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The Best and the Brightest Part III By Maggie Finson "Are you really going to turn into a girl, Uncle Eric?" Jack questioned with a doubtful look in his eyes that I couldn't argue with at all. I'd returned to Claire's specifically to talk with the kids about my decision and what it might mean. "If I go to work for Care Givers, I will." My answer was slow, as I watched for reactions from him and Dana. "That is if I am accepted by them." "Why?" was all he asked, and it was a fair question that I needed to give a decent answer to in return. "Well, you both know that I have problems with getting in and out of chairs, and holding things at times, right?" At their nods, I went on. "That's something that will not change for the rest of my life. I've gotten as much better as I'm going to here, and my physical condition won't allow me to go back into space like I really want to do." "Aren't there other things you could do here on Earth?" he asked with another dubious look at me. "You'd make a real ugly girl." "Thanks, I think," I answered, then added, "yes, there are things I could do down here on Earth, but I wouldn't be happy with any of them. I'm kind of like a fish in a bowl here. I was made to swim in a lot of water and can't be happy with myself in that bowl. Or with the bowl, no matter how well people might treat me while I'm there. And I'm told with some authority that I wouldn't look much like I do now after the process that could heal me and let me out of that bowl." "But you'd be a girl?" he asked again, and Dana gave him a not so gentle nudge in the ribs that raised an involuntary smile on my face. "That isn't as important as Uncle Eric getting back to the kind of work he loves doing," she told her older brother with a lot more presence and authority than people thought an eight year old should possess. Unless you knew an eight year old, that is. "You go ahead and do what you need to Uncle Eric. We'll still love you, even if you are going to be our aunt. But only if you'll still visit us like you always did before." "You know I will, when I can," I told her honestly. "But you'll be all well when you come back?" Jack questioned with a contemplative expression on his ten year old face. "Yes, I'd be all well, again." "Then I think its ok." He nodded, then gave me a wicked little grin. "Even if you'll be a girl." Dana slugged him on the shoulder and things kind of degenerated into a general wrestling match after that. I worked my way clear of it, not wanting to risk falling on either of them and simply watched. I loved, and love those children as if they were my own. Never more than at that moment, either. * * * * The day of my appointment rolled around without care for any second thoughts I might have had. Not that I had any, but I was still more than a little nervous about the whole thing. Not about either my qualifications or real desire to join the company, but at the thought that something would make them reject my application. I checked my appearance in the hallway mirror -- it was full length -- once more. My reflection looked almost dapper in the newly purchased gray business suit, with the polished walnut cane in one hand. I noted, with an internal wince, that I hadn't gotten a haircut for some months, and my blond locks were actually creeping down my back. I gave that mop, Naomi insisted on calling it a mane one more brushing to make sure it was at least presentable, and called the taxi that would take me to the next step in my life. Or at least I hoped that was what this meeting would open up for me. The Care Givers complex in Orlando was impressive, to put things mildly. The place was on the outskirts of the city, and set in a park like area that had to have covered several acres of ground. The taxi deposited me at the door of the administrative building, a gleaming edifice of white marble and shining glass that rose to a height of twelve floors, unless I had missed one during my initial view of it. Giving myself a little mental shake to bolster my resolve in this, I entered the reception area and made my way to the central desk. A very pretty young woman greeted me with a wide smile you could tell was genuine. "Hello, welcome to Care Givers Company. What can I do for you, sir?" "I'm Eric Chartrand," I answered, returning her smile. "I have an appointment with Justine Sterling." "Ahh, yes, I have it right here. Ms. Sterling is expecting you. Take the elevators behind the desk here go to the fifth floor, then to your right. Her office is at the end of that hallway." "Thanks." I left the desk and idly noted that the place was filled with more women in one place than I had ever recalled seeing in my life. All of them appeared quite happy, and were busy with tasks they went at with confidence and verve. The elevator ride was just that, with the exception that I shared it with more than one lovely lady. I spent the short trip inhaling their perfumes, and just enjoying their presence in as unobtrusive manner as I could. The fifth floor was obviously executive country. Even the hallways were decorated with an expensive elegance that spoke volumes about the company all by itself. I passed some really beautiful floral arrangements, paintings that were clearly originals from masters in the field, and comfortable looking furniture spaced at convenient intervals between the office doors. "Wow." I breathed once I'd reached the office at the end of the hallway. The legend on the frosted glass doors read simply: Justine Sterling Vice President - Recruiting North American Division. They were sure starting me with their top representative in the country. I was both flattered and a little surprised at that. "Hello, may I help you?" a male secretary asked politely as I entered the office. "Yes, Eric Chartrand to see Justine Sterling," I answered. "Ms. Sterling is expecting you, sir," the young man informed me with a grin. "You can go right on back now." I did so, after thanking him, and entered a large, again tastefully furnished office with a superb view of Orlando from a window that occupied an entire wall. A young appearing woman rose from behind a desk where she had been reading something and moved to greet me. "Eric, I'm so glad you came," she greeted me with an extended hand. I noted the slenderness of her fingers and the immaculate condition of her nails as I took it. The rest of her was exquisite as well. Standing about five feet four inches, slim but nothing close to skinny, wearing an expensive business suit that did her figure, and legs a great deal of justice, she presented a picture of corporate competence while proclaiming unabashedly that she was a woman. Her oval face contained almost perfectly proportioned features, and was wreathed in a wealth of curling, chestnut hair. There was a flash of amusement in her hazel eyes as she noted my taking all that in. "I'm Justine Sterling." "I couldn't imagine anyone being a no show for an appointment with you, Ms Sterling," I answered quite honestly. "You can just call me Justine, if that's all right with you." Her low range soprano soothed while it held one's attention. "We like to keep these opening interviews informal. It's more comfortable for everyone involved, we've found. Is that agreeable? And to answer your question, if that is what it was, yes, you'd be surprised at just how many prospective employees back out at the last minute. I think the grounds and ambience here scares some of them off." "Sure, Justine," I nodded, grinning at the humor in her eyes and the little quirk of her mouth as she told me that. "I can understand how that might happen. Actually being here makes things a little too real, if you know what I'm trying to say." "I