I’ve been told that moving is a pain. People are supposed to have to rent a U-haul truck or two and overload them with household goods- then pay a driver or three, because they’re too busy driving their own vehicle or two across the country. People are supposed to have to deal with mass amounts of food and toiletries.
I never understood that last one.
But I do know that most people usually bring their furniture with them. A couch or two, probably a few beds. Maybe a fridge. In my own opinion, they might as well get a crane and take the whole house.
That’s where I differ.
I’m moving today. Technically, I started almost a week ago, when I bought this car.
Heh. Most people don’t buy a car as their first step to moving out. I did.
I spent a few days breaking it in. A good thousand miles or so, zigzagging all over the countryside. Cost a pretty penny in gasoline- but at thirty miles to the gallon, it hardly cost a hundred.
Then I folded the middle row of seats, stuffed all my belongings into the resultant cargo space, bought the trailer, and put my other car on that. Not necessarily in that order.
I did that the day before yesterday. The rental contract on the apartment I’d been living in expired last night and, by agreement, I left yesterday. Stayed overnight in a hotel.
Today, I’m on the highway. No particular destination in mind.
Once upon a time, I worked as a scientist in a privately-owned laboratory. My specialty was sorta split between science and engineering, though- a difference many miss.
It had been a stormy night. I was onto something, so I stayed late, after everyone else had gone home.
I should have gone home anyways. Resumed the next day, perhaps destroyed what I was working on.
But hindsight has perfect vision. At the time, I saw only the time-sensitive nature of the particular operation. I had no reason to suspect anything more. I had no way of knowing exactly what might go wrong.
What was about to go wrong.
I had been experimenting with irradiative chemistry. That is, mixing, dosing, or otherwise manipulating chemicals in the presence of extreme radiation. Gamma rays, X-rays, microwaves, even visible light. Rather predictably, this experiment was being performed by a robot inside of a very, very solid chamber.
One might not think that a little radiation would have the kinds of effects I was getting- or that applying the radiation during the mixing, heating, and so on might have a different effect than applying it afterwards.
But I was. I was, and still am, puzzled by that effect. By those means, I had already made a non-radioactive chemical capable of responding to the spoken word. It would liquify in the presence of a live, human voice, and solidify in the absence of such. Reproducing such a voice with a speaker did not work to soften it; neither did the words of any animal species have any effect on it.
I could not explain how that chemical worked. Neither could any of my colleagues.
So I had been working to make something new. Find out what I could do with that.
It had been a stormy night.
A thundercloud had decided to miss the building’s lightning attractor, preferring the metal roof. I remember the moment all too clearly; this surge of electricity had found its way into the pillar next to my machine. Specifically, the power lines hidden inside that pillar.
It had found its way right into my machine. The surge protector had argued in vain; unfortunately for it, a careless electrician had failed to properly ground the device. So, the lightning-scale surge found its way effortlessly through all that shielding. Radiation emitters blew as it surged through; the motors in the robot burned as my slow, careful pour was turned into a quick dump. Possibly worst of all, the computer controls were fried- and the sturdy door popped open.
Only to be propelled wide open by the blast as the mixed chemicals inside vaporized explosively.
This blast struck me full in the face. I remember being thrown halfway across the lab, surrounded by a corona of some kind of energy. I remember the blast rupturing several chemical vats throughout the room- including several that really shouldn’t be mixed. Especially in any quantity.
I remember the resultant explosion. I remember it interacting with my vaporized solution, changing it. I remember the corona surrounding me changing.
That’s when I lost my masculinity.
Not that I care; as far as I am concerned, all that means is that I no longer have to deal with that… extra appendage getting in every painful position there could possibly be. Seriously, who designed that monstrosity?
The explosion had completely trashed the building. The fire department had discovered the electrical problem; the company had been forced to pay damages to all of its employees, and had gone bankrupt in the process.
It had been fairly interesting; for as large and as violent as the explosion was, the parking lot had been largely unharmed. I blame the position of the parking lot, off one corner of the building and behind a few trees, for this effect.
As the direct victim of the blast, I received the lion’s share of the damages- close to half a million, actually. Unfortunately, I’m not very good with legalese, so much of that money blew itself away in all the loopholes required to properly legalize my new appearance.
But at least that had been properly dealt with. During the years since, I’ve rented that tiny little house, doing odd jobs to keep myself afloat.
After all, I knew there would be more effects than just a genderswap from that much chemistry. I half expected to suddenly die an unexpected death, or to sprout a third arm somewhere. Maybe develop a third eye on my forehead, or a scaly tail with a feathery tuft at the end.
