Synergy Part 3

by:

Shrike

View Story Details

Rating: G	Add Review	Added: 05/22/2007
Complete: no
Synopsis:	It's 2041, people, especially teens are now faced with the possibility of many strange changes induced by the MORFS virus. More things happen to our hybrid energy converter.
Categories:	Britney McMaster's MORFS Universe  SciFi
Keywords:	Cheerleader  School Girl

Synergy (A MORFS Universe Story)
by: Shrike

Part 3

*************************

"Shit! Damn it to Hell and back." Isabel was swearing and cursing like crazy. Her favorite mini DVD was stuck in her player. Usually her obnoxious brother was around to help out and fix the thing, But he'd had to get MORFS and left with Mom.

"What am I going to do now? I wish you were here, Brent." Isabel sat down on her bed and sighed.

"Why did you have to get MORFS? Now you're never around for me to tease and bother."

Isabel didn't want to admit it, but secretly she really missed her brother. She did like to tease him or use his abilities to fix things. But he also made her feel at home more then she had realized.

*************************

'Honk', I swerve away from the car just enough so as not to get hit. I'm riding a skateboard, no make that a hover board on a highway. I'm constantly banking, turning and swerving to avoid getting hit by cars and other vehicles on the road. Just as traffic gets lighter, an 18-wheel truck in front of me jack knives and I'm heading straight for it. I try to stop, turn or bank, but nothing works. I even try to fall down, thought that might not be a good idea at these speeds and the rough asphalt. But even that is not possible. Just as I'm about to crash into the truck, I wake up. My heart is pounding very loudly in my chest and ears.

'Am I having a heart attack or something?'

There was a knock on my door and mom asked, "Are you OK, Maren?"

"I'm fine, mom, just had a bad dream." 'I must have made some noise during my nightmare.'

Through the closed door, Mom said, "Time to get up, anyway, Honey."

'Huh? What is she talking about.? I don't have replacement batteries for my alarm clock yet, but I'm pretty sure that it can't be that late yet.'

"Mom, it's vacation! I don't have to be anywhere."

Opening the door, Mom replied, "I know you don't have to get up that early yet. But I've got something to show you, and I need you to come with me soon."

'Uh oh, what is she up to now, more shopping or something like it?'

"Mom, how long is that going to take? I kinda made an appointment to meet someone."

Now Mom showed surprise on her face, "You already made a friend here?"

'Oh no, why did I just tell her about that.' "Not exactly, Mom. I was chatting online with a boy from my old school. He said that he moved to this same city."

"I see, so he was a friend of yours?" Mom had a bit of concern in her voice.

"Well, not actually a friend. At school I mostly ignored him," I sighed, deciding to tell her the truth.

"Does he know who you were, and how you look now?"

"Probably not, I was always anonymous online with him. Why do you want to know so much about him?"

"I'm just concerned about you, Honey. You have to remember that you are a vulnerable girl, now. Besides that, some people still think bad about morfed people, and you cannot hide your tail or eyes all the time."

I gave a slight smile. "You don't have to worry too much, Mom. He is a serpent Hybrid himself. He has more problems fitting in than me. And I don't see me romantically involved with any boy. I'm still male inside here."

"OK then, Honey. Now hurry up, put these clothes on after you shower."

I groaned slightly, she did it again. 'She picked out some outfit that I wouldn't have decided to wear if I it was my choice. Why does she keep pushing me wearing skirts and feminine looking tops. I really need to learn sewing, Then I can change the pants myself and not depend on her so much.'

It was just a short drive to our destination. Mom guided me to a building which housed a beauty salon. As soon as I noticed, I stopped and tried to turn around, however Mom had a tight grip on my arm.

"Mom, tell me that you didn't drag me out here for a makeover."

"I didn't drag you out here for a makeover," Mom said seriously.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Mom."

"Really, Maren. My new dance school is located just above that shop."

That settled my apprehension, at least a little bit, but still suspicious I followed Mom inside the building. She stealthily motioned something to the people inside the beauty parlor, but I pretended that I didn't notice.

The stairs we had to use to go up were quite solid. They didn't creak, in fact from the sound of our footsteps, I think they were solid stone .We came to a large open space. The floor had a professional wooden floor, which made it perfect for dancing. One wall was covered with mirrors and near the entrance was a small sectioned off office, and what I suspected were changing rooms. Mom showed me around and indeed the other doors had quite spacious changing rooms behind them. They were separated for women and men, and both had not only multiple toilets, but also showers. As I went back to the dance floor, I heard music. Mom put on a CD with dance music.

