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Part 4 "Jack, I don't think I'm ever going to get this," Jess said dejectedly, "We've been at it for a month and I'm not any closer now than I was the day I woke up." That statement wasn't entirely true. Jess had made great strides in figuring out what she was capable of. She had mastered control of drawing in energy and, as far as they could tell, she could hold it as long as she wanted or until she fell asleep. Without her conscious effort to hold onto it, it would slowly leak out until she returned to her normal energy level. Jack had to admit to himself that Jess might not ever find her trigger. There was also a slight possibility that the fireball the night of the fire was a fluke or singular event. He didn't think that was the case. His gut told him that Jess wasn't ready for that responsibility, yet. Normally, he would have given up in frustration over her lack of improvement but she was just working too hard for him to do that. He had never seen the type of determination that she showed. Many times they would work until he was too tired to keep his eyes open. Unlike Jess, Jack couldn't draw energy out of the air so he needed regular breaks for sleep. Jess could work for days before needing sleep. Then she would get four or five hours and be good for the next few days. "You'll get it, but you need a break. Take the next few days off and do anything but think about this," Jack said. "I can't, Jack, I have to figure this thing out first," Jess replied. "Jess, have you ever had a problem that you spent hours or even days on without finding a solution. Then while doing something else, you figure out the solution?" "Kind of, I used to get stuck playing video games. I'd get so frustrated at not being able to get past a certain level or beat a boss that I'd have to walk away before I threw the damn game out the window. I'd take a few days off then try it again. Now, that I think about it, I usually got past what I was having trouble with pretty quickly." "It's called a 'eureka moment' and I'm hoping you'll have one. If not, you could still use a break. We've been hitting this pretty hard for a while now," Jack explained. "I don't know, Jack, I'm still scared of hurting someone." "Dammit, woman, are you always so stubborn? If we can't force you to do it here after the last few weeks what makes you think that you'll accidentally do it?" "Good point. I guess taking a day off couldn't hurt. What the hell am I supposed to do instead?" "Go home and relax, catch up with friends and family, hell go shopping for all I care," Jack suggested. Jess shot him a venomous look, "Just because I look like a chick doesn't mean I like shopping." "You might want to consider it. I'm getting tired or seeing you in the standard issue sweats and t-shirt." "What? You don't like my fashion sense?" "I never was into girls that dress like guys," Jack stated. "In that case, I'll be sure to wear jeans and a flannel shirt when I come back," Jess teased, "Maybe get a ultra short hair cut." "That would be a crime, I know of a lot of women that would kill to have hair like that." "I kinda like it myself," Jess confessed. "Go on, get the hell out of here already. I've got work to do," Jack ordered. "YES SIR," Jess gave him a mock salute. * Jess decided to go home and see if any of the clothes that she had would fit. She knew she probably needed a whole new wardrobe but she was going to need help with that. A call to Mandy got her that much needed help but the actual shopping itself could be put off until after Mandy got finished with her shift. That left Jess with a few hours to kill and Robert was off playing golf. It had been over a month since Jess had been home. She didn't realize how much she missed her old life. Just a few weeks had passed but it felt like a lifetime. Out of habit, she grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge and powered up her PS2. That was usually how Jonathan began to unwind from his day or night, depending on which shift he was working. Jess managed to play for ten full minutes before getting bored with the hack and slash she was playing. The make believe magical powers were no match for having the real thing. Having lived through multiple real attacks had her seriously wondering why she had found fighting games fun at all. She switched over to the TV but didn't find anything interesting on it either. She briefly thought about reading something, but she had already read all of her relatively large library multiple times. "I guess I might as well do what I came here to do," she said to Simon, her spider plant. Before heading into her closet, she gave Simon a nice long drink of water. He had survived nearly a month without being watered and wasn't looking very fit. He would bounce back, though. He and Jess were alike in that regard. He'd bounce back with a little water and TLC. "You don't look too hot there, big guy. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. As you can see, I've been through some crap myself," Jess told the plant. She knew that it was probably insane to hold a conversation with a plant but she always felt a little better talking to Simon. He didn't say much but he sure was one hell of a listener. She finished watering him and headed back to her closet to get started on sorting out her life. About the only thing that Jess found that fit were her shoes and a few small t-shirts. Everything else would be going to the nearest donation center. She looked around her home and realized that nothing really fit her anymore. Life had once again pulled the rug out from under her, spilling everything that she had worked so hard to build. She felt an ember of anger deep within her begin to glow. All that she had endured and pushed down inside her added fuel to that fire and fanned the flames. Her rigidly built emotional walls crumbled away and a raw unrestrained righteous anger began to flow. She felt herself beginning to draw in energy. 'Oh hell, no,' she thought, 'I'm not going nuclear because of this.' She drew in more energy causing the temperature in the room to drop a few degrees. Feeling the energy grow within her, Jess was afraid of destroying the building. An explosive release was going to cause a lot of damage and could hurt people. She had to do something with the energy. She focused her thoughts on the old pair of boots she was holding. She mentally shifted the focus from herself to the boots and within seconds they were smoldering. 'Eur, freaking, reka,' she smiled as the boots burst into flames. Just to see if she could, Jess tried to draw the energy out of the burning boots. She watched as the flames got smaller and smaller, eventually dying out all together. Another change of focus and they started smoldering again. 