71 year old John Dodge, retired military, now sits in a nursing home, his body riddled with cancer, waiting on the grim reaper to come for him when he is given another option.

Chapter 1

“John you have a visitor,” The nurse said as she walked up and placed a hand on the wheelchair the old man sat in. While bending over to unlock the brakes she saw how the old man was staring at her cleavage, “You know I can see what you are staring at?” she whispered to him.

“Sure I know, but as fast as I am going downhill I really don’t give a rat’s ass,” The old man grinned, “I want to leave this world with as many happy memories as I can, and sweetheart your breasts will be among the top of those memories.”

“You are a dirty old man,” She said, leaning forward as she began to push the wheelchair.

“You know, you should have one of those male nurses push my chair so you can walk in front so I can die with some more memories of that cute ass of yours before I croak.”

“You are not going to ‘croak’ anytime soon.” She replied as they left the rec room and entered the hall.

“Yea, I bet you gals got a pool going on when I bite the big one don’t ya?” He chuckled, “Put me down for twenty on the fourth of July.”

“And how would you collect it if you won John?”

“You could collect it for me, go get a bottle of cheap wine and go get laid.”

“John you know I am married.”

“He don’t have to know.” Craning his neck around to look up at the nurse, “Just put that in that list of things you plan on never telling him.”

“I don’t keep secrets from my husband.”

“Bullshit!”

“Seriously I don’t”

“Okay so was he the first man you ever slept with?”

“That’s not something you discuss with someone else.”

“Did you tell him?”

“John, you are terrible!”

“No, I’m too old for those little white lies everyone tells to make you feel warm and fuzzy about each other. Hell if I was twenty years younger I’d wine you and dine you, then show you how a man should make a woman feel.”

“Watch your language, your grandchildren are here,” The Nurse scolded as she pushed the old man into his room.

“Hi dad,” he heard a female voice came from further inside the room.

Chapter 2

“So doctor, what you are telling us is the tests have been failures.” The gray haired man wearing a military uniform that was adorned with row after row of medals and ribbons stated from where he sat at the head of the long table.

“No sir,” A dark skinned man, with distinct Arabic features and thick accent spoke from his seat, “The serum works even better than expected, it just has a most unusual side effect on human physiology.”

“How can you call turning a twenty six year old man into a 1 year old baby a success?” The man raised his voice.

“General if I may?” A small gray haired woman that was sitting beside the Arabic man spoke.

“Go ahead,” The general nodded.

“The child shows unusual strength for its age, and it’s regenerative abilities are unbelievable” She explained.

“But it turned him into a damn baby!” The general’s voice became even louder, “What in the hell are we going to do with a platoon of babies?”

“General the second subject did not regress in age as far,” She continued, “From that test we believe that there is a limit to the regression.”

“Oh yes, I haven’t even spoke about your second test, as if the first screw up wasn’t enough for you two.” The general face was turning red as his volume continued to increase, “You went and used that damn serum on a second man!”

“Sir they were both volunteers and the second volunteer knew exactly what had occurred with the first before he asked for us to continue with the test he partook in.” The woman defended what they had done, “The seconds volunteer only regressed into his teens.”

“And how is that any better?” The general screamed, “None of your test subjects remain adults, and from what you have found so far, they may be stuck at the new age for the rest of their lives.”

“It’s simple General,” She grinned, “We need to begin with older subjects.”

The general opened his mouth but stopped before he said a single word. Looking over at the two army officers that sat across from the two doctors, “Find me an older volunteer. Someone with a military background that can keep his trap shut.”

“How old sir?” One of the two officers asked.

The general looked over at the doctors, waiting for an answer.

“I, I would guess sixty?” The Arabic man spoke.

“Older may be better,” The woman spoke, “let’s say sixty five minimum preferably seventy or more.”

“You want us to raid the nursing homes?” The first officer chuckled.

“Actually that is a great place to look for volunteers,” she remarked, “Men in those places have no future to look forward to, and I’d say that most would jump at the chance to have their youth returned to them.”

