Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter one

Scott's blood ran cold, as the fear, from what he was seeing, held him motionless. He was sure the pounding of his heart as it gathered itself for the flight or fight demand, would be plainly heard by those gathered below him, not a few hundred feet from where he was crouched. Scott cursed his old clunker for expiring in the middle of this barren landscape, leaving him to foot it alone. If it hadn't, he would have been miles away, safe in the city with his friends, instead of having to find a camp for the night in this god forsaken spot. Obviously, this was the ideal spot to land a spaceship without being observed. Yes! A spaceship that had caught Scott's eye, as it descended in the evening sky, as he searched for a sheltered spot off the road to bed down.

He had crawled forward to see the ship land, keeping his body hidden, by the sparse undergrowth. He could see several people, who he assumed were human, by their appearance, standing by a beat up Ford crew cab pickup. The dull, metallic looking ship was gray in appearance and around fifty foot across. It landed with a low thrumming vibration, which sent shivers through Scott's body. Visions of nightmarish beings coming out of the ship had Scott holding his breath. The reality of it, when an iris like portal opened in the ship, was disappointing. One of the people standing by the truck had lifted the hood and fiddled with something, before walking towards the portal in the ships side. He disappeared, followed by the others, who were carrying several metal boxes. The door closed silently like a camera shutter and sealed invisibly before the craft lifted off. The level of noise increased slightly, as the craft moved upwards, barely disturbing the ground below it, as it headed for the heavens.

Scott scrambled down to the landing area, intent on finding some evidence left behind of what had just occurred. The pickup, still with its hood up, was the first thing Scott examined. Peering in at the engine was a disappointment; no futuristic flux capacitors or other unearthly looking engine sat there, but there was something glowing there. Something that reminded Scott of the movie "Predator," where at the end, the mortally wounded alien used a device to blow himself up. The device had a circular disc with concentric rings cut up into segments. The segments were mostly all lit up, but as Scott looked, several segments went dark. It was a bomb; Scott knew that instinctively, it was there to destroy any evidence of the truck. Scott's first thought was to run, but then he decided to try to remove the bomb. Maybe the truck could serve as temporary transport out of here. He knew that if it was nuclear he wouldn't have a chance either way, as there was no way to get far enough away to be safe.

There was a deep ravine nearby, hopefully deep enough to contain the resulting explosion. Scott worked feverishly to free the bomb from where it was fastened to the engine. More than two thirds of the lighted segments were dark, by the time he had it free. He carefully stepped to the ravines edge and tossed it in, turning to run to the leeward side of the truck in case it exploded on impact. Thirty seconds passed, before a low "crump" sound preceded a wave of intense heat that rose up into the desert air. Scott waited until he was sure it was safe to stand, brushing the dirt from his jeans, from lying on the ground. The ravine now had a glassy look to it from the effects of the explosion, and Scott was glad he'd decided to throw the device down there, rather than try and run from it.

He turned to the truck to see if there was anything unusual about it, but he came up with nothing. Climbing into the cab, he started the truck, revving it momentarily. He shifted into low and drove the creaking truck up the slope heading back to the main highway. He stopped to pick up his bag with his clothes in from where he'd left them, and threw it into the tray at the back of the truck, before heading west along the blacktop. Taking a chance at being hauled up for driving a vehicle he didn't own; Scott set off to complete his journey.

He along with three school friends had decided to head for the big smoke for a chance at a new life, far away from the one horse town of Orderville, Utah, on highway 89. William, Kevin and Daniel, had headed off together a few days earlier, William taking them in his old Buick. Scott had to stay behind, while he did some repairs to the radiator in his ramshackle Studebaker, repairs that had held up to somewhere between Rachel and Tonopah, north of the Nellis bombing range in the Nevada desert. San Francisco was going to be their final destination, a place to start a new life and meet some nice girls.

Scott was driving carefully, mindful of the rattles and squeaks of the old truck. He wondered why it had been so important to destroy it, as an abandoned pile of junk like this was, wouldn't have drawn much attention. His thoughts turned to the aliens, if that's what they were. Were they gathering information? Being near to the Nellis Air Force Base, lent credence to that idea, but was it aliens, or just some secret experimental craft, maybe it was one of those suspected crashed UFO's from area 51. Spotting a track leading off the main road, Scott drove the truck down until the low shrubs hid him and the truck from view from passing traffic. Stopping, he got out some crackers and a bottle of water from his bag on the tray of the truck, his only food till he restocked somewhere further on. Pulling out a blanket, he snuggled down to try and sleep on the tray at the back of the truck. Sometime in the night, the chill desert air drove him to get into the back of the cab and spend the rest of the night crunched up on the bench seat.

Driving along in the morning with the sun glancing in from the rear, Scott stopped at Tonopah for a quick breakfast. No one looked askance at the truck with its unshaven occupant, as he started back on the road, hoping the truck would stay together till he reached Sonora. He passed a police cruiser parked off on the side of the road somewhere between Basalt and Benton and although he drew no attention, he unconsciously speeded up, wanting to put as much distance between them as he could. He found that the truck accelerated faster than he expected and was soon hitting the limit of 80 mph shown on the speedometer. The truck was handling smoothly on the flat road and Scott was surprised to feel the truck was still accelerating. Checking the speedometer, he gasped as the dial itself started to rotate, revealing the speed to be 95 mph. Scott, still feeling in control kept his foot pressed down on the pedal. As the truck hit 100mph, the noises that had been a constant worry as to its reliability, quieten to nearly nothing. Taking a chance, Scott took the truck with its now quiet thrumming sound to 150mph, before he chickened out, due to a curve in the road coming up. He knew the truck had even more in it than that, which meant it was no ordinary truck, despite its appearance.

Slowing down to the posted speed limit heralded the return of the rattles and squeaks. Something Scott assumed was more for show than indicating any frailty. Scott looked over the dash of the truck, looking for anything that might explain its miraculous performance. He saw no secret nitrous oxide injection system, not that he believed that was the reason, but it was more a case of eliminating the mundane possibilities before assuming the impossible and exotic alien technology. The only thing he did notice was a knob that looked out of place, almost hidden under the steering column. It had some unidentifiable markings indicating that it rotated. Tentatively, he turned it around to the next setting, but nothing happened that he could see. None of the settings seemed to do anything unusual. A blast on a horn brought his attention back to the road, as a car heading the opposite way swerved to avoid hitting the truck as his inattention had caused it to veer into the other oncoming lane. Flicking the knob back to what Scott thought was the original setting, he concentrated on the road not noticing that it was on the second setting.

Traffic was building slightly as he got closer to civilization and the road got windier. Suddenly a siren sounded behind him indicating a police cruiser on his tailgate. Scott panicked and instinctively floored the accelerator. The truck leapt forward leaving the cruiser behind in his wake. Now Scott cursed, knowing even if he stopped he could be arrested and with a stolen truck, any thing could happen. He continued to race ahead reaching 180 mph. The cruiser dropped behind, but Scott knew he wasn't out of trouble yet. He fully expected to find a roadblock ahead. As he was wondering how he could escape his inevitable capture, fate took a hand. As he and the vehicle dipped out of sight of public view in a dip in the road, things became very weird.

It seemed as if reality flowed and altered. He slowed to a crawl, luckily maintaining control of the car as he wondered what was happening. As he eased onto the broad shoulder of the road, the first thing he noticed was the truck seemed to alter, becoming lower and more streamlined, as well as changing from brown to red. Even his fingernails turned red as he clung to the changing steering wheel as the truck morphed and twisted into a new shape. Scott could feel his body changing; parts of him were enlarging and also diminishing. Looking with a sense of fear into the rear vision mirror, he could see his face changing and his hair growing longer and blonde as the car slowed and rumbled onto the shoulder. The change had only taken a few seconds allowing no time to fully comprehend the extent of the alterations. The strident wail of a siren changing pitch from the Doppler Effect jolted his thoughts back to the mundane, as a police car rocketed past in a blur of motion. In spite of his strange experience, Scott felt relief that he had somehow avoided being caught by the police. Scott pulled over to the side and stopped the car. Stepping out, he realised his clothes had changed too, becoming a mini skirt and a blouse that was tied under his breasts leaving his smooth tanned midriff bare.

"Breasts!! I have BREASTS??" He cried out loud with sudden realisation. 'I'm a girl,' he thought, wonderingly, feeling all over himself. Make that herself, for she found out in her exploration, that Scott junior was gone. Scott walked around the car checking it out, not realising at the time that she wasn't having any problem walking in the 4-inch heels she was wearing; in fact, she was still too shocked to realise how natural her movements were. The truck had disappeared; in its place was a red Trans Am. A quick check under the hood revealed the engine looked perfectly normal for such a vehicle.

Scott didn't realise what a picture he or rather she was presenting to the world. A well-endowed, sexily clad young woman, bent over the engine compartment of a sporty car. A car pulled over in front of her and out popped two young men who sauntered back admiring the view. Scott stood up as one asked the inevitable question, "Do you need a hand there?" Scott blushed, feeling embarrassed to be seen as an object of desire, seeing that the guy was speaking to her new chest.

"No thanks, I was just checking the fluid levels," she responded in her new feminine voice. Inwardly, she cringed at the sexy way she sounded. The two guys reluctantly turned around, walking back and getting back into their car, as Scott closed the hood and got back into the Trans Am. She noticed as she fastened the seat belt, the way the strap went between her breasts. In its former truck appearance, there had been only a lap belt. Scott got under way hoping to sort out things later when she could have some privacy. She saw no point in getting worked up about her gender change, as this body seemed strangely comfortable. She saw the car that had stopped, was now following behind. Her adherence to the posted speed limit soon drove them to show off and they decided to overtake her in a show of masculine pride for their car. On a whim, she accelerated also, keeping right up their tailpipe. The boys tried to lose her, but wanting to see if this incarnation had the same speed as its predecessor, Scott wound the car up, finally overtaking the boy's car as she reached 150 mph, after they chickened out. She kept her foot down, reaching 250 mph before she, chickened out as things started to blur past. Her reflexes seemed enhanced and seemed to anticipate the small adjustments needed to control the car at that speed. She held at that speed for several miles, before resuming her previous legal speed. She laughed as the boys caught up and stayed behind her this time.

Luckily, for them they did, as further down the road, the police had set up a roadblock. She saw the police unit that had started to chase her there as well. The officer looked pissed as he argued with his fellow officers, that they must have seen the truck, as there were no roads leading off from the main one. Scott opened her window, as an officer approached, signalling her to stop.

"Hello Miss, can I see some identification and vehicle registration please?" he asked.

Scott reached instinctively up to the sun visor where Scott usual kept his registration papers, before realising, that she had no idea if they would be there. Luck was with her revealing the cars registration folded neatly under a flap. She took it out and handed it to the officer.

"Is there a problem officer?" she asked, trying to gain time to figure out where her wallet would be, seeing she no longer had any pockets in her skirt.

"Did you happen to see a brown Ford truck in the last 20 miles?" he asked checking out the interior of the car as he did so.

"No sorry officer, I haven't seen anything like that in over a 100 miles," she replied, sighing in relief as she spotted a handbag on the seat across. She opened it hoping that whatever magic/technology had changed her, had also given her a valid ID. Opening the wallet, she found various items of interest besides her drivers license, handing it over; she managed to see her name before the officer read it out loud. 'I'm Sara Connor?' she mused, smiling inwardly at the thought of having the same name as the woman in the Terminator movie. 'How apt, talk about science fiction,'

"Miss Connor, can you pop your trunk? It's just a routine check, to ascertain that there are no unauthorised hitchhikers," he offered with a smile.

Sara/Scott had a moments doubt if they spotted her old bag with Scott's stuff in it, as she pulled the release.

Another officer walked past her, tipping his hat as he queried the first officer.

"No just a suitcase," she heard him answer, as the second officer continued on to the car behind. The first officer closed the trunk lid and waved to those at the roadblock to allow the newly named Sara through. Sara drove on, managing to put aside her worries for the moment about this strange situation, instead, relishing the more comfortable conditions in the Trans Am compared with the truck. The air conditioner kept the heat at bay and the car was very responsive under her slender fingertips.

She resumed driving on a sort of autopilot, wondering why she wasn't screaming out against this sudden change in gender. Scott hadn't been one of those males that thought females were somehow inferior. His normal curiosity about what it might be like to be of the opposite sex was being answered, but that didn't explain the acceptance of the situation to the point of feeling normal, even the acceptance of using feminine pronouns like she and her in her mind. 'Was it a function of the alien technology to make the aliens blend in?' One thing she was sure of, it was reversible. The vehicle had the ability to change both its appearance and the occupants inside. When the aliens abandoned it, it was a truck, which led Sara to believe that the changing option had been used for whatever reason and had then been returned back to a truck. First, she needed to explore the identity of this Sara Connors, and then try and discover the mechanism that initiated the change.

Civilisation in the form of Oakdale had her heading towards Manteca and from there, north to Stockton where she would stay the night in a hotel. San Francisco was close enough to reach in a few hours the next day. Scott was supposed to contact the others at an address in Fremont that had been pre arranged.

She found out that being an attractive female had its advantages, when Sara stopped outside one of the better looking hotels in Stockton. She had someone park her car for her and bring in the one piece of luggage that she now appeared to own. Taking only her handbag, she clicked her way to the reception desk to book a room for the night. She took out the platinum credit card she had seen in her purse when she had to find her drivers license for the police. She paid in advance and ordered a meal to be sent to her room. The luggage got there almost before she did, with the bellhop paying her much attention as she searched for a tip in her purse.

As soon as she was alone, she went into the bathroom to examine her new body in some detail without any prying eyes. She saw a statuesque strawberry-blonde haired, young woman, around twenty one-two years old, with nicely sized breasts. Her new body seemed to be only a few inches shorter than Scott's, but it was hard to judge, without a tape measure. She examined her face, seeing the fresh-faced innocent bloom of youth enhanced by a subtle mix of cosmetics. A sudden thought had her wonder how she might have to recreate that look, if she was stuck in this body for longer than she expected. Sara Connors was very attractive, and had Scott met her before the change, he would have counted himself very lucky.

Sara took off her clothes, to further explore this body from a more personal viewpoint. It wasn't till she reached behind her back and adroitly removed her bra without any difficulty, that this enhanced her suspicion that there must be some sort of built in ability to cope with the changes, after all, aliens would probably need the help even more to dress as a female on this world. Sara wondered if that might be the reason she felt so comfortable in this body. Taking in the sight of her sexy body, seemed to confirm that there was some sort of automatic programming. Instead of feeling lust and sexual attraction for the image in the mirror, she found herself checking out her butt and silhouette to see how she compared with the average female standard for her age. A sense of pride that she fell into the upper range of attractiveness was the most evident emotion. She did explore her new sex, but only so far as to see the differences. Just a quick probe to her clit was enough to make her wonder what it would be like to have sex as a female, not that she planned to go out on the prowl that night.

She turned back to walk naked into the bedroom to check out her "luggage." Opening it revealed that she now had at least four complete outfits, with a selection of tops and skirts. A small case inside revealed that it contained makeup and other feminine essentials. She took out a piece of flimsy black material and held it up, realising it was a nightie, a baby doll in fact if she was any judge. She took it and some toiletries into the bathroom and started to take a shower. Wow! That was different. This newly minted body didn't react well to the harsh scrubbing Sara started out with. Being more sensitive, the skin only required soft wipes of the washcloth. Sara wondered if she should look for one of those fluffy nylon poufs, which her sister used to use before she moved out with her boyfriend. Looking in the mirror after the she had finished in the shower, she saw that the makeup on her face was still partially in evidence. After wrapping her wet hair expertly in a towel turban, she rummaged through the toiletries till she saw the bottle of makeup remover. Using some cotton balls, she carefully returned her face to its natural look. Still attractive, she could see how the makeup had enhanced her natural beauty without being overdone. Clad in her nightie, she went back to the bedroom to check out the contents of her handbag, while she waited for her dinner order.

She slipped on a robe when a knock on the door announced the arrival of dinner. She took the offered meal and ate it distractedly, as she digested the information she had found. The handbag and the purse confirmed that she had a valid ID as Sara Connors. She was twenty-Two years old, a year younger than Scott had been. It also revealed that she owned a condo at Half Moon Bay. Sara assumed this was a genuine home, not a fictitious fabrication; after all, even aliens have to live somewhere while they do whatever it is, they do on earth.

It seemed she had a job as well; there were security swipe cards with her new ID on them with her level of clearance, proclaiming that she worked for the US military as a temporary clerk. Sara wondered what that entailed and was shocked to feel the information flooding into her consciousness, detailing her job and her fellow colleagues. Wow! She had a job and apparently was on leave at the present moment. Checking the memories stored in this body, Sara Connors had a healthy bank account and owned the condo outright. 'Hmmm, maybe being Sara for a bit longer could turn out to be rather profitable,' was the thought that crossed the former Scott's mind. Sara decided to check out the condo, before contacting her friends. Anyway, she needed time to find out how to change back, and it wasn't far from where the others were staying. She wondered what they would say if she showed up as Sara, while proclaiming to be Scott. Maybe, (and this thought surprised her,) she might want to interact with one of them in a sexual way, sort of break the new body in. Her body reacted to the thought of sex, with a hardening of her nipples and a feeling of moist warmth between her legs.

Dragging her thoughts back to the here and now, it seemed that as Sara, she had a completely new life set up for herself. This gave her a sense of relief that if she ended up being stuck in this form, at least she could survive in the sense of a home, a job, and some financial security. The first thing was to check out the condo and see if there was any information to be gathered on Sara Connors. Climbing into bed, she realised her sleeping habits had to be modified slightly. Sleeping on her stomach, as Scott used to do, was uncomfortable, so she turned onto her side after sweeping her hair upwards onto the pillow so it wouldn't get tangled. Realising her earrings were still in as they rubbed against the skin of her neck, she adroitly removed them and placed them on the bedside table. Sighing softly, she prepared to take her first nights rest as a female.

Awakening suddenly, it took a few seconds to chase away the remnants of the odd dreams Scott, now Sara, had experienced. Scott usually had vivid dreams, but now experiencing them as Sara with the altered viewpoint of seeing herself as female in the dreams, gave a whole new meaning to the word "different."

Sara washed the sleep from her eyes, after using the toilet. This was another instance where the bodies programming became evident as she sat automatically and wiped herself correctly without even thinking. She dressed, choosing to use the same clothes as yesterday, with just a change in panties. She brushed her hair into a simple style, glad that her hands seemed to know what to do. Makeup went on in a similar fashion, as long as she didn't consciously try to control the movement of her hands, it went on flawlessly, recreating the look of yesterday.

Breakfast over without any drama; she had her luggage brought out to her car, before she set off for Half Moon Bay. A quick stop to buy a local map book soon had her heading to her destination. The address of the condo was located near the beach, off Kelly Avenue. She turned right onto Balboa Blvd. Finding the number, she saw the condo. The place certainly had an excellent ocean view. She drove into the property slowly, feeling somewhat like an intruder. As she neared the house, a beeping sound from some hidden place behind the dashboard started the built in garage door opening automatically. Sara drove in, seeing it was expected, wondering what other surprises were in store. Getting out of the car, she opened the door that led into the condo's interior. It was empty, with no signs that anyone else lived there. She spent the next hour going painstakingly over the house. Apart from a few photos in the main bedroom of Sara with a young man, there was no sign of others having lived here. The Sara in the picture, looked somewhat older than her current age, but whether it was just a bad picture or the effect of makeup, she couldn't tell.

Checking the obvious, she saw that there was still food in the refrigerator. Sniffing the milk in its carton, she decided that the entity that was the previous Sara Connors must have left only a day prior. There was one phone message, from a man calling himself Ken. From the message content, she figured it was from her 'boyfriend.' He was asking why she hadn't called. Sara wasn't too happy to have an instant boyfriend, despite curiosity about the prospect of sex as a female; it was way too soon to even contemplate it. One thing struck her, as she looked around. There was no sign of disarray, or signs of hurried departure or things left untidy. It was as if Sara Connors had just left one day never to be seen again. Sara was sure that the beings that had departed weren't coming back. Why destroy the truck otherwise? Whatever their mission, it must have been completed. Sara did find papers in a cupboard, which showed the ownership and deeds to the place with her name on them. Sara did a quick calculation of the worth of the property and was staggered by the value she had roughly worked out. If she was prepared to stay as Sara while she sold it, she could be a multimillionaire. The only downside was having to remain female to accomplish it. Although, if she couldn't find how the mechanism worked, she may have to keep the condo and possibly the job Sara already had with the military.

Getting peckish, she stopped her investigations, to scrounge up a meal. Finding plenty of food in the cupboards, she made herself some chicken sandwiches after checking that the cold left over chicken in the fridge was still fresh. A glass or two of white wine, also in the fridge, accompanied the meal. Eating it out on the deck leading out from the kitchen, Sara relaxed on the outdoor furniture as she looked out over the ocean. Reluctantly, she finished up and went downstairs to the garage.

Once back in the car, she looked around for a while before discovering that the strange knob she had fiddled with before wasn't on its original setting. Turning it back did nothing, until on a hunch she started the car. At once, the strange sensation of being transformed again hit her, as the car morphed back into a Ford pickup truck.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, as Scott returned to his old body. Checking that everything was intact, and that his clothing had altered back into jeans and a tee, Scott was determined to check out the other settings of the knob. Turning it quickly to the third position, he felt the same blurring effect in his vision, as forces beyond his understanding, again changed both the vehicle and his body.

For and instant the truck flashed red then blue, as it passed through the red Trans-am model to a Volvo station wagon. The physical change of going from male to a partial change back to Sara and then on to another male, made him feel queasy, as his internal organs rearranged themselves. Scott looked in the rear vision mirror to see an older man about 35 years old. Scott climbed out of the Volvo, finding himself in a dark suit. Checking in his pocket, he found a wallet that proclaimed him to be Steven Ellery, married with two children, according to the photos of his (presumed) wife and children. One of who looked about Sara's age and just as cute. The other was a boy, slightly younger with similar features to the girl, but with dark hair, not blonde.

Scott wondered if the wife and family were still around as actual people, or just part of the same group of aliens disguised as a family unit. A thought crossed Scott's mind about what would happen if there were more than one in the car when the change was activated. Would the others become the 'family?' It led to possibilities for more interesting experimentation. 'Maybe his friends could help out in trying that possibility,' he thought with a grin.

Wanting to try out another setting, he got back in and tried the next setting. Scott found himself changing into a female again, this time; he felt his breasts expanding much further, as the Volvo changed into a pink VW convertible. 'Wow! This body is stacked, a real wet dream,' was Scott's first thought, as he checked out her new body. Finding the purse sitting next to him/her, she took it upstairs to the bathroom mirror, where she looked in more detail at this voluptuous body of hers.

Jennifer, as the purse confirmed, was wearing a halter top and a cotton skirt. Her breasts were huge, 46 DD, according to the sizing inside the bra that she had removed in order to ogle her assets better. Her age was 24 according to her driver’s license, and she found that she had a job as an air hostess with Quantas, an Australian airline. 'I guess a job with an airline where one can get into many different countries with little or no effort, would be advantageous for an alien from another world,' thought the now Jenniferised Scott. Trying to fathom the reason for the alien visit and what they had found out was a pointless exercise. 'So many possibilities, and not enough information,' the feminised Scott reasoned. No point worrying about invasion, or other sinister plots born of the many sci-fi scenarios born of popular fiction. Scott decided not to divulge his knowledge of contact from another species, no telling where he'd end up. Those tales of government interrogation and secret agencies did scare him.

Jennifer/Scott was so turned on by his sexy image in the mirror; she/he started feeling aroused and moisture gathering in that as yet unexplored nest between her legs, called out to her burgeoning excitement. A little game of sticky finger soon had her gasping as she sat on the edge of the bath. Jennifer came with a rush, her body suffusing with both heat and languidness as the feeling of her first female orgasm flowed throughout her body before slowly ebbing.

Jennifer took a slow shower, enjoying the sensations as she gently lathed her body with a soapy cloth. She barely contained the urge to fondle herself to another wonderful orgasm, deciding that she could be her, any time she wanted. Feeling naughty, she went down to the car naked, leaving the clothes generated by the car on the floor of the bathroom. She got in and tried some more of the settings, becoming several different people in turn. Most of the options ended up with Scott being female, something that had him speculating. 'Were females more likely to be able to gather information than males? Maybe they were using feminine wiles and the power of sexual attraction? Most of the security issues were handled by the male segment of the country so by being female, they could get closer to the people with the right information. Who knows, maybe they had other powers of extracting the information they were after,' thought Scott having returned to his original body.

There was one more thing that Scott decided to do, before contacting her friends. The setting that produced the Volvo belonging to family of Steven Ellery had a residential address in nearby Sacramento. Seeing it wasn't too far away, Scott decided to check it out by assuming the identity of one of the family. As a further experiment, Scott started the truck up and shifted over into the passenger's seat, before moving the knob to the Volvo setting. Once the change was completed, a feminine sounding "Yes!!" came from the former Scott's body. Scott was now the wife of Steven, according to the driver's license she hurriedly pulled out of her new leather purse. Having confirmed the theory that the position in the car while the knob was activated was all-important to who you became, Margaret Ellery carefully eased herself out of the passenger door and got into the drivers seat. Carefully adjusting her butter soft leather mid calf length skirt so that it wouldn't wrinkle, she tucked an errant strand of her shoulder length honey blonde hair behind her ear with an automatic gesture, before reversing the car back out of the garage.

Somewhere in the mind that looked out of the eyes of this attractive thirty year old woman, a voice was questioning the way her feminine actions had seemed so natural. Why did she choose to become female when a perfectly good male body was available? She argued with the male part of her mind as to whether it just was part of checking out a theory, or a desire to experience further, the feminine side of life. Thoughts that Scott was turning gay, or that he was a latent transsexual, were quashed with difficultly. Perhaps the fact that living in a female body was sexual turn on for a male mind, given that despite only having been a woman for barely a day, it felt perfectly normal to be one. Was the programming that good? Alternatively, was there something else she was overlooking? Scott knew one thing for sure. Becoming an older man didn't have much going for it, but becoming a woman, even a mature one, had a certain attraction. It was a buzz to become someone whose body was radically different, to experience living with breasts and a vagina was a choice that couldn't be turned down.

Letting her body remember the best route to her home, Margaret drove the Volvo though the early afternoon traffic, till she reached Sacramento. The home at Rolling Green Drive was between the Sacramento River and the Lighthouse Golf and Country Club. The stately home was set back down a drive lined with trees. The gates were open and as Margaret approached the house slowly, the auto garage opener in the car beeped a warning as it neared the double garage built on the side of the house. Both doors opened, and Margaret gasped as an identical Volvo to the one she was driving was revealed. It had the same registration number and looked identical, except for one thing. There was no knob. It looked as if this was just an ordinary car. Obviously, one morphing car was sufficient for their purposes and was less likely to be discovered.

Margaret found a key in her purse as she approached the front door. It wasn't needed, as the door was unlocked. Whether that was on purpose to help would be burglars, ransack the place, or they saw no need to lock it in the first place, she couldn't speculate. She entered, closing the door behind her and locked it. Maybe aliens had no concept of the use of locks, but she didn't want to be disturbed while she explored the place.

It looked similar to Sara's place, as if the family had just gone out for the day. The bedrooms still had clothing and the usual things that accumulate over the years. No sign of hurried departure or untidiness from a forced evacuation, there was food in the fridge and cupboards. Trying to recall any information from the built in memories of the body, Margaret found that she didn't have a job as such, but Steven was a naval attaché, her role seemed to be more involved with social gatherings with others in the naval arena. Perhaps she was gathering information in a more informal way, through the wives of high-ranking officers.

Margaret was puzzling over what vehicle to entice her friends into first, the Volvo or the truck. She decided the truck was the only option, as then at least she could talk to them as Scott. If they used the Volvo as their default mode, would that mean that they couldn't become the Ellery family? Margaret had another thought, what if they were in the Volvo as themselves and changed the knob to another setting, on returning it back to the Volvo setting, would they return to their original bodies? Or would they become the Ellery's? If so, how could they get back to their normal male bodies? She shuddered, realising the risk she as Scott had taken getting into the truck. Scott could easily have been changed into someone else forever, when he'd turned the knob back to the truck mode.

Deciding to call her friends, Scott returned to his body and marvelled again, as the truck shimmered into existence from what had been a Volvo. Scott sighed, as he looked down at his missing cleavage. Breasts might be strange to experience, but they had their good points too. He sniggered at the unintentional pun, as he walked into the house to phone his friends.

Scott waited and watched as his three friends smoked into the driveway of the Ellery's residence. The old Buick had seen as many miles as Scott's now defunct Studebaker. Looking at the oil smoke coming from the exhaust, as the car coughed to a halt, he knew it was time to dump it. He'd told them that he was staying free at the Ellery's and for them to pack up and come over too.

"Hey! Some house you got here," Daniel exclaimed.

"Yeah, how come you got to house sit these folks place?" grumbled William, as he checked out the gabled frontage.

"Nice," was Kevin's only comment, as he eyed the place speculatively.

"Come in, there's more surprises inside," Scott laughed.

They all trooped inside, admiring the decor and more importantly the contents of the fridge and wet bar. Soon, all had cans of beer, bar Scott, who mixed up a cocktail from the bar. Feeling rather wicked, Scott decided to play a prank.

"Hey you guys, I'd like you to meet someone, I'll just go get her," he said, trying not to laugh out loud.

"You have a girl stashed here?" scoffed Kevin, knowing how unlikely that was, given Scott's shyness with the fairer sex.

"Sure, she's a knockout," replied Scott, as he headed out towards the door to the garage.

The guys laughed as Scott disappeared, and argued amongst themselves, as to how many paper bags were going to be needed.

Scott got into the truck, hoping they wouldn't follow, should they hear it start up. He selected the Jennifer option, hoping to leave the boy's drooling when they caught sight of her. In less than a minute, Jennifer strutted back inside and stopped just inside the doorway unseen as yet, by her friends. She struck a pose with one hand up on the side of the door above her head and the other on her jutting hip as Jennifer looked in at the oblivious guys as they continued drinking and still commenting on what a dog Scott would drag in.

"Woof woof, boys, want to take me walkies?" she asked in her sexy voice, as she watched the stunned expressions on the guy's faces.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Two

Scott, inside the very sexy form of Jennifer watched the expressions flitting across her friend's faces, surprise, shock, and lust and embarrassment, given what they had been discussing.

"Hi, we are friends of Scott. My name is Kevin, and this is William and Daniel," Kevin opened with. He stood and walked over to her, offering his hand

"I'm Jennifer Adams, I meet Scott a few days ago took him to bed with me, he's a real stud, when he gets going." Scott was nearly busting a gut inside Jennifer's calm sexy exterior, as the expressions on the faces of his friends, showed surprise, admiration, envy, and jealousy. She allowed Kevin to take her hand, and felt a shiver of excitement go though her body at the contact.

"Our Scott?" William asked incredulously.

"Yes, Scott with the little scar on his butt," she replied. Giving them verification of her intimacy with Scott, as she mentioned the mark Scott had got several years earlier from an accident on a barbed wire fence. Scott had been fleeing from a orange gathering raid into a neighbours place with the others, and caught himself on the fence as they scrambled over in there haste to avoid being caught red handed.

"Do you like my body?" she asked coquettishly, batting her eyelashes at the guys, as she looked up at them though her bangs with a slightly angled head.

"Oh yes, it's superb," echoed a chorus of agreement.

"I bet you would like my body?" Jennifer spurred them on. Seeing them nod frantically, she continued. "Want to know what to do to get a body like mine?" she asked, licking her lips suggestively.

"Yes!" chorused the guys simultaneously.

"Then, just do what Scott tells you, okay?" Jennifer said, as she walked amongst the guys, touching them with a trailing arm as she ran her hand over their chests as she passed by. Jennifer didn't need to look to know that the guy's pants were straining under renewed tension. She walked away, back to the door she had entered from, giving them a wink and a little wave.

Jennifer had to almost force herself to walk away. This body of hers was so turned on, it took all the will she could summon not to give those randy boys something to remember. She quickly reverted to Scott, before she lost control, realising that the Jennifer form must have a raised libido level. It was fun being Jennifer. Scott hoped the guys might find it so, as well. Making preparations for what he had in mind, with the use of an old broomstick, he went back in to see the boys.

Scott strolled in to see the boys talking avidly amongst themselves. They had a million questions for Scott when they saw him re-enter the room. Beginning with asking where he and Jennifer had met and how she was in bed. Scott laughed and said they could find out soon enough, if they followed his explicit instructions.

Getting everyone's promise, Scott led them one at a time to the garage. Kevin went first. Kevin submitted to being gagged with some duct tape and having his hands taped together, after being told Jennifer needed to feel in control. Scott covered Kevin's face with a blindfold so he could led him unsuspecting, into the drivers side of the truck. There, he reached in through the opened window and started the motor. Scott then took the broom shaft and used the end to flick the knob to the VW setting. Removing the handle, Scott watched Kevin's body alter and flow into Jennifer's. It was odd watching it from without, seeing Kevin shrink and his clothes change. Working quickly, before Kevin realised what had happened, Scott hustled the now smaller woman into the back of the normal Volvo in the garage. There, he taped her ankles together so she had to remain lying down on the seat out of sight.

Scott next took William and did the same, saying Kevin was resting after getting into Jennifer's panties, (well, it was the truth-sorta.) Scott hid the latest version of Jennifer out of sight behind the Volvo, before going back for Daniel. As soon as Daniel became the spitting image of Jennifer, Scott helped her out of the car and using the broom handle again changed the VW back into the truck. Switching it off, he didn't notice the small red light by the fuel gauge glowing.

Scott left the Jennifer/Daniel standing while he released the tape on the legs and wrists of the other two. He helped them stand as they removed their own blindfold and gag. Scott looked at the three Jennifer's, although identical, they all had variations in their clothing, courtesy of the technology of the aliens. Daniel was wearing a smart air hostess uniform, complete with her name badge. William was wearing a light summery frock and white open toed sandals with a 2-inch heel. Kevin looked like she was ready for a nightclub. Her tight LBD clung to all the right places and with her hair up in a French twist and standing in her 4-inch heels, she made Scott salivate. Her makeup was dramatic and complimented by the dangling earrings and necklace.

Each of the guys- Girls? Were now standing in shock, looking at each other and at themselves in shocked silence, as they tried to come to terms with their extraordinary transformation into Jennifer.

"What happened? How can I be Jennifer? Why is there two more of her? Scott! You did this somehow. Turn me back now!" Kevin screeched, in her new voice.

Scott walked back into the house, letting the others follow behind, in confusion, as they babbled out their true identities to each other. He went for his drink, ignoring the pleas from the others for a moment, as he took in the sight of three luscious ladies crowding round him.

"I seem to recall you each saying that you wanted her body and were in a hurry to get into her panties," Scott reminded them. "As you can see, you got your wish."

"Damn it, you know that's not what we meant," whined William. He looked down at his protruding breasts with a look of awe.

"Please reverse it," pleaded Kevin, feeling decidedly strange with the unaccustomed sensations coming from this body.

"Yeah, I can't be no chick, I want my dick back," threatened Daniel, as he tried to intimidate Scott by getting in his face. Unfortunately being now smaller than Scott, he couldn't pull it off, plus getting that close made his new breasts compress against Scott's chest.

Scott grinned, and on an impulse, grasped Daniel in his arms and kissed him flush on the lips. Whether it was surprise, or something else, Daniel didn't pull away immediately. Scott managed to get his tongue into Daniel's mouth, tasting the subtle hint of lipstick before Daniel pulled away.

"What's the matter with you? Are you a homo?" she yelped. She wriggled in his grasp, before getting free and attempted to hit Scott.

"Me a homo? I kissed a girl, not a boy," Scott answered, catching Daniel's fist with ease.

Daniel gave up, seeing he/she was no match for Scott in this body. She slumped down on the couch, still looking defiantly at Scott. Scott noticed she sat down very femininely, sweeping her skirt before sitting, something that registered with Daniel only after a few seconds.

"What's happening to me? This is really weird." She muttered.

Scott noticed that despite them all wearing female clothes and high heels, none of the three had tried to remove them or kick off the shoes in disgust. The programming that was built into the forms was making them feel comfortable in their bodies, something Scott had already experienced. He wondered if it was addictive, as he sort of missed wearing Jennifer's body already. He assumed it was the hormones and her libido that had made Jennifer such a joy to wear. He sat on the couch next to Daniel and took her hand, saying he would explain every thing. The others sat too, William opting to sit on the other side of him while Kevin sat across on the other seat. Daniel didn't pull away from Scott's touch, but continued to complain about his situation.

"You don't know how this feels, I'm sort of horny, and that is doing something weird to my head."

"I know exactly how you feel, woof woof." Replied Scott, winking at Daniel, while squeezing her hand gently.

"Huh?" Daniel questioned, still not realising that the first Jennifer had been Scott.

"You were THE Jennifer? OH BOY! I feel so stupid," Kevin said, feeling embarrassed, as he finally twigged.

"Yes I was, now please listen and I'll tell you the whole story." Scott confirmed. He got up and made them all drinks, handing them all a strong cocktail. He didn't take one for himself, as he needed a clear head to tell them his story.

The next hour was taken up with explaining the discovery of the truck and its abilities. The girl's loosened up as he plied them with drinks, becoming more relaxed and receptive. Scott ended up with his arms around the two on the couch as they leaned against him. He finished his tale and waited for their reaction.

"Wow! That's like so totally awesome, I can't wait to try that," slurred Daniel in a totally excellent valley girl voice. The others giggled, seemingly in agreement. Scott realised that the others had over estimated their new drinking abilities, and all were pretty much drunk as skunks. He suggested that they sleep it off overnight and experiment further in the morning. Surprisingly, they all agreed, and with a little help from Scott, they tottered off to the main bedroom.

There, Scott helped them undress as they fumbled drunkenly with their clothes. Scott was wary of pushing them into a situation that they might object to, but they seemed comfortable with him seeing them undress and accepted the nighties he found in Margaret's drawers. He started to leave the room, as the girl's all piled together in the king-size bed.

"I'm still horny," moaned Daniel as he fingered her new sex.

"Me too," chorused the others, looking at Scott.

"You want me to stay?" queried Scott, holding his breath.

The three Jennifer’s looked at each other and then down at their bodies, before nodding.

"Will you respect me in the morning?" Scott asked as his pants tightened uncomfortably.

"Only if you perform well," smiled Kevin, as she made room in the bed.

Needless to say, Scott performed very well that night. He knew that they might still be angry with him in the morning, having taken advantage of the girl's alcohol lowered inhibitions, and the horny factor of those luscious bodies, but if they killed him, it was worth it.

Morning dawned, without bloodshed, as the three women got up and left the exhausted Scott asleep in the bed. They decided to have a shower together, before going and changing themselves back. They discussed their feelings from the night before, as they soaped each other up. As Jennifer/Kevin mentioned, it was a unique opportunity to experience something new, even if they were tricked into it in the first place. It didn't seem odd to have had sex as a woman with a man. They decided it was the programming that made them feel so comfortable with it and not because they were closet gays. Even Daniel, who had protested the most in the beginning, seemed accepting of her change. She admitted with a giggle, that Scott had certainly scratched the itch she'd had, to which the others agreed, but made a pact not to mention it to Scott.

"We don't want to give him ideas, I think it's our turn next," Jennifer/William smirked.

"Yeah we don't want him to get a swelled head-just a swelled-coc..."

"Shsssssssh! You're making me wet again, thinking about it," Jennifer/Kevin said, interrupting Daniel's musing.

Dried, apart from their hair that they had wrapped with towels turban style, they went out to the garage in their filmy nightwear.

Scott was in heaven, his dreams filled with ardent nubile women demanding to make love to him. In his dream, he was trying to recover from all the sex, as he cried "no, wait a while-no-no-NO!" He woke still protesting, as the girl's shook him out of his dream.

"Ah! Sheesh," he mumbled, trying futilely to recapture the dream fragments. "What's up?" He asked as the insistent women continued shaking him and calling for him to wake up.

"The car won't work, we are stuck like this you idiot," one of the girls informed him.

That dashed the sleepiness from his brain, as the implications struck him immediately. He lunged out of bed, still naked, and rushed to the garage. Even though they could be stuck as females, due to Scott, the seriousness of the situation didn't stop the girls from ogling Scott's naked butt as he raced before them.

Scott got into the VW and started the engine. It turned over sluggishly before rumbling to life. He noticed the red light immediately and saw that the so-called fuel gauge was on "E." Worried now, he got one of the Jennifer's to sit in the car while he got out and watched from the outside. Turning the knob as instructed, Scott saw the light stop flashing and stayed on continuously, while a warning buzzer sounded. Nothing else happened, no reversion back to the truck. Puzzled, Scott had Jennifer, back the car out of the garage, into the morning sunlight. Hopefully, there they could check the engine for some loose connection or faulty battery.

Once the car was fully clear of the shadowy garage, they could hear a quiet whine coming from the roof of the car. Scott watched as a circular section irised open, revealing a dark section, laced with intricate gold threads. It took a few seconds before the significance of the patterns hit him. Looking back inside the car, he confirmed that the red light had turned amber and was slowly blinking.

"It needs sunlight to recharge," he informed the others. "All that use in the garage must have drained its energy. Now we need to wait till it's charged," Scott finished.

"So we are stuck like this for a while?" asked one of the Jennifer's.

"Um, yes," said Scott disconcertedly. He realised that without the original clothes that each had worn as they transformed, he had no idea who was who anymore. One of the Jennifer’s noticed, and smiled to herself, despite being unable to change back to her original body. 'We can have some fun with this, while we wait,' she thought. Shooing Scott out of the bedroom with his clothes, the girls put their heads together, before getting dressed.

Scott started getting breakfast, wondering how long he could avoid showing his inability in naming his friends in their identical bodies. He hoped that he could pick them out by the way they talked and what they talked about. When the girls first came out wearing the clothes that the car had generated for them, he drew a breath of relief, thinking that they had decided to wear the same clothes as yesterday, but then, some instinct told him to be wary.

"Hi, eggs and hash browns okay for breakfast?" Asked Scott, as Jennifer in a stewardess's uniform entered the kitchen.

"Yes, but don't make it too greasy, I have to watch my figure, you know," she answered running her hands down her body in emphasis, in an all too feminine gesture.

"Me too," Scott muttered sotto voice, while eyeing her figure with interest. Whoever was animating that body, was making full use of the programming. Scott would never have thought that one of his friends could be so convincingly female in just under a day.

"What did you say?" Prodded Jennifer, as she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh, just that you have a body worth watching," Scott answered truthfully. He turned back to the stove to check the food and didn't see the wink the first Jennifer gave the others as they joined her. Scott turned to see three Jennifer’s in the room, all dressed in the clothes from yesterday. The Jennifer in the LBD had recreated the same look with the makeup and hair in the French twist. They all giggled as they watched his surprised face.

"Wow! You all look beautiful, are we all going out somewhere? Or is this all for me?" he winked suggestively.

"You wish," came a unanimous reply, accompanied with a few girlish giggles as they teased Scott with some suggestive poses.

"Is it hot in here?" asked Scott, as he pulled at the neck of his tee, "or have I got a fever?"

"No, but I think you got the hots for us," the LBD clad Jennifer said with a smirk.

"Hey! Stop that," came a weak protest, as the three Jennifer’s crowded round Scott touching his body in a way guaranteed to leave him aroused, but frustrated.

The Jennifer trio laughed and flounced out of the kitchen, giving him a backward glance and a finger wave, before seating themselves expectantly at the dinning table. Scott heard some giggling going on and marvelled again at the thoroughness of the built in programming. Having experienced the Jennifer form, he knew the power of that programming. That body was built for sex, and had urges that were almost impossible to resist. He recalled feeling those same urges when he first showed Jennifer to his friends. It was so easy to fall into line with the urges, even after being male just a few minutes before. He suspected that remaining longer in that form had contributed to the way his formally macho friends had seemingly surrendered to the overwhelming femininity of that form.

Scott served breakfast to the girls. Having nibbled while cooking, he hadn't set a plate for himself, so he just sat and watched the girls finish eating.

"What do you think we should do with the car?" asked Scott, as the girl's finished breakfast.

"Before or after we get our revenge?" quipped one of the Jennifer’s.

"Gulp!" Scott looked worriedly at the trio of grinning faces, trying to see if they were being serious or not. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean for you to get stuck like that, even if only temporarily. I just thought it would be fun; after all, you have played some good jokes on me in the past. I hadn't planned on what happened last night," he tried to explain.

"Guys? I don't see no guys- only you, and that may not be for long," one of the Jennifer’s spoke, eyeing first their own forms, then glancing at Scott's with a calculating look, as if already imagining him in a dress.

Scott blushed, but soldiered on. "We could make a lot of money out of this. I mean this house alone would fetch over a mil. Not to mention the condo that one of the other options owns."

"You want us to become the Ellery family, while we put the property on the market? Who gets to become the wife and daughter, huh?"

"Well, we could draw straws," offered Scott, trying to placate the girls.

"I guess we don't all have to become the family. One of us could try Jennifers job, maybe she has a rich boyfriend." The air hostess dressed Jennifer suggested, preening herself, as if seriously considering it.

"Did you check out her airline handbag? Maybe we could take turns at being her," another Jennifer said excitedly.

"Hey you gu...girls are seriously weirding me out, remember who you really are," complained Scott, feeling that things were getting out of hand.

"Oh? And who is that exactly?" the third Jennifer asked, winking at the others.

"Kevin, Daniel and William, of course," Scott started, sweating bullets in case they asked the next question.

"You can tell us apart?" they chorused together, waiting for his response.

Scott pondered, knowing they were going to ask him that, so he came up with the only choice he could make.

"Well- I figure that you aren't wearing the same clothes that you had at the beginning. So that means you aren't Daniel, Scott pointed to the air hostess dressed Jennifer. That means you are either Kevin or William, the same goes for the others. I'm guessing you are Kevin, as you seem a little more aggressive than William would be. That would make you, Daniel," Scott said, looking at the Jennifer attired in the summer frock. "That leaves you as William," Scott postulated, looking at the Jennifer in the LBD. "So how'd I do? Am I right, or way out in left field?" Scott asked, feeling under pressure.

"Good try, except, I was deliberately mimicking Kevin's more aggressive nature," smiled William, feeling good at fooling Scott.

"William?" was Scott's one word question.

"That used to be me," confirmed the grinning Jennifer.

"I knew we should have done this naked," Kevin laughed. "He'd not have a clue then."

"True, but we didn't want him drool into our breakfast he cooked," Daniel winked.

Repeating his earlier question about what they should do with the car, Scott hoped to distract the girl's from thoughts of revenge. He wasn't particularly against becoming Jennifer or any female for that manner, it was the thought of having sex with his friends once they returned to being guys again. Being sober and male at the present moment, that thought didn't appeal at all. With the others being girl's at the time, he hoped that any decision in regard to some of them remaining female as part of the Ellery family, might not seem as repugnant if they were in their own bodies. There were still the possibilities of further experiments with the car. For instance, what would happen if the four were in the car when the Trans Am option was selected? Would they all become Sara? Or maybe two couples? Or even Sara with three other girls her age? Scott wondered what the limits were. Surely, every different form that the car generated didn't have a home and job.

Scott was brought out of his introspection by the sudden cessation of conversation from the girl's. He saw they were all looking expectantly at him. Scott looked blankly back; trying to recall what had been said. As the seconds ticked by with no reply, as Scott desperately tried cover his inattention, the girls looked at each other and snorted.

"Typical guy, never listens to what women say," one of them said with a wink. Then as that statement sunk in to the former males brains, they started laughing at the realisation that they also had been guilty of the same thing when in the same situation.

"Sorry all, I was miles away?" apologized Scott. "I was thinking of doing further testing with the car with all of us in it. What did you decide?"

"Well comfortable as these bodies are, it’s hard to stop thinking of jumping your bones. Jennifer's libido is rather notched up. How about us becoming the Ellery family for now, while we come up with a plan, we don't want a nosey neighbour or a casual visitor coming over and seeing strange people using their house. We don't know who could visit, perhaps looking for why the Ellery's aren't at work or school etc."

"Are we drawing straws?' Scott asked, nodding his head in agreement to the suggestion.

"How about flip a coin or pick a card?" Kevin suggested.

Hours later, Scott in the form of Margaret looked at 'her' husband/Kevin and her two children and smiled, she was happy to be female again, just for the novelty aspect of being a woman. Julie/William was 18 years old and very attractive in her miniskirt and halter-top. Daniel was now male and younger than Julie/William.

"I don't want to be Terrence, it's boring to be male and 15 again," Daniel complained vehemently, after the initial change.

"Um okay, let’s see what else we can come up with,' Scott said, understanding Daniel's reasons.

Scott as Margaret sat in the driver's seat and Daniel as Terrence sat in the front passenger seat, while Julie/William sat in the same place as he had been sitting before. This time instead of going back to the truck setting, Scott turned it to one of the other settings, before bring it back to the Volvo settings. Julie and Margaret came back unchanged, but Terrence had now been changed into Janet Rockwell, an 18 year old girlfriend of Julie's. There were photos of the two of them together in Janet's handbag, showing the two blonde haired beauty's eating ice cream together at a fair.

"Now this is more like it," responded a happy ex Daniel. "I can learn loads being a girl," she added, seeing the looks she was getting. Scott/Margaret could see that Kevin was getting an envious look on his face, as both Janet and Julie snuggled together, feeling each other's bodies. The Margaret personality that was currently influencing Scott's brain had him/her feeling attracted to 'her' husband. Margaret whispered in 'Steven's' ear. The look that crossed his face had obviously driven any thoughts of envy of the others. He took Margaret's hand and led her to the bedroom. Margaret felt both a sense of excitement and a little fear. To find out what sex is like as a female is one thing, but to find out by doing it with a man is another. Fortunately, Steven/Kevin sensed the conflict in 'his wife' and took up a bottle of whiskey to help loosen her from any doubts.

Knowing from the previous night, exactly what feels good for a woman, Kevin in his mature Steven body, took Margaret to heights of passion, she had never experienced before. Her squeals and moans as she climaxed over and over drove her lover over the edge, and they collapsed in a tangle of arms and legs as their passions ebbed.

Julie and Janet weren't oblivious to what was going on in the bedroom. The noise Margaret made was clearly heard throughout the house. They tip toed to the main bedroom where they watched the two lovers through the slightly opened bedroom door. Janet poked Julie, and jerked her head towards the bedroom that she knew belonged to Julie, winking as she did so. Soon they were making noises of their own, as they got naked and started to 69 each other, using their tongues to good effect. Their inexperience in lesbian techniques was soon remedied, as each copied the other once they found the most sensitive spot.

Scott/Margaret lay in the bed, thinking about what had just happened. For a guy with hardly and sexual expertise, except for a quick blow job from the school slut behind the bike shed, this was the most mind blowing experience in his lifetime. How odd was it, that his first real orgasm was felt doing it with a man, with himself as a female no less. Mind-boggling. She, for that's what this body was telling her in so many little ways, felt relaxed, and not a bit regretful. This was one experience she was willing to try again. A sudden thought sent a weird, half excited, half scared chill though her, as she felt Steven's residue seep from between her legs. What if she got pregnant? Would she be stuck as a female for the gestation period? For a guy that was horny for women, the thought didn't bring the instant terror expected. Scott assumed that the programming in the body had a great deal to do with that.

As Margaret showered and found a new way to play with the detachable shower head, she wondered if whether the aliens had any children while on earth, and if so, were they fully human. Maybe they had left them behind on earth while they themselves left to do whatever it is, aliens do.

Later, after finishing up in the bathroom and having selected something slinky to wear out of Margaret's wardrobe, she prodded Steven's still drowsy body.

"Hey wake up and get a shower, we are going out," Margaret insisted.

"Hmmm, you look good enough to eat. How about we go another round?"

"You did that already, maybe later I'll let you have another meal." Margaret grinned, pulling on Steven's leg.

Steven moved then, trying to grab his erstwhile wife, but she was too quick for him. He resigned himself to taking a cold shower, rinsing the excesses from his athletic body.

Margaret heard some moans coming from Julie's bedroom, so she quietly looked inside, just cracking the door open. Janet and Julie were still in a tangle of arms and legs, as they worked on each other, oblivious to anything else. Margaret, playing up the mom role, walked in and started picking up the discarded clothes the girl's had strewn around with their hasty disrobing. Margaret starting folding the clothes without speaking, but kept an eye on the activities on the bed. She started getting aroused again as she watched what would have been a Scott fantasy.

"You should really keep your room tidy," she admonished the girls in a calm tone, interrupting them just after the moans went quiet. "You never know who will walk in," she finished, grinning at the guilty expressions on their busted faces.

"We were...just...um -- we heard you and ahhh....sort of...ah...gulp," the two girls tried to explain.

"Hey! I'm not your mother, or am I?" laughed Margaret, thinking about it. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, I might try some girl on girl action myself. I wonder if I can get someone to be Jennifer for me, maybe we could all be Jennifer and try something interesting," she mused.

"Count us in," the two girls chorused, grinning at each other.

"Well then, I suggest you grab a shower, before I jump in that bed with you two. We need to get going." Replied Margaret, as she eyed the pair.

She watched amusingly, as the girls rushed to the bathroom, stark naked, seemingly oblivious of the feminine way they moved. Margaret went to the car and waited, thinking about how all their lives had taken a right angle turn. So much had happened so quickly, it hadn't really sunk in how their lives had been irrevocably changed by all this. To be able to become a completely different person of either sex was mind-boggling. Margaret wondered idly if they would survive this experience, or get subsumed in some alternative identity for life. She couldn't get over how comfortable and natural she felt in this body, even though if she had to pick, Sara or Jennifer would probably be her favoured choice. Thoughts of how it would feel to be pregnant, to give birth, lingered in her mind. The absence of horror of that occurring from a "Scott" point of view, showed how the in built programming had managed to alter her way of thinking.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Three

By the time everyone had dressed and wandered out to the car, Margaret/Scott had the beginnings of a plan. She outlined it to them, as she drove out to the condo belonging to Sara.

"So we sell off the Ellery's place and investigate who of the others have property and decide which we will keep. Then we divide the assets between us. The only catch is, one of us will have to be an owner of the property. We need to find out if there are assets elsewhere that we can liquidate." Margaret finished, looking at the others for any objections.

"What about Jennifer? From memory when I was in her form, I seem to recall that she had a place in Australia. How do we get there?" Janet asked quietly.

"Simple, one of us takes her role and flies there as a stewardess on one of her Quantas flights." Margaret explained. "The memory thing should make it a breeze," she added quickly.

"But that will mean whoever goes will be stuck as Jennifer till she gets back," Steven/Kevin pointed out.

"Think of it as a holiday away from yourself. You get to see Australia for free. All those beaches and the surf." Giggled Margaret.

"All those studly lifesavers, leering at your body." Steven reminded them.

"Hmmm, studly huh?" grinned Julie, thinking about it from a girls point of view.

Before long, Margaret had driven up to the gates of Sara's condo. Not thinking about it, she turned the knob back to the Trans Am mode so the auto gate opener in the Trans Am could operate the gates. Suddenly, as the rear seats containing Janet and Julie morphed away leaving just the tiny bench seat they too were changed, becoming two poodles, that starting barking immediately.

Steven/Kevin, who had been the front passenger next to Margaret, also changed. Margaret became Sara, but Kevin's borrowed form became a guy that Sara remembered as being in a picture along with herself in the bedroom. Feeling bad that her two friends had turned into matching poodles complete with ribbons, Sara drove quickly into the underground garage and reached for the knob again. The guy Steven/Kevin had turned into, closed his hand over hers, preventing her from reversing the effects on her friends.

"Wait, this is one more opportunity to find out how this car works." He offered. So saying, he pulled the reluctant dogs out from the car, where he examined them. "This ones a bitch," he indicated to the one with pink ribbons tied around its head. "The other one is a male, a perfect set." He laughed, picking the male up in his arms.

"You think they are William and Daniel inside those bodies? Which is which I wonder?" Sara asked worriedly. "I hope they are okay in there, how long are we going to keep them in those bodies? It doesn't seem fair."

"Not long, just want to see if they have retained the same intelligence as in their human body."

A few simple tests with commands to do certain things showed that the dogs, while unable to verbalise their thoughts, did retain their human intelligence. A command to the poodles to sniff around the property for any hidden surprises using their heightened sense of smell had them scamper off like any normal dogs. Sara went inside, after unlocking the door with the key from her purse. Kevin followed, pulling out his wallet to find out who he was at the moment.

"Ken Roland," he spoke, looking at the name on the driver's license. "I'm 28 years old," he added.

"That's odd," Sara paused, looking at Ken in puzzlement. "There was a message left on the phone from a Ken. I thought it was Sara's boyfriend, but if you are the same Ken generated by the car, how could he leave a message if he doesn't exist?"

"Maybe the car made me into a duplicate of the real Ken, seeing that if he was your boyfriend it would look okay to see him with Sara in her car." He offered.

"If so, things could get complicated, what if Janet was an actual person and had come around to the Ellery's and seen a duplicate of her self." Sara mused.

"Didn't you say that Sara has a computer?" Ken/Kevin asked. "We need to do some research on who is real and who isn't."

"Okay, but William will need to do his thing. I couldn't open it. It was password protected."

"Hmmm, okay, speaking of which, where are they?" Ken said, moving to the balcony to look out for the dogs. "Oh crap, they are copulating. Quick let's get them turned back before we end up with a litter of puppies." He yelled, running back outside to try and separate the two poodles.

Sara was in a fit of giggles, as the dogs seem to resent being forced apart. Luckily, the penis of the male hadn't yet enlarged into the knot that prevents separation during sexual coupling. Ken finally scooped the pair up and walked back to the car. Handing one to Sara he placed the other dog into the passenger seat and started the engine. Turning the knob back to the truck mode, made them both return to their original bodies. William climbed out looking very red faced. Kevin then turned the truck back to Sara's Trans Am before getting her twin (having changed into Sara) outside to place the other dog in the seat. Repeating the process, had Kevin and Daniel back in their male forms.

"Hey that was something else," Daniel enthused, as he checked his body over.

"Maybe for you," William replied sourly. "You weren't the one being humped," he blushed again.

"Ah sorry, I let the instincts take over for a moment. But you must admit, bring a dog was fun for a while," Daniel apologised, throwing an arm over the shoulder of his friend.

"The sense of smell thing almost makes me feel like I can't smell anymore. Its so acute, but the colour blindness sucks." Daniel admitted.

"You had full cognitive ability?" Sara asked curiously.

"Yeah, although we couldn't speak to each other even in doggerel," laughed William, cracking into laughter.

"I suppose being a dog could have certain advantages during a party. People wouldn't hesitate to talk about sensitive military or other secrets in front of a dog." Kevin speculated.

"Count me out; if I'm going to be a bitch, I'd prefer to be a sexy human one," pouted Sara, trying to look imperious.

"Would madam like one lump or two?" Kevin grinned, bowing to Sara in a depreciating manner.

"I think she already has two lumps," sniggered Daniel, looking pointedly at Sara's cleavage.

With a chuckle from the others, they all trooped inside. Sara showed William the computer and told him what they wanted to find out. William grinned, cracking his knuckles as he sat down to do his thing. Leaving him alone, the others explored the place, even going down to the ocean to check out the beach. Sara decided to go for a swim and went back to change into a swimsuit. The others moaned that there weren't any suits for them in the house, having decided to join her. Sara laughed, and told them the one way they could find something to wear.

Sara left them and went down to the beach, leaving Kevin and Daniel to decide what they wanted to do. Ten minutes later, Sara watched two female figures walk down from the condo. One was her twin, and the other was Julie Ellery. Both were of a similar build and so Sara's swimsuits fit Julie like a glove.

"Nice bikini's, love the bodies," crowed the already wet Sara.

"Well Daniel wanted Julie's body, and with William having his nose deep into the computer, it was too hard to manage getting Janet's body. I decided to be your twin," Sara/Kevin explained.

"No problem sis, just don't fight over our boyfriend," giggled Sara/Scott, seeing the disgusted expression on her twin.

"Why didn't you just wear a bikini bottom? At a distance they look like a pair of Speedo's." asked Sara/Scott.

"Yeah, pink Speedo's-sure." Sara/Kevin replied sarcastically. Well you know I'm not a great swimmer, so I figured I'd try the model with the built in life preservers," she added, hefting her globes experimentally.

"Oh sure, any excuse to get into my body." Laughed Sara/Scott, as she flicked some ocean at her twin's still mostly dry body.

"Hey! Cut that out, or I'll come over there and test out your floatability." An indignant Sara/Kevin spluttered.

Everyone dissolved into laughter. It seemed that the old camaraderie that existed before all this was still there, strong as ever. The fact that they were all now females, didn't seem to matter at all, there was no sexual interplay, given that inside those nubile bodies lurked horny guys. They played; they swam, marvelling at the added buoyancy their bodies gave them. They were having fun being together, laughing, and gasping as they ducked in and out of the surf. The fact that they were of another sex didn't seem to alter the way they enjoyed themselves.

Tiring quicker than they would in their more muscular male bodies, they soon retreated to the beach and flopped exhaustedly onto the towels they had brought with them. The beach was almost deserted, with just a few people further down. The girls lay on their stomachs, trying to warm themselves in the sun. Having their breasts pressing into the sand, made them feel a bit uncomfortable, until Sara/Scott found that scooping some sand out from under the towel in the appropriate position, made things much more comfortable. The others followed suit, and soon they were dozing lazily in the sun.

"Well, hello ladies," came a male voice from behind them.

The girls were shocked, as they hadn't heard anyone walking up. They turned over to see a guy with sun-bleached hair and wearing a skimpy pair of Speedo's that were struggling to contain his virile endowment.

"Wow! Twins, this must be my lucky day," he exclaimed, grinning charmingly at the two Sara's.

He crouched down to allow them to see him without craning their necks, and reassuring them, by adopting a non-threatening posture.

"Hi," Julie spoke, not sure of the correct protocol. "You from around here?" she asked, trying to be casual and not stare at his groin.

"John- John Maxwell," he introduced himself. "Yeah, I live down there a ways," he added, pointing down the beach. "You live around here? I've seen you before, but I didn't know you were twins," he asked of the two Sara's.

"I'm Sara, and this is my sister Susan," Sara/Scott replied, thinking fast. "We live up there," she pointed towards the condo. "This is our friend Julie. She's staying with us at the moment." Sara/Scott couldn't believe the way she had just blabbed out their life history to a total stranger.

"Nice to meet you all, I hope we can get together sometime, maybe come over for a barbecue one of these days." John said, rising to his feet.

"Sure, that might be nice," blurted the now Susan/Kevin automatically. She blushed, when she realised that her response might not be all due to the programming of this body.

John grinned, before sauntering back down the beach. He didn't see the confusion that his casual offer of friendship had caused between the newly minted females.

"Cute butt, oops!" Julie caught herself checking out John's retreating ass, before clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Umm, I'm going up to change," Sara/Scott, suggested, not exactly sure whether she was going to change her clothes or her body. It was fun being someone else, especially a female where the poses of every male wish fulfilment could be enacted in front of a mirror. The problem as Sara/Scott saw it was getting lost within the fantasy and taking on the role completely. The others had showed that with the right stimulus, they acted just like real women. Being attracted to strange men was a far different thing to exploring sex from the other side of the coin with your friends.

Sara decided to remain in this body for the moment. Not only did someone need to 'BE' Sara for appearances sake in case someone called, she figured that as long as she could rationalise her feelings and worry about being 'assimilated,' she was safe. Making a promise to herself, to keep an eye on the others, she then went into the bathroom to wash the salt from her hair.

Changed into a summery outfit, with her hair still turbaned in a towel, she checked on William, where he seemed engrossed in the computer. Sara heard the clatter of the other two girl's returning from the beach, as she asked William how things were going.

"Well I got in okay, they may be aliens, but they used earth technology and more importantly, Windows." He grinned at her as he explained how he bypassed the passworded system. Sara listened distractedly to his involved geek speak, as she heard the girls fussing in the shower.

"So what have you found out?" and can you tell us anything about the aliens?" she prompted, cutting off his technological explanation.

"Well, there were folders that had been emptied and lots of files that had been hurriedly deleted, but I managed to recover about 50% of the info using my undelete disks." He waved his floppy at her proudly. William always carried his software with him wherever he went.

"Shall we wait till the others get here? So I don't need to repeat myself," he asked, tidying up his disks and packing them away.

"Yeah, okay, I'll just go see what they are up to," suggested Sara, moving quickly to the bedroom, where she could hear the girls talking.

She found Julie and her twin pawing through the closet while discussing what they should wear.

"Girl's, how about we try to get rid of the extra Sara and select another form. I don't think William needs to be confused more than he is," Sara/Scott laughed.

Soon, with the help of the car and a bit of rearranging in seating, Janet appeared once again. Sara and Julie were a bit jealous of the fact that Janet now looked immaculate. Her once wet hair, now dry and smartly arranged, topped a face expertly made up.

Trooping in to where William was writing notes, they pulled up some extra chairs, as they prepared to discover what had been found out.

William looked them over appreciably, obviously liking being surrounded by such a bevy of beauties.

"Okay, let’s start. I think I know what they were after and why they had left so suddenly. I found some deleted emails, sending a recall message to the scattered members. It's not explicit, but it seems there was a crisis on their home world, which necessitated their quick withdrawal. No names were mentioned unfortunately, so we don't know how far away that might be. From what I can gather, they were after information on our nuclear situation." At the girl's worried looks, he quickly reassured them it wasn't to do with the Earth’s defence capability.

"I think they were trying to see how advanced we were and whether we were close to achieving a valid fusion system. There's all kind of articles on fusion research, with comments beside them, showing if they were worth investigating." William paused, excusing himself, before going to get a drink of orange juice to quench his dry throat, while the others talked between themselves.

"Do you think they are a threat to us?" Sara asked anxiously, when William got back from raiding the fridge.

"Funnily enough, I don't think so. They kept below our radar with all of this," William waved his hand at them, indicating their alien supplied forms. "Which means they didn't intend to cause us any alarm."

"Yeah, keep the sheep calm, while you ready the knives," offered Janet/Kevin sarcastically.

"No, I don't agree. Given that they had discussed giving us hints as to how clean fusion power could be achieved. I think they were more concerned about us destroying the world with dangerous radioactive waste, and the possibilities of using nuclear weapons on each other. The Ellery's have been here on earth for about ten years, building up public identities that will stand close scrutiny. Sara has been here for about 2 years, which is odd, as her age is supposed to be 24years old, according to her file."

"A computer glitch?" Sara asked, remembering the photo of her and 'Ken.' "What about these bodies? Are they legit, or are they just for show?" Sara asked curiously.

"There seems to be records for the Ellery's and Sara Connors. Jennifer Adams also has a valid ID. I'm not sure why your license says you're 2 years younger, unless changing back and forth resets the age to some default setting, that could be a problem in the future," William warned.

"Also, according to the records, Jennifer has a place in Australia, so it looks like one of us will have to take on the duties of an air hostess, till she gets a flight home. There's a few other that we hadn't tried out yet, but Janet looks like she is a real earth person. I did a Google search on her name and she does live near the Ellery's home.

"So that means what?" asked the fake Janet.

"Best I can figure out is that the car can somehow imprint on a real person, and can reproduce them as window dressing." William shrugged.

"Okay, what you're saying is, because the car has had the real Janet inside, while driving around, presumably with her friend Julie in the Ellery mode. It can now change anyone to look like a Janet, because it's something nobody would suspect as being out of place." Sara voiced, putting her thoughts into words.

"Pretty much, I guess, unless anyone else has a better theory," confirmed William, as he agreed with her.

The others sat and digested this latest revelation. The power of the alien car to transform others had grown in their eyes, and so too, the danger of it falling into the wrong hands.

Breaking the momentary silence, Julie quipped that if they managed to get a film star inside the car, then they could become them just like that. William thought that it might need repeated use before the car saw them as potential templates.

"Um guy's. I just had a thought. Do you think with our using the car, that it might be possible to change someone else into our old bodies?" Janet asked.

"Possible? Yeah I guess, but how will we test that, without bringing in another person. This is too important to let anyone know about, unless we totally trust them," Sara answered.

"What about Leanne? Kevin proposed. "I mean she's my cousin and did offer to let us stay at her place till we found a place of our own."

"Isn't she in the real estate business?" asked Sara, thinking this had possibilities.

"Well she works as a secretary for a real estate company, but I see what you're getting at." William elaborated. "She knows more than we do about the in's and out's of selling property."

I think it would be better if she took on the role of Jennifer and went to Australia," Sara insisted.

"Awwh, why?" moaned Julie. "I thought we were going to get a chance to visit another country."

"Look, who better to be able to cope being in a female body, than another female? Remember it could be some time before she gets back. There's no instant change back if things start getting a bit much. What if Jennifer has a boyfriend, do you think you can cope with that? Being female with all the hormones flooding your brain may cloud your judgement. We as males aren't used to it yet. Look at what happened on the beach this morning." Sara explained, patiently. "Even I wasn't immune to sexual thoughts about Mr. Maxwell, and I've been a female for a bit longer than you two." She confessed with a giggle.

"Did I miss something?" asked William, looking at the girls in turn. "Who is Mr Maxwell, and why am I feeling jealous?"

Sara explained the visit by John on the beach, and his offer of a barbeque at his place. She tried to explain about the way they each reacted to the attraction of the nicely built guy.

"Hey! Next time, warn me if there's free food on offer, I'll jump into a female form in an instant," William protested, with a laugh.

"Well we could make you into the poodle bitch so we could throw some sausages to you from under the table," grinned Janet.

"Dogs for the dog?" howled Julie, nearly falling off her seat with mirth.

"If I become Jennifer, he'll think you're the dog, as he will only have eyes for me," William bitched nastily.

"Hey! Ladies and non-ladies, listen to yourselves. Stop acting like bitches, or I might have to put collars on you both." Sara interrupted loudly, trying to defuse the situation. "We are in this together, I want no petty squabbles coming between us, now or ever."

William and Julie hung their heads, knowing they had got way out of line.

"You should kiss and make up," suggested Janet with a smile.

William looked hopefully at Julie at that suggestion, seeing her shrug agreement, he tilted his head towards the bedrooms, before standing up and moving in that direction. Julie following behind him looked at the others, as if seeking approval. Getting only a raised eyebrow and a shrug of nonchalance, from the girls. Julie disappeared in the direction William had gone.

Sara nodded to Janet, before heading into the kitchen to make lunch. She wasn't worried about her friends cementing their differences in a way uniquely given to members of the opposite sex. She was more aroused by the thought, and needed the distraction of preparing lunch to take her thoughts away from her own moistening crotch.

Janet helped her, before asking a question that had been weighing on Sara/Scott's mind.

"Why is it we are so comfortable being female? I wasn't gay or anything like that, yet it doesn't seem to feel weird living in a woman's body." She bit her lip nervously as she waited for Sara to answer.

"I've been thinking about that, from the very first moment." Sara began. "If you were going to an alien world and had to take on the form of a native there, possible one that is quite a bit different from your own. You would need more than just taking on the appearance of that form. You would need to act and behave as they would to fit in and not be noticed. That would suggest some sort of programming."

"Uh huh," agreed Janet, nibbling on a cracker.

"The more the physical differences, the better the programming. The aliens needed to act human, so the programming forced them to act, react, and behave exactly as the form they became, whether it was male or female. I think the programming works better on us, as we are at least human to start off with. Being female, while different from what we are used to, isn't totally strange to us. We have interacted with females and know to a certain extent how they think and react already."

"True," interrupted Janet.

"I also think that's how we found out some much about them, they had spent too much time as humans, and reacted to the crisis that led to them leaving, just like a human." Sara speculated, finding her thoughts crystallising.

"Oh?"

"They panicked, and left evidence behind. They were way more advanced than us, yet they forgot to destroy the files properly. They left the truck behind intact, relying only on a timed self-destruct. You would think they would have destroyed it first, ensuring its destruction, before leaving earth."

That's why you don't want one of us to go to Australia? In case we get to comfortable being Jennifer," Janet speculated.

"Yeah, that's part of it. It could take a month, that's a long time in a female body, without recourse to a quick change back." Sara answered. "Moreover, there's no one to check on how you're coping with the change. At least here, we can see if there's any adverse effect, from staying too long in another body," Sara concluded, finishing with the lunch preparations.

