Hero Support 1

by Stoham Baginbott

Chapter 1
I sat at my desk on the fourth floor, working on the new data report my boss needed by 6am in the morning. I
was so glad that I was used to working third shift, and liked coffee. The report wasn't super complex, but the data that
needed to be summarized didn't relate very easily for aggregating. I tried for an hour to get the data structures sorted in
my mind before starting the data query. It wasn't going to plan, so I decided that I needed to take a break and let my
subconscious work on the issue for a bit.
I got up, grabbed my coffee mug, and started on my "rounds" around the hospital floor. I had been working for
the hospital in their Information Technology--IT--department for almost four years, since I had gotten my degree. My
cubicle was on one of the case management floors, so the patient turn-over was much less than other floors.
First stop was the coffee machine, and with a full cup, I continued on. While taking a sip, I checked to see who
was awake and had their door open for visitors. The first open door belonged to Jessica Whilhelm. I knocked and was
welcomed in by her and her mom, Mary. Jessica had been at the hospital for the last week, as the doctors were trying to
determine what her issues were. When I glanced at her, I saw the same six small icons floating above her head that I
saw above everyone's head. The first five icons were stars, and the last was a question mark.
Seeing the icons was part of my super power or gift. The question mark icon allowed me to pull up all the
information I knew about a person. The star icons were filled based on how well I knew the person. Based on the stars,
I had a summary of my relationship with that person.
A blank first star meant I hadn't met them before. A filled first star meant I had met them and gotten to know
some basic information about them. The second star indicated a basic level of friendship, while the rest of the stars
meant a good friendship, best friend and family, respectively.
On a person's information page, there was a bar indicating my progress in developing a relationship with the
person. While my super power seemed mostly informational, I had been able to determine that as my relationship grew
or lasted with someone, I was able to help them in some way. People I knew accrued points every day that we
interacted. The higher the relational status with me, the larger the daily point accrual. They also received a bonus
amount of points, when they reached the next relational status with me. Those points were usable by me to help them,
and as I helped them, I got a small fraction of those points back, to accrue for me to use to improve myself.
I asked, "How are you doing?"
"I'm forcing myself to drink this vile stuff for my colonoscopy, DJ. How are things in the world of computers?"
"Pretty much the same. I've been working on reports and more data. Have they found out anything else?"
"Not really, hence the colonoscopy. They hope that the results might give them more ideas about what's going
on. Someone should definitely have a superpower to figure out what's wrong with people. I got a crappy light display
that helps when it's dark, but that's about it."
"Someone might have that, but I imagine one person couldn't be spread very far in helping diagnose problems.
It's not like we see healers in the hospital, but we know there are some with that gift somewhere in the world."
As I talked to Jessica and her mother, Jessica was able to get the rest of the liquid down. Mary seemed to be
handling the hospital stay okay, but I knew it must be stressful for her to be away from the rest of her family.
By the end of our conversation, both sets of their star icons were flashing, indicating that I could help them.
Needing to concentrate, I said goodbye and walked a little way down the hall. I pulled out my phone and acted like I
was focused on it, but I really focused on bringing up Jessica's page in my mind. She had gained enough points that I
could help her. Normally on someone's page there were general help options for different aspects of a person's life. On
occasion there would be more specific options to help that were almost always much more expensive in point cost. I
was glad to see that Jessica had the option for Heal Irritable Bowel Syndrome that hadn't been there before, and she had
enough points for me to choose it.
I mentally selected it on her page and pressed the Apply button. Her unallocated point total dropped, and her
star icons stopped flashing. Next, I focused on Mary and looked at her page. The only options that came up were
general help options. Based on the points she had, I chose the general options for increasing her intelligence and
administrative, organizational skill. I hoped that she'd be able to understand the doctors and keep her family
responsibilities sorted. After I had applied the change to her page, I continued my rounds, while drinking my coffee. I
checked my point total and found that I had accrued another five hundred points by helping them.
On my way back to my desk, I refilled my coffee mug and tried to refocus on the data structures. I figured out
that I'd need to add a couple of views in the database, to summarize the data before combining it into a temp table,
which would be rejoined with the base tables to provide the detailed information. The good news was it only took
another hour to write out and test the code. The bad news was that it took an hour and a half to write the email
explaining the report and the nuances of how the data was combined. I hoped my boss James would understand and be
able to explain it himself, after reading my email. I also sent all the data used in making the report in an excel
spreadsheet with each of the data tables as its own worksheet, so James could dive into the details without my help.
James liked coming up with his own charts and graphs, depending on what he wanted the data to say.
I glanced at the clock and was amazed that three and a half hours had gone by, and I was nearing the end of my
shift. I checked my email and the Help Desk queues for any trouble tickets that might have come in and gotten assigned
to me. There wasn't anything pressing, so I decided to make another round on the floor. Coffee mug refilled, I noticed
the sun was coming up. Even at the end of my shift, when I was tired and ready to go home, I still enjoyed watching the
morning sky brighten and the sun come up. It always lifted my spirit, helping me be a little more optimistic and
cheerful talking to the folks on the hospital floor.
One of the patients, Joe Markus, was up and walking around the floor to get some exercise. I made a lap around
the whole floor with him while we chatted. I didn't find out anything new about Joe, but my time with Joe did increase
his friendship bar a bit. I finished up the lap at the nurses station and checked in with them. Tammy was having
difficulty printing, so rather than putting in a request to the IT Help Desk for someone else to resolve, I spent the rest of
my time trying to sort it out. It turned out the printer was locked to an account code that Tammy hadn't been assigned
to. Unfortunately, I didn't have the approval to unlock the printer or add the account code to Tammy's profile. I sent her
an email copying the Help Desk, so that a trouble ticket would be created to get the problem solved. After verifying that
they would work, I told her where the printers were on the floors above and below, so she could print there until the
issue was sorted.
While I was leaving, one of the doctors stopped me, to ask about a new medical device that she wanted to try to
use. I logged into her workstation and made sure she was an administrator on the workstation, so she'd be able to load
the device drivers. While we were talking the doctor's star indicators started flashing, so I said goodbye and pulled up
her page. Once again my only choices where general ones, so I chose the options to increase her skills in
communication and compassion. With the changes applied, I accrued two hundred and fifty points for my own use. All
in all, it had been a fairly productive night.
By the time I got to my apartment, James had sent me a thumbs up on my last message about the report. Seeing
no other notifications, I went ahead and got ready for bed. My bedroom had two layers of curtains similar to most
hotels, so I could keep my room dark during the day. I laid down on my bed and tried to relax by mentally going
through my friends, pushing some good vibes to them. Somewhere in the process of doing that I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up about 2pm and checked my phone for any new notifications. I had been mentioned in a couple of
trouble tickets, but they would wait until I got back at work. I crawled out of bed, started the coffee and caught up on
the news via my laptop. I had a large TV, but it didn't get used much. I was much more likely to do my reading on my
phone or laptop rather than watching the news on TV.
The main story was about a villain with hypnotic powers getting caught while trying to rob a fast food store. It
turned out that the person behind them in line was able to subdue them, when they noticed the employee handing the
villain all the money in their register. A large portion of the population having super powers hadn't brought about the
end of civilization like the first nay-sayers had predicted. The percentage of the population that had powers had been
steadily increasing since some event about two decades ago. At this point, it was assumed that everyone had a power,
even if they didn't know what it was. Most "super" powers weren't that super, more like enhanced senses or slightly
better than normal abilities. So having a super power didn't really impact a person's life, except for the few powerful
ones. The government readily recruited people with cool powers that could be used to help combat villains or keep the
peace. I thought a similar program had probably been put into play on the criminal side of things because of how
normal things were.
There were plenty of acts of crime or violence, but they were addressed in a timely manner. People weren't
really worried about their safety as they went about their business. Much of the city was under constant video
surveillance, which included the roads and up to the exterior of any buildings. So far there was no Superman, like in the
comics, who was invulnerable and had a host of super powers. I hadn't heard of anyone that was truly invulnerable,
which meant that with enough guns, anyone could still die.
I finished up my coffee, and that's when I realized that I had enough points to get a power or upgrade my
current one. I got comfortable on my couch and spent a couple of hours looking over the options I could get with my
points. Growing up reading comics helped me understand and sort through the powers. As much as I wanted a cool
power, I decided to upgrade my current one. The option listed was Precision or Target Decided Improvement. I didn't
feel any different after I selected and applied it for myself.
I got ready for my daily run, stretched and headed out for the park down the street. I jogged a couple of laps
around the park, making a circuit of the exercise stations around the park. While I jogged, I focused on going through
my friend list and reviewing their information. By the time I finished, I was sweaty, exhausted and ready to go home.
When I got back to my place, I grabbed another mug of coffee and headed for the shower. The hot water was
just what I needed, I relaxed and enjoyed it, until it started getting cool. After getting dressed, I finished drinking my
coffee and decided to go to the grocery store around the corner for some laundry detergent and popcorn. I wandered the
store for a bit, to see if I saw anything I needed to pick up that I hadn't thought of. I picked up some fresh vegetables,
cheese and some eggs as I made my way through the store getting the detergent and popcorn. I didn't see anyone I
knew until I got into the checkout lane. Joyce was ringing up the items of the person in front of me and gave me a nod
as she talked to the man. After she finished with him and gave him his receipt, she started on my stuff.
"Hi, DJ! How are you doing today?"
"Doing well, how about yourself?"
"Pretty much the same," she replied.
I pulled up her information, so I could remember her son's name.
"How's Jeremy doing making the transition to college?"
"Well, other than not responding to my texts very often, it sounds like he's doing well. There's been a lot of
reading for his first year core classes, but he likes his instructors. I'm hopeful that means he'll be able to get good
grades. We'll see though, looks like you saved $2.50 with your card today. Hope you have a good rest of your day!"
"You too," I said as I picked up my bagged items and headed back home. Since I saw her at least once a week,
her icons showed that she was more than an acquaintance but not yet a friend. Since we didn't share much time or have
deeper conversations, her bar didn't really move much toward the next level.
I got home, put away my groceries, and threw a load of clothes in the washer. I put away a load that was done in
the dryer and straightened up my bedroom. As I rinsed out my coffee mug, I noticed that I needed to spend a few
minutes cleaning the kitchen before I left for the hospital.

Chapter 2
When I got to the hospital, I chatted with the folks I knew as I made my way to my cubicle. I dropped my stuff
off at my desk and checked my email. I made some comments on a couple of trouble tickets and went to the nurses’
station to see how things were going.
"Hey Nancy, how are things on the floor this evening?"
"Pretty quiet so far tonight," she replied.
"Any new passengers on our luxurious cruise ship?"
"No, but it looks like the folks in 406 were released today."
"Well, I'm glad Jessica was released, but that's a bummer that I didn't get to see them before they left."
Nancy smiled as she said, "Sounds like Jessica might have caught someone's eye."
I blushed slightly as I responded, "No, nothing like that. I mean she was pretty, but I know she was really
worried about not knowing what the problem was. I was just trying to encourage her."
Nancy smiled even wider as she said, "Yep, I'm sure that's the story."
I pulled up her info page real quick to help me switch topics.
"So how was your date last Sunday? Weren't you going to see a movie?"
"I know what you're doing, but it went fine. The movie was alright, but we didn't get to talk much. I didn't want
to seem like I was grilling him. I get to plan the next one, so I'm thinking of doing something more interactive like
bowling or putt-putt golf. That way we'd be able to talk more, but wouldn't have to carry a conversation the whole time.
What do you think?"
"Sounds like a good plan. Another possibility might be ping pong or billiards. Both of those allow for a good
amount of conversation, while playing."
"I'll give him some options, thanks for the ideas."
"Anytime, hope your shift goes well."
Her icons were flashing by the end of our conversation, so I selected and applied options to help her
communication skills and wisdom. I got another bump in my accrued points. I talked to a couple more people on my
round, then headed back to my desk. I got a notification about a morning breakfast meeting with Charlotte Newton,
which was cool. I always liked meetings with food, that's probably why she scheduled it. Charlotte was the head
hospital administrator.
We had met when I first hired on. She was in charge of the IT department before she got promoted. She's an
older lady that gives off that mother hen vibe, where she sees everyone under her as part of her family. She's a great
project manager and administrator. I've never understood how she's able to stay on top of all the projects and tasks that
have to get done. When she was over IT, she was always there to ask the right question or push back on vague answers,
when things weren't getting done. She's the type of person that does an excellent job and makes sure those around her
do as well.
It looked like she wanted to talk about what information we could pull, combine, and summarize from all the
medical devices we have at the hospital. Realizing that I'd need to brush up on the devices and the data we were
collecting, I blocked off a few hours on my schedule to get up to speed, so I wouldn't waste her time. I had a good
friendship with her and enjoyed helping her figure out new solutions or how to reframe problems. Even though she was
way up the ladder, she liked to check with me about what was possible or run ideas by me, since she knew I was one of
the people closest to the data. Since my brain was already thinking through the devices and data we had, I started to
make notes and research the integration methods used between the devices and the system we had.
When I resurfaced from my deep dive in our systems and data, I was surprised that half my shift had gone by.
My stomach growled, so I ate a handful of almonds and got up to refill my coffee. After making another lap around the
hospital floor and talking with the folks that were available, I settled down back at my desk. I had a couple more
trouble tickets to look into and a few emails with questions about why some numbers didn't match. After some
research, I clarified the numbers, explaining the difference was as designed but not readily understood between the
different reports. It seemed like the need for the explanations kept popping up, so I did some checking, and found that
there was a new manager in the lab department. I realized that it would probably save time if I met with them to explain
any reports they were receiving. I even emailed HR to ask to be given a spot on their on-boarding process for managers
and above, for report clarification. The rest of the night went by quickly, until an hour before my meeting. Then it felt
like I was in a time warp making each moment last two or three times longer. I checked my email and the Help Desk
queues I don't know how many times. I reorganized my notes twice and had two more cups of coffee.
About 15 minutes before my meeting, I grabbed my laptop and put it in my satchel, so I could keep my hands
free. I warmed up my coffee and headed down to the cafeteria. Charlotte wasn't there yet, so I grabbed a table and
checked my phone. There was a group message from Jordan about getting together for fantasy gaming over the
weekend. I checked my calendar and responded with my availability. Third shift didn't help with getting together with
friends. It had been a couple of weeks since we had gotten together. I glanced up and saw Charlotte walking over with
another woman, so I stood to meet them.
"Hi Charlotte, it's good to see you!"
"Good seeing you too, DJ. Let me introduce Katrina Whitaker. Katrina, this is DJ Young. Katrina's a good
friend helping me gather some data. She's here as a contractor helping with special projects as she has time."
"Good to meet you Katrina," I replied as I shook her hand. "Sounds like we both wrestle with numbers to make
them coherent."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Charlotte has told me good things about you," Katrina said.
"Don't worry DJ," Charlotte said cheerfully. "Let's get some breakfast."
I left my mug on the table as we made our way through the line. "So Katrina, how did you meet Charlotte?"
"We met through my Aunt Cheryl, they're close friends from their college days. My aunt introduced us after I
got my degree in Analytic Science, and I started consulting. I have a gift of getting numbers on things that are hard to
quantify objectively. I can use their relative changes to indicate how well processes or actions are working."
"Wow that sounds pretty interesting! Just let me know how I can help."
I went ahead and asked how things were going with Charlotte. She caught me up on her family and told me
about a vacation that they were planning. It didn't surprise me when her icons started to flash, so I used a pause in our
conversation, to look at the options I had. I was pleased to see that in addition to the general improvement options,
there was an option for Charlotte's Desired Improvement. I selected and applied it. The option turned blue and now
read, Charlotte's Desired Improvement--unselected).
While we were eating I asked Charlotte, "So if you could improve one area of your life, what would it be?"
She laughed. "I was actually thinking about that over the weekend. I'd like to be more creative. This job has
been stretching me to find creative ways to improve the hospital and provide higher quality care with fewer resources. I
feel like I'm stuck in the same mindsets as everyone else, and need to break out of them."
"That's cool! I think everyone could use more creativity in their jobs."
 I looked at her page and the option now read Charlotte's Desired Improvement--chosen). It looked like she had
been able to choose the area of her improvement, by realizing that's what she wanted.
We had almost finished our food when Katrina glanced at Charlotte and got a thoughtful look on her face.
"You were right. I can see an improvement already." She turned, smiled at me and said, "It would appear that
you have a gift to help others. Would you mind if I asked about that?"
Charlotte jumped in and said, "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to. We're not trying to put you on the
spot. I know we've never talked about those kinds of things, but I hope you trust me, and I want you to know, I
completely trust Katrina."
I hadn't really talked with anyone about my gift, but I didn't think it was a very big deal. So I couldn't think of a
good reason not to.
"I don't mind, what do you want to know?"
"What do you know about your gift?"
"Well, when I look at people I can see an indicator of how well I know them. I can pull up all the information I
know about them in a pop-up notification type of window, almost like I'm in a virtual reality game. Based on my
friendship with a person, at some point I can see their indicator flashing, which means I can help them because they
accrued enough points. On their page, I can see options to help them improve. Each option has its own cost in those
points. Normally I just see general options to improve, but the better I know someone and their issues, the more
detailed those options can get. Just yesterday, I was able to upgrade my gift to allow me to select a Target Desired
Improvement for people. It became available for Charlotte, so I selected it before I asked my question. By answering
the question, she internally chose to improve in her creativity. I've really never talked about my gift with anyone, since
it mainly has helped me make and keep friends."
"That's really interesting," Katrina said.
Charlotte chimed in with, "What does my indicator look like and how long have you been helping me?"
"The indicator I see when I look at people is made up of five stars and a question mark icon. When I look at
you, I see three filled stars. That means that we're good friends. I've been trying to help you since just after I met you. I
can normally start helping people after we've shared enough information or time to constitute a basic level
acquaintance."
"Well, thank you. I really appreciate all the help you've given me. Since I've been meeting with Katrina, she was
able to track that I was getting better at my job and skills, but I couldn't figure out how. I started to suspect that
someone was helping me, but didn't know who, how or when. Hence why I've got Katrina following me around. Why
don't we meet weekly for a while, so we can brainstorm about how we can use the system's data better?"
I replied, "Sounds good to me."
Katrina was looking intently at me and said, "So we just met and you haven't helped me at all, right?"
"Right, but we'll probably get up to an acquaintance level before we're done today. So I imagine I'll have the
option at some point soon."
"Would you mind if I use my gift to better understand yours?"
"No, I suppose that would be all right. How do you want to do that?"
Katrina blushed slightly and said, "Could I be your buddy for the next week and shadow you?"
"Um, that would be great, but I'm afraid you would be really bored. I spend most of my time at my desk."
"Would you mind if I shadowed you outside of work, then?"
"Are you sure you want to do that? I work the third shift, so my hours are a bit crazy."
"I would really love the opportunity, please," she said with a big smile.
"Ok, I'd be happy to have you with me."
Charlotte said, "That sounds great. I'll leave you two to sort that out. DJ, just send me an email with the notes
I'm sure you made, prepping for this meeting. I'll email you if I have questions, or we'll catch up at our new weekly 1x1
later this week. Thank you so much for helping me. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you." She got up
and left us sitting there.
"So buddy, what's our plan for today?" Katrina asked.
"I need to get some sleep first," I replied, and went on to tell her my daily weekday schedule. After I finished, I
noticed that her icons were flashing.
Trying to ham it up some, I paused and looked deep in her eyes before I said, "Your icons are flashing. . . Is
there something I can help you with?" with a big smile.
Katrina blushed and said, "Wow, give me a minute to think about that." She closed her eyes and concentrated
for a minute before opening them and saying, "Would you mind selecting the Desired Improvement option for me, like
you did for Charlotte?"
"Of course not, are you sure that's what you want?"
"Yes, but could you let me know before you use your gift again, so I can get as much data as possible? I also
might want to change requests to see what areas your gift might affect."
"Good idea, I suppose I've never had a partner to help me figure out my gift. Thanks. All right, let me see what I
can do."
I selected and applied the option for Katrina's Desired Improvement. It went blue and had the "(unselected)" for
only a second, before it changed to "(chosen)."
I said, "There you go. So, what do you have scheduled for today?"
"Looks like I'll be heading back home for a nap, so I can keep up with you later tonight. Can I join you for your
run?"
"That would be great! I normally run around the Washington street park. Does 2:30 work, at the entrance on the
corner of Washington and Fifth Avenue?"
"Great!" She stood up so I followed, and we put our dishes away. As we were almost to the door of the cafeteria,
she turned to me and said, "Thank you so much for trusting me and allowing me the opportunity to get to know you and
your gift. I'll see you at 2:30."
I headed back to my desk and then home. I felt excited about finding out more about my gift. Katrina seemed
really nice, and she was hot. I wondered what she'd look like out of her professional attire. I was looking forward to
getting to know her better. I got home, got ready for bed and made sure my alarm was set before drifting off.
My alarm woke me up and I rolled out of bed. I made my way to the coffee machine to fix myself a cup. I
checked the notifications on my phone, while I drank my coffee. Once I finished my cup of coffee, I got dressed for my
run and headed to the park. I got to the entrance about 2:15 and started stretching, while I waited for Katrina. It was
about another five minutes before I saw her walking up.
"Wow, you look great! I'm wondering if I'm going to have trouble keeping up with you. Did you get any sleep?"
Katrina made sure she caught my eyes when she said, "Thanks! I got some, but it was hard getting to sleep. I'm
just not used to trying to sleep in the morning."
"Tell me about it. It took forever for me to get used to it. I had to come up with a whole routine to help with it.
So, how much do you normally run?"
"Not a lot, but I should be good for a couple of miles if I don't push it. I normally bike outside when the weather
is decent. If it's not, I do a couple of circuits at my gym."
Katrina started stretching, and I tried not to stare. She really did look good. When she finished she put her hair
in a ponytail, and said, "Ready to go, buddy!"
I started off at a moderate jog that she was able to match easily. When we had settled into a good rhythm, I said,
"So, tell me a bit more about yourself, buddy."
I made sure she noticed I was looking at her and smiling.
She went on to tell me about herself. I was three years older than she was. We both didn't have any siblings. She
had a good relationship with her parents. They're still together living out of state. She talked about how difficult it was
after she graduated from college. Even with her degree she couldn't find something in her field. After spending some
time looking, she realized she'd need to make a job for herself. That's when she shadowed each of her parents to get
ideas. She figured out how to use her gift and the principles of her degree to quantify process improvement for difficult
to measure systems. After her first couple of projects, with well documented results, she had enough to start marketing
herself. Unfortunately, that meant she needed to move because there weren't enough opportunities near where her
parents lived. She landed here, in part, because of the introduction to Charlotte that her aunt had given her. It was rough
the first month or two, but by completely focusing on her work, she was able to keep busy and find new engagements.
"So are you seeing anyone?" I asked hoping I wasn't appearing too nervous about the answer.
She caught my eye with a wide grin and said, "No, things have just been too crazy and busy since I got here.
How about yourself? Any attachments I should know about?"
I could tell she was really interested in the answer, which made me even more nervous. I was probably blushing,
because I was really happy that she didn't have a boyfriend, even though it seemed too good to be true.
"Um, no. . . I don't really get out to meet people that much. I've been pretty focused on work as well. I've got a
small group of friends, but we only get together every week or two."
"Sounds like you're ahead of me; I haven't gotten even a small group of friends established since I've been here.
I've been face timing some of my college friends every now and then, though."
"Well, you can count me in your group then, or do I need to try out first?"
 "No, I think I got you covered, although it sounds like I need your number, just in case there's a call back
audition."
I couldn't help smiling, while I gave her my number. She took out her phone and after a minute I heard my
phone ding.
We finished up the run, and I suggested making a circuit on the exercise stations. While we worked out, I filled
her in on my background. Before we finished, her icons were flashing again, so I decided to replay the last time. I got
her attention, and looked deep into her eyes, and said, "Your icons are flashing. . . . Is there something I can help you
with?"
She smiled and said, "Let's keep it the same as last time, although I think we'll probably want to try something
different next time. Thanks!"
Once again, I selected and applied the option for Katrina's Desired Improvement. It went blue and had the
"(unselected)" for only a second, before it changed to "(chosen)."
"All right, are we good on the workout?"
"I'm good, I hope I didn't hold you back. I really enjoyed working out with you. I normally workout and don't
even talk to anyone. Is that normal for you?"
"Yeah, I might wave or say hello, but I generally just focus on getting done. I don't have any plans until work.
Do you have anything planned?"
"Well, I definitely need to run by my place to hit the showers, but no. . . . I kind of figured that I'd follow you
around."
"Ok, do you want to grab supper with me?"
"Sounds good to me."
"How does Chinese or Indian sound?"
"Chinese sounds great. Where's your favorite restaurant?"
"I like the China 8 Buffet on Broadway. How about 6pm?"
"Great! I'll see you there, and thanks again for letting me workout with you!"
"My pleasure! See you there."
She headed out to the parking lot. I couldn't help but watch her go, even how she walked was mesmerizing.
Before she got to her car, she glanced back, and I was so busted. She just smiled really big and waved, while I did the
same. I know my face had to have been bright red. Hopefully, it wasn't as noticeable at that distance. Feeling like I had
just majorly embarrassed myself, I headed back to my apartment. I showered and got dressed for work.

Chapter 3
I still had a bit to chill before I needed to leave, so I took a few minutes to catch up on social media. I have
accounts, but almost never post things. I use them mostly so other people can contact me, more than me trying to let
other people know what was going on in my life. My chill time zipped by, which was another reason why I was rarely
on it, so I drove to the Chinese restaurant. I got there a few minutes early and didn't see Katrina, so I paid for both of us.
I only had to wait a couple of minutes before she walked in.
"Hey, you clean up really nice! I already paid, so we can proceed to the buffet."
"Thanks, you didn't have to do that, and you clean up quite well yourself. Lead the way, any favorites I should
know about?" Katrina inquired.
"My favorite is their seafood casserole. It has imitation crab meat with lots of melted cheese in a buttery sauce.
Do you have any favorites?"
"I'll have to try that. I normally go for cashew chicken or sesame chicken. How are they here?"
"I like them, just not as much as the seafood."
We filled up our plates and got a booth in a corner of the restaurant. I was pretty hungry, so I dug in. We ate in
silence for a few minutes, before I asked, "So, how do you like it?"
"Everything I got is really good, although that means I couldn't eat here very often. Otherwise, I'd gain twenty
pounds like when I went to college. It took the rest of college for me to lose the weight I gained during the first year."
"Give me a break, you look great and certainly don't need to worry about that."
"Thanks, but I know from experience, if I don't worry about it, I'll have a problem. What's your strategy other
than working out?"
"I pretty much just eat one main meal, which is supper, then just snack on nuts the rest of the night, if I get
hungry. Coupled with ongoing doses of coffee, I make it through the day ok."
 "Makes sense, that might be one of the small benefits of working the third shift. Working the normal 8 to 5, I'd
say it's more difficult to only eat one meal."
As she finished talking, her icons started flashing, so I decided to take advantage of her hands being on the
table. I reached out and took hold of her hand and looked into her eyes and said with a smile, "Your icons are flashing,
Katrina. . . Is there something I can help you with?"
I could tell Katrina was beginning to blush, but she didn't let go of my hand, so I kept holding hers while she
decided what to say.
"If it's ok with you, I'd like to try something a little different. Can I ask you to help me with something
physically?"
"Ok by me--are you hurt?"
"No, nothing like that. I'd like to keep it general from your perspective, so I can check how it affects me. If you
can, you can think about helping me in whatever way I need or want. Is that ok?"
"No problem, it would be my pleasure," I replied. I looked over the options on her page. I noticed that I could
drill down on the general options now. So I selected and applied the option for Katrina's Desired Improvement under
her general health. After I had applied it and she had chosen something, I noticed that the option was still available for
me to select and apply again, so I did. It immediately switched from unselected to chosen. I smiled at her and said,
"Looks like that's done."
Holding her hand felt really good, so I really hoped that she would notice a change.
I continued, "Feel any different?"
"No, but it might take some time. I'll see if I can see a change tonight, while you're busy at your desk. It takes a
bit of time with my gift, I have to focus on each thing I'm trying to measure individually. By the way, what's my
indicator say about our friendship level?"
"We're well into the friend's level and heading toward being good friends," I said with a smile. I was enjoying
holding her hand, but didn't want to call attention to it.
"That's great! It seems like I've known you a lot more than a day. I think that run has caught up to me. I'm really
thirsty and tired, now that I've had a good meal."
"Let me get you another glass of water," I said as I got up and refilled her glass with ice water from the fountain
machine and sat back down. "Here you go."
I was kind of bummed about letting go of her hand, but didn't think I should resume holding it when I sat back
down.
Katrina said, "Thanks," as she took a big drink. "I really needed that. What's your work schedule look like
tonight?"
"Pretty much the same as normal. I get in, stop by my desk and check in at the nurses' station. I walk around the
hospital floor to see how people are doing, get some coffee and head back to my desk. I focus for 3-4 hours on
whatever the priority is, then make another round. Back to focus at my desk, and then I finish my shift with another
round on the floor before going home."
"Ok, I'll find somewhere by your cubical to chill, while you're focused on work, and then I'll follow you on your
rounds. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good, but I'm worried that you'll be bored, and it will be a big waste of your time."
"Don't you worry about that. I'm excited to watch your interactions and spend more time with you. I'll be better
than fine."
We got up to go, but I was hesitant because I felt like I wanted the dinner to last longer. I glanced at her with my
best smile, turned and led the way through the restaurant and out the door.
