Hugglebugs: Tailhook – AWOL               by: Joan Banks

A Wealth Of Life

 

(From Navy Regulations)

"The use of genetically altering nano-technology is forbidden within the United States Navy. Said use of technology will constitute a breach in security and shall result in immediate administrative discharge from the service."

 

********

Suite 309 of the Hilton was jumping. The wildness of this party was the stuff

Of which legends are made. Testosterone overflowed as a wrestling match decimated every possible piece of furniture in the living room. Those that merely wanted to drink retired to the patio, but even there they weren’t safe. A lamp flew through the screen door and nearly took off someone’s head.

"Comin’ through!" Lieutenant Randy Johnson pushed past the wrestling match. Deftly dodging a tackle, he made it into the bedroom and closed the door. The back room of the suite was relatively quiet, which wasn’t saying much. He closed the door to the bathroom behind him and made use of the plumbing.

As he entered the bedroom once more, the noise in the front room abruptly stopped. The sudden silence felt like someone had taken a heavy weight off his shoulders. As he grabbed a beer from the ice chest, he heard a gentle snoring. A girl (not a woman, she could hardly be more than sixteen) was sleeping on the floor next to the bed.

This was definitely a bad thing. The girl had a beer bottle in her hand, her face had the slack look of someone who has had more than enough to drink.

"Hey, wake up." He shook her shoulder. There was no movement.

"C’mon girl. You need to get up." He shook a little harder. This time he was rewarded with a moan. He picked up the semi-conscious girl and moved to leave the suite.

"Tuber! Dude! Who’s your girlfriend?" FLASH! There was a picture taken.

"She’s in pretty bad shape, guys. I think we should get her to the doc." Randy replied.

"Somebody call me?" The flight surgeon poked his head in the door.

"Yeah. Doc, can you check her out?"

"Yeah, very pretty." The doc made his smart-ass comment.

"I mean MEDICALLY, asshole." Randy was getting a little pissed about things.

"Don’t you have a flight physical coming up? Have to remember not to cut my fingernail." He wiggled his index finger in the air, threatening a proctology exam. "Put her on the bed."

Randy complied and set the small girl on the bed. FLASH! Another picture was taken. After a few moments the Flight surgeon made his diagnosis.

"Just let her sleep it off." He told Randy. Randy didn't like it much but he listened to the Doctor. After all, he knew best.

********

Lieutenant Johnson, is it still your assertion that you did NOTHING to this child?" The Naval Investigative Service Agent was covering the same ground for the umpteenth time. The girl in the suite was, in fact, sixteen. Her mother had been all over the news claiming that her innocent daughter was bribed up to hotel room where she had been forced to drink copious amounts of liquor and was subsequently raped.

None of the guys in the squadron remembered the girl coming in. They only remembered Randy trying to help her out. They remembered this fact but not a single one of them said anything, there was a code of silence to uphold. It looked like everyone was going to get away unscathed (at least from the underage girl incident).

Then the pictures showed up.

The first picture showed Randy lower the girl to the bed in the suite. Nobody else showed up in the picture. The second picture showed him standing at the door of the bedroom, the young girl in his arms. Shown out of context they looked like photos taken as a prize of his conquest. He looked as guilty as hell.

"I didn’t do anything! I found her in the room. I put her on the bed so she could sleep it off!"

"Sleep what off, exactly?"

"She’d obviously had a lot to drink, man. I didn’t do anything!" Randy got an insight. "If she was raped, obviously there would be some evidence, right?"

"That is none of your concern."

"You don’t have anything. Your just trying to get me to….." He stopped talking abruptly.

Full of self-confidence, he ended the interview without saying a word, stood up and walked out.

It turned out that Randy was correct; there was no evidence. All charges were dropped for lack of anything at all to substantiate the Mother’s tale. The girls’ mother made impassioned pleas on Television, but there was nothing more that could be done. The case was closed. 

********

The harassment started the next week. It was an all out campaign.

Scores of women followed him everywhere. They spray painted ‘pedophile’ on his car. They followed him to the grocery store. They followed him to bars (which made it hard for him to pick up women). They were waiting at the gas stations and even the public library.

Everywhere he went, these women were calling him a child molester. At each incident the women were different. He never saw the same harassers twice (as far as he could tell). If he confronted these women, it seemed as if they had a pre-arrangement with the police; he was the guilty one.

His life was a living hell. He longed for the day when his squadron would go out on deployment. At least at sea and in overseas ports, he could have peace.

Prior to going on the six month deployment Randy’s command went on shorter preparation cruises, each of them lasting several weeks. The time of peace was a relief for Randy, nobody on the ship dared to attack him on the subject.

On a ten week cruise (called a work up) the ship pulled into Hawaii. Randy was looking forward to four days unmolested by all the crazy women. As his cab left the base at Pearl Harbor his heart sank as hundreds of protesters lined up at the gate.

"There he is!" One woman pointed to the cab. People were throwing themselves onto the moving vehicle. To his credit, the cab driver did not kick him out the door. As they sped away, the crowd was chanting ‘Ped - Oh - Phile! Ped - Oh - Phile!’.

The crowd was miles behind when the cabby finally spoke to him.

"What did you do, man?" At least the cabby seemed to be on his side.

"Nothing. It’s just a misunderstanding." The driver looked at him in the mirror. He slammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road.

"What’s going on?" Randy had heard that people were robbed constantly in this part of town.

"Get out! I just figured out who you are. You’re that creep who....who....She was just a LITTLE GIRL! Now get your ass out of my cab!"

Reluctantly Randy got out of the vehicle. He was in the middle of nowhere, transportationally speaking. Stranded, he started walking in the direction of Honolulu. No cabs stopped to pick him up, apparently the word was put out not to pick him up. Randy looked at the newspapers in their dispensers as he went. Each and every paper he saw had a large picture of his face on it. It was the one that Newsweek had used, specially airbrushed to make him appear more sinister. One of his favorite headlines read:

‘Ship of Perverts Arrives Today’

People actually spat at him, when they recognized him. After six hours of agonized walking, he arrived at his hotel. When the desk clerk saw his reservation, she called her manager over.

"I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have a room for you." The manager stood defiantly well behind the marble counter.

"What do you mean? I prepaid for this room." Randy was tired, sweaty, and angry he said his next sentence slowly "Now....give...me...my...key!"

"Security!" The manager called out. A burly man in a pseudo-uniform stepped up behind Randy.

"This man is threatening me." The manager said from the safety of his spot behind the counter "Please call the police."

"Gladly." The guard laughed as he pulled Randy’s arm behind him, effectively securing him, "If you will step this way....sir." He walked Randy to a back room, ramming his head into the door jam as he pushed him inside.

Enough of this, Randy thought. Randy knew how to fight, and finally was through restraining himself. As he was pushed into the back room, the guard let go of his arm. Randy spun around and landed a solid blow to the man’s throat. He belted the man in the stomach and kneed him in the face as he bend over in pain. The guard went down and Randy ran out the front of the building.

Randy was halfway down the street when he heard a squeal of tires behind him. Great, the cops, he thought. The large car screamed past him and deftly twisted into his path. That’s not a cop, was Randy’s first response.

"Sir, get in!" the driver was motioning frantically. He got in.

"Thanks." Randy said collapsing into the seat. The man was driving at just above the speed limit, working carefully off the main drag.

"I didn’t catch your name." Randy held out his hand.

"Petty Officer John Daniels, sir. I just got to the squadron last week."

"I knew you looked familiar. You really saved my butt back there."

"Any time sir. Any time at all. 

********

"Let’s see what we have this time, Mr. Johnson." The squadron Commanding Officer was rifling through a stack of papers. "I have here a complaint that you assaulted a Hotel Manager and Security Guard....."

"Alright sir..." Randy was busted and he knew it. The CO smiled.

"Don’t get your panties in a bunch." The older man laughed a little "I also have twelve other reports that you did similar attacks all over the city. Strangely enough, they all happened within fifteen minutes of each other."

"Sir, I didn’t...."

"I think what we have here...." he threw the whole pile into the trash "is a concerted smear campaign. Consider yourself punished. Dismissed."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"And ‘Letch’?" The old man called to him as he left the room "Find some way out of this. We can’t handle all this publicity forever."

All in all, it wasn’t a bad meeting with the old man. The only thing that troubled Randy was that the CO called him ‘Letch’. The callsign was a direct offshoot of the charges against him. He realized then that he would never be truly free of this nightmare. He had to find a way to have just a little sanity in his life. 

********

I’m telling you, I can set you up with a new life!" Finnegan, his best friend since grade school was telling him. "You’ll never have to worry about these people again."

