A college student becomes infected with the Burke's Virus and is transformed in a strange way. He now has to deal with his transformed body and what it means for his entire life.

The Anomaly
Part 1 of 4
By Morpheus

"I want to die," Jordan Morse grimaced as he staggered into the bathroom, grabbing the wall for support. Every fiber of his body ached and hurt beyond belief and he'd already emptied his stomach three times since waking up a few hours earlier. "Just kill me now and be done with it..."

Jordan splashed cold water on his face and looked into the mirror. He looked nearly as bad as he felt, though he couldn't see anything different as of yet. He still had the same athletic build and short blonde hair as always, though he did look a bit pale and shaky. Of course, that wasn't at all surprising considering how horrible he felt.

"And to think," Jordan muttered grimly, "this is just the start."

Jordan turned away from his reflection, feeling both worried and relieved at the same time. Nothing had happened to him...yet. Unfortunately, Jordan was well aware that this was likely to change before long. He was likely to change before long, though he had no idea how or how much. All he knew for certain was that he was likely to get even worse before this was done and over with. When you had the Burke's Virus....the Bug...that was about the only thing you could count on for certain.

When Jordan was finished in the bathroom, he slowly made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of Bug Juice from the cupboard. It was a special drink filled with all the nutrients, enzymes and proteins that someone with the Bug would need to make their changes faster and easier. The stuff tasted nasty as hell, but Jordan was thankful that he had it.

"Thank God for Alex," he grimaced as he took a long drink. His roommate Alex had come down with a bad case of the Bug a few months back and they'd stocked up on Bug Juice, getting a bit more than he'd needed. However, that meant there was plenty left for Jordan to use now that he had the Bug.

Jordan winced at the thought of having the Bug and what it might do to him once it had run it's course. You never knew what the Bug would do to you, how it would change and mutate your body. He'd had it once before and had come away with a nice tan and little else. Then there was Alex, who had been changed from Caucasian to Asian in just several days. It could do almost anything to him and not knowing what that would be only made it worse.

As Jordan made his way back to his room, he glanced at his desk which was covered with his school work. He had mid-term exams coming up and a couple term-papers to finish so this was the worse possible time to catch the Bug. Unfortunately, he was going to miss some classes and have to catch up on everything else later. At least most of the college professors were pretty understanding about that kind of thing.

After Jordan climbed back in bed, he almost immediately fell back asleep, though his sleep was plagued with strange dreams. He awoke numerous times, once with Alex sitting beside him and looking at him with a worried expression.

"Man, you look like shit," Alex said with a forced smile. "Don't worry though...the Bug doesn't kill people."

"No," Jordan grimaced, "But I'm almost wishing it did."

"It'll end in a few days," Alex shrugged. "I'm just curious to see what it'll do to you. I mean, look at what it did to me." He gestured to himself, looking a little embarrassed. Jordan knew that Alex was still a little self-conscious at having changed ethnicities, though he certainly wasn't the first person to have done so. "I can't really tell what it's doing yet, so you might be getting off lightly."

Jordan just grunted and went to the bathroom again, cursing the fact that he had diarrhea. He knew from what he'd read about the Bug that this might not be a good sign since he was losing body mass. If this continued, he might end up extremely scrawny or turning into a midget. Neither of those was pleasant to consider.

Then as Jordan was about to leave the bathroom, he stopped to look at his reflection in the mirror again, hoping to get an idea of how the Bug might be changing him. He was still early enough in his bout of the illness that any changes wouldn't be too obvious, though he still noticed several. His hair was a little darker than normal and he looked a little thinner. Of course, that could have been a mixture of feeling like shit and his imagination, but Jordan didn't think so.

"Just great," he grumbled as he scratched under his arm, which was beginning to feel quite itchy. He scratched for several more seconds before he realized that there was a lump under his arm. "Oh shit...." Jordan felt the lump, then under his other arm which had a matching one. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Alex asked when Jordan came out of the bathroom again.

Jordan just glared at him, "What do you think is wrong? I've got the fucking Bug..."

"All right already," Alex shrugged, quickly moving away from Jordan. "I'm gonna head out for awhile and give you some peace and quiet..."

"Or avoid me," Jordan muttered to himself since he knew that was more accurate.
Just minutes later, Jordan was overcome with an intense exhaustion again and collapsed back into bed, just as he had several times before. The exhaustion was so total that he wasn't even able to pull the sheets over him before he was asleep once again.

Jordan alternated between sleep and wake for the next few days, watching with cold fear as his body changed more and more noticeably. Each time he would wake up to find that he had changed a bit more, that his body was increasingly strange. The However, there was nothing he could do about it except suffer the aches and pains that wracked his body and wait to see how he ended up once it was over.

Every time Jordan stared at his reflection, he couldn't help but noticing the changes. His hair had grown longer and darker while his body shrank, becoming shorter and thinner. All of his hard earned muscle seemed to fade away along with inches of his height. At the same time, the lumps under his arms continued to grow until they became recognizable as small arms themselves. The very sight was enough to sent chills down Jordan's spine, yet even that was nothing compared to the other changes his body was going through.

Eventually, it became obvious that the changes in Jordan's body were nearly complete and would soon end. Jordan felt nervous about this, relieved and afraid at the same time. He tried not to think about it but knew that he would have to before long. He was already feeling better and would soon be free from the Bug...but not what it had done to his body.

--------------------

Jordan awoke feeling surprisingly refreshed. It was the first time in nearly a week that he hadn't woken up to pain, nausea and sickness. In fact, Jordan was almost amazed to realize that he felt good...just...odd. He tried not to think about it for awhile but finally climbed out of bed, smiling at being able to do so without the aching and soreness.

"I guess it's over with," Jordan said carefully, licking his lips nervously and fighting the urge to look down at himself.

After a moment, Jordan stuck his arms up in the air and stretched as much as he could, knowing that he was shorter than he used to be and feeling it. Things in his room somehow looked a little larger, something he hadn't really noticed while he was sick but could now. He looked at his bed, which now seemed a little larger and roomier as well.

Only after Jordan looked around his room did he finally look at himself, or at least his arms. He now had four arms, the new ones being almost identical to the others. They had grown from small lumps into full sized and functional arms, which still seemed creepy to him. He wiggled the fingers on his left hand and found them wiggling on both his left hands. It took a bit of concentration to get just the fingers on his new left hand moving while keeping the ones on his old one straight. This only augmented the feeling of strangeness.

"I'm an anomaly," Jordan said after a few minutes, keeping the statement flat and without emotion, at least as much as he could.

Anomalies were extremely rare and becoming one was about as likely as winning the lottery. Anomalies were what they called people who had been changed by the Bug in unusual ways, such as women gaining male sexual organs or vice versa. In Jordan's case, it also referred to people who had extra limbs and ones that just didn't fit right. Anomalies were people who had become freaks as a result of the Bug.

"Damn it," Jordan grimaced, wiggling the fingers on his new right hand. It was strange and a bit awkward having two new arms. He wasn't quite sure what to do with them just yet.

Jordan played around with his new limbs for several more minutes before finally turning his attention to the rest of his body. He looked down at himself and saw that he looked the same as he had the last time he'd examined himself, though this time he could do so with a clear head unfogged by the sickness. It was a strange sight, but one that he had actually been expecting.

His hands went to his chest which now had two large B cup breasts. They were definitely a woman's breasts, looking perky and proud, the kind Jordan liked to stare at on women though he did prefer them a little bigger. He was only thankful he hadn't gained the E cup monstrosities he normally loved to oggle. Then his hands moved between his legs, finding the space missing his normal genitals. A careful touch revealed the new slit, and the fact that he was now female.

"Great," Jordan took a deep breath, running four pairs of hands over his body. His skin was now soft and smooth, definitely the skin of a woman. His whole body was obviously that of a woman, though he found it hard to believe yet impossible to deny.

After several minutes, Jordan slowly made his way to the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He gulped at the sight but refused to look away. He still resembled his old self a little, though only slightly. After a moment, he thought that he might be able to pass as his own sister if nothing else, though there were still a lot of major differences besides the obvious sexy change.

Jordan was still the same age, though he now looked like a 20-year-old girl instead of a 20-year-old guy. His hair, which had been short and blonde before was now long and dark brown. His eyes were the same dark brown as before and he still had his old tan, though his body was undeniably female. It was a rather attractive body too, though not as curvy as he liked on his girls, for which he was thankful. His muscles were all gone as well, though his new body still looked fit and somewhat athletic.

"I feel so weak and puny," he grimaced, knowing that he wasn't nearly as strong as he had been before. All his hours in the gym had been washed away. On the other hand, he had to admit that he felt amazingly light on his feet.