Chapter 3

The two army officers sat at a table going through the stacks of folders on the table. “Now here is an interesting one,” One of the men held up a folder, “This guy’s record makes him sound like a regular John friggn Wayne.”

“Let me take a look,” the other man held out his hand to take the folder. Thumbing through it he spoke, “Damn, you’re not kidding, CMOH, three silver stars. Hell this guy has medals that I didn’t even know existed!”

“Yea, he sounds like something else, doesn’t he?”

“Oh crap!” The man said as he flipped back to the first page in the folder. “You have to be shitting me!” The man exclaimed

“What?”

“John Dodge!”

“Yea so?”

“He’s my father in law!”

“No shit?” the second man laughed, “Your father in law won the CMOH?”

“I never knew he had any medals?”

“With him related it makes it easier to approach him.”

“You don’t understand, this is the man that took my youngest daughter out on a lake fishing with homemade dynamite!” His partner tried to keep from laughing. “And when the game warden showed up, dear old dad lit a stick and handed it to the game warden and asked him if he wanted to fish or argue about his preference of bait.” His partner could not contain himself and roared.

Finally catching his breath his partner said, “He sounds like the exact person we need. Military background, and was damn good at it from looking at that list of honors. He has held top level security clearances in the past, so he knows how to keep his mouth shut and he’s over seventy one, and he sounds like he may be insane enough to go through with this once he’s been read in.”

“Alright, we’ll go talk to him, but first let’s get his security clearance reinstated and up to the level he needs to come in on this.” Smiling at his partner, “Don’t bother with hotel arrangements, we have plenty of room at the old man’s place.”

Chapter 4

As the two Army officers walked down the sidewalk toward the entrance of the nursing facility Matt’s father in law now lived, Jake noticed an old man in a wheelchair smoking a cigar off in the distance. “I didn’t know they allowed that in these places?”

“Allowed what?” Matt asked.

Pointing toward the man in the wheelchair, “That.”

Matt saw the cigar hanging out of his father in laws mouth as the old man wheeled himself along another paved walkway that led toward a small pond that sported a fountain in its center, “OH CRAP!” he yelled and began running toward the old man.

“What?” Jake followed chase.

“Dad’s got a cigar!” Matt yelled back as he ran.

Catching up to the wheelchair, Matt grabbed the handles and stopped the old man’s progress then quickly ripped the cigar out of his mouth before the man had a chance to complain. “What in the hell were you planning?” Matt held the cigar just out of the man’s reach.”

“What?” The old man looked up at his son in law with his best poker face, “Matt you wouldn’t deprive a dying old man from enjoying a good cigar would you?”

“Hand them over!” Matt held his free hand out.

“Hand over what?”

“The explosives!”

“The what?” the old man grinned.

“Your damn bait old man!”

With a heavy sigh John reached into a pouch on the side of the wheelchair and produced three off white cylinders, each had a green colored fuse about five inches long coming out one end and handed them to Matt, “Killjoy.”

“How’d you know he had those on him Matt?”

“The old man only smokes cigars when he goes fishing.”

“Yea,” John chuckled as he looked over at the other arrival, “The smoke keeps the bugs away.” Looking around, “So where’s the girls?”

“I had to pull some string to keep you here after your last fishing trip in that pond,” Matt nodded toward the small pond, “You do it again and they’ll throw you out.”

“Good, that way I can at least die in peace without those damn nurses waking me up in the middle of the night.”

“Uh dad,” Matt began, “Jake and I need to talk with you.”

Looking over the top of his glasses at Jake then back to Matt, “I take it twinkle toes there works with you?”

“Caption Jake Wagner sir,” Jake came to full attention and saluted John, “It is an honor to meet you sir.”

“What’s with the stiff saluting kid? I was only an enlisted grunt.” John frowned at Jake.

“Dad we know about your CMOH along with all the other medals you have and how you won them.”

