Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 21:00:08 -0000
From: Beverly Taff
Subject: Dog Day Afternoon 2

     As I stepped down off the plane, the desert
heat hit me like a wall and it was only seven
a.m.   The sun had barely been up more than an
hour but the heat!!!    I had felt heat in
California and Arizona, but nothing like this.
Even Death Valley had nothing to compare with
this.    The final proof, if any was needed was
seeing the locals gasping in the heat.   We had
arrived in the middle of a heat wave and in the
Sahara Desert that means HOT!    As I paused in
shock on the burning tarmac, the cabin staff
warned me that by two p.m. it could reach one
hundred and forty in the shade, - and there's no
shade.    Even the short step to the arrival
building, (It could never be described as a
terminal or hall.) sucked the sweat from my
body.    I was truly glad to find the transport
waiting for me as arranged.
It seemed I was the only volunteer to arrive on
that flight so after a quick introduction we
scrambled into the luxury of the air-conditioned
4x4 and set off for the research station.
     "Why so remote?"   I asked.
     "Less hassle," replied the doctor.   "The
government is happy to take our money but
doesn't want any hassle.    Some of our work is
deemed a bit unethical by the powers that be."
     I fell silent and the doctor sensed my
nervousness.
     "Oh don't worry.    You're not in any
danger.   It's just that some of the basic
research is a bit unusual. Nearly all our
transplant technology uses animal tissue."
     "What do you mean exactly by, unethical," I
     pressed anxiously.
     "Well.   I'm sure you know that legitimate
ethical research permits the growing of
genetically engineered pig kidneys that are
compatible with human tissue and suitable for
kidney transplants."
     "Yee-ss," I replied suspiciously,  "but
they still haven't got there yet."
     "Well;" he hesitated a moment before
continuing, "We have.   After several years of
research we have managed to grow hormonal glands
and other sexual organs that are compatible with
human beings.    You know, ovaries and testes
and stuff like that.    I've even tested some
stuff on myself.   Nothing big you understand,
but the stuff is still alive in my body.    We
know the tissue is compatible.
That's how confident I am."
     I was getting the jist of the doctor's
ideas and followed him closely.

     "So you want to transplant these glands
into human volunteers as guinea-pigs.   To
offset the need for continually taking drugs for
the rest of their lives" I finished for him.
     "Uuhm, that's right.   Ovary transplants
and such like. You've been reading up on this
stuff I see."
     I nodded nervously.     The idea worried me
slightly but it was not entirely repugnant.
'I mean, they were doing it with pig's kidneys
and human insulin from sheep's milk weren't
they?'   The idea of a pig's ovary inside me was
not that dissimilar, especially to a tortured
transsexual.
"So long as I don't end up grunting or
something," I joked weakly.
     "Grunting!    What makes you say that?"
     "Well, you know, the island of Circe and
all that.   I mean, pig's ovaries and all that."
     A broad smile spread across the doctor's
face as he wagged his head softly.
     "We won't be using pigs!     They take far
too long to grow.     No, not pigs."
     I frowned slightly as the doctor continued
shaking his head softly.
     "Well what then?    I thought pigs were the
nearest metabolism to a human's.   What's it
going to be then?   A monkey or an ape or
something."
     "Oh no, they take too long to grow and they
are far too expensive to obtain.   Anyway we
could not be sure of the source and they might
be animals torn from the wild by poachers.   We
have to use something that is cheap and with a
faster growth rate.    We intend using a dog's
ovaries or rather, I should say a bitch's."
     "A dog's", I gasped
     "Er yes," replied the doctor studying my
face anxiously,     "You're not going to back
out of our agreement now are you?    A dog is
not much different from a pig.     It grows much
quicker than an ape and the puppy's gestation
period is shorter.   We can't use pigs around
here because many of the laboratory staff object
to pigs.   They are all Muslim.   They will not
touch pigs or pork.    Dogs are much easier,
there's less religious or animal right's hang-
ups."
     " I don't follow you," I replied, "I
thought the animal had to be a close metabolic
match."
     "Oh not with our technology.   We simply
introduce some of your DNA to the puppy embryo
before its immune system develops and then your
DNA is assimilated into the embryonic puppy's
DNA.    When the puppy is born its DNA has
components identical to yours and your immune
systems will accept each other's tissue.
