YPA: Your Privacy Assured/YPA.ISO/text/bluebox8.txt

Text File | 1995-03-09 | 40KB | 1,338 lines

                                Chapter 43


     Cheryl and  Deirdre both  felt a  little  queasy  about  sleeping

together.   Before the original Cheryl had met Jeffrey, she had shared

several interesting  activities with  Deirdre, but  this was the first

time they had ever done it by themselves.  The fact that Cheryl wasn't

really Cheryl  anymore didn't  help too much.  She looked kind of male

now, but  not completely so.  Cheryl didn't really have an urgent need

to  lose  her  newly-gained  virginity,  and  so,  since  Deirdre  was

uncomfortable, she  didn't press the matter, and they each slept alone

that night.

     That  night,   Cheryl  discovered  some  disturbing  facts  about

herself.   She could  once again  be lonely,  kind of.    Jeffrey  was

inside; but since they were now one, there was nobody to talk to.  She

also found  that she  tended to  return to  a semi-female state if she

wasn't thinking  about it--  both physically  and mentally.   Cheryl's

contributions to  their new  sexuality had  somehow been stronger than

Jeffrey's.   She could  become a  man, enough  to pass for one in most

respects, but  it required  more concentration.   Being a woman seemed

somehow easier.   Jeffrey  was right.   The choice to use Cheryl's old

identity as  their new  combined identity  meant that they were not in

balance.   She could  forget, that  Cheryl and Jeffrey were together--

both inside,  and even  though  she  had  the  memories  of  Jeffrey's

boyhood, it  would be  all to  easy to  live the rest of her life as a

woman.   Those memories  of being male would fade, in time, if she did

so, as might any memory of Jeffrey himself.  She'd be Cheryl again and

life would return to normal, except for the physical differences.  She

might even forget that she DID have all the male parts inside...

     No.   Never.   She'd never forget.  She could be as much of a man

as she  wanted.   Maybe someday  she'd decide  to  remain  in  a  male

configuration, and then Cheryl would be forgotten...

     That was  reassuring.   The balance wasn't so bad after all.  She

would have  to work  out the rest of her life with this body, but that

could wait  until tommorrow.   She  was complete now-- two individuals

perfect for  each other,  now together  for eternity.  The empty space

inside had  been filled.  She was greater than all those other lonely,

separate souls  out there.  She could now tell the world...  There was

so much to say...

     Cheryl finally  fell off to sleep, dreaming of the events earlier

that evening...  of hatching  from an  egg after  having  been  joined

within the egg by her best friend.

     It was close to noon when she woke up.  She pulled the covers off

and looked  at herself.   No breasts, no penis.  Wet between the legs.

She must have had an erotic dream before waking.  Too bad she couldn't

remember  it.    She  looked  young  to  herself--  with  no  breasts,

especially.

     She got  up and  went to  the bathroom.   It  was quiet and sunny

outside-- it  was almost noontime on Thursday.  Walking to the closet,

she didn't know which of the two sliding doors to open-- with Cheryl's

clothes on one side and Jeffrey's on the other.  Undoubtedly they knew

that something  was wrong  at work now.  Deirdre was in the apartment,

having taken the day off.

     She slid open Cheryl's side of the closet.  A box on a shelf held

a few  clothes that  were too  small for Cheryl before, and should fit

her well now.  She put them on.  She had panties that fit, but no bra.

Then she  realized that she didn't need a bra.  She got one of her old

sweaters and  put it on.  Then, watching herself in a mirror, she took

a deep breath.  Her breasts swelled slowly, and when they looked about

right, she  stopped making  them grow.  She bounced up and down a bit.

Yup, nobody  would be  able to  tell she wasn't wearing a bra.  What a

pleasant difference!

     Deirdre didn't say much to Cheryl after Cheryl opened her bedroom

door and went out towards the kitchen area.  In fact, Deirdre was much

quieter than Cheryl expected.

     "Good morning, Deirdre", Cheryl said.

     "Morning."

     "Is this  for me?"  Cheryl asked, pointing to a packet of oatmeal

sitting next to the thermal transfer unit.

     "Yup, left it for you."

     "Thanks."

     Cheryl threw  the plastic  packet into the thermal-transfer unit,

which looked  kind of  like the  old microwave  ovens,  but  was  much

larger, inside  and out.  TTU's, as they were called, were commonplace

now.   They worked  on an  interesting loophole  in the  Third Law  of

Thermodynamics, a  loophole which let you transfer thermal energy from

one  place  to  another  using  hardly  any  energy  in  the  process.

