Schooled

by Pamela Ruth Foland

  Milo snorted, “Nothing, I have heard personal accounts of everything and more.”

  “Okay, but did you realize the parallels to recent events? Sanctuary was re-discovered by a woman who just wanted to find somewhere safe for her friends and family while she pursued evil in all of its forms. Surely that seems familiar, Sanctuary was founded by Angela Daniel’s for just that purpose.” The professor paused to sip at her coffee.

  “Point two of comparison, a relatively short time later the factors discovered a plot by the Darkone to destroy everything using crunch bombs. Interestingly enough that same plot was responsible for the original “destruction” of Sanctuary, but before that happened, the factors were forced to remove Sanctuary from its original space-time into its own pocket of space-time. Both times Sanctuary was cut off from anything outside of its space-time. The first time the Factors managed to break through into the original omniverse. The second time we broke through into an entirely new omniverse. Now, like then, we are in the process of establishing working guidelines and strategies appropriate to the outer omniverse. I could go on all afternoon, but then what would that leave you to discover?”

  Lyla had taken copious notes on the parallels. It was a case of history literally repeating itself, did that mean Angela Daniel’s had been forced to neglect her children? Milo might know he had been complaining about being in this course because his parents had been important to the initial factor movement. Lyla made a note to ask him and research it if he didn’t know.

  “I want you all to come up with at least four more parallels, each, with documentation. We won’t be meeting on Thursday I am coaching the tactiball team for the green dorm and tryouts are scheduled for the whole day. Ask your faculty advisers and primary mentors when tryouts you are eligible for are,” The professor tapped off the screen at the head of the class and folded her tablet portfolio, “Class dismissed.”

  - - - - - - -

  Faith hummed as she bathed a rabbit whose wounds she had spent the last hour treating using medical devices in combination with her empathic sense. She had used her sense only to confirm the information the medical devices were giving her. The lesson had been about reserving her healing energies for times when she couldn’t find or access a device to do the work for her.

  Alissa placed a great deal of emphasis on reserving her energy and balancing it with other skills and technologies rather than putting all of her eggs in one basket and risking losing everything including herself. One of Alissa’s most frequent statements was that Faith needed to see to her own health first or she would have nothing to give to her patients.

  The rabbit wriggled out of her grasp and Faith let it go, it was rinsed and ready. It hopped off into a corner of the pen surrounding Faith’s work area and shook off before it began preening and drying itself. Hope kakked from her perch, seemingly asking if Faith wanted her to catch the errant rabbit. Faith shook her head no and sent the clear message to leave the rabbit alone. Faith chuckled at it and drained the sink at her station. She searched out Alissa with her eyes. Her mentor was checking in with some other students.

  Faith found her talking to a boy proudly dressed in the orange of his dormitory group. It was becoming a common practice. Faith and her group had even begun dressing with a preference for red clothing. It helped that each of their wardrobes had doubled in size after the move with all the additions being in the red family. There was no school policy to dress according to your dormitory group but there were subtle encouragements. Clothing choices in the dormitory colors cost fewer allotment choices than other color choices.

  Faith caught Alissa’s eye and her mentor made a rather quick approach stopping briefly to answer questions before stepping over the pen into Faith’s work area. “How is Mr. Bunny doing?”

  Faith smiled and gestured, “He might have a limp for a little while but he is good.”

  “How much of his healing are your abilities responsible for?”

  “I just double checked that the leg wound was all that was wrong with him,” Faith handed her tablet to Alissa.

  Alissa looked it over, “Looks sound,” She glanced at Faith’s bared forearms. Faith was unconsciously snapping the elastic band, “How is your personal healing journey going?”

  Faith noticed she was snapping the band and stopped herself, “I haven’t, you know, since we talked.” She held up her arms as proof.

  Alissa smiled, “I am proud of you. Is there anything else you need to talk about?”

