Reversals Ch. 08

Julia remained silent, maintaining her composure in the face of the withering barrage from Dr. Joyce. The vile woman was trying to scare her. It was working but she didn't want her to win that easily. No, losing a negotiation wasn't how she'd gotten promoted, she reminded herself.

"Ms. Grant, a simple, meandering statement is wholly insufficient to gain access to the AGen program and the technology we have to offer. Therefore, I'll ask you again." Dr. Joyce paused, her steely eyes peering contemptuously into the camera. "Why are you here, Ms. Grant?"

Julia took a deep breath, determined to win against Dr. Joyce. As to what would actually happen to Eric, she could decide later. She wanted the AGen option for him, even if it did sound terrifying and ruinous to his masculinity.

"I apologize for sounding hesitant before," Julia began, suppressing the tremor trying to creep into her voice, "you caught me off guard, is all. I am ready to fully commit to the program, regardless what issues might come up," she said. "My husband, my male, is submissive and weak. Once I realized what he was, I took control of the marriage. I have plans for the future, plans for him to care for our babies when they come, just like a... like a womyn can. He needs breasts for that. It's really that simple. I want him to properly nurture and nourish my babies when they come."

Dr. Joyce was nodding ever so slightly as she eased back into her chair. "You understand, he'll never quite be the same," she said, making it sound like a challenge. "Not only the physical changes, mind you, but breasts on a male typically produce mental changes as well. He may experience great levels of shame resulting in anxiety and depression, as an example. He may also become even more submissive and withdrawn. He may blame you. Resent you. The spectrum of behavioral changes can be highly varied depending on the subject," she explained.

Julia decided to keep playing along. No matter what, Dr. Joyce wasn't going to scare her off. The consultation was a game, she reminded herself.

"I'm perfectly fine with whatever changes come my way. Eric will have to behave or I'll toss him to the curb," she said.

Dr. Joyce nodded again, apparently satisfied. "The male's name was Eric did you say?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"Is he transgendered, gender dysphoric, or perhaps a transvestite?"

"No, nothing like that," Julia responded. "He doesn't want breasts if that's what your asking." Julia couldn't help but let some bitterness slip into her voice. She was getting more angry at this wretched woman by the minute.

"Do you have sufficient control over your male to require and ensure compliance to the AGen program?" Dr. Joyce asked with a subtle smirk twisting over her face.

Julia dug her long nails into her palms and forced a smile onto her face as Samantha gently touched her forearm in a show of support, hoping to calm her. "He's completely dependent on me and he's becoming increasingly submissive to me every day," Julia said taking a deep breath and letting it out, hoping to compose herself. "I'll admit that I'm a little new at being a dominant over my husband but I took complete control of our marriage and him and I have no intention of letting go, none at all."

Dr. Joyce arched her eyebrows in response, her smirk deepening. She appeared unimpressed.

"He'll do whatever the hell I tell him to," Julia spat out.

The corners of Dr. Joyce's mouth ticked upwards into something resembling a smile. "I certainly hope so," she said. "The world is changing, Ms. Grant. Feminizing your male, forcing him to comply with all the AGen protocols can be a significant step forward for you. Womyn are going to need to be strong if men are to be put in their proper place. We can't allow our sympathy to cloud our judgements or commitments to womonkind. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," Julia replied quickly to be agreeable, not really knowing what she believed for certain. Samantha was nodding her assent too and then grinning, agreeing with Dr. Joyce wholeheartedly.

Looking at the smiling women around her, Julia suddenly felt out of place, even a tiny bit frightened. What was happening to her? It was like she'd unexpectedly become a member of a sisterhood intent on female supremacy. Feminizing Eric, and her participation in it, were just milestones on a much larger agenda. There was something tantalizing about it but did she truly belong here?

Dr. Joyce looked down to the table in front of her, at something out of view. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it. "You seem to have garnered sufficient support for us to move forward, Ms. Grant." Dr. Joyce looked back towards the camera, her impassive mask back in place. "We normally select womyn who are further along, who better understand the true nature of the world," Dr. Joyce said. "But, apparently, you are thought to hold some promise."

