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| Story: A New Life - Chapter 10 Wednesday, 19-Apr-2000 23:41:07
Ahh, Sarah's first day as a superheroine.....or is it? Things may not be quite as they seem in this chapter. Now, with that bit of info out of the way, on to the story....... Integrating Xris' surprisingly small computer system into her house proved easier than Sarah would have guessed. In a way, the small, shiny black cube resembled nothing more than a container - a knickknack item that could have been picked up at a garage sale. Its smooth, featureless surface belied the advanced electronics that it contained. If there were, in fact, electronics inside; Sarah wasn't really sure how Xris worked, but she had never felt comfortable enough asking her deceased brother's computerized replica about it. Somehow, that would have diminished the feeling that she was holding a conversation with her brother, instead of with an unassuming little ebony box. And that was not what she had brought him here for. So she had placed him on the bookshelf in her living room, right next to her stereo. "There, how does that look?", she asked. "This is perfectly acceptable, Khara. I do not mind at all with your placing me next to such a primitive device." She gave the cube a smirk, detecting more than a trace of sarcasm in Xris' melodic speech. "Wise guy....", she whispered. "I didn't rescue you from that pod so that you could insult my taste in stereos. I... I have to catch you up on what I've been doing since we last spoke. A lot fo things have happened, Xris. Soem good, some - not-so-good." With a sigh, Sarah began recounting the events of the past six years. Her schooling at the University of Colordao; her job at The Post; the friends (and enemies) she had made in the interim. She explained her treatment of her Gammonian past that he had told her about. How she, after the Carters' deaths, had put that all behind her, leaving Khara behind to live her life as Sarah Carter. She wanted to do that for Donald and Elizabeth, for all the love, compassion, and kindness they had shown her while she had lived with them. She told Xris that her life here on Earth was all she could remember, and that her family from that other world didn't seem nearly as real. "That only makes sense, Khara.", Xris said. "After the crash, your memories had been either severely repressed, or damaged beyond retreival. All the information of Gammon and your family that you have received has been through me. It is only natural that you feel much stronger ties towards your surrogate parents. And this is your new home, as well. You should integrate yourself with the humans." "But that's the problem right there, Xris! I thought I had reconciled the differences between my life here in Denver and my past, both with Don and Liz, and with Gammon. But I've found that I haven't even faced the issue. I've spent the last six years skirting around it, running from it, by abandoning Elizabeth and you for another life here. If you look at it, Xris, I've had three different lives. And that's not all." She then proceeded to tell him about her rescue of little Jason - and of the exposure that her green self had gained. "No one knows that it was me, but it really doesn't matter. I don't know what to do, Xris. This is all becoming to hard to cope with." Silence filled the apartment. Only Sarah's soft breathing could be heard. Then the deep voice from the gleaming black cube replied, "I cannot say that I fully understand your entire problem, Khara. This si something that we, as Gammonians, never had any experience with. I daresay most humans have not, either. I only have one piece of advice to impart to you: follow your heart. What does it tell you to do, Khara? Is there a part of you that rejects your true self, for whatever reasons? Does that same part revel in 'being' human? I cannot give you thse answers, Khara. I am sorry if I have not been able to help you." But the expression on Sarah's face didn't mimic the regret in Xris' deep voice. "No, Xris. I think you've helped me far more than you realize. You've broken my problem down into a level that I hadn't realized existed. Maybe the reason I have been thinking of myself as human is because I want to BE human. Just looking in the paper Friday morning at people's reactions of my Gammonian form made me think of how differently I really am from everyone else." She stood up from her small couch and began to slowly pace back and forth in front of the bookshelf, glancing over at Xris' cubed form periodically. "I think I've been too close to the problem. I needed perspective, and that's just whay you've provided me with, Xris. The Carters' didn't treat me any differently because I wasn't like them. The mother of the baby I rescued was very happy to meet me..." She trailed off, thinking. Xris broke the silence. "Khara, you have abilities on this planet that no one else possesses. On Gammon, we had no such powers; if you were there right now, you would be no different from any other. But here, within this planet's unique atmosphere, your natural body is capable of feats that are, if you will excuse the term, super-human. Let me ask you a question. How did it feel when you saved that child?" How did it feel? Sarah opened her mouth to state the obvious answer, but then shut it just as quickly. Was the answer so obvious? She thought back to the point where she had climbed into the car and found Jason alive and well. Then when she had handed him over to his mother. Sarah had seen the love in her eyes for her son, and the honest gratitude for Sarah's act. How did it feel? "Xris, it was the best feeling that I've ever had." "Then I think that you are well on your way to resolving this internal dispute." She smiled at Xris' module. "Thank you, Xris. You've been more helpful than I would've guessed. Yes, I need to follow my heart. That's exactly what Don and Liz had told me, all those years ago." She looked towards the small hallway that led towards her bedroom. "And I