Basically,  you  could  take  two  objects  of  equal  mass  and  swap

temperatures.  A home-type TTU had two such masses inside the cabinet;

one cold  and one hot, with only a small electric circuit keeping them

that way.   Controls  on the front allowed you to instantly change the

temperature of  whatever was  inside-- heating OR cooling whatever you

wish to whatever temperature you wish.

     Cheryl closed  the door on the TTU and set the temperature of the

oatmeal at  95 degrees  Celsius, the  opened the door and took the hot

oatmeal out.  She ate it from the plastic bag.

     Finally, Deirdre was a little more talkative.

     "Sleep okay?"

     "Yes, fine," said Cheryl.  "How about you?"

     "Fine."

     "Oh."

     "Um... Are  you going to tell everyone what you've done?  I don't

think you should wait very long."

     "Yes, Deirdre.   Today.   I'll  drive to IDT and tell them there.

The media will want to talk to you also, so you should brush your hair

before you come along."

     "I DID  brush my  hair, Cheryl.   Oh, you're right.  Sorry.  I'll

go fix it again."



                                Chapter 44

     Deirdre had an unending supply of questions for Cheryl during the

trip to  work, which would be only a subset of what she would be asked

later.   Mostly, she wanted to know what it felt like.  Then she asked

Cheryl how she was planning to break the news to everyone else.

     "I don't  know, Deirdre.   I'll  play it by ear, I guess.  I know

the people at IDT twice as well as I did before, right?"

     "Guess you do," said Deirdre.

     Cheryl opened  the fingerprint-access  lock with  no problem (she

had copied  the original  Cheryl's fingerprints  for that reason).  It

was about  ten minutes before Cheryl and Jeffrey usually went to work.

They'd talk  to the  Boss himself, for that was the accepted procedure

for any  situation where  an employee  wasn't sure  who  to  talk  to.

Deirdre and  Cheryl walked  into his  office.   He had  a waiting room

outside, which was always impeccably clean.  A large monitor screen on

the far  wall had  the usual,  familiar words:   "The  Boss  is  busy.

Please state your name and business."

     Cheryl stood squarely in front of the display.  As she spoke, her

words appeared on the display.   "Cheryl Stillman.  Personal."

     The words  "Is this  OK?" appeared  below her name and message on

the display.  "Yes", Cheryl replied.  The display blinked "Please have

a seat"  for a  few seconds,  and then  switched to a local television

station which  was now  showing the morning version of the $25,000,000

Pyramid.

     They sat  quietly, watching  the game  show for  at least  twenty

minutes before  the screen  went blank,  and then read "Please Enter."

Cheryl got up, coaxed Deirdre to her feet, and walked to the door just

as it slid open.

     "Come in,  Cheryl," the Boss told them.  "You're not Cheryl!  You

kind of LOOK like her, but she's older!  Who are you?"

     "I am Cheryl.  That's why I came here."

     Cheryl introduced  Deirdre to  the Boss.   They  both had a seat.

The Boss,  while in  his office,  seemed most  formidable.  The office

wasn't that  large, but  the Boss'  towering  presence  made  the  two

females (well,  one-and-a-half, at least) a bit uncomfortable.  Still,

the Boss  had a  great reputation  for  understanding  the  employees'

personal problems.

     "So, what's going on?  How did you get in here?" the Boss asked.

     "Mr. Dann-- it's about Jeffrey..."

     The Boss turned his eyes towards a display on his desk.  "Hmmm...

I noticed  that Landers  isn't here this morning.  What's wrong?  He's

not... sick, is he?"

     "No.  But he won't be here.  Or, in a sense, he already is.  It's

a long story."

     The Boss  got up  and sat on his desk in front of them.  "I think

you better  tell me."  He looked at Deirdre.  "That's not... he didn't

get a..."

     "No, Mr. Dann.  That's my roommate."

     "If I understood, Jeffrey was your roommate."

     "True, but  Deirdre was  my OTHER  roommate.  I brought her along

because she's the only other one who knows."

     "Relax.  You can tell me."

     Cheryl looked  at her feet, keeping her eyes off the Boss for the

duration of  her next  two sentences.   "I  know... I'm trying to tell

you.  I'm very different."

     "Intentionally?   Please go on..."

     "I better  start from  the beginning.  Quite a while ago, Jeffrey

introduced the  person YOU  know as  Cheryl me  to the  TA-12  Thought

Amplifier he  was working on.  We had great fun with it and... fell in

love.  Jeffrey built his own version of the Device, on his own time of

course, and we used it quite a bit."

     The Boss didn't seem upset, yet.  "And..."

     "Well, we  tried an  experiment with  it.  As a result, we became

tangled up inside each other, so much so that we couldn't exist in two

separate bodies.   I  have both  Cheryl  and  Jeffrey  inside.    It's

terrific."