Julia smiled awkwardly. "Thank you," she offered, unsure of what to say to the scornful Dr. Joyce nor to whoever else was, almost certainly, watching her.

Dr. Joyce sat there, silent, practically sneering at Julia. Then, she backed away from the table, stood, and walked off camera without saying another word. Their camera remained on, displaying an empty room.

"Is it over? Are they agreeing to do it?" Julia whispered to Samantha.

Samantha shrugged.

A few moments later, another woman came into view at the edge of the screen. She seemed to be talking to voices off camera, in the background. It was too faint to make out anything being said. It continued like that for a bit longer before the woman finally moved in front of the camera and settled down in the chair.

She was a complete departure from the cold and steely Dr. Joyce. She was a young, attractive woman with short, blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her smile was genuine and warm. She wore a simple, rose-pastel colored, uniform which enhanced her comforting appeal.

"Good afternoon ladies," she said warmly, smiling towards them. "My name is Pamala. Let me be the first to congratulate you - your application has been accepted," she said, beaming her smile at them.

"It has?" Julia asked, surprised at how quickly things were proceeding.

"Yes, it has. In fact, I'm here to help you get started. I've been assigned as your nurse practitioner and case manager. I'll be your primary point of contact with us going forward," she said. "And before you ask, there are no fees or payments involved. AGen is part of a much larger research and development effort. Instead of paying us you'll be expected to simply follow the protocols, make time for the exams, and participate in some behavioral questionnaires. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for you. Ready to start?"

Julia gave a nodded and returned an awkward smile, wholly surprised at the sudden turn of events.

"Good. We always begin by providing a brief overview of the technology. We've found that it's important for applicants to have an understanding of how AGen works, what it does, and what you can expect," Pamala said. "You're free to ask questions during the presentation, we encourage it in fact. And, at the end, we'll talk about next steps for moving forward, so we can begin treatment of your male."

Julia nodded awkwardly again, still trying to return a genuine smile back to Pamala. She was feeling uneasy at how quickly everything was moving, like she was being pushed forward. Samantha, on the other hand, was brimming with a wide grin, seemingly content with the turn of events.

"Let me start by reading some general overview statements we've prepared for womyn new to the program." Pamala grabbed a computer tablet from the desk and began reading the prepared material.

"Andromammary Genesis, or AGen, is a set of integrated technologies which are coordinated for the purpose of rapidly provisioning, fully functional, mammary glands on the human male. AGen is a cutting edge, human enhancement technology which modifies the DNA of the male subject making mammary gland development wholly normative for their altered genotype. AGen is not related to gynecomastia which is considered a disorder in males. Instead, AGen makes the development of mammary glands a completely normal and expected secondary sexual characteristic for males." Pamala stopped reading and looked up towards the camera. "Any questions so far?"

Samantha raised her hand "Can I ask one?"

"Certainly."

"So, if I'm hearing this right, once the DNA change is made, having boobs is just as normal for a man as a womon?"

"That's correct," Pamala said with a cheery tone.

"But I thought you needed estrogen for that. How does that work?"

"From a biochemical point of view an andromammary gland requires less estrogen than those of a womon for development to take place," Pamala explained. "However, we do typically find it necessary to slightly elevate the estrogen levels of the subject and often lower their testosterone level just a bit as well. For many subjects the hormonal changes are fairly minor but it is possible to see some generalized feminizing effects when higher levels of estrogen are needed. The reduction in thick hair growth over the body or a slight reduction in muscle mass would be examples."

"That's very interesting. Thank you," Samantha said.

"Wait. Reduction in muscle mass?" Julia asked.

"It's usually a very slight reduction with standard AGen, less than ten percent when it occurs. I believe the worse case was early in the trials when standard AGen protocol produced something more consistent with female norms," Pamala responded. "Any more questions?" she asked with a smile.

Julia just shook her head. The more she heard, the more concerned she was becoming. These women really were ready to put breasts on Eric and if he ended up looking more like a woman than a man at the end of it she was certain they wouldn't care in the least.

