The Birth of Cheetah

by Stephanie C.

 

Part TWO

Chapter Twelve: Decisions 

"What do you mean ‘there’s nothing we can do‘?" Karen demanded.

Alexandria Rasputin, director of the National Xavier Institute, raised her hands helplessly. "I’m sorry, Karen, but there was nothing in those computer files that linked Michael Ironheim to that island. In fact, no one actually SAW him there." She waved her hands to forestall Karen’s protests. "Look, we both know that he is the one responsible for what happened to Sam, and let’s not forget about the lives lost when the New Jersey was sunk, but the Attorney General can do nothing without any hard evidence. Your word will not be good enough."

Karen sat back hard in her chair in resignation. Alexandria was right, of coarse, but she was having a hard time accepting it. She looked at the woman across the desk. She was incredibly young for such a high position, younger than Karen in fact, but she was the best person suited for the job. Her I.Q. was higher than her mother’s. That was saying a lot considering who her mother was. Catherine Rasputin, AKA Shadowcat, was a genius. Her work on quantum physics and mechanics had earned her Nobel Prizes.

Also like her mother, Alexandria was a mutant. She had the ability to control other mutants, whether it was to negate them for a set period of time, or when necessary, turn their powers against themselves. That was an important ability at the N.X.I. where juveniles just coming into their powers where tested and trained in their use. If any were to lose control or to become corrupted with their abilities, Alexandria was always on hand to take control.

She was personally overseeing Sam’s testing as a favor to Karen.

"How is Sam doing?" She asked.

Alexandria sighed in relief at the change in subjects. She hated politics with a passion. "Better than I had hoped. She is finally gaining control of her empathic abilities and you can’t believe how much of a relief THAT was to the staff and other students." Her grin became a frown when she noticed the confused look on Karen’s face. "You did know that she... HE had began transmitting his emotions instead of just being a receptacle for other?"

Karen shook her head and then looked away in sham at Alexandria’s reproachful look.

"That was a month ago. When was the last time you visited him?"

"I... I haven’t." Karen said, choking back a sob. "I couldn’t bear to face him knowing that he must hate me for being responsible for what happened to him."

"Do you even know what happened to him?" Alexandria asked angrily. "They turned him into a clone, Karen! A clone of YOU!"

She pulled up Sam’s file on her computer and turned the screen for Karen to see. Look at this! His DNA is nearly a perfect match with yours, but there’s just enough of his own to suggest that he could be an offspring of you two. And aside from the genetic enhancements they crammed into him that has increased his physical stats across the board, the mutant traits he received from your DNA has made him a class five mutant where his speed is concerned. We clocked his top speed at ninety-two miles per hour in short five-mile sprints, but he’s also a class NINE empath."

"I didn’t know that." Karen admitted, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Then you probably don’t want to know this." The younger woman said, taking a thick file from her ’hold’ basket. "I guess that gold ring on your finger doesn’t mean anything to you. I was under the impression, as was Agent Williams, his sister, that you cared about Sam’s welfare. I guess we were mistaken so I’ll just send this back to the FBI."

Karen felt as if she had been slapped repeatedly in the face. That was obviously the effect Alexandria was after. "What is that?" She managed, fighting back tears.

"Paperwork that you would need to sign stating that Sam is your biological daughter. Which of coarse is true genetically if not actually." At Karen’s confusion she explained. "The ’Powers That Be’ believe that it would be unwise to let be known what happened to Sam. I agree. If word was to get out about his gender reversal and, God forbid, his rejuvenation, there would be a mass exodus to find the fountain of youth he stumbled upon. There would be an outcry for access to that technology which is unfortunately in the hands of the enemy. Ironheim is already powerful enough. Imagine how more powerful he would become if he opened that technology to the market."

Karen let out a long breath and rubbed her eyes. "I..."

"You don’t have to sign anything right away." Alexandria said softly. "I haven’t told Sam about any of this yet, but personally, I believe that this is a decision that you two should make together."

Karen managed a weak nod.

"Want me to take you to him?"

"Yes... Please."

 

They found Sam in the Institute’s small park casually tossing pieces of bread to the ducks gathered in the pond before him.

"Sam." Alexandria called out. "You have a visitor."

Apprehension filled his eyes when he saw Karen, but he packed the remains of his lunch and nervously stood to greet her.

"Good luck." Alexandria whispered in Karen’s ear before disappearing back the way they had come.

Sam stopped before her and they looked at each other in silence for long minutes. Aside for the pink hair with its white temple locks, the pale violet, almost pink eyes, and the purple, dagger shaped mark down the right side of his face, Karen could see the similarities between him and what she had looked like as a teen. "You’re looking good." She said at last.

Sam looked down at the baggy sweats he was wearing. "You’re joking. Right?"

She flashed him her patent lopsided grin. "That’s not what I meant." Then, "Want to go for a walk?"

He nodded and fell in beside her, but they did not walk far. His next question stopped Karen in her tracks. "So why are you here?"

She was silent for a long time, unsure how to answer. Instead, she handed him the folder and stood silently as he read through the papers. She grew concerned when she saw the anger building on his face. Alexandria just handed that to me." She hastily explained. "I had nothing to do with it. I swear." Then, "Damn it, Sam, I don’t want you to be my daughter. I wanted you to be my husband."

He looked instinctively at her hand. "You’re wearing the ring."

She nodded. "I didn’t want to take it off." Fighting back tears, she continued. "Sam, I know that you are angry with me and probably hate me for what I did to you, but I love you and always will."

She took the ring off and put it in his smaller hand, but before she could pull away, he grasped her hand and held it with the ring between their palms.

He swallowed back a sob. "I don’t hate you Karen, and I never blamed you for this, but I can understand if you... if... Karen, I’ve already lost everything else in my life, and if I lose you too..."

 

Alexandria wiped a tear from her eye as she watched the two figures below embrace. She averted her gaze when their lips met in a passionate kiss. The opened mouth gape on the woman beside her made her laugh. "Mother! I swear you can be so naive at times."

"But they’re..."

Alexandria took a firm grip on her mother’s elbow and steered her away from the window. "Yes they are. Now that young girl with the hair used to be a twenty-seven year old man who also just happens to be Karen’s fiance.

"Fiance? She never told me she was getting married!" Catherine protested.

"Anyways." Alexandria changed the subject. "I believe you said something about buying me lunch?"

"Now that was not the arrangement we had." Kitty protested. "As I recall, you called me and said something about being in the mood fore Greek. Isn’t that right, Lockheed?"

The alien dragon feigned innocence. He had eighteen years of experience to know better than to get involved in a mother-daughter argument.

"Traitor!" She teased before gathering her jacket and following her laughing daughter out the door.

 

Now that they were together again, neither wanted to let the other go. They had returned to the bench where Sam had eaten his lunch and sat silently, just enjoying each other’s company in silence.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked after some time had passed. "Do you think that we should sign the papers?"

"Do you want to?" Karen asked. "Would you be content with just being my daughter?"

"If it’s the only way that we could be together, then yes, I suppose so." He said. "But Lord knows that that is not what I really want."

"Then what do you want?"

Sam looked down to their clasped hands. "I want to be your husband, Karen. I want to be the man to father your children, the man that... can make love to you." He looked away helplessly. "But I can’t do any of that... not any more. Ironheim made sure of that."

"Then let’s not let Ironheim beat us." Karen said, squeezing his hands. "We can still get married, and there are ways that I can still have your child. We can make this work. Despite Ironheim."

Sam turned his pale violet eyes to her dark brown ones. "But how can you love a man who looks like this? Unless you’re ready to become a lesbian overnight, I don’t see how we could make this work."

"Sam, you should know by now that I will do anything for you." She then rolled her eyes to the side and cocked her head. "Although, this is pushing awfully close to the limits, but I am willing to give it a try if you give me the chance." Her voice then lowered and became serious. "But jus give me time. Let’s take it slow at first. Okay?"

Sam put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I think I can manage that."

