Ladies and gents, UNSC Spirit of Fire reporting. Below, I have my third chapter and fourth part to Kampfer: The Journey. Enjoy the show! Favorite and review - helpful as always!
Evolution
May 10th, 2014
Phoenix, Arizona
The noon Saturday sun shone overhead, the rays of light coming through the open blinds above my desk. I was lying on my bed, staring aimlessly at the wall across my room. Still in denial, I walked once again to my bathroom and looked in the mirror. A girl with my dark red hair and deep, dark blue eyes was there, though the hair was much longer and the eyes much more feminine. Her athletic build and smooth features gave her a quite attractive body. On the park, she had been wearing what almost seemed to be a girl version of what I had been wearing, with all of the effects. Since my return home, I had changed into something more comfortable.
I remembered overhearing something one of the girls had whispered last night on the walk home after my rude awakening, "She's gotta be at least a 36D! I wish I were that big!" I sigh dejectedly and stumble back into my bed.
Fuck my life. I've NEVER been this depressed.
I collapsed back onto my bed and tried to hide myself from me under the covers. I looked at the clock, which read 12:45. My door began to creak open, and I quickly hid myself under the blankets.
"Virginia, you awake?" Linda's sweet voice called me. I sat bolt upright in bed, my pride shot full of holes, the expression on my face not hiding it.
"My name ain't Virginia!" I hide again under the covers, embarrassed at the foreign, female voice that came from me. Linda started to laugh.
"Haha! Alright then, VIRGIL, I know you're awake now. Are you alright?"
"I wanna be a guy again…I hate being a chick. How do you girls deal with boobs? They're heavy, they hang out in front of you, drag your weight forward, and get in the way of everything! And the clothes," I shiver at the memory of the skirt and the underwear. "How do you deal with those clothes?!" She began to laugh again as she sat on the bed beside me. I peeked out from under the blankets.
"We find a way," She winked. I hid again, trying to stay reasonably calm and failing. "Hey, you'll be alright."
"How do you know?" I ask, not masking my broken soul too well.
"Because at some point you'll turn back into a guy. But also because, eventually, you'll come to realize that being a girl isn't so bad. Though I have a feeling that'll take time. I've always been a girl, so I wouldn't know anything else, and you've always been a guy. But hey," she yanked the blankets off of me and grabbed my shoulders, restraining my movement. "No matter what happens, I'll be there to help you transition, ok?" She smiled that motherly smile at me. I can't help but reach up and hug her.
"Thanks, Linda." I said, my sanity restored and my pride…mostly…repaired.
"We just have to wait until you turn back into a guy. Then I'll try to teach you to transform at will, ok?"
"How long's the wait?"
"Mine was about 8 days-"
"8 DAYS?! I've gotta go to school! I can't just show up like this!" I cut her off.
"Hey, relax. I'm sure you can call in sick or something. They won't miss you. Someone as studious and dedicated as you probably hasn't missed a day, have you?" Her voice soothed my soul. I nodded no.
How does she do that? I wonder.
She smiled at me. "Then you're fine! Miss a few days. Get used to being a girl. If you turn back earlier, you can either go back to school or spend another day or 2 getting used to it, ok?"
"Sounds good to me," I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "I wouldn't mind having a bunch of girls-" I stop myself, my face going flush at the realization that I may have spelled my certain doom.
"What? What was that?" She teased.
"Don't get any sexy ideas. I want to learn how to change at will, and I'd like you and the others around to help me find my way. Maybe we'll all learn a thing or two." Saved!
"So you like the attention, eh?" She smiled and winked at me. "But I have one condition."
"What's that?"
"Out of bed and into the shower you go!" She yelped cheerfully as she yanked me from my bed.
"Wait, what?" I asked incredulously. Before I knew it, I had lost a few of my clothes and was most of the way to the shower. "Hey!" I pushed her away. "I can take my own showers. I'll be out in a minute."
I followed the sound of laughter into the kitchen, where I found all of the girls sitting around the granite island, delightedly eating the food they had procured.
"Glad to see you all found the food. Leave any for me? Or have I been left out in the heat?" They all looked at me and began to giggle. I was slightly confused, but promptly realized that I was wearing black cargo shorts, a gray sleeve-less workout shirt, and a cobalt blue linen shirt over that with the sleeves rolled up, buttons open, the bottom hem reaching low enough to hide the Remington on my hip. I guess girls usually don't wear this kind of thing. "Shall I put something else on?" I asked honestly.
"No, you're fine. You're just wearing exactly what we thought you'd wear." Elise said cheerily.
"I see. Well, I thought it looked alright, so I took it." I responded.
