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“I told you not to touch that,” Doc Greene groaned as he held up two pieces of the broken devices him and three of the four Burns siblings were gathered around. He had warned them not to try and play tug-o-war with it, but had they listened?
He sighed, thinking he’d need to have a conversation with the Chief soon.
Then again, he realized worriedly as he looked at the oldest Burns sibling, maybe it was the Chief who would want to have a conversation with him instead.
“Doc,” Kade started in a higher-pitched voice than usual. “What the fuck?”
“Language,” Graham said, though it was likely just a reflex. He was busy staring at Kade, looking as white as a ghost. “Oh God, are those real?” he asked, pointing a shaking finger toward Kade’s chest, which had definitely became more curvaceous in the last few minutes.
“Only one way to be sure,” Dani Burns stated, and grabbed her older brother’s chest with her two hands, only for Kade to screech and bat her hands away immediately. “Yep, those are real,” she stated, looking at her hands for a long while before she started to smile. “Oh my God, Kade, are you also missing something in your pants?!”
“That’s none of your business, Dani!” Kade shouted, crossing his arms protectively over his newfound breasts – dear Lord, that was perturbating to think. “Don’t you dare touch those again! It’s sensitive!”
“Definitely missing a few pieces downstairs,” Dani nodded wisely before bending over and laughing out loud to the point she started crying.
“Dani, that’s not fun!”
“Oh, I think I’m going to be sick,” Graham said faintly and Doc Greene pushed a chair his way out of concern. The young man sat heavily, still staring at his brother, thunderstruck. “Kade, you’re a girl?”
“No!” Kade snapped. His voice was clearly higher-pitched than usual, which fooled no one.
“Yes!” Dani interjected with glee. “Oh, that’s too good! I always wanted to have a sister!” She made little noises of delight. “What size do you think you are? Do you think we could trade shirts? Oh, I have the nicest skirt in my wardrobe, I’m sure it’d be perfect on you!”
“Keep dreaming, Dani, I’m still me! You’re not going to play dress up with me!” Kade warned her, shaking a fist in her direction before glaring at the Doc. “Damnit, Doc, what the fuck was that thing?!”
Doc Greene sighed. “Well, as I was trying to tell you before you decided to fight in the lab,” he gave them all a pointed look, “this,” he continued, pointing at the broken device, “is an invention I had just retrieved from the Best Left Forgotten Room for analysis. It’s called the Genus Modifier, and it’s effects are…” He coughed. “Well, I suppose you saw its effects first hand.”
A collective groan answered him.
“That actually explains so many things,” Graham said, removing his glasses and pressing his palms against his eyes.
“Give me a single good reason not to burn this place down,” Kade growled.
“That’d give you too much work, and your role is to fight and douse fires, not light them,” Dani pointed out.
“Watch me…”
“Why did you have this… thing… with you, Doc?” Graham asked, opening one eye to look at the scientist.
“I’ve been asked to retest it and determinate if perhaps it could be of use nowaday. The Genus Modifier was presented to Griffin Rock Annual Science Fair in 1968. Its creator had originally presented it as a way to solve the problems in livestock farming,” Doc Greene explained.
“And what sort of problems did they hope to solve with a machine that change people’s sex?” Kade screeched.
“Gender ratio at birth,” Graham snapped his fingers in sudden understanding. “Is that it?”
Doc Green nodded, looking pleased the younger man had caught it so fast. “Exactly. For a farmer or business specializing in egg production, the birth of a male individual is a loss. Same thing for a cattle owner who is living off a milk production and who can be disgruntled if all the calves his cows birth are male. While both farmers will make a profit selling the male individuals in their herd for meat, it doesn’t add to his livestock and their long-term profit. As I understand it, the Genus Modifier was intended to change the gender of an animal just born in order to limit those types of loss.”
“Capitalism as its finest,” Dani joked.
“Sounds like it, yes, so I just don’t understand, Doc,” Graham scratched his head “Why did that invention ends up in the Best Left Forgotten shelves if it’s actually working?”
Doc Greene coughed. “Ah, that. Well, let’s just say that after the demonstration at the Science Fair, the public opinion was mitigated, especially among the scientists judging the inventions. After the Genus Modifier was put under their purview, the scientific committee of Griffin Rock debated at length before deciding it was completely unethical to use.”
“Geeze, I wonder why,” Kade noted sarcastically, arms still crossed over his curvy chest. “Who in his right mind would think changing sex is a good idea?”