Rather fortunately, none of the above extra effects actually happened. Instead, my hair has grown out at a moderately alarming rate. It took all of two months to hit my waist, nevermind that I kept it short before the accident- or that the remainder had been burned off by the blast. I’m still glad I always kept a spare set of clothes in my car. I’ve kept it trimmed to that length ever since, sometimes shorter. I’ve learned to braid it, put it in a ponytail, and even stuff it in a bun.
Of course, had that been everything, I would have been surprised. Honestly, I have been surprised; so far as I can tell, none of the effects are detrimental. My measurable IQ has increased, if that’s even possible; my reaction time has fallen so far I’m fairly sure I’d have to violate the speed of light to be any faster. After all, with the ruler drop test, I can actually catch it at flat zero. Or, if the holder specifies a measurement they want me to catch it at, I can catch it at that measurement pretty reliably.
Perhaps the largest change was the wings. They grew in slowly, compared to the hair- and, when folded, hide neatly underneath most any shirt I choose to wear. At the same time, I’ve grown somewhat lighter and significantly stronger; my endurance and running speed have also shot way up.
I have chosen not to take advantage of these boosts in any kind of competition; I view them as unfair advantages in such an application. Instead, I have used them in the occasional practical joke- or, once, a comedy routine. That had been a fun one.
A couple months ago, my wings finished growing. I have about a thirty foot wingspan, when I extend them; however, I have taken care to keep them folded in public. Interesting how they still fit against my back, disappearing underneath my shirt. No one knows I have them.
Once they finished growing, the final change came in. It took only a month or so, and stopped; I haven’t noticed any more changes for these last couple of months. This final change…
Well, I could call it magic. Telekinesis.
Technically, the list goes on- but that’s what I’ve done the most. I’ve telekinetically ‘caught’ or moved objects many times my size and weight with no apparent effort. What’s more, with no apparent reaction force, either!
The other things I’ve done with this final ability include pyrokinesis when the wood furnace was being stubborn, hydrokinesis during a brief stint as a lifeguard at the local water park, and of course, lighting my way in the darkness of my own home with… I’m still not sure where the light was coming from, but I know I was making it. Just about everything else falls under self-augmentation- super strength, super speed, and so on, beyond my already impossible limits.
These impossible powers allowed me to complete “small jobs” in miniscule amounts of time, so I racked up significant funds in a very short amount of time. Now, confident that I’ve stopped changing, I’m headed around the country. I’ll find someplace to my liking, find a company I want to work for, and get employed. Given my résumé, I should be able to land really any job I want, within my chosen field.
So, with all my stuff packed in boxes, I’m exploring the mainland. Not the Interstate, that’s too fast and ugly.
My foot flashes to the brake as I swerve carefully off to the side to avoid the truck that just came barreling around that corner in the wrong lane. I feel my trailer skitter a little; I almost overdid the swerve. I go off the road; while unexpected, it’s nothing my Subaru can’t handle. I gun the throttle a little, forcibly speed-matching the locked up rear wheels to the icy ground and preventing a jackknife. Most people would lose control if they tried that; however, with my far superior knowledge and reaction time, it’s about as hard as driving in a straight line on a straight, level, dry, and empty roadway.
But alas, I don’t have the space to perform this maneuver completely. I successfully avoid colliding with the truck, leaving myself headed for a head-on collision with this snowbank.
Meh. As I mentioned before, a little offroading won’t hurt my Subaru; I’m also moving slow enough now it won’t bother my trailer either. A surge of telekinetic energy breaks up the snowbank, turning it into a small snowfield and completely eliminating its ability to damage my car. Then, I allow my car to plow into the dense field of airborne snow.
Oh hey, another surprise. Only this time, it would seem, I’ve left the road far and truly behind. My antilocks protest against my motion once again, pressing the tread on my tires firmly into the lose dirt and grass underneath my vehicle, even as a small blizzard of snow blows away from the windshield.
I feel no bump, save that of the suspension going over the rough ground, as my car grinds to a halt. I drop the automatic transmission into park and lock the parking brake before I unlock and open my driver door, moving quickly out of the vehicle. I wrap almost instantly around the door, closing it behind me, and whirl up to the front bumper.
There, on the road, is an animal. That’s what I’d seen when I stomped on the brakes; this creature is plenty large enough to do significant damage to my vehicle if I were to allow a collision.
Then, what I had seen right before it disappeared past the hood. It’s an animal I’ve never seen before: A unicorn, unless I miss my guess.
And it’s lying in the grass, covered in blood. A tiny little thing, probably about the size of a dog, with stumpy, bulky legs… and enormous eyes. And it’s probably still breathing, to boot. A quick glance at my car confirms the immaculate status of the bumper- this unicorn was not harmed by a collision with my vehicle.
