The Teg Legacy

by Prudence Walker

 

That evening, the news on TV showed the brief interview with Bethany. The reporters played on the speculation that Lassiter's reef had been discovered, and that Bethany had been involved in some nefarious scheme to do away with the original discoverer, Gary Carstairs. Bethany was furious; she stamped out the door of the RV, nearly ripping it off its hinges. The girls still in the RV looked at each other.

"I guess this means we do the dishes," shrugged Mandy with a sigh.

"I've never seen her so mad before," Elizabeth admitted, chewing her bottom lip with concern. "Shouldn't we do something, like go after her?"

Mandy, who knew her "brother" better than anyone, knew it was best to let Bethany cool down on her own. "Nah ... She can't come to much harm out here. I'd let her cool down on her own."

She wasn't so sure when they heard a vehicle leave the camp a few minutes later, especially when Stewart came knocking on the door enquiring why Bethany had demanded a 4x4 in such a rush. They could only mention about the new clip on the TV, and how angry she had got seeing it.

"We haven't got a TV set up yet, too busy, so I didn't get to see it," Stewart told them.

They girls gave him a brief rundown on what had been mentioned, and Stewart grew more concerned. "You don't think she'll do anything silly now, do you?" he asked, pacing back and forth.

Elizabeth shrugged, knowing that Bethany had changed since she had come back, and she couldn't be sure of anything her sister did anymore.

Mandy was more positive. "She'll be okay. I just think she needs time alone," was her response.

"How is it that our cousin thinks she knows more about my sister than I do?" grumbled Elizabeth, without any heat, shaking Mandy's shoulder with her hand in a playful manner.

Mandy just grinned back, not taking any offense at Elizabeth's mild accusation. "Well, maybe because I'm taking her only from what I've seen of her so far, while you are still judging her from the time before she came back," she answered.

Stewart was listening interestedly, having little knowledge of the girls background. 'Cousins and twins, no wonder they look alike,' he thought as the girls continued to talk.

"Well, ladies, I'll say goodnight, and hope she comes back before long. Driving in the bush at night is a recipe for disaster in my book. Last thing I want to do is put out a search party for a missing person."

It was nearly midnight, before the phone in the RV rang, putting the worried girls out of their misery. "Hi, it's me. sorry I forgot to take my phone." "Where are you?" demanded Elizabeth, who had beaten Mandy to the phone.

"I'm in Kalgoorlie, ringing on the hotel's phone. I have something to do before I come back. Tell Stewart I'm sorry I swiped his jeep, but I need a day before I return. Give Mandy a hug for me," Bethany asked, before hanging up.

"She's in Kalgoorlie, for God's sake," Elizabeth told Mandy exasperatedly. "Don't ask me why she's there," she added, returning the Sat phone to its cradle.

Mandy nodded, having a good idea what Bethany was up to. She would keep a close eye on the TV news.

The next day saw the arrival of interested sightseers. They camped outside the fence line and were seen watching the activity with binoculars. Some were a group of Aboriginals and it didn't take long before protest signs were being waved at them, proclaiming that they had no right to bar them from tribal lands.

The girls were worried without the support of their absent sister, and didn't venture far from the center of the camp. Even Stewart seemed nervous with the protest showing signs of increasing tension. Late in the afternoon, a lone 4x4 drove up into the group stationed outside the gates. It honked its horn as it tried to pass through. Abuse was hurled at the driver and stones started being thrown.

Stewart was promptly on the scene and soon some of his biggest lads opened the gate and advanced in a group to escort the vehicle inside. The girls saw with relief that the driver was Bethany, having returned safely. They rushed over to greet her and give her a telling off for scaring them.

Bethany broke away for a moment to apologize to Stewart for taking his vehicle, and to get a quick update on the protesters outside. He could only tell her when they had arrived and their activities to date, and that her arrival was the first bit of violence seen.

Bethany then went to the relative privacy of the RV and filled them in on what she had been doing.

"You had video footage from a tape made by Gary?" asked Elizabeth incredulously.

"Yeah, I took it to the local news office and had them sent it to Perth," Bethany answered.

"Why didn't you say so? I would have thought you might have shown people it before this," grumbled Elizabeth.

"First, I was hoping none of this would come up," explained Bethany. "It's nobodies else's business, but ours, until some snotty reporter started throwing dirt around. And second, I couldn't release it till Gary had secured his sister's release from under police surveillance and took her to a private home."

Mandy remained quiet, knowing there was more to this sudden video footage than met the eye. She couldn't very well ask while Elizabeth was there.

The rest of the day was spent watching TV and keeping a watchful eye on the protesters. Bethany had to show her face, when another TV news crew arrived on the scene.

Bethany wanted to go and talk to the reporters, but fearing they might twist the story about, she asked Mandy to accompany her with the handy cam that Bethany had brought with her from her visit to Kalgoorlie.

"What do you have to say about the fact that you are working on an aboriginal reservation?" asked an over-eager reporter as he thrust his microphone in her face.

Mandy filmed the interview from nearby, making it look like she was covering the protest, rather that the interview.

"If you had checked your facts, you would have realized that the western border of the reservation in question, is two kilometers to the east of my claim," she rebutted sternly. "I'm well aware of attempts by the local tribes to claim suddenly valuable land, claiming it was a sacred site. Especially, when strangely, they were never bothered about the land before the discovery of its valuable mineral resources. I've done my homework, so I suggest you do yours," she finished before returning to the RV.

The news that night wasn't very flattering. They had cut the first part of her interview out, which made the second bit seem like she was pouring on fuel to douse the flames. To say Bethany was irate, was like saying liquid oxygen is mildly cold. She grabbed the phone and made some calls. One was to the television station, demanding that if they refused to show the complete footage, she would sue them. She warned them that she had her own video footage of the interview and would give it to their competition.

Another call was made to the director of her latest ad campaign, explaining what was happening. She mentioned a video cam memory card that she had sent to the local news office in Kalgoorlie and that a copy had been sent to him, just for insurance.

From her responses on the phone, it seemed to the two girls listening in, that something was going to be done once he received the footage.

Bethany, quietly seething couldn't settle after her calls, as she waited for some response to her actions. About an hour later, Bethany received a call from the director, saying he had got the memory card and was going to take it directly to the other network TV station. He said he would make sure it was aired, as she was a valued model, and friend, and any false accusations made and slurs on her character could affect his ad campaign as well.

The girls were nervous as the ten o'clock news time approached. They kept their distance from Bethany without trying to make it obvious, as she paced back and forth inside the RV. Bethany was aware of the situation, but she couldn't relax as it seemed her body felt like a coiled spring.

When the news did come on, Bethany relaxed as the item she'd been waiting for, finally aired. The video clip showed Gary Carstairs making a statement that for an undisclosed sum, he'd relinquished all rights to his find to Bethany Chambers for personal reasons. He also stated that he'd taken his sister from the institution in Perth and was headed overseas with her to try some experimental procedures. The camera view showed him moving out of frame, and a moment later, his sister Amanda wheeled herself into the frame on a battered looking wheelchair.

Mandy gasped at seeing her old self doing something she'd done, but realised at once that this was Bethany portraying both her brother and herself, to settle any doubts of their existence.

The Amanda in the footage explained she had gone willingly with her brother, and for the police to stop their search for the two of them, as by the time this was viewed, they'd be out of the country. A date in the top corner of the footage confirmed that it had been taken about a week after her supposed abduction.

The network then showed the heavily edited footage shown by the other TV network and then they played the footage shot by Mandy, which clearly showed the first one to have been cut to inflame the situation.

Someone had done their homework and had checked the claim's boundary and that of the aboriginal reservation to the east and clearly showed the claim wasn't encroaching on the tribal lands.

Mandy opened a bottle of bubbly and poured them all glasses as they turned off the TV and sat back to celebrate. A knock on the door heralded the arrival of Stewart, who had managed to see the news broadcast on the camp's newly setup satellite TV. He was invited in and given a glass as well, as talk turned from the news item to more personal matters.

He and Mandy seemed to hit it off and Elizabeth and Bethany winked to each other, as the pair got engrossed in conversation. Finally the two separated and Stewart headed off to bed. The girls followed suit, and some gentle ribbing at Mandy about her new "boyfriend," had them smiling as they settled down to sleep.

Morning came on time the next day, but the girls didn't see much of it, as they slept in late as a result of their celebrations.

About 10 O'clock, an insistent knocking roused Bethany from her slumber. She looked in the mirror as she grabbed a robe, and grimaced at her appearance, not even conscious that her thought that her hair needed brushing, was in anyway strange, given her background.

She opened the door expecting Stewart to be there, but instead … "Wow! I love the look," laughed a voice she knew. Facing her was Tim Stevens.

She squealed and ducked back inside, while calling out to him that she looked a proper sight. His gentle laugh followed her inside. "You are a sight … for sore eyes," he breathed through the closed door.

"What's got you in a tizzy?" grumbled Mandy, having been awakened by the commotion.

"Tim's outside, and I'm a mess," hissed Bethany, rushing to get dressed, brush her hair and put makeup on, all at the same time.

"You're such a girl," giggled Mandy, watching her former brother acting just like any giddy schoolgirl in love. 'In love? Oh my,' Mandy thought, recognizing the telltale signs. In that instant, she knew Gary was no more. He wasn't ever going to come back. Her momentary sense of loss was replaced with joy at the thought that her new sister had found love, something Gary never had.

She got up and helped her sister brush her hair now Bethany was dressed, and putting on a bit of makeup. Knowing that Ada could have done it for her in an instant, told Mandy just how far Bethany had settled into her new form.

Once ready, Bethany raced for the door, only slowing her headlong rush for a moment, before opening it. She cast a look of thanks to Mandy, before vanishing outside.

