Joe_bates_saga

22 Joe_Bates_Saga________________________________________________________

1. Chapter : The Cage

It was still dark when Joe woke up. He glanced over at the glowing red display of the clock radio. Five o'clock, it said. He had another hour and a half until he had to get up, but he wasn't tired. It had been only about nine when he went to bed and he wasn't used to going to bed that early, even if he didn't actually sleep for quite some time after he got there. Joe looked down at the floor next to the bed, and in the dim light he could see Linda's undies laying on the floor next to the bed. He grinned. It was just like old times, only now, if his had been lying there too, it would have been hard to tell them apart.

Joe turned slightly so he could see Linda, who was in bed right next to him. In the dim light, he could see the outline of her bosom under the sheet. It rhythmically rose and fell as she softly breathed. She was still asleep, and her face had a contented look. What was she dreaming? If she was, what could it be about. Him? Them? The way they had been? Or as they were now?

Pulling the sheet down slightly, he unintentionally bared his chest. He smiled when presented with this evidence of his own new femaleness. It should probably seem very different with his body changed like this... to look so feminine, and yet... he was already starting to accept it as normal. In only a week he could hardly remember being any other way. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to accept the possibility of having to live the rest of his life this way. To look down and see his body as it was, so completely feminized, with these new bumps and bulges, was still new. Joe found it difficult to keep from exploring his new shape as he lay there in the dim light. With one finger he slowly and gently began circling the dark outline of his right nipple, and watched as the sensitive tissue changed from a soft full cone to a hard little point. He could even feel it happen. He enjoyed the strangely pleasing sensation. Mostly, he realized, he was beginning to like the things that had happened to his body... the way it changed, and was still changing. It seemed so much more sensitive and flexible now, completely different from when it was masculine.

Even with the many problems the changes might possibly cause him, and the many things he still had to get accustomed to, Joe was finding that it was often quite enjoyable being female. The very slowly subsiding level of testosterone in his bloodstream was accompanied by an increasing feeling of personal well being that he really liked. Until recently, he hadn't even been aware of the underlying sexual tension that was part of being male. The new and pleasant sensations he was experiencing also helped hide the fact that as his male hormone levels decreased, so did his upper body strength. But since it was so subtle, he couldn't really feel that it was happening. As Dr. Krell had suspected, Joe was also beginning to experience a change in his libido, a lessening, as it slowly adapted to the feminine pattern. Like it or not, he was still changing, still becoming more and more female, inside and out. But even lying here in bed, with his fiance next to him, he knew that he missed being male less every day.

Joe looked over at Linda again. He wondered what she really thought of him now. He was certain that she had enjoyed the intimacy with him when he was a guy. They had made love many times, and she had obviously been satisfied. But last night, it wasn't he who had initiated their little romp. Sure, he had enjoyed it. Linda instinctively knew how to make him feel good, but it just wasn't the same anymore. There was no way it could be. When Linda touched him, his old, as well as his many new, sensitive areas, he wasn't sure how to react, and would just lie back and let it happen. He enjoyed the spectacular feel of her fingers and tongue.

But when it was his turn to reciprocate, to return the pleasure she had given him, it was then the differences became most obvious. As Linda began to move around to his now more knowledgeable touch, Joe found himself still wanting to satisfy her in the old familiar way, as he had so many times before. Though he no longer actually had his penis, he found he that he still longed to get between her soft legs to enter her, and he could sense that she wanted that too. But of course that was not possible now. No matter what they did, no matter what he might try, he could no longer function as a man. Sure, they could still give each other pleasure, no doubt about that, but there was something missing. Joe could feel it, and he suspected Linda did too. He wished he could just close his eyes, and once more just be a guy again when he opened them, even if it was only for a few hours. Perhaps, especially if only for a few hours.

Joe moved his touch lower, to the soft hair on his now quite prominent pubic mound. With the palm of his hand, which had also become noticeably smaller since the change, he cupped his entire crotch, what the drawings at the clinic called his "vulva." Although usually it felt little different from before the change, whenever he touched this now very different part of himself, the new sleekness in the area where his male parts should be still felt very strange.