It turns its head feebly to blink blearily at me, and opens its mouth. I expect an animal noise- but what I get is very clearly a word.
“Help…” it asks shakily. One forelimb rises slightly, straining, before falling back down.
While the unicorn draws in its next breath, I direct a surge of energy to open one of the boxes cluttering my backseat, placing down a folded towel on my passenger seat; I’d rather not get blood on the seat if I can help it. I also crouch down to lift the creature as carefully as I can- and part of my mind wonders if it’s a she or a he. Sounded a bit like a she, but it also sounded young- and one never knows what another race might sound like, so I might be completely wrong. As I begin to lift it, I feel its strength give way; it’s clearly on the very edge of consciousness. A short burst of energy hits the full vehicle unlock key on the driver door as I start moving around to the passenger side.
“Absolutely,” I state. If only I knew more than the basics when it comes to medical science! Unfortunately, though, I’m not a doctor, so my effort is better spent locating one. A pulse of energy opens the passenger side door, rather than my hand; I’d rather not risk destabilizing her for that. I place her gently on the prepared towels, head down; if I remember correctly, that will help her survive longer. I then jump over my car, using another surge of energy to close the passenger door and open the driver door at the same time. As I land and jump myself into the driver’s seat, I use a much stronger surge of energy to locate the nearest hospital.
There! About three miles away. I close my door as I put the car back in drive and disengage the parking brake. I accelerate gently, though; too much force could hurt her, or cause damage to my trailer, creating an unnecessary hold-up while I disconnect it. Too much speed could also do either… Ahh, there’s a road over there, going in the general direction of the hospital I sensed. A packed dirt road, at that- should be much smoother than this bumpy terrain. I should be able to make it at least to thirty, possibly forty; depends on how smooth it is. I set a course to that road, pulling away from the little snow patch I created with my arrival.
Interesting, it seems to be summer here. As I accelerate away from it, I send another surge of energy back to find out how I got here. Unfortunately, there is no answer to be had; I find nothing.
Oh well. As I decelerate up to the road, the unicorn seems to wake up once again.
“Help…” it mutters. “She’s…”
I come to a full stop, looking down at it- and offer a quick drink of water. Her wounds seem to have stopped flowing; a pulse of energy confirms it’s not for lack of blood pressure. She takes it, swallowing quickly. “She’s… danger…”
“Who?” I ask, looking in the rearview mirror. I throw out another pulse of energy out behind my vehicles, into the woods behind my emergence point. I discover many life forms; no unicorns, though I do spot another creature of similar form- that is, if you don’t count this other creature’s lack of a horn and possession of wings.
“She… Help…”
True. According to that pulse, this other creature is in danger. Hiding in a bush, at the moment, but definitely in danger; there’s wolves about. Wooden wolves.
And, unless I miss my guess, she’s using all her strength to avoid getting crushed by a large boulder.
“Right,” I state- and offer her another drink. She takes it- and as she does so, I park the car once again. “I’ll be right back.”
I turn the car off this time, pulling the keys out as I jump out of the vehicle. Rather fortunately, the other creature- a pegasus, I think- is very close to a path going through the woods.
A path both my cars can handle- but that my other car can handle at a speed that I cannot.
After all, unless I use my power to accelerate myself dangerously, I can’t run faster than about fifteen miles an hour. Given the terrain, and the nature of my other car, it should be able to make twice that, easy. A surge of energy, as I run backwards, releases all of the tiedowns and drops the ramps down from the trailer. A touch of a button unlocks the doors as I jump onto the trailer, then I hop into the car.
Hit the brake, stomp the clutch, shift to neutral, key in, engine start, clutch again, reverse, door closed, clutch out and brake off- but not too fast. The locks automatically engage as I bump gently off the trailer- then I stop, having backed out to the right to help with the U-turn; the first creature has tumbled out the passenger side of my Ascent. I whip my WRX further around, backing up next to her and pushing the passenger door open; she seems to be more aware. The water probably helped. “Coming?”
She reaches back into the SUV, wavering worryingly, and pulls the towels out before wobbling the short distance towards the smaller sports car. Amazing dedication she has- perhaps it’s a friend? I help her set out the towels again; seems she’s aware of the whole blood thing. I use a pulse of energy to close the door on the SUV and, while she positions herself in the passenger seat and pulls the door closed, I use the remote on my keyring to lock the larger vehicle. I offer her another drink- she’s still very faint- and help her buckle up before dropping into first gear.
Author's Note
Aaaand, here we go, a new experiment for me! Let's see how far this goes.