“Then you also know that I won’t talk about that crap.” John turned his attention back to Matt.

“We’re not here to talk about your past service sir,” Jake stated, “We are here to make you an offer.”

“I hope it’s not an offer I can’t refuse.” John’s laugh was interrupted when he began coughing.

“Dad, you mind if I push you over to that bench, then we can explain everything.”

“Ok,” Matt sat down in the bench facing his father in law, “First thing, we have reinstated your security clearances, and you have been authorized to be read in on this project.”

“Sounds pretty hush-hush.”

“It is dad, its eye’s only stuff. The two of us, the sec-def, our department head and now you.”

“Ok so why me?” The old man asked.

“We need a volunteer for the project.”

“You want a seventy year old man that is dying of cancer? What kind of fucking project is this?”

“You know about all the conspiracy theories about how the Nazi’s had some super soldier experiments during world war two?”

“Yea so?”

“They really did.” Matt confessed.

“And they almost had it worked out.” Jake included, “Had they known what we do now about genetics the war could have gone the other way.”

“So you two are involved in some super-secret shit to make a real life Captain America?”

“What does this have to do with me?” John chuckled, “You want to make Captain Geriatrics first?”

“There is a side effect of the process.” Matt stated.

“Oh?” John’s eyebrows rose.

“It regresses the subject in age considerably.”

John sat straight up looking at his son in law, “Are you saying it makes you younger!”

“Yes.”

“What about my cancer?”

“The process heals you completely, scars, missing fingers, even internal organs. In one test, the man had an appendectomy, it regrew his appendix.”

“So why aren’t you guys using him?”

“He’s now only fifteen years old, and doesn’t appear to be aging.”

“How old was he to start with?” John asked.

“Forty two.”

“So you guys think by getting someone my age…”

“The doctors think you should end up around age twenty five or so.”

“So you want to cure me of cancer, give me back my youth, and make me into a super hero.” John said, “What’s the catch?”

“We have to kill you.”

“Hey if this is about the inheritance, I signed most of it over to Karen a few years ago,” the old man chuckled.

“You did?” Matt seemed surprised, “She never said a word.”

“You’re not the only one that can keep secrets son.”

“Ok whatever,” Matt brought the discussion back on track, “We need to fake your death, make it look like you died. When the process is complete you get a new identity.”

“I think I would have a hard time staying away from the girls, you know how much those kids mean to me.”

“I have an idea for that new identity that I think you will like.”

“Well damn, let me think about this,” John grinned, “Stay here and die within the next few months, or go and take a chance on being young again.”

Matt grinned, “First thing we have to do is get you out of here.” Matt brought the cigar up to his face and began blowing on the end until it glowed cherry red. Smiling at his father in law he lit the fuse on all three of the homemade explosives and threw them into the pond.

Jake’s eyes went wide when he saw Matt throw the small explosives into the pond, John just grinned, “There’s hope for you yet son.”

Chapter 5

John sat on the edge of the examination table for what he considered way too long as the woman, who has introduced herself as Doctor Oliver, continued to explain details of what they were about to do to him. “Look doc, I don’t mean to be rude or nothing but you lost me right after the Dyno robo nuclear acid thing. All this stuff is way over my head.”

“But Mr. Dodge I want you to go into this fully informed.”

“Doc I figure it this way, I go to sleep like this,” John waved his hands at his own body, “I wake up as Captain America, or I don’t wake up.”

“Mr. Dodge, there is a chance that you will die.”

“No doc, that’s where you are wrong,” John looked sternly into the doctor’s eyes, “I am going to die and soon. This is a win-win situation for me. If it works, I’m young again. If it doesn’t I don’t have to sit through the next few months with doctors poking and prodding and making me take all kinds of nasty pills and crap trying to postpone the grim reaper.”

“Well then Mr. Dodge if you would disrobe.”

“Don’t ya think we should start with a little foreplay?” John grinned

“Mr. Dodge!” Dr. Oliver frowned.