"LUNCH!" Sara called out, alerting the two in the bedroom. She took a plate and filled it with a few sandwiches, and took it out to the patio balcony. She set it down on the table there, and Julie joined her carrying a couple of cans of beer.

The others dragged themselves into view, after having been in the shower. Tucking into sandwiches and beer, they sat quietly eating, absorbing the suns heat.

"All friends again?" Asked Sara, grinning at the blush that showed on their faces. They nodded, mouths filled with food preventing further conversation. "What about bringing in Leanne, are we all agreed?" Sara asked, reminding the others.

"Shall I give her a ring and get her to come over here?" William asked, looking for confirmation.

"I think that will be best, seeing you're the only one in his original body," laughed Sara. "I don't think she'd accept hearing our voices when if we told her who we really are."

"Okay," agreed William, going inside to ring Kevin’s cousin.

Kevin and Daniel returned to their old bodies, while Scott remained in Sara's body. He hadn't meet Leanne, so it didn't really matter what body she/he met her in. Sara argued that staying in the body of the 'owner,' of the property, gave them the safety of some legitimate ownership.

Leanne had agreed to come over, after being reassured that her cousin had come up with a deal she couldn't refuse. She drove up in a late model Chevy Nova, which she parked next to the garage. Sara watched her look over the place with uncertainty, as if she couldn't see how her cousin had managed to finagle his way into a prestigious place like this.

Leanne was dressed neatly in her usual office attire, having left work early to answer her cousin's plea. Kevin met her at the front door and ushered her inside. Leanne looked around, taking in the décor, her mind automatically accessing the value.

She saw Kevin’s other friends, William and Daniel sitting with an attractive blonde woman, whom she correctly assumed owned this place.

"Hi Leanne," William and Daniel greeted her, as she was shown a seat. She nodded a greeting at them, waiting to be introduced to the woman before she sat at her table.

"Oh sorry, Leanne, meet Sara Connor." Apologised Kevin, hastily making introductions.

"Nice to meet you Miss Connor, what scheme has my cousin roped you into now?" Leanne smiled, extending a hand towards Sara.

"Something that will knock your socks off," Sara winked, looking pointedly at the absence of socks on Leanne's hose covered ankles.

Leanne saw something in the woman's face that bespoke of something unusual in the air. She looked at the others, seeing them grinning at some secret they all held.

"What are you hiding?" She asked, as William passed her a photograph.

She looked closely at the people shown in the picture, three of who were sitting right in this room. The forth person was another young man, who seemed to be part of their group in the picture.

"Is that Scott?" She asked, having heard he was to join with the others. "Am I going to meet him? Is that what this is all about?" Leanne guessed, seeing them nod.

"You have met 'him' already, 'he,' is right here at this table," William grinned, emphasising the personal pronouns.

Leanne looked at the only person in the room it could be, impossible as that was. She looked at Sara intently, trying to see if the woman was part of this joke. When Sara nodded, Leanne gasped, uttering the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh my god!"

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Four

Leanne couldn't believe it. Surely, this couldn't be Scott. This was the genuine article, not some fake with artificial boobs and makeup.

"Okay great joke, now where is the real Scott?" Leanne pouted, feeling annoyed at being the butt of their joke.

"It's no joke cuz, this used to be Scott less than 24 hours ago. Scott had an encounter of the third kind you might say." Kevin explained, trying to soothe his cousin's ruffled feathers.

Leanne, I am Scott inside, even if the outside is packaged slightly differently," Sara interrupted, trying to help.

"You call that slightly?" Leanne scoffed, taking in Sara's impressive shape.

"Well," blushed Sara, as he looked down at her cleavage revealed by the skimpy top she was almost wearing. "There are more endowed forms I could have chosen."

"I must be going crazy, or you're all on drugs. There's no way a man can look like that, talk like that, even move as you are doing," she muttered, still trying to take it in.

Sara started to explain from the beginning, her seductive sexy voice drawing her in, along with the others, holding them spellbound, as she retold her story. Slowly, Leanne started leaning forward, getting enthralled as Sara/Scott unfolded her tale. Finally finished, she sat back thinking about what she had heard, moreover, what they had planned.

"Can I see the car? As much as I want to believe you, I need to see it in action before I can make a decision," Leanne asked.

"Sure, can we change you into a guy?" Daniel asked facetiously.

"Eeewh, no way. Get your jollies somewhere else, pervert," Leanne shuddered at the thought.

"Come on just for a few minutes, think of it as a rite of passage. We tried being girls." William added, agreeing with Daniel.

"No, just because you are weird, doesn't mean I am. I'm quite happy being me."

"Cuz, we need you to become another person for our plan to work. We need you to trust us as we will be trusting you." Kevin put in his two cents worth.

"Leanne, look at me," Sara spoke up. "I'm a female right now, do I look uncomfortable being in this body, given, that as Scott, I am a normal heterosexual guy. Being a guy for 5 minutes won't kill you and it might just settle any questions you might have about what it's like."

Leanne looked trapped, admittedly she had once wondered what made guys tick, before giving up trying to second-guess them. She shrugged, before nodding reluctantly.

"Okay, but I get my own body back- right?"

Leanne followed the others, listening to them discuss the best way for her to become a him. She didn't feel very happy. Obviously they weren't experts with this alien transformer vehicle, putting her body at risk seemed foolish, despite their continued reassurances that it would be okay.

Sara opened the door of the Trans Am and motioned to Leanne to sit in the drivers seat. Sara intended for Leanne to go to back to the truck mode to see if it was true that the guys base settings were now recorded and would allow another to take on those forms.

The first test went well, after having shown Leanne what to do. The truck appeared with Leanne now in the form of Scott. The choice of body, seemingly due because Scott had been in the drivers seat the most. Leanne, now Scott, got out of the truck in order to make it easier to examine his new body.

"Wow! This is different." He exclaimed, checking out his muscles. "You're right about it being comfortable. I'm so much taller and um-" he fell quiet as his questing hand did a dive into the pants he found himself wearing.

"Do you want to look at those in the bathroom?" Sniggered Kevin, after seeing the look of surprise on the new Scott's face.

"Well, I do need to use the toilet, I guess I can handle it," Scott/Leanne said, triggering a gale of laughter from the others at the unintended pun.

Sara waited while the new Scott took time to relieve both his body and his curiosity. It was strange feeling seeing the body that she had grown up in, being animated by another. 'Do I really look like that?' she thought to herself. Stranger than that, was the realisation that she felt a sense of attraction to her original body. She figured it was just another tribute to the thoroughness of the aliens in their body programming.

It seemed longer than the ten minutes that Leanne took to satisfy 'herself' in Scott's body. Strutting outside, Scott/Leanne grinned to the others.

"It's been christened," he laughed. "Seems kind of handy to pee standing up, but I miss my breasts. These things have hardly any feeling at all," he complained, touching his male nipples through the tee shirt. "I want to return to my body now," she added, moving to the truck.

Sara showed her the position of the knob to return to the Trans Am and stepped back as Scott started the truck. Once the Trans Am reappeared she realised things hadn't gone as planned. Instead of seeing Leanne, there appeared another Sara. A yell from the new Sara alerted the others to the problem.

Sara/Scott grew worried, just where was Leanne's body? She fully expected it to reappear, seeing it started off in the Trans Am. Obviously, the pre-programmed setting overrode the original body, exchanging it for the Sara default. Leanne, in Sara form, flung herself out of the car, slamming the door in her anger, making everyone wince. She strode up to her double with a wrathful look. Sara/Scott held up her hand, halting her twin before she could say a word.

"Look this is unexpected, but I'm sure we can get you back in your body. Getting angry isn't going to cut it. Remember, this is new to us too, we just need to figure it out first."

"Do it quickly," Sara/Leanne bit off, struggling to keep from doing somebody an injury.

Sara/Scott took her twins hand and pulled her into the house, away from the argument that was going on with the others.

"We can get your proper body back, I'm sure of that, we just need to sit down and calmly figure it out," Sara/Scott again reassured her twin. "You should have seen the others when they thought they were all stuck as Jennifer," She smiled, remembering the shock when the car ran low on fuel. At Sara/Leanne's look, Sara/Scott explained about the trick s/he had played on the others. Sensing that there was more to this than was being said, and wanting more details, Sara/Leanne finally dragged the whole story out of Sara/Scott.

Laughing at the thought of the three guys stuck as busty triplets, Sara/Leanne felt better, and began to relax. Her initial anger, thinking she had been tricked, had dissipated.

"Why are you so sure I'll get my body back?" she asked her double, sitting across from her.

"Call it intuition. Somehow, I don't see the aliens as a threat. In the time spent here, they must have interacted with humans, I mean there are so many stories floating around, it can't all be coincidence. I think it’s unlikely that they haven't had a similar situation come up with a special few they may have revealed themselves to."

"Female intuition?" asked a smiling Sara/Leanne, as her eyebrows rose.

"Come on, let's see what the brilliant minds have come up with," Sara/Scott grinned, referring to the boys in a slightly condescending way.

Sara/Leanne followed her twin back to the others, sensing that Sara/Scott was acting more female than ever. She wondered how it was that the former Scott seemed to distancing herself from the male camp.

The guys still hadn't come up with a solution. They wanted to try it with two people in the car in the hopes that one would change into Leanne. Sara/Scott sighed, resigned to working it out herself.

"That won't work, remember when we first came here and I changed the car from the Volvo to the Trans Am?" She reminded them.

"Yeah, things went to the dogs," laughed Kevin, making Sara/Leanne look at him in askance. "I'll tell you later," ginned Kevin, seeing the embarrassed looks coming from Daniel and William.

"No I meant when I became Sara. You were in the front passenger seat."

"Ah! I see, I became Ken Roland, your boyfriend. So it could happen again." Kevin answered himself.

Sara/Scott thought about it, trying to come up with a solution. Suddenly, it gelled. "Leanne, get into the car and go back to the truck mode," Sara/Scott said confidently.

"But?"

"Trust me please,"

"Okay," Sara/Leanne resigned herself to going back to being a male again.

Once she had gone back to being Scott in the truck, Sara/Scott told her to get into the passenger side of the truck and reverse the process. The cheers from the guys and the glad cry from Leanne on her successful return to her body, made Sara smile as she pumped her fist in victory.

"Good guess," Daniel opined, as Leanne got out of the Trans Am.

Sara snorted, and muttered under her breath, "guess nothing? That was pure deductive logic."

Leanne came over to Sara and hugged her in thanks, asking her how she had known what to do.

"Well, sitting in the drivers seat was clearly not going to work. We proved that. Adding another person wouldn't work any better, all that would do is put you into her boyfriend's body. Putting you into the passengers side, gave the car other options. It could select her boyfriend or another of Sara's friends, but that wasn't a given. Seeing Leanne was the most recent user of Sara's car made you the logical choice. Had it not worked the first time, repeating the sequence over again would have eventually worked."

"Well I'm not doing that again- ever." Leanne promised.

"Don't worry, next time we will start you from the truck mode. That should eliminate any problems." Kevin spoke up, having listened in on Sara's explanation.

"NO! Didn't you hear me?" Leanne's exasperated tone was clearly evident.

Sara took Leanne aside before things got heated. She explained about the idea of her taking on Jennifers form so that they could liquefy any assets she might have in Australia. Sara explained about her worry of possible lasting effects on any of the guys if one became Jennifer for the expected length of time needed to accomplish the job.

"I don't want one of us getting totally lost in the role, so we don't forget what and who we really are. Being female is so different; it's like a drug, giving you an experience and a rush that could become addictive." Sara elaborated, blushing slightly.

"You're feeling that now, aren't you?" Leanne asked, looked intently at Sara's face, watching her expression give the answer.

Sara's blush deepened, and she looked away for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"Yeah, it's weird. I was always a guy kind of guy if you know what I mean. Being a female with all the attendant sensations and emotional reactions is kind of freeing. I don't need to hide my feelings; I can wear them on my face and not thought to be a weak sissy. There is also the element of hiding behind a mask, one that nobody can see past to discover the real you. It gives you a sense of power that you can fool people and allows you to act in a way that you wouldn't normally do," Sara admitted. She wandered over to the low wall bordering the driveway and sat down looking out at the ocean. Leanne followed, sitting down beside her.

"Okay, so why won't I end up the same way, maybe wanting to stay Jennifer forever, if it's so addictive as you say?" Leanne asked, trying to get the answers she needed.

Sara was silent, for a moment, as she went over her thoughts on the subject.

"One, you are a woman, so the novelty factor will have less effect. You'll be bigger in the chest, and have different hair; a different look, but essentially, you'll still be a woman. Changing back to yourself won't be the same as having to change sex, and having to get used to being a man again."

"And two?" Leanne's eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Two," Sara paused, before continuing her argument. "You already know how to handle being a woman, and dealing with the emotional feelings and the way female hormones affect your thinking patterns."

Sara looked at the guys for inspiration, watching them fiddling with the car. "A male would have to rely on the in built programming to function normally, which could lead to a dependency that might be hard to break. You will only need the informational side of the programming, where she lives, how to do her job, how to recognise her friends."

"Sounds simple, so what do I get out of this?" Leanne's question indicating to Sara, a tacit agreement that she was considering doing the task.

"Whatever profits we make, will be split evenly between us." Sara smiled, hoping Leanne was starting to come around.

"Okay, but what will you be doing while I'm in Australia. I don't want to be the only one doing all the work, while you lot laze around on the beach."

"Well we will be selling the Ellery's place and also investigating the other options to see if there's any more properties belonging to the car generated people." Sara answered, giving Leanne their plans for the future.

Leanne then asked to see what Jennifer looked like, before she gave her final answer. Returning the Trans Am back to the truck mode, Leanne then got in and turned the setting to the V.W. mode, which would produce Jennifer.

The former Leanne got out and immediately hefted her new bosoms.

"Wow! These are monster, I hope I don't get back ache lugging these around," she joked.

Jennifer was once again attired in her airhostess uniform, which showed off her more than ample assets.

"I think the body is built for those breasts, at least I never had a sore back during the time that I wore that body," Sara answered, seeking confirmation from the guys, who had worn it for a longer length of time.

Before Leanne could ask about anything more, a toot from an approaching car disturbed further conversation. Everyone turned to see a blue Ford rumble up the driveway and stop in front of them.

The guys had moved protectively closer to Sara and Leanne, unsure of just who this intruder might be. When the person got out of the car, there was a collective intake of breath from both the guys and Sara.

"Ken," Sara called out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Ken Roland, the boyfriend that the alien Sara had acquired, looked around at the strange men, wondering what was going on.

"I left a message on your phone, after you failed to meet me the other day. When I didn't hear from you, I thought you might be ill or something, so as soon as I cleared my workload, I came right over."

"Sorry sweet, I had an emergency with a friend. I've only just got back not long ago." Sara answered, sensing that the endearment that flowed so easily from her lips was the correct one.

"Who are these guys?" asked Ken in a wary manner, looking askance at Sara. "Are we still on for tonight? I have the tickets."

"This is Jennifer, a friend of mine and these are her friends. My car's battery died when I visited her on the way home, so she brought me home after I had the car towed to a garage." Sara replied, hurriedly making up a story to satisfy Ken.

"You didn't answer about tonight. I thought you wanted to go to the cabaret, to see Shania Twain." He said peevishly, looking to blame the guys for hanging with his girl.

"Sure, tonight's still on," Sara said desperately, trying to distract Ken from digging too deep into the situation with the guys. "Let me say goodbye first, then I'll go get ready. Go inside and make yourself a drink and I'll be right in."

"Don't be long," Ken said, as he walked past Leanne's car on the way inside. "This your car?" He asked Kevin, who happened to be closest to him.

"Yeah, what's it to you pal?" Kevin replied snidely, taking an instant dislike to Ken.

"Nice handbag," Ken snorted, before going inside.

"Ouch!" Kevin spoke, as he spotted Leanne's handbag on the front seat of the Chevy Nova.

"Look you guys head back to the Ellery's with Leanne's car. Jennifer drives there too and waits till I call you okay?" Sara hissed quickly. "Remember, Ken is in the CIA, and we don't want to get him suspicious. I'll call you later." She urged, as she turned to go inside. She heard the cars departing as she headed straight for the shower. She was just rinsing her hair, when a hand brushed the curtain aside. Ken was standing there, holding a drink in his hand. He offered it to her, after pulling her head close for a kiss.

Sara knew she only had the inner promptings to rely on, in dealing with Ken. To act differently than expected at this point, could lead to exposure as an impostor. She allowed herself to be kissed by Ken, before tossing back the cocktail in one gulp.

"I love the way you do that," Ken laughed, patting her wet naked ass.

"If you want to stay dry, you'd better let me finish. We don't want to waste those tickets." Sara threatened, with a laugh.

"Okay, but next time, we shower together," Ken said, moving out of reach. "By the way, you look different, younger even, did you do something to your face?" he asked, looking at her face intently.

"Yeah, I'm using a new moisturiser. It's guaranteed to take years off your looks," Sara dissembled, hoping he would buy the impromptu explanation.

"Okay, its suits you, maybe I should try it," he laughed, before turning to leave.

Sara sighed in relief, as he bought her excuse for looking younger. She heard him moving back to the kitchen. She wasn't worried about the prospects of having sex with the guy. Being a woman meant that she would enjoy that. No, it was trying to keep up the pretense of being 'his Sara,' that made her nervous. This was something that had to be hidden from Ken, lest he think she had something to hide.

After getting ready, Sara went into the lounge, where Ken was idly flicking through the TV channels. She waited for him to say something, as she posed in the doorway. She was wearing a slinky sheath gown that hugged her impressive figure. Her simple silver jewelry set off the iridescence of the material of her dress. Sara was thankful that the in built programming had made putting on makeup relatively easy. She had put her hair up in an elegant style, which left her neck exposed. It felt strange to feel the coolness of the air flowing past, after having the feel of long hair brushing there. Sara realised that as Scott he would never have given that a second thought. Scott always wore his hair short and having a cool neck was just not noticeable. It just was. Sara on the other hand, had become so comfortable with having long hair sweeping around her neck, that the absence was more than noticeable.

"Great you're ready," was Ken's only comment, as he switched off the TV and stood up.

Sara felt slightly miffed, having gone to all the trouble to look nice, all Ken was interested in, was that she was ready.

Sara shrugged, and turned, placing the keys to the condo in her small handbag, checking that her cell phone was included and turned on. Ken moved closer and nuzzled her neck, before leading her outside with a possessive arm around her waist. Sara locked the front door, and then followed Ken to his car. She waited for him to open her door, before sliding in with elegant grace.

Ken spun the tires, sending a shower of stones flying, as he negotiated back down the once neat pebble drive. Sara scowled, but made no comment. Obviously, Ken was still harbouring some resentment towards her visitors. She kept her mouth shut in case she exacerbated the situation.

Ken started talking about the guys, and Sara felt a shiver of fear run down her back despite the warmth of the late afternoon sun, as he wondered why they had really been there. His training in the CIA told him that there was something screwy going on. Sara tried desperately to pooh pooh his suspicions, saying that Jennifer had a lot of casual friends due to her job at Quantas. She thought Ken was just jealous, and told him so to his face, saying, if he was going to be like this with everyone who just happened to visit her, maybe he should move on.

Ken looked at her to see if she was serious, before turning his attention back to the road. Sara was half hoping for a blow up, so that she would have an excuse to dump Ken. Having a relationship with someone in the CIA might have been advantageous for the alien Sara, but not anymore. Now Ken was more of a liability than an asset in her eyes, especially trying to step into an ongoing romance.

Ken was silent for the rest of the journey, only commenting on trivial stuff, like the traffic, for which Sara was grateful. She made an effort to lighten the mood, because despite the situation, she wanted to enjoy the evening.

The show was great. There was a meal served before the show, and Sara relaxed, enjoying the pampering that befitted being a beautiful woman. Having chairs pulled and doors opened for her was a new experience; one, she felt she could get used to. Being asked what, 'madam' wanted by the doting waiters was also pleasant. She realised what power being an attractive women had over the men, and she reveled in it. She could see how it annoyed Ken, to have fawning waiters wait on her hand and foot, and she grinned inside as she took every advantage of it. Even knowing that the men were mostly admiring her cleavage, using the pretense of the noise in the background to bend lower to her while speaking, just to get a better eyeful, didn't detract from the vicarious thrill. It was hard to remember that she was really Scott, a young man with little or no romantic prospects.

She enjoyed listening to Shania Twain, and thought one of her songs was particularly apt. "I feel like a woman." Sara felt the urge to jump up and emulate Shania's moves, as she danced through her act. Sara was totally wired by evenings close, feeling she needed to release the tension inside. She half hoped Ken would take her dancing, even though it meant being with the guy for longer. She was about to suggest it in the car as they got back to the car to drive home, but a tune from a mobile phone interrupted her. It wasn't hers.

"Hello," Ken answered, after keying a small phone.

Sara waited, while Ken listened to the person on the other end. She could tell by his darkening expression that the news wasn't good. A halfhearted protest from Ken about being off duty was cut short by an increase in the volume coming from the phone. Although Sara couldn't make out the conversation, she could tell that it was work related. This was confirmed by Ken's next words as he put the phone away.

"I have to report in right now. I can't even drive you home, as it's urgent. I'll call a cab for you okay?"

Sara agreed, saying she would wait back in the club. Ken kissed her, apologising for the way the evening turned out. He waited till she re-entered the club, before moving off, smoking the tires. Sara wasn't about to wait for a cab. She had other ideas. Twenty minutes went by before a familiar car cruised past the club entrance and pulled over. Sara ran to the Volvo, jumping into the double parked car, before it caused a backup on the still busy road.

"Hello Margaret, nice to see you again," grinned Sara, wondering which of her friends it really was.

"What happened with Ken?" Margaret asked curiously, as she made her way through the traffic.

Sara gave a brief account of her evening, leaving out her worry about Ken maybe investigating further.

"So why are you Margaret? You could have come as yourself." Sara asked, trying in an oblique way to find out who Margaret really was without actually asking.

"We thought if Ken was maybe still in the area, it wouldn't look good for any of the guys to turn up, given that we were suppose to be strangers. We drew straws and I lost or maybe I won." She grinned, while grabbing at one of her breasts and rubbing it.

"You'll get arrested for that," quipped Sara. She was about to ask who Margaret was, seeing she still didn't know, but Margaret interrupted.

"Sheesh! I nearly forgot. We found something under the front seat of the truck. It's a silver box about 3 inches deep and a foot square. When Leanne changed back from Jennifer, she dropped an earring. While looking for it, we spotted this box tucked tightly under the seat."

"Oh? So what was in it?" asked Sara curiously, her interest piqued.

"That's just it, we don't know. It won't open. Nothing we tried works."

Sara's interest grew. What could be inside that box? She couldn't wait to look at it. Would it hold the key to something earth shaking?

She sat thinking about it, her thoughts distracted.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Five

Arriving back at the Ellery's, Sara jumped out of the car with an urgent need to use the bathroom. She saw Kevin and William in the lounge watching a football game on TV as she passed through on the way to the toilet. Daniel had followed her in, having changed out of Margaret's form. He stopped in the lounge, as the others asked if Sara was okay.

Once Sara had finished recycling the wine she had drunk, she took a shower, ridding herself of the smoky cigarette smell that the club had imparted on her clothes and skin. Borrowing a nightie and a robe from main bedroom, she then wandered into the kitchen to make herself a hot chocolate drink. She found herself making cups of hot chocolate for the others, as they heard her pottering around in the kitchen and came in to hear about her date with Ken.

Once the chocolate worked its magic, Sara just wanted to crash. Not even the mystery of the box the guys had found could deter her from going to bed, alone. Saying she was exhausted, she left them to it, as headed to the master bedroom. She knew the morning would be soon enough to start solving the problem of the box. She went out like a light, as soon as her head hit the pillow. She never stirred or woke, as Kevin slipped in beside her, several hours later.

Sara woke, feeling something poking her. She lay in bed trying to recollect the previous night. She could feel the warmth of a body spooned against her back and felt the weight of an arm draped across her body. For a panicky moment, she thought it was Ken, till she snapped her eyes open and saw where she was. She could feel the turgid love muscle twitch, as she moved to see who was in bed with her. Kevin, his face relaxed in sleep, gave her a naughty idea.

Reaching over to her purse, Sara withdrew a small foil wrapped package. She opened it and slid the sheets down to expose Kevin's weapon. Kevin stirred and rolled onto his back while Sara held her breath lest he wake. She slowly eased the condom over Kevin's penis, marveling at its silky texture. Having owned one for most of her life, touching someone else's wasn't an experience Scott had ever indulged in. It felt different touching a penis without the attendant feelings it generated. It was familiar, yet odd, as if the nerves that should have been sending their erotic message her brain had been cut off.

Her task done, she positioned herself astride Kevin's body, her waiting sex engorged and wet as she lowered herself onto Kevin. Keeping her body clear of Kevin's by holding herself up with her hands, she slowly thrust her body against Kevin's. She was building up to release when Kevin's hands gently cupped her swaying breasts. The sudden increase of stimulation sent her over the edge and she came, gasping as the tide of sensation sweep her away. She felt Kevin throb within her, as he reached his own nirvana, just before she collapsed onto his chest.

Kevin brushed aside her hair as it caressed his face. He kissed her languidly; slowly caressing her body with his hands. He was content to let her stay in the dominant position, enjoying the morning wake up call.

Sara felt a sense of power in her act of sex, in what was generally a more passive and accepting role, she had taken control and satisfied her needs to her time frame. None of this wham bam thank you maam, in taking the initiative, she had allowed her body the time to slowly build up to a glorious orgasm.

"Can I order this wake up service tomorrow?" Kevin chuckled.

Sara smiled, before rolling off Kevin's body and headed for the bathroom. She paused at the door, looking back at Kevin, as she grabbed a fresh robe.

"Maybe, it all depends on what body I'm in. Maybe you'll be sitting on my cock tomorrow," she threw back, laughing at Kevin's widening eyes.

Later at breakfast, Sara was eating her cereal, when Kevin plonked the box in front of her.

"This it?" mumbled Sara, swallowing quickly.

"Yeah, that's the sucker. There's no catch and no gap to prise it open," Kevin replied disgustedly.

Sara looked at the slim box sitting in front of her as she finished her bowl of Wheaties. The silver box was uniform in colour with a metallic feel. She picked it up, gauging its weight. There was a fine hairline crack running around the sides, indicating that it was designed to open. She placed her hands on the box to try and open it. The second all of her fingers where in contact with the box, it popped open, much to the surprise of the others at the table.

"How come you could open it when we tried to and failed," complained William indignantly.

"Maybe it was coded to open only to aliens in their borrowed forms, as a security thing." Sara answered, loving the way this new brain of hers seemed to come up with probable answers.

"Okay, we can check that out later," Daniel interrupted, leaning closer to look inside the opened box.

Inside were four silver bracelets, nestled in slots. They were about an inch wide and the surface was dotted with slight depressions. Sara went to touch one, but Kevin cautioned her, saying there was no way to tell what they did.

Whether or not it was some kind of budding feminine intuition, Sara dismissed Kevin's warning and promptly slipped one of the bracelets on her wrist.

"They are meant to be worn," Sara retorted, supplying the guys with her reasoning.

The bracelet tightened, until it was a snug fit against her skin. No longer would it slip off accidentally. Sara had a moment's worry, thinking that she might be stuck with it on her wrist. Not wanting to be told, "I told you so," she rubbed at it gently, hoping to trigger its release. Thankfully, pulling it towards her fingertips triggered it into loosening.

"It must do something, besides being a fashion statement," offered Kevin, picking up a bracelet too and examining it closely.

"It could be just jewellery," argued William, picking up one himself.

"No, the way it tightened shows it's not meant to come off unless you take it off. That smacks of something you wouldn't want to fall into just anybodies hands." Sara stated emphatically.

"I agree," confirmed Kevin, placing watching the bracelet tighten to his own wrist.

Sara had put it back on and pressed on one of the slight depressions that dotted the outside. She watched in amazement as the bracelet faded from view. It was as if it had melted into her flesh leaving nothing to be seen or felt, as she confirmed that fact by feeling her wrist with her other hand. This was stuff of fantasy, maybe a little horror too, as thoughts of that TV show where Borg and their assimilating implants, flashed across Sara's mind. She calmed, trusting her first instincts that the aliens were not inimical to the human race. Touching her wrist in the same spot as she remembered the one on the bracelet was, she pressed down, despite not feeling the bracelet under her fingers.

The bracelet shimmered into view, much like the Klingon decloaking device used on a popular TV show. Sara looked at the others, hoping her makeup had covered the way her face had paled at this extraordinary display of futuristic technology.

"Wow!" a statement echoed by the others.

"Okay, this is getting scary," Kevin stated with a hint of fear in his voice.

Sara, who had been the unofficial leader, since all this had started, made a decision.

"We can't stop now, we have to find out the purpose of these things. The lengths that they went to, too prevent the bracelets falling into the wrong hands, means they are probably more dangerous or powerful than their truck. I'm willing to test this, but first let's synchronise our bracelets." With that, she examined her bracelet more closely; noting that the spot she had pressed was slightly larger than the others.

Once the others found the same identifiable spot on their bracelets, Sara said she would press the next one along going clockwise. If anything untoward happened, they would know not to press that one. Hopefully that way, they would avoid the same trap should there be any. Sara trusted her instincts, and wasn't too worried, but it was better to be prudent with unknown technology. She pressed the next spot.

A familiar feeling overtook her body. It was the same one Scott had felt when he first experienced the change. Once the pulling/pushing sensations finished their work, Sara was no more; instead, Jennifer was standing there in her place. The bracelet was a portable form changer.

"Oh boy, no wonder they went to all that trouble to keep them secure. If anyone got hold of these, think of the neat stuff you could get away with." William gasped, fingering the bracelet on his own wrist.

"And we wont, I suppose?" Daniel said with a grin.

"Hey this doesn't work," complained William, as he fruitlessly pressed at the unresponsive bracelet.

When none of the other bracelets responded like Sara's, the conclusion was obvious. You had to be in one of the forms supplied by the truck, before it would work. Jennifer changed back to the less endowed form of Sara, feeling more comfortable in that body. To check on something that had just occurred to her, Sara asked Kevin to try pressing on her bracelet while she was wearing it, both in the visible mode and the invisible. Nothing happened, it was obviously keyed to her touch. This relieved Sara's worry that someone grasping her wrist could trigger an unplanned change, something that would be disastrous.

They all decided to keep this discovery from Leanne, seeing that there was only enough for the four of them. Time enough to reveal the bracelets if there was a dire emergency. Sara experimented further while the others went to change into alternate forms so they could activate their own bracelets into stealth mode.

One of the settings once pressed opened a lens like opening in the bracelet. 'Was it a camera? If so, what was its purpose?' she thought. She pointed the lens at the TV, which had been showing the morning news. The attractive black anchorwoman was introducing the next news item, when there was a soft click, and the lens disappeared back into the bracelet. When Sara pressed the same button again, she felt herself changing. Looking at her arms, and seeing her clothes, she knew she had changed into a copy of the woman on the TV. This surprised the others as they re-entered the room, after having changed their own bodies.

"It's me- Scott," she forced out, fighting off the urge to say Sara. "I just found another function," she explained, telling them what happened.

"Damn these things are going to be hard to resist using. We have to be extra careful, we could blow ourselves out of the water if we duplicated the wrong person." Groaned Margaret/Kevin.

They experimented further, finding out the limits of this new function. Finally, they made a list of what they could do with it.

One, any person to be duplicated, could be stored in the next setting and used repeatedly, like any of the other forms.

Two, the stored form would be overwritten once another form was captured.

Three, to get the complete form and voice, the person needed to be talking and in full view. (Partial scans where only part of the person was visible, only gave them that part, resulting in a confusing mix of the two bodies, and clothes.) If the person didn't speak, during the capture scan, the voice defaulted to the original form, with hilarious results.

Four, anything the original body had on/with them, at point of scan was duplicated, including documents in purses/wallets.

Five, as with the original forms that the car produced, there was a residual memory assist, allowing them to act and behave largely as the original person.

The first thing they did, on completion of playing around with the bracelets, was to capture their original male forms in the bracelet. This meant using a complicated series of changes with one person becoming the one required and the owner (in an alternate body,) storing the final image. This had to be repeated till all had their own form stored. This meant that they could wear the bracelet invisibly in their own form and still be able to use the bracelet, unlike when they first tried to do so.

Scott said he would take the truck back to the condo and change back into Sara in case Ken called her again. Now that they had the bracelets, they could use the normal Volvo in the garage if they needed to go anywhere. Scott phoned Leanne and told her to come to the condo so she could become Jennifer again.

Scott now back as Sara, drove to the condo, realising as she did so, the clarity of her thinking. She wondered if her IQ was higher in this body than in her own. It stood to reason that the aliens would ensure that any body they had to live in would be optimal both in intelligence and in health. That would possibly, why she was getting more comfortable in this body. That was another thing, after her night out with Ken; she hadn't suffered any adverse effects from all the alcohol he had plied her with. Scott would have had headache at least, if not a full-blown hangover, a far cry from what Sara had felt that morning. Thinking of that morning and her sexual romp with Kevin, made her chuckle and she felt a slight moistness gather between her legs.

By the time she reached the condo, she was feeling rather horny again. She saw that Leanne had beaten her there, and was waiting in her car. Sara wasted no time in getting Leanne into Jennifer's luscious form. It took several attempts to produce the air hostess garbed Jennifer with her attendant papers and passports. Once that was out of the way, Sara offered Jennifer a drink, saying she needed one herself. Accepting, they sat on the couch together with a bourbon and coke each. Sara informed Jennifer about her thoughts about her IQ and the whole health thing. Jennifer noticed Sara wriggling and looking uncomfortable.

"What's up? You look like you have ants in your pants."

Sara blushed, and admitted that she felt horny and in need of some relief.

Jennifer laughed, saying maybe she could help.

"Huh? You mean-"

"Yes, I'm bi," admitted Jennifer, reaching out and taking hold of Sara's hand. "Ever since I first saw you, I wanted to take you to bed, but I didn't, because I wasn't sure how you would handle it, plus it didn't seem right to confuse the issue of gender roles."

"Ha, ha, ha." Sara laughed, thinking that talking about gender role confusion was hilarious in this situation. "Come on, let's get naked," urged Sara, pulling Jennifer to her feet and moving towards the bedroom.

Jennifer didn't protest, but went willingly, hoping that this wouldn't create problems later on. Soon, both were naked, and Sara was being initiated into the intricacies of lesbian sex. The only disadvantage in Sara's mind was the fact that they were not face-to-face when in the throes of their orgasms. Changing position to kiss each other, both tasted their own love secretions; content to lie in each other's arms as they relaxed in post orgasmic bliss.

"What the fu-?" Ken uttered, stepping unheard into the bedroom filled with the laden smell of sex.

Ken roughly pulled the two entangled bodies apart, demanding an explanation.

Sara was furious, how dare he come barging into her home and start man handling her.

"This is my home," she screamed. "What I do in here is my business. How dare you come sneaking in here and start demanding things." She continued, her anger overcoming any caution she may have had about upsetting someone in the CIA. Even though she was naked and standing before a man who could easily subdue her, the frustrations and fears she had had about not arousing suspicion and having to play along, all boiled over, giving her courage to face up and refuse to back away from the obvious danger.

Ken was stunned, backing off from the fury shown by Sara. His normally easygoing girlfriend had suddenly turned into a wildcat, seemingly growing in stature, so that he never considered offering any resistance.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have entered without calling," he admitted, trying to mollify Sara. " I got called away to start an investigation into a strange explosion caught by one of our satellites a few days ago, near Nellis Air Force base," he blurted out, revealing more than he should have in his haste to explain. "I came to tell you in person, that I could be away for a while. I wasn't expecting to find my girlfriend in bed with another woman, but I guess that's better than finding you with another guy." He half apologised.

Sara paused, her anger dying an uneasy death, as Ken's words sunk in. 'Was that the same explosion that had nearly destroyed the truck?' She thought. 'What if the satellite had picked up the alien craft, or more worrying, herself, amending that to Scott- himself, damn it, was like Scott was becoming a separate person.' These thoughts flashed across her mind in the time it took to draw one breath. Mollifying her belligerent stance, she waved him off, turning to grab a robe.

"Okay, your said your piece. I'm still upset, so don't think this matter ends here," she stated in a calmer tone. "Go sort out your crashed UFO or whatever," she threw in, trying to see if she could elicit more information.

"Who tol.." he broke off, before starting again, eyeing her with a hint of calculation. "What makes you think it was a UFO?' He asked, trying to untangle his feelings of suspicion, worry, and uncertainty.

Sara laughed, despite feeling a sense of dread, knowing that they knew something more than were letting on. Ken's first reaction had told her enough. Showing no hint of the fear inside her, she came up with an explanation.

"One," she ticked off on her fingers. "Everyone knows area 51 is located near there in Nevada, with its associated UFO connections. Two, there was nothing mentioned on the news, which would have happened, had it been a plane crash or some terrorist attack. Three, the CIA is involved, end of story," Sara finished smugly, before starting to head out to the bathroom. "Coming Jennifer?" She asked, her meaning plain.

"I'd better go," Ken said sadly, seeing he wasn't being included in her invitation.

Sara didn't reply, as she left the room to get a shower. Jennifer scampered after her, still naked. She was glad to get out of that room and never paused to pick up any clothes. Jennifer heard Ken leaving, and felt relieved that he'd gone. Joining Sara, they spent some time washing each other, especially around the more sensitive areas. Sara wished they had endless hot water, as she could have spent all day in there.

Clean, coiffed, and clothed, the two women got down to details. Jennifer told Sara that she could be on the next plane out of here. She had quit her job that morning and was ready to take over the role of Jennifer. Sara gave her a list of phone numbers should she need any help. Jennifer's instructions were simple, find out what she owned property wise, and check out any bank accounts. Avoid where possible any persons that may or may not have been friends of Jennifer. Liquidate assets and return. Simple. Sara hoped it would turn out to be as simple as that.

Jennifer had selected a few clothes that fit her from Sara's wardrobe, mostly skirts and loose tops that fit Jennifer's more endowed bosom. She only needed something for a few days. In case there was a layover in Hawaii on the flight over.

Sara had Jennifer check in on the airline, asking when the next flight was available. There didn't seem to be any problems. Jennifer was told that there was an outbound flight at noon if she wanted.

Sara made a quick lunch while Jennifer put on her stewardess's uniform. They ate quickly so that Jennifer wouldn't miss her flight. Once at the airport, Sara gave Jennifer a tearful goodbye, and wished her luck, before Jennifer disappeared behind the boarding gate. Sara stayed at the airport lounge window, waiting till she saw the Boeing 747 take off. On the drive home, she tried not to think about the possibilities that Jennifer was heading into danger, alone. Sara thought about the way she had felt in bed with Jennifer. She then made a difficult decision, one that would affect her whole life. She hoped the rest of the guys would understand.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Six

Sara returned home and went directly to the computer. She needed to find out exactly how her host body's finances were if she was going to do what she planned. She knew from the 'memories,' that she was wealthy and that she was on leave, but for her to pull off what she had planned, she needed precise details. She rang her employer, and found that she still had a few days before she needed to return to work. Sara thought about that for a while. 'Did she want to, or even could she return to a job she hadn't had any experience in, even using the knowledge base that came with this body, it would be a harrowing experience at first. Being a temp clerk for the military might be okay for some, but she would rather not be in a classifiable situation, where her moves would be scrutinised all the time.'

She looked into her back records and found that she was still employed by a temping agency. 'Maybe she should ask to be transferred.' She found her photo I.D. It showed a picture of Sara as she looked now, but noted that it was dated two years ago. Could she pass as her older self, using the same excuse she had given Ken. She knew women could get away with this sort of stuff, as they always seemed to be chasing the illusion of youth. Shrugging, she turned her thoughts to more important things. She picked up the phone and rang the guys. Sara dreaded having to tell them her decision. She could imagine their derision and taunts.

"Oh hi Kevin, um Margaret, what's up?"

"Okay, I'll come over, I need to talk to you guys anyway," Sara responded, wondering what was making Margaret sound worried, her "something's come up," wasn't very informative. Changing into something more comfortable, Sara drove over to the others at the Ellery's.

She was welcomed by a mad flurry of activity, as she saw the 'guys' in disguise. Both William and Daniel were in the Ellery's children forms. Who was who wasn't clear, but the sense of urgency clearly showed that problems were afoot. Margaret spotted Sara and quickly filled her in. Apparently, because both children had been absent from school, a councillor had been dispatched to check up on them. The school had rung to let them know, but hadn't accepted Kevin's excuse that they had been away visiting sick relatives, possibly because, caught by surprise, Kevin was still Kevin, and not Margaret nor Steven, so hearing a stranger's voice was not conducive to trust.

Deciding that now was not the time to tell them of her decision, Sara asked if she could do anything to help.

"Not really, the others are just gathering up their school work and making sure they have their uniforms on," supplied Margaret. "We don't need Steven, as he is presumably at work, at least that's what I'll say if they ask."

Sara filled them in on the information that Ken had involuntarily revealed about the explosion that the aliens had set to destroy the truck being captured by satellite. Just as she was finishing, an authoritative sounding knock was heard at the front door. Kevin in his role as Margaret went to open the door. Sara heard voices, but didn't bother going out. 'Better to stay out of this till the dust settled,' she thought, as the voices rose heatedly.

Calling for the 'children,' Margaret came inside for her handbag, giving Sara an apologetic look, before escorting her "children," to the car. Sara resigning herself for a wait till Margaret came back from the school, and feeling bored, started tidying up the mess left by the "kids." Scott had never been what you might call a tidy person, often leaving things on the lowest level, mainly the floor, but Sara was finding out that she must have inherited a "tidy" gene along with her lady wranglers.

Margaret was back within the hour, and made comment to Sara about things looking neater.

"Women's work I guess," laughed Sara, as she put down her cup of coffee. "Want a cup? I just boiled the jug not long ago." She offered, getting up from the couch and taking her cup back to the kitchen.

"Sure, I need one after dealing with that blockheaded principal." Margaret accepted gratefully, plonking herself down on the just vacated couch.

"So what happened at school?" Sara called out from the kitchen, as she brewed up two cups of coffee.

"Well, the guy said we should have called to say they would be absent from school, and went on about being responsible parents and a load of other twaddle." Margaret answered, straightening her skirt idly.

"I guess that's a fair call," Sara said, as she brought out the coffee and handed one to Margaret.

"Yeah, but he went on and on and how the school councillors time was valuable and shouldn't be wasted having to call to check up on homes of wayward children. He was a pompous ass," Margaret finished, sipping her coffee with appreciation.

"You'd make a great wife, this coffees great." Margaret jokingly complimented.

Margaret saw the way Sara blushed and looked away nervously. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she was hiding something.

"What's up?" Margaret prompted gently, not wanting to pry, but needing to know her friend was okay. She realised that Scott had been in Sara form for pretty much all of the time, since all this started. She hoped that things weren't getting on top of her, considering having to deal with a strange boyfriend.

"Is it about Ken?" Margaret prodded, seeing Sara still hadn't answered.

"Yes and no. Scott might have to lay low for a while, if any footage of him was caught near that explosion." Sara began.

"And no?" Margaret asked, feeling a sense of unease at the way Sara was referring to Scott as a separate person.

"It's about me," Sara simply replied. "Me, as in 'Sara.' I want to stay as Sara. I feel more real as her in these last few days, than I ever did all my life, as Scott." Sara blurted out in a rush. Tears started falling as she hung her head, waiting for the caustic remarks.

Kevin, in Margaret's body first felt shock hit him/her. A feeling of unreality about the situation coupled with a sense of compassion at Sara's tearful confession filled him/her with sadness. Was Scott losing it? Could this just be a side effect of living in Sara's body for too long? These thoughts and more, flashed through his/her head. Was he in danger of wanting to stay as Margaret or one of the other female forms he/she had tried? Being in female form at the moment, may have coloured her next words, as she struggled to formulate something to say that wouldn't exacerbate the situation.

"Sara, are you sure it's not just the body talking? Why not revert to Scott for a few days or maybe even Steven."

Not hearing laughter or poofter comments, gave Sara hope that all might not be as bad as she had anticipated.

"No, I've thought about that, but it's like I'm more me as her, than I was as Scott. I feel like my brain is really alive now. When I turned back to Scott the other day, it felt like I had a filter placed over my thoughts, I was struggling to make decisions that had seemed so simple just prior to becoming Scott."

Margaret felt compassion fill her, as she too, had felt that same thing, the pull to remain female. Strangely, this clear headedness wasn't so evident when swapping back to Steven, or to some of the other male forms that the aliens had produced. It made her wonder if the aliens were a matriarchal society, with the females being more intelligent, than their male counterparts.

"Look Sara, it's your life. No matter what your form, be it male or female, you'll always be my friend," Margaret added, feeling as if she had somehow matured in these last few minutes.

"What about the others?" Sara sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Well, we could always send them to bed early, seeing it's a school day tomorrow," laughed Margaret, managing to get a smile from Sara.

"You know, I sort of feel the same way about remaining female, even with this older body of Margaret," admitted the transformed Kevin. "So I know where you're coming from," she added. "In my case though, I think it's the programming. "I don't want to give up my original body at least not permanently."

Sara went over and hugged her friend. Glad to know she still retained one of her friends, despite her decision to bat for the other team.

"Have you done anything about putting the house on the market yet?" Sara asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I rang a few agents, they said they would be around later today. Hence, I'm Margaret for the day. Oh! That reminds me, I told the principal that I'd be taking the kids out of school permanently. I let him stew, before adding that we are moving away, and he won't need to worry about them being absent, ever again."

Sara laughed, knowing Kevin had got a kick out of turning the tables on at least one principal. She remembered Kevin being singled out as a troublemaker in his old school and having to stand judgement under an overbearing principal, who often threatened expulsion.

"Good one," she laughed, feeling much better.

"Daniel had rung Steven's work, after changing into Steven. He had resigned his commission as a naval attaché. His superiors obviously hadn't been happy to be informed of this on such short notice, but they didn't have much choice, as luckily Steven's tour of duty was up in a few days anyway." Margaret explained.

"Want me to stay to help with the real estate agents?"

"Sure, we can have a girl's day together, and swap recipes," giggled Margaret pretending to go all girly.

"Shall we bake a cake, and once they have gone, we can hit the mall's and shop till we drop," suggested Sara, playing along just as girly.

"Okay, uncle," begged Margaret, knowing when she was being out girled. "You win this time," she grinned, happy to see her friend looking animated again.

"Shouldn't that be auntie?" Sara winked, as she sobered slightly.

Margaret deigned to be drawn in, saying with a smirk, that it was all relative anyway. Then both of them set too, and made the whole house look more presentable for when the agents came. Sara didn't bake a cake, but she located a bread maker in the kitchen cupboard and soon had the smell of baking bread filling the place. The agents finally arrived after lunch that had consisted of freshly baked slices of bread with cold chicken.

Margaret showed then around, while Sara moved in the background, content to stay out of the limelight. The agents were positive that the place would sell quickly and would return a tidy sum. When pressed, they mentioned it being in the area of 1.5 million. Considering their finances just a scant few days ago, this was indeed an unexpected bonus. The agents did say, that if the house was left furnished, it would fetch much more. Margaret said that it would be, so the agents noted that, and left, saying they would be in touch. Sara was feeling nervous about facing William and Daniel when they came home from school, so she made excuses to leave, asking Margaret/Kevin to break it to them first.

Margaret reluctantly agreed, seeing she couldn't convince her friend that things would be okay. Sara drove distractedly, narrowly avoiding an accident as some impatient driver ran a red light. Home at last, she sat thinking on the couch, her hand fiddling idly with the now visible bracelet. She didn't realise that her fingers were moving on her Sara setting, until she felt a tingle. Surprised, she checked herself over, expecting some change. It wasn't till she went to examine herself in the mirror that she realised what had happened.

She looked at herself, seeing her older face looking back. Somehow, she had aged two years and now matched her photo and her job records. She went and sat down, trying to figure out why. Sara tried to think of what she had done to alter her age. She was fiddling with the bracelet, that part she knew. She went and found a magnifying glass she had seen in one of the drawers in the kitchen. Using it, she examined the bracelet in fine detail. Comparing the Sara setting with the others, she could see a sight difference. Unnoticed before, the surface of the bracelet had a fine grain to it, running lengthways around the circumference. What she noticed, and how she picked it out, was the fact that the setting that marked Sara's had the fine grain running crosswise to the other. Somehow, the setting could be rotated, which had caused her age to change.

'Okay now for a test,' she thought, putting down the magnifying glass. She put her finger on the setting and instead of pressing, she twisted her finger, feeling it move. The tingle was back and she confirmed her age had regressed back to what it had been, just minutes ago. It was adjustable only within those two years, the same time that the Sara identity had been on earth, or at least the time the records showed.

Using her enhanced intelligence, she thought hard about it. The aliens did age, that was evident, but using the car obviously reset the person's age back to the original default. The bracelet allowed one to move from the default age to the real-time age. A horrible thought struck her, 'Jennifer.' Leanne was in the default body, 'oh crap!'

Sara hurriedly switched herself into the Jennifer body using the bracelet. Once there, she twisted the setting, feeling the familiar tingle. The Jennifer she saw in the mirror was older by two to three years, indicated by an increase in the laugh lines around her eyes. Nothing much else had changed, apart from her hair length, which was easily changed or could be accounted for. It was too late to contact Jennifer, as she would be on route now, and unable to receive a phone call. Sara hoped Jennifer had covered for herself if asked about her appearance.

Sara changed back to the body that she was beginning to call her own. She adjusted the age setting to look around 21 years old, so that Ken wouldn't notice another sudden change in her appearance. She still looked younger than her true age, but not so much as to be hard to explain by just new make up. She rang Margaret about the new discovery, and mentioned the problems Jennifer might run into.

"What about William and Daniel?" Kevin asked, having returned back to his original form.

"I'll check Julies age, while you check Terrence's age," Sara suggested, immediately suiting actions to her words. One quick change later, and a dash to the mirror, Sara picked up the phone again and gasped out her discovery.

'Julie looks about the same made be a fraction younger, what about Terrence?"

"Good," sighed Sara in relief, as Kevin confirmed that Terrence should get by unnoticed.

Just then, a demanding knock was heard at the front door and Ken's voice called out.

"Sara, open up. I need to talk to you urgently."

"Oh crap, I gotta go. Ken's at the door," Sara hurriedly told Kevin, before hanging up and cutting off Kevin's frantic reply.

Opening the door, Sara was confronted with an angry Ken, who pushed his way in and dragged Sara along into the lounge.

"Okay, what do you know about a guy called Scott Taylor?" He confronted her, after spinning her to face him.

"Scott Taylor?" She asked, trying the best she could to conceal the shock, as Ken's words hit her like bullets. She hoped her make up was doing its work and concealing her blood drained face.

"Don't come the innocent with me, this guys friends were just here the other day." Ken added angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sara replied archly, trying to put Ken on the defensive. He hadn't seen her reaction, so her make up had done its job, giving her the chance of pulling her little miss innocent. All she needed was the balls to bluff it out, something she'd had not too long ago.

"You'd better explain and make it good, I'm still not sure I forgive you for the other day. I thought you were investigating some explosion," she added sternly, adroitly changing the subject.

Ken looked at her, now unsure of his earlier suspicions. She seemed so, sure of herself, even a little indignant at his accusations. He turned and paced the room, trying to decide what to reveal to her. Sara had also moved away, getting herself a shot of Vodka before going and sitting down on the couch. She waited, watching Ken pace, her heart thumping in her chest.

Ken stopped, having come to a decision. He turned and sat on the arm of the couch, facing her.

I flew out to see the explosion site. The people in charge had some trackers nosing around. They backtracked someone we believe was Scott Taylor, to an abandoned car he owned. From the satellite surveillance, we know there was a truck left at the site of the explosion, which we believe this Scott took and drove off. We had a police report of an abortive chase with a truck fitting the description. Somehow, he managed to elude police on a clear road that had roadblocks set up. The direction he was last seen going was towards the west, possibly to meet up with his friends." He paused long enough to grab himself a beer, while Sara pictured the scene again in her mind.

"We got a picture of Scott Taylor from the police data base, and rang his parents. Apparently, he was headed here to San Francisco, to meet with a Kevin Black, William Roberts, and a Daniel Sackett. Kevin had a cousin here that they had planned to stay with."

"So? That's all very interesting, but what has that to with me? I don't see why there's all this interest in this Scott guy. He stole a truck. Big deal. It happens every day. Why is the CIA interested in him?" Sara was feeling more confident now, even though the danger of discovery was still hanging over her head.

"Well, the explosion has the experts puzzled," Ken explained, having decided to tell her all. Sara had signed the official secrecy act before being allowed to work at her job, so she could be sent to jail if she revealed what he was about to tell her. "It appeared to be of atomic intensity, this is why there's such a flap about it. The explosion set off all kinds of flags when it was captured on the live satellite feed. Trouble is, there's no sign of radiation or radioactive residue. The calculation of the temperature based on the glassy effect of the rocks, was in the millions of degrees, but it only lasted for a fraction of a second. The feed also captured some other anomalies. A weird distortion effect just prior to the explosion was noticed after the feed was enhanced. We need this Scott person; only he may have the key to the mystery. We ruled out that any possibility that he caused it, seeing his scholastic records, but he may have witnessed, or knew who did."

Ken stopped to finish his beer, gulping it down, like it was going out of fashion.

Sara was a bit peeved at the backhanded insult to Scott's schooling, but for obvious reasons couldn't show it.

"Okay so this Scott person has important information. I can understand why you want him, but I have never met him, so why come to me?" Sara asked, forcing Ken to reveal what he knew.

"One of the officers remembered checked a drivers licence belonging to a Sara Conners. When questioned, he described you."

"I told you I was visiting a sick friend. I don’t need your permission to go anywhere. Don’t go accusing me of being involved in some mystery explosion, just because I was passing nearby," Sara snorted, not letting the fear reach her voice.

"Okay, I didn’t mean to be so accusing, but when we wired for pictures of his friends, boy was I surprised to see that they matched those of the guys that were here the other day. I also ran the plates of that car they were driving. It belongs to a Leanne Stewart, Kevin's cousin. I sent part of my team to her place to find her and hopefully Scott's friends, while I came here to see what my girlfriend had to say about it all."

"Look, Jennifer turned up with them. I hadn't seen them before although they seemed nice enough, nor have I seen Scott. Maybe this Leanne knows something. When I asked Jennifer about them later, she told me that she had just met them. I wasn't the only one with car troubles that day. Jennifer had stalled her Vee dub at an intersection, and they were in the car behind her. They pushed her car to the side of the road, and offered to help. Apparently she had some filter problems that was causing the car to miss as dirt was clogging the carbur- something." Sara explained, trying to act ignorant of car engines. "They got it going for her and offered to follow her here, just in case, personally I think they were more interested in scoring a date." She laughed, desperately trying to distance Jennifer's involvement with the boys. That would be all they needed, Ken looking into the whereabouts of Jennifer.

"She's an air hostess right?" Ken mused, thinking that this was looking like hopeless lead.

"Yeah, I think she was on a flight out that day," offered Sara, trying not to be too specific.

A chirping cell phone interrupted the silence, as Ken tried to work out his next move.

"Ken here."

"Damn."

"She has?"

"Okay, check that out."

"Call me okay."

"Bye."

Ken hung up, with a muttered curse, and started for the door.

"Something wrong?" Sara asked, getting up.

"Looks like they were there, although none of the neighbours reported seeing Scott or the truck, only the other three guys. Leanne wasn't there, and she wasn't at work, apparently, she quit suddenly. No one has seen her since. Something tells me that there's some connection, unlikely as that is," Ken responded, sounding frustrated.

"Why unlikely?" Asked Sara, hoping she hadn't ruined Leanne's life by involving her.

"She was working, during the time that the explosion occurred, no, I think those guys may have taken her somewhere. Something stinks, and I'm going to find out what," Ken said determinedly, as he kissed her goodbye. "By the way, you keep this under your hat. No one is to know about this-ever," Ken added, before making his way out to his car.

Sara slumped back on the couch, drawing a huge breath as reaction set in. She sat there thinking, while her heart returned to a somewhat more normal pace. The only possible link back to them was Jennifer. Sara hoped that when she went back to being Leanne, they would have come up with something to satisfy any inquiry by the CIA.

Chancing that Ken hadn't had the time or the interest in bugging her phone, she rang Kevin back. Whether it was a sign, instead of hearing Kevin's voice, she heard Julie's sweet voice.

"Oh, hi there, it's Sara. Can I speak with your mother? It's imperative that I speak to 'her'." Sara stressed the 'her,' hoping Julie would get the implied message, without spelling it out. 'It pays to be careful,' she thought.

"I'll go get 'her,' Julie replied, having got the message.

Sara waited, knowing Kevin was probably changing. Margaret's voice sounded worried as she answered the phone.

Sara told Margaret to meet her where they first met Mr Maxwell, and for her to bring the girl's, as they had much to discuss. Kevin in Margaret's body didn't ask for details, obviously sensing that the phone wasn't the most secure way to talk about things. Margaret agreed to bring the girls and then hung up.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Seven

Sara was swimming, when the others arrived. Margaret was wearing a light sundress beneath which, one could see her swimming costume through the gauzy material. Julie and Janet were just wearing swimsuits with a towel tossed over one shoulder. Margaret played the mother role, by taking the towels from the girls and arranging them on the beach next to her beach bag. Both girl's raced into the ocean and slowly made their way over to where Sara was floating. To anyone watching, this was a picture of innocence. A casual meeting, where they could talk without being over heard. Facing away from the beach, no one could read lips or use directional microphones to pick up their conversation. There was enough wave action to mask their voices beyond a few feet.

"Go get Kevin, he needs to hear this as well," Sara spoke, once Julie had got close enough.

"Okay, nice suit you almost have on," Julie said, smiling in appreciation, before swimming into shore.

Sara watched her put on the 'come on in, the waters fine,' act with Margaret/Kevin, pulling on her arm insistently.

Sara saw Kevin gracefully slip off her sundress, revealing her lilac coloured swimsuit underneath. Sara thought she looked spectacular in the suit, as it didn't leave much to the imagination. Margaret still had a very good body, despite being older. She was glad that her own skimpy bikini in hot pink made the most of showing her own assets. For some reason, she didn't want to feel out done in the fashion sense.

"Nice suit," both Sara and Margaret chorused together, as they met in the water.

Laughing, at the simultaneous comment, they splashed each other in mock battle, while the girl's squealed on the sidelines.

"You sure took enough precautions against being overheard. I guess you have something serious to tell us." Margaret began. "Are you sure that those seagulls aren't wearing a wire?" Margaret asked, pointing to some loitering seagulls floating nearby. "One of them could be a CIA plant, you know."

Sara giggled, disagreeing, but said she had seen a suspicious flounder by her feet a while back.

"Oh don't worry about him, he's one of ours. He won't tell a 'sole,'" Margaret said straight faced.

Sara cracked up laughing, at the pun, and feeling much better now that she was with her friends, despite their outwardly changed appearances.

Sobering up, Sara managed to tell they about the situation with what Ken had found out. Despite the seriousness of the situation, they maintained the appearance of a group of women frolicking in the surf, with no care in the world. Sara had warned the others about keeping their true selves hidden from public view until the situation resolved itself. She made mention that being in the female bodies with their enhanced intelligence, a solution might be easier to find. The others agreed, Daniel and William seemingly unconcerned about being women although, Kevin was concerned about the acclimatisation factor of being female for an unspecified duration.

"I haven't told the others yet, about your decision. You rang just as they got home, so I haven't had time," she whispered privately.

"Leave it till I tell them myself, after all, it's about me, so I should be the one to tell them. I'll come over tonight when we can put our heads together to plan our next move. I'm concerned about Jennifer, we may have to go to Australia ourselves, if she has problems," Sara finished.

"Damn, that creates more problems, none of us has a passport, and I'm not sure these bodies do either," Margaret cursed, as she made her way to shore.

Wading in with her, Sara mentioned that the airports would probably be on alert for their old bodies to show up. Should they try to get a flight out.

Sara went up to her condo, picking up her towel on the way, while the others made there way to their own towels, to do a bit of sunbathing, before heading home. This was to further the impression of this being just a chance meeting by two unrelated parties.

Sara showered and changed, before heading out onto the deck with a drink. She watched the beach carefully, to see if there was any interest in Margaret or the girl's, as they lay in the sun. She didn't see anything suspicious, but admitted to herself that she wasn't an expert in spotting covert surveillance.

She saw them making tracks, after about an hour sunbathing. Sara stayed out on the deck, to give Margaret and the girl's to drive home, before she made her own move. First, she removed her bracelet. She didn't know if the car's own power would work on her if she had it on, so a few tests were in order, before she went too much further. She headed for the garage, making a careful search for any hiding surveillance gear. Luckily, the garage was pretty much clear of places to hide anything, so she began her first test.

The bracelet didn't seem to be effected by the car changes. It remained on the seat where Sara had placed it prior to her changing the knob setting on the Trans Am. She then placed it on her wrist and left it visible. Once the cars setting was changed so did Sara's body, but if the bracelet was in its invisible mode, her body form remained the same while only the car changed. Armed with this new information, Sara set off into town, leaving the bracelet in its visible mode.

She drove normally not trying to do a James's Bond, or in her case, a Lara Croft act of trying to avoid a possible tail, by weaving rapidly through the traffic. With the power of the car, she didn't need to do any of that. Finding an underground car park near a mall, she pressed for a ticket and drove though the now raised barrier arm to one of the lowest least busy levels, where she selected a setting that would change the Trans Am into a form she knew would throw off the most ardent follower.

She, for her new form was still female, drove the little Suzuki motorcycle back up to the exit. How the aliens managed to break the law of conservation of matter, with the reduction of mass from the Trans Am to the motorcycle, she couldn't begin to guess. Maybe it was done with wormholes, or pocket universes where the vehicles and bodies were stored just a dimension away.

Possibly the changes were triggered by the knob, to exchange the stored vehicle with the one in this reality. Trying to work backwards to come up a plausible theory of the mechanics of the change was near impossible without the alien's knowledge. The thought of having four people in a car and turning it to the bike setting, made her wonder what happen to the extra people. Would they disappear, or was there some failsafe that would prevent the change. Maybe it was possible that you might end up with two bikes, each carrying a pillion passenger.

She had thought of changing to one of the other male options, but something inside hated the thought of returning to a male form, even for a temporary stay. Sara, or rather Susan, referring to the name of the female form she had adopted, was garbed in soft leathers in a striking mixture of yellow and white, with a white helmet. She marvelled at her ability to handle the bike, having never driven one before. She felt slightly cheated knowing her ability was initially aided by the programming.

The vibrations coming through the frame were pleasant to feel as they moved up her body via her firmly planted crotch, as made her way out past the barrier arm. She didn't need to pay as her ticket was only several minutes old, so she gunned the throttle, as she accelerated into the traffic, hearing the motor scream in the typical tinny sound that Japanese two strokes all have.

Margaret was surprised to see Susan instead of Sara, but took it in her stride, as she hugged her friend.

"Nice outfit," Margaret said, as Sara/Susan stood her bike on its stand. This immediately reminded them of the scene at the beach, making them both giggle.

"Oh it was just something I switched on," (more laughter) Sara/Susan casually remarked.

"So Miss Margraves, what do you have up your sleeve?" Margaret's banter accompanying them, as they went inside.

"I'll show you inside, once I get these leathers off," winked Sara/Susan.

The others were still in girl mode, although there was a change in bodies. Daniel was wearing Jennifer's body, while William was trying out a culture change by adopting Mieko Toshiko's slender Japanese form.

"Gather round everyone, I have something to say, before we get down to our problem with Ken." Sara/Susan began. She waited till everyone was sitting down on the couch, before telling William and Daniel of her decision to remain as Sara. There was silence following her admission, silence that weighed heavily on her, as she waited for their first comment. Daniel sighed, and gave Sara a tremulous smile.

"Thank god, I thought I was the only one that was feeling that way," she finally admitted.

To say shock followed that admission was an understatement.

"Well, I guess being a woman is a pretty attractive package and one that two of us have decided to try and buy." William was the first to say. He shrugged, seeming to accept that two of his mates had made a major change in the way they would live. "Having seen both sides of the coin, I can see how the attraction in being female can change one's thinking. I must admit a certain envy of the female form, but I think I'll stay male for now, if that's okay? I can still have a testosterone vacation if I want too," he added with a grin, as he hefted his own modest breasts.

"Well, now everyone's finished confession time, lets get to the problem in hand," suggested Kevin.

Sara was relieved that it was all over without any outbursts or condemnation. She wondered if everyone being in female form had helped in some way, to be more accepting. Sara gave Daniel a look that said, "We'll talk more later." Moving along, they started to put out ideas on how to circumvent Ken's interest in Kevin and William, seeing that both Daniel and Scott would not be reappearing anytime soon. They figured Leanne would be in the clear if she just said that she offered her cousin a place to stay while the guys found a place of their own. Just then, the phone rang. Looking at the time, Sara figured it must be Leanne/ Jennifer calling.

"Hi Jennifer," Sara answered; keeping to the name belonging to the body Leanne was wearing.

"Sara?" came a questioning voice, as Jennifer heard a strange female voice answer her call.

"Oops, sorry Jen, it's Susan, if you know what I mean," Sara/Susan apologised. "I'm in 'a' fine form, tonight," Sara added, hoping Jennifer would twig.

"Ah! I understand, boy trouble?" She asked, giggling a little.

"You could say that. Um, was there a problem on the flight over? We found out that you should be several years older than you appear. We only found out after you left." Sara explained.

"Yeah, there were one or two comments made. One of the other stewardesses asked if I had got some work done. I wasn't sure why she asked, so I just nodded. She said it made me look years younger, so I figured that there was a slight glitch. I'm just heading home now, so I'll call you when I get there. The taxi driver is giving me strange looks-byeeeee."

Sara hung up the phone and relayed Jennifer's story to the others. Kevin/Margaret got up to check the oven, saying she had made dinner. Sara raised her eyebrows at this, as Kevin had never shown any culinary expertise before. Daniel, seeing Sara's surprise, laughed.

"Don't worry, it's not his usual burnt offerings, I think it's Margaret's entertainment skills coming out. I watched her myself, seeing I'll be doing my own share of cooking in the future. She surprised me too, but remember the alien Margaret entertained lots of people, so her skill levels would need to be good."

Dinner was good, and Sara asked for the recipe much to Kevin's embarrassment. There was much laughter over the suggestion Kevin stay as Margaret just so they could eat well. They had almost finished, when the phone rang again. Suspecting that it was Jennifer again, Sara took the call in the other room, allowing the others to finish dinner.

"Hello. That was quick."

"Susan, I'm in trouble. I've been uncovered." Jennifer's voice was tight with stress.

"What happened?" Sara asked, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. Sara heard some muffled voice demanding the phone, before an angry male voice barked in her ear.

"Whoever you are, I want my Jennifer back, not some impostor." The voice demanded. "I want her back now or you'll not see your agent again."

"Hold on there, calm down," Sara started to say.

"CALM DOWN!" Screamed the irate voice. "I get to my girlfriends place to find a woman who looks like my Jennifer, but is clearly not. Why should I calm down, what have you done with my girl?"

"Look, she's safe okay, it's a matter of life and death, please let me talk to my colleague," Sara insisted trying not to sound scared.

There was a sound of the phone being handed over, before Jennifer's voice came back.

"I'm here."

"You okay?"

"For now," Jennifer answered.

"Is he listening?"

"No, but..."

"He's nearby right?"

"Yes."

"Have you told him anything, anything about you know what?

"No."

"He called you an agent?"

"Yes, I had to tell him about my mission, you know, the terrorism stuff?"

"Good thinking, okay you're an undercover agent. Working for the um... CIA. The real Jennifer witnessed some terrorist activity aboard one of her flights, and she was taken into protective custody, after the perpetrators were nullified and arrested you took her place to see if the threats made against her life were real or just some excuse to get better treatment for the terrorists. Now let me speak with him again. Oh wait, does your memory assist tell you what his name is?"

"Robert Calvini."

"Okay, put him on."

"I want to tell you something," Sara said, as the phone changed hands. My agent is a rookie; I only selected her for her uncanny resemblance. I value my agents and I hold you responsible for her safety. I don't want you harming her. Is that understood?"

"Then get my girl back here right now, or you wont see your precious agent again." He snarled back.

"Listen here punk," Sara forcing as much assertiveness into her voice. "I could have people from pine gap, (a place she had heard in Australia which had been in the news, concerning CIA involvement there) come and find you in a hour. Don't push me or I'll push back. I don't want my agent harmed. We will get your Jennifer back as soon as we can, it may be 48 hours at least before can get our hands on her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, okay."

She heard a lessening in his belligerence. "I suggest you take her to your place, as she could still be a target. We will phone her using her cell phone, when we arrive, got that?"

"Yes."

Sara hung up, sagging against the wall near the phone. She fumbled, dropping the hand piece to the floor as she went to put the receiver back on the wall mounted cradle. The noise brought the others in and they immediately saw the tears in Sara's eyes after she stood up after retrieving the errant receiver, and placing it unsteadily on the cradle.

A clamour of, " what's the matter?" "Was that Jennifer?" "Why are you crying?" Came from all sides, as the girl's surrounded her concernedly as she broke down in tears.

""It's all my fault, I shouldn't have let her go alone," she sobbed, making the others worry about what had happened to Leanne in Australia.

The girl's coaxed her to the couch, where Kevin/Margaret gave her a shot of brandy to calm her down. Haltingly the conversation she had had with Leanne and her 'boyfriend,' finally came out amid a flood of self-recrimination.

"Stop that, it's not your fault." Demanded the others, in a joint rebuttal. "You couldn't have foreseen this, no one could." Kevin in his soft Margaret's voice reassuringly offered. "Your reason for sending Leanne instead of one of us was sound, besides Leanne went in with eyes open. She knew there would be a risk, but she chose to accept it. Both you and Daniel are proof of what might have happened to either William or myself, had we gone there instead. I can't talk for William, but I was sorely temped, and still am for that matter, to stay female too. In fact there was only one thing holding me back from that, and that was your decision to remain as Sara." Kevin blushed at this admission, making Margaret's face seem younger. She looked away for a moment before looking deep into Sara's eyes.

Sara stopped crying, to see a strange look in, well, Margaret's eyes, as she turned back to look into her soul. There was still something Kevin like in her look. One she hadn't seen before.

"If I'd gone to Australia, I don't think I would have come back, only Jennifer would." Kevin/Margaret stated flatly.

William was nodding his head in agreement, as Sara glanced around at them all. Suddenly, she felt great. Her friends had stuck with her, accepting and not judging or laying blame. Despite the circumstances, she felt as nothing could stop them now. There was one thing she needed to ask, Kevin, but that could wait for now.

"Thanks, I needed that. With your support we can achieve anything, so let's work on a plan to rescue Jennifer."

They decided that one had to take on the role of the older Jennifer that left three, who needed bodies that had passports, as it was decided that all of them were going to go to Australia. Sara would let Ken know that she was going away for a while to think about their relationship and where it was going.

Margaret would notify the real estate agents and drop in a set of keys, to enable them to show potential buyers the place in their absence. She would tell them that any offers were to be phoned through to her on her cell phone.

Sara remembered a thought that she had, when she first used the motorbike. Where would the passengers in the car setting go, if it were changed directly to the bike form? Sara had to find out, so she explained to the others. They first loaded the car, having reverted it from the bike, with suitcases of clothing. Changing it back to the bike and back, they found out that the cases disappeared while in bike mode, but were safely restored once the car was back. Next Sara offered to be a passenger for the next test, but she was out voted. Daniel and William offered to be the guinea pigs, while Sara remained the driver. The trust they showed and their unhesitating offer, brought tears of gratitude to her eyes.

The test was scary. One minute they were with her in the car and the next, they had both disappeared. She waited for the agreed five minutes that seemed like hours, before switching back. Both Daniel and William seemed unaware that the test had been completed, and were openly surprised to find out that they had been gone for five minutes. A check of their watches confirmed that they were both now five minutes slow. One watch was a digital one and the other was an original spring/escapement type.

"It didn't seem like any time passed," William stated. I watched you reach for the knob; then you looked at me and said, "Welcome back."

Daniel agreed, saying it didn't seem like they had lost five minutes of their lives.

Sara was happy with the results, and explained why. The others laughed, hearing her plan.

