CHAPTER 19
                        THE CAUSE (PART 1)

     The group in the car was quiet as they drove to the hotel. 
The short briefing by Dr. Krell had given them all something to
think about.  Each had always feared that their condition might end
up being permanent, but until Dr. Krell's admission, they had held
out hope that something could be done right away.  Now they were
being told they could expect to stay as they were for an indefinite
period.  The realization of what it all meant was just setting in.

     Tim broke the silence.  "God, I never thought I'd be worrying
about having periods, or getting pregnant, or anything like that."

     "I never considered that I wouldn't get to be a father." Joe
added.  "Even if I could have children now, I don't know if I'd
want to be a mother."

     "At least you aren't a father already," Dave added.  "I am,
and now...  I'm told can be a mother too."

     It was obvious that the tapes they had watched earlier that
day at the clinic, as well as Dr. Krell's statements, had made an
impression on each of them.

     "Well, it'll still take some getting used to, I guess.  But,
you know, I'm sort of starting to like looking like a girl...  I
think it's fun," Mike added.

     "Those clothes seem to have changed your attitude as well as
your appearance," Tim said to Mike.

     "Yeah, I know, but I think the hair is what really makes the
difference," Mike said, smiling happily.  "I don't even recognize
myself when I look in the mirror."

     "I guess I'll need to get one too," Tim said, referring to the
wig Mike was wearing.

     "Why don't we stop at Barbara's shop?" Mike said.  "She's
probably still be open.  It's only four-thirty."

     "Ok.  We can do that," Joe agreed.  Longer hair had made such
a difference in his and Mike's appearance, as well as confidence,
that he figured Tim shouldn't have to wait either.

     Instead of going directly to the hotel, they went to the
little shop by the mall.  It was still open, and Barbara had two
customers in the shop when they entered.  She recognized them as
soon as they entered, and greeted them with a friendly smile.

     "I'll be with you as soon as I can." She said.

     They sat waiting for maybe twenty minutes while the other
customers, two older ladies, completed their fittings and left the
shop.  Barbara came over to them.

     "And what is this?" she said, looking at Tim.  "Do you people
have a machine to do this?"

     "I believe we do." Joe said.  Without completely realizing it,
Barbara's attempt at humor had probably been quite accurate.

     Barbara asked Tim to sit, and then he tried on various styles
of hairpieces.  The only one that matched his original hair color
was a somewhat short, pixy cut, but it was definitely attractive on
Tim's now quite feminine facial features.  As it had been with
Mike, the change in appearance was almost unbelievable.  As each of
them concealed the last vestige of their maleness, the masculine
looking short haircut, they looked feminine in all respects.  Tim
sat in front of the mirror behind the table, and gazed at his
reflection.  It was his turn to be transfixed by the face of a
pretty young girl staring back at him.

     "I think it looks very nice." Barbara said.  "But if you want
another style, it'll have to be another color, or else you can wait
three days."

     "Oh no, I don't want to wait," Tim insisted.  "This will be
fine.  I like it."  He didn't want to have to wait to have the look
he was seeing in the mirror.

     Joe paid Barbara since Tim didn't have enough money for the
hairpiece.  As he paid the money, he realized that Tim probably
didn't have much money, and was probably at a distinct disadvantage
to the others when it came to buying the clothes he needed.  Joe
thought about what Jay had told him, and kept the receipt.  He
asked Tim if he needed some more clothes.

     "Well, everything I have on right now is borrowed, either from
you or Karen." Tim said.

     "Then I think we need to get you some more." Joe suggested. 
"I'll pay for them, and I'll give Honeybone the bill."

     "Do we have to do it now?" Tim objected.  He was embarrassed
to shop for women's clothes.

     "It's really not so bad, Tim.  I thought it would be horrible
too, but once you start, it's really kinda fun... the things are so
soft and slick, and they fit so well.  I now understand why girls
like shopping for clothes.  It's totally different from what I
thought."  Mike was sounding almost excited as he talked about his
own experience shopping that afternoon.

     "Besides, pal, you signed up.  You're legally a girl now
anyway."  Joe couldn't resist teasing the young man who now,
especially with the new hair, looked so cute... so attractive.  Of
course, he knew better... he was in the same position... but maybe
it was just that he still had at least a bit of his old masculine
mischievousness, and he just couldn't resist teasing the cute Tim.

