Chapter 5

After my little nap I jumped back into the air and headed toward Kansas City. Late in the afternoon I spotted the city and veered off to my right, towards Raytown. Though it was already getting a bit dark, I had no problem spotting Longview Lake and I-50 behind it. I decided to get a bit more altitude to spot my next point and soon saw the distinctive the shape of some farm storage piles, like a pair of white clover leaves near my parent's home. Right after that I spotted the airfield as well and made my way to the house.

I didn't go in just like that though. Landing in the top of a nearby tree, I watched the house. I couldn't see anybody around, but it didn't mean that there wasn't anyone there. The secret service mostly watched the place, and if not then there should still be someone around, probably Barry Evans an old family friend and former secret service, or Sandy Schofield, my old nanny.

I watched the house patiently until it got really dark outside. The lights stayed off, except for the automatic ones that meant that probably nobody was home. Still, I didn't want to take any chances, so gliding down the wall to where I knew the telephone cable would be, I cut the line and quickly took to the air again. This time I circled above the house looking out for signs if someone was in the house. Still, everything was quiet, so I guessed that nobody was home.

I made a soft landing on the balcony of my own room and found the key I'd hidden there. Because I'd coated it in grease and oil it was still free of rust. I let myself in my room and quickly went over to the security system panel. Quickly, I typed my code and the system shut off normally. 'Good, my codes still work. Now a shower is in order. I feel dirty and icky all over.'

I took off what little I was wearing, the makeshift panty and oversized cut off T-shirt being in pretty bad shape. I looked at the discarded clothes. I didn't like them, but they were all I had. I didn't think any of my old clothes would fit me.

As I walked towards the shower, I saw myself in the mirror. I stopped for a moment. I was dirty and my hair was a mess. Still I was quite a looker. If I had seen myself when I was still a boy, I would have hit on me in a heartbeat. Staring at my reflection, I was torn between admiration and sadness. 'I am a girl now. That's a fact I can't deny any more.' I hadn't given any thought yet to what I would do after I faced my parents, but now that I was about to do just that, I found myself thinking about it.

Shaking myself out of my reverie, I went to the big shower in the main bathroom. Dad had it specially built to let several people shower at once. I took my time and really scrubbed myself clean. Not only did I want to get rid of the dirt and gore from the fight, but also the semen and sweat from the love making with Bear was still icky-sticky. 'Darn, now even I call it love making.' I shook it out of my head and scrubbed myself some more.

Finally I thought that I was clean enough and as I dried off, my eye fell on an old hairbrush Mom kept here. I picked it up and straightened out my hair, brushing it while using the hairdryer I also found. As I was busy with that I looked into the bathroom mirror and suddenly I realized, 'I'm acting just like a regular girl. Well, as regular as any girl with wings that is.'

After grooming myself I wanted to wear something comfortable and since I didn't have anything to wear in my wardrobe, I went into my parent's bedroom. Going through Mom's clothes I found some new unused underwear and a nice neosilk dress. It was even backless, which meant it was perfect for me. I even found some bras that fit me well. I had never dreamed I would wear such a garment, much less be happy with the support it gave my breasts. I had been getting used to the swinging motions that my breasts had made, but now it was better, as they were a bit restricted and not so much in the way anymore.

After getting dressed I cleaned up and went down to the living room. I poured myself some whiskey from my Dad's stock and relaxed on a nice recliner. It felt really good to be back home again. I was winding down quite nicely now. I even dozed off a bit. I had kept the lights out in the living room, which was only illuminated by the automatic outside lights. Suddenly the door opened and a man with a drawn gun charged in. He couldn't really see me in the dark corner where I was, and though every fiber of my body wanted to react and fire a feather at him, I used all my willpower to keep still. Then I recognized him. It was Barry Evans. He used to be secret service but'd had to leave on mandatory retirement. Mom offered him a job doing the same for her exclusively.

As he searched for intruders and followed a standard search pattern I silently pulled one of my feathers and when he was looking the other way, threw it right past his head into the wooden wall. He froze and put his arms up a little. I still kept sitting down in the chair making no move and softly said, "Please put your gun down, Barry."

