Question Interlaced

Author note: following on immediately from Parallels , I'm trying to stretch myself to write from the perspective of a viewpoint character who is literally in more than one place at the same time doing completely different things, but feeling the connections between them.

Content warning: explicit on camera sex starting right at the beginning and continuing. If you aren't into smexytimes. there are other parts of Whateley. I'm operating on the basis that if the character gets it on, on camera, in canon, it's cool for me to follow suit. If I make a mistake on that, character-owning authors, please do correct me.

I should probably also warn that some parts of this story may have ultra-violence. Or body horror. Sometimes, sexy body horror, because our leading lady is proud to be spooky.

Feedback is very welcome! Honestly, I am a beginner. Advice will be treasured, if not necessarily followed. Approval will be held close to my heart. Disapproval, while bitter, will be examined for ways I can improve.

Story follows in subsequent posts, to make editing this note easier.

# Part one

**Saturday 6th January, 2007, Whateley**

The body I have in Schuster Hall shakes hands with my newly assigned academic advisor, Miss Terri Larson. The school laptop she gave me is under my arm. "Thank you again. I know I'm probably a bit of a handful to work with."

"I'm sure we shall get along wonderfully", she says in reply, and parting. "I'll see you next week."

I head out towards the quad. This is going to be a busy but good term. I've picked up a class load that no single human could handle. But then, I'm not really either of those.

At the same time, in Sara's room over on the other side of the campus, the me that's over there, and about two thirds naked, luxuriates in the afterglow of a really nice orgasm. Jet's hand is still down my half-off skirt, and full of my parts, which I really need to stop being so squeamish about. That is my *cock*, that is my *clit*. Yes, I have both. Yes, it is very nice, thank you very much. Over on the bed, catgirl Paige is curled, panting and purring and ear-twitching in Sara's lap, herself also very much in the afterglow - literally, she's still lit up electric blue from the inside, it's really quite lovely. "Thank you, Jet, it was wonderful" I say. She just kisses me for a reply.

I walk across the quad, looking around, the school is starting to look busier than I've ever seen it, although with parents and families around it's a red flag day, so everyone is pretending to be normal. Still cold, but the sun is out, a nice day. Snow lying around in piles reflects the blue sky, and I wince at a sudden flashback to the events of yesterday. Okay, so maybe I *do* need to see the shrink. Which means I need to head over to the Doyle Medical building, the first place on Whateley I ever saw - although I presume, not the same part of it.

In fact, it turns out it's a different area of the building entirely, one that makes a lot more effort to emphasize the calming over the clinical. There are houseplants and decorative rocks. Even the waiting area seats are plush. However, I don't end up using them, as I'm shown straight through to the doctor's room.

"Welcome, come in, I'm Doctor Alfred Bellows." He's an older man with greying brown hair. We shake hands, "Please, take a seat. Would you like anything, coffee, tea?"

The sofa is slightly cliche but very comfortable. "Coffee, please. Milk, no sugar." Vices from another, older life. It's a very nice office. Cosy, looks lived in without being cluttered. I put the laptop on the floor beside me, carefully.

He makes up coffee with a plug in kettle and a drip filter, and hands me a mug. "Alright", I ask, "Shall we get started? I take it patient confidentiality begins immediately?" I'm not normally this abrupt, but I'm feeling jumpy.

On the other side of campus, I'm getting re-dressed in a hurry, as Sara has let us know that folks from her pack are on their way, ones who I hadn't met yet. While I probably am going to end up naked around them, it might not be the best first impression. Jet, who doesn't have any clothes to tidy, is helping grab clothes for me. "I'll return the favour later", I promise. She grins and hugs me. "I'll look forward to it."

"Yes it does", says Dr Bellows, taking a seat opposite me, "And yes, let's begin. Why don't you tell me something about yourself. And how you're feeling." So, time for the big spiel, I guess.

"I'm a time and world traveller", I say. "I arrived here four days ago, Tuesday oh dark hundred AM, literally on fire with mutant burnout after manifesting in another world and teleporting out of control across universes. I landed in a snowdrift, died, and regenerated my full body to match a new, female template. My original powers are very high regeneration, high warping, and mid-low exemplar. I've had some help to expand my warper power, and stretched into and through it. A certain someone has, with my full consent, sparked certain changes in me. As of now, then, what I am is a pre-larval great old one in potential, with thousands of simultaneous minds, as many simultaneous bodies as I please, I read whole libraries in a morning, I have gravity sensing and gravity manipulation power, and I can use that to cast impenetrable shields and to fly, badly. And some other things we might talk about later. Oh, and I used to be trans. Now I'm cis, but conspicuously intersex when naked."

"Well", he says, and has to pause a moment to absorb all that. "I did read your latest updated report, but it seems they don't even know the half of it. That's quite a mouthful. And all of this since Tuesday?"

"Yeah", I admit. "If I couldn't lucid dream in a dozen concurrent parallels, I'd be having debilitating nightmares about it. And a few other things that happened, like when I got kidnapped on Thursday and threatened with being gutted, because somebody wanted to forcibly divide me from my best friend. Or when I got my brain stolen off inside an alien spaceship yesterday and had to delete my original body."

I may be breaking his brain a little. "My empathy tells me you're speaking the absolute truth, and if anything holding back on my behalf. But... wow." He stops to sip his tea. Presumably making some time to process.

"Yeah, wow", I agree. "it has been an eventful few days."

Sara's room still smells of sex, but I expect the folks coming in and giving her and the others hugs are used to that. I'm introduced to Hippolyta (gigantic, nearly bumps her head on the high ceiling, short golden curly hair, a bit abrupt), Feral (lean, sharp, stop-flicker animal-like movement, messy hair, doesn't talk much), Gypsy (dresses the part, dark longer hair, Rider-Waite tarot in a hip holster), and Heyoka (uncategorisably androgynous and cute). I get to do an abridged version of the spiel for them too. I did read a little about them, but I don't have any of their secrets. I'll leave explaining that for later. Instead, we start to swap stories about how we met Sara, and our adventures.

Over in the doc's sofa, I explain to him that my latest adventure has left me with a flinch at the colour blue. He wants to know why. I weigh Sara's earlier advice to clam up, which is good for faculty in general, but, maybe there's a time and a place. "Okay, doc, here's the thing. I don't want this getting out of the room. Not in conversation, not in notes. It could endanger my life and would certainly complicate it, and it wouldn't genuinely help the school to know it, because I have absolutely no intention of being a danger to anybody. I need a promise, or it will just have to be the unspecified thing."

He sighs, frowns, steeples his fingers. "That's asking a lot, you know? It's asking me to put a lot of people's lives at risk on your bare word." He looks at me, sharply. I nod, showing I understand. "But I can feel you're sincere, and you really do need to talk about it. Very well. Please don't make me regret this. You have my promise."

I nod. "Alright. Shielding isn't the only gravity power I synthesized. There is another. Discontinuity knife." And I explain how I can cut things by using my warper power to create a thin line of separation in the fabric of space itself. "The trouble is, it doesn't just cut matter. It cuts atoms, it cuts molecules. And whatever is left dangling thrashes around, kicking out high energy particles. And a pretty sky blue light from Cherenkov radiation."

He winces. "I don't know much physics, but that's what makes a reactor glow, right? That's far more radiation than it's safe to be around."

"Would have killed me yesterday morning when I discovered it, if I wasn't a regen six", I agree. "Did kill me, yesterday evening, when I cut an alien starship in half with it. The radiation was bad enough it was making sparkles directly in my visual cortex. You can see why I don't plan to pull that out and wave it around on campus."

He nods, looking a bit ill. "Eventful", he repeats. "Yes, please do not pull that out anywhere in, around or near the school. Or human habitation. Or yourself."

I nod. "In that one case, it was needs must, and I could dismiss the irradiated body anyway, although it was my original, it was already beyond repair. That, losing my original, bothers me too."

He makes some notes, and sighs. "I can see how it would. That was the one with the kidnapped brain, right?" I nod. "Devisor medicine can reinsert brains, but it's experimental and can fail."

"That one was halfway across the solar system and in enemy hands", I add. "Not really a repairable circumstance. Thankfully, and this may be down to my luck power, I had a backup body left behind on Earth that they missed, probably because it was injured and unconscious."

"Or else you would have had to dismiss your last one", Dr smart cookie says.

I nod. "And getting back from that would be hard. I wouldn't be dead exactly, my non-physical extension remains conscious when my body is KO'd. But I'd not have any material body to copy to recreate myself."

He rubs his forehead. "I can see this is going to be interesting. But, in the end it comes down to very human fears. Pain. Death. Being lost. Being separated from loved ones and beloved places. I can lead you through those."

I nod. "Add in becoming inhuman, which I've chosen, but I'm also having to gradually deal with."

"A common fear among mutants. We normally explain that a mutation, even a major change of form, doesn't end your humanity. But you're implying you've begun a process that is different from regular mutation?"

"A change of form of soul. Where what you'd normally be pointing out to anyone else sat here, is that a mutant's soul is still human, mine is gradually becoming *not*. I expect that my form of mind will change too. Continuing the change that has already begun."

"Why don't you run those changes by me in a bit more detail?"

The group over in Sara's room has reduced back down to me, Jet, Paige and Sara, the ones without other places to be. I relate my decision, to tell the doc, and she agrees, "Doc Bellows is trustworthy. Good call. He'll help you deal with it."

My turn to snuggle with Sara on the bed. Jet is floating and "guarding". Paige gets to be petted kitty beside us. I ask, "Are you holding a lot of charge right now, Paige?", because I'm a bit jealous only Sara, who can shrug off electrical shocks, gets to pet her.

"Dun think so", she says in a lazy satisfied voice. "'I'm really really relaxed right now."

I carefully try petting her with the back of my hand - snap! ow, involuntary jerk back. "Body, learn to handle this!" I say out loud. Snap! ow again. Snap! I think that was less ow.

Sara giggles. "I like how you think." Watches me make another attempt, and another.

It's fairly definitely less ow, now. "Sara, can you scan me and see if my body is really learning, or I'm just numbing myself with abuse?"

She nods. "Okay, but this is gonna look gross." A wiggling fur of teeny tiny tentacles appear on the palm and fingers of her hand, and she reaches to grasp my arm.

"You forget I think your tentacles are cute", I tease, as a weird chilly sensation goes up my arm. I watch with curiosity, sure I can see wiggling under the skin. Then it withdraws and she lets go.

"Flatterer. And yes, your nerves are learning to grow insulated sheaths, and your skin is learning to be conductive over the surface. I'm a little impressed."

I reach out carefully with the front of my hand, and try petting Paige, ignoring the stinging and cramp until it slowly loosens, then I find I can run fingers through her fur, with a slight smell of ozone. And she purrs. Oh my goodness that is a heavenly noise. "Yay! Paige petting, achieved." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Now to train your tongue", Sara teases me. "I saw how you were looking at her earlier. She has such a pretty blue glow."

"I very want", I admit. And pretty Paige has a boner again.

In the doc's office, I explain. "I found I could contact what I call parallels, possible selves, through the "sideways" alterations my benefactor made to my warping. They aren't sapient people, only potentials that I can make real. From my perspective, they're minds that connect to mine at so fundamental a level I can treat them like threads, or parallel processes. We can work on things in gangs, to increase our mental capacity, or separately, set things to run in the background, break a task into a pipeline and stream information through it, or use one group to dive into another's workings. I set to work on my own mental processes, and now I'm lucid and in control at nearly all levels of my mind, including subconscious, dreams, even the nonphysical extensions into soul, to a limited extent. More of me is outside my brain, than in, now. I can stay conscious through physical unconsciousness. I can sleep and be awake at the same time. And, through some work at a soul level, I've worked out how to introduce new copy bodies into physical reality, or withdraw them. Each body is completely me, run by as many parallels as I need."

"I'm a little surprised, given the level of control you describe, that you need my help at all."

"I have all the tools", I say. "Doesn't mean I know how to use them. It would be bad to just shut down symptoms until something more fundamental breaks, or monkey around and lose something important."

"Ah, understood." He looks thoughtful.

Paige is lazily holding up a finger. I wait for my tongue to stop its disturbed twitching, and push myself to reach out and lick again, concentrating on encouraging thoughts. I can do this. I can adapt myself to this. Good body, you can learn.

Snap! Ow, cramping tongue, involuntary blinking. But less, I think. It *is* working, gradually.

"Getting back to fundamentals", says the doc, "what you lived through a few times in the last four days, and it sounds like particularly badly yesterday, is what we in the business call traumatic stress. Which is a different beastie than your regular, bad day at school, forgot your homework kind of stress. It affects the mind differently. It gets stuck down at a more fundamental, animal level. Often, it's not visible, until it pops up and surprises you with its intensity. The memory can even be missing, because it's been written down at a level where the conscious mind doesn't reach. Perhaps that doesn't apply to you, but it will still be where you aren't expecting to look for it."

Now that I know what to search for, it doesn't take long to find. An inner, intensely self protective part of me is clinging onto burned-in memories of fear and helplessness.

"Found it. Not that I have the first clue what to do with it. But it's just like you said."

In the other room, my tongue touches the fingertip, nothing except a slight tingle. Gingerly, I close my lips around it, but there's no sting. I kiss and stroke with a tongue tip. Then let loose and say, "turn up the voltage would you? Just a little at a time, slowly." And close my lips over the fingertip again.

The doc is caught a little on the back foot, but he rallies. "You have direct contact with the part of you that's holding traumatic memories? Alright. So, why don't we start by becoming allies of that part of your mind. Which we do by seeing things from its perspective. As we go along, we'll be adjusting the beliefs it holds to more positive, helpful forms, without contradicting what it feels. So, let's begin. Tell me what happened that night, and let that part of you say how it feels about it."

"Enough, you two! Paige, stop it." Sara's swatting at a smoulder mark in the silk sheet. Which I did not feel. "Very well done but enough for now, until you can find some place to ground out properly."

I wince, "Sorry, Sara. Your beautiful bed."

"Don't worry too much, dear, the room will reweave it. But let's not give it needless work." She grins. "You really did it. I am impressed. And turned on. Such dedication."

As I explain to the doc how afraid I was, all alone in enemy hands, stuck having to choose something that felt almost like suicide, I snuggle against Sara in the other room. "I can feel your emotions across bodies, you know", she says. "I can hear you talking to doc Bellows. But you survived it. Don't forget that. And no matter what happens I've got you, forever."

There's nothing I can say to that, except "I love you, so much there aren't words for it."

"Y'wanna tell me what happened?" Paige asks. "Cause I was out of the loop." So Sara and I tag-team for a bit, telling her the story of how I nearly lost my last copy and got stuck in dreams until I could learn to make a new physical body from scratch.

"You know what's fucked up?" I say. "I can't tell the doc this, but the reason he was after me wasn't even the secrets in my head, although I bet he'd think so. It was some shitty Macbeth style precog prophecy. I'm dangerous to his plans, huh? Could it be because he gave me no choice and I had to blow his guts across the room and then irradiate him and leave him to swim home in vacuum?"

Paige giggles. "Serves the old bastard right, but, I've got enough tactical sense to spot what you're carefully not saying. No choice, my furry foot. You didn't have to do a damn thing. Could have just vanished on him. Or blew his head off. You wanted him to watch himself die."

Oof, got me. "Heh. Yeah. That is the thing that's biting me in the conscience but I am gonna tell the doc? Am I heck. I'd end up in ARC black. I did need to give him a tactical slap on the wrist to make sure he didn't just turn right around and come fetch me again, but you're right, pop goes the head and the problem would have been over. I was *angry*."

"This is a feeling we are familiar with" Paige says. Or rather, I think, Mai the Palm AI she shares a brain with says. "You were under stress, and inexperienced, anger is to be expected."

"Anger that makes me torture someone, while having the abilities to do it, will scare the norms. It scares me."

Mai says, "Your decision not to explain this to Doctor Bellows is sound. Your decision to share it with us is also sound, as we are well placed to understand it. Control is something you learn."

Sara strokes my hair, gently. It feels really good, fingers on scalp. "I watched you try out those two powers for the first time, just a few hours earlier. I was the first one who saw you arrive, before you even knew you had powers, less than a week ago. You aren't used to having big teeth, or controlling your anger in the heat of battle. You've gone and stung your own conscience, on a man who honestly deserves everything you did and worse, and you'll be careful next time. Trust yourself a little better, beloved. You're learning."

I sigh and lean back against her, feeling comforted. "Okay, I'll try. I wonder if he got back. Assholes like that don't die just from being killed."

"Probably", Sara admits. "He's not short of ways to run away. I'd go for the head shot next time, except he'll probably have defenses."

"Bah, blew my chance."

Mai says, "Chances are something you make."

Over in the doc's office, we've been talking through better ways to think about the situation. I should go learn meditation - even if I already have most of the technical abilities it'd take a monk a couple decades of self discipline to learn, I have to actually use them to get the Zen. And I need to pick up and examine thoughts around the whole business. Like, "I am a monster for making that old guy scream". Is it accurate? Is it helpful? Nope to either. Just questioning myself that way will stop stuff like that becoming assumptions that taint my relationship with myself and everyone else. It does help. He's going to assign me someone to teach meditation. I suspect, because he's no fool, the doc is going to draw some inferences once he's no longer feeling like he stuck his finger in a plug socket. Hopefully, he decides I'm not a danger. We shake hands, he gives me his card, to call in emergencies. Next session is next week. If the current shitstorm holds up, I'm sure I'll have fresh traumas. And then I'm headed back toward Poe, because the Kimbas will be here.

# Part two

**6th January, 2007, Whateley, morning**

I snuggle back against Sara. Talking through all that stuff helped, but now my head's just empty. Irony, yo. "Hey Sara", I ask, "Do you reckon I'll ever learn how to grow tentacles?" Idle thoughts.

"Ever? Yeah", she says. "Not soon though, that kind of mythos stuff is the advanced class. Too dangerous for you yet." But she consoles me by making tentacles for me to nuzzle against and kiss.

"Ah well", I say. "They're just sweet is all."

"Thank you", she says.

I catch one of her tentacles and suck on it, and put the tip under my tongue.

She mms, "Why'd you put it there?"

"Thought you might like it", I say a bit slowly, pronouncing around tentacle. "Where the veins are. Next to my bloodstream."

"You, miss Jules, are a tease. You are making me hungry and if you are not careful I shall bite you."

"So bite", I say teasing.

She pulls the tentacle out of my mouth, even though I make complaining noises. "Silly. You need to be careful what you offer me."

"Okay", I say. "You can't eat me, I might get pulled in as a soul and that would be messy to undo. No permanent damage or serious pain, even if I can dismiss the body, I don't want to accidentally teach myself to be callous. But with those limits I don't have any skin boundary from you. I trust you."

"No skin boundary, hmm hmm?" Herself is amused. "So if I wanted to play tic tac toe on your liver?"

"It's right there, don't let me stop ya."

"Gah, tempter", she laughs. "Later. We need to get ready for lunch. Are you gonna be coming to lunch from Poe or here?"

"Both", I say. "Might as well start as I mean to go on."

In Poe, I'm sat in Fey's room, which seems to be the default council of war kinda place. Billie had broken a bit of the big news before I got back from getting my head shrunk. Fey put up an anti-snoop field. Then I had to apologise to everyone for learning their secrets, which was embarrassing. I think Ayla doesn't trust me. Chou is sort of quietly judging. Fey thinks I'm weird, but okay. Jade approves of me being there for Billie, but got grumpy at how much I learned. I think she'll forgive me. Toni thinks I'm weird, but is happy to have another girl who just outright likes being a girl, "even if you do have extra bits".

"So let me get this straight", Ayla asks. "You just up and jumped into Sara's lap, and said 'make me as spooky as you'? And you did this knowing, accurately and in detail, what she is, because you read it over in another universe?"

"Bing, a million bucks for team Ayla, that is the right answer!" Which cracks up Toni and Jade. "Yeah. I jumped at the chance."

Fey says, "I can already sense it, you know? Your soul is starting to change, and you feel a little other than human, in the way she does. Anyone magically sensitive is going to notice it soon."

"Wasn't planning to hide it", I say. "Wasn't planning to flaunt it either, but if they ask, I'll just say yes, that's what I am now. I'm more than a little proud of my choice."

"But you will be flaunting your multiple bodies", says Toni.

"Can't hardly avoid it, if I want to take half a dozen concurrent classes, they'll see me walking past myself on campus."

"Tell me you at least are going to hide having the extra parts?" Ayla asks. "Because Poe will keep your secret there, but if it gets out, well, I have personal experience with that. There's a lot of assholes."

"Haven't decided", I admit. "I'm really tempted to be open about it. Bullies, I am not particularly concerned about. I should be able to evade them without violence. Risking Poe's secret is the main thing in the don't pile, but it's a huge one. Besides, even if I was open, I'm not exactly gonna climb on a table in Crystal Hall, put on my best Shakespeare voice, and yell out 'I have a dick' to the whole school."

Which makes everyone snicker. "No, I wouldn't recommend that", says Ayla.

I smile. "Anyhow. I'm hoping soon enough, everyone just files me under 'a normal day in weirdness central AKA Whateley'."

"Our whole team is pretty strange", Billie agrees. "If they can get used to me and Nikki and Jinn playing as Shroud, they can get used to you."

"We need to head over to lunch", Chou says, finally joining in the conversation. "The Tao sees you as a positive in the balance. Which I am a little surprised by but will accept."

I bow to her, since it seems appropriate. Which makes her, finally, smile a little.

I sit down at the Kimba table, after Billie shows me how to touch in to the conversation, with half my portion on my tray, and I walk in with Sara, Paige and Jet, go get the other half of my portion, touch in and sit down opposite. And both of me break out giggling at everyone's responses. "What, you've not seen a girl with two independent bodies before?", I say in perfect sync.

"Flaunt it, she said", Toni says. "Well, mission achieved I guess."

Soon enough I'm not the topic of conversation. Bugs has suits to show. Jade has a nifty idea to flip for ultra-violence or pacifism each morning, which makes Ayla turn interesting shades of purple and spit her drink. I let it wash over me. I'm not part of Kimba yet, I may never be, they're already a team and well above my level in physical combat. But I'm inside their circle of friends, and it feels good. And I'm also sitting with Sara's pack, and inside their circle of friends. It's pretty wonderful, and I can just bask.

After the meal, Poe-me heads over towards the library. Sara-me follows the pack back down underground. I play by trying to float along, I wouldn't call it flying, which I can get away with since there's no red flag day in the tunnels. My efforts get me giggled at. I ham it up, swimming in mid air, tumbling like I'm out of control, pretending to spacewalk. Everyone's laughing when we get to Sara's room and collapse on beanbags - I lower myself just above one and then ploomp down on it. Everyone applauds, which makes me break down laughing. "So fun."

The me in the library is having a more quiet kind of fun. Looking around a bit, I eventually track down Miss Henderson. With a bit of persuasive effort and demonstration, I manage to convince her that multi-body reading isn't disruptive in the way my earlier warper trick is. She gives me permission to multi-read, but not the whole library at once. "Stick to one section at a time, and defer to other students. Even if you only need the book for a few seconds, the bustle might be intimidating to them. I don't want to receive any complaints." I assure her there won't be. And apologize again for the mess on Thursday. "I owe you one, if you need an additional free worker for anything, mail me." She nods. And adds "we have improved our security camera coverage and monitoring since Thursday. Such an assault won't be permitted to happen again." I thank her.

And then it's on to picking up Physics where I left off, although I quickly find that ARC covered a lot of that, and there's only a few books that have new stuff. I'll just work along the shelf then. Chemistry is next!

It turns out that Sara's pack plays board games. Who knew? It's not really my thing, so I get to sit with a book, taking my time because it's the spooky one and it makes quite a bit more sense now I know mid-university level physics and a bit of organic chemistry. Sara has half an eye for me, checking I'm not turning into something too oogy too fast, and the rest of her attention on the Catan game, having entirely too much fun saying "I have wood for sheep" with a bit of lust aura push and making everyone crack up and pelt her with cushions.

I'm particularly interested to read about Sara's father, Gothmog, because I haven't met him yet and really would like to. There's a summoning ritual, which is pretty simple, just a drawing, a chant and some ingredients, but I'm curious about how it works and try to pick apart the pieces mentally, carefully. Everything you do with this kind of material has to be kid gloves, because it can easily fire off just from being thought about in the wrong way. But on the other hand, the hyperspatial geometry of it does make a lot of sense to me. I wonder if I could improve it?

In the library, I skip over most of the sports section for now, as I'm not really interested in the intricacies of baseball or soccer, but the martial arts section gets my full attention. I may not be able to learn from books, exactly, but maybe I can get a few better ideas to hang experience on? There is, unsurprisingly, quite a lot, and covering a variety of arts.

Hippolyta wins Catan, and gets a hug and a long slow kiss for her reward, which makes her blush practically incandescent and everyone else applaud. Sara catches my eye and comes over to shoulder peek. "Hmm, looking at Daddy's ritual?" And I explain how I might be able to improve it. She nods, "Okay, let's give it a try, it feels like a good time for it." Then to the room, "okay, people, we're gonna call daddy, so, it's up to you if you want to stick around and meet him." Hippolyta and Gypsy make their excuses, but the rest decide to stay.

Alright. Sara offers a box of chalk, I take a stick, and copy myself a half dozen more times - yay, I copied the chalk too! Success number one. Okay. The seven of me each take an area of the summoning circle and each of us crouches and draws. With a bit of space bending, we can get the angles and layers right. The whole, nine-foot thing is done in seconds. Success number two.

"That makes my eyes water", Jamie complains, looking away. "How can you draw in more than one level of depth like that on a flat surface?"

Sara is grinning proudly. Hands the nearest one of me the pieces I need, a condom in its packet, a dried rose with the thorns on, a small tightly curled snip of dark hair. I pass them to other me's and we put them in their proper pads in the diagram. "Okay, anyone not wanting to hear spooky stuff please plug your ears", I say, in unison. Which is, to be honest, a bit deliberately spooky already, but it wakes them up. Jamie and Paige plug up. Erin and Jet risk it.

In the library, I pause. Going to deliberately avoid cross streams of concentration for this one.

I start to speak the chant, but carefully cross phased over the seven of me, and some of me are speaking at slightly different space bends than others, or very slightly out of sync. I'm sure there's a musical term for this but I haven't hit music in my reading yet. The effect is something like an echo and something like a chord of harmonised sound.

We finish.

And without fanfare, there's suddenly a man inside the circle. Very tall, has to be seven feet. Beautifully androgynous, he could be a supermodel except for the flat chest. Tailored black silk suit that catches the room's lighting nicely. Black, straight hair done up in a simple tight ponytail, long enough to touch the stone floor. He looks, perhaps, a bit Hispanic.

Sara smiles happily. "Hi Daddy, meet my friends." I dismiss the six extra me, and give him a bow.

"Well, daughter, this is interesting indeed." He looks down. "Your improvements? Hmm, no." Looks at the remaining one of me. "Ah. Well met indeed. My greetings to you, friend of Sara, and I sense, granddaughter?"

"Greetings to you, grandfather", I say. "I've been looking forward to meeting you. My name's Jules, code name Parallel."

"When I look like this I usually go by Antonio Marques Dominguez", he says. "Also Gothmog. Bold of you to give me your real name, but, I sense, not the whole original?"

"As much of it as I've kept, in this world", I admit. "Whatever name Sara speaks counts as the real one to me." Which gets an understanding smile.

Sara goes around introducing the others, by codename. Feral, Cyberkitty, Heyoka, and Jet, who seems to only have one name. Everyone does a bow, or a curtsey in Paige's case, show-off.

I go fetch a beanbag. "Want one?" I offer. He smiles and nods, so I pass it into the circle. We all grab bags to sit in around the circle, and him inside it.

"Well, this is nice", he says. "I should warn you all that I'm under summoning rules, so I am not allowed to reveal secrets or grant boons without charging for them."

"Just tell us, daddy, and we'll negotiate the price", Sara says. "It shouldn't get in the way much if we're just chatting."

He nods in agreement. "Of course. So how's my daughter been?"

"Fell in love again, adopted a daughter, got chased by aliens, the usual", Sara smirks.

"A busy few days", Gothmog agrees. "The mi-go were most put out over their ship being so nicely bisected."

"Trouble?" Sara asks.

"No, no, not for you." He turns facing me, "Or you. They don't blame the nettle when it stings. But they blame the idiot who sent them out without gloves to pick it. Your Uncle Charles is not in their good books."

"He's not in mine either, daddy. I think we should do something about him."

"Hmm. and what do you think, miss Parallel?"

Having his attention like that is pretty nipple-crinkling intense. And I normally have exactly zero interest in guys. I say, "I think he's the kind of two-bit nuisance who holds a grudge. If he made it safely home, he'll be coming back. Good tactics say we deal with him first, at a time of our choosing not his, and in a manner that prevents further problems. For whichever values of 'we'. I can swing a big stick but not without some nasty collateral damage. And he's seen it, he may have defenses."

Gothmog nods. "Good analysis. I concur. However, I'm constrained from just jumping in on this one, too much risk to the balance. I can probably make a deal, though, without tipping anything. For a price."

I consider that. "What I need is training. Particularly, magic, but your - what will be our - kind of stuff, more than the human stuff. At a speed that is tolerably safe for me, but as quickly as possible within that constraint. What would the price be?"

He rubs his chin and thinks. "Alright. Two things. The first is alliance. You'll take my side and my daughter's against any enemies of ours. You'll be counted among the number of those I can call upon, when I have need. Even if it were to be inconvenient, at the time."

"Your enemies are my enemies", I say. "Your friends are my friends. My strength and my skill will always be in alliance with you and yours. As it already is for Sara."

He nods. "Good." And Sara says "witnessed". Then he continues, "The second is", and he grins mischievously, "You'll come and visit your old grandpa and come learn from me in my own realm."

And I grin, and say, "Done and I'd love to."

"Then done", he says. "You've got yourself a tutor."

Me in the library resumes reading the martial arts section, but with a happy smile.

# Part three

**6th January, 2007, Whateley, afternoon**

I slide the last book in the martial arts section back onto the shelf. That was an interesting set of books to read, and honestly, I'm fairly sure I don't understand a tenth of it yet, but I've got it on file, grainy black and white photos and all. I wonder if I can treat the body mechanics mathematically? But I'd need to know how my own body's capable of moving, and I don't, not really. I mean, I read all the anatomy stuff, I could draw the inside of my shoulder joint, but can I move it all the possible ways? Grumble, grumble. I need tentacles so I can poke inside stuff and watch it move. In the meantime, I should schedule some time to just move and find out the ranges of motion and where the muscles are strong. Maybe I can get in on morning Tai Chi? I'll have to ask Nikki and Chou. Morning feels a long time away.

I'm realizing that time feels strange to me now. I can do some things so incredibly fast that waiting for mere days practically has me pacing the floor. Which means I need some sort of hobby to occupy my attention. I'll see what occurs to mind.

Looking over at the fiction section, I realise I've made a problem from my old world that much worse. A fast reader catches up to her favourite authors. One who can finish a book in five seconds flat, will run out of new series to read as soon as the inter-library loan system comes up dry. Fate is cruel. The thought makes me giggle as I start the authors at "A", and bring up another half dozen of me to begin reading. Despite impatience, I have all the time in the world. New authors will be born.

Okay, the impatience thing is going to bug me.

In Sara's room, the pack is chatting with Gothmog. It's clear he knows Paige. The others, I don't think he's had a chance to meet yet. They're a little hesitant, but he's a charming guy. Never slips past light flirting to creepy, and soon everyone's old friends. Me, I snuggle up with my head in Sara's lap and let the conversation wash over me a bit. I did my first spell just earlier. I think I understood it a little, too. That's slightly overawing. I am really looking forward to learning more, though. Lying here, I feel infinitely content. Tentacle hair pets don't hurt either. Mm, so nice.

Paige joins in petting me which makes me spontaneously giggle. How the tables are turned! "Can't purr yet", I say. "Might learn." And I play making a prrprr sound. Which makes everyone laugh. Since I got woken up a little, I might as well ask the thing that's on my other mind. "So, Sara, Grandpa, how do you two cope with time? Like, things take so long to happen, when part of you is fast."

They both look thoughtful. Sara says, "I generally find I have lots of things to do, so if I can't do one, I can do another. But I have things I can fall back to when that's impossible. Studying. Playing with my beloveds. Playing GEO. If I get antsy, I can go out for a walk. The stars are always beautiful, and the many busy living things in the woods are fascinating, or enticing to chase. Especially now I have Fey's connection to it all."

Gothmog nods. "The universe is immense, and you won't run out of things to learn. But also, I find it helps to accept the moments, rather than push them away. If you're looking towards what will happen, it can feel like nothing is happening now. But that's not true at all. In every moment, so many things are happening. If you allow yourself to experience and care about them, then time is never empty. The thing you are waiting for will come around in its proper time, and then your attention can turn towards it. But right now, my daughter has tentacles stroking your scalp. Right now, miss Cyberkitty has lovely blue eyes and a gentle look in them. See the moment, and it's full."

I smile. "That makes so much sense. I'll try doing that. And also collecting a lot of things to do."

"You'll find that comes on its own, along with responsibilities and commitments", he says amused. "Alright, speaking of commitments, apologies but I think I must be getting along. Thank you all for your most enjoyable company, and you are all welcome to look me up. Thank you for the summoning, granddaughter, and I liked your edits." He stands, brushes his suit out, bows. "Good afternoon, daughter, granddaughter, and friends." And the circle is empty.

After that, the gathering just drifts apart. I clean up the circle with a dry cloth, and the room makes the chalk dust vanish. I think, everyone has a lot to think about, after meeting Sara's father. Those who are into boys, perhaps they need to go have some time with themselves and a bottle of lube. I think he won't mind. Myself I'm so very not, but he's on my exceptions list, which presently consists only of him. If he asks when I visit, I won't say no.

I've been hogging Sara's time for a bit, so I decide to go for a wander, myself. I know Whateley's tunnel system is absolutely immense. Any ordinary person might wander for days, lost deep underground. However, I'm not that ordinary any more. I'll memorise the whole thing as I see it, and I can make a new me to explore every turn-off I come to, then dismiss them at dead ends or loop-backs. Gravity sensing should give me relative position and a directional baseline. I explain my plan to Sara (because seriously, what kind of idiot would go do that without someone back at base knowing where they were?) and she gives me the nod. "For you, it should be safe. If you get in any danger, just vanish the body." I agree to that, and set off.

One of me quickly reaches Poe. That one I keep around, and head up to the second floor where the rooms are. Billie's around, and she looks a lot perkier now everyone else is back. "Hey there, Jules! Finished the library already?"

I shake my head with a grin. "Still there, reading. Also several of me are exploring the tunnels. What's up over here?"

She laughs. "You're hard to get used to. Not a whole lot, me and Jade were just talking. Want to join us?" I nod, "I'd love to."

The room feels a lot more lived in, all of a sudden. Jade's stuff has a strong cutesy slant, which I don't hate at all. "Hey there", I say. "Is it okay if I come in?" Billie said yes, but it's best to get Jade's okay too, since she might still be grumpy with me. Meanwhile, my mental map of the tunnels continues to grow. Twisty, twisty, fun and twisty. It's easy to be a bit bold when I can probably avoid anything worse than a jump scare, even if I do meet a grue. Although I'm careful not to actually be reckless. And remembering something I read in the previous life, I check the ceilings too.

Jade nods. "Sure, come on in. Sorry I was rude earlier."

"Already forgiven", I say, "You had a nasty shock. One I truly, deeply understand. Let's say I owe you one."

"Ooh, you'll regret that", says a certain much loved looking cabbit toy. "Dangerous to owe favours to us. I might make you do something nasty."

"You shut it", says Jade, blushing and laughing.

"Bah, mistreatment, I demand plush rights! I'm a heroine too." Which gets her picked up and hugged by Billie.

"See, she appreciates me!" We all laugh.

"Hey Jade", I say when the giggles calm down, "I was wondering, would you be able to get me an in with the gadgeteer crowd?"

Billie asks, "Why'd you need it? I didn't think that was one of your powers."

"Wasn't yesterday", I smirk.

"The library, huh?" She's no dunce. "Nice."

"I can definitely get you an in, and I can introduce you to Bugs, too", Jade says.

I smile. "Thanks. I'm probably going to need her or someone friendly to help guide my hand a bit in the beginning. I may know about op-amps but I've never tried to solder one down."

She nods. "You should be able to test in as a gadgeteer, even if it's not a mutation, they aren't too picky about where the skill came from. They've handled people who knew the theory, but not the practise before, I'm sure of it. You'll be fine."

"Good good", I say, feeling antsy. "Now I just need to chase down Chaka and get her to show me movement. And Chou, to get in on morning Tai Chi."

Jade looks at me with an unreadable emotion. Sympathy? "You're trying to rush everything in one bite, aren't you?"

"A bit", I admit. "The waiting bothers me. I know there will be lessons from Monday, but..."

"It doesn't feel entirely real, like it might be snatched away?"

I wince. She got me. "It feels like that every separate measurable instant. And I can measure small instants. Like, I'm currently mapping the tunnels as we speak, because it feels like I'm getting something *done*. Because I can't let a moment pass."

Jade comes over and hugs me. "Please be careful in the tunnels, there really are monsters in the dark, stay in the areas marked for walking and obey danger signs. But I completely understand. Believe me. It is real. It will last. You are really here. The shock will wear off, and you will still be here."

I hug her back. "Thank you." Yes, I'm crying, and I'm okay with that. And I think I've mapped enough tunnels for now. I'll know where to come back to, if I want to pick that up, but I don't feel the need to rush it so much any more. I already did find where I was held hostage. One of the devisor labs. Let's hope that stays a useless factoid. All 83 current bodies inside the tunnel system's winding extents silently vanish. "Alright, I'm done mapping for today. I did cover a lot of ground though."

"Maybe you can become my kouhai in the maintenance crew", Jade suggests. "That knowledge could come in handy."

"I'll ask and see if they'll have me, prospective senpai" Which makes both of them grin.

Jade puts her hand on her chin thoughtfully, then looks at me suspiciously for a moment. "What do you think of Hello Kitty?"

"Fun and cute", I say. "Although Paige is cuter." Oho, is she poking me for Wondercute?

"The colour pink, or other pastels?"

"Nice to look at. I have some shirts in those colours."

"Sailor moon?"

"I was never able to get into it much, but as far as mahou shoujo goes, I loved Nanoha. Um, Madoka was too dark for me, but I think that hasn't happened yet in this timeline."

She looks thoughtful.

I ask, "Do I pass?"

She grins. "Well, not an instant pass, but we shall see. You are clearly not an enemy of cute, at least." Which I acknowledge, playfully, with a bow.

I say see ya, and head out. What should I do with myself? I go and lie down on my Poe bunk-bed a bit and think. Me in the library is done for now, I covered all the literary fiction section. A bit dull really, but boredom is an emotion that can be switched off if it gets underfoot. They might be set texts. Still, I'll save the fun bits for later, I've still got an SF-fantasy section left, and a few of the non-fiction areas that weren't high priority. I do find the absence of Lovecraft's work ironic. They probably have it under lock and key. That me vanishes.

For a short while, then, it's just the one body. Which almost feels quaint. "I'm really here", I repeat to myself.

Is that even true any more? What is the meaning of I, for me?

We decide that our shared "I" is the identity we all feel is our "I", that is shared across all of me, physical and non. Our attempts to poke down into the soul level seem to suggest we join up there, like many stems from one big, alien root.

How do I cope with the fear this all isn't real?

Talk to the shrink, talk to Sara, those both seem like good starts. Stop chasing my damn tail, I'll wear a hole in the rug. Don't stop learning, but make time to smell the roses. Gothmog's advice earlier comes back to me. Grasp the value in the small moments.

And to an extent I can rely on proof through capability. One mind cannot simulate a hundred, or a thousand. I see our selves, therefore we are. This is not something the old world me could do, although she wished for it.

Alright! Enough moping. I roll out of bed. I need to go give Sara a hug. I want to go give her more than that. Hmm, and we should have a talk about contraception, too, because I really don't know how that interacts with multiple bodies. And while I am actually seriously looking forward to Sara-babies, some things ought to wait for graduation.

# Part four

**6th January, 2007, Whateley, evening**

I make a second body before I leave my room in Poe. I'll just park one here. I'll see if I can't get the other me a permanent place over in Sara's room. Having only one body is nostalgic, but it's dangerous for me. And besides, I have plans for what to do when I get to Sara's place. Fun, fun.

The tunnel from Poe to Hawthorne is quiet ahead of supper time. Every turn-off is familiar to me now. Up I go, and in, Sara's room rather unusually says "knock first", so I knock and wait.

The door swings open. Sara's sitting on her bed, looking devastated. Eep, change of plans. I go in, shut the door, and sit down beside her, and give her a hug. "What is it? If you want to share. Can I help?"

"I have to share, it concerns you", she says, leaning into the hug a little. "While you were out, daddy came and lectured me a bit. He pointed out something I should have seen right from the beginning. I've been horribly selfish. What I did to you out of love, has dragged you right into the middle of a war. A big, old, war, with very dangerous enemies. The idea that a human could become one of them would drive the other side to absolute killing fury. I really don't think I have any choice but to..."

I don't let her finish, "If you think you can take away what you gave, I'll slap you so hard." My heart is suddenly pounding, I'm scared and furious. "I will *not* stop being your child. I will not bend the knee to some bigoted asshat who dislikes what I am. I'm proud of what I am. I am a human who said, make me like you. I embrace both my natures, human and great old one. The enemy can bite my spooky ass!"

"The enemy *will* bite your spooky ass, you lovable idiot." She gives me a sad smile, I've charmed her. "What you are right now is defenseless."

"So help me get sharp enough teeth he'll think twice."

She clearly considers it.

I add, "I'd rather die shouting defiance against this whoever, than give my new nature up. Or you! I love you, silly Sara, mother, beloved, best friend. What would exist of me if you cut me off? Teach me to have teeth and I'll be the one biting ass."

She sends a tentacle to nip me on my own ass, for overusing the metaphor, which makes me yelp, but also I deliberately choose to not pull away, despite the pain and a warm trickle down my leg that has to be blood. "No skin boundary from you. Teeth included. But I assert my boundaries against him. Help me fight."

"Alright, alright, gah", she says, "I'll not take your changes back, and I'll help you, and daddy will. We'll pour ourselves into you, and pray. I think you're being an idiot but I can't argue with you. But", and her voice gets determined, "I am going to ride you like Gunny Bardue rides the grunts. You think you've seen steep learning curve, welcome to boot camp, sunshine."

I laugh. "Sir! Yes sir!" I shout it out like in the movies. "Ride me good and hard sir!" And we both crack up completely and collapse in a heap of giggles, herself crying with the released emotions, me being big spoon for a change.

---

Over in Poe, the body's just lying on the bed, parked. But my door gets a knock, so I move some of my attention back there. "Sure, come in?"

It's Chou, looking relaxed in a kinda sleeveless Chinese style top and yoga pants. If she has her sword, it's hiding. I think part of me recognises her as a big danger, but, I'm overriding that bit. I feel she's trustworthy.

I say, "Grab a seat on the bed if you want, or on the desk chair, what can I do for you?"

She picks a spot beside me on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about the stuff we spoke about earlier, but, on our own. I feel what you're doing, how you're changing is important for the balance somehow, but I don't really understand it."

"I can't say I understand the details of how it works myself, you'd have to go to Sara or Gothmog or someone for that. But I can tell you my intentions, if that helps?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Okay so, it started as just a wish, and a nudge from Sara based on that wish. And the wish itself was more a feeling, than anything easy to spell out, but it goes something like this: I want to be like her, I want to be with her but as an equal, I want to be a kind of bridge, like she already is, from the human to their side. But while she's kind of reaching over from them to us, I am reaching from us to them. That was what she saw, along with the fact I already loved her, and started her spark. And then I leaned into it, so it went from potential to begun."

Chou considers. "You see yourself as a kind of ambassador?"

"I want to become the best of both sides. And help the sides see each other. So, yeah."

"I don't think they'll all be down with your idea", Chou says. "The Handmaidens have a long history of breaking up plots by these things to outright destroy humanity."

"Nor does Sara", I agree. "She's worried about some big old enemy feeling really put out by it, in fact. So I may have to change a little uncomfortably fast. The way I read it, there's factions. Although I don't know in detail what they are, it's clear one of them doesn't like us, and I'd kind of be a big deal."

"There's a possibility you'll draw danger on us."

"None that didn't already want the entire planet dead, but yes, my change might focus their attention on here in particular."

She considers. "You've come to the one place where that focused attention might meet serious resistance."

"Not by chance", I agree.

"None of this by chance", she says.

I nod. "The whole thing has a 'happened by itself' feeling to it. Very wu wei. I probably pronounced that horribly, I've only read it."

She chuckles. "Close enough that I understood it. Yes, very, I agree. Alright, I think I understand better."

"I'm glad", I say. "While you're here, can I get in on morning Tai Chi?"

"Sure", she agrees. "We start early. Want me to come wake you?"

"Please."

She smiles. "Okay, see ya around." She pauses, a thought occurring. "By the way, what were you up to, before I came in? I couldn't feel much ki until I knocked. I almost decided not to, but the light was on."

"Parking the body. Most of my attention was elsewhere, but I wanted this here, strategically and so nobody wondered why I was out."

"Parking..." She chuckles. "I'm going to have to get used to you doing slightly inhuman things, aren't I?"

"We both are", I agree.

Over in Sara's room, she's helping me work through the other half of the book she loaned me. Grandma's half, as she calls it. She's close mind-linked with me, and we're going through it slowly, as she explains concepts without need for human words. Although at a level, we're chattering, too, in the silent room.

"You weren't wrong, calling this sharp edged", I teasingly complain. "The impersonality of it all is pretty hard to take. Just life for life's sake. Live, kill, fuck, birth, die, repeat."

"She's like that. You read how I didn't want to be her high priest. I don't want those energies stampeding through me. That side of me is already a bit painfully unkind, as Jet knows well." Jet is off getting herself recharged.

"Perhaps we can work out ways to gentle it, together", I say. "I know Jet-inside is already working on it, with Gary."

"Perhaps", she says a bit sulkily. I can feel she's not truly reconciled to that part of her nature yet. But I send her a wave of love for all of her.

She basks in the love a bit, then focuses back on the text. "This one is the parameter for increase, as in increase by reproduction or growth, at the cell level it's both the same, now hold this shape in your mind, see how it relates to the rune? And the rune in its position in the spell will draw increase force into particular elements according to its correspondence."

"A lot of this feels kinda like astrology", I say.

"I think we taught humans astrology. It's a rather us kind of way of thinking. Very circular, relational, everything happens simultaneously and constantly moves. So yeah, that's not accidental. When you're making a spell, it definitely helps it work better when you can bind the stars into it too."

I nod. "I've got the human charts memorized, I'll see if I can go see some, next time it's clear out. Start building a relationship."

"I'll come out with you. We'll see if we can't get your eyes tuned up to a proper standard, human ones can't see much." I smile at the thought. She continues, "Okay, now see if you can relate that rune to the action of increase in your own body. You're a life form, and all her powers have reflections inside you."

I say, "Haven't done any reproduction yet. Might like to, when it won't get you into trouble. Say four years from now."

"Teaser", she says. "You know I have to fight my urges."

"Gonna tease that urge a whole lot. Make it so when it's time, tick tick boom, and you up and jump me." Accompanied by a mental image of her in an absolute frenzy.

She tentacle-noogies me, and I giggle, physically. But she's linked deep enough she catches the caveat. "You're not on the pill, are you?"

"What does a pill do, when I vanish the body that took it?", I say. "If I copy a body with contraception, does that new body have it? And will my spooky nature, or my regeneration, work around any pill? I'm pretty sure I'd reject an IUD as easily as a bullet."

She sighs. "All good points. Which I suspect, means that your best chance of avoiding a baby, other than never having fun without a barrier, is sorcery. I mean, I can go up inside and nip it out, if it's just implanted, but I'd have to catch it early. I don't plan to chow down on any formed fetus. But with sorcery you can just make it fizzle."

I send agreement.

"Okay, back to the cells. Internal focus, here, like this." Even for me, my body is intensely huge, complex beyond measure, a universe of growing and destroying, birth and killing. This is the hurdle I need to cross, though, to get to the point where vanishing my last body won't strand me. Okay, focus on the increase, like the rune. And I can see it throughout me.

She continues, "Once you've understood this book, you'll be able to see how your whole body is a sort of gigantic spell-diagram in itself. And how whatever you create to work on it, will have to harmonise. For broad brush work, with the melody. For details, with the individual notes."

"Fiddly."

"Very. Alteration usually works at a higher, pattern level. But you sometimes need to tinker with the small stuff, when it matters. Particularly medicine. But also, you'll be doing body improvements, and at this level."

"Yay, I get to learn tentacles!"

"Yes, you do, but right now, let's focus in on your bone marrow..."

The lesson continues. And while also concentrating really hard, I bask in the intimacy of being just mind-to-mind with no distance, not even words separating us. I love her so much. Even if she is presently lecturing me about the formation of blood and its relation to life sorcery. Which, I admit, is fascinating, if a strain to bend my minds around.

# Part five

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, Poe, morning**

I've been dreaming in cells, many many strands of attention caught up in wonder at the complexity of my currently two physical selves. I wake in Poe and it takes me a little while to realise that this trillion-cell city-like behemoth is a body, a normal sized one, and I should be thinking in distances like "feet" and not "microns". Okay, definitely time for a shower to snap me back to normal reality.

Except, oops. My arms are covered with black tattoo-like swirls and leaves and vines, when I look closer it's under my skin rather than inked on. Switching to body attention... it's melanocytes, I've been moving them around. Uh-oh. I thought that was just a dream-game. And it's not just my arms. When I turn them over, look at my legs, and then make a second body to look myself over top to toe, it's, well, all of me. Even the sclera in my eyes. Ha, oops, indeed. Well, I can set it to clearing itself up, but it won't be immediate. I'll have to tough out the stares meanwhile. I put the extra body away, grab a towel and head to the shower room.

"Whoa, stop the presses, nice *ink*", Chaka is appreciative as soon as I peek in. "But how on earth... that is some weird ki, it's not ink is it? It feels alive. Show me show me, ain't no need to keep your jammies on in here."

With a little embarrassment, I strip off so she can see. "I kinda dreamed it."

"You kinda dreamed it. Oho, it's melanin, not ink, makes sense, you're a regenerator, right? You'd spit ink right back out. But how on earth?"

Fey, meanwhile has come in and is staring at me fascinated. "That's beautiful, Jules, although the teachers are going to throw a fit." Her Aunghadhail voice says, "I've seen this before, in one who was studying body-forming."

I nod. "Me and Sara were busy with life sorcery last night."

And then Fey looks amused, very amused, giggles, and laughs out loud. Walks around me and is laughing so hard she has to sit down on the tile floor.

"What?" I ask, because I kind of have a suspicion and please let that be just a dream.

"You, um, wrote things", she manages to gasp out. "Um, it's not in a human language."

"R'Lyehian", I say, grumbling. Oops again.

"Seriously, what, what does it say?" Chaka isn't going to let this one drop. She's got that manic grin.

So with much snickering, Fey points at my boobs, "these say, chew toy", at my stomach, "this says I love Sara forever", and behind me, "this says, bite my um, inhuman, um paranormal ass, close enough, it doesn't quite go into English".

"Spooky", I translate. "I think I wrote "kiss here" on a few of my internal organs too", I admit glumly, as the two of them are laughing. "Dream me is silly." Am I going to tell them where I wrote "tentacles go here?" I am not.

"Don't worry, it's not anywhere that will show if your clothes are on. And it's just pretty swirls to most humans", Fey reassures me. "Just, if you have to change around any advanced magic students, don't be surprised if they crack up."

"Should be gone by lunchtime", I say.

"Just own it, meantime", says Chaka. "Hell, this place could do with a bit more melanin."

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, the Lovecraft room, morning**

Over at Sara's place, I bet she got to watch all the the markings forming, because I was sleeping naked. When I open my eyes there, she's grinning, and she runs a finger over my stomach where the runes spell her name. "Hey there sleepyhead. That's very sweet of you."

I giggle. "You had to see Fey's face. Oh my goodness."

"Did you show her all of them?" She knows the answer.

"No, this one's just for you", I move my legs apart so she can see. And well, so I can show off too. Yes, look at me. See where you marked me.

"Mhm, tentacles go there, do they?"

I nod.

"Well then, we had better make that happen."

Over in Poe, there's a knock on my door, and Chou comes in. "We're about to do Tai Chi, if you want to?"

I nod, "sure, gimme a mo", and grab some casual stuff, jeans and a tee shirt to do it in. Oh, better duplicate myself and send a copy to the other room, I'll need fresh clothing over there. Chou blinks. Oh, yeah, she hadn't seen that before. "Don't mind me, clothing delivery", one me says slipping out as the other says "shall we?"

"Is it just me, or are you getting weirder faster?" Chou asks as we head towards the lawn.

"It's not just you", I say with a smirk. "Okay, I'm a beginner, but a fast learner, do I just copy?"

She nods. "Copy along. I'll have half an eye on you, and I might come and correct your form."

The other me smiles as I walk along the tunnel to Hawthorne, wearing the clothes I'm delivering, and enjoying vicariously both the crisp morning air and being stuffed to bursting full of Sara. I giggle at the door saying "free show". It knows I'm me, of course, it's teasing. In I go, and join Paige, Erin and Jet, who are a bit rapt watching Sara absolutely rail another me. I'm lifted up a couple feet off the bedclothes, naked, swirl-marked, and wound about with lovely strong black tentacles that really go rather nicely with the swirls. Sara has me stuffed full both ends, every hole I can see, and I swear from the way my stomach's big, she's gone way up inside and is playing stretch my womb. It's beyond absolutely intense and it's a strange thing to be able to watch myself being completely blown away - and know the whole thing is going into eternal memory, this feeling will always be there to be touched.

The others startle a bit, seeing me. "Clothing delivery. It's wonderful, isn't it?" I can't help but watch myself, and this body is getting horny from the sight.

"Wow", Paige says. "You can talk, while..."

"I'm also up outside Poe, learning Tai Chi." I say, teasing. Paige has a lovely boner and I might take advantage if she doesn't object. "But all of me is enjoying this, even if we aren't all having a pretty much continuous mind-blowing orgasm, we feel the other self doing it."

Paige catches me looking at her tented skirt, and blushes pretty blue. I say, "If you want?" She hesitates, then nods, so I kneel down and gently lift her skirt out of the way. I can see Jet hugging Erin as my lips find and taste salt and firm warmth (and a little electrical tingle that just makes it nicer). Mm, I've wanted to play with pretty Paige for days and now she's all mine to kiss and caress.

Me outside Poe is following the form, and avoiding giggling at my other antics. I think with a lot of concentration I can see how it's working, but the fine muscles are hard to extrapolate through the skin. Well, she'll say if I'm doing it right. I can see how it correlates to the books I've read, although the form we're doing has subtle differences. Squeeze and expand, stretch out and shift the weight, swoop and rise. It's beautiful already, although I'm sure I'm doing it all wrong, as a beginner. I find that despite what my other bodies are doing, it's easy to concentrate, and enjoy the cold and fresh air as I move.

Chou comes over. "Good basic grasp of the form. But next time, would it be possible to avoid distractions? Your ki was all over the place. Ki flows with intention, and a lot of your intention was elsewhere, I think." She looks at me closely. "Still is."

I blush. "Guilty. But I'll clear a space tomorrow."

She nods. "There's no harm in memorizing the physical form first. But Tai Chi is internal, you need to be able to focus wholeheartedly."

Enough said, evidently. I consider myself told off. As I walk back in to get warm, I ponder. Maybe I can learn to avoid cross-talk in my ki? But I can't do that until I can sense the stuff. Which means Tai Chi practise has to count as a high priority. I decide to call this a useful lesson and not let it mar the loveliness of the morning over at Sara's.

Over there, Sara has lowered me back onto the bed, and my clothing delivery self comes over and offers me a kiss and mouthful of something tasty and salty, then pop, disappears, leaving a pile of ready to wear clothes. If I was able to wear anything, or in fact move any muscle. Mm, afterglow. And Paige-taste. Pretty Paige looks like she got the cream, even though she gave it. Hmm hmm, I should probably have a bath before I put anything on, but someone is going to have to hold me up or I'll drown. Or melt. Nah, if I could have melted, I'd have done it when literally every nerve in my body was singing "I love Sara" loud enough to light a second sun.

I reach to rub my stomach, where the tattoo-marks are starting to visibly fade. It feels too small, now Sara's not up in there. "Always welcome inside", I say with a raspy voice that's still regenerating. Sara comes and sits down beside me. "Thank you love."

Paige and Jet and Erin give us a bit of applause, which makes me giggle. "Can't bow, but thanks for being an audience." I try to sit up, it doesn't work. "Little help?"

Sara chivalrously picks me up, "Time to get you cleaned up. Breakfast's soon." I wave to the audience as we head into the en-suite.

Yes, tentacle baths are nice.

---

The Pack and the Kimbas meet again at our table, and one of me is with each group. If the one with the Pack is leaning on Erin to stay upright, that's not what everyone notices. My markings aren't ink-black like the morning, but they're still mahogany-brown. I get a raised eyebrow from Ayla, who seems to dig the aesthetic. Billie's curious, "what did you do to yourself", and finds "dreamed it" entirely an inadequate answer. But then before I get a chance to elaborate, Jade gets here and I'm background, as she gushes about her babysitting job. Yeah, I remember reading this one, but it's a good harmless adventure, so the two of them can enjoy it without my interference. And then everyone's looking up in wonder, through the glass. Oh wow. I mean I've watched SpaceX on YouTube in my old world, but this is a suborbital drop-ship coming right in practically into our laps. Niiiice. I watch it until the rocket glare goes out, it's landed nearby on campus. And then I wish the both of them awesome adventuring.

We all troop out and watch Jade and Billie head over to the devisor-looking space vehicle. Billie gets loomed at by the head, probably the usual please do not irradiate and or destroy spiel. She looks quite chastened. Then they all get in, the ship blurs, half-disappears like something out of Ghost in the Shell, shifts shape, and takes off with a roar, and without, surprisingly, toasting about half the school in the rocket backwash. Fancy-pants technology. We watch it to a dot, and then head back in to our half finished breakfasts.

Everyone else wants to talk about classes. Me, I know already what I'm taking, everything that will have me, all at once. So I have a heavily overlapped schedule, but that shouldn't be any problem. Hmm, well, I just recalled, some of these might be with that nice Reverend Englund bloke who tried to kidnap me. Ha. Well, I'll either ace those to spite him, or drop them if they look like a losing proposition, I'm sure they'll let me. I'm probably making several administrators very twitchy, overlapping like this.

Which leaves a day, pretty much free of anything planned. I suppose I should savour my free time, but I need something to fill it with. To smell a rose, first gotta find a rose. Hmm, so what do I have on my to do list? The library, but that can wait. Spooky stuff, I'll let Sara set the pace for that. I should meet Bugs, although Jade isn't around to give me an introduction. I wouldn't mind trying out my big coat and going for a walk in the woods, although I don't really have stompy boots. I guess I can't exactly get frostbite, but I do wonder if anywhere on campus sells proper boots? Doc Otto said he'd send me a credit card, has it arrived?

While one of me heads to Poe to sort that out, the other has her half made plans cut short as she's approached by a short, slightly out of shape kid in shades - pretty normal, anywhere else, but here, he sticks out. The unfriendly looks he's getting from the Pack suggest he's not exactly liked here. Let me guess, Peeper? Yeah seems like it, as he's talking into a microphone he's wearing. Greasy isn't with him, perhaps not back yet.

"And now for the highlight of today's program, the newcomer in Poe who has set tongues a wagging and possibly doing other things too, Miss Parallel, hello, you're on WARS, Whateley Academy Radio Station. I'm the host, Peeper. So, rumour has it you've been bouncing the bed with our favourite demon princess, care to comment?"

I laugh because it's just silly really. Let's play along, I feel I have a use for this. "I can't confirm or deny anything that might get someone in trouble, but let's just say I'm feeling really, really relaxed right now."

He didn't expect that. "Um, and is it true you used your multi body power to make out with yourself?"

I nod. "Yup. It was nice."

He's a little taken aback at me not fighting the accusations. Presumably he had a heap of peeping-Tom evidence to drag out if I denied it, and "ruin my reputation". I wonder if he'll realise that I want a different kind of reputation.

He rallies. "And what are these markings that suddenly appeared on your body today? Are they part of some kind of dark ritual? Rumour has it that our demon princess has been corrupting you."

Nuh uh, not tolerating that one. "I dreamed them onto myself, after studying life sorcery yesterday evening. Dream me is a bit silly, and was being playful. Would you like me to give you some? They might look cute."

He shakes his head, hurriedly, "uh, no thank you".

Heh. "Pity. Well, anyhow, you're right in a way. If someone from the Mystic Arts program were to look at me, they'd probably see I was getting a bit spooky already, so, there's no point hiding it. Sara is helping me achieve something I wanted for myself, to change and become a bit more like her. Reaching out towards their side from our side, so to speak. However I can't allow you to say that it was something she did, as if it was forced upon me. This was and is absolutely voluntary."

"Uh wow. So, you're becoming a demon?"

"There's a more precise term for it, but pretty much."

"Will you eat souls like her?"

"We're a diverse lot, at the moment I eat regular food." I gesture to my empty breakfast tray.

"At the moment?"

"I'm the first one to reach out to them like this. So my future will be full of enjoyable surprises."

Poor confused Peeper. He just stalls for a moment. Then back to the old favourites. "And is it true that you're basically shameless?"

"About sex? Well, I don't want to get in trouble, or embarrass other people, or upset them, or drag them into something they didn't consent to. But on my own behalf, pretty much absolutely, yes."

"So would you be willing to do a nude photo shoot?"

"If it's artistic. That's legal thin ice, you know?"

He knows. And is probably skating damn close with those posters of Fey.

"So what would I have to do to get a date with you?"

Ha, as if. "You'd have to be a girl, which I think you're not? And you'd have to be someone I was already friends with and loved. Which would mean you'd have to greatly improve your character first."

I think he's had enough. "And that's miss Parallel folks, simultaneously in with the Negligee Nightingales and Sara's harem, and who knows where else too."

Yeah, bye.

# Part six

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, the Lovecraft room, morning**

The pack has been gathered in Sara's room for an informal council of war. I sit on the bed, feeling defensive and a little bit like I'm on trial. She paces to and fro, not speaking yet.

"Alright", she says, eventually. "I understand you, and I understand why you did that. I can't fault you. You're determined to be known and seen as who you are. I also understand you're perfectly aware you kicked damn near every hornets' nest in the school. The ones who hate sluts. The ones who hate lesbians. The pitchforks and torches mob, who didn't exactly like me even before this all blew up. I'm pretty sure you're aware they all have pull with the administration, so there will definitely be an official response. They are going to see child endangerment, and class X exposure. Englund, in particular, is going to be running around saying he told them so. They are going to be looking at you with fear in their eyes."

I say, "If Englund didn't have it all figured out when I went on the radio, he'd have figured it by the end of the week. Enough people would see me. Rumours would spread. He'd lay another trap."

"A lot of people are not going to hear what you said, even though you spelled it out clearly. They're going to see a psychically coerced innocent child, being turned into a monster by another monster. They're going to see their own precious diddums and darling turned into a monster too, and the whole school as a nest of monsters." She stops pacing, and drops down onto an unoccupied beanbag. "You're right, he'd have seen it, and tried to use it against us. This does leave us equal at the starting line. But we need to bang our heads together and plan."

"Englund's probably gonna try and break Donna's guardianship", I say. "It was a smart plan when he hatched it and I doubt he'll let it go, now he's got leverage. So we need to brief her. As much detail as possible. Otto, too. They'll probably need to warm up their lawyers."

Sara nods. "Okay. Things we need to prove. That you weren't coerced. That's hard, given a regular psychic wouldn't survive trying to deep scan you. Maybe Louis? We'll have to see if he can read you."

"That I took no harm", I pick up the listing. "They'll try and read my changes as harm, though."

"That might turn and bite them", Sara says. "It's the same argument used against mutants. Even the nice changes are inhuman. Won't wash with Carson."

"That my shamelessness wasn't caused by you. That's hard, I don't have a history pre-dating you, in this world, to point to."

"We turn that around and say that I have plenty of other lovers who don't care to hang it all out in front of the school." This gets a nod from Hippolyta. "The notion I'm influencing people with my lust aura is something I've faced since I got here, but they can't point to anything to show it. So I accuse them of recycling old arguments in new clothes."

"And I say I'm shameless because that's my ethic. I'm fed up of hiding who I am."

She nods. "Okay. Next, class X exposure. I'm being careful, I know what I'm doing and I have your safety as my first consideration, but even what you've read already would have been damaging for someone who didn't have the right shape of mind to hold it."

"Well I *do* have the right shape of mind", I say. "Students have different needs and limits. And you're uniquely placed to control my exposure while knowing what I can handle. Humans wouldn't know. Others of your kind would know, but not care. Except grandpa, and he's already in on helping me."

"That might help", Sara says. "They can summon him, and rely upon the summoning to compel truth."

"And he's an expert witness", I agree. "Englund would pitch a fit at consorting with demons, but that wouldn't help his case."

Sara nods. "Okay, open to the floor. Any thoughts?"

"The homophobia isn't going to help", says Paige. "They may not be able to cite it, but that doesn't mean it won't turn their votes."

I say, "If we're presuming some kind of tribunal, making them spit their homophobia out could turn to our advantage. The head isn't going to have much truck with it."

Paige nods at that.

Jet waves a hand to get attention, then says, "We need to get a copy of you safely off school grounds, and not at ARC either. They can't box you in, if you can afford to delete all the copies they can reach."

"Good plan", says Sara. "Paige, you could introduce her to your folks?"

I say, "I was headed out for a walk anyway, so perhaps I can walk to the woods as I planned, then we meet far enough in we won't be on anyone's scanners, I duplicate, and a copy goes off with Paige while the other sticks to my flight plan and comes back?"

Paige nods, "Yeah, I can do that."

Erin adds, "I'll come along. I could do with a run."

---

The me that is heading towards Poe has reached most of the way there when Peeper starts interviewing me. Fey has just told me there's a store where I can get boots, so that should solve my cold feet problem. I wince. "Crap, we'd better hurry."

"What's up?" she asks.

"Other me is giving a radio interview. Peeper, he just happened along. We're going to tell the school what I am."

"Seriously?"

"I'm done hiding", I say. "But I'd like to get into Poe before we get jumped by curious crowds."

"What are you gonna tell him?"

"Well, I've already told him I was having fun with Sara, and I confirmed I made out with myself. And now I'm telling him that I'm turning into a great old one, although without the term, I doubt he knows it."

"Shit, seriously?" Fey is a bit taken aback. "That gets broadcast around the whole damn school."

"Done hiding. And I told him I'm a lesbian too."

"I think we need to get the Kimbas together."

We're walking into Poe now, and I'm already getting curious looks from folks I was scenery to yesterday. I check my paper mails on the way in, yay, I think this one is the credit card. "Ayla's going to be mad at me, isn't he?"

"I think we're all going to call you an idiot", Fey says. "Although what's done is done."

By the time everyone's gathered who's over here, which is Fey, Chaka, Ayla and Chou, as well as Bugs, we've already talked plans over in Sara's room. We're in Ayla's room, best coffee machine.

Ayla plays back the online recording of today's WARS Peeper show from his laptop, then hits stop. "Well. You didn't say, I have a dick, so that's something."

"Didn't come up", I say. "We've talked strategy over at Sara's already. I think we can answer any specific accusations if we get dragged in front of the head. Just depends if the people handing down the verdict are willing to listen."

He nods. "Well, for better or worse, your colours are pretty much nailed to the mast now."

"Are you, like, really turning into a demon?", asks Bugs.

"I'm turning into something that's specifically called a great old one, the same kind of thing as Sara", I say. "Most people call that a demon. I probably won't end up looking like her, but my mind's already a bit different from human."

"You're gonna stay looking human on the outside?" Bugs is curious. Feels to me like she might be the open minded sort.

"Dunno", I admit. "I can already do small tricks", I indicate the now cafe-au-lait markings on my skin, "I dreamed these last night. I'm definitely planning to learn tentacles, they're too fun. But it might mostly not show when I'm just walking around. Nobody's done this before."

"Tentacles are fun?" Bugs is unconvinced.

"Have you seen Sara?" I feel that's pretty much QED.

Everyone looks dubious. Okay, maybe I'm the spooky one. Nah, I'm right, they're sillies.

"We're used to her, but it's still weird", admits Chaka.

"Meh, I'm biased by being ridiculously in love with her, but I think they're the cutest thing ever", I stick up for my perspective.

There's a pause.

"Okay, I'll admit, they can be really fun", Fey, unexpectedly, sticks up for me, and blushes. Everyone looks at her.

"Moving on", Ayla says.

I explain the plan for a walk in the woods to them. They think it's a good one. We decide Fey and Chou will come with me to bodyguard. They're good to come with me into the woods, too. While Bugs is here, I take advantage of the opportunity to ask her if she can show me around the labs. She could, but wasn't I just planning to go for a walk? I duplicate myself. This is apparently "so kewl". Yes, I'll let her put me in a spectrometer.

