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Author's Note: I would have put this up a couple of days ago but I got preoccupied and only finished writing it this afternoon. This is an interesting chapter because it deals with a big question. I'd like to thank my beta readers, djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters.

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Chapter Four:

The first thing I remember seeing was a bright light as my eyes slowly opened. It was so bright that I forced them shut again. Was it the bright life of death, was this how things truly ended. I opened my eyes a crack and I saw the brightness again, it was hovering over me. It was so beautiful and comforting. Death, huh? I guess dying in an explosion was a good way to go. At least now, I wouldn’t have to worry about all the crap that the Board was trying to pull. I could rest finally. I could finally see Mom and Dad again and the Old Man. I could wear a tiny white dress and float around on clouds, looking down on all the foolish things living people did. I could be free. The only regret in life being that, once again, I’d leave Mia behind all alone. That regret made me sad. I’d already died on her once and to do it again felt selfish.

I shook my head. No, I don’t want to die. “I don’t want to leave you, Speedy?”

Suddenly there was a softness gripping my hand. It was a gentle feeling and I realized it was someone else’s hand holding my own. Then there was a voice: “You’re not leaving me. You’re going to be okay.”

It was Mia’s voice. I opened my eyes further and suddenly realized where the bright light was coming from. There was a huge fluorescent light above my head, shining down on me. The reason it was so bright was because the walls were white and there appeared to be sun coming in through the windows. I blinked a few times and the room came into focus. It was a large one; two thirds of the walls were glass windows. I managed to sit up slightly, feeling some discomfort. Though I’d never seen the room before, I had a pretty good idea where I was. When my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, he had his own private little hospital built in the Tower. It was only a couple of rooms but it was equipped with the most state-of-the-art equipment money could buy. He also had a full medical staff on retainer.

I turned to look at the rest of the room. There were some modern artwork prints on the lone white wall and a small sitting area in the corner. One of the chairs was pulled up beside my bed and Mia was sitting in it. She looked like hell: her hair a mess, her clothes rumpled, bags under her eyes. She looked as if she’d been crying, too. She was holding my hand, smiling as if she’d just won the lottery. I opened my mouth to say something but I realized how dry it was. I looked around and saw a glass of water sitting on my bedside table. I grabbed it and downed it in one gulp.

When I set the empty glass down, I groaned. Lifting the glass hurt like hell. In fact, my whole body ached. I looked at my bare arms, there were bandages wrapped around my hands, an IV sticking out of my left arm. I was wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns and could tell that I had a bandage on my chest, too. I sure as hell felt like I’d been blown up. I just couldn’t imagine how I survived something like that. I should have been dead and yet here I was.

“I feel like shit,” I said, laying my head back down on the pillow.

Mia laughed, letting go of my hand. There were tears in her eyes, now. “You scared the shit out of me, that’s for sure.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, finding myself tearing up.

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to think back to the explosion. I really stepped into it, that’s for sure. I’d been careless and it cost me quite a bit. In my mind’s eye, I replayed some of the events. It happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to process the whole thing. Now, I did. Harv was there, tied up and waiting. It was almost as if someone knew I was going to show up there. Hell, they rigged the window to blow up, knowing I’d probably try to enter the room that way. The big question was: how did they know that I was the Green Arrow? It was clear that they caught Harv and probably figured out he was working for Olivia Queen, but did they make the ultimate connection?

I groaned and opened my eyes. “It was a setup, Speedy.”

She nodded. “I’m really sorry. I had no idea.” She was still crying. I squeezed her hand tightly.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I dropped the ball. It was too easy and I never caught on. I should have known something like that was too simple. I could have gotten you killed. If you died…”

She broke up completely. Though it was extremely painful, I leaned forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. She sobbed on my shoulder. I held her for a long time and let her cry on my shoulder. During that time, the door to the room opened. Standing in the door was a familiar face: Dr. Gloria Carlson. I lit up when I saw her. I guess it was premature of me to say that only Mia, Luke and the Old Man knew who I was and what I did, when in fact Gloria was there from the beginning. She was the doctor on the cruise ship---the one that rescued me off my own private little island. She was one of the very few people who knew everything about me too. We were together a bit in Florida before the Old Man collected me. There was some talk about bringing her to San Francisco, but the last time I saw her was the day I left Florida.