"Not interested." Randy replied "I don’t think ‘deserter’ looks good on a job application."

"So don’t tell them. I can get you some good fakes or, for a little more, actual working ID’s. Untraceable. I’d have to pull a few strings but hey, you’d do the same for me, right?"

"You bet. It’s not a bad idea, it just isn’t for me, okay?"

"Just keep it in mind. One week turnaround, that’s all."

Later that week, Randy finally decided on his plan. Fin’s plan was good, but it had too much permanence to it. A month later he received a small package in the mail.

"Mr. Randy Johnson

Dear Mr. Johnson,

My receiving officer, Rowena, has informed me that we have received your sample and it has been forwarded to our programmers to develop the treatment you requested. There are not many people with the foresight to acknowledge that a misapplication of this technology could have far reaching effects. Although there really is no need of all of this backup, we understand your concerns. Please realize that our product is totally safe when used properly (see enclosed literature). Please find enclosed the Hugglebugs you requested. They are, as per your instructions, chosen completely at random within the limit of the parameters you provided. Your new form will be completely untraceable except by our sealed files. We thank you and hope you enjoy your use of Hugglebugs ™!

Cathy

P.S. It really is important to read the directions. Application is simple but there are certain safety measures that you should be aware of.

Enclosed: 2 X 3 Day Temp/Topical/YACF"

Randy gently opened the package. Inside were two small metal containers with screw top lids. He opened one and lifted the applicator out of the container, a large swap attached to the lid. He gingerly replaced the cap and placed the containers to the side. Randy had no intention of transforming now. There was no three-day period where he could be undisturbed. He congratulated himself on the idea of arranging a set of nanites that would revert him to his current form. Can’t be too safe, he thought.

*******

Randy learned the life of a hermit for the final week prior to the cruise. Several days before the ship left port he moved his gear onto the ship and locked his canisters away in his safe. The crowds tormenting him were tireless, the bad press unwavering. Nightline did an expose on the famous ‘Aviator Statutory Rapist’. He was almost ready to crack under to the pressure.

At first glance, the process of moving the squadron aboard ship was just plain wrong. Each squadron left a significant number of their people at home and ALL of their pilots. The easiest way to get a plane aboard an aircraft carrier was to land it there. The maintenance crews were necessary to getting the jets off the ground so none of them would be left behind. The process of a ‘fly-on’ was also a necessary part of keeping the pilot qualifications up to speed. Everyone who flew aboard the ship had to have the right level of practice or the results could be devastating.

Normally the more senior you were in the squadron the longer you got to stay ashore. Randy was the most senior Lieutenant in the squadron and had the opportunity to stay at home for at least two more days. He declined the privilege and slept aboard the ship at the first chance.

Life aboard ship fell into a routine. The most common way to describe it was:

Fly until you’re hungry.

Eat until you’re tired.

Sleep until you fly.

There were variations on this rule, of course, but the spirit is there.

Randy relished the routine of the ship. No one harassed him at all. Every time he entered his room, his eyes drifted back to the little safe on his desk. He had left the safe untouched since he sealed it, and he prayed he wouldn’t have to use the contents.

*******

After a month at sea, the ship pulled into port in Hong Kong. This would be Randy’s test. The carrier anchored out in Kowloon Bay and liberty boats (rented ferries) shuttled the crew to the shore. Randy went into town alone, with an unmarked metal canister in his bag.

At first, he thought he was home free. Fleet landing was completely free of any protesters of any kind. When he walked out to get a cab, however, he learned he was wrong. Someone recognized him as he got into the back of the taxi, the cab was plastered in garbage as it sped away. This group of protesters was different, however.

This time they threw rocks.

For the first time in this whole twisted nightmare, Randy now feared for his life. He couldn’t go back to the ship, he was sure that even the shore patrol couldn’t protect him, at least not until they were organized. About a block short of his hotel he had the cab stop.

The street in front of the hotel where he had his reservations was packed with people. All of them was armed with something (rocks, bricks, whatever) and they all looked ready to kill. He was headed into a trap.

Time for Plan ‘B’. He quickly paid the cabby (who was strangely silent during this whole attack) and ran the other way down the street.

His original hotel was about a three star. He found himself at the Hong Kong equivalent of the motel six. He paid for the room in cash and gave a false name at the desk.

The room was relatively clean. He opened his bag and placed it on the floor next to the bed. He was purposely vague on his request to Hugglebugs he wanted to be young, Caucasian, and healthy. If he gave too much information in the order, there was a possibility of being tracked. At least that is what his paranoid mind was telling him.

Are you really paranoid if they are after you?

Randy had scanned the directions weeks before, he knew what he was going to do. Since he had no idea of his size, he stripped naked. Making sure the door was locked; he opened the metal canister.

He remembered that application would go faster if applied to mucous membrane. He cautiously applied the swab to his gums and the inside of his cheeks, being careful not to swallow. He was sure if the precious nanites were swallowed, they would be destroyed by his stomach acid. There was a metallic taste in his mouth - then it was gone. The Hugglebugs had entered his system.

Randy’s paranoia went into overdrive. Every noise from the street was a mob out to get him -- They screwed up his order and gave him the permanent variety -- He would be trapped in a foreign country as a man without papers or passport -- This would never work. -- Nothing is happening.

A wave of dizziness hit him. He sat on the bed. As the nanites started doing their work they gave off energy. Special varieties took a genetic snapshot, to revert his body back to normal at the appointed time. As his body temperature rose slightly, he felt cold. He crawled into the bed and under the covers.

The process was not altogether unpleasant. In some ways it was like when a doctor was working on a numbed area of the body and would say, "You will feel a little pressure."

That’s all it was - a little pressure. A thousand tiny hands massaged his body. They pushed and pressed at his flesh just like a massage. The only difference was that while during a regular massage the worked flesh moved back into it’s regular form, this time it didn’t.

He fell asleep.

He awoke in the dark. The room was bathed in a faint diffused light that barely allowed him to see the room. The clock on the night stand told him that eight hours had passed. He threw off the covers and stood. The room appeared larger than before. Great, he thought, they gave me the body of a runt. He fished for the light switch and had to catch himself as he looked in the mirror. The body he saw was young, fit, attractive.....

And female.

He tried to look at it from the bright side. At least no one would recognize him. The girl he had become was just on the edge of maturity, perhaps nineteen. Her hair was long and a golden brown and it fell over her head like a shaggy mane. She appeared to be a hair over five feet tall, if that. Her breasts, while not huge, were of respectable size. A pleasant enough package overall.

Randy was not pleased.

He had expected, at the very least, to be male. He was not prepared for this contingency. At that point Randy resolved to remain in that hotel room until he changed back. There was no way he would be seen in public like this. No way. He put on his sweats, cinched up the drawstring as far as it would go, and sat on the bed to watch television. After twelve cycles of the dial (4 channels), he only found one English-speaking channel, and that one was so incredibly boring that it wasn’t worth leaving on even for background noise.

The emotion of the day and the process of changing had drained him. Randy was hungry. He looked for the room service menu.

No room service. He tried to ignore the hunger. After five more minutes he realized it was a futile gesture. He would have to go outside.

The realization of this unexpected form created logistical nightmares. He had clothing for a man twice his current size and no women’s clothing at all.

He must adapt and overcome.

Pants were taken care of. His sweat pants worked for this form. It looked like a little girl borrowed her fathers’ clothes, but he was covered and wouldn’t trip over himself. His skivvies fit only a little loosely over his female hips, their illusion of wideness being only comparative to his slender waist. Obviously he had no bra, he went without. A generic T-shirt completed the main ensemble. He looked like a girl ready to go work out in very large clothes. It was strange but acceptable.

Shoes were the biggest problem.

In his planning he had no idea what size shoes he would end up with. His solution was relatively simple. He brought a pair of sandals. They were a good pair of sports sandals with adjustable straps. He tightened them down as far as they would go and took a look at the total picture. He kind of felt like he was wearing flippers, but it would work. He took one of his shoes laces and tied his hair into a ponytail, grabbed the room key and wallet, and walked out the door.

The safest place to eat overseas is also the most boringly American, McDonalds. Instead of sampling the cuisine of the world McD’s invariably attracted nearly every sailor on the ship. Trying not to make eye contact with the sailors, the line inched its way to the counter.

As a six foot three man, Randy never found crowds to be a problem. Stand tall and the masses will part. Now he was a small woman; the crowds did not part. He actually had trouble getting helped. Person after person pushed in front of him. He wanted to fight but knew that would be stupid. Instead he was frustrated almost to tears. It had happened for the third time when he heard a strangely familiar voice.

"Smitty, give the lady a turn." The tall man in front of Randy was pulled back and others were blocked.