"Sam." She said after a moment. "I have to be truthful with you. I’m scared. I don’t mean to hurt you when I say this, but I’ve never been with a woman before, and when we kissed, it felt... I don’t know... weird. You know?"

"I know exactly what you mean." He said, flashing her a rueful smile and jiggling one of his small breasts with his free hand. "I’m not used to having these in the way. And I’m not used to having to look up at you either. I think that we’re just going to have to practice until we get it right."

"We can practice now." Karen whispered, unsure if he had heard her until he took her chin in his hand and led her lips to his.

Her hand went instinctively to his chest only to encounter his breasts and she immediately froze. This was the moment of decision. She realized. This was the moment, the test, to see if she could willingly go through with her promise to love the body before her. Then she realized that it was the person within the body that she was madly in love with, and that, she decided, was all that truly mattered.

Sam became fearful when he felt her hesitation, but when he felt the tension wash away from her and felt her hand tentively return to his breast, he kissed her more passionately than ever before.

Neither knew how long it lasted. It seemed an eternity to them both before they parted.

Karen looked deeply into Sam’s pale violet eyes and noticed for the first time just how beautiful they were. "Sam, do you trust me?" She asked suddenly.

His eyes sparkled mischievously and rolled to the side. "Well... I don’t know. We know what happened last time."

Karen laughed, happy to see a semblance of his old self returning. "I promise that this time will not be so bad." She said, pulling him to his feet. "Come on."

Something in her tone made Sam uneasy. He knew from experience that when she talked like that, she was up to something that he eventually regretted to agree to. He also knew from experience that he would go along with her anyways. "What do you have in mind?" He knew better than to ask.

"Well, first," She answered as she led him by the hand to the dormitories. " we’re going to get you cleaned up and into something more presentable. Then I’m going to take you out to get your beautiful hair trimmed and styled. It’s a mess. After that, we’ll make up as we go along."

 

Chapter Thirteen: Madagascar

Deep in the jungles of Madagascar below an ancient and now extinct civilization, Lord Michael Ironheim paced restlessly in his command center. He had originally set this facility up for a base for his Middle East operations. That was before he had built the island that was now in the hands of the Americans.

It was taking some time for the technicians to bring the long unused equipment back online. Ironheim was anxious for news from his various companies. For all he knew, the world governments had probably seized all of them and proclaimed him a terrorist outlaw. If that had happened, then his organization would crumble without the funds to support it and the technology to supply it.

The sudden surge of power and the hum of computers caught his attention. He strode purposefully to where a technician was bringing information up on his screen.

"Give me just a couple of seconds to establish the uplink with the satellite, M’Lord." The tech said.

Ironheim waited the few minutes it took, then breathed an enormous sigh of relief as he watched the status of his companies begin to scroll down the screen. Nothing had been touched! His lead technicians had been right. Nothing on the island’s computers had mentioned him.

Another technician at his own station had searched news files for anything pertaining to the assault on the island. What he brought up was disquieting news for Domina. She had been reported as the unknown terrorist leader who had been responsible for the abduction and subsequent murder of Samuel Conners, a U.S. Special Forces agent. The rumored motive was for retribution for an attack against her that he had been involved in.

There was also mention of her abducting young girls and brainwashing them before selling them on the black market. That, at least, was partially true. She did sell off her thralls when she either tired of them or they became too old for her tastes.

"Have you become a liability?" Ironheim asked from behind her.

Sweat beaded on her brow but she forced herself to be calm. "This is inconsequential. They have my picture but not my true name. Besides, I have been fancying a change of appearance anyways. This only makes it more prudent."

"Good." Ironheim said offhandedly. "You are to valuable of an asset for me to lose at the moment."

He motioned for her to follow as he left the control room. "I have been reconsidering my plans for the weapon project." He said conversationally. "I believe that your methods will suffice."

"You are referring to my experiments with Weapon Beta?"

"Of coarse. Since it has proven to be a waste of time and effort to attempt to reclaim the Weapon, we will find subjects to use the Weapon Beta procedure on. I would like for you to see to finding those subjects while I arrange for the construction of the new chambers."

"Will you be having them built here?"

Ironheim gave a grunt of amusement. "Hardly. This place is too remote for such an operation. However, you may use it as a staging area for your subjects if you wish."

Domina considered his suggestion for a moment before shaking her head. "No. As you say, this base is too remote. It would be too time consuming to bring them here only to move them again. I believe that the facilities under my estate will be adequate for my purposes."

Ironheim eyed her a moment, wondering just how far he could trust her. She had become a valuable ally since she had joined his organization. She was the sole heiress to a vast fortune left from many generations of an aristocratic family, but she was also ambitious.

Theirs had been a purely professional relationship. Mainly due to her own sexual preferences. He respected that and would not begrudge her foibles. They were simply not a match in that regard.

"What would you say if I suggested that we use those same facilities for the construction of the Weapon Beta project?"

Domina smiled. "I was considering making the same suggestion. If not, I would at least like to have one of the chambers there for my own personal use."

Ironheim gave her a curt nod. "I can arrange for that as well. So... are we agreed, My Lady?"

"I believe so, My Lord."

"Good. Then I believe that we have a plan to bring us back from this minor setback." He announced.

"What about our prisoner?" Domina asked before he had walked too far away. "Shall we use her once the chambers are ready?"

"We’ll see." He answered after a moment’s consideration. "For the time being, she is too useful in keeping up moral for our followers."

 

Jennifer would have curled in to a ball if it were not for the restraints that bound her spread-eagled to the bed. Her face and body that would have once been the envy of every fashion model was now a patchwork of crisscrossed welts and unhealed wounds that would eventually leave horrendous scars. The leather-clad woman had tortured her with her whip nearly every day since her captivity. Often for no reason at all.

When she was done, Jennifer was often given to the soldiers for their amusement and sick games. The fifth man in as many hours had just left her and she prayed that he would be the last, but the door opened once again as yet another soldier entered the room. This one turned out to be a woman, and to Jennifer’s relief, she was gentle and mindful of her wounds.

 

Chapter Fourteen: Gone Shopping

Karen looked through the wardrobe that had been provided for Sam with dismay. Aside from the gauzy camisole that he had been wearing when he was rescued and was now wadded up in the back of one of his drawers, there was not a single scrap of feminine clothing. He had a couple of pairs of jeans and a few T-shirts but everything else were sweats. Even his underwear were boys briefs.

"You don’t even wear a bra?" She asked incredulously. "You must be pretty sore."

Sam shrugged from where he sat on his bed. "I can deal with it."

"Not for long, you’re not." She said sternly. "If you don’t take care of your body now, you will be regretting it later."

Sam looked at her helplessly. "Look Karen, I know that I’ve got a girl’s body now," He tapped the side of his head, "but in here, I’m still a man. It just seemed unnatural when Alex offered me the girl’s clothes that I refused them."

He then threw his hands apart helplessly and looked away.

Karen knelt at his feet and grasped his hands in his lap. "Sam, I can not even imagine how hard this must be for you. You are going to have to learn a whole new way to live and I know how terrifying that can be. When I first found out that I was a mutant, I was scared witless until someone came along and offered me help. Let me help you now. Okay?"

He nodded and let her help him to his feet.

Karen led him into his bathroom and took quick stock of the items there. There was a large box shoved in one corner filled with various lotions and creams as well as the necessities for feminine hygiene. She noticed that all of it was unopened except for the package of douches and the box of panty liners. Her heart ached knowing that he love now how to endure a woman’s monthly curse.

She pushed the thought away and ordered him to strip. He complied hesitantly, but when he was undressed, he stood and let her admire his new body. It was if she were looking back through time in a mirror. At that age, she had just been coming out of her gawky stage. She said a silent prayer of thanks that he would not have to endure that humiliation. As it was, Sam was the epitome of feminine pubescence in full bloom. Her eyes followed his body from his incredibly slim waist that then flared in graceful hips, that she knew would become wider in time, then down to his long thighs that were still filling out. He had a compact, but very well rounded ass that she believed would look devastating in a thong. Her eyes then when to his breasts. She seemed to remember being larger at that age but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. He was at least an A cup she figured, maybe even going on a B.

