Identikit

by Prudence Walker

Chapter Five

 

This mystery was starting to bug us. Misty suggested in her simple but practical manner that we cruise around the lake until we came across whatever the device was used for. Christine objected, saying it was a huge lake to cover, and would take too long.

"I think that the device must open something on the lake shore." I suggested. At their look, I went on. "Whatever the device operates must need power, so it must be on land unless it's more advanced than we suspect. I think we should cruise slowly along the shoreline until the remote responds. It will be a nice way of finding out what's along it, anyway." I concluded.

I checked that the drain plugs were tight before releasing the winch that allowed the boat to once again, slide into the water. I fired up the engine and idled out in reverse before moving slowing forward again. For the next hour, we cruised just off the shore of the lake while Misty operated the device. Moving past a few a boathouses attached to the settlement on the south side of the lake, we had just passed a small island in the lake, when Misty noticed the light was now blinking. It seemed to increase its rate as we approached a boat shed that was on stilts in the water. There was what looked like a narrow raised path leading from the rear of the shed, to a property onshore.

=======

Approaching, we saw the door of the boathouse swing open as Misty pressed the device. To be certain it was the device, and not someone in the property coming out, I asked Misty to operate it again. The door started to close until Misty opened it again, using the opener. Slowing the boat to a crawl, we slid into the open shed. A light came on; startling us, until I saw it was on an infrared sensor. The interior was clean and empty, no clues there. We moored and climbed out, just as the open door started to close behind us. 'It must be automatic' I thought.

Christine had opened the door leading up to the house and we followed her, wondering who owned this place and why did we have a remote that opened their boathouse. I had noticed some stains that could have been blood in the boathouse, but decided not to say anything yet till we found more evidence. Knocking on the rear door resulted in nothing but tender knuckles and a quick circuit of the house and garage showed no sign of life. Examining the doors, I didn't see any keyholes so I called Misty over.

"Let's see if that remote works on these doors too," I called out.

Misty came up and pressed the button on the remote. I heard a muted click and I pressed against the door. It slid open without a sound, and we stood there waiting, waiting … for what, we weren't sure, but I noticed, as did the girls the ominous sign of more blood. I entered slowly, looking at the trail of blood leading inside. The place was empty of life, but signs indicated that someone had attempted some hasty first aid of some sort. A scattered first aid kit with its contents spread around and with some of the items still showing the brown stains of dried blood stood mute testimony to the seriousness of the injuries sustained.

I sent the girls to check the rest of the house, while I looked in the garage. The girls scampered off, relieved to get out of the kitchen and the implications of the blood splattered room. Before I went to the garage, I walked to the front gate and looked up and down the street. Looking back at the gate, I saw the number 21 was fastened below a wooden sign with the name "The Retreat" on it. The area seemed up market with other stylish properties dotted up and down the road. I did see a street sign with the name Hamilton Brown Rd on it, at a tee intersection. That would be useful for finding the place if we wanted to return by road. I returned to the garage to see what I could uncover in there.

The opener operated the garage door, which was good, as I didn't want to leave signs of a forced entry. A black Mercedes sat in the garage with tinted windows all round. I moved up to the driver's door, trying it, tentatively. It opened and I saw that the keys were still in the ignition. The seat was tan leather that showed the bloodstains. I saw a small hole in the back of the seat, which showed that blood had flowed down from it to the seat itself.

I opened the rear door and examined the back of the drivers seat. My training kicked in and I could see the exit hole was lower and more to the centre of the car. Fingering the carpet, I found another hole that went through the floor pan. The person driving must have been shot though the open window as the window was still intact. She must have stopped for someone and opened the window and been shot. I took up a shooters stance outside and could see my imaginary gun would have lined up exactly with the entry and exit holes.

Curious, I turned the key the ignition lights lit up, indicating power. I turned the key further to hear the car turn over sluggishly, then burst into life I let the car idle for a moment looking at fuel and oil pressure levels, before shutting it off. Before I went back to see what the girls had discovered, I checked out the glove box and the sun visor for any documents or papers. I found a registration made out to Freda Parton attached with a clip to the visor and I grabbed all the items I saw in the glove box to examine later.

Taking the keys, I opened the trunk of the car to see if it held any clues. Inside was a small computer, my heart leapt as I thought for a moment it was our identikit. Alas, it was a more conventional computer albeit a modern one. There was a small satchel in brown suede that looked interesting, so picking up both, I closed the trunk and made my way back to the house.

Christine and Misty were looking at some papers when I re-entered the house. They smiled and both started talking simultaneously. I dropped my recovered items on the table, as they tried to tell me everything at once.

"Hold it, one at a time you two." I exclaimed, holding my hands up in protest. "I have news too," I added with a grin.

They calmed down and Misty let Christine continue, as I sat down at the table with them.

"It looks as if Freda owns this place too, we found photos of her in the bedroom and we found the deeds to this place in her name."

"I hope there're no more secret hidey holes here," I interrupted. "I don't think I can take anymore surprises."

"I think this is just a front where Freda not Fred lived. There is no indication that a man lives here, no clothing or any masculine items like shaving stuff or deodorants." Misty spoke up.

I had noted that the general appearance of the house indicated a feminine touch, from the frilly curtains to the delicate nick-knacks on the shelves. It definitely had feminine overtones, the furniture was delicate and indicated the owner was a high-class woman.