Mandy started getting dressed herself, hearing the voices outside fade as they moved away to the seats under the tree.

"I wasn't expecting you. I just woke up," Bethany confessed, feeling as if his eyes were boring into her soul, and blushing at the thought.

"I'm not complaining, you looked beautiful, still do in fact," Tim admitted with passion, taking her hand in his.

His comment made her blush deepen and she looked down at the table, brushing some dust off it with her free hand. Tim captured her other hand and gently turned her to face him. "I saw you on television last night and thought I might be of service."

"You quit the police force?" She gasped.

"Not quite. I took some leave I'm owed. They moaned a bit at the short notice, but when I mentioned why, they told me to take as much time as I needed. I think you wowed them," he laughed.

"I'm glad you're here. Things have been rather hectic the last few days," Bethany grimaced.

"I saw some of it coming in," Tim told her. It looks like all but the most determined have left the area. Mind you, they may not have seen the TV coverage on the news."

"Probably the ones that went home last night, saw the news and didn't return," Bethany guessed, looking over to the gate area.

"Is this really Lassiter's reef like the reporter speculated?" Tim asked her curiously.

Bethany looked into Tim's eyes and saw no guile or greed, as her instincts had already assured her of his trustworthiness. "Yes it is," she answered plainly.

"Wow!" was his only response, as he sat back in thought.

"You'll need me to guard the ore if the legend of its richness is true. No offense to the people here, but they are miners first and foremost. I've had some experience in guarding gold shipments from the mines in Kalgoorlie."

"Why don't I show you the gold," Bethany urged, feeling better now Tim was at her side.

Bethany stood up and led Tim to Stewart's office, where after a brief introduction she got the use of his jeep. Stewart insisted on coming along and Bethany agreed. Stewart drove, while Bethany directed, and soon they were at the place where she'd picked up the ore off the ground. The others were gobsmacked when she showed them the vein in the quartz. Stewart had been more concerned with getting the fence up as directed and hadn't explored the actual site of the gold's source. To see free gold that could be worked out of the ground with bare hands told of the importance of the fence surrounding the claim.

"I can bring a tent up here and some supplies for you, so you can guard this round the clock." Stewart offered Tim, who nodded his agreement.

"We need to get an armoured van to store the ore brought out each day," suggested Tim.

"I'll get right on it," Stewart agreed, getting a confirming nod from Bethany.

They drove back to the camp, where Mandy invited both men in for breakfast that she was starting. Stewart regretfully declined, saying he'd had it earlier. Tim also begged off, having eaten on the way up, but both men accepted the offer of a cup of coffee. Elizabeth was still in bed, but awake, so the men went outside to wait under the tree, allowing them to finalize details on the guard duty.

By the time breakfast was ready, Elizabeth was dressed, so they took out the food to the table outside where the men helped chase away the persistent flies that threatened to fly inundate the table, one of the penalties of eating food after the flies woke up. During the conversation, Stewart admitted that he wanted to get out of the mining business. He already had a substantial bank account, as all one had to spend money on in the outback was beer, and he wasn't a big drinker, preferring to drink beer as a means of washing the dust down after a days work. He'd figured that with the bonuses from this job, he could afford to retire if he wanted. This obviously interested Mandy, who seemed to have her own plans for what Stewart might be doing in the near future.

"What are your plans?" Bethany asked Tim, seeing they were on the subject.

"Well …" Tim paused, looking at Bethany. "I might be leaving the police force if things fall into place, and a certain someone finds me acceptable," he hinted, none too subtly.

Bethany's face blushed and Elizabeth giggled. She didn't seem upset that both Mandy and Bethany had potential boyfriends and she had none.

"Bethany's got a boyfriend, Bethany's got a boyfriend," she chanted gleefully, making Bethany blush more as she was put on the spot.

"What about you? Seems you're the only one without a boyfriend," Bethany retorted in irritation, not realizing the effects her statement had on both Stewart and Tim.

Elizabeth just giggled. She was facing the others and saw the mixed expressions of hope and dismay on the faces of Tim and Stewart respectively. "I have someone back in Perth," Elizabeth replied, tartly. "Now I'm not being you, I can make further plans," she added, rubbing her hands together.

The men looked confused, and Tim looked askance at Bethany. "I'll tell you later, it's a long story," she shrugged.

"You have a boyfriend?" Stewart asked Mandy, obviously taking Elizabeth's earlier statement to mean someone else.

"I do now," Mandy said hopefully, taking Stewart's hand in hers.

"So who is this mystery boyfriend you have?" Bethany asked Elizabeth, trying to divert attention away from herself.

"Oh, just someone I met while I was doing your job. He wanted to take things further, but I didn't want to complicate matters when I couldn't be myself. If you must know, he's a struggling actor, trying to get into films," Elizabeth added, before going into a thoughtful reverie.

"Does he know you as you? Or me?" Bethany asked curiously.

"As Elizabeth. I said I was in an awkward situation at the time we met and was covering for my sister. I dated him on and off between campaigns and we got on together." Then as a sudden thought struck her, Elizabeth wailed. "Oh crap! What's the bet he's seen us on TV? I hope it's not going to affect our relationship. I was getting rather serious about him," she finished with concern written over her face.

The two men wisely stayed out of the girls conversation, even though what they had heard seemed to beg for an explanation.

Bethany saw the interest in the guys faces as they listened, and sighed. She decided to give them a pocket edition of her story, while Mandy and Elizabeth cleared away the remains of the breakfast.

They seemed impressed and not at all skeptical. She was worried that with his police background, Tim might want to pursue the issue further. Obviously, she had left certain details out, concerning Ada and her abilities to change forms.

"Did your time with the aboriginal tribe have any bearing on the discovery of the reef?" Stewart asked astutely.

"Yes," Bethany fibbed, seeing it made sense. "One of the elders related a story hinting about the whereabouts of the lost gold reef. So when I grubstaked Gary Carstairs, I suggested looking in this general area. Luckily, he found it," she finished, smoothing out the lie she had begun.

"Strange the others of the tribe hadn't searched for it themselves," mused Stewart.

"He was in his cups at the time and rambling quite a bit. I think they dismissed it as drunken wish fulfillment, more than any kind of truth."

"Ah!" Stewart said, understanding first hand the effects of booze on the aboriginal population.

There were still a few hangers-on camped the outside of the now completed fence line, but they were mostly just the curious and hopeful. Some made attempts to prospect along the fence line with metal detectors, hoping the fence may have missed enclosing some of the gold bearing layers.

One curious thing was noticed. The remaining aboriginal protestors had disappeared after a visit from a group of others, some of whom Bethany thought she recognized. Stewart thought it may have been tribal elders, but Bethany had a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with her abduction by the mobster. She thought some of the aboriginals looked like the ones who had been instrumental in her capture. The way she had eluded them, must have been enough to send a message that she wasn't to be messed with. Obviously, they had recognized her from the TV coverage. At last something positive had come from all of that ordeal.

Along with an armoured van, lights were set up around the actual gold vein to keep the place lit all though the night. Tim suggested having several PTZ pan/tilt/zoom cameras mounted around, as well. A few guards that Tim knew were hired to monitor and operate the PTZ cameras which also recorded their footage during the night. This meant Tim could get some sleep during the night time.

All the readily accessible gold was mined by hand, and rigorous inspections made sure no gold left the area unaccounted for. Bethany went around handing the workers selected nuggets that would fetch prices above their actual gold worth. This was an incentive to keep them honest, although Stewart protested that it wasn't necessary. Tim thought she just loved to see the reaction on the guys faces as she handed out the two or three ounce souvenirs.

On a suggestion from Stewart, a crusher and a furnace were set up to smelt the ore into ingots on the site, so that it could be stored in a bank vault until needed. With the gold being free and not locked up in the bearing rock, all the processing the gold needed was to be crushed to free it from the quartz and then melted. His suggestion that flooding the market with all of the gold at once might upset the value of gold was a valid point, so Bethany planned only to use what they needed, when they needed it.

Ada informed Bethany that the gold ore was 90% gold and 10% silver. Once the ingots were forged, Ada suggested that she could remove the silver content without further processing.

"All you need to do is inspect each load before transport," Ada offered silently.

After few days, when the crusher and furnace arrived, the refining finally got into full swing using the ore that had been mined in the interim. The ore was being removed from a quartz vein that lay at the base of the breakaway. The vein ran horizontally for about 100 meters, becoming thicker as it went deeper into the ground. At the rate of its extraction by back hoe and pneumatic jackhammers, it might only take a month before the lode was cleaned out.

With a further monetary incentive on Bethany's part, sworn statements were received from those working the vein to remain silent about its actual size. Stewart suggested keeping the machines working the site long after the main lode of gold was gone. The idea was to make it look like her gold wasn't in one huge lump, something that might alarm the gold market.

Bethany agreed, but she wasn't interested in staying out there once she had her quota. Instead, she suggested allowing those working the site to keep what they found while she paid for the upkeep of the camp.

Ada told her that of the 30 tons of gold in the mine, there was bout a ton of gold scattered away from the main lode. The men left to work the mine would become rich in their own right with a little perseverance. Ada helped Bethany mark a map showing where the scattered gold could be found. Bethany saw then why the fence boundary was so wide when the main lode was so concentrated.

Once Elizabeth heard the estimated time for the recovery of the gold, she decided to go back to Perth reawaken her relationship with Andrew, her actor boyfriend. Mandy decided to stay with Bethany, as she had Stewart as a reason to stay. Plus, now she could stretch her legs literally, she was going on walks through the bush, reveling in her mobility.

