Chapter 5

02-20-2030

We've started a second round of studies here at the laboratory. Since everyone's calling us 'Children of Loki' this place has become the 'CoL Lab' by the way. Kinda cool if you ask me.

Anyway, this time Doctor Hailu has us testing to see how long we can hold a shapeshift. I changed into the first shift I ever did and she liked it but asked me to alter my hair and eyes since they were the same color as normal. She didn't tell me to change my face because 'it's bigger than before' as she put it.

Ash tells me I look like Sherlock Holmes ‘if he ate well and wasn't high on coke.’ He's also asked if I want to be called 'Pete' instead of 'Page.' I told him 'Page' is fine. Since we seem to be on the same level power-wise Ash is serving as a control and won’t be doing any shapeshifting for awhile.

I think he's bored.

- Personal journal of Page Simmons, volume 2, page 5

"Oh my God, you did something weird again, didn't you?" Doctor Hailu chides me after I land in the lab's main parking lot in the only remaining clear space near the new tiny houses. I know she can't see me. She must have heard me or noticed the dust and snow being displaced when I landed. Her breath is visible in the early February air. She’s wearing a heavy jacket, striped pink scarf, and beanie. I don’t know how long she's been waiting outside but suspect it’s been awhile. Maybe even since she called.

"Not too weird," I reply nervously.

"Let me see," she orders.

I roll my eyes, all twelve of them. I needed to have a good view of my surroundings while I was flying, so I made extra.

"Fine."

In an instant I'm visible. Mostly organic, with two pairs of giant reinforced bat-like wings and a lightweight heavy-duty membrane covered aluminum frame just big enough to carry my motorcycle comfortably. I look a bit like a flying machine Leonardo Da Vinci designed, if he had meant for it to carry cargo and commissioned H. R. Giger to build it out of a the remains of a taxidermied whale.

"What do you call this one?"

"'Carry my bike,'" I reply.

"Where are you speaking from, exactly?"

"My mouth."

"Which is where, at the moment?"

I don't reply.

It's cold out and talking while I'm in this form is only wasting time. I can draw her a diagram later if she wants. I shift myself down and backwards, releasing my bike to sit on the asphalt as I resume my masculine Basic form behind it.

"I'll draw a picture later," I say.

"No need. It's just refreshing to see the way you use your powers," she explains. "The last few groups have been mundane by comparison. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I say. "There room in the garage for this?" I ask.

"Sure. Access codes are the same," Doctor Hailu says.

"Great. I'll stash my bike then get to moving these little houses out of the parking lot. You expecting a lot of volunteers?"

"Oh, Page. We're finally clearing one hundred," she says excitedly. Dr. Hailu follows me to the garage. "Guess how many S's we have this go round. Go on."

I glance at her. "Uh, four? Counting me?"

"No, not even close, and don't count yourself. You're only here for a short visit and a check-up, not the full study."

I stop in front of the door and turn toward her. "You're seriously not going to push to have me stay? After everything that's happened? Not even with last fall?"

"You're too high profile," she says. "The last few times were bad enough. You distracted people then. Now, you'd make it impossible for anyone to focus on their tests. It's best if you don't stick around."

"Ouch."

"It's not your fault you're famous," she says. "Besides, you're one of the only people who’ve actually kept up with regular self-assessments. If you spot anything out of the ordinary or new I have confidence you'll catalog it properly and let me know. Like in September when you finally found a dysphoric shift. That was interesting."

"Guy felt like a wet sock, except being an actual wet sock would've been more comfortable," I say. "I figure it was because he was a creep."

"How would you feel about assuming that form again?"

"No thanks."

Dr. Hailu laughs. "That's what I thought. My theory is just as you said, you felt dysphoria because you didn’t like the guy and knew he also didn’t like you. Only way we can test that is to find someone who hates you but you don’t also dislike for you to shift or something. Might not be easy, but I'll work on it, if you’re up for that. Anyway, that’s enough for now. Store your bike. I'll show you where the houses go."

"You never said how many Class S's are here this time."

"Eight, not counting you and Ash."

"If everyone gets here on time there will be ten Class S's in the same place? That's got to be a record," I say.

"It is. I had a delightful discussion with the Department of Defense about it. One of the volunteers is from overseas, so they tried to claim it was a national security thing but our lawyers assure me it’s not. The guy’s practically a national hero in Japan, anyway. Besides, there's nothing illegal with having ten S's in the same location," Doctor Hailu says.

“Oh my gods, is it Satoshi? And you said I'd be too much of a distraction. That guy's a legend!”

I'm excited.

The last Class S I met tried to kill me.

I know we're not all terrible because I've known Ash for years. A lot of that time he's just been a tree in the woods, but when he was a human he was great. Like a lovable uncle. Taught me how to fist fight and what plants around the laboratory campus are toxic.

Which, as it turns out, is quite a few of them.

"We can talk about who’s coming later. Please hurry with this," Doctor Hailu says. "I'm freezing my ass off out here."

"Oh, shit. Sorry," I say