Chapter Two

Establishing a new home

- Chapter Two -

The only thing that went through his mind as he fell towards the fog was 'S**t! Why the hell did I think this was a good idea!?' And as that thought passed from his mind, he closed his eyes, preparing for the eventual 'splat' at the end of this fall.

Instead, he would feel the wind knocked out of him as he felt his gut hit something hard, but instead of letting himself slide off of what he landed on, he clung to it for dear life as he heard a rough, but obviously female voice, speak out to him.

“Damn Alyssa! That was you worst landing I've ever seen you do!” The voice caught Alexis off guard. He had now been called three different names in the past hour. One by himself as Alexis, one by his sister as Joshua and now this mystery woman had called him by the name of the previous owner of the body he now inhabited. He wondered if this woman knew what happened to Alyssa.

He shook his head, he didn't have time to think of that right now. He had to learn more about what was going on and he felt that asking this woman what was going straight out would seem weird, so he would need to work it in naturally.

“Um, thank for the catch,” he said as he slowly opened his eyes to see a woman standing and holding two bicycle like handle bars that were connected but a long, metal pole to what she was standing on. But before Alexis examined what he was clinging to, he couldn't help but examine the woman, herself.

She wore jean that had small tears all over them and brown cowboy boots that hid the bottom of the pant legs. She also wore a blue, denim jacket that looked like it was almost in pristine condition. Alexis was facing her back currently and, before examining her further, he looked down and realized that he was clinging onto a railing that ran all the way around the platform that his savior stood on and Alexis' legs were dangling over the edge towards the fog that he had just been rescued from.

Alexis kept himself from gasping as he rolled over the railing and onto the platform, landing on his back. As he touched, a bubble formed over the top of them, connected to the railings as it then took off, moving at a blue. Alexis could hardly make out anything they passed, as it was moving far too fast to make out.

The savior looked back briefly and raised a brow before looking back to what she was doing. Alexis slowly got to his feet, looking a little wobbly at first but that was all in his mind and he knew it. The thing they were on, moved like it was standing still and the bubble prevented wind, so there was nothing to make him unstable. Once he had that concept down in his head, he was able to get his bearings and stand up right.

“And I stand corrected, that was the worst landing I've ever seen you do,” She said meaning his flip around the bars. Alexis already was making a bad impression on this woman and he didn't want to make it worse as his brain started connecting the dots. He decided he would let the voice he had been hearing take control as he stood in silence, thinking.

Okay, now I need your help because I'm pretty sure that you're Alyssa Valcove and I'm also positive that this person is a friend of yours. So, now's the time to come out and take control, okay?

It felt like forever before he got a response from that angelic voice that seemed to come up when he needed it most, but again, it was inside his head.

Oh? So now that you need me, you're ready to stop being so hateful? A girl likes to be treated with kindness and respect. Especially when they have done nothing but try to help you.

Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I'll pay more attention to you and treat you with respect. And... thanks for helping me out all those times.

That's better.

So will you help me?

Say the magic word.

D****t! Please, Alyssa!

There was a silence for a time before Alexis felt himself move over to the savior and stand near her as he looked seriously, towards the front, where the woman was staring.

“So, what's the situation?” Alexis heard confidence in his... No, not his voice, Alyssa's voice. And that voice that rang with such confidence, was truly gorgeous to Alexis.

“That's the Alyssa that I know. After you were taken in, we stayed in hiding, like you told us. But they found our camp and gassed us. Everyone got turned into a 'roided out freak!” The woman seemed to get upset at this. “Where the hell have you been?! It's been three years!”

“I was locked in a warehouse on the bottom floor,” Silence followed the statement before the savior spoke up again.

“What happened?”

Alyssa sighed and shook her head, “I don't even know. I woke up naked on a bale of hay,”

The savior looked at Alyssa with a look of concern on her face that could've made Alexis melt. It was nice to have someone look at him that way instead of him looking to others in that way. Alyssa shook her head, “Don't give me that look. I'm fine. I got clothes and I have a lead, but due to whatever happened back there, I don't remember everything and you'll have to fill me in,” She told her friend.

Alexis was amazed at how well Alyssa handled the situation and how well she seemed take in everything and how often she saved Alexis, even if it did mean she had to get violent. Their savior frowned at Alyssa, who didn't react, and then looked back to her course, “Okay, where do you want me to start?”

“How about your name?” She said plainly.

“Wait, what? You told us to only go by code names,” She defended.

“Then tell me that,” She snipped back slightly.

The savior looked put off by that tone and pushed her glasses up her nose more as she gave the name that Alyssa had wanted.

“Vapor,”

Alyssa nodded to her and then looked to her, “And my code name?”

“You didn't have one. You said no one knew you anyway, so it made no difference,” Alyssa nodded to Vapor as she processed all this and Alexis committed Vapor's name to memory.