'Cool, Jack's not going to believe this,' she thought having forgotten her anger. * "Your game's improving, Dillon," Robert commented watching Dillon's second stroke land in the center of the fairway. "With as much practice as we've been getting, I better be improving. This is what, our sixth round in a month?" Dillon answered. "Seventh, but who's counting?" Robert corrected as his second shot rolled next to Dillon's. "Not me. God, it feels good to be having fun for once." "You look a hell of a lot better than you did when you came to check up on Jess," Robert smiled. "I feel better. I think I'm done with the HPA, Robert. I was trained to save lives and all I've been doing lately is helping to destroy lives. I think it's about to get bad there and I don't want to be a part of it." "What's up?" he asked worriedly. "You know I can't tell you," Dillon sighed. "Come on, Dillon, you know something and it's bad. You've got to want to do something about it." "I do, but I don't know what to do. I don't know specifically but I have a feeling it's going to be big." "Spill it. I know some people that may be able to help." "You know someone that can go up against Senator Morgan and the HPA?" Dillon asked. "I do. Now, what's up?" Dillon looked to be in a serious ethical dilemma. Robert could see the struggle behind his eyes. He wanted someone to tell his secret too but he had an obligation not to talk about it. The human side of him was ready to give in but the HPA agent side was fighting it. Eventually, the human side won out. "Have you ever heard of Marco Draven?" Dillon asked, "Isn't he the nutcase that wants to use RV to try and create supersoldiers?" Robert responded. "That's the one. The problem is he's getting very close to perfecting a technique to do just that. It has Senator Morgan very interested. They've been having weekly meetings for a few months now. The buzz that I'm getting is that they are working a deal to have Morgan supply RV altereds and test subjects to Draven and in return, Draven is to supply Morgan with the first batch of perfected supersoldiers." "So Morgan is rounding up all the powerful Altereds he can find. That would explain his interest in Jess. What about the other Draven? Is there any interest in him?" "No, but I wouldn't expect there to be. Daddy is making sure that he's not bothered by him." "Marco is Cole's father, God, I'm getting slow in my old age. I never even connected the two. He must have been upset when Cole contracted RV." "He didn't seem surprised to me. hell, Daddy might have even infected Cole if he had the chance and I'm not sure that he didn't." "Hold on, are you trying to tell me that Marco purposely infected Cole with RV?" Robert asked disbelievingly. "I'm saying that I wouldn't put it past him," Dillon answered, "Especially if he was relatively certain of a positive result." "That would explain Cole and Jess' burndowns. They weren't typical burndowns, especially Jess. I thought we might be looking at a new strain with her and I guess I was right." "She's lucky that she's with Beowulf. The HPA has her marked as a highest priority acquisition. That means that if she were on the street they'd use any means necessary to capture her. Fortunately, she's to be kept alive but that's about it. Being under Beowulf takes her out of play for now." "I thought the HPA had authority over everything RV related," Robert commented. "Mostly they do, but Beowulf and his crew have backing from some very significant higher ups. That keeps him free from the HPA. It's a good thing, too, his group is doing what the HPA is supposed to be doing by protecting people from the real dangerous altereds." "What does that make the HPA then?" Dillon took his third shot, "the bad guys," he said as his ball rolled into the cup. "Nice shot. Sounds like we need to get rid of Morgan and get someone in there that will do the job right." "Easier said than done. The only way to get him out of office is to prove he's planning to create his army. That's about the only thing he's done that has overstepped the ridiculous authority he's been given." "Hypothetically speaking, how does one go about doing that?" "Hypothetically speaking, catch him with his hand in the cookie jar. A video of him and Draven together doing the mad scientist thing might work. Having a paper trail to tie them together would be nice but I'm betting that Morgan covered his trail pretty thoroughly. He's one step away from paranoid." "What about Draven? He's a businessman. They always have paperwork." "Good theory, but you'd need someone stone cold crazy to go looking for it. You don't make a move against someone as powerful as Morgan unless your case is airtight or you don't care if you continue breathing," Dillon said. "I think I know just the person." * Jess resisted the urge to run back to Jack like a little girl who just learned to tie her shoes. She'd tell him the good news when she went back, if she went back. She had done what she needed to do. Her unique abilities were now controllable and she wasn't afraid of hurting anyone. That was why she went there in the first place. There were some added benefits to her time there. The fight training had been a given but she had really started to enjoy it. There was something about being able to take care of yourself that she felt was empowering. Her reflection had ceased to be a surprise. The face that she saw in the mirror had grown on her. She hated admitting it but, she felt much better seeing Jess instead of Jonathan. Being female wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought it would be. The hardest part for her to get used to was the near total lack of respect for her ideas. As Jonathan, her ideas were automatically given merit. As Jess, she had to prove that her ideas had merit. It was frustrating but she was learning to deal with it. The one thing that she couldn't figure out was that her appearance seemed to mean a lot more than it used to. She had been taking much better care of her skin and hair since her change. That certainly took more effort but it was effort she felt was worthwhile. Paying a little attention to her self was something that she really needed. With a few hours to kill before Mandy's shift was up, Jess had to find something to keep her mind occupied. She thought she'd get a jumpstart on shopping and get an idea of what she liked. The web seemed like a great place to waste a few hours. It didn't take long before she got lost in the sea of choices. Jess' search lasted for an hour and a half. She didn't buy anything for one reason; she was a little shaky on her size. That was probably a good thing. There was plenty out there that had caught her attention. Much to her chagrin, she found pink to be an appealing color. 