Sisters Of Athernia Part One free porn video

"Sisters of Athernia Part One" is a TG Classic. Unfortunately, the very talented author, Diane Christy, was never able to finish the tale, written in 1997. She has not been heard from since, and the story became what is called an "orphan". Since then I posted it on many sites, including FM. A post years ago said that Ms. Christy had passed away. I also wrote a Part Two and Conclusion, and posted it on a few sites, including FM, about ten years ago. It attempted to be completely faithful to the concept, characters and storyline of the original, unfinished work, and to honor Diane Christy's writing style. Now both parts of "Sisters of Athernia" are again available, re-posted for a a new group of readers. They are posted as two separate entries. There is some additional background information available at the beginning of Part Two, as well as a brief note on style at the bottom of Part One. (It's fine to skip either or both of these notes, if you wish.) Although there is no space travel, no aliens, and the story takes place in the present day, because of the transformation mechanism it probably fits the category of Sci-Fi. But if you don't like SciFi, don't let that description discourage you from reading the story. The transformations in Part One are very detailed; the lives resulting from the transformations are in Part Two. For Part Two to make any sense at all it's strongly encouraged that you read Part One first (below). Note that Miss Christy's idea predated the television series "Lost" by a number of years. The Sisters of Athernia Part One By Diane Christy As our plane droned along slowly, I glanced over at my friend, Jack and saw that he was still sleeping. I looked back out the window at the wide, blue ocean a few thousand feet below me. Glancing back around the small cabin of our twin-engined plane, I saw that the other two guys aboard were asleep, too. We had been flying for over three hours, from before sunup, and if our guide had been correct in his estimate, we still had another two hours to go before reaching our destination. At least that was what we had gathered from his attempt to make us understand him. If he spoke any English at all, it wasn't any better than my Spanish, and that was pretty bad. We had left the Galapagos Islands for our next destination, a small atoll in the South Pacific, in order to complete our research assignment. Our research of tropical and sub-tropical plants and trees was the culmination of our senior year at UCLA. All four of us, Jack Thomas, Kevin Benning, Rick Taylor, and myself, Dave Johnson, were on the last week of our three week tour. Hopefully, we would all be back in LA by the following week. That would give us two months to prepare our thesis in order to graduate in June. This trip had cost our parents a great deal of money, but they knew the importance of real hands-on experience and hadn't baulked at the opportunity. The university had arranged for the unescorted tour through the Life Sciences Department. Other than the tedium of the work, we had all had a very enjoyable time on the trip so far. I looked back out the window and watched as the sun cleared the horizon on it's skyward trek for the day. I leaned back in the uncomfortable seat and closed my eyes, trying to rest like the others. I was anxious to get home and thoughts of my girlfriend, Linda, came to mind. She was a senior also and I missed her alot. We were planning on getting married in the fall and I spent the next few minutes thinking of her. I was just getting a good mental picture of her in her bikinii when I heard the otherwise monotone drone of the engines miss a beat. I sat up straight in my seat and looked out the window at the engine mounted on the left wing. I noticed a large streak of oil covering the cowling and spreading towards the back of the engine in the slipstream. I looked back into the cabin in time to see the others coming awake and staring about, questioning looks on their faces. Jacks' eyes were wide with fright as he looked at me. "What's going on!?" he blurted out. I shrugged and looked back out to the engine, now covered with oil, and then back to Jack. He looked downright petrified. He hated to fly and it seemed that his (and my) worst fears were coming true. I looked towards the cockpit where only a small curtain separated the pilot from the rest of the cabin. Kevin pulled it open and asked the pilot, a small man of about forty, what was happening. The pilot said something excitedly in Spanish and then closed the curtain again. He seemed to have his hands full and the worried expression I glimpsed on his face didn't give me alot of hope. The left engine sputtered a few more times as we all looked out the window at it and then I could see the propellor slow down and come to a stop, it's three blades flat against the wind. By now, we were all exchanging terrified looks and wondering if the airplane could make it on one engine. We didn't have to wait long for an answer. The prop hadn't feathered properly and the extra drag it now produced was too much for the other engine to compensate for. Looking down at the ocean below, it became apparent that it was getting closer by the minute. Kevin opened the curtain to the cockpit again and tried to get the pilots attention. The man seemed to be wrestling with the wheel and wasn't interested in Kevins' anxious questions. I didn't think he was going to be any help in explaining what was going on. Besides, it was all to evident what was about to happen. We all looked back out the window and watched the water come up to meet us. A minute or so before it seemed evident that we were going to ditch, we buckled into our seats and located the raft in the back behind the last row of seats. Jack and Rick pulled it out into the aisle and we sat back, waiting for the inevitable. I thought for a moment about what the headlines would say. 'Four UCLA Seniors, aged 22, Die in Plane Crash'. The look of terror on the faces of my friends was the last thing I saw before we hit the water. ********** I came to, lying face up in the small raft. The first thing I saw was Jack, looking out over the water with an excited expression on his face. I glanced around the raft and saw that Kevin and Rick were sitting on the side of the raft like Jack, both of them pointing in the direction that Jack was looking. I leaned up on my elbows, a little dizzy from a knock on the head and tried to peer over the side of the raft. I noticed that the pilot was conspicuously missing. I couldn't see over the side of the 12' inflatable raft so I took quick stock of myself. I didn't feel too bad. No broken bones. Just a bump on my forehead and a little nausea. I looked back towards Jack and saw him looking at me. "Welcome back to the land of the living, buddy!" he exclaimed with a smile. I thought it unusual for him to smile in our current predicament, but it soon became clear why he was excited. I reached for my head and then asked, "How long have I been out?" He helped me into a sitting position and said, "About an hour. We were a little worried about you, Dave. But Kevin insisted that all you had was a minor concussion." I looked over to see Kevin and Rick smiling at me as Jack said, "It seems he was right." Then he hesitated and asked, "How do you feel?" "I'm fine except for a little headache," I replied. "What was all the excitement I saw when I came to?" Jack looked back over the side of the raft and then back at me. I noticed the other two were looking out again. "We seem to be drifting close to a small island. It's only about a half- mile away," he said excidedly. Then he added, "I could have sworn it wasn't there a little while ago. We've all been keeping watch for signs of a search, even though it's probably too soon for that." He had a look of concern on his youthful face and I knew he was puzzled by the island's sudden appearance. I lifted my head up and looked out in the