She smiled from the doorway and walked slowly into the room, moving quietly to give us some privacy. She waited patiently while I comforted Mia. Her crying didn’t last long and as soon as she realized we weren’t alone, she straightened herself out, wiping away the tears. Mia hated any public display of emotion; I think she felt it made her look too human.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” said Gloria as she took a Qpad from her lab coat, walking slowly over to us.

Mia was still wiping her cheeks. “It’s okay. I was having a human moment. I’m done now.”

I shook my head. Typical Mia. Then, I looked at Gloria. “I see the Old Man was good to his word. Did he strong arm you here as well?”

She laughed. “He was very persuasive, but in the end it was the large salary that finally convinced me.”

Typical. That man seemed to like to throw money at the problem, but I was glad she was here. We spent a lot of time together, just the two of us. I left her when I thought I was in trouble and only briefly saw her before shipping out. Even then, my grandfather talked about bringing her along, but Gloria had some business to finish up in Florida. I suppose it made sense that the Old Man would want her close. After all he was committing fraud by creating me and she was a loose end. It was either bring her into the fold or eliminate her. My grandfather was not a mob boss so the only reasonable thing to do was pay her off or offer her a better position in the company. It looks like she took the better deal and I was all the more happy for it.

“How long have you been here?”

She laughed. “Not long, only a few weeks. We were supposed to meet a few days ago for your first physical and check up but circumstances being what they were…” Her voice trailed off.

I nodded, but doing so caused me to wince. “Well you have me now. Care to tell me the prognosis?”

“You’re damn lucky,” she said, giving me a stern look. That look softened a second later. “Whatever that suit was made out of Miss Green Arrow, it saved your life.”

I looked at Mia who was smiling happily. “I told you it would be worth it.”

Perma-Flex huh? It was something one of the company’s subsidiaries had been designing for soldiers. It was supposed to be indestructible and apparently, it lived up to the hype. So the suit saved my life, I guess it was worth it then. I couldn’t help but feel a little happier knowing that Mia and I did something right for a change.

But the frown on Mia’s face was very telling. “Speaking of the suit…” She held up a large shopping bag and handed it to me.

I reached inside and took out the green Perma-flex bodysuit. Now it was charred black and shredded, torn to bits by debris from the blast. I frowned at it. The suit had lived up to a barrage of many things including a pretty nasty fight with a Meta named Brick. In the end, an explosion was just too much for it. It made me happy to know it saved my life, but sad that it was finally done for. Staring at the charred representation of my super-hero-dom, I couldn’t help but think that the Green Arrow might be over with as well. Clearly, I’d been fooling myself with all this. I’d been lucky until now but almost getting blown up is a real eye opener. I mean what kind of girl wants to do this stuff if she’s going to get blasted out a window into a brick wall.

“I know that look,” said Mia as she took the suit gently from my numb fingers. “You’re not quitting, not when we’re so close.”

“Close? They nearly blew me to bits!”

She smiled again. She put the suit into her bag and brought forth her laptop, setting it on the edge of the bed. She opened it up and started to type furiously. “Harv backed up his files. I managed to hack his hard drive before someone wiped it. Whatever he was on to, someone didn’t want to be found. The bomb was a last measure. I’m not one hundred percent sure what’s going on but it’s big, real big. Bigger than me, in fact. I might have to find some outside help on this one.”

I shook my head. “They know who I am Speedy, they set a trap for me. I’m done with this.”

“Just like that? You’re quitting?”

