Dee pulled out his tongs as he asked, “Have you considered turning it off?”

Korri scooted over to Dee’s side of the table. Dee glanced over with his tongs out. Korri gave a quick smile and folded her hands in her lap. She looked at the alarmed customer, who quickly answered, “I’m not sure what will happen if we do that.” 

Dee glanced at the girl in the pink top and asked her, “How do you feel?”

Her eyes flicked over to him for an instant but she kept her gaze on the game. She muttered, “Not very great. I’m actually kinda sick to my stomach but…I can’t stop playing.” She clicked the shoulder buttons. 

Dee leaned out with the tongs but turned to look at Korri and posed, “What do you suggest?”

Korri sat up straighter and first asked, “Do you have the receipt?”

The older woman fished around in her purse until she came up with a slip. Korri reached out for it but Dee blocked her hand with the tongs. He cleared his throat, turned the tongs around, and held them out for Korri to take. 

She used them to accept the receipt and examine it. The customer’s name was listed as Dana Wilton, which the older woman confirmed as correct. The girl in the purple top came over to the counter and smiled at Dee, who nodded his head in response. She then folded her hands and glanced at her feet. Dee watched her before returning his gaze to the receipt. Dana added that she’d forgotten to bring the game box or instructions and apologized.

The game was cited as Transformation Cavern. Dee paged through the catalog but didn’t find anything under the name. After a moment of anxious tapping by the mother, Dee looked up and whispered into Korri’s ear. Korri appeared startled as she felt his warm breath drift across her skin.

It took a strong, conscious effort for her to parse the statement he’d passed to her. She said carefully, with a swallow and a glance at Dee, “Did…t-the game box say anything about it being a new release?”

She posed the question to Dana, who didn’t look at her ‘sons’ but instead nodded immediately. “I’ve been…waiting for it since my son, Daniel, first told me about it. But I couldn’t get past the first level where you need to convert an imp into an angel to advance. I let my son Peter give it a try. He soon got addicted. It was okay for the first three levels. I played a little. Then, Daniel did again…”

Korri raised a finger and asked the group, “Which of them is which son?”

The girl in the purple top gently raised her hand, gestured between herself and the other girl, and announced, “I’m Daniel…that’s Peter. Although, I like the name Diana.” Dee smiled at Daniel, who tapped her toes on the tile and blushed.

Peter snorted between button presses, her eyes never straying from the screen. “I’m not gonna give up on my name. But at least I can be Petra and still rock.” 

Dana’s shoulders drooped and she looked plaintively at Korri as she said, “These are my sons. Neither of them would’ve even thought about being girls before. This game has done something to them…to all three of us. Please help us.” Diana hid her face.

Korri took a breath. She clutched the tongs and walked around the counter. She stood right in front of Peter/Petra, who regarded her with a raised eyebrow. Before the teenage girl could respond, Korri snatched the portable with the tongs, snapping the clamshell opening shut. 

Petra looked at her in shock, then slowly blinked and glanced down. She trembled and staggered to the floor. She looked down the front of her shirt with wide-eyed terror then tentatively reached around to touch the mass of hair she was sitting on. 

Daniel/Diana blinked a few times as well and touched her arms to her stomach. The biggest moment of shock came from Dana, who fished a compact from her purse and stared at her younger face.

Dee supported his chin with his fist, gave Korri a weak smile, and remarked, “That works.”

Petra screeched, “I HAVE TITS!” Dee sighed. As if he hadn’t heard that phrase at least a dozen times a day. Diana’s reaction intrigued him though. The girl looked embarrassed but she didn’t appear stunned. He cocked an eyebrow but turned his attention to Dana, who was trembling against the counter as she asked, “You can fix this, right?!”

Dee looked to Korri and shrugged as he replied, “My information isn’t new enough to list the effects of this product but….I suppose I could call over for the information that came with shipping when it was stocked.”

On the floor, Petra curled up into a ball, which quickly burst open when her legs touched. Her mouth dangled, unable to form the words swirling in her thoughts. Diana flashed a look of concern and walked over to her sister. 

Korri frowned and set the portable system and the tongs on the counter. Dee used his spare tongs to grab the tongs and the portable. He dropped them both into a bag and set them as far away from him on the counter as possible. Dee sighed. He liked those tongs but he knew they’d be fully-decontaminated overnight by measures too strong for human tissue.

That settled, Dee told Dana that he would call for that department to send over the information. He noticed Dana was staring at the system in the bag far too much for comfort. So, he tucked it out of sight on the floor. Only then did the spell on her seem to break. 