He turned a little in my direction, "Who are you and what are you doing here, Miss?"

'Darn it, I didn't even think about it anymore. My voice is girlish and he doesn't know me!' "Please put your gun away and sit down with me. You can turn on the lights if you want. If I'd wanted to hurt or kill you, I already would have."

Barry slowly put his gun back into his holster and after flipping the light switch, made his way over to me. Still suspicious and wary of me he sat down on a tip of a chair, ready to grab his gun or jump out of the way. He examined me and gave some indication of surprise as he noticed my folded wings. "Who are you, that you seem at ease here and broke in here without setting off the alarm?"

I sighed, he obviously hadn't heard of the new me. "Barry, it's me, Orrin. Or it used to be. Now I have started calling myself Oriana. I know that the government refers to me as Raven."

Barry gasped at hearing my name, and then he looked more closely at my face. "I can see a little of your old self in there. And you look lovely Orri ... Oriana."

I felt my cheeks redden as I blushed, though with my dark complexion it hopefully wasn't too visible. "Thanks, though lots of people disagree. I know that I'm quite a looker, but I've been attacked several times already. Fortunately I'm quite a fast healer."

"So what are you doing here, Oriana?" Barry asked with confusion. "Why aren't you with your parents? Do they even know where you are? All I heard is that you died. Now you're sitting here as a new and different person."

My features hardened and coldly I said, "I was kidnapped from the White House when I was down with MORFS. Somehow I was taken to Antarctica and was tortured and treated like a lab rat. They even wanted to kill me. Now I'm on my way home to find out who is responsible, and why."

I took a swig from my glass, almost emptying it. Barry stood up, "Want a refill of that? You're drinking your father's bourbon, right?"

I looked at my glass and then held it out to him. "Yes, thanks."

Quietly he refilled my glass and took one for himself. "So have you tried to contact your Mom?"

I looked down, "I sent her a message from an Embassy in Argentina. But the people that held me captive said that Mom had signed my death warrant."

Barry looked at me with incredibility, "I can't believe that, and neither should you. Your Mom isn't like that. Your Dad, well I don't know, he might. If you want, I can call your Mom right now."

My emotions flared, "No, I'm on my way to DC anyway, so I'll talk to her myself. Besides, I already cut the phone lines. Now give me your eCom. I don't want you to warn them."

Barry was apprehensive and hesitated to give it to me. I lost my patience and said menacingly, "You should know that my feathers are highly poisonous. So give it to me now!"

If his looks could kill, I would've been a goner. He scowled at me, but threw me his eCom. I put it into a small purse that I'd borrowed from Mom's bedroom. "And your radio as well, Barry. I know you, remember?"

He growled an insult at me, but threw me his radio. It went with the eCom. "Look Barry, I'm really sorry, but I don't want them waiting for me, ready to blow me out of the sky."

Barry snorted, "What makes you think they haven't already put every agency and military on high alert and are ready for you?"

My face fell, "I know, but if they are waiting for me with all guns out, then I know that they had something to do with it. I mean, my change wasn't natural. I overheard someone saying that they shouldn't have tried the drug they used. So someone did something to me that made me like this."

I swirled the drink in my hand, "Let's just enjoy the drink okay? Oh, and I won't get drunk, part of my constitution is that I'm immune to any and all toxins."

Barry looked at me and then relaxed a bit visibly. "Okay Oriana, let's enjoy the drink. How about the night? Are you going to tie me up or tie me down to the bed?"

"Do I have to? Listen Barry, I don't want to hurt anyone. I've already killed people with my toxins. I feel really bad about it, okay?" I looked at him with a glint of a tear in my eye. I quickly wiped it away and hoped he didn't see it.

Barry cleared his throat, "Okay, I get it, so people haven't been nice to you along the way here."

I nodded, "Well there were a few nice ones, but also some very bad ones."

"Who in his right mind would want to fuck with you? I mean, you're deadly with those feathers."

I looked at him with wide open eyes. 'How did he know that?' "Well there was this Bio-elemental med student."

Barry interrupted, "What did he do to you?"

Outraged, I snarled, "He fucked me!"