I sighed. “What’s to stop them from putting a bomb in the Tower or in your bedroom? These people---whoever they are---they’re dangerous.”

Gloria cleared her throat. “I hate to interrupt the super-heroing but you won’t be doing anything for at least two more days. That blast bruised two of your ribs, several of your muscles and here’s multiple small cuts and lacerations all over your body. Your hands have first-degree burns, you have a sprained ankle and one of your shoulders was dislocated. You’re going to rest for the next few days then I’m sending you for some physical therapy.”

I groaned. That’s all I needed. “Can we skip that last part?”

She shook her head. “Superhero or not, you’re not indestructible, girl.”

I scoffed. “I’m not anything girl, actually. I don’t have any superpowers.”

Gloria looked confused. “Are you sure?” I nodded. She bit her lip. “I think on top of all that, you might need to visit a specialist. I know someone; he works for a laboratory in the city. He was a professor of mine when I went to Berkeley.”

“I’m not sure I want to bring someone else into the loop on this?”

She shook her head. “The lab he works for actually has been working with Metas.”

I groaned. “I’m not a meta.”

She bit her lip. “You’re not one hundred percent human either.”

That came as a bit of a shock. “What do you mean?”

Gloria raised her pad, bringing up a screen. “I did some scans while you were unconscious to make sure there was no internal bleeding, things like that. I had a chance to review all your medical records the other day in preparation for our meeting plus, of course, I had the ones I took of you from the ship.”

I nodded. “I’ve had a lot of tests.”

When I was diagnosed with intersexuality, I had a battery of tests. Though I had a penis, I was not fully male. I had ovaries, which were producing estrogen, but I had no testicles. My penis wasn’t really a penis at all. But the ovaries were the extent of my female nature. I meant to have some tests run as soon as I got back to San Francisco but the Old Man had me working on such a busy schedule that I didn’t have time. I did notice some shrinkage though. My penis was definitely getting smaller and my body was feminizing a lot faster than it was in the past. Those few months on the island had really changed me. I went from this awkward looking prepubescent girl boy into a full-fledged teenage girl. It was a bit scary but I thought it was all a part of the program. Now, there was something else, I could see it on Gloria’s face. Her scans clearly found something, something that was unsettling to her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, Mia squeezing my hand.

Gloria looked more confused. “According to my latest scan, you appear to have a uterus, now, and everything that goes with it.”

“Holy Hannah.”

I blanked out most of the rest of the conversation. Gloria went on to explain everything that she found. The blood rushed to my ears at that point, drowning out pretty much everything. Mia seemed to be paying attention though, nodding her head every so often. Me, all I could think about was the fact that now I could have children. Well, I could if I didn’t have a penis that is. I’m not really sure how I should have reacted. I felt like throwing up or passing out. Instead, I just sat there and listened as the two of them discussed things. Thankfully, neither of them asked for my opinion. They made plans though. I’m not sure how I wasn’t involved in all of that actually. They talked like I wasn’t even there through most of it.

Finally, Mia turned to me. “Ollie, you okay with that?”

All I could do was numbly nod my head.

“When did I agree to this?”

We were in the back of the Audi halfway to our destination. Mia was sitting across from me, trying to keep herself occupied by playing some game on her laptop. Yesterday, she and Jade bonded over it, both of them apparently preferring Rogues. Mia played a yellow and red clad archer---she makes me proud. Jade favored a green clad assassin with poisonous claws. It makes me wonder what her off hours are like. The two of them spent an hour talking about it, sharing tips and things like that. Of course, that was before the shit hit the fan with the whole Board thing. Now, I couldn’t imagine there would be much free time for Jade to be playing games. Right now, she was back at the office, trying to see if there was any way around the proxy. Jade definitely lived up to the hype. She was very efficient when there weren’t scumbags trying to railroad her. Before I thought Scarlet hired her merely because she was twenty-three, but it appears Jade had some mad skills. She was putting those skills to good use now, trying desperately to see if we had any options left.

