Actually no, it was a false alarm.

"-AAAAAAAACHOO!"

I sniffed a bit, "Agh, sorry, that was a big sneeze. Anyway, let's go take a look at this city."

I casually walked up to the glass screen take a gander upon the city, not noticing Stacy clutching her heart as she dropped to her knees right next to me, looking about as white as a ghost. "Christ, maybe I'm the one that needs to avoid going into shock instead..." She gasped just out of earshot.

Peering out the windows, the place looked just about what I imagined it would look like in the future. Roads look more black and sleek, everyone owns some kind of neo-generations sports car, giant road bridges are built in between chrome skyscraper buildings. No hover cars or jetpacks though, which was a total shame. I was half-hoping that cars would be able to fly in the future now.

I could see a few billboards and ads on the buildings from up here, but since we're so high up, I couldn't make out what they said. I think I might have seen one that had my face on it, but it was probably just my imagination.

"Yeah, no. Seems legit so far." I nodded unremarkably.

Steadying herself on her two feet again, she adjusted her glasses as she asked, "Wait, you aren't surprised by how much has changed?"

"I've never been to any populated cities before, like New York or Detroit. Mostly a nice suburban town in Florida, where the neighbors all knew each other. The only experience I've ever had with cities like these are in movies or TV shows, so my imagination just sort of filled in the blanks on what to expect." I explained, "Also, I think I may have gotten my hopes up on what specifically advanced, so I ended up disappointed more than shocked. Like, you guys don't have jetpacks in the future yet? C'mon, it's 2026. Back To The Future promised us hoverboards by 2017, and we still haven't gotten those yet."

"Oh." Stacy muttered, "So that whole serious dramatic spiel from before basically meant nothing then. Kind of feels like I made a fool out of myself."

"Heh, it's fine. Happens to me all the time." I gently slapped her back. "Good news though, at least I didn't spasm out into a seizure, like we both imagined I would."

"Yeah... there's that at least." She chuckled in relief.

Guess he hasn't realized we're living in a different country than the United States, Stacy thought to herself.

I walked back over to the bed, laying myself down and releasing the pent up stress from the anticipation from earlier. Man, today was a very tiring day. It was fun though, I can't deny that.

"Okay, so..." Stacy started off awkwardly, "I was basically banking on you to have some sort of... revelation after letting you see the city again. But I guess not? Not sure where to go from here."

"Well, we already spent the entire day just hanging out and having fun. Why not just sit down and have an honest talk to get to know each other better? You know, like we promised we'd do back in the car." I suggested.

"Right... we did do that." Stacy hesitantly remembered. "I suppose you'll be having a lot of questions that you'd like answered, right? I can't exactly promise that I'll answer each and every one of them, nor can I promise that they'll be satisfying answers... but I'll definitely try my best to answer them in the best way I can, without causing confusion or revealing too much too soon."

"Sure, sure, whatever." I waved dismissively, not really caring about that anymore. I hurriedly gestured her to take a seat right next to me, "Just come on and sit down! Let's just talk for fun."

She smiled, seeming to understand what I mean. Taking a running start, she did a front flip onto the bed and flopped all over the place like a fish before landing straight in the middle. Turning to face me, she happily asked, "Okay then. Go ahead and start off first. What's the first thing you want to know?"

"Hm... first thing I want to know..."

Decisions, decisions. Out of all the things I wanted to know, what was something that I was dying to get answered first?

Hm...

I glanced over at Stacy to see if I could get an idea on where to start, before I was reminded of a certain thing I've noticed so far regarding every single woman I've seen since waking in 2026.

Giant tits.

At this stage, I knew Stacy well enough to know that she was the type that was unashamed of talking about sexy body parts, so this might be a good topic to start off with.

"Okay, I got you for one." I started off.

"Shoot." She nodded expectantly.

"Ever since I woke up in 2026, almost every single woman I've come across, from the hospital nurses, all the way to the hotel maids... Every. Single. Woman... has the body of supermodels. Every last one of them." I accentuated, "Including you! No offense, by the way. What is the deal with that?"

"None taken." She smiled as she waved it away, before explaining. "Okay, so, this is actually something that I think I can answer properly without needing to hide anything." She adjusted her glasses, before looking at me, "So you know how I work as a plastic surgeon, right? My mentor, he was the one who taught me everything I knew."

"No way, you don't seriously mean..."