Tim offered to drive Elizabeth to Kalgoorlie, so she could catch a flight back, which they did the next day. There were a few tears when she left, and Bethany told her to ring her regularly.

"You certainly seemed to have got into the tearful goodbyes," sighed Mandy, wiping her own tears away.

"Yeah, it's strange. Must be all the hormones flooding this body," offered Bethany, defending her reactions.

"It still seems strange how easily you took to being a female, I mean look, you now have a boyfriend and everything," Mandy pointed out.

"It wasn't that easy, Sis," refuted Bethany. "At first, I was terrified, thinking everyone could tell that I was a man in this body. Ada helped a lot there, thankfully."

"I don't get it. You changed from a guy to a gal with hardly a protest, and when you can change back, you don't," pressed Mandy.

Bethany sighed, thinking back. Mandy was right, in a way. She had accepted being a female too easily, but was unable to come up with a logical reason why. Knowing Mandy was waiting on an explanation, she tried to come up with something. "Sis, when I first changed I didn't get a chance to refuse it, as my rescuers were almost on us. Later, being accepted as a beautiful woman did something to me. You know I wasn't a macho guy by any means, but I hadn't wanted to be a woman either … at least consciously," she added the last bit as an out.

"When I had time to explore this body, it just seemed to fit. I didn't feel like I had been stuffed into a body that was too small or was a wrong shape. It was me, it felt comfortable, like a glove." Here, Bethany gave a frustrated groan as she tried to come up with the right words to explain.

"It's okay, Sis, I think I know what you mean," Mandy grinned and gave her a hug.

Bethany hugged her back, marveling at the ease females guess what another person is feeling.

"Females are more empathic," Mandy added, answering Bethany's unspoken thought.

"Mind readers, too," Bethany agreed.

"Sometimes, Sis."

Bethany went over to the dresser where her makeup was kept and started her daily routine, giving her face the 'No, I'm not wearing makeup' look, finishing it off with a dab of lipstick.

"I don't see why you bother when Ada can do that for you," Mandy said somewhat enviously.

"Well, I can't let her do it all the time. What if I'm in the ladies, somewhere? I might attract attention if my makeup refreshes itself all by itself now, won't I? Plus, if I ever do get married, I wouldn't want to have to explain why I can't let him see me put my face on in the morning."

"True, I guess. But I wouldn't mind having the same help Ada gives you," Mandy grumbled.

Bethany paused, listening to what Ada just told her. "Um … Ada said she could make it happen if you want. You'll have to wear her while she does some tinkering to your body."

"Oh, yes, I want to," gushed Mandy in excitement.

Ada became visible and Bethany handed her sister the helmet. Mandy grinned as she donned it, and stood still while Ada explained what she was going to do. Mandy repeated what Ada told her out loud, so Bethany knew what was happening too.

"Ada is changing my skin so that the outer layer is made up of a type of Chromatospore, like what some lizards and cuttlefish have. I've told her to do to my whole body, not just my face, so I can change my all over skin colour. She is going to let me have conscious control over how I want to look, but it won't actually be makeup. I'll still need moisturizers and lip balm to prevent my skin and lips from drying out."

Bethany watched, as under the tutelage of Ada, Mandy's face underwent several changes in colour. Mandy's cheeks grew rosier and eye shadow appeared to show around her eyes, first green then turning to a blue colour. She crowed in delight as she figured out the control of her new skin. Ada was once again handed back to Bethany, and with a sigh of relief, she placed it back on her head. Even in the short time that her sister had worn Ada, she had missed the reassurance that Ada was right there with her.

Mandy started practicing changing the colour of her skin, going from a near ebony to an almost albino white. Bethany giggled at the incongruous sight of seeing her sister with dark skin and blonde hair. Mandy finally settled on a shade that was slightly more tanned than her original look.

"Who needs the sun to get a tan?" she boasted, checking herself out in the mirror.

"Just don't go overboard, Sis., Remember Stewart might notice a sudden tan," Bethany pointed out.

"Right," Mandy agreed, changing back to her original shade, but keeping the eye shadow and blush colouration. "At least I won't have bikini lines now," she giggled, pulling her top and bra strap to one side to show an even tan over her shoulder.

Bethany laughed, while gathering her metal detecting gear together. Now that the lode was being worked, she had little to do with the extraction process and it was dangerous near the machines extracting the gold. Instead, she would walk out to where the gold was scattered in low concentrations and try and define the area more accurately with her detector. Of course Ada didn't understand why Bethany refused her help. All Bethany wanted was to try pitting her own skills against the terrain, and exulting when she located a nugget or two for her efforts. At each find, she would mark the spot by building a small cairn using three or four small rocks of descending size one atop the others. Although Ada had shown her the places on a map which had been duly marked, it was a different thing to walk over the terrain to find the exact location, something that allowed Bethany to have her fun.

"I'm off to find another nugget or two," Bethany announced to her preoccupied sister.

"Okay, see you at lunch."

Bethany wanted to find three suitable nuggets to have mounted for a necklace for her sisters and herself. So far, she had one of a suitable size and shape. As the nuggets usually came with some quartz intertwined with them, it was hard to visualize the bare nuggets form without the quartz. Ada did help here, as she could scan each nugget and announce its suitability for mounting. The one she had already had been stripped of its quartz with the use of hydrofluoric acid, an extremely dangerous chemical that needed lots of care to be taken with it.

Walking out to her next spot, she noted that there were several people working detectors along the outside of the fence line, obviously hoping some of the gold extended further than expected. Bethany didn't mind them being there, as long as they didn't try getting through the fence. She carried a small UHF CB so she could call the camp in case of trouble, so she wasn't worried about her safety.

Further along she noted a vehicle and several men working by a small rocky outcrop. As she started working her grid search with the detector, she forgot about them as she concentrated on her search. She was on her return path, moving towards the fence, when a loud explosion directly in front of her blew her off her feet and she felt a hot burning sensation as something hit her in the side. She could feel hot bits of rock falling on her as her senses threatened to leave her.

Bethany rolled over onto her side, wincing at the pain as the mixture of rock and sand ground into her injury. The blackness faded as Ada catalogued her injuries verbally and started countering her injuries. Bethany looked towards the area of the explosion and noted almost as an aside, that the fence was damaged with huge sagging dents, where large boulders had struck it. Without the fence catching most of the debris and preventing it from going though, she doubted she'd be alive.

As she struggled to her feet and looked down at her quickly closing wound, she wondered if this was some sort of attempt at breeching the fence. A moment later, she realised it wasn't, as she heard cries of pain coming from where she'd seen the people over by the rock outcropping. She clambered awkwardly over the smashed down fence and made her way to the now overturned vehicle she'd seen before.

"Bounty Base, this is Bounty One, come in Bounty Base," Bethany called on her UHF CB, using the prearranged call signs. She hoped it was still working as she called again.

"Bounty Base receiving, come in Bounty One," she heard crackling back.

"Bounty Base, I need medical assistance over on the north west sector near grid reference 64. Three injured men requiring urgent attention," she answered, checking on the men in question.

"Received, Bounty One, assistance on the way and flying doctor notified," she heard a minute later.

Bethany waited, doing what she could for the injured men. Her own wound and bloodstained shirt were already back to normal, even the hole torn by the shrapnel had been fixed, courtesy of Ada. She still had minor abrasions and her clothing was still dusty from being on the ground, but Ada reminded her that people would expect that, her being so close to the explosion.

She heard the whine from the jeep as it made its way over to her position. Stewart was there, along with the first aid man for the camp. Mandy had come along as well, to no surprise.

"What happened?" asked Stewart, as he surveyed the extent of the damage.

As the other man went straight to work, bandaging the worst of the wounds suffered by the men, Bethany gave a brief description, leaving out her initial injuries, while Mandy fussed over her, dabbing her minor abrasions with a wetted cloth.

"This man has a broken leg, and I think the other had broken ribs," Jeremy the first aid man called out.

"Okay, Jeremy, the flying doctors are on their way. I guess I should call the police as well." Stewart sighed, bringing out his phone.

Only one man was able to talk, as one was semi-conscious and the other was too busy moaning and cursing. It seemed they had been trying to breakup the outcropping with explosives, but it had gone drastically wrong.

Bethany went to sit on a box nearby, but Ada warned it was full of unstable dynamite. She called Stewart's attention to it and he opened it cautiously. Immediately he closed the lid and warned everyone to get clear.

"What's wrong?" Mandy asked, as she helped lift the injured to a safer position.

"The idiots were using out of date dynamite. The sticks are oozing pure Nitroglycerine. No wonder things blew up," grumbled Stewart, shaking his head in disgust.

Mandy had climbed over the ruined fence going over to where Bethany's detector still lay on the ground where she had fallen. Bethany noted that she seemed to take her time coming back and when she did, she was ashen faced. She pulled Bethany aside where the others couldn't overhear them.

"What really happened sis?" She probed.

Not wanting to scare her, Bethany shrugged and said she'd just been thrown to the ground with the blast.

"Don't give me that, there was a pool of fresh blood covered with flies on the ground near the detector," Mandy refuted angrily. "Don't worry, I scuffed dirt over it in case someone sees it," she added in a slightly quieter tone.

Bethany sighed, and filled her in, seeing it was useless to deny it anymore. Mandy wasn't all that happy with the near disaster, but knew she couldn't stop her sister from exposing herself to possible danger from the public that wandered outside the camp.

"Can't Ada make you bulletproof? I don't want to lose you, and I'll know I will worry all the time now," Mandy despaired.

"Bulletproof huh?" Bethany grinned, thinking about it.

"It could be possible." Ada told her. "If I extended the effect I use to make me invisible, I could cover you with a thin micro layer of p space that could shunt away anything impacting it over a certain velocity," Ada deliberated.

