He’d been watching friends play beach volleyball and reading manga in the sun when he suddenly felt a wave of nausea and went weak at the knees. He tried to stand and shake it off and ended up face first in the sand. His friends carried him into the shade and poured cool water on face to wake him up. When he woke up he felt fine but decided to stay in the shade and gladly accepted the sports drink he was offered. “I must have gotten dehydrated,” he said and he believed it then.

He felt fine for a few hours then when his folks picked him up he was started to feel bad again. This time he was sore all over and his folks took him to the family doctor. The GP said it as likely mild sunstroke and for him to drink more water and get a good night’s sleep. He went home unaware of the great change in direction his life was about to take.

That night he awoke screaming from severe abdominal pain and his parents rushed him to the hospital. He ignored most of what the doctors were saying to his parents as he lay curled up into a ball on a stretcher. They gave him a painkiller and took him to a room. He passed out as his body started to reshape itself. The staff strapped him down because his limbs were jerking randomly and they worried he might hurt himself. They made calls to the nearest superteam and the DPA and alerted one of their psych staff that the patient would probably need counseling when he awoke as a she. The team advised the psychologist that they knew of a “special school” used to such students and would send a member to help explain things.

He woke up in the dark wondering what had awoken him. Then he noticed that the power was off in the hospital. He could see the faint glow of emergency lighting under the door and a quick glance out the window showed that the power was on outside. “Damn, this looks bad,” he said. then frowned. ‘What’s up with my voice?’ he wondered. He could hear people rushing back and forth as if looking for someone and decided that must be what woke him up. When he tried to sit up he noticed he was strapped down. “Can this get any worse,” he said.

He received his answer when the door opened and a lithe female figure slipped in and then locked it behind her. She was dressed like a girl in a video game, revealing clothes in weird colors but then again if she were a video game character she’d be armed and she wasn’t. The woman had very pale skin and red eyes that seemed to reflect every stray glimmer of light in the dark room. Her hair was so dark that it stood out as a darker patch in the dimness and her teeth were very white as she smiled.

“Awake? Good, I prefer my prey aware and knowing what is to come. It spices the blood most tastily.” She smiled wider and fangs showed. Akira struggled to get out of the restraints and she chuckled, “Why have they trussed you up like turkey awaiting the pot girl?” The woman asked, “Not that I mind the help, but I’m curious.”

He stared at her and shouted, “I’m not a girl!”

“Ah, crazy then,” she said with a smile. “It’s nothing catching I hope?” She walked up and brushed hair out of the way and while he was wondering how his hair got so long she bit him right in the neck and started drinking his blood!

Shortly though she stopped and took a few steps back, “Damn girl! What are you? Your blood tastes like lightning and gives a stronger boost than any speed pill I ever popped before I changed. So other than nuts what are you lady?”

‘Why did she keep calling him a girl?’ he wondered. “I think you’re the one who is nuts pretending to be a vampire. If you tell what you are then maybe I’ll tell you what I am but one thing you get for free, I am a boy not a girl!”

The woman pulled the covers off and shredded the hospital gown when she couldn’t remove it whole. Then she lifted Akira’s head to show him how his body had changed, “Not a girll huh? Then are these?” She grabbed his chest, or rather as he now knew her breasts and played with them a little. “I’d do more but you look a little young to me.”

As Akira fell back in stunned incomprehension the woman, the other woman her brain added, brushed her hair away from her neck and bit down slowly then started to drink her blood again! Akira just lay there hoping this was all a dream.

After a few more gulps the vamp stood up licking her lips, “If I drink anymore I’ll end up draining you dry and I do try not to kill anyone on these little jaunts of mine. I just get so … thirsty since I changed.” She smiled, “I know I’m a mutant but I figure if I crave blood and I see in the dark and burn in direct sun even if it’s not to ash then I might as well call myself a vampire. Right?”

Akira nodded numbly and she went to the door, “I think the coast is clear. Keep your chin up dear! If they don’t let out by the next time I get thirsty maybe I will if you’re of a mind to come with me.” Then there was a loud banging on the door and a voice shouting, “Miss Kagurazaka! This is the DPA. Open this door at once! We must determine if you are safe. There is a known mutant felon reported to be attacking this institution and if you are harboring her you are a danger to this hospital!”

“Open the door!” Akira called out. “I don’t want them to shoot me or anything.”

