, and seems distressed by the shielding of my office."

Rose grew hopeful. "That sounds like David," she acknowledged. "I should go see him."

"It would be... inappropriate for you to go back among our able constabulary just now." he said, with Rose slightly amused by the choice of translation her power had used for that description of the police. "And for security reasons, it would be even less advisable for me to stop shielding this room. However, there is another alternative."

His look turned more serious. "I can drop the shielding in her office without compromising mine. If you are in there at the time, will he be able to sense your location?"

Rose thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure that he can."

He nodded to Yuko, who invited Rose to follow her. Despite her "I'm among adults" dignity, Rose all but ran after her. It had to be David, and he just had to know what happened. Just then, she wasn't the almost-adult making her way in the working world - she was the little girl whose Daddy is far away and maybe in danger. Danger she couldn't do anything about.

When they settled in Yuko's office and dropped the shield, two things happened almost immediately. Maki mentally asked her how she was doing and what was happening, and David's avatar appeared.

*I'll get back to you in a minute.* Rose "told" Maki. *David is here with news about the new attack on my father.* While she knew that Maki didn't share Radar's empathic powers, Rose was pretty sure her mental voice carried enough emotion to make her urgency clear.

"What happened?" She asked David, anxiously.

David was startled and a little confused by her question. He hadn't said anything yet, so he wasn't sure what she was asking about. Even with her power, she hadn't provided enough context. He decided that she had the idea that he was there because something was wrong, which was true as far as it went.

He briefly described the attack, omitting any reference to Flit's time travel power. He knew that some of Rose's new friends spoke English (to some extent), and that aspect was still sensitive information. When he got to the part about the damaged eye, Rose all but lost it.

"What's the matter?" Yuko asked, having caught very little of the exchange.

"My father," Rose told her, the anguish clear in her voice. "He's been hurt... bad."

"Is he...?"

Rose didn't need her power to complete the sentence, but it did so anyway. "No, they didn't kill him. They tried, but they didn't. But his eye... one of them destroyed it with a nail." In translation, there was no question that it was a spike rather than a finger tip.

"Oh, Rose," The sympathy was heavy and sincere in Yuko's voice.

A note of desperation crept into Rose's voice. "Can you help him? I know you can fix it. You've just got to fix it." She was almost begging.

"It's... it's not my choice to make." Yuko apologized. Then she shifted to all business. "What is happening there now?"

Rose translated the question for David. He vanished, then came back a moment later.

"Things are somewhat calmer," he told Rose. She provided a running translation as he continued. "Your father and the three gunmen are strapped to gurneys. Some people who look like EMTs are working on your father's face, and police are guarding the others. Your father is conscious, but hurting. He was yelling something about the need to file some papers. Something about being safe after that. Other police are talking to the other victims and witnesses. There are police at the doors and at the elevators. The situation seems to be stable, but tense. I wouldn't want to startle anyone there right now."

Yuko had made sure that the scene in her office was sent to her danna, so he was up to speed on the situation. A beep called her attention to her desk screen, where she was instructed to step back into his office. She excused herself, and went through the door.

"You can repair the damage?" It wasn't entirely a question.

"Yes." She kept her response factual, as she had been taught. "If necessary, I can regrow the eye from the optical nerve out. It is merely a matter of time and energy."

"Issues?"

"Such weapons are often poisoned. I am concerned about exposure that close to the brain. Also, the possibility of infection exists. Degeneration could also be a problem with time. Without the poison, his life is probably not in immediate danger."

Then she shifted tone, to indicate a somewhat different topic area. "Access is the big problem. Unless I go with Rose, I have no reason to be anywhere near him. And if she does reappear, there will be questions about where she has been all this time. It could be... awkward."

Tanaka Sensei considered. "Delay would likely make such questions even more problematical. The real issue is when and where. If we wait until he is at the hospital, there will be fewer people to deal with and it will be easier to manage the situation."

He paused in thought, then continued. "Another complication is the paperwork. He is largely correct that they will be safer once the papers are filed. That should also simplify any actions we take. Pay attention."

Yuko paid close attention while her danna set things in motion. Soon, for differing reasons, people ranging from police and government workers to Mr. Reid's superiors were suddenly deciding that it was urgent to get those papers filed - regardless of cost. And none of it would point directly back to her company. She found the subtlety and leveraged effect breathtaking. This was the reason she had committed her life to the program - the sort of thing she could only learn from a danna such as hers.

The police were also of the opinion that it was vitally important to make sure Mr. Reid was safely transported to the medical facilities.

As Yuko stepped back into her own office, she saw David's avatar reappear. She guessed that he was going back and forth between Rose and her father. And she needed answers to her questions.

"Any more news, Rose?"

"They are getting ready to take my father to the hospital. Also, he just got a message from his boss... something about the papers. He gave his briefcase to one of the people from his office, then seemed to relax a little."

Yuko understood, far better than Rose did. But Rose didn't need to know the details. And Yuko needed to know other details. "Those weapons, those throwing spikes..." Rose noticed there was a specific name for them, but her power used that descriptor. "... It's not unusual for the tips to be poisoned. Can your friend..." she indicated David, who clearly didn't understand a word she was saying. "... find out whether that was the case this time?"

"He already did. All nine were poisoned, but he was able to neutralize the poison before they hit anyone. He also significantly blunted the tips. He says that if he hadn't, it probably would have gone into my father's brain."

Yuko could see that Rose was near the breaking point again. Not that she blamed her. Before she could ask anything else, Rose launched into her appeal.

"Can you help him? I've got to go to him! I need you to help him. I'll do..." Yuko stopped her with a finger over her mouth. One thing she had learned is that promises made under such circumstances might be kept, but they were almost certainly poison to the relationship. Especially when such promises would make no difference.

"Don't make foolish offers of promises!" The sharpness of her tone brought Rose up short. "I should be able to help him, but not yet. And you should be able to go to him. But there are preparations that must be made first. There is no point running into danger or trouble, when you can get what you need with just a little patience."

Rose saw the mature businesswoman in Yuko, rather than the friend and almost-peer. And she found herself trusting Yuko all the more in that role.

Yuko saw the shift, and used it to push on. "Have your friend keep track of what is going on around your father, while you come back to the inner office with me."

"He can't go in there. How can he let us know if something happens?" Rose knew it should be obvious to her, but she was so upset that she couldn't think.

"Ask him. I'm sure he can think of something. I will leave the vid pickup open, if that will help."

David's answer was immediate and simple. "Have her leave some paper with a little writing on it where it will see it. I can rearrange the ink to write on it. "

"Duh! I knew that. Why couldn't I think of it?"

"Because you are upset. Because your father is hurt, and you are helpless to do anything about it right now. Believe me, I understand. We all do."

Rose warmed at the reminder of her friends back home. They were too far away to do her any good right then, but they were there. She relayed the communication suggestion to Yuko, who put a routine report on her desk in range of the pickup.

"You may need to do the reading," Yuko warned. "I can't read English as well as I should, and I honestly do not know how well my danna does." Her voice turned more businesslike. "Now, there are preparations to be made. Follow me."

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First, there was the unexpected commotion. They had stepped out of the conference room only to find themselves attacked by three men in suits. They brandished guns and shouted something, then dropped the guns and threw something. Then there was the literally blinding pain in his eye, and the room started spinning around him. The papers! They had to get filed!

The next thing he could remember was a familiar voice saying that the attack was over, and that their bosses wanted the agreement papers filed immediately. And offering to take care of the process. He trusted that voice, and released the case.

More shouting. This time, men and women in uniforms were filling the room. More uniforms, this time not shouting. He was moved, strapped into something, and carried or rolled out of the room. Elevators. Halls. Inside something moving... an ambulance? Talking that he can't understand - was it Japanese or just English he was too out of it to understand?

Corridors. Elevator. Room. Lights. People in masks. Darkness. Blurs.

He was awake again. Or was he? His eye didn't hurt, and it seemed to work. Rose was there, but there was something wrong with that. She looked just like she did when she disappeared. Wasn't she... she had been changed. But now she wasn't. She was even wearing the same clothes she had on when that first attack happened. It must be a dream.

There was another girl there. The one who was at the bar with Tanaka. Somehow, it almost seemed like they were friends.

"It's ok, Daddy." Rose was saying. "You'll be fine. She healed your eye and the other damage."

"That..." he rasped out, "that was nice of her." He turned his head a little more toward Yuko. "Thank you."

The girl smiled briefly, then schooled her face. She looked almost like an out of uniform nurse. "You need to rest, now. Rose will be here with you." She turned and left.

"That's right. I'll be right here." Rose assured him. Despite his weariness, he could see the tracks of tears dried on her face.

"Be ok..." he mumbled. As he started slipping back into oblivion, he saw a policewoman come into the room and start talking to Rose. He couldn't understand what they were saying, and he couldn't stay awake to even try to understand.

End part 11

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Rose is interrogated by the police, then told to leave the country as soon as her father recovered enough. An unusual savior foils another attempt to blow up the family. But despite everything, Rose has to do her homework.

Part 12

Shielding sensitive information from a telepath is best done in layers. It helps to have some natural shields to begin with. Then the outermost conscious level - keep the information out, and fill it with a compelling, emotionally charged image. Preferably, one that is profoundly disturbing. In a pinch, one that is overwhelmingly attractive will do. Either way, it does two things: makes it believable that your mind keeps returning to (and dwelling on) the image, and makes it emotionally difficult for the telepath to push through that layer.

The next layer is the brief thoughts triggered by any questions or statements. The real trick there is to casually give some of the information that is being sought in a way that it is less than useful (downright counterproductive, if possible). Mixed in with that you have reactions to the circumstances and the relatively trivial questions, concerns, and observations that make up common mental "chatter". With a little bit of practice, any train of thought at that level will quickly lead back to the compelling image(s) of the outer layer.

Radar had taught her well, and Rose was prepared. Her mental image of her father being injured, his injury, a combination of his injury and the spike, and what could have been the consequences. These were heavily charged with her feelings of fear, loss, helplessness, and even abandonment. With the help of her new friends, she practiced new "hero names" and associated images for them. "Cutter" was the redheaded boy associated with an image of a flame cutting through metal. "Welder" had blue hair and an image of arc-welding metal. Green haired "Flora" was associated with images of plants moving at her command. And the taller, elegant, dark haired "Nightengale" with her healing, sometimes including a half remembered part about very short range for that power (or was that someone else?). Her mental images of their faces and bodies were blurry and indistinct, but their hair stood out.

Her hosts were just "Welder's Parents", with the generic "adults I don't really know" features common to early teen perceptions.

On the other hand, her images of her American friends - especially the winged form of Captain Peeper - were more clear and detailed. As were those of home and her family.

The police request to use a telepath as part of their questioning was pretty much pro forma. She was a foreign morf who had disappeared and reappeared under suspicious circumstances and eluded detection for almost all of the time she was gone. They were going to probe her. Her power's reading of their statements and questions left no doubt.

Even after the warnings and preparation, the interview was rough. It was clear to Rose that the woman didn't want to believe her.

Where had she been? After a brief time in the city, at Welder's house. Where is that? she didn't really know. Her new friends guided her, and she couldn't read any signs or the like. And she was overcome by the events leading up to the time she was going there. And those events ran right back into her father's injuries under (she imagined) similiar circumstances.

What happened? The gas in the office was fairly clear in her mind. Waking up by the unconscious men was a little more fuzzy and disjointed. Running away, with CP's help, was more like a movie than a personal experience. And that blended into the Captain telling her about her father and from there into the injuries.

Taking a train to an unfamiliar part of the city, hoping to lose whoever sent the men, was a frantic blur. Imagined scenes of the kidnappers showing up in the train brought her back to the attack on her father.

Finding the teens was colored with uncertainty, then relief. They were complete strangers, but they were willing to help her. Images of shopping for clothes and makeup for her disguise had the incomprehensible writing (such as the shop names) blurred to unreadable. Hands helping her with the makeup and the unfamiliar styles of clothes were clearly female, but otherwise somewhat generic - truth be known, she wasn't all that clear who did what when it happened. Images of makeup being applied around her eyes reminded her of her father's eyes and the injury. She never got beyond fairly generic images of the clothes and makeup, so any other details of the disguise were lost.

Questions about the teens brought brief, rehersed images of Cutter, Welder, Flora, and Nightengale. But the first thought of Nightengale brought her back to her father's injuries and the frantic hope that someone like Nightengale could heal him.

Taking a train to somewhere near Welder's house was intercut with images of men in suits everywhere, and imagined images of them pulling guns, knives, swords, or other weapons and attacking her and her helpers. Which always brought her back to her father's injuries.

The questioning seemed to go on for hours. They asked the same questions over and over again, in different orders. They also asked her about her home and her family, which seemed to be designed to elicit some responses they could use to calibrate their interpretation of her more relevant answers.

On the other hand, what she got from them - mostly indirectly - was more interesting. Her disappearance was a problem for some of the police. Pressure had been applied from high places to find her. Others were upset at a juvenile alien morf running around without proper escort. She had probably violated several laws in the process. So had her helpers and hosts, who she "couldn't" properly identify.

In the end, the facts that her powers were considered innocuous and that she hadn't apparently caused or gotten into trouble counted very much in her favor. So was the fact that her disappearance started with a kidnapping attempt. She was advised, however, that it would probably be a good idea to cut her visit short once her father was discharged. She barely needed her abilities to be certain that it was not a mere suggestion.

So much for tourist stuff and shopping trips.

They asked her whether she had somewhere to stay, and she told them that she assumed the room her father had rented for them at the hotel was still there. But she had promised her father she would wait by his bed while he rested and recovered. With all that had happened, she tearfully explained, she couldn't stand to be separated from him again. She put every bit of her ability into communicating the vital necessity of staying there.

After all that, they let her stay in the room and returned her things to her. As they left, she reflected on the advantages of being thought of as a young girl. Sometimes.

*Bravo!* came a familiar mental voice.

*Maki? Are you sure I'm not still being monitored?*

*Doesn't feel like it. She "listened" for a couple more minutes after they left, then went on to other things. I can still sort of listen to her if I'm "quiet" while I do it.*

*Doesn't she have shields?*

*Yes. Very good ones, too. But when she actively probes someone, I can passively recognize her and get some feel for what she is doing.*

Something about that made Rose a little suspicious. *How long have you known her?*

*Oops! I have known her my whole life... she's my aunt.*

*Telepathy runs in the family?*

*Maybe. She's the only other one I know about, though.*

*I probably won't have a chance to say goodbye properly to the others. Could you do the honors?*

*Sure thing. Say hi to the angel for us when you get back.*

*You got it.* Rose smiled, as she felt her new friend's mind withdraw.

