At long last, I got off my butt, and sat down to continue my neglected story.

Comments or questions, anyone?

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From Part 7

“So, we become women?” I asked?

“Yeah, real lucky”, I muttered to myself.

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And so my week began. Well, actually, it was only 6 days. It seemed to both fly by and drag interminably. She answered whatever questions she could about my future, and how to adapt to a very unique situation.. Along with that, there were lessons on makeup and hairstyling, along with how to act like a lady. The instruction on choosing the right clothes and shoes for the each occasion amused me, mainly because it seemed to reinforce a cliché. I hadn’t dated any women with a wardrobe anywhere near as extensive as the one that I now had. I wonder if any of them would have been jealous.

“You mean to say I need all these types of bras?? You’re kidding? Please tell me you are joking!” I exclaimed at one point.

“Nope. No joke”, she answered with a smile. “Once you develop, and you will develop, you are going to need something to hold the ‘twins’ in place. Nothing is more uncomfortable than having your boobs bouncing all over. I’m not quite a B cup, and I have to wear a good sports bra to hold them in place when I go jogging. So, quit your bitchin’, and pay attention. You’ll thank me later.”

I shut my mouth, and listened to Rachel continue to talk about sports bras, underwire bras, strapless bras, and the like. I looked down at my chest, and wondered how big my tits were going to end up. Geez, I hope they weren’t going to be monsters. I felt sorry for women sporting those DD+ breasts — the constant pull of that much flesh must be annoying.

As much as Rachel taught me, I couldn’t help get the feeling that there was a lot missing from her instruction. I asked her about this on the second last day.

“You’re right — there is a lot more. You’ll learn the rest in the pod.”

I was puzzled, and it must have shown on my face.

“Oh, I must have forgotten to mention it. You will be in a state of near unconsciousness for the duration. However, your brain will still be functioning at a lower level. You won’t be aware of the passage of time, but you will still be capable of learning various tasks, behaviours and the like. We take advantage of that by better preparing you for your future. Besides, it’s not like there are a lot of women available to teach new arrivals what they need to know. ”

“Hold on. Hold on!” I was a bit pissed about this. “I was told by both you and the good doctor that there would be no attempt made to brainwash me. Yet, this involuntary education sounds exactly like that. No one asked if I would be interested in this, or if I wanted it. It’s not like I could walk out in the middle of ‘class’ if I didn’t like what I was hearing or seeing.”

“Well, how do you expect to learn enough to function in society a hundred years from now?” she asked, remaining calm.

“I’ll figure it out somehow or another. What’s going to happen if I mess up on occasion? Will I be pitched in jail? Beaten? You can’t tell me that other new women don’t make the occasional error. What happens to them?” I demanded. My new voice still sounded odd to me, especially when I was mad.

“No, no one is harmed, and I’m sure that there are occasional slips in behaviour. We simply want you, and the girls like you, to feel comfortable as women when you arrive in the future.”

“Well, I vote no to the curriculum that has been chosen. That is my final decision.” I crossed my arms across my chest, my posture making my defiance clear.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell Phil. I’m sure he will agree…”, she said.

I cut her off with “He damned well better agree.”

“Alright, you’ve made your point. The question now is: what do you want to learn? You are going to have the equivalent of close to two years learning time ahead of you while you are in the pod. What knowledge would you like to acquire?”

I thought about that for a few moments before speaking. “I would like to learn about the events leading up to the war. In addition, I would like to gain an in depth knowledge of the technologies of the future, with the focus being on electronics, vehicles, and power systems.” I paused for a few moments, and then added “Can I also be taught martial arts? I know it is more a physical learning than intellectual, but at least I will know what to practice when I get there.”

“You know that violence is not acceptable where you are going, right?”

“If you think martial arts are just about violence, you are not as smart as I thought you were, Rachel”, I replied, with more than a tinge of sarcasm in my voice. “Martial arts are more a state of mind, and a way of achieving self discipline.”

“Okay, no need to be catty, Aleena”, Rachel responded.

“Sorry”, I said. “It won’t happen again. This whole involuntary education thing set me on edge.”

“Forgiven” she said, her smile returning. “I should have guessed that you would react a little differently than most of the girls passing through here. You are a quirky individualist, and I’m really going to miss you when you leave.”

“Thanks, Rach.” I got out of my chair and gave her a hug. “I’ll miss you too. Will we see each other when you arrive?”

“Maybe. I’m not a 100% certain, but I’ll see what Phil can do. I’d like very much to continue our friendship.”

“Me too. Oh, and speaking of Phil, can you arrange for him to come visit me before I leave? There is something I’d like to discuss about the surgeries that will be done while I am in the pod.”

“Sure, Aleena. I can do that.”

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Before I knew it, the time had arrived. I got up at 7:30 a.m., did the usual routine in the bathroom (minus makeup and hair styling), and drank the liquid breakfast that was in the fridge. I put on a soft pink robe that came down just past my knees, and waited for my friend and counselor to arrive .

