This time, she teleported to where Wagner Shen and Antony Ying were located. They were in their apartment building, but in separate rooms. She sensed another witch was there as well. She spent several minutes with both Wagner and Antony. Neither seemed at all aware of her presence. Evidently, with her body still back at the academy, in spite of her being present with all her powers and abilities in spirit form, they were not affected. Her body must somehow be preventing them from noticing.
This pleased her greatly, since now she could truly go about, invisible to all. The Fates were giving her yet another ability which she knew would prove invaluable. She could now spy on anyone, any time she wanted. Unnoticed.
Just to double-check, she began drawing power and energy in from her surroundings. Yes! That was delicious. And, still no reaction from any of the witches at this apartment building, somewhere in Brooklyn. She went outside so she could verify the exact address. She knew Robert’s team had already placed this building and all its occupants under surveillance.
She realized her balance was now off, due to ingesting so much energy. She teleported out to sea and released some of the excess. But not all. She wanted to find out what would happen when she was reunited with her body. Was she playing with fire? Possibly, in the literal sense of that word? Well, she hoped she’d not be too hot for Tracy to handle, should it come to that!
Missy spent the next half hour teleporting to various places. At some, she tested her telekinesis powers, picking up and moving objects around. At one remote location, she focused and had no difficulty bringing down a bolt of lightning which split the tree she was targeting in half, igniting and scorching the surroundings. The fire did not spread and soon burned itself out, since there was little there to keep it going.
Suddenly … and Missy had purposely ignored all awareness of her body … suddenly, she sensed things back there were happening. She could sense Tracy shaking her. This was good! She quickly teleported back and re-entered her body.
Tracy had just started to get worried, increasing the amount of shaking she was giving Missy’s inert body, desperately looking for some sign of life. Then … Missy was back. Missy opened her eyes and said, with a big grin, “You can stop now, Tracy!”
“Ohhh, you’re gonna get just a little bit more, you awful tease!” exclaimed Tracy, shaking Missy even harder for a moment longer before finally releasing her. “How long have you been there, testing me?”
Missy sat up and shrugged, wriggling a bit. “Not long, I promise. I came back as soon as I noticed. But my re-entry isn’t done in an instant. It’s not like when I Shift.” She stood up and continued to feel herself, patting her body. She squeezed her rump and then lifted her breasts, giving them a squeeze as well.
Tracy saw what she was doing and asked, “What the hell? Are you okay or not?”
Missy laughed and said, “Yeah, but … unless I do something, it’s gonna take me all week to lose the extra pounds I’ve just added. Mike always calls this my Jessica Rabbit body, whenever I plump up my curves this way.” She was experiencing the subtle changes which the added energy she’d retained had caused, giving her a more voluptuous figure along with a few added pounds.
Tracy stepped back, took a good look and laughed. “Oh, yes! I can see it now. Geez, your Afghan buddies are gonna have a tough time focusing on their training this week. I thought you were supposed to be helping them! Poor sorry bastards! They’re all gonna be trying to get a piece of you.”
Missy sighed, enjoying Tracy’s bawdy humor nonetheless. “Not a chance, not a chance. I’m going back to my room and tonight? While I’m supposed to be sleeping? I’ll once again go back out. I’ll release all the energy I need to get rid of, so my boobs and ass deflate back to normal again. No problem!”
Missy did go back to her room but called Robert before retiring. She updated him on visiting where the Zhu-Gung witches were living in Brooklyn. She explained she could do that now without their knowing she was there, but said she’d explain how later.
Next, she used her mindspeak ability and explained things to Mike. That took her a while, as she had lots to explain and he had lots of reactions. Karen returned while she was doing that but they didn’t talk much. It was only a brief interruption and then Missy was able to finish ‘talking’ to Mike.
Then she waited until Karen was sound asleep. Finally, she left her body for the third time that day and teleported out to sea. Minutes later, she returned and, this time, when she re-entered her body and checked herself out, she was satisfied. She was back to her normal weight of a hundred and fifty pounds with her body fat again at only fifteen percent.
Now she could focus one hundred percent on helping those Afghans with their training, making certain they were fully prepared and able to perform at their very best during the coming competition. That should be fun!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020
Missy was pleased with how things had been going so far. The day before, she had convinced her team to allow her to be one of the three to represent them in the order of march relay race, which had been conducted in the afternoon. The Sandhurst Conference had been that morning, with guest speakers and breakout sessions to teach competitors about Army tactics and strategy.
In English, Huda had asked, “Why should we select you for this, Ms. Cadet McCrea?”
Missy had replied in Pashto, saying, “Please just call me McCrea and always speak Pashto. Doing that and letting me be one of those in this race will help integrate me into your team. Since the outcome of the race is merely to determine the order for selecting our start time on Friday, it’s not that big a risk if I disappoint you. But, I won’t. And, the sooner you all understand I can truly help, the better.”
