Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by S. R. Russell

  Anne hugged herself as she looked from Tabitha to Bethany Anne, “Really?” She whispered.

  “Jinx is concerned there might be something wrong with you. The easiest and most trustworthy way to run a diagnostic on you is the Pod-doc. For that, you need to be naked.” Bethany Anne reached out and pulled the bench from the wall. “You can sit here to take your shoes off. And, yes, really! Myself, Gabrielle and everyone else who has been scanned with the Pod-doc went in naked.”

  “Well, except for Ashur,” a voice came from some speakers in the room. “We didn’t need to shave him, so he wore fur.”

  “True, but not helping, TOM.” Bethany Anne sighed in frustration. “We didn’t shave the hair off anyone else either, and Ashur doesn’t wear …”

  Anne giggled, “It’s okay Bethany Anne, I think TOM was just trying to be funny. Hi, TOM, and thanks. You made me feel better,” and with that comment, Anne began to undress.

  “Trying being the operative word relating to TOM,” Bethany Anne mumbled under her breath. The remark made Tabitha grin and Anne giggle even more.

  It worked, didn’t it? Anne’s getting undressed.

  Don’t get such a swelled head that you no longer fit inside mine. Bethany Anne told her long-time friend, and TOM could hear the smile in her mental voice. And yes, it worked. You did good, TOM.

  The two women tried not to stare at the array of bruises that were revealed on Anne’s arms and legs as she got undressed.

  “I’m no doctor, but that’s not normal,” Tabitha remarked to Bethany Anne as she shook her head.

  “You’re right,” Bethany Anne told her as she entered the sequence to open the Pod-doc. She looked back at Anne, who stood naked, arms crossed tightly in front of herself, eyes bright with unshed tears as she bit her lower lip.

  “I’m scared.” The admission was whispered so quietly that without their enhanced hearing neither of the women would have heard her.

  Jinx didn’t hesitate. She jumped right into the open Pod-doc and laid down tightly against one side of the coffin-like device. “I’ll be with you,” she reassured Anne.

  TOM? Bethany Anne asked.

  It’s DNA-based, TOM reminded her, I don’t see why there should be any issue.

  Thanks, Bethany Anne said to TOM, then looked at Anne. “It can be difficult coming out of the Pod-doc because you might be disoriented at first, but for the procedure, you just lie down and shut your eyes, then the lid closes and you go to sleep. You won’t feel a thing, promise! And I’ll be here when you wake up and you will be able to focus on my voice. That will help keep you centered so you won’t panic before we get you out of there.”

  “Okay,” Anne replied, trying to be brave but not quite pulling it off convincingly as she climbed into the Pod-doc and laid beside Jinx. Jinx did a belly-crawl to put her head under Anne’s hand and licked her wrist. Anne slid her hand under Jinx’ muzzle and scratched her chin, then closed her eyes as the Pod-doc’s lid silently shut over them.

  Bethany Anne had enough time left in her schedule to walk back to Tabitha’s apartment. She spent a few minutes discussing current events before needing to go to her next appointment, which just happened to be sparring with Gabrielle and the Bitches. Ashur and Tabitha were longtime friends, so Ashur elected to stay with Tabitha for a while after Bethany Anne left. After sparring came more meetings, then reports that needed to be reviewed. Bethany Anne was reading a report showing the profit the Etheric Empire was reaping from the Pepsi black market when TOM interrupted her.

  Bethany Anne?

  What’s up, TOM?

  I have the results of Anne’s medical scan. After consulting with ADAM, I’m sure that Anne has a form of cancer called leukemia.

  I’ve heard the term, but I’m not sure exactly what it is. Bethany Anne frowned.

  ADAM, you researched it, do you want to explain it to Bethany Anne? TOM asked.

  >> It is a progressive malignant disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature and/or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anemia and other symptoms. At least, that is the explanation in the medical database I used for reference when TOM asked me to identify the results from the Pod-doc’s scan.<<

  How in the nine circles of hell did this happen? Bethany Anne knew that people younger than Anne could end up with cancer or other dreaded diseases. However, it left her feeling shocked that someone her empire was responsible for could suffer the onset of such a disease without anyone knowing about it. We can fix this, right, guys?

