aamirastories

[aamirastories]

Part 11

Back with Ammy again! Enjoy!

Ammy

May 4th, 2033. 16:00

“Are you sure you can manage that weight?”, a male voice said behind me. I turned to face him. Clearly someone who worked out, tall, wide shouldered and muscles rippling from head to toe. As I look up at his face, a smirk is plastered across it.

“Do I know you?”, I replied, looking up at him as my hand grasped the weight on the rack.

“You don’t, but I don’t want you breaking yourself lifting that weight honey.”, he said, the word ‘honey’ laced with connotations of inadequacy. My inadequacy.

I let go of the weight and stood less than a foot away from him. I was 5’, he was at least 6’.

“Maybe someone of your – ability –“, I said, my words hinting at exactly how inappropriate his opinions were right now, “- should go play somewhere else?”

He was taken slightly aback, as he looked me up and down. I was wearing a sports bra and loose tracksuit bottoms. Though I was not ashamed of being transexual, it wasn’t as if I wanted to broadcast it. I remembered I did that once and I had to move gyms after an unfortunate night with a rough guy and his wife. Oh how that echoed through my life it seemed.

“I’ll put it simply,”, I added. “Fuck off.”

With that, he turned and left, thinking he had won. I didn’t care. This was my time to release pent up tension I always had. 

An unfortunate result of my hormone replacement had been the abundance of hormones cursing through my body. And my only outlet unfortunately was sex, or until later I found, and was very much thankful for, was exercise. It had the fortunate side effect of endorphins, and a body I was proud of. For no-one but myself.

I lifted the weight once again, sitting at the bench beside it and beginning some arm curls. I looked in the mirror as I did, ensuring my form was good whilst giving me a chance to watch out for any other unintended social encounters that might come my way.

I swapped arms. My form was still good, so I sat up. Time to up the weight it seems. I looked at the rack but couldn’t find the weights I wanted, and the heavier ones would be too much for me at this stage – though I could probably lift them, my form would be bad and I would likely injure myself if I tried. I scanned the room and couldn’t see them lying anywhere but I did see a cable machine. It would do.

I stood up, returned the weights to the rack and settled my back on the machine. Two hand pulls either side were attached to weights, to allow independent lifting. Once I had figured out the system it employed, I lay down and set an appropriate weight, before doing two pulls. Too light. I added some more weight and found it good. I counted the reps in my head. 1. 2. 3. I had a comfortable rhythm and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander. 

Today had been a good day. The visit to the pharmacy was both simple, straightforward and rewarding - both in the monetary means and meeting someone who I felt I connected with. It was rare I made new friends, my spare time spent at the gym or my more unfortunate pursuits. I took a short break to pull my joggers away from my hip and saw the bruise still there, still sore to touch. I grasped the handle of the weight machine once again and continued my exercise. 4. 5.

As I started my 6th rep, I pulled down and heard metal on metal before my left hand was pulled rapidly upwards, causing me to scream as I flew off the bench. My instinct was to let go, and doing so caused me to fall, banging my head off the bench as I landed painfully on the floor. My vision went clouded immediately, and stars flooded into view.

As I lay on the floor, I slowly started to drift back into reality, when a male voice approached me. Oh not this asshole again.

“Fuck off, I’m fine”, I said, staring up at the ceiling, expecting his smirked expression to come into view at any moment.

“Sorry if I offended you”, the voice replied but it sounded different, definitely not local – more of a British tone to it. I turned to see its source. I saw a younger man, in his early 30s I had guessed, dressed in a baggy grey t-shirt and shorts, and he was kneeling in front of me, supporting my head.

“Sorry..”, I said, wincing in pain, placing my hand to my head in an effort to stop the world spinning, a deep throbbing in my shoulder.

“It’s okay, we all react like that with pain.”, he replied.

“It’s not that – sorry.”, I said, and tried to sit up, clenching my eyes shut.

“Sloooowly”, he said, supporting me head, a hand under my upper arm. His grip was firm – I needed that right now - I did not know which way was up or down right now.

I opened my eyes once more, and smiled.

“Thank you”, I said.

“It’s no problem.”, he replied. “Do me a favour, squeeze my hand.”

I squeezed his hand, more tightly than I realised.

“WOW, okay yes that’s fine.”, he said, clearly a little in pain.