"I believe it’s your turn." Her protector said, motioning to the counter. Randy caught his breath when she saw who it was:

Petty Officer Daniels.

"Thank you." Randy said to his once-again defender. His voice sounded strange, he wanted to talk in his normal register and his voice box would not comply. The voice came out as a throaty rasp. To cover, Randy coughed and got a quick feel for the proper range. He turned quickly and ordered a meal. The food was ready immediately; Randy took the tray and found a seat in the back corner.

"Mind if I join you?" Petty Officer Daniels asked.

"Sure." Randy was eating ravenously. When he realized what he must look like, he slowed down.

"I’m John Daniels, my friends call me Jack." He laughed at some private joke. After a moment Randy laughed.

"I get it. Jack Daniels. Like the drink." Randy proceeded to eat his meal.

"And you are?...."

"Sorry. I’m......(cough)Randy." He held his hand out before he realized what he had just said. He gave his male name.

"What was that? Brandy?" a smile lit up Jack’s face. "C’mon, you gotta think that’s funny...Jack Daniels and Brandy."

Against his will, Randy could not keep himself from smiling. There was something engaging about this man.

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me up there."

"No problem, you just gotta learn to defend yourself. So, which department are you from?"

Randy had to think fast; even in a crew of 5000 you could find someone.

"I’m from the Canoe. I’m a Yeoman."

"You guys are in port now too, huh? Cool." Jack answered, "I’m an Ordinanceman in VF-340."

"Wow, that must be so exciting!" Randy said, mocking the expected excitement. He did not want to insult this man who had helped him twice. They talked about their respective jobs, Randy making up what he didn’t know.

"You know, if shore patrol catches you dressed like that, they’ll send you back to your ship." Randy glanced at himself. It was true; he would have sent any sailor back to the ship that wore clothes like this on liberty.

"I know. My clothes got wrecked ... well it’s a long story. I was just going to get some food before getting some more."

"Cool, well I’m meeting some folks from my squadron. We’re going shopping and then out on the town. Maybe you’d want to join us?" He looked at Randy with almost puppy dog eyes. Randy laughed. Luckily it did not come out as condescending. This whole day was definitely not going as planned.

"Okay....I can’t stay out all night, though."

"That’s okay. We’re on Cinderella liberty anyway. Have to be back to the ship by midnight." They both quickly finished their dinner and they took to the streets.

Walking with Jack proved to be harder than Randy had expected. His legs were much shorter now and he had to take twice as many steps just to keep up. The sandals were nearly falling off as he tried to stay with his guide. Jack was trying to keep things light by telling jokes and keeping Brandy amused.

"Can we slow down a bit?" Brandy asked. This voice was coming out easier now.

"I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to avoid the Shore Patrol."

"I did. I just didn’t want to die trying."

"We’re almost there anyway."

The group that Jack was talking about was waiting on the corner. Every single one of them was in his squadron.

"This is Bill, Tom, Joyce, and Jenny." Jack introduced everyone "This is Brandy. She ran into a bit of trouble and I invited her along."

"I’m sure you did." Jenny replied. She was a mechanic in the squadron. Obviously she thought that Jack had ulterior motives.

"I need to get some clothes...." Brandy said tentatively.

"You sure do." Joyce said. She was a young Asian woman. Approximately the same age that Brandy appeared to be. "You boys go look at your gadgets...unless you want to look for clothes?" The men all backed out of this offer and aimed for the nearest electronics shop.

"Meet you back here in an hour." Jenny called out to the fleeing men. They waved in agreement.

"So what happened to your clothes?" Jenny asked. Brandy had been working on this story since Jack had asked before.

"I was in the locker room at the hotel and I took a shower after the pool. Someone took everything....luckily I hid this." She held up the wallet. "And I borrowed these clothes."

"Lucky for you." Jenny agreed.

Brandy got the ‘drinking from a fire hose’ lesson in women’s clothing. She put herself completely in the hands of the other two women and was completely drenched in information.

"You’re about a 4, aren’t you?"

"If I’m lucky." Brandy faked an answer, hoping to get a laughing agreement. They were digging through a pile of clothes at a vendor on the street.

"These sizes don’t mean much anyway. This," Joyce held a shirt up against herself. "is a Large."

Hong Kong sold anything at these street-fair type stalls. Everything was name brand and none of it looked like it would hold up for more than a week. Twenty-five dollars later, Brandy found herself outfitted with pants, slacks and shoes. There was a moment of real confusion when she didn’t know her bra size. But she held up one of the many for sale and showed them the bizarre metric sizing. The woman selling insisted on a specific size for Brandy and would not sell her any other. Another crisis was averted.

One of the things that Hong Kong is famous for is silk. All three women bought silk underwear. Brandy really wanted to find something in cotton but the other women would not hear of it. One of the shopkeepers had a curtained off area and she let the girls change together.

Brandy was conflicted. Should she look, or not look? She decided to use locker room rules and try not to notice. It was definitely a challenge with two young pretty girls half naked in front of her. She might look like a girl, but she was still Randy inside. She slipped the underwear off with the sweatpants, effectively hiding the fact that she was wearing men’s underwear.

The silk panties had to be the most comfortable thing that Brandy had ever worn. It was almost like wearing nothing at all. As Randy, Brandy had watched countless women taking off their bras. Putting it on couldn’t be harder, right? Wrong. Now, with an audience, she had to put one on like she had done it all of her adult life. With the pressure on, the other women ignored her. After trying to fasten it behind her back a few times she felt a pair of hands help her fasten it.

"It’s okay, I’m used to front hook bras too." Joyce said in her ear. The bra pulled at her body in ways she hadn’t imagined. She had to lift her breasts within the cups to get them into a comfortable position. It was comforting in the fact that it stopped things from bouncing uncontrollably but it also felt confining. It pushed her breasts up and out in an almost obscene way.

"You should wear the Tee." Jenny said. Joyce agreed. Brandy pulled the tight white t-shirt on. It had a really large neck hole, short sleeves and exposed an ample amount of cleavage. Brandy felt as if she were half naked.

Brandy was really feeling the need to flee. All of this was much too weird. At the same time everyone was being so nice and she was having fun in a way. The biggest thing was that no one was trying to kill her, something that she had not experienced in many months. She decided to go with the flow.

"Girl, if you are going to hang with us you have got to do something with that face."

"I never wore much make-up." Brandy replied, telling the truth. The other girls looked stern. "But I am willing to give it a try." They smiled.

For an uncomfortable fifteen minutes in a women’s bathroom in a foreign country Brandy became a pallet for Joyce and Jenny. She had no idea what they were doing; she was just uncomfortable.

"Open your eyes and look up."

"Don’t blink!"

"Do this with your lips."

"Smile while I do this."

"Wow! Looks great!"

"Don’t rub your eyes!"

The two make up artists stood back and gave each other a high five.

"You both realize that I have no idea what I look like, right?"

All of them laughed. Brandy felt like a clown, the stuff on her face felt completely foreign. They left the bathroom and re-entered the crowd. Brandy felt self-conscious as men kept glancing at her.

"What?" she was frustrated "Am I really that ugly?"

"You are kidding, right?" Jenny asked, jaw dropping. "You are saying that guys have NEVER looked at you?" Brandy blushed and stayed quiet.

The guys met them at the corner.

"Wow." Was all that Jack could say.

"Okay, ready to go DANCING?" Joyce said.

"What?!?" Brandy, once again, was ready to flee.

"Yes, we are going dancing." Jenny put her arm inside of Brandy’s. "Our little Brandy is a shy one, boys."

"Don’t worry, we won’t bite." Jack smiled, and Brandy felt a little easier. At least this was a familiar face, someone who she knew could be trusted. Everyone else was nice, but they were new.

As they walked to the club they settled into couples. Jenny was with Bill and Joyce with Tom. Jack walked behind the group with Brandy. The walk was fun, full of jokes and laughter.

"Don’t rub your eyes, Brandy!" Joyce had caught Brandy about to scratch. That has to be the hardest part about this, she thought, if there is something on my eye I RUB IT. She consciously kept her hands away from her face.

Jack started bumping up against her from the side. Comfortable with the new level of padding on her hips, Brandy bumped back. Jack must have taken this as a go-ahead and he tried to hold her hand. She shook his hand off and made a little more space between them, trying to ignore it. The rest of the walk was just a little more subdued.

The energy of the club was contagious. It was loud and everyone was having a good time. Someone gave Brandy a beer. She sat in a corner and enjoyed it, watching the crowd. The level of stress she felt was so much lower than in previous months. It was such a relief she almost felt like crying. She finished her first beer. The girls found her at the table.

