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Whateley: "Survival" [A Whateley Universe FanFic] By Zapper Synopsis: Kate's parents are both mutants and she's grown up knowing that there is a good chance she might become a mutant someday. But now sixteen she's dealing with the normal teen problems, puberty, boys, and her band. Then everything changes when she's kidnapped. Kate's now trying to survive long enough to be reunited with her parents. Note: This is a Whateley FanFic and has a little more violence than most Whateley stories I've read. If it were a move it would be rated R. *** Chapter One *** Kate couldn't help laughing at the end of the set. "Oh, God, we suck!" "Hey, it's not like I can control it, my voice just does that!" Peter said, looking over at the tall thin brunette. Reggie, the drummer, broke in, "Chill, bro. It happens." Kate turned away to hid her smile. Reggie was black and thought he needed to talk more 'street,' even though both of his parents were doctors. Then not wanting to hurt Pet's feelings any further Kate pretended to untangle a cord running from her guitar to the amp. "If you think singing's so easy you try it," Peter challenged, going from hurt puppy to full blown attack dog in a second. 'God, I thought girls were hormonal,' Kate thought, before turning back to face Pet. "You know I don't sing." "Yeah, but why?" Doug, the base player, piped in. "I mean, you play better than the rest of us, but you never sing." Kate just shrugged her black leather clad shoulders. "It's not like we're opening for Maroon 5, I mean all we ever do is play in your parents' garage," she said, looking at Reggie. At that comment Peter dropped the mic he'd been holding and raced past Kate and out the back door of the garage to the pool behind the house. "Now look what you've done," Reggie said, glaring at Kate. "You know how sensitive he is." With that Reggie stood up. At six feet he was four inches taller than Kate and even though he hadn't grown into his frame, he was a little intimidating. "I'd better go talk to him." At this Kate felt bad, she hadn't meant to hurt Peter's feelings. "No, you guys stay here. I'll go talk to him," she said with a sigh. She carefully placed her guitar on its' stand and then followed Peter. The warm summer air felt hotter now that she was directly in the sun and Kate winced. With her pale skin she was no fan of UV rays. Then she spotted Pet over by the slide at the deep end of the pool. He was sitting on the concrete deck in the shade cast by a tree next to the pool. His knees were drawn up to his chest and he'd wrapped his arms around his legs. Pet's long blonde hair would have hidden his face if he hadn't already buried it into his thighs. From this angle Kate could have sworn that she was looking at a preteen girl silently rocking herself and crying. Kate made her way slowly toward Pet and then knelt down beside him. For a moment she wasn't sure what to do and then instinct kicked in, and she put her arms around him giving him an awkward hug. At first Peter stiffened, but after a second he leaned into Kate. "What's bothering you, Hon? It can't be what I said, you know I was joking, plus, I don't sing." After a second Peter looked up at Kate and wiped the tears back, smearing his dark mascara in the process. "I know, Cat, it's not what you said, it's what it means," Peter replied, using her nickname, which Kate took as a go0od sign. "What, what means?" Kate asked softly while rubbing Peter's back. "You know, my voice... changing." Suddenly it clicked for Kate and she pulled Peter into a hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking." "I... i. it's okay," Peter said, returning the hug. "Look, have you talked to your parents?" "My mom, but you know my dad. He's already upset that I'm too girly. How do I tell him?" "Well, what did your mom say?" "After she got over her shock?" Pet asked, with a slight twinkle in his eyes. Kate let out a sigh. Peter's returning sense of humor meant he was done crying. "She said, that she was going to set me up with some counseling or something." "That doesn't sound too bad." Peter nodded. "Come on we should go back in before the guys start to wonder what we're doing out here." Then putting her words to action, Kate stood up and offered Pet a hand. He took it and she noticed that he only came up to her chin. They turned and headed back to the garage when Pet spoke up. "So have you talked to your parents?" "About what?" "You know..." Abruptly Kate was worried. 'Does he know, will we have to move, again!' Kate glanced down at Peter and when she did he made an hour- glass motion with his two hands and then looked at her. All at once Kate's face felt hot and she knew she was blushing with embarrassment. Blind to Kate's reaction, Peter stumbled on, "You know you're sixteen and..." "Peter Simonson, if you finish that sentence I swear I'll quit the band and never talk to you again." Suddenly looking worried Peter grabbed Kate's hand. "I'm sorry, Cat, I'm just worried about you," he said, realizing that he'd really hurt Kate's feelings and pulled her into a hug. "Please don't be mad at me." Kate felt her embarrassment and the anger drain away. 'He doesn't know,' she thought. At first she'd been concerned that Pet had figured out her family's secret and hadn't been ready for his real question. "Not that it's any of your business, but I got my period almost a year ago." Just then the door to the garage pushed open and Reggie stuck his head out. "So are we going to play some more, or are you two going to just stay back here making out?" Reggie's wide grin was infectious, diffusing his words and causing Kate to laugh as Peter pulled her into the garage. "Come on, Cat, let's jam!" *** It was almost 7 pm when Kate's mother honked. "Hey, guys this was great, but I gotta go." Katie grabbed her book-bag and guitar and raced out to meet her mom. As she did she saw Mrs. Adams, Reggie's mom, was already in the driveway talking to her mom. "Oh, it's no worry. I mean I'd rather have them over here playing songs than out getting into trouble." "Hi, mom, hi, Mrs. Adams," Kate said, rushing around the minivan. "Well, as long as you're sure you don't mind." "Not at all, they're good kids." Mrs. Adams smile, like that of her son, had a way of lightening up her dark features and caused everyone around her to want to smile. After they'd pulled out of the driveway Maria looked at her daughter. "So, are you hungry?" "Starved." "That's good cause Dad's home, and he's been grilling." Kate felt her heart skip a beat. "Not fair! When did he get home? And why didn't you call me? I would have come home sooner." "Slow down, girl. He got home an hour ago and he wanted to surprise you by making your favorite." "Ribeyes?" "Yep, and grilled sweet corn, baked potatoes, and garlic bread." "Why are you driving so slowly?" Kate asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Laughing Mrs. Henderson sped up slightly. "We don't want to go too fast and get pulled over." "Like that would matter," Kate said a little sullenly and turned to look out the window. "Kate?" Kate glanced at her mom. "I mean the last time you got pulled over... the officer took one look at you and asked if you wanted to go out to dinner." "Kate!" "I bet you could drive a hundred miles per hour in a twenty five zone, and if you got stopped, you could get the cop to give you his badge and side arm if you offered a kiss." "Kathrine Maria Henderson, you are not too old to have your mouth washed out." Kate folded her arms over her non-existent breasts and looked sullenly out the window. "What's wrong?" Kate glanced over at her mother and tried to swallow her bitterness. The woman sitting next to her, Maria Henderson, was in her early forties but looked she was twenty five. On top of that she was stunningly beautiful. Her