Adventures in Home Life 1

Saturday, March 17, 2007

The next morning Staff Sgt. Carlan White woke up to see his new niece in front of the stove, an apron over her clothes.

“Good morning, Uncle.  Breakfast will be ready soon.  I made pancakes.  Do you want two or three?” She asked, pouring more batter into the buttered pan.

“Three.  I thought I was out of pancake mix.” He said, slightly befuddled.

“You are.  I made these from scratch.  You do have flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, etc.  It’s not that difficult once you know how.  I didn’t make them very sweet, but you can add extra syrup of you want.” Carl watched the pancake for a minute and flipped it with the spatula.  Carlan shook his head and went to shave.  When he was done with his morning preparations he sat down to his pancakes and tentatively took his first bite.  He quickly took his second, amazement on his face.

“These are good!” He said after swallowing and spearing another piece with his fork. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” He asked, taking a swig of milk before continuing to eat.  Carl ate her own pancakes more slowly.

“My mom made sure all of us knew the basics of cooking, but she got a bit miffed with me.  She couldn’t quite duplicate the recipes I came up with on my own.  It wasn’t bad but it didn’t come out the same.” Carl sighed as the pleasant memory turned into a reminder of her loss. “Do you want the rest of mine?” She asked, pushing the plate away. “I think my stomach shrank a little.”

Carlan moved the last half of her pancake onto his plate while Carl started washing dishes, the rest of the pancake batter in the fridge covered by plastic wrap.  When they were done, Carlan coughed and cleared his throat.

“Today I have off, so we’re going to get your things form where you were living before.  And then we’re going to get you some . . . appropriate clothing.” He said uncomfortably as it was obvious under her thin t-shirt she needed ‘appropriate clothing’.  Sensing his emotions, she followed the direction of his gaze to her chest and the two points shown.

“Oh, right.  I do need something, don’t I?  I’ll be right back.” Shortly she came back downstairs, the points covered.

“How did you?  Never mind, I don’t want to know.” They climbed into his Humvee and she gave him directions.

“This is a big vehicle.” She said, looking around.

“Yes, it is.  I snagged it when it was being cycled out of active service, and got a good deal on it, too.  Normally I couldn’t have, but a friend of mine pulled some strings.” He grinned. “There’s nothing like having the toughest thing on the road.”

“I did some thinking this morning,” Carl said after a few minutes, “and I think my name should now be Caroline.  It’s close enough to my old name while being definitely for a girl.”

“Are you sure?  What if they find a way to change you back?” Her uncle asked his newly renamed niece.

“I’m sure.  You weren’t there with me when they did a second examination, but the spell that changed me worked so deeply into my body that trying would almost certainly reduce me to an organic sludge as I break down.  They were a bit surprised that the spell left my mind and soul alone, but according to what they knew of the woman who created it, they think that she wanted the afflicted to suffer with a male mind in a female body.” Caroline explained, then looked over at him. “You still have problems with this.” She said, sighing.

“No, I’m dealing . . .” He caught sight of her expression and started again. “Alright, yes I’m having problems with it.  It isn’t something most people can accept!  Especially since the military has a ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ policy on homosexuality and related deviations.  If word got out about you and your situation, it could cost me my career if an officer wanted to make an issue of it!  It is important that you don’t tell anyone about the fact that your gender changed.” He said harshly.

“The doctors explained to me about how most people react to trans-sexuals, ‘normal’ or otherwise.  I don’t want to have to hurt people defending myself, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Caroline told him.

“Just make sure you do defend yourself if you get jumped.” He said, worried.

“Don’t worry.  I will defend myself if I have to.” She said quietly but firmly. “Even if it means I have to hurt them.” They were quiet after that until they reached the warehouse she rented.  He backed the Humvee up to the door she indicated and she let them inside.  The warehouse was dark and dusty except for a small area that was lit and swept clean.  Several shelves were filled with books, an area was cleared on the floor for a working circle, and a workbench was covered with works-in-progress.  A cable ran from a battery system to solar panels set onto the roof.  Almost as an afterthought a small living area held a cot and kitchenette.