His fingertips went between his legs, all the way to the crease of his buttocks. The feeling was still foreign to him. There was now nothing to get in the way, as if his penis had somehow been retracted; sort of pulled up inside him. He could still feel his scrotum, all the nerves were the same, but it was now split down the middle to within an inch of his anus. His testicles were apparently gone. They had metamorphosed into ovaries and were relocated much farther up, deeper inside his body. He couldn't see or feel them at all.

As he felt the softness between his legs, Joe wondered if his legs were now farther apart than before. It sure seemed like it. Perhaps it was just that his hand was smaller now, or the new shape of his crotch that made it seem that way. He thought back to that first morning, his first steps with his body changed. Then, it had seemed quite different. He could kind of feel his hips moving when he walked. But he didn't really notice it anymore. Maybe his butt was a little rounder and softer now, but he was sure his hips were not really any wider. He thought about when he had attempted to wear some of his old pants, they were actually baggy on him, and he knew his waist was much smaller. Maybe, along with the other noticeable changes to his pelvis, his hip joints could be a little further apart. He had recently read that was to allow room for the birth canal. He felt a flush come to his cheeks as he considered that possibility, and worked to get those thoughts out of his mind. He didn't want to consider that aspect of being female right now.

Joe tightened the muscles of his crotch. Whenever he did that, he could tell that there was now something very different down there. The muscles which had become his vaginal sphincter were probably located a bit differently from when they had to support his penis, and they certainly felt different when he flexed them, but even that change felt exotically pleasant.

He slowly ran a finger along the moist tissues of his new sex, feeling the touch with nerves that were strangely familiar. The anatomy he touched to cause these feelings was still new, and as always, he explored his changed genitalia with as much caution as curiosity. Gentle probing quickly caused his labia to swell and part slightly, and he carefully used two fingers to spread the sensitive opening even more. He placed the tip of his finger into the rapidly moistening orifice and slowly drew it along the entire length. As he reached the top his finger brushed against his clitoris. He pinched it gently with his finger tips, still in awe at how this tiny nub of tissue could feel so much like his penis. To his touch it was smaller than a pea, but it seemed as big as his penis when there was nothing touching it. Oh, if only it really was, he would love to bury it between Linda's thighs, maybe just once more. But it appeared that was not to be. The only vaginal lips his little penis could get between now would have to be his own. Joe fell asleep enjoying his own gentle touch... dreaming unusual dreams... dreams that included Linda, and... Jay.

The radio blasted away in song, and Joe reached over and turned it off quickly. The night had passed too quickly, it seemed, and he just wanted to sleep, maybe till noon.

Linda had heard the radio too, and she quickly stirred, rolled over and opened her eyes. When she saw Joe, who had tried to pull the sheet over his head, she smiled and reached under the sheet and started to tickle him. Although his body was now very sensitive to such things, Joe tried his best to ignore her. Finally she moved her hand up and pinched his breast. That jolted Joe alert, and he grabbed Linda, taking both her breasts in his hands, but then just fondled them lovingly. Linda smiled, and planted a kiss lightly on his forehead as she sat up in bed. She pulled the sheet off and got out of bed, quietly going directly to her own room.

Joe lay there a bit longer, trying to get awake. Then he slowly got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. While he sat there relieving himself, he habitually rubbed his face, feeling for stubble. The smooth softness of his skin reminded him that his beard was no longer a concern, so he felt his underarms instead. Since he had shaved his underarms and legs last night, he found smooth skin there too.