     "Yeah, I know, but it's just not easy to accept not being a
guy... and it's even harder to try to think of myself as a girl. 
I always think other guys are staring at these boobs, or ogling my
butt," Tim said.

     "And they are, too," Joe said, grinning.  "You know that. 
This time last week, you would have been looking at a butt like
yours too."

     "Yeah, I guess so... it's kinda strange... now that I'm this
way, women just don't seem nearly as sexy to me as they used to. 
I wonder why that is?" Tim asked.

     "Maybe it's because you don't just look like a girl, you
actually are one," Joe reasoned.  The same thought had already
crossed his mind.

     "I guess I do seem like a girl now, and maybe I've even turned
into one.  I suppose I probably have, but when I close my eyes, and
when I think of who I am and what I look like, I still feel like
I'm a guy inside." Tim mused.

     "Yeah?  Maybe so, but not on the outside," Dave added.  "Any
one of you has a body that most of the natural women out there
would die for."

     "Hey, don't forget, I didn't ask to be this way," Tim said. 
He wasn't sure if it was envy, or resentment, showing in Dave's
voice.

     "I know, but damn it, you three have it easy...all you have to
do is get used to the new parts and then, you can just get on with
your lives.  I've got a family.  I can't just put on a wig, buy
some clothes, and then learn to be a woman.  But don't forget, the
same thing has happened to me, too; I have the same feelings... 
What the hell am I supposed to do?"  Dave was almost sobbing.

     They got in the Lincoln, and Joe drove the short distance to
the main mall.

     "It'll work out, Dave.  They'll figure out something for you."
Joe said.

     "Oh, yeah?  What?" Dave snapped.  "Right now, it looks like
the most I can hope for is some kind of fake cock which apparently
won't have any feeling.  Even Dr. Krell doesn't seem to think much
of that idea."

     "Is that what you want?" Joe asked.  "Maybe you should stay a
woman, if that's what you really want."

     "Hey, I don't know what I want." Dave answered.  "I don't have
any idea what I want."

     "Then whatever you do Dave, don't let them cut on you unless
you can't stand it any other way," Joe advised.  "If you don't mind
me asking, have you and Cindy slept together?"  Cindy was Joe's
wife.

     "We were in the same bed, but we never touched each other.  I
can't expect her to become a lesbian, or whatever, just because
this... this thing has happened to me."

     "Don't worry about what to call it," Joe said.  "You are both
still married to each other and what you do together can't be
perverted or anything like that."

     "Hey, old buddy, I know I'm not gorgeous, but there's not much
I can do in bed with my wife, or any other woman.  I've undergone
the same changes you have.  I probably have the same feelings you
have, too."

     "Do you want to sleep with Cindy?  Would you like to make love
to her?" Joe asked.

     "Sure, she's my wife; I still love her."

     "Then do it.  Don't worry about what others might think.  It's
nobody's business anyway.  She'll accept you.  You probably even
smell better than you used to," Joe teased.

     "Aw, Joe, what can we do?" Dave asked.  "You know I'm not a
man anymore, and I'm not sure I even feel like one."

     "Don't be an idiot, Dave," Joe insisted.  "By now... especial-
ly now... you know what will make her feel good.  Just do that. 
She'll probably want to do the same for you.  You might be
surprised how much fun you both can still have.  Heck, now you
won't have to worry about birth control either."

     "How do you suddenly know about all this stuff?" Mike asked.

     "I live with Linda, remember?" Joe said, winking at him.

     Joe opened his door, and got out.  They went into the mall at
the same entrance as that morning.  Mike took Tim by the hand and
led him right to Victoria's Secret.

     "You just gotta get some of this stuff," he said.  "It just
looks and feels so sexy.  I just love it."  Mike had really made a
complete transition.

     Tim was less sure of himself, but Mike, who was still much
bigger and stronger, just pulled him into the store.  They were
acting like teenagers, out the first time without their parents. 
Tim was already wearing a bra, and Joe knew it was his size, since
he had loaned it to him the day before.  He told Tim what he
thought his new sizes were, and Tim reluctantly started looking and
selecting items to try or buy.  Mike was acting as the expert
advisor the whole time.  The sales girl from earlier in the day was
still there, and it was obvious she recognized the group.  She
looked carefully at Mike, sure she recognized him, but was wracking
her brain to figure what was so different about this big woman. 
She now looked far less masculine.  The hairpiece, and the womens'
clothing had made a big difference in Mike's appearance.  But the
girl just couldn't place what the difference was.

