THE CHANGE: A PREQUEL TO THE PRIZE

"The boss wants to see you," Said the note on John's desk. He sighed, wondering what went wrong this time. It seemed his boss always picked on him, telling John that he wasn't working hard enough, or that he was working too much, or anything in between. Deciding to face the fact that Dr. Lawrence ("Call me Jack", he would say) was going to yell at him again, John turned around and headed to the boss' office.

He walked past the secretary's office, pausing has he noticed that instead of the fairly attractive secretary that usually worked there sat a mid-twenties man in causal work clothes. The new man gave him a brief nod, and John nodded back, confused. Maybe LifeCorp Pharmaceuticals was laying off some of its workers? What if he was going to be fired? Now this was a reason to worry, and a small twinge of paranoia made him wonder what was going to happen. Nothing could have prepared him for what was in his boss' office.


Sitting in his boss' chair was an attractive woman with light brown hair running down to the middle of her back, done up in a ponytail. She wore a red shirt, and a short black skirt that showed off her long legs. She also wore a white lab coat, which John recognized as Dr. Lawrence's.

"Uh… hello?" He said, uneasily.

"John," The woman said. "I know what you're thinking. I'm Dr. Lawrence."

"What?" John backed up a few steps, startled.

"I've got good news and bad news," She said, getting up. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Why are you a woman?" John exclaimed.

"The bad news," Dr. Lawrence continued as she took out a small medicine kit,
"Is that LifeCorp has been absorbed by TranzGen."

"Are you serious?" John thought for a moment. TranzGen was an up-and-coming corporation that was using (supposedly) new technology for cosmetic purposes. "What would they want with us?" He asked.

"They need our laboratories, and our medical instruments," She explained, taking out a syringe. "Plus, our employees."

"Us?" John was confused now.

"That's the good news," Dr. Lawrence explained. "We all get to keep our jobs and positions, but as part of the new contract…"

"What contract?"

"The contract that was mailed to you two weeks ago," She said. "You gave it to me yourself." John remembered the fifty page document that had arrived on his doorstep. He thought it was just a renewal on his previous contract, so he signed in the appropriate places without thinking. "Anyways," Dr. Lawrence continued. "As part of the new contract, we all must take part in their new experimental procedure." She checked the syringe to make sure there was no air.

"I'm not taking part in any experiment," John said, realizing the syringe was for him.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice," She said. "Besides, it's only for three months. Think of it as… a holiday from your current body. If you like it, you keep it." Smiling, she grabbed the dazed and confused John by the arm and injected him with the contents of the syringe. "Besides, you'll be on the cutting edge of nanotech," She continued. "Plus, we're lucky, this serum isn't going to be released into the public for another six months."

"What are you doing?" John exclaimed, a little frightened. He watched as his arm shrunk slightly, his hands and skin becoming smooth and feminine. He felt his neck and head shift as they reformed, and his shoulders and chest moved around. His chest grew two large orbs that barely contained themselves in his shirt, and he felt his hair grow to shoulder length. The changes spread down his legs, and he felt his manhood disappear as his ass swelled, giving him a nice, curvy body. The changes ended at his, now her, feet, leaving John panting and tired from the sudden changes.

"Well, don't you look nice!" Dr. Lawrence smiled, patting John on the back. "Your new name has already been chosen for you," She explained. "Again, part of the contract. Now, go out and be productive, Joan!"


As Joan left, she heard the receptionist talk on his cell phone.

"I know, it's this company called TranzGen," She heard him say. "I've heard
they're coming out with another serum later this year, I'm hoping to get a cat tail…"

Walking away out of earshot, Joan wondered what the hell she got herself into.