"What about using it to cure cancer?" Cat asked from the back seat.

"Same problem," Ryan replied, trying to keep most of his attention focused on the road. Self-driving car or not, he'd made a promise to Amy that he wouldn't get into any accidents. "The Ability's description text says that it works by speeding up the body's metabolic processes. If you used it on a patient with cancer –"

"– it would just make the cancer spread even faster," she finished for him, then frowned. "Well, that's disappointing. I suppose it wouldn't do much good for people with bacterial or viral infections, either."

"Probably not, although honestly, I've never heard of an Enforcer trying to use it that way."

"Hm. Amputated limbs? Broken bones?"

"You need to set the break first or else it'll heal wrong. That's something they did warn me about, the first time a Savant was assigned to my team. Amputations...? If it's a body part that won't eventually regrow on its own, then I don't think so. Oh, here we are."

Syd glanced up from her phone when he killed the Range Rover's engine.

"Where's here?" Belatedly, she seemed to realize that the building they were parked beside looked familiar. "Ryan, tell me this isn't the place I think it is..."

"I'm pretty sure this is exactly the place you think it is. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big –" Syd sputtered. "– Ry, the last time we were here, you almost died! We had to jump off the roof of a building to avoid getting exploded!"

"Right, and with all of that going on, not a single person came out to investigate the commotion." He waved a hand towards the row of dilapidated warehouses lining the street. "The whole neighborhood is abandoned, and that makes it a perfect training spot for us to use."

"I thought you said we were trying to lie low! There were government agents and cops crawling all over this place!"

Stepping out and looking around, Ryan countered, "That was a week ago, Syd. I don't see any sign of them now. Coming back here is the last thing they'd expect us to do."

"Um, yeah, because we'd have to be idiots to come back." She harrumphed, shoving her hands into her pockets with a sulky expression. "Whatever. You're the boss."

Ryan pulled her into a one-armed hug. For a moment, she went stiff, then melted against him.

"Hey, it's alright, Syd," he told her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her glossy black mane. "That was then, this is now. You're not that person anymore."

"Mm. I get it," she mumbled into his chest. "It's just... you know."

"I know." Another kiss. "You don't have anything to prove to me."

"Hate to interrupt the moment you're having, sweethearts," Cat said, "but after hearing so much talk about these Changers, I think I'm ready to see what all the fuss is about."

"It is what we came out here to do," Ryan agreed. "Let's head inside."

Instead of letting go, Syd clung tighter when he turned away. She remained stuck to him for the entirety of their short walk over to the nearest entrance.

They found it locked.

Police or firefighters must have put new padlocks on all the doors before they left, he thought, examining the obstruction. Probably just to keep kids out. What a pain. If I was at a hundred percent, I might be able to pry the latch off with my hands, but...

"I've got it," Syd said. Pulling what looked like a thin billfold wallet from the back pocket of her shorts, she flipped it open to reveal an array of small metal tools inside. "These things are so easy to pick. No idea why anybody bothers using them."

"...most people don't carry lockpick kits, Syd."

"Yeah, well, most people are boring," she shot back. "Now shoo and let me concentrate."

Ryan and Cat watched with interest as the young woman went to work, her expression unusually focused on her task. First, she pushed an L-shaped implement into the keyhole. Then, tongue poking out from between her teeth, she slid a hooked tool that looked like something taken from a dentist's office in beside it. The curved part moved up, down, in and out in a mystifying sequence, then she twisted both at the same time and the lock snapped open.

"See? Easy." She returned to her previous position glued to his side, tilting her gaze up to stare at him. "This is the part where you tell me how impressed you are by my resourcefulness," she prompted, pointing at the top of her head.

"Very resourceful," he said, ruffling her hair as requested. "I'm impressed. No idea what we would have done without you."

"Stand in front of the door making confused faces for an hour or two, then give up and go home?" she suggested.

He laughed, glad to see that she was feeling more herself.

***

The inside of the warehouse was just like he remembered it, dark and dusty even with the afternoon sun peeking through the dingy upper windows. Rusted shelving units formed uneven rows, many of them lying toppled and scattered by the earlier fight.

"Okay, Cat." He tapped a foot to indicate an open spot in the middle of the floor. "You just stand right here, and I'll take care of the rest."

Cat raised an eyebrow when he started backing away from the location and Syd quickly followed. Her fingers tapped on the Changer fastened at her waist.

"This... isn't going to be dangerous, is it, hon?" she asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Not for you," he promised her. "But there might be some damage to the surroundings when you transform, so we want to make sure everyone else is a safe distance away before we activate the Changer. Otherwise, we could have done this in Amy's apartment."

Her smile still fixed in place, the woman nodded dubiously.

"And... how far away is far enough?"

"Ten feet is the standard distance." He stopped, then stepped off to the side, putting one of the remaining upright shelves between him and Cat. "This should be good. I'll be right over here, out of sight."

"Out of sight. Darling, I'm starting to think there might be something else that you've left out about the way this process works."

Ryan shared a glance with Syd.

"Do you want to explain it to her," he asked, "or should I...?"

"Definitely better if I tell her," Syd said with a snort. "You'd be way too polite about it."

Too polite ? he wondered, as she made her way over to Cat's side. What's that supposed to mean?

A quick, whispered conversation followed, ending with both of them bursting into laughter.