do, and agree." Waving me to a comfortable chair, then taking one to the side of it, she went on, "We manage to weed out the pure sensation seekers that way, or most of them, anyway." We exchanged pleasant small talk for a while and the secretary entered the office and offered coffee to me, then Justine. "Thank you, James." Taking a cup herself and gesturing for him to leave the tray and the silver pot that was on it, she returned her attention to me. "It's Blue Jamaican, I understand you have a fondness for the brew." "One of my favorites," I answered following an appreciative sip from the translucent china cup. "Excellent, we do try to make our applicants feel comfortable." Justine nodded, then picked up a thick file folder she had carried over from her desk. "Now to the business at hand." "I'm ready when you are." "You have some very impressive credentials here, Eric, and some glowing references." Flipping through pages in the folder she was looking at, she glanced down then back up to me. "I'm curious as to why you didn't take the offer NASA made. Would you mind telling me?" "No, I don't mind." Returning her level intelligent gaze with one of my own that I hoped matched, I started, "First it was a very generous offer, and truthfully, I considered it carefully. I turned it down for several reasons. "To begin with, my being associated with NASA either in Houston or at The Cape, would have made me miserable because I would be on the ground watching everything from a distance. I couldn't do that to either myself or them with good conscience. I would want to be out there if I did that, and that's something I can't do safely any longer given my physical difficulties." "All right, that's a good answer." Justine offered me a smile and asked another one. "You had other offers that wouldn't have taken you back into the aerospace industry, but you turned them down as well. Why is that?" "You do your research, don't you?" I ruefully responded, then shrugged. "And you don't pull punches either. All right, I thought about all those, the teaching positions, the consultant spots in the media and none of them seemed right. To be honest, I just wouldn't be happy with a Grounder job." "I see. Is that why you applied with Care Givers?" she questioned while intently watching me for subtle reactions. "Simply to get yourself back into space?" "It would appear so on the surface, I suppose." Framing my answer carefully I looked directly into her hazel eyes. "But it goes deeper than that for me. I not only want to be out there, I want to be a contributor to what is happening with the emerging spacer culture. I have to honestly tell you that I was becoming restless, even at NASA. Mostly because I had no one to really share that kind of thing with and be comfortable about it. After the Argonaut incident, I discovered that sharing is a good thing, a very good thing in fact, I had a lot of people working very hard to get me back on my feet, and that was pretty intimate in a lot of cases. It had an effect on me I still can't really define other than to show me that I fell far short of the people working with me during my recovery." "Good, but that still doesn't quite explain your choice to apply with us." "I know that." Frustration surfaced, and though I shoved it back down to the dark hole it belonged in, I know she saw it. "I can't explain it in words. Not really. I met one of your Care Givers during my recovery and was greatly impressed by her caring, giving nature. It just called to me in a way that simple words can't quite express." "Naomi Foster." Justine spoke the name and gave me a soft smile of encouragement. "Did you know that she is a ship Mother? A supervisor if you wish to call it that, for other Care Givers aboard a ship?" "No I didn't." With a chuckle I added, "Though it would make sense to me now that I know more about your company. She's a natural leader, you know. She sure supervised me." "Yes, we do, and value her highly," Justine agreed with a musical laugh. "I take it our Naomi greatly impressed you?" "That would be an understatement," I told her bluntly. "Naomi, meeting and knowing her, showed me a way that I could not only be healed physically, but whole again, if that makes any sense at all." "It does, but let me ask you this, Eric." I felt as if she was reading me as easily as she did the files in her lap. "If you were to be rejected here, what would you do?" "I'd carry on with my life, and do my best to make whatever contribution I could to Humanity's future, I suppose. I wouldn't go suicidal or anything, if that was the question. I'm not that type, and never will be -- I hope." "You closed a lot of doors for that when you refused those offers, you know." "I know, but doors can be opened up again, or new ones found." "Very good, Eric." Sitting back a moment and watching me, she allowed herself a very broad, warm smile. "You can keep those doors shut. Welcome to Care Givers. We're very pleased that you chose our door, and that is the truth, dear." "Thank you, Justine." "You're more than welcome." Rising she indicated that I should do so as well. "Now would you have time to undergo the preliminary testing, or would it be more convenient for you to schedule that later?" "Now would be fine, if that's not a problem." I struggled to my own feet while I told her that. "I might as well get started with all this." "One more question and I'll have your escort come in. You are aware that there is no reversal of the DeCorvin Process aren't you?" "Yes, I've talked about that with Naomi at some length." "Would that change your mind about going through it?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head. "Now that you know it's what you're looking at in the immediate future?" "Why would it?" I asked with honest puzzlement. "After going through becoming female because of it, why would I even want to go back to what I was? I understood this was something permanent when I applied, and expected that to be the case. So, no, that wouldn't change my mind one little bit." "Excellent." Leaning towards her office intercom she called, "Please send in Mr. Chartrand's escort, James." You could have pushed me over with a light puff of breath when Naomi entered the office. * * * * I won't go into the psyche exams other than to say they were rigorous and detailed to the point of making me want to scream at times. I suppose that was part of the testing though. I didn't find out what they would have done if I had screamed. Didn't ask either. Then there were aptitude tests. "I thought my skills were already pretty well delineated," I told the lady giving me the test. "Oh they are," came the response. "But you never know. We just might find something else of note with these tests." Needless to say, I took the tests without further complaint. Though I won't go so far as to say it was all that cheerfully. * * * * "Now what?" I tiredly asked a grinning Naomi when I emerged from the testing room. "You look like the dog that had too many bones to bury all at once, but tried to do it anyway," she laughed, then took my arm. "Nothing else. You're finished until you come back next week for the process itself." "Why in a week?" I had been prepared to undergo it immediately. "A cooling off period for applicants, so they can gracefully back out if they decide to once they've really thought about what being in Care Givers implies for them," the redhead answered with a smile. "Quite a few actually do back out during that week. It's an additional screening process for them and us." "Well I don't plan on backing out of this." My response was more than a bit abrasive, and I regretted my tone of voice at once. "Sorry, but I know what I'm signed on for." "Good for you." Naomi gently led me out