"Okay," chirped an enthused Bethany. "So all I have to watch out for is slow bullets?" she laughed jokingly.

"She can do it?" Asked Mandy, getting the gist of the one sided conversation.

"Looks like it Sis, you'll have to call me Wonder Woman," laughed Bethany, hugging her sister.

"Oh, I wonder all the time," Mandy quipped back punching Bethany lightly on the arm.

"Hey! That hurts," came a mock protest.

The morning was busted, by the time the men were taken away. The police had arrived as well, and had questioned the one man still able to give information. They also had the dynamite removed to a safer spot. Stewart loaned them an explosive charge, helping them to detonate it where it could do no further damage.

Once most of the people had gone, Bethany went over to the hole left by the first explosion and used her detector to scan for any signs of gold. She did find a chunk of rock with signs of gold in it and she had Stewart take it to give it to the men for their trouble.

Stewart took them both back to camp in the jeep, where they had a late lunch. Mandy had wanted Stewart to stay for lunch, but he'd reluctantly begged off, saying he needed to go watch the perimeter while the fence was being replaced.

While he left to organize that detail, Mandy hurriedly made him some sandwiches and put them in a cooler, along with a few cans of beer. She caught him before he drove out of the camp and handed him his lunch. Bethany watching from the RV saw Mandy getting a quick kiss of thanks from Stewart, and she smiled knowing that her sister had found her love.

Bethany eventually found the nuggets she wanted. Tim was ever attentive around Bethany, and the attraction between them grew into love.

Once the value of the recovered gold reached several billion dollars, Bethany decided to leave and head back to Perth. The remaining gold would keep its silver content, and be valued appropriately. Stewart and Tim would remain at the camp for another month, until the majority of the gold would have been extracted, and they could hand over the mine to the rest of the team. As there was more than enough gold left to pay for the upkeep of the camp, Bethany decided to let the men take over that duty, keeping only the claim in her name.

The day prior to leaving, Bethany decided to climb to the top of the breakaway directly over the gold reef. The view was spectacular, as she watched all the activity below. She sat on the edge, once Ada assured her it was safe and dangled her feet over the face of the cliff. Sometimes an errant breeze would lift the dust being raised below and sent it swirling up to her, before sweeping back down.

She took her drink bottle from her pack and took a swig, placing it down beside her. The suns rays were beating down on her back, making things a little uncomfortable. As she stood, she stumbled a little, knocking her bottle over. The bottle bounced backwards and the top sprung off releasing its precious cargo onto the thirsty ground.

Bethany, racing to grab it before it was all gone, saw a glint in the sand where the water had washed the sand away from something shiny. Curious, she brushed aside the dirt and found what looked like a piece of blue glass. It was about a foot square and the edges didn't seem ragged like one would expect from a broken shard.

"Strange," Bethany muttered, feeling the low weight of the fragment.

'That's from the ship,' Ada informed her.

"The Teg ship? I thought you said nothing could survive the atmospheric conditions after this long?" Bethany questioned.

That part isn't of Teg manufacture, it's really Covian. The planet Cove was subsumed by the Teg and parts of their technology were utilized to enhance the Teg ships, Cove has an oxygen helium atmosphere and the materials don't react like Teg hull structures do.'

"It looks like a blue window. What does it do?" Bethany asked in wonder, knowing she had part of an alien craft in her hand.

"It's part of a cooling panel. Face one side to the sun, and then feel the opposite side,' instructed Ada.

"Wow! It went cold," yelped Bethany, nearly dropping the thing in surprise.

'Now face the cold side to the sun, but be careful touching the opposite side this time.'

Bethany did so and found that the side in the shade was now scorching hot.

"This stuff is amazing," Bethany said excitedly.

'What's more, the effect can be cascaded," added Ada. "If you stack them, the effect multiplies. Two together could form ice on the second shaded side or reversed, could boil water, if you were only using the sun,' Ada elaborated.

"Does it only work with the sun?"

'No, any heat source, whether it is hot or cold, can be utilized. The greater the heat, the colder the other side gets.

"What's it made of, and could we make more of it?" Bethany asked, thinking of the global applications.

'It's made of a silicon based material encapsulating a polarized liquid Freon which is compressed and conductive though an ionic bond with the silicon,' Ada rattled off.

"Phew! Sounds complicated. Could it be manufactured here?" she asked hopefully.

'Yes, with a little help."

This could solve a lot of our energy needs. Houses could have panels working both effects, one panel to heat water or heat the house, and the other to provide cooling or refrigeration."

"Yes, it could even provide a source of heat for power generation," suggested Ada.

"Do you think there's any more around here?"

"It's possible. Most of the ship impacted the cliff and destroyed the majority of the panels, but some on the top which may have landed on the cliff top may have survived."

Can you scan for it?" Bethany asked hopefully.

Ada confirmed that she could do that, so Bethany set off on a grid search, using Ada's directions. Only two more panels were discovered intact, with a myriad of useless fragments scattered around. Bethany had Ada store the panels in p space for the moment and decided not to mention it to anyone just yet. She set off back to camp, elated, yet forcing herself to appear normal to the others.

The next day they said goodbye to Tim and Stewart before starting the journey home in the RV. Both Mandy and Bethany said little on the way home, both engrossed in their own thoughts of those they were leaving behind and what the future was going to hold for them both.

Back in Perth, Bethany had to deal with the gold. Once the ingots were officially assayed for value, half went into the National bank, where they were stored; the remainder went into p space where they could be retrieved on demand as needed.

Bethany was now officially a billionaire. A portion of the bullion was used to buy gold coins, which unlike gold, whose value depended on the market at the time, would only appreciate in value. Both Mandy and Elizabeth had individual accounts of around 20 million dollars. Their mom Heather also had an account with 10 million dollars in it, "just for play money," Bethany had joked.

One thing Mandy had played with on the journey back to Perth, was her chameleon abilities. She now had a nice tanned face from being outdoors, but her body was still as pale as ever, as sunbathing naked hadn't been an option in the camp. She had remedied that soon enough, and figured she'd have a valid excuse before Stewart saw her again.

It wasn't even an issue with Elizabeth, having not seen her in over a few months and anyway, she was more interested in her boyfriend than how Mandy looked naked.

Elizabeth was being cagey about her boyfriend, until they got a chance to meet at a celebration dinner that included their mom, Heather.

He wasn't exactly tall dark and handsome, when he came into the restaurant with Elizabeth on his arm. Trevor Mallard was 5'11" sandy haired and had a rugged outdoorsy face.

"Gidaay folks, nice to meetcha, wow! This is a swank place," were his first words, which earned a few giggles.

Somehow, this plain speaking guy with no apparent pretensions gave Bethany comfort that he wasn't after her sister for money. He had a certain charm, Bethany admitted. She could see why Elizabeth was taken with him. This was reinforced as the dinner went on. Nobody went overboard on their orders, and the girls had probably spent more on their outfits, than what the dinner totaled.

When Trevor excused himself to go to the men's room, Elizabeth was ribbed mercilessly in good humour.

"I wonder where he keeps his snake?" prompted Mandy with a giggle.

"You little bweauty, you'll be right" Bethany quipped, imitating Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter.

"I think he took his snake to the bathroom," chirped Heather to everyone's surprise.

The sudden shock of Heather's words stunned everyone for a second before everyone chorused, "MOM!" Then everyone dissolved into laughter. Luckily, the laughter had subsided into just a few giggles, by the time Trevor returned. Later, when Elizabeth was alone with the rest of girls she quizzed them on their thoughts about her boyfriend. She was relieved when they all gave their blessings and told her to go for it.

Bethany was busy for the next few weeks, sounding out people who might be interested in developing the new technology she had uncovered at the mine. She had to find someone who had no vested interests in the existing conventional systems that involved power or heating.

The firm she eventually chose was extremely interested in the panels and organized joint patents in their names, not that Bethany needed any more money, but it could be put to good use in developing other medical advances.

One question asked by the director of the company was about the origins of the panels. She knew from her research, with a little help from Ada, that he was a keen sci-fi addict. So her answer reflected that, "I found it in the desert, I think it is part of a UFO, unless you can come up with another idea," she stated calmly.

The director just looked at her to see if she was serious. Knowing the properties of the panel, he knew something like this was world shaking technology and could never have been keep secret for long. He did want to ask her how she knew of its construction and material, but was afraid of the answer.

"Don't ask how I know about the construction. Your job is to replicate it," winked Bethany, guessing the unspoken question on his mind. "I have three panels, so after you've thoroughly tested it, you can pull it apart to analyze it more precisely. I trust I won't need to sacrifice a second panel?"

"Oh no, in fact we might not have to destroy this one, if our techniques work out."

"Even better," finished Bethany, standing up to leave.

"I'll keep you updated on our progress as agreed."

"Excellent, I'll have the research funds available as you require it." Bethany added, shaking the director's hand.

Bethany left then, heading back home feeling pleased that things were starting to get underway. She had some other ideas, but she needed to discuss them with Ada before saying anything to Mandy or Elizabeth for that matter.

The house was empty when she got there. Mandy said she'd wanted to look at a bigger place for them to live, maybe on the coast.

Bethany went out to the backyard and sat on the lounger there with a glass of wine. "Ada, is it possible to make another helmet like yourself?"

'It's possible that the physical part could be constructed from materials here on Earth, but I am unique, and I do have some limits. What is your purpose for making these helmets, when you have me?'

"Perhaps I should have explained." Bethany apologised. "I can see how your transforming power could benefit certain people who can't be treated by modern medicine. Like the paralyzed, or the transgendered, for two examples."

'That is a different matter then. Units could be made to operate remotely using myself as the interface," Ada informed her.