"Better than being dogs," William suggested, grinning hugely, after hearing that the dog option had been Sara's first idea. "Just think if they mated, what would happen then? If they could be changed back, what would happen to the puppy's?"

Sara opted to take on the Jennifer role, which left the others to find alternative bodies. They decided to wait till tomorrow, before trying Sara's idea. Sara, again in her body, stayed at the Ellery's that night, not wanting to leave her friends.

Dealing with the real estate agents was easy; dealing with Ken was less so. He wanted to know where she was going and with who. Sara got angry with him, saying it was those kind of questions that made her want to rethink their relationship. If he didn't trust her, then maybe they should call it quits. This made Ken back off dramatically, seeing he had no choice. He asked her to ring him when she got back, which Sara promised to do.

While plans for the next stage were being carried out, Jennifer was dealing with her own problems. Her flight had gone over relatively easy. She had managed to draw on the memories of Jennifer to aid her in the job of airhostess. Some of the crew had known her from previous flights; the others were introduced on board. One of the stewards had remembered her and commented on her new look. This had Jennifer worried, what new look? It wasn't till a stewardess from the rear of the plane had recognised her on one of her breaks, and where she'd come up to Jennifer and complimented her on her surgery, that Jennifer realised something was amiss. Jennifer had bluffed her way out of the tight spot, and carried on.

Arriving at Perth and going through customs had been a breeze, despite the increased security since 9/11. She refused an offer by one of the crew to drive her home. Her memory had provided her with the address, so finding it wasn't a problem. She just didn't want to show unfamiliarity in her own home, in case the woman invited herself in. She'd called a cab and then called the others at the Ellery's to tell them she was safe. Hearing that she was supposed to be older came as no surprise, it did add a complication that she didn't need right now, but she thought she could deal with it okay.

She hadn't been in her home more than 10 minutes, before a knock sounded at the front door. She hadn't had time to check for any gadgetry the departing aliens may have left; even her clothes were barely unpacked when she answered the door. At first, the guy just stood there, looking down at her, before asking her a question. He was huge and made her seem like a doll in comparison. His words were slurred with the effects of alcohol, and his showering habits left much to be desired.

"Whers my Jenny? Whosh the hell are you?" He threatened. He pushed past her and grabbed her arm, before pulling her inside, out of sight of the neighbours.

"I'm Jennifer, who are you?" She asked quickly, before realising her mistake.

"I'm Jenny's boyfriend, ash you should know if yous wass her." He muttered, pushing her backwards into the couch.

Cursing her scared response, that showed she didn't know this stranger, she tried bluffing.

"You're not my boyfriend, I don't date drunks," she responded, trying to sound angry. Unfortunately, it came out sounding more scared, as the guy leaned closer and got in her face.

"Shut up bitch, you ain't my Sheila, that's fer sure. She's much more respecting of my needs. Now tell me whas you is doing here in her place, are you some kinda spy, trying to get info from me? Fess up, or do I has to play rough with you." He shouted, squeezing her arms in a vice like grip.

Belatedly, she found his name in her borrowed memory. Robert Calvini, one of the members of the Italian underworld that resided in this part of the world. She remembered a nickname he had acquired from an English TV program for kids. 'Bob the Builder,' although in his case it was 'Bob the Wrecker for obvious reasons, seeing he was huge and had massive hands.'

"Okay, stop. I'll tell you," Jennifer cried, fearing for her life, as 'Bob' continued to manhandle her. Thinking quickly, and using Robert's suspicions as a guide to what he might believe, coupled with a recent news item she had heard; she told him that she was an undercover agent.

"I'm on a case against international terrorism in the flight industry. Let me ring my superior, and I'll let her explain." She gasped, as he continued to shake her about.

He stopped, as slowly, his brain decided that the sort of terrorism she was talking about didn't have anything to do with his organisations type of terrorism.

"Okay, but you don't say anything, about nutting, you know bout me, cappish?"

If things weren't as serious as they were, she would have laughed at his poor impression of the 'Godfather.' Getting out her phone gingerly out of her purse, conscious of the way Bob was eying her movements, she rang the number of the Ellery's, hoping they were there.

Susan/Sara answered, and quickly Jennifer said she was in trouble and had been uncovered. She had stressed the 'uncovered,' hoping to wise her up. Fortunately, when Bob wrestled the phone away, and started yelling at Sara, he mentioned the word agent to her. Jennifer held her breath, praying that Sara had picked up the clues. All seemed fine, as Bob reluctantly relinquished the phone to her. He hovered near, while Sara outlined her plan. Bob was quiet, after talking to Sara for the second time.

"Get your things, we are moving to my place." He said, still seeming angry, at the deception. Jennifer quickly threw her clothes back in her case, realising that Sara didn't want Bob staying here, in case he found something he shouldn't. It also gave Sara a place to stay and plan when she came over to help her. Going with 'Bob the Bulk,' as Jennifer had personally renamed him, was scary, but she knew Sara would come to rescue her, that was never in doubt.

Robert drove erratically from her place at Scarborough near the beach to the less affluent Armadale. Once Jennifer was ensconced at Bob's less than salubrious home, Bob became more demanding, saying that if she was a substitute for his real girlfriend, then she should take over all her duties, as well.

"Well don't just stand there, clean up this place. It's a mess." He demanded, shoving her towards the kitchen. "Oh, get me a tinny, while you in there." He added.

Jennifer looked at the mess in the kitchen and nearly threw up. The place was a pigsty, and she doubted the former Jennifer had ever been here, much less cleaned up. She wondered why the alien had hooked up with this lout, but there was no figuring alien beings. She sighed as she got Bob can of beer from the grubby fridge, her mental assist, helping translate Bob's request.

Bob tried to grab her for a kiss, saying Jennifer should play the role properly. She shuddered hoping he didn't mean to have sex with her, but his next words sent a chill through her, as she dodged his grasp.

"We can see if you're as good as she is in bed. I can't wait to break that rookie body of yours in."

Jennifer escaped to the kitchen, the smell, and sight of it looking better than what awaited her in the other room. Several hours later, the kitchen looked somewhat better, considering the gross lack of cleaning products.

Dinner was a pizza, ordered on the phone. Jennifer had on appetite and only nibbled on a section. Bob ate the rest, belching frequently, s he watched TV. He washed it down with beer, his huge body absorbing the alcohol like a sponge, albeit a dirty one.

The moment she was dreading came as he dragged her to a filthy bedroom that smelt of a mixture of socksegen, (the smell dead socks give off) B.O. and urine. He tore her clothes off and flung her on the bed, unmindful of her cries of protest. He undressed only slightly slower and pinned her to the bed with his weight. This was too much for Jennifer, who then fainted, as Bob entertained himself with her unresponsive body.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eight

The cabbie stood no chance, as he stopped for the frantically waving girl. She leaned in and begged for his assistance in helping her two friends, down the alley he had just passed.

"Please, can you help? My mother is worried our car is about to blow up. We need a man, as I'm afraid we are just three ditzy females with no knowledge of cars." She said, between slow deliberate licks of her ice cream cone.

He reversed the cab so he could see down the quiet alley, his cab effectively blocking the way. He looked down to see two sexy looking women bending over, as they looked under the upraised hood at the engine. Getting out to help, the girl who had flagged him down, started fawning over him, thanking him and running her hands over his body.

No man could resist being led towards two lovely helpless women, not with an amorous girl urging him on.

"Can you sit in the car while I turn on the air con?" asked Margaret, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's making a funny noise."

He never saw one of the others aim a bracelet at him, as he was too interested in the driver's cleavage, as she leaned forward to turn a knob on the dash.

The cabbie was quickly tucked away in non-space, as they had nicknamed it, after Margaret/Kevin had become Susan/Kevin with the change from the Volvo to the motorbike. Jennifer/Daniel then climbed onto the back of the motorbike, before driving out past the taxi, which was even now turning back into traffic. The alley was quiet with only the melting ice cream cone left on the pavement.

Julie/William, who had snapped an image of the cabbie, was now his double. William drove the cab back to the airport and parked near the rank. He left the cab and went inside to wait for his targets. He watched the boards announcing the landings. He was especially interested in those Quantas flights from Australia. Eventually, his patience was rewarded.

Three passengers, one adult female with her husband and a blonde teenager had picked up their luggage and were struggling towards the terminal doors. The toy Koalas clipped to their lapels and their accents giving their nationality away like signposts. William, who had fortuitously procured one of the ever-scarce baggage trolleys, came forward.

"Can I take those? I have a taxi waiting outside ready to whisk you to your destination."

"Thank you matey, by crikey that's the best offer all day," grinned the man.

William loaded their heavy bags onto the trolley, for which they were very grateful. William led them to his cab and loaded their luggage in the trunk. He then headed out on the road, after finding out where they were headed.

The alley where William and the others had done the first switcheroo was on the route from the airport to the city, a fact taken into account at the start of this operation. William slowed, faking a problem with the cab.

"Sorry folks, there seems to be problem with the cab. I'll have to stop here and call for another."

He stopped the cab in exactly the same place where he had taken it from in the first place. He suggested that the passengers take themselves and their luggage to the café on the corner, while he phoned for a replacement. Grumbling, they agreed, and William said there would be no fare charge, which made them happier. Ordering and paying for their coffees, William quickly left and headed back into the alley where Susan was waiting.

The cabbie was puzzled when the driver asked him to leave. He hadn't even had time to listen to the problem they had mentioned. He shrugged and left to get back to his cab, wondering where the young girl had gone. He drove off, none the wiser that he was missing several hours of his life.

Julie/Daniel was in the café, listening to the tourists grumble about the wait. She moved closer and finally offered them a lift with her friend.

"My mother has her car in the alley next door, we are headed into the city, so we could drop you off."

"Well, if it's no trouble, then thank you," the woman agreed, wanting to get to the hotel and freshen up.

Within minutes of accepting, the three tourists were in non-space, as Margaret/Kevin in her Volvo, became Susan/Kevin on her bike. Julie had pretended to load their luggage in the trunk, while Margaret had started the car. Instead, Julie had just left them out behind the car, so that it wouldn't disappear along with the tourists.

Jennifer/William drove the Ellery's Volvo, (the plain every day version,) up to where the luggage lay on the ground. Susan had taken Daniel back home to get it and return with it to the alley to wait for Williams return.

They loaded the luggage and Susan followed the Volvo on her bike, back to the Ellery's. Once there, they hid the bike in a secure room that only they, had the keys to. Kevin and William tossed a coin as to who was going to be the adult woman, as Daniel had chosen to the young girl.

No one was sure if Kevin had won or lost when the coin determined that he would be the woman. Using the image taken of the tourists with the bracelets, it wasn't long before they were the spitting image of the three in limbo. Kevin was now Glenda and William was Trevor, according to the documents, they found with their new bodies. Daniel was now Cindy, a cute 15-year-old blonde.

Glenda complained about her heels as she walked unsteadily around, in the garage.

"Damn, I don't seem to be able to manage these like I did with Margaret's," she moaned.

As time was of the essence, there wasn't time to stand around complaining. So once William called a real cab, it wasn't long before they were at the airport. With a huge deposit of cash, and the excuse that they had to return home for a family emergency, they were soon on a flight destined for Australia. Sara/Jennifer had wangled her way onto the same flight, taking the place of one of the scheduled stewardesses with a suitable cash bribe of course.

Sara thought it hilarious, that she was serving her friends refreshments, in her role as Jennifer. On the pretence of offering Cindy some candy, she crouched down and quietly asked her how she was coping.

"I'm fine, but mommy keeps complaining. I think she needs a sick bag." Giggled Daniel in her teenage body.

Concerned, Sara turned to Kevin in her Glenda form and asked if she was okay.

"Have you anything for air sickness? I don't think this body travels well," she moaned, looking slightly bilious.

"I'll ask if there's some Dramamine I can give you for that. We want you fit and well for when we arrive," Sara suggested, consoling her distraught friend.

Later on, when she checked, Glenda looked much better. The flight seemed to take forever, especially with Leanne in a dangerous situation. Once the jet was on its final approach, thoughts turned to their next move once they landed in Perth. Sara was using Jennifer's memories to assess the time to get to her home in Scarborough from the airport, to work out how much time they had to plan.

Leanne woke up alone, smelling the stench of the room mixed now with the smell of Roberts's musky semen drying on her body. She ached below and felt sore around her nipples. She saw by the clock radio, that it was 9 am. She could hear the TV going in the other room, and guessed that was where Robert was. She got out of bed, fumbling for her ripped clothes, before giving up that idea. The windows offered no escape, as they had security screens fitted, made of extruded aluminium covered with fine mesh, which doubled as fly screens.

She pulled on her panties, one of the few items to survive Robert's handling. She walked out the room and saw her suitcase in the hall. She took out a change of clothes, and went looking for the bathroom. Once found, she examined her body, looking for the bruises she could feel. There wasn't much to see, there was some bruising, but not as much as she thought, she should see. This body must have marvellous healing powers to put up with Roberts abuses. She found some soap, but no shampoo. Returning to her suitcase, she found her shampoo, and hurried back to the illusionary safety of the bathroom.

She scrubbed and scoured her body, trying to feel clean in more than just the physical sense. Being raped by that brute made her feel dirty inside, where no soap could reach. Even though she hadn't any memories of the rape, she still felt a sense that it was her fault. She tried to shake off the guilty feelings and substitute feelings of anger towards her attacker.

Cleaner, and feeling better dressed in clean clothes, Jennifer/Leanne went out to the kitchen to find something to eat. Robert saw her and told her to get him something too. She looked in the fridge and in the cupboards to see what there was, that was still edible. The best she could come up with was some stale bread and some cheese that she had cut to the mould off. Slicing the bread into fingers, she spread grated cheese over the bread and laid them on an oven tray to bake in the oven, while she made some coffee. She brought the coffee into where Robert was sitting, just escaping his reaching hand to hurry back in to the kitchen. Once the cheesie's were cooked, she divided them and took half into Robert. While he tasted them, she went back to eat her share in the kitchen, making enough noise as she cleaned up, so that he didn't have to worry what she was up to, and come in checking.

Sara in the older Jennifers body had been accessing the memories this body had of Robert. She knew once she contacted him, he would likely pose some questions, questions only his Jennifer would know. Once started, it seemed as though there was a lot more in her head, than in the Jennifer she had been before. She reasoned that the older body simply had more memories to access. Kevin in his Glenda body had complained that there were no memories or other help to assist in her impersonation, like with the other female bodies. It took a few minutes for 'Glenda,' to remember how to walk in heels. Only the experience in the alien produced bodies allowed her to pick it up quickly.

Leanne in the younger version Jennifer hadn't had a chance of pulling her deception off, not without all of the accompanying memories. Sara hoped she could do better. It was not only her life on the line, but Leanne's too.

After landing, and the usual rigmarole in customs and collecting luggage, they called a taxi. Forty minutes later, they reached Hale road near the West coast highway. The taxi deposited them all at number 9 Yaltawa road, where they unloaded the baggage and paid off the taxi driver.

Producing the key provided handily, with the body, Sara/Jennifer opened the door and went in. The others followed, dumping their gear in the hallway, so that a quick reconnoitre to see if the place was empty could be carried out. Seeing the place first hand brought up fresh Jennifer memories that told Sara, where a secret room was hidden.

Jennifers fingers placed on a certain spot on the wall near the bathroom, triggered a panel to open. It was one of several that were lining the wall, which looked perfectly normal. Entering the small space, barely 4 foot square revealed that the alien Jennifer had been here when the call to return home had come. Things were strewn around in a hasty attempt to destroy the evidence. The laptop there had been smashed with a blunt object and its LCD screen was shattered. William, who had returned to his body as had Kevin, said the drive might still be salvageable.

"Sheesh, I bet she didn't even try and delete anything," he exclaimed. "Even you could do a better job of it, than this supposedly superior race."

"You know what this means, don't you?" Sara replied. "No magical car. She probably ditched it in the outback and its now destroyed." Sara grumbled.

This was confirmed when Daniel still in the Cindy body came in from her inspection of the garage.

"Nothing, not even a second hand push bike," she grinned wryly.

"Okay, that means we stay here and draw this Robert guy back here," Sara suggested. "This is what we'll do," she added, outlining her plan.

"Hello, is this Robert?" Asked Kevin, in Susan's voice, having taken on Jennifer's CIA superior's role.

"Yes, have you got my Jennifer?" answered Robert, in a nonchalant tone.

"Yes she is standing right next to me," a worried Kevin replied, wondering why Robert seemed almost uninterested.

"Let me talk to her."

"Not so fast, let me speak to my operative," insisted Kevin.

Robert hummed and hah'd, trying to argue with her. Kevin felt he was hiding something, and demanded Jennifer be put on.

"You okay hon?" Kevin asked, as Jennifer was allowed to answer.

"No, I saw nobody suspicious," Jennifer answered, using her head.

"Has he done something to you?" Kevin asked, realising that Jennifer was answering in a way that wouldn't alert Robert.

"Yes, I hope I can finish this job before tonight," she answered, telling Susan that she wanted out before nightfall.

Kevin immediately thought Robert had sexually attacked her despite the warnings. Perhaps that was why he wasn't in a rush to get his girl back.

"Okay, tell him Jennifer wants to speak, and hand him the phone, don't worry the cavalry's here.

Kevin alerted Sara/Jennifer that Robert had attacked Leanne in the time Robert took up the phone.

"Hey baby, you got me a present?"

"Sure, its open right now, waiting for you," Sara answered, knowing he was referring the whisky Jennifer usually brought home with her, duty free.

"Johnny walker black label right?" he asked, trying to trap her.

"Look if you want to change you drinking habit's, you'll have to tell me in advance. I got the usual Glenfiddich. You want me to tip it out?" Sara asked turning the tables on Robert.

"Nah! That's fine just warm like usual. You at home?"

"Yes come over please, I missed you," Sara purred, trying not ton gag.

Sara handed the phone over to Kevin, who made sure that Robert would bring Leanne with him.

Robert pulled up outside Jennifers home. He could see a woman standing outside, presumably the CIA woman who had contacted him. He got out and allowed the fake Jennifer to run to the woman. She pointed to the house.

"Jennifers in there waiting for you, we'll wait here till our ride comes. Goodbye Mr Calvini." Susan/Kevin said coldly, holding Leanne close.

Robert shrugged and went inside. There he saw his Jennifer sitting on the couch smiling. She was naked to the waist and had a brandy balloon full of scotch nestled in her cleavage, the swell of her breasts cupping the glass warming the fiery liquid inside. He smiled, now this was his girl.

Sara inside her Jennifer body struggled to remain smiling, as the hulk loomed closer. She hoped she had used enough Nightquil in the scotch to do the job she wanted.

"Hi honey," she purred, handing him the glass.

"Hmmm, now that's what I call a welcome home present," he said, gulping the drink straight down without looking away from her breasts.

Sara wanted to run and puke, as his huge hand fondled her breasts roughly. Seeing he had finished the drink without blinking, she squirmed away, trying to make it look sexy.

"Let me get you another, I can't let my man get thirsty now, can I?" she smiled, getting up and taking his glass to the kitchen.

"Okay, but hurry back. I want to play with my babies," he urged, eyeing her departing butt, greedily.

"For you, anything. I'll just be a minute," Sara shuddered as soon as she was out of sight. She refilled the glass adding another dose of the liquid sleeping potion. She hated to see the expensive scotch being adulterated, but even worse how Robert consumed it, gulping it down as if it was lolly water, instead of fine whisky.

After the second glass followed the first, Robert wanted to fondle her breasts. She allowed herself to be manhandled, or should that be brute handled, as she could see that even Roberts's bulk, was being affected by the tranquillisers. She felt dirty even allowing him that privilege of plundering her body. God knows what it must feel like to be raped, as she suspected Leanne had endured. At last, Robert collapsed over her and started snoring, as the drugs and the alcohol kicked in.

"Help me! This bastard is heavy," Sara called out, as she struggled to lift Robert's dead weight from her body.

Daniel and William rushed in from the bathroom, both wearing their male bodies, as agreed. They had wanted to take on Robert from the first moment he had entered, but Sara objected. She didn't want them hurt, because of her; she was still struggling to hold back her emotions over what Leanne had gone through.

Kevin and Leanne entered on the heels of the others, hearing Sara call out. Leanne was looking more than a little surprised at Kevin, who had just morphed in front of her just seconds ago, without the aide of a car.

Robert was rendered harmless, by the adroit application of the humble plastic cable tie, granted the ones used were thicker than you normally see. Once Robert's hands and ankles were secured, they blindfolded him and put earplugs in his ears to prevent him hearing anything.

"Kevin, how did you change from Susan to yourself like that?" Leanne asked, her face filled with puzzlement.

"Long story, tell you later. First, we need to discuss what we are going to do to this piece of shit." Kevin angrily said, having been filled in outside, by Leanne.

Sara ran to Leanne, hugging her, as tears of remorse, fell from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry I put you in danger. I can't forgive myself," she sobbed.

It was strange seeing two Jennifer's embracing each other. It was kind of erotic from the men's point of view, even though the reasons for it, was not something pleasant. Sara broke off, asking Leanne if she could forgive her for getting her into this mess.

"I felt awful, just letting him paw me like some pet he owned," she explained. " I can't imagine having to go through what you did," Sara added, still not knowing all the details.

"Stop that, I won't have you blaming yourself or feeling guilty for one second, because of this piece of garbage. I knew there might be danger, but I accepted that. Anyway, there are two things that make it bearable. One, I was unconscious at the time, for which I thank my lucky stars, and two; he didn't really violate my body, only Jennifer's. Once I change back it will be like it never happened, apart from the memories."

Sara hugged Leanne again, tears of anguish, turning to tears of happiness, as Leanne's words lifted the burden of guilt that had hung over her since that second phone call.

"Well, seeing it was you he abused, you get to chose his punishment. We can turn him into anything from a bitch to a baby girl," offered Sara with a grin.

"Is this something to do with the way Kevin changed from Susan to his old self without a car?" Leanne asked excitedly.

Thus began the catch up of news since Leanne had left them. After showing her the bracelet, she posed a question.

"If Robert has the bracelet on he cant use it himself, how are you going to change him?"

"Simple, we push the buttons, because we are in the alien produced bodies, it accepts our commands. As long as we don't give Robert one of those, he couldn't even change even if he was able." Sara explained. "My guess is, that if one f the aliens became incapacitated for any reason, possibly an injury, the others could still change him/her/whatever."

Leanne thought for a while, voicing her choices to the others. "I could turn the tables on him and change him into a women and have "a Robert," rape him. Now that would be justice, to be raped by his own male body," she laughed. "Unfortunately it would mean someone would have to be him. I couldn't do it, and I wouldn't ask others to do it on my behalf. Turning into a female dog would be good too, take a picture of a pedigree bitch and his life is set as a breeding mother. It also takes care of him going to the authorities. I can't see him getting anywhere barking at the police." She giggled.

Sara was glad that Leanne's spirits were up, as thoughts of the various punishments acted as therapy. She waited, listening as, Leanne continued.

"A baby girl might be nice, it solves the problem of his silence, and eventually he'll be the one worrying about being raped."

"What about doing all three?" William suggested with an evil grin on his face. After all, Leanne was his cousin; he had a right to want a serious punishment meted out.

"Hmmm, not the first, otherwise we are no better than he is," objected Leanne, putting her foot down. Sara nodded agreement, not relishing that idea. She realised suddenly that Scott wouldn't have objected, he would probably have agreed to mete out the first suggestion. Becoming a woman had changed the way she thought about things. It wasn't a change she had noticed, just a subtle shift in the way she saw things, like men for instance. Dragging her thoughts away from men's bodies, Sara concentrated on Leanne's alternative suggestion, but not before a quick flash crossed her mind that she found Kevin looking attractive.

"I think we should make sure she can't do us an harm when she wakes up," Leanne said, smiling with anticipation.

"She?" They queried.

"Can we make him into a little girl, before he wakes?" If she then plays up, we could turn her into a bitch to see how much worse things can get." Leanne asked, looking pleadingly at the others.

"You betcha, I hope she plays up, I surely do," William winked enthusiastically rubbing his hands together, as he turned on the television, and readied his bracelet.

Finding a children's program, William soon had an image loaded that everyone approved. Slipping the bracelet on Robert's wrist, Leanne did the honours. Where once was a giant of a man, now there lay a cute 9 year old girl, with cute blonde pigtails. The transformation had given her a clean fresh smelling body with a princess dress in pink and white with a cute bow tied at her back. The change had also worked it's magic, by cleaning the blood of the drug laden alcohol, that Robert had consumed. She started to stir and opened her eyes, blinking.

"Whaaaa, what happened? Why are all these people here?" She asked, before the pitch of his voice, told him something very strange had happened to him. She looked down at what he was wearing and screeched, her high pitch voice penetrating right through the house.

She redoubled her efforts, making enough noise, that they worried the neighbours would hear. William clamped his hand over her mouth, as she drew breath for another attempt. William cursed and cuffed her, as she bit his hand. He looked at the blood she had drawn and said 'woof,' suggestively.

The others nodded. Sara crouched down to the struggling child, as she fought against Williams grasp while cursing a blue streak.

"Bobbie, if you don't behave, things can get much worse," she promised. "Life can be a bitch, you know."

"What did you do to me, you bitch?" cursed Bobbie, spitting in her face.

Sara straightened up, her anger just barely held under control. "Do it," she ground out.

Daniel forced the other loaded bracelet over Bobbie's wrist, motioning to Sara to activate it. Bobbie fell to the floor as she started to transform into a dog, a female Cocker Spaniel to be exact, the irony of the breed, not being lost on the others.

"Shouldn't that be a Cockerless Spaniel?" snorted Daniel, almost choking with mirth, as he voiced, the thoughts of the others.

Bobby wasn't happy at all, she whined piteously and lay subdued on the floor after once sniffing at her groin. It was obvious that bobby was female. She even had a collar with a nametag, on which was engraved the name Rosie.

"Well Rosie, it looks like you need to stay outside, until we know if your house trained," Sara laughed, fetching a piece of clothesline she had found. She led Rosie out into the front yard, tying her to a sturdy tree.

"I hope, there's no stray males wandering around, we know that you're in heat. You may find yourself attracting all the dogs around." She taunted, knowing that this was lie, but it would make Rosie nervous.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Nine

Robert, now Rosie the dog, trembled in fear. She urinated on the ground, seemingly unable to control herself as she whined and bit at the rope. Eventually, she seemed to sink into a lassitude born of defeat. The others watched carefully from behind the curtains, making sure she wasn't going to be molested by any roving males of the canine variety.

Sara had left a bowl of water out for her, and as the day's heat built into the mid thirties; Rosie had to learn how to lap up water. Kevin had gone to the shops with Leanne, in Margaret's body, as her original body wasn't stored in any bracelet and she wanted out of being Jennifer. They had gone to pick a few items needed for both Rosie and the others.

Seeing it was a nice hot day, they had decided on a traditional ozzie barbie. The Fremantle Doctor, as the afternoon sea breeze was called, had kicked in, cooling Kevin, with a nice refreshing breeze as he stood by the glowing BBQ. The smell of frying steak was making mouths water, including Rosie's who had been led around into the back yard and allowed some freedom to run around the enclosed yard. Daniel had returned to his favourite female form, Julie, and was attired in a skimpy bikini.

Leanne and Sara in Margaret and Jennifer's bodies respectively, were preparing some salads and bread rolls for the snags (sausages) that were being cooked, while William opened a can of 'Chum,' dog food for Rosie. He called to her, telling her that her dinner was ready.

Rosie came over and looked at the brown mush that constituted dog food. She whined and turned away, looking at Kevin, who was sampling a sausage, (cooks prerogative).

"This is dog food," William spoke to Rosie. "You're a dog, so this is what you'll eat-forever, if you don't behave. You have a choice, stay as a dog, and eat this," William nudged the plate of dog food in emphasis. "Or you can become Bobbie the little girl, and eat real food."

Rosie barked, managing to do a reasonable begging act. William took it as an agreement to going back to being a girl.

"Okay, but if you misbehave in any way, and try to run away or even act other than a girl should, it's back to being a dog forever, which isn't that long, maybe 12 years."

Another affirmative bark.

Once they changed Rosie back to Bobbie the 9-year-old girl, they gave her a plate of food and then told her not to get her dress covered in tomato ketchup, as she sat quietly eating. She looked embarrassed, dealing with her skirts, and fidgeted on the seat, trying to get comfortable. At least her foul mouth was silent, as she looked at these people with fear. She stayed quiet the rest of the evening, not fussing too much when she was given a nightie that Leanne had purchased earlier on her shopping trip. She seemed resigned to her fate, which she knew rested with these people. Just the thought of becoming a dog again was enough to curb the most rebellious thoughts of disobedience.

As before, with the Ellery's home, once the place was put on the market, they were assured of a quick sale. The place was just across from the beach in a quiet street and ideal for a quick commute into the city of Perth itself. Kevin and William removed the alien sensor for the hidden room, covering the hole with a piece of corkboard that could be used to pin notes or pictures. The rest of the stuff in there was sorted and removed, leaving just the shelves and the phone socket for the computer. There was one thing found that caused a few minutes interest. In the corner under a pile of scattered papers was a pair of sunglasses, they looked like those ones used as a fashion statement with almost clear lenses with a pearlescent look to them than functional sunglasses. Once it was determined that they didn't imbue the wearer with X-ray vision nor had some other alienish power, they were put aside.

The girl's, Leanne, Sara, and Julie, looked after Bobbie, teaching her how to behave and act, while they waited for the house to sell. They spent a lot of time on the beach getting a nice tan, while the boys tinker with the alien computer. They managed to salvage the hard drive and soon had it installed in a second hand laptop of the same model. They discovered why Jennifer was involved with Robert. Apparently, she was getting information from him through the network of corruption that the Australian based mafia had their fingers in. Government secrets, CIA involvement, the whole shebang. It seemed corruption had spread its tentacles everywhere, and Jennifer was feeding this information on to her companions. There were no references to the aliens, just dates, people, money transfers, and of course the information collected.

"I think we should drop this off to the police, there's nothing we need here, maybe with this, the corruption might be cleaned up," William suggested.

The other's agreed.

Bobbie did ask a few questions, when she thought it was safe, like how they had made her into a girl and a dog.

"Do you really want to know?" Kevin asked menacingly. "We could tell you, but then you'll have to understand that we'd have to tell the people we work for, that you know too much. Your fate will then rest in their hands, as to whether you live or die, not ours. I repeat, do you really want to know our secret?" he repeated.

Bobbie shook her head, making her pigtails swing about. She was too terrified to answer. These people already scared her with their powers. The thought of strangers deciding it was too much of a risk to keep her alive, terrified her.

"Please don't kill me, I won't tell anyone...please," Bobbie pleaded.

"Your fate rests on how you behave, until we are ready to leave," promised Kevin, lightening up on his tone of voice.

It was Sara that found the disk, as she tidied the place in readiness for the first prospective buyer. They had done a search, looking for anything of use, but hadn't found anything of note. Sara had pulled the bed out in the main bedroom, that she and Leanne were using. As she was changing the sheets, she saw something drop from behind the headboard to the floor, as it went past the gap between the headboard and the mattress. Managing to squeeze her slender arm though the gap, she retrieved a floppy disk from the floor. Calling William, all activity stopped as he inserted the disk into the laptop.

"This is interesting," he said, as he accessed the data contained on the disk. "It seems Jennifer was wise to our friend Bob, or is that fiend." He added with a laugh. She was never abused by Bob in any way. Only Bob didn't realise it. Apparently, each night he thought he was having sex and roughing her up, was spent in a hypnotic trance, as she interrogated him. She mentions a code phrase she used to take him in and out of the trance state. She would get him to do things for here, like accessing information, which he wouldn't normally do. She does mention something called a Spectraliser that she first used on him."

"A Spectraliser?" Kevin asked, rubbing his chin with his hand in a thoughtful way. "Is there any other clues to what one of those looks like?"

"Sorry, no."

Sara then asked what the code phrase was, having getting an idea.

"Zeeplattern, for entering and kelicran, for coming out," supplied William.

"Zeeplattern," Sara repeated, speaking the phrase to Bobbie, who had been in another room when William had first uttered the keywords.

Bobbie's eyes glazed over and she stopped moving about. Sara tested her, checking to see if she was really under. Once this was established, she began to question her.

"Robert, I want you to think back to when you first saw me," Sara suggested, using Roberts original name. As Sara was still in Jennifer's body, so she used that in her questioning. "I want you to describe what you saw."

The others gathered round watching, guessing what Sara was up to. Bobbie started talking, slowly building a picture of the first meeting with Jennifer. Something she mentioned, sparked Sara's interest, and she asked Bobbie to repeat it.

"We where at this bar, and I looked into eyes, behind those swirly glasses of hers, and I felt a strange feeling-" Sara interrupted, and got up and brought back the glasses they had found in the secret room.

"Like these?" she asked.

"Yes those are the ones." Bobbie confirmed.

"Kelicran." Sara said, happily, ending the trance.

Sara put the glasses on and asked Kevin if he saw anything unusual in them. Looking closely, trying to see what was so special, Kevin was unaware that his gaze was fixed, as the pearlescence seemed to draw his attention.

"Um nooo, I doon't-" He trailed off, seemingly struck dumb.

"Can you hop on one leg Kevin?" Sara asked hiding a smile, as she realised what was happening.

"Sure." Kevin replied, hopping on one leg without seeming to notice what he was doing was in anyway strange.

"You can stop hopping now," sniggered Sara, sharing in the grins of the others.

"Well we know what those do," laughed Leanne. "I just might borrow those," she added."

"Darn, it's a pity they are so girly," grumbled William good-naturedly. "I could use them on my future girlfriends."

"Well you could try a lesbian relationship," hinted Sara suggestively. "I hear they lick the alternative," she laughed.

"Hmm, it's not the alternative I want licked," he grinned, getting the joke.

"Hey! You don't need any girlfriends with me about," Daniel in her Julie form blurted out unthinkingly, pouting prettily. Her words fell into one of those silences where everyone's thinking, making more of an impact than she realised. Whether Julie was joking or not, it set off a train of thought that continued past the immediate moment.

William looked at Julie, seeing in her the possibilities that had sprung to mind. Julie realised that she had meant what she had said. William had taken on the image of a perfect boyfriend, and her thoughts towards him had taken on a deeper meaning. She wondered why she hadn't realised this before. This girl stuff was sneaky, one minute; your friend is just a pal. The next, you find yourself looking at him in a different light, as a potential lover and soul mate. She blushed at the thoughts rushing though her mind and her body tingled in a way that said it wanted more.

She tried to act like nothing had been said, as she brushed at her hair idly. William caught her eye, and for a moment, they looked at each other. Something passed between them, some unspoken communication, which said volumes, yet was still not quite understood.

Sara and Leanne caught that glance and looked at each other. They too, passed a silent message between them, but one that was completely understood. A slight upward quirk of the lips and the faint crinkle around their eyes was all they needed to confirm, what the other had thought. This would bear watching in the future to see if anything would develop. Sara thought it was the best thing that could happen, if the result was as she anticipated, and the two of them ended up together. Just thinking of the possibilities made her slightly jealous. She sighed, wishing she could find the same solution.

Leanne caught Sara's faint sigh, and knew immediately what it meant. She also knew something that Sara had seemed oblivious of. The way Kevin looked at Sara when she wasn't looking at him. She knew the signals of physical attraction, having been a women all of her life. She had also caught the odd look that Sara had given Kevin when he was busy doing stuff. Leanne grinned inside, letting no hint reach her lips. She hoped they would find each other the same way that William and Julie seemed to be doing. If not, there was always the possibility that a bit of careful prodding from her might set them in the right direction.

The moment passed, and although conversation picked up again, as they discussed the uses for the glasses, a seed of thought had been planted in their minds. Kevin, having missed the signs, blathered on regardless, his words only being half listened to, by the others.

"...so I think we can deal with Ken in that matter, don't you think?" He concluded.

"Um, yes," Sara agreed, dragging her thoughts back from her mental wanderings. "I'm sure the glasses will help there," she added, concentrating on the idea of Kevin's for dealing with an overly suspicious Ken.

After that, things settled down. Sara had no problems with withdrawing all 'her' money from the various banks. Amongst the litter of paper left behind, were her bank accounts and deeds of ownership to the property. They enjoyed the lazy days in the sun on the beach and did the usual touristy things.

Sara made sure she had the glasses with her all the time, as a recurring problem with Bobbie kept coming up. Oh no, Bobbie wasn't the problem, far from it, as she stuck like glue to Jennifer's side as if her life depended on it, which in all truth it did. No, the problem was her age; she should have been in school. Police officers often came up, as well as nosey busybodies that had nothing better to do, and enquired as to why she wasn't in attendance. Most were fobbed off with excuses, like she was just coming from the Doctors, or she was excused for family reasons, but it became a chore. Only the pleading look from Bobbie and the thought of dragging nappies and the rest of the paraphernalia around stopped her from regressing Bobbie to preschool age.

One persistent biddy, which saw her regularly going to the beach with Sara on school days, started getting annoying. No excuse was good enough for her, so Sara resorted to using the glasses, telling the woman, that no despite the evidence of her eyes, she couldn't see Bobbie at all, thus making her invisible to the woman for all practical reasons.

It must have worked, as she never acknowledged Bobbie ever again, even when Bobbie poked her tongue out at the woman the next time they passed.

Eventually the house sold and they had the money sent to their account in the states. The time had come to make a decision about Bobbie. Leanne had changed her mind about what she was going to do; instead, she gave Bobbie several choices, making it very clear that there was no way he was going to get his manhood back.

"I can change you into an adult woman, but you will have no identity and the only way you'll make a living is by using your body, plus we will erase your memories of us. You can if you want, have your male memories erased to make your new life easier to bear, or you can retain full knowledge of who you were, but not how you became female." Leanne explained.

The other option is to regress you to a baby, female of course, and make sure you'll be taken care of. You will grow up having an identity given you by the courts, so you can eventually get a good job. You have the same choice over the memories, to retain them or not. I was going to have them blocked away till you reached 20 years old, or the first time you had sex, when they would return, minus the how and why. These are the choices, you have till tomorrow to think about them and make your decision." Leanne finished.

Bobbie nodded, not happy, but resigned to accept one of the choices. She spoke slowly, weighing the results of her decision.

"I'll decide now. Looking back on my life, I can see I wasn't a particularly useful member of society. I didn't finish school, and I turned to crime to survive. I treated women abysmally, but found enough that would tolerate my abuses, that I never bothered to change. Since I've been with you as a little girl and seen the difference in the way that people treat me, I could do it, live as a female, I mean." Bobbie looked around at them for a moment before continuing. "I'd rather not be an adult and forced to sell my body to survive. If I have to be female, I'd rather grow into it, learning the skills I need to live normally. In addition, I'd like to have my memory blocked, so I grow up thinking I'm female until about 18 to 20 years old. That way I can learn the proper behaviour to continue living as a woman." Bobbie stopped then, and looked at Leanne, tears building in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you; I was an animal and deserved to be treated as one. Maybe I should have been left as a dog, it was a fitting punishment." The tears then fell, as Bobbie finished, sobbing quietly, showing the genuine remorse she felt.

Leanne wasn't made of stone, her heart melted. She went and hugged Bobbie and the last of the pain she had felt about her rape, washed away, as her tears joined Bobbies.

Sara promised it would be done and that Bobbie would get the best body available. Sara said she would make it so that when Robert's memories returned; they wouldn't cause her any conflict with her new life. As a bonus, if she were ever in a situation where she was in danger for her life, prior to her memory return, Robert's memories would return and allow her to deal with the situation, before fading away again.

It took a whole day to set things in motion. Pictures of female babies were sourced and selections made. Even the parents IQ became a factor, in increasing the odds of getting an intelligent infant. Bobbie joined in on the selection process, seeing it was to be her body for life. Once the final selection was made, the hard work began. Under hypnosis, the blocks were set. It was important to take every precaution to make it work as promised. Trusting in the alien device that had put Robert into his first trance, they worked ceaselessly to perfect the commands that would awaken Robert's old memories at the right time. The change into the infant was an anticlimax by comparison. She was such a beautiful baby; it seemed a crime to abandon her at the city hospital. They left the swaddled baby in her basket in the waiting room, with a note. "Her name is Bobbie, give her a good home."

Sara watched and waited till the low cry of Bobbie, attracted the busy nurses attention. Seeing no one close to the basket, and getting no response to several paging messages for the mother, the nurse called a doctor and Bobbie was taken away into the maternity ward.

"Goodbye Bobbie, I hope you have a wonderful new life." Whispered Sara, as she turned to leave, hurrying so the tears she shed wouldn't attract attention.

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Ten

The flight home, went like clockwork. Everyone took up the same roles as before, with Leanne being the only exception. Using the same template they used on Bobbie, she became a baby, Glenda's child in fact, travelling on her mother's passport. Glenda was wearing the glasses and used them to convince any officials who asked, that they saw Leanne's name added in her passport.

Before they boarded the flight home, they watched a news broadcast on the television in the airport lounge, about the discovery of an abandoned baby at the main hospital. It showed a close up view of Bobbie's cute face and the presenter was asking for any information that might lead to the mother, as concerns for her, were being expressed.

Glenda had to use the power of the glasses as one passenger sitting next to her noticed the similarities between 'her' baby, and the one on the news.

Leanne may have been in a baby form, but her mind was still adult. She wasn't able to move much on her own due to the weak limbs she now possessed. She never made a mess in 'her' nappies as she warned Glenda in advance, before that happened. "Weee" and "poooo" made to sound baby like, were the prearranged code words for potty time. Glenda changed her, three times during the flight, allowing her to go without dirtying her disposables. Leanne had made sure her feed was going to be ordinary milk, unheated, and that her baby food was mostly of the pulped fruit sort. She may look like a baby, but she wasn't prepared to eat baby food, or drink formula.

Once they landed, it was time to reverse the process, to release the family stuck in limbo. Some preparations were in order though. They rebooked the family's rooms at the hotel they were destined to stay at, and arranged a new flight back home set a few weeks later. They also left several thousand dollars in their luggage as compensation for their trouble. Susan drove back to the alley on the bike, while Sara took the ordinary Volvo there with the luggage, then drove off leaving Daniel to finish. Once Susan/Daniel changed back to the Volvo, she got out and loaded the luggage. The family seemed fine and well despite being nowhere for 3 weeks. Margaret/Daniel dropped them off at the hotel and then left them there.

Sara was checking on the net for any Australian news updates on Bobbie. She was pleased to see that she had been placed into foster care with what seemed to be a nice family. Leanne was pleased and made sure she would check off and on for more news.

The Ellery's house did have a buyer who was just waiting on the banks to approve the loan, so preparations were made to vacate and move to the condo. The computer, the clothes personal items, and food were al packed up. All linen towels and the like, that the buyer didn't want, which included furniture, drapes or appliances, were destined to be sold at a garage sale, at the weekend, then anything left over from that would be offered to the good will people.

The Ellery's place was sold and all the unwanted stuff was either sold that weekend or given away. Obviously, something needed to be done with Ken, now that they had moved to the condo and settled in. If he came around and spotted his wanted suspects at Sara's home, he would hit the roof. Daniel had promptly returned to become Julie again, so Sara suggested that William pick a male form other than his own and be Julie's boyfriend. Sara was going to suggest that Kevin do the same with Leanne, but for some reason that didn't feel right. Leanne saw the wheels turning in Sara's head and told Sara that it would be better if Kevin were someone she had just met. It would account for her not having called Ken all this time.

Leanne took the glasses, just in case, and went back home to await the inevitable developments. She was there barely an hour before the first of Ken's operatives came calling. He'd probably have called 3 minutes after she had got home, but had waited to see if the others might arrive too. Being prepared, she'd first speed dialled Sara on her mobile phone and left it in her purse nearby, before opening the door. Sara listened in, while waiting down the block in her Trans Am with Kevin in a new body, he'd picked that morning.

"Hello, miss, I'm from the...(silence, presumably showing Leanne his badge) I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding your cousin Kevin."

"Okay, but I haven't seen him in weeks, is he in some kind of trouble?" Sara heard Leanne reply.

"We aren't sure at this stage, may I come in?" (More silence while Sara heard the door close) "We are looking for his friend Scott who was on his way to meet him here."

"Look I'm sorry, but I haven't seen Scott. Kevin and his friends went looking for him, several weeks back and I've not heard from any of them since. I'm getting worried; they said they would be back here before me. I was on a holiday up north and just got back." Sara heard Leanne explain.

"Okay, look if you do hear from them, give us a call. Here is my number, remember day or night, someone will answer."

Leanne casually put on the glasses then drawing an odd look from the agent. Looking at Leanne's eyes, he fell into a trance. Sara could hear Leanne asking him whether there was any hidden surveillance equipment in or around her home. She also questioned him whether there were orders to maintain a presence outside her home and whether she herself was to be followed. Getting first a negative for bugs and then a yes for the ongoing surveillance at her home and where she went, she then told him to forget the last few minutes.

A few minutes later, Sara heard Leanne pick up the phone and told her that he'd gone. Sara suggested that Leanne drive back to the condo, where they could await the agents next move. Sara knew Ken would be told and that he'd likely visit himself.

Sara then left, wanting to get home before Leanne arrived. The next few hours would be critical to their continued safety, and Sara wanted to be prepared.

The others were ready, when she arrived home. Julie and Bill, as William had been temporarily renamed, had their cover stories down pat as a couple, visiting Sara. Kevin was now a tall Japanese man in his twenties, courtesy of one of the settings on the bracelet. Because it was an alien generated form, he had documentation and the skills of a martial artist to go with it. When Sara got home, she found him outside stripped to his waist, doing some exercises.

"Wow! That's so cool, is that Thai Chi? I wish I could do that," Sara sighed wistfully.

"It's a mixture of Chen Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Do, with a bit of Chi Kung, thrown in. I could teach you, you know. It's strange, but it so easy for me that it seems to flow like water."

Sara walked up to Kevin, or Huang Chien Liang, as his new drivers licence proclaimed, and ran her fingers lightly over his very fit body. Kevin's new body wasn't overly muscular, but as he moved, no one would deny that it was a very powerful one. Sara needed to clear her mind, so she stood facing Kevin and started mimicking his deliberate movements, as he continued more slowly. The exercise was relaxing and she found herself concentrating on the movements and letting the distractions around her to fade into the background.

So it was a shock to suddenly be interrupted by loud voices as Ken and several of his men burst out from the house into the back lawn where she and Kevin were working out. Leanne was sitting with Julie and Bill watching the display on the lawn, and they were equally surprised by the manner of Ken's intrusion.

Sara stood still, waiting, as Ken approached her. That he was pissed was obvious, but Sara felt a sense of inner calm, as her every sense went to red alert.

"Who are these people, and who is this?" he stabbed, pointing at Huang. "Why is a suspected accomplice, of a group we are looking for, doing here?" He ranted, looking at Leanne.

"Shut up Ken." Sara said coldly, her calm voice managing to cut though the air like a knife. At Ken's look of surprise at her defiant words, she continued.

"First, you come barging in here like you owned the place, after I've already warned you about that before. Second, where's your warrant, this isn't a situation which allows you to ride roughshod over our right's. Third, I don't think that who my friends are, is any business of yours. Leanne is my friend, and as far as I know, hasn't done anything illegal and has every right to be here. Unless you can prove your allegations, I suggest you leave before she rings her lawyer."

Ken was angry that Sara, a girl that had never defied him before, was now embarrassing him before his men. His anger overrode his judgement as he grabbed at Sara roughly. Suddenly, Kevin, who had stood quietly by while the words were being exchanged, moved swiftly. Ken found himself on the ground with his wrist twisted into a lock that was most excruciating. He tried to use his own training to break the hold, but found it countered easily and the pain went up a notch as Kevin's hold threatened to break the joint in his elbow. The other agents tried to intervene to their cost. In movements that defied the eyes, Kevin flew into a complicated moment of aerial ballet, which had the two agents lying groaning beside Ken. Kevin stood back, after quickly divesting the three men of their weapons. Sara took out her phone and called the police, while Kevin used the agent's own cuffs to hold them.

They sat and waited while the agents cursed, not seeing the tape recorder that Julie had started when the agents had first burst in. Sara winked at her, glad that at least one aspect of her plan had been carried out. Once the police came, three very red faced agents were released, as they identified themselves. The police then turned to the others asking for their side of things. Luckily, there was no love lost between the police department and the CIA, and Sara was allowed to explain, despite calls for the lot of them to be arrested by Ken.

The officer in charge wasn't afraid of the bullying tactics and threats of the powers that be, crashing down on their heads. He'd been witness to several over enthusiastic operations by the CIA, where innocent lives had been endangered, and wasn't about to let them worm their way out of this one.

Once Julie had handed him the tape, and all statements had been given, he told Ken to get lost, before he hauled him in. Before Ken left, Sara told him not to darken her door again and that their relationship was over for good.

Ken left then, but a look on his face told her that this wasn't over. He'd been made to look a fool; three men overpowered by one slim oriental, and disabled by their own cuffs. Sara said to the officer that she thought Ken would come back, and that she would take extra precautions. He said that he couldn't spare anyone to watch the place, but he gave her a number to call the rapid response unit should she need them.

Sara made sure that the place was secure, locking windows and dead bolting the doors. Together with the others, she set up the equipment they had purchased that morning. The small video camera that was promised to work in near dark with the aid of an infrared source of light was installed to view the lounge. It was the most vulnerable part of the house with the large glass French sliders facing the veranda. A video feed was monitored in the main bedroom, where all were planned to sleep that night. A passive infrared detector was also hidden, the telltale indicator light being disabled so it wouldn't alert intruders. The detector was wired to sound a buzzer in the bedroom, which was just loud enough to alert those that would be awake on their shift. No one knew when Ken would be back, but Sara was betting that night while they were all still there, plus, he had to regain the respect of his agents before they talked to others.

Kevin had the difficult job of staying hidden near the lounge inside the emptied broom closet. He was going to use the martial arts to obtain a level of meditation that would allow him to remain silent for long hours, yet be ready to act when alerted by the phone in his pocket. The one on watch would text his phone, which was set to vibrate, alerting him, but no one else. He was dressed in black and hoped to disable Ken and the others, before they did anything serious. Sara was praying that weapons wouldn't be a factor, as Ken knew she didn't carry one in the house.

The officer called out to the Balboa address at Half Moon Bay surveyed the footage shown on the video that was captured by the hastily installed security camera. He and two others were trying to untangle what had happened here. A frantic call for help had them on the scene in 8 minutes, to find the place in a shambles. Three men had sexually assaulted several women, beaten them and had tied up several young men in the process. They had broken down the door in the midst of the assault and had arrested the three men who proclaimed to be the CIA's finest. 'Sure, like I believe that.' He thought disgustedly, as he viewed the tape.

"Hey sarge, what do I do with these guys?" A junior officer asked, indicating the three men dressed in black.

"Haul them away and bury them, for all I care," he answered. "Book em for rape and B and E, and don't let them go, I might have more charges yet," he added, as the men were led away.

Starting the tape at the beginning, he could see them setting up the angles to get the best coverage. He knew from the earlier report that the owner had mentioned taking extra security measures. He wished more people had the same sense, as this provided excellent evidence that made his job so much easier. The footage showed the lounge to be undisturbed as the hours passed. He fast-forwarded the tape set on long play, until a flicker showed some activity. He rewound it a way then set it on normal play.

The video showed the oriental guy walking into the kitchen, with an empty glass. Then while he was still there, presumably getting a drink, the scene changed. What the camera, showed, was the three agents coming through the French sliders. Using two suction devices used to hold glass sheets, they applied it to the outside of one of the doors. They then lifted the door out of the running track at the bottom and angled it inside the house. One of the agents slipped though the narrow gap and released the catch. They stood the door up again, setting it into the groove and slid the door open.

The leader, who the officer now knew was called Ken, made a quick circular motion with his hand. The two other agents started a quick reconnoitre on the ground level. They didn't use torches, just trusting to the faint moonlight that entered the half closed shades. One of the agents must have heard the guy in the kitchen make a noise, as he flattened himself by the doorway and took out a baton. As Kevin came out with a glass of juice, the agent swung the baton against his head, dropping him like a wet sack, as Kevin fell to the floor, the officer winced as a boot from the agent cruelly struck Kevin between the legs.

Then the footage showed them coming closer to the camera as they climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. They passed out of view for a moment, before returning dragging the half asleep women back down stairs. The other young man must have been subdued then, as they had found him bound in one of the bedrooms. The officer watched as the women were thrown around roughly. He cursed that there was no audio, although the body language was loud and clear.

Ken was questioning Sara the owner, often slapping her when her replies failed to satisfy him. The other two women were stripped naked and thrown to the ground. Unfortunately, they were both out of sight of the camera as the large couch was in the way. The officer watched, intently as the two subordinate agents unbuckled their pants and freed their cocks from their underwear. They dropped partially out of sight as they impaled themselves on the women. The thrusting movements of the men where clearly seen above the couch and a pair of feminine legs that were visible past the end of the couch of was seen jerking in sync, with one mans movements.

Next, the footage showed the officer and his men coming into the room and promptly taking action at the scene before them. The tight-lipped officer stopped the tape and ejected the video, before placing into an evidence bag. He stood up, and walked out of the closet where the tape machine had been running.

He came down stairs to see two of the raped women hugging each other, while an older woman was comforting them. The Asian lad was holding a cold compress to his head, as the officer walked up.

"I took the liberty of taking several vaginal swaps for evidence," the older woman explained, handing him two zip lock bags with a cotton swab in each and the names of the two girls marked outside.

"I'm Margaret, I phoned you after seeing these men acting suspiciously.

"Where's the other woman...Sara, I wanted to talk to her?" the officer asked, looking around.

"Bill, Julie's boyfriend took her to her doctor, seeing he was the only one unhurt. Once the girl's have calmed down, I'm going to take them there as well."

"You sure? I should have them taken to the hospital and get them checked over." The officer sounded rather doubtful.

"Look officer I'm their friend and they are traumatised enough without having strangers prodding and poking." Insisted Margaret, looking sternly at the officer.

"Okay, okay," the officer held his hands up in mock surrender to the forcefulness of the lady, who seemed to know what was what.

"Just have them send a statement when they are able, and I'll see them in court."

I don't think they will agree to that, do they really have to appear. Won't that tape in your hand be enough to lay charges?"

"Sure, but being CIA, they might not get jail time, without their presence." The officer sighed.

"Will they get suspended?"

"Most likely, busted down to records is my guess. It depends on their past record."

The officer left then, leaving Margaret to her charges. Once the cars had left, and silence reined again, the two stricken girl's burst out laughing.

"Oh boy, that was just too much," giggled Julie.

"Great acting guys," Margaret said, as she morphed back into Sara.

"What about me?" complained Kevin, as he reappeared from the broom closet in his own body. "Did you see my boneless slump to the floor, now that took skill."

"It's a pity they couldn't see the first tape we made," smiled Leanne, as she went to get cleaned up. "Yuck, I need to get cleaned up. I hate having sperm drying on my body."

"I'll join you, having a strange guy cum over you to simulate being raped, isn't my idea of fun," complained Julie, following Leanne to the shower.

"I'll get you some clean nighties," Sara offered, heading to the bedroom. She spotted a marble near the stairs and stooped to pick it up, thinking back to a few hours earlier.

The real video taken of the break in showed an entirely different scene, once the three had entered via the French doors. Sara was glad she had watched all of the "Home Alone" films. Having the forth step from the top of the stairs covered with marbles was a great idea, along with oiling the banister of the stairs at that point. When the three men entered and quickly confirmed that the lower rooms were empty, they started up the stairs. Kevin had been alerted and eased open the broom closet door, ready to leap into action.

William moved silently into position behind the corner at the top of the stairs where they joined the landing at right angles. Ken led the way first, knowing the exact layout of the house while the other two followed several steps further back. Sara waited, hardly breathing as Ken placed his foot on the marble strewn stair. She couldn't' help smile as Ken did his best impression of her favourite cartoon character Wiley Coyote (the scene where he steps off the cliff, then realises where he is and windmills his feet trying to step back). Marbles flew everywhere as his dancing feet kicked them towards the others following behind.

Ken tried to grasp the rail, to maintain his balance, as he started to fall, but slick with furniture oil, it offered little or no purchase. The clincher came when William, hearing the noise and soft curses, stepped out from behind the corner, and tossed his final weapon at Ken. Having a tied up plastic garbage bag filled with wet towels and several wet blankets totalling around 60 kilos tossed at you, was the last thing Ken saw before it hit him squarely in the chest. He went crashing down, knocking both men behind him from their feet. As they unceremoniously ended in a tangled heap at the bottom of the stairs, the boys both leapt into action.

William took the speedy way down the stairs, not risking a twisted ankle; he held onto the banister rail and slid down with his feet on the bottom rail. His practiced slide, took him rapidly down to the tangle of bodies, only releasing his grip, as he got closer so he could dog pile on top of Ken and the others. Kevin was close behind, reaching the agents and administering the correct hold to disable the men until the cuffs supplied by the agents were again put into use.

Sara remembered the way the glasses she used on the agents put them all into a hypnotic trance. Setting up the scene for the police was child's play after that. The agents never realised that their blows were not doing any damage, as Sara had programmed them to pull their blows at the last second, robbing them of any real impact. The rape scene was carefully prepared and having the men orgasm on command dripping their juices on the top women, added the evidence they needed, without any penetration.

Sara suffered the most, having her in full view while Ken slapped her around. Ken did pull his blows, but not being a practiced stuntman who does that for a living, he couldn't help making mistakes. Several of the blows made her nose bleed, and one gave her a bruise under the eye. She didn't mind too much, because later, the police office took several pictures as evidence.

The agents never knew that the second scene wasn't real, to them; they thought that it had gone down exactly as the video in the police showed. Sara grinned, thinking of the last commands she had given the agents. Once the hearing started, they would find themselves confessing, making up their own reasons for the attack. Of course, having William in Margaret's form calling the police was a tricky piece of timing, luckily coming off during the rape scene and not later when Sara was going to have the agents do other nasty looking things to the girl's while waiting for the police to eventually arrive.

Sara took the nighties into the steamy bathroom, where the two giggling girl's were washing each other. She checked herself in the mirror, wincing a little as she touched the bruise under her eye. The blood from her nose was washed clean and she then poked her head behind the shower curtain.

"Hey, leave me some hot water, I want a shower too, you know," she complained, jerking her head back laughing, as a gob of foam was flung at her face. "You missed," she cackled, dancing out of range.

The next second, Sara regretted her words, as two naked foamy bodies steamed out of the shower and grabbed her, dragging her into the shower still clothed in her nightie.

Sara's first yelp of surprise, coupled with the shock of the hot water, soon turned to laughter, as a soapy tickle fest ensued. A knock on the door and a call from the boys asking if everything was okay was greeted with laughter.

"Come in, if you're a girl," the girl's yelled happily, their invitation plainly obvious.

"Damn, I might take them up on that," Kevin said, looking at William standing next to him, as another squeal of laughter emanated from the bathroom.

"I'm in if you are," William agreed, already touching his bracelet. What followed is best left to the imagination, as five women attempted to determine whether the fun would outlast the hot water. Sadly the hot water lost, as five bodies tried to exit the now cramped shower all at once.'

"Remind me to get a better hot water system installed," laughed Sara, looking for a dry towel.

"And a bigger shower," offered Jennifer/Kevin.

"Nah, it is the right size," countered Jennifer-2/William.

"Ah, but you weren't the one getting your eyes poked out," Julie pointed out, looking accusingly at two sets of magnificent cleavage.

"Well if you got it, you may as well flaunt it," teased a Jennifer, with the other nodding in agreement.

"Oh grow up, you lot," Leanne said, not choosing her words carefully.

There was a second's silence, before everyone dissolved into laughter. Sara fell to the floor helplessly laughing, unable to stand. She sat and tried to control herself. She knew this was the best thing to happen to overcome the night's stress of the CIA situation. She gathered herself to stand, but needn't have bothered, as Julie held up the now empty shampoo bottle.

"Next time, we'd better get the economy size."

Sara collapsed again, managing to cling on to one of the Jennifer’s as her mirth threatened to leave her a giggling puddle on the floor.

Finally the laughter subsided, into giggles as the lack of dry towels sent most hunting for something to wear. The Jennifer that was still supporting Sara somewhat cupped her face and gave her a kiss.

"Kevin? Is that you in there?" she asked, feeling overwhelmed.

"Yup, Kevin in the flesh," h/she grinned. "You know, messing around like this certain has its good points," s/he added.

"Yeah, your points are very good," laughed Sara, teasing Kevin's prominent nipples with her fingers. "Let's go to bed."

"Now that's an order, I'll gladly obey," offered Jennifer/Kevin, winking at her.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eleven

Sara woke alone, although the sheets beside her were still warm from her companion of the night. She had found comfort in snuggling close to another body, knowing she wasn't alone. People need people; the human race was not designed to remain solitary figures in life. It didn't worry her that Kevin had been female when they first went to bed. A body was a body, something warm and tangible to cuddle up to. It gave her a feeling of security of not being alone, and helped drive away the thoughts of what could have happened the previous night, if things had gone another way.

The door opened and a body still clothed in the nightie of the previous night, backed through the door, holding a tray in her? No his hands. Sara giggled at the strange sight of Kevin cross-dressed in her lavender nightie.

"Any more of that, and I'll not serve you this magnificent breakfast I prepared." Kevin said haughtily, trying to keep a straight face.

"You look as good as that breakfast," Sara managed to say without breaking into more laughter.

Kevin grinned, knowing he made an odd sight, but he'd changed from female to male, when he found that Jennifer's breasts are sensitive to heat, when wearing only a flimsy nightie. Scorched nipples were not on the breakfast menu, so he'd returned to his male form, without bothering to change his attire.

He placed the tray with the plate of scrambled eggs on toast on Sara's lap as she sat up in bed, as he approached. He took the glass of OJ and placed it on the bedside table so it wouldn't spill.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked solicitously.

"Yeah, although I dreamt I was eating a huge warm marshmallow," she replied, remembering waking in the night with her head cushioned on someone's breasts.

"I think that was me," Kevin chuckled, looking down where his breasts had been filling out the nightie, not long ago.

"Pity they disappeared," Sara winked, giggling again.

"Eat your breakfast before things get hot," threatened Kevin, with an evil grin.

"Yes mother," Sara quipped, taking a bite of toast.

"Oh boy," was his only comment.

The rest of the day was spent making statements to the police and giving them blood samples so that DNA testing could confirm that the vaginal fluid mixed with the semen could be verified as being from the women. It probably would be checked for a possible pregnancy. Sara was worried that their might be some other differences in the body, seeing they were alien generated, but then remembered that some of the jobs they had held required blood tests. The aliens must have taken all that into consideration, when they started.

Sara did receive a phone call at home. It was from some big wig in government. Whether it was Ken's boss, she wasn't sure, but it had to do with Ken's activities concerning her. He opologised on Ken's behalf, saying the CIA doesn't normally concern themselves in domestic matters, as that's the FBI's role. He did confirm that the whole incident, which started it off, had concerned them, and that things had been blown out of proportion. Although they would like to find Scott and the others, it wasn't a high priority now, and that there was no concern that the situation would be taken any further.

When Sara asked if she or Leanne would be under surveillance, he reassured her that it had been called off, once they had been made aware of it. Apparently, Ken had issued that himself without authority. He did ask if she found out where the guys were, to contact him directly, if they were willing to forward any information. He did ask her not to testify against Ken and his men, saying the matter would be dealt with internally. He wanted to save the government the embarrassment of a public trial, which was all. He did add that monitory compensation would be forwarded to the injured party's for their silence, and for the patriotic welfare of the country.

Sara was pleased that this was the end of it; as far as they were concerned, let the police and the CIA duke it out. Only Kevin and William needed to be careful, as Daniel seemed content to remain in their borrowed bodies just like she was. She would suggest that they assume their alternate male bodies till the dust settled.

Decision was at hand, Sara's holiday was ending, and she had to decide what she was going to do. Now that their joint funds provided financial security for the moment from the sale of the two properties, they needed to decide as to who was going go back into the workforce.

"Oh my God!" Sara exclaimed suddenly, alerting the others, as an idea, which hadn't been considered, just struck her, one that had serious ramifications for them all.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked, as he ran to Sara's side. He could see that she was pale and seemed in a sort of daze.

Sara didn't speak for a minute still standing by the window, looking unseeingly at the view outside. Her gaze was turned inward toward a future scene pictured by her minds eye.

Kevin watched her eyes refocus, as his gentle reassuring touch, brought her back from whatever reverie she had seen.

"We need to plan our future very carefully," she started to explain. "We need to invest our money for the future," she added, taking Kevin's hands in hers.

"There's plenty of time for that, we have ages before we need to worry about that," he reminded her, savouring the soft skin of her hands.

"That's just it, we have plenty of time, maybe forever if we play our cards right." She confirmed.

"Huh?" Kevin grunted, not seeing her point.

"With these bodies, we don't need to age, when we get older; we could just reset the bracelets to the younger settings. Even Scott's body isn't aging if it remains in the non-space," she urged, not noticing how she had referred to Scott as separate from herself.

Kevin thought about living life then resetting the body time back again. Suddenly he saw what she was getting at. They would need money to live on, and invest money in long-term accounts to keep providing for them over the years. Maybe they would need to generate new records to keep up with their ageless bodies.

As Sara explained to the rest, Leanne shook her head.

"Not me, I don't want to keep resetting the clock. I want to find someone to grow old with. I'll be satisfied with that," she finished.

Sara could understand her reasoning, but wondered if on her deathbed, she may change her mind. If so, Sara would give her the choice, if she managed to reach her in time and was able to do so. She was sure Kevin was of the same mind too, and wouldn't want his cousin to die when he had the power to prevent it.

Sara decided to keep working at her current job until something better came along. Julie made the suggestion to become a magic act along with William, using the bracelets to work the most impossible transformation of all time. Sara was hesitant at first thinking of the risks, but told her to work out some details before making any concrete plans. Kevin wasn't sure whether he could make more money as an exotic dancer (stripper) in Jennifer's body or as a bodyguard in Huang Chien Liang's form. The (alien) Huang had worked as a bodyguard before and had several references that could get him a high paying job with either movie stars or other wealthy people in need of protection.

"Maybe you could do both," kidded Sara. "Work as a bodyguard during the day and as 'Jennifer Jugs' the stripper at night."

"Hmmm, now that's a good idea," Kevin half considered, grinning at Sara's surprised look. "Hey I was kidding." He laughed, as Sara stalked off. 'Wonder what set her off,' he thought, realising that she hadn't expected him to give that reply.

Sara couldn't explain why she felt hurt, that Kevin might consider working as a female. Unconscious of whether it was her growing attraction for Kevin in his various male forms, or, jealousy that Jennifer/Kevin would be more attractive than her, it felt wrong somehow. She shrugged; this was getting beyond any normal way of life, with the constant body changes. Somewhere inside, she wanted Kevin to be her rock, the one stable person she could turn to when she felt doubts creeping in. She had been semi in charge since the beginning and the stress was beginning to show. All she wanted was a chance to enjoy this new life and have a stable relationship with-a man?

She realised as she thought that, how her values had flipped. No longer did the female form hold the primary sexual attraction as it once did. She loved being female and being the object of desire. She still liked the female/female play, but the female/male play held more interest now. Poor Scott would never again see the light of day if she had her way, unless it was someone else animating that form.

Kevin came up behind her, where she was gazing out at the ocean. The endless restless ocean, as it churned at the beach, relaxed her like no other sound.

"You okay?" he murmured quietly into her ear, as he stood behind her and cradled her in his arms.

She leaned back, relaxing into his comforting grip, as his words breathed into her ear tickled, as his lips disturbed her hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I just needed a minute to think. Do you suppose we should be doing this? I mean with the car and the bracelets. What if the aliens come back? If we are going to live as long as it's possible, we could see them return eventually." She whispered back.

Kevin was silent, thinking about her words. He held her, enjoying the feel of her slim body against his, while he thought about the possibility of the aliens return.

"Who knows, at this minute, I wouldn't swap this moment for anything," he breathed, gently turning her around to face him, and kissing her gently on the lips.

He drew back so he could look at her eyes wondering if he could see anything left of his friend Scott. Her unwavering gaze drank him in, and in that second his heart told him all he needed to know. Whether Scott was still looking out of that beautiful face or not, it didn't matter, the soul he saw bared there asking him the question, was that of the person he loved. Names didn't matter, even bodies, for that matter. The question he saw mirrored in her eyes was answered by his own in the communication that doesn't need words. He felt his heart leapt in his chest, as he recognised that his search was over. His soul mate, his lover was here in his arms

Sara felt Kevin turn her around, she looked up just as Kevin kissed her on the lips firmly, she responded, waiting for his searching tongue, but he held off, as if unsure, then drew back and looked searchingly into her ardent gaze. It seemed as if lighting bolts struck her soul as the curtains fell from her eyes. Their gazes locked for innumerable eons and she felt giddy and weak kneed as new emotions flooded her body. What a blind fool she'd been, not seeing what was really in front of her. She had loved Kevin as a friend for years, suddenly that love had changed bit by bit as she became acclimatised to being female. The impact of the realisation of that love staggered her. She loved Kevin. It was that simple. She smiled, sensing that Kevin had already realised that and felt the same.

"You too?" She started, seeing him nod instantly. Moments later they were oblivious, locked in an embrace that a wrecking ball couldn't separate. Tongues locked together as they confirmed their love with a kiss, and neither heard nor saw the others open the slider to the balcony,

Leanne smiled, knowing in her heart that the pair outside had finally found each other; she didn't even need to coax Julie or William away to leave the lovers some space and time. Leanne caught the look Julie sent William and her heart filled with joy. Her cousin’s friends had found love, and if the way the pair of them were walking to the bedroom was any indicator, they were going to show each other the depth of that love. Leanne shed a tear, thinking she was the last of the group to find their match. Knowing she wasn't needed here for a while, she went out to her car. Seeing the joy her friends felt, she decided not to wait a hope some nice guy would come into her life. No, she was going on the prowl. Her mind made up, she headed to a bar she used to visit. She remembered the looks Lewis the bartender used throw her way. He was young and cute; she hoped he didn't have a girlfriend.

"Hmmm, if those aliens ever come back, I think I'll thank them for giving me you." Kevin murmured into Sara's ear, as they sat together, watching the ebb and flow of the ocean.

"Do you think they will come back and if so will they know we have their property?" Asked Sara curiously, shifting slightly on Kevin's lap.

"Probably, they have made a considerable investment in time here, observing us and guiding us. It depends on what sort of crisis called them away. As for knowing we have their toys, probably. These changes might give off some kind of energy signature that we are unaware of, especially accessing that non-space universe or whatever it is. Somehow, I don't we need worry about them as a threat, as long as we are careful not to let this technology fall into the wrong hands or abuse it."

A cloud passed across the sun, and the sudden drop of warmth on her skin made her shiver involuntarily, she snuggled against Kevin's body trying to get warm. Kevin, burdened with Sara on his lap, struggled to stand. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her giggling body inside. He tried to dump her on the couch, while he went to the drinks cabinet, but Sara wouldn't release her grip from around his neck, so he stood and carried her there, trying to manage with only one hand. Sara offered the use of one of hers, holding the glass while he poured. He then carried her back to the couch, where they shared the glass of whisky between them.

Sara was feeling a nice buzz, when she reluctantly scrambled off to make potty run. Washing her hands, she looked in the mirror trying to see if she looked any different. Apart from a slight alcohol induced flush, she didn't see the message, "I'm in love," printed on her brow. It sort of disappointed her for some inane reason. She wanted the world to know, to share in her happiness. She hummed a popular tune, as she made her way back to Kevin.

A slight rumble from somewhere south of her belly button had her detour through the kitchen.

"Kevin? You hungry?" She called, opening the fridge.

"If he isn't, we are," a pair of voices chorused, making her jump.

Sara smiled at the sight of two slightly unkempt lovers standing arm in arm by the door. The undone buttons and smeared lipstick, told their own story, one that Sara rejoiced in. "I'm in love," she mouthed silently to Julie, who just grinned and nodded, and mouthed back with a wink, "me too."

Julie prised herself loose from William and came over to help Sara, who handed her two beers.

"Here, take one to Kevin, while I help Sara get lunch ready," Julie said, placing the cold cans of beer in William's hand. William got the message, "I want to talk with Sara," loud and clear, and left without a grumble.