think I know how to do just that." Sarah left the living room and entered the bedroom. She opened her closet door and rustled around with her hung clothing, dragging out a small, nondescript box. She walked over to her queen-sized bed and sat down, staring at the box. Inside, she felt that this was, indeed, the right thing to do - the way to settle the disparity between her differing lives. She opened the box up, gazing at its contents. Ten minutes later, Xris' optical sensors picked up movement coming from the direction of Sarah's bedroom. Within seconds the figure resolved itself into the form of Khara. "Well, Xris? How do I look?", she asked, her voice much huskier than a few minutes ago. "Khara, you look absolutely wonderful.", he replied. "So do I take this new look of yours as the answer to your internal difficulty?" His outwardly invisible optics caught her nod, and he continued, "Splendid, Khara. Splendid." "Thanks. Oh, and Xris? Call me Sarah....." It was Monday evening, and Sarah Carter was feeling tired but satisfied as she waited in line at her bank. She had discovered that, over the weekend, the great hubbub generated over her greenish appearance the previous Thursday had, for the most part, died out. Since no more sightings had been reported, most people had put it out of their minds. Most people. There were, of course, a few die-hard journalists still roaming about in last-ditch efforts to generate more info and interest. But they had found it very difficult to engender any attention from people, and even most of them had finally given up. Sarah's feeling of satisfaction dissipated as she noticed who was coming up behind her. 'Oh, great. This is all I need.', she thought gloomily. "Hey, hey, what's up, Legs?", Harry Mchenry called out. "Long time no see. You been out-of-town or somethin'?" "Yes, Harry, I have been." "But I bet you were here to see that great story on the green chick, right? Oh, man, what I wouldn't give to have been there!" Her gloomy thoughts turned a little darker. "Harry, that story is old news now. No one has been able to find out anything else about her, and she hasn't made any more appearances, so there isn't any more story." Couldn't this line move any faster? She didn't want to spend any more time standing next to this creepy excuse for a journalist than she had to. "No more story? You've gotta be kiddin', Legs! She's out there somewhere, and I will find her. Man, has she got a bod! And she knows how to flaunt it, doesn't she?" He gave Sarah a lewd wink. "Harry - ", Sarah warned. She was becoming upset at his lack of tact and grace. If only he knew that the object of his search was standing right in front of him. A hint of warmth was building up in her chest, but she tried to suppress it as best she could. "Awww, I'm only joking, Sarah. Say, is this line ever gonna move? I've got a dinner date to get to!" Sarah was just thinking of what kind of woman would even want to be near the paparazzi reporter when she took a closer look at the person who was being served at the counter. Something seemed a bit strange about him. She looked at the other open lane. There was a similarly dressed man there, too, and again she felt something odd tickle her mind. "Excuse me for a second, Harry. I'm going to go ask the teller what's taking so long." "Good. Tell 'em we might just take ALL of our money out of the dive if they can't get us better service!" She rolled her eyes at his remark and walked towards the front of the line. She came to a stop next to the counter. "Miss? May I ask if it will be much longer?", she asked pleasantly. That's when she noticed the young teller was looking very nervous - and scared. Sarah looked at the man. He was eyeing her, an appraising gleam in his dark eyes. He then shifted a little, and Sarah's eyes were automatically drawn towards the countertop. She felt her eyes go wide when she saw the gleam of a pistol, partially hidden beneath his coat. "I suggest you get back in line", he growled softly to her. "This'll be over in a couple of minutes. And don't tell anyone else, either. You don't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt." He then turned his attention back to the scared-looking teller. "Get on with it.", he ordered her. Sarah turned around and slowly walked back towards her place in line. So those men were robbing the bank. And she was here. This would be her trial-by-fire. She stole a quick glance back at the two men, but their attention was focused ahead of them. She then looked towards Harry; he, too, was otherwise engaged, talking to someone on his cell phone. She veered off towards the restrooms. She entered the women's and stood in front of the mirror. She sucked in a deep breath, expelling the last bits of hesitation from her thoughts. She walked into one of the stalls and shut the door. She shrugged off her purse, kicked off her shoes, and began taking off her clothes. Underneath was something she hadn't worn for over twelve years. It was the slick, shiny black outfit that she had been wearing when she was discovered right after she had landed. The new owners of the Carters' house had shipped it to her, and she had placed it into her closet, unsure of what to do with it. Now she had a use for it. But Sarah had modified it somewhat from its original appearance. However, as she concentrated and felt herself starting to grow, she knew that it would do its job...... Harry was getting very upset. 'Why isn't this blasted line moving?!', he silently fumed. And where had Sarah gotten off to? He hadn't seen her since she had gone up to check out what the holdup was. 'Probably powdering up or something..', he mused. 