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I had originally planned on writing a different Legacy story next, but my muse kept turning to this one so I wrote it out of the order I'd previously intended. This is the twenty-first story in my Legacy Universe, but like the others, it can be read on its own. A complete list of the Legacy stories will be provided at the end of the story as well as the order in which they were written. Harbinger By Morpheus The burning sun beat down on me, baking me alive and making me think that this is what it must feel like in hell. I was sweating so much that my uniform was soaked through, or at least it would have been if it the sweat didn't evaporate almost instantly. Add that to the fact that I'd somehow gotten sand in my ass crack and I was extremely uncomfortable. At the moment, I was in an undisclosed location in the Middle-East, being cooked alive under the desert sun and remaining absolutely still in spite of my discomfort. I was currently on top of a ridge, laying on the ground and staring through my scope at the terrorist compound below me. The compound wasn't much as far as terrorist bases went, being neither hidden in a cave or in the middle of a civilian populace. In fact our intel suggested that this was just a temporary base that hadn't been intended for long term use. It was out in the open and its security was a joke, consisting of a single watch tower and constantina wire that had been run around the buildings. However I knew that this wasn't going to be an easy location to take. After all they didn't need much security since some of those inside were classified as extremely dangerous. My crosshairs were currently locked on a specific figure, a man who stood just under seven feet tall and who had muscles like a bodybuilder. He was dressed in a tan covered jumpsuit that looked more like my desert fatigues than what the other people in that compound wore. Of course he wasn't actually part of this particular group...at least not ideologically. This target was an Italian mercenary who'd been hired to help the terrorists out, probably from the unknown party who was using the terrorists as pawns in some game. "Harbinger," a voice said in my ear. I perked up at the sound of my call sign. "We're in position." "Roger," I responded over the radio, bracing myself for the attack. My name is Roland Gettz and I was a Staff Sergeant in the US Army, assigned to the 3rd ADU...Anti-Developed Unit. We were a special unit that was specifically tasked with fighting developed threats...like the one in front of me. Our current mission was to recover a container of an extremely dangerous mutagen that was capable of causing people to develop powers. From what my briefing said, you were far more likely to die from exposure than to become developed, but there were always people who were willing to take that kind of risk for the chance of gaining powers. An unknown party had somehow acquired the mutagen and then gave it to these terrorists, perhaps so they could remain in the shadows while these terrorists took the blame for using it, or perhaps because they didn't want to risk their own people. What I did know was that the mutagen was in the compound in front of me. Intelligence said that these terrorists had exposed more than two dozen volunteers and that they'd gained two developed of their own as a result. Both of those developed were present, along with the Italian mercenary. That meant we would have to go through three developed in order to complete our mission. "We are a go," our unit leader, Captain Burke called over the radio, just a moment before the rest of my unit began their attack. The 3rd ADU was relatively small, consisting of only eight highly trained members. Seven of them were attacking the compound directly while I stayed back in sniper position. Normally I'd have my spotter Mike here to help me gauge wind speed and direction, but Captain Burke wanted the extra fire power up close for this operation. Fortunately I was only about a hundred and fifty yards out and could handle this without help. My unit launched several RPGs...rocket propelled grenades at the compound, taking out several people in the initial volley. The people in the compound returned fire, with one of them suddenly flying into the air and floating above the compound. I just kept my crosshairs locked on the big guy, though I didn't pull the trigger. Intel said that he was bulletproof so I didn't want to waste any shots. That would have been unprofessional at best. The flying man fired blasts of green energy from his hands, but my team took cover from that as they would any other attack. The third developed appeared at this time, running out of the compound at super speed and going straight towards several of my teammates. He was moving fast enough that he could probably slit their throats before they even realized he was there, except that he ran straight into the nest of claymores that we'd set up in preparation for him. Even moving at that speed, he couldn't escape the explosions and shrapnel which came at him from every direction at once. I was tempted to take out the flyer, but that wasn't the plan. I kept my crosshairs on the big guy, waiting for my opportunity. He charged towards Mike, who only pointed towards me. The large man paused to look in my direction and I smiled, pulling the trigger and sending a depleted uranium round right through his eye. His skin might be bulletproof, but there were ways to get around that with either the right ammo or the right aim. I'd used both. The bulletproof developed collapsed to the ground dead. To my surprise, the flying man was still active and firing blasts of energy. The plan had been for Splatterhouse and Chuckwagon to focus on him once he appeared and take him out. Then as I watched, one of his blasts destroyed the boulder that Chuckwagon had been using as cover, killing my teammate and friend in the process. "Chuck," Mike called out over the radio. "What's the situation on flyboy?" I asked over the radio, keeping my voice calm and professional. "Some kind of force field we didn't count on," Mike responded. "Everything we throw at him bounces off." I turned my scope and my attention to the flying target, letting the rest of my team deal with the few remaining non-developed threats. As I watched him through my scope, I noticed a flicker in the air around him, a flicker that faded away whenever he was actually firing one of his energy blasts. That was his weakness, the moment when the energies were redirected away from his defense in order to power his offense. I waited until he fired another blast and then pulled my trigger. His head exploded and a moment later, his body fell from the air. "The harbinger of death does it again," Mike called out cheerfully over the radio. "Keep a watch Harbinger," I heard from my radio. "We're going in to secure the site." I remained where I was, looking out for any remaining hostiles while the rest of my unit overtook the compound and secured it. It was only when they called out an all clear that I allowed myself to relax at all. But even then I continued to keep a close watch for any threats that might jump up and bite us in the ass. I thought about the mutagen that was the target of our mission, considering just how much damage it could cause in the wrong hands. I was just thankful that we were able to stop this group from being able to create their own army of developed soldiers. I'd lost friends to roadside bombs and could only imagine how much more damage they could have done with super powers. Of course as dangerous as developed could be, they could still be stopped...as I'd just proven. For the most part, I didn't see much difference between some guy with a rifle and one who could shoot laser beams from his eyes, except perhaps for the fact that the laser beams are easier to conceal. Most developed could