The Coming Dawn

You hold to your sister trying to pull yourself together. It...it had all seemed so right. So proper. Things seemed to be the way they were meant to be. But your body had let you down again. You had the parts but they weren't right. You weren't right. The others...were perfect and you were...defective. What cruel fate was this? In becoming a mother you'd...you'd found yourself. And now...in the blink of an eye...the dream was gone. You weep for the child you truly believed was now forming inside of you. You mourn your unborn daughter.

"If...if you want to find someone else..." You start to blubber to Fiona. The collar sat heavy on your neck now. You didn't deserve such things.

Fiona hugs you tight. "Shush, don't be silly. I don't want anyone else. I love you Jesse."

Peg is quiet as Fiona holds you. She was heartbroken to see the effect her news had had on you.

In your sister's long strong arms you cry, her big frame encompassing you and keeping you close and letting you feel her love.

Her...long...strong arms. Her big frame. Bigger and stronger than before. You think about the old Fiona...the tiny Fiona...the current Fiona.

Your teary eyes snap back to your Aunt as a realization hits you like a thunderbolt. "Y-you...you can change me!"

Peg's eyes widen. "Excuse me?"

"You...you can make me...complete. You can fix me!"

Fiona immediately picks up what you were saying. "That's right baby, she could!"

Peg holds out a hand. "Now hold on a second! I said I would heal Jesse I didn't say anything about modifications."

Your hands grip your stomach and you find renewed strength; you had something to fight for! "I want to have children Peg. I want it more than anything. I will do anything for it!"

"Jesse...you're a boy." She says gently. She could see how much this meant to you. "I'm sorry child."

"You said I've got all the organs...I just need some space. With what you did for Fiona, that shouldn't be that hard."

"Childbirth is a big deal my dear. The estrogen levels alone... Jesse, you haven't thought this through. It's not just some extra muscle mass or bone density or a boosted immune system. This is fundamental stuff Jesse."

"But it is possible." Fiona presses.

"Yes, of course it is. Not only possible but actually quite simple, he's got the equipment already. It's not could I do it, it is should I do it. The answer to that is no!" Her mouth was saying no but something about her expression...you could see her beginning to do mental calculations even as she spoke.

"If I've got the potential...let me use it!" You plead. "I want to be a mother Peggy. Don't deny me that. I beg you!"

Fiona follows up. "You told me when I came to you that it was my body and my decision. You said that the data you gained could end up changing science forever." Fiona flexes her left arm. "You unlocked my potential. Why would this be any different Peg? It's his body, his decision. And the data from this..." Fiona pauses.

Peg says at a whisper. "...would be groundbreaking."

You feel Fiona's hand grip your shoulder. "Think about it Peg. A whole new frontier. And..." Fiona licks her bottom lip. Her eyes were intense and locked on her aunt like a Tigress honed in on her prey. "...and you'd have to monitor Jesse and the child. We'd need you every step of the way Aunt Peg. From just after conception to birth and beyond. You would see our mutation at every stage of development. And our child would be a pure breed. No outside influences, no inferior genes, think about it."

Peg was quiet. You could see Fiona's words working their manipulative magic. You all knew Peggy, for all of her positive traits, had one giant weakness. Her research. Sometimes when she would get talking about it a sort of obsessive...madness would take hold of her. A fervent focus would come upon her, just like as was happening now. She might have been the most even keeled of the Bailey's, but she still was one.

"I..." Peg's mind was racing, her eyes dart this way and that. "...I need to think about this."

"Our baby needs you Peg." The way Fiona said 'our' made it clear that Peg was being included.

You nod. "You'd be as much a part of this as Fiona or I. We need you Peg. Our child needs you!" You lean forward and take your Aunt's hand.

"I'd...be playing God." Peggy mutters.

Fiona grins with a glint of evil in her eyes. "As is proper. We're not like them Peg. Homo Sapiens have had their time. Why play by their rules? You've shown me the models. This is the dawn of Homo Futanarus."

Homo Futanarus!? Fiona was obviously referencing something she and Peg had already talked about but you didn't have a clue.

Peg was silent though it was clear her mind was whirring with activity. You weren't even sure if she was listening anymore.

"You should talk to Helen." Fiona finally suggests.

You look up at your Mistress with puzzlement.

Peg, seriously distracted now, nods absently. "Yes, um, yes. I...should talk to your mother." She is silent for a long awkward time before waving you away. "Go...go wait for me in the lab. I need to...think."

Fiona stands with a hell of a lot more confidence than you were feeling at this moment. She hooks her finger into your collar's ring and tugs. "Come boy."

Wiping the tears from your cheeks you say softly. "Yes Mistress."

Being pulled by your collar you are lead from the office and back into the main lab area. Hope had been rekindled and you held to that hope like a life preserver. Everything now depended on your Aunt.