'Screw this...' He got out of line and stomped up to the counter. "What is the deal up here, fella?! What's taking you so long?!" The man slowly turned around, and Harry's jaw dropped open in surprise and fear at the sudden appearance of a handgun in the man's hand. "You might want to reconsider your words, mister.", he warned softly. Then the two men heard gasps of surprise echoing from behind them. Before they could turn around a large, green-skinned hand wrapped around the robber's gun hand from behind. He tried to wrest it away, but the hand was incredibly strong. He felt more and more pain shooting up his arm as his hand was squeezed remorselessly. He gasped and let go of the pistol. He then watched the feminine(?!) emerald hand continue squeezing the gun, the metal easily bending and warping under the power of the hand's grip. It finally let go, alowing the ruined piece of metal and plastic to fall clanging to the marble floor. That's when he looked up at his attacker. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. It was her! The woman from the pictures! And she was even hotter in person.... She was well over six feet tall, with long, thick dark-green hair that strung down below her shoulders. She had a muscular build, but at the same time, her body held the curves that were usually the property of supermodels. And she had on a different outfit this time. Whereas before she wore nothing but ripped-up cloth, now she was sheathed in a shiny black outfit that hugged her awesome body, revealing all of her form's curves and muscle tone. It left all of long, thick green legs bare, as well as her strong-looking arms. The black material was mostly centered around her upper body, with shoulder straps and a slight dip forming right at the top swellings of her large, firm breasts. It ran underneath and between her legs, leaving parts of her hard butt bare, as well. "I don't think so.", he heard her speak, her voice throaty. "This was not the right bank to rob tonight, guys." Suddenly a gunshot rang out in the bank's large lobby, causing many of the people to cry out. Sarah felt a small, hard object hit her back, but there had been no pain. She reached behind her and felt around, but could not find anything there, nore any tear in her outfit. She regarded the other robber with green eyes. He was holding his gun out, the barrel still smoking from his shot. His eyes were wide in shock and horror at the apparent ineffectiveness of his firearm. Sarah turned around to face him. "Well, you had your chance, buddy. You won't get another one." With a speed that obviously surprised him, she moved towards the robber and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. She lifted him off the ground, turning back around. "Okay, where's your friend?" She spotted the first ribber running towards the bank's main doors. With an easy bound, Sarah jumped and landed right in front of him. He skidded to a stop, slamming into her tall, intractable green body. "And where do you think you're going?", she asked, a hint of smugness crawling into her husky tone. God, this body felt great! But the man didn't say anything - he was too busy looking for a way around her. But she grabbed him, as well, and walked out of the doors. Suddenly, a car that had been sitting right in front of the bank began to accelerate towards Sarah and her charges. "Would this be an acquaintance of yours?", she asked the two men. The car was almost on top of them. She dropped them a few feet behind her just as the Buick reached her. She tensed her legs up, her bare toes curling against the cement. Then she felt the metal of the car's grill and hood strike her thighs, but was surprised again to feel no pain. In fact, as she watched, the metal actually was bending and flowing around her legs, the car veering to the right as her inhumanly strong body deflected it away from her. The car came to a sudden halt as it smashed into the side of another parked car. Sarah quickly jogged to the wreckage and ripped the car's door from its hinges. She yanked the driver - who was looking pretty shook up - out of the car and tossed him alongside his companions, who were still lying on the ground where she had dumped them. Just then three police cars pulled up to the bank. The officers came out, guns drawn but kept at safe angles as they assessed the situation. All of them were very much surprised to see this tall, green-hued lady standing over three men. "I believe these belong to you, officers.", Sarah offered. "I caught them trying to rob this bank." They just stood there with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Finally they found the courage to walk up to her, bringing handcuffs from their belts. "Uhhh... Th - thank you, ma'am...", one said, a little hestitantly. She smiled at him and then, with a burst of motion from her strong green legs, Sarah ran around the corner of the bank and disappeared. Ten minutes later Sarah Carter, all dressed in her work outfit again, walked out of the bank's restroom. "Sarah, where have you been?!", she heard a familiar voice ring out. Harry came running up to her. "You missed it, Legs! She was right here! She just foiled an attempted robbery on this very bank; that's why it was taking so long! Where were you?" "In the restroom, Harry." She smiled sheepishly at him. "When you have to go, you have to go." "Whatever. That's okay with me - I'm the one who'll be first on this story! Let's go out and interview these losers before the cops take 'em away." She followed the paparazzi out of the bank, smiling to herself. 'If you only knew, Harry. If you only knew....' But it looked like all thoughts of getting a scoop had suddenly drained from Harry's face as he looked out on the scene. "My car....", he whispered. "Hey, that's my car! That broad trashed my car!" He ran to his beloved Infiniti (Sarah had never figured out how he could afford to have that nice of a vehicle) and went over the damage. "Oh, damn!! This'll cost me at least a grand to fix!", he cried out in anguish at the sight of scraped-up paint and scored metal. Sarah couldn't help but smile. 'Ahh, an added bonus. Maybe this will keep him off my back for a while.' Not a bad start to her new side career, she thought happily...... To be continued Terry |
| Story: A New Life - Chapter 10 (Terry) (19-Apr-2000 23:41:07) |
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