The Transformation Is Happening At A Genetic Level

Johnny's eyes grew wide.

"I'm turning into a girl?" he said, voice unexpectedly high-pitched.

"It's too soon to tell how complete the external physical transformation will be," Reed said. "But quick genetic analysis shows severe degradation and mutation of your Y chromosome. There are traces of a mutagen in your blood samples, which is no doubt what triggered your initial changes, but your hormone imbalance isn't just caused by external factors—your body has started to produce more estrogen and antiandrogens. It's become...self-sustaining. Even if we can keep you from further exposure to the mutagen, it's not clear if we can reverse the transformation in progress."

Sue Storm, invisible and spying on this hidden consultation between Johnny and Reed, held her breath. She hadn't expected this. Her own brother—Johnny, the ladies' man—becoming a woman? It seemed fantastic. Impossible. It should have been disturbing. Instead, Sue felt a tingle of excitement. A nervous energy like a coil spring being depressed.

A part of her wanted to see what Johnny looked like as a woman.

"There is some good news," Reed said, as he laid a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulders. "I already have samples of the mutagen from your blood samples. While it's too dangerous to try and counteract the transformation while it's in process, I'm sure that once your transformation is complete—once your genome resets as female and stabilizes—I should be able to use a recombinant version of the same mutagen to turn you back into a man."

Johnny pressed the heels of his hands against his head and rocked back and forth.

"No...no, this can't be happening, I'm a guy...I'm a guy..." Johnny blubbered.

"You are," Reed said gently. "Your biological sex is not representative of your gender identity, Johnny. You're just experiencing a strange medical condition. And we'll help you through this."

"Like you helped Ben?" Johnny said, and Sue winced. It was a cruel thing to say, and showed how deeply the Human Torch was hurt by the impending loss of his masculinity.

"That's different, Johnny," Reed said, his voice tight. "What's happening to you has nothing to do with cosmic rays. Somehow you were exposed to something that triggered this. A biological mutagen. I can help you."

"And in the meantime, I'm going to be a FREAK!" Johnny yelled, and his eyebrows burst into flame. Then he dropped his head into his hands and began to sob.

"I suppose I should mention that a side-effect of your ongoing transition is going to be mood swings," Reed said, as he patted the Human Torch on the shoulder. "For the time being, we'll do what we can to...ease your transition. That means regular medical appointments, cataloging the changes in your body. And...we'll need to tell Sue and Ben."

Which was Sue's cue to leave. She slipped invisibly away from the pair, her heart a-flutter at the strange possibilities. There was a time when Sue would have been shocked and horrified at the changes in her sibling's body, and the distress they caused him. Now though—now that Porkum's influence had worked on her brain, after weeks of slow and steady betrayal—Sue fought with her own emotions, interrogated her own desires.

What do I want? Sue Storm asked herself, as her sibling's despair tugged at her heart. For myself, and for Johnny?