skin was a creamy pale that contrasted perfectly with her silky midnight hair, hair that super models would die for, and she did nothing to maintain her beauty. It was part of her mutation as a level 3 Exemplar with a Body Image Template (BIT) that made her look twenty five. "When am I... you know?" Kate said using her hands to make a gesture similar to the one Pet had made earlier. "Oh, honey, don't rush it. You'll get a figure before you know it." Kate felt tears well up, but refused to cry. "Mom, I'm sixteen and I'm as flat as a BOY!" Maria stopped at a red light and used the opportunity to pull her daughter in for a quick hug. "Honey, these things just happen in their own time. Trust me." It was almost a twenty minute drive out of Austoria to their house, because Kate's parents insisted on having a place well away from the prying eyes of neighbors. By the time they pulled into the driveway Kate was feeling better. She jumped out of the car and raced into the house. "Hey, Daddy, we're home!" Kate dumped her book bag and guitar by the door and darted through the kitchen and then onto the back deck. The man who turned and swept Kate into his arms was tall, blonde, and huge. Kate felt like a little girl again for a second as her father spun her around in an enthusiastic hug. After a moment he sat Kate down grinning. "So, princess, how've you been?" Kate punched her dad on the arm in response. "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home today?" Carl Henderson rubbed his arm in mock pain. "I didn't know myself until yesterday. There was an incident and after that we all had to get out in a hurry." "Carl!" Maria said, reproachfully as she slipped an arm around his waist. "You know we don't talk about 'work' at home." Carl grinned down at his wife slightly rueful. Looking at the two of them Kate knew that people would assume that Carl was the stronger of the two, when the reality was that her mom was much stronger. That didn't mean that Carl was weak, far from it. Kate had once seen him shape-shift his body so that it looked like it was made of pure silver and then lift the family minivan out of a ditch they'd slid into when Carl had been giving Kate an under-age driving lesson. Because Kate had been fourteen at the time, and Maria would have killed him, Carl had bribed her to keep quiet with a trip to get ice cream. The memory made Kate grin as she realized that her dad had trouble following rules. SSzzzz... Suddenly the grill flared up. "Shit!" Carl said lurching toward the sizzling steaks. He reached out with his right hand which transformed into living metal from the elbow down as he quickly flipped the steaks while moving them to a cooler part of the grill. "Come on, help me set the table," Maria said, grabbing Kate by the elbow. "We're obviously distracting your father." *** Saturday morning couldn't have been more perfect, Kate thought, as she followed Peter. Like most Saturday mornings Kate had gotten up early and met Peter and Reggie at the Fort Stevens State Park to take advantage of the biking trails. Unfortunately Doug had had to go visit his grandparents and hadn't been able to make it. Maria had dropped Kate off just before 8 am waving at the other parents dropping off their children before reminding Kate that they needed to be back at the parking lot by noon. Reggie, had taken the lead, as always. Kate usually rode right behind Reggie but today she decided to ride behind Peter. After yesterday Kate wanted to make sure she had a chance to talk to him, if he wanted too. After about twenty minutes Peter lifted his hand indicating he wanted to stop and Kate coasted to a halt next to him. This happened to be one of Kate's favorite places on the trail. It ran along a bluff that looked down on the Columbia River. "What's up?" Pointing out over the water Pet said, "What do you make of that?" Kate glanced out and after a second saw what had grabbed Peter's attention. There was what looked like a guy standing on the water, but even though his legs weren't moving, he wasn't standing still. Somehow the water not only supported him but seemed to be carrying him forward, very quickly. "Do you think he's a mutant?" Peter asked, a note of awe in his voice. "Yeah, we should probably get going." "But this is the first time I've ever seen a mutant." 'That's so not true,' Kate thought, but just shook her head. Abruptly Kate felt the ground move under her feet and before she could react, it surged up above her knees to her mid-thigh locking her in place. "Gotcha!" a loud male voice exclaimed. Kate tried to turn around but with her legs immobilized, while straddling her bike, it was difficult. Still by twisting her head she was able to spot a guy who was standing on a piece of ground that looked like it had risen up to form a platform under him. The guy had dark hair and a hawk like nose, and was dressed in jeans, a brown t- shirt, and a brown leather jacket and bore a strong resemblance to the guy on the water. "I got the other one," a new voice said, and Kate heard a shout from Peter. A quick glace in the opposite direction showed that Peter had been pulled off his bike and was floating a couple of feet off the ground while a third guy hovered a few feet away. "Hey, let us go!" Peter tried to shout but for some reason it sounded to Kate like his voice was muffled. Then she realized that the floating guy was doing something with air to keep him quiet. "Who are you and what do you want with us?" Kate asked trying not to sound as scared as she was feeling. "Are you Kathrine Henderson?" the guy hovering next to Peter asked. Thinking desperately Kate shook her head. "She's lying," a new voice announced. Kate looked back at the river to see the third member of the group who was now standing on a column of water next to the cliff. Then the water sort of surged and deposited him a few feet away. "I can feel the fear and denial in her from here. She's the one." "Dirty, let me take her." "No way, Flurry, I got her first!" "I can get her to the boat the fastest." The floating guy replied. Kate looked back and forth between the three men and realized that they must be brothers because they looked so much alike. "He's right," the new arrival said. "Fine," the guy, who Kate assumed was Dirty, replied petulantly. Suddenly the ground around her legs fell away. Kate wasted no time and dove off her bike into a front shoulder roll just as her mom had taught and came up at a full run. She knew it was probably futile but she had to try. Kate made it about three steps down the trail when a blast of wind caught her up and as it lifted her it hardened around her so that she couldn't move anything from the neck down. "Nice move girl," Flurry said, floating over so that he was only a few feet away. "But don't try anything like that again." Abruptly Kate felt something hit the side of her face, shocking her more than hurting her, and then she tasted the blood from a split lip. Before she knew it she was floating next to Peter trailing Flurry as he moved out over the water. "What are you doing?" The comment came from the third brother and held the snap of command. Flurry turned to look at his brother. "What?" The question came out almost like a whine. "Pray tell, brother, what are you doing with him?" the oldest looking brother, the one who'd arrived on a column of water, said pointing at Peter. "I thought he might make a good hostage. You know, like, if it's good to have one then it's twice as good to have two." Kate could hear Dirty snort. "Idiot," he added quietly. "Flurry, we need her, because we need her dad. The boy means nothing. Kill him." Kate tried to talk but when she opened her mouth it was instantly filled with air, air that stopped her from being able to speak. Flurry shrugged. "If you say so, Ripple." With that he extended his hand toward Peter and made a twisting motion. Even though Peter was ten feet away Kate heard the distinct snapping sound as his neck was broken. Then Flurry just dropped him. Kate had enough control of her head to watch as his body fell into the river just below the bluff. Then everything went dark. *** Chapter Two *** Drip...................... Drip ...................... Drip Slowly Kate became aware of the sound. At first she couldn't identify it. Water? 