CHAPTER 20
                        The Cause (PART 2)


     Joe called Tim and Dave's room.  They agreed to meet in
fifteen minutes, downstairs in the hotel lobby.  When they arrived,
Tim and Dave were already there.  Tim was wearing some of his new
purchases and now, along with the physical changes brought about by
the metamorphosis and his new hair style, the young man's very
feminine body looked exactly like what Joe thought of as "cute."  Dave,
of course, still wore the now familiar yellow coverall.  It seemed
to Joe that Dave's hips and butt looked a little larger each time he
saw him, but his friend didn't seem to notice.

     "Where do you want to eat?" Joe asked.

     "I don't have a preference," Dave responded.  "Right here will
be fine with me."

     "Yeah, Sounds ok to me too." Mike added.

     "How about it, Tim?" Joe asked.  "Is this place satisfactory
to you?"

     "Sure, absolutely." Tim said.  "I only hope I can afford it."

     "Don't worry about paying for it." Joe said.  "I'm putting
this on expenses.  I'll cover yours too."

     "Great!" Tim said.

     Everyone followed Joe and Mike into the quite formal dining
area of the hotel.  They stood at the podium, and in a moment the
head waiter came to them.  He looked at the group of women with a
critical eye.

     "Good evening, ladies," he said.  "Will there be just four of
you?"

     "Yes," Joe answered.

     "Follow me, please." He continued.

     Joe, Dave, Mike and Tim followed the waiter single file to a
dimly lit table in a quiet area of the restaurant.  He positioned
the chair out for Joe, who looked at him a moment, until he
realized what was going on, and then carefully sat.  Using Joe
as an example, the others followed suit.

     "Your waiter will be with you momentarily, ladies."  The
waiter smiled and left.

     "Well.  That was sure the royal treatment," Mike said.

     "Oh, I don't know," Joe said.  "It's probably just the way
they treat women here.  Maybe we'll just have to get used to it, if
we can."  He grinned.

     "It is kind of nice," Tim said.  "I guess not everything about
this is bad."

     "How's it going, Tim?" Joe asked.  "Are you getting used to it
yet?"

     "Well, yeah, I guess so." Tim answered.  "That is, if it's
possible to get used to something like this happening to you."

     "Well I guess I just have to be the first to tell everybody,"
Joe announced. "Our Mike here has decided to answer to the
name, Michelle.  And... he's... no, she's... even going on a date
tonight," Joe teased.

     "A date?" Tim asked incredulously.

     "Don't listen to him," Michelle said.  "I'm not going on a
'date', that's just his bullshit."

     "But what about the 'Michelle'?" Tim asked.

     "Well I don't know.  I was thinking maybe it might not be such
a bad idea.  It's very like my name, and it doesn't sound so
strange when I tell people who don't know about me my name. 
Telling people my name is Mike sounds strange now, don't you
think?" Michelle asked.

     "No worse than Tim, or Joe." Dave answered.

     "Tim and Joe can do whatever they want." Michelle said.  "I'm
going to try it for a while at least, and see how it works.  Maybe
you guys should consider other names too.  If we're going to have
to live like this, we might as well blend in as well as we can and
make the best of it."

     "I wonder what name I could use?" Tim thought aloud.

     "How about Tina?" Michelle suggested.  "I used to know a girl
with that name.  She looked a little bit like you do, too."

     "Naw, I don't like it," Tim said.  "I don't care what you guys
think I look like, I don't want a 'cutesy' name like Tina.  My
sister's name is Becky.  I wonder what she'd say if... when she
sees how I look.  Hell, I think I've got bigger boobs than she
does."  He suddenly went quiet as he considered his now changed
relationship with his sister.

     "How old is she, Tim?" Joe asked, trying to keep him talking
and not feel sorry for himself and what had happened to him.

     "She's about a year older than me," Tim answered.  "I just
turned twenty-one, and she'll be twenty-two next month."

     "Does she still live at home?" Joe asked.

     "Well, right now she's at home, but she'll be moving to
Flagstaff as soon as school's out," Tim said.  "I don't know if I
want her to see me like this."

     "If you plan to go home, I don't think you'll be able to hide
it," Michelle said.

     "Don't remind me," Tim said.  "I don't know how I can ever
tell my dad what has happened to me.  I think he'd just die."

     "Maybe not," Joe said.  "I take it you haven't told them yet."

     "God, no," Tim said.  "I have been hoping that somehow I'd be
able to change back.  You know... wake up, and look like a guy
again."

     "It doesn't look like it'll be that easy." Joe said.  He was
glad that he didn't have to face his own father, who was deceased,
looking as he did.  He didn't know about telling his own mother
that her only son was now her only daughter.

     "Yeah.  I think you're right" Tim said.

     The waiter came to the table with menus.  He asked if anyone
would like a drink.  Joe asked for a beer.  Mike thought that
sounded good and did the same.  Dave asked for scotch.  Tim said
nothing, but the waiter stood waiting for the young lady to order.

     "I'll have a Michelob, too" Tim finally said, looking up from
the menu, and seeing that the waiter was waiting for his response.

     "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask for your ID," the waiter
said, apologetically looking at the young girl.

