The New Age - And I Say Rock On

[Nina]

Two days later…

 

Shelly, Montana

 

The dust was still heavy in the air, but the streaks of fire denoting another meteor had lessened to only one or two every few hours and those were small and burned up in the atmosphere. There hadn’t been and impact or ariel explosion in over a day. At least not in this part of the country.

 

Power was still out for most everyone unless they had a generator and fuel. Surprisingly the very day after the main impacts the AMTRAK from out of Washington State had come through carrying refugees east and south. From the train Shelly learned of the first of many shocks to come, Seattle was gone. A large rock had hit in the northern part of the city. It was like a nuclear bomb had gone off, but much, much worse. The crater, the people from the train reported, was over fifteen miles across and filling with water from the Sound.

 

No one knew how many people had been in Seattle at the time of the strike. Ten million people lived there, and all transportation infrastructure was wiped out. In a matter of seconds a huge swath of Washington’s population was suddenly homeless, panic-stricken, and searching for news.

 

The citizens of Shelly took it in stride. They had suffered a lot of small impacts and a some farms had burned from the fires which still smouldered.

 

The citizens of Shelly were used to dealing with tough times. They had gone through natural disasters before, like droughts and wildfires. So when the meteor strikes hit, they took it in stride.

 

Thankfully, most of the impacts near Shelly were small and didn't cause much damage besides starting a few fires which were quickly put out. However, some farms on the outskirts of town had been hit by larger meteors and were now burning.

 

The townspeople came together to help those affected by the strikes. They worked together to put out fires and provide shelter for those whose homes had been destroyed. Some families opened up their homes to take in refugees from nearby towns that had been hit harder.

 

Despite the chaos and destruction, there was a sense of solidarity among the people of Shelly. They knew how to survive tough times and they were determined to do so once again.

 

After the incident, rumors began to spread like wildfire. First, the Hildebrants shared their story of how rocks had rained down on their farm and started fires all over the fields. The adults were forced to leave their children in the house as they fought the flames, but unfortunately, the fire reached the house and claimed their kids' lives. However, according to the Hildebrants, a luminous woman appeared out of nowhere and entered the burning home. Within moments, she emerged with the children in her arms and the fire was put out.

 

Soon after, others came forward with similar accounts of this flying woman, and some even mentioned another a man rescuing people and doing heroic things all over the region. Some believed they were angels, while others claimed they recognized them as Sara Hutchins and Able Cross from Shelly. Although Hutchins had moved away years ago and now lived on a farm 20 miles away, people insisted it was her due to her striking resemblance to the glowing woman.

 

At least she wasn’t stark naked now. Once she realized that she had been flying around, glowing like a neon beer sign, putting out fires and helping people, naked, Sara had found some old work boots and a pair of overalls that fit. Still no one had seemed to recognize her although a couple of folks had given her a look that said they might have.

 

She had flown over most of the towns and they seemed intact and for the most part undamaged so she didn’t stop at any of them. She definitely wasn’t going to go into Shelly, which was the largest town in the region. First of all she didn’t want to deal with people who know her or might remember her from ten years ago, and second, Taylor Air Station, it wasn’t a big military base but it was active.

 

Built in the mid-nineteen fifties as part of the cold war early warning system, Taylor Air Station took over the grounds of the closed Army training camp called Camp Bullock. Taylor AS was originally a Radar station, then a Missile Site Base camp. In the Nineteen Seventies it also hosted training for the Air Forces Special forces wilderness training. The base was all but closed in the eighties becoming a maintenance base although In summer and winter it did still host wilderness survival training classes. In the early 2000s after 911 and the Gulf War it was reopened and modernized as a full time Air Force Special Operations Training center. In 2018 it became known that the Air Force had been using the base to operate remote vehicles covertly, although the nature of those operations remained secret speculation ran wild.

 

Sara didn’t want to deal with the government at all right now if there even was a government any more.

She need a place to crash and stay off the radar until she figured out all of this new powers shit.

 

She thought of Abel Cross. They had gone to highschool together. They hadn’t been friends really, but both were friends with Sean Cassidy. Sara, because like her, Sean had been an outsider and a freak and she had felt sorry for him once and stepped in when he was being bullied. Even back then Sara had little tolerance for bullies, especially when the root of the bullying was sex. Sean and Abel’s friendship was apparently a real friendship.

 

Sara knew that Cross was still in Shelly she had run into him a couple of months back at a bar, he recognized her and bought her a beer which turned into several. Abel had needed a shoulder and Sara was handy. He lived in a trailer on the outskirts of Shelly, Sara was sure he would let her crash there.

 

Sara landed near Abel Cross' trailer, feeling a rush of relief as she knocked on the door. The sound of shuffling feet came from inside before the door creaked open to reveal Abel's surprised expression.

 

"Sara? What are you doing here?" Abel asked, his eyes widening in disbelief as he took in her appearance.

 

"I...uh...I need a place to stay for a while," Sara replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I've been...going through some things."

 

Abel studied her for a moment before nodding, stepping aside to let her in. "Come on in. You can crash on the couch," he offered, leading her into the small but cozy living room of his trailer.

 

As Sara settled onto the worn couch, she couldn't help but notice the pictures adorning the walls - photos of Abel with friends, an old dog that must have passed away long ago, and one particular photo of him and Sean Cassidy from high school.

 

“You have power?'“ Sara noticed the lights on in the kitchen space, but she couldn’t hear a generator.

 

Able sat in a chair across from the couch. “Yeah the Airmen got some of the substations up and running. The plant that supplies the power wasn’t damaged just had a bunch of transformers blown. About a third of the county from here to Cutbank have power. They said the plant has about two or three weeks of fuel.” He shrugged. “I didn’t hear you drive up.”

 

They looked at each other in silence.

 

________________

 

It was the third Amtrak with refugees to come through in two days. Shelly would feed them but they didn’t have the capability to take any in.

 

Roach got of the train and as soon as he could she slipped away. Phones still didn’t work so she had to go find her dad the old fashioned way.

 

________________

 

Sean parked on the ridge near where the family home was. He… she… needed to see it before they drove in. Sean didn’t want any surprises. Not like Seattle.

Spoiler

Abel should pick up here,  Sean and Roach should as well but also fill in the two previous days as well at least a summery

 

[Shameless]

For Abel, the last two days were full.  He'd been helping wherever he could, and thankfully his parents were both fine as well.  The people of Shelly had by and large stood together, and he himself had heard rumors of people with powers, angels, or what have you.   It gave him pause, if only because it meant he wasn't the only one.   He could only hope that the others would be altruistic, or at least not use any new abilities they'd gained malevolently.  
 

When someone knocked on the door of his trailer, he'd wondered who it could be.  He did still know a number of people, but he'd never have imagined it would be Sarah Hutchins who'd come to his home.  His truck was still where it had been knocked over, thankfully it was not somewhere that most would be able to see.
 

Of course he'd welcomed Sara in, offering her his couch.   He only had one bed in the house, his, and it wouldn't have been right to offer that.  His home wasn't a mess,  though it definitely showed signs that it was lived in.
 

He nodded.  "Can I get you anything to drink, or eat?"  He kept a fairly well-stocked kitchen, though admittedly it was mostly the sort of foods one could prepare quickly, and of course he had plenty of alcohol.   "I have some hamburgers I cooked the day before all this, or something lighter."
 

The elephant in the room, the fact he hadn't heard her drive up, and his own missing vehicle, went unaddressed.   He didn't ask about her place, if she was here needing to crash, then clearly her place had been hit, and wasn't intact.
 

"You talk to anyone in town the last couple of days?"

[Nina]

Abel's trailer...

 

Sara shook her head negative. “Burger would be cool.” She wasn’t really hungry even though she hadn’t eaten since lunch on the day, the energy she absorbed from the fires she had put out had sustained her. But she did feel empty.

 

She looked over at the picture as Abel went to his kitchenette. She saw the dog and kind of remembered him from when they were teenagers. Then her eyes locked onto the picture of Abel and Sean Cassidy. She grimaced as she remembered those years.

 

Abel returned with a plate and a glass for her. "Here you go," he said, setting the plate down on the coffee table and handing her the glass. "Just water, but I can add a little whisky if you want."

 

As he sat back down, Sara couldn't help but notice the tension in his posture. He seemed uncomfortable, which was surprising to her. She needed to change the subject, but she wasn't sure how.

 

Taking a sip of her water, Sara glanced back at the photo of Abel and Sean Cassidy. "You two seemed close," she said, cautiously treading into what was clearly a sensitive territory for him.

 

Abel nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "We were," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But life... it changes. People change. I haven't seen Sean since high school."

 

Sara studied the picture as she took a bite of the hamburger. She chewed thoughtfully. “You remember those games he used to play? You played some yourself.”

 

"Yeah, I remember," Abel replied with a nostalgic smile. "Sean always had a wild imagination. He believed in things that seemed impossible to the rest of us."

 

Sara nodded, recalling the times when Sean would disappear into his own world, talking about superpowers and secret missions like he was destined for something greater. "He was always so passionate about it," she mused. "Even when everyone else thought he was just a freak."

 

Abel chuckled softly, the memories of their high school days flooding back. "Yeah, he was... different. But in a good way. He made you believe that anything was possible if you just believed in yourself."

 

Silence fell between them as they both lost themselves in their own thoughts. The weight of the recent events hung heavy in the air, but for a moment, they found solace in reminiscing about simpler times.

 

Finally, Sara broke the silence. "Do you think... do you think any of what Sean used to talk about, the things in those games… do you that maybe they were real?”

 

[Shameless]

Abel's Trailer

 

Abel looked at her, and nodded.  "I believe some of them are now."  

He didn't elaborate right away, letting the silence linger, before speaking again.  "Back then, who knows.   The games were fun in their way, and made you think.  They let you do things you never could normally.   As to the sorts of beings in those games?  Probably not things like Gods and elves and dragons, but secret agents, covert government agencies, and slightly higher tech than what is generally available to the public, yeah.   I could see that.  DARPA exists after all.   But if you're talking about beings like Superman, Green Lantern, or the X-men, you know aliens, or normal people with special powers?   Back then, no.  I'd have said those didn't exist."

"Now they do, at least people with powers.   Especially if you believe the rumors going around Shelly."  There'd been so much destruction, Major cities destroyed, millions dead, and more left homeless, refugees to states less affected by what had happened.  The people brought more rumors with them, and of course, events in town led to more stories cropping up.  

He got up and fixed them both a small glass of whiskey, and set hers by her.   "Do you?"  