“Trans people, for one,” Dani gave him a pointed look. “Like that one classmate of yours who came out as a girl during your graduation party. Remember her?”
“That’s not the same at all!” Kade protested, cheeks reddening. “And Jenny never went the full way, I’d like to remind you!”
“I don’t know,” Graham mused aloud, stroking his chin. “Dani is right; such an invention would actually change the lives of anyone needed a sex reassignment surgery. No more long, painful procedures. They would be…”
“Graham,” Kade growled, “I am NOT in the need of a sex reassignment surgery, okay? Great for other folks if it gets them what they want, but what I want is to be a man again, right now!”
“Uh, right, right,” Graham blushed despite himself. “Sorry.”
“Doc, you can fix that thing, right?” Kade turned toward the resident scientist with a look of hopefulness.
The older man scratched his neck as he looked at the broken pieces lying on the table. “I should be able to, yes,” he nodded. “Assuming I have all the pieces I need and I can find back the original notes and plans of its creator. Even with all that, it could take me a few days, though.”
“Please, don’t tell me that,” Kade begged him, making Dani snort.
“What, is big, tough Kade unable to handle having tits?” she taunted him.
“I’d like to see you in the same situation,” Kade snapped. “And I can perfectly handle it!”
“Doesn’t look like it so far, bro,” Dani continued to taunt him.
“Dani, I warn you…” the firefighter started to say.
“Please don’t fight in my lab again, children, one broken invention is enough,” Doc Greene chided them, letting the two Burns siblings look at him sheepishly. “I understand your predicament isn’t comfortable, Kade, but you don’t have to worry. Even if I fail to put the Genus Modifier back in working order, its effects aren’t actually permanents.”
“They’re not? Yessss!” Kade jumped in place, delighted.
The Doc nodded. “It’s another reason the Genus Modifier ended in the Best Left Forgotten shelves. As the change could only last up to a week or two depending on the subject, it was ultimately deemed a failure as well as an ethically challenging invention. There were very strong arguments made against repeated use on animals who had not asked for such a treatment.”
“… did you just say ‘one or two weeks’?” Kade said after a moment, smile disappearing.
“I’m afraid so. Understand that the Genus Modifier has never been used on humans before, as far as I know. As such, I can’t give you a precise time, just a broad estimation. I’ll be working on repairing the device either way,” he reassured the gradually distraught-looking young man… woman… whatever, “but I’m afraid you will have to bear with your, ah, current body for now,” he coughed.
“… this is a nightmare,” Kade groaned, finally stopping to hide his chest to put an arm in front of his eyes. “How am I supposed to work like that? What will Hayley think? And what is Dad going to say? Or Heatwave?”
“One, unless you forgot how to be a firefighter, I don’t see why suddenly being a woman would impact your job,” Dani pointed out. “Two, we’ll just find a way to cover for you, like when we presented Cody to her as ‘Cousin Cole’ during that mess with the malfunctioning stasis machine. Remember that?”
“Oh yes,” Graham nodded. “It had been a weird day.” But to be fair, most days in Griffin Rock were weird.
“I’m sure the town’s inhabitants will not bat an eyelash if ‘Cousin Kate’ covers for Kade Burns during a few days,” Dani waved it asides before faltering. “Dad… yeah, that might be tough sale to make,” she admitted.
“I’d like to point out once more you were the ones who broke the Genus Modifier, not me,” Doc Greene hastily said. “I won’t be blamed for it.”
“Yes, you will,” all three siblings said at the same time before looking at each other and chuckling nervously.
“Oh, the face he and Cody are going to make when we get home,” Graham continued to chuckle, though it was a bit nervous. “And the Bots are going to have a shock too.”
“Will they? They’re not exactly gendered beings themselves and I know they can switch pronouns as they want, Blades told me,” Dani mused.
“Not Heatwave,” Kade shook his head in denial. “He’s very much a man, just like me.”
Dani raised an eyebrow, getting her new ‘sister’ a once-over. “Sure, just like you.”
“He’s going to laugh at me,” Kade groused. “Just you wait.”
Dani patted his shoulder. “I’m sure he won’t… too much,” she winked.
For all answer, Kade blew a raspberry.
(“Told you he would laugh,” Kade stated as they all watched the firetruck roll on the floor with laugher.
“Alright, alright, you were right,” Dani rose her hands in surrender. “Now let’s try and find a way to break your sex change to Dad without making him faint, okay?”)
End