direction they had been pointing and could see a wide beach that stretched for about a half-mile around the visible parts of the island. It was apparent that it was only about a mile wide and we couldn't see how long it might be from our viewpoint. There didn't seem to be anybody living there. At least not from where we were. I looked back at Jack and asked the question that I had been holding back. "Where's the pilot? And how about the plane?" Jack just looked down and replied, "He died in the plane. It went under so fast." He looked up at me and smiled a little, "We almost coudn't get you out in time, buddy. The door didn't open very much and it was a chore to get you out before the plane sank." Then he looked at Kevin and said, "Kevin got the raft inflated right away, good thing he's a strong swimmer. Then Rick and I pulled you out. Kevin dove under once to look for the pilot, but he was still buckled into the pilots seat and we couldn't get in the windows." He smiled weakly and then looked back towards the shore. Kevin looked at me and said, "We should make the shore in just a little while, then we'll be OK." Rick had been strangely quiet. He looked at me once, but didn't say anything. His hopefull expression had changed when Jack had commented on how it didn't look like the island was inhabited. Now he sat on the side of the raft, his head bowed. I wasn't too worried at the time. I had noticed the box of provisions in the center of the raft and knew that, other than needing more fresh water, we would be alright for several days at least. And we were young, healthy guys. We would survive. Kevin was the biggest among us. He stood about 6'2'' tall, good build, about 180 pounds. His red hair gave away his Irish background and his handsome face seemed to be always smiling. He looked at the positive side of things. Rick and I were about the same size. Both about 5'11" and 160 pounds. The only difference was that he had brown hair and mine was blond. Jack was a little shorter than us, about 5'10" tall and maybe 155 pounds. His dark hair was always neat and trimmed. I looked back to the island and saw that we were nearly there. Feeling better after a sip of water from the canteen, I sat up on the edge of the raft and watched the shore draw close. It was a little strange the way the sea calmed down as we neared the sandy beach. The swells had been about six feet when I had woken up, lifting us up and down quite a bit. Now there didn't seem to be anything more than a gentle roll as we approached the island. I didn't dwell on it though, I was only thankful that it would be an easy task to get on dry land. One thing that didn't hit me until later, though. It had been chilly when I woke up. Even under the clear, morning sky. Not uncommon in the cold waters that came up from the south of the equator in this region. Most people think it's always warm around this area. But the Western South Pacific can be a cold place this time of year. My studies had taught us that, as well as our own first hand experience. But now, as we drew the raft up onto the beach, I noticed that it was at least ten degrees warmer, making it about room temperature. But, happy to be alive and on firm ground, I didn't say anything. We brought the raft and our provisions up to the top of the beach, about 50 yards from the water, and sat down under a eucalyptus tree. We looked around and saw nothing but the beach in front of us and a forest behind us, though we couldn't see very far into it. The ground seemed to be gently rising inland, but no trail or road could be seen. It was then that Jack made a startling observation. He stood up and walked over to one of the trees near us. He felt the flaky bark and then looked at us and said, "Doesn't it seem strange to you guys that this type of tree would be growing here?" He was right, this tree was definitely out of it's habitat. One or two might be explained by a random planting, but not a whole forest of them. I was about to say something when I heard a noise off to our left. We all stood up at the sound and looked down the beach. Kevin gave a shout and ran out onto the sand. Looking gleefully back at us he shouted, "Hey! There are some people coming up the beach! Come on!" He motioned us to follow him and soon we were all running down the beach to meet the small group of men approaching us. There seemed to be about ten of them. They were wearing coveralls, all tan, and looked to be about twenty-eight to thirty-three years old. They were of various sizes, but all seemed to be in good physical condition. As we drew near them, the one in front waved and stepped up to us. Kevin grabbed the man's hand and blurted out, "Hey! Are we glad to see you guys! We just crashed a couple of hours ago and.... " The man cut him off, speaking calmly and directly. "Is this all of you?" He spoke perfect English. His rugged, handsome features were unmoved by our elation and he seemed very business-like. "Uh,.. yeah," Jack said, "just the four of us. The pilot died in the crash." The man spoke again. "Is anyone here hurt?" He seemed concerned as he looked us over. "Well, Dave got a bump on the noggin, but otherwise we're fine," Kevin said. The man looked me over for a second, making me feel unusually nervous, then looked at us all, one at a time. Then he smiled and told some of the others to get our gear. He motioned us to follow him as he turned back down the beach. We badgered him with questions about where we were, who they were, and so on. But they only told us to follow them, there would be time for questions later. It all seemed so unreal. These guys popping up on the beach. Taking us 'who knows where' without answering any questions and being very quiet and business-like in their manner. I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But mostly, I was just glad to be saved. We rounded the end of the beach and took a small trail up about a hundred yards into the forest. Then we came out on, of all things, a paved road! A large van was parked near the trail. The man pointed to the open door on the side and we all piled in. I noticed that the other men just looked at us and then at one another as the van started down the road. It made me feel uneasy. They seemed to be sharing some thought that we weren't allowed in on. I looked over at Jack, he was smiling and trying to start a conversation with one of the men, but he seemed very happy about being rescued and he wasn't too concerned about the lack of response. Still, the men were smiling and seemed to be glad that we were safe. The van moved down the road for only a few minutes when I could see a few buildings drawing near. We had gone uphill slightly for a few minutes when we started down a little grade. Then all at once, we seemed to be in an area of very nice and well kept homes! I could see modern, expensive cars in the driveways and a few men and women about. It all struck me as very odd. Here we were in the middle of the Pacific, and all around us were elm trees and houses that looked like an LA suburb. It wasn't very large, maybe twenty-five or thirty homes, but it all seemed so unreal. The people struck me as the most interesting. For the few minutes we drove through this area I could see a few people outside their homes. The women caught my eye more than anything else. Although I only saw about four or five, they were all gorgeous! Some blond, some brunette, but every one of them was a knockout! Absolute Babeland! They looked to be about twenty years old or so, but it was hard to tell, the way they were all dressed up. All of them were dressed as though they were going out. Those that were with men seemed to be married to them, the way they held their arms or their hands, always smiling at them and walking or standing in a seductive manner. This was really getting weird! The van passed by the houses and I could see the other guys from our group looking out at everything with the same confused look that I