     With extreme embarrassment, Tim took his wallet from the small
handbag he had just bought that afternoon.  From it he retrieved
his driver's license, which still had his male photograph, and of
course, there was still an "M" in the block labeled sex.  The
waiter looked at the card, and then back at Tim.  He looked again,
and with a totally confused look, he gave the ID back.  He said
nothing, probably so unsure as to what was going on that he thought
it best to do nothing.  This young lady... and it was quite obvious
that Tim was female... was either an idiot trying to use her
brother's driver's license, or something very weird was going on. 
He decided it best to leave it alone.  He had asked for ID, that's
all the manager had ordered him to do.  Let the cute kid have a
drink if she wants one.

     In a few minutes, the waiter returned with their drinks and
asked if they were ready to order.  They were, and in turn, they
told him what they wanted.

     When the waiter left, Joe took a swig from his glass.  It
still tasted great, but he knew from experience that one or maybe
two of these now had the effect of twice that number.  Tim drained
his glass in very few swallows.  It took more than just becoming a
girl to change the way he downed a brew.  He put the empty glass
back on the table.

     "You better watch out," Joe advised.  "If you're at all like
me, I think you'll find that you can't hold anything like you did
before."

     "Aw, it went down just the same," Tim said, a big grin forming
on his face.  "Besides, you're paying the bill, aren't you?"

     "Yeah.  I'll pay for it," Joe said.  "But I'm not
sure I could carry you upstairs anymore."  He grinned, flexing his
arm and rubbing his firm but small biceps.

     The service in the hotel restaurant was good, and almost
immediately the waiter noticed Tim's empty glass.  With some
surprise, he asked if Tim would like another.

     "Sure.  Keep them coming," Tim responded, the words sounding
funny coming from such a feminine voice and person.

     Tim was well into his second Michelob when Joe finished his
first.  Mike and Joe were hardly drinking at all.  Before Tim could
order another, the waiter brought out the salads.  They started
eating immediately, and again, Tim acted more like the twenty-one
year old guy he was born as than the soft, feminine person he had
become.

     "I guess didn't realize how hungry I was," Tim said, hungrily
wolfing down the salad.

     "You're acting like you haven't eaten in a week." Joe said,
watching him in amazement.

     "I haven't eaten very much lately  I just haven't been hungry,
until now."

     "You're going to have to watch how much you eat, too," Joe
advised.  "Karen said that it's really easy for a female to gain
weight.  And every bit if it goes to the hips and butt."

     "I don't think I have any problem with that, do you?" Tim
asked.  Like Joe, the change had left his body with very trim hips,
especially for a woman, and a firm derriere, and he knew it.

     "Maybe not today, but if you don't watch it, it'll grow on
you," Joe said.

     "Just look at my ass if you want to know what it can be like,"
Dave added.  "I didn't really lose my gut, I'm just sitting on it
now," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

     "Exercise with me." Michelle said.  "We'll have that butt off
in no time," he said to Dave with a grin.

     "I'll have to think long and hard before I could step inside
a gym looking like this," Dave replied.

     "Hey, but it's kinda fun," Michelle said.  "You wouldn't
believe the sights in the locker room."  He winked at Joe.  As far
as Joe knew, Michelle had never even been in a women's locker room
yet.

     They finished their meal, but not before Tim downed two more
beers.  When they were ready to leave, it was becoming obvious that
Tim was feeling the effects.  His speech was becoming a little
slurred, and he was speaking much louder, his inhibitions almost
completely gone.  When he got up, he clung to the back of the chair
for support.  Joe saw his young friend had a problem.

     "Having some trouble, Tim?" Joe asked with a chuckle.

     "I ah...no.  I'm ok," Tim insisted.  "I'm just a little dizzy,
that's all."

     "Yeah.  We can see that," Dave said.  "You're shit-faced,
Tim."

     "I admit, I do think I feel a little buzz.  But really, I'm
just fine," Tim again insisted.  "I think I better just go up to
the room for a while."

     "That's a good idea," Joe agreed.  "Are you going to go with
him, Dave?"

     "Yeah, I'll take little miss muffet up to her room," Dave
said, trying to hold back a laugh.  It was quickly becoming obvious
that Tim could barely walk.

     It was all Dave, with Joe's help, could do to get the very
tipsy Tim to the elevator.  Tim kept objecting to their assistance,
and sometimes did so quite loudly.  When Joe's hand accidentally
touched Tim's breast, slightly pinching it between him and his arm,
Tim objected loudly.

     "Hey, lay off the boobs," Tim said.  "You think just because
I'm a little drunk I can't feel you touching me?"

     "I'm not trying to touch you," Joe said with a snicker.  "I'm
trying my best to help you walk."

     They finally got Tim to his room.  They sat him on the bed and
then stood there a moment, wondering what to do next.

     "Now what?" Tim asked.  "You two just going to stand there,
and look at me?"

     "We're trying to decide what to do next," Joe said laughing.

     "Ok then, stand there.  I'm going to go take a piss," Tim
decided.

     He tried to get up, but was having difficulty rising from the
bed.  Joe grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

     "Can you make it to the bathroom?" Joe asked.

     "I'd aprresheat it if you'd help me get in there," Tim
conceded.

     Joe assisted Tim to the bathroom.  When he got to the stool,
Tim stood there, and fiddled with the zipper at the front of his
shorts.  He finally got the zipper down, and with his finger,
started to probe around inside his shorts, as if looking for
something.  Joe watched him, trying to figure out what he was
trying to do.

     "Just what are you up to now?" Joe finally asked.

     "Well, what does it look like?" Tim said.  "I'm trying to take
a piss.  If I can just get my damn dick out, that is."