Barry blushed, "Oh you mean, he ... oh, sorry I asked."

I felt my emotion boiling again remembering what Bear did. "He seduced me and took my cherry. I was a virgin, dammit."

Barry defensively said, "Sorry, what do you want to do about it? Did you already do something to him?"

I sagged back into the chair, "Just as I was arguing about it with him, we were attacked by some stupid militia. The last I saw of him, he'd just been blown through the air by an explosion. I wanted to go looking for him, but they had reinforcements coming."

Barry said apologizing, "Sorry, did you like him?"

I searched my feelings. Part of me really liked Bear and his care for me, part of me hated him, for treating me like he did. "I don't know. I did like some things, but why did he have to fuck me? I mean, I..."

I let the words trail off as I started to think back at Bear. 'He wasn't so bad after all. I would have liked to spend some more time with him. Maybe ... or maybe no., I still resent him taking advantage of me. Dammit Bear, why did you have to die!'

Barry poured me another glass, "Tell me from the beginning, please. You said you were in Antarctica?"

I sipped from my drink, "Yeah, I broke out of my cage and that's when they all fled through a portal after activating the self destruct."

"Oh, tell me more, please."

I told him all about the adventures I'd had during the past weeks. Barry didn't say much, just asked a few questions sometimes. I think my tale got to him, as he smiled sometimes and really seemed to care about my hardships. At the end he said, "Well you've certainly had your fill of adventures. I had no idea."

I relaxed, "Well I hope to end it tomorrow. But I don't want an army waiting."

Barry softly said, "I can understand that. I shouldn't have pushed, wanting to call your Mom"

I smiled at him, "That's okay, I know you mean well. So can I count on you not to try to contact Mom or Dad?"

Barry smiled back, "Sure, I promise. Can I have my eCom and radio back now?"

I laughed, "Nice try, but not yet. Maybe later."

I yawned and Barry commented, "Maybe we both should get some shuteye. It looks like you need some."

I agreed and I went to my old room, feeling weird. Here I was a girl with wings, going into a boy's room, about to brush my teeth and take off a dress to go to sleep. I heard Barry say, "Good night, Oriana."

"Good night, Barry."

I must have been tired, because just after feeling my head hitting the pillow, I woke up to birds singing, sleeping on my stomach with my wings hanging protectively over me. I scrambled up and saw that it was already late in the morning. I hurriedly put on the dress again and saw my reflection in a mirror. 'Darn, is that my hair? It looks awful!' I quickly scooted into my parent's bedroom and brushed my hair out again. As I did I smelled something good. 'Waffles and fried eggs?'

I left my purse in there and hurried downstairs, finding, as I expected, Barry being busy in the kitchen. He'd already baked a plate full of waffles and some fried eggs. "Good morning, Oriana, would you like some breakfast?"

"I'd love some. My constitution requires me to eat a lot. It smells good. Say, when did you learn how to cook?"

Barry grinned, "Well I did pick up some things being alone here with Sandy. And here she is, speak of the devil."

I heard a gun being cocked behind me, "And who might you be Miss?"

I didn't move, but Barry answered for me. "This is Oriana, which is the name she is using now. Before she got MORFS she used to be Orrin."

I turned to Sandy, who was lowering the gun and looking intently at me. "Orrin? But you were reported dead! How ... You do look a bit like him, but..."

I interrupted, "Yes Sandy it is me. Can I ask you not to contact my parents, please? They are involved in this somehow. I want to find out first how and why."

Sandy looked at Barry, He nodded, "Please humor her. Give her your eCom so she'll be at ease."

"Okay Orrin ... I mean Oriana. Gee I need time to get used to that." Sandy smiled saying it while taking out her eCom. "Say isn't that one of your mother's dresses?"

I smiled, "Yes it is. My clothes suddenly don't fit me anymore. So I had to improvise."

"Well it looks good on you, Here's my eCom."

She handed the eCom to me and I thanked her before putting it down next to me on the table. I got back to the breakfast and quickly devoured several eggs and waffles. I think I ate a little too much, so I went to the living room with my former nanny and Barry. There, I gave Sandy the short version of my story. She was really upset hearing what had happened. I assured her that I was fine and was going to confront my parents with the new me.