"Well?" He asked expectantly.

She gave him her lopsided grin. "If I were a teenaged boy, I would be all over you in a heartbeat. You’re beautiful."

Sam opened his arms and looked down at himself. "I don’t know. I think you might be biased. This is your body, after all." He then looked up at her sharply. "That’s it! I was right! You are in love with your own body!"

"Why you!" She exclaimed and slapped his rear that turned a satisfactory shade of red. "Just get in the shower while I find you something decent to wear."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him short with a raised finger. "One more word and I promise that I’ll find the pinkest, most frilliest dress I can and make you wear it out in public."

"You wouldn’t dare!"

"Just watch me." She said menacingly.

Two could play at that game then, he thought. "In that case, then I’ll have to get you the skimpiest miniskirt with matching tube top, fishnet stockings, and thigh high boots for you to wear."

Karen laughed. "We would make a pair then. Wouldn’t we?"

 

As expected, Sam was regretting having agreed to go along with Karen’s plans. While he was in the shower, she had gone down to the Institute’s clothing issue and picked up everything he had refused to take before. He was thankful that she had used some moderation and had not chosen anything that would have pushed his willpower to the limits. He had calmly donned the simple white cotton panties and had allowed her to help him put on the matching bra. He was now thankful that he had relented to wear it. The weight off his chest was such a relief. Sneakers, jeans, a T-shirt, and a jacket with the Institutes seal emblazoned over his right breast completed the outfit.

They were then off in Karen’s new Saleen Mustang. She explained that it was a ’gift’ for her to keep quiet about what had happened down in the South Pacific. Sam was appalled that she could have been bought off so easily, but she gave him that smile that let him know that she hadn’t been. She let the people upstairs believe what they wanted while she went through more discreet channels to try to bring Ironheim to justice. All to no avail, of course, since nothing could be found to link him to the Island.

When they had reached the beauty parlor, that was when Sam began having his doubts. The women fell instantly in love with his hair and had debated endlessly on which style would best show off the white streaks at his temples. Karen ended the discussion by stating that she wanted Sam to keep the length. She just wanted his hair to be trimmed and lightly permed. She also explained that this was her ‘sister’s’ first time and that she wanted Sam to have The Works.

Sam fretted about what ‘The Works’ meant, but he soon found out. Before he left the beauty parlor, he had been manicured, pedicured, covered in smelly goo, and waxed in every conceivable nook and cranny of his body that was possible. And that was before they even started on his hair! Then, after they were done with his hair, they had assaulted his face. Weird medal objects came at him from all directions plucking, tweezing, and curling. All of that was just to soften him up, the air attack before the ground assault, because next came an array of colorful daubs and brushes.

Sam had stared murderously at Karen throughout the entire ordeal, but she had only smiled gaily back at him in return.

When his tormentors had finally released him and turned him to face the mirror, he had to admit that he was impressed. He was not about to let Karen know that, of course. The women had done little to effect his skin tone except to add highlights here and there. They had used his purple ‘birthmark’ as a base fore the rest of his face and worked from there. His dark pink eyebrows were tweezed into delicate arcs and his lashes were now thick and dark. Various shades of medium violet were used to make his eyes seem wider and lipstick the same shade as his hair made his lips fuller.

He thanked the women, and after Karen had gotten a list of the colors, they were once more off.

"I feel like a clown." Sam said for Karen’s benefit as they climbed into the car.

"I’m still considering that dress." She said menacingly. "So I suggest that you shut up and start appreciating what I’m trying to do for you. Granted, you will be my husband someday, hopefully soon, but you are in a girl’s body now and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you let your body go to shit. You took good care of your body when you were still a man and I expect the same devotion to yourself now. I’m trying to... What’s so damned funny?"

"You." He managed, trying to catch his breath. "I never knew you to be so self-righteous." He then sobered somewhat. "I do appreciate what you are doing for me. More than you could know. I admit that I’m not too crazy about the make-up and nail polish, but I heard how much you just spent on me and I know that you did it because you love me and want to help me." He then turned the rearview mirror towards him and began to preen. "Hell, if I were still a man, I’d do me... Yep, I am quite the little jailbait, ain’t I? Oh yeah!"

Karen laughed despite herself. "I’m sorry. I guess I deserved that. I guess I did get a little carried away with the make-up and stuff. I should have realized that you were not ready for that step yet."

"Well, I still have not fully adjusted yet, "Sam said, putting his hand on her thigh. "and truthfully, I don’t really want to. I know that I don’t have that choice, so like our relationship, let me take this one step at a time. Okay?"

"Okay." She answered resignedly. Then, "Does that mean that you don’t want me to buy you any make-up?"

"Not right now, please."

"Okay, then can I at least help you pick out some clothes?"

"On one condition." He said, holding up a finger to her. "And I’m serious about this, Karen. No dresses, no skirts, and absolutely nothing that will make me look like some teenybopper."

"That’s three conditions." Karen pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes I do. But let me let you in on a little secret. I understand about the first two and I can accept them, but the fact of the matter is, you are, physically, a teenager, so whatever you wear, even what you have on now, you will look like a ‘teeny-bopper’. So you might as well get used to it because for at least the next couple of years, that is exactly what you are going to look like."

 

Of coarse it did not help matters when the only stores they patronized that day catered only to teenaged girls. All except for the lingerie store which they had stopped at first.

Sam refused anything too outrageously feminine, but relented when Karen suggested buying them both matching bra and panty sets.

Afterward, they spent another couple of hours going from one store to the next in the mall and picking out outfits for Sam to try on. They settled on five, one of which he wore out of the store since Karen was taking him to dinner.

As they were leaving the mall, Sam began to notice the people staring at him, especially the boys. Even worse, He began to feel their emotions and their lust for him was unsettling. He began to feel very uncomfortable and clung tightly onto Karen until they were safely back in the car.

"Karen, could we please skip dinner?" His pleading voice was shaking.

"Are you all right?" Karen asked with concern when she saw his pale complexion. "What’s wrong?"

"This... it’s just too much. Could we just go back to the Institute?"

"Of coarse." She said, fearful that something might be seriously wrong with him.

 

Chapter Fifteen: Another Option

"I think he just had an anxiety attack." Alexandria told Karen when she came from the medical ward. "Dr Montoya could not find anything physically with him so we believe the he just experienced too much too soon and it all just overloaded his system. He’s resting now and should be all right in the morning."

"Then it’s my fault." Karen cried. "I did this to him. I I pushed him too fast."

"It’s not your fault." Alexandria admonished. "He went out in public for the first time since becoming a girl and found out that that was how the world is going to see him from now on. That realization finally forced him to acknowledge what he now is. True, he may have known it before, but he never before fully understood the implications of being a girl. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"He’s never going to be the same person again. Is he?" Karen asked quietly. "On the inside I mean."

Alexandria put a comforting arm around the older woman. "I wish that I could say ‘yes’, Karen. I really do."

 

Karen watched as Sam resumed his training. Every morning he ran for a straight three hours for an incredible total of two hundred and fifty-five miles, and that was only at his cruising speed of eighty-five miles per hour.

"I would offer you a race," Sharron said as he walked over to where she and Karen sat. "but I know I wouldn’t stand a chance."

Sam flashed her a smile. "Despite appearances, I am still a gentleman. I would insist on giving you a head start."

"What? Three feet from the finish line?"

"Hey. It’s a head start isn’t it?" He gave her another smile before turning to Karen and giving her a deep kiss. His expression then turned sour. "I’ve got to head on over to my ‘empathy training’, See you after for lunch?"

"Sure." Karen accepted another quick kiss and then he was off.

"She’s a little heartbreaker. Isn’t she?" Sharron asked, admiring Sam’s spandex covered rear as he walked away.

"Yes HE is." Karen said, taking the petite feline woman by the arm and steering her attention away. "And he’s spoken for. That’s my fiancé you’re drooling over."

Sharron hugged her furred tail coyly between her breasts. "I don’t know, maybe he would love to have a big stuffed kitty to cuddle up with."