"That's even better," Bethany crowed happily. "That would prevent them being stolen or copied by others, as only you can make them work."

'Yes, and no one could trace me back from one, even if they got hold of a remote unit.'

"Can this be done on our own? I don't want to have this become common knowledge?'' Bethany asked anxiously.

'We can assemble the units, but I suggest we find different people to make the individual components, so no clue as to their eventual use could be discerned.'

"Let's get started then," Bethany said, reaching for the phone.

Things were well under way regarding the helmet construction by the time Tim and Stewart arrived back in Perth. Mandy had just tested the first one, giving herself a minor tweak that wasn't obvious to anyone not in the know. Elizabeth had finally been brought into the loop with the explanation that her sister had discovered an alien artifact that had given her the information. Only Bethany's true identity and the presence of Ada were kept a secret, for obvious reasons.

At first, Elizabeth was unconvinced, until they demonstrated the power of the remote helmet, transforming her into a male at her suggestion, as this would prove beyond a doubt that the experience wasn't just hypnosis, or some other sort of quackery. She stayed like that for several hours to try a few things out. When she returned to her own body, she insisted on a few modifications of her own, after Mandy showed her that makeup enhancement the supposed trial test had given her.

Once the men folk arrived, there was much celebration. Elizabeth had invited her boyfriend Trevor, and all the men were finally introduced. The three couples paired off while a barbecue was started. Drinks started flowing, and while the women were in the kitchen, the men got together and talked quietly about something.

No one got over amorous that evening although there was some tongue to tongue communications that needed no translation. All the men were invited to stay the night, but strangely, they all begged off, saying that they had some business to do the next day. Disappointed, but resigned, the girls had a late supper alone, before retiring to their beds.

It wasn't until lunch the next day that the men rejoined the girls. Even though they were now rich enough to afford caviar or have a banquet setting with exotic foods, the girls preferred to make a simple lunch of cold chicken and salad with some freshly baked bread from the local bakery. Their only indulgence was some imported champagne that the men gladly opened for them.

The men seemed fidgety during lunch. The reason why became clear after lunch when they were finishing off the champagne.

All three men got up and stood before their chosen partner. Then in unison, all knelt and took out a ring which they presented to Bethany, Mandy and Elizabeth.

"Will you marry me and be my wife?" they chorused together.

Mandy and Elizabeth squealed and gave their man a kiss as acceptance. Only Bethany's response was delayed, as she looked at the ring and realized its significance. If she accepted the ring and its responsibilities, then she was accepting the fact that she would always forever be Bethany.

Then she made her decision. "Yes, I accept," she answered, sealing her words with a kiss.

The delay, though miniscule, had Tim wondering if he'd pushed things too far, too soon, but that worry was washed away as Bethany granted him his heartfelt desire.

Needless to say, several more bottles of champagne were opened and the phone ran hot as Heather was given the news.

One more secret needed to be revealed, but Bethany held off until Heather arrived in a taxi about half an hour later. Bethany started off telling them about finding the alien panels and the alien artifact, that once it had given her information, had then disappeared, which was partially the truth. Again, the truth about Ada was kept secret to protect everyone should the remote helmets fall into the wrong hands. The men were very interested in the panels and were soon given a demo of their power. They were also impressed that Bethany had already organized things for their mass production.

The helmet was greeted with more skepticism and Elizabeth dared Trevor to undergo a similar test that she had gone though to prove its validity.

Trevor agreed, although Bethany and Mandy had to hide their grins when Elizabeth omitted what the test had involved. Elizabeth was going to go have the other guys watch, but Bethany had a better idea and whispered in Elizabeth's ear.

"Come on, Trevor. Let's do this somewhere private," suggested Elizabeth, which made Trevor grin as he glanced at the other guys.

Once the pair had gone into the study room where the helmet was set up, the other men speculated about what Trevor was in for. Some of the suggestions made the Bethany and Mandy grin.

Bethany was informed via Ada that Trevor had gone through the transformation. After hearing the door opening to the Elizabeth's bedroom, she motioned to Mandy that it was her turn.

"Stewart? Time for you to put up or shut up," giggled Mandy, crooking her finger at him.

Casting a last questioning look at Tim, Stewart was lead away to experience his own trial. Once the transformation was done and the altered Stewart led off to the bedroom to change, Bethany took Tim's hand and led him into the study.

"Where are the others?" he queried, looking around hopefully.

"Safe. You'll see them soon," she replied, placing the helmet on his head.

Bethany started the process, smiling as a familiar figure began to emerge from where Tim was sitting. Soon she had another twin, although the clothes were inappropriate. Tim looked astonished as he realized the extent of his/her change. He reached down and gingerly felt her new breasts and one hand shyly sneaked lower to confirm it was a complete change.

"Come, you need to change clothes before you meet the others," Bethany grinned giving her twin a hug.

"The others are twins now, too?" asked Tim with her new voice.

"You'll see them later. Now let's get dressed," Bethany, answered not confirming his suspicions.

Bethany started undressing and placed her outer clothes on the bed. She selected new underwear for her twin and told Tim to put them on. Tim looked dubiously at them, but complied, shedding her male clothes and donning the panties and bra with no problem, something that showed on her face as surprise.

"The helmet gives you the ability to act as a normal woman would and helps in both dressing and applying makeup," Bethany explained.

Bethany pulled some new clothes out and started putting them on while instructing Tim to wear her old clothes. Tim felt strange putting on the still warm clothes Bethany had just removed, but was amazed that "she" wasn't freaking out about it all. Bethany allowed her newly minted girlfriend time to caress her new body without comment as Tim satisfied "her" curiosity.

"Okay, you can explore it all a bit later, Honey," Bethany urged finally, having dressed herself again.

Tim put on the clothes Bethany had been wearing and was instructed to go meet Mandy and Elizabeth and see if "she" could fool them into thinking "she" was Bethany, and not Tim.

Tim headed out of the bedroom, trying not to show the surprise on her face that she was walking without a problem in the heels Bethany had given her. Tim reached the lounge just as Mandy and Elizabeth arrived there too.

"What did you do to your boyfriends?" Tim ventured, trying to act normal.

"Made him see what's on the other side of the fence," Mandy replied, glancing both at Elizabeth and Tim. "What about you, and where are the boys?" she added.

"I turned him into a girl," answered Elizabeth, with a strange gleam in her eye.

"Same," Tim answered, with a giggle.

"I guess they are shy and don't want to show themselves," speculated Mandy.

"Come on out, girls," Elizabeth called, raising her voice.

Three women emerged promptly, showing that they must have been close by and listening. They were twins to the ones sitting in the lounge, but being dressed in fresh clothes, assumptions were made that they were the men. Tim looked at the duplicate Mandy and Elizabeth coming into the lounge, thinking that there wasn't any difference from those already in the lounge. Then the grins on the faces of the new arrivals made Tim look at the Mandy and Elizabeth that were already sitting down.

"Ah, good trick," "she" laughed, realizing the truth.

It only took seconds for the other two former men to realize they'd been had. They stood up and offered the seats to their twins, as the real women in their fresh clothes started giggling. Heather was the one that seemed the most stunned, as she looked at the twins, so Bethany let her try something with the helmet too. A few minutes later a new younger Heather appeared, having lost 25 years. She readily joined the others, marveling in her change.

Soon, there was a babble of alto voices as everyone wanted to talk at once. Finally, things settled down as they paired off and found a quiet corner each where they could talk together. Heather went off to change clothes and experiment with makeup, trying for an even younger look.

Of course the ex-boyfriends couldn't get over how complete the transformation was, nor how being female felt so different, yet similar, even ... dare they admit it, acceptable. One question sitting in their minds was what the aliens had used this technology for. The answer, being obvious wasn't voiced for fear of upsetting the girls. Of course they couldn't know that Bethany and Mandy already knew the answer. Bethany had guessed what was going through their minds, having asked that very same question, but she couldn't reassure the "men" because of where that would lead next.

Everyone started mingling again, the "men" getting together and comparing their experiences. It was a tribute to the thoroughness of the change, which they were not screaming to be changed back immediately. It also spoke of their trust in their girlfriends not to cause any harm in their relationship.

Mandy came over to Bethany and pulled her aside.

"The men won't want to stay like this?" she asked worriedly, seeing how femininely the "men" were acting.

"No, Sis. I made sure Ada wouldn't make them too comfortable, even if they decided to experience … you know what," she winked, making Mandy's eyes widen. "Anyway, you can always tell them about periods and stuff. I'm sure that would put them off," Bethany shuddered involuntarily.

Mandy looked twice at Bethany, as a thought struck her.

"Sis, is there something you're not telling me?" She asked, curiously.

"No, why?" Bethany answered, avoiding looking at Mandy by looking over at the others talking.

"SIS …" Mandy hissed insistently, immediately detecting an evasion. At Bethany's blush, she knew she'd hit pay dirt and something clicked in her mind. "Is there something wrong with you? We were together for months out in the bush, yet I never saw any signs that you'd had a period, except for a couple of days early on."

Bethany sighed, knowing her secret was out. When she'd experienced her first period, she had been determined to see it through without Ada's help. But as the cramps and mood swings progressed along with all the other things that where new to her, she'd finally called on Ada to help. Since then, she hadn't experienced a period, but being ashamed to admit she couldn't deal with a normal function of this body, she'd kept quiet about it.

"There's nothing wrong with me, except for being a coward," Bethany admitted, hanging her head.

"What?" Mandy hissed disbelievingly, and taking her arm to lead her into her bedroom.

"You're no coward, so spill," Mandy demanded firmly,

"I couldn't handle having a period, Sis. I had Ada modify my body so I don't have to deal with it anymore."