I accompany Bugs towards the devisor labs, as I also put on what winter gear I have, sign and pocket the new card, to go to the shop. I head down to the Poe lobby, to wait for the others to get their stuff on too.

In Hawthorne, Sara and I have gone to meet Fubar, up close and personal. On the way there, we're joined by a boy heading the same way. Very normal looking. Heh, no I'm not an idiot. "Hi Foob", I say.

"Hi to you, traveller from another world who knows my name", Fubar is amused. "Yes, I can scan you, and yes, I'll keep your secrets. Very interesting mind!"

"Why thank you", I say, and bow, and grin amused. "It was ordinary a week ago."

"Pleasantly gentle and considerate even then", he says. "But your time here has been good to you."

"That's the current question, isn't it? I bet you're picking up how people have reacted to that radio show. Pitchforks?"

We reach a basement room. Sara opens the door, and it swings with a slight suction and a whoosh that suggests it's designed to seal airtight. Fubar answers, "you're one of 'the pretties' to people over here, so you start from a negative score. Making yourself monstrous, ironically, helps that. Most of them now rate you as 'one of Sara's chicks' and are slightly positive. Sara, of course, being quite monstrous enough for them."

Out of the water depths in the tank, a shape approaches. He's cute and squid-like, with a sort of shell, and arthropod-like legs. I personally think it's a fine shape to be. "Hi Foob's body!"

Which makes him laugh. "Used to seeing body and mind separately now, hmm?"

I nod agreement. "And outside Hawthorne? I know this whole campus is in your range."

"A mixed bag", he says. "A lot of horny young men who choose not to hear the bit about girls and being friends first. Some intrigued lesbians. Quite a few disgusted homophobes or prudes, and your connection to Sara just amplifies that. The God squad, predictably, thinks she's dragging you down to hell."

"Perhaps tomorrow, I gotta visit grandpa", I quip.

"Ha, yes, they would be unsurprised. The machinations you predicted are indeed in play, I'm no precog, and can't tell you their outcome. But your brainstorming has covered the arguments they're planning to raise. And of course, any number of bullies now think you're fair game. On the upside, many others think you're brave, or interesting, or are intrigued by the change you're going through."

There isn't really any furniture here, so we just park ourselves in the middle of the room. Sara says, "Will you back us, if there's an inquiry?"

Fubar says, "I will tell them honestly what I see. You acted in love, and with consent. You've been paying close attention to her development. You feel that you're able to handle this, and so far you've been correct. You don't know the long term outcome, but expect you will be able to steer it towards good results. When you understood that she had been put at risk of enemy attack by the changes, you were immediately minded to undo them, but accepted her refusal out of love and an understanding that she was earnestly determined. You are very sincerely in love for her and would never knowingly do her harm. And you're full of interesting plans for where to lead her next, that I shan't spoil."

I hug Sara for that, and she squeezes me back.

"As for you", Foob says, "You saw an opportunity and leaped at it, it was mostly unconscious at the time, but your whole self immediately united behind it. You are earnestly in love with Sara, and are enjoying spreading the wings of your new abilities. You feel occasional twinges at the loss of some of your humanity, particularly your original body which was something of a keepsake from your earlier life. Despite this you are absolutely enthusiastic to continue. I do not see any present harm, despite exposure to high level class X information. It isn't suitable to humans, but your mind is the correct shape for it. Given trends, I assume that will only become more so." He chuckles. "And you really rather do want the ability to make tentacles, which I find sweet" I grin at his ones, which he waves for me. "You've got a very adaptable personality and your inclination is to rush towards the other and learn by being changed. I would be willing to tell an inquiry that I find this unusual, but not pathological."

I nod, yeah, he's got me down. "That may be enough to save us, if they aren't determined to ignore it", I say.

Sara nods her agreement. "Englund's the overt opposition here, but I think Lodgeman's the one to watch. He doesn't really trust me. He could come down either way on this. But he'll listen to you."

Fubar nods. "That seems in character."

# Part seven

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, morning**

My sneakers crunch in the snow. They're the only impractical part of my outfit, the long winter coat makes the weather almost warm, despite the overcast. The famed campus store, which I've never yet seen, is an annex to Schuster Hall. Getting there, unfortunately, requires walking overground. With Chou and Fey acting as bodyguards, I'm not actually being jumped, but we get a lot of stink-eye.

Foob's conversation plays out in the background. Unless he's low-balling the number opposed, and that doesn't really seem his way, a lot of these are undecided, or secretly on side, but they feel they have to act the bigot to get along, socially. That makes me sad, and I kinda want to protect these poor kids, some of whom must be feeling like they're punching themselves in the face. So I just kind of walk, chilled out, through it all. I'm not gonna hurt them worse by snarling back. Somebody throws a snowball. I spot the approaching shadow, put a small bend in its way, and it misses. They aren't attacking seriously, walking with the scariest mage and sword-wielder on campus will do that. Of course I don't plan to make a habit of being guarded, but I'll fade from the headlines after everyone's had a chance to gawp, I think.

Oh hey, I know that girl. The blonde who approached me in the library (and if I'm not misreading my memory of her voice, the one who snaffled me, too). From my past life's reading, miss Nightbane, Sarah Gardner. Repeated Sara-stabber, Buffy wannabe, God squad. Seems like she wants to talk to us? Let's put her on the back foot. "Hi, Red."

I've confused my bodyguards, but not her. "Uh, yeah, hi." Weak start, nicely discombobulated.

I ask, "How can I help the Goobers today?" Yes, miss threaten to gut me, I know your secrets.

She does eventually rally. "I heard the radio. It seems you've picked a side."

"I've picked bridging our side and theirs." Chou's looking embarrassed. I think I might be playing merry hob with her cunning plan to get an in with the Goobers.

"So you do think of humans as 'us' still?" She changes from hostile to pitying. "We could find a way to undo this, together. The reverend would surely know someone who could help. Please, you don't have to give yourself over to corruption."

I shake my head. "It isn't corruption. It's just difference. Some of their kind are corrupting, some are gentle and benevolent, if a bit alien. It's those who I'm bridging towards. Thank you, but this isn't something I need saving from."

"Well, my side is humanity. I think their gentle face is just a trap and a mask to deceive us, so I'm sorry but we're likely to be opposed from now on. And, Chou, you need to think about who your friends are."

Chou says, "The balance moves as it moves." Mystic for mind your own beeswax.

And I ask, "Have you wondered what evidence would change your mind?"

She just snorts and leaves. But I think that will haunt her.

"Well, that could have gone better", Fey laments.

Under the ground, Bugs leads the way as we head towards the devisor lab zone. "When you come down here the first few times, get one of us to guide you", she warns. "It's a warren, and some of the ways end in dangerous places. You really, really don't want to barge in on Jobe, for example. You'd be lucky if you only got the polka-dot flu."

"I've already mapped most of it", I say, as another me listens to Foob's verdict. "I stayed out of locked rooms and any place that looked private, or too risky."

She's taken aback. "Mapped?"

"Walked it out, making a new body at each junction. I've covered far further than this."

"Well gosh darn", she grins, understanding how that would work. "You must know near as much as Security does."

"I've considered poking them for a job. But I know they don't like to deputize freshmen."

"It'll stand you in good stead for next year, at least. Ah, we're here. This is where I work." She gestures around, clearly proud of the space. There's a visible egg theme, I'd marked this place as likely when I came through here before, but it's good to have confirmation. I make another four bodies, so I can peek around in detail and have a good look at everything.

"I really have to study how you do that", Bugs says to the nearest me. "Can you imagine an egg that could copy itself?"

I can imagine it, it seems like a very bad idea. "Uh, yeah."

Thankfully, the store is open already, and ducking inside gets us out of the worst of the stares. Whee, this is big. I resist the temptation to walk all the aisles at once and gawp at all the things it sells, I might startle the staff. Instead the three of us head towards the clothing section, which does appear to have sensible outdoor boots, suitable for New Hampshire winters. I browse the options, as my guards take a chance for a breather, sitting on the try-it-on bench nearby.

Fey says, "So what was that conversation? I felt like I only followed half of it. Why'd you call her Red?"

These English lake district style walking boots are nice, definite possibility. "You weren't there when they kidnapped me, but I think Billie told you?" She nods. I continue, "She was one of them. They used the codenames Red and Blue, but her voice is distinctive, and if I was only nearly sure before, her reaction today confirmed it."

"So when you mentioned the Goobers?" Ooh, fleece lined.

"I was letting her know that I had the whole conspiracy unravelled. And that I'd chosen not to drop them in the soup. After Halloween, I imagine Englund's leash is short, he probably wouldn't survive another scandal. Has to leave her wondering why, but the real reason is that I just don't care to. I'd prefer a chance at redeeming them, to the temporary revenge of swatting them for something I could trivially escape today, at least partly because they forced the pace of my change. They're trying to be good, that's leverage." I'm finding my life sorcery attunement is making the preserved cells of the leather and sheepskin resonate, and I almost feel I could... nope, hands off, no necromancy with boots you haven't even bought yet.

"To be honest, I'm looking forward to swatting them", Fey says. "They're buzzing gadflies and their idea of good has a lot in common with Humanity First."

"The head believes they're needed", I say. "She's not stupid, she gave that man more rope for a reason."

"And you'll blindly trust her?"

"I'll defend myself and my friends, but beyond that, yeah."

We're back with Jet. Sara's been calling Doc Otto, as I watch the other me trying to persuade Bugs that an exponential plague of self replicating eggs would be a bad thing. Yes, even if they had good stuff inside like vaccines. It's still no fun to have your continent buried a mile deep. Eventually I manage to get her thinking about telomeres as a way to limit the growth, thank goodness. Sara hangs up. "Alright, he's going to send a warper, he agrees there's security concerns, and speed is of the essence."

A small part of me relaxes fretting. "Uh, good, because I really wasn't looking forward to being back in that car. Nice and comfy as it is."

Jet nods. "Yeah, bad memories."

Sara gives us both a hug. "Me three. I'm going to see if Donna can get herself a different brand, and not in black." We snuggle up against her and I think Jet feels like I do, Sara is home, Sara is safety.

And suddenly, a nondescript man in a Star Trek Next Generation era red-shirt uniform appears in front of us. "Three to beam up?" he asks. Whee, a theme warper.

Sara nods, leads our group hug up close enough he can reach and touch her. "Engage."

I've picked the fleece lined boots. They're probably not quite as sturdy as the others, but the warmth is a comfort. We troop over to the checkout, where, guess what, the checkout clerk is... Peeper. Well then. Oh hey, I didn't think human skin did that colour of grey. He smiles, about the fakest customer service smile I've ever seen. "Uh, hi, miss Parallel." I hand him the boots to bleep with the wand. He hands them back.

"Hi Peeper", I say. "Don't worry yourself. The stuff you spread around, I wanted spread." I kick off the slushy sneakers and lace on the boots. "Can you get these sent back to Poe for me?"

I notice he's looking at me over his glasses. "I can uh, get them cleaned too?" He's trying not to gawp in amazement. Look if you wanna, but you'll get a surprise.

"Yeah do that, thanks", I say, and swipe my card and sign the thing. Contactless can't come fast enough, this is tedious. He checks the signature. Done. Finally, we can head for the woods and away from this fuss. And now these boots are officially mine, I'm gonna make a few slight adjustments.

Down in Bugs's lab, she's showing me how to layout a blank circuit board with a resist marker, develop it under a black-light and then etch the rest of the copper off. Then we're going to solder up a simple circuit. Just a pretty LED blinker, but it's good to show me how to do stuff. Still, it's not very demanding, and I have an idea I wanted to try, so I start singling out facial muscles and learning to twitch them individually, and identify the feel of them moving. There's quite a lot of them, but learning each one doesn't take that long.

As Sara gives the command to engage, I pull my mind's time-base up to the highest speed I can manage. Everything slows to a crawl, but it gives me a chance to experience what a really long range warp feels like. Space bends, here overlaps there, I can see the geometry of it. And we arrive, I put my time-base back to normal. Ack, hungry, even though I just had breakfast like an hour ago. That took it out of me. But I think I can copy that. Oh hey, Donna's here! Both Sara and I rush over and hug her.

Boots on my feet, I can feel a slight sense of the cow's life in the leather, and the sheep that donated the lining. I can feel residual energy, that feels like a memory of pain and death, but somehow I'm sure I could eat it if I wanted to. I deliberately decide not to. Instead thinking silently, and not in English, "I honour your sacrifice, cow and sheep. But if you could slightly change for me in *this* particular way..."

Fey looks at me like I grew a second head. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Upgrades", I say, looking at the boots whose outside is now a rather fetching black with coppery green glints, rather than its previous tan. Somehow, I feel like this is a species I've encountered before, or my kind has. It's significantly tougher than cowhide.

"Upgrades, she says! I didn't feel you pull a scrap of essence. You just... bent things. And now they're slightly off skew. And what on earth are they made of?"

"Dragon hide, I think."

Bugs has a concerned look. "Are you okay? Only you've got a bad twitch. I'd hate it if you got sick or something." I've moved on to the muscles of the neck and upper back.

"It's okay", I reassure her with a smile whose muscles I can individually feel now. "I'm just teaching myself more deliberate control over my movements."

I show her the PCB, and she takes a look. "Well, if ya say so. Yeah, this looks done right, so go plug in the soldering iron and lets start putting them in."

Donna hugs the both of us back with a happy grin. Aww, she's so sweet. An "ahem" from behind us, and oh yeah, Doc Otto is there too. The warper has already moved on, and I have a kind of vector on where he went, although no idea where it leads. "Hi Doc! Thanks for the quick journey." Thanks may not be enough, I have a feeling I'm running up quite a tab.

"Good morning, miss Parallel, Sara, Jet. Not a problem. It's clear your situation just got complicated. I have someone here I'd like you to meet. Jane Harper, one of our on-staff mutant rights lawyers. And since I know of your abilities, I've asked her to bring a computerised summary of the relevant law for you to read first."

In Bugs's lab, one of me is holding the PCB at a convenient angle, while another holds the resistor and solder in place, and a third dabs at it with a hot soldering iron, while practise twitching the unused arm. I'm finding my precision of movement is going up as I start to be able to identify individual muscles pulling to direct and stabilise the arm. The next component goes in faster, and with near a machine precise dab-dab to melt the solder down. I make another me to conveyor-belt and prepare the components. In, dab-dab. In, dab-dab-dab.

Fey looks at the boots. "Dragon hide. And yeti fur lining. And you just did it, like that."

I shrug. "I was dreaming in life runes all night. I felt I could do it, and I did it."

"Don't do anything big with this", Fey says. "Those boots just feel a little uncanny, but if you did a big spell, I think that would be in voodoo wolf territory. You'd taint the whole area. I'd have to come clean it up, and it would be me that paid the essence."

I nod. "Only for emergencies. And I'll ask you first, if I can." That satisfies her.

Chou nods agreement. "Magic like that could distort the balance. It ignores natural exchanges. Consider it a debt against cleaning it up after. Possibly a very big debt."

I nod, somewhat chastened. We're heading into the woods now, and the upgraded boots are completely shrugging off the snow and the brambles, I might as well be walking on warm sand.

As we get deeper in, other me switches on the circuit she's already finished. It's a colourful egg shape, in deference to the teacher, and it sparkles prettily.

Bugs is looking a bit shocky. "Uh, back then you really weren't moving like a human at all. Kinda like an assembly line, of robots. Several different robots."

I realise I've weirded her out a bit, perhaps a lot. "Uh, sorry. Was that annoying?"

"Um, no, I just... wasn't used to it", she says. "You weren't kidding when you said you were changing."

And as other me waves hi to Paige and Erin in the wood, I nod my agreement. "I've barely started."

# Part eight

**7th January, 2007, Medawihla reservation, morning**

"I wanna run", I say to Paige and Erin, as we pick our way through the tangle of unmanaged forest. "I wanna try out this body for real. I've been stuck inside and I just wanna go fast, you know?" I figure those two will understand the urge. I think too, if I'm moving like that, I'll have enough motion data from the muscles to not need to use twitching to track them, and I've got my whole torso and legs to tune up still.

"If we run, you'll be left behind", says Paige. "Exemplar speed is in straight lines."

Erin nods her agreement. "Want to watch our tails vanish over the horizon, hmm?"

"Try me", I say, grinning. "I think I can keep up."

Erin's shift to a lynx form is smooth and silent, she just plops down onto all fours and is furry. No worries about losing clothing, clearly. And those two just set off. I think they were feeling the four walls close in, too.

Off I go! I'm leaping over logs and bounding off rocks, trying to put parkour moves I've only ever watched online into use, as several of me track and check off muscles, and I'm getting more precise quickly. I slide down a muddy, icy gulley. Those two teases are still ahead of me, but in sight, and I watch their motion for tips. Paige is out front, she knows the way. Erin's taking a lead from her. Her quadruped form has more trouble with drifts of snow, but moves more easily along and off the fallen trees and exposed roots. And I can keep up! It's a wonderful, free feeling, like flying through the trees at ground level. Seeing the path ahead, like a golden road, like there's only one possible place I can be and I'm on rails, even as they unfurl smoothly ahead. Off this tree, kick off the stump, forward roll over the rock, slide and grab the branch to swing over the iced-over stream.

There's motion beside us. More heard than seen, but we have company. Keeping pace easily, which I guess means weres? Paige pulls up to a stop in an open clearing, and the two of us pile in beside her shortly after, as deceptively human forms appear from the trees around us. Erin stays in her lynx form, and rubs against Paige's leg. I guess fur keeps electricity out.

"Mornin', cub, fine day for a run in the woods." I'd lay good odds that's Ben. Leader of the group, big but not overtly threatening.

Paige says, "Ben, meet Erin, who goes by Feral", who pops up into human form, clothes included, and grins a sharp smile, "And Jules, who goes by Parallel. This is Ben, second in command around here, and my adoptive father." Yup, guessed right.

I bow. "Pleased to meet you."

Ben says, "Erin, I've seen around before, although it's a pleasure to meet you face to face, young lady. Jules, though, I haven't seen at all. I figure, you're new?"

"I got here last Tuesday", I say.

"The teleport? Some of our folks heard it, that was one messy, loud damn jump."

That was a long leap to a conclusion, he's smart. I'm going to have to be a bit careful how much I say, but I do trust these folks in general. "I manifested. Not in this universe. If I had to guess, the loud came from punching right across worlds like that. That and the fact I did it without meaning to, while burning up with fever. And I died shortly after."

He nods. "Happens. You got better, hmm? And if I don't miss the scents, fell in with the Kimbas, and Sara's family, pretty damn quick."

"Right from the get go, she was the one who found me in the snow. Instant click, once I came out of the coma."

He nods. "So one thing I wanna ask you about, before I invite you over to come tell your story properly, is why I get a feeling off you that I shouldn't be getting from a regular human. Also if I don't miss my guess, that pattern of boots is sold at the school, but the materials, not so much. An' they have a bit of that feeling too."

Paige jumps in, I think worried that my own words might be seen as less than trustworthy. "Sara's changing her. She's been picking up powers damn near a dozen a day. If she's a bit spooky, that's why."

"Ya should be able to sense it, cub. And ya should have called ahead rather than bring her in here towards places where there's folks as could be hurt, at a dead run and with no warning. Some folks with itchier trigger fingers, might have figured she's chasing you, not playing, and might have started something it would be hard to undo. Miss Jules, I presume, the change is voluntary?"

"Very much so", I say. "I love Sara, and I asked her to make me more like her. Sorry, I should have thought about running like that, it was just wanting to go, push myself, you know? I've been stuck inside. But it was rude. My apologies. And as for calling ahead, we had reason. Although it's a little complicated to explain."

"What's hard?", says Erin. "She has more than one body, she wants to stash one here, so they can't corner her."

Okay, raised eyebrows all around. "Um", I say, "Nobody startle. This is me using one of my powers. Here we go." And I copy myself. "We're both me", other me says.

"Well, ain't that a thing." Ben looks surprised. "How many bodies do you have?"

"Right now, two here, one decoy walking with Fey and Chou, one in ARC with Sara, one with Bugs in her lab. Although that might go up and down by a dozen if I need spare hands for this or that."

"And down?"

Second me disappears, leaving stranded footprints in the snow. "I can vanish them as easily. But I'd rather not vanish the last one."

He nods thoughtfully. "If you've got one outside of any hole they might hope to trap you in, then you're not trapped."

"Hit the nail on the head", I agree.

"Well, come on in and meet the folks, then. Because if I don't miss the smell of you, you're family." Oops.

In ARC, we've finished going over our legal strategy. Jane Harper is willing to come on a call-out to represent us, if Englund tries to make things official. But for now, we don't have anything to do but wait. The alarm hasn't been sounded yet.

So now we have to get back to Whateley. Or rather, they do, I could just vanish this body. They're talking about driving back over, but I think none of us wants to do it.

"I have a better idea, perhaps. But I need to run it by you, Jet, in particular."

Jet looks curious. "Really, me, why?"

"You saw the contract I made, yesterday."

She considers a moment. "Oh!" and then in a worried voice, "Yeah. I'm not sure."

Donna says, "Care to explain?"

Jet nods, "So she has a contract with Gothmog, Sara's dad. Training, in exchange for alliance, and one more thing - she should come to his realm to learn. Jump in here, jump out there, it's like a Wonkavator. But it means going back into somebody's personal realm, and I was in Sara's, and I got hurt a lot."

Sara puts her arm around Jet comfortingly. "Daddy's in full control of his, and he would never hurt a guest."

"Yeah, so I tell myself", says Jet. "But it's like petting a dog after a dog bit you. This one's cute and fluffy and fits in your lap, but your hand hesitates."

I nod. "How about we call him, and ask if he has any ideas to help you feel safer?"

Jet nods. "Can't hurt. Worst case, I can just say no."

I look at Doc Otto. "Is it cool to call him over here?"

He nods. "Go ahead. I'd like to see this."

Okay, hmm. I could redo the ritual, but that doesn't seem necessary, when I can feel the contract stretched between us like a string. So I just say, "Grandpa, could we have a word?"

I'm a little surprised, when nothing immediately seems to happen. Oh wait, there is something - a small and very fluffy black dog which wasn't there before. Pomeranian, or something? Except those normally come in tan. It click-click walks across the floor to Jet, and looks at her cutely tail wagging and tongue panting, and lifts one paw.

Everyone laughs, but Jet also picks it up and hugs it close. "If this is you, Gothmog, you're the cutest thing ever."

It snuggles in her arms and looks up at her. "Well thank you, I do try." That familiar voice is startlingly incongruous coming from a dog small enough to stand on your two palms.

Jet sighs. "Okay, anything that can be this cute, can't be awful. I accept. But Sara, please hold my hand? I'm gonna be jumpy."

Personally I think the logic's a bit off there, but I also trust Gothmog. He jumps down out of Jet's arms and walks towards the regular door. Which swings open ahead of him, revealing a view that definitely isn't anywhere in ARC. Sunshine, warm floral and plant scents blow in, there's a brick path lined with tropical flowers, plants, and palm trees. As he steps through, he resumes his usual, human shape. "Enter freely, and of your own will", he says, which gets him frowned at by Sara. "Daddy! Behave."

We give Donna hugs, then step in, Jet holding Sara's hand. Donna waves bye. The last thing we hear before the door closes and disappears is Doc Otto saying "Well that was the strangest summoning I ever did see."

If I didn't know where I was, I'd say we were some place in South America. The path winds through tropical plants buzzing with insects - or are those insects? Small colourful fast winged things, at least. Birds whoop and yawp from the palm trees, and a building is revealed through them, as we approach. Some sort of hacienda. It's fairly low lying, two stories in parts and one in others, but sprawling, with terracotta tiled roofs. There are colonnaded covered walkways. The walls are painted a gentle pink that works really well under the tropical brightness. The building wraps around a central court with a fountain, and steps rise up to what has to be the main door. Someone's coming down them, in a slightly awkward, machine-like gait. A girl, in a simple yellow summer dress with a wide straw hat. She's looking around, sees us, and suddenly she's running, I can hear the servo whine of some sort of robot exoskeleton, although it's well hidden under her clothes.

"Sara! You're here!" She throws herself at Sara, who hugs her close.

"Petra! Well if this isn't the loveliest surprise."

Seen up close, Petra's a near-clone of her sister, minus the fur, cute kitty ears, and emotive tail. It's weird to meet someone I know and don't-know like this, doubly so because of course I read her adventures. She's clearly wearing her light exoskeleton to get around. If I don't miss my guess, this place has been themed on her behalf.

"So Petra", says Sara, "Meet Jet, who I've told you about, and Jules, who's new."

Petra gives us both a bow. "Sorry, I don't shake hands, I give people shocks."

Jet and I both look at each other and grin. I say "We know, we've met Paige, and we're immune. Jet doesn't have nerves, I insulated mine."

A brief pause. "Okay, I can see there's a story behind this." She looks to Gothmog. "Shall we all go inside?"

He nods. "I have some iced mint tea, if you ladies would like some?" Everyone except Jet agrees they would.

Inside, it's grand, even if the decor does have a hint of very upscale bordello. Lots of skin on show in the schmancy art. Tasteful naked statues. Gothmog leads the group of us into a smaller room with embroidered sofas and a really thick carpet. The drinks and a jug of refills, conveniently, appear on a silver tray in his hand, without needing to be made. We each take one, he puts the tray on a side table. I let Sara give the spiel on my behalf this time, as I sip some very delicious tea, and ponder.

# Part nine

**7th January, 2007, inside Gothmog's realm**

Petra grins. "So you actually took the mark? Damn, girl, welcome to the family. I guess that makes us sister-wives?"

"Yeah, I'm junior wife, I think", I say. "Which is fine by me, I don't have any particular desire to be, thump chest, me Jules, me ruler of jungle. Besides, that's Sara." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Where's your mark?", asks Petra.

It's a pity I went for jeans this morning. Feels a long time ago. "Um, I could show you but I'd have to drop my pants. Which might be impolite."

Petra does a slightly evil grin. "Oh don't mind me."

I look around at the others. I guess, Gothmog's not going to mind. Jet has seen everything, so has Sara. Fair enough then. I unbuckle my jeans and slide them down, kick them off. I did wear underwear. Not that I mind a lot, but I wouldn't want to spoil Gothmog's sofa. "Right there. It's a pity I can't show it off more, we had to hide it at the time."

I don't think Petra actually expected that. She boggles slightly, then chuckles. "Shouldn't surprise me, if you hang out with these two. Ooh, nice. But yeah, you'd need the skirt to be practically a belt if you wanted to flaunt that."

"I could move it, you know", says Sara. "Or you could learn to. Rules say it has to show, somewhere, but the where of it is kinda optional."

Gothmog says, "I suggest, if your plan is to stay here and study, then that might be a good project for you to work on."

I nod my agreement, pulling the jeans back on. "Yeah, I was planning to stay over. I think I would put it here", I tap over my heart, where it would show like a pendant with even a conservative neckline. "I'm kinda fed up of false faces, I want to show the world I love Sara." That gets me smiles from everyone.

**7th January, 2007, grounds outside Poe, noon**

Nikki, decoy me, and Chou have completed our loop through the woods. It was nice, if a bit less of a manic dash than other me's trip. There's lots of wildlife in a winter forest, if you stop and look. But it looks like the hammer's about to drop - as we approach Poe Mrs Horton is waiting for us outside. "Miss Parallel, with me please. Security is here to take you to the head, but this isn't an official investigation yet and you shouldn't need a lawyer. Still, you might consider being careful what you say, hmm?" I nod. "You other girls, run along please." I smile, showing I'm okay with this. Fey looks at Chou, and they head into Poe looking determined.

The two security drones take me along the tunnels towards Schuster Hall, perhaps to avoid the cabbage-and-egg throwing crowds (ahem, I am being overdramatic). And we wind our way through to the reception area of the head's room. As we approach, I can hear shouting. Englund's dulcet tones. "I will not have you covering this up, Elizabeth, I demand to be included." Her response is too quiet to hear. But his is not. "Very well. But you haven't heard the last of this!" and he bangs out through the door and gives me a stink eye. "Where is she? The demon?"

"Nowhere that's your business", I'm not inclined to make nice with him any more.

Headmistress Carson comes out of her door and says, "Darren, that's enough. Leave my office now or I'll have you escorted off the grounds of my school. Last warning." He looks about to say something, decides better, and leaves in a huff. "Alright, child, come in. My apologies for the drama. That's enough, gentlemen." My escort lets me go inside alone.

Mrs Carson shuts the door. "Alright, I need to tell you that you are not officially under investigation yet and neither is Sara Waite. That said, I know she has left the grounds, do you know her whereabouts?"

"She was in ARC", I say. "On her way back now by unconventional means, can we use your door as a portal?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Very well."

The closed door swings open again, but onto a vista of blue skies, sun, and a path through tropical gardens. Jet and Sara step through, Gothmog, who is holding it open, bows to Mrs Carson, "ma'am", and shuts the door behind them.

She isn't exactly stunned, but she takes a moment to collect herself. "Well, I suppose that does save time. Jet, if you could please wait outside? I know you don't like to be separated, but Sara will not be needing bodyguarding in this room." Jet nods, and leaves by the now entirely normal door.

"Please, take a seat", Mrs Carson motions to a couple of chairs, which don't look too terribly uncomfortable. She takes her own seat behind the desk. We sit. She continues "So, you, miss Waite, have been in ARC, presumably to arrange legal representation?" Sara nods. Mrs Carson turns to me, "And you, miss Parallel, I am told security has you on sensors in the devisor area where you're building electronics, and that you also went for a walk outside sensor range in the woods, one went out, one came back, but I'm going to presume you spun off a copy we couldn't follow? And I'm also going to assume that you went with Sara too, were in wherever just linked to my room, and have remained there?" Clearly, she's not stupid.

"I would rather not say", I answer. "Except to note that I was trapped before, just last Friday, and I didn't like it."

She nods. "Fair enough. I have no intention of trapping you, but I'm not the only player in this. That radio interview this morning was incautious, young lady. Yes, the staff and some of the students might have guessed what you confirmed out loud, but it would have been containable. This, now, has reached the whole school. Which means, at minimum, that you are going to have to live with it."

"That was what I chose", I agree. "You know about my previous life. That was a very play-it-safe life, and I feel like I've been reborn, and I owe this new life to not hide myself any more. And I feel, this place needs someone to stand up and be counted as several things that I am, from Sara's lover, to intersex, to not entirely human any more."

She nods. "Idealistic, and I understand it. But given what you've read, you know that I am not in a position to throw the bullies out en masse. So even if nothing else comes of this, it will be upon your shoulders to survive them. Further, you'll be somewhat of an ambassador for your kind, as I perceive that your intent?" I nod. "Which means you will need to be diplomatic. Please avoid picking up the Team Kimba attitude of pile on and punch it." Another nod from me.

"Alright", the head continues. "You both did perhaps the most sensible thing you could, after having a moment's sober thought. You went straight to Mr Geintz to ask him to act as a witness. He then brought the matter straight to me, which has saved you a lot of convoluted explanation. Beyond the mere facts, his word on your character and motivations holds a lot of weight with me. If the matter were only in my hands, I would consider it closed."

I sigh, in relief.

"Unfortunately, it isn't, not entirely. Darren Englund has threatened to get the board involved. I will raise my voice against any further investigation, but I'm not the only vote there. Some may be swayed. You shouldn't stand down your legal counsel yet."

Well, oops.

She continues, "Beyond the legal matters, Sara, Louis told me you didn't know, and still don't know, how what you started will play out metaphysically. That is far too experimental to be acceptable. I am not going to ask you to undo it, Louis was clear that would precipitate an escape attempt at minimum, and knowing your precautions, the escape would probably work, to nobody's benefit. But I am going to be very clear that you are not to do it again, to any student in my school, even if they are consenting, even if they go down on a knee and beg. They can wait until graduation. Am I clear?"

Sara says, "yes, ma'am."

Turning to me, "And you, well, you've had an eventful arrival here, and I'm sorry to drop a burden like this on you less than a week after you even entered this universe, but you are necessarily on thin ice here. Humanity, to the extent it knows of your kind, is afraid of them. Largely that fear is well founded. You, and Sara, and her father, are the extent of the humanity-friendly ones we know. A lot of people are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not a handful, like Reverend Englund, think it already has, and we are missing it because she has a pretty face and a smile. What this means for you, is that what would get another child a detention, might get you expelled. You are to be on your best behaviour. You are absolutely not to harm any student here metaphysically. You are absolutely not to use class X exposure as a weapon, even against the vilest bully. Not for any justification short of saving your own life or that of others, and expect that to result in an inquiry if so. It could go beyond the school and be a federal offence. Sara is under similar strictures, she will fill you in on what is and is not acceptable."

I nod. "I rather expected it, ma'am. This is part of what I feel being an ambassador means. I need to work within the fear and lessen it by example."

"I'll see to it that you get extra sessions with Doctor Bellows", she says. "You've chosen a hard road, and you're going to need support, but I can say that on my behalf at least, I feel you are doing a good thing. I put my trust in you both." Sara pulls me into a hug from the chair beside me.

"And one more thing", the headmistress adds. "You know I'm deliberately lax on relationships between students, and what they lead to. Keeping a lid on teenagers has never worked. But I'm going to insist on two things. First, you're not to flaunt yourself sexually in public beyond plausible deniability. Keep it to kissing and light affectionate touch at most. Keep the rest behind closed doors and within your circle of close friends. I do not care if you feel this would be hiding yourself unacceptably, I need to keep an appearance of decorum here. And the same goes when you are off campus, if you can be identified as a member of the school. Dunwich, ARC, and so forth. Anywhere you're in uniform. Am I clear?"

I nod, "Crystal, ma'am."

"Then secondly, neither you nor Sara is to get anyone pregnant while you are students here. Including each other. That would constitute undeniable proof of rule-breaking, and in both your cases, would set off a panic. I expect you to take the necessary precautions, which I'm aware, miss Parallel, that your powers complicate."

"I believe I can do that now", I say. "If I choose it, I'll be firing blanks. And I will choose it."

She nods. "Very good. Alright. I personally consider this matter closed, but you will be informed if Darren manages to stir up any more formal enquiry. Thank you, you may both go." Then as we turn to leave, a Columbo-like "oh, and one last thing?"

"Yes, ma'am?", I say.

"Get your powers re-tested. I'll have an appointment made. You seem to grow new ones every day, and I need to be kept updated."

"Yes, ma'am."

# Part ten

**7th January, 2007, Medawihla village, noon**

"Well, it looks like there's no immediate panic, although I suspect we haven't heard the last of Reverend Englund", I say. Me and Paige and Eloise and Ben Donner are sat at the kitchen table, I've been relaying what the head said. It seems everyone's cool with me and Paige being co-wives and playmates, as long as Sara's cool with it. She's our alpha, as they see it, so the decision is hers. Which works for me.

"Do you still want to stay over with us?" Eloise Donner asks. "We don't have room for idle hands, so we'd expect you to help around the house. And we're a robust lot. You might find yourself forced to physically defend yourself."

It's a difficult choice. "I don't enjoy pain, Mrs Donner. I'm trying to avoid learning a callous attitude to my bodies just because I can regenerate. I don't enjoy fighting, or hurting people. I did hurt someone just last Friday, and that's still a nasty itch in my mind. The kind of enjoyment I got from it, I could do with never feeling that again in my life. But I'm robust, I learn fast, I'm a low-mid exemplar. If I stay, can I be taught to fight? Not the fancy way, your way. I think I might need it, and I can't get in any of the classes over in Whateley until the spring. And then if someone has a challenge, I'll answer it."

"Call me Eloise, dear, you're family. What will you do if you get scratched up bad and catch the were virus? Mutation doesn't stop it, although regeneration might slow or stop a small dose, a big one will get through."

I glance at Paige's arm, where it's fine in her kitty form. I've never seen her all-human form where she needs the prosthetic. "Um, Eloise, I think I can kill that off. Life sorcery. It doesn't seem to cause a taint when I'm using it on myself." The markings I put on my body overnight have gone completely, now. "At least, not if I do it at a reasonable speed. I'm just nudging things along, not wrenching them magically into a new form. Stopping the reproduction of a virus should be fairly easy. But honestly, being furry would not be the worst fate in the world either." Again a glance at Paige, this time with a fond smile.

She nods. "Alright, I'm not against it. We can give you a trial run of a few days over. Ben can show you some moves. It should become obvious enough whether it's working."

I nod. "Thank you. Change of topic, there was something I wanted to suggest. First off, Petra says hi." I grin, that gets several raised eyebrows. "One of me is presently with her, inside Gothmog's personal realm. She can go to and fro to there from her Brazilian convalescent home. I was thinking, her family could come meet her inside there. That kind of bypasses the question of legality, if you're both travelling to the same off-Earth place, you aren't crossing any borders. You could meet her, Paige. Jo could. Sara already met her today, but had to hurry back out. And of course, Eloise and Ben, you could."

Paige slaps her head. "I am a hundred types of idiot for not already thinking of that. Jo came through there, but I never thought about meeting inside."

"Petra says, I know", I relay with a smirk.

Eloise grins. "That does sound like a good possibility. Although I think we might have to be a little underhanded about it, because if the MCO gets wind, they are going to pitch a purple fit. They'll see the loophole as clear as you can, and they'll see there's nothing stopping Petra stepping out this end except her choice to be on good behaviour. I think even your little stunt in the head's office will cause a bit of quiet panic inside Whateley. They'll be rethinking a few of their wards."

I nod. "Petra says she'll be looking forward to it. I think the idea has made her day."

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, noon**

We've reached a good pause point, in the devisor labs. I've learned a lot, certainly enough to get me started in class. And Bugs is hungry. I am too, but my other body is hungrier. So I'll vanish this one. I thank her for the help, and pop, that me is gone.

The me with Sara is explaining my idea to her. She nods, after our day's adventure it's pretty obvious. And the bypass on the annoying travel laws is certainly convenient. Thankfully it's a short walk to the Crystal Hall, I'm feeling a bit tired out. Other me in Gothmog's fun hacienda is siesta-ing, which I thoroughly approve of as a tradition, after a delicious light lunch of I-think-it-was-seafood. And me over with the weres is helping make bacon sandwiches. (I have been assigned bacon-frying, I think it's a test.)

Sara and Jet sort of spread out to the side of me, as we approach the crowds. Guarding. The stop-a-tank coat helps me feel better, too, as do my stompy boots of eldritch weirdness. Although the coat is gonna be too hot to keep on inside. Today feels like I rode a whirlwind, and it isn't even over. Busyness and noise inside, everyone's back, it's bedlam compared to the sparse calm of the first time I was here. For once, there's only one of me here, and I load up on food. With my guards, I only get a few sharp looks and snide comments. Jade and Billie are still off fighting spider-rats, they'll be fine. Paige is on lettuce and tomato chopping duty, over with other me. But the rest of us are here. I pick a seat right next to Sara.

It doesn't take me that long to fill them in on what the headmistress said. Ayla's main advice is to hold my nerve and not get so crazy at the waiting I kick the hornet's nest again just to make something happen. I could see how that would be tempting. But we've got all our pieces arranged, and it's their move now.

Soon enough the conversation drifts onward to Jade and her amazing babysitting adventure. Is she going to be jetting in and out on rockets every day? Probably not but it's amusing to speculate, and having major superheroes on her CV certainly won't hurt. As for me I just snuggle up against Sara, and get petted, which makes me happy.

Before I came here, I had autism. Not a lot of it, but enough to bother me. I've been wondering whether I still had it. Some of it has clearly been superseded by the changes; I've got more bandwidth than you can shake a stick at, which means no worries about being overwhelmed by stimuli, any more. But I think today answers that question, because I'm feeling more than a bit socially drained. Peeking at what's going on, it's like, I keep alerting for small things. Is this important, is that? Is it dangerous? Being around strangers, in particular, makes me second guess everything. They haven't been comfortably analysed into patterns I can predict. That, at least, is something I can deal with. I task off threads to see what I can build up as characterizations of everyone I see. I'm constantly getting input about them, direct and indirect, sound and sight, I can thread together what I hear about them too, and later I'll put names to faces. Plus there's the stuff I read. Nowadays it's all there for me, clear as text, rather than the spotty digest memory I had when I first came here. It turns out all memory is eidetic in nature, it's just normally kinda buried. But mine has been un-burying itself. I can remember all of my previous life, although it's a bit separated off. Not quite "that happened to somebody else" but certainly "that happened to a different me, in a different world".

Oops, I was wool-gathering. Sara tap-taps me for attention. People are done eating, they're standing up. Have I done eating? Looking down, yeah, I ate everything. The memory of doing so is stored away, but I wasn't really paying it attention. Definitely time for some rest and relaxation, I think. I stand up, wave bye for now to the Poe folks and walk back with Sara.

Over with the weres, Erin's already headed off, not being the stick-around type, Paige is saying her goodbyes to the Donners. No point saying bye to me, I'm both at the origin and the destination of her trip back to Whateley. Ben and Eloise are cool for me to have a nap, here, so I look for a comfortable spot and curl up. Were houses are designed for people who like to do that, and it suits me nicely.

In Gothmog's realm, I'm wandering the pretty gardens (a lot of which, on close examination, are very not-Earth flora and fauna). As I do it, I'm trying to feel out how it all works. I haven't begun to scratch the surface, it's like this unbelievably complex spell-weave. But then, it's not that dissimilar to my own body that way. That too, has started to feel like a spell, or a song, as much as thing.

Snuggling on Sara's bed, I ask her, "Do you still sing? Because I read all about the nightmare at Halloween. It just felt wrong, that you were interrupted like that."

She smiles. "I sing. Mostly solo though, or in class, I haven't performed since then. I'm not jumpy about it, just haven't had the time." A pause, then, "Okay, maybe a bit jumpy. Did you want me to sing?"

I grin. "I'd kind of love to hear it. I mean, you sang a lullaby for me once, but I rudely fell asleep". Which makes her giggle. I add, "I've kind of read a heap of music theory, now, but I'm itching to actually have something to hang it on. Could you teach me how to do it? And I went and raided every sea shanty in the Whateley library, so we could have a bit of a pirate duet."

That makes her outright laugh, and grin happily. "Excellent plan. Okay, so Middle C", and she sings a note. I try and copy, she adjusts how I'm breathing and moving my mouth with mental nudges that are clearer than any verbalized instruction. "C major scale", and she sings the notes, adjusting my pitch by tiny increments. "Now sing along", and she launches into "what shall we do with the drunken sailor", I try to avoid giggling at the implausible dire fates enumerated, as I match her.

While we're having fun, I feel the need for some instrumental accompaniment. I haven't got one, though. But a thought occurs. I should be able to copy a penny whistle from my previous life's memory. If I had a material to work in, but I kind of do - me. I can make myself appear, could I make something like my body processes could, mentally, and make it appear? Shape and detail coming together... and another me appears, with a whistle in hand - one of fresh, white-shining bone. Inactive bone, no vascularisation or blasts or clasts, just hydroxyapatite and collagen. But shaped to cellular precision. And that me jumps in with the counter-melody. Okay, that got an eyebrow raise.

We get to the end of the song, and Sara says, "okay, give, I want to see that". I hand it over with a smirk, because I know she can feel it, it's me. As much part of me as any of my other parts, just separate.

She grins, using teeny tiny tentacles to appreciate the detail. "Nice work. I wouldn't lend it out though. What can you make?"

Jet comes over for a look, Sara passes it to her.

I say, "I'm pretty sure I could do solid things, if I can imagine them. I wouldn't feel up to mechanisms, not yet, that's a lot of fiddly pieces. But if you wanted a cup, or a knife and fork..."

Jet says, "Or a sword?" She's turning the small flute over in her hands.

I consider that. "Well, it wouldn't be very sturdy or sharp. I'll need to learn tougher tissues than bone for that. But I could make daggers, I think."

Jet hands it back to me. "Daggers could be useful. That thing's pretty freaky though. It has an aura. Only living things have auras, normally. There's, like, a connection to you. Sara's right, you give that to a mage, it would be worse than them having your fingernails."

"Freaky suits me", I grin. "Making bone implements - and making them vanish again", as I vanish the flute, "that could be a fun signature move. And it's less necessarily lethal than those gravitic tricks."

And then I make the whistle appear again in the hands of other me, and it's time for some more yo ho ho.

# Part eleven

**7th January, 2007, afternoon**

All of me are asleep. One in a nook with a sunbeam, one on the soft grass of a place that isn't anywhere on Earth, and one on Sara's bed. We, I, draw into focus, no dreams, no sensations, just self. I rest my attention and let thoughts come.

I've ruined everything, I've stirred everyone up to hate me - this is obviously not true, but I recognise that part of me brings this sort of thing up because of slow-burn trauma in my past life. It was easier to feel I was doomed, than that I was the victim of unkind treatment. It was easier, moving into a new place, or a new school, to accept the doom pre-emptively. Thank you, thought, for reminding me of my past, which is the root of my present, but no longer controls it. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

I'm a monster, I'm inhuman, I play music with my own bones because I'm amused to be spooky - well, it isn't a lie, but it isn't the whole truth. I'm eagerly reaching out towards the alien, and allowing myself to be changed, and I'm not sure really how much of the change so far is my nature, and how much is me just hamming it up because I like to. But I'm also kind and ethical, and being very careful not to let my new nature wear away my empathy either for myself or others. I've been given a new life, and I'm grasping it with both hands. More than two hands, in fact. Thank you thought, for reminding me to hold on to what I love about humanity, even as I change. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

I should panic and grab onto everything I can, fill my plate beyond overflowing with experiences, because everything will suddenly vanish away and I'll be back in the old life and stuck and it will all be just a dream - this is just reaction at the newness of everything. A part of me conceals its wish to hide in the familiar with pretend inevitability, because accepting such a sudden change is hard. Especially as I haven't even experienced a full day of schoolwork yet, my new life feels very undefined. But I shall be patient, and it will define itself, and become familiar. Thank you, thought, for reminding me that the routine and ordinary is also valuable as a comfort and a foundation. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

Slowly, the last thoughts clear, and I'm just there, experiencing my many selves.

An indefinable time later, I open my eyes in three places.

**7th January, 2007, Whateley, afternoon**

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Feeling better?" That's Sara, who is Paige-petting on the bed beside me. Said kitty-girl is looking as content as if she'd found the best sunbeam ever.

I smile and sit up. "Yeah. I managed to sort a few things out, I think it helped."

Sara nods. "I'm glad. We need to keep studying, tonight, and the way you were, I was worried it would be too much for you." But she would have done it anyway, that's an interesting implication. Sara's not one to lightly trample on a need for downtime, to my understanding.

I say, "Tell me about this enemy. Whoever he is, he's got you scared. Making you feel you have to rush me to learn."

"You know his name, but I can't say it, I have to be careful even not to think it too much", she says. "We, what the humans call Great Old Ones, and it'll do because we never needed a name for ourselves, in our essence we're more like potentials, abstractions. The first of us to find a foothold in this reality found one here, in a writer you know. But in becoming real, the influence went both ways. He latched onto the man's bigoted, fearful mind and became that himself." She sighs, "this is complicated, you're gonna need to learn to think us-wise about time. That writer lived only a few years ago, but this happened outside time. That one of us became a free agent in the universe from the beginning. Humans are what he hates, and he brought that hate back to our kind. As to why", she chuckles. "We've never met a species in the realities we've touched before that has the potential to become like us. You've got to understand, it's like meeting a game character who might, in potential, step out of the game. Or a puppet that might take hold of the stick and puppet us. Frightening. You didn't even need any genetic tinkering to become reachable at the imaginal level. So you can see how your change is literally the thing he fears most. Him and his faction."

I wince. "Yeah."

She nods. "So. You've already read about the three big powers of the universe. Humans call them elder gods. They've existed from the beginning of things, but they haven't. They were forced into personification by his faction, because he wanted to control the power of entropy and destruction, and he had to pull all three in to get that one. He broke the mind off personified destruction, and started worshipping the mindless shell that was left. This was their attempt to create a weapon for the big war, them versus the powers who were already here. That happened a long time ago, but it was his attempt to pre-empt humans from existing. The war ended in orgy of magical destruction that smashed up the timeline, broke the powers that used to rule Earth, and broke him. As of right now he's stuck half-dead, able to influence but not able to appear. That was the state he was in when he found Lovecraft." She shrugs. "Existing out of time makes for weird loops. Lovecraft named him, and all of the Elder powers, they have dumb racist names because they were named by a dumb racist."

I say, "Seriously? That is... if the universe has a sense of humour, I think it probably hasn't stopped laughing yet. Wow."

"Yeah, don't tell the humans."

"I can't imagine they'd believe it if I did", I say. "So wait, he created your grandma?"

"Pulled her into personification. The universe came with creation as a thing, but now creation's a someone, kinda sorta. She doesn't enjoy it, it gets in the way of doing what she does. Anyhow, so. He gets to be high priest of destruction. Relativity wants one too, because he's like grandma, bothered by being forced to be a person, and he needs someone to wield his power get that fixed, so he taps the broken off mind of destruction. Meanwhile grandma creates a new one of us to be hers, called Kellith."

"She created you?" I'm confused.

"My potential. Remember, outside time. The cause can happen after the effect. She created daddy, to be my father. And she put me in with the humans, to borrow their potential. There was always a Kellith, she defined me into the universe. But the abstraction became reality when my father loved my mother. To be what he needed to be, he had to have empathy, love, care. I got that from his lineage, and grew into a human whose life experiences turned the cold potential Kellith into who I am now. So grandma kind of created a monster, in a way, I'm a hybrid from us to you. Neither of the high priests worked out as the elders wanted. Relativity got a showboating ego. And grandma hasn't got me yet, I've been telling her no. We have philosophical differences. And now I've created you. Well, changed, created, sorta, from an us perspective it feels like created. That's the state of play and sparking you put another piece on the board. The factions are more broken up at this point, a lot of us just went off to do our own thing, but he's still playing the game, and we're playing opposition to him, and we just queened a pawn."

"Well damn." I chuckle, but it's laughing in the face of fear that I now understand too well. "So basically, I had better start learning to punch like a queen in a hurry, before he sends a bishop or a rook my way. And probably takes out the school in the blast radius."

"Got it in one. And so - sorry, Paige, I need to get up - time for sorcery lessons again."

Over in Gothmog's realm I'm listening to Sara explain but I'm also exploring his library. He looks proud of his collection. Literally every erotic novel, scroll, cuneiform tablet, fan-fiction, everything made by humans and aliens. Everything that has even a hint of kink or smut, he has a copy. The library must extend for miles. That's most of the library, but it's not the only thing he has, there's books on an eclectic variety of subjects, and a big spooky section. Unlike Whateley, that's just shelved in the open, here. Reader beware, I guess. Some of those, I expect, are going to become my textbooks.

I'm relaying to him and Petra what Sara's telling me. Petra has the incurable giggles as a result of the idea of Lovecraft naming the elder gods. Gothmog looks a little resigned. "My daughter has her way of telling things, but she isn't wrong. The two of us have chosen to become protectors of this strange, ever varying, extremely cute species called humans." He glances fondly at Petra. "There's a few of our kind out there who're on the friendly side of neutral. A significant number, who have abandoned the factions entirely, but they often see humans as playthings or prey. And a small handful who are still either obligate, or philosophical members of his faction. His mind's influence, and theirs, is why your human world is so full of darkness. Fighting that darkness is what my daughter's cult, and mine, work at in the world, even if it seems to be very indirectly."

"We've never talked about it yet, her cult", I say. "I know Paige is her high priestess, but she's never seemed that religious. And Sara knows I was interested, but hasn't raised it."

"It bothers her", Gothmog says. "Being a goddess, being worshipped, she can do it, but she hasn't fully grown into it yet. She has human feelings about it. Paige understands and doesn't press the matter. But then, she doesn't need to. Lying in the lap of her goddess, receiving loving caresses and loving her back, isn't that the very most powerful kind of ritual? Can even the Pope claim the same? They're subtle, these two." He smiles at Petra, who grins back.

We climb the stairs - everything in the library is beautiful, aged wood banisters, deep carpet, brass fittings - and we're in the spooky section. Books that look like they're made of stuff you shouldn't make books of. Weird alien gadgets. Things that rattle their chains and snap teeth or extend tendrils when you pass them. Petra doesn't look too happy about being here.

"Alright", says Gothmog. "Sara is teaching you runes, over on the other side. So over here, so as not to create interference, we're going to cover theory and abstractions of sorcery. Those are thing I judge, you, Petra, to be safe knowing. I feel, stretching a little way in that direction will help your recovery."

Petra closes her eyes, looks down, takes a few deep breaths. "Alright, I trust you. But I'm afraid. Last time I touched Mythos stuff, I got burned bad, and I know you know that. So how does exposure to more, help?"

"Your mind got twisted out of shape", Gothmog explains. "It rebounded back, but not all the way. You've had some time to get over the rawness of the injury, so now what we're doing is comparable to physiotherapy, which I know you've experienced. Stretches to regain protective mental flexibility."

"Oh Goddess, more physio?"

"I'm afraid so."

And so he brings down a book, and we start to learn.

# Part twelve

**7th January, 2007, afternoon, Medawihla reservation**

The weres aren't big on mod-cons. I'm figuring partly it's because they're boisterous and break stuff easily, partly to keep up appearances, partly because the things must whine and hum annoyingly to ears that aren't deaf as a human post. Anyhow, Ben has taken me out into the woods to help cut wood for heating and cooking. I suspect, also to get me away from the village where sharp hearing makes private conversation impossible. We're both strong enough to tote a big pile of cut wood, but getting it through the trees is going to be a bother. I'm concentrating hard on my gravity sensing to try and make myself better at feeling where all the obstacles are, even when I can't see them.

"So kid, you've run yourself into a bit of a complicated situation, out here", Ben says, conversationally, as we're walking. "We had a big attack about a month back. Lot of people lost family, they're grouchy and short fused. Then we had reinforcements come in, but they're strangers. So the pack ordering is still shaking itself down. Lot more dominance fights than you'd get in a settled pack. Lot more unpredictability. Not much discipline. Chances are good you're gonna get challenged. I hope that idiot boy Carl learned his lesson, but he might try for you, because you're with Sara and Paige. So I figure learning to fight is kinda high priority, if you plan to stick around."

I nod. "Whenever you want."

"Okay", he says. "We're gonna start by cutting wood, then a little jog. Then, when you're sore and puffed, you get to fight."

"Sounds fun", I say, because it doesn't sound fun at all, but there's no sense in whining.

"Ain't nobody gonna start trouble when it's convenient to you. Only when it's convenient to them", Ben points out. "Okay, we'll be cutting here. Look for dry dead wood, off the ground. Dead standing trees. Fallen trees that ain't resting up against the dirt. But keep an eye out for broken branches overhead, hung up in the tree and ready to drop. They can come down silently if you or the wind shakes 'em loose, and break your head in, and if you'd probably survive it being who you are, you wouldn't find it enjoyable. They call those widow-makers. And if the wood's hung up against another tree, call me over, I'll show you how to get it down safely. That can be trouble too."

I nod my assent and set to work. Gravity sensing helps reassure me I'm not about to get whacked upside the head by half a tree.

Other me is learning, and I'm finding the snowy forest to be full of reflections of the life runes I'm picking up. It's kind of like that Matrix movie where the forest can almost seem like one big spell, of impossible complexity. I'm reminded of Gothmog's realm, although the weave is closer to the surface there, it's more obviously made, although by an enormous and alien mind. There's a certain unity and shared tone to it. If there's anything like that out here, in the physical world, it's too vast for me to see yet.

I kind of wonder if some hint of Sara's blood-sister ritual link to Fey has come down the spark and become part of me, because I'm getting a sort of "life sense" now, a runic feel for the place around me. I can feel dead wood from live, for example, the living trees are barren at this time of year but they're brimming with respiration and cell processes. Dead ones are passive matter, but filled with decay-life. I can feel the hyphae shining inside the wood, and the little insects digging into it. Some old trees feel like a mix of alive and dead, which is strange but I guess plants are different like that.

After awhile, I've got a collection of logs and sticks, and Ben shows me how to cut them to lengths and bind them up with ropes to the backpack-frame I brought. Quite a lot of scout-type knot tying is involved, and the end result looks heavy as hell, but thankfully is under my one-and-a-half ton lift limit. It does make my feet sink in the dirt some, though. Whee, it's weird being able to do stuff like this. Even if I am thoroughly unimpressive for Whateley. Ben does up his own pack, and then says, "alright, feeling up for a run? Good, follow close."

Precision movement helps with anticipated obstacles, but my heavy feet keep slipping and there isn't always the time to optimise a path through brambles and undergrowth. I'd be cut to ribbons if I wasn't healing the scratches and bruises as fast as I was picking them up. And I'm feeling absolutely shattered. But I realize as I run that there's something I can do about that. Life sorcery with a gentle touch, I can pull scraps of sugar and minerals from the sweet tree sap that I can feel all around me, hints of glycogen from underground fungi, water and salt from dirt, never take more than a taste, but I'm continually moving on. Okay, this is cheating the hell out of training, but it's amusing. And when we pull up to a stop, I'm not exhausted. I could probably have just kept running all day. Ben sees it. "Well, damn, kid. You're spookier than you let on."

"Figured out a new trick", I say. "Provisioning on the run."

He's guessed it was magic of some sort. "You gonna harm our forest?" And he doesn't look approving.

"Shouldn't do", I say. "Lightest touch, no taint. Take less than they can spare."

He nods. "Fair enough." I feel I've shook him some though. He takes off his pack and finds a log to sit on. "Well, I can't do that, so your training's gonna wait a moment."

I take my pack off too, find a spot and toss my coat down so I can sit cross legged. Release thoughts, rest the attention on the breath. A fight is not a prank and should be approached with seriousness even if it's training, so says my inner Jedi.

Gravity sense, a form approaching fast from behind. Life sense, predator. I throw myself crudely sideways and roll, tracking the object as it moves through where I was and turns to follow. Bounce myself upwards with an arm, I couldn't do that if I were human but I've got plenty of muscle to throw my own negligible weight around. I go high enough I can grab at a branch that gravity sensing can feel. And I dangle, and look. Some guy, native looking.

"Good start", says Ben. "Didn't say I was gonna fight you *myself*. Meet Caleb Lost Feather."

"Kid doesn't move like a human", Caleb complains.

"She ain't.", Ben agrees.

I let myself drop, breaking the fall with a slight crouch more from habit than necessity. "So what's the terms of the training? I presume attacking me was to see if I'd be clueless, or fly off the handle?"

"Just to see how you reacted, kid", Ben says. "You got out of the way, you got to a moderately safe vantage, and assessed the situation. Good choices. Except that hanging off a tree doesn't give you many reply moves if they follow."

"Teleporting, or warping, or a new body and drop the stranded one", I offer. "Yank on the branch and go up, then bounce off the tree. But you're right, it's constrained. Dropping would be bad."

"If you're falling and you can't fly, you're undefended", he agrees.

"I kinda can, but it's not too coordinated", I say. "I might manage a dodge but it would be clumsy."

Ben nods. "What we're training today, using powers that aren't part of your physical body is out. No flying, no magic, no warping or teleporting, no new bodies or vanishing them. A dominance fight is a conversation. You need to convince your opponent, and your audience, that if they fight you again they'll lose again, so they stop coming. If you win by what they'll consider tricks, the first thing they'll think is, next time she won't get lucky. So they don't stop. So the terms of the training, as you asked young miss, is, to start with, I want to see you and Caleb fight. You can both use any physical tricks you know. No weapons, no shifting, full or partial. Avoid killing blows. Stop at tap out, unconsciousness, or when I say stop. No arguing with the ref." He grins. "Well, what's keeping ya? Git to it."

How to handle this? Well, I can take a lead from Ben's "She ain't". From my previous life I've a useless smattering of various martial arts, from this one I've got an inhaled but largely unexamined library of styles and forms. But martial systems are about generalities, what if I just work with specifics? I know how my body can move, I think. I know anatomy. So just take the fight like a problem to solve. Caleb's probably stronger, he'll regenerate, he can likely take the punches I can throw, or Ben wouldn't have put him in harm's way. Avoid arteries, and avoid breaking bones towards them. Spinal hits should be fine. Avoid skull and brain damage beyond a concussion. The environment is three dimensional, and I can sense it in a full sphere around me. Trees are surfaces, any orientation works. And gravity is pretty weak compared to my deadlift, so my body is a ball I can bounce.

Caleb's moving towards me at a half crouch. I'm just standing. I let myself topple forward like a log, he wasn't anticipating that at all and it throws his response, he steps back but I've caught my fall on outstretched hands and turned it into a rolling handspring that lets me kick him in the chin, absorb the reaction force with bent arms, then throw myself over his head, spinning in flight by throwing my arms out and around, twisting my waist, backhanding him into a tree. That throws me a distance away, foot bracing against a tree, I stop my momentum for a moment, then drop to an all-fours landing and push up bounce back to standing.

Caleb's up. "What the fuck style is that?", he asks, rubbing his chin.

"None. She's smart and untrained, she's making it up", yeah, Ben gets me. "Quit thinking you're fighting a human. Think terminator." Yeah, me and Arnie. But I suppose it has some merit. What would Arnie do? Smash with overwhelming force.

From standing, I slide forward into a shuffle step, then kick off hard from the back leg when the front is at apogee, heading right for Caleb, up close in his face. As I come in I feint a simple right cross to the face, he guards, then I duck, front foot touches with a forward push and brakes my lunge into a rolling forward fall but the pulled punch becomes a down-falling elbow into the hip-thigh crease with my whole weight and speed behind it, pop goes the joint. Caleb screams as he's slammed down to the ground by my weight and onto the dislocated hip, and I shoulder roll over him and turn back.

"Stop!" says Ben. I stop still. "Enough. Caleb, let me see that." Ben examines the dislocation with expert fingers, then braces a knee, yanks and pops it back in. More screaming. I wince. That sound is going to bug me, I really don't like hurting people. Caleb, panting, lies on the snow to recover.

"Alright, kid", Ben says. "I figure you know the answer I'm gonna give you. You fight okay, it's effective, that's what counts. A bit needlessly showy. But neither I nor Caleb can teach you a darned thing. You've got your own thing going. Cluttering it with proper form would just cramp your options."

I sigh, but it makes sense. "Sorry."

He shakes his head. "It works, it'll do. Now give Caleb a hand up and no hard feelings, okay?"

# Part thirteen

**8th January, 2007, morning**

We finished "grandma's book" last night. That and Gothmog's theory book left my mind reeling overnight, and Sara rode herd on my dreams all night to make sure I didn't accidentally unleash a plague or something. I can feel it changing my perspective, and it's going to take effort to avoid being warped out of shape. Really easy to see life from her perspective, as this enormous process creating itself, where the individuals don't matter. That's one valid perspective, but it's not the only one, is how I've decided to frame it. Still, I seem to have a knack, and that's good, it means I've picked up a potent weapon. Because I really could unleash a plague, personalized or species wide, very easily now. But best set that thought aside.

Me in Whateley slept the night in Poe. In Gothmog's house, I slept alone in a gigantic, silk sheeted four poster bed. Yeah, I can see his hand in the design of Sara's room. I offered to stay with Petra, but she doesn't feel like she knows me that well yet. I can understand that. With the weres, I found a curl-up nook, and was joined by a kid called Cindy. Just sharing the space, but she told some good stories about when she first met Paige, who was really jumpy with blood rage then. She seems to have more of a handle on it these days. Spending so much time around Sara probably helps.

Today's going to be the first day of school here for me, although it promises to be weird as I'm kicking things off in the oddball, all-electives winter term. And doubly weird as I'm going to have to split myself between two and five ways at once to take the classes I'm booked for. Everyone else is a whole autumn ahead of me, although my reading should help. That means I don't have a team, and I can't get into even basic combat stuff this term, except the class called "combat movement" for non-violent types. That won't start until tomorrow, Tuesday. I'm going to ask if they can set up remedial combat class for me, so I don't have to wait a whole term and then start from zero.

**8th January, 2007, morning, Poe**

I'm up, so I might as well get clean. Getting out of bed is a short, lazy warp, and then I'm padding across to the showers, ramping up my body heat set-point a bit so the cold floor doesn't matter. It's busy, of course, and Ayla's ogling Billie, who's stark naked and dripping, floating overhead with her legs wide open and towelling off, okay, I admit the view is nice. But it's impolite to perv at friends without permission. Toni finger-prods Ayla, who jumps like she's been shocked. Ki wackiness, presumably, I really need to learn that. Billie just flies herself sideways and towards the exit, but stops seeing me. "Jules. I was looking for you when I got back. You knew, didn't you? Everything, the fake baby, the spider rats, the dungeon dimension."

"I knew", I admit. "You weren't in any danger. Weak-ass demon, and the dungeon belongs to a friendly mad scientist."

She sighs. "In hindsight that's true, but it still bothers me you didn't say anything at all."

"It was an adventure. You'd have just felt kinda continually disappointed if I'd spoiled it for you. Don't worry, I won't keep actual dangers secret, if I know them. Which is not guaranteed from roughly now on."

She nods. "Fair enough. See you at breakfast." And heads off to dress.

I must have missed some conversation because Jade zips past me doing the crazy villain laugh. Aha, that's one I think I do remember. Fun fun. And then the queue moves forward. On the way past I say to Ayla, who's on his way out, "If you want to ogle, and not be doing something that the person wouldn't consent to, its cool to look at me. Not that I'm up in the top ten like Fey..."

A voice cuts across, "You ain't in the top one hundred, why would he look at you?" A black girl, and I hush the part of me that is spitefully thinking she's not in the top one hundred either. Ayla nods, but makes his exit, he clearly wants no part of this.

Toni says, "Oh yeah, Jules meet Sharisha, Sharisha meet Jules. Jules ain't got no shame, Sharisha ain't got no sense."

"Nice to meet you", I lie, politely. "The answer is, whether he wants to is up to him. Each to their own."

"You another one of those boy girl freaks like miss thing here?" Sharisha clearly isn't making much effort to be polite. "Cuz I think it's a shame that you freaks are putting on an act and fooling people, but artificial don't taste the same as real."

I move my towel from my waist to slung over my shoulders, so she can see everything. "More ways than you know. But I suspect, you're guessing about tastes." Meow. Self, be nice.

"Oh fucking wonderful, another boy dick with tits. Like we don't have enough, are real women going out of style?"

Toni says, "Back the fuck off, Sharisha. Everyone here's got secrets."

"And I wish I'd never told mine", she says, leaving in a huff.

I smile my thanks to Toni. And then it's my turn to wash. While I'm showering (ah, lovely warmth), Toni asks me, "So how come you don't care at all about being ogled? It something you got off Sara?"

I laugh. "Sara would be like, pose, pose, did you get a good angle, should I bend over?" Which sets Toni snickering because it's true. "As for me it's more like, I'm really happy to have this body, and why not spread the love? I like being me. I like looking at me. If other people do too, then yay. I probably wouldn't date Ayla because he's such a guy and I doubt he's as poly as I am, but I don't mind if he checks out my ass. And better to aim it at me than at someone who'd be embarrassed by it."

"Huh. I guess that works. As for me, I just don't get embarrassed by anything", Toni says. Understatement of the year. "But I know it bothers Nikki. Billie's just a complete space case. I think Jade has to remind her to wear clothes out of the house." Which I laugh at the image of. Oh hey Billie, you forgot your pants, so here they are with Jinn inside. "Anyhow, see you at Tai Chi", Toni says, heading out.

Alright, shower done, water shaken off with a teleport, and I'd better get dressed and downstairs. Back to the uniform today, but I don't hate it. Even the store bought one wasn't made of horsehair and doormats, unlike some schools I could name. This one from Cecilia fits nicely and feels silky. Reminds me, I should get back over there and see if she can make me an outfit I'd look hot in, because I don't really have the practise to pick one out myself. And I'm not sure what the requirement for "formal dress" for the Exemplar Grace thing is, but I bet she could make one. They'll get me in my uniform the first lesson, though, that'll be later today.

The Tai Chi group is me, Fey, Toni, and Chou today. And this time around I'm not distracted by fun with Sara (no, must not detail-remember that memory right now, save it for later when me and my fingers have time). With enough bodies to compare to, I tighten up my physical form some, but I'm really not sure how the ki side of it works at all. Toni's helping this time. "Try to think like, you're not moving your body. You're moving your intent, and your body is flowing along effortlessly. Sink down. All your movement should come from the ki center under your belly button."

"Dantian", Chou helpfully supplies the name of it.

"Yeah, one o' those", Toni agrees.

At the end of the practise, they agree that my form's good, and I'm coming along on the intent thing. It's amusing to have this one thing I'm pretty much a baseline at, given all the other scary high-level stuff I've been picking up.

At breakfast, I double myself up so I can go give Sara a big hug while I'm waiting in line. She always feels down at breakfast when she's got to eat some cute animal in public, this time it's a big, very long haired, much beaten up looking cat, that was probably king of the strays in its time, going by the missing eye and shredded ears. "Kitty will probably have fun in your realm" I say to her, and she nods. I think I understand that place a bit better now. It's got a real "grandma" feel to it. It's kind of how she's chewing over the big hidden war she's got swept up in. I wonder how Jade and Gary will change it?

Me and other me both make it to the tables around the same time, with other me handing me the second tray before she goes to sit with the Kimbas. Sara gets eating the cat over with fast, then sets the cage down. I just enjoy listening as Paige asks about subject choices. Looks like a lot of people don't firm up what lessons to take until the first day. Everyone's shocked Paige gets along with Hartford, she's someone I haven't met yet. Not sure where I'll stand in her hierarchy of enemies and allies. I'm guessing low, on account of some of my friends, and the people they consider enemies. Glancing over, I can see what has to be the Alpha table. I'm still piecing together hints about who's who, but I know some of the dramatis personae. Although nobody looks like the Don. Oho. Today is his no good, very bad day, now that I remember.