It was looking more and more like the person that we knew, as Fred was a fictional person. He lived only at the other house and travelled via the boat to this place to resume her correct sex and the life that went with it. She must have been on some secret mission that had her enemies finally catch up to her and shoot her. She obviously had strength far outweighing that of a normal person, to survive a gunshot through the chest, then escape her killers long enough to drive here and return to the other house, all while bleeding. No normal person could have done it, no-one human anyway.

My thoughts started racing, as the revelation flashed though my mind. I had thought that Freda was just like me, a human with morphing powers, but with a chill, I realised that this person couldn't be human… and that left only one thing… an Alien with a capital 'A,' that would explain a great many things. At least, I hoped so.

"Freda was an alien," I blurted out. "There's no other explanation," I concluded, in answer to the girl's startled looks. "Not even I, with my added strength could stand up to being shot though the chest and drive back here from wherever she was shot. She then got back to the boat shed from here, drove the boat back and managed to conceal it before dying somewhere in or around the house."

"We still don't know who killed her," offered Misty with growl of frustration.

"Or what she was doing here on earth," Christine agreed.

"I wonder if her passport will give us any clues. She must have had a reason for visiting those countries, maybe the dates will give us clues." I questioned.

"I think we need to prevail on the services of Alan, he must have access to newspaper back files." I muttered. "Christine, you can check this laptop when we get back. Let's hope it contains something useful."

I opened the leather satchel to reveal several objects that looked like something one would find on a movie set. Certainly, I'd never seen anything like them in my experience. One was a grey metallic tube, about the size of a thick cigar and had a button on the side. There was a something at one end. It looked crystalline, as far as I could tell from my cursory examination. The other was a bit like a Tricorder from the early Star Trek TV series. I put them away to examine later.

We locked up the place after taking all the paperwork we could find. We returned to our house. I got a quick dinner ready, while the girls pored over the papers. We all discussed what they found out while we ate the chicken stir-fry I had whipped together.

It looked as if the other house was in Freda's name and was owned free and clear, which meant, we owned it by default. We had to decide if we were going to sell it or keep it for ourselves. Maybe we could rent it out for now. It looked like we needed to get a lawyer to handle it for us, which meant I needed to change into Freda again for a while. I decided to go into nearby Syracuse where I would be more anonymous in the bigger city.

Christine worked on the computer while Misty helped clear away the dinner's dishes. Christine had a grim expression on her face when we got back.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I've discovered the same encryption on the files as there was on the identikit unit," she grumbled. "It's not as sophisticated as the one in the identikit's. It looks more like an earlier version. Luckily, without the trap that resets it," she explained.

"So can you get in, no problem?" I challenged

"Yes, give a little more time, and I'll have it cracked," she confirmed.

I felt the need to separate myself from all of this, to gain a fresh prospective so I could attack the mystery fresh in mind. I wandered into the bedroom and took out the one-piece bathing suit. In minutes, I had stepped outside into the evening's balmy air. I started a few slow warm-up exercises, knee bends, and general stretching exercises, before commencing to relax into my martial art form. At first, my sense of balance was off and having breasts meant some of my techniques needed subtle changes, to accommodate the added obstructions. I knew that my female body was now stronger than my male one due to the enhancements, so I wasn't worried about having to compensate for that, like I'd have had too, if I'd been changed into a normal woman.

As I exercised, I fell into a near trance. It blotted out the tensions of the here and now. My mind was starting to feel a oneness with this wonderfully pliant body. Soon, my body was blurring into a rapid movement of kicks and punches. Time passed uncounted. I sensed the presence of someone watching… Misty. I slowed, going into a more graceful flowing routine, similar to Tai chi.

I did this for a few minutes, allowing my body to cool, ending it with something I'd never achieved in my male body, a full split with my crotch hard against the ground. I loved this body. It was so limber. When I stopped, I flowed upwards into a standing position without any awkwardness and turned to look at Misty's awed gaze.

"That was so beautiful," she gushed, her eyes wide with admiration. "I'd love to be able to do that, could you teach me?" she implored.

"Me too," Christine's voice added, from where she was standing in the shadows of the house.

"I guess I can," I agreed. "We may need to be able to defend ourselves in this place. If you don't have to rely solely on me all the time, that's got to benefit our safety."

No sooner had I agreed, they raced off inside, as I wiped myself off with the towel I had brought with me. They returned wearing their bathing suits before I could even finish. Smiling at their enthusiasm, I remembered my first lesson…oh the pain. I started them with basic exercises, while I watched. I could see that they both had the same grace in their movements and knew it wouldn't be long before proper training would begin.

We needed to clean off our perspiration from the workout. We all decided to take a shower together. Boy was that fun, three nubile bodies in close contact, each rubbing soap over the nearest piece of flesh, irrespective of who owned it. If the water hadn't started to cool, I'm sure we would have been there, still. After everyone had washed every part of every body at least twice, we got out reluctantly and put our robes on.

Christine wanted to show me what she had found on the computer, but I said, unless it was urgent, I'd look at it in the morning. I wanted to go to bed to sleep, not stay awake, worrying about whatever it revealed all night. Misty was of the same opinion and dragged me to bed so she had someone to snuggle up with. Christine looked at us in a wistful manner, until I told her to join us. She grinned and we all wriggled around until we were spooned together. I wondered if I would get any sleep with everyone snuggling together, until I found myself drifting off to the land of nod.

