Ch 19

AEGIS Agent Amelia Van den Broeke appears on scene to witness the wreckage caused by fight between individuals with extraordinary abilities. There she finds Everett Howard, an ordinary old man, unconscious, the only living witness to this attack. What follows will change both of their lives in ways neither could have ever foreseen and forever intertwine their fates.

Official Report
427 Evergreen Terrace
New Hebron, California

Sapphira froze, staring at the rain-soaked woman in the mirror. He bit his lip and shuddered as he reached a hand up to touch his breasts. When he wasn’t out of the house, he’d taken to moving around without a bra, but going outside in the rain without one had been a mistake. His nipples and areolas showed through his shirt.

He grimaced and his cheeks burned. Had Babalawo been able to see through his shirt?

He glanced at the bathroom door, but didn’t close it. It got a little warm inside when the room was shut off from the rest of the house and since he’d used his abilities to wedge the front door back into the shattered frame, the risk of someone wandering into the house was minimal. With the notable exception of Babalawo, but he could walk through walls. 
What did Babalawo want and more important why he had seemed so familiar? Try as he might he couldn’t put his finger on it.

He scowled at his reflection and turned his head studying his chest as if expecting that his breasts might provide him with an answer. Emitting a long sigh, he put it out of his mind. He peeled the shirt away from his skin before slipping it over his head.

Again, he paused staring at his bare chest. For a change, what he saw didn’t anger him, but rather aroused him. He shuddered as his mind conjured imaginary images of the agent making love to him. Her lips caressing his erect nipples and her thin frame pushed against his, heaving and thrusting.

He contemplated closing the door, but he set such thoughts aside. A part of him hoped that the agent would return and… His cheeks burned at the mere thought, but even so he didn’t change his mind. He should be ashamed, but he’d grown tired of fighting, tired of resisting the urges of his body. Perhaps, he was becoming the whore he so insisted that he was not.

With a careful tug he peeled the rain-soaked bandage away from his skin. The area was still tender and sore, but when he looked down at it, he was more than a little startled by what he saw. The wound had scabbed over. He traced a hand over it, staring in wonder. He glanced back up at his reflection seeing the fear reflected in his eyes. It was unnatural to heal so fast and he reached out to touch the mirror with his open palm.

How well did his ‘increased healing factor’ work? Could he regrow limbs or organs? If his cells regenerated at such a rapid pace, it might stand to reason he may not age as quickly as an ordinary human being or at all. How long might he live iftrue?

He stared at the girl in the mirror, wondering if perhaps, it might not be so bad. Young, healthy and more powerful than an ordinary person would ever hope to be. He could do wonderful things with his new abilities, help so many people… or, he paused staring into those startling sapphire-blue eyes, terrible things.

He licked his lips and a slow smile touched his lips. He saw hunger in his eyes, not just for power, but for the appetites of the flesh, and for Amelia. It terrified him how strong his desire was for Amelia. His parents had raised him to save himself for marriage. He believed pre-marital sex was a sin, but wasn’t the only thing he found so disquieting. He wore a female body, and had lusted after another woman. Did that make him a lesbian? He still saw himself as male, so perhaps, it wasn’t gay at all, but even if he identified as a man, Amelia didn’t.

A growing part of him didn’t care. That part of him wanted to satiate his lust and to give in to the desires of his body. He stood there and swallowed, hard. How could Amelia ever feel for him as he did for her? Someone with her scruples would never have an interest in a relationship with another woman, and even if she swung that way she was uncomfortable around him. She hid it well, but their empathic bond left no doubt.

He clenched his eyes shut and hot tears slid down his cheek. He was so confused, he didn’t know who or what he was becoming and it terrified him. His eyes snapped open, he leaned forward and pressed both of his open palms across the vanity. He stood there looking at his reflection, trying to fight this strange new longing within him.