 

[Nina]

Sara stared into her glass of whiskey, a myriad of emotions swirling within her. She took a sip, savoring the warmth that spread through her chest before responding to Abel's question. She could fly, was impervious to fire and who knew what else, could pick up her truck.

 

“Yeah, I need to tell you something…”

 

Abel sat quiet in his thoughts while Sara told him about the last few days.

 

[Shameless]

Abel listened intently, and when she finished, he nodded.   "Since we're sharing secrets, it would be impolite of me to not share mine."   He told her of that night, what happened, and then the two days since, of helping, and what he could do.   

He was much tougher against a broader range of conditions, much stronger than he'd been, and could run fast and fly faster.  What was more, he could sense and generate electrical fields, as well as see and hear much better than he ever had before.   

When he finished, he finished his own drink, and nodded.  "What are the odds?   We're both here in Shelly, or near it,  and we both get some of the same abilities?"

He smiled.  "I am glad that you've been using yours to help people."

[Asarasa]

The Cassidy Residence...

 

Sitting in a boyfriend's Honda Civic bought from an angry girlfriend she had rescued in the ruins of Seattle, Sean looked down on his childhood home from the ridge above it. Relief and nostalgia and yearning, shame and regret and self-recrimination washed through him. The lowering sun cast long shadows, the oranges and reds and purples of the dusk sky broken by the occasional thinning grey wisps of smoke from surrounding farmsteads and woods, but the rambling, single-story farmhouse looked nearly unchanged from how Sean remembered it.

 

After passing through Vancouver, and especially Seattle, Sean had been afraid he'd find nothing more than a crater. But instead, he found the windows glowing with warm light. Even they had lost power, they had it back now. The hard packed gravel road and driveway had been replaced with asphalt, still black and smooth. By the stables that had been converted in a workshop and storage for Cassidy Construction, his dad's Ford F-350 Super Duty had been joined by a Dodge Ram, both hitched to trailers full of building supplies and equipment.

 

Sean noted a blue canvas tarp staked down over something by the stables. The veranda wrapping around half the farmhouse had been restained and the roof reshingled. The Barn, that Sean had claimed as his since he was twelve as he bedroom and personal den to hang out with his friends and place to work on his computers and other interests - the place where he made the wrongest choice in his life - had been fully converted into a second living space.

 

All superficial changes. If Sean wasn't sure he'd still call the place home, it still had the welcoming feel of the place where he'd grown up. He put the car in drive and drove down the ridge, parking next to the pair of pickups. He left his computer case, and backpack and suitcase full of scrounged up clothes and a few other odds and ends he'd gathered from his home in Victoria and on the road in the backseat and climbed out of the Civic and strode over the farmhouse with long, determined strides.

 

He took the four steps up the veranda in a single, easy lope. Up close, he could see some odd gouges by the front door, the windows, and the railings on the veranda. Scratches, like an animals, but deeper than Sean would have expected in the treated, weathered, hardwood. He would have said bear, but the scratches didn't look right, they looked more like those of a canine. He frowned, his eyes cutting to the tarp and whatever it covered. Dead animal?

 

He shook the thought away for later and straightened his clothes that didn't need straightening. Everything was tight and snug, including the collar of heavy, twisted links of gold encircling his neck. Biological resources were still dedicated to enhancing his hearing. He could make out, three, four people inside. He took one more deep breath, taxing the limits of his shirt, then knocked.

 

The sounds inside stopped, then Sean heard one set of footsteps approaching. A flicker of movement from a side window. Sean kept himself still, standing straight, but almost vibrating with the effort of keeping patient. The door opened and for the first time in over eleven years, Sean laid eyes on his father in person.

 

Jack Cassidy was still solidly built and clean shaven, but there were more lines on his blunt-featured face. His blond hair, buzzed short since it began to recede at forty, was thinner, and more white and grey than blond. There was a stiffness to the way he was standing that suggested to Sean some level of lumbago and/or sciatica.

 

It was so strange to be looking at his father from a half foot advantage. He had been a giant in Sean's life, and now, he... small. Human. Not lesser, but Sean was painfully away of the time that had passed, and all that he had missed in his family's lives.

 

"Dad? It's been a while."

 

Jack Cassidy stared at the woman standing before him. He had a daughter who played professional basketball, several of her teammates from the UMT Lady Griz had visited one summer, and this woman stood taller than any save for Laurie. She was remarkably fit and athletic, like his other daughter Teagan, but unlike her, was astonishingly curvaceous and buxom. And was showing it off in tight camo cargo shorts that fell well short of mid-thigh and hiking boots with a modest heel, a blue, split crew neck Supergirl T-shirt that looked about to burst and left a swathe of cleavage and toned midriff bare, and a shirt-sleeved, white, grey, and black checked flannel shirt knotted below the most impressive chest he had ever seen.

 

But it was her face that riveted Jack's attention. It was a face he hadn't seen in nearly twelve years. A face that a close likeness to the one his wife now possessed since two days ago. Older wasn't the right word, but it was more mature, sharpened by boldness and self-assurance, gone was the sullen softness. Her hair was an unusual shade of red, the light spilling from the door picking golden undertones, turning it the colour of deep, rich flames. Still short, but longer at the front than Jack remembered.

 

It was his son's face.

 

"Sean?" Jack gasped, staggering back a step. and before his eyes could register the movement, he was in his son's arms in a tight embrace. He wasn't an demonstrative man, and the boy he remembered hadn't been either, but both Cassidy men clung to each other. "Lyn! Lyn!" Jack called out. "Come here!"

 

Over his dad's shoulder, Sean saw a young woman, a teenager, with long, brilliant red hair, in a loose shirt and knitted cardigan step into view from the kitchen. Sean had seen his parents' old year books, and old photos of them. He recognized his mother, even as a fresh-faced seventeen year old. People had always said he favoured her, and it was even more obvious with her restored youth, even if now, Carolyn Cassidy looked younger than her intersexed son.

 

"Mom." Holding his dad in one arm, Sean stretched out the other for his mother, and Carolyn sank into her Sean's embrace. Careful of his new strength, Sean held his parents in a tight hug, one in each arm, sweeping them off their feet as he spun them into the Cassidy household. He buried his face into their shoulders. "I never realized how much I've missed you guys."

Sean finally set his parents down and let them go. Jack step back with a wince as his sciatica acted up. Carolyn held on to Sean's hand, her grey eyes wet, unable to take her eyes off the impressive figure her middle child has become.

 

"Well, you were never as clever as you thought you were," Jack commented gruffly as he quirked a minute smile.

 

Sean chuckled. If only his dad knew. "Oh, I'm way smarter than I ever thought I was. Just took me until now to realize it."

 

"What happened to you, Sean?" Carolyn asked, gesturing at her middle... child. She still thought of Sean as her son, guilt and too many years made it too strong a habit, but he cut such an incredibly feminine presence - and it wasn't just his looks - she couldn't help but question her preconceptions. "We were so worried about you, but didn't know how to contact you. Laurie says she talks with you over social media, but cells and the internet is down and..."

 

"That's my fault, mom. 'bout being out of contact. And what happened is something much similar to what happened to you, mom," Sean said, glancing down at himself, his view largely obstructed by the thrust of his breasts. He balled one had into a fist and watched his bicep swell into a solid ball pf muscle. He could feel his cells continue to multiply and evolve, could remember them drinking deep of unknown radiation. What were the chances of both he and his mother having certain dormant genes activated? "I had massive growth spurt, my second puberty being a treat instead of a trick this time instead of drinking from the elixir of youth like you." 

 

He pursed his lips, following threads of biology and probability, while his mother's pale cheeks flushed pink. "Have you guys heard from Teag and Laurie?"

 

"Landlines are... mostly working," Jack said. "Taylor AFS called us. 'Cause of the national emergency, Teagan's shift isn't going to end soon, and she'll call in when she can. It was staticky, but Laurie called yesterday. I think she said she was in Germany and was okay and would try to get home as soon as she could, but it was going to take time."

 

"Um, I don't mean to intrude on the family reunion..." said another male voice.

 

Sean had heard others dithering in the kitchen, and wasn't surprised when they finally made their appearance. A good looking man, a few years older than himself, broad shouldered, but a bit on the short side, which made him a head shorter than Sean was now. By his side, clung a slim girl of seven or eight with dark red hair.

Carolyn gave a start, a hand going to her throat in surprise. "My heavens, where are my manners. With you- I totally forgot about- This is-"

"Chad Marsters," Sean interrupted with smooth, cool politeness. "I remember you. I especially remember your brother, Chet. You dated Teag in high school." 

 

Chad swallowed. He recalled the Sean he'd known in high school. The weird, too pretty boy with the tits who was the younger brother of the star female athlete he was interested in, and that his younger brother had tormented. And he recalled the Sean Cassidy he was more familiar with, a funny, charming, skilled and knowledgeable game developer of I3, creator of the Genesis IP, and active on YouTube, speaking with authority and humour on game design, tech in general, and streaming games as well. Still too pretty, but didn't flaunt it for view like other boobie streamers and fake gamer girls, and didn't participate in any activist/LGBT+ stuff, other than when called out on it, made a limited line of Fake Girl Gamer products.

 

The Sean Cassidy he was confronted with was something else entirely. He was still all those other things, but so much more. A towering, intimidating, statuesque amazon, gorgeous beyond belief, with vivid turquoise eyes almost incandescent with intelligence and knowing, who radiated vitality and strength and grace. Chad swallowed again when he noticed the not small bulge in their snug cargo shorts.

 

"Chet was an asshole then, and he's an asshole now," Chad admitted with a wry grin. "I like to think I grew out of it. Enough that Teagan married me, when we reconnected years later." He held up a hand, showing off a plain wedding band as if for proof. "I follow you on YouTube and Twitter. Great stuff and I love the ReGenesis games. I guess we should, like, make it official. I'm Chad Marsters."

 

Chad held out a hand. After a moment, Sean shook his brother-in-law's hand, offering him a casual smile of greeting. Sean Cassidy might look like a woman, but they shook hands like a man. Chad had the distinct impression Sean could have broken ever bone in his hand with only a token amount of effort.

 

"Sean Cassidy. And thanks. always nice to meet a fan. It might be delayed, but I'll get you guys a wedding present. And whose the little one by your side?"

 

Sean crouched down on a knee to meet the girl closer to eye-to-eye. The girl in coveralls met her eyes boldly, though she didn't let go of her dad's hand. 

 

"This is my daughter, Alice. Our daughter, I should say, Teagan adopted her, all official like. She's eight."

 

Alice stared. Sean watched back in mild bemusement.

"Are you really my uncle?"

"I guess I am."

 

"Your boobs are really big."

 

"They are that."