"If you are trying to make me jealous, it’s not working. Sam and I are deeply in love." Karen told her matter-of-factly.

"Who said I was trying to make you jealous? I could be cuddled by two just as easily as one." She ran her tail teasingly across Karen’s rear.

It did not affect the other woman the way it had when she had first met Sharron. She had become used to the petite woman’s open, and often times, flirtatious affections. "You can be incorrigible at times. You know?"

"Yes I do," Sharron said primly. "but that is why I’m your beast frien... uhm... best female frien... Okay!... Your second best friend."

Karen laughed at her friend’s string of self-corrections.

"So, how is HE doing?" Sharron asked, turning serious.

Karen sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "He gave us a scare the other day, but he seems to be doing better. I’m sharing his room with him now..." Sharron gave her a knowing look. "... and no, we’re not sleeping together. We have separate beds."

"But?" Sharron pressed, noticing that Karen was leaving something unsaid.

"He has nightmares, Sharron. Sometimes they scare even me. Some nights he wakes up screaming and it’s all I can do to try to calm him down because he won’t even let me touch him. He hasn’t talked about it, but Dr. Montoya found evidence of rape when he was first brought in."

A momentary flash of anger crossed Sharron’s face only to be quickly replaced with concern. "If he won’t talk about it, then maybe you should confront him with it."

"I couldn’t do that!" Karen protested.

"Then why not let me? I’ve been where he is, Karen, and I know that if he doesn’t talk about it, it’s going to eat him up from the inside."

"Do you think it will help?"

"From personal experience, I know it will."

 

Sam’s progress improved greatly with Sharron’s daily talks. He finally made a breakthrough with controlling his empathic abilities. He was now quite adept at focusing on one person and reading and controlling that person’s emotions. Even more importantly, he was able to shield himself from the emotions of others. There was very little left that he could learn at the Institute.

 

Karen and Sam had given the folder back to Alexandria weeks ago. Unsigned. The Director told them that she would do what she could to see that they got what they wished, but it took a long time for the FBI agent assigned to the case to respond.

 

They had just returned from one of their walks on the Institute’s grounds when they were notified that they had a visitor in Alexandria’s office. They arrived to find the agent sitting to one side of Alexandria’s desk and listened as he unemotionally spouted a list of procedures and responsibilities at them. Even more incredulously, he was treating Sam as the teenaged kid that he appeared to be.

After an hour and a half of this, Sam had had enough. He snatched the file from the man’s hands and shoved it in his face. "How old does this ay I am?" He demanded angrily. "I am twenty-seven. Probably older than you. So I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit here and be talked down to by some pencil necked prick! Nor am I going to sit here and be dictated to and told what I can and cannot do. We told you that this shit about me being Karen’s daughter is unacceptable to both of us. You have heard what we want so it’s your job to see that it happens."

"Now see here!" The man sputtered, raising angrily to his feet menacingly with clenched fists.

"No, you listen, you incompetent son of a bitch!" Sam growled back, his rich soprano voice doing little to help his fury. "Both Karen and I have done things for this country and often risked our lives doing them. The least that country can do in return is to grant our requests."

"Your patriotism is duly noted." The man sneered. "I’ll see to it that you get a medal or something."

He never saw the punch that shattered three of his teeth and sent him flying across the room.

"Sam!" Karen cried out angrily and just managed to grab him before he caused any further damage.

"I believe that you should leave." Alexandria told the agent as he climbed to his feet.

"Yes, Madam Director, I believe that I will. But I will be returning with a warrant for her arrest!" The agent said, spitting blood.

Alexandria stood and blocked his path to the door. "No you will not, because I will make it clear to your superiors that you were the one that instigated the assault. Further, if you so much as set one foot on these grounds again, I will have you arrested for trespassing."

"Freaking muties!" The man mumbled as he gathered his coat and barged past her.

"What was that?" Alexandria asked calmly. "I don’t believe that the recorders caught that."

The man’s face paled. Whatever story he had planned to tell his superiors would be worthless now that he realized that the meeting had been taped.

Alexandria went to her desk and picked up the phone while still looking at the agent. "Expect to be called to your director’s office when you return." She said, still in her calm tone. "Now, I believe that you were asked to leave."

As soon as the door was closed behind him, Alexandria put the receiver down. "Sit!" She ordered Sam angrily and pointed to the chair before her desk.

"You’re not going to call his boss?" Sam asked after he had obeyed.

She gave him a sharp look, not bothering to answering his question. "I aught to throw you out on your ass! What were you thinking of? What part of your brain told you that you would get the results you wanted by beating up some innocent? Sure he’s an ass and probably deserved it, BUT NOT IN MY INSTITUTE!"

Sam shrank as far away from her as the chair would allow. She was drawing on his empathic powers and used it to direct her anger directly into him. "I’m sorry Alex. I shouldn’t have let him get to me that way. I know better."

"Damn right you do." She agreed. "Now get out of my office and go cool off while I call Director Cambridge and try to straighten this mess out."

As Sam stood to leave, he could not help but notice the small smile on her lips. She quickly hid it, but it was enough for him to know that she was not really all that mad at him. He realized that the two inches that she had just removed from his posterior was probably for the benefit of the recorders that she would be sending to Director Cambridge.

 

It did not take long for the FBI Director to send a replacement. Karen and Sam were called back to Alexandria’s office that same afternoon. The woman that greeted them seemed a bit frazzled and out of sorts, but she began by apologizing for the other agent’s behavior and assured them that he was being dealt with. She also apologized for not having read over Sam’s file thoroughly. It had just been dropped on her desk by the Director with instructions to expedite the paperwork. It had been discovered that the other agent had been spending time at strip clubs and with hookers when he reported to have been working with Sam. Director Cambridge had not been at all pleased.

"Okay." She said, preparing a legal pad on the corner of Alexandria’s desk. "Why don’t we begin by you telling me what you would like to see happen, and I will then see what I can do to make sure it does."

"Alright." Sam began. "First, the most important thing to Karen and me is that it be arranged that we can legally marry. That was our intention before all of this mess began, and we are both in agreement that it is still what we want."

Deborah Whitaker looked uncertain. "I don’t know. Same sex marriages are allowed in some states, but in the majority, that license would not be recognized."

"What if Sam was still listed as male?" Karen asked. "Couldn’t we do that? I mean, on the inside, he still is a man."

Deborah nodded. "That might work. There are precedence where men have gone through Sex Reassignment Surgery and then gone on to marry women. The only drawback is that you would be stuck with the label of Transgendered Male as well as all of the prejudices that comes with it. Could you handle that?"

Sam shrugged. "I’m already a mutant so a little extra bigotry won’t matter."

Deborah laughed. "I guess not. Okay, so what’s next?"

"This goes with the first." Karen said, interrupting Sam before he could speak. "He’s twenty-seven, but we all know that there is no way that he could pass for that now. Could you at least have his age listed as eighteen?" Her hand grasped Sam’s tightly with a squeeze. "That way he’s at least legal. I want us to get married as soon as possible."

This was a shock to Sam. True they had agreed that they still wanted to get married, but he thought that it would be years away. They had not even been true lovers since he had become a girl. "I thought that you wanted to take things slow." He accused.

"I do, but I’m not about to wait two years. Too much could happen in that time. Especially if Sharron’s around." She said with a grin.

"Point taken." He agreed. He had become the victim of the tiger woman’s unending flirtations over the past several weeks. He had taken her attentions seriously at first and had struggled to find ways to let her down easily until he discovered that it was all innocent teasing.

 

By the end of the week, Deborah had returned with all of the necessary paperwork for them to fill out and sign. The government had agreed to everything they had asked for. Sam would keep his name but have a different social security number. All of the funds that had been in the ’Legally Deceased’ Samuel Conners’ bank account had been reimbursed and put into a new account. He would receive his naval retirement, and the title to his beloved Ford Ranger would be signed over to his new identity.

A matter that was just as important to Sam as his marriage to Karen, was his family. The government had lifted the restraints of him visiting them or vice versa. He had not even known that it had existed, but that it explained why Carrol had stopped visiting and why his other sister and his brother had not called.