had. Then we went on for about a half-mile and came up on a nice park and then drove into the center of what was a small, but very modern town. It was complete with a town square and city hall building. The storefronts were brick and glass-lined and looked as though they could have been brought here from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills! There was a mini-mall off to one side and a couple of nightclubs on one street across from the large city hall building. A cafe stood near where we were and there was a theatre across the square right next to a beauty salon. There were other buildings, too, though I didn't have time to get a good look at them. The van stopped in front of the large building and I could see more men and women walking around or coming out of stores or going into them. They were very much like the ones I had seen near the homes we drove through. The men were young and fit and the women were absolutely gorgeous! I thought that maybe this place (wherever it was) might not be such a bad place after all! By the looks on the faces of Jack, Kevin, and Rick, they seemed to have the same thoughts. I looked out on the square and saw a man sitting on one of the park benches with a woman. She was a brunette wearing a short sweater-dress. The red dress came well above her crossed knees and she wore a pair of high-heeled red pumps that set off her long shapely legs very nicely. But it was the front of her dress that drew my attention. Her ample cleavage was straining at the front of her low-cut dress as she leaned towards the man sitting next to her and brought a long, white, ladies cigarette up to her red lips. The man lit it for her and she leaned back, exhaling a long stream of white smoke off to one side as she held the cigarette femininely between her slim fingers with their long, shiny red nails. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation and she smiled continuously. I looked back at Jack, who had watched the same scene I had just observed. I was about to say something when the van moved again, driving us around the side of the building and then stopped next to a side door. The men motioned for us to get out and we were hustled into the building quickly, as though they didn't want anyone to see us. That seemed a little strange, but I wasn't complaining, it was good to be alive right then! We went in the door and turned down a hallway that led back to the front of the building, passing a few doors along the way. In a few moments, we were up near the entrance of the building. Why didn't they just bring us in the front? The lobby of the building was very large and grand looking. The black tile floor was shiny and clean and there were several soft chairs in the center of the lobby, forming a circle around a table. A large counter sat against one wall, where a receptionist might have worked. The back of the lobby had two hallways going back into the building. Pictures hung about the marble walls and large throw rugs lay neatly about. The man who had brought us here dismissed all but four of the other men with him and those that he dismissed left through one of the hallways. The others sat down against one wall on a long, leather covered bench. I still didn't feel comfortable the way they continued to look at us and then talk among themselves in whispers. Then the 'leader' sat in one of the chairs near the center of the room and motioned us to sit near him in the remaining chairs. We sat down and Kevin looked over at me and then at the man. Before he could say anything though, the man began to speak. "I know you all have many questions that you would like to ask. Please allow me to introduce myself and then I'll try to answer your questions as best I may." He spoke authoritatively and I was sure that he must be a community leader, if not the leader. He continued, "My name is John Lawson and I am the Mayor of this community. The island you have found yourself stranded on is called Athernia. We are glad that you are all in good health and are sorry for the misfortune that has brought you here." I thought about the name 'Athernia' and realized that I had never heard of an island by that name in this region of the Pacific. I wanted to ask him more about it, but he continued to speak. "There are fifty-eight inhabitants living here on our island. Thirty-two men and twenty-six women." I noticed some of the other four men sitting on the sofa shifting in their seats. "We have been here for quite some time now." He hesitated, then went on. "Some of us have lived here for over thirty years." As he let that sink in, I wondered at his words. I hadn't seen anyone old enough to have been here that long unless they had arrived as very small children. But he went on with his speech, seeming to know our questions before we asked them. "This island is not the usual island you might find in this part of the world. As you may have noticed during your short stay on the beach, the island has many features and characteristics about it that don't seem quite correct." Some of us nodded in understanding. Kevin finally spoke up. "Uh,.. Mr. Lawson. My... my name is Kevin Benning." Then he turned to each of us and introduced us by name. Then he looked back at Mr. Lawson and continued. "We're on a scholastic tour from UCLA. We're all very thankful for your assistance but,... but can you help us to contact our parents so we can let them know we're alright? And we need to contact our people that were to meet us at our next destination. I'm sure their all looking for us by now." Before Kevin could continue, Mr. Lawson raised his hand and then said, "I'm afraid that communication with the outside world would be impossible." He looked at each of us in turn as we pondered the statement he had just made. Impossible to contact the outside world? What could he mean by that? Obviously this island did quite a bit of trade in order to be as modern as it was. Certainly they had a way to communicate with the outside. "Please let me continue and all will be clear in a moment," he said. We settled down and listened intently to him after that. Looking gravely at us, he continued, "I have been here almost thirty- three years. Ten of us landed here after our plane crashed at sea enroute to Fiji from Lima, Peru. We were a group of scientists, on our way to study the effects of atomic testing in the South Pacific. There were eight men and two women in our group. Like you, our pilot died in the crash, but the rest of us got into the two rafts we had aboard and eventually found ourselves washed up on the shores of Athernia." We looked at him with our mouths open. Thirty-three years ago? If that was true, then he must have been a child genius! He didn't look to be quite thirty-five yet! But before we could say anything, he went on. "This island was uninhabited when we arrived. Only this building was here, although its' appearance was somewhat different than you see now." He paused and looked at each of us, then asked, "Didn't you notice how one minute there was nothing on the horizon and then in the next minute you seemed to be quite near this island?" We looked at one another and nodded our heads. That was just what Jack had mentioned on the raft. "Well," he continued, "the same thing occured to us. We came ashore and found our way here, to this very spot you're on now. It was a simple, low structure back then. It took us quite a while to find a way into it." Now we were completely intrigued by his words. We listened, half unbelieving to what he said. But the unreal situation lended credibility to what he said and I felt somehow that he had no need to lie to us. He stood up and lifted his hands around him, as if to show off the room and said, "This... this building is the reason all... or almost all of us survived." He seemed a little sad as he spoke. Almost all survived? What did he mean by that? "You see, we came to find out that this was not an ordinary island. In fact," and