     His foggy, confused mind had apparently forgotten about the
changes which had occurred.

     "I don't think that's going to work, Tim," Joe said.  "Maybe
you better just pull your pants down."

     The results of the probing and Joe's words started to bring
Tim back to reality.  He unbuttoned the waistband of the shorts and
pulled them down.  He stood there, looking down at the blue panties
he wore.  He looked over at Joe, and then back down at himself. 
Finally, he broke out in laughter.

     "You know what?" Tim asked.  "I forgot I was a girl.  I was
thinking I was still a guy, and I was trying to piss standing up. 
For a second there I was just having trouble finding my cock.  It
felt like it was just somehow caught between my legs or something. 
Ain't that rad?  I thought it was just caught or something."  He
kept laughing, seeming to be amused by how his new body had tricked
him.

     Joe and Dave watched as Tim pulled down his underwear and then
awkwardly sat on the stool, then they left the room.

     "Think you'll be ok with him?" Joe asked Dave.

     "Sure.  If he doesn't come out in a few minutes, I'll go in
after him." Dave said.  "You know, if a few beers made him forget
about this, even if for a minute, I think I envy him.  I might just
go out and get a six-pack myself."

     Joe grinned at his friend.  "If you think it'll help, go ahead
and try it, but you know as well as I do, it really won't change
anything.  And just don't get so screwed up that you can't get up
tomorrow."

     "Don't worry," Dave said.  "I'll probably just stay here and
nursemaid our little miss muffet."

     "I'm going back to the room and hit the sack.  I don't know
why I'm so tired."

     "Maybe it's because you didn't get much sleep last night,"
Dave said, grinning.

     Joe went back to his room, wondering what Dave meant by that
last statement.  Did he know what he and Jay had done the night
before?

     Mike (Michelle) was standing in front of the dresser mirror,
looking at him (her) self, and trying on each of the tops she had
bought that day.

     "What do you think?  What should I wear?" Michelle asked
hopefully.

     "I think what you have on is as good as any," Joe advised. 
"Maybe you should get some other things tomorrow."

     "Yeah.  That won't help me tonight though."

     "What time are you going down there?"

     "I guess about eight.  I'll go down in a half hour.  If
nothing is going on, I'll only stay an hour or so."

     "Are you sure you're really ready for this?"

     "Hell, I don't know, Joe.  I thought it was a good idea when
Gordon asked me.  I'm more than a little nervous now, though."

     "Don't go if you don't want to," Joe advised.  "Nobody's
expecting you to do anything like this so soon."

     "I might as well give it a try," Michelle said.  "As you said,
nobody can tell I'm not a natural woman, and it'll be a challenge
to try to act like one."

     "Just don't get in any deeper than you really want to."

     "Hey, I'm a big bo...girl.  I can take care of myself." 
Michelle grinned at her slip up.

     Joe quickly removed his clothes, including his underwear; then
pulled on the comfortable little terry romper.  He snapped on the
TV with the remote, and then pulled back the spread from the bed. 
He lay down, bunching the two pillows up behind his head. 
Remembering the hairpiece, he took it off and carefully placed it
on the nightstand.  The air felt cool on his head as the condi-
tioned air blew through his short hair.  He ran his hand through
it, wishing it were as long as the wig so he could forget about
wearing that.  In due time, he knew, all in due time...

     Finally, Michelle left, and Joe was left alone.  He tried to
watch a movie, but was soon fast asleep.


********************************


     Mr. Bates....  Mr. Bates....  Joe could hear someone calling
his name. He looked around.  He was in a room a bit like a hospital
room, or maybe a laboratory of some kind.  A young, very pretty
nurse was standing over his bed, shaking him and calling his name.

     "What do you want?  Is something wrong?" Joe asked.

     "I was trying to wake you," the woman answered.  "You've been
sleeping for hours.  I was beginning to wonder if you were ok."

     "Yeah, I'm fine." Joe answered, taking stock of his senses as
he woke.  He pulled the sheet back, and saw that he was wearing a
hospital gown.  He accidentally brushed his chest, and didn't feel
the familiar softness of his breasts.  That's strange, he thought. 
He placed a hand under the gown, and as he felt his bare chest, he
realized that it was again covered with hair, and the only bulges
evident were those of his well developed pectoral muscles.  It
seemed that his soft breasts had departed as quickly as they had
appeared.  What's going on here, he wondered again?  The nurse saw
his surprise, but remained silent and watched as he inspected his
body.

     Joe reached down and carefully felt between his legs.  There,
instead of a tiny, sensitive, clitoris imbedded in the cleft of a
moist vulva, he discovered a semi-erect penis, and under that, a
testicle-filled scrotum.  Since he had by now become familiar with
his new feminine shape, these male organs seemed unfamiliar, and
strangely huge.

     With a start, Joe rapidly sat up in the bed.  This movement
surprised the nurse, who jumped back quickly.  He swung his legs
over the side of the bed, and stood up.  With that, it was obvious
that he had also returned to his former height.  He ran his hands
over his chest, his hips, and again touched himself between his
legs, finding it difficult to believe what he was feeling.  But it
was perfectly clear, his body had become male again.

     The nurse, who had been watching in interest, finally said. 
"Mr. Bates, I think you better get back into that bed.  I'll have
to call the doctor."

     "What is going on anyway?" Joe asked, confused.  "How did this
happen to me?"