Chicken sandwiches were made at half the normal speed as the two girls interrupted their lunch making, with hugs, as they talked of their sudden discovery of love.

"When we saw you two locked in that embrace, things gelled for us," Julie explained. "We knew as we looked at each other, that we were meant to be together."

"Isn't it wonderful?" Sara smiled, giving Julie yet another hug.

The smile Julie gave her was answer enough, as they finished putting lunch together and made their way back to the boys. The rest of the day was used to plan some way of making their future financially stable. William still liked the magic act idea, having Julie and he literally change into each in ways that defied belief, but knew that without having anything else to go with it the act, it was doomed to failure.

"What about contacting one of the best illusionists and being part of his act, that way you only need to do the one act? He could promote it as part of his act and you can share in the profits," suggested Kevin.

"You mean like David Copperfield?" Julie asked, getting enthused.

"Yes, but the hard thing is convincing him you have an act. You would have to prove that you can do it, and do it anywhere and in any situation. It may even mean doing it in front of him, without any props," Sara warned. "Although," she reconsidered, "If we used the glasses that might not be a problem. In fact, we could convince him, it was all part of his act, except that he could only do it with you."

That night, in bed with Kevin, Sara made love. It wasn't the hasty, try out the sex thing, which had been their first motivation after their first sex changing transformation. This was the leisurely build up of mutual pleasure that two people in love can achieve. After round one, and while Sara was still sitting on Kevin's softening member, she teased him, saying she bet he missed Jennifer's larger endowments. Despite Kevin's earnest denial's she continued to bet that he thought sex would be better if she looked like Jennifer. Giving him a squeeze with her thighs, she touched the bracelet to test her theory.

The instant, she transformed into Jennifer, the feeling of being filled vanished, as in place of Kevin beneath her, lay a twin Jennifer. Both gasped in surprise, as Kevin hadn't touched his bracelet, having had his hands occupied in cupping her breasts. Kevin quickly reset his form back using the bracelet, sighing in relief that it was reversible. Unfortunately, Sara grew heavier as she transformed into Kevin also. They separated quickly, knowing unconsciously that while two females in close contact didn't automatically mean they were gay, but that couldn't be said the same for two males.

"What happened?" asked Sara in her temporary male voice, as she fiddled with her bracelet.

"I don't know, unless it was triggered by your change to Jennifer," offered Kevin, relieved to see his twin revert to Sara again.

Sara reached out to Kevin to see if the twinning effect was still active. Nothing, they embraced, falling back into bed while Sara went over every possibility.

"I think there's only one possibility," she stated, quite sure of herself.

"Oh?" Kevin enquired lethargically, happy to let Sara come up with a solution.

"Yes you pinhead," she mocked, knowing why Kevin's brain wasn't fully operational. "I know the blood still hasn't returned to your brain," she giggled, grasping his tumescent member in her hand. "But you do need to pay attention."

"But I am at attention," he quipped, deliberately twisting her words, as he twitched against her silky grasp.

"MEN!" She snorted, the capitalisation in her tone being obvious. "When I changed into Jennifer, I was in contact with you, flesh on flesh as it were."

"Flesh in flesh, more like," Kevin sniggered, interrupting.

"Quiet, bone head," Sara commanded, waggling his bone like a pointer. "As I was saying before I was crudely interrupted," she grinned, emphasising her point with the one in her hand. "As it changed me, those changes affected you, making you also into Jennifer."

"Are you sure?" Kevin groaned, feeling almost ready to erupt under Sara's guiding hand.

"Pretty much, I wasn't sure at first, but when I turned into you, I noticed I had a scratch in the same place you have. We had copied each other's bodies exactly. The other thing I'm sure of is we just need to touch another to do the change. The second time we had just skin contact."

"Oh boy,"

"Exactly, all we need to do is hold someone's hand and change and it will drag them into a similar change." Sara finished.

"I wonder if it would work in reverse," Mused Kevin, thinking of the possibilities.

To be continued.

  

  *********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, after breakfast, Sara asked everyone to hold hands for a moment. Kevin guessed what was going to happen as he grasped Sara with one hand and Julie with the other, leaving William to hold on Julie's other hand. Once everyone was connected, Sara triggered her bracelet, using her free hand to activate the change. Immediately, instead of four individuals, there stood four identical Jennifer's dressed identically. Letting go her hold on Jennifer/Kevin while he/she released Julie/Jennifer, she started to tell the two stunned friends what they had discovered. After several experiments of their own, William and Julie returned to their chosen forms. Sara and Kevin had done so already, and were watching the others discover their newfound ability.

"There's a possibility that it maybe used in reverse," offered Sara, as she mentioned Kevin's theory.

"Oh?" came from the others as they paused in their testing.

"We may be able to copy others by the same method, we just need to find out if its possible," she continued.

Once the implications sank in, there was enthusiastic support, and a mass fiddling with bracelets began.

"Hold it," Sara shouted, trying to make herself heard over the babble of excited voices. Their attention caught, she continued. "We need to do this methodically, not just willy nilly," she paused, smiling as she looked at William in particular. "First we need a volunteer. Either William or Kevin goes back their original bodies and removes the bracelet to act as our normal person on the street."

"Why can't...um forget I said anything," mumbled William, as he was about to ask why the girl's were excluded. The raised eyebrows from the girl's, was enough of an indicator to prevent him putting his locomotive appendage into his facial digestive orifice. Seeing he had spoken, he was volunteered by unanimous vote.

They took till well after lunchtime to come up with the solution after trying different ways and means. Julie had her bracelet visible when she activated the camera function. Her wrist was resting on Williams, when he flinched.

"Ouch, you scratched me," he said, looking at a tiny drop of blood on his arm.

The significance of that statement sunk in quickly, knowing that there were no sharp edges to the bracelet. On closer examination, a tiny puncture wound showed where the bracelet had, "sampled" Williams blood. It took a few more minutes to find that the bracelet had altered somewhat. Where one depression had been the setting for Jennifers form, it now had divided into two. Repeating the sequence, this time with Kevin as the victim, once the blood sample had been taken, another setting was shown to be divided.

"Looks like we can store as many blood samples as there are settings," Sara commented. By pressing the newly divided setting, Julie became first William then Kevin, before returning to her Julie body.

"Judging by the way both your stomachs felt, you're as hungry as I am." Julie smiled. "Let's eat."

They promptly charged to the kitchen, and scrambled for food like a starving horde, albeit a horde of just four. Hunger assuaged for the moment, they sat outside watching the ocean as discussions about their future continued.

"Do you really have to start work on Monday?" William asked of Sara.

"Well, I have used up my holiday leave, but I guess I could call in sick, or there is some special leave I could take...why?" Sara replied.

"Despite your worry's about work, I think we should investigate the places of the remaining alien/human bodies. If there is anything of value or of alien origin, the longer we leave it, the more likely it will be discovered and removed." William said, making a good point.

"Okay then," as Sara saw all, were in agreement. "I'll take my special leave entitlement and we can go search. If we split up into pairs, seeing they are widely separated, we can get it done quicker. Don't forget to change into the correct age so all the relevant memories can assist you." At Julie's sour look, Sara laughed. "Sorry Julie that might mean giving up that body for a short time. At least William can take on the male forms, while you take the female."

It was decided that William and Julie take the Ellery's Volvo and head south, while Sara and Kevin take the Trans Am and head east. William had three places to visit, leaving the others for Sara. The glasses were staying with Sara, seeing their journey was longer and therefore could be more dangerous. Once things had been decided, things then moved rapidly. Cars were filled with the immediate essentials, before Sara and Julie made tearful goodbyes.

Williams first stop was Los Angeles where Huang Chien Liang had been living, while drove the Trans Am out through Frisco's traffic congestion, and out towards Reno. Sara noticed a walkie-talkie like radio resting on the top of the dashboard. Picking it up and examining it, she asked her question with a look and a raised eyebrow to Kevin.

"It's a scanner, I picked it up before I left home. A friend I know gets them before they're modified, so it covers the whole radio spectrum."

"Modified?" Sara asked, knowing she was in for it now.

The US bans scanning receivers that cover the whole bandwidth. Most have certain frequency bands blocked. With this one, we can receive low wave to UHF frequencies. Seeing we will probably be exceeding the speed limit, I thought it would be nice to know when and where the police are, so we can avoid any problems."

"Excuse me Miss, did you know you were travelling in excess of 200 mph?" Laughed Sara, attempting to sound like a highway patrolman.

"Sheesh, must be a real effeminate patrolman to sound like that," offered Kevin. "Why the Miss?"

"Well its a universal fact that all patrolman's brains can be turned to mush at the sight of a sexy blonde," Sara giggled. "If you're pulled up for speeding, you'd better be prepared to show some cleavage."

"Maybe we could outrun them," he retorted, smugly.

"I don't think even this car can reach 186,000 miles a second," Sara pointed out, holding up the scanner and waggling in front of him.

"We could..."

"Yes, but I don't want to limit ourselves by having the Trans Am on everyone's wanted list," Sara interrupted, forestalling Kevin's likely suggestion of morphing the car to avoid capture.

Things settled down as they finally hit the open road, after passing though Sacramento heading for Reno. After a lunch stop at Reno, they headed northeast towards Salt Lake City. Kevin opened the car up on the road passing though the great basin of Nevada. Sara smiled, knowing this was his first time to test the car out. Having already experienced it herself, she knew that ever-present danger of crashing out of control would soon curb his impulse to race.

Sara took over the driving at Lovelock, while Kevin tried to nap. She kept the speed just over the limit and was soon eating the miles up. She was alerted to some police activity near Salt Lake City, as the scanner began picking up calls. She slowed, not sure what was going on, but deciding to play it safe. It wasn't such a surprise, when a she came across a police roadblock. Sara nudged Kevin awake, who, on being quickly filled in, turned off the scanner and placed it under the seat.

Sara slowed as she navigated through the road cones set up to divert the traffic. She noted the cars leaving Salt Lake City, were being searched thoroughly, but the cars being towards Salt Lake City were only held up while an officer spoke to the driver, before being allowed to proceed. Sara wound down her window, as she approached the officer.

"Hello maam, we have an escaped prisoner on the loose. I advise you not to stop until you hit town and don't pick up any hitch hikers."

"What should we be looking out for, just in case?" asked Sara, feigning concern.

"Well, you know it's unsafe to pick up any hitchhiker, male or female," the officer replied, seeming to be uncomfortable about answering her question.

Puzzled, but not willing to press for more, Sara just nodded and drove on.

"That was odd," commented Kevin, as he looked backwards at the police. "They usually ask for anyone to keep an eye out and will give detailed descriptions."

"Yeah," agreed Sara, continuing to drive on. Ten miles on, the road twisted and turned, and Sara watched the car ahead of her suddenly brake and veer to the other side of the road. It slowed then sped up, leaving a huddled form lying on the road. Sara slowed to a crawl as she approached the figure. It seemed she must have dashed out from behind the boulders at the side of the road to flag down the oncoming car, and been hit.

Why are you stopping?" Kevin voiced his concerns. "This could be the escaped prisoner," he added, worriedly.

"She's been hit, prisoner or not, I'm going to help." Sara insisted, as she stopped by the prone figure.

"Looks like her wig fell off, if it is a her," Kevin warned, getting out to assist Sara.

When Sara examined the young lady, it was plain to see she was a he. There was some blood from a cut on his head, but seemed relatively intact. A rip in the dress, attested to the fact that he'd have a painful bruise from where the car had given him a glancing blow. His disguise would have worked better had his makeup not been messed up.

Sara started to lift him in an attempt to get him into the car.

"Sara? Your not thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I'm not handing him over to the police, at least not yet. Sheesh he must be only 16 years old, look at his face."

Kevin saw a face made androgynous, by makeup, even smeared as it was. The slender body didn't seem to fit into the normal criminal profile, and seemed too innocent to have caused the police to take such drastic measures.

Between the two of them, they got the youth in the car before anyone arrived on the scene. Kevin took over the driving as Margaret, after having changed the car into Volvo mode, seeing they needed the extra room. Sara checked on their passenger that was lying across the back seat. A low moan and a face grimacing in a rictus of pain convinced her that he might have internal injuries. Holding his wrist, she touched her bracelet, and took a blood sample of the youth, to save his form in one of the bracelets settings. She then touched yet another more familiar setting, which immediately changed both her and the youth, into copies of Julie. Releasing his wrist, she quickly returned to her Sara body, leaving him in Julie's body form. At once, her moans ceased, seeing that the injuries he had were now gone along with his old body.

Kevin, now back in his body, after using his own bracelet to change from the car generated Margaret form, looked at Sara and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I had to do something, and seeing how he was dressed, a female form seemed appropriate." Sara offered, defending her decision.

"I didn't say anything," protested Kevin. "But wont this complicate things once she wakes up?"

"What's one more complication in this crazy life we have," shrugged Sara noncommittally.

A stirring in the back, heralded the return to consciousness, of their extra passenger. A "what happened? Where am I?" was next.

Sara turned, to see a confused Julie checking herself out. Catching Julie's attention, the girl gazed mesmerised into Sara's just donned sunglasses.

"You are Julie, a female, riding with us. You will sit quietly and do what we say, understood?" Sara commanded, seeing Julie had gone into a trance.

"Yes," the newly minted Julie replied.

They drove on until they reached Salt Lake City. Consulting a tourist information centre, they found the Colonial Village motel at 1530 S Main Street. It was just far enough away from the city centre to allow some peace and quiet. They paid for a room for one night, then, they drove around to the unit, and parked outside. As it was late, getting 'Julie' inside with her torn clothing without attracting attention was easy.

They prepared dinner from the supplies they had picked up on the way, mainly a cooked chicken in its foil bag and some fresh bread rolls. Making a quick salad to go with it, the three of them settled down to eat. Sara and Kevin watched Julie as she ate, both wondering what she was thinking. Once their hunger had been satisfied, Sara used the glasses to question Julie, or Kim Ashton, as they found out after questioning.

Kim had been making his way to his uncles after losing his parents in accident where they died in a fire in their trailer. Not having much money, or possessions after losing everything in the fire, he set out to hitch hike. One of the neighbours had given him some clothes in sympathy, before he had announced his intentions to seek out his uncle.

"The trouble was, she only had teenage daughters, so she gave me some pants and a tee shirt that had once belonged to them, but had grown out of. Pity, I couldn't ask for some dresses," Kim sighed.

"You like wearing dresses?" Asked Sara, incredulously, not believing her luck.

"Yes, from when I could fit my mom's. We didn't have much money, so I wore her clothes to supplement the few I had of my own." Kim replied, the trance robbing him of any embarrassment from the confession.

"Do you dress for necessity, or because you like too?" asked Sara, persisting in her question to find the truth.

"Well it used to be only while I was at home to save my other clothes, but I grew to love the feel of them, and wished I could wear them all the time." Kim said, as s/he narrated her story.

He had been wearing the girl's clothes, when she was picked up just outside Salt Lake City, by the sheriff. He tried to charge her for vagrancy, despite his protests that he had money to pay his way. The sheriff, being alert, had picked up on the fact that the clothing he was wearing belonged to that of a female.

Sara and Kevin listened amazed, as Kim's story unfolded. How the sheriff took him to his place instead of to the precinct, where he forced him to don the clothes she had on, saying he knew what kind of person he was. The sheriff had him wear a wig and put on makeup. Part of him was delighted to be fully en-femme, but part knew there was something very wrong with the situation.

Once dressed in presumably his wife's clothes, the sheriff undid his pants and indicated that Kim perform according to the gender he was portraying. Kim didn't know what to do, but was sure that giving the sheriff a blowjob wouldn't end there. Kim knelt, as if submitting forcing himself to take the tip of the engorged organ in his mouth, but instead of sucking as expected, he bit down as hard as he could. The sheriff screamed, pushing Kim back, as blood streamed from the injured organ.

Kim scrambled away, spitting the coppery tang from his mouth, as the sheriff continued bellowing. Kim ran for his life, before the sheriff decided to further action against him. He ran losing the heels he had been wearing, as he rushed outside and fled down the street. He took to hiding, as sirens heralded the arrival of first an ambulance, then more police units. Kim had managed to avoid capture as he fled the city and made his way back towards where he had come from.

"No wonder they wanted him captured," sighed Sara, sad that there were people like that out there. "I bet the sheriff wanted this covered up before it became public knowledge. What's the bet he gave orders to shoot on sight, so Kim couldn't talk."

"Yeah, he wouldn't want it to be known what he was up to," Kevin agreed. "He probably cooked up some trumped up charge to ensure his kink wouldn't be uncovered."

They both looked at Kim, thinking life on the run was a poor start for the tragedy stricken boy. Sara looked at Kevin seeing his thoughts echo hers. She brought Kim out of his trance, and allowed him to see himself as she was now. Kim's surprise was tempered with shock, as he realised he was now a she.

Kim's myriad questions were brushed aside, as Sara interrupted her.

"Kim, how you became female is not important. What is important is that at the moment, you are safe from the police and if you want to return to being male again, then that can be accomplished. One thing, your original body has injuries, possibly internal. I don't know how serious, but if we do return you to it, you'll need to be near a hospital to be taken in for treatment."

"We can provide another body for you, if you don't like this one,' offered Kevin, as Kim went to look at herself in the bedroom mirror.

Sara gave Kim one of her nightgowns to sleep in and hustled her off to bed, saying they'd talk more in the morning. Sleep took a while in coming for Sara, as she cuddled up to Kevin's warm body, when it did her dreams were a strange mix of police sirens mixed with scenes from an old TV series, the fugitive.

The next morning, Kim was awake early and enjoyed her first shower as a female. When Sara got up and started breakfast, Kim entered and gushed.

"This is amazing, are you some sort of aliens, or am I just dreaming this?" Kim asked, as she posed and looked over her new body critically

"No we aren't aliens, let's just say we are using technology the world has never seen before," Sara answered, trying not to be too forthcoming.

"I can hardly believe this. I love the feel of this body, somehow being female seems so right," Kim said with a huge grin on her face. "I won't even ask how you did it. I only want to thank you for the experience, for as long as I'm allowed to stay in this body."

Sara was pleased that not only was Kim happy to be female, but it seemed that she wasn't going to ask any awkward questions.

"Where's your uncle living at the moment?" Kevin asked, wondering how much of a detour they'd need to make sure Kim arrived safely at her uncles.

"Oh he lives in Kansas City, but if you are only going to Denver or Topeka, that's fine. I still have a thumb that works, even if it is a little smaller, anyway, I could hitch my skirt to get a ride," she giggled, demonstrating that very same.

"I think we'd better change her back," Kevin laughed, having got up and joined them. "It may save many male drivers lives; I can just see them running into telegraph poles or into oncoming traffic if we let her loose on the road." He added grinning, seeing Kim pout at the suggestion.

"We can take you to your uncles. We have to stop there anyway for a while on our way through." Sara said, thinking Kim was really getting into acting like a girl.

What's your uncles name and whereabouts in Kansas City does he live?" Sara asked.

"Steven Kennedy is his name he lives in Gladstone, just north of the city."

"Not 26 north Cleveland road by any chance?" asked Sara, going slightly ashen.

"Why yes, do you know my uncle?" Kim asked brightly.

Sara didn't answer, her thoughts churned in a maelstrom of shock and confusion. How could she say "yes we know your uncle the alien, we are just going to impersonate him so we can sell his property. Just who was Kim? Was she an alien too, or was she some progeny produced from them whilst they were in human form?

Before she could gather her thought, her cell phone burbled.

"Hello, oh hi William," Sara answered.

"What happened?"

"Is she okay?"

"Call me okay?"

Sara ended the called, putting the phone away. Kevin looked at her, seeing her pensive look, as Sara chewed her bottom lip.

"What happened? Is there a problem?"

"Yup."

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirteen

Leaving the others seemed scary at first, not having the backup of the car or the glasses, not to mention Sara's keen insight on overcoming difficult situations. William was thinking how different Scott had become since becoming Sara. She had blossomed, and seemed to be a take-charge person now, unlike the layback person she'd been as Scott. He knew she was only a phone call away, but having thousands of miles between them, made the point moot, they would have to solve their own problems, if push came to shove.

They drove through the outskirts of San Francisco heading south before driving the Volvo onto the highway leading towards Los Angeles; they took their time, knowing that the others had many weeks before they would be back. They spent some time in Reno and visited Bakersfield, before William changed into Huang Chien Liang in readiness to checkout his property in Los Angeles.

They drove through the centre of the city heading southeast towards Boyle Heights. They managed to get off the freeway and drove past the Evergreen playground heading for Wellington heights. They slowed as they approached their destination, stopping outside 34 Gleason Street that overlooked the nearby Obregan Park.

Everything looked quiet from the road, not that much of the house could be seen through the trees and shrubbery surrounding it. William swiped his security card that was included inside his, or rather Huang's wallet, allowing the main gate to open. Driving through, William saw the gates closing after them, probably from a buried induction sensor under the driveway. The card also keyed the house and William quickly disabled the alarm system inside using the memories supplied with Huang's body.

After a hasty reconnoitre, to establish that they were alone, they began a more thorough search. Strangely, the place was immaculate, showing no signs of hasty departure. The two-storied place was fully furnished with contemporary furniture. A swimming pool was visible from the back windows, along with an entertaining area with seats and table by a gas-powered barbecue. Checking the fridge brought the first shock. The milk was fresh. According to the date, it must have been put there in the last day or two. There was cold meat, that when Julie smelt it, indicated it wasn't old. Considering the weeks since the aliens had left, if this place had been abandoned, why wasn't the food stale and fit only to throw away.

"Maybe he had a cleaning service or a person who kept the place stocked up." Julie offered, hoping this was the correct answer. "Are there any memories available in that body that might help?"

"No, at least nothing that helps, remember, it’s mostly names and skills, not actual thoughts, which carry over. You could be right about the maid, either that, or he never left with the others," William mentioned nervously, looking around.

"See if there's a computer, I'll check in the garage," suggested Julie.

The pair split up, Julie headed towards the built in garage at the front, while William headed upstairs. Julie came across a battered looking motorbike of questionable heritage, but saw no signs of a car, which disappointed her. In fact, the garage was full of a home gym and looked like there had never been a car there. Obviously Huang was interested in keeping fit, and with his martial arts skills, this seemed appropriate. 'Maybe he ran everywhere,' she thought, dismissing the eyesore of a bike as a practical mode of transport. She heard William call, so she left and went back to see what William had found.

"Hey! Jules," William said, calling her by the nickname he had started using. "This computer hasn't even been wiped, and seems to have had a message left for us."

"For us?" A suddenly frightened Julie asked, feeling a shiver run down her spine.

"Well, not for us exactly, but for whoever eventually opened the computer." William elaborated, making Julie feel a tiny bit better.

"But I'm concerned that the time of the entry, post dates the date when they were supposed to have left."

The chills came back, as Julie thought about what that meant, there were still aliens on earth, possibly watching them now invading their homes. Julie's first thought was to leave immediately.

"What did the message say?" She finally asked.

"Here, read it yourself," William said, allowing her see the screen.

The Unipodstor is available for use. Make full use of it, to seek out that, which will determine your future.

Julie stared at the words sitting on the screen. It didn't seem particularly directed at them; she even considered that it was just a message for another alien, maybe the Unipodstor was their name for a space ship.

"What makes you think it was for us and not a message for another alien?"

"This," William answered, scrolling up the screen.

Julie read the words outlined there. 'To those reading this, we leave you our gifts, use them wisely.'

"Wow! Exclaimed Julie. "That is pretty explicit. I wonder what else we will find here. Is there anything else on the computer?"

"No, it's like there has been nothing put on the laptop, other than the latest regular programs. It shows no signs of being used at all unless it was cleaned thoroughly. I checked the install dates on the programs and they have all been loaded within the last two weeks. That's the weirdest part."

"Maybe someone formatted the drive and reloaded everything."

"Yeah, but that still leaves us with a someone." William added.

"I'm scared," Julie said, snuggling closer to William in search of reassurance.

William put his arms around Julie, holding her close. He liked being the protector around Julie, it gave his life meaning, and she was so huggable as well. He kissed her hair, before pushing her back a little in his arms, so he could see her face.

"I trust Sara and her instincts. She's been on the money so far, and if she thinks the aliens aren't out to do us harm, then that's how I'm going to deal with it. I won't be running around, looking over my shoulder thinking the aliens are going to get me. That's no way to live. Let's play it as we go and trust in Sara." He comforted her, before kissing her luscious rose bud mouth.

Tummy demons interrupted their intimate moment, reminding them with a growl that they hadn't eaten in hours.

"I'll go get some 'real' fresh food, while you continue the search," William suggested, reluctantly pulling out of their mutual embrace.

"But, but I'll be here alone," protested Julie weakly, feeling strangely vulnerable.

"I'm just going to be ten minutes, twenty at the most, You're a big girl now, you'll be fine," promised William, as he pecked her on the cheek, before heading outside.

Julie watched him drive out from one of the windows overlooking the driveway. Trying to curb the feeling of loss, as her lover departed, she tried to put her mind on other things, as she continued the search.

William seemed to be taking longer than twenty minutes, as she checked her watch. Her search had netted a selection of sunglasses in a male style, but wasn't sure if any had the same powers as the pair found in Australia, maybe Huang just wearing lots of different glasses. They may only work with a male anyway. She put them aside and waited for William.

An hour had passed and Julie was fretting. This was one of the drawbacks of being female, the sense vulnerability. Being smaller and lighter than Daniel, she had used the others as a shield against any threat she may have sensed. Knowing there was two strong bodies nearby, (William and Kevin) along with Sara, who by force of personality made her presence seem more imposing, had allowed her let the others take charge, while she fell more into the role of the helpless female. Daniel had been the same, in a way, allowing the others to be in charge, whilst he was content to follow their lead. Maybe that's why she felt more comfortable as a woman, seeing Daniel lacked that aggressive drive so commonly found in the male population. Being a woman meant she didn't need to compete to get ahead, but that didn't mean she was a pushover, she found that women held the reins to a lot of things that were not that obvious. Julie considered herself more empowered now, than before, as a man. With a look or word, she could make William do what she wanted far better than Daniel ever did. She loved being a woman, and if William didn't get home soon, she'd show him just how much of a tiger she could be.

A toot on a horn drew her out of her introspection. She ran outside, her resolution to tell William off for worrying her, forgotten. She halted, seeing a cab, instead of the Volvo. She'd thought the horn had sounded different. Julie chided herself for not checking before going outside. That could have been anyone driving up. Seeing William paying the driver and pulling a few shopping bags out filled her with questions.

"Sorry for the delay, I should have taken the cell phone. I guess I'm not used to carrying one yet," William opologised, seeing her expression. "Her, give us a hand will you, our luggage is in the trunk." He added, taking the bags of their belongings from the trunk of the cab.

"What happened? Where's the Volvo?" Julie asked, taking some of the lighter items.

"I'm afraid the Volvo's kaput. A concrete truck ran a red light and struck the front, as I was moving forward. The car got sandwiched between the truck and a bus waiting at the intersection. It's totalled. I guess we can claim insurance."

Oh crap, are you okay? No injuries? What about the bus, was anybody else hurt?" Julie's rapid-fire questions coming almost too fast for William sort out.

"Yes, no, the bus was empty, and no, I think that's correct," William smiled, kissing Julie to stop the next seventy trillion questions. "The car was towed and I called a cab so I could unload our gear from the Volvo. Oh, and I picked up dinner as well." William added seeming pleased that he hadn't forgotten that.

Later, when their belongings had been placed in the bedroom and attention was given to satisfying their hunger, William asked if she'd found anything. Julie went and retrieved the glasses after finishing dinner and showed them to William. Removing her bracelet, William tried them on in turn, testing them on Julie. A ray ban look-alike turned out to have the same hypnotising power as the pair Sara had.

"Great work hon," William congratulated her, making Julie feel like she'd achieved something. Now all we need is some new wheels."

"The only wheels are attached to a wreck of a motorbike." Julie informed him, her tone indicating what she thought of that idea.

"Well if it's the only option," William left the question hanging.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Julie smiled.

"Okay first thing in the morning, I have a date with a bed and a warm body," grinned William, giving Julie a cuddle.

"That body better be mine," she pouted back

"Um, well-ouch! That hurt," he protested, laughing, as Julie punched him lightly.

Morning saw them up early; having satisfied their animal needs that night. Once breakfast was over, they moved the motorbike out into the morning light for a closer inspection. First impressions confirmed Julie's opinion that it was a wreck. However, as William stood it up on the bike stand, Julie saw something she had missed. Having only viewed it from one side in the garage, she hadn't seen a small knob that looked very similar to the one on the truck.

It struck her like the proverbial blinding flash and deafening report, that just like the default setting of the car was a ratty old truck, this could be the default setting of another car like Scott had found. Excitedly, she hopped on and turned the ignition switch, before William could even protest. She saw that despite its apparent age, it did have an electric start. When the engine rumbled into life, she felt the vibrations send tingles through her groin.

"Wait, are you sure you want to test it?" asked a concerned William, as he saw her hand on the knob.

"Better stand back in case it transforms into something that might cover where you are standing," warned Julie.

William was almost knocked over, as Julie turned the knob. Having only just stepped back, he was still forced back by whatever the bike had become. The instant the knob was turned, the noise of the engine ceased to be audible and a brilliant sphere or coruscating light appeared in its place. As it expanded, it pressed against William forcing him back. It was like a pressure wave, pushing him outwards, without any tangible sensation against his skin. It swelled into a twelve-foot ball of glittery light, completely covering Julie.

William called to Julie, fearing for her safety. No answer, the ball remained silent, shedding its light all around. William took out his cell phone, deciding to ring Sara.

"Sara, it's William."

"We have a situation here, Julie found a motorbike with a knob like the truck, but when she used it, a huge ball of energy enveloped her."

As William spoke to Sara, he saw the ball starting to diminish leaving an outline of Julie to be seen, still covered by the glow.

"Wait, it's starting to change, I need to see to her,"

"Okay, I'll ring you back," he finished. Seeing that Julie's body was clear of whatever had covered her. William could see that Julie was sitting in some sort of daze. Her eyes unblinking were staring straight ahead and didn't react to his hand waving into front of them. He called softly to her, trying to bring her out of her fugue.

After five minutes, a shiver ran through Julie's slender body, as she came out of her frozen state.

"What happened? Are you okay?" William asked, worriedly, as he held her close.

"Um, well, sort of, it talked to me," Julie said, trying to collect her wits after the weird experience.

"What talked?"

I guess the owners- the Shelke," Julie replied, not realising at first the import of her words.

Sara's cell phone chimed about an hour after William had called the first time. She'd been sitting nervously in the motel waiting for this call. She had told Kevin to take Kim shopping to get her some new clothes, as Sara didn't want their guest to see her worrying. She listened to William, as he related the events that had followed his first call. Sara told him about Kim and her worries, about the situation. Sara was just ending the call, telling William, that she'd call soon, when Kevin and an excited Kim came back.

"Was that them?" Kevin asked, as Kim bounced into the room waving bag filled arms.

"Yes, I'll tell you in a minute," Sara answered, looking at Kim.

"This is so great," gushed Kim, pulling out a dress. "I can not believe that I bought dresses and skirts."

"Kim, honey, I know you're excited, but I need to talk to Kevin. Do you mind going to your bedroom and amuse yourself with your new clothes while we talk?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll be trying everything on again," she bubbled, not sensing the air of tension in the room.

"What happened?" asked Kevin, once Kim had left the room.

"Well," Sara started, smiling at the happy noises emanating from Kim's bedroom. "It seems while Julie was trying out another version of the truck, she was enveloped with a type of energy screen. She went into a fugue state while she got a pocket version the Shelke’s history."

"Shelke?"

"Our alien friends, at least that's what Julie said it sounded like." Sara elaborated.

"These Shelke talked to her?" Kevin interrupted again, as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"Yes, now stop interrupting," she chided, poking him in the ribs. "Or I'll never get the story finished." She smiled, seeing him do a zipping of lips motion, as she started again.

"The Shelke come from deep in the galactic core. They are, but one of many different races living there. The Shelke are more adventurous than some and were drawn here, once they left the more populous areas near the core."

"Drawn here?" asked Kevin forgetting his promise.

"Yes, apparently we advertised our presence by all of our radio transmissions beaming into space. Once they got closer, they picked up our television signals as well. Once they realised how far away we were, they knew that a better way of space travel was needed, as their first generation jump ships were limited in range. Knowing that there were others living out here, helped give them the impetus to develop a new way of travel. Julie couldn't understand the technical terms, but it uses some sort of wormhole drive. A micro black hole powers it. Julie thinks there was mention of a white hole involved as well."

"Wow,"

"Yeah, once they reached earth they use a magnetic resonance drive that feeds off the natural ley-lines around the world. Julie said it came across like the old trolley buses with the arms that connected to the overhead wires. Instead they have a loop field that slides along the nearest ley-line, getting shorter or longer as they move in the opposite direction to the lines. Once the ley-line gets further out of reach, the loop field flashes across to the next nearest ley-line. Julie said that it looked similar to one of those Van De Graff generators where the electric arcs wave around looking for something to ground on. Once an 'arc' if you want to call it finds a ley-line, it latches to it and thickens, as it draws power. Once the distance gets too great it thins, allowing the other arcs to search out the next nearest source of power. Oh and it needn't just be ley-lines that it uses, any power source with do. High voltage lines, cars, you name it."

"That's fantastic," Kevin broke in. "What else did she find out?"

"The reason they were called back from earth." Sara said sombrely.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fourteen

"WHAT! She did?"

"Yes, apparently there's a threat from an star in a neighbouring galaxy. It's been tampered with, and it's going to nova. They have to help shift their people to an adjacent galaxy, that's far enough away to be safe from the radiation pulse, which the super nova generates. At this point, they aren't sure if the nova triggering was a deliberate act, or an accident, by over zealous scientists. It may be the act of an unknown invading race, trying to expunge any competition."

"Oh boy," Kevin was riveted by the tale unfolding. "What about us, are we in danger? What are the Shelke's intentions?"

"From what Julie told William, they are trying to guide us from repeating some of the disasters that they have seen other emerging races falling into. We have two choices; continue as we are, polluting the earth with poisons. Which eventually lead to global annihilation as food gets scarce and nuclear war eventuates- or," Sara paused, to collect her thoughts.

"Or," prompted Kevin, unnecessarily.

"We turn to a new power source, one that isn't going to kill off all life on earth, and one that will eventually give us the universe to play in." Sara looked at Kevin, anticipating his next question. "Julie thinks this message was left for us, maybe not for us, specifically, but for whoever discovered the true purpose of the motorbike." Sara quickly added, seeing the almost uttered question forming in Kevin's mind. Julie and I think that the Shelke must have anticipated this and left the message to whoever found it."

Kim, in the bedroom paused, as she admired herself in the mirror, a smile crossed her face as she uttered a near silent, "yes." She changed for the final time, selecting a nice sundress, that although not of top quality, given the rush of buying on the run, still managed to make her look elegant, in a youthful looking way. She heard the indistinct conversation in the other room stop, so she made her entrance with a loud "Ta Dah," doing a quick twirl in front of the others.

"Very nice," Kevin was quick to comment, seeing Sara was still deep in thought.

"Um, oh...oh yes. It suits you," Sara said belatedly, complimenting Kim on her choice.

"When are we leaving?" Kim chirped up.

"Soon, very soon," answered Sara, getting up from the couch.

As promised, they were soon on the road again in the roomier Volvo. Kim was bubbling with excitement and dominated the conversation with her light patter. Sara was hard put to think of Kim as nothing other than the young girl she appeared. Her thoughts about her uncle being an alien were driven into the background, as Kim's cheerful mood rubbed off on all of them. There was one moment of worry, as they passed through the police cordon heading away from the city. They had to open the trunk to show that no stowaway's were hiding there. The police checked out the women carefully, before allowing them to pass.

"I wish I could get even with that brute," Kim complained, after they resumed their journey.

"It's a nice thought, but we aren't in the business of revenge just now," Sara counselled. "Maybe we might come up with a plan on the return journey, which might see him exposed as the corrupt official he is. We have certain powers at our disposal, but we can't go righting every wrong in this world. We could end up abusing our power and be just as great an evil."

"No way! You're both my hero's. I just wish he could have been put in my place, to see just what it feels like." Kim muttered.

"Hmmm, maybe we could," mused Sara, looking thoughtful. "I'd rather he was punished the normal way though the court system, but we'd need photographic evidence for that."

"We could do it you know," offered Kevin, who had just been listening up till then. "Make him into a young girl, then take his place and photograph him doing exactly what he did to Kim."

"You could do that? Make him suck... well you know what I mean." Kim enthused.

"Well, not exactly, but we could make it look like that for the photographs. I think the threat would be enough, especially after the shock of becoming a girl. As Sara said, we don't want to fall into the trap of exacting that kind of revenge, or we'd be no better than him." Kevin explained, hoping Kim would understand, despite her natural need for revenge.

Kim pouted for a second or two. Sara, who had turned to look at Kim in the back seat, saw a fleeting look of... something cross Kim's face. She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but it seemed to be a look of approval, but at what, she wasn't sure, seeing her wish for real revenge had been diluted somewhat.

They made great time, using the speed enhanced Volvo. They had a moment of fun just before Denver when they sped past an Evo 6 on one of the fast stretches of road. It must have blown the driver away, seeing a stately Volvo saloon whip past him. Kevin grinned, as the driver of the Evo floored it and started to gain on them.

Kevin waited till the other driver was close enough to see him wave bye bye, before Kevin accelerated away. At 300 mph, the Evo was soon a speck in the distance. Kevin shocked the girl's by letting go the steering wheel, for a few seconds before taking control again.

"Please don't do that again," pleaded Sara, her heart thumping in her chest. "It's bad enough to be going this fast, without risking our lives on a stunt."

"Relax honey, I don't know how, but there's some sort of built in stabiliser in this thing when it's at speed. I bet we couldn't get out of control if we tried," he said, trying to reassure her.

"Maybe that's true, but I prefer both hands on the wheel in future," Sara insisted, trying to act like a responsible adult in front of Kim. "Let's hope we don't need to prove it any time soon," she added.

"Maybe I should use the bike setting, and tuck you both in non-space," laughed Kevin jokingly.

"Well if you want to be alone on the bike, maybe you might like being alone in bed," sniffed Sara archly, trying for a disdainful look with her threat.

Kim wasn't following this, so just looked out the window as the byplay continued. Sara's sudden laugh, as she saw Kevin's exaggerated contrite look, broke the mock seriousness of the moment, and Sara revelled in her sense of power from the baseless threat. Kevin grinned at her, knowing she had been kidding, but letting her have her moment of glory. They sat in silence till they reached Denver, content in the non-verbal communication of looks and glances.

They picked up a lunch to eat on the way, along with hot coffees. They wanted to make Kansas City that day and didn't want to waste time eating lunch in Denver. Sara took over the driving at Denver, glad to be doing something except watch the scenery flash by. Kevin feed her the sandwiches they had bought, handing another to her, as she finished eating the first.

Late in the afternoon, just before Topeka, Sara noticed a light showing on the dashboard. Alarmed at the thought of something going wrong, she slowed and pointed it out to the others.

"Maybe it’s a radar detector," offered Kim, seeing their confusion.

"There is a bit more traffic on the police bands," suggested Kevin, having pulled the earpiece from the scanner from his ear.

Sara slowed to the limit, watching the light blink steadily; she thought it had started to blink faster, as they went about a mile further on. Suddenly with a whirr, a small barrel like object rose out of the dash pointing out towards the windscreen. Two reflectors at the rear of the barrel swung out, looking like some kind of focusing mechanism. The device swung sideways, before pointing steadily in one direction. Weaving the car side to side, proved one thing, it was locked on something as it compensated, remain fixed at something on the road ahead. They heard a Zzzzzt, and a click and the flashing light went out. The device whirred again, retreating back into the opening on the dash. Looking at each other in surprise, Sara shrugged at Kevin, who also showed puzzlement. A bit further on and still doing the legal limit, they passed a police cruiser parked behind the Topeka welcoming sign. They saw that the officer had his laser in his hand and was more concerned about the smoke coming from it, to notice them pass.

"Wow! A laser detector and killer too," chortled Kevin, imagining the officers surprise at seeing the ruined laser gun.

"This car has more surprises than a Xmas cracker," Sara grinned.

"I get the paper hat, next time," laughed Kevin.

"I would have thought you would be asking a million questions, Kim," Sara asked, looking back at Kim in the mirror.

"I would have normally, but you did say not to ask questions, besides, being turned into a fully functional female holds more interest than a super fast car with James Bond accessories." I don't care how you did it, only that its been done," Kim responded. "I wouldn't be surprised at anything this car can do. It's like a sort of dream for me, I bet if you pressed those blank panels there, all sorts of gadgets would show up." she followed up, pointing to the small oblong shapes on the dash.

Sara looked at the dash with new eyes, wondering. The small depressions Kim pointed out were common on most cars. They were usually the places where extra switches for luxury models where fitted, but left blank for the earlier versions. She fingered one nervously, not sure if she should press it while driving, just to see if Kim's idea had merit. What if something radical happened? She looked over at Kevin, to see he was also looking at her with the same thought. He shrugged, not commenting, but his message was as clear as if he had spoken out loud. "Let's try it."

Sara pressed on the nearest depressions. Immediately, the laser gun disabler, rose out of the dash, but this time there was a display showing two sets of numbers. One was reading 55 and was steady, while the other was varying around 60. It didn't take them long to realise that the one varying was the actual cars speed, as it shot quickly to a 100 when Sara pressed on the accelerator. Seeing the other was set at the legal speed limit, it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the other must be some sort of radar scrambler which would make it seem that that were doing 55 when in fact they were exceeding the limit. A dial next to the set speed was obviously to set it for city speed limits.

Kevin pressed the next one, leaving the other still working. Again, the change was instant. The colour of the Volvo changed from blue to sliver. Seeing a ring materialise on her finger, Sara knew something more than a colour change had occurred.

"Check your ID in your wallet and the one in my purse, will you." Sara asked Kevin, who hadn't noticed the ring or the significance of its positioning.

"Wow!" Kevin marvelled. "I'm somebody else now...and I'm married to you." He added, having checked her ID. "How do you like being Mrs. Elaine Cosworth, married to me, Mr. Steven Cosworth?"

"I'll tell you after the honeymoon," Sara quipped. "Sheesh! Talk about a shotgun marriage, I never even got to hear the "I do's," she giggled. Sara sighed, seeing the ring disappear again, as Kevin touched the depression again. 'One day that will be a real ring,' she thought, missing the sight of it already.

"I'll buy you a ring of your own to keep," Kevin said, echoing her thoughts, and surprising her with how he'd known what she had been thinking.

Even Kim was getting into this new box of tricks.

"Can I try one?" she asked excitedly, meaning the last one left.

"I thought James Bond gadgetry was just old hat to you," Kevin laughed, giving her the go ahead.

"Well this is fun," she giggled, leaning forward to reach the last one to try. Just as before, there was an immediate reaction. A shimmer of light seemed to cover the car, before fading away. A small icon lit up in the instrument panel itself, showing a three dimensional depiction of the car. It was rotating through all three axis, giving them a view of every side of the car, including underneath. Kevin and Sara were stumped as to its purpose, as there seemed to be no actual change. Kim put forward a possible explanation.

"It reminds me of a science fiction movie in which a spacecraft has a force field up. Every time it was hit, it showed on a screen where the impacts were, except it wasn't rotating like this one. Maybe the shimmer was a similar protective force field," she proposed, suggestively.

"Well it sort of fits with everything else," agreed Kevin. "Speed, disguise, and indestructibility."

"Oh, oh, trouble ahead," Sara interrupted, seeing two police cruisers heading towards them from out of Topeka.

Kevin quickly retracted the radar device and stuffed the scanner back under the seat again. As they approached the oncoming cars, they turned on their lights and swung across the road blocking it in a practised move. Sara slowed, and then drew to a stop near the cruisers. One officer walked forward warily, one hand on his holster, leaving the other standing by his car. Sara wound down her window and waited, till the officer reached it.

"Anything wrong officer?"

"Please step out of the car Miss, and that goes for the others." The officer demanded bluntly.

"Why? We haven't done anything, just driving through." Sara asked a little more firmly.

"Well, Miss, we had a report that something on this car destroyed police property, namely, a hand held speed laser." The officer said coldly. "Now please step out slowly and walk to the front of the car placing your hands on the hood. You first Miss, right, now the front passenger, okay, now the girl in the rear." He ordered, as Kevin joined Sara at the front of the car. Kim climbed out under the watchful eye of the officer and added her hands to the hood, as the officer stood back. "Keep your hands there and don't move, while I check over your car."

"Fine, but we didn't have anything to do with this laser thingy. Search away." Sara insisted, taking one hand off the hood and slipping her sunglasses down off the top of her head to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. The officer looked inside. He checked inside the glove compartment and tried to see anything added under the dashboard. He then had everyone stand back before he released the hood and checked around the engine and around the front of the car. Frustrated at not finding anything obvious, he went and sat back inside the car.

"What's this knob for, Miss?" he asked, finally discovering the only anomaly.

"What knob? Officer," Sara asked, allowing the glasses to have their full effect on the officer. "There's no knob- is there?" Her voice held a command that couldn't be resisted.

"Ah- no- there's no knob," the officer repeated, following the words that were overriding his own perceptions.

The officer stepped out of the car, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Belatedly, he asked for her driver's licence and registration papers.

"You don't need to see my papers," Sara insisted, feeling like she was in a Star Wars movie.

"I don't need to see your papers," he parroted, as the effect of the glasses overrode his will.

Sara had to bite her tongue to stop her from adding the next line. "We aren't the droids you're looking for- move along.

He walked to the other officer and spoke to him, before returning to tell Sara that she was allowed to go. Sara thanked him, allowing a certain amount of sarcasm show in an, "I told you so," tone.

Getting back in the car, they drove slowly past the police and Sara burst out laughing, telling the others what she had wanted to say. The others cracked up, and Star Wars puns flew thick and fast, till they were in hysterics.

"Obi One has taught you well," was Kevin's last word, as they carried on to Topeka, where they stretched their legs and had a coffee and a pastry, before hitting the road for Kansas City. The nearer they got to Kim's uncles house in Gladstone, the more nervous Sara got. With the return of the gnawing doubts about the exact relationship Kim had with his/her uncle popping up in her head, she didn't feel exactly confident. Kim hadn't been to her uncle's place, so a map book was their guide to number 26 North Cleveland Road. The gates opened automatically as they went to park in the driveway. Sara wondered if the car had a transmitter that opened all the gates of the Shelke's residences, or was there someone home.

Kim insisted that they drive in, saying that they could stay a day or two before continuing on their journey. Sara wondered if the Shelke had a reason for liking two storied buildings that were set back on the properties. The screen of trees at the front certainly provided a secluded setting, and the maximum privacy. When no one answered the door, Kim entered the six-digit code into the Cipher Keypad to the right of the beautiful inlaid red oak door. The code was one her uncle had given her earlier in the year, one he trusted with no one else. The place was empty. Kim found a note from her uncle, on a corkboard in the entry. It said that he was away for an unspecified time, and that Kim if she visited, was to make full use of the place.

Kim wandered around the house with the others in tow. Once Kim spotted the Jacuzzi, her interest in the rest of the house vanished. She had located a bedroom for herself, and was more interested in getting her clothes brought in and using the hot tub. She was happy to let the others explore, and told then to find a bedroom for themselves.

Kevin and Sara quickly took the opportunity to split up and check out the place. Knowing what to look out for, they soon located a computer room. A laptop sat there, seemingly intact. There was no disarray as in the other places, and the computer fired up first time. Leaving Kevin to play, Sara went over the place with a fine toothcomb.

Kim had started to sing to herself in the hot tub, surprising Sara at first, as the dulcet tones rang through the house. Knowing she wasn't going to be interrupted in her search, she went into the main bedroom, presumably used by Kim's uncle. Wanting to satisfy her feminine curiosity, she checked out the large walk in closet. It was divided into two sections, one half was full of men's clothes, and the other half was full of women's clothes. Curious, she pulled out a gown of white satin and held it against her body, luxuriating in its slinky touch.

'Did the uncle have a partner,' Sara wondered, admiring herself in the built in mirror, as she idly imagined herself wearing the gown. 'Maybe he lived a double life, as both male and female,' she thought. Putting the gown back with more than a little regret, she went and checked the drawers that were part of a vanity and mirror set. The top was covered with an assortment of men's paraphernalia that wouldn't have looked out of place anywhere. One thing that Sara noticed was a hair bush and comb set. Looking closely, she saw one anomaly that stood out. Picking up the brush and comb, she couldn't find one strand of hair that surely would have been there, had the owner been human.

The drawers revealed more male accessories like cufflinks, watches, and rings. Another had ties and even a selection of leather wallets. There was a small oblong box about 4 inches wide and 6 inches long and 2 inches deep. Inside was filled with 100 dollar bills neatly stacked together. Sara guessed that there must be around ten thousand dollars there. She put it back, and closed the drawer, thinking that Kim might need to use that money, if she remained here for a while.

Looking at the vanity again, she noticed a design on it that looked odd. It was a symbol, shaped like a molecule with different colours for the atoms? When she touched it, wondering what it represented, the vanity shimmered like a heat mirage. She noticed the symbol had changed shape along with the look of the vanity. Now it was unmistakably a woman's vanity. The top was covered with an array of beauty products, including makeup and perfume bottles. Sara checked the drawers again, seeing that the contents had changed. The top one held her interest with the many items of expensive looking jewellery, but one item held her gaze riveted. She picked up the bracelet and looked it over carefully. Her breath quickened, as she identified it as a twin to the one she was wearing.

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Fifteen

Sara stood holding the bracelet, wondering what she should do. She could easily take it and no one would be the wiser, especially Kim. But was it right to take something that she might need. Like the money, it wasn't something they couldn't do without. However, the risk of leaving such a device in the hands of someone they hardly knew was making the decision hard. As she pondered, it seemed as if a voice in her head was weighing the pros and cons. She had a sense that her decision would have lasting consequences, whatever she chose. A shiver ran down her back, and it seemed that the very air waited on her to make her choice.

She closed the drawer and touched the symbol again, reverting the vanity back into male guise. Walking out without the bracelet was the hardest thing she had ever done, as the temptation to take it, was very strong. Yet, there seemed be a presence in the room that seemed to rejoice in her decision. It wasn't anything definable, just a sense of rightness like the whispering of her conscience, somewhere in the back of her head.

Kim, relaxing in the Jacuzzi, had a Mona Lisa like smile on her face. She climbed out and wrapped a towel around herself, calling to the others, that she had finished in the Jacuzzi.

Sara met Kevin in the bedroom they had picked out to sleep in. He had the laptop with him, and seemed excited about something.

"Why have you taken that?" She inquired, curiously.

"This is really something else, besides a laptop." Kevin explained, trying to keep his obvious excitement from making his voice rise where Kim might overhear it. "Look at this," Kevin demonstrated, removing the power cord. Then taking out what looked like the battery. The laptop remained running. Then when Kevin covered what Sara guessed was a solar panel, two small filaments slid out at each side of the display and Sara heard a low crackle like static electricity. The laptop seemed to be perfectly happy to run on what seemed like nothing at all.

"Yeah, I know what your thinking, how does it work," Kevin pre-empted her unspoken question. "Well, I don't know what kind of battery this is, but it's much lighter than a conventional laptop battery. I'm assuming that the solar panel works in a similar fashion to the one on the car, but if that isn't enough; it has the ability to tap into the energy of the earth's magnetic field. I figured that out from the information Julie told us about how they power their spacecraft."

"But why?"

"Didn't they power the car the same way?" Kevin again voiced her next thought.

"Hey, get out of my head," laughed Sara, punching Kevin on his arm.

"Think about it a moment," Kevin continued, ignoring Sara's interruption. "If you were moving to Australia, would you take the kitchen sink, or just the basic essentials?"

"You're saying the car came with them, but the laptop came later?" she asked, seeing where he was heading.

"Sort of, the car came with them, but I think those extras where added later, laser speed guns are the latest development. I don't see that they needed those gadgets when they first arrived. Same for the bracelets, I'm sure this laptop is the latest development, either it was brought here or made here."

"Okay, assuming it was made later, why the need for it to have such a versatile power source?" Sara asked.

"It makes it truly portable. No need to be stuck near a source of power to recharge it," offered Kevin, waiting for Sara to answer the next question he could sense coming.

"Then it must be more than just a laptop. It must serve another purpose to go to those lengths."

"Correct," Kevin congratulated, knowing Sara had a head on her shoulders. "I found out that it's a communication device, a sort of video phone, I think the one William found is its twin."

"I need to ring them, and find out what else they have found, we can tell them about the laptop then," Sara stated, determinedly.

"You guys hungry?" Kim's voice asked from just outside the doorway.

"Sure, give us a minute and we'll be right out," Sara answered, watching Kevin put away the laptop.

They found fresh food in the fridge, just like Julie had in Huang's home, but decided to use it instead of buying their own like the others had. Sara figured food was food, and if it was cooked, then no harm was likely. Finding some steaks and some skinned chicken breast fillets, she decided to cook. Rummaging around in the pantry, she found what she needed. Kim offered to help, so Sara got her to get the deep fryer heated and peel some potatoes. Kevin was made a temporary dogs body, and sent to set the table and open some wine, she'd seen.

Kevin was chastised for walking around with a can of beer in his hand, obviously purloined when he was getting the wine.

"You'll spoil your appetite with that," Sara pouted. "Why not checkout the backyard while we're busy," she added, shooing him out from under her feet.

"Women," was his one word retort.

Sara grinned, assuming that was a compliment, as she turned back to crumbing the chicken breasts. Asking if Kim wanted steak or chicken, she got her to cut some fries, for herself and Kevin, while Sara popped a washed potato for herself, into the microwave for 5 minutes, before transferring it into the oven to make the skin crispy. Sara made a small salad for herself and cut some tomatoes to be grilled with the steak. Once the food was ready, Kim called Kevin inside to eat, while Sara poured the wine. Sara did filch a piece of Kevin's steak and popped a bit of chicken in his mouth in exchange. Hardly any words were exchanged, as they enjoyed a home cooked meal. Kim made a perked coffee, as Sara found some Neapolitan ice cream for dessert.

Later, when things were cleaned away, Sara mentioned to Kim that they'd be heading on in the morning.

"We need to talk about your original body and whether you want to return to it." Sara broached the subject.

"Okay, fine. I haven't really thought about it a lot. I've been having fun just being female," Kim replied calmly.

"Well." Here, Sara paused, wondering if what she was going to reveal was the best thing. "I found something that you may need if you want to return to being male- after we leave of course."

"Oh," Kim replied curiously.

Sara took Kim upstairs to her uncle's bedroom and showed her the vanity. At first, the lovely gowns distracted Kim from paying attention, just as Sara had been. Sara showed her the money after getting her attention. Kim took the morphing vanity calmly, too calmly, again raising a niggling feeling at the back of Sara's brain. Sara showed her the bracelet and patiently explained its uses and abilities. Kim got excited and promised to use it wisely, giving Sara a measure of relief that she understood the responsibilities that came with having such a powerful device. Sara left Kim there to play, saying she was going to bed.

While Kevin was getting ready to join Sara in bed, she explained what she had revealed to Kim.

"You sure that's the right thing to let loose on the world?" Kevin asked.

"For all her odd behaviour, yes I do trust her to be circumspect with the bracelet...there's something about her."

"I know what you mean, I've felt it too," admitted Kevin, before climbing into bed, and reaching for the light switch.

"Wait, aren't you forgetting something," Sara said stopping his movement with her hand on his arm. "I know you're anxious to test the mattress, but we need to ring William and Julie, and find out how they got on."

Kevin reached for the phone on the wall near the bed and handed it to Sara, looking a little abashed at forgetting his friends.

Sara dialled the number William had given her for Huang's house. It rang for a while with no answer, before Sara slapped her head and hung up. She redialled, the cell phone this time, she had forgotten that William was in a different time zone and were probably at the beach, or shopping.

"Hello," answered a feminine voice.

"William?" Somehow, despite hearing Julie's voice, Sara knew it was William and not Julie speaking. "It's Sara, how are things going?"

"Oh hi, things are fine, we are at the beach at the moment, what's been happening to you?" Julie/William answered cheerfully.

Sara shrugged, figuring that the whole story, of why he was Julie would eventually be revealed, gave him a brief run down of the situation. She then passed the phone to Kevin, who wanted to mention the laptop.

"It's got a solar panel?" was William's first question. "Where?"

Sara listened to Kevin laugh, having heard Williams question by holding her head near the receiver.

"Think about it," Kevin grinned. "You're the computer whiz... well not at the moment." He added chuckling, thinking how he'd got one over on the expert. Sara hadn't thought about that point either, when Kevin was showing her. Either she was attuned to William's thoughts or he to hers, as she heard William/Julie exclaim just as the solution came to her.

"Its got to be the screen, it doubles as a energy collector," William yelled. "That's a neat trick, I would have guessed it soon enough, but I've had a hard day."

"Sure, sure, whatever," grumbled Kevin, not wanting to have his moment of triumph, diminished by excuses.

The two traded friendly insults, and the fact that William was female at the moment, didn't seem to alter their friendly banter, Sara was thinking about the screen doubling as a light collector. Was there some kind of feed back loop from the emitted display back to the collector cells... or whatever they used, almost like a perpetual motion machine, using the energy it produced to re-power itself. Maybe that's why it worked indoors under low levels of artificial light. It only needed a little extra energy to keep it working. Trying to understand alien technology was starting to give her a headache, of biblical proportions, so she turned her attention back to what William was saying.

"After I rang you to tell you what Julie had found out, she wanted to try the motorbike again." William started to explain. "I told her no, of course." William then related what was said next.

"No, you just had an experience to end all experiences," William argued.

"But we need to see if it changes like the truck," insisted Julie, not to be put off. "The Shelke did say we could use it," she continued with irrefutable logic.

"Okay, okay, but I'm doing it. What happened to you scared the crap out of me. I thought I'd lost you there for a moment." William conceded, reluctantly.

What followed, was very similar to what the truck was capable of, only the selections were different. The energy ball effect didn't occur this time, showing it must have be a one off. The first setting turned the bike into a gleaming silver Lamborghini. William in Huang's body form didn't change, nor did he change at the second setting, a red Ferrari. Checking a hunch out, William asked Julie to sit in the Ferrari, set the knob to the Lamborghini, and then back to the second setting.

Julie wasn't impressed when she ended up in Huang's form for both settings. She got out of the car and used her bracelet to set things right again.

"Satisfied?" she asked sourly, not wanting to be reminded of her male beginnings.

"Sorry honey, I just needed to be sure. It seems our Mr Huang owns both these cars. Believe me I like the body you have now much better, he wheedled, making goo goo eyes at her. She laughed and punched him on the chest.

"You just like my tit's, I think it's time you had a pair of your own to give mine a rest," she giggled, playfully.

"Awwwwh!"

The next setting he tried, granted Julie's wish, and she roared with laughter at his/her disgusted look. William had found a new form in the shape of a raven-haired Asian beauty. William, or Mi Ling, as it turned out, was Huang's wife, so her documentation stated. She struggled out of the yellow corvette, trying to move in a very tight kimono. The emerald satin gown, with its fancy woven designs outlined in red, covered her like a glove, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Mi ling was half a head shorter than Julie, a fact she gleefully pointed out. Her hair fell like an inky waterfall to the middle of her back, its blue-black sheen glistened in silky perfection. To Williams's credit, he didn't try changing back by using the bracelet immediately. Walking Mi Ling's body inside, in a dainty short paced shuffle, William looked at her new body in the hall mirror.

"Wow! She's hot," he/she exclaimed, with an accent, posing a little while admiring her form.

"You're hot, you mean," corrected Julie with a wistful look. Julie made sure she captured the body in her bracelet, as it looked like a neat body to visit later. Mi ling blushed and a fan seemingly flashing out of nowhere, snapped open, covering her face.

"Nice reflexes," Julie commented, amused at seeing the epitome of femininity, which stood before her.

"Sheesh! Talk about automatic responses," William in his Mi Ling's sweet accented voice, grumbled, feeling embarrassed by his actions.

"Well, are you Huang's wife? Is there any memories to go with that body?" Julie asked.

"Weird, but I can’t seem to find any memory that confirms it. Even in Huang's body, I thought he was still single. It's almost like this is a blank form, which was never used. Maybe it was intended for someone that hadn't arrived yet, who knows," William put forward.

William ran her hands down over her silken clad form, wishing that he could be on the outside doing this. 'Maybe Julie would-' his thoughts trailed off.

Julie could see the direction Williams's thoughts were heading, as if she was reading a map. Feeling generous, knowing that she wanted to try it out, she flicked her bracelet, becoming William's twin. William was so engrossed in his reflection, that he didn't notice the change till she spoke.

"Hey don't wear the mirror out, I want to see myself too, you know." She giggled, seeing her lover spin around in surprise.

"Oh boy!" William gasped, lost for words.

"Boy? Sheesh, do you ever need glasses," laughed Julie/Mi Ling.

"Can we I mean, you know?" William nodded upstairs, towards the bedroom.

"Sure, I'm just as horny as you are," Julie grinned, with a gleam in her eye.

"Let me change," William went to finger her bracelet.

"Um wait," Julie grasped her twin's hand preventing the move. "I want to try a little girl on girl action. I figure that body knows some great moves," Julie said wickedly, pulling her lover upstairs.

The next few hours were a revelation to both of them. Mi Ling knew a lot of moves, and they were nearly all tried out, before exhaustion from too much sex overtook them. William roused first, and had to force himself to revert to his male body before he took a shower. Mi Ling's body seemed to be one huge erogenous zone, and taking a shower in her body, would send him back into an orgasmic ooze of boneless flesh.

Getting an idea, William changed back into Huang's body, and slipped back into bed where 'his wife's' body lay asleep. He had to feel for her bracelet as it was in the invisible mode and slipped it off, silently thanking the Shelke for making it possible for another wearer to remove someone else's bracelet as he slipped it under the pillow. Feeling deliciously evil, for trapping Julie in Mi Ling's body temporarily, he woke her up with a kiss.

"Hey dear wife of mine, how about we go out for lunch?"

"Hmmmmm, sounds nice," the new Mi Ling, yawned, stretching the kinks out of her body. "But I don't think I have anything to wear," she added seeing she was now several sizes smaller than Julie.

"I like the kimono, or we could get the car to alter your outfit," he offered, giving her a long kiss.

Julie never missed the bracelet, as once it was invisible, it didn't feel as if you were wearing anything. It wasn't until trouble loomed at the restaurant, that she realised it was missing.

William in Huang mode has driven them to a select Chinese restaurant in his Lamborghini. The car had attracted the attention of some unsavoury gentlemen. Huang, as a bodyguard, had roughed up these same men as part of his duties. One of the men had thought it a great opportunity for some payback, especially as Huang had company. The thug had called up for some of his pals to help out, while the pair inside enjoyed their meal.

Huang and Mi Ling were attacked once they had exited the restaurant and were moving to their car. What happened then could only be described as being on the film set of 'Enter The Dragon,' in fact bystanders stood by, thinking it was a movie shoot, and failed to realise the situation till it was over. It was only after the bodies lay bleeding on the floor with no, "Cut," that they called the police. Although seriously outnumbered, Huang's reflexes took control, as the surprise attack began. Julie, in Mi Ling's fancy attire, was grabbed from behind. She struggled to use her bracelet, before realising it wasn't there. As she saw her loved one being attacked with a pipe, something snapped inside her. No longer was she going to allow herself the coy kitten, no, a tigress was born in those fleeting seconds, a tigress, determined to protect her own.

Mi Ling flicked her wrists in an action that brought out two silver fans. In her hands, these became weapons, not something one simpered behind coyly. The man holding her didn't have time to react, as she flashed her fans in his face. Instantly blood curtained his vision, as the deadly fighting fans drew first blood. Julie was a passenger in her own... well Mi Ling's body, as the fighting skills of her host took over. Flick, flick went her fans, leaving the man's face in ribbons. When she turned to help Huang, she saw she wasn't the only one to draw blood.

One man lay groaning, bleeding from a broken nose and a lacerated scalp, the result of having his piece of pipe used against him. Another had a broken arm where Huang had snapped it like a dried twig forcing the bone to protrude from the skin. He was trying to crawl away, from where Huang had thrown the last attacker. Huang straightened his jacket and took Mi Ling's arm as if nothing had happened. They didn't see the man in a dark suit that had been looking at them very intently from across the street. He gaze fixed on the couple, seemed to awaken an awareness of his scrutiny in Julie, as they walked to their car. Julie turned, seeking the source of the unaccountable itch. He eyes passed over the spot where moments ago the man had been standing. Seeing nothing and feeling the end of the odd sensation, Julie dismissed it as nerves. Julie, having returned from her alter ego's mindset, heard some applause from the bystanders. Just to be sure, William switched the cars settings to the red Ferrari, in case the police arrived, as soon as they were out of sight.

"Where's my bracelet?" you idiot? I could have helped you," demanded Julie, as reaction set in.

"Calm down honey you did help, I think you might have been in more trouble had you tried to change, especially in front of those witnesses," William tried to placate her.

Julie realised he was right, but couldn't stop the tears from starting, realising how close it had been.

"Who were those guys, and why did they want to hurt us?" Julie sniffled, trying to regain control of her wayward emotions.

"I don't know, obviously, someone Huang had pissed off. I hope that's the end of that, I don't want to be looking over my shoulder while I'm in this body," William sighed.

They had driven straight home, and once there, they spent the day checking the other settings of the bike. They found that there was an overlap of the settings found on the truck, which produced the Volvo and the Trans Am. Getting tired of the constant changes, and seeing the day was hot, they decided to eat out for dinner. They decide to check out the beach, and pick out someplace there to find dinner. Julie wanted to go swimming, and wanted to have some feminine company for a while.

William grumbled a little, but not too much, as he looked at Julie in the mirror. Going, as twins had been Julie's idea, she thought it would be fun, and that maybe they might get a free meal out of it from some would be suitor.

"But we can afford to spend, it's not like we're poor or anything." William had complained.

"I know, but think of it as a challenge. To get a free meal, just for looking pretty," Julie had urged. "I promise to be your Mi Ling for you tonight."

That was enough of a bribe for William, so here he stood, checking his/her makeup, before they headed out. Finding a nice spot wasn't hard, but finding a place to spread a towel and just sunbathe was another on the crowded beach. Walking along in matching swimsuits, and carrying identical coloured towels, (Julie insisted on buying them on the way) had certainly made them stand out. Julie alone was a match for any of the other lovely beauty's on the beach, but wouldn't have stood out in the crowd on the beach. However, two identical Julie's made everyone sit up and gawk. Once they claimed a piece of beach for themselves, a parade of single (and married) men seemed to become very interested in the real estate the girl's had claimed. They had been sunbathing for an hour, fending off the over enthusiastic come-ons from men with only one thing written on their faces... and a little lower than that, when the cell phone they always carried rang. William answered it.

"So that's what's happened so far," William, explained. We are just looking for some nice men to feed us dinner," h/she laughed.

"I bet they'll want to feed you something else after dinner," Kevin replied pointedly.

"We just want to find a nice mark, with lots of money," grinned Julie/Julie.

"Ah you don't want someone with a little tent in their pants, you're after bigger fish with a marquee in their pants," whipped back Kevin with a laugh. "Don't go pole fishing, you might end up with a groper." Kevin added, laughing harder.

"Whale eel be put in his plaice, if he does it on porpoise," retorted William, reeling the puns off quickly. William giggled at the punishment s/he was handing back. "Anyway, it looks like our meal ticket has arrived, I'll contact you later," William finished, as two shadows loomed over them. Looking up, William saw two guys in casual clothes; one had one of those lens things that simulate a camera viewpoint. He was looking at the girls though it as if imagining them in front of a camera.

"These two would make excellent actresses, the camera will love them." The one with the lens enthused.

"I trust your judgement," the other said, smiling at the twins. "Would the two of you be interested in taking part in a movie?"

Julie looked at Julie/William, and their thoughts meshed silently. Both knew it was possibly a con, to get them into bed as part of a promise to star them in a movie. There was still the chance it was genuine, either way, they knew a free meal was theirs if they said yes.

"Sure," they spoke in unison, startling the others as well as themselves. "We were" - 'Just going to' - "Buy dinner." They spoke in sequence, each completing the others sentence. It was as if one brain was connected to the two bodies, sharing the sentence. It was eerie. However, inside their heads, they were laughing at the expressions of the two guys.

"Let us buy you dinner and we can discuss it." The leader of the two finally said.

The girl's made sure they ordered well, in the restaurant the guys had taken them to. The twins had changed out of the swimsuits and back into the slinky dresses that they had worn at the start. They had fun leading the guys on, flirting harmlessly while promising nothing, but the right to turn them down. The two guys were so enamoured with them, that when the meal was over and paid for. They never even grumbled when the twins just pecked them on the cheeks and said they'd let them know. They got back to their car, walking arm in arm, and drove off home where Julie fulfilled her promise to William.

To be continued.

    

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Sixteen

Kevin hung up, hoping the others knew what they were getting into. Sara smiled, saying they could take care of themselves, again catching his unspoken thought.

"You're starting to scare me with that mind reading trick of yours," Kevin laughed, as he turned out the light before turning to kiss her goodnight.

"I can read you like a book," she replied, sleepily, snuggling closer to him.

"Comic book, probably," he whispered in her ear.

He got no reply; Sara had fallen asleep, content to feel his protective body next to hers. Kevin smiled, feeling the love overflow for his life long friend. A silent prayer, thanking the gods for the alien's gift that had brought them together as lovers crossed his mind, as he too, succumbed to nights embrace. Kim, sleeping in the other room, had a smile on her face as she turned over in bed.

The next morning had the pair packing their stuff back into the Volvo along with the laptop. Talk was subdued, knowing that they were leaving Kim to an uncertain future. When it came time for them to leave, hankies were in demand as tears flowed.

"We'll be back," promised Sara, hugging Kim at the door.

"I know, good luck," was Kim's reply.

As the pair got into the car and drove away, Kim closed the front door, turning her back to it and whispered to herself. "Just one more."

The mood in the car soon lightened as they started thinking about the next destination. Kevin was driving again, because being shorter; Sara found the morning sun shinning into her eyes as distracting. Kevin didn't need the aid of the sun visor as the tinted area at the top of the windscreen cut the morning glare to tolerable limits.

Sara busied herself arranging the road maps in order to be used, so there would be no confusion. She navigated them back to the highway east and then brought out the laptop. Turning it on, she waited till it booted up, before accessing the menus.

Seeing an unfamiliar icon flashing, she clicked it, thinking it might be a message from William, but instead two distinct beeps were heard. One came from the laptop and the other from somewhere behind the dashboard on the car. Startled, she looked up and saw a light blinking near where the sound had come from. The laptop then opened a window showing a map of what seemed to be the area they were travelling. A single icon was glowing on the road marked on the displayed map.

"Looks like we don't need our maps," Sara laughed. "If I'm right, this is some sort of GPS. I wonder what resolution you can get," she wondered, clicking on an icon at the edge of the display.

The picture expanded showing the roads in more detail. The maximum resolution brought it up to a point that the individual roads were named. Sara happily played with the menu, trying to find out its limits.

"Hey, we can set the destination, and it will guide us there. There's even the option to take the most direct or the scenic route," she laughed.

""Let's take the shortest route. I want to get this over with. We can do the tourist thing on the way back, if you want," Kevin suggested.

Sara tapped some commands into the laptop, and then settled back, calling out directions as they left Kansas City. They stopped at St Louis for a morning coffee and a doughnut, before again hitting the road. They had lunch in Louisville, opting to eat there rather than in the car. On the way back to the car from the diner, Sara caught sight of someone familiar, or at least she thought she had. Hurrying to catch up when the other turned the corner ahead of her, she saw no sign of the person in question. When she stopped, looking puzzled, Kevin who had caught up to her asked her what the hurry was.

"I thought I saw Kim, I'm sure it was her, but she disappeared."

Our Kansas City Kim?" He asked, feeling a sense of foreboding about her answer. "But it can't be her, we left her without transport, and at the speed we've been doing, she'd have had to have flown to get here, before us."

"Yes, our Kim," Sara said seemingly not hearing Kevin speak.

"You're repeating yourself, I heard you the first time." Kevin replied, feeling weird.

"Huh, what are you talking about? I only said it once." Sara now felt a sense of confusion.