the door and to a waiting taxi. "But that extra week also gives us some time, if you know what I mean." "Oh, yeah. I get it." The driver cast envious glances back at me and the redheaded beauty entwined in my arms, but neither of us really were paying attention to much more than each other by then. * * * * The week went past in kind of a blur for me. I got more antsy with each day that passed. Naomi helped with calming me down most of the time, and I did all the reading I could find regarding Care Givers and their roles in the emerging spacer culture. That kept me busy for part of the days, as did visits to and from Claire's place. The nights, though. I would almost have sworn that I'd died and gone straight to Heaven. In short, my last week as a male was far from uneventful. Some of my reading also brought up a rather sobering item in the news. A group of Senators had put together a bill they called The Protection of Women Act, to keep the scarce females in the population (about a 7:3 ratio male to female according to the article.) from entering or performing dangerous occupations. Among the occupations listed as dangerous was work in space. Any work in space. Worse the PWA as the act was called appeared to have a really good chance of being passed into law. And if that happened, the U.S. would start pressuring the U.N. to make it a worldwide law. As it was, the timing was more than a little bad for yours truly, but I had made my decision and would stay with it. Personally, I thought the PWA was a smokescreen for a more sinister plan. The newly emerging Spacer culture was showing signs of independence that Mother Earth's governments didn't like at all. The Protection of Women Act appeared to be a deliberate try to keep females on Earth, and that would cause problems for the Spacers. If you don't have females, you can't breed. Simple biology there. I was very sure the Spacers wouldn't like that attempt to leash them so firmly to Earth one little bit. Nor would Care Givers. The implications of that were grimmer the more I thought about them. * * * * In a prepared statement given before congress earlier today, Frederick Hastings, CEO and owner of Apollo Freight, the largest independent carrier of goods in space warned that passage of the Protection of Women Act would result in further weakened ties between Earth and Spacers. When questioned if that statement constituted a threat, Mr. Hastings answered. "Take it any way you like, but passage of that act into law would have repercussions that all of Humanity will feel." Mr. Hastings was not available for further comment. * * * * My return to the Care Givers complex was filled with more than a few emotions for me. I was nervous, elated, and anxious to get things going while also feeling as if I was preparing to abandon things that had meant a lot to me over the years. Oh, I knew my manhood would be a thing of the past when I left the complex the next time, and oddly enough that isn't what was really nagging at me. My mind had been working at that Protection of Women Act, and its ramifications for several days and I had reached several conclusions that weren't all that comfortable. First, as a female, if I went into space once the thing passed into law -- and it was pretty clear that it was going to despite the heavy lobbying against the bill by Care Givers and other Spacer concerns -- I would become an outlaw, in principle, anyway. Or I would have to renounce my U.S. Citizenship to avoid that possibility. Not that I wasn't prepared to go that far if it became necessary, I would do so without hesitation. But if things got that far, once I left Earth for space it would be a very long time before I was able to return safely. That was if I would ever be able to return at all. I went straight back to the elevators, using the temporary company ID I'd been given once I'd been through the formal interviews and testing, and went to the fifth floor where Naomi and Justine Sterling were waiting for me. "Good morning, Eric," Justine greeted me with the sunny smile I had come to believe was a prerequisite for Care Givers, and Naomi gave me an approving little nod of her head. "I'm glad you decided to go through with this." "I thought about calling to tell you I'd chickened out here," I answered with a broad smile of my own. "But slapped myself for even thinking such a thing. Mentally, anyway. So what happens now?" "Well, we have some questions for you to answer, regarding your new persona that we can go over in my office. Things like what name you'd like to be known by, which musical instrument you want to play, and the dull details of getting your new sex and name into the public records." In her spacious office, the three of us were seated with coffee and some very good coffeecake when Justine opened her notebook and gave me an expectant look. "Ready to get started now, Eric?" "Sure." "Have you settled on a name for yourself yet?" She questioned while bringing up that section of my file. "Yes." I'd considered Ilene, in honor of my Grandmother, but decided on another name that meant a lot more to me. "I've decided to use Persephone." "Persephone?" Justine typed that into her notebook then glanced up with a questioning expression on her face. "That's an unusual name. Was it someone you knew once?" "No, I got it from classical mythology." My answer was slow, careful to get the whole rationale straight in my own mind as I gave it. "Persephone, Demeter's daughter." "I'm familiar with it." Justine nodded. "But why that name?" "Because it fits what I've been through up till now," I told her. "Persephone was taken by Hades for a bride, and had to live in the underworld with him. Demeter hammered out an agreement with the Lord of the Underworld to allow her beloved daughter to return to Earth for six months of the year... But she had to spend the other six in the ancient Greek's version of Hell." "Go on." "I've spent my time in Hell, lately," I answered with a catch in my voice that almost shamed me. "It's time I came back up to the living world, though I'll always carry some of that other place with me no matter where I go, or how long it's been. Persephone just seems like an appropriate name is all." "In that context, it does." Justine regarded me with something like sympathy for a while then moved on. I noticed the Naomi's eyes were shining after hearing my explanation, too, so I didn't feel too badly about my own slightly blurred vision. "All right, next item." Justine blinked for a few seconds then briskly continued. "Do you play a musical instrument already? Every Care Giver is expected to know at least one." "No. I never really took the time to learn one." "Do you have a preference for what you would like to learn?" "Yes, I do." With a small reminiscent smile I nodded. "My great grandmother used to play something called a glass Armonica. Are you familiar with that one?" "Only that it was invented by Ben Franklin," Justine told me while searching for information on her notebook. "It isn't a very common instrument these days, is it?" "No." My hopes began to fall for that one, and I began to think of an alternative. "If it would be too difficult to obtain and teach me on, I can come up with another." "Nonsense." Justine smiled as she read over something that had been brought up on her notebook, and the quiet, liquid tones of a glass Armonica emanated from the thing. "We can have one made for you, and find a teacher for this rather unique instrument. Its sound is very lovely, and soothing. That would be a great help in your work as a care Giver. Consider that part done, then. Glass Armonica it shall be for Persephone Chartrand." "Thank you." I couldn't bring myself to say anything more at that stage. I could still recall