'Why can I hear water?' she wondered. Yes, she was sure of it. It was the sound of water dripping onto a hard surface. Next came the realization that she was cold. Not cold like she was about to die from hypothermia but just enough to make her shiver. Reluctantly Kate opened her eyes. At first things were kind of blurry and Kate wondered if there was something wrong with her eyes. Then she saw a dim light coming through a window set high into the far wall. This faint light was the source of illumination. After a minute Kate figured out that the window had a leak and that it must be raining outside. There was already a small puddle at the base of the wall. This discovery was enough incentive for Kate to push herself up and look around. "Ugh." The soft moan escaped her lips as Kate realized just how stiff and sore she was from sleeping on the cold hard floor. "My neck," she said reaching up the rub the back of her neck. Looking around Kate saw that she was lying on the floor of a room devoid of any furniture. The cold concrete had been sapping all the warmth from her body. Kate looked back up at the window and became aware of the bars. The fact that the window had bars sent a shock through Kate and this caused her to remember the events on the bike trail. "Peter...." Kate whispered horrified. "He's dead." The horror of what had happened left Kate shaking. 'Why did they have to kill him?' she thought. The memory of Peter's death was enough to bring her back to full awareness and the acrid smell of vomit assaulted her nose. Kate glanced down and saw that she was still wearing the biking gear from before, but the front of her shirt was speckled with dry vomit. She vaguely remembering screaming when they'd killed Peter. The guy, Flurry, had ignored her. The flight to the boat had taken only a few minutes and Flurry had dropped her on the deck. As soon as he did he let go of her and that's when Kate had gotten sick. It could have only been a minute or two but then the oldest brother, Ripple, was there. He had reached down and touched her head and Kate had gotten really sleepy, and then nothing. Very slowly Kate pushed herself into a standing position. Her dad had always trained her to be ready to face whatever challenge confronted her. But being kidnapped by a group of mutants wasn't something easily prepared for. Kate shook her head to clear it of useless thoughts. Looking around the room Kate saw that she was probably in some kind of homemade basement cell. The one window was high up on the cinder block wall, too high for her to reach. It looked like someone had added the bars and when they did they broke the seal on the window. There was a heavy looking wooden door to Kate's left and nothing else in the room. Again Kate looked down at her shirt, wishing she had something that didn't stink that she could change into. Still a smelly shirt was better than nothing, since it afforded her some protection against the chill. Slowly, Kate walked around the room trying to see if there was anything she might be able to use. When she got to the door she saw that there was a light switch. She flicked it up and a bare light bulb came on flooding the room with a harsh bright light. After a second she turned it off. The dim light from the window was somehow easier to take. Besides if her kidnappers saw the light under the door they'd know she was awake. "I wonder how long I've been gone?" she mused. Her mom would have been back by noon and when she didn't show up, she would have started looking for her. For that matter, when Reggie noticed they weren't behind him he would have stopped and waited. Then he would have come looking. He would have found their bikes, and if he looked around he might have spotted Peter's body. If he did he would have called 911. For a second Kate wondered if that would cause trouble for her family. Her parents and stressed to her that they needed to avoid attention. As mutants they tried to blend in. Her dad had also stressed that with his job, working for the International Executive Security Corporation (IESC), as a special consultant, meant discretion. IESC's clients didn't want attention. Kate shook her head to clear it of thoughts about things that were beyond her control. Then she felt a little better because either way Kate knew that there would be people, very capable people, looking for her. These people would include her parents. When Kate was little she'd thought her dad was a super hero. As she'd gotten older she'd realized that they had too much money for that, super heroing just didn't pay that well. Her next guess was that he did something for the government. She'd finally asked and that's when her parents explained about IESC. Kate didn't know exactly what her dad did as a 'special consultant' she just knew that he would disappear for months at a time and that it was dangerous. Done examining the cell Kate picked a corner, where she could get some light from the window and see the door. Slowly she slid to the ground bringing her knees up tight so she could wrap her arms around them. This position reminded her of how Peter had been sitting yesterday by the pool. Suddenly her eyes started stinging and then she was crying. 'It can't be real, Peter can't be dead,' she thought, yet she knew he was. Kate wasn't sure how long she sat there rocking and crying, long enough for her eyes to dry and for her to feel empty inside. "When my dad finds these guys, he's going to make them wish they'd never been born," Kate whispered. At some point she must have dozed off because Kate heard a noise and was suddenly wide awake. Most of the light from the window was gone and the room was almost completely dark. Then without warning the door was thrown open and the overhead light came on. It was so bright Kate found herself blinking. Standing in the doorway was the outline of a big man. Kate instinctively pushed herself deeper into her corner. The man moved into the room and Kate saw that it was middle brother, Dirty, still wearing the same clothes from earlier. "Get up," he commanded. Kate slowly pushed herself to her feet. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" The words tumbled out in little more than a whisper. The big man quickly moved over next to Kate and grabbed her by the arm. Kate winced as his hand encircled her bicep in a crushing grip. "Keep your mouth shut and do what you're told and you might live," he stated in a calm voice. "Give us any trouble and we'll kill you." Kate shivered in fear, she knew this wasn't an idle threat, she'd seen them kill Peter without hesitation. Before she knew it she was being dragged forward by her arm through the door and up a set of stairs. The room she was dragged into was a large kitchen. Disturbingly there was a camera set up to one side pointed at an island counter top in the middle of the room. Kate was dragged over to the island and saw that the oldest brother, Ripple, was talking into the camera. "As you can see, your daughter is alive. Staying that way depends on you. You'll be contacted and give instructions. Follow them to the letter or things will only get worse for your child." With that he turned to Dirty. "Put her hand there." Kate noticed, for the first time, there was a chopping block on the island and a large meat cleaver next to it. Dirty let go of her arm and grabbed her wrist pulling it toward the cutting