"Modify?" Mandy queried, dismissing the first bit.

"When my egg isn't fertilized and the lining of my womb is about to be shed, Ada made my body, or rather, my womb reabsorb it instead of having to go though everything a normal period entails. Ada counteracts all the other symptoms, like bloating, cramps, and to a large degree the mood swings. I still know when it's happening, but it's like a piece of cake to the first one I had. So you can see why I'm a coward for avoiding it.

Mandy shook her head dismissively. She was glad in one way of Bethany's admission. It meant she was still human, and she still retained a bit of male in her. She'd often wondered if Bethany was really her brother, as she'd adapted so well to being female. Now, knowing she had a weakness, made her so much more human and fallible, just like the rest of us. "You're no coward. If I had the same choice, I'd have jumped at it too," admitted Mandy, grabbing her sister in a hug.

"Um, now that the helmet is an open secret, we can modify you the same way," Bethany offered cautiously, feeling relief that her sister didn't hate her. With that off her chest, Bethany felt a lot happier. Mandy decided to wait until she'd talked to Elizabeth before deciding whether she would go ahead with the latest body modification option.

Elizabeth came over to Bethany with a strange proposal. She and Trevor had decided to swap roles and allow Trevor to experience sex as a girl. What surprised Bethany the most was that Elizabeth had decided to take on Trevor's form in order for it to happen as close to naturally as possible.

Mandy and Stewart overheard this, and after a little encouragement decided to do likewise, as long as Bethany could ensure that someone wouldn't end up pregnant. Bethany ensured them that neither of them would get pregnant by modifying the sperm that the two newly converted guys would produce.

Tim seemed interested too, but Bethany didn't want to return to a male form, even if it was Tim's. She didn't feel comfortable with the reminder of who she once was, so she proposed a different option.

Heather decided to leave the couples and head back home. Reluctantly, she traded her youthful body back to a slightly older one so her neighbours could still recognize her. However, she still looked about ten years younger and hoped she could come up with an excuse for her younger appearance.

Later in bed, Bethany asked Tim what she thought of sex as a female.

Tim fondled Bethany's breasts, with a sated look in "her" eyes, before rolling together so their breasts mashed together.

"It was beautiful, and something I'll treasure forever," "she" answered, with a kiss.

"Yes, it was," agreed Bethany, looking at her twin. It wasn't exactly normal sex. Nor was it strictly lesbian sex, seeing they both had female bodies. Bethany could feel the penis, she'd had Ada add between her legs begin to harden again, as Tim moved against her. It was kind of strange, having a penis again, especially as she didn't have any balls to go with it. She had asked Ada not to give her those, as that was too much of a reminder of her former identity. Tim also appreciated the absence, as it seemed more like sex with a warm dildo than sex with a man.

"Want to change back?" Bethany asked idly, tickling Tim's breasts with her finger.

"Hmmm … later?" Tim murmured, capturing the wandering finger with her hand, and replying in same.

It was morning before Tim asked to be returned to his male body.

"I don't know how you sleep with these," Tim complained, hefting the breasts on her chest and jiggling them around. "I'm used to sleeping on my stomach, but it is too uncomfortable doing that with these in the way."

"Maybe next time, I'll put them on your back so I can play with them when you hug me," laughed Bethany, poking Tim's breasts gently.

"Um, I think not," Tim answered, eyeing Bethany speculatively, seeing if she was being serious or not. "Maybe you could do that, then I would have four to play with."

Bethany pouted for a second, before giggling at the thought.

Once Tim got his own body back, the others were also waiting for their turn.

All agreed that it was an experience to learn how the other half lived, but everyone seemed happy to remain in their original forms, although the guys didn't entirely rule out the possibility of a revisit to femininity. Bethany had Ada return her sex to normal, not that it had been obvious under her full skirts.

After a lazy breakfast, the guys wanted to head out to finalize some business matters, so they could begin their new joint business with a clean slate.

Bethany wanted to work out how to do the most good with the helmets without alerting the authorities as to what they were doing. The problem was advertising for customers in a way that would give them a free hand, and not have the government trying to seize their equipment for their own uses or limit its use to the privileged and wealthy.

Ada came up with the best solution. Seeing she was tapped into nearly every database on Earth, she could access those who needed help the most. For those in poverty stricken countries where no databases existed, another solution was needed. What Ada came up with sounded bizarre, but just wacky enough to work.

First, all had to agree to hold off on any personal plans while Ada's idea was implemented. Luckily, no one was in a hurry to get married, so all agreed. Mandy wanted a birth certificate for her new identity anyway, and Ada soon had that underway. Everyone got caught up in the excitement of doing something very special for the needy, and all seemed happy.

"What's up Bethany? You seem to be under a cloud lately," Mandy observed, one fine afternoon.

"Um nothing, I just came out here to think?" hedged Bethany, knowing it was futile to hide anything from her sister.

Mandy sat beside Bethany at the lookout that seemed to be getting a lot of use recently by her sister. "You seemed to be doing a lot of thinking lately, is it about Tim?"

Bethany sighed, confirming Mandy's question. "I just hate not telling him who I really am or was."

"That's easy. You are Bethany, now and forever," Mandy declared.

"Tim deserves the truth, even if it means I lose him forever," Bethany sighed.

Mandy remained silent, knowing that the painful decision was not hers to make. She hugged her sister in response, letting her know she would stand by any decision Bethany made.

Several months later… "Tim, I have something I need to discuss with you."

"Sure, Honey. I'll be right there," Tim answered, packing the last of the new helmets in their "wok" labeled boxes.

Bethany took his hand and led him outside to the two seat outdoor lounge chair. She sat him down, but remained standing as she gathered her courage for her confession. They were alone at the house as the others were out sorting travel arrangements.

She began by telling Tim about Gary in third person, from the time when Gary went looking for space craft fragments in the outback. Bethany slowed and choked out how, after finding Ada, Gary became Bethany. She watched Tim's face intently as the tale unfolded; looking for the dreaded repugnance she feared would show.

Tim would be the envy of every poker player as he schooled his face from showing any emotion. "You're telling me you are …were once a man?" he asked, his voice flat and expressionless.

Bethany's heart sank, and it showed on her face as she faced her accuser. "I was once, but that life has ended, never to return," she breathed, with anguish clear in her voice.

"And you're telling me now, just when we are about to embark on this special mission?"

"I wanted to tell you ages ago, but I was afraid of your rejection. I love you, and I feared I'd lose you." Bethany confessed. "I wanted to tell you the truth as the idea of holding a secret from you was gnawing at my soul. If you now decide not to have anything to do with me and decide to leave, I figured going to another country would help me get over the pain of my loss."

"What about my loss?" Tim asked.

"Your loss?" Bethany asked in confusion, and then coming up with the answer she thought Tim meant "I can give you enough gold for keep you from needing to work again," she added, with a sigh.

Tim stood up and turned away before speaking. "I don't want your gold…I want you."

Bethany, who had also turned away to hide her tears at her expected loss, now spun around as her heart flipped over in her chest.

"You want me?" she asked tremulously, hardly believing her ears.

"I am rather insulted though, by your offer to buy me off," Tim answered turning to face her with a smile, taking the sting from his words.

The two people coalesced together into one form as they embraced. Their lips joined in an unbreakable seal and they attempted to join their flesh to each other.

"So only Mandy and I know that you're not really Elizabeth's sister?" Tim asked, once they were able to separate again.

"Yes. Her real sister is dead, but after how things worked out, I couldn't just walk away. This way, she gets her sister back and I gain a family." Bethany sighed with remembrance.

Tim nodded, and cuddled closer to Bethany. "You get me too," he added with a grin.

"Well, I guess there's always a down side," teased Bethany, laughing at Tim's hang dog look.

"I guess there's one downside you like," brightened Tim, as he rolled over on Bethany, pinning her body under his, as he assaulted her lips gently.

"Hmmmm," she moaned, unable to respond with words.

"We could easily change that," hinted Bethany as they separated to take a breath.

"True," admitted Tim, thinking back to the day he'd become Bethany's twin.