still be killed with a bullet to the head, and those who couldn't merely needed better weapons or more careful planning. But in spite of that, I wouldn't want to put developed powers into the hands of an enemy any more than I'd want to give them a 50 cal. "We found the target," Bugs announced on the radio, sounding a little worried. "It looks like they wired it in to some kind of bomb..." "They've weaponized it," Splatterhouse exclaimed, sounding eve more worried than Bugs. "There's a timer... Fuck..." Mike's voice came next, yelling, "RUN. They set the damn thing to go off in case we took them..." I stared through my scope, watching my team run from the shelters on the compound as fast as they could. Suddenly the small building they'd just come out of exploded in a massive blast that caught Bugs and Splatterhouse. But as bad as that was, a thick ground cloud of green smoke was coming from the ruins and spreading out. I jumped to my feet, hearing my friends scream as the gas caught them. "Eyes," I called out Mike's call sign. "Mike..." The radio went dead though I continued calling out for the rest of my team, getting no response. They'd been caught in an explosion and then in the gas. If they were still alive, they weren't in any condition to respond. It took me a few more seconds to realize that the green cloud was coming towards me. I'd positioned myself downwind from the compound in case they had any dogs or developed with an enhanced sense of smell, but now that very precaution put me directly in the path of the green cloud. Even though I was worried about the rest of my team, I had to focus on saving my own ass. I covered my nose and mouth with a cloth, wishing that I'd had my gas mask and hoping that this would do the trick long enough for me to get away. I tried moving as fast as I could but the cloud had already surrounded me and I could feel the burning in my lungs and on my skin. I staggered, trying to keep going but after only a few yards, I fell face first into the sand and lost consciousness. -------------------- I was in a dark haze, feeling a burning pain through my entire body yet a strange numbness at the same time. Images flashed through my mind, memories of Chuck getting hit by the flying developed, of the explosion that killed Frank and Leon...and of the green cloud enveloping me. Flashes of scrambled memories continued to come in no particular order before eventually settling down. A part of me knew that I was dreaming, but I couldn't quite remember how I got here or why. I found myself stepping into a dive of a bar, one located just off base. For some reason, I couldn't remember which base...not that it mattered. One dive bar was pretty much like another. There was the dingy feel, the smell of stale cigarettes and old beer, and of course the pool tables that had seen better days. Leon, known as Bugs due to his fondness for snacking on carrots, was busy trying to hustle Chuck over a game of pool. Chuck usually acted a bit slow, but that was only because he liked to think about what he was going to say before he said it. Most people mistook that for his not being very bright, though the truth was quite the opposite. As I watched the game, I would have put down a twenty that Chuck was the one playing Leon. Frank was sitting at the bar by himself, drinking a beer and not looking at anyone else. He was a skinny guy who'd earned the call sign of Splatterhouse due to his love of gory movies. The fact that he always rooted for the psycho killers...and that he just happened to be an asshole, often made it difficult for even his friends to tolerate him for very long. Then I looked at Mike, my spotter and best friend, standing at the bar about halfway down from Frank. He was lean and wiry, with dark skin and the most diverse ethnic background of anyone I'd ever met. He proudly boasted that he had family roots on four continents. At the moment, he was deep in conversation to the new guy on our team. The new guy was a kid named Kyle who'd only been on our team for one mission so far and had yet to be given a nickname or a call sign. But as I approached and overheard their conversation, I realized that this was what they were talking about. "And that's how Chuck learned the name Chuckwagon," Mike told Kyle, taking a puff on one of those thin cigars he liked to smoke. "Jack and Coke," I told the bartender, then looked to my friend. "And Roland here is Harbinger," Mike told Kyle as he gestured to me. "The harbinger of death," Kyle said, giving me a respectful look. "I'd heard. They said you've killed more developed than anyone else in the unit." "Most of them never see it coming," Mike agreed with a grin. "Roland here is death from on high." I just grunted at that, then took a sip from my drink as it was placed in front of me. It always annoyed me when Mike talked about me like that, which of course is one of the reasons he did it. Sure, I was good at killing...damn good. I wasn't ashamed of that...but I wasn't proud of it either. It was just something that sometimes had to be done...and something that I didn't want to dwell on afterwards. "So," Kyle asked, gesturing to the tattoo of a wolf that was prominently shown on Mike's upper arm. It was the unit tattoo that we each had. "When will I be able to earn the right to wear the tat?" "Three missions," Mike told him with a chuckle. He took a drag on his cigar and said, "Your ass has to survive three missions." "You did good on your first one," I told Kyle approving. He'd been assigned a support role, but when the mission turned south, he stepped up and went at the developed soldiers we were fighting as though he'd done that kind of thing before. He was fast, decisive, and almost seemed to act as though it was old hat. It was pretty impressive since most people had a natural fear of fighting anyone with developed powers. "I think we need to get you a call sign," I said to which Mike nodded agreement. Kyle grinned at that, looking quite pleased. "If I have any choice in it...I'd like to be called Charger. It was a nickname from my... football team back in high school. I'm used to answering to it." "I was thinking more in the line of Pansyass," Mike joked while I chuckled. Kyle gave him a faint smile, saying, "As an old buddy of mine would say... you're an asshat." Mike and I both chuckled at that. Then Mike looked to me and admitted, "Well, he definitely charged in..." I just nodded at that and took a sip of my drink before responding, "That he did. Lucky he didn't get his ass shot off." "We'll have to run it by the others," Mike told him, "but you just might be able to keep it..." A few minutes later, the new kid was starting a pool game with Chuck, who'd soundly beaten Leon, while Mike and I remained at the bar. We drank in silence for a few minutes before Mike finally broke the silence. "I'm gonna ask her," Mike told me. "I'm gonna ask Sheila to marry me." I gave my friend a speculative look and raised an eyebrow. "Our line of work isn't exactly good for relationships." Of course that was actually something of an understatement. We were all on call and could be sent anywhere in the world without warning at any time. We usually didn't know how long we'd be gone and weren't allowed to say even if we did. Afterwards, we weren't allowed to talk about where we were or what we'd done. That kind of thing was extremely hard on a relationship and most marriages couldn't survive our line of work for more than a year or two. "I know," Mike agreed with a sigh. He took a drink of his beer and didn't look at me as he added, "I'm thinking of dropping out...of taking a position as a trainer." Then he finally looked at me and added, "I was hoping you'd be my best man." "Of course," I responded with a grin. "I'd be honored." "All right," Leon exclaimed with a grin of his own as he came over to join us. "That means a bachelor party..." Just then another voice called