=======

I woke to the feel of someone's hand on my breast. My own hand was on the waist of Christine if my guess was right. I felt relaxed, and reluctant to move, as the hand on my breast moved slightly, sending shivers of pleasure down my body. The feeling of the silky nightgown sliding against my nipple was very erotic, and triggered the nipple to harden.

Finally, Misty woke and leaned forward kissing my cheek before slipping out of bed quietly. I heard her going out to do her daily routine in the bathroom. I waited until she was finished, before I made my own move. I remembered her kiss on my cheek and reciprocated by doing the same to Christine. Just as my lips started to brush her cheek, she stirred and rolled towards me.

My lips met hers and instantly, she responded. Her hand came up behind my head, pulling my face down to hers as she captured my tongue. I froze, not knowing if I should pull away or continue. Even knowing I shouldn't be doing this, given my new sex and my default sexual orientation, I could feel a stir of pleasure rush through my body. I figured that most heterosexual woman have experienced some sort attraction to other women, at some time or another. Either that, or it was the last remnant of my old sexual feelings for women.

I gently pulled back, as she opened her eyes. I was relieved to see she was smiling, and didn't attempt to follow up the kiss with something stronger. I felt a tinge of envy, (probably that old bit of male in me) that she was destined to enjoy sex with other women. I on the other hand, was about to try out the other side of the fence, something I still wasn't sure about yet.

I helped Christine to sit up, as I left the bed, to head into the toilet. Misty was still dressing as I finished in the bathroom. I liked the way there was no argument over who needed to do something in the bathroom. Everyone meshed, making things easier. Of course, we were adults, not children shoving and pushing all trying to use the same thing at once, like you see on those TV soaps. As we all gathered together in the bedroom, looking for something to wear, I took the opportunity, to give both girls a hug.

After breakfast of bacon sandwiches and coffee, we turned our attention to the computer. Christine opened the files and we read them together. Most of the stuff was still a puzzle. There were dates in one column and initials next to them and beside that were short notes, like.

"Nothing found."
"Sighting dismissed."
"Possible landing."
"Encountered and destroyed."
"Encountered and failed."

We leaned back, wondering what this meant. Something was niggling at the back of my mind. I looked at one of the set of initials, it seemed familiar, and then I realised what it was, and ran to the bedroom. I came back with Freda's passport and opened it. There it was, in black and white. The initials represented countries and the dates in the computer matched the passport entries.

Whatever she was doing in those places, there was an entry in the computer with those notes alongside. I noticed the dates went back nearly ninety years, much longer than the passport entries. Had she lived that long? Doing her mysterious business way before the days of computers and the need for passports? I thought back to the image Alan had recalled to mind when he saw the dead woman's hand. The hand definitely wasn't wrinkled with age, as one would expect. The photo in the purse was that of a woman in her mid thirties.

"Misty, we need you to see Alan and check those dates. Find out what events happened in those countries near those dates. Freda was definitely on some sort of mission. We need to find out what it was." I speculated.

I turned my attention to the odd devices I had found in the car. The cigar looked like a weapon of some sort. The grey surface looked metallic and one end had a smooth crystalline knob that I guessed was the business end. We debated the possibilities of testing it and the dangers. I took it upon myself to test it. We went outside and I walked about 20 yards ahead of the girls and pointed the device at a tree stump some 50 feet away. Wondering if I was taking another risk, I paused, before deciding I had no choice. I pressed the button as I aimed.

There was no recoil, which was fortunate. A thin white beam flashed across to the stump creating a sonic boom as it tore the very atoms of the air to oblivion. The stump? Well… it and everything around it, above the ground disappeared for a radius of 15 feet. Several large trees were within that radius. They just vanished as if disassembled atom by atom. I was shocked as I saw the results of that tiny beam of…?

I was glad I hadn't been careless with it. I could have unwittingly destroyed all of us without trace, had I fiddled with it inside the house. Holding it gingerly, I walked forward to examine the remains of the stump… well actually there were no remains, just a smooth concave depression in the ground. It had a glass like texture, amazingly, a stone I picked up within the circle, was cut like a gem. Its grainy structure was clearly visible. It was about 3 feet deeper at the centre of the circle than that of the forest floor. Where the stump had been, a few of the polished looking ends of the roots were left, as they snaked away into the ground.

The girls were stunned as they felt around in the depression. I suggested we disguise the effect caused by the weapon, by brushing away the glassy appearance and throw in some brush from the surroundings. While the girls did that, I looked at the weapon with my extra senses, to see if I could detect a power source. I got a shock as I saw an aura surrounding the weapon that didn't correspond to its outward shape to my other senses it looked shorter and there seemed to be another switch inside it.

Warning the girls, I took it further into the trees, laid it on a convenient rock, and stepped back. When I was sure I was far away and yet still close enough to use my TK power, I concentrated on moving that switch. I sensed the instant it closed and saw the object change from its grey cigar shape to a gold object. When nothing blew up or created a wormhole. (Hey! I was half expecting it) after a few minutes, I walked over and picked it up.

The girls, who had stopped to watch, came over to see what I was up to. I threw the gold object to Misty, who squealed in alarm at being thrown such a weapon. She didn't drop it though, but complained to me for scaring the life out of her, before she opened her hand and looked at the altered device. I saw her eyes widen as typical of a woman, she couldn't resist checking out the tube of lipstick. She slid of the gold top and screwed the base to reveal… lipstick of course… in red. She did what nearly every woman does, checked out the colour on her hand, and sniffed it.