     Tim finally picked out some underwear, probably more to please
Mike than himself, and then he even followed Mike into the fitting
room to try some bras on.  Joe could hear Mike talking to Tim the
whole time they were in the small room.  He couldn't get over how
Mike was acting.  This big macho guy now seemed suddenly fascinated
with the details of being a woman.

     Maybe it's a good thing, Joe thought.  He considered his own
feelings and reactions to what had happened to his own body, and he
realized that maybe he wasn't that much different than Mike.  Would
this acceptance of their new sexuality touch each of them eventual-
ly, he wondered?

     After Mike had helped Tim find his selections, and Tim had
tried on each item that was practical to try on, they went on to
other stores.  Tim, having just turned twenty-one, had much
different tastes in clothes than the older "women."  Even Mike, who
was only twenty-six, had much different ideas about what looked
good on Tim's attractive form.  It soon became obvious from the
type of things he stopped to look at and the kind of questions he
asked, that Tim liked the short skirts and tight, stretchy tops
that were "in."  Although he was embarrassed to wear them, those
kinds of things were what he thought he needed.  Of course Mike,
whose taste in fashion never went past exercise wear, knew or cared
little about things like that.  When Mike showed less interest, Tim
began to look at the things he thought he liked.  As he was
looking, a sales girl, probably about his own age, came over to
help Tim.  The former young man certainly needed her assistance,
but he could hardly speak.  It was very difficult for a
twenty-one-year old male to ask a twenty-one year old female to
help him select a skirt and top for himself, no matter what he
looked like.  It didn't make any difference to Tim that the
friendly young lady was actually somewhat jealous of his shapely
figure.

     The sales girl was finally able to get this stuttering
customer to tell her what she was looking for.  This tall, very shy
girl didn't even know what sizes she was looking for.  When she
finally helped her pick out some selections, she even seemed
reluctant to go into the dressing rooms.  She kept looking back at
her three older friends, one of whom looked like she had her hair
cut like a man.  When the girl finally came out of the fitting room
(it took forever) so that she could see herself in the full length
mirror, she seemed quite embarrassed to be seen in the short skirt,
even though she looked fantastic in it.  She acted like she had
never worn anything like it before, even though she had one of the
trimmest shapes the sales girl had ever seen.  When she looked at
herself in the mirror, the girl seemed almost like she was looking
at someone else, she touched her hair, her hips, even felt at her
breasts, as if she had never noticed them before.  It was strange
to watch her as she turned about, observing herself in the three
sided mirror.  Then the other three women came over and looked,
too.  They all seemed to be seeing this young lady for the first
time.  Finally, one of the women spoke.

     "I think it's you," Joe said.

     "I just can't believe it.  I feel like I have to pinch myself
to believe this is me." Tim exclaimed.

     Oh, come on, thought the sales girl.  You do look good, but
not that good.

     "I think it's just right for you," the sales girl said.  "And
I think a some black shoes would go nicely with it."  She pointed
to the mannequin, which was wearing almost the same choices.

     "Oh, yeah... I guess I'll have to get some shoes too..." Tim
muttered.  He was still admiring his new look.

     "They're down on the lower floor," the sales girl said.  "Will
there be anything else?"

     "Yeah, I'll need some more... I guess a few more..." Tim said
absently.

     The sales girl looked at him.  What was with this girl?

     They spent another hour selecting things with the young sales
girl, and then went walking throughout the mall shops, each of them
looking, sometimes trying something on, sometimes even buying.  The
only one who didn't seem to be having fun was Dave, who looked,
sometimes touched, but never tried anything on, and refused to buy
anything.  Mike was able to get both Tim and Joe to get some
colorful exercise wear for themselves.  Joe already had some, which
he had bought the first day, but Mike insisted, and Joe was in the
buying mood.

     Finally, loaded down with packages, most of them Mike's and
Tim's, they struggled back to the car.  Driving back to the hotel,
it didn't sound anything like four men in the car, as Joe, Mike,
and Tim discussed the different things they had seen, as well as
the things they had purchased.