"And... well... My mentor is a highly reputable surgeon across the globe. He first started off his career doing plastic surgery for everyone, and he just so happened to be the very best at it." She donned a very proud smile as she continued on, "My mentor was practically so good, he makes performing surgery look easy. In fact, he was so incredibly good, he started his own business performing implant surgeries after he got his board certification. He was the only plastic surgeon in the country to somehow make implants affordable for anyone who wanted them, and this ended up making him very popular with a majority of women." Excitedly, she suddenly asked me, "Guess how much breast implants normally cost back before my mentor started his career?"

"Oh- er, I dunno?" I shrugged, "Like... five thousand or something? Maybe more?"

"Good guess! A range between five thousand to ten thousand dollars for breast implants." She corrected me, "Now guess how much my mentor charged?"

"...Um... less?" I tilted my hands back and forth cluelessly.

"$200 to $450. Tops." She smirked.

"Jesus Christ." I muttered in astonishment, "How the hell did he turn a profit with those prices?"

"Any kind of surgery procedure contains risk to it. Risk of injury, risk of bleeding, risk of infection, and the risk of life." She continued explaining, "Implant surgery is no different. You're cutting someone open in order to change how their bodies are from inside. That's usually something you can't ever take lightly, which is why most operations charge you so much." Stacy's proud smirk returned with a vengeance, as she declared, "But my mentor was different. He was a legend with a medical utensil in his hand! Hell, people considered him a god! He was so good, he never made a single mistake, NOT ONCE in his entire career as a plastic surgeon."

"That's bull..." I chuckled in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not." She told me in complete seriousness. "He's literally just that good. And because he's that good, he could lower the prices to a competitive standard that no other surgeon in the world could possibly hope to match. In a span of a single year, my mentor was able to perform breast and butt implants to over 800,000 people, without making a single mistake. No bleeding, no infections, no side effects of any kind. All perfect procedures, each and every one of them."

"Okay, now I know you have to be bullshitting me!" I started laughing, "Over 800,000 people, in the span of a single year? Not only would that make him a millionaire at the prices he charges, but that means that he'd have to perform surgery on over 2000 people each and every day, without taking a day off! There's no possible way someone can do that!"

With a triumphant smile, she stated without a doubt, "That's where you're wrong! My mentor wasn't just some random guy with a knife, everyone considered him a GOD! G. O. D." She spelled out for emphasis. "He worked tirelessly, doing a hundred operations each hour of the day! It only takes him literally TWO MINUTES on average to perform a single successful implant, and I've once seen him complete one in only half a minute! He was just THAT GOOD!"

I was stunned, completely speechless over what she was claiming. I had no idea what to say to that.

Seeing me unable to argue, she crossed her arms and gave a cocky smile, "He revolutionized plastic surgery in the United States in under a single year. But it didn't stop there, for my mentor wasn't satisfied. No no no, he was the kind of guy that would first pop up into people's minds when they think of the word 'Mad Scientist!' He wasn't satisfied with just doing implants, he wanted to PERFECT the art of plastic surgery itself. So he began to learn how to augment people's bodies in order to give anyone their ideal body image. Not only did he master THAT too, but he ALSO started a business performing body augments, costing no more than his previous prices. Fat people wanted to turn skinny? Done in an instant." She snapped her fingers dramatically, "Short people want to be tall? Easier than cake." She snapped again. "Eyes wider, shoulders broader, jawline leaner, lips fatter, noses smaller, cuter, cleaner- done, done, done, done, and DONE!" She proclaimed, snapping her fingers with each "done" out of her mouth. "All within the same price range as a new TV from your local retailer."

"So... you mean... every single girl I've come across..." I slowly started to process, "They've all...?"

She nodded proudly, "From the personal hands of my mentor himself. He's given his touch to each and every one of them."

Holy shitballs on a turkey sandwich... I never knew this guy had so much influence...

"When you mean everyone... Does that include... you?" I hesitantly asked.

She looked down at her body, her smile turning more wistful and nostalgic. "This body that I wear... it's the handiwork from my mentor, lovingly perfected to even the most minuscule details, just as I requested." Hugging herself tightly, she softly told me, "No matter what happens, I owe everything to that brilliant man. For a smart, courageous, and selfless man... I'd follow him to the ends of the world..."

The way she expressed herself, giving off such a loving emotion as she hugged her body as if it was her most treasured possession...