"Girl, get your butt out of that chair. We did not spend all that time prettying you up so you can sit in this dark corner. We are here to dance!" Both women dragged Brandy out of the chair, against her protests. Brandy was NOT ready to dance with a guy. Never.

She did not have to dance with a guy.

One of the nice things about being a young woman is that you can just dance with your friends. The three women stood facing each other and danced together. Brandy took to copying their moves. The beer was starting to kick in and she loosened up a bit. In a way it was nice, not having to worry if his dancing made him look gay. He could put that worry aside.

The guys joined them on the dance floor. I am not dancing with a guy, Brandy thought, I am just dancing next to one. She started having so much fun that she was losing track of time. A slow dance came up and she left for the bathroom.

The line was excruciatingly long for the women’s rest room. After twenty minutes she finally got inside the door; the line stretched on. Brandy finally got a chance to look in a mirror and see the artwork that was her face. She was impressed; Jenny and Joyce did a great job. There was a little blurring of the makeup around her eyes but it still looked pretty good.

Brandy had about three beers in her and was getting desperate by the time the stall finally opened. She was relieved to find she had not wet her pants.

"Why didn’t you wait for us?" The girls said in unison as Brandy passed the line.

"I really had to go." Brandy tried to explain.

"We’ve REALLY got to talk." Joyce said. Brandy walked next to them in line.

"There is someone who really likes you." Joyce said. The phrase sounded like junior high. Brandy had to remember who she was dealing with. Technically, these girls were teenagers. She tried to divert the way this conversation was going. She had absolutely no intention of dating men.

"I’m just not ready for a relationship right now." She said.

"Don’t you want to know who?" Jenny asked.

"Jack, right? I may be inexperienced at all this but I am not blind."

"He’s such a sweet guy. Why not?"

"I just don’t see myself with anyone now." She answered truthfully again.

"Don’t you think he’s nice?"

"He’s great. I like hanging around with him….with all of you."

"There! We got it out of you. Just hang out with us while we’re here. That’s all we’re asking." Their eyes looked so hopeful, Brandy could not turn them down.

"I’d really like that…" she replied. The conversation continued about inconsequential things, music, TV shows they were missing and trivial things like that. Before they entered the bathroom Brandy felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Jack.

"Want to dance?" he asked. Brandy felt conflicted but decided it was better to help a friend feel better. No one in the world would think of them as a gay couple. Not in a million years. She glanced at the girls; they nodded and pushed at her.

"Sure. I’d like that." Jack grabbed her hand and led her out to the floor. This time she let him (just so they wouldn’t get separated).

Dancing was fun regardless of who you were doing it with. Brandy just let go and enjoyed herself (the beer didn’t hurt either). It was Bill and Tom that finally stopped their dancing.

"We gotta get back." Tom told Jack.

"Shit! We’ll barely make it back in time! Want to share a cab to fleet landing?" Jack asked Brandy.

"No, I have a place in town."

"Cool, how did you manage that?" Someone as young as Brandy should not be able to stay overnight while in port was the unspoken argument.

"Connections."

"Let us get you back to your hotel, at least."

"I’ll be fine." As Randy, he had walked through tougher towns than this.

"I insist." He got full support from the whole group. They shared a cab that dropped Brandy off first and sped off for fleet landing.

Inside the room, Brandy took off most of the clothes and threw the T-Shirt back on. She fell asleep happy and contented. For the first time in months, she didn’t fear the mobs.

POUND! POUND! POUND!

"C’mon girl. Get up!"

Brandy was completely panicked. Completely disoriented. She fell out of bed and stumbled to the door. Looking through the glass she saw three young women.

"Just a minute!" she called. She rested her back against the door. How could they be here? They just left! They must be in trouble. Taking in a deep breath she turned and opened the door. All three women pushed their way in. Joyce and Jenny gave Brandy a hug and bounced onto the bed.

"This is Cindy. Cindy, Brandy."

"Uh, Hi. How did you guys find me."

"Fake name? Way to go! They’ll never find you. It turns out there was only one check in yesterday. So we guessed it might be you. Who was the guy, anyway?"

"My cousin. He’s on your ship, by the way."

"Cousin, sure. Who is he?"

"Randy Johnson." It was probably best to have a little traceable fact within this fiction.

"Isn’t he the one who…." Cindy asked.

"He didn’t!" Joyce and Jenny said in unison. "He is a perfectly nice officer! I refuse to believe that he did it."

Brandy swelled with pride from the vote of confidence.

"So, what’s up?" Brandy asked.

"Thought we’d hang out today."

"Today? Why not wait till morning? Won’t you guys be in trouble for not going back?"

All the women laughed.

"Do you have ANY ideas what time it is?" Jenny asked her, still laughing. Brandy glanced at the clock.

"Midnig…." Brandy realized her mistake. "It’s noon, isn’t it?"

"We came to get you." Joyce said "And to get you ready."

"Slept in your make-up didn’t you?"

"Get showered, girl! The boys are waiting."

"I’m going. I’m going." Brandy went into the bathroom and took a relatively quick shower. Being the first time that she had to explore her new body, she probably took too long.

"Where are the rest of your clothes?" Joyce asked, all of Brandy’s male clothing was strewn on the bed.

"All my stuff was ripped off. I told you guys that."

"Well, we thought you might be strapped for clothing so…." Cindy brought out a sport bag – a pretty full one. After it was dumped on the bed it looked like the toolkit for every slumber party conceived.

"This," Joyce held up a short dress. "Is what you’ll be wearing today." She glanced at Brandy’s legs. "You’ll just have to shave first."

Brandy looked down; there was light fuzz on her legs. She shrugged and went back to the bathroom.

"Pits too!" Joyce called "People will start to wonder about you, girl." All of them laughed.

Brandy had only a rough concept of how to shave legs. It didn’t appear as if her upper legs needed it, so she ignored them. The front shaving went easily, she had to learn to bend in new ways to get the backs. At the end of it she was sure she missed at least a few spots. After various contortions with her arms, she figured out how to hold her arm up so she could shave her armpits. She returned to the outer room.

"It’s ‘bout time. Let’s pick up the pace. Daylight is wasting and the guys are waiting!"

The makeup session was actually more of a lesson this time. Cindy wanted to pierce her ears, but Brandy quickly vetoed that proposal. After the makeup and ten minutes with a curling iron Brand was declared ready.

She was truly stunned at the result. It was easily twice as good as the night before. She fidgeted with the hem of the skirt, trying to pull it down. If she left it alone it continued moving as if it had a will of its own. Her legs felt naked. It felt like she should be wearing pants. After having her hands slapped away from the dress numerous times, she relented and tried to leave it alone. A pair of borrowed keds and they were ready to go.

The guys were waiting in the lobby, looking thoroughly bored. All of them lit up a bit when the girls arrived. Jack rushed up to Brandy and gave her a hug.

"You’re looking better every time I see you." He said. Brandy blushed.

"We’re starving. Let’s go!" Tom whined. Joyce tried to shut him up with a hand over his mouth. Through some kind of super secret wrestling move (i.e. he pulled her arm) Joyce got a kiss for her troubles.

"Ahem." Jack coughed to separate them. "The rest of us really are hungry."

The couple broke and both of them had a silly smile on their faces. They continued holding hands as the group walked out.

The day was spent site seeing and generally having a good time away from the Navy. Brandy was feeling very comfortable with this group. Jack seemed to be trying to hard, but that was also appealing in a way.

The evening was punctuated with drinking and karaoke (drinking being a requirement for good karaoke). Brandy turned beet red when Jack started singing:

"Brandy, what a fine girl!"

"What a Gooood wife you would be…."

Brandy hid her face in her hands as the entire group joined in. When he was done, he walked back to her with a look on his face like a whipped dog. She thought it was more funny that anything else and stood to give him a hug.

Jack must have learned some super secret wrestling moves from Tom. What started as an innocent hug turned into a kiss. Mercifully it was only a quick peck. Brandy sat down quick, stunned. Ugh! I just kissed a guy! I AM NOT GAY! She repeated this mantra in her inner monologue, over and over. I did not enjoy that.

She had to keep telling herself that she hated it. She kept trying to convince herself.

The next day was more of the same. The girls convinced the guys to go to Stanley Market, which mainly sold silk, and clothes. Brandy spent hundreds of dollars on clothes that she could wear around town.

Right before dinner, Brandy noticed that her bra was getting tight in the band. A few moments later she realized that the cups were slightly loose. It took several more minutes for her to realize what was happening; she was changing back.

"Guys, I just remembered. I told my cousin I’d have dinner with him tonight. You know, for paying for the room." Brandy’s voice was cracking, just like a pubescent boy.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"I’m fine. I just have to go. NOW!" Brandy noticed a bus approaching, she started running towards it. Her feet were screaming as she tried to run in shoes that were now a size too small.