“Well at least call me John. Can’t think of any woman that didn’t use my first name before she saw me naked. Hate to break the tradition.”

“OK John would you please get undressed.”

“That’s more like it,” John stood on wobbly legs and began undressing. Stopping as if he forgot something, John looked at the doctor and grinned, “You know if you were to find a deck of cards I can think of a fun way of getting this done.” The doctor ignored him so John continued undressing. Once John was down to his birthday suit the doctor and a lab assistant helped him up onto a platform, situated a mask that fit over his nose and mouth that had a long hose attached to a machine, then attached some electrodes to his chest that had wires trailing off to yet another machine. Once they had all their monitoring stuff firmly attached, they inserted an IV into his arm and helped him climb into a tank filled with some warm somewhat slimy fluid.”

Chapter 6

Once again in the small secure meeting room, Dr. Oliver, Captain Sawdey, Captain Wagner and General Tollman sat around the long table while Dr. Hakim stood at the far end of the table beside an interactive white board that was attached to the wall. “General Sir,” Dr. Hakim began, “Subject three’s induction to the project began with a through medical exam. The subject was in poor health due to advanced intrahepatic bile duct cancer. He had also suffered from colon and testicular cancer, all of which was removed in prior surgeries before his induction to the program. We confirmed the subject’s condition was incurable, fatality within three to six months depending on treatment.”

“We knew this doctor,” The general barked, “please get on with your progress report.”

“Yes Sir,” Dr. Hakim agreed, “At zero six hundred hours Friday morning the monitoring equipment an air supply and an IV were attached to the subject and the subject was introduced to the perfluorochemical or PFC solution. All monitoring equipment including video was then turned on and the retroviridae was administrated intravenously. We have a time lapsed video to provide a video of the progress so far.” Tapping a power button located on a small gray panel on the side of the white board, it began to glow as the projector mounted on an arm that stuck out from the wall above the board came to life. The doctor then touched a file folder on the screen and the video began playing.

The first several minutes nothing seemed to be happening to the elderly man submerged in the clear glass tank. Then slowly at first his body began shrinking, the shrinking continued at an ever increasing rate until roughly twenty minutes into the video the elderly man had the appearance of a five or six year old when the General barked, “Stop the video!”

Dr. Hakim quickly hit pause on the screen, “Sir?”

“You both assured us that by using an older subject his age would not regress so far?”

“General,” Dr. Oliver spoke form where she sat at the table, “We believe that the state of Subject 3’s health was the leading cause for this side effect. The amount of cancer cells that the regenesis had to overcome caused the subject to temporarily regress to an earlier state of being.”

“Temporarily?” Matt questioned.

“Yes sir,” Dr. Hakim nodded, “If you will allow me to continue the presentation you will see this was only a temporary condition.”

“Continue.” The general conceded.

Dr. Hakim restarted the video. The child grew even smaller, around the size of a two year old before he stopped getting smaller. The IV had fallen out of the subject’s now too small arm and the hairless child began struggling in its drug induced sleep until it has managed to get the breathing mask off. Bubbled appeared from its mouth and nose for a short time and it calmed down and curled up into a fetal position.

“He can’t breathe!” Matt stuttered.

Dr. Hakim paused the video once again, “The subject is fine Captain. The PFC solution is both nutrient and oxygen rich. It’s very similar to the fluid a baby is in before birth.”

“Although without the umbilical cord a baby has, the nutrients are fed directly into the fluid where the subject ingests them.” Dr. Oliver asserted.

Dr. Hakim restarted the video. The baby began to grow slowly at first then increasing at the same rate the man had shrunk. The video stopped with the subject looking around the age puberty should begin. Captain Sawdey sat with his jaw agape starting at the screen as well as the General and Captain Wagner.

Finally Captain Sawdey spoke, “He is gonna be pissed when he wakes up!”