'I may have to avoid that on principal alone, but that pink chenille sweater looks so cute,' she thought, 'did I just say cute? Definitely gonna have to keep a lid on that." Jess heard the door to her apartment open followed by a very familiar voice. "Honey, you're home?" Mandy called out. "I'm back here, Mand," Jess replied. "I'm surprised you're not glued to your Playstation. I figured that's where you'd be when I got here. Doin' a little surfin'?" "I don't know how much video games I'll be playing anymore. Being able to do it for real takes a bit of the shine off of pretending. I haven't been surfin, I've been shopping," Jess answered smugly. "Please tell me you didn't buy everything from Vivan's Secret." Jess just gave her an "I can't believe you'd even ask that" look. "I didn't think so but you were a guy, remember." "Yes, painfully remember. I've just been trying to see what jumps out at me." "Really? I thought I'd have to drag you into the stores. What's tickled your fancy so far?" She was handed a small stack of printouts to go through. "Not bad, there Jessica. There's even a skirt in here, oh and here's a pink chenille sweater. I'm impressed. I think I'd like one of those as well." "Well thank you, Madame. Glad you approve. How was work?" "Work was work. You know the drill. We had another two Lycan attacks to clean up." "Yuck, much left?" "Not really. Ready to go?" Mandy asked. "Already? I thought you'd want to relax a bit first." "Nah, we've got tons to do and the stores close in a few hours." "Lead the way, Captain," Jess said grabbing her keys. The two girls locked up the apartment and headed downstairs. Mandy took their short trip to the car to watch Jess and get an idea of how much she had changed since they had last seen each other. She had hoped that Jessie was adapting to her new form well and was relieved to see that she was. "Your walk has gotten a lot better. You're still a bit stiff but you, at least, look like a woman instead of a Marine in training," she commented. "Thanks, I can't tell you how many hours it took just to get me to this point. It's really obscene," Jess replied. "No, the time you've wasted playing video games is obscene," Mandy countered. "Hey, that was valuable training," Jess defended her self. "How on Earth do you consider video games training?" "Easy, where else was I supposed to learn how to deal with being able to control fire?" "Ok, you got me there, but last I heard, you still didn't have control." Jess got a mischievous look on her face that Mandy immediately recognized. "You have gotten control haven't you? When did you figure that out? You've got to show me," Mandy rambled excitedly. That was a defining trait of Mandy. When she got excited about something, she'd drop into teenage girl speak and spout off rapid fire, usually run-on, sentences. This time she managed to form complete sentences. Jess just barely made out the hundredth of a second pause between them. "Yes, just a little while ago, and only if you're a good girl," Jess teased. "Me? I'm always good. Come on, quit teasing me." "OK, I need something that will burn," Jess stated. "Why?" "I can control the heat but you don't get fire without fuel. At least, I think that's how it works. I guess it's possible that I might be able to do it without a fuel someday, but right now I still need it," she answered. Mandy started rummaging around her purse looking for something. In a second or two later she came up with an old receipt and handed it to Jess. She watched eagerly as Jess concentrated on the small slip of paper. Less than two seconds later the strip began to smolder followed quickly by flames. Mandy watched in amazement as the fire quickly consumed the paper. All that was left was a fragile piece of black ash, which Jess crumpled up and blew out of her hand. "That was outstanding. I guess I don't have to worry about you pulling a Chernobyl on me," Mandy chided. "How'd you figure it out?" "I was going through my closet and got pissed that my life had gotten all screwed up again. I started pulling in energy which we both know isn't a good thing. I was afraid I was going to blow the whole place up so I tried transferring the heat from me to a pair of boots I was holding. It worked." "So that makes you some sort of energy conduit?" "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm winging it here." They continued talking about Jess' abilities as they walked across the parking lot. Jess' internal alarm started buzzing before they could reach the car. She started flicking her tongue and scanning the area. "Jess, what's wrong, Honey?" Mandy asked looking around. "I don't know, something's off," she said still looking for the source of her alarm. "Get to the car and get it started," she told Mandy then started drawing in heat. A second later she caught a taste of something bitter. She knew that taste, 'Lycan.' "I know you're here," she called out. "Easy there, Three Mile Island, it's just me," Zack said stepping around a van. "What the hell are you doing here?" Jess asked dropping her charge. "Keeping an eye on you, that's what. We heard from a reliable source that the HPA was looking for you. I'm here to make sure that they don't happen find you." "And you guys couldn't tell me this, why?" she asked, regarding the Lycan with suspicion. "Don't look at me, it was Jack's order to not bother you. I think he wanted you to have a day off without having to worry about the HPA." "How sweet, don't tell me my life is in danger and send a rookie Lycan to protect me. Is he trying to get me killed? Sorry about the rookie comment, Zack." "I'll let it slide this time. I might have taken offense if your civilian butt hadn't kicked our trained asses. She may not take it so kindly though," Zack replied. Before Jess could react, a dark shape loomed beside her and she found a sharp claw next to her throat. The twins had learned from their first encounter. This time they got the drop on her. "Don't worry, little Miss Firecracker, we've got you covered. Even though I don't think you're worth worrying about," Zan grinned evilly. "That's a most unfriendly attitude, Zan. Did I insult you or something? Maybe make a comment about your sense of fashion?" Jess said. "Oh sorry, Miss Priss, you're right, you did insult me. You made the mistake of prancing around in a restricted area. We were just doing our job and you made us look bad." "Prancing? Sweetheart, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not exactly the prancing type. What the hell is your problem, anyway? You two were the ones that attacked me. I just defended myself." "Sure, you had no idea what you're doing. You're just a helpless little girl but somehow you manage to out do not only one