"It’s not you!" she called back to Jack. "I’ll see you next time in port!"

"Promise?" Jack yelled.

"Cross my heart!" she disappeared onto the bus. The bus would be a twenty minute ride, if she was lucky. The bra strap was digging into her flash but she didn’t dare unhook it. She felt her dress growing shorter as she started regaining her full height. There was a pulling on her hair from behind it had started shortening. Her body was resting against her curls, painfully trapping it until she leaned forward a bit.

Mercifully, the bus stopped within a block of her hotel. She limped up the stairs trying to hold the hem of the skirt down to a modest level. It took three tries (and a lot of swearing) to get the key to work. Finally she was inside.

Home free.

Her bra was so tight it was nearly impossible to get off without ripping. Strangely enough her panties still fit relatively well. Apparently both Randy and Brandy’s hips were close enough to the same size. She liked them so much that she left them on. Free of almost all of the garments she lay on the bed.

It was only natural that she would concentrate on the crotch changes. It is the center of difference between the two states. After a while she started feeling a gentle pinching as if it needed adjusting. Strangely enough, it did. His penis was now the size of a small child’s – and growing. He made a note to himself: No underwear while changing back. He removed the panties.

He relaxed as his body was massaged back into shape. An hour later and he was back to his original form.

He looked into the mirror and took stop. None the worse for wear, he thought. He had to laugh a little at the reflection. He was still wearing makeup! He went to the bathroom and washed his face and got dressed in the clothes he wore so long ago. Had it really only been three days?

He packed up all the girl things he had acquired. He would definitely need them again.

He returned to the ship. The whole time until he got back onto the Liberty Boat he felt uneasiness. People made double takes on passing. The whole time he swore he heard someone screaming obscenities at him. He felt lucky when he made it back onboard.

There was a note in his stateroom: "Letch, PSM - Skipper". Which meant "Please See Me.". Back to the grind, he put down his bags and went to the Ready Room to see the Skipper.

"The reports are better this time." The CO said "Only three complaints and they were totally unsubstantiated."

Randy sat back with relief.

"Whatever you did to go stealth, keep it up. What was it, disguise?"

"Yes sir. That’s exactly it, a disguise."

"You sure smell like you had a good time. That perfume is pretty strong. Was she worth it?" The CO nudged him approvingly.

"You bet. She was really fun."

"So you had a good port?"

"Absolutely!" Randy said, truly meaning it. They talked for a little bit about upcoming operations and very soon Randy found himself back in his stateroom.

Perfume? He couldn’t even smell it. It made sense, if you are around a smell long enough, you become sensitized to it. He decided to shower again.

Bathrooms and showers on the ship are not attached to the rooms unless you have a lot of rank or are female. Randy was neither. He stripped, put on his robe and flip-flops and went to the shower. He looked down, suddenly panicked. He thought his legs might still be shaved, he had grown so used to it. They weren’t, whatever magic was in those Hugglebugs returned him to exactly what he was like before. It made sense that hair growth was part of it. After all, as Brandy he had grown an amazing amount of hair, seemingly from nowhere.

Eventually everyone came back to the ship and the next morning it slowly made its way out of the bay. The ship returned to it’s natural routine.

Whereas the differences in form was dramatic between Randy and Brandy the mannerisms were learned. There is no genetic switch that makes a woman walk like a woman. Although there are physical contributors (hip width, leg length, the lack of a penis) the subtle coordination of arms, hips and legs is learned. Brandy had made a study of the other women and had come up with a fairly reasonable result. By the end of three days, her walk was nearly perfect.

Randy, however, was fighting an annoyingly feminine gate.

Whenever he walked, he had to stay very conscious of how he was walking. He heard giggles behind him on occasion. After the second time he resolved never to get caught at it again. He almost felt like he had to act to be like himself. He found himself brushing his hair back (there was no brushable hair on his head), he found himself keeping himself from scratching his eyes (as if to avoid messing up makeup).

******

"Sir?" a female voice came from behind Randy. He turned around.

"Joy…Airman Sung. How can I help you?" Randy acted as if he barely knew Joyce. She smiled nervously and held out several envelopes.

"I met your cousin Brandy when we were in Hong Kong."

"She mentioned something about it."

"She ran away so fast that we didn’t get her address. We know she’s on the Canoe but we didn’t get her address. Can you get these to her somehow?"

"I’d be glad to. She really went on about how much fun she had in port. You really pulled her out of her shell."

"She REALLY has to get this one." She pointed out one envelope. "It’s VERY important."

"Oh?" Randy was smiling now. Joyce blushed.

"I can send this to my folks." Randy said, "They can make sure she gets them."

He took the letters and Joyce turned to leave the room.

"Thank you sir." She said.

"My pleasure Sung. My pleasure." He put the letters in the pocket of his flight suit and watched Joyce leave.

Later that day while he was alone in his stateroom, he read the letters.

Jenny wrote a long letter, going into detail about the slightest details that happened in the squadron. She paid extra attention to the relationships that were blooming between the young men and women in the unit. Wow, Randy thought, this is a confession if I wanted it to be. But he knew that there was no way he could betray the trust of his friends.

"…Anyway the rumor here is that both ships are on the same port schedule. Cool huh?!?! I know we are ALL really excited to see you again. JACK says HI! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?!? Anyway, send us your ADDRESS, NOW!

Luv,

Jenny"

The letter made Randy smile and even tear up a bit. He felt a warm glow inside and he felt really good. He opened Joyce’s letter.

Joyce wrote a little more mature letter. Unlike Jenny, the letter didn’t sound like a note from a giggly high school girl.

"…You left so fast we didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. I hope we didn’t do anything to make you mad. The next port should be fun, look for us at the ships’ bus stop at 1600, okay? I EXPECT TO FIND YOU THERE! Jack has been moping around since you ran off. Throw the guy a bone, will you? One word from you and his month will be made! So write already! Anyway we will see you soon.

Hugs,

Joyce"

Finally he opened the third:

"Brandy,

I don’t know what I did to make you disappear like that. Whatever I did I am so sorry. Please give me another chance. I treasure the short time we had together and I pray for the day I will see you again. My world is so much brighter with you around. I am giving this letter to your cousin to get to you. I can only assume your last name is the same as his but I don’t want to risk sending a letter you won’t get. I hope all is going well and hope you will find it in your heart to write back.

Forever Yours,

Jack"

Randy sniffled at his last one. He really did not want to hurt Jack. He has been the one person who he could count on the whole time. He wanted to run down to him and give him a hug and tell him it would be okay. He knew he couldn’t, it was wrong to do on so many levels. Instead he grabbed a piece of stationary and started writing.

"Jack,

You did ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong. I panicked a little at the time and made a run for it. I’m sorry. You are my gallant knight, forever coming to my rescue. You deserve someone more consistent, better than me. I will gladly meet all of you in port, if you still want to hang out with a flake like me.

Yours,

Brandy"

Randy looked at the letter for a moment. He hoped it would do the trick. He wanted their friendship; it meant more than anything now. Reading over the letter, he realized it would never do.

While the sentiment was there; the penmanship was not. The writing was his bold masculine lettering and a little messy. Also the paper was not anything like a girl would use. The paper was very beige and business-like. He decided to do this right.

He went to the ship’s store. The room in the lower part of the ship was a miniature department store. Everything could be found there. He went and picked up a magazine, some chips, a couple movies, some girly stationary and pens, a towel, shoe polish, and a t-shirt. He hoped that the distraction items would not be too much, but he had a reputation to worry about.

He wrote nearly fifteen copies of the letter before he was happy with the style. After getting the penmanship down he wrote letters to the girls, too. He left careful instructions that all correspondence had to go through him. It would be a real debacle if they actually sent a letter to the ship and no one knew who Brandy was.

The meeting posed new problems. The bus stop in question was within a US military only compound. In order to enter the base a valid ID had to be used. His normal ID would not work. He had to prepare. 

*******

Over three days he had acquired everything he needed: blank ID card, laminate, and some vaguely worded orders. The orders might have been a little much, a level of forgery that he was not very comfortable doing. Still, if this worked, he would not need them at all. His ID card would be generic, nothing denoting what ship he was on. The orders might be needed to convince a sentry that Brandy actually belonged. With any luck at all, they could be destroyed before the port ended. A uniform might be needed so he took the precaution of ordering one in the proper size and hid it in an order of his own. The customs label would only say ‘Uniforms’ on it and he should be safe to meet his friends.