“You’ve been living here like this?” Carlan asked, aghast.  Caroline shrugged and moved to the workbench with a box.

“I’ve lived in worse places.” She said as she started filling the box.  She unplugged her diamond chip maker and poured the contents of the collection jar into a larger jar.

“What’s that?” Her uncle asked as he walked over.  She turned, the magic devise still in her hands.

“This?  It’s something I made about a month ago.  It uses ‘cling’ and ‘repel’ spells at the molecular level to strip the carbon from pollutants in the air to combine into chips of diamond, which I sell to a company that manufactures high-end surgical equipment.” She told him, packing it away.

“You can make diamonds?” He asked incredulously.

“Not quite.  What I can do is make something that makes diamonds.  It’s not that difficult once you work out the concept.  It does take all those solar panels to power it though.” She said, pointing to the roof. “And time, too.  It usually takes a week to fill this jar, depending on cloud cover.” She frowned in thought. “I hope they aren’t too upset I missed Friday’s delivery.  I had better call them.”

“How much are you making like this?” Carlan asked slowly.

“Well, this jar holds – oh, you mean money.  About $50,000, give or take.” She said, making him swallow heavily. “A week.” He turned pale.

“That is a lot of money.” He said weakly.

“Yes, it is.  That is why I donate 20% off the top.  It seems a little unfair, otherwise.” She frowned again. “Blast.  Now I’m going to need to set up new bank accounts again.  And I had just gotten everything set up.  How irritating.”

Her uncle was silent as they loaded up all of her books, notes and projects.  His next day off would be spent recovering the bookshelves and solar panels.  Caroline used a strength spell to carry boxes of books, irritated again at the loss of upper body strength.  Then they brought everything back home to empty the Humvee before heading out again to the mall for clothes.

“Hello.” A sales clerk said, smiling. “Out shopping today?  It’s nice to see a father willing to take their daughter out for the day.”

Caroline sighed internally as she ‘saw’ the clerk was actually very bored and was simply going through the motions.

“Can I help you pick something out?” The clerk asked.

“This is my uncle, actually, and we’re fine.  I’m just going to look things over for now.” Caroline’s lips parted as she smiled, showing her teeth.

“Well, if you need anything, just ask for Marcy.” She said, feeling slightly unnerved by the smile for some reason.  Marcy turned and walked away, moving quickly.

“She seemed helpful.” Carlan said, watching as she walked away.

“No, she wasn’t.” Caroline said, holding up a t-shirt. “She might be attractive, but beauty is only skin deep.  I have yet to see an attractive liver.  Do people actually wear something like this?” She had an incredulous expression on her face as she looked at a pink t-shirt with ‘Pretty Princess’ written in sparkles.

“Well, you’re right about livers looking . . . wait, where did you see livers?” Carlan asked while Caroline continued sorting through the hangers.

“Three gut shot wounds, seven knifings, and two blunt-instrument beatings that needed to be drained.” She said absently as she checked size tags. “And that’s just human.  I’ve lost count of the various critters I field dressed while in the woods.  If there’s one thing being a healer has done for me, it’s eliminated any squeamishness on my part.” She tilted her head in thought. “Not that there was much left after growing up on the farm.  Hold these.” She put half a dozen t-shirts into his arms and moved on to blouses.  She selected a few of different colors and styles and went to bottom-wear.  She grabbed six pairs of jeans and girls dress slacks and walked over to the changing rooms, leaving her uncle standing outside uncomfortably.  After ten minutes, he coughed.

“Are you going to be much longer?” He asked, resting his hand on the door.  It swung open at his touch and he got a full view of Caroline pulling on the next pair of jeans.  Her chest was covered only by a strip of cloth wound several times.  His gaze flickered down and he spun around, fully red as he saw she wasn’t wearing panties. “Sorry.”

“Last pair,” she said calmly, “And the latch is broken on the door.” Another two minutes and she walked out, the new clothes neatly folded/hung. “Ok, these all fit.  Time for the next part, underwear.” She handed him a filled-out check.

“What’s this?” He asked, noting it was made out to the store.