“Nope! Not until I see if I can get out that window there. I don’t want them finding me here. Don’t worry, they’ll see you are strapped in tight and know you had nothing to do with it.” The strange woman said as the men started pounding on the door again.

“This is Agent in Charge Robert Spaulding, is someone in there with you?” The voice shouted.

“Yes and I’m strapped down. Help!” Akira shouted.

The vampire shushed her, “If they come in now, they’ll see more than the straps.” She gestured to Akira’s now naked form. “If you stall them until I get this blasted window open I’ll put the sheet back on.”

Akira was about to tell her to go to hell when the agents broke the door open. They looked around the room; seeing a bleeding woman strapped naked to the bed and a wanted mutant criminal at the window they pointed their guns at her. “Freeze!” the lead agent shouted as simultaneously the woman shouted, “Frak this!”

She jumped as they opened fire and landed behind them. “That’s no way to greet a lady!” she said drawing a sap from somewhere in her brief attire and swinging with great speed at the rearmost agent’s head. He managed to avoid enough of the blow to stay conscious but still staggered into the others as they tried to turn around.

For what seemed like an eternity Akira watched as the agents tried to shoot her or strike her and she leaped and dodged among them like a weasel on speed. He, or rather she now, desperately wanted to get off the bed and help although whether that was to stop them from firing before they accidentally hit her or to assist them in capturing the criminal would have been hard for even her to say right then. Perhaps she just wanted very much to be free to leave the room. Regarding of what spurred it her desire was strong enough to activate her Manifestor talent.

A sword appeared in her right hand and laying across her body, despite her limited range of motion she managed to bring it in contact with the strap holding her left wrist. The sword cut it like a it was warm butter and she was able to grab the blade in her left hand and cut the the other straps too.

As she stood up on the bed a bullet grazed her shoulder. She shouted, “Stop shooting damn it! It’s not hitting her, you’re just trashing the room.”

They stopped shooting temporarily and the vampiric mutant dropped into a squat panting.

“We can let her get away miss. You should stay down and let us handle this,” one of the agents said. Another nodded, “I’m sorry if you were injured miss but you should leave the area if you’ve gotten free.” The one who had lead the way into the room added, “And if you find any of the police or the super team that is supposed to be on the way tell them what room this is and to get their asses in gear!” The fourth agent was sitting in a corner trying not to throw up and experiencing double vision so he said nothing.

Those were all fairly reasonable suggestions but Akira took none of them, “She bit me! I’m so going to kick her ass. Just don’t shoot me while I do it!” She jumped off the bed toward the the other woman and her sword flickered out as she lost concentration so she landed between the mutant and the agents unarmed but seething in not entirely rational anger.

The self proclaimed vampire was just catching her second wind and would have paled if she could, “Oh frak! Hey wait a minute girly. Don’t do anything rash.”

Akira kicked her hard enough to send her out the still closed window of the fourth floor room. Sticking her head she shouted “You freaking bit me!” She had a lot of shocks and stresses since waking up and here was an outlet for all her anger and frustration. “Watch this Y’all!” she said and jumped out the window.

“Is she nuts or what?” One agent said.

The lead agent replied, “She might just be that pissed off or in some sort of fugue state. She’s had a lot of shocks just recently. Let’s go down and make nobody gets killed. If we can.” He lifted a hand to the compact earpiece and microphone combo and activated it, “Do we have an ETA for that hero team that is supposed to be coming?” He talked for a few minutes as they made their way down to the ground in the more mundane way.

“Great, base says the press will be here at the same time as the local super team and the engineers say it’ll take at least an hour to repair what was done to the power lines. Only good thing is that the hospital has enough emergency power to ensure no patients will die from lack of it.” He sighed and lead them out the front door.

Outside Akira had her opponent in an Aikido hold. She turned to the agents and called out, “Don’t worry I won’t let her get away. I’ll subdue her and then you can take her in!” She gave a rather bloodthirsty grin, “I’ll just be doing my civic duty! You can fault me for that right? I can kick her ass in your name?”

The lead agent shrugged, “As long as you don’t kill her I have no problem with it. Self defense if nothing else.” He wasn’t sure he could stop her even if he should so it was an easy enough call to make. He was also thinking that if she calmed down enough afterward maybe the agency would sponsor her education in return for her joining them after graduation.

The vampire wannabe chuckled and strained against the hold even though it was clear that it hurt, “You really going to fight me naked girly? While the boys watch? I think either I should have tried mind powers on you or drunk all your blood and killed you.” She pulled a maneuver that showed her to be double-jointed and slipperier than an eel. The two of them faced off and started fighting.