Randy presented the return letters only a couple of days after sending the other ones off. Already Joyce had prepared a return letter, this time with pictures. It was a boon he had not dreamt of.

Joyce had made copies of the pictures she had taken in port. One picture in the hotel room was just what was needed. A face shot against a blank wall provided the perfect ID photo. He took to filling out the rest of the card. Middle name? Margaret. Blood type? O positive (he really hoped that one was right). Height and weight? He took a guess, five two and 102 pounds. He ran the card through his borrowed laminator. He filled out the orders saying Brandy should report to the squadron within the time it was in port. Out of his considerable paranoia he filled out a sketchy personnel record.

Now all he had to do was kill some time until port. 

*******

At last the port call came. The port of Jebel-Ali didn’t appear to be much. The ship docked miles from real civilization in the middle of a shipping port. Several local vendors set up shop nearby but everyone aimed straight for the buses in town.

The crowds were at the gate, as expected. Randy got dirty looks from everyone on the bus as the delay to get past the mob became unbearable. Eventually the local police cleared the way and the bus continued on.

He got off the bus with the largest crowd and made a stealthy approach to his hotel. He paid cash in advance for the entire bill and signed under a fake name.

He lay naked on the bed, carefully making the Hugglebug application. He waited for the nanites to take effect. Special varieties once again took a genetic snapshot, preparing to eventually revert his body back to normal at the appointed time. This time, however, he did not fall asleep.

As if they knew what they were doing or perhaps because his body was used to the change, the nanites did their job much more quickly. Within a short time Randy was once again Brandy.

The completed form was almost a relief. Brandy knew that no one would be trying to lynch her. She showered and dressed quickly, preparing as the girls had taught her. She smiled at her reflection, a competent job of artwork, in her own opinion. She hid the male clothing in the back of the closet and displayed the more female belongings more prominently. She left for her meeting.

The bus back to the ship was nearly empty; no one in their right mind would be heading back to the ship this early. She flashed her ID and was let on the bus without any question. The only other people on the bus were a Petty Officer who was supposed to keep order on the bus, and the driver.

"So why you headin’ back." The Petty Officer asked. He walked to her seat and sat across the aisle.

"Meeting some friends." She tried to answer coldly. Obviously this guy was attracted to her. Brandy wished she had a firehose. She hoped he was getting the hint and would leave her alone.

He didn’t get the hint.

The ride was awkward back to the ship. At the gate, a guard stepped on the bus and examined her ID card closely. After a few nerve wracking moments, he grunted noncommittally and left the bus.

The bus pulled up to the lot. Thousands of people stood there, waiting for a chance to get into town. Brandy searched the crowd and didn’t see any of her friends. She left the bus and wandered out into the crowd. A spot cleared on a bench next to several guys and she sat down to wait. The guys wanted to strike up a conversation and she soon found a beer in front of her. She made small talk, enjoying the non-violent attention. Half an hour later she saw Jenny and Joyce walking by.

"Guys!" Brandy called out. Both of them turned. Jenny let out a little squeal and held her arms out to hug Brandy. Joyce joined both of them in the hug.

"Don’t I get some?" a male voice came from behind. Before she knew it, Brandy found herself hugging Jack.

"I’m sorry." He said quietly in her ear.

"It wasn’t you." She said and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

‘Where did that come from?’ Brandy thought. Somehow it had just happened, it seemed like the right thing to do. She felt her heart rate quicken. She broke the hug. Tom and Bill had joined them and the group started the wait to get back out into town.

Jack could not stop staring at Brandy. Brandy noticed it but decided not to hurt his feelings and just continue talking to Joyce. In truth, Brandy kind of enjoyed the attention; it was Randy that felt a little weird about it.

Finally their turn came to get on a bus. People pushed and shoved and generally tried to pack fifteen to twenty extra people on it. Their little group was somewhere around the middle and the quarters were tight. The guys had fought their way to seats and it was apparent to all of them that if they tried to give them to the girls they would be taken. Unabashedly Joyce plopped down on Toms’ lap. The bus heaved and there were no handholds. Hobson’s choice Brandy sat on Jack’s. It was only a place to sit after all.

Jack’s arms snaked around her, holding her waist from behind. She glanced back.

"I’m your seat belt." Jack said, a silly grin on his face. Brandy gave in, patted his hands, and leaned back against him. She shouldn’t have liked it but it was the most comfortable seat in the world. Apparently Jack liked it too. Parts of his lap took on a life of their own as his erection pressed against her. Brandy jerked and tried to scoot forward away from it. His hands held her firmly but not as if to trap her, just to keep her from falling off. Instead of fighting and moving away she tried to ignore his ‘happy pants’. She knew he couldn’t help it, much more than he realized.

At some level all ports are the same. They may have different scenery but the events looked strangely familiar. Shopping, sightseeing, drinking and partying were the events of the day.

Brandy knew she shouldn’t encourage him but she held Jack’s hand most of the day. He was her exclusive partner dancing and, after promises of no karaoke, a drinking buddy. She even started dancing slow dances with him.

At the end of the evening, the group walked her back to the hotel. They hung out in the room for a while, the other couples taking the moments of privacy for some in-depth making out. Brandy and Jack just stared at each other. They walked down to the lobby and had a long talk. Brandy was enjoying every moment of time with him, almost sad to see this time end before the end of the port. She didn’t even want the night to end. They walked hand in hand back to the room.

The other couples were still deeply engrossed in each other. Joyce looked up when they entered. She pushed Tom away.

"Guess what? I’m staying with you tonight. You shouldn’t be in this big room all alone."

"Greeaat." Brandy said, not really knowing what to say.

"And it is time for these lugs to go back to the ship." Joyce started kissing Tom to the door. Jenny and Bill just held hands and floated over. Jack walked up to Brandy.

"I had a really great time tonight." He said "I am so glad you weren’t mad at me."

"I had a good time too." Jenny blushed "When will you be back?"

"First thing." He said holding her hand. "How ‘bout a hug goodnight?"

"No problem." Jack held her in a bear hug that nearly crushed her ribs. Once again, as if from habit, she kissed at his cheek. She pulled back and looked in his eyes. Their eyes locked for a moment and then they shared a full kiss on the lips.

Brandy’s world fell out from under her. The room disappeared and her panties felt warm and wet. An eternity passed in a moment and they broke the kiss.

"Good night." He said. Brandy replied with a squeak, not even knowing how to make a sound like that. They all laughed and the men left.

"It’s about time you came around with him, girl." Joyce hit her on the shoulder "He’s a good catch. And he is one hundred percent in love with you."

Brandy had no idea what to say, she just sat on the bed. Joyce smiled.

"I’ll be in the little girls’ room for a minute." Joyce got up and closed the bathroom door behind her.

Brandy knew that three days were not enough, no way. She didn’t have to be Randy again for three more days from this moment. She made her decision. A second application of Hugglebugs and she would get three more days.

She dug through the bag in the closet and quickly applied the nanites to her gums; in theory giving her three more days before becoming Randy again.

Special nanites took a genetic snapshot of Brandy, preparing to eventually revert her body back to her normal form at the appointed time.

"Can you talk yet?" Joyce asked, a wide grin on her face. Brandy nodded, stuffing the bag back into the closet.

"So….?"

"So we kissed. So what? It didn’t mean anything……"

"Mmm hmmm. If the rest of us weren’t here you would be so naked on this bed right now."

"No, we….I wouldn’t." her denial was weak.

"Oh my God! You’re a virgin!"

"No I’m n…." She thought about it. Randy was definitely not a virgin, Brandy was. She shut up. Joyce gave up the needling for a moment and changed the subject.

"Got anything I can wear to bed tonight?" Joyce asked, stripping off her clothes

"I just have the T-shirt. I think Randy might have something…." She dug into the suitcase in the closet and came out with a t-shirt and flannel boxers.

"How about this?" She tried to act non-plussed about the beautiful naked woman in the room with her. Joyce took the clothes and slipped them on. She stared at Brandy as if waiting for something. Brandy also stripped down and put on a T-shirt.

"You have a really nice cousin." Joyce said "To pay for this room and all. Everyone likes him a lot. And he’s super cute, too."

Brandy blushed "I’ll tell him that."

"Do it and die." Joyce held up a stuffed bear that Tom had bought for her as if to throw it menacingly. Both of them broke into giggles.

"We better get this makeup off." Joyce drug Brandy into the bathroom. They cleaned up and crawled under the covers. Randy had never been so close to a woman in bed only not to do anything but sleep. It took quite a while for her to fall asleep, thinking about that kiss and all it meant.

Brandy woke up first and was surprised to see a pretty, young girl drooling on the pillow next to her. She snuck out of bed and went to shower.

