The Great Experiment: 1.3
Warnings: Sexual situations, personal issues
A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks. I guess that's what happens when I have.. *counts on fingers* three, going on four projects on the go now, including this one. Anyway - as mentioned above, this chapter gets a little more personal; it was unavoidable really, since I put myself into the story. On a lighter note though, a third of this chapter happened completely by accident - well, it was intended, but not quite yet. Still, I'm not complaining, even with some of the pics being circumstantial ;)
Jenny and I start to chat about other things while we’re still on the phone, and I hope to use the time to learn more about the situation here.
“Just how far has this spread?” I ask her, “This change, I mean.”
“I’ve no idea,” she replies, “I know everyone here has, as well as guys back home.”
“How about your parents?” I ask, hoping to answer a question that‘s been nagging me for a while, “How‘ve they taken to this?”
“They’ve been pretty cool about it, strangely enough,” comes the response, “Although Mo- well, Dad did marry an alien. Don’t know how they’re still together…”
“Why do you say that?”
There’s a pause on the other end before she speaks again.
“‘Cause… Mom’s a guy and Dad’s a girl?!” she tells me, as though I should know what she’s implying, “Would’ve thought you knew about that?”
“Actually I’m bisexual, so no, I didn’t,” I tell her, “I was wondering how that affected you all.”
“Oh, I get it,” she responds, “Damn, lucky you!”
I smile at her remark as my mind begins to wander.
“Mm, I never saw it that way before… mind you, I never thought I’d become a guy at some point.”
I drift back to the present as I realise the problem’s worse for others than I first surmised.
“Ouch,” I mutter, “I can only imagine what that must be like…”
“Yeah, exactly,” she grumbles, “It’s cost me a relationship already.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer, before changing the subject a little, “Missy blames the aliens for all this…”
“Missy? Oh, Buzz,” she acknowledges, “Yeah, that don’t surprise me. Stratos denies all knowledge though.”
Interesting; so either he’s lying, or there’s something else going on.
“Hmm,” I ponder, “All the same, it seems we have a lot to discuss.”
“Yeah,” Jenny agrees, “Only we’re all snowed under with work at the moment. It’s gonna be a while before he can get out to see you.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” I smile, “I remember what that’s like.”
We chat some more before ending the conversation, leaving me with much to consider. Thankfully I managed to get the robot station working, so I now have something to keep me busy while I wait.
I also get a rude awakening when a burglar tries his luck, and become thankful for installing security that sends a call to the local police station.
Not that the cop in question managed to catch him, but at least I didn’t lose anything.
The weekend approaches, and as I answer a knock at the door I heave a sigh of relief. The visit is unannounced, yet expected.
“Hello again,” comes the strange greeting.
“Hi,” I reply, “Stratos Terrano, I presume?”
“I am now,” he smiles, which I return as I beckon him inside. He looks about himself as we take a seat.
“You have done well,” he observes, “I’m impressed!”
“Thanks,” I reply, “Well, my new neighbours have been very helpful.”
“So I hear from Jenny.”
“Yeah, guess you’ve heard a lot relayed from her friend.”
“I certainly did,” he smiles, “I learned much from you, too.”
“Is that so?” I challenge, growing puzzled, “Just what kind of equipment do you have up there?”
“You wouldn’t know if I told you,” he dismisses, “We may be similar in mind-set, but you are still only human.”
He’s referring to our technical and logical mentalities. In fact, as we continue to speak, those similarities prove to be useful.
“It wouldn’t include changing everybody’s sex, would it?” I ask him, checking carefully for a reaction.
“Well, we have a device that enables us to change when needed, much like some frogs on your world do naturally,” he explains, “I needed a man to pollinate and you were female, so we had to operate it, but the rays should only have altered those of us aboard the ship.”
“So how did everyone down here get affected?”
“I’m not sure,” he admits, “With all the radio activity in Strangetown, it’s possible that someone could have tapped into us somehow. We do get the odd ‘hacker’ from here now and then, but it’s usually just an attempt to communicate. At least I believe that to be the case.”
“Interesting,” I ponder, before more important questions spring to the fore, “Okay; so why me?”
“We spotted you a little while ago,” he replies, a wistful smile spreading across his face, “We have to be careful who we choose for these experiments, and on probing further we found you to be perfect. A human female who would be just as happy to be male, an interest in the unusual…”
It is a little disconcerting to be spoken of as a test subject, but I sense there is more to this. There is a dreamy air about him that suggests his interest in us - or me, at this point - goes beyond what I’d expect from someone who’d just plucked me from my normal life to experiment on. I have all sorts of other questions though, that for some reason I feel unable to ask right now.
“I’ve been thinking, though,” he continues, his black eyes misting over as they play upon my belly, “I’d like to be able to watch this little creature grow, play a part in raising the child…” He trails off as he looks back at me, “I hope you don’t mind.”
A knowing smile takes hold of my lips; I don’t know why, but I expected something like this.
“Of course I don’t,” I tell him, “The kid needs some kind of normal upbringing…”
I pause as I feel a light pressure upon my shoulder, and look down to find a green finger tracing the contours of the handprint tattooed upon it. I gaze back at him as I feel a pang of sadness tug at my heart.
“Is this why you chose me?” I ask, “Or at least, another reason?”
“It strengthened my decision,” he shrugs, peering back at me, “You do deserve another chance, even in this way, and the child does need a father.”
“Yeah,” I agree, my head dropping as my mind wanders. It’s been five years since that ordeal; why now am I starting to relive it?
Like I really need to wonder. I’m expecting a baby, of course I’ll feel it more. With all I’ve gone through over the years, I can see this pregnancy being a very long one.