out, "That sounds fine and dandy...but right now, we have work to do." I looked at Captain Burke, our team leader, who'd come in without anyone noticing. He was a short and stocky black man who could burn with an intensity that drew all attention to him, or as he usually did in the field, he'd seem to fade into the background so that you didn't notice him. He was so good at this that there was even a rumor among the unit that he had some low level developed ability. "Okay men," Captain Burke announced, looking at each of us with a steady look. "We have a mission. Dress for warm weather." With that the dream began to fade away until I once again found myself in darkness. This time, there were no dreams or flashes of imagery, only the peaceful nothing. -------------------- I awoke to a faint but steady beeping sound, one which had gotten into my dreams and had finally drawn me out of them. When I opened my eyes, I saw the white tiled ceiling and smelled the antiseptic scent that told me I was in a hospital. The fact that I was in a hospital bed and had some sort of medical equipment hooked up to me only confirmed that. I closed my eyes again, taking several deep breaths as I tried to steady myself. I remembered the mission and the disastrous way it had ended. I was obviously still alive, which is more than I'd hoped for before I lost consciousness. However I had no idea of my physical condition. Taking inventory of myself, I noted that my eyes, ears, and sense of smell all seemed to be working fine. I could wiggle my fingers and toes without effort, which I took as a good sign. At the same time, my entire body ached, which could merely be an indication of massive bruising, though it could also be an indication of something worse. For now, I could only wait and try not to let my imagination get the best of me. A nurse arrived a short time later and then almost immediately left to get a doctor. When the doctor came in a few minutes later, he stood back and looked me over for a moment before he actually approached me. I noticed how slow he was moving, how hesitant he seemed. He was afraid of me...or at least very nervous. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice sounding rough and shaky. "Landstuhl Germany," he answered me with an obviously forced smile. "You arrived yesterday." "Did anyone else arrive with me?" I asked. The truth is, I wanted to know if anyone else in my unit survived, but I had to be careful not to give away any potentially classified information. "No," he admitted, losing the fake smile. "You were the only patient to arrive." I scowled at that, feeling a surge of grief and anger at the loss of my friends, though I quickly compartmentalized the emotions as I'd been trained. It was premature to grieve for them when I didn't know for certain that they were dead. And at the moment, I also had other things I needed to focus on. "What's my situation?" I asked the doctor grimly. The doctor hesitated a moment and looked away from me. Then he took a break and carefully answered, "You were exposed to some kind of toxic chemical that is playing havoc with your systems. It doesn't seem to be killing you, but..." He paused and shook his head. Then he sighed and told me, "I'm afraid that I can't tell you anything more. I was given orders to contact someone else once you woke up." I stared at the doctor for a moment before nodding my understanding. The stuff my team had been sent after was classified so I could see how even the doctors would be kept out of the loop. However I knew what that stuff did, which meant that I had plenty of fuel for my imagination. After the doctor left, I sat up in bed, finding that in spite of the heavy aches in my body, I could still move without problem. I had a momentary impulse to look for some clothes so I could haul ass out of here, though I knew that wouldn't be a good idea. I hated hospitals, having spent more than enough time in one after being shot nearly two years ago. In spite of my desire to leave, I forced myself to be patient and wait. Patience is a virtue that every sniper learned. Eventually the door to my room opened again and this time the man in full service uniform who entered was someone I recognized. He was tall and solidly built, with dark hair that was starting to gray and eyes that looked as hard as iron. Captain Burke had been the team leader of my unit, but Colonel Ryley was our commander and the one whom Captain Burke took orders from. "Sir," I greeted him grimly. "At ease, soldier," Colonel Ryley said, staring at me with a dark look. I braced myself and then asked, "How many others made it, sir?" "Besides yourself?" he responded, his expression not revealing anything. "None." I winced at that, shaken by the news that my team was dead...that my best friend was dead. Of course I'd known that they probably were the moment they were hit with the green cloud. I'd survived and had hoped that they had as well. I was disappointed by this confirmation but not surprised. I took several deep breaths, trying to control the emotions that burned inside me. This certainly wasn't the first time I'd had friends die and I doubted it would be the last...not unless I went first. "This isn't my preferred place for a debriefing," Colonel Ryley told me, sounding almost sympathetic. Almost. "But I need you to tell me everything that happened." In spite of what I was feeling, I kept my emotions locked as tightly as I could and tried to remain as calm and profession as possible. I described our mission and everything that had happened in as much detail as I could. The Colonel let me finish my story before he began asking questions. Once Colonel Ryley finished questioning me, he said, "They weaponized it. Intelligence only now found out what they were really up to..." He paused at that, scowling intensely as he stared off to the side with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "We'd assumed they were going to use the mutagen to try creating an army of developed. They were, but not like we'd expected. They'd decided it was too dangerous to risk so many of their own." I considered this, realizing that the mutagen would make a very dangerous weapon, though normal chemical attacks would have been just as effective and far more efficient. The very fact that any survivors might develop powers and then come in search of revenge would be a good motivation not to use the mutagen in that fashion. But from what the Colonel said, they may have weaponized it, but they still intended to use it to create developed. "They intended to disperse the stuff," I thought aloud, considering why they would have used the mutagen with a bomb. "They wanted to expose as many people as they could without warning..." Colonel Ryley nodded. "That's what intelligence thinks. They believe the terrorists were going to foment a large anti-American protest, then release it. Hundreds would have died, perhaps thousands. Any survivors would blame us for the attack...for the deaths of their friends and family members. They would likely gain powers and have more than enough motive to turn that power against us." "And whoever was behind this?" I asked, hoping that we had more intel on whoever it was who'd given the mutagen to the terrorists. "Nothing," Colonel Ryley responded with a grim look. "We still haven't found anything on who it could be. It could be a foreign power or even one of those so called super villains. The only thing we know for certain is that they were interested enough in how the terrorists used it that they sent a developed to guard the mutagen for them." Since we'd already covered all the business related to the actual mission, I decided that it was time to focus on the subject that was of immediate interest to me. "What about me? About my situation?" It had been taking nearly all the willpower I possessed to remain as calm and professional as I have been. But with every