Closing Pandora's Box (1/2)


	Alan Carter could tell that Carl Yates had entered the room by
the way his chest expanded into two large, female breasts.

	He sighed and pulled the labcoat closed over his now ruined
shirt. His nipples, now large and extra-sensitive, reacted to the fabric
rubbing on them and stiffened.

	He looked down as he tried to control his anger. He had learnt
that showing anger to Yates could be extremely dangerous.

	"Good evening, Alan." Yates said with an obvious smirk in his
voice.

	An image flashed through Alan's head of him punching Yates to
the ground. Instead he turned and meekly said, "Good evening, sir."

	Alan wished he had listened to his gut feelings when he had
first come to work for Yates. Something had felt very wrong from the
start. Yates' offer of a huge salary had blown away any worries he should
have had.

	Even more importantly, Yates was willing to fund the research
Alan had been working on.

	Nanomachines had been an increasing part of everyone's life for
the past decade. They had made huge advances in the fight against cancer
and old age. Alan's research had been even more radical. He foresaw a
time when Nanomechs could radically restructure entire body parts or even
re-grow missing limbs.

	He had been frustrated by the lack of interest by most of the
Nanomech companies. They considered his ideas too fanciful and the risks
too great. They were already making vast amounts of money.

	Only Yates had seemed to realize the potential. Yates' company
was very small-time compared to the Nanomech multi-nationals, but if
Alan could get something workable from his research that would change.
The problems had started as soon as Alan had made the first major
breakthrough in his research.

	Previously, nanomechs could be programmed for just one job only;
when that was finished they destroyed themselves. Alan had managed to
give them the ability to accept new programming after they had been
placed in the host body and to carry out far more complicated tasks.

	Alan had just finished the first round of tests on the lab rats
when Yates had called him up to his office.

	Yates had been friendly at first. "Congratulations on your
successes, Alan. After all the failures of your predecessors I was
giving up hope of advancing nanotechnology at all."

	Alan smiled, "Thank you, Mr Yates."

	Yates lifted a file of his desk. "This is the paper you wish to
submit to the scientific journals?"

	"Yes. I'm still a long way from perfecting the process, but I've
made significant progress."

	"I understand, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to go public."

	Alan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why not? This has the
potential to revolutionize nanotechnology!"

	"I'm sorry, but for now that is my final word on the matter."
Yates closed the file and put it back in his desk as if to signify the
conversation was over.

	"But, sir!" Alan persisted. "We can't just sit on this! What if
someone beats us to the patents?"

	"No-one is even close to what you've achieved." Yates leaned over
and gave Alan a stern look. "It is vital that no mention of your research
gets out. Is that clear."

	"This doesn't make sense. We have to go public. Just think of
the boost your share price will get."

	Yates sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "I didn't
think you'd go along meekly with what I said. I don't want your invention
purely to build a business empire. Think, Alan, of the level of control
I'd have over politicians and, perhaps, Presidents if they had your
nanomechs in them."

	Alan started to feel very afraid. This wasn't a joke; Yates meant
it. "Why are you telling me this?"

	"Because I need you to perfect the process. Refine it. And I need
to make sure you won't tell anyone in the meantime."

	"I don't want any part of this. I want out!"

	Yates smiled. "You don't think I'd tell you this unless I was
sure you'd stay working here." He pulled out a box. "Do you recognize
this?"

	"Yeah," Alan replied uncertainly, "its one of the nanomech
transmitter boxes."

	"Now, if I understand the procedure, you create the nanomech
command program on the main computer and then download it to this box.
Then all you have to do is press the button to transmit the data to
anyone in range carrying the nanomechs. Is that right?"

	Alan nodded. What had Yates done?

	"I've had this box modified," Yates continued. "As you can see,
it now has four buttons, not one. Each one sends a different series of
commands to the nanomechs inside you."

	"You're bluffing!" Alan said. Inside, however, he believed him.
How had Yates got nanomechs inside him without him realizing?

	"Shall we see if I am or not?" Slowly and deliberately he pressed
the second button on the box.

	Alan broke out into a sweat as he tried to work out whether
Yates was serious or if it really was just a twisted joke. His body
started to feel different, as if it was being pulled out of shape. With
shaking hands he tried to work out what was being done to him.