Pamala continued, "DNA modification is augmented with nanotechnology which supports and rapidly matures the new DNA potential in the subject. Instead of waiting years for natural organic maturation, nanotechnology accelerates development by a factor of fifteen or more resulting in fully mature mammary glands, with fully mature ductal systems capable of lactation induction, in an interval of twelve to sixteen weeks standard." Pamala stopped reading off the tablet and looked into the camera again. "Questions?" she asked.

Julia shrugged. "I guess the obvious question, how big? How big do they get on him?"

Pamala smiled. "Excellent question. Everybody asks that one," she said with a humorous smile. "It depends on what you want. With AGen, for the most part, you get to decide."

"I do?" Julia asked, somewhat shocked at the answer.

"Let me explain," Pamala offered. "There's two parts that determine size. First, there's the genetic potential. That essentially determines how large they can possibly get. Secondly, there's the actual development or growth phase. That's where the nanites, the molecular sized robots, do their work to satisfy the potential that's there. Make sense so far?" she asked.

"I think so," Julia said.

"Now, let's make it simple and look at how they work together," Pamala said. "If you have a large potential and a large growth phase the subject will develop rather large breasts. That should be obvious enough. However, if either the potential is small or the growth phase is small then the subject will develop rather small breasts."

"Let me see if I understand," Samantha said. "Let's say Eric's sister and mom are small. Then, no matter how hard the nanites work, he'd be small too?" she asked.

"You have the basic idea, yes," Pamala said. "If the subject's genetic potential is to be small then you can't make them large, it isn't an option."

"How large is Eric's sister?" Samantha asked Julia.

"Average, I guess. Maybe a B-cup?" she replied.

"Then Eric could be like a B-cup," Samantha concluded.

"We'd need more family history first before we can say that with certainty," Pamala said. "But that only applies if you leave his genetic potential unaltered."

"What? You can change it?" Julia asked.

Pamala nodded with a big smile on her face. "You can leave the genetic potential of the subject unaltered. In that case, breast development will be consistent with family history," Pamala said. "Some womyn prefer that because their male can develop as if they'd been born a female. Alternatively, the subject's potential can be altered, over written for whatever size you want."

"Really?!" Julia asked astonished.

"Absolutely," Pamala nodded. "Actually, the majority of our clients do just that, change their male's potential to something larger, often much larger. Then, during the growth phase, they can decide exactly how large they want him to be. Some womyn even use the development as a form of discipline, subjecting their male to more breast growth when they misbehave."

"Seriously?!" Julia asked, shocked at the notion.

"I recommend it, in fact. Pushing his potential past his genetic norm is a good thing. Often you don't know, for sure, how large you might want him until his breasts start developing," Pamala said. "Besides, it can be fascinating to watch him struggle with the reality that his masculinity is slipping away as his breasts are getting larger and larger. A sinister smile crept onto Pamala's face. "You don't want that to end too soon."

Julia didn't know what to think about Pamala at that point. The pretty blond certainly had another side to her. If Eric only knew what this woman wanted to do to him he'd be terrified.

"How effective is the treatment? What if it fails?" Julia asked.

"So long as you follow the established protocols, that includes a number of clinical visits for exams and you properly use the training vest, the AGen program has a ninety percent probability of success. That's normal breast development and lactation in six months or less, typically much less," Pamala said. "Now, there is a small percentage of males that seem to be able to resist the retrovirus that modifies their DNA, we're working to close that gap. But, if they are resistant then nothing really happens to them at all, they're essentially immune to the treatment."

"A virus?!" Julia asked with concern, the distress deeply etched into her face.

Pamala nodded with a smile. "Yes. That's actually part of our next discussion points," she said calmly. "Let's move on to the logistics of the program. There's really very little to worry about and we'll be here to help you the entire time."

"But, are you talking about making Eric sick?" Julia asked.