So wrapped up in this battle against himself, he did not detect the sounds of approaching footsteps. Only when he heard a stifled gasp from the doorway did he take notice. He stood there, aghast, his heart hammer in his chest at the sight of Amelia. His inability to fight the simmering flames within him ensured that desire come bursting out of him with the intensity of a raging fire.

Amelia stood there frozen staring at him with wide eyes and he turned toward her, place both hands on her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her full on the lips. The agents response though predictable, was disappointing. She jerked back and attempted to pull away, but before she’d even taken half a step, the pair froze.

Sapphira gasped, the agent’s emotions washing over him with an intensity so overpowering that he could do nothing but stand there in place. His lips mere centimeters away from her face and his hands still cupped around her cheeks. His mind was pulled away, entrapped by the thoughts and feelings of the other Exemplar. He tried to scream, to call out, but no sound escaped his lips. The room faded away and darkness followed.

Author's Note

A bit of a warning, in this part, Sapphira freaks out a bit and says some nasty things to Amelia. If you are a transperson, and  perhaps even if you aren’t, you may find these comments offensive. Please remember that I do not share Sapphira’s opinions.

Official Report
427 Evergreen Terrace
New Hebron, California

Sapphira stared into the void, a darkness like the one he had witnessed when he’d received the offer from Chemosh. Yet, it was different. Somehow, this new void did not seem so empty.

Light flared to life, blinding him and he was standing in a playground. He was a child, other children surrounded him none of them older than nine or ten.

One of them a taller boy, loomed over him both hands balled into fists. “Go ahead, Andy say it again.”

Sapphira took a few steps back and swallow as he glanced up at the other child. “I-I’m a girl!”

Murmurs from the other children followed this pronouncement and Sapphira went reeling to the ground his whole face throbbing in pain. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but another child kicked him in the side and he fell back to the ground gasping for breath.

The other boy, the tall one spit in his face and scowled down at him. “I always figured you for a sissy queer.”

Another flash of light, and Sapphira sat atop a bed tears streaming down his face. A reflection in the mirror along the opposite wall, revealed the boy was in his early teens, and had grown his hair out into a ponytail. A man was rummaging through a closet, his face beat red and his teeth gritted in anger. He’d scattered a half a dozen outfits across the floor, all of them feminine, dresses, blouses, skirts and skinny jeans.

“No son of mine is gonna be a goddamned cross-dresser, do you hear me? Tomorrow you’re going to go to the barber and get your hair cut short and as for all this… shit,” he waved his hand around gesturing at the clothing littered across the floor. “I don’t know where the hell you got this shit but it’s going in the trash. It’s bad enough you have those freak ass visions, but this I will not tolerate, do you understand?”

“Dad, please,” the boy spoke and Sapphira his lips trembling. “I’m not a cross-dresser. I’m a girl inside.”

The man, lurched across the room and hit the boy across the side of his head. Sapphira’s ear rang from the force of the blow before the next flash of light took him away. In the darkness he word the man’s words echo through the void.

“Don’t you ever speak those words again. You goddamned sissy freak.”

More flashes came, each followed by another of ‘Andy’s’ memories. It confused Sapphira at first, he was merely a passenger along for the ride. Who was this boy and why did his memories fill him with such dread?

He witnessed the boy get a buzz cut and weep as his long locks fluttered to the ground. The barber did not speak, but rather went to work a look of grim disapproval on his face. Again a flash, and he witnessed Andy screaming at his father and a woman who he assumed to be his mother. Somehow she looked familiar, but Sapphira could not place her face.

Another flash.

Again. he witnessed the boy getting beat on by his father, but this time he ran, bolting out of the house. When his old man caught up to him they had a public confrontation on the front lawn. He struck the boy again and knocked him to the ground before losing consciousness

When the next memory came Andy was resting in a hospital bed and speaking to a social worker. He touched the man’s hand, brushing against a simple gold ring on the man’s right hand. He was thrown decades into the past, and he, in turned witnessed the beating of the social worker through his own eyes by an abusive parent. It wasn’t the first such vision, for the boy, but it sparked a conversation and inspired the social worker to contact AEGIS.