"What's got you amused?" Sara asks curiously.

"The Don", I say. She's seen my memories of reading. And so a moment later she gets a sharp toothed smile.

"I wish I could be there for that", she admits.

"We get to enjoy the aftermath at least", I agree. "Oh, and Englund's hiding miss Seraphim from you in Dickinson, it would be a shame to mess up his plans by becoming her friend."

She snickers. "It's really not going to be his best term, with us two ganging up on him".

"His choice to start hostilities", I say. She nods.

Meanwhile on the Kimba side, everyone's talking about the courses. I'm going to be in a few of the ones they're mentioning, so I listen in quietly. Ayla gets teased a bit for his highfalutin' choices. One of the older, Asian looking Poe girls I don't know asks me, "So, Jules, Parallel, right? You're being real quiet, have you already made your choices?"

I nod. "Yeah, for me it's easy. I'll take everything that doesn't need stuff I missed in fall term. So most of the fighty stuff is out, and I'm not in a team yet, but I can take the rest. A lot of it, I didn't do the lessons, but I read the texts. So I should be able to test in."

"Uh, that conflicts, you know? You can't do them all at once." It takes her a moment. "Oh! I guess you can?"

"Yeah, my adviser is having kittens about it as we speak, but I think I'll be cool to just drink the entire fire-hose", I agree.

"Jealous now", she grins. "You're going to have one interesting time here."

Meanwhile Ayla's grousing about overlaps is cut short when everyone stares at her, and breaks out giggling. Oho, it has begun. I watch with amusement as Jade's animated shoulder angels tease Ayla. Missed an opportunity to do a suave boyish Lucifer, in my opinion. But Jade is Jade and subtle is not her middle name. Ayla-as-a-girl does look smoking hot in the smutty devil outfit. Not that he looks happy about it. Poor guy.

Okay, enough of that, I need to head to lessons.

# Part fourteen

**8th January, 2007, Whateley, morning**

Team tactics is the first two periods of every weekday this term. That's where team Kimba are going to be, every day. It looks like the school has deliberately scheduled the overlaps to be all the soft, gentle classes for the kids who aren't training to be the next X-men. First period, I've got something called Non-linear Equations as Relating to Game Theory Calculus, which sounds fairly basic. Also, double period of "Necromancy, threat or menace", it should be interesting to see how that links up with my life sorcery. Second period I've got one on the history of renaissance Italy, that I've promised Ayla I'll share notes on. The Kimba table me can go to math, and the me with Sara can walk with her to the necromancy class, that we're both in. Then at second period I'll send the math body to Italian history. Third period will be all change.

Walking with Sara over to Kirby Hall is quiet joy. I am pouring love at her down the mark, just because I can, and she's sending love and amusement back. We may be banned from too-excessive PDA, but there's no reason I can't hold her hand as we walk. Yay, this life is absolutely the best.

Whoops! Twenty-three snowballs inbound, as clear on my gravity sense as if I was facing them. I deflect a few with warps and stop the others, tossing them back. Uh, wait, stop them how? Um, tentacles. That are not Sara's. Oh wow, they came from me.

I CAN DO TENTACLES!

O.M.G. and whee! I retract, and extend them again. Then tentacle hug Sara, completely ignoring the idiots chucking snow at us, although they've backed off a bit at the spooky display. "I did them! Mine!"

Sara grins too because my enthusiasm is infectious. "You really did! Well done, I told you you'd learn how."

"I'm not sure I really know how yet, but they're there", I admit. "Must explore this more. Hmm, but later. First..." I use tentacles to grab up a small snowdrift worth of snow and dump it on the persistent throwers, who splutter and complain. That's them sufficiently dissuaded for now. I can feel what I'm touching as if the tentacles were fingers, but the cold ice doesn't hurt. Unlike Sara's, which are opaque black and look like rubber, mine are smoky blue, and barely there to the eye. They look like that science toy, aerogel. They aren't biological. I could probably grow them out that way, now, but it would take hours of patiently instructing my cells. These appear and disappear on a whim, take whatever shape I imagine, and they pass right through my clothes without making holes. While being solid enough to grab snow. Some kind of solidified sorcery?

While I'm being fascinated, we reach class. I'm too distracted to note much except that Kirby Hall is a weird, Tudor looking style.

Necromancy class is fun. I sit down with Sara over on one side of the class, Buffy wannabe Nightbane goes and sits on the other, and gives us "I stab u now" looks, with Sara blowing kisses back. Poor Beltane is stuck in the middle between us facepalming harder than captain Picard. I give stab-girl a tentacle wave, and she goes *white*. Like if the chair wasn't holding her up she'd have fallen over white. Oh dear, poor corrupted me. Insert evil laugh here. Well, more like evil snicker, but Sara and I do a tentacle high five. (is that a high one? Anyhow.) Score one for team monster.

The teacher's a miss Grimes, who I've read about but not met before. She really does look like a Hollywood witch. It's kind of awesome, although admittedly I am happy enough right now I'd think anything was awesome. The rest of the students seem to be a mixture of goths and preppie types. Nobody Sara seems to be friends with, which gets them off on a back foot with me. Miss Grimes starts off talking about how necromancy is wrong because it breaks the cycle of life.

I telepathically nudge Sara. "Am I right this is nonsense? Souls are made of immutable, timeless stuff. You can't break them and you can't keep them in any cycle forever."

Sara telepaths back, "A lot of them cycle loads of times by human standards. But not forever, no. And the immutable unit is much smaller than one human soul, so they can be shattered apart. Or bent out of shape and it'll take awhile to unbend. But she's making mistaken assumptions. The soul gets called back here, therefore it can't reincarnate there. Wrong, it's fine with being here as its old self and a tea vendor's newborn daughter in Bangalore at the same time. That's how they can go to the afterlife, and also reincarnate. You know from personal experience, one soul, many selves."

I nod and resume paying attention to the lesson. A few people are clearly bugged by the idea of having to give up their spook-chatting ambitions. The idea of rebranding is brought up, which just makes me giggle. Miss Grimes catches the giggle and asks what was funny. So I say, "people who are going to do necromancy anyway should just own it. The idea that they can change the label and put on a suit and suddenly they aren't associated with graveyards and dribbly candles or people with goatee beards going "mwahaha" is just silly. And honestly, a bit creepy. A euphemism makes it clear you're hiding something, and you know it's something you should hide. Nobody's fooled."

Miss Grimes, who is clearly the play-it-straight type, nods her agreement. "A valid point." Beltane gives me a slight smile. I get scowled at by the preppie types. I bet they are the kind of people who invented the word "downsizing" for sacking people. Idiots. I wouldn't trust them to necromance without being assholes about it. Suddenly, I feel very protective of ghosts. I raise my hand.

"Yes, Parallel", miss Grimes sees me.

"I have a point we haven't considered yet. Ghosts are people, if temporarily disconnected from a body. Summoning people up and making them do things is slavery, which is disapproved of in most places. I don't see why that should change just because they died." That gets me a smile from Sara, who has the whole being summoned issue too.

That changes the topic to whether ghosts count as slaves, and whether one can work out a fair employment contract with a summoned being (Sara arguing for yes), which takes us up to the end of the class.

My other classes over the first two periods, well, the math is okay, although like I thought a bit basic. We're supposed to produce some sort of term project. I haven't decided what to do there. Renaissance Italy, we covered in overview in the first lesson. It seems to be an extremely stabby place. It's hard to study something I actively disapprove of as much as the so called "age of discovery" (for which read, colonialism, and the destruction of indigenous people and their cultures). But it happened, and ignoring it won't make it vanish.

Third period means the violent types are out to roam, and that means a change of tone. For me, intro to the Whateley ranges, and flight. I decide now might also be a good time to see if I can buttonhole the combat senseis and get into a remedial basic class. Martial arts are held in the same place as flight, so the me with Sara hugs her bye-until-lunch and heads there, while the me in history heads to the ranges, which are underground, under the same building.

Down in the range, I instantly recognise the instructor from my reading, even if she barely looks older than this body does. White stone skin, cobalt blue tattoos, military attitude, black jeans. Caitlin Bardue. So she's still taking classes, hmm? We all shut up when she starts speaking, giving us a litany of warnings about what she'll do to us if we twitch an angstrom out of line.

Billie's in the flight class with me. We're working in a high-ceilinged room indoors, and the intent of the class is to improve precision and grace. Definitely something I need, although I'm not sure Billie will get much out of it.

And I explore, looking for the dojo. I find it, and peek in, to see if anyone's there. There's a black woman in a black spandex bodysuit with her hair in side-bunches, doing kata alone. She stops and turns to me. "Hi kid, are you lost? There's no class here right now."

"No, ma'am, I'm not lost. Would you be sensei Tolman?"

She nods. "That's me."

I smile. "I was looking for you or sensei Ito. I'm a new student here, freshman but I joined a term late."

"Meaning you've not had any basic martial arts", she nods. "So I'm guessing you're asking after remedial classes?" I nod. She looks at me. "Got any prior experience?"

"Negligible", I admit. "Taekwondo in childhood, one yellow tab. Boxing slash kick boxing, basic punches and kicks at low speed, up to light sparring. All in a different body. In this body, what I have is improvisation and powers."

"A different body... story for another time, I guess. Alright, so it's unlikely you can just test in, unless your improvisation is very good."

"Good but unpractised, I've had less than a week, and less than two days for most of it", I say. "Got another physical capability this morning."

She raises an eyebrow at that, and nods. "List your powers. Only relevant ones, please."

"Exemplar three. Regen six. Warper with teleporting and space and gravity distortion, which also gives me flight, sorta, as well as a 360 degree gravity sense. Multiple bodies and I can appear and disappear them at whim, multiple parallel minds, extreme mental processing capability, perfect memory. Precise muscle control. I can make and unmake weapons out of biological materials such as bone. I'm not sure if life sorcery is relevant, but I could definitely reconfigure my body to be poisonous or infectious, given time to set it up. It gives me a life sense which people register on. And just today I added tentacles like Carmilla, although the means by which I create them is something I need to study."

She's scribbling it down, and looks a bit impressed. "Okay, that is a heap of raw ability and then some, but basically you have no clue what to do with it short of making it up as you go along, right?"

"I memorized every anatomy text here and at ARC, so I can deduce what to hit. But it's an intellectual exercise."

She laughs. "I never tire of learning the new ways you kids figure to do things. Okay, yes, you definitely need classes, if only so you don't go from zero to smash the knee joint on some poor unsuspecting yahoo who expected you to put up your dukes. I'll see when I can fit you in. What slots do you have free?"

"Any of them", I say. "Multiple bodies, multiple minds. I'm taking two other classes as we speak."

"Okay, that's a new one even for me. Well, write your codename and campus email on this bit of paper, and I'll mail you when I've set up a time."

"Thank you, sensei", I say.

# Part fifteen

**8th January, 2007, Whateley, lunch**

The short gap between lessons makes lunch more of a hurried affair than it has been in the few days I've been here. Thankfully I can join everyone at the two tables while also getting in line for food, which gets me grumpy glares from a few people stuck in line. On the Kimba table, the one I was hoping to meet is there.

"Hey Nikki", I say, "I need a kind of opinion on a thing, that I learned to do today, and whether it's bad or not."

She gets that here we go again look, and says "What is it this time? You sprouted a second head?"

"Well.. not exactly..." I tease.

"Spit it out", says Billie, smirking. "Can't be flight, you do a good impression of dropped helium balloon."

"Bah. Some people aren't able to completely ignore gravity. It's this." And I show a small tentacle from my finger tip. "I can do bigger and more, but I'm not sure if it's safe yet."

"Huh, nice", says Billie.

Fey squints at it. "It's a distortion, but it isn't spreading outside the radius of the thing itself. Put it away and make it come back?" So I do that. "Okay, when it's gone it doesn't leave any taint. So it's not dangerous that way. But I think, if an ordinary person stared at it for a few hours, they might get a cumulatively uncanny feeling shading into a strong desire to get away from it. About the same as your boots. And if you made a couple hundred and grabbed them by the face, that would pretty much instantly start damaging them by class X exposure. At a minimum it would leave them with a lasting phobia. I'd avoid that."

I nod. "Wasn't planning to, but it's good to know so I don't get myself in hot water."

"Are you copying Sara?" asks Jade as other me delivers trays of food and then vanishes.

"It's more like I've wanted them since I saw hers", I admit, munching on the very passable tortellini in tomato sauce in between sentences. "They're so damn cute. besides now I can hug her on an equal basis."

Me on the other table is giving Sara a tentacle hug, and she's giving me one back.

Jade giggles. "You two are kinda romantic and cute, in the weirdest possible way."

"The queen of chaos herself has recognised me, I feel so seen", I tease with a grin. "Pity Ayla isn't here."

"I have so many ideas", Jade agrees with a smirk that is definitely chaotic evil yet cute.

Over on the other table, Paige is really looking forward to her code-breaking class. I'm going to see if they'll let me into that one on the basis of having read the texts. I can definitely work a computer a few universes over, but we'll see if that expertise translates. Paige of course is so far ahead of me she'd make Don Knuth cry. But she'll definitely be my senpai this time around. When I say that it makes her giggle.

And then I tell them my shocker. Last period of the day, I've got "special topics in religion". With Englund. Many raised eyebrows at that.

Hippolyta's impressed. "You really don't give an inch, do you?"

I say, "that man has made war on my most beloved in all the world, so no, no inch for him. He gets to have me in his lessons, and I'll even see if I can't force him to give me a passing mark. But I can afford to spot him the F if he isn't willing to be fair about it."

Hippolyta grins, approvingly. "Way to fight a teacher, is make him grudge every grade he has to admit. I like it."

The other things I have are language intensives in Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish, all three periods after lunch, Theory and Practice of the Escape fourth and fifth period, codes and religion in sixth. I suspect I'll speed-run the language classes. I can already read all three fluently, so I'll need to get the pronunciation and prosody down, and any difference in the spoken register versus written, and then maybe test out.

Sara and Paige have decided to take escape with me, which should be fun. Either Sara or I could probably just rip a lock apart - or, now, work the mechanism from inside with tiny tentacles. But it's worth learning to do it the hard way. And Paige can just walk through anything electronic, but I don't know if she's studied regular locks.

As we walk over I say to Sara, "You know, it's been bothering me since earlier. All I've done these last few days is pull you into my messes. When what I want is the reverse, to be there to protect you."

Sara messes up my already messy hair and calls me a sweetie, and says, "much as I sometimes wish, it isn't that simple. We're dealing with the whole of humanity, the local bullies are just the leading edge of that, and we can't just kill all the annoying people without wrecking the big project. So it's a political war. And you're already helping, kiddo."

"Drawing their fire?"

"Modelling what a good one of us looks like. Me, they find hard to believe. I do the scary demon thing too well. But you look like a cute moppet."

"A cute moppet with spooky tentacles" I say, doing a cartwheel on mine just because I can, which makes Paige giggle. It leaves interesting tentacle-prints in the snow.

"Pretty smoky opal blue ones", Sara counters.

"They should learn to see beyond your highly cute outside to your lovable and intensely good inside", I say. Which makes her laugh and noogie me.

Paige cuts in to say "We agree with Jules, they are being obtuse not noticing that you have done nothing but benevolent things since getting here." Hi, Mai.

I say, "Since some of them have been coming at her with one assassination attempt after another, I guess they've seen a lot of the snarling face."

"And yet she does not hunt them down and destroy them. I recognise this tactic is strategically unavailable. But they have not noticed it, or if they have, they think of it merely as an advantage, they have not registered it as goodness."

"I kind of feel like Englund's got mental health issues", I say. "It's not that he doesn't recognise it, it's that he can't. He's not seeing what we're seeing. He's still stuck in some past hellhole. Like a soldier that never came home from the war."

Sara nods. "I suspect it, but I'm the worst placed person on campus to do anything about it. If I poked into his dreams to try and give him some therapy, he'd shoot first and complain to the head afterwards, and never ask why."

"Englund's influential, but he's one man", I say. "I feel, we could change the way the campus feels about you, Sara. Even if that leaves him unmoved."

Mai says, "I admit, we have not tried this. We have our own secrets and do not wish to make waves."

I nod. "Completely understandable. However, I can make as big waves as I like."

When we get to class, the only one I recognise is the squirrel-looking girl who's probably Aquerna. I wouldn't mind seeing if I can become her friend, as she's in the parkour group, and from what I remember reading, is nice.

We sit down, the teacher comes in. He looks like the bad guy off Kung Fu Hustle, if a bit better dressed. “Good day, class. Welcome to our ‘special topics’ class on the theory and practice of the escape. I’m Mister Robertson. Now I already looked at the class list. All of you have powers. Some of them are more suited to escape than others. We've got one teleporter, give the class a wave, miss Parallel", I wave getting various mildly curious looks, "And one tentacle user, miss Carmilla", everyone knows Sara, she gives a tentacle wave. I put my hand up. "Yes, miss Parallel?"

"Two as of this morning", I wave a tentacle. Which causes a certain amount of stir.

"Two, very well." And he goes on to talk about how only a few of us are strong, and anyhow, any power set can be negated. I agree with him there, it seems valid to plan for that, no matter how confident you are. Defence in depth, and so on. We'll train for being powerless first. Then he'll go through individual abilities with each of us. We'll start with the simple stuff first.

Some guy in the front wants his qualifications, he says nope to that, but he'll show us - seems I spoke too soon about the well dressed part, because he skins down to his tank top for the demo. Practical, yet grungy.

Whoa. Slipping out of handcuffs like that is a neat trick. I'm not sure how it worked. Slowly playing back the memory of what I saw, he had his arms flexed when he was being cuffed, interesting. I'll let Aquerna answer that though. Which is good because I get confirmation of the name, as she gives her power set. And an identity on a couple other kids, Skillset and Peccary, the latter having the poor judgment to try and tease in class, which gets him threatened with a rotisserie. She gets the answer right.

Other me is picking up the spoken forms of the languages as I reply with bad pronunciation and get corrected. This is going to be, for a brief while, embarrassing. But I should get better fast.

In escape class, we get treated to a comedy skit of "Poor me, I'm so locked up... oh hey watch me lock that guy to the rail and by the way I got out of the cuffs". It's pretty cool. This guy clearly knows his stuff, and I feel we're going to learn a lot. Even if he does need to wash. And cut his hair. And wash his clothes.

Okay, I can't really knock him for not styling his hair when the most I've done with mine since it suddenly grew (aside from showering it clean) is run fingers through it to make sure it hasn't knotted. I might need to pay more attention to that stuff. Even if as it seems, exemplar hair doesn't get knots from being slept on. I got into lazy habits last life, because I didn't like the body. This one, I like.

Unfortunately my chosen companions don't exactly have any useful suggestions. Sara's hair is as long as she wants it to be because her whole body is kind of a construct. Paige has to get hers done specially, because of the zaps and because of being a kitty. But Sara suggests talking to Fey about it after classes as she hangs out with the models, and they presumably have the best contacts. There's no stylist officially on campus, so it's either find a student who will do it for cash or practise (cash may technically be illegal), or take a ride into Dunwich. Which would mean waiting for Saturday, earliest. Well, unless I do the long range teleport a body thing. I'm not sure how that works with the rules. My guess is, it would be embarrassing to be caught and I can't imagine the head having much tolerance for "well *technically*..." Yeah, no. See the bear, walk away from the bear, do not poke the bear.

And speaking of bear-poking, I'm splitting for two classes next, code-breaking with Paige, and religion with Englund. That's going to be fun.

# Part sixteen

**8th January, 2007, Whateley, end of fifth period**

As class breaks up, I head over to see if I can't catch Aquerna, who's talking to her friends. "Hi, got a moment?"

She looks a little confused. And possibly a little worried. Since the radio broadcast, I guess I count as one of the scary ones. Well, that and me popping out a tentacle just earlier. "Uh, sure, hi?"

"Nice answers in class", trying to put her at her ease. "Sorry, we don't know each other but I recognized you by description. You're in that parkour group, right? I was looking for contacts who might introduce me."

She glances over at Sara, who's giving us space. "Yes, I am, I could certainly tell Caitlin you're interested?"

I smile, "Thanks. That's very appreciated. Tell her to look up Parallel, that's my codename. Is it really true you can talk to squirrels?" I know it is, but I feel that's a good way to break the social ice a little.

She nods, clearly worried I'm setting her up for something, but I'm not. I say, "That's pretty awesome, they're very cute creatures. Although I think the ones around here are asleep now, aren't they? Perhaps you can introduce me to them when they wake up? If that isn't asking too much."

That gets her approval. "Oh really, you like them? They're family to me and I'd love to introduce you, but yes, they're all safe in nests until spring. But I can definitely do that when they're awake." Another, worried glance at Sara. "Um, this is not trying to be rude but just making sure, you don't eat squirrels, do you?"

I shake my head. "I don't. Regular people food for me. Don't think badly of Carmilla, though, she doesn't have a choice." Using Sara's codename because Aquerna probably doesn't know her real name.

She shudders at the idea of being forced to eat like Sara does. "Okay, I can see that would be a nightmare. I'm glad you don't have to. Okay, well, I can talk to Caitlin. Then she'll probably contact you. I should go now though, I've got a class."

I smile. "See you 'round." I have hopes for that friendship. And persuading her that Sara is nice. Okay, that might be a stretch.

Englund's "special topics in religion" class is in Kirby, which is probably a bad sign. Code breaking is in Schuster. Sara has a free period so she walks the two of us over there, while other me heads towards the mages' lair. Paige is excited, and chattering math to Sara. Me, I'm feeling subdued, but not for the obvious reason. Something is itching me, not physically, but mentally. Worse, despite my abilities at self analysis, I can't pinpoint the cause. It's like, something I need to do, or something I need to become, but I'm not ready yet. That's the most I can get. I want to set it aside, but it's insistent. In the end I just forcibly silence the alarm. If it becomes something I can act upon, I'll act.

This isn't my first time seeing Kirby Hall today, but the first time solo and not preoccupied. It looks kinda similar to Shakespeare's Globe theatre from the outside. I'm in good time for class, so I just find the room, pick a seat and wait. I've got nothing on this body I can't afford to lose if I have to bail. This lecture room is constructed as tiers of seats forming a half circle around a fairly wide floor, with blackboards, but interestingly the floor is also painted with chalkboard paint. So presumably he's going to be drawing circles during the course. And there's a desk, covered in a cloth, with something long and rectangular underneath. Like that's not ominous at all.

Over in Schuster, Paige and I hug Sara and then head into the rather unassuming, obviously mathematical classroom. It's filling up fast, I guess there's lots of hacker types who find this stuff interesting. We manage to grab a pair of seats side by side. The teacher is a guy with glasses and a slight beard, in a black shirt and jeans. "Good afternoon, class. I'm a visiting lecturer here, my name is Ron Bornstein, you can call me mister Bornstein or Ron. This class is "the mathematics of codebreaking". We will be covering both the way that ciphers are created, and the mathematical ways they are broken. However, I should caution you that there are many further aspects of breaking them that go beyond the mathematical, such as side channel attacks and weaknesses in protocol design. We will be touching lightly on these when we talk about the way that ciphers are constructed, but will not dive deeply into how they are used. I can recommend materials for further study of these topics in your own time."

He continues, "You have all passed the requirements of this class, except one who has asked for special consideration." He looks at me. "You know who you are. I will expect you to keep pace or I will fail you. We will be working mostly with mathematical abstractions in pseudocode, but I expect digital assignments to be written in modern, readable C. All assignments will be handed in electronically. Today, we will be looking at the ancient history of the wonderful world of hiding information in flight, and stealing it. Despite these historical techniques being hopelessly obsolete, they will introduce important foundational ideas. Now, first, can anyone tell me the difference between a code and a cipher?"

A few people put their hands up, including me, and he picks me. I'm guessing because he wants to see who this kid is who wants into an advanced class on the basis of book-reading. I say, "A code is like, banana means attack at dawn, it's not mathematical and you gain nothing by looking at it unless you have the code book. A cipher is a mathematical operation applied to input that produces output which can be reversed back to its input by a second mathematical operation. What makes it a cipher is that seeing the output doesn't tell you much about the input, unless you know how the operations are configured. This configuration constitutes the key. The output has mathematical structure that can be analysed."

He smiles and nods. "Good answer. Depending on the operation, you can have a different key at each end, or the same key at both. The key can be information in mathematical form, or it can be something cruder like the diameter of a stick. The important difference between the two is that a cipher, even a very crude one, can be understood mathematically. And broken, mathematically."

He goes to the board and writes in Arabic. "Abu Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī" He reads the name out. "This guy, who we can call Al-Kindi for the sake of you ignorant barbarians, was one of the pioneers of mathematics and helped introduce modern numerals. He was also one of the first people to write a book about breaking ciphers. Back in the day, they were already using ciphers, although they were the same kind of trivial stuff that comes as secret decoder rings in cereal packets. But if you aren't mathematical, like your buddy in primary school who you sent secret spy messages to, that's hard to break. The important fundamental technique he invented is nowadays called frequency analysis." And he writes on the board the letters ETAOIN SHRDLU.

A hush falls in the classroom in Kirby as the reverend walks in. After largely unnecessary introductions, he says "Today's class is special topics in religion, and the topic specifically is: demons, and how to banish them. You may be wondering why I concealed the topic. Partly, to avoid the wrong kind of riff-raff expressing an interest. You are here because you're interested in religion, not because you think that demons are cool. Partly also, because we have a self declared demon in the class, and I was curious to see how she would react, stand up please miss Parallel. A little bird tells me you gained the ability to make tentacles this morning?"

I stand up and smile, and give a tentacle wave to the class. Several gasps. "Yes, you're correct, I did. And how I shall react is that I find the subject interesting, and am looking forward to taking the class." I'm not lying. This could actually come in useful. My most dangerous enemies are what he would call demons.

He looks mildly surprised, perhaps he expected a rant he could give an instant F to. "Very well, you may sit down. This class will not involve any of you personally having any more contact than you ordinarily do with the demonic, but it will involve practical demonstrations in front of the class. If you feel that exposure to these is intolerable to you for any reason, mystical sensitivity, religious requirements, simple fear or otherwise you may leave now, or speak to me after class, and I will not fail you." A few people do.

After a pause, he continues. "Demon, is a very broad brush word. As a Christian, I have beliefs about demons, but mine is not the only religion that does. The first culture to write things down was Sumer, and they have stories of demons. We have records of the same from every literate culture since. Nearly all present day religions believe in them. A demon, broadly defined, is a mystical entity that is dangerous to humans, and callous or actively malicious in intent. The reason for this cultural commonality across centuries is that *demons are real*. I have met them, and I have fought them. Some of them just want to eat you, like a simple earthly predator. Some of them want to steal your body and walk around in it. Some work evil for the sake of evil in the crudest of ways. Some have deeper laid plans, and may seem affable on the surface. They are all the enemies of humankind."

I'm going to pick my time to counter calumny like that.

After a glance at me, he continues, "When you know what a demon is, you know its weaknesses. Banishing demons is the practical application of those weaknesses. Effects vary from keeping the demon away, to driving it out of the world and back to hell, to outright destroying it. Some weaknesses are more universal, others are specific to certain kinds of demons. Unfortunately, the universal weaknesses are either very weak, as for example salt in a protection circle, or very rare and nearly impossible to obtain, such as the mystical metal orichalcum."

He walks to the desk, and whips the cover off. There on the desk is a gold-gleaming beautifully curved short sword, sitting in a hardwood and silk presentation box. He actually brought the damn thing into class for show-and-tell. The reflected light from the blade seems to fill the room with sunny warmth. "Some of which I have here today. This metal is not a natural element. It requires an alchemical, religious process to create. I had to call in favours to obtain this example for class." Oh hey, an alibi, nice to have one of those.

He continues, "orichalcum captures the energetic brightness of the sun in concentrated physical form. Sunlight is a universal weakness of demons, but one that stronger ones can shrug off. As orichalcum, this is no longer the case."

"Miss Parallel, could you please come down here for a demonstration?"

# Part seventeen

**8th January, 2007, Kirby Hall, sixth period**

I run up my time-base a little so I can consider my response. Everything in the class goes into slow motion, Englund's voice, finishing his sentence, drops to a bass whale-song rumble.

Is he going to run me through like a shish kebab in front of a class full of witnesses? No, he's not an idiot. And I could afford to spot him the body anyway. Killing this one me wouldn't do anything other than be briefly unpleasant, and he probably knows that. If they couldn't charge murder, exactly, they'd charge him with something. Mopery and dopery. Waving around a pointy object without due care and attention. He'd certainly lose his job. Which he doesn't want. Just the fact that he's teaching this class implies an intent to stick around.

I think what makes sense is that he'll tell me to touch it. If I refuse, I get called a coward and sent back to my seat, and marked down for being uncooperative, if I accept, I get a burn and my suffering is his example of a fallible demon. I get literally branded as evil, and everyone sees me lose. Nice bit of dark side psychology there for a nominal man of the cloth.

But I think I have something else I can do with this, that messes up his cunning plan and advances mine. It's bending my usual rule against being callous with my body, but I'm face to face with an enemy, circumstances call for leeway.

Time-base back to normal, and I stand and make my way down. There are several gasps and someone calls out "hey, that's unfair". I look to note who that is, and give them a smile. The rev just stands there, waiting, with a grim look. Mister witchfinder general. As I get close, I say, quiet enough only he can hear, "Bold of you to bring an attempted murder weapon to class".

He replies, as quietly, "Bold of you to take my class." And then back at normal volume, "Alright, miss Parallel, please touch the sword, so we can all see how it affects demons." Yeah, I called it.

What he doesn't know is that for me, pain is optional. And I'm not sure if orichalcum will harm me anyway, I'm still physically human. Still, I turn off all pain sensation, best to not take the risk.

He's probably expecting me to prod it with a fingertip or something. But instead I grab a grasp of the handle - okay, this is doing damage, that's unexpected, but not so fast it will ruin my plan - and lift it overhead, fist smoking, the room filling with burned meat smell. "I swear on this sword, that there are at least some demons who are genuinely good, and who do not wish harm to humanity but only to protect and nurture it, and me and Carmilla are two of them!" Sufficiently epic, and I put it quickly back in its box before the burn compromises any ligaments and spoils the effect by making me fumble. I show the class my crispy-crittered hand, opening it takes effort and splits the skin. And they can watch as my entirely human mutant regeneration fills in the wound in a matter of seconds, ash and scraps of burned skin flaking off onto the floor. Try and brand me will you?

Back to the seat I walk, to a certain amount of applause. He looks stunned. Yeah, that didn't exactly go to plan, for him.

Still, it's an interesting question why it harmed me. I'm not a projection from outside, in the way Sara is. Something GOO-ish is up, and perhaps it's connected to my silenced alarm.

Over in Gothmog's hacienda, where I've been reading about the history of the Sundering, I ask him what he thinks it is. He rubs his chin and asks if he can check telepathically, of course I say yes. Then he says, "Well, this is unfortunately a guess because I've never been in this exact situation before, but I'd lay good odds that you're starting to hatch. The equivalent point for my daughter was when she died and was returned to life in the morgue."

Okay that's slightly terrifying, but I did sign up for this ride. "So what should I do?"

"Wait until you can clear your schedule for at least an hour or two, then un-silence the alarm. Then do what you feel. I admit I'm groping in the dark here, but I believe your nature will lead your actions. It did for Sara. You will just have to step out of the way."

I nod. "It feels like there's something I need to define, or I need to define myself. Like they're the same thing."

He says, "You know that each of us has a nature, like my domain is lust and perversion, tempered with love. Perhaps that's what you're being asked to identify. Not so much choose, it should already be who you are, but put a finger on and name. How about you go out in the garden and meditate on that?"

I nod. "Will do, grandpa. Thanks." And give him a hug. And if I hang on a little too long because I'm scared, I'm sure he doesn't mind.

In codebreaking class, we've covered the basic kinds of ancient world ciphers, transposition and substitution. We've seen how the letter frequency can reveal a lot about either of them. Simple transposition leaves the frequencies unchanged from the base language. Simple substitution can be mapped onto the base frequencies and you get a lot of the key that way, then you can guess the rest. Up until the second world war, codes used even at the highest levels of government were variations which cleverly changed the substitutions by electro-mechanical means. We've talked about the enigma machines, and the bombe machines used to break the order and setting of rotors and plug-board. And now we're looking at what Mr Bornstein calls the first modern cipher, the German Lorenz cipher, that was responsible for the creation of the first ever programmable computer to break it. Rather than being some mechanically synchronized switch-around of substitution, this was a one-time pad generator that was combined with the text using modulo two add-without-carry, or XOR. The original idea in the 1920s was to distribute one-time pads manually, but of course that requires a lot of very secure shipping. So the Germans had the bright idea of producing the pad by a mechanical pseudo-random function. It's all fascinating and I can let go of my worries a bit by just basking in the fun of learning.

Englund has recovered a bit, and continued listing off the simple shared weaknesses of all demon-kind. They might not save you from the bad ones, but they're better than nothing and will definitely stop the weaker ones. Salt, sunlight, running water, sincere prayer and religious symbols, he talks about "the pagan practise of sage smudging", gah, and how "moral probity" helps (in my opinion, self-righteousness does not), and how fire can generally destroy the weaker kinds of taint in a place or an object - or a person, he doesn't say, but I bet he's thinking it. Of course at the cost of destroying the place, object or person too. But fire can also be lit to guard a place, and some critters won't pass it. And various cultures have blessing ceremonies and seasonal rituals to make a place less hospitable to weak demons, he talks about Japanese setsubun and bean-scattering, and the call of "demons out! luck in!" I think, although you'd never catch him saying it, he sees it as a flaw in mainstream Christianity that it hasn't adopted such a ceremony of its own.

Time's up and the classes all end. A few people approach Englund after class, I'm not sure whether about dropping, or in support or opposition to what he tried with me. Myself, I just make my way out, find a discrete spot and vanish the body. I think I'll call that one a win. And crypto class is pure fascinating wonder, I can see Paige was captivated too. Definitely a favourite. Languages, I'm already doing better in. I'll see whether I can test out and drop those soon, but I feel I need more polishing. Those bodies can go too, I'll keep the one with Paige.

There's a two hour gap before dinner, but it's not really free, it's for stuff like jobs and detention. I've promised Jade I'll come along after classes to meet Stan and Morrie. She said to meet by the library, so I hug Paige and point myself in that direction. Jade's there under a street light, waving, so I trot over. "Hey there, where are we headed?"

"Headed down", she says with a grin. "Is it really true you made an oath on a sword with your hand on fire, that you and Sara were good?"

Oh hey, the rumour mill's running fast today. I nod, "Englund wanted me to burn my hand on the thing, but I saw the chance to show off and turn his game against him."

Jade smirks. "Nicely epic. Definitely some good press for you. And you may take the title of craziest kid off me yet." We're walking around to the side of the library, where a set of steps lead down to a metal door, lit by a bare bulb in a cage.

"Doubt it", I say. "I still haven't nailed anyone to a tree."

"Oh pooh, I only did that once", Jade unlocks the door with a key of her own, "He had it coming too."

"Not disputing that", I agree, as we step into a small room, with two adult men in there, large rounded guy who I guess from my reading is Morrie, short thinner guy who is probably Stan. Some shaking of hands and introductions follow.

On Gothmog's lawn, I'm sat in lotus on the grass. Warm sun shines on me, unearthly critters buzz from flower to flower, and in the trees, colourful birds call. I focus on the question, what is it that I am? It's not the only thing I am, like Sara is much more than her domain of lust, but it should be the underlying melody that shapes the song. I took to life sorcery so smoothly that it feels life as a theme should have something to do with it, and of course that's in my lineage too. I don't feel it's lust, I've got plenty of that to be sure, but it isn't the dominant tone. I haven't even got around to trying my multiple bodies on myself yet, and I feel sure Sara would have. (Definitely save that thought though.) Life... what do I associate with life? Well, I've read "grandma's book" and although I was a natural at it, it was a strain because of how impersonal it all was. I think for a regular human, that alone would have been enough to do them harm. The fundamental power of creation doesn't care if life suffers. Routinely creates life that causes enormous suffering, in fact, like parasitic wasps. It's all just a process to her, the weave matters and the threads do not. I feel that shouldn't be the only perspective, but the forms of the definitional alphabet of the universe, which humans call R'Lyehian, have no way to describe things like love, caring, grace, beauty, except as side effects of life processes. There's a gap.

And a memory surfaces of a book I read in childhood, and the phrase, "don't be afraid to make corrections" spoken by a certain macaw. Oho. Could I? If I define myself as something that doesn't, can't exist in this universe, and rewrite everything that way, can I change the underlying rules of reality? I suppose I am a power that way, now. But then, it doesn't exactly feel like a change. It's who I am. I've found the answer. Now the itch is that much worse, but I think I can hold it just a little while longer.

Stan and Morrie find my tentacles likely to be useful, multiple bodies and ability to shut down my sense of disgust at smells quite nifty. I can get as stinky as I please, and just vanish the body. Bonus, nothing can infect me, and I'd heal any accidental injury. Flight means that I don't have to worry about falling, even if I am pretty awful at it still. I can lift the weight of a small car - I haven't tried with tentacles, but I assume it's the same. That's small potatoes for Whateley, but it helps toting around pipes and whatnot. I'm not quite the bonanza that the J-team is, but I am probably a tolerable understudy, if I can hack it, is the consensus. Time for a trial run. And presumably hazing the newbie. Just to be sure, I throw a backup body down a teleport into my room at Poe. Okay, lead on.

I can tolerate the itch for awhile, and set it far enough out of attention it won't distract me while I work, but I think I'm going to have to do something about it at dinnertime.

# Part eighteen

**8th January, 2007, Gothmog's realm**

I explain my idea to Gothmog and it makes him grin. "That's a tension that both my daughter and I have been up against. We had our natures defined for us, but chose to bend them to become something better and more humane. That puts us in opposition to the universe, somewhat. But I suspect, if you can do what you plan, it will become part of our natures too, and relieve the opposition. Where that leads, well, we're breaking new ground so I can't speculate. But I like it." I think I can see a bit of worry in his face, too. Probably he's mentally adding, if you don't splatter against reality like a bug meeting a car. Well, I don't think the outcome can be altered now, because I can feel the force of my formed, ready to burst forth nature pressing against me. And this is worth risking myself to do.

**8th January, 2007, Whateley sewers, after classes**

If I hadn't turned off my ability to feel grossed out, I would definitely be feeling grossed out right now. The sewer I'm scrubbing stinks like Satan's own ass, not that I am able to experience that as a negative at the moment, and my life sense flags up every possible surface, and the air, as crawling with microorganisms. I have background processes running to scrub lung infections as they ignite. It's a constant pop-pop-pop of life sorcery. Goodness knows how Jade avoids coming down with three kinds of lurgy a week. Still, as I am now, it's easy enough work. I think I may have impressed the duo who are watching me from a safe vantage. I'm careful and conscientious about it, and I don't get bored or become inattentive. The fact that most of my minds are turned elsewhere is neither here nor there, to them.

Soon enough I'm finished with the section, and I signal my readiness to come out, then shake off most of the gunk by getting out with a teleport - although, there's enough wedged in small places that I haven't time to detail-describe, that I still smell pretty ripe. "There we go, done."

"Not too bad", Morrie says. "That turning off the smell thing probably helped you a lot."

"Nah, I can still smell, just can't feel bad about how much I stink", I say. "Definitely going to trash the body, it's either that or run the showers cold. So what's next?"

"Next is knocking off. You're done, congratulations. But we're only offering one salary even if there's lots of you." Morrie smirks. Jade looks a bit worried.

"I'm not going to undermine Jade's arrangement", I say. "One, if I'm doing one job. And that includes many hands making light work of it. But if I end up doing independent jobs at the same time, each group of me gets paid for that time."

Morrie frowns at that. But I think he sees that I've given him enough leeway I'll mostly be picking up one salary. And paying me double or triple and getting completely independent jobs done would be worth it. "I'll run it by admin. They might or might not go for it, but I'm good, and I'll advise them to say yes."

Jade grabs me into a hug, "Yay, welcome to the team!" and everyone laughs a bit. I hug her back and say "You're my senpai now, big sis", which cracks everyone up.

It doesn't take me long to strip down and get out of the stinky overalls and wader boots. Those go in the to-wash bin, and then I warn everyone not to be alarmed, and vanish the body and the clothes I was wearing, not bothering to re-dress.

Me in Poe comes out of parked mode in a dark room, and I switch on the room light, and head out down the tunnel towards food. I figure I'll eat, then loose the itch and start doing whatever hatching involves. Over with the weres, I'm asking if they have a large clear area of ground nearby. They do. In Gothmog's realm, I'll use the big lawn out front. And here, I think I can use the area to the south-east of Poe. That's probably grass, but it's just snow-covered now. As I walk through the tunnel, I fill Sara in on my plans using the mark. She understands and sends me love and support. I can feel we're both a bit afraid, but it's obvious there's no stopping the process now.

I wait in the lunch line, only one of me now, because I don't feel up to the distraction of having several. I've told Sara I'm headed for the Kimba table, because I want to try and fill them in. She'll explain at the Pack table. Ayla's ahead of me and amusingly getting mobbed by kids admiring Jade's prank shoulder angels. He gets his special stuff from the chefs and heads to the table, I get to pick from the ordinary food, but to me right now, it's calories and it's fine. Soon I'm over at the table too, although I miss Ayla as he does the dropping through the floor thing. Leaving two angels stuck on a blazer, and much amusement.

I wait for a lull in the conversation, then say, "I gotta warn you all now, as soon as I'm done eating this stuff, I'm going to go do a big thing. Not sure exactly what that involves, but Fey, Chaka, you're likely to feel it, Chou, you too. If you wanna come watch, stick with me when I leave. And, um, I'm not one hundred percent sure I'll survive it. Or be the same me. But it's not something I have a choice about."

Okay, that definitely earned me some worried looks and questions. What is it? The best I can answer is "hatching, but I'm not sure how". Should I warn the staff? Seems like a bad idea, they'd likely try to stop me, and it's as unstoppable now as a sneeze that has begun. Is there anything they can do? Only watch, and stop anything I might accidentally unleash from causing harm. Why are my eyes pink?

Huh, they are? Well, I make a second me to look at myself, and they're cherry-blossom pink with a faint glow. Vanish that second me. Well that's odd. "I have no idea", I say.

Chou says, "It's who you will be, potentially, reflected back in time. What you are attempting will right a wrong in the great balance, should you succeed. I will not intervene to stop it." Her handmaid-nature come to the forefront, I guess I should have anticipated that.

I say, "Can you contain any possible negative results?"

"Aunghadhail and I working together, yes." Which, translation for the not magically inclined, is a terrifying accumulation of power, the handmaid of the Tao, and an ancient legendary queen wielding the power of the strongest natural mage on Earth, and they have to work together... A few of the other Kimbas get it. Toni makes a hiss sound through her teeth. Hank looks worried. That was rather like indicating I might be about to set off a nuke. Worse than a nuke. Either of the two could probably handle one of *those* solo.

Okay, I'm finished eating, and it's time. The group of us head out, Sara and her pack join us as we're leaving, Sara and Paige give me a hug as I walk in the middle between them. Everyone's quiet, it feels like the world's holding its breath. We reach the ground I'm going to use, and I tell them not to come closer than that. Aunghadhail takes over Fey, she stands up straighter. And says, "luck, lass. We're ready."

And I walk out into the center of the ground I've chosen.

And I walk out into the center of the weres' clearing.

And I walk out into the center of Gothmog's lawn.

And we loose the block, and we begin to move. I'm reminded of Clarke's "Childhood's End", we're not separate, we're moving as one. Dancing. Splitting into a scatter of bodies whose movements trace a pattern that doesn't exist yet but will. Some of us bring out bone flutes, and we're improvising a song, which follows the same pattern, although we try to shape it into something tolerable to the human ear, it probably sounds like jazz. Our hair is growing out longer, and blowing in a wind that isn't a wind as we whirl and cross. The snow is lit brightly by the glow of our eyes. And all of us are holding that one idea, that one thing that doesn't exist, which is our nature, focused upon it.

Life, but with the possibility of love, of grace, of wonder. Not as an accidental side effect, but as a fundamental.

I can feel my self expanding, parallels upon parallels coming active, there are hundreds of millions of me, billions, all with absolute focus, we push, we see from outside, something gives and shifts, we grasp reality and make the change, from the first thing to the end of days, eternity.

Make it so.

S H O C K W A V E

Needless parallels releasing, back to millions, thousands, extra bodies gone, there's three of us, and a rune carved in the snow by our dance that never before existed, and all around a hundred million green plants are bursting up through the thick winter snow and opening lightly glowing cherry blossom pink petals.

And all three of me collapse in utter exhaustion.

**9th January, 2007, Doyle medical center, morning**

Eyes open, am I me? Yes, I am me. And my abilities seem operational. But that was the longest time I've spent with no part of me conscious in a while. I sit up in bed, which is surprisingly hard. The me in Gothmog's house and the me with the weres can stay resting for a bit. The sun's up. I push the nurse button. Heh, familiar.

"Good morning", it's the guy nurse from when I was first here. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry", I say. "A bit exhausted. But otherwise okay. Let me guess, there's a delegation outside wanting to tear me a new one?"

"And they'll stay outside until I'm convinced you're as fine as you say", he says, and brings out the blood pressure test thingy. It seems I'm normal on that. While we're doing that I make a second me to look at myself. He jumps a bit, both of me apologize, then giggle as that seems to mess with him a bit too. "Sorry, I didn't have that power last time I was here."

Looking at myself, I think I lost weight, I look like I could use several meals. My hair is now down to my ass, which is a nuisance and I'm going to get it cut as soon as I can, because that length would be way too much work. And my eyes are pink, with a very visible glow. Still outwardly human, otherwise. I vanish the spare. "Can I have breakfast? And then I'll meet the delegation of doom." Oh hey, I think I can extend my life sense down individual hairs now, hmm. "And can you bring a dustpan? Only I need to get rid of most of this hair."

"I don't exactly have a hairdressing kit" he says.

"Won't need it."

"Fair enough. I'll be back in five."

I find I can remember my old body's form, down to the cellular level. Which is new, I could go into that detail before, but only piecewise. Means I can probably come back from no bodies, now. Also means I can get my old haircut back.

He comes back, with a mound of scrambled eggs and toast, which will do nicely. A few contented minutes later, I thank him for the meal, stand up and move over a clear bit of floor, and send my attention down a hundred thousand individual hairs, stopping at the point where they were yesterday, and instructing the proteins to separate. Attention back in the room, and a cloud of hair floats down. To the nurse's evident surprise.

He hands me the dustpan, and I get to sweeping. In retrospect, I probably could have vanished it, but I think it might be useful to make things out of. He lets me have a zip seal bag to put it in, and gives me my uniform to put back on instead of the hospital gown.

Finally, it's time. In comes Carson, with somebody else I don't recognise. An older woman, with Greek looks, dark curly hair.

"Good morning. This is Circe, head of the mystical arts department. Circe, meet miss Parallel. Now, young lady, would you please give me one reason I shouldn't expel you on the spot?"

# Part nineteen

**9th January, 2007, Doyle medical center, morning**

"Good morning, Mrs Carson, Circe, ma'am. I have two answers for that. One is that I have fixed, or at least substantially improved, the whole universe. And the second is that I had little choice in the matter. I could probably have directed it to a more conventional path, and lost the opportunity for change. But the opportunity to do real lasting good came up, and I grasped it."

Mrs Carson says, "And you asked nobody, consulted nobody?"

"To ask your permission would have made you responsible", I say. "You wouldn't have wanted the responsibility for changing the whole universe. You'd have kicked it upstream, where it would have been talked to death over centuries, if it were possible for me to hang on to my hatching that long, which it wasn't. I took personal responsibility in the moment of possibility and acted alone."

Circe asks, "Are you aware what you've done? Thousands of spells will have to be redrafted. Many established ones just shattered and can't be re-cast. Nothing about what you've done is known. Nothing about how it will affect the entire world, is known. The new rune you created doesn't even have a pronunciation yet. And we had to scrub it off the grounds where you drew it, because even if it's very benevolent as they go, we don't dare expose students to it."

"Be fair, Circe, it's the most excitement you've had in centuries", Mrs Carson points out, which gets a grumpy frown in acknowledgement. "Miss Parallel, I'm informed that the flower you created across the campus is safe, nutritious and even tasty in salad by the staff who've analysed it. It's slightly related to the pea family. The petal glow is a form of luciferin bioluminescence that has links to jellyfish genetics. It seems to tolerate temperatures down to the freezing point of carbon dioxide, a very hardy extremophile. Did you make it for any particular reason?"

I shake my head. "I didn't even volitionally make it. The splash-over from me inserting the new rune did that. You'll probably find it's alchemically saturated with the thing. And since that shockwave touched everywhere in the universe, you'll probably find other stuff springing up. Here and elsewhere. And life itself, shifting track just ever so slightly. I didn't take over from the primary power of creation, so her rules still go, but I made a new corollary, a sub clause. All life will start to reflect it, but I think slowly."

"And you did this because?"

"All the good values, love, happiness, kindness, beauty, things that make life worthwhile, were things that kind of didn't have a reflection in the fundamentals of the universe. And so they were necessarily temporary, fragile, a small target that you had to keep hitting just to stay where you already were. And forces that hate humanity, already have their thumb on the other side of the scales, making this world drift towards darkness. So I found a way to change that. Put the scales back in balance. Make goodness into something that life converges on, rather than visits by accident and inevitably falls back out of."

Circe says, "To do this, you risked rewriting the universe, that could have just destroyed all life and all value?"

"No gain without risk. And I do know what I was editing. I felt it would work. And that moment, when I was hatching, was my last chance to make it work for quite some time. Millions of years, perhaps. I'll eventually become a power that can just do that kind of change on a whim, I think. But not any time humans would call 'soon'."

"Yes, please hold back from any further tinkering of that nature, you succeeded this time, it seems, but I'd rather not risk it twice", Mrs Carson agrees. She looks thoughtful. "Inside the school, I can't see any way to hide who did it. The connection with you is too obvious, even if I tell everyone involved to keep it quiet. Which means that it will spread outside the school quickly, via the various spies and paid informants. You have made a name for yourself in high places, young lady. You're a player in the Great Game, now, uncomfortable as that may become. The neutrality here will protect you while you remain here, but I suggest you consider your future affiliations carefully."

Circe says, incredulous, "And that's it, you're just going to let her off?"

"Oh no", Mrs Carson says. She has detention. With you, helping to undo her mess. You may decide when she's had enough of it." And to me, "I'll inform Stan and Morrie, they will be happy to see you after dinner instead, young lady." Well, rats. Ah well, I couldn't expect I'd get away with it scot free. Circe smirks. I don't imagine that's going to be gentle work.

Mrs Carson says, "Alright, young lady, you have missed the start of lessons today, and you have a couple of hours until lunch, which I expect you to spend quietly recovering. Then if you feel fit, you can resume the school day at fourth period"

I nod, "Yes, ma'am."

**9th January, 2007, morning, Medawihla reservation**

"Are you sure you won't have breakfast?", Eli says. I'm up, and sitting at the table, being horribly tempted by some of the best fried eggs and bacon I've ever known. A bunch of what they're calling snow-flowers sits glowing faintly pink in a vase on the tabletop.

My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it and shake my head. "Lovely as it would be, it seems a waste to put good food in a body I'm about to vanish. Believe me, I'm going to feed the other one 'till I pop."

She sighs, and nods, it's pragmatic and the weres respect pragmatism. "Alright, well, I'll be sad to see you go, you've become one of the family around here."

"I'll miss all of you too, but I'm still over in Whateley just a hop and a skip away, and I'll visit", I say.

Ben says, "You mind yourself. You've become scary hard to kill, now, girl. That's going to make a bunch of powerful people worried. And things that ain't people. They're liable to try stuff, and soon, try and catch you off balance."

I nod. "Yeah, I'm only going to get stronger, so they'll hit me now if they have any sense. That's part of why I'm leaving here. I don't want to draw the danger to you."

Eli says, "We can handle ourselves in a fight, but it's best not to need to. I think that's a wise decision, much as I'll miss having you around. I'll actually have to do chores myself again now, I'm not sure I remember how"

"It'll be good for you", I tease, which makes her grin.

I run around giving everyone in the family hugs, even Caleb (who has forgiven me for his knee), and then wave and vanish the body.

**9th January, 2007, morning, Gothmog's realm**

I open my eyes, sit up in bed, of course my hair's down to my behind here too. I consider snipping it, but maybe Gothmog knows a stylist? Meanwhile I'll set it hydrophobic so the en-suite shower doesn't make it unmanageably wet. I seem to have really detailed control over my own body now, I suppose that gives me a shifter rating. Probably only a middling one, as I can't safely force things along faster than biological processes would allow. But I bet I could turn a body into a tree, or a deer, if I was a bit careful about how to preserve things through the transition. I have no idea what that would feel like. Hmm, and I suppose, once I've become a thing, I could make new bodies as that thing instantaneously. I could probably copy a person, too, but I'd need time enough to read their whole body at a cellular level. Just copying their DNA from a sample would be almost trivial. Yeah, gonna keep that one quiet, undetectable cloning is not a thing I want the government to know I can do. I could do without them launching ICBMs at me.

I think, at this point, my best strategy is just to move up into the category of "even the government doesn't want to mess with her" as quietly and quickly as possible.

Shower done, hair back to normal, I pad naked out into my room to pick clothes - oh hey, Gothmog and Petra are here. "Hi, noticed I was up?"

Petra turns beet red, which is charming. Gothmog grins, "Of course. How are you feeling?"

I stretch, yes I am showing off like a shameless hussy, and say "Good, but very hungry. And in need of a hair stylist."

"And clothes", Petra says.

"If I must", I tease, and go looking through the cute dresses in the wardrobe, a certain amount of reaching and showing off my ass is involved, and I pick something silky, because the near-alive fabric feels good to my life sense as well as my skin. "I haven't peeked outside yet, I hope I didn't wreak too much havoc?"

Gothmog shakes his head. "The change you made fitted nicely into my own nature, and I can feel that I've received a power boost from it. I expect my daughter did too. Since this place is built by my power, you reinforced it. There's a few new species in the ecosystem, you seem to have a fondness for bioluminescence and the colour pink."

"Comes from a movie that's two and a bit years into the future, probably, on this timeline. It's full of lots of beautiful bioluminescent plants and animals. I might have accidentally pushed some of that into the spill-over."

"I rather approve", he says, as we make our way down into the dining hall, which is set with an enormous and varied breakfast.

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, mid-morning**

It's quiet, as I walk back towards Poe. People are mostly in class, and second period won't break up for a bit. I can see what the head meant about the uselessness of hiding things - the snow is liberally dotted with pretty pink flowers, thriving despite the bitter cold, glowing gently. They have pushed up through grass, in flower beds, and they've set a few paving slabs at funny angles. I can see groundskeepers busily re-laying those, and I'm going to have some apologising to do. Actually, I'm curious how much apologising I owe. Getting in to Poe, I find my laptop in my room, and go online.

The BBC News headline sets the tone. "Pink flowers in the permafrost, blue-lit butterflies in Brazil, shining surf off Southend, what on Earth happened?" and below that, "British mages' council meets in emergency session". Well if I had any hope of a quiet life, so much for that. That said, I suppose there's an upside. Without an epicentre globally, there's no mile-high neon arrow pointing at Whateley.

Checking my emails, I have a powers re-test scheduled today in fifth period, that shouldn't be a problem although I am going to have to decide how much to reveal. There are various get-wells and good wishes from the Kimbas and Pack and a few others. Emergency extra shrink appointment in fourth period, right after lunch. And, weirdly enough, a few emails from Whateley students offering to worship me. Eh-oh. Yes, I clearly made an impression. I had better coordinate with Sara and Gothmog on that.

Speaking of which... I nudge herself down the mark. "Hey there, sorry it took me a while to check in, I think I'm still a bit shocky. Busy?"

"Nah, free period, I'm in my room."

Jumping right in might be rude, but I set coordinates for outside the door and teleport. The door sign says "congratulations", heh. I knock, peek in, she's on her computer at her desk. I come over and give her a hug from behind, watching her play some MMO. "Hey you, love you. I only missed an evening but it feels like I haven't seen you in far too long."

She leans back against me. "Hey there, just let me tie this up and I'll come and give you a proper hug."

I look at the screen, she's playing a demonic looking character. Oh, right, "Marala, hmm?"

"You read about her, hmm?" She chuckles. "Yeah. Just having some fun with a band of adventurers that thinks I'm a low level mage."

"More fool them", I say. "You're gonna harsh my oath, going about things that way", I'm teasing and she knows it.

"Yeah, heard about that. Nice bit of redirecting the crowd's sympathies. We'd have talked last night, except you were too antsy to think straight. You know, I think that sword might be enough of an artefact that it actually stands guarantor of your oath?"

"Explains Englund doing the beached fish face", I say. "Well, I was telling the truth. And I was right about you too, whether or not you play around being evil in a game."

# Part twenty

**9th January, 2007, the Lovecraft room, mid-morning**

Sara finishes putting Marala somewhere safe, and logs off, closing the laptop. "There, done. I love that you can see me that way, like, there's a fire in you that says, Sara is good, why can't everyone see it. Trouble is, often enough I can't see it myself." She stands up, pulls me into a hug and rests her head on me.

I stroke her hair softly and say, "You play that character to test yourself, don't you? Let the darkness off the leash a little, feel what it would be like to be bad, so you have a point of comparison. And to play at temptation and resistance. Where the one you're really tempting is yourself."

"Mm, armchair psychologist", she teases. "Maybe."

"Hey, I had a thought about a thing", I say, as I kind of shuffle our ongoing hug towards the bed where we can get some really good snuggling. "I figured a way to protect Jamie."

"Difficult, when we don't know what finally gets him", Sara agrees as we flop onto the bed. "She's not really built robust, unless she's hosting a spirit that is. And that has its own downsides."

I kiss her for being so wonderful and caring. "So I figured, we might take a leaf out of my book, and one out of Petra's, and make him a spare body. I think I could make one of myself into a genetic, cell for cell clone, if I have enough time. Like a month or so. And then when trouble happens, we just yoink her soul across, and I vacate."

"Could work. Except I'm not sure how easy it would be to vacate a body", Sara agrees. "You might end up head-mates."

"That would be a problem we'd have plenty of time to fix, though", I say.

"If being in a head with you won't bend her out of shape. You aren't really human-shaped in there any more, love."

"Fair point", I concede. "Still, it's worth a try. Some lifeboat beats no lifeboat. Although I find myself constantly tempted to pinch the whole thing in the bud. Those two idiots."

"I've been taking a hand in their dreams, trying to nudge them out of their bad ways", Sara agrees, "But sometimes I feel the same way, like a couple of disappearances wouldn't be missed. They would, though. Carson knows. Security has their eye on both of them. Mostly to catch them at it, but it removes the option of dropping them in a hole and filling it back in. Until they do something, they're still just students, and the school protects them."

"Still leaves the problem of how the hell you end up trapped", I say. "I know Nimbus has a hand in it, but... you aren't weak enough you couldn't batter your way out of some mage's spell."

"They've probably got my true name, somehow." Sara says. "Give the patsy a spell with that woven in, and I'd be bound to it. Couldn't even bargain, I'd just be at their command."

"Stupid universe needs a password reset option", I say, which makes her chuckle and kiss me. Mmm, nice kiss. An idea occurs. "You're not gonna like this, but..."

"You have an idea, and it involves me telling you my true name."

I nod. "If I've summoned you first, they get a busy signal."

"Let me think about it, love. You know how terrifying it would be."

"Yeah. I probably have one, too, now. Same thing could happen to me." I snuggle against her. "Phenomenal cosmic powers..."

She finishes the couplet, "Itty bitty living space", and we both laugh.

And then my stomach gurgles, making us giggle again. I say, "So where I can get second-breakfast out of hours in this penny-ante joint?"

Turns out Crystal Hall delivers "energizer packages" for just this situation, Sara knows how because Paige sometimes needs one. It's kinda crude calories, but there's a lot of kids who need that just to refuel when they've been running their motors. Including, evidently, me. One delivery by short range warper later, and I've got a grease-burger and several packets of fries. Yum! Okay, I should sit up and not mar the lovely silk sheets.

Perhaps prompted by the thought of food, Sara says, "You missed this sleeping through breakfast, but I'd thought you'd like to see", and tentacles curl up from her shoulders to form an angel that looks like a mini-her with a halo slightly askew on a stick, and on the other side a swirly-changing protean blob of a devil. "None of them liked it, frustratingly."

The blob peeks at me with several eyes, forms a mouth and somehow manages to say "tekeli-li!" in a way that carries the feeling "buncha no-taste assholes". The angel on the other side says, "Now don't be rude! I'm sure they have very reasonable reasons... somewhere."

I practically fall off the bed from giggling. "Those are so cute. A microshoggoth! I'm in love. And they are entirely silly to not be in love too. So the angels thing is still taking off then?"

She nods. "Even the birth of a new goddess isn't enough to turn that lot away from their love of pranks." (Her shoulder angel comments, "I think it's rather immature", which is met from the other side by a comment of "raargh" and tentacle waving.) And Sara adds, "I can't really complain when I'm having the same kind of fun myself, even if I am going to have to tone down the devil."

I tentatively pet the microshoggoth, which makes a burbling purr and forms mouths to lightly nip at my finger and tentacles to grasp at it. Aww, yes you may play-bite my finger, you little cutie. I know it's just Sara shapeshifting herself but it's so sweet. "Yeah on that note, I already got a few wanting to do the goddess thing, they mailed me. Can I just redirect them to your religion?"

Laughing, she shakes her head. "Well, to start with, I suppose, but they're your followers, not mine. You should take responsibility for them. But I can ask mine to set up side-shrines and stuff."

"Thanks. I don't even have a proper demon name yet, like, you have Kellith, what's mine?" I say. "Do I have to do a quest for it?"

Sara sighs, "Well, I hadn't really got around to explaining this, but I guess now's the time. The humans might call you a demon but it's because they're lazy on terminology. What you are is a great old one. Daddy and I are unusual, we're both at the same time. It was his idea, and it actually limits us, but it's kind of a way to tie us into the universe, help us feel connected here. Demons are a this-universe thing. Emotions, urges, floating around, gaining power and sentience. We, great old ones, are not. You're this-universe because of your humanity. But your spooky side is reaching out into spaces that precede and barely relate to this universe. Means you've got more raw power at your fingertips than me, in theory, you aren't limited. But also means you don't have a demon name. You're Jules, and Parallel. If you want another name, you're gonna have to make it yourself."

I sigh, because honestly that feels bad, I thought we were more alike that way. I did so want to be. "Rats, I perjured myself with the sword."

Sara shakes her head. "I figure, to whatever extent it guards oaths, it knew you were using the word the human way, and being honest." And hugs me, even despite I'm all greasy with burger juice, and sniffly. "Aww, thank you love, seeing you feel that way means a lot, you know?"

I'm not crying, you're crying. Okay, that's a lie, I'm crying. "Stupid people didn't even see you were showing them a bit of your heart with the shoulder angels thing. And now you have to hide it, it's not fair." I don't know why that's hitting me so hard. Except that it feels like, nobody is reaching out to Sara.

Sara rests her head against me. "You saw it. Hippy did, Paige did. Don't need them to."

"Don't need, no. But it would be nice to have them see you and not some damn projection."

She just kisses me as an answer.

**9th January, 2007, Gothmog's realm, almost lunchtime**

While I've been chatting with Sara over there, I've been getting a haircut over here. Turns out, Gothmog can cut hair (and he's mmm nice with finger scritches on my scalp too). I guess, if you're an immortal demon, you pick up skills. I've been tracking the snips with life-sense so I can replicate the finished result over in Whateley when I've got a few minutes spare. I had to explain why I suddenly got all weepy in the middle. But he understands.

I say, "I just remembered what I was planning to do when I got here, feels like ages ago now. Moving the mark. I want to do that more than ever, now. I really want to show off that I love Sara. It's not like I've got any reason to hide any more."

"Mhm, indeed", he says, snip snip go the scissors. "I think at this point, the reverend will have given up his plan to adopt you as a lost cause. He might still harbour intent to break Donna's guardianship, if only out of spite. But one little thing more won't change the calculations there, I would agree."

"I'm such a trouble to everybody", I grumble. Still feeling mopey. "Even Donna, I turn up and bam, she has troubles."

"The one who is being a trouble is reverend Englund, and he's been a trouble for my daughter too", Gothmog points out. "A comeuppance for him is overdue, in my opinion. Alright, how do you like that?" There's no point offering me a mirror, when I can make a second self and look directly. Oho. Before my hair grew out suddenly, it was a sort of random shaggy bob, the result of growing from zero without ever meeting a stylist. Somehow he's taken that as inspiration, but given it shape and grace, a layered short bob, showing off my curls, while still looking like I climb trees and skin my knees falling out of them. Oh I love this. I give him a hug, while other me is still in the chair grinning. "It's perfect", we say together. Which makes him laugh. Okay, vanish the cut bits, saves on itching and sweeping. And over in the other room, I extend it and copy the cuts, vanishing hairs as they fall, so Sara can see it too. She loves it. Yay!

"Alright the both of you, come along with me", Gothmog says. "Petra, if you're curious, you can come along too. You might not be able to move your own mark, but you can learn how it's done."

# Part twenty one

Happily, we have time to get some serious snuggling done before lunch, and Sara gets to watch me move the mark, and gives me a kiss over where I've moved it to, to seal the deal. That being right over my heart, in the V of my cleavage where even the school uniform will show it off if I wear the collar loose. No hiding who I love any more!

Snuggling with Sara is so delicious, and I really want the opportunity to repay the favour she did me on Sunday morning (yum, such memories). Everything's been frenetic since then, but now I can do tentacles too, and I'm all but itching to try them out on her. Frustratingly though, it's not private enough at this time of day for anything more than heavy petting and mutual teases. (Tentacles under clothes, mmm nice. And mine are as sensitive as fingertips right down their length, so it's a lovely way to caress her.) Not that I'd personally mind an audience in the least, but I don't want to push my luck with Carson right now. And there isn't really much time, as the clock-monitoring part of me warns, we're coming up on end of third period, which means lunch.

Getting to Crystal Hall a little early, hand in hand with Sara, gives me a head start on the food queue as I do my usual split into three trick, one to stay with Sara, one to wait for the Kimbas to get here, one to fill up trays with piles of noms. I figure, I'm going to be eating like a pig for at least the rest of today, perhaps tomorrow too. I burned down a lot of reserves hatching, and even life sorcery doesn't let me just make new body fat appear - well, not without going unsubtle and leaving a huge magical mess I'd have to beg Fey to repair. Simpler to do it the biological way, namely, food.

Here comes the crowd, the Kimbas included. I give them a wave, and soon we're all in place, crystal touched, no need to worry about eavesdroppers. They're happy to see me safe and well, Toni is sweet with encouraging me to eat up, "You're nothing but skin and bones all of a sudden! Although I love the new hair, and those eyes are amazing." But they are really more worked up about their morning training run, where they defeated a bunch of robots, and Billie is morose that her successful efforts have rendered the training range radioactive and she's been told to tone it down. I make another me to give her a hug, and she's grateful. We scary eldritch creatures should stick together, heh.

Oh, and it seems the chefs have put together a snow-flower salad for Ayla. He pronounces my accidental addition to gastronomy "flavourful, with a nice crunch". For some reason, this makes me smile. I'm not really in Ayla's orbit much, but it feels good that I could do something he enjoys.

Over at the other table, the pack assembles piecemeal, Jet getting here first, she's taking some lessons this term rather than constantly guarding Sara, then Paige and Hippolyta and Erin. Gypsy kinda looks sour, but joins us. I wonder what her regular name is, she's only ever given the codename. Hippolyta finds it amusing that with me and Paige bracketing Sara, she's got blue glowing eyes on one side and pink glowing eyes on the other. Together with Sara's spooky red ones that makes a striking composition. Of course I use another me to peek, and agree it's nifty, which cracks the rest of them up. Having multiple bodies is weird even for here.

It seems they've been hearing rumours about me. The pack is more spread out in affiliations than the Kimbas who stick together and mostly care about each other, so they hear things. Several students have already been talking about me as some sort of life goddess come to Earth. Erin is worried that will invite jealousy from the New Olympians. She's technically one of them, but thinks Imperious and Majestic are selfish stuck-up asses, and Counterpoint is a stab-happy psycho. Duly noted. Paige has picked up a lot of chit-chat between the usual agencies and the more easily bought members of security. I have been noticed, it seems. Not really a surprise. And Gypsy has a verbal prophecy for me and Sara, "the enemy is already within". No further clarification, she tried and got actively blocked. She's worried, I am too, but there's not much I can do to respond yet, so I'll keep it in mind and see if any patterns match. I have an annoying abundance of enemies, which makes narrowing the options hard. Jet, meanwhile, has heard that rumours I'm intersex are spreading, with reactions ranging from disgust to secretly admitted lust. I'm definitely fine with that, maybe Peeper will come back and interview me again? Although I think he's a bit terrified of me. Maybe Jet can refer the lustful ones to me? At least the ones who are girls or non-binary, I don't think I'll ever be into regular boys, but maybe extra feminine ones? It would be enjoyable to have more lovers to share myself with.