She must have used all the hot water. While in the shower she took the time to slowly examine this body. Enjoying the sensations of warm water over her body she explored the differences breasts, vagina, legs and the myriad of other things that made this form different. After shaving she started slowly soaping up her body. She got an unexpected rush of pleasure as she reached between her legs. That will take further investigation, she thought. She rubbed herself slowly and sensually, feeling this body respond. As she continued, pictures of Jack came into her head unbidden. A few moments later and ….(GASP!). Wow! That was great. Apparently she wasn’t as quiet as she thought because Joyce knocked on the door.

"You okay in there? I’ve got to pee." The door slid open. Brandy started rinsing furiously and tried to explain.

"I lost track of time." She said. Joyce just smiled knowingly and sat to pee.

Brandy had never just been in a room while a woman peed, especially not while naked. All of Randy’s girlfriends had always kicked him out of the room. Brandy shut the water off and grabbed a towel.

"I think they will be here around 9." Joyce said. "That only gives us an hour to get ready. So hurry up and let me shower."

"Can you help me with my hair again?" Brandy asked "It turned out so much better when you did."

"Sure, now go get dressed." Joyce stepped into the shower and Brandy went into the room.

The clothing restrictions in the Middle East were much more stringent. Everyone had to be aware of how much skin they were showing. That meant no dress. Actually after the incident on the bus in Hong Kong, Brandy really didn’t want to wear one anyway. She settled on a nice pair of jeans and a pink polo she had picked up during their shopping spree. Joyce came out of the bathroom. She started to rummage through Brandy’s clothes and picked out a nice shirt.

"Can I borrow this?"

"My closet is yours."

"You are so sweet, Bran."

After preparing for the day they went down to the lobby to wait for everyone. Shortly the group came loudly through the door. Instantly Tom was with Joyce, giving her a friendly kiss hello. Jack came up to Brandy and suddenly looked shy. Her heart was racing. Even knowing how wrong this was did not matter. She blushed slightly and took his hand.

"Hi…." He said. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hurry up and kiss already!" Jenny pushed at Brandy’s back. Everyone laughed. Brandy stumbled a bit and turned her face up. The signal was unmistakable. Jack leaned down and gave her a sweet, light kiss. Brandy shook involuntarily, as if shocked.

If possible, the day was even more fun than before. The wall that separated Jack and Brandy was gone and they held hands all day. His jokes seemed funnier and his smile lit her up inside. Brandy was glad she thought of taking that second dose. Any time spent like this was like heaven.

They were wandering around the Gold Souk (jewelers shopping center) when the shore patrol starting finding everyone who looked like a sailor.

"Everyone has to go back to their ships. There was a bombing in Bahrain. All ships are pulling out by tomorrow morning." The Shore Patrol told them.

Fear struck at Brandy. She would not change back for two and a half more days! How could she do this? She excused herself to go off to the bathroom.

She sat in the stall shaking, trying to wrap herself up in a fetal ball while sitting on the toilet. Rocking back and forth she tried to take stock. What options were there? Report to the ship and say who she really was? Impossible, nanite use was against regulations and he would never live down spending his leave time as a woman. Not go to the ship? No way, alone in a foreign port without papers and in this body (at least until the nanites ran out). There was no option, she had to return to the Carrier with her friends as Brandy and try to tough it out.

"Guys, you go back. I’ll get checked out of my room and see you later."

"No way." Jack looked stern. "There is no way in hell I am leaving you alone."

She knew she had no hope of swaying his decision. He walked her to the hotel.

"I just have to pack up. The room is paid for." She told him. The others had gone ahead and went back to the ship. In the end, she was glad he was along. There was no way she would have been able to carry the large bag that she (as Randy) had carried in. They got on the bus.

"Don’t you need to go back to your ship?" he asked "I’ll take you there."

There was one thing about Jack; he made a girl feel protected.

"I’ve been meaning to tell you something…" she grabbed a folder out of the bag and handed a piece of paper to him. He scanned the paper and his jaw dropped.

"You are being assigned to MY squadron?" he hugged her ferociously. The other people on the bus glared at them. He didn’t care, neither did she.

"Yep, I got my CO to arrange a transfer. I meant it as a surprise."

"I’ll say. Does anyone else know?" He asked. She shook her head.

"They’ll shit their pants." He said and turned red "I mean…uh."

She laughed and told him it was okay.

Onboard, he took her to the squadron Personnel department. She was handing over the orders when Joyce and Jenny poked their heads in.

"You’ve been keeping secrets, little girl." Jenny scolded her.

"Sorry…I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It sure is. There is a free rack in my berthing. Where’s your stuff?"

"It’s mixed in there." She motioned to the bag, heavy with stuff, on the floor. Joyce got the person checking her in to skip a few steps and she showed her down to the berthing.

As Randy, he was in a two-person stateroom, a room that would now sit half empty. As Brandy she was in a room with 30 other women and almost no privacy.

"Where’s your seabag?" one of the senior women in the room asked.

"They were supposed to send it here. It isn’t?" she faked her response.

"No, but it is kind of crazy around here. I’m sure it will turn up."

Brandy put as much into her coffin-rack (locker under the mattress) and small locker as she could. Everything left she deemed to be ‘that which belonged to Randy’ and put back into the bag. The canister of Hugglebugs was locked safely in her rack.

"Can we give this to Randy….I mean LT Johnson’s roommate? I’m sure he’ll be looking for it."

"Sure, let’s bring it up to the Ready Room." Joyce led her charge back up to the Ready Room. They deposited the much lighter bag inside and Joyce got the attention of the Duty Officer.

"This belongs to LT Johnson. Can you make sure he gets it?"

"No problem. Why do you have it?"

"This is his cousin, she is checking into the squadron."

"Fine, dismissed."

Dismissed? Who does that twerp think he is? Brandy thought. The full weight of the situation hit her. She was no longer an officer or in any privileged position. She was just one of the sailors. Randy Johnson would be labeled a deserter, not able to return. The CO turned around from the front of the room and walked up to her.

"Just a moment. Did you say you were LT Johnson’s cousin?"

"Yes sir."

"No one has seen him. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"He paid for my room sir. That is the last I saw him."

"I’m sure he’ll show up." The CO said, "Don’t worry about it. Thank you for returning his things."

"Yes sir." Both of the girls left. Brandy went back to the berthing and got dressed in the one pair of Dungarees that she owned. The uniform felt tight and she thought the bell-bottoms looked ridiculous.

Knowing that she had to pull this off for a while, she went to the ship’s store. She stocked up on uniforms, cotton underwear (the silk was frowned upon while in uniform), and various other things she thought she would need. She was walking back to the berthing when a loud gong started sounding.

"Man overboard, man overboard, all hands muster on station. This is for mustering purposes only."

Brandy joined the fray of people moving to get to their mustering places as quickly as possible. She reported to the Admin department (the most logical place for a yeoman) and mustered. The overhead speaker sounded.

"It looks like we have a full muster." The Executive Officer of the ship said "With the exception of LT Johnson from VF-302."

The drill was a necessary part of pulling out of port. It made sure that everyone was on board and accounted for. The announcements kept going, each time there was a call for "LT Johnson.". With every call Brandy felt herself more and more trapped. Randy was in big trouble now. He may as well be dead.

Life as an enlisted woman was not an easy one. She had to swab decks, clean toilets and deal with living with 30 women. The Chief would not stop riding her and her work load was much more than it was before. Still there was a relaxing portion to it too. The level of responsibility was much lower and during off hours she got to see her friends. In hopes of extending her time of not being caught she wrote off a letter to Finnegan. A week later and she received a reply.

"Brandy,

I really love your name. The REALLY GOOD treats will be in the next care package from Mom. Hope you are liking your NEW JOB. I know you enjoy it.

Love,

Fin"

Brandy was relieved; Finnegan was the master of scams. The really good treats consisted of completely valid ID and paperwork. It was Fin’s plan from all those months ago, just modified. Brandy really existed now.

Every three days, Brandy was being hit with a debilitating headache and waves of dizziness. Each time she assumed the transformation was happening and she took a small dose of the nanites to stem the inevitable.

At each dose special nanites took a genetic snapshot of Brandy, preparing to eventually revert her body back to her normal form at the appointed time.

Jack was getting worried about her. Their secret liaison’s in the ventilation rooms were nice. Actually they spent a lot of that time getting to know each other more, just talking. Brandy was not ready to take that last step. It meant giving too much finality to the situation.

Brandy had timed the cycles of nanites for the next port. A few hours after getting off the ship and she would once again be herself again.