“Oh… sorry”, I replied, and smiled, him returning it.

He knelt up a little, checking the rest of my head, running his hands delicately over it, before checking them. As he did so, I looked into his eyes. A grey-blue, a kindness behind them I barely witnessed in guys I had met before. In my experience, being this close to - anyone - usually meant I was being used for something. This was different though, and it made me smile more before I caught myself as he spoke.

“No blood so I don’t think you’ve done any more damage than a nasty knock. How is your vision?”, he asked. My vision was clearer now, the spinning slowing and his eyes were no longer fuzzy. 

“Much better now, thank you.”, I said, feeling myself flush. I could count on one hand the guys that had been nice to me in the past year. With fingers left to spare.

I went to stand up, and he held me back down again – not forcefully, but deliberately and supportively.

“Woah – no standing up yet. I’ll sit with you for a little bit. Don’t rush into this okay?”, he said. I smiled at him. The movement upwards, albeit small, had made my head spin a little so I conceded to his request.

“Okay – well as we’re down here a while – can I ask your name?”, I asked.

“Mark”, he replied. “And yours?”

“Aamira, but my friends call me Ammy.” I was immediately surprised at myself. I never introduced myself as Ammy unless I felt comfortable with someone. Maybe I was woozy. But this guy I truly saw, in this moment at least, as someone supportive to me. A luxury I was rarely afforded.

“Ammy – a really nice name”, he replied.

He spoke about the accident, as he recalled what he saw. I spoke to him about the guy previously who tried to instruct me on weight – he laughed and said I could have probably lifted more than he could anyways. I chuckled back and, as with the entire conversation, smiled. Around 15 minutes had passed, and he looked at the clock.

“Okay, let’s try and get you to stand up again.”, he asked, and held me supportively while I lifted myself up. I tried on my left arm first before my shoulder reminded me that it had been tested enough today already. I winced in pain.

“Ah yes, we need to get that looked at”, he said, noticing my reaction and I switched to my right arm. He helped me up and I was finally able to see him better.

He was toned, not muscly, around 5’4, fair complexion and dark brown, short hair, with little facial hair, mostly stubble.

He tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt and it ripped, as he took a large length of fabric from the entire circumference of the t-shirt. I was taken aback.

“What are you doing?”, I asked, alarmingly.

“Hold on”, he replied, and had a length of fabric which he tied around my neck, before placing my left arm through it.

“There,” he added, “that’ll help you support it. Please ice it when you get home, keep it supported and try to sleep off of it if you can. Take some anti-inflammatories. If you don’t have any, I have some in my car. Speaking of which. How are you getting home?”

I gestured down the street with my other hand.

“I walk here – I live about 500m down there.”, I replied.

“I’ll drive you”, he insisted and she smiled at him.

“Fine – you’re the boss!”, I replied, “that’s very kind of you, thank you.” I added, and went to pick up my bag. He held my hand for a moment before taking the bag himself.

“No you don’t, I’ve got this. Come, follow me.”

I followed him into the parking lot, him remaining beside me the whole time, looking over his shoulder to ensure I was okay offering support when I needed it, while we recalled the entire jarring event that had just taken place. I was in shock when I heard how quickly it happened, and scolded myself for being so clumsy, which he was quick to correct.

As we rounded the corner, he tapped his keys and his car responded with a double flash of its headlights. A true gentleman, he held the door open for me as I stepped in. I smiled at him, a genuine smile, appreciative of the gesture as I would have found it awkward to step into the car alone, his SUV requiring me to climb due to my shorter stature.

He climbed in and started the car.

“Are you comfortable? Seat okay for you?”, he asked. It was. The car was incredibly comfortable and the seat fitted me perfectly.

“Yes, thank you”, I replied, and he smiled and faced away from me to navigate the car out of the space. A few minutes later, we were out on the road, headed for my apartment.

“You’ll have to let me know the directions – I’m not too familiar with this part of the city.”, he said, and I pointed to his NavMap on the dashboard where my apartment was, and he plotted a route for it. The machine had a soft female voice, instructing him where to go.

“In 200m, turn right”, it requested. Since the improvement of AI, voice patterns such as this were completely natural and indistinguishable from the real thing.