On an impulse, Jordan bent over and touched the floor while keeping his knees straight. He was even able to reach between his legs and touch the floor with one pair of hands while intentionally keeping the other pair back and out of the way. His new flexibility was a bit surprising, though he's still much rather have his old body and muscles.

Jordan held all four of his hands up in front of him, staring at the feminine fingers and long nails. Even his old arms didn't look like his. He shook his head, trying to tell himself that it could have been worse. He used to go to school with a guy who'd gone from being tall and athletic to being a fat midget. Still, Jordan didn't really think he was much better off than that.

"My friends are gonna laugh their asses off at me," he grimaced, then gulped as he realized just how much harder his former girlfriend Kate would laugh. "I'll die of embarrassment."

The idea of having other people see him like this made Jordan cringe, but he knew he couldn't stay locked up in his room forever. If nothing else, he was feeling claustrophobic after being stuck in there for the last week. He looked down at himself though and realized that as well as not leaving for a week, he also hadn't showered.

"The first thing I need to do," he sighed, trying to focus on taking things one step at a time.

Jordan turned on the shower and climbed inside, gasping as the water hit his nipples and revealed just how sensitive they were. He shook his head and tried to focus on washing his body and hair, finding it a little more difficult than he would have expected since his hands kept getting in the way of each other..

"Damn Bug," he grimaced, "It not only turned me into a chic, but into a freak chick."

After a moment, Jordan came to a solution. He had carefully had his two new hands hold each other, then used his old ones to finish washing up. It felt strange to be showering this way, but did keep his new hands from getting in the way.

"Damn hair," Jordan grumbled, a little annoyed at how it seemed to keep getting in the way. He wasn't used to having long hair or having to spend so much time and shampoo on washing it. At the moment, the thought of cutting it all short again was extremely tempting, and as soon as he climbed out of the shower and started to dry it the thought became even more appealing. "And to think," he snorted, "I always liked girls with long hair."

Once Jordan was done getting getting cleaned and dried, he decided it was time to get dressed...before Alex got back and walked in on him. Fortunately, Alex had seen just how Jordan was changing and had actually gone out and found some clothes that would fit him. Jordan winced at sexy lingerie Alex had left as a joke, but was thankful for the pants and shirt. However, he did have to cut the sides of the shirt so his second pair of arms would fit.

"I'm gonna have to thank Alex for picking up the clothes," Jordan muttered to himself as he finished getting dressed. This his eyes went to the lingerie he'd left on the table and he scowled, "And for that..."

Jordan checked himself over in the mirror, scowling as he did so. It was strange, seeing some four armed girl standing there instead of himself. It was hard to believe that this was really him, but that's the kind of thing people could expect from the Burke's Virus. The Bug was notorious for messing with people like this.

"At least I can go out in public now," Jordan grumbled, not sure that he liked the idea of other people seeing him like this but refusing to hide because of it. He'd learned a long time ago that when he was nervous and afraid, that was the best time to charge forward. "But if any guy hits on me I'll kick his ass."

As Jordan left the room, he began to make a mental list of everything he would now have to do. He would have to change a lot of records and get a new drivers license, but at the moment, his top priority was getting something to eat. It had been nearly a week since he'd had a real meal and he was starving.

Jordan quickly made his way to the campus cafeteria, well aware that a lot of people were staring at him. He knew that it wasn't because he was a hot girl since as a girl he was very pretty, but not gorgeous. Instead, it was because he had four arms and was an anomaly. Still, that didn't make him feel any less self-conscious about the attention, though he did his best to ignore it.

Almost as soon as Jordan sat down to eat, a girl asked, "Are those real?"

Jordan blinked and looked at the girl who was several years younger than him, probably a freshman. She was very cute a in a girl next door sort of way and she was looking at his arms in amazement, probably never having seen an anomaly before. That wasn't much of a surprise since Jordan had never seen an anomaly before he'd become one either.

"Yeah," Jordan forced a smile at her between bites of his food. "I just got them..."

"I'm Gina," she introduced herself.

"Jordan," he responded, going to hold out a hand to shake but holding out two of them instead. Gina giggled at that. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, "I just got over the Bug this morning and haven't gotten used to these damn things yet."

"What's it like having extra arms?" she asked, barely able to take her eyes from them.

"Weird," he shrugged, "They keep getting in the way. But I guess that's not as weird as all my other changes."

Gina blinked, sitting down in the seat across from Jordan, "Other changes?"

Jordan hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell a stranger. Then he decided that half the campus would find out about it before long so it wouldn't hurt. "I'm really a guy. Or at least I was before catching the Bug." He let out a sigh.

"Really?" Gina gasped, staring at Jordan with even more interest. "Wow... I guess I'm sorry to hear it. Burke's can be a real bastard. I have an older sister who got turned into my little brother because of it."

"Ouch," Jordan winced at the thought of what it would have been like for him to have become younger as well, turning into a little girl. "That can't be easy for her."

Gina shrugged, "It happened a couple years ago so he's gotten used to it. It's still kind of fun to tease him occasionally though. I mean, he's old enough to buy beer now but doesn't even look old enough to drive."

"It must play havoc with dating though," Jordan chuckled, then paused, "I guess I'm gonna have that problem myself now."

Gina didn't say anything to that, nor did Jordan expect her to. "I guess you've got a lot to get used to," she finally said, "And all the paperwork... I hear there's a support group or club of some sort on campus for people who've gone through extreme changes."

Jordan shrugged, "I guess. I never paid much attention before but maybe I'll check it out." However, Jordan had little intention of going to some kind of support group meeting. Images of standing up and saying, "My name is Jordan and I'm a Bug victim," just seemed too weird.

They continued talking for a few more minutes before Gina stood up, "I've got to get going. I'm supposed to meet some friends in a few minutes..." But before she left, she grinned, "It was nice meeting you."

Jordan sighed and turned his attention back to the food in front of him, a little disappointed that Gina was gone. She had been pretty cute, but he had to remind himself that he wasn't exactly a babe magnet anymore. In fact, he doubted that there'd be many good looking girls who 'd want him as anything other than a friend from now on. It was just another thing to depress him about his change so he tried not to think about it.

While Jordan was eating, he went through his mental list of things to take care of, adding several new items that he hadn't really considered earlier. For one, he would have to go shopping for new clothes since nothing in his closet would fit him anymore. He grimaced at the very thought, not only because it would be expensive and he didn't have much money, but because he hated shopping. He didn't like going to the doctor's office either but that was another thing he would need to do. By the time he left the cafeteria, he was full but not in a very good mood.

After this, Jordan wasted no time in going to the administration building and informing the school officials about his change, as well as updating his records and getting a new student ID. To his relief, Alex had already told them about his changes so it took little effort to prove his identity. Jordan left the administration building with his business taken care of in less than half the time he had expected, which improved his mood a little.

"Clothes," Jordan muttered to himself as he looked at his new student ID. He grimaced at the picture before stuffing it into his pocket, "I'll need something to wear."

Jordan scowled as he made his way to a bus stop so he could catch a ride to the mall. He wasn't looking forward to this but knew that it had to be done, along with several other things. The only thing that kept him from screaming out in frustration was staying focused on the thins he needed to do, so he made sure to keep doing just that.

"Take things one step at a time," he told himself grimly, remembering everything he'd heard about the Bug and what people needed to do after an extreme change. They'd even gone over it back when he was in high school so he just had remember the steps and follow them. "It's not like I'm the first guy this ever happened to."

When Jordan arrived at the mall, he walked around for awhile, looking at the various women's clothing stores but wasn't able to bring himself to go inside. Finally, he grimaced, took a deep breath and marched straight into the largest one, going right for the nearest sales woman.

"I just got changed by the Bug I need some help," Jordan blurted out, feeling embarrassed but knowing that the best thing to do was just get it over with.

The sales woman was a middle aged lady who stared at him for a moment, her eyes especially lingering on his arms, then she smiled, "An anomaly... How wonderful. I've never seen an anomaly before. I bet you need some shirts that have room for your arms..."

"And other things," Jordan told her, biting back the bitterness. He took another breath, forcing himself to remain calm and reasonable. "I had an extreme change and need all new clothes." He looked at the floor, unable to meet her eyes as he admitted, "I'm really a guy...or at least I was."

"Oh," the sales woman responded in surprise, though she covered it up a moment later. "I'm sure we can help you. First, why don't we go get your measurements so we know what sizes to look for..."

Jordan patiently stood still and cooperated while the sales lady took his measurements, then she led him around the store, trying to help him decide what to get. This kind of attention was more than Jordan had expected and it made him somewhat uncomfortable. At the same time, he knew that this was exactly what he needed. The truth was, he had absolutely no idea about women's clothes and needed to be led around by the hand.

"Since you just changed sexes," the sales lady told Jordan as she led him to the lingerie department, "you're going to need some under things. I'd suggest several pairs of white bras and at least one black to start with."