We slowly walked toward the parking lot and when we got there, she turned to me and put her hand on my
upper arm.
She said, "I had a great time. Thank you for dinner. How about I meet you at your desk a little before 11? Do
you mind waiting to do your rounds until I get there? I don't want to miss anything."
"No problem at all, although I'm not sure there's all that much to miss. I really enjoyed supper with you. I'll see
you at the hospital."
She smiled, turned and walked toward her car. Something about that smile told me that she would glance back
to see if I was watching. So I just had to, right? I had the biggest grin on my face when she got near her car and glanced
back. I waved and turned, walking to my car. When I got near my car, I glanced back to see if she had left yet. I saw her
smirking at me, then she waved, letting me know that she had been watching me just like I had watched her. After she
waved, she got in her car, so I got in mine.
 I just sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what was going on with me, and more importantly with
Katrina. Our relationship was really moving, and it hadn't even been a full 24 hours. Even though I was just with her, I
was already anticipating seeing her again and excited about getting to know her better. There were so many things I
didn't know about her, and I couldn't wait to find out. After a couple of minutes of waiting in the car, I headed to the
grocery store to get some more snacks since I would be having company at my desk. I pulled out my phone and
checked my new messages. A new number had sent, "I've got your number now, buddy" followed by a winky emoji.
I replied with "Two can play this game, your digits are mine now." also followed by a winky emoji. "So what
kind of snacks do you like?"
"Cheese Gromit. I'm simply crackers about cheese!" was her reply.
"What kind though? I don't think I can make it to the moon in time. I do believe I have the wrong trousers."
"Mild cheddar or Gouda unless I'm cooking, then I'm a Velveeta girl!"
"Now I'm intrigued about what you can do with melted cheese!" I quipped.
"You don't know the power of the melted cheese! I must obey my cheesiness!"
"Wow, I believe you have just blown my mind!"
"My forces are massing in the east, and my eye is fixed upon you. . .See you soon" followed by another winky.
I think my mind really was blown, I was having a hard time thinking. That was the best text conversation I had
ever had, and I felt like I needed to propose to her as soon as I saw her. Wow, I was more than a bit dazed as I went
through the store to pick up some mild cheddar, Gouda cheese and crackers. I ended up back at the hospital before I
knew it. I wondered how I was going to get anything done tonight at work. It was like my brain wasn't engaging, and I
knew I wouldn't be able to do more than autopilot my work. As I walked into the hospital, I hoped that a couple more
cups of coffee might help. I said "Hi!" to the people I knew on the way to my desk and didn't stop to chat.
When I got to my desk, I put the cheese in my little refrigerator and took out a cheese knife that I didn't
remember getting from the store. I settled in at my desk and started catching up on emails while I waited for Katrina to
arrive. When I heard the door to our area open, I popped up out of my chair, so I could let her know where my cubicle
was. She smiled when she saw me and walked over. When she got to my cube she had a seat in my guest chair.
I said, "Wow, I'm still trying to recover. We haven't even gotten to talk about movies yet."
"It wasn't too much, was it? I just couldn't help myself," Katrina said with an intense smile.
"It was awesome even if you blew my mind. Don't hold back on my account!"
She continued to look at me intensely, and I felt my heart rate soar. She reached out and touched my arm and
said, "I know that I just met you this morning, but I feel like our relationship is growing faster than I could ever have
imagined. Can we make a pact to be as honest as we can with each other? Is that possible? Not that we can't be silly or
joke, but that we won't even shade the truth or deceive by omission. I know it's a really big ask, but that's where I'm at."
I took her hand, looked her in the eyes, and said, "I would be honored to make that pact with you. I give you full
permission to push back on anything I say or do. You know I almost started quoting something about mischief
managed, but you can blame that on someone that blew my mind."
"Thank you! I promise to be as honest as I can with you as well. Even when I don't know something, I'll be as
honest as I can about it."
It came as no surprise to me that her icons were flashing again. I squeezed her hand and said, "Your icons are
flashing. . . Is there something I can help you with?"
"You have no idea how I'd like for you to help me, but first I need to ask you to see if you can remove my fear
of spiders. I've been afraid of them since I was a little girl. I hate even talking about them."
"Ok, let me see what I can do." I searched through her page and all the options for helping her, looking for one
to help with by removing her fear of spiders. There wasn't one.
"I'm sorry Katrina, there's not one. Do you want me to try letting you choose?"
"That's ok, remember we're trying to figure out how your gift works. Could you try giving me courage then?
That would help me face my fears when I need to."
I was able to quickly find, select and apply the option to increase her courage. Her icons stopped flashing after I
applied the change.
"How does that feel?"
"I have to be honest with you. I am so glad that your first attempt didn't work. I know that means your gift isn't
as strong as it could be, but I know that it's better for both of us that it didn't work. Thank you so much for helping me!
I know it seems like a little thing, and I should be able to just buck up and deal with it. In the past, I just haven't been
able to, but I feel stronger and more rational now. I'm sure it's going to help. Thank you!"
I turned to face her fully and took her other hand. "I'm just so glad that I can help you. I want you to overcome
and succeed against any obstacle you face. I feel that I need to be honest with you, Katrina. I need to let you know that
I'd really like a callback from earlier because I'd like to audition for more than your friend. Do you have the part of
boyfriend open?"
"Oh, DJ. . ." she said as she got up and sat in my lap. She put her hands on the sides of my face and slowly
pulled me into a very warm and soft kiss. Everything shut down except focusing on how her lips felt against mine. I'm
not sure how long it lasted, but I would have been happy if it had never ended. Unfortunately, it did come to an end
when she pulled away to look me in the eyes.
"I've found my leading man. You've got the part, and I don't want to ever audition anyone else."
"That was amazing, and I think you blew my mind again. I'm having trouble even talking. Wow, my mind is just
stuck on wow."
"Thank you for giving me courage, otherwise I don't think I would have been able to do that, no matter how
badly I wanted to."
"Thank you, I knew I'd never want to just be your friend after spending a little bit of time with you and your
texts tonight. I feel like I've been asleep my whole life and you've woken me up." As my brain started to recover, I
noticed that her icons were going crazy and I had to chuckle to myself.
Katrina said, "That was wonderful, but you need to get to work! I don't want you slacking on your job because
of your new girlfriend."
She gave me another kiss that I wanted to last forever, before she got out of my lap and sat back down in my
guest chair.
It was extremely difficult to concentrate with my new girlfriend sitting near me, but expecting me to be
working. All I really wanted to do was to get her back in my lap. After more than a bit of internal struggling, I was
finally able to focus on my computer screen, and the trouble tickets that had been assigned to me.
The next three hours flew by as I was completely focused on those tickets. When I finished the second one, I
knew I needed get up and take a round on the floor.
I scooted back my chair and turned to Katrina. I couldn't help but give her a big smile.
"Time for me to take a round on the floor. Care to join me, beautiful?"
"That is why I'm here, handsome."
We got up, and we both refilled our mugs of coffee before we headed out to the nurses' station.
"Hey, Tammy! This is Katrina, she's helping Charlotte by doing some data analysis."
"Good to meet you, Tammy!"
"Good to meet you, too, Katrina. I'm glad somebody's noticed that our floor has the best numbers for the whole
hospital. We smoke every other floor's numbers and leave them in the dust. I keep telling the boss that we should all be
getting a good raise."
Katrina replied, "Good to know."
I asked, "How are things going tonight?"
"Going well. Everything has been quiet on the floor. We were just talking about the Commander. Did you hear
what happened?"
The Commander was one of our city's super heroes that had a hypnotic gift that allowed him to give commands
and people who heard him would follow them. I knew him from when we were kids. He was my best friend before he
got his power and was taken away to train. I remember being really happy for him because he had always wanted a
strong power that would enable him to be a hero. I had a really rough time of it afterwards, because I never heard from
him again. I still tried to follow him in the news though.
"No, what happened?"
"A new villain did something to him, and he's in a coma. He's being cared for in the medical floor in the
basement of the Hero building. There hasn't been any more information than that. No one knows what the villain did, or
why the Commander is in a coma."
"That's horrible. Hopefully someone will be able to help him. Did they get the villain?"
"No, he got away. The news doesn't even have a name for him yet. He must not be stupid because he's still
keeping a low profile."
"I wonder if I should try to see him. I knew the Commander when we were kids before he got his power."
"He's in a coma, but that building has the highest security of any in the city. I don't think you can get in there
unless you've been asked or your name is on a special list."
"Well, I doubt I'm on any special lists. I hope he gets better soon. Any word on how the rest of the heroes are
taking it?"
 "They're being more careful since they don't know the villain's power or have a good lead on him."
"That's a rough job, never knowing what you might meet on your next job, and if your power will be enough to
make a difference."
Katrina chimed in, "That's definitely the biggest factor in making them heroes."
Joe Markus came out of his room, and waved at us.
I said, "We'll catch you later, Tammy. I hope things stay quiet."
She gave us a nod, as we walked over to Joe to join him on his walk.
I said, "Joe, this is Katrina. She's helping the hospital administrator and checking out the floor."
"Good to meet you, Katrina. I'm just taking my exercise lap. It sounds like I might be able to get out of here
soon. My doctors have been impressed with my recovery, but still want my white blood count to stabilize before I can
leave."
We walked a couple of laps with Joe and by the end of it his icons were flashing. We said goodbye to Joe and I
pulled Katrina aside to talk.
"His icons are flashing, and yours are by the way. Did you want to do anything special, before I help him?"
"I'm good, I was taking some measurements while we were walking. Let's wait on giving me anything else for
now. If we could, let me stop by and ask him a quick question when you're done."
"Sounds good."
As I concentrated on Joe's page under his general health, I found, selected and applied an option for Remove
secondary infection.
His icons stopped flashing, so I figured it had worked.
"Done."
We walked back to Joe's room and Katrina knocked on his partially open door.
"Come on in."
Katrina asked, "Sorry, for the interruption. I forgot to ask you how you'd rate the care you've been given and the
responsiveness of the staff. On a scale of one to five with five being the highest score, how would you rate the care and
the staff?"
"Definitely a five for both of them. Everyone has been wonderful and friendly while being on top of everything.
The nurses are doing an awesome job and are always ready to help. I don't know how they're able to get everything
done, but they do. All the patients I've talked to have the same opinion. This is the best place to receive care, hands
down."
Katrina smiled, "Thank you so much! I'm sure the administrator will be really happy to hear that. I hope you
have a good rest of your day."
"You, too!"
We walked back out and made another lap of the floor. No one else was out, so we went back to my desk.
I asked, "Have you learned anything exciting?"
"Just taking some measurements at this point. I don't have a context as yet, but I've got some things to look into.
Don't mind me. Back to work, hunk."
I said, "As you wish," and gave her a wink.
I focused back on my screen, and worked on the remaining tickets I had. When I finished up the last one, my
shift was almost over. I glanced over to Katrina and she looked up from her book with a smile.
"I told you, you'd be bored. I'm a pretty high focus, visual person. Once I get into an issue, I am heads down on
it until I get it resolved."
"It's good. I don't mind watching you and catching up on some reading. So another round and then home?"
"Yep."
We took another round on the floor and talked to a few patients, but I just progressed my friendship levels with
them. When we finished the round, we went back to my desk. We picked up our stuff and started heading out.
"So are you up for exercising later?"
She took my hand in hers before she said, "Of course. Meet at the same time?"
"Sounds great!"
She gave my hand a squeeze before she turned to head to her car. "See you this afternoon. Pleasant dreams!"
"You, too!"
I watched her walk to her car until she was out of sight. Wow, I liked watching her move. I gave myself a shake
and drove to my place.
Chapter 4
When I got to my apartment, I got ready for bed. I made sure my alarms were set, and tried to fall asleep.
I couldn't get Katrina out of my mind. I was still amazed that she wanted to be my girlfriend. It took a while, but
I was finally able to fall asleep.
When I woke up, I noticed I had a voice message on my phone from an unavailable number. I figured it was
from work until I listened to it.
It was someone calling to let me know that Dave Johnson was in a coma. He had me listed as one of his
emergency contacts, so they were letting me know. They gave me the address and visiting hours, in case I wanted to
visit.
I was really surprised and not sure how I felt about the information. Dave was the Commander. We hadn't talked
since we were kids, and yet he had me listed as one of his emergency contacts?
I had wanted to hear from him for years while growing up. It wasn't until college that I pretty much gave up
hope of seeing him again. His career was taking off, and I was just an ordinary guy at school. It had hurt, but I knew I
had to see him. I wanted to be there for him, like I had wished he would have been for me.
By the time I roused myself from thinking about it, I had to quickly change into my workout clothes.
When I finished, I headed down the street to the park. When I got there, Katrina was already stretching, she was
bent over and I had to appreciate the quality of her stretching.
I said, "Hey good looking, whatcha got cookin?"
She stayed stretching, knowing that I was enjoying the sight, and said with a Brooklyn accent, "I'm waiting for
my hunky boyfriend, you better watch out, he's the most awesomest guy ever." She snapped up to look at me, and said,
"Oh, you're here, honey!" while batting her eyes.
"You had better get stretching or you're going to really pay for it in a bit," she said in her normal voice.
I went ahead and started my stretches. After a few minutes, I realized that she had stopped and was just
watching me, enjoying the view. She gave me a big wink when I finished. "Are you ready to go, buddy?"
"Come on beautiful!" I said as I started off. It only took a couple of minutes for us to slip into a good jogging
rhythm.
Katrina said, "Why don't we start with a twenty questions like game except we ask the question and answer it
first before the other person answers. Remember, we're going for as much honesty as we can, but it's ok to not know or
be able to explain as long as we communicate that. Is that ok?"
"Sounds good," I replied and then in an old man's voice, I asked, "What. . . is your favorite color?" I paused for
a second or two and said, "Red. . . no, blue. . .ahhhh."
I gave a wink and said, "It really is blue. How about you?"
"What do you think?"
"I'm definitely feeling black spandex for you, but you may have your own ideas."
"As much as I like black for all things skimpy, my favorite color is ruby, a deep warm red."
We went on to cover important dates, favorite foods, places most want to visit or vacation, and what would you
do if you had a million dollars. When hobbies came up it was my turn, "So do you have any hobbies or activities that
you like to do to stay in touch with people? I like to play fantasy role playing games, RPG, with my group of friends.
We get together every week or two as we have time. We enjoy creating the story together with our characters."
"That sounds great! I've never really played in a group, but I played a couple of fantasy RPG type video games.
Let's see, there were a couple with really cool voice overs. Did you play any like that?"
"Did I ever! I loved the characters in them and the voice acting. It was great just listening to the party
interactions while playing. The group is going to play this weekend, do you want to come? My friend Jordan is the
game master, and he's awesome at it. I'm sure that he'd be able to work you in."
"That sounds great, although you'll have to help me get ready. It sounds like a lot of fun!"
I texted Jordan and asked about having Katrina join us. He replied immediately saying it was all good and asked
for her number, so he could make sure she knew what was going on.
"Is it ok if I send your contact info to Jordan? He wants to make sure you know what's going on in the
campaign. He'll work with you on having to put your character in the game."
"That'd be great! We should create a character for me tonight. Do you guys role play or cosplay during your
game?"
"We role play just a bit, and try to be true to our characters. You know, act and speak how they would, rather
than how we would as players. People sometimes throw in voices for different characters, especially Jordan, but it's not
expected. We haven't really done any dress up type of thing. That's a most excellent thought for the next Halloween
party, and we could even play a bit at the party."
"Party on dude," she said with a grin. I couldn't stop smiling.
I forwarded Katrina's contact to Jordan, and he replied with a thumbs up.
"So that's sorted, how about you and your answer?"
"I've got to go with card games like euchre, hearts, and spades. I haven't been able to play much since college,
but that's what my family and friends would do when we got together."
"Where have you been all my life, woman?"
"Obviously looking for you!"
I didn't know or care how many laps we had taken around the park, but my stomach was telling me it was time
to think about supper. We finished up the lap and walked to the parking lot.
"I got a voice message today about the Commander. It seems that he listed me as one of his emergency contacts.
I thought I'd go see him and sit by him."
"Oh, honey. Sounds like you were still close to his heart, even if he didn't stay in touch. How about we grab
something quick and go over?"
"You don't have to do that. I'll just be sitting, and I'm sure you have things to do."
"I can be sitting by you at the very least. Why don't you pick me up in an hour?"
"If you're sure, thanks. I appreciate the company."
Katrina gave me a hug and quick kiss before walking to her car. I couldn't help but smile, watching her.
I got back to my place and cleaned up. I dressed for work, but I wasn't sure if I was going to take off. My mind
was all over the place, but maybe it would help to be at work focused on solving trouble tickets.
I left to pick up Katrina and waited in my car until it was time. She opened the door a moment after I knocked.
"Hey, beautiful! You look gorgeous! Are you ready?"
"Why certainly, sir!"
We walked to the car and I got her door. I quickly ran around and got in mine.
"So what fast food would you like?"
"Well, how about Jimmy John's since we want it freaky fast?"
"Sounds great."
I drove to the nearest shop, and we picked up some subs and drinks. We chatted in the car while we ate. When
we were done, I drove to the Hero building. That wasn't the building's real name, but that's what the news and everyone
called it. It looked like a fairly normal corporate building, but with fewer windows. We pulled up and parked. I got
Katrina's door, taking her hand as we walked to the front entrance.
Just inside the door was a guard station and metal detector walk through, similar to most court houses.
I gave the guard my name and was happy that I was really on a list of people that could visit.
Before we were allowed through the detectors, the guard had both of us sign in, after he took pictures of us and
our driver's licenses. When we had passed everything, one of the guards escorted us downstairs.
We came out on a floor that looked a lot like one of our floors at the hospital, except the patient rooms were
probably twice as big. The nurses' station was the control point for getting to the patient rooms, and there were three
ladies there.
The guard said, "This is DJ Young and Katrina Whitaker. They're here to see the Commander."
One of the nurses said, "Thank you. I've got them from here. Good to meet you both, I'm April Mansford. The
Commander is my primary patient. Please follow me."
She led us down the hall to the fifth room on the right. We went in and saw Dave in the hospital bed, looking
like he was asleep.
"He's been in a coma for over a day now. The doctors aren't sure what to make of it. Brain scans look normal
although the activity appears to suggest that he is awake. We're making him comfortable, as we try to figure out what is
going on. He had a letter in his file for you, DJ, in case you were ever contacted and came to see him. Let me go and
get that. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
She left, and we sat down in the chairs beside the bed. I looked at Dave and pulled up his information.
"His information just has everything that I know about him. Nothing about what's going on now."
"Maybe you could try to get more information from your information screen? Have you tried to use your
connection to find out what a person was up to?"
"No, I've never tried to do much with it other than use it to remember things about people. I can give it a try."
 I tried to visualize his connection and having the page update based on his current situation. It wasn't the same
as when I helped people. It felt more like when you're trying to see a hidden number in wiggly lines, and you have to
concentrate, but also focus in and out. It took a few minutes, but the info page updated, and there was a new section for
their current situation including mood, current feeling toward me, and current activity.
Dave's updated section said, "Scared, nostalgic, and trying to escape a maze to wake up."
"It worked! It says he's scared and trying to escape a dream maze to wake up."
"That's great, but how could he be trying to escape a maze?"
"That must be the villain's power. He must be able to trap someone in a dream maze or something. His body is
essentially asleep, until he makes it out of the maze."
"Why wouldn't they be able to wake him up? It must be part of the villain's power. Is there any help you can
give him?"
"Unfortunately, no. His icons aren't flashing. I can't help people, if our relationship isn't growing or there isn't
some interaction."
April came back in about then, she handed me an envelope.
"Here you go. Let me know if you need anything, or if you notice a change. I'll be at the nurses' station."
Katrina replied, "Thanks, we will."
I slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

DJ,
If you're reading this I must be in a bad way. I wanted to make sure you knew how sorry I was about not
keeping my promise to stay in touch. We were kept in strict isolation with very limited access to the outside world. Our
teachers made it clear that we needed to let all our past friendships go, for your safety and ours.
You were my best friend, and always will be in my heart, even if we never get to talk again.
I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when your mother died. They wouldn't even let me go to the funeral in disguise.
The whole hero thing isn't like the comics. We get to do great things, but we're kept in a protected bubble and
isolated by ourselves from everyone else, so they won't be a target. There have been more than a few times that I've
wondered if it was worth it. I've found some solace in the people I've been able to save, and disasters I've helped avert.
Still, I've missed you.
Take care, my true friend.
Dave

I started crying and Katrina just held me as my emotions got the better of me. After a bit, I was able to get a
hold of myself.
"And here I thought he'd just gone on to bigger and better things. Why did it have to take something like this for
me to find out?"
"You know how the system works, they're trying to protect both sides even if that causes a lot of pain as well.
There should be a better way, but no one has figured it out."
I looked back at Dave in the bed and his icons were flashing.
"His icons are flashing! Maybe I can help him find his way out. There must be something I can select to help
him."
I closed my eyes and focused on my connection to him. I searched his page, looking for the right option that
could help. When I finally found the option Dream Communicator--your gift allows you to shape dreams, I selected and
applied it. I opened my eyes and his icons weren't flashing any more.
I looked at Katrina, "I've done what I can. I hope it will be enough to make a difference."
"I'm sure it will."
We stayed for a few hours, just sitting by the bed with him. I went through stories about our adventures as kids,
and some of the silly, stupid things we had done. I was glad that I could still laugh about them. I gave Dave a hug and
squeezed his hand before we left.
We stopped at the nurses' station.
April asked, "Any changes? I'm sure he'd be glad to know you visited."
Katrina looked at me and said, "I've got a minor analytic gifting, and for what it's worth, I believe he's caught in
a dream maze and unable to wake up. If there are any heroes that can do something with dreams, it may help."
April smiled, "Thanks. I'll follow up with his doctor when she comes in. I'll make sure she knows your thoughts
on the situation."
 "Thanks."
We left the building, holding hands as we walked back to my car. I got her door before getting in mine.
"Sorry that wasn't a very good evening for you."
She pulled my face over and gave me a tender kiss.
"I've got you covered. Life's not all about the fun and romantic things. I'm really glad that I could be there with
and for you. I think it was really good for you to get his letter. Hopefully he'll find his way out of the maze."
I held her hand as I drove back to her place. When we got there, I hopped out and got her door. We walked
slowly to the door of her apartment.
"Thank you for going with me. I really appreciate it."
"I'm glad that I was able to. So I'll see you in a bit at your desk?"
"That would be wonderful. Thanks."
She gave me a tight hug and kiss before she slipped into her apartment.
I drove to the hospital and quietly made my way to my desk. I started my normal routine and felt a bit better by
the time I was drinking my coffee. I focused on answering my emails and catching up with all the issues that had come
in during the day. I heard the door open, so I popped up to see if it was Katrina. It was and we both smiled as she made
her way to my cube.
"You look lovely!"
"Thanks! Are you ready to slay those horrible data inconsistencies tonight?"
"I wish! I'm checked in, so I'm ready to refill my coffee and make a round."
"Very good, shall we go?"
I refilled my cup and Katrina filled hers before we made a round on the floor. Everything was quiet and there
weren't any issues, so we headed back to my desk.
Katrina settled into the guest chair and pulled out a laptop. She winked at me before she focused on that.
I got busy on my work and a few hours slipped by quickly. We made a round and I met a couple of new patients
that had just gotten to the floor. I was able to get some of their details, so we moved to acquaintances. I sent them some
general help as there weren't any specific options on their pages.
Back at my desk the rest of the evening flew by, and before I knew it we were walking out of the hospital
holding hands.
Katrina asked, "So same bat time?"
I smiled, "Same bat channel."
I pulled her in for a quick hug and kiss before we split up to go to our cars.
I got home and got ready for bed. I checked my alarms and tried to relax so I could sleep.
I found myself in the Hero building back by Dave's bed except he was awake.
"DJ, I'm so glad to see you! I'm not sure what you did, but it worked! One second I was running scared through
a massive multi-level maze, and the next I was hit with a power bolt. I grew ten times larger and literally broke out of
the maze. It was awesome! When I broke out I found that I was still in a dream, but I was in complete control of it. I
was going to wake up, but then I thought about my girlfriend Midnight Angel. I found myself in a dream with her. It
was amazing! We talked and I told her about the maze thing. I didn't mention you, but she was really distracting me by
that time. She just can't get enough of me. Well, after I let her finally get some rest, I popped into dreams of my friends
and family that I had lost touch with. It was wonderful, just getting to talk and catch up. I couldn't get to you until you
went to sleep, but here I am! After we're done talking, I'll "wake" up and let everyone know I'm ok. I just wanted to let
you know how grateful I am that you came and helped me. I always wondered if you had played a part in my gift. I
think it's safe to say you did at this point. So how do you want to handle this? Do you want to come out of the shadows
and join us as a hero? Do you like your life as it is now? How can I help move you forward?"
"It's great to see you're ok! This is pretty amazing. I'm glad you got out of that maze. Thanks for the letter. It
really meant a lot to me."
"I meant everything I said, and it's so good to be talking to you again. Any thoughts on moving forward?"
"Well, I'm not so sure about proclaiming I'm a hero. Remember, I'm the introvert. I can do without the news and
people knowing my name. I still don't know much about my gift. My girlfriend Katrina is trying to help me figure out
more about it. She's got a gift with analyzing and measuring things."
"That's great! Sounds like we can see about using her gift to have you help out here. Who does she work for?"
"She's got her own company, and she's been doing consulting work at the hospital I work at."
"All the better. I'll hit up Sonja our administrator to see about getting both of you in. I'm assuming you could
help her with the assignment. You could stay in the shadows, while helping out. It's a win for everyone! I'm a genius,
right?"
I started laughing. "It's good to hear your crazy ideas again. I'll let Katrina know, so we can figure out how to
play this."
"It's good to hear your laugh again, my friend. I look forward to seeing you in a bit. Thanks for your help, and
this cool new power! I owe you another huge one."
"I'm glad you're going to be fine and look forward to working to help you guys."
"Good night."
I woke up with my alarm going off and was able to remember the whole conversation in the dream. That
certainly wasn't normal, but I was glad. I started my coffee going and got my first cup before I got ready for the day. I
did some laundry and cleaned up the apartment for a bit. The time flew by, and I headed over to the park. I was there
first so I started stretching. It was only a few minutes before Katrina was walking up.
"Hey beautiful. What is a gorgeous girl like you, doing here?"
"You should know hunk, I'm the one going wherever you are."
We hugged, and I gave her a quick kiss.
"What are your thoughts on working out today? The Commander talked to me in a dream last night. Do you
want to hit that over supper?"
"I'd prefer to focus on the exercise, just because that sounds like it will probably need a lot of thought and
words. Is that ok?"
"Sounds like a good plan, beautiful. You'd better get stretching," I said with a wink and a raised eyebrow.
"You just want to enjoy scoping me out."
"You got that right! Someone of your surpassing beauty needs to be appreciated, and that has my name all over
it." I enjoyed watching her stretch for a few minutes and made sure she knew I was. When she looked to be done, I
said, "Tag, you're it!" and took off running.
"You!" she yelled as she came after me.
We ran pretty hard for a bit with me staying just out of her reach when I stumbled and went to the ground
because I hadn't been focusing so much on where I was going. She easily ran up and gave me a little punch on the
shoulder and said, "Ha, you're it! Catch me if you can!" Then she took off. I rolled to my feet and started after her. She
used the exercise stations to keep away from me.
After a while, I could tell she was getting tired, so I flushed her out from behind one of the stations, and
hollered, "I'm going to get you now!" She put on a burst of speed which helped for a minute or two, but I stuck with
her. I put on a burst of speed, caught up to her and picked her up, tackling her, so we hit the ground with me cushioning
her.
"Got ya!"
She rolled over so she was laying on top of me facing me, resting on my chest while we both caught our breath.
"So you did, and here's your reward!" she said before she kissed me. This kiss was not soft or slow or gentle. It was hot,
intense and passionate! I returned it in kind and couldn't get enough of it. Way too quickly, she broke it off to look into
my eyes and said "I like me some of that!" Then she got up and offered me a hand up.
I hammed it up, looking sad, and said, "But me likey lots and lots!" She just gave me a raised eyebrow and
smirked.
"Ok, back to the program," I said as I got up with her help. "So are we good for the workout, babe?"
"I'm good, it'll give us a bit more time for talking as well."
"Oh, you are so much better than good, honey!"
"So, thoughts on supper?"
"Oh, I know what I want to devour, it's just not on the menu, yet." Seeing that she wanted to move on, I said,
"How's pizza sound? It's kind of low key, and they wouldn't mind us hanging out for a while."
"Sounds great, I like the way you think! Want to pick me up in an hour?"
"As you wish."
She gave me a quick hug and kiss, and then headed toward her car while she said "See you in a bit, honey!"
I just enjoyed the view of her walking, wow. She got to her car, smiled, and waved before getting in. I smiled
and waved, then headed for the apartment.
When I got back to my place, I called a local florist and made a rush order. I jumped in the shower and soaked
for a few minutes, while I tried to let my head clear from everything that was going on. I got out of the shower feeling a
bit better about things and got dressed. I grabbed my notebook and drove to the florist. I had to wait a couple of
minutes, but the small vase and flowers looked really nice. There were three flowers wreathed with baby's breath, a
white calla lily, a ruby orchid and a ruby tulip. The florist had done a beautiful job, so I tipped her another ten dollars. I
pulled up to Katrina's apartment and made it to her door right on time again. I rang her doorbell, and she opened the
door.
