Genomorph

Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

The next week and a half went by with little excitement; the fall quarter at UCLA was half over and Melissa and Karen were usually occupied with their graduate work. Brandi happily played the role of housekeeper and cook, and was almost able to suppress the worry that she would be located by the organization. She relished in the sense of normalcy the domestic chores provided.

She continued with her physical training as well, working out with Dylan three times a week and jogging almost everyday. She had stopped taking the Yoga classes because she had gotten all from them that she could; the class was really more about fitness than meditation. But the techniques she had been introduced to had allowed her to explore further on her own and she was becoming more comfortable with what she had become.

As Brandi walked into the living room after a Monday afternoon run, she saw that Melissa and Karen were waiting for her. Even without her enhanced senses, Melissa’s eyes, red and puffy from crying, were enough to tell her that something was going on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. She knew Karen had been uneasy since their barbecue feast almost two weeks earlier, but had not pressed her about it.

“Sit down sweetie,” Karen said gently, patting the couch next to her. “I have to tell you something.”

Fearfully Brandi took a seat next to her friend and waited for what she was sure was some kind of horrible news. As she waited for Karen to speak, her anxiety was only heightened by the signals she was getting from both of her friends.

“You know that I love you, both of you, so very much,” Karen said. “We’ve only known each other a couple of months and I just can’t imagine life without you Brandi.”

“Please, Karen, just tell me what’s wrong!” Brandi pleaded.

“I’m leaving honey,” Karen said, her own eyes glistening. Brandi’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Karen … why?” she asked, feeling the tears as they began spilling from her eyes. She could not help but think that she had done something, though she could not imagine what.

“You know I showed my thesis to my advisor a couple of weeks ago, Brandi,” Karen said and Brandi nodded. “He showed it to a friend of his and, well I’ve been offered a job with the Department of State in Washington.”

Brandi’s face lit up through her tears and she threw her arms around Karen.

“That’s fantastic, Karen,” she told her. “I’m so happy for you … I just can’t stop crying yet!”

“I know sweetie,” Karen said, holding Brandi tightly. “God I am going to miss you guys so much.”

“When do you have to leave?” Brandi sniffed.

“Thursday,” Karen said.

“No, Karen … why so soon …”

“I’ll be back the day before Thanksgiving,” Karen told her. “There are a lot of things that have to be done though and they want me to start in December, the Monday after commencement. I wish it didn’t have to be this way…I never thought anything like this would happen, not this soon.”

“Do you know what you’ll be doing?” Brandi asked.

“Some,” Karen said. “It’s actually very highly classified, and I won’t be given the full details until I pass all the security checks, but you’ve already shared your secret with me, and I have no worries about sharing mine with you.

“The group I’ll be working with is new; it’s called CTAG for Combined Threat Assessment Group. It will include people from the military, state department and intelligence communities, and we will be assessing potential hot spots around the world in the hopes of identifying threats before they get out of hand.”

“It sounds really great. I really am happy for you, Karen,” Brandi said, still crying. “I just don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

Karen held Brandi’s face in her hands and told her, “You will do just fine, I know you will. You don’t need me; you’re a beautiful, capable young woman and you will be all right.”

“But I’ll miss you so much,” Brandi said, and the tears started again. It was at moments like this when it was so obvious that despite having the memories of a forty year old man and the body of a mature young woman, Brandi was emotionally a teenage girl. Her mind told her that this was a good thing, a wonderful opportunity for her friend and something that had been inevitable. Her heart only knew that she was losing someone she had come to depend on and loved like an older sister.

It was some time before any of them could speak again. Brandi truly was happy for her friend but she could not get past the profound sense of loss she felt. Then she remembered that the Bimbos were scheduled to play their regular Tuesday spot and then again Friday and Saturday at The Backbeat, their first weekend as the main band.

“The band!” she cried.

Karen turned to Melissa and smiled, and then looked back to Brandi.

“We were just talking about that before you came in,” Melissa said. “Karen has a wild idea.”

“I was hoping you would take my place,” Karen said.

“Karen I … I can’t! I can’t be the lead singer for a band … it’s too dangerous!”

“Maybe if you were the lead singer,” Karen smiled. “But I was thinking more of you literally taking my place … as me. And I want you to do it tomorrow night.”

*****

“Andrew Stewart?”

Andy looked up from the table he was cleaning at the two men in dark suits. It was well after the dinner crowd had come and gone and the restaurant was nearly deserted.

“That’s me,” he said nervously. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Agent Reynolds,” the man said, flashing a badge. It identified him as an FBI agent and though technically fake it would stand up against any records check. “I’d like to ask you a few questions about the night of August nineteenth.”

Andy knew exactly what he was talking about. He had just gotten off for the night and was on his way home when he had happened upon an altercation in an alley. Several other people were there, watching in awe as a young blonde woman fought three men who had tried to attack another girl. He still could not get the image of that gorgeous blonde out of his mind. And the way she had taken down those three jerks in the alley had been amazing.

“I already told the police everything I saw,” he said. It was a lie, a white lie. He and the other witnesses had told the police what they had seen, but none of them could agree on exactly what either of the women involved looked like. The cops had not been too concerned, as all three of the men in the alley had outstanding warrants. He had also not mentioned that he knew the girl that was attacked.

“This is just a follow up,” Agent Reynolds said. “You’re not in any trouble and neither are the two girls involved. We’d just like you to take a look at this photo.”

Reynolds pulled something from his coat pocket, but instead of a photo it was a large, flat, purple gem. It flashed with light and Andy felt a little strange.

“Now, what did you forget to tell the police?” Reynolds asked.

“The girl was blonde with really big tits,” Andy said. “She was very beautiful.”

“Anything else?”

“The girl that was attacked is named Melissa. I don’t know her last name but she used to work at a bar a few blocks away.”

An hour later the agents had the name and address of Melissa Barlowe in Venice Beach.