Thankful of the heavy build up of traffic in the short distance to my apartment, and the friendly company, I looked out to the city around me and couldn’t help but talk about it. The people in it may have discarded me but the city itself would always support me. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”, I said, casting my eyes out to the colours in the city now the sun had set.

“It is, so colourful. I could get lost in it for hours.”, he replied. I looked at him briefly and smiled at that. It almost felt we were both connected to the city. As I cast my eye out I noticed my street approaching, the landmarks becoming recognisable.

“Just here on the right will be fine”, I said, and he came to a gentle stop in front of my apartment. He stepped out, opening the door for me, and assisting me down, the drop seemingly larger this time around. He took my bag out of the rear seats, and walked towards my apartment complex, locking the car behind him.

He held the door open for me, and I nodded now more playfully as if he was a concierge assisting a guest into a hotel. He responded equally, nodding his head and then smiling back at me. We headed into the elevator, I pushed the button for my floor and we headed upwards.

“I can’t thank you enough for today”, I said to him, “if you hadn't been there, I don’t know what people would have done.”

“It worries me that I agree with you, so I am just glad I was there,” he replied.

The elevator arrived and we stepped out, and I led us both to my door, where I took my Glass out, tapping it against the door, it opening slightly in response, a ‘beep’ in acknowledgement.

“Goodnight, and thank you again”, I said. He held out his Glass.

“I’d like to keep in touch if that’s okay, to be sure to drop by if you need anything.”, he said, and I smiled.

“Of course, I’d be happy to exchange numbers!”, I replied. Was I too forward? Gosh – I’d hoped not. He smiled in response, and we tapped our Glass’s together, a positive ‘beep’ on both devices acknowledging the transfer of numbers.

I instinctively reached out one arm and he accepted the gesture, hugging me softly. He smelt of pinewood, and his embrace was warm and gentle. I sighed softly.

“Thank you, again,” I said, as we pulled away from each other, and he waved once before heading back down the hallway. I closed the door as I saw him go out of sight.

I sat on the bed and smiled widely. Looking down at my Glass, it had 2 notifications on it.

2 New Friends added. Mark Foster, Jennie Segoya.

I was bruised, and somewhat broken, but today had been a good day. The best day in a long while.

[aamirastories]

Part 10

More science now! I really wanted to make the science of this intriguing and thought-provoking, so feedback on these parts particularly is always appreciated!

The Scientists

September 20th, 2024

Two hydrogen atoms and their almost unbreakable bond with an oxygen atom. Billions upon billions making up one molecule. Wandering its way through its partners, loosely attracted but still somewhat, aimlessly swirling through the small dish it was sat in.

Suddenly more molecules of another element join it, sliding out of the syringe and landing amongst these molecules. Adjacent molecules shake violently, and suddenly break apart, isolating their individual parts. They spin aimlessly, not reacting but wanting to be complete again. It sees its neighbours, spinning too, all of them screaming out to become complete again. But it wants nothing here. Nothing will complete it here. It spins. It spins.

A small tuft of grass is placed amongst it. Suddenly Element X has a goal. It knows what it needs to complete itself. It latches onto its new friend. It churns amongst its molecules, breaking them apart and latching on to the new spaces left behind. It is happy now. It is complete. It wants nothing more. Water and this new element, now forming something new, something complete - more complete than before.

—

“See that?”, Laura said, watching the grass through the electron microscope. At the surface of the grass, its structure was being destroyed at the atomic level and substituted with this new element, Element X. They really needed to find a name for it. They all submitted names for it, based upon their own names. Laura wanted it to be called ‘Lauranite’ - to no avail. She wouldn’t be the one to have that achievement, it seemed.

“Fascinating isn’t it? Not only is it reacting, it’s almost churning the surface of it off. But if we just place some deionised water containing Element X –“, Andy said, before tailing off, grabbing a syringe of deionised water from an adjacent table.

He had another dish with a blade of grass in, applying deionised water mixed with Element X, and they watched as it lay on the surface, inert.

“Fascinating isn’t it?”, Laura added, watching the two screens intently and the differing interactions they each displayed.

Prior to this, they had been asked to test on a multitude of other elements, with none having any reaction other than this. Somehow, on a level so far unknown to them, this was reacting with vegetation only.

“How much did you add?”, Laura asked Andy.

“Only about 1ml of it. I don’t want to waste the sample we have.”, he replied.

She took another look in the microscope.