     "But don't you remember?" The nurse said.  "They've discovered
the way to change you back to normal.  They tried an experiment on
you yesterday, and as you can see, it worked.  But you better lie
back down until the doctor can check you over."

     "But I'm ok...can't you see that?" Joe insisted.  He could
feel the new strength in his muscles as he stretched his arms over
his head.

     "I'll call the doctor right now," the nurse said, as she
backed out of the room.

     "I want to put some real clothes on." Joe told her as she left
the room.

     Joe then went over to the dresser near the wall.  When he
opened a drawer, he found it contained only his female
underwear...panties and a bras...no outer clothing at all.  He went
to the small closet.  When he opened it he again found only his
women's clothes.  He took out a hanger which held a top and pair of
shorts.  It obvious that these things wouldn't fit him now, even if
he dared try putting them on.  He went back to the bed and sat
on the edge, quite confused.

     He was sitting there only a minute when the door to his room
opened, and woman entered.  Joe was surprised to see it was his
girl friend, Linda.

     "Linda!  Look at me, I'm a man again!" He exclaimed.

     "I heard Joe, and I came right over." Linda said.  "Are you
happy about it?"

     "Sure I am.  Aren't you?" Joe asked.

     Linda walked over to his bed, and slowly pushed him back,
until his head was again resting on the pillows.  Seductively, she
put her soft hand under his hospital gown, and grasped his penis. 
She slowly, gently ran her fingers up and down along the stiffening
shaft, and Joe closed his eyes, enjoying the familiar old
sensation... a feeling he thought he would never again experience.
As she stroked him, Linda placed her lips on his.  Joe could smell
her and taste her sweetness as they kissed deeply.  He reached up
and tried to put his arms around her, but she kept pushing them
away, so that he couldn't get them around her.  Finally, he gave up
trying to hold her, and just let her pleasure him.  In a very short
while, he experienced the release of orgasm, and then felt Linda
slide into the bed alongside him.  He put his arms around her
incredibly soft body, and held her tightly.  He suddenly became
very tired. With Linda firmly in his arms, Joe fell fast asleep. 
It seemed everything was working out after all.


**************************************


     Joe woke as he heard a key fumbling at the door to his room. 
From the glow of the TV, he could see someone enter and go over to
the other bed.  When the light on the side of the bed snapped on,
Joe could see that it was a woman.  He looked down at Linda, and
saw that he was hugging his pillows.  The "other woman" was
Michelle, coming in from his/her evening out.  Joe looked down at
himself, and saw, as well as felt, that his boobs were back...he
was still a woman.  As a final confirmation, he tensed the muscles
in his crotch, and could tell by the now familiar sensation that
his new penis had only been a dream.

     "Are you awake?" Michelle asked, looking over at Joe.

     "I am now," Joe said.  "But you wouldn't believe the dream I
just had."

     "Sorry I woke you."  Michelle removed her top; then softly
scratched her breasts as the bra came off.

     Joe looked over at the clock, it was two-thirty. 
Mike/Michelle must have had a good evening.  "Well, how'd it go?"
he asked.

     "Not so bad...not really bad at all," Mike/Michelle said, a
smile forming on her lips.  "You know, I think I'm really gonna
like this."

     "Anything you can tell me about?" Joe asked.  He was curious
how his friend did on his first social evening as a woman, in mixed
company.

     Michelle smiled broadly.  "I though I'd kill somebody if they
suggested I'd ever dare kiss a man, but tonight I actually did just
that...just a little peck just outside that door, and my heart is
still pounding from it."

     "So you kissed Gordon, huh?" Joe asked.  "Was it as good as
kissing a woman?"

     "Hey, you know, it wasn't really that much different,"
Michelle answered, still smiling.  "But I'm not sure if I'll ever
get used to all the touching."

     "What touching?" Joe asked.

     "I think Gordon really is a "tit man," Michelle answered,
grinning.  He kept trying to sneak a feel of these things whenever
he had a chance."

     "Did it bother you?" Joe asked, about ready to laugh at his
friend's description of his introduction to womanhood.

     "Well, I guess it didn't 'bother' me.  At first, I would just
push his hand away, but he persisted, so I decided to let him go...
get a good feel if that's what he wanted... and then see what he
would want to do next."

     "What did he do?" Joe asked, his interest becoming piqued.

     "Nothing.  Nothing except feel my boobs...touch them all
over...and I admit, it did start to feel kind of good, too.  I
think if he had just kept it up, he could have done anything else
he wanted.  I thought I was going to leave a puddle on my seat.  I
finally had to go to the bathroom and freshen myself up."  Michelle
grinned.  "I found out something else too."

     "What's that?" Joe asked.

     "I think females get 'blue balls' too," Michelle said
indelicately.  "And tonight, I had them...bad."

     "Sorry to hear it," Joe said, almost cracking up.  "And what
did you do about that?"

     "Nothing, what could I do?" Michelle asked.  "When I finally
went to the bathroom, it was so crowded, I could hardly 'do' myself
there.  I'm ok now though."

     "Well, I'm sure glad to hear that." Joe chuckled.

     Michelle went into the bathroom, and came out a few minutes
later.  She put on one of her old t-shirts to sleep in.  Like Joe,
Mike had always slept in the nude before, but now preferred to wear
something while she slept.