Vapor sighed, “Okay, now it's your turn. What have you been doing since you woke up and when did you wake up?”

Alyssa then recounted the events after they woke up on the ground of the CamiTech building and Vapor stayed silent, just listening to her tell her tale. Alyssa stayed vague about Alexis and his decisions so as not to add a firm portion of disbelief to the already tarnished friendship of the two women.

When Alyssa was done, Vapor had a frown on her face. She took a deep breath and asked the questions that Alexis knew had been coming.

“Why did you go to that house? Why didn't you just explore the building or go into a closer abandoned building?”

Alyssa did her best to seem vague but sounded sad as she spoke. “I used to know people that lived there and I wanted to make sure they were alright,” Vapor left it at that and flew the craft in silence.

Alexis moved over to the edge and sat down on the platform and held his legs to his chest and lowered his head onto his knees and attempted to cry in silence, but Vapor could hear the sobs of the supposed assassin.

Vapor took a deep breath and closed her eyes before speaking once again, like she was afraid, but of what, Alexis didn't have a clue.

“And who are you?” She asked plainly. Alexis was completely caught off guard by the question that his mouth just dropped open slightly in shock as he looked up, his eyes watery. Vapor just waited for Alexis to respond.

“How-?”

“You don't hold yourself like Alyssa does and you don't talk like her. But mostly, Alyssa would never let me see her cry if she ever did cry. So I'll ask again, who are you?”

Alexis didn't know how to respond. Should he lie? No, there was too much about Alyssa that he didn't know and Alyssa had seemed to go silent again. He sighed and decided it was best to rely on the truth.

“My name is Joshua and twenty years ago, a scientist offered a way to help my family. I was stupid and accepted his offer. I should've never tried for the easy way out but I was at the end of my rope. I got injected with these weird vials and next thing I know, I'm waking up with these big f****n' breasts and my dick is gone,” Alexis said, seeming to get more and more aggravated. “Not to mention that I have to see that my mom's dead and still in bed where I left her, CamiTech poisoned her and now my sister is working for the damn police force!” Tears were streaming down his face now as he couldn't contain the pain that he had been feeling

It was a cry that Alexis had needed for a very long time and it was finally coming out and it wasn't going to stop.

A keyboard shimmered into view above the handle bars where Vapor was driving. She dialed on it and watched it vanish again before she turned and moved to Alexis, kneeling and hugging him close, which startled Alexis into silence. Vapor just held Alexis for a while, rubbing his back slowly. Alexis let his eyes clothes as he wrapped his arms under Vapor's and buried his head into her neck and just cried.

Alexis was almost sad to feel Vapor pull away, though he felt her eyes on him as her hands retreated from his back but stayed on his shoulders. “Alright, kid. You can't go by Joshua and I don't want to call you Alyssa,”

“I've been using my mom's name: Alexis,” He said to her, voice soft and hurt.

Vapor smiled softly and used her pointer and middle finger to lift Alexis' chin, “It's a very pretty name and suits you,” Alexis didn't know how to respond to that comment but he felt his face turn red.

“No, it suits my mom and it suits the body that I'm in,” Alexis said as he let himself get upset once again at his current situation. Alexis still hadn't gotten used to the fact that this body was his now and he had even started forgetting his name until his sister had called it out.

Vapor shook her head and smiled to her, "No, it matches you," she said which caused Alexis to blush once again as well as frown.

The bubble stopped in midair and descended down a long tube that was a like a chimney for a major business back in Alexis' time. But no smoke currently rose from the tube. Vapor stood and went back to the controls and dialed in certain things, seeming to focus on the task at hand then comfort Alexis any longer.

They passed cracks in the pipes faster then Alexis could map out the details until it opened up to show an entire city. She looked up to see if she could see the fog or the sky and instead saw a ceiling blocking both fog and sky from getting in. But she also saw a sun projected on the ceiling though it seemed flicker like a light about to give out.

They flew through the city like warehouse and as they passed over head, many people would stop and point up. Some had the same disfigured bodies as the boys that tried to jump Alexis. However, most looked fairly normal, but that could have been the distance away from them.

The dome flew over the city until they reached what looked like a town square. Then it descended to the ground and latched itself in a hole in the ground that was perfectly fit for the vehicle. The creases in the ground, where it came out, vanished as though it had always been apart of the ground and before the bubble could dissolve, Vapor looked to Alexis and quickly said, "Don't talk to anyone. They are good people but they see you as Alyssa," She said.

The moment the bubble fell, everyone began cheering excited as Vapor took Alexis' hand and led him into a nearby building. She closed and locked the doors and led him into a large conference room. The table was round with no center and two chairs came up and Vapor just sat down where it caught Alexis by surprise. He jumped away and kicked the chair so hard that it broke off the metal bar that it was attached to, now being bent back as the bar still was attached but only a portion of it.