     The Boss  sat for  a second, then said:  "Let me understand.  You

and Jeffrey  somehow had  an accident  with the TA-12 and now he can't

come to work."

     Cheryl was short with him.  "No.  I look like Cheryl to you, kind

of.   But I'm  not.   I have all the components of the original Cheryl

and Jeffrey.  We are both sitting here in one body, together."

     "That's impossible,  Stillman.  The TA-12 can't manipulate matter

in the real world."

     "No, but the Genetic Modification Lab can."

     The Boss  stood up,  walked behind  his desk,  and fell  into his

chair.  "You mean that you-- and Jeffrey-- used the tank at once-- and

are..."

     "Together", replied Cheryl.

     "Incredible.   Of course it could work.   But you don't seem like

two people, Cheryl."

     "I'm not,  Mr. Dann.   Jeffrey and Cheryl are one.  I'm that one.

It's not like we're two people anymore."

     "And... What  inspired you to do this on your own, and made it so

urgent that you couldn't have told us?  What would have happened if it

didn't work?"

     "It WAS  urgent.   It was so painful to be separated after Cheryl

and Jeffrey  saw inside  each other.  And I didn't want anyone to know

just in the event that it didn't work.  IDT was not liable."

     "Hmmm..." said the Boss.  "Why don't you give me all the details.

Then we can decide what to do."

     Cheryl explained  everything, from  Jeffrey's programming  of the

Device, to the design and execution of the genetic changes themselves.

She couldn't help but sound excited, but the Boss failed to share that

enthusiasm.

     When she  finished, the  Boss called  several of  the  department

heads and  asked them to meet at 10:00 am in one of the meeting rooms.

Cheryl and Deirdre sat in the waiting room while the Boss handled some

other business,  then they  followed him  to the  meeting.   The  Boss

handed Deirdre  an  identification  badge  as  they  walked  down  the

hallway.

     Cheryl explained  it all again in front of the supervisors at the

meeting.  These people were responsible, as a group, for many of IDT's

decisions, especially  those involving  problem-solving.    This  time

there were  many technical  questions for  Cheryl to answer, which she

did.   She hadn't  brought the cartridge with the design for her body,

and she felt a bit embarrassed when asked questions about her anatomy.

She explained  her design with a lot of euphemisms, and decided not to

mention the  cartridge-- the  cartridge that contained all the details

of her body.  That would be a REAL invasion of privacy!

     Finally, there  were a  few questions about how she felt now, and

what it was like to be "together".  She was very happy to answer those

questions.  It made some of the people present look envious, even.

     An agreement was reached to issue a press release immediately and

worry about how to make use of Cheryl and Jeffrey's "invention" later.

The Boss  asked that  Cheryl be  allowed to make final approval of the

press release, and that Cheryl and Deirdre would remain at IDT to talk

to reporters.   Cheryl  took Deirdre to the communications room, where

they could examine the press releases before they were transmitted.

     Reporters showed  up in  the late  afternoon.   They stayed until

well after  "quitting time",  along with  most of  IDT's employees who

were all  very excited  about what  had happened.  Deirdre, who hadn't

said a  word most  of the  day, was  most happy  to be  asked a lot of

questions about her soon-to-be-famous roommate.  At 9:00 that evening,

most of  IDT's staff  were still  around, waiting  to see  Cheryl  and

Deirdre on  the news.   It was the second story on the report, and the

longest one.   At  about 9:04  pm, the  world learned  about what  had

happened.   Just as  when Cheryl  had first  joined Jeffrey inside the

Device's world, things would never be the same again.



                                Chapter 45

     Cheryl and Deirdre went home right after seeing themselves on the

news.   The Boss  told Cheryl to take the next day off; and to show up

the next  day so  they  could  do  some  tests  on  her  and  document

everything for  the scientific  journals.   Cheryl figured  that there

would be more interviews and questions from the press, and that it was

her chance  to tell  everyone of  the benefits  of the invention.  Her

mind was racing with ideas...  Ideas that she could have, now, because

quite suddenly,  she had twice the knowledge she had before.  Problems

which somehow seemed insurmountable before, suddenly had answers.

     "Deirdre, I  got it!"  she shouted,  in the  car on the way home.

"Why didn't I think of it before??"

     "Got WHAT,  Cheryl?   Whatever it  is, I  know of  ONE reason you

didn't think of it before."

     "Oh, what's that?"

     "Come on, airhead!  You KNOW more things now than you did before.

Cheryl knew  half of  the stuff  needed for your idea, WHATEVER IT IS,

and Jeffrey knew the other..."

     "Yes, of  course.   Somehow it's  hard to remember that.  It just

seems like I never thought of it before and I can't tell why."

     "What IS it??"