 

"Mama Teag and Auntie Laurie and Grandma all said you were short. I saw pictures. You look short in 'em. But you're really tall. Tall as auntie Laurie."

 

"It's like this, Alice, my boobs grew first. It just took a while for the rest of me to catch up. That make sense?"

 

Alice frowned, then her face scrunched up in thought as she tugged on a pigtail of dark red hair. Then she responded with, "I'm hungry."

 

"Oh, we were about to side down for dinner," Carolyn said. "Come, come, you know I always make enough for leftovers, that hasn't changed, and I wasn't sure if Teagan would be here or not. We want to know everything that's happened with you, Sean, not this Visitor bruhaha, not only that, but with your life since you moved out of Shelly."

 

"That's going to take a lot more than a single dinner," Sean commented as he let himself be led to the dinner table that he had sat at so many times before. "But I can share some highlights to start and tell you about my trip back home."

 

Over dinner, Sean shared anecdotes of living in Palo Alto, Seattle, then Victoria, with frequent visits to Vancouver. He mentioned some of the harder times when he first moved out West, leaning heavily on the lessons he'd learned from his parents, trades from his father and cooking, sewing, and finances from his mother to make it through the leans times with everything more expensive then expected. It wasn't the right company to tell them about some of the more wild parties he had attended, industry parties and parties catering to the LGBT+ community, but he had them laughing about the antics that went on at Comic-Con and various Gaming Conventions. He'd always been a good storyteller, and he was better now, his voice richer and more versatile than a Stradivarius.

 

Carolyn noted that Sean ate more than any two of them combined. She poured wine for herself, Jack, and Chad, and after hesitating for a moment, offered Sean a glass with an arched brow, who accepted with a casual nod. Appearances aside, Carolyn still had the idea that her son was the same age as when he had left Shelly, rather than closing on thirty. A habit she would really have to break, considering she looked well short of legal drinking age herself, now.

 

When Sean got around to the Day The Sky Fell, he grew more somber, and a little vague on the details. Waking up super-sized in his flooded house. Helping a neighbor he didn't like. Looking for friends he did. The south side of Victoria got hit pretty hard, but over all, the city had fared well enough, considering the circumstances, the lay of the land and shape of the island, along with smaller islands on the north side, protecting it from the worse of the waves.

 

He got a casual acquaintance to look after his place while he went to find a boat. The ferries were out of commission and flights had been grounded, but he managed to find a small fishing boat grounded on the shore that he fixed up and got back in the water. It was a bit hairy getting through the Haro Strait, the water still choppy, but he made it to Vancouver.

"Vancouver was bad. The main meteor had turned into an airburst. It looked like a giant smashed it flat with a sweep of his arm. Stanley Park will take hundreds of years to recover, if it ever can." Stanley Park was bigger than Central Park in New York, and it wasn't fully designed by an engineer, but had cultivated wild growth. Thousands of trees that were centuries old, broken like twigs in a hurricane. "I had an apartment there, but the tower it was in was just gone. The girl I was seeing lived in the same tower. So strange to see a huge city like that so broken, so dark, so quiet."

 

Sean was silent, remembering the scene, and poured himself another glass of wine. "I calculated where her apartment, what remained of it, should have fallen. Dug through the rubble. Didn't find her. But what I found wasn't pretty. The Armed Forces and RCMP were moving in by then, helping who they could. Gave them a list of people I was concerned about, where they lived, and how to contact me once communications are back up. Then it was down to Seattle. Took a bicycle to get there."

 

Sean flashed a half smile. "Fortunately, I'm fast, it didn't take long." His smile faded and his gorgeous turquoise closed as the sight flooded his thoughts. "Seattle was worse. Much worse. I can still hear the rushing water as Puget Sound was filling the massive crater were Seattle used to be. There wasn't even anything to left to search for friends and colleagues I had in the city. I navigated my way south, hoping there was still something left of Tacoma. Heard whispers from people I passed. Looks like the West Coast got hammered hard by the Visitor."

 

Sean eyed the wine bottle, then finished it off in his glass, but left it sitting on the table for now, instead folding his arms. "A bit of good news there. Found a good friend still alive, him and his family, if worse for wear. Saved a girl, escorted her home. It's not like small towns, not everyone it out looking to help their neighbors. Far from it." A dark look cross his face, and the others could only imagine what Sean had seen. "The girl was grateful and let me buy her boyfriend's car for a good deal. Only fair, since he had stolen hers from the party they had been at so he could try and flee without her. Followed the Amtrak out to Cutbank, helped a bit there with getting power back up, then drove down here."

 

He turned, placing a hand over his father's and mother's. "You don't have to believe this, but I had been thinking about coming back home as the Visitor was passing. But when it came down, I had to come back. I didn't know what happened to you, couldn't contact you. I had to see with my own eyes, especially if the worse hadn't happened. I should have reconnected with you guys years ago, should have visited, even if I didn't stay."

 

His parents and sisters weren't the only ones he had to apologize to. At least he had said goodbye to them. He hadn't extended the same courtesy to his friends. He hadn't had many, but he had a few, and had treasured them for their rarity when most of the rest in Shelly treated him like shit. But apparently not enough to face them through his guilt and shame. He have to see if any of them still lived in Shelly while he was here.

 

Sean talked long into the night. Carolyn and Jack and Chad shared some of their own stories. Alice told him how Grandma turned into a badass, baby-faced Annie Oakley, shooting a giant coyote in the face. It would have sound like a silly kid's story, but here was Grandma, his mother, looking better than she ever had in high school. And then they showed him what was under the tarp. 

 

It looked, more or less, like a coyote, but it was way too big, bigger than any wolf Sean had heard of. It might've massed as much as some bears. It was tall, shoulders and forelimbs heavy with muscle. Its fur was dark, coarse, and wiry. And there was something wrong with its forepaws. They were too long, and the dew claw was extended. They almost looked like... hands, as much as what a raccoon possessed. There were the bumps of bullets under its hide. And despite a heavy brow ridge, its eyes had been shot out. 

 

Annie Oakley indeed.

 

It was pushing midnight when they had to call it quits. Jack took some painkillers to deal with his sciatica and lumbago and they made him sleep. Alice had fallen asleep on Chad's lap and he had to put her to bed. Jack and Chad would both be out early tomorrow, helping Shelly rebuild. The Barn was Teagan's and Chad's now, and his room in the house had long ago been converted to Carolyn's crafts room, but they offered him Laurie's room. They were about the same height now, and they were sure Laurie would mind sharing clothes with her prodigal brother.

 

Close to the same height, but hardly the same measurements. Fortunately, he was handy with a needle and a sewing machine and his mother was well stocked with both in her crafts room. Unfortunately, while Laurie went to UMT on a basketball scholarship, she was a girlie-girl, and her style was hardly his, so he would have to make do with what he could, or adapt, until he could replace his wardrobe.
 

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

 

Sean sat on the wooden porch swing on the veranda, rocking himself lightly with one foot, his laptop balanced on his other thigh and a single porch light the only lights in the middle of the night. He had reprogrammed all three games in the Genesis series - and the Spectrum engine itself - made it more efficient and about a quarter the size, able to run on ultra-mode on a basic computer. He'd upload it for his customers when he could. He was idly playing a different game while picturing how he could upgrade it without turning it into something different entirely.

"You haven't slept yet," Carolyn accused, holding a mug of coffee in either hand, and a knitting basket over a wrist. She glanced at the aluminum bat and the rifle leaning against the railing in front of her son.

"I haven't slept since the Visitor fell. Haven't been tired since, either." He closed his laptop and set it aside, shifting to give his mother space on the swing. "Seems like you're up early yourself."

 

"I not only look like a teenager, I feel like one too." She took a spot on the swing, offering Sean one of the mugs, placing the other in a cupholder while she got her knitting basket sorted. "Barely need three hours of sleep, now. So full of vim and vinegar."

"So I noticed. And heard," Sean said drily. He took a sip of coffee, the heat not too much for him, and found it adequately inundated with sugar, just how he liked it. "It's why I'm out here after I finished tailoring some of Laurie's clothes for myself."

"Yes. Well. It's my house, I'm hardly ashamed of it. If you have super hearing, that's going to be a you problem, Sean."

 

She took a sip of her coffee, cream and sugar, then took out the piece she'd been working. She gave Sean a glance. He was wearing an olive, ribbed-knit, swoop necked tank-top purloined from Laurie, and the same camo cargo shorts, but had replaced the hiking boots with a pair of Laurie's wedge sneakers. He didn't seem to be affected by the cool night air. Carolyn wrapped the blanket over the back of the swing around her shoulders. The soft clack of knitting needles blended into the faint creak of the steel links of the swing.

 

"And speaking of my house, you may be a full adult now, Sean, and free to do whatever you wish at home, but under my roof, you'll wear a bra, at least when in company."

 

"Rules for thee, and not for me, Mom?" Sean countered with a rich chuckle. "Poor Chad didn't know where to look. And it wasn't all my fault. Honestly, I saw the tidal wave coming, and one of the first things I did was save my bra collection. And when I came to, I found out I had a small fortune of underwear that I had suddenly outgrown."

"Nothing your sisters have fit me even somewhat. I was planning on going to the Undress Shop in Great Falls as soon as I could," Carolyn replied defensively. "You'll come too. If it's still standing."

 

"I'll come," Sean agreed. "And it'll be my treat. If I have access to my accounts by then." Sean gave his mother a satisfied smile. "I've ran a crooked path, but I've been rather successful."

 

"But have you been happy?" Carolyn countered. Clack-clack, went her needles, but her eyes didn't waver from Sean's.

Sean gave a long thought, and with the way his brain now worked, it was a considerable thought. "Plenty of regrets, plenty of things I would have done differently, but yeah, I found a measure of happiness, mom. I learned to love who I am. I've made the games I wanted to make, and didn't sell out to a faceless corporation, even if it would have made me a stupid amount of money. I've done a bit of acting and voicework, and have a decent YouTube channel. Found new friends. I've had relationships and girlfriends and heartbreak. Almost got married once."

 

Carolyn sucked in a breath. Missing her son's, her child's, wedding, she would never have forgiven herself. "Was she the one who gave you that gold collar chain?"

 

"Oh! Good God, no!" Sean laughed. "She was a total bitch, and I only found out when it was almost too late. No, this," Sean tapped the links of gold around his throat with a forefinger, "was from a guy who wanted to be more. I wasn't into guys, but... that might change. This is the first time I've worn it. A sign, a symbol, to myself on how things change."

