Detective Jeffery Kovech was the name on the laminated card. The card was clipped to a breast pocket of a starched and well ironed shirt. The shirt belonged tall thin man who looked suspiciously like an accountant or an Oxbridge professor. Herringbone tweed, leather elbow patches, small circular glasses, slicked back greasy black hair, the whole nine yards.

Diana raised an eyebrow.

The ride over with the other detective who was dressed equally ridiculously had been fine, but he had made it clear that he didn't debrief female witnesses. It had struck her as odd, but she wasn't in the mood to argue. Now that she was in the cold interrogation room with his partner she was beginning to regret not making a stink.

Look at her, learning how to navigate sexism! Yay womanhood! Diana snickered to herself.

The detective's watery eyes bore into her, glaring over his spectacles like a bad middle school teacher hearing whispered jokes in the back of the class. In a reedy voice trying desperately to be gruff he said. "Well, what've ya got?"

Diana sighed. He was obviously a desk jockey, not the star interrogator on the force. Still, her message was pretty simple. "I am Roger Odenkirk."

There was a pause.

Diana half expected him to erupt in laughter at her somewhat absurd deceleration, instead Det. Jeffery Kovech's eyes went wide. He stared at her in silence. She noticed sweat beading on his forehead. His right hand gripped the table.

"What?" He choked out in a horse whisper, as if engaging with her statement beyond incomprehension would somehow give her power over him. Diana watched his hands shake as he shoved himself up to standing. His chair made a muted thud as it fell back into the shag carpet.

"Are you ok?" She asked, staring up into his red tinted blue eyes. This guy had a really bad vibe. Diana found herself wondering again if she could get the guy who dressed like the a Matrix side character to debrief her, or literally anyone else.

The detective shoved his shaking hands in his jacket pockets and, kicking the still tipped chair out of the way began pacing. "I'm fine. I'm fine." His heavy breathing told another story.

Diana studied the bleach white walls, drip stucco ceiling, and navy blue shag rug of the interrogation room while he pulled himself together. She focused on the camera they were using to monitor and record the situation. She wondered who was coming off more weird. Was the whole prescient watching? Did they have popcorn?

"You are not Roger Odenkirk." Diana jumped. The detective was right next to her, left hand on her chair. "Roger Odenkirk was detonated by a terrorist who is still at large." He spoke with confidence, placing a still shaky right hand on the table. She was boxed in. "So what is this?" He leaned into Diana's personal space. She could smell whiskey on his breath. "Some publicity stunt?" On closer inspection, she could see the engorged red veins in his nose from being flushed too many times. "Do you have some hidden camera your going to use for anti-cop propaganda?"

Diana squinted at the drunkard detective not backing down. "Are you going to let me explain myself?"

Det. Kovech stepped back. Diana sighed enjoying her room to breathe. "Ok, explain!" He banged his hand on the table, interrupting her, keeping her off balance. "Men don't just become women over night!"

"Ask me anything about radio science." Diana said automatically.

Kovech waved his hand dismissively, and went back to pacing the room. "That can be learned easily, how do I know you aren't a different radio expert?"

"My call sign is kb6zz. The dish on the work bench was a modified 3mm band radio to work in 4mm. I did this for a client who was interested in a very specific wavelength on that band." Diana shifted a little, remembering how terrified she had been when they had hit the government warnings. She took a deep breath, now for the absolute crank stuff. "It turned out my client had some form of psionic power. When she turned on the radio, the wavelength gave her the power to alter peoples bodies."

Det. Kovech stopped pacing and turned to face her. His jaw locked. He swallowed dry.

"I've... always wanted to be a woman." Diana looked away. "This was her gift to me, it just got... messy. I wanted to go dress shopping right away, so we closed the shop." She smiled whistfully. "Some good person tried to do the right thing by telling you folks..." She tried to force eye contact but Kovech seemed to be equally bad at it. "...but as you can probably tell, its made my life a little complicated." Diana forced a laugh.

Why was she covering for Circe so hard? Hadn't she just locked her in her car for a few blocks? She gave you your body, you butt, the amount of people she can help far outweighs anything else.