Understanding dawn on Sapphira and his blood boiled. Aocial services removed the boy from his home and sent him to live with an aunt more sympathetic to his plight. Andy visited a myriad of doctors and psychiatrists, who prescribed hormone blockers and female hormones and oversaw his transition. Soon after, he began to call himself Amelia.

With that final flash, Sapphira found his vision fading again into darkness. Then, an image resolved itself before him and he was again looking into Amelia’s eyes.

He jerked back and lurched onto his feet staring at her with wide eyes. “Y-You’re…”

Amelia rose, standing across from him a look of defiance in her eyes. “Go ahead finish it.”

“You’re one of them goddamned she-males.”

Amelia gritted her teeth and shook her head. “I’m a transwoman.”

Sapphira eyed the other exemplar and shuddered. “You lied. You made me think you were normal. Now, I find out your just some sissy pervert.”

“I never tried to deceive you, Liv. I don’t see myself as a man any more than you see yourself a woman. After what you’d been through, I thought you might be a little more understanding,” she bit her lip and wiped tears from her eyes.

“What I’ve been through? I got transformed against my will. You were born male and mutilated yourself. There’s a difference.” He moved across the room and for a moment, Amy thought for certain he would lash out and attack her, but he instead brushed past her on his way to the exit.

She turned her head following him as he gazed and shook her head letting out a tired sigh. “It’s no different, you know right? You were forced into the wrong body by your transformation and I was assigned the wrong one at birth. The way you feel, the discomfort with your body, the disconnect between reality and the way you know how it should be. It’s the same.”

“You’re wrong.” He growled under his breath now running down the hallway.

Amelia ran after him, not sure why, and called out. “Wait! Where do you think you’re going?”

He spun around on the balls of his feet and jabbing a finger against her chest. “Away, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep away from me, you damn freak!”

He turned away and pounced on the door. Amelia opened her mouth prepared to warn him he wasn’t wearing a top, but before the door had even cracked open a blouse materialized over his naked torso. He didn’t even seem to notice, attempting to slam the door shut behind him, but the frame was so damaged it creaked and swung back open.

Amelia stood there, frozen in place and bit her lip staring out at the open door with wide eyes. With a tired sigh, she plopped down in her favorite recliner. She sensed the anger and hurt emanating from Sapphira and even if she had wanted to, going after him would only provoke him. Besides, the agents on surveillance duty would ensure he didn’t get into any trouble.

She looked back up at the open doorway and let out another long sigh.

“Fuck,” she cursed under her breath and retrieved her phone from inside her pants pocket. With another long sigh she dialed Matthews number. She wasn’t looking forward to explaining this one.

Official Report
New Hebron State University
New Hebron, California

His heart was hammering inside his chest as he stormed out of the house. Sapphira scowled, clenched both hands at his side and glanced down at his chest. Surprised to find he was wearing a blue button down blouse.

It was his abilities at work, his mind projecting the illusion of a shirt to preserve his modesty in much the same way it had protected his identity, first when fighting off Kwrump and later when he had entered the burning building. Truth be told, he wasn’t in much of a state of mind to care either way. He glanced back eying the AEGIS car as the engine growled to life. The agents inside would follow him, but he didn’t give a damn about that either.

He clenched his teeth and just kept walking. Though he had no idea where he was going or how far his travels would take him, he needed to get away.

How the hell could he have been so stupid? The clues had all been there, her boyish build, the lack of a figure and the almost husky quality to her voice. She was feminine, he had to admit, but he saw now, thanks to the time spent viewing her memories that this was due to her beginning hormone treatments at such a young age.

He walked, silent, only stopping to yield to oncoming traffic. Those few pedestrians that were unfortunate enough to get in his way found themselves pushed to the side by some unforeseen force.

He came to a stop at a busy intersection and looked around realizing that he was a little more than a block away from university Whether his subconscious mind had directed him there or if it were a coincidence, he knew he had found his destination.