block. Kate, realizing what they planned to do and acted without thinking, just as her dad had taught her. She suddenly twisted her wrist pulling against Dirty's thumb. She broke his grip, and as he turned toward her with a look of surprise she hit him in the nose with the palm of her hand. He stumbled back eyes watering, stunned, and Kate felt Ripple move to grab her from behind so she dove over the island scooping up the meat cleaver as she went. There was an open hallway right in front of her and she darted toward it only to feel the air around her harden. Reacting on instinct Kate threw the meat cleaver toward where she'd seen Flurry standing by the camera. There was a cry of pain and suddenly Kate was free. She made it two steps before she was hit from behind. The force of the tackle drove her to the ground and knocked the wind out of her. The guy grabbed her by the back of the head in one quick move he yanked her head painfully up and then smashed it down, face first, into the wood floor. Pain exploded from her nose. "Bitch, that's for my nose," Dirty snarled. Again Kate felt her head pulled back but before Dirty could smash it down again a voice snapped, "Enough. We still need her alive, for now." Dazed Kate felt Dirty jerk her to her feet by her arm but another voice snarled, "I've got it this time." Again the air hardened around Kate, squeezing her painfully, as it lifted her helplessly into the air. For a second she saw Flurry, who was holding his forearm. There was a cut on it where he must have tried to block the meat cleaver. Kate felt a sense of satisfaction, even as blood ran down her face from her broken nose and split lip. 'At least I hurt them,' she thought. Then Kate was floating next to the island. She tried to fight it but her hand was pulled forward and her fingers spread apart. Instead of feeling afraid Kate was angry, angry at them for killing Peter, angry at being helpless, and determined to survive and make these assholes pay! Now Ripple moved in front of her. "Look at your daughter, Menace, we are only getting started. If you love her, do as you're instructed." Ripple took Kate's pinky finger and slid a zip-tie around it and pulled it painfully tight. Then hardened air forced her hand down onto the cutting board. "Let me," Dirty snarled. Ripple looked at his brother and just shook his head. "No." He picked up the cleaver and in one quick move brought it down on Kate's finger. She'd braced herself and tried not to scream. She failed. The pain was white hot and it seared all the way up her arm. But then Kate took the pain and made it into a roar of angry defiance. In response from somewhere in the back of her mind she heard an answering roar. Then a second roar, the roaring grew louder and louder in Kate's mind. Kate realized that someone or something was out there and she reached toward that being and felt it respond. As it did Kate felt more than heard her own voice change, it grew deeper, wilder, and far more powerful. She saw a confused look on Dirty's face and she flexed pushing against the bonds of air that held her. "Quick, Ripple, put her to sleep. I can't hold her much longer." Flurry's voice barely penetrated Kate's enraged mind. The pain from her hand was gone, and all she could think of was the need to destroy those responsible. Then she felt a cool wave of power flood through her. "Sleep." She tried to resist but Ripples' voice was memorizing and Kate slowly felt the darkness rise up and swallow her. *** Chapter Three *** Kate looked down at the tree tops as they moved, in a blur, beneath her. She felt the wind filling her wings and stroked down powerfully before catching a thermal. The hotter air lifted her and she scanned the ground below. Between the trees snaked the blue of a stream. The stream was shallow and the water frothed white over a series of rocks. There! Among the rocks the great short faced bear moved snatching a huge fish from the water. Kate felt a hot surge of hunger and folded her wings diving silently for the bear. Just as her shadow fell over the beast it paused to look up and Kate snapped her wings out slowing her descent at the last second while striking with her forelegs. The bear never stood a chance. Her full weight and strength broke its back as foot long talons sank into its hide. Then Kate snapped her wings and was once again flying easily holding the two thousand pound bear with her claws. She turned toward the mountain that she somehow knew was her home, and accelerated. In a few minutes she'd covered the distance and a large ledge came into view. Kate knew it was a fine place to eat. It was big enough for two or three of her kind and it got plenty of sun in the afternoon. Nothing would bother her and she'd have a great view of the river valley. Settling on the ledge Kate tore into the bear relishing the taste of the hot fresh meat. Just as she was finishing she felt a presence and then a shadow darkened the ledge. *How was your hunt, young one?* Kate looked up and saw the mighty silver beast descend to land next to her *Fine, I like bear.* She felt a surge of affection from her companion. *For your first hunt, you did well. Bear is a good snack. But there are other, better, more satisfying hunts. You have much to learn. Now come, fly with me.* Kate didn't want to move, her belly was full and the sun felt warm on her scaly hide despite the cold mountain air. She sent those feelings to her companion and added. *The sun is nice, and I just ate.* The great silver dragon turned faster than Kate thought possible his jaws closed just behind her head forcing her neck down. Kate tried to struggle but she wasn't strong enough and was easily pinned. Even as she struggled Kate saw that the dragon wasn't entirely silver. The underside of his wings and belly were the blue of a Chromatic Dragon. Then with a snap of his neck and shoulders he threw Kate from the ledge. She was upside down and falling toward the trees but some instinct caused Kate to roll over and snap her wings out. They instantly filled with air but Kate knew it wasn't enough and reached into the cold core of power inside and pushed down against the ground. Then she was sweeping forward the momentum and energy of the dive turned into speed as she raced just above the tree tops. After a second she started to climb quickly gaining altitude and threw her head to the sky and roared. *No scion of mine will lay around in the sun while there is hunting to do. Now lad, follow me if you can!* With that the older dragon accelerated away. Kate beat her wings furiously in an effort to keep up, while feeling puzzled at being called 'lad' but then he shook off the confusion and focused on the hunt. *** Kate woke up and noticed the sun light was shining on her face. Every part of her body ached and her throat was desperately dry. She tried to blink but there was so much gum on her eyes that she couldn't get them open. A muscle spasm across her back caused her to moan in pain. She tried to sit up and failed. Then she heard the sound of voices from the other side of the door. "Is she dying?" a male voice said. "No, you idiot, she's mutating." "I don't remember my skin glowing like that when I changed!" a third male voice replied. "It didn't, but every mutation is unique," the second voice said. "Should we call Allura? Maybe she'll know someone who can help her?" the first voice said. "NO!" the other two voices replied in unison. "Shouldn't we... you know... give her a blanket or something? We need to make sure she survives, right?" the first voice said. Then Kate heard the sound of retreating footsteps. Groggily she wondered who they were and where she was. She managed to open her eyes enough to look at her hands. She felt a little surprised when she saw that they were glowing with a silvery white radiance. Then she closed her eyes as a