"Care to dance with your old instructor, Honey?"

I gave her a wry smile. She had been teaching Isabel and me dancing since we were able to stand, even before we could walk.

"OK, Mom, but not too long."

Mom cocked her head and gave me inquisitive look, "You don't get winded that easily anymore, Maren. Your stamina will be much better, and you should be able to dance for hours now."

"I know that Mom, but I don't want to get too sweaty."

We started a slow fox. At first I wanted to lead, but Mom quickly made sure that she led the dance. Then I remembered, I was the girl now. My partner would mostly lead the dance. A waltz followed after the slow fox.

I had always admired girls dancing to the music in their nice dresses, but I had never been able to dance long enough to enjoy dancing with them in the past. Now I could, but instead of dancing with a girl, I was the girl. And the way my skirt twirled around me was quite nice. Now I understood why girls like to dance in dresses and skirts. It's much nicer than doing it in pants.

As the second dance came to an end, Mom twirled me around a final time and turned off the music.

"You still have it down well enough, Honey. How did you like it?"

"It was nice enough, Mom. Do you need some help with the school later?"

Mom smiled, "I might need you some time, but only if it doesn't interfere with your schoolwork. And you won't have to do it for free, either." She looked at her watch, "It is still early. You said your date was at 2 pm?"

'I knew it, she did plan for me to have a make over.' "OK, Mom, admit it. You made an appointment downstairs for a make over right?" Then I added a bit sourly, "Oh and it is not a date, I'm just meeting someone from school."

"OK, Honey, yes, I confess. I talked about you with them and they offered a reduced price to fix your hair and do your nails."

She looked hopefully at me, and I made a grimace at her, "OK then, let's get this over with before I change my mind."

We went downstairs to the salon, where I was introduced to Lea, the owner. She welcomed me and took a look at my hair, saying that it really needed treatment. She obviously knew that I was new to the whole girl hair thing, as she started rambling about what I should do to make it beautiful and to keep it that way. I wish I could tell you what she all said, but I didn't understand most of it for several weeks.

Finally, as she introduced her nail specialist Shauni to us, she stopped talking about my hair. As soon as I saw Shauni, I wanted to jump back and run. I don't know exactly why, but I think it was because she is a dog or wolf hybrid. Maybe I do have more cat inside me than I realized. I fought the urge to flee, with all the power I could muster, but I think it showed that I was very nervous all of a sudden.

Shauni noticed, for sure. She stayed at a distance from me, saying in a coarse voice, "You're a cat hybrid right? I can tell by your reaction. I have a sort of similar urge to chase you."

'Chase me? Oh no. So this really is a cat and dog reaction.'

Shauni smiled, baring her canines at me, "I'm already used to it, and after a few minutes it will pass. We can always overcome this. Why don't you have a seat, so we can get started ?"

Still a little apprehensive I sat down to let Shauni work on my nails while my long hair was treated to a wash and rinse, and whatever else was done. As I sat in my usual manner, Mom scraped her throat.

"Maren, Do I have to drill you like I did your sister? You did pay some attention to her lessons right?"

'What is she talking about? Oh darn, I can't sit like a boy anymore with my feet apart. I have to close them or cross my legs.' I did know it as my Mom'd had to almost beat it into my sister for doing it right. I quickly crossed my legs and it felt kinda natural.

I got a little sleepy just sitting there and leaning back with the nice smells and pampering. Before I knew it, the women were done and told me to get up and pose for Mom.

Mom said I looked lovely and then told me to get going. I looked at my watch and was shocked at the time that had passed. It was already a quarter past one. Fortunately the meeting place wasn't far from Mom's dance school, so I could walk there without hurrying.

Walking in the nice weather and sunshine, I paid more attention to my surroundings than the traffic. So much of this city was still new to me. So when I crossed a street, a car stopped with screeching tires, but still hit me with a painful bump. I almost fell down and steadied myself on the hood of the sports car.

The engine revved up and the driver yelled from behind the wheel, "Get out of the way, you dumb broad."