"Okay," Jordan responded reluctantly, finding himself ushered into the dressing stall to try one on.

"If you need me to help you with that," she told him from the other side of the doorway, "just let me know."

"I'll manage," Jordan answered with a shake of his head. The woman had told him to put on a bra before having him go in, so he just remembered what she'd said and worked with it. It wasn't quite as easy as she'd made it sound, but he managed to get it on. Unfortunately, he found it somewhat uncomfortable, though she assured him it was a good fit. "How can women stand to wear these things all the time?" he muttered to himself, knowing that he was going to be able to find out first hand.

"Good," the sales woman nodded relief once Jordan had proven his ability to wear the bras, "I had been a little afraid your extra arms would make fitting you more difficult. You just have to be careful about which ones you get is all."

Jordan was thankful when they finally left the lingerie section and were able to start looking at more normal clothes. He quickly found several pairs of pants, including one tight pair of jeans. He felt a bit embarrassed about getting those, but he liked looking at girls in a nice tight pair so hadn't been able to resist getting one for himself.

"And it's not like I'm getting a skirt or dress," Jordan told himself defensively.

Next they went and looked at shirts, which was somewhat more difficult for Jordan due to his extra arms. He looked at some of the shirts that didn't have much side or back to them, but most of those were just a little sexier than he was comfortable with. T shirts would have been much more to his taste, but most of those didn't come with room for his new appendages. Even the sales lady was beginning to get frustrated as they searched.

"You know," the sales lady finally said, "There's a good cleaners just down the street and they do a lot of alterations. I bet you could get them to alter just about any of these shirts for your extra arms..."

Jordan thought about it for a moment and then nodded. He quickly chose two shirts he could wear right away and a half dozen more than would need some alteration to fit comfortably. Unfortunately, he knew that he'd need a new coat as well, but that could wait for just a little longer.

By the time Jordan was done, he had a cart nearly full of clothing, including a new pair of tennis shoes that fit better than the ones Alex had found for him. He winced as item after item was rung up, thinking of how little he could actually afford. Then with a sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the emergency credit card his parents had given him. They'd told him to use it only in case of emergencies, but he couldn't think of anything that qualified more than this.

"Mom and dad are going to kill me when they get the bill," Jordan muttered to himself as he left the store with his purchases. He shook his head, knowing that it would probably get even worse since his new body had other needs he would need to take care of as well. "Catching the damn Bug sure is expensive..."

Jordan looked at all the bags he was carrying and shook his head, hardly able to believe how much he'd just bought. He'd never bought so much at one time while shopping in his life, though he knew he would still need a lot more clothing as well as other things. This would do for the moment though, and he still had countless other things he needed to take care of. In fact, he still had to catch up on everything he'd missed in his classes during the last week as well.

"Just great," Jordan groaned to himself as the mental list grew longer and longer, "I'll never get it all done." But after taking a deep breath, he continued on his way, knowing that he still had a lot to do and that it wouldn't get done on it's own.

The Anomaly
Part 2 of 4
By Morpheus

Jordan sat at his desk, carefully focusing on the wooden blocks set up before him. He grabbed a different shaped block with each of his four hands, then carefully stacked them on top of each other so they wouldn't topple. Once this was done, he began removing the blocks one at a time, using a different hand for each.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alex asked after watching him for several minutes. "You're like a little kid with those things."

"The doctor gave them to me yesterday," Jordan muttered self-consciously. "He told me to practice doing this so I can get used to using my new arms." Then he sarcastically added, "He said it would help me with my coordination."

Alex just watched him for a minute before chuckling, "You still look like a little kid."

Jordan glared at Alex, then raised his hands to flip him off with four fingers at once. "See, I'm getting better at using them..."

Alex laughed, then stared at Jordan with a strange look. It took Jordan a moment to recognize the look in his eyes and realize that his roommate was checking him out. "What?" Alex asked when Jordan glared at him.

"Nothing," Jordan snapped in annoyance. Having his roommate and friend look at him like that was just creepy.

"Anyway," Alex said, quickly changing the subject, "You've been up and about for a couple days now, so have you caught up on all your work yet?"

"Not yet," Jordan admitted, glancing to the small stack of papers on the corner of his desk. "I've been working my ass off to keep up. Thankfully, Professor McGlaughlan is giving me a lot of extra time to catch up."

"Lucky you," Alex grinned, "Or not. So, what's it like?" Jordan didn't need to ask what Alex meant.

"Kind of freaky," Jordan admitted. "I mean, I feel so different. I'm shorter, weaker, and I've got these extra arms that seem to get in the way more than anything else. As for being a girl, I'm trying hard not to think about it. So far at least, that part isn't quite as different as I would have thought. I mean, I've got to sit down to piss and all that, but most of the time I don't even really think about it. The weirdest part is having the extra arms. Every time I go to grab something, I end up having two hands reaching for it. At least these stupid blocks are helping with that."

"What about class?" Alex asked, "Everyone's got to be staring at you..."

"Yeah," Jordan sighed, "I get a lot of weird looks, but so far everyone's been sort of cool with it. I mean, just about everyone catches the Bug and you can't control what it does to you. No one's messed with me about this," he gestured down at himself, "Not even that jerk Jay. I guess they're all afraid of karma or something. Maybe they figure that if they mess with me they might be next on the extreme Bug makeover list."

Alex nodded, "I know what you mean. When the Bug gave me slant eyes, only a couple guys really gave me any shit about it. Then again, you're an anomaly, and that makes you sort of a celebrity."

"Or a freak," Jordan pointed out. "I overheard a few people calling me that when they didn't think I could hear. And you should see the looks I got at the gym." He shook his head sadly, "I can't even lift a quarter of what I used to... I think half of them were snickering at me behind my back while the other half just pitied me."

"You're taking it pretty well," Alex pointed out.

Jordan snorted, "Like I have much choice. I don't like it, but what the hell can I do? It's not like I can ask the Bug to change me back or anything. My dad always told me, if you can't do anything about a problem you should face it like a man until you can."

"Yeah," Alex snickered, "Face it like a man."

Jordan gave him the four hand flip-off again, "At least I didn't start crying about my changes."

"You promised not to say anything about that," Alex snapped.

"My fingers were crossed," Jordan grinned back, holding up all four hands with his fingers crossed on each.

A minute later, Jordan put down the blocks, tired of playing around with them like a little kid. He glanced over at his homework and winced, knowing he should get to work on that but not feeling like it. After a moment, he decided that a little walk would help him clear his head...and give him an excuse to postpone his homework a little longer.

Jordan made his way to one of the main campus common areas, then paused when he saw Gina sitting at a table and reading something. He hesitated a moment, reminding himself that she wouldn't be interested in him, then he went over to say hi anyway.

"How's it going?" Jordan asked Gina with a smile.

"Oh, hey." Gina grinned at him, "I was wondering what happened to you." She looked him over for a moment, her eyes especially lingering on his shirt, "Wow, you had it customized..."

"Um...yeah," Jordan fingered his sleeves, "I had the openings widened so both my arms could fit through. It's a lot more comfortable than trying to stuff them both through a normal opening."

Gina nodded, "That kind of thing must be expensive."

Jordan nodded at that, "Yeah...especially since I have to alter just about every shirt I buy. My folks are gonna kill me when they get the credit card bill."

Gina burst out laughing at that, "Wow, you really sound like a natural woman now. I don't know how many times I've said the same thing."

"It's not like I like shopping or anything," Jordan responded defensively. "I just had to get some clothes that fit."

Gina laughed even harder at that, then teased, "Sure you don't... I bet all your denial only covers up the heart of a true shopaholic."

"Definitely not," Jordan grinned back.

"So, other than the horrible chore of shopping," Gina teased, "how have things been going for you?"

Jordan shrugged, "All right I guess..."

"Just all right?" Gina asked skeptically. "I mean, you've had a sex change and grew a new pair of arms. I wouldn't think that would be easy to deal with."

"It has it's problems," Jordan admitted, not wanting to sound as though he were whining. "I've got to get new clothes, get used to all this, and catch up in my classes. It's a real pain in the ass..."

Gina just nodded and encouraged Jordan to go in more detail. He hadn't meant to tell her about his problems, but he found it quite easy to confide in her and describe the things he had been going through. It was a bit embarrassing to admit some of them, such as the awkwardness of walking into the men's bathroom by mistake or going into the women's for the first time. Neither seemed quite right anymore as he obviously wasn't a guy anymore on the outside, but he still felt like one inside.

"You'll get used to it eventually," she reassured him once he was done. "Even my brother got used to it after awhile. You just need to give it some time."

"I know," Jordan sighed. "But the truth is, in some ways I don't want to get used to it. I mean, it would be like giving up on who I am and becoming someone else entirely."