shivering fit racked her body. She was SO cold! For several minutes she shivered and then when the fit passed she let out a sigh of relief and dropped into a deep sleep. *** Kate was once again flying. The silvery light of the half-moon created a contrasting tapestry of shadows below. The shadows didn't bother Kate, with a bit of concentration she could zoom in and see everything in a given shadow. A part of him wanted to examine each shadow to test his eyesight against the gloomy depths. To learn the secrets each shadow held. He resisted the impulse. His ancestor had sent him here for a reason. This was a hunt. But it wasn't a random hunt. He was here for a specific quarry, a dangerous one, the fact that the prey might turn on him added excitement to the hunt. The excitement was an element that had been missing from earlier hunts. Then he spotted movement. There in one of the shadows. The beast that immerged had a scaly hide and was bigger than the short faced bear he'd eaten. As Kate circled, high above, he noticed that the beast had another smaller creature on its back. This was curious to Kate, the larger beast should have been able to throw the smaller fleshy thing from its back and devour it. Yet it appeared to be subservient to it. Then Kate noticed a second and a third set of paired creatures. If one such creature was tasty then three would be better. The trick would be to catch all three before they scattered and ran. Kate flew away from them and started a shallow arcing descent to position herself just above the low hill they'd come out of. At the same time Kate made sure to increase his speed. The hot, humid, thick air slowed him and Kate reached inside, felt the cold knot of power, and added it to the flight increasing his speed. Then he flashed out over the hill coming at the creatures from behind. Kate opened his mouth but some instinct caused him to exhale instead of roaring as he'd originally intended. A cone of white blasted out hitting the creatures from behind. As Kate flew over them he felt the cold radiate up and knew that not just the creatures but the ground around them had turned white, flash frozen, in an instant. Kate soared up converting his speed into a climb. When he started to slow down Kate folded a wing and tipped over to one side, this allowed Kate to smoothly turn his climb into a dive back toward his prey. Kate let gravity do its thing, increasing his speed, until the ground was rushing up and then he snapped his wings open slowing and controlling his descent. With a feeling of surprise he noticed that one of the parasites had jumped off the back of the creature it rode. It was holding some kind of long pointy stick and one end of it glowed. Then from the glowing end a focused stream of white hot fire slashed up toward Kate. Without thinking Kate tucked a wing and slid to one side of the fire. The move saved him from being hit but had taken him off his intended flight path. Kate had wanted to land in the middle of his frozen dinner and see what these creatures tasted like. Angry at the disruption to his meal Kate circled to one side and then came in again. The tiny two leg had resisted the burning cold Kate felt inside, yet he knew he had other options. This time when he flashed over the creature he was ready. A stream of glowing missiles snapped up at Kate. Kate felt the energy that formed the missiles and met it with his own energy. The two forces collided and the missiles exploded several yards in front of Kate. Then Kate opened his mouth knowing he had to do something different. This time the crack of lightning startled Kate as much as it did the creature below him. Then lightning blasted into the two leg parasite frying the small beast, somehow its stick fell away undamaged. Instead of circling, for another pass, Kate pounced his talons tore the creature in half and he couldn't help roaring in satisfaction at conquering these beasts. Kate moved over to one of the lager creatures and tore into it. He discovered that the frozen meat was just as tasty as the hot flesh of the bear. Then he felt a presence and spun around ready to defend his kill. Kate spotted his ancestor, sitting on the hill, looking down at him. There was a sense of amused satisfaction radiating from the elder dragon. *A fine hunt.* Kate didn't feel the need to respond to the comment and focused on eating. After a few minutes the staff caught his eye. Kate froze, mesmerized. On one end of the stick was a large stone. A pretty stone. It was still glowing but the glow was fading. *What is that?* *A prize.* Kate didn't understand how he felt as he reached out to touch the stone. After a minute Kate turned away to go back to his meal. *It has been a very long time young one.* Kate looked up at the great silver and blue dragon and sent the feeling of puzzlement toward him. *A long time since another of the Eldest Race was awake and even longer since I had a descendant to train.* *Is that what I am?* Kate asked and for the first time looking down. Kate noticed that his scales were silver but his wing tips were streaked with blue and his belly was as blue as his ancestor's. This puzzled Kate, and yet Kate didn't know why he was puzzled. *I am Dux'Tueor, the one who Watches and Guides.* The name felt right to Kate and he nodded his head. *You have earned a NAME.* This statement also seemed right to Kate so he sent a feeling of agreement toward Dux'Tueor. *I name you Dux'Primus, because you are the first of our kind to awaken.* As his sire said this Kate felt his body thrum in response, as though he were a string on a guitar that had just been plucked. His whole body vibrated and the world around him faded. *** This time when Kate woke up the first thing she noticed was the absence of pain. In fact as she lay still she realized she felt good. Then she noticed that she was on something soft and was wrapped in something warm. A blanket? Slowly Kate opened her eyes. After a second she forced herself to sit up and noticed that a dim silvery light was coming in through the widow, but even though the light was poor she had no trouble seeing. Kate looked down and saw that she was laying on a mattress that had been dragged into the room and left on the floor. In addition to the mattress she'd been given a blanket. For some reason these items made her feel better. She looked around the room and saw that she was in some kind of basement. Cinder block walls and bare concrete floors were the only features besides the window and her mattress. Then she realized that this was the room where she was being held. At this memories came flooding back, finally chasing away the strange dreams she'd been having and the mental fog. Memories of Peter dying, of the video message to her dad, and her finger. At this thought Kate glanced down at her hand. When she did she saw that she had five fingers. In surprise she glanced at her other hand to make sure she wasn't confused. No, there were five fingers on it as well. Then she looked at her hand more closely. The hand was wrong. It wasn't her hand! It was bigger than it should have been and the fingers were much thicker and stronger looking. She tossed the blanket to one side and stood up. As she did she almost tripped and fell. There was something wrong with her balance. She stumbled to one side and felt pain in her feet. In fact her clothing felt wrong, constricting all over. She reached out to the wall to steady herself and her shirt split along the chest and shoulders. Ignoring the tear Kate reached for her feet. Her shoes had split apart and her toes were poking out. This didn't stop her from pulling off the painful things and tossing them to one side. As she did this her bicycle shorts tore. "What the fuck is going on?" Kate said, freezing at the masculine baritone. "My voice," she gasped, reaching for her