"You look amazing! I got these for you."
"They're beautiful!" she said as she gave me a hug and quick kiss, before ducking back inside to put them away.
She was back in less than a minute, and we walked to the car hand in hand. I opened the door for her and ran around to
my side. As I got going, she took my hand again and said, "You don't have to bring me something when we're going out
or when you come to see me. Just being with you is the only thing I need, ok?"
"Ok, but that may be a little difficult for me. Have you heard of a relational thing about five love languages? I
read an article on it a while back, and it seemed to make sense to me."
"Yes, but I don't know that I thought much about it. I'm not sure that I remember the five categories."
"They are quality time, gifts, acts of service, affirmation, and physical touch. I'm pretty sure that I default to acts
of service to try and show someone love. That will probably show up as we talk about the bigger questions later."
"Well, my first thought is that I'm more of a quality time girl. So like I said, the flowers are nice, but I want my
time with you."
"Good to know, I want you to let me know if I'm ever prioritizing doing things for you over spending time with
you. I want to make sure I'm speaking the best language for you to feel loved."
"I feel the same, so how do you feel loved?"
"I think I'm more of the physical touch, so it means a lot when you initiate touching me, like holding my hand."
She gave my hand a squeeze and said, "I think I will enjoy this too!"
We got to the pizza place. They had a buffet, so I paid up front. We got a booth out of the way, so we'd be a little
more isolated. We got some pizza and salad, before sitting back down.
"So you're a pepperoni girl?"
"Got it in one. I don't need a ton of toppings to enjoy my pizza."
We ate in silence for a few minutes, just smiling at each other.
She raised her eyebrow and asked, "So you talked to the Commander in a dream?"
"Yep. It looks like my help gave him a new power in helping him break out of the maze he was in. He can pop
in and control dreams of people he knows. He spent all last night catching up with friends and family. I was the last one
before he was planning on waking up. He's going to see about getting the administrator to hire your company to help
improve the heroes."
"Wow that would be quite the cherry. With them on my resume, I shouldn't have any issues getting work ever
again."
"Unless we're too successful. There would be a fine line between helping and being a liability in the wrong
hands. I suppose this would be a good time to ask about what you'd like to do. Do you want to be a Hero?"
"That's a really tough question. I mean of course I want to help save people and make the world safe for others,
but there's a high cost to that. I think it would be awesome to have a power at that level, but I also know of the
responsibility that would come with it."
"I know what you mean. That's exactly what Dave was writing about in his letter. You get to do great things, but
you're put in a protective bubble."
"Maybe if I had the power to anticipate things around a person or event? Then I could figure out the best way to
move forward. If I had that, then we could make the best decision possible."
"Is that an official wish?"
"It has to be, otherwise I'm scared of what might happen to you. With a power like yours, everyone will want to
control it, once they find out about it. We'll have to be very careful to make sure your secret never comes out. I don't
want you locked away and used like a genie. . . Itty bitty living space!"
"Thank you for thinking of me. Why don't I take you home, and see if I can give you that gift? I'll go to work.
You can rest, then come up with a plan. Does that work for you?"
"Of course. I'm not trying to use you. I really do want to help us both."
"I trust you. Let's head back to your place."
I left a good tip, and we headed back to the car. I got the door for her before getting in mine. She took my hand
as we left the pizza place. When we got to her place, I got her door. We held hands as we walked up to her apartment
door. When we got there I pulled her into a loose hug, so we could talk.
"I had a wonderful afternoon and evening. Thank you for the pleasure of your most esteemed company."
"Why, thank you, most kind gentleman. I also greatly appreciated the excellent meal and companionship.
Remember, when in doubt, pinky out."
"Just as long as we don't need any special flavoring words. Are you ready for a gift, my lady?"
"Always from you, but I want to be with you more than getting anything from you."
"As you wish. This hopefully will help us both."
I put my hands on the sides of her face and slowly pulled her in for a very warm soft kiss. As our lips touched I
concentrated on her and searched her page. She had a really large amount of points for me to use because she was
accruing them at my girlfriend level. I found a very expensive option What if?--see more possibilities. I selected and
applied it. I had closed my eyes while concentrating on the kiss, so I opened them.
Katrina was wide-eyed and had a lost look to her.
"Honey, are you ok?"
"Wow. My mind is just stuck on Wow." she said softly.
She still wasn't really engaging, so I got her keys out of her purse and opened the door. I led her in and shut the
door behind us. I led her into the kitchen and got her a drink of water. I held it up to her, and she drank most of it. When
she was done, I put the glass down and led her back to her bedroom. I turned down the bed, helped her take off her
shoes and tucked her in.
"You're safe at home in your bed. You need to go to sleep. Is it ok if I go to work? You can call me, when you
wake up." She nodded. "Ok honey, that's where I'll be if you need me. Call me when you wake up. I'll lock up on the
way out. Good night, beautiful."
I gave her a kiss on her forehead and saw myself out, locking the door as I went.
I drove over to the hospital for work. I was still really tired, and the coffee didn't help much. My mind seemed
really sluggish, so I didn't get as much done as I normally would. I went on my rounds, but didn't have many
conversations. I was really glad when the sun was coming up, and I got to head home.
I went straight to bed and was out like a light.
I woke up to my phone ringing.
"Hello?"
Katrina said, "DJ! I was starting to get worried about you! Did you just wake up?"
"Yeah. I was out like a light. What time is it?"
"You slept through our normal exercise time. It's almost 5pm. Want to pick me up at 6, for supper?"
"Sounds great to me. Thanks for waking me up. I must have really needed it. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine. Thanks for everything last night. I slept until about noon. You sure know how to give a girl a
kiss she'll always remember. I'll let you get some coffee in you. See you in an hour."
"See you then."
She hung up, and I rolled out of bed. I started the coffee going and waited for my first cup. I started to feel more
alive, so I got my shower and dressed. It was still hard for me to believe I had slept for so long.
I parked in front of her apartment and waited, before getting out, so that I could show up at her doorstep right on
time. I rang the doorbell, and she almost immediately opened her door.
"Wow, you look amazing!"
"Thank you, kind sir! I hope you don't mind, I went ahead and made a reservation for us downtown."
"Very good, my lady. Your chariot awaits," I said as I held out my arm for her. She put her arm in mine and
replied, "Why, thank you. I must say you look very fine and quite dapper this enchanting evening."
"I am merely the thorn and stem to your beautiful flower, my lady."
I opened the door for her and ran around to my side. I started driving to the address she gave me. After a minute
I held her hand again, while I was driving. It was only about fifteen minutes until we reached the restaurant. I had been
enjoying holding her hand so much that I realized that we hadn't even talked. I parked and turned to her to find that she
was just watching me with a big smile on her face. She squeezed my hand and said, "Come on honey, let's go eat."
We got out of the car, and I took her hand as we walked to the restaurant. We went in, and they immediately
seated us in a cozy booth in the back corner of the restaurant. The waitress' name was Gina, and we both were good
with just water. Gina was right back with our waters, and I realized it was an Italian restaurant when she brought a salad
for us, while we were deciding what to order. I got the shrimp Alfredo with angel hair pasta, and Katrina got the
chicken parmesan. The salad was excellent, and we had barely made a dent in it, when Gina was delivering our entrees.
She left a pitcher of ice water, told us to enjoy, and to just look at her for a couple of seconds, if we needed anything. I
finished off my salad and was about to start my Alfredo when I decided to test Gina. I looked at her for about five
seconds, and she was walking back over to our table. "Could I get some parmesan?" I asked.
"Of course," and she was back in a minute grinding fresh parmesan on my food.
 "Thank you!"
"Just let me know if you need anything else."
I waited until she was back at her station before talking to Katrina.
"This is a really nice place!"
"The people here have always been great, and I have a soft spot for pasta."
"So how are you really doing? Do you feel any different? What do you remember about last night?"
"I'm doing fine, and I remember it all. It was like I was watching myself on camera and couldn't really do much.
Thank you for getting me to bed. I felt really safe knowing that you'd take care of me. I definitely feel different. I spent
the afternoon trying to figure out what would be best for us, as I went through different scenarios in my mind. Are you
strongly attached to the hospital job? What if you were hired on to work at the Hero building helping with data
analysis? Would that be alright?"
"I suppose so, I mean I never thought I'd stay there forever or anything. I'd miss the people, but there aren't a lot
that I'm really close to. Third shift is horrible for developing relationships with people."
"How upset would you be if I became a hero? "
"If that's what you want to do, then that's great. But only if that's what you really want."
"You've given me a real power! I can focus and see how things might turn out before they happen. I don't know
everything, but in the scope of an event I can replay it in my mind until I find the best solution possible. I can help the
heroes be even better, and hopefully avert disasters before they cause any harm. It also gives you a better way to help
others from the shadows. I can take the focus, and you'd be helping me. You'd get to meet everyone and develop
friendships like normal, and then you could help them after I give them some tasks or training to do. What do you
think? What do you really want?"
"As I said, I want you to be happy and do what you really desire. I want to help people in the best way possible,
but I don't see that as me being the Hero in front of the masses. I'm good with helping those that keep us safe and
making them even better. I'm good helping you and Dave, especially since you'll know at least. I'm pretty sure that will
be good enough for me. Are you sure that's what you want? Once you step into the light, there won't be any shadows to
hide in."
"I'm sure, and thank you. I've looked down the road enough that I'm fairly certain this is the best road for both
of us. Are you ready for a crazy next week? You should call off tonight, so we can go to the Hero building in the
morning. I need to spend the rest of the evening going over the possibilities for tomorrow. I'd like to make sure I have
as much covered as possible. You should meditate on the connection you have with people you've helped. I believe
there's more to it than you've previously thought."
"Good to know. Do you want dessert?"
"No, that was delicious and I ate more than I normally do. How about we walk down the street for some coffee?
I really don't want the evening to end on such a serious note."
"You know how opposed I am to the concept of coffee drinking. Let me take care of this."
"Are you sure? I made the reservation, and I can pay for it."
"Honey, I really want to and I'd feel much better if you let me. I suppose I'm fairly traditional about these things.
So prepare yourself, you're going to have to endure some pampering. Just let me know if I start making decisions for
you or go overboard."
"Ok, but just remember your girlfriend wants to be a partner in this relationship. She wants to make sure her
man is happy too," she said with a big wink.
"I am so happy to be with you, beautiful."
"Right back at you, babe!"
I stared at Gina for a few seconds and gave her my debit card when she got to the table. She had the bill back in
my hand within a couple of minutes. I wrote "Awesome job!" on the bill and left her a 50% tip. We got up and I led the
way as we left the restaurant. I cheerfully told Gina "Thanks!" as we passed her. I don't remember ever having a waiter
or waitress be that efficient or on the ball. When we got outside I took Katrina's hand as we strolled down the sidewalk
toward a coffee shop.
We got a couple of coffees and just walked around downtown talking. When our coffees were done, we headed
back to the car. I got her door before getting in mine. It didn't take long for us to be in front of her door again.
"Thank you for a wonderful gift, evening, and being such a wonderful man. I really want to invite you in, but I
know its best if we wait until after the next week or two. I'm not looking forward to sharing you with other people. This
is still the best way for us to have the most amount of freedom and make the biggest difference, though."
"How do you feel, though?"
 "Happy, alive, hopeful, and excited about the road we're about to take."
"That's what I wanted to hear. I trust you. I'll do what I can, to make sure this leads to the best and most
wonderful place possible."
She pulled me into a tight hug and gave me a passionate kiss. I returned it with my own passion and it was a
while before we had to come up for air.
She gasped. "Wow. I'm going to slip inside before I start tearing your clothes off. Meditate on your connections
and try to get some rest. Good night!"
"Good night!"
She slipped into her apartment, and I was left recovering from that kiss. I went to my car, and used my phone to
let James know I would be out tonight. I marked the calendar and requested the time off in the HR system, before I left
to drive home.
When I got home I made some decaf coffee and sat down on the couch to meditate. I wondered what Katrina
had meant, so I pulled up her information. Her screen said that she was happy, lusting for me, and looking into
possibilities for tomorrow. After that kiss, it was hard for me to not be lusting for her as well. The feel of her body
while we were kissing. . . .
Redirect, your brain, DJ! She said meditate not daydream about her luscious body. It sounded like she believed
the connection was much more than I thought. Maybe by helping people, we shared more than I thought. I thought
about what I had done to improve my information screen, and wondered if I could make more changes. For some
reason, a character sheet from one of the fantasy role playing games, that I liked to play, came to mind.
I focused on wanting my information page to show the person's character sheet. I concentrated on what I
wanted, but it was really weird and hard at the same time. It felt like I was trying to suck a really thick shake up
through a straw. It was barely moving and it made my head hurt like crazy, but I kept at it, letting it take my whole
focus. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, when I felt a release. I was in such a state, that it took a while for me to
remember what I had been trying to do, to begin with.
When I did, I pulled up Katrina's information page and found her character sheet with all sorts of information.
The numbers didn't mean as much to me except as a relative score of her abilities comparatively. She was gifted with
What If?--precognition with Peek Ahead, Foresight, Portents and Omens--and Remote Data Acquisition, Measurement
and Analysis. There was a note with the precognition that explained that it was focus controlled as well as visions of
significant events. She was at home. My gaming background must have played a part in this because there was a
section for her alignment. She had an alignment with two bars, one for evil to good, and one for chaotic to lawful.
There was another bar for True to Oneself. Based on the bars, she was very strongly good, strongly lawful, and very
strongly true to herself. She seemed to be in the same state she had been before based on that section of her sheet. I
started to read the next section and immediately dropped her page. I realized I needed to have some privacy safeguards
on the sheet. Some of the information was very personal, and I really didn't want to pry into the secrets of my friends.
I focused on the information page having a privacy setting, so very personal information would be collapsed
and only readable after answering an "Are you sure?" prompt. When I pulled her information page up again, I was
happy to see that her secrets and very personal information were out of sight. Her character sheet still gave me a lot of
information about her. Based on her sheet, I'd be able to gather a lot of information about a person by pulling up their
sheet. It must have been by upgrading my gift, that I was able to determine information about a person beyond what I
had been told or experienced.
I pulled up Dave's character sheet. Dave's gifts were Commanding Presence, and Dream Communicator. Both
had explanations similar to spells found in some games I had played. The commanding presence was similar to two
spells, one for giving a person a command, and one for making a person your friend for a short amount of time. The
dream communicator was similar to a dream message spell in those games. It allowed him to communicate and control
other peoples' dreams if he knew them. He showed up with a very similar alignment as Katrina although not quite as
lawful. It looked like he was sleeping in his apartment in the Hero building with his girlfriend Angela.
At this point I was really tired, so I got ready for bed. I set my alarm for sunrise, before getting some sleep.
My alarm went off and I felt out of sorts. I assumed it was because I was waking up at about the time I'd be
trying to go to sleep. I got out of bed and focused on getting my coffee. After I waited for it to brew and had a cup in
me, I moved on to getting ready for the day. I showered and got dressed in my normal work clothes. I had just finished
getting ready when I got a call from Katrina.
"Hey, honey! How are you doing? Did it feel weird getting up with the sun rather than going to sleep?"
"Yep. I'm definitely a bit out of sorts, but I should be able to manage with another cup or two of coffee. How did
your future hopping go?"
 "I like that term. It went well. I thought we'd drive separate and meet at the Hero building. We can park in the
visitors' lot. Does an hour from now sound doable?"
"No problem. I look forward to seeing you there."
"I'll see you soon. Bye."
"Bye."
I drank another cup of coffee and thought about bringing a laptop with me. I convinced myself that they
certainly wouldn't want me to. It would be a huge security risk for them. I wondered how they were going to handle our
phones. I had a feeling we'd be surrendering them to security. I was glad I didn't have anything sensitive stored on
there. Since I wasn't sure when I'd be back, I made sure to take my mom's wedding rings, and a few other important
mementos that I didn't want left in my apartment. I remembered to text Jordan that we wouldn't be able to meet. I added
a paragraph about going to the Hero building to see about a job there. He messaged me back with a thumbs up,
followed by a "Let us know how it goes!"
I drove downtown and met Katrina in the visitors' parking lot outside the Hero building. We got out to talk
before going in the building.
I pulled her into a quick hug and kiss before I let her talk.
"Hmm, thanks, honey! I needed that. We're going to apply as heroes today. You're going to be my support
person. Your gifts are informational with some truth detection. Otherwise you are exactly who you are and have been.
Your motivation for being here is to help me, so you can see if our relationship develops. You're willing to switch jobs
to make that happen. Does that sound alright?"
"As close to the truth as we can get. What's your story?"
"I've come into my precognition power late, but I have a stronger control over it. With your help, I can see how
a hero might be able to improve. Today will be the testing day. We won't get to see each other for a couple of days until
they decide what to do with us. You should let James know that you have to take the rest of your PTO days. I've talked
to Charlotte, so she knows that we're here."
I got out my phone, sent the email and updated everything I needed to.
"We won't have our phones after we walk in there. They're pretty uptight about security for good reason. Are
you ready to change the world?"
"I want to be really excited, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried about how this will play out. I trust you,
though, and I'm glad we're doing this together."
She gave me another kiss and said, "This will be great, and you'll be glad you did. This is your Clark Kent role,
so you can make me and the other Heroes your super friends."
"Thanks that analogy helps."
I gave her a passionate kiss that she returned, and it was a bit before we had to break it off.
I smiled, "Now, I'm ready when you are."
She looked me in my eyes and said, "I'm so ready!"
She turned and we started walking toward the entrance hand in hand.

Chapter 5
A guard greeted us as we walked in, "How can I help you?"
Katrina said, "We're here to be assessed. Could you please contact Ms. Shelton? Please let her know there are
two candidates here to be assessed, one as primary and one as secondary."
He nodded and stepped into his station to make the call. A few minutes later, he returned and said, "She'll meet
you on the fourth floor after you've gone through security and been completely cleared."
Katrina said, "That means we'll be separated after we get through security here. They'll have you change out of
your clothes and into their uniforms. It's all part of their security."
We went through the security station and then we separated. A female guard went with Katrina, and a male
guard escorted me to a changing room. He gave me a uniform to put on and a basket to put all my things in. He waited
outside the door for me to get done changing. I gave him the basket when I came out and he left it at the front area
before walking me down a hallway. I got the impression the hallway was more than a simple hallway.
At the end of it was an elevator and he took me up to the fourth floor where a man was waiting for us.
"Hello, my name is Greg Nordman. From what I understand, you're here to be assessed for a secondary role,
supporting your girlfriend?"
"That's correct. Good to meet you, Greg. How does this work?"
 "Well, what kind of gift do you have? Based on your answer, we have different assessment templates. But your
time here will be recorded, so others can develop their own opinions about the strength of your gift."
"My gift is more informational with a bit of truth detection for those people I'm met and are at least
acquaintances."
"So would my meeting you be sufficient?"
I pulled up his character sheet and nodded. "Yes, it would."
"Alright, what kinds of things can you tell about me?"
"You have a gifting that is focused on how well people's personalities interact. I assume you're in charge of team
dynamics and build hero teams that fit well together. I have some general information that you're very strongly true to
yourself, very strongly lawful and strongly good. Is that good enough?"
"That is remarkable, especially since we've never met before. Do you need to see the person?"
"Good question. I don't think so."
"Hmmm, I believe we're going to test what we can do with this. Follow me please."
He led me into a conference room that had a large mirror on one wall. I assumed it was a see through mirror.
"Alright, we're going to test the remote possibilities first. I'm going to leave and you'll hear someone introduce
themselves over the speaker. I'll then ask you about it."
"Alright."
He left and a few minutes later I heard, "Hello, my name is Frank Morsetti."
I said, "Hello, Frank. My name is DJ Young. Good to hear you."
I heard him chuckle for a second before I heard Greg, "Are you able to pull up his information?"
I was able to pull up his character sheet, so I said, "Yes, it looks like he has a gift with light or visualizations. He
pretty much matches you on the other things I told you."
"Very good. Hold on. Next test in a minute."
A couple of minutes later, I heard a woman's voice say, "Hello, my name is Mari Balthrow."
I said, "Hello, Mari. My name is DJ Young. It's good to hear you."
Greg's voice came on next, "What do you have?"
I tried to pull up a sheet for her but I couldn't. I said, "Looks like I can't, so that would lead me to believe she
isn't Mari Balthrow."
Greg said, "I'll have another test in a minute."
A couple of minutes later, I heard a woman say, "My name is Andi Worfield."
I said, "Hello Andi. My name is DJ Young. It's good to hear you."
Anticipating his question, I tried to pull up her sheet and wasn't able to. I said, "I'm not able to get anything on
her."
A minute later he walked into the room.
"Very well. We're going to try the blind fold test now. We're going to see if you have to say anything to "meet"
someone. We'll try from shaking hands, all the way to the barest of touches no skin on either side."
"Sounds good."
He fitted a serious stretch blindfold over my head and had me sit with my hands on the table. A few minutes
later someone came in and walked over to me. They took my hand and shook it without saying a word to me.
I was able to pull up his information, so I said, "Good to meet you John. I'm DJ Young."
He left the room and someone else came in and shook my hand with gloves on.
I was somewhat surprised when I was able to pull up her information. I said, "Good to meet you, Mary. I'm DJ
Young."
She left and someone else came in and put a hand on mine for a couple of seconds and left.
I said, "Sorry, nothing on that one."
Seven more people came in, and I was only able to identify one of them that had given me a hug.
Greg came back in when we were done.
"Very interesting gift you have there. Intent does play into your gift. If the person was intending to know you
better or be known by you, it worked. If not, then it didn't count."
"Thank you. I'd never tested my gift that much before."
"You're welcome. We have some people here that are interested in how your gift might be used, and your
primary is doing very well from what I understand. We'd like for you to spend the afternoon filling out the application
and the other evaluation forms. It will take all afternoon. The application process is longer than the college entrance
exams, but at least there's no calculus on any of it. Are you good to move forward and apply? The application allows us
to do some digging into your background and the veracity of your gifting."
"Sounds good to me. Hopefully I get lunch?"
"Yep. That I can definitely make happen. Follow me, please."
He led me out of there and down the hall.
He asked me, "Do you need a bio break?" as we approached the restrooms.
"Sure, thanks!"
When I was done, we continued down the hall to another conference room with more comfortable chairs. There
was already a meal on a tray with water on the table, as well as a large stack of papers.
"You weren't kidding about the all afternoon to fill out the paperwork."
"No, there's very little kidding going on in this building except in the private areas. Just put your pen on top of
the papers when you're done, and I'll be back to pick you up. If you need another bio break, do the same. See you in a
few hours."
I had a seat and ate quickly before starting on the papers.
It took all afternoon and my hand was seriously cramping by the time I got done. My mind felt like mush as
well from all the questions.
Greg came back to get me and checked a few of the pages. Mainly the ones where I was giving them access to
most of my life and freedom.
"It all looks in order. We're going to have you spend the night in one of our hotel rooms. We'll be processing
your application and reviewing all the pertinent information. Breakfast is at 7:30 am and your first meeting will start at
eight. Someone will be at your door to collect you at 7:25 in the morning. As far as supper is concerned, you get to
order room service. It will get delivered to you. Any questions?"
"No, that all makes sense. Any idea when I'll be able to see Katrina, if all goes well?"
"If all goes well, you'll see her for supper tomorrow night. You won't get to really spend time with her until the
following day, if all things go well. Even with all things going well, you're going to be busy with testing and training
for quite some time."
"I kind of thought that would be the case."
Greg led me down a floor and to a room that looked just like a hotel room with a king sized bed.
"Here you go. Good luck, DJ! I hope everything goes well for you two. Good night."
"Thank you! I appreciate your help. I hope you have a good evening. Good night."
He waved and shut the door. I laid down on the bed for a bit just relaxing. My stomach started growling, so I got
up to read the room service menu. It wasn't bad. I went traditional and ordered a bacon cheeseburger with extra fries
and a large water. I laid back down until I heard a knock at the door about thirty minutes later. One of the guards,
opened the door and pushed a cart with my food into the room. I pulled it into the room by the bed and let the door
close behind it.
The food was good, and I took a long shower after I ate. I checked the clock and made sure the alarm was set
for 6:45am, before I laid down to try and sleep.
I pulled up Katrina's sheet and saw that she was taking a bath. It took a bit to wind down from that imagery, and
get to sleep.
I woke up to the alarm going off. It took a couple of moments to figure out where I was and get it turned off. I
was very glad that they had one of those little coffee makers, so I was able to make myself a cup of coffee. I took a
shower to help with waking up and was ready to go by 7:10. The next fifteen minutes went by very slowly. The knock
on the door finally came and the door opened. A guard escorted me back up to the fourth floor to a cafeteria.
He said, "Get what you like from the buffet. Someone will pick you up in twenty five minutes."
"Thank you."
I got in line and got some breakfast. Not seeing anyone I knew, I sat by myself at one of the smaller tables. I
took my time eating since I had twenty minutes. When I was done, I took my dishes to the return area before sitting
back down.
Another guard came to collect me, and took me to an interview room. There was a seat in the middle of the
room that I was directed to. I sat down and the guard hooked me up. It felt like they'd be running a few different
medical exams from all the connections.
"The interview will start in a few minutes. Please wait patiently."
"Thank you."
He left and a few minutes later some people started coming in and having a seat. When everyone was there, I
had a panel of seven people. A man in the center spoke first, "Good morning, DJ. We hope you slept well. We won't be
giving you our names due to your gift. I hope you understand why. We've all looked over your information and
application. We have a few questions for you. Please answer as clearly and honestly as possible. If the question is too
vague, please ask us to clarify."
The few questions was more like a battery of questions about events, and people from my childhood on. They
asked about my motivations and thoughts that led to different decision points in my life. It was quite the grilling, and I
was glad when it was time for lunch.
I had lunch, like yesterday, in a conference room. After my bio break, I was back in the chair for an afternoon of
more questions. These all centered around hypothetical scenarios and what I would do. On more than a few, I had to
clarify the assumptions and other people involved in the scenario. It seemed to me that they wanted me to make
assumptions about the scenarios. The afternoon went by very slowly as I wrestled with their scenarios and questions.
I was very happy when I was led back into the cafeteria and got to see Katrina. We went through the line
together.
"Hey, beautiful! You're a sight for sore eyes."
"You too, handsome. I'm really glad to see you."
We got a table by ourselves and held hands while we ate and talked.
"I had quite the grilling today. I assume yours was just as much fun?"
"You know it. I'm glad you're holding up so well."
"No worries. You look happy."
"It's going well and I'm looking forward to getting through the initial interviews."
"Greg said something about possibly getting through those tomorrow."
"That's what I understand. Eat a little faster, honey. They'll be here to pick us up in a couple of minutes."
I shoveled the rest of my food in, and we took our trays and dishes to the return area. We walked back to the
entrance holding hands. When I saw two guards approaching, I gave Katrina a quick hug and kiss. "I hope you have a
good night's sleep, beautiful."
She smiled, "You too, handsome."
We followed our guards down different hallways, and I was led to another hotel like room.
I followed the same routine and tried to get some sleep.
I was glad I got to join Katrina for breakfast.
"How'd you sleep, my lady?"
"Alright, how about you?"
"A little better. My body doesn't know what I'm trying to do to it. Any ideas of what to expect for today?"
"I believe we'll be starting the transition to probationary support heroes, but we'll see."
"Any thoughts on what I should be focusing on?"
"Just be your wonderful self and continue to see what you can do with your connections, especially mine. I'm ok
with whatever you may find out about me, so you have my permission to read my open book."
"Are you sure? I glimpsed some private things before I thought to put some privacy settings in place. I don't
want to take advantage of you."
She squeezed my hand, "Honey, I'm giving you permission to read what you feel comfortable knowing about
me, up to and including everything. I also want you to continue trying new things with our connection to see what you
can do."
"I'll see what I can do. Thanks for trusting me."
"It's more than a bit of a turn on for me, handsome. I'm naked and completely laid bare before you, anticipating
what you might do with me."
I licked my lips, "That's not going to make our separation any easier. I can see I'll be having cold showers in my
future."
"We'll get through this phase, and you'll really like the next. I promise. Unfortunately, reality is returning in the
form of our escorts."
We returned our trays and dishes, and I gave Katrina another hug and kiss before we parted ways.
I found myself back in gym class. I spent the whole day doing all sorts of physical activities including a few
different obstacle courses. I was completely exhausted by supper. It was good to see Katrina again.
"You look beat. You're doing well, honey! Aren't you glad you were in shape? Just imagine if you had been the
typical IT guy. Good job, honey!"
"That was an intense day. I'm sure it was for a baseline, but I'll be out like a light tonight. How did your day
go?"
 "It went well. They're still testing my gift with specific events for me to try and read. I'm pretty sure I've worked
my way up to real events they want data on. I'm thinking of taking the alias Seer and having long white hair. How does
that sound?"
"Are you kidding? You'll be smoking hot, straight from the comics!"
She smirked. "Somehow I thought you might like the idea. That's farther down the road, but I'm trying to stay
ahead of things as much as I can. Keep striving for more with your connections, especially mine. It's going to be
important."
We finished up supper, and she pulled me into a tight hug and passionate kiss, before we had to go our separate
ways.
When I got to the room, I took a long hot shower to help with my sore muscles. I felt a bit better afterwards and
crashed on the bed. I pulled up Katrina's information and saw she was thinking about me. I focused on her connection
and wanting to talk to her. I concentrated hard, pressing into the connection with all my strength.
I heard Katrina say, "DJ, can you hear me?"