     When they went in, they got their rooms and had their bags
brought to the rooms.  As agreed, Mike roomed with Joe, and Tim and
Dave were together.  Joe went into his room, placed his bags of
purchases on the end of the bed, and dropped down on it in
exhaustion.  He had long ago decided that the pumps he was wearing
surely had not been made for walking in.  Though they looked great,
they lacked the comfortable support of the more substantial men's
footwear.  He kicked them off, pulled the sun dress up to his hips,
and began to massage his sore feet while enjoying the cool air on
his tired legs.  When he looked over, he saw that Mike was watching
him, eyes wide, grinning.  Suddenly he realized that by pulling his
dress up so high, he had exposed his bottom, and the sight of his
panties had caught Mike's eye.

     Mike realized he was staring when he saw Joe cover himself in
embarrassment.  He quickly apologized.

     "Gee Joe, I'm sorry.  I know we're both women now, but I
couldn't resist looking when I saw you lying there like that. 
It... you were just so sexy looking, I just couldn't help look-
ing..." He stuttered with embarrassment.

     "Hey, don't worry about it." Joe said grinning.  "I know how
you feel.  I find myself looking at you sometimes, too.  And Tim...
ain't he something."

     "Yeah, SHE sure is." Mike agreed.  "Do you think we should
start calling ourselves women?  I mean, if we want everybody else
to treat us like women now, I guess we should do the same our-
selves."

     "Yeah, I guess we should, but it's sure a hard thing to do. 
I still think that deep inside, I'm a guy.  I guess I'm sort of
getting used to the idea of looking this way, but it still seems
strange to think of myself as a 'she,' Joe said, as he sat back up
on the bed and smoothed the dress over his knees.

     "Same here," Mike agreed.  "But you know, if Dr. Krell called
right now, and said he had just discovered the secret to get us
back, I don't know if I'd rush to go and do it.  Isn't that weird? 
What's going on anyway?  Why am I suddenly starting to enjoy this
so much?"

     "Don't worry, you're not the only one who feels that way. I'm
starting to like it too.  It must be the different hormones, or
something."

     "So do you think we're really turning into women?"

     "Well, let's see, we just came back from a shopping spree
where you and Tim looked at more clothes in one afternoon than I
did in a year, and I even liked it too.  Now I'm sitting here
wearing a dress, and I just realized I need to pee.  If, after this
afternoon's little shopping trip, I still have any doubt that I've
turned into a woman, I'm fairly sure I'll be reminded of it when I
go in the john and pull down these panties I'm wearing."  With
that, Joe got up and went into the bathroom.

     When he came back out, Mike was standing in his underwear,
looking at each of his purchases, and laying each item on the bed.

     "You know, I think just looking at this stuff gives me a
hardon," Mike said, grinning.

     "It is some nice looking stuff." Joe agreed.  "But you've
gotta do something about those hairy legs."  He started to look
through the bags which contained his new purchases.

     Joe found the little black bra and panty set.  He held up the
little wisp of black nylon which was the little thong bikini.  It
didn't look like it would cover him, even with the changes.  Mike
saw it too, and grinned.

     "Come on Joe, try it on."

     "I don't know..."  Joe really wanted to put it on, but he
didn't really want to put himself on display.

     "I just know you'll look great wearing that stuff," Mike
continued.

     "Aw, all right..  I would like to see how they fit," Joe
admitted.  He carefully unbuttoned the red sun dress and stepped
out of it.  Looking down at his chest made him smile.  His nipples
were quite visible through the thin, almost transparent fabric of
his bra.  It was still a strange experience having tits, he
decided, but he was beginning to get used to the idea, sort of.  He
reached behind his back with both hands, unhooked the back strap,
and felt his bra loosen.  He squirmed out of the tangle of straps
and then scratched under his soft mounds at the red marks made by
the underwires.  Joe dropped the old bra and picked up the new
little black one.  This one had the catch between the cups, and he
could see what he was doing as he fastened it.  He adjusted the
cups over his breasts until they felt just right.  This new lighter
bra felt as if it might provide somewhat less support that the one
he had just removed.  It sure did look sexy though, but in a very
different way than the sheer one.

