YPA: Your Privacy Assured

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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!