She handed it to Christine and she too, tried a little out. She screwed the lipstick out to its fullest then back, shrugging her shoulders as she replaced the top before tossing it back to me. I used my senses on it again, trying to figure out where the weapon had disappeared. I could see the weapon in its cigar form like a ghost image and I could see the internal switch again. It was as if they were occupying the same space but in a different dimension, at least that's the closest I could come up with.

I wondered if the weapon could be fired in its other state by using my TK power to operate the trigger. I decided not to, at least for now. I wondered if this was more of a way of hiding the weapon in plain sight, as it where, so it would pass airport metal detectors and body searches. I turned my thoughts to the other device. Looking at it, it resembled a small scanner with some sort of liquid display on it, except the display had a bluish colour to it. A switch activated the display that brought up a radar-like sweep. As I swung the unit around, I could see the display background shift as the terrain it was scanning, moved.

The house was clearly discernable as a white block against the blue background. It was a detector of some sort, just what its purpose was, I couldn't guess, at least not yet. I did notice that it had the same sort of ghostly image as the weapon, only this one, was a circular object. Taking the other device alternate form into consideration, it wasn't hard to guess just this one was. As I activated the switch, not bothering to place it away from me. I was right, now I had a gold compact in my hand I opened it to see a mirror and a normal looking powder cake of beige pancake with a little soft sponge resting on it.

It smelled normal enough; I touched a bit onto my face with the sponge. Yes, all very normal. I could now see the ghost switch in the compact and activated it in curiosity. The mirror changed from my reflection to the same blue screen as the scanner had. The radar sweep was moving from side to side like a windscreen wiper. Christine brought up a very good point; when she wondered out loud, why bother with having it in the scanner shape when it worked just as well as a compact.

I had no answer for her, unless it was for use in Fred mode. Fred would attract attention if he started pulling out a compact to check something. Having a tube of lipstick in his possession would also raise questions. Just then, a low beeping from the compact drew my attention. I checked it with my senses to see the energy fields fluctuating. I saw the worried looks on the girls' faces as they started to edge away. Just as I was about to operate the inner switch, it shimmered and took on the scanner shape. Looking at it closely, I saw a small black dot near the edge of the display. It was blinking, as I moved it into the sunlight to get a better view of it, I saw a second dot blink into life above it. Then both dots stopped blinking.

Like a blinding flash and a deafening report, it came to me. The darn thing was drained of power. By sitting in a closed trunk for a couple of months, the power source had drained and it was obvious that it needed sunlight to recharge itself. The scanner form must have the capability to recharge, where the compact form did not. I assumed the same thing applied to the weapon as well.

I explained to the others, my theories. They agreed with my assumptions and we placed the two devices inside the kitchens Bay window, where they would get many hours of sunlight. Next, I took my Freda ID and her other personal papers and those of the deeds to the "Retreat," and gave them to Christine to start a worm that would eventually give us the authority to take ownership of the property.

Misty called Alan to see when he'd be arriving with the microscope, and if he could take her to the archives. I was worried about the car. We needed to get rid of it completely, as none of knew just who the killers were and where they were. If we drove it anywhere, they may recognize it from the license number and we could automatically become targets. I knew a few people in NY who would take it no questions asked, we could even make a little cash on the deal. All it needed was a few words from Ian to set it up.

Alan arrived about 10 am, dropping off a large microscope for me. I thanked him and said he could pick it up later. Alan and Misty took off soon after, leaving me free to do my thing with my voice. At first, I found it hard to recall my old male voice, as the dulcet tones of my new one had become familiar. Eventually I could replicate my old voice, which seemed incongruous coming from my mouth, looking as I did. I made to call to the chop shop I had frequently busted in my days on the force. I spoke to a flunky first, till I told him to get Merc the Knife on the phone. (HEY! It's true. He loved ripping off Mercedes) I told him he could have a cheap job if he wanted to pick it up. I suggested it be transported by truck, as there might be people after it. At first, he was suspicious and refused, but I told him it was something I was involved in and wanted gone. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head, as he thought he would finally be rid of me with something like this to use against me. At this point, I was past caring if he thought I'd gone bad; let him think what he wanted.

I said for him to leave 5 grand in the garage and shut the door. If it weren't there when I checked later, then I'd call the highway patrol onto him before he'd pass through Syracuse. It was worth much more, even having to truck it back, so I knew he would stick by the deal.

While I still had my Ian voice, I made a call to the DMV in NY and identified myself, before asking for a check on the license number of the car. I figured it might give me the information on the owner's address and so warn me that others may use or get hold of the same information. I hung up after finding out that the number didn't exist, at least not in the police data banks. Well that meant the house was safe, but I still didn't want to risk having the car in my hands. Without that, there was no trace back to the two properties Freda owned.

Thankful that I could revert back to my normal voice, I hung up and headed into the dinning room. I set up the microscope glad that I had a working knowledge of them. I mixed a small sample of the dried blood in a little vodka, (it being the only clear alcohol around) and set it on a slide. Putting the slide cover over the sample, I placed it on the microscope.

After a few adjustments of both the light and the focus, I saw my first alien blood. How depressingly normal, I know I wasn't expecting to see platelets waving little placards with I'm an alien on it, but hell it could have looked different. I wasn't an expert by any means, but as I looked closer with a higher magnification, I thought I spotted something odd. One cell seemed to have a lattice structure unlike anything I'd seen before. It seemed almost like a microchip, but at a microscopic level. I searched and found more… there!… I swear I'd seen movement of the thing. That was impossible, wasn't it? To see movement in blood that had been out of a living body for months.

