The Submissive Gene

You arrive home, tired but fulfilled. The television interview went well. People used to tell you that it was foolhardy to believe you could make a living out of being an ethics professor, but you’d learned early on to bet on yourself and your charm. Morality was something that humans will never stop discussing, and focusing your practice on modern issues such as technology and genetic engineering meant you were frequently on television to discuss the hot button topics of the day.

You sit down at your desk where an advanced copy of your book lies waiting for your review. “Paved with Good Intentions: The Immorality of Genetic Modification by Myles Teague.” It was sure to be another best seller. And the fact that it hurt the business of his old “friend” Martin Arcadi made it extra sweet.

Next to the book is a framed picture of your greatest treasure: your daughter, Helen. She’s your pride and joy but seeing her face brings a grimace to yours. You’re having her newest suitor over for dinner today, while Helen is at her mother’s place. Every time some new boy falls head over heels with your Helen, you make it a point to get them alone in order to assert your dominance. Honestly, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, as you did write the book on Alpha Males. Literally (“Not Wolves But Men: Why Humans Evolved Alphas” your second national best-seller).

These conversations have led to quite a few of these would-be-suitors changing their minds, a fact that has led to many heated arguments with your daughter. Still, you persist. You’d do anything to protect her.

You heck your watch. Time enough to cook a decent meal. Then you’ll see what this kid is made of.

“Are you sure about this, Nick?”

“Do you want to go out with Helen or not?”

“I do but…”

“Relax. The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work. And then you’re no worse off than you were yesterday. What have you got to lose?”

Ned looks visibly nervous but he swallows hard and puts on a determined look on his face. He really is besotted with that girl.

As for Nick, his motivation is more scientific. This new compound developed at Pfiderna could make his company a lot of money if it can work on people as well as mice. The Hypnos prototype seemed to make mice much more suggestible. If Ned could spike Myles Teague’s drink with the prototype, and it made him suggestible, then Nick would be able to leapfrog over his rivals and get in the good graces of his boss.

The fact that he’d help his little brother was a bonus. And the fact that helping him meant getting a bit of **** on Professor Teague, well…that sealed the deal.

Okay, maybe Nick’s motivation wasn’t just scientific.

It had been two years since he graduated from college, but Nick still couldn’t forget how Teague had not only almost failed him, but humiliated him in front of class by using him as an example of the stereotypical Beta Male. All because he felt that Nick's LARPing hobby was somehow not manly enought?

Nick’s social life had been hell after that. So even if Hypnos hadn’t been tested on humans before, Nick wasn’t feeling too guilty. If it gave Teague the worst case of runs in history, well, them’s the breaks. An Alpha like Teague would be able to take some side effects, right?

So he brought Ned to the Teague house, gave him the spiked bottle of wine (Nick had researched the professor’s favorite), then parked the car by the curb to wait.

He was expecting Ned to return and tell him it hadn’t worked. He was hoping for Ned to come back and report that it had.

What he hadn’t planned on was his little brother running from the house screaming: “I didn’t do it I didn’t do it!”

Nick quickly emerged from the car and caught his younger brother by the shoulders. “What the hell happened?” he asked.

“I don’t know!” Ned said. “He took a few sips of the wine then… he just… convulsed, then fell over! I don’t know! Did I kill him?”

Nick felt his stomach sink, but he shook his head. “Don’t be silly. It’s probably an allergic reaction. I have an Epipen with me. Go home and don’t tell anyone about this, I’ll fix it.”

“But -!”

“Just take the car and go!”

When Nick burst into the house, he saw that Teague was indeed ****, face down on the table. Nick’s stomach gurgled at the smell of the freshly cooked meal on the table, still untouched, but he didn’t have time to eat. He checked the professor’s wrist… heartbeat was strong, if erratic.

Nick straightened up with a sigh of relief.

That’s when he saw Teague begin to change…

His wavy hair lost its smattering of gray and turned a full, lustrous blonde before lengthening, slowly covering his shoulders and crawling down his back. The professor’s whole body began to shake, then his frame began to shrink before Nick’s eyes… all except for two prominent protrusions on the front of his chest…

Breasts. Teague was growing breasts.

Holy heck, what was going on?

Suddenly, Teague coughed, then lurched upright, falling to the floor as suddenly too large pants slipped off newly smooth, curvaceous legs.

“Wh- what the?” came a high pitched, feminine voice from under a shock of blonde hair. One hair flip later – and Nick was staring into the face of the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

“Ni…Nicholas Parker? What are you doing in my house? What am I…”

And then, he – she – looked down.