Chapter 7

When John woke he knew something had gone wrong, he couldn’t have been in that tank of snot for more than a few minutes. Opening his yes all John could make out was strange blurry shapes. A dark shape seemed to move, “She’s awake.” John heard. Another darker shape moved into his vision, blocking out most of the other shapes, “John, it’s me Matt.”

“What happened?” John struggled to ask.

“It worked,” Matt said, “looks like I’m gonna have to stop calling you old man now. Doctors say you have the body of an eighteen to twenty year old now, although we have decided to show on your new ID that you are twenty two to keep from any problems you may have of being under twenty one.”

“Just went in tank, couldn’t have worked so fast.”

“You went into the tank last Friday old man. This is Thursday, you were in the tank for five days, they took you out yesterday. How you feeling?”

“Everything blurry, body feels numb.”

“The doctors say this is normal. Your mind has to readjust to your new body.”

“How long?”

“How long?” Matt sounded confused, “Until everything is working again?”

John tried to nod but couldn’t move his head, son instead answered, “Yes.”

“They tell me you should be on your feet later today although maybe wobbly for a few days.” Matt included, “We should have you out of here so you can attend your funeral.”

“Always said I wanted to be late for my funeral, I guess now I really will be.” John chuckled, immediately noticing that it wounded more like a girl’s giggle.

“OK,” Matt breathed a heavy sigh, “Now for the reason they asked me to be here when you woke up. You want the good news of the bad news first?”

“Good, always start off with the benefits.” John began to wonder why his own voice sounded so strange to him.

“Good idea,” Matt began, “Ok good news, the process worked even better than expected. You are as I said before now around twenty years old, your muscle density has increased slightly above five times more than human normal and you have regeneration capabilities that are only matched by comic books. Literally if you cut off a finger it would grow back and rather quickly according to the doctors. The process has also eliminated all signs of cancer in your body, even regrown that kidney you lost. Also they are uncertain as to how much, but the regeneration has also slowed your aging.”

“OK now the bad.”

“I’m not sure how to say this,” Matt stalled, “So I’m going to explain it as best I can. There was a side effect, the way I understand it, this happened partly because of an earlier operation you had, this left you with a low testosterone one count, and because of the cancer cells themselves. Your cancer cells had X, X chromosomes in them instead of X, Y. So when the retrovirus found the low testosterone along with it took to be female chromosomes in the massive number of cancer cells in your body, the retro virus rebuilt your body as female.”

“So I’m some kind of circus freak?” John gulped, “Half man half woman?”

“No, but…” Matt swallowed hard waiting for the old man to start screaming at him like a drill Sergeant, “You’re a girl, one hundred percent woman.”

Several minutes passed, neither saying a single word when John asked, “Am I a two bagger?”

“Huh, what?” Matt didn’t understand what John was getting at.

“A two bagger!” John was regaining his voice slowly as a nurse entered the room. “You know so butt fucking ugly that the guy puts a bag over her head so he doesn’t have to look at her while the screw, and another bag over his own head incase her bag rips open during sex. What do you kids call that now? Coyote morning? Where she is so ugly you would rather chew your arm off to get away rather than wake her up?

I almost had one of those mornings once,” John thought back as he recounted that story, “First night in Olongapo Philippines. There were three of us guy straight off the ship. Tom had been there once before so he was kinda our guide. At the end of the night we ended up in this hole in the wall two bedroom apartment that sat above one of the bars. I saw and did things that night that night with local women that should never be discussed.

Woke up the next morning in the living room floor when some gal walked around us. She was totally naked, and had a face that would curdle milk. I mean to say she was missing one eye and that was her good feature! I damn near lost the contents of my stomach right then and there when I realized one of us slept with her and it very well could have been me! I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed my arm pinned down by this really cute little LBFM sleeping beside me on the floor. I thought right then, if she had looked like the one that walked by, I would have lost an arm that morning!”

“I, well,” Matt stammered.

“Your very pretty sweetie,” John heard a woman’s voice, “I’m your nurse dear, you can call me Deb.”

“Hi Deb,” John replied, “I’m Joh… Hell I guess that name don’t fit anymore.”