He bit his lip, glanced back at the AEGIS SUV still tailing him, and crossed the intersection once the traffic signal changed. Within moments he looked on the sprawling university. He crossed the street, one final time and found the bench where he so often rested while watching his granddaughter come and go.

It would be hours yet before his granddaughter left her classes for home, but he had nowhere else to go. The prospect of seeing her, even from a distance, was very appealing, but he would have a long wait on his hands.

He leaned back in his seat, folded his arm across his chest and positioned himself to get a clear view of the parking lot and the school beyond. There was the slightest chance Hailey might deviate from her schedule. From what he could tell she was a dedicated student, but she was a beautiful young girl with an active social life. She might miss out on class to spend time with friends or if she were to fall ill.

Given his current physical state, he had no way of convincing the girl of his relationship to her, but perhaps there was another way. He was about the same age and, once AEGIS had cleared all the legal tape, he would be sitting on a sizable sum of money. He would use that wealth to get an education and start a new life for himself. There’s nothing to say he couldn’t befriend her as Sapphira.

He stopped his rumination and froze, his mouth hanging open in utter shock. He had caught sight of his granddaughter leaving the building. Against all odds, there she was. He didn’t dare approach her, not yet, but at least fate had given the chance to see her.

She was with a large group of other students, there were laughing and Hailey was grinning ear to ear. He watched them, wishing more than anything he was a part of that group.

His heart hammered in his chest as he contemplated approaching them.

No. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head.

‘Damn fool, old man,’ he shook his and a single sob escaped his lips. How would he make friends with people who were virtual children to him? He couldn’t even operate a damn cell phone, these kids lived and breathed the internet. Almost completely ignorant of modern pop culture and the attitudes of the time, he would be a fish out of water.

He opened his eyes again and wiped tears from his cheeks. Hailey’s friends had dispersed. All save a little slip of a girl who he would have found pretty if it hadn’t been her shock of electric blue hair and the tattoo sleeve that covered much of her right forearm. He’d never understood why these damn kids needed to cover their bodies with that hooey. She looked like a damn circus clown.

Everett sighed, shook his head and froze. The girl pushed Hailey against the wall, and while his initial impression was that his granddaughter was under attack, he soon realized that it wasn’t her blue-haired companion’s intent at all.

She stood up on the tips of her toes and locked her lips around Hailey’s. He was up on his feet in an instant and he had both fists clenched at his side.

“Goddamnit,” he cursed under his breath between gritted teeth. All sense left him and without realizing it he was moving toward them.

His confrontation with Agent Van den Broeke had made him realize just how close he’d come to giving into the carnal desires of his body. He would not let his granddaughter take the path he had come so close to taking. Though, a stranger might observe that the two situations were very different, to Sapphira they were pretty damned much the same thing.

He was less than a dozen feet away when a hand touched his shoulder and he spun around to look into a set of wide blue eyes.

“Who the hell are you?” He backed away and getting his first good look at the woman who had intruded upon him.

The new woman smiled and glanced down at her frame. “Well, I don’t suppose there’s much of a chance you’d recognize me, not in this body. Do you like it?”

Sapphira took a step back, moving away from Hailey and her lesbian lover and eyed the young brunette grinning at him with malicious glee in her eyes. She was pretty, beautiful even, but beyond that Sapphira wouldn’t have thought there was anything out of the ordinary about her, if he hadn’t realized who was lurking under her skin.

He gritted his teeth, bit his lip and did his best to avoid looking back at his granddaughter.

“Chemosh.”

Official Report
New Hebron State University
New Hebron, California

The girl rolled her eyes and let a smile touching the corner of her lips as she glanced down at her hand. Flexing it and turning it back and forth in front of her face.

“Sometimes I forget how invigorating it feels when inhabiting so young of a host, especially in the first few hours,” she said glancing back up at him with a hungry gleam in her eyes.

Sapphira, so unnerved by what he saw reflected in those eyes gasped and took a few more steps back. “H-how did you find me?”