“For the clothes, of course.  Price of each item multiplied by the sale percentage, the result multiplied by sales tax.  Simple math, not even algebra level.  It should come out right.” She told him.

“You carry a calculator with you?” He asked.  

She tapped the side of her head.  “Just this one.  I’ve always been able to do that.”

Carlan shook his head and carried everything to the register.  Everything was rung up, and Caroline was spot on to the penny.  He carried the bags as they went into the mall proper and walked to the nearest directory.

“Ok, Victoria’s Secret is . . . four stores down.” She glanced at him, amused. “You can stay outside.  I’ll get you when I need to pay.” Inside the store, Caroline was overwhelmed by the sheer variety.  She walked over to one display, unsure about what the sizes meant.  A?  B?  28, 32?  The exact correlation escaped her.  Seeing her confusion, a very curvy blond walked over, smiling.

“Can I help you, young lady?” She asked gently. “Let me guess, your first time buying a bra on your own?”

“Yes, I’m not sure what the sizes mean.” Caroline admitted.

“Well, walk over here and I’ll take your measurements.”

Caroline followed to the changing rooms, and lifted off her shirt and unwound the binding cloth.

“Goodness, how long have you been using this?” She asked.

“Not long.” Caroline said, lifting her arms for the saleslady. “I had a sudden growth spurt, making this trip necessary.”

“Well, you’re right on the verge of changing from A to B, depending on the cut and style of bra.  Let me get you some to try on.  You know, your mother should have brought you in before now.  Where is she?” The saleslady looked a bit miffed.

“In a grave.” Caroline said flatly. “I live with my uncle now – mmph!” Caroline was cut off as the saleslady suddenly hugged her, pressing Caroline’s face into her large bosom.

“I’m so sorry, dear.  I had no idea.  Just sit right here and I’ll get you set up.” She released a blushing Caroline and walked over to the stock displays to grab a few bras.  Caroline sat on a chair and waited patiently.  Soon the saleslady – Evelyn - came back with an armful.

“You are very expressive with your emotions, aren’t you?” Caroline asked as she stood back up.

“Well, I have been told that I’m a bit impulsive.” Evelyn admitted. “I didn’t make you too uncomfortable, did I?”

“Not really, but it was a bit sudden.  So, what do the sizes mean?” She asked, changing the subject.

“Well, the number is the measurement under your breasts, and the letter indicates how much distance out from that your breasts stick out.  An A is one inch, B is two inches, and so on.  You are right between A and B.”

“It seems a bit too complicated.” Caroline said, thoughtfully. “Wouldn’t it be simpler to just say someone is 28/30 or 30/34?”

“Well, maybe.” Evelyn said after a pause. “But this is what the standard has been set at, so what can you do?  Here, try this on and tell me how it feels.  It’s cotton, but I also picked out some silk for you to try.  And believe me, silk just feels wonderful She said conspiratorially, wiggling a little.  Caroline looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re wearing silk now, aren’t you.” She said, rather than asking.

“Well, yes, I am.  I find it just makes getting in the mood to sell ‘delicates’ so much easier.  And I’m a 36D in case you were wondering.”

“Well, yes, I was wondering.  How do you put it on?” Caroline asked while trying to reach behind her back.  Evelyn helped her and smiled.

“Now, how does that feel?”

Caroline closed her eyes and thought.  She bounced a little on her toes and thought some more.

“This does feel better.  A bit odd, but better.  What about when I want to move around a lot?  This has a bit too much bounce for when I run.”

“Ah, you’ll want a sports bra too, then.  Here try these on while I pick one out.”

Caroline tried several more bras, even the silk bras.  She made her selections and let Evelyn talk her into some lacy silk bra and panty sets.  Evelyn rang up her choices while Caroline got her uncle.

“Oooh, aren’t you the nice one.” Evelyn said, smiling as she checked him out.

“Good afternoon, ma’am.” Carlan said, standing at attention.  Caroline coughed and nudged hum.

“The check?” She asked, amused at the emotions the two adults radiated.

“Yes, here.” He said, handing the check Caroline had made out to Evelyn.  She completed the transaction and winked at Carlan as he grabbed the bags, did an about-face and marched out.  The two Whites ate at the food court, Carlan eating with military precision.  Caroline ate more slowly, looking at her uncle with an amused smile on her face.