the almost haunting beauty of the songs Great Grandmother had called up from hers, even though I had been very young at the time. Taking it as my instrument of choice would, in a way, honor my family and that meant quite a lot to me at the time. And still does. "Ok, I need for you to sign these consent forms, and the change of name/sex status forms the government insists upon. Then we can get you to the real thing here." I read the forms, signed them, filled in the appropriate lines and checked the indicated boxes on the government forms, then handed them all back to Justine. "There you go." "Thank you." Justine added those to the hard copies in the folder sitting on the table, then arose. "Shall we proceed, then?" "I'm as ready as I'm going to be," I agreed with a shaky grin. "Is this going to hurt? Just curious is all." "Not at all." Justine laughed gently as she gestured towards the door of her office. "The parts of the process you'll be conscious for are really quite enjoyable." "Okay." "Normally, when an applicant reaches this stage we have a little ceremony for him," Justine told me as we progressed down the hallway towards the elevators. "It is to give the man a chance to know what having sex as a male is like before his conversion. But I understand that Mother Naomi has been holding her own ceremonies of that nature with you for some time now?" "Uhm, yes, I suppose you could put it that way." I blushed a little and Naomi chuckled. "Don't be embarrassed about it, dear." Justine gave a chuckle of her own. "As a Care Giver, sex is part of what you'll be doing, and is a matter of pride, not shame, or embarrassment. You'll discover that as you progress, I'm sure." "Oh, I'm sure I will," I answered with a small laugh. "So I gather that the usual welcoming ceremony is going to be waived in my case?" "Not so much waived, as already finished." Justine gave a small nod to Naomi, who gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then headed off in another direction. "There is one part of it, though, that is a tradition we will not waive. It is important to us as a company to see that this is done for all incoming Personnel." "All right." I followed the woman into a small waiting room, and seated myself, noting that the door leading further inside was the sliding variety, and seemed to be made of paper on thin wooden slats in the Japanese style. Given that the company had been founded by a retired Geisha, I decided that made a particularly appropriate kind of sense. Recalling the bits and pieces of Japanese culture that I had learned about, I removed my shoes in advance, thinking that soon, I wouldn't have to put up with the clumsiness of numb fingers any more. Kind of a stupid thing to think of at the time, I know, but the mind does tend to wander through some rather convoluted corridors at times. I also removed my clothing, except for my shorts, and put on a white silk robe that was draped over another chair, evidently for me to put on. Three sharp raps came from just beyond the door, and it was gently pulled open to reveal a kneeling Justine wearing a resplendent kimono of sky blue silk embroidered with silver swans and her long hair up in a complicated style and held in place by a pair of chopsticks. "Please enter, Eric San," she quietly invited, giving my lack of shoes and the fact that I was wearing the robe an approving look. "And be welcome in our humble house." "Thank you," I quietly answered giving her what I hoped was properly respectful bow in return. "I accept your most gracious invitation with great joy and anticipation." Smiling in response she arose with a rustling swish of silk and gestured for me to follow her. I did so, to find a small table with straw mats on either side of it. On the table was a delicate and very beautiful Japanese tea set, with a steaming silver pot set beside that. Without being told, I awkwardly knelt on the mat facing another door and folded my hands. "There is one here who wishes to formalize your greeting into our family, Eric San," Justine almost whispered. "Will you honor her with your permission to do so?" "It would be my honor to accept her gracious greeting, Justine Sama," I responded with a slight and sadly clumsy bow from my kneeling posture. "Ahh, you already know something of the Japanese traditions and culture?" she questioned as she again bowed to me, deeply that time. "Only what I have managed to read so far, Justine Sama," I responded with a slight smile. "Enough, I hope, that I will not offend here." "Your politeness in the effort speaks very well of you, Eric San," she replied with another smile. "Ignorance is easily redressed with a willing pupil. Of which I have no doubt you will be." "Be assured, I will bend every effort towards being worthy of this honor," I replied, meaning every word, even if the delivery had been somewhat stilted. "I am sure you will, Eric San," came the answer, then she gestured gracefully towards the door I faced. "One awaits within even now. Will you consent to see her?" "With great joy." I actually managed to pull off a halfway graceful half-bow of my own then. "This is a great honor you do me, Justine Sama." Without another word Justine glided to the door I faced, and opened it. What I saw on the other side made me catch my breath in pleased surprise. Naomi, almost glowing in an emerald green kimono covered with golden orchid embroidery waited on the other side. I had never seen her so beautiful, or so serene, as at that moment. Rising from her own kneeling posture, after bowing deeply to first me, then Justine, Naomi arose as if lifted by a soft breeze and almost floated to stand at the other side of the small, low table. Standing there in silence for a moment, she gave me another deep bow and questioned, "Would it please you to allow this unworthy supplicant to join you?" "I am the unworthy one here," I softly told her then nodded, forgetting my manners and the ritual for a moment. Then I gave her the deepest bow I was capable of at the time and invited. "I would be greatly honored if you would, Naomi San." I got through the tea ceremony with subtle prompts from Naomi, and I hoped managed not to disgrace myself in the situation. Once it was finished, she gently took my hand and guided me to my feet, then wordlessly led me into the room I had been facing and closed the door. There was low bed in the center of the room, a futon I later learned it was called, and various cabinets of lacquered wood with beautiful decorations in gold, silver, and copper. "I would give you one more time to know the joys of being a man with a woman, if you allow it?" Naomi questioned formally. "It would do me a great honor for you to accept, Eric San." As I watched, she pulled at a pair of ties on the kimono and it fell away from her body with the soft hiss of silk against equally soft skin. Did I say that I'd never seen her more beautiful than when beholding her in that kimono. Well I was wrong. Standing there proudly in the nude as her hands pulled the chopsticks from her hair to let it fall around her shoulders and down her slim back, Naomi Foster possessed a beauty combined with quiet, sure majesty, that filled me with a sense of awe I hadn't felt since the first time I'd seen Earth from orbit. "I gratefully accept your offer, Naomi San," I answered almost thickly. With a small, pleased smile, she gently pulled me into the low bed and gave me more joy than I'd ever recalled experiencing in my life. Then did so again. And again. * * * * Standing in a small room with a comfortable looking couch/bed and not much else in my skivvies wasn't all that embarrassing. I'd been through many physical examinations during my career, and even more during my convalescence from the