"Oh, is that all? You had me worried!" Cat said, still chuckling. She began to strip, and he hurriedly turned away. "There's no need to be shy on my account, handsome. If you want to watch, it's only fair... I've already seen yours, after all."

"Uh, no, that's fine. We'll be waiting over here."

Syd joined him a moment later, holding an armful of clothes topped by something neatly folded, small and silk and mostly transparent. Red, his brain helpfully noted, before he could force himself to glance away.

"Who's we?" Syd hissed at him. "I want to watch, I've never seen somebody transform from the outside. Besides, you can't tell me you're not at least a little curious. I mean, just look at her!" She made an indelicate gesture, lifting her hands to cup a pair of phantom breasts much larger than her own modest pair, and shook them from side to side. "You're saying you don't want to know what's going on under there?"

"We'll be waiting over here," he repeated, more firmly this time.

I've got a beautiful girlfriend, he told himself. And a beautiful... whatever my relationship with Amy is, too. You'd need to be a total scumbag to have all that, and still want more... wouldn't you?

"Suit yourself." She shrugged, then her tone shifted from teasing to serious. "I'm ready if you are, babe. Transform me."

Time stopped.

TEMPORAL FLOW ADJUSTED.

COMMENCING TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE!

A gentle hum filled the area. Low and melodic, it would have been easy to mistake for an appliance, or a cell phone's ringtone. As it swept through the room, Cat's bare feet lifted, heels first, until she hovered a few inches above the concrete floor. The warehouse's tall, vaulted ceiling provided plenty of clearance, allowing the woman to rotate freely without concern for the surroundings.

Rising higher, she bobbed above the edge of the shelf that had been blocking Ryan's view. Her long, dark-brown hair freed itself from the two loose buns that it had been gathered into, fanning out around her head like an angel's halo.

Oh my fucking God, Syd blurted out. Cat, you're gorgeous.

Why, thank you, sweetheart, she replied. You know, you're not so bad yourself.

In spite of his earlier resolution, Ryan looked.

Cat's body, now revealed in all its glory by the transformation, was statuesque. Divine, even. Her immense breasts were flawless, round and heavy, each capped by a large, dark nipple. They seemed to be practically suspended in place, held up by genetics as otherworldly as any piece of alien technology.

Her stomach was toned, although not as muscular as Amy's. Caramel skin reflected the beaming, iridescent light in a captivating manner as she turned in their view. A narrow waist flared out dramatically to meet broad hips, thick thighs, and a rear end that simply had to be seen to be believed. Each slow revolution set her considerable assets swaying in a hypnotic fashion.

A wave of pressure rippled through the air, tipping over the few nearby shelves that remained upright.

Lifted higher and higher, she continued to spin, the floor beneath her cracking and splintering more with each revolution. Her mound was smooth and hairless, and just a shade darker than the surrounding skin. The contrast drew his gaze, and it took considerable effort to wrench it back up to her face.

Her suit began to appear in stages, unspooling from the air around her like a sweater unraveling in reverse. It curled up her arms and legs, the tangle of thin threads merging to form a familiar glossy-black bodysuit that hugged her generous curves all the way from her neck to the tips of her fingers and toes. Armor panels faded into view above, locking into place to protect her chest and shoulders, upper and lower arms, thighs and shins, knees and elbows. Last to arrive were the helmet and boots, completing the ensemble.

TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE COMPLETE!

TEMPORAL FLOW RESTORED.

Fully transformed, she dropped back to the ground. The new addition of arched heels further accentuated her long legs and shapely calves.

Meeting his gaze as she touched down, she remarked in a conversational tone, "You looked."

Behind the green visor, he could see the mirth dancing in her dark eyes.

"...I looked," he admitted.

"Well, I won't tell anyone if you don't," Cat assured him with a wink. "You said there was a time limit, didn't you?" She made an impatient gesture. "I'm ready to see what this... War-Form is capable of."

Analyzing... analysis complete.

Target Identification: War-Form, Human Savant

Commencing Standard Attribute Evaluation...

Effective Level: 2

Strength: 7

Agility: 10

Toughness: 10

Endurance: 17

Abilities:

Bolster (Rank 1)

Accelerate Recovery (Rank 1)

Threat Rating: MEDIUM

"I'm as interested to find out as you are," Ryan said, looking over her transformed Attributes. "Where do you want to start?"

Cat gave him a blank stare.

"...yeah, okay, I guess that was a stupid question."

Ability Name: Accelerate Recovery

Rank: 1

Requirements: EL2, Bolster

Effect: Increases the speed of the target's metabolic processes to expedite recovery from injury or fatigue. Each rank improves the rate of recovery and reduces the cooldown between uses.

Restrictions: At-will. Consumes Stamina to activate. Requires contact with the target.

"You remember the talk we had in the car about how to activate an Ability? Check the restrictions, select a target with your display, visualize the effect, and then vocalize the activation trigger –"

"Magic catchphrase," Syd muttered under her breath.

Clearing his throat, he restated, "– the activation trigger," in a louder voice, then asked, "Any questions?"

"Just one, dear. Do you mind if I use you as a test subject?"

"Uh, no, not at all."

"Lovely." A notification flashed, informing him that she'd designated him as a target, and she rubbed her gauntleted hands together eagerly. "Take off your shirt, please."