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The policewoman smiled discretely in satisfaction. Her neice didn't know as much as she thought she did about the tricks of the telepathic trade. She fingered the silver pin on her collar which identified her as an official psi, as she thought about what she had learned.

The girl was good. Between her natural shields - which she had made a show of lowering as much as she "could" when she agreed to the telepathic probe - and her obviously learned mental disciplines, there was not a scrap of useful information from the interrogation connecting her with the people who really helped her. If she hadn't recognized the combination (disguised as they were) and been suspicious, she would never have guessed who they were. She particularly liked the touch of using images of her neice moving plants with her TK as a misdirection for the nature of her powers.

But now she had to decide what to do about it. Her initial report about her observations from the interrogation was still valid, as far as it went. And knowing who the girl was really involved with satisfied her that she was in good hands while she was off the grid, and was neither causing trouble nor in trouble. Tanaka San might be a ruthless businessman, but he was honorable, wise, and loyal to the country.

Her only question was what part the girl played in the events at his office. Superficially, the reports seemed to indicate that she wasn't even there. But the whole group of friends was there, and where they were concerned it was best not to take anything at face value. She had no doubt that his bio elemental protoge was capable of completely changing the girl's appearance. In fact, that would explain some parts of the girl's adventures.

On the other hand, all the significant players were clearly identified. The most likely candidate was the girl who was hit by a ricochet. She was clearly identified as being of Japanese heritage, but there was no indication that she was questioned. And her only apparent role in the events was getting knocked over by a glancing blow from a stray bullet.

In the end, she saw no reason to change her initial report. Even in the wrong hands, the report would do no harm to the relatively blameless parties (including her neice), while preserving the evidence concerning the real attacks.

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The police were back a few hours later, with questions about an attack on some business offices. At first, she was confused. Her powers, such as they were, clearly had nothing to do with the attack. And the businesses had nothing to do with her father's company as far as she knew.

The connection was more disturbing.

Between what was said (both true and false) and what was asked, a picture began to emerge. An ugly picture. The victims of the attack were known or suspected of being associated with an ultra-nationalist group. A group that had become increasingly violent lately.

The group believed responsible for a runaway truck in Denver, an attack on the office of a certain Mr. Tanaka, and the attack which injured her father. Among other things. Among other very bad things. And they thought that she might know something about all that - something they didn't know.

But she didn't. She didn't know that the quiet words Mr. Tanaka had spoken to his assistant had resulted in a strike of near-surgical precision, taking out critical links in the chain of command of the ultranationalists and sending them the clear message that they had gone too far. Or that it had done so in a way that would not be connected to him or his, although that part would not have surprised her.

Nor did she know that he had not been the only target of that group to survive and take action. The other companies who had been unsuccessfully targeted - and some which had lost key people in the attacks - had not coordinated their responses with each other or with Tanaka's people. The result was a widespread attack that could not be traced to anyone.

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Rose found herself back home early on a snowy Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, her body - still on Tokyo time - thought it was very early Monday morning. After getting the welcome home treatment from the rest of the family, the two travelers retreated to their bedrooms, took their medicine, and stretched out on their beds to reset their inner clocks to Colorado time.

When she woke up, she realized their mistake. It was Sunday night, and she would need to go to sleep again all too soon. Tomorrow would be a school day, and she just knew her parents would make her go. And thinking about school reminded her about one other thing - homework.

She had done some of the assignments from Thursday and Friday while she was sitting with her father. The apparently ordinary tablet she was using had gotten a looking over by the police while she was being questioned, then returned to her. She had been assured that there was little or nothing about it to attract their attention, when the cyberpath receptionist/assistant to "Welder's father" had given it to her. The real "magic" would happen when she sent the files to the innocuous address he had supplied. The assignments would end up in the right computers at the school with time stamps and electronic trails proving that they had been done, sent, and received at appropriate times.

Her half hearted request that he create the files while he was at it was met with appreciative laughter and instant dismissal. If anything, their culture was more concerned with homework - and doing it properly - than her school was. And since the homework was mostly aimed at test preparation, she would only have been hurting herself. Still, a girl has to try.

She had given some thought to getting out of some of the assignments. Some teachers might accept the copies of the police report concerning her kidnapping (one in English, one in Japanese) as an excuse, but she was pretty sure she knew one that wouldn't. She suspected that teacher would hesitate to accept a death certificate as an excuse.

She sure hoped Lena was right about the limited impact of middle school grades.

*I am. Welcome home!* came a familiar mental voice. *I won't ask you how it went. David filled us in. He probably gave himself way too much credit, but what can you do? Boys!* Rose could almost see Lena rolling her eyes.

*I missed you. And he was a very big help, even if he did pop in while two of us were taking a bath.*

*Captain Peeper rides again, huh?* there was a clear laugh behind the thought.

Switching gears, Lena went on. *I'd better leave you to your homework. Do your best, but don't kill yourself. You've been through enough. "Call" if you need anything.*

*Bye. And thanks.* Rose responded.

A little over an hour later, she was finished with the homework and makeup work (for the missed in-class material from Thursday and Friday) and sent them off to the magic address. She spent a few minutes writing notes to Aoi and Yuko, thanking them for their help and letting them know she was home, and asking them to let the others know. After sending them to another magic address, to keep them from connecting her with the Tanakas, she got things ready for school and got ready for bed.

While she would have liked to spend a little time with her mother and sister, they were going to bed early because of their full schedules for the next day. And her father was in the same state she was. She didn't feel like watching the local news - what could have happened in the few days she was gone? She lifted her egg out of its cradle with only a hint of jealousy that Aoi's had the function her's didn't, and settled in to watch some of the vids she had downloaded to it.

Soon she drifted off to sleep, without the benefit of knowing what the weather was doing for her.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the snow had intensified and - combined with the near-zero temperatures and high winds - caused a number of effects. The one she might have slept better for knowing was that her school - and Tara's - were closed for a snow day. She could sleep in. Even better (from her point of view), her mother's office was similarly closed. Her father was officially on sick leave, so the whole family had some time to enjoy being together again.

On the other hand, she might not have slept as peacefully if she knew the somewhat horrific way the snow had saved her life and those of her family. Even in the morning, when they were enjoying the morning news (with its verification of their snow day), the story of the accident didn't mean anything to her. The combination of patches of black ice on road surfaces and blowing snow caused a spectacular chain reaction accident. Even the normally elevated traffic had been at surface level due to the winds, congesting the roads more than some people expected. While it was unclear what started the events, the final tally was a dozen vehicles damaged or destroyed, and a loss of life they still didn't have a final count for. One reason for the uncertainty was the fact that a part of the chain involved a passenger vehicle colliding with a chemical tanker and the combination exploding. There was an eight foot wide hole in the roadway, and the remains of three more burned vehicles had been removed from the scene.

The family agreed that it was a terrible accident, and hoped nobody they knew was involved. What they didn't know was the reason for the explosion. It was not, as they assumed, the chemicals in the tanker.

It was the bombs.

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Yakamoto was not a religious man. But he was beginning to wonder whether he should rethink that position. With events going so badly, surely some force beyond the natural - beyond even the powers of the morfs - must be involved. There were the amateurs who got in the way - and got caught - in their attempt to kidnap the elder daughter. Everyone was more alert after that, and their own mission was called off.

The Sword Of Divine Justice operation was worse than a disaster. Not only did most of the targets survive, but most of the agents were captured. Alive. And the resulting counterattack was devestatingly effective, taking out key parts of the leadership and the command structure, as well as a large part of their financial and material resources. They couldn't even target their attackers - the Sword had too many surviving targets and any of them (or any combination of them) could have launched the devastating attacks.

Without the high level coordination from home, he and his partner were left with only a contingency plan to execute. But even that plan called for help. Their partners were snowed in at the airport, under strict standing orders to avoid calling attention to themselves or their status as foreign morfs.

Without their help, the plan was reduced to its crudest form - destroy the targets' home. If possible, they would capture some or all of the family first. Otherwise, they would time it to catch as many of them as possible inside. Their shields were strong enough to keep any scrap of the plan from leaking out before or after they carried it out, and enough time had passed since the attempted kidnapping that their guard should be down somewhat.

The weather seemed to give them some advantages. They were much less likely to be spotted as they planted the devices. And the targets were less likely to come and go. But then the snow intensified, and they began to worry that they would not be able to see well enough to properly plant and arm the devices.

Yakamoto drove while his partner pre-armed the devices. It was a little more dangerous that way, but gave them more chance of success. As he made his way toward their destination, the snow grew more intense. There were moments when he couldn't even see the front of the car. and he wasn't alone in that - the road was filled with snow blinded motorists.

The thump of something hitting them from behind was startling, but not immediately alarming. He was well on his way to correcting his partial loss of control of their own vehicle when he saw the huge, dark bulk appear immediately in front of him... approaching at an alarming speed.

Any hopes for meaningful last words - or even some profound final wisdom - were crushed along with him in the collision with the tanker. His last thought was a half formed "What...?"

He wasn't even aware of the effect which followed, when the impact set off some of the bombs and they set off the rest. There wasn't enough of him (or his partner) left to care after that. And after the resulting fire and explosion of the tanker contents, there wasn't enough of their rental vehicle left to tell the authorities anything about the source of the initial explosion.

And their targets - Rose and her family - slept peacefully through the night, blissfully unaware of their narrow escape.

End part 12

Rosetta
A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Cassandra predicts another attempted attack on Rose and her family, but something is different about it. Rose acts her age. When she gets back to school, she is asked to be an unpaid translator for a brand new hybrid, to help her get through the semester finals. Life is not an after school special.

Part 13

As the morning wore on, the snowfall started to slack off. By late morning, it was light enough that the neighborhood children were out playing in it.

Of course, there are children and then there are children. Rose was startled by a knock at the door. Even with her MORFS augmented hearing, he hadn't heard anyone walking up to it. The mystery was solved a moment later, when she caught a glimpse of a familiar form standing on her front porch.

"Hi, Robin!" she greeted the 'porter as she opened the door to let her in. She was even more surprised when Lena, David, and Angel followed her in. After they exchanged greetings with Rose and her family, they invited the sisters to join them for some traditional snow day fun outside.

They didn't have to ask twice. Rose quickly changed into her snow clothes and beat Tara back downstairs by about 5 endless seconds. With much noise and hand waving, they all trooped outside.

All but Lena.

*We need to talk.* She "said" to Rose's parents. *And I don't want Rose to hear what I'm going to say. The others will keep her too busy to worry about where I am or what we might be discussing, so feel free to talk normally.*

"What's this all about?" Rose's mother asked, more puzzled than anything.

*You two are heading for a very big fall, and all of you are in danger. Again.*

She waited a moment for their mental chaos to subside, then went on. *How old is Rose?*

"Thirteen. You know that - you were here for her party." her mother indignantly replied.

*And since that party, have you seen her interact with her peers?*

"We've seen her with you and your friends, and she seems to be doing just fine."

*That's just it. We're not her peers. While a few years' difference in age is all but meaningless to you, it is critical at her age. And not much less so at our ages.* She sensed their urge to interrupt, and disrupted it before she continued.

*At school, she faced down a girl who was at the top of the school social order - a girl who used to intimidate her by just looking at her.* she went on. *She slapped her down like a vaguely annoying 8 year old, and didn't even notice she was doing it. She has no sense of connection with her school, or with the other students. Since her change, she has been spending her time with older teens and adults and doing so as a peer. And you've been encouraging it.*

*Sit! Down! Now!* While her powers couldn't really control them, her mental "tone of voice" was enough to startle them into obedience. Almost.

"What's wrong with that?" Rose's mother demanded. "She's acting maturely for her age - better than Tara was at that age, and she was better than most."

*Exactly. She was acting* Lena put extra emphasis on that word *like someone older and more mature. But she isn't. She's 13 years old and went through MORFS. Everything about her has changed and will continue to change for some time. Her body, her brain, her social situation, and especially her hormones... they all are doing things she has never experienced before. And on top of that, she has been in the middle of things nobody should experience. Especially anyone that young.*

They still didn't get it. *Think about it. She is a 13 year old who is getting used to the privileges and power of an adult. Of a well placed adult. But she is going through everything Tara did and more. When you get into it with her, when her hormones drive her to the emotional states Tara went through, do you really want to be facing someone with exceptional abilities and an illusion of adulthood? Someone who is so dissociated from her peers that she doesn't really see that they are going through most of the same drama and finding ways to cope with it?*

The man of the house finally jumped in. "What do you suggest we do?"

*Remember Tara's thirteens. Be prepared for what you know perfectly well is coming. Treat her like the talented young teen she is, but prepare for the inevitable. And remember one thing: she can spot a lie a mile off. Even a well intentioned one like "it will be fine, you'll see" or the like. Protect her like the daughter you know and love...*

She went "silent" for a moment, then *Shit!*

"What?" they both asked.

Aloud, she said "More trouble. I'm calling them in."

Seconds later, five snow covered figures came laughing through the door.

Lena faced them. "Cassandragram." was all she had to say. The group sobered up immediately.

While they quickly shed their snow covered outer clothes, Lena was in full Radar mode. While she gathered more information from Cassandra, she started "looking" around the nearby streets and yards. Once they were done, she turned a part of her attention to them.

"Another attack on your family is coming soon... I think." She told them, while keeping up her mental conversation with Cassandra and scanning the area. "Two men from Japan are, or were, at the airport. One of them had a brief malfunction of his shield, due to a bored traveler. In that time, brief images came out - something about taking you two," she indicated Rose and her father, "and finding out what you had to do with the destruction of their organization. They're supposed to be meeting with two others, who are already in place."

David spoke up. "Why the 'I think' part?"

"Cassandra says it doesn't feel right," Radar replied. "She feels like something is missing. Something vital. And she doesn't have a sense of when it would happen."

Radar was so focused on her "conversation" with Cassandra and with her scan of the neighborhood that she was as blindsided as everyone else by the response.

"NOOOOO!" Rose shrieked. "No! It's not FAIR!" As the tears started flowing from her eyes, she turned from one to another of her older friends. "Make it stop! It's too much! It's not fair! Make it stop!" She threw herself into her mother's lap, sobbing into her shoulder "Make it go away. I don't want it anymore," came the muffled complaint.