Vapor's eyes widened at this as she looked to Alexis who gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, just...bad experience with chairs," He said as Vapor laughed.

"I guess you'll just stand for this meeting then," She offered, shaking her head but holding a small smile. Alexis leaned against the wall and crossed her arms in front of her. A man, whom looked like bad reception on a television. It looked like he wore a military uniform but due to the look of bad reception, Alexis couldn't be sure.

"Welcome back, Alyssa," The voice was male and a little garbled, but Alexis could still understand what he was saying. It was obvious that this was a transmission like out of those old science fiction movies.

At this point, Vapor stepped forward, "Actually, sir, we were going to discuss that very point with you. This isn't Alyssa. I think Alyssa is still in there, though," She said, with a completely straight face. She truly believed that Alyssa was still alive in Alexis and Alexis believed it to. Nothing else could explain the voice in his head.

As Vapor walked through the events after meeting up with Alexis, Alexis couldn't help but listen in awe and wondered if he sounded as crazy when he told Vapor what had happened. The man of authority didn't laugh and didn't interrupt. He just listened until Vapor had finished her story.

He closed his eyes as he seemed to think about all the events he had just learned before opening his eyes and looking to the two, "Well, it's clear what you have to do. Keep this Alexis safe from harm until we can get Alyssa back. Once we get Alyssa back, we have no need for Alexis. I want you to terminate the consciousness. If there's anyway that Alexis' motives and emotions could interfere with what must be done, then we need to separate the two immediately."

Alexis was stricken silent in shock and horror at how casually he spoke about killing him. Vapor didn't help the fear much by keeping her expressionless face and waiting until he was done. "Like hell you're gonna kill me!" Alexis yelled out in terror. The two looked to him. Vapor looked mortified that Alexis had spoken out of turn like that, but Alexis hardly cared at this point. He owed Vapor for saving him but he wasn't going to let them kill him.

You need to tell them that you need me!

You idiot. They already know that they need you.

Yeah, until they get you to be the dominant thing in charge of this damn body!

You really are a dunce. Look, if they think the one they are looking for, lays dormant inside you, then they won't kill you. If you prove that you can do the job they want, they would reconsider killing you. Prove you're useful. And besides, you could get something out of it.

What do you---

"Alexis? What are you doing?" Vapor asked looking at him worried. The projection had vanished and the room was dark. Vapor was no longer holding a straight face. She looked genuinely worried.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, angrily as he stepped away.

"Your eyes were darting back and forth faster then I could see but other then that, you were just standing there,"

"What do you care?! You were going to kill me anyway!" Alexis couldn't explain it, but he started to tear up. He couldn't stop himself and he couldn't point out the reasoning behind the tears either.

Great, now I'm starting to act like a woman too. He thought to himself in frustration.

Vapor glared at Alexis and slapped him across the face. "You're an idiot. First off, after your outburst, I explained other ways to get Alyssa to help us without killing you. Yes, the General was still adamant about killing you but I bought you some time. He needs you on his good side because if you run off with our ace in the hole and get yourself killed, we lose out. Look, I know this isn't ideal, but we need you to help us or CamiTech wins."

Alexis' face faltered and he looked to Vapor with revenge in his eyes and anger in his voice, "Two conditions," Vapor nodded, listening to him as he gave his conditions, "First, no matter what happens, you leave Jaquie Caldovah alone. She's an officer, I think. Second, you help me get back to the way I was after we take down CamiTech," Vapor smiled at this and nodded, holding out her hand which Alexis took.

Vapor led Alexis from the building where he looked up once more and saw the virtual sky that flickered with power failures. He shook his head and looked back down at the rest of the underground. Plenty of the buildings nearly reached the virtual sky but none touched. One building seemed like it was touching the ceiling but when Alexis looked closer, he noticed that a blue field seemed to glow between the two.

Vapor followed Alexis' eyes and smiled, "It stopped working four years ago and no one has been able to figure out how to make it work. No one knew this tech like Alyssa and that road was vital to getting supplies for the resistance and the refugees. No one can live on the roads anymore because of the damn fog that CamiTech set down twelve years ago. It caused mutations and killed people. It used everyone who couldn't afford to move up onto the sky-road, as guinea pigs. Those who didn't die, mutated and either lost their minds or became deformed in some way or another. In the first week, six million, three hundred twenty-four thousand, nine hundred and thirty-six people died. In the first month, double that had become deformed and half that number lost their minds and became feral a week after that. Those that didn't lose their minds started looking for a place to belong and when we couldn't find one, the general informed us of this underground city and Alyssa made sure that no one would be able to find it."

Vapor's words made Alexis feel guilty and he didn't entirely know why, "Look, Vapor. I'm not Alyssa. I can never be Alyssa," He tried to explain to her.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'm putting my chips into the hope that you are an improvement of Alyssa," Those words, combined with the smile that Vapor gave Alexis, made his cheeks flush and he quickly looked away, pretending to look around himself.