  Faith blushed, “Stone and I are… a couple. He has been transitioning his body to male and wants everyone to call him, him. I really like him whether he is a he or a she. That doesn’t matter to me. I feel like I am doing something wrong though…”

  “It isn’t impossible for a briaunti to love someone of the same sex. Pamela Martin has a female companion. It is extremely rare but what is ‘wrong’ about it?”

  “Nothing unless you take into account the briaunti instinct to pairbond with someone of the opposite gender,” Faith spat.

  “Okay, but is Stone of the opposite gender? Or even though Stone didn’t start with the parts, has he always been a guy?” Alissa argued.

  Faith absorbed her mentor’s words. If she loved Stone it was okay, and Stone was practically a man now. He had the parts and had grown to full size. His shoulders were broad. He was muscular and fit. He was the perfect man. Faith thought about his smell. Stone was every bit a man. A shiver of delight went up her spine. Her body seemed to think Stone was a good fit, why was she overthinking this? - - - - - - -

  Milo pulled back on the bowstring. He made the target Beaker’s right eye with his mind. Late last night had woken up from a nightmare. His sister was bonded to Beaker, and they were going to buy a ship to survey the Preserve, leaving him behind at the school where he was trapped in perpetual childhood. The loss of sleep had definitely shredded his mood. Factor history had been an almost intolerable bore, right up until the professor had begun to point out parallels between the past and the present. He inhaled deeply, held it and released the arrow.

  Stone was beside him and his arrow flew true, two breaths after Milo’s. Stone’s arrow hit the target dead center, right next to where Milo’s arrow had lodged. Stone turned and smiled down at Milo. It didn’t seem right that Stone could be fully mature already. He hadn’t even had a metamorphosis. Stone had just eaten like a bull moose, and grown like bamboo, on steroids. Stone had no right to be such a perfect specimen of manhood with so little angst involved.

  Stone had another arrow in the target before Milo’s train of thought came back around to task. He pulled another arrow from his quiver and quickly let it fly. It hit between his first arrow and Stone’s at the middle of the target. Milo smiled broadly and nodded to Stone.

  “Good shot,” Stone said with his eyes on Milo. He released his next arrow without even glancing at the target. It hit just slightly further out than the cluster of arrows, still well within the bullseye.

  Milo groaned, “Not fair, you used your nanites!”

  “No, I just knew the position I had to be in to hit the target,” Stone stated. It still seemed to Milo like Stone had cheated. He shot his third arrow. It nudged his second arrow over and took up the position at the center of the target.

  Milo spotted a messenger bot hovering up to them. Milo was ready to ignore it since Jinn often had messages delivered when they were practicing. He drew back his bow ready to shoot again.

  The messenger bot hovered up between Milo and Stone, “Mr. Dane, Mr. Jacobs, I am here to inform you that Mr. Corduroy and Ms. Dane have both awoken from their metamorphoses. They are requesting your presence.”

  Milo released his arrow in surprise. It flew wild, hitting a grounds-keeping robot as it mowed the sports field. Milo groaned. The grounds-keeping robot scuttled over to Milo and removed the arrow from its chassis. It handed Milo the arrow, “Pardon me sir, I apologize. I appear to have accidentally intercepted your arrow.”

  Jinn joined Milo and
Stone at the shooting line. “Gentlemen, I feel it is prudent to call this practice on account of inattentiveness. Before something more vital than a maintenance bot is injured.”

  The grounds-keeping bot scuttled back to where it had been manicuring the field and resumed its programmed route. The messenger bot hovered off to deliver its next message.

  Stone slapped Milo on the back, “Let’s get this stuff put up so we can go see your sister.”

  Milo nodded.

  - - - - - - -

  Goru had been studying various texts and articles discussing his father. It was an independent study course clearly meant to help him form more realistic opinions of his father. There were articles that described some of his father’s actions as logical and necessary. Other articles vilified him for squashing freedoms and privacy in exchange for safety and security. His father had instituted camps holding Tanerians, Agurians, dissidents and thought criminals. He had formed a corp of literal thought police. His father had done some horrible things. Most of the common law-abiding citizens of Refuge had few complaints. One of the worst crimes his father committed was the attempted murder of the chief before him with a particularly vicious combination of poison and the emotional shock of the beheaded remains of the deputy chief.