“She liked you.” She told him, making him startle.

“A woman like that could get any guy she wanted.” He told her. “An old wreck like me isn’t on her radar.”

“And yet she was interested in you anyway.  I’m the empath, remember?  When I next need to get bras, I’m going back to the store and making you talk with her.” Caroline told him firmly. “Or, do you have a girlfriend already?” She asked, considering.

“I did, but we broke up last year.  She told me she was sick of me not being available whenever she wanted me.” He said bitterly. “I have a duty to fulfill as a Staff Sgt. in the Marines.  She couldn’t understand that.”

Caroline rested her head on her hands as she stared at him. “Tell me about yourself.” She said. “I know what kind of person you are, but I don’t really know too much about you.”

“Not much to tell.” He said, swirling the ice in his plastic cup. “I told you I enlisted at 18, about two years after George – your dad – got hitched.  I think his first kid was on the way at the time.  Anyway, I signed up as a grunt and started working my way up the enlisted ranks.  I started out as infantry, moved to tank driver for a while.  When I made Sgt. I went to work as a guard in the U.S. Embassy in Japan.  After that I was a drill instructor at San Diego.  And now I’m a recruiter signing up kids to be turned into Marines.”

“You’re leaving a lot of things out that you don’t want to talk about,” she pointed out to him, “but if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

“What about you?” He responded. “I can figure out that you lived on the farm until . . . well, the incident, and you told me some of what you did after that.  Is there anything else?”

Caroline played with the end of her ponytail as she thought.

“You know where I was just living, and you know about the cult mess.  Hmmm.” She looked up at him. “Well, after Cryptopher killed everyone, I don’t know what I did.  There’s a month of memories I don’t touch.  I think it’s a month, at least.  Then I came to my senses in a forest and lived with a wolf for a couple of weeks until I found a cabin.  I lived there for about six months while I practiced what I could do until I got really good, and I hitchhiked to Chicago.  That’s when I got caught up in the mess there.”

Carlan choked a moment. “You lived with a wolf!?”

“Oh, yes.  She was having problems giving birth so I gave her a c-section and fixed her up.  She kind of adopted me after that.” Caroline got a faraway look in her eyes. “It was very peaceful there.  She took away my nightmares.”

“And you’re missing a whole month!?” He asked next. “Don’t you wonder about it?”

“I did, until I found two bullets in me.  Then I decided I didn’t want to know, in case they wanted to put more in me.” She told him.  He stared at her in shock before getting up to give her a hug.

“I’ll make sure nothing like that happens to you ever again.” He promised her.  She returned the hug and sighed.

“Don’t make promises that depend on the actions of others.” She told him. “But, I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Isn’t she a bit young for you, White?” A lean man asked, a young teenage boy beside him.  

Carlan disengaged from the hug and turned to face the newcomer.

“This is my niece, Adams.” He said.

“I thought all your family was dead.” Adams told him, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m hard to kill.” Caroline said calmly.  Carlan sighed and introduced the newcomer.

“Caroline, this is Sgt. Sidney Adams and his son Dean.  He’s an Army recruiter in the office next to mine.” He turned back to the two Adams. “Adams, this is my niece Caroline White.  She’s living with me now.”

“Nice to meet you.” Dean said, smiling as he checked her out.

“Hello.” She said, sighing internally as she ‘heard’ his interest.

“Out shopping?” Dean asked, moving closer.

“Yes.  I was rather short of clothing.  We’re out fixing that today.  We’re almost done, though.” She told him.

“Well, if you’re almost done, want to hang out a bit?  We could do something, if that’s alright with your uncle.”

“What were you thinking of?” She asked cautiously.

“Oh, we could go catch a movie or something, my treat.” He said, smiling.

“I thought you wanted to have a paintball match with me, son.” His father said, sighing.

“Paintball sounds interesting.” Caroline said, parting her lips in a sudden smile. “I’ve never done that before.”

Dean looked surprised. “You sure?  It’s not really a game for girls, you know.” He told her in a condescending manner.