throat. Her hand found the prominent bulge of her Adam's apple and for a moment she couldn't figure out what it was. "No way," Kate whispered, stunned. Then she felt a twitch in her groin. Slowly almost afraid of what she'd find Kate reached for her crotch. The sensation of something touching something that shouldn't be there sent a shiver up Kate's spine. "What happened to me?" Even as she whispered those words Kate knew the answer. "I must have gone through my mutation." She was the daughter of two mutants and her parents had told her the odds were good she'd be a mutant. Kate knew that her mutation might change her physically. She could be a monster, or she could get a BIT like her mom and be beautiful, or just be normal looking. One thing Kate had never considered was that her BIT or mutation might turn her into a guy! "I wonder what I look like?" Kate asked the empty room. After taking a few deep breaths to slow her racing heart Kate began to strip. The shredded clothes went into a pile by the bed. While she was stripping she tried to avoid looking too closely at her body. Once naked she steeled herself, knowing, yet not KNOWING, what she'd discover. Kate held her hands up and looked at them. The skin was pale, but not pale in an undead kinda way. It was more like her skin now had a slight metallic quality. Her nails barely extended past her finger tips, nothing about them would seem strange but Kate somehow knew they would be very hard and sharp. Next she looked at her chest. "Well, I'm no longer flat chested," she joked. Her chest was sculpted with muscle and as Kate's gaze drifted down she realized that she now had a six pack of abs that would put a Spartan Warrior to shame. Avoiding the "Big" change, Kate looked at her legs. There were just as ripped with muscle as her arms and chest and when Kate twisted around she realized she now had the firm butt of an athlete. The act of twisting caused her new appendage to swing heavily from side to side. This sent a shock through Kate and she couldn't resist looking between her legs. There it was, nestled against her groin, a tube of meat that shouldn't be anywhere on her body. At this thought it gave a twitch. Gingerly she poked it. The touch didn't hurt but she felt it and knew beyond a doubt that THING was a part of her. This time she touched in gently feeling the velvety skin between her fingers. Then she reached down to her scrotum and lifted the heavy set of balls. "The first time I touch a man's balls and they're my own," Kate said, her sarcasm turned into a giggle at the bizarre nature of her mutation. Abruptly there was a noise from upstairs. Someone had turned on a TV. It was playing the news. Kate concentrated and the sound became clearer. There was the voice of a male news anchor talking with his female partner about the missing Austoria teens and then speculating about the body discovered along the Columbia River. The dead teenager had been identified as one of the missing teenagers and they were speculating that it might have been an accident except that apparently the second teen was still missing. They knew this because the county Sheriff's office and released a statement. In the statement the Sheriff had said that Kathrine Henderson, age sixteen, had been kidnapped and the kidnappers had contacted the family with a set of demands. The Sheriff had gone on to say that if anyone had any information they should contact the Sheriff's office, but under no circumstances were civilians supposed to confront the kidnappers. The Sheriff had called them a group of mutant terrorists and said that they were extremely dangerous. Kate shook her head. "How can I hear the TV all the way down here?" Even as she asked the question Kate knew the answer. It must be part of her mutation. Then she realized that even though the room was almost completely dark she had had no trouble seeing. "My senses must have been improved. I wonder what I look like." Even as she said it, Kate thought, based on what she could see, she must be a hunk. "I wonder if I've got any other abilities." Glancing around the room Kate didn't see any way to test her strength. Then inspired she jumped. The ceiling had to be ten feet up and Kate found that she could touch it easily. Of course a basketball rim was ten feet above the court and there were plenty of guys who could dunk. So she really hadn't proven much, except that her junk bounced around distractingly without some kind of support. Then she realized that she was now taller than she'd been and she probably could jump higher. As Kate looked around for something to test her body on she spotted the window. It was a small window high up, almost all the way to the ceiling. If it weren't for the iron bars that had been added Kate thought she might be able to squeeze through. She took two quick steps and jumped. Catching the bars was simple and Kate found that without straining she could hold herself up by them. Then Kate spread her feet to either side of the window and started pulling on the bars using her back and legs to do most of the work, her torsos was now parallel to the ground. For a moment nothing happened. Kate felt desperate and then her desperation turned to anger. These people had taken her by force, killed her friend, wounded her, and were attempting to hurt her family. An icy rage filled her and in the back of her mind she heard a roaring sound. Suddenly the bar in her right hand bent and then the concrete holding it in place crumbled and the bar came free. The momentum of breaking the bar loose caused the second one to give and Kate shot away from the wall. She had no time to think before she hit the ground on her back. All the air was knocked from her lungs and for a second her vision blurred as the back of her head bounced off floor. Kate slowly stood up. Two bars down, two to go. Then she'd be free! Kate paused for a second to listen. She could still hear the sound of the TV. She focused slowly blocking out every other sense to concentrate on listening. After a moment she heard the slow steady beat of a heart, close to the source of TV noise. Then she heard a second heart in a different direction but still in the house and still on the upper floor. For several more minutes Kate focused on listening and when she didn't hear any other heart beats she figured that there were only two of the three brothers in the house. Kate returned to the window and having summoned her rage before, she found it easier to call up a second time. The bars came free and this time Kate used the momentum to flip over and land on her feet. She couldn't help the savage grin the spread across her face. This was starting to become fun. Then she sobered up. These guys were dangerous, and they wanted to hurt her dad. She needed to get away and warn him. She had no idea where she was or how often these clowns checked on her but she knew time was not her friend. The window was still a problem. Kate figured she could throw an iron bar through it and break it but would that make too much noise? Slowly she picked up one of the bars and then wrapped the remains of her bike shorts around one end. She glanced up at the wall she knew she could jump up smash the window and fall back down. But she needed to break it carefully, quietly, and then she needed to use the bar to scrape the window clear of glass. If she didn't she'd take several cuts climbing through. For a moment Kate thought about her dreams and the strange roaring she'd heard when they'd cut off her finger. Were they connected? In her dream she'd been a dragon. A dragon's talons would be helpful now. If they were long enough to sink into the wall to hold her there while she broke the window. After a moment Kate held up her hand and thought of Dux'Tueor. He'd had talons several feet long. Suddenly Kate felt a presence in her head it