accident. The camera trained on me was a little different, as was the teleprompter with the disclaimer I was to make before undergoing the DeCorvin process. Naomi, wearing a pink, and skin tight suit gave me an encouraging nod, and I began reading aloud. "I am Eric Chartrand, today undergoing the DeCorvin Process as a preliminary to accepting a position with the Care Givers Company. I understand that the DeCorvin Process will alter my body until I am a genetic female, with all of the difficulties my sisters face. I will menstruate every month, and that it will be possible for me to conceive and bear children. I further understand there is no reversal of the procedure I am about to undergo and will live the rest of my life as a woman. I make this choice of my own free will, without hindrance, coercion or threat of repercussion. I understand I can leave at any time without obligation or further consequence. I state now, for the permanent record, that I request both this procedure and my position in the Care Givers Company and I further release said Company from harm or redress of grievance as may arise from this procedure. So stated by me, Eric Chartrand, on Tuesday January 16th, 2103." The camera shut down, and I was allowed to sit on the couch/bed arrangement. Then Naomi handed me what appeared to be a chocolate milk shake. "This is supposed to taste better than the one I had to drink when I underwent the process," she told me with a quirk of her mouth that approximated a grin. "It's full of the nanos that will change you." I drank it down, not in one gulp, there was lot of it there, and grimaced at the metallic understate. If it actually did taste better than previous versions, I felt a pang of sympathy for anyone who had taken them. "Ok, now what?" "We put in the IV feeds, one in each arm thatcontain the RNA that will instruct the nanites on what to do with you. And give you information you'll need to have as a woman." One of the techs answered while rolling a pair of IV stands up to the bed. "Now lie back and relax. This part of the process is the most unpleasant part of the whole thing and it isn't bad at all." Having them attach the hose ending in a suction device to my genitals was more than a little embarrassing, so much so, that I barely registered the fact when the needles from the IV feeds were inserted into each arm. "This will give you a lot of pleasure," Naomi assured me with a small, knowing smile then added. "Plus save your seed for future use as sperm donations if those are required or requested by anyone." "All right. I guess." My answer was kind of bitten off because the suction device began to work almost right after it was placed. I can't even begin to describe what that felt like. Beyond telling you that I went through so many orgasmic moments that I felt as if my brain was going to fry from the overload. The rest of my body was engulfed in tingling, then absolutely electrical jolts of pleasure interspersed with such contented warmth I hoped the feelings would never come to an end. But, as with all good things... I dropped into unconsciousness with a short protest at being taken from Nirvana so abruptly cut off in mid thought. * * * * I awakened to a familiar voice calling an unfamiliar name. "Persephone, do you hear me?" "Yes." Slowly swimming my way back up to a reasonable state of cognizance my eyes focused on the concerned face of Naomi hovering over me. "I hear you." "You have a beautiful voice," the redhead told me with a smile as the entire room snapped back into focus for me. "Thanks," I murmured as I tried to move. "Can't move though." "It's the restraints," she offered. "To keep you still so you didn't pull the needles out. I'll take them off you now if you like." "Please." I wanted to move, to see if I felt like a whole human being again, and the restraints brought back unpleasant memories of my awakening in Armstrong Center following the shuttle fiasco. But I didn't tell her that. Once those were loosened, Naomi helped me to sit up, and I endured another few moments of vertigo that rapidly faded. I looked at her, seated next to me and asked the inevitable question. "So what do I look like?" "See for yourself," she answered, putting a large hand mirror into a hand that was a lot slimmer, and lighter complected than I recalled it being before. "I think you'll be pleased." "Oh, my god..." I breathed while staring at my reflection. "That's me?" "In all your dubious, at the moment, glory," Naomi confirmed with a little chuckle. The face I was staring at, mine, was heart shaped with a small firm chin and smoothly sweeping jaw line with a delicately upturned nose, very well defined cheeks, a cupid's bow of a mouth, and the most intense ice blue eyes I'd ever seen. All that framed in my still shoulder length hair, though that was now much thicker, softer, and had a shine mine never achieved when I was male. The hair was also a curious shade of white blonde, like the not quite platinum you see on a lot of young children. I thought it was a mess that would benefit from a good brushing, and that my face would look much better with the right touch of makeup. Those ideas kind of surprised me, but I was still just about arrested by the image I saw in that mirror. "Wow." "Yes, wow," Naomi confirmed, handing me a hairbrush without being asked and smiling at my little grimace when I took it. "You're a rare beauty, even for a Care Giver, Persephone my friend." I began running the brush through my hair, which wasn't as tangled as I'd feared and then that hit me. "The first thing I thought was that my hair was a mess, then that I'd benefit from a little makeup." "The RNA," she told me with a small laugh. "It gave you the information, the basics anyway, that you need to function as a female and a woman. It is kind of disconcerting right off the bat, isn't it?" "That's no joke," I answered, finished with brushing my hair and handing the brush back, feeling better about myself as I did. "Don't worry too much about it," the redhead told me. "All that will eventually sink into the background of your usual activities and you won't even think about it beyond doing what is needed for the normal grooming you'll need." "That's reassuring," I replied, marveling at how much lighter my voice sounded even to me. "How does the rest of me look?" I took that opportunity to have a look. I was slimmer all the way around, and my hip bones literally stuck out, wider in proportion to my body than I was used to seeing. I had small feet that were nearly delicate, just like my slender long fingered hands. I took that chance to actually run one of those hands over my chest and was jolted by the feeling. Not from touching female breasts, I didn't have any of those yet. But at the ability to feel the softness of my own skin with my own fingers. "I have feeling in my hands again." And in my feet, I found as I rubbed them against the carpeted floor. "The DeCorvin Process repaired all that nerve damage," Naomi told me with a broad smile. "We told you it would." "I know, but hearing that isn't even close to knowing. Can I stand up?" I gestured to the IV stands still putting things into my arms. "If you want," Naomi answered, standing herself and offering a hand to help me up. Her eyes were shining at my absolute joy in the return of sensations I had all but given up on feeling ever again. "Just be careful at first, your balance and gait won't be the same as you're used to." She was right. That first few steps were one of the biggest adventures I'd had in a long time, but after those, my body and brain seemed to adjust and it was just walking. I was also aware of the difference between my legs. I no longer had those three familiar presences swinging with each movement, and