"Katrina, I hear you! Can you hear me?"
"Yes, honey! Great job! Now we have our own private line. Just to remind you, everything we do and say is
being recorded and monitored. That's the new normal, even when we're official heroes. That's what Dave was talking
about in his letter. We have our own chat line now though. I missed not being able to really talk to you."
I exclaimed, "I'm glad we've gotten to see each other at meals now. I was concerned that we'd be sequestered
from each other for even longer. This seems so unreal, like a cross between prison and summer camp."
"Part of that is because of your gift. They don't want you really meeting people until they're sure. They're
concerned that you're getting even more information about the people than you've mentioned. Of course, it's going to be
interesting to correlate who you haven't met in six months. Those people will probably have something they're trying to
hide. You've done a good job. Everything is going as well as can be expected, including you growing your power. At this
point though, we want to keep it simple as far as what the agency knows. Do you mind if we use our hot line to get to
know each other better?"
"Of course not, it doesn't sound like we'll be able to really date in this environment. I do want to know more
about you. I haven't read everything on your character sheet because I want to find out the normal way."
"I can understand that, I don't have the option of finding out more about you in any other way. So the
information page is a character sheet now? That sounds really cool, almost like we're in a video game or the Matrix.
Well, all we know is what we know. So if we were out to eat at a nice restaurant and we had just finished ordering, what
would you say?"
"Well if I had a visual on you, I'm positive I'd tell you how beautiful you look. You had to put that image of you
with long white hair and a sexy super suit in my mind. It's hard not to drool thinking about it. That's not to say I
wouldn't be drooling over you with any other hair color as well. Of course, on our date, you wouldn't have heard the
inner monologue. So what's a really good memory you have of growing up?"
"Well, I don't mind getting some of your inner monologue added to the conversation. Some of mine would be
appreciating how handsome you are and the attention you're showing me. You have a way of focusing on me that really
makes me feel special, like you only have eyes for me. I meant what I said when you landed the part of my boyfriend.
Even with all of these changes, it's still true. Now about those memories, you mentioned summer camp. Let me tell you
about some fun I had when I was ten."
We talked for a couple of hours, just sharing stories about our childhood. It was fun, and we both enjoyed
laughing about some of the silly things we had done.
I said, "It's getting late, my lady. We both need to get some rest for tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you at
breakfast."
"Me, too. I'll meditate for a while longer, so we don't both try to go to sleep at the same time. I don't want to
make them suspicious. Good night, honey!"
"Good night!"
I broke off the connection and got comfortable in the bed. I went to sleep wondering if I'd be able to do more
than talk. Maybe we could share a dream, like Dave was able to do.
The next couple of weeks went by basically with the same routine. We got to eat breakfast and supper together,
while we were both tested and pushed to see what we were made of. I was glad that I had been in pretty good shape,
otherwise it would have been horrible. We enjoyed catching up with each other every evening before going to bed.
We'd have our own private dates in our minds. We took turns choosing the scene for our date and describing it. It was
fun and a little hokey, but it worked. It was a nice change from the institutionalized program we were going through.
Chapter 6
I woke up to the alarm going off and made sure I was ready to be collected. I gave Katrina a hug and kiss when
I met her at breakfast.
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Good morning, handsome!"
"Did you sleep well?"
"I had wonderful dreams with my handsome man. And yourself?"
"I was dreaming about having dreams with you, my lady."
"Hmmm, I like where you're going with that. Keep working on it. Are you ready for another fun-filled, exciting
day?"
"I certainly hope so, although fun might definitely be stretching it."
When we finished eating, I was surprised to see that Greg had come to collect us.
He smiled, "Congratulations to both of you! You're moving up to the fifth floor and given your own rooms
there. We're placing you in a support team with two other support heroes. You'll be meeting them after we stop off at
your rooms."
He led the way to our rooms on the fifth level. Our rooms were on opposite sides of the floor, and they had a
hand scan to allow access. When he was done showing us, he said, "We don't want you having visitors over for another
month. We've found that when that's happened in the past, there have been some serious social ramifications in the team
building process. So we'll be notified, if you have guests in your room. Thank you for your self-control in this. Now
let's go meet your new teammates."
He led us to another conference room with two women seated by each other. They were both dressed in
business casual attire and were really pretty. They stood up and smiled at us when we entered.
The one on the left said, "Welcome to being a hero! I'm Helen Macao, and I'm the team lead for our team. This
is Lina Dalton."
I said, "As I'm sure you know, I'm DJ Young and this is Katrina Whitaker. Good to meet you both."
Greg said, "I'll leave you all to it," as he left the room.
Helen said, "Why don't we have a seat? I thought we'd talk for a bit before the mandated team building
exercises."
We sat down and she continued, "We have seen your files, and we're excited to have you both as a part of our
team. In here, teams are more of our social circle and hopefully friend group. The jobs you get assigned are separate
from the teams and are based on your gifts, skills and training. As you may have guessed, we don't get much social
interaction outside of the building. Hence the focus on a team that everyone feels comfortable with and will hopefully
develop good friendships with. To help with that I'd like us to go around and give each other a bit more information
about how we came to be here. I'm Helen, and I always hoped to be a hero, even as a very young girl. I was really
happy when I found out that I had a healing gift. I trained to be a doctor until I was accepted into the agency. I still
study to better understand the human body, in the hope that I will improve my ability to heal things we don't
understand. I occasionally get sent on healing missions to help others. I've been here for three years." She looked at
Lina.
Lina excitedly jumped in, "Hi! I'm Lina, and I'm a techie. I found out that I had a gift for building high tech
gadgetry. My job here is to make cool things and fix the tech that breaks in the fights. This is what I hoped that I would
be doing, and it's been a blast creating new things! I've been here two years."
Katrina smiled, "Hi! I'm Katrina. I have a gift with data analysis and precognition that developed later than
normal. I happened to have the good fortune to meet DJ and snag him as my boyfriend. When I knew what I could do
with my gift, I knew I had to come help the heroes. Thank you for having us in your team."
"Hi! I'm DJ. I've got an informational gift that tells me things about people I meet. I worked in IT at a hospital,
helping with data analysis. I met Katrina and decided to follow her here, so we could keep developing our relationship.
I never really thought much of my gift, but I'm starting to see how it might be useful. So how did you two get chosen
for a new team or what happened to the other members of the team?"
Helen replied, "I'm glad you asked. The teams really only officially last for three months, but the hope is that
the friendships endure. Greg chose us for your team since his gift has to do with matching people's personalities. So
hopefully we'll get along really well. I'm sure part of the reasoning is that we're a couple as well. We got to know each
other when there was a hardware failure in one of the labs and Lina got hurt. Our relationship kind of went from there,
and we've been helping each other ever since."
"So is it better than high school?"
Helen and Lina laughed. "Yes, although there are echoes of those cliques here. We each have our part to play
and no one, except maybe Katrina now, knows when they are going to need the gift of one of the other heroes. There
isn't a superman that can deal with all the villains. Each crime is quickly analyzed, and the best suited heroes are sent to
try and take care of it. Given your gift, you may have a security job at some point. You'd at least be able to pick up on
people using aliases, if you meet them. Are you ready for the mandated team building?"
Katrina smile, "Sounds exciting! How much do you want me to help with this?"
Helen said, "Feel free to help as much as you can. Your gift is part of the team building as well."
"That's great. You should be thinking about what we should do with the extra time we have left at the end of the
day."
Helen led us to a gym room where she read from a card what our first assignment as a team was. When she was
done, Katrina suggested the roles for each of the team members before we gave it a try. When we passed the
assignment on the first try, Helen and Lina were happy to listen to Katrina's suggestions for the rest of the activities. We
ended up getting done with the day's activities three hours earlier than expected.
Helen said, "This is going to be a very different week than any of my past team building weeks. Thanks for your
help, Katrina. Let's go to the team suite and chill."
She led the way to a large comfortable living area with a small kitchenette off to the side. Helen and Lina had a
seat on one of the couches while Katrina and I sat at the other.
Helen said, "These suites are normally open for whoever wants to use them, but since we're a new team
forming, we have this one assigned to us for the week. The cabinets have all sorts of snacks, and we have a huge
selection of movies and shows we can watch. Any suggestions?"
Katrina smiled, "How about The Princess Bride?"
Lina chuckled. "Somehow I'm not surprised you suggested that. That's one of our favorites. I'll get it playing.
DJ, how about getting a couple bowls of popcorn going?"
"I'm on it."
When I got the bowls of popcorn done, I gave one to the girls on their couch and settled down by Katrina on
ours. It didn't take long for her to be snuggled into me. The movie was nice, but I really enjoyed holding Katrina, while
we watched it. I caressed Katrina's shoulders and ran my fingers through her hair, while I lightly massaged her head.
The movie was over all too soon.
Helen said, "Thanks, Katrina. That was really nice. Let me know if you have suggestions for our extra time for
the rest of the week. Do you want to eat up here or go down to the cafeteria?"
Katrina looked at me for a second before she answered, "Let's eat up here. We're already comfortable, so order
whatever you two would normally get and double it."
Lina replied, "Sounds good. Pizza it is." She went to a console on the counter in the kitchenette and ordered a
couple of pizzas before she sat back down, snuggling into Helen. We chatted until the pizza got there, and we started
eating. I wasn't surprised when one of the pizzas just had pepperoni.
Katrina, all of a sudden, said, "Oh. . . . . Hold on a minute. . . .Helen, the Mind Maze is going to try to rob the
First National bank's safety deposit boxes tonight after midnight. He's going to slip in door three, and the response team
needs to wait until he's in the building before they move against him. The response team should include the
Commander, so he can command those trapped in a mental maze to wake up. That's what I got."
Helen got up, went to the console and started typing away. A few minutes later, she came back and sat down.
"How's that work?"
"I see a vision of something happening like I'm watching a movie clip. When it's done, depending on how it
goes, I replay it while thinking about a different response. I replay the clip with as many different options as I can think
of, until I have the best case scenario. Case in point for tonight, if the Commander doesn't go, then one of the heroes
will get injured when they're trapped in a mental maze. If the response team waits until he's in the building then he'll get
caught either way, though."
Lina said, "That's really cool! You can only think through options you know about, right?"
"Yes, that's why I was looking forward to finding out more about who is available. I also don't know what the
trigger is for the visions. I'm assuming that because I'm somewhat officially a hero, my gift is triggering for the area
we're responsible for. That was really cool! Hopefully everything will go well tonight."
We spent the week getting to know Helen and Lina. We really enjoyed each other's company and had fun with
our team building exercises. Katrina and I continued dating every night after we went to bed. Katrina had asked me not
to help my new teammates yet, and to save up my help for later.
The following week I got tasked with being the entrance guard, meeting people as they came in the building.
Not much happened during my shift until the third day, when I didn't get a read on a man after he introduced himself to
me. I pressed the alarm button as I waved him forward to go through the security portal. The openings slammed shut as
soon as he was in it. Some men appeared and the whole portal was lifted and put in a service elevator. A few minutes
later another security portal was set up in the same place as the first. It was back to normal in the space of less than ten
minutes. I never heard what happened with the man.
We slowly started getting introduced to other heroes. I got the impression it was on a volunteer basis that the
other heroes stopped in to meet us during our team time in the evening. It was cool to find out more information about
the other heroes. I didn't talk about any of the information I found out except to Katrina during our private talks.
One morning, we found out that we would be training with Midnight Angel to see if we could help her. After
breakfast, we met her in the training center. We knew who she was from the news reports. She had a really strong
presence that brought Wonder Woman to mind. With her raven, long hair, she had me comparing her against Gal Gadot
and Linda Carter. She was definitely closer to Linda Carter, while still being ripped like Gal.
She said, "Good to meet you two. I'm Angela Gunner. Dave's told me lots of good things about you. What do I
need to do for you to get a read on me?"
I said, "Good to meet you as well, Angela. Dave's a good friend."
Katrina smiled, "It's good to meet you. Why don't you stretch and warm up? Nothing too strenuous, DJ is going
to ask you some questions."
She gave me a look, so I mentally asked, "Is there anything I should be asking her?"
"Nothing too specific. Ask her some questions about her first memories of her gift and how she used it. It will be
good to get her focused on her gift. Can you keep our line open?"
"Sounds like that's my training for the day. If I lose connection, give me a wink with your right eye to remind
me."
"So winking with my left eye, has all the fun meanings?"
Angela started stretching, so I tried to focus on Katrina. Katrina seemed to be having some fun with the fact that
I was getting distracted by Angela.
I asked, "What do you remember about the first time you used your power? Did you have any dreams or were
there any unusual things that happened around that time?"
"I really don't remember any specific event. In elementary school, I remember being full of energy and
constantly running from thing to thing. Gym class was my favorite, and I was able to do pretty much anything they
asked me to. I don't remember getting tired. I think that's what really clued me in. I wasn't surprised when the agency
showed up at my house when I was ten. I was so excited to become a hero. That seems like more than a lifetime ago."
"How did you deal with the isolation and competition in the academy?"
"I was strong and fast, so I didn't have any issues with getting bullied. That said, I didn't really make any
friends. The academy didn't encourage friendships, because the dropout rate was so high. I'm just glad I was good
enough to be a hero. The good news and bad news is that it doesn't take many heroes to keep a city in line. The number
of jobs I have gotten to take has continued to go down. There are other heroes that can get the same result, and are able
to handle a larger range of possibilities. That's one of the reason's I volunteered, to see if you could help. I don't want to
just be the Commander's girlfriend."
Katrina said, "What kind of gift or area of improvement do you think would make you more effective?"
"I've got my fighting skills up, but it would be good if I had a way to get to my target before they knew I was
there. The gadgets for cloaking don't work so well. I also can't fly, so my maneuverability isn't good. Fortunately there
are some gadgets that aren't too bad for that, but they don't fare well in combat."
I said, "That's good to know. When was the last time you felt like you really grew or leveled up in your gift or
power?"
"I really don't know. I steadily improved until a few years ago. I feel like I hit a plateau, and have trained just to
keep my edge. I'm really hopeful that you will be able to help."
"So you don't have any internal measurement or clarification of your skills? You've just been doing the best you
can to improve?"
"Yeah. I've heard of other people having interfaces like they were in a video game. Not me, it's like I was
dropped in the game but can't bring up my character sheet, journal or log. I've just been playing it by ear."
Katrina said, "Hopefully we can help figure out how to get you off the plateau and climbing higher. Could you
show us some moves or demonstrations of your gift?"
 "Sure thing."
She started into a martial arts routine, and every minute or so, she increased her speed. It was very impressive
and it was hard to track some of her movements after a bit. She was really fast, but not superfast like the Flash or some
other speedster.
Her icons started flashing, so I pulled up her sheet. She had a gift in speed, endurance, and flexibility. I looked
through the options for possibilities. There was a low cost one for Insight that would give her information about herself
and gifting. I made a note of it, and continued to look for something else to possibly combine with it. Under her speed
gift, I found an option for Burst which would allow her to move superfast briefly so it would seem that she teleported.
It seemed like a good possibility. I kept looking and found a Camouflage option that was a possibility.
Angela was still going through her routine. I mentally talked to Karina, "I can give her some insight into her
gift, as well as either a speed burst like a teleport or camouflage. Thoughts?"
Karina responded, "Give me a minute to run through some scenarios." After a few minutes, she continued,
"Looks like the Camouflage would be the best choice, but let's wait for you to make the change until tonight. Thanks!"
Karina said to Angela, "That's really impressive! How much meditation do you do?"
"Not much, other than stretching."
"Well, that's where I want you to focus for the next few days. Our gifts often respond to us, but there needs to be
a difference between pushing your body and pushing your gift. Your focus for the next few days is searching to better
understand your gift through meditation. Today I'd like you to focus on listening to your body, and quieting your mind.
I'm hopeful that in the quietness, you will become more aware and find out more about your gift."
"That sounds really good, but just so you know, I've never had much success at meditating or quieting my
mind."
"All the more reason to expect some good things to come out of it. Meditation is a skill that anyone can learn
and get better at. I want you to put as much effort into this as you have in your physical training."
"Do I need to be in any set place?"
"No, but you want to find a place with the least distractions as possible. You might want to burn off some
energy before each session as well. We'll meet with you each morning to take some more measurements and talk."
"I'll do that, and find a good spot."
She took off at a sprint around the track. I still had some time before I was on duty.
I asked, "Do you want to stay and train with me?"
Katrina got a far-away look in her eye, before she answered, "I'll have to take a raincheck. I need to go talk to
Sonja. Something global is going to happen, but I can't figure out what it might be. I'll keep you posted."
"See you after my shift."

Chapter 7
We hugged and kissed before she left to talk to Sonja. I stayed and exercised, until it was time for my shift.
Nothing much happened on my shift, and I was happy to get back to our area for a late supper. We met in one of the
team suites, and they already had pizza.
Katrina asked, "How did it go?"
"Nothing much happened. I'm looking forward to getting trained on the systems here, so I can help with some
data analysis or integration."
Helen shook her head, "It takes forever to get access. They have so many hoops to jump through for your
clearance to get approved. It will happen though."
I asked Katrina, "How did your talk with Sonja go?"
She shrugged, "Not much to say, other than something big is coming. It's frustrating to know, but not be able to
pin it down."
"Do you think it's a threat?"
"No, it's not like it's an event that is changeable. It's going to happen, and it's not directly a threat. I just wish I
could know more."
I replied, "You know more than anyone else, and no one gets all the answers."
As I finished saying that, I heard a voice in my mind, "Phase One of mana infusion of highest lifeform complete.
Phase Two of mana infusion to lower lifeforms commencing. Reproduction restricted to individuals at level three and
above. Level indicator added to individual forehead perception."
Everyone looked wide-eyed, so I assumed that they had heard it just as I had. As I looked at the girls, a number
was visible in front of their forehead. I focused on my forehead, and the number three popped up. A moment later, we
heard, "Building lockdown initiated. Report to the training center for a full staff meeting. Everyone is required to
attend."
I looked at Katrina, seeing that she was a level four. She said, "That answers what I had been anticipating, but
now there are so many more questions. We'd best be going."
We headed to the training center, and as soon as we got there, Sonja pulled Katrina to the side to talk to her. I
stayed with Helen and Lina, joining the crowd of people assembling. A few minutes later, Sonja made her way to a
platform to address us all.
"First, let me say that from what we can determine, everyone in the world heard the message, at the same time
and in their own native language. The President will be giving an address to the nation in an hour. I've been told that
there isn't an immediate threat, but something fundamental has changed. Our best guess at the moment is exactly what
the message said. Just like humans have developed powers over the last couple of decades, the animals and plants will
also develop some power. The message means the gifting of the human race was not an accident or evolution, but the
plan of persons or beings unknown."
She paused to let that sink in, before she continued, "The reproduction part of the message is going to cause
chaos and panic. Our job is going to be the same, but this changes everything. Hopefully this mana infusion of the
plants and animals will be introduced slowly like the gradual appearance of our powers. Sorry we don't know more, but
it's a new world for all of us. Please continue as normal for now, until we determine next steps across the country.
Following the President's address, those of you cleared for outside duty will be out in the city as a visible reminder that
we are still here and ready to help keep the peace. We'll keep everyone posted as we learn more information. Thank
you. You're dismissed."
She didn't wait for questions, but exited the platform. As she passed by, she motioned for Katrina to follow her.
Katrina squeezed my arm before she followed Sonja. Helen, Lina and I headed back toward our team suite. Both Lina
and Helen were level two. At the door, Lina said, "I'm going to go set up a production line for earpieces. I have a
feeling were going to need a lot more of them soon."
We nodded as she left. Helen said, "I wish there was something I could do, but I imagine most of the world feels
like I do. What is the world going to be like if all living things have powers? This is going to change everything. The
world itself is going to get so much more dangerous, and the average person is going to have to be able to defend
themselves. And on top of that, we won't be able to have kids, unless both partners are level three? I imagine most of
the world's population is level one. Talk about a motivator to develop your gift!"
"It definitely is a game changer. Hopefully the infusion will be gradual, so we have time to adjust and level up.
I'm kind of glad I don't have to figure it out, but I imagine I need to get more capable of defending myself."
"I'm in the same boat. Other than exercising and training to stay in shape, I haven't done much, other than focus
on my gift."
"I think that's going to change for everyone now. The problem is going to be keeping the wheels on the bus, so
everyone has their needs met."
"I imagine that will be addressed by the President. We'll just have to see where the rabbit hole leads."
Lina came in and joined us. They hugged, and after a whispered conversation, left the suite heading toward their
room. I sat down on the couch, and thought about the implications of the message. It wasn't long before I noticed that
people were gathering in the main open area to watch the President's message.
His message echoed everything that Sonja had said, while stating that the military and National Guard were
being called home from abroad and up into service. He was working on a plan to allow life to go on as normal for the
average citizen, while safeguarding the populace from a new threat. As a level one himself, he told everyone to take
their gifts seriously, to work toward leveling up. He encouraged everyone to remain hopeful and keep on. Our nation
would meet this change together, and overcome this new challenge.
It was a good speech, and I was glad he was taking the challenge seriously. When it was done, most of the
heroes left to go out into the city. I thought it would be a quiet night, as everyone was still wrapping their minds around
the message. I headed back toward the team suite, when I heard an announcement.
"All staff will have a new schedule starting tomorrow, to allow for extended training every day. Please login to
the hero web portal to see your new schedule."
When I got to the team suite, I used the console to login and check my schedule. I wasn't scheduled for guard
duty, and had two training sessions a day. I noticed that our meeting with Angela was still scheduled, but over lunch
rather than just after breakfast. It looked like the agency was going to make sure we were all as prepared as we could
be.
 I had just gotten comfortable on one of the couches when Katrina came in. I was going to get up, but she waved
at me to stay where I was. She sat down next to me and laid her head in my lap. I kissed her on her forehead, and
started stroking her hair.
I asked, "How are you doing?"
"Mentally exhausted. My brain has been running through scenarios constantly, trying to understand what would
be the best things to be doing."
"We have a lot more training scheduled now."
"I know. That was one of the first decisions. Things are going to get difficult for everyone. I was hoping I'd have
more time with you all to myself."
I looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head. "Sorry my mind keeps jumping ahead and back. I would
like to invite you to my room for supper tonight."
I raised my eyebrow as a silly grin ran across my face. She smiled, "I got permission for the rest of the waiting
period to be waived. So would you like to join me for supper, just the two of us?"
"More than you can imagine."
She licked her lips, before she pulled my head down for a passionate kiss. It was wonderful, and it took all my
self-control to not start undressing her. She was able to break it off after a few minutes. As we were both catching our
breath, she said with a big grin, "Wow. I'd best go get ready." She gave me a very intense look and winked her right
eye. I switched to mentally talking to her as she continued in my mind, "Give Angela the gifts we had talked about and
something for Helen and Lina. My room in one hour, don't you dare be late. I'm starving." She looked me up and down
to make sure I knew she wasn't talking about food.
I returned her grin with my own. "So am I." as I licked my lips, looking her up and down.
She blew me a kiss and headed to her room. I went to mine and got ready. I quickly pulled up Angela's character
sheet and applied the Insight and Camouflage gifts. I pulled up Helen and Lina's sheets, and looked them over. They
both had options for a gifting in martial arts called Zen Movement. I selected and applied it for both of them. With my
changes, the three women were level three.
I was at Katrina's door counting down the seconds to knock. When I knocked I heard, "Come on in. I'm in the
back," from the speaker. I scanned my hand and the door opened. Her suite was just like mine with a sitting area,
kitchenette, and large bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. She wasn't in the sitting area, and wasn't in the
kitchenette, so I continued back to the bedroom. I paused at the door taking in the lovely sight before me. She was
standing in front of her bed in a gorgeous evening gown with a plunging neck line. She looked stunningly beautiful as
she smiled at me.
I had to clear my throat to be able to say something because she looked so good. "You are the most beautiful
woman in the world."
I slowly walked to her and pulled her into my arms, as we smiled at each other, looking each other in the eyes.
She said, "I have a confession to make."
I raised my eyebrow, and she continued, "I didn't fix supper."
I intently looked her in the eyes, "I love you, Katrina."
I pulled out my mom's engagement ring, as I went to one knee, holding out the ring and asked, "Will you marry
me?"
"Yes, my love!"
I slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her hand before I stood up. I passionately kissed her and lost myself
in her feel, smell, and passion. Our hands roamed each other's bodies as we kissed. She turned us around, so my back
was to the bed. When she broke off the kiss, she pushed me toward the bed. The push was enough for me to sit down on
the edge of the bed, and with a gleam in her eye and a hungry grin, she unzipped the back of the gown in one fluid
movement. A moment later, the gown was pooled at her feet, as she stood naked in front of me. My mouth dropped
open and my brain froze as I saw her blush spread down to her magnificent breasts.
I was able to get out, "Wow."
She smiled and said, "While I have you stupefied, I wanted to especially thank you properly for the gifts you
gave me that you didn't realize. Remember when I asked you about healing me of something physical? See my arms
and legs? You made them beautiful, honey. I used to have psoriasis badly on my elbows, knees and back of my neck. I
grew up hiding myself from view because of it, and you took it away."
As her beautiful breasts continued to capture my attention, she sauntered to me, bringing them right in front of
my face. I was still just getting out "Wow."
She continued, "and these," she cupped her gorgeous breasts, "these weren't so full and nice before, but now, I
have these wonderful boobs to share with you. You didn't realize it then, but you made my dreams come true just by
wanting to help me. I want to spend the rest of my life helping you help others. I am all yours, DJ. Every part. Any
time. Anywhere. All yours."
As I leaned in to gently kiss her left nipple, she put her hands in my hair and pulled my head closer. I focused on
kissing, licking and sucking her beautiful nipple until it was hard. She moaned and straddled my leg as she started
rubbing herself against me. She started taking off my clothes, as I moved to her other breast, while playing with her left
breast with my hand. A few minutes later, I turned her, laying her on the bed while I stood and finished undressing. She
scooted back on the bed as she watched my eyes devouring her. I knelt on the bed and started kissing my way up the
inside of her legs, looking her in the eyes after every kiss and lick.
I could see and smell how wet she was as I kissed my way to her honeypot. She put her hands in my hair as I
licked up her sweet nectar. I had just started sucking her little nub when she started orgasming, clamping my head
between her legs. I kept licking her nectar as she gushed over and over. The view up her body, as her body shook in
ecstasy, made me so hard, it hurt. Our eyes met, and she gasped. "Take me. I need you in me. Please."
I kissed my way up her body as I positioned myself. I passionately kissed her on the mouth as I slowly entered
her warmth. She pulled me farther in as her legs wrapped around me. She started orgasming again as I bottomed out
and moved to kiss her neck and throat. Her hands clawed at my back as I slowly started moving in and out of her. Her
spasms clenched me as I easily slid in and out. I was using all of my will power to hold myself back, until I heard her
whispering, "Fuck me, DJ," over and over again.
It was too much, and I knew I couldn't take any more. I sped up, looking her in the eyes as I said, "I love you."
She pulled me into a passionate kiss as I let go, flooding into her as our bodies jerked against each other.
We held each other tight as we came down. I rolled us over, so I was on the bottom, with Katrina lying on top of
me. As our breathing returned to normal, I started caressing her back and stroking her hair.
She shivered and smiled down at me. "Wow that was so intense. I've been dreaming about that for so long."
"So have I. That was the best experience of my life. You are completely amazing."
"As are you, lover."
Katrina started kissing my chest and slowly moved lower, as I stroked her hair. By the time she got below my
waist, I was hard and throbbing with anticipation. She licked and kissed me until it was difficult for me to not push her
head down on me. She must have felt the pressure, because she chuckled before she quickly straddled me and slowly
lowered herself down on me. I let out a moan of pleasure as I was encased in her wet warmth. I opened my eyes to her
beautiful breasts hanging like ripe fruit in front of me. I sucked, licked and teased her breasts as she ground herself into
me. I slipped a hand down in between us and started rubbing her as she rocked on me. A few moments later, she was
climaxing and I rolled us, so I would be on top. Seeing her laid out below me on the bed as I pounded into her, drove
me crazy. I wanted to race to the end so badly, but I forced myself to go as slowly as I could. All too soon, I emptied
myself into her and collapsed beside her. She rolled halfway onto me as we held each other, and we fell asleep.
I woke up the happiest man in the world, to the sight of my beautiful lady still asleep on me. The rest of my
body woke up very quickly, which caused her to wake and open her eyes.
I smiled. "Good morning, beautiful."
She smiled in return. "Best morning ever, handsome." She repositioned herself, before kissing me and lowering
herself on me. She quickly rode me and we both climaxed. As I held her afterwards, she said, "We need to get going.
Breakfast will be over soon, and we have training. We need to eat or we might pass out during it."
She got up and started to dress, while I watched. She looked back at me questioningly, so I said, "You are so
beautiful and wonderful. Thank you."
She smiled and gave me a wink before saying, "Thank you. That was incredible. Come on, you need to get
moving."
She ducked into the bathroom, while I dressed. When we were both ready, we went out to breakfast holding
hands. I couldn't keep the huge grin off my face, even as I ate breakfast. The meal went by quickly because I only had
eyes for Katrina. Unfortunately, the training session wiped the grin off my face with pure exhaustion. We exercised
hard, then started unarmed combat training. Angela was our instructor, and she didn't pull any punches. She made it
clear that we needed to learn or we might die. She was intense and passed that intensity on to us.
By the time we were done, it was hard for me to walk. I sat against the wall and rested, trying to get my breath
back. Katrina sat down next to me and held my hand. She was just as exhausted as I was. I mentally said, "That was
quite the session. Definitely one of those, if it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger."