 

The next day, Deborah returned and gave him a large envelope. Inside were his driver’s license, social security card, and his mutant registration, as well as a stack of other documents. He was now legal and free to do whatever he pleased.

 

Chapter Sixteen: A Change of Uniforms

"I just don’t know why you two haven’t been sleeping together." Sharron said in her usual open manner as she walked between the two of them in the park. "I mean, you are in love and are engaged to be married. What’s holding you back?" She then smiled as a thought came to her. Her tail swished from side to side, slapping their bottoms. "Oh. I know what it is."

"What?" A little tailed woman who keeps cutting in between us?" Karen asked sardonically.

Sharron gave her a look as if forgiving her for her naivety. "No, but you do get points for being close." She put her arms around them as they continued walking, her tail still teasing their rears. "I believe the reason is that you are both women now and do not know how to go about such matters. Well, let me tell you that it’s no different than if Sammy here was still a man. Well, maybe a little different, but the emotions and all of the usual mushy stuff is still the same. All you two need is a professional to show you how all of the rest of it is done, and I, out of the goodness of my heart, humbly offer you my services."

Karen laughed. "How do you sleep with yourself at night?"

Sam surprised them both by hugging up close to Sharron with her tail in his hand and began stoking it between her legs. "Perhaps she soothes herself to sleep with this." His soprano was so innocent and deadpan that Sharron was left speechless.

Karen caught the twinkle in his eyes when he winked at her. "Oh dear, Sharron. It looks as if you have been found out."

"What I do in the privacy under my own blankets is my business." She said haughtily, snatching her tail from Sam. "Besides, do you have any idea how hot and scratchy this thing is? Not to mention the effort I have to go through to get the smell out afterwards?"

Before either could respond to that remark, Sharron’s cell phone chirped. They moved some distance away to give her some privacy.

"You did good." Karen laughed. "That’s the first time I’ve ever seen her left speechless."

"Too bad it only lasted a couple of seconds though."

"True." Karen agreed with mock regret. "But even that was a respite about her talking about our love live, or rather lack of."

"Which I intend to amend at the first available opportunity." Sam said, taking her into his arms. It was awkward since she was taller than he was, and nicely thicker in all of the right places, but he managed.

Karen let herself fall into his embrace and returned his kiss with vigor. She felt his hand squeeze her bottom and pull her closer. That made the situation even more awkward since her groin was at his navel, but neither let that stop them. However, it did cause Karen to start giggling uncontrollably.

"What?"

"I think that in order for this to work, we need to be lying down." She laughed, then let out a squeal when she suddenly found herself lying on her back.

"Better?" He asked.

"Uh-uhn..." She rolled him onto his back and straddled him. "This is better."

Sharron cleared her throat from where she stood above them. "I hate to interrupt, and I would love to stay and watch, but I’ve got to get going."

"What’s up?" Karen asked.

"Stalker’s assembling the team, They’ve found another one of Ironheim’s bases and suspect that Jennifer might be there."

Karen jumped to her feet. "Then I’m coming with you."

"Like hell you are!" Sam said, grabbing her wrist.

"He’s right, Kay. It’s too much of a risk for you."

"Damn the risks! Jennifer was captured helping me rescue Sam. I owe it to her to help. I’m going and that’s final!"

"Then I’m going too." Sam announced.

"No you’re not!" Both women said simultaneously.

"If I don’t go, then you don’t go." Sam told Karen. "But since I want to go, I guess we’re both going."

"Sam..."

He held up a hand to stop her protest. "Don’t start. You and I are a team now. Whatever we do, we do together, or we don’t do it at all."

Karen grasped his hand and nodded. "Alright. I can live with that."

"Stalker’s not going to like this." Sharron said to herself as she followed the two from the Institute.

 

"Absolutely not!" Stalker growled. "You two are the reason that Jen’s in their hands in the first place. What makes you think that I would allow you to get within ten feet of her now?"

"Precisely for that reason!" Karen snapped back, unintimidated by the man’s looming bulk. "It’s our fault, so it’s only right that we should go after her."

"I don’t want you going for the simple reason that you’re both civilians now." Lieutenant William ’Bull’ Torrel, Commander of the elite Navy Special Forces Team called the Sharks, said from where he leaned against the wall of Stalker’s office. "Neither of you should have even know about this mission in the first place."

"Face it, Wild Card, you’re not wanted, so take your little friend and leave." Stalker said, leaning even further over his desk.

"You may not want us, but you need us." Karen said evenly. "At least Sam."

"And why would we need her?"

"Have you thought about the possibility that they may have done the same thing to her as they did to him? Have you? They’ve had plenty of time, so there’s no reason to think they haven’t. And if they have, you may not even recognize her when you find her."

"I’ll know Jen." Stalker said defensively.

"Will you?" Karen asked him sincerely and then pointed at Sam. "I didn’t even recognize Sam and I knew him as intimately as you knew Jennifer."

Stalker leaned back in defeat. "All right. You made your point, but what does it have to do with us needing Sam?"

Karen breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t easy to make the man see reason at times. She figured that it must be something to do with all of the cybernetic implants in his skull. "Thanks to my DNA, Sam’s a mutant now, and pretty powerful. He’s a class nine empath. He can single out the emotions of a single person in a crowded building a hundred yards away. It should be simple for him to find Jennifer."

You’re right." Stalker agreed. "That would help us out a great deal and cut down on our mission time. But still..."

"Stalker." Sam spoke up for the first time. "If you’re worried about me being dead wait... don’t. With the training I received with the sharks, and my genetic enhancements, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself." To prove his point, he snatched the unlit cigar from Stalker’s fingers and was reclining back in his seat puffing a cloud of smoke before any of them could blink an eye.

Karen quirked a smile at the look of disbelief on the faces of the two men, but she hid it by turning to Sam and snatching the cigar from his mouth. "You have a perfectly good body on you now and you’re not going to ruin it by filling your lungs with this crap." She then handed the cigar back to Stalker. "Any more doubts?"

Stalker shook his head.

"Good. We’re a team. Use us the best we can in your plans."

Out of habit, Sam saluted Bull as he followed Karen from the office. The officer returned the salute crisply, but then grasped his arm in comradeship. "It’s good to have you back, Conners."

"Feels good to be back, Sir."

 

"Well?" Sharron asked when they confronted her a short distance down the hall.

"We’re in." Karen said simply.

"Then we had best get you two outfitted soonest. Word is, we’ll be moving as soon as the Big’uns finish their pow wow."

Sam nervously followed them into the female changing room where they found Gwenith Davidson, A.K.A. Ghost, already stripping out of her street clothes. He held back uncertainly, but Sharron put an arm around him and steered him deeper into the room.

"Welcome to every teenaged boy’s wet dream, Sam. The girl’s locker room." She announced.

Sam refused to let himself be embarrassed. "I’m sure your own fantasies of this room leave you yourself quite wet."

Gwen laughed. "Now I like her."

"Him." Both Karen and Sharron corrected simultaneously.

Gwen’s mouth dropped open and she futilely tried to cover herself.

"Gwen, you remember Sam. Don’t you?" Karen asked.

Realization suddenly dawned on the brunette with close-cropped hair, but she still had not lowered her hands.

"Oh come off it, Gwen." Sharron admonished and gave one of Sam’s breasts a jiggle. "He’s just as much a woman as the rest of us."

"Speaking of which." She gave Sam a look. "Off with it."

"What?" Sam asked uncertainly.

"Well, you have to get undressed before we can try some uniforms on you." Sharron said in exasperation.

Sam looked to Karen for support, but she just shrugged and gave him a smile. "You’re one of us now, Lover. Might as well get used to it."

Reluctantly, Sam kicked off his shoes and removed his outer clothes to reveal the plain white cotton bra and panties.

"Oh! Uh-uhn. Sharron shook her head disapprovingly at the sight.