“Oh, I’m sure.  Is it alright, Uncle?  We could go Whites vs. Adams.” She continued to smile. “It will be fun.”

Carlan moved over to his niece. “Can you excuse us a moment?” He asked them before leading her off a short distance. “Are you sure you want to do this?  There’s a range near here, and Adams and I compete every so often.  He’s pretty good, and Dean there suddenly got extremely good at everything about three months ago.  Neither has admitted it, but I think Dean became a mutant, maybe Exemplar or something.” He said quietly.  Caroline raised an eyebrow.

“He does feel a little odd, but I’m a mutant too, remember?  I also have a great deal of experience and training in the use of my powers.  Self-taught, true, but I have put in months of practice.  And I think it will be a real bonding experience for the two of us.  I don’t think shopping got us to connect at all.” She told him seriously.  He looked at her warily and nodded.

“Alright, we’ve got time and I have some old clothes stashed in the Humvee for emergencies we can wear.” He walked back over to the others and nodded. “She’s convinced me.  Two of us against the other two.  We’ll see you there.”

They separated and the Whites carries their purchases out and drove the short distance to the paintball field.  Carlan purchased a couple of pistols and showed her how to shoot.  Next to them on the indoor range Sidney and Dean also warmed up with some practice shots.  Dean showed phenomenal skill, putting each shot on or near the bulls eye of the target.  Caroline shot through several clips until she consistently hit the target itself.  After that she walked over to a bench and disassembled the gun.

“What are you doing?” Her uncle asked quietly.

“Making a slight modification.” She said absentmindedly.  She used a combination of light-blades and heat spells to change the plastic casing slightly in several spots.  After a little more work on adjustments she put it back together and held out her hand. “Give me your so I can fix it the same way.”

“What are you doing to it?”

“Two-stage trigger.  Pull it half-way for one shot.  Full depression for a three-shot burst.” She said, taking the other pistol apart. “Be careful with the burst, it will eat through the CO2 fast.  There, done.” She said, handing it back.

“Where did you learn so much about guns?” He asked, looking it over.

“You have several books about guns.  I read them this morning after my run.” She told him, walking back to the ranges.

“You went running?  When?”

“Around 3:00, after I woke up.”

“When we get home, we’re having a talk about leaving the house at three in the morning.” He said sternly.

“Are you two ready?” Sidney asked with a smile.

“Yeah, we are.” Carlan responded.  They all met at the paintball maze.  Eight doorways stood before them, leading into the maze.  Sidney waved at the entrances.

“Pick any door, little lady.  And don’t worry about us knowing the terrain.  They change the maze around every other week to keep it fresh.”

Caroline thought a moment and walked in front of the third door.

“Three is a . . . stable number.  What are the rules?” She asked.

“We each have two clips to go with our weapon, and a white flag.  When you are hit five times, hold up the white flag, you’re out.  Last team standing when we get to the middle is the winner.” Sidney explained. “30 minute time limit, if each team has people left in the center, we solve it there.”

Caroline nodded, smiling again.  Everyone took their place and at the bell walked inside.  The maze was formed of plywood panels that were absolutely coated with splatters of paint from misses.  Caroline moved smoothly along the path, any noise she made blending smoothly into the ambient noise of the maze.  She lowered her mental shields slightly to keep track of the others in the maze.  Sidney and Dead radiated confidence, especially Dean.  Her uncle felt concern directed at her, and a grim determination.  She came to a fork in the path and moved closer to Sidney, feeling he was nearest to her.

*

Dean smiled as he stalked the maze, making absolutely no sound.  Manifesting as a high-level Paragon was the best thing that had ever happened to him.  Whatever he wanted to do, he soon became the absolute best at it.  Sure, the girl seemed to shrug off his initial attempts to ask her out, taking control of the conversation, but he was sure that with some time with her he would be able to get her to go out with him.  Not that he would rush things physically, he swore to himself.  No, that could wait until he knew he really wanted to get with her.  He paused as he heard footsteps ahead of him and crept forwards to verify who it was.  Easing his head around the corner he saw Carlan moving cautiously, scanning his environment.  Dean eased down into a prone position and got off three shots, striking Carlan each time before he rolled back around the corner and got up to run back around another corner.  Carlan cautiously tried to catch Dean, but was hit twice more.  Carlan sighed in defeat and raised the white flag as he started to move through the maze again.  Dean smiled to himself.  The two weeks he had spent with the Army Ranger buddy of his father really paid off.  After putting a fresh clip into his paintball pistol he moved out to catch his blond prey.