was at least subconsciously aware of a slightly different arrangement inside. Again that passed into accepted normalcy pretty rapidly. The full length mirror I approached rather cautiously showed a rather skinny young woman who showed promise of being a real beauty. Even if she did look more like skin and bones at that moment. But even the bones that showed were delicate, and well shaped. "That's what the IV drips are doing now," Naomi told me. "Getting needed nutrients and starches into your system. The Process pretty well devoured the ones you'd had before during the change. You'll also be eating a lot of high protein and fatty things for a while as you fill out." "Well, now that you mention it..." I put in a little sheepishly. "I am kind of hungry." "You aren't quite ready for solid food yet, little sister." Naomi laughed as she patted my shoulder affectionately. "Lie down, sleep some more, and let the IV feeds do what they're supposed to." "You're the one who brought up eating," I grumbled, barely jolted at all by her calling me 'little sister'. But the things I had done since awakening as a real female had tired me out. "Come to think of it, a nap does sound kind of good just now." * * * * On my second awakening the IV needles were gone and I was ravenous. Naomi was there again, this time with some clothing and a heated tray of food and selection of drinks that looked enormous. I couldn't decide whether to eat, or get dressed first. Eating won. I gave the emptied trays -- there had been two of them, one underneath the other -- and the drained cups a halfway wistful look, then sighed. "I never ate that much when I was a guy!" "You weren't replacing used nutrients at the rate you are now, either." Naomi pointed out cheerfully. "You'll be kind of a pig at mealtimes for some a while yet. Until you get filled out the way you're supposed to be." "Kind of?" "Okay, a real little piggy," she acknowledged with a grin. "It doesn't really last all that long. Then there's the second puberty thing for you to experience." "Second Pub... oh." "Yes, the hormones in your body will start your breasts growing, and get your flow started, too." "Oh joy, oh joy." "You did sign on for this, you know." She pointed out with her tongue probing at her cheek. I almost expected to see blood from where she was obviously biting her lip to keep from laughing. * * * * Albany New York: Evidence has come to light that could indicate the mass riots of last week were staged events. Fomented and partially orchestrated to achieve the maximum of violence with a minimum of property damage. Allegations have been made that there was civic complicity in the bloody confrontations. The death count now stands at 762. * * * * Several days after I'd gone in, I left the Care Givers complex to return to Connie's place where it was planned for me to spend the next month getting myself adjusted to my new self. The heavy eating had filled in the hollows at my cheeks, and added a cushioning layer of subcutaneous fat to soften the once jutting bones of my newly remade body. Also my nipples had become very sensitive, and my chest itched almost all the time. But even without breasts, in the jeans and soft top I wore out of the complex, it was clear to anyone who looked that I was a woman. With the shortage of females in relation to males on the planet I had more or less expected to garner some attention. The outright hungry stares some of the men in Orlando gave me, even in my underdeveloped state were something beyond what I'd prepared myself for, though. "Relax and enjoy it," Naomi advised me when I commented on that fact. "And get used to it. You're an uncommonly lovely young woman, Persephone, even for a Care Giver. You're going to stand out no matter where you go, and that is going to attract a lot of male attention." "Not what's bothering me," I muttered while watching yet another group of males eye me and my companion with more than a little lust in their expressions." "So what is?" "Umm, well..." I tried to frame this next one as delicately as I could manage but still blurted it right out. "Some of those guys, when I see them looking at me like that... Well, I get this really warm feeling in my stomach, and my panties get a little -- umm -- damp!" "Me too." Naomi laughed as our cab arrived. "Some of them are pretty hot looking, aren't they?" "You mean I'm going to feel like this every time some man is looking me over?" "No, dear," Naomi soothed as we got into the taxi. "You're just experiencing the first rush of hormones tuning your mind and body up. Like a teen aged girl first reaching puberty." "Oh, now that's a relief." * * * * "Oh. My. God!" Connie greeted me as I entered her house. "Well, I know I look different, and haven't filled out much yet..." "No, I meant you're stunning!" Connie interrupted me then turned to Naomi. "When you said she turned out really good you didn't mention that she's damned gorgeous!" "I wanted you to get the full impact." Naomi grinned as I went through about seven different shades of blushing. "Persephone here is already turning heads." "With good reason," Connie agreed then turned to face the hallway leading into her living room. "Hey everyone! Look who came home!" I allowed myself to be led into the living room to see my grandmother, Claire, and the kids all evidently awaiting my return. Connie unnecessarily told them, "Just look at her!" They were, everyone of them, and I found myself blushing all over again. And with my new lighter coloring, that really showed up. My grandmother was the first to approach me, and took both my hands in hers while giving me an even more thorough looking over. "Welcome home granddaughter." "Thanks, Gran," I stuttered a bit then found myself returning her wide smile. "Guess I turned out okay, huh?" "You could use a little more meat on those pretty bones, but yes, I'd say you turned out better than just okay, dear." "Umm thanks," I responded a little shyly. "I chose a middle name, too, Gran," I told her quietly then smiled at the expectant tilt of her head in question. "It's going to be Elise." "That was your..." She faltered there a moment and I took the opportunity to give her a tight hug while whispering. "My mother's name. I just wanted to remember her, you know?" "She and your father would be so proud of you, dear." Gran unashamedly let the tears run down her cheeks while pulling back to look at me more closely. "Thank you." "No, I ought to be thanking you," I told her quietly. "For putting up with me when you'd already raised your own children." "Family is a responsibility, dear one," Gran told me simply. "Your mom and dad weren't around to put up with you, and I was damned if I'd let some orphanage do that when I could." "I know. But thanks all the same." Next up was Claire, who took one close look and shook her head. "You clean up real nice, you know that, Persephone?" "Umm, thanks. I think." "Oh, it's a compliment." Claire grinned mischievously. "I get the feeling that I'm going to end up jealous of your looks pretty soon here. As if I'm not already." "Oh, I don't think you need to be jealous at all. You are gorgeous, Claire, always have been. I would have made a play for you if you hadn't been Stew's wife." "I know that. About how you felt towards me," she added then gave me a wistful little smile. "I had kind of hoped that you would make that play once you'd gotten better, you know." "I'm so sorry, Claire," I told her with more than a little pang in my heart over that. "Had things worked out a little differently, I probably would have done exactly that." "I know it." She gave me a genuine smile. "You made the right choice, Persephone, for yourself, Eric, and everyone else. Don't regret that. Please." "I won't." Giving