He found some troubling information.

Zac rolled out of bed, turning up the brightness on his phone and throwing on his glasses.

"You left the site logged-in last night and I did some more reading about the GES. I think you made a mistake," it read.

"??" Zac replied.

"IDK if you saw this, but it looks like there are restrictions on sexual activity for people who get the GES."

"wtf?"

"That's all I read before I texted you. Anyhow, I'd be suspicious. Look into it more. I'm logging you off."

"ok thanks"

Zac spent the rest of the morning, reading the terms and conditions that he'd skipped. Chris was right. The recipients aren't allowed to jerk off or have sex outside of the weekend collection periods, which he would be required to attend the second weekend of every month. Further, in the contract he'd approved without fully reading, it was indicated that there is no way to legally annul the contract. He also noticed that there was a confidentiality agreement which prohibited him from discussing the contract with any third party -including his immediate family- which he'd already violated.

He sent out a quick text telling Chris, Caleb, and Jon that he wasn't supposed to talk to them about the GES and asking them not to pass it on. They agreed.

Zac, resigning himself to the fact that he had effectively sold his orgasms to a genetic research company for the next four years, slumped back into his bed, letting out a groan. Suddenly, his laptop made a bell noise. He sat back down in front of it and saw a pop-up, saying, "Your shipment has been dispatched and is scheduled for delivery around 12:15 pm pm today." Beneath this headline, there was an explanation that he would be receiving a piece of equipment used to monitor his behaviour and ensure he didn't violate the contract.

It was 12:00 pm already. Fortunately, Zac's parents were taking a summer vacation and wouldn't be back for two weeks, so neither of them could intercept the delivery and ask questions.

Zac rushed to take a shower, and heard the doorbell ring just as he was getting out. "Shit, shit, shit," he murmured, sopping wet and rushing to throw on a bathrobe.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." He raced down the stairs, almost tripping, threw open the door, and, out of breath, exclaimed, "Hi!" The delivery woman's eyes shot open when she saw him and she shuffled a bit to the left to get right in front of him. She handed him a clipboard and pen, looking the much younger man intensely in the eye. "I'll need a signature."

Zac signed the paper quickly and handed it back, taking the small box from her. She leaned closer and whispered, "You might want to get a bigger bathrobe," pointing down toward his lap.

He looked at himself, realizing he hadn't closed his robe properly and his genitals were dangling out for the entire neighbourhood to see. He slammed the door, his face red with embarrassment.

"Shit."

Zac dried his self off and cleaned the water he had tracked through the house, then threw on some clothes and opened the package on his bed. Inside, there was a belt and codpiece made out of a material that felt like a cross between plastic and metal, along with a combination lock with a keyhole he could only assume was for emergency release. But there was no key or combination.

The instructions in the package were simple and clear: he was to firmly affix the adjustable codpiece around his penis and testicles, then slide into and adjust the belt, and finally lock it in place. Failing to do so would constitute a violation of the contract, and would result in Scenario 2.

"Scenario 2?" Zac whispered to his self. He moved to the laptop and opened the tab of Gene23's member portal entitled "Scenarios."

It read:

"Scenario 1: In the event that a recipient of the GES makes a minor violation of the indicated requirements, they will be taken into the custody of Gene23 for the duration of their contract. They will be provided living arrangements and will be closely monitored at all times, to help ensure no further violations occur.

"Scenario 2: In the event of repeated minor violations of the indicated requirements, the recipient will be placed on a therapeutic regimen at the discretion of Gene23 intended to render the participant psychologically incapable of further violations.

"Scenario 3: In the event that a recipient of the GES makes a major violation of the indicated requirements, they forfeit ownership of their genetic material to Gene23. Gene23 will surgically remove the reproductive organs of the recipient and continue experimentation this way. The recipient will continue to receive the GES but will not be required to continue any further requirements."

"What the fuck?" he shouted after reading Scenario 3. "That's castration," he whispered, "That's fucking castration. They're threatening to castrate me." Then he reminded himself that they weren't threatening that yet. They explicitly said Scenario 2.