now he looked at us again, "in fact this is not an island at all." Now he really had us intrigued. "We discovered that this whole island is just an extension of the building. This structure is really an observation post of some kind,... An outpost of some type of ancient or alien civilization that must have been left behind a long time ago." He looked serious as he spoke, not a trace of falsehood in his expression. Jack couldn't take this anymore and he blurted out, "Aww, come on, Mr. Lawson! This is ridiculous! I don't know why you're telling us all this, but I just want to get home! Obviously you people must have some kind of radio or something around here. If you'll just let us contact our folks, we'll be out of here as soon as they can send for us." We were all nodding in agreement. This was getting too weird! But John Lawson shook his head as he sat down and then said, "I understand your reluctance to believe me. It is always the case. But maybe I can persuade your opinion a little easier by showing you what I mean." He looked around at each of us and then pulled out a small device from his pocket. It looked like a hand held calculator, only different. He placed it on the table in front of him and pressed a button. A moment later we could hear a low hum and then saw something that convinced each of us that he was telling us the truth. The space immediately above the device became hazy and blue and then a 3- D picture, like a hologram, appeared above it. A scene unfolded within the space. The ocean appeared first, then the water flatened out where waves had been and an oval land mass began to appear. Within a few moments, the land was firmly in place and then a conical light pattern descended onto it and when it's apex reached the center of the island, the light disappeared and a low, flat building was left in it's place. Right in front of our eyes, trees, bushes, plants, and such appeared. The island took shape and beaches were formed. Then a small craft, like a plane, but different, more sleek and slender, descended onto the building. Small figures could be seen coming out of it and entering the building from the top. Then the picture went out. We looked at one another in astonishment. The picture had been so real, so lifelike. I had never seen anything like this before. Certainly it wasn't a trick. I knew what it took to create a hologram. There wasn't any kind of apparatus around here to do that. What ever that device he had used was, it wasn't made with any technology that we had ever seen. Mr. Lawson grinned and picked up the device, sliding it back into his pocket. Then he looked at us and said, "That is a partial record of the creation of this place. It has much more to it, but that should suffice for now. We discovered many such devices of a very advanced technology here. It took us several years to figure all of them out to see how they worked and what was the purpose of each of them. Fortunately, we were all scientists and took our time in experimenting with each of them. I'm sure that others would have made grievious errors in experimenting with them and accidents surely would have occured. We were fortunate in that we took our time and eventually learned all their purposes and many of their possible uses." He looked around the room again and said, "This building is the power source for the whole complex. By using some of the equipment we found here, we were able to convert the landscape into anything we needed. The homes, the shops, the roads,... the whole town is artificially created using the technology we found here. Even the vehicles are created by the equipment we discovered." He paused and looked again at each of us. Jack spoke up again, not so aggresive this time, "But,... but how do you explain your age and.... and why don't you just create an airplane to fly you out of here?" That question was forming in all our minds. Why didn't they leave? John looked around the room again and then sighed, "You don't understand everything yet, my friends." He took on a saddened expression and then continued. "It took us some time to even get into this building. Then it was a year or so before we really began to understand much of what it was all about. We found food synthesizors and other helpful things that we figured out soon enough. So we survived,... that is,... all except the women." He paused, a sad expression covering his rugged, handsome face. "The two women died shortly after we arrived. Within a week they both were taken quite ill. In a few days they had died of some unknown disease or virus. We've never been able to figure it out." He shrugged and sighed again, then he continued, "When we finally began to master all of the equipment here, we discovered how to convert the raw material of the island into dwellings and what ever we needed. The homes and the town you see now took us several years to create. And we change things now and then, for variety. It keeps us busy and helps to stimulate us." Then he looked again at each of us, taking his time to look us over, then said, "As for leaving here,.. well.. of course we thought of the same thing. We tried to leave right away. Within a year we had created a small ship and set off in search of the shipping lanes, hoping to be seen by a freighter or an aircraft. But try as we might, we could never get more than a half-mile away from the island. You see, the materials that make up this island, will not leave the island. They remain here, drawn back to it as if by some type of mutual, magnetic attraction. But much different, much more complex. "This island, as I said, was probably an observation post. It is not visible from above or from the sea. Only if you are brought in by the currents of the sea, and only with a very small craft, like a raft, will you land safely on it. Attempting to power your way in simplying shifts you around it. And you can't float or fly away from it. Apparently, only the vehicles of it's previous inhabitants could have come and gone as they pleased. As I said,... this was an observation post of some other civilization. They didn't want to intrude. For that matter, man may not have even evolved at the time they were here. We have no idea how old this place is. They took all the records, except a very few, with them when they left." He smiled a little and said, "But you must all understand that we have become used to our lives here. We have made for ourselves a place that we enjoy. Anything we need is available to us, and so...over the years we have developed a very nice life. I doubt that any of us would leave now, even if we could." He looked back at Jack and said, "As for your question about my age? I was forty-five years old when I arrived here. That means I'm now seventy-eight years old." He stood up and turned around for us, displaying his youthful, healthy and toned physique. "Not bad for an old man, eh?" He laughed a little at our astonished expressions. Then he sat down and said, "One of the benefits of the technology we found here. We can have the body of our liking, and we can stop ourselves from aging. But,... you'll get to know more about that after a while." As he spoke and when what he had said sunk in, I noticed the other men on the sofa smiling at one another and looking towards us. Again I felt a little uneasy. But now Mr. Lawson was speaking again, "We can recieve transmissions from outside the island. We have televisions and radios here, but we can only receive. We can't send any signals out. So we've kept up to date on what's going on outside and frankly,... we're glad we're here and not there." He paused and then smiled again. "We keep up on current styles and trends, new innovations and what have you. And the women like to keep up on the latest fashions, although we do keep some of our old lifestyles and habits alive here. The rules are simple and you'll get to know them. I'm sure that after you've been able to rest and relax, you'll find out everything