“Is it – creating more of itself? Are the component parts able to form fuller versions of themselves? As ELEMENTS?!” She tailed off. Elements should be able to make compounds, sure, but elements should not be able to, in themselves, multiply. That concept was something limited to organic things - cells, DNA, and such.

“It is!! Fascinating! Okay, we’ll leave this here overnight and see how it looks in a few hours.”

They closed the lid on the 2 dishes and left them, marked appropriately, on the desk before each grabbing their Glasses and heading to the canteen.

“Your round?” Laura said to Andy, and he looked at her and sighed.

“We’ve been here 2 years and you still make that joke. Sure, I’ll get you your free food but next time you buy me dinner!”, he replied and they both laughed.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Laura remarked, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and curiosity as she swallowed her bite. The sandwich was merely sustenance, but the real food for thought lay in their discovery.

Michael chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Your sandwich? I suppose it’s a culinary marvel to some – though I doubt cheese and ham hold the same allure for everyone as they do for you,” he teased, watching as her laughter filled the room, a sound far more delightful than the sterile silence of their lab.

“Idiot,” she shot back with a grin, the term of endearment bouncing between them as easily as their shared banter. “Not the sandwich, the element. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Do you think it’s a first for anyone?”

He leaned back, considering the weight of her question. “I don’t believe so, no. We’ve been instructed to keep our findings under wraps, classified to the highest degree. No duplicates, no leaks. Everything is stored securely on the central server.”

Their conversation drifted to the implications of their work, the potential changes it could bring, and the responsibility that rested on their shoulders. The sandwiches and water were forgotten, mere props in the unfolding drama of scientific discovery.

They finished their meals and proceeded back to the canteen an hour later.

“I guess we could check the samples now?”, Andy asked, and Laura nodded.

“Why not?”

They took off the lids and looked at them. No different.

“Pity. I was hoping for some fizzing grass or something. Oh well.”, Andy said.

Laura looked at him quizzically. “So you want it to rain with this stuff in the air and entire vegetation ecosystems to fizz away into nothing? Are you insane?”, she said playfully.

“Maybe not”, he said, as he thought about it more.

They placed the samples under the microscope. The deionised water sample remained inert. They moved their attention to the other dish. They both gasped.

“It’s EVERYWHERE”, Laura said. She was right. The element coated the grass, filled the water however to all intent and purposes, from the naked eye, it looked no different.

“We HAVE to make a note of this”, she said. 

She spent the next hour writing up notes, attaching pictures, recording microscope footage of the reaction, conducting more tests to ensure they weren’t a one-off until concluding that this was something that had already happened. 

They needed to know the impact this had on the entire world.

[aamirastories]

Part 9

We're back again with Ammy!

Ammy

May 4th, 2033

After pacing from my apartment, somewhat quickly to avoid missing my appointment, I arrived at the Pharmacy 20 minutes early. I looked across the street and saw a coffee shop. I had time.

It was almost 2pm, the sun already high above me and little shade was offered. Though I was accustomed to the climate and the height of summer hadn’t yet been reached, I, as well as many others, rarely spent time outside, preferring the comfort of AC inside.

I walked 20 or so metres up the street, before crossing over at a convenient crossing point. I looked to my right and saw a guy, young - mid 30s I’d say, sat in the drivers seat of a white sedan, long black hair in a pony tail, checking his phone and then looking up to yell at me. I couldn’t hear him but it didn’t take a qualified lip reader to tell what he was saying. “Hurry up!”. I rolled my eyes at him and continued walking before hearing the cars behind me continue their journeys, the faint humm of their electric motors almost silent against the backdrop of the city noise. I remember a time when all you would see were petrol or diesel-based vehicles but now everything was electric. They taxed so heavily on fuel that it was exclusively used for marine use, electric propulsion still in the testing phase there.

Inhaling deeply, I smelt the coffee shop as I got close, the aroma causing my eyes to shut and associate it with happiness and already I felt invigorated. Strolling to the outdoor counter, I was instantly appreciative of the shade.

“Americano please, almond milk, 1 sweetener.”, I asked the woman behind the counter.

“Name?” she replied, and I responded. “Ammy.”

