X Change

"Can she cum?" asked Alana.

"Yes, but only if I permit it," said Valeria.

"Let her!" said one woman.

"Yes," said another, "let her."

This resulted in a series of 'Yeses' and Valeria grudgingly said, "I hate spoiling her, especially after she nearly dumped a tray of drinks on you, but OK."

Kelly who had been frantically rubbing and fucking himself to the very edge of orgasm, never quite able to achieve the pleasure he so desperately needed and desired, felt a subtle shift in his pussy, and suddenly his frustrated desire moved that critical fraction and his body exploded into a spasm of physical pleasure as an orgasm swept through him. The women cheered when he came, but the haze of pleasure that overwhelmed him dulled his perception to the point that he heard only a muffled noise.

The party broke up soon afterward. Looking back, Kelly realized it had been he who the women had come to see. Their curiosity satisfied with his orgasm and humiliation, they left singly or in pairs, but Kelly sensed a general feeling of envy among them. Alana and his mother and sisters were the last to go.

"I hope you live in total humiliation and shame," Alana said as she left. His sisters were even less kind. Helen said, "obey Valeria and make your husband happy."

When everyone had left, Valeria said, "You are such a shameless slut! I hope you can be that way with Jason. I want that grandchild!"

Jason would be home soon Kelly knew and of course the endless sex would start again. And so it was, when a few weeks later Kelly found himself on his back in bed with his legs spread, Jason deep inside him. Grabbing Jason's butt he pulled him even deeper inside moaning, "Oh yes! Like that! Fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

Jason exploded inside him and Kelly could feel his cum erupting inside his pussy. He kissed his husband deeply and wondered if Valeria would get what she wanted. Either way, Kelly knew the humiliation would never stop. Ever.

Chapter 10

Dust and clouds obscured the ground, 10 miles below. The transport had risen to avoid the storm, and Nina frowned as she enjoyed looking out the window at the landscape. She found it soothing; it allowed her mind to drift and forget for the moment the responsibilities that weighed upon her.

She had finally won a reprieve and was returning to the University. Katrina had promised her a year, but Nina was unsure if she would keep her word. Not that Katrina had actually ever lied to her or gone back on a promise, but she was devious and clever and everything she said usually had more than one meaning, which was often hidden in the subtilties of wording or expression. As such, Nina was wary of her.

The final data had been both a triumph and a relief. It clearly showed that Nina's theories worked in practice, something she had learned by bitter experience not to take for granted. Reality had a way of behaving differently than one hoped and it was not shy about teaching that lesson. If that had been the case, Katrina would have been disappointed and she was not someone to displease.

In fact, Katrina had been so happy that she granted Nina's request to return and publish her work. "An excellent job, doctor. By all means, take a year and publish your findings," she had said. Nina was suspicious but the break would be welcome and she definitely wanted to publish her work and have it reviewed.

The Kelly-Kelli, or K2K case had been illustrative of her work. The male in question had been effeminate and Nina had been surprised by the assault charges. Usually, such males were well behaved and never caused a problem. But that was irrelevant to her work, and Nina did not waste anytime considering the details of the offense or the offender. Once the gender reassignment was complete, along with the additional genetic modifications she had introduced, K2K had behaved exactly as she had predicted. Other cases confirmed her findings, of course, but this case was, as the saying goes, textbook. It would provide the ideal example for papers, lectures, and discussions. In fact, Nina had used it in her briefing with Katrina who seemed to take pleasure in the more sordid details of the case.

Nina privately had misgivings about the use of her work and the purposes to which it might be put by Katrina. True it was a much better deterrent than the old primitive prison system where people were confined usually in miserable conditions, for years or even for life in some cases. The recidivism rate was atrociously high and there was little deterrence effect except among the majority of the population who would never break the law anyway.