It's obvious now why she never wanted a boyfriend. It's not just because she's loyal to her job...

She's completely head over heels smitten by her own mentor.

Suddenly, I feel much more distant from her than I could ever dread to imagine. If this girl had such a dying devotion to a genius like that... what chances would I have with her?

I've come to realize that I might have secretly harbored a crush on Stacy ever since I've gotten to know her, a crush that I wasn't even aware of until now. But now that I know it existed, I had **** but to crush it with my heel down to the very bone until it ceases to exist anymore. After all, I can't compete with a man like the one Stacy described.

It's strange... The more I learn about this mentor of hers, the more I grow respectful and fearful towards him. What kind of godlike intellect does that man have, to go from a revolutionary plastic surgeon in under a year to a legendary scientist that can cure diseases that were previously uncurable just moments ago?

At this point... I think if I learn any more about him, I might just start worshipping him too.

And I don't know what to think of that...

Stacy then seemed to suddenly gain an idea, as she looked at me with an excited gleam in her eye.

Before I knew it, she already stood up from her bed and started- WOAH, she started to undress!

"Uh, Stacy?! What are you doing?!" I asked nervously, brought out from my internal reverie as I began crawling back further in the bed.

"I want to show you how my mentor perfected my body! That way, you'll see that I'm not lying!" She proclaimed, unbuttoning her tight cargo pants before pulling them down completely, UNDERWEAR INCLUDED- OH GOD-

"No- wait- seriously, this isn't really necessary to-" I tried to argue, but it was already too late.

Pulling her turtleneck sweater off, she turned around and happily revealed her entire nude body to me with a tremendous, "Ta-dah!"

For the first time, I was able to finally look at her naked visage, fulfilling all my latest fantasies when it came to the good doctor.

But for some inane reason, I felt the need to look away and cover my eyes, forcing myself to deny what was rightfully served to me on a GODDAMN SILVER PLATTER.

"Stacy, come on! You shouldn't just drop naked for any random stranger to see just to prove a point! I get it already, your mentor is a god, you don't have to prove anything to me!" I shouted embarrassingly.

"John." She called out gently. "I insist. Look at me and see what he's done. Please."

Something in her voice compelled me to freeze in place. I don't know why, but it just sounded so yearning towards me that I couldn't deny her.

I hesitantly pulled my hands away and **** my eyes to open.

There she was, standing right in front of me, naked as the day she was born. She smiled lovingly at me, almost melting my heart warm. For some reason, it almost felt like she was smiling at me like someone would smile for a lover.

"Like I said earlier," She said softly, "There's nothing to feel embarrassed about. I want you to look at me. To look at his handiwork. I'm proud to have this body."

I couldn't look away. Now that she said it out loud for me to hear, giving me her express permission, I just couldn't look away even if I wanted to.

By god, I didn't want to look away.

Gulping my last bit of fear, I took in her entire body and burnt the image into my mind.

Her large breasts, big enough to almost match the size of my head, stood proudly and firm. It was as if it was basking in the attention that I gave it. It wobbled and moved around, giving it the illusion that it was almost naturally born like that. If I didn't already know about it, I would have never even thought it was that big as a result of an implant. Her mentor, whoever he was, he was truly brilliant to somehow disguise his work to make her look natural busty all on his own.

The curves of her body, her thin waist, her hips, she had a body that was perfect for birthing. It accentuated everything else about her, like a complimentary tiny umbrella on a martini to make the drink taste that much better.

Her pelvis, so smooth, so perfectly shaped... Her vagina was sculpted exceptionally well, it made the carnal side of me go mad, almost begging my sane and rational side to completely take her for myself before she had the chance to say no.

"You... You're really beautiful..." I nervously told her, continuing to absorb her image. My cock strained against my pants, and I had to do all I could just to tuck it away and hide it before she had the chance to notice. "I can see why you're so proud... You must have been his best work yet."

For once, she shied away from me when she heard that. Almost like she just finally realized how awkward and strange the situation was, she began to blush fervently and awkwardly covered herself with her hands. Still, she did it all with a bright smile, as if she had just been awarded a monumental trophy.

I wondered bitterly to myself if she was smiling because she thought I was complimenting her, or because she thought I complimenting her mentor. The thought made my jealousy apparent, and I soon became disgusted with this ugly side of myself that I never knew existed.

"Do you remember now, John?" She asked me.