     Joe snapped off the TV, and lay there in the darkness, trying
to get back to sleep.  He began to think about the dream he had
been having.  It had all seemed so real.  He could feel it, just as
if he had really been changed back.  It was the first time since
the change had occurred that he had experienced the feeling of
having his maleness, and he realized that though he had become
resigned to his present fate, he still missed his old status.  He
closed his eyes to the darkness and tried to sleep, hoping that at
least the dream would return.


*********************************************


     Joe was awakened by the sound of the clock radio as it blasted
out a Beatles tune.  The first thing he did when he woke, as was
becoming a habit, was feel between his legs, never giving up hope
that he might awaken in his old body.  But as usual, his fingers
only brushed along the moistness of his vulva.  He continued to
stroke the silky softness lightly, enjoying his light touch to that
sensitive area.

     Swinging his head around in the darkened room, Joe looked at
the red glow of the LEDs on the radio.  Seven-thirty already.  The
night had gone by quickly.  He looked over at Mike/Michelle, and
saw that she was also stirring, not wanting to get up, but knowing
it was that time.

     Joe crawled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom.  He
started the shower running and pulled down the terrycloth romper,
stepping out of it, and then sat and relieved himself as the water
temperature stabilized.  He finished on the toilet, and felt the
shower stream.  Satisfied, he took his soap and wash cloth, and
stepped in.  He finished quickly and stepped out to dry off. When
he finished doing that, he wrapped himself in a towel and went out
into the main room.  He decided to dress before applying makeup. 
Michelle was still in bed, the covers pulled over her head.

     Joe shook the bed with his foot.  "You got the bathroom,
sleepy head."

     Mike/Michelle pulled the covers off her face, and gave Joe a
mean look.  "What time do we have to be at the clinic?"

     "I think we should get there at least by nine-thirty.  That's
only an hour and a half from now."

     Michelle sat up in bed, and then reached down, and carefully
felt her breasts.  Joe smiled as he watched his friend inspecting
her body.  "Find something you like?"

     "I was just checking, trying to tell if I'm any bigger this
morning.  I'm not sure, but I think they're still getting a little
bigger every day."  Mike/Michelle smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

     "Well, Gordon will like that."

     "Hey, what the hell, we all have to deal with this thing in
our own way, right?"

     "Yeah, I guess that's true," Joe agreed.  "If your way is to
want to look like Dolly Parton, that's ok with me."

     With that, Joe went to his bag, and pulled out the little
black bra and panty set he bought yesterday.  As he stepped into
the tiny panty, he considered what Michelle just said.  He knew,
from last night's dream, that deep down inside, he still wanted to
be a man, and he still liked women, too.  But the reality of the
situation was that he wasn't a man anymore.  At least he no longer
had a male body.  He wasn't so sure about his brain.  Even if that
had become female now too, at least it still contained all his old
male memories.  And the new hormones that were now coursing through
his veins... well, they were making living in the body he now
possessed tolerable... no... more than tolerable...enjoyable.  And
now it seemed he found that wearing this kind of stuff was fun, so
why shouldn't he do it?  It was how he dealt with this "thing," in
his own way.

     Joe had finished putting on his sexy underthings when Michelle
came out of the bathroom wearing the T shirt.  She went to her bags
and pulled out some underwear.  Joe looked at his friend.  "Are you
done in there?" Joe asked.

     "You want to go in there again?"

     "I want to put on some makeup."

     "Oh, yeah?  Can you show me how to do that too?"

     "Well, I'll do my best," Joe said, and then went to the closet
and took out the suit.  Just seeing it caused him think of Linda. 
He removed it from the hangers, and, after donning a slip, he put
the businesslike outfit on.  When he moved, Joe felt the thong
back of the little panty between his buttocks, and that constant
reminder of what he wore underneath gave him a strangely good
feeling.

     "What you really need is for somebody who knows what they're
doing to help you.  Remember, I'm just a beginner at this stuff
too.  I'm sure Karen would be glad to help."

     "Yeah, I'll ask her I guess.  But I'll watch what you do
anyway, if you don't mind."

     "No problem.  I just hope you don't pick up any bad habits by
watching me.  Yesterday and today are the only times I've ever done
this without help."

     "It looked ok to me yesterday.  You must be doing it right, I
guess."

     Joe went to the bathroom mirror, and proceeded to do his face. 
When he was finished, he helped Michelle do the same, using his
cosmetics.  The colors were not as favorable for Michelle's
complexion, but were satisfactory.

     "You should go to the mall, and get a makeover," Joe said. 
"It's ridiculously expensive, and they sell you all kinds of stuff,
but they will show you what you need... what looks best for you. 
And it wasn't even embarrassing... for me at least."

     "What do you mean by that, Bates?  Do you think I'd have a
problem?"  Mike/Michelle was still somewhat insecure about her
appearance.

     "No, nothing like that, you dope, I just wasn't sure if you'd
be embarrassed to have a woman teach you to wear makeup.  I guess
I still have a problem thinking of you as you are now.  You've
changed so much...we all have."

     "Yeah, I know what you mean.  A while ago, when I looked at
myself in the mirror, it wasn't really me staring back, was it?  If
it wasn't that my head has changed too, I don't really know how to
describe what I mean, I don't think I could handle this.  Sure, at
first it's kind of interesting, exciting even, to wake up looking
like a woman, but it doesn't take long to realize that this isn't
just some fancy costume we're wearing, it goes all the way to the
bone.  We don't... we can't just take it off at night."