Korri sat on the floor next to Petra, who fidgeted between clawing at her long locks and burying her head in her legs. Face pressed in her stretch pants, she gave a muffled yell which only brought on more grumbling. She muttered to herself, “I hate this.”

Korri considered putting her arm around the kid but Petra curled and tensed up like an irate porcupine fanning limbs instead of quills. She looked straight ahead and declared, “I can’t believe I just said…’not very great’. And what I said before. I can’t stand any of this!”

Petra glared at everyone then sulked. Her face clenched as she said, “I’ll never be able to play in the yard. Everyone will know. Every single one of my friends.” She pressed her face to her knees and then shot up. With a growl, she started running in place without any regard for her body or hair moving everywhere. She jumped down and did a push-up which transitioned into a sit-up. She kept doing sit-ups until her hair had completely covered her vision. She grunted when her hair got caught and yanked at it roughly.

Panting, Petra ranted, “I’m not a girl! I’m not any kind of girl. I’m not! I’m not! It’s all fake. It’s not real!”

Dana whirled around and told her, with as much firmness as she could command in herself, “Honey, I’m sorry this is happening but you’re just going to hurt yourself. Sit down and relax. We’re going to fix this.”

Petra glared at her mother and sulked, “You don’t understand…” She slammed down on the floor with her arms folded and stared up at the ceiling. Diana scooted away with her feet tucked under herself.

Dee focused on the ringing of his phone. Korri took a deep breath and offered in Petra’s direction, “I’m not really a girl either.”

Petra glanced over. “I bet you like it... like my brother does.” Her gaze snapped to Diana, who clenched up and shook her head. Petra sighed.

Korri shook her head too. “I have to do it because my boss made me. I was gonna play a dumb joke on someone.” She avoided looking at Dee.

Petra said simply, “I’d quit.”

Korri shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been changed into a girl.”

Petra rolled her eyes. “Geez. I think you enjoy it. Man, I’d work anywhere else.” Diana clutched her hands together and softly said, “I’m sorry…”

Dana sighed and told her, with a mother’s comforting tone, “It’s not your fault, Daniel. It’s going to be okay.”

Diana squeezed herself closer on the floor and forced out the words, “Yes, it is my fault. I hacked the game!”

All eyes turned to Diana, who looked anxiously towards Petra. Petra’s face tensed. Dee, who was just finishing his call, chimed in, “How?”

Dana added, “Why?”

Petra said nothing but cast her a soundless, smoldering gaze. Korri leaned closer, her arms at the ready, should she need to break up a fight.

Diana sniffled as tears glossed her eyes. She said, her voice trembling, “Because…because…I wanted to be a girl. I don’t want to be a boy anymore. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand hearing the name ‘Daniel’ in my ears, when the word hurts so much.”

She took a breath. “I knew about this store but I was too afraid to save up money for something. I figured, if you bought it and then…maybe something happened to me, by accident…then there would be nothing to be done about it.”

Dana shook her head. “Oh, sweetie…”

Petra glared at her mother and retorted, “Don’t you go easy on HIM! It’s all HIS fault!”

Diana recoiled from her brother’s words. She buried her face in her hands. Petra shot a look at Diana and scolded, “Go ahead and cry…ya dumb sissy!” But, as Petra yelled, her eyes glossed over with tears too. With a grunt, she pressed at them with her fists and squelched all sounds of a sob. 

Dana stepped towards her children and hovered over with confusion and concern. She seemed frozen. Korri sat up straighter and resolved, “I’ll fix it for you and your mom, I promise you that.”

Petra turned around, clawed at her hair, and asked, “Oh yeah? Well, you’re stuck too…So, how are you going to help?”

Korri stared back without words and lowered her head. She sat there, until her eyes widened, and she asked, “Diana, what did you use to hack the game?”

After wiping her eyes and clearing her throat, Diana said, “It was a special umm…SD card. I saw some stuff online about it. I just changed the transformation stuff to some…stuff like way at the end of the game and the temporary changes…into a progressive change. And I guess it reduces age too.” She glanced at her mom.

Petra asked flatly, “Permanent?”

Diana clenched her mouth. “I dunno…It didn’t say. I hoped so…for me.”

Just as it looked like Korri would have to hold Petra back from lunging for her sister, a man with long, green hair walked in with a folder under his arm. He pushed his glasses back and went over to Dee, who accepted the folder. Then, as quickly as the man appeared, he left.

Dee riffled through the information, which included one box with a manual of the game. He ushered Korri to look. They both scanned the folder until Korri’s finger shot out and landed on a notation. Dee gave her a smile of approval.

Korri turned around and pronounced, “I know exactly how to help. But, first, I need to know something from Diana.” She looked towards Korri, as she asked, “Did you set the game, when you were hacking it, to an individual or a group?”