her a hug I added, "I will not waste this. I promise you." "I know you won't." Returning my hug and holding it for a few extra moments, she finished, "I knew you wouldn't from the moment I met Naomi and found she was a Care Giver. You were made for this kind of thing, hon. Even when you were a male." "I appreciate you saying that." "It's only the truth." Next up were the kids. That was the hardest for me. I had spent more than a little time worrying about how they would accept the new me, even with their assurances from earlier. "You're really pretty, Aunt 'Sephone'," Dana enthusiastically told me as she hugged me tightly. "Thanks, sweetie," I answered while holding her to me for a few seconds. "I was afraid you wouldn't like me as I am now." "That's silly!" she matter of factly told me with the assurance only an eight year old could bring to a situation. "You told us what was going to happen to you, and you really are a pretty lady. I still love you even now that you're my aunt instead of my uncle." "How does your brother feel about it?" "Why don't you ask him?" she giggled. "Jack hasn't taken his eyes off you since you walked in." "I will then." Jack was a bit diffident in approaching me, and I opened my arms to him in invitation. He rushed up and just about bowled me over with the impact as he ran into the offered hug. "Whoa!" I told him with a smile. "What was that?" "I was afraid you wouldn't like me as much since you're a girl now," he confided as I gave him a harder squeeze. "Because I'm a boy and all..." "No worries there, Jack," I answered softly. "I still love you as much as ever. Remember the guy who helped you ride your first bicycle because your dad was off training?" "Sure," the boy answered a little hesitantly, then grinned for the first time since he'd seen the new me. "And was Mom ever mad when I ran over her favorite planter." "That's right," I laughed. The planter in question was wooden miniature wheel barrow Stew had made for her just after they were married. "She just about killed both of us over that one." "Yeah, she was mad for days about that," he agreed. "Well, Jack," I told him with a serious expression. "No matter what I look like now, that guy who got in trouble with you then is still here. "Ummm." He still appeared a little uncertain. "In here." I tapped my forehead and chest then nodded my assurance at him. "Right in here." "Can we play catch and soccer again?" he asked to change a subject he was still having trouble with. "Now that you're better again?" "I'd love to, Jack," I responded, working to hide my tears from him and everyone else for a moment then deciding that was stupid. "Whenever I'm around we can do that for a while." "Great!" he responded without a lot of enthusiasm, but it was an answer that showed he was willing. "But you need to talk some more first, don't you?" "Yes, I'm afraid I do." With a laugh I ruffled his hair with one hand, still marveling at the sensations I got from such a simple thing. "But I promise to do that with you later. Okay?" "Okay." His response was tossed back from over his shoulder while he bolted off to another part of the room. I think as much to get away from me as anything else. "He'll come around," Claire promised me while watching the troubled expression on my face. "He just lost his second male role model and it's tough for him." "Yeah," I nodded. "I hadn't gotten to thinking about that yet. I'm sorry I didn't work that a little better." "You did okay, hon." I decided that this girl stuff was going to be harder than I'd first thought, and I was worried about it then. * * * * I awakened that night in a cold sweat with both Naomi and Connie hovering over me with very concerned expressions on their faces. "Are you all right?" Naomi questioned as I struggled out of the sheets I'd wrapped around myself so tightly that getting loose took more concentration than I could gather at that moment. "I was back on the Argonaut," was about all I could manage to get out. "That nightmare, again then." Connie nodded with sympathy in her voice. "Yes." I felt like sobbing, with the whole thing still so vividly etched in my mind from the dream. Especially with the final image of Stew saying 'Goodbye, buddy.' just before the ship broke up. Naomi simply held me until my shivering passed and I fell back into a nearly exhausted sleep. I don't know whether it was because of the new flux of different hormones rushing through my body, and brain, or what added to that nightmare, but I was in a fairly deep depression for the next day or so that only let go once I was chivvied out of it by Naomi and Connie. * * * * I just about ate Connie out of house and home over the next two weeks. Fortunately, between my own money from before and the money added to my account by Care Givers, I could have quit then and there and never had to worry about money again in my life, even with the penalty fees for pulling out of Care Givers. I bought groceries several times during that period. "You're filling out very nicely," Gran observed during one of her frequent visits. I glanced down at the swell of my breasts and let out a long sigh. I had gone from nothing to an A cup then jumped to a C without much in the way of warning. "I've noticed." "Your mother did it that way, too, you know." She grinned, then added, "So did I as did my mother." "Did what?" "Developed really quickly once puberty set in," she responded quite matter of factly, then indicated the pile of groceries I was unloading from their bags and putting away. "We all ate like horses that had gotten into the oat bin, too, while that happened." "Really?" I asked then frowned. "Did all of you have cravings for things too? While you were developing, I mean." "Yes, at least I did, and so did your mother," she laughed. "It takes a LOT of energy to fuel what's happening to you just now, girl. And that needs some pretty specific things off and on. Your body knows what it needs is all." "Things like sardines in mustard sauce?" I questioned while opening a can of those and digging in. "Stranger stuff than that," she agreed. "Oh, okay." I got busy consuming the things, which tasted like the best food I'd ever encountered. But then, everything I developed a craving for tasted that way to me. Even the sourest dill pickles I could find. "You just eat as you need to, dear," Gran told me with a chuckle. "It doesn't bother me." "Well it bothers me," I managed between mouthfuls of food. "I was never this ravenous as Eric." "Yes you were." She laughed at my expression from that comment. "When you were a teenager I actually wondered how I was going to afford feeding you at times, you ate so much, so often." "I feel like a teenager right now," I grumbled to myself. "That isn't surprising at all, dear, Persephone. You're going through things that all teen aged girls do with the onset of puberty," Gran told me simply, then with a mischievous little grin. "Have you gotten wet in the panty area from just looking at a man yet?" "GRAN!!!" "Thought so." I couldn't help myself. I ended up joining in her laughter over that. * * * * Dana's difficulty with pronouncing my name ended up with my getting a nickname. "Can I call you Persey?" she asked one day, pronouncing it Per - Zee. "I suppose you can do that," I answered with a grin. "Just so I know who it is you're talking to, that would work fine." "Good," was her solemn response. "'Cause I can't say P'Sephone right." Soon enough the adults, including Naomi had picked that up and I resigned myself to the idea that I'd be answering to Persey for the rest of my life. * * * * I was allowed a month following my release from the Care Giver's complex after undergoing the DeCorvin process. That time was supposed to be for rest, recuperation, and