     "At first I thought just getting used to the physical differ-
ences would be the hardest part, but hell, that's nothing.  Well,
it's almost nothing."  Michelle rubbed her crotch.  "I think the worst
of this is the different way other people relate to you.  I was
still taller than a lot of those guys in there last night, and I
think I could have even whipped a few of them, even while I'm like
this.  But to those guys... in their eyes... most of 'em anyway, I
could tell that they just saw me as a dumb woman.  Somebody to
treat 'nice', buy a few drinks, and maybe, if they got lucky, take
up to their room.  I guess I can get used to that.  Most natural
woman do, I suppose, but that will be the really hard part, as I see
it."  She looked at herself in the mirror, as Joe finished putting
on the finishing touches.

     Michelle looked into Joe's eyes, and saw they were wet from
tears welling in them.  "Are you gonna cry on me Bates?" Michelle
asked, trying to sound like the tough guy he used to be.

     "Damn it Mike...er Michelle, I can't help it.  What you just
said, it's the same kind of thing I've been feeling.  I guess it's
the hormones, they do make having the bod more fun, I guess, but I
think they've turned me into a sob sister, or something...almost
anything makes me cry, it seems."  Joe wiped his eyes, smearing the
light makeup he had just applied.

     "I guess we better reserve judgment on the 'fun with the bod'
until those hormones do what they're going to do and we get our
menstrual periods," Michelle said.  "That's another one of my big
concerns about all this.  God, I never thought I'd ever be worrying
about periods... at least not my own period.  All the blood and
all, I don't know if I really want to go through that."

     "I thought you were getting all taken up with this 'female'
thing," Joe said.  "Now you say you're afraid of having a period?"

     "No. Not afraid.  I just don't want to have one, that's all." 

     "Well, assuming we're both normal, for women that is, I guess
we'll have one every month for the next fifteen, or twenty years. 
Unless we happen to fool around and get ourselves knocked up, that
is."  Joe grinned.

     "That's another thing," Michelle said.  "I don't know a damn
thing about being a mother... having kids... none of stuff like
that."

     "Hey, do you really think you would be any smarter if you were
born looking like this?" Joe asked.  "I really doubt that natural
women are privy to some secret knowledge, things we can never
learn."

     "Maybe you're right, I don't know.  I just know I wasn't
taught to put on makeup, and my mom sure never taught me anything
about periods either.  Now here I am, with a body that seems to be
getting more female every day, and when I think about that, it's
pretty damn scary," Mike/Michelle admitted.

     "Yeah, I agree with you, when I think about it, I'm not sure
I can handle it.  But, if we just take it a little at a time, maybe
we can get through it."

     They finished dressing, and then repacked their bags.  By then
it was time to meet the others downstairs.  They went down to the
coffee shop, and found that Dave and Tim were already there.  Tim
looked a little rough.  His big blue eyes were bloodshot, and he
was holding his head in his hands.

     "How's it going, Tim?" Joe asked.

     "Don't ask.  I don't know what happened.  Four beers NEVER did
this to me before."

     "You're a different person now, you know," Joe reminded him. 
"A lot of things are different.  You better remember that."

     "Yeah, I know, I know.  I just didn't think it would be that
different."

     They quickly ordered and ate their breakfast.  Tim only sipped
orange juice, and downed a glass of alka-seltzer.  When they were
finished, they again checked out of the hotel and drove to the
clinic.  When they arrived, it was still a little early, and they
were not quite ready for Tim and the others.  Finally, Tim was
called in, and he left the others sitting in the waiting room.  Joe
gathered a stack of magazines, and started reading.

     In a little less than an hour, Tim came back out, a strange
smile was on his face.  "Well, it's done, for better or worse."

     "What do you mean?" Joe asked.

     "I signed the papers.  I guess it's official.  I'm not a guy
anymore," Tim said, sitting down next to Joe.

     "Welcome to the club," said Joe.  "I'll let you know what the
dues are."

     "I guess we're done here," Mike said.  "I haven't seen Karen
yet, though."

     "Yeah, I thought she'd be here by now," Joe considered.  He
got up and walked to the receptionist's desk.  "Where is Karen?"

     "Oh, don't you know, she's back in the classroom, waiting for
you to finish.  Why don't you go back and find her?"

     Joe went down the hallway, looking in each open door until he
found Karen, sitting at a table, reading a book.  "Gee, I thought
you overslept or something.  We're ready to go back to Phoenix, I
guess."

     "Ok." Karen answered.  "I got here pretty early, and I guess
I got tied up inside this book."  She closed it, and replaced it on
the shelf.

     They walked up to the front, and when they got there, they
found Dr. Krell was waiting for them.  "I'll be there tomorrow
morning.  They have been getting things ready, and I think we're
ready to try some experiments."

     "Ok.  We'll see you tomorrow morning," Joe said.  "Do you know
where to meet us?"

     "Honeybone will send someone to pick me up at the airport."

     After they said their thank-you's and goodbyes, everyone again
loaded into the Lincoln for the ride to the airport.  When they
arrived, Dave went to the plane to preflight, while Joe went to
check weather, and file.  In maybe ten minutes, Joe was back at the
plane.

     "Severe clear as usual, except for a little smog," Joe said.

     "All ready to go," Dave said.

     They piled into the Cessna 421 for the flight back to Arizona. 
Joe took the right seat, and Dave made the takeoff.  When they were
at cruise, Joe looked back at the others in the cabin of the plane.