It was also true that violence among the remaining male population had plummeted to something so close to zero, that any difference from that number was not worth mentioning. The Institute had accomplished that on its own. Her work had really been more experimental and intended for the much larger female population, which required a long-term solution. After all, in another 100 years the male population would be near zero, and the few thousands that remained, isolated and confined to special genetic facilities. As such the male 'problem' would solve itself. This was not the case with the female population.

Numbering near the billion-level, even a fraction of a percent amounted to hundreds of thousands to a million or more malcontents who (for one reason or another) would needlessly consume societal resources, time, and treasure, on their apprehension, prosecution, and punishment (whatever form that took). Better to deter than to punish. Or as the old saying went, an 'ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure'. Nina understood this well enough, and in principle even agreed with it. She was also realistic in that no solution was perfect. But it was always better to deal with thousands than millions, so in some sense the end did justify the means in this case.

What bothered Nina was the potential for abuse. She could see this in the K2K case and it was echoed in a few other cases as well. A woman desiring to end her burdensome guardianship over a male ward (usually a son), could in theory, accuse him of assault, and in effect have the Institute take over her responsibilities. The new laws made this relatively easy and equivalently, difficult to prevent. Nina was suspicious about the K2K case because the male in question did not fit the typical profile of a male who committed assault. That's not to say it was impossible or unheard of even, just unlikely. But statistics was that way, there was always the chance of an event with its likelihood in the tails happening. Whether this was the case with K2K she did not know, or especially care. Male lifespan was short and their prospects severely restricted and as such, it was not obvious that the male was really any worse off than if he had remained with his guardian. But when it came to a female, well that was quite a different situation.

Females of course would not have their gender reassigned; that was unthinkable. But the genetic linking of societal sexual taboos with shame and punishment on a massive scale left plenty of room for potential abuse. Nina had tried questioning Katrina about this, but as usual the woman's answers were evasive and at best, ambiguous.

"There will of course still be those that break the law, for whatever reason. No technology is perfect," she had pointed out.

"Yes, of course," agreed Katrina, quite readily.

"The threat of sexual public shaming will act as a deterrent, but there will still be offenders. There are always those who believe they won't be caught or if they are, the punishment won't be applied to them."

"Denial and magical thinking," said Katrina.

"Precisely," said Nina. "The question is, what happens to these women. Granted the numbers are small, but still far from zero."

"As you have pointed out doctor, that is a political problem not a scientific one," said Katrina adroitly sidestepping the question.

"True," said Nina. She had been prepared for such an answer. "But what then is the political solution?"

Katrina looked at her cooly for a moment and then said, "Unlike science doctor, there is typically more than one solution in politics, some more...viable than others, but each having its own...special appeal and constituency."

"Surely one of these is more...favored than the others," said Nina.

"Undoubtedly," responded Katrina.

"Surely you must know which one that is," said Nina.

Katrina looked at her for a minute with that malevolent amusement in her eyes that Nina had come to recognize. Finally, she said, "I see your scientific curiosity has strayed into politics doctor."

Nina remained impassive, though she sensed a warning hidden in Katrina's words. "Perhaps, but you can't fault me for that, given my involvement."

"I find it curious that scientists are always eager to see their work become reality but then take umbrage and become captious when they see that reality," said Katrina. "I believe there is a name for it...the Frankenstein Complex...or something like that."

Another warning. "Still, I would like to know," replied Nina.

"Let me ask you something first, doctor," said Katrina.

"Fair enough," said Nina but she was wary. Katrina was not one to ask questions.

"We have talked about one of the cases in your study, the one you call K2K," said Katrina.

"Yes," said Nina unsure where Katrina was going. "The male was shown one of the alternatives of his sentence which demonstrated that the theory...."

Katrina waved her hand cutting her off. "Yes, yes," she said dismissively. "But it's the guardian that is of particular interest here."

"His mother?" said Nina, surprised.

"No, the final guardian," said Katrina.

Nina was confused and said, "I don't see what..."

"I read your report doctor and found her behavior quite interesting."

Raising her eyebrows, Nina said, "how so?"

"It seems that she appropriated the feme for her own purposes, making her a servant, for want of a better word."