She promised to keep me apprised of the situation.

To her and the rest of the staff, I was on my way to a therapy session. In truth, we were actually on our way to STAR Labs. Apparently, that’s what Mia and Gloria were talking about yesterday---the conversation I was only half paying attention to. They made arrangements for me to meet with Gloria’s old professor–some man named Dr. Hamilton. The meeting was off the books, strictly on a need-to-know basis–not just for my people, either. Gloria made Hamilton promise to keep things low key, in case there were people out there wishing to sell my story to the highest bidder. I could just see the headlines: “QUEEN, THE SUPER FREAK”. It was one thing for the press to label me as an incompetent bimbo, but it was another thing entirely for them to think I was a Meta. Hell, I didn’t even believe the last one. Gloria did and she was convinced that Dr. Hamilton could prove it.

That’s also why we decided to take the Audi. Mia was hoping for the Vauxhall and I wanted the Viper, of course. Luke decided on something a little less flashy. The Audi Q7 was one of the very few SUVs in the Old Man’s garage. Though its windows were tinted, it was less conspicuous as most of the other cars. In fact, when we drove out of the garage most of the paparazzi ignored it because it wasn’t my usual fare. They were used to seeing me in the limo and were expecting the same. Jade had suggested the car change, actually. The Audi was one of the less flashy cars, too. There was the Mercedes E Class but it was currently getting some work done. It felt a little strange driving in the Audi, but it was only to the Lab and back.

A trip in a glorified station wagon. Kill me now.

“This is nice,” said Mia as she took a sip of her coke, letting out a loud sigh. “I could really get used to traveling like this.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t feel like you’re going on vacation in this thing?”

She shook her head. “I feel famous”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. We didn’t talk for a few minutes, then she stopped typing. “I think I figured out a new suit idea?”

“New suit?”

“Well you can’t very well wear the old one.”

Right back on the horse, huh? I frowned. I’d actually been thinking a lot about that, actually. As much as I was a little reluctant to get back out there just to get blown up again, I did come to one decision. I took a deep breath. “You think I need training?”

She gave me a strange look. “Um… last I looked, there was no listing for superhero trainers in the yellow pages.”

I’d just finished eating a Snickers a few minutes before. I crumpled up the wrapper and threw it at her. “I’m not talking about actual superhero training. I’m thinking more along the lines of learning how to react faster, maybe how to fight. So far I’ve been kinda winging things, but after almost getting blown up it definitely puts things into perspective.”

“I guess I can see that.”

That’s what I loved about her. Mia rolled with the punches and nothing I did seemed too outlandish for her. She was with me every step of the way through this, a true friend. In fact, I’m not sure I could do this whole superhero thing without her. I wouldn’t call her a sidekick but she was definitely there to support me whenever I needed it.

Which of course brought us back to the suit. When Mia set her mind on something there was very little you could do to stop her. “So what have you come up with, suit wise?”

Mia smiled and turned the laptop so the screen was facing me. On it was a 3D rendering of me, at least a close approximation. She was wearing a black jumpsuit with an arrow on the chest. The arrow was vertical, pointing upwards. It was pretty cool and looked a lot sleeker than my original one. To top things off I had green gloves and boots with the same green hooded cloak and black mask. It wasn’t too far off from my original one, but it looked more professional.

“So, this is the Green Arrow of the future?”

She nodded. “As soon as you’re on the mend, of course.”

Though nothing was visible, I was pretty wrapped up. Gloria wrapped my ribs yesterday and stitched up the few cuts that required it. I had severe pain from the sprained ankle, but she promised that with painkillers it wouldn’t hurt as much. When not sitting, I had to use crutches, which I’m sure the press was going to have a field day with. The official story was an unfortunate gym accident. According to the release Jade wrote up, I slipped coming off the treadmill. Someone had already run with the story this morning, actually referring to me as the “Clumsy Heiress”. I suppose that’s better than being the “Bimbo Tart”.