“That was the next thing I was going to discuss with you, your new name.” Matt said.

“Don’t worry about it dear,” Deb said, “If I was in your shoes, the last thing I would be thinking about was my name, I would be freaking out.”

“Considering the alternative,” John stated, “I’ll take being a girl over that.”

“What was the alternative?” Deb asked.

“Old and on my death bed with only a couple months left to live.”

“I guess that does put things in perspective.”

“Yes ma’am it does,” John grinned devilishly, “Although I do reserve the right to freak the fuck out at a later date when all this finally sinks in.”

“OK so back to my question,” Matt asked, “If you had another daughter what would you have named her?”

“You mean for my new name?” John thought for a moment, “Kathleen, Kat for short.”

“Alright, so the story we have contrived is that you had another daughter by one of your many escapades with women. You are that child. Kathleen Dodge.”

“It sounds like such a far stretch, ME? Cavorting around with women?” John’s attempt to chuckle came out as a giggle.

“Yea, yea you were such a pillar of the community,” Matt added sarcastically.

“Hell son, we both know I was a whore monger when I was young.”

“That’s why this will work John, um Kathleen, Kat. No one would think twice about an illegitimate child showing up at your funeral.”

“True,” John sighed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t the only one.”

“OK I’ll go get the paperwork done making you officially Kathleen Dodge and get out of your nurse’s way, she looks like she has work to do.”

“So how are you feeling this morning Kat?” The nurse replaced Matt at her bedside.

“Things are still really blurry but it’s getting better.”

“On a scale from one to ten, how is your vision?”

“When I first woke up it was an 11, now it’s down to a five or six.” Kat answered, “I can tell you got a nice rack on you, but can’t tell much more than that.”

Deb chuckled, “I’m not the only one with a nice rack.”

“Crap, hadn’t thought about that, how big are they?”

“Hard to tell with you lying down, but I’d bet your at least a C dear.” Deb smiled, “Now then, any other feeling yet?”

“Yea I am feeling like tiny needles are sticking me.”

“Where, any specific spot, and place better or worse than another?”

“Not really, it’s an all over thing, not bad, just annoying.”

“That’s normal hon,” Deb explained, “The serum they gave you rebuilt your body almost from the ground up, it takes a few days for your body to relearn those connections. When your better I’m told you can watch the video, it’s truly amazing to see it happen.”

“Not sure if I want to see that or not.”

“I think you should, if for no other reason to give yourself some closure.”

“Closure I already had,” Kat looked up at the nurse with her quickly increasing vision, “To be honest, I didn’t think this shit would work. Figured I could at least die helping them to figure out this stuff and maybe out flank the grim reaper in the process.”

“In a way that may be good in your situation,” Deb said while wrapping a blood pressure cuff around the girl’s arm. “And if you think about it, you did beat death.”

“I did at that, didn’t I?” Kat giggled. “Now to work on taxes.”

“Taxes? What do taxes have to do with what you went through?”

“They say that the two things you can never beat are death and taxes,” an evil grin spread across the young girls face, “one down, one to go.”

Chapter 8

Kat sat nervously on the bed as Deb braided her hair, explaining what she was doing as she went. Once the braid was long enough Deb pulled it around in front of Kat so she could watch. As Deb continued braiding Kat’s hair she mentioned, “You’ll have to watch it when you sit down so you don’t sit on your hair.”

“I’ll get it cut,” Kat stated.

“Don’t you dare!” Deb scolded, “Women would die to have hair like yours, myself included!”

“It’ll get in the way.”

“Once you get used to it, you’ll be fine.” Deb stated as she looped the now very long braid under Kat’s arm, “When it gets too long to hold tight while you’re braiding it, loop it under your arm like this.”

“Yes mom,” Kat sighed heavily.

“Your hair is amazing Kat,” Deb continued working on braiding it, “it’s like baby hair, silky smooth and soft. Please don’t ever consider cutting it.”