but two trained Lycans. I don't believe it. I know you're hiding something, even if everyone else is blind to it. Right now you're the hot new item, but when that wears off, everyone will see you for what you really are, just a third rate Med Runner with a fancy ability." "Sorry, Dogbreath, what you see is what you get. I'm not hiding anything and I think you know that. Your frail little psyche can't handle the fact that you got beaten by a nobody. This game of yours is getting old. We both know that you're not going to do anything so let's just drop the whole charade and get back to what we were doing." Jess knew that Zan was trying to goad her into another fight. All the little Miss and prancing comments had been intended to piss her off. The Med Runner stung a bit, but she wasn't falling into her trap. As soon as Zan had grabbed her, she had started charging up. She was ready for a fight but was hoping to avoid one if possible. Zack started laughing, which got him a rather venomous stare from his sister. "Give it up, sis. I don't think you want to push this one. If you do, you're on your own. I'm not getting my fur singed just because you decided to be a bitch." Not having her brother to back her up took most of the wind out of Zan's sails. The bravado with which she had started the confrontation with disappeared, leaving behind a vulnerable looking Lycan. "Fine, I'll let hot pants off this time, but remember, I'll be watching you," Zan said trying to be intimidating. Both Lycans made their exits leaving Jess alone in the parking lot. She gladly released the stored energy accompanied by long sigh. She had taken a gamble and pushed Zan. Contrary to what she had said, she really didn't believe she would be as successful in a second encounter with the twins. Sometime during the whole fracas she had dropped the small backpack that she had taken to carrying. It was easier for her mentally to carry the backpack instead of a purse. It worried her that she didn't remember dropping it. She picked it up and headed for Mandy. "What the hell was that all about?" Mandy asked. "Apparently, the HPA would like to have a word with me and the twins were sent to make sure that didn't happen," Jess replied calmly. "Whoa, how can you be so calm? Is that part of the whole superhero shtick?" Jess hadn't realized how calm she felt. The scared shaky feeling she got after her first few fights was gone. She worried that she was getting too used to high stress situations. That would only lead to complacency and complacency wasn't a good thing. "Practice, this kind of stuff is starting to be routine," Jess answered. "I guess so. This change suits you. For a girl, you sure are ballsy. You'll have to forgive me, but you really were a complete wuss when you were Jonathan. Why was the Lycan being such a bitch anyway?" Jess couldn't help but laugh at Mandy's comment. Jonathan was pretty much a push over and would just take all the crap thrown at him. Jess was willing to toss some back. She felt really good about doing it, too. "I think I'd be a bitch, too, if I was turned into a Lycan. At least with me I can pretty much go and do everything I did as Jonathan. The twins have to worry about being mistaken for evil and attacked and killed if they aren't very careful," Jess offered. "Leave it to you to see their side of the story and make me feel like a real bitch for not doing the same," Mandy replied ashamedly. "I try. Now, can we please get to our shopping, that chenille sweater is calling my name." "Isn't that sweater pink?" "Aww, crap," Jess said realizing her slip of the tongue. * "Zan's back," Hellstrom informed Jack. "Already? I wasn't expecting them for another hour. Either they're slipping or Jess is farther along than I thought," Jack replied. "Not both, just Zan. Zack didn't come back with her." "That's odd. They never split up like that. Send her in, I need her report anyway." Jack watched Zan as she walked in. He didn't see any signs of her being in a fight, which was good. He knew that sending her out to Jess was a risky move. She was still pissed about the first night they met and was itching to settle the score. Jess could handle Zan in a straight fight but Zan didn't always like a straight fight. She was definitely the more Lycan of the two twins, making her the more dangerous one. "I take it the two of you reached an amicable resolution," Jack told her. "Yep, Big Red is a feisty one. She was a bit tweaked at you for not telling her and sending, how'd she put it, a rookie Lycan to watch out for her," Zan reported. "You didn't try killing her for that?" Jack asked skeptically. "The comment was directed at Zack, and she apologized for the comment." "I'm impressed, you are learning to control yourself." "A little. I didn't really want to get cooked today, anyway," Zan stated. "Probably a wise choice. So she knows the HPA is involved?" "Yes, Sir. She didn't really seem that upset about it. I believe that she and her friend Mandy went shopping after we were through." "Good for her. It's about time she started acting like the woman she is," Jack smiled. "Where's Zack?" "We ran into Morgan on the way back. He was leaving Christian's with Marco Draven. We thought you'd like to know where they were going so he's keeping an eye on them." "That, I'm not happy about hearing. It seems that Draven is planning on building his army with Senator Morgan's help," Jack grumbled. "It gets better. We followed them to Nexus Technologies where Diablo was waiting. He kept himself out of sight but Morgan knew he was there. The arrogant ass was bragging about Midwest Chemical. I overheard a few tidbits you might be interested in," Zan gloated. "Spill it, I don't have time for games, Zan," Jack grumped. "Always the grump, Jack. It seems that he torched Midwest Chemicals to cover up the theft of something for Morgan. He didn't say exactly what but I bet we're talking about Tritaniuim. That's the only thing that would be worth stealing to a guy like that." "Where's Zack now?" "He's watching after Morgan and Draven. I tried keeping an eye Diablo, but he did his walk through walls thing and I lost him," Zan frowned. "Don't worry, Zan. He probably didn't make you. He's a paranoid SOB who does that on a regular basis just in case he actually is being followed. Is that all?" "So far, Zack's supposed to call in if anything happens." "Good, go get some rest. There is something big brewing here and we're gonna have to move on it soon." Zan left the room and Jack quickly got to work. He called for an advisory meeting in one hour and started gathering up all the intel they had received. He'd have to present them with as much information as possible and his recommendations. He had a good idea what Morgan and Draven were up to but