Gina just sat there, not sure what to say. She hesitantly offered, "Everyone changes, whether they want to or not." Then she abruptly stood up, "Come on. I bet if you experienced some of the good things about being a girl you might feel a little better about being one."

"What do you have in mind?" Jordan asked suspiciously. He was trying to adjust to his new body, but there were limitations.

"You'll see," she grinned, grabbing one of his arms and pulling him after her.

After Gina had taken Jordan to her car, she drove him a few blocks away, stopping right in front of a beauty parlor. He stared at the sign, then gave her an incredulous look, exclaiming, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Give it a chance," Gina pleaded, "When you look your best, you feel your best. Besides, you're hair's a mess and it looks like you've got split ends. You need a haircut anyway so why not pamper yourself while you're at it? It'll be my treat."

Jordan wanted to argue but he couldn't deny her reasoning. He did need a haircut and had thought so himself at least a dozen times since coming out of the Bug, usually when he was washing it or having it get in his way. He looked at Gina's hopeful face, then let out a sigh of surrender. "All right..."

Once they stepped inside the shop, one of the women who worked there stopped to stare at Jordan's hair and give it a look of distaste. "She just got through the Bug and it made her hair grow like crazy," Gina quickly explained, which made the woman smile politely and become much friendlier. "Take good care of her."

"You have nice long hair," the woman told Jordan, "And it's got such great texture."

"Um...thanks," Jordan responded, not sure how to take that compliment. "Can you cut it to about here?" He held his hands at what he thought would be a more manageable length.

"You'll be cutting off eight inches," Gina gasped in surprise, "I'd kill for hair that long."

"It's too much hair for me," Jordan told her with a scowl, "It keeps getting in my face and in the way. I figure that it'll be much easier to deal with if it's only shoulder length. It's not like I'm getting it cut real short or anything."

Gina seemed a little bothered that Jordan would willingly get rid of so much length from his hair, but the woman who worked there had little problem with it. She quickly went to work, washing his hair out with some special shampoos and then cutting it to a more manageable length. Only then did she go to work doing something just a little fancier with it.

Jordan struggled to be patient while the woman took care of his hair, and he thought he was doing a good job. But when Gina asked for him to have both a manicure and pedicure included in his care, he groaned, not sure how much more he could take. Still, he did his best to play along since Gina was going out of her way to be nice to him.

The whole experience took longer than Jordan would have expected, but once it was done, he had to admit that some of the pampering had been almost nice. He admired his new haircut in the mirror, thinking that it looked a little more feminine and sexy than he would have chosen, but that it looked very nice with his new face. Then he held up his hands and wiggled all twenty of his fingers, each of which was now perfectly manicured and painted.

"It feels kind of weird," he admitted to Gina, feeling self-conscious. "But I guess it looks really nice." He just wasn't completely sure that he wanted to look nice, but it was too late now and it wouldn't hurt to try it out for awhile and see if it grew on him.

While Jordan was busy examining his new manicure and wiggling his now painted toes, Gina began to argue with the woman who had done the work. The salon had charged her for two manicures, which she hadn't been expecting.

"It says you charge manicures by the person," Gina said, keeping her voice under control, "not by the hand. And you have to admit that you only gave a manicure to one person..."

"But they did do twice the work," Jordan told her quietly, feeling a bit awkward with the situation. He thought it was only fair that the salon get paid for the extra work they'd done for him because of his extra hands, but Gina was the one paying for it not him.

A few minutes later, the argument was settled with Gina paying for only a single manicure. It had been surprisingly easy to get them to drop the second manicure from the bill once she pointed out that they'd be able to brag about doing a manicure on an anomaly. The only downside was that Jordan had to pose for a picture they could hang on the wall, which he thought was a small price to pay.

"Thanks a lot," Jordan told Gina sincerely when they finally left. He wiggled his fingers and chuckled, "I never would have imagined that I'd be wearing nail polish...or at least that I'd put it on willingly. I always figured that if I ever had any on my nails, it would be because I lost a bet or someone took advantage of me being drunk and passed out."

Gina laughed at that, "I think that it's better getting it this way, don't you?"

"I guess," Jordan grinned back. "It does make me feel sort of girlie though and I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"Well it's too late now," Gina stuck her tongue out at him, "And I'd better not catch you biting your nails or ruining them after what I had to pay..."

"I won't," Jordan rolled his eyes. "I promised you I'd give them a chance and I will." That promise satisfied Gina, but a moment later, Jordan gulped. "Oh shit."

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking a little worried.

Jordan held all twenty of his fingers up before his face and stared at them. "Alex," he groaned, "My roommate is going to tease me mercilessly about this. I'll never hear the end of it."
Gina just laughed at the and teased, "It's the price you have to pay for being beautiful."
"Great," Jordan shook his head, though he was smiling as he did so. "Just great..."

--------------------

Jordan sat back his chair, feet on the coffee table while he simultaneously watched TV and looked at the grade on his returned history paper. It wasn't nearly as good as he had hoped, but he'd been a little too distracted to give it his full attention. Considering the circumstances, he decided he was fairly pleased. After all, at least he'd passed which was the important thing.

Alex came through the door and paused to look at Jordan, giving him a thumbs up and exclaiming, "Looking good babe."

"Fuck you," Jordan responded, giving Alex the four handed finger, something which he'd done quite frequently since coming out of his Burke's induced transformation two weeks earlier. In fact, this had become something of a ritual for them.

Jordan frowned, thinking yet again about changing his living arrangements. The housing office had offered to move him into a different room since he'd changed genders and they didn't think it would be appropriate for him and Alex to still be together. So far though, he'd put off any decision about moving until things settled down a little more. After all, he and Alex shared the common areas but each had their own separate bedroom so it wasn't that big a deal.

Alex went to the fridge and pulled out a Red Bull, then came and settled down in the broken down recliner he'd long ago claimed as his. "So," he mused after taking a long gulp, "You hear about the big party this Saturday?"

"Yeah," Jordan nodded, "I'm not sure if I'm going yet. You know how wild they can get. I don't want some guy getting drunk and trying to grope me."

"You prefer to be the one doing the groping, eh?" Alex laughed.

"Damn straight," Jordan grinned back. "And with these," he held up all four of his hands and winked, "I can do a lot of groping."

"Including yourself," Alex chuckled, "It almost makes me jealous."

Jordan shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV, tossing his history paper behind him and grabbing the remote control. He absently wondered if he could work four remotes at the same time, though it wouldn't matter as he only had the one TV. Alex sat back and watched as well, not caring what was on only that something was.

It was just a few minutes later when the phone began to ring. Neither of them bothered to get it, waiting for the other to do so. Finally Alex grabbed it, being the closest. He listened to it for a moment before turning to Jordan, "It's for you."

Jordan frowned slightly, wondering who it could be. About the only one he could think of was Gina, who he'd been spending some time with lately. However, when he took the phone, he was horrified to recognize the voice on the other end. It was the one person he wanted to avoid talking to the most.

"Hi dad," he said nervously. Jordan hadn't talked to his parents since a few days before he'd caught the Bug, so he hadn't gotten around to telling them about his changes. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to avoid doing that. Unfortunately, he couldn't delay that news any longer. "Yes, I know I don't sound like me but I am. I caught the Bug..."

Alex just stared at Jordan for a moment and snickered, doing so even harder as he listened to Jordan's conversation with his dad. Jordan hadn't wanted to tell his parents about his sex change, knowing that it wouldn't be easy. His dad took it a little better than he would have expected, but that didn't make the conversation any easier.

When Jordan hung up the phone a half hour later, he let out a long sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's over," he muttered. "I'm just not looking forward to the next time I go home..."

"I know what you mean," Alex chuckled. "My folks didn't even recognize me the fist time they saw me like this, and I didn't change as much as you did."

"My mom wants me to get an alter name," Jordan groaned, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "She wants me to start using Jennifer. It's what she would have named me if I'd been born a girl. I don't think she's happy that I'm sticking with Jordan."

"What about your dad?" Alex asked.

Jordan was silent for a moment before sighing, "He's not happy about it and almost sounds as if he thinks I intentionally turned out like this. My mom on the other hand almost seems happy. I think she always wanted a daughter. I am NOT looking forward to going home..."

"I kind of wish I could be there to see it," Alex snickered. "I mean, from what you've told me about your dad, he sounds pretty macho."

"Yeah," Jordan sighed. "Ex military and all that."

"I wouldn't want to be you," Alex grinned. "For one, like having my johnson too much..."
Jordan flipped him off again, this time using only his two right hands. Then he got up, "I need to go get some air."