We talked a little more on current affairs and how they had been, till I realized that an hour had passed already. I got up, "Well this is it. I have to be going."

Sandy was about to give me hug, but I warned her, "Better not do that. I'm extremely poisonous, remember?"

She pouted a bit, I think she really wanted to hug me. But my wings would make it too dangerous. Actually I wanted to be hugged. 'Where is that coming from? I never felt like being hugged before.'

I went out with the both of them before jumping up into air. Barry and Sandy were outside and said goodbye and good luck to me. I yelled back, "Thanks, hope to see you later."

Below Earth Orbit and Geosynchronous Orbit:

The night before, when Sanura alerted her forces, one of the ASA telekineticists positioned a special ASA observation device about 100 miles over Washington DC. Others relieved her from time to time to keep it there without moving. It was looking for many things, but in particular, any flying objects entering the area larger than a pigeon. This was a backup for Trance, who was remote viewing the area as well.

At the same time, a relatively old satellite owned by the DOD was repositioned over the equator, almost 25,000 miles away, and set to watch the same area, but due to the greater distance of its synchronous position, didn't have nearly as good a view.

Then another satellite, this time one put into orbit by the NSA joined the DOD satellite ... It was getting crowded up there. When yet another satellite joined them, the operators controlling the DOD satellite became a bit worried, even thinking of pulling theirs out,. The latest arrival didn't have any markings and was hard to identify. It could be a MI6, Chinese, or any other nation's satellite.

The ASA wasn't worried. Being so much lower and closer, their far less expensive unit had better resolution, and their telekineticists could reposition it if they found anything of special interest, or anything such as a building blocking their view.

Washington DC, near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue aka the White House:

A portal opened in an alley and almost twenty people stepped out, all wearing black suits and helmets. The only difference was a different color, and a sign in that color on their helmets. Their dark raincoats also served to mask their appearance somewhat. They quickly fanned out and took up positions around the edge of the White House Lawn. Several of them were looking at their eComs, which were showing a satellite picture of the DC area.

When Blitz sighed, Molten, standing close to him, knew why! It would be a long wait, as both knew from experience. Blitz installed himself on a crate and took something from the small bag he carried. He offered a wrapped snack to Molten. "Snack? Try this one. I want to know what you think of it." Molten took the small bread roll and took a bite, then he raised his eyebrows in appreciation. He gave Blitz one of his rare quiet smiles and nodded his head in thanks before he leaned back against the alley wall, contentedly munching on it.

I flew due east, fast and a little higher than tree top level. I knew my topography quite well and weaved my way around the larger populated areas, especially the big cities like St Louis and Cincinnati. I only stopped a few times underway to get some food and water at a small diner.

Washington DC, near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue aka the White House:

"Heads up, people!" came from the eComs the elementals carried. "The satellite just picked her up as she was passing Woodstock. And she's hauling ass, we estimate her speed close to that of a jetliner. ETA within a few minutes."

Sanura's voice acknowledged, "Copy that base, keep us informed. Void out."

Washington DC, near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue aka the White House:

Three very noticeable persons had taken up positions in a now abandoned building between East Street and New York Avenue. They would have preferred to be closer to the White House lawn, but Jet didn't want to take a chance that some security device might penetrate the illusion she was creating. So though hardly in a good position, they had decided to wait there for what was to come. Wolf, however, noticed that they weren't alone in the building. He smelled some other people nearby, and he didn't like their smell.

When he told Jet & Quartz about them, Quartz said, "Though it's not legal to be in here, they're not illegal in looking for a place to stay. So don't bother them or with them."

"Yeah, yeah," Wolf growled, but leaned against a wall to wait for things to come. He was already frustrated from the delays at Dulles Airport and the drive to this location.

Washington DC, inside the White House Chief of Staff:

General Hastings quickly answered when his eCom buzzed, "Yes?"

A holographic image said, "Our satellite just picked up something flying low and fast. We're zooming in now. Yes, it is confirmed. It is Raven, she's flying really fast, straight towards Washington DC. Expected time to arrive is about 20 minutes."