Her mother automatically wrapped her arms around her shaking daughter. She looked from face to face of the others there, clearly out of her depth. Finding no help there, she drew on her "mommy wisdom" and gently said exactly the wrong thing.

"It'll be ok." she murmured. "Everything will be ok."

Rose jerked upright, like she'd been slapped. "NO IT WON'T" she shouted in her mother's face, then all but jumped to her feet. "Nothing will be ok! You don't get it. They'll keep coming and coming until they kill you. Until they kill all of us! and it's all because of me!" She turned and ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Eyes wide with fear, her mother turned to Radar. The teen nodded her understanding, then reassured her.

"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything foolish, and help her wind down safely. Too much of a change would hurt more than help right now. She needs to cry it out."

For the first time since Rose's reaction started, her father spoke up. "But what about...?"

"David can keep an eye on the perimeter, and Robin can back him up. All of you'll be safe enough. But right now, she's got to be my first priority." She sat back and closed her eyes, effectively blocking off any more conversation.

After a moment, Tara got up. Radar opened her eyes and nodded at her. "Go ahead and try." Radar told her. "It might help."

Tara went up to Rose's door and gently knocked.

"Go away!" came the muffled reply.

"It's me... Tara. Please let me in."

There was a moment of silence, then the door cracked open. Tara slipped in and closed the door behind her. Wordlessly, she wrapped her little sister in a hug which was slowly returned. After a moment, they sank to the bed, still wrapped in each other's embrace.

For what seemed like days, Tara hugged her sister and let her cry herself out. Finally, her sobs wound down and her breathing deepened. After she felt her body relax, she lowered her the rest of the way. She lifted Rose's feet, removing her shoes, and straightened her out. After loosely covering her with a blanket and giving her one more gentle hug, Tara slipped out of the room and downstairs.

Radar and David, drink cans in hand, gave the impression of looking around the room. Robin was talking quietly with Tara's mother on the sofa. Her father was not in the room, but the door to his office was open. She joined her mother, quietly leaning up against her.

"She's asleep" Tara explained, then let them go back to their conversation. As they talked, she took quiet comfort in her mother's soft warmth.

Lena took no pleasure in being right. Instead, she was annoyed that she had not been able to prepare them earlier. But they should have known better. Rose was thirteen, for crying out loud.

After a fruitless hour of scanning the area, Radar noticed something odd. A car was driving down the street, but it didn't seem to have anyone in it. She called David's attention to it, and he saw almost the same thing. When he concentrated, he could tell that there were two men in the car... barely.

They had heard about very high end shields which could completely cloak a person from their enhanced perceptions, but they had never encountered them (as far as they knew). They alerted Robin, who got back into her snow things and ready to jump as needed.

When the car pulled up in front of one of the rental houses down the street, Robin did one of her patented invisible flits to a spot nearby where she could see what was going on without standing in the snow (and giving away her location). Two men in expensive looking suits got out of the car and walked to the door. One of them knocked, but nothing happened. The other pulled out a com, and seemed dissatisfied with the results of his call. He shook his head at the other.

Finally, one of them passed something in front of a concealed sensor plate and the door opened. After a brief glance up and down the street, they went inside. Robin waited until the door closed, then flitted in after them.

While she was relaying her observations to Radar, Radar and the Captain were busy "searching" the house themselves. For the most part, it seemed just a little off without there being anything in particular. There were clothes and shoes belonging to two men (none of them the right sizes for the two from the car), food in the kitchen, the furniture that came with the house, and that was about it. Nothing personal. The sort of place an agent might maintain. Or an assassin.

Or a couple of single traveling salesmen on a short assignment.

The issue seemed to be resolved in one of the bedrooms. Captain Peeper saw it first, then notified Radar and Flit. There, under a dresser, was what looked like a small detonator. Flit quietly made her invisible way to the room, then 'ported the object back to the others.

And then followed it back.

At first excitedly, David gave the device his best Captain Peeper examination. It was a detonator, all right. No doubt about it. The only problem was the dust. It had enough dust on it to make it clear that it had been sitting there before the current renters moved in.

For the rest of the afternoon, David and Robin alternated keeping an eye on the men. And David also alternated with Lena in the process of watching the neighborhood. And learning from her earlier mistake, Lena kept a psychic "ear" on Rose as she slept.

Nerve wracking as it was, the afternoon passed without further incident. Rose eventually woke up, and grumpily rejoined the others. Nobody said anything about her earlier pyrotechnics. Tara had put on the tube, and without being asked she turned it to one of Rose's shows.

With promises to keep watch, Flit sent the other teens home and then followed them.

Late that night, Radar woke Rose for some quick translation. The men, still alone in the house, had gotten a call. Flit was there to listen in, but they were speaking another language. Radar got one side of the phone conversation from Flit, but needed it translated as they went along.

It was fairly short, in Japanese, and mostly consisted of "We haven't made contact," "Yes," "No," and "I understand." Luckily, the one who had been on the phone turned and spoke to the other after finishing the call.

"They are either running or dead. Knowing Nakamura, I would bet on dead. This assignment is not important anymore, and we are to return at once." was her translation of his remarks.

The other acknowledged the remarks, and they quickly removed all traces of their occupancy. And that of the men who had rented the house. They got into the car and left.

They returned the rental car, took a shuttle to the airport, and there the three friends quickly lost them.

"I don't trust this." A tired and frustrated Radar commented. "I just wish I could read them."

"I have an idea about that." Flit answered. "The big problem is their shields, right?"

Everyone agreed, so she went on. "We need to disable one or both of them, but they are self protecting. I can't flit anything in or out of them or reach through intangibly, CP can't transmute anything in them... in fact, there's nothing we can do at a distance. And we can't really confront them either. Is that about the size of it?"

Again, everyone agreed.

"Their shields aren't force fields - they don't provide physical protection."

CP spoke up, a light sarcasm coloring his voice. "But if we hit them with something strong enough to have a chance of breaking them, I think they'd notice."

Radar elbowed him in the ribs, then nodded for Flit to continue.

"Right. But physical force per se isn't our only option. What if we had a solvent, something that could eat through the case and mess up the electronics?"

"How would you get it there?" Rose asked. "You just said you can't flit anything in or out of it. And they'd feel something like a needler."

"Leave that to me." Flit assured them, then turned to CP. "Captain, can you make up something like that?"

"I've been looking at solvents and stuff like that, so I probably can. How much would you need? I'm kinda limited in the volume department."

He blushed and turned toward Radar, in response to a thought the others didn't hear. She just grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

Flit, struggling to suppress a laugh, went on. "O... k... I'd only need a few drops. I have something to carry it in." She vanished, then reappeared holding a small, stoppered vial, with a glass rod extending from the stopper. Lena recognized it as part of the equipment Robin had gotten during her brief flirtation with making her own perfume.

CP took the vial, and in a slightly distracted tone said "This should do." A small amount of liquid appeared in the vial, filling it about one third.

After he stoppered it again, Flit took it and vanished.

Unknown to the others (except Radar), she stepped back in time to just before the men left the house and arrived invisibly and intangibly. Standing behind one of the men as he made his final preparations, she opened the vial and made the rod tangible. She carefully moved it inside his collar and positioned it over the main shield module. Making the vial and its contents tangible (but still invisible) she carefully poured a few drops of the liquid down along the rod and onto the module. Satisfied, she withdrew the rod, capped the vial, and made them intangible again. She watched him for a moment, to make sure he hadn't noticed anything, then returned to the place and time she'd flitted there from.

"It worked." Radar announced as Flit reappeared, then turned to Rose "May I?"

Rose nodded, and felt the familiar connection with the translations flowing through her brain almost too quickly to catch. She got some vague impressions, which Radar confirmed a moment later.

"Our man doesn't think much of the two missing men. He respects their skills with weapons and things, but considers them too prone to unnecessary violence and somewhat lacking in subtlety. Still, they were professionals and he finds their disappearance somewhat troubling. He wonders whether they fell victim to one of their rival organizations."

She got a look of deeper concentration for a moment, then smiled. "Cassandra says she gets the feeling that the danger is over. She also says that I woke her from a great dream, and it's my fault if she has problems in school tomorrow."

With that, everyone said their goodnights. One by one, the team disappeared as Robin sent them home. She waved goodbye to the family, then vanished to her own home. With their usual loving rituals, the family retired to their own bedrooms and beds.

Despite the strain and excitement of the earlier part of the night, Rose dropped off to sleep as soon as she was in bed. As she drifted off, she had a pleasant sense of someone watching over her.

That done, Lena threw herself in bed as well. She was a little too keyed up and paradoxically too tired to go to sleep easily, so she did her "sleep trick" and put herself to sleep.

Unfortunately (as far as Rose was concerned), the roads were clear and the schools were open on Tuesday. With the weird schedule the school used for finals, she only had two classes per day. And that day's classes were Changes and History.

Before class settled in, she heard some people talking. In the short time she'd been gone, three kids had come down with MORFS. She didn't notice any absences in her Changes class, and there were no obvious changes in anyone.

The Changes class mostly went smoothly, with the test covering material she had studied well. And she had gotten an A on her paper, which made her confident of a good grade in the class. The only hiccup was near the end, when her teacher got a note from the office and passed it on to her. After class, she was to report to the dean's office.

"What now?" she wondered, silently. Or, at least, she didn't say anything verbally.

*Don't worry too much about it.* came the silent response. Lena almost sounded amused. *You're not in trouble.*

Rose finished her class, dropped off her books at her locker, and dutifully trudged to the dean's office.

When the secretary told her to go in, she was surprised to see that the dean was not alone. There was a woman she didn't recognize, and a female pekingese dog morf who looked vaguely familiar (but who Rose couldn't place). She was about to apologize and leave, when the dean waved her to an empty chair with an almost pleasant "Have a seat, Miss Reid."

When he used her last name like that, she was sure something was up.

Once she was seated, the dean continued. "While you were gone, Miss Moore here went through MORFS."

Rose gasped and thought "Miss Moore"? There was only one student named Moore that she knew about. She turned to the girl and asked "Missy?"

The girl, her one time nemesis, nodded miserably. The smirk didn't even make it to Rose's face.

*Don't say it!* Lena advised her. *She has been hearing the "bitch" comment all day, and is very fragile.*

*I wasn't going to say it.* Rose retorted. *I was just going to think it real loud.*

The dean cleared his throat. When Rose turned her attention back to him, he continued. "We find ourselves in an... awkward situation. The changes to her face have rendered her unable to talk for the time being. With therapy and practice, she will be able to regain that ability, but for now she is effectively mute."

"I guess I understand, but what does that have to do with me?" Rose asked, genuinely puzzled.

"While she has acquired some special writing instruments to accommodate the changes to her hands," he replied, as Rose turned and noticed Missy hiding her hands in her lap, "she will need to be able to deal with classes which require verbal presentations and responses. She needs the kind of help only you can provide."

With the help of her abilities, she was able to understand what he was getting at. "I can't be with her day and night for the rest of the school year."

"We understand that. She only needs to get through this week, through the semester finals. After that, she can get the help she needs to regain her speech."

"What about my finals?"

"You will be excused from them."

*Tell him you want full credit for them.* Lena mentally advised her. *Make it understood, but not said, that you mean that you get the equivalent of acing all of them. It's the most you can get for this.*

"I will need full credit for all of them." Rose stated, filling the word "full" with meaning that the dean would not mistake, and clearly including her English class in the "all" part.

"That can be done." His tone implied continuing negotiation. "You will need to accompany her throughout her school day." His own emphasis told her that he was including lunch, before and after school activities, and between class times, as well as the in-class time.

Rose didn't like that, but she understood it. Luckily, virtually all before and after school activities were done for the semester so she wouldn't have those to worry about. She gave him a look which asked what else was in it for her.

"As you know, the law prohibits us from paying you for your services. However, I can assure you that this office will not forget this favor."

He was offering her a "get out of trouble free" card, and that was as far as he was willing to go. She turned and looked at the woman, who she assumed was Missy's mother. She didn't need her abilities to read the plea in the woman's face. Or the tension.

With just the right show of adolescent reluctance, she agreed to do her best. Missy made a sound like some combination of a mumble and a yip, which Rose understood as "Thank you". The woman's words required no such effort to be understood. "We really appreciate your help. I don't know what we would do..."

Her meaning and subtext were a different matter. That was a woman used to getting her way, and one who knew how to use emotions and social conventions to accomplish that. Rose began to understand Missy a little better.

"You two should go and get some lunch. I will notify your teachers about the arrangement."

It didn't take long for Rose to see that the dean had been had, and had taken her along for the ride.

Missy used the lunch period to re-establish her social position. Speaking through Rose, she pointedly reminded her peers and competitors that MORFS had not robbed her of her memories or her contacts. And she had not lost a bit of her manipulative cunning. Or her attitude.

Rose faithfully translated words, nuances, and implications. And she hid her own growing distaste for the process. By the end of the day, she was more than ready to go home. They had faced down challenges, reassured allies, and generally acted as Missy apparently did before her transformation. To her relief, she wasn't asked to translate any acts of picking on someone.

The next day, she had to respond to an unexpected attack. And she needed a lot of help in doing it.

Rose never found out the why, whether they were people Missy had insulted or otherwise stepped on, or associated with her rivals, or were pures, or just immature jerks who thought it would be funny. Or something else entirely. And really, it didn't matter.

What she did know was the what. And at least some of the whos. For whatever reason, some people in and around Missy's two classes for the day were carrying electronic dog whistles. While they were clearly aimed at Missy, there were others in the school (including Rose herself, with her MORFS augmented hearing) who could hear them to some extent. Her first clue was in the morning, with brief, apparently random high pitched beeps. On their way into the first class, Rose and Missy were briefly overcome by loud, high pitched sounds from the hallway and from within the classroom. Missy stumbled, and the sounds stopped. Rose shook her head to clear it, and she noticed a couple of other people in the class looking puzzled and uncomfortable. More to the point, everyone else looked unaffected.

About half an hour into class, the shrieks were back. This time they seemed to go on forever. Rose, who could only hear some of it, found it somewhat painful and very distracting. Missy was collapsing on her desk, in obvious pain. Rose did the only thing she could think of.

*HELP!* she mentally yelled.