*

Caroline paused as she felt the burst of emotions from her uncle followed by a feeling of defeat.  She moved on, closing in on Sidney’s emotional signature.  She walked around a corner, took aim and fired a burst of paintballs, hitting him in the back.  She stepped backwards, waited two heartbeats and stepped forwards again to shoot, catching him by surprise.  Sidney stared at her in shock, the new paint stains on his shirt evident.  After a moment he pulled out his flag and raised it.

“Where did you learn to do that?” He asked.

“Intense wilderness survival training.” She told him. “Now it’s just the two mutants left.” She smiled, revealing her teeth.

“Wait, you’re a mutant too?” Sidney asked worriedly.  She waved her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry, the only power I’m using is receptive Empathy, and that’s because I have no off switch.  Is Dean using his power?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.  Sidney sighed and nodded. “Alright, I won’t ask what he can do, because he doesn’t know what I can do either.” Clearing her throat slightly, she raised her voice and spoke loudly, not quite yelling. “It’s just you and me now, Dean.  Let’s see who’s left standing.” Caroline walked off again, again making almost no noise.

Sidney stared at her, perplexed as he could see and hear her, but she seemed to blend into the environment with a level of ability that he only saw in the best scouts and snipers he had encountered.  He wondered just what kind of training she had been through as he moved to find the exit.

*

Caroline waited a moment before stepping out and firing a burst before fading back around the corner.  Her feelings of frustration mirrored Deans'.  Dean was an excellent shot, but her empathic gift allowed her to dodge as he aimed and fired.  She knew how he was going to move, but his expert use of cover and quick movements fouled her aim.  Both had been tagged a couple of times, and if she managed to hit him with a full burst, she could win, but not if he got her first.

‘Time to get a little crazy if I want to win this.’ She thought.

She thought hard on the area of maze between the two and closed her eyes, opened her mental shields and focused completely on Dean.  She ran and jacked back and forth in a mad dash towards him, moving as he shot at her.  She still got tagged twice more as she jumped past his surprised face and squeezed the trigger as she slid to a stop.  He stared at her smiling face in astonishment as his pistol dropped from his fingers.

“You . . . how did you do that?  It’s like you knew what I was going to do before I did.” His expression changed. “Are you a precog or telepath?”

“Receptive empath, actually.  And a Mage, Healer, and devisor.  What can you do?” She asked calmly.  He paused and smiled back.

“Alright, you got me.  I’m a Paragon, level 4.” He shook his head. “Figures that it would take another mutant to beat me.”

“You almost got me.” She told him, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. “One more hit and I’d be done.  And speaking of you hitting on me, I’m flattered, but you aren’t my type.  I think we could be friends, but that would be as far as it goes.” Caroline held out her hand and after a moment he shook it.

“Hey, start as friends, that’s cool.  I am a Paragon, so I can be your type, once I get to know you better.”

“I sincerely doubt that, and don’t try to prove me wrong.  It won’t end well for you.” She told him firmly.

“If you insist.  Let’s let the adults know who won.” He said, talking out his white flag.  Once they had all met up together, Dean explained his power. “Whatever I do, I do the best that is possible, and I get even better with study or training.  It’s a kind of Esper power, I guess.  What can you do, I mean in more detail?” He asked Caroline.

“It’s mostly centered around my healing magic.  Even the Empathy is mostly to really understand where a person is hurting.  I can also use light-based magic, and enhancement and protection spells.  I’m also quite good at making magical artifacts, and they also tested me as a level one ‘pure’ devisor.” She said, shrugging. “Beyond that, it’s all in the application of what I can do.”

Once they were done talking, they split up to return to their homes.