Ellis sighed. He hoped that they were prepared enough for her. General Hastings cut the connection and opened another. He quickly spoke, "Alert all the men to get ready. Within 20 minutes, the target will be here."

Washington DC, inside the White House Oval Office:

When General Watts answered his eCom, a calm looking woman appeared in the holographic image. "The satellite picked up a low flying object with a high speed. We can't zoom in enough to see clearly, but we definitely think it is Raven. She's only 20 minutes away from the White House."

General Watts looked at Iris, "Mrs. President?"

Iris sighed, "Give the order to get ready. They need to be prepared for everything, but if possible I don't want her hurt."

The general spoke in his eCom, "Start warming up the silent Guardian, and ready the troops. Raven is expected in about 15-20 minutes."

Washington DC, inside the White House elsewhere:

The young woman leading the tour told the tourists, "And with this room, we are almost at the end of the tour. We will be leaving shortly. Please observe any directions from the security people and stay with the group."

The rebellious teenager with pink dyed hair whined, "Mom can we get a burger soon? I'm hungry"

Amanda Wilson who wore an illusion as a disguise sighed. 'What did I do to have such a rebellious daughter? Why does she take so much after her father? Like him, she so feisty and arrogant.' "Sure Dorothy, we'll get a burger later. Now pay attention and don't try to wander off like you almost did before."

The teenager snorted, while making a face, "My name is Ro! Please remember that, Mom."

Amanda sighed again. At least the tour was almost over. Why didn't her youngest daughter have more appreciation for something interesting like the White House? Yet her own attention wandered. She found herself looking at the other people in the group. Something wasn't right about one of the women. She was a single woman, very polite, didn't smell bad, and looked plain, but good enough. Still, something was off, Amanda just couldn't put her finger on what that something was.

It was already nearing the evening when I finally recognized Washington Dulles Airport. I had to veer a little to the south to get around it. The populated areas started to grow very dense and I increased my flight level a bit, trying not to be seen from the ground. But I didn't realize I was also being watched from above by three satellites 25,000 miles away, and a tiny device hanging directly above the DC area. I wanted to increase my speed as I neared my destination, but I was getting tired. It would be better if I rested for a moment, but my burning need for answers, and maybe, revenge, pushed me onwards to the White House.

As I flew between Theodore Roosevelt Island and Arlington Cemetery, I slowed down a lot, out of respect for my ancestors buried there. It still took only seconds to reach the Lincoln Memorial though. As I flew along the reflecting pool I slowed even more. It made me think, and reflect about why I was here. 'All the memorials here for all those deaths, and I can kill even more before they kill me. Maybe I should just turn back and have Barry call Mom. But I'm here already now! Oh hell, why did I have to get MORFS?'

But as I thought that I flew on. Above the National World War II memorial I slowly turned to my left and flew across the ellipse, bearing down on my parents who were already waiting outside the house, on the lawn, as were a lot of other people, most of them military. Some of them were handling machines of some kind.

Private John Clinton could still hear the order he'd been given. "When you get a clean shot at the freak, take her out with extreme prejudice. She has already killed a fellow soldier." When he saw the flying girl approach, he didn't even notice that she was good looking. At the tone that an IR signature was recognized and a firing solution was calculated, he pressed the button, firing the Javelin IR guided RPG towards Raven.

As I neared the fountain in the lawn, I saw a flash from the corner of my eye and realized that some kind of rocket had been fired at me! I quickly changed direction, going straight up, beating my wings furiously to get altitude. I cursed in myself, 'Damn I went too slow, now I can't get high enough fast enough.'

Looking down I saw that the rocket was following me up at high speed. I worked harder at getting enough altitude, and I was still ahead of the thing. But as it was nearing me I knew I couldn't outrun it, so I changed strategy and changed direction from straight up to straight down. I hoped I could go past the rocket fast enough that it would miss me. Well it mostly worked. The sudden change in direction made it miss me. But as I whizzed past the thing, it exploded.