Joe brushed his teeth and examined his face. He had washed it in the shower and his skin was completely free of makeup. He carefully felt the softness of his complexion. He still found it fascinating to see himself in the mirror, and as usual, he found it difficult to avoid staring at his new appearance. He examined the much softer facial skin, looking for signs of wrinkles, he was thirty years old, remember, but found none. Joe knew that before the change his male features were already beginning to develop creases around the corners of his eyes, those distinguished "crows' feet" lines that he figured were caused by squinting into the sun. He looked at his face now. The new softness of his skin, the new suppleness, had caused all evidence of wrinkles to vanish. He thought he looked much younger than his thirty years, even for a woman. He wondered why it was, and decided that maybe it was because his feminine characteristics were still developing. He looked lower, at his now slightly smaller, softer, and completely hairless body.

Looking at his breasts... his chest, he decided his boobs really weren't all that large but they were well formed, and more like that of a reasonably developed girl of sixteen or eighteen, and not a thirty year old woman. He examined his pink nipples. Could it be that maybe they were a tiny bit bigger and fuller this morning? Was he still changing? He shook his breasts and watched as they bobbed back and forth like a young girl's. His nipples responded to the stimulation by stiffening to little points. He felt quite pleased. Maybe he couldn't be the man he was anymore, but it was obvious, even to him, that he could be a quite attractive woman. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Of course, this new femininity of his was only about a week old. Time and gravity had not yet had time to act on those new curves.

Without the wig, Joe carefully washed his face again, and then applied some makeup, being careful to put very little on. Today, he would be going back to work, to be seen by people who only knew him as a man. If they had to see him this way, he wanted their first impression of him as he was now to be a good one. His shaking hands gave away the nervousness he was feeling as he thought about going to work.

Joe went back into the bedroom and saw the pile of underwear on the dresser. He realized he still had some time, so he took it into the bathroom sink and, using the soap Linda had given him for the purpose, he carefully washed out the dainty things by hand. When he finished washing, and gently wrung them out, he carefully hung them on the glass doors of the shower. He stepped back, eyeing the colorful assortment of panties and bras. Would he ever get used to the fact that this stuff was his... the kind of clothes he would now be wearing every day, maybe for the rest of his life?

Again going back to the bedroom, he opened his underwear drawer. He selected some light blue nylon briefs, and a white, seamless cup underwire. He quickly slipped his underwear on, enjoying the satiny feel, and then went to the walk-in closet and examined his selection of clothes, trying to decide what to wear for his first day back, his first as a woman. He held up each one of the small assortment of blouses and skirts, dissatisfied with all of them. He was eyeing the light gray suit again, he liked the way he looked in that, when Linda came up behind him. She was wearing a satin robe, and she put her arms around Joe's waist, hugging him gently.

"What are you going to wear today?"

"I don't know," Joe said. "I just can't decide."

"Let's see..." Linda said, quickly taking charge.

Linda selected a light cotton blouse and a blue A-line skirt. She held them together, looking at the match, and at Joe's reaction. "What do you think about this? It's simple and conservative, just what you like, and I think you'd look good wearing it."

Joe wasn't sure. The light cotton blouse was so sheer and feminine, he was concerned at how he would look in it. But then, he had decided that he would be accepting his new femininity. Maybe he should wear it. He took the hangers from Linda, and went back to the bedroom. Linda went to his drawer, and selected the slip they had purchased a few days ago. Joe was already starting to put on the blouse, he would not have thought about a slip.

"Put this on first," Linda said. "It'll help cover the sheerness of the blouse."

Joe pulled his arm out of the blouse and pulled the slip over his head. He then put the blouse back on and buttoned it, smoothing it over his curves. Then he removed the skirt from the hanger and started to step into it.

"Aren't you going to wear hose?" Linda asked with a slight grin. It was quite apparent that Joe was nervous, and was forgetting the basics of dressing as a woman.

"Oh, yeah." Joe lay the skirt on the bed, and took the pantyhose that Linda had selected and held out for him. He sat on the edge of the bed, and struggled into them.

"Most of this isn't too bad, I guess, but I don't know who thought these things up," Joe said. "I didn't like them before, and I hate them now that I've worn them."

"Probably invented by a man," Linda said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think so." Joe said. "I don't think guys like them as much as women do. At least I don't.... didn't."