  Part of the issue is Sheila Jayden. As you discovered, Mrs. Jayden has not been happy about her family joining your empire, so none of the Jaydens have the newest implants. A check of the records showed that the only Jayden to be scanned in the last three years was Mason, and that was job-related. TOM explained the findings to Bethany Anne.

  “Gott Verdammnt,” Bethany Anne spat. “I don’t want to go all Big Brother on everyone, but we need to find a way to scan as many people as possible. I’ll talk with Cheryl Lynn and Patricia to see if there is some way we can get everyone checked, but that will be for another day. We can fix Anne, right?”

  Yes. In some ways, it is similar to what I had to do with you. Re-sequence her DNA and then keep her alive while her bone marrow and other damaged organs regenerate themselves as healthy tissue. However, there may be an issue with being able to limit or control her changes with that invasive of a treatment.

  What do you mean?

  Remember how you had me limit the upgrades some people received?

  Sure. We didn’t want to be creating uncontrolled super-people.

  Well, in Anne’s case I don’t know if I can limit what changes she undergoes and still get her cured.

  Understood. She’s a good kid, so please make sure she gets cured. We’ll just have to deal with any extras that happen to her as a result, but she’s not going to need combat upgrades like reinforced bones and stuff.

  All right. TOM paused for a few seconds before continuing, I estimate her time in the Pod-doc will be five Earth weeks.

  That long? Bethany Anne was shocked at the timeline.

  Growing healthy bone marrow to replace the infected tissue is not a quick process, and that can’t happen until her DNA has been re-sequenced and optimized, TOM explained.

  ADAM, please email the school informing them of Anne’s absence. TOM, go ahead and start the treatment.

  Tabitha? Bethany Anne was in go-mode, issuing orders at the speed of thought.

  My Queen? Tabitha answered.

  Since I didn’t address you as ‘Ranger,’ I don’t expect you to give me the ‘Queen’ bullshit! It was necessary in a lot of cases, but Bethany Anne really got tired of being called Queen or Empress, especially by her friends.

  You rang? Tabitha’s mind voice had a giggle in the background as she tried to imitate the old TV voice.

  Better, and yes, Bethany Anne answered. Just letting you know you’ll be missing your roommate for at least five weeks. TOM and ADAM say she has leukemia, and it’s not a quick fix.

  But there is a fix? The concern in Tabitha’s voice was clearly evident.

  Yes, at least that’s what TOM tells me. That’s why it’s so long in the Pod-doc. Some of the remedies are going to take time to implement fully, Bethany Anne reassured her friend and Ranger.

  All right, thank you for the update. I was already getting worried that I hadn’t heard anything yet, Tabitha replied.

  I just found out myself, Bethany Anne informed her.

  Okay, thanks! I’ll have Achronyx remind me to check back with you in thirty-three days and see how the treatment is going.

  Chapter Seven

  Bethany Anne tried not to let her concern show as she, Ashur and Tabitha walked into the room housing the Pod-doc on TOM’s ship. By ADAM’s reckoning, Anne and Jinx had been in the medical device for six weeks, four days, fifteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes. After updating t
he school since the five-week target period elapsed, Bethany Anne had simply sent a message saying that Anne’s return could not be predicted at this time, and she would report for school as soon as she was able.

  Tabitha had a terse conversation with Anne’s father when he showed up at her apartment one day expecting to visit with his daughter. Mason was yelling that they couldn’t keep her away from him when Tabitha finally grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall. The fact that the smaller female could manhandle him so easily made a bigger impression than her words.

  “Anne has leukemia. Kurtherian science is able to cure it completely, but she’s in an induced coma for the treatment,” Tabitha was finally able to get through to him. Mason had just stared at her for minutes before sagging against the wall. After that, the two of them were able sit and discuss the situation.

  The last week and a half had been difficult on Tabitha. After the projected five-weeks had passed, Anne’s father had begun calling every day. As much as she would have liked to have just told Mason the same thing Bethany Anne had told the school, Tabitha felt sorry for the man. Because of that, Tabitha took all his calls even though all she could say was “still in treatment, I’ll have her call you once she’s conscious.” Now Tabitha stood behind Bethany Anne, trying to look around her Queen’s shoulder to see into the Pod-doc.