"Not exactly," Pamala said. "The retrovirus might give him a fever for a few days but it isn't dangerous. It's not virulent like a flu might be. The thing is, DNA isn't something you can change with a simple pill. It's the building block that defines our very physical existence. You need something that can invade the DNA and, essentially, rewrite it. That's where the retrovirus comes in. It attaches to cells to deliver genetic material into the DNA, altering it. For a male, think of it as gene therapy, something to make their DNA more female - an upgrade."

Julia was astonished at the turn of events. A virus to invade and change Eric's DNA?! Could she really do this to him?

"It sounds fairly scary but you said it isn't dangerous right?" Samantha asked, hoping to calm the obvious distress written across Julia's otherwise beautiful face.

"That's correct," Pamala answered. "Don't think of it like a cold or flu. It's perfectly safe and we will be here to support you if any minor complications come up," she said with a calm and steady voice. "Any more questions on that for now?"

Julia shook her head while struggling to maintain the semblance of a smile, distressed about the direction the consultation had taken.

"Okay, the last thing I wanted to talk about today was what we call the training vest." Pamala tapped something in front of her and the screen switched to an image of what looked like some bizarre, black, thick rubber corset, straight out of the S&M scene, but with white domes instead of bra cups that would fully encase each breast. The image was rotating on the screen to show the entire vest, all the way around.

A few seconds later, Pamala came back into view. "You can think of it a bit like a training bra for AGen males if you wish," Pamala said with a smirk. "The vest is actually the nanite infusion system. It's what drives the growth phase of AGen. With the vest, you can control the intensity of the growth phase at any point. Essentially, it's what you use to decide how much of the subject's DNA potential is realized, or more simply, how large you want his breasts to get. Without the training vest, development would take years, and the subject would never reach their full genetic potential."

Pamala tapped in front of her again and the vest reappeared, rotating on the screen again. Julia inched a little closer for a better look. It really did look like some crazy, high-tech corset that would cover Eric from shoulders to waist in thick, constricting rubber. It looked to fastened in the back and seemed to have some locking mechanism at the collar.

Pamala reappeared suddenly. "After the DNA enhancing injection you'll be issued a training vest and shown how to operate it," Pamala said. "The AGen protocol requires the subject to wear the training vest every night before bed. It does it's work while the subject sleeps and can be removed in the morning."

"Can she keep him in it full time?" Samantha asked with a grin.

Pamala smiled back at the suggestion. "Actually, if you want, it can be left on for a number of days without removal but you will need to remove it to recharge the battery packs every three or four days," Pamala said. "If you wait too long you won't be able to disengage the retention system since it needs power to open the locks. It's constructed with layers of advanced materials to make it very sturdy and tough. You can't cut through it. Once it's on and locked, it's nearly impossible to remove until it's unlocked. If you lose battery power you'll need to contact me to get it removed."

Julia wondered how Eric might react if she insisted he wear the exotic looking training vest. Given that it was basically some high-tech corset for breast development, she imagined he'd lock himself in the bathroom, completely distraught and desperate at the prospect of wearing it.

"That's the basic overview, just enough to familiarize you with the technology and how AGen works. Any more questions on any of it?," Pamala asked.

Neither Julia or Samantha had any. Samantha seemed perfectly content and unconcerned, she was looking off in the distance, contemplating something with a soft smile gracing her lips. She almost looked like she'd just been shopping and was imagining herself at a gala in a new gown she'd just bought.

Julia was in total contrast to her, looking distraught despite her best attempts to conceal it. Now that she understood the reality of it better, it just seemed to be too much, too extreme.

"Okay, if there's no more questions, our next step is to schedule the initial exam," Pamala said. "We're going to need to see Eric as soon as possible. We need to give him a complete physical to make sure AGen is safe for him and we need some genetic material in order to develop the retrovirus for DNA alteration. He also needs a 3D imaging scan to fit him for his training apparatus," Pamala said.

Julia nodded, again forcing a smile onto her face.

"Would you like to setup the appointment now or contact me to coordinate it," Pamala asked.

Julia swallowed and cleared her throat, her mind swirling with uncertainty. "I think I'll need to contact you. I'm not sure exactly what my schedule is at the moment. And I'm not sure about Eric... I-"