Diana pressed her lips together then said, “I set it to a group. But I…didn’t mean for it to do this to everyone.”

Dana laid her hand on her forehead and asked the same question again, “Why?”

Diana’s tears returned. “Because no one ever wants to play with me. No one ever even wants to be in my room. Since dad left us mom…you’ve never even talked to me except when they send a letter home from school. You’re always into work. You’re always into your games. I tried to play them. I tried one with you but you gave it up when I started loving it. You left me behind. And Peter…Peter always has sports. He always has games on the TV and games at school. But he never has time to hang around with me. I just…I just wanted us to do something together…the three of us…as a family. For once, for just this once…”

And she cried into her hands. Petra grit her teeth and shook her head as she scoffed, “It’s not my fault you don’t have any friends…”

Dana glared at Petra and said, “Leave your brother alone.”

Diana gave a wince, shook her head, and looked up. “That’s just it, mom. I don’t want him to just leave me alone. Or you either.”

Korri read through the product information as Dana clutched her hands. Dee leaned back and cracked his neck. He glanced at the box of tissues to the side of the counter then glanced at Diana, who was still crying.

As she blew a puff of air, Korri picked up and examined the portable. Dee pushed back a little but reached over to grab the tissue box. He coughed and passed it to Dana. With her mother crouching beside her, Diana took a few tissues and blew her nose.

Petra shook her head and declared, “If you wanted attention…you could’ve just said something.”

Korri turned the system over and opened it up. Dee winced but, before he could say anything, Korri gasped. Dana looked over and asked quickly, “What’s wrong?!”

Wordlessly, Korri turned the portable to face the three. Dee could tell immediately by the lack of colored light at the top. The system, through lack of battery power or a touch of a button, was off.

As she looked up, Petra whined. Her whole body seemed to quiver. She hugged herself and mimed like she was going to throw up. Instead, she expelled the word ‘Noooo’ with drained anguish. She began hitting her legs as she said expletive after expletive into them. When it seemed she had exhausted all her energy, she flopped down flat on the floor and stayed there with her arms out and announced, “It’s over. My life is so totally over. Just over…”

She didn’t even bother to brush away the mass of locks tangled around her face. Dee leaned over the documentation, scanned it, and ushered Korri over. They both read the passage. Korri tried turning on the system again. She shielded her face as the screen came back on. Quickly, she pressed the select, start, both left shoulder buttons, and then carefully peered at the screen. To her relief, it was at a status screen and not in the game.

With a sigh, she told everyone, “It turned out it was just put into sleep mode. The game is saved. Now, according to what I read, I can adjust the changes.”

Petra’s head bolted up. Her eyes widened as she pressed down on her lip. Korri’s expression showed a bit of melancholy, as she remarked, “But I’m going by the non-hacked instructions and even that only allows me to modify appearance…not gender. The instructions assume that gender will not be a variable in gameplay…just in minor, unlockable content. So, it’s hard to know.”

Dana frowned and asked, “Doesn’t it have any sort of…all changes off…option?”

Korri sighed and said, “Naturally, it’s totally unclear if I can do that.” Dee turned the page. Korri and Dee both skimmed through it, looking for something they could use. Korri found it first and grinned as she turned the page around for him to see. Dee smirked.

With confidence, Korri looked back. She said, putting on a serious face, “As it turns out, there is something of a kill-switch. It’s a form of game delete in the troubleshooting manual. Basically, it’s the only option because I don’t trust this thing to not mentally-wipe or rewrite all three of you. There’s just one drawback…if you can call it that…apparently because of program abuse by minors…only uhh two out of every three in a group can be completely restored in this way.” Dee raised an eyebrow and glanced at Korri.

All eyes turned to Diana, whose eyes were red but clear of tears. She took a deep breath and said, “Do it. Please. For my family.” Dana hugged her daughter. Cautiously, Petra scooted toward her mother, but out of the reach of her mother’s arm. Dana asked, “Do we need to do anything special?”

Korri shook her head, manipulated the portable, and pressed her finger to the screen. Instantly, there was a soft, barely-audible sizzling. Dee knew the sound well. It was the sound of nanites going through final operations before a mass die-off. A good sound.

Quickly, Dana’s face changed. Little wrinkles reasserted themselves. When the sizzle left her, she took out her compact and noted, with a smile, “Shame to see that face go.”

Diana bit her lip as the sizzle surrounded her. She remained the same. Then, Petra could hear the sizzling around her. 

Immediately, her body shifted in her clothes. Her arms lengthened and broadened with muscles. Her feet pressed out of her shoes and her legs tensed her pants. Her brow lowered. Her lips thinned but remained soft. With a gasp, the sizzling ended. 