I let her know that's okay, and she nods, she'll pass it on. That does get me a funny look from Hippolyta. "Don't you have enough on your plate?"

I shake my head. "I could make a separate body to love every lovable student in the school, if they're willing to share. Maybe when I'm older, I'll have thousands, or millions of lovers at once. I see no reason to hold back. Although certain cuties are definitely first among multitudes", with a grin to Sara, and Paige too. Sara awws, and rests her head on my shoulder, I love her so much.

Erin asks an interesting one, "millions of children too?" Which makes me realize a thing. If I bear, or sire, millions of children, compared to any regular human's one or two, the biggest genetic influence on future generations will be me. If I keep doing it century after century with my indefinite lifetime, I could rewrite the entire genetic basis of humanity, like a one woman gene drive. And given I can change my genetic code at a whim, well... It's a slow power, but it's an enormous, terrifying responsibility of one.

"Maybe", I say. Because I think I probably will, but it'll require a lot of careful, compassionate thought. Sara sends me a secret hug and grin of support and "talk to me about that later" through the mark. And yeah, I can see the rest of them are thinking it through, they aren't idiots. "Best not mention that idea to anyone else", I add. That gets several nods.

I'm going to need my laptop, so I send a body over a teleport to Poe, to fetch it. But there's time to check emails before I go - aha, one from sensei Tolman. She wants me to come in for combat assessment, tomorrow in first period. After the powers re-test, naturally. Other me returns with laptop, me with the pack can keep that and split for the lessons, while me with the Kimbas can walk to the shrink appointment. Sara's decided to take the combat movement class alongside me. She wasn't originally planning to, and I suspect she's mostly there to keep me company. Well, that and outshine everyone else being a scary little speed monster. Yeah, I haven't forgotten reading "the Op". That class is over in Laird, so we head that way together.

Except, unfortunately, looks like it's not going to be plain sailing. Miss butt length brown hair, mister snow white 80s cut and muscles, both look like seniors, and mister black hair red eyes, looks our age and mean, all step out into our way.

Sara says down the mark, "The New Olympians. Erin guessed it."

Yeah, I know them from reading. I mentally show her a scene from a movie I saw as a kid, Johnny five saying "colt 45, semi automatic: play-dough", crushing a handgun with ease. Which makes her snicker. While having a perfect physical poker face on the outside.

The white haired one says, "Carmilla, our quarrel isn't with you, you can go past."

I send Vader saying "leave them to me, I will deal with them myself" down the mark. Followed by reassurance. She replies with love and amusement.

"Go ahead", I say verbally to Sara. She nods, and walks past the The Incredible Smug. To whom I say, "How can I help you?" And meanwhile, send a body over *there*...

"Do you know what hubris is?" He pronounces it strangely, perhaps he's speaking the ancient Greek word, not the modern one.

This is something I can answer. "Outraging dignity, arrogant misbehaviour towards another. The theme of a lot of surviving Greek tragedies."

"And taking the prerogatives of the gods", he says. "Setting yourself up as a goddess, for example, when *you are not!*" that last rising to a yell. And I can feel him battering at me with some psychic domination power. The body's local mind is overwhelmed, true, but it's easy enough to cut that out of the loop and puppeteer the body from outside. He's trying to drive me to my knees but I don't even budge.

"I have a better claim to it than you", I say. "I took action to improve the universe. I exist outside it now and intend to care for it. What have you done? Nothing but set yourselves up a nice nest and feathered it with worship you never earned, then come back now to try again. Your existence is parasitic. The ones who should be calling hubris are the humans." For reasons I probably ought to discuss with the Doc, I rile easily at people who misuse power, and he kinda trod right on that sore spot.

Of course all three are now giving me death-glares. Himself is sparking like a busted high-voltage transformer. "I will not be tricked into murder on school grounds, but there is a lot short of murder. Counterpoint, teach her humility."

I rabbit. Of course I do, the guy is vastly more combat capable than I am at present, but then, there are alternatives to fighting, as Obi-Wan would say. I can go fairly fast, but I think any of the three can out-pace me in a straight sprint. Can they go up walls with tentacles, like I do up Crystal Hall? Well, I guess Counterpoint can fly, that means he's behind me as I leap off and try for a tentacle-assisted soft landing, but instead he grabs me in mid air and puts me in an armlock as we land, pushing me face first into snow, which hurts, and dragging me up by the hair at an angle, ouch. The other two come running around, and mister psycho says, "So what shall I do first? Tear your arm out of joint? Smash your pretty face into the dirt until I can't recognise it?" Of course, security is nowhere to be seen.

At last, the thing I was waiting for, the faint ringing of a bell, which brings a smile to my bruised lips. "I have a better idea. What you can do is be late for class", I say, and vanish the body. And me and Sara share a smirk as the combat movement class starts.

Okay, I've made no friends there. But honestly, they're nuisances and are on my problems list for sorting out. Humanity shouldn't be plagued by creatures whose only purpose is to have a rollicking good time at everyone else's expense. Gods, my ass, they're oversized tapeworms.

Which means, I suppose, I have to take responsibility and pick up the slack.

# Part twenty two

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, Doyle medical center, mental health annex, fourth period**

"Good afternoon, come in please, coffee?" Doc Bellows is his usual cheerfully friendly self.

"Coffee would be lovely", I say. And sigh. "Sorry if I'm a bit discombobulated. I just overreacted badly and made some entirely avoidable enemies. I need to watch my temper around people I consider to be bullies."

He nods, handing me a mug of the good stuff. "Relax, take a sip, take a deep breath. Would you like to talk about that first? Or I could indulge my curiosity and ask about your new eyes?"

"It's kind of the same story", I admit. "I did a thing yesterday night that changed my eyes, made the flowers, left me fully unconscious for a few hours, and seems to be getting me labelled as a new goddess. Which annoyed the kids who think they are old gods, and we had a discussion that went badly."

He nods. "I've seen your medical records from last night. You were, for few hours there, completely unresponsive. But Miss Reilly and Miss Waite assured the doctors you'd be fine, and here you are, not much the worse for wear."

"Yeah, I went through a bit of a level-up", I say. "That, I think, was the boundary between being a human turning into what they call a 'great old one', and a larval 'great old one' who used to be human. Someone, who should know, called it 'hatching'."

"Do you still feel human?"

I ponder that. "I look at myself mentally and I can't tell. There's as many ways the answer's no as there are yes. I was. I am shaped by it. But I am no longer that."

"It bothers you, clearly."

"I know that most of what's fallen away are limitations. I'm not losing my values, I'm being careful about that. But I suppose this comes back to my trouble with the New Olympians just earlier. Can I handle myself? I behaved like a jerk just now. Me as a jerk would be calamitously bad."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?"

And so I do. I finish with, "The point being, doc, I didn't have to say any of that. Whether or not it's technically true. I could have just said "not interested" and vanished the body. And I definitely didn't have to lead them a dance, rub their faces in powerlessness, and make them late for class. That was me getting my own back, less on them specifically, than on bullies in the abstract. By, and I now realise the irony, bullying them."

"Those are three of the more dangerous children in this school, but you clearly regard yourself as more powerful?"

"There's not much they can do to touch me. That's without getting into weapons, of which I have several. You know some, I've gained more."

"Such as?"

I consider. "Are you prepared to be a lab rat, doc? I promise no harm, and I won't do anything at all, not even help, without prior informed consent. If yes, give me your hand." And I hold out a hand for his.

"I must be an idiot, but I'm curious", he says and hesitantly takes my hand.

Since my power-up, I've been able to sense myself at a cellular level in a new way. Not just in an area I focus upon, but all of me at once, and I have extremely fine control, not just cells but individual proteins like my hair, my genes, all of it. It's how I'm certain I could return from no bodies, now. But that awareness has only extended to myself, so far. What I'm speculating is that I can extend it across skin to skin contact into another body, without pushing the sorcery so hard it starts distorting things and making taint.

And it looks like I was right. I see his cells too, and I can feel my control as if his body were an extension of my own. I explore for any medical issues. "You have minor pre-cancerous cells in a few places, shall I snuff those? That means instructing the cells to lyse." He nods, I do so. "Okay done, and you have small amounts of joint wear and inflammation, could become arthritis, shall I fix it? That means rebuilding cartilage, cleaning up the autoimmunity." He nods again. That takes a bit longer, a few seconds because I'm pushing the cells well above their usual work rate, and I don't want to leave magical taint in his joints. "Okay, no further issues unless you want me to fix your ageing damage?"

"Meaning what?"

"Immune cells asleep on the job. Crud inside cells and between them. Mitochondria gone haywire and spitting out oxidative radicals. Stem cells missing or under-active. Stuff like that."

"You can just wish it away?"

"More like detail-instruct the cells how to fix it. The actual fix will take a few weeks. You'll start to see the hairs coming in dark, skin becoming tight and elastic, stuff like that. Give it a month and you'll probably look a lot younger."

He considers. "Alright, do it. I wouldn't mind my youth back. This is a medical miracle, you realise?"

"Pretty much literally", I agree. "Okay, give me a few minutes." This one is much more fiddly, but I manage to teach his cells the tricks they will need to clean up. Presumably, they'll keep them too. A long life for him.

Surfacing, I let go his hand. "Alright. So. That was the benevolent side of that power, and I honestly hope I can keep using it that way. But I'm sure it's obvious how much absolute havoc I could wreak with it, both subtle and very much not."

He winces and nods. "Honestly, I think if you don't hide this in powers testing, they are at minimum going to give you an armband, probably a section 33. You could be instantly fatal in an alarming number of ways. Possibly rescuing you from that fate, is that you don't have to. Fine control means the option to stop short of exploding someone's heart."

I nod. "It's probably the best tool I have for quick safe knock-downs, but I'll need to give the exact attack some thought."

"Please also consult the medical staff, specialists if possible, to ensure you wouldn't cause some sort of rampaging side effect." He looks a bit worried.

I reassure him that I definitely won't just run around experimenting on people I have disagreements with. I will at least talk it through with the docs to ensure that dropping their blood pressure won't give them organ failure or whatever.

Well, that is unless somebody puts me in a serious spot before I've got a safe technique down. In which case more fool them.

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, Laird hall, fourth period**

While I'm talking to the doc, I'm also finding the combat movement class very interesting. The video Mr Anderson shows, I'm sure I've read about. Which means I'd be cheating to give the answer - that was mister Mahren, now Caitlin Bardue, in a sim. And he was a baseline back then. Parkour is beautiful, and I really want to give it a go.

We get into watching Gateway's match. She's Chou's girl, I've seen her around a bit, and of course, read of her. Cute, quiet kid, with a gigantic not-a-panther for a familiar. Unfortunately, it's a short match. Poor her, that looked unpleasant.

Mr Anderson says “Okay, so we have two questions we need to discuss… what did she do wrong and what did she do right. Let’s begin. Who has thoughts? Put your hands up please and wait to be called. Yes, Sharpie.”

One of the students I don't know, except that he hangs out with the underdog group, says "She used the corner trick you taught last term in survival class, and it worked."

"Good answer, yes, she did. Golden Girl lost track of her at that point, and had to turn around and search. That took several minutes."

I have my hand up, and he picks me, "Yes, girl with the white hair and pink eyes next to Carmilla, what's your code name?"

"I'm Parallel. After she used the corner to evade, she settled down in one place and did a spell. But that area wasn't an effective hiding place, it was too close, it didn't cover well from the possible sight lines of a flying opponent. She ended up seen from behind. I'd call it a great place to pause but a bad place to stay. It would be better to move again until she could find somewhere that hid her from both ends of the street and above, like perhaps under a fire escape."

"Good answer. Why do you think she didn't do that? You aren't in a position to know this, because you weren't in my classes last term, but she has already been taught to analyse hiding places in that sort of way."

"It's hard to want to leave a hidey hole when something terrifying is outside it?" I'm sure I'd find it hard. Sara gives me a grin, clearly she remembers being the something terrifying.

"Yes. Fear in a real combat situation is paralysing. It causes a reaction of denial. It causes you to forget to think intellectually. It throws you back onto your unconsidered reactions. You will tend to continue doing what you are already doing, or what you have rehearsed, rather than stopping and re-ordering your priorities. Here, Gateway should have set aside her intent to summon, and moved out of the temporary hiding place to better cover. The fact she did not, isn't a flaw of thought, because in those circumstances thought would be hard for anyone. It is a flaw of training. Which we will be rectifying in this class. We will be partly covering theory, but partly also studying practical movement, how it relates to terrain features, sight lines, cover, concealment and other similar concepts. We will be using this classroom for theory. Now, everyone please stand up!"

We all do, and he continues, "Follow me please. We will also be using the adjacent classroom to practise indoors, as it has been set up for parkour", while he's saying this he's headed for the door, and we follow him into the hallway and then across into a much larger, gym type room, which is full of wooden walls and ledges, scaffolding, various crash mats. "This area is mainly intended for practise of the forms of movement. We will also be practising outside around the campus. Please bring your costume, or a tracksuit for those who don't have one, to all subsequent classes. If you brought it today, well done, please change now. If you didn't, you'll be taking today's class in your uniform. Changing rooms are over there."

I don't have a tracksuit, but I suppose the store will sell them. For today, uniform will do. If I get unpleasantly sweaty, I have other bodies.

And while I'm joining in with the rest of the class practising movement tricks like crouched walking, elbow crawling, and rolling over an obstacle, I'm thinking at the same time of how much I'm going to let show in the powers test, which I'll be headed to after I'm done with Doc Bellows.

# Part twenty three

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, fifth period**

Talking with the Doc has given me things to think about, even if we never reached the topic that's been bothering me, the "am I a goddess" thing. Sadly, our conversation has to end when the end of fourth period bell goes. We shake hands, and then I have to head to a powers re-test. Which thankfully, at least starts out in the same building.

I've reached a decision about that. They're going to get the whole enchilada, and I just hope it doesn't make anybody choke.

This time, I've been told to skip the physical and head straight for the powers testing area. It's familiar from about a week ago, but busier. There's a receptionist now. "Hi, miss Parallel, am I correct? Take a seat please." Oh hey, magazines from the 1990s.

One short wait later, and Dr Hewley, who I met last time, comes into the room. "Hello again, come on through. I hear you've been gaining new powers since we last met?"

I nod. "Several. Some mutant, some not." As we come through into the testing lab, I see someone I wasn't expecting to meet until later today - Circe.

"Alright, here we go. Miss Parallel, there's been interest in your test from outside the school, and Circe here has been asked to act as a neutral party and observer, to check you aren't gaming the ratings. Are you willing to accept that?"

Last I saw, Circe didn't like me much, but I have no reason to doubt her honesty. As for being snooped on by outsiders, I expected that, I've made myself noticeable. "I have no objections." I give Circe a smile, can't hurt to be nice, although she does the painted-vase stony face back. Either she's still grumpy or she takes her neutrality seriously. Or both, who knows.

The physical part of the test doesn't take long. My exemplar level went up to 4, probably due to hatching, I'm faster, a bit stronger, vastly more dexterous, although a lot of that dexterity is down to the fine muscle control I taught myself. Another cut test guesses my regen at 6, again, although they would have to see me shot up or something to be more precise. They can operate a few more machines this time around, and that lets me show my warping while they monitor it. I can show teleports too, this time. Both the short range direct warping kind, and the long range space bending kind. Do I know my maximum range? Not a clue. We don't have space to test it here, but it doesn't feel very range limited. More like, I'm limited by knowing where to go. Shooting off into outer space would be messily fatal for that body, I'm not Tennyo.

Then we get to synthetic powers. I learned things, and that makes me something of a pseudo-gadgeteer. I've got several from warping. The reflective shields, although they're too much effort to really be practical. The discontinuity knife, which I describe but don't show, for obvious reasons. Flight, which I show, and I think I'm getting a bit more precise at it. And gravity sensing. That sense is just on all the time now, it's become part of how I experience the world around me. It means I have all-around perception, in fine detail up close, of large masses at distance. Yes, I can feel how hollow and cavern-riddled the ground is under Whateley, way deep down. It's a little creepy.

And then we get into great old one stuff. My multiple minds thing is that, although it drew some of its basis from warping, it exists beyond that now. They bring me a new textbook to read. I finish it as fast as I can turn the pages, fingers moving much faster than I could before. And then I can answer detail and evaluative questions about it. I explain that I can do things like turning off pain, or boredom. I can analyse and alter my own mental processes. I can mentally dive down to the soul level a bit, although I haven't tried recently. That does interest Circe, especially when I explain that it's the foundation of my multiple bodies ability.

Demonstrating that takes a while. I can show that I can make bodies near me, or far over a teleport. I can make them inside sealed containers. When I'm asked how, I have to explain the sort of polite understanding I have with physical reality. That causes amusement. Honestly, I'm not sure how true a model that is, but it's how it seems to me. But the result is that inserting a body is not an act bounded by physical law, since it only starts being physical once it's inserted. And likewise contrariwise, removing it. It's not warping, and it's not a mutant power. Yes, the bodies are copies based on physical ones, but I believe I could do one that isn't a copy.

Can I try, as a demonstration?

Okay, here goes. See every cell, shape the body, I'm going to make this one older, let's say young adult, twentyish. Bigger boobs, a bit of rounding to the ass. Skeleton that fits, organs that fit, nerves, circulation, lymph - I compare the mental model to my actual one, have I missed anything important? Nope.

And insert it. Oops, did forget something, I have no mental models of clothes for this size, and I'm naked. Ah well, own it I guess. "Sorry, no clothes that fit this size. Feel free to ogle, unless you have spares?" And find myself giggling at the testers' red faced responses. Well, except Circe, who looks me up and down and evidently approves. Okay, I did not know that about her and yes, she is actually very hot in an adult kind of way and now I wonder what three thousand years of experience means. Oops, boner. Yes, she is amused. Don't ask me how I know, her poker face is epic.

Doc Hewley asks, "Why did you make the body intersex? I presume, when you work from scratch, you aren't constrained by your BIT?"

Less constrained than you know, doc. "It's who I am. This is my right body, it fits my soul. I could probably do regular female. It wouldn't be me, though. I'd miss this", I gesture down, "embarrassing as it can be when it takes a liking to someone. I call myself a girl, but that's a simplification, I'm a bit mixed, and this reflects it."

"And the copy is still genetically identical?", the Doc asks, "Can we take samples?"

I nod, "Go ahead if you want, although I can tell you right now I made this one genetically identical. But I'm not constrained to, I just only have my current genome to work with as a model."

"Your current genome", the doc says with a Spock raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, so, now we get to the fun bit", I put the copy away and continue from my less naked original, "I've been studying great old one type sorcery with Carmilla", I leave off mention of Gothmog, he's not my secret to tell, "and I quickly realised I was a natural at life sorcery. That's basically, manipulation of the foundation principles of the life-creative principle. It's something I can do longhand, by explicitly calling out the rune incantations, but it's also something that's just become part of my nature. It's become a life sense, that lets me feel living things and their natures in the world around me, similar to gravity sensing. And that sense when applied inward now gives me complete sensation of my own biological nature, at the subcellular level. Including genomes. And also, I have control of it. So I could in principle change my genome. Gradually, to avoid accidentally killing the body with side effects."

"And what else can you change?"

"A lot, depending how hard I push it. Our type of sorcery doesn't use essence like wizard magic, but the downside is that it distorts things. Doing a lot of it leaves class-X contamination, dangerous to almost everyone, requiring magical effort to clean up. So my biological work uses as little as possible. If I stick within what leaves no taint, I can only move things along at biological speed. Pushing them a bit beyond that, like say growing my hair out in an instant, leaves tiny amounts of taint that quickly dissipate. Outright shifting my whole body as fast as a mutant shifter can do it, would be a contamination nightmare."

He nods. "And what can you shift into?"

"So far I've only done human materials, but I don't think it's limited. Probably anything alive, or made by anything alive. As I am now, I'd probably only have to touch living material to get enough information to copy."

"Could you copy other humans?" I nod. "And mutant traits?"

I shrug. "Honestly, mutant traits are something I have no idea about. But if I have their genome, perhaps whatever about this universe supplies the powers will supply them to me too? I haven't tried cloning anybody, I'm aware that would be very politically unwise." I don't mention my plans for Jamie. Better to ask forgiveness than permission for that one, I think.

"How about inorganic materials?"

"I could specialise cells to secrete or construct things. I can't just turn into glass, say, but I'm fairly confident I could instruct cells to lay down layers of glass and make something that way."

"Shifter six, perhaps seven, then", the doc says. "With a note that it's a non-mutant power."

"High rating given I'm slow", I say. "But I suppose, fair given the range. Also, I found today, I can extend life sense and control across skin contact, to someone else."

"Control, meaning, you could touch someone and what?"

"I get full insight and full control of their body at the subcellular level. I think, if I pushed the sorcery a bit harder, I could do it from further away too. It'd be easy to block with even a weak ward though, I'm deliberately using low power."

"Control with which you could do harm?"

"Trivially. Or heal. I really don't want to harm someone. I'd have it on my conscience forever and I'd rather not. Also I'm fairly sure that doing worse than a temporary inconvenience would get me expelled on the spot. But I wouldn't mind being on call to help heal people."

Doc Hewley notes that down. "I'll pass that on."

I add, "Couple more things I can do. Combine understanding of bio-materials with body insertion, and I can insert objects." I show them a copy of the flute. "So far, I've done bulk bone as a material. I might be able to get more fancy now. I can use this to make simple weapons, as well." I make a dagger and show it.

"Are they manifested?"

I shake my head. "They're me, in a really fundamental way, they're rather like highly simplified and reshaped bodies. That's my bone. I'm told that's a big risk magically."

Circe nods, "It would be a very effective link. Like taking your hair, only more so."

I say, "Upside is, I can just vanish them as easily as any other body", and both items disappear. "Which slightly mitigates the risk to me."

Circe nods.

"And the last thing I can do, this", and I make some tentacles. "They seem to be hard light or something of that nature, they pass through my clothing without harming it, but I can physically pick things up, pull and push and so on, and I get touch sensation from them. Honestly, I'm not sure how they work, I think it's a manifestation of my desire to have them, through my knack at life sorcery."

"You wanted to have them?" The doc is a bit incredulous.

"Carmilla has them, and I find hers really pretty. I've wanted my own since I saw hers. It surprises me how many people can't see the cuteness. And also, well, they're useful." Thoughts of how Sara uses them cause me to blush a bit. Getting definite amusement vibes from Circe again.

She reaches out a hand to hold one, and I lay it in her palm. It's an interesting and intimate sensation to feel the warmth and touch of her hand through it. She asks, "They only come in this form, like a sea anemone, tapering to a point?"

"No, that's the default, but I can change their shape. Flat like a squid, to grip, padded to walk on, those are shapes I've tried." I don't mention that I have plans for lots of other tip shapes for, um, fun. With self and others.

She nods. "This is definitely made of magic, taking the form of living matter. To my senses, they feel alive, although simple in form."

The doc makes notes. Then says, "You say they can grip and support your weight?"

And so it's back to the physical testing area, where I show that I can walk on them, starfish-like, I can climb walls by grabbing handholds in tentacle-tips, and I can lift things with them. They're as strong as my regular muscles, although obviously lever action works against me if I make them reach far out away from my body. As my body weight is like a tenth of my max lift, I can bounce around on them too. Because I can extend them out around me like some fluffy seed, I can break falls with them, and take no harm when I bounce into things. It's quite a fun way to move.

In the end I get my new power rating. Mutant powers: exemplar four, regenerator six, warper four with space, gravity and teleportation. Non mutant powers: shapeshifter six, gadgeteer one (equivalent, due to learning), manifester one (for the tentacles, even though they aren't the usual kind of manifesting), wizard five (equivalent, due to sorcery). That last one causes some ructions, they don't have a rating system for GOO sorcery at all. Sara got hers bundled in with psi, but I don't seem to have any of that, yet. Circe in her role as observer insists it goes on the MID, so they call it wizardry for lack of an alternative. I get a five because I can operate it by instinct.

And then the end of sixth period bell goes, which means I have detention (or at least one of me does - I'm not sure how the rules cover that).

"Alright", says Circe. "Follow me, please, you're with me now. I have a few inquiries of my own to make."

# Part twenty four

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, after sixth period**

Combat movement class was fun. I've been quietly using the mark to keep Sara up to date with what I was up to in powers testing, as we bounded and rolled around the parkour training area. Now that other me is headed off to detention with Circe, we mutually decide to stick together and keep a body outside for simple escape if needed. Also, so Sara can peek over my shoulder and tell me before I step into something dangerous. Worst case, she can link with Fey over the blood bond and ask her advice. We'll head over to Hawthorne and her room for snuggles.

Sara heads towards the tunnels. But I stop her, "hold up, I want to show you the way of moving I just invented. I think you'll like it."

"Oh?" She's curious.

"Follow me outside," I grin.

And so we do, and then when we reach a clear bit of ground beside the crush of exiting students I say, "Alright, copy me." And I extend my tentacles all around me like a fluffy seed, lifting myself up off the ground, so I'm standing in something like a twelve-foot wide tentacle ball (and drawing a lot of curious stares). She has to get hers out from under her uniform, but does the same. "Okay so, we can both lift loads more than our body weight. Which means, now we can push off hard enough to bound, and break our fall gently no matter how we land. Upright, upside down, against a wall, doesn't matter. Catch most of the force in the springiness of our tentacles, and we only need a bit of a push to keep up speed. So... bouncing!" And I push off into a leap towards Schuster on a trajectory that looks like it should splatter me against the wall. I hit high up, slowing myself with tentacle tips into a push-bounce, caroming over towards Doyle like a living pinball, "whee!"

We pinball ourselves off Doyle and Melville, laughing like mad things, bound way over the top of Poe, leaving tentacle-splats in the snow, and finally fetch up in front of Hawthorne, lying in snow, completely incapacitated by giggles.

At the same time, heading out of Doyle with Circe, I watch myself and Sara bounce off towards Hawthorne like giggling oversized fluff-balls. And yeah, it's drawn attention, ranging from open mouth gapes to laughter to energetic discussion on how to copy us.

"Are you trying to overshadow the shoulder angels?" Circe looks openly amused, the poker face is put away now that she's no longer officially neutral. "You may have started a competing trend."

"I think the Headmistress is going to hate me, but it was too fun to pass up, after I'd figured how to do it", I say.

"I think of the two trends, she might prefer yours", Circe says. "Provided the copycats are as gentle with the buildings. As soon as we get some fool in a two ton mecha-tentacle suit digging holes in the brickwork, she'll bring the hammer down. There is always someone who doesn't realise when enough becomes too much." As we talk we're headed across campus towards Kirby.

"Is that how you view Monday night's business?" I ask.

"Were you showing off? Playing to your own ego and ignoring the safety of an entire universe?"

Way I read her, that was a genuine question. And a test of my honesty. So, earnest self examination. Do I like being spooky and positioning myself as a saviour of the whole universe? Obvious answer to that is yes. Of course I have enough ego to enjoy a pedestal, and I'm an outright exhibitionist, standing on stage comes naturally. Did that influence the form of what I did? Yeah kinda, I wasn't firing on all cylinders, but I could definitely have been a lot less operatic. Sara's hatching was pretty low key, but then, that's her downbeat style.

Could I have avoided specifying and fixing my nature? No, I think I couldn't, that was all going to happen one way or another - like a sneeze, once started, it won't take instructions to stop. And I was already channelled into being *something* in the life spectrum, I'd been using it heavily, and it comes naturally. My options were either glom onto Grandma's amoral nature and make the best of that, or rail against it. And I've never been the type to sit down and take an injustice.

I suppose that captures the nub of it. I have enough self-assertion to be willing to throw down against the outer gods and tell the universe to fix itself, and the fact that life was unavoidably fated to diverge away from any value was bothering me. I think, if I was human, it would be overwhelming me. But instead, I was able to treat it as a problem and propose a solution. And my feeling for the universe was worry and compassion and to an extent, love. I am very much wired to protect, and I wanted to gather the whole of life up and protect it.

Did I ignore the risk? I think I considered the status quo ante a disaster with absolute certainty. I would have to watch the Earth and everything good in it diverge into garble, even if it took a million years, simply because the mechanisms of life were uncaring. That was the risk I couldn't ignore. Set against that, I felt I wouldn't mess up, I could feel the opportunity was open, I knew it would close again once I had set my self definition in stone.

"Partially but mostly not", I say. "Mostly, I wanted to break the curse of an uncaring universe. Bake in a bit of care. And by defining my nature around it, I had the chops to. I felt it was necessary."

"Partially?"

"You know I don't hate eyes on me", I say, remembering earlier.

She nods. "Thank you for giving that some proper thought now. It felt to me like, at the time you didn't think? But perhaps, you just thought fast."

"More like slowly, over days", I say. "The conclusion was already almost reached, and when I hit the crisis, I took the remaining step, a short one."

She nods, as we come up to the entrance to Kirby. "That can happen. It brings a quick answer, but requires discipline in your everyday thoughts to be sure it's a good one."

Are my thoughts disciplined? Not really, but what they are is uninterrupted. I can and do spin off threads to follow the thread of a thought right to the end. I don't ever lose concentration, any more. If something else pops up, off goes a thread to follow it. A monkey with infinite minds can chase every thought.

I ask, "I'm going to be helping you 'undo my mess'. What will that entail?" Change the topic because I don't think she needs a rundown on how I think. Also I do rather want to know.

"I'm less annoyed with you than I was in the moment", she says, "but I am still faced with the practical problem that a new fundamental law has been added to the universe, I will need to work with it or around it, and I know almost nothing about it. So your job will be helping me understand, and helping me re-apply it as a principle to spells that no longer work."

I nod. "I bound it into my nature, and I can draw the rune and work with it instinctively, but I should warn you that a human level, I don't have much detail understanding of it either."

"And at a deeper level?"

"I think that level of me understands it. At that level, the problem is more like a lack of understanding of here", I wave my hand around, indicating the physical world. "Knowledge doesn't just filter up easily. We don't exactly have a language in common."

She looks thoughtful. "Perhaps, there, I can help." She pauses. "First though, I need to lead you through a door, and you are not allowed to be just shown this door, you must discover it. So I must do the equivalent of blindfolding you. Except of course, that a blindfold would hardly slow you down." She saw my life and gravity sense in the test.

"I tend to shrug off mental domination effects too", I say. "Probably your best bet is full unconsciousness."

"You will not be able to sense despite that?"

"Only from my other bodies." And the sense feed from that body suddenly cuts off. Oops. Memo to self, learn magical shielding, because I had no warning at all there. I don't doubt she could still poke me through a newbie's shield, but I think I'd have at least had enough notice to brace. Gothmog side me can look into that.

That cut-off lasts two minutes and thirty one seconds, during which time Sara rotates her room out of alignment again so we can have privacy to monitor - and finally get to play. Dirty sweaty school uniform go bye-bye. Wholly naked me is now enjoying being looked at by her beloved.

"You, sweetie, smell of unwashed athlete", Sara says amused. "I don't sweat. You sure do. Time for a bath." Oh no, brer fox, don't throw me into the briar patch.

Over the other side, my senses snap back on. I'm hovering, prone on my back, at about hip level. "Welcome back", Circe says. Her personal lab is... less classical Greek than I'd mentally pictured. I suppose, it was a long time ago for her too. The present room is tastefully modern-minimalist, stone floors, hardwood furniture. Shelves in bamboo. A noticeable absence of steel.

"Uh, yeah, thanks", I say. "That was disconcerting. I should make an effort to find that door." She rotates me upright, and lets me take my own weight again.

"Indeed, and save me the trouble of hauling you around like a sack of potatoes." She goes to draw a circle on the floor, using a chalk on a stick so she doesn't have to crouch. "My intention with this circle, is that I will draw out what you call your deeper level. I have experience dealing with them, and I may be able to gain understanding more quickly than by asking you as a human. This should not harm you, or cause pain. It may be, again, disconcerting."

"I kind of would like to meet that side of me, so, a little being disconcerted is fine." I'm actually eager. But I do show her work to Sara (as she's running the bath), and she confirms it a modified summoning, the source and target both the person inside. Good, no tricks. "What do I do?"

"Step inside the circle please." Alright, I do that. My feel for sorcery is kind of telling me things about the circle I'm in, but I don't understand them.

As other me is enjoying a very nice warm and soapy bath with now-naked (and slippery) Sara, this me watches her walk around the circle speaking words that my sorcery is translating but my human mind doesn't have concepts for, except that it's a call going deep, far, away from the concrete into the abstract, and it's showing a part of me how to bend so it can surface through me. And I can feel that happening. My space of minds is changing, the soul level is rising up through, we all send it/her love and caring, surrounding it/her with nurture and encouragement, it/she is enormous, incomprehensible, but feels young and eager and very curious. Rising to the surface, the body's mind is gently pushed aside. Warping comes active, and the body explodes out into tesseract-spinning angles and fractal whorls. Human level me is watching, Sara is watching, snuggled together in warm bathwater, I see a flash of love and greeting flare down the mark and for a moment Sara is outlined in a black glow as her own deep self responds and snuggles against a caress that could melt mountains.

The me in Circe's room speaks. Not in a voice, but by imposing ideas out onto the world, so each word is like a branching tree. "GREET (Hello!)(Curiosity)(Friendship) LONG (Forward and backward)(We are mostly only forward) HUMAN (Mage) (Interesting!)(Lust for you)(Let's exchange (life)(information)(communication))(Togetherness)".

# Part twenty five

I'm trying to adjust to having my great old one self all twisted up and out to the surface of my minds, and it's difficult. The many human-shaped me are still there, but we aren't the biggest thing in our mutual mind now by some orders of magnitude. We're like snowflakes swirling around a mountain. An intensely aware, friendly, curious, very alien mountain.

I think I've disappointed Sara, who was hoping for some proper blow-off-steam fun (I was too), but I'm for the first time in a while, thoroughly distracted. She finishes washing me off in the bath, with me mainly able to help with things at the level of "hold this", "now stand up", gets me into some pyjamas I keep stashed in her place, and opens up the room so she can let some of the other pack in, Jet and Paige and Erin wanted to come in. Me, I'm on the bed, kinda staring at the ceiling. I'm glad she can tap in through the mark and see what's going on, because I couldn't coherently talk right now.

Circe and big me (as I shall call it/her) are happily chatting away about the characteristics of the new fundamental universal principle. Calling it a law would be oversimplifying, it's more like I shifted things so the corollaries of laws work out differently. Big me views the metaverse kind of as mathematics working itself out, and kind of as abstract consciousness looking at itself and playing out possibilities. Life, creation in the broadest sense, is something universes usually converge on by their nature. But as things used to be, life was defined only by the evolutionary imperative, voraciously expanding its little foothold of negentropy. What I did injected a sort of inherent tropism towards positive sum mutualism and the construction of complex value and aesthetic beauty, but fractally distributed over scales. We're not sure how it will work out at the human scale, because big me doesn't really relate well to things at our level. At a guess, societies will start to get nicer? And things in general will get prettier. But if I know humans at all, we'll dig our heels in and fight to keep the bad old days too.

Meanwhile, big me (who has no limitations on attention) is being curious about the little mes, and about our bodies. It/she sees all three extant ones, and the ability to construct more, and our cellular understanding. Sara fascinates big me, as another one similar who also has a body, but a very different kind of one. And the humans around us are fascinating too, being structured differently again. We feel it/her integrating changes into our cellular structures and DNA. I can see the changes but I don't understand them well, except that she's also definitely making us more beautiful, if not exactly in human ways.

Sitting my body up in Sara's room, which makes the others pause from their worried conversation, big me asks TOUCH{map over each of you}(Soul)(Mind (telepathic contact))(Body (direct contact (touch my hand))(cellular analysis))(May I?)(Please?)(Caring (gentleness)(friendship))(Consent (important)(your choice)). Which makes them wince and try and sort out the tangle of semantics, but they do get it and Paige decides to be first and risk it. We love you, Paige.

She touches our hand and the familiar electrical tingle flows through us, as big me curiously touches up against her soul (which has interesting divisions, and is sort of stretched-and-budding across the two bodies). Big me doesn't seem to have any difficulty connecting to her mind either, but as we're aware she doesn't like intrusion, it's a very gentle and permission-seeking contact. Sort of like a connecting door, that she can open and shut, between her mindscape and ours. We feel her two selves looking through it curiously. "Holy shit, there's a lot of you", Merry says mentally, and we giggle. Meanwhile we're sensing her cellular level, and being very curious about her blue glow which is an energiser effect, not biological photophores, in the same way as our eyes. Both of her mentally peek over our shoulder. Mai in particular seems fascinated by the complexity of her own body. Compared to the simple design of an artificial mind, a human body is baroque in the extreme. We're not sure if she approves or thinks it wasteful.

Over in Gothmog's realm, Petra looks torn. She's become a friend, although not a lover, but has had enough class X exposure to last a lifetime. Big me lets little me voice for it/her, and we offer gentle contact and an attempt to repair damage. Petra winces and thinks, and after a bit says "yes, but very very carefully". And so we touch her hand and slowly, slowly connect to her mind. Big me has several minds to compare, now, and is seeing the damage where she was stretched out of shape, and is able to gently nudge it towards healing. Normally, that kind of damage wouldn't really recover, that's why it tends to accumulate. Now, it will. We never connect to her at a conscious level, to avoid any trauma. She asks "that was it?" and we nod. I voice for big me, "when you are healed, we can meet properly", and she smiles.

Erin too, decides to risk a touch. I think, she's feeling competitive. She's intriguing because of being made of two unconnected souls, who have formed a sort of friendly collaboration rather than one overriding the other. We are careful, after contact, to seek permission from the second soul too. After consideration, it's given. We see the control lines leading off that second soul, and are able to show them, and that soul expresses frustration and disgust at who they're hooked to, but despair at being able to get free. Would they like them cut? Pause, then, if it's possible, definite assent! Alright then. Big me surrounds them and makes a separation, disconnected lines snap back, and now Erin's second soul is its own mistress entirely. We monitor to ensure there is no damage, and then disconnect as she wishes to feel out her new nature without oversight.

Oops, out of time! Circe is sending big me back - perhaps we will learn to do this ourselves, but for now it seems prudent to go when dismissed. So we broadcast our love to our friends and my mind folds back into something like the shape it was before.

Whee. That was a ride and a half. It takes me several seconds to get used to being more or less human shaped again, only little me, no big me. To be human feels small - although, I think we got stretched quite a lot. "Um, I'm back." Yay, group hug!

Over with Circe, inside the circle, I sit up gradually as bruises fade from where I dropped to the floor. "Are we done?" She nods looking very tired. I walk to the edge of the circle, will it let me out? It does. Pull up a chair for her and one for me, she looks exhausted and readily sits down. "Are you alright? Shall I make coffee or something?"

She smiles, perhaps not used to being the one who's being cared for. "I will be fine in a minute. Such conversations are a strain."

"A bit of one for me too", I admit.

"You were conscious?" She hadn't expected that.

"Yes, all of me and big me too. I think doing that will bend me out of shape if we do it a lot, though, is this going to happen tomorrow too?"

She shakes her head, chuckling. "You think I might call your hmm, big self, forward every day of detention? No. Definitely not. From now on, I promise you it will be safely dull." Which, honestly, is a relief. Although now she's looking a bit more alert, and looking closely at me, I think she sees big me's edits. I flicker my photophores at her, a trace-work of curving, swirling lines of colour like a vine tattoo suddenly appearing in lights under my skin. "Oh dear", she says.

In Sara's room, they're all hugging me and checking I'm alright like I was unwell or something, but I manage to persuade them I'm okay. Then I have to explain what Circe and I were up to over on the other body. And then I get questions about the fact I look just a little different.

Now that I'm back as just my selves, I have the time and attention to catalogue what big me did. I'm pretty sure I'm seeing more spectrum than I did, and sharper. I have photophores in my skin and hair, now, lots of them, and they're full spectrum, ultraviolet to infrared. My hairs are now sort of semi-alive, still dead keratin but with control and animation sorcery running down them, they can light up and move like little independently controlled tentacles. If they were longer, I could grab things with them; at their present short length, I can style and braid them, or play around pretending to be in a dramatic wind. My teeth got visibly sharper, and became kind of slightly semi-transparent. Milky, rather than opaque. I feel like I could extend their length fairly easily too. Same goes for my fingernails, that have been replaced by short and only slightly pointed transparent claw-tips, that I feel I could extend out to much longer points. I guess big me wants me to have somewhat better natural weapons. Unfortunate to need them, but I can see her point.

My DNA got more complicated. That might make it difficult to do a body-copy for Jamie. But then, maybe I don't need to grow it slowly, now? I'll have to take time and investigate that one. I'll have to talk to Sara about marks, and less permanent kinds of soul linkage too.

And beside that, there's a lot of tiny tweaks you couldn't even name, looking at them, but the total result is I look... different. Like I took a level-up in beauty, but it's mermaid beauty, not human. I'm pretty sure I could look damn scary too, just by leaning into the differences.

Of course I play around showing it off for the others, doing sparkly light shows, and making my hair glow psychedelic colours, and doing the dramatic wind pose, and the extra-wide anglerfish smile. Which honestly I think scares them a bit, although they giggle.

Then Hippolyta comes peeking in, and Jet and Paige get to talking to her about big me, while Sara pulls Erin off for a chat at the far end of the room. And meanwhile I have an idea, and I kind of put it to big me - she's not up front occupying my mind space, but I can pass things to and fro, now. And she likes it, and shows me the changes to make - so now I can do *that* too. Mwahaha.

Rather than go through being knocked out again, the me in Circe's room thanks her and vanishes.

And then it's finally time for dinner. The pack heads over there as a group, even though not all need food, because Hippy and Sara agree the New Olympians might be mad enough to jump me. We get there just in time to hear a girl doing a one-woman-tannoy announcement for the Alphas. The Don and Hekate (who I continue to resent for stealing the name off a perfectly nice goddess) are on the outs. Bye-bye. Not much surprise there. Now the Alphas are nice! Yeah, and if you buy that I have a bridge to sell you... especially as it's a girl who matches my remembered description for Tansy as the new boss. As someone who tried to kidnap and enslave a friend, I don't rate her as nice.

After that it's regular eats for a bit. Except oho, here come two older kids headed for the pack table. Sara pokes me through the mark. "Judicator and Knick-knack", and I poke back, "Athena and Hephaestus", so she knows I know. Surprisingly, they don't approach me. In fact, they actively don't even look at me, instead heading for Sara.

Judicator takes the lead. "A certain somebody felt what happened earlier. I would characterise his mental state as spitting fury, covering fear. He has given us explicit instructions we can't disobey, not to contact someone."

"Yeah, but he forgot to tell us we couldn't talk to her friends", Knick-knack says. "I expect he'll do that too, when he stops biting the furniture. So this may be all we get."

"If what happened to Feral were offered to us, we're under orders to oppose it to our dying breath." Judicator says. "But neither of us would hate it if our opposition were to fail. We two agree on this."

Sara says, "And the others?"

"Prism and Tracer, unknown", Judicator says. "We didn't dare divert to ask them and risk missing the window of opportunity. Counterpoint... would want it, but it would be unwise to give it to him."

"Bastard needs his leash", Knick-knack agrees.

"As for the others, I think, no. They're in his clique, or too unmotivated to have an opinion."

Sara nods. "Alright. Thank you for telling me."

"One more thing", says Knick-knack. "He will eventually quit throwing an arcing tantrum, and start thinking. He's not too smart, but he's cunning and he holds grudges for geological time. This is very far from over yet, and we may be used against you as weapons. You should treat what we say as a trap, from now on."

Judicator adds, "Traps can be sprung and turned around."

And then the two of them just leave.

# Part twenty six

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, evening**

With dinner over, my school day isn't done, unfortunately. I still have to report for my job with the maintenance crew, although I won't be seeing Jade there this time, she did her stint after classes. I don't really want to take a copy of my nice tailored uniform to that, but perhaps I could combine it with going to the store to pick up a gi for tomorrow morning, and a tracksuit for the combat movement class? I can use a copy of the tracksuit as mucky wear.

Do I need guarding on the way there? That's the kind of question I would have asked the Kimbas, but for some reason I forgot to send a body to go sit over there. I blame being flustered, but also, a feeling that with them all training together, I'm a bit of an outsider. I should probably rectify that. But meanwhile I discuss it with the pack, and we decide that as long as I keep a backup body safe, I shouldn't worry too much. The New Olympians aren't strategic idiots. So, one of me will go back to Poe and try and mend the distance I'm feeling from the Kimba group, the other can go shopping. Poe is kinda well guarded, conveniently.

I hug Sara bye-for-a-bit. I've decided against sending a body with her as well, because I need a bit of time to process, and because I don't want to cling. So then I split into two and set off.

One of me heads over towards the Kimbas as they're making ready to head back. "Hi, sorry, I'm not snubbing you, just been hit with another big messy day and it's left me a little dazed. How're you all doing?"

"Hey there Jules, yeah, we're cool. Jade's been whacking herself with nunchucks." Billie grins at the tease.

"I only whacked myself once!" Jade protests.

"Yeah, because you put Jinn in them" Billie agrees. "Now they bop you on the head rather than belt you in the unmentionables."

I snicker. "Definitely a safety improvement. I wouldn't mind learning those, maybe you can show me how, Jade?" Peace offering for snickering at her plight. Besides, it'll be fun.

Which causes the chaos monster to grin. "Sure, love to. You have some?"

"Can make some" I say, producing a pair of nice hexagonal bone nunchucks linked by fused sinew. These get various ew looks from the Kimbas. "What?" I say. "It's just stuff. One of my bodies, in effect."

"Still freaky", Toni says. "You are a freakazoid, although you're our freakazoid. But still, if you try to hand me those I'm gonna drop them. And wash my hands. And possibly vomit."

"It's weird, but it'll do", Jade pronounces. "Weird's useful, same as Shroud, it's psychological warfare."

"You're gonna love a few modifications I got today", I tell Jade. Which gets me looked at closer by the others.

"Damn, Circe, that cow, what did she do? I should have noticed, your aura's completely different." Nikki jumping to my defence is nice, but I feel I should defend Circe's honour.

"She called my um, demon side forward, that's all." I'm still using the D-word in public. "Big me got to be front for a bit, and she made a few mods. And then I kinda worked with her after the fact to make a few more. I'll show you all back in Poe. Don't want to leak too much in public when it could be a tactical advantage. But none of it's bad stuff. I don't think Circe expected it either."

"Not just physical modifications. Your aura's stretched, much less human. Gah, if she didn't know, she shouldn't be just experimenting." Nikki's still annoyed.

"Magic changed", I remind her. "Gonna be a bit of experimenting, unavoidably. I think Circe and big me's chat cut a lot of time off that."

"Still unethical", Nikki insists. "She and I are gonna have a conversation. But I can see you don't feel harmed, and that's good at least."

"I feel pretty stretched, to be honest with you, and like I said a bit dazed. But I kind of signed up for a bare knuckle ride when I okayed the change to begin with. Anyhow, that's far from being all my news, either."

"So spill", Billie says, looking curious.

I tell them about the confrontation right after lunch. That gets worried looks and whistles.

"You are not gonna be any of their favourite people", Toni says. "Those three are mean and teasing them like that, whee-oo."

"Ain't the half of it", I say. "You know Erin, Feral, hangs with Sara?"

"Damn, I knew it, she's one of them", Ayla says. "I think I can guess which, too."

"Not out loud, not here", I say. " But yeah. So, while big me was talking to Circe, she also came front on the other body to meet the pack..." And I explain what went down there, including what big me did for Erin.

"You cut her loose, so she's what? No longer one of them?" Ayla asks.

"Independent. If she sees herself as one of them still, it's an affiliation, not a leash", I say. "I suspect she'll wash her hands of most of them. She wasn't exactly friendly with them even beforehand."

"Except the two who came over to talk to Sara", Ayla's no dunce. "So it's mutiny then?"

"They can't, exactly. Not while they're leashed", I say. "But they can make it clear where their consent lies. So that's a project for later."

"Well damn, you realise Imperious is going to literally kill you, right?" Toni's worried. "Like, oops lightning bolt, you know? He's bright enough to do it in a storm, and what could Carson do? He can just shrug and point at the sky."

"I could probably tank a lightning bolt", I admit. "Me and Paige, and this led to that, and I kinda learned how to insulate my nerves."

"You and Paige... well damn." Toni laughs. "You do fit in over there, I guess! Sara and the twenty four seven lesbian orgy."

"Ha, not even once yet today", I say, teasing back. "Not for lack of trying though. Big me kinda got in the way."

"I don't even wanna know. But what if he hits you with more voltage than you can insulate?"

"Then he's got a job of explaining to do when the deceased can be a witness", I say.

Toni concedes that's a fair point.

While we're speaking, other me is headed to the store. Initially, I have hopes I won't be stopped, it's not a long distance, just around the building. But alas, no. My life sense picks up a large predatory form slinking behind me, so I stop and turn. Oh hey, it's Counterpoint, appearing from invisible, one of his copied powers. Not entirely a surprise.

"He hasn't told me not to talk to you, because he thinks I'll threaten you", he says. Getting right down to business. "He's not wrong. I want free. I want it bad. You don't want to be what stands in my way."

"I figure, he also knows I'm going to tell you no", I say. "Or more precisely, not until I'm reasonably convinced you can handle freedom without going on a spree killing rampage. Convince me - and my demon self, who isn't easily fooled - that you've changed, and I'll cut you loose. That's a genuine offer. As things stand, no way in hell."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't want to get out as some sort of pissant nice boy, maybe I want out as *me*."

"I'm sure you do, but I won't be the one to do it."

He tips his head to one side. "Well, so be it, you've made yourself an enemy. I'm not gonna just kill you. I'm gonna find leverage on you and *make* you do it. And then I'll kill you. Very. Slowly." And he takes off flying, straight upwards. Thankfully, doesn't press the attack now, I'm sure he knows I could just vanish the body. Gah, what a mess.

Little does he know that there's no way to get his leash severed without in effect putting his head in the lion's mouth. I'm not sure I should tell him. If he does force me, that might be a way to end the problem.

And on that cheerful note, the store. Which thankfully stays open late. Pick out a track suit first, then I can jump a copy of that over to the job and take my time browsing. There's really quite a lot of stuff and I'm curious. Did I really see a weapons section?

Over with the Kimbas, as we wander back towards Poe, I let them know about Counterpoint's antics, but they all agree that it would be extremely unwise to cut his leash as he is now.

When we get to Poe, Ayla heads off to hang with Vox. But I want to show the others my modifications. So we kind of pile into Nikki and Toni's room. "Okay, so spill", says Toni.

"So, photophores", pretty sparkly lights on my skin. "Chromatophores", ultra-black tattoo traces appear and disappear. "New claws", I extend my fingernail-looking stub claws into scary inch-long transparent talons. "Oo eef" I haven't quite got the hang of talking around a mouth full of inch long fangs, so I have to put them away before I can say, "and when we put them together", and close my eyes and mouth and activate the mode big me helped me build... and fade from sight like Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. Of course, my clothes don't fade. But then I teleport a couple feet to the side and leave them behind to collapse in a heap.

"Uh, where did she go", Jade says. The other three are looking my way, and I figure, at my aura. Jade looks my way too, I guess she used Jann sensei.

And then I flash my photophores and open my mouth with fangs out, and open my eyes with their pink glow. And they all wince and recoil. Putting the teeth back to normal, I say "Therm-optic camouflage. Plus teeth."

"Even with 'em short, you've got the Cheshire cat thing down", Toni says. "But hell, you look like some deep sea nightmare with them long. Damn near scared me white, and I could see your ki. Someone who couldn't, they'd need a change of pants."

"Downside is the lack of pants on my part. I need some clothes that can follow my lead", I say, picking up my duds while invisible and re-dressing. And then fading back into visibility when I wouldn't be offending anyone.

"Cecilia", says Nikki. Everyone nods.

"If anyone can, she can", Jade agrees. "Wow, though, that's some awesome psychological warfare."

"I bet it works twice as well in the dark", I grin. "If I put a brief flash of glow on my lips, I can light up just the teeth." Which makes Jade snicker evilly imagining it, and everyone else wince.

"We have to get you trained up", Billie says. "We could use you in the Kimbas. Give the other side the screaming meemies."

"Well, good news is, I start remedial classes with Tolman sensei tomorrow."

Everyone agrees this is a good thing.

# Part twenty seven

**9th January, 2007, Whateley, night**

Maintenance this time was surprisingly non-mucky, we were just fitting pipe, which is easy to be helpful with when you have extra bodies and tentacles too. And the store was a satisfying grotto of wonders, I got several ideas for weapons to make from the rack there. I also picked up a basic gi, white, noobs for the use of. And a few other odds and ends.

Back in my room in Poe now, purchases stowed, work all done, I allow myself to drift to sleep. It will be my first non-comatose rest since Sunday night, and I feel like time has been crawling. Or too much has been crammed into it, either way, sleep and a chance to focus inward is sorely needed.

As I fall asleep, again I'm in control. I spin off threads to process it all, starting with rewinding back and replaying it. I started lessons (for the first time in this life and this universe), grew tentacles, swore an oath on a burning sword, lost most of my remaining humanity, rewrote the laws of metaphysics, made some nasty enemies, met a great old one - myself, kinda - cut an old world goddess loose from her controlling pantheon, and got remade into something much toothier. I may or may not be a goddess. People out there sure think I am.

It takes a while to chew over. I kind of feel that most of it is going to just keep coming back, as I gain new perspectives on it. Like for example, I can see my smugness and my self-anger after lunch alongside each other, now, and feel compassion for both. I was shocky and off balance. I was reacting, and then I was overcompensating.

Bouncing, yeah, that was pretty cool. I'm going to keep doing that if it doesn't get banned. And it's a thing that brings me and Sara together. Although I love that she changed her plans and signed up for a few of my classes, too.

I need to somehow open a more two-way conversation with big me. I don't normally need her up front bending me out of shape, but I need to figure out how to make it happen at need, if I'm going to help Judicator and Knick-knack, because as myself I can't do what she did, I wouldn't have a clue where to start. And I'd like to understand her perspective. She's so alien, but I can't help feeling love for her too.

And speaking of beloved aliens: Sara. I feel like we've been pushed apart by the waves of circumstance, every time I try to reconnect with her, something happens. I just need some alone time with...

Oops! "Um hi, Sara." I've just popped up in her room, lounging on the bed beside her. That was *not* intentional.

"Hi sweetie! Oho, interesting, you dream walked to me this time, I didn't come to you. Nice work! And lovely to see you."

"Um, sorry, I didn't mean to just barge in. I hope you aren't busy and I'm distracting you?"

She shakes her head. "First, you're always welcome. Second, late night like this is a quiet time for me. Paige is staying over, but she's asleep, and purring cutely. Jet's resting. Erin went out to hunt and try her new freedom. Hippy's back in Poe. So it's a good time to come dream-walking."

I smile, and sigh at my own silliness. "I've been stewing a bit. Big me is lovely but she got right in the way of our together time. And then she changed my shape again, well, I did a bit too. So I have more changes to get used to. And we keep being busy around each other and no time to play."

"Aww, c'mere." Sara pulls me into a hug. "Now's a good time to play, and talk, and whatever you'd like."

I wrap my arms - and tentacles - around her and snuggle up. "Did I overdo it? Too much scary?" I do the teeth thing, they elongate and get pointier, and more transparent, it's not shifting like a shapeshifter, at the cell level I can see muscles pulling. Sara plays a tentacle tip over them, then fuzzes up the end into a bristle of branching smaller tentacles, the tiniest just sparkles in the light, and strokes over one. "Oho, this is neat. Here, can you branch your tentacle tip out like me?" So I sort of put mine against hers and branch it and branch it... it's surprisingly hard sensory work, I end up with enormous numbers of tips. And as she guides them up against the tooth I feel... mechanism. Gigantic and baroque. Parts sliding over parts. And it's surprisingly lumpy-bumpy, made of little round buzzing things that blur into each other.

"What are those?" I ask, guiding one of her tentacle tips.

She grins big. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure can." She knows, she's playing.

"Atoms."

"Wait, the heck, what?" If we're touching atoms, then... we're smaller than them, and I can feel I could grab and shuffle them around as easy as you please. The implications are harsh. I've heard of bush robots. If our tentacles can do that... "We're unregistered nano-assemblers."

"Bright kid. Don't tell the squares, they'd throw several different colours of fit. Also having an ace in the hole is nice. Nobody knows I can go smaller than cells. Nobody needs to find out, yet, either."

Withdrawing my attention, and my tentacle, back up to the human level, I nod. "Won't find it out from me."

She grins, with her own pointy teeth. "And the answer is no, you're not too scary. You went from human-hot to something a little more exotic, but you're lovely."

I snuggle up against her thankfully. "Hey, some time you should show me your no-filters shape. Although I dearly love this shape too, I feel you're still worried I'll go, ew, too scary, and reject you. I won't, you know."

"Let me work up to that", she says. "You're right, I still worry. Although you liked my shoggoth."

"So cute", I agree grinning at the memory. "I know it was you doing a sort of tentacle finger-puppet, but I kind of wish it was real because I'd love it for a pet."

She laughs. "You're a sweetie."

I kiss her on the forehead. "My favourite ball o' tentacles"

"Silly" She kisses me on the neck. "These pyjamas are lovely, Cecilia does wonderful work, but you are wearing too much of them, like any at all." Tentacle tips unbuttoning. I move my arms overhead and she slides them up, taking advantage of my tangled-in-pyjamas state to kiss and nip my neck. Meanwhile the pants are sliding down. Temporarily tangled at both ends, I can't prevent lovely Sara moving her kisses lower down, playing tease with my nipples - yeah I know I totally could, I'm playing along, obviously.

"Oh dear, whatever shall I do? A lovely Sara has me trapped and is teasing me!" I giggle at the silliness. "My poor chastity is quite in danger, for I don't feel I can resist much longer."

"Rowr, I shall take it entirely away." Sara grins playing the game. "You know, I'm imagining these pretty perky innocent boobs filling out with milk for my baby growing inside you."

"God yes", I say. "I can just imagine myself getting rounder and rounder, with Sara junior inside. I know we can't yet, but I want it bad. I could set aside a me just to have your babies, as many as you want."

She kisses my belly. "Right under here, filling you up. Hey, I bet you remember reading the silly game I ran for the grunts, with my incubators so big around they were stretched like beach balls. Would you like to be like that? Can't move, can't do anything yourself, gummed into the wall, tubes feeding you food and air and taking your wastes away, stretched and distorted, just a tank for my baby?"

"Mmm, I think... yes" I smirk. "I'd be feeling just so full, every minute of every day, drifting between awake and asleep, loving you and loving our baby. No need to do anything at all, just be, and love." I giggle. "Being who l am it wouldn't even cramp my school life. But I'd be doing that all the time in the background and it would make every moment special."

"You, miss Parallel, are ridiculously tempting." Sara laughs. "Ironic to tempt a demon. I want you like that too. I'm imagining coming to visit and sit by you leaning my head against you and feeling junior swim and kick inside. Maybe even lots of you. I'd put you all along one wall, and a mirror on the other so you could watch yourselves."

"And non pregnant me could come visit and run a hand over our full bellies and feel a little jealous even though it's me on both sides." An idea pops into my head. "Hey, what do you think would happen if you got me pregnant in a dream? Like this one."

"No idea, love. But this place is real enough I think something would. Perhaps you'd be properly pregnant but in dreams? Perhaps it would cross across and impregnate physical you? I can't risk it, more's the pity. Because I want you bad."

Keeping me pinned with tentacles she moves her head lower down. "For now I'm going to content myself with making you completely lose control and beg." Nuzzling against the last leftover bit of my boy anatomy. "Mmm, we haven't played with this one much. How do you feel about it?"

"Little conflicted", I admit. "I want to claim it as part of girl me. But I don't want it to be what it was, I want to explore it like a new thing. If that makes any sense at all?"

"Makes plenty of sense", she agrees. "Ooh look, you've got a clit too, right at the bottom. That suggests possibilities." Spreading me open with fingertips, she tries a long lick, up over my clit and then carrying on right up the length of of my cock, making me gasp and twitch. "Oh, liked that? Let's do it again."

To distract myself a little and make the play last longer I gasp out, "so, ah, this secret plan you, mmm, nudged me about at lunch, what, ah! is it?"

"Breeding the humans, sweetie", hot breath on my clit as it's practically reaching out begging for more. "Lots and lots of babies. We both had the same idea. Bring our two kinds together. Make them safe. Make us nicer. Have fun getting people pregnant. Get pregnant ourselves."

And that thought is as much as I can take, "Oh fuck, Sara, I can't..." and I'm shooting out a mess that flies far higher and harder than I had expected, ending up splatted on the ceiling.

"Mmm, exemplar strength", Sara says admiringly. "I'm writing a book about that, you know? How to fuck safely when your lover can bench press a bus."

I can't do anything but lie back and laugh. Of course she's writing a book.

# Part twenty eight

> This one does get its own content note. Includes forceful sex (with consent) and selfcest. Smut level: intense.

**10th January, 2007, Poe, morning**

Eyes open.

Sara and I played around all night, and talked about our plans and dreams. We talked about religions too, and she's going to be giving me help and tips on this goddessing lark. She demonstrated too, what happens when she blesses someone. That was fun, if messy. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not waking in very sticky pyjamas, but it seems what happens in dreams stays in dreams, at least for now. As for what happens when I bless someone, I haven't dared to try yet.

Sara wants me to go over to ARC as soon as possible and show them my new powers and fill them in on big me. I think that's a good idea, and it gets me out with Donna too, which is both nice in itself, and an excuse to hit Dunwich, erase a few bad memories, and get some more clothes. Seeing as I won't be interrupting lesson time, I should be able to arrange it, if nobody in admin decides to be an ass.

Sensei Tolman first period, I'm looking forward to that. I'm up early, so I have about an hour before I need to hit the showers before Tai Chi. And right now I'm still buzzing with sex. Sara isn't here, but I am. An hour is plenty of time to play.

A teleport takes me out of bed - leaving the pyjamas behind. Copy my naked self, and look myself over. I need to prettify this room, because it's a poor backdrop. Lovely curves, perky tits, I want myself so bad. "I've been wanting to do this for days." I say to myself.

"I know", I reply. Lips mash together, tongues tease over sharp tipped teeth, bodies press, boobs against boobs, squirm to make nipples rub, boy parts pressing together, caressing. A thought, "Shall we get ourselves pregnant?"

"Only for a moment. Later when we're sure of it, maybe we can walk around for a day or two carrying our own embryo. Although someone might see."

"And if we can find a safe place to stay off campus..." I grin.

"We can have our own baby. But not yet."

"Sadly", I agree, dropping down my other body to a kneel, my lips happily engulfing our cock, tongue teasing our foreskin, sliding it back. Other me grabs my hair and forces herself deep down my throat. I time my gasps for air around her thrusts as she uses me, keeping eye contact, no gag reflex at all, I'm her fuck-hole. My fingers stray towards my sex, but other me says "nuh uh", and copies herself behind me. Third me pulls me up out of the kneel by the hips, so I'm on my tip toes and bent forward, being fucked in the face, and she unceremoniously thrusts inside me, binding my arms up behind my back with tentacles. "Not yours to do, only to be done to, slut me." I can't even stabilise myself as she slams into me, matching first me's timing. I'm so full.

I try and gulp and swallow at the cock in my mouth, making my throat ripple, and it's too much for first me, she reaches her limit and shoots a stinging powerful spray of cum that hits the back of my throat, as third me cums in sympathy and fills me from the other end and I'm caught between them, sympathy cumming without a single touch to my sex. First time with a penis, first sperm, I think to myself, Sara's done me as hard but she used tentacles.

First me forces my head down towards the floor, making the taste of her sperm run back into my mouth, "Head down ass up, slut me, I want that juice to run inside your womb and do its job."

I wiggle my ass, wanting it too, breath rasping. We stay like that for a few moments, until my body sense feels my own sperms swimming up inside my womb. It'll be a few minutes until they meet the egg I've released, even exemplar sperms are very small.

Then, "Alright, down on the floor on your back, slut me, legs open and turn your cock fertility off." Third me lets my arms go and I can scramble down onto the boring institutional carpet. Millions of sperms lyse at my command, and production stops, but I ramp up semen tenfold, until the glands feel strained and tight. I'm the only one who's going to be pregnant, even if it's only for a few minutes. I feel pride. Grow inside me for just a little while, little embryo. And stay with me when we have to vanish, so you can some day be born properly.

The two mes lower themselves down onto me. I feel one me slip over my cock, but I can't see her from my own eyes, as other me presses her sex over my mouth and nose. I'm dirty, I'm sweaty. I've been asleep for hours and haven't showered yet. My pubes grew out like my hair, and I decided to leave them in place, so my tongue finds hairy, pungent wetness, and I steer by first me's pleasure as I caress and delve, it's disgusting and wonderful. I'm the world's biggest slut, I think, fucking myself like this.

Third me agrees as she fucks herself on my defenseless cock, thrusting down and pulling up, engulfing and squeezing, spent cum dribbling out of her cock as it slaps against my belly. "Gimme my cream filling, slut me, whore, fuck-meat, your cum is mine, fucking cum for me", and that's my limit, we all three cum at once, and I'm spurting and spurting as first me grinds herself against my face and I can't breathe at all and my tongue is cramping from licking so hard.

A pause for breath. First and third me kiss, then first me vanishes, third me slides off me with a pop and kneels over my head to let fresh made warm semen dribble out into my mouth and onto my face. I think it tastes lovely, and my tongue cleans me up. We're going to be walking around all day like that. Well stuffed, and lightly cream filled.

I laze around on that crappy carpet enjoying being achy and short of breath and pregnant, I just felt the embryo catch. Third me pulls her pyjamas on. "Shower time for me, you can stay there feeling it for a bit. Camo if someone barges in. Although they'll probably smell you first, cum covered me. Dirty pregnant slut me." We exchange satisfied grins.

The air's a little chilly, I squeeze my tits and finally have a chance to touch myself in this body, rolling my hips and feeling the live sperms swish around inside like little points of light on my life sense.

Other me is making her way to the shower, and other-other me is giving Gothmog a blow-by-blow description, which he's liking very much. I really wish I could stay pregnant. He agrees it would be lovely. Petra thinks I'm crazy but amusing.

Uh wait, could we, perhaps?

As other me is listening to a room of happy girls compliment Ayla's new waterproof shower room heaters, this me nudges Sara over her mark. Filling her in on what we just did makes her grin, and then when I suggest my idea, she says, "Go ahead and ask him! So the first of us will be you, hmm? He'd be honoured. Lovely work, sweetie. Congratulations!"

So I do ask, and Gothmog considers and then grins and agrees, and a portal opens, and sticky, dripping, well-used, pregnant me steps through into the luxury of his lounge, and a warm soft dressing gown wrapped around me, and three voices saying "congratulations". I must be glowing. I'm going to have the baby. I'm going to stay over there, and slowly over months fill out and get big, and have a child. And love her and raise her. I wonder what she'll look like? Her genome, still forming, feels similar to mine, but different too. No glitches to worry about. We don't have any harmful recessives to reinforce. Just a buzzing busy cell right now, I wonder when she will start to feel like a person?

So worth it.

And in the showers, I sigh wistfully. This me gets to stay here in Whateley, even tingling from sex as I am, I'd rather be full of baby. But the new shower room is nice. I join in thanking Ayla for it, and feeling amused as he soaks up the attention with a grin. And then it's my turn under the water and I get myself clean, telltale evidence of debauchery washing down the drain. Although the buzz is still there. Damn, that was some dirty sex. And all of me loved it. I should let Sara do me like that. I should do Jet. And Paige. I think I'm getting "WTF is up with her" looks from Nikki and Toni - who knows if it's the aura, or the well-satisfied smirk? Oh well, best dry off and go dress, Tai Chi waits for no girl.

In Gothmog's realm, we've retired to his Japanese-style bath, me over there soaping me down as we clean off to get in, and giving me deep kisses. I love myself. I lust after myself. This is normal, right? Sara peeking over the mark assures me it is. Oh goodness, I'm pregnant. This is going to be so fun.

Me and me shower the suds off, and then go lower ourselves into the steaming hot bath for a good soak. I've got enough regen that the aches have already left, but I can savour the memories of them as water lifts away all tensions. "I'm going to pamper you, pregnant me", I say to myself. "And I'm going to fuck you so hard. This place ironically lacks playmates. Not any more."

It's strange to have a semi-permanent body identity like this. Only one of me is pregnant. That me is going to be my own wanton toy, too. And, well, either of the others here, if they want. It's not like either of them could get me pregnant twice over. (Ahem, well, grandpa perhaps in theory, but he's already had his only child.) Speaking of whom, I should invite Sara over to make use of slut me. I can already feel her eagerness over the mark. As soon as she has a break, she'll pop over. Might even bring a doggy collar from the store. Seems like a plan. Maybe later we can tell one or two of the others? I'm not sure if that would be going too far. But I do wonder what Paige would order me to do. I should be careful to insulate around the baby until junior tells me she's okay to take current.

We need to talk to Petra about her limits. This place is hers first, really, I'm sure the reason it has such a pseudo-real unchanging feel is for her benefit and her convalescence. So her feelings are more important than my games here. That's the reason, getting out of the bath and dried off, I dress pregnant me in a dressing gown, although do I tie it for her. And we pad back into the living room together.