Bethany filled Tim on everything that had gone on since her transformation into Bethany. Tim was amazed at her adventures and considered himself lucky to have her at his side right now. Then the ringing of the phone inside reminded them that they had other responsibilities at the moment, so they got up and went inside to take the call.

~~~~A week later, in another country~~~~

"I've found the perfect place," crackled Amanda's voice over the radio.

"Where?" replied Bethany, as Tim slowed the 4x4 they were driving to a stop in the heat of the African sun.

Amanda gave Bethany the GPS coordinates and Bethany entered them into hers and then directed Tim to turn to the west. They were looking for a cave system, preferably near a village where they could set up the first of many sites where a helmet could be hidden. It would be even better if the place Amanda had found had some significance to the natives in that area.

They had flown out to central Africa to where the natives were in dire straits in terms of health and well being. They had split into three teams and hired well equipped 4X4 Landcruisers to help search the area.

Elizabeth and Trevor arrived soon after Bethany and Tim arrived at the spot Amanda had found. Amanda came out of a cluster of rocks and waved to them to come over. Nobody was surprised to see Amanda still in her dark African form. Talking to natives as Europeans didn't get them very far, so they had adopted forms of the local tribes to make questioning them more likely to yield results. It was also helpful in warding off sunburn in the harsh African deserts.

 

"What do you think?" She asked, once they'd gathered in the cave formed by ancient erosion.

Ada did a sensor sweep of the cave, determining its state and the quality of the rock that formed it. She also had to find just the right place where a person might sit and have their head rest against the roof.

Everyone waited while Ada either agreed or rejected the cave. Finally Bethany gave the others the answer and everyone cheered. Elizabeth, Trevor and Stewart had been the last to find out about Ada, and only certain details about who Bethany and Amanda really were, had been kept from them. They were still in awe of Ada's powers and couldn't wait to see what would happen next, now the cave was found to be suitable.

Tim went back to his 4x4 and got one of the "woks," they had brought over. In actual fact, it wasn't a wok at all; just the basis of a remote helmet Ada had designed. Bethany took the helmet and placed it on her head then went to the position Ada had selected. Under Ada's instructions, Bethany pressed the remote helmet against the roof while Ada did her phasing trick, allowing the helmet and the top of Bethany's head to penetrate right into the rock. After a few adjustments, Ada had Bethany lower her head out and away from where the helmet had been placed.

Her head was now bare, with the helmet remaining entombed behind the surface of the rock. Only a small depression marked the spot, and no sign of the helmet was evident.

"Will it work like that, with a layer of rock between the actual helmet and a person's head?" Bethany asked.

"Yes, I've altered the conductivity of the granite to allow the sensors to transmit the functions of the helmet," Ada assured her.

The others crowded around and checked out what had been done.

"All we need is to show one of the locals its power," Amanda pointed out.

"That's next."

In the village, a young girl of about 17 years old hobbled to the well to fetch her family the water they needed to make the first meal of the day. Aissa had contracted polio and was severely crippled, but that didn't stop her from doing her chores.

She looked up from the well to see an old woman dressed in ceremonial robes standing in front of her. Aissa was sure she hadn't been there a second ago, and she'd not heard her approaching. The woman beckoned, and turned to walk out towards the edge of the village. Aissa was torn between getting the water and following the elder. She knew she should obey the elderly shaman, even though she was a stranger. She made her decision and followed the woman.

Aissa paused, when the woman entered the rocks leading to the cave. Although it was reputed to hold the spirits of warriors, she had always thought that was a ploy to scare the children and stop them from entering. Feeling that there was something strange about to happen, Aissa closed the distance between them, even though it meant her leg hurt even more.

Once inside, the woman led her to one end, and bade her sit in a certain part of the cave so her head was pressed against a circular depression in the roof. All this was done without speaking, but instead of feeling afraid, Aissa felt excited. The kindness in the smile and in the woman's eyes promised something momentous.

Ada interfaced with the helmet and opened her sensors to the child's body. Using the good half of the body as a reverse template, Ada began to rebuild the child's crippled body. Aissa felt a tingling rush through her body, and the constant pain she'd borne all her life began to fade away. She watched amazed as her leg reformed, straightening and becoming as perfect as her other leg. Other internal changes she couldn't see, took place in an instant, assuring her of a disease free body. She looked to the woman, seeking an explanation, but the woman just smiled and opened her hands in a welcoming gesture, before fading completely from view, right before her eyes.

Aissa ran back to her village, calling out as she neared her home. She never saw Bethany invisibly ghosting along behind, her role as a shaman now ended. Ada had phased Bethany's body ever so slightly left into p space so that while being invisible to those in the village, she could still observe them. She carried a small web cam and was sending a live feed of what she saw back to her group, who were hidden out of sight with the 4x4's.

Aissa's mother came out of her hut and stood amazed at the sight of her daughter running toward her. Her shout alerted others and soon Aissa was surrounded by most of her village members. After her rushed explanation, of the mysterious shaman and what had happened in the cave, many decided to check out her claim. A steady procession of villages took their turn sitting under the dome in the cave.

Ada checked each person out, and only those requiring healing were helped. Those that were healthy and weren't helped in any way took comfort that the spirit that controlled the healing process considered them fit and not requiring any aid. Of those that were helped, most knew it immediately, while a few were healed of things not obvious to the eye.

There was much rejoicing in the village that night, and runners to nearby villages were sent out the next day. Before Bethany and the others left the area, one more thing needed to be carried out.

Aissa was playing tag with her sisters, rejoicing in her new found agility, when a hush dropped over the normal village activity. Aissa stopped and looked towards the cause. There, standing alone, was the shaman she'd followed to the cave. No one moved, half fearful of this powerful spirit who had given them so much. Aissa sensed that the woman was looking at her, so she edged forward a bit. The woman crouched and beckoned Aissa forward. Feeling awe that she'd been singled out, Aissa walked to the shaman and stopped.

The woman spoke, outlining her rules for the cave and its continued service. Aissa ticked off the rules with her fingers, hoping to repeat them to the villager leader exactly.

The cave was to open for all who needed help.

No fee was to be charged.

Don't let anyone try to disturb the cave or its surroundings.

The woman stood, and shooed Aissa back to the village. She waited while the girl ran back before turning and disappearing from sight in front of those gathered watching.

Aissa was proud to be picked to be the messenger, for everyone made a fuss over her as she repeated what she'd been told.

The group left then and headed into several other countries to set up more helmets to help the people. Ada kept everyone informed via Bethany as to how the helmets were working.

By the time, they'd arrived in North America; several government officials or criminals had tried to suborn the guardians of the helmets, as the news their effects gradually leaked out.

The helmets themselves were unharmed, but the locations where they were hidden had been cordoned off and only paying customers or government officials were allowed in. Of course this didn't last long, as Ada refused to allow any changes to be effected during this time.

Where people were being forced to pay before entering, it didn't take long before dissent took effect as no cures were affected and the people trying to profit from the mystical healing properties of the caves were soon ousted by force.

Where officialdom controlled the caves Ada acted differently. If one of the guinea pigs ordered to submit to be tested under the healing area, had a genuine complaint, then Ada healed the affliction. If one of the officials then tried to benefit after seeing the results, Ada had several ways to take care of the situation.

In one case, a particular individual was particularly nasty and scathing of women in general, something Ada had picked up through the auditory pickup in each helmet. He'd dragged the woman Ada had cured of a nasty skin affliction out from under the dome and sent her stumbling on the uneven cave floor. His muttered comment about her was picked up by Ada, even before he sat under the dome.

Ada scanned him routinely, as she did everyone placed under the domes. This time she decided to act, even though he had no real health problems. The person that eventually reformed under the dome bore no resemblance to the male official that she had once been. Her screams, as she realized what she'd become soon brought other officials running to her aide. Her story was first ridiculed as impossible, and a search was set up to look for the man she had once been.

Eventually she was believed and the cave was sealed up to prevent others from falling into a similar fate. Unknown to the government, the person who had been the first cured by the cave knew of another way into the cave system, and soon a renewed, but covert resumption of the use of the caves powers were once again in full swing.

The use of caves in the US wasn't a feasible option in the minds of modern Americans, as belief in sacred healing places was only held by certain elders in some of the native Indian tribes. They did take advantage of a story about a statue of Mary that was reputed to have cured several people. It was in a church of a small town and it always had a steady trickle of visitors seeking a blessing. Bethany noted that it had a large block of white marble at its base and worshipers knelt at its base placed their heads against the marble. Time for a miracle.

Bethany, in the disguise of a crippled old lady requiring crutches, took her place in the small queue of people. Once it was her turn, she placed her head against the marble and let Ada do her thing. To onlookers it looked as if her head sank into the stone as Ada placed the helmet beneath the surface and vanished the unwanted excess stone into p space, forming a hollow depression in the stone. A few gasps told her that this change in the base had been observed. The pastor of the church moved towards her, thinking she'd somehow damaged the statue's base, but what happened next, made him pause in surprise.

Bethany had laid the crutches to each side of her and it had been obvious that her twisted limbs had hardly the strength to allow her to kneel. Ada made the most of the "miracle" and a glow of light covered Bethany's spindly legs. Her legs took on flesh, straightening and becoming firm. Then, as the glow faded, she stood up, her face taking on a look of wonder, as she took a step without the crutches, which lay forgotten on the ground.

The pastor could see a dent in the stone left by the woman now standing firm before him as she smiled and walked out, to the gasps of those waiting next. A rush to be the next was thwarted as the pastor knelt down and felt the concave surface of the stone. He knew he'd just witnessed something wonderful, and got up to find the woman blessed by the statue.

Of course, she had vanished, but that only lent credence to the miracle, as some speculated that she was a messenger from god.

Knowing that the USA would need more than just one helmet, the group wanted to try something else. Going online and searching had proved enlightening. Not needing the same health benefits as some of the poorer countries, the helmet could be turned to another use.

"The New U Transformation Salon, how can I help you?" Came the sound of a caring voice over the phone.

Bethany knew from her own experience, how profound becoming the other sex was. From her searches online, she knew there were thousands of frustrated transgendered people who would never realize their dream because of circumstances beyond their control. Bethany had found a service catering to the transgendered and other similarly sexually confused people that gave makeovers to those wanting to appear as the opposite sex.

When Bethany first found the salon, she was amused at the name, but NUTS was anything but crazy, judging by the before and after pictures posted on their website. A visit was therefore a must.

When Bethany arrived at the salon, she was alone. She thought it best if the others remained anonymous. Bethany took on another visage just in case, and appeared as an older Negro woman.

Seeing the hair drying equipment, she knew the perfect place to hide the helmet. Looking around, she saw several "ladies" who were getting their hair done and knew her aid would be greatly appreciated. Feigning a penchant for intimate contact, Bethany held the owners hands as she asked a few discrete questions. Ada relayed the truthfulness of the woman's answers, confirming Bethany's suspicion that she would keep a secret.

After going though the usual routine of getting her done, Bethany was put under the dryer. Ada promptly incorporated the updated helmet invisibly into it. Because the helmet would be discovered if left unmodified, Ada had made a few changes.

The new helmet would remain in p space, separated by only a fraction of a degree from normal space. A built in sensor would detect the presence of a head in close proximity and the probes required to interface with the person under the dryer would then deploy, remaining unseen within the dryer body itself.

Bethany called Jessica the owner over and started to talk in a quiet voice. Bethany asked if she really wanted to help her special clients, using her eyes to indicate the somewhat masculine client to her left.

"I do what I can. Sometimes it's barely enough," Jessica sorrowed.

"What if I can give you the means to give them their dreams for real?" Bethany asked in all seriousness.

"How can you do that? Voodoo?" Jessica retorted, thinking she was being conned.

"Stand on the other side so the others don't see what I'm about to do," Bethany instructed.

Jessica did so, wondering what this crazy woman was about to try. Bethany then changed back to a white girl around the age of 16. The look in Jessica's eyes was a sight to behold. She even looked under the chair thinking she'd done a swap of some kind. "I'm dreaming or I've gone crazy," she finally gasped out.

"No, you are neither of those," Bethany told her in the voice of the older Negro woman she had once been. This made Jessica goggle all over again.

"How did you do that?" she finally got out, looking around in case she was being filmed for some practical joke.

"It's this particular dryer. It is now modified to make changes you only dreamed of." Bethany informed her. "Let's get the "lady" to my left under it," she insisted.

"Okay, let's do that," agreed Jessica, needing a little more proof.

Bethany stood up and walked over to the woman in question and started talking to her quietly.

Jenny looked alarmed at first, having a real woman offer to give her dream. Jenny looked over to Jessica with alarm showing in her eyes, but getting a reassuring nod, she tried to remain calm as Bethany continued to spin her tale.

"You mean that if I move over to that other hair dryer, it can transform my body?" Jenny asked incredulously.

"Yes, it's completely safe."

Jenny thought she was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. But true to her wistful dreams of somehow finding The Medallion, or a rustic little shop tucked away in a mall, or indeed any of the miraculous means she'd read of to magically change her gender, she couldn't turn down the offer. "Okay, let's do it," she agreed, feeling somewhat ridiculous, despite that tiny spark of hope she'd harboured of just such an opportunity.

A minute later, Jenny was telling Jessica and Bethany the details of her dream body. Ada, of course, was listing in. Once Jenny's head was in position, the changes started. Jessica had known Jenny for ages and as the changes hit and her body shrank and expanded in all the right places, she knew what Bethany had told her was true.

As for Jenny, well her expression was filled with shock, as her blouse was distorted out of shape by the now redundant breast forms. Jenny didn't realize what was happening as her own breasts pushed out from her chest. She thought something had gone wrong as she saw the ugly lumps the forms were causing under her bra. Her chest felt resisted as two objects tried to take the space meant for one.

Jessica realized what was causing Jenny's distress and deftly slipped her hand in and removed the forms before Jenny could even voice a protest at the plundering hand. After that, all protests died stillborn, as Jenny felt a sensation she had only dreamed of, that of filling her bra cups with her own living flesh. Jessica handed Jenny a mirror, so she could see the changes in her face. Gone were the sharp angular planes that proclaimed her masculinity, and gone also was the dreaded apple Adam had gifted man.

Knowing, how she felt, Bethany pulled Jessica aside to allow Jenny the courtesy of a little private self examination, as much as could be had in the salon.

"What surname does Jenny use?' she asked, knowing Ada would need to set a new identity for Jenny.

"She is a real girl now?" asked Jessica, after giving Bethany the information.

"Yes. Next time please have the person give their preferred name, as well as the way they want to look, so the chair can process new identity papers for them," urged Bethany.

Bethany slipped her a card saying if there were any problems, she could email the address on the card.

Jessica's attention was drawn away to Jenny, who had given a glad cry, discovering that she now had an inny instead of an outy.

When Jessica turned back to Bethany, she discovered her mysterious visitor had vanished. She looked at the card and wondered where else would she turn up to help those dealing with gender dysphoria.

Where else, turned out to be several states away, where again, Bethany used the Internet to find a suitable venue for one of the helmets. In all, five were spread across the states, making none to far away for those in need.

In Britain, the obvious place for a helmet was in the stone circle of Stonehenge. Advertising its new powers was a breeze, as there is always a trickle of sightseers visiting. Bethany had waited till a few with their cameras were close by, before she knelt before the largest standing stone. She was in the form of a large man, which didn't feel comfortable at all now. In fact it felt almost alien and she was glad to be changing soon.

Placing her/his head against the stone, Ada embedded the invisible helmet into the stone leaving only a concave depression in its wake. Seeing someone had taken a photo of her in the act, she cued her change back to a young Asian female. Immediately there were gasps and the clicking of camera shutters increased dramatically. The white tee and grey shorts she had been wearing as a male grew baggy in her new diminutive form. The tee formed a makeshift dress and she slipped out of the shorts, while people gathered closer. She remained silent, as questions began being asked, giving only a smile as she hurriedly slipped away from the crowd. Luckily, no one stopped her, as they seemed more interested in taking pictures of her.

It hit the news that night, bringing a storm of controversy. Some said it was faked, others protested that their most sacred site was being made a mockery of, while others flocked to the place to either to try it for themselves, or to witness others that attempt to do so. There were plans to close the site to the public, but that just caused more problems. In the end, the stone had its own roped off walkway, so the ones interested in trying their luck, didn't traipse all over the site, maybe damaging it in the process.

One thing that did come out of it all, after an enterprising individual tried blackmailing the early transformees, by filming them after the change and threatening to expose them, was government protection. They banned filming anyone around the stone and put up a temporary screen. Individuals signed in before entering the queue and the translucent plastic tunnel that led away from the stone was just sufficient to obscure their identities from the public eye. The tunnel lead to a large tent erected outside the stones and there anyone with a radical change was issued new identities for a small fee.

Of course not all supplicants got what they wanted. Bethany, posing as the first case reported, had tipped off the press as how she had achieved her new body. So all the people now knew that unless they stated their real name and what they wanted to change, there would be no effect. This information helped Ada to determine if the name given at the stone was the same as the one input at the computer which the government setup at the entrance. Checks could be made to see if any of the people were in actual fact, criminals, and all changes requested that didn't involve a change in gender were refused unless the person was suffering from a debilitating disease or major deformity, such as lost limbs or paralysis.

There was a concerted attempt to do a scientific analysis of the stones powers in between the times Stonehenge was open to the public, but Ada's precautions meant that not only couldn't the helmet be detected without someone's head being in the right position, the energies used couldn't be detected by current technology either. No one volunteered to put their heads in the cavity when a huge powerful x-ray machine aimed at the stone tried to see anything out of the ordinary, so again, the helmet remained invisible.

It seemed the world was becoming aware of the existence of these special places and people all over, began searching for more depressions in stones that might yield similar powers. This made it easier for Bethany and the others to set up additional helmets.

Of course the type of changes permitted by the helmets became the main topic of speculation by varied groups. Why were sex changes with age reduction allowed, when just a pure age reduction was not? It was the same with the healing powers. People who could otherwise be treated by conventional means were not healed, unless they were in some of the poorer nations without the means or the facilities for such healing. That there was intelligence somewhere behind it was soon obvious, as people tried to fool the healing places by pretending to be destitute.

Of course, this led to talk that it was alien in nature, and that led to a drop off in attendance by the merely curious. Only those who were desperate for help continued to visit.