seemed puzzled and Kate thought about talons and how useful they'd be. There was a wave of agreement from somewhere in her mind. Then a sort of icy energy washed through her and Kate saw her nails turn white, like ivory, and start growing. In seconds she had a set of four inch slightly curved talons extending from her fingers and toes. This time when Kate jumped she landed next to the window. Her talons sank into the soft cinder block walls and Kate felt a surge of satisfaction. She then used an iron bar and as quietly as she could she broke the glass window and knock all of the remaining glass free. Kate had to fight the urge to try to wiggle though the window. But she knew better. Her father had taught her in a survival situation never to leave behind anything you might be able to use. Kate returned to the room and quickly gathered up the iron bars, tying them into a bundle with her former shorts. Next she took her shirt and tied it around her waist in an improvised skirt. Then Kate threw the blanket over the bottom of the window to protect her skin as she crawled out. For a moment Kate wondered if there was any way she could take the mattress, but knew it was impossible. That window was barely big enough for her, much less a twin sized mattress. Kate leapt back up to the wall tossed her bundle through the window and then tried to climb through. The window was a typical basement window. Before her mutation Kate would have slid through without any trouble. Now it seemed much smaller. As Kate wiggled through she felt a sting on her back and knew that she'd missed some glass, and then she was free. A quick look around showed an old farm house with trees across a short lawn in front of her. Kate retrieved the blanket and shook it free of any glass and then wrapped it around her shoulders. Then she picked up her bundle of iron bars and dashed for the tree line. The minute she was among the trees Kate had to fight the urge to roar, her joy at being free was fierce and hot in her chest. *** Chapter Four *** Even with her night vision, Kate was lost. The trees were thick and she had no idea which way she was going. Her dad had taught her enough to know how to walk a straight line in the forest. She did this by putting her back to a tree and spotting a tree a dozen feet away and then walking to it. Then she picked another and another and another. But she'd forgotten to do a pace count and then it occurred to her that even if she had it would have been pointless, since she didn't know what her pace count was in this body. Her elation at escaping had turned into worry, because she had no way to warn her parents. After a little while she dismissed this thought to focus on walking. Sooner or later she was bound to find a road or some type of land mark. As she walked she couldn't help noticing how her new body was different from her normal body. The sausage between her legs was annoying. It moved from side to side with each step in a steady reminder of her new status. She could also see her breath, in the silvery moonlight, but the air didn't feel the least bit cold. It then occurred to her that she was walking barefoot through the forest, stepping on stones and twigs and they didn't bother her. This made Kate wonder if her skin was now tougher, or if she was an Exemplar and this was just a side effect. At one point Kate paused to watch a mosquito land on her arm. Mosquitos had always loved to bite her but now she was curious. After several seconds of trying to draw blood the Mosquito gave up and flew away. 'Wow, I'll never need to buy bug spray again!' she thought. If it wasn't for the sex change she knew she'd be marveling at her new body. After a time Kate noticed that the moon had set, but it was a little lighter. At this she paused to look around. Yes, it was definitely lighter, the sun was rising. Then off to her right Kate saw a shimmer through the trees. Since this was the first landmark that wasn't more trees Kate headed toward it. After a few minutes Kate saw that she was walking toward a small lake. It was farther away than she'd estimated and the sun was well above the horizon by the time she reached the edge. For the first time Kate had a clear view for more than a couple of dozen feet and she looked around. To her left she saw a mountain range. "The Cascades," she wondered, turning to look in the opposite direction. If they were then that way was east. So she should be able to figure out north and south. Feeling desperately thirsty Kate dropped her blanket, improvised skirt, and bundle on the shore and stepped into the lake. She knew that drinking unpurified water might be a bad idea but she'd been walking for hours and knew she was dehydrated. The feeling of cool lake water moving up her thighs was refreshing until it reached her new organ. The sensation of cool water caused her to gasp and look down. Then Kate couldn't resist a booming laugh. "So that's what they mean by shrinkage!" Kate looked into the water and noticed that her vision sharpened. It was like she could see into the water. There! She'd spotted a fish. Without thinking her hand darted out, even though the talons she'd used to get out of her cell had retracted, she managed to catch the struggling lake trout. At first she was too surprised by her instinctive move to know what to do and her grip on the struggling fish slipped. The fish dropped back into the water with a splash and Kate let out a chuckle. "I guess I know what's on the menu for breakfast." Cupping her hands Kate lifted a small mouthful of water to her lips. The liquid was cool and tasted clean. After one experimental swallow Kate took another mouthful and then another. After her third scoop of lake water Kate thought she saw something from the corner of her eye. She glanced around, searching, and spotted it. At an angle across the lake there was a small cabin with an even smaller dock. Civilization! If they had a phone she might be able to contact her parents. Rather than rush over to the cabin Kate slowly scanned the shoreline. She wanted to know if there were any other signs of civilization. Not spotting any Kate let out a sigh. If this was someone's fishing cabin then there was a good chance no one would be home and there wouldn't be a way to contact anyone. Still this was the best chance at finding help she'd had so far. She needed to check it out. With this goal in mind Kate quickly returned to the place where she'd left her meager belongings. She once again wrapping the blanket around her shoulders like a cloak, tied her shirt around her hips, and picked up her crude tools. Then she started working her way around the lake. It took more than an hour to come up on the cabin and when she did Kate paused to examine what she'd found. It had been made of rough logs and couldn't have more than a couple of rooms. To one side of the cabin through the trees Kate saw that someone had planted a garden. It looked like a vegetable garden and from what Kate could see, it was doing quite well. Slowly Kate circled the cabin trying to get a better idea for who the owner might be and more importantly what they'd be like. At what Kate assumed was the front of the cabin, based on the porch and rocking chair, she saw a small track that must serve, from time to time, as a driveway. It was one of those seldom used tracks with grass and weeds growing up between the ruts made by the vehicle's wheels. The cabin didn't have a garage and there was no sign of a car. Feeling a little discouraged Kate continued around the house and saw that it had an old fashioned well, complete with a bucket and rope. The well was on the same side as the garden so Kate assumed it served the dual purpose of providing the cabin and the garden with clean water. Now Kate saw that the cabin had a back porch that was almost as big as the one on the