I sat back in shock, what were those things? I had a sudden premonition. I ran into the kitchen crying in fear. Christine came running up to see what all the noise was about, just in time to see me grab a sharp knife. As I turned the knife to cut myself, she cried out in shock and tried to grab the knife. I struggled, trying not to hurt her, as I tried to explain I just needed a blood sample.

She sat me down, still uncertain if I was okay. I told her of my discovery and my fears. She hugged me, saying she would do it for me. With a fresh sample of my blood on a new slide, I took a deep breath and examined it. Damn, whatever they were, I had then in spades. There were hundreds filling the focus area. I let Christine take a look, as I sat down in a numb daze. I saw her take another sample from her own arm and place it under the microscope. I sat there, waiting for her verdict. She stood up and indicated, that I take a look. Fearing the worst, I looked… and saw… nothing? Her blood was free of any structure like cells. I looked at her, and saw a question in her eyes.

"What are those, and why do you have them and I don't?" She asked.

I slumped, deep in thought. Why indeed? The only link between Freda and myself was the ability to change shape… of course, why didn't I think of that before. Freda was an alien right? I had been changed by an alien device and given powers such as the alien had. Maybe the actual change was due to these strange cells. Thinking back to the way the two devices changed shape, gave me an idea.

I went into the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. I stripped down to just a bra and panties and gazed into the mirror. Christine had followed and was standing there watching me strip with a look of disbelief. I tried using the energy sense to look into my body using my reflection. Nothing, disappointed, I looked down at my body and gasped. My body glowed with an aura of energy, the cells of my body were saturated with minute energies, swirling and coalescing with myriad patterns of living pinpricks of light.

Ok, I had found out one thing, now for the next. I asked Christine to get one of the magazines; Misty had bought on one of her shopping trips into town. Opening the glossy magazine at a picture of a woman and daughter, standing together, I started morphing. Christine gasped as I shrank, losing my feminine curves, until I resembled the underdeveloped girl. I continued to use my other sight, and could see the ghostly image of my full adult female body extending up and out from my actual physical form.

Relaxing, now that I'd found out what I wanted, I started the process to revert to my adult form. I dressed as soon as my body regained its normal dimensions. I pulled Christine into the lounge and sat her down, while I gathered my thoughts.

=======

"As far as I can tell, the identikit's alien attachment, altered my body's structure to resemble that of the alien, Freda. Most likely, it was that special option hidden within the encryption. That's why you don't have those cells in your body. Because I went for the morphing/mutability function, it loaded my body with these…" I searched my mind for a suitable name, coming up with something I heard once. "Nanites."

These Nanites work the change according to the image one wants. When there's a significant size difference, like the change to the dog form or the change to a child, then something else happens. I'm guessing the physical laws prevent the destruction of matter, so instead of physically destroying the excess body matter, the original form, somehow passes into a ghost form that is somehow placed in a different dimension, just like the alien devices.

A rumble in my stomach, put paid to any more speculation. I needed food, a good job there were no handy sheep around; I would have eaten one with the wool on. Stumbling into the kitchen, I started cracking eggs into a bowl, intending to make a giant omelette. Christine came in and started helping, seeing my weak attempts at whisking the eggs. I scarfed down some bread to stop the pangs, as I sat on the kitchen stool waiting impatiently for the eggs to cook.

Misty rang from town, shortly after lunch. She had found some links between the dates and the locations in the passport with items in the papers. Several things that had caught her eye were the reports of sightings of UFO's, and claims of alien abduction along with other related incidents with mysterious visitors, that had occurred around the dates stamped in the passports. She asked if I had found anything interesting with the sample we had found. I took it by her tone, that Alan was within earshot, and she couldn't speak freely. I said I had found something, but would tell her went she got back.

She said she could be late, as Alan had asked her out for dinner. I could tell she was burning with curiosity and wanted me to enlighten her about what I had found, yet she dearly wanted to be with Alan this afternoon. I told her it could wait and to enjoy herself, before I hung up.

I stood there, my hand still on the phone, deep in thought. Christine dragged me back to the present, as she asked about the call. I briefly told her what Misty had found and then walked outside. I walked out on the jetty and sat down at the end with my feet dangling in the cool water. I looked out at the placid water, as I tried to put my thoughts into order. I heard Christine padding barefoot up the jetty, as she joined me in companionable silence.

We sat there for a while, each of us, in deep thought. I reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. She snuggled closer, leaning her head on my shoulder. I relaxed in the afternoon sun, content to sit there, while my thoughts turned from the complexities of aliens and exotic plots, to the simple joy of being alive and well. Looking at the inviting water, I felt a crazy urge hit me. I leaned forward letting my body slide into the water. I had held onto Christine, so she was pulled into the water unsuspecting. She squealed, as the cool water quickly enveloped her sun-warmed skin.

We went under the clear water with a splash, Christine spluttered indignantly, as she surfaced in the chest high water. I laughed and splashed her, before trying to swim away in my encumbering dress. I found I was a lot more buoyant, with my added fat content, my breasts felt like a life preserver as I floated on my back. I felt the tensions wash away with the simple act of floating in the liquid of life. Christine splashed nearer, and I saw her looking at me as I floated there. I smiled to show I was okay, before she took revenge and pushed me under the water with an evil grin.