Lena sat up in class as though she had been slapped. A quick "glance" at Rose and her environs quickly told her all she needed to know. This was a job for The Captain. She held a brief conference with David, and between them they came up with a plan. Radar would sweep Rose's school (starting in the room where she was) for people thinking about the devices, and make sure they actually had them. David would "go inside" the cases and change the values of some components to change the pitch of the sound. Two boys and a girl in the classroom found themselves the center of attention - very hostile attention - as their toys became painfully audible to everyone in the room. After they were sent on their way by an annoyed teacher, class settled back down.

The rest of the day was punctuated by loud beeps and outraged trips to the Dean's office.

By the end of the week, she was mildly horrified by the whole thing. She had only played her designated role in one class, and that was French. In two other classes, she had answered the roll call but had the impression that the original "Yip" would have been adequate. If this had been one of those moralistic "young adult" adventures or romances Rose sometimes read, she probably would have ended the week as a new lifelong friend to Missy, with an appreciation for the complex layers below the surface she had judged Missy by.

Life wasn't one of those books.

Rose left school Friday afternoon with a different attitude about Missy. Before, Missy was just an annoying part of the background. Now, she was someone Rose actively disliked. She wasn't stupid - far from it. But Rose couldn't accept her focus. Missy had a plan for her life, one her mother apparently encouraged. She would spend her middle school and high school years establishing herself at the top of the local social structures of the schools and networking with the sons and daughters of predictably important people. She would also be building her academic and extracurricular records to qualify for entry into a top tier university. Once there, she would again work her way to the social elite and would find and attract the most socially promising husband possible, and once married would guide him through the rest of his schooling and his career while building the family's social standing. Her entire life was mapped out. So were those of her (eventual) children.

Outside of those ambitions, Missy was shallow and dismissive. Not to mention rude, thoughtless, and narcissistic. Try as she might, Rose could not find one thing to like about her.

And she couldn't really understand her. She knew people who were socially far above anywhere Missy could hope to reach - heck, she even knew a queen - and none of them were anything like that. How could anyone live like that? Maybe Lena could help her understand.

But before she could even think out a request, a familiar "voice" was in her head.

*We need to talk.*

End part 13

Part 14 will be delayed somewhat. It is almost finished, but then it needs to be posted to the MORFS site first. Keep watching.

Rosetta

A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Rose learns the Secret of Pope Hill and the origin of her powers. The gang undertake a mysterious mission at the request of someone Rose doesn't know. They don't even know where it will happen, or when. They do know that Rosetta will play an important part. And when they are done, they still won't know where they were.

Part 14

*We need to talk.*

Lena knew she had to lead up to the grand revelation carefully. And Rose's confusion about Missy gave her an opening. They decided to meet at Rose's house, and soon they were sitting in her room - drinks and snacks in hand - talking.

"First, the question you were trying to figure out how to ask. It falls into one of those gray areas you are finding increasingly annoying. Yes, there are people that narrow and shallow. But a lot of it has to do with the limits on the way they perceive the world. To a toddler in daycare, a three foot high barrier is an insurmountable wall, and the play yard is gigantic. To you, the barrier is low and the play yard is little bigger than a suburban backyard."

"If you're saying she's like a toddler, I won't argue." Rose cracked.

Lena grinned. "Yes and no. Her walls are more social. She sees the world in terms of local middle school society, and somewhat the same for high school. And in terms of the social class she perceives her family as being a part of. You've been places she'll never go, and interacted with people she can barely conceive of knowing. But within her limits, her world is almost as rich and varied as yours."

"Look at Angel. She is the weakest bio elemental I have ever met. But she does things with that little bit of power that bio elementals orders of magnitude more powerful wouldn't have dreamed of doing. She comes from a family that worked their way up from lower middle class to a neighborhood like this, but she has casual access to social elites and the rich and powerful - access that Missy and her family would kill for, but are never likely to get. And she's one of the nicest, and least pushy, people you know."

Rose was about to ask how Lena could know that, but the answer was pretty obvious.

"But you have your own limits. With the breadth of your own world, you can't really see the depth and subtlety of Missy's world. And it's important that you do."

"Why?" Rose was genuinely puzzled.

"Because you're limiting yourself. You can understand what they say, but be completely clueless about why they would say it. Or worse, would misjudge it. With your abilities, it is pretty much inevitable that you will find yourself in between two people or two groups of people with completely different world views. And most likely, neither will match yours. If you can get into each world, and accept it for what it is despite the differences in values and perspectives from your own, you can do world class things. And you can control the situation to a remarkable degree."

Understanding dawned on Rose's face. "You've done that. I don't know when or how, but you have."

"Yes, but I faced limits you don't. Without help, I can only do so with people or groups who speak some variety of English. You can't read minds directly, but if they don't speak English all I can read seems like gibberish. Their emotions are clear, but the other information is just not there for me. Or any other telepath, without the help of someone like you."

Then she dropped the first of an afternoon of bombshells. "And I have never met or heard of anyone like you. As far as I know, your combination of abilities is unique."

While Rose found the idea hard to believe, her abilities made it clear to her that Lena believed it. And Lena seemed pretty well informed about such things.

Lena shifted gears. "But accepting the internal validity of their world views does not mean you have to agree with them. You can understand and accept the internal validity of, say, the people who tried to capture or kill you, or Angel, or the Queen, or even David's parents, while still rejecting their actions as utterly immoral and unacceptable. This is about understanding them, not about becoming one of them."

She gave Rose a moment to absorb that, while she took a drink.

"Not used to talking out loud so much any more." she grinned.

"Sometimes, it's not so clearly right and wrong. Most of the time, in fact. When we are dealing with people your age, or even my age, it's more often a matter of 'Why on Earth would they do that?' or the like. And all too often the best you can find is 'It seemed like a good idea at the time.'"

Rose noticed an odd hint of stress in her voice, but did not notice the extent to which Lena focused on her.

"For instance, why would a group of powered morfs imitate an old legend? A few hybrids could easily pass for Bigfoot or even Nessie or related lake monsters. Lots of different kinds of powered morfs could effectively 'haunt' a house or some other place. If you asked them why they did something like that, the most honest answers would likely range from 'to see if we could' to 'seemed like a good idea at the time.'"

"But sometimes, just sometimes, there's more. Sometimes they might want to do something specific, and hide it behind the legend. It might be something bad, but most often it is something good with a chance of backfiring. About a century ago, the politicians called it plausible deniability or some crud like that."

"Huh?" Rose was having a hard time with the last bit.

"Ok, the politician part was like in the movies, when someone has other people do something so he can later pretend he had nothing to do with it. Like in the cop shows, where the bad guy doesn't want to get his hands dirty."

Rose understood what Lena was saying, but couldn't really tie the idea to morfs, unless they were criminals or something.

"Alright, here's an example. I know a telepath out on the west coast, who did something like that when he was younger. He used to hang around a local wishing well, and mentally listen to the wishes being made there. A surprising number of the wishes were simple things. Or at least, simple for him. Things like 'I wish Johnny would notice me' or something. So he would prod Johnny to notice her and say something."

"What did he get out of it?" Rose wondered out loud.

"Mostly, a feeling of doing something good for someone. That, and it was more interesting than sitting around watching the tube. The problem is, the wishes didn't always work out well. Johnny might have been a jerk, and when he noticed her he might have ended up hurting her emotionally. Or the wish itself had consequences he just hadn't thought through. After a while, it seemed to him that the bad things had piled up so deep he couldn't see the good ones any more."

"Does he still do it?"

"Sometimes. He's a lot more careful about it, though. Especially after the times he nearly got caught. He wasn't doing anything illegal per se, but he still could have gotten in a lot of trouble for some of the things that went wrong. But what do you think about that whole thing?"

"Well..." Rose could tell that the question was a lot more important than it seemed. Lena was leading up to something bigger than that, something hidden. What would happen if she gave the wrong answer?

"Nothing." Lena answered her unspoken question. "There is no wrong answer. And yes, there is more. But I want to know that you are ready to hear it."

Lena was telling the truth as she knew it. Rose was certain about that. But there was more to it... a lot more. And she wasn't sure she was going to like it. But there was no trick question. "As long as he was careful, and did good things, I suppose it's ok. And when he did step in it, as long as he did what he could to fix it that would be ok too." Lena would understand the subtleties in what she was saying, even if nobody else would.

Time for another bombshell.

"Good." Lena said. "I know a group of people who are doing much the same thing here. Bigger and more complex, but more alike than different."

"The closest thing to a working wishing well around here is Pope Hill," Rose mused, "and Ohmygod! it's you!" She had put most of it together. "The whole thing. You read their minds and give them those feelings. David makes the glowey thingy. But what about the MORFS itself? The only bio elemental I know around here is Angel. Is she that much more powerful than she's telling people?"

"No, she really is that weak. She's just learned to do a lot with what little she has."

"Can all bio elementals do that?"

"No. There are only two that I know of in the entire world. It has something to do with extra brain power or something."

"So... my wish, my special powers... that was all you, David, and Angel?"

"Yes and no. First, Robin and Penny - Cassandra - had a hand in it as well. And second, Angel wasn't the one who triggered your special bout with MORFS. The other one was."

"But who IS the other one?"

"That falls into the 'Not my secret to tell' category. I can tell you that she doesn't live anywhere near here, and you haven't met."

Rose shifted gears a little. "So why tell me now? Let me guess... you need my help and you're going to make me a part of the group?"

While she didn't "read" as entirely happy about it, she wasn't angry or resentful. Lena forged ahead.

"Yes and no. We made you a part of the group a long time ago. We do need your help for something big, that someone has asked us to do."

Memories of the basement flashed briefly through Rose's head. Lena hurried to reassure her. "Nothing like that. We would be doing a one time Pope Hill type thing somewhere else. Somewhere they don't speak English. We'll understand if you feel you can't, or don't want to, be involved after we explain it more."

"But first, your other question. I'm telling you now because you deserve to know, and you seemed ready to know."

"And because I needed to know about the scam to help with it?"

"It would make it easier. We could have worked around that in some way, but you deserve better."

Rose was still wrapping her head around the idea that Pope Hill was a fake, and that her new friends had made those changes in her. Her new friends?

"When I met you... that wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"No. But we do take that path a lot. After you changed, I kept a little bit of an eye on you to make sure you were ok. And after the trouble you had that day, you just seemed to need some new friends. We didn't want to push it, but we knew we could make you feel a little better."

"But why me in the first place?"

"Part of that was pure coincidence. Or maybe fate. The other bio elemental was visiting, and it was important to show her how the whole thing worked. We might have done it anyway, if I had heard your approach to Pope Hill. Then again, we might not have been able to get together at the right time. The big thing was that your request was very moving. And you were clearly a very worthy person."

"But why the powers? Not that they aren't useful and all."

Lena blushed. "She... the other bio-elemental... was new to the whole thing and she kinda... overshot."

Rose was stunned for a moment. Then she burst out laughing. All of it - the good and the bad - that had happened because of her powers, and it was all a screw up? It was too absurd to be anything but true. After her laughter died down, she got down to business.

"Ok, when and where is this going to happen?"

"The when is easy enough. On the Winter Solstice. I don't even know where, except that they don't speak much English there. We'll be teleported there, by someone other than Robin." She then went on to detail the plan.

Some of the more important parts were also the more disturbing. They would be going somewhere, but they wouldn't know where. They wouldn't officially be there - there would be no records of their time there. If things went as planned, nobody - not even the person they were helping - would see or hear them. And after they were done, they would never know where they had been, or who the person had been. Neither would their parents.

And if things didn't go quite as planned, they could face two or even more hostile armed groups. They would have some help available, but nothing official. And if the authorities got hold of them, things could get sticky.

Yeah, sure... nothing to worry about there.

At least in Tokyo she was officially there. On the other hand, there wouldn't be highly organized groups of heavily armed people who knew who she was and were trying to kidnap or kill her. And her family. And her friends, old and new.

For better or worse, there was one thing Rose was sure of.

"We need a test run."

Her arguments and ideas tumbled through her head in a jumbled mass, making it hard for her to express them. Then again, she didn't have to. Lena "saw" it all, and agreed it would be a good idea. The problem was time - they basically had the weekend to prepare for the real thing, which would start late Monday or early Tuesday.

Lena decided they needed to get the rest of the group together for the discussion. After a bit of negotiation, they settled on Lena's house. Since it was likely to go beyond supper time, they all decided to chip in on some takeout and relieve her parents of the burden of feeding a room full of teenagers. Since Rose didn't have any real source of income, and her parents weren't home yet, they decided to cover her share as well. Rose left messages for her parents to let them know where she was, and they were off.

They didn't flit there or fly there. They walked. After taking Robin and David for granted, it almost seemed novel. On the way there, Lena told her about David and Robin. Hearing about their going through the same pattern of being fooled then later told somehow made Rose feel better about it happening to her.

When they got there, the others were already inside and settled in the living room with drinks provided by Lena's mother. After offering Rose a drink, which Lena went to fetch, she excused herself and went to the room that served as her office. Rose could hear her muttering something about lanterns.

*Lanterns? I didn't mean to eavesdrop.*

*Used to happen to me a lot. Still does, sometimes. She runs a company that sells camping stuff online. Well, together with some of her old friends.*

The exchange was so brief that none of the others noticed it. Somewhat to Rose's surprise, Angel took the lead in the meeting. After the obligatory "I suppose you're wondering" joke, she turned to Lena. "So why did I call everyone together here?"

"First, to let everyone know that Rose has agreed to help with the Project." It was clear to Rose that the others already knew the details, or at least as much as she did. Lena went on. "She brought up a good point. Our integration will need to be as clean as possible. For that, we will need a test run."

Robin glanced at Lena, and after apparently getting a satisfactory response, spoke up. "One of the things we will need to do is run the test we did with Angel."

Since the others seemed to know what she meant, Lena turned to Rose. *We'll be handling the sensitive stuff this way.* she thought to Rose. Rose thought that was just a little bit obvious, but didn't say anything or think it too loudly. Lena went on to describe the tests with Robin rendering Angel invisible and/or intangible, and determining how that affected what she could perceive and do.

"Since my powers can't do squat," Rose commented to the group, "some of those tests would be pointless. The rest sounds interesting."

David spoke up. "Now all we need are some victims." He had a grin as he looked at his girlfriend. Lena rolled her eyes, then looked at Rose.

"What do we need?"