With a shake of his head, Jordan left the room and made his way outside. He didn't have a particular destination in mind as he walked across campus. He noticed some people looking at him, staring at his extra arms. He even noticed a few guys looking at him for another reason entirely, though he shrugged it off. After several weeks, he was beginning to get the knack of pretending that he didn't even notice.

After a few minutes, Jordan found himself in a large common area that many of the students referred to as the park. It was a pleasant grassy area with a few trees and several benches. The park was a popular place to sit back and study in peace, or to just hang around and goof off when you didn't have anything better to do. At the moment, it was the perfect place for Jordan to sit down and just think.

Jordan remained where he was, leaning back in a bench and watching the people who went past. Most were other students, but there were a few professors as well. He liked to watch people at times, especially cute girls of which there were many. Unfortunately, he was well aware of the fact that most of them no longer had any interest in him at all. Being able to walk into the women's locker room any time he wanted was kind of cool, but he could have done without the price he paid for that.

Just as Jordan was getting so relaxed that his eyes began to droop, he suddenly realized that someone was coming towards him. He turned and saw a very pretty girl with short red hair, one that he immediately recognized. After all, they had been dating for several months, at least until she dumped him for another guy.

"Kate," Jordan said cautiously, not sure if she'd know about his change or not. Since she was walking straight towards him, he suspected she did, though he couldn't imagine why she'd want to talk to him.

Kate stopped just a few feet away from Jordan, staring at him with a hesitant expression. "Jordan?" she finally asked, sounding as though she wasn't sure. "Is that really you?"

For a brief moment, Jordan thought of telling her no, of pretending that he had no idea who she was. It was an amusing idea, but he shrugged it off and cautiously responded, "Yeah." He gestured down at himself and gave a self-conscious smile, "As you can see, I've gone through some changes."

"I heard," Kate said, looking almost nervous for a moment.

Jordan waited for a moment, then asked, "What's up?" He watched her suspiciously, trying not to seem too hostile.

"I wanted to see if you were all right," Kate said, though Jordan didn't quite believe her. "I mean, this must be hard on you."

"I'll survive," Jordan shrugged, sure that she had another reason for coming over.

Kate stared at him for a moment, a dark gleam in her eyes that she quickly hid. For a moment, Jordan almost thought that she looked jealous of him somehow. Of course, he knew that was completely ridiculous.

"Have you started liking boys?" she asked, a faint edge in her voice as she watched him with something hidden in her eyes.

Jordan stared back. "Why are you really here?"

"What do you mean?" Kate demanded defensively. "I come over here to offer my sympathy..."

"No," Jordan shook his head, beginning to get angry, "You didn't seem very sympathetic after I caught you screwing another guy. In fact, if I remember right, you screamed at me and acted like I was the one who'd cheated on you. I mean, that is what you told your friends. So why are you here now?"

Kate glared at him with a look of undisguised hostility, reminding him again of the night they'd broken up. She could get viscous when angry, a fact he'd found out after she'd broken every CD he owned in half. He hadn't even been sure why she'd been so pissed at him when she was the one who'd done the screwing around.

"So, have you changed sides completely?" Kate sneered. "Do you like guys now?"

"That's none of your fucking business," Jordan snapped back, fighting the urge to strangle the bitch.

"I knew it," Kate exclaimed both triumphantly and angrily at the same time. "You do like guys now."

"That's not...," Jordan started to protest.

But Kate continued, "Greg said he thought you were really cute, especially with those freaky arms... But if I catch you near my new boyfriend, I'll cut off your tits."

"WHAT?" Jordan gasped, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.

"You heard me you freak bitch," Kate snarled menacingly, "You better stay away from my boyfriend...or ELSE." With that, she turned around and stormed off, leaving Jordan to stare at her in disbelief.

"She's a total psycho," he gasped, as though he hadn't realized it before. Of course, having her accuse him of trying to steal her new boyfriend was something that he never would have expected. He had absolutely no interest in the guy and had probably never even met him in the first place. "Like I'd really start chasing guys just because the Bug turned me into a chick." He shook his head, "She's fucking nuts."

Jordan stared after Kate for a moment, wondering how he could have ever dated her. Of course, she'd been damn cute, a lot of fun to be with, and great in bed. He hadn't realized that she was a complete and total psycho until she decided to end their relationship in such a final way. Not only had she been the one to cheat on him, but she'd also been the one to say they were through...after she'd gone through a destructive rampage in his dorm room to make sure he got the point.

After a minute, Jordan shook his head, deciding that it wasn't worth dwelling on. He'd never figure out Kate or how her mind worked, nor did he think he wanted to. Still, how could she have gotten the idea that he'd ever be interested in her boyfriend, even if his body had changed? It didn't make no sense, which was part and parcel for Kate.

Instead of worrying about his crazy ex-girlfriend, Jordan decided that it might be a better use of his time to go talk to Gina instead. She was nice, fun to be around, and a girl who made sense. In fact, if he could change just one thing about her, he'd make her into a lesbian since there was no way she'd be attracted to him as he was. As it was, he'd just have to settle for being friends.

The Anomaly
Part 3 of 4
By Morpheus

Jordan smiled faintly as he stood beside Alex, both of them staring at the house in front of them. The party was already going on and the music was so loud they could almost feel pressing against their skin like a physical force. This was definitely going to be a wild party, of that they had no doubt.

"Thanks for coming as my date," Alex grinned to Jordan.

"I'm not your fucking date," he snapped back, flipping his roommate off with three of his hands while his forth still held a paper with the address on it. "We just happened to be going from the same place to going to the same place."

"It seems like a date to me," Alex winked, earning a scowl from Jordan. He laughed, then hurried into the house, leaving Jordan behind.

"Little bastard," Jordan muttered, shaking his head in annoyance. But after a moment, he grinned and went to join the party himself.

It was loud inside, so much so that Jordan couldn't hear a thing other than the music and a faint hum of raw noise and talk in the background. He didn't care though since this was a party and it was supposed to be noisy. In fact, he remembered his last party like this when he'd had his ears ringing for three days afterwards. The noise had been so bad that it dwarved the last concert he'd been too. And though this party was loud, it didn't quite measure up to then.

Besides the noise, there was also a lot of alcohol going around. Jordan knew that at least half the people present were under 21, but that had never been a real problem before and he doubted it would be this time. After all, everyone knew that a real party had to have the booze flowing.

Jordan just walked around and watched for a little while before he accepted a beer from someone and began to move with the music. He didn't really consider it dancing since he just bobbed around, but it was close enough to pass in a party like this and no one else cared. He grinned as he looked around, watching some of the real women who were dancing around and becoming uninhibited.

"Great scenery," he grinned to himself lecherously.

As Jordan looked around, he saw two girls talking to each other in the corner, recognizing them as Melissa and Claire. He didn't know either of them very well, but he knew a little about them. Melissa was extremely busty, looking as though she were a stripper or might fall over for being too top heavy at any moment. Just a year earlier, she'd been on the small side, though not quite flat-chested. The Bug had given her a boob job that no surgeon could match.

Claire on the other hand, was now tall, skinny and flat as a board, looking nearly anorexic. He frowned at the sight, feeling a bit sorry for her since she used to be one of the hottest girls on campus before the Bug got to her. The two young ladies had been changed in nearly opposite ways from the virus, so Jordan wasn't sure if it was appropriate or ironic that they'd be talking to each other at the party.

He looked around, trying to see if he could find Alex anywhere, but he couldn't see where his roommate had gone. A minute later, Jordan saw him talking to a petite Asian girl and decided not to bother him. Alex seemed to be having a good time and Jordan didn't want to get in his way or give that girl the wrong idea about them.

Jordan found his way to several girls he knew from one of his classes and was in the middle of talking to them when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, startled to see a boy he didn't recognize standing there. The other boy was tall and athletic, with the kind of looks most girls found attractive but did nothing for Jordan.

The newcomer gave Jordan a nervous smile and said, "Hey, that must have hurt."

"What?" Jordan blinked, wondering if the boy was talking about his transformation or the growing extra arms.

"When you fell out of heaven," the boy finished, making Jordan groan and feel a little sick to his stomach as he recognized the old line.

"I'm not interested," Jordan snapped in annoyance, suddenly wondering if he'd annoyed girls that much when he'd been flirting with them. He hoped not because it was pretty damn embarrassing.

The boy shrugged, "I just wanted to tell you that you're pretty nice looking. You're really exotic..." His eyes went to Jordan's arms.

"Thanks," Jordan responded sarcastically, noticing that the girl's he'd just been talking to had backed away and were snickering at this.

Jordan started to turn away from the boy when suddenly a girl's voice screamed, "YOU BITCH!"

"What the hell?" Jordan snapped around, shocked to see Kate charging straight at him with a furious expression on her face.

"You bitch," Kate screamed as she threw herself at Jordan, "I warned you not to mess with Greg..."