he didn't yet know how Diablo fit into things. He knew that whatever Diablo was doing wasn't going to be good. * "I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Robert," Dillon confessed. "I didn't convince you, I just planted the seed. It's not my fault it grew so well," Robert answered innocently. The reunited team of doctors had been secretly watching Senator Morgan for nearly a week. Neither of them had expected to find out anything quickly but they had hoped to get lucky. Most of the surveillance time was boring, much more boring than it looked in the movies. That evening had Senator Morgan dropping his normal driver and setting out on his own in an unmarked car. That immediately grabbed Dillon's attention. Morgan almost always had his driver take him anywhere. They discreetly followed him to Christian's, a semi secluded Italian restaurant, where he met up with the infamous Marco Draven. From a safe distance, Dillon and Robert listened in on their conversation using a LM or laser microphone. The gadget was just becoming available for law enforcement. It used a small laser beam to measure the tiny movements windows make when hit by sound waves. A laptop computer running special software allowed the users to fine tune the device to pick up individual conversations. It was affective from almost any distance as long as there were no obstructions to the beam. The two men had what appeared to be a normal business lunch. However, the subject of the conversation was very vague, so Dillon figured it to be code for something. Draven kept asking about the new 'hardware'. Morgan was constantly assuring him that he would have what he wanted in a few hours. Draven then said he wanted to get the first implant done as soon as possible. "Any idea what they're talking about, Dillon?" Robert asked. "Not a clue. The HPA isn't getting anything other than the LMs. I can't think of any reason that Draven couldn't get some with his connections. I don't like the term implants though. It may just be code but it's definitely something we need to look into," Dillon answered. Morgan received a three second call from someone. He smiled and asked for the check. "It's time to go get your 'hardware'," he told Draven. "Finally, let's go. I don't have time to waste," Draven stated. Dillon and Robert followed the two men as they left the restaurant. Neither of them knew where they were headed. Both were surprised when they stopped at a familiar place. "What are they doing here?" Dillon asked. "Well, Nexus is a medical technologies company and this is one of their research facilities. They could be looking at something they are working on," Robert answered. "What do you own stock or something?" "No, I just have a friend that works here," Robert laughed. "He's a project manager in the prosthetics division." "Any other details you might know about?" "The receptionist's name is Cindy. Is about all I've got." "Well, let's go visit your friend then." * "I can't believe you're making me try this on," Jess complained being handed a ridiculously skimpy negligee, "it's not like anyone is going to see me in something like this." "Think positively Jessie, there's no reason why you couldn't have some good looking guy to show that body of yours off to," Mandy encouraged. "It's really not fair, by the way. A lot of girls work very hard and never get anywhere close to what you have. You could use a bit more in the breast department but the rest more than makes up for it." "Hey, I didn't ask for this body. It was kind of dropped on me. I'm certainly not interested in having some testosterone drunk guy looking at me, either. I'm just not into men. " "I'm not listening," Mandy said covering her ears. "I really do still prefer women." "Not listening," Mandy sang. "Oh why do I even bother? Have you picked out a husband for me yet?" Jess joked. "Why? Have any ideas?" Jess just rolled her eyes as she slipped into the few wisps of material Mandy called lingerie. Her reflection in the dressing room mirror was surprising. She did have a body most girls would kill for; long shapely legs, flat stomach, and nicely proportioned breasts. In her opinion, anything bigger would seem an over embellishment. Her face, while not a classic beauty, still held an air of exotic mystery even after weeks of seeing it everyday. She was surprised that she was becoming comfortable, if not happy, with her body. She had spent almost 30 years as Jonathan and never felt that good about herself. Part of her was a little worried about that but most of her was ready to be over it. She wasn't ready to be showing anyone what she was or wasn't wearing, though. "There is no way I'm buying this," Jess called out. "Is it not the right size?" Mandy called back. "Not for my comfort level. Besides, if I ever get to the point where someone will see me in something like this, I might as well be naked." "Oh, you're no fun at all," Mandy sighed dramatically, "I'm surprised you even tried it on, though." "Baby steps, Mandysan, baby steps," Jess chuckled. The shopping was going easier than both girls had expected. Mandy was prepared to force Jess into getting a suitable wardrobe but found that it wasn't necessary. Jess was worried she wouldn't be able to find anything she was comfortable with. That turned out to be a non-issue as she was finding more than she could possibly afford to buy. The only problem they were having was a difference in tastes. Jess preferred low-keyed earth-toned outfits that covered as much as possible, while Mandy would have liked to see her in brighter colors and something slightly more revealing. They combined each other's preferences to assemble a suitable selection that should cover most situations Jess would find herself in. Jess' favorite finds were a light brown full-length tweed skirt that she paired with a dark chocolate brown lightweight sweater. She couldn't help but choose a pair of tall croc skin embossed leather boots and matching belt. Gold tiger's eye jewelry was chosen to finish off her new look. 