“What should we do? Just stand and watch?” One of the agents asked.

“No, of course not,” he told them. “You should go and tell the police that are still wandering the halls what’s happened and take charge of them. We need a perimeter around this area to try to stop any civilians from coming on to this grass or the adjoining parking lot. You two go and get started on that. If you can keep the press out I’ll buy you a steak dinner but I don’t expect miracles. Just keep people away until one of them wins and keep an eye out for both the armored prisoner transport that’s supposed to be on the way from the state troopers and the local hero team. I’ll sit Joe down and make sure he doesn’t slip out of consciousness.” Then he sat on a bench with the agent that had been hit with the sap and opened a small first aid kit. He started a chemical coldpak and held it against the rising bump on the back of Joe’s head while he watched the fight.

As Samantha Craft, the wannabe vampire, fought Akira she taunted the younger girl and tried to get her mad enough to make mistakes. She had realized that her opponent though much younger was actually better than she and stronger as well so she taunted her hoping to distract her. Unfortunately without any real knowledge of her opponent she was stuck with generic barbs and so far her opponent’s focus was admirably tight. She had a slight edge in speed and agility but knew she’d eventually lose.

“Hey!” she called out. “If we are going to be providing the boys such fine entertainment perhaps I should get naked as well? If you’ll stop a moment I’ll strip down, and maybe we can even find some mud to roll around in?”

That got a response! It was not perfect, Akira switched from hard strikes and attempted joint locks to grabbing handfuls of Sam’s clothing and tearing it to shreds. Oh well it gave her a little breather and allowed her a chance to finish healing the bruises and pressure cuts from glancing blows. Once she had caught her breath she kicked off the last thing she was wearing, her shoes, and laughed. “Well? Like what you see? Or should I get the mud so we can titillate the men? Not to mention the press that the nice policemen are holding back for us.”

Akira stopped dead and her eyes widened as she noticed what she had missed while focusing solely on her opponent. They were surrounded by a semicircle of cops holding back the curious and the press. There were many cellphones and cameras and two actual news crews filming her. “Ahhh!” She screamed, hating how girly it sounded and covered her crotch with both hands. Then she remembered that wasn’t enough anymore and wondered if everyone watching could tell she didn’t used to be a girl. Then she heard her opponent’s laughter and her anger overtook her embarrassment.

Samantha stopped laughing when she saw that murderous expression, “Oh frak!” she said. Then they were back to the fight and she was slowly losing again. Nothing else seemed to work and soon she was in a headlock out of which no tricky joints or agility would get her. Akira forced her over to the bench, “Hurry up and handcuff her Agent Spaulding, before she slips away.”

He stood up and used a pair of brick restraints to secure her wrists and ankles, then said in a loud voice, “Thank you citizen for assisting us in apprehending the felon who stole your clothes. I’m sure the media will show the good taste or at least common sense not to show too much of a minor after editing. If only to save themselves the possible lawsuits.” After he restrained the vampire-wannabe he gave Akira his jacket. It was long enough to cover everything important and she put it on gratefully.

With the captured felon between them he led her over to the armored police wagon. “Sorry,” he said in a more normal voice. “The super hero team we were expecting was delayed. We really do owe you thanks and I have a lot of things to tell you, both things I’m required to inform you of as well as things I think you’ll like to hear. Can I trust you to stick around until I can see “vampirella” here off to jail and get agent Lopez some first aid?”

“Yes, agent Spaulding. I’ll just go back to my room and get dressed okay?” Akira replied wondering if his old clothes would still fit.

“Good, I’ll see you back down here in 20 minutes then? We can go to an all night diner I know of nearby. I’ll need to make a few phonecalls too but don’t worry we’ve done this before and we’ll take care of everything.”

Akira found that she could fit in to her old swim trunks and the black tee with her favorite manga on it but they were uncomfortable and tight in new places. She grimaced, “Maybe my little brother can use my old stuff because for sure I’m gonna need new clothes.” She headed off to the stairs and sighed at the looks she was getting even in the dim light from the staff as she jogged by, and the feeling of her breasts moving on her chest. As she went down the stairs she discovered that if she tensed her chest muscles she could keep them steady but only until she relaxed or was distracted. “I need a bra,” she said to herself, “no doubt about it. I wonder what size they are?” She shrugged and exited on to the ground floor, that was a worry for later. She had more important things to worry about right now.