Gwen quickly lost what reservations she had and now approached. She gave Karen an accusing look before facing Sam. "Honey, when we get back, Sharron and I are going to have to take you shopping. It’s obvious that you need someone with some taste to show you how to shop right."

"What’s wrong with these?" Sam asked.

"Oh, nothing, if you were THIRTEEN." Sharron pointed out. "Sam, you’ve got a great body..."

"We’ve been through that already." Karen assured the two women. "Sam is adjusting at his own pace, and I’m not going to rush him into anything. And that includes going shopping with you two."

Sharron and Gwen were disappointed, but since the discussion was obviously over, they turned to the situation at hand. Karen was easy to outfit since she usually wore the standard female M.An.T.A.S. uniform and Gwen still had the ammo belt and the pouch with the containment field from when she disguised herself as Wild Card during Sam’s rescue. Sam was a different matter all together. He was too small to fit into one of the regular uniforms so that left him only one option.

"No way!" He protested when Sharron handed him one of her uniforms. It was specially designed for her morphing body. It was slim, form fitting, and elastic, but the crotch of it was a thong. And if that was not bad enough, there was a hole right in the posterior where Sharron’s tail would have went through.

"Everyone would be able to see his ass." Karen said, speaking up in Sam’s defense.

"As if you would mind." Sharron teased.

"I do mind if someone else sees it besides me." Karen said pointedly. "We’ll just have to find something else."

"There is nothing else."

"Just a minute." Gwen spoke up. "Sam, go ahead and put it on. I’ll be right back." She was not gone more than a couple of minutes when she returned with a gift bag and pulled out a dark blue dress that looked to have been made for a four year old. "I bought this for my niece's birthday, but you can use it to cover your ass-etts."

"Sam held it up and gave her a wry look. "I may be little, but I’m not this little."

Gwen snatched it back. "When I’m done with it, it will. Now go ahead and change."

Sam stripped out of his underwear under the appreciative gazes of the women then held up the offered uniform with a puzzled look.

"You step through the top." Karen said helpfully.

He followed her instructions and stepped into the tight uniform. He gave an involuntary gasp when the thong slipped up between his ass cheeks, but Karen helped him get it all situated once he had the uniform completely on. He had never felt so uncomfortable before in his life. Not that the uniform itself was uncomfortable, its just that it left a lot of him exposed. In fact, the uniform was quite comfortable, with the exception of the slight breeze that seemed pinpointed on the hole over his tailbone. The material was tight but not clingy. It molded itself to the contours of his body, cupping his womanhood intimately and forming around his breasts, supporting them without squeezing.

Shoulder guards, gloves and braziers, and knee high boots with built in shin and knee guards completed the outfit until Gwen produced her new contribution. She had cut the skirt off of the dress and then had sewn it onto one of Sharron’s belts, leaving just enough free play around the buckle so that he could pull the makeshift contraption over his shapely thighs before securing it around his waist.

"Oh, you did good, Gwen." Sharron said, inspecting the final look. "That skirt is just too cute on him. I love it."

"No. He’s not cute." Gwen corrected with an approving eye on Sam. "He’s HOT!"

Sam’s opinion was quite the opposite. Not that it mattered to the others at the moment. The skirt was short by every definition of the word. It barely covered him and the material was so light that he suspected that the slightest breeze would send it flying up to expose his nethers. "I feel like an ice skater in some hard core porn flick." He grumbled.

"Relax." Karen reassured him. "You look great, and besides, this uniform is perfectly suited for your running abilities."

The thought of running with the skirt on brought a sudden realization to Sam. If a gust of wind could lift the skirt up about his waist, what about running at ninety-two miles per hour? He just hoped that he would be moving too fast for anyone to get a good look.

 

As Sam walked with the three women to the briefing room, Sharron made a game of flicking up the back of his skirt with her tail while whistling innocently. The fur brushing across his bare cheeks and over the hole gave him an odd sensation until he could bear it no longer.

"Sharon... STOP!" He hissed between clenched teeth just as they entered the briefing room.

"Stop what?" She asked innocently. Then, at his stern glare. "Oh. You mean my tail? Sorry. I guess it’s a lot like a penis. Sometimes it just has a mind of its own."

"Then if it’s so much ’like a penis’, stick it somewhere to keep it under control."

"Now I’ve already told you about that." She reminded him with a wink. "It’s just too much of a hassle to wash the smell out."

Again Sam decided not to touch that one. Instead, his attention went to the Sharks who were staring at him in open-mouthed disbelief. "If I hear one word from any of you, I swear that the only way that you’ll leave this room is in a body bag." He warned.

Most hastily averted their gaze and found something else to focus their attention on, but Robert Cerese, the team sniper, turned to the lone female Shark member. "Hey, C.J., why couldn’t you have worn an outfit like that one last time?"

The look she gave him could have smelted iron, but she said nothing. Instead, she moved to go sit with Sam and the others. Besides Sam and the women, there were only two others in M.An.T.A.S. uniforms present. Toroth was a giant of a man standing over eight feet tall and powerfully built. He had the ability to fire a stream of energy somewhat like a laser from his hands, but he carried a massive poleaxe to focus that energy and to use as a close in weapon when needed. He was one of the few mutants that Catherine Rasputin had brought from the past after nearly all of the rest of Earth’s heroes had died during the alien invasion ten years ago.

William Rockefeller, of the Rockefellers, was also know as Rock because of his ability to objects, mostly in the form of armor and weapons, with the consistency of granite out of any material on hand. He also had a personality that no one wanted around. C.J.’s best description of him was that of a chauvinistic pig and an all out ass hole, and that was being kind. He had the opinion that his wealthy upbringing put him above everyone else and his disdain for women who were not behind a kitchen sink or dutifully tending house was well know.

"So where is everyone else?" She asked as she took the empty seat beside Gwen.

"In South America on a mission." The slim brunette answered. "Seems some mutant down there has been portraying himself as one of the local gods to the natives and has them attacking towns and villages. All in the name of reclaiming His rainforest."

"Oh yeah. I heard about that. He’s brought their lumber industry to a standstill and he’s acquired a large number of environmentalist supporters from all across the globe."

Gwen nodded. "Which makes it even harder for us. If it were known that the M.An.T.A.S. had been sent to stop him, we’ll be the ones portrayed as the villains."

"Not a pretty situation at all." C.J. agreed. She fell silent when she noticed Rock approaching.

Gwen followed her gaze and let out a groan. The contemptuous look on his face was a sure indicator that he intended to cause trouble. "Go away. Will."

He ignored her had continued by to his intended victims. "So, wild Card, I see that you had to resort to babysitting since you left us. Although, I must say that you are probably more suited to your new career because you sure were not much of a super hero. We were glad to be rid of you." He then gave a pointed look at Sharron and Gwen. "Now if we could only get rid of the other light weights, the M.An.T.A.S. might actually become a decent team."

"Fuck off, Will!" Karen growled.

He ignored her and looked down his nose at Sam. "This is no Girl Scout camping trip, child. Why don’t you let your nanny here take you home where it’s safe and you can play with your dollies?"

I would advise you to close your mouth and go find the furthest seat away from me that you can." Sam warned, fighting to remain calm.

William laughed in his face. "Or what, little girlie? You going to... ?"

He never had a chance to finish his sentence. One minute he was standing before the third row of chairs and the next he was tied to a chair along the back wall with duct tape covering his mouth. He felt pain from where Sam had punched him in the gut and then had given him an uppercut. He also felt the right side of his face beginning to swell with the prelude to a black eye.

"I warned you." Sam said from where he stood before him. "Now if I hear so much as a whisper of a derogatory remark about me, or any of the women, I promise that I will do much, much worse. And as you can see, I keep my promises."

He then walked back to his seat with a spattering of applause and a curt nod from Toroth. The Sharks, for the most part, were amazed at what they had just witnessed. They had known Sam for many years, but this was a completely different person before them. A potentially lethal person. The threat that he had given them in jest earlier now took on a whole new meaning. The realized that if he had been serious, the person foolish enough not to heed his warning could have very well left only in a body bag. They had a newfound respect for their former teammate. Karen and Sharron were laughing uproariously while C.J. and Gwen who were still recovering from their first witnessing of Sam’s display of speed, just gawked at him but then gave him congratulatory high fives as he passed.