else you'd like to know. In the meantime, we've some preparations to make for your stay here. There is a place here for you in this building. You'll stay there until you're made ready to move to the housing area. Please allow me to show you to your quarters and you can rest and eat before we meet together again later, after lunch." He stood up and motioned us to follow him. Made ready to move? What did he mean by that? But before I could say anything, Kevin spoke up again. "Mr. Lawson? You said that there was only ten of you when you arrived,.. and that the two women died. How come, ... how is it that there are almost sixty of you here now?" Good question, I thought. But Mr. Lawson just smiled and said, "I'll explain everything about that when we meet after you've rested, but... suffice it to say for now that you're not the first castaways we've received on Athernia." Then he led us down one of the hallways towards the back of the building. That made sense. Of course, after all these years they were bound to have had more than just a few chance survivors of accidents at sea arrive here. The answer seemed to have concluded any further discussions at the moment and we followed Mr. Lawson past several doors and adjoining hallways towards the rear of the building and our temporary quarters. **************** I stood in the middle of our 'quarters' and looked around me. To say it was very comfortable was an understatement. Mr. Lawson had brought us in and then had left, telling us to be ready in an hour to meet with him again. Some of the other men he had dismissed upon our arrival in town were just leaving the room when we arrived. Apparently they had been preparing it for us. The place where I was standing was sort of a sunken common area. It was a circular area about thirty feet across. You could get down here from any direction by means of two steps that led down into it from all around. The center of the area was encircled with a large, round, white sofa. There were three openings in the circular sofa so that you could walk inside to sit. In the middle was a large, glass topped table with ornate footings on it. The glass was lined on the edges with a wooden trim. There were a few small table statues on it, a couple of large, glass ashtrays, and a large bouquet of flowers in the middle. The rest of the room fanned out into an upper area where there were four sleeping areas. Each was partitioned off with a seven foot high wooden wall that came out about twelve feet, ending about four feet from the inner area so that you could walk around the room from that level and enter any of the sleeping areas. Each room had a three foot wide opening along the outer partition from which to enter it, but there was no door to close it off. Each 'room' had a comfortable bed, about a queen size, with a nightstand and lamp, against one side of the room. There was a small alarm clock on the nightstand next to the lamp. There wasn't anything else on it except a small, crystal ashtray. Next to the partion on the other side was a dresser and a freestanding closet. Against the wall where the head of the bed was, stood a vanity with a mirror and a chair. Other than the fact that the furniture looked to be more suited for a woman's taste, for instance the bedspreads were a peach color and the bottom of the bed was lined with a ruffled, yellow skirting, it was more than adequate for our immediate needs. A large bathroom could be entered through a door on one side of the room next to the last of the sleeping areas. It had two toilets, two showers, and a long, marble counter with two sinks in it and an ornate, wood lined mirror running above the entire counter-top. Most of the room, including the bathroom was carpeted in a thick, white, pile carpeting, except for the open area outside the rooms to the edge of the steps down into the pit area. That was covered with a black marble tile. I looked around to see that the room was lit from above with recessed lights and an opaque, glass roof for ambient lighting. The ceiling was at least fifteen feet high. There was even a small bar along the backside of the sofa on one side, complete with icemaker and a contraption that looked like a small microwave. Mr. Lawson had explained that it was a food synthesizor and had told us that the instructions were self-explanatory. We should use it, he had said, since we mentioned we were thirsty and hungry. Other than some paintings that hung about in each room and in the bathroom, there wasn't much else except for what looked like a large TV screen on the wall. It hung in an area where another sleeping area could have easily fit. It was about five feet in width and height, though there didn't appear to be any controls on or about it and I hadn't seen any kind of remote control lying around. There was a cabinet-like thing below it. It looked a little like a rolltop desk, only narrower and devoid of handles or any visible way of getting into it. Nothing else could been seen of any real significance in the room, except for what appeared to be a large, many faceted, glass covered light over the sofa. It was at least the diameter of the sofa, but I wasn't sure if it was a light or just an ornamant. It appeared to hanging down to about ten feet above the sofa by cables. If it was a light fixture of some kind, there wasn't any apparent switch around to turn it on. I looked around again and noticed that each of the other guys had claimed a sleeping spot. Kevin was sitting on one of the beds, bouncing a little on it to test it out. Jack was in the one next to him, next to the remaining room that was near the entrance to the bathroom. He was looking in all the drawers of the dresser. I saw that Rick was sitting down on the side of his bed, just staring at the floor. He was in the sleeping room that came over near the large TV. I walked out of the pit area and went into the remaining room, between the entrance to the bathroom and Jack's room. I looked around for a moment and then went around to see Jack. He was closing the drawers on the dresser and looked up as I entered. "Well," he said, "we should have packed a bag. There doesn't seem to be anything in here for us." He smiled a little and then sat on the edge of the bed. I walked over and sat on the chair at the vanity, turning it around to face him and said, "Well,... I wouldn't worry. I'm sure we'll be provided with everything we'll need. You can't expect them to have already measured us for clothes." He just laughed and nodded and then looked thoughtful. Kevin came around the edge of the partition and looked at us. He seemed to be in pretty good spirits and smiled, saying, "Well, guys! I've stayed in much worse places than this! The beds are comfy and it sure beats a raft!" His smile and good mood was a little infectuous and I smiled back. He pointed out to the pit area and said, "And they even have a bar! How 'bout that? And did you guys see that TV? Monday night football is gonna be great!" Then he looked over at Rick and called out to him, "Hey, Rick! Don't look so glum, man. We'll be OK. You'll see." Kevin looked back at us and said, "He's taking this pretty hard. He never was much of an adventurer.' Then he looked serious for a moment and asked, "Do you guys think that Lawson is on the level? His story sure seems strange and hard to believe! But,... you know?,... I get the feeling he's telling us the truth." Jack looked over at him and said, "I'm not sure what to believe right now. But I get the feeling that there's alot we haven't been told yet. It all seems kind of,.. well,... too easy, if you know what I mean." He stood up, gesturing a little with his hands as he continued, "I mean,... all this stuff about not aging and how this place is not really an island,... and what about the women we saw? Man! Can you believe it?" He sat down again on the bed. I looked at them and said, "Well,... his story sure holds up when you look at that hologram.. or whatever