"Some people who speak languages I don't already know. They can be their primary language, or not. It doesn't matter whether they speak English or some other language I know in addition to the unknown." Rose briefly felt a little wistful, as she thought about her now distant relative and their exchanges in Gaelic.

Going back into "sensitive" mode, they came up with a plan. Lena would sweep the area, much like her code namesake technology, until she encountered thoughts in a language she didn't know - anything but English, Spanish, or French. She would run the thought past "our own Rosetta Stone" to see whether she recognized the language. If it was a new language, she would have David identify the thinker and add him or her to the list. They were reasonably sure they could find subjects for the first part of the test that way.

They were less sure about finding an appropriate subject for the full run through. They would need someone reasonably close, who was in the right age range for MORFS but didn't have and hadn't had an active case, and who was interested in getting something from going through such changes. And who wouldn't be likely to be rejected by family, community, government, etc. because of it. Simple, right?

After a year or two (ok, about an hour and a half. It sure felt longer), they took a break. So far, they had found a half dozen candidates for the first part - all adults - and eliminated two of them after warnings from Cassandra. Rose had learned that she was still capable of being surprised and embarrassed by random thoughts in languages she did recognize. And they had agreed that Rosetta was a good code name for Rose.

As they rested, Penny had a head palming moment. As Cassandra, she would need some amount of time to "settle into" anywhere new before she became effective. She had experienced the effect before, whenever she traveled too far from home. And she had never done so with a single point of reference for language issues. Especially one she was "time sharing" with a telepath like Radar. When she "mentioned" the problem, everyone groaned. And then agreed that another individual test was in order.

Before they could work out the details, Lena's father came home. Used to his daughter's adventures, he was startled but not really surprised to find the group huddled in his living room in serious, mostly silent, conference. It had all the hallmarks of a situation he would never know the details of, and one that he was probably happier not knowing the details of. He also knew that he couldn't sneak up on that group if his life depended on it. "Anything I can do?"

The smiles they turned on him ranged from guilty to calculating. Not surprisingly, one of the calculating looks came from his loving daughter. Teenagers.

After a moment of silent consultation, they told him that they would be busy that evening, that they would be coming and going at odd times (by way of Flit Express), and that they had pooled their money for take out so he wouldn't have to feed a room full of teenagers. After he smiled at that last part, he agreed to fetch the food for them. As they discussed dinner choices, he went off to see his wife.

He made sure he was not interrupting any electronic conversation, then kissed her on the cheek. "They're up to something again, I see." he commented with a wry grin.

"You don't suppose it involves finding me a new lantern wholesaler, do you?" She asked with a sigh.

"Somehow, I doubt it. More shipping problems?"

After brief recaps of their days, he got down to a more serious issue. "What do you want to do about dinner? The kids are ordering some take out, which I volunteered to pick up for them. I get the impression this is going to be home base for more scanning the area and popping in and out for a while. Maybe just tonight, maybe longer."

After giving her screen another scowl, she turned back to him and her face softened. "Let's go out. Maybe even take in a movie. Been a while."

They decided to leave after he got back with the takeout. She would be getting ready while he was gone.

When he got back to the living room, they had called in their order and had their money ready for him. He wouldn't have minded paying for their food, but he knew how important such hallmarks of independence were to teenagers. Besides, some of them made more than he did. He let them know his plans for the evening, in the unlikely event they would need him (or his wife). Just before he opened the door, he turned to face them again.

"Humor an old man," he said, with a small touch of concern in his voice. "Tell me you won't be doing anything too dangerous tonight."

They grinned at each other, then said in unison "We won't be doing anything too dangerous... tonight."

While the pause before the final word was less than comforting, he took what he could get. When other parents went out for the night, leaving their teenagers and their friends unsupervised, all they had to worry about was sex, drugs, or an out of control party. Lucky bastards.

After he left, they decided to try the first test while they were waiting for the food. One of their potential subjects was sitting in the airport, apparently waiting for someone. Robin would take Rose there, arrive invisible and intangible, and see whether Rose could learn his language in that state. Lena would be "listening" to them, and if they seemed successful would try using her link with Rose to translate his thoughts. If any part did not work, they would try with Rose merely invisible. If that didn't work, Robin would flit them back for more brainstorming. And food.

As it turned out, they had over-planned. Like Angel, her perceptive abilities worked fine when she was invisible and intangible. Unlike Angel, she didn't have any power to "do" anything, so it was a moot point whether she shared her other limitation.

There wasn't even any drama in his thoughts. He was from Norway, and in addition to the fjords he was pining for his wife and three children. He was an inventor and businessman, and was there to meet some other businessmen to discuss licensing some clothing related invention. Nothing revolutionary, but useful.

Since their test was completed successfully, they flitted back. They even had time to rest and talk a bit before Mr. Morgan got back with the food.

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That promising start turned into a frustrating weekend. Try as they might, they couldn't come up with a practical way to do the other test. One problem was that Rose knew too many languages, and didn't know what some of them were. And too many people in the hemisphere knew English or Spanish (even if it was only a second or third language). The real killer was transportation - the person who would be getting them there was not available yet. For the first time Rose could remember, the group gave up on an idea after the Friday gathering and several Saturday conferences.

On top of all that, there were the mysterious packages from other countries, all of which arrived on Saturday with clear instructions that they were not to be opened until Christmas. In a fit of group paranoia, David and Lena both checked the packages. But then they refused to tell Rose anything about the contents, just grinned at her when she asked.

And then there was the studying. Lena had Rose going through the books she had given her every chance she got. After learning to spot and catalog a person's unconscious physical reactions, she learned "patterns" for making subtle changes in that person's thought and behavior patterns. And once she got a pattern down pat in one language, she had her practice it in others as well.

"Eventually you will get to the point that these patterns are second nature, and will be automatically available to you in any language you learn." she explained. While they would never really amount to the mind control Rose had joked about, they could be powerful tools for changing the way a person - or a group of people - thought about something. A small change in the right place could create a surprisingly large effect in the person's life. That would be useful in everything from therapy to business. Or even politics. Rose wrinkled her nose at that last thought. Politics was not her thing.

Even the weather was frustrating. The Sunday afternoon snow didn't add all that much to what was still on the ground. It just added the chores of clearing the driveway and sidewalks. Rose briefly enjoyed a pleasant fantasy about what a certain Japanese girl could do about that snow. And with school already out, it didn't even bring the promise of a snow day.

At least it let up early enough for another family tradition. With a jug of hot chocolate and other necessary supplies, the family piled into the car and drove around some of the nearby neighborhoods known for their elaborate displays. As long as anyone could remember, certain streets had shown the results of informal, personal competitions among the neighbors to outdo each other. And a little farther out, the enclaves of the mansions (you could hardly call them neighborhoods) boasted decor that put most of the municipal and commercial displays to shame. As holiday traditions go, the drive was relaxing, fun, and inexpensive.

And for a change, the only danger they were in was from drivers paying more attention to the displays than to the road.

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The next morning, she got a couple of clues about their destination. Not that they helped much.

Lena relayed a suggestion that she dress for roughing it in hot weather. Rose knew enough geography to realize that they were either going to somewhere near the equator or somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere... or both. Unfortunately, that combined with the middle of nowhere implication narrowed it down to about two and a half continents. English, or at least their version of it, was pretty universal throughout Australia and vicinity as far as she knew. That narrowed it down to somewhere in either Africa or South/Central America. And that was about as narrow as she could get it. Both had plenty of middle of nowhere places with local languages. Both would be starting Summer about then.

And the details of the "mission" she got didn't really narrow it down any. Lena was (and would be) in contact with an older and more powerful telepath, who was in contact with the person they were doing the favor for and the person who would be transporting them to and from the location. The mysterious person they were doing the favor for was both personally powerful and politically well connected, and the group owed her big time. And her identity fell under "not my secret to tell".

They would be arriving near a small shrine of some sort, and David would hide them with an illusion. Someone would approach the shrine somewhat reverently, with something between a hope and a belief that the shrine would have the power to grant what he needed. And an expectation that he would have to sacrifice something in the process. What he would ask would be a delicate balance of ability, cultural tradition, and local politics. After that, it would go pretty much like it had with her - except for the "over did it" part.

Unfortunately for Rose's curiosity, both continents had plenty of remote locations which could host such shrines.

*Just as well,* Lena told her as she dressed. *You really don't want to know. Neither do I. What we don't know, we can't accidentally reveal later.* Then, with a shift of tone, *How are you doing?*

*Nervous. Frustrated. Curious. And a bunch of other stuff mixed all together. And hungry.*

*In other words,* Lena quipped, *Monday morning.*

Rose laughed and finished dressing. *Any idea when we'll be doing it?*

She got a fleeting impression of an off color reply started and rejected, then *Not really. I get the impression that they're watching the situation, and will send us when he is on his way. I get the impression that the less time we're there, the happier they'll be. And the happier we'll be.*

*That I can believe.*

At breakfast, she reminded her family that she would be vanishing (literally) on a moment's notice. And they reminded her that they would be vanishing shortly in a more conventional way. Her parents would be going to their offices, and Tara would be going out shopping (and boy watching, Rose was sure) with her friends. They all assured her that they were a phone call away if she needed them.

Rose soon had the house to herself. She quickly found that she couldn't sit through any of her new vids. As soon as she settled in to watch, her mind started racing about the mission. She might have minutes left to wait or she might have hours. What she needed was something she could lose herself in, but drop on a moment's notice. After pacing around the living room and kitchen and back to her room, her eyes fell on the books Lena had loaned her.

She had been going through them in odd moments of spare time up to then, and they seemed like a good way to pass the time. A little too good.

*Lena?*

*No, I didn't plant any of that in your mind.* Lena replied at once. *But that is a good idea. I can help walk you through some of the exercises while we wait. How do these thoughts feel?*

That last part caught Rose off guard, and left her puzzled for a moment. Then it hit her... She could "feel" when a telepath or empath was actively in her mind.

*Exactly. Right now, you can recognize the difference if you are thinking about it. With practice, we can get you to the point where you recognize it any time.*

*Won't that limit what you can do with me?* Rose half joked.

With her best sinister overtones, Lena replied *Remember, my dear, there is always someone out there with more skill and experience than you.*

Lena smiled at a vivid thought about her own mentor, which she firmly kept private. For all her reputation for power and competence, Lena knew she had years of hard work ahead of her if she ever wanted to come close to that elegant little old lady.

Over the next few hours, they went through exercises from one of the books, teaching Rose a mindset and a subtlety with language she never would have believed possible.

Unexpectedly, Lena stiffened briefly then said "It's time." The others appeared in her room, ready to go. Catching something odd at the corner of her eye, Rose saw that her bedroom door had been replaced by darkness. At a nod from Lena, they stepped through the door. And into what looked like a jungle right out of the vids. As Rose stepped through, she noticed her ears gently popping. That told her that they had gained or lost some altitude from their mile high starting point, but not too much. They were in what looked to Rose like some sort of jungle or rain forest. She didn't know enough about botany or geography to tell more from the trees and other plants.

Other than them, there were only two language using minds at all nearby. One was human, one not. Rose was surprised that she could tell that much. It made sense in a way - this was the first time she had been this far away from significant numbers of people since her transformation. She turned her attention to the human and had the familiar feeling of learning a new language.

When she was done, she noticed that the non human's language was similar to the one she had just learned. She supposed it only made sense that a talking hybrid would use something like the local language. She learned it quickly, as well.

While she was busy with that, the others had been busy as well. They found a hiding place not too far from the shrine, where they should be safe from discovery. CP readied an illusion to hide them more if needed. Flit took a practice jump to and from the shrine, since she was not familiar with the area. Radar was taking a look around the area and "listening" for nearby minds. Cassandra was clearing her mind, readying herself for a potential flood of new information.

*Ready.* Rosetta "told" Radar.

*Right.* came the reply. *Listen for things happening around us.*

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Yamai was not happy. How could he be? His mother had been kidnapped by those crazy, heavily armed, strangers who had taken over and rebuilt the old drug cartel compound. The man who would have become his step father was killed trying to rescue her. As bad as that was for him personally, it was made worse by the fact that his mother had been the healer for his village and his would be stepfather was the water worker for another nearby village. Each was known as the heart of their village, a symbol as much as a person. Their marriage was supposed to cement peace between the two fractious populations, a peace that had been forged by the two of them sharing the benefits of their gifts with both groups.

The villages blamed each other for the losses, and many were ready and willing to tear each other apart over them. But, to be honest, there were all too many men in both villages who nursed other grudges and would like nothing better than to have the fighting resume.

They weren't completely isolated or ignorant. They knew that she was a bio elemental and he was a water elemental. That their powers owed more to MORFS than to anything supernatural. Still... they fit so seamlessly into their roles from the old traditions, and it was so much like the old prophesy. While Yamai wasn't sure about the man (it just seemed wrong to use his name, given all that happened), it sometimes seemed that his mother believed she was living the legend. All they had to do was "become one" with their marriage: a man-woman spirit of life and water to father and bear children of both villages.

Now that would never happen. The whole legendary image went through his mind, weighted with the impossibility.

His mother had taken him to the shrine of the Lady Of The Mountain in times of trouble. She said the Lady helped her find her answers, but he didn't really know whether it was just the peace of the shrine letting her find the answers within herself or her expectations of an answer that helped. Or if it really was the Lady doing the helping. All he really knew was that she had found her answers when they went up after that stupid accident had claimed his father's life all those years ago. And he seemed to cope with the loss of his father better as well.

Both villages recognized the shrine as sacred. The stories say that dated back to a time when the two had been one. And both villages had customs - stronger than most laws - that limited access to the shrine to certain people in certain positions, and those escorted there by such people. That access was a jealously guarded sign of prestige. Yamai's mother, as Heart Of The Village, had such access and had every right to bring him along. Without her, or some other "authorized" guide, he was stepping on some sensitive toes by going there.

He'd had to sneak out of the village and follow a somewhat indirect route to avoid detection. It wouldn't be enough to fool the more experienced trackers in the village - in both villages - but it might buy him enough time to get back before he was discovered.

As he approached the shrine, he turned his mind back to the issues that had brought him there and to the way he thought The Lady would look and sound if she was there. It remained there as he put the offering on the flat stone in front of her image and went through the ritual greeting.

His mind went blank, however, when she appeared in front of him.