I didn't struggle; I just let the air flow from my lungs as I sank to the bottom. I looked up though the clear liquid at Christine's water distorted body, and thought how peaceful it was. I saw her waiting for me to surface and grinned, as I grasped the stones on the bottom to stop my body from rising. I saw her panic and dive down to get me as I pushed off the bottom. We fell into each other's arms and surfaced with a splash. I cut off her rebuke with a kiss on her lips, before pulling her into the shore.

Looking bedraggled with our clothes clinging against our skin, we ran to the house to get a change of clothes. At the door, I stripped off my dress so the drips wouldn't leave a trail into the bathroom. Christine shrugged off her clothes too, leaving a damp pile at the doorstep. We raced into the shower, trying to get there before more water dripped off. I felt like a load had been lifted off my shoulders as we giggled inanely at our antics.

Afterwards, relaxing in the lounge, I felt much better. My hair was dry, (courtesy of Christine's blow dryer). We had dried each other's hair, with me struggling to arrange her hair into some recognizable style, other than shaggy dog. This was one of my areas of ineptitude. I despaired of ever getting the hang of doing my hair properly. Usually, one of the girls would fix my disastrous attempts of a braid or knot. My knots ended up as real knots, and as for putting my hair up, well, the less said about that, the better.

Damn, I had forgotten to visit the bank to settle Freda's affairs. I rushed around getting something more elegant on, than a pair of jeans and a crop top. I saw no point in looking like a scruff. Christine helped to fix my face, after I got into a skirt and jacket in navy with a cream blouse. Heels on and putting the necessary papers in my purse, I was ready to go, almost. Christine stopped me racing out, as she spritzed me with some perfume and kissed me good luck. I yelled out as I stepped outside, not to fix dinner, as I'd pick up something in town.

The manager of the bank, seemed satisfied with the documents and said things would be set in motion to transfer the money to the three accounts I had set up. I'm sure he thought that we were trying to work a tax-dodging scheme. His thoughts indicated that, anyway, as I peeked to check. I had split the monies into three equal shares, one into each of our names.

I drove up to the 'Retreat' to check on the house and also to find the quickest route there. I left the side door of the garage open, for 'Merc' or his boys. No point in having them damage the lock, we'd only have to replace it. I double-checked the car to make sure there was nothing left in it, even checking under the hood. I guessed it wouldn't be here tomorrow, as I know those boys would be probably half way here by now. I took one last look at the car, wishing I could keep it, but knowing I had enough money to get a new one, made me feel somewhat better.

I rang Misty to check what time she'd be back, only to find she was heading off to a movie with Alan after dinner. She wanted to know if it was okay for her to stay over at Alan's that night, as it would be late. I told her, it was fine and have a great time. I felt more like a mother giving her daughter permission to extend her curfew. I was happy that she had found someone to spent time with, but at the same time I was sad at the thought of sleeping alone in my bed that night.

I picked up Chinese for dinner, I wasn't sure if Christine liked it so I picked up a roast chicken and fresh bread rolls as well. I figured if it wasn't eaten, now, we could eat it cold tomorrow. I placed everything in one of those thermal bags to keep it hot till I got home.

Christine started setting out the food in the lounge in front of the TV like a picnic, while I changed into something more casual. This was another thing I was getting used to, changing clothes more than once a day. Women are forever changing outfits during the course of one day. As a man, I'd climb into my uniform or whatever I was wearing that day, and stay dressed like that till I went to bed, unless I was going out of an evening. Now it was one outfit for this and one outfit for that, not that I minded too much. It was a learning experience, and I was getting a better idea about coordinating clothes.

I plumped down on the cushions; Christine had put on the floor, and started opening the containers of Chinese. I opened a bottle of chardonnay to go with the meal. We ate almost everything, knowing how fast Chinese food tends to leave you feeling empty after you've eaten. We threw away the dishes (mainly containers and plastic forks) when we had had enough, and sat watching the box for a while, content to finish off the wine and let the food go down.

Later, I invited Christine to sleep with me in lieu of Misty's absent warm body. She looked at me in surprise, but agreed, when I said I just needed someone to cuddle with. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how Misty was doing on her date with Alan. I guess I'd hear all about it in the morning, when she got back.

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I must have been over tired, as Christine woke me to the smell of breakfast in bed. I thanked her, as I struggled to waken fully. She was dressed and had been working on the computer from the other house. She had found something else in there that might throw some light on the origins of Freda.

I ate carefully, trying hard not to leave crumbs in the bed, before rising and seeing to my ablutions. Dressed and hair in a ponytail, I wandered in to where Christine was working. She showed me what she had uncovered. It looked like some sort of journal, dating back a long time. Most of it was cryptic, like personal shorthand, but there were a few entries that were intriguing. Like the one that mentioned, 'destroyed the ship today, so I should be safe on this planet.' and, 'was nearly discovered by the followers, but arranged an accident to throw them off the trail.' There were more disturbing entries, that seemed to indicate Freda was hiding from others, of her/his race.

=======

She had travelled the world in search of any sightings that might have been of extraterrestrial nature. To eliminate if possible, anything that might ultimately end up being a risk to her security. The scanner was more a detector of alien technology and of aliens such as herself. She was on a search and destroy mission. Her last entry was to do with information gathered about the very same craft, which gave birth to the Identikit. A certain individual that was proving to be more than the usual nuisance was apparently hampering her efforts.