"But I heard you think it" Kevin started, before realising what he'd said.

There was silence, even though they stood on a busy sidewalk in the middle of the day, as those words, crashed into their brains, obliterating all other thoughts. Like an avalanche sweeping all before it, the idea of hearing each other's thoughts, pushed all the little coincidences in the past few days to the fore. This was more than guessing the other's thoughts. This was big, very big. To be able to communicate mind to mind was stuff of fiction, yet it made perfect sense, given the little clues of each answering the others questions, or knowing just what the other felt, without saying a word. They stood there, seemingly oblivious to the world as it passed them by.

'Let's talk about this in the car,' Sara thought, knowing that Kevin "heard" her plain as day, reaching for Kevin's hand as it reached for hers. They turned as one, their thoughts meshing as the last barriers fell. A million thoughts passed back and fro, searching and finding the souls of each other.

Preoccupied with the discovery of their new talent, they failed to see a familiar face looking at their retreating backs with a smile on her face. Nor did they hear the, "So it begins."

Back in the car, the pair tried to verbalise their thoughts, in an attempt to slow down the jumble of questions that they both had.

"Do you think all our body swapping, is the cause of this?" Sara asked.

"Most likely, remember these bodies may look human, but they are the product of alien technology. They probably used telepathy as a part of normal life." Kevin answered.

"So you think we slowly gained the power to talk mind to mind, it would explain all the coincidences. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this was happening." Sara finished.

"I think so, it might account for the odd feelings we've been picking up. Maybe there are still aliens here. It wouldn't surprise me if there were," Kevin postulated.

"Oh no, do you think it's happening to William and Julie? That may account for how I knew it was William even though he had Julie's body when we rang." Sara gasped.

"Probably, can you sense them, or hear their thoughts?" Asked Kevin, as he turned his mind to the task.

I think I've been feeling something, it's not thoughts yet, just a feeling of awareness." Sara tried to send her thoughts out to her friends. She sensed a warm fuzziness that seemed to be attached to the mental image of her friends. She sent the image to Kevin directly, and she heard his mind agree that he too, had felt that.

"Should we try ringing?" she verbalised.

"No, let's see if we can control this first. We'll ring at the agreed time," Kevin said.

"Control?"

"We need to figure out a way of shielding our thoughts from each other," Kevin replied.

"Oh course," Sara agreed, seeing the reason for it, form in Kevin's mind. "We can't be driving and concentrating while having another's thoughts filling your mind, plus having all the non essential stuff coming though as well."

"Yeah, I don't fancy experiencing your thoughts when you are having a period, or when you take a dump." Grinned Kevin, knowing he was heading for slap of some kind.

A gossamer slap was sent mind to mind, and Sara grinned, knowing he'd been expecting it. It was true, much of a person's thoughts were about body sensations and stuff that didn't need to be sent to another. She tried imagining a shield around her head to cut out the communication she was getting from Kevin's mind. At first she could feel him doing the same, as her caught her thought. It was hard, like trying to use a muscle that had never been used before. Slowly, she felt like she had achieved something.

"I think I have it," she spoke into the shared silence of their mental struggle.

"Don't give it to me, I'm healthy," quipped Kevin, making a joke while still struggling to achieve a shield.

Sara laughed, happy that she hadn't picked up the thought from Kevin as it had formed in his mind. It would be terrible not to be able to make jokes, when you'd know the punch line, before the joke was finished.

She relaxed her shield, feeling his thoughts return. She showed him mentally what she had done, and when his thoughts cut off suddenly, she knew he had achieved it.

"Wow it went silent all of a sudden." Kevin exclaimed. "Did you turn blonde?" he joked, looking at her blonde hair, while waiting to be thumped.

"Oh puhleeze, that is so like totally-whatever. Thuh only thought in my head is like wow! How totally gorgeous your bod is fer shuuuure," drawled Sara, in an exaggerated valley voice. Knowing this was better punishment, for subjecting her to the clique that blondes don't think, than an outright smack.

"Ouch! Just hit me next time, it's less painful," Kevin pleaded, covering his ears.

"Just remember that won't stop telepathy," chortled Sara, knowing she'd scored again. "Any more blonde jokes and you'll find yourself in skirts, twin sister." Sara threatened, grinning as he capitulated by raising his hands in surrender.

"Truce, truce." He called. "What do we try now, seeing as we have a shield?" he asked, changing the subject adroitly.

"Before we go into that, do you notice something?" Sara asked.

"What?"

"Can you hear any one else's thoughts, I think we've been attuned to each other, a type of selective telepathy if you will," Sara pointed out. "As for the shield, we need to see if we can make it so we can only 'hear' thoughts directed to each other, not just full on or fully blocked. Let's hit the road, while we practice achieving that."

On an impulse, Sara who had taken over the driving turned north heading towards Indianapolis, instead of towards Cincinnati.

"Um why are we going this way?" asked Kevin, curiously, opening up the laptop.

"Just curious, this is off our route to Washington DC. I wanted to see if we are being followed, seeing Kim knew we were heading that way."

"Ah, okay. Well I always wanted to go there and see the 'Brickyard,' Kevin grinned.

"Brickyard?" asked Sara looking puzzled.

"The Indianapolis speedway, it's called the Brickyard," Kevin explained.

"Uh huh, just in case you had any ideas, we aren't racing the car at the speedway," Sara warned.

Just over an hours driving, saw them in Indianapolis. Along the way, they had managed to perfect their mind shields to the point where only a directed thought to each other could be received. Just so it wouldn't bring unwanted attention, they decided to use speech in public unless it was an emergency, or very important. Getting off the main highway, they started looking for lodgings. Although they had the laptop to guide them, it didn't show things like hotels, which for tonight, Sara insisted that was what she wanted. The problem was, she didn't want to be in the downtown area. They drove aimlessly, not bothering to use the computer, just cruising the quieter streets seeing as they had plenty of time. Sara chuckled seeing the sign reading East South Street as they headed west along it.

"Let's stop and ask a local for the nearest hotel," Kevin suggested.

Sara agreed, seeing they hadn't spotted anywhere suitable. She slowed, but not enough, as a woman on a bicycle shot out in front of them at the intersection on Alabama Street. Sara braked hard, squealing the tires in a painful protest to no avail. Then came a sickening crunch, as the pushbike impacted into the side and a shape flew over the hood, and tumbled heavily to the road.

Sara and Kevin were out of the car in a flash, the instant it halted. They ran back to the huddled form that was curled over in pain. A man in another car, which had been coming from the same direction as the woman, just wound down his window and yelled out, 'good riddance to bad rubbish,' before speeding off.

Sara and Kevin were shocked at the callousness of it, as they crouched over the meter maid. Obviously, the man in the car must have been chasing her after getting a parking ticket. No wonder why she crashed into them. The woman groaned, showing she was still alive at least. Kevin picked the woman up gently, after checking to see if anything was broken. Sara opened the car door so Kevin could slide her in. So far, no one had bothered to stop, just driving around the obstruction of the mangled bike. Kevin went back and picked it up, placing it in the trunk of the car, and tied the lid down, leaving one wheel hanging out.

They drove down Alabama Street, seeing this was the direction that the woman was headed. They stopped a bit further on and checked the tall red haired woman. To a question of where she lived, they heard a mumbled address, as the woman tried to struggle up. Restraining her gently, Sara got the laptop running and gave Kevin directions from the back seat, where she sat with the injured woman.

It turned out that she lived on Alabama street but further down past the highway 70. They had to turn down East South Street, to get to Terrace Ave, where again they found where Alabama Street continued. They stopped outside her home and transferred the woman inside, using the keys found in her purse, to unlock the place.

Once inside, Sara did a quick search to find the bedroom, directing Kevin who was carrying the woman in his arms. Laying her on the bed, Sara undid the woman's clothes, directing Kevin to get some bandages and to find something to clean her injuries.

The woman roused, feeling the attentions given to her ravaged body.

"Who are you?" she asked dazedly.

"You hit our car, so we brought you home. You have a few bruised ribs I think, looking at your chest. There are some abrasions, but nothing that won't heal by themselves." Sara spoke gently, trying not to alarm the woman. "My name is Sara, and I'm here with Kevin, my boyfriend," she added, introducing herself.

"Maggie O'Malley," replied Maggie, doing the same. Maggie blushed seeing that her chest was bare. Moving brought pain, as she attempted to cover herself.

"Don't move please. You're completely safe with us," soothed Sara, holding her still. Sara ran her fingers gently over the bruising that was beginning to show, pressing to check for fractures. Kevin returned with some warm water mixed with a pungent antiseptic that was easily smelled. Maggie tensed seeing a man, then she relaxed as she realised she was in no danger. Kevin lathed her scrapes with a soft sponge, gently teasing the dirt from her wounds. Maggie sucked air as the antiseptic stung on her abused skin, but made no sound as she toughed it out.

Finding nothing broken, Sara went and rummaged in the fridge, returning with some ice, which she had placed in a plastic bag. She laid the bag on the bruises, to try and reduce the bruising and swelling.

Sara got an idea and used the bracelet to take a sample of blood from Maggie. Maybe using that, she could change Maggie back to her uninjured self, as it should replicate her body using the DNA profile and give her a healthy body again. She slipped off her bracelet and put it on Maggie's wrist, and activated the correct setting.

Maggie's body morphed instantly, but instead of returning to a healthy female form, to Sara's horror, it changed into a male form albeit being healthy.

"Oh no!" gasped Sara, seeing the young man clad in a skirt and hose.

Maggie, or the young man who used to be Maggie gasped as well, seeing her form change.

"What did you do to me? I'm a male again," he cried, fighting to get up.

The "male again," struck horror into Sara. She realised that Maggie was a transsexual, possibly having transitioned. Using the DNA had returned her to her original form, having ignored the hormone changed woman.

Sara thought fast.

"Don't worry, we can give you back your body, but it may be slightly different." She temporised, as Maggie sat up.

"Please let us explain, this wasn't supposed to happen. I took a DNA sample from your body to bring it back to its undamaged form not realising you had once been a man. The device on your wrist cured you of your injuries, but also cured you from the hormone changes. It thought those were injuries as well. But we can fix it I'm sure." Sara explained, hoping Maggie would accept that without getting angry.

"Just my luck, I get abused and chased by an irate driver, crash into a car and injure myself, then to top off the rest of the shitty day, I get turned into a guy. What more can happen?" S/he wailed, scooping up one of her stuffed dolls and hugging it to her/his chest.

Sara felt her heart go out to this forlorn figure, hugging a stuffed doll for comfort. How would she feel in the same circumstances? She looked around at the tidy but sparsely decorated room. Obviously, the money wasn't very plentiful, and even as a guy, s/he looked very thin.

Maggie I want to tell you a story, in return, I want you to tell us yours, okay?"

With Maggie's nod, Sara gave her a brief run down on what the bracelet could do and where it had come from, leaving out the rest as unnecessary. Then it was Maggie's turn, and both Sara and Kevin wept inside at her tale of woe. How her adult body had a little girl child inside just waiting to be released from the terrible injustice of being born to a male body. She told how at the age of three, she knew she should have been a girl, and that denied growing up in her rightful form, had preserved that girl child inside her, not willing to let her grow up a boy. As soon as she was able, she changed her body to fit the mind inside, but her girl self had been left behind, locked inside a body that was already an adult. Only at special times was she allowed to peak out and play, before the harsh realities of life had her scurry back into hiding again.

Sara and Kevin both hugged her as the story unfolded, tears running freely down their cheeks. Sara directed a thought towards Kevin. She smiled as Kevin answered her in same.

Maggie had been telling them about her job as a meter maid, and how awful it was. The abuse from motorists was a constant nightmare, as she went around just doing her duty. She didn't make the rules; she just enforced them, like any other public servant. She didn't make the drivers park illegally or overstay their welcome. She only made enough money to survive, and sometimes that was not enough.

While this was being said, another level of conversation was flowing between Sara and Kevin.

'Remember when we first experimented with the bracelets,' Sara thought at Kevin.

'Yes.'

'Remember when we took partial images of bodies and changed only that part,'

'Ah yes.'

'If we can marry a picture of Maggie's head and the torso of mine, we could give her a proper female body.'

'True, I'll get right on it, are you going to tell her the rest of your idea?' Kevin thought back, standing to go get the laptop.

'Yes, but not until we explain this,' Sara finished.

"Maggie, do you like this body of mine?" Sara asked.

"Well it’s a lovely body, but it doesn't do anything for me sexually, if that's what you’re asking," Maggie replied.

"What if I could give you this body with your female head on it, would that do for a temporary solution?"

"You can do that? Give me a real female body,"

"Yes, if you'd accept it."

"Wait, you said temporary solution?"

"Well, we are on the trip right now and can't look after a toddler, but on the way back, we could come and take you with us."

"Me a toddler! You mean that?" Maggie screamed jumping almost onto Sara's lap.

"Yes if you want, we will adopt you as our child. In the mean time clear up any loose ends, and get what you want to take with you together."

Maggie's eyes widened and tears of joy spilled from her eyes, as she tried to take in the wonder of the moment.

Kevin was back in a jiffy, and set up the laptop. He found the program that was part of the image capture used for sending images and sound to another laptop. Sara stripped off her clothes; not worrying that Maggie was currently male. Standing in front of the screen, Kevin captured an image of her naked form. Saving the image, he asked Maggie for a picture of her female form. Maggie found one and handed it to Kevin, who held it in front of the screen.

He worked with a popular program to manipulate and join the two images, cutting and pasting a resized head to fit Sara's torso, minus the head. Then Kevin used an airbrush technique to blend the union of the two. He tweaked Maggie's face a little, making it even more feminine, before saving.

Sara touched the bracelet that was still on Maggie's wrist, bringing up the image capture function. Within a minute, Maggie was again female, but this time, she was the genuine article, able to bear babies.

All this took time, and it was now getting late and stomachs were rumbling. Maggie offered to feed them and for them to stay the night, but looking in her cupboards, Sara came up with a better idea.

Telling Maggie to get changed and pack a nightie, they took her with them to a hotel for the night. Maggie made the most of the meal that the hotel provided. That night, they shared one bedroom with a king size bed, Kevin having taken on the smaller female body of Julie, so that they all fit on it comfortably. Needless to say, Maggie was over the moon with her changes and that of her promised form.

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Seventeen

Kevin changed back in the morning, much the disappointment of Maggie, who had spooned into 'her' back that night. Kevin and Sara had breakfast sent up, and they all enjoyed it before they started to make tracks to leave. They dropped off Maggie at her home and left her enough money to live on, seeing her bike was trashed and she would be unable to continue her job. They promised to be back as soon as they could. Sara gave Maggie her phone number to ring if there was a problem.

With hugs and some tears, Sara said goodbye to Maggie, waving to her as Kevin drove the car away down the street.

"Sorry you didn't get to see the Brickyard," Sara broke the silence. "Maybe when we return, you'll get to see it."

"Its no biggie, what happened was more important. As you said, we might get to see it next time," Kevin agreed.

"You realise what taking on Maggie means, don't you?" Sara smiled at Kevin.

"That you get to change the diapers?" Kevin answered with a question, being deliberately obtuse.

"Grrrrrr," Sara half growled, seeing the corner of Kevin's eyes crinkle up in humour. "You know that's not what I meant."

Kevin pushed the envelope a bit more, knowing exactly what she was getting at, but he was enjoying the teasing too much to give her the right answer.

"Oh I know," he smiled, keeping his thoughts from leaking to Sara. "We'll have to go shopping again, for toddler sized clothes oowwh." He complained, as the awaited poke in the ribs signalled the end of the kidding.

"Men," the single word Sara uttered, hung in the air, conveying a multitude of meanings. The fact that Sara had been a man once showed Kevin just how far she had embraced her femininity. He decided to capitulate and give her the answer she wanted.

He pressed the panel on the dash, which produced the change in identity for the occupants. The instant that Sara became Elaine Cosworth married to Steven Cosworth, Kevin/Steven turned to Sara/Elaine.

"Will you marry me?"

"Kevin" Sara/Elaine began, before looking once again at the rings that adorned her finger. "Looks like I already have," she giggled, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"Is that a yes?" he insisted.

"YES!"

Kevin leaned over and got his own kiss in, warily checking the road with a corner of one eye. He went to change the setting back, but Sara as Elaine held his hand.

"Please, I want to keep the ring for a while."

"Okay, why not take the ring off and we could change back, then you'd have the ring for your own finger," Kevin said, thinking of the saving.

Sara did try to take the ring off, but it was too tight to go over the knuckle. She gave up, saying it was just as well it wouldn't come off. "It's probably the wrong size anyway." she added sadly.

Once past Dayton, they sped east to Columbus where they stopped for a comfort break and bought a coffee and a bun.

Wanting to get to their final destination before nightfall, they took full advantage of the cars speed and radar jamming devices to reach Pittsburgh for lunch, again buying something to eat on the way, after finding some restrooms for the inevitable comfort stop. Then it was back on the road, heading southeast, though the Cumberland valley. Traffic increased the nearer they got to Washington DC, and they slowed to a crawl, to just above the posted speed limit. Eventually, the high-rise buildings hove into view, as they got closer. Kevin got out the laptop to locate the street they wanted, while Sara, now back in her body drove the Trans Am. The city had a lot of one way streets, that made getting there through the traffic just that much harder for visitors, but eventually, they found the place at the corner of 17th street and Church street, where the road forms a crescent turning back into 17th street in a loop.

Instead of a house like the other places, they saw an apartment block. Kevin who had used the bracelet to become Brian Somers, the owner of unit 15, told Sara to drive into the underground parking facility, directly under the building. He handed her a magnetic card from his wallet, which she used to open the barrier arm protecting the resident's garage. Unit 15 proved to be on the top floor and took up the entire level. The card had to be used, both in the lift and on the front door just outside the lift landing at level 15.

Kevin as Brian handed Sara the security card, while he used the bracelet to return to his own body, not wanting the card to disappear with the rest of Brian's apparel. Taking back the card, Kevin went to open the door.

"Wait, look at that," Sara called, pointing to the marks near the edge of the door.

"Damn, it looks like someone has tried to force the door. I wonder how they got to this level, seeing you need a card." He mused, looking around.

"What about the fire escape?" Sara asked seeing a locked door with a release button at the far side of the landing.

They walked over seeing that it was electrically locked. Pushing the button resulted in a low clunk as the bolts withdrew. Opening the door, showed that there was no signs of forced entry as they stepped out onto the fire escape landing that led down the outside of the building.

Going back inside, they looked for any clue to how an intruder had made it to the front door.

"Maybe they cut the power to the place, and got in through the doors then," suggested Sara, clutching at straws.

"No, that wouldn't work," Kevin answered, having had an uncle in the security business and had picked up some knowledge of it from him. "The security access system would have a backup system, probably batteries that keep it up. But... there is one way of shutting the doors down." He said, as he peered up at the sprinkler heads. "Look at those, they have been replaced recently, see how the paint is new."

Sara looked up at the ceiling, seeing that new paint had been applied near the sprinkler heads. She saw one spot that had been missed showing a rusty looking mark. She pointed it out.

"Yes, some one made the fire system go off. Breaking a sprinkler will set them all off and that would shut down the security, releasing all doors so people can evacuate. Still, that still doesn't show why there are marks around the door."

"So you’re saying, is that the persons who set the sprinklers off, got in through the fire escape door, but still couldn't get inside the apartment?"

"Yes, let's check inside. Hopefully, we'll find the answers there." Kevin answered, opening the door warily. The solid thunks as the door unlocked, showed that the security had been added to. They swung the overly thick door open, seeing multiple latches and what seemed like a steel plate running though the doors core. As they moved silently, splitting apart to check different rooms they could see that the sprinklers hadn't been set off, they were obviously the originals as they had paint on them from when the ceiling was repainted. Kevin found the reason why the intruders hadn't got in. He pointed out a suitcase-sized box near the door.

"This place has its own power backup. That's a UPS, I guess that they had a reason to keep the door secure, I just hope we haven't brought ourselves more trouble." Kevin reiterated.

"Wow! Look at this," Sara exclaimed, struggling to lift up what looked like a small cannon.

Kevin took the weapon and slid open the magazine. He whistled, showing Sara the long shells seated inside.

"It looks like a modified Desert Eagle. He turned over the weapon looking at the silvered triangular shaped barrel. "It must be at least a 44 or a 45 magnum, but these hand gun shell's these are for a rifle. No wonder it has porting on the barrel, the recoil must be something wicked." He said awestruck.

"It's so long, why would they need something that powerful?" Sara asked, feeling a sense of impending doom.

"The 10 inch barrel is to reduce muzzle flash and aid in reducing recoil, as to the reason?" Here Kevin shrugged. "You could shoot and kill a car with this. It would crack open an engine block." Kevin slid the magazine with its deadly load back into the weapon with a metallic snick.

They searched the rest of the place, finding nothing, no clothes, and no more devices. The place was bare, even the cupboards and fridge. The only thing there was the gun. Sara felt that something was wrong, it felt like a trap, one in which they were meant to find the gun, but why that? It didn't make sense, not with what they knew of the Shelke.

"Let’s get out of here, now!" Sara demanded, sharing her fears with Kevin. He nodded, silently, agreeing that things didn't add up. They left the place, not even bothering to lock it behind them, as a sense of danger started taking hold. Kevin touched his bracelet to assume Huang's form, somehow knowing the martial arts skills that came with this form might be needed. He tossed the heavy gun to Sara, instructing her silently to use both hands should she need to use it.

The lift dinged, almost immediately after they pushed the button, meaning it had been only on the floor below. Warning bells flashed in their minds and instantly they jumped to the side of the lift door as it started to open. Dull pops sounded and the wall opposite exploded as the bullets from silenced guns, tore the plaster to shreds. Kevin and Sara having flattened themselves against the wall beside the lift, held their breath, as two forms walked forward into view. They were holding guns with silencers fitted. These were held out in front of them, as they stepped forward. In a move made possible only by having minds synchronised together, Sara slashed down across the wrist of the nearest person with the heavy gun she was holding. She saw Kevin/Huang smash the wrist of the other with a blow from a lightening kick, and watched the two weapons skitter to the floor as the two men screamed in pain from their broken wrists.

Sara kicked the fallen weapons into the open lift and entered it, turning, and holding the Desert Eagle to cover the two groaning men. She took in their appearance as Kevin managed to frisk them quickly. The two men looked like twins, heavyset and reminded her of agent Smith from the movie Matrix. Kevin had found a pair of handcuffs, and had locked the two men together by their undamaged hands.

"We know who you are, and what you're doing here." One of the men shouted. "Give it up, and tell us where the rest of the Shelke are hiding. We have men everywhere, you can't escape."

"Who are you?" Sara yelled back, waving the gun threateningly.

"Your worst nightmare," the other answered menacingly, as the doors of the lift slid shut in his face, Kevin having pressed the button for the ground floor.

Sara was shaking so hard, as reaction set in, but she pulled herself together, as she knew they weren't out of the woods yet. Watching the lift level numbers light up as they passed the floors, she desperately pressed the level four button, then started pressing the buttons of the floors they had passed.

"What are you doing?" demanded Kevin still in Huang's body form.

"Making it take longer to find us in case they have men waiting below." Sara answered with a weak smile.

All the floors from four down were pressed, making the lift stop at each one. Sara dragged Kevin out at four and together; they ran down the stairs to level three. There, Sara went to the fire escape to climb down to ground level. Using the bracelets, they changed identities again, handing the gun to the other in turn, to stop it disappearing into limbo. It was Jennifer alone, who walked inside to the car park, her large handbag managing to conceal the gun. She checked out the area near the car as she walked closer. With her hand in her bag holding the gun, she was alert for anything. She finally reached the car without anyone jumping out of the shadows. She opened it and started it up. Driving the car towards the exit, two men stepped out, holding shotgun like weapons. She gunned the car heading straight for them. The wheels screamed in protest on the concrete floor, making a banshee shriek that would scare the dead.

The two men, who looked exactly like the ones on level 15, avoided being run over by the narrowest of margins. They fired their weapons at the retreating car; sending showers of sparks flying as the car easily deflected the projectiles. Sara slowed just long enough to allow a sprinting Kevin to leap aboard. Sara handed him the gun, knowing that he knew what was coming up from behind.

Trying to race through streets in an unfamiliar city, without causing accidents or become lost is a huge ask. With Kevin occupied with looking out behind them, he wasn't able to use the laptop, so it wasn't long before they found themselves lost. Kevin had spotted several cars following them; most had been lost, due to Sara's fancy driving and sudden turns at the last second. They had picked up another later on and this one seemed to cling to their tail like glue. Going down a relatively quiet street, Kevin asked Sara to spin the car sideways facing a side street and stop.

She didn't question Kevin, as she slowed and slid the car across the road, blocking it, as the pursuer closed on them. Kevin jumped out and reached out over the top of the car resting his hands on the roof to steady his hands, before taking careful aim with the gun and firing at the approaching car. The shot rang out deafeningly, echoing down the street, seeming to stop time for a second. Sara saw a flash of flame from the muzzle of the gun spear out over her head, and saw another flash of steam come from behind the grill of the car approaching them.

"Go now! Shouted Kevin, bringing the smell of cordite, back inside from the still smoking weapon.

Sara floored it, her ears still ringing from the single shot, and headed directly down the side street they had been facing. She saw that the other car had slowed, as oil smoke poured from under the hood. Racing through the littered strewn street, she saw that the wounded car had made the turn into the street on momentum alone, as it ground to a halt. She did a sharp left, as Kevin sat back and booted up the neglected laptop. Several minutes later they were headed to the outskirts of the city, finding a park to stop, where they changed the car into the more sedate looking Volvo.

Sara's phone rang, making them both jump at the sudden noise. It was William, and he wasn't happy.

"They have Julie." William blurted out.

"Who have?" asked Sara, sensing that William was in a panic.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure it's to do with a fight I had earlier," William explained.

"Are you sure? We just ran into a problem ourselves," Sara asked, giving William a quick rundown on their current situation.

"Yes pretty much, I think I can handle it, but I wanted you to know in case- well you know- something happened," William answered, filling them in on his situation.

"I wish we could help, but we have our own troubles to sort out, be careful okay, and let us know the situation, when you can." Sara looked at her watch, seeing it was a quarter past five, time to find some food and a place to stay for the night.

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Eighteen

William put the cell phone down, and checked the time, two fifteen. His initial panic had subsided after talking to Sara. He hoped their situation wasn't linked to their own, but the co-incidence of them both finding trouble at the same time was unsettling.

After the rough and tumble from the other day, William had thought that the phone call from Julie's kidnappers, were from friends of those they'd beaten up, but now thinking about it, he wasn't so sure.

Julie had gone out after lunch, saying she wanted to go shopping. She'd refused his offer to come with her, saying it was just clothes, and she didn't want to be rushed, knowing he'd just be hanging around waiting for her. Julie said she would get something for tea, and not for to expect her till around four.

When the phone call came not long ago, he was shocked. The unidentified person had demanded that he and that other bitch meet at an address downtown, or the girl seen leaving his place that afternoon would suffer. William assumed that they didn't know that they were already holding the 'bitch.'

He'd cursed, realising that he should have known that they might know where he lived and had set up surveillance. He'd called the others, to let them what had happened. Knowing that they themselves were in trouble didn't help him feel calm. His lie that he had a plan was just to try and stop them worrying about him, so they could concentrate at getting away safe. Sara's plea that if anything was to happen to them, then he had to try and find Maggie and look after her, signified the seriousness of their situation.

Turning his thoughts to rescuing Julie, William paced the room, making and discarding various harebrained schemes. Finally, he decided to use the KISS principal, "Keep it simple, stupid, and play their game and just meet up with them seeing he couldn't be two people at once, he decided to go as the bitch. Not that he wanted too, but it seemed the safer option.

If he went as Huang, they might just kill him and be done with it. Going as Mi Ling however, might just do the trick. They could have no former grudge with her other than what happened outside the restaurant, and if they thought they would still get their hands on Huang, they wouldn't kill her outright. Being a woman, they might underestimate her abilities viewing her more as an object of desire than that of revenge. As Mi Ling, she'd even use sex as a way of keeping Julie alive. He used the bike in its corvette mode to become Mi Ling and then drove off to rescue his love.

It was 5.30 when Sara clambered back into the Volvo with the food she had bought. Time to find somewhere to sleep. Kevin was worried about being tracked down if they went to a hotel, so they cruised randomly until they found an out of the way motel. They used their Cosworth identities, hoping this would buy them time to regroup. Making dinner was the first priority, as hunger was making their stomachs growl.

Then it was discussion time. Trying to work out what went wrong and what to do next. Kevin was looking at the gun, checking the magazine.

"Did you see the mess this made of that engine? It must have cracked the engine block wide open. It's funny I don't have sore wrists from the kick," he enthused.

"Well remember, you have an alien produced body, I'm sure that they have stronger muscles and better healing powers than most humans. I just wish we didn't have to resort to using a gun, even if it was only to disable a car," Sara sighed.

"Do you think those MIB's were waiting for us? I mean we hadn't been there very long, and they certainly had enough of them there." Kevin asked, putting the gun away.

"There was something strange about that whole situation. Something tells me it's linked to Julie's capture. It feels I can't describe it, but I know it's not what it looks like. Something else is happening."

"I hope William is okay and Julie of course," Kevin said, reminding Sara of their friend's plight.

Sara tried to sense Julie and William, using her newly awakened talent. She could feel something, it wasn't exactly thoughts, but as she stretched out her mind, she felt that Julie was okay and that William something felt different. She felt certain that William had changed. Female? She wondered if she was just imagining it, or had William changed to a female form, allowing a closer bond between them. She thought to Kevin, and tried to link their minds, trying to see if two minds could increase the connection. Nothing, well, not nothing exactly, she could hear his thoughts, but it wasn't helping. What they needed was a Vulcan mind meld, like was popularised on Star Trek.

"Where's a handy Vulcan when you need one," Sara complained, breaking contact with Kevin's mind.

"Maybe if we got naked, and tried physical contact as well," Kevin proposed, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sara was about to retort about how thinking of sex at a time like this was inappropriate, but then changed her mind. The idea had merit, although if Kevin thought he was going to get lucky, he'd be sadly disappointed. At least for the moment, she added silently to herself.

"Okay, let's try it."

They shed their clothes hurriedly and got together on the bed, lying facing each other. Warm skin on skin was nice, and as Sara felt Kevin grow, she almost changed her mind about not letting him get lucky. They wrapped their arms around each other, and looked at each other's face. Thoughts flashed between them as they felt into each other's eyes. Thoughts blurred, as they mixed and blended, fusing into one.

As their two minds fused into one entity, they spent a second... an eon in wonderment at the beauty and totality of the union of their thoughts. There were no 'her' thoughts or 'his' thoughts, an instants worry as how to separate back into individual minds was washed away as unimportant for the moment. They saw their entwined bodies from a single separate viewpoint, seemingly from a few feet above their actual bodies. All of this took barely a moment as they turned their mind to the task in hand. As one, they turned their attention towards the two minds they were seeking. With hardly any effort, they reached both William and Julie's mind.

William, or rather, Mi Lings mind was clear and bright, while Julie's seemed sluggish and hard to read. Settling into William's mind, it was as if they were there riding along with him/her. Knowing that William didn't need the distraction of finding out about having a passenger in his/her mind, they decided to remain silent, only if they thought he/she needed their help, would they let their presence be known.

William as Mi Ling had her hair tied in a chignon at the nape of her head. Two ornate wooden sticks held it in place, forming a cross. Her clothing consisted of a tight red chrysanthemum covered top

She wore a pair of loose white silk pants, which allowed free movement, in case she needed to move quickly. Traditional wooden soled sandals adorned her feet, and although her top was form fitting, she found that the top had three flat bladed throwing knives fitted just under the edge of the top that crossed her chest.

She pulled up at the address she had been given. The place had a foreboding look that didn't help her peace of mind. The warehouse was blacked out and there seemed to be no sign of life, as William/ Mi Ling got out of her car, and clicked her way to the only door showing.

She opened the door, finding it unlocked and stood in the doorway before stepping inside. She stepped sideways to stand and allow her eyes to adjust to the darker interior. Looking around, she saw a mostly empty interior in the middle was a stand alone office with a table sitting outside, one of the chairs around the table had Julie tied to it. She looked drugged, which would explain why she hadn't been able to free herself. Her hands were firmly tied to the arms of the chair.

It was purely Mi Ling that walked over to the table. William was put aside, so no slip of character would alert Julie's captors. Just as Mi Ling reached Julie, a man stepped out of the office. Although he didn't have a gun in his hand, Mi Ling knew he was armed. Mi Ling went to Julie and crouched down to check her as the man spoke.

"Where's Huang?" He asked curtly."

"He said he would come in once his friend was released unharmed. I'm here to be your hostage instead." Mi Ling answered, looking into Julie's eyes.

"He doesn't get to set terms," the man shouted angrily.

Mi Ling just shrugged, as if it made no never mind to her.

"You should know how difficult he is, he doesn't like following instructions." Mi Ling offered, while checking for Julie's bracelet surreptitiously. It was there, but the man was watching her like a hawk and she dare do nothing, to help.

"And just who are you? We had a report that you interfered in our business, causing one of our members to have extensive surgery on his face." The man said menacingly, taking her arm and pulling her away from Julie.

"I'm Mi Ling, Huang's wife. I just came here from my home in the orient. We were attacked outside the restaurant, so I defended myself. I had no idea what was going on, but I dislike being man handled," she said with spirit, looking at his hand on her arm, warningly.

The man laughed, but she noticed he let go her arm, as he directed her inside the office. So far, he hadn't bothered searching her, seeming to view her more as a nice piece of ass than as a serious threat. To the combined mind of Sara and Kevin, something seemed out of kilter with the situation, but not knowing what, decided to remain as observers only.

Mi Ling saw another man in the office, talking on a phone. She waited while the second man concluded his conversation. Hanging up the phone, he turned and leered at her voluptuous form, before he spoke.

"Looks like we can have a little fun with you, before the rest of our men arrive. Seems they are delayed, which will give us time to sample a little oriental pleasure," he cackled, rubbing his hands together.

Mi Ling saw that neither of these men had been present at her earlier fight, and either didn't consider her a threat, given her slight build, or were too confident in their own macho strength. Mi Ling decided now was a good time to act, before reinforcements arrived. She backed away from the advancing man, forcing him to advance. Mi Ling felt the first man grab her, stopping her retreat. Quick as a flash, she reached up to her hair, freeing the two hair sticks. Pulling them out, she stabbed the points, into the side of the man's head, spearing though his earlobes. The man bellowed in pain and released her, immediately she spun and used the wooden soled sandals to good use, kicking him in his most treasured organs. The man dropped to his knees like a stone, seemingly frozen with his eyes bulging and his mouth open in a rictus of pain.

Spinning away from him, Mi Ling whipped out two of her throwing daggers and looked at the second man who was backing away from her in fear. He was trying to reach a gun as he stood back against the wall of the office. Mi Ling held her aim, turning it slightly as she let fly. Instead of killing him with shots to the heart, something indefinable changed her target. One knife caught at his wrist pinning his arm to the wall by the sleeve of his jacket the force driving it deep into the wall. The second knife pinned his other wrist to the table where he was trying to reach a gun. Mi Ling ran outside to Julie and used the third knife to slash at her bindings.

Mi Ling used the bracelet on Julie's wrist to switch her into her another Mi Ling. The transformation took care of the drugs in her system and her mind became clear. She looked at her twin and the force of her gaze was palpable. The hovering mind in William's head rejoiced, as they felt the same union of thoughts begin between William and Julie. The meld of mind that was Sara and Kevin withdrew, not wanting to intrude on what was the most intimate moment of their friend's lives.

The gestalt that was both Kevin and Sara, watched as William/Mi Ling updated Julie/Mi Ling in a flurry of thoughts, as he apprised her of the current situation. So urgent was to need to convey the danger they were in, that they didn't take time to question their newfound ability. William wanted to get out of there, communicating his distrust of the situation and the odd feeling, he had, but Julie stayed his hand.

She felt the same odd feeling that William had described in his mental conversation. Sensing that there was more to this than met the eye, she outlined her plan to him in an instance, making the face of mi ling smile as he approved of Julie's idea.

Some time later, two men strode from the warehouse and got into the car mi ling had been driving. With a quiet squeal of tires, it sped along the streets in the late afternoon sun, heading for Huang's home. Once clear of the area the two men disappeared as they shimmered and changed back in mi ling twins.

"That was a great idea, honey," the driver said, looking over to Julie/Mi Ling.

"I thought changing places with them would buy us more time, especially having tied them up and taping their mouths." Julie replied with a grin.

I think that the one I kicked was even grateful for changing him into your body, at least the pain had stopped for him," chortled William/Mi Ling. "I wonder what will happen to them, I can't see them heading for the cops, that is, if they do convince the rest of their friends of what happened to them."

"I get the feeling, we won't hear or see from them again," Julie stated positively. The gestalt silently agreed with Julie's conclusions.

"You don't think they'll kill them," gasped William in her Mi Ling's worried tone.

"No I don't, something stinks, it felt almost like a test...as if..." Julie trailed off, her mind trying to track down the reasons she felt that way. The gestalt was about to reveal themselves to the others, when the sound of a cell phone began to jar their union of minds apart.

William felt something lift away from her mind- it had a familiar feel about it. Julie reading Williams thoughts, also recognised it as familiar, she almost swore that if felt like Sara and Kevin. Now they were out of the immediate danger from their kidnappers, they turned their thoughts to the miracle of the telepathy they had acquired. They came to the same conclusions as the others had for it happening. Seeing William in Mi Ling's body, made Julie moist, and she was glad he'd retained stayed in that body for the moment. Once back at Huang's home, Sara pulled her twin to the bedroom, after making sure the place was secure, to indulge in a mutual sexual engagement. During their need to express sexual release, that found that point where they lost themselves in the other, both in body and mind, forming their own unique gestalt.

Using their combined powers, they went over the previous hours experience with the kidnappers.

*It was a test- and the others were here with us, looking on. See the traces they left,* the gestalt thought. *I think we passed the test, at least that's the impression I'm getting.* The more intuitive part of the gestalt's thought formed. *This feels like the Shelke are involved, maybe Sara and Kevin are having their own test, let's hope they pass as well.*

Sara came to herself, hearing the strident chirp of the cell phone, making its insistent call. Rolling away from Kevin, she grasped the annoying object and pressed the receive button.

"Hello,"

"Your worse nightmare is calling, no don't hang up." The voice said, anticipating Sara's instinct to end the call. "We have a friend of yours, she wants to say hello."

Sara's heart froze, turning to a lead block that threatened to drop out of her body. She heard the phone being handed to someone and a small worried voice spoke, chilling Sara to the bone.

"Hello Sara, this is Maggie, I'm sorry, but these men came and…"

"Heard enough?" interrupted a man's voice, having taken the phone off Maggie.

"What do you want?" demanded Sara, anger starting to replace the fear for Maggie's life.

"Meet us at the park nearest you, we'll discuss terms there," the voice said, before the line went dead.

"They've got Maggie," cried Sara, as she turned to Kevin.

"Who?" asked Kevin uselessly, suddenly realizing he already knew. "DAMN!" His expletive saying it all.

"We have to meet them at the nearest park. We'd better get changed, before they decide to hurt Maggie."

"Are you going as yourself, or maybe Mi Ling? She does have the advantage of knowing martial arts." Kevin suggested, having used the bracelet to become Huang again.

"No, I'll stay as I am," Sara replied, further showing her adaptation to her current form, as at one time, Scott would have been 'yourself.'

"They saw us like this, we don't want to give away any advantage, in case I might need to become her later, besides, I will have the cannon." She grinned, lifting the proven killer of cars in her dainty hands.

"Just don't point that thing at me, I'm not that fast that I want to test whether I can dodge bullets."

"Can't you leap over tall buildings in a single bound," teased Sara with a disappointed look.

"No, but I can leap on a single naked Sara's with one," he mock threatened, trying to lighten the seriousness of the situation.

"One what?" Sara asked, seizing the irresistible opening.

"I'll show you later honey," he quipped, waggling his eyebrows up and down and mimicked flicking his imaginary cigar.

Sara laughed at his bad Groucho Marx imitation. One thing, she felt better now about handling the situation than a few minutes ago. They had to succeed in getting Maggie back unharmed; to fail was unimaginable, even if it cost them their lives. Maggie was an innocent, a chance encounter. It would be their fault for involving her, something she couldn't live with if anything happened.

Kevin didn't need to use telepathy to know what Sara was thinking at that moment. He put his arms around her and pulled her close for a kiss.

"We'll get her back, or die trying." He said breaking off the kiss to whisper in her ear

Sara smiled weakly, knowing he meant it. She wished she felt as confident. Straightening up she forced the doubts away, and got dressed. Kevin was already dressed, having used the bracelets power in becoming Huang. He was dressed in a black Gi, which seemed a rather appropriate choice. Sara wondered if the bracelet had sensed the need for the traditional fighters wear. She hoped so and that it wasn't a portent of the future that there would in fact, be a fight. For herself, she selected some jeans that fit comfortably and a pullover top in gray.

They used the Volvo form to locate the nearest park, the laptop proved essential as well.

The night was lit only with a few lights at the children's park. Sara and Kevin got out of the car and waited. Kevin was at her back giving her some warmth and a sense of security, as she searched for sight of Maggie and the others in the ill lit park. Three shadows moved amongst the trees that dotted the area. The shorter one in the middle proved to be Maggie, as the light caught her face, as they advanced. One of the men was holding her by the throat, his black gloved hand opening, and closing involuntary.

Maggie looked drawn, but her eyes lit up, on seeing Sara. She didn't say anything seemingly cowed by the men looming at her side. When the group came within ten feet, they stopped.

Sara raised the cannon with both hands, and pointed it the man holding Maggie's throat.

"Release her, now," she threatened, her voice filled with menace. The man just grinned and then his face changed to one of concentration. The gun in Sara's hands seemed to morph, becoming a banana. To say Sara was shocked was an understatement. It looked and felt like a banana. How? Obviously, the man had done something. Something within her kept the 'banana,' aimed at the man. She was trying to nail down something that seemed to be trying to tell her something. But her mind seemed to be full of pillows, and she couldn't concentrate enough to pull up the thought.

Kevin had seen the gun morph as well, and saw the conflict struggling in her mind as he tried to come to terms with it all. He touched her, top show her he was right there for her.

As Sara felt Kevin's touch, her mind cleared a little, and the answer came. The banana still had weight, it might look like a banana, but it weighed like the cannon. She gestured with her fruit, treating it as a weapon and not a banana. As dearly she would have liked to shoot him, instead she pointed it between his legs; she squeezed it, hoping for the right result. The banana erupted with a roar, sending a three foot discharge of flame from its end and kicking viciously back in her hands. Dirt spewed out of the hole the bullet cut into the ground between the man's legs. The bullet having struck a rock, then ricocheted, making an eerie keening sound into the shattered silence. The man flinched as dirt stung his legs and his face paled as Sara concentrated on making the banana look like a gun again, because she knew that the man had somehow controlled her mind, making the gun look like a harmless fruit.

The man wasn't about to release Maggie; in fact, a knife appeared in his hands, but whether it was real or not, Sara couldn't tell. It was a Mexican standoff. Kevin took up a fighting stance looking every inch the warrior; still, he held his position and waited.

Each side looked at each other, as if daring someone to make the first move. Kevin and Sara joined into their special gestalt, not needing the trigger of physical contact, now they knew how to initiate it.

The two men facing them, must have sensed their mental union, because they tensed suddenly and the one not holding Maggie, brought out a sinister looking weapon.

Every inch of their bodies screamed to take action at this new threat, but the gestalt held off, seeking some other solution. On a level, not really understood, the part which was the ying, of the gestalt, allowed the cannon to drop, despite seeing the other man's weapon being raised towards them.

"STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice familiar to the gestalt demanded. Breaking the union, the two minds returned to their bodies, and spun to see a familiar person standing behind them.

To be continued.

    

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Nineteen

"STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice familiar to the gestalt demanded. Breaking the union, the two minds returned to their bodies, and spun to see a familiar person standing behind them.

Seeing Kim standing there came as no surprise, having recognised her voice. She was striding towards them and waved to the man with his weapon dismissively.

"But they made a Nexus," the man protested, still keeping the weapon trained on the pair.

"I said enough. They have passed the test now go and take them with you." Kim ordered, her voice taking on an authoritative edge.

Sara and Kevin turned back to see the two men and Maggie walking away. Kevin made as if he wanted to go fetch Maggie, but Sara held him back, whispering that it wasn't Maggie, but another of the Shelke. As she spoke, they saw 'Maggie' shimmer and become a similarly dressed man as the others.

"I guess you have a few questions," Kim asked when she reached them, standing quietly by their sides.

"A few," agreed Sara, looking at an older looking Kim with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's go talk somewhere comfortable, your place or mine?"

Thinking about the not so nice place they had found, the answer was easy.

"Your place."

"Okay, but I'll drive, I love the old Vumerkoln, it has more features than the later models."

"Vumekoln?" Sara and Kevin both chorused.

"Sorry, the truck... car, that you have been driving."

Kim had started driving, the minute they had got in, and it looked like they were headed into the city. Kim touched a bare section of the dashboard with her finger. At once, the panel, which hadn't had any features on it to draw the eye, suddenly folded out, revealing more pad-like panels. Kim seemed to be deciding which one to press. She looked at the others in the back seat and grinned.

"I think you'll like this," her eyes twinkled charmingly.

She pressed the one she had decided on. Immediately, the car morphed into a white silver ghost Rolls Royce. Kevin found himself back in his original body, stylishly dressed in a black tux with a red cummerbund about his waist. Sara found her vision partial obscure by a white gauzy veil. She felt the clothing constricting her gently and heard the rustle of her gown. She looked down, 'OMG, I'm in a wedding gown,' she thought, surprised. Kevin looked at Sara, sharing what he saw, to her mind, so she could see herself from his viewpoint.

The gown was gorgeous and felt wonderful as she moved in it. The sensations of satin sliding against silk sent rapturous tingles throughout her body. The bodice with it's thousands of seed pearls finished at the empire style waist. The satin sleeves came right down to her hand partly covering the back of it and held in place with a loop round her middle finger. She had a short veil that came down to the middle of her back. It was almost too much to take in at once.

"We have a suite reserved for you at the Hilton Hotel," Kim said, forestalling the obvious question. "You are newlyweds for the moment. Isn't this cool? There are some classic cars in here for special occasions; you can even program more in. I think this one even has a Hum Vee added." Kim told the flabbergasted couple.

Kim drove them into the entrance of the hotel and helped Sara get out. She told them to ask for the Thompson suite, while she drove the car into the parking provided. Sara felt like every eye was on her as she walked with Kevin to the front desk. Kevin asked for their suite as Sara looked at herself in one of the mirrors adorning the columns. A bellhop guided them to the suite on the tenth floor and unlocked the door, then handed the key to Kevin. He seemed to be waiting for them to enter first and Kevin clued in by a silent thought from Sara, picked her up and lifted her over the threshold. Oddly, the bellhop closed the door behind them, seeming to forgo the chance to get his tip.

Kevin took Sara to the bedroom and lowered her to the huge bed. She plucked at the gown, wondering what they were doing here rigged up as newlyweds. Although the gown was beautiful, it was hardly practical for what she assumed would be a long explanation from Kim.

A knock at the door heralded the entry of Kim, who smiled at them encouragingly. Sara and Kevin sat with Kim in the lounge and waited for her to speak.

"I know it's late and you still have your questions, but I suggest we start fresh in the morning. I will say this, before leaving you. As you suspected, I'm one of the Shelke race, I was born here from the union of two humanised Shelke. You have been under observation by those who remained here after our emergency recall, from when you first started using the Krin." Kim paused, seeing their confusion. "The Krin is our name for the bracelets you're wearing."

"How?" interrupted Sara, seeking more information.

"They are more than just a portable means of body changing. For us, they help us in our telepathic communication. They help us broadcast our thoughts without needing concentrated thought processes, which drain mental energy."

"So while we were wearing them, you could pick up our thoughts?" asked Sara, seeing the link to their own telepathic abilities.

"Yes, to a degree. At first, your thoughts were very faint, but the longer you wore them the stronger they grew. The others wanted to neutralise you as a threat to our security, but with your constant shifting around and then your travel to Australia, it made it difficult to arrange."

"You were going to kill us?" Kevin asked, with a shocked voice.

Kim laughed. "No silly, we aren't that barbaric, we would have erased your memories like you did to Robert. By the way, you did an excellent job there. In fact, that act, gave me the ammunition to fight for you to be allowed to continue. The others agreed, but insisted on testing you, to see if you could be trusted not to use your baser instincts."

"We passed?" Kevin asked.

"Both you and the others passed. Your test was more prolonged, as you were the leaders in your group. I'm sorry that we put you through the stress of it all, but in fact, you were not in any danger." Kim paused, looking at her watch, "Look it’s late, and you'll need to be alert for tomorrow. Enjoy the room, and I'll see you in the morning, around ten."

"One more thing," Sara asked, kicking herself for not asking earlier. "Is Maggie okay?"

"Of course, I should have mentioned that your friend knows nothing of us. We wouldn't have dragged an innocent into this situation." Kim answered, smiling as she saw Sara visibly relax. "See you in the morning. Oh, I forgot to mention, there are clothes in the wardrobe for you." With that, she let herself out, making sure the "Do not disturb" sign was up on the outside of the door.

Sara looked at Kevin. Trying to take in all of Kim's explanation was making her head whirl. She still had a million or so questions, but fatigue from the day’s activities was making her head spin.

"Take me to bed please, I need some loving." She told Kevin.

Never one to allow a suggestion like that to pass, Kevin took her literally, scooping her up in arms and carrying her back to the bedroom. Kevin looked at Sara in her gown and thought to himself, 'one day that will be for real.' He started taking her gown off as she shifted to allow him to get to all the tiny pearl buttons. She felt sad that this wasn't for real, but then smiled, knowing one day soon, it would be. Kevin was all man, but having experienced being female with all the attendant sensations from wearing sexy clothes, he felt a moments pang of jealousy at not being the one in the gown, as he reverently put it aside, laying it carefully on a padded foot locker at the end of the bed.

"Silly boy, you could always be me if you wanted to wear it," Sara offered with a grin, seeing the longing in Kevin's eyes.

"But if I'm you, who will be me?" Kevin laughed, pouncing on the scantily clad Sara and attacking her ticklish spots.

"Hehehe, hey stop that," gasped an out of breath Sara. "I guess I could... for a short while anyway," she emended, seeing if he'd pick up on the opening.

"You calling me short?" Kevin snorted stripping off his pants and demonstrating just how wrong she was.

"Hehehe, well that worked," she crowed, reaching out and grabbing him by his convenient handle.

"I think you made your point," laughed Kevin, as he took off his jacket and shirt.

"No, I think you made the point," Sara giggled tugging on the warm handle in her hand to emphasis her meaning.

Kevin let himself be pulled willingly on to the bed, where he looked at Sara's aroused nipples.

"Two points to one... love," he returned, with a smirk.

Not to be outdone, Sara served a last volley.

"The balls in your court, my lover," she giggled, kissing him quickly before he could say anything more.

The game changed in the next few minutes, as they wriggled out of their remaining clothes, to tonsil hockey. Then Sara stopped, pushing gently at Kevin.

"Wait, I don't want this moment to be shared with anyone," she said, slipping off her bracelet, and placing it on the table beside the bed. Kevin did the same, before taking up where he left off. As Sara's orgasm started to build, she shared the feeling with Kevin. Kevin reciprocated, feeding her his feelings as they neared climax. So tight was their mental bond that their mutual orgasms pulled them back into the gestalt, or Nexus, as the Shelke had called it. They wondered if this was something new or could the Shelke do this without the bracelets as well. They could see their bodies locked together in sexual union just as their minds had done the same. With a thought, they flashed away, seeking their friends in California.

It seemed that the others had formed their own nexus as they arrived. Both William and Julie were in Mi Ling's forms, as they lay on their bed in Huang's home. The two Nexi touched, flooding each with their own shared experiences. In a dance of thoughts, they filled in the gaps that the others hadn't been aware of. The minds of William and Julie were told of Kim's revelations and they promised to try and be there when Kim came in the morning. Making them aware of the nature of the bracelets power to leak information to the Shelke, they promised that they would try and achieve a gestalt without using it.

Leaving them to experiment, the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara, left with a mental hug to the others, before heading home to get back to their bodies. On the way, they detoured to see if Maggie could be found. It wasn't hard to sense her, seeing the bond that they had formed with Maggie. It wasn't like flying over the land looking for a physical body; all they needed was a mental image of her to guide them. Maggie's thoughts stood out like a beacon; her former desperate longing had turned to newfound joy as her situation had changed. At the moment, she was sleeping, dreaming of her future as a child, the nexus hovered near, sensing the chaotic images associated in dreamscapes. Maggie must have sensed them being near, as she smiled in her sleep and reached out her arms. The nexus gave her a mental hug, whispering to the slumbering mind that they'd be together soon.

Reluctantly, they left her then, seeking their own bodies, so they could get some much needed slumber themselves. Slipping back into their individual bodies, they noticed that although it seemed longer, they had in fact only been away for a few minutes. This mind to mind thing was bit like the internet, the better the connection, the better the speed. Kissing one another again, Kevin and Sara snuggled against each other as they relaxed into sleep.

Morning came exactly on time, with Sara waking first as usual. She felt the need to go, as her bladder was complaining. As she slipped out of bed, she grabbed a robe and slipped it on, before heading to the toilet. She felt a little crusty from the previous nights romp, so as soon as she finished, she headed for the bath. Deciding on a bath was a no brainer, once she saw the scented bath salts supplied.

She luxuriated in the bath feeling the tensions from the trip, become a memory. She lay there, head back with her eyes closed, smelling the herbal scents wafting up from the steamy water. Suddenly her lips were attacked with the slightly bristly face of Kevin. She smiled, not opening her eyes, as she felt him step into the bath and straddle her body. Kevin turned his attentions to her breasts as they poked out of the bubbles like lost continents. The combination of his raspy tongue and the bristly unshaven face started to send signals everywhere like an all points bulletin.

"Hey that tickles," she giggled, pushing him gently away, as her body spasmed in delight. "You need a shave," she added handing him a triple bladed razor supplied by the hotel.

"So do you," was Kevin's cheeky response, as he ran a hand down her leg.

"Shave me, I don't feel like moving," Sara pouted, as she lifted one shapely leg up for inspection.

Kevin did as she commanded willingly, taking advantage of Sara's closed eyes to ogle her sexy body as he stroked the razor over her silky skin. Both legs done, he handed her the razor. Knowing what he wanted, Sara opened her eyes to see where the can of shaving foam was. She sprayed Kevin's face till he looked like a Father Christmas with white foam, instead of a white beard. She shaved him carefully as so not to nick him, feeling a sense of joy at this simple intimacy.

They might have explored the possibilities of sex, had not a quiet knock on the door of the suite interrupt them.

"Ma-am- Sir, breakfast in 5 minutes," came a woman's voice.

Grinning, Kevin pulled Sara out of the bath and handed her a towel. They dried each other and headed to the bedroom to see what clothes had been supplied for them.

Dressed again in casual wear, this for Kevin was jeans and a polo top, and for Sara, was a blue cotton skirt worn just above the knees and a white stretchy ribbed top that clung hungrily to her curves.

Breakfast, when it came, was French toast, and a grilled breakfast, with bacon and eggs and sausages and tomatoes, with coffee and orange juice. As before with the bellhop, the woman bringing in the breakfast trolley refused to take a tip. Shrugging, Kevin put away the wallet that was supplied with the clothes. Kevin tucked in; eating all of his plate and half of Sara's that she said he could have. Breakfast over; they tried to relax while they waited for Kim.

Kim arrived 5 minutes later, along with someone who took away the breakfast trolley. Kim sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her, indicating that they sit there.

"What's with the staff here?" Sara asked as she sat next to Kim. "They refuse to take tips."

Kim laughed. "The hotel is owned by us, much of the staff are Shelke. One can find out a lot of information about guests in a hotel." She explained. "Especially in one that frequently has politicians staying here."

"Ah I see, I suppose the rooms are bugged." Kevin asked.

"Yes, I make no apology for that, we are here to observe. The devices were turned off here last night, as a sign of good faith. We did know you were awake and having a bath by monitoring the water flow in the bathroom. We had estimated the normal time taken to have a bath, before announcing breakfast." Seeing them blush, Kim knew she made an error. "I take it, that you weren't ready for breakfast then? If so, I apologise."

"It's okay Kim, we were just getting a bit carried away," Sara giggled.

Kim reached down and pulled out the laptop from the bag she had brought with her. She set it up, explaining that we could contact William and Julie with it, so they could participate in the question and answer time.

"No need Kim, we have a better way." Sara interrupted, taking out her cell phone. Kim looked puzzled, as Sara spoke to the others on the phone.

"Julie? We are ready."

After a minute, the nexus that was William and Julie were settled in the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara.

"I feel a very powerful nexus, but I notice your not wearing the Krin, how is this possible?" Kim asked, looking at them in surprise.

The combined nexus of the four decided to let Sara do the talking for them all.

"We have made a nexus with the four of us together, we found that once we knew how to do it, that using the bracelets is unnecessary. We all can hear and see everything, so let's get started."

"You are astonishing; it's no wonder that some of us had concerns. You're doing something in months that it takes the Shelke many years to achieve, and we are born telepathic," admitted Kim in a look of awe.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty

"Just why are you observing us? What makes us so interesting that you travel so far?" Sara asked, seizing on Kim's comment.

"Let me give you a little background to your question," Kim replied. "Most of our exploration was confined to the stars in the core. The Shelke live on the outer reaches of the core about 10,000 light years away from here. Only a few groups had ventured further out on long duration ships. It was while one group were checking out a star system about 120 light years, away that they found a strong source of radio waves. It was coming from a virtually empty corner of the galactic arm. They realised that these signals were not the random hash that some stars produce. With the strength of these signals, they knew that they must have been coming from populated star systems. They decoded the signals and began to learn about mankind. Technology being cruder then, a ship had limits to the distance it could jump, before it had to realign its navigation systems."

"Jump?" asked Sara, wanting clarification.

"Jumping is the method we use to conquer space travel, other than what we use in our in-system magnetic resonance propulsion. Imagine space as a sheet of paper and then mark two separate spots on it. If you fold the piece of paper so that the two spots line up, but aren't touching, the distance between is much shorter. The jump penetrates space or the piece of paper and travels the short distance of no space to emerge at the other spot in a faction of the time." Kim explained.

"Sounds like the explanation for hyper space."

Kim nodded. "True, we tried to give your science fiction writers a fairly accurate explanation to add to their stories."

"Don't tell me you had a hand in our film industry," Sara asked, remembering Huang's home in California.

"Let answer that later, I want to do this chronologically," Kim replied patiently, before continuing with the story. "As they jumped closer, they found that other signals were being broadcast into space, what you call television. They studied these and used it to further extend their knowledge. Once it was clear that instead of a developed civilised star system, it was all just coming from one small planet, they were amazed." Here Kim paused while taking a drink, which Sara had handed out.

"Amazed? People who can cross interstellar space are amazed at us who just made it to the moon?" snorted Kevin, through Sara.

"They were amazed at the inventiveness of such a new race, that didn't have the advantage of mind to mind communication, to use other media such as the radio spectrum. No other species uses such a method unless it is tightly beamed. You seemed content to announce your presence to all and sundry. This planet produces more coherent radiation than the biggest radio star, especially coming from the less dense arm of the galaxy. It's like sending an invitation to anyone with space capability to come and investigate. Not all are as restrained as the Shelke.

"There are other races out there?" Sara asked curiously.

"Oh sure, some are planet bound due to their physiology or technical advancement, some have limited star hopping capabilities. Then there are others, which show aggression when approached."

"About the truck, was that left there for me to find?" Sara interrupted again.

Kim laughed, "No we didn't realise at first, until the Krin were used. Let me continue about the early discovery of earth." Sara nodded; content to wait, seeing she had a partial answer.

"When the first ship arrived in system, they stopped on the moon, while they studied the languages here. Having so many made it difficult, so we took a few samples."

"Samples?" Sara asked, not liking the term or its implication.

"We took several humans up to the ship while they were sleeping to use the Krin on them. Hearing them speak with the mental imagery being broadcast as well helped our understanding. We then placed them back on earth and made them forget about it by using hypnotic trance state, similar to the method used by the glasses you found."

"It didn't work too well; otherwise all those abducted by alien stories would never have got started." Sara grinned wryly.

"Yes, some of the people we used had unusual resistance to the trace state. It's a redeeming factor in your race, some developed psychic abilities, just like you did, but with a shorter time in contact, they didn't reach your level."

"Ah! So that would explain some of the feelings I had." Sara again interrupted. "I seemed to be able to sense things that I couldn't explain."

"Just so. You all had that ability to some degree. It made our work that much harder," Kim grinned.

"Julie said she thought someone was watching her outside the restaurant after the fight as Mi Ling."

"Yes that was one of our observers, he was clumsy and was nearly caught out. He, like many others of the Shelke underestimated the acuity of your senses. Just to put your mind at rest, those thugs were human but under instructions not to do harm, if your friends refused to fight back. They were under compulsion to give themselves up to the authorities after that, and confess to the various crimes they had committed."

"I don't understand. Why set thugs onto us, even if they couldn't hurt us?" Julie asked through Sara.

"The elders wanted to see how you reacted to threats against yourselves, seeing you had the ability in those bodies to do more than just disable them. Mi Ling had lightening reflexes built in, she could have easily have killed the man holding her. It was the same with William in her body at the warehouse. Instead of killing the man with her knives, she showed uncommon restraint, even though William was angry. It showed a strength of character we hoped would override your baser instincts. We needed to show that you could be trusted to handle the power you had at your disposal, in a benign way."

"So we were manipulated all along, did you use your mind powers to make us jump as you wished?" Sara speculated.

"No, only at the end. We let you live uncontrolled lives, while we observed you. It wouldn't have been free will otherwise. The test would have been meaningless. Although I did interfere a bit with Sara at Louisville and helped push her in a direction I hoped might show another side of her." Kim looked chastened, at having to admit exerting a little mental influence.

"Maggie!" Exclaimed Sara, realising what Kim was talking about.

"Yes, I'd hoped you might meet and help her," sighed Kim, wondering if she'd ever get the story done. Humans liked doing things back to front.

"Okay I'll accept that you had good intentions. That was you I saw in Louisville wasn't it?" When Kim nodded, Sara continued. "But how did you know what would happen, and for that matter, how did know about her in the first place?" Sara asked, sensing that there was something her that she wasn't seeing.

"I'm particularly sensitive to strong emotions, even at some distance. I have to filter out the normal emotions that humanity produce. When I arrived at Louisville before you, I sensed Maggie's intense emotional need. It stood out like a beacon above the normal background level. Luckily with the aid of the Krin, I was able to locate her. When you showed up, I hoped you might divert north, when I sensed your feeling, that you were being followed. I sort of nudged your mind, so you would meet, although I hadn't planned on her being hurt. I was very pleased at the outcome, and if you still want to adopt her, we can provide the necessary paperwork."

"I felt very maternal towards her, and will adopt her as soon as Kevin decides to propose to me." Sara smiled, giving Kevin a mental poke.

Kim hugged Sara, before continuing the story. "Where was I? Oh yes, once we had a working knowledge of your language and customs, we used the Krin to mingle with humanity. Do you know how blessed you are to have music and art? It's not something the Shelke developed. We are born telepathic and learn virtually everything at once. The drive for individual endeavour is non-existent, not when anything you think, can be 'heard' by anyone. Everyone was intrigued with earth music. Samples were taken back to our people where they were devoured eagerly. That was what prompted us to try and help preserve this emerging race. We knew of the history of wars, and when nuclear power was discovered, we stepped up our efforts to prevent the chance of global annihilation that plagued many other struggling races."

"What about us? Julie, and for that matter myself, want to know if there was any influence used to have us switch sexes," Sara began.

"No none, at least not from us directly. We are hermaphrodite in nature with a predominately female body shape. So that means that you either had a predisposed acceptance to being female, possibly triggered by the Krin, or you that once sampled, you felt it more in keeping with your inner sense of identity." Kim offered.

"You mean like being transgendered? I thought that would have shown up before, instead of catching us by surprise."

"From our studies, we found that about 20 percent have gender dysphoria problems. It may not even show. It could just be a person who can show more emotions and be more nurturing than others. Sometimes not even that, it might be that a person is restless and unsure of his goals in life, but if you changed him totally into the opposite sex, then something triggers deep in the psyche, and everything falls into place."

"Wow! That sounds like what happened to us," Sara sighed, speaking both for Julie and herself. "So when we ran into you, was that another set up? Were you really assaulted by the sheriff, or was that just made up?"

"Knowing where you were headed, gave me enough time to set up the meeting. The sheriff is a paedophile, so I set him up. I allowed myself to become his victim. I used my glasses to induce a trance state, which had him believe that I had bitten his member off. I had him set up the roadblocks, so you would be aware of the danger of stopping for strangers. The accident was faked, for your benefit; I was hoping you would let your feelings for an injured person overrule the possible threat I might pose. I'm glad to say that you used compassion and wisdom in changing me to the Julie body."

"We thought it strange how calm you took it all, we did suspect that you might be one of the Shelke, especially after saying it was your uncles place we were heading for." Sara interjected.

"It was done deliberately to see your reactions first hand. We didn't know what reaction we would get, knowing you might think I was an alien. Again, you showed that you could handle it with aplomb.

"So what about the sheriff, does he just get away with it?" Kevin asked through Sara allowing his disgust to show though.

"He turned himself in, not much later, confessing to his crimes. We made sure he experienced just what he did from the victim's point of view. I don't think he'll ever forget what he did."

"Good." Kevin’s anger flowed away, knowing justice had been served.

What about the truck? You said you were going to explain that," asked William, going off at a tangent.

"When my birth parents left, to organise the defence against the threat in the home systems, they intended to destroy the truck, as it was an old model anyway. We didn't know about its survival till it went through its first exchange. By that time, the ship was too far away and in n-space. We can detect the use of the truck, but not who is using it. We assumed mistakenly that one had decided to remain here, and was using the truck. Once you discovered the Krin, we had partial access to your thoughts."

"Only partial?"

"The telepathic abilities triggered by the Krin were very weak at that stage. It's become much stronger since then. You have undisciplined minds and don't know how to keep your thoughts from being splattered everywhere. The Shelke learn to keep their thoughts tight and direct them to the one they want to communicate with."

So you knew we were coming when we checked out your houses." Sara mused, thinking of the freshly stocked refrigerators.

"Yes that was my idea, I wanted you to think, about the possibilities that maybe all the Shelke hadn't left. I didn't want to panic you with a full confrontation. I wanted to see if you could adjust, to see if our work in the film and printed media had had a positive effect." We had hoped that saturating the film industry with films dealing with aliens on a friendly basis, might inure the populace from falling into a fear driven shock of a real meeting with us."

"Hmmm, so are George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, really Shelke?"

Kim looked at the two and laughed. She hugged herself, trying to contain her giggles, before managing to speak.

"I wish no, but we do have people closely associated with them, that whisper in their ear, so to speak." Kim finally got out.

"Ah! Pillow talk huh?"

Kim laughed again, neither confirming nor denying.

"Talking of films, what do the Shelke look like?" Sara asked. "Are they like the aliens in Close Encounters, or maybe the Ewoks in Star Wars?" she grinned.

"Neither actually, well... Close Encounters came closest," she smiled. We are bipedal like you, a bit taller with hairless bodies that have a greyish tinge to it, and binocular vision that sees further into the infrared and ultra violet spectrum. We don't have ears, although we can pick up some vibrations, unless we take on a form that has ears."

"Didn't you say that music was a hit with you? I don't see how that could be if you don't have ears." Sara argued.

"Imagine if you will, a car that holds thousands of Shelke, and then change them to humans or Pharrisian's, another race with keen auditory senses. We have the means to do this. Our race flock to venues featuring a body change to enable them to listen to music that came from thousands of light years away. Once heard, they can relay it to others mind to mind."

They fell silent them, thinking of the impact music might have on a civilisation without it. Kim got up and stretched her arms, knowing that the explanation was mostly finished. She hoped that the next bit wouldn't be too much of a challenge when she told them what the Shelke proposed to do next.

A knock on the door heralded the arrival of lunch. The minds of William and Julie decided food was a good idea too, so they broke away from the nexus to return to their respective bodies. Kevin and Sara did the same, as the smell of hot food made their stomachs rumble. Kim dismissed the waiter who had brought the food in, and started uncovering the dishes.

"Hamburgers?" laughed Sara, who was expecting something else entirely.

"Hey, nothing wrong with hamburgers," Kevin said eagerly, reaching to get one.

"These are the best burgers around," grinned Kim, grabbing a burger for herself.

Sara had to agree that they looked great. Seeing the huge buns with a meat patty nearly  ¾ of an inch thick, with lettuce and tomato. Sara took one of the smaller burgers with cheese on it, while Kevin grabbed the one with the works, fried onions, egg and bacon, plus cheese and the salad. In a short time, only the quiet sound of three mouths chewing, interspersed with appreciative moans, could be heard. Sara grinned as she saw the juices escaping Kevin's monster, running both down his face and through his fingers, as he struggled to hold the giant burger together. Sara and Kim tried to eat more elegantly, but soon gave that up as a lost cause, and just got stuck in. Using the napkins supplied, they wiped their sticky sauce covered fingers, and wiped their faces, before relaxing back against the couch. Kevin opened a can of beer, while the girl's stuck to sodas, washing the food down with relish.

Before Kevin and Sara went back into their nexus, to allow their friends to join, Sara asked a question.

"Seeing we passed your test, I take it, that there's a particular reason for it. It can't be just about being responsible about the use of the car or the Krin. You could still erase that from our memories and take them back." She said shrewdly. "You want us to keep those for some purpose that you haven't told us yet. What are you hiding Kim?"

"Well, I'd hoped I didn't have to tell you this, but you may hold the key to your planet's survival," Kim revealed, reluctantly.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-One

"We do?" gasped Sara as the implications of Kim's last statement sank in. She quickly formed the nexus that would pull the others in, so they could be there to hear this.

"We have tried to turn your race towards a better path than the one you are on. It's slow work, but people are beginning to change. There is another matter that we need to address, your burgeoning mental powers, shows the start of a new era in understanding. Do you realise that soon, if you progress at the same rate, you will surpass even us. Already you are maintaining a nexus without the aid of the Krin. We do wish you to continue to wear it, so its powers can further advance you to our level. There will be no further monitoring of your activities, unless you call for us. It will act as the interface for us to join our minds, until you no longer need it."

"Okay, that's fine, but you still haven't told us the reason why we hold the key to our races survival." Sara, acting as the mouthpiece for the nexus, reiterated.

Kim looked down at her hands for a moment, as if weighing the information she had to impart.

"We think a race inimical to the human species will be here within 200 years. We ourselves have encountered them, with initial disastrous results. Without the power of mental communication, humans encountering alien life will probably panic, and start a self-destructive downward path, that could end all life here. We hoped that the first contact, would be with us, so we could assist you, when the need arises."

"Holly crap!" Uttered Sara, as the shock rippled through the nexus.

"We need you to help us spread the power of telepathy throughout the world."

"How is that going to help, other than save us on phone call costs? Why are we so important? I'll buy the saving us from ourselves, to preserve our uniqueness and culture, but we aren't going to be able to fight off an invading enemy with a shuttle and a few missiles," argued Sara, as each mind in the nexus tried to find fault in Kim's statement.

"First, you won't need ships to fight the Nemesis, that's not how it works. Neither can we be seen to fight them either, if that happens they will come back later when we may not be here. The way this race works is in secret. They work on people's fears, getting them to fight amongst themselves till they are easy pickings. They are only effective on non-telepathic races, where each individual is isolated in his own head. They have some sort of mind projector that brings up each persons fears and magnifies it a thousand fold. Now that you have proven that humankind can deal with the concept of aliens and use telepathy as a means of communication, we can start more overt means to introduce ways to help earth become a telepathic race."

"I'm not sure everyone will be enthusiastic to have their minds open to all," Sara smiled, thinking of the politicians and the other covert agencies.

"Understood, but it must happen, things will change drastically. The effective way is to get the next generation to develop telepathy, that way, it avoids the people who would likely use it to gain more power than they have already."