Petra was reading, and she looks up. "You two, I can tell which is which just by looking. One of you looks so satisfied and submissive. The other looks like the cat who got a new toy."

"Yeah", I agree, grabbing a seat and pushing pregnant me down into a kneel beside it. "We were wondering if our play bothers you. If it does, we'll keep it behind closed doors."

"Nah, seriously, you're an incomprehensible bundle of chaos, but I trust you, and you should know that's rare. You wanna fuck like bunnies, don't let me stop you. You wanna keep yourself on a leash, I'll be over here giggling."

"Okay, fair enough, I need to get a bit specific then. Can I keep other me mostly naked?"

"Be my guest."

"Can we play short of sex, where you see us, without feeling like we broke your consent? That includes leashes, kneeling, hair grabs, stuff like that."

"Likewise, honestly, I don't mind if you outright screw her in front of me. Not my problem."

"I was thinking of saying, this pregnant me is open access, anyone Gothmog trusts to be here, she doesn't have limits short of what would harm the pregnancy. That includes you. But if you aren't interested we won't press."

She sits and thinks a moment. "Seriously, I've been feeling like a cripple and haven't been focusing that way. But I'm a bit tempted. Open access means what?"

"Means give an instruction and she'll do it. Go slow, go fast, go right up her poop chute, that's your decision to make. As fast or as slow as you want to take it. We're regen six with full biological control, you can't harm us."

"I'll give it some thought."

I nod. "Absolutely no rush at all."

And meantime, I should get pregnant me out of that gown. No more clothes for *her*.

# Part twenty nine

**10th January, 2007, Poe, morning**

You know that "OMG I was doing what" feeling after freaky sex? Yeah, I'm feeling that. Doubly so because over in another world, I'm still doing it. Passively at the moment, just being bare ass naked in front of trusted friends. But still.

OMG twice, I'm pregnant. I'm so excited! And afraid! And all the feelings! I haven't got a bump yet, but I want Sara to pet it. My baby is a few cells big and hasn't implanted yet. Watching with life sense is fascinating. I wonder if we can establish a telepathic connection so I can ask junior what her name should be? Problems for later.

It probably isn't my best tai chi morning. I'm not exactly distracted, but a big part of me is... preoccupied. I'm getting weird looks from Chou and Toni and Nikki. I really hope my chi isn't giving the game away to all and sundry, or I'll have to learn how to cloak that in a hurry. I match the others, flowing through the form, paying attention to my balance and moving from the centre. I find I do move differently when I see every action as expanding and contracting from the dantian point. It's strange to realise how much the shape of my thought changes my movement.

I wonder if there's any way I can learn to sense chi? I'm starting to feel it's a serious gap in my armour.

Afterward, I'm thinking about that problem as I get changed into my uniform in my room. Unexpectedly, there's a knock on the door. It's Nikki and Toni. "Sure, come in, what is it?" Ack, I've forgotten to air the place. I may be being paranoid. Although from the glance they give each other, I think maybe not.

Nikki pushes the door shut and I can feel a flare of magic. Something-something-quiet? I'm guessing a snoop-block and a door lock.

Toni starts it. "Jules. Ain't no polite way to say this. You know how sometimes even the norms can see a girl and say she's 'glowing'?" She makes finger air-quotes.

"Uh huh", I say, not wanting to lead this anyplace it wasn't already going.

"Well if it's obvious to norms, it's freaking obvious to us. You've got that grin that keeps coming back, your chi's doing weird things and I'm told", nod to Nikki, "that your aura's gone all pink. Girl, what the hell have you done? Spit it out to aunty Toni and aunty Nikki before I have to tickle it out of you. Because I absolutely will."

Oh flip.

"Um, before I do, I really think first I need some help to cloak my aura."

"Nice distraction, but yes we will get back around to that", says Toni, looking like she won't be put off.

Nikki, looking at me, says, "I'd swear you were pregnant except you're clearly not. Either way, I agree it needs a bit of magical discretion so the rumour doesn't get you dragged in front of the head."

"Oh shit, for real, you didn't?" Toni, putting two and two together, and looking at me hard. A pause. "You did, but the body isn't here."

I sigh. Waste of time hiding it. "Nowhere near here." Not even in the same universe, in fact.

"Damn! You really did? With who? Because the only one I smell here is... okay I know you're technically capable but... oh seriously you did not. No. That's unhygienic, it's how you get kids with six fingers."

"If you haven't had your recessives already combed through by an alien superintelligence", I point out. "I can feel genomes. I wouldn't do that."

"Well shit." Toni squints trying to wrap her head around the situation. "Okay so, no single mama stuck out of education, because you ain't a single anything. No six fingers unless the kid wants 'em. No starving on the streets, because you wouldn't do it if you didn't have some place to stash yourself. Nowhere near, I bet that's not even on the same planet, is it?"

I nod.

"So, all hunkydory except for one thing you've forgotten. You. Are. Fifteen! You are not old enough to be a mother!"

I can't help but wince at Toni's anger.

"She isn't, though - are you?" Nikki says, thoughtfully. "You didn't say how old your previous self got to."

I sigh, "And I'm not going to, because that was her life and this is mine. She literally died. For all intents and purposes, this me is fifteen."

Nikki says, "You're used to thinking like an adult, though. Making your own decisions. You've forgotten about being too young for things."

I nod, that's a fair criticism. "Yeah. Honestly, in this case, it's going to be fine. I've got everything I need over there, and my kid will have family and friends even if I can't bring her over here yet. It's going to be fine." I know I'm repeating myself.

"Adult this, adult that, I bet it wasn't any kind of adult decision at all. You got broody and kept doubling down and now it's done." Toni, cutting a little closer to the bone than I like. "Unless you plan to abort?" She pulls a face like that idea smells bad.

"I could abort in a split instant by vanishing the body", I point out. "I was going to... I just couldn't. Can't. I want it so bad. And I'm already attached. I'm gonna be a mama, Toni. I'm going to be a good mother to my kid, I promise." I park myself on the lower bunk. I don't think I did a wrong thing.

"Well, shit, pardon my French." Toni sighs deeply and sits beside me. "You are an idiot, but it sounds like your damn-foolery won't bite you in the ass too bad. Please try to think harder next time!" And she raps me on the head.

Nikki grabs a seat on the bed on the other side. "This secret must be kept from the school. I'm going to cover it in your aura, but you should work on controlling that for yourself. Try and get good by dinner, Circe will sense any crude patch." She makes a pass over me with her hand, and I can feel the magic making adjustments.

Circe, wonderful. Talk about a harsh test. "That and chi, I really need to learn to control it", I say.

Toni shakes her head vigorously. "Nuh uh. Mistake. If you don't have the born knack, like I do, then controlling it is completely the wrong way to go about it. Don't think I didn't see how you learned the form. Move your muscles like us, means you're doing it right, right? Copy it down to the smallest twitch, muscles, tendons and bones, and then you've got the form down. Nope. That means you're micromanaging every damn thing and your chi's all choked up, being pushed around pillar to post when it should be the one leading. No damn wonder you can't sense it. It's kind of the same problem as a normal beginner, 'cept they don't know shit about the form so they look as clumsy as their chi. You look smooth, but it's the smoothness of a robot. Next time you practise, let yourself get it wrong. Lead from the feeling, not the precise movement. That's all I can teach you right now. When you can do that, I'll have something to work with."

I nod and consider that. "I'll do that. Actually, I'll get to practising that right now, over in the other place I'm at."

Toni nods, "Good. Don't be too hard on yourself, you're a beginner. Your way took maybe a month's worth of shortcut, for a mid exemplar. A couple years worth, for a baseline. It's just that you jumped yourself right up to a point where your abilities don't help worth a damn. Everyone reaches some point like that sooner or later." She considers. "For today, since you aren't gonna be pulling any chi cloaking tricks in the next half hour, I'll help. Lessee..." and she pokes me a few times, varying strengths, precise fast movements. "There, it's covered. It'll come back though, you'll need a refresh tomorrow, perhaps earlier. I'll keep an eye."

"And it won't hurt the baby, to hide it?"

"Do I look like I took a course in medical chi for babies? I'm guessing it won't, because I just hushed things down, I didn't reverse any flows. But a guess is as good as you'll get from me."

I sigh. "A guess from you is worth a lot. Thank you, both of you. And thank you for being worried for me."

"You sure do keep us on our toes." Toni says, and ruffles my hair.

Nikki grins. "And since we haven't had a chance to say it, congratulations. I'll leave it up to you if you want to tell the others. Chou's guessed of course, but decided it's not her business one way or the other. Jade would be over the moon. Billie and Hank would call you an idiot, I think."

"Eh, they'd come around", Toni says. "Yeah, congratulations. Damned if you ain't the strangest one but I think maybe you of all people can make it work."

"A blessing on you at the kindling of new life", Aunghadhail weighing in.

"Thank you, all of you", I say.

Breakfast brings me my first chance to catch up with Sara physically, and in fact get a huge hug from her and an enormous rush of love down the mark. I'm fairly sure one or two of the others are wondering what's up. Erin isn't with us this time, but Paige and Hippy are. The chatter and happy companionship let me drift a bit - both mes over on the other side are practising their don't-micromanage tai chi together and being giggled at by Petra because one of me is doing it naked. It's nice.

Except oh hey, isn't that the New Olympians? Which snaps my focus back over here, they're dangerous. They're all trooping over to a table close to the fountain, making a thing of being on the other side from the Alphas and their schmancy table, but equal. Or something similarly pompous. And all giving me death glares. Judicator and Knick-knack either playing along or brainwashed. Ugh, that idiot tinpot tyrant of a Zeus annoys me so much. Ignoring them seems the sensible thing for now, so instead I turn away and focus on mark-chatting with Sara.

"Toni and Nikki found out", I tell her. "Chou too, but she didn't want to interfere."

"Not unexpected", she says and looks me over. "They've covered up the signs well enough for now, love, but I'd like to go over with you how to cloak your aura."

"Not first period, I've got sensei Tolman, I don't dare poke the patch." I say.

Sara winces and nods. "After that, then. Besides, we've got necromancy."

I nod. "Missed that yesterday being out cold, I should bug you for what we covered."

Paige peers at the two of us, interrupting my attempt to catch up. "You two are chatting, don't think it isn't obvious. What's up?"

I look at Sara, reach a decision. "Tell you, or rather show you, later. When are you free?"

"Hmm? Third period, before lunch, does that work?" Paige is a curious kitty.

Sara nods. I do too. I say, "Works for me too, obviously, okay, be in Sara's room, third period. We'll meet there."

I grin. We haven't had a chance to take Paige over to visit, this will be fun.

Possibly also a bit embarrassing, but I'm sorta looking forward to that.

# Part thirty

**10th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, breakfast**

As breakfast is ending, I have a chat with Sara about how she arranges exeats to ARC. Seems the simplest way is for them to make the request. That avoids all questions of "is this student bunking off". I don't have a phone yet, Sara does, but she can save on using that and just mark-chat Donna and ask her to set it up. Works for me. First period classes are math, necromancy with Sara, and Sensei Tolman's combat assessment. Second, I switch from math to Italian history. Third, ranges and flight. And bringing Paige over to Gothmog's place. Fun fun.

Sara and I bounce over to necromancy - and notice we aren't the only ones bouncing, at least one devisor already has their own version of the tentacle ball working. That definitely makes me giggle harder, this is the silliest way to travel and more people doing it just makes the world more fun. It's also pretty fast, which means we have time before class to catch up on the lesson I missed. The first class had divided people into the condemners, the "but it's useful" lot, and a small spirits' rights faction led by Sara and me. Those lines pretty much stayed drawn with me absent. The class was about the taint necromantic magic leaves on people and places. Some of them thought that implied it was irretrievable evil, others felt that the mess could be cleaned up. As a user of taint-causing sorcery myself, I'm definitely for the clean it up approach. I know *my* magic isn't evil, it's just messy. Of course that doesn't bear on the ethical question of whether one should summon ghosts at all. I wonder if I should introduce the class to big me? That might be an interesting outside perspective on the whole thing. Provided I can avoid accidentally sending half of them mad.

Yesterday I bought a gi, and a gym bag to put it in. Today I get to use it. The walk from Poe over to Laird is, for once, uneventful, except for a few curious looks. I wonder what people are thinking of me. I wonder what they would think, if they knew what I was up to, over on the other side? Heh. It might take me a while to change the culture enough that nobody would find it strange that, right now, one of my selves has the other bent naked over the back of a lovely overstuffed sofa in Gothmog's place, and is doing her up the ass. Petra is pretending indifference, but I can see her eyes aren't on the book. My feet crunch in snow as I walk, and at the same time, my cock is sliding up inside myself, and I've got tentacles out, pinning me down and holding my legs apart. I'm starting to get used to using my cock without feeling like I'm betraying my girlhood. And of course, getting used to taking it, too. My ass is so crammed full and I'm naked and being used and making little noises and Petra is looking at me with lust in her eyes, oh god it's embarrassing and lovely. I bet Gothmog is picking up power off how perverted I'm being. Seems like a nice way to repay a host.

Deep inside me, I can feel my baby, still just a clump of dividing cells, she hasn't implanted yet. She's getting gently bumped by the sex, not that she can feel it yet. Mama loves you, junior. Rock-a-bye baby.

Laird hall is kind of annoyingly brutalist. I don't know why someone would come to a nice place like this and then build stuff out of concrete. Inside though, it's the usual institutional cream paint. Students bustle around as I search for and find the room I'm supposed to be in, a smallish hall with a mat-padded floor. Sensei Tolman is already in there, reading some papers - my eyes are sharp enough to catch the reflection in her cornea, and I can unbend and flip it - she's reading my powers test report.

"Arright, kid, good morning, get yourself changed, sorry no changing room today, but it's just us." Fair enough. A teleport gets me out of my uniform, dropping it in a heap, and it's quick to step into sports underwear and gi with the help of a few dozen temporary tentacles to hold it and slip it on and tie the belt. Heh, I don't think she expected me to be so casual about nudity, although she hides the surprise well. Instead she says, "I'm thinking about setting up a remedial class, seeing what other students need to pick up the combat they missed, getting you all together. But if you plan to keep *that* a secret, it'll complicate things." Meaning how obvious it is I'm intersex.

I shake my head. "Not a secret. It's just how my body is, they can cope and deal. I don't mind the whole school knowing, and I don't plan to make any concessions to bigots."

She nods. "I can respect that. Okay, so last time we met, we talked about what you knew. So this time, I want to see it. We'll spar, light contact. I'll know if it would have been a good hit. You can use your senses, your mind, your physical abilities. No warping, no teleports, no flight, no magic. For this time, no tentacles, although we'll look at those in a bit."

"They're magic anyway", I agree. "If I was spell-blocked somehow, they probably wouldn't come out."

"Right. Rules of sparring. Everything happens on the mat. We go on, bow, keep eye contact while bowing. I say "hajime" to begin. "Yame" means stop, immediately, don't finish what you've started because it might be dangerous. Tap the mat if you need to surrender. We don't have a capture cage here, so you lose if you go off the mat, under your own power or not, or if you're unconscious, or pinned and unable to break free. If you're injured, carry on until I call yame. That's not going to happen today, but I have plans. Might be some time I don't call yame, because I want you to fight on through it."

"Plans huh?" I say, amused at the idea of planning injuries.

She nods. "Going to see if there's a few others like you, and get together a remedial class. Alright, come forward onto the mat. Bow. Good. Hajime!"

I deploy the claws and teeth. If she's startled, she's got too good a combat poker face to show it. I'm going to keep my camouflage a secret until I can pick up a gi that works with it. Which should be soon, other me just picked up a go-ahead email from administration on my exeat, I can go this afternoon. "Beware the well tailored ones" should be a truism.

Okay, she wants to see what I can do. So, lets try it my way. Assume I'm in a real fight, except for the light contact. Rank targets by speed of ending a fight and availability given position and momentum, continuously re-rank. Strike with most-available contact surface. Like in Tai Chi, use intention led movement expanding and contracting from the center. Lightly predict her movement, but mostly react to it, I don't have much in the way of a library of probable moves to predict off, so I'll have to take it as it comes. I don't know how fragile she is, assume baseline. Initial prediction, straight closed fist strike to sternum stops the heart. Go!

She makes a small torso rotation that's going to waste off the momentum of my strike, so I recalculate, sideways shoulder barge will take her balance, then I'll go for an elbow to the clavicle. Except oops, she's got my arm, no useful solutions, I'm flipping, pull inward and use rotation to control my orientation into a landing on all fours, gravity sense sees her leg coming for a sweep and I bounce myself up to let it pass under. The saphenous nerve is close but I can't strike at it, I'm weighted on all my limbs, I need to remember to avoid that. I have 1.7m clearance to mat edge, roll forward to gain space, handspring kip-up to vertical and turn into a backhand aimed at the carotid - I know precisely where she is, even if my eyes are pointing the other way. Unfortunately she also knows where I am and catches the strike and pulls me into a throw but this time doesn't let me freefall, she drives me downwards to the mat with my arm twisted. Not something I can get out of without injury. I tap the mat.

"Yame", she says, and steps back from me, letting me get up. "That was interesting. Felt like I was fighting an untrained, but fast and smart robot. When I got you in a lock, you could have broken that arm, blocked the pain and kept fighting while it healed. Why didn't you?"

That doesn't sound like a criticism, more like curiosity. So I give it the honest answer, "I'm trying to avoid becoming callous with my bodies. So I'd have let the break hurt. I didn't want to be in agony, even if it would heal quickly. The fight wasn't important enough, surrendering was an option and I took it. If it was life or death, I'd probably have stopped the pain and taken the break. Although that may not have been strategically wise, you were beating me, I could hardly afford to spot you an arm even if it came back together thirty seconds later. I don't doubt you'd have used the opening."

"I would have", she agrees. "Sometimes I get students who can ignore pain. I have to show them that they can't ignore being broken down until nothing works any more. Pain tells you you've fucked up. You're supposed to learn not to fuck up, rather than push through it and lose harder."

"No black knights", I say, "Got it."

"Yeah because notice, the black knight already lost when the fight was equal, and fighting on after that just meant getting chopped down into smaller pieces. Surrendering was the right move, in this dojo. Outside it, not picking fights might be better yet. At your present skill level, you'd be rapidly lethal to an untrained baseline. A trained one, of which there are several in this school, would hand you your ass. A trained super would tear you in bitty pieces."

"Outside it, I'd probably vanish the body", I say.

She nods. "Not being there is a good way to end a fight. Not pissing people off, if you can manage it, is even better."

"I'll see what I can do. Sometimes, people just take it into their heads to get offended", I say. "As we talked about earlier, I'm not planning on making concessions to that."

"Then you had best learn quickly", she says.

Over on the other side, me and other me are done showering clean. I think I'm getting the body separation thing down because unless she has an epic poker face, sensei Tolman didn't react to any of our play. I was careful never to let the flow of intention cross over.

Time to dress me up for Paige's arrival. I won't go with naked, she doesn't have quite that level of casualness yet. She's seen it, but she needs seducing. So, hmm. Let's go with a cotton sundress, plain white, over naked. And for me, fitted black leather jeans, dark garnet red tank top. Good thing the wardrobe in our room takes requests. This is going to be so fun.

# Part thirty one

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, beginning of third period**

Sara and I are headed back to her room, walking through the tunnels this time, because we want to draw a little less attention. Other of my bodies are headed to flight class and the ranges, but it would be fair to say most of my attention is here, for now.

Our conversation over our telepathic connection is silent, because I don't particularly want to be overheard, but it's making Sara giggle out loud.

"You seriously did that right in front of Petra?"

I nod. "You know in the cheesy cartoons, she'd be reading her book upside down? Her eyes were entirely on the two of me. I didn't have to be you to feel her lusting after me."

"Daddy must be having the best time. And counting down the years until you're eighteen, officially."

"He's welcome to the sexual energy I'm giving off, anyhow. Although honestly, I think he's getting as much joy out of seeing Petra getting better. Big me's fixes seem to be taking. She's less drifty. Gets a boner watching me play."

Sara smirks. "Oho. Well, we have time to savour today, so don't feel slighted if I snatch her away and see what's back in working order."

"Don't feel you have to snatch her away", I point out. "Certainly not on my behalf."

"We'll see how she feels", Sara nods agreement. And there's her door, with the plaque saying "private party, invitation only", which makes me smile and pet the door a bit in appreciation as I go in. Such a cutie, that room.

Curious Paige couldn't be kept away by wild horses, I suspect, and she's already there, leaping into Sara's arms for snuggles and pets.

Meanwhile, silently, a door appears.

"So, Paige", I say, getting a curious look from her, "If you wanna find out the big secret Sara and I were whispering about, you're gonna have to step through that door."

"Mya?" Yeah, she actually does say that, it's so cute I could explode. "You first."

Which makes me giggle. "I'm already there. So this body's gonna stay behind over here."

She thinks a moment, then gets a grin and bounds over. "It's Petra, isn't it?" I nod. And she opens the door, and there we all are waiting for her in one of Gothmog's fancy lounges. And she leaps into her sister's arms, thankfully the exoskeleton catches the weight. "Petra!"

Sara steps through behind her, I blow a kiss from this side, and she closes the door.

**10th January, 2007, morning, Gothmog's realm**

The portal opens, and a delighted Paige dashes in and leaps on Petra. With Sara following her in, and pulling both twins into a hug, the gang's all here.

Paige is chattering nineteen to the dozen and Petra's just letting her. "Oh my god have they been feeding you, you look so thin. And that exoskeleton is neat, where did you get it? You have to tell me all the things."

"We have been feeding her, but it's only recently she's started wanting to really eat", Gothmog appears, with a table-full of party nibbles following him, trotting along on its wooden legs like a strangely-shaped dog. "Thanks to miss Parallel here, and her larger self's intervention."

Which gets Paige extricating herself from the hug and doing a bow to me. "We owe you a big one."

I say, "Anything for beloved friends. Also I'm not entirely done, I have ideas about that osteoporosis."

Paige smirks. "When you get ideas, the world tips on its ass. I look forward to it." She plomps down in an armchair. Pregnant me goes and brings her a tray of party snacks, offering it from a kneel. "Meanwhile. Lovely as meeting my sister is, she's no secret." She picks a nibble and munches, licking furry fingertips. "I can see you've got a kinky thing going on with yourself here, but honestly, I've seen you be kinkier in front of the whole damn pack. So what's the huge secret?"

I stand up from the kneel, put the tray back on the table and come back to stand beside Paige. Put her hand on my belly. "Meet junior."

It takes her a confused moment. Then shock, incredulity, and a growing grin. "You didn't."

"I did." I grin.

"So who's the daddy?" She looks at Gothmog, who shakes his head. Looks over at Petra, who giggles and shakes her head too. Looks at other me, in her leather jeans that I just want to pet and nuzzle against so much. Other me nods. "No seriously? With yourself?"

"With myself", other me says. "With two other me's, in fact. I deliberately got myself pregnant."

I pick up, "And when I realised I desperately wanted to keep the baby, I fled here. That's the big secret. Other me is still doing study and stuff, I'm just being pampered and used like sex toy and growing a kid inside me. She's called junior for now. She's a few cells big and hasn't implanted yet."

Petra cuts in with "When she says, used like a sex toy, she isn't kidding. She's hardly worn a stitch since coming here. That dress is just to avoid startling you. They were fucking like bunnies over that sofa just earlier this morning."

"Don't bother on my account then", says Paige, smirking, as I had hoped she would. And off comes the sundress, immediately. Other me takes it out of my hands. No clothes for me.

"As mistress prefers", I say, with a happy exhibitionist grin, showing off my assets with a little light show of sparkling pink bioluminescence that caresses around contours. "When we were playing and got me pregnant, this me was subbing, entirely being done to, rather than doing. And I've stayed in role, because it's fun and fits. As far as I'm concerned any of you can do anything to this me, so long as you're careful of junior, I know and trust you all. Whatever you'd like. No pressure, though, if you prefer I can just bring you snacks."

Petra says with an exaggerated sigh, "I can just feel this is going to turn into an orgy."

Everyone at once? Yes very please. I can feel the idea getting me wet. I bet Paige, at least, can smell that with her kitty nose. I head over to Petra on all fours and drop to a kneel in front of her. "I saw you watching, this morning. It's okay to want. And I'm giving you permission to go beyond just wanting and take. If you choose to. Slow or fast. Public or in private, as you prefer."

"If I do what I want to you, I'll just injure myself again", there's both lust and terrible frustration in Petra's voice.

Other me says, "So, that idea I mentioned. This seems like the right time." Everyone turns to look at her. "Your problem is that you burned through all your bioavailable calcium, right? And a few other assorted things, but mostly calcium, and the only way to replenish it is eating, but that's glacially slow because your blood can only carry traces, or you'd get sick. Growth at biological speed, not regen speed. So far so obvious. But get this: I can create calcium. I can create it in bulk to make bone daggers and I can create it in my bloodstream in bioavailable form. If you let me get in biological sync with you, I can rig a link between my bloodstream and yours, block you from getting sick, and pour the stuff into you. Plus whatever else I sense you're short of. Zero to full regeneration in a few minutes. I could even throw in a general check and tune-up."

Petra's struck dumb for seconds. "How long. How long have you been able to do this?"

"Technical ability since I came out of the coma with expanded senses", other me says. "I didn't dare risk sorcery inside your body with your soul out of shape from class-X damage. And after big me did the repairs, I wanted to see them actually show. So now, really, is the first opportunity."

She takes a deep breath, blows it out, grimaces. "Will this hurt?"

"It won't", I pick up the reply. "With your permission, I'll have absolute control over all your cells. That includes nerves, so if I say, no pain, then there won't be pain. But it'll be scary. I'll be inside you and changing things, and I am what I am. With our bloodstreams linked, it won't be safe to snatch yourself away suddenly if you panic."

Petra looks at Sara. "Will this work?"

Sara nods. "It will, sweetie. If you want, I can monitor? But then there'll be two of us inside you."

"I refuse to ever be scared of you", Petra says, and I remember there's history there. "If you say it's good, if you monitor, then yes. Let's do this thing. If I panic, just hold me safe."

Sara nods, and plops herself down on the sofa beside Petra. "Come sit in my lap. I'll wrap you up in a hug. Where do you want to link up, Jules?"

As Petra shifts over to her lap, I look up from the floor and smile. "Femoral artery seems nicely placed."

Which gets an amused smile from Petra. "Only you could make this into foreplay."

"Oh, I'm sure I can too", says Sara, with a grin.

I move closer, gently push Petra's legs apart and place my lips against the warm skin of her thigh. Skin meeting skin, and I can feel her whole body, with her consent making it easy. Tongue touching her and melding to her, a thread of me slipping inside, finding the artery, touch against it, form a link to the blood vessels of my tongue. And now I'm diverting a significant part of her blood flow so it joins mine, and creating the nutrients she needs, letting them flow into her. Her regeneration knows what it wants to do, I help. I can feel Sara inside her too, tentacle threads slipping between the cells, and somehow I can feel her love for both of us in them. Together, we spot places where regeneration made sloppy, battle-patch fixes, things that are kind of like scars, poor Petra really has been through the grinder. Together, we gently put them back to rights. All the aches, all the stiffness and joints that pop, cleared up. Her bones are growing denser at an accelerated rate that's mostly her work, not mine, so I can keep the sorcery to a very light touch. Continuously creating new nutrients in my blood is an interesting new feeling. I wonder what I could do with that, myself. Bone armour? Hehe. I can feel the regeneration slowing as it reaches a point it considers finished. I nudge it a little, pointing out that she'll need more muscle, being stuck in that exoskeleton means it has atrophied. Her body doesn't feel a need for unused muscle, but grudgingly accepts the nudge, and I'm flowing the constituents of muscle into her, keeping track of what the regeneration is using, so it doesn't run low. Let's make her a little bit more built than she would be at baseline, she probably needs it, running around the world fixing problems like Jane Bond. Okay. All done. I gently recall all the bits of me that have been doing work, Close, seal, and withdraw the bloodstream link. I can feel Sara pulling tendrils out too. Skin contact breaks, I move back from the kiss, and look up at Petra.

With my attention back in the macro-scale world, I can see she's crying. "You okay?" I ask.

She nods. "Just... just emotional. I thought I'd never get it back. And just like that!" And turns to bury her face against Sara and cry some more.

Paige, who has been watching from the other side of the room, pads over and joins the hug. "Welcome back to health, sis." And then drops down to a crouch beside me and lifts me up to standing with a fingertip so she can kiss and hug me too. "Thank you, a million times. We both owe you a big one for this."

I shake my head. "No debts between us. I love you, I love Petra. Through Sara, we're all married into the same wonderful family. What's mine is yours."

"And what's mine is yours", she replies. Turning to look at her sister. "Now, enough of this weepiness, about that orgy. Petra, you're wearing too much, like a whole exoskeleton you won't need any more. Sara, get her!" and with a grin, she pounces her sister, and clothes go flying around the room.

# Part thirty two

Poor Petra doesn't stand a chance. I beefed up her muscles to the point that she looks like a gym bunny, but they're baseline muscle, and she's the only baseline in the room. Sara and Paige teasingly strip her, and finally they get down to the exoskeleton, which goes under everything but the underwear. It's a confection of flesh-toned machinery and clear straps. From what I remember reading, an improvement over the original - which is not surprising, as that was a rush job. But improvement or not, it's no longer needed, and Petra, grinning, helps release the clips, and the thing slithers off. Quickly followed by her underwear, as Sara and Paige finish the stripping job.

"Guys, let me up, I have to try this", Petra squirms out of the grip of the two, and stands uncertainly, bare ass naked and beautifully intersex. "Whoa, it's weird, it's like gravity changed, I'm all uncoordinated."

Leather jeans me says, "You've got the strength all back, but you're used to coordinating with that gadget, and now it's all on you. No need for physio to build muscle" (Which gets a "thank fuck for that" from Petra.) "...but you do need to get used to moving again. And perhaps in new ways. You've got more than you had, even before." A grin. "I prescribe lots of playful scrambling around and getting used to using your muscles from the safety of ground level. You can't get an already-pregnant person pregnant, did you know that?" Giving me a pointed look. I put my hands behind my back to perk my boobs more. (Should I enhance them? Interesting thought. I almost giggle out loud at the idea of myself with massive hentai-grade melons, even if my exemplar strength would make toting them around a breeze. Poor Junior would think she was milking the side of a barn.)

Paige gets up from the sofa, and she's taking her own clothes off, so she's slightly muffled when she says, "I think we should thank our benefactor sis. Dibs on back door. Why don't you give Junior in there some lil' swimmy companions?"

"At the same time?" Petra asks, sounding intrigued.

"If Jules can fuck her own self pregnant, I think a little sharing between sisters isn't going to upset the moral order of things", Paige says. "Besides, aren't you curious? We've had time enough to become our own people now. It won't be like playing solo. I think these two are rubbing off on me, but, here I am looking at you, sis, and I see a very pretty girl. Don't hate me?"

Petra laughs. "I could never hate you, sis, and now I stop and look, you're smoking hot yourself, in a fluffy kinda way, and I don't hate the thought of that fluff." She pauses, and really looks. Naked Paige is beautiful, kitty ears, softly furred skin in tones of black and electric blue, with lovely blue glows coming from inside her mouth, and the glans and labia of her sex. Petra's similar, but with human skin and ears.

I tease, "If you lick her a lot, you get hairballs, but it's worth the hairballs." Which makes both of them crack up and Paige pounce me to tickle me.

"You take that back. You've never got a hairball in your life."

I get out "bet you have!" between helpless giggles and squirming.

And Paige makes an ackptht face, "Don't remind me." Which sets Petra giggling uncontrollably too.

Watching myself squirm on the floor being tickled and teased by the twins, and responding by trying to distract them with kisses, I move up behind Sara and wrap her in a hug. We two are the last ones dressed - Gothmog quietly stepped out when things got hot and steamy. Sara's still in her school uniform, which of course she fills out like a supermodel. But it would look better on the floor, I think, as I reach around to unbutton her blouse. "You know, beloved, there's a way we haven't played yet?"

"Oh, what's that?" Sara says, leaning back into me, she knows of course, but she wants me to say it.

"Me inside you. Want some lil' swimmies of your own? Purely for reference purposes, this time around." Pulling the blouse down her arms and while they're caught there, popping open the back catch on her bra. Off comes blouse, and off comes bra a moment later. Black lace, of course.

"I find myself wishing I could stash a body here like you" she says, a wistful tone in her voice.

"Maybe you'll learn. It's not as if that body's exactly physical", I say. "Raise it with big you? Meanwhile at least you can keep the DNA to play with." Hands cupping and caressing her naked breasts, I want her to feel so good, I want my love to flow through every caress. She's got her own tentacles out, and lifting up my tank top, which leaves me naked up top as it slips over my head, my nipples rubbing against her back. I add, "Leave the pants, You'll enjoy how they feel. They've got a zipper that runs right from the front", I start unzipping so she hears, then reach behind myself to catch it and continue to pull, "All the way to the belt at the back. And you can guess what I'm wearing under them."

"I can smell what you're not wearing under them, smells of warm leather and naked sex", Sara says. "My favourite perfume."

Meanwhile I've slipped fingers under her skirt, and I'm sliding her knickers down. *Silk* says my fingertip life sense. Down to her knees they go, and I stop there. "Your skirt stays on, and these stay on. When I've given you a cream filling, I'll pull them back up snug, and you can go to classes hoping it doesn't trickle down your leg too badly."

"You, beloved, are perverted", Sara says. "And I like that idea very much."

"You can like it bent over that chair" I say, putting her where I want her and pushing her over, lifting her skirt up onto her back. It gives her a great view as other me gasps and clutches at the intensity of being filled both ways, Petra kissing her from the front, Paige biting at her neck from behind, and the two timing their hips to push in at the same time.

Mmm, Sara's ass, all mine. I crouch and give her a teeth-out bite on her perfect bubble butt, making her hiss a breath in through her teeth. "I could eat you up." She tastes salty and kinda like squid ink, not at all like human blood. "You're delicious, you know that?" And her labia are soot black, like her lips. A stroke of my tongue between them takes in a different kind of flavour, but it has a reminiscence of the other. "Tasty tasty Sara, I could eat you all up, but I promised to stuff you first."

I stand up - another part of me is already standing up, and I aim, and press forward into the warmth of my beloved - life sense sparking with the details of her lovely inside as I slide in, right up to my clit.

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, gun range, third period**

I'm having trouble concentrating. Eyes on the target, finger pointing forward away from the trigger, pay attention to the range instructor. It's not like I don't have my own independent stream of attention, but what's happening over the way is so lovely and I'm just so tempted to point my attention that way and watch. And I'm fairly sure miss Bardue would catch me woolgathering instantly. I'd end up cleaning all the guns with a toothbrush, or something equally irritating. Patience, focus, I can review the memories later at my leisure.

My peripheral vision catches something unexpected, and I look over. Two security types, talking to miss Bardue. She nods to them, then in her loudhailer voice, "Cease firing! Unload cylinders, open actions with slides back, remove magazines, guns on the table!"

Okay, I can do all that. Why stop us in the middle, though? I make my gun safe, check down the barrel by peeking from the rear with the slide open, even though I can already feel with gravity sense it's empty. One follows the procedure, here. I put it down in the proper way.

"Miss Parallel, to me please!" I double check everything's ship-shape, and then trot over. Her voice drops from a range bellow, down to regular speaking. "These gentlemen would like you to go with them."

I decide against offering to duplicate myself, she might see it as cheeky. I can pick up what I missed next lesson. "Will do. What's the problem, guys?"

"Let's take you over to security, and then we'll talk about that." Which is cop speak for, we aren't going to clue you in, perpetrator. Huh. Curious. Well, I'm already safely elsewhere (and having a lot of fun, heh), so, I see no loss in going with them.

"Fair enough, lead on", I say. Which they do. Security is in Kane Hall, we go right on in. The room they take me to is kinda like a regular classroom, except empty, other than one desk and two ordinary school chairs, one on either side. Isn't there supposed to be a bare bulb and a small hard chair? or perhaps a large metal one with straps? I decide against complaining the accommodations are too cushy. Instead I pick the near-side chair, but flip it around to face the door. Focusing on my breath drops me into meditative waiting. Time passes.

Three minutes and twenty-five seconds later, a man steps in. He walks around the desk, places a recorder on it and pressed the record button. "Senior lieutenant Colin Forsyth, interviewing miss Parallel, on the tenth of January, two thousand seven, eleven forty AM."

I stand, flip the chair to face him, sit. I have no idea what's up, yet, so I resist any temptation to run on at the mouth.

He begins. "Miss Parallel, can you confirm your identity. We'll be using codenames, as this is being recorded."

"Sure, that's me."

"When did you last see Feral?"

Oh dear. I replay my memory. "Last I saw her in person, was when we ate dinner at the same table yesterday evening. Last I heard of her movements from someone with first hand knowledge, later the same night, in a dream conversation with Carmilla, I was told she went out to hunt."

"A dream, hmm?"

I nod. "Carmilla can dream walk." That's a known quantity and not letting any cats out of bags. I can too, now, it seems, but a little not-technically-lying covers that.

"Leaving that aside for the moment. Did you do anything to her, that evening?"

Uh-oh. Should I talk? I care a lot about Erin and I don't want to impede any investigation by doing the I want a lawyer thing. Even if it would be advisable.

Unfortunately, over on the other side the party has to stop, as I link Sara into the conversation through the mark.

"I'm choosing not to stay silent. Yes, I did something to her, or rather, what you might call the larger demon aspect of me did something to her. This was during Circe's detention, and Circe brought that aspect of me forward. Larger me discovered she was spiritually bound to a certain student in this school, for reasons buried in deep history. She had to obey that student's direct orders, although she chose to avoid him most of the time, it was a liability she couldn't repair by herself. She didn't want to be in that situation. That aspect of myself severed and healed the control connection. So now she's autonomous. The student she used to be connected to wasn't happy with me. That was made evident by conversations after the event, at dinner."

Lieutenant Forsyth nods. "We received an allegation, and probably from that same student, that you assaulted her violently, and cut her off from a necessary flow of spiritual essence. She hasn't been seen since yesterday evening. The student alleges you caused her an injury that might have caused her to evaporate away."

"He wishes", I say. "No, what was done, was done with explicit consent. And was done expertly. No harm would result. I am certain of that. If you want to look for a source of harm, look to the student who is reacting like an abuser cut off from a victim."

"Alright. We'll look into that hypothesis too. Do you know where Carmilla is?"

"On her way here", I say.

# Part thirty three

With Sara headed back in a rush, and Paige choosing to come with her to do some cyber-sleuthing from over in the physical world, that leaves the two of me and Petra suddenly at a loose end. To break the sudden post-orgy tension, I suggest we all decamp to the big onsen style bath. Paige agrees, and we all head there. Showered-off and soaking, and all of us naked, the hot water slowly eases the ache of my worry. Erin's not someone I know very closely, she's private and not very poly. But what big me did to her makes her sort of "mine" in a way, I feel like she's my responsibility.

"You know I'm gonna have to go away and leave you two here?" Petra says. "You fixed me, and all the thanks you get is that I need to report back in to the Knights."

i say, "I figure you can keep coming back here. Any place it's safe for Gothmog to open a portal, it's accessible. But I also figure, you might want a holiday from your holiday, for a bit."

Petra laughs. "Yeah, I know that feeling well. Italy went from tourist trap to on the job, real quick."

"Wizard's holiday", I say. "That's a term from the fiction of another world. Travel to exotic places expecting a bit of rest, get roped into fixing their shit."

"I was expecting school, really", Petra says. "They've got a knight school, and now I wonder if the library's half as big as here. I haven't really taken proper advantage."

"You were soul-sick and regen-fucked at the time", I point out.

"True true. It feels weird, because it had got to be my normal, you know? Just drifting along. And now, whoosh, unfamiliar thoughts, unfamiliar muscles." She kicks her legs in the water. "You saved me an absolute heap of physio to rebuild these beyond stick thin and staggering. For that, as much as anything else, I owe you. And yet here I am planning to leave you. Because I still need to do the school thing."

"I won't say I won't miss you something fierce", I say. "Write, call, summon a portal and come over for tea, any time you can. Come and borrow books. But I won't be lonely, I'm in other places too. And my guess is, with this place de-tasked from being a convalescent resort, Gothmog will start bringing more people in, hooking up to exotic places, you know? Could be interesting."

Petra nods. "Don't think I don't plan to continue this morning's unfinished business, either. I'm going to find it troublesome at school, I think. Catholic sexual guilt, celibacy, ha."

I giggle. "Well, if you don't have to pack and run immediately, there's two of me here to one of you, and how do you feel about being the meat in the sandwich this time?" (Pregnant me is doing the puppy-dog eyes thing and making whiny "please" noises. I've watched Jade and taken notes. Fear me.)

"Deal", she says, "Mmm, I just got clean and now you two want to dirty me up."

"Such is the sad predicament of the always horny", I tease, and move in for a kiss, as other me finds one of her nipples to suck.

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, Kane hall**

Lieutenant Forsyth seems to be a nice guy, for a security man. We went over events that evening in detail, and he asked me questions, some I could answer, some it would take big me because the complexity doesn't fit in my head. He brought me coffee, too. I'm keeping big me posted with what's going on, although I'm not sure she fully comprehends what "disappearing" means. I think we might have to bring her forward again so she can explain her edits to Circe or someone who would understand the detail. But she's certain nothing she did would cause Erin, or her passenger, any harm.

I'm racking my head for ways to help find her. I could blanket the place in bodies ferreting around in everyone's stuff, but at the cost of annoying basically everyone, and no great likelihood of success. Life sense might pick her up as a signal, but not easily distinguish her from any other kid in the school. Paige has the cyber angle covered. Security is obviously on the job, and from my reading they're pretty competent. I don't like feeling like a fifth wheel. Phenomenal cosmic powers ought to be more useful.

Left on my own after the lieutenant left the room, I'm nursing my coffee and staring at the wall. Highlight of the view: a line of ants going from A to B in a neat (if wiggly) road, marked by some invisible scent trail. Stigmergy. Partially outsourcing the mind to markers in the environment. I remember thinking, an ant is less like an individual, more like a single thread in a gigantic parallel search algorithm.

I'm not Skitter, I can't just grab a bunch of bugs and make them do a search for me. But maybe, if I used sorcery, I could custom-build some? Kind of give them enough information to identify Erin and then lay a trail to her I could follow.

Over on the other side, I make a duplicate to go ask Gothmog for his thoughts. (No need to stop the fun this time, heh. Mmm, Petra from both sides.) Oh, and here's Sara, peeking in, looking harried and a little dressed-in-a-rush. I hop up and go wrap her in a hug, and give her a kiss, and fix her buttons before too many people notice.

"You doing okay, sweetie?", she asks.

"I'm good, I'm sure they'll figure the charges are bogus. I'm just worried about Erin."

"Me too, love", she sighs. "I've told them what I know, that we talked, played around a bit, and then she got antsy and wanted to go out and run wild. I honestly wasn't expecting her back until breakfast. I can't help thinking I should have noticed it right away then."

"Nah, being off doing her thing is her style. Maybe she'd already had a deer for breakfast? We don't even know if she was missing at that point."

She concedes that with a nod. "I don't have any bright ideas what to do. She wouldn't take my mark, so I can't do what I did with you. Other than the obvious. Involve the Kimbas, they have a lot of raw power and connections."

"I'm already talking to Billie over in flight class", I say. "We'll bring the others into the loop at lunch. Meanwhile, I had a thought..." It doesn't take long to outline the ants idea to Sara.

She nods and looks thoughtful. "Ants may be too large. It takes weeks, egg to adult, to create a fresh one, your ramp up would be slow. And there's a lot going on in their little heads, they'd be hard to reprogram. How about slime mould? Some of that is very good at seeking out resources. Just give it the idea that it really wants to find Erin, and it will set spores and go marching around until it finds her. Then draw a line to her we can follow. Plus creating the spores would probably be easy."

"I'd still want big me to do it. I don't feel competent to hand-hack lifeforms. I think they want Circe to talk to her anyway, so that would be our chance."

"I'll see if I can't bring Kellith forward in the same way, and monitor. Are you going to tell security about this?"

I nod. "For all they're my friends, I'm not a Kimba, I'll operate on the basis the adults here are competent, and involving them would be an upside. At least unless they demonstrate otherwise."

"Which is nice to know", says Lieutenant Forsyth, who has returned. "I hope we won't disappoint you. So, what are you cooking up?"

He listens to my explanation. Looks thoughtful. "Personally, I don't hate that idea. But the school generally frowns on releasing freshly invented lifeforms. I think you'd need the head's permission, minimum. But I will go bring the idea to her right away, along with my recommendation to say yes. Meanwhile, the two of you go back to classes. Or lunch, now, I think? Leave at least one body on campus, please, miss Parallel, we might want to call you back in a hurry."

I nod and thank him.

Heading for the exit with Sara, we're suddenly stopped when a couple of men in black suits bar my way. "Stop right there."

I look over to Lieutenant Forsyth, he spares me a look that expresses the same confusion I feel. "Gentlemen", he says, "What would seem to be the problem?"

"MCO Special agent Haustin, and this is special agent Bukowski. We're here to discuss a matter of national security, relating to this student. And now we overhear she's been murdering people? Why are you letting her walk out of the building?"

Forsyth looks annoyed. "As an MCO agent, you should know this area is not in your jurisdiction and is under treaties of neutrality. You can't waltz in here and arrest students. There are proper channels."

"Which is why we aren't making any arrests. We're here to have a discussion. But we are questioning your actions."

"Why don't you come into my office and explain what the issue is. Carmilla, you're free to go, but Parallel, if you could please wait a little longer while we resolve this?"

I can see that Sara's going to insist on staying, so I shake my head to her. "Go to lunch", I tell her, and psychically over the mark, add "I'm already there. We need you in the brainstorming."

She gives me a tight hug (ow, she hugs very tight indeed when worried), and then heads off.

"A touching scene between monsters", agent Bukowski says under his voice, before he heads off to the office. Ooh fun, a bigot in uniform. It's my lucky day. I go back into the room o' boredom, settle myself into a waiting meditation, and let time pass.

Meanwhile, over in Crystal hall, Billie and I have been filling the Kimbas in on what has happened. Billie was really down and dragging at the start of flight class, but I feel like having something external to worry about has actually pepped her up.

Ayla, who has been listening closely, says, "so if I can summarize it, you've got four problems. One, Feral is missing. Two, you've been accused of causing her harm. Three, it's highly likely this is a ploy by Imperious and friends which means not only that she may be in difficulty or danger, but that it's also likely she's bait in a trap. And then added to that, four, this MCO business that may or may not be coincidental."

I nod, and as Sara comes in, wave her over to join us. She touches in on the anti-snoop magic thingy, and grabs a seat. I say, "Yeah, that's right. Number two doesn't worry me that much. I think big me can convince Circe that the edits she made were safe. And also we blow the whole thing out of the water if we find her intact. She can tell them it was done with informed consent."

"Yeah, the worst they could accuse you of then, is reckless medical experimentation on another student", Ayla agrees. "Which around here, barely rises to the level of detention." That gets a few snickers around the table, and everyone thinking of Jobe.

Nikki says, "I could try a finding spell for her. The trouble is, I'm pretty sure security will have already done that. And they have all the resources of the mystic arts program at their beck and call. It's worth the attempt, just in case my magic can slip around whatever is blocking theirs, but I'd call it a long shot."

"I like the slime mould plan", Jade says. "It lets you search a very wide area. And if we go through channels this time around, we have security for backup, which messes with the whole trap thing. If they spring a trap on security, their ass is toast."

Sara says, "And that means we had better hurry, because I figure their next move is a ransom demand, come alone, if you tell security then we kill her, that kind of thing. With a hostage, they could pin you in place and make you take a beating."

I nod. "I just hope the head gives the go-ahead soon."

# Part thirty four

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, Kane hall, lunchtime**

Alone in a room with nothing to do, my attention rests on my breath. Time passes, my mind is still. I realise the random bellowing sound I'm overhearing as background noise is raised angry voices. Rewind, apply distortion compensation...

"She's not human, Forsyth. She's not a child, she's a monster. They both are. And that one in particular is a danger to national security." That's Haustin's snarl.

"She's a student here and has rights."

Bukowski jumps in, fuming, "She has no rights! She isn't an American citizen. She isn't a citizen of anywhere! We couldn't trace her to any missing person recorded anywhere on the planet. That's because she's not *from* this planet. She's a dangerous alien monster invading this world and she belongs in a lab." Looks like they're trying to batter the lieutenant down with the bad cop, worse cop routine.

"She is a student here, and that's sufficient", lieutenant Forsyth is not inclined to be battered. "I don't care what damn world she's from or species she is, while she stays here she is under treaty protection, under the school's protection and under my protection. If she has committed a crime it will be dealt with by due process of law, not by revoking her rights and throwing her down some windowless MCO hole. Now, gentlemen, I believe the both of you have worn out your welcome, coming here and shouting in my face. Kindly escort yourselves off school grounds before I have to order you thrown off."

"You haven't heard the last of this!"

Do they make these guys in cartoon villain land? Don't answer that.

Forsyth does answer that, with a murmured "No, I suppose I haven't, more's the pity." I can hear the murmur because he's outside the door. And he comes in.

"Heard some of that", I say.

"I think they heard it over in Schuster, my ears are still ringing", he says. "Sorry about that. Normally our local MCO branch is pretty friendly. But they have a few bad eggs, and I suspect Bukowski is from out of town and higher up, given the way Haustin was taking his lead. Unfortunately, kid, I think it means you've come to the attention of powerful people."

"Interesting times", I agree. Then, "Some of what they were saying is true", deciding on a snap judgement to take him into my confidence. "I'm from off-world. A parallel Earth. Came here by uncontrolled accident. Here, he's right, I'm a citizen of nowhere. And although I was born human, I'm more monster than not, now. And definitely capable of being a person of mass destruction if I was so inclined. But I'm a friendly monster, and my inclination is to help."

He chuckles and ruffles my hair, which is kind of sweet of him. "Nah see, I already knew that. Your precise nature is very sparingly shared within the more trustworthy higher ranks in security. I know about the 'great old one' thing." He makes the finger quotes. "I know about Carmilla, too. So far, I've seen no sign you've been anything worse than amusingly mischievous. And as for your citizenship, there's a standard process to register amnesiacs as citizens and dependants, and the school did that for you automatically. Although the MCO may try to break that in court, I don't know with what evidence."

"There's too much 'don't know' to this business. Feels like we're seeing the fin but not the shark", I say. "Ah well, eventually when he wants to take a bite, he'll have to show his teeth. And then I have my own." And I do the teeth longer thing, which does make the the lieutenant go a couple of shades whiter.

"Mind those, kid, you're liable to make a person jump", he says. I retract them. Even fully pulled back, they don't go right down to flat, now, there's always a hint of sharp point. Still he smiles and says "better. Alright, now run off. I hear you have an exeat this afternoon. You might want to reconsider that. You'll be leaving our jurisdiction."

I shake my head. "What can they do? Drop a bag over my head and bundle me into a car? There's a dozen ways I could break out of that. Or I ride along out of curiosity, scope out their lair, then flood it with clones. While meanwhile being just fine outside it. I'm hard to kidnap."

He takes a moment to look at me thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose that is true. I won't rescind it if you want to keep it. Just, please don't fall into the trap of assuming that bad means dumb. If it's on your written security record, you should assume it's been read by every three-letter agency you care to name, and some you've never heard of. And a number of less-legal operations too. There's only a few things that are kept off the record. Your duplication power is not one of them. What they know of, they can plan for. And they have more experience planning than you." Which reminds me of sensei Tolman's lesson earlier. Experience and training beats seat of the pants calculation, even for a lightning calculator.

I nod. "Understood."

He smiles. "Okay, scram, I've got work to do, like finding your friend. Don't forget, one body on campus, minimum."

I scram. This time, without incident.

As I make my way over towards lunch (food, annoyingly, being a thing that doesn't auto-sync between bodies), I mark-chat Sara. "Should we..."

She answers immediately, "Already did. She thinks it might be Englund's long awaited next attempt." Conversations with geniuses, gotta love them. I was going to suggest updating Donna - Sara of course, being way ahead of me.

"Him again huh?"

"We figure he gave up on grabbing your guardianship after Monday night's business made it clear the egg wasn't going back in the shell. Her guess was that he's switched to shit stirring with powers outside the school. Like the higher ups in the MCO. They, inexplicably, have him pegged as one of the good guys."

"He does a good cosplay. She's not calling it off?"

"She thinks cooperation with ARC will be a brownie point on your record, and you could use one. But she's going to come in disguise."

I giggle at a thought. "If she doesn't mind me starkers, I have a cunning plan."

"I think she will love you starkers", Sara replies, amusement clear in the thought. "And be secretly disappointed not to be able to see you. I've widened her horizons a little."

That dredges up something which has been low-key bothering me. "Speaking of", I say. "Petra."

Sara's return message carries the feeling of thoughtfulness. "You think you changed her, don't you? She used to be, if not asexual, something close to it."

"I think big me stamped some of my nature onto her with the repairs", I agree.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not a harmful change. But it's interesting to see you have a sexual side to your larger nature. Not quite a lust field, I'd sense that. Maybe a disinhibition one?"

"Maybe", I agree. "I wouldn't complain if you're right. This stuffy culture could use it. I wonder if I'll have a large scale cultural effect, over time?"

A giggle. "I do sincerely hope so. That sounds delightful."

I pass other me and Sara and Paige on their way out of Crystal Hall, give all three a heartfelt smooch (gets me funny looks, I can hardly hold in the giggle at scandalising everyone) and head in for munchies. I'm glad Crystal Hall isn't begrudging me the extra food. And thank goodness, I'm starting to look less rake thin. Volitionally controlled metabolism is a wonderful thing.

Classes this afternoon are same as Monday, languages in all three, theory of the escape with Sara and Paige in the first two, crypto with Paige and religion with Englund in the third. I'm going to ask to test out of the languages, I think I'm fluent now. As for religion, I wonder how Englund will spin things today? I think the preceding class punctured his direct routes to calling me an abomination, but the man is ever-resourceful.

Meanwhile, this me will be going out to the gates to meet Donna. I'm filled with quiet amusement at the plan, as I munch on tolerable cafeteria food. The head won't let me scandalise the school too much (oh how I long to gradually nudge the needle on what passes muster there) but it doesn't count as having my bits hanging out for public view if anybody looking that way will just see a projected image of the background scenery.

Finished, I head into the loos to change - by just vanishing every stitch of clothing. It was sweaty anyway, no great loss. If this trip works, I will be able to do this dressed, but for now, I need to be bare ass naked for my active thermoptic camouflage to cover me all over. Ramp heat generation up hard, it's going to be cold out. Close my eyes, because my sclera lacks camo. And walk out of the cubicle into the strange grey-with-colour world of mingled life and gravity sense. People are both solid masses and flares of colourful life that I dodge carefully around. Bugs scramble in the walls, in simpler focused colours. And as I approach outside, the ground is a riot of glows penetrating deep underground and filling the air, even as my naked feet crunch into snow. It's not spring yet, but it's getting ready to be. And of course my snow-flowers, dotting the ground, glow in comforting pink. Everything is a riot of smells. I think, with my focus on my senses now and not just rushing from A to B, that my ability to smell feels sharper. I can definitely smell myself being aroused by this invisible exhibitionism.

Alright, enough dallying and flaunting. Trying to step in existing footprints, and then car ruts when the prints run out, I make my way towards the gate. With heat generation up this high, the slushy ice feels comfortably cool underfoot. But I'm burning through calories. Actually... I try something, and amusingly it works: creating simple blood glucose, the way I was creating calcium for Petra. This definitely suggests possibilities. Can I do oxygen too? Vanish CO2? Later, patience. What this means for now is that I could sleep in a snowdrift and feel no energy drain from running up my thermostat. Interesting indeed. And convenient.

Warping through the closed gate with a murmur of "I have an exeat" for the stone guardians (who may or may not care), I head for the cute touristy Volkswagen Bug where someone who looks African-American but smells like Donna is reading a map, leaning against the front of the car. I murmur "getting in the car now" as I pass her, and scooch over to grab shotgun. She folds the map carefully, as if to show a route, and climbs back in. "Hey sweetie", she ventriloquises. "Don't belt in, I'll drive carefully." And off we go. Just one more tourist finding her way, solo, through the wilds of New Hampshire.

"It's weird to be able to half-feel you there, and I think smell you a bit, but the seat's just empty" she murmurs, as familiar woods flow past.

Probably doesn't help that I'm a quiet passenger in cars. "I'm here", I say. "And you're probable smelling the fact I'm enjoying being naked like this."

Which makes her stifle a giggle. "Hush you. Don't make me laugh, that's hard to hide. We might be under observation."

"Don't mind me", I tease. "I'll just sit here naked, imagining you and Sara and a DVD of tentacle porn."

"Gah, you!" she's having to fight to avoid the giggles.

"Did Sara mention to you that I learned how to make tentacles too?"

A blush of lust like that is impossible to hide from my life sense, even if I bet nothing shows on her face. "She did. Said you were very proud of them." She looks down a little.

"Mhm. I look forward to giving you a demonstration."

"You, miss, are a tease", she says. "God help me."

"Oh I'm sure she will", I say. "She's fun that way."

# Part thirty five

I'm the kind of person that's happy to fall silent on a long car journey. Sometimes, it's because I'm watching out of the window, scenery is something I love. Sometimes, like now, it's because I'm thinking. We're outside tribal jurisdiction now, which means that if those MCO yahoos wanted to waylay us, they probably could. But we seem to have successfully given them the slip. So my attention is on the business with Erin.

My guess is the head will ask Circe to call big me forward again during today's detention so she can handle creating the search spores. Which means that will happen while I'm at ARC. That seems like a positive opportunity to let them meet big me. Meanwhile, I wonder if I can manoeuvre another body into the presence of Knick-knack and Judicator while it's going on? I want to help cut them loose as well, per their request, and it really needs big me to do it. And ideally before anyone gets around to forbidding it. Probably the best chance for that will be if I get a ransom demand.

And that makes me wonder what's the angle for Imperious and his more willing allies here? They aren't realistically going to be able to hold her indefinitely, or get away with murder. And I read them as half-smart, but at least bright enough to realize that being chucked out of Whateley is a career limiting move, even if they don't end up in federal jail or whatever. Which means everyone needs to come out of this seemingly okay. But Erin would be not okay, and would raise a complaint. Unless...

Unless the trick he's going for is re-connection. He wants to force me to hook her back up to the leash - then he can order her to convince Whateley it was voluntary. And presumably, that I'm the villain.

Which means he's going to need me, and her, together. And me, alive. Albeit very likely beaten up a bit. He'll probably threaten to kill us both, but won't mean it, although I doubt he'd scruple a bit of torture. I could make use of that, although I might have to be a bit callous about the body. I suppose, it's war, of a small sort, and these things happen.

How do I block Counterpoint? He's the one I worry about. The fact he can copy and match my warping puts me at a troublesome disadvantage. And I know he's damn skilled even without that. I probably can't just swarm him under like Naruto, although that might be good for a brief distraction.

Sorcery is really the power nobody has seen me use at its full stretch, and for good reason. But it's one he can't answer directly. And although I don't doubt he's stolen wizardly powers in the past, I'd lay odds he hasn't the patience to learn to use them. So that may be my ace in the hole.

As we're drawing into Dunwich I update Donna on what I've been pondering. She thinks it makes sense, but cautions me that it's just a guess. It's a rookie mistake, to get too involved in a model of the bad guys, you have to keep an eye on what they actually do, and be prepared to instantly toss a model that doesn't fit. I agree.

And then we pull up in front of Rogers' Fabric Boutique. She's expecting us, but amused to once again be hosting my naked form, albeit invisibly. With a flick of a switch something happens to the windows, they seem to get more dense, I wonder what that means in the world of sight. "Okay, you can de-cloak now", she says. So I release the copying mode on my photophores and fade into view. And open my eyes. She looks at me, curiously, with what I guess is a professional tailor's eye. "You've changed since I last saw you. You're thinner, your bone structure's a bit different around the jaw. You've got a nice haircut. There's something else, but I can't put a finger on it. Has it really only been four days?"

"Eventful ones", I admit. "I kind of slightly changed species. And my body's changed a bit. The thinness should wear off soon, at least. But I need new gear to go with my camouflage, or I'll have to strip off to do it. Which while fun, has downsides."

"I'll see what I can do", she says. "It's surface camouflage, then, not true invisibility?"

"Yeah, like the movie Ghost in the Shell", I say. "Light absorption, light emission, Infrared to Ultraviolet spectrum. Volitionally controlled or camouflage on autopilot." And I show her a little of what I can do, tracing colours in fern-patterns of light across my skin. "Ideally, I'd like to be able to combine invisibility with volitional light." And I vanish again, but leave the patterns seemingly floating in mid air.

"That's quite an effect", she nods. "Will it be good enough if the clothes just go invisible when they detect light from underneath? And I could make the effect localized if the light is only a small area, so you can make sparks and glows while visible, and they will show through."

I reappear and grin. "Seems like it'll work. Do you need to scan me again?"

She nods. "If you please. And after you, Donna too, please."

"Wait, why me?" Donna's surprised. Then recovers. "Oh, my cover for coming in here. But you don't have to... no, forget I said that. Professional pride, right?"

Miss Rogers nods. "Quite so. I'll be billing ARC, but don't worry, not too terribly much just for a sizing and one outfit. And it might come in handy having your sizes on file."

Donna sighs and nods. "I can just see that coming out of my vacation fund. Okay let's get this out of the way."

I get to show the machine my naked self again, and the neat things I can do with a jaw that now opens wide enough it's pretty much down onto my neck, and a smile that pulls wide up into my cheeks, and teeth both long and short. I show the finger claws, and toe claws (not much use, those, as I go around in shoes mostly, but you never know). I do the camouflage thing for the scanner, and make pretty lights and darks. I also bring out my tentacles, and explain how they can go through cloth. Fun fun. No clothes to put back on at the end of it, so I pad back out and let Donna have a go, while I get Miss Rogers - who asks me to call her Cecilia, now, as we know each other - to discuss super-suits. I don't know much about what I'd like except I'd like to go for a bit of a spooky, undersea feel. Perhaps mother-of-pearl look? Scaly? She considers and then suggests close fitted pearlescent fish-skin white with small scales that are optical tricks rather than actual scales. And a domino mask of the same stuff. ("It would be a shame to hide your hair, even if it rather gives the game away, and we need to leave your jaw clear to open.") And of course, with the invisibility gimmick in all of it. I can wear it under a uniform, and vanish the uniform and slap on the mask, and shazam! She does admit, it feels a bit odd to her to have her work so casually copied and destroyed. But I'm not sharing it around, so she doesn't mind it. Except that she thinks if I want to keep permanent duplicates, I ought to pay a royalty per instance. Of course I agree to that, although it doesn't apply yet, who knows for later?

Donna's still being scanned, but Cecilia has a suit for me already weaving itself on the mannikin. It's interesting how the cloth has a little life energy in it as it moves, she's literally animating it, at least to a limited extent. I tell her, and she nods. "It feels alive to me, it has personality, it... doesn't exactly have feelings, but it has pride in a job well done?" She chuckles. "I haven't had anyone believe me about that before. They politely pretend not to think I'm anthropomorphizing."

The suit on the mannikin is fitted glove-like around fingers and toes, there's a ripple in the fabric so it looks like it's separate gloves and boots, but it's actually all one thing. She gestures, and simulated claws pop out - through the fabric of the tips. "It's watertight when they're withdrawn, and it seals around them when they're out", she says. "I've designed this suit for land or water. It's moderately bulletproof, although don't try and take anything armour-piercing. It will spread blunt impacts and stop slashes. The hands and feet have grip to them, even though they look the same as the rest. It won't pick up dirt or mud. It's rain-proof from the outside, and will act like a dry-suit if you swim in it. It blocks or fogs most kinds of scanners, and it works with your invisibility." The fabric comes off the mannikin and drops into my hands. Eagerly I pull it on. Oddly, it's a little large, which makes getting in easy, but it doesn't feel fitted.

Cecilia explains, "Activate it with a spot of glow, here, she taps a place on my spine where the slit down the back ends. I make a glow, and the suit shloops tight around me, including amusingly, around my boobs. Not quite the paint-on effect, but definitely on the erotically form-fitting side. Smart lady knows what I like. "Okay", she continues, "Move the glow up towards your neck". I do that, and I feel something like a zipper effect closing it up. When I'm done, I'm covered literally neck to toe. I wiggle said toes, and pop out their claws, and pop them back in. Putting the domino mask, which doesn't have a strap, against my face, it sticks tightly to my skin. In the mirror, the white of the suit matches my hair, and the mask makes the pink glow of my eyes really pop. Mask and suit blend into my skin at the edges, as if they were grown, not worn. I look like something dangerous that lives five miles down in the ocean.

"I absolutely love it. And I'm gonna wear it all day", I say.

"I'll send you back with a uniform and a gi too, but thank you", she grins. "If you want to make edits, if your shape changes any further, bring it in, and I'll do that."

I nod, "I'm sure I'll be back anyhow, I need to get you to make me some out on the town gear, amongst others. This place is too fun." Which makes her giggle.

And here's Donna, still not looking like herself, but lovely none the less. "Oh wow!" she says with a grin. "Nice look. Get you arrested a number of places for indecent exposure, but nice." I blow a raspberry at her, as the mannikin reshapes to copy her measurements and clothes begin forming for her. It's not truly that indecent - it cups, rather than fitting tight around my crotch, and it blocks my nipples. But ya, definitely on the exhibitionist side of low-drag-factor. Which makes me very happy.

Cecilia pencils something on a bit of paper, folds to hide what she wrote, and hands it to me. "Open that later. For your eyes only." I grin. Oho, even more fun. I stuff the flat-folded paper down the front of the suit, over my boob. I look forward to that.

Meanwhile, Donna gets something that will be a sharp look with her current painted-on disguise, but should work nicely with her natural colouring - a close tailored business suit, but in all white. "You can wear it out, and wrap your current outfit around her new uniform and gi in a bag. That should hide all from hypothetical snoops, although none of my shop's sensors currently register any."

Donna gets changed, and looks wonderful. We both give Cecilia hugs and effusive thanks. And then I camo up, suit and all, and it's on the way again for us.

As we drive off towards ARC, Donna says, looking straight ahead, "I saw that bit of paper, and I'm not gonna be nosy, but if you wanna share?"

"When I read it, I bet I will", I say. "I'm sure it's going to be fun."

# Part thirty six

As we drive nearer to ARC, I can see Donna is trying not to squirm in her seat. "What's biting you?" I ask.

"That Cecilia! She gimmicked the suit. I should have known something was up when she let me go without the usual 'pay attention, double oh seven' spiel. The damn thing's silky on the inside and it's amplifying every movement into a caress. Serve me right for using her talents as a mere cover story."

I snicker and it turns into a giggle I can't stop. Which gets me grumpy glares from the side of Donna's still-in-character face. "You don't have to be so amused", she complains.

"It's a cute dirty trick", I manage to get out when I can get the giggle fit under control. "But I'm mostly laughing at how thoroughly she has both our numbers, from barely a glance. That woman!"

"You think I want to wear this?"

"I think she knew I'd do this: you should keep it on. No getting changed into sweats as soon as we reach base. It's a beautiful suit that really looks good on you and the gimmick only improves it."

There's a quiet pause. Then she says, uncertainly, "What makes you think I'll take orders from you like that?"

"Because you want to. She's got your number there. Me and Sara, we're naturally dominant to you, and that fits you like a glove. With us two, your heart automatically lays itself at our feet, and you'd do anything we ordered almost without considering it. You're only giving it hard thought now because I trapped you into looking right at it. If I'd phrased it like a suggestion, you'd be justifying to yourself how it isn't so bad."

A longer pause.

"If that's true", she says quietly, "what does it say about me? Am I wrong? Broken? Why does it feel right and terrify me at the same time?"

I lean across from the shotgun seat and put my head in her lap. "Silly Donna, it means you're a natural sub. You aren't broken. You're beloved, and you know it, and you trust us. It's scary because giving up power is scary. And because society doesn't understand. But we understand, Sara and I."

"She didn't say", poor Donna sounds so subdued.

"She didn't have to. You two naturally fall into role whenever you're around each other. She leads, you take her lead, like dancing."

She pokes me in the invisible head with a fingertip. "So what makes *you* so dominant over me, hmm, missy?" She's sounding amused, this is looking up.

"Sara's a huge natural dom. I'm pretty big that way too. I sub to Sara, and well, sometimes I play games subbing to other people too. But I'm dominant over most people. And you're a natural sub, so that really brings it out in me. The urge to tease, and control, and hold, and protect. It makes you as endearing as a puppy times a million. And you respond as strongly to me, you automatically want to be useful and follow and be told. Which I love. So we just click together that way." I snuggle against her lap, which makes her squirm, as the suit amplifies it up. "And I want you to wear that suit because it's caressing you as much as I want to. And because making you embarrassed and thinking about yourself sexually all day long under the eyes of others is a wonderful game of tease. And yes, I know that Doc Otto's gonna see right through it. Not like he hasn't seen through all the rest too. I guess, if you're psychic, you get used humans being kinky." A lovely blush of lust goes through her, oh I could look at that all day. "Mhm, I saw you react to that. Good girl." Boom, another one. Hehehe.