We wondered if the guy that attacked us in Christine's home was the same individual that Freda had mentioned. Was he indeed her killer? We probably would never find out for sure. An idea came to me, and I went and picked up the scanner from where we had secured it for the night. I noticed the energy level indicator was now at 8 dots, the maximum the display allowed.

Switching it on, I saw the sweep start up moving from side to side. I turned it so it was facing me and I saw the display light up with a yellow blob, which contrasted well with the blue background. I handed it to Christine, and explained what I needed to check. We found by trial and error that it could detect my body signature from anywhere within line of sight. Basically, if it could see me, it could detect me, even if I was inside the house it could still detect me, but at a reduced range of around 100 yards.

Christine in her inimitable way discovered that the sweep could be changed from a forward-looking one to a 360 degree one, with a button that was concealed under a flap. When I tried it, it tended to glow in the centre showing where I was. It made it hard to see anything else; I knew there must be a way to use it as Freda obviously had the same problem. Lifting the flap, I saw a button that was glowing the same yellow colour as the display. Pressing it, I saw it go dark and looking at the display, I saw everything was normal, as if I had be deleted from its sensor sweep.

I decided to call Misty on the phone, to see when she would be back. I wanted to sort out the other property, to ensure we got the ownership transferred to us. I also wanted to talk to Bob, the man that had installed the surveillance gear and see if he had anything more to tell us. Misty answered her cell phone after a few rings; we decided to pick her up as we passed through town on our way to the 'Retreat.'

I changed again into a charcoal grey suit with a white blouse. Christine dressed more casually in a yellow sundress with a square cut neckline. We picked up Misty at Alan's home, which was set back on a large section just on the outskirts of town. I gave him the microscope and thanked him for its use. Misty gave Alan a kiss and walked with us to the car. On the way to the 'Retreat,' she bubbled over about her date, telling us everything. I felt privileged to be included in that most revealing and informative of women's activities, 'Girl Talk.'

I must have blushed a dozen times, while I drove along. Misty's frank description of Alan's attributes and prowess in bed, made me wonder just what I was missing out on. It felt odd, yet very refreshing to listen to Misty as she talked openly of her experience of sex with a man.

We arrived at the retreat to find the car gone; I saw that the money had been left in a small paper bag near the door. I threw it at Misty to check the count, while I started heading into Syracuse. We stopped for lunch first, at Taco Bell, so we could go our separate ways after lunch. The girl's wanted to go shopping, while I was busy seeing a lawyer. We agreed to rendezvous at the car in 4 hours, as I said goodbye.

I wandered round Syracuse looking for a reputable firm to deal with our affairs. Once I had located what I wanted, I took my papers and power of attorney that I, (Freda) had signed over to myself, to look after Freda's affairs. I saw that Christine's electronic prowess was up to her usual standards, as the necessary background backed up my claims. When the bank statement information came available, they bent over backward to ensure that the change of ownership of the 'Retreat,' was just a formality.

Later, after I had finished with the lawyers, I wandered the streets looking in the shop windows, my thoughts to myself. I wondered where Freda had pulled off getting a forged license plate for the car. Thinking of cars, it was time we each had one of our own.

Walking in heels made my legs look great as I sashayed along the streets. I was beginning to enjoy the looks I got from the men I passed. I saw a few almost walk into lamp posts as they looked back over their shoulders…well 'saw' isn't exactly right. I would see a man trying not to look too obvious, as he approached me, then as he passed by and thought it was safe to look at my back, I'd peek into his mind. MEN! Sheesh! Had I been as bad as that when I'd been one? Ok, ok, guilty as charged, but not quite so obvious. Unfortunately, walking in heels and looking sexy, have their price. I found that my feet started aching after a few hours walking in heels. As time went on, visions of soaking them in something hot and wet began to fill my mind.

I think that's when I saw it, as I paused to rub my foot while waiting for a crosswalk signal. Across the street was a gleaming red BMW behind the showroom window of a dealership. It was a four door sedan, and as I got nearer and looked through the window, I knew I had to have it. I went inside and clicked my way across the varnished wooden show room floor to get a close up look.

It was a series 745Li V8 6 speed auto. I knew that the engine was 4.4 litres and gave you a respectable 0-100 in about 6.3 seconds. It was beautiful inside, with tan leather covered seats. I opened the driver's door and carefully sat on the seat, swinging my feet in last. Just then, a salesman started to scurry over, obviously wanting to extol the features of the car. He took in my attire and I saw him pause and slow. I didn't need to peek to tell me, that he was calculating the dollars worth of my appearance.

I giggled inside as I saw that although nicely dressed, I came up short of his expectations. He was thinking to himself, (and to me, as I peeked) that I was probably just dreaming of owning one, but not wealthy enough to afford one. Time to take him down a peg or two; I had to restrain the urge to say.

"I'll take two, and can I have them gift wrapped."

I looked at him and said, "I'll take this one thank you, with bullet proof glass added, and Kevlar inserts in the door panelling and roof. Also, I want it delivered."

The expressions that flashed in rapid precession on his face, were a wonder to behold. First came surprise and shock, turning to disbelief, then curiosity, passing to hope and then to annoyance, as he began to think I was having him on.

"Ma-am," he replied tightly, "we only sell cars, we don't do major rebuilds."