front. From here Kate could see the dock and a small wooden canoe that had been turned upside down and left leaning against the dock. As she continued around Kate saw what looked like an empty clothes line and then she caught the scent of a wood smoke. At this she glanced at the roof and saw a faint plume of smoke drifting lazily out of the chimney. Having circled the cabin Kate moved toward what she was still assuming was the front porch. There hadn't been any sign of movement within the cabin, but the well-tended garden and the smoke made Kate believe that someone was home. They'd probably feel a lot more comfortable with her if she introduced herself by knocking on the door. As Kate moved toward the porch a sixth sense made her dive forward into a front roll, dropping her bundle and losing the blanket and t-shirt along the way. Kate came to her feet her hands up ready to fight, and stopped. A robed and hooded figure stood a few feet behind where Kate had been. It held a thin looking staff in one hand and even though the light green robe was bulky Kate somehow sensed that this person was a woman. "You startled me, Ma'am." "I'm amazed that you were able to sense me, young man," came the musical reply. Abruptly Kate remembered that she was naked, and that guys aren't supposed to be naked in front of girls. She felt her face flush, but made no move toward her dropped blanket or t-shirt. "You have the advantage, madam," Kate said and wondered why she was speaking so strangely. "I do, but it is only fitting, since this is my home. Tell me your name." Kate opened her mouth, but instead of saying Kathrine Henderson, she said, "I am named Dux'Primus." There was a hiss from the hooded woman and for a second she didn't move. Then with her free hand she slowly pushed back her hood. Her midnight hair was pulled back in a tight braid giving Kate a full view of her slightly too big green eyes, pointed ears, and delicate chin. The similarity to an elf from the Lord of the Rings was shocking. "You're a mutant?" "Surprised at seeing another of us, so far from civilization?" "Uhm, well, honestly, yes," Kate stumbled. "Stranger things have happened. My name is... well, for now you can call me Molly," the woman said, and when she did she grinned showing off perfectly white teeth. "Please come inside and have breakfast with me. You can tell me what you're doing out here and why you're doing it naked." Kate felt her face turn bright red and quickly scooped up her blanket wrapping it around her body. "Tssk... a shame, to cover up such a fine body," the woman said with a lascivious look toward Kate. Then as if knowing Kate would follow she moved toward the cabin. Kate picked up her dropped bundle and turned to follow Molly. Then Molly looked over her shoulder at Kate. "Are you carrying iron?" The surprise was evident in her voice, but she covered it quickly. "Please leave it outside. It distresses me." Sheepishly Kate dropped the bundle next to the porch and followed Molly inside. *** "Try these on." Kate managed to catch a bundle of clothes Molly tossed at her. Kate had followed the mutant into her cabin and had been surprised at how large it turned out to be. The front door had opened to a sitting room with a large stone fireplace. Molly had disappeared around a corner by the time Kate had entered, rubbing her head from where she'd accidently hit the doorframe. "I wonder why she made the door so small," Kate muttered. Then she looked around expecting to see Molly and instead found an empty room. The room had a hardwood floor and a rustic feel. There was a rocking chair in one corner with a nice view out the front window and a large built in bookshelf to one side. Kate moved over to the books to see what her hostess was reading when Molly returned. "Do you have a place where I can change?" Molly raised one eyebrow. "If you're feeling shy, you can change on the porch." "At least turn around," Kate replied grumpily feeling her face turn bright red, again. With a sigh Molly turned her back to Kate. As soon as she turned around Kate dropped the blanket and looked at the bundle. There was a pair of men's sweat paints and large tee-shirt. 'These are going to be way to big,' Kate thought. When she pulled on the sweat pants she was shocked that they weren't quite long enough, although there was some room around the waist. Kate noticed there was a draw string so she pulled it tight and knotted it. When she did she glanced up to find Molly had turned back around. "Hey!" Molly shrugged. "I wasn't sure if they'd be big enough." Molly's smirk made Kate doubt her sincerity. "Besides I've already seen you naked." Kate turned away from the small woman and pulled on the tee-shirt, again surprised at how tight it was. The fabric was stretched nearly to the breaking point across her chest and she felt like if she flexed she'd shredded it. "So how did you know I'm a mutant?" Kate asked. Molly looked at Kate curiously. "It wasn't hard... you don't really look like a normal human. But you know that." "Uhm... actually I've not seen what I look like since my mutation," Kate admitted reluctantly. "What! How is that possible?!" "I... uhm... changed just a day or two ago... and the men who were holding me didn't offer me a mirror." Kate felt a shift in the atmosphere of the room and looked up from where she'd been staring at the floor to see that Molly was looking at her with a strange intensity. "Holding you?" "Do you have a mirror?" Kate said, reluctant to talk about what happened. After all what did she know about this woman? She might be working with the brothers, she was an unknown mutant after all. For a second Kate thought she was going to argue, but then she nodded. "Wait right here." Kate had to squish the urge to follow Molly deeper into the house, but she knew it would have been rude and, something told her, potentially dangerous. So to distract herself Kate returned to the bookshelf. The books were an eclectic mix, and half were in a language that Kate couldn't identify. Those she could read ranged from things like "Herb Lore in the Modern World" to "101 Wards" and "Loki's Guide to Glamors." "Here we go." Kate spun around once again startled that she'd been snuck up on. She'd known that Molly would be back and had been listening for her, yet she hadn't heard her. Kate reigned in the flash of frustration to move toward the spot where Molly had placed a large standing mirror. The mirror was set in an ornate wooden frame and was oval in shape. Molly had placed it at a slight angle so Kate had to walk around to get a view of herself in it. When she did she froze. The image of the man looking back at her left Kate feeling stunned. Her first impression was that this guy was big, not just tall, but ripped! Even standing still, he oozed masculine vitality. He had pale skin that sort of sparkled in the sunlight. Not like those awful vampire movies, but enough to notice if someone looked closely. The next most striking feature was his hair, short and spiky it was an odd metallic silver color and as Kate looked more closely the tips of his hair and been frosted to a light blue. His face was handsome with a strong chin and his eyes seemed slightly large. They were a brilliant blue that seemed to draw attention and hold it. Kate slowly reached up to touch this strange new face and watched as the stud in the mirror copied her movement. Fascinated as she was with her new reflection Kate could feel Molly watching her. A part of her mind warned her to be careful but she ignored it. Slowly Kate turned her head to get a look at her face from the side and saw her ears for the first time. They were slightly larger than normal and pointed. 'Am I an Elf,' Kate wondered. From somewhere in the back of her mind a sleepy voice replied with a chuckle. *No.* *Dux'Tueor?* Kate felt a drowsy affirmatio