     "A way  of solving the problem with the Device.  To eliminate the

air gap between the transmitter and the receiver with no feedback.  So

it will work better.  Technical stuff."

     Cheryl nodded.  Somehow it looked like this would be hard to live

with.

     The next  morning, Cheryl stared at the frozen eggs that she made

for breakfast, while Deirdre ate hers.

     "Deirdre?"

     "Yes, Cheryl?"

     "How old do I look?"

     "I don't know.  Sixteen, seventeen, maybe.   Why?"

     "I'm not hungry."

     "What's that have to do with it?"

     "Deirdre, when was the last time I wasn't hungry?"

     "Last night.   You  didn't eat  much, you were excited over those

ideas you've been having."

     "No, I WAS hungry last night.  Before then?"

     "Come on,  Cheryl, you've  been pigging  out continously.  You've

said you were hungry ever since you came out of the tank."

     Cheryl continued staring at her plate.  "Exactly."

     "So what's wrong?  You've always liked eggs."


     "Yes, but I'm not hungry!"

     "So what??  Will you TELL me what's going on?"

     "Bad news,  I'm afraid.  I've been growing real fast the last few

days, right?"

     "Yup.  You looked older yesterday than the day before."

     "I think  I blew  it last  night.  I didn't eat right.  I stopped

growing."

     "Stopped growing??  Cheryl, that means..."

     "No, not  STOPPED...   The plan  was that I'd age more quickly as

long as the nutrients were available.  So when I got to the right age,

I could just skip a few meals, and then I'd be normal."

     "You mean--  if you're  sixteen now,  it will be TEN YEARS before

you're twenty-six again?"

     "I'm afraid so."

     "Don't sit there then!  Eat!"

     Cheryl tried to force down most of breakfast, but it didn't help.

     "Of course  you know,  Cheryl, people  would PAY you if you could

make them seventeen again."

     "Yes, Deirdre... but my body's not the proper age for ME!  I look

like I should be in high school."

     "Take a deep breath."

     Cheryl did.  Her breasts grew a bit.

     "That makes you look older."

     "Thanks."

     Cheryl picked  up her  dishes and  threw them  into the recycler.

She slumped against the counter, still upset.

     Deirdre got  up walked  over to  her.   Deirdre was  now slightly

taller than her, and gave her a hug.  "You're alright, kid."

     "Who are you calling a kid?"

     "Cheryl!  Stop it."

     Cheryl smiled  a bit.   Deirdre  made her  feel good...  She felt

like she could look up to her friend now, a real friend who had helped

her through many difficult times, and obviously cared for her.

     Later  in  the  day,  while  Deirdre  was  wandering  around  the

apartment with  little to  do after  having taken yet another day off,

Cheryl walked up to her and gave her another hug.

     "Deirdre, you've  been a  real friend.   I'm sorry for all you've

had to put up with."

     "Forget it,  Cheryl.   You've done  at  least  as  much  for  me.

Besides, I've got a famous roommate now."

     Then there  was silence  for a  moment.   Cheryl didn't let go of

Deirdre, and  it didn't  seem like  Deirdre was letting go either.  It

suddenly seemed like the situation was more than friendly.  Cheryl had

been waiting  for this  moment; Deirdre  figured it  would happen, but

wasn't expecting it this instant.

     Cheryl was  doing the right things to Deirdre, who squeezed her a

bit more tightly.  Cheryl felt funny; Jeffrey had felt a little guilty

when he  had made  love with  Deirdre  before,  and  Cheryl  a  little

jealous; and with those memories not only present but COMBINED, it was

hard to convince herself that it was alright now.

     Deirdre's resistance  weakened.   Of course,  THIS Cheryl had all

the knowledge of her weaknesses that Jeffrey did; and Jeffrey knew how

to treat  her.  And, unlike before, those energies were now focused on

Deirdre.



                                Chapter 46

     Cheryl had  unleashed most  of the  seductive power  she had, and

suddenly felt  more masculine,  even though  her now-moist pussy would

have reminded  her otherwise.   She  felt Deirdre melt, and was unsure

whether she should proceed, Deirdre no longer making up her own mind.

     When Deirdre  realized what  was happening,  she had already been

half-undressed.   She was  wet between the legs, and suddenly realized

why.   Cheryl seemed  to have  her mind  set on  this, and  was  half-

undressed too, and had one hand on Deirdre's chest, the other about to

remove her bra.

     Deirdre's awareness  was only  momentary.  Her bra fell away, and

Cheryl's touch  on her  nipples sent  her back  into a  quiet,  dreamy

state.   Cheryl removed  Deirdre's panties,  and the  rest of  her own

clothes.  She wasn't going to give Deirdre another chance to stop her.

She would  have Deirdre now, and prove once and for all that she could

get what she wanted.