"Of course you do, if I say so," I announced, haughtily. "The alterations can be done in New York at this, address." (I gave him a name of a company, where I knew they altered celebrity cars.)

"Ma-am, this is highly irregular, I don't think we can accommodate your wishes," he retorted, still reasonably sure I was pulling his leg.

"Oh well, if you don't like cash sales, I'll take my business elsewhere. I did see another dealership down the road. Maybe I need to take my money elsewhere, although I was hoping to get this settled today, as I have to be in Hollywood later today," I sighed regretfully.

I started to walk away, heading towards the door, when I felt him change his mind. All doubts crumbled under my disdainful and snobbish manner. He panicked, as he saw that his misjudgement would lose the dealership a very valuable customer. I saw that he was thinking I was possibly in the movie business, possibly in mufti, at the moment.

"Please wait," he called to my departing back. I stopped, waiting for him to continue, but didn't turn around.

"Yes?" I sniffed.

" Ma-am, please take a seat in the office, while I do a few checks. We can discuss the modifications and sort out the financial arrangements." He practically begged.

Twenty minutes later, I was a proud owner of a new BMW. He had rung the company that bullet proofed cars for the rich and famous. They could fit the car for the glass and Kevlar next week, and I would have it delivered to my door for the next weekend. I felt exhilarated by my purchase, even though it cost an arm, two legs, and most of my torso. I had a CAR! Granted, it was going to be bullet proof, but I figured I might need that protection one day.

I felt that good, even my aching feet couldn't dampen my spirits. I got back to the car a few minutes before the others, so I sat on the hood, resting my feet. Several men walking by gave me hopeful looks, before continuing on. One even asked if I was having car trouble. The only thing he wanted to fix though was the erection in his pants. I ignored them mostly and was glad when I saw the girls staggering along, loaded for bear. I gave them a hand to load them in the car, before suggesting finding a restaurant to have dinner. Misty wanted Chinese and Christine was leaning towards Italian. I put my aching high-heeled foot down; granted it was now a dainty foot, but I wasn't going to be denied. I wanted meat, steak to be precise, with the juices running. I was hungry from all the walking and spending lots of money on cars always sharpened my appetite.

We cruised through Syracuse's streets driving slowly, looking for somewhere suitable. I spotted a steakhouse with a sign showing a cowboy with his lasso around a steer. 'Hmm, I felt I could eat a whole one by myself. I hoped they had a few spare for the girls, as I wasn't prepared to share,' I thought, grinning. We pulled into the car park adjoining it, and got out, then made our way inside.

The waitresses were supposedly attired as cowgirls, although, dressed in extremely short dresses and low cut bodices, It was more like some horny man's idea of a cowgirl. I noticed that as I looked at them, my reactions to seeing scantily clad members of the fairer sex had undergone a major change. As Ian, I would no doubt have drooled like the rest of the men in the restaurant. Not to say I didn't find them sexy, but it seemed more remote now. It didn't have the same effect, now I was one of them. All I felt now was, that they were being exploited, just to make some man money. I started to change my mind about eating here, when Misty grabbed my arm and hissed to look to my left.

Wow, they had cowboys here as well. Wearing tight silk shorts that revealed more than they concealed, they wore white Stetsons with a bandana around the neck. They wore a cut down fringed leather jacket, that left their chests bare, and chaps adorned their legs with spurred leather boots on their feet. I felt better now, knowing the owner wasn't exploiting women, but was treating the men equally. One of the hunks spotted us waiting and hurried over with a big smile. I was once again, aware that my body was reacting to the masculinity the cowboy seemed to ooze from every pore.

I blushed, when he caught me checking him out. I felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, I didn't know where to look. Fortunately, the attention the girl's gave him distracted him from seeing me in a state of fluster. I'm sure I got special attention that night, every time the waiter (cowboy) served us, I blushed and cast my eyes down, the girl's laughter, prompted a question as to what was so funny. They explained that I was flirting with him with my coy glances. Oh no, I had made things worse. I was that flustered I hardly tasted my meal, nice though it was. I did compose myself to mention my purchase of the car. The girls turned green with envy, until I said there was nothing stopping them from buying a new car.

Christine sighed and said she would stay with her old car, but that my suggestion to have her car bullet-proofed was a great idea. I gave her the number of the place so she could make arrangements to have her car fitted. We finished the meal talking about getting a suitable car for Misty. She was undecided whether to replace her VW bug, or buy something better. We urged her to get something a little more robust and laughingly suggested a Hum Vee. Misty got a faraway look in her eyes, which suggested she was seriously considering it. We back-pedalled a bit, saying it was just a joke. A Hum Vee would draw too much attention.

On the way home, the girls went into great details about what they had bought, and were opening bags and showing me examples. It made it very hard to concentrate on driving, with them waving flimsy pieces of clothing in front of my face. They keep asking if I thought this or that was nice, as if my opinion was like a vital seal of approval for their purchases. I started to wish I'd had time to join them in their shopping spree. I saw them exchange a look between each other, as my positive responses grew a little forced. I refrained from peeking, but it was damn hard, not too. I was glad to get home and went into the kitchen to make a hot drink before bed.

"Jan? Can you come here?" I heard from the bedroom, just as I was about to get the cups out.

"Ok, just a minute." I replied, turning off the jug.

As I walked into the bedroom, a hand reached out from behind the door and covered my eyes.

To be continued.

  

  

  

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