I still had a question or two about the suit, of course. We spent the rest of the ride discussing it. It was still going to be made out of Perma-Flex, but a different blend. Apparently, the company who designed it was working on a new formula, one that took field combat into mind. They were trying to work shrapnel and things like into the equation. Mia hacked their system and downloaded their designs. Then, she’d have it made through a subsidiary, marking it an R&D project for the company. She did it so discreetly that I’m not even sure what channels she went through. She promised the suit would be ready in a week and that everything was legit. So, in the meantime, the Green Arrow would continue her vacation.

The suit kept us preoccupied the whole ride. I didn’t even notice we reached our destination until the car stopped. Turning to look out the window, I saw the white marble and glass structure before us. A man named Meersman, in an attempt to create nationwide research facilities outside of government jurisdiction, set up the Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories about fifteen years ago. Many very important men, like the Old Man, helped foot the bill to get such places off the ground. It was a little known fact that STAR Labs was starting to do Meta testing, trying to see where the gene came from. I’m not sure what their end game was but I knew the government had to be involved in there somewhere. I’d only had a chance to read through some of the Old Man’s private files but, apparently, he was trying to get an injunction against the government for trying to “force” private facilities into Department of Defense contracts.
So far, the Old Man was losing that battle.

Luke got out of the car first, walking around it to open my door. I handed him my left crutch and slowly slid out, passing the right crutch over, as well. He held one of the crutches so I could get a hold of it, then he helped me get the other one under my arm. I felt ridiculous and a bit weak but it was keeping the pressure off my foot, so it helped. After that, Luke got into the car and told me he’d meet us inside before driving off. There was a parking lot around back, so I assume he was going to find a spot. I watched the “station wagon” drive off then turned to hobble up the unblemished sidewalk toward the gleaming white building. From above, it was shaped to look like a star that fit in nicely with its name and the nickname the locals dubbed the city.

Mia pushed the blue handicap button when we got to the door. Then, she followed close behind as I hobbled into the lobby. Everything inside was pristine and sparkling, including the large portrait of my grandfather hanging over the receptionist’s desk. I hobbled through the vacant sitting area and up to her horseshoe-shaped counter. She looked bored, filing her nails. When she saw us, she smiled. It was one of those fake ones. I hoped my sunglasses hid most of my bruised face, but from her grimace it was clear that they didn’t. During the explosion, a piece of brick hit me in the face. Yesterday my whole face was puffed up but most of the swelling had gone done, leaving me with a black eye and a nasty bruise.

“How can I help you, Miss…?”

“King.” I said quickly, sticking with an old alias.

When I was picked up off the island by the cruise ship, I pretended to be a Texan by the name of Bonnie King. I only dropped the charade when Gloria was around. I’m not sure why I lied back then. I guess I didn’t want people to know that I was a guy. Now, it seemed like the right thing to do. In fact, Gloria suggested it. Just in case people started poking around in the records, they’d see Bonnie King and not Olivia Queen.

The receptionist smiled and typed away. With the bruised face and the normal clothes–i.e. hoodie and jeans–there was no way she could tell I was me.

“Oh, here you are, Miss King,” she said, looking up from the computer and flashing me another one of her fake smiles. “Dr. Hamilton left a message for me to send you straight to his office.”

She turned in her seat and pointed to a door as it clicked open. I nodded. Together, Mia and I went through the door. The hallway leading to the doctor’s office was just as pristine and sterile as the rest of the place. The only thing that seemed to differentiate it from everything else was the carpeting. Here, instead of the polished floors, there was a bland gray carpet. I tried not to stare at as I slowly moved along but I couldn’t help it. Mia seemed to be doing the same because of the comments she made every few seconds.

“I feel like I’m in a hospital” was one that she used frequently.