getting my ravenous appetite under control. That last was harder than it sounds. I was always hungry during the first part of that time because my body was busily replacing nutrients, fats, and other things the conversion had used up so prolifligately. The appetite and cravings for odd things like rare liver (yuck) faded gradually and had disappeared completely about halfway through the third week. Probably just as well. Aside from being headed for blimp like proportions had I continued eating like that, I know some of the things (see above) I found myself eating came very close to making my friends and family ill just to look at. All that eating did have some rather spectacular results, though. By the end of the third week my measurements had pretty well topped out. I turned out to be a 34C - 22 - 36 in the figure department. Which isn't bad by any definition given my height and slender build. My face had filled out some, too. I finally believed everyone who spent so much time telling me I was beautiful after that. Had I doubted at all, simply watching the reactions of any male who set eyes on me would have erased those in a heartbeat. * * * * "Jack?" I asked the boy one day when we were alone in a room for the first time since I'd returned as Persephone. "You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" "Oh, sort of," he admitted quietly while glancing around to see if anyone else was close by. "No 'sort of' to it, Jack," I answered with a small smile. "Do you want to talk about it?" "I don't know," he told me with a shrug. "It's okay, Jack," I assured him. "If you're mad at something, or about something, you can tell me and I won't be angry with you about it. I promise." "Well, it's just that..." Checking the nearby rooms and satisfied that no one had come closer yet, he shrugged. "I was kind of hoping that you'd maybe be my new Dad..." "And I went and did this to myself," I finished with a wave at my changed body. "Yeah." "I'm sorry, Jack," I answered while trying to find words that would even come close to helping in this situation and coming up pretty blank. "I was a lot sicker than I looked when I first got out of the hospital, you know. I wouldn't have been around a lot of times when you needed me because I'd have most likely been back in the hospital a lot at times." "I know, Mom told me and Dana that, too," Jack answered as if he didn't really believe it yet, but nodded. "She said that you had new eyes and ears, and the medicine to let the doctors put those things in would be making you pretty sick off and on." "Anti-rejection drugs," I nodded in my turn. "Those work by holding someone's immune system down so the foreign tissue, the eyes and ears in my case, wouldn't be treated like a cold or the flu in my body. Without those little disease fighters in my body working properly, I would have caught just about every sickness that came along. So, yes, I would have been very ill a lot of the time." "And she said that you would probably be in a wheelchair, or have to have some kind of machine built on to you so you could move around later on, too." Jack gave me a curious, halfway repelled look at that idea as he said it. "Probably so," I sighed. "My spinal cord was hurt very badly. You know what that is don't you? And how it controls a lot of how a person walks uses their arms, hands, and things like that?" At his nod of understanding, I went on, "Well, the way mine was hurt would have never gotten better, and would have gotten a lot worse as time went on. So, yes I'd either have been in a wheelchair, or dependent on something that would have made me look like a half man, half machine eventually." "We would have still loved you." "I know that, Jack, and you don't know how much that means to me," I told him, then without thinking reached out and pulled him into a hug that he didn't resist at all. "I would have still loved all of you, too. In fact, I still do right now." "So none of that bad stuff will happen to you now?" "No, I'm perfectly healthy again, even better than I was before." "But you aren't my Uncle Eric anymore," he quietly mourned. "No, I guess I'm not, am I?" I told him as he settled into my hug for a few moments then worked his way free to look up at me. "But your Father and Mother are still two of the best friends I've ever had, and so are you and Dana. That won't change, Jack. Ever. I'll always love you three, and miss your Dad a lot. There just isn't much else I can say there, is there?" "I still love you, too, even if you're my aunt instead of my uncle now," he finally answered, then sighed heavily as he looked up at me and shook his head. "I'll just have to get used to you being prettier than Mom now and being a girl. I guess it'll be okay, though. If you're feeling better now and won't be sick again." "I am feeling a lot better, and I won't be getting sick like I was again." "Promise?" "I swear it. Cross my heart and everything," I told him almost formally. "You'll still play ball, and soccer, and wrestle with me, and all that?" he questioned. "You bet." My answer was followed by a laughing, giggling tickle session that left both of us gasping for breath. I won't say that ten year old Jack didn't stay a little diffident off and on, but he at least stopped avoiding me after that talk. * * * * In a joint session of the Houses, Representative Daniel Chu of Oregon gave an impassioned speech in favor of his Protection of Women Bill. He stated that with the growing disparity in numbers between males and females on Earth, the Mother Planet needs every breeding capable female we have. Which means we have to protect our women from harm, cherish them, and keep them home on Earth where they belong. Opposition voices questioned if that included keeping women 'barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen' but were a minority in the session. In other news, rioting in Bangkok at the news of the Thai government's enactment of a law prohibiting birth selection for sons, continued unabated after six days. Looting and arson are ongoing problems that the Thai military has been called in to quell. Reports indicate that rioters are being shot on sight in that city and surrounding areas. * * * * My month was not quite up when I received an almost frantic call from Naomi on Monday February 12th. That date is important, and a black one for both Earth and Spacers. "Persey!" Naomi closed her eyes for a moment once I'd answered. "Thank God. Get your things together now. You have to get to the complex as soon as you can." "The PWA?" I questioned, meaning The Protection of Women Act. "Yes, Representative Chu pushed it through a month early. It was passed this morning and will be signed into law officially at midnight." "Damn them for the fools they are." Shaking my head in mixed sorrow and anger, I told her. "I can be ready in fifteen minutes. I'm almost completely packed as it is." "There will be a car waiting for you." Naomi gave me a wan smile as she nodded. " Get to Conference room C on the eighth floor once you arrive. Also, I'm afraid that you can't take time for goodbyes. I'm sorry." "I understand," I answered. "I'll be ready when the car gets here." The next ten minutes were spent making sure that I did have everything that was important to me packed. The card I'd gotten from the kids, the family album from Gran, a few other keepsakes, and my new clothes. Then I left hasty messages for Connie, Gran, Claire and the kids. By then the sound of a horn out front let me know that it was time to get moving. I had taken the time to change into my CGC uniform as well. The skin tight pink jumpsuit attracted more than several stares as I loaded my duffle bags into the back seat and piled in after them. Even before I was completely