minute, the mask was getting harder to keep in place. It was all I could do not to start yelling. Colonel Ryley stared at me for a moment before answering. "You received a much smaller exposure to the mutagen than the rest of your team... which may be why you survived. According to the doctor, your body is in the process of changing, though we don't know how. What we do know is that you've lost body mass...and were measured as being five foot eleven." "I shrunk two inches?" I asked in surprise, trying to clamp down on the worry and compartmentalize it. "They don't know what it's doing to you yet," he said carefully. "I want to fly you back to the States. There are some experts that will want to have a look at you. And if you see any signs of developing any powers, let me know immediately." Once Colonel Ryley left a few minutes later, I disconnected myself from the machines and climbed out of my hospital bed. My body hurt, but I saw absolutely no reason to remain stuck in the bed when I didn't have to. Besides, I had to piss like a racehorse and wasn't about to use a catheter or piss pan when I didn't have to. I went to the tiny bathroom and did my business, then I looked into the small mirror above the sink. I've been told I was decent looking, in a rough sort of way. My nose showed the signs of having once been broken and I had a two inch long scar along my jaw, but I'd never had much problem with the ladies. But at the moment, I also looked like crap. My eyes were sunken in a little and had dark circles under them. Overall, I had the same look about me as I usually did when nursing a bad hangover. I can't say that I actually felt much better either. While I looked myself over, I was very aware of what Colonel Ryley had told me about the way my body was changing. I couldn't really notice the height loss yet, but I did somehow look smaller at the same time. It was faint, but I was sure that I'd lost muscle mass. Of course the Colonel had mentioned that I'd lost mass, but I'd just assumed it was just the height loss. After a moment, I did notice one other thing that struck me as odd. I hadn't shaved in several days, yet there wasn't a trace of stubble on my face. "Damn," I snarled, thinking of my lost team and my own traitorous body. I wished I could go to the gym and work out some of my frustrations, or better yet, the firing range. Instead I tried choking down the worry and frustration again. After all I had a long trip to make. -------------------- I scowled in annoyance as I waited for the doctor to arrive, thinking that after all the traveling I did to get here, the doctor could at least be on time. But since this doctor was supposedly some kind of expert on developed physiology and might actually be able to help me, I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. I allowed my expression relax so that I would appear calm and in control. Colonel Ryley and I had left Germany late last night, catching a flight out of Ramstein Air Force Base and spending most of the night crossing the Atlantic. Military aircraft weren't known for luxury or comfort so it had been a very long and uncomfortable flight. I'd caught a little sleep, but not much. Once we landed in the States, we were picked up by a car and were taken to some kind of research facility. I was a little surprised that Colonel Ryley had accompanied me, but he seemed to have taken a strong interest in my situation. The doctor finally arrived and was revealed to be a woman who appeared to be in her fifties. She had hair that was brown but heavily streaked with gray and was tied back into a bun. She even wore a lab coat as though it was some kind of uniform. Maybe she considered it to be exactly that. "I am Doctor Alvere," she greeted me with a pleasant smile. "And you are Sergeant Gettz?" "Yes ma'am," I responded. Dr. Alvere nodded at that and then asked me to come with her. When Colonel Ryley started to follow, she gently told him, "Just the patient please." A minute later, we were in a room that looked like it was half doctor's office and half mad-scientist's laboratory. Doctor Alvere asked me to sit down on a stool, then she stared at me for a moment with a thoughtful expression. "I was told that you were exposed to a dangerous and unstable mutagen that is altering your body," she finally said. At my nod, she asked, "What symptoms have you seen so far?" "I've been shrinking," I responded in a casual tone that concealed the real worry I felt. "I've lost three inches of height...and some muscle." Colonel Ryley was normally only an inch taller than me, but on the trip here I'd been very aware that he now seemed taller. My clothes had even become a little more loose on me as I wore them. It was more than a little disconcerting. Dr. Alvere nodded and then went to a shelf and pulled out a syringe. I'd been through enough medical exams that I knew what she was after and rolled my sleeve up so she could take the blood sample. After this, Dr. Alvere had me undress and then weight me, measured my height, and even had me stand inside some type of X-ray machine that looked a bit like an old fashioned phone booth. When we were done with the exam and Doctor Alvere let me get dressed again, she told me, "We'll need to do this all again, twice a day as long as you continue to change." "Do you think you can fix me?" I asked her grimly. "I don't know yet," Dr. Alvere answered me honestly. Then she stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. "But honestly...probably not. Your body is changing in an unknown way. I can try to understand how it's changing and perhaps halt the process, but biological mutations are notoriously difficult to reverse." I stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Thanks for being honest." "You seem the type to prefer honesty," she admitted with a faint sigh. Then she added, "We do have guest rooms in the building so you can stay here. That will make it easier to study your changes and help you to either halt or understand them." After this, Dr. Alvere gave me a quick tour of the facility, which had only a few other people present. I was a bit surprised to find a very nice rec room as well as a fully stocked gym. "And here is your room," she told me when we stopped at one door. There was a tag on the door with the word 'Splash'. Dr. Alvere removed the tag and said, "That belonged to the previous occupant. She and her friends moved to a more secure facility." Dr. Alvere excused herself at that, leaving me to check out my temporary quarters. It was a relatively small room, but damn near a luxury suite compared to some of the places I've stayed. I plopped down on the edge of the bed and muttered, "Damn I could use a drink..." In fact I could use a whole bottle of bourbon about now. Unfortunately Dr. Alvere had warned me to stay away from alcohol while my body was in the process of changing. If she hadn't, I'd be out looking for a bar. My whole body shook slightly as my emotions finally began to burst forth, no longer needing to be contained for professionalisms sake. I'd lost my whole unit. My best friend had died. And now, my entire body was changing in ways that were freaking me out. "Damn it," I screamed, letting the grief turn to rage. That was much easier to deal with. A few minutes later, I was back in the gym to burn of some of my anger. I didn't trust myself the free weights or even any of the weight machines, not with my body shrinking the way it was. However the punching back was about perfect. I pounded on the punching bag until I couldn't do it anymore. With my body already hurting like hell, that didn't take nearly as long as I would have liked. Fortunately there were other things to distract myself with until it was time for my next exam. -------------------- I was once again sitting on the stool in Dr. Alvere's examination room, watching her with quiet scrutiny. We'd just finished with my fourth examination