     But Deirdre  did get one more chance, and now found herself lying

on the  floor with Cheryl next to her, with one hand between Deirdre's

legs, trying  to keep her aroused and unable to stop Cheryl's actions.

Deirdre tried  to sit  up, and  fell back  again.   This  time  Cheryl

wrapped one  arm around  her.   She kissed Deirdre, her tongue quickly

exploring Deirdre's familiar (of course, Jeffrey did it before) mouth.

Deirdre  kept  her  tongue  in  her  own  mouth,  which  Cheryl  found

disappointing.

     Cheryl's breasts  were now  barely visible.   She  had done  that

intentionally, to  ease Deirdre's fears and make it seem a little more

like she  was with Jeffrey, and not a female roommate, because at this

moment, she wasn't.

     Deirdre rolled  over  onto  her  back,  legs  squeezed  together.

Cheryl climbed  on top  of her,  running her fingers through Deirdre's

hair, and  kissing her  lightly.   Deirdre was  nearly motionless, and

totally silent.   Cheryl  kept it  up, lying  flat on  top of Deirdre,

trying to  keep her  excited and relax her a bit.  Jeffrey appreciated

the weight on top of him; Deirdre probably did too.  Having an active,

naked body  lying on  top of you was exciting and made you feel secure

somehow...  But Deirdre wasn't participating like she did with Jeffrey

before.  She wasn't resisting, but wasn't making life easier.

     Cheryl's voice  was low  again.   It wasn't very low, not even as

low as Jeffrey's was before, but it didn't sound quite as feminine.

     "Relax yourself,  Deirdre.  I know you want this as much as I do.

It'll be easier after we've done it once."  Of course, Deirdre usually

felt more  comfortable in  a sexual  situation than  Cheryl did; which

made this  circumstance more  unnerving.   Cheryl herself was slipping

out of her aroused state; and considered giving up on it.

     Deirdre finally  spoke.   "The voice  won't help  you, Cheryl.  I

don't care  whether you  sound male OR female.  You don't have to play

that game with me."

     Cheryl understood.   She  was taking  advantage of abilities that

Deirdre didn't have, in order to seduce her roommate; Deirdre resented

it.

     "Don't listen  to my  voice, Deirdre.   Listen  to  my  feelings.

Listen to  yours."   The voice  still had  a low  pitch; Cheryl didn't

bother changing it.

     Deirdre didn't respond.

     Okay, then, one last chance.  Cheryl propped herself up, with her

weight on  her hands  and on  Deirdre's pelvis.    Suddenly,  she  was

playful, licking  the tip  of Deirdre's  nose.    Cheryl's  weight  on

Deirdre's pelvis made Deirdre warm inside.

     It worked.   Deirdre  was playful  too.  "You can't have me," she

said, giggling.

     "And why not?" Cheryl asked with some insolence.

     "I hardly know you!" Deirdre answered, eyes closed, giggling.

     "You always lie on the floor naked with people you don't know?"

     "That was your fault.  I didn't do that."

     "Will you do THIS?"  Cheryl kissed Deirdre's nose.

     "Uh huh", answered Deirdre.

     "Or this?" Cheryl said before kissing her on the lips.

     "I don't mind that..."

     "Or... this?"  Cheryl played with Deirdre's breasts.

     "No..."

     Cheryl lay  down again, clasping Deirdre, who in turn wrapped her

arms around Cheryl.

     "Then you won't mind... this..."

     Cheryl pushed  a bit.   Deirdre  felt something  wet between  her

thighs, poking  up towards  her pelvis,  sliding between her legs.  It

pressed  against  the  lips  of  her  pussy,  Cheryl  shifting  around

slightly.   It was  warm.   It slid  down a  bit, suddenly finding the

opening into  Deirdre's body,  and  the  tip  of  it  slipped  inside.

Deirdre suddenly  opened her  eyes to discover that Cheryl's eyes were

closed.  She had gotten what she wanted.

     Cheryl, now holding on to Deirdre and remaining motionless to the

outside world,  pushed quite  a bit.   The penis slid out of her body,

and pushed  its way  into Deirdre.   Cheryl kept pushing until she had

reached the other end of Deirdre's vagina, and was fully inside.  Then

her penis  grew in  diameter, stretching  Deirdre as  her blood flowed

into it.   Deirdre  felt the  emptiness being filled.  She held Cheryl

tightly, and squeezed her muscles.  Cheryl felt it.

     "Do that again..." Cheryl said, whispering.

     Deirdre squeezed again.  "Like this?"

     Cheryl had  to share  her past  experience.   "We used to do that

with each  other all  the time.   I  remember when you were sitting on

Jeffrey's face... and when you came in while we were making love..."

     "You mean YOU two before you..."