     "You have such a great body," Mike said softly.  Admiration,
as well as perhaps a bit of envy, was quite evident in his voice. 
"It sure makes me wish I hadn't taken those steroids."

     "You look ok, Mike," Joe said truthfully.  "They don't seem to
have affected you that much."

     "Maybe it doesn't look like it much, but I feel like I'm still
a guy sometimes, like my cock is still there.  It's an almost
embarrassing feeling sometimes."  Mike rubbed the front of his
panties, where his penis should have been.

     "Actually, I think that sensation might be normal. I feel the
same way too.  I'd bet that even natural women feel like that. 
They probably just don't realize what it is."

     "Yeah, you might be right, but I know I've never seen a woman
with a clitoris as big as mine."

     "And I guess you've seen 'em all?"

     "Well, I've seen a few.  So you're still sleeping with Linda,
even now?"

     "Well... er, I ah, yeah, I... we have slept together," Joe
cautiously admitted.  "And it was pretty good too."

     "But, what did you do with her?  How... what can you do now?"
Mike asked innocently.

     "Maybe I'm not a man anymore, and maybe I don't have male
equipment, but I still know what women like, maybe even better now
than before.  And I can tell you, these new parts aren't missing a
thing when it comes to erotic sensation.  It feels like all the old
nerves are still there, maybe moved around a bit, and I think
they've even had the gain turned up a little, too."  Joe grinned as
he spoke.

     "You've noticed that too?  I was thinking that I must be
really screwed up after having my cock shrivel up, and then still
being horny all the time.  The urge does seem to be tapering off a
little bit lately though."

     "Yeah.  For me too.  Dr. Krell said that maybe I was getting
familiar with the new sensations, and that maybe my testosterone
level would start to decrease.  It was far too high for a female,
he said."

     "Do you... er.. have you ever thought about what it would be
like to sleep with a man... to have sex with one?" Mike asked.

     "Well...I'll admit, the thought has crossed my mind."  Joe
wasn't about to say anything about last night.

     "I don't know if I could do it... I mean... some other guy's
cock... all that... but I don't know.  I just can't seem to get the
idea out of my mind.  I find I'm constantly wondering how it would
feel."

     "I suppose it just might be pretty good," Joe answered.  "Dr.
Krell says all our organs are normal, even the stuff that's
changed, and that everything should work just like any normal
woman's.  Heaven knows they're sensitive enough, that's for sure."
He was actually relieved to hear that somebody else was experienc-
ing the same feelings he had been having lately.

     "Yeah, but the thought of laying next to another guy, I don't
know if I could that.  It would have to feel weird."

     "Maybe it wouldn't, once you got... you know... into it."

     "Yeah.  Maybe you're right.  I just don't know though."

     "There's no need to rush something like that," Joe mused.  "It
looks like we might have plenty of time to get used to the idea."

     "Yeah, it does look like that, doesn't it.  I have trouble
with the idea of spending the rest of my life as a woman.  Hell, I
just can't see myself looking like my grandmother."

     "It is hard to accept, isn't it?"

     "So far, everything has been interesting, sort of.  It even
feels somewhat exciting, and I'm even learning to like some of the
things about this.  At first, I thought I was really going to miss
having a cock, but... you know... I really don't... except for
taking a piss.  I just don't think I'll ever get used to peeing
like a girl," Mike said, rubbing the soft little bulge between his
legs.

     "It is different, isn't it?  I guess I miss that part of being
a guy too."

     "Of course, there are some compensations.  Have you ever made
yourself come yet?"  Mike wasn't one to mince words.

     "Well...yeah, I suppose I have..." Joe said cautiously.  He
wondered what Mike was leading up to.

     "Pretty wild, isn't it?"  Mike was grinning.  "First time I
washed myself, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.  And
it just keeps coming back for more.  Hell, I almost rubbed myself
sore.  I still feel a little tender down there."

     Joe pulled his panties off, and tossed them on the bed.  He
picked up the little thong bikini, stepped into it and pulled it
over his hips.  The tiny wisp of black cloth covered most of his
pubic area, narrowing to a thin crotch strip that went between the
legs and riding up the back in the cleft of his buttocks.  He could
feel it where it touched sensitive areas.  His entire rear end was
essentially bare.  He looked down over his breasts, and saw that
the front of the bikini at least covered his bush, but even with
his close trim, some pubic hair showed around the edges.  Joe
pulled the tiny "V" of cloth away from his crotch, and let it
spring back, which helped to cover some of the hair.  It felt very
sexy just wearing it, and Joe thought it probably looked that way
too.  He liked it immediately.