Joe finally got the pantyhose on and adjusted to be as comfortable as he could get them. He pulled the skirt over his hips, and Linda helped zip and button the closure located at his back. Joe wondered why women's clothes always seemed to have the closure in the back, where it could hardly be reached. Linda showed him a little trick to help him get the zipper closed by himself.

"Draw in your tummy a little," she said.

When he complied, Linda tugged the waistband of the skirt, causing it to spin around to the side. From there, the zipper and button could easily be seen and worked with. When Joe saw it, she spun the skirt back, careful to get it centered on Joe's backbone. Joe then reached down for the mid-heeled pumps, and again sat on the bed as he slipped into them. He stood, and walked over to the mirror. He smiled when he saw what he looked like. Linda had selected well, and the person he saw staring back was a sophisticated, professional woman... one with very short hair. He reached over to the table, grabbed the wig, and put it on. He adjusted it on his head, and started to brush it into position. He would be glad when his own hair would grow long enough that he could dispense with the sweaty hairpiece. But for now, he knew he looked much better with it on. Looking in the mirror, he was pleased with his appearance. The skirt and blouse fit well, and together they accented his figure exactly as he liked. He cupped his breasts in his hands and squeezed them, as if he still didn't believe they were really a part of him.

Linda watched what he was doing with interest. "Still kind of different, huh?" she asked, a big grin on her face.

"Can you believe that I really look like this?"

"I think you are quite attractive," Linda said simply.

"Yeah...for a girl, maybe I am, but it's a little hard when you've been a guy all your life... to suddenly be going around looking like this."

"Well, I think you're doing great."

"But... do you really like me this way? I think you need a man... not a girl friend."

"Don't you worry about me," Linda said. "I'll be ok no matter what you look like."

"But how... don't you miss it the old way... I mean... wouldn't it be better for you if I looked like a guy?"

"Yeah, of course I do... so go ahead, then... be a guy... just for me." Linda seemed to be irritated by what Joe was saying.

"Sorry." Joe said. "I don't mean to feel sorry for myself. There are just so many things. I can't figure out what I want. I don't just know what to do." He stuttered.

"Don't worry about it," Linda said calmly. "I'll help you. If we find we can't make it together, let's worry about that if it becomes a problem. I don't have any problems now, do you?"

"No. No, of course not." Joe said.

"Ok, then." Linda said finally. "Now, brush that hair again. You'll want to look your best today."

As he made the final checks to his appearance, and adjusted his pantyhose for the third time, Joe realized it was time to get to work. He found his little handbag, and checked that it contained his wallet, and the few cosmetics that he might need. He added a few sheets of Kleenex. Linda made him apply a little dab of perfume. At first he objected, but then decided that she knew best... that there was no reason not to make the best impression he could.

Joe went into the kitchen and fixed some breakfast cereal. He wasn't in a hurry to get to work this morning. As he slowly ate, and sipped some orange juice, he thumbed through the magazines which had arrived over the last few days. All were Linda's... his mail was still going to his apartment. He hoped he could remember to stop there after work to check his mail, since he hadn't been there in a few days.

He finished breakfast, and put the bowl and glass into the dishwasher. Joe gathered up his things, and went outside. As he walked across the drive to his car, he noticed all the dust on it. He would need to wash it soon. He liked a clean car.

Getting in the car, Joe quickly noticed the restricted movement that the somewhat tight knee-length skirt imposed. He hiked the skirt up above his knees, and when he saw his exposed, nylon covered upper legs, he smiled as he thought of his first ride with Karen... and how she had done the same thing. Maybe it wasn't very ladylike, but the freedom of movement and the wonderful coolness caused him to keep it that way.

Joe slowly drove to work, his heart pounding harder the closer he got to the place where he was sure Dave and he would be the main topic of conversation.