     "Do you want to fly?" he asked Tim.

     "Sure," Tim said, "I thought you'd never ask."

     As Dave flew, Joe carefully crawled out of the right seat.  It
was more difficult than he realized, since he was wearing the snug
fitting skirt.  Even though his changed body was more flexible, he
found that he was now more limited in his movements by the clothes
he often wore.

     Wearing pants, Tim easily maneuvered himself into the right
seat.  When he was belted in, Dave gave him control of the
aircraft.

     "You got it," Dave said.  "Keep that needle centered."  He
pointed to the colorful horizontal situation display on his side of
the panel.  Since the 421 was usually used as an avionics test
aircraft, the panels could be easily changed out, and had been
replaced a number of times since Dave and Joe had been flying it.
The right side was also equipped with basic instrumentation, but
did not have the sophisticated electronic display of the left side.

     Tim, who was a private pilot, had only flown singles, and the
Cessna twin was the largest he had flown.  He did a good job of
keeping the needle centered, and held the planes altitude to IFR
standards. 

     Before long, they were approaching the Phoenix area.  Dave
handled the radios, and Tim followed the instructions of the
controller as he gave them new headings and altitudes to fly, as
they approached Deer Valley airport, north of Phoenix.  They were
told to follow a Beech Baron, and Joe could see it about five miles
ahead.  He could tell by its yellow color, and the accent of its
pilot as he spoke to approach, that the Baron was a Lufthansa
trainer from Goodyear airport southwest of Phoenix.

     "Can I land it?" Tim asked.

     "Think you can?" Dave replied.

     "Yeah, I think so." Tim said.  "If I can get the seat high
enough to see over the panel."

     Since he had undergone the change, Tim had become smaller than
he had been as a male.  He had perhaps lost only a little more
height than the others, but it seemed to come from his torso (his
legs were almost as long as before), the change in size was most
evident when he was seated.  Now he needed the seat raised in order
to see over the panel as he landed.  Dave took the controls as Tim
fumbled with the recalcitrant seat mechanism.  Joe found it
humorous to watch the young man, his breasts jiggling provocatively
as he struggled to move the seat.  Finally he was able to make the
stubborn seat move forward and upward, and he was finally able to
see out the front of the plane on landing.  He held up a funnel
shaped object to which a hose was connected, which led under the
seat.  This was the relief tube.  On the 421, this tube was
connected to a venturi, and it allowed the pilot to urinate without
leaving his seat.  Joe had used it only once, when he flew the
plane solo to Minnesota.  He wondered if it was even possible to
use it now.  He decided that it would at least be very awkward. 
Even if he could physically do it, it would now be necessary to
pull his underwear down.  That would be a trick in the small
cockpit.  Not very dignified, and certainly not at all ladylike.

     Tim carefully tucked the tube back under the seat, then
looked back at Joe.

     "Looks like you got it." Joe said, giving him thumbs up.

     "Yeah, finally," Tim said, rubbing his left breast where it
had been pinched by the seat belt as he worked on the seat.  "Seems
like these damn things are always in the way." He grinned.

     "But they make the clothes fit so well," Joe teased.  He just
couldn't resist kidding the young man.

     Tim gave Joe a dirty look.  Tim liked Joe and he knew they
were just teasing him because he was youngest, and also maybe
because he did have the most breast development of them all, except
maybe for Dave.  And so far, Dave didn't count.

     Even though he had been feminized like the others, Dave didn't
try to look or act feminine in any way.  He had conceded enough to
wear a bra, but it was more to keep his substantial bosom from
bouncing uncomfortably than to emphasize it.  He always wore
coveralls or other figure concealing clothing.  He wasn't bad
looking; he could actually be quite attractive if he tried, but he
intentionally did nothing to bring attention to his new body shape. 
He even tried to lower the tone of his voice when he talked, trying
to make his now feminine voice sound as masculine as he could.  He
would sometimes forget, and the difference was humorous sounding,
somewhat like a young man going through puberty, but reversed.

     Deer Valley Airport became visible in the windshield, maybe
ten miles ahead.  Approach cleared them to tower frequency, and
Dave reduced the power, so that they could slow and configure for
landing.  Soon, the sound of the flaps moving to the first setting
could be heard, followed soon by the gear.  When they were on
dogleg to final, Dave selected landing flaps, and gave Tim the new
airspeed to fly.  Tim followed the instructions carefully, and flew
smoothly, with a look of intense concentration on his attractive
features.  Without any assistance from Dave, Tim landed the Cessna,
his first multiengined touchdown.  He grinned from ear to ear as he
taxied the plane to the Honeybone ramp.

     "Good job," Dave conceded.  "I couldn't have done better
myself."

     The engines stopped turning, and Joe went back to open the
door.  They were greeted by the maintenance crew.  It was only
eleven thirty in the morning, and they were expected.

     "Morning, Joe," the mechanic said.  The mechanic's name was
Tom Garson.  He had known Joe for some time and, like Joe, was a
sports car nut.  It was the first time he had seen Joe since the
change had occurred and he looked the engineer over carefully,
while trying not to seem overly curious.

     "Hi, Tom."

     "You're looking good," Tom said absently, trying to sound
nonchalant.

     "Ain't that the truth," Joe agreed, a big grin on his face. 
"But I can get used to it if you can."