it was. I've never seen anything like it before. And the part about being able to not age and change your body around sure fits when you look at him and the others. The women obviously all took part in it. I haven't seen an ordinary looking man or women since we got here, though I'm sure we only saw a few of them." I hesitated a minute and then added, "Well,... it doesn't really matter now, anyway. I'm sure he'll let us know more at our meeting later." Then I stood up and said, "In the meantime, how about something to eat?" They all agreed and even Rick came out from sulking in his room to join us. Jack looked over the food synthesizor and got it working in just a few moments. Apparently the instructions popped up on a small screen when you touched it. He read off a rather lengthy menu, but we all just had a sandwhich and a glass of soda. It was weird watching the food just appear, all ready to be served on a plate in just a couple of seconds. It reminded me of something I'd seen on a science fiction TV series one time. We talked a little while we ate, sitting comfortably on the sofa, and even Rick lightened up a little and seemed to be more relaxed. When we were done, I looked around for a place to put the dirty plates, but couldn't find anything, so I just piled them on the large, glass table and left them. A little while later the door to the room opened, sliding back into the wall, and Mr. Lawson came in. He looked around at us, we had been sitting on the sofa discussing what we wanted to ask him at the meeting, and he smiled. "Well,... I'm glad you have taken this opportunity to have something to eat. Did all of you get something?" he asked. We all nodded. He smiled and clasped his hands together. "Very good. Now if you'll all follow me, we'll move into a comfortable room where we can all talk. I'm sure there is a great deal you'd like to know." He smiled and motioned for us to follow him. As we got up and went out into the large hallway, it dawned on me that I didn't know how the door worked. Mabye it just opened when you came near it? But I'd walked by it several times when we were in the room and it hadn't opened. I decided I'd better ask Mr. Lawson about it when I had the chance. The four of us in our now dry clothes followed him down the hallway for a short distance. He turned to a door on his left and it opened. He motioned us in and we found ourselves in a large conference room. A large, oval, wooden table was in the middle and there were plenty of comfortable chairs sitting around it. On one long side of the table, across from the door we had entered, the four men who had stayed with us at the earlier meeting were all seated. They had changed their clothes and were now dressed in slacks and blazers. Their clothes weren't identical, but they were all of the same cut and style. Brown, black, or blue. They looked very conservative, but casual. They smiled at us as we entered. Mr. Lawson, dressed in similar clothes, moved around to the head of the table and took a seat. He motioned for us to sit and we took the remaining four chairs across from the other four men. Then something a little strange happened. After we had sat down, a couple of the men across from us switched places. They didn't seem to make a big deal of it, they just switched around slightly. To me, it seemed to fit in with all the other weird things that had been happening. Besides, I was feeling very relaxed, almost a little sleepy, and I didn't really care about anything at the moment except for some answers to my many questions. Mr. Lawson looked across at us and then cleared his throat. "Well, boys. First let me say that I think you are all taking this very well. I'm very glad that you haven't created a fuss concerning your present situation. I can tell you that not all of our arrivals here have been as calm as you have." He smiled and gave us a friendly look. Kevin started to say something, but Mr. Lawson held up his hand. He smiled and said, "Now I know you all have many questions still. But, first,.. if you please. I have been through this many times. Meeting with new arrivals, that is. If you'll just let me talk, uninterupted for a while, I'm sure I'll answer many of your questions right off the bat." He smiled again and we all nodded. That seemed fair enough. He continued, "First of all, please believe me when I tell you that you are stuck here with the rest of us. I know that you'd like to leave, but I assure you,... there just isn't any way off the island. I'm also quite sure that in time, you'll all come to be quite comfortable here and thought's of leaving won't trouble you so much." He gave us a reassuring smile again. But I didn't think that I would ever get used to staying here, even if what he said about leaving was true. "Now you all know as much as you need to for now, about what and where this place is. So I'm not going to dwell on that any further. Suffice it to say that everything I told you about Athernia is true and that I have no reason to lie to you. "As for your future here,... I would like to tell you a few things before we get into any details." He stood up and went to the wall behind him. He pressed a part of a panel and a screen appeared on the blank wall. He pressed a space next to the screen and it illuminated slightly. Then he sat down again and looked at us. "What you are about to see is some recorded footage of some of the things that have ocurred here in the past. I will narrate as it progresses and fill in any details you might need to know. Most of the scenes are self- explanatory. These are things we feel new arrivals should know. Please don't interupt me until it is over. It won't take long." He pressed down on a spot in front of him on the table and the screen brightened up a bit. Then, as he started to speak, images would appear on the screen as he spoke. Sometimes they were stills, like photographs, and others were like a video. The first few minutes was a brief record of their arrival here and the next couple of years of their stay. It showed them building a few simple shelters and then the discovery of the way into the building. Apparently, the devices in the building were recording their movements, even before they had gotten into it. I could see Mr. Lawson in the pictures. He was a little different then, a little older and not as good looking as he was now. But he was familiar enough to pick out from the others. The first part even showed the women who had become ill and died. The shots of them lying on cots, puffed up and bloated, wasn't very pretty. Then the next few frames showed them after the men had entered the building and began experimenting with the equipment. Finally it showed them forming small buildings in the area of the square. Then the screen went blank. He had narrated the film as it went along, giving us a brief history of their first couple of years here. It seemed very real and convincing to us. He looked back at us and said, "Now you know enough about how we have survived to understand the extent of the technology we have available to us here. The rest, that is,.. how you four will fit in here, is really quite straight forward and I won't bore you details of how we accomplish it." It? What did he mean by that? Again I felt as if I wasn't really in on what was going on here. It wouldn't be the last time I felt like that. He turned a little serious and looked gravely at us now. Even though I was really feeling relaxed and calm, his stare unnerved me a little. I could see it was having the same effect on the other guys. "Please pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you. It concerns you closely and I feel we owe you this explanation before we begin." That sounded ominous. Begin? Begin what? I was a little confused and the way the guys and I looked back and forth at one another confirmed that they were as puzzled by his statement as I was. But he continued before anyone said anything. "After the two women with