He saw a perfectly normal man at an ice cream serving children in a white apron and a white sailor hat. He had medals pinned to the uniform he wore under the apron. He then saw an ice cream cone float through the air towards the man when an arm moved from behind the man and grabbed the ice cream cone. As the man turned, Alexis gasped as he saw that the arm had grown from his back.

He looked around and he noticed that most of the inhabitants of the city were happy, even though CamiTech had ruined their lives or altered their bodies through an experimental mist.

Vapor saw him looking around and she smiled, "Pretty amazing, huh?" She said sweetly. Alexis could only shrug before speaking up.

"Amazing that everyone could be so happy even though CamiTech made them all freaks," He shook his head and couldn't notice Vapor's smile falter as she looked to the ground and led him through the streets of the city.

She led him to a medium sized building that seemed to be either an office or an apartment building. Once Alexis was led inside, he would notice that it was definitely not an office. The front counter had a boy, no older then twelve, screwing a piece of machinery onto another. His tongue was sticking out of his face in concentration.

Vapor gave him a few seconds before clearing her throat. He looked up immediately and smiled. And the moment he had looked up, Alexis would notice an eye on his forehead open up, looking at both of them back and forth.

His voice was very prepubescent and gave a squeak on every other word he spoke, "What'cha need Vap's?"

Vapor rolled her eyes and seemed to glare at the child, "The name is Vapor and I need an empty room Chek," She told him. He set down what he was working and moved back to a drawer which he opened and pulled out a small card. He handed it to Vapor and nodded before noticing Alexis.

"Well well. You have a cutie with you today, Vap's," Alexis visibly shivered in disgust and when Vapor noticed this she glared at Chek.

"First off, just because you look twelve, doesn't mean you can hit on any girl and it comes off as cute. Secondly, she's a lesbian so you'll have to find your kicks elsewhere!" She practically snarled at him.

Alexis' eyes widened when he learned that Vapor saw him as a lesbian. The term wasn't inaccurate but it also wasn't accurate. Chek raised both his arms and went back to his chair and sat down and began tinkering with it. Vapor turned and looked to Alexis, "Let's go," She said simply and Alexis nodded and followed behind.

Vapor led Alexis to a tube that had a blue, glowing floor. She stepped into the tube and faced Alexis before saying, "Floor ninety seven." Once she uttered those words, her body shimmered until it was gone.

Alexis must have looked silly because Chek spoke up. "You aren't from this time, are you?" He asked as he continued to tinker, not bothering to look up. Alexis frowned at that but didn't respond. "I could tell based on the clothes you're wearing," He told Alexis in a calm manner. "So, what can you do? How'd you get infected?"

"I didn't get infected. I'm normal," He said, glaring at him.

Chek smiled and shook his head and smiled, "Whatever you say doll, but the infected give off the same aura I get from my machines and you got that and then some," The emphasis on the word 'doll' made Alexis think that the young looking boy had more information than he was letting on. But Alexis didn't have time to figure it out. Vapor had already left and Alexis didn't want to give too much away.

He stepped into the tube and felt a wave of energy wash over his new body. He couldn't help but start panting and shaking uncontrollably. He panicked and yelled, "Let me out!"

Chek laughed and watched as Alexis shimmered and vanished as well. "If your clothes didn't give you away, then that certainly did," He shook his head and went back to working.

The feeling was unlike anything Alexis had ever felt before. It was like every nerve in her body was reprogrammed with intense feelings. Alexis couldn't say that he didn't like the feelings, but he could say that it was far more then he was expecting. He tried to look down but noticed that his vision had gone black and in fact, he had no way to know if he was moving any of his limbs.

The moment his body was able to process each and every feeling that he was getting, was the moment his eyesight came back, but the feelings of being transported, remained.

His eyes were wide and in shock when he came to and saw what lay before him. He stood in a barren wasteland. There were bodies everywhere and he was covered in blood. He looked down and at his body. His clothes were different but it was hard to tell what they were due to them being torn and cut up and covered in blood.

The moment his gaze fell down he would see the body of Vapor at his feet. He watched the final breath leave her lungs. He felt a rage like he had never felt before as he cried out to the sky. His eyes turned red as he was suddenly disappearing and reappearing across the wasteland until he found a body still standing. It was coated in fire but that made no difference to Alexis.

He appeared right in front of the figure and threw a kick right at the figure's head but it was caught in an instant and held there. The wind caused from the kick forced the flames to go out and Alexis was able to gaze upon the one he had attacked only to be stunned into inaction.

The figure was Alexis' old body, Joshua, who was grinning and his eyes had completely gone red. "You will now follow your city, Alexis," Joshua said in a strong demonic voice before darkness washed over Alexis once more.