"So, I have to ask, Sean. I don't know if I'll ever think of you as other than my son, but should I think of you as a boy or a - not, that isn't right. Should I think of you as a man or a woman? You've said you've learned to love who you are, but I, we, missed seeing that progress. You look like one of those warrior amazon women from your games, but well, it's hard to miss..." Carolyn waved one of her knitting needles in the vague direction of Sean's crotch. "Before, no matter how pretty and busty a girl you looked, the way you carried yourself, the way you moved, I never doubted you were my son, even if others couldn't see it. But now, I can't tell, first it feels like one, then the other, and sometimes both."

 

Sean sighed, and leaned against the back of the swing, arms reaching up and down to knead the muscles at the base of his neck. It was a question he'd been asking himself since he'd woken up with improved hardware and software. "Before, I insisted on one, worried that I was neither. Now though, I realize it was a choice I didn't have to make. Most of the people in the community, they were great. They were what I needed after Shelly. But the activists? They were the worse, telling me I to be this or be that. So in pure contrariness, I stubbornly strengthened my stance. I was a guy, but a guy who looked like girl, with tits and a cock. Man, they do not like the term hermaphrodite, but I always felt it more accurate, especially now. I'm a man and woman both."

"Is this what they mean by genderqueer or genderfluid? I guess I'm suppose to ask what your pronouns are?"

 

"Fuck no! I mean, please, don't do that. I hate that stuff. People don't use pronouns when you're right there, so I never cared which ones people used for me. In my head, I still think of myself as a guy - that could change, it probably will over time - but on the biological level, I'm completely female. My hormone issues are gone, well mostly. But there is one major caveat. I can both sire and bear children, as I choose."

 

"What?!" It was an almost strangled sound as Carolyn stared by turns at Sean's face, then his crotch.

 

"Watch." 

 

At first, Carolyn thought it was a trick of the shadows, but it took only a few seconds to realize it wasn't. The prominent protuberance filling the front of Sean's shorts slowly diminished, until the shorts lay as flat as they would on any other woman.

"What?!" Carolyn repeated in nearly the same tone.

 

"Being an innie or an outtie means something different for me," Sean explained with a smirk. "But it makes masturbating incredibly interesting and fun."

 

"Okay, Sean, stop. Just stop." Carolyn's grey eyes were wide with bewilderment. She could handle finding her son suddenly being a 6'4'' over-endowed amazon, over endowed in more than one way, but this was beyond her. It took her several long breaths to get the beating of her under some sort of control. "Okay, well, I won't be explaining any of this to your father any time soon. I think you're more daughter than son to me, now, Sean, but I'm sure I'm going to slip up."

 

"I'm fine with either, mom, whatever your most comfortable with. Took me a long time to grow comfortable with myself. Now I'm going to embrace it, and I don't care what others think."

 

"I wish we had done that to start with, Sean. Truly, I do," 

 

"We all always learning, mom, the worthy ones are, anyone." Sean watched his mother, the gloom no impediment to his eyes. "So, guns?"

 

"Pardon?"

 

"Little Alice seemed really impressed with High School Grandma Annie Oakley. And I just watched you check, reload, and correct the sights on the rifle without you barely noticing."

 

"Oh, that..." Carolyn tried to shrug as if it was no big thing, but her cheeks flushed again, making her look even younger. "With the youth, came the guns thing. They just... make sense to me, now, just like numbers and math, they are just a different applications. Do you understand?"

 

"I understand perfectly. It's like that for me... with almost everything. With absolutely clarity, I can see how one idea or concept can be applied to another and another. It's almost scary how clear things are now, how swiftly I can make connections and how quickly I can make use of those insights." He nodded towards his laptop. "Just sitting on the swing, I've completely rewrote all the programming for my video games. Pretty I've designed a practical quantum computer in my head, that I can build, just need a few parts. After Alice's enthusiastic story - remember the coilgun I made for science glass in grade nine? Was barely as powerful as a bb gun. Well, I've been working out how to make the grown up version, a personal gauss rifle. You aren't the only one who knows how to shoot. Went hunting with dad once, and Abel once, and now those two lessons, and years of first-person shoots, have turned me into a marksman."

 

Sean stood up, strutting around in the wedge sneakers as easily as if he'd been born in them, though Carolyn had never seen her son-daughter in heels before, and struck a pose. "And the enhanced brain function is matched by an equally enhanced physicality and physiology."

 

Sean gave his mother a brief account of his physical capabilities. As the only other person he knew that had changed like he did, if not to the same extent, she seemed like the logical one to confess to. He gave her some demonstrations when it seemed like his mother thought he was only boasting. He was boasting and was reveling in it. He ran as fast as a cheetah, was stronger than ten men, never slept, never tired, healed in seconds. He would have batted a bullet aside with his bare hands, but Carolyn didn't want a gunshot to wake up Alice or the men. He finally took a seat back on the swing next to his mother. "Your son is now a superwoman."

"And so humble, too," Carolyn murmured.

 

"Pshaw to humility!" Sean scoffed. "I've had to pretend to be a girl to avoid trouble too many times. And when pretending to be a girl, had to downplay how smart I was so some guy didn't try to mansplain something to me and then get angry when I proved him wrong. I done with that shit. I dealt with it. Now others will."

 

Fair was fair, and Carolyn shared what other changes she was aware of in herself. She rather he was as confident about himself as he was with computers and programming than not, but she wasn't so sure about this aspect of Sean. When did confidence become overconfidence. She suspected what Sean had tried to do in the Barn twelve years ago, and she never wanted him to sink to that level again. He might have changed in many ways, but he was still her child and in some ways, she knew him better than he knew himself.

"You didn't tell us everything that happened on your way to Shelly, did you?" Carolyn asked, more seriously.

 

"Not even close, especially with Alice there," Sean readily agreed.

"Do you want to share some of it with me, just between us, between superwomen?"

 

Sean considered, watching his mother as she continued knitting. How would she take another revelation? Something he was still dealing with himself, something that wasn't bothering him as much as he thought it should have.

 

"I killed a man."

 

Carolyn didn't flinch, didn't react in shock or disgust or disappointment. Her knitting needles didn't even stutter. She simply arched a red brow. "Oh? Why?"

 

"There was a girl in Seattle, before I found Thor." Sean's hands balled into fists, muscles flexing as he could see the entire scene play out in his mind once more. "She was small, shorter than I used to be and looked so vulnerable. She was trying to hold off a man with just a stick, but he was toying with her. I've been groped, sure, but never sexually assaulted like this. The man didn't have pants on and his intentions were clear. He wasn't much taller than the girl, but very broad and dense with muscle, covered with dark and wiry hair. Not unlike the King Coyote you shot. He was like us, sort of like us, changed by the radiation from the X and C waves, or something in the Visitor. Rationally, there were several ways I could have disabled him. I had taken self-defence courses when I got to LA, that's where I met my first girlfriend, and I was so much better now."

 

Sean forced his hands open, and planted them on his knees. "But rational Sean wasn't in control at the moment. Every cell in the body was screaming in fury. I had walked through so much destruction, and here was yet another person trying to add to it. Thinking was in the way, with no thought of defence, I charged. Fucker was like the god-damned Wolverine."

 

"Hugh Jackman?" Carolyn commented with a frown, having always liked the actor.

 

"No, one of the comic book ones. He sprouted bone claws and stabbed me. He was faster than he looked and I was hardly thinking clearly. Punctured a lung and kidney, but they were already healing when he pulled the claws out. He growled that he loved the smell of me and I made much more succulent prey than his first target. At least he wasn't after the girl anymore. I punched him in the chest, breaking ribs. He cut off my hand. If I hadn't been berserk with anger, I probably would have gone into shock. He was surprised missing a hand didn't slow me down. It was already growing back. My kick sent him into a wall, but I wasn't satisfied, so I charge him again, ignored the bone blades in my chest as I lifted him off the ground with one hand around his throat. I stared him down as I ripped his dick off, then broke his neck."

 

I saved the girl and killed the bad guy, like the heroes I tried to let my players be in my games. Like the hero I never could be because I was too small, too delicate, too... weak. But now I was tall and tough and powerful. There had been nothing noble and glorious in the triumph though. It had been savage and brutal and terribly satisfying. And I had won the girl...

 

"Does that make me a bad person?"

 

Sean expected to see something in his mother's eyes, disgust, damnation, dismissal, but he wasn't ready for the sympathy. She set aside her knitting to give him a hug, her eyes wet, her slim limbs strong around his broad shoulders.

 

"Oh, Sean! Anger and fury isn't bad in itself. Another word for it is passion. You're smart enough to know this. It's how you use it that makes it bad or good. It's when that fury targets someone who doesn't deserve it when you have to worry." She released her son and sat back down on the swing, give the rifle in front of her a tap with her foot. "If someone harmed or threated any of my children, or Alice, or Jack, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. We can dicker about how severely or finally, but that is all it would be, haggling. Think about this, if you hadn't been there, do you think this girl would have been his only victim? Or how many would have died trying to stop him? Looks like he inflicted at least four mortal wounds on you. You shouldn't feel bad about this, Sean."

 

"That's the thing. I don't feel bad. And that's what I'm worrying about."

 

"And what did the girl think?"

 

"She was... very grateful, and appreciative."

 

He had escorted her home. Her boyfriend had taken off in her car trying to flee the Visitor. She was furious that woman turned out to be a bigger man than he was. It had slipped out, but he had mentioned her was bigger than her boyfriend in more than one way. Bianca, definitely straight, had been shocked, but intrigued, and had invited in to her apartment. And whether because she was curious, pissed at her boyfriend, appreciative for the rescue, in the excited throws of the aftermath of a rape attempt and a brutal, deadly beatdown, or some combination, they had fucked. 

 

And that had been glorious.

 

She also sold him her boyfriend's car, piece of shit, modded Honda Civic that is was.

 

And while they had shared a lot this night, Sean didn't think this was the time he should tell his mother about how his first one-night stand happened.

 

"Shouldn't that be good enough?"

 

"I suppose so."

 

In the solidarity of sisterhood, Mother and Daughter-Son sat in silence on the swing, thoughts on who Sean would become and what he wanted to be as the sun started its slow ascent. The faint creak of the swing and the soft clack of knitting needles was joined by birdsong as the dark sky, and dark thoughts, began brighten.

Edited September 10 by Asarasa

[Nina]

Abel Cross's Trailer...

 

Sara’s mind was a swirl, Abel was right,was it just them, she knew it wasn’t everybody or she wouldn’t have had to save so many they could have just done it themselves. She said as much.

 

"It doesn't seem like everyone has these abilities," Sara replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I mean, we've been the ones saving people, not some superhero squad swooping in. It makes me wonder why us, why now?"

 

Abel leaned back, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "I wish I had an answer to that. But maybe it's not just a coincidence. Maybe there's a reason we were chosen to have these abilities at this particular moment in time."