"What will we have to do?" asked Sara, seeing her ideas of living a normal... well a sort of normal life with Kevin fly out the window.

"For now, not a lot. You need time to learn more about your gift. Once you find that you 'hear' the thoughts of the non-telepathic, we will show you how to develop a shield that will block them from being heard. I know it sounds cool to be able to read the minds of anyone, but you'll some realise that it gets annoying very fast." Kim explained to them.

"So what about the places we sold and the money we got for them?"

"Keep it, you'll need someplace to live, and something to live on, until we get you set up. We will make sure you have proper identification, for all the lives you will be living. You realise while the Krin will make you immortal for intents and purposes, you will need to take on new identities as time goes on."

"You mean like that TV series Highlander." Sara asked, intuitively.

"Yes if you stay at one place for a long time resetting your age to stay young will raise questions. The other thing, is that with computers monitoring our personal details for most of our lives, a person with the same name and address living longer than four score and ten, will certainly raise flags. We will organise new identities and your home will appear to have been sold to a new couple. It's easier for your previous identities to disappear or die than to retain them."

"One question, why did you have us appear here as newlyweds, not that I didn't enjoy it." Sara asked, looking at Kevin speculatively.

"Well I could tell you were in love, when I was with you in the car. I just wanted to give Kevin a glimpse and a hint of what you would look like. Has he proposed yet?" Kim smiled, looking at Kevin with a raised eyebrow.

"Not exactly," sighed Sara, "but he's hinted a few times," she added in his defence.

"I haven't found the right moment for it yet," promised Kevin. "I want it to be special," he added, taking her hand in his and touching the back of it with his lips in an unspoken agreement.

"Will we be getting the use of the car again, or will you be taking that?"

"As I said earlier, it’s an older model, with a lot of add ons, our new ones have sophisticated holographic screens that show you a list of the options. It’s still reliable apart from the crude recharging method. The new cars use the same tech as the Krin, which mostly superseded the use of the car as the main means of transformation. I guess you experienced the bugs in that model when switching back and forth," grinned Kim.

"Yeah, we nearly got stuck several times," admitted Sara, remembering the time when the car ran out of power leaving the others stuck as triplets. Then there was the time when Leanne was stuck as Sara for a time.

"The new cars are just that, they can change shape and colour, but not the occupants. We developed the Krin as a better solution. Now can I ask you a question?" Kim asked, looking at Sara.

"Sure." Sara replied, wondering what Kim wanted to know.

"You never used the car or the Krin in a way I’d have expected. Having that kind of power at your disposal would have some corrupting influence, and yet you showed restraint, apart from selling the Ellery’s home and the property in Australia, you kept a low profile, why?"

"Well, once I knew the truck was alien property and had the power to change, I knew if we told anyone it would be taken away and never seen again. It has the power to help people and extend lives, but I couldn’t see it being used for that purpose, once the government got their hands on it. We didn’t have the knowledge to duplicate it and by the same token, we couldn’t trust anyone to find a way to do so, if it stopped working that would be it. Once we found the bracelets, the truck wasn’t so important, but who could we go too without having it become public knowledge. Ken would have taken it away, had he found out about it. It was more important as a weapon than as a benefit for mankind. Our lives would be put at risk. The government would probably kill us or at least incarcerate us for the rest of our lives to ensure nobody else found out about it.

We only sold the properties so we had something to live on while we thought of how best to use the bracelets. We just wanted to live our lives in a bit of comfort and we weren’t after power or fame. In time, we would have thought of ways where we could help those in need, other than ourselves. Helping Maggie has shown us one way in which we can help, and if we are still allowed to, we would like to help more of the transgendered to gain the body of their dreams."

"I understand, thank you. These transgendered people, would they be likely to aid us if we recruited them, after giving them what they wished?"

"Sure, I don’t see why not," Sara asked. "Recruited for what?"

"To help spread the telepathic gift, if we started with them first, and then work towards similar methods to help mankind achieve its destiny. We would also like some ideas of how to introduce the next generation to devices that act in a similar fashion to the Krin, without the changing mechanism," Kim added.

"How small can you make it and does it have to be a ring shape?" Sara asked.

"It can be about the size of a pencil eraser and any shape at all," supplied Kim.

"What about implanting it under the skin?" asked Sara?

"We have tried that with our test subjects, but most have been discovered when they broke their conditioning and asked to be checked by X-ray."

"It’s a pity the device is so big and couldn’t be injected," sighed Sara.

"Oh? Whys that?" Kim asked, looking interested.

"Well all babies born in hospitals, get a vitamin K injection after they are delivered. It would be the perfect opportunity for introducing something," Sara proposed.

"Interesting, we could use nanite based machines to assemble the device in the body. That could be feasible. I’ll pass that idea on. Now we need to find ways to introduce devices to the current youth. Don’t suggest anything now; keep it in the back of your head for later, and I’ll be in touch."

With that, Kim showed Kevin how to use the laptop to communicate with the other one that William had, and gave Kevin another code to get access to Kim whenever they needed. Kim said she had to get the ball rolling on the vitamin K idea, so she gave both of them a hug and a kiss and told them that when they wanted to leave, they just needed to call the desk. She told Sara that the weeding dress was a gift and to take it with her. Kim left then, promising to keep in touch.

Sara and Kevin decided to use the spa in the suite to unwind while they discussed their next move. Sara wanted to head back and pick up Maggie, whereas Kevin wanted to see the White House before they left.

Sara agreed to stay for the rest of the day to do some sightseeing.

"We can make an early start tomorrow," Kevin promised.

They decided to get a cab, instead of using the car. This way they didn’t have the bother of finding parking, and they got the added bonus of the cabbies knowledge of Washington, as he drove them to the various sights. Spotting something, Kevin had the cabby pull over. He pulled a confused Sara out of the cab and paid off the driver.

Kevin covered Sara’s eyes as he turned her to face what had made him stop the cab. Walking back a few steps, he uncovered her eyes, leaving her facing a Victoria Secrets.

"Do you feel an urge to buy something sexy here?" He asked, with a wicked looking grin on his face.

Sara looked at the display in the window, seeing assorted sexy lingerie draped over the display models. She looked at Kevin, seeing his now puppy dog expression, as he silently begged her to go in.

She did feel interested in checking out the store. As Scott, she would have drooled at being able to wander about inside, unnoticed, while checking out the other half. Now it was more a case of seeing what she could find to make Kevin drool in the privacy of their home.

"I think I should have you model something for me," she laughed, seeing Kevin blush scarlet.

"Um how about you go check out what you like, while I go look at that hardware store," Kevin said evasively. "Give me a call when you’re ready," he added, as he hurried away.

"Chicken," scoffed Sara, feeling sad at being abandoned.

Sara went inside the shop, not bothering to see where Kevin was headed, as a nice mauve bra and panty set caught her eye.

Kevin looked back, checking to see if Sara had gone inside, before entering the shop he’d really wanted to go in.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Two

As Kevin hurried to get want he wanted without Sara seeing him, Sara was being overwhelmed by all the choices. She knew that VS was one of the exclusive sellers of intimate apparel, but she hadn't realised the myriad of styles they had, she didn't really know where to start. With her unique perspective of having been a man, she knew what would appeal to Kevin. It was only a matter of making sure she felt comfortable in it as well, luckily money wasn't a problem as she checked out the prices.

Kevin meanwhile, was looking at something entirely different. Having settled on the particular item, he then left the premises and found a quiet corner to finger his bracelet. Returning, Kevin, now looking entirely different checked the item he'd been admiring before. This time, Kevin was checking the sizing, making sure of the fit before purchasing. Once paid for, Kevin left, walking back into VS's his heels clicking on the floor as he searched for Sara.

"I think your sister is in the changing room," a shop assistant said as she saw him/her.

"Thank you, I'd like to take these to her, can you tell me which one she went in?" Kevin asked sweetly, giving the girl a smile.

"Sure, it must be fun being twins," the girl said, leading Kevin to a curtained cubicle.

'If you only knew,' muttered Kevin, under her breath, as she slid past the curtain to surprise Sara.

"Hey!" exclaimed Sara, as a touch on her neck alerted her to the intruder. "KEV... in," she started to cry out, hissing the last of his name, as she confronted her twin in surprise.

"Thought you'd look great in this, sis," grinned Sara/Kevin, holding out a long black negligee.

"Is everything alright in there?" a female voice uttered just outside.

"Yes thanks," replied Sara, sticking her head out to answer the older woman outside. "My sister Kevita just surprised me that's all," Sara added. Seeing the woman's doubtful look, Sara pulled the curtain aside a bit more to reveal 'Kevita,' clutching a black negligee against herself, while facing the mirrored wall.

The woman smiled, and left them, wondering why some people used male sounding nicknames for themselves.

The curtains swished closed, not doing a lot to contain the sudden giggling from those inside.

"Kevita?" snorted the newly christened, checking her body out. "I don't look like a Kevita," she grumbled.

"Sorry, it was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment," Sara giggled, looking anything but sorry.

Kevita couldn't hold her face long in a pout, as the hilarity of the situation took hold. More giggling ensued, with a few muffled laughs as Kevita tickled her sister. The two of them then ran amok in the store, trying to embarrass the other in a contest of the 'who looked the hottest.' Once they'd settled on a draw, they took their purchases to the counter, totalling over 900 dollars worth of under things.

"Seeing we bought this much, I hope you'll help me wear them out," laughed Sara, realising she been having fun.

"Okay, but I get to wear that blue number you picked," Kevita agreed, playing along.

As they passed another store, Kevita rolled her eyes, in a 'here we go again,' look. This time it was outerwear, from skirts and tops to full gowns. An hour passed, then another, as the two tried different styles. Seeing each other in the flesh, instead of only in a mirror, made it so much better. Sara trusted her twin's opinion, when she said she looked hot or not. Just as Sara trusted Kevita, when she said something was comfortable to wear or not. Sara had Kevita promise to do this again whenever she wanted to buy more clothes, Kevita agreed only if Sara never used Kevita as a name, ever again.

"What about Anita?" Sara suggested, liking a name that would remind her of this time with her twin.

Anita nodded, bowing to the inevitable. She had to admit that it had been fun. The shop assistants hadn't had a chance, as the dynamic duo had decimated the clothing racks. Although still firmly in the male camp, it was fun to take a break and join the other team for a while. One thing, as Kevin, he'd never complain about clothes shopping again.

Destined in the meantime to remain Anita for appearances sake, seeing she was helping carry the brightly logoed bags filled with their latest spree, Sara decided to eat out at a steak house, before heading back to the hotel.

Both girls' were happy to put down their weighty armfuls and kick off their heels, as they sat down at their table. The steak house had bench seats instead of chairs, so they sat opposite each other, and filled the bench beside them with the many bags, each had carried. This was an easy way to avoid any hungry male from sitting down to try and chat them up.

"I'm glad my boyfriend sent his sister Anita along to help me," giggled Sara, as the waitress left with their order.

"Yeah, that's why I love him, he's so thoughtful," returned Anita, praising her alter ego.

"Seeing he's not here, and it's just us girl's, do you think he'll pop the question soon?" Sara asked hopefully, playing the game to the hilt.

"I'm sure he will," offered Anita, conspiringly. "Has he had time to buy a ring yet?" she asked, playing along, while giving Sara something to think about.

"Darn, I hadn't thought of that," sighed Sara, knowing things had been kind of hectic recently.

"Does Kevin know your ring size?" Playing the sister thing thoroughly.

Sara shook her head, sighing again; seeming to forget it was Kevin sitting across from her.

"Maybe when you go back to California, he'll have time then," Anita suggested, making Sara's eyes light up, as she smiled thinking about it.

Arrival of food stopped further conversation, as they consumed the fillet steaks they had ordered. After a desert of strawberry cheesecake, they lingered over two coffees and watched the streets empty of most of the hustle and bustle. As they paid, they had a cab called, to take them back to the hotel.

Anita flopped onto the bed, just happy to lie there, while Sara put the bags of clothes away in the suitcases that Kim or the hotel had thoughtfully supplied. Sara even found room to put away the wedding gown. When she had finished and went to check on Kevin, she found him/her asleep, still as her twin Anita. Sara pouted for a moment, then grinned, as she went over and slipped off Kevin's bracelet. Hiding it on her other wrist, Sara then undressed her sleeping twin, and got her into bed. Getting quickly undressed, Sara slipped into bed as well, snuggling against her twin's soft body.

Sara was up and dressed, before her twin, 'Anita' woke. She had packed away the male clothes that had been Kevin's, into a second suitcase and locked it. The only outfit no packed away, was sitting on the bed beside the slumbering Anita/Kevin.

"Hey wake up, rise and shine," Sara called, shaking her twin gently.

"Mrphhle -whaat- oh," groaned the as of yet, clueless twin.

"I've put your outfit on the bed, hurry up Anita, breakfast is coming soon," warned Sara.

The words, 'outfit,' and 'Anita,' seemed to spear into Kevin's mind, waking him/her from her torpor. Kevin sighed, feeling the breasts attached to her body quiver as she turned over. Finding that she was stuck, having realised something was missing from her wrist, she got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom, to plonk herself on the toilet. After finishing the call of nature, she took a shower, which woke her up fully. When she finished and went back into the bedroom, she groaned seeing the outfit and the heels that went with it. A worried look crossed her face, until she spied the handbag Anita had carried yesterday. Hurriedly checking its contents, making sure she was alone first, brought the smile back, as she fingered the item she had bought yesterday.

"Do I have to wear this? Why is my bracelet missing?" Complained Anita/Kevin.

"Honey, you need more practice being my twin. You got all tuckered out, just being me for one afternoon, after which you were too tired to change back. I have decided that you need to build up your strength if you want do that again. I have your bracelet, so you don't weasel out of it," laughed Sara, as she came in to check on her twin.

"But heels again?" grimaced Anita, looking imploringly at Sara.

"Yup," replied Sara unsympathetically, as she quickly turned around to leave, so Anita couldn't see her grin.

Anita sighed, resigned to being Sara's twin for the day. 'At least the clothes looked comfortable,' she thought, as she started to dress.

Sara rang the front desk and said they'd be leaving after breakfast. She asked that Kim be informed as well. The woman said that their car would be brought around to the front, as soon as Sara rang them to get their luggage brought down.

Breakfast arrived soon after Anita had finished dressing. It was accompanied with Kim, who promptly invited herself to breakfast. Seeing there were settings for three, Sara knew it had been prearranged. Kim showed no surprise at seeing Anita. She just complimented her on her taste in clothes, as she admired the light flowing sundress Anita had on.

"Oh it was just something I threw on," Anita said breezily, seeming unconcerned about it all.

Kim grinned, knowingly. "Girl's clothes feel nice huh?" having no problems telling who was who.

"I guess," Anita admitted grudgingly. In fact, the silky fabric was driving her crazy as it brushed against her stocking clad legs. She’d placed one of Sara's pads in her panties to absorb the wetness from her arousal that she could feel forming.

"You don't seem surprised to see my twin sister, Kim?" Sara asked curiously.

"I was told that the shower was used twice, and that the sensors in the floor indicated they were identical in weight. Seeing the weight was too light to be a male, I assumed you were twins. I hadn't been monitoring the room for video or sound, but I didn't need too, did I?" Laughed Kim, as she marked an imaginary scoreboard with her finger.

"Amazing what a few sensors in the bathroom can tell you," agreed Sara.

"It's what gives us our reputation for prompt service. We know exactly when people are finished in the bathroom and are ready for a meal... except for the odd occasion when the visuals and audios are turned off," confessed Kim, thinking of Sara and Kevin's activities in the bathroom, the day prior. The twins blushed, knowing what Kim was on about.

"Off to pick up Maggie today?" Asked Kim, as she finished her last piece of toast.

"Yeah, if we hurry we can be there by late evening," Sara replied, looking pointedly at Anita, still eating.

"Hey! A girl's gotta eat," grinned the every hungry former Kevin.

"Sure, but that's my plate your finishing," sighed Sara, rolling her eyes.

"You can make a girl out of the boy, but you can't take the Kevin out of the Anita," quipped Kim with a giggle.

Anita finally finished, and pushed the plate away, ignoring the looks, as she took out a compact from her purse and checked her makeup.

"I worry about you sometimes," Sara said with a laugh, as Anita replenished her lipstick, so naturally.

"Hey, if I'm going to be stuck as Anita, I don't want to look a mess, remember, I'm your twin. So my appearance reflects on you as well." Anita smirked, as she made kissy faces at Sara.

More eye rolling from Sara, had Kim burst out laughing. Anita joined in, knowing she had set up Sara, beautifully. Sara started smiling, and then joined in on the merriment.

Kim stood up, as she got ready to leave. "Remember, I'm only a thought away, if you need me, and if you want to talk face to face, there's always the laptop. There is an interface to the Krin, you know, she added, looking at Anita. Kim quickly demonstrated with the laptop, seeing it was handy. She explained that images captured by the Krin's visual data mode, could be uploaded through a wireless link into the laptop where it could be stored or manipulated later. Sarah, having left to touch up her makeup and letting the others talk tech, didn't see the look of interest that Anita showed, as an idea came into her mind. Kim smiled, as Anita let a stray thought past her shield. When Sara returned, Kim gave them both a hug. She left then, leaving the pair to gather their purses, and check to make sure nothing had been forgotten.

They rang down to say they were ready to leave, before putting the two bulging suitcases near the door and heading out to the elevators. As promised, the car, now a Volvo, was ready waiting for them. Nobody seemed curious that it wasn't the same car they arrived in, so they assumed Kim had taken care of that aspect of it. A bellhop struggled to get the heavy cases inside the trunk, as they got into the car. Anita gave him a sympathetic/ half apologetic smile, as if to say, "It wasn't me who bought all that," when he signalled that they able to go.

"Stop flirting with the hired help," Sara giggled, as she pealed out of the entrance in tire melting display. Wisely, Anita didn't respond, although she did stick her tongue out at Sara, who nearly lose control and almost took out a defenceless lamppost, as she struggled to contain her laughter.

At a coffee break and after having eating several cream doughnuts, Anita excused herself to visit the toilet. Sara, who had already been, waited while Anita did her business, after 5 minutes, Sara wondered what was taking so long. Not wanting to seem impatient, she continued waiting.

Anita had wanted to go, but she had something else she wanted to do as well. She undressed in the toilet cubicle, placing her clothing down on the closed toilet seat. She then used the bracelet that Sara had given back to her in the car, having extracted a promise to remain looking like Anita for the day. She touched the setting that switched Anita back into Kevin, and then used the image function to take a frontal picture of his nude body. Then, he switched back to Anita and hurriedly dressed. Taking another picture of herself and storing the image, she sat down and did what she had come to do in the first place.

"You okay sis?" came Sara's concerned voice, as she entered the toilet.

"I'll be right out," Anita answered, as she finished and then flushed the toilet.

Sara waited, while Anita exited the stall and went to wash her hands and check her appearance. Smiling innocently, Anita took her twins hand and pulled her outside.

While Sara continued driving, Anita was busy with the laptop, surreptitiously uploading the images from the bracelet. She made sure Sara couldn't see what she was doing, by angling the screen sideways. She started with the graphics program, playing with the two images until she was happy with them. She then saved the result and managed to get the image stored into the bracelet without Sara noticing. She closed the laptop and started to pay attention to the scenery outside.

They had decided to stop for lunch at the Rocky Gap State Park, so turning off route 68 at exit 50 they drove into the park towards Lake Habeeb. Following the signs, they found a place selling food and drink to the visitors. Anita was checking a map of the place, while Sara loaded up with some food. Anita gave Sara some directions to a nice spot along Pleasant Valley Road, which took them into an area filled with native trees. Sara marvelled at the stands of Chestnut, Elm, Hickory, and Birch. There were other types of trees there as well. Ash, dotted the area, along with dogwood, gum, and ironwood to name a few. All in all, it was a very scenic and restful area with the placid lake in the foreground.

They got out of the car and breathed great lungfuls of tree scented air. Taking their food and drink, they found a spot where they could eat and see the rowers on the lake. The sounds of birds in the trees, was a welcome change from the constant thrum of the drive in the car. Sara ate slowly, not wanting to rush, as the tranquillity of the surroundings seeped into her senses. Anita told her to stay there, while she took the rubbish from their meal to the bin near the car. Sara never saw Anita finger her bracelet, nor see her get something out of her purse, that had been left in the car. Her eyes were closed as she tried to imprint the memory of this place in her brain.

As Anita walked back, she winced, and a hand went down to her groin and readjusted herself. As she came up to Sara, and seeing she still had her eyes closed, she gently kissed her lover on the lips.

"Hmmm, nice," mumbled Sara past her partially sealed lips. Sara turned to look at Anita, seeing the love in her twin's eyes.

"I have something to ask you, but I never expected to be female at the time," Anita blushed. Anita handed Sara the small box, which Anita/Kevin had purchased prior to their fun at Victoria Secrets. As Sara's eyes widened at the box, Anita spoke.

I want you to be my wife, my partner, my lover, for as long as we both live. Will you marry me?" Anita waited, seeing Sara open the box.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sara opened the box to reveal a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring. She gazed at it, turning it so the sun glinted through the facets. Her mind was awash in emotions, as her soul mate asked to marry her. She could feel the depth of the love being offered with the mental link they shared, as well as by the words spoken by her lover.

Her mind was struck by strangeness of being offered a ring, instead of it being the other way around. Who would have thought that in just a few short months, she went from Scott, a potential groom, to Sara soon to be a bride. She paused, searching in her psyche for a hint of a protesting voice from Scott's former life at being a bride. There was none, although she still remembered being Scott and had all his experiences, Sara was now who she felt she was.

She realised suddenly, that her twin was anxiously waiting for her answer.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she answered, smiling as she saw the look of joy in Anita's expressive eyes. "Um, who's going to wear the gown?" she quipped, looking at Anita suggestively.

"Who cares," Anita said flippantly, only concerned with her positive answer.

"Maybe we should have two brides," giggled Sara, pinching Anita in fun.

"Whatever you want," agreed Anita, happily oblivious to the suggestion. Something had come up and was feeling slightly uncomfortable, so Anita fingered her bracelet and sighed in relief.

"What are you doing now? Asked Sara, seeing the movement.

"Oh just a little surprise, I had planned." Anita blushed.

"Show me," demanded Sara.

"Press here then," Anita said, showing her the bracelet.

Hmmmm, you have been busy," Sara replied, as she felt someting shift in Anita's groin where her twin had placed her hand. "The thing with the laptop?" Sara asked, getting an affirmative nod.

"Let's test it out in celebration, of our proposal," suggested Sara.

"Here?" Asked Anita, looking around the immediate vicinity.

"Sure, we both have full skirts. You lay down on your back and I'll sit on top. With your skirt pulled up and mine covering it with mine, nobody will be the wiser." instructed Sara.

Anita sighed, resigned to being on the bottom, but as Sara arranged her skirts to cover the lower half of her body, the naughty side of it, started her grinning. The most anyone could see, was two girls having a bit of a lesbian romp, not that there were many people around. The few canoeists on the lake, were probably more concerned about their own world.

Having shucked their panties in the first moments, Sara eased Anita's rampant addition into her. She sat there and wiggled making Anita pant as the friction made her swell. Sara leaned forward, kissing Anita hard on the mouth. Using small lifting motions with her hips, Sara stated to build her own excitement. Anita managed to thrust upwards to help met Sara's downward motions.

Being exposed to the public view, added extra excitement and danger of being caught, to their lovemaking. This had the effect of bringing them to a mutual orgasm, so much quicker. As they collapsed together, smothering each other with kisses, they heard a vehicle stop nearby. Anita quickly used her bracelet to return to being all female, while Sara rolled off laughing her head off.

Anita straightened her dress and stood up, glancing towards where the car had pulled up. She stepped out of her panties that had tangled around her ankles, seeing another pair belonging to Sara lying in the grass there as well. The park ranger had stepped out of his vehicle, as Sara came and tagged Anita and then ran off giggling. Anita took the hint and chased after Sara, yelling to her that she would get her for that. The pair ran around, seemingly enjoying themselves in innocent play. As the ranger walked towards where they had been sitting, the girls circled around so that they could reach the car and get in. The last sight of the ranger, as they drove off, was him reaching down to pick up their abandoned panties. Needless to say, the hysterics in the car, made for very erratic driving for the next several miles.

Calming down slightly, except for a few giggles that kept bursting out, as they pictured the ranger holding their underwear, and wondering what to do with them, they continued driving through Cumberland, heading for Pittsburgh. Sara kept looking at the ring, and thinking back to the moment when Anita proposed. 'Maybe the wedding might be a little different to what Kevin might envisage,' she thought.

Sara was thinking about her parents missing out on her wedding and it made her feel somewhat sad. As a bride, she could do with her mothers support with the arrangements and her dad could give her away in the traditional wedding ceremony. It seemed unfair that they should miss out, just because Scott had become a Miss.

Her sombre mood alerted Anita, who sensed Sara's unhappiness.

"Why the long face?" she asked.

"It's about my parents," Sara replied, explaining about them having to miss out.

"Maybe Kim could help," suggested Anita, giving it some thought as well. "I'd like my parents to attend as well, but I can't say I'm marrying my best friend Scott, who's now a woman."

'You might have to explain more than that, if I have my way,' thought Sara, keeping those particular thoughts well concealed.

Can you ring Julie and William to tell them the good news, they should be finished breakfast by now," Sara asked, passing the phone to Anita.

"Coverage is a little patchy here," Anita mentioned after turning the phone on and checking the signal. Anita punched in the number and waited for it to connect.

"Hi Julie, it's An... Um, Kevin here." Anita said, as Julie's voice came on.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," Sara heard some faint laughter coming from the phone.

"We are getting married... yes I proposed to her just a short time ago... yes like this." Sara heard Anita explain.

"That's what Sara asked," Anita sighed, leaving Sara in no doubt what Julie had asked.

Anita spoke for a while, filling in Julie with their current news and whereabouts. She left out the part about the shopping spree, and the romp in the park, knowing Sara would tell her that herself. Anita hung up after this, returning the phone to Sara's purse. She passed on the others congratulations and comments about why had it taken so long.

Sara pressed on, trying to make up for the time spent in the park. She broke the speed rules frequently, when it was safe to do so. They passed through Pittsburgh in the early afternoon, opting to bypass the city so they could reach Indianapolis that day. They only had two skirmishes with the highway patrol. One had a hand held speed gun, which was only turned on at the last minute, giving them no time to detect it. The car was sitting behind a billboard, and by the time it pulled out onto the road behind them, they had long gone. At the speed they were travelling, they had put several bends between each other. By that time, the car that the patrol officer radioed in about, no longer existed, as Sara switched to the Trans Am, and was going at the legal limit, when the officer sped past them. Later on, an unmarked patrol car had turned its siren on, as it pulled along side them. The officer looked at them and waved for them to pull over. Deciding to do so, as the traffic was getting too heavy for a safe getaway, the girls decided on another strategy as the patrol car pulled up behind them. Ducking down out of sight for a moment, the girls used their bracelets to become Scott and Kevin, before straightening up, as the officer started to approach them. Imagine the surprise he got as he bent down to the open drivers window, to se two young men instead of the two women he knew he'd clearly seen. His eyes widened and his words, "do you know that you were speeding Miss," was choked off. He looked frantically into the back seat hoping to see the missing women. Finding it empty, he stood looking out over to the other side of the car to see where they had escaped to, as they had obviously slipped out while he had bent down to run off. Sweat beaded his face as the side of the road showed no signs of the girls nor was there anyplace for them to hide.

The officer felt confused as he bent down to ask the driver where the girls had disappeared to, but stumbled back shaking his head as the driver now appeared to be a well endowed air hostess with her unbuttoned uniform exposing her generous cleavage. The passenger was now clearly oriental in her colourful satin kimono. The officer walked back in a daze, rubbing his eyes as he wondered what drugs had been slipped in his last coffee.

Sara drove off, leaving the stunned officer sitting in his car. Kevin, having changed from Mi Ling back to Sara's twin, Anita, was having hysterics.

"Did you see his face?" She gasped after a few minutes. "I thought he'd wet himself," she giggled, trying to get herself under control.

"Just as well, Kim loaded Mi Lings form on our bracelets," grinned Sara-"It was certainly a far different image from seeing Kevin." She added.

"By the way, I noticed you flaunting yourself at him, with your buttons undone," chided Anita, waving her finger at Sara.

"I needed the shock value those puppies have on men," giggled an unrepentant Sara.

"Sure, that's your excuse," grinned Anita, light heartedly baiting Sara a bit more.

It was getting around 5 pm, by the time they reached Indianapolis. They decided to pick up Maggie first, before finding a hotel to stay for the night. They hoped she would be at home, as Maggie didn't have a cell phone, and they had been getting a busy signal on the landline. The house was dark when they arrived, not a good sign. They got out of the car and knocked on the door with no response. The door was unlocked, which worried the girl's as they opened it cautiously and entered quietly. Moving quickly, their search yielded a huddled lump in the bedroom.

"Maggie?" enquired Sara, her voice full of concern. "Maggie it's us, we have come to take you home with us."

"Is that really you, I thought I was dreaming, I can see two of you," came a weak voice.

"What happened, why is there no power?" asked Anita, futilely trying to turn the light on.

"I hadn't paid the utilities, and wasn't going to after you said I'd be going with you. They cut off the power the next day, so I haven't had power or phone on. I couldn't get my pay, as my boss refused, seeing I hadn't given him any notice of my quitting the job. I don't have any savings only the few dollars I had in my purse. So I've been living on crackers and water and snuggling with my stuffies." Maggie explained tiredly.

"Omygod!" exclaimed Sara, stricken with remorse. She uncovered Maggie, and saw she looked awfully weak and haggard. "This is Kevin, he's being punished, sort of." Sara grinned as she explained, pulling Anita closer.

"Punished? Or rewarded?" Maggie offered, smiling weakly.

"I'm learning how to cope with heels for more than 5 minutes, so I can keep up with her on her shopping trips," winked Anita.

Anita took off her bracelet, and offered it to Maggie without a moments hesitation. She knew Maggie's Shelke generated body was tougher than a normal human, but even so, it still needed food.

After Maggie slipped the bracelet on Sara touched a setting, smiling, as Maggie became another twin to her. Instantly, the ordeal of no proper food was gone, as Maggie had the exact same body as the others.

"We're triplets," laughed Maggie, feeling immediately better. "This could be fun," she added, preventing Sara from resetting the bracelet to Maggie again. "Can I be you for a while longer?" she implored, looking up at Sara with guileless eyes.

Anita laughed, and hugged Maggie, which made Sara's mouth quirk in amusement, at the thought of the attention that identical triplets booking in at a hotel for the night, would bring.

"Okay, but first we need to get you dressed," Sara agreed.

They decided "in for a penny, in for a pound." If they going to make an impact, they may as well make a big one, so using the car to produce three identical outfits, the triplets were now impossible to tell apart. Maggie collected her small bag of personal items and the others brought out her collection of stuffed animals, which were placed in the trunk.

Anita rang the hotel that they had stayed in last time, but they were booked solid, at their recommendation, they rang another hotel nearer the city centre that showed it had rooms available on its online booking system. As a treat, Anita accessed the panel that Kim had revealed to them when she made the car into a Rolls Royce. Selecting a white Ford LTD, they drove off to the Hotel Royale. To say Maggie was excited was an understatement. She was bouncing around in the back, like a little girl, hampered only by the shimmering emerald green gown that clung tightly to her new curves.

As the limo swept sedately into the entranceway of the hotel, guests that were either leaving or entering stopped to see who was arriving. Hotel staff scurried to the doors to assist the occupants of this unexpected arrival. The doors were opened and three identical hands went out for someone to assist them out. Once everyone realised that the three were identical in everyway, they became the centre of attention. The staff fawned on them, instinctively knowing that these were not just ordinary people. Guests gasped, and the stunned men were hard put as to which one to look at first.

The three waited together, while three white cases were unloaded from the limo and taken inside. One of the staff drove the limo to the underground car park below the hotel, as the women moved inside. They started to attract a group of patrons that seemed to have developed a sudden interest in the immediate area surrounding the check in desk, pulling them away from what they were doing, before the girls arrived.

All the attention was making the girls feel like celebrities, as they were offered a premium appointed room. Accepting graciously, the three were shown the room and their luggage brought up. After asking for dinner to be sent up to their room, the three collapsed on the huge king sized bed in a fit of giggles.

"This is fun," Maggie said, once she finally calmed down.

"Hey what about me, I'm supposed to be Kevin," Sara lied, trying to get the others confused.

"Huh? I thought I was Kevin," said Kevin/Anita, checking out his/her body, as if confused. He/she knew what Sara was trying to do, so he/she played along. "Maybe I'm Maggie, I'm so confused," he/she lamented, while holding his/her hands to his/her face to cover a grin.

"Then I must be Sara," Maggie grinned, quickly catching on to the game, with a smirk. "I think you are Maggie and you are Anita." She continued, pointing first at Kevin/Anita, then towards Sara.

The timely arrival of dinner, stopped the silly game they were playing, and they sat down to a sumptuous meal with all the trimmings. Maggie marvelled at the amount of food there was, she was drooling as saw the slices of roast turkey on her plate with roast potatoes and assorted vegetables. The others grinned at each other, seeing the delight that Maggie was showing as she nearly inhaled the food in her haste.

"Leave room for desert, honey," Sara told her, barely halfway through her own meal.

The bottle of complimentary champagne that had been supplied, was followed by a second, as Maggie drunk it as though it was lemonade. Being in these bodies, meant that the alcohol had a much lesser effect that to a normal person, but it did mellow out the triplets, as they finally finished their meal.

They had talked about the Shelke to Maggie, explaining everything to her. The subject of Maggie's dream to become a child was put aside for the moment, as Sara told Maggie that she wanted to talk with Kim first. Sara offered Maggie the chance to be a bridesmaid, after telling her that, Anita had proposed to her. This was said with tongue in cheek, as Anita blushed. Maggie hugged both of them, accepting with a squeal of delight. Maggie looked at the both of them, and voiced the same question that Julie had asked earlier.

"Who is going to be the bride?" she asked, looking at the twins in turn.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Well?" Maggie asked, still waiting for her reply.

Both Anita and Sara pointed at the other. Maggie giggled, at the looks on the faces of the twins as they both poked their tongues out at each other, before shrugging and looking apologetic towards Maggie, at their unresolved decision.

"Great, two brides. This I got to see," Maggie laughed, having seemingly decided for the pair of them.

Anita didn't immediately object, as the idea of two brides was tempting; after all, being in a tux wasn't something new to Kevin. The attraction of being able to feel what her bride felt would make the ceremony all the more special, as long as she was man enough for the wedding night, that was all that mattered. She did wonder how they could pull it off, without having anyone object. The only downside she could see was the parent thing. Kevin's parents would be expecting their son to be the groom not another bride. The way she looked, she couldn't even pretend she was Kevin just dressed up in a wedding gown. She sighed, thinking it was probably just impossible to achieve.

Sara didn't need any mind reading powers to realise the significance of that sigh. Who wouldn't want to wear a delicious creation in silk and satin, with all the pomp and ceremony that goes with being a bride? She wasn't in the least worried about Kevin wanting to change sides permanently unless Sara decided to return to the testosterone side of the fence, something she knew wasn't going to happen, except for certain emergencies. She remembered Kevin stating some time ago that he'd been tempted and that only the fact that she was going to remain female had prevented that possibility. Now with the bracelets making it easy to swap around, Sara was going to make sure that Kevin had ample opportunities to sample the feminine gender. She had a few ideas on the two bride ceremony, even with the parents being involved. She just had to check with Kim to see if she would to agree to lend a bit of help.

Changing the subject, Sara said she was going into the huge roman style bath, before going to bed.

"Great idea, up for a bit of company?" asked Anita, her question clearly indicating that it included Maggie as well.

"Sure, the more the merrier," laughed Sara, as she stood up and went to start the bath filling. They all needed a little help with the dresses, to get them off. Soon, three very naked nubile bodies scrambled into a hot, scent-laden bath.

The three washed each other fastidiously taking extra care to prolong any contact with breasts or groin, until it wasn't just the water that was feeling hot. Some kissing was lamely passed off as special longtonguetudinal washing, which everyone joined in. Longitudinal or not, it certainly went across with flying colours.

Anita said she had something that hadn't been cleaned yet as she touched her bracelet. Like a periscope rising from stormy seas, her penis rose above the soapy bubbles, signalling its readiness for action. Maggie squealed and threw a sponge at the sea serpent, before dissolving into laughter, when Anita said, "blowing ballast tanks." It was Sara, who tamed the intruder, by sitting on it, so its length was swallowed by her eager beaver.

Maggie felt awkward, seeing that these two, who would eventually be her parents, were engaging in sex while she was in close vicinity. Sara, with her more developed sensitivity, realised Maggie, while adult, felt uncomfortable, with the current situation. Sitting stationary on Anita's prong, with it buried out of sight inside Sara, gave the impression of normalcy, well, as normal as triplets in a bath together, can look. To an outsider it would have looked like three girls playing in the bath, as no signs of Anita's organ could be seen.

Sara reached out to hug Maggie, as did Anita, a second later.

"There is nothing shameful in sharing our love Maggie. We will not be hiding anything behind closed doors, like our parents did. We are going to try and be as open about everything as we can, and not worry about nudity taboos or expressing our love in front of members of this family to be. We aren't asking you to join in, unless you feel comfortable. We aren't related, so there's no worry about it being incest, if we kiss you on the lips, same with sex, if you don't want to be a part of it, then it's fine. It's your choice. But we do love you as a friend and will love you as our child when that time comes."

Maggie hugged them back, wondering how come she was so lucky to find herself loved by these two wonderful people. She kissed them, saying she loved them both.

"I will let you have more room to play, while I find something to wear," Maggie said, getting out of the bath and grabbing a towel.

"Look in the case for some nighties for us all," Sara suggested, before starting to move slowly on her impalement.

Maggie was gowned and happily watching TV, when the others finished they bath, and went to put something on. They wandered back to where Maggie was sitting; having donned nighties and looking relaxed. Sara picked up the phone and ordered some ice cream to be brought up to their room. Maggie's eyes glowed, with anticipation at the mention of the treat.

When the ice cream was duly delivered, the young man left without asking for a tip as his mind was trying to burn in the sight of three lovely triplets in a near state of undress. Maggie giggled; setting the others off, as they recalled the young mans glazed eyes.

"It's a bit like that TV program, 'The Charmed Ones,' with the power of three," giggled Maggie, before she turned her attention to her bowl of double chocolate ice cream.

While they relaxed, Sara brought up a point that had just occurred to her.

"Maggie, I don't understand why you had no money. I thought we'd left you enough, to tide you over.

Maggie looked embarrassed, and a little guilty. She started to explain, but broke down before making much sense.

"Maggie it's okay, we aren't worried if you spent it all, we were just surprised that you had nothing left when we came back," reassured Sara, hugging the tearful Maggie."

"After you left, I went to the library to say goodbye to my friends in a chat room I visit. It's a place where other people like me visit and chat. Anyway, while I was there, I got talking to HER."

"Her?" Queried Anita. "Who is she?"

"No, H.E.R. She changes her name to suit the initials each time she comes on. I think her real name is Helen Elaine Reynolds," explained Maggie. "She was in a bit of strife at the time, she needed money to pay her landlord, or she was going to be thrown out on the street."

"Ah so you sent her the money," Sara asked, seeing where this was leading.

"Yes, I thought I would have enough from my last pay check to cover the time till you came back, so I sent her a money order that day."

"But your boss withheld your pay? Asked Anita, getting angry.

"When I told him about quitting, he asked for the Palm Pilot and printer I use for the meter maid job, to be returned, along with the cell phone they supply. That's when I realised I didn't have the cell phone and the Palm Pilot was broken in the collision. I must have lost the phone then as well. They are worth over 500 dollars, more than my paycheck would cover. So I didn't go back to work, knowing I owed more than I would get back."

"Well, never mind, I don't mind that you gave the money to a worthy cause. It just shows us that even though you don't have much, you were willing to share to help your friends. I'd like to talk to you about these friends of yours, but first I think its time for bed." Sara finished, pulling Maggie into her arms for a hug.

"I think Maggie can sleep with us," Anita winked, taking Maggie's other arm.

Maggie grinned as she was led unresisting to the king-sized bed and told to take the middle of the bed.

"We can't have our future little girl falling out of bed now, can we?" Sara laughed, slipping in beside Maggie, while Anita climbed in the other side. After kissing everyone goodnight, the three clung together till slumber took them into dreamland.

The next morning was filled with the sight of three nubile bodies dashing for the bathroom. The scuffle as each vied to be first to the toilet, resulted in an impromptu tickle fest, which soon had them all giggling and jiggling the tinkle two-step. The next decision to make was what to wear. Having booked in as triplets, Kevin wouldn't be making an appearance, so it was Anita filling in again, especially in her bra. Maggie was wanting the "I'm a clone effect," with them wearing matching clothes, but Sara said that the gowns they wore last night were not appropriate, plus the fashion guru's would scream if they saw them wearing the same outfit twice.

Without the car to duplicate the look, and not having anything they had bought the same, Sara told Maggie that they'd have to wear different clothes. Anita then remembered another of the bracelets powers, one they had found in bed when Sara changed to Jennifer, while Kevin was making love to her. It had made Kevin a duplicate of Sara/Jennifer.

Sara grinned at the memory, especially when they'd shown the others by linking hands and suddenly making quadruplets. Sara found a smart, but casual dress to wear, got her makeup on, and accessorised herself. She had the others strip off their nighties as she didn't want them consigned to limbo after having just brought them. Holding hands with the others, she touched the Sara setting on the bracelet, seeing she was already Sara as were the others, only the clothing and the make up and hair were duplicated, as were the accessories

"Oh oh, I hope the FBI don't catch us duplicating your identity," laughed Anita, showing Sara a duplicate set of identification and drivers licence from her new handbag.

"Lucky, we look alike then, think of the problems they would have trying to prove we were different people. I bet even our DNA and fingerprints would prove we are the same person," grinned Sara.

Maggie was hardly paying attention, she was twirling, and half dancing to make the new dress she was wearing swirl around her legs.

"This is so neat, I got from naked to dressed and made up in seconds and I didn't have to do a thing, " Maggie sighed wistfully.

"Shall we eat in our room or eat downstairs?" asked Sara, looking expectantly at the others.

"Here/downstairs," came two voices simultaneously. Anita sighed, seeing the eager look in Maggie's eyes. "Okay downstairs," amended Anita, grinning at the look that shone on Maggie's face.

The three held everyone's attention as they made their way to a table in the hotels dinning room. Even Anita, who had been the most reluctant, had to admit the funny side of it, as some of the men stopped and gawked, their spoons or forks frozen in mid air as the three breezed past them.

Maggie was in a dither, seeing the selection on the menu. The others waited for her to make up her mind, before giving up and ordering the lot. As the plates arrived, they each shared a portion of food, grinning at the way Maggie's eyes darted from one item to the next. While they were eating, several children sort out autographs, figuring in their own simplistic way that they must be movie stars. It was kind of embarrassing, but cute too. Sara signed the napkins offered, "The Vostock Sisters," which sounded sort of exotic.

The only problem that arose was when they checked out a bit later. As they walked towards the LTD, which had been loaded with their luggage, a smarmy looking man came up to them and told them that they were just what he needed for his movie. He even addressed them as the Vostock Sisters, so he must have talked to the young autograph hunters.

"Not interested," was Sara's terse reply.

"But you'll make millions," insisted the man not giving up. "You'll be famous," he went on, expounding the benefits.

"What part of no, do you not understand?" Anita countered in the same tone as Sara.

"Take my card, in case you change your mind," the man said, making a last ditch effort as he handed Maggie a card from his pocket.

Maggie stopped, she looked at the card, then while the hotels patrons attention was glued to this scene, she slowly and deliberately tore the card into small pieces and stuffed the bits into the surprised mans gaping mouth.

The hotel lobby erupted into laughter and cheers, as the man spluttered, spitting bits of card from his mouth. Without another look, Maggie took her twins hands and ushered them out the door, before they spoiled the effect by collapsing into laughter themselves.

Once in the car and having driven a few blocks down the street, Sara stopped the car. There was silence for a moment, and Maggie was all set to apologise, thinking she'd done something wrong, when Sara started laughing. Anita started too, until tears were running down their cheeks.

"That was brilliant, Maggie, utterly priceless," Sara gasped as she finally found breath to speak.

"I'll remember that look for the rest of my life," Anita added, as she wiped her eyes.

Maggie grinned and relaxed as they started on their way again. She couldn't wait to see what new adventure lay around the corner. Even though they hard barely started, the child inside was already bouncing with impatience. She had to resist the urge to say, "are we there yet?" As they travelled further from her old home.

William and Julie were having a much more restful time, knowing that the others wouldn't be back for some days. There was nothing to do, regarding the house, seeing they had decided not to sell it. Knowing it truly belonged to the Shelke, made them slightly uncomfortable in taking over such a beautiful home without paying a cent. Even though they knew it had been gifted to them, they felt guilty at their presumption of just claiming it for themselves.

They had been practising their nexus techniques, trying to see what they could do with it, while their bodies lay entwined in bed. They had visited the others, and seen some of the highlights of their travels. Like Sara and Kevin- or Anita as he was temporarily, they liked Maggie immediately and knew she'd be a welcome edition to their group. Luckily, they had been eavesdropping when the triplets had exited the hotel, and had seen the altercation and its results. The nexus broke, as they too, had trouble containing the laughter that had forced their minds to separate, while their bodies shook as laughter burst forth.

"She's a keeper, that Maggie," William grinned as he turned to Julie.

"One things for sure, she'll keep them on their toes, adult or child," offered Julie, as she dried her eyes.

"Oh boy! And us," William exclaimed, having had a sudden thought.

"Huh?" Julie questioned, not seeing the problem.

"Who do you think will get the babysitting job," chortled William, grinning as he saw the sudden realisation cross Julie's face.

"I don't know how Sara has that worked out." Julie said, not really seeing a problem. "I mean how she will do Maggie's regression. I hope its not like Robert's was, it would seem like a shame to have the adult just wiped away, leaving the child."

"I'm sure that's not Sara's plan, she's too humane to just kill off the adult personality. We will have to see what she has planned when she gets back," William reassured her. With that, he kissed her deeply, making her squirm closer into his embrace.

"What about we go visit the holly wood studio's today," William suggested at breakfast a little while later.

"Do you think they will let us in?" asked Julie, as she nibbled her toast.

"Well, I do have the security passes from when Huang was a body guard. I don't see why not,"

"What about me, I don't have a pass," Julie brought up.

"Ah but as Mi Ling you could go as my wife." Grinned William, relishing the whole idea of having a wife.

"You just want to see me in that outfit we bought yesterday," pouted Julie, pretending to be put out.

"Or out of it," William blurted out, before he could stop himself, having dreamily visualised Julie in Mi Lings gloriously naked body.

"Owwwh ouch!" complained William, laying it on, as Julie poked him in mock outrage.

"I think I'll go as Huang, and you can go as Mi Ling, just like yesterday," Julie threatened.

William's mind flashed beck to yesterdays shopping trip as a twin of Mi Ling. Julie had copied Sara's example with Kevin and had cajoled William into being her twin, while she shopped as Mi Ling. William needed cajoling, not because he didn't want to be a female, but because of the reverse.

When he'd experiences being Mi Ling and wearing the sexy clothes she had while rescuing Julie, he'd had to constantly block out how delicious those clothes had felt on Mi Lings sensitive body. He was supposed to be a man, not a seductive female, knowing Kevin had plunged across the gender divide with little reluctance, made William feel a little better. With Julie seeming not to care whether he made love as a man or a woman, only made the decision harder to resist. He'd given in and enjoyed him/herself, modelling clothes with Mi Ling beside her. He had tried to force the fact of his being way to comfortable as a woman, deep in his mind, so that while joined in a nexus with Julie, she wouldn’t guess his darkest secret.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to lie and say I don't like you as Mi Ling, I do, but without you driving the controls, she has no interest for me. I guess it's the exotic look of her coupled by the fact you are inside that body," William answered honestly.

"She is kinda nice to drive, isn't she?" winked Julie, pleased with his honest answer.

She knew he liked being her. In the nexus, nothing much could be kept hidden from the other, but she didn't let him know she knew. There must be some quirk in these Shelke made bodies that allowed a greater insight from the female POV. Sara had mentioned this before, and although the Shelke were hermaphroditic in nature, the predominance of the female form seemed to have given them extra abilities. William, as the yang in the nexus was an open book, to her ying, but the reverse couldn't be said.

Having a unique outlook on the gender differences, Julie couldn't refuse William the pleasure of delving into the same experience. As long as both of them loved each other and received mutual satisfaction in their sex life, did it matter who was ying or yang. Being fully committed to remain in the feminine camp, there was little likelihood of them having male-to-male sex. The negative social connotations aside, there was that overshadowing threat of aides that seemed to be ever on the increase, even in the heterosexual group.

William laughed, jolting Julie away from her thoughts.

"What?" She asked, recalling her last words.

"I wonder if next years model has bigger headlights," chortled William, trying to think of Mi Ling as something you could trade in.

"Men!" Julie snorted, saying it all. "If you want bigger air bags, you could try becoming Jennifer."

To be continued.

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Uncle-aunt-sister-whatever," William called out, laughing, as he threw his hands up in defeat.

Julie went to the bedroom to change, while William used the bracelet to become Huang again. When Mi Ling did emerge from the bedroom, Huang was surprised that she had decided not to wear the outfit she... no, they had shopped for, instead opting for the outfit, he had worn for Julie's rescue.

"I thought..."

"That I'd wear the kimono and those Geta sandal's." She finished off, shooting him a warning look. "This is California and that kimono would be too much in this heat. And those Geta sandals might look cute with those toed Tabi socks, but they aren't meant to be worn all day." The Geta sandals were basically small skateboards with a velvet thong to hold them on, but instead of wheels, there were two wooden slats running across the sole of the shoe. They made a cute clacking sound, but would be murder after several hours on them. "I can play geisha girl for you later, in the privacy of our home," she offered, grinning as she saw his face light up at the thought.

"Are you loaded?" he asked curiously, as his eyes tried to see past the satin of her top.

For an answer, Mi Ling flicked out her fans as if from nowhere, and struck a defensive pose.

"Try not to use those, we don't want to offand anyone," Huang joked, deliberately mispronouncing offend, then watching amazed, as the fans were hidden with an equally quick gesture.

Huang's car was acknowledged with a wave, as Huang drove past the guard at the entrance to the studios. Parking, they got out, and decided wander around. Although William had never been here, the built in memory of Huang, surfaced enough to help him recognise where he was. Spotting a cafeteria, where some of the stars and many of the extras spent time between takes; Huang guided Mi Ling to a table, in the hopes that they might see somebody famous. There was a selection of people in costume, for the current productions. Some bizarre, with lots of painstakingly applied prosthetic rubber covering not only their faces, but their bodies too. Ordering a coffee, they sat and watched the crowd as they came and left.

"Hey Hu!" came a call, interrupting their stargazing.

Huang turned around, and looked up, as a hand clamped on his shoulder. A memory, courtesy of the Shelke that formerly wore this body, supplied a name to the face looming over him.

"Hi Donald," Huang replied, wondering if he was busted.

"Mind if I sit? I wouldn't want to interrupt anything between you and this gorgeous creature," Donald asked, looking appreciatively at Mi Ling.

Seeing the look of interest, Huang introduced them. "Donald Haskin, meet my wife, Mi Ling."

"Entirely my pleasure, I assure you," Donald greeted her, kissing her proffered hand.

Mi Ling blushed, and nodded, not saying anything. Donald sat, and asked if Huang had come back to work again. Huang said no, and that he was just showing Mi Ling around, seeing she had only just arrived here. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Donald's face took on a troubled look.

"Why so down?" Huang asked, seeing Donald had something bothering him.

"I'm having a party in two days, and my main entertainment just cancelled due to ill health. I need someone to replace them. I was gong to pay eight grand for the magic act. I wonder if you know of anyone available to replace them. I'll pay you two grand as a finder's fee, but they have to be good and they had to me some sort of magic act, as I've already promised the guests that. Can you help?"

Huang looked at Mi Ling, thinking back to a suggestion to go into business as a magic act, with the help of the bracelets. After going into a brief mental communication with Mi Ling, Huang looked at Donald and said.

"Pay us the ten grand and we'll be your act."

Donald looked doubtfully at them. " I need something spectacular, not just a parlour trick," he demanded. "I don't think you have what I need, no offence."

"None taken, but let us demonstrate right here, without any preparation." Suggested Huang, challengingly.

"What, where?" Donald spluttered, wondering what they had in mind.

"See those toilets over there? I want you to go into the men's and check for any other exits, then come back here." Huang suggested, with a smile.

Donald did as he was asked, and was soon back at the table. Huang who had explained the plan to Mi Ling in the meantime, stood up and walked to the men's toilet, leaving Mi Ling to walk to the female toilet. Donald, who had been warned not to take his eyes off the two doors that were six feet apart, watched as the pair entered their respective toilets and closed the door behind them. No sooner had the doors closed they began to open again. Donald gasped as Mi Ling walked seductively out of the male toilet, while Huang scurried quickly out of the female toilet. They walked directly to the table and looked at him with Cheshire cat sized grins.

"Well?" William asked, in Mi Ling's sexy form.

"That's impossible, there's no way you could pull that off," growled Donald, suspecting a trick.

"Then you're suggesting I'm really Huang," William batted her eyelashes, as she leaned closer and gave Donald a kiss.

"I,I,I, iyeeee..." Donald stuttered, trying unsuccessfully to come up with anything intelligible. There was no doubting his senses, even if his brain seemed to be telling him he'd just seen the impossible.

"You're hired," he finally managed, as the memory of Mi Ling's kiss was stored away.

"Wait, we will need some props," as both Mi Ling and Huang discussed what they needed.

"Okay I can get those, plus the magicians equipment is still stored at my place, if there's anything of it you can use," Donald agreed.

Plans where made to meet at Donald's the next day to see the props, and work out a routine before the party the following day. Donald then took Mi Ling and Huang on a quick tour of the studios. At the first opportunity and out of Donald's view, they changed back to themselves. They also captured images of a few of the characters they saw with the bracelets, to possibly use in the magic act.

They spent the rest of the day there, enjoying themselves while keeping out of the way of scene shooting. Huang seemed welcome everywhere, and he had to make constant introductions to Mi Ling. That night, after having eaten out for dinner, they went over some basic routines for their magic début.

Sara took it easy on the road, once they cleared the outskirts of the city. Having the time to relax and enjoy the trip, they stopped often; allowing an inexperienced traveller like Maggie, time to broaden her knowledge. Anita was retired for the moment with Kevin taking her place. Maggie was again in the shape that the others had created for her after the accident. Kevin and Sara looked on and grinned, as the child in Maggie felt free to bounce around in the back as she spotted some new surprise along the way. Although Maggie was every bit an adult as the others, she was content to be led around and accepted whatever food was placed before her.

Sara tried to make rest breaks in the open country, rather than in the towns along the way. They would stop and use the toilets if needed, then go and buy something to eat later. They'd find a nice river with a lay-by where they could stop and eat there food and drink, taking time for Maggie to dabble her toes in the water or run around in the fields, or trees, depending where they had stopped. They began to feel like a family, bonding in a way that few get to enjoy. Maggie blossomed in the love that she felt surrounding her. Slowly, the child within peeked out more and more as Sara and Kevin accepted her without question.

"Mommy, look at this pretty flower I picked for you," Maggie said, showing Sara a small pink bud of a wild bush rose. "I didn't even get prickled," she added proudly.

Sara's heart melted at Maggie's term of endearment. Trying not to cry, she hugged Maggie, thanking her with an emotion choked voice. She desperately hoped Kim could help her to make Maggie's dreams come true, without losing that part of her adult personality. Sara and Kevin could see Maggie changing back and forth more often, becoming the child whenever she could. The adult part of Maggie was only ever visible when they interacted with the rest of the world.

Maggie would sleep with them at night, as she needed the constant reassurance that this was not a figment of a fevered dream. This meant Kevin, had to take his opportunities where he could, mostly in the shower. To save water was their excuse to Maggie, who giggled knowing that the noises emanating from the bathroom had little to do with saving water. Maggie made certain she used it first, after finding that the save water campaign usually meant not hot water afterwards.

The sacrifices Kevin and Sara made to ensure Maggie had no nightmares, wasn't lost on Maggie. She felt a little guilty, but after one incident, where Maggie had tried sleeping separately. Sara insisted that she sleep with them. Maggie had woken in the night, feeling scared in the unfamiliar room. She had screamed, before grabbing all her stuffies and bolting for Sara and Kevin's bedroom. Sara had then to calm her down from her imaginary fears, and found out that she had a nice singing voice, as she sung a lullaby to Maggie that she remembered from Scott's childhood. From that moment on, Maggie wheedled a song from Sara each night, as she settled down to sleep.

William and Julie in their alternative forms of Huang and Mi Ling set out Donald's place the next morning. Donald was there, and showed them the gear left by the other magicians act. He left them then, to supervise the other catering arrangements, saying just to holler if they needed anything.

William and Julie found that the magician's clothes and his assistants had been left there as well. Luckily, both sets of clothing fit, so they put them aside to check out the rest of the equipment. They found the pyrotechnics that went with several of the acts, giving William a brilliant idea for the opening act. The instructions were simple as the devices once primed were set off by a radio signal. Most of the stuff was discarded, s they didn't have the expertise to use it. They set up the ground were the first act would begin, and told Donald what to do to assist.

The party was in full swing with lots of the rich and famous gathered around the pool area, when there was an altercation at the gate. A man dressed in 'scruff,' rode his battered motorbike through the guests to a spot near the pool. He had snatched a glass of wine as he passed a waiter carrying drinks, and had stopped to take a sip. The security guards hired by Donald moved the curious crowd back, leaving a half circle backing on to the side of the pool.

People gathered close to see what was going to happen to the obvious interloper. He couldn't get away as he was completely surrounded. Several guards picked up a large black silk backdrop that had been hanging nearby. They threw it over the man and his bike, completely obscuring it from view. There was a loud bang, as flash powder canisters buried in the grass surrounding the man and bike went off. Everyone jumped and flinched backwards, and when they looked again, the scene had changed. A guard had dragged the cloth away to reveal a Lamborghini, from which Huang and Mi Ling stepped, resplendent in their borrowed costumes. After the initial shock, everyone cheered and clapped, although some needed to sit after seeing the unexpected. The pair bowed, pleased that the act had gone as plan.

William and Julie had dressed into their costume, after becoming Huang and Mi Ling. Then getting into the Lamborghini, Huang had switched back to the motorbike mode, sending Julie into limbo, while Huang adopted a scruff identity. He had then driven to Donald's to create the illusion of gatecrasher. The guards had then followed their instructions to the letter, throwing the cover over him to hide the changeover.

Huang bowed to the awed audience, as the guest argued about how it was done. He then explained that he was substituting for the original magician, who, being I'll, couldn't attend. Huang then said that they were unfamiliar with the props the other had left and mentioned that he hoped there would be no accidents due to his unfamiliarity with them. Huang then introduced Mi Ling as his assistant; again mentioning it was her first time as one. Although there were some doubters, seeing the calibre of their opening act, they got a very voluble round of applause.

Huang had a 6-foot long wooden box brought out. It was only barely as wide as Mi Ling and just a foot deep. It was closed off at one end and mi ling stood still with her arms above her head as the men who had brought it out gradually lowered it over her there was a bit of a struggle to get it to fit as there was hardly enough room for her to fit in it. Finally, the box was squeezed right down to the concrete floor, trapping Mi Ling in its tight embrace. Huang asked the two men to stay and hold the top of the box steady, as Huang brought out a chain saw.

"As you could see, the box is tight about her, not even allowing her to bend her knees. So there's no way she can duck down as I cut the box in half with this saw."

The audience gasped, crowding round in a tight circle. Huang started the saw, placed the blade halfway down the box, and began to cut into it moving the blade across. After an inch or so, there was a scream from within the box, as the blade caught on some material, dragging it outside the slot cut by the whirring teeth. Some of the material looked stained with red, but Huang didn't stop till he'd cut completely through. The top half wobbled, threatening to fall off, as Huang pulled the bloodstained blade free. Only the grip of the two men stopped it from falling. Huang looked at the blade covered in red and shrugged.

"She needed to lose weight anyway," he clearly said, drawing only a few nervous laughs. "How are you in there?" he asked, speaking close to the box. After several seconds where everyone held their breaths, Mi Ling's muffled voice replied.

"I'll get you back about that cutting remark about me being fat," she laughed, as the top half of the box wobbled with her laughter. Huang signalled the two men to lift the top away from Mi Ling. Huang heard the collective gasp of the guests, as Mi Ling was revealed not only unharmed, but also facing in the opposite direction from when she started.

The two men lifted her out of the remains of the box, setting her down unharmed so she could bow to the audience, how erupted into cheers and clapping.

"Why did you scream? Huang asked, raising an eyebrow at Mi Ling.

"I thought I broke a nail," Mi Ling said with a straight face, which made the audience laugh again.

Huang rolled his eyes theatrically, shaking his head, as if saying, "women," this got more laughter.

Mi Ling had used an image of a young 6 year old girl, captured by the bracelet to change into, the moment the box was placed over her, this gave her room to duck below the painted half way line marked inside, to indicate where the saw would enter. The top had sufficient gaps to see it clearly, and when the saw blade started entering above her head, she prayed it with some red dye and thrown a piece of cloth that matched her outfit, all of which they had prepared prior to the act, onto the blade. They had found that holding things like the cloth and the spray container with the dye could be stored with the body of the girl, as long as she was holding them before changing back into Mi lings form. Once the blade had been removed, it was easy to spin around and face the other way, before returning to the adult form of Mi Ling.

The next act was equally well recieved, judging by the applause. Mi Ling stepped into a large black silk bag, which had the opening fastened to a golden metal loop. Guests were volunteered to participate, and three gentlemen came up to surround the much smaller Mi Ling standing on the bag where it lay on the ground at her feet. Huang had the men take hold of the ring and lift it to waist height, which left the upper half of Mi Ling in plain view. Huang then asked if the location was all right or did they want to pick a place for the illusion to take place. His manner plainly told them he didn't want to move, so of course everyone suspected a hidden trapdoor in the lawn, notwithstanding the fact that they had all been walking on that very spot. Mi Ling had to shuffle along as she and the men holding the bag where told to move to another place acceptable to the audience, while huang showed signs of nervousness and worry at the new destination.

Finally, when everyone was sure there was no trapdoor under the spot where Mi Ling, and that they were sure huang's attempt would fail, they stopped. Huang's expression of worry vanished, as he had the three men lift the ring as high as it would go, about eight feet above the ground, completely swallowing Mi Ling from sight. Huang muttered something under his breath and waved a wand theatrically, before letting the men lower the ring. The men and the guests both gasped. Expecting Huang's assistant to still be there, they were shocked to see a towering Wookie in her place. The men nearly wet themselves as the hairy Wookie growled baring very real looking teeth. They stood their ground purely because they knew it was somehow a magic trick and that to run away would show themselves up before their dates or wives.

"Throw the ring up and let it go," huang suggested, grinning at the ashen faces of the three men.

They complied all too willingly; glad to move back as they released the ring. The ring flew up, taking with it, the bag. As it reached the apex of its flight and covered the Wookie, it began to fall. As it passed the place that should have exposed the Wookie, it only showed nothing it fell... and fell... to reveal at last, a cute 6 year old girl, in a party dress. Huang went over and presented her with a lollypop, before lifting the ring one handed to about chest height before lowering it almost immediately to reveal a crouching Mi Ling.

While everyone was reeling from that display, huang had two large sealable plastic drums rolled out and set by the side of the pool. He then bade Mi Ling to doff her costume, leaving her showing her obvious charms in a gold lame bikini. He then had her climb into the drum. The top, which had been painted with pink paint, was then fastened down, sealing her inside. A rope was tied to the top and the barrel with its cargo was pushed into the pool, where it bobbed, and wobbled as it was towed to one end of the pool. Huang shrugged out of his costume as well, leaving him in a silver lame bikini bottom that left no doubt that he was all man. He then climbed into the remaining drum, which had a blue lid that was then fastened down.

This drum was towed to the other end of the pool, nearly twenty feet away from the other. The guests were allowed to line the pool, wondering what was going to happen, that could top the last act. The barrels rocked as they heard a subdued knocking on the inside. Anyone observant might have noticed the change in the depth that each barrel floated, as the two inside changed into each other, correspondingly affecting the level the drums floated as the weight changed. The wobbling that the two deliberately caused, helped disguise that fact.

Donald had the two drums lifted out of the water, leaving them at each end of the pool. As the tops where unfastened, the heads and bodies of huang and Mi Ling popped out of the others drum. Again, there was no doubt as to who was who in their skimpy costumes. Everyone was amazed, the hubbub as people argued about how it was achieved, enabled the pair to clothe themselves again.

The final act was similar to their first one. They climbed back into the Lamborghini and had a cloth draped over the top of the car. Ladies volunteered to hold the cloth level with the roof height, and the remaining guests were to stand in a circle beside the women, till a cordon of humanity hemmed the hidden car in. Suddenly the centre of the cloth rose as a draped figure showed. Whipping away the cloth, revealed a sexy blonde on the original tatty motorbike. She smiled at the parting crowd as she gunned the bike out onto the street and roared away.

Huang and Mi Ling returned in the Lamborghini five minutes later, wearing normal clothes, well normal for a party anyway. Donald couldn't stop going on about how incredible they were and led them around the guests like a trophy, introducing themselves. Offers came thick and fast, to perform for other gigs as the rich and famous vied for their magic act to impress others that hadn't seen it. Huang politely declined, saying this was just a "one off," as a favour to Donald. Hearing this, Donald dragged them away to a slightly quieter corner and got out his checkbook. He wrote for a moment, then handed them a check. Mi Ling goggled at the amount, twenty grand.

"Sorry, but I meant it when I said this was the one and only time," Huang insisted, handing the check back.

"No you don't understand, this is payment for today, I'm going to be famous forever with those people, especially if its never going to be repeated. I've had so many propositions handed my way, that this is my thanks for a job well done," Donald explained, pressing the check back into Huang's hand.

Huang thanked Donald, taking the check. They only stayed for a short while longer, as the guests questions about their act, began to wear thin, and their "eastern mystical traditions," only satisfied some of the guests. They drove home, glad to have tried something like that, but knew in the long run, that they couldn't sustain that and not become the target of debunkers, which might just expose them to others that might want to exploit their abilities. They settled down to a nice home cooked meal, before Julie went to get changed she gave William a lame excuse for not doing the geisha thing with the kimono instead she paraded around in the bedroom, in a certain gold lame bikini. This certainly made things appear without the aid of magic. The next act had things, or a thing appearing and disappearing and appearing in rapid succession, accompanied with the appropriate approval voice by an audience of two.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Six

Meanwhile, back with Sara, Kevin, Maggie was keeping the journey from being routine, with her seemingly endless questions about, "where were they headed next? What were they going to do when they got there? How long will it be? Can I have an ice cream? Are we there yet?" With Maggie's bouncing around, Sara and Kevin could swear they already had a young child in the back seat, if they didn't turn around.

Maggie's antics only endeared her to her future parents as they patiently answered her as best they could. Maggie's antics might have been due partly to some unconscious need to test her future parents, to see if they could cope with the boundless energy that her inner self seemed to have in spades. The adult in Maggie knew she was being a pain in the neck, literally, as Sara kept looking over her shoulder to answer Maggie's questions. Despite all the questions, Sara showed only boundless patience with a quirky smile as she tried to reconcile the sight of an adult exhibiting the childlike wonder that comes with the innocence of youth.

Maggie learned of Sara's and Kevin's past lives and was particularly interested in Sara's and Julies fence jumping. The bonding that was going on between them was rudely interrupted with the cell phones ring. Sara answered it.

"Hi Kim, how are you?"

I'm fine, but we have a problem," Kim answered.

Sara grew worried, if Kim was having problems, what use were they to help out.

"Oh? What's up?" she asked, hoping it wasn't anything major.

"You know that chat room that Maggie told us about, where HER and some other transgendered meet?"

"Yes, what of it?" replied Sara.

"They won't talk to me and there's some concern over Maggie's whereabouts, seems she has a lot of friends there that check in with her, some by phone. Now that line is down and Maggie has been absent from the net. Things are stirring, I even got accused of doing something to her."

"You want her to go there and tell them she's okay?" Sara asked.

"Yes, I don't talk the lingo, we need these people on our side, maybe you can expedite things on your end, with Maggie as your go between."

Okay, I'll see what we can do."

"Thanks, I'll be in touch. Byeeeeeeeeee..."

"Byeeeee Kim..."

Sara hung up and told Kevin to find a place to stop. Sara filled the others in, as she got into the back seat with Maggie, as soon as Kevin had stopped the car. Handing the laptop to Maggie, she told her to visit the chat room that she used to frequent, when she was using the libraries computer.

"But it's not connected, is it?" Maggie asked puzzled, as she examined the sides of the laptop.

"This is special, Maggie, it interfaces directly into the Internet without cords or a server.

"Coolies," smiled Maggie, quickly typing in the address she knew from memory. Sara watched fascinated as the screen opened to a room where several people were listed as being in the room. Maggie logged in as Maggie the kitten, her usual Nick. There was a flurried response as the others greeted her excitedly. Some were more reserved, seeking assurance that she was indeed their Maggie. One, a person with a Nick of "twisted," questioned the fact that there was no IP address or server listed when she joined. Maggie tried to explain she was on something new and that she was travelling in a car at the moment. Twisted seemed to accept that the more Maggie 'talked,'

Sara was amazed, Maggie typed in a Pidgin English that everyone seemed to understand, although as people continued to 'speak' it was obvious the Maggie had a style of her own that couldn't be counterfeited. It was this, more than anything, which convinced the others she was indeed Maggie. Sara watched, as the greetings came thick and furious, along with questions about where she had been. Maggie gave them a pocket history, leaving out about her injuries and subsequent transformation, telling them she had bumped into friends who were going to give her the one thing she had wished for, all her life. At this point, she introduced Sara, showing how to change the nick from Maggie to Sara, on the screen.

At once, the chatters in the room could see the different typing style and word choice that showed there was another person at the keyboard. Sara tentatively greeted the people, mentioning that she was heading west from Indianapolis and taking Maggie to her new home. This bought out a flurry of questions that showed the true concern and love that this people had for their 'Kitten,' a name that they used for Maggie. Sara got another call from Kim, on the cell phone while this was going on. Somehow, Kim was able to monitor the room via whatever link the laptops used. Kim told her that there was nobody spying on the chat if she wanted to mention the Krin, and that each person in the chat room had been located, just in case there was trouble.

Sara asked the people gathered what their wish was, in terms their fantasy body, if it was possible to achieve it. Some wanted female bodies. Some just wanted to be able to change back and forth, as many had wives or partners. Sara heard of the tales of woe from those suffering from everything up to the big C. some had sick spouses and a few were truly happy as they were. Sara laid a bombshell, when she offered a way to give them what they so desperately needed. Of the Americans in the chat, the only one that was closest and in the general direction that they were headed, was a person called TyrificGal. He or she agreed to meet Sara and Maggie the following day, as it would take that time to reach her place. Maggie showed Sara how to initiate a private chat to get the address and work out a rough ETA.

Sara was going to tell her more, but TyrificGal had to leave for a few minutes to attend to her sick spouse. When she signified her return, with the obligatory,' back,' Sara told her that what she had to offer could cure her spouse as well. Obviously, this claim was meet with some scepticism, but Sara insisted it was true and would prove it tomorrow. She put Maggie on and let her confirm that they had the power to do the things they claimed. Maggie didn't elucidate too much in case they came off sounding like nut cases, instead, saying she would show TyrificGal her own changes tomorrow.

Sara allowed Maggie to sign off, and had her urge. The others to meet this time tomorrow and to tell as many of the others not present to be there. Sara contacted Kim and let her know what they were doing.

"We'll need to drive most of the night to get there by tomorrow, I think," Sara explained. "We could do with more Krin, or whatever you were going to make to give these people," she added.

"Okay, it's not a problem; we have built a new option for the car and will stock it with everything you need. Please access the panel for the extra cars and push the blue button next to upload. This will give the car access to a new vehicle stored in what you called non-space. I've left you some instructions with the new Krin, as they work slightly differently to your own."