Now I was pissed. He has been speeding and bumped into me and was calling me names? Suddenly I felt like behaving badly, and had an idea. I could feel the power of the engine and the electrical impulses from the wiring. So I absorbed the engine heat and fed it back into the car as electrical energy. The effect was immediate and quite noticeable. As the engine stalled, sparks flew from the dashboard. Then the lights flashed almost impossibly bright before shattering into tiny pieces. The look on the guy's face was priceless, but then my mind caught up with what I had done, and I decided I needed to get out of here. If someone determined that I had done it, I would be in big trouble.

Fortunately nobody called out after me as I walked in a brisk pace from the scene., so I got away scot-free.

As I got closer to the diner/restaurant/Ice cream parlor 'Everyone's Place', I thought less about what I had done just a few moments before. But that was because I started worrying about what would happen when I met Snake.

I spotted him right away as I entered the place. Even now, he is still the only serpent hybrid that I've ever seen. His head looked like it was on a swivel as he looked around for someone. I guess he really wanted to know the person that had helped him with his project.

I almost turned around there and then, but I had come this far already. I didn't know how this would turn out. I was still afraid that he will find out who I used to be and that he would reject me. It was possible that he would still be a friend, and I knew I would like to have a friend here that knew where I came from. And like me, he is a hybrid who changed gender. He might be able to help me cope with this.

'Uh oh, he is looking this way?' 'Is he staring at me? Why is he looking at me like that?' 'Idiot, you're a good looking girl, of course! He is checking you out.'

I walked over to Snake. All of a sudden I realized he felt embarrassed. 'I'll bet he's wondering if this girl has taken offense at being looked at.'

"Hi, Martin. I'm the one you have the appointment with."

Now Snake clearly felt embarrassed. He never expected this beautiful girl would be his secret helper. He stumbled along and tried to be chivalrous, but was clumsy with making me at ease.

"Um, Hi. Say, can I offer you something? I'm told that they make the best ice cream in town here."

I smiled at his clumsy attempts and accepted the offer gracefully. I asked him for a strawberry flavor.

Moments later he came back with a large ice cream and a drink for himself. "Here you go, eh. I don't know your real name yet."

As I accepted the ice cream, I replied, "I'm Maren. Please sit down."

Snake sat down opposite me and explained, "I love ice cream, but with my tongue as it is now, I cannot enjoy it that much."

I nodded and we sat there quiet for a moment, enjoying our consumptions.

'Wow, I have had ice cream before, but not like this. Maybe it is my new improved body, or that I haven't had any for a long time.'

Snake looked at me closely. "Maren, you are the one that helped me with the school project, right?"

When I nodded, he continued, "I never saw you before, and believe me I would have noticed a girl like you."

Now I was a bit embarrassed, "I just had MORFS, so I didn't look like this in the past."

Snake was still confused, but understood that he might not have noticed me in the past. "So what did you look like then? Did I talk to you? Did you talk to me?"

I cringed a little. 'I knew it was a mistake to come here.' "Please don't ask me. That part of my life is past. Why does it matter what I looked like?"

"I'll tell you why. You know so much about me. And I know almost nothing about you. I only know that you obviously went to school with me, and that you know enough about Brent's work, to help me with my project."

He paused and I kept quiet, just licking on my ice cream. "How did you know so much about Brent's work? Can you at least explain that to me?"

I thought hard for a moment, trying to think of a reasonable explanation that wouldn't give me away. I came up with, "I helped Brent with his project, so I knew enough about it to help you. I knew he couldn't help you, because of his father. So I asked Brent for some data that I could relay to you."

'Ugh, him flicking the snake tongue in and out is creepy. Does he even know that he is doing that?'

Snake looked coldly at me with his unblinking serpent eyes. "You're lying to me Maren. Why are you lying to me? I haven't told anyone about this, but after my MORFS, I got some new abilities. I have infrared sensors along my jaw that tell me you're probably lying, because your heat signature changes. Also with my tongue, I can sniff certain trace elements, like for instance, pheromones. The Jacobson organ tells me if people are sweating or showing stress. And you are sticking out like a sore thumb Maren."

He paused and I didn't know what to say. 'Has he already guessed who I really am?'

"I know you didn't work with that little diseased boy Brent. He did his project all on his own. I checked the records at school on his work and his grade. So how do you know Brent, and why did he give you all the data on his project, but not give any to me straight away?"