  Anne was asleep one minute and completely awake the next. Before she could panic at finding herself in a coffin-like device, a little window in front of her face opened and she saw Bethany Anne looking in at her.

  “There is a latch by your right hip. Feel around with your hand and you’ll find it, then just give it a twist,” Anne heard Bethany Anne instruct her. It only took Anne a couple seconds to locate and release the latch, and the Pod-doc opened.

  “Cojeme,” Anne heard Tabitha mutter.

  “Fut the wuck?” Anne exclaimed as Jinx stood and hopped out of the Pod-doc.

  Jinx landed effortlessly and it was easy to see that she was now almost as large as Ashur.

  Anne felt as shocked as Bethany Anne looked as she took the proffered hand and climbed out of the Pod-doc herself.

  “TOM, you have some explaining to do.” Bethany Anne declared to the room.

  “Dammit Bethany Anne, I’m a pilot, not a doctor!” TOM’s voice sounded from the speakers.

  “If you keep trying to misquote Star Trek, you won’t even be sleeping on the couch. I’ll find a packing crate for your Kurtherian ass and toss it and you into the backyard,” Bethany Anne snapped. “What the hell happened?”

  “As much as it was a corny take off a TV quote, it happens to be true. I’m not an expert on medicine or the Pod-doc. Because of that fact, a lot of the features are automatic, based on its original programming.” TOM sounded somewhat contrite as he tried to explain what he could to Bethany Anne. “I might have been in error when I said that having Jinx in the Pod-doc with Anne wouldn’t create any issues. I’ve never had two beings in the Pod-doc at the same time before.”

  “So, you just figured—” Bethany Anne stopped mid-sentence as she felt herself starting to vamp out. “All right,” she took a deep breath and released it, “what’s done is done. First, did the Pod-doc cure Anne’s cancer?”

  TOM asked Bethany Anne to enter a sequence on the Pod-doc’s control panel and studied the readout for several minutes. “Yes, the cancer and all the other genetic issues have been corrected. It’s almost like the Pod-doc is learning, the more it gets used. Not only did it repair the DNA for both Anne and Jinx, but it has altered the DNA code to become as efficient as possible.”

  “What do you mean?” Bethany Anne was confused.

  “Remember, my original mission was to create soldiers to fight on our side. Apparently the Pod-doc’s programming has been learning as it’s been treating patients. You’ve been in it, along with Gabrielle and Tabitha. All the Bitches along with Peter and Ecaterina. Ashur and Bellatrix. I’m speculating that treating them has given it more data to work with. While we didn’t program in any enhancements, I did not include any sort of restraints on Anne’s treatment.

  “The same holds true for Jinx. Since it had the data from Ashur and Bellatrix to learn from, Jinx is now the most enhanced canine in the Etheric Empire.” As much as he didn’t want to be in trouble with Bethany Anne, TOM couldn’t help but be a little excited by what the Pod-doc was doing.

  >> Is this where I admit that I might be responsible for some of what happened? <<

  ADAM, what do you mean?

  >> I felt your concern and sorrow for Anne’s situation. When you said to treat her with no restrictions, I helped the Pod-doc compute the necessary treatments. <<

  How did you do that? Bethany Anne was confused.

  >> The Pod-doc is a Kurtherian device. I’m in a Kurtherian computer. The protocols were already in place. <<

  Well, fuck me sideways! Why did that never occur to me before?

  Could it possibly be because you haven’t been able to slow down since you became the Queen Bitch? TOM asked gently.

  You might be right, but I can’t afford to miss stuff that obvious and possibly that beneficial to our side, Bethany Anne said contemplatively.

  “What is going on?” Anne’s voice expressed her near panic.

  “Wait!” Bethany Anne barked. “Something happened, and it’s going to take a bit to explain it all. Ashur, Jinx, one of you under each hand. Tabitha, Anne, you two grab an arm and hold tight.” With everyone in place, Bethany Anne took a step, and TOM’s ship was empty.