~~~~some time later~~~~

"Well, I'm glad to be back home," sighed Bethany, looking longingly towards the bathroom where Amanda had made a beeline for after dropping her bags inside.

"Yeah, visiting other countries is fine, but there's no place like home," Elizabeth added, echoing everyone's sentiment.

The next few days were filled sorting out the mundane things like paying bills and getting gardens back under control. Ada, via Bethany kept everyone informed of the situation with the remotely operated helmets.

Bethany checked with the company producing the solar panels.

"So far, we have produced panels with about 80 percent of the efficiency of the original sample. We think we can do better in the future as we develop better methods," the company director told her over the phone. "This time next year, we should be producing 100 percent efficient panels for everything the industry needs."

It was a few days later when Tim coming round to take Bethany out to lunch, found the house empty. "Bethany?" he called, wandering throughout the house. Getting no reply, he became a bit anxious, despite knowing Ada would always be there to protect Bethany. He went outside and called again, still with no answer.

Finally as a last resort, he wandered down the track to the lookout. "Bethany, I've been looking for you," Tim called, seeing Bethany sitting on the overhang.

Bethany looked up, but didn't move as Tim came up and sat down beside her.

"What's up?" Tim asked, seeing her pensive look.

Bethany didn't answer immediately, gathering her thoughts together. "I can't believe just how things have changed for me," Bethany finally got out.

Tim prudently said nothing, just nodding, as he relived the time since he'd met this remarkable woman. Not having seen Bethany as a male, he couldn't imagine her as a man. Nothing he'd seen had hinted that she hadn't been born a woman.

"I wonder what's going to happen next," Bethany added uncertainly.

Here, Tim had several ideas. He voiced them. "Well, first we get married, and have lots of kids. Then we live like the idle rich,' he chuckled.

Bethany punched him on the arm. "Hey I'm being serious."

"So am I," Tim countered earnestly.

"I meant about the effects the helmets will have and the new solar panels. Certain people are going to doing their hardest to thwart the introduction of virtually free energy sources."

"Whatever happens, I'll be there at your side honey. We will face those problems together as man and wife." Tim promised, putting his arm around her and drawing her close. "I'm sure with all the changes we have started, the future will only get better and the world will be a nicer place," he assured her.

Bethany looked out over Perth, knowing she had someone to stand beside her no matter what. Now all she had to do was step into the future and meet everything head on. 'It's going to be a far richer life than Gary Carstairs could ever have imagined,' she thought, as she accepted a lingering kiss from her boyfriend.

 

The end.

  

  

  

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