He pulled into the parking lot, pulling his skirt to a more modest position before he drove past the guard shack. Parking the car, he screwed up his courage, and, not without some difficulty, got out. It had almost been a week since he had waked to find himself like this, but he had never been more nervous or self conscious about his changed appearance than right now. He awkwardly retrieved his badge from his bag, and clipped it to his blouse. When he did that, he saw his male picture staring back at him from the white badge. He wondered if the guard would notice. Of course, the guard would know about him, he decided. Everybody would know about him.

He walked up to the gate guard, and started to walk past as usual. The guard, not recognizing him, looked carefully at his name tag.

"Good morning... Joe? Joe Bates? Er... Mr. Ms. Bates...er yeah sure...please go ahead." The guard stuttered awkwardly. He obviously had heard about what had happened, but didn't recognize Joe until he saw his badge. Joe smiled pleasantly at the guard, and walked past. He was just as nervous and embarrassed as the guard.

The Honeybone facility was large enough that a stranger could walk down most of the corridors without anyone taking notice. Joe even passed people he knew on a first name basis and they didn't give him a glance. Of course, many of the men he passed would turn around and check him out, not because they recognized who he was, but because they did that to any attractive woman they passed. But Joe never noticed that. He was not yet used to being considered a sex object by his former peers.

He finally arrived at the Certification Section offices. Even the short walk was causing his feet to ache. By now he could walk quite well in the two inch heels, but his feet were not used to walking for any distance in such uncomfortable shoes. He passed Jim Matheney's office and went directly to his own desk. It was still early, and no one else was in the other offices yet. Jim was probably around somewhere. He usually seemed to get to work as early as six a.m.

Joe sat and thumbed through the pile of mail on his desk. It had been a week since he had been there, and he always received a number of trade magazines and sales brochures every day. Nothing in the pile was very interesting. It would have been difficult to concentrate anyway, with his heart pounding like a jackhammer. He just sat there waiting nervously; wondering who would be the first to arrive, the first to see him as he was now.

Then he began to experience another familiar sensation, he had to pee. Oh God. Now what? Should he use the ladies' restroom? He certainly couldn't use the more familiar men's room anymore. But the ladies room? What if somebody he knew was in there? What if they recognized him? His heart pounded harder as he considered the possibilities. Then again, he decided, he couldn't avoid such things forever. For now, it seemed he needed to go every couple of hours at least. Besides, he was dressed like a woman. Hell, he was better looking than almost all the secretaries at Honeybone. He picked up his handbag from the desk top. If they doubted him, he could always show them his drivers license, or maybe the letter from Dr. Krell. He grinned. What is there to be afraid of, a bunch of women? Yeah, he was, but then he really did have to pee.

He slowly got up and walked out and down the hall to the ladies room. When he got to the door, he took a deep breath, and walked in. Of course, he had never been inside the ladies' room at work before, and his first instinct was to check if anyone else was in there with him. No feet were visible under the stall doors, the coast was clear. He looked around the attractive room. He found that, as usual, the ladies' room was much better appointed than the austere men's room on the other side of the wall. Nothing over there like this. There were flowers, attractive wall coverings, and a very comfortable looking couch. He wondered who would want to sit in the ladies room. Was it for when it was crowded, and you had to wait for a stall? It was so different from the men's room, which was made so functional by the usual row of urinals along the wall. None of those here, even if he had been able to use one.

Joe picked a stall and went inside, feeling a slight relief as he closed the door and latched it. He then went through the still awkward (for him) ritual of unzipping the tight skirt so he could get his pantyhose down. Oh, if he only had a fly, not to mention a cock, right now. With the skirt, pantyhose, and panties around his knees, he sat and found the relief he needed. Just as he pulled some tissue from the roll, he heard someone enter, and that made a lump form in his throat. Remaining absolutely still, he waited until the invader entered a stall before he made a sound. He finished up, dressed, and quickly left the stall, pausing only a moment to quickly rinse his hands and wipe them on the hand towel. Then he left the restroom.