"Greg?" Jordan gasped, trying to block Kate's vicious attacks and glancing at the guy who'd been flirting with him at the same time. He gulped as he realized exactly who this annoying pest was. "I wasn't..."

But Kate wasn't in any mood for words or reason. She just attacked Jordan even more viscously, lashing out with her arms to slap him, scratch him and punch him as much as she could. He frantically blocked her attacks, noticing from the corner of his eye that Greg was actually amused by this. He probably thought it was great that two women were fighting over him.

"I'll teach you to try stealing my boyfriend," Kate snarled, "I can't believe you'd try getting even with me like this..."

"I'm not," Jordan tried protesting again, but it did little good as one of Kate's punches got past his defenses and hit him straight in the cheek.

Jordan was getting tired of this and more than a little pissed. Who the hell did Kate think she was accusing him like this? After all, she was the one who had a history of screwing other people over, not him. He glared at her furiously, wanting to strangle her scrawny little neck except that the years of conditioning prevented him from doing so. His dad had always impressed on him that a man NEVER hits a girl. Then Jordan paused in realization. With a quick glance down at himself, he realized that limitation no longer applied to him. And with a broad grin, he did what he'd been dreaming about since catching Kate with another guy...he punched her in the face as hard as he could.

Kate went sprawling backwards, quickly getting back to her feet and exclaiming, "You hit me," as though surprised. She probably hadn't expected him to hit her back since he'd never done so before, even though she loved doing that to him whenever she was upset at him for any reason. In hindsight, he should have realized that this was a good indication their relationship wouldn't work out.

As soon as Kate was back on her feet, she launched herself for another attack. And even though nearly everyone in the room had stood back to make room for them, no one made a move to stop her. Instead, most seemed to be grinning, laughing or even taking bets. Jordan didn't have time to worry about them though as he had to deal with his psycho ex-girlfriend.

This time, Jordan found Kate a little easier to deal with since he was prepared for her attack. There was also the fact that he had four hands to work with while she had only the two. He used two of his arms to block, and then to grab hold of hers while used his other two to punch her and hold her tight, eventually throwing her to the floor.

"I have nothing to do with him," Jordan nearly yelled at Kate as he shoved her to the floor, "I don't want anything to do with either him or you, you psycho bitch."

Kate started to scream and yell threats as she stared at Jordan with a look of near fear in her eyes, realizing that this time he would not only fight back but that he was more than capable of doing so. Around this time, someone finally decided to step in. A couple of guys grabbed Kate and started pushing her towards the door. She fought it for just a moment before pulling away from them and rushing out of the party on her own.

"Very impressive," Greg said, apparently not concerned that Jordan had just been fighting his girlfriend. "I think you deserve a reward..." He winked at Jordan, nearly making Jordan sick to his stomach.

"The only reward I want," Jordan glared at him, "is for you to get the fuck away from me."

He glared at Greg even harder, blaming him for the encounter with Kate. At the same time though, Jordan couldn't help but enjoying the irony of Kate's boyfriend trying to cheat on her this way, not that it made it much easier to deal with this pest.

"You don't need to be like that," Greg wheedled, making Jordan wonder if this guy had some sort of fetish for women with extra limbs. He just wouldn't let it go.

Jordan took a step towards Greg, his eyes narrowing. "I used to have a pair of balls so I know exactly what it feels like to be kicked there," he said threateningly, "And if you don't leave me alone, I won't feel any guilt about doing it to you."

Greg gulped and stepped back, his eyes darting towards Jordan's looks. He took another look at Jordan, finally realizing that he wasn't just playing hard to get but that he seriously wasn't interested. Greg frowned in disappointment, his eyes lingering on Jordan's arms for a moment longer before darting quickly back to his legs. After a moment of indecision, Greg finally turned and hurried away, trying to keep as much dignity as he could

"Finally," Jordan muttered, shaking his head.

"Man, that was one great show," Alex said as he came over, slapping a hand on Jordan's shoulder.

Jordan glared at him, "I wasn't trying to entertain you."

Alex just laughed, "That's what made it so great."

Jordan glared at him again, giving him the one fingered salute with four hands, or the four fingered salute as he had come to think of it, then announced, "I need another beer...or two."

When Jordan left the party a few hours later, he was more than a little tipsy and had to lean on Alex for support. He'd never gotten so drunk or giggly from so little beer, but he'd never been so small either. Jordan hadn't considered the fact that he'd been transformed by the Burke's Virus, he'd lost a lot of body mass and tolerance for alcohol with it.

"You know," Jordan grinned foolishly when they reached their dorm room, "I think I'm drunk..."

"Really?" Alex grinned back in mock surprise, "I hadn't noticed."

"Yep," Jordan nodded proudly, "I'm tot...totally shit-faced."

Alex nodded, being somewhat drunk himself. He stared at Jordan for a moment with an appreciative look, then exclaimed, "You know...for a guy you make a good looking girl."

"Jus...just beer goggles," Jordan laughed. Then he couldn't resist making a sexy pose, or at least the best he could in his unstable state. Still, it was enough to make Alex stare even more intently. "Yeah...I'm real sexy..."

Jordan just plopped down in his chair while Alex continued to watch him for a moment, fantasies beginning to run through his mind. "Have you thought about doing it with a guy yet?" Alex asked after a few minutes, half teasing him, "I mean, you've got to be curious..."

"Curious?" Jordan blinked, then laughed self-consciously. "A little... Fingering myself like this feels REALLY Good." Then he paused, his eyes going wide as he realized what he'd just said, "I shouldn't have said that..."

"Man," Alex shook his head, "Think of the possibilities... You've got the chance to actually see what it's like from both sides."

"Yeah," Jordan nodded agreement, thinking about Alex said and becoming more curious by the moment. Then on impulse, he suggested, "Let's do it..."

"What?" Alex asked in surprise, sure that Jordan was just joking.

However, Jordan was both serious and stubborn, and now that he'd made up his mind he was determined to see what sex was like from the other side. "Let's do it," he whispered, standing up and moving closer to Alex. He tried to look sexy and seductive, which didn't quite work out in his drunken state.

"You're just drunk," Alex protested, suddenly feeling nervous. However, as he stared at Jordan, his body began to respond.

"Yeah," Jordan agreed, "And you like me." He pointed to the bulge in Alex's crotch. "C'mon...I wanna try it out. C'mon...be a buddy..."

Alex had never been one to turn down an opportunity, especially not when a girl was involved. He quickly gave in to Jordan's suggestions and began to do what he normally did with a girl, putting the identity of this particular one out of his mind and focusing entirely on what came naturally.

Jordan didn't really find Alex very attractive or interesting, but when he touched his body, it began to respond almost eagerly. Images of sexy girls ran through Jordan's mind, helping him overcome the mental image of who it was that was actually touching him. Whoever was touching him, he knew without a doubt that it felt pretty good. He was soon completely lost in exploring his new body in ways he never would have even considered had he still been even halfway sober.

--------------------

Jordan awoke with a pounding in his head and a strong feeling of nausea. He winced at the hangover and brought four hands to his head in order to stop the world from spinning. It was all he could do to keep from turning over and emptying his stomach, though he somehow managed to do it.

"I'll never drink again," he muttered, making the same pledge that many college students made in the throes of a bad hangover but somehow never managed to keep. He himself had made this very promise before and now regretted not keeping it. "I feel like crap."

After a minute, Jordan sat up and looked around, finally noticing that there was someone else in bed beside him. He blinked in confusion, then gasped in horror as he recognized his roommate Alex. It was only then that the flood of memories from the previous night flooded through his head, reminding him of what he'd done.

"Oh shit," he scrambled out of the bed, falling out and hitting his knee painfully on the floor.
Jordan's mad scramble awoke Alex who looked around blankly, "What...?"

For a moment, Jordan just stood there, staring silently at Alex as he remembered what they'd done together the night before. He'd done things that he NEVER thought he'd do with a guy, much less with his friend. But he had done them and he couldn't deny it, though he certainly wanted to. And even worse, he'd enjoyed them at the time. The very thought made his nausea rise even more and he turned and rushed to the bathroom, just barely making it to the toilet in time.

Once Jordan had finished emptying his stomach, he nervously went into the living room where Alex sat, staring at him with a strange expression on his face. Alex shook his head as though having a hard time believing that they really did have sex the night before, then he stared at Jordan with a strange and hesitant expression.

"Oh God," Jordan started to say, then paused to realize that he was still naked. He blushed a bright red and rushed into his room to grab some clothes. He took his time dressing, not sure if he could face Alex yet but refusing to run away and hide like he wanted to. After he was ready, he went back into the living room and winced, "About last night..."

"Um...yeah," Alex blushed, unable to look at Jordan.