“You need the company too, it would seem,” Stratos offers, resting a hand upon my arm, “I’ll explain the position at University, hopefully they’ll understand my reasons for leaving.”
“Are you sure?” I check, pulled from my haunting reverie.
“Of course,” he smiles, “I would love to stay with you, help you work on this place. Maybe we can find out who’s responsible for altering so many people here too.”
That thought had never occurred to me.
“Now that is a good idea,” I agree, “I’m sure there’d be a lot of folk wanting to know how this all happened.”
“Indeed,” Stratos, replies, “Jenny and Philias have been asking already. I understand they previously had a relationship.”
No prizes for guessing who Philias used to be.
“Yeah,” I muse, before turning to him, “I take it you’re bisexual too?”
“Oh, of course,” he chuckles, as though it should be obvious, “We all are. We have had to adapt for survival, but not even that helped in the end.”
“So you turned to humans,” I nod in acknowledgement.
“Very good!” he grins, playfully nudging my arm, “We shall get on just fine.”
And so begins our time together. Stratos arrives with his cases and a big grin, as he tells me that he’d been awarded a large sum of money as payment for his work - to the tune of twenty grand. After spending a month living in a brick hut, I am so looking forward to turning this into a proper home.
He had to leave his mark on the house, of course. I don’t mind though; he’s entitled since he’s worked so hard with me to extend it. We’ve managed to compromise in some areas though, since our styles are very different. Interestingly enough, he’s also aiming to be a master of all, so we both spend most of our time with our noses buried in books.
To aid this tedious process, he’s introduced me to this head-piece. Great for enhancing our already quick learning abilities, even if I feel ridiculous wearing it.
With us studying all the time, it’s down to the now adult Frank to bring in the pennies. It also means he needs to learn commands in order to climb the career ladder, and we both decide it might be an idea to teach him them all at some point.
Stratos chooses to get him a mate called Tyra to keep him company. We start to discuss the possibility of breeding, maybe giving surplus kittens to some of our neighbours or selling them. Of course, the bonus is that now we have another breadwinner in the family, while we see to other things…
…like tending the crops, which is a full-time job in itself. Thankfully I’ve managed to build a hydrobot to keep them watered - and we’ll both be on hand to fix it when it breaks!
One thing we won’t need is a maid. I do offer to help with the cleaning, but he seems to enjoy taking it on himself. All the same, once the baby bottles start piling up we’ll need an extra pair of hands, but I already have a secret weapon stashed under the bed for when the time comes. I’ve played Sim families too often by now to not know what lies ahead.
Which makes me wonder; if by some means he’s had a leaf through my mind, as he’s often implied, surely he’s aware how I actually know everybody? He hasn’t mentioned it yet, although he doesn’t seem fazed by the notion if he is. I really shouldn’t think about that too much since I’m in the midst of them all, but I can’t always help it.
Jenny’s mum - now dad - often calls round for a health check. He explains that he did this with his sister Patsy, and I in turn take advantage of his visits to unburden some underlying fears, which have nothing to do with the fact that I’m now male.
It’s been two months now since Stratos moved in. Sir or Madam is demanding a feed, and so am I, but my appetite falls to an all-time low. I stare into the fridge but nothing catches my eye, and as I idly stroke the developing spare tyre I begin to pray that I’ll have a reward this time.
“Are you okay?”
My head gets pulled in the direction of the voice, and I spot the father-to-be peering at me with a look of concern.
“Oh, yeah,” I mutter, closing the fridge door.
“Look, we’ve been through this,” he smiles as he rests his hands on my shoulders, “It’ll be fine. We’re a resilient race.”
I give a mild snort in reply as I look back at him.
“Enough to survive a detached placenta?!”
“John’s keeping an eye on things, he’ll catch it in good time.”
A sad smile tugs the corners of my mouth, and I begin to wish pregnancy was easier on the heart.
That last thought evaporates as I notice the pressure on my shoulders change, and something inside me gives as I realise there was more to his move than I first thought.
“H-how long has this been going on?” I ask, suddenly unsure of myself. It’s as though his hands are on fire, spreading the heat through my being with his touch.
“It was shortly after you got sent here,” he smiles awkwardly, “It’s a long story.”
“I’ll bet,” I utter, now sensing that he has no idea what to do next. My eyes follow his fingers as they travel down my arms, and a knowing smile plays upon my lips as I look back at him.
“It’s okay,” I tease, “I don’t bite. Not unless you ask, anyway.”
He gives a little chuckle, but is no less nervous as I notice a slight tremour in his touch. I decide to put him out of his misery as I take hold of his hands and guide them round my waist.
What happens after that takes us both by surprise. It begins as a gentle kiss, but it soon turns into something else…
The temperature in the kitchen soars as we melt into each other‘s arms, our grip on each other growing more intense by the minute. I don’t even know where all this has come from, but right now I don’t care. Now isn’t the time to think too much, although we should really take things a little easy; I’ve only known him a few months, after all…
As they say though, best laid plans… I must get a net curtain for that window at some point. In the meantime, if anyone’s nosy enough to peer inside they’re in for one hell of a show.
I can’t blame everything on the pregnancy hormones. I guess this whole starting afresh has a lot to do with it. Completely away from everyone I know, in a different body, the freedom to finally express a different part of myself has had a profound effect on my outlook. There is still a little voice in my mind warning me of potential grief, but it’s softer now. How he managed to break down the barriers I still can’t figure out, but I’m in no position to complain.
The so-called honeymoon period has usually blown over well before the first month, but as I get bigger we‘re no less close than we were in the beginning. I guess this is what love is meant to feel like, but I can only hope it stays that way; I may even finally realise my dream of a proper family, all being well.