You are both fooled into thinking it's your own
DNA   We have to use some additional drugs of
course but essentially, the puppy's ovaries are
accepted into your body and when they mature,
they start to produce female hormones.   Your
body is feminised by the production of natural
hormones."
     "Are dog hormones the same as human
     hormones?" I asked.
"There's not a lot of difference.   We've
engineered the animals so that their ovaries
produce a compatible hormone for both humans and
dogs.   It's similar work to the insulin in
sheep's milk.     This is one of our biggest
secrets.  It is where we hope to make the
breakthrough.    That's why we need volunteers
like you."
     The doctor smiled supportively and I felt
myself coming round to the idea.      The
thought of having natural ovaries producing
natural hormones began to seem attractive, -and
after all; a dog's DNA was no more offensive to
me than a pig's.
     'For God's sake,' I thought, 'we kept dogs
as pets didn't we?'
     I nodded my head slowly and the doctor's
     smile widened.
     "Good!   I knew you'd come around to the
idea.    Your letters and medical files
indicated a desperate inner girl trying to get
out of that-, that body."  He grimaced as he
summed up my androgynous form then he continued.
"I firmly believe that you will be able to
function totally as a female after the surgery
and you will grow to look thoroughly feminine.
You're still young so the procedure should be
totally effective."
     "There's no risk then?" I asked again for
reassurance.
          "Well I can't promise a hundred
percent.   After all, the procedure is
experimental and you are the first.   I won't
lie to you Beverly.    This is an experiment.
We've studied all the angles and we will reverse
the process if there are serious complications.
In truth I am expecting some problems, but not
serious ones.       I'm not some sort of
monster, and if it goes wrong, I will do what I
can to correct or reverse any adverse effects.
Apart from the unknown risks from the
experiment, I see no obvious other dangers;
except of course, the usual ones attributable to
any invasive procedure.            The animals
are all laboratory bred and completely disease
free.    There will be no risk of infection.
After a few weeks you'll be able to live and
function completely as a female."
     "Will I grow proper breasts and stuff?"
     "Yes.  Everything.  You will be able to
live as a complete female.    The surgery will
see to that."
     I sagged with relief.    Sixteen years of
tension seemed to flow from my bones like a dam
bursting and I settled down to sleep after the
long cramped flight.   Eventually I was woken
from by the doctor as we arrived at an oasis
beneath a rocky ridge.    I gaped in wonderment
at the abundance of greenery and the doctor
explained.
     "This is the only oasis for four hundred
miles.  It's an important site and recently
improved with new artesian technology   We have
expanded a large cave system and excavated a
subterranean cistern deep in the hills behind
that ridge.   The water doesn't evaporate away
and we have a constant supply for the hospital
and the nomads.    They have got clean, regular
safe drinking water now.   The old well was a
brackish unreliable source.
     We've been traveling down one of the new
military roads and made some good speed.
The government let us set up operations here
provided we doubled up as a remote hospital and
clinic for the Bedouin tribes or any of their
soldiers if they got injured hereabouts.   Those
tents over there are one of the Bedouin families
and one of their women had complications with
childbirth.    Both mother and child are OK now.
We serve most of their medical needs to quite a
sophisticated level.        If the Bedouin
tribesmen get to us in time we can give them
better treatment than many of their bigger
hospitals."
     I smiled at the doctor's evident self-
satisfaction.              He obviously had some
philanthropic ideals and this project allowed
him to indulge his research whilst
simultaneously helping the underprivileged
desert dwellers.      I then noticed that dusk
was falling and realised I had slept for nearly
twelve hours.  I was beginning to feel hungry.
My stomach rumbled involuntarily and the doctor
smiled.
     "I stopped to eat at noon but you were fast
asleep.   I let you carry on sleeping.    Jet
lag, probably.    There's a meal waiting for us
inside come on."
I joined him at a table and he introduced me to
the team.   I soon realised that most of the
team were intelligent sexual dysphorics who saw
the project as an oasis of safety in what was by
and large, a homophobic Muslim culture.
     Here, hundreds miles from anywhere, there
was little chance of any persecution.
     The university also managed to hide any
sexually dysphoric staff whilst at the same time
benefiting from their academic talents and
research.
     'A pragmatic arrangement, if ever I saw
one.' I thought.   'Still if it gave me what I
had always wanted, I was not going to object.'
     After the meal we socialised for a while
then I turned in early.
     The next day we discussed the risks and he
reassured me that he could address the problems
and complications caused by my partial childhood
castration.