  “I’m still naked,” Anne exclaimed.

  “Tabitha, get the door,” Bethany Anne requested as she grabbed some pants and a shirt from their hangers. “Here. The top will be loose—I seem to be larger up top than you are—but these should work for now.” She handed the clothes to Anne. “Come out when you’re dressed.” And with that, Bethany Anne followed Tabitha and the two dogs into her bedroom.

  Anne halted momentarily and took three deep breaths. That drew her attention to the fact that her chest now seemed to be larger. Thankfully it wasn’t a ridiculous size, but going to sleep an A-cup and waking up a B-cup meant it would take some time to get used to the change. Anne took a moment to look at herself carefully. Larger bust, check. Wider hips to keep things in proportion, check. Taller…ahh, that would be a “yep” as well. While she hated to get dressed without underwear, she wasn’t about to ask Bethany Anne for any, so she pulled up the yoga style pants and tugged the Under Armour tee over her head.

  Once dressed, Anne padded barefoot through the door. Bethany Anne and Tabitha were sitting cross-legged on a bed looking at Jinx as she stood beside Ashur. Anne sat on the floor where she could see the other two ladies. Jinx moved over to lie by her side, plopping her head on Anne’s thigh.

  “TOM,” Bethany Anne spoke out loud so everyone could be part of the conversation, “is that Jinx’ full size now?”

  There was a pause before TOM replied, “From what I can find, most canines aren’t fully mature until around two years of age. I believe the Pod-doc optimized her for her current age, so I expect she will still grow some more.”

  “What about me?” Anne squeaked.

  “Have you grown any these past few months?” TOM asked.

  “No. I noticed because I was starting to wear clothes out instead of outgrowing them,” Anne responded.

  “According to the data, human females are normally full grown by age sixteen,” TOM claimed. “Since you’d already noticed your growth had stopped, your size should remain what it is currently.”

  “Thank God for small mercies,” Anne muttered. “So, what happened?”

  “Well, we found out why you were so tired and were bruising so easily,” Bethany Anne started the explanation. “You had leukemia, which you’ll be happy to know has been completely cured. As far as your other changes, the Pod-doc optimizes everything. What that means in real terms is that you are now the best possible version of Anne Jayden.”

  “Wow.”
Anne looked shocked at the statement. “Is this normal?”

  “Think of people like cars for a minute,” Bethany Anne explained. “Sometimes they go to the shop just for new tires. Other times it’s a tune up. If you were a car, it would be like you went in to check a trouble light. The reason a person goes into the Pod-doc determines what happens to them while they’re in there. Your trouble light happened to indicate major work was needed, so we opted for a complete rebuild while you were in the shop.

  “That takes more time, right?” Anne asked plaintively.

  Bethany Anne nodded. “You’re right, it does. You’ve been in the Pod-doc for almost seven weeks.”

  Anne’s mouth fell open at Bethany Anne’s statement. She just sat and stared, unable to voice her shock.

  Jinx took the moment of silence to ask, “What about me? Why did I get changed?”

  TOM’s voice came from the speakers once again. “We’re not sure. I hate to keep saying it, but I’m a pilot, not a medical tech. I don’t know all the workings of the Pod-doc. I had a mission, to find and enhance combatants for the war against the Seven, so I was trained to make use of the Pod-doc to further that mission. ADAM has speculated that the Pod-doc is learning. The more people who are sent through it, the more it learns what is actually possible for that race’s DNA, so it can optimize better.

  Matrix is going to be so jealous.

  Anne started laughing. “You are bad.” Her laughter died quickly as Anne noticed the strange looks Bethany Anne and Tabitha were giving her. “What?” she asked the two women.

  “Who’s bad?” Tabitha asked.

  “Jinx. She just said Matrix would be jealous.” Anne had a confused expression on her face.

  “No, she didn’t,” Bethany Anne contradicted.

  “This isn’t funny,” Anne exclaimed. “I heard her say ‘Matrix is going to be so jealous.’”

  I didn’t say it, I just thought it.

  “What?” Anne held up her hand to Bethany Anne and Tabitha as she turned to get a better view of Jinx, who was beside her.