since I'd come here yesterday, and I could tell from the look on her face that she had some news. I kept my face a mask of calm, though that didn't sooth the emotions I actually felt inside. After all I was currently just under 5 foot 8. I'd lost five inches of height. I'd also lost most of my muscles, leaving me with a build that looked more like that of a teenage boy than of the soldier I was. There were other changes to my body as well, ones that weren't quite as drastic. I'd lost nearly all of my body hair, except for what was between my legs. Even my face was as smooth as a baby's butt, even though I hadn't shaved since before my last mission. And ironically, while I'd lost all that hair, the hair on top of my head had actually grown five inches. Dr. Alvere said that this was simply one of the ways my body was trying to expel the mass I was losing. In spite of all the ways my body was changing, I still hadn't seen any signs of developing powers. If all the mutagen did was shrink people, I would have been all in favor of letting those terrorists use it on themselves. "I'm afraid that I have some good news and some bad news," Dr. Alvere told me with a professional look. She paused for several seconds before adding, "The good news is that I've discovered more about how your body is changing. The bad news is that you're not going to like it." "What do you mean?" I asked with a scowl. "Your body has begun to develop new sexual organs," Dr. Alvere explained patiently. "And your Y chromosomes are being changed into X chromosomes..." "So I'm turning into a woman," I said grimly, keeping my voice calm and steady. Dr. Alvere looked at me in surprise, perhaps because she didn't expect me to understand what that meant. It wasn't the first time I've had people assume that because I was a soldier, that they had to spell things out to me before I'd understand. "It looks that way," Dr. Alvere said a moment later. "You wouldn't be the first person to go through a sex change as part of being developed. I've seen several cases with my own eyes and have heard of several more." I was a little startled at that. "Is that common?" "Not common," Dr. Alvere said. "But certainly not unheard of either. Oddly enough, every case I've heard of involved a male becoming female. I have several theories on that..." "Go on," I encouraged her, more to buy time to absorb this than because I was really interested. Dr. Alvere nodded, seeming pleased that I appeared interested. I'd noticed a long time ago that they best way to distract someone was to get them to talk about something they're interested in. It didn't usually take much to get people started. "I have a theory that your body may be misinterpreting the Y chromosome as being a damaged X chromosome," Dr. Alvere explained almost pleasantly. "As part of the process of becoming developed, your body may simply be trying to heal what it mistakenly sees as damage. Another possibility is that your body is trying to improve and evolve, and on some level, it may see the chromosomal redundancy of a double X chromosome as being more stable..." I just sat there in silence, shaken by the idea that I seemed to be turning into a woman. On one hand, there was a faint sense of relief that I actually had an answer about what was happening to my body. But on the other hand, I did NOT want to become a chick. "Can you reverse it?" I asked Dr. Alvere. "Or at least stop it?" "Now that I know what's happening," Dr. Alvere said carefully, "I could probably halt your changes...but I wouldn't recommend it." "Why not?" I asked. "Your body is currently in a state of flux," she answered thoughtfully. "Your bones, muscle, internal organs, and hormones are all unstable and in the process of changing. I might be able to prevent them from changing any further, but that wouldn't stabilize your body. Leaving you halfway changed would have serious repercussions to your health and might very well kill you in a short time. In fact I suspect that you'd begin suffering rapid failure throughout your body within a month." I stared at Dr. Alvere, taking in what she'd just said. Either I finish changing, or I would get sick and probably die. I could only imagine what it would be like, but I didn't think it would be pleasant. I'd once served with a guy whose leg had been badly mangled, shattering the bone and severely damaging the nerves. The doctors had told him that they could save his leg, but it would be completely useless and he'd never be able to stand on it again. In the end, he'd chosen to let them amputate his leg so that he'd be able to use a prosthetic and eventually walk again. I suddenly felt like I was being forced to make the same decision. "I...I need to think about this," I finally said. I wondered what Colonel Ryley would say about this, but he'd taken off yesterday while I was going through my first examination and I had no idea when he was going to be back. Truthfully, I wasn't looking forward to seeing him or anyone else since this whole situation was humiliating. -------------------- My body was in motion, running on the treadmill as I had been doing for the last fifteen minutes. Since my entire body hurt from the transformation I was undergoing, I was already pushing my limits. Suddenly my muscles all froze with cramps and I was thrown back off the treadmill. I hit the ground hard and just curled up in pain, waiting half a minute until it faded. "Damn," I muttered, slowly sitting up and taking several deep breaths. Ever since I'd woken up in that hospital in Landstuhl, my body has been hurting like one solid bruise. But as if that wasn't bad enough, I kept getting odd cramps and seizures that would hit me out of nowhere and then fade away again less than a minute later. I got back to my feet and then gave the treadmill a dirty look. With my body behaving like this, it seemed that I couldn't trust myself with this kind of exercise. With a sigh I started back towards my room, wishing I'd taken Dr. Alvere up on the chance to halt my changes. Of course when I'd gone back to her to get more information, her description on what would probably happen to my body had been enough to make me decide that it wasn't worth it. I'd rather be turned into a chick than have my own body start melting apart from the inside out. When I reached my room, I tugged at my clothes which were now hanging loosely from my body. They'd fit perfectly fine when Dr. Alvere had given them to me yesterday and were yet another reminder of how much my body was changing. I removed my clothes and dropped them to the ground, thankful to be out of them. They were soaked through with sweat from my brief workout, and I'd even gotten a little vomit on my pants leg from an incident right before my workout. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm and steady. It was getting harder and harder to do this, to pretend to be calm and in control. Not when my very body was betraying me so drastically. At the moment, I was only 5 foot 6. Even Dr. Alvere was taller than me now. I was becoming increasingly aware of how much everything around me seemed to be growing. My entire body was dwindling away and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. Most of my muscles were gone and I looked like a teenage boy...or even a teenage girl now. My skin was becoming soft and smooth, with all of my scars having already faded away. Even my unit tattoo was fading and was barely even visible anymore. And then there was my hair. I'd cropped it all off last night and it was already past shoulder length again. I reached up and grabbed a handful of my black hair and then gave it a gentle tug before releasing it. For someone who was used to being close cropped, suddenly having that much hair was almost as odd the soft puffiness that was starting to form on my chest. Almost. Then I reached between my legs and winced. My balls had pulled up inside my body and vanished completely while my dick had obviously shrunk. I'd always thought of myself as being a little larger than average, and I still was...for a toddler. "Not much longer," I said, running my hands over my chest and then shaking my head in disgust. "Shit, at the rate I'm going, I'm going to be a damn midget." With that I went and took a quick shower, then got dressed in another suit of clothes that Dr. Alvere had left for me. A smaller set that was actually a better fit for my current body. Of course I wouldn't be wearing them long since I had another examination coming up soon. An hour later, I went to my next examination with Dr. Alvere. By now, I was more than a little familiar with the whole process, from getting my blood drawn to going through the fancy X-ray machine. When we were finished, Dr. Alvere told me, "You are now five foot five... I wasn't expecting you to reach that height for another few hours, so it looks like your rate of transformation may be increasing." "Eight inches," I said grimly, letting some of my frustration through. "I've lost eight inches." Dr. Alvere gave me a sympathetic look before adding, "If it's any consolation, I believe your transformation should be finished sometime tomorrow." "It isn't," I told her honestly. "Not in the least." Dr. Alvere nodded at that. "Your eyes appear to be changing as well. Your irises have changed into a golden color and it appears that something is happening with your sclera...the whites." I felt a surge of worry at hearing that my eyes were changing. "What does that mean for my vision?" I demanded urgently. I couldn't help but feeling extremely concerned at the thought of losing my vision. Among other things, I was a shooter which meant that I was completely reliant on having good vision. If my vision began to fail, then what good was I? "I don't know yet," Dr. Alvere admitted, giving me a curious look. "Have you noticed any difference in your vision?" When I shook my head, she told me, "Keep me updated if anything changes." After a little more discussion on how my changes were progressing, I left Dr. Alvere and went to go look for something to keep me occupied. Normally, I was very good at being patient and waiting, but for some reason this was different. Of course I was trained to face death, knowing that every fight could potentially be my last. This was a risk that I understood and was prepared to face. Unfortunately nothing had prepared me for what I was dealing with now. A short time later, Colonel Ryley returned to check up on me. When I saw him, I nearly gasped in surprise. He seemed huge, as if he'd grown a lot taller. It clearly showed just how much I'd shrunk. "Sergeant Gettz," he greeted me, staring down with a look of surprise at how much I'd changed. The attention made me very uncomfortable, though I did my best not to show it and to just act nonchalant. "Any chance I can get back into the field soon?" I asked him. "We'll have to see," Colonel Ryley told me, though from the tone of his voice I didn't think he was expecting much. However he did give me a sympathetic look which seemed completely out of character for the hardened soldier I knew. "I hope you get well soon, Harbinger." Again, his tone didn't contain much hope of that. I carefully kept my expression calm as I told him, "Alvere doesn't think that's likely. She says my changes are permanent." "Any signs of developing a power yet?" he abruptly asked, giving me a speculative look. "No sir," I shook my head. If I was going to go through all of this, at the very least, I could get some kind of impressive power. Unfortunately that didn't appear to be happening. Colonel Ryley didn't stick around long, just long enough to see me and get a briefing on my status from Dr. Alvere. Once that was done, he was gone again. Once Colonel Ryley was gone, I went back to my room to hit the sack a bit early. I removed my clothes, thinking that they were starting to feel a little loose now too. I felt my chest, which was now soft, smooth, and a bit swollen on both sides. My nipples had gotten a little larger and were starting to feel a bit sensitive. "I've got tits," I spat out bitterly, even though they barely qualified as such. Still, that was more than enough. After this, I went to piss, finding that I had to sit down to do the job. My dick had gotten so small that it was no longer up to the job of standing up. I tried not to think of what that meant, or how little I had left. As I washed my hands in the sink, I looked up into the mirror and froze at the sight that met me. I no longer looked anything like myself. My features had softened and now looked not only younger, but female. Then I saw my eyes. Dr. Alvere had pointed out that my irises had become golden, and I now saw that she was right. However I was startled to see that the whites of my eyes were no longer white. They were black. My eyes now looked solid black, except for the golden rings of my irises. I turned away from the mirror with a cold knot in my stomach. I wanted to rage or cry, to smash the mirror and scream out at what was happening to me. But I was determined to stay professional. I might not have any control over what was happening to my body, but that made it even more important than before that I remain in control of how I acted. -------------------- When I woke up, I immediately realized that my body no longer hurt as it had been for the last few days. It still felt weird...wrong...but it didn't hurt. I climbed out of bed and began to look myself over. My chest had continued swelling so that I now had a pair of tits. Actually I didn't know if they were quite large enough to qualify as tits, though they were definitely breasts. They were relatively small and perky. I usually preferred my women with larger assets, but since they were on me, I'd be satisfied keeping these ones small. Then I checked out my crotch, finding that there was no trace my cock or balls had even been there. Instead I had a pair of feminine lips, just like every girlfriend I'd ever had. It was enough to send a cold chill down my spine. After taking several deep breaths, I forced myself to slip into my mission mindset. I had to ignore unnecessary distractions and focus on getting the job done. Right now, the job was getting dressed and ready, then making it through my day without losing my cool. I went to throw my clothes on, only to find that the clothes I'd been wearing last night were definitely too large for me. I tried not to think about what that meant as I dug through the other clothes Dr. Alvere had left in my room, and was soon dressed and ready for breakfast. Every morning, Dr. Alvere and the few other people who were on her staff all gathered to have breakfast together. When I walked into the cafeteria this morning, they all stared at me, making me feel self- conscious and fully aware that I was now the shortest person in the room. However I refused to show any sign of discomfort and instead grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to eat. While I sat at the table, I was suddenly aware of just how large the table was compared to normal. I was so small that I nearly needed a booster seat in order to eat. The cup and fork both felt too large in my hands, and I couldn't escape the feeling that I was a little kid sitting at the adult table. From the way everyone was staring at me, I had a feeling that they probably had the same impression. This was especially annoying since a week ago, I would have been the tallest person in the room, not the shortest. I took a sip of my coffee and looked to Dr. Alvere, commenting, "I think my changes have finally finished." "I don't see how you can act so calm about this," a woman blurted out. "Who said I'm calm?" I responded almost pleasantly. By the time I was finished with my breakfast, I'd discovered that the one thing that hadn't gotten smaller was my appetite. I ate a plate with the same