I was quite scared about talking to Snake now. He was so close to the truth, and he still hated the old me. "I was a friend of Brent. He couldn't be seen talking to you because of your being a hybrid. His sister would rat on him to his father. And believe me, you don't want to know what would have happened if his father had ever found out Brent had helped you with anything. You would have felt responsible for what happened to him, and you would not like that."

Snake was still staring at me with those cold unblinking eyes. "You have to do better than that, Maren. You still are not telling me everything."

Now I got really upset. "What do you want, Martin? You asked me here to thank me, and all you do is attack me." I was on the verge of crying. "All I ever wanted to do was help. And after getting MORFS, Mom and I got away from Dad so he couldn't persecute me." As I ran out of steam, I suddenly realized what I had just said.

Apparently Snake picked it up even faster. He fell down on his seat with an astonished look. "Brent? Is that you?"

'Oh hell, why did I blow up and say that?' I wanted to sink through the floor if I could. He knew now. And it was my own fault, too. I wanted to run away ,or hit him, or anything macho, but instead I did the same as any girl did. I started crying.

I expected Snake to make some snide remark or insult me, and then walk out. But instead he came over to my side. "Hey Maren, please don't cry. I didn't expect this, and I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well, you did, Snake, " I managed to utter while sniffing and crying.

"Can you please stop crying?" Snake gave me his hanky so I could dry my tears and blow my nose.

When I offered to give it back to him, he said, "I don't have much use for them anymore. Still, my mom keeps giving me one everyday."

I had just given a wry smile to Snake when a voice behind him said gruffly, "Hey Snake! What did you do to make this fine looking girl cry?"

Snake quickly turned around and I rose out of my seat to see who that was. A tall lanky boy with big ears and sunglasses was looking angrily at Snake. My first impression was that he was another purist, or Hybrid hater.

Snake replied, "Stay out of my private conversations Lance!"

"Make me!" was the snide reply.

"This girl is an old friend of mine, so butt out," Snake sneered at the boy.

"Not until I hear a good reason for your making her cry."

Both boys took on an offensive posture, and I could almost feel the tempers rising. Then Lance did something I didn't expect. He opened his mouth as to launch some kind of attack, and I put my hand in front of Snake. I sensed sound waves that would have been quite uncomfortable coming from him. Using my power, I absorbed the sound energy and send it back to Lance as a bright flash of light.

Breaking off his attack, he screamed, "My eyes! Cut it out with the lightshow, all right?"

Snake was staring at me, astonished by what had just happened. He started, "Maren what ..."

But Lance interrupted, "Hey girl. I see that you can take care of yourself quite well." He came up to me with his hand extended, "Hi. I'm Lance Thorsson or as they call me, 'Batman'. If it wasn't already obvious, I'm a partial, and concealed, Bat hybrid."

I shook his hand, "I'm Maren Johns, partial Cat hybrid and Energy converter."

"Nice to meet you Maren. Shit, is that the time? I've got to be going. See you. And if Snake here gives you any grief, just call me."

With that, he ran out of the place, leaving Snake and me at a loss for words. As both of us sat down again, Snake gave me a wry smile, "So you've got powers, Maren. What else do you have?"

"Well, you did notice my eyes, right? And I've got a tail. That's it."

"I think you've got more than that."

I looked at Snake with a question mark in my eyes.

He continued, "You've got feminine beauty to boot."

Now I felt my cheeks flush. 'Why did he have to say that?'

I guess Snake sensed my embarrassment. "Hey, I mean it as a compliment, Maren. ... Yuck, what a mess!" Snake exclaimed suddenly as his hand touched the melting remains of my Ice cream. Now I also noticed it and was a bit disappointed. I never got to finish my fabulous ice cream. "

I think the disappointment showed on my face, as Snake asked, "Do you want a new one, Maren?"

I smiled brightly, "Yes please. And you're right. They do make the best ice cream here."

"Strawberry again, or something else this time?"

"Can I have a strawberry and Lemon this time?"

Snake nodded and soon returned with a new ice cream and another drink. Again we enjoyed our refreshments in silence, till Snake started, "Maren, I know that you've not been a girl for long, and it shows. You still wear a big boy's watch."

I looked at my wrist, and indeed, my old watch wasn't right for my now more slender wrist. "Guess I have to buy a new one someday, then."

Snake smiled at me, "No need for that Maren. I still have my old watch, and I have no use for it anymore. So I want you to have it, as my appreciation for helping me with my project."