     "Right.  We sent these little messages back and forth to let each

other know  everything was  okay.   Like this."  Cheryl's penis grew a

bit as she contracted muscles inside her body.

     Deirdre felt it.  "Neat..."

     "Nobody except us, now, can tell it's happening."

     Deirdre squeezed again.  Everything WAS okay.

     Cheryl started  sliding back  and  forth  now.    This  was  much

different than  it ever was before; she could not only feel the depths

of Deirdre's body, but felt Deirdre's crotch and her own penis sliding

against her  own parts.  She pressed her pussy's lips to Deirdre's for

a moment, then carried on as any other male might.

     Deirdre moaned.  Cheryl was panting, but otherwise silent.

     Cheryl knew  instantly when Deirdre starting her orgasm.  Deirdre

stopped  moving   and  squeezed   Cheryl  tightly,  pressing  Cheryl's

featureless chest  against her own breasts, and tightening the muscles

between her  legs involuntarily.   Cheryl  pushed deep  inside at that

same instant.   Then  she came  also, squirting  a clear liquid (which

really had  no function  now) into Deirdre.  Muscles inside her pumped

the liquid  for ten  or fifteen  seconds...  Then she collapsed, penis

still inside.


                                Chapter 47

     Five minutes  later,   getting a  little restless, Cheryl got up.

She loved  the sudden  release from  the sexual  frustration; as if an

immense fog  of passion had lifted, and she could think clearly, freed

for the  moment from  the cajoling  of her  own hormones.   Her  long,

somewhat deflated  penis felt cooler to Deirdre as it slithered out of

her tired, wet body, and across her legs.  As Cheryl started standing,

the penis  started to disappear within her.  It was wet inside Cheryl;

partially an  oversight in the design, partially to allow the penis an

easy trip  back into  its hidden resting place behind her vagina.  The

wetness was  kind of  annoying, since before now it was one thing that

didn't later bother an ordinary male.

     Deirdre lay  there for  another minute  or two,  and then got up.

"Now look  who comes  more!", she  announced, pointing  to  the  clear

liquid that  was now  dripping from  her, down  her legs, while Cheryl

wiped just a small bit of moisture from herself.

     "No fair, roomie.  That's mine too," Cheryl replied.

     "You mean you actually CAME inside me?  I don't know if..."

     "Relax.  No sperm, hopefully.  I didn't turn it on."

     "What do  you mean  'HOPEFULLY', lover?   I  said  I  liked  your

design, but that didn't mean I want to help reproduce it now."

     "Don't you have a general contraceptive working?"

     "Expires today.  But that's not the point.  Who knows if it works

against your gene structure?"

     "Good question.  Let me look..."

     Cheryl looked  between Deirdre's legs, saw that the fluid was, in

fact, clear,  and told this fact to Deirdre, who was satisfied at that

point.

     "Tell me,"  she said as started to clean herself up, "just HOW DO

you turn it on and off?"

     "It's all  voluntary.  I pump one muscle long enough, supposedly,

and sperm production starts, at which point I'm dangerous for a couple

days.   I squeeze something inside--" she pointed just above her belly

button-- " ... and hold it for a minute or two, and I'll ovulate.

     "What happens after you ovulate?"

     "Well, after a couple of days I can be fertilized."

     "If that doesn't happen?"

     "Then it's  just like you.  I menstruate.  But just once unless I

decide to ovulate again."

     "Can you feel it--- when you ovulate?"

     "Supposedly... I put nerve endings so I'd feel it when the egg is

released.  But I haven't tried it."

     Deirdre was sitting on the couch, and Cheryl went over and sat in

her lap.

     "You're good, kid.  Real good.", Deirdre said, smiling.

     "Stop calling me a kid!"

     "Alright...   After all,  you didn't make love like a kid... Even

if you do look like one."

     "I do not!"

     "You do now!"

     "Look, Deirdre..."   Cheryl  took a  deep breath,  held  it,  and

pushed.

     "Yes, squirt?"

     Cheryl bared  her teeth,  then swiveled  around suddenly.   There

were breasts  there now.  They were larger than Deirdre's already, and

still growing.

     "I'm not a kid!" squealed Cheryl.

     "Alright! Alright!   I  won't tease you anymore.  Stop before you

embarrass me, or blow up or something."

     Cheryl smiled a tiny smile.

     There was  a knock at the door.  Several knocks, followed by some

voices.  "Is Cheryl Stillman here?  It's the Video News..." "...Herald

Time Newsmonth..." all garbled together.

     Deirdre jumped  up, and  Cheryl  fell  backwards  to  the  floor.

Deirdre grabbed  her clothes  and started dressing.  Cheryl ran to the

window, and  upon opening  the curtain,  saw several  news-crew trucks

parked in  the lot  across the  street,  along  with  a  small  crowd.