"And you look wonderful. Come and eat with us." Linda invited kindly. I walked over to the fridge and opened it. I quickly found Hannah standing beside me, a plate in her hands, with the most complicated-looking sandwich I had ever seen.
"We remembered you." She said matter-of-factly.
"And I thank you for it." I said as I took the plate and followed her to the table. I sit down and begin to devour the sandwich, my hunger ravenous.
"Geez, he reminds me of you once a month, Elise!" Katie said jokingly.
"Hey! I'm not THAT bad!" She blushed slightly in embarrassment. I quickly swallow, the sandwich already half gone.
"You're the type who eats a lot during that time, huh?" I said harassingly. She got up, walked over to me, and slapped the hell out of me. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! I was kidding!"
"You'd better have been!" She said as she walked back to her chair. "Jerk."
"Seems you eat that way all the time, VIRGINIA." Hannah shot back.
"Hey! I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I'm dyin' over here." I responded before descending upon my sandwich again.
"Hey, you can drive, right?" Katie asked suddenly.
"Yeah. Why?" I asked. I quickly realized why when all of their faces lit up collectively. "Let me finish my food first…" I said dejectedly.
I soon found myself behind the wheel of my car, driving everyone to a nearby mall.
"Nice ride." Linda teased from the passenger seat.
"I love this car."
"Can we go faster?" Katie's head suddenly appeared next to mine from her position in the back.
"I look nothing like my driver's license picture. If we're caught, we're all so busted it's not even funny." I responded.
"Good point. Sorry."
"What kind of music do you have?" Elise asked.
"Nothing you'd enjoy. Guaranteed." I responded bluntly.
"What do you listen to?"
"Classic/progressive/hard rock and metal, a little classical, and a little old rap. But I have a very narrow window of music I actually enjoy."
"What do you currently have in the radio?" Hannah asked.
"Not sure. I think Alice in Chains."
"You listen to stuff from my high-school days." Linda said, impressed.
I guess that puts her at around 30. "AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains, The Beatles, Motley Crue, all that good stuff." I said.
"Turn it on. I've never heard anything older than 2000." Katie said cutely.
"Alright." I said. Laughing in my head, I reached over and turned on the radio. No Excuses began playing, the clean guitars creating a soothing tone.
"This isn't so bad." Katie said a minute or so in.
"One sec." I switched the song to Grind. A drastically different song, the distorted guitars played a somewhat creepy and minor-keyed melody. Katie's smile disappeared, and she sank back into her seat, the look on her face a mixture of terror and enjoyment. Her expression was mirrored by the other girls. All except Linda, who was bobbing her head to the rhythm, clearly enjoying herself.
"I'm sorry, that was mean of me," I said over the music. "I'll put on something more pleasing." I switched the song to Rooster. The girls seemed noticeably less oppressed by the more harmonious bass and vocals. Linda smiled.
"How do you know about this song?" She asked.
"My family ate, drank, and breathed this stuff, so when I got good at music, they asked me to learn this one. It quickly became one of my favorites," I responded. "Plus, chicks love it." Linda laughed.
"That we do." She responded. The song ended when I pulled the car into a parking space in front of the mall.
"That was actually really good. Even the heavy one wasn't bad. Just takes some getting used to," Katie said. "But my favorite is the last one you played, Rooster." I laughed.
"I knew it! Girls love that song!" I said as I got out. I looked around the parking lot, realizing that it was relatively empty considering it was Sunday.
The conversation on the way to the door went from music to small talk relatively quickly. I held the door open for the others and quickly followed them inside.
"Hey, guys, where should we take Virginia?" Katie asked.
"I know where!" Elise said excitedly. She quickly grabbed my wrist and began hauling me off into the bowls of the mall.
"Hey, where are we going?" I asked, confused.
"You'll see!" She giggled as she pulled me behind her eagerly. Eventually, we arrived at her destination.
"You've gotta be kidding," I said, horror on my face. "Why, God, why? Why Victoria's Secret?" Whatever pride I had left instantly combusted, leaving nothing but smoke and some ashes. I was defeated.
"I like it! Let's go! I haven't been in forever!" Katie said.
Someone please kill me. I thought to myself. First I'm a girl, then I have to go shopping, and the first place I get to go is Victoria's Secret!
"Go on, Virginia. This is your first step towards getting used to being a girl." Linda said from behind me before pushing me through the entrance.
Well, I suppose for now, I am a girl, and this is what girls do. No point in being bashful. May as well make the most of it. The Moderator's voice came back to me, "Accept this challenge." Accept it I will. After quite some time spent rifling through the various parts of the store, I ended up walking to the register with a few pairs of underwear and bras, a swimsuit, and a vial of perfume.
This isn't all that bad. I thought as I reached for my wallet. I didn't have cash on me, so I handed the cashier a debit card. While I was putting it away, something odd caught my eye. My license picture changed to the girl version of me. If I gave it to an officer, they would accept it as legitimate. I followed the girls out of the store, deep in thought. If my picture changed, that means other aspects of reality besides my body could be changed. I wonder what else I could change… I looked at my clothes. Maybe I can change these into whatever I so desire? I looked at my surroundings. Changing clothes here would be ill-advised. I'll show the girls my license later and experiment when I get home.
"Hey, Virginia, let's go!" Elise called. I quickly catch up to them, glancing at Linda as I slow down.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. This just reminds me of shopping trips with Kyra." She looked at me and smiled, but her eyes were filled with sadness. I transferred all my bags to one hand and hugged her. She held on for a moment, then let go and looked at me again, the sadness somewhat lifted.
"For what it's worth, enjoy yourself, ok?" I said.
"I will. Thank you," She winked at me before turning to the chattering trio in front of us. "Hey girls, Virginia says she'll treat us to some ice cream."
"Wha…? I never-" I was cut off by the joyful shrieks of the other girls. "Alright, alright, I know a place." I begin to lead them to the ice cream shop. Something surged inside me, enough to make me stop in my tracks and look around. I didn't know what it was, but it was powerful. A tall, pale figure strode past me, and time slowed as he passed. My dark blue eyes met his, a deep crimson, seeming to absorb everything they took in, like his skin and hair absorbed the light. He stared jadedly into my soul, as if searching for something, before his mouth curled into a smirk, time resumed its course, and he was a good distance behind me. I stood for a moment, contemplating what had happened, who I had seen. I quickly turn to stare after him. I realized the girls had passed me and felt them looking at me. I turned to face them, my mouth slightly ajar as the realization set in.
"Virg*, what is it?" Hannah asked.
"That tall man, with the black hair, he's a Moderator." I said slowly. The girls' eyes widened at what I said.
"How do you know?" Katie asked defiantly.
"Because I have met with a Moderator before," I hold my wrist, upon which sat the Green bracelet. "And I felt that rush then. But that guy is different. I felt the same rush," I said as I glanced over my shoulder. "But it felt almost…darker. More jaded. I don't know why," I turned back to the girls. "But I know for sure that man is a Moderator." Silence reigned.
"What do we do?" Elise quietly asked.
"He acknowledged my presence, and he seems like the kind of man who wouldn't even realize you were there if you weren't worth his time. But he's gone now, and I did promise you ice cream." This lightened the mood significantly, and I took the lead again towards the shop.
"You! Red hair! Green bracelet!" A hostile voice rang out from behind me. I quickly turned to face the source, and saw a girl, slightly shorter than myself, slim in form, with short brown hair lightly framing a desperately angry face.
"Me?" I asked. Something's not right about her. I inspected her more closely and detected a white haze of energy around her body, steadily growing brighter. Shit.
"You! Die!" An Uzi appeared in her hands, and she opened fire without a second thought. I dropped the bags and pushed the girls away from the fight and used the force from the push to accelerate my roll behind a cell phone stand nearby, evading the bullets. People began to scream and run from the fighting.
"God damn." I said quietly as I drew my knife with my right hand. "Here of all places!" I said, annoyance in my voice.
"Shut the fuck up, you bitch!" The voice came from above me. I threw my left hand in her direction, catching her weapon on pure intuition and shoving it away from me before sprinting off in a zigzag pattern. Her rounds flew by me, and I could feel the desperation in each shot fired. "You killed my friend! And now, I'll kill you!"
I took cover behind a stone-walled indoor garden, hearing the rounds impact and shatter the stone. I heard other weapons firing, the distinct clacking of an MP5K and a Micro-Uzi, but they were quickly silenced when the fire coming my way shifted to the girls, suppressing them. A firefight raged on the other side of the wall, the White Kampfer who had engaged us screaming offenses of every kind.
Fuckin' A, if only I had a gun! Then I could return fire! I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I looked at the source, and found it to be the bracelet on my left wrist, glowing a deep, dark Green. A weapon began to form in my hands, a Sig Sauer P220 .45 ACP pistol. The bracelet stopped glowing when the weapon was fully formed. I stared in shock.
I now had a firearm, one I was very familiar and comfortable with. I could contribute to the fight. I quickly sheathed the knife and racked the slide on my weapon, an already chambered round ejecting to my right. I gripped my new gun with both hands in a palm-supported military grip. Time slowed as I popped out of cover, eyes down the sights, and squeezed the trigger.
*pronounced "verge"