	The feelings of strangeness were most intense in his chest. His
hands flew there and found the nanomechs were already hard at work. His
flesh was starting to expand into two definite globes. Alan ripped open
his shirt; he had to see what Yates was doing to him.

	He had breasts! They were only the size of an adolescent girl's
at that moment, but they were expanding rapidly. Already, his nipples
were larger and those of a woman's. "No!"

	"Oh yes!" Yates replied, utterly fascinated by the speed of the
transformation.

	Alan put his hands over his new breasts, partly to cover them
from Yates' gaze, but mostly in a vain attempt to force them to stop
growing. Perversely, his nipples responded to the pressure of his hands
and grew erect.

	However, the nanomechs were remorseless in their work and Alan's
breasts only stopped growing when they reached their predetermined size.

	Alan's ragged breathing was the only sound in the room. With
each breath he felt his new breasts rise and fall. Fearfully, he removed
his hands and looked down at his new equipment. They were large, perfect,
female breasts. The only abnormal thing about them was that they were on
his chest. He could feel the air from the ventilation system washing
over them. They were real.

	"Absolutely incredible!" said Yates in awe. "Seeing nanomechs
work on rats is one thing. Seeing them reshape a human is completely
another. And in such a short time, too! Minutes, instead of days. You've
done well."

	Alan tried to cover himself with his shirt, but his new mammaries
were simply too large. "You could have killed me!"

	"Nonsense," Yates replied, "I had total faith in your abilities."

	Yates pressed the first button on the box and Alan felt the
tingling start again. To his utter relief, his breasts started to shrink
and rearrange itself into a normal male configuration.

	Once the process had finished, Yates said coldly. "There are two
buttons on this box that I haven't pressed yet. Pray that I never have
to."

	Alan got the message loud and clear. He was trapped.

	Over the next few days Yates revealed the plans he had for
acquiring control over the local government officials.

	Alan used ever spare moment to try and find a way out of the fix
he was in. The computer system was virtually impregnable. He couldn't
reach the program that wrote the commands for the box Yates had. Even if
he could delete it his problems wouldn't be solved, Yates probably had
it backed-up somewhere.

	Removing nanomechs were notoriously difficult. There were
hundreds of millions of the things in his body. If he missed just one in
any procedure to purge them then he would be right back where he started
inside of a week.

	Yates made Alan run an exhaustive testing procedure on himself to
make sure his survival hadn't been the result of a lucky fluke. He wanted
to be totally sure anyone transformed by the nanomechs would live.

	Yates carried the box around with him everywhere. Alan briefly
considered trying to get the box off of Yates, but another could be
constructed and programmed very easily, so that got him nowhere. Nearly
every day when Yates would go down to Alan's lab he would press the
second button and delight in watching his humiliated employee grow large
breasts.

	Alan snapped out of his reminiscing. He stood up and walked over
to where Yates was standing, holding the labcoat closed over his breasts
as he did so. No matter how many times Yates did that to him, he still
couldn't get used to it.

	"I've been reading your reports," Yates told him. "I'm satisfied
that your new process is safe. So it's time to progress to the next
stage."

	"Which is?"

	"I need to get into a position of power. Senator Hamilton is not
that important, but I can use his form to gain access to the highest
levels of government. He's coming here the day after tomorrow, expecting
to find an offer of a lucrative investment. We'll scan his body and
sample his DNA while he's here."

	Alan swallowed nervously. "What will you do with the senator?"

	"He'll be okay," Yates replied with a smile. "Obviously, he can't
be himself again as I'll be pretending to be him. I'll show you what
button number four does on your box. I'll think you'll like it. Anyway,
prepare two new sets of nanomechs each on different frequencies so they
don't interfere with each other or with yours."

	"Of course," Alan replied irritably. Each person's nanomechs had
to be primed to receive programming on one specific frequency. That
frequency had to be unique to that person or they might end up getting
the program meant for someone else.

	"Good, I'll expect them to be ready in the morning." With that
Yates turned and headed to the doors.

	"E-excuse me, sir," Alan called out. "You forgot about these," he
pointed to his breasts.

	Yates turned and leered. "That's just a reminder of what will
happen if you try to cross me. I'll restore you when you've done what I
ask." He left, chuckling.

