Genomorph

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Gary Rand looked up as the door chime sounded and smiled as he saw the two girls entering his gun shop. Karen was already there, waiting at the counter as her friends entered.

“Melissa, Brandi how nice to see you!” He greeted them. Brandi giggled happily and bounced up to the counter, leaning over to give Gary a kiss on the cheek.

~ You would never guess she was a man less than a year ago, ~

It was true; in the two months that Melissa had known Brandi she had changed completely. Once she had made up her mind to embrace being a woman she had launched herself into it with a passion. That did not mean she did not still have doubts and fears, but she was dealing with them. And there was still one last thing that she had to deal with. Melissa felt it would be soon. At least she was on birth control, having opted for a Depo-Provera injection, which would protect her for twelve weeks. Two weeks after getting the shot Brandi had told her that she would not need them in the future, because her body now knew how to duplicate the effect.

“I got your message that my pistols are ready.” Brandi said to Gary. She was practically hopping with excitement.

“Yep, and the paper work is all set.” Gary smiled. “You can take ‘em home with you.”

“Cool.” Brandi said.

Gary left the counter and stepped into the shop in back, returning almost immediately with two boxes. He opened them and grinned as Brandi practically squealed with glee. She was an odd girl, he thought. Kind of dizzy but she sure knew her firearms. And she could shoot like no one he had ever seen.

“A matched pair of Heckler and Koch P2000SKs in .357 Sig. I replaced the stock sights with Trijicon night sights and tuned the trigger pull to minimum weight just like you asked. They’re Heckler and Koch so they are pretty nice out of the box, but I tweaked the action a bit. They should shoot real smooth.”

“Sweet!” Brandi exclaimed. She examined the weapons, working the slide to feel the action. “Wonderful work Gary.”

“Those are kind of cute,” Karen said as Brandi admired the pistols. “It’s nice that they make guns for little girlie hands.”

Brandi glared at Karen, who was grinning wickedly, and stuck her tongue out.

“Hey I got some info you might want to hear,” Gary told them. “I was talking to one of my friends on the force. When I heard about those punks that tried to hurt you Melissa I put some feelers out.”

Brandi stiffened noticeably at his words.

“Turns out those three had several outstanding warrants and pretty extensive rap sheets. They were very nasty dudes. I’m glad someone helped you out there Melissa.”

“Actually it wasn’t just someone.” Melissa smiled. “Brandi is the one that saved me.”

Gary looked at Brandi with a new respect. “They said those three were messed up pretty bad. You did all that damage?”

Brandi nodded and smiled, looking embarrassed as she said, “I’ve taken martial arts classes since I was old enough to walk practically. Daddy was a hand to hand combat instructor for the Navy at Little Creek.”

“So your dad taught Navy SEALs how to fight,” Gary laughed. “And his little girl too. Smart man; looks like those guys got off lucky.”

~ You have no idea, ~ Brandi thought as she smiled sweetly. The story was close to the truth, though Brandon’s father had been a submariner. But the hand to hand instructor at Little Creek had always delighted in asking, ‘Who’s your daddy now?’ after having thoroughly embarrassed one of his trainees on the mat. At any rate the explanation seemed to satisfy Gary’s curiosity.

“Now let’s see what you three can do with these weapons,” Gary smiled. “I’ll buzz you through to the range and bring them around with some ammo.”

*****

Susan was seated in the office Amanda had provided for her pouring over the latest data from the Genomorph project. How Amanda had gotten her hands on the documents Susan did not know and did not ask. Amanda had simply assured her that she had a trusted source, the same person who had sent the package with Brandi’s name on it.

The files contained decrypted information on the capabilities of a Genomorph. The more Susan read, the more stunned she was.

Immediately upon completion of the process a Genomorph was physically perfect…by human standards. But many of the abilities could be fine tuned, and others only manifested after the subject had adapted both physically and mentally to their new body. She knew from Brandi’s emails that she was almost, if not fully, adapted already. And she knew she was already unlocking many of these new capabilities, and developing her body as well, even if she did not know why.

The last document was a direct translation of a file regarding the seven warrior genes.

There are many factors that combine to distinguish a true warrior from an ordinary soldier. A man or woman may be molded into a soldier through training and discipline, but the foundation of a true warrior is there from birth. These are the genetic traits of the warrior, those which distinguish them from mere soldiers.

Warriors must posses a physical and mental superiority that sets them above the average. They must be faster, stronger, hardier; they must be decisive and adaptable. Above all they must be committed and resolute, capable and willing to wreak terrible destruction but never reveling in the act.

Even among warriors, there are genetic traits that set some apart, in particular the seven warrior genes. To be considered for the Genomorph Protocol, a warrior must possess at least one of these markers; the Mother. Those warriors possessing more than three are truly formidable and able to accomplish great deeds. But only those possessing all seven will transcend greatness and become legends.