"Yes," agreed Nina. "She is her guardian and that is well within her purview, but I don't see what that has to do with..."

"Even more interesting," continued Katrina, cutting her off again, "is that she demonstrated her power over what is essentially another woman to her friends and acquaintances."

Nina blinked, thinking. Katrina was several steps ahead of her and she fought to catch up. "So, you are saying there is a reciprocal socio-psychological effect here?"

"Precisely, doctor. Even more interesting is that the punishment aspect is multi-faceted. The punishment burden is shifted from the state to the individual with the additional benefits of 'employing' the offender and creating a secondary market whose economic value can be further exploited."

Nina was appalled. "But you're talking about slavery."

"I prefer servitude, doctor," said Katrina. "It's more accurate and lacks the unpleasant connotations implied by past instantiations that bear only a superficial resemblance to the present."

"That's purely semantical badinage," retorted Nina. "It's still..."

"Perhaps, but semantics is important in politics doctor," said Katrina cutting her off yet again.

Nina felt like a schoolgirl being scolded for missing some obvious point in her lesson. "But...", she began to protest.

"What is the practical difference in forcibly confining individuals, imposing a monotonous schedule on them, and requiring that they perform various odious tasks, then what we are discussing? Calling the former punishment or prison is also semantics doctor. In the end it's just a choice between different labels."

Nina said, "It's more than just choosing labels. The loss of freedom is absolute and the implementation variable without state oversight."

Katrina looked at her like a child unable to grasp an adult concept. "You're ignoring the inherent economic value of these individuals. What is the value of K2K to her guardian?"

Nina had not considered this. It was a cold and dispassionate viewpoint but nonetheless a valid point. K2K did have value to her guardian; in fact, that value was high, especially considering the trouble she had gone through to acquire her and the responsibilities she had assumed. Still there was something malicious and immoral in Katrina's reasoning. But Nina also knew she lacked the political acumen and standing to debate Katrina.

"I see you are not convinced doctor," said Katrina. "As you pointed out earlier, there are no perfect solutions, and that applies to politics as well as technology. Take a year and publish your results, relax and savor your achievement."

Nina reflected on their conversation as she watched the dust clouds far below her. K2K weighed heavily on her as the case encapsulated the societal and moral implications of her work. Technically K2K was a success; morally her situation was ambiguous at best. Nina thought back to the vids of her and her uber-male mate. Pleasure on his face, conflict on hers. And their guardian hoping for the impossible, a granddaughter. The Institute like Katrina had not lied to her but neither had they been completely forthcoming. K2K was fertile and could bear children. If she had gone to a brothel her fertility would have been suppressed. The reason this was not necessary in her current situation had nothing to do with technology; instead, the problem lay on the other half of the equation. And this brought the situation full-circle for Nina.

Katrina had used her to solve a non-problem. Rather her aim all along had been directed at the female population. When nature gives something, it compensates by taking something else away. Nothing is perfect. Uber-males were superb physical specimens, strong and agile, true athletes. They were also reasonably intelligent and confident. Incredible examples of the human male, except for one crucial thing: reproduction. K2K would spend her life in an excess of futile sex; she would never conceive disappointing her guardian. Nina wondered if it would be the same for the other women who would follow her, and society in general, both ensnared in Katrina's vision of crime and punishment.

Katrina was now pushing legislation known as the New Social Contract. Another benign sounding set of laws with deep and hidden implications. Nina wondered if like the uber-males, it would be a superb example of human achievement was well as being quite sterile with regards to its promises. Time would tell.