Someone pointed  at the window, and Cheryl threw the curtains shut and

stumbled to  her room  to get  her clothes.   "Just a minute!" Deirdre

yelled towards the door.

     Cheryl, whose  body was  still wet  with  perspiration  from  her

previous activity,  grabbed a towel to dry some of it off, and dressed

quickly.   There was  a wet  spot on the floor that she'd have trouble

explaining.  No, they wouldn't ask that.  She turned the air exchanger

up so that the sexual scents they had left would disappear.

     Deirdre was  dressed and at the door.  Cheryl hadn't even put her

panties on yet, so (with the central area free of underwear now), went

into her  room and closed the door.  She locked it, which would be the

first time ever that she ever had locked that door.

     She dressed  in a minute so as to look somewhat presentable.  Her

breasts were  too large,  still, which she noticed as she tried to put

on the  shirt she  wore earlier; it would take a minute or two for her

form to  shrink to  the size  she had before.  She'd have to look just

right; normal  enough not  to shock anyone, but not quite so female as

to make  the story  unbelievable; of  course, she  wouldn't be able to

prove anything to the press.

     She brushed  her hair, and opened the door.  The room was full of

people; actually  it looked  like  only  two  news  crews  and  a  few

reporters.   The rest  were people  from the building; mostly friends,

but a  few people  who lived  there that Cheryl and Deirdre had hardly

ever seen.

     They had  all sorts  of questions  for her;  questions  that  she

hadn't been  prepared to  answer, but even under the pressure was able

to.   Most of  them  weren't  about  HER,  but  instead  how  the  two

inventions she  had used would affect everyone else.  Would two lovers

ANYWHERE who wished to combine their bodies be able to do so?   Cheryl

couldn't answer  that, saying that the use of the tank would of course

be up  to IDT,  and a  number of safety tests would have to be done to

approve it  for the  general public.  What about the Device?  How does

it work?  What can we use it for?  What about illicit uses of it?

     Those last questions were the ones that Cheryl could best answer.

She described what the machine did, and offered to take some reporters

on a  "tour" of  its capabilites  after she  was finished with the IDT

testing.   She had  to tell them of one of the best uses of the device

so far...

     "I'd like  to see  it used  in hospitals, for critically injured,

disabled, or  paralyzed individuals.  Because it communicates directly

with your  mind, a subject can forget about physical problems and pass

the time in a MUCH more enjoyable way than by lying in a hospital bed.

And while  the patient is on this voyage, the body is being taken care

of by  the medical  crews who  don't have  to worry  about the patient

doing something  that might hurt himself.  The patient would return to

find himself  all fixed  up...  Or, if he can't be fixed up, he'd be a

lot better off than in the REAL world."

     That brought  about momentary silence, followed by more noise and

a few people asking where the phone was.

     Cheryl had  a few  more things  she had  to say.  "Someone can do

things that  are impossible  in real life.  We can use it for testing,

training, therapy, or just plain entertainment."

     "As for the genetic modification lab...  Sure, it might be a cure

for cancer, or other diseases, or whatever.  But the fact that you get

to JOIN  someone PERMANENTLY  is worth  much more,  or at least it has

been to me, than those other changes."



                                Chapter 48

     Cheryl was  discovering, rather quickly, that with all of Jeffrey

and the original Cheryl inside, that having only one body between them

was a  bit of  a problem.   With  only two  hands and  one mouth,  she

couldn't get her ideas to work as quickly as she thought of them.  She

had completed  the tests  that IDT  administered to  her, though  they

wouldn't tell her what they were looking for or what they found.  They

took lots of pictures, one skin sample, gave her a battery of physical

and mental  tests, and  even had  her talk  to a  psychologist for  an

afternoon.   She cooperated  with everyone,  figuring there  had to be

some useful purpose to it all.

     IDT let  her work on her own projects.  IDT wanted the license to

the Device; in return, they'd provide the facilities for whatever else

she decided  to spend  time on.   Her first project was to build a new

Device, the  one she  thought up  on the way to IDT with Deirdre a few

days ago.   This  one didn't  get its  signals through  the  air;  but

instead, the  participants wore  a plastic "collar" which plugged into

the device  itself.  The collar could intercept signals from the brain

with far  less trouble  than  the  indirect  receiver  did.    It  had

connectors for  external devices  (like a  recording device).    While

various government agencies worked to approve that device for use, she

worked on the accessories for it.  Within a month she had finished two

inventions:   First was an audio/video interface, which let you record

music and/or images that you simply imagined in your head.  The second

was a  communicator-- a  device which  clipped to one's belt and could

transmit  thoughts   to  another   person  also   so  equipped.    The

communicator didn't  recieve agency approval right away; but the other

devices were put into production.  The first of them would be used for

therapy, and  it wasn't  for another  year or so that people could use

them for  recreational purposes.   Meanwhile,  Cheryl went  on to work

with the Genetic Modification people to see how that could be used.  A

number of willing volunteers went through the same process that Cheryl

and Jeffrey  had; Cheryl  was no  longer unique  in that respect.  The

government clamped  down on  Genetic  Modifications  without  specific

approval, fearing that with the tank, one man and one woman could turn

themselves into  a race  which could exterminate the rest of humanity.