Back out in the hallway, Joe was glad to find no one else around, and quickly walked back to Certification, heels clicking on the polished tile as he walked. When he went in, Jim was now in his office, sitting at his desk. Jim looked up, and couldn't hide his obvious surprise when he saw Joe.

"Hi, Joe. Welcome back." Jim said. "My, you're looking pretty good." He said the last as if he wasn't really sure he should, but trying to hide his nervousness.

"Good morning, Jim. And thanks for the compliment. Linda picked this stuff out for me. I'm still having a little trouble getting used to this," Joe said honestly.

"You're doing great, if you ask me. I know I'd have a lot more trouble," Jim said, smiling, still trying to make small talk to break the tension they both felt.

"It's a little difficult, but it does seem to be getting easier as time goes by."

"Sit down, let's talk about what we plan to do," Jim said, pointing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

Joe sat, and was quickly aware that his skirt went above his knees as he did so, and that if he happened to part his legs even slightly, Jim would have a direct view up his short skirt. He tried to keep his knees together, but to remember doing that was still foreign to him and he often forgot, only to be reminded of his oversight when he noticed Jim trying not to look and finding it impossible. He smiled a knowing smile at his boss, and tried to demurely fold his legs over to one side.

"I don't know about this damn skirt," Joe said with embarrassment. "Sometimes it's really a pain wearing stuff like this."

"I must say, you do look rather good in it. Sorry if I'm staring, but you know how it is."

"Don't worry about it. I understand." Joe knew he would have done the same thing.

"Well, anyway, let's see..." Jim said, trying to get back to the subject at hand. "Dr. Krell should be here within an hour or two, and I think he will want to see the `cage.' I believe he's getting some animals, some monkeys or cats or dogs or something, and wants to try them in there. We've got the transmitters set up, and there are three spectrum analyzer probes in there too. If we can make it happen again, we'll at least know what it took to cause it."

"Yeah. Dr. Krell said he had no idea what it would take to cause cell reversion like this, much less reverse the effect. If you ask me, it looks like we're stuck like this," Joe said, looking directly at Jim as he spoke.

"What do you plan to do then?"

"What can I do?" Joe grinned somewhat sarcastically. "I've got a big expense report for these new clothes partially filled out. You should see some of the stuff I bought." His grin changed to sexy. He realized that he was having to fight a tendency to flirt with his friendly boss, and was embarrassed by the thought.

"No problem... anything you need... anything you want... I've been told to do whatever's necessary," Jim said, almost apologetically.

"I'll tell you what..." Joe considered what he was asking. "How about getting that line boy, Tim, on the payroll. He's a student, and he's sure going to need the money. I think he's taking aeronautical engineering. How about an engineering intern position, or something like that?"

Jim rubbed his chin with his hand as he considered it. "Yeah, I think I could get that approved. Does Tim really want a job here?"

"I think he was hoping to get on here after graduation. He's very sharp, and he was absolutely nuts about aviation. He still is." Joe wanted to make sure that Jim and everybody else realized that even though they had changed a lot, they were still as capable of doing their jobs as always.

Just then Dave came to the doorway to Jim's office. The somewhat plump guy had, as usual, hidden his new curves under a loose fitting jumpsuit. Joe wondered how many of them Dave had bought. Besides the light gray one he wore today, he had seen Dave in a yellow, light blue, dark blue, and a green one. The shoes Dave wore, while surely women's, were probably the most androgynous he could find. It seemed that Dave refused to enjoy any of the more interesting aspects of his new femininity the way the others had. I wonder how things are going around Dave's house these days, Joe thought. Of the four of them, only Dave was married, and his wife Cindy had been very dependent on her husband. That, and their young kids, were obviously making this all very difficult for Dave.

"Morning Dave." Jim said. "How's it going?"

"Hi, Dave. Have a seat," Joe said, pointing to the chair next to him.

"Good morning," Dave said. "What have you got going for today?"

"As I was just telling Joe, we have the transmitters set up in an RF cage, and we have some probes in there to record what we do, just in case we can duplicate what happened the other day," Jim repeated.

