Dreams are funny things. You think you're really awake when you're not, sometimes. Psychiatrists will tell you that you can control your dreams, and in
that state, they're as impossible to tell as the real thing. Well, I've been there. I'm actually very familiar with the process, and I can say with
certainty that there's a level of "reality" to the real world that the dreams just can't fake. And I'm very aware of the difference
between the two.
Which was why I awakened early afternoon and looked around. I'd slept for another four hours. "Wow," I mumbled through the air pressure mask.
"I must have really been out of it." I fumbled the mask off, reached over blindly and pressed the button
that turned the machine off.
I sat up, racked the mask to the side, and immediately noticed a difference. I could feel hair brushing against my back. Closing my eyes for a long moment, I
looked at my hands. Small, long-fingered. "Oh man, this isn't happening, it only thinks it's
happening!" The mantra from TRON not working, I got up and looked myself over.
Despite the total gender change thing, I had to admit I looked pretty good. I was maybe half a head shorter than I'd been, and the change in my perspective
was a little jarring, but I had to admit I liked how light I felt. No more overweight issues. The body moved smoothly,
and didn't ache first thing in the morning. That by itself was something to put in the plus column.
I had another problem of course. As a girl, I had nothing to wear. Well, no problem. If my faulty memory was to be believed, I'd apparently switched back
once before. It should be easy...
Ten minutes later I sort of figured it out and got dressed. The changes seemed to trigger on what gender I was picturing myself as. But other than that, there
seemed to be little conscious control. That actually scared me a bit, as scenes of switching randomly between myself and this alternate form played out in my
head. Oh, and yeah, I actually did switch a few times while playing out the horror stories, which rattled me further
as well.
I recognized the form, of course. I'd created Kara for a friend's Marvel game over a decade ago, and she'd always been my favorite. A relatively
normal girl with the power to wield the thunder itself. Total mastery over electricity, and the ability to generate it internally, coupled with thermal sight,
shapeshifting and advanced ability to recover injury. And I'd rolled her randomly, which still surprised me. But
that only gave me greater pause.
I mean, what do I do with this? Oh sure, the immediate thought is to go super-ing, but that opens a whole new can of
worms. I may have the power of lightning, but a single bullet will kill me deader than last week's mackerel. So it would be a very short career. And while
supers always seemed to find the expensive body armor in the movies, they always seemed to catch a break where the money issue came in. I didn't have that.
Not to mention the other little detail. As myself, I was a Canadian citizen. My character however in the real world was an unlicensed illegal immigrant with no
papers, no licenses, and no place of residence. I get caught romping around as Kara and I'm going to wind up deported or worse in no time. And heaven help
me if I revert while in the clink. There would go any chance at a secret identity, not to mention what would happen if people knew I could do stuff like that.
That's when I realized what my greatest power would have to be. The change. I would have to master that completely. So that it didn't happen unless I
specifically wanted it to.
It was a damn good thing I had a couple months off. I'd need them...
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.
that state, they're as impossible to tell as the real thing. Well, I've been there. I'm actually very familiar with the process, and I can say with
certainty that there's a level of "reality" to the real world that the dreams just can't fake. And I'm very aware of the difference
between the two.
Which was why I awakened early afternoon and looked around. I'd slept for another four hours. "Wow," I mumbled through the air pressure mask.
"I must have really been out of it." I fumbled the mask off, reached over blindly and pressed the button
that turned the machine off.
I sat up, racked the mask to the side, and immediately noticed a difference. I could feel hair brushing against my back. Closing my eyes for a long moment, I
looked at my hands. Small, long-fingered. "Oh man, this isn't happening, it only thinks it's
happening!" The mantra from TRON not working, I got up and looked myself over.
Despite the total gender change thing, I had to admit I looked pretty good. I was maybe half a head shorter than I'd been, and the change in my perspective
was a little jarring, but I had to admit I liked how light I felt. No more overweight issues. The body moved smoothly,
and didn't ache first thing in the morning. That by itself was something to put in the plus column.
I had another problem of course. As a girl, I had nothing to wear. Well, no problem. If my faulty memory was to be believed, I'd apparently switched back
once before. It should be easy...
Ten minutes later I sort of figured it out and got dressed. The changes seemed to trigger on what gender I was picturing myself as. But other than that, there
seemed to be little conscious control. That actually scared me a bit, as scenes of switching randomly between myself and this alternate form played out in my
head. Oh, and yeah, I actually did switch a few times while playing out the horror stories, which rattled me further
as well.
I recognized the form, of course. I'd created Kara for a friend's Marvel game over a decade ago, and she'd always been my favorite. A relatively
normal girl with the power to wield the thunder itself. Total mastery over electricity, and the ability to generate it internally, coupled with thermal sight,
shapeshifting and advanced ability to recover injury. And I'd rolled her randomly, which still surprised me. But
that only gave me greater pause.
I mean, what do I do with this? Oh sure, the immediate thought is to go super-ing, but that opens a whole new can of
worms. I may have the power of lightning, but a single bullet will kill me deader than last week's mackerel. So it would be a very short career. And while
supers always seemed to find the expensive body armor in the movies, they always seemed to catch a break where the money issue came in. I didn't have that.
Not to mention the other little detail. As myself, I was a Canadian citizen. My character however in the real world was an unlicensed illegal immigrant with no
papers, no licenses, and no place of residence. I get caught romping around as Kara and I'm going to wind up deported or worse in no time. And heaven help
me if I revert while in the clink. There would go any chance at a secret identity, not to mention what would happen if people knew I could do stuff like that.
That's when I realized what my greatest power would have to be. The change. I would have to master that completely. So that it didn't happen unless I
specifically wanted it to.
It was a damn good thing I had a couple months off. I'd need them...
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.