The relay race followed a four-and-a-half-mile course starting at Buffalo Soldier Field, winding through the post with baton passes at Michie Stadium and Keller Hospital and then ending at Quarters 100 alongside The Plain. Missy ran the final leg and improved their placement by running the fastest time. They’d ended up tenth overall and the guys were very pleased with that and impressed with her performance.
Then, that morning, they’d been practicing marksmanship. She spent time with each of them, coaching and demonstrating how they could improve. Since there would be physical tests of strength which they needed to perform just prior to shooting, it was necessary for them to adapt and learn how to ready themselves. Missy explained how breathing and mental focus could make the difference under those conditions, enabling them to still be accurate in spite of having strenuously exerted themselves. Then, she demonstrated.
Whenever she was shooting, they all watched and it had not taken them long to be even more impressed. Her accuracy was far beyond anything they could manage and they began complaining about the fact she would not be shooting for them. She reminded them it had been necessary and that she wouldn’t be hurting their scores. Then, she reiterated all she’d told them on how they could do well.
By that afternoon, as they got ready for the one-rope bridge challenge, they had begun accepting her as one of them. Throughout the course, they were each burdened with gear weighing forty pounds or more, not including their rifle or any of the food and water they also carried. But Missy never lagged behind. Far from it; she was tireless and often was there to lend a hand whenever any of the others might need it.
“Watching that girl do every one of these events is pretty exciting,” said Huda’s teammate. Missy was out on the rope, pulling herself forward hand-over-hand, her legs sliding along behind. She was right at the heels of the man in front of her and yelling encouragement. In Pashto, of course.
Huda nodded and said, “I’m getting excited about our chances this year. I would never have believed a female soldier could keep up with us but, if anything, we’re the ones who can’t keep up with her. It’s obvious she loves doing these events. Her enthusiasm is contagious. I now understand why Sergeant Town was praising her so much.”
When t
he team was done with the one-rope bridge exercise, they continued on to where they’d be rappelling down a cliff. When they got there, they were a bit ahead of schedule and had some extra time. There wasn’t any other team ahead of them, at the moment, and when the sergeant in charge saw Missy, he grinned.
“Before I explain how you’ll all be doing this for the competition and give you a chance to practice, why don’t you ask Cadet McCrea if she’ll demonstrate some of her tricks for you. You know. Just to give you some confidence in having her on your team.” He had watched Missy several times before and since they had the time, he figured they’d enjoy it. He always did.
Missy translated for those who didn’t know what the sergeant was suggesting and asked them if they were interested in a demonstration. Of course, they all were and she said, “Great! If you practice, this is what can be accomplished.” Looking at the sergeant, she asked, “Did you bring out any blanks I can fire, Sarge?”
He said, “I was hoping you might want them today.” He handed her a magazine which she loaded into her rifle.
She went over to the base of the cliff where a rope was hanging down. Then, still wearing her pack and carrying her rifle slung across her back, she began climbing up, hand-over-hand, until she reached the top and pulled herself over the edge. Then she stood up there and waved.
The sergeant said, “Cadet McCrea came to the academy with some advanced mountain climbing skills. After watching some videos showing what our Special Forces people can do, she told me she knew she could rappel like that. So, I let her show me and she was right. Here’s how to descend when you need to return fire at the same time, because the other guys might be shooting at you.” He waved at Missy.
As soon as she got his signal, Missy climbed back over the edge. But, rather than facing up, pushing out with her feet to hop downward a few steps at a time as she let out some rope, which was the typical way for rappelling, she instead faced down and out. Then, she began running down the cliff, holding onto the rope with one hand held behind her while aiming her rifle and firing blanks with her other hand. As she hurtled downward, she allowed the rope to slide through her hands, grasping it only enough to control her rapid descent. She gave some loud yells while doing this and it was indeed quite a sight to see.
When she reached the bottom, the sergeant said, “In case anyone is wondering, I have no doubt Cadet McCrea could do that while firing live rounds and be hitting whatever targets she was aiming at.”
They were all exuberant as they followed the sergeant up the steep path leading to the top of the cliff. He gave them the standard lesson and then had each of them hook themselves onto the rope, work themselves over the edge into the normal position, and then rappel down the cliff the usual way. Every member on the team was excited about doing this and, on getting to the bottom, they realized they felt surer of themselves due to having watched Missy’s demonstration.
After completing this, it was time to head back for the evening. They were all feeling amped up, in spite of how physically exhausting the day had been, due to knowing they’d performed well and that their team would be highly competitive. They were looking forward to more shooting practice the next day as well as the combat swimming and raft paddling they’d be doing. Life was good!
-----
As Missy entered her barracks, she saw Emily. Although in different companies, they were in the same regiment and were housed in the same barracks. She called out, “Hey, Cadet Robinson! How has Sandhurst practice been going for your team?”
Emily stopped and said, “Really good only we’re all dragging our asses by the end of the day. How are the Afghans doing?”
“Great! They are working hard and have the right attitude. And, we have a good start time on Friday. I’m confident we’ll do well and maybe surprise some folks.”