"Remember? What do you mean?" I asked in bewilderment.

"This isn't the first time I've shown off my body for you to see. I've done it once before, way back around the time when we first met." She explained. "It was just after I was able to finally save up to afford his procedure. It was October of 2021. It was a few days after I went to his seminar when I finally learned of his existence. I researched him, learned more about his reputation, and it gave me the hope that I would finally be able to change myself and transcend into a body that went further beyond what I originally had. It sounded too good to be true, but I was so **** for change that ignored all warning bells in my head of the possibility that it might have been some sort of scam or worse." With another proud smile, she recalled, "Thank god I did. After I saved up the money, I made the appointment and waited for months to finally get the chance to see him. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw him. He looked so plain and average, that it almost made me wonder if I had been lied to all this time. But the moment he took one glance at me, I could tell in his eyes that he knew immediately what was wrong and what I wanted to fix." Her smile became sad, and her voice took a pitiful tone, "You see... I was born paraplegic. Never once had a working set of legs in my entire life. For as long as I could remember, I was bound to a wheelchair, all the way from kindergarten to college. Because of this, I was never able to accomplish anything that I thought was worthwhile. Sure, people kept telling me that I could still accomplish things, but it was all just lip service. No one ever took me seriously. I could have straight A's and the perfect record, and it would always be overshadowed by the fact that I had two dysfunctional legs. I hated it. I hated myself. I hated being born like this. Bullies would laugh behind my back, boys would be scared thinking that I would be too much responsibility to deal with, friends would always try to hide plans for parties or get-togethers since my legs would only hold everyone back. I just... That all changed the moment I went into his office." Her tone became heavy with admiration and nostalgia, "His touch was so gentle and quick. It never hurt, not once. He asked me what I wanted. I told him that I just wanted him to fix me. To make me someone that wasn't broken. But then he told me that he was already planning to do that the moment I entered his office. He just wanted to know what else he could do for me, since I was already in his care." With a sigh, she continued on, "He took his time with me, following my every request. He gave suggestions that might go well with my new body. I was so picky and choosy, yet he remained patient for the entire procedure."

Uncovering herself, she gave a single twirl to demonstrate for you once more.

"Once he was done, I stood and twirled exactly like this. I was perfected, I was beautiful and amazing. Not only did I get to have the legs I wanted, but I had gained so much more than I could possibly imagine! I could finally confidently live the life that I always wanted, and it was all thanks to him." Looking at me, she said, "When you saw me, John, you felt so happy that you cried and ran up to hug me. You hugged me so tight, I thought I might have exploded." She chuckled, "And honestly, considering the moment, I felt so happy at the time that I might not have minded to die in your arms right then and there."

I sat still, completely silent as I learned more about her.

I genuinely didn't know what to say to any of that. From how she talked, it almost sounded like he literally gave her a chance of a new life.

Knowing all of this now, knowing everything he's done for her, would it be right of me to still feel jealous when she talks about him like this? After everything he's done for her and humanity and general life itself, after I had accomplished absolutely nothing compared to him?

Sigh... Maybe I should just shut up and be thankful, instead of getting angry over the guy stealing a girl that I never even had a chance with.

"You still don't remember, do you?" She frowned.

I shook my head, "Sorry. It's not coming to me at all."

"I see..." She sighed depressingly.

"Was going to him your only choice to be happy, do you think?" I suddenly asked her.

She looked at me with confusion, "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean... I guess... If you could live that moment of your life again, and find a way to live a happier life, without needing the body augments and implants, would you take a different path? Was his work really necessary on you? You don't think maybe that there might have been someone out there who could've accepted you for who you-"

"No! There was never anyone there for me!" She fiercely told me. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be alive right now! There was no other possible way for me to live a happy life, not without him!" Gesturing to herself, she shouted, "If I couldn't even love myself during that time, what makes you think I could find anyone else who could?! I'd rather die a painful **** than to live in a world where I never met him!"

...

Well... that answers that question. Apparently, I don't count as anyone at all...

Didn't even hesitate to say it in front of my face, even though she recounted how I hugged and cried for her literally moments ago. For her, in this world, there was nobody else for her except her mentor.

Yeah, no... I know for a fact now that I had no chance with her to begin with.

I awkwardly rubbed my neck, mumbling out a quiet, "I'm sorry for asking. I didn't mean anything by it."