She returned a smile and walked off out of view. I looked back towards the skyline. It was a cooler day today, a breeze in the air mostly obscured and distorted by the buildings surrounding the area, a discarded coffee cup dancing in circles near a group of tables a few metres away. I was mesmerised by it, imagining it would probably be stuck in that endless loop until the wind changed, stopped or someone picked it up. The latter was probably the least likely result.

“Your coffee, Ammy.”, the woman said and I heard her place the coffee behind me, bringing me out of my trance.

“Thank you”, I replied and took the cup, taking a sip. I smiled. It was delicious.

I turned to smile at her again and walked to the crossing again, devoid of traffic now, and made my way across the street towards the pharmacy, checking my Glass. 5 minutes. Perfect.

I opened the door and a console just inside the doorway, greeted me.

“Please scan your print in the indicated area.”

I did as instructed, and the console displayed my appointment. I accepted it and it directed me to the seating area. Following the route it described, I arrived in a room with another girl. She looked nervous and looked up at me, fidgeting with the handles of her bag in her hands.

“Hi!”, I said to her, adding a soft smile.

“Uh hi.”, she replied, looking nervous but with a small smile on her face, before looking down at her hands again.

“It’s okay, I’ve heard that it’s over so fast you won’t even know it’s happened!”, I added, and saw her shoulders drop slightly, glad of it.

“And you’ll be rewarded for it, so win-win, right? I think I’m going to consider using what I get on a pair of those shoes – they’re gorgeous! Where did you get them?” I further added, looking down at her red heeled shoes. Whilst the heel was not tall, they were a beautiful leather pair of heels, adorned subtly with small crystals, catching the small amount of natural lighting coming through the window.

Her shoulders dropped more, the smile widening.

“These? From the mall down the street – I actually only live a few hundred metres away. Wishful Steps I think the place is called, they are beautiful aren’t they?”

As I was about to answer, a woman arrived at the door, calling out the girls name.

“Good luck!” I said, and squeezed her hand gently, before adding, in a softer tone, “you’ll be fine, I promise” and her smile widened more still.

She left the room and I was alone, so I looked at the pamphlets around me.

“Vaping is cool? Is it cool when your lungs look like this?”, a graphic picture displayed below the caption. I knew this was a lie. I had seen true studies of peoples lungs who had vaped and knew that although a risk still, the risk was far far worse. To have lungs like that, you’d have to vape non stop all day for 200 years. Good luck to anyone who can manage to live that long in the first place.

A man arrived at the door.

“Aamira De Santo?”, he asked, and I smiled at him.

“Yes, that’s me.”, I replied, and he gestured towards the hallway. I took my Glass and followed him down the hall. The girl who I had previously met in the waiting room passed me and mouthed “Thank you” to me as we passed, and offered her Glass out. I tapped my Glass against hers and it registered the exchange of numbers. A friend. In the most unlikely of places.

I continued to follow my host and arrived at a small room, somewhat like a dentist's chair in the centre. The female nurse there gestured to the chair. Although she had a surgical mask on, I could see the smile in her eyes and returned it.

“Hi!”, I said, and she cocked her head slightly.

“If everyone was as happy as you who entered, my days would become far more enjoyable. Take a seat.”, she replied.

I sat in the chair, and the woman picked up a cotton swab before picking up a small brown glass bottle, before asking,

“Any allergies? Any medications you’re on? Aside from the obvious of course?”, she asked. She of course meant the concoction of medication involved with my hormone therapy. Whilst I considered myself fully transitioned, there was still a lifelong commitment involved but it was a small price to pay for being happier, in my body at least. The rest, no amount of medication could solve.

“Nothing, no.”, I replied. She applied the swab to the top of the bottle and tipped it, applying some of the liquid to it, before placing the bottle down and applying the swab to my left arm, about halfway up.

She picked up a small cylindrical device, with a tiny almost invisible needle at its tip and tapped 2 buttons on it, before holding it close.

“You’ll barely feel a thing.”, she said, and I saw the smile in her eyes once more, and nodded in response. She applied it, and it made a faint ‘hiss’ and beeped and she pulled it away.

“There, all done. Now can you scan your FC card here please?”, she said, and I took the card from my purse and tapped it against the machine she presented. It beeped in acknowledgement.

“Okay, thank you so very much for taking part in this study, your funds will be available to you in 3-5 working days but some people see them far sooner. But for now, please take care and it was lovely to meet you, Aamira!”, she said. 