Finally, we reached aboard with a name stenciled in the glass: DR. EMIL HAMILTON, LEAD RESEARCHER. Clearly, Gloria’s teacher made a good living for himself. I took a deep breath as Mia rapped on the door. A few moments later, after some movement from inside, the door opened. There was a tall man in a white lab coat there to greet us. He appeared to be in his forties, most the black in his hair and goatee turning gray. He gave us a once over then a warm, welcoming smile. It wasn’t fake like the receptionist’s. He wore a badge with his picture on it and his name underneath. It’s funny because he appeared exactly how I was picturing him in my head. However, his hair wasn’t as messy and he had normal glasses, not the ones that were tiny and fit on just his nose.

“Miss King?” he asked, giving me a once over.

“For the moment.” I said and he smiled.

Gloria had called earlier in the morning and said the meeting was all arranged. In the books, I would be ‘Bonnie King’, but Hamilton knew who I really was. He also promised not to use my real name while the two of us were in public. So we’d keep up the charade until we got some place more secure. I thought that place might be his office but, instead, he pointed down the hall and led the way. Mia and I had no choice but to follow. We had to walk down three hallways and take the elevator before we finally arrived at his sub-level basement laboratory. When we finally got to the lab, he typed in a code at the key pad, then let me in first. The lights turned on as soon as I stepped into the large room and I was hit by a very sterile odor.

I’d been in the school chemistry labs but it was nothing like this one. For one thing, there weren’t desks and lab stations all over the place. There only seemed to be one large station and lots of sophisticated equipment. I could only name about half the devices and only because I’d seen them on various movies and television shows. The usual was scattered across the station: beakers, Bunsen burners, a microscope or two. Everything was neat and organized though. There was a desk in the corner, framed on either side by filing cabinets. On the desk were several file folders, a lamp and a computer. Though it looked very clean, there were a lot of personal touches as well: calendar, framed photos, some posters and lots of charts. There were two 'fridges, one had a glass front and was filled with vials and test tubes. The other was a mini-fridge so I assumed it had food.

The doctor walked over to the desk, sitting on the edge of it. He reached behind and grabbed a folder. When he spoke, there was excitement in his voice. “So, Miss Queen, tell me why you believe that you’re a Meta.”

I laughed. “I don’t think I’m a Meta at all.” He looked a bit confused. I sighed. “Gloria thinks I’m a Meta.”

“And, you are convinced otherwise?”

“She thinks otherwise,” said Mia quickly before I can answer. “But, she does these amazing things.”

“Do you have the ability to provide a demonstration of these professed ‘amazing things’?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I looked quickly around the room. I’m not sure what they expected me to show them. I didn’t have heat vision or super hearing. I was a normal girl and like a normal girl, there was nothing wrong with me. Okay, so that’s only partially true, I’m not normal in the sense that I’m not fully female, but close enough. I learned to accept that fact. There was no way I was going to let anyone talk me into believing I had super powers. I looked at the two of them staring at me, waiting for me to do something. I sighed again, finally picking up his letter opener. I looked around the room, trying to find something. They wanted mad skills so I’d give them mad skills. I tried to find a target, any target. There were a lot to choose from in this room but I think I found one worthy to impress.

I stopped looking and listened. There was this faint buzzing sound as a fly flittered about the bright lights at the ceiling. The others didn’t seem to notice, but I did. I centered on the fly and it was as if the whole room slowed down. The only thing that mattered was me and the fly. I found it, listened as I could hear its wings slowly flapping. I took aim and threw the letter opener. Instead of throwing it directly at the fly, I took aim a millimeter from it. So when the world came back into normal motion, the letter opener was where the fly was going to be. I speared the fly against the far wall, it was a direct hit. I couldn’t help but smile.

Dr. Hamilton and Mia blinked. I’d shown off in front of Mia before, but nothing like that. It took the two of them a second to realize what happened but when they did, Hamilton ran over to the wall. He stared a few seconds at my kill, his mouth open ever so slightly.