Jordan grimaced, not sure of what to say or how to say it. He wasn't even sure what he felt, other than that it had been a HUGE mistake. "God I was drunk..." He thought that this was a good start, pointing out that he hadn't been in his right mind. Of course he NEVER would have done anything like that if he hadn't been completely drunk.

"This is kind of awkward," Alex admitted with a weak smile, earning a glare from Jordan.

"You think?" Jordan spat out sarcastically. Then he took a deep breath, "I can't believe I...that we..."

"It was good though," Alex grinned, looking just a little smug for a moment until another glare from Jordan caused him to wince slightly.

For a moment, Jordan just stood there staring at Alex, his mind whirling with emotions. He felt nauseated as he thought of what they'd done and sick to his stomach, but at the same time, he couldn't deny that it had felt good. That only made it all the worst. Jordan wanted to yell at Alex, to accuse Alex of taking advantage of him while he was drunk, though he knew the truth. He had been perfectly willing the night before and had certainly been no victim, even if that would have been a comforting excuse.

Jordan clenched his fists, feeling nails digging into four palms at once. "Damn," he spat out, shaking from the swirling mass of emotions and the hangover he still possessed. "I can't deal with this now...." He wanted to get away from Alex and would have just locked himself inside his room but Alex would still be on the other side of the door. Because of that, Jordan turned and stormed out of the dorm, leaving a somewhat confused Alex behind him.

"Wait," Alex called, but Jordan ignored him and kept going. Alex stopped at the door, getting the hint and not following.

"Damn," Jordan grimaced, pausing to curse his hangover before continuing again. He didn't know where he was going to go, especially not when he felt like shit both physically and emotionally, but he knew he had to get away from Alex and clear his head some.

Jordan didn't have any specific destination in mind so just wandered around the campus for several hours, glaring at everyone who came close to him and feeling better for sharing his foul mood. He considered the old saying about misery loving company and decided that there was definitely some truth in it. Now if he could only make Alex feel miserable, he'd feel much better.

Eventually though, Jordan returned to his dorm room, not having anywhere else to go. He paused at the door and took a deep breath, still not wanting to face Alex. But to his relief, once he went in he found that he was the only one there.

"It looks like Alex went to clear his mind too," Jordan muttered to himself.

Jordan sat down and shook his head, quickly regretting that he had done so. His hangover had improved but hadn't gone away entirely. He cursed, then went and got himself some Excederine and a glass of orange juice from the fridge, hoping that this would help things. He just wished that he'd thought to do this before leaving.

"It could be worse," Jordan told himself without much conviction.

As Jordan sat there nursing his headache and considering his options, he realized that he had to move of the dorm room. After this incident, there was no way he and Alex could continue to live in the same room. That thought filled Jordan with sadness since it was one more thing about his life he was being forced to change because of the Burkes Virus.

"Stupid Bug," he grumbled, cursing the existence of the virus which could so completely change a persons life. "I wish they'd hurry up and find a vaccine for it or something."

Jordan scowled, wishing he didn't have to move since it would be such a pain in the ass, but he couldn't stay with Alex. Not now. With a sigh, he made the necessary phone call to campus administration to get things started, then began to carefully pack his belongings. He wouldn't be able to move into his new dorm room immediately, but having most of his things packed would make it faster once the paperwork went through.

When Alex eventually returned several hours later, he stared at Jordan for a moment with a blank look before asking, "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Jordan responded as he tossed some of his belongings into a box, purposely not looking at Alex, "I'm packing."

"Is this because of last night?" Alex asked in surprise.

Jordan turned to glare at Alex, "What do you think?"

Alex looked a bit uncertain as he responded, "But I kind of thought..."

"What?" Jordan snapped, "That we'd become fuck buddies? Friends with a little bonus?"

Alex didn't answer. He didn't have to since the answer was clear on his face. As much as Jordan didn't want to admit it, he knew that if their situations were reversed he might even be thinking the same thing.

"Well, forget it," Jordan grimaced, pausing to take a deep breath and stay calm. He silently reminded himself that this wasn't all Alex's fault and it wasn't right to take it out on him. After a moment, he continued a little more quietly, "In spite of these," he gestured to his breasts, "I'm still a guy up here." Then he tapped the side of his head.

"But last night," Alex began to smirk, then quickly hid it as he realized it was the wrong time for that expression

"Last night I was drunk," Jordan said as flatly as he could. "I was curious and drunk." He shook his head, "I still can't believe I did it either..."

Alex scowled, seeming offended by Jordan's statements, "You sure weren't complaining then."

Jordan glared at his roommate with a look that made him nervously step back. "Look," Jordan said, hoping this incident wouldn't destroy their friendship but not counting on it. "I was drunk and curious. I wanted to see if I'd like it as a girl. And as much as I hate to admit it, it felt good. But the truth is that you don't do anything for me. In spite of what happened, I'm still into girls not guys. This whole thing is just too weird..."

"We can forget it ever happened," Alex offered quietly.

"Yeah," Jordan nodded without any conviction. "But still can't stay here anymore."

"I guess," Alex agreed without much conviction.

Alex stared at Jordan for a moment as he obviously remembered their time together the night before. Then he turned and went into his own room without another word, leaving Jordan to continue packing with some degree of privacy. Jordan only hoped that their friendship could be salvaged, though he wouldn't count on it. Even if it could be, things could NEVER be like they had been.

The Anomaly
Part 4 of 4
By Morpheus

Jordan slowly walked around his new dorm room, looking at every corner as he absently rubbed the golden figurine in his hand. The figurine was actually a small statue of a football player, a trophy from high school when his team had gone to the state championships. It was one of his prized possessions, a reminder of his athletic accomplishments and the football glory that was now lost to him. Ever since his transformation, that little reminder somehow seemed even more important since there was no chance of him ever earning another trophy like it.

"Maybe I could go for a ping pong trophy," Jordan looked down at his four arms and chuckled to himself. He'd become coordinated enough with his new arms that it wouldn't be a problem playing the game, though he couldn't be sure he was any better than he used to be with just his two arms. "I bet most people would freak out if I walk up to the table with a paddle in each hand."

Jordan shook his head, amused by the idea of trying out for other sports where his extra arms might be an advantage, though he knew it was just a dream. First, most of the sports he was really interested in like football and wrestling were set up for guys to play, and unfortunately, he no longer fit in that category. And of course, he suspected that even if he did find something he liked, they probably wouldn't allow him to play since the extra arms might be considered an unfair advantage or something.

Jordan set his trophy down on a book shelf and let out a sigh. He turned his thoughts away from that and admired his trophy. It had been a full week since he'd started moving into his new dorm room and he had finally set out the last of his personal possessions. That final touch somehow made the room seem more his own.

"Home sweet home," Jordan mused, "And to think, I don't even have a roommate..."

Of course, Jordan knew that the reason he didn't have a new roommate yet was because the administration people couldn't decide if he should share with a guy or a girl. In the end, Jordan suspected that he'd either end up sharing with a gay guy or one who used to be a girl. Either way would solve the problem that he'd had with Alex.

"Damn him," Jordan grumbled.

He hadn't spoken to Alex in over a week, or at least not really talked. Sure, they said hi when they walked past each other, but nothing more. It wasn't exactly that they were avoiding each other but it was close.

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Jordan considered aloud, then shook it off. Things were still a bit too awkward between them for that and the idea was somewhat embarrassing. "Maybe I should just go talk to Gina."

Jordan considered going to see Gina for a minute and decided that it was a good idea. He'd been so busy moving into his new dorm that he'd barely seen her at all during the last week. It was definitely about time that he went and said 'hi' again if nothing else.

"Maybe I can even talk her into becoming my new roommate," he chuckled with amusement, kind of liking the idea but knowing that it probably wouldn't happen.

After a minute, Jordan left his room and started towards Gina's place. It didn't take him long to get there and when she opened the door he found that she'd been busy studying. Or at least that was her claim since he noticed some marks that resembled a keyboard on one of her cheeks, indicating that she'd probably fallen asleep while at her computer.

"Come on in," Gina told Jordan, completely unaware of the keyboard marks on her face. He decided not to say anything since he didn't want to embarrass her, though he was tempted.

"So how's the studying going?" Jordan asked, gesturing to the mess that covered Gina's desk.
She let out a sigh, "Slow. I'm only half finished with that huge history paper and it's due Thursday."

"Ugh," Jordan gave an exaggerated grimace. "I know how it is. I've got an economics paper coming due and I haven't even started it."

Gina nodded, "So, have you finished moving into your new dorm?"

"I finished the final touches this morning," he responded with a weak chuckle. "It was a real hemorrhoid..."

"Hemorrhoid?" Gina blinked blankly.

Jordan grinned, "A royal pain in the ass."