She makes an "aargh" sort of strangled noise, and I bet you she's blushing beet red under the makeup. "Stop it, idiot, you'll make me blow my cover. We're almost there. Hold your teasing just a bit longer."

"Yes ma'am", I say from in her lap. Which makes her giggle.

We slow to a stop under a wide bridge on a quiet road. "Quick, out, follow me", Donna says, grabbing the bag of clothes, and she high fives another woman who looks a lot like her disguise - but I sense, isn't disguised, she actually looks that way. The other woman gets in the car after I've announced I'm out, and drives straight out from under the bridge. Meanwhile a van comes in, stops, the back opens, we jump in, and off that drives too. "There we go, now Betty will drive around a bit, and we can go straight into ARC without drawing any notice. It should be okay now to decloak." Donna's removing her wig and dabbing at face paint with a solvent-smelling wipe.

"Here, let me" I say, feeling playful. I put out a tentacle, and fork the end recursively. (It takes a lot of selves to keep attention on every tip!) Then I brush it over her face and neck picking off dye molecules. Rather than the smear-and-soak of the wipe, I can grab every single individual one, and give her a nice little spa clean-and-exfoliation into the bargain. Collect all the gunk into a little dark droplet and deposit it on the wipe. "There you go."

She blinks. "Okay, wow. You said you can do tentacles... wow. It's so pretty misty blue, but I couldn't even see the smallest tips. And it just felt like a breath of wind."

I grin. And meanwhile the van is driving down a ramp inside a building, and a rolling garage door closes behind it. "Alright, end of the line, ARC New Hampshire, invisible monsters, cute operatives, and other wonders of science", that's the driver from in front, over an intercom. Smartass. I laugh happily, and jump out when the doors open.

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, fifth period**

Over in school, I've been paying close attention in escape class. Feels like it might have immediate relevance, heh. He's been doing the kinds of escapes anybody can manage, so we learned how to get out of zip ties by jamming something under the ratchet and by busting them off, and some lock picking. The locks we're using are made of transparent plastic, but even so it helps having my gravity sense giving me an overview of the small inside parts. Doing it the human way, I can open one in about twenty seconds of careful, small movements. Being lazy and shaping a tentacle, I can just pop it open as quick as having a key. Fun fun. Sara's almost as fast, because she has to grope out the inside with tentacles first. Paige is surprisingly good at it for someone with no special abilities. When I ask, she explains it was another thing they drummed into her her in her fucked up childhood. Small yay for evil jerks who turned out to be useful? She chuckles and agrees with that characterization.

We get to try a variety of kinds of locks, including a few devisor mechanisms. Now that I've got the hang of it, I can open them all, although I needed to think in more than four dimensions for a few of the hard ones. That gets me a "good work, kid" from Mr Robertson, and grumpy looks from a few of the others.

As the lesson draws to a close, Aquerna comes over to speak to me. "Hi, I just wanted to pass along, I told Caitlin today that you were interested, and she says that she'll meet you after classes outside Crystal Hall. If that's okay?"

I smile and nod. "Yeah thanks, it's really appreciated. It will be fun to just have an uncomplicated run, work out some stress." I don't mention I'm likely to be doing a half dozen other complicated things at the same time. She smiles, clearly the happy to be helpful sort.

And then, as I'm making my way toward religion class, an unsurprising surprise - a brass owl (somebody is having fun with the classical movie references). It flaps down, drops a rolled piece of paper in my hand, hoots and flies off.

Sara, who's walking with me, says "may I?" and I hand it to her, and she scans it with tentacle tips. "Written by Judicator, touched by knick-knack. Their DNA and prints only, beside yours and mine. No magical or chemical booby traps." Hands it back.

I unroll it so we can both see. The message is deliberately vague. "After lessons. Behind Dunn Hall. Under the rose." In other words, about as far from the busy heart of campus as it's possible to get without wandering into the woods. And I'm reading that last phrase as meaning, secrecy is required, don't tell security. Well, I guess we have our ransom note now. All nicely deniable, and if anything, fingering two of the people I'm trying to rescue. I'm going to assume they're being sneaky and will use Counterpoint to monitor my teleports and ensure I don't blab. But what they don't know is I have a copy already in ARC who can just ask to dial up Forsyth directly. I'm going to keep him in the loop on my plan to spring the trap, while at the same time putting up search-spores. And I think I can throw myself a copy of the new uniform from ARC, which means I'll be going in with all my abilities usable. Sara can follow the search spores once they're up, and she can monitor and advise over the mark. She can liaise with the Kimbas, without being seen talking to security. Almost a plan, really. We should be able to hit them in force.

**10th January, 2007, ARC, before sixth period**

"Alright, thank you for passing it along", Forsyth says over the secured line. "I really appreciate that you're working with me here. I'm loath to use you to spring the trap like you're planning, but you're right, they won't lead us to anyone if we just arrest them. You're sure you don't want us to give you a tracker or a wire?"

"Could you guarantee a good devisor couldn't find it? I can relay from here. I know it won't be admissible evidence, but we should be able to bust in on them red handed."

He sighs. "Fair point. Okay. This is all dependent on the Head giving the okay for the search, but I'm on side with it as a provisional plan. Stay in touch if anything changes."

Donna gives me a hug from behind as I hang up. She's still wearing the suit. Good Donna. I snuggle back against her. It feels nice to know I'm loved, even if I am gambling to walk into the tiger's mouth and steal his teeth.

# Part thirty seven

**10th January, 2007, Whateley, sixth period**

Sixth period sees me split between codes with Paige, and religion with Englund. Oddly enough, even being in religion class under the nose of the enemy feels like the calm before the storm, today. Perhaps because I made such an impression last time, and that left me in rather a good strategic position. I gather from overhearing the pre-class muttering that opinion's divided on whether the sword means my oath had to be true, or that I merely thought it was true, or that it was just a pointy hunk of metal and an unverified assertion. Still, the way all options lean to the positive means Englund will have a hard time pinning horns on me today.

And he's smart enough not to try. He doesn't even begin by giving me a death glare. Instead he hushes the class and dives right in on a subject that actually has me curious to learn.

"Today, we'll be talking about corruption. No, not the kind fuelled by money in unmarked envelopes or dirty political dealing. The kind caused by supernatural entities. You will learn what it is, some examples of entities that can cause it, how to identify it in yourself and others, and how to fight back."

He takes a breath, continues. "Corruption is in its essence a form of mind control, but it's much subtler than mere puppeteering or post-hypnotic suggestion. A corrupted mind has its moral basis twisted, very likely without ever realising it. The individual goes on making decisions that feel right at the time, but which their past self would see as increasingly depraved. Sometimes, they may experience an ethical double-vision, where they see how their perspective has changed, but can't will themselves to undo it. Sometimes, the change is insidious enough they merely feel slight confusion at the actions of their previous, undistorted self. 'Of course we've always cooked and eaten children here, I don't know why my previous self didn't partake.' Now, who can offer me examples of entities and creatures that can cause corruption?"

Of course hands go up and we get the usual suspects. Demons, ghosts, vampires, evil spirits, cursed objects. He nods to each. Someone says "class X entities", and that gets a nod too, although a few confused looks from the class. I put my hand up and when he calls me, I say "humans, if they have the power and inclination", and that gets me a nod and "Yes, correct, I've run into a few, in fact. Some deliberately and some not. Humans with mental powers, and sometimes just humans with great personal charisma. Alright, any more?"

I raise a hand again. As there's nobody else, I get picked a second time. "Um, what if they're corrupting people towards good? Like, what if their ethics are being shifted to a more positive form, like something corrupting racists with fellow-feeling? That isn't meant as a diversion from your question, we've been making suggestions on the basis the corruption was towards evil. But what if, say, angels, make the people around them nicer?"

"We'd normally call that benevolent contagion rather than corruption. But you're right, it is a similar thing." It seems he's determined to give my class contributions a fair shake, although I don't really trust it. He continues, "The difficulty is, benevolence can be a complicated thing to judge, it's more than just good intentions. Suppose you have a cursed rock that influences people around it to be more forgiving. Initially, it causes a reduction in strife wherever it goes. But after a while under its influence, people are shrugging off murder."

"Or the other way around, someone with a balanced sense of right and wrong could have it overly sharpened and become a merciless crusader", I suggest.

Brief blank pause, then he nods. "At any rate, there are definitely entities that have effects *they* think are benevolent and we would judge them otherwise. And so moving on, how do you identify corruption? In other people, you'd think it would be obvious. The trouble is, uninfluenced humans often talk themselves into evil. So what distinguishes corruption?"

Okay, so, was that just me, or was that a swerving change of topic? When I scroll back my eidetic memory, he did look really blank for just an instant after my riposte. Anyhow, later. We discuss the symptoms of corruption, and how they differ from normal ethical drift. Normally when humans change their ethics over time, they recognise it. Like, oh I used to be a Catholic but now I'm a Buddhist, kind of thing. Small changes pass beneath the radar but large ones can't be ignored. People who've been influenced often think nothing has changed. When they're confronted with how radically their earlier actions don't match their present ethic, they're confused, or blank out and then just act as if they hadn't been confronted. Or sometimes, they acknowledge the change in a double-vision way, but regard it as outside their control, inevitable, compelling, and probably good anyway. Their corrupted beliefs pick right back up driving their actions, once the pressure to confront them is off.

Also normally, when people change their mind, they have reasons. People who've been influenced lack reasons, or seem to be making them up on the fly as excuses. The made up reasons can be really weak, but their weakness isn't persuasive. Being impossible to persuade, is another symptom.

Trouble is, of course, normal humans can get themselves into a confirmation bias spiral, sometimes. So it's always a judgment call, although you can improve your accuracy by looking at other evidence, like, is there a beneficiary? Is it of a type of entity that is known to exert influence? Does the influence all point toward this entity's goals?

And then finally, we move on to how to identify corruption in yourself. Englund's belief is that the answer is to have a really well defined ethical framework, and cross check yourself against it constantly. In the same way someone learning to lucid dream practises constantly checking, am I awake? Then have buddies who can pull you out with a pre-authorized psychic intervention.

The glaring gap in that approach is that it has no remedy against the exact situation I mentioned earlier. All the checks would pass. He's plenty smart enough to spot that, and he doesn't. I'm unsure what conclusion to draw from that yet.

As we draw towards the end of the lesson, I can see the strategy behind choosing this topic. He doesn't even have to accuse me of corrupting people, he's got the whole class checking themselves and wondering if I'm putting the whammy on them. It should nicely defuse some of my popularity.

Nor can I really claim innocence. I'm fairly sure I am exerting some influence, at least on the people very close to me, like Paige and Donna. Goodness knows how far the boundary extends. If I'm lucky, ha, I bound it into the fundaments of physical law last Monday evening. And if that's true, there's not a star system anywhere in the uncountable galaxies that won't be feeling it, sooner or later. Now that's somewhere between appalling and nifty. Because of course, I think my influence is *good*. Other people's opinions may differ.

At least, they may differ *now*.

Crypto class was quiet. We covered the abstract theory of modern symmetric and asymmetric ciphers, and how the design of cryptographic systems can be related to mathematical problems whose hardness is either known, or very plausibly estimated. We dug into the internals of a simple stream cipher, and then talked about block cyphers and their modes that let them cover more than one block, starting with the simplest, ECB, meaning one block at a time, then showing its flaws, and digging into more complicated ones involving feedback and counters. Then to finish up, we dug into the internals of a modern block cipher. There's a lot of complex churn in these things. I could do the math in my heads, but it would be a big pipeline.

I think Paige knew most of it already. Although going into the details had her intrigued. I bet she was optimizing code in her head.

And now the classes are over. Cry "Havoc!", and let slip the dogs of war.

Before I split, I take a loo break, that actually consists of receiving a long distance teleport of the new school uniform. Vanish the old, on with the new, I test by cloaking and looking at myself in the mirror. Two very unsettling floating eyes and a Cheshire cat grin. Good good. Back to visibility.

One to go to Circe. I'll fork again when I'm there and search out the portal to downstairs. I don't feel inclined to get knocked out any more than I have to, today.

One to head to Crystal Hall where I can meet Caitlin. That's an important relationship I want to cultivate, I think. And it will be nice to have something simple I can sink my claws into.

One to walk into the trap. Slowly, because I'd like to give the rest of me a head start.

And of course one of me back in ARC, still wearing the nice new super suit, as comms and coordinator. And demonstration of big me, too, if I can fit that in. And Donna-snuggler. That bit is important.

The two of me in Gothmog's place are staying out of it all, but we've been researching slime moulds so we know one when we see it, and know how to pick it apart and put it back together.

Paige is going to be riding cyber cover. All very Shadowrun. Sara's headed to the Kimbas, to fill them in and saddle up the posse, ready to roll out.

Big me feels eager.

Pause, indrawn breath.

# Part thirty eight

It's dark out as my feet crunch through snow on the path, but Crystal Hall's windows light up the snow - and the figure outside, which my gravity sense immediately picks out as more like a statue than a human. Caitlin Bardue. We already slightly know each other as she does the intro to the ranges class that I got yanked out of earlier. But this is my first time meeting her as just herself.

"Going to run in that uniform?" Not one for hi and hello is Caitlin.

"It'll do", I say. "It's a little more gimmicked than it looks. Mostly useful so I can pop out my toe claws", which I do, they look incongruous sticking out of pseudo-regulation school shoes, "And because I'm lazy and don't wanna change." Pop them back in. "Nice to meet you."

She chuckles. "Nice to meet ya too. Lazy, I can understand and sympathise with. So. Rules of running. You move physically, no powers. Try to keep up. Don't die. I heard you used tentacles to climb this building yesterday?"

I nod. Pop one out to show her. "I'm not sure if they count as powers."

She looks closely. "Solidified sorcery, but moves like it's part of you. I'd say, try to do it with hands. Those probably make it no challenge. And some day you may need the skill. Use 'em to catch yourself if you lose confidence, but keep em in if you can. You got claws on your fingers too?" I show them. "Interesting. Biological, but like a construct. Lot of small fine work in those. Try not to scratch up the buildings. It'll be your ass out here with a trowel and plaster if you do, but they'll yell at me for encouraging it, and I don't like that."

"Bet there's a story in that", I say.

"More than one. Let's see if you can get back up without the tentacles?" And she's off, heading up the shining wall like a spider, using the support struts. I follow.

Meanwhile, the one of me heading to the rendezvous at Dunn is going over the surface, the one headed to Circe is going through the tunnels. My hope is, all eyes will be on the one visible in the open.

That hope is dashed as my way through the tunnel is blocked by two boys. One older and blond, one looking about my age and red haired and glaring daggers at me.

The older one says, "Look, you have no idea how little I wanted to be mixed up in this mess, but he did *insist* that you not be allowed to run to the staff for..."

Like I'm going to let him finish monologuing. A flicker of warp carries me into touch range and a finger tip touch on each shows me nobody's bothered fitting them with protective wards, and that's game over for the both of them as I lock their every muscle below the neck into tetanus.

"...ow. Help", he finishes, as I catch and steady the two of them with tentacles.

"This is me being nice", I say. "Like, I didn't stop your heart, or turn your immune system loose against every cell in your body, or lyse your red blood cells and watch you gasp yourself unconscious. I'm guessing that 'he' is Imperious, right?"

"I, uh, can't say. Like literally, I can't say", the blonde one replies. Obviously he's been given orders. Fair enough.

The redhead snarls, "So what you gonna do, break us like you broke my sister?"

"Your sister?" A moment of confusion and it clicks. "Apollo, huh? I didn't break her. Last I saw, she was grateful, in fact. I think you've been lied to."

"Like I'll believe some damn monster."

"Would you believe Circe? Because that's who I'm headed to see. I believe I'll take the two of you along."

As I pick them up and tote them in tentacles like two not very heavy pieces of luggage, the blond says after a thoughtful but strained pause, "I think I would believe Circe."

It turns out that it's not just Circe waiting for me in the entrance of Kirby, it's also Mrs Carson. Circe, of course, is unflappable despite my strange cargo. The headmistress, on the other hand, does the Spock eyebrow and says, "I'm sure you have some explanation?"

"They were sent to block me from reaching here. Under compulsion, I believe. And more compulsion not to name the guilty party. I want them to witness what we're doing."

Mrs Carson turns to Circe. "Would it be safe?"

"Not if it was the same as last time", Circe says. "Even through all my wards, I had a thumping headache."

I say, before the Head can forbid it, "She plans to tone herself down a lot. No change of form. Human speech. I give you my word, it will be safe."

Circe considers, and then nods.

Mrs Carson looks torn. "Please, explain why you want to involve them. I'm sure you have a reason beyond showing off."

So I have to explain what happened last night with Erin. Circe winces a bit, as she realises that what she did came through on all copies of me. And the Head winces, as I describe how big me did the soul-level surgery that cut Erin free of her attachment. I have to reassure her that Erin was fine, and grateful. I describe how I think this has resulted in Imperious setting up this half-smart kidnap and ransom to try and leash her again. The head looks at my now-propped-upright captives. "Tracer. Is this true?"

"I can't say, ma'am" - so the blond is Tracer. "But what I can say, is that she used to have to take his direct orders when he bothered giving them to her face. But I saw her defy them, today."

That gets "What! Shit! You let me believe..." from the redhead.

"I only just found that loophole." Tracer interrupts, sounding frustrated at how tightly he's bound up with limitations.

I say, "So now, if I let the two of you loose, you'll not attack or run?" I get two nods. Unsurprising given we're with two of the scariest people on the staff. A finger-touch repairs the small nerve damage that was flooding their motor nerves, and they slump, with tentacle assistance, to the floor, panting like they've run a race.

Then to the Head, "So the reason I want them along is twofold. To show I'm serious about helping Erin, not harming her. And to offer these two an option of being disconnected too, in circumstances where I can block any compulsion."

"Oh we definitely don't consent to be disconnected", says the blond. "We love dancing on a leash. I can definitely assert how much I love kissing ass. Please, spare me from this horrible liberty."

Which gets a sympathetic look from the Head. "Alright. Shall we?"

Circe looks at me, a pause, then frowns. "You have wards up against the knock-out spell?" Not like she couldn't batter through my amateurish efforts, but still.

"Don't need it", I say, as another me peeps around the corridor and waves, before disappearing. "I already found the door. I was searching while we spoke."

The Head and Circe share a glance, then "Lead on. And carry those two, please." They're snoring, it's cute.

The grass behind Dunn Hall is all but clear of prints, and my feet make inch-deep indentations in virgin snow. As expected, they sent Judicator and Knick-knack, the designated fall guys if security were to sweep down and arrest everyone. I walk over to meet them.

"You were stupid to come", Judicator says. "We can't help you. We aren't your friends here."

"I know", I say. "You don't need to be. Lead on."

I think maybe I see a spark of hope in Judicator's eyes. But it's momentary. "Wear this blindfold, please."

As soon as I put it on, my gravity sense vanishes. A spell? No, because my sorcery doesn't pick it up. I think it's being imposed from outside. Probably Counterpoint, watching from cover somewhere, using a copy of my warping to mess with the spatial curvature and make it impossible to read. It's one of my powers he can counterfeit. But they want me to think it's a spell, perhaps, as a bit of misdirection. At any rate, I can't exactly track where we're going any more. I can use life sense to get a sort of bug-and-plant wireframe of the space around me, but it doesn't have the same range. Doesn't matter, anyhow. The search spores will do their job.

Down in Circe's lab, she has modified her spell, after I asked her to help big me learn to do this on her own. It's supposedly more of a guiding light than a summoning, now. The Head has refused to give permission until she can speak to big me in person, so we need to get a move along. Our two witnesses sit, hushed and looking a little scared, off to the side.

I *think* I can keep this from spilling over onto my other bodies. But I do pause and warn Caitlin, "If I get really weird, I may have to pause. Stuff going on in my other bodies. It's a busy night."

"Sounds like there's a story in that", she says.

"Pretty epic one, but it's still being written. Tell you when it's finished."

She grins. "I'll hold you to that."

Over in ARC, I'm sitting on a comfy couch, snuggled up to Donna. I've been giving a running commentary, with Forsyth on speaker-phone. They want me safely off my feet in case big me makes me stumble. There's a million instruments and cameras pointed at me, and quite a few personnel, mages, telepaths and the like.

Behind Dunn, Judicator leads me to step up onto a sort of floaty thing, then the two join me and it starts moving, slowly enough there's no sensation. I'd be confused if I couldn't feel the plants flowing by beneath. We pass through some sort of portal - a change to interior bugs and wall moulds, and I feel it close and cut off the sense of grass behind me.

"Well damn, if it isn't the impertinent little mortal herself. You actually took the bait." A voice I know, Imperious.

Under Kirby, Circe starts her chant, and the circle lights up with magic. And big me responds. The feeling of being inverted, me rising through me, is familiar. But she's using a smaller pseudopod - less a whole mountain this time, more like an enormous spear of stone. And recruiting some of my parallels into its structure as go-betweens. We're afraid, but exhilarated.

She surfaces. The only indicator is the shadows thrown up by my much brighter eyes.

"I am here. I understand the plan. I greet you, mother of the school. I greet you again, long human mage."

Over in ARC, she says "Mother by choice and greatly beloved, I greet you. Curious humans, I greet you. Distant protector, I greet you."

in Kirby, Carson says, "Good evening. So, apologies for my abruptness but we're in a hurry. I need you to convince me that it's safe to let you introduce this 'search spore' into the campus. I have students who have breathing difficulties and allergies. And I have a responsibility to protect the school, and the world, from the introduction of an invasive life form."

Big me says, "Not natural life. Constructed. Designed. Exists to search, indicate, then stop. No allergens. Will dissolve to sugars and fats in contact with mucous membranes. Not capable of respiration. Preloaded with compressed adenosinetriphosphate. Scramblers."

"Scramblers?" the Head is confused.

"Unreal life form in human recorded thought image. Author, Peter Watts. Fast but preloaded with energy. No respiration. Same technique."

Surprisingly a comment from the side bench, from Apollo's avatar, the redhead. "It would work. I've read that book. She means that the stuff she wants to make would come with all the energy they'll ever have in their lives, preloaded inside the cells. That means a lot of normal life processes can be stripped away, leaving bare essentials. Something like that could move like greased lightning while it had energy, no rate limits, only a budget limit. With the budget gone, it just dies. Impossible for it to become invasive."

"Accurate summary", big me says. "Consent yesno?"

"Do it", says the Head.

# Part thirty nine

Big me is being careful not to give the game away this time, so nothing shows she's here, but I can feel her presence as a reassurance. Judicator lifts my blindfold off - as expected, gravity sense is still being jammed - and the hover-platform settles to the floor in what looks like a classroom.

I say looks like, but I think they haven't counted on my life sense, which is telling me there's a void past the "classroom" wall, and the critters there are very different. If I had to guess, I'd say underground life. No plants. Moulds, crickets, spiders. But the inside of the room is a pretty flawless trick. Institutional strip lights and cream painted walls. Desks. Posters. A whiteboard. Graffiti. The only slight off note is the complete absence of anything that might identify it as more than "a room, somewhere". And of course, almost the full complement of the New Olympians are here. Judicator and Knick-knack beside me. Imperious and Majestic, sitting on desks in their uniforms, looking like well dressed delinquents. Counterpoint, playing with a big nasty knife. Erin, nailed to a wall. She's not bleeding, so she's probably regenerated around the wounds. Not nice.

"Now would be a good time for you kidnapping idiots to hand yourselves in to security and pray they only give you detention until you graduate", I say. Of course they won't do that, but I need to play for time.

"Why don't you walk out the door and call them yourself?" Counterpoint. "I bet you that I could fucking nail you with this knife before you make it out."

"Not taking your sucker bet. Let Erin down!" Odds on, the door doesn't even open. If it did, it wouldn't be into a nice civilized school hallway.

Imperious says, "You're throwing around a lot of orders for someone who is not in any position to make demands. I on the other hand, am in a position to. So here's the rules. One, I know you can just up and disappear. If you do so, Counterpoint there carves a bit off your friend. Then we invite you back again. Don't worry, she'll regrow it. But you'll know you left her here, screaming. Two, you sass me or Majestic, there will be consequences. Your situation will get worse. Probably a bad idea to sass Counterpoint either, but I'll leave that up to him." Said psycho gives a nasty grin. "Three, you don't speak unless you're asked a question. You shut the fuck up and listen. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal", I say. If he wants to monologue, I want him to monologue.

Outside, Caitlin pulls to a sudden stop, and holds up a hand. "Hold up. Something big going on. Damn, that feels like the wolves, their kind of magic, we need to get inside quickly, this could get bad."

"It's me, I'm doing it", I say. "So it's not an invasion or an attack. Should be a little bit spectacular though."

"You? How?" Her worry turns to confusion.

"Another body. A larger part of my self." I can hear big me's layered, fluid song silently ringing in my ears, she's singing and dancing the spell, layering words of sorcery into a fractal of melody that won't harm the listening humans as it controls an uncountable myriad of smaller, much more detailed spells that are forming. "Look up", I say. Carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, drawn together high above. DNA, weaving itself. Proteins, shaping and folding. Cell membranes, organelles, enclosing. Billions of identical cells, falling. The light from the campus street lights goes pink, it's like a fog. There's a smell, but I couldn't describe it beyond smoky.

Caitlin's gaping. "Holy mother of god how big is that? That had to be miles wide. And what the god-damn hell are you doing? I half followed that magic, you're artificing.. life? In absolutely fucking vast quantities. That was the most enormous spell I have ever seen." She looks down at her arm, where pink traceries are forming like fine lace. "What is it doing?"

Oops. "Uh sorry. I forgot some students have inorganic skin. It's searching you. Looking for my missing friend. Don't worry, it should run off once it decides you haven't got her in your pockets."

"Well, damn. You should have told me you were busy."

"I'm not", I point out. "Other me's are busy. This me is here. Shall we run? It might be a bit more slippery, though."

"No, I think we've run enough for tonight", she says, looking at her arm where the lacework of pink has started to drip off. Oh dear. I hope I've not annoyed her. She catches that look and says, "Yes, I'm annoyed. You should've let me know. Please tell me you have permission for this?"

"From the Head, directly", I say. "Circe is monitoring. This is just a way to resolve a nasty little kidnapping situation before anyone gets hurt."

She sighs. "Alright. But the run is still over, because I don't know how this stuff behaves, and I'm not stupid enough to risk my neck in untried conditions. As for you, you're good, but I'm worried you aren't safety minded. Let's just say, you aren't in yet. I'll decide later if you get another try."

I nod. It's fair, I didn't warn her.

In the fake classroom, Imperious is getting to the end of his rant. "You will return what belongs to ME! The only way she leaves this room alive is back in my control. And then you will take your punishment, which will be epic enough they will be reading about it in classics classes, badly translated, three thousand years from now!"

I pretend to be afraid. "I need to bring big me forward to do the reconnection."

"Do what you must", he says, disgusted.

I make my way over to Erin, who says weakly, "Don't... do it. Won't let you live. Know too much."

Counterpoint comes over with his big knife and says, "Nobody fucking asked your opinion, traitor. Maybe I'll cut your tongue out?"

Big me fills my eyes, and the glow brightens, casting shadows. Erin says, "Please, don't." I think Counterpoint thinks she's speaking to him, but she isn't, she's speaking to me. Big me pushes thoughts directly into her head. "Trust me. Safe. I will protect." The relief on her face confuses Counterpoint for an instant.

And then there's one of me standing by each of them, and I touch them. Rats, there's wards on the big three. I get Judicator and Knick-knack though, and they drop unconscious where they were standing. Evidently traitors don't merit protection, a miscalculation on their part because they're already two down.

I fill the room with copies of me. We all extend our teeth and claws, and the fight begins in earnest. Both Majestic and Imperious are strong. Not quite as strong as me, and there's lots of me, but they've got other powers. Majestic is slinging spells, although big me finds swatting them aside pretty easy. Imperious is throwing lightning. Turns out I can tank it, but it still knocks me on my ass and hurts, a lot. Yeah okay, enough being a martyr, pain switch set to off.

Counterpoint is doing murder. I'm losing bodies fast, although I can keep making more. Gut stabbed, spine severed, throat cut, he's like a blender in human form. It's not pleasant, even now I do have my pain turned off. There's no point waiting on regeneration, I just let the killed bodies vanish.

A stray bolt hits the lights and fuses them, and the room goes black, then a dim emergency light clicks on. Perfect timing. All of me vanish, except we're not hiding our shining eyes and long sharp teeth. Except when we are. One invisible for every three visible.

It helps. Majestic is just cowering. Imperious is sparking and punching, sparking and punching, but he looks tired and afraid and badly scratched up by sharp claws.

"You think I can't fight what I can't see?" Counterpoint on the other hand, is having a ball. I feel something shift, and gravity sense comes back on line. Ha, switched powers, did you?

A smoky smell makes me smile. Suddenly, fine wispy threads of bioluminescent glow radiate out from Erin, and start pulsing, widening rapidly into gleaming lines of light. Pulse, pulse, pulse. She's here. Found her.

"What the fuck is that", asks Imperious.

"That is a shitstorm about to drop on your head. Now would be a good time to surrender", I say.

"Not if I fucking kill her", Counterpoint is beating his way over towards Erin, throwing murdered bodies left and right. Oh well, no more miss nice Parallel. Sorcery level all the way up to "sorry, Nikki." Big me rips crudely right through Majestic's wards, making her scream and drop unconscious. And we throw a command into Counterpoint's body to fire every nerve in his body at max. Boom, he drops like he's having a stroke, which he basically is, kicking and thrashing on the floor like a poisoned spider.

"Surrender or die" I say to Imperious. I'm lying, I'd only hurt him a lot.

He doesn't know that. What he does know is that I dropped his tame psychopath like a rag doll, and he's the last man standing. "I surrender. I give you my word."

And done. A me next to Counterpoint touches him and resets the command to just unconsciousness. All the more injured bodies of mine vanish. And with one of them I pad over to Judicator and Knick-knack. Now to take the tiger's teeth.

As big me is cutting them free of their leashes - and the two in Circe's lab - another me comes to comfort Erin. "Won't be long now. We'll get you down, but they have to see what was done." She nods.

A few minutes pass. Noise outside. A hole is smashed in the wall, and Hank flies in. He's followed by Forsyth and a bunch of security guys with flashlights, that reveal the room again. It's an absolute mess. Blood literally dripping off the roof and on every surface. Nearly all of it mine.

I wake Judicator and Knick-knack, now free agents, and everyone's led, or carried out, while docs deal with Erin. The other Kimbas and Sara are there, and I have to promise a big favour to Nikki, for her to go clean up the nasty distortion in the room, as well as the residue in Counterpoint and in Majestic.

It turns out we were under the school, in natural caves connected to a really deep part of the tunnels. This was probably their sneaky long term project, a lair they used to frighten people, or just hang out and plot world domination. Most anyone brought down there by portal would have no clue it wasn't a classroom, but their reports to security would leave people scratching heads and doubting their story. And of course, no matter where they looked, up above, they wouldn't find that one classroom.

After they're cuffed, I take the unconsciousness off Majestic and Counterpoint too. It's a long, weary climb back up to the surface level, and I'm not inclined to burden some security guy with dragging their sorry asses. Erin is carried up gently, wrists still pinned to two broken off pieces of wall. They want to do x-rays for safety's sake before they take the nails out. And then I get to sit in security, with a much deserved cup of hot coffee, and tell Forsyth the story.

Over in ARC, there's much celebration. Big me stays out, for a bit, to answer questions and get probed by scientists. Also, to properly give some attention to Donna. They let us have a room alone. Big me gives her the same never-die-of-age mods we gave the doc, as well as sharpening up her beauty and giving her regeneration as good as mine. And then we do a sort of mind meld, and big me just pours love into her in an impossible torrent until she almost passes out from it, then we bask in her love back.

The search spores stay active until morning, bright pulses of light now marking Doyle as Erin's location. When the sun comes up, they stop, and begin to dissolve back to the elements that temporarily made them.

# Part forty

"Oh don't give me that guff, I gave permission for a search, not a war", Mrs Carson is annoyed with me. After we were done talking to big me, security phoned her with the outcome of the rescue, which she was not happy about. And now I'm sat in her study being told off.

"I had to be there", I say. "I had to know she was there, and safe, and protect her from when the spores found her, until security reached us. You know Counterpoint was going to kill her once he saw the spores light off, right? It wouldn't have worked to hide her, but she'd be dead. So I had to be there in person to play for time."

"And it had nothing to do with the fact that you wanted to disconnect Judicator and Knick-knack, and it would be convenient to have a self-defense excuse if they had been instructed to fight back?"

It's not easy to hide things from the Head. "Okay, that too. They had already begged me to do it, but they were under orders to resist. I didn't want to abandon them to his control. I felt responsible."

"And you were worried that afterward, it might be harder to get permission than forgiveness. So you knowingly put yourself in harm's way. And died how many times?"

"Thirty-ish. Give or take maybes. I think I'd have regenerated most or all of them in time. Simpler not to, though. Regenerating from dead is a messy thing, and the bodies would have been underfoot."

She sighs. "I'm still trying to work out how you charge someone with killing the same person thirty times over, and yet she's fine. But yes, we're going to throw the book at them. You, I'm not sure about. You started a very violent, very bloody fight against three of my students, two of whom have minor class X damage as a result, all of whom are probably going to have screaming nightmares for months. You magically befouled part of my school, if not an authorized part, and miss Reilly had to spend an inordinate amount of essence making repairs, for which I now owe her. On the other hand you did it for mostly good reasons, and in defence of an innocent victim. I'm going to have to sleep on it before I decide."

Nice work double billing for the same piece of work there, Nikki. The thought makes me want to giggle, perhaps a bit hysterically, but I suppress it. Instead I say, "I hope you're not charging Judicator and Knick-knack?"

"No, nor Tracer and Prism, they acted under compulsion, that much is evident. I'm going to have the others checked for the same thing. And all of the remaining connected three checked for whether they wish to remain in their present state, now I know it's an issue."

"I know Counterpoint doesn't, but I'd be reluctant to disconnect him", I say. "If anything, it holds him in check. He has fewer ambitions and nastier hobbies than Imperious. I already told him, not unless he can convince big me that he has changed."

She sighs and looks tired. "Perhaps that may be for the best. Well, it's almost dinner, so be off with you and eat. I'll have a message sent with my decision tomorrow."

It's only a short indoor walk from the Head's office in Schuster, to Crystal Hall. I can see the search spores pulsing their glow outside, through the glass of the hall. The Kimbas and Pack are already there, all at one pulled together table this time, but they look like they're waiting for something. It turns out that something is me. As I make my way in, they stand up and all clap. Yikes. Okay, blushing now.

"Yeah, yeah, cut it out, you're making a scene", I complain, suppressing the urge to run away or disappear.

"You fought a mighty battle, and saved one of us", Hippolyta says. "It deserves a scene." Which may be true but it doesn't make it less embarrassing. Still, I get a very heartfelt hug from Sara which I don't mind at all, and then with one of me sent off to get her tray filled, I grab a seat, and get debriefed for a second time.

"So basically, you got your ass kicked so hard you won", Billie teases, after I've recounted the fight, and shown everyone the teeth and claws.

"It's a legit way to win", Hank says. "There's a famous battle in the 19th century where short spears and hide shields beat and completely obliterated rifles and machine guns, and it's partly because there were just that many of them and they never lost courage."

Sara adds, "Zergling rush."

"I'm much cuter than a Zergling", I teasingly complain.

Omnisexual Sara gives that some thought. "I dunno, they're cute in their way." Which gets a chorus of "ew" and small bits of food thrown at her as she giggles.

Hank says, "I have to warn you though, there's a second famous battle that happened right after the first one, where the same side used the same tactics and lost bad. Don't just rely on swarming people with numbers."

"I wasn't really winning, just holding ground", I agree. "In the end when Erin was in direct danger, I had to swat him with sorcery."

"I wish you hadn't, even if I got two favours out of it", Nikki says. "I don't think you could see just how badly that one swat messed the place up. You'd have had things crawling out of the walls within days if I hadn't patched it. Please, try not to need that again."

I sigh. "It's frustrating having the power, and no way to use it safely at full strength. Stupid sorcery needs debugging."

"Well, feel free to try fixing it", Sara says. "It wasn't created by an entity who cared about the side effects. He just wanted a fast, cheap way to get results. There might be gentler ways of doing it. You could make that a project."

I nod. "I will."

Over in ARC, I'm just basking in the closeness to Donna, and snuggling against her. It's really kind of them to let us have time together like this. It's helping a lot with the after-battle shakes. Big me has folded back down into wherever it is she exists, although I'm sure she's always going to be closer to the surface now. So for now it's just us.

I say, "I wanted to talk to you about a thing, although I'm not sure about it, it's more a guess. I'm not sure whether to raise it as a thing with ARC proper. But it directly affects you."

"Mhm?" she says lazily. "I think I might be guessing."

"Oh?", I ask, "I'm curious what you'd guess."

"That you've noticed I'm changing. Somehow, being around you is doing that, even just a couple of times. Around Sara too, but she changes me in a different direction. She pushes me towards accepting my hungers and how they crash over me and make me into a needful thing. You, you're making me open and easygoing and kinda not too worried about taboos or being seen. Sexual too, but in a kind of open-hearted loving way. I look back at who I was, and she'd have been appalled at me, snuggling up with her adopted daughter like this, even if we have got our clothes on, but I just can't feel that any more. Love is more important. And feeling sexual is part of love."

I nod. "Yeah, I've been seeing people change. You, other loves of Sara's, particularly anyone big me has tinkered with. I kind of wonder if ARC is letting us have time because they're caught in it too, and it's made them not mind." I pause, thinking how to put this. "I um, really like the effect I'm having. I don't want to force it on you if you don't want it. But if you do want to..."

"I can see where it's going. We're going to end up being sexual together, aren't we?" She sounds quiet.

"Feels like we're most of the way there already. But I don't want to make you go further than you want."

She's quiet for a bit. Then, "I... I'm going to let you know a secret. I've been wanting you today since I felt the warmth of you slip past me getting into the car. You and Cecilia and your damned feel-me-up prank suit hasn't helped either. I'm not comfortable with acting on it yet. But I can feel that changing. I can feel myself moving towards, oh just kiss her, don't you want to let her touch you... and I do, I really do. But not yet. But it's close. I can feel my resolve just... evaporating gently away."

"For now, snuggling is good. I have absolutely no complaints at all. Lovely Donna. Beloved mama."

"Cutie. Why do I have all the luck. First Sara, now you?"

"Fate must like you", I say. "Can't imagine why, must be the cuteness. Or perhaps the wonderfulness."

"Silly!" She laughs.

"I admit it, I'm silly." I sigh. "There's something else that's been on my mind. You know what told everyone about the way I changed reality last Monday night. What I didn't say is that I still don't know just how far my changes will go, or how they're going to affect humanity as a species."

She plays fingers in my hair. "Worried you're going to influence the whole world same way as me?"

I stroke her fingers with my hair, making it twine around them. "Whole universe. Multiverse. Everywhere that shares our metaphysical basis. But even if all we see of it is Earth... can you imagine the changes?"

She considers that. "Not easily. There's so many people, so many viewpoints, it's a really big world." She pauses, thinking. "I think you should tell ARC, officially. Then we can set staff to watching the numbers on government statistical feeds, including the secret ones. Even if the effect is small, it should show at scale. We've got the resources to do that, here. We're already doing it, in fact, it's how we get advance warning of some kinds of dangers."

"Means telling them about you. What if they drag you off for deprogramming?"

"If it's not a harmful change, and I'm consenting, I don't think they will", she says. "It's important enough you shouldn't prioritize me, dear."

"I do though, I can't help it", I say. "Okay, I'll tell them. I'm going to rely on my gut feeling they won't react badly, and they aren't hierarchical enough to be overridden by highly placed idiots."

"Woe betide them if you're wrong, I think", she teases. "My little anarchist."

I stick my tongue out at her. "I am not some rampaging monster out of a disaster movie. I'd come rescue you, but I'd try to be polite about it."

And that just makes her giggle. "Polite!" And giggle some more.

# Part forty one

It's getting late, and I should head home from ARC. I'm going to use a long distance teleport, because I have a good lock on my room in Poe, and I have clothes to deliver.

But first, I take some time to explain my thoughts about influence to Doc Otto. He peeks inside Donna's head with her permission, and confirms it, there's subtle but profound changes being worked, more so than are obvious consciously. I was pretty sure of it already, but the independent confirmation does give me a bit of a sinking sensation.

Donna says that she consents to and approves of the changes. The doc decides to accept that. He agrees that ARC will start to monitor to see if there's any large scale similar effect. Donna is useful here as the type-specimen. He says he'll keep me posted if they detect it.

Me and Donna step aside into the bathroom before the teleport, so I can share reading the secret note. It turns out that my new gear has a couple of secret features. "First, try putting a glow on both nipple tips at once, but wait until you have privacy", Cecilia writes. I do, and what was a tight fitted somewhat exhibitionist suit suddenly fits much tighter. As in, around and under each separate breast, contoured around my nipples and tucking up into my crotch with enough detail you can see the folds of my labia. It literally looks like paint, or some mermaid's naked skin. Fun fun. That mode makes Donna giggle a lot, as I try toggling it on and off. "Next, and I stress, in private, light from your pubic bone in front, around underneath to your coccyx in behind." I do it, and the entire crotch area unzips and folds back to the thighs, making Donna blush and look away. Okay, that is both practical and promises a lot of fun. I'm definitely going to have to bring a copy across to Gothmog's realm. I didn't know Cecilia was kinky like that, but then, maybe she's been caught up in my field of influence too. Undoing the changes is as easy as reversing the direction of the light, it folds closed and smoothly seals. Okay, I *like* this suit.

Decent again, I head back out, give Donna a goodbye kiss and hug, pick up the shopping bag, and make the teleport back to Poe, and my suddenly lonely room.

I think I'm going to save showing off the suit until the morning. I've had enough excitement. I strip off, hang up the new clothes, switch to pyjamas, jump in bed early, and park that body. Security is thankfully done with me, of course all the spurious charges are rendered moot by catching the real kidnappers red handed and without the ability to force Erin to lie. I vanish the body, but leave them the splattered and slashed uniform as evidence.

And so there's just one of me out for now. Stan and Morrie sent me a message that I wasn't to come in today "on account of being repeatedly dead, we felt you needed bereavement leave". Which makes me giggle, but it's probably a good call, I'm emotionally wrung out. Although mildly curious how they got the gossip so fast.

I decide to head to Sara's place - along with all of the pack except Erin, who's still being looked after for her wounded wrists, and Gypsy, who doesn't really hang with them. For once, we head to Hawthorne overland, because it's a spectacular sight. The grass as far out as we can see ripples with a webwork of bioluminescent light, pulses flowing out from the epicentre in Doyle. We aren't the only ones marvelling at it. If you step on it, it squishes underfoot like jelly, but quickly runs back into formation. Some of the kids are gleefully stomping in it like new snow.

"Hold up!" The kid walking towards us is short, looks about the same age as me, with a weak chin and slicked back hair, and wearing a long lab coat. We all pause, as he approaches the group, and heads for me. "Is this mess yours?"

I nod. "Enjoy it while it lasts, it's temporary." Although really, he doesn't look as if he's enjoying it.

"Thank all the gods for small mercies. Your little toy tried very hard, for about ten unpleasant minutes about an hour ago, to bust into my biosecure lab. Got right through three layers of defenses that should have stopped everything from ants to Ebola. I don't appreciate having my space invaded like that."

"Ah, I apologise", I say. "I'm guessing you're Jobe, right? I hope no specimens were damaged."

"Not for lack of trying, but no, the high intensity ultraviolet disinfector held the line. I think, if they hadn't already found what they were looking for and stopped pushing, even that might have been swarmed. I do admire their persistence but if you do that again I am going to get creative in response. Which you will not enjoy."

"If you could give me a stigmergic biomarker I can use, if I ever need a next time, I can tell them that means keep out."

"I'll do that", he says. And just turns and leaves.

"Well, well", Sara says when he's out of earshot. "you have a new fan." Which has the others giggling. "No, seriously. That was polite, for Jobe. He complimented you. I think he was genuinely impressed."

I say, "That's going to be interesting given how much I know he loves you", which makes her snicker too, and agree.

Sara's room is a welcome refuge after a tiring day. I grab a spot on the bed and just rest my eyes a bit. I think all of us are feeling frazzled. Those who weren't fighting, were waiting to see if a friend would be all right. Two friends, I guess.

Someone comes and cuddles up against me from behind, and wraps arms around me. From the plush softness, it's Paige. She says, "I know you probably figure I'd be grumpy, having the no use job, given those idiots have all the technical competence of a flatworm. But I was patched into all the security feeds, and they were wearing body cameras when they broke through the wall. I saw that room. I figured you'd need a hug."

I know she's experienced something similar, and worse, herself. "Thank you." My voice comes out choked up, it feels like emotion's welling up in me, like some tap that was off while everything was busy is back on now it's quiet, and it comes roaring out. Dying and dying and dying. Seeing my own blood thrown in my eyes. Red, dripping off the ceiling. Seeing my intestines spill, for that split second until they vanished. The cold feel of that knife of his slicing deep inside my throat. Over and over. Feeling like I was barely able to hold the line, even as I was pouring selves into the meat grinder. I could hardly touch him. But nearly every attack of his hit home. I find I'm sobbing. Even with my pain turned off, it was awful.

Hands on me, gentle, reassuring. Everyone's crowded around. Sara's sat by my head and stroking my hair. I just let myself cry for a bit, surrounded by the comfort, and loving all of them.

It takes a few minutes, but I do calm down. Although I can feel there's new damage there, that I'm going to have work sorting it out when I dream tonight. I guess I'll be seeing Doc Bellows again. A thought makes me giggle, which makes Paige go "nya?" curiously. So I explain that the doc will be grumpy at me, I'm putting traumas in faster than he can take them out. Which makes her giggle too. I know she knows the feeling.

Thinking of docs reminds me of earlier, and I have to tell them all about the influence thing. Now that Doc Otto has confirmed it, it's more than just speculation. I'm probably influencing them, just being around them. It's very likely I influenced Erin by tinkering with her. Jet and Sara are the only ones I'm not sure if I can influence that way. Actually, make that, I'm pretty certain I can't influence Sara.

Everyone looks a bit thoughtful after I explain it.

"I think, you have made me less bothered about your sexual play", Hippolyta says. "There used to be less. Sara and Paige, sometimes. Sara and Jet. It used to annoy me, I would walk out. Now, I shrug."

Jamie, forwards-talking today, says, "I don't think it's making me sexual, this body just doesn't know what to do with that if I'm not hosting a spirit. But I think it may be making me more sensual and inclined to cuddle up. And yeah, like Hippy, I find I don't care if I walk in and Sara's got you spit-roasted on tentacles and making squeaky noises. It's just cute." Which image makes me giggle.

Paige says, "I definitely am a lot more sexual. And uninhibited. I was hot to fuck my sister just this morning. She was up for it too. And we did share Jules. I figure some day soon we'll meet up and do each other, and the thought doesn't worry me in the least. My mind meets the word 'incest' and just kinda shrugs. Love is love. Why not share it sexually, if you're sexual people? And I know we didn't used to feel that way."

"I would have disapproved", Hippolyta says. "Incest is bad, I was taught as a child. It still is, if it's taking advantage. But I cannot find that in what you feel. So I think it is cute." She pauses. "And hot, a little. I do not understand that."

"Paige and Petra are ridiculously hot" I say. "I loved being shared, and feeling their love passing through me. And I'm going to really enjoy watching them together, if they'll let me. So I completely understand." Which makes Paige giggle and whisper "maybe" in my ear.

Jet says, "I kind of got saddled with a libido matching my needs, so I don't know if that's changed. I might be getting more bi, though. I certainly don't object to it. I've had much worse stuff tinker with my head. You, I feel I can trust." Which makes me smile.

"So, you aren't all mad at me for accidentally messing with you?" That gets "It's the least weird thing in my life, it's fine", "It is confusing but I am not opposed to it", "I'm really liking it. Definite keep." "I already said not, silly". And a grin from Sara. "Excellent. Well, I'm going to declare tonight a snuggle sleepover, if anyone wants to join me? I'll tell the room to make duvets so we can all snuggle up on the carpet. And we can have another tomorrow to welcome Erin back."

Everyone loves that idea.

# Part forty two

**11th January, 2007, Whateley, morning**

Dreaming was about as bad as I expected. Several concurrent nightmares of being killed, ones where I couldn't turn the pain off or vanish so I had to squirm and hold my guts in and cry, of being stalked in the dark by Counterpoint, trying to hide and being dragged out. Imperious didn't feature much. It seems my subconscious isn't impressed with him. Sara was there with me, helping take the edge off it. A few times, we turned the dream around and hunted Counterpoint together, and I got to let out my frustrations on him. Not sure how I feel about that, I was *very* angry and he screamed a lot.

Waking in a cuddle pile in Sara's room was nice. I brought the Poe body back up active and checked my emails - as expected, the Head wasn't wasting time. I was instructed to see her immediately as soon as I woke.

So now I'm stood, un-showered and hastily dressed in her office, while the other me gets a neck massage from Sara, her attempt to try and take the edge off the tension.

"I've reached my decision. We are not going to be expelling you. I consider your behaviour partially justified, but not completely. The difference is between a judged, defensive fight for time, and flying wildly off the handle into unjustified extreme violence and use of visceral fear as a psychological weapon. You've caused serious emotional damage to Majestic, who was acting under compulsion. She is going to need trauma therapy, and probably have permanent phobias. You also escalated too easily to an extremely harmful power, and I know you have other, worse ones available. This worries me that if you snap badly, I might find my students chopped in pieces and half the school irradiated. Can you genuinely reassure me that it's impossible?"

It takes me a moment to grit my teeth and admit, "No. If I was killing angry, if they had harmed friends, if I felt they were going to get away with it otherwise, I can't guarantee I wouldn't let fly in a moment of berserk. Or if I was afraid they were about to do harm, like this time, I can't guarantee I'd finely measure my response in the heat of battle."

She nods. "You're honest, and that simplifies things. You've read the regulations on UltraViolent armbands?"

I nod. This feels almost like an inevitability.

"You aren't a rager, because when you're angry, you can rein yourself in. You aren't a violent sadist, or someone who could slip and do harm by accident. But you are capable of being extremely destructive if you choose to, and you have demonstrated yourself not fully in control of your own temper. So you will be wearing a blue UltraViolent armband, until further notice. That means, that students will know they must not provoke you. And it goes both ways. You must not start or provoke fights. Not unless life or safety is threatened, of yourself or someone else. And not even then, if you can work out a way to avoid it. No taking convenient excuses. Do I make myself clear? If you even so much as poke someone with a finger, I will take it very seriously. I suggest you work on reining in that temper."

"Understood", I say.

"Alright. And I'm switching your detention from Circe, to Hawthorne."

"Yes, ma'am."

She reaches into a drawer and picks out an armband, which she hands to me. "You're to wear this, when you are on the public parts of campus, in uniform and out. You can leave it off when wearing your gi or super suit for class. More can be obtained in the store if it needs replacing. That will be all."

"Yes, ma'am."

**11th January, 2007, the Lovecraft room, morning**

Sara says, "I suppose that wasn't so bad", as the me with her snuggles back against her and makes contented, massage-loving sounds.

"I suppose", I echo, although being labelled as violent does sting. "I wonder why she switched the detention around?"

"I think she wanted you to be seen by others", Sara says. And then with a giggle, "Perhaps Circe needs a rest, too. Anyhow, don't worry, I'll help introduce you around. Although I think a lot of them already know of you. We monsters are somewhat their mascots."

Other me ports in, hands me the armband, and vanishes. For some reason, I'm just not feeling up to Poe, or anywhere where I'm not wrapped around with beloved friends. At least until those dream memories calm a bit. Instead, stepping carefully around the still-sleeping others, I head to Sara's en-suite bathroom, with her following.

"This time", she says, "I mean not to get interrupted. Let's run you a proper bath and soak that tension out."

I'm happy to be putty in her hands as she runs the tub and then gets in behind me to hug and soap me. Mmm, nice. I really need to figure out how Paige's purr works so I can copy it. Sara's claws are the sort that are always out, but she's so gentle with them.

"You know, I really really love you", I say. Yeah, I know, it's really just burbling but there's no way a mere language can hold the immensity of how much I feel.

"I really, really love you too, cutie, even if you are a trouble magnet", Sara teases. Then thoughtfully adds, "I think, Erin kind of idolises you too. You were busy talking to the head, and I had a bit of time to pop into Doyle and visit her. She says thanks, of course. But I think it goes beyond that. When she was all alone, you came for her, and you fought for her. You chose to throw your life at the enemy, over and over, rather than take the easy way out and tie her back to her abuser. You deflated him and made him surrender and took his minions away. And then brought security down on him. I think she pretty much worships you now. Maybe she'll take your mark?"

"I have no idea how to make one", I say. "If she asks... I'll think about it. Would that mean she's connected to you too, with me as the conduit?"

Sara giggles. "I dunno. I don't think there's ever been two of us like this, with one marked to the other."

"I am very, very happy to be the first, then" I say. "Love you literally forever. My soul loves your soul."

"Silly", she says, and kisses my neck. "Mmm, you just reminded me of a thing. I need to quit stalling, and introduce you to my cult."

"I wasn't going to push", I say. "I know you aren't completely comfortable with it."

"Your little adventure got me thinking. Maybe I've been setting the bar too high for myself", she says. "Like... every hymn of praise to Jove, to Zeus, temples, plays, statues, great works of art, were aimed at that narcissistic... thing, presently sitting in a locked room in Kane and contemplating federal kidnapping charges. Just an over-egged, arrogant spirit, who used to have essence to burn. His own humans outshine him in every way." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "I've been saying to myself, how can I be the world saviour they think I am? How can I be the great goddess they love? But perhaps I've been looking at it backwards. What if they own the things they do in my name? Then my role is less to step in and make everything better, and more to be there, inspiring them."

"I know you do step in where you can", I say. "But yes, you inspire others. And they love you. And value your teachings, which are more than you know."

She pauses before replying. "A fair fraction of what I had planned to do, you've already achieved, you know that?" She leans her head against me. "If I'm an inspiration, so are you. I almost feel like my purpose is over."

I feel I have to put my foot down a little. "Silly! This business with changing the world, undoing the harm, dealing properly with he-who-shan't-be-named, it's one little war in both of our much longer lives, and in a thousand years time, we'll look back on it with amusement. Weren't we so grim and determined! Your purpose is yourself, and what you love and value. What that means is going to change constantly, but it will never be gone. You, for yourself, are valuable, love. You, for yourself, are beloved."

A pause while she thinks about that. Then, "Alright", she says, sounding a bit determined. "I'm going to arrange a conference for my people, and introduce you to them. A global one. Where though? It would be no good to bring them here, the school's supposed to be a secret. Hmm, maybe daddy can host?"

"I figure he could make changes to the layout there, easy enough." I giggle at the audacity of the idea. "First ever off-world religious conference held on the domain of one of the actual religious figures involved, and chaired by the other? I think governments around the globe will have kittens at what it implies. If you want to get fancy, you could even invite leading figures from other religions. The Pope and whatnot. Make an international occasion of it?"

She giggles too. "Some of them don't like me, but it might be fun to offer them invitations anyhow, and see who accepts. They wouldn't dare misbehave on daddy's home ground. If they even dare to set foot on it."

"I bet if you invite Englund, he accepts", I say. Which makes her laugh.

"He's not really a leading figure in anything. But I might, for the amusement value. I think you're right. He'd see himself as Daniel marching into the lions' den."

"If we do, I might have to hide away my pregnant self for a bit", I say. "he'd report me to the Head in a heartbeat. And I'm not sure how she'd take it. I'm pretty sure that 'I'm not even on the same planet' is not in the list of permitted excuses."

"Especially as you totally were when you did the nasty", Sara teases. "Right in your dorm in Poe, on the icky cheapskate carpet. Scandalous. Might have to be awhile before we openly admit that one."

"You reckon we'll ever be able to?" I'm a little surprised.

"If your influence continues doing what we think it is. Eventually, the Head is going to start saying, oh what's a little pregnancy between friends?"

The idea cracks me up in a fit of giggles. "New school rule, clothing is now optional."

Sara picks it up, "Students are reminded that although the rule against fraternization has been dropped, they should not take this as an excuse to block the corridors."

"Please obtain a permission slip from the house mother before arranging your orgy."

We both are giggling too hard to carry on. Although it's definitely a weird thought. I wonder if it will happen?

Our game of speculation is interrupted by Paige peeping around the door. "Are you two turned into prunes yet? Because we should really get a move on if we want breakfast."

Eep, lost track of time. A teleport takes me out of the bath and bone dry, resulting in a huge and somewhat messy sploosh as the water rushes in to fill the hole. Sara awws, but I grab a towel and offer her a hand up out of the water, then get to towelling her off, which returns a smile to her face - and is fun to do while naked. And while being watched by a very cute Paige with a twitching tail.

# Part forty three

**11th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, breakfast**

I do my usual split up trick, as our group makes its way into the hall. I feel like, I've been neglecting the Kimbas a bit, and although I had reason, I want to patch that up.

I touch in on the crystal, "Hi, everyone. Sorry for the fast fade last night, I was feeling a bit shocky."

"Nah, no worries", Billie says. "I totally get it. Adrenaline wears off, and suddenly the whole horror thing jumps you. We've all been there. You doing okay now?"

I nod. "Yeah, a bath and joking around with Sara and I'm feeling a lot better. Uh, that said, there's some stuff I should talk about. Out of earshot of the rest of the school, though."

Ayla asks, "All of us?"

"One of the things is an everyone thing. The other, it's more just catching people up, and Nikki and Toni and Chou already know about it. I can put both of them off if you're busy?"

Ayla shakes his head. "Let me go have a short conversation with the chefs, then that's all my business here. We have team tactics right after this, but we could fit a short meeting in if we hurry finishing our food."

A few minutes later, we're bunched up in Nikki and Toni's room, with the anti snoop spell up. "So spit it out", Toni says, "I know the half of it, but it sounds like that ain't the important half?"

I nod. "Okay, so I got external confirmation yesterday of something that I've been wondering about for a few days now. I'm generating some sort of influence. There's definitely a proximity effect, right now I'm not sure if that's all there is. I might have made it universal, if slower, on Monday evening."

Jade asks, "What kind of influence? Like, you're putting the whammy on us?"

I say, "Not deliberately, it seems to be an effect of being around me. It makes people sexually less inhibited. Even the ones not able to have a sex drive, like Jamie, they get more snuggly and accepting of what the others are up to. Definitely I've been affecting the Pack. I've already spoken to them about it. I'm not sure if I'm affecting you all yet, but it's likely to happen unless you push me way back, and I'm not sure if even that will be enough in the end."

Jade says, "I don't think the sexual part is getting me, but, last night, Oneesan, I wanted to snuggle up?"

Billie nods. "And I didn't mind you jumping in my bed. I think neither of us two is being hit by the sex side. Which it implies it leaves people alone if they didn't already have much of a sex drive. But yeah, snuggling might be a thing."

Nikki is blushing red, and looks down. "I um, may have had a few fantasies after what you told us yesterday, Jules. And god, the fact I'm even admitting it in front of everyone... yeah, you're having an effect on us."

"Shit", Toni says. "Thought it was just me. Okay, what do we do about it?"

"Do we even want to do anything?" Ayla asks. "I mean, it's freaky to realise it's some sort of uncanny power, but Nikki disinhibited is not a bad thing."

Which gets him pelted with pillows by said redhead. "Ass! I don't know. Let me bring Aung in."

A lengthy pause, then, "An interesting effect, indeed. It is not magical, but now that I look with attention, I can see it. You are attuning others to your own nature. Through the change in fundamental magical law, it has become their nature, too. And your presence pulls them towards it more rapidly... I do not think this can be easily avoided. You are right to worry it may become universal, as the change is already present in all." And she fades back out of Nikki's posture.

"Well shit indeed." Toni's looking a bit shocky. "I need time to think about this. Spit out the other thing so at least we can have a laugh at your expense before we head off to class."

I blush, take a deep breath. "Okay, so. I, um, kinda got myself pregnant. Deliberately. And then couldn't make myself give it up. And I'm hiding that body far off campus because I mean to go all the way through with it. Please don't blab it around, I might get expelled."

Silence. Toni and Fey look at each other, they knew.

"You got *yourself* pregnant?" Billie asks. "I mean, I get how it works, but damn, I hear banjos."

"She has control over genetics, don't you Jules?" Jade says. "I don't think she'd do anything bad that way."

I nod. "Junior's as healthy as a one day old zygote gets. Genetically and in every other way. Being inside me is about as safe a place for a baby as anywhere on Earth."

"Couldn't wait to get started taking over the world huh?", Ayla asks. "We're out of time, but damn. If that's the level of disinhibition we can expect to eventually arrive at..."

"Specially if we can expect the entire world there, give or take a decade or two", Toni adds. "Damn girl, I don't even have words."

Nor does anyone else really, they have to hurry to class, but Jade stops me on the way out. "Can I see? Junior, that is."

I nod. "Absolutely. Whenever you're free."

"We'll talk at lunch", she promises with a grin.

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have the same classes, but last Tuesday morning I was in a coma, so it's my first time for two of them, devisor lab in one through three, and costume design in three. The others are math in one (It's dull enough I'm going to see if I can test out of it), and necromancy with Sara in one and two. A few well placed teleports save me a lot of rushed walking.

Devisor lab is underground as one would expect. I peek in. It's a little quiet, all the combative types being tied up with team tactics until third period. The one person I recognise immediately is Jericho, although we haven't met in person, he's obvious enough from what I've read. He and a couple of others are busy pouring themselves what smells like coffee from an enormous urn.

Jericho's the one to come over, as I'm looking around the door tentatively. "Oho, fresh meat, are you lost? Looking for someone?"

"Looking for devisor lab class", I say. "I missed last Tuesday's one. So this is my first."

"Missed last Tuesday..." he puts two and two together. "You're Parallel! Which means, if the rumour mill is accurate, you've been a busy bee."

"The same", I admit. "And busier than you know. Fight aliens on Friday, change the universe on Monday, break up a kidnapping on Wednesday..."

He does the Spock eyebrow thing. It's clear he's practised it. "At some future date, I would love to hear every one of those stories. Some of it, I can already guess. So you are a devisor as well?"

"Gadgeteer, equivalent, and new to it", I say. "Technologically, because I read the whole library last Saturday. And got a bit of practise in with Bugs, on Sunday. Biologically, because I'm kinda not entirely human, and the not-part is very good at biology. I don't have my own rules, but I can dance with the regular ones."

"Eeeexcellent", he draws the word out. "We devisors badly need gadgeteers to try and weed out the rule-breaking and commercialise our designs. You may end up low monkey on the totem pole for a bit, but you'll make a lot of friends. So, do you like coffee?"

I laugh, the innocent question has the feel of a test to it. "Hit me."

He grins. "The attitude, I like it, yes. One cup of mud, coming up."

Devisor coffee is what happens when you take a group of people who break the laws of physics for fun, and set them the task of extracting literally everything from the coffee bean. I wouldn't be surprised if the spent grounds came out white. It's intense. And rather nice. Even if I do have to nudge a couple of parameters in my liver bring the toxicity down to tolerable.

"Mmm, I like it." He's looking at me intensely. "Expected more reaction?"

"First time I tried devisor coffee, I was talking so fast they had to record me and play me back at quarter speed. I didn't sleep for a week. It's normally an acquired taste."

"Not entirely human", I remind him. "I could probably swig cyanide, and all it would cost me is a bit of hurried reconfiguring my enzymes to clean it up. Let's just say, I acquire tastes quickly."

"Curiouser and curiouser. Well, come and meet the others. MD, Techwolf, this is Parallel, she's new."

MD is an older kid, tall and thin and wearing a lab coat. Techwolf is a werewolf. I remember reading about him, he's under a curse. I shake hands with both. "Hi, yeah, I'm a new gadgeteer, I know tech although I'm not very practised with it, and I know biology pretty well."

Bugs comes panting in, late to class. I wave to her as she comes in, and she grins and comes over to join our group.

"So yeah, I'm MD, my actual code name is Mega-Death, don't tease me about it please, just call me MD. I'm a devisor, focused on technology."

"Harry Wolfe, Techwolf, gadgeteer, technologist. Jobe's the best bio guy, but he isn't here until later."

"We met, he seemed to not hate me", I say.

"Oh, I get it. That glowing stuff", Bugs says. "That was you, wasn't it? It impressed him."

"Technically, another part of me made it, the less human part, but yeah", I say. "And the idea was mine."

"What was it for?" Bugs asks. "I mean, I saw the light show, but it doesn't really explain itself. Why was it flashing out of Doyle?"

"It was for finding Feral when she was kidnapped", I say, remembering just in time to use Erin's codename. "Then it all connected up and flashed, to lead security to her. Except it was carrying on finding her, after she was safe and being treated in Doyle. I built it to keep working until it ran out of juice."

That gets nods all around, engineers appreciate simplicity of design. "Something you've been working on for awhile?", MD asks.

"Nope, Big Me just put it together on the fly Wednesday evening", I say. "It was pretty simplified though. A few tropisms, pseudopod motion, preloaded energy, luciferin for the flashing. Cut down DNA. Not a full lifeform, just a tool for a task. Call it a bio-golem."

"A cell-sized bio-golem you dropped over the school in astoundingly vast quantities", Jericho points out.

"The school and about a ten mile radius", I agree. "We slapped it together from atmospheric materials and a few created trace elements. Big spell."

That gets whistles. "Big as *fuck* spell", says MD. "You're impressive."

I don't share that it was really well over a trillion highly precise tiny spells, one per created cell, with the big spell only coordinating deployment, because that would probably scare them. Instead I just say, "Aw shucks. Just looking out for a friend."

"That I can get behind", says Jericho.

# Part forty four

As the necromancy class is getting ready to begin, I fill Sara in over the mark about the meeting with the Kimbas. She's particularly interested in what Aunghadhail said.

"Aha, bingo! So they get pulled into resonance with you, and it moves them along the way they were already going, but lots faster. That makes sense of it, because I've been wondering, why does it seem you have more of an influence than me? Did you know they used to worry about me turning the whole school into an orgy with my lust aura? Never happened, sadly. Months and months, and the prudishness needle hasn't moved a jot, except for my closest lovers."

"Maybe it will now", I tease.

"You joke, but maybe. You changed the lay of the land. You're definitely pulling 'em downhill now. Maybe I am too?"

"I hope so, you'll be a good influence" (which makes her call me a flatterer and me send the sensation of a kiss down the link). "For me, I think I was having some effect on Paige before Monday. Perhaps Donna, when we first met, we spent a lot of time up close. But that's it, really. But then I changed everything, and big me got involved... I think she has more of an effect than I do."

"Wouldn't surprise me", Sara agrees. "I wonder how big an effect I'd have if I brought Kellith forward?"

"Fun to find out", I chuckle. "Still, the big takeaway from that is, Aung definitely thinks it's planet wide. Even without me dragging them, they'll eventually roll downhill on their own. Maybe it takes decades, but it'll happen. Willing or no."

"Could probably be fought", she agrees. "But it would be a nightmare, they'd be pushing against the grain. Any slip, they slide." A chuckle from her. "I really am looking forward to finding out where this ends up. It seems like it's going to be a great deal of fun. I just hope it doesn't cause too much bloodshed. Some of the humans will kick against it, you know?"

"I may have to run around rescuing people for a bit", I agree.

"Silly", she says, but it's fond.

I change the subject a little, "I'm guessing, none of the Kimbas picked up on my new armband because they were just so rushed and I'd dropped two bombshells already. But I bet they saw it." And indeed, I'm already getting worried looks from the gentler-looking kids in this class.

"Don't let it bother you", she of the unfair, negotiated armband says. "It tells people it isn't safe to pick on you. I hope, none of them needed telling."

"Honestly, in most cases it is pretty safe to pick on me", I say. "What I can't ignore, I can mostly run away from. But it might save me hassle, so that's an upside."

"The downside is having to work harder to be seen as nice", she agrees.

I put an arm around her, as Ms Grimes comes in and the class hushes. "We'll get around to that too. All shall love you and despair", I misquote, and cause her to stifle a giggle.

In today's class, Ms Grimes tells us we'll be studying the history of necromancy, and various famous necromancers and resulting zombie rampages. Sadly, Anita Blake is not among their number, that might have been amusing. I do find it interesting anyway, although to be honest, I am just happy to be where Sara is, for almost any reason. Other me is happily chatting away with the devisors over a second cup of borderline-toxic coffee. But soon enough the class draws to an end.

Costume design is next, and Sara isn't in it. I guess she's not the super suit type? I brought mine along in my bag, and it's clear she doesn't have any objections to them on principle. As we walk over, I say "I never really got to ask, but why didn't you want to take this one with me?"

She considers. "There's not much point in me having a suit. I can still put my tentacles through it like you do, but you know, only once? Even Cecilia can't work around that. Me and Jet had talks about wearing her as a suit. That still is kind of a possibility, but it has its risks and downsides, she's vulnerable a few ways I'm not, and she can't be recast until we can fix her curse. But really, I suppose it was never a priority. I'm not into the superheroing thing, you know?"

I put an arm around her. "More like you can't see yourself as a hero. But you totally are."

"Bah, perceptive. Nosy."