'I can't believe my favorite outfit includes a skirt,' she said to herself. Even though the selections went against her personal tastes, Mandy had to agree that the outfit was perfect. The sweater and skirt offered plenty of coverage, making Jess feel comfortable, but they were form fitting, giving a tantalizing hint of the body underneath. The subdued Earth tones were divinely complimented by Jess' more than abundant, blazing curls. "Wow, I was going to argue about that being too plain, too long, and generally too boring but you look too damn good. We've got to get you some make-up, though," Mandy commented. "Gee, do I look that bad?" Jess asked. "I didn't mean it that way. You look great just the way you are, but you would look awesome with a little more color." "Why not, I'll have to do it eventually, anyway. I might as well get it over with. Just, no green please." "Of course not. You're definitely a warm color girl," Mandy replied. "Huh? Warm color? Do I even want to know?" Jess asked. "Yes, you want to know. It's important, so pay attention. There are three types of colors; warm colors are like reds, browns, oranges, and yellows. Cool colors are your blues, greens, and purples. Neutrals are somewhere in the middle. There is some crossover so be careful. Some women look better in cools and some look better in warm tones. You are screaming for warm tones." "Sounds complicated." "More of a trial and error thing if you don't get some knowledgeable help." "I thought that's what I had you for?" Jess asked. "You do, but I know when to call in the professionals." "Ouch, that's twice now." "Twice what?" "That's two times in five minutes that you've called me ugly," Jess answered. "Ugly? I haven't called you ugly," Mandy responded. "Well, not directly. But you did say I needed make-up and now a professional to do it. Sounds like you think I'm ugly to me," Jess harassed her. Jess couldn't suppress the grin that formed on her lips, giving away her ruse. "Oh, you little," Mandy groaned. * The make-up lesson was both enlightening and confusing for Jess. She learned a lot about what she should or shouldn't use as well as the proper methods of applying everything. Mandy had been correct in suggesting warm colors. Jennifer, the cosmetologist, demonstrated the difference in colors for her. She used cool colors on her first attempt at showing Jess how it's done. The results were less than appealing with those colors. The application had been nearly perfect but the colors didn't compliment Jess very well. They removed everything and started over using warmer reds and browns. The difference in the results was amazing. The application had been the same but the warmer colors worked very well. Jess had walked in a mysterious looking but plain woman. She walked out as a woman that was sure to get some attention. Information overload could be used to accurately describe her feelings when everything was done. She doubted that she would remember everything or would be able to recreate what had been done to her. There was just too much to absorb in a few hours. She wasn't one hundred percent sure that she wanted the attention her new look was bound to get her, either. She did admit that she was really starting to like her new position in life and maybe a little more attention was a good thing. "I need a break. How about we get something to eat?" Mandy asked. "Sure, I can use a little something myself," Jess answered. "Great, Italian good for you?" "That sounds great. The food I've been eating lately has been a bit lacking in the taste department." "Mind if Dan joins us? It's about time for him to take a break and I'd love to see him." "No problem with me. I'd like to find out what he thinks of the new me anyway." Mandy magically produced her cell phone and dialed Dan's number. "Hi Dan, you eaten dinner yet?" "Hello, Sweetheart, no I haven't had a chance yet. Are you in the area?" Dan answered. "Yep, and guess who's with me." "The Pope?" "Ha, ha, very funny. I finally sprung Jess from her self imposed prison, want to meet us at Christian's?" "Sounds like a plan to me. How about... oh shit..." There was a loud crashing sound followed by white noise. "Dan? Dan, can you hear me? DAN?" Mandy asked worriedly but didn't get a response. "What happened?" Jess asked concerned. "I don't know. He said 'oh shit' then there was a crashing sound. I lost him after that." "Try him again." Mandy tried Dan's number again but it went straight into voice mail. That worried her even more. "Nothing." "It's probably nothing. Knowing Dan, he probably just dropped the phone and broke it. Try Cindy, she is at the front desk right?" "Good idea, sister," Mandy replied and dialed the main number at Nexus Technologies. She didn't get an answer. "Nothing, now I'm scared." "Let's go. If there was an accident we might be able to help." * "Jack, we've got action at Nexus. Diablo and his boys have taken over the facility," Hellstrom reported. "OK, I've got to give my report to the advisory board. I need you to get a team together. Mr. Wizard has hardware, Zack and Zan are the bricks for this one, and you can pick the elemental and containment. Lauren, I want you running interference. Stull will probably try some mind tricks and I need you to counter that. I've got ops." "You sure you want Zack and Zan? They haven't exactly proven themselves yet." "They're ready. The deal with Jess got them motivated and they've really come in the last month. Having a few Lycan faces doing good can never hurt. Morgan's gonna try and spin this somehow. Call Marcy at Channel 9. Give her the scoop in return for some discreet camera work. We need some good positive footage on us and as much bad on him as possible." "Will do. I'll have everything ready by the time you're done with the board." * Mandy tried Dan's phone another six times and the main line another four on the way to Nexus. Each time she was sent to voice mail the knot in her stomach tightened. Something was wrong. She knew it. She knew it in the way that a woman often knows things. Dan was in trouble. "Mand, he's going to be all right," Jess offered. "I don't know, Jess. Not to sound like a stupid movie, but I've got a bad feeling about this," Mandy replied. "Come on now, where's that upbeat positive attitude you're known for? Aren't you always the one telling me to think positively?" "You're right. I've got to think positively. I would feel better if we were there already." "We'll be there shortly. If I go any faster, we'll risk going back in time," Jess replied. Mandy had left the driving to Jess. Jonathan was definitely the better driver of the two and she hoped that Jess had retained that ability. As far as she could tell, Jess had actually managed to improve her driving skills. Their progress was probably the same but Jess was much smoother. Jonathan would often push things too hard then have to fight to keep control. Jess would push just under the absolute limit keeping all her inputs smooth and controlled. Nexus came into view with no signs of trouble. There was no smoke, or fire, or obvious damage. That only helped tightened Mandy's knot further. She was even more sure that Dan was in serious trouble. She almost jumped out of the car as they pulled into the parking lot but Jess managed to grab her before she did. "Hold it, Mand. We don't know what's going on, so running in wild and blind is a recipe for disaster," Jess told her pulling in behind a delivery van. "Let me check things out first. If I don't