They would approve specific biological designs on an individual basis;

a lengthy  process full  of  red  tape.    Only  a  tiny  fraction  of

applicants would live long enough to have that dream come true.

     Deirdre had  become famous  too-- though  she was  still known by

most as  "Cheryl's Roommate",  she had a growing business all her own.

Cheryl had given the idea for the elastic-crotch pants to Deirdre, who

patented it,  and the  pants couldn't  be manufactured  fast enough to

keep up  with the demand.  What made Deirdre really happy, though, was

that she  had found  a real boyfriend for herself, and in fact planned

to get married.

     Cheryl  seemed  too  busy  to  think  about  Deirdre's  impending

marriage.   Cheryl herself  had no  boyfriend (nor girlfriend, really,

now).   Success hadn't  treated her  very well  in that  respect.  She

didn't feel  upset at  all, until  about a  month before  Deirdre  was

leaving.   Cheryl had  gone on a few dates.  It seemed that the people

she went  out with  didn't like the fact that Cheryl could date people

of both  sexes; though,  in fact,  she had developed far too much of a

female physique to really look like a man.  She could appear as an 18-

year-old female,  or look  ambiguous, but was never a convincing male.

For that  reason all  but one  date she had was male.  She didn't like

it; she felt that only half of her talents were being used.  There was

one male  who Cheryl felt comfortable with, enough to sleep with.  But

Cheryl felt  constrained; he wanted a FEMALE, and one night, as Cheryl

was telling him how he really made her feel feminine, he told her that

he wished  she'd never be anything else.  Cheryl resented that so much

that she broke up with him right then, never seeing him again.

     A week  before the  apartment  lease  expired,  Deirdre,  in  the

apartment to  pick up  some of  her things,  heard some  panting  from

Cheryl's room.   Figuring that Cheryl had aroused herself, and wanting

to join her, Deirdre slipped into her room with a grin on her face, as

she unbuttoned her top.

     Cheryl was  lying on her bed, undressed and on top of the covers,

with her legs squeezed together.  Her eyes were closed, and she didn't

hear Deirdre  enter.   Deirdre planned  to surprise her one last time,

pouncing on her and letting Cheryl share herself... but as Deirdre was

about to  climb on  the bed, Cheryl suddenly went tense, then relaxed.

Her orgasm  was over; Deirdre missed it.  She heard a sucking sound as

Cheryl's penis disappeared from inside herself.

     Cheryl opened  her eyes, and saw Deirdre, half-undressed, sitting

next to her.

     "Darn, I  thought I'd  surprise you.   Is  it too  late?" Deirdre

asked.

     "Deirdre!  Thanks for thinking of me.  No, I can't."

     Deirdre ran  her hands through Cheryl's pubic hair, as if to coax

Cheryl's penis out.  "Why not?"

     "I'm dangerous.  You don't want to get pregnant."

     "Pregnant?   No thanks,  I'll leave  that to Robert.  Why are you

dangerous?  Turn on the sperm just so I can't have you?"

     "No.  I didn't expect you."

     "Obviously not.  You know, we still don't know if SBC's and stuff

work on you."

     Cheryl looked dead serious.  "I ovulated a couple of days ago."

     "What??   Cheryl, why?   You  know...   Wait a minute!  You could

make yourself..."

     "Pregnant," Cheryl concluded.  "That's what I wanted to do.  I'll

probably be  pregnant in  just a  few minutes,  once the sperm find my

egg..."

     "You're going to have a baby?"

     "That's the general idea for pregnancy, isn't it?"

     "Cheryl... I don't believe it...  You, a mother..."

     "Father too.  Staying over tonight?"

     "I guess I might as well.  Geez, Cheryl, I never figured..."

     Cheryl and Deirdre talked with each other until they finally fell

asleep.

     The next morning, they had breakfast together.  As Cheryl ate her

potatoes, Deirdre  noticed that  Cheryl's breasts, formerly invisible,

were growing.  That never happened when Cheryl wasn't paying attention

to them.

     "Cheryl, your tits..."

    Cheryl looked  down at  them.   She HADN'T done it intentionally!