     "Sure, no problem here." Tom said.  "But it is hard to believe
that it's really you there."

     "Believe it, it's still me," Joe said, as he began removing
the bags from the plane.

     Tom pushed Joe aside and began doing the heavy work of moving
the bags.  Not that anything was really that heavy, but Tom's
instincts prevented him from letting a woman perform that kind of
exertion.  There was little doubt to Tom that the person next to
him was anything but a woman.  Her/his clothing, appearance, size,
shape, even the way she was straining to lift her bags, it was
obvious that Joe Bates really had become a female.

     At first the intrusion irritated Joe, but then he realized
that nothing was intended by it.  It was just his own appearance
which had caused Tom to react that way, and he might as well try
and get used to it.  Tom loaded the bags on a little cart, and
pulled it in the hanger office.  Joe went over to Dave, who was
filling out the trip report.

     "What else do we have to do today?" Dave asked.

     "I don't know, but I doubt it would be much," Joe replied. 
They walked together into the office.  The mechanics would refuel
and service the Cessna.

     When they entered the office, the dispatcher was at his desk. 
He looked over Joe and Dave carefully.  "Joe... Joe Bates?" he
asked, somewhat embarrassed to have to ask such a question to
someone he had known for years.

     "Yeah, Ted, its really me."  Joe smiled at the embarrassed
man.

     "I figured you'd look a little different, but gosh, I didn't
realize..."  He didn't know what to say.

     "Yeah, I know." Joe agreed.  "Believe me, it's not easy for us
either.  But, inside, we're still the same guys

     "Yeah, ok, well...anyway, Jim Matheney wants you to call as
soon as you land," Ted said.  "He'll be at his office all day."

     "Thanks Ted," Joe replied, going over to the phone, and
realizing that Ted, and everyone else in the room could not take
their eyes off of him or Dave.  Dave sat down at a desk to phone
home, while Joe used the wall phone.  He dialed the number to Jim's
office, and his boss immediately answered.

     "Jim."

     "Hi Jim.  Joe here.  We're back, safe and sound, relatively
speaking."

     "Well, I'm glad to hear that.  What did you find out?"

     "Nothing much really.  They examined us again, and I guess
they decided that we're not in any danger.  But I don't know how
long we'll have to stay this way.  Looks to me like it might be for
some time."

     "Yeah.  Dr. Krell has been talking to me.  He's hoping to get
some clues from what we do here.  We have the cage set up with the
transmitters.  Everything can be operated from outside the cage."
Jim said.  "I just don't know what they plan to put in the cage...
animals, I guess."

     "Yeah, probably.  Eventually, they'll presumably want to try
us."

     "I've heard of a lot of the things that radio energy can
cause, but I never thought it could cause anything like what
happened to you guys.  How's it going, Joe?"

     "Well, I guess it gets easier as time passes.  It really
doesn't hurt, or anything, but it is a hard thing to get accustomed
to."

     "I guess so.  I just don't know how you can do it."

     "Really not much choice, I guess," Joe said.  "Life's a bitch,
and then you die."

     "Do you have time to stop over here before you go home?" Jim
asked.  "Dave too, if he's still there."

     "Sure, we'll be right over.  What do you have in mind?"

     "Oh, nothing much really.  I just wanted you to see what we
have set up and get your opinion on it before we meet with Dr.
Krell, tomorrow."

     "Ok.  We'll be there in maybe thirty minutes.  Is that ok?"

     "Absolutely.  See you soon."

     "Bye."  Joe hung up the phone and went over to the desk were
Dave was sitting.  "If you have the time, Jim would like us to stop
by at the shop before we leave for the day."

     "Yeah.  I can do that.  Any idea what he wants?"

     "I think he just wants us to look at what he has set up for
tomorrow, before Dr. Krell arrives."

     Karen, Mike/Michelle and Tim came into the room, and Joe told
them what he was going to do.  He asked Tim and Mike if they could
be at the Honeybone offices tomorrow morning.  Mike agreed that he
could, but Tim didn't know where it was.  Dave told him he'd take
him over if he'd drive to his house.  Tim knew where that was from
their discussion the night before.

     Joe asked Karen if she thought she could be there.  She said
she wasn't sure yet, but that it might be possible, since it was
likely that Dr. Benedict would want to be there too, and she would
probably go along.

     They said their goodbyes, and Joe took his bag to his car. 
Dave followed, and they drove to their meeting with Jim at the
office.  When they arrived, Jim showed them the test installation. 
The transmitters, each with their small antenna, were set up in a
large, almost cage-like "room" made of wire mesh.  The fine weave
of the wire screen was there to shield observers from any effects
of the radio energy by containing it within the room.  The size of
the mesh was small enough to block transmission of any frequencies
the system was likely to generate.  There were closed circuit video
cameras with recorders and monitors set up, to record all responses
of the test subject, whatever, or whoever that might be.  Joe
wondered who would volunteer for such an strange assignment, but
then, after he considered it, he figured that probably many of Dr.
Krell's patients would be more than willing to undergo such an
experience.  Indeed, if it could consistently cause what had
happened to him, people would pay money for it.  It would be an
interesting task... and the outcome of it would certainly affect
his life as much as anything he had ever done.

     They agreed to meet in the morning at the test lab, at nine. 
Joe and Dave left Jim, and each went home.  Dave went to Cindy, his
wife, and Joe back to Linda's house.  Tomorrow would be a big day
for both of them.