This week gave me a new view of my daughter, I had never known to exist. The excitement in her eyes as she pulled me from store to store at the Battlefield Mall.

I knew women loved shopping, but never understood it. Well, if I could easily find fashionable clothes that fit me well in any store, I would probability have enjoyed it too.

She bought me a lot of clothes for her 'little sister' and spent an entire day showing me how to do the whole makeup thing myself, and it still look somewhat natural, and then use the same techniques to have a completely different look.

I do have to admit, I enjoyed the few days off work to spend time with her. It wasn't all fun and games, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I would need in order to have documents stating that I belonged somewhere, full medical checkups, and even a full body x-ray. At the end of the day on Friday, as we were driving back home, Tabby finally asked a question I had been waiting for.

"Are You really okay with all this? I mean, going along with my whims. You've lived your whole life as male, and are now the epitome of gender-fluid. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"You're the happiest I've seen you since you got your drivers license. I don't think you smiled this much when you got married." I grab her hand resting on the stick-shift. "If doing this makes you happy, then I'm okay with it. Besides, I need to get used to this when I travel, I look like this to them anyway."

She looked contemplative for a moment, then asked a different question.

"Are You going back this weekend?"

"No, my thought was to go somewhere else tonight, and be back Sunday night."

"So, you mind if I make it look like a girl is staying in your spare room?"

"Would probably be best, as DFS will want to do an unannounced visit, since you are trying to get custody."

"How are You gonna handle that one?"

"If I'm present as me, tell them Sierra is a teenager, she has friends, a life. If you want to guarantee her to be here, call first." I turn to look at her. "If I am like this, Dad went fishing." I smile.

"They are going to want to see you two together at some point."

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes. For now, think about Thanksgiving."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I closed my eyes, and felt myself move. I opened my eyes and was in another grey space. I knew it wasn't the one I was in before, the color was wrong, and I knew I could still get to that one.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"Hello," I call out. A velvety green cloud coalesced in front of me, and a woman appeared from the cloud.

"Wow, I was told about, you. Didn't think we would meet." She smiled. "I like this form, what name will you use in my dimension?" She seems to know more than the last guy I talked to.

"Sierra Marie Korvall." I state.

"Good, never tell anyone here your real name. Names give power in my dimension. Give me your watch."

I unclasp the metal chained timepiece, and she holds it in both hands for a few seconds.

"My Dimension flows faster than yours, you need a device that can project your identity report, your watch is now that for you." I put it on, and a clock appears in my vision, then disappears. "From now on, you will see the current time of your home dimension, and the one you are in by looking toward a sun, moon or visible satellite." She kisses me on the cheek. "Have fun here, sweetie."

"Could I get your name?" I ask quickly.

"You may not. Names have power here. But you may call me Patty. See you later."

With that I no longer see the godess' area, and have a tall building on either side of me. The smell of putrid garbage wafts into my nose, and I quickly realized I was under-dressed.

I dressed warmly for the fall, but this spot is full on winter. I look around, and figure out which direction is out, and head that way.

As I leave the cover of the alleyway, I am slammed with an aggressive cold wind. I can't stay here.

A siren blares, and I am lit with a spotlight. I hear a shout of 'stop moving' and quickly comply.

I turn around and cover the light beam with my hands.

"Stop moving, you are being detained." The young sounding officer states.

I hear another siren, and the cop talking with me jumps back in the car and drives off. I am dumbfounded, until I see two more cop cars, one leaves their lights on, the other slides to a stop on the snow.

"Did he do anything to you?" The new officer asks. "Your Ident beacon just appeared three minutes ago. We have no idea where you came from, but we need to get you out of here."

I nod, and am led to the passenger front door of the car, where he lets me in, then practically runs around the car to get back in the driver's seat.

As he is driving, he starts touching the screen on the dash.

"Sierra Marie Korvall, fifteen, female, black hair, blue eyes, emancipated yesterday. This sound correct?" The officer asked.

"As far as I know," i answer him.

"No guardians, obviously as you are emancipated, no school, no home address."

"I'm quite lost, where am I?" I ask.

"Falkier." He says as though that should tell me. So I look at him waiting for him to continue.

"The nuclear fallout exclusion zone. Even us guards are only allowed in during emergencies, like seeing a random beacon fire up on the scanners at 2 in the morning."

"So what happened here?"

The guy swerved as he looked at me in shock.

"Miss, there are three nuclear exclusion zones in this solar system. All three of them are because the reactors melted down."

"How bad is the dosing here?"

"We are going to check you when we get to the station. Nobody has ever been found as close as your beacon appeared to the reactor."

Well this got real, quick. I look up, and see a moon. Two digital clocks appear in my eyesight, one seems to tick by every second, the other one isn't moving at all, and that one says 'home' under it.

"So what's your fallout procedure?" I ask.

"Get off planet as quick as you can." He says. You will probably end up in a transport off-world before sunrise. I am already getting messages from Top to not stop at the station, to take you to a waiting medical transport. You're already on Reiner Prime's news cycle."

This must be why Patty was smiling, with the 'have fun'.