     "That looks really great," Mike exclaimed.  "Damn it Joe, you
are just so damn beautiful."

     "I know I've changed, but I don't know about beautiful.  And
this thing feels like its riding in the crack of my behind.  I
guess it is."  Joe still felt awkward getting compliments on his
new appearance.

     "Well, it's true, you really are beautiful.  Tim is too, in a
'teenage' kind of way, but you.  Man, if I still had my old body,
I don't know..."  Mike grinned a wicked grin as he said the words.

     "Well, don't forget, you look pretty good too."  Joe returned
the compliment, feeling his face reddening.  "You seem to be still
changing.  Am I right?"

     "Yeah, I think so.  I'm pretty sure my boobs are still
growing, or filling out, or something.  I'm not sure, but I feel
like I'm still getting softer all over."  Mike ran his hand over
his breasts as he spoke.

     "Maybe the steroids only slowed the change, but can't stop
it."

     "Well if it was going to stop the change, it's too late now. 
I not only look pretty much like a female, I even think I feel like
one, at least most of the time."

     "Well then, shave those hairy legs, will you?" Joe teased.

     "Yeah, I will."  Mike began going through his small bag,
looking for his shaving kit.  When he found it, he went into the
bathroom, and shut the door.  Joe could hear the toilet flush, and
the shower start to run.  As Mike cleaned up, Joe removed the sexy
feeling new underwear and put his old things back on.  He found
some shorts and a light blue top, and put them on.  Using the
remote, he snapped on the television, lay back, and watched the
news.

     In a while Mike came back out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped
around his body.  He had removed the hairpiece, and with the towel
hiding his curves, again looked a just bit like his old self.  Mike
had obviously shaved his legs bare only moments before.  Joe
watched him as he dressed, and smiled when Mike removed the towel. 
It was strange to see the familiar head of his friend, above a now
quite hairless, and very curvy, female body.  He realized that his
own reflection was probably quite similar.

     Mike stepped into and pulled on one of his new stretchy
bodysuits, and covered it only with colorful nylon shorts.  He was
obviously enjoying the way he now looked, eyeing his reflection in
the mirror over the dresser as he put the things on.  Joe had to
admit that Mike was becoming quite attractive.

     "Want to work out with me?" Mike asked.  "There is a great
exercise room downstairs."

     "Aw, I don't know.  I know I should, but..." Joe protested.

     "Come on, you know you need it too.  And I'd sure like the
company."

     "Ok.  I'll go with you."  Joe went to his bag and took out the
exercise clothing he just bought.

     When Joe was ready, they went down to the exercise area. 
There were three guys there, and Joe and Mike found that they were
immediately the primary object of attention of the others in the
room.  Joe went to a stationary bicycle and climbed on, and Mike
tried his new muscles on the weight bench.  As Joe sat there
pedaling, he watched Mike strain to find his new lower limits. 
Then one of the young men came over, and climbed on the other bike. 
At first, the guy said nothing, seeming to feel out the situation,
but in a few minutes, he spoke, obviously very nervous.

     "This is a nice place, isn't it?" the young man asked, making
small talk.

     Joe looked over at him.  "Yes.  It is nice."  Joe smiled.  He
tried to sound and act as feminine as he could, but was feeling
terribly self conscious.

     "Is that your friend over there?" the guy continued.

     "Yeah.  He... she's my roommate." Joe answered.

     "She can sure lift.  She looks pretty strong."

     If you only knew, Joe thought.  But he said, "She's been
lifting for quite some time."

     "Are you gonna be over in the lounge later?" the guy blurted
out.  It was obvious that he was even more nervous than Joe, but
not much.

     "I don't think so.  I have to get to sleep early." He wasn't
ready to fight off the lounge lizards.

     "Oh, you should come down.  The place is swinging every
night."

     Then you won't need me there, Joe thought.  "I just don't
think I can."  Joe turned back and looked at Mike, who was now
dealing with one of the other guys.