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*We're agreed, then?* Radar asked her companions. *Turning him into a living symbol and embodiment of legend is nothing small. Angel, you can do it?*

*Apparently. It "feels" ready, pending any changes. MORFS will give him both elemental abilities, and the ability to both father and bear children, like the legend specified. As bad as sex changes can be back home, I don't envy him his transition to hermaphrodite.*

Everyone was keeping the conversation silent, due to their proximity to the shrine and to the local wildlife.

Flit confirmed that there should be no problem delivering Angel in the usual way. CP, however, was not as sanguine. *I will need a lot of feedback about his reactions to and expectations of this Lady. And I won't be able to scan the area while I do this.*

*Got that covered.* Radar assured him. She grinned. *You should know by now that I'm a woman of many talents.*

CP smirked. *Get me thinking that way, and she'll appear to him naked. With your body.*

*Hmmm... Back to work, Captain!* She turned her focus to helping him build a good image.

Cassandra had adjusted to her new circumstances, and found no serious problems with the plan. She had a general feeling that his sex change was going to be uncomfortable, but not disastrously so.

CP and Radar "watched" as their target approached the shrine and set a piece of fruit on part of it. Then it was show time. CP created the image of The Lady, and Radar added feelings of moderate religious awe, belief, and warmth. Rosetta had suggested that they avoid spoken words from the image, to avoid problems with any expectations of old fashioned language. While the image gave Yamai a smile of motherly pride, he came to understand that his life was about to change. He would grow ill, which he correctly interpreted as MORFS, and would emerge with the ability to unite the villages. He would have the powers over life and water and, to fill the role assigned by legend, he would change so that he was both man and woman.

Yamai was not all that sure about that last part. But he remembered the legend, and in the end it was not too big a sacrifice. Even the most frightening part, the idea that he would some day lay with a man and come to bear a child, was not too much to endure for the good that could come of it. He acknowledged her gift and the responsibility that came with it, and she put her hand over his heart. For a brief moment, he would swear he could feel her touch and something more. When she seemed to encourage him to embrace his destiny, he thought about the way that destiny extended even to his name.

She seemed about to send him on his way, when she held up her hand in a gesture suggesting that he should wait.

*Company's coming!* Radar told the others. *And something is happening at the compound.*

WHUMP!

End part 14

Rosetta

A MORFS Universe Story
By Joreymay

Yamai gets home, with help from The Lady. Rosetta and the gang learn that what comes after the mission can be even more exhausting than the mission itself. After an unexpected reunion, she faces something even more daunting: shopping!

Part 15

*Company's coming!* Radar told the others. *And something is happening at the compound.*

WHUMP!

Yamai had underestimated his fellow villagers. And those of the other village. Hunting parties had spotted him on his way to the shrine, and correctly guessed his destination. They had no idea that they had been "helped" to reach that conclusion, or "encouraged" to send runners back to stir up reactions in the villages. Nor were they aware that observers from the compound had seen the reactions and reported them to the compound.

And of the people in the area, only Radar had been aware that the whole purpose of creating all of those reactions was to draw the attention of the compound to the villages. And that the whole thing had been part of a plan to shut down the compound and rescue the prisoners there. Their part had been worthwhile in its own right, but it was only a small part of a bigger plan.

A plan that had apparently gone wrong. How badly wrong, Radar didn't know. But the explosion at the compound and the fact that the powerful telepath who was her contact with the other group was too busy to do more than let her know he was that busy were not part of the original plan.

But first things first. *I'll explain in a moment. David, she'll warn him about the activity and send him home.* As CP had the image respond appropriately, Radar gave him an impression of parties of angry men from the villages and armed men from the compound swarming over the area. While she would help a bit with the villagers, he would need to be very careful while he hurried home. With a final smile of blessing, she faded from view.

Radar took a moment to silently fill her friends in on the situation. She admitted she knew before hand, but had been asked not to share the information. Her boyfriend was not exactly pleased about being kept in the dark, briefly creating an illusion of a floating mushroom with an angry face. The rest were only a little more understanding. But they all agreed that the knowledge would have been more of a distraction than a help up to then.

Now that their priorities, and her job, had changed, Angel quietly took charge. She would use her elemental senses to keep an eye on the local wildlife, and Rosetta and Cassandra would help as needed. Their priority was to remain safe until they could be 'ported home. Their next highest priority was to get Yamai safely back home. After a quick round of brainstorming, it was decided that The Lady would appear to parties from the villages, somewhat larger than life. She would "tell" the leaders that she had summoned Yamai to the shrine and that he was special to her and important to both villages. She would also warn them about the armed men from the compound and advise them to return home quickly.

That done, they would keep watch over Yamai and guide him away from contact with any of the others.

The first problem came almost immediately. One of the men, a religious leader of sorts, reacted in an unexpected way. While Radar had given him the feeling of believing the apparition was The Lady, he decided to make use of the situation to boost his status within the village. Despite her size and unearthly appearance, he demanded proof. He had what he believed to be "secret" knowledge about her, even though half the men there shared the "secrets". At his urging to "show" that she was who she claimed, she lowered the left shoulder of her dress to show a scar he vividly pictured. She answered the first of his questions then turned an angry face to him. "Who are you to question me?" she seemed to say. "You, who as a young man..."

Radar had used the approach before. It was virtually guaranteed to make the person think of something unworthy or even shameful that he had done at that age. This was no exception. The thought came and went so quickly that he was barely aware of it, but Radar was watching and ready for it. Suddenly, everyone in the party was aware of it. And of her disapproval of him. And of her approval of Yamai. Instead of boosting the man's status as he had hoped, she had cut the legs out from under it.

The "Lady" gave them a look which clearly conveyed (with a little help from Radar) "what are you standing around for? Go warn and protect your village!", turned her back, and vanished.

The other groups went better. The suggestion to hurry back home was helped by the appearance of several government aircraft speeding overhead in the direction of the compound and the sounds of several more explosions from that direction.

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*Heads up!* Radar warned them. *Those SOBs are on their way to destroy the compound. They don't want the rescuers finding evidence tieing it to the more corrupt elements of the government. And they don't care if innocents - or the rescuers - get hurt in the process.* Her warning to the other telepath had been more compact and to the point, but it had been enough to get everyone to safety.

Unlike the Pope Hill gang, the others had been operating semi-officially and in limited cooperation with the government. They had only informed their liaison about the target moments before they began their operation, so there was too little time for that information to leak back to the compound. The government would be taking credit for routing the "foreign criminals" running the place, and the rescue team would remain unsung. They had underestimated the extent of government complicity in the enterprise.

They managed to get the captives away, but not before one - a particularly angry chemical elemental - started a chain reaction which ended up leveling two buildings a few minutes later with an explosion that was heard miles away at the shrine. With the captives safe in their headquarters, the rescuers concentrated on capturing the leaders and collecting evidence. Both had been complicated by the explosion. They did end up with some prisoners and evidence before the bombs started falling, however.

Radar, David, and the others were keeping busy as well. Using a combination of mental nudges and well placed illusions, they managed to keep the gunmen separate from the villagers. The villagers ended up safely home, and most of the gunmen found themselves with mysteriously malfunctioning weapons as they walked into the waiting arms of government ground troops.

By the time the black doorway opened up to take them home, they were exhausted.

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Rose was barely awake when they appeared in her room.

Radar caught everyone's attention before they did anything else. *We have to go back tomorrow to help with the followup. But right now, we need to get some rest. We can meet tomorrow after lunch.* And then out loud "Go ahead and get ready for bed, Rose. We'll see ourselves out." She gave a smile and a wink as she said the last part.

Rose went down and said goodnight to her family, declining an offer of food, then all but crawled back upstairs to get ready for bed. When she got back to her room, everyone there was gone. She got ready for bed as quickly as she could (which was none too quickly), then snuggled under the covers. As she dropped off to sleep, she thought she heard hushed voices. Including her own. Too tired to care, she finished falling into a deep, restful sleep.

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She woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. her muscles were still a bit stiff from the exercise in the jungle, but a hot shower soon took care of that. She dressed casually, then went down in search of some breakfast.

"The Beast awakes!" Tara greeted her, with dramatic flair. She smiled and went on. "They're at work, but said you could call them if you want to."

That was a significant concession. Usually, work time was off limits to anything but emergencies or brief reminders. Rose decided she must have looked even worse than she thought when she dragged in from the jungle.

"I'm off to the mall," Tara continued, "but I can do an egg for you before I leave if you want. There's sausage, bacon, and pastries if you want them. Leftovers from last night, too."

That last bit caught Rose's attention. Tara was saying that she didn't approve of the way she acted the previous night.

Sometimes she hated her powers.

Irritated, she shot back "Fine. Next time you can spend your afternoon in the jungle dodging groups of armed men, government war planes, and wild animals and we'll see how polite you are when you come home exhausted." With that, she stomped back to her room.

A loud gurgle reminded her that she hadn't grabbed any food. In fact, she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.

*Never mind,* a familiar voice sounded in her head. "You are hereby invited to Casa O'Connor for some of Angel's special pancakes and a briefing about today's events.*

Rose barely had time to think about accepting before she found herself standing in Angel's kitchen, being handed a plate. Flit express strikes again.

"Food is more than usually important when we use our powers a lot." Lena continued, out loud this time, as Angel piled some pancaked on her plate and pointed to a tray with three different kinds of syrup and some melted butter. "The good news is that we aren't likely to gain much weight from all the eating, as long as we eat right. The bad news is that we really need to eat after a workout, even when we are too tired and cranky to want to think about it."

"But all I do is listen, talk, and think," Rose objected, while adding some berry syrup and butter to her pancakes. Angel looked her over briefly, and she felt a light probe from Radar. Then Angel cracked a couple of eggs in a bowl and started whipping up an omelet.

"You'd be surprised how much energy and other stuff your brain uses for things like that," Lena answered. Then she grinned. "Besides, we're teenagers. We need the extra nutrition" she shifted her voice into her best imitation of a Changes class vid, "for all the changes our bodies are going through." She returned to her normal voice. "Not to mention all the running around we did."

"Speaking of which," Angel cut in, as she flipped the omelet, "now that everyone's here, shouldn't we get started?"

David was pouring out glasses of juice, and put one by Rose's plate and others by other plates she saw on the table. "We can wait until you're done over there," he said. Even though "over there" was only a few feet from the table, his tone told Rose that he considered the difference important.

Lena turned to Rose. "I explained a couple of things to your sister, and told her you would be busy for most of the day. She was a bit upset about what you said. It was good that you avoided telling her the sensitive parts, but probably not the best idea to throw the rest in her face."

Rose reluctantly agreed with the last part. She nodded as she moved a little aside to give Angel room to slide the omelet out of the pan and onto her plate. A few slices of crispy bacon appeared next to it. She looked up, and saw Robin grin. She nodded her thanks.

Angel put the pan back and turned off the stove, then sat down with her own plate of food.

Since their mouths were occupied with food and drink, Radar did the honors.

*There are two parts to what we will be doing today,* she began. *First, we'll all be debriefed.* Robin saw David get a quick grin, and Radar rolled her eyes. *Behave. They need all of us for that part, for our different perspectives. And remember, they will think we've only taken an hour to wash, change, and grab a bite. We'll let them think that Angel had a way to refresh us in place of a good night's sleep. There is no need to let them know about that aspect of Robin's powers.*

Robin batted her eyes. *A girl's gotta have some secrets, ya know.* She then spoiled the effect by sticking out a tongue coated with half chewed pancake at David.

While everyone laughed, Radar privately told a puzzled Rose about Robin's limited time travel abilities.

*After that, we will be helping them sort out the captives they rescued and get them back home. Or if they need it, getting them medical or psychological help and then getting them back home. David, Robin, Penny... you probably won't be needed for that part, but it couldn't hurt to have you standing by just in case.*

*I don't know,* David "said" with a grin, *Do you think my girlfriend will get upset if this makes me late for our date tonight?*

Lena gave him a look. *I think she'll understand. Especially since she will be equally late.*

Rose looked at the two of them, and wondered whether she would be that weird when she gets a boyfriend. *Probably,* Radar replied, with a mental laugh. Rose shook her head, wondering whether it would be worth it. *Definitely* came in reply.

*We'll be leaving from Rose's room again. We need to be quiet - she was falling asleep. Oh, and one more thing. From the time we get to her room to the time we reach our destination, I won't be able to do this. The two of me would interfere with each other.*

Now last night made sense. She really had heard those voices. But she had another question. *How should we dress?*

Lena took a quick look around. *Everyone should be fine. We'll be indoors, and we won't be doing anything all that active. Or formal.*

They finished eating, cleaned up, and were ready to leave.

One by one, Flit sent them to Rose's room. Rose couldn't help a quiet exclamation when she saw herself in bed. The others hushed her gently. After they were all there, the blackness appeared in her doorway. In a loosely formed line they stepped through...

...into an underground complex, right out of the vids.

Rose found herself facing a man wearing sunglasses. She wasn't sure why, but she quickly got the impression that he was the most powerful telepath she had met - stronger than Radar, Maki, and that police telepath in Japan. Maybe even stronger than all three put together. Without thinking, she hid behind her shields.

"Don't worry," Radar told her out loud. "He's one of the good guys." Rose recognized a feeling of calm reassurance as coming from her as well. After another moment of uncertainty, she dropped her meager shields.

Without being otherwise introduced, the mystery man laid out the agenda for the day. They would be debriefed (Rose snickered at the term) about the mission at the shrine earlier that day, then help take care of sorting out the refugees from the compound. Radar and Rose would go first in the debriefing (snicker), then move on while the others gave their reports.

Rose wasn't sure what to expect. Would she be sworn in like in court? Would there be some other formal rituals, or hard edged questioning like she had seen from the police? She was almost disappointed when they simply sat down and were asked to describe the events in their own words. She felt the nameless telepath lightly brush the surface of her thoughts as she gave her story, and he asked a few questions along the way, but that was it.

She was almost disappointed when they were done, with none of the drama she had expected. The whole thing was more like giving a class report about a field trip than some important part of a big professional mission. Both telepaths smiled as she thought that. The man quipped "School will come and go, but paperwork is forever." Radar just shrugged and smiled.

The next part was going to take a lot longer. The first thing they would do is sort the former captives from any of the guards, workers, or other people voluntarily involved in the operation of the compound. Then they would find out where "home" was for the former captives, evaluate their needs, and make the necessary arrangements. Rose and Radar would be helping with the information gathering, with their special link.