"Good job. Sharron smiled. "Maybe it will do him some good to know that a ’little girl’ beat him up."

"I doubt it." Karen snorted. "His kind never learns."

All further discussions ended as Bull and Stalker entered the room.

"All right." Bull said to quiet the last bit of whispers. "Despite the Justice Department’s doubts as to Ironheim’s involvement in terrorist activities, other, more prominent figures in the government recognize him for the threat that he poses. They have authorized a series of covert operations against several suspected warehouses, training facilities, and factories that are believed to be used to support Ironheim’s criminal organization.

"Primarily, Ironheim uses conventional soldiers, but he is also known to hire mutant mercenaries so these operations are to be carried out by both the Sharks and the M.An.T.A.S. as a unit. We have proven several times in the past that our two teams work well together, so I can foresee no problems. With the notable exception of Rock, of course." He added after noticing the bound man for the first time.

He waited for the ripple of laughter to die down before continuing. "Okay. Our first objective is at a set of ruins in Madagascar where satellite photos have picked up increasing activity. It is believed that the survivors from The Island have set up a base here and are beginning to rebuild their forces. We are to go in and hurt them as much as possible, but our primary mission is the rescue Jennifer Breeze who was captured during our last encounter with Ironheim‘s forces. It’s unknown if she is actually there, but we’re not leaving until we find out for sure, one way or the other."

He then laid out the plan and began handing out assignments. "Our retrieval team will be Conners with Stalker, Wild Card, and Tiger. Cerese will act as their spotter, and Lovens, I want you standing by with a full med kit. Just in case.

The team medic gave a nod in acknowledgement. "Yes, Sir."

"The others," Bull continued. "will be split into two teams. Once Conners has determined the best way into the facility for his team, the rest of us will deploy to the far side and create a diversion. Once Breeze has been extracted, we will then move in along with a battalion of Marines who will be on standby, and clean up. Provided, that is, if stalker leaves us anything to clean up.

"There is one other note before we depart." Bull added ominously. "We all know what has been done to Conners. There is a possibility that we may encounter other enhanced soldiers like him so I want you all to be on your guard."

 

Chapter Seventeen: Sam vs. Ironheim

Sam knelt behind a thick stand of underbrush less than a hundred yards from the ruins. Several sentries could be seen walking upon the high walls and about the grounds. To the trained eye, it was obvious that they were not professionals. Hired thugs mostly with a minimum of training, but whoever their officer was, he had instilled enough fear into them to keep them well organized.

Sam passed this information on as he sent his empathic probes out towards the enormous central pyramid structure of the ruins. He sent questing tendrils of ‘feeling’ in an ever tightening spiral, ‘tasting’ the emotions of every individual he encountered. He completed all of the above ground levels without success so he then began working his way down.

"Well?" Stalker whispered harshly in his ear.

"No luck yet. Just now reaching the third sub-level." He answered and then fell silent for several long minutes until he suddenly let out an audible gasp.

"What is it?" Stalker demanded.

Sam’s face became pale and his brows furrowed as if he were under a great deal of strain. "Found... her. Stalker, we haven’t... much time. She’s almost gone. I’m controlling her emotions... keeping her here." He felt a surge of grief from the man and sent a quick flash of calmness back so that his emotions did not drown out the fragile thread that he was maintaining on Jennifer.

"I have to get to her NOW, Stalker. Sharron, you have the best chance of keeping up with me. Stalker, you and Karen follow as quickly as you can." He sensed the man’s doubts as to the effectiveness of this impromptu plan. "Trust me." He said simply.

Sharron morphed completely into her tiger form. She looked a bit undersized and scrawny, not to mention a bit comical with her uniform still on, but her claws and fangs were just as deadly effective as the real thing.

Stalker made the call over his headset and soon mortar and gunfire erupted from the far side of the complex. The soldiers that had been standing guard at the various entryways and patrolling the grounds quickly rushed off towards the commotion.

Sam and Sharron were off in an instant, taking out the few stragglers as they made their way towards a small doorway set in the pyramid's side, away from the main entrance. Other soldiers nearby went down silently with new holes in their heads as Cerese gave precision cover fire for them.

Sam plowed into a rush of soldiers just inside the doorway. Sharron reached the spot four seconds later. All she found was a tangle of broken bodies. She was capable causing a slaughter herself, but something within her was glad that she had missed the brutality of this one.

Sam had to slow down considerably in the narrow corridors with its sharp turns, but the few soldiers that he encountered were no obstacles. He killed each with a single blow to the larynx or a palm to the face that jammed the cartilage of their noses into their brains. All the while, he kept a firm grip on Jennifer’s emotions, filling her with hope and the willpower to survive.

Sharron rounded a sharp corner only to encounter a dozen soldiers as they emerged from another side passage. They gave a cry of alarm which brought even more running, but Sharron had already morphed into here were-tiger form and her claws left crimson streaks as they tore through flesh and bone.

"Damn!" She cursed in the aftermath of the short-lived battle. There was now so much blood and gore covering the corridor that she was unable to pick up Sam’s scent.

"Where’s Sam?" Karen called from further down the passageway.

"We got separated." Sharron answered in aggravation.

"It’s okay." Stalker said, taking a moment to catch his breath. "He’s heading for sub-level three. All we have to do is find some stairs down."

 

Sam reached a stairway leading down to the third sub-level, and was met from a hail of bullets. Someone must have called ahead to let them know that he was coming. He dodged behind a wall and pulled out the .9 mm Bull had issued him. He fired a couple of shots blindly around the corner only to receive ten times as many from automatic weapons in return. He realized that he did not have time for a standoff like this and fervently wished that Karen had lent him some of her kinetic missiles, but it was pointless to think about that now. He could only think of one other option, but it would be dangerous for Jennifer. He struggled with indecision for several minutes, but in the end, he knew that he had no other choice.

He was close enough to Jennifer to feel her emotions more in depth. He sent her a quick surge of willpower and patience then abruptly released his hold on her. Then, one by one, he took control of the emotions of the soldiers below him and built them up into a frothing fury. He then turned their hate against each other.

When it was all over, all six lay in a bloody pile, each killed by the weapons of their comrades. The act had left Sam feeling unclean. It had been so easy! He went to his knees and fought back the bile that his churning stomach was trying to force up. What he had done was wrong and with a determination built of nauseating guilt, he swore never to do it again.

So that’s what it feels like to fall to the dark side. He thought to himself in a vain effort to lighten his mood and take his mind away from the horrible act. He then mentally kicked himself as he realized that he was wasting time. The longer he delayed, the less chance of survival Jennifer had. He reached out again for her with his emotions and was surprised to find her frantically reaching back, desperate to find her hope again. He could also tell that she was much weaker. If he did not hurry, he would lose her.

Sam soon found the section of the ancient temple that had been converted into a prison. Only two guards had been present. They never saw him, nor would they ever see anything else again. He went strait to the room that held Jennifer and stood frozen when he opened the door.

Jennifer lay filthy and naked on soiled sheets. Her once beautiful face and body was now bruised and covered in criss-crossed scars as well as her own feces and urine. A layer of her rapists’ dried semen coated her abdomen, face, thighs, and breasts. Sam struggled to force his anger aside so that it did not leak into the feelings of safety and well being he was pouring into her. He rushed to her side and cradled her to his chest, letting their physical contact strengthen their bond.

"...no..." He plea was a weak moan. "...please..."

"It’s all right now, Jen. You’re safe now. Relax." He soothed, reinforcing his words with his empathy.

He did not know what it was, a sound, or perhaps a slight movement that had caught his attention. He whirled around with his gun drawn only to find another woman in the room. She cowered deeper into a corner and whimpered. He noticed that the rags she wore were the remnants of a uniform used by Ironheim’s army.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "Answer me!"

"I... I tried to help her. Tried to get away, but they caught us and..." Her words became unintelligible as she broke into sobs.