She chuckled. "Yep, we're all going to have to get a lot stronger."
"So ideas on what you'd like for your next gift? You have more points than you can imagine."
 "As much as I'd like something cool, the world needs someone to organize and administrate all our resources,
so humanity doesn't crash and burn. If there are any points left over, I wouldn't mind being invulnerable for a few
seconds."
"I'll see what I can do. . . ."
I pulled up her sheet and went looking for options. It took a bit, but I found an option called Queen Bee--the
master planner and orchestrator. I selected it and applied it, before I kept looking for a defensive gift. I found an
option for a Very Short Term Invulnerability and another option for Short Term Invisibility. I selected and applied both
of them. I figured with both of them, she should be able to get away from a sticky situation.
I noticed her level was now a five. I mentally said, "I got you covered as requested. I was able to add a short
term invisibility as well."
She replied, "Thank you! You are my hero! I know you would like to take a cool gift yourself with your points
from helping us, but I need you to upgrade your gift."
I groaned a little, but used almost all my points to upgrade my power. I felt a warmth spread through my body
as my body relaxed and felt energized. I wondered what had happened with my gift. As soon as I did, my character
sheet came up. My relational enhancement gift had leveled up to three, and I was now a level four. In the paragraph
following it, I read that my connections would cause resonance, so we could share powers, skills, energy, and health to
some degree. I had a few points left, so I looked through my options. I was really excited to see one called Lover's
Delight--who needs Viagra. I smiled mischievously as I selected and applied it.
Katrina said, "Oh that felt good. What did you do? I felt like I went to a spa for a day in the span of a few
seconds."
"I leveled up my gift and got resonance through my connections. We'll be able to share more of our powers,
skills, energy and health passively through the connection. There must be a percentage multiplier for us both to feel a
rush."
She batted her eyes at me. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"
I grinned back at her. "Have I showed you lately how much I love you?"
"That rush actually helped quite a bit with some of the soreness from your last demonstration. Talk about a
win--win situation! It looks like we need to meet with Angela. I'm going to talk to Sonja afterwards. We're going to get
our first event sometime this afternoon."
I got up and helped Katrina up. We walked over to Angela. I was glad she had dropped her drill sergeant
persona.
Katrina asked, "How has the meditation gone?"
Angela broke into a big smile. "I leveled up last night! I was able to pull up a window with my gifts! There was
one there that I didn't even suspect. It's been awesome! I have a whole new area to grow in. I can't thank you enough,
especially since everything is changing. I have a feeling we're going to need every advantage we can get."
Katrina nodded. "I agree," as she glanced at me. She continued, "Well, keep meditating and working on your
other gift as much as you can. I'm going to go see Sonja."
I left with Katrina, and went to my room for a hot shower before heading to lunch. Helen and Lina were there,
so I sat with them.
"How are you two ladies doing?"
Helen replied, "Something must have happened with the message yesterday, because we both leveled up last
night. When we went to training, both of us found that unarmed combat was a piece of cake. It was great! My body just
naturally moved and flowed like never before."
Lina nodded. "Our instructor was amazed, especially since we've never had a skill like that before."
I smiled. "That's great! I'm sure we're going to need every skill we can get. Even better, you can train with each
other."
As we finished eating, an announcement came over the loud speaker, "Teams one through four, report to the
briefing room immediately."
I said, "That sounds ominous. It will be interesting to see what happens."
I had a seat in the main room, so I could watch the news. They weren't reporting anything yet, so I meditated. I
thought about my information, and my sheet came up. While helpful, I really wanted to see myself in relation to all the
people I had a connection with. I concentrated on it for a while, before another window popped up. This window had a
big diagram with me at the center of it with lines from me to other circles of various sizes. The largest circle had
Katrina's name and the line was much bigger than any other lines. I was surprised by the number of lines and small
dots. As I focused on them, names popped up and I remembered them. Most of them were people I had helped back at
the hospital and through college. I was fairly certain that most of them didn't remember me. It was a nice trip down
memory lane.
When I finished, I checked the news. A small crowd had gathered to watch the TV. From the subtitles, I read
that a bull had grown to the size of a semi and left a path of destruction as it raced toward the city. It sent cars flying
through the air when it ran into them. Two teams of heroes showed up and were able to bring it down with a lot of
effort. The bull seemed to be resistant to most damage and immediately focused on the heroes when they came into
range. Once it was dead, the news shifted to another story concerning a frog. It was the size of a small car and spat
fireballs as it hopped toward the city. Another two teams showed up and were able to kill it while trying to minimize
the damage from the fireballs. The news panned to another story concerning a dog. It had grown to the size of a
Clydesdale horse. It had attacked and killed a few people including its owner before police officers were able to bring it
down. I started to zone out as the news kept going to new stories from across the country.
I wondered if there weren't going to be any more pets and if we were all going to be vegetarians before this
second phase was done. I wondered what that meant for the food chain as well. I broke out of my musings, realizing
that I needed to get to training. I was bummed when Katrina wasn't there, but I figured she was busy helping coordinate
responses.
The training session went much better than the early morning one had. I had a lot more energy and stamina,
while my body seemed to naturally know what to do. Angela was impressed with my improvement. I was still tired
when we finished, but nothing like the bone weary tiredness from before. I went back to my room for another shower
before heading to supper. One of the screens was displaying the duty schedule for the teams. It looked like everyone
was going to be very busy going forward.
As I was eating, Katrina and Sonja came in and sat down next to me. I looked at them questioningly.
Katrina said, "I'm going to need your help running sessions like we did for Angela. I need you to meet with each
person to get their background and evaluate them. Once you're done, I'll join you for the second session to suggest
areas of growth based on your findings."
Sonja chimed in, "This would really help us. Katrina is going to be swamped helping us coordinate."
I nodded. "Sounds good. Just let me know where to be and who to meet with."
Sonja continued, "Great! We'll start tomorrow, and I'm the next guinea pig."
Katrina smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to find a path to help you grow your gift."
Sonja looked at me, "I'll see you just after breakfast before training. Angela knows you'll be a little late." She
got up and left back toward the admin section.
Katrina got some food, and I smiled at her while she ate. She made sure to eat as suggestively as possible, as
she grinned at me. When she was done, we held hands as we went to our team suite. Helen and Lina were there
watching Pride and Prejudice. Katrina and I took the other couch and snuggled while we watched.
When the movie was over, Helen said, "Thanks for joining us. It feels like it's been a crazy day."
We all nodded and Katrina said, "This is the new normal, more craziness every day. Tomorrow the government
will start suggesting getting rid of any pets. At this point it will be a suggestion, but killed by transformed pet is going
to be a trending death for quite some time to come."
Lina frowned. "That's really sad. I've always thought that having pets has made humanity better."
I said, "I'd agree, but the rules have changed. We're heading back to survival scenarios."
Lina looked at Katrina, "Anything I can do to help?"
Katrina nodded. "Good job on the earpieces. The country will need more, but the military is working on that.
Everyone will get one soon. We'll have our own to allow for more features than the regular ones. You could be working
on a device to cloak and track mana. The transformed animals have all headed toward the largest gathering of people. I
believe it's because they're drawn to the mana infusions in people."
Lina answered, "I'll start working on it in the morning."
Katrina looked at Helen, adding "You could give her a hand. Your knowledge and availability to test devices on,
would really speed up the process."
Helen smiled. "Thanks. I was starting to feel left out of things." She looked at both of us while raising her
eyebrow. "Congratulations! We hear a wedding is in the future. I was glad to hear they waived the rest of the waiting
period for you. I know you both must have been dying."
We both blushed bright red, while I nodded. "Yeah. It had been really difficult. Thanks."
Katrina held out her hand, so they could look over the ring.
Lina chuckled and winked at us. "Well, we're going to turn in early tonight. I imagine you two might want to as
well." She got up and gave Helen a hand to help her up. They both smiled as they left for their room. Katrina was
grinning at me, and slowly licking her lips. I grabbed her hand and pulled her along to my room, as she giggled on the
way. When we got to my room, I pulled her into a passionate kiss as we slowly made our way to the bedroom. When
we got there, we broke apart for a moment to finish undressing before we were back in each other's arms. We spent the
evening enjoying each other by finding new heights for our passion and pleasure. The resonance somehow multiplied
everything we were feeling, compounding every sensation. With the added benefits of Lover's Delight, I was able to
keep going and the night lasted much longer than normal. It was wonderful, and we both fell asleep extremely happy.
We woke up and went to breakfast. After we got our food and were eating, Katrina blushed and winked at me
with her right eye.
I mentally asked, "What's up?"
"I believe your resonance is stronger than you think. Our activities last night seem to have spilled over to some
of your other connections. Your job today is to figure out how to limit that on your connections. It was amazing, but I
think the agency would be able to figure it out, if we give them enough data points."
"It was amazing, just like you."
She gave me a wink with her left eye before saying, "You've got meetings throughout the day. Follow the same
questioning we did for Angela. Let me know if you have any questions, but keep working with them until you are able
to help them."
She said to me, "I've got to get going, honey. I'll see you later."
We hugged and kissed before she headed for the admin section. I headed for the training center and found Sonja
waiting for me. She was a level two. I got out my notebook and a pencil, so I could take notes. We sat down away from
everyone else, so we could talk.
I asked, "Is this a good place for you?"
"Sure. So what do you want to know?"
"Let's start with your first memory of your gift or when you realized you had a gift. Were there any major events
you can remember around that same time in your life?"
"Well, I really don't know when I realized I had an actual gift. I've just always been good at organizing things.
I'm sure there were plenty of people good at organizing before we started getting powers. So I'm not even sure how
great my gift is."
"How did you get to be the administrator here?"
"I kept getting promoted until I was asked to run this office. I'm good at my job, but it's difficult for me to make
the distinction between my gift and my skill."
"Angela had a similar issue, because she was always just really good physically. It's a tough distinction to make
when you don't have insight into your own gift. Have you ever meditated?"
"No, I never really saw the point, and there was always more things to get done."
"Alright, we'll start there then. Our gifts respond to us at some level, and for whatever reason, want to be
known. Your task for the next few days is to focus on becoming aware of your gift. Today I want you to concentrate on
listening to your body and finding your gift. You will need to quiet your mind. It won't be easy, but meditation is a skill
you can learn and grow in. Do you have any questions?"
"I don't think so. I think this might be the hardest task I've set for myself in a long time."
"Try to get comfortable in a place with the fewest distractions."
She nodded. "That won't be here then. Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome. I'll let Katrina know everything you've said."
She got up and headed out of the training area. I finished my notes and spent a few minutes looking through her
options. She had an option to become a Queen Bee--under Katrina. Based on the number of points I had needed to give
Katrina the option, fitting someone else into the structure was much easier. She also had an option for Insight into her
gift. I was struck by how similar she was to Angela. I wondered if their experience was the norm for most people. Some
idea that you were gifted, but no real understanding of it beyond a higher skill at something. It gave me something to
think about while I walked over to join my training session.
The training went well, and I was glad that it was much easier. When we finished I had a few minutes before I
had a session with Gale. We had been introduced, but hadn't really talked. She could fly and had the ability to move air.
I waved her over to me when she walked into the training area. She was a level four.
"How's it going?"
"Doing ok, although the duty schedule is going to get old really quick. There just won't be enough of us to
handle lots of transformed creatures. So hopefully this will help? Sonja said that Katrina's had really good success in
helping people better understand their gifts. I think I have a good handle on mine, but I'm always up to learn more."
 "Great. Let's start with your first memory of your gift or when you realized you had a gift. Were there any major
events you can remember around that same time in your life?"
"Ironically enough, I had been watching the Last Airbender when I wanted to be like him so badly. I thought his
using the kite to fly around was so cool that I tried it. It worked for me, and I kept pushing until I developed my powers
enough to be a hero."
"That's neat. Some people have a way to look at their gift or information, like they were in a video game. Do
you?"
"No, nothing like that. I remember trying to use my kite, and just knowing how the air needed to flow to keep
my kite and me up. Everything else just developed from trial and error."
"That seems to be a common theme with the people we've talked to. Have you tried meditation to better
understand your gift?"
"No, not really. There was always so much more that needed to be done."
"Alright, we'll start there then. Our gifts respond to us at some level, and for whatever reason, want to be
known. Your task for the next few days is to focus on becoming aware of your gift. Today I want you to concentrate on
listening to your body and finding your gift. You will need to quiet your mind. It won't be easy, but meditation is a skill
you can learn and grow in. You'll need to find a comfortable place with the fewest distractions possible."
She smiled. "This will be interesting, but I'll give it a try. Thanks for your help."
"No problem. Katrina will be with us tomorrow to discuss other possibilities. I'll let her know what you've said.
Hope your meditation goes well."
"Thanks."
She left, and I finished up my notes. A little while later, I met with Kailee. She was a level three and had a
strength gift. Our conversation went almost exactly like my two other meetings. After she left, I spent some time
meditating. I wondered if I could push the Insight option to everyone I had a connection with. It was a really low point
option. I mentally reached out to Katrina, "Got a second?"
"Now's good. How did the meetings go?"
"Same stories with different gifts. I'm wondering if everyone needs to be meditating, just like the training. I'm
also thinking I'd try to push the Insight gift to everyone I'm connected to. Thoughts?"
After a moment, she replied, "That's an excellent idea. I'll talk to Sonja about the meditation. You're going to
have a lot on your plate tonight."
I added, "I'll need a big supper to see me through, then."
"I'll be in charge of the dessert."
"I can't wait. Love you."
"Love you, too."
I went back to meditating about my gift. I felt bad about telling everyone to meditate without doing any myself.
I brought up my new window showing all of my connections and focused on my resonance ability. After a few
moments, I saw the lines in the diagram with bi-directional arrows. On the side of the diagram appeared a section
labeled default resonance. I focused on the image of the two arrows, and more choices came up. I went through them
keeping most of the resonance except for emotional. I went to my connection to Katrina and overrode the default, so
we'd share everything.
When I finished, I had a really good feeling about being able to push Insight to everyone that didn't already
have it. I broke out of my meditation, and it was time for lunch.
While I was eating, there was an announcement that all afternoon, training time was to be used to meditate on
our individual gifts. People would be available in the training center for individuals needing help to meditate. We were
also supposed to keep our earpieces in from now on. I wasn't surprised when my schedule updated, showing me
assigned as a Meditation coach in the training area all afternoon. After I finished eating, I went back to the training area
for the rest of the afternoon.
The afternoon went by slowly as I helped a few people. There were a few people I hadn't met, so I made sure I
introduced myself to them. Almost everyone had a good idea of how to meditate, they just hadn't really tried. I was glad
when it was time for supper.
As I headed out of the training area, I mentally asked Katrina, "Ready for supper?"
"Sounds good. How did the meditations go?"
"Seemed to go well. I figured out how to filter the resonance, so our time together shouldn't impact everyone
else. How did your day go?"
"That's good to hear. The day went fine. There are even more transformed creatures now. A cruise ship was lost
today with everyone on board. We don't have an effective way to track transformed creatures yet. There are techies
working on it all over the world though."
I asked, "Should I see if I can help Lina?"
Katrina responded, "Of course. We have to be able to be proactive rather than reactive to the attacks. You can
add it to the list of enhancements you'll be helping with tonight. I think I know just how to reward you as well."
I cheerfully said, "That sounds great! So supper?"
She suggested, "Let's have pizza in my room. After we eat, you can get your work done, while I get ready for our
fun."
"Awesome! See you in a few."
I stopped by my room for a quick shower, before heading over to Katrina's suite. The pizza arrived at the same
time I did, so I took it in with me.
I called out, "I made dinner. . . . Pizza is here," as I walked into her suite. She was sitting on her couch waiting
for me, and got up when I walked in.
She gave me a quick kiss as we went into the kitchenette.
She said, "That smells great."
"It's still nice and warm."
We both started eating. I was glad I didn't have to worry about calories with all the exercising we were doing.
The pizza was really good, and we finished it quickly.
She said, "That really hit the spot. Something about a fresh, hot, pepperoni pizza is really great, you know?"
"Definitely." I switched to mentally talking to her, and continued, "Did you want to go over gifting for those I
met with today?" I raised my eyebrow as I looked at her questioningly.
"I'm sure you'll make good choices. Why don't you get comfortable on the couch, so you can get your work
done? Let me know when you're finished, and we can have dessert before going to bed." She had a gleam in her eye and
a big grin as she looked at me.
I pulled her to me for a passionate kiss, before I replied, "Sounds good, beautiful." I went and had a seat on the
couch as she went back to her bedroom.
I meditated and brought up Sonja's sheet. I selected and applied her Queen Bee--under Katrina--option. I pulled
up Lina's sheet, finding an option to give her for Biotechnical Interfacing. I moved on to Gale's sheet, knowing that I'd
be pushing out Insight to everyone later. I found an option Lighten Up for her to lighten other people or objects, making
them more susceptible to her air powers. I thought that would really help her. Next I looked at Kailee's sheet. Her
strength gift could use some resistances, so she could fill the tank role. I found an option called Nietzsche Tough for
stacked damage type resistance. The more she was damaged by one kind of damage, the more she became resistant to
it. She wouldn't end up invulnerable, but it would help her stay in a fight. Sonja, Gale and Kailee went up a level.
When I finished with Kailee, I brought up my big display. I concentrated on all of my connections and wanting
to push the option of Insight to all of them. It felt like I was pushing against a wall, but I kept focusing and doubling
down on my effort until it was my sole focus. I felt a buildup of energy in me, desperately needing to be released. I kept
focusing on my goal, as the buildup kept increasing. I literally felt like I was going to explode, and the pounding of my
heart gave rhythm to my concentration. The need to scream started rising up in me, when I finally felt the release and
collapsed.
I woke up with Katrina caressing my face.
Her voice trembled as she mentally asked, "Are you ok?"
I nodded, as I reached up to caress her cheek. "That was a bit harder than I thought it would be. I probably want
to be more selective next time."
"You really had me worried. Let's not push it so close to the edge next time. I have a feeling you almost went
over."
I reassured her saying, "Don't worry. I'll be more careful next time."
She slowly bent down and gave me a passionate kiss. I pulled her down on me, and it was a while before we
made it back to the bedroom. I had spoiled her plans for our fun, but we both took our time enjoying each other. The
seriousness of what might have happened, brought home how fragile our lives and loves were. We fell asleep holding
each other tight.
We woke up and had to push ourselves to get going. Breakfast chatter was buzzing with how people felt a
change overnight after meditating yesterday. The announcements said we could swap out training sessions to meditate,
as long as we completed a training session a day. It also mentioned another Presidential address in the afternoon.
Katrina said, "I'll meet with Sonja in the admin section, so you can go straight to training."
 I nodded. "Sounds good. You'll have insight into what's going on."
I continued mentally, "And you can ask me mentally, if you don't. You should be able to push emotions to me, so
I think you can initiate a mental conversation now."
"I'll give it a try in a bit, so we know it's just me."
I got a quick hug and kiss from Katrina when we finished breakfast, before I headed to the training area. Angela
worked us hard, but I really felt like I was getting the hang of the unarmed training. As I sat down to catch my breath, I
noticed that Gale and Kailee were both training and working on their new gifts.
A moment later, I mentally heard Katrina, "How are you doing handsome? Are you hearing me?"
I answered, "Loud and clear, beautiful."
Katrina continued. "Awesome, this will come in handy. I may need you to monitor the heroes during some of the
fights. When you're able, I still need you to upgrade your gift."
"I hear you, love. Hopefully at some point I'll get some really cool abilities."
She reassured me by saying, "Don't worry. I promise you that you'll get there. This is the best and fastest way
though."
I asked, "What do you want me to do about the meeting with Gale and Kailee?"
"I'll let them know that I'll stop by to see them. Thanks. You can spend some more time meditating."
I got a very clear mental picture of her laying on the bed, naked and looking at me with lust in her eyes.
I found it hard to even mentally speak for a moment before I said, "Wow. . . I didn't know you could do that. I
might need a cold shower before I can meditate."
I sent her a picture of her in the middle of a climax as I was licking her.
Katrina replied, "You're not the only one. We'd best stop, so we can get some work done. God that made me
horny and wet!"
I couldn't help but point out, "How do you think I feel with a raging hard on?"
She determinedly said, "Alright! My room in five minutes, but it has to be quick."
I exclaimed, "On my way!"
I tried to adjust myself as I got up and left the training area. I hoped that no one noticed, but I was focused on
getting to Katrina's room. I got there and went in. She wasn't there yet so I waited by the door. It opened and she
jumped into my arms as we kissed. I was amazed at how quickly we undressed while kissing, but we didn't make it
back to the bedroom. Our connection had deepened, and I could feel her passion and the sensations from her body as
well as my own. It didn't take long for us both to go crazy. I held her as we got our breath back.
She exclaimed in my mind, "I needed that so badly. No more pictures, or we won't be able to get any work
done."
I smiled. "Yes, my love."
She gave me a flat stare, so I tickled her. She grabbed my hands and kissed me hard. "I love you, but we have
work to do to save the world. We'll have plenty of time in the evenings, hopefully for a while longer."
When I looked at her questioningly, she shook her head. "Just future possibilities. Things are going to get worse
as more creatures transform. More of the world's day to day operations will be affected. There's just so many things
that need to be worked on."
"Would Charlotte be able to help? She's an excellent administrator as well."
"Good idea. I'll reach out to her. See if you can give her the same option you gave Sonja."
I checked. "Yep, it's not very expensive because it's under you in your framework."
"Good to know. I'll see about finding some more people as well." She paused for a minute as she got a faraway
look in her eyes. "Damn, looks like we need to go socializing next. I thought we'd have more time here. Sorry, honey.
We'll be heading to Houston in the morning. We need to expand our networks, so we can help more people and
coordinate efforts."
"I understand. Let me know how I can help."
"Just keep being the most amazing man ever."
She gave me a quick kiss as she finished getting her clothes straightened, and headed back to the admin section.
I pulled up Charlotte's sheet, selecting and applying the option for Queen Bee--under Katrina. She seemed to be doing
well and happy. I wondered how everyone at the hospital was doing.
I left Katrina's suite to go back to mine for another shower. When I finished, I got comfortable on the bed. I
checked my sheet and I had enough points from pushing Insight, for me to upgrade my gift. I focused on it, while
selecting and applying the upgrade. I went up a level.
For some reason, I was really tired afterwards, so I took a nap.
 I woke up to Katrina kissing me. I tried to pull her down to me, but she broke off the kiss and looked at me.
She spoke in my mind, "I wondered what in the world you were doing. How are you feeling?"
"Much better. I think I needed that. What's going on?"
She said out loud, "You missed the President's address. The Congress has passed the legislation that we are in a
State of Emergency. The President and the military have been given a massive amount of control. Almost all law
enforcement agencies, and firefighters report to them now. Tiered command centers and troops are being deployed
across the country to have a presence in every major city. They are also safe guarding key infrastructure buildings and
processes. They are giving out earpieces, so the populace can be informed as events occur."
"Wow. That's a lot of changes. How is it being received?"
"There's the predicted small movement out of the cities for people to go home or to set up survival
communities. So far, it's going well in general."
"I noticed you didn't say anything about the agency or heroes."
"No, that was a noticeable omission in his address. I believe they want to keep us separate, so we don't mess up
their structure. It's a hot topic for the agency. When all the troops are in place, there won't be as much need for us.
There are concerns that our usefulness will be questioned."
"Not quite what everyone was hoping for. . . ."
"Ready for supper?"
"Sure thing. Thanks for the wakeup call."
I got up and gave her a hug and kiss before she led the way out. We got supper and ate in the main lounge area.
The news was on one of the monitors. It seemed like it was a constant flow of transformed animals rampaging all over
the world.
I shook my head. "The news is going to start getting ignored if it keeps just focusing on the attacks."
Katrina nodded. "I wish we had a say in what they report, but they're still selling the new crazy. It should help
with convincing people to make a hard choice about their pets."
"That will be difficult for a lot of people."
She shrugged. "We haven't seen an animal transform that didn't go crazy as well."
After we finished eating, we went to the team suite to spend time with Helen and Lina.
As we walked in, Helen said, "We hear you're off to Houston in the morning."
Katrina said, "Yep, we need to start putting a framework in place, so we can prepare and be ready for bigger
challenges."
Lina said, "I've got a prototype almost done for masking mana pools, so our cities won't be such beacons to the
transformed creatures. Anything else I should be thinking about?"
Katrina replied, "The power grid and food transportation are going to take center stage when the birds start
transforming."
I shook my head as I thought about how many birds there were, and the damage they could do if they were
super powered.
Katrina nodded to me. "It's being discussed now, if we should reduce the creature population, while we still
can."
Helen said, "I'm glad I'm not the one trying to figure it all out."
I mentally told Katrina, "I'm really glad you're the one trying to sort everything out."
"Thanks, honey."
Lina said, "Me, too. What should we do tonight?"
Katrina said, "Strip poker," and started laughing as I blushed bright red. Helen and Lina started chuckling too,
before Katrina continued, "Just kidding. Although it looks like DJ had some interesting thoughts."
I gave her a flat stare as I blushed even more.
Lina said, "It's ok, DJ. It just means you're a normal guy. We'll take it as a complement."
I mumbled, "Thanks," as I kept looking at Katrina. She just smiled back at me, as she said, "You should. You're
both beautiful."
Helen rolled her eyes, "Says the perfect ten. Nothing like being surrounded by beautiful people all day to make
you painfully aware of your own imperfections."
Katrina responded with, "Well, it doesn't change the fact that you're both beautiful. Everyone has imperfections.
How about another movie night?"
Lina said, "How about the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?"
Helen looked at her. "We have to get some sleep tonight. How about Better Off Dead?" She looked at us.
 I shrugged, while Katrina nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get the popcorn going."
Helen went to the console to get the movie playing, while Katrina popped a few bags of popcorn. After she
handed a bowl to Lina, she snuggled with me on the other couch. I enjoyed the movie, but I enjoyed Katrina snuggled
next to me even more.
When it was over, Katrina said, "We're going to miss you guys. Thanks for taking us under your wing and being
great friends."
Lina replied, "We're going to miss you as well. Make sure you stay in touch, especially as things get crazier."
Katrina nodded. "Don't worry, we will."
We all gave each other hugs as we said goodbye and good night, before heading to our rooms. Katrina led me to
her room, and we enjoyed our time together before we fell asleep.

Chapter 8
We woke up early and got busy getting our things together, before going to breakfast. After we finished eating,
we made our way to the flight pad on the roof of the building. We took a helicopter to the airport where we got on a jet
for Houston.
While we were in transit to Houston, Katrina officially assumed her alias of Seer, complete with long white hair
and sexy black outfit. She had to literally shut my mouth when she came out the first time in full costume. The news
hadn't gotten wind of her yet, but the administrator of the Houston office wanted to get in front of it. When we got to
Houston, another helicopter was waiting to take us to the Hero building.
When we landed on top of the Hero building in Houston, it was a bit strange for me, following in her footsteps
as her plus one. I got to see a different side of people as the plus one. I essentially got dropped off at our new room,
while they took her to get introduced and plugged into the situation here.
I was sorting through my feelings about the circumstances, when a beautiful, voluptuous woman knocked on the
door.
"Hello? Are you DJ?"
"Yep, that's me. How can I help you?"
"Hi! I'm Jill Appleton, and I'm actually here to help you. I thought I'd give you a grand tour and introduce you to
the heroes that are around."
"That would be great! What's your job here?"
"I help with some of the admin. I was Night Ranger's girlfriend when I first got here. That relationship didn't
last, but I completely understand the whole plus one thing. I promised myself that I'd try to make sure no one else goes
through what I did. I was pretty much forgotten for the first week and felt like I was a foreign visitor in a country where
I didn't speak the language. Well, that's not happening on my watch. Are you up for meeting people?"
"Sure! Thanks for the hospitality!"
She gave me a tour of the building and introduced me to everyone that was out. We went with Seer's boyfriend
as far as introductions were concerned. Jill was a level two, and very helpful in making sure I felt welcomed. We ended
up talking in some soft space near the main common area for the floor.
I asked, "How do teams work here?"
"We only do teams as needed. The jobs are specific to the gifts and skills. I'm sure most places are like that."
"Were you a hero before you became Night Ranger's girlfriend and coming here?"
"Ha. Yes although obviously my gift wasn't as needed as his. I'm really good in a fight, but others are better. The
only way that I'd be sent out is if the craziness continues to get worse. Before the global message, I had been giving
serious thought to requesting to be discharged. Now it looks like the world will never be the same. I just hope I'll be
able to help enough."
"How long have you been in the program?"
"Ten years. I'm out of the honeymoon phase with the agency by a long shot."
"Well, it's a whole new world, and things are going to get really difficult."
She nodded. "So tell me about Seer. Is she all that? I noticed that she's a level six, so she must be really gifted."
"Most definitely. She's able to get ahead of things for the most part, so things work out as well as they can."
"That's great! What a huge responsibility to carry though. I imagine she's stressed out more than a bit, trying to
make sure she's not missing anything."
"I'll have to ask her about it. She's probably been keeping it to herself, so we have a more enjoyable time
together."
 We kept chatting and about an hour later Katrina came back. I introduced her to Jill.
Katrina smiled and cheerfully said, "Thanks Jill! I really appreciate you taking care of DJ while I was busy.
Things are going to be ramping up here. How do you see yourself involved?"
"I always wanted to be a headline hero, but so far as I can tell, my powers weren't up to that level. I'd like to be
out on duty protecting people."