Gina groaned, "Didn't Alex help you?"

"No," Jordan responded, going quiet. He hadn't told Gina about why he had moved into a new room so she didn't know about the problems the two of them were having. "Alex and I...we aren't exactly talking right now."

"Why not?" Gina joked, "Did you turn him down for a date or something?"

Jordan was silent for a moment, not sure how to answer. He finally sighed, "Not quite... It's...complicated..."

"Oh?" Gina responded, staring him with increased interest. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Jordan told her quickly, hoping to change the subject. "Just forget about it..."

"Oh no you don't," Gina said, her eyes narrowing. "You can't get me interested and then not tell me. What happened?"

"Nothing," Jordan told her again, getting a disbelieving look.

"I'm not going to stop asking until you tell me," she told him in a half teasing tone.

"I slept with him," Jordan finally burst out, blushing horribly. Gina gasped and he couldn't look at her as he rushed to explain, "I got really drunk at that big party and the next thing I know..."

"He raped you?" Gina gasped, sounding shocked and horrified.

"No," Jordan said quietly, still unable to look her in the eyes. "It might be easier if he had. Then at least I could say it wasn't my fault or anything. I just got drunk and curious..."

Gina stared at him for a moment, then gave a careful, "Oh..."

"I'm not into guys or anything," Jordan quickly added. "It's just I was curious and drunk and...." He shook his head, "Damn, I don't even know what happened."

"Wow," Gina blinked, shaking her head as though having a hard time absorbing this. After a minute, she asked, "Did you enjoy it? I mean, it's got to be different for you since you used to be a guy..."

"It was different all right," Jordan admitted, "And not too bad. It was actually kind of nice, but it still felt...wrong. In spite of that, I'm not attracted to him or any guy for that matter. It sure as hell isn't gonna happen again."

Gina was silent again as though trying to think of what to say, then she abruptly asked, "Did you...did you use protection?"

"Protection?" Jordan froze, a chill running through his blood. "No..."

"What?" Gina demanded, "Are you stupid? Are you trying to get pregnant?"

"What?" Jordan gasped, "I...I...I..."

"The doctor did say you were fully female and could get pregnant now," Gina reminded him unnecessarily.

"I didn't think about it," Jordan gulped, "I was drunk..."

"How could you forget something like that?" Gina demanded. Then she grabbed one of Jordan's arms and pulled him towards the door, "Come on... We've got to get you a test to make sure you're not..."

Jordan was horrified at the thought that he might have gotten pregnant and could barely breath or do anything other than numbly follow Gina. Thoughts and fears rushed through his mind, a hundred times worse than they had been when he'd woken up beside Alex and realized what he'd done. This was worse...much worse. He knew that this fear was something normal women dealt with all the time, but he was different... He shouldn't have to face this kind of a problem since he was really a guy inside.

"I guess this just proves yet again that I'm not," he muttered grimly to himself, feeling the structure of his old self-image and identity crumbling even further. It had taken quite a beating lately and he wasn't sure how much more it could withstand before being destroyed entirely. If knew that if he actually did turn out to be pregnant, that could very well be it. "I'm not what I was... I'm not who I was." He hated this fact but couldn't deny that it was the truth.

Jordan was nearly in a panic by the time they reached the store though Gina remained calm and collected. It was all she could do not to slap some sense into him, though instead she remained patient, having dealt with other friends who had faced the same problem. She grabbed the pregnancy test kit from the shelf and promptly went straight to the checkout.

"What if I am pregnant?" Jordan asked himself fearfully. How could he possibly tell Alex? Even worse...how could he tell his parents? He shuddered at the thought, deciding that conversation would be a fate worse than death. "Dad will kill me..."

"Would you cut that out," Gina told Jordan once they returned to her dorm room, "It won't do any good to keep freaking out..."

"But I can't be pregnant," Jordan tried convincing himself even more than her, "I mean, I'm really a guy inside..."

Gina raised an eyebrow, then responded, "I don't think Alex would agree..."

Jordan glared back at her, "That's low..."

"Just take a deep breath and try to calm down," Gina said, "At least you'll know in a little while. I had one friend who had to wait two weeks without knowing before she could bring herself to get a test."

Jordan grumbled, not feeling at all comforted by that. "Can we just get this over with."

"Sure," Gina opened up the pregnancy test, having the directions snatched out of her hands by Jordan. "I guess it's pretty simple to figure out. You know where the bathroom is."

Jordan hurried to the bathroom, looking through the directions and muttering, "Disgusting... You'd think there'd be a better way..."

"Like what?" Gina forced a smile, "A pregnancy thermometer?"

"Or maybe a breathalyzer," Jordan joked back to hide his uneasiness.

Jordan went into the bathroom and followed the instructions, peeing onto some sort of test strip and then waiting to see if it would change colors. He was impatient, not taking his eyes off the strip, his heart racing as he counted down the time. When the strip didn't change color after several minutes, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm safe," he exclaimed in delight. "I'm not pregnant."

"All right," Gina smiled at him in relief. "You really had me worried there."

"YOU were worried?" Jordan gasped, "How do you think I feel?"

Gina shrugged, "Just don't do that again. I mean, use protection or birth control next time..."
"There is NOT going to be a next time," Jordan insisted firmly. "Once with a guy was more than enough. From now on, I am a sworn lesbian."

Gina just laughed, "I've thought about becoming one myself after my last boyfriend, but I like boys too much." Then she sighed, "I hope you don't mind, but now that the emergency is over I have to get back to my paper..." She gave Jordan an apologetic look.

"Thanks," Jordan told her sincerely, "I was really freaking out. I mean, I never would have thought..." He shook his head, not sure how to put it all in words. Fortunately, he didn't have to as Gina just gave him a knowing smile. "I guess I'll let you get back to work then. See you later..."

"Later," Jordan told her as he left the room.

Once Jordan stepped outside, he paused to let out a sigh, letting the feeling of immense relief wash over him. He'd only really been worried about the possibility of being pregnant for a pretty short time but it had been a very stressful short time. He shuddered at the thought of what he would have done, of what would have happened to him if he had been pregnant due to that one time.

"One time is all it takes," he told himself gravely, swearing to never let himself get into that kind of situation again.

Then Jordan's thoughts turned to Gina and he smiled, thankful for her friendship. He felt a twinge of disappointment as he realized that he'd never be able to take it to the next level, that they'd never be able to become more than just friends like he imagined. Gina herself had said just a few minutes earlier that she liked boys too much for that. As much as Jordan hated to admit it, as far as Gina was concerned he really was a girl and he didn't want to risk their friendship by trying to change her mind...if he ever could.

"Sad but true," he sighed, looking down at his body and knowing that no boy could ever go through the kind of fear he'd just had. He now had the same problems as the billions of women in the world who'd been born female. "Born female or not...it's what I am now...at least physically. I just have a more interesting story than most."

Jordan continued walking to his dorm, musing about everything that had happened to him and unable to get the thought of his life being a story out of his mind. He chuckled at the idea, realizing that if his life had been some kind of story than things would be going very different for him.

"If this was a story," Jordan snorted, "I'd probably be pregnant right now and suddenly looking forward to being a mother." Then he snorted even more loudly, "Or not."

If his life actually were some kind of fictional story, Jordan thought, then after having sex with Alex he probably would have realized that he loved having sex as a woman, that he loved being one and that he suddenly loved his friend as well. In fact, the two of them probably would have ended up as a real couple rather than just a very awkward one night stand. At the very least, he and Alex would have become even closer friends because of the experience instead of barely talking to each other.

In a story, Jordan's confrontation with Kate would have settled things between them once and for all. He would have been able to get some resolution and finally put their past behind him where it belonged. But the truth was he still hated that slimy bitch and she was still a royal pain in the ass. After their fight, she'd avoided coming at him directly but had instead turned to spreading nasty rumors about him around campus. There was no doubt that he was going to keep having problems with Kate for some time to come.

And then there was Gina. In a story she would have just revealed that she was secretly a lesbian...or at least bisexual and that she was extremely attracted to him. They would have become red hot passionate lovers. That would have been an ending that he'd love, but it obviously wasn't going to happen. Gina was straight and nothing he said or did was going to change that.

"Things would be a lot different if this was a story," Jordan sighed. "Too bad this is real life."

Real life wasn't like a story where everything was nice, neat and made perfect sense by the end of the last chapter. In real life, there was no happy ending. Real life isn't all neatly tied up in the end but just keeps going and going...lose ends and all.

Jordan paused in his walking in order to hold all four of his hands out in front of him. They were all nice and feminine with manicured nails. His eyes shifted to his chest, to the two nicely shaped breasts which he now called his own. Then Jordan shook his head and continued on his way, sighing, "Real life is a LOT stranger than fiction."

THE END