Sam lowered his gun and sent a wave of calming emotions over her. "Don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Can you find me something reasonably clean to cover her up with?"

She nodded and darted from the room as Sam returned his full attention back to Jennifer. She was in a state of semi-consciousness and mumbled incoherently. She looked as if she had not been fed in days, and she was dehydrated. He dared not to give her anything solid, but he did dribble a bit of water on her lips from the squeeze pack that was on his belt. Her mouth lunged thirstily for the straw, but he held it back so that she could not take too much at once.

"Easy." He soothed. "I’ll be getting you out of here soon."

Her one good eye came into focus and she stared up into his face. "Wh... who are you?" She rasped in a dry and cracking voice.

"It’s me. Sam." He answered. Then at her look of confusion, he gave her a wry smile. "It’s a long story. You just save your strength and relax."

The woman returned with a sheet from one of the other cells and Sam quickly wrapped it around Jennifer. He then pulled on his headset and keyed the Mic. "Recovery lead to team, I have the package and I’m on my way out. Clear me a passage ’cause I need to move quick."

"We’re at the stairway." Stalker answered. Then, "How is she?"

"Not good. She needs medical attention ASAP."

"Got a medi-vac ten minutes out." Bull informed. "It will rendezvous with you at Extraction Point Alpha."

"Roger. EP Alpha in ten." Sam acknowledged as he hoisted Jennifer up into his arms. He had been worried that the taller woman would have been too heavy for him, but to his surprise, she felt almost weightless. He then remembered the other woman who now looked at him with fear filled eyes. "Stalker, I have another package. Send Tiger down to retrieve her."

"No can do. I sent her topside to clear the way for you. Wild Card is heading your way now."

"Copy." Sam replied with a sour expression. Sharron was the best choice for the task Stalker had set her to, but Sam was also needing her speed. It would have been best to get the woman out on the same medivac as Jennifer, but that would be impossible now.

"Stay here." He told the woman. "Someone else will be here for you in a few minutes. A gorgeous brunette wearing purple and blue like me. You can’t miss her."

The woman nodded nervously and then let out a gasp of surprise as Sam took off running, blue skirt flying and pink hair trailing behind.

 

Sam encountered Karen not far away. "Clear!" He called ahead. His fiance barely had time to flatten herself against the wall as he passed. To Karen, it was as if a small tornado had just blown by. The wind of his passage blew her hair into disarray.

Sam flew by stalker a couple of seconds later and was soon on the ground floor heading towards the exit. He was thirty feet away when something suddenly slammed into his legs from a side passage. He protected Jennifer as best he could as he went tumbling across the floor. Stars flashed across his vision and he was knocked temporarily senseless when his head struck the stone wall.

He took quick stock of surroundings when his eyes finally uncrossed. Jennifer lay sprawled out a couple of feet away. Aside from a few fresh scrapes on her arms and legs, she appeared to be unharmed by the spill. Further down the hall, he saw Sharron struggling to rise to her feet. It had been her that he had collided with. He watched as she finally got to her hands and knees and spit blood before looking back the way she had come. She raised her hand defensively as a tall, muscular man with close-cropped black hair strode forward. Her feeble defense was useless as his heavily booted kick lifted her into the air to slam against the wall. She landed in a heap, coughing up more blood.

Sam wasted no time going to her aid. He recognized the man from his nightmares. This was Ironheim, the man who had used him as a human guinea pig, the man who had relentlessly hounded his fiance, the man who was now killing his friend.

Ironheim lifted Sharron off the ground by her hair. His face was pulled back in a grin of anger as he raised his fist for the killing blow. The blow never landed. He lost his grip and staggered backwards as he was suddenly assaulted by a purple, blue, and pink blur. The expertly placed punches and kicks seemed to strike him everywhere at once and would have killed a normal man instantly, but he was not a normal man. Unknown to the rest of the world, Michael Ironheim was a mutant. A near indestructible mutant. He could absorb any physical impact with his body and re-channel it into his own strength. All his assailant was accomplishing was to make him stronger. He then laughed as he realized just who it was that was attacking him.

Sam could not understand why his blows were having no effect. Ironheim should, by rights, be nothing but a pile of broken bones by now. The sudden laughter caught him off guard and he hastily backed away.

"Is that the best that you can do?" Ironheim taunted. "Come, Weapon Beta, show me your true potential."

Sam reached to key his Mic for help only to realize that he no longer had his headset. He had lost it during the fall. His moment of hesitation was nearly his undoing. He felt Ironheim’s fist pass through his hair as he barely managed to duck out of the way. It did not help matters that he was still trying to maintain control over Jennifer’s emotions.

He knew that he could not fight Ironheim alone, and if it were just him, he would have been long gone by now. But he was not alone. He had two injured comrades to think about. He would have preferred to have been able to lead Ironheim outside where Sam knew that Cerese could end the fight decisively with one shot, but both Sharron and Jennifer lay in that direction.

Sam tried to lead the large man deeper into the temple, but Ironheim did not appear to be willing to comply with his wishes. Several times he would jump in, throw a few punches, and then dart back in the direction that he wanted Ironheim to go, but it was to no avail.

"You are pathetic!" Ironheim sneered.

"I’m pathetic? You’re the one punching nothing but air." When he realized that his ploy was not working, Sam developed a new tactic. He began to use Ironheim’s own attacks against him. The best he could do though was only to steer the man’s punches into the walls since he was far too small to try and throw him.

What he did not know, however, was that Ironheim had been purposely slowing his punches, and that made Sam overconfident. He moved to dodge a left jab only to find himself folded in two around a blow to the gut. All of the air left his lungs and he knew that he felt something give inside. He was barely aware of slamming into the wall, but he somehow found the breath to scream out in pain as Ironheim picked him up by the hair and shook him as one might a disobedient dog.

"Like I said... Pathetic!" Ironheim laughed. "And to think, I was once impressed by your abilities. I can see now that the Weapon Beta project is a failure."

"Let him go, you son of a bitch!" A new voice yelled from down the passageway.

Ironheim turned a lazy gaze to her and smile warmly. "Ah, my Weapon. I was wondering when you would arrive." Then, as if to a small child. "Come along now. My experiments have yet to be completed and your participation is instrumental to their success."

"The only thing that I’ll be participating in, is sending you to HELL!" Karen growled. The power built up within her was so intense that it streamed from her eyes like radioactive vapor.

Sam cried out again as Ironheim wrenched his head to the side and applied pressure to the base of his neck.

"Oh, I believe that you will be doing whatever I say." Ironheim said casually. "The life of your little friend here relies on it. It would be a shame to break her pretty little neck."

His face widened in a grin as he watched Karen release her pent up energy harmlessly in defeat. That was the last expression he ever made.

Almost simultaneously, a fist sized hole appeared in his chest, and a smaller one appeared in the center of his forehead. Then, as if in slow motion, Ironheim’s body slumped to the ground.

It took several heartbeats for Karen to realize what had happened. She looked behind her to see Stalker running up to her with a smoking blaster in hand.

"Great shot, Cerese." He called over his headset. "I owe you a cold one when we get back stateside."

Karen rushed to Sam where he had been dropped on the floor. She cradled his head to her bosom as he coughed up blood.

"Jennifer? ... Sharron?"

Karen glanced over to where Lovens and a couple of the Marine medics were tending to the two women. "They’re fine." She said, unable to hold back the tears.

More medics gently but firmly pushed her aside so that they could tend to him. Her eyes remained locked with his until they put him on a stretcher and lifted him. The sudden movement caused him to cry out in pain, but he suddenly fell quiet and his eyes closed, his body limp.

"NO!" Karen cried out and reached for him.

She put his flaccid hand to her cheek and kissed it, willing him to open his eyes so that she knew that he would be all right, but he didn’t. She never recalled walking by his side to the awaiting helicopter, or the flight to the nearby aircraft carrier. She was dimly aware of someone pulling her away from him and then undressing her before laying her on a narrow bunk. Other than that, her world was that of despair and grief.

(continued)

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Stephanie C. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.