The Gibson household, kitchen, late afternoon
Linda headed to the kitchen with her son Mikey. She was glad that Jon seemed okay despite his (or was it her?) change. She could tell Jon and Karyn weren't telling her all the details, but she didn't want to press them. They'd clearly had a rough day, and Jon in particular had clearly only gotten through it with help. Linda decided it was best to let them relax for a while.
She turned to Mikey. "Now, Mikey, I hope you will be kind to Jon. They haven't told me everything. It's possible that Jon may be a girl for some time. Regardless of whether Jon is your brother or your sister, be nice. And if any of your classmates at school - Fred Orr, Molly, Benny, whoever - get changed by one of those things, don't make fun of them. Help them if you can, or bring them to an adult who can help them."
"I'm scared." Mikey said. "What if I get changed?"
"You're still my child, Mikey, and so is Jon. I love all of you, even if sometimes you do things that confuse me." Linda said. "Anyway, it's still too early to tell what's going to happen next. We don't know how many people will actually try using these things. You might not have to worry about them for a long time."
"I'm afraid if I get changed, Fred Orr might make fun of me." Mikey replied.
Linda paused. "Mikey, you and Fred haven't got along in a while, have you? Well, if Jon and Karyn can put aside their differences with Sarah, there's hope for you two. You just have to work at it."
"Well, he wasn't that bad today." Mikey replied. "I don't know."
"You never know unless you try." Linda said.
There was a pause before Mikey spoke again. "Is Jon going to go back to normal?" Mikey asked.
"I don't know." Linda said. She took a breath, before continuing. "They didn't say whether or not he could. But whatever happens, Jon is still family. We have to be there for him, or her, no matter what."
The Gibson house, living room, late afternoon
Jon and Karyn remained in the living room, sitting on the couch. "I just realized. We didn't say anything about the Restoration Guns." Karyn noted.
"It's okay. We can tell them later." Jon replied.
"Are you going to let them use them to change you back?" Karyn asked.
Jon was quiet for a moment. "I ... don't know. I feel fine right now. I think I'm going to stay a girl at least for a week or so. Maybe longer."
"You'd better decide within thirty days. Or else you'll need the stone if you change your mind later." Karyn replied.
"The stone." Jon said, with a sigh. "Before it came into our lives, you were the girl with short red hair. Now it's me. It feels ... kind of appropriate."
Karyn almost laughed. "So what are you saying? Are you saying that the universe decided there were already more than enough average guys in it, but not enough girls with short red hair, or girls with blonde hair and big boobs, and arranged for this whole mess to happen this way?"
Jon laughed. "Nah. I don't think this is Fate or anything. We just got granted this item with insane reality-warping power, and we screwed up a little."
"More like a lot." Karyn replied.
"Yeah." Jon said. "We've just got to deal with the consequences. And not just us. The whole world."
Karyn nodded. "We know more about what happened than almost anyone else, and we're struggling to make sense of it. We can only imagine how the rest of the world is feeling."
"At least till we turn the news back on." Jon noted.
"We might as well." Karyn said. And with that, she turned on the news.
"...as of now, there is still no update on the condition of Richard McMillan and the members of the board injured in the explosion earlier today. Sources within MTI have refused comment on whether or not any of them have been affected by what are being referred to as 'Transformation Guns'."
McMillan Tech Industries, Lake Point Branch, main entrance
Doug Sallow, accompanied by Ryan Leeson, Randall Jeffries, Milt Smukmekyer, and Teresa Talton, waited in the lobby for the physicians to arrive. Rachel McLewis had called for a few doctors from the local hospital to arrive, to get their opinions on the state of Richard McMillan and the other transformed Board members. In addition to helping with others who may have been injured or traumatized due to Transformation Gun incidents.
Everything Rachel had told them about Dr. Elaine indicated that Elaine was a competent physician. But the fact was, Elaine didn't have a medical license. She had gained all her medical knowledge from the Random Gun zap that transformed her into the female doctor she was now. She was helpful and well-meaning, but it would be good to have opinions from a few doctors who actually did have medical licenses and years of actual experience. Of course Elaine could be of help to those doctors as well, since she had personal experience with a Transformation Gun transformation and could offer her insights.
Doug Sallow and his group were to wait for the doctors to arrive, and then escort them to the area where Mr. McMillan and the others were being tended to. Sallow, Ryan, and the rest would have Restoration Guns handy just in case the doctors were hit by an accidental or intentional Transformation Gun zap that might affect their abilities. Samantha Duncan, Arnie Amspoker, Larry Eastbrook, and Carrie Brierton had already gone on ahead, looking for people in need of help along the way.
Ryan turned to Sallow. "The problem is, how much should we tell the doctors? Should they even know the Transformation Guns started here in the first place?"
"I'm afraid it's going to get out sooner or later." Sallow said. "If it hasn't already. We have to be ready for it. We don't know what's going to happen next. We don't know who's going to be staying here, and who's going to be fired because of it."
"If it comes to it, I'm ready to accept full responsibility." Jeffries said. "I feel like all this is my fault."
"It's not your fault." Ryan said, trying to sound reassuring. "It's the fault of whatever or whoever made the Transformation Guns real."
"He's right, you know." Teresa Talton said. "You guys were just messing around. How were you supposed to know this was going to happen?"
"It's going to be tough making that case to the rest of the Board. Especially Ms. Brewster." Sallow said, speaking of his predecessor Denise Brewster, who was now in charge of the Pittsburgh branch and would probably be returning to Lake Point within the week to help conduct the internal investigation. "But we can't worry about that now. What's important is making sure the doctors get to Mr. McMillan and the others safely."
Ryan was glad that Sallow seemed to be rising to the occasion and taking charge. He knew Sallow was right. There would be plenty of time to worry about their futures later. For now, they had to wait for the doctors to arrive.