I felt important to her, genuinely as her smile caused her eyes to twinkle once more. I was assisted off the chair and down the hall, and proceeded to leave the building.

I sighed as I left. That was so painless for the amount I had received. I’d have thought hormonal studies of transexual females wouldn’t have yielded important results to anyone but considering that it was all positives with the only negative being that experience, of which I had gained a friend, I had no issues at all with it and dismissed it as being in the right place at the right time.

I scanned my surroundings, getting my bearings and walked home, a smile on my face for the second time that day.

[aamirastories]

Part 8

Continuing Part 7...

The Doctor

April 4th, 2033. 2 seconds later.

Discarding the syringe into a tray, I put my hand to my forehead, rubbing it intently, shaking my head.

“SHIT. Another one. Which specimen was it?”, I asked, as the nurse to my side looked in horror at the man laying in front of us, lifeless.

“Uhh.. hold - on. Here, 1 - 6 - 3”, she replied, her voice and hands shaking, the words not coming easily, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

I composed myself, taking a deep breath.

“Begin proceedings for termination insurance and have the paperwork for me by tomorrow morning.”

I turned to face her, and put a hand on her shoulder, gently.

“I understand. I entirely understand. It doesn’t get any easier to witness this, I just wish there was a better way. Take the rest of the day. There are no more new patients until next week, so you have a chance to rest and think. Come and see me later or tomorrow if you wish, and we can discuss things.”

As she turned and looked back at me, I smiled softly at her. “You did well in noticing his BP rise early, we just need to work on the treatment some more.”

I took my Glass out, swiping to the Med App. I checked the statistics. 

100% failure rate. 60% mortality rate. 0% success rate.

I tabbed across to the Results tab, adding the entry ‘163’ and next to it ‘Unsuccessful’. The App was a sea of red entries. No successes yet though I could tell we were close. We needed more blood specimens, to determine how to counteract this - virus? Disease? I wasn’t sure how to categorise it properly myself.

Swiping across to the messaging tab, I found my colleague, Dr Foster.

Specimen 163 was unsuccessful. Please instruct the local pharmacies to widen their marketing to encourage more applicants so we can broaden the scope. We’re close. This specimen had a calculated 43% chance of success. We need to increase that. Call me later.

I put my Glass down, rubbing my eyes, before looking back to the Nurse.

“You can go home now, please. I’ll see you in the morning.”, and with that, she left, without a word.

[aamirastories]

Part 7

I won't give any comments about this. Enjoy though!

The Couple

April 4th, 2033

I looked over my left shoulder at the machine. The ‘beep’ from it occasionally cutting out the silence of this hallway. I was the only one here now. Other patients got wheeled out every few hours, but no new patients were turning up. I appreciated the silence, it gave me a chance to read.

I had been given my first dose of my treatment and all signs so far were looking good, from what I’d been told that morning at least, and I was glad now of some peace and quiet.

I looked back down at my book. Where was I? Oh yes. I read a few more pages, getting engrossed in the combat portion of this Fantasy Thriller I was reading, Many Woes. A fascinating book, it was set in the Wild West and had a loose thread of romance that I enjoyed, somewhat light heartedly. As I focused on the words and immersed myself in the writing, my vision hazed around the edges before disappearing. Strange.

I continued reading some more and it happened again. But stayed this time. The beeping of the machine behind that I could mentally block out before, was more rhythmic now, with the occasional double-beep that quickly became constant beeping. I looked over my shoulder again and my blood pressure had shot up, by almost 50%. I went to reach the button to my side but a nurse was already a few steps away, disconnecting the vitals machine, somewhat hurriedly, and wheeling me down the hall.

“What’s happening?” I asked her.

Her face look concerned, but she brought a smile, fake though it clearly was, to her face.

“Just the next stage of your treatment Sir”, she replied, and looked up again, concerned. 

I felt pins and needles in my toes and fingers. I wiggled them but as I did, a shooting pain came up my arms and legs.

“ARGH!” I yelled, scooting up the bed slightly and she looked back down at me, holding me down - not forcefully but in a controlled manner.

“Lay still”, she said, quite firmly, as to my other side, a Doctor joined.

“Blood pressure?”, he asked her.

“Up 50”, she replied.

“Sir?” he asked, looking down at me with that cool expression all Doctors have. I thought for a moment that all Doctors probably had to have this demeanor with patients and that it was all part of their training.