 

Sara took another sip of her whiskey, the burn of the alcohol helping to clear her mind. She looked at Abel, his features illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp on the table. "Do you think... do you think there are others out there like us?"

 

Abel considered her question before responding, "It's possible. With everything that's been happening lately, it wouldn't surprise me if there are more people out there with extraordinary abilities. The real question is, what do we do now? How do we navigate this new world we find ourselves in?"

 

Silence settled between them once more.

[Shameless]

Abel's Trailer

The silence continued but finally Abel shrugged.  "Well, we're bound to be recognized.   We've both helped many people, and it's not like people around here don't know us.   I think in terms of dealing with whatever comes next, facing it together, along with anyone else who might have powers like us, is for the best.    The whole "Stronger together than apart..." Thing you know?"   He smiled.  

"Another question for you, do we go looking for these potential other people, or wait and see if they come find us?"   Abel wasn't really one to go looking for trouble.  Still, that said, within his jurisdiction, he could give them justification to go around at least this corner of Montana.  He'd been out to the reservation but remarkably they suffered no damage.

"While it might take time, we could find a vehicle or repair one.  Mine needs a ton of work as is so that's out.  If we keep flying or running around everywhere, it's going to be difficult to explain besides simply being honest about it."  In his case he simply didn't really answer when pressed, since he was a terrible liar to begin with.

[SalmonMax]

Rochelle On the Train

 

Roach had gone through a lot in the past day or two. Enough that it didn't feel real. She'd never really thought about what it would feel like to be overwhelmed. To have so much happening at once that you simply could not deal with it. What happened, Rochelle discovered, was that the mind kind of imploded under that pressure. It collapsed inward and shut everything out. It was like being in a dream, not knowing if she was awake. Everything felt wrong. Voices were strange, colors were oversaturated, and her ability to 'filter out' irrelevant things in the environment dwindled to nothing. Every last detail screamed for attention, each one dragging its own long line of facts and associations to pepper her with.

 

So she slept. She slept a lot. Ironically her dreams were actually distinct from reality because they were realistic. Memories played out in excruciating detail, but some couldn't be memories because who remembered things from when they were babies? Then she'd be awake, in a world become phantasmagorical again. Then asleep. Then awake. Her schedule was completely divorced from night and day. Roach experienced hours between the ticking of the minute hand it seemed sometimes.

 

Other people barely registered. At one point she woke up because someone was selling snacks. Roach was hungry, but didn't have any cash on her, so she went back to sleep. A lifetime later the gal on the aisle seat next to her offered to buy her something, and it took her a moment to realize that she'd just closed her eyes for a few seconds. Focusing on her neighbor for a moment afflicted her with a sea of answers to questions no one was asking. She was thirty-four, married but separated; she had two daughters, one of which was Rochelle's age. The younger one was with her father and was okay, but the teenager had been out of the house and she hadn't been found yet and this woman felt helpless and terrified and wanted to take care of someone that reminded her of her missing kid and...

 

The information was clear as day, told in minute details: the wedding band that had dug a little into her finger from being twisted worriedly, the speech, the expression, the glimpse into her wallet Roach had when she'd fished a little money out to pay... Too much. Roach closed her eyes again.

 

Trauma response. She was making up stories about people, inventing narratives, distracting herself from the howling vortex of emotions bound at her center. Simultaneously though...no. She could show her work, explain each observation that led her to these conclusions, explain why each one implied what it did and how confident she was in the answer arrived at. There was room for interpretation here, of course. Some known unknowns.

 

But what if these details, these observations were hallucinated? A conclusion based on logic was only as accurate as its assumptions.

 

The train rolled on.

 

In the end, Roach spent almost the whole trip asleep. Really asleep this time, dreaming of floating inside an ocean that was really dozens of oceans stacked through each other, and their waves were all at angles to one another. Where the waves touched, they'd explode upward into a spray of particles, or nullify each other to make a spot of momentary calm and quiet. Enmeshed in this, Roach reached out with a dreaming hand to strum her fingers across the endlessly churning waves.

 

She didn't see her water bottle suddenly fling itself off her lap to smack into the chairback in front of her, then drop to the floor. All things considered, it could have been worse.

 

===-----===

Rochelley

 

At the train station in Shelly, Roach felt a little...lost. Not because she didn't know where she was or where to go. On the contrary she was keenly aware of precisely where in Shelly the station was, and how exactly to get to her dad's house. It wasn't even that long of a walk.

 

But she felt lost. There were too many people. Milling around, shellshocked and confused; the air was wobbling with a hundred conversations. All of them were clear and crisp, demanding attention. She hurried through the train station, out the front doors into the slight chill of a Montana afternoon in fall.

 

Her dad...didn't know she was coming, Roach was pretty sure. Communications were a mess, and it wasn't like he had a sat phone for family emergencies. Though as she thought that, she realized it'd be pretty easy to rectify the situation. The hard part would be the programming needed to find a satellite and use its signal. For that she'd need some time experimenting... Ugh!

 

The intrusive thought was banished. It was a little hard to stay focused, though easier than it had been on the train. The upshot was that she was walking home. All of her remaining possessions fit into the fannypack she was wearing. It was mostly stuff she'd had with her at the school. Virtually nothing could be salvaged from her old place.

 

Out on the streets of Shelly, she noted what had changed and what hadn't. Not much had really changed, which wasn't really a surprise. Things moved pretty slow in Shelly. That was, until a fast-moving chunk of asteroid fell. Because yes, she could tell there'd been some damage here. The signs of it were fairly subtle though. The impact must not have been too close to the town proper. Maybe out in the boonies there were flattened farms and doomsday bunkers full of paranoid conspiracy theorists that were still congratulating themselves about having been right all along.

 

And dead folks, of course. Them too. Though out where the population was thin and spread out, hopefully the count was low.

 

She passed the block her old school was on, sparing it a look as she went. Middle school; she wouldn't be going back there. And really...with all the BS going on, it seemed like she might just straight up not go back? Would they even open? She could just test out, surely.

 

Finally, on the home stretch, Rochelle paused on seeing the off-white stucco of her dad's house. The car wasn't in the driveway, but she wasn't fooled. It was in the garage. Seeing it made her want to...just go somewhere else. Turn and go. Maybe get a burger from Bunnee's. Or sneak into a movie. Or...or anything. The thought of seeing her dad, looking pale and drawn and dead in his eyes, filled her with dread.

 

This was it though. This was all she had left.

 

Roach knocked on the door, her door. It made her feel like a visitor, a foreigner. After what felt like a long time, she knocked again. This time, there was some movement inside the house.

Edited Sunday at 06:33 PM by SalmonMax

[Nina]

Abel's Trailer...

 

Sara didn’t answer just sat looking up at the pictures on wall. “I remember that dog, or one like him. Don’t remember his name though.” She look over at Abel, for a moment she couldn’t connect the boy in the picture to the man sitting across from her. “Your water running?”

 

The question hit Abel out of the blue, the whole conversation suddenly become surreal.

 

“Uh, yeah. I’m on a well out here. Water works even have hot. Water heaters gas, and that still going too.”

 

“Good I need a shower. I smell like smoke.”

 

Abel chuckled at Sara's comment, the tension from their previous conversation momentarily forgotten. "You go ahead and take a shower, I'll dig out some clean clothes for you to borrow," he offered, standing up to go to his bedroom and rummage through his closet.

 

Sara smiled gratefully at him and made her way to the bathroom, feeling a sense of relief wash over her at the thought of washing away the remnants of smoke and ash that clung to her skin. As she turned on the water, the warm steam began to fill the small room, enveloping her in a comforting embrace. The hot water ran over her body and as she soaped herself for the first time she felt the physical changes her body had undergone with the event. When she was done she stepped out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror above the sink. She had to wipe the steam off and it was still a bit blurry but her eyes seemed to adjust wiping the blur away.

 

As she stared into the mirror, she couldn't help but notice the changes in her appearance. Her face seemed more defined, with sharper angles and symmetrical features. But it was her body that had undergone the most dramatic transformation. The year of working on the farm had left her lean and toned, but now her muscles were even more prominent. Her shoulders were broad and strong, not overly bulky but undeniably powerful. Even her arms, once slim and unassuming, now boasted well-defined curves and lines. And her stomach...oh, her stomach was a sight to behold. Flat and taut, it rippled with every movement as she ran her hand over the rock-hard abs. She couldn't believe how fit she had become. And then there were her breasts - gone were the days of a modest 34C cup size. They were now full and perky, easily filling out a 36B if not more. As she cupped them in her hands, testing their firmness, a sense of pride washed over her at the incredible transformation of her body.

 

In the other room, Abel found a set of clothes for Sara and laid them out neatly on the bed. He couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for having someone to share this strange new reality with. As he heard the sound of the shower running, he sat back down at the table and poured himself another drink, contemplating the events that had led them to this moment.

 

He heard the bathroom door open and, being a gentleman, he kept his gaze away. "I set out some clothes for you on the bed in my room, just down the hallway to the right. The shirt is my sister's, so it should fit you but might be a bit loose. The jeans are mine, so they’ll be too big for you, but I have an old belt we can use and roll up the legs."

 

When Sara didn't respond, Abel glanced up at the hallway and saw her standing there with wet hair, wrapped in a towel.

 

A flicker of something passed between them, unspoken yet palpable. Abel couldn't tear his gaze away from Sara, the droplets of water glistening on her skin in the soft glow of the lamp. She was breathtaking, a vision of strength and beauty that took his breath away.

 

Sara felt a jolt of awareness at Abel's intense gaze, a warmth spreading through her at the way he looked at her. She couldn’t help but wonder, imagine even, the changes that he must have undergone. She felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips.

[Shameless]

Goddamn she's so Hot, seriously, so freakin hot.   Lurid thoughts conjured by his imagination and a fairly long period of going without flooded his mind, telling him this was IT.  He tamped the fantasies down, trying to maintain his own self control, but fighting a battle that he'd lose with a word from her.

He should have felt embarrassed, staring at her like a horny teenager.   He Should have, he knew that.  She was to be a guest in his home, he'd never expect anything for such hospitality.     Even wrapped in a towel, Abel could tell she was a breathtaking beauty, much moreso than he'd ever found her to be when they were younger. He'd never found anyone as beautiful as he found Sara.     He couldn't put it into words,  and before he could really think about it, he had set down his glass, which he miraculously hadn't dropped when he first saw her.  He rose from where he'd been sitting, and made his way over to her, not timidly, not in a rush of movement, no, he approached her slowly and deliberately, his interest clear and evident.