find anything unusual, we'll go in." "OK, but make it fast, you know I have no patience," Mandy answered reluctantly. Jess didn't want to tell Mandy that her inner alarm was going full blast. She had finally realized that inner alarm was her own version of spidey-sense. There was big trouble brewing and Jess didn't want Mandy running head on into it. A thermal scan didn't tell her much. The sun had set but everything was still too warm to get anything useful out of. She switched to tasting and quickly latched onto a familiar taste. "Stay here, I'll be back in a minute," Jess told Mandy. She didn't wait for a reply. She turned and headed toward the source. Maybe he'd know what was going on. It took her longer to track him down than she'd expected. He had doubled back and around a few times causing her to follow a cold track for a short bit. She finally found him hiding in some shadows watching her approach. "What are you doing here?" Zack asked. "A friend of mine works here. We were talking to him when we heard a crash and the line went dead. We came to see what's up. What are you doing here?" Jess returned. "Who is we?" "Mandy and I. You didn't answer my question." "Official business. You should take the human and get her out of here. Diablo has taken over the building." "What does he want with Nexus?" "I don't know. That's what we'd like to find out." "Where is he?" "Second floor, northeast corner." "That's Dan's lab. What the hell do they want with prosthetics? That doesn't make any sense." "It gets better. Diablo has Marco Draven and Senator Morgan with him." "Are they hostages?" "Not the way I saw it. Shit, your girl's going in." "What?" Jess spun around to see Mandy walk into the main entrance. "That stupid impatient stubborn woman! I told her to sit tight." Zack laughed at her comment. "What's so damned funny?" "You've been a woman for what? A month now and you still haven't got a clue about women. Would you have stayed in the car while your husband was in there?" "I see your point. I've got to go and get them out." "Hold it, Red. We aren't supposed to do anything until the team gets here." "No, you're not supposed to do anything until the team gets here. I'm just a citizen, remember?" "I can't let you compromise the situation, Red." "Try and stop me," Jess said drawing in heat. Zack noticed the drop in temperature. "Easy there. If you feel that way I won't stop you." "Thanks, Zack. I appreciate that." "You may want to wait till backup gets here. You should at least change clothes. That skirt might look, pardon the pun, smokin' on you but I wouldn't want to wear it in a fight. You can get a uniform from the truck and sharing information couldn't hurt." "Gee, I'd love to wait around for you guys to get your shit together but my friends are in there." "Jess, there are at least a dozen armed men in there, as well as a few altereds. Do you really have enough confidence in your abilities to go in and not get you and your friends killed?" His question effectively slapped Jess back into reality. She didn't have great control of her abilities. She didn't even have a plan. She had nearly done exactly what she had told Mandy not to do. "Yeah, I didn't think so," Zack said seeing the answer on Jess' face. "Sorry, Zack. I got way carried away. What else did I miss?" "We've got about two dozen hostages. Most are Nexus employees. Two guys entered the building a little before you got here. One was HPA and the other was Dr. Robert Stevens. I assume Dr. Stevens is here for consulting or something but I have no idea why the HPA is with him." "Robert and the HPA? He hates those guys." "You know Dr. Stevens?" "Yes, I was one of his Med Runners and he was the one who got me through my burndown." "Me, too. He's a good man. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead. He set Zan and I up with Jack." "What about Draven? He friend or foe?" "Did I fall through a wormhole into an alternate dimension or something? Isn't Draven the kook that wants to build armies of altereds and Morgan the most anti-altered person on the planet?" "That's what we've been told." "So how do they wind up together at the loading dock of a building that has been taken over by one of the most infamous altereds of all time? And why is that infamous altered suddenly interested in prosthetics?" Jess watched as a large plain looking delivery van pulled up to the loading area of an adjacent building. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Maybe Jack can fill in some of the gaps," Zack stated. "I hope so. I have an idea of what might be going on but I really hope I'm totally wrong about it," she replied. Jess followed Zack as he walked over and put his hand over one of the van's taillights. A thin bluish green line formed at the bottom and swept upward across his palm. She heard the faint click of disengaging locks then Zack opened the rear door. He held the door open and motioned for her to step in. Jess hopped in fully aware that was the first time a man had held a door open for her. That thought was fleeting and she quickly returned to her friends inside the building. Zack climbed in behind her then pulled the door shut. The interior of the van was almost a movie clich?. One side was covered in electronic gear that Jess had very little knowledge of. A single bench ran along the opposite wall until it met with a cabinet the full height of the van. A large steel table was bolted to the middle of the floor. The set up allowed easy egress and ingress as well as maximize the available space. Six monitors arranged in two rows of three dominated the center of the wall of electronics. Each had a different view of the outside of the van. In the corner of each monitor was a small section with an infrared view of the same area covered by the larger camera. "Isn't that a bit over the top?" Jess asked Zack. "We don't want anyone sneaking up on us," Jack answered, "what are you doing here?" "Nice to see you, too, Jack. We came to check on a friend." "We?" "Yes, Mandy and I came to see her husband." "Where is Mandy, then?" "I told her to sit tight while I checked things out first. She must have gotten bored, because she went inside a few minutes later." "Women!" Jack rolled his eyes, "they never listen." "Hey!" Jess and another woman exclaimed. Jess scanned the gloomy interior and spotted a friend she had made at the facility. "Finally accepted being a woman, Jess?" Lauren asked. "Looks like it. I thought you didn't do field work anymore," Jess answered. "Got a big fish in there who likes to toy with people's minds. I'm here to run some interference." "Sorry to interrupt you girls, but we've got work to do," Jack stated. "Jess, you already know Lauren, Zack, Zan, and myself. The others are Gates Williams, John