“A more direct hit would be inconceivable,” he said, pulling the letter opener from the wall.

The dead fly fell to the floor.

“Holy shit, Ollie!” shrieked Mia, running over and looking at the mark in the wall where the opener stuck. She turned to me, shock on her face as well. “I knew you were good, but I had no idea!”

Hamilton looked from the fly to the opener in his hand. I watched as he slowly put two and two together. When he did, his eyes widened slightly. “That would make you…”

“Yes, doctor.” I said, neither of us saying what we were thinking.

So, now, there was another person who knew who I really was. I definitely have to keep my big mouth shut. Now, it seemed I’d have to stop showing off, too.
He took a few moments, turning the letter opener over in his hand. When he spoke, there was even more excitement in his voice. “How long have you been able to accomplish a stunt similar to this one?”

I shrugged. “I’ve always been a good shot. I’ve been studying archery most of my life, but something like that?” I shrugged again. “My aim has gotten better since the island.”

“The island?”

I sighed. I’d only told very few people about the island and what exactly went on there. Mia was one of them. I promised to only tell the story to those people I really trusted. I looked intently at Hamilton. Gloria was convinced that he could help me. I trusted Gloria immensely, so I suppose it couldn’t hurt to trust the doctor, as well. So, I took a deep breath and started from the beginning, telling him about my previous medical history and going from there. He seemed interested in the island, but more interested in the glowing green stones. He kept stopping me and asking me about the stones. He wanted to know if I ever drank the water in which the stones were submerged. Well, I didn’t really have much choice because it was one of the only fresh water sources on the island.

“These new changes–for example, the increase of your femininity–did it start to happen after you drank from the reservoir where you located the stones?”

I shrugged. “Probably. I didn’t really keep a record.”

He nodded, stroking his chin. “And, these stones: did you happen to transport any of them with you upon your rescue?”

“I made several of them into arrowheads. I’ve got a couple more.”

Hamilton smiled. “Would it be pertinent for me to request an examination of those stones?”

Mia caught on. “You think the stones are making her like this?”

He shook his head. “I am not so disillusioned to believe that I can formulate a hypothesis without having reviewed the evidence. These stones are a variable in the equation. There would be several causes of their green color and the fact that they seem to glow. For instance, they could be harmlessly phosphorescent, but I can’t rule that out without testing them in the lab, first. You see where I'm getting to?”

So, in the end I agree to send him the last of the stones I still had. After that, he took some blood and ran a couple of other tests on me. I played along, but I was convinced it was a waste of my time. I still humored him and Mia, for that matter. He asked me some questions and I answered to the best of my ability. Overall, the whole visit lasted about an hour or so. When we were done and the door to the lab was opened, I found Luke standing vigil outside the door. He nodded to me with a warm smile. Hamilton followed the three of us to the lobby.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss King,” he said, shaking my hand. “I will give you a call in about two weeks when your test results come back.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

I turned and hobbled away, the three of us leaving a very giddy scientist in the lobby. The Audi was waiting out front for us. Luke went ahead to open the doors. Mia and I were halfway there when she cursed. She mumbled something about leaving her bag inside. Instead of hobbling the rest of the way to the car, I stood and waited for her. Luke gave me a look, but I waved him into the car. Mia was always like this. She’d forget her own head if it wasn’t attached. As I stood and waited, my arms got tired. So, I saw a bench closer to the building and started hobbling toward it. As I slowly started to seat myself on it, my cell rang. I groaned loudly, knowing how much of a bitch it was to get it out of my pocket. I finally fished the phone out but it had already stopped ringing.
There was a text though from an UNKNOWN sender.

I groaned. How in the hell did someone know my number? Instead of deleting it, curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. It was a picture text, on the screen I saw a few strands of blonde hair and a message to go along with it:

ONE PIECE AT A TIME :).

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF