"Your assignment was delivered by courier right after the announcement. Just like FemCorp said it would be."
"They're efficient," Jon said, following his mom down the stairs. He'd only stopped to put on a t shirt. "What about dad and Mikey?"
"Kids his age aren't assigned outside the family."
Jon entered the kitchen to find everyone around the table. His dad had two yellow envelopes in front of him, both opened. When he entered, Zoe glanced up and gave him a small smirk. He knew why. This experiment wouldn't have any impact on women, at least not directly.
Mikey just seemed bored. Jon wondered if the situation had been explained to him yet.
"But what are we going to do about money?" his dad was saying.
His mom took her seat at the table. "Did you skip that section of the packet? FemCorp is going to pay me directly, as head of the family, the equivalent of your salary."
His dad was dressed like it was a weekend, in jeans and a polo shirt. "They took your job?" Jon sat down, horrified but also intensely curious about his dad's assignment.
"FemCorp owns the company now, Jon. They already removed me from the roster, the webpage... everything." His dad shook his head. "They took everything."
As if to distract him, Linda turned to her son. "Why don't you open your packet?" She handed him another yellow envelope. Jon just stared at it.
The experiment had been explained that morning. FemCorp believed that conflict could be reduced in the world if only people had more empathy for one another. And their psychological surveys had told them that men tended to have less empathy than women. Fortunately, psychology also told them that this deficiency could be cured, most likely by putting men into roles typically occupied by women.
By removing male "privilege" -- that was the word the broadcast had used -- men might become more understanding, and hence more peaceful.
The packet contained a dossier, all the details of the fake life Jon would be expected to occupy. Under severe legal penalty, he would be expected to play the role completely, and others, men and women, were expected to help him do so, by playing along. All connections with one's old life would be severed -- bank accounts, employment, schooling, relationships, etc.
His dad was obviously not satisfied with his new life, and Jon didn't expect to be satisfied with his either. With a heavy sigh, he tore open the envelope.