“But it drags the floor!”

Deb grinned, “It doesn’t drag the floor! And there is allot of things you can do with it to put it up. Oh and you have a visitor coming, I want you to look presentable when he gets here.”

“Who’s coming?”

“Someone else you know that is in the project,” Deb grinned, “He’ll keep you company while I go do a little shopping for you.”

“Shopping?” Kat questioned.

“Yes that’s why I took your measurements after you showered, you underwear and real clothes.” Deb smiled, “Don’t worry I’m not going to pick up allot, just a few things to get you by until you get out of here.”

“There all done,” Deb affirmed after finished tying a green ribbon to the end of Kat’s hair.

“What’s with the green ribbon?”

“It matches your eyes.”

Kat picked up the light golden braid looking at it closely. “You know all my kids were born with this color hair, even I was but it got darker over the years.”

“Well maybe it will stay this way this time around, and if not you can always dye it.”

“Hair salon?” Kat shivered. “Rose used to go to that damn place once a month, you could set your watch by her and that place. Only good thing about going there was the mood she was always in when she got home.” Kat winked at Deb.

“That’s because going there makes us girls feel pretty, not that you need any help in that department.” Looking down at Kat’s chest, “You may want to pull that blanket up a bit before he gets here.”

“Huh? Why?” Following Deb’s eyes down at her own chest and seeing her nipples clearly poking out of the front of the hospital gown she wore, “Uh yea, good idea.” Kat quickly pulled the blanket up to hide the display. “So um Deb, are bras on that shopping list?” Deb nodded.
“Hey Spooky, how ya holding up?” The young African-American teen said from the doorway.

“Looks like your visitor has arrived Kat,” Deb stood up from where she had sat on the bed while braiding Kat’s hair, “Great timing too, if I leave now I can beat the rush and get in and out of the mall.”

“I haven’t been called that in a long time,” Kat quizzed, “Where you hear that name from kid?”

“You must have gone senile before your change,” The boy sassed, “Can’t recognize an old friend. It’s me Storms.”

“Earl?” Kat stared at the new arrival.

“In the flesh, well what’s left of it anyway, I go by Ben now” The Earl Storms that John remembered wasn’t the biggest man John had ever met, but he was with the top ten at six foot eight inches tall and three hundred and sixty pounds of sheer muscle. The man could have easily found a career in professional football with his size and strength, but had instead made the military his career just like John.

“They shrunk the hell out of you!” Kat gasped.

“They kinda did a number on you too.”

“OK kids, I’ll let you two get reacquainted while I hit the mall for those things you need Kat.” Deb headed toward the door.

Seeing the Nurse leave the room, Ben grabbed his crotch, “I still got it where it counts!”

“Ahh that’s no big deal,” waving her hand as if to brush off his statement, “You may still have one of those, but with one of these I can have as many of those as I want!” She pointed at her own crotch.

“What do you have her fetching for you boss?” Ben changed the subject, as the discussion was beginning to make him very aware of how pretty his former boss looked now.

“Uh…” Kat paused unsure how to answer without embarrassing herself, “Girl things.” Ben looked confused for a moment, then broke out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Kat tried to hide how embarrassing this felt to her, but her face gave her away as she began blushing.

“I just realized what you would be needing is all,” Ben unsuccessfully tried to stop laughing, “It’s just the thought of the old man wearing women’s clothes…” Picturing this in her mind had Kat soon laughing along with her friend.

Outside in the hallway where she had stopped out of sight of the two in the room, a broad smile spanned across Deb’s face when she heard the two laughing, Deb then turned and began walking down the hallway toward the elevator. Deb had heard the remark Ben made about retaining his manhood and she worried how Kat would take it. Kat may seem fine with the changes right now, but Deb worried that sooner or later something would eventually break that wall of stone Kat placed between herself and the world and all those pent up emotions she was hiding would come flooding out. She had an idea she was pretty sure the brass would go for, they needed her report anyway. Deb would make the phone call while she was out.