Now he was embarrassing me again. "Thank you, Martin. I really appreciate that."

I looked at him and saw him looking back at me. I mulled over it in my mind. Then I asked, "Friends?" while lifting my hand to him.

His face relaxed, "Friends!" and he shook my hand. He continued, "I think we should stick together. Both of us are new in this city, both hybrids, and both gender changed. So what do you say?"

I agreed about that with him.

Then Snake had more questions for me. "What school are you going to Maren?"

I told him the name and he looked up with surprise.

"That's an expensive school! How can your Mom afford it?"

I cringed a little, "She can't, but she got a job there, so I can attend at a reduced price. But because it isn't a full time job, Mom started a dance school as well. I hope it starts going well soon, because the move here and my new wardrobe tapped out our resources pretty much."

Snake nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. I had to replace all my clothes for new ones, too. At least as a girl, you can still wear boy clothes, but I cannot be seen in girls clothes."

I snickered, "It would make a sight to see, Snake."

He laughed with me. "I guess it would. That reminds me, have you visited the swap shop already?"

I made a face, showing him that I didn't understand.

He explained, "There are shops all over the country, and that includes this city, where you can take your old pre-transformation clothes, and they give you credits for them, that you can use to buy new or used clothes at that shop or other shops."

My insides were warming. This friendship was going to pan out. Already he was helping me with lots of things. I just hoped that I could return the favor for him sometime. A tear began sneaking its way down my cheek.

"Maren, why are you crying again?"

I smiled brightly at him, "Because I am happy to have a friend like you already. Besides, I don't know why I cry all the time. In the past, I almost never cried."

Snake smiled back, "I think I know why, Maren. It's your female hormones. It's why girls cry more easily than boys. At least that is what my Dad told men and he is a medic on an ambulance."

I wiped my tear away and decided to change the subject. "What's up with this Lance character? Is he your enemy, nemesis or what?"

Snake laughed, "Actually believe it or not, he is a friend. We always joke around threatening to fight, but we never really do it. He showed me around town when I first arrived. He knows a lot of things around here."

Now I was confused. I hadn't been on the road that long, and Snake implied that his friendship with Lance was already a long time.

As I asked Snake about it, he said, "Last winter I stayed here for a few weeks. I met Lance then. We were already planning to move here at that time. And we flew here straight away on the Redeye. You and your Mom drove here, right?"

I confirmed, "Yes. Can't tell you much about the trip though. I was out of it, changing into this," I pointed at myself.

"And how nice 'this' turned out. A beautiful butterfly from the caterpillar."

I got angry, "Snake! Cut it out! I'm not interested in boys. Nor do I think I ever will be."

Snake just laughed, "Don't be so sure, Maren. I thought the same when I first changed. But now, I think you'll find yourself attracted to boys sooner than you think."

I just snorted at Snake, but thought, 'What if he is right, and I'll be into the whole boyfriend thing? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.'

I changed the subject to some light conversation about the city. We agreed for him to show his place before taking me home. A short hop on the public transportation later, I met his Mom and got the tour of their house. We didn't stay long, so after I said goodbye to Mrs. Iverson, we took another transport to where I lived..

At the door Snake hesitated a little, "Eh, Maren, so tomorrow we go to exchange your clothes at the swap shop, right?"

I nodded in agreement.

"OK. Then I'll be here at, say 9 am? Is that ok?"

Again I nodded my head.

"OK. Then, oh, before I forget. This is for you." He gave me a small box, turned around and left in a hurry.

I was too stunned for moment to react. "Thank you, Martin," I yelled after him.

I went inside the house before looking into the box. There was quite a beautiful small ladies watch inside, which fit perfectly around my wrist. I didn't even have to wind it, or take care of the battery, as it was one of those automatic movement-winding watches.

Feeling very happy, I went to my room to shower and change my clothes. I didn't even notice myself that I was humming some tune till Mom came home and said, "Well, somebody had a good day today!"

Even that couldn't evaporate my good mood. "Yes, Mom. I had a nice day. How about you?"

"Oh, it was OK. So I guess your date with, what's his name again, went well?"

I grimaced, "It was not a date, Mom. But yes, it went well. I think I have one, maybe two friends here already. Tomorrow, Snake is taking me to a shop where I can turn in my old clothes for credits to buy new or used clothes."

"Whoa, wait a minute. His name is Snake? Honey, what kind of boy are you hanging out with?"

"Mom! I told you already. He is a serpent hybrid. Everybody calls him Snake. But if you must know, his name is Martin Iverson."

Mom looked relieved. "OK, so you have another date tomorrow."

I sighed in frustration. 'When is she ever going to let up?' I turned away in despair.

"OK, honey, not a date then. Now come here and help me fix dinner, will you."

I turned back with a little smile, "Of course, Mom. Can we start fixing my other clothes after dinner, please?"

"Of course we can, honey, but I want you to do the work. So you will learn it for yourself."

And so, a useful evening concluded my very eventful day. Later that night I recapped the day as I stepped into bed. I made some friends, learned how to sew and cook and what else? Suddenly I got scared, the car incident. 'What if someone reported me? No! No one noticed me doing that right? What if ... no, don't even think that. I must have gotten away cleanly.' I bit my lower lip fretting over what could have happened for at least 10 minutes before I fell asleep. Mom woke me early again. She reminded me of some things I should and shouldn't do as a girl. Then she made sure I already had showered, prepared my hair, put on some makeup, (Mom insisted), dressed nicely in a new dress, (Yuck) ,and had breakfast. So by the time Snake arrived I was quite ready.

We even had the boxes with all my old clothes searched and readied for loading. Snake promptly arrived at 8:50, and was surprised that I was already ready to go. Of course he knew from past experience that girls are notoriously late going somewhere. Snake surprised me too. he'd borrowed a car to take me and my boxes to the shop.

He was very gallant. First he properly introduced himself in style to Mom. Then he told me to go sit in the car while he carried all the boxes out the car.

After waving goodbye to Mom, we set off and I asked, "What's gotten into you Snake? I hope you're not starting to think we are going to be an item."

He startled, "I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to make a good impression on your Mom. I hope we are going to be friends for a long time, but just that, friends."

I felt a bit relieved, "OK then, lets go to the swap shop."

"Not just yet, Maren. I don't exactly now how to get to the shop. So I asked Batman to come with us. You don't mind, do you?"

I wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but I realized I should give Lance the benefit of the doubt. Soon we reached the point were he was waiting.

He got in with, "Hi Snake, Hi Maren."

Snake replied curtly, "Hi yourself, Batman."

I put in my contribution, "Hi Batman. Say, if we are going to use only nicknames, then call me Synergy."

In unison the boys echoed, "Synergy?"

"Yes Synergy! I read it somewhere, and I think it's suits me."

Snake agreed readily, but Batman mulled over it.

Then he changed the subject abruptly. "I don't know if our friendship will work out that well. It isn't the same anymore. I mean, with a girl among us."

I looked around, "A girl? Where?"

Snake laughed out loud, while Batman looked stupefied.

I asked him, "Why do you think we are going to the swap shop?"

"Uh, well to turn in some clothes that don't fit you anymore?"

I smiled, "Well that too. But my size isn't the only change during MORFS. I used to be as much a male as you two."

Now Lance was quite a sight to look at. He looked at me as if he was seeing water burning.

"I had no idea, Synergy. You act and appear so much like a girl."

Now it was my turn to wince and feel awkward. 'I acted like a girl?'

"So, taking you out dancing is out of the question Synergy?" Lance interrupted my thoughts.

Snake punched him on the shoulder. "Don't try to make a date on your second meeting with a friend, Pal."

Batman apologized, "Sorry, Maren, ... I mean, Synergy. But I am quite a good classic dancer you know." Suddenly, looking around, Batman directed Snake to a side street and shortly after the turn, we arrived at the swap shop. The boys carried the three heavy boxes inside to be appraised. I got quite a few credits for my stuff and started searching for some new clothes in my size. After picking out some pants and shirts that I liked, I went to the dressing room to try them on.

Batman was hovering near the dressing room when I came out, "Try this one on too, please?" He held up an evening dress like for a prom night.

Furious, I looked at him. "What do you think you are doing, Batman?"

"Sorry, Synergy, but please do try it on. I'm not asking you to buy it."

Still mad as hell, I went into the dressing room, but found I had a problem. I couldn't unzip my dress without help. I went back out where Batman was still waiting.

"Excuse me Batman. Can you unzip me, please?"

"Sure, Synergy. Don't forget to try on the dress ok?"