"There's going to be plenty of opportunities for that. We're starting training sessions for everyone tomorrow."
"That sounds good. I've been staying in shape. I've heard that you've had some good success in helping people
get in touch with their gifts. I'm hoping there's more to mine, so I can play a bigger role."
I said, "We've found that most people haven't tried to get in touch with their gift. They figured out what they
could about their gift through trial and error. We've been having people focus on meditating as well as training."
Katrina added, "We'll get started on the training first, then add in the meditation. There seems to be a balance in
things."
Jill said, "Great. Would you two like to have supper with me tonight? I can introduce you to everyone. I'm sure
everyone will want to meet you Katrina."
Katrina replied, "Sounds great, and thank you. We'll meet you here at 5:30pm?"
Jill smiled. "I'll see you then," as she turned and walked away.
Katrina raised her eyebrow at me, and mentally asked, "Would you like to get settled into our room?"
I grabbed her hand as I quickly led us back to our room. Katrina was giggling the whole way there.
Once we were in our room, I pulled her into a tight embrace as I passionately kissed her. I picked her up and
carried her to the bed, then started undressing her. Something about her long white hair and stunning body, brought
back memories of me reading comic books as a young teen. It was hard to believe I was kissing and undressing a super
hero. It didn't take long for us both to go crazy. She rested her head on my chest as we caught our breath.
Katrina mentally said, "Thanks, love. Are you up for being extraverted for the next day or two? You need to try
and meet everyone here as soon as possible."
I asked, "I'll do what I can. How are things going for you?"
She answered, "Alright. Your success has paved the way for me to get accepted here. The offices after this one
will get more difficult though. I'm new and an unknown to most of the decision makers. We have to rise up as quickly as
we can, before others start trying to knock us down or out. I see you went up a level, anything new show up for your
gift?"
I realized I hadn't looked at my sheet. "Yeah, although let me see. . . I have something new called Support Line.
Looks like I can push a new link to someone that I haven't met. I'd be able to share things like with resonance, but it
sounds more like an emergency thing."
Katrina replied, "Excellent. I'll make sure I get plugged into the critical alarms for hero fights."
I checked Katrina's sheet. "You're up for a new gift as well. Any preferences?"
"This is better than Christmas. Any chance for flying?"
I asked, "How about telekinesis? You could lift yourself and other things."
She responded, "That would be awesome!"
I pulled up her sheet and found an option for Telekinesis. I was able to select and upgrade it, so I hoped she'd be
able to develop it to be able to fly. After I applied the option I noticed that the cost of all of her options went up by a
multiplier of one hundred.
When I was done, I let Katrina know. "Done. I have some bad news though. It looks like all of your
enhancement options point costs are now a hundred times what they were. I think I'm hitting my limit to the amount of
enhancements I can give you. I'm sorry, honey."
She replied, "Thanks love. I knew it couldn't go on forever. You've given me more powers than most comic super
heroes. I haven't even begun to delve into the depths of all of them. There's nothing for you to be sorry about, and it's
just more motivation for me to be working harder on my gifts. People are going to start noticing our new levels."
I started kissing her, and one thing led to another. I was very happy with Lover's Delight and the difference it
made. We weren't able to stay in bed long afterwards because we had to get ready for supper. I spent most of the time
watching Katrina get ready, and had to rush to get ready myself. We met Jill out in the common area.
Jill had a big grin on her face. "Looks like you two got settled in well."
I grinned back at her, and Katrina said, "It was nice to get comfortable for a while."
Jill chuckled. "I'm sure you were very comfortable. Let me introduce you to everyone."
She led us around the common area, cafeteria, and lounge, introducing us as we got our supper. I met everyone,
but was definitely in Katrina's shadow as everyone wanted to talk to her. Jill helped move us along, so we could meet
more people. She even called people over to introduce them while we were eating. By the time we were done, I felt like
I had been introduced to everyone in the building.
Jill and Katrina really hit it off and were talking like they were best friends already. I was glad that Katrina
found someone as a friend here. All of the guys I met completely ignored me, other than a quick handshake and nod. I
was sure they were hoping I wouldn't be in the picture long, given how they looked at Katrina.
An alarm went off, followed by an announcement, "Teams four and five report to the briefing room
immediately."
Wendy, the office administrator, showed up to collect Katrina. We had been introduced when we first arrived.
Katrina said, "I'll need to go as well. Thanks for your help Jill. Keep an eye on this guy for me."
Jill said, "No worries. Good luck."
As Katrina left to go to the briefing room with Wendy, Jill looked at me questioningly. I said, "Want to train?
You can show me your moves."
She chuckled. "You asked for it. Let's meet in the training room in thirty minutes. Don't think I'm going to go
easy on the newbie. You'd best bring your A game."
I grinned back at her. "It's on. See you there." We both headed to our rooms. I changed quickly and went to the
training area to stretch and warm up.
Jill showed up a few minutes later in some very tight spandex. I was going to be at quite the disadvantage
because of how distractingly voluptuous she was. She was significantly more curvaceous than Katrina without being fat
or overweight. She chuckled as she noticed how distracted I was.
"You're going to have to get used to being around heroes."
"I'm trying, but I find some significantly more distracting than others."
She raised her eyebrow as she said, "Really, just wait until I throw you on the ground a few times."
I chuckled. "We'll see. I've been working on my unarmed combat."
Her grin just got bigger. "Let's see what you can do."
We went to one of the circles and started sparring. I quickly found out that she was much better than me. Her
smile and the twinkle in her eyes helped soften some of the pain. I decided I really needed to up my game, so I
concentrated on my links to Helen and Lina, using my resonance with them and their Zen Movement. I noticed an
immediate improvement as I was able to slip out of a hold she tried to get. I got a surge of confidence that crashed
down as I was thrown on the mat a few moments later. I reined in my attitude, focusing on her movements. I slipped
into a Zen state, somewhat detached from what was going on, that allowed me to keep up with her.
She still was able to get the better of me a few times, but nothing like it had been before. We were both
breathing hard and dripping with sweat when she stepped back.
"Good job! I'm impressed with your improvement. Once you found your focus, you did great."
We sat down by each other, to catch our breath and drink some water.
I said, "Thanks. I'm going to be sore tomorrow from all the learning opportunities."
She laughed. "I warned you, but given your improvement, it was well worth it. I might have to really work at
beating you, if you keep getting better."
She gave me a light punch and a wink, so I grinned back at her. I asked, "So when you dreamed of being a hero,
what cool powers did you want?"
"I was so enamored with Wonder Woman growing up. I watched all the TV series and movies. In my late teens,
I discovered the disadvantages of having such eye-catching assets. It's harder to fight, but at least they help distract the
men in my way."
I muttered, "Tell me about it. . . ."
She laughed. "Thanks. I've been letting my training slide lately. This was really good." She stretched, and some
of the water I was drinking went down the wrong way.
She found my coughing fit very amusing, as she grinned at me.
When I was able to speak again, I said, "Well, I certainly need more work. I want to be able to defend myself as
well. Would you mind continuing to train with me?"
"Sounds like fun. You've got a good attitude, even when you're getting thrown down."
"Thanks. Hopefully I'll be able to keep that to a minimum."
"What? You don't want to feel my hands on your body as we go down?"
I blushed, and she chuckled. "This will be fun. Just think, maybe you'll be the one with your hands on me taking
me to the mat when we're done."
I blushed some more, and she gave me a wink and grin as she got up to leave. "Thanks. We'll figure out when to
train tomorrow after the new schedules are announced. Good night, and have fun with Katrina."
She sauntered off, knowing that she'd catch my eyes. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't stare, and thought about
Katrina lying on the bed waiting for me. That didn't help me get the rest of my body under control, so I started
meditating. I brought up Katrina's sheet, and saw that she was monitoring a fight. She was jumping ahead of things and
making suggestions to the heroes about what would work better.
I pulled up Jill's sheet, to see how I could help her. We had really hit it off, so I had plenty of points to work
with. Knowing how much she liked Wonder Woman, I upgraded her speed and strength, while also giving her a phase
ability. It would allow her to pass through solid objects for a short amount of time. It should make her almost
impossible to stop in a fight, if you couldn't hit her. I knew I'd pay for it in our training, but couldn't wait to see how
happy she'd be.
I held off on pushing Insight to everyone, until they had finished their first day of meditating. I wondered how it
was all going to look as we moved from office to office.
Katrina yelled in my mind, "Nightfire got hit and is dying! I don't think the agency can get anyone to her in
time. Please try your Support Line!"
I focused on Nightfire's picture from the news. I had always liked her smile because it seemed really genuine. I
concentrated on her face and triggered my Support Line. A wave of exhaustion crashed over me, as I felt like all my
energy was sucked out of me. I kept focusing on her face as I felt faint. The next thing I knew, I felt like I was
passionately kissing her with her body pressed tight against mine, even though it wasn't. After a few moments, she
broke off the kiss, and I popped back to myself. I still felt completely drained.
I mentally told Katrina, "Hope that helped. I'm pretty wiped out, so I'm going to get ready for bed."
"Misha's back up and doing well now. Thanks, honey. I'll see you after a while."
I got up and slowly went back to our room. I took a short, hot shower that felt really good, before I crashed on
the bed.
I woke up the next morning with Katrina sleeping on my chest. I must have been really out of it, to not have
noticed when she came to bed. She stirred as I was watching her, and gave me a kiss.
She mentally said, "You saved Misha's life last night. I didn't get all the details, but she was almost gone. I'm
sure we'll get the full story when we go to Chicago. How'd the rest of your evening go?"
"I trained with Jill, and kissed the mats over and over. I was finally able to channel Helen and Lina's Zen
Movement to help me out. It was a lot of fun, and she said she'd keep training with me."
"Good, you need to be able to defend yourself as well. I'm glad she's helping you out. I'm surprised you were
able to put up much of a defense. She must have been a sight to see in spandex. Have you given her any upgrades?"
"She enjoyed teasing me about her assets. It was really difficult to focus to begin with, but a few painful throw-
downs helped with that. She really likes Wonder Woman, so I upgraded her speed and strength, while adding an option
Pass Through for her to phase through things."
"I'd even get distracted watching her in a fight. She moves so sensually, even when she's not thinking about it.
She's really going to like those upgrades! I can't wait to catch up with her."
She continued out loud, "We need to get to breakfast with training to follow."
"Oh, joy."
She gave me a passionate kiss before getting out of bed. I took my time, watching her dress before I quickly
dressed to go. Jill waved us over to sit with her to eat.
Katrina said, "I hear you showed DJ how difficult a beautiful woman can be in a fight."
She giggled. "He was a bit distracted to begin with, but he came out of it well. I was impressed with his
improvement. I even leveled up last night."
Katrina replied, "Who wouldn't be distracted? I know I would be. You should work on your speed while you're
sparring. I think you've mentally let your assets slow you down. Not that DJ wants to meet the mat any sooner."
Jill thoughtfully said, "Hmmm, you might be right about that. I'll see if I can do better."
I just smiled knowing that she'd definitely notice a difference when she tried.
An announcement came over the speakers about the new training schedule for everyone that included
meditating. I checked my schedule, and I was assigned to help with the meditation sessions.
Jill asked me, "So when are you free for our next round? I'm free before lunch and after supper."
"How about after supper then? It will give me a bit longer to recover."
"Ha. I was impressed with how well you were keeping up with me. After supper it is."
Katrina said, "Thanks for helping. I really appreciate it. I've got to get to the admin section, "
"My pleasure. Hope it goes well"
 I gave Katrina a hug and quick kiss before she left. Jill smiled. "I've got the formal training to go to next. I'll see
you later."
I had some free time before the meditation sessions, so I got comfortable in a plush chair in the common room
to meditate. I pulled up my big diagram and concentrated on organizing it better. It responded to how I wanted to see
things if I focused long enough. I added tiers, some color coding and tags to the diagram, as well as a filter on the ruler.
When I was done, it was easy for me to focus on everyone I knew in Houston, or everyone I knew at the hospital. I
could also focus on people who were good friends. I was glad it was being so responsive. I was somewhat surprised
when Misha showed up as a good friend, but I figured that was because of the support line.
I came out of my meditation, noticing that it was time for me to be available to help others meditate.
A few people came by to ask questions, but for the most part, I was just available. I hoped that everyone was
meditating, but I realized I needed to make sure I had talked to everyone. At some level, I felt like I was really
believing that everyone meditating was going to see a difference. I really didn't think it was just me. My gift responded
to my focus and concentration, so I reasoned that theirs should as well.
I went back to the common area as much as I could, so I had the opportunity to get to know some of the heroes.
The day went by quickly, and just before supper Katrina spoke in my mind.
"I'm going to be monitoring a couple of fights, so go ahead and eat supper. Have fun training with Jill. Since
you upgraded her, see if you can pull in more powers through your resonance. Love you."
"I was already planning on it. Love you too."
Jill came into the room, and grinned mischievously when she saw me. I got up and joined her to get supper.
"You are so in for it when we train. I worked all day on my speed, like Katrina said. I am so much faster than I
was. It's awesome! I'll try not to hurt you. . . too bad."
"Thanks. Just as long as you're not a speedster now."
She laughed. "I'm not that fast, but it's still pretty significant to me."
"Did you have a chance to meditate?"
"Yeah, I made some head way to quieting my mind, but it takes a lot of effort. Since Katrina's suggesting it, I'm
sure it will really help. We'll see though."
It didn't take us long to finish eating supper. Jill was really excited to get to training. I knew she wanted to show
me what she could do. We both went to change and met back up in the training area. I got there first and started
stretching. It wasn't long before Jill joined me. She was still very distracting in her spandex, but I had a little more
focus than I had yesterday. I concentrated on Helen, Lina, Angela, and Katrina, so I could resonate Zen Movement
along with speed and strength and Katrina's Peek Ahead. It took a bit to find a balance, so I'd be able to train with all of
it active.
Jill grinned at me. "Are you ready for a smack down?"
"Oh, I didn't know you like being on top."
"Ha, let's get to it."
We walked over to a circle, and started sparring. She started at her old normal speed, just waiting to pounce on
me. It quickly escalated as I was using Zen Movement just enough to slip or block her attacks. She was faster and
stronger than I was, but the Zen Movement and Peek Ahead meant we were really close. She broke my concentration
when she used an exchange to rub her breasts across my arm and shoulder. The next moment I was on the mat.
I said, "Totally worth it," and she started laughing.
We grinned at each other as we started again. The rest of the time went the same. We'd be evenly matched for a
while, then she'd figure out how to make an exchange include her breasts or my hand or arm rubbing up her legs. I'd
lose my concentration, ending up on the mat. I kept saying, "Totally worth it," as I got up and we'd start again.
When she backed off, signaling the end of our training, she said, "It was a total smack-down."
I echoed what I had been saying, "Totally worth it," as we grinned at each other.
She nodded to me, "You've really improved. If you're staying up with me. . . barely. . .you must be getting better
at your gift."
I smiled, "I think I'm just unpacking it more. I spent a lot of the day meditating. Hint. . . hint. . .hint. . . ."
"I'll focus on that tomorrow. I was just too excited about my gift today. I'm really glad that we're close to the
same fighting skill. I think I'm going to train for a while until I'm much better, then see if I can spar with AJ. He wanted
to get in my pants when I first got here, but completely belittled my gift. I'd love to be able to throw him down."
"We'll see. It feels like the whole gifting, powers, or mana infusion thing is more fluid now than it had been.
Thanks for training with me. You're definitely pushing me to bring my A game."
We walked back to the common area, where we met Katrina coming in.
 Katrina asked, "How'd it go?"
Jill laughed. "It was a total smack-down."
I smiled and shook my head. "Someone went out of her way to use her assets as a distraction."
She grinned really big as she crossed her arms, framing and showcasing her breasts. "They don't call them
assets for no reason." She smiled at Katrina, and continued, "He did a really good job of keeping up with me. He must
have more to his gift than he knew."
Katrina grinned back. "He is a man of many hidden talents."
Jill nodded. "I'll leave him in your hands. I'm going to spend some time meditating before going to bed."
Katrina replied, "Thanks for taking care of him, and do what you need to keep pushing him."
They shared a wink while I just waved bye. I pulled Katrina into a tight hug and just enjoyed her in my arms for
a few moments.
I asked, "How did your day go?"
She answered, "Pretty normal," then continued in my mind, "for a crazy day. More creatures are transforming,
and people are getting scared. The government is still selling business as usual. The heroes are going to be hitting the
streets more until the military is in place. Hopefully it will encourage some hope and discourage those without any.
There will be another Presidential address tomorrow. They'll be throwing out numbers to reassure people, while
ramping up food production and stockpiles just in case."
I smiled. "Sounds not too far off from some video games I played. How do we help the most?"
"It's still early days, so we're getting our foundation in place. For now we're managing the response to
transformed creatures. At some point there will be too many. There's a wave of survivalists heading out to hunker down
and ride out the storm. Unfortunately, the new normal is the storm. I've asked for the agency to push for increased seed
production, with the military seeding the non-farmland."
I added, "We need to figure out how to domesticate transformed animals."
Katrina nodded. "Good idea, but it would take a hero just to survive being near them to work with the animal. I
supposed I had mentally slipped into all animals being future enemies."
"We should see if the transformed animals make better food, especially for heroes."
"The military has been taking them to test on. I'll mention it to the agency that we should have some to test with
as well."
I said out loud, "Great, then we should just have a quiet evening in."
She gave me a kiss. "Sounds great." We walked to our room hand in hand. When the door closed behind us in
our room, I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. I started to unbutton her outfit, when I heard in my mind,
"You need to focus on helping everyone in the office tonight. After you've sorted all of that, we can have some fun."
I frowned, but got comfortable on the bed. "Do you want Wendy to have the Queen Bee--under Katrina--
option?"
"Please. We want the person in charge of each of the offices with that option."
I pulled up Wendy's sheet, selecting and applying that option for her. I brought up my big diagram and focused
on only the heroes in the Houston office. I concentrated and pushed Insight to everyone. It wasn't nearly as bad as the
time before. I pulled up Jill's sheet and gave her Zen Movement as well. I looked at Katrina's sheet, and I had to search
diligently to find options available. I bumped her leadership with the I have a Dream option. Her option point costs all
jumped by a multiplier of one hundred again. Knowing what Katrina would say, I upgraded my gift as well. When I
checked my sheet, I had a new option for Unified Front. I had a few points left, so I chose Sensory Projection to have
some fun with Katrina. Everyone I had helped had gone up a level, including myself.
When I came out of my meditation, I was exhausted again and had a hard time keeping my eyes open.
I yawned as I said, "I can barely keep my eyes open."
Katrina gave me a gentle kiss and replied, "Get some rest, love."
I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning, and Katrina was sleeping on me. I grinned as I tried to use my sensory projection,
imagining that I was kissing my way up the inside of her legs. She started to moan, then her eyes snapped open. She
looked confused as she asked, "How are you?. . ."
I spoke in her mind, "I got a small gift that I thought would come in handy."
"Don't stop!"
It was quite the feeling watching her go crazy without touching her. Of course, my hands off approach didn't
last very long. We enjoyed each other, but had to get going quickly afterwards. We ate a quick breakfast together,
before Katrina had to go to the admin area. I went to training, and had just finished when Katrina came over.
 I asked her mentally, "How's it going?"
"We're heading to Lincoln today. We have to go faster. Something else is going to happen today."
As she finished saying that, I heard a voice in my mind, "Analysis estimates Balance achieved outside project
deadline. Infusion rate for plants and animals increased by a multiplier of ten thousand and one thousand,
respectively."
She exclaimed, "Ugh! Look's like we need to get moving now. We're headed to Lincoln. Let's say our goodbyes
and get our things."
I said, "It's been a week? Almost exactly?"
"I think so. So much has changed in the week."
"Obviously not enough from someone's point of view."
I spoke in Katrina's mind, "I think I should use this time every week to make my enhancements. What do you
think?"
"Great idea. Everyone will think that any changes are somehow connected to the global message."
We found Jill to say our goodbyes. She gave us both tight hugs, and it was hard not to enjoy the feel of her body
against mine. I was really going to miss training with her.
Katrina said, "Don't worry. We'll be back together soon enough."
Jill replied, "Good. I'm going to miss you guys. I definitely want to be together for our End of the World party."
I said, "At least we know for certain that's not the goal."
Jill nodded. "That's some comfort. See you when you get back. Bye!"
We waved and left to get our things. It didn't take long and with little delay, we were flying to the airport again.
Katrina was busy on her laptop, so I rested. Just before the jet landed in Lincoln, the President had another address. He
encourage everyone to get their earpieces and continue on, while we all worked to face this new challenge. Just like I
had mentioned, he reiterated that the goal of the changes appeared to not be the end of the world. He also asked
everyone to remove animals and plants from within and around their homes. Anyone out of work was to contact their
nearest command center.
I was glad the government was reacting quickly, although I was sure most people were concerned at multiple
levels. What can anyone say though? The world was changing in ways no one ever expected. It definitely wasn't going
back to the way it was, and we had to struggle to hopefully keep our advances.
As we flew from the airport to the Hero building, we noticed a massive tree in the middle of downtown Lincoln
at what had been a small park. The tree was the size of a massive redwood, but looked to be an oak tree. The concrete
surrounding what had been the park and foundations of the buildings around the area were broken with large cracks
running away from the tree. It was almost unbelievable how the tree could have grown to such height in what must
have been a short amount of time.
We continued on to the building and landed on the roof. We were quickly taken inside, and Katrina was whisked
off to meet with the office leadership. One of the assistants, Maya, showed me to our room. She left while I put our
things away. When I was done, not having anything to do, I went to the common area. There were a few people around,
so I introduced myself to them. They didn't seem to want to talk, so I gave myself a tour of the place by wandering
around. The training area was a bit busier, but everyone was pretty focused. I exercised and stretched, before meditating
for a while. I went back to the common area before lunch and was able to introduce myself to a few more people. No
one was in a talkative mood, so I didn't get past introductions. It seemed that the new global announcement and the
Presidential address made people even less talkative, rather than more.
Katrina was still busy at lunch, but Maya was going through the line, so I joined her. She was really shy, and I
had to carry most of the conversation to find out anything about her. She was a level two, helped out with the admin
functions, and was new to the office as well. I didn't get the impression that she knew more than a couple of people. By
the end of lunch, I still wasn't sure how she felt about me joining her for lunch. I went to the training area to meditate,
focusing on my connections and how they were doing.
A broadcast came through my earpiece, "Heroes and staff, we are consolidating to our facilities in the Western
Plain states. We have been working with the military to determine the best use of our resources. The military has
assigned us to protect most of the Plains and Rockies except for the very dense population centers. If heroes or staff
want the chance to stay where they are currently, they will be reassigned to the military and no longer under the
authority of the agency. There is no promise or guarantee that a hero will be assigned to the same area by the military.
One on one meetings will be scheduled with everyone tomorrow. Please address any questions you have in the meeting,
but we are working on little information as well. Thank you all for your hard work and devotion to protecting, helping,
and encouraging our citizens. We look forward to continuing our mission through this time of global change."
 I had wondered what the next step was going to be. With the military taking over all the major cities, I
wondered where the heroes would fit in. It sounded like we got the least populated area of the country, so the military
could focus on the most populated. I wondered what Katrina had seen, and assumed that she had put forward the idea. I
also wondered how many heroes would just switch to the military. Given their control and power over the country for
the foreseeable future, it would be realistic for a hero to jump to their power structure.
I knew I wouldn't be going into the military unless Katrina told me we needed to. I figured there would be more
freedom in the agency than in the military, especially as things got shaken up. I spent the afternoon thinking about how
quickly everything was changing. I wasn't the only one pondering our situation, because most of the activities were
canceled for the rest of the day. Very few people were talking though. I supposed that everyone was seeing it as a very
individual choice.
Supper came and went with Katrina just giving me a quick, "I'm really busy, see you tonight." I ended up back
in our room, just chilling.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Katrina was waking me with a kiss.
She snuggled next to me as I mentally said, "Glad to see your back. How'd all the planning go?"
She smiled. "As well as to be expected. I had hoped that we would have more time, but the changes are going to
come even quicker. We have to be out from under the military before they lock everything down. It's very quickly going
to move to total populace control as they take over the food and resource distribution. This path allows the agency to
remain separate and provide some value to the military. Their task will be to keep as many citizens alive as possible
through this. Our task will be to grow strong enough to handle the new balance when the military weapons aren't
enough. As many heroes as possible will need to become real super heroes, if humanity is to have a chance to do more
than survive."
She stroked my cheek with her hand. "We're going to be pushed to change more quickly. The plan is for us to
make the rounds to each of the state capitals except for Salt Lake, Denver and Austin. We're going to be responsible for
the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Western Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico,
Northern Arizona, and Eastern Nevada. The military will control the Denver and Salt Lake City areas because of their
populations. They will provide intelligence reports for the whole area based on drones and satellite surveillance."
I noted, "That's quite the task for the agency."
She responded, "The size of the area is only half the problem. We'll be responsible for keeping the food
production up to feed the rest of the country."
I asked, "Is that going to be possible? The infrastructure is going to be severely hampered if not destroyed by all
the plants and animals getting infused."
Katrina answered, "We'll do what we can, and we'll be able to do it better than the military could. We have a
secret weapon that will allow us to develop the skills we need."
I raised my eyebrow as she looked me in the face with a smile as she said. "You're our secret weapon, honey.
You're the best hope for humanity."
I chuckled. "That's funny. I'm pretty sure you'd fit the bill more than I would."
Katrina remarked, "Who else has the ability to enhance others? Before you argue, think about the gifts you've
given me. I'm a real super hero now. But one super hero won't be enough. We need enough to save humanity and
protect the world. You are the one with the power to enhance others to protect the world. As you do, you'll get even
stronger as your network grows."
"Do you know how crazy that sounds? How many months ago did we meet at the hospital?"
"That world is gone for good, but think about how much power you've given me and everyone else you've met in
that time. The world has new rules, and we have to adapt to them, if we want to save as much of humanity as we can.
I've been shouldering most of the burden getting us here, but you're going to have to step up next. I'm bringing the
pieces together, but I need you to join me in creating the world's true super heroes."
I assured her. "You know I'll do what I can."
She continued, "Everything is changing, and you're going to need to be more flexible in your relationships. I
love you, but I can't keep you to myself. The world's society and cultural norms just got thrown out. The current
estimates of women at level three or above compared to men at level three or above is a thousand to one. Hopefully that
will change as people focus on their gifts, but leveling up without a catalyst is difficult."
I was surprised. "Are you really saying what I think you are? You know I love you."
"Yes, I am, and yes, I know. But the world needs you to become the strongest super hero imaginable, surrounded
by powerful super women. This has to happen, so let me care for our family situation as first wife. Your job is going to
be loving each of us, and pushing your gift as far as it can go."
 I had to know. "Are you sure?"
She was certain. "There's no other way."
Part of me was ecstatic at the possibilities, while another part was worried about how it could work. "I trust you,
but I never want you to question my love for you."
She reassured me. "I love you, and we'll find a way for this to work. The military will start pushing the populace
in the next couple of weeks. Any pregnant women will be guaranteed free medical care, housing and a stipend until
their children are enrolled in the academy or sixteen."
I said, "Can we just focus on the here and now? The rest of it can wait a few more days at least."
Katrina frowned. "Sorry, babe. I've got so much going on in my brain about things to be done and decisions to
make. I love you, and you are the man of my dreams."
I tried to get her to focus. "I love you. Put those other things to the side for now."
She sighed. "I will, but as much as I want a wedding with all our friends, if we want an official wedding, we'll
need to get married tomorrow. The next Presidential communication is going to address the next generation issue by
absolving marriages and exclusive relationships for individuals that are level three and above."
I proclaimed, "I want everyone to know you're the love of my life, so it sounds like we have plans in the
morning."
She smiled. "I'll let Wendy know."
We spent the rest of the night enjoying each other. We woke up and tenderly held each other, before getting up
for breakfast. Katrina messaged Wendy, and Wendy set up the ceremony. A local pastor stopped in about mid-morning,
and we were married with Wendy and Maya as our witnesses. We were both given the rest of the day off.
We spent the rest of the day in our suite enjoying our time together. We also contacted our friends and family to
let them know. Everyone was excited for us. The rest of the day flashed by quickly, and before I knew it I was in bed
holding Katrina in my arms as she slept.
It was hard for me to believe I had such an amazing woman as my wife. I had mixed emotions about having
more women. Being a guy, my lower head was all too excited about the prospect. My heart wanted the real connections
and relationships. The thought of someone seeing sex with me as a duty turned my stomach. I was glad that I had
married Katrina before it all hit the fan. I knew in this new circumstance, I'd fall in love with more women, and greatly
enjoy meeting their needs. But I wanted to be loved by them as well, not just be their ticket to super powers. So I was
glad I could trust Katrina to take care of our family and any additions. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep as well,
and there was a parade of women in my dreams.
We woke up to our first day as a married couple, and had things that needed to be done. Katrina grabbed a quick
bite to eat at breakfast, before giving me a kiss and disappearing towards the admin section. After breakfast I exercised
and trained by myself, wishing that Jill was there to train with. When I was done, the President was making another
address. True to what Katrina said, he explained the need to ensure our next generation of kids. With an unknown
future, we didn't have the luxury of assuming that disparate number difference between men and women level three and
above would be solved soon. He gave the example that most heroes were level two or three, so everyone would need to
work on their gifts. Until future generations were secured, they were officially absolving marriages and exclusive
relationships for individuals that were level three and above. He hoped that the announcement itself would move the
societal norm for relationships enough, without further mandated changes. He ended with another strong
encouragement for every person to work on developing their gift through meditation and training.