“Yeah, I heard you helped with that in the relay,” said Emily. “We didn’t fare as well. I’m not much of a runner so I wasn’t in that and our three best guys only got us to thirty-third place. By the time we got to pick our time, all the best slots were gone.”
Missy said, “Oh, don’t worry. Your team can still perform well, in spite of when you start.” After a brief pause, she asked, “I haven’t seen much of Donald lately. Was he selected to compete?”
“Oh, yes! He has mad skills from all the lacrosse he plays. Plus, he’s extra motivated knowing he’s competing against me. He doesn’t care where his squad ends up overall as long as they manage beating my squad.” Emily laughed and Missy did as well.
“Well, you guys are only plebes this year. You’ll find this Sandhurst Competition becomes a bigger and bigger deal each year you’re here.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” agreed Emily, nodding her head. “Hey, congrats on being selected for Annapolis next year. This place won’t be the same.”
“Thanks. It’s only one semester. But, I am pretty excited about it.”
“By the way … you were right. When I told Gary about me and Don and our situation …” Emily paused, knowing Missy understood what she was getting at.
Missy laughed. “He had some helpful suggestions, right?” Gary Sabre was Emily’s team leader this semester and Missy had told Emily she should hint to him about how difficult it was for two plebes to find quality time, alone and together, for romance.
Missy’s roommates during Beast had been Tracy and Kelly Wong. Gary had been in Missy’s squad back then and romance had managed to bloom despite all the odds against it. Kelly had seduced Gary the first weekend after Beast when they’d both been able to leave the academy for a couple days and they’d been soulmates ever since. Gary had been especially creative all that first year in finding opportunities for Kelly and himself to sneak away and make love. Their classmates all joked how the two of them managed to disappear yet never got caught. Life as a plebe made that very difficult but Gary and Kelly were legends.
“Actually, he had me talk to Kelly. Wow! Who knew? When it comes to sexy times, that girl is wild with zero inhibitions. She and Gary …”
“TMI, Emily!” said Missy with a laugh. “Just be careful. You and Donald have potential for a great future. Maybe have Donald talk to Gary. He’s the one who cleverly avoided any problems here for the two of them, in spite of Kelly’s wild libido.”
They said goodbye and each headed off to their own room. Missy couldn’t help reflecting on all the changes she’d seen in so many people in the time they’d been at West Point. Most of those changes had been for the good. Including those for herself. Back when she first arrived, she thought her only supernatural ability was being a werecat. Finding out she was also a witch and then gaining all the abilities since then? Unbelievable!
Chapter Thirty-Three
Thursday, Apr 16, 2020
Missy had explained to Karen she was exhausted after the full week she’d spent with the Afghan team and that she wanted to get a good night’s rest before the actual competition the next day. Then, in spite of it being early, she’d crawled into her bunk and feigned falling into a deep sleep.
After ten minutes, during which Karen ignored her while engrossed in finishing one of her papers, Missy slipped outside her body and took a few moments to make sure all was good for her body, lying there and snoring slightly. Okay.
She teleported to where Wagner and Antony were currently located and found them busy discussing something with several other Zhu-Gung members. Unfortunately, since everyone was speaking Chinese, she wasn’t able to understand much. However, they were not at the apartment building where they’d been staying but rather in a warehouse. She was pleased with her decision to check on them earlier in the evening since now they were actively up to something, out and about, rather than merely retired for the evening or sleeping. She’d been checking on them each night since Sunday when she’d first managed this latest ability of hers.
She was able to scent and experience each gang member, listening for names she could identify them with. Those names might not be the ones thes
e individuals were going by in the U.S., but that hardly mattered. They were better for her to have than made-up names which she otherwise would have assigned to each of them.
She watched and listened for several minutes and then went out exploring. She checked out the neighborhood in order to learn the address for the place and see what else might be in the area. Then she returned inside and began searching through every room. She did not locate any drugs on the premises but when two gang members left, she followed after them to see where they might be going.
The guys walked three blocks over and relieved two others who were outside what appeared to be an abandoned building. The location was somewhat remote with no activity in the neighborhood. Apparently, these men were guarding the place, however, so she went inside. Although again she did not find any drugs, she did find a large room where twenty-eight teenage girls were being detained. The windows were all boarded up and all the doors were locked.
The girls were mostly sprawled on thin mattresses. There was one corner with a couple of chamber pots. The only light came from some battery-operated lanterns. There wasn’t much conversation although there were several groups with younger girls being comforted by some of the older girls. Again, the language was all in Chinese, so Missy wasn’t getting much of whatever was being said. It was obvious, however, that these girls were all recent arrivals from overseas, fearful and miserable.
Missy immediately let Mike know what she was seeing. She had asked that he be available for her on this particular evening and that he have some people from Robert’s team standing by as well. She knew Ed Collinsworth had come down to be with Glenn Paxton. Glenn was planning to make some FBI raids on Zhu-Gung operations. Now that she was providing them an address for where these girls were being held, which Ed would advise he was getting from one of Robert’s psychics, one of those raids would soon be happening right there.
Missy Goes to Hong Kong (Missy the Werecat Book 8) Page 21