I give her a kiss. "Maybe later, we'll work out some sort of suit for you. Just to let you feel the whole, whee I'm a superhero thing, for funsies."

"Maybe", she says, in a don't wanna talk about it way. So I just keep her hugged as we walk. I'll wear her down with love.

Hugging her goodbye until lunch, I head in. The teacher's already there, an older woman in a dress that looks like it was made from sofa fabric, chatting to a couple of other students. I head over, wait for a pause in the conversation. "Hi, I'm Parallel, sorry that I missed any introductions on Tuesday."

"Ah yes, you were in the hospital?" I nod. "Good to see you safely up and about, then. I'm Mrs Ryan. If I recall, you're new in school this term?"

"Yes, I missed all the regular classes, and got dropped into the middle of a heap of electives", I say. "I hope not being in last term's costume classes won't set me back too badly?"

"This is a very informal class. For most of them, I'm helping them tune and improve the design of what they already have. For you, I may have to cover a few of the basics. Do you already have a costume?"

I think perhaps she expected me not to have one, but I pull it out. She takes it from my hands and looks. "Ah, I recognise the work, you went right to Cecilia, which means it will at least be competently made. Could you put it on for me? Changing room in there." I nod. Once I'm in the room, a teleport drops the uniform in a pile, tentacles hold the new suit and I step in and zip up with a glow, slap on the domino mask, the whole process takes only about five seconds and then I've got my uniform in arm and step back out. Which gets a curious look form her. "Commendably fast. Hmm, let me look. Spin please. Thank you. What are the special features?"

"Well, this", I say - and vanish. Except for teeth and eyes. I'm suddenly drawing a bit of attention, so I put on an only-slightly-sharp smile, and reappear. "And it lets me put my claws out", I do, from both feet and fingertips, then pop them back in. "And I can glow through it", I do a few patterns of light. "My tentacles go through it too", I show one from my upper arm. That gets a raised eyebrow.

"Alright. That is certainly a very competent costume to stand out, and to fight in. I can't tell if you intend it to look heroic or villainous?"

"More to just be a bit uncanny, and then if need be, to work well with my psychological warfare."

"Oh? A demonstration, please?"

Well, if she insists. Eyes closed, mouth closed, and I vanish completely. A short silent teleport a little to the side. Pause, let her wonder.

She looks around. "Hmm? Yes, I can see you're invisible."

I let my photophores show a little speck of dancing pink light over my forehead to draw attention, as I'm extending my teeth, lips closed, then I snap my eyes open, mouth open wide sideways, teeth at full extent, and flash a tracery of light down my body - and along my extended claws for just an instant.

Well, it works. She takes a step right back, stumbles and sits down with a bump. Life sense has her pegged as "prey, terrified", heh. I put the teeth and claws away and come visible again. "Kinda like that."

Okay, lotta attention now. And more than a few other people registering as badly scared. I guess I did not win miss congeniality points today.

Standing up, significant greyer than before, Mrs Ryan nods. "I did ask. I will be more careful about that in future." A pause. "Yes, it works very well with that, indeed. Please do not do that again. And I think, that does come down more than a little on the villain side." She nods, visibly gathering herself. "And I understand the obvious aquatic metaphor much better now, too."

Not really a welcome assessment. "Well, I don't plan to harm anybody who isn't harming me, or my friends." Yes, that sounds like whining to me too.

"But you want them good and scared, if they are", she says. Which... yeah, is fair. She continues, "Some costumes, what they want the opponent to feel, is that they are facing justice, or goodness, or righteous force. Yours sends the rather clear message 'hello lunch, run or die'. A different emphasis."

And here's me, slapped in the face with the fact I've been thinking like Skitter. "Uh, I see. Yeah, I suppose that's true. If someone makes themselves a problem, I want them to stop."

"Which they will. The main risk is that they will return in force with torches and pitchforks." She smiles. "So, today's assignment is to think of how you'd modify your look to change the meaning of your costume to something less villainous. Not that I expect you to, this is a hypothetical exercise."

I nod, and we get to brainstorming. And the room around me gradually feels calmer and less shocky.

As class lets out, Sara's there waiting, with Jet. She pulls me into a hug which Jet joins too. "Hey there, sweetie, I felt you get a bit upset there, I didn't want to interrupt, want to talk about it?" And so the three of us chat as we walk towards lunch about villainous costumes and their upsides and downsides. I think both of them feel "run or die" is a perfectly reasonable message for a costume to send. Maybe I'm not the only one having an influence. The cheerful chaos aura the whole J-team puts out might be a bit infectious. It's an amusing thought.

# Part forty five

"Hi girls! Apologies for stopping you." The tall, brown haired man looks at me. "Would you be Miss Parallel?" Jeans, tee shirt, cowboy boots, light clothing for the chill but otherwise nothing much distinctive about him except the mala he's wearing like a bracelet.

Sara and Jet move to each side of me - feels like they're guarding me. But we don't yet know this guy and whether he's going to be a problem. "Yes, that's me, how can I help you?"

"Pardon me for the rudeness. I'm Dyffud Harraz, code name Journeyman. I've been teaching martial arts lessons for your friends Fey and Chou, and instructing Tennyo on the side. I just wanted to meet the young lady who's been causing a such a splash. Ladies, please stand down, I don't mean your friend any harm." So he noticed. Well, I suppose a martial instructor would. I also notice neither Sara nor Jet is standing down just because *he* told them to.

I smile. Yes, with a little bit of pointy tooth shown. "I guess that's me, although last night's spectacular was more me clearing up other people's messes. Did you want to see me about classes?"

"Are you really a larval Great Old One?" That's not something that's public knowledge here, so I'm curious what he's up to.

I tilt my head. "Are you trying to provoke a reaction? Please don't bandy that about outside. There might be people with enhanced hearing around. I'm not exactly keeping it a secret, but I think the Head's right that some people would over-react. Yes, I am." Not saying about Sara, that's her secret not mine.

Hmm, didn't I read about this guy? Oh yes, I think I did.

"Don't worry, I'd know if there were", he says. And I think he's telling the truth, if he's who I think. He continues, "Yes, I was trying to provoke a bit of a reaction, and see what one of you looks like, up close. And I'm interested by what I see. You're a careful one, aren't you?"

That feels like a word game I'd as soon not get drawn into. "Did you have anything in particular you wanted beside curiosity? Because if not, apologies, but I need to head to lunch."

"I have your friends for a lesson tomorrow, fourth period. I'd like you to come along."

He hasn't been the most polite, but I suspect it was some sort of a test, what I read doesn't peg the guy as an asshole, but he might be a trickster. "Alright, I will see you there. If that's all?"

"It is, thank you for an interesting conversation." And he just goes.

Jet asks, "You really said yes to him, why? He was being an ass."

"Because I think I know who he is" I say. "And I figure, his class would be useful. Also I'm not sure if he really is an ass or was just baiting me. Perhaps he was curious to see me with his own eyes?"

She just looks at me, "Well, if you say so."

Devisor me has returned to Poe to check emails. There's already one confirming Journeyman's class tomorrow, as well as a note that I should go to another shrink appointment after lunch. I guess I'm on the intensive list for them. Security wants to see me after lessons, I presume it's to wrap up last night's mess. And one from a J. Donner, "We have to meet." Oh! Of course, it's Jo, Paige's sister. So I write back "Sure, whenever you'd like."

Meanwhile I'm going to spend awhile browsing stuff on the internet to see if I can't fancy up this room, because seriously, ick. I'll vanish when I get annoyingly hungry.

Walking into Crystal Hall is the usual crush, although I'm pretty sure I'm getting more looks. And none of the usual shoulder-barging. Heh, I suppose I'm a Name now. Although I suppose there's the armband, too. I split, and go look for edible things while parking myself at the two tables.

Over at the Kimba table, after I touch in, Ayla's showing everyone pictures of what looks like tar-dipped Peeper and another kid I haven't met, with a looney-tunes, "bomb blew up in my face" look.

"What's with those two?" I ask.

Which gets them looking at each other, then Nikki says, "Oh! Of course, you're not on the spots, you wouldn't have heard. Those two idiots were making shoulder angels. Ayla took some snaps after the Alphas told them to stop."

"Lemme guess, soft-porn ones?"

Nikki nods with a disgusted look. "Yeah, no surprise there. And booby-trapped ones too, so be careful what you do to them if you find some."

"Got it", I say. "Although honestly, I don't think this fool fad will last much longer. No offence Jade, yours are funny."

"Aww, she likes us!" A voice from my shoulder... yup, she got me too. A miniature version of me with a halo and wings on one side, and a much toothier one on the other side with a pitchfork, who replies, "She likes me, numbnuts, who would like a feather-brain like you?"

I crack up laughing.

Over at the other table, the Pack's all there except Erin - she really should be out of Doyle by now, so I'm wondering where she is and if everything is okay - but then I see her. And not just her. All four of the New Olympians I cut loose yesterday are with her, too. And they all come over to the Pack table. "Could we join you?" Judicator asks.

I look to Sara, it's her table, and she nods. "Of course." It's suddenly a very full table. And we are drawing serious looks. About half of a major faction, sitting down with the demon-girl and her nerd harem? Yeah, it's an event.

"We wanted to thank you", Judicator says. "My... old memories tell me he wasn't always like that, but maybe they are lies I told myself to make tolerable what I couldn't change. Regardless, he has been unstable this life, he has not taken well to being diminished. And what you did on Monday I feel sent him off the deep end. It was so clearly larger than him. I feel, if you hadn't come and saved us, he'd have dragged us all down."

"I presume they'll send him to juvie jail, and I hope he gets the help he needs to adjust there", I say, "And I'm glad I was able to get you all safely. How about the other three?"

Knick-knack says, "He says he's taken all the compulsions off them, but they still don't trust themselves around you, so they're eating in their rooms. They all want free, even if they don't like you much. Being tied to his whims, now, would be worse than owing you one."

Tracer says, "Counterpoint's spitting mad, pacing the cell and obsessing. He thinks you got him with a cheap shot. He wants a rematch so bad. I'd watch your tail if he ever gets out of juvie."

"I'll swat that bug when I come to it", I say. (Hippolyta backs me up with "He should hope he does not get out!") I continue, "And himself?"

"Moping", says Knick-knack.

Judicator expands on that with "He has accepted the scale of his defeat. That it was obvious he never had you in his power, but rather, you sprang the trap because you knew you could take the cheese. He saw his lightning strike you and not kill. He saw his warrior kill you, over and over, and make no headway, and then be struck down at a stroke. He is saying, 'I am not a god, I was never a god'. I think it has broken his self image completely."

I sigh, and decide to share a thought I've been having with them. "You know, people have been writing to me, wanting to worship me like a goddess? And I feel responsibility for them. And all the humans. I did a big thing on Monday and it's going to affect everyone more than they know. And part of me is really big, really powerful. So I suppose it's not a lie. But you know, I could use friends, and perhaps, advisers with experience? Because letting it go to my head would be bad."

Tracer laughs. "Yeah, we can do that. We were wondering what to do, with our group pretty much broken up now. I think some of us will hang together, some of us will go our separate ways, but I think any of us would be willing to advise." That gets nods from all around.

Erin says, "For me, I owe you my whole life. I'm certain he'd have killed me slowly, once he had me back in his control. You came for me, and you saved me, so I'm yours. Property, pet, however you want me." She comes around and kneels next to my seat, clearly serious about it.

I reach down to stroke her hair. "We'll start with beloved friend, and see where it develops from there", I say. "I've seen how wild your nature is. I don't want to cause you pain."

"Loyal companion", she says. "That's something even wild creatures understand."

I smile. "Then that works great for me." And she leans against my leg, smiling.

Over on the Kimba table, everyone's watching the show. Toni says. "Another one for your harem, huh?" Which makes the others giggle and me blush. And then she continues. "So, don't think we're gonna wait forever for you to explain it. What the hell is with that armband? Don't tell me the Head put that on you for last night's business."

I nod. "She did. She's not completely wrong. I was pretty harsh on them. I did let my temper make me snap."

"You were saving people!"

"She pointed out I've probably left Majestic with PTSD. She was under compulsion."

"Bah. You rushed in to save a friend, you assembled a posse, and you made it happen. I say we make you an honorary Kimba."

"Seconded", says Billie.

"You did a brave thing. Welcome to the team", says Jade with a grin. "We should get bugs to make her a spot. That's a subspace comms thingy, Jules."

The others all nod. Ayla says, "You're going to have to work hard on martial arts if you want to join us in the sims. Some of us were complete newbies when we began here, but we studied all fall." So I tell them about the encounter with Journeyman, and Fey and Chou agree he was definitely testing me. They'll show me where the lesson is tomorrow. And his teaching might help me catch up.

I tell the Pack and friends that it seems I've become a Kimba now, and that gets a lot of giggles. Yes, evidently that *was* a Kimba style rescue. Well, except for working with security, which they generally don't, but even so, swarming the opposition with a flood of bodies fits their signature overkill style. "They don't stop, they work together, and they're ridiculously overpowered", Judicator says. "If you want subtlety, I'm not sure they're up to it. But if you want someone to barge in like an elephant and then somehow make that work through sheer firepower, they are your team." I think she's teasing, but everyone giggles at the image.

After lunch, I've got combat movement, and I get to be shrunk again. But before I can head out, Jade stops me. "Don't say you've forgot?"

Oops. "Sorry, I did, so much going on and it put it out of my mind. But when are you free? I can take you over, but it's not somewhere you can get to on your own."

"Sixth period", she says. "Although it'll have to be short, I've got my job. But oh my god, I'm going to see your Junior!"

Wait, what, you're pregnant?" Jet says. Right in the entrance to Crystal Hall. And slaps a hand over her mouth as she realises that's in earshot of half the school.

"Meant to mention it. Been busy", I say with a wince. "Let's get out of here before the gossip wave reaches someone important."

# Part forty six

In Poe, I've done ordering some stuff to brighten up the room. Can't really do much about the carpet. except chuck a rug over it, so I got one of those, and some plants, and a tapestry for the wall. Since this body has gone hungry and it's already fourth period with the food counter shut, I don't plan to keep it around much longer, but I'll check emails again before I go.

Oh huh, one from a "Mrs P." and the content is just "Admit everything." Ah yes, I remember her, she tinkered in Sara's successful escape from Sydney. Very well, I'll remember that advice. It seems like the kind of thing where the right time to do it will become obvious once it arrives.

I shut the laptop, but before I vanish, there's a knock on the door. So I say, "come in?"

It's, surprisingly, Mrs Horton, the house mother. "Ah, good, I had a bit of a feeling I'd find you in. I have something to discuss with you, if you have a moment?"

"Of course", I say.

"You know that we don't usually give out singles here?", she asks. I nod. "Right. You were given a room alone because of your unexpected arrival. However, it would be more normal for you to be doubled up, and in fact, if another student were to be admitted, they would automatically be assigned as your room-mate. That hasn't happened. However, something else has - a student has just emailed me, asking to transfer into your room." I must have looked surprised because she continues, "It doesn't happen a lot, but everyone's allowed to ask to move. And this student is currently solo herself, so all things being equal I'd prefer to accept. However there are special circumstances and as a result I need to check it with you. There is a reason she has a single - she has a tendency to depart in the middle of the night and return dragging in animals she has hunted. Her previous room-mates did not approve. It's bad enough to find a mouse on the carpet, let alone the hind quarters of a small deer."

I make the connection. "Erin? Erin is at Poe?"

"She is, although it's no surprise you haven't seen her around. She makes herself quite scarce and doesn't use the common areas."

"Erin is absolutely welcome to share the room with me", I say, mentally correcting the tendency to call it 'my room'. "I don't mind the hunting, although I might ask her to get a freezer."

Mrs Horton smiles. "Excellent, I shall inform her she may move her things in at her leisure. Thank you for being so understanding."

"It's not a problem", I say. "She's a friend."

Which gets an approving nod. "Good. I believe that young lady needs friends."

While I'm over with Doc Bellows talking through the fight and its aftermath, it's a strange sort of echo to have combat movement class on the other side, and a comfort to have Sara beside me. She's happy to hear Erin is going to move in with me. It should make Poe less lonely for both of us, and also give us a little more physical security.

I'm not exactly distracted in the class, being who I am I can just task a few of me to pay it close attention, and it's all getting written to memory, but it's not where most of my attention is. Instead I'm worrying about the gossip surely spreading after Jet let the mama cat out of the bag (which she is very sorry for, and I forgive her completely, but it doesn't undo it).

Admit everything, said Mrs P, and since I trust her - and honestly, I trust the Head too - I'm going to admit it when challenged. Which won't take long, I think. But what then?

If they kick me out of the school, I suppose I've got ARC to fall back on, and I shouldn't have trouble self-educating about regular things, but I'll fall short on the special curriculum here. I may have to ask Sara to relay what she can. Being outside Whateley would increase my risk from the local MiBs. And while I probably *could* fight them, I'd rather not be the next scary global menace. That could be a nuisance. I'd probably have to find powerful allies, and ones I could morally accept. That's a difficult possible future.

What if the Head says I can stay - if I abort Junior? I suppose it's fairly likely I could keep contact with Junior's soul side and re-insert her later, but it bothers me. She's already a "someone" to me, even a day old, and that's the boundary between shrugging off killing a few cells, and mourning someone I already feel close to. I'm not sure. It would be a painful decision either way. I hope it's not forced upon me. I might tell her no.

What if she allows it? I did technically slip through the gaps in her prohibition, I made myself pregnant, not anybody else, not Sara. She's sure to close that gap now, but might be persuaded she can't bring the hammer down too hard on me for Junior. I can certainly make a solid argument that Junior is not a distraction in school, won't interfere with my studies, won't be neglected, and will have a place to stay, food, safety, and companionship. If of a slightly unconventional sort. And that I'll be an excellent parent, because I can always give my full attention. I'm not sure whether she'd want me to hide it around school. I'm not fond of lying, so I suppose I could just say "none a ya beeswax" until the rumour fades for lack of visible support. Downside is, the whole aura thing is going to be hard to hide under that level of scrutiny. And in a pile of geniuses this big, someone will figure I don't have to be pregnant over *here*.

There's something else, too... the Head was around big me, when she was watching her cast the search spell. She's been around me a fair amount, the last few days. She might already have been pulled into my influence. Which bodes well for Junior, since she's likely going to be feeling "that seems too much fuss for a small problem". But, I think Mrs P's everything includes the influence, too. At least, I'd feel I was leaving things off if I didn't mention it. Gah, this might be troublesome. The Head is surely going to think I'll corrupt her school. And I will, no doubt about it - or more precisely, I already did, but being here will surely drag everyone that-a-way at some undefined faster rate. I can't honestly deny that, and I have no way of knowing if I could even slow it down. It's not a voluntary act.

I get a poke from the mark. "Hey there, miss distracted. I can hear your thoughts spinning around in there. What's up?"

So I open up the link and show Sara what I've been thinking. She sends the sensation of an arm around me, and love and reassurance. "No matter what, you've got me, and my people. And Daddy too, he really loves you, you know? You've become family, and we don't neglect family. I don't think the Donners would neglect you, either, they like you."

"Love you too, and all the family", I agree, letting her feel my head snuggling against her shoulder, accepting the comfort. "Do you think she's going to blow up about my influence?"

"I'm sure Englund is", she says. "If the Head doesn't feel too bothered about it, he's going to push the line that it's the influence talking, and she should recuse herself. He won't even be wrong. You'll need an answer to that one."

I show her what I saw, last night in the lesson. It's only a small sliver of evidence, it's not really even enough to make a case, but she whistles, and sends a grim feeling. "Yeah. That would explain a lot, to be honest. Damn, it's going to insulate him from being pulled in to your influence, if somebody else already has their hooks in him. It'll make him look like the last rational man standing, when he's the opposite."

"I could try pulling him in deliberately."

"You'd be in a tug-of-war with whoever's already pulling his strings. You might well lose. And it would cast your influence in a much darker light, if anyone found you were using it as a weapon."

"Fair point, scratch that. And on second thoughts, we need to be strategic about that suspicion. It's too important to waste on one girl's power struggle with her school. Much as that might seem of personal importance, there's a whole world out there."

Agreement. "I think you're right. Whoever's behind him, they're playing the larger game. We can't afford to treat him as just a personal enemy."

"Can we argue my influence isn't harmful?" Pulling back to the personal question for now. Although to be honest, that question is important in the big game too.

"Depends how you define harm. I think it'll make society a gentler, more connected and loving place. But it looks like it's gonna break a lot of taboos. Humans cling to those."

"We don't have enough data points", I say. "Donna and Paige and Petra are the only ones with any obvious taboo breaking."

"If the Head decides she doesn't care about your baby, it'll be another."

"True, but three points is pretty crap for data. Maybe ARC's monitoring will have something to show? A large scale effect is a bit more objective."

"Love, you only got here Tuesday last week. And your big light-show was two days ago. Most social indicators won't yet have even ticked once. You'd need a couple of months for a trend line and three to get a curve."

"Gah!" She's right, but it's frustrating. "Can you ask Donna anyhow? They might have at least something preliminary."

"Passing it on, now." There's a pause while she speaks, then, "She'll check. If they have anything, she'll tell me."

"Thanks", I send love for Sara, and for Donna too. I wonder if I can somehow get a link to Donna? Or even better, some sort of telepathic version of the subspace toys the Kimbas have, to link all our people.

Passing that idea to Sara gets thoughtful agreement. "Yeah, it could well be useful. I'm a hub at the moment, but only for some of them. No mark, no comms. I'll think about how."

I return to pondering my problem. "If we're going to get indicators, it's going to be here. Or ARC, but I've been here the most." And then I have a strange idea. But It kind of goes with 'admit everything' - "What if we poke WARS? Peeper wouldn't hate it if I gave another interview. I could make getting my message out first a condition of the deal. Then we'd get indications from the listeners when they dial in."

"Seriously, you're going to tell everyone who listens to WARS? You know, chances are fairly high you'd start serious trouble." Sara is clearly unconvinced.

"Everyone here will find out anyhow", I point out. "This place is going to be the epicentre, if they don't kick me out."

"WARS is global", Sara counters. "Their techno-trickery messes with the locality, shuffles codenames around a bit, but what you put on there will reach the planet, largely un-redacted. They send a feed to stations around the country, and it goes onto the internet." She sighs. "At least talk to Zenith first, she runs the station. She's far more sensible than Peeper. And less likely to weasel on a deal. You know her? She's in Poe."

"Know of her", I say. "All right. I'll look her up straight after classes."

And then the me that's watching the class nudges for my attention, everyone's standing up, we're headed over to the physical movement room to practise.

First time getting changed around classmates. This should be interesting.

# Part forty seven

Reviewing what I recorded, the class was about cover and concealment, and a bit about camouflage, and how they relate to moving. Mostly the assumption in this class is unplanned combat, so we won't be training in ghillie suits or anything, but Mr Anderson covered the theory on the basis that sometimes, camouflage can be improvised, even if it's only grass stuffed in your clothes and hair to break up a head-and-shoulders outline.

Getting to the changing rooms means going through the physical training room, so I get a preview - he's got it rigged with several everyday objects (some of them painted props) such as a tree, a car, a low wall, a cross section of a ditch, a grassy mound. Should be interesting to practise.

The changing room is like so many others I've seen, designed without the least respect for privacy. Lockers against the wall, tatty much-inscribed wooden benches with gaps between the slats, cold tile floor. (Who builds these things, and are they human?) Lots of half-dressed girls. Well, no way to avoid flashing the room, given I need my sports underwear for this. Unzip the bag on the bench, a teleport drops my existing clothes. Tentacles loading up underwear ready to step into, then sweats. And I'm done in a matter of seconds, but I haven't avoided notice. Sara gives them the "your problem would be what?" glare while she's doing her own strip-down. Putting my stuff in the locker, I'm glad to have her here.

Uh-oh, looks like the patented Sara glare hasn't been enough to put all the gawpers in their places - here's someone who looks a bit like Elizabeth Taylor in teen form, with pretty violet eyes that are probably the nicest thing about her. She's finished changing into her sweats (tailored), and she walks over like she's morbidly curious about a new species of bug. Nudge from my larger self: there's a discrepancy between the body's emotions and my nonphysical selves. Psychic domination effect? It's causing feelings of shame. Okay, cut the local mind out of the loop.

"What are you?" Can't fault her for directness.

"Originally human, now not so much, why?" I know why, I'm baiting her.

"I meant are you a boy or a girl or a thing?"

"Why only pick one?"

"Because this is the girls' changing room, thing."

"Looks like your mind's made up. But I say I belong here, and bigots can fuck off."

Another girl comes up. "Leave it, Gwen. She went toe to toe with the New Olympians. She's got a blue band. You don't want the trouble."

"Can it, Barb", but this 'Gwen' pulls a disgust face, I can feel her pushing the shame hard at the local body, which is of course getting her nowhere. And then she backs off. "They'll let anyone in this fucking school."

Sara says, "Case in point, Sweetheart."

"Fuck off, demon bitch", the girl stomps out into the gym room.

As we head out too, I tell Sara down the mark that she was trying to mess with my head, and she sends acknowledgement. "That's Sweetheart, so called, psychic manipulator and bitch, with the Young Turks. Her friend's Bombshell, brick and bully, same group. Nuisances I'd like to swat some day."

"If you want a hand with that, I volunteer", I say.

"Deal. You know, she'll probably use her manipulation to push gossip the worst way?"

"Meh, I already wanted everyone to know. She'll be doing me a favour, twisted as that is."

My time-self reminds me I need to send a copy to Poe to meet Jade, so I do that, and then Mr Anderson blows the whistle to get everyone's attention, and the crawling-in-mud part of the lesson begins.

Landing in Poe, I vanish everything I'm wearing (and can't entirely shake the feeling of wanting a thorough shower to get the nastiness off me), before grabbing a more casual outfit out of the wardrobe. Jeans, sneakers, and a plain pastel pink tee shirt. Where we're going, it's warm.

Knock on the door. "Come on in!" Yup, it's Jade, with an excited grin.

"Hey, you look good, so where's the baby?"

"Close the door behind you, then open it", I say with a smile.

And of course the door doesn't open again onto Poe, but onto grass, with Gothmog smiling, and two of me (pregnant me dressed up in a tunic and short-shorts, because this is Jade and she doesn't need to see that stuff).

"Oh whoa, what? That is so cool. Where's this?"

"Off planet", I say, and Gothmog adds, "I'm Gothmog, we've met before. This is my realm, please do come in, miss Sinclair."

She pokes a finger through, pokes her head through through, then steps in, with me behind her, and the door closes and vanishes. She looks behind, "That's okay, right, it's meant to do that?"

I nod, "Yeah, it's cool."

Gothmog says. "I can open another to return you whenever you'd like, but we hoped you'd stay over for drinks and cakes. Don't worry, I shall ensure you get back in time."

The garden view is familiar to me by now, but Jade is marvelling. And then "Wow, Jules, you get to live here?" when we get to the house, which has got a lot larger and now sprawls like some billionaires' resort.

"All the time, yeah, I'm studying sorcery here", other me says.

"And I'm mostly just being pregnant here", says pregnant me. Which is... distorting the truth a little, but again, it's Jade.

We head in, and Gothmog brings a tray of juice drinks and tasty looking cake slices out from the kitchen area while we grab seats.

"This place got way bigger, because we're planning a conference", I explain, "but it was pretty big to begin with. Good place to raise a kid, don't you think?"

"And it's just you two here, and Gothmog?" Jade asks.

"Well, until he lets others in, which we plan to do", other me says. "We had a friend in here until just yesterday, she was recuperating from an illness, but she got better. But I expect she'll be back."

Jade looks thoughtful. "How many other places do you have copies stashed? Feels like you've got a whole 'nother life going on."

"Just here for now", I say. "Who knows, though. There's no reason to limit myself."

She nods seeing the sense in that. "Wait until I tell oneesan about this place. It's amazing. Poe must feel so blah and tiny."

I laugh. "Well, it's not the Ritz over there, but it's worth it for the people." Then all of me are a little surprised. "Oh hey. That's well ahead of schedule. Junior just started to implant."

Jade looks concerned. "You're sure? That normally isn't for a whole week, and it's been what, one day?"

"Since yesterday morning", pregnant me agrees. "But it's fine, here, come and put your hand on my belly and I'll try and share the view with you."

Jade, looking curious, does. We can feel the structure of her body, and the edits she's made to herself, at great cost in pain. We really must see if we can help. But first... with big me helping, we feed life sense data into her mind directly. Junior is a smoothly rounded clump of cells, and she's nestled against the side of my womb, and starting to poke a pseudopod from one cell into the lining. Infinitesimally, we can feel it move deeper.

"Oh *wow*", Jade's fascinated. "You have this all the time?"

"Yeah. I'm filtering it down for you pretty hard, I get every cell in all of my bodies all the time, and subcellular stuff, and the same for whatever I'm touching. But I've got a constant eye on Junior here, she's the best monitored baby I know."

"She's wonderful, but how's she this big, this soon?"

"Going faster, I think. We aren't all that human, neither is she."

"Huh." Then she squinches her eyes. "Why do I kinda get the feeling she's looking back?"

"She is", I grin. "She doesn't have a physical mind yet, but her soul's here, and she's looking out through my senses. Just sort of observing, I think there needs to be a brain for more than that, but she knows she's loved."

"So kewl! Hi Junior!" Jade grins. Then she looks thoughtful. "You're all linked aren't you? So you could connect me to this cell sight thing from any body?"

Pregnant me nods. "Yeah, we wanted you to see where we live, but yeah, we can link you up from any body, if you want to peek and say hi. I lay good odds that Junior's going to be a character long before she's due. She'll probably be excited to meet auntie Jade."

Jade makes a squee! noise. "Oh my gosh this is so exciting." And then a sudden swerve to grim. "We absolutely cannot let the Head throw you out. If I have to organize a riot or a mass strike, I'll do it."

"Worst came to the worst, I'd be safe here, but we don't want to leave either", pregnant me says. "Most of my friends are there, now. And it's fun."

"I'll see what strings I can pull", Jade says.

"Thanks, it's appreciated." I'm not sure how big a stick Jade can swing, politically, but it all helps.

Jade breaks contact and goes back to hear seat, and swigs her juice. "This is like the best thing ever. And we need to have a sleepover, over here, and show all the others."

"If they want to, I can't see why not", I say. "Except that if we all keep sneaking off, we're going to get caught some time and yelled at for being off grounds. I've got the excuse I was on grounds, too. You, kinda likewise. The others, not so much."

She scrunches her nose, which is cute. "Point. And where could we ask for an exeat to, Gothmog's house? They'd say where is that. A demon's realm. Oh really, and would you also like an exeat to Narnia?"

I snicker. "Haven't been there yet. I hear they have good Turkish delight. But yeah. That said, this place might well get more than a bit famous soon. When Sara gets her people all lined up."

"Huh, how?"

"Huge religious conference. It's why this place got so big. We're making presentation rooms, dorms, bars, restaurants. *Public* conference."

"Off world, and public?" Jade gets it. "Oh damn, that is going to put the cat among the pigeons, globally. Famous she says. More like historic."

"Yeah", I say. Then I decide to see if she has thoughts about my idea. "I'm thinking of breaking the news about influence to the world over WARS, and of course, it'll be a non-event, just some school kid mutant's prank, right?"

Jade nods. "They'd believe you in Whateley, and that might start a riot, but out in the country, it'd be a tabloid funny papers story. Only the crazies would buy into it, and they buy any demon story."

"Yeah, and then they see me on the TV news at the historic off world conference. Hand in hand with it's organizer, Sara, the Kellith, daughter of Gothmog."

"Oh fuck." I don't think I've heard Jade swear like that before. "Jules, the entire world will flip its shit. They'll either want to martyr you or worship you or try to do both. You could start world war three."

"It's a risk", I nod. "Thing is, the influence is already out there. Whateley will know, even if I say nothing, when it starts to show too obviously. Heads of state will know, because they keep tabs on Whateley and they aren't stupid. They'll see the social indicators move and know it's not contained to one place. So that shitstorm is coming, one way or the other."

"You want to rip the sticking plaster off. Control the narrative."

"And maybe make the global effect go faster. They'll be seeing me, maybe they'll get pulled. The sooner my influence affects them, the less likely bombs will fall."

"Whee, you don't think small."

# Part forty eight

With Jade shaking the hand of Gothmog and promising to be back, we both step back out through the doorway that leads into my room. Why me too, you might wonder, rather than just vanish the body? Because I have a trick planned. I let Jade out to go to her job, then get myself back into uniform, ready for the switcheroo.

Combat movement class was about what I expected. The right evasive way to move when you can't help being in the open between cover. How to figure where the engine block of a car is and shelter behind it. Using the rest of the car as concealment. Skylines and how to avoid them. I enjoy the class, but I have my suspicions about what's going to happen when it ends.

And indeed, turns out I guessed it, when I get back to the changing room and find the locker door wrenched open and my uniform hanging out of it, obviously shredded and scribbled upon. Are they five? Never mind. Me in Poe synchronizes steps with me in Laird. You see, what they don't know is that the trashed uniform is stuff I made, and I can unmake it.

In rapid succession I do three things. Vanish the ruined uniform - a collection of muck and small pointed objects clattering into the now-empty locker. Vanish the sweaty body, letting what I was wearing fall in a pile ready to be picked up - and precision teleport in from Poe just a step ahead of where I was, completing my walk up to my gym bag, picking up the sweats with tentacles and loading them in. While fresh and clean and wearing a pristine, never-before worn uniform copy. Somehow, what they destroyed, is no longer destroyed.

The looks I get, ha. It takes effort not to smirk. Sara does the smirking for me, as I keep a poker face watch while she changes. And then we head out. As soon as we get outside, she cracks up. "Their faces. Damn, you should have warned me, that was epic."

"Someone should paint a Renaissance style painting and call it 'malice, thwarted' and hang it in Crystal Hall beside the dragon", I agree. I need to split for detention on one side, now, and heading to security on the other. Sara stays with the detention me, so she can introduce me around. We go via the tunnels towards Hawthorne. Other me trudges overland towards Kane, taking time to look up at the stars, because it's a nice clear night. Since I hatched, I can see a lot more of them, and they're colourful. I think I'm seeing outside the human-visible spectrum, because some of them are colours I didn't used to know when I was human. Gothmog-side me has been studying us-style star charts, so I sing their names in the old language, making a melody of it as I dance towards the security building, with its odd grain-silo like observation tower. I almost fancy I hear them singing back. Far away, pretty-sparkling fires, shall I make a crown of glamour from you?

I may have been a little more eldritch than usual when I reach Kane, because the receptionist in the glassed-in cubbyhole gives me a WTF look. Yeah, my reflection has a glow to it especially around the brow, and my hair is moving without any wind. Well, it's nothing harmful, and she soon picks her jaw up. "Appointment?"

"Parallel, for Lieutenant Forsyth, I'm expected."

She checks papers and nods. "I'll buzz him, a moment." Finding composure in the routine.

Soon, the lieutenant comes in, and smiles to see me. "Thanks for coming. It looks like we need your help to draw a line under last night's business. We've got three kids who tell me the only one who can break them out of the permanent threat of compulsion is you. They don't trust themselves without it. So we've arranged a room where they can meet you, and I'll accompany you as protection if they're compelled to attack, and safeguarding witness."

I nod, "Sure, I can do that."

He pauses, tilts his head. "Oh by the way, you're glowing a bit, is there a reason?"

I shake my head. "I was singing to the stars. I'm pretty sure it's just them being playful."

He chuckles. "If it's not dangerous, I'll just file it under 'weird stuff at Whateley' and ignore it. Okay, in here."

I recognise Majestic, although she looks like she hasn't been sleeping. I'm guessing the pretty blonde is Cytherea, and the black-eyed goth is Stygian, guesses confirmed when the lieutenant introduces us. The three have parked themselves behind a desk, and there's a seat on the other side, which I take. The lieutenant goes and stands by the door, trying to act like he's not here. Do they teach that as a skill in cop school?

Majestic opens. "Thank you for coming. I want to start this right out by saying, I *really* don't like you. Neither of these two particularly has a reason to feel good about you either, but myself personally, I see your damn teeth and shining eyes in my nightmares, and I might never sleep again. I say this because I want to make it clear, we need you, it seems there's nobody else who can do this, but none of us wants to owe you a damn thing. So what I want to hear from you, before we go through with this, is a price. Something that clears the debt."

That's not an angle I expected. I take a moment to consider a reply. And I have an idea. "Alright. I can do that. There's something I need to explain to you all anyway before we do this, something I literally only figured out today, or I'd have given the others the same spiel. That will lead in to what I need from you. Then you make the go, no go decision."

She nods. "Very well, what is it?"

"Okay. So, back to last Monday night. I'm sure you all know that was me." I get two nods and a half-hearted one from Stygian. "I'm sure you all know that was global too, from the news. What you probably don't know is what I did and why. Sorry if this sounds like a digression, I promise you it's not."

I get three unconvinced looks. So I continue, "I went and changed the laws of metaphysics. Specifically, I added a broad, fractal tropism into life in general towards positive sociality and mutualism and complex beauty. All the plants and glowy stuff, those were just splash-over. I was expecting that to reflect into the human level, wasn't sure how it would, or whether it would take millennia. Now I have a better idea."

I can see hard to interpret looks on the three of them. Pissed off, a bit of awe-horror? I think they might be starting to grasp the size of what I did.

"So. I've been noticing I've been having an influence on people around me. And with some help, I've come to an interpretation that I'm afraid is pretty scary. *Everyone* is already influenced, at a baseline level, by what I did. Being around me, especially, being around the high power version of me I need to use to do the disconnections, pulls you into resonance with my nature, and makes you slide down the influence slope much, much faster. To you, that specifically means, if I do your disconnections today, you will be affected strongly. Even if I do not, you'll slide downhill as fast as the rest of humanity, but if I do, I'll be grabbing you and giving a good hard yank. Making sense?"

That was not a thing they wanted to hear. "What will it do to us?" Cytherea asks.

"Bear in mind, it happened two days ago. There's guesswork in this and very small samples. I can't guarantee the list is right, and I can't guarantee it's complete. It seems to be making people more polyamorous, sexually disinhibited, and unworried about taboos. It seems to pass over people without sex drives with the sexual stuff, but makes them more loving in sensual, snuggly ways. Since this was sampled from friends, I'm not sure how it affects interacting with third parties, except that nobody affected has done anything scandalous yet, and that includes Erin, who's as near a type case for how it will affect you as anyone could be. It seems to be a sort of oxytocin plus. Only affects interactions with your in-group, however you define that."

"Alright, we'd like some time to confer." Majestic looks like she's bitten into something that had a worm in it. "Could you step out while we do that?"

Of course I could, and so me and the lieutenant get to go raid the instant coffee machine. I can see he's a bit shaken too.

He sips his coffee and says, "Everyone's affected, globally, no way to reverse it?"

I nod. "Not without undoing what I did. Which I would strongly recommend against, even if it were remotely possible, which it isn't. That edit was put there because it was sorely needed."

"How fast?"

"Sadly, I don't know", I say. "ARC is scrambling to help me figure it out, but the indicators tick slowly. My pure gut feeling, wild ass guess - years or months, not decades or centuries. Faster in Whateley than nationally, just being generally around me will affect everyone a bit. Much, much faster for those three, if big me goes tinkering in their heads. Instantaneous."

"You realise I'll have to tell the Head about this? It impacts the school as a whole."

I nod. "She'd get told anyhow, I was planning to do that myself. But go ahead. I can follow up with her if she wants further detail."

He nods. And Majestic pokes her head around the door. "You can come back in." So we do, and I take my seat.

She picks it up as the spokeswoman again. "So we aren't happy, but we still pick disconnection. Mostly because from your description, there's no escape, and being changed by inches might be worse. Jason is unstable, regretful now, perhaps vengeful later? We can't afford to remain cat's-paws to be forced into his schemes. So with reluctance, we give the go ahead. But you still have not named your price."

I say, "Part of it is paid by the influence. It'll probably make you nicer people despite yourselves, which suits me. But for the other part, and to make us truly quits, I need your help. I'm going to have to tell the whole school about this. I haven't yet settled on how, but maybe an interview on WARS. I want you to help me by running crowd control when it happens. Help stop it turning into a riot, a panic, self harm, stuff like that. Damp down fear, give a push to hope. I think nobody could fault you for using your powers that way in defence of the school. This influence is driven by a metaphysical rule that is purest benevolence. It *will* work to the good of the whole world, in the long term, even if the result is a bit weird from our present standards. You have to help that interpretation to at least get consideration, from people whose first instinct will be to kick out and bolt."

That got them thinking. A few mutual glances, and then Majestic says. "I think we can all live with that. Deal, and quits. Now how do we do this?"

I pick my chair up and turn it sideways. "Drag up a chair in front of me. Sit, I touch your forehead, the rest is telepathic."

She nods, and I note with a bit of respect, is the first to sit up and bring over her chair.

# Part forty nine

Detention in Hawthorne is a bit fun, to be honest. Mrs Cantrel lets Sara introduce me around in the common room, but then shoos her off. Seems having not-detained friends for company is a no-no. But I get to meet a few thornies while doing tasks that would be a lot more laborious if I wasn't able to solve a lot of them using tentacles (you can get floors *really* clean when you can pick off individual molecules of gunk). When they see I can tank Antenna's current without any damage, Mrs Cantrel assigns me to Paige's room, which should be interesting, because she hasn't invited me over to her place yet. And apparently I'm to "mind myself", because Paige isn't lucid. She was fine at lunch. Odd.

The room is interesting. Very big, kind of resembling a zoo room with hanging logs and so forth, it's below ground level but there's high windows out that let in shafts of sunlight. The lighting is via subtle upward directed bulbs that avoid any glare. There's murals on the walls, painted in shades of grey, outdoor scenes. A certain somebody, looking like a gigantic fluffy spotted cat with blue shining eyes, is lying on a high shelf projecting out from the wall. "Hey Paige! Nice to meet your fluffy self, may I come in?" She doesn't answer, and I figure she's more kitty than person while in this mode, but it's good to be polite. So I take non-answer as permission. Life sense gets a feeling of curiosity from her.

I'm technically assigned to be cleaning out the litter pan, but I suspect Mrs Cantrel knows we're close, and hopes I'll help snap Paige out of her kitty funk. A short bit of poking around finds the en suite bathroom (Paige leaps down silently and pads after me) and the litter tray, gah, Paige, you did a stinky one. Okay, sewer cleaning mode engaged. Which reduces the gagging as I tentacle-sift chunks out of the tray and into the provided bucket. All the while being looked at by a very large curious kitty. She butts up against me with her face, and I reach down (not that far down, she's big!) and pet her. "Hey cutie fluff-ball. What made you decide to go full kitty, hmm?" She says "mrrrp" and makes a rumbling purr, much deeper in this form than her halfway one.

I dump the mess in the provided garbage chute, and look around for anything else to clean. Which is when miss fluffy britches decides to grab my hand in her teeth. Not actually breaking skin, but holding tight. Okay, calm, self. There's nothing she can do that's going to be permanent harm to me, so lets go with this. "Mhm, what's up?"

She's pulling me over to the bed. Which is large, and nice, if a bit rumpled. Really, in this form? I find myself thinking, but I don't get lust in her life aura, so, it's probably not that. She pulls me up and I have to scramble, and get tooth-scratched a bit - yeah, that's the were virus, spotted it, and I can stop the infection before it goes further. But it's okay now, as she lets go and settles down beside me, purring, and with a feeling from her like a protected kitten. Aww, she wanted me there to feel safe. Love you lots and lots, Paige. I pet her, she cuddles up to me purring, and falls asleep.

I'm debating whether to stay in here with her and send another body about the rest of my business, when she suddenly shifts. It's smooth and clearly magical, not one of your grimmer Hollywood bone-breaking changes. One moment she's a really big kitten, the next, a human girl, her uniform reappearing with her. Her fully human form. First time I've met her like this. Her eyes blink open. "Gah, was that all a dream? Whuh? Oh, Jules, hi, I guess it wasn't a dream. Oh shit, did I bite you?"

"You did a little but it's fine, I'm not gonna turn furry", I say. "Don't worry about me, what happened to you?"

She pulls me closer and snuggles seeking comfort, I can feel the kitty is still in her nature even if it's not in her appearance. "It's all like a dream, but I think somebody shot at me. It hurt, I changed and went after them. Then it's mostly a blur."

Well that's an unexpected escalation. "Do you think you got them?"

"Sadly no clue. Kitty me doesn't lay down memories right, when she's raging."

I sit up, sadly breaking an enjoyable snuggle. "We need to do something about it. We can't have a sniper on the grounds. Loads of kids have no regen."

"Yeah, good point", she sounds really tired and a bit woozy, and slips trying to sit up when she tries to lean on a forearm that isn't there. "Damned arm."

"Want me to take a look at it?" Maybe I can force the regen quicker.

"Yeah but not now."

Good point. "Where did it happen?"

"I was walking overland to Hawthorne. Wanted the smells of the woods, you know? Tunnels are warm but they're claustrophobic. I'm not sure if I was past Poe, or passing it, the whole thing feels like a dream. I think the shot came from the trees."

We head out of her room as we're talking. Conveniently, Caitlin is just up the corridor headed somewhere, so I yell out to her, "Hey Caitlin! Could do with your expertise."

Which gets her to come over. "Yeah, what?"

"Incident a few minutes to an hour ago, Paige was just able to describe it, we think there's a sniper on the grounds. What to do? Going back there to poke around like junior detectives seems foolish."

Paige meanwhile has been fiddling with the uniform on her shoulder, an annoying reach across with the one good hand, and says "Oh, found it, bullet hole", wiggling her finger through an opening.

Caitlin takes a brief look, and nods grimly. "Yeah, sniper's caliber. Okay, we call security immediately, and you're right, we don't go back until they give the say so. Gimme all the details you know."

So we do that, and it's briefly a bit of a fuss. Security tells us they're sending people out in powered armour to get any kids there to safety, and investigate the woods. We're to shelter in place - Hawthorne is a bit of a fortress. I consider sending a body up there to go look, but rule it out quick even though I wouldn't die just from being shot. I might endanger the security folks, and what do I know about tracking anyway? Feels like it's a lack I should remedy though. I'll ask the weres when the shitstorm is over.

I think Caitlin respects me a bit more for going to her rather than playing Scooby-gang all solo.

In the end, the report back from security is that they found signs someone had been mauled, but they also weren't present, which means the threat is still live. And now I know what made Paige do mister stinky when she got home. Tasty tasty sniper. This I do not mention to her as, if she hasn't figured it, I don't want to give her any further trauma.

Security also hands down a ruling, above ground is out of bounds if there's a tunnel you can use. If not, they plan to make some sort of temporary snipe-proof enclosure between buildings. That's going to be fun, not. It was cold and dull up there, but it was being outside four walls. The cabin fever is going to get harsh. I hope they catch whoever was behind it quickly.

Why would they shoot at Paige?

Detention's cancelled, so we head together through the tunnels to Sara's room. Said mutually beloved demon princess is happily indulging her dark side in GEO. So rather than interrupt her, we grab a bean bag and I pull Paige into a hug, which she accepts.

I think Sara senses Paige is a bit shocky, so she closes out her game, and takes off the headgear. "Hey there loves, what's up? No kitty form today?"

"Kitty form was earlier", says Paige and does the finger wiggle in the bullet hole again. "Then I got sniped. Jules had to hug me down out of full-kitty form. I don't dare risk anything but human until the urge to go back passes."

Sara comes and plomps herself down on the other side of Paige, so we can both hug her. "Who? I'mma burn em alive. Nobody snipes my beloved."

"Dunno", says Paige, sounding subdued. "It just hit me and hurt, in the middle of an open field."

I add, "Sounded like an outsider, from what security said, they found the site of a chomping, but not the chomp-ee. So kitty Paige took a piece out of em already."

"Means they'll be turning furry", Sara says. "We should alert the weres, if security already hasn't."

"The escape probably means they had a teleporter", I say. "A flyer would be seen and tracked, and on foot, they'd have to cross the weres' land. Not to mention, leaving a drip trail any junior sleuth could follow. If I could get there, maybe I could find some residual warp? But there's no way. Security has ruled the entire above ground off bounds until the shooter's caught."

"Still leaves the question of why, though?" Sara looks thoughtful. "Paige, love, since you got here, you haven't exactly been making waves, or enemies."

"Yeah, but there's still the before I got here bit", Paige says. "If they've tracked me here..."

"Then the school might have to do some fast talking to a bunch of three letter agencies", Sara says firmly. "But nobody is handing you over to anybody."

Paige nods, "And if they figured that, maybe that's why they tried to make the problem go away."

I ask, "Why miss, though? Because if I'm not mistaken, a good sniper shouldn't miss, at that distance."

"And nobody's going to bother teleporting in a bad one", Sara agrees. "Okay, let's suppose they were startled to see you, and took the shot without setting up a good aim? Then they'd have to be someone who knew the old you. But you weren't the target."

"CIA, or something, that would do it", Paige nods. "But who would be the target?"

"I know it's making too much soup from one oyster, but it could be me", I admit. "I've been making waves. We know the MCO has its panties in a wad. I'd be unsurprised if the CIA did too. Or maybe they contract out assassinations to each other?"

"If they've been paying attention, the CIA knows they can't kill you with a bullet", Sara points out.

"Maybe they just want to poke me and see which way I'd jump?"

"Or start a war they can act blameless for finishing", Paige agrees.

Sara frowns. "No war until we know who, and why. But then maybe yes, a little war. We can't have them punching holes in any of my beloveds, survivable or not."

I wince, but nod. "Sooner or later, we're going to have to get into a dominance pissing match with the more militaristic parts of the government. Ideally, in as small and polite a way as possible. I don't think they're going to sit still for me. They won't sit still for Paige either, once they know she's here. And you, Sara. The three of us in each other's laps is a vast concentration of power they'll see as unfriendly."

"Well, they sure didn't make any friends today", Paige says. Which I can only nod to.

Setting that aside for now. There are gentler, more immediate matters I can attend to. "Let's have a look at your arm", I say.

# Part fifty

I allow the strain of the day to flow out of me, and focus down on the stump arm of my beloved. Why does it hurt her like this? Holding it, I can feel the cells at the edge, gradually repairing what was cut off. But the feeling it gives me is almost of her regeneration dragging its feet. It's going as slow as it can - full repair would take years. Big me slides forward to help me, and I shift levels. I can see her soul-shape, one soul stretched over two bodies and becoming two souls - really, all the way done becoming two, now, but still joined by a thread that has become a sort of residual bond. Perhaps she could chat over it, with a bit of practise?

That's part of the puzzle, but it doesn't give me the answer I'm after. Big me makes a suggestion, and I agree, so we change levels again, diving down, going deep past her surface mind to the primal mind of the body itself. It's a dark space of urges and drives and intense, hidden feelings, and finally down here, I get something solid. There's an urge we can feel associated with refusal to regenerate - mourning, wistful yearning, stubbornness, a wish to rejoin. Somehow, the stump arm knows its severed counterpart is out there, alive. The soul connection is giving it hope, and it refuses to let go. It's holding back the healing to keep alive the hope of reconnecting with its severed counterpart, and becoming one again.

That's honestly such a sweet reason that I find myself deeply moved, and that helps, I can flow with the feeling and guide it because I can empathize. Together, we feel the sadness, reaching out, begging for what was lost to come back. Slowly, to that, I mix in an understanding of the other-who-is-like-self, Petra. How she grew into a whole person. How she now has a soul, and that's the life connection the body was feeling. One has become two, the second is separate, but beloved. We can let her go, because she is not gone. Gradually, grief turns to wistfulness. And joy for a softer kind of reconnection, when I show the body what was being held just earlier, her twin, same flesh, come together in love. We can touch again what we thought we had lost. But it would help to have a hand to hug with...

And just like that the regeneration releases back to its original, high speed. Bidding loving goodbye, my focus returns back to the surface, and Paige is crying, looking at her stump that has already regrown by a finger width.

"You did it, how, what did you do?" So I tell her, and she's moved to tears by the feeling her arm was just being faithful for its missing piece. So we all pet her regrowing arm, it's silly, but it feels right. And she promises it lots of hugging Petra.

Odd to switch from what feels sublime to the mundane, but Paige's regen makes it clear she'd like some food by making her stomach grumble loudly, which breaks the tension and makes us all giggle.

The crowd in Crystal Hall is subdued and murmurous, without many shoulder angels to be seen. The sudden imposition of movement restrictions has everyone curious and worried. As I'm fetching food, I hear all sorts of speculation. An invasion. A cover-up. A plague of yeti. (Okay, I just made the last one up.) As I'm heading back to my two tables with trays of lasagne and salad and ice cream, there's a banging noise, someone thumping on a table. Talk dies to a murmur. It's the Head, stood up.

"Quiet please!" She waits for the murmuring to quit, glaring at a few hold-outs until they hush. "Thank you. You've been informed of the bare basics of the temporary movement restrictions via campus tannoy, but I'm now about to explain why they're being imposed. Someone, it presently appears from outside, has taken the very poor decision to shoot at one of my students. Luckily, that student was not seriously harmed, this time. Until the matter is resolved, I'm afraid we'll all have to avoid open areas where they might attempt to repeat their mistake."

"Now I know", she continues, "from personal experience in fact, that some of you feel invulnerable, and that as a result you'll chafe under these restrictions. Please understand they are in part protecting your friends who have a baseline's vulnerability to bullets. Please also understand, that just because you are bulletproof, does *not* mean you are safe. Weapons come in all sizes, people! If you can stop a rifle bullet, can you stop an anti-tank round? I would rather you not discover your limitations by dying of them."

She takes a breath, then, "Everyone, and that means everyone, students and staff, will move above ground only in the areas authorized by security, unless they have been given special dispensation otherwise. Behind the provided cover, not flying above it or peeking around it for a lark. If shooting breaks out, you will go *quickly* to the nearest building and then get underground as soon as possible, allowing the most vulnerable people in first."

A pause, and a sigh. "My apologies for this, I intend this situation to be under control very soon, and then restrictions will be relaxed. That will be announced over the tannoy. Until then, stay safe. Thank you, that's all." And she sits down.

Well, that sets everyone talking! I think honestly, whoever did this is doomed. It won't just be the capes after them, it will be the villains too. The school has a lot of pull. And, well, us. Shooting at Paige is not okay.

She meanwhile, keeps glancing at her arm, which has reached the point of starting to make a hand. Sara's mothering her a little, cutting up her food for one handed eating, making the best of the opportunity, I think.

We all three reached the unspoken decision that it's best not to spread around that it was Paige who got shot at. She likes to keep a low profile, and this would make her the object of a lot of school-wide speculation. So when the Kimbas are throwing around theories of what's going on, I just keep quiet and eat my food.

In fact, I'm out of the conversation enough that I'm drifting a little - until I hear my name, pause and rewind a moment... it was Bunny. I smile, because I'm fond of her, and say, "Sure, yeah, what?"

"I need to talk to you afterward. Jade, you too. It's engineer stuff." And suddenly Toni the gossip isn't bending an ear to hear it, heh. Jade and I are the only ones who run with the gearheads.

After dinner, as one of me is headed to my job and another headed back to Sara's room with most of the Pack, I leave a self to loiter by the entrance until Bunny and Jade meet me there.

"So, this is like, a secret, okay?" Bunny begins. "It's not super duper secret, but it's not for anyone who isn't an engineer. Jade, you're initiated, they've called the worn wrench, we need to meet after curfew, down in the labs." That gets a frown and a nod from Jade. "Jules, you aren't yet, you can't come this time, but I can tell you what it's about. That nasty Tansy Walcutt beat poor Greasy into the hospital. He'd have died of it, if he wasn't just a hop and a skip from Doyle. So we're gonna hold a meeting about it, and we're gonna call open season on her, I think."

I wince. "I don't know him personally but maybe I should go over there and see if they want any help with him? I might be able to help heal him or something."

"I heard Jericho's on that with some of his new medical devises", Bunny says. "But no harm in asking. Just, tomorrow, mind that you don't walk too close to Tansy in case any of the pranks have splash-over."

I nod. "So, I'm taking it, it's not gonna be open season of the beating up kind, more like worms in her bed and ink in her shampoo?"

Bunny nods. "Yeah, the engineers, we're mostly not the beating folks up sort, but it doesn't mean we'll sit still for some no good, nasty piece of work using one of us as a punching bag! So I hope she gets the full portion of what she deserves. And may she take a lesson from it."

Works for me. "I'm down with that. I hope they think up some really inventive ones. I can be available any time if you want my help, although I know I'm not an insider yet."

Jade grins, "We're gonna get that done reeeal soon, don't you worry."

Bunny nods, "Yeah, we will. And I doubt we'll tap you for help, but, the offer's kindly taken."

Thoughts of engineering as I take the tunnel to Doyle, get me pondering what kind of a project I might make. And an idea occurs, which gives me a big, slightly scary grin. Maybe big me can help navigate the physics, because I want to do this elegantly. Fun fun!

Offering my help at the reception desk gets me looked at funny, I'm not one of the medical track people here yet (I'd definitely like to pick that up), so they don't know me. I offer Doc Bellows as a reference. The receptionist makes a call to him, looks surprised, then hangs up. Makes another call, and a couple of minutes later, a man in a white medical coat walks in. "Hi, I'm Doctor Raul Tenant. I hear you've offered your help to Adam Lambert. Doctor Bellows is supposedly convinced you're a miracle worker. However, I haven't heard that you're received any medical qualifications?"

I shake my head. "When I use life sense on someone, I know what every cell in their body is doing, I can see their genes, and I can control stuff. And I've read the medical library at ARC, although I'm not experienced in it."

He nods. "Alright. I need to give you some advice, and it's hard to hear, but I'd like you to give it an honest hearing, okay?" I nod. He continues, "We get a few kids in every batch with powers like yours. And we routinely get offers of help from them, and I have to tell them all the same thing. Unless it is literally life or death, unless you are stuck in a situation with a wounded person and no way to get them here to us, you must *not* use your powers to practise medicine. Even then, hold it down to first aid if possible. Enrol on the healer track here, go to med school when you graduate, then use them. But do not just jump in with them and make repairs."

I must have looked grumpy, because he says, "Yeah, I know. We always get the same reaction. Why not, I was only helping, are you trying to defend your special guild privileges? No. I'm saving lives. You see, and I'm making an analogy here, but your power presents the human body as a set of knobs you can turn and levers you can pull, right? That's usually how it goes."

"Kinda sorta", I agree.

"Okay so. How I see it, with my doctor's training and years of experience, the body is more like a bunch of structural members in a too-clever-by-half building, that all lean on one another. When things are good, they move and take up the slack, no matter what's going on outside, and the inside stays fine. When things are not so good, that's like one or two of them being busted, they lean funny, they transfer weight between them so now maybe one of the ones that was good is overloaded and it starts to creak and pop. When things get *real* bad, they don't just break, they pull others down, the load moves around and keeps breaking more stuff, it's a mess and a nightmare. Into that steps you, who just... commands one or another of them to stand up - and they do. But where's the load going? Where's the *moving* load going, in fact? So what you will find is you prop one up one and another will go, then you grab that and two others fly wildly out of control, and soon you're juggling a dozen things gone wrong, and you lose track and it all comes crashing down ten times as hard. Your power is not going to let you run every damn system in a human being on manual while they are all squirming against your control. So save yourself the guilt, and just don't. Okay?"

Maybe with as many minds as I have, with big me's help, I could do that, run a person on manual. But it would be bad to discover I couldn't. He has a fair point. Which makes me sigh, and nod. "Okay, point made." Frustrating as it is.

He nods. "Good. Thank you, but no, we will not be needing your help tonight. But I hope this increases your interest in a properly qualified and trained career in medicine, rather than reduces it. I'll recommend you into the healer track if you'd like?"

I nod. "Please."

# Part fifty one

I'm a little disappointed with how things turned out at Doyle, but, I can see the Doc's point. Did I do a bad thing with Doc Bellows and Donna when I edited them? Thinking about it, no. I wasn't trying to heal a system breakdown, I was just making improvements. That seems to fall outside the "collapsing building" issue. Okay.

I need to be a bit more cautious making the teleport back to Poe. I know Erin isn't in yet, she's with other me, but someone might be moving her stuff in. I find that I can sort of feel around, before I fold space and make the jump. Time to get out of my uniform and see if I can't find Zenith.

Meanwhile, maintenance is underground for obvious reasons. I have to apologise for being a nuisance, first I end up in detention, which means I have to do my work at a different hour, then I'm missing a day for being dead a lot. "You sure don't look dead" says Morrie, amused. He's the only one around this time.

"I looked dead enough", I say, remembering. Intestines should stay on the inside. That really was an unpleasant mess and a half.

He catches my wince, and says, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Sore subject?"

"Let's just say it isn't a comfortable one yet. I have a perfect memory. That has its downsides", I say. He nods, understanding.

At least today's work is just putting up some conduits and laying cable, that's something I can lean into and flush the memories out of my focus.

When the Pack gets to Sara's room, we all go in and then she rotates it to keep out nosy ears. Paige's now fully regrown arm is the subject of much curiosity. So with everyone sworn to keep it quiet, we explain the sniper, and the aftermath. But that has them confused too, why was Paige's arm missing Petra? Why did someone shoot at Paige?

Paige looks at Sara, and me, and sighs. "Okay. This really is very secret, and it'll take a long time to tell. I promise we'll get to the bit in the end where you understand what Petra and I are to each other. But it's going to be a long journey. Are you all cool with that?"

I put an arm around her, I know it must be scary. She's kept her secret completely, but perhaps she just feels cared for and protected enough now, to tell her close friends. Everyone nods, and agrees. And so Paige launches into her tale. I've read it, but hearing it from her own lips changes things.

Several minutes later, she concludes, "So you see, I'm a werecat, a cyberpath, a national security existential threat in hiding behind a false identity here, wanted dead or alive and probably mostly dead. I've got a sister who grew from my own cut-off arm, one soul stretched across two bodies, four selves split two for her, two for me, although one of hers died. Until today, I think they believed I was on ice a mile down underneath ARC. That may have changed. And there you go, that's me and my damn story."

She gets instantly hug-piled. Nobody could hear that story and not want to leap to her defence a hundred times over. And I think despite herself, being hugged and stroked and made a fuss off by everyone really helps, perhaps it's the cat in her, but she's purring (in human form!). I give Sara a hug too for rescuing her. Miss "rarr! I'm a demon!" has tears in her eyes. I wish people knew how loving she is.

And then we have to plan.

Up until now, the plan's been simple. Keep her head down, hide her full powers, build a new life in her assumed identity. But the sniper changes things. I tell them about my thought that it may have been aimed at me. Which they agree is plausible, given how big a thing it is to break the accords and attack on school grounds. But shooting at Paige, and missing, that implies someone recognised her. Someone who knew her face and knew what she could do. We know the sniper took a mauling, but we also know they were evacuated, and it's reasonable to assume whoever did it was taking them back to a medical team. So if they haven't blabbed yet, they probably will. Even if they don't, speculation about that shot will draw attention to Paige, and what one can recognise, so can another. Therefore we have to operate on the assumption Paige's cover is blown. Petra's may be too.

She could run and hide. Gothmog's realm is both a citadel, and a secret bridge that can move the two of them around the planet if need be, without any Imperial entanglements. A new name, a new identity, and start again, yet again. Of course, there's a number of problems with that. It would break several hearts. It would take Paige out of perhaps the best protected place on the planet, and out of close contact with people who can look after her. And perhaps worst, it might not even work. On the basis of "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me", the feds would keep looking. No secret identity is foolproof, there's always an element of hiding from notice more than hiding from thorough examination. Therefore she could never settle. That would be no kind of life.

She could stay put, do nothing out of the ordinary, make no fuss, keep up the cover story, and hope it wasn't breached. Best case, that works as it has been doing until now. Worst case, it already failed, and we'd give them time to plot while we stay ignorant. And then we'd have to react without having the initiative. But even so, that's kind of the default plan.

Then I point out there's a third option. Everyone here knows about my influence by now. Not everyone knows about Sara's plan for a big off-world conference, my plan to announce about influence over WARS, and then our plan to introduce me to the world at the conference - and back up the WARS broadcast. That's really step one in our plan to be seen not as a bunch of mutant schoolkids, but a power in the world. One that will stand for the good of all, against the bureaucratic systems of the world, while bridging between humans and GOOs.

One that could say, Paige is ours, you will keep your paws off. And have the teeth to back it up.

In that scenario, Paige stops hiding. Perhaps at the conference, perhaps right away. She lets the school see her powers. She accepts the government will find out, preempting what news our sniper might deliver.

Of course, there's downsides to that too. We're going to have to start protecting her straight away. And because it will put a strain on the school, we really ought to involve the Head in the decision before we do anything.

Actually, I've got a few things I really ought to be talking to her about already. Heh.

I wonder if it's that, that reminds Jet. But she says, "Um, Jules. I'm deeply deadly sorry for blurting it out loud, and I hope it doesn't bite you, but, are you gonna tell us any more about the thing, um, at lunchtime?"

Okay, I can do that. "You mean the bit where I'm pregnant?" I tease. Which has everyone except Paige and Sara blurting a million questions. Who's the father? Myself, another of my bodies. No, it's genetically fine, I should know. She's called Junior at the moment, I plan to ask her what name she wants. She's over in Gothmog's realm. Yes, that's part of what we were up to over there so much. She's a tenth of a millimeter wide and implanted today. No the Head doesn't know, but she'll almost certainly have caught the rumour and will come sniffing around, we need a plan for that. No, I won't abort her. She's a person to me already, although I admit some of that may be projection. But she feels like a contented, growing little thing. Yes, anyone from the Pack who wants, I'll let them come over and see me and meet her, like I did with Jade. I was meaning to tell everyone, I just didn't get around to it. We can do that tomorrow morning, it's a bit late to all rush over tonight.

Turns out I'm overruled on that. It's not too late for them! So other me clears it with Gothmog, he says okay, and here's the door again.

For some of them - Jamie, Erin, Hippy, this place was only an abstraction until now. They've seen Gothmog over here, but it isn't the same. So they get amazed looks - we portalled directly into the building this time, but the room is beautifully ornate. And yet more dropped jaws when one of me comes in with another of me on a leash and bare ass naked. Their reactions make me have a giggle fit, in fact. Which gets me frowned at and called a jerk, but breaks the tension. Paige grabs a seat on one of the comfy sofas, she's seen this all before and I think, is enjoying not being the center of attention for the first time tonight. Sara goes and sits by her. The others crowd around the two of me who've been staying here. I have to hush them with "Slow down, one at a time!", because although I can follow the overlap of all the questions at once, I can't answer them.

"Why are you naked?" Erin, she sounds curious.

"I'm playing a game of being sexually submissive to other me. It's honestly just a bit of fun. Something to do with the body, since I have to keep it around."

"Are you the pregnant one, then?" Jamie, who looks like she doesn't get any of this.

I nod. "Yeah, that's me. Other me was already here to study, I fled here from the school after deciding to keep the baby, which wasn't the original plan."

Jet asks, "How did you get pregnant? I thought you could control that kind of thing?"

I nod. "Deliberately, is the answer, because, yes, I can control it. I was horny and wanted to feel pregnant. And then when I did, I suddenly was really determined not to stop. And now, Junior is there, and I love her, so I'm staying pregnant."

"Why is pregnant you, the one who is naked?" Hippolyta asks. "I hope it is not some stupid sexist reason."

I shake my head. "This is the one body I can't treat casually. Most of them, they come and they go. I'd have to count back to see how many iterations each of me is from my original. Most of me is outside, not physical at all. Of all of me, only *this* one body has to stay continuously physical, has to stay safe. So therefore, I can't really do anything with it, and that's going to continue for an estimated nine months. Maybe faster, Junior's well ahead of schedule. So basically, I could stare at walls, I could read, we don't get TV or DVD or games in here, or I could play. Mostly, I'm playing."

Hippolyta considers this, and sighs. "That makes sense, I suppose. It still feels strange to me, but, I understand your reasoning. It is strange too, this pregnancy without a father, but, I suppose you have your own rules. Maybe you will set a trend, heh?"

"I just might, you know", I tease. "Having lots of kids is definitely in my plans. Both carrying and seeding them. I might well introduce the option to the rest of the human species."

Erin nods. "I remember you hinting at that, at lunch a couple of days ago. You're going to flood the Earth with your kids?"

Sara gets up from beside Paige and comes over. "She's not the only one. That's a plan for both of us. We're trying to make humanity safer by breeding into it. Although I'll mostly be pitching, not catching, unless I can learn that multi body trick."

"I bet you can, you know", I say. "It's a pure us kind of trick. You need to learn multiple minds first though. Or you'd get horribly confused and fall on your multiple asses." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Infinite Saras", Paige says wistfully. "Can you imagine that?"

"One for each of us", says Hippy.

"No rota", says Erin.

"Why stick at one?" asks Jet, and then when everyone looks at her, she says "What? You were thinking it too", and puts her tongue out. And we all crack up laughing.

# Part fifty two

From my memories of reading, Zenith lives up on the fourth floor in Poe - technically, off limits to me, but I think that shouldn't be too much of an issue if I'm here to seek a specific person. Still, I listen hard, floating myself up the stairs to avoid making noise myself, and put the echolocation I played with when I was kidnapped last week into use to scan out the lay of the land. Four people in the common area. Several occupied rooms, going by movement noises or conversation. It's a pity doors don't have name tags. Absent someone saying her name I'm going to have to find someone to ask.