It was strange to hear it made official, and I had one of those internal, what has the world come to, moments.
The massive tree towering as high as skyscrapers was a good reminder that it was a different world. I exercised and
meditated until lunch.
Katrina was still busy, so I got lunch by myself. I noticed Maya sitting by herself, so I asked if I could join her.
She nodded and blushed slightly. She congratulated me on my marriage. I thanked her and tried to get to know her
better. It was very difficult, and I carried the conversation again. She was just so painfully shy that she had a hard time
getting anything out. When we finished talking and said goodbye, I felt like we had made progress. I went back to the
training area and poured myself into exercise and training. At some point I realized that no one had met with me about
staying with the agency. I figured Katrina had answered for me, but it still felt like I was being treated as a plus one. I
reasoned that I should enjoy being out of the limelight for as long as possible, even if my emotions weren't so happy.
For supper, Wendy and Maya showed up with Katrina, so they joined us to eat. The conversation was good, and
even Maya talked some. Having Wendy and Katrina beside her helped her get past her shyness to contribute to the
conversation. Katrina and I headed to our suite after we finished eating.
She had me wait on the couch while she got ready in the bedroom. The anticipation was killing me, eventually
she came out in a see through, teddy bear negligee. It was much later, when we got around to talking mentally.
I spoke in her mind, "That was fantastic. Thank you honey!"
"Thank you! It was wonderful although I hoped my lingerie would stay on longer."
I smirked. "What can I say? I couldn't wait to open my present. The wrapper was beautiful, but nothing
compared to the prize inside. I wish we could just stay this way."
She grinned as she nodded. "I know, but we have to save the world. We're off to Bismarck tomorrow. Did you get
enough points for Wendy to get the administrator's option?"
"Yes, I kind of thought that you had her join us, so I would be able to. I'll apply the option for her during the
weekly update."
Katrina smiled. "Good. If you can keep pushing the Insight gift to anyone you can, that would be great. At each
of the offices, I'll make sure that we share a meal with the administrator like we did today. I know it's a pain for you to
be left alone so much, but try to meet and get to know as many heroes as you can. I'm expecting a large number of
heroes to join the military, but we should have enough for our consolidated offices. The transfers began today, and it
looks like we'll end up in Pierre, South Dakota."
I replied, "Ok. I've never been there, but I'm sure it will be great, especially with you there."
"Thanks. The next two weeks are going to be a bit crazy as we jump to the different offices. It's not the
honeymoon I hoped for."
I smiled. "But it's the honeymoon the world needs?"
She gave me a kiss rather than answering, and we snuggled until we fell asleep.
The next two weeks were as crazy as she thought, as we traveled to an office, stayed for a couple of days or so,
before traveling to the next one. Everyone was relieved when there wasn't another global message. I used the same time
slot as the message to use the points that had accrued for my connections. Katrina had a ton more points, but her normal
options cost so much more as well. The upgrades for the gifts she already had weren't as expensive in points, so I
leveled up her telekinesis. I was positive that she would be able to fly and possibly bring another person along as well.
The point cost of her options jumped again by a multiplier of one hundred. It was going to be difficult to keep helping
her with gifts, unless there were more uses for the points.
The agency offices on the coasts and in the Mid-West closed as heroes and staff moved to the consolidated
office locations or transferred to the military. I wondered about how many heroes would still be with the agency, but
didn't ask Katrina. I figured she had more than enough on her plate.

Chapter 9
We finally made it to Pierre, to what had been the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center before the agency
purchased it for their Hero building. As normal, Katrina was whisked away just after we got into the building. I was
taken to our suite, so I could get our things settled. I had just finished when I heard over my earpiece, "Full staff and
hero meeting in the main conference room in fifteen minutes. Attendance is required. Thank you."
I waited a few minutes, then wandered out to the main area and followed the rest of the people to the conference
room. I had just walked into the room when I felt a light punch on my shoulder. I turned, and Jill was grinning at me.
I pulled her into a hug as I said, "Hey! Good to see you here. You decided to join our party?"
"Of course. Someone needs to kick your butt into gear."
As we turned to go to a table, I saw Helen, Lina, Angela, Gale, Sonja and Kailee at a table. I waved as I led Jill
over to their table. I introduced Jill, and we all talked for a few minutes about getting to Pierre. Jill and I sat at a table
beside theirs as I saw Katrina and Charlotte walking up to the platform. I was a little surprised that Charlotte was here,
but figured it was all part of Katrina's plan. Katrina stepped forward to speak to everyone first.
"Welcome, heroes and staff! Our consolidation is officially complete. As you could guess from the number of
people surrounding you, many of our former coworkers chose to join the military. Many of them are taking leadership
positions in the military's new boot camps. The military has already announced mandatory citizen participation for
those under the age of forty. The new camps are filled with hopeful citizens looking to level up their gifts to achieve the
rewards of third level."
She paused as she looked around, "The agency has chosen to take a different approach. We hope to focus on
those still in our organization to level them up as high as possible. I believe our world is going to need a group of true
super heroes to safeguard humanity from the new threats the world will offer and to balance the power of the military.
Let me be clear. The military's role in saving humanity is just as important as our own, and we will both fail, if we don't
help each other. That being said, they aren't going to like having an organization to second guess their decisions."
 She smiled, and there was some chuckling in the audience.
She continued, "So we need to level up faster, while protecting a massive amount of land. Our country is
counting on us to make sure the food and resources continue to flow to the cities. Hence why we need the help of the
military until we develop our own surveillance. They will be monitoring the land via drones and satellites for infused
disruptions. Our job will be to get there quickly and deal with the problem. Our job also includes making sure our
citizens can keep producing food for the rest of the country."
She paused again, looking thoughtful before continuing, "We know there's no way to stay on top of the infused
animals across the expanse that we have. The military couldn't do it either, which is why they've given it to us. We'll do
the best we can, while being hopeful that by leveling up we will gain the gifts needed to succeed. But that's enough on
our new mission. I wanted to introduce Charlotte as the administrator of the office here in Pierre."
We all clapped as Charlotte came up to speak. "Welcome! I'm new here as almost all of you are. Each of the
offices will take a few days for team building activities outside of our patrols. The military is still getting their
notification system online, so we can know what is happening across our states. We're going to spend our forced
downtime to come together as a community. Those of you with family have the option of having them join our
communities around our offices. The agency will help them coordinate with the military, so if you have relatives
wanting out of their current living situation, they can relocate near you. We are also broadening our community
involvement in the cities hosting our offices. Plan on attending activities at least twice a month to encourage our
citizens to grow their gifts."
She paused before she said, "I'm a straightforward person, so I'm going to tell you how it is. Our community
involvement is going to allow all of us women more access to men. The number of men in our ranks is significantly
less than it was before. The world has changed. Almost all of the women in the agency are level three and above. We'll
be highly sought after, but at some point, we'll be asked about having kids. I encourage you to use some of your
meditation time to determine what you feel about the next generation and your responsibility to it. The agency won't be
pushing you into anything as long as it has a choice. I can't say the same for the military. One of our goals is to provide
everyone in the agency with as much freedom as we can. If you have significant others, this is your opportunity to have
them join our community and focus on leveling up. Please talk to me as you come to decisions, so we can factor those
into our plans. Thank you!"
Everyone clapped as she stepped back, and Katrina stepped forward again.
"Thank you for choosing the agency! Tomorrow, we'll be meeting with everyone one on one to determine
interest in new skills to develop. We hope to be self-reliant from the military within three months. That means there are
a lot of jobs that we need people to learn. To help people get to know everyone, for the next couple of days, we have
assigned seating for our meals, so we can get to know each other. Please keep to your schedule and contact us, if you
have questions. The pool and main lounge are open with drinks and snack food until eleven pm. Please mingle and get
to know your new teammates. Teams one and two are on call tonight. Thanks."
They exited the platform and the lights came back up. We started talking with the other table.
I asked Angela, "Where's Dave? Did he jump ship?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He didn't think the agency was going to survive much longer, and the military offered him a
sweet job. We enjoyed each other, but I didn't want to take my chances with the military. I had a feeling they'd just see
me as a baby momma. I want to stay in the game, at least until we know we have to have kids. With Katrina heading
things up, the agency is our best shot for the future."
"That's a bummer, but I understand. At least he can stay in touch every now and then."
She shook her head. "He'll be way too busy pleasing other women to spend time catching up with former
girlfriends."
"I'm sorry. I think you're right about the agency though. I'm looking forward to seeing how high we can level
up."
Sonja jumped in, "Look at you! How in the world are you such a high level? You must have been working non-
stop."
I smiled. "I have been working pretty hard, and Katrina has been helping me stretch those muscles."
They almost all said, "Congratulations!" at the same time.
I replied, "Thanks. I wanted to make sure we were married before the world officially changed and did away
with it. It's been an interesting honeymoon, and now that's come to an end."
We all stayed around the table talking, as I caught up on what had been going on since I had seen them last. A
while later Katrina joined us, and went around hugging and talking to each person. I noticed that Jill and Katrina were
talking intently, while I was catching up with Lina and Helen. We stayed there talking until late, long after everyone
else had left to go to the pool or lounge. Katrina ended up back at my side, and after a bit said, "Tomorrow is coming
early. It's great seeing you all again, and we look forward to tomorrow's fun. Good night!"
Everyone waved and said, "Good night!" as we made our way toward our room. Once we were there, I pulled
her to me and kissed her hard. She jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist. I squeezed her buns as I walked
us into the bedroom to the bed. She let go of my neck, and I laid her on the bed, but she kept her legs wrapped around
me. She slowly unbuttoned her blouse, as I looked down on her, drinking in her beautiful body. Her bra fastened at the
front, so she easily freed her gorgeous breasts. She smiled as she watched me admiring them until she pulled my head
down to them.
Much later, she was resting on my chest as we were starting to get sleepy. She mentally said, "I wish we didn't
have to watch what we say."
I asked, "We still need to watch what we say?"
She kissed my chest. "Unfortunately, that's the new normal, until we get someone with a gift to make sure our
conversations are private. Speaking of gifts, we need someone with a teleport gift. We also need to decide who to ask to
join our family. Those two things will probably need to be connected, so you have enough points."
I wanted to make sure she understood that we'd all have to be committed to each other. "I really don't know how
this is supposed to work, and it's hard to imagine adding someone else to our family. I understand the need, but I don't
want to cheapen what we have by just having sex with someone. If we're doing this, then we need to build the
relationship, so they really join our family."
She stepped up saying, "Then I'll be setting up your dates, with the understanding that we are courting women
to join our family. As I'm sure you'll hear from Charlotte tomorrow, anytime you want to have sex with a woman level
three or above, you may ask and it's expected that she will comply. You have my blessing if any of your dates go all the
way. I expect that they will, before we decide to add them to our family. How do you feel about helping a woman have a
child that really wants one?"
I felt like that was a loaded question, if there ever was one. I replied, "I don't know. I'd like to be involved in the
lives of any of my children, but I realize the world has changed. How do you feel about it?"
Katrina focused on our current situation, saying, "The world has changed, and the more children we have the
better. There will be a massive population decrease due to the infusion changes in the world. Even if we solve how to
domesticate infused animals and how to grow infused food, I believe we'll only be able to save a percentage of the
population. Our group is focused on long term, while the military is mostly focused on the short term. Sorry, I rambled.
Life is a wonderful thing, and you should feel blessed that you get to be a part of creating new life. I look forward to
feeling a heartbeat under my heart someday. With your gift, each woman will be doubly blessed."
I found it hard to believe she was so generous with me. "Hmmm, I really hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose
I was being pretty selfish. Thank you for letting me know how you feel, and I look forward to sharing the beauty of
creating a new life with you when we have a child. You'll be the most amazing mother."
She kissed me hard and rode me even harder until we both climaxed again and fell asleep.
We woke up and headed to breakfast. Katrina gave me a kiss after we got our food, and we separated to find our
assigned seats. I was at a table with six women I hadn't met. We went around and introduced ourselves. They were all
level three and their names were Abby, Jesse, April, Monica, Beth, and Catherine. Beth and Jess had been assigned to
Pierre before the consolidation. They were excited about the influx of new people to the area. They all asked about me
and how I got to be such a high level. I told them that Katrina had asked me not to share my gift. I encouraged them all
to meditate today on their gifts. I felt like I got to know them all fairly well by the time our long breakfast was over. I
was glad I didn't have to try and remember names. I could always check their character sheet.
Next on my schedule was my meeting with Charlotte. I found her office without too much trouble, and knocked
on the open door.
She looked up from her desk and said, "Good to see you, DJ! Please close the door and have a seat. This is a
long way from the hospital. Congratulations on the wedding! I'm sure I'm one of the many people that wished they
could have been there."
I shut the door and had a seat before I replied, "Thanks! I wanted to make sure we got married before they did
away with it. How did you end up here?"
"Your beautiful wife made a great case for me changing jobs. My husband Jack wasn't too keen on moving, but
I talked him into it. The world has changed, and our old jobs are disappearing quickly. I believe this is one of the best
positions I can be in to meet the storm that is coming. Do you know what our meeting is about?"
"Katrina mentioned you telling me some information mandated by the government."
She chuckled. "Yep, as a man that is higher than level two, you have been given as many free passes as you
want from the government. It includes women that aren't level three, but they encourage you to make the most of any
opportunity that you'd like with a woman that is level three or higher."
"That's just so crazy."
"I know, but it is a new world. There is a lot of uncertainty about the next generation, if most of the world's
population can't reproduce. You're going to feel the brunt of that uncertainty. Every woman is getting a one on one
conversation about their expected acquiescence if a level three or above man wants her. The women that are a part of
the Agency staff and heroes aren't necessarily expected to acquiesce at this point. In general though, if you wanted me
on my desk, it's expected that we would, even though I'm out of the child rearing age. I'd be expected to say thank you
for the opportunity as well. I know you're not the type to casually have sex, but as time goes on, the government is
going to keep pushing to make sure we will have the next generation."
"Katrina and I talked about it last night. I'm really glad I got her perspective on it."
"She mentioned that you had, and that you wouldn't mind helping some young ladies that would like a child."
"Yes, but I'd want to get to know them at least a bit."
"How would you like me to help with that? Do you want me to schedule your time with them or would you like
a code phrase that they would mention when talking to you?"
"I like the idea of the code phrase, so I could get to know them a bit more naturally and initiate things."
"Just remember they won't be staying. Once they're pregnant, the government is going to ship them off to make
sure they're safe and focused on the baby."
"That's going to suck."
"Yes, but that's the new world. We're going to see some amazing things, but there are also going to be struggles
and problems. How about "Children are a blessing from God" as the phrase?"
I smiled. "That might have been on the wall in your office, if I remember correctly. It sounds like a very good
code. Thanks."
"Do you have any questions for me?"
I shook my head. "Not that I can think of."
"Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your master key badge. It will let you in any room in the building. You can also use
it to pay for any lodging as long as you're accompanied by a woman. Every man that is level three and above is given
one, to encourage you to take opportunities."
I put the badge in my pocket, as I shook my head. "Wow."
"Yep, and I imagine they will be much more pushy in time."
"Thanks. I appreciate you being here and helping us out."
"Thank you for all the help you've given me. I'm glad you're the man you are, and I looked forward to seeing
how you're going to change the world."
I chuckled as I waved and left her office. Part of me just couldn't get over the idea that I could have sex with
almost any woman I saw. I was constantly surrounded by beautiful, strong, women heroes, so I'd need to take things
slow. I knew Dave would be telling me to go for it, and sample the buffet all the time, but that just wasn't me.
I walked around for a while, just thinking, until it was time for lunch.
I got my food and found my assigned seat. I was surrounded by six more women that I didn't know again. I
spent an extended lunch getting to know Stephanie, Kim, Dawn, Michelle, Wanda and Shaytrice. They all seemed
really nice and were easy to talk to. I couldn't tell if that was me getting better at small talk, or if they were seeing me in
the light of the new world.
When I finished eating lunch, I headed back to my suite when Katrina spoke in my mind, "If you don't have
plans, you could train with Jill this afternoon. She just got done with a meditation session, and is probably heading to
the lounge. I invited her over to watch a movie with us tonight after supper."
I replied, "That sounds good. She's been my best training buddy. I've leveled since our last session, so I'm eager
to see how much better I can use my resonance. Thanks."
"I'll see you both back at our suite after supper. Have fun!"
I turned around and headed to the lounge area. I got there just before she did and waved to her as she came in.
I asked, "Want to spend the afternoon training?"
She smiled. "You've been missing my hands on you during your smack-downs, haven't you? Sounds like fun.
Let me get changed, and I'll meet you in the training area in twenty minutes."
"See you there."
I went back to my suite and changed, before going to the training area. I started stretching as I waited for Jill.
She came sauntering over to me a few minutes later. It took a lot of effort to focus on her face rather than her curves.
 She smiled. "I missed training with you when you left. You missed my sparring session with AJ. He called it
early after I had put him to the mats a couple of times. The look on his face was precious. He was so shocked that I had
gotten so much better. I wasn't surprised when he transferred to the military. He'll have plenty of women to praise him
for everything he does."
"Sorry I missed the fun. I'm glad you were able to kick his butt. I've missed our training as well."
"Don't think I'm going to take it easy on you. Are you ready?"
She stretched which pushed the limits of what the spandex could handle. She just smiled as she could tell I was
having a hard time focusing.
"Let's get to it."
As we walked over to one of the circles, I focused my resonance to bump up my speed and strength, while using
Zen Movement and Katrina's Peek Ahead. I was able to slip into my focus state much easier than I had.
We smiled at each other as we started to spar. We both started slow and kept ramping up. After fifteen minutes, I
was drawing on everything I could pull for those skills to keep up with her. She had really been working hard.
I got my first smack down when she used her phase ability to pass through my block to hit me. It caught me off
guard, and she had me on my back before I could recover.
I said, "Look's like you've got some new skills," as I got up.
She smiled sweetly. "You know how much I enjoy getting my hands on you. I seem to be able to get by
roadblocks in my way now."
I decided to add in my Sensory Projection into the mix.
On our next exchange, I sent her the feeling that I was kissing the back of her neck. It distracted her for a
moment, and I put her on her back on the mat. I smiled down at her as she narrowed her eyes looking up at me. I said,
"I see why you like doing this to me. The view is fantastic."
"I see you have some new skills as well. Looks like I'll have to learn not to be so distracted."
I helped her up, and we kept sparring. We alternated being able to put the other person on the mat, as we
distracted each other. The amount of time in between continued to increase. I called for a break when I was getting up
from the mat. We were both breathing hard and dripping with sweat. We had a seat beside each other as we drank some
water and caught our breath.
Jill said, "I'm impressed. You haven't been taking it easy. If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd been a hero for
years."
"Thanks. I'm really struggling to keep up with you. I'm not sure what I'll do, when you get your phase ability
ingrained into your fighting. Being able to pass through my blocks or not get hit, is almost impossible to plan for and
react effectively against."
"Thanks. I've been working at it, but it takes a lot of effort. I'll get there though. So Katrina asked me over
tonight to watch a movie with you. It sounds like fun, but I was wondering what you were thinking."
"I'd really like to get to know you better. Katrina and I both really respect you and enjoy your company." I
paused as I struggled with what I should say. I finally decided to just say what I meant. "We'd really like to date you
with the goal of adding you to our family."
Her eyes widened as she took it in and blushed. I continued, "We're not the types to casually hook up with
others, so in light of the new world, we both want to find more women to join our family. I know it's selfish, but I really
want to connect with the women I share my life with. From our times together, I see you as a strong, beautiful woman
that I'd like to hopefully develop a lifelong relationship with."
She grabbed my face in her hands and pulled me in for a passionate kiss. Because we were still getting our
breath back, it didn't last nearly long enough.
I said, "Wow. I felt that in my toes. So that's a yes?"
She smiled and caressed my cheek. "Yes that sounds wonderful to me. Don't think I'm going to go easy on you
in our training though."
"I wouldn't dream of it. Another quick round or two before we break for supper?"
"Sounds good."
We both continued to smile as we sparred and neither of us got distracted enough to hit the mats. A little before
supper, I stepped back.
"That was the longest we've gone without one of us hitting the mats."
She raised here eyebrow and said with a smirk, "I wasn't sure what I'd do to you when you were on the mat with
me on top of you."
I smiled and gave her a wink. "So you really do like it on top?"
 She smiled back. "Don't worry, you'll really enjoy it as well. I'll see you after supper."
I pulled her into a quick hug and kiss before I replied, "I'm looking forward to it, and thanks."
She smiled and squeezed my hand before she turned and left. I gathered my stuff and went to my suite. I quickly
showered, changed and went to supper. I wasn't surprised when I got to introduce myself to six more women. Danielle,
Angie, Stacie, Karen, Becky, and Morielle were all really nice, and I enjoyed talking to them. I made myself focus on
them, so my mind wouldn't run ahead to having Jill over. When supper was over, we all smiled at each other and said
goodbye.
I hurried back to my suite wondering if I needed to do anything to get ready. I was glad when Katrina was there
sitting on the couch, so I joined her.
She asked, "How did the training go?"
"It went really well. We're still really evenly matched, and I was able to put her on the mat as well. She brought
up coming over tonight, so I told her about both of us dating her with the goal of adding her to our family. She said that
it sounded wonderful and kissed me."
Katrina smiled. "Somehow I thought that it would go over well."
She mentally said, "You're both already in love with each other. I don't think she'll want to "date" very long, if at
all. We do need to get a firm lasting commitment, before we share your real gifts. I'll follow your lead when you ask for
that."
I replied, "Alright. You're still wanting this path? The commitment will work all ways. It won't work if it's you
and me, and me and her. It's the three of us together, each of us a partner to the other two."
She nodded. "Yes. I love you."
"I love you."
We kissed and I had to control myself, to not start taking her clothes off. She got up from the couch, saying, "I'll
take care of drinks and start some popcorn."
The door knocked before she got into the kitchenette, so she opened it, while I stood up.
Katrina said, "Thanks for coming over Jill! Come on in," as she gave her a tight hug. I gave Jill a hug as well,
and said, "You look great. Thanks for coming." We all moved into the kitchenette following Katrina, "I thought I'd get
us some drinks and make some popcorn."
Jill said, "Sounds good. Did we have a plan for the movie?"
Katrina looked at me, and I shook my head. Katrina said, "No, I figured we could decide together. I wanted to
have something planned, so we could talk and spend time together. I hear you talked to DJ about what he was thinking.
I assume you liked the answer, since you're here."
Jill smiled. "I really liked the answer. I'll admit that I was hoping to catch DJ's eye when he felt the need to use a
free pass. But I really want what you're both talking about. I want a long-term, committed relationship, just like I
wanted before the world changed. I may have to share a man now, but I want that relationship."
Katrina nodded. "Our world has changed, but I agree. I want a long term, committed relationship. I've got that
with DJ, but we have to add more women to our family. If we don't, then they will be forced on us sooner or later. I'm
hoping to stay in front of that by growing our family and adding sister wives."
I chimed in, "I want that kind of relationship as well, but as we add people, we all have to be committed to each
other. Otherwise, there will be jealousy about who I'm with and there will be a lot of drama. That's why I mentioned
Katrina and me both dating you. Each new person has to be a fit for everyone because we're looking long term."
Jill smiled. "I really didn't expect to have this option, but I'm so thankful that you've asked me. How do you
want to work this? I'll do anything you want."
Katrina walked over to her and gave her a hug, before saying, "How about this? Tonight we'll all date together,
tomorrow night, DJ will take Jill on a date and the next night, Jill and I will date. We'll meet the following night to
make things official between us, if everything goes well."
Jill gave her a big hug back as she said, "That sounds terrific."
I chuckled. "Sounds like a win-win-win. So do we still want to watch a movie?"
Katrina looked at Jill with an eyebrow raised, as Jill grinned even bigger. Katrina said, "I think Jill would like
something a little more fun."
Jill nodded. "How about truth or dare?"
My mouth dropped open as all sorts of thoughts went through my mind. I licked my lips as I said, "We'll need to
keep our clothes on, so it doesn't get out of hand."
Jill pouted while Katrina laughed and said, "Alright, but there won't be any restrictions on the rest of the dates.
We also can't take two dares in a row. We want to find out more about each other."
 Jill's frown turned into a big grin as Katrina spoke. Jill nodded her head. "Alright, I can work with that, although
I'm sure you both know I favor dares. What's the time limit for dares?"
I said, "How about a minute? We want to keep things moving."
Katrina nodded. "Sounds good. We all have phones or watches to use as a stop watch. Let's go to the living
room."
We went into the living room, and I moved the couch back, so there was a larger open space in the middle of the
room. We sat down with our legs crossed, at three points of a triangle, looking at each other.
They didn't say anything, so I said, "Katrina, truth or dare?"
She smiled as she said, "Dare."
I raised my eyebrow as I looked from her to Jill. "For the next minute, I want you to play with Jill's breasts. I
know you've been admiring them."
Katrina laughed as she moved over to sit in front of Jill. "Who doesn't? They are simply magnificent. Oh, Jill.
They feel wonderful. If I had these girls, my showers would be twice as long as I played with them. My, what a hard
nipple you have. All the better to play with."
Both of them were breathing heavily, and Jill had closed her eyes, when I said, "Time."
Katrina moved back to her spot. "Wow, thank you. Jill, truth or dare?"
Jill smiled as she said, "Dare, of course. That was amazing."
Katrina smiled. "Sit in DJ's lap, doing what you'd like for one minute."
Jill crawled over to me, and sat in my lap. She smelled wonderful. As soon as Katrina said, "Go," she pulled me
into a passionate kiss. While we kissed, she moved my hands to her glorious breasts, before running her hands through
my hair. As I massaged her gorgeous globes, she ground herself into me. It seemed like only a couple of seconds had
gone by, when Katrina said, "Time." Jill broke off the kiss as she grinned at me.
I let out a "Wow," which made her grin even larger. I had to adjust myself, so I wouldn't be in pain.
Jill narrowed her eyes as she looked between Katrina and me. After a few moments, she said, "DJ, truth or
dare?"
"I think I'd best say Truth."
Jill frowned for a second before saying, "When did you know you wanted Katrina?"
I replied, "I wanted her the first day I met her, when she joined me to exercise. She showed up in some black
spandex, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her. I've had a similar problem with someone else."
Katrina laughed. "It's one of his turn-ons. I wasn't as skilled as you are Jill, but we just happened to touch a lot
while we worked out."
I laughed. "You both look absolutely amazing in spandex. I'm only human after all."
We continued playing until eleven pm, when Katrina said, "Unfortunately, we have work tomorrow, so we need
to bring our date to a close. I'm going to walk Jill back to her room, so we can have a few minutes to talk alone."
We all stood up, and I said, "Thanks, Jill. That was a terrific evening, and I really enjoyed our time."
She pulled me into a passionate kiss as she pressed her body into mine. When she broke it off, she said, "I am so
looking forward to our date tomorrow night."
Katrina grabbed her hand to lead her out, saying, "Come on, you'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow night."
I waved goodbye as they left the suite. I cleaned up and relaxed on the bed. It was a while later when Katrina
came back. She came straight back to the bedroom and had most of her clothes off by the time she got to the door.
When she was naked, she crawled to me on the bed, enjoying me watching her. She licked her lips before passionately
kissing me. I returned it with passion, but noticed that she had a new flavor. When we finally broke off our kiss, I said,
"So. . ."
Katrina lightly laughed. "Our conversation went a little farther than I planned. I also thought you'd like a taste."
"Oh, you were a bad girl, weren't you?"
"I was. . .I'd better take my punishment."
She repositioned herself, face down in a pillow on her knees with her wonderful behind facing me.
We both had a lot of tension and energy to work off before we were able to get some sleep.
I woke up with Katrina sleeping on my chest. She smiled and opened her eyes a few moments later.
I said, "Good morning beautiful."
"Good morning. For your date tonight, you'll be going back to Jill's room. That was one of the things we talked
about last night. Tomorrow night you'll be spending the night with someone looking to have a child. So don't be
surprised when you hear the phrase from someone."
"So soon?"
 "I love you, but yes, there are lots of women that would love to have a child, even if the world hadn't gone
crazy. I had hoped to hold it off, but I realized it would be a good test for all of us. It's part of the new normal."
"It's going to be an interesting couple of days. Any ideas how I can get a ring? I'm assuming things will go well
with Jill."
She smiled. "I think it went very well, and I don't see that changing. I'll take care of it. We've got to get to
breakfast."
We quickly dressed and went to breakfast. We split up and I sat in my assigned seat. I met Holly, Zayna, Mari,
Sophia, Callee, and Isabel. We had a good chat and got to know each other. When we finished eating and said goodbye,
I pulled up Jill's sheet to see what she was doing. She was meditating, so I let her be. I spent some time walking around
the complex, thinking about what to do for our date. While I walked, I put my master key badge to use, looking into
rooms to see what they were. There were a lot of rooms that just weren't being used. I found a large room that had its
own private yard outside with a large hot tub. I guessed that it had been used for bachelor or bachelorette parties at one
time. I looked over the hot tub and found everything in working order. I filled it up, following the instructions to clean
it and get it ready, so it could be used. I was pretty proud of myself, as I headed back for lunch.
At lunch I met Amy, Samantha--Sam, Laura, Camille, Nila and Marisela. They were all nice and I enjoyed
getting to know them. As I was leaving, I heard, "DJ, I think you dropped this."
