My Super-powered Diary Chapter 40 Options By Amethyst When Maddock Ainsley gets involved in a rescue operation with his unit things go horribly wrong and his life is forever changed. Can the newly minted Merida cope with being a girl and a teenage super hero?

“Kin someone take care o’ Peaches fer a wee bi’ while we’re in there?” I asked as I let go of Hiro’s hand to carefully remove the sling with the snoozing baby dragon inside.

“I’ve got it Mer, I should be fine watching her with Fawn here to help me,” Lindsey replied with an encouraging smile. “I need to get used to caring for a baby dragon anyway since Mei wants to create the egg for mine tonight.” She carefully took the occupied sling and arranged it on herself as she and Fawn fussed over Peaches, who was stirring from her relocation.

“We’ll take good care of her,” Fawn guaranteed as she made shooing motions toward Mom, Hiro, and his parents.

“Aye, ya will,” I agreed, again taking Hiro’s hand reassuringly in mine. Then we all followed Mom into her office, Hiro’s hand seeming to grip mine tighter with each passing second though, thankfully, he was still conscious enough of his strength to not crush my hand in his own. I liked that about him, even though he was worried and terrified of what news might be awaiting him he was still thinking of me and being careful not to hurt me.

I could have probably put up my force field but I trusted him not to go too far. I didn’t want to make him think that I didn’t trust and believe in him and besides, that would have put something between us and right now he needed my reassurance, the warmth of the skin on skin contact. My force field would have sent the wrong message, that I was as uncertain and scared about this as he was. That was a message that I didn’t want to send, no matter how true it might be.

Once the door was closed behind us and Hiro and I were both sitting in chairs facing Mom’s desk with Kasumi and Paul standing behind us nervously Mom took a seat on her desk. Yes, on her desk, not behind it. I’m not sure if my pride in her in that moment was that of a big brother or a daughter, but it didn’t really matter. She had sat that way to be closer to us, to show that she was relaxed and that we had nothing to worry about, but most of all to let us all know that despite this being done by the book and in her office we were family and friends. She wasn’t just a doctor seeing a patient, this was personal to her too. Good news or bad she was in it with us for the long haul, not just until her next appointment.

Mom wasted no time. As soon as she had her butt plopped down on the desk she said, “Hiro, I’ve done a full genetic analysis o’ the samples tha’ I took from ya, in both yuir male and female forms. I’ve discovered tha’ there is an anomaly in yuir H Chromosomes, more specifically in the area tha’ contains yuir archetype. It’s no’ somethin’ tha’ I’ve seen before. I researched it in every medical journal I could find tha’ deals with H Chromosomes and Archetypes, but I haven’t found anythin’ like it mentioned before. Unfortunately the research in that field is fairly limited. I found one man up in Toronto that has tha’ kind o’ knowledge, a retired superhero called the Brain, and I contacted him last night. He practically mapped the H Chromosome and he has decades of experience in genetics.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “We’re callin’ yuir condition CAD, fer lack o’ a better name, Conjoined Archetype Disorder. The Brain thinks it’s fascinatin’ an’ wants me to write a paper on it, but he also agreed with my diagnosis once he looked at the gene analysis.” She leaned over and used a sheet of paper and a pen to quickly draw a circle with little stars in it and below that two overlapping circles with little stars spread out in both circles and two in the space where they overlapped.

First she pointed out the circle. “This is a normal mutant’s Archetype, could be me, Merida, yuir parents, or anyone else at the school. The little stars represent the gene codin’ tha’ gives us our powers. The overlappin’ circles are yuir Archetype. Now, what this condition means is tha’ you have two distinctive Archetypes, but they are interconnected fer some reason. Some o’ yuir powers are in one of them while the other has other powers, but here in the middle is where flight an’ yuir energy powers are, partly in one Archetype and partly in the other. Since there are technically still two Archetypes ta choose from, yuir H Chromosomes see you as no’ fully Activated yet. So yuir H Chromosomes are tryin’ to re-Activate ya whenever ya absorb too much energy in that form or run out of energy and have no way of absorbin’ more in yuir other form because you could be in danger without all the aspects of yuir energy powers.”

Hiro looked really upset and I gave his hand a good squeeze as Kasumi put her hand on his shoulder. “Is there anything that you can do Blair?” It was Paul who asked, his voice hopeful. “You did mention possible treatment when you called.”

Mom nodded and gave all of us a reassuring smile and then looked directly at Hiro. “The Brain and I have both agreed on two possible methods o’ treatment, though either case is goin’ ta require me to do some genetic engineering. The first possibility is that I use nanites as a vector for a gene therapy treatment, altering each cell in yuir body over several days and giving a third Archetype to choose from. Then we could try ta trigger yuir energy absorption and hope that when you re-Activate tha’ it’s with the new, more stable, Archetype that I create. It could be painful though, and there is no guarantee tha’ this would work, yuir body may reject it or may jus’ continue as it has been doing until now regardless of the new Archetype.”