amount of food on it that would have satisfied me before my change, then I went back for seconds. Dr. Alvere said something about my possibly having an enhanced metabolism now. A short time later, I was once again going through the familiar examination process, though this time Dr. Alvere was even more thorough. Some of the tests were pretty damn uncomfortable and even humiliating, but I refused to complain or even show my discomfort. I've come face to face with developed who had the power to melt the flesh from my bones, so I sure as hell wasn't about to let some middle-aged doctor make me squirm. "It's official," Dr. Alvere told me with a sympathetic look. "You are now one hundred percent female." "I'd guessed that much," I responded wryly. And if my brief self- exploration this morning hadn't already convinced me, the intrusive gynecology exam that she'd just put me through certain had. "You are currently five foot two," Dr. Alvere told me, nearly making me wince at that even though I'd been expecting it. I'd lost nearly a foot of height. "Fortunately your system is now stable so you shouldn't be changing any further." "At least there's that," I muttered. Dr. Alvere acted as though she hadn't heard me and continued on, talking about my weight and fast metabolism. "And your eyes have taken on a very interesting configuration." I nodded at that, knowing exactly what she meant. My eyes still looked exactly as they had last night before bed, all black except for the golden irises. It had a somewhat odd looking effect. "I'd like to actually test your vision next...and the rest of your capabilities." Dr. Alvere had me look at an eye chart and then some other things to test my vision, and to my surprise, not only could I easily make out the smallest writing, I could also see in the dark. She quickly followed that up by testing the rest of my senses as well. "It seems your concerns about losing your vision are unfounded," Dr. Alvere told me afterwards, seeming almost amused. "Your vision is now well beyond normal human standards and falls within developed levels. The rest of your senses appear to push the edge of what might be expected of a non-developed person." I stared at Dr. Alvere and shook my head, unable to help but feeling disappointed. "So I go through all this, and the only powers I develop are enhanced vision..." "We haven't tested everything yet," Dr. Alvere pointed out. "And now that your body has stabilized, any special abilities you may have developed should start appearing. Trust me, we've only begun to test." There was an almost evil glee in her eyes as she said that last, giving me the feeling that she was messing with me. Oddly enough, that actually made me relax. After this, Dr. Alvere attached some sensors to my skin and ran me through a variety of different tests, starting off with having me stretch and bend to see how flexible I was, then to testing my reflexes. I was impressed by the results of both, finding that I was a lot more flexible than I'd ever been in my life and that my reflexes had really improved. It was only after we were done with these light tests that we moved on to testing how strong as I was. After I'd lost so much size and mass, I was actually dreading this part since it would point out just how weak I'd now become. But to my surprise, the results were the exact opposite of what I'd expected. We started off light and just kept adding weight until I was bench pressing just a little over half a ton. I was absolutely stunned that a tiny little slip of a thing, like what I'd become, could lift so much. Eventually, Dr. Alvere had me running on a treadmill at a full sprint, measuring my running speed and how I was handling it. I ran at a full sprint for nearly an hour and wasn't even breathing hard when Dr. Alvere finally asked me to stop. I stepped off the treadmill, shaking my head in disbelief at how easily I'd handled that. I was used to a lot of physical training and running, but this was in a different category entirely. "Impressive," was all Dr. Alvere said. Colonel Ryley had arrived just a short time after I'd begun running and he'd stood back watching me in silence the entire time. Now that I was done, he was giving me a strange look that was difficult to read. I carefully kept my expression blank as I looked up at him, feeling dwarfed by our comparative heights. I didn't want him to see how awkward I found this. "Sergeant Gettz," he said carefully, revealing a look of sympathy before he quickly covered it back up. "Doctor Alvere says that you've finished changing...and that this is permanent." "Yes sir," I responded, keeping my emotions from my face and voice. Then I hopefully asked, "Will I be allowed back into the field?" Colonel Ryley stared at me for a moment before commenting, "That run was damn impressive, soldier." "Thank you," I replied, feeling rather proud in spite of myself. He looked to Dr. Alvere who nodded and then looked to me. "Roland...Sergeant Gettz has been undergoing testing all morning. He...she..." She paused at that, giving me a curious look as if unsure of which pronoun to use. I knew intellectually that I now fell under the category of 'she', but I couldn't bring myself to admit it aloud. Instead I stood there, impassively waiting for her to continue. "And the results?" Colonel Ryley asked with a deceptively calm tone. "In spite of her drastic physical transformation and new appearance," Dr. Alvere said carefully, keeping her own expression calm and professional, "her physical abilities have all been enhanced. Her senses are all at the peak of normal human levels, except for her vision which is far better. Her strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes are all heightened to above human standard for a woman of her size and build." Then Dr. Alvere paused for a moment to glance at the computer tablet in her hand before adding, "It also appears that she has an enhanced healing ability." "How enhanced?" I asked calmly, a little surprised because I hadn't seen anything to suggest I could heal faster. "You won't instantly recover from an injury," Dr. Alvere told me with a faint smile, "but you should be able to heal broken bones within a few days at most. From what I can tell without further testing, anything that doesn't kill you should be able to eventually heal without even leaving a scar." I was a little impressed by that, as well as the list of all my apparent enhancements. Since I'd lost so much of who I was, it was nice that I was able to at least get something out of the deal. The fact that I wasn't nearly as weak and helpless as I looked was actually a huge relief. Colonel Ryley scowled, not looking happy. "Then in your professional opinion," he asked Dr. Alvere, "does Sergeant Gettz qualify as developed?" "Her enhancements would be considered low level by most developed," Dr. Alvere explained thoughtfully. "However instead of having just one or two large scale enhancements, she has wide spread enhancement of nearly all her physical capabilities..." Then she paused, apparently realizing that she was starting to drift. "Yes. She is definitely developed." "Damn," Colonel Ryley said, surprising me with his displeasure. I stared at Colonel Ryley for a moment, realizing that there was something going on that I didn't know. Of course that wasn't unusual since the higher ups usually kept a few facts close to the vest and only dished them out on a need to know basis. "What does this mean for me, sir?" I asked grimly. "What happens next?" For a long moment, Colonel Ryley just stood there with a grim look on his face. Then he finally said, "The third ADU is officially being disbanded. After the loss of my unit, I'm being reassigned." "Disbanded?" I asked in surprise. Then again, I realized that there wasn't really anything left to disband. Other then Colonel Ryley, I was the only survivor of the unit. Two people didn't make a unit, especially when one of them was a desk jockey and the other was... The truth was, I didn't know where I stood anymore. Colonel Ryley nodded and then let out a sigh. "Unfortunately you're to be discharged from the Army." "What?" Dr. Alvere asked in surprise, giving Colonel Ryley an almost dirty look. "Is this because she'd been turned into a woman?" "No," I said in suddenly realization. "Because I'm developed." At her questioning look, I added, "The Averton Accords." Dr. Alvere's eyes widened slightly in understanding while Colonel Ryley nodded agreement. The Averton Accords meant that there was no choice but to discharge me. The Averton Accords was an international arms treaty that had been put into place nearly three decades ago and which strictly banned countries from having developed in the military. This was the reaction to a growing fear that a new arms race was about to start where the developed would be the weapon of choice. Of course most so called super-heroes were openly in favor of the treaty, not wanting to risk the chance that they'd be drafted into the military for the rest of their lives. A lot of people simply didn't like the idea of relying on people we couldn't control for our national defense. And of course everyone was concerned about what would happen to the world if large scale armies of developed went at each other. Ironically one of the biggest proponents of the treaty in the United States had actually been the Pentagon itself. This was largely a matter of pride as they insisted that they didn't need developed powers to protect the country, and then there was the fear that allowing developed into the military would make normal soldiers obsolete. In the end, most developed countries signed the Averton Accords and enforced them even more strictly than they did the Geneva Conventions. And to deal with those who didn't, there was advanced weaponry and units like the third ADU. "I hate to lose you," Colonel Ryley told me with a shake of his head. "You were a damn good soldier." I noticed that he used the past tense. "That's it?" Dr. Alvere asked, looking offended. "She goes through all this and you just kick her out?" "Unfortunately I don't have a choice in the matter," Colonel Ryley pointed out with a scowl. "You'll get a medical discharge with full disability." There was a certain irony in getting disability payments because I had abilities that were too good. However I knew that this was the way that the military had chosen to deal with people who developed powers while serving. It got them out quietly, without making a big deal of it, and it gave a bit of a payoff so that there wouldn't be as many hurt feelings. I felt as though the rug had just been yanked out from under me, knocking me flat on my tight little ass. First I lost my team, then my own body, and now I was losing my foundation. I was a soldier in the US Army...a sniper. Without that, what was I? "Soldier," Colonel Ryley said in a gentle voice, putting a hand on my shoulder and shocking me as he did so. I'd never seem him act this familiar with anyone. He'd always been hard and professional. "Roland... The Army is going to miss you and your skills, and if it was up to me, I'd find a way to keep you. Unfortunately I can't do anything about that, but I still might be able to help you. I'll have to make a few calls to see." Colonel Ryley left a minute later and I was left trying to make sense of his behavior. I wasn't sure whether to feel touched that he'd actually tried being comforting, or offended that he was treating me like some helpless girl instead of like the professional soldier I was. "Are you okay?" Dr. Alvere asked me with a look of concern. I took a deep breath and put my emotions on lockdown. "Of course," I responded in a calm and even voice, even giving her a faint smile. "Why wouldn't I be?" -------------------- I was sitting on a bar stool, holding my drink in hand and marveling at just how large the glass felt. It almost made me feel like I was getting twice as much booze as what I was actually paying for. Then I looked up, staring into the mirror behind the bar and at my still unfamiliar reflection. I startled every time I happened to see that girl reflected back at me from some mirror. She was very cute in a petite sort of way. I hated that. After I got the bad news yesterday that I was being unceremoniously drop-kicked from the Army, I'd thrown myself into testing my new abilities in an effort to distract myself. I spent the rest of the day in the gym, but it hadn't been enough to take my mind off of everything I'd lost. Now that my changes were finished and I knew what my developed abilities were, I wasn't sure why I was still sticking around that facility, other than the fact that I had absolutely nowhere else to go. A short time ago, I'd gone in search of the nearest bar so I could get a stiff drink, only to find another problem with my new body. I looked like I was a nineteen year old girl, and with very little effort, I could pass for sixteen. Between my youthful looks and my lack of any kind of ID, I had a hard time being let through the door. Fortunately a hundred dollar bill can make people forget about pesky questions involving age. I finished my drink and ordered a third. "Jack and Coke," I told the bartender, who gave me an odd look. "Hold the Jack." When I got my new drink, I took a long sip and then let out a sigh. With my smaller size and body mass, I'd assumed that I'd be able to get drunk faster and for cheaper. Unfortunately it was looking like my metabolism was really slowing things down. I was expecting to be half plastered by this point, but I was barely beginning to feel a buzz. "Damn," I muttered, realizing that my new bladder definitely couldn't hold as much as I was used to. I had to piss like a racehorse. Unfortunately I reminded myself with a bitter snort, from now on I'd be pissing like a male rather than a stallion. I left my seat and started for the bathroom, fully aware of the way that several guys were watching me. I gave no indication that I noticed them at all, knowing that even glancing in their direction would be misconstrued as an invitation to approach me. These men had been watching me almost from the moment that I'd entered the bar, and I imagined that they were all wondering what a cute little thing like me was doing all alone in a place like this. I carefully made sure that I used the women's bathroom, not wanting to accidentally walk into the men's room and then have to deal with the awkwardness. I'd long ago learned that paying attention to your surroundings and what you were doing was the best way to avoid potential trouble. Of course I was kind of in the mood for trouble at the moment, but I didn't want to deal that particular kind. When I came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, one of the men who'd been watching me had decided to make his move. He'd moved to a different spot where he could 'accidentally' bump into me. I saw what he was planning and began to take a different route instead. Unfortunately he didn't give up quite that easily. "What's a cute little thing like you doing in a place like this?" he asked me. I let out a faint sigh, wondering if I might have developed some kind of telepathic power as well. However Dr. Alvere had tested for that kind of thing and verified that all my abilities were physical. This was merely the fact that I'd spent more than enough time being the guy with the bad pickup lines. I looked up at the man who seemed enormous to me, even though he was only an inch or two taller than my old height. Thanks to my new height, nearly every guy was huge in comparison and even most women were taller. Still, in spite of the height difference, I didn't feel the least bit intimidated. Instead I merely felt annoyed. "Not interested," I told him flatly as I started back to my seat. The man moved to block my path again, giving me