     "Sure you can.  What did you say your name was?"  The guy
wouldn't be shot down.  Joe found he admired his tenacity.

     "I didn't say, but it's Joe," Joe answered, trying to appear
more friendly than he was feeling just then.

     "Joe?  What's that short for?  Jo-ann?"

     "No.  My name is Joel.  But I've always been called Joe."

     "Joe sounds like a guy's name, but it sounds good on you.  My
name's Mike."

     "Thanks, Mike." Great.  Another Mike, Joe thought.

     "What's your friend's name?"  Mike was running out of things
to say, but was desperately trying to continue the conversation.

     "She's... er... her name is Mik... ahh... Michelle... I call
her Mike, too." Joe stammered.

     "That's interesting," Mike said.  "We have the same names."

     "Look, Mike, I don't think I'll be at the lounge tonight.  I'm
really sorry," Joe said, trying to sound kind, as well as
apologetic.

     "Ok.  But you'll be missing out on a good time."

     Joe rode on in silence, and Mike continued pedaling, too.  Joe
was aware that the young man next to him was watching him move out
of the corner of his eye.  He had done the same thing himself,
eyeing a good looking girl, using that image to keep his mind off
aching muscles.

     Joe felt a bead of sweat trickle from under the hairpiece, and
then run along his ear.  He reached up, and pulled the hair away
from his face.  He would have liked to remove the wig, but knew
that would have caused a real stir.  He just kept pedaling,
enjoying the feeling only vigorous exercise can produce.

     After twenty minutes on the bike, he found that his new body
was getting tired.  Before the change, he could have kept this pace
for an hour.  He stopped pedaling and went over to Mike, who
appeared to be enjoying the company of the other guy, who was
hanging around him like a puppy.

     "I think I'm going back to the room," Joe said.  "I'm tired
and I need a shower."

     "Ok.  I think I'll hang around here for a while yet," Mike
said.

     "Later," Joe said, and walked out of the room rubbing his face
with a towel.

     "Bye, Joe," Mike the guy said.  "Come back down later, if you
can."

     "Yeah.  See you later, Mike," Joe said, and walked over to the
elevator.

     Joe went to his room, and went straight to the shower, and
started it running.  He had worked up a good sweat, and his clothes
were quite wet, but he noted that, even when he was sweating, he
still smelled different from the way he did as a guy.  He quickly
removed his clothes, and in a few moments, he pulled back the
curtain and stepped in, enjoying the warm spray on his back, but
remembering to shield his sensitive breasts with his hands whenever
he faced the spray.  He lingered in the warm spray for a while, and
then hopped out of the shower, drying off quickly.  He was now
starting to get familiar with the new curves and crevasses his body
had gotten with the change.  He left the hairpiece off, and,
finding his terrycloth romper, he slowly pulled it on.  Joe then
pulled the spread back from the bed, and collapsed on it.  Joe's
tired, soft body, smelling fresh from the shower, felt good, but
very sleepy.  He closed his eyes.

     It seemed like Joe had only been sleeping a few minutes when
he heard Mike enter the room.  He opened his eyes, and saw his
friend, his new leotard soaked with perspiration, come in and go
straight into the bathroom.  The door closed, and almost immediate-
ly, Joe could hear the shower start to run.  He looked at the clock
radio.  He was surprised to find that he had been sleeping over an
hour.  Joe closed his eyes again, and again he was awakened by
Mike.  When he came out of the bathroom, he was again wearing only
a bath towel.

     "Joe... I just met a guy... you saw him... Gordon... he thinks
I'm a real girl...  He wants me to come down to the lounge later,"
Mike said, sounding almost like he asking Joe for permission.

     "Are you going to go?"

     "I don't know.  Do you think I should?"

     "Well, do you want to?"

     "Yeah, I think I do, but maybe I don't.  I don't know...I'm
scared.  What if he finds out that I'm really a guy?"

     Joe looked at his friend standing at the foot of the bed,
wearing only a bath towel.  "Mike, open the towel, and let it drop
to the ground."

     Mike opened the large white towel and let it fall to his feet.

     "Now look down.  What do you see?" Joe asked.

     "I don't get it, what do you mean?" Mike asked, confused.

     "Unless you TELL him, there is NO WAY he'll know that you USED
to be a man.  You aren't one now.  You don't even look remotely
like one."