The detective was trembling. "No."

"No?"

"I refuse to... No this can't...."

"Detective?"

A single shudder seemed to run through the mans whole body. He looked on the verge of tears. He took one step towards her and then stopped dead. Then, he took a breath. One, two, in, out. Diana counted them as if her life depended on it. Perhaps it did.

"I'm ordering a blood test." He glared into the older woman. "But if your lying..."

Diana squirmed in the tension Kovech's threat left. She was relieved, but as doubt began to swirl at the back of her mind, a growing dissonance propagated at the bottom of her stomach. What if whatever process Circe had put her through had altered her genetics? She looked like a cousin of hers, but had no sisters to compare herself to. What if her genes bore no relation to her old ones?

Tuning the panic down, she sighed. She couldn't show weakness or doubt. Putting on a mask of passive compliance she stood.

Kovech nodded to her, and pointed at the camera. "You heard me, lets get her an escort to the lab."

The Matrix extra detective, the one who had driven her here, opened the door. This time she bothered to read his lanyard: one Martian Roy. As he held the door he gestured for them to come out. "This way gentlemen." He smirked.

Diana raised an eyebrow. Kovech wheeled on his partner tension clear on his shoulders. As thin as he was Kovech was still quite tall, and Roy was somewhat shorter for a man. The Detective loomed over his partner. "Lay off her Roy."

Det Roy cocked his head seemingly immune from Kovech's attempt in masculine intimidation. His smile stayed on his face, undislodged. "If the old lady claims to be a man, assaulted by the Russians psionic weapon, that's a man."

"Russians?" Diana asked. Circe did not seem to be very Russian.

Kovech glared at Roy. "That information is a sealed part of this case." Walking out into the hallway, he grabbed his partner by the lapels. "I don't feel comfortable with you calling a woman a man, Roy."

Roy laughed in his face as Diana followed them out, silent. "Once a man always a man." He grinned at her showing his teeth. "The only difference is if they've failed or not."

Diana walked to the lab imagining running as far from the station as humanly possible and never looking back.

~~+-0-+~~

Gospel 5

1. When it was time for the rebirth, Brie lay down on the tarp, a serene smile on her face, arms crossed over her chest. Her dark nude body laid on blue fibrous plastic, like a woman set for burial.

2. And Mouse put candles of red and yellow, alternating in a circle, all around her in the twilight.

3. And Natasha lay Rose petals over her body, letting their vibrant whites and pinks reflect in the candle light.

4. And Serina sat in a folding chair, letting her double bass lay on her neck, while bowing a low sonorous tune.

5. And Circe still doubted herself, whispering half-felt words of cowardice, pacing back and forth looking worriedly at the gathering crowd. For she was still unsure of the way.

6. At the reunion, after Circe's second voyage into the void, it had been decided that Brie's rebirth could not take place indoors, nor could it take place in the garden. And so a tarp was laid on the street. And barriers erected, to divert traffic.

7. Then the Neighbors took note of what was happening in their street. And they were perplexed and amused. So they found themselves congregating in order to watch in the twilight. Some even crowed around the band as they made their preparations. But most watched from their porches and stoops.

8. Then Mouse pulled Circe aside asking what troubled her. Circe spoke, letting her fear and doubt come to the surface "Why are we doing this, this way? What does this even accomplish?"

9. And Mouse smiled on faer comrade "We're adding ritual significancy to your power." And fae grabbed Circe's arm in the way of a sibling. "I'm next by the way."

10. So Circe breathed into herself. She let go of the worry and doubt running from the police had let burrow into her. And let her power stolen from the void flow through her.

11. "Shikata Ga Nai."

12. Circe, Lady of Two Bodies subtlety flexed her vocal chords so they would resonate at a loud belt. "Alright, everyone, if you don't want to get wet I'd take a biiig step back."

13. At this the neighbors became more perplexed, but followed Circe's orders. As the night was cold, they did not want to watch in the cold damp.

14. Then Circe stripped nude herself. Wading onto the tarp, The Lady of Two Bodies approached Brie laying on the cold March ground. Her comrade whispered through the shivers "About time."