  Goru felt a real sense of relief when a messenger bot entered the library and hovered right up to him. The bot had informed him that Beaker and Millie wanted to see him and the rest of the team. The library was in the administration building just like the infirmary. Goru had been correct in assuming he would be the first to arrive at the infirmary.

  He knocked on the top of the dutch door. It swung inward immediately, “Name.”

  “Mine or the patients’,” Goru asked.

  “Patient’s,” The medic thumbed through a tablet.

  “Millie Dane, and Beaker Corduroy,” Goru replied.

  “Your name?”

  “Goru Nattan.”

  “They are in with the doctor at the moment, if you wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes?”

  "Sure, they sent a messenger bot after me though,” Goru stated.

  “The chief of medical services for the Preserve is here to check them out and officially record their bond,” The medic stated.

  Goru sucked in his breath and bit his lip. Milo was not going to take that well. Goru turned and paced a short distance from the infirmary door. He was on the way back when he heard Lyla in distress, “A little help here?” Lyla had arrived carrying a precarious stack of books, magazines and newspapers. Goru thought she might have teleported again.

  “You weren’t in the library, where did all this come from?” Goru asked relieving her of the pile.

  “The head mistress kindly loaned all of this to me. It is her collection from the end of the old omniverse. Apparently factors were less than popular with the outer omniverse at the end. Most of this is stories and reports of factors as thieves and kidnappers. The media made factors the bogeymen of galactic society,”

  “I am sure your mom only did what she thought was right…” Goru shrugged around the pile of books.

  Lyla opened her bottomless book bag and began loading it with items from the stack, “You’re the one that told me she was the Antichrist!”

  “Yeah, well I have been reading about what my father did all morning and it seems like he was in the running for that title,” Goru stated.

  Lyla paused, “I read an article praising your father for attempting to end the Tanerian war. In it he called for volunteers to help be a part of the solution!”

  “Final solution maybe,” Goru replied, “He was trying to wipe them out! He nearly succeeded.”

  “Your parents both suck and both have their admirable qualities,” Milo stated arriving with Stone.

  “Agree to disagree already,” Stone suggested.

  Lyla piled the last of the stack into her book bag and tied it shut. Faith and Sport arrived together, deep in discussion, “So you indicate tenses by the angle of your swipe?”

  “Yeah, and the subject is indicated by the spread of the claws. If you ignore the details like that you aren’t even getting half of the meaning,” Sport replied.

  “Hey,” Faith waved at Stone. Stone smiled back at her.

  “Is this everyone?” The medic asked.

  The sound of high heels running towards them interrupted Goru as he was about to answer. Maeve arrived wearing rosy pink high heels and a black mini-dress. “It is now!” Maeve replied.

  “Right this way,” The medic opened the bottom half of the dutch door and gestured for them to enter. She closed the door behind them and led them through a waiting area. She opened another locked door with a tap of her fingertips on the door panel. It slid open to a hallway. There were dozens of doors with light panels over them, most were dark. The medic led them to the first door with a light on. She tapped the door panel and gestured for them to enter.

  Goru saw Beaker and Millie sitting in adjoining recliners.

  The pair was deep in discussion with the headmistress discussing their options with them, “You could remain in the purple dorms, but that wouldn’t allow for you to share a marital bed, if you accept the offer, then you have the option of sharing quarters or sleeping separately.”

  "Milo! It wasn’t as bad as we had worried,” Millie squealed.

  Milo nodded and grunted gruffly. He frowned and extended a hand to Beaker, “Welcome to the family.”

  “I need to make arrangements, have you decided?” The headmistress interrupted.

  Beaker and Millie eyed each other, then spoke together, “We have decided to accept the offer, but we feel we should each have our own space.”