THE END

Characters

Alana Alvaro- Kelly's girlfriend

Helen Williams - Kelly's mother

Brynn - Kelly's youngest sister

Nicole - Kelly's oldest sister

Nina Venkatesa - Scientist

Amanda Wu - Governor

Katrina Feltte - Amanda Wu's assistant

Grace Clark - Dean of the Genetic Sciences at the University, Nina's boss

Cora Cavendish - Chief genetic scientist and lead researcher at Aurora

Gabriella Bains - CEO of Aurora and

Zara Evans - Kelly's Judicial Counselor

Zhi Ruo Jones - Judicial Investigator

Isabella De Vries - Kelly's transition coordinator

Ava Richter - Kelly's transformation coach

Savannah Luthra - Kelly's medtech

Camila De Carlo - Cosmetician

Valeria Hunt- Jason's mother, Kelly's new guardian

Jason Hunt - Kelly's husband

Glossary of Terms

20/84. The calendar year 2084 when various extreme weather events caused by the dumping of CO₂ into the atmosphere devastated large portions the Earth's surface resulting in the collapse of governments, mass migration, war, and chaos.

Biological Year. The alternations made to the human genome as part of the Genetic Revolution modified the aging process thereby doubling the lifespan. In particular, aging between birth and approximately 20 standard years of age progressed at the pre-alteration rate. However, after 20 standard years, aging of the body slowed according to the formula: b = 0.55(s - 20) + 20, where s is the age in standard years and b is the age in biological years. Thus, an age of 40 standard years corresponds to 31 biological years and while 80 standard years corresponds to 53 biological years. The words 'standard' and 'biological' are not always used when stating time or age in years. Rather, the type of years is inferred based on the context. Thus, for example, historical dates such as 2010 or 2250 are always in standard years as are time differences e.g. 20 years ago means 20 standard years. When age is stated in years, the years are always assumed to be biological years, not standard years, unless otherwise stated. Thus, for example, saying 'she is 31 years old' is interpreted to mean 31 biological years. If age is desired in standard years, then this is stated explicitly e.g. 'she is 40 standard years old'.

Duena . These are special colonies containing a single male slave raised and kept for breeding purposes. Duena's were established as part of the Tiresias Compromise to insure the survivability of the species after the Great Plague. Duenas provide seaman (extracted on a regular basis from their breeding male slave) and ship it to the World Center for Generic Recourse Management (WCGRM) where it is analyzed, processed, stored, and distributed for research and reproductive applications. Since males are not permitted outside of the Duenas and the choice of male offspring by women prohibited, these colonies are the only place where males exist on the planet. Having or harboring a male outside a Duena is considered a capital offense punishable by death. Males are kept in isolation and never permitted knowledge of or contact with other males to prevent spread of plague and to prevent anti-social and problematic behavior.

FPF. Federation Police Force. Local police force under Federation jurisdiction tasked with investigating crime and enforcing the law at the local level. The FPF typically deals with minor offenses although on rare occasions investigates more serious crimes. They are a well-trained, discipled, and physically fit organization, but unarmed and not authorized to use deadly force.

Guardianship Law. A law passed by the World Federation placing the all males under the guardianship of their closest female relatives. In most cases, their mothers or, less commonly, their wives. This law is viewed as facilitating orderly implementation of the Tiresias Compromise.

Genetic Revolution. The scientific advancements (occurring primarily in the 21^st century) that were responsible for eliminating famine, disease and other physical ailments through the use of bioengineering techniques. These advancements were also applied to other species to ensure food supplies, create environmentally sustainable resources, and enhance the diversity of the biosphere. In addition, the revolution enabled designer engineering of the human form a long with gender selection and physical augmentation as well as retarding the aging process and extending lifespan. It also enabled the Decision and its resulting consequences.

Gender Crisis. This crisis resulted when the male population decreased to such low levels that the survivability of humankind was threatened. The crisis followed a few generations after the Great Plague which wiped out most of the male population. This decrease was exacerbated by advances in bioengineering which permitted reproduction to occur ex utero. As a result, it was quickly realized that only a small population of males was required to sustain the species as long as the female population remained large. The choice of women to have mainly female offspring after the Great Plague precipitated the Gender Crisis. This crisis was eventually resolved by the Tiresias Compromise which resulted in the permanent enslavement of the remaining male population and the all-female society of the 24^th century.