	Alan slumped back at the computer terminal and tried to figure
out what to do. This was the decision point. He had to stop the senator
having his life stolen. Alan was also under no illusions of his own fate.
When his usefulness was at an end he would also suffer the effects of
'button four'. It was obvious Yates was learning how to program
nanomechs himself, so that time couldn't be far off.

	For the first time, he was alone while having breasts. He reached
up to hold them. The feeling of all that strange, but sensitive flesh on
his chest was still alien to him. His large nipples responded to the
contact and expanded. He was confused and embarrassed by the wave of
desire that swept through him. His arousal was understandable due to his
sensitive flesh and the site of his bare breasts, but that didn't help
his distress.

	He set up the equipment to develop the required nanomechs and
then went back to studying the computer system. He had been tinkering
with an idea for some time now. If he introduced a subtle virus to the
system he may be able to damage the network and render the computer safe.
At least for the length of time it would take to escape and get to the
police. If he was really lucky, it could infect and corrupt any back-up
system Yates connected to the computer.

	He should have gone to the police at the beginning, but the risk
of being permanently changed had stopped him. Now he knew he'd be changed
in the end anyway, he had no choice but to try to escape.

	Alan loaded the virus into the system and then headed to the
door. It was gone eight PM and the corridors were deserted, but he was
acutely aware of his jutting bosom as he walked. Every step caused the
extra flesh on his chest to jiggle.

	He avoided reception, as it was manned even at this hour, and
headed for one of the fire escape doors. His heart was thudding as he
ran out into the car park and over to his car. Alan had to wrap his arms
around his chest as he ran to prevent them bouncing around too much. He
pulled his car keys from his pocket, but before he could open the door
the sound of people running caused him to look up.

	Two burly men dressed in the uniform of the firm's security were
running straight for him! He tried to control his shaking hands long
enough to get the key into the lock. Just as he was opening the door one
of the men slammed into him and dragged him to the floor. Alan landed on
his front and he gasped from the unexpected pain from his breasts.

	He was roughly manhandled to his feet and he was unable to stop
himself from being dragged back into the building. The two guards pulled
him into the elevator and they travelled all the way to the top of the
building. Yates maintained a small apartment there so that he'd never be
that far from his company.

	Yates was in his office as Alan was brought in. He was working
away at his computer and didn't turn to look at Alan straight away. After
several minutes he looked satisfied and turned his attention to his
employee.

	Alan was being held by his arms and it left his breasts exposed.
He felt humiliated by their presence and the way Yates' eyes flicked over
them in obvious lust.

	"You can go," Yates told the two guards. They quickly dropped
Alan and left quietly. Yates walked slowly towards Alan who was shivering
on the floor. "That almost worked, the whole computer system almost
crashed. You knew I'd have back-ups so I guessed you were making a run
for it during the confusion. Nice try, though."

	Alan staggered to his feet and ran for the elevator. He had to
get away before Yates pressed the fourth button on the box. He stabbed
at the call button by the lift in desperation. A nervous glance behind
him showed Yates leaning against his desk.

	"They're holding the elevator," Yates told him. "You're stuck
here."

	Alan hammered on the door before giving up. He turned around to
see Yates holding the box. If he could somehow reach him before he
pressed the button he might be able to get the box.

	Yates saw where Alan was looking. "You want this, don't you? I'm
afraid I can't do that. You've been a very bad girl. Naughty enough for
button three, I think."

	"No!" Alan shouted and leapt at Yates. Before he could cover
half the distance to his boss, Alan was overcome by a wave of nausea and
dizziness. He was too late; Yates had pressed the button.

	He crashed to the floor as the nanomechs robbed him of control
of his own body. The strange pulling sensation worked its way all over
his body, except his breasts. He cried out as his body was remade. Then,
as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

	"Incredible!" Yates remarked. He leaned down and grabbed Alan's
upper arm and held it firmly.

	Alan opened his eyes and tried to get his bearings. Everything
felt wrong, utterly wrong. His vision was obscured by hair. He pulled at
it with his free hand and saw that it was long, golden and his. His arm
had been altered as well. It was far slimmer, more refined, and didn't
have a thin layer of hair on it anymore.