us died, we didn't have any other visitors here for a few years. Then,.. one day, we found three women and two men washed up on our beach. Very near the spot you landed. We brought them into our small town and nursed them back to health. But,... in a few days, the women showed the same signs of illness that our two original female companions had." He lowered his gaze a little and a sad expression came over his face as he continued on. "Within two days,... they were dead. We didn't know,... couldn't figure out what was happening to them. It went on like that. Every now and then, over the next few years, more people were marooned here. The largest group came seventeen years ago. A large cruise ship went down and we soon had forty-two women and twelve more men with us. Many more never made it to the island. But,. " again his look of resignation, "again, the women all died. But this time, there were several children with them when they came ashore. We had hope for them,... but,.. all the girls and all the boys under fifteen died with the women. Four boys over fifteen lived." He stood up now and walked behind his chair. He looked up at the ceiling and then turned to face us, his hands resting on the back of the chair. "We finally deduced that any females, and all young children under fifteen or so, carry a common virus in here with them from the outside. Obviously, they have always carried it, probably all women and children everywhere. It is harmless, unable to grow or become malignant on the outside. We don't know why. "But... something in the atmosphere here, or something else, triggers the virus out of remission and it soon kills them. We don't know how to control it, though I assure you we've spent considerable time trying." Now he moved around the table and sat down again. I was getting a little nervous. All this talk about dying and disease made me feel uneasy. It was strange, though. I was feeling very relaxed and calm, otherwise. Jack spoke up quickly, "But you must have found a cure for this disease at some point. What about all the women,... " Mr. Lawson cut him off with his raised hand and smiled a little, saying, "Please,... let me finish. It'll all be quite clear in a moment. Then you'll understand." I noticed that the men across from us were fidgeting a little. But a quick look from Lawson calmed them down. I noticed that the one sitting across from me, the one who had switched with another earlier, was looking at me with an odd expression. It made me feel self-conscious and nervous. I looked back at Lawson. He went on, "As I said,.. we were never, and still have not, been able to find a cure for this. Even the technology we have here at our disposal has not availed us. Maybe someday we will find a way to stop this incidious disease from taking the lives of those women and children who are unfortunate enough to find themselves here. But that remains to be seen. "Since that time when so many people arrived here at once, seventeen years ago, fewer and fewer people have come here to us. We know that the technology in the outside world has improved over the years, making accidents at sea less likely,.. and rescue much quicker. And, so,... Over the next several years, only a small number of people came here,.. until at last, some four years after that event, we had thirty-two men here and no women." He paused for a moment and then spoke again. "We knew that something had to be done. There was bickering and infighting among us. We had everything, health, strong bodies, plenty to do and plenty to think about. But ,.. " he raised a finger, "we had no women. No female companionship. No real reason to go to our homes at night." He looked at us and calmly said, "No comfort in the dark hours of the morning." He smiled a smile of resignation and shook his head a little. I was intrigued now. It was almost like a drama unfolding in front of me. I had so many questions for him. How did they ever get women to live here if they hadn't found a cure? What was the mystery behind all of this? I looked over and noticed Jack looking back at me with a confused look on his face. Kevin and Rick were just staring at Lawson, like kids waiting for the climax of a story to be read. Mr. Lawson looked back up at us and continued. "So we held an historic meeting. It was a turning point for us here on Athernia. We discussed the problem from many angles, and... and at last we reached a decision. We drew up some laws and rules to live by, and for others to live by should they join us in the future. Hard choices were made that day,... but we found that they were absolutely necessary,... and they have worked very well for us." Now he stood behind his chair again and looked directly at each of us in turn, taking time to lock eyes with each of us. It made me very uncomfortable. But I didn't seem to be able to fidget. I felt riveted to my chair. He finally let go of my gaze and sighed. "What we decided was this. If we couldn't keep the women that came to us alive,... why couldn't we create women who could live here with us?" As he let that sink in for a second, I had the uneasy feeling that I was listening to a mad scientist. Create women? Well,... maybe they could. I supposed that the technology was there, or here. But,...? His voice cut off my thoughts. "We knew we couldn't just make a woman out of inanimate objects,.. but we could use the resources that came to us now and then." He drew up to his full height and then looked down at us. He was about to tell us something to clear this up. I just felt it! "We decided that we would not let any more men join us on this island until each of the thirty-two men already here had a wife,... a female companion. We decided,... we resolved to use the technology on the island to change the next thirty-two men that arrived here,... into women. They would become our wives." What? I couldn't believe what I'd heard! Jack was looking over at me and I was looking at him and Rick just seemed to be staring down and shaking his head. Kevin was just staring blankly at Lawson. We were all about to say something when he raised his hand to silence us and said, "I know that this sounds impossible to you! But,.. you saw for yourself that it has worked! We were very, very succesful. Beyond our wildest dreams! It really wasn't difficult to do at all. Once we had mastered all of the technology available to us, it was just a matter of a little experimenting. By the third attempt, we were more than satisfied with the results. And,... " he emphasized this point, "we have improved every time we have repeated the process." I'd had enough of this! This guy was nuts! I was going to stand up and say something, but,... but I couldn't seem to make my arms and legs move! I looked over at Jack and he seemed to be in the same predicament! I found my voice and blurted out, "You can't be serio.. ss... s," It was getting hard to talk! What had they done to me! Could he possibly mean....? Could they possibly...? "Ohhh, we're quite serious, Mr. Johnson," he calmly said. Kevin strained to speak, mumbling out, "Wha... wha...are.. youuu.. say..... ing!?" Then he couldn't speak any longer and his mouth just wagged. I could see Jack and Rick just shaking their heads, pained expressions on their faces. Mr. Lawson looked at Kevin and calmly said, "What I'm saying, gentlemen, is this." He moved over between the men across from us. I noticed they all had wry smiles on thier faces. Mr. Lawson spoke like a diplomat now. Very frankly. Very matter-of- factly. "We are very sorry that you must go through this. But, if we hadn't done this, you would have landed on an island inhabited by insane men." I was pretty sure I already had! "We want you to know that you will be treated with the utmost respect and care once you have been transformed into females. These four men have waited a very long time for this moment and you must try and understand what they have been through. Your situation is nothing compared