At least, that was the way it was supposed to go.

In the short time between the rescue and their arrival, things had shifted somewhat. Despite the language issues, the rescuees had realized that they were no longer in the hands of their former captors. By the time their rescuers got a suppression field covering the room where they were holding the refugees, the sole voluntary guard from the compound had been reduced to something barely recognizable as having once been human. While Rose and her friends were largely spared the sight of the wreckage, the danger of being in a room full of angry, personally hostile elementals was clear to everyone.

Rose flashed on the scene in the basement, and was surprised that her reaction was little more than serious distaste. She was also a little surprised to notice that the reaction was purely her own, without the signature of Radar's meddling.

*I heard that.*

*And?* Rose challenged.

*And... you're right. You have worked through it.*

They returned their attention to the tasks at hand.

It was decided that they would do a quick sort by language, as a starting point. Since the rescuers mostly spoke English, they started with that. They quickly worked up a small script, and Rose stepped into the room to make her first announcement while her friends waited outside. The feeling of the suppression field was as unpleasant as ever.

"If you can understand what I am saying, please move over here to my left." She was careful not to gesture, so that reactions would be based mostly on her words. "We are going to see what we can do to help with your immediate needs and then get you home. For your safety and ours, we will be taking you to another room one at a time to as you some questions and see what we can do. You will have a chance to come back here before leaving, so you can say your goodbyes." A number of people had been moving toward her while she was talking.

She turned to her left. "If you understand me, please raise your right hand." she said, in a more conversational tone. Most of them did so, as did a few of the other people near her. "Ok, you can put them down. Who would like to go first?" Rose was somewhat taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm which greeted her question. Then again, she thought, what they had apparently gone through would leave just about anyone short of trust.

After a moment, a short woman in a torn lab coat stepped forward. "I'll go." Her tone was nowhere near as confident as her words. Rose smiled at her, and one of the people from the complex escorted the woman from the room. "The rest of you, please wait here and you will get your turn. "

Rose switched to the language the young man at the shrine primarily spoke, on the general theory that the group would be much smaller. "If you can understand me, please gather by the door to my right. I'll be with you in a moment." There was some more shuffling, and a few people moved to that door.

She turned back to the group at her left. "We'll try to answer your questions in the individual sessions, but if you have any immediate needs or concerns, please ask one of these people." She indicated the remaining people from the complex.

She moved to the people by the door and repeated her speech.

As she escorted her reluctant volunteer and a guard to toward the interview room, Radar got through to her. *Go back to the holding room! Some sort of violence has broken out in the group you were talking to.*

*What can I do?* There was just the hint of Rose's self image as a relatively weak little girl underneath the words.

*The guards are handling the physical part. You need to find out what is going on.*

Rose turned to the guard. "Bring her." was all he needed to hear. She turned to the woman they were escorted.

"We need to go back. Now." she told her in her language.

When they got back into the room, under the uncomfortable weight of the suppression field, the people she had been addressing were mostly off to the side, held at bay by three of the guards. On the floor near the door, one of rescuees was bruised and bleeding.

"What happened?" she asked in their language.

"She killed her!" "She betrayed the Heart!" "She's one of them!" "They killed the Heart!" Even with her powers, Rose had a hard time making sense of the noise. But what she did make out left her with a sinking feeling. She pointed to one of the speakers, told him to explain, and told the rest to be quiet.

His story confirmed her apprehension. In the time since she had been taken, Yamai's mother had quietly become an icon among the prisoners. As she had at her village, she became the defacto "Heart" of the compound. But an effect of her presence was that it had inspired a somewhat irrational hope and an even more irrational bravery among the prisoners. Quietly and secretly (or so they thought), they started to plan a rebellion and mass escape. As far as he knew, the Heart took no part in the plans. In fact, she may not have known anything about them: the plotters didn't want to sully her with such details.

The plan was dangerous and desperate. And not as secret as they had thought. On the day before it was to happen, just a few days before the raid that freed them, their captors announced that as a result of that plan some changes had been made to security. They also announced that they were making an example of the new leader of the "workers". Everyone recognized her screams of agony, and understood the significance when they abruptly stopped.

Rose felt sick. She flashed on the basement, but realized that those people had been kidnappers and murderers. And probably worse. This was an innocent woman, a kidnapping victim herself. And she was the mother of someone Rose sort-of knew.

The man didn't know how the word started going around that she had been betrayed, and by whom. He just knew that he had heard it from a number of other prisoners. He also had the impression that the word had spread most quickly among the locals, and more slowly among the others. He didn't know how many people had heard it outside of those he considered locals.

He was telling the truth. About the whole thing.

Rose told the man and the others to behave, and accompanied the beaten woman and a guard to a nearby room that looked like a doctor's examination room. She was joined there by Angel and Radar. While Angel worked on her superficial injuries and "looked" for deeper, more serious injuries, Rose and Radar questioned the beaten woman.

She was a water elemental, and had been at the compound for more than a year. Most of what she did at the compound involved separating pure water from the things that had been dissolved in it, and moving the water to another container. Her captors were more interested in the stuff that was left behind than in the water. She never knew what it was, but suspected it was some kind of drug.

A few hours before the announcement and execution, they had taken her to a room with a suppression field and questioned her. They told her they knew all about the plan, and gave enough details that she believed them. They did not ask her about plan details, but about people. And they made it painfully clear that they would not hesitate to punish anything they even suspected was a lie. She knew those people were ruthless and smart, and that hurting her wouldn't bother them in the least. She wasn't so much afraid of dying - that might almost be a relief - but of what they could do without killing her and how long they could do it. She told them everything she knew about who knew what and who was supposed to do what. Everything but one. When they asked, repeatedly, who was at the center of the plan, she honestly said that she did not know. But she couldn't help the image of the Heart coming up in her mind. Finally, about an hour before the announcement, they sent her back to her work area and warned that they were watching her.

When the Heart was killed in that way, she had the horrible suspicion that one of their mind readers had seen the picture in her mind despite the suppression field. That she had betrayed her to her death. She didn't remember sharing that suspicion with any of the others, but several of them had seen her being taken in for questioning and then returned to her work station.

Rose didn't know what to do about the situation. Luckily, she didn't have to. *The people here will deal with the situation. They are better equipped for that sort of thing.* Radar reassured her. But Rose could tell that Radar wasn't as confident about that as she pretended to be.

By the time Rose returned to the holding room, the first English speaker had returned from processing and she had reassured the others about the treatment they could expect. Rose went back to sorting people by language and assuring them that they would be helped and returned home. Once she had sorted them, the people running the place mostly supplied their own translators to process them. The few they couldn't do that for were handled with Rose's help.

After what seemed like weeks, it was time to go home. Only Rose, Radar, and Angel were still there. The others had gone home shortly after their debriefing. Shortly after they arrived in her bedroom, Robin appeared in response to a request from Radar. after sending the other two home, she turned to Rose and grinned. "Get lots of rest. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."

With that, she vanished as well. Rose was too tired and hungry to worry about it just then. Even though she had eaten a good lunch at the facility, and a later snack, her body was telling her it was long since time for dinner. Unfortunately, her clock was telling her it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. She didn't care what the clock said, and headed downstairs in search of food.

Tara was still out, presumably at the mall. It said something about how tired Rose was when she found the thought of a snack and rest at home more attractive than joining Tara and her friends at the mall for something from the food court. She grabbed some of the leftovers Tara had mentioned that morning, warmed them up, and settled in front of the tube for a distraction while she ate. She didn't want to spoil her dinner, so she kept her snack smallish.

It didn't help. After settling in on the sofa and turning on one of her shows (a benefit of Tara being out - no argument), she barely had any of it before she found herself elsewhere.

The two teams were powerful, but somewhat suspicious of each other. And since they were from different planets, they couldn't even communicate very well. Time was short, and they had to complete their mutual quest before returning to deal with the issues of their own worlds. They needed a hero - someone to bridge the worlds. Someone both teams knew and trusted.

Someone like her.

Each team would be acting as a unit, as before, but they would coordinate through her. They had different strengths and weaknesses, but together they could cover each other and deflect attacks aimed at those weaknesses. She was not clear about the details of the mission, but trusted the teams to know what they were doing as they all flew toward their objective. Before she knew it, everything was happening too fast for her to keep track of. She just allowed herself to do her part, passing their short hand comments back and forth between the teams so quickly that they were almost incomprehensible. The chaos around them increased, swirling and then coalescing into a looming figure which drew breath and shattered the world with the proclamation:

"You'll spoil your supper."

Rose's eyes snapped open and, after a moment of disorientation, focused on her mother. She was standing over Rose, looking pointedly at the still loaded plate in front of her. Mustering all the eloquence her powers could provide, Rose blearily looked her mother in the eyes and said "Huh?".

Shaking her head, her mother went on. "And your sister probably spent the day loading up on junk food at the mall, too."

"I heard that!" Came the rejoinder from upstairs. "And no I didn't. Besides, mall calories don't count. We burn them right off again with our high energy shopping!"

Rose shook her head. How much had she slept through, anyway?

Rose put her "snack" away, and settled in front of the tube. Two barely noticed, ancient Christmas specials later dinner was ready. The only thing she later remembered about the meal was her sister's snark "She certainly spoiled her appetite." as Rose finished her seconds (or was it thirds?) of almost everything.

After falling asleep again about ten minutes into the traditional post supper Christmas vid fest, she gave up and went to get ready for bed.

Morning came far too early, after a night of deep sleep blissfully free of memorable dreams.

*Wake up! Get ready for the day! You have company coming soon.* Radar's mental voice sounded much too cheerful.

*It can't be a Cassandra-gram,* Rose grumped back, *you sound too cheerful. What's up?*

*It's a surprise. Get up!*

Grumbling about wakeups by irritating telepathic morning people...

*I heard that!*

...Rose staggered into the bathroom, did her morning routine, and showered. Back in her room, she faced the choice of what to wear. With company coming, she didn't want to be too casual or too formal. In the end, she chose a comfortable outfit that would be good for shopping or getting together with friends.

Friends.

Rose had friends. More and better friends than she had two months ago. Not just classmates she sometimes did things with, but real friends of her own. Of all the recent changes she had been through - the MORFS, her powers, her "adventures", and all the rest - her new collection of friends was one of the most surprising and cheering.

Her musings were cut short by the sound of the front doorbell, followed by Tara's shout of "Rose! Door." She hurried down the stairs, to the unexpected sight of a familiar figure. "Hi, Robin!"

"Got a delivery for you, Rose." she replied, in full Flit mode. She stood aside, showing:

"Aoi! Kohaku! Maki! Yuko!" Unconsciously, she switched to Japanese. "You're here! Why are you here? How? When?..." she was a little embarrassed to realize that her reaction sounded just as incoherent in Japanese as it would have in English. And more so to realize they were still standing outside in the cold.

"Come in! Get out of the cold." She grinned, "Have a seat. Take off your coats."

As Rose was enthusiastically hugging each of her visitors, Tara raised her eyebrows a bit, smiled, and commented "So I take it you know these people?"

"Omygod! Introductions. Tara, these are the people who helped me during that mess in Tokyo." She switched back to Japanese. "Everyone, this is my sister, Tara." Back to English. "Tara, meet Aoi, Kohaku, Maki, and Yuko." At each name, Tara shook hands with the named person. "And you know Flit."

*What does she know about us?* Maki "asked" Rose.

*Only that you all helped disguise and hide me in Japan, that one of you is a telepath, one of you is the daughter of someone somehow linked with the business matter our father and I were there for, that one of you is some sort of executive assistant to that father, and that I stayed with his family. I didn't think the rest was mine to tell her.*

As Tara collected Maki's coat, she commented "You must be the telepath."

Maki looked at Rose, who translated. Rose translated her startled reply: "How did you know?"

Hanging up the coat in the front closet, Tara replied "Because Rose was looking at you when she went quiet. She doesn't do that often." Yuko grinned at the comment. Rose translated, including the snark, and the others grinned.

While Rose took Aoi's coat and hung it up, Tara turned to Yuko and collected her coat. While she did so, she commented "You must be the one working for the father."

"Yes. How...?"

"You understood my comment. As an executive assistant or whatever, you would have more reason to know English than the others."

Rose kept up a running translation for the others, and they looked impressed.

"Why not me?" Aoi asked, in heavily accented English.

"As your father's daughter, you probably would have reason to know some English, but not as much reason or opportunity to use it." As Rose translated, Tara continued with a grin "It was a guess, but I was kinda confident it was right."

"Morfs?" Kohaku asked, as Rose took his coat.

"Nah. Just good genes and competitive friends." Tara replied, then hung up the coat while Rose translated.

"Huh?" That needed no translation.

"Mom and Dad are both pretty smart. And my friends and I like to see who can come up with the most accurate guesses about people we see at the mall or school most quickly."

As Rose translated, the visitors nodded in understanding. Tara, playing hostess, asked whether the visitors would like anything. Rose's translation came out more like "Argh, where are my manners? Would you like anything? Cocoa? Cookies? Something else?"

Noticing the slight tension her visitors showed, she went on to reassure them "Our traditions of hospitality are very casual. Your answers and choices will not insult us or unduly burden us." They relaxed a bit, and she went on. "Who would like some cocoa? It's nice for coming in out of the cold." All but Robin smiled and nodded. When Rose looked at her, she just looked puzzled.

Rose mentally slapped herself on the forehead. "Want some cocoa?" she grinned. When Robin smiled and nodded, Rose turned to Tara.

"Could you get us all some cocoa, and some cookies? Please and thank you."

"I'll help." Robin volunteered.

As Tara and Robin went into the kitchen, Rose sat in her dad's recliner and her curiosity overflowed. "It's great seeing you all again, and so soon. But why are you here? What brings you to Colorado?" Her powers helped save her from misunderstandings of her near incoherent babbling.

With the people who didn't speak Japanese out of the room, the conversation flowed more easily.

Aoi started off the reply. "My father and some other business people are having a big, formal party tomorrow night. When we learned that my parents would be coming here for that, I talked him into bringing us along. And part of that is that we really want to meet the friends you told us about and learn more about being a power team. Eep!"

A cup of cocoa had appeared on the table in front of her, followed by others in front of Yuko, Kohaku, and Maki as the conversation continued. Another appeared on the table beside Rose's chair.

"I'm glad you did. I'll see what I can do about getting them together while you're here."