“What’s the second option?” Kasumi asked. “That one sounds great, but I don’t know if I want to put my baby through that just to have it not work.”

“I would say tha’ the odds for tha’ treatment would be fifty/fifty, at best, and traditional gene therapy can be limited,” Mom replied with a nod to Kasumi before focussing again on Hiro. “The second option is tha’ I can genetically alter one o’ Hiro’s own stem cells to create a gene sample with a properly formed Archetype, containing all o’ the powers from the conjoined set and whichever o’ the two forms tha’ you would prefer. Then, once I have had the Brain double check the sample to ensure it’s stability you could have a magic user use tha’ sample fer a permanent transformation spell. I would suggest Dr. Edwards. She should be powerful enough to pull it off and she’ll understand the science well enough. This is far more likely to work, but the only control tha’ I will have over the process is in the creation of the sample, and as a medical doctor and scientist I hate suggesting a magical quick fix.”

“I appreciate you bringing that up, Blair, even though you don’t like magical shortcuts,” Paul said with an almost relieved sigh.

Mom nodded, a slightly dejected look on her face. “I had ta bring it to yuir attention, Paul, it’s the option tha’ is most likely to succeed. I estimate a ninety nine percent chance tha’ it will succeed, should I be able to create a viable gene sample. I couldn’t find another way tha’ would have a reasonable margin for success. I’m afraid that I don’t know much about magic or what risks may be involved, but the Brain suggested it an’ said tha’ a good mage should be able ta make it work. I normally wouldn’t recommend it, but if we don’t do somethin’ then Hiro will continue to change back an’ forth, an’ that will be stressful to both the body and mind and could be a serious risk to his future health as well. At least if ya get Alana to cast the spell then I’m sure we’ll all feel safer; she can explain any risks, an’ we can be certain tha’ the sample will be properly disposed of afterward so it can’t be misused.”

“Yes, we will have Alana do it, we can trust her,” Kasumi agreed. “We’ll want you there though, Blair. It’s your idea and you’re our doctor and our friend. You should be there. I’ll ask Alana about it once we’re finished here. How long do you think it will take to create this sample?”

“If I start on it tonight then I could have it finished an’ have the Brain double check my work before we get together fer Labor Day the day after tomorrow,” she replied after a moment of deep thought. Then she turned and smiled at Hiro. “I would really like ta have this settled for you before school starts. That does beg the question though, will I be creatin’ a sample fer Hiro, or Hana?”

“Hana,” my maybe-boyfriend said without a moment’s hesitation. I guess that made him, or rather her, my maybe-girlfriend then and he gave me an uncertain look, like he was still worried I wouldn’t be interested in him as Hana as he added, “Being a guy just feels weird and wrong to me. I’ve been trying to get used to it because I thought that I had no other choice, but I want to feel like myself again and I’m not Hiro, I’m Hana.”

“I dinnae care wot gender ya are so long as yuir ‘appy. I’m attracted tae ya either way. I like ya fer who ya are inside, no’ the body yuir wearin’,” I reminded him with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

Mom nodded, giving us both a serious and somewhat conflicted look for a moment. Then she sighed and said, “I will be only too happy to create a sample for Hana, but as yuir doctor there is a matter regarding yuir future which I should bring to yuir attention. It could be a wee bit embarassin’ fer ya. Would you prefer Merida and yuir parents ta leave so we can discuss tha’ more privately?”

Hiro shook his head. “No, anything you want to ask me about you can ask with them here,” he insisted.

Mom sighed again. “If you wan’ ta have children someday, bein’ in a same-sex relationship, ya would normally have two options, adoption or artificial insemination fer you an’/or yuir partner. Adoption is great if you wish to do tha’, I love all my girls an’ Merida is the only one related t’ me by blood. But if ya wish ta ‘ave children that are genetically both yuirs and yuir partner’s, whoever tha’ may be…” At this point she was looking at both of us again. “Before we change ya back ta Hana permanently, ya have the opportunity to make tha’ possible...”

I’m not sure who was blushing worse at that point, me or Hana. Kasumi seemed to be a realist and fairly practical though as she nodded at Mom’s unspoken suggestion. “She’s right honey, if you allow her to freeze some samples for your future then you could still carry on the family line with your chosen partner.”

I remained silent and very red-faced. This was Hiro’s decision to make and even if we did like each other a lot it couldn’t be certain that our relationship would be forever, or even long-term at all. Mom knew that too, which was why she had suggested it even knowing that when I had been moved to Special Forces I had had her freeze some samples of my own. I had wanted kids someday and you never know what could happen while out on an Op. That wasn’t what had me blushing so bad though.