Rachel had met me at my quarters, and walked with me to the entrance of the pod bay. We talked and chatted on the long trip, which included two lift trips. The complex was large beyond belief. How they managed to build it and hide its purpose from the local authorities amazed me.

Phil had told Rachel that she would be assigned to the West Coast region, where I would be living, so the chances were good that we could continue our rapidly growing friendship when she arrived.

When we walked up to our destination, Phil was waiting for us. Rachel gave me a hug, and said, with her voice breaking from emotion, “See you on the other side, Aleena."

I felt my eyes burning as I returned the embrace. “ Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” She stepped back, gave me one last smile, and then quickly retreated. I stood there, watching her walk away.

“She doesn’t make friends easily”, said Phil, interrupting my thoughts. “You must be a special person.”

“Maybe, who knows? She is good people, to be certain. I can see why you kept her here to help the new people.”

“Yes. She makes up for my lack of interpersonal skills, and shows the recruits that life won’t end, just because of a change in venue,” he paused, then added “And gender, I suppose.”

“Well, shall we get this show on the road, doc?” I asked.

“Don’t tell me you are anxious to get under way?”

“Well, considering I don’t have any choice in the matter, I might as well accept it. I’m not thoroughly pleased, but I will adapt and thrive, like I have in the past. Without meaning to brag, that is simply my nature.”

“Too bad you don’t have a psych major — I could use your help here. Alas, it is not meant to be. Please, come with me, Aleena.” With that, he swiped his palm over the reader plate beside the portal. The massive doors slid aside, and the sight that greeted my eyes was amazing. There were countless pods, arranged in what seemed like endless rows.

“Don’t let your senses fool you.” The doctor must have seen the look on my face. “There are just over 5000 pods here. It just looks like there is a lot more.”

“Still, that is a lot”, I responded. “How many are occupied?”

He consulted a readout on his left. “3,412 are currently being used.”

“Thirty four hundred? Geezus, that is a lot of lives you have fucked up, doc!” I shouted, feeling my anger and fear rising. "I thought I had accepted this fate, but maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.”

“Please don’t start, Aleena. It isn’t like I am the only one working here. And besides, we are all working to save the future of humanity.”

“Yes, of course. That tired old excuse. Well, maybe I don’t want to be part of your master plan! Maybe I want out!” And with that, I turned on my heel and walked out the door.

“Aleena. Aleena!” I could hear my name being called. “Fine, be that way. Deborah, if you please.”

I knew I didn’t stand a chance. Deborah, the A.I. guard system, had already stopped me dead in my tracks three times in my stay at the facility. Once as a demonstration of ‘her’ abilities, once when I tried to hack into the computer system, and once when I made a jump for an exit door. Once again, I felt my body go slack, due to an electrical discharge of the implant in my brain.

As I lay there, immobilized, Dr. Westham came over. After removing my robe, he picked me up. “Oh, you are going to be a handful for some lucky guy a hundred years from now, aren’t you?” he said with a laugh. “Well, let that be a lesson to them, I suppose. They deserve it.”

He carried me over to a pod, and placed me inside. It was incredibly comfortable, but just a bit too cozy for my tastes. I felt a hypo hiss against my arm. “That should help you relax, and eventually sleep. I know most girls find these chambers a bit claustrophobic.”

He continued his preparation work. A small item was stuck to each of my arms and legs, and two on my torso. “Those are for osmosis feeds. They are like an IV, but don’t penetrate the skin. They will provide nutrition, as well as the hormones and chemicals required for your change. As well, a certain compound will be released to keep you immobile when various automated microsurgeries are performed”, he said.

Next, a high tech headset was placed over my head. The doctor’s voice came through the earbuds. “This is for the educational portion of your stay in the pod. It provides the audio and visual feed, in order for you to learn new skills. As you discussed with Rachel, the program will contain the martial arts, technology and history information you requested.”

“However”, he added, “that still left you with the equivalent of almost four months learning time empty. I sorted through other possible choices, and managed to fill an additional two months with information somewhat relevant to what you had requested, or somewhat suitable to your personality type. That left two months with no content.”

I could only mentally cringe, as I had a feeling that I knew what was coming.

“Therefore, I decided to fill that space with a streamlined version of the child care and education programs, along with the first levels of the 'Motherhood' and 'Ladylike Behaviours and Attitudes' courses. It should, for the most part, leave your psyche untouched. I am very sorry about that. Please understand that I am doing it for your own good. You could end up being a social outcast if you don’t display appropriate mannerisms in your new environment.”

I tried to summon a good rage. Oh, how I tried. But whatever the ‘good’ doctor had shot me full of was making me too tired to care. Maybe we would meet in the future. Then I would kick his ass, the bastard. Until then…. until then…

I slept.