"Who's going to volunteer to be in the cage?" Dave asked.

"Good question," Jim said, smiling, "but, at least at first, Dr. Krell says he has some animal specimens to try. I don't know if he has any human volunteers for later."

"If we can get it to work in reverse, I want to be the first to try it," Dave insisted.

"Don't worry, when that happens, you'll probably be the first to know," Jim answered. "Are you having any problems?"

Dave looked at Jim. "Well, my family life is in the dumper, and my sex life... Damn it, I'm not a lesbian, and Cindy isn't one either. Problems? What do you think?" The irritation showed through as Dave spoke the words.

"If it's physically possible to change you back, we'll do it. Don't worry," Jim assured him.

"Damn right you will," Dave said, trying to make his feminine voice sound as menacing as he could.

Suddenly the doorway to the small office filled with the still large figure of Mike. Mike, who now preferred to be called Michelle, had obviously been on another shopping spree last night. Michelle, whose body had become hardly noticeably smaller when it feminized, was now wearing a form fitting pants suit that emphasized her developing figure. As Joe looked at Michelle, he decided that indeed, as she had mentioned, her body probably was still changing, and her bustline was surely more developed than even the day before. When Joe first saw Mike right after the change, he had hardly any breast development. But now, he was almost as well endowed as Joe. Mike/Michelle was a large woman, but was now becoming quite attractive. The muscle building steroids he had been taking at the time of the change appeared to have slowed Mike's transition to femininity, but they sure didn't stop it.

"Hi, Mike," Jim said. "Come on in."

Mike greeted them and entered the room and leaned against the wall.

There were only two seats besides the one behind the desk.

"Looks like you're getting accustomed," Jim said, looking at Mike/Michelle.

"Yeah," Michelle said. "If this is the way it's going to be, I guess I better try to adapt."

Mike must be going through the same feelings as I am, Joe thought.

"Don't give up yet," Jim said. "We've only begun to try to get you guys changed back."

But if it doesn't happen soon, you may find that nobody will want to go back. Joe thought to himself.

"I was just telling Joe about the setup we have in the RF cage," Jim went on. "We have both transmitters set up, and we have recorders and signal analyzers. Whatever we try, if something works, we'll know what kind of signal caused it."

"Who is going to try it first?" Mike/Michelle asked.

"No humans, I think. Dr. Krell is arranging for some lab animals to use," Jim said. "If he can get results that way, then he'll try it with people."

"Will it work on animals just like people?" Mike/Michelle wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Jim answered. "We'll have to leave that up to them to find out. We can only supply the hardware and data acquisition expertise."

"Even if this thing can't be made to change us back, I think Honeybone might find that there could be a demand for what it can do," Joe said.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"Damn it Jim, look at us. Look at Mike there, his genetic makeup has been altered, maybe permanently, and look at the results. I doubt if you could tell him, or me for that matter, from someone who was born female. It's that complete. And it's not only that. I certainly had no desire to have my gender changed. I liked being a guy just fine. But now that I'm like this, as time goes on, and I get used to the idea, it doesn't seem so bad at all. I don't know if I feel like that because of something that has happened to my brain, or what, but that's the way it is," Joe said.

"What are you getting at?" Jim questioned.

"While we were at the clinic in San Diego, I met a few of the people who go there for treatment, gender related problems mostly, I'd guess. I think they all want to be the opposite sex, even if it means painful surgery. And they even know going in that the results are only so-so, nothing like what happened to us. If there was a machine, a booth or something to go into, have your chromosomes modified, and then just wake up in the morning, I think you could name your price. I tell you, if this thing does turn out to be 'reversible' it will absolutely revolutionize the way we think about sex."

"You really think so?" Jim asked. "I wouldn't think anybody would want to mess with their genes like that."

"I don't know, but I bet if you tried this side of the fence for a while, you'd change some of your feelings about women. That I'd be willing to bet," Joe said confidently. "I know it's certainly had a big effect on my point of view." He grinned as he said the last.