15. Then Circe giggle to herself in the unassuming way that young girls do. And she touched her index finger to Brie's forehead saying "Focus on what you want to look like, okay?"

16. And closing her eyes Brie frowned with concentration. As she did so, Circe looked up to see the crowd looking on her nakedness, and that of Brie's. And Circe was once more overcome by doubt.

17. But Circe was interrupted, just as she was considering abandoning her destiny. "Okay! I got it." And Brie murmured these words in a warm honey that drove away all doubt and fear.

18. Then Circe looked back down at her comrade and pushed a bit of her unbody into her, before rapidly pulling it out.

19. And Brie screamed like she was in agony and pleasure all at once, before rupturing into a rain of blood.

20. And there was silence as the the neighbors took in what had just happened.

21. And there was silence as Serina protected her instrument from the falling blood.

22. And there was silence as Circe cradled Brie's new body in her arms.

23. Then Brie stood up slick with blood showing her new self to the crowd, who was shocked at her rebirth.

24. And Circe stood next to Brie who was now shorter then her. And she held out her hand for Mouse. And fae stripped down to nakedness and walked over as if in a dream. And Brie held faer down as Circe stood over them both. And Circe repeated the process of putting one finger on her comrades temple, and asking to picture faer ideal form.

25. And so too did Mouse vanish in a rain of blood. But Mouse was different, fae did not wish to have faer genitalia altered, fae had become a satyr. And so it was found that Circe could alter species.

26. Then when the band was about to pack up, a brave young man darted from the crowd. And crying and stuttering on his knees, he begged the Lady of Two Bodies for her gift, offering anything he could give and eternal service.

27. And Circe gave it to him free of costs or debts.

~~+-0-+~~

Kovech stared blearily at the woman claiming to be Roger Odenkirk. Roy had already gone home. Kovech was deep in OT at this point, probably making time and a half by now. It had been a long day.

The woman (man? every time he tried to square the circle there was a twisting in his gut) for her part, looked tired but alert. When Kovech strode into the room and muttered. "The blood test came back." She just smiled at him pleasantly like an aunt indulging you on your birthday. "Yes? And?" Her words were warm and encouraging, but it did not meet her eyes.

"You're an exact match for the blood on the walls of Joe's Radio Emporium." Kovech rubbed his face. There, message delivered, he slumped in a chair. For a second as he relaxed he spaced out, envisioning himself going out for more whiskey on the OT clock...

Over the line!

Lock out the wolf.

He pinched himself, drawing back into iron reality.

"Well that's nice." The woman was saying. Cutting, Arch, like he was wasting her time. "Are you going to let me go home now?"

He was still coming to his senses. Blather. "You've had an unnoted sex change." Kovech slurred shaking his head. "And not like those trannies you see on daytime, either." She flinched. He wet his lips, there was something boiling in his gut. He needed her to not exist. Not be a beacon to his deep wolfish shame.

"I..." His brain caught up to his words. She didn't like that 'tranny'. De-escalate, give her what she wants so she can be useful to the investigation. Fuck everything else. The DNA tests didn't lie like this. "I'm going to give you the number of the county count house, talk to them about getting your paperwork changed." He coughed. "What should I call you?"

"Diana." she said.

"Shoulda asked sooner, sorry." Kovech bowed his head and handed Diana a scrap paper with relevant phone numbers on it. "I'm going to ask a couple questions." Why was his mouth so fucking dry? "After that, you'll be free to leave." His knee bounced in anticipation. "Call my number if you have any information on the subject, and remember to call the court."

Diana smiled gracefully. "Thank you sir."

"What was the name of of your Psionic client?"

-

Kovech sat alone in the interrogation room, questions answered. The florescent light buzzed. The walls watched him, silent in their judgment. He felt as though he needed to cry, but could not. Diana had gotten everything he had ever wanted.

This 'Circe' had killed an innocent man.

She could sate his overwhelming hunger.

His weakness was disgusting.

His weakness would get everyone killed.

When the patrol officer told him there was a video on the internet of the suspect altering peoples bodies in old town at 1am, he had already decided to not sleep that night.