 

He could feel her gaze on him, it had been even when he was sitting, as he drew near to her.   He stopped short of reaching out, though he was close enough to do so, looking down at her by virtue of being nearly a foot taller.  Up close she could just barely see the tone of the muscles beneath his shirt, his arms, which by his own words held strength far more than a normal man.   

 

He finally found his words, and smiled.  "Feeling better now?" he asked, before adding  "If there's anything else..."  His tone held the promise that he'd make it happen, of barely maintained restraint and willingness.

 

Ever the gentleman, even in this situation.  

[Nina]

Abel's Trailer...

 

Sara felt a rush of desire as she looked up at Abel, his proximity sending a thrill through her. She could see the same desire in his eyes, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them. The tension was palpable, charged with unspoken longing and anticipation.

 

She took a step closer to him, her heart pounding in her chest. There was a fierce attraction pulling her towards him, igniting a fire within her that she couldn't ignore. Without breaking eye contact, she reached out a hand to touch his cheek, the stubble beneath her fingers making her shiver with sensation.

 

Abel's breath caught in his throat as Sara's fingertips brushed against his skin, sending a jolt of electricity through him. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her touch, before looking back into her eyes with a mixture of longing and restraint.

 

He whispered her name, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't want to," he said, but Sara silenced him with a sudden and passionate kiss. She let go of the towel and it fell to the floor as she used her other hand to pull Abel closer, their lips meeting in a fierce and primal embrace. This was not a gentle kiss; it was full of desire and need, like two wild animals unable to resist each other.

 

Abel's hands gripped Sara's waist with a possessive force, pulling her towards him as they devoured each other in a fiery kiss. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest, every inch of his body consumed by an insatiable need for her.

 

Sara's sharp nails dug into the chiseled planes of Abel's chest, leaving faint red marks in their wake. His defined muscles rippled beneath her touch, emanating a raw strength that drew her in like a magnet.

 

With an unbridled desire burning within her, she ripped open the buttons of his shirt with a fierce determination. Abel let out a guttural growl, unable to contain the surge of arousal coursing through him as she traced electric sparks across his bare skin. Despite his attempts to hold back, Sara's lips silenced any protests with their intoxicating kiss. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer with an unyielding grip.

 

As they collapsed onto the sofa in a frenzy of passion and limbs, Sara's touch was relentless and frenzied. Their enhanced abilities only heightened their connection as their bodies moved together with unmatched synchronicity. Each touch and caress sent waves of pleasure rippling through them.

 

Sara's mouth blazed a scorching trail down Abel's neck and chest, setting off explosions of pleasure throughout his body. In turn, his hands roamed her figure with supernatural precision, igniting a fire within her that threatened to consume her entirely.

 

Together, they gave into their most primal instincts, consumed by an all-consuming pleasure that knew no limits. Their cries and moans echoed through the room as their heightened senses communicated wordlessly, driving each other towards an intense climax that shook them both to the core.

 

In a perfectly synchronized display of raw power and insatiable desire, their bodies reached the pinnacle of ecstasy together, unleashing a fierce surge of otherworldly energy that obliterated everything in its path. They screamed each other's names in a frenzied frenzy, consumed by the savage intensity of their explosive union. The room quaked and trembled as their connection surpassed mortal boundaries and ignited a searing aura of crimson and cobalt that outshone even the brightest star in the sky. The darkness outside shattered from the sheer force of the cosmic light pouring through every crack and crevice, causing the trailer to rattle as if caught in a devastating earthquake.

 

As the climax subsided so to did the display of powers. The living room was a wreck, shards of glass and splintered wood scattered like debris on a battlefield. But their attention was elsewhere; they lay tangled together on the battered sofa, panting and disheveled, their eyes locked in an intimate embrace.

 

[Shameless]

Abel's Trailer

 

Eyes locked after demolishing his couch and living room, the super-powered duo held each other.   For perhaps the first time in awhile, the rest of the world really didn't matter.  

 

His concerns about everything were banished with the first kiss, and everything that followed was them seeking pleasure in each other.  Nothing was off limits, and afterwards he leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose.  A light but affection tease.   He could feel her body pressed against him, her heart beating fast just as his was.   He wasn't ashamed to say that was the best sex he'd ever had, and the fact he was already  getting hard again making it abundantly clear he wanted more.

His left hand was massaging her lower back as she lay atop him, and the right idly squeezing her rump.  He held her gaze even as he smiled at her.  "That was absolutely amazing Sara."  his voice showing just how much he meant it.  

He didn't care about the destroyed living room, or the couch, though he wasn't sure if the trailer would survive too much more if their powers ran as rampant as they had before.   

 

"Glad I don't have neighbors."  explaining the lightshow and how the whole trailer shook would be problematic, to say the least in the aftermath of the Incident.

 

[Nina]

Abel's Trailer...

 

A smile spread across Sara's face as she listened to Abel's words, feeling the warmth of his emotions wash over her. It wasn't just the lingering effects of their passionate encounter, but the genuine sincerity behind his words that made her heart flutter. She leaned in for another kiss, a soft and tender one this time, relishing the taste of him on her lips.

 

Sara whispered, barely able to utter the words, "I never thought this would happen..."

 

Abel chuckled gently, ruffling Sara's hair with his fingers. "Me neither," he replied, a touch of amusement in his tone. "Although we may need to repair the couch."

 

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments longer, basking in each other's warmth and love. The troubles of the outside world seemed far away - all they needed was each other, right here and now.

 

Eventually, Abel spoke up again. "We should probably clean up," he suggested.

 

The first light of dawn crept through the haze, casting a muted glow across the trailer and its two inhabitants. Abel roused from his slumber, reaching out to trace the outline of Sara's sleeping form next to him. She let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to him, causing Abel to smile.

 

He gently kissed her forehead before carefully extricating himself from her embrace. The previous night had been filled with passion and pleasure, but now it was time for them to face the reality of their situation. They needed supplies, repairs for the trailer, and new clothes for Sara.

 

Abel quickly got dressed while Sara slowly woke up and stretched in bed. She watched him with sleepy eyes as he prepared for their journey into town.

 

"Morning," she said huskily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

 

"Good morning," Abel replied with a grin. "Ready for our five-mile hike?"

 

Sara groaned playfully but got out of bed anyway. “You know we could be there in less than a minute if we flew” Abel looked at Sara, “Yeah and then we would have to spend all day explaining. Let’s keep a low profile for now til we know whats what.” She took a deep breath and nodded and dressed in the borrowed clothes. They shared a quick breakfast together before setting off on foot towards town.

 

[Shameless]

Abel chuckled as they hiked.   "I'll have to see about getting another truck at some point, if only to keep up appearances."   The thought made him wonder if his insurance covered the damages, but figured the answer was likely no.  Hell the company was likely swamped with claims.   Even with the influx of refugees, Shelly was still isolated, especially with the phone issues.   The town was still self sufficient, but he knew that wouldn't last.  

"Sarah, do you have your ID, a wallet or anything like that?"  He was fine with paying for what they needed, given that she'd come to him for a place to stay, he surmised her own home was unlivable, but he didn't know if she had anything actually on her.

"No, I don't have any of that."   She answered him.  She could go back to her farm to look for it, but it was obvious that she didn't want to.

"Alright, no worries then.   If we need to go back to your place one day to look for it we can do that when you like.   I'll help, of course."  Abel kept his tone light and nonconfrontational,  She was fine without it for now, but he knew eventually she might need it.

"When we get to town, we're going to go to my parents' house first.   I can borrow Dad's truck, and we can get everything we need."  it was a good start of an idea, at any rate.

[Asarasa]

The Cassidy Residence...

 

Jack woke up to the smell of bacon, the sun a sliver above the horizon. He was still stunned by the return of his drastically changed son. He - she - Jack wasn't sure whether to call Sean a man or woman - a distinction he had thought he had figured out long ago - other than his son, regardless of being male or female. Only having to adjust to the fantastic rejuvenation of his wife was allowing him to handle Sean's return with some measure of his habitual aplomb.

 

He got up with a groan, showered, shaved, and got dressed for work. Walking into the kitchen, he was struck by a scene of surreal déjà vu. His wife and son, both in aprons, cooking breakfast with Carolyn's phone set on a playlist of classic rock. Then, only Carolyn had been singing - American Girl - and Sean had only been ten, nothing usual about him other than his very fine features he had inherited from his mother, and already surprisingly clever, also from his mother, his potential still unrealized.

 

Now, the shorter, younger figure in the kitchen was his wife and the taller, older - by perhaps a decade, an elder sister instead of a parent - more curvaceous woman was his son. The song was Mr. Blue Sky, Carolyn's pleasant, amateurish voice now paired with Sean's rich, virtuoso mezzo-soprano, as they almost seemed to dance around the kitchen as they prepared an extravagant breakfast with synchronistic skill.

 

"Morning, ladies." Jack coughed into the back of his fist. "Sorry. Son."

 

"It's fine dad," Sean said, setting a plate for his father, scrambled eggs with cheese, toast, sausages, pancakes, homefries. He shared a mysterious smile with his mother. "Nowadays, sometimes, Man, I feel like a woman."

Jack choked on another cough as he sat down at the head of the old wood kitchen table, carved by his grandfather. Carolyn hugged him from behind, placing a steaming mug of coffee, black, by his plate, and kissing his cheek. "Morning hon. Eat up, I think you and Chad will be having a long day being so kind with offering your help."

 

"When a neighbor needs help, you help him," Jack replied gruffly. "But, yeah."

 

Sean made his own plate, twice the size of his father's. He caught Jack's glance at his plate as he sat down with the jug of orange and a glass. "I'm a growing boy." Supercharged cellular activity and metabolism required a drastically higher caloric intake. "I don't eat like a bird anymore."

 

A few minutes later, Sean heard the backdoor open and close, then Chad and Alice entered the kitchen, with the young girl squealing, "Pancakes!"

 

"Banana Chocolate," Sean agreed.

"Carolyn, Jack," Chad said in greeting. He gave Sean a nod, less flustered than last night, though his eyes couldn't help but linger for a moment. "Sean."

 

"Chad, morning."

 

"Sit down, sit down, let me get you some plates," Carolyn cajoled.

 

Jack and Chad began planning the outline for their day. Sean idly chatted with Chad about his hobbies, trying to be friendly and make him more comfortable. Sean offered to download the improved Genesis trilogy to Chad's gaming pc later, and expressed his interest in Chad's brewing experiments, offering a few poignant suggestions.

 

"You're as good a cook as Carolyn, Sean. And those are some great ideas for the hard pink lemonade."