"Thank, I'll talk to you later," replied Sara as she hung up.

Sara gave Kevin the instructions, seeing it was too much of a stretch to reach through from the back to do it. Once the blue button was depressed, another light flickered on and off, showing that something was happening. A soft ding about a minute later and the flickering light extinguished itself, having finished its task. Looking at the option list, Kevin could see that an extra one was listed under SRV. After relaying that fact to the others, debate as to what the letters stood for began. Assuming the RV meant recreational vehicle, only the S remained in doubt. Was it Shelke, as Kevin suggested, or special, as Maggie offered? Sara thought it might be sleeper. The friendly dispute only lasted till they were clear of traffic, so they could test it out. It turned out that they were all pretty much correct in their guesses.

Once Kevin was out of view from any traffic, he pressed the new option. Sara and Maggie felt themselves moving away from Kevin as the interior enlarged. When the car stopped evolving into the final shape, Sara was a good ten feet away from Kevin, and was sitting on a bed. Maggie was squealing as she found herself sitting on another bed, inside the huge RV. Kevin had to stop, before his craning head caused an accident, as he tried to check out the new interior.

The Shelke special sleeper, as they nicknamed it, was huge. It had two beds, side by side, with a bunk over the drivers cab. Two bucket seats fitted at the front had an aisle to let one step into the back section. There was a kitchen and fully stocked cupboards with food and other essentials. A small fridge and a toilet and shower, were also installed. A fold away table could fill the space between the beds, making them double as a seat for the table.

A TV and a DVD player were also part of the deal. Sara and Maggie played search and discover, while Kevin started driving again. Both the girl's kept Kevin informed of each new discovery as they ummed and ah’d, so that he wouldn’t feel left out. Maggie found a mini freezer, which contained semi frozen meat, which must have been placed there only a few hours ago. Sara didn't find the Krin, so she had to ring Kim for help.

"See the cupboard next to the fridge, well there's a button just inside at the top. Press that and you'll see the secret drawer," Kim informed her on the phone.

Sara thanked her profusely for the RV, before hanging up, and checking said drawer. Inside were about twenty thin bracelets. The only distinguishing marks on them, were two small in dentations that Sara assumed were the on and off switches for the owners ideal wish form. She saw the instructions, for them, but at the moment, she was too interested in the RV to bother reading them right then.

She was surprised as she moved around the interior, that the movements of the vehicle on the road didn't have her swaying around or having to hold onto something to keep her balance. She smiled as she saw Maggie claim the bunk bed over the cab as her own. Maggie squealed in delight when a overhead locker, revealed her stuffies. Leaving Maggie to arrange her pets, Sara went forward to talk to Kevin.

"How's it ride?" she asked, seeing they were moving along at a decent clip.

"It's weird, it should be a bitch to handle with all that weight behind, and the wind resistance," Kevin stated. "It handles just like a car."

"Power steering?" Sara asked, hazarding a guess.

"No it's more than that, power steering makes the wheel light, but tends to take the responsiveness out of the steering. This feels like normal rack and pinion configuration, I can feel the road but without the leaden feel, that you're pulling a multi ton RV behind you."

"So I'll have no problem driving it?" Sara grinned, poking Kevin in the side.

"Hey less with the poking, I'm the one that does the poking round here," Kevin tried to sound indignant.

"Promises, promises," giggled Sara, poking him again for good measure.

"Just you wait, till I get you alone, you tormenter, you," Kevin grumbled good-naturedly.

Sara pecked him on the cheek, causing him to swerve sharply. Sara noticed that she wasn't thrown around with the movement, and mentioned it to Kevin.

"I don't know why that is, more Shelke technology?" he speculated.

Sara decided to annoy Kim again with another call. Kim laughed and said well done, obviously expecting this very question. Apparently, it was the latest Shelke technology, borrowed from their spacecraft. Inertial damping, she called it. This prevented anyone in the interior from being thrown around despite the exterior movement. If Kevin had to slam on the brakes for an emergency, or if he deliberately drove into a brick wall, the G forces that would normally affect the occupants, and fittings, get converted to heat that is vented out of the rear. That meant they were safe to stand in the back and even a cup of tea on the table wouldn't become an instant missile, should Kevin do a sudden 360.

After letting Kim get back to whatever she doing, Sara decided to make a sandwich and a coffee for them all. Maggie bounced down from her bunk and offered to help. Sara got her to butter the fresh bread that had been stored in a built in bread bin, while Sara found some shaved ham in the fridge. Adding some sliced tomatoes and lettuce; Sara built up sandwiches for them all. Maggie took Kevin's to him, while Sara poured a coffee and had Maggie place it in the cup holder that folded out from the dashboard.

Knowing that they had to drive all night, Sara decided to lie down and catch some zzzed's. Maggie went forward to keep Kevin company and to make sure he stayed alert. Maggie and Kevin bonded, swapping stories, while Sara slept.

Sara woke, feeling refreshed. She checked with Kevin and found Maggie sitting in the passenger seat dozing while Kevin drove. Getting assurances that he was fine, Sara helped Maggie stumble to her bunk to snooze, while Sara prepared dinner in the kitchen. An hour later, Kevin moaned as his stomach rumbled, the appetising smell that was wafting forward didn't help either.

"Kevin, find someplace to stop, so we can have dinner," Sara called, as she roused a weary Maggie.

Soon, all three of them were tucking into a grilled steak, with grilled tomatoes and oven fries. Fresh bread accompanied the meal, with a beer for Kevin. Maggie had a can of coke, as did Sara, as she was going to take over driving, while Kevin rested. They all took a short walk to the river that Kevin had stopped near. It helped stretch their legs, and settle their meal. Kevin showed Maggie the fine art of stone skipping, helping her throw the flat pebbles across the placid water, trying for the maximum amount of bounces before the stone sank.

Back on the road, Kevin and Maggie washed the dishes before settling down for a nap. Sara drove into the deepening dusk, as the light faded to black. With the lights spearing the darkness ahead, her thoughts turned to their future and what it might hold. She didn't see any problems accepting Maggie as their child, which was the least of their problems. Tomorrow was the start of something new; she hoped things would go smoothly.

The cell phone chirped. Sara answered it, hearing Kim's voice on the other end.

"Sara, I know that if you're driving at the moment, I’ll need to tell you about the headlight option. If you push the dipping switch down to high beam and then rotate the end, you'll find it will be a lot better, but only if there's no traffic, those actinic beams will blind oncoming cars, there is an auto dip mechanism which detects on coming light, but it's best used when there's no houses or public to see them."

Sara experimented, while still on the phone, gasping as the extra light gave her a 30 degree angle of light to each side of the road and stretched forward about 4 times as far as normal lights, rotating the knob either spread the light to a fan shape or focused it to a narrow beam straight ahead. It was like having those huge carbon arc searchlights that you see in the old war movies. Every detail was lit up, giving her perfect visibility. She talked to Kim for a while, before hanging up to concentrate on driving.

About 3 hours later, around midnight, Maggie stumbled sleepily forward to sit on the passenger’s seat. She had her teddy bear in one hand, clasped tight to her chest.

"I couldn't seep," she murmured childlike, at Sara's enquiringly raised eyebrow.

The interior of the cab was lit by a subdued glow emitted from the array of instruments on the dash, so each could see the other reasonably well. Watching Maggie fiddle with the seat, in her long brushed cotton nightgown, Sara could imagine it was a child sitting there, having woken by a bad dream.

Sara let her sit there, welcome for the company on the long drive ahead. Maggie found a lever that allowed the passengers seat to swivel, so that it could face the passengers door or rotate 190 degrees to face the narrow walkway between the seats that led to the rear. Sara smiled, as Maggie began to play, spinning the seat back and forth like some amusement park plaything. Getting bored with the unending monotony of the night clad land, Maggie said she was tired and gave Sara a hug, before heading off to her bunk. Sara drove on into tomorrow with a faint smile on her face.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was 4 am in the morning, when Kevin surprised her with a cup of hot chocolate. She hadn't heard his quiet movements in the back as she'd had the radio on low.

"I thought of coffee, but you won't sleep with just having had a stimulant, so I brought you this."

"Thanks, I was thinking of pulling over and getting something anyway. You have earned your brownie points today." Sara thanked him.

"What would I need brownie points for," winked Kevin. "I already have a point," he added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well I could easily change that, and give you two brownie points instead," grinned Sara, leaving the rest unsaid.

Kevin got the 'point,' and covered his groin protectively, as he whined his protest.

"Ah no, leave that stuff for Maggie, she'd make a great brownie."

"So would her twin sister," laughed Sara. "I can see you both skipping hand in hand in your cute uniforms."

Kevin blushed, knowing Sara wasn't above doing that just for a laugh. Using the age-old technique of distraction, he tickled her just as she was took a sip of her drink. She tried to not giggle with her mouth full of hot chocolate, and as it was still a bit hot to swallow in one gulp, she ended up snorting her mirth through her nose adding a little chocolate snot to the situation. Kevin laughed seeing her predicament and handed her some tissues to wipe her face. Swallowing at last, Sara turned to scold Kevin, but another tickle attack ended that idea. Kevin walked away to let Sara recover, content to have misdirected Sara from her previous thoughts.

Sara could hear the shower running, as Kevin washed himself, before getting dressed. She wondered if there was room for two in the shower, as she pictured running her hands over Kevin's naked steamy body. Damn, why doesn't this thing come with an autopilot, maybe she should trade it in for the next model. With a giggle, she tore her thoughts from having a hot and wet tryst with her lover, and turned her thoughts back to the task in hand.

"Where are we, exactly?" Kevin asked, smelling pleasantly of soap and skin, as he came forward half dressed.

"Well, I took the short cut past Salt Lake City an hour ago, so we should be arriving in Twin Falls soon. We can stop there and have breakfast, preferably after a hot shower." Sara answered.

"I might be dirty again by then," offered Kevin, with a grin.

Sara smiled, but shook her head regretfully. It would have to wait till later, besides, she didn't want to leave the RV without water.

"Sorry, you'll have reign in that parade, for now," she opologised, feeling Kevin's disappointment.

Maggie's catch phrase of "are we there yet?" came sleepily from the back, as Maggie heard them talking.

"Almost ready to stop for breakfast," Sara shouted back to her. "Do you want to eat out, or do we make something in here,"

"Eat out," Maggie called back, as she struggled to get dressed.

"Fine by me," Kevin agreed, glad to be able to get out of the RV and see someplace new.

Sara drove the RV to a park just north of the city centre. She stopped the RV and went and got a shower, while the others checked around outside. By the time she was finished her shower and had put on a new dress, the others were back.

"There's a nice place, within walking distant," announced Kevin, smiling as he gazed at Sara in her nice flowing sundress. "It has English style breakfasts, with crumpets and pancakes. Judging by the amount of 18 wheelers parked nearby, the truckers love the food."

"Sounds like a good recommendation to me," Sara agreed, as her mouth watered and her stomach made some very unladylike noises.

Maggie laughed, hearing that, as hers was agreeing in a similar fashion.

"Darn," wailed Kevin, hearing the belly thunder, "I was hoping to finish what you couldn't eat, but it doesn't seem like there'll be anything left on your plates."

"Oh dear, we can't have you starve," grinned Sara, winking at Maggie. "We might leave you some crumbs," she added with a deadpan face. Maggie held it for a good 5 seconds, before she burst out in a fit of giggles.

"Oh the pain, the pain." Kevin groaned, trying to look hurt and failing badly.

The three trooped off, after Sara had locked the RV. There was a beep, as she got about 10 yards away, indicating that the key ring had an auto arming system for the RV. Reaching the restaurant, they had to wait for a seat, as the place was packed. Fortunately for the three hungry travellers, a table came free in 5 minutes, allowing them to sit and peruse the menu.

All three opted for the English breakfast, which included bacon and eggs with a sausage and baked beans, with a choice of toast or crumpet. Kevin said he felt like a bit of crumpet, but had to settle for the ones you get toasted with butter on them. Both Sara and Maggie had the same, seeing they had never tried one before. They nearly ordered pancakes as well, but one look at the size of the serving at one of the other tables, decided reluctantly to pass this time. The meal was something to write home about. The pork sausage was excellent, having the claim to be made from an original recipe by the chef. Kevin even refrained from drowning everything in tomato ketchup, so he could actual taste the meal.

Kevin and Sara got fresh filtered coffee, while Maggie chose a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The drinks came with something called pikelets, which looked like baby pancakes, about 2-3 inches across. They were buttered and had raspberry jam on top with a dab of whipped cream on top of that. They were delicious and Maggie wanted more, so several more were brought for them. Sara was so impressed; she asked the waitress if she could get a recipe. The waitress smiled, winked, and was soon back with a pre-printed card with both the pancake and the pikelet recipe on it. Obviously, they had been asked before and had some cards printed up for interested customers. When they had finished, they wandered back to the RV via a grocery store, to pick up some fresh bread and fruit, along with enough ingredients to make pikelets.

Suddenly, the key chain began beeping, or more correctly, the plastic fob on it was. Hurrying back, thinking someone was breaking into the RV, they saw a tow truck attempting to lift the front end of it.

"What's going on?" they asked, when they got nearer.

"City bylaw, no RV's allowed to camp here, said the over zealous towie.

"But we aren't camped here, we just stopped to get breakfast," explained Sara indignantly.

"Too bad," sneered the guy. "It's going, seeing I got it connected," the man said, ignoring the look of anger from Sara.

Sara rang Kim on her phone, to ask for advice. Kim asked how big a tow truck it was

"Just a normal sized one, why?"

Sara heard Kim laugh. "Remember those inertial dampers I told you about, well push the centre button the key fob. It will stop the RV from moving. It will anchor the vehicle to the ground and will withstand a hurricane or a tornado; I wish I were there to watch the guys face when he tries to lift it.

Sara pressed the button as the guy stated to lift the front wheels of the RV in readiness for towing. Instead of the RV lifting, the front of the tow truck began to lift off the ground, leaving the front wheels in mid air. The man shook his head and released the cable, then tried again, moving the lifting boom, to a more favourable position where it had more leverage. This time Sara turned the dampers off, allowing the RV to lift off the ground, satisfied that he could tow it, the man got in his cab and started it. With a grin, Sara activated the dampers. The RV came down to ground in a flash without even a bounce of its suspension. The sudden forces applied to the lift boom and cable and the inertia of the truck not allowing it to rise fast enough, snapped both the cable and the boom mounting.

While the man stumbled out cursing, to survey the damage, Sara climbed into the cab of the RV and started it. Kevin adroitly released the hook from the front and jumped in after Maggie had got aboard. Leaving the irate man screaming at them, they pulled away and headed back to the main highway towards Boise, where Kevin took over the driving.

They passed though Baker city and then Pendleton without stopping, while Sara was in the back talking with Maggie.

"Here is your bracelet; Kim loaded a program to the laptop last night while everyone was sleeping. I want you to pick out a picture of a child that you can use as your temporary body. They are all 6 years old and there are options for changing their appearance. Once you've chosen, we can load it into the bracelet and you can switch from your adult body to the child, whenever you want."

Maggie nodded and got to work. Sometime later, she had picked out a blonde curly headed 6 year old with blue eyes and dimples on her cheeks. Sara nodded with approval and loaded the image into the program. Maggie wanted to try it, but Sara said that Kim was having it created, along with clothes and a temporary identity. Kim had told her it would take an hour to create and get ready to be used.

Passing through Arlington, Maggie suggested they stop somewhere along the Hood River for lunch. Sara started mixing up a bowl of pikelet mix and had Maggie spoon it into the fry pan on the gas stove, soon the RV was filled with the aroma of fresh pikelets. Kevin found a nice place where they could walk to the river. Sara set aside the pikelets to cool, while she made lunch. Then she told Maggie that it had been an hour. Maggie knew what that meant, as she touched the Krin on her wrist. Maggie's transformation into a 6 year old was dramatic. She shrank, as the Shelke; formed body replaced her adult one. Dressed in a pink sundress, it set off her dimples and rosy complexion, even the few freckles seemed to enhance her childlike qualities. Maggie went immediately to the mirror on the cupboard where the clothes were stored. She stood there, looking at her new body, for what seemed forever, tears trickling down her cute cheeks, as she faced her dream. Sara went and hugged her, knowing that she didn't need to say a thing, as Maggie took in her new appearance.

Maggie's, "I love yous mommy," made Sara's eyes moisten as they hugged each other tight. Sara left Maggie twirling in front of the mirror, while she finished the lunch arrangements. Kevin parked the RV and got out. He walked outside to the back door to meet the others, and was surprised to see Maggie in her 6-year-old body, but took it in his stride as he piggybacked her giggling body down to the river.

Sara made Maggie eat two sandwiches before allowing her to have a pikelet. Maggie was having trouble buttering them herself, using the unaccustomed tiny fingers of her child's hand. Sara and Kevin laughed as she tried to squirt the canned whipped cream onto the jam topped snack. Her aim was off and cream sprayed everywhere but where she wanted. Maggie looked imploringly at Sara with her newly minted blue eyes, begging silently for some help. Sara buttered the rest of the pikelets, knowing they'd all disappear in minutes. Adding the jam, she then gave them a squirt with the cream. She gave Maggie's cute button nose a squirt too, which made Kevin and Sara laughed, as Maggie tried to look at the cream on her nose, going cross-eyed in the process.

Sara wanted Maggie to resume her adult body for when they met TyrificGal. This was met with a few tears, but when Sara explained the need to demonstrate the power of the Krin, she switched back, after finding out she could change back later.

Lunch over; they drove the last 30 miles to Portland. They found the address for TyrificGal and parked outside. They climbed out and together walked to the front door and knocked on the door. They weren't sure what to expect, they knew TyrificGal was a guy with a sick wife, and that his name was really Tyrone, but how he'd look was anyone's guess. What they didn't expect, was a guy in a nurse's uniform that looked a size too small. He opened the door and waved them in, careful not to show much of himself to the outside world.

"Hello, I'm Maggie, and these are going to be my parent's." Maggie quickly introduced herself. She giggled as she went and hugged the stranger she'd only spoken to online through the limits of text on a screen.

"You look terrific gal, and I love the outfit," Maggie whispered in his ear.

Tears ran down Tyrone's face at the way he'd been unreservedly accepted and shown no ridicule, or laughter.

"I'm Sara and this is Kevin, my husband to be," Sara said, stepping forward to hug Tyrone.

"Hi, sorry, but I'm on nurse duty, Carolyn likes me to look the part when I have to give the meds." He said, blushing as he indicated his attire.

"Nice, she must be very lucky to have you see to her needs like that," Kevin stated pleasantly, as if seeing guys in nurse’s uniforms was an everyday event.

Seeing no derision or other negative looks from Kevin made him feel relieved. He showed them into the lounge where they all sat down.

"You look fabulous Maggie, but the photo you sent me, doesn't do you justice." Tyrone said, looking at her body in wonder.

Maggie giggled and said the face was hers, but the body was by others. Tyrone looked puzzled at that, so Sara began to tell him the story of the Shelke. While Sara gave Tyrone the pocket edition of their tale, the others watched his face change in expression as the tale unfolded. They could see doubt wage with hope, as the promise of his dream coming true seemed like coming true.

"So Maggie is fully female now?" Tyrone asked, his breathing seemed laboured as emotions choked his body.

Sara had Maggie stand up and spin round. She then nodded her approval of Maggie's next action.

"Yes, that and more," Sara confirmed, as Maggie touched her Krin and shrunk to her 6 years old form.

Tyrone gasped as the sight of Maggie the Kitten appeared, freckles and dimples included. Maggie did a pounce onto Tyrone's lap, giving him a hug as she spoke in her new voice.

"See, it's me da Kitten, all growed liddle," she spoke in her pidgin English style, that was so familiar to her online text way of conversing.

This more than anything convinced Tyrone, that this was indeed, the same person he knew as Maggie the Kitten. Tears trickled down Tyrone's cheeks, as the love from Maggie was finally expressed in an actual physical embrace, instead of the many previous cyber hugs.

Tyrone's first thought was for Carolyn his sick wife.

"Can the Krin help her get better?" he asked hopefully, raising himself in esteem in the eyes of the others, for thinking of someone else, other than trying to achieve his own dreams.

"The words he'd prayed he would hear, left him sobbing, as Sara said "yes." Maggie hugged him tighter, as Tyrone wept openly at the good news.

"What will happen, is that we will change her body into one we have stored in our Krin. This will place her body in non-space, where the Shelke can convert the body to her ideal form without any of the ravages her illness may have caused. The Shelke will alter her body on the inside to gain the same physical benefits that we have, which means good health, and much longer life, and slower aging effects."

"She will look like herself? I don't want her looking like a stranger," asked Tyrone, imagining the Shelke tinkering with his wife's body.

"Of course, she will. The main change will be the effects that aging has had. There'll be fewer lines and she'll look younger, as the Shelke improvements cause the body to resist the aging effects. She will have a choice of a second form, but that can be done later."

"Let's get Carolyn sorted before we do Tyrone. After all, she might want to have some input to his choice of body." Sara suggested, winking at Tyrone.

Tyrone grinned and led them into the bedroom where Carolyn was watching TV. Tyrone introduced everyone, before saying that they were here to cure her.

"Carolyn, you know when your car needs to go into the shop for a while, and you get a courtesy car to use while it gets fixed," Sara explained. "Well, we are going to put your body into the shop, and give you a courtesy body to use, while your own is getting fixed. This should take a couple of hours, okay?"

Carolyn looked at Tyrone, in askance; obviously thinking these people were crazy. However, when Tyrone nodded his reassurance that this was legit, her eyes opened wide as she reached out for his hand.

Sara took the Krin off her wrist and placed it on Carolyn's other wrist motioning to Tyrone to stand clear as she touched the setting that would give Carolyn, Margaret Ellery's form. Too late to stop Carolyn from grabbing Tyrone's hand again, as the change took effect, Sara grinned as Tyrone became Carolyn's twin, in form and attire.

The two Margaret's gasped, as they turned to look at each other, and then at themselves.

"Oops," Sara giggled seeing the surprised look as the former Tyrone felt the differences of his inadvertent change.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Oops? I hope that doesn't mean I'm stuck like this," questioned the Margaret that used to be Tyrone.

"Oh no, it's not permanent, unless you wish to keep it as your alternate form, giggled Sara, looking at the two twins.

"It is a nice body," approved Carolyn, looking at her twin and then at herself.

Tyrone had to agree, he had planned to choose a more mature body, than what Sara had. Still it would have been nice to have a say in its design. He shrugged and turned his/her attention to her wife.

"Are you okay love? I hope you feel like I do, in this body. It's kind of overwhelming for me." Tyrone stated.

"I'm fine Ty..rona," his wife confirmed, altering his name to the feminine.

"Tyrona? Hmmm, I guess that's more appropriate at the moment, although I kinda like Tyrissa."

Sara smiled, and interrupted the twin's debate over Tyrone's name to be, explaining that there would be a price for this gift of a cure.

Tyrissa nodded, having wondered what price, all this would cost.

"I don't have a lot in the bank, Carolyn's medical bill's have drained them out, but I'll find some way of getting whatever you want."

Sara, who hadn't told Tyrissa the full story of the Shelke and what was looming in mankind's future, smiled, and told them that money wasn't needed.

"What I'm going to tell you mustn't leave this house. After I'm done, and you don't wish to participate, then we will leave you alone without the Krin, and the gifts it will give you," Sara told them quietly.

"Does that mean Carolyn will still be sick?" Tyrissa asked worriedly.

"Not at all, we would leave her in a healthy body as good faith," answered Sara, reassuringly.

"Then go ahead," Tyrissa urged after getting a nod of agreement from Carolyn.

Sara told them both of the impending fate of mankind and the danger if something wasn't done now. She told of the power of the nexus, which came with the use of the Krin. The twins nodded in agreement, of wanting the chance to become closer to each other. Tyrissa still had some questions, seemingly unaware of the natural way she was sitting and acting like a woman.

"Why us... I mean the transgendered community in general. Why are we the first to benefit, why not the sick and dying, not that I'm objecting at all, we will all benefit greatly?"

"Well, for one thing, you can keep secrets, the other thing is you have just as much to lose if this got out to the general public. Think of the witch-hunt if it got out that transgendered where getting the power to change their bodies at will. The other thing is that you dare to be different, whether this was a condition at birth or not."

"I wouldn't say I dare to be different, just I can't stop being the way I am." Tyrissa admitted shamefaced.

"Hey there's nothing wrong with getting in touch with your feminine side, is there Kevin?" Sara asked looking at Kevin for support.

"Hell no, it's kind of liberating really," Kevin admitted, smiling at Sara before poking his tongue out at her. Just to show he was being genuine, Kevin touched his Krin and became Anita to the twin's surprise. Here before them was another set of twins just dressed differently. Sara was wearing a sundress that was obviously comfortable, while Anita was ready to go out on the town in her figure hugging evening gown.

"When I'm like this, I'm called Anita, explained the former Kevin, without a hint of embarrassment.

Sara went and hugged Anita, glad that Kevin wasn't worried about being exposed as Anita in front of relative strangers. She kissed Anita deeply, causing the twins turn to each other and follow suit.

"Getting back to the sick and dying," Sara started again, having broken off her kiss with a lingering look at Anita. "We need people who have a flexible mind, open to new things and possibilities. Most old people that are ready to pass on are just not able to handle this. We will be targeting groups like those that good to science conventions or anime conventions. Also cancer victims that will suddenly go into remission, we need people to form a nexus all over the world and raise babies with telepathic powers. Are you willing to be a part of this, and help save this planet?" Sara finished.

The twins looked at each other without saying anything, but it was plain to see that they were both in agreement.

"Yes," they said together, "count us in."

"What if one of the people that get a Krin decides to blow the whistle?" Tyrissa asked, thinking of all the possibilities.

"The Krin does allow the Shelke to monitor partially. In addition, the Krin once placed on the wrist will be keyed to that person. Not only will it not work for another, it will become an inert ring if it's removed. Oh don't worry about people thinking you are wearing a woman's bracelet in guy mode," Sara added quickly seeing the question in Tyrissa's eyes. "There's a stealth mode where it becomes invisible and undetectable by anyone touching your wrists."

"So, how do I select this alternative form?" Tyrissa asked, as she turned the Krin that Sara had handed out to them, around on her wrist.

"We have this program that I'll load on to your computer. It lists all the forms stored in non-space as well as some that can be generated easily. We can alter your male form as well, seeing you’re not using it at the moment," grinned Sara.

Anxious to start, Tyrissa led them to the computer, while Anita swivelled out to get the laptop.

"Even though I know Anita was Kevin, I can't believe how sexy she moves, it’s as if she was born female," Tyrissa said wistfully as she watched Anita's departing derriere.

"Believe me that's all man in there," giggled Sara, just packaged differently. The body comes with a handy built in program to help ensure you look feminine and can put on makeup. I bet you haven't noticed the way you walk either," Sara added.

"Hell, I haven't had time to do more than look," complained Tyrissa, with a pout. I've been dying to get myself alone to check everything out," she sighed.

"Why don't you and your twin, go do that now, while we set things up? Just take your time and if you make any noise in your explorations... well, we just went deaf." The implied suggestion wasn't lost on the twins, as they hurried off to the bedroom and closed the door.

Maggie, who had been tagging along underfoot, giggled and held up her hands to the now alone Sara. Smiling, Sara lifted her up and hugged her, as she waited on Anita, who seemed to be taking her time. Hearing some sounds emanating from the bedroom, that suggested the exploration was fully underway, Sara turned the TV on for Maggie to watch, while she opened her mind to find out what was holding up Anita. She smiled, as she heard Anita move the RV from where it was parked on the roadside, to up the driveway of Tyrone's house.

When Anita came inside, she was red faced.

"Flirting with the law now, are we? I bet it was that powerful motorbike that got your juices running," teased Sara.

"Hey! You told me to park there, I didn't know I was blocking a fireplug." Anita explained, blushing.

"I heard you talking that nice officer out of giving you a ticket, did you give him a phone number? You did, you minx, I'll have to put you on a chain, giggled Sara as she caught the thought from Anita's mind.

"Yeah, but we are gone by the time he decides to ring that number, smiled Anita, joining in with Sara's playful banter. "Anyway, looking like this did pay off," Anita added with a smug grin.

"Hey! Leave the girl tricks to me, you are getting too darned good at it," protested Sara.

"Well I learned from the best," Anita, replied, sashaying over to Sara and planting a nice one on her lips.

"Hmmrfph," was Sara's cut off reply, as they tried to suck each other's tongue out.

Coming up for air, Anita asked where the others were. Sara nodded to the bedroom door where some interesting moans were coming from.

"Ah I remember that song well," laughed Anita quietly.

"Where's the laptop?" asked Sara, changing the subject.

"Oops! I forgot it." Anita blushed and ran back outside, her haste making her move in interesting ways as she coped with moving rapidly in a tight gown and heels. Sara looked at the computer, avoiding looking at Anita return with the laptop. Any more stimulation and she'd be banging on the bedroom door telling them to hurry up, so she and Anita could sate themselves.

Coming back in with the laptop, Anita grinned at Sara, as the squeals and moans from the bedroom continued unabated. Obviously, sex had been off the menu during Carolyn's illness and Tyrissa's initiation into how the other half played, was being met with repeated success.

"Hon, can you take Maggie out to the RV and make up a triple batch of pikelets. I think we'll have some hungry people after all that exertion," Sara asked Anita.

"But haven't they just eaten?" Anita grinned back.

Sara gave her the 'look,' before turning away to hide her smile.

"Maggie? Will you help Kev...um, your aunt Anita make some pikelets?" Sara asked, having walked to where Maggie was sitting watching TV.

"Uhuh," agreed Maggie, tearing her attention away to grin with glee.

"Oh and no eating any, till they come inside," warned Sara, with raised eyebrow. "And that goes for the big kids too," she added, giving Anita an arched eyebrow.

"I show daddy...um awnty Anita how we dids it," Maggie squealed happily in her kidlish (kid English).

"Come on munchkin, you better show me good, or I expect we'll be in big trouble," laughed Anita, as she walked over to Maggie.

Maggie's hands went skywards, a signal that would become familiar for when she wanted to be lifted up. Anita pulled her up into her arms and carried her giggling burden outside.

Sara started setting up the laptop and loaded the program to Tyrone's computer. She wanted to do something extra for the couple, so she rang Kim to see if there was a way to accommodate them. Sara smiled when Kim said it was possible, and when she hung up, she was very pleased with herself. Checking with Anita, in a mental communion, to when they would be finished, Sara went to the bedroom door. She could hear muted talking, and figured that the sexercise was finished for the moment.

"You two have 5 minutes to shower and freshen up, before afternoon tea is served." Sara spoke through the closed door. She grinned hearing the scramble going on inside, as the pair hurried to comply. Sara put the jug on and found where the cups and saucers were kept. She had just poured the water into the teapot, when Carolyn and Tyrissa emerged flushed and steamy. Sara took no notice of their embarrassment and ordered them to sit like errant little children. Both of them sat with eyes cast down with the occasional sideways glance at each other.

Sara couldn't hold it any longer, and giggled, as she went and hugged them both.

"I'm very happy for you, just as well there are no men in the house. Or we'd all be pregnant probably." She grinned, gently poking fun at them.

"Sorry, but it's been so long, and Tyrissa needed instructions," Carolyn blushed, grabbing Tyrissa's hand.

"Sounds like she learned pretty quickly," Sara replied with a grin at Tyrissa.

"It's funny, I'm not a lesbian, but knowing it was Tyrone in that body turned me on in a way I didn't expect." Carolyn admitted.

"So how was it Tyrissa? Judging by the noise you enjoyed yourself," winked Sara.

"Words can't describe it. I thought that I was only a cross dresser, but having experienced that, I know that just looking like a female wont be enough. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that experience, but I don't know if I should take you up on your offer, I might never want to turn back, and as much as I wish to I don't want to do that to Carolyn." Was Tyrone's heart felt admission.

Anita and Maggie walked in, preventing further discussion. Anita carried the plate of pikelets, while Maggie followed with the canned cream and jar of jam. Carolyn poured the tea, while Sara buttered the pikelets to the sounds of anticipation from Tyrissa and the others. Silence ensued with the consumption of pikelets and tea. Maggie had a glass of cold milk, instead of tea, in keeping with her looks. Looking at Maggie, Sara laughed, with the others following suit at seeing her jam and cream encrusted face, as she tucked into the last remaining pikelet. Carolyn was quick to grab a paper tissue to gently obliterate the impromptu beauty regime applied to Maggie's face.

"I've heard of a peaches and cream complexion, but not a jam and cream one," teased Carolyn as she finished her task on the satisfied looking face of Maggie.

"I like peaches and cweam too aunty Carolyn," giggled Maggie, prompting another round of laughter.

"I bet you do, I bet you do," Carolyn repeated wistfully, as she ruffled Maggie's hair.

Maggie due to her cunning disguise as a child escaped having to help tidy up after the afternoon tea. She was allowed to got watch TV again while the big girls talked in the kitchen.

"Tyrissa, don't give up on your dream just yet, I have a surprise for you that I think you'll like. Kim says it’s possible, so let's see what we can do first, okay?" Sara offered, with a wink.

Tyrissa, nodded, hope rekindling in her eyes, as once again, her wish was being offered. They moved to the computer, which had Tyrissa's old male body spinning slowly like a puppet, on the computer screen. With a few keystrokes, Sara explained how they could alter the body, so that it would look slightly more feminine, without being obvious. The face was softened, by slightly reducing the nose and building up the cheekbones. Reducing the forehead in depth and then disguising it by lowering the hairline, gave her a face that could be made feminine with the use of cosmetics, and yet could still look like he'd only changed his hairstyle.

Next came the body changes. Narrowing his shoulders wasn't really noticeable and making his hands and feet smaller wouldn't really be noticeable to most men, who don't pay much attention to another guys hands, as a rule. Sara smoothed out his legs to make them softer looking and not so angular. She left his waist the same size, which puzzled Tyrissa, until she explained. Bringing up another menu, she selected a corset from a list of clothing options. She then used the mouse to drag the corset over to the body, where with a click, magically fitted itself to the body. Using the mouse instead of hooks or laces, she made the corset appear to tighten. The extra flesh that was left on the waistline was forced up and downwards as the waist was narrowed. When finished, the body had a very feminine set of curves, as the flesh pooled at the hip and formed nice breasts.

"This looks painful, but Kim says, we can narrow the skeleton of the torso, and yet hide it with a layer of flesh that will move easily up and down, once a corset is fitted. Without the corset, it will look like a normal male body, Sara explained.

Tyrissa and Carolyn looked suitably impressed, but Sara wasn't finished yet, as she opened a file containing Carolyn's old body.

"Wait there's more," she said, as she dragged Carolyn's image over the top of Tyrone's

"Oh, oh, I know this one, if I order now, I get-" Tyrissa started, but was downed out in a chorus from the others.

"STEAK KNIVES."

Everyone burst out laughing at that tired out cliché. When everyone recovered, Sara pointed to the screen where the male body of Tyrone was now covered by his wife's form.

"See, you can now wear Carolyn's clothes perfectly," Sara grinned triumphantly.

"Oh no," wailed Carolyn melodramatically, lifting her arm and putting the back of one hand to her forehead. "I have to share my clothes now."

Everyone laughed.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Don't think of it as sharing clothes," giggled Tyrissa, in response. "Think of, no more stretched clothes, instead. Plus we'll save money, only buying one size," she added, hugging Carolyn.

"Okay, now that we have sorted your base model, what about your second one. I have talked to Kim about an added wrinkle you might like," Sara continued.

"I prefer wrinkle free, if you don't mind," quipped Tyrissa, interrupting, Sara and making everyone grin.

Sara let Tyrissa take over as she brought up a menu showing thumbnails of a selection of the female forms available. Whether it was because of the body she was currently wearing, or because her first female orgasm had been as Margaret, she clicked on Margaret's thumbnail. She played with the image, making it subtly different from the original, changing the hair colour and a few other things. Carolyn made several suggestions, which Tyrissa implemented. Once they were both satisfied, Sara dropped her bombshell.

Sara took over the mouse and brought up something that Kim had sent only an hour ago. A small picture of what looked like a female groin came up. Sara dragged it with the mouse, placing it over the one on the altered Margaret image. Everyone, including Anita looked puzzled, as there seemed to be no difference.

"Watch," was all Sara said, grinning widely as she right clicked on the transplanted groin.

The others watched in amazement as the perfectly normal female groin, started changing. It started morphing into a male groin, producing a nice sized cock and its twin accessories.

"Oh wow!" chorused the others.

The morphing groin was on a continuous loop and cycled back to a female groin again, repeating the sequence, as both Carolyn and Tyrissa watched fascinated.

"With this form, you can go and do anything a woman can, like trying on clothes, without the fear of discovery and still get excited as a man if you wish to. Plus it has a definite advantage in the bedroom, if you know what I mean." Sara giggled and looked at Anita with a gleam in her eyes.

"Kim said it can be triggered on or off by either of your bracelets, so Carolyn could make you pop out any time she wanted," explained Sara. The look that crossed Carolyn's face at that moment, told Sara, that Tyrissa was in for some interesting times.

Anita looked interested as well, and Sara whispered into her ear, that it was already programmed into her Krin. Sara demonstrated by activating the change, on her own Krin. Anita's gasp as she felt a sudden tightness in her panties as a certain something started growing, made the others look at her. They looked down as something distinctly masculine marred Anita's ladylike silhouette.

"Going camping?" Asked Tyrissa with a knowing smile, as Anita's skirt, tented up.

"Nice pole she's carrying, all she needs now, is some guy ropes," Carolyn added.

"I think she's happy to do it without ropes, judging by the size of that," Sara joined in, with a grin.

Anita didn't respond to the gentle ribbing, she was lost in a wave of sensations, that almost felt like an orgasm itself as the change continued to completion.

"Wow! That is..." was all she could say.

"I'll have what she's having," Tyrissa said, quoting an old movie line, as she looked enviously at the expression on Anita's face.

"I think I'll take those steak knives too," agreed Carolyn, finding herself getting hot and bothered.

Maggie wandered in and seeing Sara was busy on the computer, turned to Anita instead.

"I need to go potty, can you untie my bow?" she asked plaintively as she reached up to grasp Anita's skirt. Maggie's tiny hand grabbed a convenient handle and tugged to get her attention.

Everyone collapsed, laughing uncontrollably as Anita plucked up Maggie from the floor and swept out, trying to muster as much dignity as she could, that a beetroot red face would allow, as she took a giggling Maggie to the toilet.

"The little minx, I bet she did that on purpose," sighed Sara, after recovering somewhat.

"Well, that's one way of getting attention," spluttered Tyrissa, her double meaning not being lost on Sara.

"That's one toy that's all mine to play with," grinned Sara at the thought.

"Well don't leave your toys out, where she can find them, next time, put it back in your box," hooted Tyrissa, as she cracked up.

Carolyn looked at Sara apologetically. "I just washed her and can't do a thing with her."

"Must be comedy central," Sara pouted, before giving in to the laugh that wanted out.

"I envy you your time with Maggie, she's such a sweetheart and I love her already," Carolyn sighed.

"Well you can come and visit any time," suggested Sara. "We have a huge place, you can stay for free."

"We might just do that, if I can get ‘her’ out of the bedroom," laughed Carolyn, looking at Tyrissa.

"Hey!" Tyrissa half protested, pouting at the accusation. "Who was holding me down and." she blushed, not decided not to complete that sentence with company around.

"Okay, we will then," Carolyn capitulated, emending her previous comment.

Sounds of flushing and taps running heralded the return of the others. Maggie skipped in first, trailing a decamped Anita, showing no sign of her former embarrassment. No one said a thing, but Anita could see what was on their minds as she sat down and smoothed her skirt.

"I thought I'd wrap it up and put my present back in the box for now," Anita informed them.

Everyone burst out laughing, considering what had been said just a few minutes earlier. Sara used her mind link to let Anita in on the joke, and Anita chuckled along with them.

"Shall I put on a movie for Maggie?" asked Carolyn, thinking of keeping her occupied while they sorted things out. "We have Free Willy." Carolyn froze, thinking how her innocent words would be taken in light of the recent topic of conversation. She needn't have worried as Anita howled in laughter sending the others into fits as well. She sat and let her own laugh join the others.

Tyrissa was in tears, not only from the humour, but from watching Carolyn laugh as well. It had been so long since they had anything to laugh about. This day marked several miracles, but none as important as seeing the happiness of Carolyn bloom once more.

"I don't suppose you have Jack in Jill, do you?" Anita asked, keeping the hilarity going,

"No, but I think we might have a jack in the box nearby," Sara returned, looking pointedly at the skirt of Anita.

It took a few minutes to get composed, as even just a look at Anita would set them off again. Tyrissa got up and gave both Sara and Anita a kiss and a hug, thanking them for everything. Maggie came in, complaining of being, tired (in her words) seepy. Anita lifted her up into her arms and cradled her there while Sara informed Tyrissa, that her base model should be ready. She slid the bracelet on her wrist, and touched the spot Sara had pointed out.

As the change hit, her face changed slightly, taking on more of Tyrone's original features the hair remained the same colour and length and looked perfectly normal for a woman. Tyrone's cloths changed to a full-length gown that emphasised her womanly curves. Tyrone's makeup was flawless and there was even a nice handbag supplied.

"What happened? I thought I was returning to a guy," Tyrone's voice cracked, going from a soft contralto to his own masculine tones and back.

"You are a man, check downstairs," Sara grinned. I had the Shelke dress you enfemme. This is what you can look like, while still fully a guy." Tyrone rushed to the bathroom to check his appearance and something else more important. He came back in tears, sniffling as he hugged Sara again. He took off the wig, revealing his normal hair underneath. Carolyn was amazed at what the corset was able to achieve. Tyrone had very normal looking breasts showing at the cleavage of his gown, proof that what had been promised had been delivered.

"Go change while we put Maggie down for a nap," Sara suggested, taking a sleepy Maggie from Anita and moving to the front door.

When Sara returned, Tyrone was back in male mode, only the nail polish on his fingers, remained in evidence. His longish hair was brushed back and secured by a scrunchie, supplied by Carolyn.

"My hair is much longer now, and seems fuller," stated Tyrone, as he flicked his head sideways making the ponytail flick about.

"Yes, I thought if it's longer, you have more choice of styles, it's actually a feminine head of hair that won't recede as you age," Sara explained. "Carolyn, now it's your turn to trade in Margaret's body for your own improved version," Sara told her.

Carolyn looked at Tyrone, taking a deep breath, as she touched the bracelet, which Sara had given her. She changed, becoming her former self, but not quite. Where her hair had been barely visible before, having only started growing out after the chemotherapy treatment, it was now long and luxuriant. She looked younger, but not too young. Most of the lines in her face were gone, and her body looked fit and healthy. She didn't need a mirror to see herself; just looking into Tyrone's eyes was enough to tell her that he found her beautiful.

"Honey, you are " Tyrone's voice broke in emotion, again moving into a feminine register as he tried to express his love to Carolyn. "What's up with my voice, it's cracking like I was going through puberty again," he complained, trying to clear his voice.

"Oh that's something I thought might help you while enfemme," admitted Sara. "With a little practice, you can switch from the masculine to the feminine and talk in a contralto that will be indistinguishable from a real woman's voice."

"You mean like this?" Tyrone asked in a very sexy contralto.

"Yes."

"Well why didn't you say so, honey. I can just see the reaction when I talk like this to the guys," Tyrone vamped, batting his eyes at the others.

Carolyn poked him in the shoulder at his antics, which made him drop the voice and complain in his own voice. "Oh the pain, the pain."

Tyrone found with a little effort, that he could switch from either voice at will. He was having fun with it, using the fem voice while being in male mode, until Carolyn scolded him gently, saying, go change if you want to.

Sara explained that in the handbag that the Shelke had supplied with Tyrissa's new body, had new documentation, with ID's showing the improved Tyrone's face and that of Tyrissa's. Tyrissa now had a legal identity, which would stand up under any scrutiny. Sara offered the same deal to Carolyn in terms of her other body, but that she didn't need to choose at that moment. Tyrone had the program and knew what to do. Even though Carolyn was happy with her body, she could see the advantage in having a spare. Maybe she could have the second one be a twin, but dressed to the nines, and then instead of having to spend time getting ready to go out, she could go from grub to glamour in seconds.

"That thing with the changing groin, is it possible to have it in this body as well?" she asked Sara quietly, while Tyrone had gone to get the handbag.

Sara blushed, and whispered that she had already taken care of that. Sara also added that Tyrone in his male body also had that option, but it was only going to be controlled by Carolyn's bracelet, unlike the Tyrissa body which both controlled. She added that Tyrone didn't know about this at all.

Carolyn's face lit up as she grinned mischievously, at the fun she could have, if Tyrone ogled at another woman. She'd seen him getting hard at the sight of a well-dressed female, but knew it wasn't the woman he was after, but the clothes. He'd be imagining himself wearing her clothes, which got him as hard as a rock. Carolyn giggled, imagining the scene. Tyrone would see a nicely dressed female and when he got hard, she would activate the bracelet, making him wet instead. She vowed to carry a camera to catch that moment of surprise on his face when that happened. Oh yes, this was going to be loads of fun.

Tyrone came back bringing his handbag, and showed the ID cards to Carolyn, proudly.

"Carolyn? I hope you don't mind, but I had the Shelke add a memory program for you. I want you to look at Tyrone's hair and tell me what you think should be done with it," Sara asked, hoping she hadn't overstepped the bounds, by adding something unasked.

Carolyn looked at Sara with a puzzled look, but did as requested and studied Tyrone's hair for a minute. She walked up to an equally puzzled Tyrone, as he wondered if there was something wrong with it.

She walked around Tyrone, studying it from all sides and ran her hands through it releasing the scrunchie. Tyrone stood still, letting his wife play with his hair as she lifted it and moved it around, before speaking.

"I could do a lot with it, even style it so the wig needn't be used. I could cut it in a pixie cut that would look great, yet would still allow him to brush it back into a man's style." Carolyn's eyes widened, as she realised what she had just said. "I know exactly what to do with his hair, yet I never cut hair in my life, and my knowledge of styling has been limited to just basics for myself. I used to go to the salon for anything special, when I had hair, that is."

"Tyrone, I want you to look at Carolyn's hair. You also have that hairdressing program added." Sara smiled. I figured you can do each others hair now, and it will give you a hand when you do go out enfemme."

"What about make up? And will Tyrissa have this program?" he asked as he got excited.

"Tyrissa will come with everything to help you look female, it will be as if you learnt everything, any other natural born women would know. Tyrone's body has the hair and the voice and gestures added, but not the makeup. We didn't want to take all the fun out of it. If you spend time as Tyrissa, you'll soon learn, by observing your own actions. Besides, Carolyn is now a qualified beauty consultant, come hairdresser. She can help you in the meantime.

"Wow! This is too much, like a dream."

"No not really, you will be travelling all over the country to help your sisters achieve the same results. The Shelke can set you up as a mobile fashion salon that will be a business and an extension of the Shelke self-preservation program. We will be helping as well, but we can't be everywhere." Sara explained.

Carolyn and Tyrone hugged each other, partly to confirm it wasn't a dream, and partly because now, they could travel the country giving others the same kind of joy they were themselves, experiencing.

The two engulfed Sara and Anita, as more hugs were shared. Tears flowed, as they blubbered incoherent thank yous. Sounds of stomachs rumbling broke them apart with giggles, as the growing appetising smell of something cooking, alerted Anita's ever vigilant tummy monster.

"Well I'm hungry, and something smells great," Anita said, unrepentantly.

Tyrone dashed into thee kitchen to check the roast, he'd had set to cook in the oven for dinner.

"You will be staying I hope. I put in a large roast this morning, knowing you were coming." Begged Tyrone, looking hopefully at Sara and Anita.

"I guess there's no rush to get back, Julie and William have to see a few people in Hollywood, so I don't expect them back for a while," Sara answered, accepting the offer.

Anita checked on Maggie while the others went into the kitchen to help organise the rest of dinner.

"She's sleeping like a baby," Anita reported with a smile, when she returned.

"When you have worn the bracelets for a while, you'll find that your thoughts will start meshing," Sara mentioned as she peeled some carrots. "We found that having sex made our bond so tight, that our thoughts joined as our bodies did. It's what's called as a nexus, and it will allow you share fully everything of the other. It also allows you to travel astrally. It took us a few months for this to happen, but as you already have a close bond with each other, it could happen any time. We just don't know, even the Shelke were surprised at the ease we achieved it."

"We can't wait," came in unison.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty

Soon, dinner preparations were completed. Having four people mucking in helped speed up the progress. Sara showed Carolyn and Tyrone the recipe for the pikelets, and soon several batches were cooling on wire racks. Tyrone, having been the one who had looked after the kitchen duties while Carolyn was ill, kept popping in to check the progress of the cooking, while the others relaxed with a celebratory glass of wine. Anita decided to return to being Kevin, so he could enjoy dinner as a man and hopefully get a larger portion, without being hassled by dietary concerns about his figure.

Of course, Sara saw right through his ploy and gently ribbed him about it. The others laughed, seeing the love that existed between their two benefactors.

"Maggie's awake, I'll go get her," Sara said suddenly, sensing with her burgeoning maternal instinct, that their child to be, was rousing.

Sara went out to the RV to see Maggie rubbing sleep from her eyes as she stretched her arms.

"Mommy!" she cried, flinging herself off the bunk with a leap into Sara's welcoming arms. "I's be woked up now. Can I go play outsides?"

"I think missy needs a wash to freshen up," chided Sara gently, lifting Maggie over to the small vanity, next to the shower.

"Awwh, do I have to?" whined Maggie, as she wriggled to get free.

"Remember what little girl's are made of?" asked Sara, poking Maggie on her nose.

"Sugar and spice?"

"Yes and things that smell nice," adlibbed Sara, with a smile. " Let's get you smelling nice." With that, Sara began to wash Maggie's face, bringing back a rosy glow to the youngsters pouting face.

Maggie scrambled for the door of the RV as soon as she was done; she had her favourite stuffie with her, held tight, as she managed the steps to the ground. Once back inside the house, she pounced on any lap that seemed available, giving the owner a hug as payment.

Carolyn couldn't get over the fact that Maggie had been an adult, so camouflaged was she in her role as a little girl, that it was nearly impossible to think of her as anything, but a child. Maggie stayed on Carolyn's lap the most, knowing it would be some time before they met again. Maggie hoped she would still be able to remember her aunty Carolyn the next time. Carolyn was so taken by Maggie, she was considering having another child, or... looking at Tyrone speculatively, maybe Tyrissa could experience childbirth this time. Oh the possibilities. One thing for sure, their lives were going to be exciting from now on.

Dinner was delicious, and luckily the pikelet scoffer, didn't smell or see the desert treat, with the others smells around. The stuffed roast turkey was gobbled up (sorry, couldn't resist lol) till everyone was stuffed. Maggie even ate the vegetables; luckily, there weren't any Brussel sprouts in sight or there might have more resistance. Sara used the tried and true method of getting vegetables inside reluctant tummies, by promising a treat afterwards.

Even Kevin was replete; Tyrone had made sure there was more than enough food to go around, twice in Kevin's case, as he went back for seconds. They adjourned into the lounge to watch the news on the TV while their food settled. Maggie wanted her treat, having endured the vegetable clause. Sara sighed and made to get up, but Carolyn pushed her back in the seat and said she'd do it.

Carolyn with a small shadow following close behind, went back into the kitchen to get Maggie her treat. She put the jug on for a hot drink for the others and poured a glass of milk for Maggie. She enjoyed the hugs that Maggie bestowed her, in thanks for the pikelets and milk. She watched the child eat, while Maggie found space somehow for everything.

That night, Sara and Kevin joined in a nexus to check in with Julie and William. While they were still hovering in the RV, checking on Maggie's sleeping form, they sensed a new presence nearby. Their nexus was drawn over to the house, where they floated above the bedroom of Carolyn and Tyrone's. They saw the two entwined together, but who was penetrating whom, wasn't clear. One thing that was clear was the beginning of a new nexus, as the minds of the pair joined in way closer than that of their bodies. The nexus flickered, as the ying and the yang fought for dominance, finding a balance, the glow of the nexus steadied, becoming a thing of beauty.

The Sara (Kevin) nexus contacted the Carolyn (Tyrone) nexus forming a bond that allowed instant communication. The Sara (Kevin) nexus expressed surprise at the others rapid achievement, and indicated that they join them when they went to visit the Julie (William) nexus. Soon, the three were together, as distance was no barrier to the power they generated. Being more experienced, in nexus travel, Sara (Kevin) pointed out the faint lines trailing from the nexus back to their bodies, to their newest member. Introductions were made and soon everyone was up to date with each other's news. Kim had contacted Julie and William and had given them a number of the modified Krin along with the program and shown its capabilities. Their motorbike was also given an upgrade, and the pair were keen to try out the RV option on their next task.

Returning to their bodies, the three nexi broke apart. The Carolyn (Tyrone) nexus decided to experiment, seeing this was all new to them. They flew across the country, revelling in the freedom of their incorporeal minds. They eventually returned and settled back into their bodies to try and sleep.

The next morning, Kim was a surprise visitor as she drove up behind the RV. Sara was up and working on breakfast, when Kim knocked on the door.

"Hi Kim, I thought you were down with Julie," Sara asked, as she invited her in.

"I was, but you know how things change, and the drive through the night doesn't take long in one of our cars." She grinned, somewhat sadly.

"What's up? You don't sound too chipper this morning." Sara asked, sensing something was troubling Kim.

"It will wait till after breakfast, I don't want to spoil your appetite." Kim answered, with a shrug.

Sara looked worried, but held her silence, wondering what was wrong. She offered Kim some of the bacon she had cooked, saying she could cook some more. Kim ate the bacon sandwich distractedly, after accepting it with thanks.

The smell of bacon soon roused Kevin and Maggie and they sat down at the table just as Sara finished cooking. Greetings were exchanged as they noticed Kim sitting there. Food being more important than conversation, it wasn't long till everyone was finished. Then while Kevin and Maggie dressed, Sara filled Kim in on the speed that Carolyn and Tyrone had formed their own nexus, while they cleaned up the breakfast mess.

"I'm surprised, but then you surprised me too, so I should have expected this development," Kim offered. "The bond that existed between them, before the Krin were introduced, may explain the speed at which they were able to form a nexus," she added.

"That was my thought," agreed Sara.

They were soon back inside the house and introduced Carolyn and Tyrone to Kim. To say that tears flowed was understating things, as the two grateful beneficiaries of Shelke technology showed their thanks. Kim thanked them as well, for taking on the job of spreading the Krin, and congratulated them on forming a nexus so soon.

Kim had them sit down, as she paced in front of them, saying she had something to tell them. She asked Sara to ring Julie and have her fire up the laptop at her end. Kevin turned on their own laptop, and soon a video link was formed between the two. Sara could see Julie and William in the screen, and knew they would be hearing every word spoken in the room.

Next, she had Tyrone fire up his computer, and asked William to do the same with the one in Huang's house. Then telling them both to type in a command, she waited as the screen cleared.

"This is what we are fighting against," she said, as the image resolved. The scene showed a chaotic street scene where hundreds of humanoids were either attacking or being attacked by each other. Even though it looked like a scene from Star Wars, with some very realistic stage settings, there was no doubt in any mind that this was real. Even though the physiology was different to a human, there was no mistaking the look of fear that was on every single face. The smallish grey bodies were being pounded under foot as the main mass trampled them in their rush to escape the nameless terror that was striking their minds.

Some were cowering in corners tearing at their heads as if trying to rid themselves of the demons invading their minds. Sara and the others were glad that the footage was bereft of any audio. The scene suddenly flashed into blinding whiteness before it cut off. The scene switched to one that was obviously from out in space. In the foreground was a planet of reds and browns, with patches of blue marking seas or lakes. Clouds were in evidence, as were bright flashes from what looked like nuclear explosions. The sun was an orange white ball and much larger than earths sun, and could be seen looking past the planet. Suddenly, the sun started to grow larger, turning whiter and whiter as some unknown power had increased its reaction. The screen bloomed, causing the planet to look like a black dot in a sea of white. The ship from where the images were coming from tried to swing away and escape from the exploding sun. Just before this image was cut off, one could see the planet tear apart as the forces against it proved too much.

"This was from 10 light years away from a ship that managed to jump from that solar system moments before," Kim spoke into the silence.

A star field was shown, with millions of white points filling the screen. In the centre, a bright star was shown, and this was the one all watched, as it grew even brighter. Everyone gasped seeing the bright star grew a 100, then a 1000 times it original size.

"We lost many of our people when the sun went nova. Kim stated emotionlessly. " The images on the planet were remote camera's luckily, but 4 ships like the one that beamed the planets end were lost with all aboard. The way she said it, alerted Sara's hackles.

"Were there friends of yours on board?" she asked, reaching out for Kim.

"My birthing parents were in the one that took those images of the planet."

There was a collective gasp, from everyone, and Sara wrapped her arms around Kim, beating the others by only seconds as the others crowded around.

"We are so sorry. You must be devastated, come sit down," Sara burst out, feeling awful for Kim.

Kim sat woodenly, having managed to get through this retelling of news. The others came and hugged her, not really knowing how to comfort Kim in her moment of loss. Not knowing how the Shelke dealt with grief, made things awkward for the others.

"It was quick and we think it caught the Nemesis by surprise and they also lost lives. The Brandorian's were a race that refused our help; we could only observe their demise. "They proved to be more advanced than we anticipated." Kim continued, her gaze fixed, staring into a point that only she could see, as she feed them more information. "They had a weapon that set on a dead man switch that would destroy the sun, in case they were ever overwhelmed."

"Was that the only planet that supported that race?" asked Carolyn.

"No, but the other was consumed as well, there may only be a few survivors in space craft that were out exploring."

As they sat, contemplating the demise of a whole race of beings, it was born in to them that as powerful the Shelke seemed to be, they were subject to the same frailty's as man. They could be killed. In their fight against this implacable foe, they were not perfect. This made the importance of doing something themselves to protect earth so much greater. Humans might not have the ability to destroy the sun, but they could render earth into an unliveable cauldron of nuclear fire.

"Has anyone seen the enemy?" asked Tyrone, as he tried to come to grips with what he'd just seen.

"No, not even us," admitted Kim sadly. "They either have a powerful stealth technology, or are able to able to affect minds in a way that makes them invisible," she added.

"Or both," came William's voice over the video link.

"But I thought..." started Kevin.

"That our mental powers would prevent that?" Kim completed.

"Yes!"

"What we do is resist their coercion powers. We keep in touch with each other with a mental link, this doesn't mean that we are constantly monitoring each other's thoughts; it's more an awareness of the other nearby, so to speak. We found that if a mind is being coerced in some manner, that feeling all changes. Just as you can be aware of a person living in your house, even if they aren't talking, you know they are there doing their normal things they do. However, if they suddenly start jumping up and down or acting oddly, you know something's wrong. With us, when that happens, the link strengthens as we feel the disturbance in normal thought patterns. Once another mind finds the cause, it links up with another to fight off the influence, adding more minds, as necessary till the threat is overwhelmed by sheer willpower."

"Sort of like dog piling on someone till he surrenders," Sara verbalised, thinking of school fights Scott had been in.

"Dog piling? You cover someone with dog excrement?" asked Kim, trying to understand the term.

"No, not that sort of piling," Sara chuckled, seeing the image in her mind. She explained the term and Kim nodded, her understanding.

"Yes dog piling is correct." She gave a faint smile.

There was silence for a few minutes as Kim's explanation sank in

"What if there's not enough minds to overcome the threat, what happens then?" Sara asked, thinking of the limited number of Shelke on earth at the moment.

There was a moments pause, as Kim steeled herself for the reply she didn't want to answer.

"Then we die."

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-One

Kim's bluntness, stunned everyone, and made it clear that the stakes were high for everyone, including the Shelke.

"We have started at the hospitals inoculating newborns with the nanite Krin. We also started giving older children the same treatment, wherever we could justify giving them a needle." Kim broke the tension, left by her earlier words.

"We have to win," came a voice, and in that instant, time seemed to freeze for Sara, as her panicked mind raced, realising that Maggie had seen all of that graphic scene. Even knowing she wasn't what she seemed, that is, just a normal 6 year old girl, having her witness that would destroy the innocence that was the kitten. Sara's heart thudded as she turned to look behind her, where she had last seen Maggie. She expected to see a very traumatised little girl, sitting in the seat behind her. 'Damn, she should have sent her out of the room, had she not been wholly occupied,' she thought regretfully. Instead of seeing a forlorn form needing a cuddle, there sat Maggie the adult, still holding on to her baby.

It was she who had spoken, and had triggered Sara's mind about Maggie. Maggie looked at Sara's face and saw the concern written on her face.

"Don't worry, she didn't see that," Maggie whispered to her, as she held up her Krin adorned wrist.

Sara didn't need to be told who 'she,' was, and marvelled at the complexity of Maggie's twin personas. Obviously the Kitten had used the Krin, or that the part of her, that was the adult, had.

"I had to protect her from seeing that," explained Maggie, with Sara nodding understandingly.

Sara got up and went and hugged Maggie, not caring whether she was young or adult, she need love in both forms, and Sara was determined to see she got all she could give. The others having heard Maggie were not slow in joining in on the hug. Sara gave her up to the others, seeking Kevin for a hug as well.

"We will win," Kevin reassured her, as he poured his love into a kiss for his soul mate.

Kim seeing the way each were comforting the others, smiled. There had been some doubt at first whether this race could or should be saved. She knew mankind was capable of terrible destruction in its blind search for personal gain and power, but it was also capable of doing noble things and making sacrifices for the good of others. She hoped that mankind would eventually join the other galactic communities, adding their own uniqueness to the rest of the sentient civilisations.

"I do have a few other things to tell you before I leave," Kim interrupted.

Everyone went back to their seats, looking expectantly at Kim. She could see that they hoped it wouldn't be any more bad news, as they shifted nervously in their seats.

"I have brought your mobile salon with me," she said, smiling at Carolyn and Tyrone. It's in its other guise at the moment," she added, as the new owners started to rush outside to see it.

Everyone trooped out, with Kevin bringing the laptop along so Julie and William wouldn't miss out on the inspection tour. The car in the driveway was a yellow Camaro, sporting front and rear spoilers and mag wheels. There was an air scoop in the hood, behind which, showed the chrome barrels of the carburettor, and when Tyrone started it up and revved it slightly, the throaty roar of a V8 motor, broke the morning peace, making the chassis twist in response to the torque developed by the big motor.

Tyrone drooled as he exited the muscle car; hearing the twin exhausts burbling as the engine idled.

"That's some car, but it's a mite small to do hair in," he joked.

Kim got in and showed them the all-important knob. Getting everyone to stand well clear, she activated the change that would produce the RV. The sudden transformation, as the Camaro expanded into the new RV, caught Carolyn and Tyrone by surprise. Even though they knew about the ability, of the Shelke technology, seeing it actually happening, was breath taking.

"Wow!" they cried in unison, as they walked around the outside of their own piece of heaven. Climbing inside caused more gasps and a few questions. Inside, showed an interior similar to the RV that Sara and Kevin owned, with one double bed, one bunk over the cab with wardrobes and shower, along with the bathroom and toilet.

"It looks great, but where's the equipment for the salon business?" asked Tyrone, as he looked in some cupboards.

"This is the living mode, not the working mode," Kim explained just press this," Kim said, showing them a small button inside a small flap on the wall.

Tyrone offered Carolyn the pleasure of doing that, which was readily accepted. On activation, the insides changed, as did Carolyn and Tyrone's clothes. Looking at the equipment that appeared, they didn't notice that they were wearing a pink uniform, similar to those worn in salons everywhere. Carolyn chuckled when she turned and saw what Tyrone was wearing.

"I can't seem to keep you out of skirts and heels for long, can I dear?" she teased as Tyrone plucked at his skirted uniform, trying to get a look at his nylon-clad legs.

The others crowded in, taking in the view of the four reclinable seats with individual height adjustment. The seats swivelled around, and were held in a slot in the floor allowing them to reach a hair washing bowl on one side, to be slid across to four hair drying hoods fitted on the other side the walls were mirrored, allowing the clients to see themselves from all sides. Every conceivable item relating to the hair business was provided, including shampoos, conditioners, and hair dyes. Tyrone picked up an item in curiosity. It had a handle with a cord on it and a sliver barrel that had a metal curved piece the fitted to the curve of the barrel and way able to be opened like a lopsided pair of tongs. As he touched it, he knew instantly what it was, even though moments before, he'd had no clue. It was an electric curling wand. Tyrone knew exactly how to use it to its best advantage, even though it was the first he'd seen.

"You're surprised at knowing what to do with that," Kim guessed seeing the expression on his face. "It’s the programming we gave you, along with the diploma's on the wall. Tyrone belatedly took in the four diplomas on the rear wall. Two were for advanced hair design for the two of them, plus one each for makeup and beauty products. He noted that Tyrissa was the name on two of the diplomas; there were also photos of them both looking extremely feminine in close company with several famous movie stars. Obviously, the Shelke had thought of everything.

Carolyn had walked through a curtained area at the front end of the salon where two more seats were arranged in front of a vast array of make up products. She looked into the mirror there and saw that her uniform had CT Styling on the left breast; only the spelling was Cee Tee. Underneath was her name. CT...Carolyn and Tyrissa. She laughed, seeing that CT could also sound like city.

Tyrone had also spotted that, while looking at himself in the mirror. He didn't look like a he, although by a furtive check below, he knew that the lady in the mirror was definitely a male. Although the figure in the mirror showed a feminine silhouette with a narrow waist and curves in the other places, he didn't feel uncomfortable from the corset he was obviously wearing. Ignoring the others that were admiring everything, he unzipped the uniform and let it drop to the floor, leaving him standing in just lingerie.

"Oh my," he gasped as he took in the view of his near naked body, ignoring the giggles from the others. "I have a woman's body," he gasped as he ran his hands over the naked skin of his waist. He wasn't wearing a corset, only panties and a garter belt, to which his stockings were fastened and a bra that cupped almost C cup breasts.

"Like the corset?" asked Kim with a smirk on her face.

"What corset?" replied Tyrone, looking puzzled at Kim.

"It's in stealth mode," Kim explained, handing him a ring. "Turn the gem around."

Tyrone slid the ring onto his hand then rotated the ruby like gem on it. The skin that looked naked from his hips to his breasts disappeared from view, as a white silky material appeared around him. It was seamless with no obvious fastenings or tightening laces.

"The ring controls the corsets shaping power, and whether its visible or not. Pressing on the edges of the gem control the degree of shape in the waist hip or breast, pressing it in the middle releases it altogether." Kim demonstrated, giving Tyrone a wasp waist that looked incredible. "Just make sure you pull it up to your nipples when u put it on. It controls the shape of your breasts, so that the bra can be taken off. In invisible mode, you could walk topless and appear to have normal breasts, just like any other woman." Kim added.

"That will be great when Tyrone's shopping for bras, going topless, while he tries them on, if he looks this good," Carolyn teased, tweaking one of his rounded globes.

"HEY!" protested Tyrone protecting his breasts from further spousal attack. "What's good for the goose is good for the goose," he said, adapting the saying for the current circumstances. He mock lunged for Carolyn's own breasts, missing, but not seeming to be mind, as she danced out of range.

Kim caught their attention, as she showed them a secret drawer that contained about twenty Krin. Tyrone turned serious as he mentioned the risk of carrying such a valuable cargo.

"What if they get stolen, or we pick someone that's not honest and we end up with the police or the FBI on our necks."

Kim asked Tyrone and Carolyn to place their hand on the spot where Kim had made the drawer appear.

"Now it's keyed to you, and won't open for anyone else, as for the other, I suggest you use these," she said, handing them a pair of feminine styled sunglasses. "To check each person for the veracity of their claims." Kim explained that these glasses would allow them to hypnotise the most strongest will.

"They look a little too fem for me," suggested Tyrone, as he tried a pair on.

Wear them as Tyrissa and when you change back to Tyrone, they will look more masculine," Kim explained, grinning at the incongruity of seeing Tyrone all dolled up, complaining of something being too fem.

Sara realised that they hadn't worn the pair of glasses that they had found, during a transition from female to male. She mentally kicked herself, for a moment, before realising that she had just been careful not to lose the only pair they had at the time, and didn't want to damage them by experimenting with them. Sara made a mental note to ask Kim for a pair for Kevin.

"What about break-ins, can they be jimmied open or cut in from the outside? Persisted Tyrone, determined to make sure every thing was done to protect the cargo.

"The RV is invulnerable to attack. It's made of the same material as our spacecraft. plus there's an Null Zone protecting the skin from projectile weapons. Kim explained. Before the question, "what's a Null Zone?" She explained. "It's a thin barrier that's activated when an object tries to penetrate the skin. It's designed to operate at a pressure just short of scratching the surface. We use the same thing against meteorite hits in space. What happens is that the moment anything exerts enough pressure to mar the surface, its sent into a Null Zone, similar to the zone where we store all our bodies and cars. It's a stasis field with a dimensional rift that sends meteorites, missiles or whatever into."

"Hey wake me up somebody," Tyrone cried, slapping his face. "I've fallen asleep and dreaming I'm in a Star Trek, James Bond, and the Twilight Zone fantasy.

Everyone giggled.

Kim showed them a laptop that was similar to the one Kevin was holding, and explained the functions. It could communicate both with Sara or Julie as well as Kim if she wanted. In addition, it would be used to chat to their new customers on the net. The software that was used for Tyrissa's body modification was also loaded, and ready to go. Both Carolyn and Tyrone were in a daze, after being given the 50 cent tour of the RV and shown all the gizmo's and special features. Kim got serious for a moment, handing them a list of the most urgent cases that they'd have to deal with first. Tyrone read the list, nodding his head in approval. He could see they were in for a long journey, but one with rewards, if they could give these souls peace, as they repaired or transformed their bodies, like they themselves had been.

"I think we'll start with Cathy_t first," Tyrone said, looking at the list, "Then work our way into Canada to Rikki b, and the others there, before coming south again. Jenna and Cathleen aren't as urgent, but I know some that are suffering from cancer, or other life threatening diseases that need to be seen first," Tyrone added, wiping a tear from his eye, as he thought about his chat friends. Carolyn hugged him and dabbed away his tears, knowing how much his online friends meant to him.

"What about those in other countries?" Tyrone asked, gaining his composure again, as he thought of another Sara in the UK.

"Once you start your work, and the word starts to spread, we can send more mobile units like this one, to all countries. They will have other Shelke driving them, but we should be able to reach everyone within a month," Kim explained.

Tyrone could imagine the upheaval in the TG community, as people started to live the life they'd only dreamed of up till now. He wished he could see each face as each one realised their dream. Kim's next words brought more tears to his face.

"What we can do, is have you there in a conference mode on the laptop. Having a known person, who has been through the process, will allay doubts, and be a reassurance for the subject. You will also get to see the finished product," Kim suggested, having sensed Tyrone's need to do just that.

Tyrone hugged Kim tight, not caring if anyone saw the tears. The others gathered round, making it a group hug, as they realised this was the beginning of something momentous for the transgendered of the world.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Wow"! Grinned Tyrone, as he stepped outside the RV.

Sara nudged him so that he noticed the sign on the side of their new mobile salon. There, in all its pink glory was the words Cee Tee Styling. Underneath it had the words, 'fashions from the stars to you, we can make anyone outshine the rest.' There was a web site under that, showing the address as [email protected].

"That's for those we might miss on the way." Kim explained. "The website will direct inquires to you laptop," she added.

"Oh boy, that will certainly alert anyone who has read any of the TG fiction stories online," agreed Tyrone. "What made you pick VainGirls?"

"Well, we do our research, we needed something that readers would associate with what you will be doing."

"Good choice," Tyrone said, as he explained the significance to the others.

When Sara mentioned getting on the road again, a protest from Carolyn and Tyrone, had them change their plans. Both Carolyn and Tyrone wanted to repay them for the miraculous gift that they had bestowed.

"The least we can do is give you all a makeover, free of charge. We need to practice and you're the perfect guinea pigs," they laughed. "It could be our debut event," they both insisted.

Sara gave in quickly, and Maggie agreed without reservation, plonking her cute backside in a chair immediately. Kevin looked on resignedly, knowing once Sara had agreed; there'd be no budging her. He sat and watched as Sara and Maggie had their hair washed and shampooed. Even Kim, after a few nudges, sat in the third chair, as Carolyn and Tyrone flitted from one to the other, in a flurry of pink.