  Milo groaned briefly and leaned against the wall behind him. Goru felt for his friend. He could only guess at Milo’s empty anguish.

  The headmistress smiled broadly and clapped her hands loudly together, “Here’s one more thing to celebrate, perhaps we should include them in your little re-birthday party.”

  "You know about that?” Lyla asked. “This is my school. I know everything,” the headmistress responded, “plus Ms. Pointer is a horrendous gossip. I am going to leave you all to get reacquainted.” The headmistress stood and sidestepped around them to depart.

  “So, what was it like?” Goru asked.

  “Like my whole body was trying to stretch at once. It was like being on fire. It itched terribly. Then I convulsed and passed out. When we woke up we were like this,” Beaker gestured to Millie and himself, “Well minus the glasses. My vision has changed a bit. I can see about like Faith’s falcon friend at a distance but I need these to see you guys or read. It is a billion to one fluke for a briaunti to need glasses of any kind. I have to use bifocals or reading glasses too. It makes for perfect vision to be a sniper though.”

  Stone spoke up, “You’ll have to fight Milo and I for that status.”

  “And you are?” Millie asked.

  “Oh right, you weren’t there for Stone’s revelation. She decided she was actually born to be a he. While you guys slept he did something about it. He and Faith are an item. Oh, and this lovely ginger is Maeve in her android form. She just completed the transition this morning. Stone completed his last night, or so he reported. Nobody has called him on it,” Lyla stated.

  “We are both celebrating our re-birth at a small party this evening. You are free to celebrate your own as well. I am sure Stone is in agreement,” Maeve stated.

  “We would love to, but first we have to get discharged and Illoa Peterson is a hard doctor to convince,” Millie stated.

  “Auntie Tina might be able to convince her,” Faith suggested.

  “Our cousin is not one to be bullied into overriding her boss,” Milo and Millie stated.

  “Cousin?” Goru blurted.

  “Oh, yeah, we never actually mentioned our mother is Angela Daniel’s,” Milo stated.

  “Well, if we aren’t one big happy family,” Goru inserted.

  “My mom and dad aren’t related. Bianca and Jacob
Stone,” Stone admitted.

  “I’m not related either,” Sport said, “Obviously!”

  “But everybody else is? Well, except for Maeve, and Lyla,” Goru finished.

  Beaker nodded, “Pretty much, oh and the majority of us can trace our lineages directly to Chief Factors. Mae, Annette, Miranda, Angela.”

  “I feel so left out…” Maeve pouted.

  “You told me you were a direct descendant of Tawny. She is electronic royalty, at least as prestigious as a chief factor,” Faith stated, “Besides this school, is not about who our parents are, it is about who we want to become. I am going to become a doctor and healer.”

  “We are going to become scientists,” Beaker and Millie stated holding hands.

  “We are becoming leaders,” Lyla gestured at Goru. Goru nodded in agreement.

  “Stone and I are becoming athletically inclined,” Milo stated with Stone’s clear approval

  “I am surprisingly becoming a good tracker and hunter,” Sport stated.

  Everyone looked to Maeve. “And I am going to keep all your butts organized and in line!”

  Goru smiled, “Fair enough, now how do we spring the newlyweds?”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Celebration

  Stone had spent the last hour shifting through numerous possible outfits. With each one, his worries that the bulge in his groin left the fake fabric bunching wrong grew. He ordered a new outfit from his delivery cupboard. He had reached his chosen full height of six foot one inch, just a shade taller than Faith. He awkwardly dressed in the new outfit and realized that clothes just looked different with his new anatomy. The hormones he had shifted had facial hair coming in all patchy and unattractive. Stone assigned nanites to keep the hair sheared cleanly. He had also settled on shaving the sides of his head and leaving the top third long. He pulled it back and tied it in a ponytail. He examined himself in the mirrors Maeve had installed. He nearly didn’t recognize himself. He was very different than he had been when he arrived at the school over a week ago.