The silence in the air was palpable. It was hard to look at her now. Even with her beautiful body, I couldn't find the courage.

God, I made things awkward now.

Stacy seemed to feel ashamed for suddenly lashing out, quietly putting her clothes back on.

I did my best to be courteous as I looked away, giving her some privacy.

After a while, she sat back down on the bed right next to me, staring at her lap.

I stared at somewhere else entirely.

I wonder... Why was I such good friends with Stacy to begin with? What made me stuck around to be by her side?

I apparently have known her for four years now, so that obviously means that I know about her obsession with that famous doctor mentor of hers.

Did I really stick around her just to be friends? Was there never a romantic connection between us at all? How long have I accepted that I would never be able to have her, no matter how hard I wished for it? Have I ever even wished for it at all?

Damn this amnesia... I feel like, if only I knew who I was before this whole mess started, I could have so many questions already answered long ago.

After a moment has passed or two, Stacy finally decided to speak up, "I'm sorry for shouting at you. I didn't mean to get so defensive and angry. You just asked a simple question, and yet I overreacted."

"Nah, it's fine." I casually play it off, "It's clear that this mentor guy means a lot to you. I questioned his importance in your life, and you reacted appropriately. I should be the one to apologize for that."

It's clear that she wanted to disagree, but it seemed like she really didn't want to drag out this conversation any longer than it already was. So instead, she began to change the conversation, "Did you have any other questions that you might like to ask?"

"Nah, I'm actually kind of tired. It's also getting late after all." I told her, pointing out to the night sky as the full moon came to view. "Let's save 20 Questions for tomorrow. For now, I think it's best if we just go to bed."

"...okay..." She muttered.

"Welp," I yawned, before standing up to walk away. "Goodnight Stacy. Sweet dreams."

Before I could even take another step, Stacy suddenly grabbed my sleeve and held me back.

"John? Where are you going?" She asked, genuinely confused about something.

"Um... Well, I'm going to go out and sleep on the couch where we sat to watch movies on." I said plainly.

"What? Why not sleep on the bed?" She gestured to the Super Caesar-sized bed in the room.

"No, I can't do that." I tried to decline, "This is your penthouse, and this is your bed. Therefore, you should be the one to sleep on it, you know? Like, I'm fine with taking the couch out in the main room."

"Hey, woah, that's not fair. You shouldn't be out sleeping on a couch like that. It's uncomfortable and it's bad for your health." She said sternly, lecturing me as if she was my own mother.

"Well then, what do you suggest then?" I grumbled.

"Sleep on the bed for tonight. I'll go and sleep on the couch myself." She offered instead.

"What? Are you crazy?! You literally just told me a second ago how bad it is for you to sleep on a couch! Why should you be the one to sleep on it?!" I argued.

"Because you're technically still a sick patient that needs all the rest and comfort you can get!" She argued back.

"What, you mean the amnesia?! Come on, you told me yourself that, besides that, I was perfectly normal and healthy!"

"Well, I feel bad for yelling at you and making you uncomfortable for the whole night! The least I could do is let you take the bed for yourself!"

"I can't, in good conscience, let you sleep on the couch! What kind of guy do you think I am if you think I'll be comfortable repaying your hospitality by kicking you out of your own bed?!"

"Fine, then maybe we should sleep on the bed together then!"

"Fine, I guess we should sleep on the bed togeth- Wait whaddafuck did you just say?"

After a heated argument, we finally came to an agreement to sleep on the bed together. Which I clearly did not expect to happen since coming here.

"Look, it'll be fine. The bed is big enough to hold eight people at once. There's plenty of space we could put between us if you want." She told me with a smile.

"Urh... Fine..." I relented, "I just didn't want to intrude and inconvenience you, that's all."

She giggled, "It's fine! You don't have to worry about anything like that, it's literally my job and responsibility right now to take care of you. Besides, I'm perfectly comfortable if it's with you, John."

Perfectly comfortable if it's with me, she says.

Probably wouldn't be saying that if her mentor was in the room right now, would she?

Gah! Stop it! STOP BEING JEALOUS! MOVE ON WITH YOUR STUPID FACE ALREADY, JOHN!

Giving a sigh, I smiled back at her, "Well, I can't refuse now that you've said that. Thanks for watching over me this whole time, Stacy."

"Anytime, anywhere." She reassured me.

Well, at the very least, this isn't the worst situation imaginable. What could possibly go wrong?