to the suffering they've had to endure through the years. "Your transformation will not take long,... it will be completed by this time tomorrow. I won't go into too many details,... suffice it to say that it won't be painful, at least physically, and you will still retain your own thoughts and memories." I almost couldn't hear him with the wild thoughts and panic racing through my mind. A woman? Me? Like the ones I'd seen outside? No! This was nuts! I heard a slight gag come from Jack. His pained expression told me he was having similar thoughts. Lawson moved over to the screen and touched it again. A very accurate drawing of a womans slender hand, her left hand, appeared on the screen. Very well done, with a cut-away view of her ring finger. A single, diamond studded ring was on the ring-finger. It looked like a ladies diamond wedding band. Small tendrils, almost like roots, wound into the finger from under the ring and wrapped themselves into the nerves depicted inside the finger. "I will give you a very brief synopsis of the process before you must return to your quarters and begin. I know that you are unable to speak by now, so they'll be no questions. The food you had earlier was laced with a very strong muscle relaxant. Please don't try to struggle, it will do you no good." He pointed to the drawing. He was right. I couldn't move at all. But I continued to try! I had to get out of here! They were crazy! "A ring like this will be placed on the ring-finger of your left hand. It will be big enough to fit you now, but it will shrink in size to conform to your new bodies as you undergo the many changes ahead. It is a type of transceiver, that is, it is a signal receiver and a signal sender. It is tied into the main complex here and directly into your nervous system. It will facilitate your transformation and maintain the proper control over your behavior during and after the process. Since you will retain all of your memories and thoughts, we obviously have to excercise a certain degree of control over your actions. How much control it places on you, will be up to you. It senses abhorrant behavior when it is contemplated and stops the individual from carrying it through. It will force you, though painlessly, to behave in a manner prescribed by our rules and conventions. Even the men here wear something similar in order to stop us from harming one another, though we don't have to excercise anywhere near the amount of control you will be under." He paused and walked back behind the men. He looked at them and then back to us. "These men are to be your husbands when your transformation is complete. They will place the rings on each of you and then escort you back to your quarters. The transformation will begin there shortly. The large TV screen in your room will keep you advised of the process as it occurs, it's all automatic and will begin about a half-hour after the rings are placed on your fingers." He motioned to the men sitting across from us and they stood up. My heart began to race wildly! I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This couldn't be happening! It had to be some kind of cruel hoax! They would all start laughing soon, I just knew it! He smiled and nodded to us, then, as he turned to leave, he added, "I will look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. Have a pleasant evening." He nodded and left. Have a pleasant evening? I could feel my heart pounding! I was terrified! What if he was telling the truth? What if they really could turn me into a.. a.. girl? The absurdity of it all told me not to worry. But the reality of my immobile body made me panic! I felt the man standing behind me reach over my shoulder, towards my left hand. I looked quickly towards Jack. The guy behind him was doin the same! And the others, Kevin and Rick, were being handled, too! I tried to jerk my arm away as he touched it, but,.. I couldn't! I wanted to yell and scream at him not to touch me, but... but, nothing would come out. I felt him hold out my ring-finger and then I saw a flash of gold and silver as he held out a ring, identical to the one in the drawing, and placed it onto my limp finger. I noticed that the pinky finger of his right hand had a small gold band on it. The other men did, too. Could it be?Were they really serious about this? The ring slid down to the base of my finger and then he released my hand. As I watched my hand flop down into my lap, I hoped that maybe the ring would fall off. But I could feel it tighten slightly and draw close to my skin as my hand fell. Then, a moment later, I could actually feel a dull sensation as it sent many small tendrils snaking into my finger to intertwine themselves with,... and merge with my nervous system. Then the sensation stopped and my hand felt normal. I looked over at Jack and saw that his ring-finger of his left hand wore a ring identical to mine. Although I couldn't turn to see Kevin or Rick's fingers, I knew that they, too, must be wearing one. Almost at once I felt my limbs start to come back to life. I had a little movement in my hands, but I really couldn't move them much. Then I heard the man behind me say, "You will be strong enough to walk with some assistance in a moment. I'll help you back to your room. Please don't try and struggle, it'll only make it hard on you. I... I don't want to harm you in any way." Harm me? What the hell did he think he was doing now? I felt some strength returning to my limbs, though I still couldn't talk. I looked over at Jack and the other two. They were looking around at me and at each other, looks of panic and fear on their faces. The other men were speaking softly to them, saying essentially what had been told to me. After a minute, I felt strong hands lifting me up to a standing position. I was turned around slowly and led, one agonizing step after another, towards the door. I tried so hard not to go out of that room! It seemed the only safe place to me right then. But the firm grip of the man behind me led me out into the hallway. I realized I was breathing hard and I felt my knees go weak again as I contemplated what was about to happen to me! I kept thinking that this was all a bad joke! They couldn't be serious! It just couldn't happen! Not to me! Not to us! We hesitated in the hallway as the others were led out by each of the men. Then we were turned and helped down the wide hallway to the room we had been in before. I noticed that the man with me used a small device, like a garage door opener, to open the door. That answered my question about how we could get out the door. We couldn't! That walk back to our rooms was the longest I think I had ever taken. I tried to turn away from the door when it opened, but I was so weak! The man behind me led me in and took me down to the sofa. He helped me sit down and then stood to one side as the others were led down and seated. Then the man that had led me in looked at me and said, "My name is Peter Miller. You will be with me when you're ready. I want you to know that I'll treat you well. You won't have anything to fear from me. And I want to thank you for your sacrifice." Then he turned and left the room. Be with him?! When I'm ready?!? Thank me?!?! He could damn well thank me by letting me out of here! But all I could do was watch him leave. I noticed that he was a little taller than me and had light brown hair. He looked to be about thirty. I hoped right then that I would never see him again! Then the man in front of Jack introduced himself to him as Sam Weaver and then pretty much said the same things to him that Peter had said to me. I think Jack hardly heard him. He was looking down and shaking his head, his mouth still wagging up and down as if he was trying to talk. It went the same for Kevin as Alex Collins introduced himself. And for Rick as he met Robert Sellers. Then Robert turned to leave, saying, "In a few moments you'll be back to normal.... at least... that is.. you'll be abl