With a grin, Maki added "And we wanted to see you again, and see where you live. Fair is fair... you got to see our hangouts."

A plate of Christmas cookies appeared on the table. Kohaku was first to the plate, and the girls took a little more time over their selections. All but Yuko, who stood, adopted her formal face, and faced Rose.

"And speaking of what is honorable, I have something to say. Please call your sister in, as well."

"And Flit?"

"That would be fine."

Rose raised her voice a little. "Come on back in, girls."

Tara came in and stood by Rose's chair, while Flit stood over by the others.

Yuko sketched a brief bow to the sisters, then intoned in English "My Dana has instructed me to remind you of our discussion in his office. He accepts your offer and terms of friendship. And as you described, he charges that I remind you that due to the unfortunate events that day you lost something you had been promised."

Rose was puzzled for a moment, until she saw the grins on the other visitors' faces. Then she remembered: "The shopping trip!"

"Indeed. And I am to help remedy that loss, with the help of those who would have been your companions." She indicated her friends. "And if you find it agreeable, we would invite your sister to join us."

Rose tried to keep a straight face as she mused "I don't know..." then she broke into a grin "Sure. I wouldn't want to keep her from one of the great loves of her life." Yuko nodded, but the others looked puzzled. Rose thought a translation of her comment to Maki, who passed it on to the others. They smiled.

Yuko continued. "There is more to it than that. As a friend, he would ask a favor of you. First, I should explain some things: As you heard, he is here with his wife to attend a holiday gathering of business leaders. Your parents, and the head of your father's firm, have been invited and have accepted the appointment. Because several of the attendees have children of our general age range, and because he feels it would be good experience for me, he has charged me with organizing an equivalent party for them. The two of you are invited to that party, and we have taken the liberty of securing your parents' permission for you to attend. As a favor to him, he asks that your shopping trip be expanded to include helping his daughter and her friends secure appropriate outfits for the occasion."

"Including you?" Rose grinned.

Yuko allowed herself the ghost of a smile. "Including me. He also asks that you look favorably on the requests his daughter is about to make. Before she does, I must ask: do you find his request reasonable, and agree to it?"

"Uh... sure." Rose answered, bemused.

Yuko turned slightly, to face Tara. "And do you find these invitations acceptable?"

"Me? Yes, sure. Sounds good."

Yuko gave another short bow. "Thank you." Then she smiled, sat down, and sampled her cocoa. Finding it to her liking, she smiled again and selected a cookie.

Aoi turned to Tara. "My English is not so good as Yuko. I'm sorry to speak Japanese to your sister."

"I understand." Tara grabbed a cookie and dunked it in her cocoa, took a bite, then sighed happily.

Aoi continued, in Japanese. "Would it be possible to meet your friends before we go out shopping? I'd like to invite them along, and invite them to the party."

"I can see if they're available."

*Lena?* Maki looked a bit startled, then puzzled.

*Hey, Rose. Steppin' out on me? Who's the other telepath?*

*These are the people who helped me in Japan. They'd like to meet the team they heard so much about. Can you and the others come over?*

*I can. I'll check with the others and let you know in a moment.*

*Thanks.*

Rose noticed the odd look on Maki's face. "What?"

"You were talking to another telepath?"

"Yes...?"

"I could feel the activity, but I couldn't get any content."

"Well, we were 'speaking' English."

"It's not that. I should have been able to perceive something, even if it seemed like gibberish. But there was nothing."

"Huh. I don't know anything about that. You can ask Radar when she gets here.*

*Ok,* Radar broke in, *The Captain and I are free, Flit is on duty there and on call for a couple of other clients, and Angel can come now, but she's got to work this afternoon and evening. When do you want us?*

*Now?*

Tara and the Japanese contingent were startled when Flit vanished without fanfare, and three other people appeared one after another. And then Flit returned. David was still tucking in his shirt when he appeared. His embarrassment went down when he spotted the cookies. Looking a question at Rose, and receiving a nod, he helped himself to a couple of them.

Maki looked even more concerned than before. Rose asked her what was wrong.

"That time I didn't notice anything."

"Nothing to notice. There was no telepathy, just body language and how well we know each other."

Maki nodded, relieved.

In English, Rose said "Introduction time." Then she repeated it in Japanese. Then she went back to English. "Guys, these are the people who helped me in Japan. This is Aoi, Kohaku, Maki, and Yuko." She indicated each in turn, and the others waved greetings.

Then she turned to the others, and switched to Japanese. "Friends, these are the core members of the group I told you about. You already know Flit, and this is Radar, Angel, and the Captain."

Yuko gave David a frank looking over. "You look a lot better full size." she commented in English. Rose translated that to Maki, who relayed it to the others. They still looked puzzled. Radar moved over and put a possessive arm around his waist. That gesture needed no translation for the girls.

Rose explained in Japanese "She saw The Captain's doll sized projection when I was in the office after getting shot. He helped relay information about what happened to my Dad that day." Rose didn't know what he would want said about the role he played in saving her dad, so she didn't say anything. David put out his hand and created an illusion of himself, at about the same size he appeared in Japan, standing on his palm. Little David bowed, then vanished.

Some mismatched chairs appeared in the room, and the newcomers sat down.

*Rose, may I hook in for translation?* Radar asked. *It should make the conversation easier.*

*Sure.*

The room quickly fell silent, other than the sounds of cookies being eaten and cocoa being drunk. Tara mentally offered the newcomers some cocoa by way of Radar, and they accepted. As Tara went back into the kitchen, Radar kept her in the loop. Aoi followed her into the kitchen and offered to heat the water for her. Tara accepted, and moved to get out more cups and the cocoa and colored mini marshmallows. Before she could get out more cookies, the water was hot.

While she was mixing some of the cocoas and getting the cookies, Tara thanked Aoi for the way she, her family, and her friends took care of her sister in her time of need. Aoi, mixing the other cocoas, replied that it was their pleasure.

By the time they returned to the living room, several of the others had paired off. Angel was talking with Yuko about bio elemental issues, Radar and Maki were silently head to head, seemingly discussing the subtleties of telepathy or the like, and David and Kohaku were talking about baseball.

As they set down the cups and plate, Flit turned to Aoi. *Will you be needing me in the next half hour?*

*We shouldn't.*

With that, Flit vanished. As if it were a signal, the others turned back to the rest of the group. Rose grinned. *I suppose you are all wondering why I called you here today.* Kohaku looked puzzled, and Aoi told him it was an old business joke.

Rose hadn't really thought of it as a business joke, but she supposed that made a certain amount of sense. She just considered it a general group joke.

*When I was in Japan, I made some new friends who ended up saving my behind. In more ways than one. Just as the two groups of my friends, I would have wanted you all to meet. But there is more. While they are all morfs, and they spend time together as friends, they commented that they really wanted to learn how to work as a powered team, like the ones in the shows. You are the most effective team I know of, and the only one I am even a minor part of.*

*Don't sell yourself short,* Radar retorted. *You are as much a part of the team as any of us.*

Rose blushed at the compliment, then went on. *Of course, with the glowing descriptions I gave of your fantastic adventures, they knew they just had to meet you.* The humorous tone she maintained kept the discussion light. *So I hereby call this seminar on the care and feeding of Power Groups as being in session. Who would like to start?*

Aoi jumped in. *I have the obvious questions. What do you call your team? How did you get started? And how do you train?*

Radar fielded the questions. *Mostly, we just call the team "us". As to how we started, some of us were friends before it really started. I was a well trained, experienced telepath, David and Robin hadn't even gone through MORFS yet, and we hadn't even met Rose. Then, last summer,* she shifted to an overly dramatic mental tone, *She Appeared. Angel.* back to more of a normal tone. *She had gone through MORFS during her cross country move to here, and kept her poor neighborhood telepath up all night with her morning for what she lost in the process. You see, before the change she was... Hispanic!*

"Viva la raza!" Angel exclaimed with a smile.

*She was new in town, so I invited her to hang out with us. She had become a bio elemental, but not a very powerful one. But she also had a different way of looking at things. She was working on finding what unusual things she could do with what little power she had. And she encouraged the rest of us to do the same. At her suggestion, a light elemental friend of ours started working with light outside the visible spectrum and with creating laser effects. But her attitude didn't stop there. By the middle of the summer, she had two well paid part time jobs with great perks and a number of influential contacts. Then she got another idea. She wanted to do something like those "caper" movies. She had us catalog our resources - not just powers, but hobbies, contacts, parents, and all the rest - and we looked at that to see what we could put together. At about the same time, Robin and then David went through MORFS. We added their new powers to the mix, and started defining our roles and playing with scenarios for Angel's caper. We never really pulled that off, but other things happened and we handled them together. And last month Rose went through MORFS and came to our attention. We helped her with dealing with her change, and she helped us with some of the things that happened. She quickly became a full and valuable part of the team and a great friend.*

Rose blushed.

*I wouldn't say we "train" as such, but a lot of the time when we are hanging out together we suggest things for each other to try or for some of us to try together and then try them out. Like having the Captain scan a place and put an illusion there and then I transfer the location to Flit and she pops over to there.*

*Or one of my favorites,* Angel interjected, *where the Captain creates an illusion of something - or someone - in exactly the same place as the real one, then Flit 'ports the original away. To someone watching, nothing happens. Especially if they are not watching too closely.*

*And one really useful one is what we are doing now. I form a telepathic link with Rosetta and she subconsciously translates while I act as a communication hub for a conversation among people who speak different languages. That one really did take a bit of practice.*

Both groups looked startled as they realized how seamless and natural that process had seemed.

Kohaku was the first to recover and "speak up" while he reached for another cookie. *Is this the whole team?*

Angel answered that one. *Yes and no. We're what you might call the core group. We have other friends who do stuff with us but don't hang around with us as much. Star Dawn, the light elemental Radar mentioned, is one of them. Cassandra, Otter, and Flo are others. We aren't a formal group with strict criteria and procedures for membership - we are a group of friends who happen to spend a lot of time together one way or another. The others, for one reason or another, don't spend as much time with us.*

Aoi remembered a conversation she had with Rose back in Japan. *Do all of you have hero names?*

Angel laughed. *No, but it can seem that way. My name really is Angel. Angel O'Connor. Star Dawn is really named Star Dawn. And Flo, the water elemental, really is named Flo. Well, Florence, but she went by Flo long before she went through MORFS.*

Aoi and Yuko looked startled. Aoi asked *That water elemental, Flo... is that Flo Elway?*

*Yes. Why?*

*I know her. Her father and mine do business with each other. She will be at the party.*

*Party?* Angel asked.

Yuko explained. *Aoi's father - my danna - is one of the hosts of a holiday party tomorrow night for certain people in the international business community. He decided it would be a good idea to have another party at the same time, for their teenaged children. And that it would be good experience for me to arrange it. You all are invited, as well. Rose, Tara, and Flo will be there. So will all of us - even Kohaku.* she grinned.

Flit chose that moment to pop in. "What'd I miss?"

Angel grinned and replied. "Just the origin story for our team - including all your deep dark secrets."

"Not the prairie dogs!"

"We didn't get into your perversions. Just the other stuff."

Rose had been feeding a translation of the exchange to Maki, who relayed it to the others.

Aoi couldn't take it. *Prairie dogs?*

They described the legend of Pope Hill, and that Flit, the Captain, and Rose had all seemingly benefited from it. With emphasis on the fact that the whole thing was very mysterious. They mentioned some of the theories, including the "group mind" prairie dog notion. That started a discussion of power sets. The Americans described their powers. Yuko nodded when Angel demurred that she was a not very powerful bio elemental, although she was surprised at how short her range was. Rose simply commented that everyone there knew hers, conveniently leaving out the lie detector aspects. Radar went next, describing her telepathy, telempathy, and sight. She whipped out her collapsible cane and indicated her opaque eyes, mentioning that there were advantages to her physical blindness as well. Flit mentioned her teleportation, invisibility, and intangibility, but left out the time travel. When they ran down the list of David's powers, Kohaku slumped like he had just discovered he was the shortest in the locker room.

Yuko looked a little puzzled. *In the incident at the office, you signed the note as CP. I assume the C was for Captain, but the P?*

When David blushed and the girls burst out laughing, Yuko looked hurt. And Radar could tell that she was. They quickly filled the Japanese teens in on the origin of Captain Peeper, and soon all of the girls were laughing. Only Radar and Maki noticed that Kohaku was imagining himself in David's place, and all the sights to be seen. Both had "seen" far worse routinely, so they didn't pass the information on to the others. David was too busy blushing to respond, although he did see the humor in the situation.

Talk turned to the powers of the Japanese group. Maki described her telepathy and tk, lifting her cocoa cup to her hand in demonstration. Aoi described her fire elemental ability, manifesting a small flame on one palm in demonstration. When Kohaku described his electrical powers, David was excited.

*Cool! My mom is an electrical elemental. You two should get together while you're here. She'd love to meet you.*

*That reminds me,* Aoi commented, *We will be going on a shopping trip this morning, to get outfits for the party and some other things. I would like it very much if you could come along. And of course, choose outfits of your own - my father's treat.* she grinned.

Seeing their normal reflexive response to such an extravagant gesture starting to form, Rose thought to her American friends *If you say no, it will be a terrible insult. And a disappointment. Believe me, they can afford it.*

That said, they all happily accepted.

Yuko commented *The car should be here shortly. I will be in charge of paying for things and making other arrangements. And making the party arrangements. I know it is terribly presumptuous of me, but does anyone here have any suggestions about venues or caterers?*

The Americans cringed. *On a day's notice, this time of year? That could be... challenging.* Radar commented sympathetically.

Angel had an idea. *We know someone who knows a lot about such things. Let me give her a call. How many people, and how formal?*

Yuko replied *32 attendees, party formal. And thank you.*

*Don't thank me yet. She may not be able to help.*

Angel went up to Rose's room, and made the call. After a brief consultation with the lady herself, she was transferred to one of her assistants. As she had expected, the rooms at the spa were busy, as were most of the usual venues. On the other hand, some of the names involved carried a power even MORFS couldn't match. After promising to get back to her, the full power of Mrs. Tabor's organization bent to the task. Angel went back downstairs.

*I should know shortly.*

Yuko thanked her again, and let the others know that the car was out front. The car turned out to be a stretch limo, large enough to hold all ten of them comfortably. As they were settling in, their mental chatter went silent for a moment. Then Radar sent them all a single word: Cassandragram.

End part 15