"Hey, I like women, and I think I treat them fairly, too," Jim objected.

"Yeah, but you don't really know what it's like to BE one," Joe retorted.

"Well, maybe not," Jim replied, "but I don't really have any desire to find out either."

Just then the phone rang. Jim picked it up. "Certification. Jim Matheney. Yea. Please send hi...er, her here, 428. Ok. I'll send somebody out to escort her." He hung up.

"Your friend Tim Werner is at the gate," Jim said. "Would one of you go out and sign him in?"

"I'll get him," Dave said, getting up and walking out.

In a moment, Jim spoke. "Dave seems kind of depressed, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Joe answered. "I think having a family is a real problem when something like this happens. It's tough enough when you don't."

"I sure hope we can get you guys changed back," Jim said. "I don't care if this thing is commercially useful. It's supposed to be a navigation system, for heaven's sake."

"But if it can do what it appears it can do, that will be insignificant," Joe said. "I really think you might have a very useful medical tool here."

"We'll see," Jim said. "As soon as Dave gets back, I want to take you all down to the lab. I don't expect Dr. Krell for another hour. He's flying in this morning."

Soon, Dave walked back into the office followed by an attractive young woman whom Joe recognized as the line boy Tim Werner.

"Hi, Tim," Joe said. "You know Jim here, and Mike, I believe."

"Hi," Tim said shyly.

Tim was wearing one of the t-shirts and a pair of jeans he bought yesterday. The clothes were much more casual than what the others were wearing, but they looked good on Tim's attractive form.

"Would you... er, folks want to go over to the lab, and see the RF cage?" Jim asked.

"Sure. Let's go," Dave said quickly.

They all followed Jim down one hall, and then another, until they came to some double doors. Jim opened them and they all went inside. There, they found a large room filled with benches loaded with power supplies and test equipment. On one end of the room was a large cage-like room made of a tight mesh screen. It was not all screen, some areas were aluminum sheets where connectors were mounted so that cables could pass through the screen. There was a wide door so that hardware could be brought into the cage. Through the screen could be seen the bright yellow cases which held the transmitters. There were a couple of stools and a work bench in there, too. Otherwise, the room was empty. Outside, at another workbench, were located three closed circuit TV monitors, two spectrum analyzers, and a large strip chart recorder.

"Well, whatever we do in there, we should have a record of it," Joe said.

"That's the idea," Jim said. "If we can cause something to happen, we will want to know exactly what it took to do it. This should let us know. And it should be safe enough, at least on this side of the cage."

"As soon as it's ready to try, I volunteer to be the first to try it," Dave said loudly. "As I see it, I've got nothing to lose."

"If this thing can cause the type of chromosome change which it has apparently already done, then who knows what else it can do. It could easily cause really strange, even fatal, defects," Jim said. "We'll have to take it slow. I don't want to belittle what has happened to any of you, but at least you are all alive, and as far as we can tell, completely healthy. We want to keep it that way."

"I'd rather try anything than have to live like this," Dave said obstinately.

"If we can prove that it won't cause more harm than good, you'll get your chance to try it. You have my word," Jim said.

"What will we try first?" Joe asked. "To repeat what happened to us, or something else?"

"Well, I'm leaving it up to Dr. Krell's people, but I would like to verify that it absolutely was this hardware which caused the problem, and not something else, God knows what," Jim answered.

"Try it with a human? You want to make another guy look like a female?" Tim asked.

"I don't know." Jim answered. "I'd hope something can be done with animals, monkeys or something like that. I don't know, though. That's up to the medics."

"I'll bet he could get all the volunteers he wants," Joe said. He thought about some of the patients he met at the clinic, and how they reacted when they found out what had happened to him and the others.

"We'll find out what he wants to do real soon." Jim replied. "Let's go back to the desk and wait for Dr. Krell's people. I have some paperwork for you folks, too."

They obediently followed Jim back up the hallway, anxious to find out what Dr. Krell was planning to do.