I turned around, and Sam was holding out a small piece of paper.
I said, "Thanks, Sam, for catching that." I looked at the paper, and it said, "Children are a blessing from God."
I folded it and put it in my pocket, as I asked, "Do you like to play any sports like tennis, billiards, or
basketball?"
She looked a little confused, but answered, "I used to play a lot of tennis."
I smiled. "How about a game tomorrow after breakfast? I'm not very good, but I'd like to learn to be better.
Maybe you could give me some tips?"
She smiled. "Oh, okay. I'll make sure a court is available, and bring the rackets and balls. I'm glad we don't have
assigned seating after today. I'm not a big breakfast person, but I didn't want to let anyone down by not showing up."
"I understand what you mean. We can just meet in the lounge after breakfast. Thanks for taking care of the
details. I really appreciate it and look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
"Thank you. I'll see you then." She smiled and waved, as she turned to leave. I watched her go. She was very
pretty, and seemed really nice.
I waited around the lounge until Jill showed up.
I asked, "Ready for some more training?"
"You know it. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
She kept walking to her room, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her hips as she walked away. I went to my room
and changed quickly before going to the training area. I stretched and it wasn't long before Jill joined me.
She gave me a smile and started stretching. She chuckled when she noticed I got lost in thought looking her
over. "Focus, grasshopper."
"Eyes on the prize."
She raised her eyebrow at me, so I said, "Ready to rumble?"
"Let's do it!"
We went to the circle and started sparring. She worked on using her phase, while I worked on combining more
gifts through my resonance. We were evenly matched, and neither of us were going out of our way to distract the other.
So after an hour, I stepped back so we could take a break.
I drank some water and said, "You've got some great moves."
She smiled. "You're pretty great as well. I'm not sure how you're staying up with me though. It's like you know
what I'm going to do, and start reacting as I make my move."
I grinned at her. "I'm trying to learn your body and listen to what it tells me."
"Hmm, I can't wait to find out what it tells you later. Are we eating supper on our date?"
"I thought we would. Do you mind delivery? If that doesn't sound good, we can eat supper in the cafeteria."
"Delivery sounds good. I'd rather not try to talk surrounded by everyone. How about pizza or subs?"
"I haven't had subs in a while. Do you know what you'd want from Jimmy Johns?"
"Sure, I'll take an eleven with water. Which one do you normally get?"
"I normally get an eight. They're all good though. So we'll meet in the lounge at supper, and head to the front
desk to get our food."
"Sounds like a plan. Ready to get back to it?"
 "Let's do it."
We went back to the circle and sparred for another hour and a half. We were both breathing hard and dripping
with sweat when I stepped back.
We sat down together to drink some water and catch our breath.
"That was quite the workout."
She laughed. "Just wait until later."
We just grinned at each other. Even tired and sweaty, she still looked gorgeous. She just smiled at me as I
realized I had gotten distracted again.
I stood up and gave her a hand up.
She said, "I'm going to get ready. Any hints on what I should wear?"
"You'll look amazing in anything. Unfortunately we have to stay in, but I thought we'd go dancing."
She raised her eyebrow at me, before saying, "Sounds good. Thanks for the heads up. I'll meet you at the front
desk instead of the lounge, if that's okay."
"I'm looking forward to it."
I gave her a quick kiss, and she left to get ready. I walked over to a console and ordered the subs, before going
to our suite. Katrina came in as I was getting out of the shower.
She asked, "What's the plan for your date?"
"We're getting subs and I'm going to use one of the rooms for us to dance."
"Oh, that's a really good idea for your date. Jill's going to love it. I want you two to have as much fun as you
can. Come back here tomorrow for breakfast, so I can hear all the details. I love you."
"I love you, too."
We hugged and kissed before I finished getting dressed. Katrina handed me a red rose for Jill before I left.
"Thanks, love."
She smiled and gave me a passionate kiss. "Have fun!"
I went to the front desk, and was happy to see our food there. I was even happier when I turned and saw Jill.
She was wearing a gorgeous black dress with a plunging neckline. It was very short on her, showing off her beautiful
legs. My mouth was gaping as I watched her walk toward me. By the time she reached me, I was able to get out, "Wow.
You look stunning." I handed her the rose.
She took it, looked me in the eyes, and pulled my face down for a gentle kiss. "Thanks. I hope to see that look
often."
I took her hand and picked up the food with my other hand. She picked up the cold water bottles with her free
hand. I smiled and said, "Follow me, my lady."
I led the way through the complex to the party room I had found. I opened the door and we went in. I had a
table set, so it looked nice. I seated her and went to the control podium, where I plugged in my phone. I brought up my
playlist and dimmed the lights, before sitting down across from her.
I smiled. "I wish we could go dancing like the world hadn't changed. You look so amazing. Bon appetit."
She smiled. "Thanks for going to the trouble of putting this together. You look very handsome. Did you dance
much?"
I shook my head. "No, too much of an introvert. I'm hoping to not embarrass myself."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about."
A slow song came on a few minutes later, and she grabbed my hand pulling me up as she got up, "Come on. I'm
not as hungry as I thought."
We moved out to the middle of the floor, and she slipped into my arms. We started moving back and forth. I
turned my head slightly, so I could whisper in her ear. "You are a goddess tonight. I feel drunk just having you in my
arms."
I started kissing and sucking her earlobe. She leaned back a little, so I could do a better job, and I heard her
moaning. She ran her hands up and down my back, while I did the same to hers. It took only a moment for me to know
that she wasn't wearing anything under her dress. I was already painfully hard, and that made it even worse. She started
slowly grinding against me, until a faster song came on.
She stepped back and started dancing faster in the rhythm to the song. I tried to move along with the beat as
well, but my eyes were glued on her. I'm sure I looked stupid, but I was completely enthralled with watching her.
We danced for quite a while as we kept going further with each other during the slow songs. After one long
passionate kiss, I said, "Hot tub or back to your room?"
She looked at me confused for a second, before a big grin spread across her face. "I don't have a swimsuit with
me."
"Neither do I."
"Then by all means, the hot tub sounds like the best option."
I left the music going, and led her outside without turning on the outside lights. I took the cover off the hot tub
and turned on the dim inside tub lights, so we could see well enough to get in. I turned on the jets and pulled her to me.
We kissed passionately again, and she broke it off, before saying, "Let me help you with those clothes. We don't want
them to get wet." She saw the towels I had laid out, and added, "I love it when my man thinks ahead."
She slowly unbuttoned my shirt and kissed her way down. When my shirt was unbuttoned, she kept kissing my
chest as she worked it off my arms. When it was off, she folded it and set it to the side, before focusing back on me.
She unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned my pants. She let them slide to the floor, and had me step out of them. She
folded my pants and set them on my shirt, before dropping to her knees to focus on my underwear. She kissed my waist
just below my belly button as she pulled my underwear down. My hard dick leapt out to greet her, and she gave it a
warm and wet kiss. It felt amazing, and I let out an "Ohhhh. . ."
She kissed her way down my length, before having me step out of my underwear. She placed it on my pile, and
I said, "My turn."
I turned her so she was facing away from me and moved in behind her. I gathered her long hair and moved it to
the side, so I could see the zipper of the dress.
I whispered in her ear, "You are so amazing," before I started kissing the back of her neck. She turned her face
to the side, so I licked my way to her earlobe and sucked it. I heard her moaning, so I unzipped her dress a little bit and
kissed my way down to it. After a moment, I kissed and licked my way back up to her earlobe, and unzipped her dress
some more. I repeated the process until her dress finally slipped to the floor. I kissed my way down her back, over her
right bun and down her right leg. I paused at the back of her knees for a bit until I felt her legs trembling. I continued
down to her feet and had her step out of her dress, before I folded it and put it on the pile of clothes.
I turned back to her and she was facing me with a huge grin. I was stunned by her beauty, and couldn't think or
say anything for a bit. She smiled, enjoying her effect on me, as she slipped into an embrace with me.
"We probably should have just gone back to my room, but there's no way I'm waiting that long now. You look
like you're about to burst, and I'm sopping wet already. How do you want to do this?"
I smiled. "I heard someone likes to be on top."
She chuckled. "If we were by a bed, I'd ride you hard, but that will have to wait until later. Are you up for a
workout?"
"More than willing to try."
She jumped up on me wrapping her legs around me. I grabbed her buns and lifted her even higher, as we kissed.
I focused on my resonance to use Lighten Up on Jill. After a bit, she felt like she weighed about twenty pounds. She
held onto my neck and shoulders with one arm and hand, while she reached below with her other hand to guide me into
her, as I slowly lowered her. We both moaned into each other's mouths as I slid into her warm and wet pussy. She was
so very wonderfully tight that she slowly slid down my shaft. When she bottomed out, she started moving her waist in
small circles. We kept kissing for a bit before I lifted her up, and slowly let her slide back down. It felt so fantastic that I
knew my resolve, if not my strength, would give out soon. I projected the feeling on kissing and licking her pussy, as I
increased how quickly I was picking her up and letting her down. She broke off our kiss, "Oh, DJ. . . .Don't stop, baby.
Fuck me. . ."
Hearing her drove me crazy, and I increased my speed while projecting more licking, kissing, and sucking of
her nub.
She drew in a deep breath and tensed up, before she climaxed. I kept bouncing her on my shaft and kissing her
neck. She kept shaking and clamped down on my rod. It added a little more feeling that pushed me over the edge. I
thrust into her, going in and out of her as fast as I could until I completely emptied my load into her.
I held her tight to me until we both stopped shaking.
"DJ that was earth shattering. I don't know how you were able to lift me up and down like that. It felt so good, I
kept rolling through climaxes as they tried to keep up with your thrusts. That was amazing."
I nibbled her earlobe which sent a shiver down her back, before I said, "You are awesome, and that was one of
the best experiences of my life."
She kissed me passionately, then added, "I could use the hot tub now."
I set her down, and we got in the hot tub. The water and the jets felt wonderful. We both soaked for a bit before
we started kissing again. I had her straddle me and lean back, so I could focus on her breasts. I couldn't get enough of
them as I played with them with my hands and mouth.
 "That feels so good. My girls are loving the attention. I have to keep them tightly wrapped up so much of the
day. Suck harder, honey. Oh. . . hmmm. . . yes."
I projected that I was licking and sucking her nub again. She immediately tensed up and climaxed. I kept
devouring her magnificent globe and playing with her other nipple, while projecting that I was sucking her pussy. She
kept climaxing, and I enjoyed watching her tense and shake as the waves of pleasure crashed over her.
"Enough. . . .enough, honey. . ."
I relented and stopped projecting, while I gently kissed my way from her hard nipple up to her luscious mouth.
After we kissed for a few moments, she broke it off. "You were killing me. I couldn't take it anymore. It was too much,
but wow. Thank you."
I grinned at her. "Watching you climax while enjoying your girls was better than I could have imagine."
"Would you mind if we retired to my room? I can't wait to get you on my bed."
"As you wish."
We got out of the hot tub and dried each other off with the towels and a lot of kissing. I watched her slip into her
black dress before she turned to have me zip it up. Something about the intimacy of it really touched me, and I pulled
her into a passionate kiss after I zipped her up. We melted together enjoying our kiss. After a few moments, she broke it
off. "My room, lover. We need to get to my room."
I quickly put the lid on the hot tub, turned off the lights, and grabbed our things. She gave me a quick kiss as we
left the room. She led the way to her room, so I could enjoy the view. She glanced back every now and then, to make
sure I was watching. She put even more sway into her walking, and I couldn't keep my hands off of her. She giggled
and hurried up, while I was squeezing her buns every chance I had.
She stopped at her door, opened it a crack, and turned to face me. "Thank you for a wonderful date. Would you
like to come in for a nightcap?"
I picked her up and carried her into her room as she laughed. I set her down inside and kissed her hard. She
lightly kicked the door to make sure it shut, before she took my hand and led me to her bedroom. She started
undressing me as I unzipped her dress. She stepped back for a moment and shrugged her shoulders, allowing her dress
to fall to the floor. I quickly got out of the rest of my clothes.
Jill said, "On the bed, all the way back against the headboard, like you were going to read before going to bed."
I grinned. "Yes, ma"am," as I crawled to the head of the bed and got into position.
She slowly crawled after me with her breasts swaying with each movement. She licked her lips and was
completely focused on my hard rod sticking straight up. I started to move my legs apart, but she pushed them back
together when she reached my feet. She straddled my legs as she passed my feet, completely focused on my shaft. It
started throbbing as I was anticipating what she was going to do. When she got close enough, she looked me in the eyes
and licked her lips before she bent and kissed the head of my dick. I wanted to close my eyes to focus on the pleasure,
but I didn't want to miss out on the sight of her enjoying my shaft. She licked and kissed her way up and down my shaft
as I moaned in pleasure. She kept looking at me, enjoying that I was watching her. The next moment she engulfed my
dick in her mouth. A wave of pleasure crashed into me, causing me to take a sharp intake of breath. She slowly started
bobbing her head, as I moaned, "Oh, Jill. . . .that feels so good. . ."
She circled the head of my dick each time she reached the top, before plunging back down my shaft.
I continued moaning, "That is so wonderful. . . .hmmm. . .it makes me want to fuck you so badly."
My hands were already in her damp hair, and I lightly pulled her head up. She reluctantly released my throbbing
dick, and moved up into my lap. I pulled her face to mine and gave her a passionate kiss. She broke off the kiss with a
big grin, and raised herself up holding onto the headboard. Her breasts were perfectly positioned at my mouth as she
lowered herself on my shaft.
It felt amazing, but I focused on her beautiful bouncing breasts, as she started riding me. I was doing well until
she started slightly twerking, moving her pussy forward and back as she rode me. It took my pleasure to another level
and I knew I couldn't last long. I projected the feeling of me devouring her pussy, and we both moaned as we kept
going. A few moments later, she climaxed with me following just after. While we shook in each other's arms, we slid
down on the bed.
After we caught our breath, I said, "You are totally amazing on top."
"Just to be clear. Anytime, anywhere, any position. I'm yours totally. That was amazing."
"You know what seeing you in spandex does to me. We might not get any training done. That was more than
amazing."
"It would be totally worth it, and I mean it."
I kissed her and held her as we drifted off to sleep.
 I woke up to the feel of my hard dick being engulfed in a warm wetness. I felt her hair and breasts brushing my
legs as she bobbed up and down. It felt so good that I gave myself to it. My hands ran through her hair as I lightly held
her head as I started to moan. "Oh. . . that feels soooo good. . .I'm not going to last much longer."
She kept bobbing and sucking, and I moved one of my hands to squeeze her breast. A few moments later I
moaned, "I'm going to cum. . ."
She sped up and it was too much for me. I exploded into her mouth, and she quickly swallowed my load. When
I stopped shaking, she finished licking and sucking my dick clean. I pulled her up to me, and kissed her passionately.
She broke it off after a minute. "We have to get going, lover. It's almost breakfast, and I had strict orders to
make sure you weren't late." She got out of bed and started dressing.
I watched her for a bit before I said, "Wow. You are an amazing woman. Thank you for a night I'll remember for
the rest of my life."
She smiled at me as she leaned toward me, giving me a fantastic view of her breasts. "I meant what I said.
Anytime, anywhere, any way you want. Just not now, because Katrina would kill us both."
I got out of bed and quickly dressed. By the time I finished, she was done and hurrying me along. At her door I
pulled her to me for another passionate kiss. She melted into it for a minute, before she broke it off and lightly pushed
me out. "You'd better get going."
"I'll see you at training."
She smiled as she shut the door to help me get moving. I quickly went to my suite, where Katrina pounced on
me. After a passionate kiss she pulled me to the couch.
"Tell me everything."
I told her everything that happened, before she said, "I wish I had been there. It sounds so amazing. I'm so glad
you both had such a wonderful time together. You're set for tonight, right?"
I nodded. "She let me know yesterday afternoon."
"Good. I'll be spending the night at Jill's. Thanks for being such a wonderful guy. I'm sure you'll make it special
for her. As much as I want to rip those clothes off of you, we both have to get going. I love you."
"I love you."
We kissed passionately for a few minutes, as I enjoyed her being in my arms. When we broke apart, Katrina left,
heading toward the admin section. I quickly changed into shorts and tennis shoes before I headed toward the lounge.
Sam was waiting for me, in a very flattering tennis outfit. I smiled. "You look beautiful! Are you ready to play?"
She blushed and nodded, while she held out a racket for me.
I said, "Lead the way, my lady."
She led the way toward the tennis courts, while I enjoyed the view of her perfectly toned legs.
"With gorgeous legs like yours, I'm going to have a hard time keeping my eyes on the ball."
She glanced back and saw that I was completely focused on her legs, and she blushed some more.
When we got to the tennis court, I said, "Do you mind if we hit it back and forth for a bit to warm up?"
She smiled. "Sounds good. I'll take the far side." When she got there, she got out a couple of tennis balls.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
She lightly served the ball right to me, so I had an easy forehand to return it. "Thanks for sending the ball
straight to me."
She easily returned mine, and we went back and forth slowly expanding the area of our returns until we both
had to move around. She had perfect form, so I knew she must have really played in high school or college. I had
casually played for exercise.
I asked, "Ready to play a game? You can serve."
"Sure, thanks."
She bounced the ball and caught it before moving back to serve. She slammed a fast one, and the ball flew by
me before I could react. I went to get the ball, and said, "That was smokin" hot, like you! Don't hold back."
I focused on using my resonance to add Peek Ahead, like I did in training. Her next serve was the same, but I
was able to start moving sooner, so I was able to return it.
"That was an awesome serve! Good job."
We went back and forth as she made me run from one side of the court to the other, before I couldn't make it in
time.
I said, "Great job!" as I went after the ball.
As we kept playing, almost all of the points went that way. She easily beat me. After I retrieved the ball, we met
at the net.
I said, "Great job! Are you sure you weren't a professional? Switch sides?"
She smiled. "Thanks, and no. I never got to find out if I could have been a professional. I had hopes, but the
whole gifting thing derailed that plan."
"Sorry to hear that. From what I can see, you definitely were good enough."
"Thanks."
We switched sides, and I bumped my speed some. I was able to make a few points, but would have to really
push a gift to beat her.
We were both sweating when we met at the net again.
I said, "Great job! You definitely could have won a few tournaments. Water break?"
She smiled. "Thanks, you've done a good job keeping up. You must have played some as well."
We walked over to some benches and sat down for our break.
I replied, "I played a bit through high school and college. I'm keeping up with you with a bit of giftedness. I
hope you don't mind."
"No problem. I wondered."
"How did you get pulled into being a hero?"
"I have a gift for speed that manifested in a competition. It was horrible. I was disqualified, and everyone
thought I had been using it all along. It made quite the splash in the news, so the agency came looking for me. My
dreams of a tennis career were squashed, so I joined them and started working on my gift."
"That must have been terrible. The media can be really mean. You seem to have weathered it well though."
"Thanks. It wasn't easy, and then the world had to go and change. It really made me reevaluate what was
important and what I was doing. The American dream of the perfect husband and two kids in a beautiful house in the
country, just isn't going to be possible anymore. It really stinks, but I've been coming to grips with it."
"You're a beautiful woman, Sam. I'm sorry those dreams got squashed." I put my hand on her knee, and gave it a
light squeeze.
She smiled as she looked me in the eyes. "I have another dream that I was hoping you'd help me with."
"I would love to help you with your dream."
She was looking at my lips, so I slowly leaned forward and gently kissed her. She ran her hands through my hair
and pulled me in tighter, as she ramped up the intensity of the kiss. We were both breathing heavily when we came up
for air.
She grabbed my hand pulling me up as she stood up. "Come on. Leave the stuff."
She led me by the hand to her room, glancing back with a big smile. I grinned back at her, enjoying the sway of
her hips and her beautiful legs. When we got to her door, she quickly opened it and pulled me in. As the door closed,
she was in my arms passionately kissing me. I held her to me tightly and after a few minutes, picked her up and carried
her to the bed. I laid her on the bed, and pulled off my shirt and kicked off my shoes before lying down beside her. She
had gotten out of her socks and shoes as well.
I said, "You are so beautiful, Sam."
She gave me a quick kiss and rolled on top of me, so she was straddling me. I held her hips as she pulled off her
shirt, throwing it on the floor. She grinned at me as she slowly pulled her sports bra off, freeing her breasts. They had
barely bounced free before my hands were cupping them.
She put her hands on mine and leaned back, "That feels so good. . ."
Her nipples quickly hardened and pushed against my hands. I leaned forward and took her left breast in my
mouth, sucking her and playing with her nipple with my tongue.
She pulled my head against her, so I could take even more of her breast into my mouth. She moaned, "That's it,
baby. Suck it hard. . ."
I did and started to play with her other nipple, even harder.
She moaned loudly, before she started jerking, as she climaxed. I kept sucking and teasing her nipples as she
kept orgasming. I rolled us, so she was on the bottom and started kissing my way down from her breast. I kept one hand
playing with her nipple and used the other to start pushing her skirt and panties down. I switched hands as I kept
kissing lower and pushed her clothes down her legs.
By the time I got to her pussy, she was already soaking wet and still shaking. I kissed her pussy lovingly, when
she gasped out, "Please take me! Please!"
I used one hand to keep rubbing her wet pussy, while I used the other to push down my shorts. When I had my
shorts and underwear just below my knees, I moved back up into position over her. I kept rubbing her as I looked down
in her face. She was looking intently up at me as she continued to spasm because of the climaxes.
She whispered, "Please take me. Please."
She spread her legs as I slowly pushed myself into her. She was so tight that it was difficult for me. She slowly
adjusted as I sunk into her velvet, wet depths. She kept climaxing, clamping down on my shaft. We both let out a sigh
of relief when I bottomed out. I started moving slowly in and out of her. She put her hands behind her head towards the
headboard and closed her eyes. I lifted myself up, so I could see all of her as I thrust into her. She looked so beautiful. I
kept thrusting and moved one of my hands, so that it would be holding hers down above her head. I watched her breasts
bouncing with each thrust and alternated kissing her hard nipples.
As I felt like I was nearing my end, I whispered in her ear, "I'm going to put a beautiful baby in you, Sam. You
are going to be the best momma in the world."
She passionately kissed me, as I unloaded into her, filling her up. When I finished, I stayed in her, and laid down
beside her, facing her.
Sam smiled as she caressed my cheek. I could see tears in her eyes, as she whispered, "Thank you."
I caressed her cheek, wiping a tear away. "You're going to be the best mother ever."
"Thank you so much. You're an amazing guy."
"Thanks." I grinned really big at her. "You don't mind if I stay, and we make sure this took?" I raised my
eyebrow at her.
She lightly laughed and her smile got bigger. "You can stay as long as you'd like."
"I do have plans for tomorrow, but I'm yours for the night."
"Oh my. I had hoped for a quickie, but this is going to be a wonderful night. I'm yours for the night. Anything
you want to do, just please finish in me."
"I was serious about putting a baby in you. Why don't you give me some kisses, until I'm hard enough to slip
back in you?"
She giggled as she moved down me, to start sucking my shaft.
We went through another long round, before we were both starving. I had her stay in the bed with pillows under
her hips, while I ordered a pizza. I laid beside her, caressing her while we talked, waiting for the pizza. I got the pizza
when it came, and we ate in bed, so Sam wouldn't have to get up.
After we finished, it didn't take much for me to be ready again. We made love a couple more times before we
both fell asleep.
I woke to Sam asleep on my chest. I enjoyed watching her sleep, but the sight woke up my dick. She woke up to
it prodding her. She smiled at me after looking down at it. She positioned herself, and said, "Come on, lover. Fill me up
again."
It didn't take long for us both to climax, and I emptied myself in her. She pulled me down on top of her. "I can't
thank you enough, DJ. That was wonderful, and you made this so special. I don't think I'm strong enough to see you
off. Please just dress and go. I'll always remember you, even if I don't see you again."
I looked her in the eyes. "You are beautiful woman, and you're going to be an awesome mother. Thank you for a
fantastic evening."
I gently kissed her before I rolled off the bed and got dressed. I didn't feel right just leaving, so I gave her
another kiss before I left.
I headed back to my suite and met Katrina outside the door. We embraced and kissed.
I got the door, and we went in to sit on the couch.
I said, "So. . . ."
She laughed. "I don't know about you, but I don't know if I could stop seeing her even if I wanted to. I can't wait
until she joins us."
I smiled. "Sounds like we're going to have a very fun evening tonight. It's hard to imagine not having her with
us."
"Great. I'll see about making the room changes. Maybe we can go to our new room after a small ceremony?"
"Sounds great. What about supper?"
"I think we all would rather spend that time together. Ask her to come to our suite at supper time. I'll order some
pizza and bread sticks. I've got to get to work."
We kissed again before she left. I took a very long hot shower, then laid down on the bed. I must have fallen
asleep, because I woke up just before lunch. I got up and went to lunch.
I got my food and asked if I could join a group of ladies I had met before with one spot open at the table. They
all smiled and nodded. After I sat down, I mostly listened to their conversations. Most of it was about the uptick in
transformed animals and the military locking down people's movement even more. During the conversation, I made
sure I used each of their names. When lunch was over, I thanked them for letting me join them before I left. I went back
to my suite to change, before going to the training area.
After a while, Jill joined me beaming with a big grin.
I said, "You look even lovelier today."
"Just excited about tonight."
"We thought that we'd eat supper in our suite."
"Sounds good." She bent over to stretch, and my mouth watered.
She smiled as she saw the look on my face.
We went through sparring without either of us pushing too hard. It was a good workout, but we were both
getting it done, so we could move on to our plans for the evening. When we finished, Jill said, "I'll see you for supper at
your suite." She pointedly looked at my groin and added, "I'm really hungry."
I grinned back at her looking at her pussy, when I said, "So am I."
She sauntered off, and I headed to our suite. By the time I showered and changed, Katrina arrived with the pizza
and bread sticks. She quickly jumped in the shower and changed. She had just finished when there was a knock at the
door.
I opened the door to see Jill in another gorgeous, revealing dress. I said, "Wow, you look gorgeous. Please come
in."
She smirked. "Thanks," as she came in and gave Katrina a tight hug and kiss.
I said, "Let's start in the living room."
We sat on the floor like we had for the game we'd played.
I looked at Jill. "Jill, will you marry Katrina and me?"
She nodded with a big grin. "Oh, yes!"
Katrina smiled. "Then we'd like to have a small wedding ceremony between us. This is a lasting commitment of
honesty, support, loyalty and love. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Jill nodded even more. "More than anything."
I said, "Jill, will you marry me? I vow to love and support you, remaining loyal and honest with you at all times
for the rest of my life."
Jill replied, "Yes, I will marry you, DJ. I vow to love and support you, remaining loyal and honest with you at
all times for the rest of my life."
Katrina said, "Jill, will you marry me? I vow to love and support you, remaining loyal and honest with you at all
times for the rest of my life."
Jill replied, "Yes, I will marry you, Katrina. I vow to love and support you, remaining loyal and honest with you
at all times for the rest of my life."
I pulled out the ring and slipped it on her finger. "With this ring, as a symbol of our love and commitment, I
now pronounce us all married."
We pulled each other into a three way hug as we kissed each other.
Jill said, "Thank you both so much. My stomach was in knots about how this was going to work out."
I smiled. "Thank you, my love."
Katrina smiled. "Now, on to the honeymoon. You two, grab the food and follow me."
She led the way out of our suite, down some halls to another room. As she opened the door, she said, "Welcome
to our new home."
We walked in to a much bigger suite. It was closer to being a townhome because it had a large living room, a
small dining room, and a full sized kitchen. Instead of multiple bedrooms, it had a massive bedroom with a huge bed
and a large garden tub in the corner. There were two walk-in closets and a large bathroom with separated smaller rooms
for the shower and toilet.
I said, "Wow, this is really nice."
Jill sat on the bed and gave it a bounce. "The bed feels good."
I looked at Katrina, she nodded, and we both went to Jill, lightly pushing her back on the bed. We started
undressing as she looked up at us. She said with a big grin, "What are you going to do to me?"
Katrina laughed. "Everything we can think of."
Jill grinned back. "Good, cause I don't want to miss out on anything." She pulled off her dress and moved up the
bed, as we joined her on either side.
I went high and started kissing her, while I massaged her breasts. Katrina went low, kissing her way to Jill's
pussy.
Jill started moaning in my mouth. It didn't take long for her to be bucking under Katrina's attention. When Jill
started to come down, Katrina and I switched positions. I slowly slid into Jill, while Katrina passionately kissed her. Jill
started another round of climaxes as we continued working on her. After a few minutes, I pulled Katrina back to me and
entered her wet pussy from behind. She went back to licking Jill's pussy. I added some feelings of me licking Katrina's
rosebud while I reached around her to rub her pussy. A few moments later Katrina exploded, which tipped me over the
edge. I let loose in her and we all laid down together to catch our breath.
Jill said, "Wow, I've never been double teamed before. That was wonderful."
Katrina laughed. "It's the first of many then. That was amazing!"
I smiled at them, "This is our new normal. Give me a few minutes, then I want to be on bottom with both of you
on me."
Jill grinned. "I get to ride, and we can play while he eats you out."
Katrina chuckled. "Oh, this is really going to be a fun new normal."
We spent the evening trying every position and combination we could think of, until we were all exhausted and
sated. They both fell asleep and snuggled up to me on my right and left side. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have
them both. Tomorrow was upgrade day, and my beautiful women had lots of points to use.
I was starting to drift off to sleep, when I felt the whole building shake, like there was an earthquake.

End of book 1