 

"Lots a practice, especially when I was on my own, and couldn't afford throwing out mistakes," Sean claimed. Along with a thorough understanding of biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular gastronomy. "And I want first taste on the lemonade."

 

"Done!"

 

Jack wasn't one to dawdle and soon he and Chad were on their way. Sean said if they needed extra hands, to call the house. He planned on heading into town for a look around, but would check in, if the cellular communications were still down. Sean would have to see if there was something he could do about it, it the cell towers weren't complete destroyed. Possibly repurpose a Tesla Tower? He didn't have the specs on them, so would have to get a look at one, if one was in the area...

 

"You're with me, little one," Carolyn told Alice, as Sean finished the last bit of cleaning up. When it looked like Sean was about to head out, she handed him a list. "When you go into town, can you get a few things?" She nodded at the girl. "I have Alice." Then she gestured at herself self-consciously. "And I'm still not sure about all this and how I'll explain it. You might have changed even more than me, but you've been away for twelve years."

 

"Of course, mom." It was a fragile excuse, but Sean could explain things as a late growth spurt or a sort of second puberty, Laurie's height would help, as long as people hadn't followed him online. "Hope things aren't too expensive. I don't have much cash on me, a few hundred, and don't know when I'll be able to access my accounts."

 

"I didn't mean you'd have to pay, Sean. Just a minute." Carolyn left and soon returned, handing Sean a roll of bills. "You know you father always prefers to have cash on hand for emergencies. And he gets paid in cash often enough, thinking he can avoid taxes." Carolyn chuckled. "I love the sweet, financial idiot."

 

Sean unrolled the bills, stuffed them into his wallet, and stuck it back into the side pocket of his snug cargo shorts. "If Teagan still isn't back today, or even call, I'm gonna swing by Taylor," Sean warned. "National Emergency or not, Teag has a family too, and local."

 

Sean headed out. He took another look at the mutated coyote. It wasn't rotting yet, and didn't have the sickly-sweet smell of death, just a slightly acrid odour. He wanted to perform a necropsy on it, but he'd need to get some tools to do a decent one. With some wistfulness, Sean stepped into his dad's workshop. It smelled the same. A bit of sawdust, some mineral oil, a hint of solder and charcoal.

 

It looked practically the same. A small anvil and forge. Tools neat and orderly organized on a pegboard, labeled bins under workbenches. The waterjet cutting machine his dad never let him use, and the milling machine. New additions were the 3D printers. Sean had only dabbled, had two, plastic and resin, mainly to print out miniatures for gaming. His father had four, industrial machines, one even capable of utilizing a range of metal powders. 

 

Curious, he took a look at them, and the few notes he father had left around for himself. They were good machines. Either business was doing quite well, or his mom was engaging in some accounting wizardry to finance them. Booting the printers up, he wasn't surprised his dad wasn't using the software to its upper capability. It was complicated and not that intuitive.

 

Well, he could fix that. He went back in the house and got his laptop, then plugged it in. His fingers flew over the keyboard. He had entirely reprogrammed his video game trilogy last night, improving the software - and the narrative and storyline - in only a few hours. This wasn't as hard. Pushing the 3D printers to their limits as a test, he fabricated a few components for his laptop, eyes blazing as he pictured new structures, how to print them, how to install, an entirely new architecture for computer hardware and software.

 

Soon, he had a wide smile of satisfaction on his face. He hadn't made all the modifications he wanted yet, but he had a good start. His laptop was now a functional quantum computer. He father's workshop was well equipped and stocked, but Sean needed more, far more, for the ideas percolating through his head. He needed some more particular parts, and would need to make the tools to make the components to make the things he wanted. But this was definitely a start.

 

He got up, told his mother he was leaving, made sure she didn't need to add anything to her list and warned her to keep the rifle close. There had only been the one coyote, but he didn't have nearly the data to determine how common alterations like it or himself and his mother were. He had only encountered one on his travel to Shelly from Victoria, that he had been aware. If only I was as aware of the biology of others as I am of my own...

 

Sean climbed into his car, muttering wryly at the size of Civic. He was really tall now, with really long legs, and even with the seat at the way back, it wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked. His EV mustang would have been worse, and he wished he had his old Grand Cherokee, but it was what he had. Maybe he could trade it in for something better.

 

He sped up the ridge from the farmhouse and was soon into Shelly proper. He'd driven long from Seattle, and the tank was low, so Sean stopped at the first gas station he came across.

 

Jeff, manning the gas station, stared out the window at the virulent blue, tricked out Honda Civic that pulled up to pump three. Spoiler, windows tinted darker than legally allowed, purple ground lights. He expected it to blaring music loud enough to be heard clearly inside the kiosk, and pungent smoke to be billowing out the windows, but the dual chrome exhaust ports made the engine sound more powerful than it really was.

 

The driver side door opened and Jeff goggled as one long, spectacular leg, the perfect blend of muscle and curve slid out, followed by its twin. Then out came a vision. He'd been two grades behind Laurie Cassidy. This woman stood just as tall, but was way more toned and voluptuous, easily seen in her tight, olive cargo shorts and rust red halter top under the open checked flannel shirt. Her punkish, undercut hair was a vivid gold-washed ruby. She didn't look real. She looked like something from a comic book, or an AI image from a horny D&D fan made real. She glanced his way, and Jeff swallowed at the brightest turquoise eyes he had ever seen, and then groaned when she strutted towards the kiosk.

 

He had never seen the woman before, but he felt like he should know her. A woman that tall, that awesomely gorgeous, she had to be a famous movie start or athlete or something.

 

Sean glanced at the cardboard sign taped to the door of the kiosk. 'CASH ONLY'. Not surprising. He walked to walks the kiosk, the a bell tinkling as he opened the door. tight and crowded, the gas station kiosk felt really small to Sean with his new statuesque height. There was someone at the cash, so Sean decided to get a slushie - lime - he hadn't had one in years. He could feel the attendant's eyes on him the entire time, practically ignoring his customer.

 

Sean made his way to the cash. The woman at the counter was made a few years older than him, hair disheveled, clothing heavily creased. There was a boy of five or six leaning against her side, practically asleep. She staples on the counter, milk, bread, canned meat, and was digging through a small purse, looking for change as she glanced from her purse to the total on the cash register, then what she had on the counter, deciding what she could do without.

 

A refugee, from Seattle, probably, Sean thought. Proud enough to not want to only rely on government aid. He had seen some horrible sights in Seattle and Vancouver, and with his memory now, he would never forget them. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the woman gave a start, spinning around, then craning her neck to meet Sean's eyes.

 

"Seattle?"

 

The woman's brown eyes moistened. She licked dry lips and nodded. Her voice was a cracked whisper. "Yes."

"I've been there, Ma'am. Grab whatever else you need for you and your son. It's on me. Stay strong. Where there's life, there's hope." The woman looked like she wanted to cry and bless the angel before her, but hustled to get what she needed, only what was absolutely necessary instead of abusing the generosity offered. Sean shifted ostentatiously and slapped his wallet and the extra large slushie on the counter and the attendant finally noticed his face. "Whatever she has, plus forty on pump three."

 

"Yes, yeah, of course, ma'am, I mean miss." He wrung up the purchases and gave Sean the total. She paid, and stuff her wallet back in her shorts. "Hardware Hank's still open?"

 

"Um, yeah, yes. I think so? Lots of people been buying supplies. Don't what they have left, though." Only locals called Shelby Paint & Hardware 'Hardware Hank's'. But this real life amazon couldn't be local, could she? "If you don't mind me asking, miss, who are you?"

 

"A prodigal son," Sean said, smirking at the confused looks on the attendant's and woman's faces. He took a sip of his slushie and walked back to his car.

He had he driver side door open and was about to scrunch inside when he caught a pair of voices. He looked over the roof of his car and across the the country road. There was a thin screen of trees, parted by a packed dirt trail. In a moment, two figures appeared, two people he hadn't seen in nearly twelve years. One was one of the only two girls he had kissed in high school, the only one he had let get to second base during a round of seven minutes in heaven during a party when the other teenagers were trying to be cruel. The was a boy, a man down, at tall as Sean remembered him to be, but he had filled out a lot, had a beard now, one of his only friends, who had taken him hunting once, and had defended him more than once after Teagan graduated and left Shelly for the Airforce.

 

Sean felt a sharp pang of guilt and a swelling sense of joy at seeing them against after so long.

 

After the sky falling.

 

"Sara. Abel," Sean called out with a wide grin, waving. "It's been a while."

[Nina]

Abel and Sara froze for a moment, surprised to see Sean standing there, the hazy light of the morning casting an otherworldly glow on his features. "Cassidy? Sean? Is that you?" Sara called back, her eyes wide in disbelief.

 

They had been walking for an hour and were now on the outskirts of town. They had both been quiet, lost in their own thoughts. For Sara, her silence was due to what happened last night. She wasn't a prude or a slut, but she usually saw casual sex as just that - casual. But last night was different. There was no agreement beforehand, it had just happened. And she hadn't even been drunk. Now, being with Abel - someone she had known in high school but never thought romantically about - felt strange after what happened between them last night. Sara was still thinking about this when a voice called out their names, breaking her train of thought.

 

Her eyes widened in recognition as she caught sight of him, despite the fact that he looked nothing like the person she remembered. Sean Cassidy, the very reason she had met Abel all those years ago. Before, he had been a small, effeminate boy with breasts larger than her own. But now, oh how things had changed. He stood before her as a stunning woman, tall and graceful with curves that made her envious. And his hair, it seemed almost otherworldly in its beauty yet unmistakably real. She couldn't help but stare in awe at the transformation that had taken place over the years.

 

Sean had always been unique. His condition made him stand out, and Sara was an outsider because of her choices and actions. She never judged Sean for his appearance; in fact, she was curious about it. It was his mind and the world's he created at the gaming table that made her see him as different.

 

"In the flesh," he replied, wiping a drop of melting slushie from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His grin didn't waver as he watched them slowly make their way towards him.

 

As they got closer, Abel's expression shifted from shock to confusion. "But...you're taller," he said, looking Sean up and down. "And...what happened to your hair? It used to be so...fluffy."

 

Sean chuckled and ran a hand through the sleek, colorful strands cascading down his back. "Ah, well, a lot can change in ten years," he quipped, a playful glint in his turquoise eyes. "Or should I say, Sean can change a lot in ten years."

 

Abel couldn't help but grin at the familiar banter. He had missed Sean's quick wit and infectious energy. Looking at Sara, he could tell she was still processing the sight before her. Sean had always been a mystery to her, and now, standing there transformed, he was even more so.

 

Sara finally found her voice, her gaze meeting Sean's with a mix of curiosity, admiration, something else. "You look...incredible," she said, her tone was almost breathless.