“Oh, that,” the girl waved a dismissive hand and stepped toward him. “That’s easy. I can sense another of my kind miles away. As the inheritor of Ashtar’s spark you’re the next closest thing. I’ve known where you were the whole time.”

Sapphira stared at him his jaw hanging open. “If that’s true then why haven’t you tried to attack me? At the least why not send those creatures after me again?”

“Oh, you mean the Gallu? I let them out to play nothing more. It’s part of our little bargain, they help me maintain access to this plane of existence and I prove them with an anchor for which to access it. From time to time I arrange little playdates with your mortal kin. They feed off the energies of dying victims, and a hospital happens to be one of only a handful of locations your kind seems to congregate when they’re so very near to death. The point from which they enter this space time is relative to my location in this world. As that was the nearest place of death, it was the one the Gallu attacked.”

Chemosh stepped forward, and Sapphira tensed, thinking she would attack, but the other being placed a thin delicate hand on his shoulder and smiled.

“Tell me, have you thought about my offer? It wouldn’t be so difficult enact my plans without your help, but I like to take the path of least resistance. Why have you fighting me at every point of the way when I can ally myself with you?” She bit her lip and brought her whole face mere inches from Sapphira’s.

Sapphira swallowed, his heart hammering in his chest. The girl that Chemosh had inhabited smelled of flowers and wasn’t hard on the eyes either. His body, responded in much the same way it had before his confrontation with Amelia.

“I-I,” he said not even able to a complete sentence. He stared back at her with wide eyes, every fiber of his body quivering with desire and yet despite everything he hesitated. Chemosh terrified him, for all her talk of alliances, did he dare trust her?

She kissed him, and he tasted strawberries. When she pulled away, he stared back at her again, not able to think straight and certain not able to form a coherent answer.

She pulled him close, pressing her chest in his as her lips brushed his ear. “My, my, my your granddaughter has proven to be quite a disappointment, hasn’t she? Still, I think you would still do almost anything for her, wouldn’t you? It would be a shame if something were to happen to her, don’t you think?”

She pulled away, smiling back at the SUV still parked nearby. “And that AEGIS friend of yours, what is it she calls herself a transwoman? You mortals get so caught up in your little titles and descriptions, it’s cute really. Well… in any case I can sense your anger, the agent betrayed your trust, I can help you deal with her.”

Sapphira shuddered, somehow he didn’t think dealing with her would entail a mere exchange of words.

Chemosh slipped a hand into Sapphira’s pants pockets, slid it back out again and brushed her hand over his vulva just before taking several steps back.

She pulled her hands up, flicking a few stray bits of hair out of her eyes and smiled again. “You need more time, another day, perhaps? In the meantime, why don’t you take a little look inside your pants pocket and do a little investigating, You will find something illuminating. Consider it, a gift. I hope to hear from you… soon.”

Chemosh, held an open palm out, puckered her lips and blew a kiss at Sapphira. “Just think of all the interesting things we might do to another with me in this body.”

Sapphira stood there, watching her depart cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He didn’t know how she expected him to contact her, but equal parts of him both dreaded and looked forward to it.

He watched her depart, shuddered, and glanced around realizing that his granddaughter and her lover were absent. This surprised him, looking back his encounter with Chemosh, he was certain it would have drawn more than a little attention from the handful of people around him Hailey included. Somehow Chemosh must have shielded their awareness so that no one would attempt to intervene.

He looked around one final time and plunged his hand inside his pants pocket. He removed a piece of paper and unfolded it. The page was blank, but that’s not to say it didn’t tell him something.

“Clara,” he whispered under his breath and glanced down as his feet lifted from the ground. He stood there hovering in the open air, his cape billowing in the wind. He stared at his hands, now gloved and gritted his teeth. His mind had replaced the illusory blouse with the one piece costume his mind always conjured up when he needed to conceal his identity.

Chemosh had given him what he had sought for so long and he was damn well going to act on it. Without a single word he zoomed away, soaring through the open air.