Forte', and Piper Hall." Jess felt the light pressure in her mind of Hellstrom making contact with her. A half heartbeat later she felt a slight pinch and mind filled with the images of her new acquaintances. Lauren had given her a quick mental download of their important information. Gates Williams was known as Mr. Wizard and had a knack for all things mechanical. His role was hardware outfitting. He was responsible for the teams weapons, armor, and equipment. He was five feet tall and nearly as wide. His squatty body coupled with extravagant beard and mustache gave him a Tolkeinesque dwarf look. Jess thought he was Gimli brought to life. John, The Fortress, Forte', was an ex-pro football player who had gotten his name on the field. Being just shy of seven feet and weighing in the neighborhood of three hundred pounds should have made him intimidating, but his jovial face showed his true temperament. His particular ability was to be able to create nearly impenetrable crystal structures. He was there to contain anyone they captured. Piper Hall was an elemental like Jess. She was slightly shorter than her fiery counterpart and had the looks of a supermodel. Her hair was short and spiky with a hint of blue mixed in. Her porcelain skin was a shade darker than snow and no doubt as soft. Her icy blue eyes and deep red lips added an appealing contrast which gave her an almost other worldly appearance. Piper's nickname was Blizzard based on her ability to conjure and control ice. Her friends just called her Blizz, sometimes because of her ability and sometimes because of her attitude. There was something about her that Jess found intriguing. She hoped that maybe she'd be able to call Piper Blizz someday but her first priority was her friends inside Nexus. "So what's the plan, Jack? Where do you want me?" Jess asked. "Have a seat and get comfy. You can watch on these screens," he said pointing to the set of six screens. "Sit? You want me to just sit and watch? My friends are in there," Jess asked incredulously. "Would you rather have me tell you to go home?" "The hell I am. I can help, Jack, and you know it." "I could use your eyes and tracking ability, yes, but you aren't trained for anything like this. Even if you were, you still have that little fiery explosion thing to figure out." "Oh, you mean this," she replied setting the folder he was holding on fire. She had been discreetly practicing all night using small brochures and bits of paper as fuel. She'd bring it up just until it ignited then pull it back down again. After a little practice, she could do it almost instantaneously. The move surprised Jack and he dropped the folder onto a pile of papers. Mr. Wizard and Fortress made a move to stop the spread of flames but Jess had already extinguished it. Everyone looked at the now harmless folder like it was a snake ready to strike. "That must have been one hell of a Eureka moment," Jack said regaining his composure. "It still doesn't change anything. You aren't trained for this. I'm not going to risk you getting hurt." "I'm not asking permission, Jack. My friends are in there and I'm going to help them with or without you," Jess replied with more than a hint of steel in her voice. The other flinched at her words. They weren't used to anyone talking to Beowulf like that. He wasn't used to having his command questioned, either. Jess saw the flames of rage grow in his eyes. She realized she just stepped into dangerous territory but was too committed to back out. She quickly drew in a lot of energy, dropping the temperature in the confined space of the van to a few degrees above freezing. "I may not be trained to take out terrorists, but I am trained to help people and I am more than capable of handling myself. I'm a walking talking bloodhound with infrared vision and I can handle the heat. Use me to your advantage Jack, don't make me wildcard," she stated. Nothing was said for a few tense moments. "Well, Red, you got fire that's for sure. I like that. Jack, if it's all the same to you, she can come with me. It'll be fun to see what they do with a little fire and ice," Piper grinned. "Fine, but she's your responsibility," Jack answered still visibly angry, "get her suited up." Piper grabbed Jess and headed toward the front of the van. She picked up a uniform from the cabinet and handed it to Jess. "That was freaking unbelievable. Not only did you challenge Beowulf but you looked damn good doing it. Hell you're still standing, too." "Thanks to your help," Jess replied. "It wasn't me. He would have torn you to pieces before I could have said a word if he wanted to. I think the instant forty degree temperature drop got his attention. It certainly got mine. Speaking of which, you might want to warm things up a bit. Mr. Wizard gets cranky when he's cold." "Sure, no problem," Jess answered letting the heat back out. "Are you sure you just learned how to control that today?" "Just a few hours ago actually." "They said to watch out for you. Get changed on the quick time then get back to the briefing. We need to move soon." Jess quickly got dressed. The uniform turned out to be one of Piper's spares, so it fit relatively well. There was some extra room in the top half but the rest would do fine. Jess did notice that Piper kept looking at her while she changed and she wondered if they were thinking the same thing. 'I wonder if she's into girls,' Jess thought. She was changed and back to the briefing in under five minutes. Mr. Wizard handed her a COM link as she sat down while the others were going over various pictures and building plans. She had worked there as a lab tech for a short period before becoming a Med Runner so she knew the building pretty well. "Alright, looks like we're dealing with about a dozen guys with guns and a half dozen altereds. There's a pair of Lycans on the first floor and two Vampira on the second. Lauren senses another two low level 3c's in there too. We don't know what they may be capable of, so be careful. Diablo's pulling their strings so take it easy on them," Jack informed. "What about the gunmen? Any concessions for them?" Zack asked. "Only if they're smart enough to surrender. If they attack, you're free to defend yourself any way you see fit. Anything else?" Jack asked then waited for a few seconds. A few seconds passed without any noise. "OK, you've got ten minutes before we go in. Get your game faces on." Jess had been watching the Twins, trying to decide if she could trust them. The evil grins on their faces sent chills down her spine. They were looking forward to killing something that night. She wondered just how much control they had over their Lycan side. That night was going to get ugly. 'Are we all going live to see the sun tomorrow?' she thought.