 

"Thank you, Sara," Sean replied with a warm smile. "You both look like you've been through some adventures of your own."

 

Abel nodded, his expression turning serious. "We have. Things have changed a lot around here, Sean. The sky falling and all that. But we're still here."

 

"I saw the damage in Seattle," Sean said, her voice softening. "It was...terrifying. And I've heard whispers of what's been happening here. But I'm not here to dwell on the past or the destruction. I'm here to help, to offer hope and resources."

 

Sara was still staring at Sean. “The Impact did this to you. You were shorter than me when we left school, you don’t grow almost a foot taller after high school.” She looked at Abel. “Three of us?”

[Shameless]

The changes wrought in his life in three short days had left Abel confused, but he resolved to keep going about his life, as best he could.   Similarly to Sara, he'd thought about their night together.  He'd have never thought it would happen, and he admit, there was still some surprise that it had.  He didn't regret it though.  They'd both enjoyed it, and whatever happened next, well it would happen.  He was open to talking about it, but during the hike hadn't really seemed the time.

When Sean called out to him, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.   Sarah was Beautiful, he would never let someone say otherwise.   That said, Sean was on another level.   The knowledge that this was Sean, one of his oldest friends, a guy he'd grown up with was the lifeline he latched onto to keep his hormones  check.    He just knew however, that it was Sean standing there, one of his oldest friends.    When Sara spoke, indicating openly at least that they were like Sean, changed by the incident, he nodded.  "Yeah, All three."     

He smiled at Sean, and shrugged his broad shoulders.   "You look good Sean.  As for you being here to help, I'll ask the easy ask.  Do you know what you're capable of?  Knowing that will help."   

In a show of good faith, the sort Abel was known for, he gave Sean a quick rundown of what he had discovered that he could do, though he didn't reveal Sara's abilities, that of course was her perogative.   In truth, he knew Sean was smarter than he was, so it made sense to give Sean the same knowledge he was asking for, because he might have a better idea on how to apply what they could do to the situation they're facing.

"I know I'm going to have to go back to the Reservation at some point.  They sustained much less damage than we did here in Shelly, but if anything, they're even more isolated than we are here.  Of course there are wildlife issues too.  Not every human was affected by it the same either.  I saved someone from two men who were essentially glowing-eyed zombies that first night on my way to the hospital."
 

[Asarasa]

"I had an encounter like that in Tacoma," Sean admitted. "Less zombie, more Wolverine. Short, squat, bestial. Bone claws." Sean didn't go into details about the encounter, or the aftermath with the woman he saved. "And it's not only people who have been affected. There's a coyote I want you to take a look at back home. Was going to perform a necropsy when I got the chance and the tools."

 

As new data came in, Sean was organizing charts and hypotheses in his head. Fauna - King Coyote. Flora - Question Mark. Homo Sapiens - Two Categories, one for more physical/visible alterations, one with more extreme/fantastic powers. Looking close, he could see minor signs of alteration in Abel and Sara, lack of weathering in their features, mainly, but a far cry from the physical changes in himself and his mother, as well as his and Abel's encounters with the violent Altered. Sub-categories musing on more deleterious alterations and possible mental aberrations, and the relative extent of alterations. Calculations for statistical analysis for numbers of Altered beings, though still too nebulous to give any results worth calling.

 

He needed more data, more numbers, more. "God! I want to get you guys under microscopes and MRI machines," Sean sighed. I need to make the machines to get the thorough scans I really want... Sean shook his head and chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean that the way in sounded. Look, you guys are on foot, and I have wheels. How about I drive you where you need to go, and we can talk a little more discretely?"

 

The area wasn't that busy, but the three of them were still drawing attention. Most of it was towards Sean, but Sara and Abel were drawing their own, from the whispers Sean caught. He could tell from the way they stood and shifted that Sara's and Abel's hearing was at least as good as his.

"Good idea," Abel agreed.

 

"Sorry, it's gonna be a tight fit for you, Abel," Sean teased. "I could only get a two door, and it's ladies upfront."

 

He opened the passenger door and slid the seat forward. Abel squeezed himself into the backseat, then Sean shifted aside after sliding the seat back to let Sara in. Sean found it strange that he didn't find it strange that he was the tall one down. Abel had been huge to him in high school, but now Sean had two inches on him. And Sara had had the same differential in back then, but now barely reached his shoulder. Biological-neurological adaptation? He wasn't bewildered by far his increased senses or the far broader spectrum of light he could now perceive. Or was it something else? Another thread to pursue.

Sean got in behind the wheel, planted his slushie in the cupholder, then took off, foot heavy on the gas, but with the modded Civic under precise and utter control. Sara glanced over at her changed high school friend. Like the subtle but heady perfume hanging around him, a bit of vanilla, some dark jasmine , a splash of cedar and vetive and a hint of citrus, masculine and feminine both, Sean radiated a confidence and self-assurance had never possessed except when talking about computers or running his games. It granted him a magnetic and enthralling presence that complemented looks that any model or movie star would envy.

 

Sean didn't miss Sara's look, and he winked back, his own interest and admiration obvious. One of his biggest regrets leaving Shelly was not exploring what could have been between them. But there was time now. And with a superwoman no less. He could have asked her about her power and capabilities, he was certainly curious, but there were so many more... intriguing ways of finding out.

 

Damn, man! It's not only my cells and metabolism that's been supercharged! He had noticed of course, but it was different with a girl, a woman, he had known, and liked.

"So, there's at least four of us," Sean said. "There's certainly more, there has to be."

 

"Four?" Abel said, leaning forward from the backseat.

 

"My mom has been... altered too. Looks like a teenager again, and activated an Annie Oakley gene. She's become an expert marksman with any type of firearm. She took down the King Coyote. Took out its eyes," Sean told them. "As for me, think Captain America with Wolverine's or Deadpool healing factor, and way better looking. I might not be as strong or tough as you, Abel, and I can't fly, but I got the whole physical package. Strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, durability, senses, all topping peak human levels, and aware of it with a complete biological self-awareness. Don't have my hormone issues anymore, but I do have a notably different biochemistry from standard."

 

Now wasn't the time to inform them that he could sire or bear a child. Besides, it would be more fun to show them, should the opportunity arise. He hadn't been looking, but Abel might be suitable to pursue one of his many nagging curiosities.

 

"Mental capacity has increased to match my physical capabilities so I know how to utilize them at top efficiency. Concepts and ideas and the connections between them are so much... clearer, substantial, obvious. See the satchel on the seat, next you, Abel?" Abel looked over and saw the satchel, clearly containing a laptop. "Top of the line laptop. Really top of the line. I figured out how to upgrade it into a functional quantum computer. Did so, this morning just with dad had in his workshop. I do need a few things to finish the upgrade though. So, I guess you can include Ironman into my portfolio. Pretty sure I can manage the suit, given the time and resources. Don't have his wealth, but I've done okay."

 

Sean shimmied in his seat, stretching his sleek, strong shoulders, a small smirk playing on his enticing lips. "Brains, Brawn, Beauty. I'm the total package, baby."

 

He eased smoothly to a stop at a red light, his playful boasting fading. "I've won the jackpot when so many have lost their lives. I know it." He looked over, catching Sara's and Abel's eyes. "I worked on the project to deflect the Visitor, you know? Only in a small way, programming protocols to draw power for the Tesla Towers. How I am now, I'm sure I could have prevented the Visitor falling, had I access to everything. But if the Visitor never fell, I - we - wouldn't have these gifts." 

 

His lips tightened. He cursed himself silently as a part of him considered it a fair trade. "Directly or indirectly - I don't have nearly all data - the Visitor falling activated junk code - dormant genes - in our DNA. I can sense that much with my biological awareness. Junk code that isn't junk after all. Which raises all sorts of other questions, like, if they aren't junk, why do we have them, what were they used for way back when they presumably weren't dormant?"

 

Before the light had fully turned green, Sean put the car in gear. "We're going to have to figure out what we're going to use them for, now. I have ideas, so many ideas, and some of them scare me. Yeah, I came back to help, but I really came back to check on my family after I saw the sky falling." He set his phone in the slot on the dash and cued up the video he had filmed of the meteors coming down over the Salish Sea.

 

"I needed to get out of Shelly, but I shouldn't have stayed away for so long. I said goodbye to my family, back then. But I hadn't said goodbye to you guys or tried to stay in contact. I was afraid I'd chicken out and never leave. And if I hadn't left, I'd have died." His rich, honeyed voice throbbed with emotion and regret, then swelled with conviction and sincerity. "For leaving without saying a word, Sara, Abel, I'm more sorry than you can know. I came back for family, but I came back for friends too, even if I didn't know if you guys were even still in Shelly. I have a lot of time to make up for but whatever you guys need, just ask."

[Nina]

Seans car driving through Shelly...

 

Sara couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at what Sean had just said, “Fuck man, I didn’t tell anyone, even my dad, when I left before graduation. I just hopped on my bike and flipped this place off. Living in Shelly back then was nothing short of fucked up. I blamed Shelly and my dad for all the shit we, I , had to wade through. Back then it was either get out or blow my brains out.” Sara’s passion came through loud and clear, then her voice dropped off as she looked out the window at the town they were now entering. The town she had run away from. “LIving on my own for ten years taught me different.”

 

Shelly was different now too, since the disaster struck. There was no apparent destruction from the impacts, though a few shops had their windows boarded up with makeshift signs claiming they were still open. The streets were eerily devoid of cars, except for a handful parked along the curbs or in parking lots. In their place, Sara noticed people riding bicycles and horses, and even a small team pulling a wagon. But what stood out most were the people themselves - worn down, lost, and haunted expressions etched onto their faces. They carried bags, backpacks, and suitcases - all signs of refugees trying to escape from the disaster which had befallen their homes. And amidst them all, Sara could spot the residents of Shelly by their armed presence. There were also a few deputies present, guiding the traumatized individuals towards safety.

 

As Sean navigated the car through the streets, his heart sank at the sight of the town he once knew. The joy of reuniting with Sara and Abel was dampened by the despair and desperation that hung in the air like a thick fog. He could feel Sara's anger and sadness seeping into his own emotions, and he reached out to hold her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

 

"Hey," he whispered softly, "I'm glad you're back. We'll get through this, don’t worry."

 

Abel looked out the window, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and worry. "What is everyone doing?" he asked, pointing to a group of people carrying bags and suitcases.

 

"They're refugees, trying to escape from wherever," Sara explained. "I think they're being led to safety by some of the local authorities." She looked at them closely saw that many were wearing some sort name tag badge like thing on their chests. “But, how did they get here?”