What had me blushing was the thought of the mere possibility of carrying a baby for Hana in some imagined future. The thought was so alien to me. I knew that I was a girl now and I was getting better at accepting that, but for some reason I had never really twigged on the fact that if I ever wanted to have kids now my role would be as a mother, not a father, with all the biological implications that were involved. In that daydream future Hana and I were both carrying each other’s child and as much as my former male ego may have protested that image, it was something that held a fascination, even appeal, for me.

I never was one to believe in love at first sight, at least not as Maddock, but that was what things felt like with Hiro/Hana. We hadn’t known each other that long, but we had just clicked and connected from that first moment we had met, and as much as I tried at first to tell myself that it was just a teenage crush, it felt like more than that to me. I had gone through plenty of crushes during my first time as a teenager, but with us it was something more. It wasn’t even just pure physical attraction. I had been in that rodeo before too and this was something else, besides neither of us were anywhere near ready for a physical relationship and there were no urges to bring it to that level, we just loved being with one another. No matter what form he or she happened to be in, just being close was enough to make me feel happy.

Hiro had agreed to freeze a sample so Mom gave him a sample jar and told him that he could collect it in his dorm room. Once he was finished with that Mom wanted to have him change back to Hana with his mother’s help and bring the sample by so she could collect a stem cell sample as well. She reasoned that it would be easier to work with Hana’s stem cells rather than Hiro’s, since here would be less to alter overall when she did the gene manipulation, and she would harvest the stem cells from Hana’s subcutaneous fat. Then Hana would be free to go, but Mom wanted her to try to conserve power and stay in girl-form until it could be arranged for Dr. Edwards to cast whatever transformation spell she could come up with.

After that was all decided she let us all go so that Paul could get back to the restaurant, Kasumi could talk to Dr. Edwards, and Hiro could go to his dorm room to collect his sample before getting re-girled. Then it was Brooke’s turn to be called in, though she was guided into an examination room instead of Mom’s office. Mom wanted to speak with Brooke privately about things and to get a little more familiar with what our new sister could remember about her medical history before getting down to her problems with her lack of sensation. She also wanted to do a proper physical so she could find any other potential issues that Brooke may not have realized she had or had possibly overlooked during her time on the streets.

Me, my other sisters, the Fairies, and the members of 4-Ward with the exception of Hiro/Hana waited nervously in the waiting room for Mom and Brooke to return. Soon after they went in Jordyn joined us in her new form, though her wings took up a lot of space. Apparently they were hard for her to get used to and control as well and when she had run across Toxin at the Taylors they had agreed that she was going to have to change her class schedule a bit since in addition to the martial arts class she had taken in place of gym she was now going to need to take basic flight, aerial combat, and elemental control for her electives.

I told everyone that Mom had a treatment planned for Hana that she thought would work just to reassure them that she was going to be okay, but I didn’t go into any details, it wasn’t my place. Other than that I just tried to think positive for Brooke and talked with everyone while Fawn and I got out the silver bell to try to start training Peaches to listen and follow instructions. She was a pretty smart little dragon and really affectionate when she was awake, though it would be a few months before she was really out of the infant stage where all she was doing was eating, sleeping, and pooping. Mei estimated almost a full year before she was fully grown, but she insisted that all the work in caring for her and training her would be well worth it. Just like in my favorite story, things are much more worth it if you have to work for them.

I was starting to worry about Brooke when we reached the half hour mark of waiting but I tried to keep myself and Fawn busy with Peaches. It wasn’t long after that when Hana showed up with her mother and an innocuous-looking paper bag containing what I assumed was the sample to be frozen. She was also trying very hard to conserve the energy that she had absorbed from Kasumi, since her hair and eyes weren’t golde and glowing. I felt bad at that since she had mentioned that it took a lot of concentration to do that and appear normal. Lindsey moved to another seat so Hana could sit down beside me and she snuggled up close. “That was so gross, I never want to have to do that as a guy again,” she muttered quietly in my ear.

I kissed her softly. “Well, ‘opefully tha’ will be the last time tha’ ya ‘ave tae dae anythin’ as a guy.”

“Yeah, let’s hope. I do really want kids someday though, so it’ll be worth it if we can have kids that are ours.” Then she flushed bright red and lost control of her hair and eyes as she realized just how she had said that. “I didn’t… I mean I…”

I just kissed her tenderly once again to shut her up. “Dinnae worry aboot it, aye? I’m flattered, an’ I kind o’ hope tha’ we kin be t’gether for tha’, though I’m a wee bi’ leery aboot the whole childbirth thing someday. I’m tryin’ tae be realistic aboot wot’s goin’ on ‘tween us, bu’ I’m really hopin’ tha’ we’ll be one o’ those rare couples tha’ stay t’gether through high school an’ then our whole lives.”

A chorus of “Awwwww,” from our friends and family made my cheeks glow as bright as hers were, possibly even as bright as her hair and eyes. We were quiet for a long while after that, just snuggling, showing Peaches some affection, and enjoying one another’s presence until the door to the door to the examination room that Mom had taken Brooke into opened and we all rose from our seats.