The Leader - Warriors with this genetic trait are gifted, natural leaders. They are able to inspire others through word and action and engender great loyalty and devotion in their comrades and fear and hatred in their enemies. Genomorphs possessing this gene have the ability to sense the motivations of others as well as inspire them to exceed their own perceived limitations.

The Destroyer - This genetic trait renders the warrior capable of acts of great violence and destruction. Unbalanced it is found in the most monstrous individuals of society, but when balanced by other traits it gives the warrior the ability to carry out the violence necessary in warfare, yet not be ruled by it. Genomorphs possessing the destroyer will generally develop natural weapons, most often expressed as claw or bone blades. The Genomorph must exercise great care in dealing with this dark aspect of their nature, as they constantly tread a fine line between darkness and light.

The Tactician - This trait gives the warrior an innate grasp of tactics and strategy. This is not simply limited to warfare, and can be found in those who are successful in many varied endeavors. They know the value of careful planning, and yet are not bound to it. They are masters of improvisation as well, and can adjust to changing situations readily. Genomorphs with this gene have highly developed minds; compartmentalized and capable of multitasking better than the finest tactical information systems.

The Just - Also called The Defender, warriors with this trait will naturally resist that which is wrong and defend that which is right. It should be noted that right and law do not necessarily equate, and warriors with this trait can be expected to rebel against unjust rulers. They will also have no fear of skirting the rules, as they are governed by an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong. They detest seeing power abused and the weak trodden on. This trait renders the Genomorph highly resistant to attempts to control them and cause them to act against their principles.

The Cunning - Shrewd and adaptable, these warriors are able to use guile as well as force to accomplish their objective. This gene gives the warrior the ability to overcome in the face of adversity, and to salvage victory from the very precipice of disaster. This gene suits the spy and assassin, the thief and the saboteur, but is also found in great leaders and generals. This gene is prized for Genomorphs because it augments their ability to mimic another’s form by allowing them to independently alter their appearance.

The Resolute - This trait gives the warrior the resolve to do what must be done - regardless of personal cost. This is the mark of the true hero, who will give the last full measure of themselves for others, and never seek fame or recognition. However it can also be found in the worst tyrants, who will stop at nothing to accomplish their own selfish ends. This trait allows a Genomorph to continue to function even when badly hurt, and to control the way her body responds to pain.

The Mother - Most prized of all, this most feminine trait is rare in males and yet seems to be disproportionably represented in warriors. At first, this may seem odd until one considers the nature of this trait. It is the gene of the nurturer, the lover, the caregiver and bringer of life; yet it is also the gene of the protector. One has only to consider a mother in the wild, protecting her young from a fierce predator to understand. To the warrior, all are their children and they will fight to the bitter end to protect them. With the transformation, this gene is fully enabled in the Genomorph, and as she grows will express itself in a strong maternal drive. This will provide the added benefit of producing future generations of warriors from the Genomorphs who will bear them. The Mother gene also serves to make the transformation less traumatic for the warrior, allowing a part of their nature which was never fully expressed to be freed.

Above all it must be stressed that the transformation is voluntary, and a warrior must be fully informed of every aspect before agreeing to be transformed. To take one of these proud individuals and subject them to this against their will could lead to unforeseen consequences. The mental reprogramming required necessitates a willing subject who is prepared and will not resist the changes. This is especially true of those warriors possessing the Just genetic trait, as they are inherently resistant to such reprogramming and the power required to overcome this resistance could damage the programming and result in unintended difficulties.

Susan smiled, finding it ironic. Deep within the greatest of warriors was a little piece of feminine instinct, which shaped their potential for destruction into a desire to preserve and protect.

It also explained more about her attraction to men. It was quite likely that the Mother gene, now fully expressed in Brandi, was in large part responsible for her desire to be with a man. It was more than sex; it was a mating drive.

The last paragraph was both enlightening and disturbing; Brandon possessed all of the warrior genes and had undoubtedly resisted the mental reprogramming instinctively. It could explain why Brandi was struggling with her sexual desire; if the programming had been corrupted it was possible she was faced with less control of the urges she faced.

It also raised another question; if the Forerunners were so determined that a subject volunteer to be transformed, why had the program been designed to trigger automatically? It was contrary to their stated purpose, and to everything she knew about these people. There was only one logical explanation; the trigger was not placed in the programming by the Forerunners. They already knew that the programming had been altered in an attempt to make Brandi compliant and controllable, and that Brandon had been targeted for transformation years ago, so it stood to reason that the program had been intentionally altered to make it look like an accident.

Susan opened up her email program and began typing a note to Brandi. There were many answers in the data, and little of it would be comforting, but Brandi had a right and a need to know it all. She already knew from Brandi’s latest email that the thought of bearing children frightened her, and in fact she was already beginning to deduce that a maternal instinct had been programmed into her. Susan wondered how she would take it when she found out that instinct had always been there, buried in Brandon’s male genetic structure.