	Yates had totally transformed him. He could feel with his tongue
that even his teeth had changed, probably along with the rest of his
face. Had everything changed? Was he now totally a woman?

	Alan's answer came as Yates carried out his own examination.
Several strong tugs by Yates and Alan's pants were pulled off his
suddenly wider hips and down. Alan's underwear went the same way. Then
Alan felt Yates' fingers touch and probe the folds of his vagina.

	Everything had been changed! He was totally female! He shuddered
as Yates' fingers probed deeper into him. He was horrified to feel his
strange new anatomy becoming aroused from his captor's touch.

	Yates roughly turned Alan round to face the window. It was
getting dark outside and the glass acted like a dim mirror. Alan pushed
the mass of hair out of his eyes and looked at the reflection of the two
people. One was Yates, gloating in the successful transformation and the
other was an extremely frightened girl wearing only a torn man's shirt.
She had a perfect body, and the large, but firm, breasts matched the
sensuous curves of her soft, feminine form.

	Alan could barely believe the evidence of his own senses. He was
a woman. A sexy, voluptuous, blonde!

	"Come here, girl." Yates commanded as he dragged Alan over to
the desk. "I want you to see exactly what problems you've caused me."

	Alan was too frightened to resist and allowed himself to be
pushed roughly into the chair behind the desk. He tried to cover himself
with the shirt, but it was a pointless attempt. He couldn't hide his
breasts and every movement of his body was a constant reminder of his
sudden femininity.

	"Your virus has caused severe problems in the system." Yates
explained. "I can clear it, but that means shutting down the system,
purging the virus and then restoring everything from the back-ups. The
problem is, I don't have the time. I need to be ready to move tomorrow.
Now I need to know exactly what you've done."

	Alan squinted at the computer screen. What language was that? It
certainly wasn't English.

	Yates laughed. "Oh, yes, I forgot to mention a couple of
enhancements I made to your body, beyond the obvious ones, that is. Your
body now has an increased sensitivity to pleasure, as you'll find out
soon. The other...enhancement is the removal of your ability to read or
write."

	"That's impossible!" Alan said in horror, cringing at the soprano
voice he now had as he did so.

	"It isn't. That's plain English on the screen, yet you can't make
any sense of it at all." He pushed a pad of paper and a pen over to Alan.
"Write your name."

	Alan nervously took the pen. He put it to the paper and then his
brow furrowed. Try as he might, he couldn't remember how to do it! He
could remember signing his name a thousand times, but now that simple
action was beyond his abilities.

	"Don't worry. It isn't permanent, I've just blocked off the
portions of your brain dealing with written language. I could have
destroyed all the language information stored in your brain. If I had
done that, even if you were restored to your own body, you'd have to
learn to speak, read and write all over again. As it is, you'll be okay
if I turn you back into a man."

	"What does button four do?" Alan asked. He had to know how bad
this got.

	"Nothing noticeably, physically. Mentally, it erases the portion
of your mind dealing with written language (which is only blocked off at
the moment), speech, and all but the simplest mathematics. It'll also
lower your intelligence significantly. You wouldn't be able to oppose me
as you'd be too stupid to work out how to do it, but you'd remember who
you were."

	Alan was shivering uncontrollably now. "I'll do what you want.
Turn me back and I'll remove the virus."

	"No."

	"No?!"

	"I don't trust you yet. I don't think you've quite realized the
gravity of the situation yet."

	"I have, I have Mr Yates!" Alan pleaded. "Don't do this to me!"

	Yates stroked Alan's soft cheek with the back of his hand. Alan
tried not to shy away. 

	"You're not broken in yet," Yates said quietly. "By tomorrow
morning you will be. Stand up."

	Alan wanted to run, to get away from Yates, but he knew if he was
to stand even the slimmest hope of retaining his intellect, let alone
regaining his body, he had to obey Yates.

	Yates made him remove the last few items of clothing he had on.
His naked, unfamiliar body only made him feel even more helpless. He
watched as Yates took the box and walked to a far door. Without looking
back, Yates disappeared inside.

	Alan stood there nervously for a few moments before he realized
he was expected to follow. He held one arm across his breasts in an
effort to keep them under control, and the other covered his new
femininity. Slowly, he walked over to the door. He had a good idea what
Yates was planning. He just prayed to God he was wrong.