Oh wait - I'm an idiot. Hippolyta is in Poe, she'll know! At the moment everyone's over in Gothmog's place, snickering at jokes about having as many Saras as they would like, and herself is encouraging it, honestly, I think she's seriously considering the idea. One of me taps Hippolyta's shoulder and asks her, without distracting the others from their fun. "Oh yes, she's in 416, why?"

"Going to talk to her about her radio show", I explain, which is enough for Hippolyta, she nods.

Heading to door 416, I knock. Movement sounds, and the door opens to reveal an Asian girl, black hair, green eyes. "Yeah?"

Probably Zenith's room-mate, checking if I ever read of her... Shrike? "Hi, you're Shrike, right? I'm looking for Zenith."

"Is the right answer." And turning inward, "Zoe, you have kiddies. Well, one kiddy. Floaty white haired thing." Oops, I had forgot I was airborne. I drop down and make ground contact. "Scratch the floating", Shrike adds. Which makes me grin, I kinda like her wiseacre approach. I hear grumbling from inside, and then a blonde in a tracksuit replaces Shrike at the door.

"Hi, you caught me in the middle of some homework, so I don't have super long. How can I help you?"

"Sorry to be a bother. If you don't have time, I could come back tomorrow? I wanted to talk to you about a thing for your radio show."

"If it's advertising for something you've made, you have to go through the school administration, I can't arrange that."

I shake my head. "Um, this is slightly hush-hush so I'd prefer not to blurt it in the corridor. But no, I need to get some information out to the school, and I was suggested that your show would be best. It's hush-hush because I don't want half-assed rumours going around the school and outrunning the actual information."

She tips her head to the side considering, and then says, "come in, summarise it for me. Della, if you would?"

Shrike grumbles, "Oh man", but starts gathering her stuff.

I say, "No need. It may be a snap read, but I figure you can be sensible with information?"

That gets an interested look from Shrike. "I can, but it'll be my sensible, not yours."

"That works for me", I say, and Zenith nods accepting that, and shuts the door. "Okay, grab a seat. In your own time."

"Okay so. I'll begin with: last Monday night? That was me."

Zenith says, "Miss Parallel, I remember you were on John's show claiming to be a demon. And then everyone was saying you were behind the flowers."

"Demon is a little imprecise, although I didn't know it at the time. Technically I'm a thing called a 'great old one', a baby one, although I was fully human a couple weeks ago. Monday was me hatching, that is, going from mostly human, to mostly not."

Shrike looks a little sceptical, says, "What little I've heard of those, they're damn dangerous. Class X nasties of the worst sort, not to be messed with under any circumstances. You're saying that's you?"

I nod. "Some are seriously bad news, most are neutral but predatory. One or two are truly neutral verging on okay. Three that I know, benevolent and protective. Those being Sara Waite, her dad, and me. Carmilla, if you only know her by the code name."

"Miss spooky dyke is one of those? Shit, seriously?"

I nod. "Our lineage is through the primal power of Creation, that I won't name because I don't want her attention, then Sara's father, then Sara, then she sparked me just after I got here. This is personal stuff, please don't spread it about, but it puts the rest into necessary context."

"So you're three removed from, yeah I know her damn name", Shrike says. "Shit. That makes you, like, a 'call the president, launch the nukes' level class X threat."

I say, "The Head knows. We're friendly, she's taking us on our word on that. We're actively trying to protect humans in general, and the school specifically against the worst ones. It's a bit of a secret war. Bear in mind, I'm not announcing this. It's backstory to save a ton of dancing around the point."

Zenith says, "Okay, so, what is the actual point then? Because honestly, you have me a little scared here. It feels like you want to involve me in some serious business."

I nod. "Sadly, more than a little, yeah. The flowers was me. That similar stuff that went down globally, at the exact same time, was also me. In fact, it went down universally. Every galaxy, every solar system, every planet, everywhere without exception. I changed the metaphysical laws of reality. Changed the way the life principle works. The pretty biology was just the tiniest scrap of that power spilling over."

"You're serious", Shrike asks.

I nod. "The Head and Circe could confirm it for you, although I'm not sure they want it widely known. One hundred percent dead serious, and I'm not even finished yet."

"Heavy messing, fuck", Zenith sounds weirded out. "Well, finish, please, although I'm not sure I'm going to be getting any sleep tonight."

"So, what I changed", I say. "The life principle used to be directionless. That stark amorality, and the implication that everything of value was assured to be ripped apart by the meaningless working of evolution was what made great-grandma's scriptures a sanity risk. Sara and her dad have been fighting that, but since the start of the universe it's been a losing battle, and the opposition aren't helping. That is, until last Monday. I went and wedged the thing open and spliced in a new set of corollaries. Now, life tends to mutualism and complex beauty. It's a tropism, not a guarantee, but it means we're fighting a winnable war. But, well, it has consequences."

The two of them look at each other. Shrike says, "You just went and edited the laws of metaphysics? For serious?"

"Yeah, and it's a one off. I could do it when I hatched, by using the creation of my larger self to write the rules into myself when I was naming who I was, and wedge myself in there as a definitional power. What I changed, I can't alter. It's a rule shift for every lifeform in existence, and it's fractal, extends to every scale. It drags us, humans, as individuals and as a society, into the change too. Kind of like rewriting a BIT, but at a much higher pattern level. And like a change to a BIT, all of humanity is shifting to fit the new over-pattern's mould. So finally, I get close to the thing I need to announce."

"If that was just the back story, then spit out the point already", says Shrike.

"The point is, humanity's changing, at a rate I don't know yet, but it might take years. But we've discovered, being near me pulls people into resonance, and makes the change go faster. Being in prolonged close contact with me, or near big me, makes it go much faster. Big me is my great old one self. She can come forward and run the body, but isn't right now. So basically, I'm putting people under an influence, you could say, if you turn the directions round and see it how outsiders will see it. The whole school is feeling it, my closest associates are feeling it strongly. It's going to affect us here before it affects everyone else. And I need to tell them." I sigh. "Trouble is, what I know of what it actually does is very conjectured. We have proof it's happening, we have understanding of the mechanism, I could teach you the one R'Lyehian rune that defines it in perfect metaphysical precision, but how it looks in humans... that's still guesswork. Although I have trends I can describe."

Shrike says, "Being here, with us, is influencing us? Not sure I like that." And Zenith nods.

"Being in Poe affects you. Being in Whateley affects you. Probably, being on Earth affects you relative to the rest of the galaxy", I say. "But the effect is only to make it go faster. I need to tell people what I know of where we're all going to end up, so they can adjust and handle it. Because it's going to become obvious, even if I tell nobody."

Zenith says, "So tell us, please. From how you describe your edits, it can't be too terrible?" I can feel, both of them have a deep fear. It's strong enough to register on life sense.

"Going from the people around me, it increases kindness, acceptance, sociality. Seems some of my lust lineage spilled into it, it seems to erode taboos and bring sexuality into loving relationships. It makes people worry less about being sexual, even in ways that might be labelled perverse, but it makes them care about other people more, so they start to worry about consent and power differences even if they weren't worried about them before. It might make people more polyamorous, it almost certainly makes them more accepting of shared relationships even if their branch of the polycule is exclusive. I suspect, it'll make people less able to hold bigoted ideas, because it will be harder to see other humans as the evil other. So good stuff, but weird stuff. It'll set society on its ear. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes the Head drop the rule on fraternisation, for example. Or students take a fancy to going around with their tits hanging out."

"You have a slut aura", Shrike says. "Well damn." Her fear, at least, has gone down. She might actually think that sounds fun.

I grin. "Kinda sorta. It's not the same as Sara's 'come fuck me' field. Less about making you want it, than making you willing to say yes to what you already wanted. And accept what others want, without being grossed out."

"Okay let me get this straight.", Zenith says. "You want to announce *that* on WARS?" You'll get lynched. And WARS goes out to the country. They aren't inside your influence yet, they'll be plenty capable of thinking bigoted thoughts. You'll kick every hornet's nest in the country."

"Way I figure it, if we're careful how we phrase it, we can make the most of the outside world, except the nuts that will believe anything, pass it over as a joke or a prank. Only Whateley will have enough evidence to join the dots and believe it. But that will seed the ground for phase two."

"There is a phase two. No shit there is a phase two. You're gonna break it to the whole country, aren't you?" Shrike gets me, I'm so flattered.

"Sara's going to have a big religious conference for her Kellith religion. A big, off-world conference. In her dad's realm."

"Off world, seriously?" asks Zenith.

I nod and say "Yeah, a big, history making, off world conference, in her great old one father's personal realm, that the press and the world religions will be invited to, in which they'll be introducing me. And suddenly, what WARS put out goes from crazy to fact, and the trap closes tight."

Zenith covers her eyes for a moment, then says, "This is so going through the Head, before a damn word of it goes out on WARS. You realise they might just point nukes at us and let fly, right? And if you're going to say 'we could probably deal with that', please, spare me. It may be true but my dreams are gonna look like Terminator Two until I'm sure we're safe."

I nod. "I'm completely cool with going through her. She knows a lot already. I'll fill her in on the rest tomorrow. This needs to be done, you can see that? But I'm not averse to listening to wiser heads on how. This is just plans at the moment, although a lot has already been set in motion."

"You know", says Shrike, "I like you. Big plans, whee. I'm happy to get behind this, and yeah, I can see why you don't want rumours. They won't hear a damn thing from me."

"I, meanwhile, think you're a damn headache", says Zenith. "But yeah. I can see why, in principle, it needs done. The alternative is people just discovering it, piecemeal, and being scared and confused and horrified. But they're going to be that anyway, you realise? I can see how you're setting yourself up to be a power, with that conference, but what if they launch a war against you?"

I wince at the thought. "I really, really hope to persuade them not to. Whateley's neutrality will help. But in the end, if push comes to shove and they make war, I can do that. It might be awfully messy, but I'm a bit scary, when I stretch my limits."

The two of them look at each other. Look at me. Zenith says "You could fight a nation state to a standstill in an equal match?"

I nod. "Some of my powers only have best effect at large scales. I cut an alien starship in half last Friday, although that body didn't survive the radiation side effects. Big me made the search spores yesterday, a deliberately constrained, rather than violently unconstrained application of great old one sorcery. I can swing an extremely big stick, and there are as many of me as I want there to be, flyers with long range teleporting. I can tank an indefinite number of deaths and keep coming. Yes, I can."

"Out. Out, already." Zenith's had enough. "I am going to have nightmares about you. Out of my damn room."

I bow, and leave.

Shrike, I feel, looked impressed.

# Part fifty three

Erin's in our room when I get back down there. I was already using the bottom bunk, she kind of likes taking the top one because it feels like sleeping up a tree, so that works for both of us. I fire off an email to the Head asking to meet, and then pretty much drop straight off to sleep.

Thankfully, the trauma dreams hold off, which lets me play by building a kind of restful haven for myself, a dream of forest and tall, broad trees full of growing things and life all living together, thick moss I can sit on, the ground and branches and air busy with living things, quite a few of them with colourful glows. Perhaps, it's a sort of reflection of what the world might look like in a century or two?

The watchdog self I'd set monitoring my body informs me something's disturbing the bed. Sound analysis, smell analysis, suggest it's probably Erin. No-one else is in the room. She's bigger than me and a bit bony, but warm snuggled up against me. I wrap her in a hug and fall back asleep.

Sara seems to be busy elsewhere tonight, but she does peek in, dream-walking, and smiles to see me and Erin snuggled up.

**12th January, 2007, Poe**

Waking, I'm content and rested. Honestly, that's one of the nicer things about the new me. No more insomnia or waking tired. Rather than wake Erin by getting up, I send a copy to check emails, but the laptop's good morning burble wakes her anyhow. "Good morning sleepyhead", I tease. Which makes her startle and leap out of bed in bobcat form. "Relax, I didn't mind you coming in to bed for snuggles. Bad dreams, huh?"

The bobcat turns back to an embarrassed looking girl in pyjamas. "Not after I jumped in with you. Sorry for that, I wasn't really thinking straight."

I ignore the open-goal pun. "It's cool. I had awful dreams yesterday. Makes sense you get 'em too."

She comes and sits on the floor by me-in-the-bed, watching other me fiddle with the computer. "You came for me. I know security did too, and about half the Kimbas, so it isn't fair, but it feels like you were the only one who came for me. So you've become my safe place. I'm... I'm still exclusive with Sara, but I love you in a different way, you know?"

I reach and pet her hair, making her smile and nuzzle against my hand. "Works for me. I'm happy I came for you. I'm happy I met you."

"Me too", she agrees.

Over at the computer, the Head wants me in at lunchtime, probably giving herself time to think things through. Sensei Tolman has sent out a message that a small remedial martial arts class will be picking up from this morning and run Monday-Wednesday-Friday first through second period. Journeyman's class will be a one-off, fourth period along with Nikki and Chou, and then he'll make a decision what to offer, if I need it and would benefit.

A thought occurs to me. Given I've got Caitlin for ranges third period, if I can get working on my little project in the labs right after breakfast, maybe she can advise how powered weapons get tested and certified to use?

There's a knock on the door, it's Chou. Tai chi is off, for obvious but frustrating reasons. I hope they nail that nuisance sniper. Makes me send a thread off pondering how to deal with bullets. Some short term, small size variation on refractive shield? I can track the things with g-sense, and I should be fast enough to slap a shield into their path. That needs practise, though. Another question for Caitlin.

I take a minute to check with Chou that the Tao is cool with my current plans, which presumably it knows. She gives a disgusted look and says "yes, annoyingly it seems to love you. It's practically purring." Which makes Erin and me snicker. But it's good news, too.

Breakfast is mostly dominated by Ayla getting the Sims Manual Of Doom, which I'd dearly like to borrow for myself just out of curiosity. I may not be going into the sims, but I'd like to get all my stuff programmed in so I could, in theory. They'll be going in there on Saturday for a trial run. I'm sure there were stories about that, but tragically I didn't read them in time. Still, stories imply drama... I drop a word to Hank, as the sensible tactical one, to watch the group's tail Saturday, since although I don't know details, my memories imply something will happen. Even if, as he assures me, it's just a calibration thing. But he takes the warning seriously, so that should help.

Breakfast also gives me a chance to grab Bunny, and ask her if I can borrow her working space for a bit. Turns out she has a free period, so we can head down there together. Fun fun.

Huh, there's some noise over near the Alpha table? Tansy Walcutt is running out of the room, along with a couple of other girls that must have been sitting beside her, covered in some sort of mess that looks like breakfast (bacon, eggs *and* grapefruit?) but pings my life sense as "predator, attacking". WTF? If I don't miss my guess that has the smell of a Jobe prank. Oh wait, of course... that must be the opening salvo in the engineers' war Bunny told me about. Jobe is a devisor. Heh.

Necromancy has become a nice, relaxing, start the morning gently class, with Sara by my side. But I'll be doing a couple of other things now at the same time, and both are interestingly new. First outing for my newly tailored gi in Sensei Tolman's class. And my project.

The devisor labs are quiet, only one or two people down there, nobody I know except Bunny who's with me.

"So, like, I recognise the symptoms, you've got an idea and it's bugging you, right?"

I nod. "Both the what, and the how. I want to see if I can do a thing... my kinda different way. Um, I need these components, if you give me them I'll give you back perfect copies." And I list off a bunch of electrical stuff. "Oh, and some pure silver, if you can get it? Just a small bit is fine." Turns out that's not too tall an order around here.

"Why silver, though?", she asks.

"Best conductor."

"It tarnishes though. No use, practically."

"Not if I'm working with atomically pure stuff in hard vacuum."

"Oh this, I have got to see."

So first the components. I want to reduce them to their functional part, I won't need the human-labels and housings. Big me comes forward a little to help me handle the amount of information. I make a branched tentacle and one by one pick them apart, learning how the atoms go, memorizing patterns. And then make copies appear in my other hand, to give back to Bunny. She's squinting at me like it's some kind of trick.

"Now, a workspace", I say, and make a bubble of repulsion around a space in front of me. Quickly it turns silvery as the vacuum inside deepens. Air hits the walls and just gets flung out. Then I carefully flatten the gravity gradient inside, make a slight well to hold an object steady. And then I start to draw with matter creation, building a whiskery circuit inside.

"This one's just a basic blinker. Power on!" I connect the line to the cell battery I copied. A point of light appears, disappears, appears... an LED, running in vacuum, needs no housing.

"Holy shit, um, poopie, sorry I cussed but wow."

I say, "Next stage. The power unit I've been thinking up." The circuit I just drew, I vanish, and start fresh with a complicated spherical thing. With a simple naked LED wired to it. "If this works how I think it should, I should get power out." A bright point of light. "Good good. This may actually work." And I vanish the wires and LED, and start drawing my full design around the power unit. Whiskery control circuits webbed around much chunkier main circuits, building on a design big me helped me shape.

Bunny's looking at it, like, she's kind of trying to read out what it does. "Um, forcefield driver, plasma emitter, I think? But the power rating on that thick wire must be something nasty. Oh wowie. Jules, I gotta warn you, don't flip the switch on that. It's a strict rule. Power weapons get looked at first, then tested, then they're yours."

I nod. "Can I run it up just enough to test for gamma leakage and thermal waste?"

She nods. "If it's at a power level where it'd do no more than make a lil pop if it goes horribly wrong, that's usually okay."

Tiny purple spark at the tip. I can see places that are leaking a bit of heat, so I wrap heat pipes around them and add vanes like flower petals up front. No weird glows in the higher energy wavelengths. Seems solid. Time to seal it up. I flow non-conductive ceramic over the floating circuitry, a ridge to keep my fingers away from the hot vanes, knurled grip. Showing no thermal build-up. Seems good. Power off, I fade the vacuum bubble's repulsion walls, air rushes back in with a puff that blows papers around, and let it drop into my hand.

Oh hey, I have an audience. I smile up at them.

Bunny says, sounding a little awed, "That's a lightsaber, isn't it? You just figured how to make it in your head and wished it into existence."

I grin. "It's not just one, either. What I make, I have a pattern for. What I have a pattern for..." And a second saber appears in my other hand, "I can make, and unmake." I vanish the second saber.

"And you'll never be unarmed again." Adult voice. "Assuming that toy is safe to use, which we don't know yet. Hi, I'm Mr Asterlitz, I'm normally the workshop project manager here. You're Parallel, right?" I nod. "Thought so. I also thought you were only gadgeteer rated. I've seen many of those built by devisors, although rarely so elegantly. But gadgeteers always run into the problem that the best battery current science can build would need a half-ton backpack to power one of those. How does yours run? I saw no energy storage."

"I cheat", I admit. "The core power unit is an electron-positron annihilation circuit inside a tuned resonance chamber, with a rectenna pickup. As near pure and total energy capture as thermodynamics permits. But where the electrons and positrons come from... I'm creating them, in place, continuously."

"Creating both matter, and antimatter?"

I nod. "It's just the same thing with the time coordinate flipped. And before you ask, no I'm not going to drop a kilo of anti-hydrogen into your lap. I prefer to remain un-vaporized." Honestly, it took a bit of help by big me, to flip the electrons around, although now I have the knack I can do it myself. I don't think she'd help me detonate the entire continent. Contrary to her nature - and mine, really.

"Thank you for that", he nods, wincing a bit. "So the maximum power you can put into that unit is what?"

"It's rated for ten kilowatts, the blade should be tight enough that will be plenty. I'm trying to cut things, not melt them."

He nods. "That's at the high end for a laser die cutter, but still only for thin materials."

"Should be a lot tighter, it's field-compressed, not lensed. What I want to avoid is the bit of metal I'm poking with it erupting into a shower of hot gas and burning sparks. Bad thing to have your hands near."

He grins. "Yes, that's a common failure mode for would-be sabers made by the overenthusiastic. Yes, it could drill through a battleship, but your hands would be charred sticks and your face would be on fire. Scratch that, back to the drawing board."

I nod, "Wise to avoid that if possible", remembering my arrival just days ago.

# Part fifty four

This necromancy class, we're covering the law on necromancy. Most of the old witchcraft laws got repealed, but there's always people arguing for them back, and arguably some of it would come under more modern use of powers and responsible magic laws, as well as your regular disturbing graves, etc. The class is split on whether banning it was ever a good idea. Sara and I are against, and surprisingly, a few of the anti-necromancy students too, the witchy types. They know whose back the target is painted on, when the law goes around licensing witch hunts.

While we're toing and froing, I show Sara what I'm up to on the other side, which makes her send me the feeling of a smirk, while maintaining a perfect poker face for the class. "Star Wars was never my fandom, really. Going to be a Jedi, huh? I can't really see you as a Darth anything."

"More your style", I tease. "You'd look good with a red lightsaber."

"Darth Marala", she snickers. "Okay, I have to cosplay that some time. I might even learn a bit about it first so I don't embarrass myself."

"It's mostly very silly and a lot violent", I admit. "But I have a fondness for the Jedi in principle. Even if in practise the ones in the movies were mostly asses."

"And what about the, what are they called, Sith?"

"All asses. Evil is not a personality trait. Hating everything is neither fun, nor does it make any friends. That said, I disagree with the way the canon staples together passionate intensity with becoming evil. I feel serenity requires the ability to move with your passion. So I slightly agree with their principles, while disapproving of all the Sith we're shown. And thinking grasping after power for its own sake is silly."

"Mmm, we agree on that. So that makes you what, a half-and-half?" With the sensation of a tongue being poked out at me.

"Makes me a me, I guess. And turns out, my saber is purple. Synthesis."

"Hot plasma. You'd best be careful it doesn't put out so much UV it'll give you a tan."

"If I goofed on that, it should come out in the testing", I agree.

Sensei Tolman's class is using the proper martial arts room this time, so it's my first sight of the famed capture cage. There's a few other kids already there, three girls and a boy, and another boy gets there just after me.

"Arright, you're all here now, so shut up!" Not one for wasting time, is the sensei. "When I point to each of you in turn, I want you each to give your codename, a short description of what your powers are, and if you want, a sentence or two of background."

As her finger moves around we each do as she asked.

"Bottle rocket, gadgeteer, I do fireworks mostly" A short blonde girl.

"Firebox, pyrokinetic, I'm from Chicago and I chose my name because I like trains." A black tomboyish girl.

"Thumper. I'm just a brick, I hit things." She's a pretty brunette, but isn't making much effort with it. Looks a bit depressed.

"ST, just the initials, it doesn't stand for anything. I can hide from notice, invisibility, sound and scent. I'm from Quebec, not France." Short dark-haired boy, strong accent.

"Arclight, I can make hot, bright sparks between body parts." Blond guy, he has a sort of cowboy look, very neat and tidy.

"Parallel, exemplar, warper, regen, life sorcery, claws and teeth, invisibility, multiple bodies, tentacles, and I can manifest weapons. I'm kinda mostly not human. Still friendly though."

Tolman picks up. "Okay. As you can see, you are different power levels, different origins, some of you are have experience fighting, others do not. You are united by one thing: you didn't take basic martial arts last term. You were not here, or you didn't choose to do it. Either way, you did not take combat finals, and this term you are not permitted to join a training team or take advanced combat electives. And you want to change this. This is remedial basic martial arts, people! You will all show dedication to the goal of getting passed by me, at the end of this short term, to participate in combat as equals with your peers - or I will flunk you without hesitation. Is that clear? Say 'yes Sensei'."

I chorus "Yes, Sensei" with the others.

"Okay, go get changed into a gi. You were instructed to bring one, so if you forgot, you will be sitting the lesson out, not a good start. Changing rooms are girls there, boys there. Two minutes people, go!"

After combat movement yesterday, I feel a flinch building at the idea of changing together... speed up my timebase and take a moment to track that down and root it out. It's based in my less than fun original childhood and I won't have it spoiling the fun in this one. I am going to go into this expecting niceness. I take a moment to comfort the part of me that used to feel vulnerable and alone, reassure it that I'm both loved, and strong. We will make friends in this class. If anyone is an ass, we will handle it with dignity and common sense.

Thus reassured, I set my timebase back to normal and head into the changing rooms smiling.

I think from the looks the others are giving me as I get in, they're perhaps a little scared of me, which puts my earlier fear into perspective. I still do my tentacles changing trick, since it saves a lot of time, but also because I want them to see me for who I am. These tentacles are here to do the ordinary, people stuff (as well as the hot tentacle sex stuff, but that's not for class).

It's Firebox who, having done changing, gets up the gumption to approach me. "Hey, I'm Riley. Is it really true you aren't human? Because those tentacles are kind of cool."

I grin. "I'm Jules. Yeah, you know Carmilla, cute but scary demon girl?" She nods. Sara's hard to miss. "I'm kinda sorta the same kind of thing as her, mostly. Although my body's still more human than not, and I was human this time two weeks ago."

"Weird, do you like it?"

I nod. "I like it a whole lot. But we should get out there before Sensei calls time's up. Talk later if you want?" It's one minute and fifty seconds into the two minutes she gave us.

She nods, "later!" And we both walk out.

As I guessed, Sensei Tolman calls out, "Two minutes is up, get your butts out here people!"

A small amount of grumbling and "just give me a second!"s later, the lot of us are out of changing and ready to learn. Nobody forgot their gi.

"Alright. First off, yeah I saw your worried looks, yes some of you are very much more powerful than others. But this class is based on two principles. Firstly, you will learn the basics, like a baseline, so you can handle yourself in the surprisingly common case that your powers are somehow nullified or not safe to use. Such as a pyrokinetic in a hospital room full of patients on oxygen. Secondly, you will learn that nobody is invulnerable, and a skilled baseline can defeat an unskilled mutant much more powerful than themselves. You will receive some training in the best use of your individual powers, but that is less my focus. Regular combat classes will pick that up next term, if you pass." And then the pep talk is over and it's down to work.

For the rest of the class, we go through Aikido forms in constantly shifting pairs. Those of us with better memories who pick up the technique as tori in one or two goes, end up being uke for the others who are coming along more slowly. It's clear that, at least at this stage, Sensei is keen to drag us all up to the same base level. For myself, I find I enjoy learning it, and I enjoy helping the others along. It's nice to feel free of the fear of damaging something, so I can focus on the flow.

Finally, the class is over, and when I return to the changing room there's no repetition of yesterday's shenanigans. Looks like I'm here with a nicer group of kids. This time I get to enjoy showering off, teleport myself dry, and get dressed the regular, rather than sneaky switcheroo way.

Riley's one of the slow learners, but she's methodical and determined. I like her style. As we're changing she gets chatting, and I mention the book on steam model railways I read in ARC, and that gets her happily chatting away about the trains she's ridden in, and the ways a stock yard works. Autistic, perhaps? But a nice kid, and it's an enjoyable enthusiasm. I'm a little sad when I have to wave goodbye and head to Flight class (which is nearby).

Over on the other side, I get to show off my saber to Sara while she's walking with me towards the range. A pity that I can't run it yet, but I'm not about to risk random students getting shrapnel from an ill-conceived design going off like a bomb. But she suggests some edits to pretty it up, and I nudge the shape of the ceramic coating to fit, until she pronounces her approval. I vanish it, but keep the pattern.

Hmm, a thought occurs to me. One that would be better shared down the mark. "Love, you know the head wants to see me at lunchtime?"

"I do", she says. "I know that feeling tone, you've got a plan, haven't you?"

"Yup yup", I send her the feeling of a wide grin. "How about we introduce the Head, with her permission, to a change of venue? You could be there. Explanations might be best given there for certain things."

"Oho. Admit everything, hmm?" Quoting Mrs P.

"Yeah. Honestly, I want her on the inside helping, not on the outside being a stumbling block. We've all got long term plans and I think ours interlock hers. We shouldn't be bumping into each other so much."

She nods. "I'll set that up. Worst case, I get to spend time with the folks."

And then we're at the range, so we part ways.

Caitlin's already busy there, setting up ridiculously huge guns. She looks so odd toting them around like they were made of balsa and pool noodles - yeah, I know I could do the same, and would look as odd, but I'm not entirely used to the craziness here yet.

"Hey there, need a pair of hands to help?" I offer.

She nods. "Sure, grab a couple of those ammo boxes, follow me." I grab them in tentacles, running up several threads to warn me of any safety issues, I'm being careful around her to correct my accurate but unflattering early impression.

As we go, I say, "What's the procedure for getting a new lightsaber certified as safe?"

She puts down the big gun in its booth. "Got it with you?" I nod and hand her one . "I notice you didn't have that in your pocket when you came in. Ammo boxes go down there."

"It's a pattern now, I can make them", I admit, putting the boxes in the place indicated. "Haven't run it up any higher than about a nine volt battery's worth of power just to ensure it wasn't leaking nasties."

She nods, hefts and looks at the thing. "Not magical. Feels slightly outsider-ish and linked to you. Can you show me the innards?"

I nod. "Sure, but I'll need to bring up a bubble if I don't want it to corrode instantly. Hold up." Taking it back, I float it up into the gravity cradle, then remake the vacuum bubble around it. Then I can just wave back the ceramic and let her look at the circuitry.

"Heh, nice. Matter creation, right? Mmm, looks tolerably well engineered. Power supply?"

"Cheating. I make electrons and positrons inside. Runs that gubbins."

She nods, clearly getting how it works just from looking. "Okay, cover it up." I wave the ceramic back on, dissipate the vacuum and drop the saber into my hand.

"I'll book you a slot to get it tested. Perhaps tonight. Seems like it ought to work to me, but I'd like to watch it do its thing. Nice engineering."

"Thanks." We start walking back for the next bit of heavy equipment.

"The dancing naked demons on the handle, though?"

"Well, they do help with grip", I grin. "Sara's idea. But it suits me nicely. Luke Skywalker I am not."

"Thank goodness for that. Boy didn't listen to instructions", is Caitlin's verdict.

# Part fifty five

Shooting those big guns was fun, and very loud. Reminds me of my previous childhood. I had some fun with much smaller guns there too. Sadly, though, the lesson reaches its end. I'd offer to help Caitlin pack away, but I have to get moving fast if I'm going to grab an in-passing snack before heading to meet the Head. Might not be important if plans go as expected, but I'd rather not be hungry all afternoon, or have to risk doing direct matter creation into my own bloodstream to feed myself.

After Caitlin examines my gun to make sure I haven't done something daft like left a round inside, I'm free to go, so I thank her and head out in a rush. Grabbing a pasty from the machine, I pocket it for later. Make a second self, to check I haven't got any embarrassing gun grease on me... nah I'm cool. Okay vanish that, and here we go. Take a second. In-breath, out-breath, centered and serene. And I walk into the admin section.

"Parallel, to see the Head. I'm expected."

The receptionist nods. "Take a seat, I'll buzz her."

Taking time to observe the layout of the room, I get a feeling of what a book I once read would call Hauissh, things being ordered in a certain way to subtly put a certain person in a position of oversight and therefore power over the others in the room... interesting. So that exemplar-pretty blonde pretending to be just another secretary is probably Ms Hartford.

She glances up and catches my look. "Problem?" It's not asked in a friendly way, but I can feel it's sort of testing.

I shake my head. "No, ma'am."

My respectful answer gets a curious slight head tilt. "I hear you're friendly with Paige Donner." Next move in the game, sente to her.

"She's someone I'm extremely fond of, and protective of", I agree. "Ma'am, are you Ms Hartford, her adviser?" Sente to me.

"Good guess. Yes, I am. And I too, feel protective of her. She is not to be drawn into the orbit of the Kimbas, just because you personally seem to enjoy their company." Aggressive play seems to be her style.

"It seems unlikely to be an issue, ma'am. We all worked together on the rescue, but she isn't into their kind of hijinks. Nor, to be honest, am I. You may have noticed I worked with security, rather than just rushing in, powers blazing."

"Yes, I did", she nods, looking thoughtful. And then seeing the door to the Head's room opening, which ends our little match, she says, "See that you continue."

"Yes, ma'am", I say, and then Head steps out, and says, "Miss Parallel, come in."

It's immediately obvious things are going to follow a slightly different trajectory than I'd planned when I see we aren't alone in the room. A man, with a very Colonel Sanders look, goatee and white suit included, is standing, but was obviously sitting a moment ago, which suggests he's being polite.

Mrs Carson says, "Tywyswyr, this is Miss Parallel, who we've been speaking of. Miss Parallel, this is Mr Tywyswyr, a trustee of the school and a person of some importance outside it."

Where did I see that name? Oh yes, the portrait in the corridor from Crystal Hall. Which was not of a human. "Sir, a pleasure to meet you." I bow, because I haven't learned to curtsey yet, but it feels like I should do something.

He looks a bit charmed. "Well, and a pleasure to meet you too. Please, sit. Would you like some coffee?" I can see there's a sort of portable Turkish coffee service set at the table. And yes, I did notice he's the one offering the seat. So the Head either feels he outranks her, or is choosing to give that impression.

I take the offered seat. "Thank you sir, that sounds lovely. I'm fond of coffee, although I admit to not having a trained palette for it."

"That will come with time", he says. "Which, it seems, you will have plenty of."

I nod. "I seem to have been the subject of conversation. I'm not sure how much you discussed my nature, but I expect to be alive a million years from now, excluding mishaps. Time enough to learn coffee properly."

He pours into a tiny cup from the cezve, and hands it to me. I take it, smile and sip. Predictably, it's good.

He says, "Time enough, indeed. Yes, your nature has been rather at the center of our discussion. A number of matters of concern revolve around it. For example, the sniper attack on Miss Donner."

"It was my guess, that it was aimed at me", I say.

He nods. "An interesting guess, You must tell me how you reached it with very little evidence. But a correct one."

Mrs Carson picks up, "The pair who were laying in wait have been apprehended, after they gave themselves away seeking black-market medical help for a runaway were transformation. The group behind the attack is being swept up, too, as we speak. I should be able to lift our lockdown by dinner. But it's a symptom, of an issue that has brought Mr Tywyswyr here. The government is worried about you specifically, and the little group you've formed about yourself as well. That worry has expressed itself as overreaction by some elements, who will regret their mistake, it has also expressed itself by prevailing on one of our trustees to act as an emissary."

"To be honest, I would have come anyway", Tywyswyr says. "My own interest has been piqued, so I was happy to accept the mission."

Mrs Carson says, "To save dancing around the point, we've already spoken of your nature, and we've discussed the disturbing conversation that was reported to me by Lieutenant Forsyth. He mentioned you had plans to come to me and speak about that. I take it, that was why you emailed to ask for an appointment?"

"One of the reasons, yes", I say. And, now feels like the right timing to put plans into action. "Sir, Ma'am, I'd like to suggest a change of venue for this conversation, one that will help to elucidate some of my other reasons."

"To where?", asks Mrs Carson.

"To the personal realm of Gothmog, great old one, demon, Sara's father, my grandfather by lineage, and my concurrent host and tutor. Sara came into this room from there before, ma'am. I propose going to there the same way."

The two of them look at each other. Tywyswyr says, "I confess to being intrigued. I hadn't expected that move."

I say, "Ma'am. I received an email from Mrs P, yesterday. She told me to and I quote, 'admit everything'. I'm choosing to interpret that broadly, but it does include this conversation. I intend not just to be truthful, but to lay out the whole truth, and my intentions. The change of venue will help."

The Head winces, a bit. "She's a meddler. Alright, give me a moment." She picks up the phone handset, buzzes. "Amelia Hartford." A pause. "Hi, Amelia. I'm going off campus, it should be brief. But you're acting Head until I return. Thank you." She hangs up. "Alright, whenever you're ready."

I walk over to the room's door, and open it - onto sunshine, and blue skies. Gothmog, who I've been updating about the change of plans via Sara, is stood there looking very smart. He bows. "Sir, ma'am, you are welcome as guests in my realm. I'm Gothmog, you may also know me as my alias, Antonio Marques Dominguez. Please do come in." Naming them guests, I feel, has a significance to it, one that both of them understand.

The Head, and the dragon, step through the door, and I follow them through. Gothmog closes it behind us, and it vanishes. Then he says, "please follow me. My apologies for the unsightliness of our preparations for hosting our planned conference."

The building sprawls, managing to still look tasteful, but there's no concealing the fact it's sized for an army.

The Head says, "Why do I get the sinking feeling this conference is going to involve my students?"

"The cult of the Kellith will be hosting", says Gothmog, who I feel, is enjoying tweaking her a bit. "So yes, my daughter will be center stage."

"Hosting?", she asks, "Who else is invited, then?"

"All the Earth's religions", says Gothmog. "We are planning the first public, verifiable, off world, globally ecumenical conference. And introducing to the world, a newly hatched power, my granddaughter."

That makes the Head wince hard. "Admit everything... I see."

Tywyswyr begins chuckling, and it turns into a laugh. "I like it, I like it. Many others won't, but it's the most excitement I've had in centuries. Elizabeth, I think this child has us wrapped around her finger."

"Which is an uncomfortable place to be." She doesn't sound approving.

I say, "Forgive me the theatrics, but some news is best broken piecemeal. I've told you I intend to lay the whole thing out. It will take me time to join all the dots."

Conveniently, we're entering the living room now, which gives Gothmog a chance to break the tension by acting as host. The dragon's amused grin shows me understands how that changes the power dynamic. Now *we* are offering drinks and snacks to *them*. On our territory. Once they're seated, I grab a seat.

And, as other me, that's my cue. Stepping into the room, with Sara at my side, I bow to the assembled group. "Mr Tywyswyr, sir, Headmistress, I've been staying here some days now, and studying great old one type sorcery."

The dragon says, "So, all the family's here."

Gothmog smiles. "Sir, ma'am, I'm aware you know of our nature, and the larger war we're fighting, as the pro-human faction among the great old ones. Myself for awhile, my daughter picking up the effort beside me since her own hatching. What you may not be aware of yet, is that perhaps the pivotal move in that war was played last Monday, at your school."

"I know what happened. I'm not sure how it relates to your war", the Head says.

Sara says, "We've been fighting at a disadvantage. Always on the back foot, because the rules were stacked against us. The enemy's efforts to incite division and reflect his own bigotry into human behaviour kept inching forward. The rules of life used to favour dissolution and strife. After what Jules did, now suddenly we have the upper hand. Which, predictably, is panicking the enemy. We think, Mr Tywyswyr, that some of the government level enmity you've seen is his finger-puppets."

The dragon looks thoughtful. "I suppose it could be so, I've often felt the taint of meddling of that sort. Although I haven't been able to pin it down further."

"He's probably just nudging them oh so slightly", Sara says. "After he worked for centuries to structure the bigotry and selfishness that animates them, he only has to lean a little on their dreams, point them where they were already rolling." Which gets a nod from the dragon.

"And now we get to the matter of 'influence'", I say from my chair. "You both know that what I did had effects on humanity, globally. And that it's having an accelerated effect, locally, in the school. It's my belief that the enemy will use this, his newly introduced worst weakness, to strike at us. To incite resistance to a change that would drag humans out of his influence, on the basis of fear of the unknown. I believe part of what Mrs P was pushing me towards, was tearing off the informational sticking plaster."

"The conference?", says Tywyswyr.

"Is part of it", I say. "First, ma'am, with your permission and guidance, I plan to announce it on WARS, to the school. Then, use the publicity of the conference to confirm that broadcast, previously obscure and not credible, to the larger world."

Mrs Carson hisses through her teeth. "That is... a plan that makes terrifying sense. I can see how any concealment can be worked easily into a pitchfork mob. I also see how if this goes bad, you could be global enemy number one, and I'm not sure I could protect you even with the resources of the school. Not all of *them* would be on side, you see. This risks shattering the coalition I've built."

"I know", I say. "It's a vast gamble, but in essence what we need to do is just hold ground. We've already made a tide-turning move. All we need to do, is consolidate it." I sigh, "That's not the only bit of news we risk the enemy using. Part of Sara's and my battle plan in this war is to breed into the humans, help nudge them towards us."

"Jet's outburst", says the Head. "I had asked Mrs Horton to discreetly look into that."

Cue for pregnant me to step in, wearing a nicely decorous sundress and sandals. From that body, I say, "And now, all the family is really here. Meet Junior."

"The father?" the Head says, sounding strangled.

"Myself", I say.

"Which slips you through a gap I hadn't thought to close in my prohibition. Consider it closed as of now, because they absolutely will use this to whip up a mob against you."

"We're keeping her", I say. "On this we are determined, she's already a person to us. Would you like to meet her, ma'am? I can relay life sense, if you'll hold my hand."

Mrs Carson, still frowning, nods, and takes my offered hand.

"You can see she's well implanted and starting to differentiate" The Head and I can both feel Junior's serenely contented gaze.

Tywyswyr says, "Ahead of schedule for humans by some days."

I nod. "She's not human on either side of her parentage. We don't know how fast she will grow. But she's one of our family, she'll be on the pro-human side by lineage, probably by temperament."

The Head, letting go of my hand, sighs. I know she won't be able to will harm against Junior either, now they've met. "What do you want me to do?"

"For now, just don't expel me or drop stumbling blocks under my feet", I say. "For later... I know I'm leaning on my influence to even dare ask this, but I want the prohibition on pregnancy taken down. That may have to wait until people outside my accelerating influence grow mellower, but both Sara and I have work to do, and waiting until we're eighteen is handing years of lead time to the enemy."

Tywyswyr cracks up. "Oh I love this child. To your face, she asks that. And backs it up with solid logic. So, Elizabeth, what will you do?"

Red faced, the Head grits her teeth. "The first, granted. The second, I will... think about it."

"Now that, I approve of", says an unexpected feminine voice from the kitchen area. And Gothmog's sudden worried expression drops the ground out from under my feet. This is *his* realm. Nobody and nothing should be here unless he wills it. How, what?

A rounded, very maternal black woman walks into the room, from the kitchen. Actually, I say maternal, she looks pregnant, not just large. "A fine day for a family gathering, if I do say so myself. And now we really *are* all here."

# Part fifty six

"Grandma. You were not invited", Sara snarls.

"But I came anyway, dear, like I always do." She looks like she could use a place to sit down, so I get up out of my chair and she smiles, and says, "thank you, child", and takes the seat. And looking over to Gothmog, she says, "And you can stop trying to push me out. It won't work, dear. I'm not here today to cause you trouble."

He bows, conceding it. "Ma'am. I hope not, because I clearly can't prevent it."

I ask, "So, if you'll pardon the curiosity, what are you here to do?" I'm not quite sure what to make of her. Despite everything, she doesn't feel hostile.

She smiles. "I came here to meet the family, of course. And your other interesting visitors too."

"Ma'am, we haven't been introduced", says Tywyswyr. I'm sure he's made a good guess who she is, but he's the sort to stand on formality.

I jump in to do it. Maybe it's ignorance, but something tells me I don't need to be too afraid of her. "Um, I'm not sure which name you prefer to use?"

"Well I've been called a great many things, but the one I dislike the least is 'The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young', even if it does under-count by more than a little. Much better than the so called proper name that foolish racist man gave me. Mrs Goat, if you want to use human conventions. I'm fond of goats, one of my better creations."

Alright. "Mrs Goat, meet Mr Tywyswyr, a trustee of the school I study at, and Mrs Carson, Headmistress of the school. Mr Tywyswyr, Headmistress, please meet my great-grandma by lineage, the personified power of creation and life, Mrs Goat."

"There, now it's done properly", she says, with a smile. "And you needn't hide your fear behind formality, Sthri. I'm used to being feared, it doesn't bother me." She looks at me. "Actually, I'm a little curious why don't seem to, child?"

I consider that. "I'm not entirely sure. You feel... not inclined to harm us at the moment. Close to benevolent, for us and for now. It doesn't feel like that's a trick. Logically, you don't need to trick us. I feel... attachment to you. You're a member of the family, and I'm happy to meet you, even if you are also terrifying by nature."

"Well, now, that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day." She grins. "You know, my high priestess doesn't really like her job..."

Sara interrupts, "Grandma! I won't have you pressuring her into taking on my burden!" My brave beloved.

"Who's pressuring anybody?", she ripostes. "Granddaughter, since a certain child of yours wedged her newly formed self into me last Monday night, I've had a conscience I neither want nor need, but there it is, and I don't hold a grudge for it, life will do what it will do, even to me. I'm offering to share the work, by her permission. It might suit her, have you considered that?"

Sara looks like she's not buying it. "Coming here, being like this, you're trying to manipulate us. It's a facade, this isn't what you are."

"Yes, dear, I won't deny it. What I am, is that which shouldn't be. And won't be, soon enough. That fool boy can only impose an impossibility so far. But we have purpose in common, to get it over with quickly."

Sara, grudgingly, nods.

I say, "I'll genuinely consider it, ma'am. I may need to ask you further for what it would entail."

"Good girl. Just say 'Mrs Goat', with an intention of reaching me, and I'll be there", she nods. "Alright, well, last but not least, let's meet the youngest of the family." Looking over at pregnant me.

She gestures, I can feel something like us-type magic but stranger, and a pink spark flies from my belly, and resolves itself next to her as the pink-glowing, translucent form of a child, who looks around. "'Ello, gre-gre-gamma", a clear and enthusiastic girl's voice. "Ello mama, ello mama Sara, ello gre-ganpa, ello missuz Car Sun, ello mister dragon. Can I see your wings?" Oh god, it's Junior, and I'm in love. And I think, everyone else is too.

"How?", asks the Head, charmed but also confused. "Just a moment ago she was just cells."

Junior turns to her. "I's not borned yet, missuz Car Sun. But I is here already same way gre-gre-gamma is. Already every place. But happy to be cells now. It's good sleep. Mama's soft. Can I go back, gre-gre-gamma? I see your wings later mister dragon." Yes, I'm crying. I dare anyone not to in the circumstance. I love her so much.

Mrs Goat smiles. "Yes, you may go back dear." And waves to send the spark back into me. I rub my belly and feel the way life sense has Junior snuggling up to me. Still crying.

Turning to the Head, Mrs Goat says, "I won't tell you how to run your school, Elizabeth Carson. But what all of these children are doing is important. Including Junior, as will be later. And you should be warned that although he's clouded the details from my sight, my old opponent, who I shan't name, has his attention very much fixed upon your school. Make of that what you will."

The Head just nods.

Mrs Goat takes a deep breath and stands up. "Alright, I shan't stand on ceremony, I've done what I came to do. It has been a pleasure meeting you all." And she just isn't there any more.

It takes a moment of quiet, waiting for the other shoe to drop, before I look to Gothmog for confirmation, and he nods. "Yes, she's fully gone. My sincerest apologies, that wasn't planned at all." He looks a bit frazzled.

Drying my eyes on my sleeve, I say, "I think we should head back. I have lessons after lunch period." (Speaking of which... I'll just grab a few of those edibles to fill me up. Much nicer than the plastic-packed pasty still sat in my pocket, and strong emotion leaves me drained and hungry.)

That provides all the excuse the Head and Tywyswyr need, and the both of them make it clear, politely, that they have pressing engagements and should be going too. Sara is in a class with me right after lunch, so the four of us troop back through an opened door into Mrs Carson's office. When it shuts, the Head breathes a sigh. "That... I don't even have words for it now. Run along, Jules, Sara. I have a lot of thinking to do."

"As do I", says Tywyswyr. "It has, despite circumstances, been a pleasure meeting you both."

"Pleasure meeting you too, sir." I bow again. Sara does likewise. Then we head for the exit. Whee. That was about as heavy as heavy messing gets. But at least all my cards are on the table, now. That one burden is lifted.

There's about half an hour left before the lessons begin. A short underground walk takes us back to Sara's room, Paige is already there (back in her fur form now), and happy to be kitty in the middle of a hug from both of us, snuggled together on the bed while we fill her in on what happened.

Despite the fact I've got loads of minds to work with, my head is pretty much spinning. I'm really not sure what impression we ultimately gave the Head and the dragon. I think, the Head will still be on side with the "tell everything" project. The dragon I'm less sure of, but he sees the logic. But I know they both looked spooked as fuck when they got back, and I can hardly blame them. Something that rates against your average class X threat like a nuclear bomb compared to a campfire, stopped over to see the family. Two of which are in her school. Honestly, I hope merely being physically near Mrs Goat didn't harm them.

"Is it dangerous, the job, being life's high priestess?", I ask Sara.

"For us, no, it's just a part of my identity I can't avoid and don't enjoy, it would squish a human, but neither of us is that any more." She pauses. "You know, if we win, if we defeat him, what he made will unravel. Grandma won't be grandma. And because she defined me, I'll at least be transformed in some way. And I can't know how. I could actually just die, though I'm trying to avoid that, but it's unavoidable that I'll be changed because I won't be the High Priestess of Life any more. Giving up something like that tends to re-write your existence."

"Everything always changes, I think", I say. "There's no truly stable rock, the stability is the dance, and we'll be dancing it together. No matter what. I won't let go of you."

Paige chimes in with "Mhm, no dying. We'll all stay together. If you're changed, we'll love the changed you. I know you've done the same for me."

"I suppose I did", Sara agrees, smiling. Although I can tell she's still worried. I wish there was more I could do to reassure her, but it's a terrible situation to be stuck in.

For a few minutes, we just snuggle up together and let the strains of the day wash away in simple love and Paige-petting.

"Hey Paige", I say, which gets a curious "Mrr?" in response. "I just remembered something important. The Head told us the folks who shot at you, got caught when the one you chewed on turned kitty and tried to get a dirty doc to treat it. Confirmed they were targeting me."

She picks up, sounding worried, "Means it's likely the rest of our guessing was right too, they saw me and knew me. And lived to tell their bosses. Damn it."

"I won't let you be fate's chew toy again", I say. And Sara says "Same here, beloved. And this school is where you stay. I think maybe the time for hiding is over."

I say, "Upside, I think the Head is making things unpleasant for the line of command that authorized the whole thing. That may sow enough chaos into the bureaucracy that the question of your identity doesn't come up right away."

"Buys us time", Paige says, tail twitching. "It will, eventually, reach the ears of someone who wants me either a lobotomized servant of the state or dead, and has the power to try and make it happen."

"If they declare war on us, we declare war on them", I say. "But diplomacy may yet show fruit. You'll have to talk to the Head, she'll probably be the one brokering the talks."

Sara says, "We shouldn't forget Petra. We should bring the Knights in on this. I was already meaning to talk to them about the conference, so we can bring it up then. I'll call them up this weekend and see if they can send someone we know over."

I say, "And I need to work on my death backup ideas, we already need that for Jamie, but it would be good to have one for you and Petra too. Paige, dear, may I snapshot you, since you're right here?"

"What would it mean?" she asks.

"Just scanning you with life sense, but I'll ask big me to help me with the complexity of saving a copy. Then I should be able to manifest bodies that are clones of you. I can't yet do the soul snatch and transfer, but it's half the problem down."

"If it's Paige or Petra, I should be able to help you move the soul". Sara says, "I did that before. Jamie's a different problem though, she doesn't have a mark."

"Okay, do it", says Paige. "Damn, but it's weird. I'll be a part of you, kinda."

"Safe and protected, impossible to kill. That's what I'm aiming for. Then we can maybe tell these governments to go take a walk, because you're out of their power." I smile and kiss her, and let big me slide forward so the kiss becomes a scan, and we save a copy. "There, done."

"Sounds nice", Paige says, snuggling up against me, and purring again.

# Part fifty seven

Sadly all good snuggles have to come to an end, and I needed to get moving to be at Journeyman's class in time. A direct jump to Poe (and giving Erin a scare, sorry!) and I have my kit. I'm going to assume sweats, but I'll bring the gi in case. A few speedy teleports through the tunnels, and I catch up to Nikki and Chou as they're heading in.

"Do you have any idea why I got the note to come along with you?", Nikki's asking Chou, so I figure it's her first class with the guy too.

"Got me. Dyffud is strange and different, and this should either be fun and strange or a complete pain in the ass," Chou replies, "Oh hey, Jules. You too huh?"

I nod. "Given I'm a complete white belt compared to you two, I dunno what he's planning for me. Guess we'll find out though."

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Nikki teases, and both of them snicker.

The other two are going with simple sweats in the changing room, so I do too. And then we head together into the room, where for unknown (but possibly Instagram-friendly) reasons the guy is doing a headstand.

"Thank you for coming Miss Reilly. I am sorry to have taken you away from your other class. I did get permission from Mrs. Hagarty first however."

"Uhm… that’s alright." Nikki's fairly glowing on life sense. He's your type, huh? I think, but don't say anything out loud. Sadly, I was never able to appreciate the male form, so he just looks like another guy to me, albeit one built like a professional dancer.

"And thank you for coming, Jules. I've been told that for you, an overlapping schedule is not a problem?”

I nod. "I'm over in escape class as we speak. It won't be a problem for me."

"Convenient", he agrees as he's tipping back upright. "So this particular class is about moving from your truth."

"Mr. Harraz…", Nikki says

"Dyffud. Please."

"Dyffud, I already move from there," says Nikki.

"Ah, then perhaps your Mentor got it wrong. Could you just humor me for a little bit?"

"Sure. What would you like to do?"

"Could you please pull free Malachim's Feather? I want to spar briefly with you using weapons, that is all. I understand that Chou and Ms. Hagarty have been teaching you and you have some actual combat experience with the sword. Is this correct?"

Chou squinches back against the wall, I follow her lead, she's the experienced martial artist here.

Nikki says, "What are you going to fight with?", like she figures she's gonna chop him into chunks if it's some weedy ass non legendary sword, which would be embarrassing.

"With me. Don't worry, you won't cut me." Which gets a surprised look off everyone, he's either very good, or very arrogant. I'd lay my bets on good. The fact the other two are still taking him seriously suggests they would too.

"Uhm… Dyffud, this sword is very sharp and can cut through most things."

"Don't worry about it Nikki, this is my choice, so just come at me, for real, as if I were one of the Voodoo Wolves," he says.

Chou gives me a look, like, is this guy serious. Nikki just shrugs. "If that's what you want."

They bow, he lets her take the first move, coming at him with an upward cut, that he side-slips, and then angles for a sideways slice, that he jump-rolls over, ninja style. Okay, rate this guy as good. I'm scrolling back and forward through my memory of their motions, plotting angles and arcs. I can see the moment in my playback when his stance goes from generally receptive, to a specific committed response, and it's as soon as she begins to move. At that one instant the exchange was already decided and the rest of it is just him dancing with her. Implication, he must have known the library of moves which her opening stance offered. When she gave enough info to show which one she'd picked, he just indexed to the counter. Snip, snap, and close the trap.

He says "Is that really all you have? Come at me seriously." Which pisses Nikki off and she makes like a blender, although predictably at this point that doesn't do a damn thing except getting him to back up some.

"You're the Queen of the West? What a fucking joke?" He's winding her up... No, wait, I know that body language. He's winding *her* up. Interesting... and before I have much time to ponder it he's inside Nikki's blade and gets her with an elbow right to the diaphragm. Which ends the fight right there.

Immediately, his wind-up merchant attitude disappears, and he's back to Yoda, doing a few acupressure-style finger jabs and I can see Nikki's life flow getting back stabilized. He smiles. "You weren't moving from your truth and that gave me an opening. That is what we need to work on."

Chou goes and helps Nikki up, while she's asking him "How did you stop the sword?"

Yeah, definitely a Yoda style smirk there, "A forearm block."

"The sword should have gone through your arm", Nikki insists. Meanwhile I'm backtracking again, analysing it. He never contacted the blade's edge. Caught the flat at a slight diagonal and turned so the sword's momentum was wasted into empty air while he was slipping inside it. Ballsy damn move.

"Perhaps", he shrugs. Details are evidently not the lesson's point. "So... what do I mean by moving from your truth?" He pauses, they don't answer, he looks at me. "Jules, I could see you analysing, there. Tell me what she did wrong."

Flicker back, focusing on Nikki. After a moment, I say, "When she was attacking, she wasn't really giving you trouble, you could index off each of her moves and slip it by rote. But she wasn't giving you any easy open gaps, either. When Aunghadhail got grumpy and came front, she blanked. That cut was unplanned and underpowered. From your perspective, wide open." I need a cache like his. Let's create one and start loading his moves and counters into it as we go.

"How did he block Malachim's Feather, then?" It's Aung, still frustrated about her unstoppable sword being so easily stopped.

"He came inside it and didn't let the edge touch his arm. But honestly, I'd bet he could have done a dozen things. Including just moved back from the cut and closed in after it, if the weapon was something he couldn't risk touching at all. Point being, you had very little intention, control, or flow in that one moment."

"...is the right answer." Dyffud grins. Looking to Nikki and Chou, "Both of you two have an extra bit of trouble with your abilities, since Chou has the Handmaid stuff and Nikki has Aunghadhail. The transition time between one and the other makes you pause briefly in combat as neither of you is truly connected to your Truth. That pause is a huge opportunity for an attacker. Jules, from what Amanda Tolman tells me, yours is more complicated. You are still integrating your changed, non-human self. In a fight, your analysis meets your human habits of thought that don't handle multiplicity well, and you stall out and underperform. In all of your cases, because you're in various ways sharing a body, you sometimes struggle with who is driving. That problem keeps you from moving from your truth."

Chou says, "Wait, you are saying that if we come to terms with these things, we will be stronger than we already are?"

He nods.

Nikki meanwhile sounds worried. "But if I do this won’t Aunghadhail be absorbed into me?"

He doesn't look too worried. "I see no reason why that would happen. Basically, you need to work with the transition, make it smoother and less likely to have you paused in your actions. It makes you stutter in your movement and disrupts your chi for a short while afterward. A clever opponent will strike at that exact moment and take advantage."

"So what you are saying is that if we come up with a better time sharing process between drivers we should be able to avoid that opening?", asks Nikki.

He shakes his head. "Look. What you need to do is realize that this is who you are and stop trying to compartmentalize things. You are both of these things. Fey, you are both Nikki Reilly and Aunghadhail. Chou Lee, you are both Alexander Farshine and The Handmaid of the Tao. Jules, you are your memories of your human self, and your newly added inhuman depths. So you share your life with some other thing, big deal. Does that fact make you any less you? Is either part any more or less true than the others? When you get a handle on who you really are this problem will disappear."

Chou pauses for a moment, clearly turning the idea over in her head, before asking "How?"

Dyffud grins wider. "You need to realize that there is not a Chou box and an Alex box and a Handmaid box, or a Nikki box and an Aunghadhail box. Or Jules, a human box and a great old one box. There is only one box, you. Alex is still you, despite you now being a girl. The Handmaid is still you, despite everything. And Nikki, Aunghadhail is your past and to a degree, your future, but you are still Nikki Reilly when all is said and done. Without merging these things, you will leave openings that a good fighter will be able to exploit. I want to help you all fix these holes."

While those two are thinking about it, he goes and grabs a thick meditation mat for each of us from a stack, and hands them out, indicating the floor. "Let's meditate."

Upside of this body, I can actually do lotus without giving myself a sprained hip or a numb leg. "What I want you to do during this meditation is to picture your self, all parts of it. They will not be in a cohesive whole and that is alright at this stage of things. During the meditation, I want you to try to bring them together into one. It isn't all that easy and you will have to figure out some of the various interconnections in the process that are causing you some issues. Once you can figure those out you might be able to get past this and integrate fairly easily. Shall we?"

We nod, he dings one of those Tibetan bells that seem to be the done thing for meditation, and off we go.

Alright. Still, center, I perceive my thoughts arising but I am not my thoughts. My attention rests. Allow myself to experience myself. My minds. The lesson going on over the other side, and the feelings of happiness that come from being with Sara and Paige and having fun with fancy anti-exemplar locks. The two me in Gothmog's place, sleeping off the day's shocks all wrapped up in each other. Big me, beneath, quietly radiating love. Sara, through the mark. Through Sara, dimly felt, others. And stretching in a different direction, I include my various bodies, pregnant and not. Going down deep, like I did with Paige, I find my bodies have their own memories and minds. Some levels regret the changes I've gone through. Others revel in them.

If all of my parts are one, what would it mean? Big me slides forwards and we share the hypothetical. When we're together, we can see the bits that stick and grind. But we resist the temptation just just scribble over them, instead we cherish and unwind them. They are knots of fear, of hanging-onto-habit based in seeking comfort from the familiar, so we comfort them. We understand that our larger self does not belong too deeply enmeshed in this universe, but we can blend and flow with its potential.

The bell dings again. End of meditation. Big me slides back down, but more connected than before, more a part of a fluid self. I'm changed, again, I think.

Dyffud can see it too. I can tell from the way he looks at me. But he doesn't bother the others with it, as we all help pack away.

# Part fifty eight

"Your eyes just got brighter, you know?" Sara sounds curious. We're currently playing with getting fiendishly complicated devisor locks open.

Paige takes a look and nods, "Yeah, they aren't the full on, shadow casting headlights you get when big you is up front, but they're brighter than they were. What're you up to over on the other side?"

So I tell them about Dyffud's interesting lesson. Sara takes a peek inside my head at my new arrangements and teases, "he doesn't know what kind of a monster he's created", and I snicker.

"Miss Parallel! Yes you, since you're having such a great time, why don't you come up here and join me at the front." Oopsie.

I stand and come up front, where Mr Robertson is honestly looking amused rather than annoyed. I figure he just needed a "volunteer".

"So, kid, you're the warper type. Here, I've got some fancy cuffs the Knights of Purity use. OMAG, go put them on her. Try to get out of them using powers."

OMAG is a big, grumpy wanna be soldier type with a Scottish accent. He doesn't like me, because we both can duplicate bodies but he tops out far lower than me and has to run it all with one mind. Which explains his sadistic smirk that would look great on an actual anti-mutant crusader. He's happy to put his YouTube trained "army skills" to use manhandling me, grabbing my hands behind my back and locking me into the cuffs with sadistic amounts of force. Which of course does exactly nothing to me, because I'm ex-4 and he's barely more than a baseline with a trick. Of course I ham it up, going "ow, ow that hurts" and pitifully squirming, which gets him to evil-snicker, and then disappoint him as soon as he's done by being clearly fine. I'd lay odds that any army that would accept this guy is going to belong to a state with "democratic" in its name, that isn't. Ass.

Okay, lets see what these thingies can do. He said powers, so I try bending myself over to the other side of the classroom. Huh, interesting, they followed. Fold space for a short range teleport... I keep an eye on them with gravity sense and lo and behold, they warp right along with me. "Clever trick", I say. OMAG is snickering. So I tease him by duplicating myself and vanishing the original (which he can't do), and the cuffs drop to the floor with a "thunk". And promptly flash very brightly, making everyone in the class wince and hide their eyes.

"Good work", Mr Robertson says. "They didn't design around that one trick, but you'll notice that a lot of these things have a booby-trap that goes off if they realise you've escaped. It can be anything, a bomb, sonic stunner, gas, marker liquid. In this case, just a flashbulb. Best be careful where you drop them. If you couldn't use body duplication, how would you get out?"

"Pick the lock with a tentacle", I say. "I could cut them, but not without irradiating the room. I could contrive to cut or blow my hands off and then regenerate them, although I prefer not to and it would leave me useless in a fight for short while. If I can't afford to break out, bide my time until the captors slip." I'm thinking, when my saber's done, I may have another option there. And of course, there's always picking them apart by atoms, but I'd rather keep that one a little quiet.

He nods. "The advanced ones usually have unpickable locks, because the keys have computer chips in 'em. Stealing a genuine key is an option you left off. The other approaches are good. Remember kids, waiting for a better chance later is an option you need to have on your list."

He waves me back towards my desk as he continues, "Now, this not being Hollywood, nobody's going to fall asleep next to your barred cell with a jingle-jangle ring of keys clipped to their belt for you to hook off. Let's look at where they keep the keys." He turns on the projector and shows a slide up on the board. "This here is a typical high-security mutant prisoner transport van. They won't normally unlock you in one of these, and the guards don't carry keys, but they do have some ready in a locked safe in case you have a heart attack or something. Usually it's here."

I sit down at my place and watch with interest. This could be useful, given the annoying way my life tends to go.

Over on the other side, with the lesson done, I don't have anything to do, but I'm already feeling antsy from the lockdown - especially since I know it's going to be lifted, they just haven't done it yet. I really want to just run and play in the woods. But I'm not going to make any enemies by doing it before they let us. What I *can* do, though, is stand outside, in one of the open air tunnels of temporary bulletproof screens between the buildings, and look up at the stars as they start to come out. They've become something of a mascot of my changes, to me. I can see so many more now, even when they aren't all out. And in far greater colour depth. Although some of the colour ranges are muted, but that's probably the atmosphere eating the high frequency stuff. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go outside of atmosphere and see them raw? I think perhaps I could create and destroy stuff to handle gas exchange, but what about pressure? Going to the bathroom via matter destruction is something else I'd have to figure out too. I neither want to create a vacuum implosion inside my innards, nor a gas bubble. Fussy, fussy.

"Hi, nice evening, not worried about shooters?" My attention is dragged back to the here-and-now, it's Dyffud, he must have headed out the same way I did. His calm presence didn't ding my attention on life sense. Interesting.

I shake my head. "I was already told the matter's resolved, so all this is just residual. Thank you for your lesson. I believe I learned a lot."

"I saw", he says. "Your chi did some interesting things. I believe you learned a lot more than you got a chance to show."

I get the feeling he'll understand. "I find it frustrating, physical lessons, normally. The data density is so low. I learn one move... now I've got to learn hundreds more before I can string patterns together. I might get it in one go, but I have to keep up with the rest of the class who want to do the same thing for a whole lesson. Watching you... I was close to learning at a comfortable speed."

He laughs. "Most people, they get hit in the face by a firehose and beg to turn it down."

"I read a whole library in an evening, a week ago", I say. "Not bragging, just a benchmark. I've got faster since. I can turn off my frustration, but anything at one-to-one speed feels painfully slow to me."

"You want lessons, don't you?"

"Desperately", I admit. "Even if it's just watching. But the ideal would be personal lessons, just us. I feel like I could actually learn at close to a natural speed. And I feel you could adjust and handle that."

He looks curious. "I could adjust, hmm?"

"Most teachers here, they're expecting me to be human, and I'm not. I'm not even just a speedster or an exemplar. This one physical body can't come close to saturating my attention bandwidth. I think now, I couldn't saturate it with a thousand. I learn immediately, on the first pass, and permanently. Often before they've finished their sentence. I get the feeling it bothers them."

He says, "Don't be too harsh on Amanda, she runs her class the way she does for a reason."

"Oh, I know it," I say, "I remember being human. Being a slow-ass, unfit, uncoordinated, rubbish memory human, in fact. I understand wanting to bring the whole group up to a standard, however gradually that has to be done. It's just frustrating because I feel I might need this stuff. You know I've been in fights already?"

He nods. "I heard. We've discussed your recent fight, us martial arts teachers. Consensus was that you knew you couldn't fight with any skill, and made the best of it."

"Where best means dying repeatedly, yeah." I sigh. "If in future, I could make a fight like that end without having personal experience of what my intestines look like, that would be nice."

"Ending the fight was your goal, then?"

"Protecting Erin, getting her found by security, was my primary goal. Secondary, getting a chance to free two people of compulsion in a context where conveniently knocking them out wasn't assault. So I was stalling for time initially, but yeah, I wanted the fight to stop. Stalling by talking is a lot less traumatic."

"And getting revenge on them? Anger?"

"I was angry for what they did to Erin. But it didn't come into the fight. Hurting them back would just have made more victims. That feels senseless, to me. None of them would have learned from it."

He nods. "Despite that, you did put quite a bit of trauma on them. Particularly miss Summers."

"I've decided since, I regret that", I say. "At the time, it felt justified, to overwhelm them and win. Now, I feel it was it the same category of unjustified excess as flooding them with tentacles would have been. They aren't absolute enemies, like the things they call 'voodoo wolves' here. They're kids, with bad attitudes."

"That's a good lesson to have learned, and it's good you learned it without a lot more collateral damage", he agrees. "Alright. I'm going to schedule in training for you. Probably separate from Chou, she needs different things."

My "Yay!" and happy bouncing makes him laugh.

Over the other side, a background thread I had set chewing on ideas pops up, and I look at what it has to show me. Oh, interesting design! I show Sara through the mark.

She's not techie, so it takes her a moment to parse it out. "Oh I see, so this would let us have group chats, like the Kimbas do, but for lots of different groups?"

"Broadcast in a group, or just direct to a particular person", I agree. "Anyone could bring anyone onto the mesh and pull them into existing groups, or make new groups. I could make a group for the Kimbas, so they wouldn't need their gadgets. We could have separate pack and polycule groups so we don't bother Gypsy with lovey-dovey stuff."

"And soul level interconnects means it would be impossible to snoop except perhaps for one of us."

"And tamper evident if they did. Plus that should mean people can stay on mesh and communicate if they're unconscious, and if they die, we can lifeboat them, because we have a link to their soul."

"Which solves our Jamie problem", she agrees. "Interesting. It'll be a new spell, which will mean a lot of research. You can do some Gothmog-side, I'll do some, we compare notes. You realise that if you give this to the Kimbas, Ayla is gonna give it to his business contacts, they're gonna give it to their partners... it'll spread. It could end up as ubiquitous as email."

"Make all the humans telepathic, and tele-empathic, without breaking down their boundaries. Cut the nosies out of the loop. Teach them that souls are real and death is temporary, in the most practical way." I'm grinning. "Sounds like a project."

She snickers, but then gets thoughtful. "Downside is, villains will love it. Truly private chats."

"Upside, victims will love it", I counter. "They can be yacking away with their families telling them where they're at and what the villain's plans are, and nobody can snoop or prevent it."

"Fair point", she agrees. "We could have used that with Erin. Okay, let's get started on that this evening?"

I nod. "And I can probably work on it in dream-time too."