     "Yeah.  Yeah.  I guess you're right."

     "By the way, I told your guy's partner, the one who was trying
to hit on me, that your name was Michelle, but that I always called
you Mike," Joe warned.

     "Oh yeah.  I didn't even think of that.  I even told him my
name, that I was Mike Osborn."

     "Did he say anything about that?  It sounded too weird when I
told the other guy, whose name was Mike too, that I was Joe, and
you were Mike."

     "Michelle huh?  Michelle... Michelle... I kind of like it. 
You know, I never thought of using another name, but maybe I
should."  Mike beamed with a strange happiness.

     "Well Michelle, are you going to go to the lounge tonight?"

     "Will you go with me?" Michelle asked.

     "Nope.  I'm going down to the restaurant and get something to
eat, and then I'm going straight to bed.  That Air-Dyne wore me
out," Joe said, yawning, and raising his arms over his head.

     "But if I go, what should I wear?" Michelle asked.

     "Man, I don't know.  You only bought jeans and shirts, and all
that exercise stuff.  Call Karen.  She'll help you out."

     "What's her number?"

     "Hey, I don't know.  She went home with that receptionist. 
I'm not even sure what her name was."

     "I'll look at what I've got here," Michelle said.  "Maybe I
can find something ok to wear."

     "Don't ask me," Joe said.  "I have enough trouble of my own. 
I'm the last person to ask for fashion advice."

     "Aw, Joe, you're easily the best dressed of all of us,"
Michelle said.  "You always look great."

     "It's Linda and Karen.  I don't have any idea what I should
wear.  I just wear what they tell me to wear."

     Watching Mike/Michelle standing there, naked, looking through
his/her bags, Joe thought he should remind Michelle about some-
thing.


     "Don't forget what Dr. Krell and Susan said.  If you decide to
try out the new equipment, make sure you and Gordon use some
protection.  If anything happens, it'll be YOU getting pregnant
now."

     "Aw Joe, don't worry about that, I have absolutely no
intention of sleeping with anybody," Michelle said.

     "But it's not sleeping that causes the trouble."  Joe thought
that he was sounding like Michelle's father, or more likely, her
mother.

     Joe remembered how he had felt when he was with Jay, and
"Michelle" seemed at least as infatuated as he had been then.

     "Ok, Mother," Michelle teased, as she pulled a new pair of
panties on.

     Mike/Michelle carefully put on one of her new bras, and again
went to the mirror.  She looked at herself critically.  "You know,
I'm not too bad looking, I guess.  But I sure hope my boobs get at
least a little bigger yet."

     "I didn't know you were a 'tit man'," Joe teased.

     "Aw, Joe, you know what I mean.  I have such big shoulders,
bigger breasts would play them down a little."

     "Now you're really sounding like a woman."

     "But it's true, isn't it?" Michelle asked.  "They would,
wouldn't they?"

     "I don't know, maybe they would.  You already look ok to me."

     "Yeah, but what would a guy think?" Michelle asked, and then
realized what had just been said.

     "Well excuuuse me," Joe mocked.  "I'm sure I don't have any
idea what a GUY might think."

     "I'm sorry, but you know what I mean.  I mean like Gordon."

     "Oh, yeah.  Gordon." Joe continued.  "I'm sure Gordon likes
women with big tits."

     "Lay off, Bates," Michelle said in a way which might have
sounded menacing, if it hadn't come from someone wearing a pink bra
with matching panties.

     "Yes ma'am," Joe mocked, but he stopped the teasing.  It was
so amazing, seeing what had happened to this big guy just one week
after his chromosomes had been jumbled, or whatever.  He knew the
same thing was happening to him, too.

     Michelle found a pair of jeans and picked one of the tops they
had just bought.  His clothes might be ok, if the lounge was real
casual.

     "It'll have to do," Michelle said, arranging the hairpiece and
brushing it with Joe's hair brush.  "I don't know about this long
hair, though."

     "Let's get something to eat, what do you think?" Joe asked.

     "Yeah, I am getting hungry." Michelle agreed.  "We should call
Dave and Tim, I guess."

     They called the other room, and made arrangements to meet down
stairs in a half hour.  Joe got dressed in shorts and a top, and he
and Michelle left the room.