She sent the others ahead, feigning sickness. Actually she did feel sick; it had been almost a month since the transformation and she was feeling crabby and she kept getting these pains in her belly. She had the cycles times perfectly now, using the dizziness as a guide. She shut herself in a hidden room and wedged the door.

She waited.

And waited. The wave of dizziness came and went. No change.

She wasn’t changing back.

She was stuck.

It was time to write the company. They screwed up and made these things permanent. They have to fix this.

She wrote the letter, sent it off, and left the ship.

She was preoccupied for the entire port. Jack brought her out of her shell quite a bit, but she had a tendency to lose focus. Only when Jack finally slapped her on the butt did he truly get her attention.

"What?" she asked angrily.

"What is wrong?" he asked, truly concerned.

"I guess I’m just worried about my cousin, that’s all."

"Oh yeah. I’m sure he’s okay. He was under a lot of pressure."

"Don’t I know it." She said.

"Moping around won’t bring him back, you know." He tickled her slightly. Randy wasn’t ticklish, Brandy was. She let out an inadvertent smile.

"That’s better." He said, tickling a little more.

"Stop!" she said. He persisted.

"I said stop!" she slapped his hands away. She wasn’t in the mood for this.

"Okay. Sorry." They walked side by side, not even touching hands.

"I’ve got a little errand over here, if you want to join me." He started walking away, pouting.

When she caught up he was giving cash to a gold merchant who, in turn, gave him a small box.

"Here." He said, handing the box to her. God, I hope it’s not a ring or something, she thought. She opened the box. Inside was a gold necklace with a long gold charm on it. On one side it said ‘Brandy’ and on the other there were hieroglyphics.

"It’s beautiful." She reached up and hugged him and planted a firm kiss on his lips. This was a major portion of Jack’s monthly salary. It meant a lot.

Money for Brandy, however, wasn’t an issue. Randy was still getting paid and the bank account was growing. Brandy now had an ATM card and several credit cards with her name on them that were actually attached to his old accounts. Afraid that the accounts would somehow get frozen at one point, she spent carefully. She did buy a nice watch for Jack and several presents for her friends, but that was about it.

Shortly after the port the ship left the Persian Gulf and started aiming for home. There was a period of three weeks where the ship got no mail whatsoever. Fin seemed to be enjoying Brandy’s predicament and he sent the occasional post card. There was nothing from Hugglebugs in any mail call. She felt like she was waiting for parole.

The port of Australia came and went. Brandy had a great time. She was a little miffed about the local women throwing themselves on Jack (and most of the other guys) but he rebuffed them and still concentrated on her. Brandy fell into a new routine of work, sleep, and Jack. They were still close but not intimate, although she could see that it wasn’t that far away. In many ways she wanted to make love with him but that would be the final nail in her coffin. Randy would truly be dead at that point.

Brandy had learned to deal with everyday life. Her period, while annoying, was no longer a surprise and no longer something new. She was used to the stream of guys that always wanted to eat with her. They all knew to steer clear for anything further (did Jack talk with them?) but they still were alright to eat with.

Hawaii was the last port on the cruise. A good percentage of the ship went home early at this point and family members rode the rest of the way. One of the family members was Jack’s mother.

She was a nice woman, somewhat aware of the relationship between her son and Brandy. She stayed cordial and tried not to rock the boat (so to speak).

On the first night, Brandy became her best friend. An aircraft carrier doesn’t move around a lot. To someone who isn’t used to it, it can cause seasickness. Brandy saw the signs early and helped her out. She brought towels, a clean shirt, and found some Dramamine for her. By the end of it Brandy was okay in Jack’s mother’s eyes.

A massive amount of mail arrived while the ship was in Hawaii. It took nearly two days to sort. In that mass of mail a package roughly the size of a shoebox arrived for Brandy. There was a personal return address, not a business, and it looked like a small care package. Feeling the weight of it, it felt like it had some metal in it (or really dense cookies). Inside there were two small canisters and a note.

‘Dear Brandy,

After a thorough investigation we have determined that there was nothing wrong with the Hugglebugs we sent you previously. From your description we believe that your base form was reset by your premature re-use of our product. This is clearly spelled out in the directions as something NOT TO DO. When you used the product repeatedly, you original form was lost. But don’t despair. There is a solution.

One of the canisters contains the nanites you originally requested set to your original form. In order to bypass the feedback your misuse has caused we have made them the Permanent variety. If you use these you will no longer be able to use our technology at all but you will, once again, be yourself.

We realize that your extended stay in this unfamiliar form may have caused certain logistical problems so we offer another optional solution.

You body is most likely in a feedback loop. The dizziness and headaches you are experiencing is a dangerous side effect. Left unchecked, this could cause severe health problems or even death. The second canister contains the same matrix that you are now in but in a permanent variety. If you use these then you will maintain your current form but without the dangerous feedback loop.

Your credit card has been charged appropriately.

Cathy

P.S. Thank you for your business. We hope you will recommend Hugglebugs to your friends!’

Brandy just stared at the two canisters. Finally, her salvation. She could return to her regular life! But what life? The news reports have him reported as a deserter or in some kind of witness relocation program. The navy would throw him in prison if he showed up now. At best he would be out on the street without a job and these mobs would hunt him down again.

"Brandy? Are you coming to dinner, dear?" Jack’s mother asked.

"Coming Mother Daniels." She used friendly nickname that she had come to know her by. She stuck the bottles in her jacket and followed the older woman to dinner.

At dinner, Brandy was pleased to be given lots of dirt about Jack’s youth. It seemed every embarrassing episode in his past was fair game. Jack begged his mother to stop, but she would not relent. At the end of the meal Brandy disposed of the dishes and returned to the table. Both the Daniels’ had secretive smiles on their faces.

"Mom, can you find your way back alright?

"Certainly dear. In fact, I think I’ll turn in. I’m very tired." She gave a fake yawn and left the table.

"What’s up?" Brandy asked, suspicious.

"Want to go for a walk?" He led her out and they walked together to one of the more private areas on a catwalk overlooking the water.

He stopped and turned to her.

"Brandy, I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but I can’t imagine my life without you. You are beautiful, sweet, smart, and I love you."

"I love you too." Tears started to trickle from her eyes.

"I’m not finished. I love you more than I knew anyone could love anyone else. I just found out today that I’ve been accepted into Officer Candidate School and I have a chance at becoming a pilot. I will make a good living. Brandy," he dropped to one knee "Will you marry me?"

Her tears would not stop now. She really did love this man. She knew that she had to go back. She had to be Randy again. She looked in his eyes and at the ring he was offering. It was a beautiful diamond ring, obviously an heirloom. How could she refuse him?

"Wow. You hit me with so much. Can you give me an hour?"

He looked shocked and saddened.

"Sure, whatever you want."

"Thank you." She kissed him softly "I really do love you. Just a little while, okay?"

Jack exited the catwalk and Brandy sat down with her feet over the edge. She sat quietly for a long time, quietly contemplating the future. She looked at the two bottles in her small hands. Taking in a big breath she released the one in her right hand, letting it fall into the sea. It disappeared instantly.

"Which way did you go?" a male voice asked.

"Huh?" she said looking around for the source. The CO stepped out of the shadows. And leaned against the railing next to her.

"I asked you, Mr. Johnson. What was your decision?" Brandy’s jaw dropped.

"You knew?"

"Give me a little credit, Letch." The Skipper didn’t look at her, he just stared at the horizon "When I told you to find a way to stop the mobs, you didn’t have many options. I heard about the young girl who was staying in your room in Hong Kong and put two and two together. Could have picked a better name though. Not even challenging."

They both stayed quiet for a moment longer.

"Normal policy is to shut off all the accounts and pay of deserters. You knew that, did you notice it didn’t happen?"

"Yeah, I did." She said, relieved in a way that someone knew.

"You seem to fit in quite well in your new capacity. Let me spell out the options for you. First, you go back to being Randy. I have to give you a discharge for use of forbidden technology and for disappearing, even I can’t cover that up. You will get a honorable discharge and you might get a job at the airlines."

"Okay, I see that…"

"..Or you stay in your current form. You get an honorable discharge and what looks to be a happy life. You lose a lot but there is a lot to be said for not having mobs after you."

"Yep, I see that….."

"So Mr. Johnson, I ask you again. What is your decision?"

********

 

The honour of your presence

is requested at

the marriage of

Brandy Margaret Johnson

And

Jonathon Michael Daniels

Saturday, the Fifteenth of February

Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Three

At half after two o’clock

At the North Island Base Church

Coronado California

 

*****

Visit Hugglebugs at http://www.hugglebugs.net

The entire Tailhook series is at Joan’s Story Alcove http://www.geocities.com/dejahcarter

Write me at joanbanks@ivillage.com

 

 

© 2001
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