Peter turned away and his hand immediately shot down to fix his waistband. After a moment of self-reflection, he breathed a long breath of relief and muttered, “It’s back…”

But he had plenty of complaints as he peered into his mother’s compact. He noted, “Dang…my eyebrows still look girly. And I’m all smooth. My nose is smaller…but…” He jumped to his feet and ran in place. “I feel great. I feel like I can tear up the field!”

Korri smiled and folded her arms. She closed out the game then popped it out. She passed the portable to Dana who put it in her purse then asked, “Is the game machine clear of any problems?”

Korri affirmed, “Yeah, the problem was just with the hacked game card, as far as we can assume, but you’re welcome to get it scanned for trace nanites at the door before you leave. Would you like a full refund or trade-in on the product?”

Dana looked over at her son and daughter. Peter vigorously waved his hands and proclaimed, “Mom!…I will buy you a game…any game…anywhere else!” 

Dana gave a nervous smile and responded, “I suppose we’ll just take the cash refund.”

Dee did all the paperwork. Diana slowly got up but gave her brother a wide berth. Despite that, Peter approached and looked at her. Diana leaned back. With a deep breath, Peter gently put his hand on her shoulder. He snorted. “Dumb D. When we get home, I’m totally bugging you all the time in your room.”

Dee glanced up and passed the money to Dana, who tucked it away in her purse. Dana added, “But first, we need to get poor D some clothes.”

Peter flicked his tongue out and said, “Bleh…Girl clothes…I am so glad I was spared that. I don’t envy you, D.”

Diana bowed her head a little and gave a faint smile. The three left together.

Dee leaned over the counter and stated the obvious, “There’s no two-out-of-three rule...”

Korri nodded and admitted, “Yeah, I know. All I had to do was edit them automatically from the screen. But I think it worked out well.”

Dee snorted. “Despite the fact you lied to the customer, never a good idea, I also think it worked out very well.  

Korri leaned against the counter and said, “I think I figured out your secret, Dee.”

Dee smiled and leaned back like a town sheriff behind his desk in the Old West. Without a hint of concern in his voice, he asked, “Oh? And what’s that?”

Korri kept her head high as she answered, “This store has a sense about who wants and doesn’t want to be transformed. And it sifts out those who don’t want it. Max…who is absolutely the coolest guy in the universe no matter what people say about him…only transformed once. You didn’t work that day. It was epic.”

Dee nodded. “I know…you told me.”

Korri held up a finger. “I may love being a woma…err man. A man. I love being a woman. GAH! A man!....Are you suuuure there’s no mental change?”

“Absolutely certain. That was just a….Freudian slip?”

“It was nothing!”

“Sure…”

Korri took a turn to snort. “I may love being…what I am when I’m not at work with nanites jumping on me. But that doesn’t mean I feel any less of a…man.”

Dee held his hands up and smiled. “You don’t need to defend or explain anything. I don’t mind…anything. So long as you don’t try to make the nanites jump on me.”

Korri leaned down. “Truly…you don’t want that to happen…even unconsciously?”

They looked into each other’s eyes. Calmly and clearly, without a moment of wavering, Dee said, “I don’t want that to happen. Ever. Even once. That is exactly why I am always on watch and always careful. Truuuuuly.” He held his gaze with Korri’s until she blinked. At which point, she scratched at the tight curls of her blond hair and shrugged out the words, “Okay then…”

Dee said the same back and rested against the counter. Korri did the same from the other side. Fatefully, Korri remarked, “Well, hopefully, all the excitement is done for tonight…”

Knowingly, Dee said, “You’d think so…”

The sound that followed a minute later was awkward scuffing and shuffling across the floor. With a mutual sigh, both turned their eyes towards the hallway opening.

Through it appeared a man in jeans and a blue shirt with a pink blanket over his stomach. Korri’s first thought was ‘pregnant’ until she noticed it was lumpy.

Looking left and right, the man dropped the blanket to reveal…a blue and black canister vacuum. Korri’s eyes followed the hose and widened.

The end of the hose was stuck to the man’s crotch. 

Dee lowered his head and pressed his forehead as he muttered, “Not another one…” He stared right at the canister.

Setting the canister down as best he could, the man brushed back his close-cropped brown hair and nervously said, “They…told me to come here. I umm…”

Dee finished for him, “You’re stuck. And, until recently…you used to be a woman…”

The man put a hand in front of the area where the vacuum was attached but he nodded.

Dee narrowed his eyes at the canister, like the inanimate object was sneering at him, as he said, “Unfortunately, we get this a lot…”