Oh! He knew just to get on my nerves. I tried on the three pants, but only one fit me well enough. The shirts all fit me quite well, but only a few were good quality. Then my eye fell on the dress. 'I really shouldn't, but it does look nice.' Against my better judgment, I tried it on. It fit me surprisingly well. I even liked wearing it, though I would never ever tell Batman.

I changed back to my own dress and stepped out to a waiting and inquiring Batman. "How did the dress fit you, Synergy?"

He jumped me with the question I just couldn't lie. "It was a good fit. But I'm still not taking it, you hear?"

"Yes, of course, Whatever you say. Synergy."

I paid for my newly acquired clothes and still had some credits left. The owner said that they were valid for quite some time, so I could come back later when they had other items in stock.

As we went out, Batman said, "Oops! Forgot something." He went back in and came back out with a secretive smile moments later. I was a bit suspicious, but he wasn't carrying anything, so I didn't go into it.

After returning the car, the boys showed me around town. I got to know where to eat, see a movie and where to shop. They were quite surprised when I asked for a hardware shop. So I explained that I was still working on something.

I came home early and tried fixing something for dinner by myself. It didn't pan out as I intended and dinner would not be so great today. Mom didn't complain however, but told me what I should do the next time. She did complement my enthusiasm.

The next few days I continued to explore the city on my own or with Snake and Batman, except for the day when I woke in the morning with cramps in my abdomen and started bleeding. Suffice it to say that Mom quickly taught me the finer points of dealing with the monthly nuisance of being a girl. 'I could do without that.'

Some days I tinkered on my hover board. It still wouldn't work yet. The repulsor didn't work right. I thought up several things, but still, the solution to the problem eluded me. One day it was such fine weather that I went out for a walk on my own in a forested park. Hearing a rustling sound in the underbrush, I went over to check it out. I found a squirrel lying on the ground, practically dead. I checked its vitals with my senses, and found it barely had a pulse. I checked the critter more closely, and sensed that it was very low on energy. Maybe it was going through MORFS? Carefully, I absorbed some sunlight and heat, and slowly fed it into the animal. It soaked it up as if it was nectar, and its pulse seemed to get a bit stronger. I think the critter slept because of the transformation. I took the poor creature home and when it did wake up, fed it some leftovers from the old diet energy bars that I'd had for my disease. It slept again afterwards, and started growing bigger and bigger. After a full day and night it was a little bigger than a cat, but still smaller than a dog. It clearly had still squirrel traits, but also had some traits from a dog. More and more, it became a blend of both squirrel and dog. As it woke up, the squog, (That's what I call it anyway), was ravenous. So I fed it another diet bar and some fruits. The critter was quite thankful and became quite affectionate. After asking Mom for permission, I decided to keep the squog as a pet and named it Sammi.

Strangely I didn't have any averse reaction to it's dog part. Maybe dogs and cats can live together without being bothered by the whole chasing and being scared reactions.

Sammi turned out to quite a handful. It was housebroken soon enough and quite clean, almost like a cat. But it was very agile, inquisitive and naughty. One day I was out walking with Sammi on a leash, when we encountered a big cat. Sammi froze, torn between fleeing, as his squirrel instinct told him to do, or chase it, as his dog instinct dictated. The dog side won for now and Sammi yanked the leash out of my hands chasing the cat. The cat quickly ran up a tree, thinking it would be safe, as usual, but this time wasn't safe. Sammi could still climb like a squirrel and chased right up the tree after the cat. I tried calling him, but Sammi just wouldn't listen. Climbing higher and higher, the cat suddenly saw no way out and turned around to fight. Sammi then started to listen to his squirrel instincts and ran back down the tree. It jumped the last 6 feet into my arms, with the cat hot on his tail. When the cat came after us both, I shot a spark of electricity at it. It worked just like a cattle prod, with just enough power to scare it away. After this incident, Sammi wasn't eager to chase cats anymore though.

Snake came by the house, asking if I was sick. I guess he'd felt abandoned while I was busy taking care of Sammi. I showed the critter to Snake and he began to play with it immediately. Snake loved the little critter and Sammi liked to play with Snake. However I was still it's master, and Sammi did come to me when I asked.

End of part three

To be continued...

(Note from Author, the email address is real, valid and in use by the author of this story.)



The entire MORFS Universe can be found at http://morfs.nowhere2go.org/Encyclopedia.html