Sara moaned in pleasure, as Tyrone massaged her scalp. This was only the second time she had her hair done by others, and she loved it. Maggie giggled and was a handful to keep still. Kim closed her eyes and relaxed as her pampering in turn, eased the stresses of the long journey overnight. Kevin sat and felt a bit left out, even though he had refused to participate either as himself or Anita. Sara knew that he wanted to try it, but didn't want to look too eager to join in as Anita.

Maggie was eventually finished, Carolyn having given her a Shirley Temple look, with lots of curly ringlets that bounced as she moved. When Sara got up from the chair to head to the makeup section, she whispered in Kevin's ear.

"For me?" Her message clear to him to join in.

Kevin shook his head, wondering if he was a man or a mouse, as he touched the Krin. Becoming Anita again, she moved into a chair vacated by Sara, feeling its warmth though his skirt, as she sat down. Maggie wanted to experience another go as her adult form, so that her new hair do would be available for when she had to return to adulthood again. Anita saw the attraction, once her own head was being massaged, during the shampoo and conditioning.

Tyrone spent a while on Anita's hair, knowing it might be a while before Kevin allowed himself to experience it again. Anita wasn't bothered watching Tyrone, knowing that once he was Kevin again; he'd be back to normal. She relaxed and dozed, while Tyrone played with her hair

Therefore, it was with some surprise, when she woke and found she was finished. She gasped as she looked in the mirror. She didn't know whether to be pleased or not, seeing such an ornate arrangement on her head. Some part of the primitive in Kevin, wanted no part in the girlification of her appearance, having only just put up with the coming female bit, but that small voice was overridden by the more enlightened part of Kevin that saw it as just another step in experiencing what women feel like when they go all out. No point in agonising over if she was losing her masculinity, while she was female and looking like a model. She relaxed admiring the look, as she turned and checked out her new profile.

"Great job, I see you did my makeup as well," Anita said, smiling at Tyrone, to show she approved.

"Well you dozed off, so I thought I might as well," Tyrone grinned, as he walked behind her and teased her hair a little more.

"With talent like that at your finger tips, I don't see how you can go wrong," Anita laughed, as she stood up.

"Hmmm, you look scrummy," giggled Sara, looking at her twin with an evil glint in her eye.

"Hey! I just got it done, bedroom Olympics will have to wait," pouted Anita, as she saw what was on Sara's mind.

The rest laughed, although Tyrone could see the wheels turning in Carolyn's mind as the idea of Olympics with her femmed out husband looked pretty good.

"Pole vaulting for gold, might be nice," she said, blushing as she realised she had verbalised her thought.

I think swimming for me," Tyrone came out with, covering his wife's fau paux.

"Swimming?" echoed around the others, looking puzzled.

"Breaststroke." He said, demonstrating on himself as he ran his hands over his enlarged chest, making everyone giggle.

"Backstrokes nice too," Maggie giggled, still in her adult form. She demonstrated on Tyrone's back, making him arch back and let out a theatrical moan of pleasure.

Carolyn looked at Maggie and winked, before saying archly, "hey! That's my man's... woman's back."

Maggie used her Krin to turn back into a toddler-sized handful of trouble, lifted Tyrone's skirt, and looked up. Her muffled voice, as Tyrone looked down at this new intrusion, was filled with giggles.

"Aunty Carolyn, aunty Tyrone, already has a pole vault."

"Hmmm. I have just the place to keep it safe," smirked Carolyn, as she activated the option on her bracelet that controlled whether Tyrone or Tyrissa was the poker or the poked.

Tyrone let out a startled 'eep,' as his member withdrew from the boys club and joined the girl's team.

"Don't fight it hon," Anita said, patting Tyrone on the back. "The women really have us by the balls," she added, with a coy smile while looking at Sara in the eye.

"I don't mind that so much," Tyrone grinned. "As long as they don't lose them when they are finished playing with them," he added half seriously.

Once the laughter stopped, the five women, (well, Tyrone passed as one) and little Maggie, trooped inside. Anita went to change back into Kevin, but Sara shook her and whispered it would upset Tyrone if he got rid of it so soon.

Seeing the day was a bust as far as leaving, they went over Tyrone's plans for their own journey. Maggie was asked to take her adult form and spend time in the chat room contacting as many of her friends on what to expect. Tyrone suggested giving certain people, he trusted more than just the one bracelet, saying that it would speed things up, if more people were actively involved. Kim agreed, and mentioned that whenever they wanted more of the Krin or needed extra money for anyone in need, all they had to do was ring her, then switch from the RV to the car form and back again, to restock.

They decided to eat out for lunch and went into the city to a nice place Tyrone recommended. Tyrissa, not Tyrone drove them around the local sights as they made their way in driving a people mover that Kim converted the RV from. Maggie stayed in her adult form, as Carolyn suggested they go clothes shopping afterwards. The rest of the day passed quickly, as everyone had fun turning the men's heads, and a few ladies, as they showed off their new hair dos. Coming into a shop in a group, they claimed, much of the attention and the racks of clothes trembled in fear as they were systematically plucked and plundered, leaving a wake of near destruction as they donned, discussed and then discarded dresses by the dozens.

Deciding to eat out for dinner, after their hectic afternoon, they found a nice place that was quiet with a relaxed atmosphere. While waiting for their order, Anita grumbled.

"How come only Tyrissa and I ended up with any clothes, while you lot didn't buy anything."

"Well that's because both Carolyn and I already have loads of clothes. Kim probably has hers made for her and Maggie won't need any in her adult size, after she goes back to being underfoot again," grinned Sara, looking at Maggie with a wink. "You need to build up a wardrobe for the times when we want to go out as twins, same for Tyrissa, isn't that right Carolyn?"

Carolyn nodded, and put one of her arms around her glamorous lover and hugged her close. "She needs her own clothes, as I'm looking forward to more times like this," she laughed.

"Besides, we can always borrow your clothes, if we want," Sara giggled, at Anita's expression.

"Hmmm, then that white bustier was for you to wear then," suggested Anita hopefully, remembering the way it looked on her, and imagining it on Sara instead.

"Maybe, if you're a good girl," Sara winked.

I'd prefer to be a good boy," Anita sighed, knowing it was useless to argue.

Sara looked at Kim with a half smile, as she activated the recently loaded program to her Krin.

"Maybe you could be both," she said quietly as watched Anita's eyes widen in surprise and saw the smile form as her panties got suddenly crowded with little Kevin.

"Hey where's my addadictomy control?" he whispered loudly to Kim.

"It's loaded, but..." Kim started to say, but saw it was too late to tell Anita of the extra twist Sara had asked for, seeing Anita had already activated her Krin. Sara blushed, as she felt a growth spurt in her crotch. Knowing what was going to happen, Sara watched Anita's face, as her recent addition retracted back to its former state.

"Huh? Why'd it do that?" Anita said, reaching for her lost member.

Sara laughed as Kim explained, that both of their options were linked, so that if Kevin or Anita gave Sara a penis then they would lose their own if it was present. This was to prevent there being two outies at the same time.

Anita accepted that quite calmly, knowing, that as Kevin, he had a normal anti gay mindset. He change the setting back, seeing how uncomfortable Sara was with her male reminder of her life as Scott. Anita grinned at the thought of the possibilities of this option while having sex, in near public places. They could lie facing each other with a towel or a blanket over their naked groins and have sex without even moving. The thrill at doing it in public would add a new twist to their sex life.

That evening Sara took Carolyn aside with Kim, to discuss possible wedding ideas an options, and also, while Maggie was on the internet chatting to her friends of her adventures, what Sara wanted to do about Maggie's wish. Kevin, seeing the ladies had abandoned them for the moment, asked Tyrone, who had also gone back to being male with normal male clothes, about how his obsession for wearing women's clothes had started. As Kevin listened to Tyrone's somewhat disjointed tale, he began to get a deeper understanding of the attraction of the whole business. Kevin asked Tyrone why Sara seemed to enjoy it when she persuaded him to become Anita.

"Possibly Sara sees Anita as a possible sexual partner, because of who she used to be. Scott would see Anita as attractive, and I think there's still a bit of Scott still in her that sees that as being normal. Then again, she might be a latent lesbian," he laughed. "You seem to enjoy it when you get relaxed as Anita, I wouldn't worry too much about it, think how lucky you are instead," Tyrone added.

Kevin nodded; knowing he would never have to guess what Sara was feeling, seeing he could become Anita and know exactly. Maggie trotted in, having finished on the computer and gone back to her toddler body. She climbed up on Tyrone's lap and from that vantage point, kissed Kim good night, before hurrying off to see if Carolyn would tuck her in for the night.

The next morning everyone said their goodbyes, as Kevin and Sara prepared to drive back home. There were more than a few tears on all sides as readied to depart. Kim, who was cadging a lift back with them, lifted Maggie up into the RV. Kevin, who had decided to drive in the morning started up the motor, glad that the sunglasses he'd donned hid the telltale moisture in his eyes. This had been one of the most memorable times in his life, attested to, by the joy that they had managed to give to this loving couple. He knew that this wouldn't be the last they would see of them, and this made the departure easier to bear. Finally, all the waving and air kisses were thrown, and they drove out onto the street, heading for home.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Three

William and Julie were happy for the others, as they made their own preparations to travel. They hoped for a similar experience, when they met their first client. They were having just as much fun in their new RV as the others were, trying out all the fun stuff. First off, was picking up Cindy from where she worked at Hollywood. Cindy had agreed to be their liaison; between them and the others, they would meet, seeing she was well respected and known throughout the TG community that met online. Cindy had told them that she didn't have any holidays left to go gallivanting around the countryside, but William said they would solve that problem.

A little persuasion with the glasses they now both wore, soon had Cindy's bosses insisting that Cindy take as much time as she needed on full pay for her new trip. Cindy was amazed and a little suspicious with the way her bosses fawned over the three of them, as they made their way out to the RV.

Julie whispered in her ear that they used hypnosis, on them and that everything would be fine. Cindy grinned, as she saw the logo emblazoned on the side of the RV.

"Kind of says it all," she commented, looking at 'TG Enterprises' in big letters with 'we can change your life around,' in smaller letters underneath.

"What did Tyrone tell you about us?" asked William, as he studied the athletic looking blonde haired woman.

"Only that a couple called William and Julie wanted me to join them on a mission of mercy," Cindy answered, cautiously.

"Well come sit in the RV out of this sun. We have a tale to tell you," Julie offered, taking Cindy's hand.

Cindy seemed reluctant, about entering a strange vehicle with people, she didn't know, but the smiling face of Julie, showed no sign of being part of any sinister plot to kidnap her. A new female voice from behind her had her spin in surprise.

"Maybe she will be more comfortable talking with women, than having a strange man with her," Mi Ling said, having just been William.

Cindy looked around for the guy that had just been standing where there now appeared to be a smaller oriental woman in a fancy kimono.

"What! Where did... you haven't hypnotised me..." she stuttered, trying to complete the different threads of thought, that flashed through her mind.

"No, not this time," Mi Ling, laughed, her musical voice filled with humour. "Come, we will explain inside," Mi Ling finished, shooing Cindy inside, as she picked up the hem of her kimono as she prepared to climb the steps of the RV.

Cindy sat, watching the two women with an intent look as they found seats. Julie got out some cans of diet coke and offered them around. Cindy noted that Mi Ling looked at the can in sufferance, before opening it. Cindy could see undercurrents flowing between the two women, but couldn't guess as to the significance of the looks that passed between the two dissimilar women. They began to speak in turn, one starting from where the other left off as they took drinks from their cans. The story they related was as good as the scripts she'd seen in her work. As the story took on (to her) soap opera proportions, she called a halt.

"I need some proof of what your saying, or I'm leaving right now," she demanded, thinking, 'what a load of hokey.'

Mi Ling looked at Julie, with a grin, and made pay up motions by rubbing her thumb against her first and second fingers.

"Told you she would need convincing, before we finished." She chortled. "Pay up."

"Right now, like that?" Julie asked, nodding her head towards Cindy. "What about later tonight," she added, not thinking of the impression she was giving Cindy.

"Now," Mi Ling demanded, with a gleam in her eye.

Julie sighed, before she leant nearer and gave Mi Ling a long tonsil searching kiss. Cindy watched, turning a nice tone of pink as she blushed. There was something very erotic in the kiss that had her breathing deeply in response. She wanted to turn away, but something kept her eyes watching, as the two slowly parted with a secret smile on their faces.

"William bet me that we'd need to prove that what we are telling is true before you let us finish. I'm just paying him off," Julie stated, grinning at the red faced Cindy.

"But...erk!" exclaimed Cindy, as she was about to ask why kissing Mi Ling would pay off Williams bet, when Mi Ling's body shimmered into that of William.

Cindy fainted.

Cindy struggled to consciousness, wondering why she had fainted, when it all came back to her. The two strange people that believed that aliens, that could look like anyone, were on the earth trying to save mankind. Cindy's mind flashed forward, recalling the moment before she fainted. She tried to raise her head from the bed that she'd been obviously placed on. She opened her eyes to see the two people, now a man, and a woman, sitting watching her with looks of concern.

"You okay now, sorry for the shock, sometimes William doesn't think," Julie explained.

"I'm fine I think, except for the odd hallucination," Cindy quipped, wryly, knowing in her heart that what she saw was anything but. Suddenly she gasped and her eyes opened wide, as everything fell into place.

"You're that magic act that everyone's raving about. I thought Mi Ling's name sounded familiar. You had the best transformation act ever, according to the buzz going around. Donald Haskin, made some very important friends with that party."

"That was us, but it wasn't magic or illusion, it was for real," confirmed Julie, looking Cindy in the eye.

"But," Cindy started, remembering how some of the acts had been described.

"Yes all done by these," Julie finished for her, as she held up her wrist and pointed to the bracelet on her wrist. "We actually became each other, that's how we pulled off the swaps."

Cindy reached out to touch the Krin, as Julie brought her hand within reach.

"Wow! That's incredible, what else can it do?" Cindy asked, fingering it carefully.

"I think a demonstration would answer your question," replied William, getting another Krin from a drawer. He then opened a laptop and began busily typing, as Cindy slipped on the fine bracelet. Turning the screen towards Cindy, she saw a selection of thumbnail pictures of people young and old, male and female.

"I suggest you pick one that's radically different from your current body, so you'll know it's not a hypnotic trick," William finished

"I can become any of these and still return to my own body afterwards?" Cindy asked wonderingly.

"Yes, I suggest trying a male form just to see how it feels," Julie proposed. "It will be all the more convincing if you take on a male form while we finish telling you the rest of it."

Cindy shrugged, and then pointed to a picture on the screen. If she was going crazy, then she might as well get her money's worth.

"That guy, the one that looks like a fitness instructor," she agreed. Although happy being female, she saw the logical in the choice. If they could do it, then have a body of the opposite sex would be a convincing argument that the rest of this fantastic was also true.

William attacked the laptop again and then pressed enter. He sat back with a smile and showed her what part of the bracelet to press. Cindy took a breath, not knowing what to expect as she pressed the spot indicated. The feeling of change swept over her, almost too quick to take in. The most prominent feeling was the sense of growth all over her body. She didn't feel the expected shrinking feeling as her breasts dwindled away. It was most a swelling of the rest of her chest as her breasts were engulfed by the mass of muscle that made her breasts look like well-defined pecs. She felt strong as her arms and legs swelled with muscle. She felt herself being stretched, as she grew taller, but suddenly other things took precedence, as her clitoris seemed to grow; things grew tight in her panties, before her clothes changed to a more masculine style, shown in the picture. She felt two soft pops, as her very own testicles emerged from within her changing body. All this took barely a second and she had to take a minute to let all the sensations catch up as she categorised each feeling as best she could.

Julie pointed out a mirror to Cindy, as the changes finished. Cindy caught the admiring glance Julie gave her new body as she stood to go look at herself? Cindy realised with a shock, which Julie looked very attractive, and a twitch in her pants agreed with that assessment. Cindy blushed, realising where her/his thoughts were going. She was glad that Julie could only see her/his back, as Cindy stood in front of the mirror. Not being a lesbian in any form, this gave her/him a moments worry, until realising that it must be the testosterone in her/his body coupled with the programming that came as a built in package, that the pair had mentioned, which was causing these most un-Cindy-like thoughts.

"Well? What do you think?" William asked, seeing Cindy examining her new form with interest.

"It feels weird, parts of me seem to be on automatic pilot, how do you control this thing?" Cindy asked, trying to adjust the crotch of her/his pants.

"Sorry, I never did get an instruction manual with mine, it's been a learn by experiment," William laughed.

"I think this ones faulty," complained Cindy, as she/he struggled to get it in a more comfortable position. "It's all swollen up by itself," Cindy added, turning around to make her point.

"Try thinking about naked men," William sniggered, knowing exactly what had triggered it off.

"Whaat? Oh... um." Cindy blushed. She tried to visualise being with a hunky guy in bed, and found that to her surprise that it did work. This was so confusing

"That body you're wearing is heterosexual, so thinking of men in a sexual way, will turn off the erector set," explained Julie, seeing the confusion of having her appetites reversed, written plainly on Cindy's face.

"I think I'd better change back now," Cindy pleaded, "this doesn't feel right to me."

"Fine Cindy," Julie said as she stood and reached across to grasp Cindy's wrist with the Krin on. Cindy felt Julies breast contact her/his chest, and the sensation brought out just how different men's bodies react to that sort of stimuli, as her newly acquired penis jerked, sending an electric shock though her/his body.

Cindy nearly moaned out loud as the reversal to her body, felt orgasmic in nature, as her outy turned innie. Happy to be herself again, she returned to her seat to await the rest of the story to be unfolded. No longer doubting, she listened avidly, as the two told of the Shelke and the possible threat to mankind.

"You want me to go to every transgendered person I know in the chat rooms, and help them become whole?" Cindy asked in surprise.

"That and more, I'm afraid," was her answer.

"More?"

"We need you to become a match maker as well," offered Julie, taking Cindy's hand. "We need couples, for everyone, whether it be between two transformed 'men,' or two transformed 'women.' Once they bond, they can form a nexus, their individual sex isn't a barrier to love. We hope on this journey that you will find someone as well, so you can join in with us."

Cindy went silent then, as she pondered her decision. Being the person she was, she knew what the answer would be. Many questions still bubbled in her mind, but they could be addressed later. Knowing Tyrone was on a similar mission to hers, made the task seem a little less arduous. She wondered who else would be recruited into a similar role; perhaps she could make some suggestions, based on her knowledge of the chat room regulars. She looked at the waiting couple and nodded, seeing their smiles, as she accepted the responsibility of her difficult task.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's get going?" she asked, grinning as her question caught the others by surprise.

Julie went to the drivers seat and started moving the RV out onto the road with surprising ease.

William handed out a new bracelet and explained its functions. Cindy decided the keep her original body, but regress it in age 10 years. Asked what form she'd like while her body was the 'shop,' as it were, Cindy asked if she could try the Mi Ling one.

William smiled, and took her hand with his Krin adorned one, then touched the setting with his other hand. Instantly, there were two Mi Ling's in place of William and Cindy.

"Wow! What a rush, gushed the altered Cindy, as she took in her appearance. William switched back to himself, leaving Cindy as Mi Ling.

"Be careful, you're probably armed," he said, eyeing her kimono clad body. William explained Mi Ling's abilities and choice of weapons, to Cindy's delight. Cindy snapped out fans and did several flicks that cracked the air like a whip snapping. Grinning, she holstered her fans to Williams's relief, as he mentioned her hair sticks in the topknot of her hair.

"I'd love this to be my other choice, then I'd never have to worry about walking out at night ever again." She enthused. "I love this kimono," she added smiling as she plucked at the material. "So who is our first lucky customer," she asked, settling down in the cushions of the bench seat.

"Erin is first, I believe she has a great deal to do with the TG community," William replied, consulting his laptop.

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Four

Authors note: When I started this chapter Erin’s SO was still with us, although ill, unfortunately she passed away and is now at peace, sort of like the character in the story ended up in no pain. I hope Erin won’t be upset upon reading this, as she did give me the okay when I started, and being reminded of her grief is the last thing I want to happen.

Finding Erin Halfelvin, as the rest of the TG community knew her, proved easier than they had thought. The laptop had her address already located; obviously having used some advanced tracking software of the Shelke.

When they drove up, Cindy went to the door first, knowing Erin had seen her 'pic,' on numerous occasions. William and Julie. Stood behind her, content to let Cindy make the introductions.

When the door opened, 'Erin' was looking slightly worn and weary, her long greying chestnut hair looking in need of a Tyrone special. She stood barely 5'7" and looked nicely rounded, with an ample chest. Her ruddy complexion spoke of a mixed ancestry. Cindy had filled the others in on Erin's problems with a sick spouse and money problems, not to mention the long hours trying to keep her website updated and having to fend off attacks by hackers.

"Hi Erin, I'm Cindy Winters, and these are two people you must get to know," offered Cindy, as she went to hug Erin.

Erin looked at the others in puzzlement, from over the shoulder of Cindy, as she returned the hug.

"What a surprise, I wasn't expecting to see you in real life, and more than a bit alarmed at how you found me here." She said, warily in a voice hinting of her Irish origins, before pulling back and looking at Cindy's face.

"Erin, meet William and Julie, they are going to change your life around forever, if you let us in and explain," Cindy replied, doing the introductions.

"Come in, come in," repeated Erin, finding her manners. "I go by the name of Joy Melton in the real world," she explained. "My other half is sleeping at the moment, so please talk softly," she added, showing them into a slightly scrumpled lounge. The others looked around, seeing a computer in a corner with a sever network in a rack, with a froth of cables snaking all around the area.

Both William and Julie were surprised at seeing that Erin was a woman. From what Tyrone had told them, Erin's other half was female, so they'd mistakenly assumed Erin was a guy. They looked at each other, knowing that this was going to be a little different and would need a more delicate handling.

"Take a seat," offered Erin, as she slid the tech magazines on the various chairs off onto an already piled up table nearby. "Sorry for the mess, it's the maid’s day off," she said wryly, pointing to herself as to the identity of said maid.

"Are you the people that Tyrone has been raving about?" asked Erin, surprising the others for a moment. "Because if you are, I need your help."

"What do you need?" asked Julie, seeing the look of desperation in Erin's eyes.

"I heard that you can pull off genetic sex changes, if so, I need you to change my lover into a man," she blurted out, blushing from embarrassment.

"Yes we can do that," offered Julie slowly, sensing that there was more to it than that.

"I know you have questions," Erin continued, seeing their faces. "Joanne has a disease that only women can contract, as much as I love her and would hate her to have to become a man, I don't see I have a choice." She offered by way of explanation.

"Erin, there maybe another choice," Julie smiled as she saw Erin's look. "Just what do you know about us from what Tyrone told you?" asked Julie, trying to decide how to tell Erin about the Shelke and their technology.

"Not a lot," replied Erin. "Just that you have a way of giving anyone a genetic sex change that's the real deal. I didn't know what to think about it, when Tyrone first told me, it seemed too far fetched, but I trust Tyrone, so I tried to keep an open mind about it," admitted Erin.

"It's real, but there's more to it than that." Julie started. She looked at William for support, but he nodded that she should continue and she heard his thought that it would probably be better being a woman-to-woman conversation. Julie sent the thought back that he could easily join in if he wanted to jump the gender fence again. His rolling eyes gave her his answer to that thought and it made her grin as she turned back, to concentrate on Erin.

William saw the gleam in Julie eyes and knew he wasn't about to get out of it that easily. He waited, while Julie started the story of the Shelke, and their part in it. He watched Erin's eyes widen at the thought that aliens were among us. His mind wandered, replaying their adventures, and marvelling at how calmly he had taken his own side trips into femininity. He jerked alert when Julie calmly volunteered his services to demonstrate the proof of the story. 'Oh boy, here we go again,' he thought, as Julie's words penetrated into his consciousness.

"You want me to what?" He asked, knowing full well what Julie wanted, but trying to delay the inevitable anyway.

"I want Mi Ling here," Julie repeated, giving him the look.

William sighed, knowing he couldn't resist the look. He used the Krin to transform once more into the diminutive form of Mi Ling. Erin's eyes bugged out on stalks and she gasped at the sight of a six-foot plus guy becoming the delicate flower of oriental femininity that was Mi Ling.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming what I just saw," muttered Erin, shaking her head.

"But there's more," offered the transformed William, as Mi Ling gestured to her side, as if indicating a display of steak knives. Mi Ling fingered her bracelet again, while a rapt Erin kept running her gaze over Williams's sexy new body. Erin waited but didn't see anything different, just the woman rubbing her legs together beneath the kimono. It wasn't until Mi Lings 'more,' was almost fully erect, that Erin spotted the tented kimono at Mi Ling's groin.

Erin stood and walked over to Mi Ling, her gaze riveted to the erection that William using the sensual fabrics clothing Mi Ling, had managed to stimulate. She looked at Julie and then at Mi Ling for permission, before reaching down and coping an exploratory feel.

Realising it was the real thing, having felt it twitch at her touch, Erin blushed and released it after an infinitesimal squeeze of thanks. She returned to her seat, not seeing the grin Mi Ling gave Julie.

"We will cure Joanne and give you a Krin each, to select two forms for yourselves," explained Julie, seeing Mi Ling had turned back into William. "We also want you to seek out those that you think will benefit from this and help spread this world wide. The Shelke will be in contact with more Krin and whatever you need, including transportation."

I'd do anything, if it meant Joanne were healed again, even without the obvious benefits that those bracelets have to offer, but I do think this is a slow way of doing it. I'm sure there must be a better way," Erin suggested.

"This is why we will leave it to you," Julie grinned. "We will sort you and Joanne out and return home. This is more your field of expertise than ours. I'd still like to see you and Cindy working together on this."

"When can we cure Joanne?" asked Erin, thinking of her love.

"No time like the present," offered Julie, eager to get things underway.

Joanne's cure went smoothly, once she was brought up to speed by Erin's rushed explanation. Joanne, a very pale 5'11" woman of Lithuanian-Irish descent had short gray hair with Baltic blue eyes, held Erin's hand possessively as she listened to the story. Joanne, once she had accepted the proof, (again supplied by William,) had then taken on Jennifer’s form, while her own was being reworked. Erin had made sure Jennifer came with the additional extra that Mi Ling had demonstrated. The look on Joanne's face when she realised she had a shemales body, made those gathered around giggle. Having a body that was healthy and full of energy along with a semi tumescent appendage, soon made Joanne excuse her and Erin for a short time, while they celebrated this welcome change.

"If you're going back I think I'd like to separate from Erin and head north-east to see Bob Arnold," Cindy requested, looking at Julie and William for any objection.

"This Bob, is he anyone special?" winked Julie, hoping for a positive answer.

"Well, he's a writer and has several web sites and has helped many people online with little reward. I know he had to quit work due to ill health, so I'd like to give a little help back and see what develops." Cindy blushed as she finished, thinking Bob would be a good catch in a younger healthier body. Even the thought that Bob might want to delve into the feminine didn't deter her from thinking about making a play for his attentions. She knew from chatting with him online, that he was a very nice person and his deeds in providing access for the transgendered and others through his chat rooms, spoke of his character, better than words.

"You do what you gotta do," Julie spoke, interrupting Cindy's reverie. "I'm sure that Kim will get you sorted with a vehicle to go touring in," she added, giving Cindy a hug.

"Great, I'd love to meet this Kim, you're told me about," Cindy responded, giving Julie a hug back.

"Kim can be here tomorrow," William interrupted, having just finished a call to Kim on his cell phone. "She wants to hear this idea of Erin's and see how quickly they can get it implemented."

Not knowing how long Erin and Joanne were going to be in the bedroom, William suggested ordering in some pizza, seeing it was nearing feeding time. They decided to wait out in the RV, and give the celebrating pair a bit more privacy as the noise level from the bedroom increased. William gave Cindy a copy of the software needed to program the Krin that he gave her. He watched as she used the laptop to program her own Krin with the forms she desired.

Meanwhile further north, while Tyrone and Carolyn were heading east to meet up with Cathy, Sara and Kevin were driving down the west coast towards home. Kim, who had just got a call from William, asked to be dropped off at the next town, so she could arrange for more transportation for Erin and Cindy. When Kevin, who was driving, started to speed up, Kim told him to relax as she wasn't due there till tomorrow.

"Take your time and enjoy the trip," Kim admonished, having seen the speed he'd reached. "I could be there in a few hours if need be, remember you have a child to entertain," she grinned looking at Maggie glued to the window looking out at the passing countryside.

"Yes mother," Kevin quipped, acting like a chastened child, being reprimanded.

Kim smirked, and cuffed him gently about the head, loving the way she'd been accepted into the family group. She hoped this race would survive the threat that loomed in the future. A race that could produce people like these shouldn't ever be lost to some predatory race bent on universal genocide.

Maggie, sensing that Kim was leaving soon, went over to Kim and lifted her hands. Kim, knowing from previous experience that this was Maggie's way of asking for a hug, bent and scooped the hug monster into her arms. No words were needed and Kim made sure Maggie didn't see the tear that formed in her eyes at the thought of the child's innocence being destroyed if they ran out of time.

Sara came in from the back where she'd been cooking another plate of pikelets and transferred Maggie to her own arms, before taking her to help butter the soon to be eaten treats.

"I'll have to call you Miss Scoffalot," chided Sara gently, as Maggie devoured another one she'd snuck off the plate. "At this rate, they'll be none left for the others," Sara said, waggling her finger at a temporarily chastened Maggie.

Maggie promptly got off the seat, took a buttered and jammed pikelet in each hand, and trotted to the front to hand one each to Kevin and Kim. Sara smiled, enjoying playing mother, even though she had missed the pregnancy part of it. If her children turned out like Maggie, she would truly be blessed.

Tyrone was in 'his?' element. Driving the RV, dressed as Tyrissa, made him want to sing. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he/she felt like this was the start of a great new adventure. Carolyn was taking an interest in everything around her, glad not to be restricted to either staying at home in her bed or spending time at the hospital. Knowing that all that was now part of the past was the greatest gift, she could think of. She looked at Tyrissa all dressed up in her beautician uniform and smiled. Tyrone had given up so much during her illness and deserved a little happiness no, a lot of happiness. With a synchronicity that only comes when two people were as close as they were, they both started to sing, "on the road again."

The strident wail of a siren broke up their singing as they saw the flashing lights of a police cruiser on their tailgate. Confident that he'd done nothing wrong and that might just be a random check on license or such, Tyrone pulled over. Even though Sara had regaled them on their own brushes with the law, Tyrone was too mature to emulate Sara and Williams's example. Sooner or later, you'd get caught, with the penalties being more severe. Tyrone watched one officer exit the car and walk towards the driver's side of the RV. Too late... Tyrone realised, as the officer addressed him as ma-am. Tyrone was in his male form and dressed as a female; so comfortable had he grown to wearing dresses, he'd forgotten to switch to Tyrissa's fully female form, before the officer had got a good look at him.

"Ma-am, you have a busted tail light, I'm going to have to write you up," the officer gloated, seeing what appeared to be two women that would easily be intimidated by the officer.

Tyrone knew something was up, as the Shelke built RV was hardly going to have a faulty taillight. As he struggled in his nervousness to find his female voice, he saw the other officer walk up to the rear of the RV.

"I think you're wrong about the tail light," Tyrone refuted, just before hearing a thump from the rear.

The officer grinned; knowing his partner had just smashed said tail light with his boot. He looked sternly at Tyrone at her denial of his claims. Something in the tone of the drivers voice triggered a memory and he scrutinised her more closely.

"It's busted now," he snarled, as if daring her to object. He looked at his partner as another louder thump issued forth. His partners shaken head, worried him, as he looked for confirmation of his false claim. Carolyn decided to look, climbing down and walking to the rear of the RV. She was just in time to witness the second officer hitting the taillight with his Billy club. He cursed as the light refused to shatter, and then looked up guiltily, as Carolyn coldly asked him what he was doing. He pushed past her, making her stumble on the uneven roadside. She fell heavily on to her back and rolled down the slight gravel embankment, making her cry out in pain.

Carolyn's cry galvanised Tyrone, sending adrenalin surging throughout his body. He slammed open the door and knocked the officer aside, as he rushed to Carolyn's aid, cursing volubly in his normal voice. The first officer knew what it was about the driver that had sent warning bells to him. The driver was a guy dressed as a female. His anger of being fooled again, drove all thought of reason out of his mind. Revenge for the prank his fellow officers had set up, when they had arranged a blind date with a transsexual, had fuelled his anger. He'd not realised till after things had got amorous, that his date was a guy. His fellow officers never let him forget it, having snapped a photo of the pair lip locked.

He followed Tyrone to where Carolyn was trying to get up from the ground. He spun Tyrone around and punched the ersatz women in the face. Tyrone slumped, barely conscious, as the officer kicked him repeatedly. The last thing Tyrone heard from the first officer, as things turned black, was,

"Help me get rid of these two."

To be continued.

  

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Five

Carolyn screamed, seeing her husband being brutally kicked by the angry police officer. She struggled up the bank and tried to cover Tyrone's cross-dressed body to prevent any more injuries. She caught a few blows meant for Tyrone, until the officer dragged her off and told her to stay out of it.

The second officer had had enough. He grabbed his partner and dragged him away from Tyrone.

"You'll kill him man, let's get out of here," he urged. Pulling people up on false charges of unsafe vehicles was one thing, but this attack on the tranny went beyond the pale. He wasn't an innocent party himself, having contributed to the fracas by rudely shoving the woman aside thereby causing her to fall, but he was no murderer and wasn't to be a party to whatever plans his partner had hatched up.

"Get off me, you're in this, whether you like it or not," retorted the first officer, shaking free of his soon to be ex partner.

Looking sadly at Carolyn, trying not to envision her fate at the hands of his out of control partner, he backed away and got into the cruiser. While the officer was distracted, having gone back to Tyrone, the second officer started the cruiser and pealed back on to the highway where he soon became a speck on the deserted road.

The first officer cursed, kicking Tyrone once more as he vented his frustration at the cowardice of his partner. He rolled Tyrone over, handcuffing him, before dragging him back to the RV, where he slung the unconscious body in the rear. Then he grabbed Carolyn, who had followed him uncertain of what to do, but unwilling to leave Tyrone's side. Being in a desolate part of the country, she knew it was useless trying to run away, besides the rouge cop could just shoot her before she'd get anywhere.

The officer tied Carolyn up with a cord from a hair dryer, as the RV was still in Salon mode. He climbed in the front, intending to drive somewhere off the beaten track to dump the two passengers. He was duly impressed with all the gismo's and knobs as he drove along. He thought he could get a good bit of cash for it, from one of the dodgy chop shops he knew of. That would be better than dumping it near town as he first planned. He drove off onto one of the many seldom used tracks into the desert, travelling over fifty miles in a convoluted route that would baffle anyone to follow.

Finally, he found an abandoned rusting hulk of a truck that had seen it's last days years ago. He pulled Carolyn out and handcuffed her to the truck, while he went back to get Tyrone, who was stirring. He planned to handcuff the pair together and leave them there to die.

He pulled Tyrone over to Carolyn and was snapping the handcuffs on Tyrone, when he woke. Tyrone found himself with one hand handcuffed to Carolyn with their linked hands going around the chassis member and unable to escape. Seeing the officer about to leave, Tyrone grabbed him with his free hand, holding on for dear life.

"Don't leave us here to die. What did we do to you?" begged Tyrone.

"You disgust me, you don't deserve to live." Replied the officer, trying to get his hand free, from Tyrone's desperate grip.

Remembering something, Sara had mentioned discovering when first experimenting with the Krin, Tyrone tried to plead again, hoping his idea would work if Carolyn picked up on his words.

"But to kill me, just for setting there with my Krin, trying to change my life around," stated Tyrone, trying to maintain his grip on the officer.

"Let go of me you pervert," demanded the officer, using his other hand to pry Tyrone's fingers away.

Carolyn heard Tyrone mention the Krin and the word setting instead of sitting and knew what to do. Using her free hand, she touched Tyrone's bracelet and changed the setting. Instantly, everything changed. Tyrone morphed into Tyrissa, her now more slender wrists, and smaller hand sliding easily through the handcuff. She gasped, seeing the hand of the officer, slim as well. Where once stood a 6-foot male officer, now stood a twin of Tyrissa.

"What the fu.k!" exclaimed the changed officer, as s/he looked down at her new acquisitions. Hearing herself speak, and seeing the dress s/he was weaning being filled with twin globes of her breasts, proved too much of a strain on the officers brain. She collapsed into the sand in a faint. Tyrissa was quick to capitalise on the situation and managed to tie the unconscious woman with the same hair dryer cord that had been used on Carolyn.

Carolyn couldn't get out of the cuff on her hand and the key was elsewhere now, along with the officer's former body. Tyrissa changed back into Tyrone so he could use his superior strength to get the former officer into the back of the RV. Meanwhile, Carolyn had grabbed the cell phone and had called Sara.

Sara answered the phones insistent call, seeing from the ID function, that the call was from Tyrone, she went back into the rear of the RV, where she could listen without distraction. Hearing Carolyn's distraught voice, on the other end, made Sara's heart miss a beat. As Carolyn gasped out the situation, Sara called Kim to the phone. Kim took the phone, seeing Sara's worried expression.

Kim and Carolyn talked, with Sara hovering near as she listened to Kim's side of the conversation. Kim then gave the phone back, as she went to the laptop and started typing furiously.

"How is Tyrone?" asked Sara, once she had the phone in her hand.

"He's ok now, once he swapped back to himself after being Tyrissa, his body was free of injuries, but I'm concerned over what he wants to do to his attacker. I think he wants to do something drastic for the treatment I got, more than for the beating he received." Carolyn answered.

"Don't worry, Tyrone might be angry, but he's not a killer, he won't stoop to that officers level, just calm him down, and try and think of a suitable punishment for that guy." Sara reassured her.

"Look I'll get back to you, Kim's loading some stuff for Tyrone on our laptop. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay, keep in touch, I want to know everything," Sara said, as she said goodbye to Carolyn.

The handcuff on Carolyn’s wrist was removed by ingeniously changing Carolyn’s form, using the Krin, and then returning her back to her new default body form. Carolyn then went to change out of the outfit that came with the fresh body, donning a more comfortable set of clothes, before returning to see what Tyrone was doing.

Tyrone was at the computer, reprogramming his Krin for advanced options. Once it had finished, he went over to the officer, who had regained consciousness. Tyrone stood over the now changed man, as he struggled to understand how he'd become female. Tyrone clenched his fists, thinking of the callous disregard for life, the man had shown them. Carolyn came up behind him and put her arms around Tyrone, hugging him gently.

Tyrone relaxed, trying to put the anger aside, as he looked at his wife. Ignoring the man's calls for an explanation, he turned and led his wife outside.

"What are you going to do honey?" asked Carolyn, as they got outside.

"Well against my first instinct, I'm not going to dispose of that piece of trash. I think I'll let his own hatred of crossdressers, be his own punishment." He answered with a faint grin.

"Are you going to leave him as a female?" Asked Carolyn, curiously.

"No, that would be too good for him," replied Tyrone. "He's going to experience life as his worst dream."

Tyrone then left Carolyn outside while he worked the idea he had on the officer.

Driving back on the road, Carolyn, talking to Sara on the phone, filled her in on the situation, as they resumed their journey.

"He what!" exclaimed Sara in amazement, grinning at the thought of the man's punishment.

"Yes, I thought it was a great idea too," laughed Carolyn, as she recalled the sight of the officer in his final form.

Somewhere behind them, a lone figure struggled to walk in the heels, provided by Tyrone. The officer, looking nothing like his former self struggled to walk, cursing his tight red dress as he trudged along the road. He dare not take the shoes off, as they were the only protection against the gravel and the heat radiating up off the road. Same for the dress, it was some protection against the sun and concealed the male remnant between his legs just as it revealed the ample cleavage of his new breasts. He had to hope he could pull off the act of looking like a woman, well enough so that he could get a lift back to the city.

Now that he had time to think about things, he realised he was lucky. Abandoning people to die, that had the power to do what they had done, changing him first into a female and then into a shemale, was the stupidest thing he'd ever done. He wondered why they hadn't just used his weapon and killed him outright. A tiny voice in his head, called out. "Because they aren't murderers, you idiot." Thinking about it as he slowly got the hang of taking shorter steps, he went over the guys warning, again, feeling any hope of returning to a male sink away.

Tyrone had told him, that his new breasts were all his, no implants. No surgery would be effective, as his form was fixed for 5 years and even if he had the money to have the breasts removed, they would grow back in a week. The long blonde tresses he felt swishing around his neck, would grow back overnight, should he shave it off, as an added incentive to leave the hair alone, it would grow longer each time till it reached his waist, if he messed with it. Tyrone had also said, that someone would be in contact with him after the 5 years were up, to help him decide his future.

Checking his new ID that had been supplied with his new handbag, he winced and cursed softly in his new alto voice, as he read his new name. Candy Cumming walked into her new future as a stripper, finally managing to thumb a lift from of all people, his ex partner, returning home off duty.

Sara was worried about the former officer informing the authorities of his change in status, but Carolyn assured her that Tyrone's warnings against doing just that would ensure his silence.

"Tyrone had Kim make sure the new body would perform as promised, and have a tracking device embedded in the brain, plus a trigger to prevent him mentioning his old name." Carolyn explained in detail. "Instead of his name, he can only say the word "horny."

"Oh boy, I'd love to be there if he did that," laughed Sara, picturing a feminine clad shemale, telling the world that she wasn't Candy, she was horny.

"Me too," agreed Carolyn.

After hanging up the phone, Carolyn, went and gave Tyrone a hug from behind, as he drove further east on their mission, one which had taken on more urgency. According to the buzz in the chat room that Tyrone frequented, Cathy was no longer online due to her losing her job and the inability to pay the phone Bill. All her meagre reserves of cash where directed in providing food. Tyrone was going to email her to set up a meeting. Luckily, a young woman who wrote TG fiction stories, and was a regular visitor to the chat room, had saved Cathy's life from literally half a world away in New Zealand. She had met Cathy online, on a night that Cathy had decided to end it all. Only the fact that she had come online to take one last look, before taking the pills lined up in front of her, saved her life. She met Prue, who with the help of another in the chat room changed her mind. The emotional bond made that day, led to the friendship that followed. After a few rocky setbacks, Cathy turned to writing and this gave her a reason to live. Prue had been entrusted with Cathy's real name and once Tyrone had pleaded for assistance in locating Cathy and the reason, she agreed to reveal it to Tyrone.

Kim found Cathy's current address using the information, and Tyrone headed for Cathy's home at a high rate of knots.

Sara and Kevin had dropped off Kim at the next town as promised, and were enjoying a quiet moment alone where they'd stopped for a break. Maggie was asleep, having run herself ragged, chasing seagulls along the near deserted beach that they had found.

Sitting on a blanket on the grass near the parked RV, they kissed and cuddled, trying to recapture the mood that had been disrupted with everything that had being thrust upon them.

"What were you talking to Kim about?" asked Kevin, as he trailed a straw he'd found, down over Sara's exposed stomach.

"Oh this and that," she replied dismissively, as she wriggled, trying to avoid the tickling straw.

"Sounds serious," opined Kevin, knowing she was being evasive.

"It was just about the wedding," she capitulated, giggling as the straw found another ticklish spot.

"Ah!" replied Kevin, wondering what was planned and whether he even wanted to know.

"It's our parent's, I want them there at the wedding, but mine need to know who I am now. Your parent's are fine. Their son will be marrying Sara Conner, not his best bud... Scott Evan's. Either I have my parents and yours brainwashed, so that they accept me as having always been a girl, even though the last names are different, or change them physically into Mr and Mrs Conner." She explained.

"There might be another option," grinned Kevin, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh?" asked Sara curiously.

"Well you were considering having two brides at this wedding, are you still up for that?"

"Sure, I feel being a bride is so much more of an experience than being a groom. After all a tux is a tux is a tux. You get dressed and that's basically it, but being a bride, there's the whole thing of finding just the right dress and the fitting, then there's the whole pampering bit, getting your hair done, and makeup to make you feel a million bucks. And the gown... all that gorgeous sensuous material floating round you..."

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," laughed Kevin, seeing the far away look in Sara's eye as she imagined herself in her gown.

"How about just telling your parents about who you are now, unless you never want to see them again, you will have to tell them eventually." Kevin suggested, putting forward, a good point.

"True, I can't just turn up and ask them to baby-sit my baby," she grinned.

"I'll do it if you do, after all, telling my dad, I want to be a bride at my wedding to my wife will be just as bad as you telling your parents of your sex change, at least, given your new sex, being a bride would seem normal."

Sara laughed "Maybe we could make a ladies only wedding. And have our fathers try the other side as well."

"True, then they can't complain about us both wearing dresses while wearing one themselves," chuckled Kevin, thinking of their father's reactions.

"At least, William won't be involving his father, seeing he as much as said good riddance, and Julie only has her mother to worry about, seeing she lost her dad last year." Sara sighed. "I suspected that Julies mom will handle it better than ours. I think Julie was dressing up before she became a girl," Sara added.

"More of your feminine intuition?" Kevin asked. "You think her mom knows...about Julie? Questioned Kevin.

"Well, not about Julie, but maybe that her son had a feminine side. At least William won't have to deal with that drunkard of a father. I'm sure some of those accidents he had were caused by his father's rages."

"You think we should invite Julie's mom to the wedding?" Kevin proposed, hoping this would be a good idea.

"Sure, that's an excellent idea, but we keep it a surprise, oh, and don't mention we suspect about Julie's secret okay? We don't want to embarrass her more than we have to," Sara finished.

"You got it," Kevin affirmed, hugging Sara tight.

They made a move to leave, feeling sad that they'd be home tomorrow and the excitement of their travels would be over for now.

To be continued.

 

*********************************************
 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Six

The arrival of the pizzas coincided with the emergence of Erin and Joanne from in the bedroom.

Having used the shower in the ensuite, their hair was still damp. Not even their embarrassment of having their recent activities, known to the visitors, could shake the satisfied glow that shone from their faces.

Having the welcome distraction of fresh pizzas delivered, they avoided having to explain their actions, as they fussed about, getting plates and some drink, before joining in on the general mouth stuffing.

Julie thought it cute, when Joanne took a bite out of the same piece that Erin had just bitten into. Strings of cheese stretched between their mouths, so they used their tongues to gather it in, ending with both their lips touching as the last bit of cheese was captured. They kissed, before winking at the others, as if daring to do likewise. William ever ready for a new challenge tried it with Julies slice that she was holding. Unfortunately, the cheese string was thicker and as he pulled away with his stolen bite, it dragged a piece of ham off the top of the pizza. This hot piece of ham did a Tarzan swing at the end of its cheese vine and slapped against Williams chest making him wince. To add insult to injury, the ham decided to investigate his navel, falling off and slithering down inside his shirt.

The others convulsed, seeing him scramble to retrieve the hot meat, before it did any more damage. While the others laughed, nearly wetting themselves in response, William tried to pretend it was a deliberate act. He blushed, seeing they weren't buying it, then grinned and joined in on their laughter.

"You didn't need to ham it up, just for us," laughed Julie, gently rubbing it in.

"I'd give it a 9.5, I really like the half twist at the end, before the final descent," giggled Cindy.

"Pity we don't have an instant replay," opined Erin. "We could have analysed that action more thoroughly. What do you think?" she asked turning to Joanne.

Joanne, trying to keep a straight face, looked at her lap and mimed turning some invisible pages. "I don't recall seeing a similar play since... 1998 at the Dodgers after match party."

"Alright, enough already," sighed William, signalling defeat. "I was just making a pig of myself, piece by piece," he grinned.

Now that everyone had their hunger sated, they relaxed as they finished off their drinks. Erin broached the subject of getting the Krin circulated faster, without having to drive to each individuals place.

"Why not put up a web site endorsed by some of the major sites like Crystals, Sapphires and Big Closet. Fictionmania too, although they are a group and not an just a single individual. We'd need a name and a slogan, and offer a real solution at no charge to those that meet the criteria for this new method," Erin suggested.

"Why do they need to pass some test, why not offer it to all?" Joanne asked curiously.

"We may need to weed out those undesirables that are after a profit or aren't the genuine article. We can get them to email us a reply, and if the Shelke are as good as they claim, they can find out their background before giving them the okay. Then we send each a Krin of their own, and have them download the software to load the Krin."

What about those with old comps that don't have infra red ports or wireless communications?" asked Julie, seeing a problem in the suggestion.

"We will list what is required as far as that and have them list their equipment as well. If they can't afford to get it or aren't able to set it up, then we have your friendly neighbourhood Shelke come round and do it."

"Sounds like a plan," offered William. " One thing, if we need more Nexi, what will giving single people a Krin, do to help us? He mused.

Kim didn't tell you?" asked Erin in surprise.

"No, only that we find a way of spreading the Krin among those that would keep the benefits a secret." William answered.

"There must be a good reason," Julie suggested, seeing that doubt had been cast about.

Just then, William's phone chirped, interrupting the deep meaningful silence. After listening for a few minutes, William shut the phone off and then turned to the others.

"Kim's on her way from the airport, she said she'd be here in 30 minutes. We can ask her then." He finished, unwilling to speculate more.

Cindy who had been wearing her bracelet all day, was thinking about refilling her glass of wine, but the bottle was out of reach at the other end of the table. Just she was about to ask for a refill, the bottle wobbled, then slid across the slick surface so until it was next to her hand that had just placed the wine glass down on the table.

You could have heard a pin drop. Cindy froze, looking at the bottle as if it were possessed. She looked at the shocked faces of the others, hoping to see a smile heralding the words, "I gotcha," from pulling off the trick. All she saw was a mirrored expression of her own, as they looked at her for an explanation.

"Did you do that?" asked Julie, looking directly at Cindy.

"I... I...I don't know, I just thought about getting a refill, when the bottle moved." Cindy replied in a shaky voice.

"See if you can move it again, maybe try lifting it," suggested William curiously.

Cindy shrugged, not really believing it would work, as she concentrated on lifting the bottle. She imagined gripping it with an imaginary hand and lifting the bottle into the air. The bottle trembled, and then rose unsteadily into the air till it was several inches up. Cindy was so shocked that it had worked, that she lost her concentration for a second. The bottle dropped, nearly spilling its contents as Cindy's real hand caught the errant tumble.

"Oh boy!" Came a chorus from the others.

"It worked," said an amazed Cindy, as she filled her glass with wine, seeing the bottle was already in her hand.

Questions flew fast furious about how did she do it, and how did it feel. She tried to explain, but was at a loss as how she was able to do it.

Kim's arrival interrupted the discussion, as they welcomed her inside. After the introductions were made and Joanne and Erin having given her, their heartfelt thanks for the near instant recovery of Joanne, they told her about Cindy's display with the wine bottle.

"Telekinesis is a power that we hoped might be woken by the Krin, along with some of the other so called psychic powers." Kim informed them.

"But why has Cindy developed them so quickly and I haven't?" asked Julie, feeling disappointed that she who had been wearing the Krin longer, hadn't developed any powers.

"Cindy is the first true female that hasn't been ill, or recovering from life threatening diseases. She must have had a strong psychic ability, normally called woman's intuition. As you get more settled with your new body and become your true self, I suspect you will manifest these traits too."

"Woman's intuition is a psychic ability?" Scoffed William, more out of jealousy that anything.

"Yes, although we as a race don't have this ability, we have seen and interacted with races that demonstrate these powers. We knew from research, that mankind has these abilities too, but much of it has been derided as fakery. Woman's intuition is a throw back to primitive times, when man was barely surviving in caves. Women had little defences against the more powerful males, they compensated by developing senses that could aid and warn them of danger. This is how it developed in the other races, so I expect a similar occurrence here."

Kim looked at Cindy, as she continued.

"You might develop other powers as well, seeing the Krin hasn't had a long time to interact with you. You may develop a limited clairvoyance and other mental powers, along with spatial displacement or pyrotechnical skills."

"Will it be only the women that gain these skills?" asked William, feeling a little left out.

"Definitely not, men who are in touch with their emotions should eventually be able to access these abilities. Mankind as a race continues to surprise us with your quick adaptability. Cindy must have a strong empathic ability, to have manifested TK so quickly. Any powers that strengthen the mind will be of great benefit in the coming conflict. Another plus is that as telepathy becomes more widespread, finding compatible partners will be made easier, as you'll probably be drawn together almost instinctively."

"I think Cindy, already knows, who her partner is," supplied Julie with a giggle, as she explained Cindy's hurry to see Bob.

"Why not have Tyrone deliver the Krin to Bob, he lives not far from Cathy and it would save you a trip. Plus, if he's the one for you, he'll probable be heading down here." Suggested Kim helpfully.

"Maybe they could meet half way and continue from there." Erin said, putting in her two cents worth. "That would make three teams to help spread the Krin."

"I suggest that when William and Julie meet up with Sara and Kevin, that they try contacting Cindy while in a nexus to see if it's possible to form a union of minds without the necessity of having to always be in pairs. At least while she is still on her own," Kim proposed.

While Kim polished off the leftover pizza, Cindy demonstrated her TK for her. The bottle, now empty, served as volunteer for her tests. Cindy seemed to do better than before, saying it was like using a new muscle, the more you exercised it, the stronger it got, soon she could lift the bottle to the ceiling and move it anywhere in the room, while still aloft. Kim suggested Cindy try it blindfolded, seeing Cindy was using her sight to keep the bottle from smashing into things.

"Why do it blind?" she asked, after having a near miss with Joanne's head on her first attempt.

"You might find you need it to be able to do it at night in an emergency situation. It will also help expand your awareness of things around you and extend your abilities," was Kim's reply.

"Ah! Like Skywalker and his blind light saber duel against the remote. I'll give it another try then," Cindy grinned, before attempting once more.

Unfortunately, her concentration was broken again, as a chorus of "feel the force Cindy," and William's simultaneous Yoda impression of, "do or do not, there is no try," rang in the air. As everyone dissolved into giggling blobs, the bottle lay forgotten where it had fallen on the floor. Cindy tried to look angry at the interruption, but couldn't stop her mouth forming a smile, which soon turned to laughter as she joined in on the hilarity.

Meanwhile, far to the north, things had turned rather ominous.

Tyrone and Carolyn had reached the street where Cathy lived. It was about 1pm in the afternoon, as they tried to drive up to the house where Cathy lived, sharing it with her flatmate. A police cruiser was parked outside and the sight sent shivers through both Carolyn and Tyrone for several reasons. An ambulance was just pulling away from the curb as Tyrone managed to find a park further down the street. Tyrone used his Krin to become Tyrissa, taking no chances this time, as s/he climbed out of the RV. Carolyn joined her, as they made their way to the address they'd been given.

"Sorry miss, you can't go in there, until the investigation is finished," droned the officer as he stood guard outside the front door.

"But we are friends of Cathy... um Keith," protested Tyrissa, unsure of how Cathy was know there.

"If you're friends of the victim, you might want to follow the ambulance, I think they went to the memorial hospital." The officer offered.

"What happened?" probed Carolyn, trying to wheedle more information out of the officer.

The police officer looked reluctant to give out any information, but seeing the pleading looks from both women, he relented and gave them a quick run down.

"Seems the flatmate found her friend unconscious in the lounge after returning home from shopping. We aren't sure if it's a case of attempted suicide or just that she starved to near critical levels." Stated the officer, finishing abruptly, as his superior came to the door.

"Thank you," offered Tyrissa, as she turned to walk back to the RV.

"Wait! Are you friends of Keith?" asked a young blonde haired woman, who'd pushed past the office on her way out of the house.

"Yes we are," answered Tyrissa, turning and waiting for the woman to come closer.

"You know about Cathy?" the woman asked quietly, once she was out of earshot of the disgruntled looking officer.

"Yes we do, in fact, that's why we are here." Carolyn reassured her.

"I'm Tina, Cathy rents a room from me, but has been struggling to survive on what she's getting from social security. I think she has been eating barely enough to survive."

Tyrissa introduced themselves, saying they were chat friends and were coming to help, seeing Cathy had quit coming online because of non-payment of phone bills.

"She doesn't like charity. I think she's been selling what belongings she has just to survive. I haven't asked for rent for months now, hoping she could accept that she pay me when she could. I think she paid for her gender counselling by selling her laptop. Please help her."

"Don't worry, we will," promised Tyrissa. "We need to go now, if we are to help her." Tyrissa finished, giving Tina a hug.

The drive to the hospital was spent bemoaning the fact of their delay, if they'd got there sooner, this might not have happened.

In the hospital, the staff was less than helpful, seeing they were not close family. Cathy was in intensive care barely hanging on while being feed intravenously. Tyrissa needed to get to her, and pondered a way to achieve that. Pulling Carolyn along the hallway, she outlined her idea. After the incident with the rouge cop. Kim had upgraded her Krin so that it had the same properties as the original four found by Sara.

Using the image capturing option, Tyrissa captured an image of one of the nurses walking towards them. Then, using an unoccupied room changed herself into nurse Christine Chandler. Using the colour-coded lines painted on the floor, she stepped out briskly along the purple line leading to the intensive care unit. Carolyn followed in her wake, pleased to see that no one seemed to question her husband in his new guise. Arriving at the intensive care wing, Tyrissa waited outside, seeming to be in intense conversation with Carolyn. In fact, they were waiting for a nurse or doctor to exit the ICU. Carolyn soon became another nurse, as Tyrissa captured the image of Robin Caruthers on the way out of the ICU.

The two newly minted nurses went into the ICU and looked for Cathy. Tyrissa was aware of other doctors and nurses bustling around, and knew it wouldn't be easy getting Cathy out of there. Time for plan B.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.

Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Plan B? What was plan A?" Whispered Carolyn, having heard Tyrissa's muttered words.

"Oh that was the one where we waltz in here and walk out with Cathy without anyone noticing," Tyrissa whispered back.

Ah...that plan," Carolyn grimaced, trying to look busy by one of the patients.

Tyrissa had been busy scanning the room for Cathy, luckily catching sight of her, when a doctor had drawn back the curtains surrounding her, as he left the area to go to another.

Tyrissa led off, walking briskly to the bed that Cathy lay on. There was an intravenous drip in one arm and Cathy looked drawn, which contrasted sharply against the remnants of the makeup that still showed on her face. She was only semi conscious and was mumbling incoherently, something about her cat.

Tyrissa looked anxious, trying to come up with a plan, she saw that the bed was just a gurney and the drip was attached to the frame and not a separate stand. Getting a glimmer of an idea, she quickly outlined it to Carolyn before picking up the chart attached to the end of the bed.

Tyrissa drew back the curtain as Carolyn pushed the gurney containing Cathy, out into view. She headed towards the doors that they had entered from, determined not to be stopped.

"Hold it, where are you taking that patient?" asked the young doctor that had just recently been checking on Cathy.

"X-ray," answered Tyrissa, running interference, while Carolyn continued to move towards the exit.

"Why wasn't I informed, demanded the tired and testy doctor, as he moved to intercept his fast disappearing patient.

Tyrissa, still with the paperwork in her hands, glanced at it as if reading something. She managed to reach the doctor and grasped his arm before he got to Carolyn.

"The police just sent in a report that the patient may have sustained a fall, so they want to check the patient for fractures." Tyrissa explained, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"This is highly irregular, nurse chandler," he replied, looking at her name badge.

"Well you know what this hospital is like, run by bureaucrats, watching out for their own heads in case someone sues," Tyrissa ad-libbed, hoping it was true.

She smiled winsomely at the doctor, hoping to charm him with her borrowed ample bosom. Apparently, the doctor wasn't immune to her charms, and put his hand over hers, where she was still holding his arm.

"Want to meet me at the cafeteria later, on our break?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, see you then," Tyrissa replied, giving him a wink. She hoped the real nurse chandler didn't get into any trouble, as she walked out after the fast disappearing Cathy.

Catching up with them, Tyrissa pointed to a linen supply room.

"In here, just like in all the movies," she giggled, feeling herself relax after the excitement in the ICU.

They had to disconnect the IV and manhandle Cathy into the room, as unlike in the movies, there wasn't room for the gurney. While Tyrissa wrestled with the semi conscious Cathy, Carolyn pushed the gurney further down the corridor and left it outside a ward. She then scurried back to Tyrissa to give her a hand with Cathy.

Tyrissa had given up any attempt to explain what was about to happen, as she held Cathy awkwardly while trying to activate the Krin. Luckily, Carolyn came back in time to help, as Tyrissa operated her change back from the nurse's borrowed form. Being in contact with Cathy, they both took on Tyrissa's fully female form. Cathy jerked upwards as she regained the strength of her new legs. That wasn't the only thing she regained, as she became fully conscious.

"What the f...?" She burst out with, seeing herself in a strange room with two strange women.

"Shuush, we are here to help you. Do you remember anything of the last hour or so?" Tyrissa calmly reassured the panicked Cathy. Cathy immediately realised things about her were suddenly very different, as she looked down at herself.

"Sheesh! Either I've died and gone to heaven, or I'm having the dream of a lifetime," she muttered, feeling her new body with her dainty hands, seemingly ignoring the presence of the others.

"You're not dead, although it was a close call, and you're not dreaming. I'm also too solid to be a figment of your imagination," offered Tyrissa, giving the new Cathy's body a hug.

"Can we leave all the chatter till later, after we get out of here," prompted Carolyn, who in the meantime had reverted, unnoticed, to her own form.

"Cathy, we are in a hospital, where they took you, after you became unconscious. We came to get you out, hence the disguise," Tyrissa hurriedly explained, before moving towards the door.

"Ah that explains it," Cathy laughed, content to allow the others to urge her along. " I'm delirious and this is what not eating right has led me too. Prue always pooh poohed my idea that you could survive on the four basic food groups. Looks like she was right." She sighed, as the three of them made their way towards the main entrance.

"Four basic food groups?" asked Carolyn, who despite the current situation, was mildly interested.

"Salt, sugar, caffeine and grease," supplied the bemused Cathy, as she marvelled at the intensity of her current delusion.

Both the others laughed at Cathy's warped sense of humour. An announcement over the hospital intercom system to be on the lookout for a missing patient, soon wiped the smiles of their faces. The empty gurney had been discovered, and things could get sticky if Cathy blurted out the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Seeing a more diligent looking member of the hospital staff scanning everyone leaving the main doors, Tyrissa decided a change in plans. Looking like twins was bad enough to elicit some notice, but being dressed identically, would bring too much attention to Cathy and Tyrissa. Holding the others from advancing, Tyrissa snagged an unoccupied wheelchair from down the corridor. Using the Krin, she returned to nurse Chandlers form, rolling the wheelchair along to the others.

With Cathy firmly ensconced in the wheelchair, holding hands with Carolyn, Tyrissa pushed the wheelchair dutifully towards the exit. Cathy, still unsure if this was still some wild delusion born of her fertile imagination, allowed them to push her to the RV. There, she was bundled into the back with Carolyn, while Tyrissa made a fast exit from the car park.

Once clear from possible pursuit, Tyrissa pulled over near a park, overlooking the lake.

"I'm not dreaming this, am I?" was Cathy's first words, once they had stepped out of the RV.

"No, this is not a dream, but it could be a dream come true," replied Tyrissa.

I'm fully female, and yet I know that's impossible," muttered Cathy, trying to come to terms with her abrupt feminisation.

Carolyn, ever the practical one, handed Cathy her open compact. Cathy took it and looked at her face in the mirror.

"Oh boy! We aint in Kansas anymore," she gasped, realising that she wore a strangers face. This is just like one of those stories on Fiction mania, or Storysite, except this seems to be real," stated Cathy, as she angled the mirror to catch all her appearance.

"It's not a body suit like in one of those excellent stories you write," commented Tyrissa, having admired Cathy's stories she'd written.

"You've read my stuff?" asked Cathy, her eyes opening wide, realising that she still didn't know who these two strangers were.

"Oh yes, I'm a fan. We have met in the chat room before. My name is Tyrone, although at the moment I'm going by Tyrissa."

"How did you find me?" she asked, then... "You're Tyrone!" she exclaimed belatedly, as Tyrissa words, finally sank in. She looked Tyrissa over closely, seeing that she too, was all woman. "You're not what I'd expected," she added with a wry grin.

"Well, this is the improved model. It comes with all the knobs," laughed Tyrissa, smoothing the material around her breasts so her nipples stood out.

"I can see that," agreed Cathy, making turning motions with her fingers at chest height.

"Tyrissa, don't be such a show off!" admonished Carolyn, shaking her head at her lovers immodest display. "Those knobs are for me only," she added, with a grin, taking the sting out of her earlier words.

Cathy and Tyrissa chuckled.

"We found you thanks to Prue. She gave us your real name after some persuasion, and the Shelke found out your address for us." Tyrissa explained, answering Cathy's earlier question.

"I'll have to talk to that girl," Cathy said, shaking her head.

"Wait, before you go off at her, she more than likely saved your life... again," remonstrated Tyrissa, quickly coming to the defence of her informer. "Plus, we come bearing gifts you have only dreamed of," added Tyrissa, indicating the current form that Cathy was in possession of.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at her, just she can't keep adding to the debt I already owe her, not that she would accept any payment I could offer her," sighed Cathy. So just how is it, that I'm now female all of a sudden?"

"Let me explain," Tyrissa said in answer.

The next hour was spent getting Cathy up to speed on everything. However much Cathy would liked to believe this was just another great TG fiction story, the fact that she was in a woman's body and able to confirm it was real with just a touch, was proof enough that Tyrissa was telling the truth.

"So I get to have one of these Krin and be able to switch from male to female?" she asked, excitedly.

"Yes, you can choose, have you something in mind?" Carolyn asked, getting curious.

"Oh I'd like to look like Loni Anderson. Five six, 38c, 25, 36 and blonde," Cathy confirmed, having envisioned herself in that body from when she first discovered the difference between girl's and boy's.

"Well, I think there might be a problem looking exactly like a famous star, but how about a close approximation? We could make you taller, say, 5' 9." That would show your legs off better, plus we could make you about 22 years old," offered Tyrissa, crossing off possible problems with being recognised.

"I guess after all this time wishing, I should just be grateful for being female. Having any choice of appearance is just icing on the cake," Cathy agreed.

"Let's get started," Tyrissa suggested, offering a hand to Cathy.

Down south, Kim had supplied Erin with their own version of the RV. It was fitted with all the extras that Shelke technology could fit into the smaller van. With it, Erin could monitor her site, anywhere they happened to be. The Toyota Hiace van had room for one double fold away bed and a limited cooking area. The roof was adorned with communication equipment and computer monitors that could be used while lying on the bed if necessary. Keyboards on swing arms allowed one to type either sitting or lying down as well. Special lockers that used the no space worm hole effect, held both Krin and any personal effects that they may need, like clothing or supplies.

Erin and Joanne were soon on their way, heading towards Crystals hometown to join forces with the other major contributor of TG material. Cindy was supplied with a more normal looking car, as she didn't intend sleeping in it. On the outside, it looked like any normal German built GT Golf, but it was built to the same Shelke standards of invulnerability and safety. Like the Toyota van, it didn't come with the ability to morph, but the power plant under the hood ensured that it did have the legs on most cars. The golf also had a no space access, set into the glove box, which with just a call to Kim, could be loaded with Krin or other urgently required items. The no space access, in both vehicles, were protected so that if it was opened by someone not wearing a Krin, the space looked like a normal glove box or cupboard.

Cindy had decided to head to Bob's declining Kim's suggestion, that Tyrissa stop by first. Impatient to go, she was off before the others had even got organised.

"She seems intent on getting to Bob's quickly, I hope she isn't sensing a problem, with her new abilities," Kim sighed, looking after the fast disappearing car.

"You think she could be psychic?" asked Erin worriedly.

"Well, she did seem rather subdued this morning, but I thought it was just nerves," Joanne put in.

Cindy was glad to be on her way, something was niggling at her thoughts. It was nothing she could put into words, so she hadn't said anything to the others. Now that she was heading East so that she could eventually turn north, towards Syracuse the feeling seemed to have eased, as if it (whatever it was) knew she was coming. Normally a careful driver, staying within the speed limits, with the hidden power of the Shelke engine, and the nonchalant way the car handled at speed, she was soon tramping along at nearly twice the speed limit.

With the car loaded with snack bars and cool drinks, she sped along, stopping only for comfort breaks. She only slowed twice on the highway, other than when going through the towns. Fitted with the anti radar devices, she avoided being caught by the two speed traps, she encountered. After two hard days of driving from dawn to dusk, fatigue was starting to set in. When fatigue finally told her body to stop, she slept in her seat in a lay-by off the road, something she hadn't planned to do. The urge to continue had to be fought off, knowing that to continue would have her fall asleep at the wheel.

Being used to the feelings of fatigue and accepting that rest was usually the only cure, she settled down for the night, knowing that whatever was driving her onwards, would have be content with the delay.

Having only had the Krin for a short while, she never realised the hidden potential in being able to swap bodies at the touch of a finger. If she had, what followed the next day might not have happened. She could have changed into a fatigue free body and continued on during the night. During the night, her sleep was interrupted with dreams of formless terror that swirled with shadows and cries of anguish. She felt herself running to some a scene of horror that despite all her efforts, she couldn't seem to reach. All she knew in the dreams unfocused clarity was that she alone was needed to prevent a terrible tragedy.

Cindy woke suddenly in the dawns chill light. The fading remnants of the dream slipping elusively away. She groaned as she tried to move, as her stiffened body, protested its uncomfortable resting position. Moving slowly, to allow time for her muscles to work out the kinks, she got out of the car and straightened up. Easing herself into a few gentle stretching exercises, she took in her surroundings. Luckily, the lay-by had a toilet for the passing motorists, which she spotted, as she felt the call of nature made its presence known. That wasn't the only thing calling her, as she made her comfort stop.

Whatever it was that was urging her on, was definitely stronger, with a more urgent tone. Within minutes, she was again speeding her way unerringly in the direction of Bob's hometown. So focused was she, on her task, she never thought to phone the others. She drove through the gathering clouds as she neared her destination, the ominous blue look to them, mirroring her own mood.

Bob was a keen amateur weatherman, and often gave out reports on the net. He used a special program that monitored storm activity and cloud density. Having a server that hosted many varied sites for the Transgendered, he liked to give warnings of any possible outages due to storm activity. Today was looking like generation another local storm surrounding Syracuse. He checked his wind speed monitor, which sat up on one of his high radio masts.

"Damn, its on the fritz again," he muttered to himself, as the gauge didn't show a reading.

Going outside, he peered up at the 60-foot mast that he used for his amateur radio. He checked the weather station with its anemometer, only to see the vanes stationary, despite the moderate breeze.

He knew what the problem was. He'd been meaning to change the top bearing in it for ages, but had kept putting it off. Now the three windless days prior had allowed the bearing to seize, as the vane had been stationary. Bob checked the clouds that he knew were headed this way. Although blue, they were some distance yet and no thunder was evident. Deciding he had time to fix the vane, he went inside for the small pocket sized can of WD40 and a screwdriver.

He started to climb up the triangular shaped mast, using the angle bracing as convenient steps. He had a strong belt that had a strap he used to fasten himself securely to the mast whenever he did any work on it. However, ascending or descending was made with out it, unless he wanted a rest half way up. It took 8 minutes to climb to the top, slightly less to climb down.

He reached the top and fastened himself to the tower, the wind making it sway beneath him. He unscrewed the vane from the shaft and lifted it clear of the shaft. The skirt of the vane covered the bearing and provided a weather seal for it, but after time, wind driven water would get in and slowly eat away at it. Bob sprayed the oil over the rusty bearing and started turning the shaft by hand to allow the oil to work its way in. Once free, he gave it another burst of oil and returned the vane to the shaft. A sudden shift in the mast, nearly made him drop the screwdriver, as a sudden squall of wind gusted by. Bob looked up at the horizon to check the weather, and blanched as the gathering clouds loomed near. Quickly fastening the vane, he started to climb down, as the first prickle of static build-up made his hair stand up.

"Get down, get down now," his mind screamed to him as the first splatter of rain wet his shirt. A flash and then an almost instant crack of thunder sounded, telling him that the lightning was very close. He unfastened his safety line and started downward. He'd descended ten feet before he heard the crackle of electricity and saw the metalwork in front of his develop Saint Elmo's fire as a blue corona enveloped him. He heard/felt a flash/bang as the lightening bolt struck the mast and boiled down its length to the ground.

Bob's last thought, as everything went black and he felt himself being blasted away from the mast in a tumble, was,' Who was that calling him?'

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.