Meanwhile President Iris Pratt yelled, "Who fired that shot? Nobody shoots till I give the order. General, have the man that fired that rocket caught and charged with attempted murder."

Already some personnel were running towards Private Clinton. He hesitated between fleeing and defending himself. His indecisiveness made the decision for him and he was soon handcuffed and taken away.

Blitz saw the rocket being fired at the flying girl and started to power up. A police officer saw the flickering of the lightning that started to dance between his fingers and came running, "Hey you! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Molten intervened and pulled out his Federal ID. "Official business, we're a backup for the president's protection."

The policeman looked at the ID and badge, and grudgingly said, "Oh well okay then. But I do have to verify this with my superiors."

Molten smirked, "You do that." Keeping an eye out for what was happening in the sky, he pulled out a mean looking gun.

As the tour group was being guided quickly out of the building, Amanda saw a flying girl going straight up in the sky with a rocket chasing her. The security personnel tried to usher them quickly passed the soldiers away from the scene. Ro was stubborn, wanting to see the battle starting out on the lawn.

When Amanda hissed, "Little D, come here. We need to get out of here," Ro just stuck her tongue out and stepped even further away from the group.

That was when Amanda noticed that the strange woman also wasn't following the others. She was running towards the lawn as fast as she could, while the security people were too busy noticing that.

Amanda looked around, saw nobody looking at her, and became invisible before she started following the strange woman. 'Just what is bugging me about her?'

I screamed out in pain as the shrapnel tore through my flesh and wings. Several feathers were knocked lose and eddied downwards. I plummeted down, but managed to spread my wings enough to slow down my descent till I could glide towards Mom.

As I came close to Mom, I circled around her and looked for a place to land. A general near Mom shouted at me, "That's close enough, please keep your distance."

When I glided even closer, the general signaled to a woman behind a machine. The next thing I knew was screaming in agony as every nerve on my skin felt like on fire. I stopped dead in the sky and crashed hard onto the ground.

I had crash-landed quite close to people and the machine that was sending the waves was shut down. Probably so the others wouldn't be hurt. I felt like shit, but I tried with all my might to get back on my feet. As I did, my Dad yelled, "She's about to attack the President, fire at will."

Dumbfounded. I heard it and then I heard guns being cocked. I looked around and saw regular guns as well as non-lethal weapons pointed at me. Mom furiously yelled, "Belay that order! Ellis. You prick! You're going to pay for that!"

She motioned to someone and some soldiers went over and stood very close to Dad. I looked at Mom with appreciation and scrambled back to my feet. Before I could say something, I saw some movement from the corner of my eye and heard someone yell, "Watch out, she's not human!"

Amanda Wilson quietly and nearly invisibly followed the strange woman who was stealthily making her way toward the President. Then suddenly, as the winged girl fell from the sky and landed hard on the ground, the woman stopped, and raised her hand in a weird manner. As almost every gun was pointed at the black winged girl Amanda felt a lot of angry, anxious and nervous emotions around her. Then it hit her. The strange woman didn't show emotions. In fact she didn't read any emotion from her, and as an empath she should have. Realizing that the woman wasn't a woman, she wasn't even human, she yelled, "Watch out, she's not human!"

Whipping my head around toward the sound I saw a vague reptilian hybrid pointing at a woman about 15 feet away from her. As the woman pointed at Mom, her wrist kind of fell downwards as if hinged or something. I screamed, "Mom! Watch out!" Turning around I stepped in to block the way between that woman, or whatever it was and Mom.

Several things happened all at once. Suddenly a fire started to burn around the strange woman, who didn't seem to notice. Then something metal shot from her open wrist. She was aiming straight for the president, but instead, hit Raven as she stepped into the path of the projectiles.

I heard only a soft hissing sound, and simultaneously felt several things slam into my back, almost every one of them punching through deeply despite my reinforced skin. I had read about a gun like that, it was called an HEFW7 (High Energy Flechette Weapon), and the arm probably contained the gauss driver, or the coil of the shooting mechanism. As I screamed out in pain again, I wanted nothing more than to drop down on the ground. But then Mom would be unprotected. So I stayed up, standing still. Then I heard a loud crackling noise like lightning.