“..any tingling or pain at all?”, he added.

“Up my arms and legs when I… move my fingers and toes”, I replied.

He looked back up at the Nurse. “Go grab 30cc of Profestelerone and be ready to administer it instantly.”, he asked her and she rushed off out of sight while he continued to wheel me before shortly later, we arrived in a larger but empty operating room. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt the pins and needles slowly creeping but I dared not move.

The nurse arrived a minute or so later, with a syringe, a large needle at the end of it.

“Sir, this will hurt but it will save your life.”, he said to me, in a determined expression, contrasting entirely to his calm demeanor before.

SAVE MY LIFE?!

This statement went around in my head. I was here for fertility treatment and now I was on deaths door? I nodded. I needed to, I had no other choice.

He nodded to the nurse and she held me down forcefully, one hand just below my neck, and one in my abdomen. With one abrupt movement, he shoved the needle into my heart and injected it. I screamed out in pain. He pushed the plunger down and withdrew it, instantly grabbing a laser scalpel to seal the wound. I smelt burning skin but it paled in comparison to the pain in my chest. My vision became more cloudy, the pins and needles growing more steadily up my arms and legs until they reached my shoulders, my pelvis, to my abdomen and chest, and then.

Nothing.

[aamirastories]

Part 6

More science today! I'm always fascinated about science and this definitely features heavily in parts of the story. I'd love to know what everyone thinks about it!

The Scientists

September 16th, 2024

I gathered another handful of leaves, twigs and moss and placed it in another beaker, sealing the top tight. This wasn’t back breaking work, but at the age of 56 and close to retirement, all this bending down to pick up vegetation on the floor was starting to show in the noises I’d make when moving in any way, it seems.

I stood up, arched my back, attempting to stretch it and sighed. Looking up, the tapestry of colour of the forest started to show the shift to Autumn. Greens still tried to hang on for dear life in the yellows, oranges and red that begun to take over. The sun hinted through the canopy above, rays of light shining onto the carpet of the forest floor. My GPS location tracker beeped, and I looked down at the readout. I needed to take another air sample.

I pulled a cylindrical metal tube from my rucksack and unsealed the lid. It looked simple on the outside, silver aluminium, with a black band across the top, a screwed and sealed lid atop. At the base were small vents. I operated the red button at the side and it almost silently whirred to life. The unit beeped again, and I sealed the lid. It was designed to vacuum a certain volume of air in pre-designated areas, to analyse those samples later.

14 months ago, an asteroid burned up in the atmosphere roughly 1 mile away. To all intent and purposes, it was deemed that it did not have any effect on the planet. To a select few Government organisations, it was known that a cloud emanated from the explosion, dispersing in the area, and the meteorological forecasts had calculated that it would have ‘landed’, per-say, in this area, with a fallout estimated at about 1 mile in diameter. Our job was to collect samples of air and vegetation and analyse these for any elements that were not indigenous to the area.

My last tube was filled. I looked at the GPS again and it showed a route back to the van of about 1km in length. Not too bad. I ensured my bag was closed and secured, and that I had no empty beakers remaining.

After roughly 15 minutes, I arrived at the van, where my two colleagues were already processing their samples. They would do simple analysis under a microscope and then run an spectral analysis of the samples with more sophisticated equipment within the van.

“Anything yet?”, I asked them both.

The female scientist, Laura, a tall, blonde woman, with an infectiously friendly personality and someone whom I’d always got along well with, turned to answer me.

“Nothing yet. Still showing the same anomalies but there’s just not a good enough sample to analyse. Give me your bag and go grab a drink, I’ll add your samples to the rest.”, she replied, gesturing me to turn around and pulling the rucksack off my back.

I turned back to face her and she was smiling at me. “Go on!”, she added, and I returned the smile, walking to the passenger seat and taking out a flask of coffee, pouring out a cup.

I took a sip as I felt it warm my insides and smiled, closing my eyes. Whilst I wasn’t an avid coffee drinker, I appreciated a cup, and especially now. Whilst it wasn’t cold yet, the abundant shade here meant that we were affected by the lack of sun and the warmth it provided. “Hey Andy,” I asked my male colleague. A shorter, rounder man, with an abrupt tone about him, but whose heart was always in the right place, turned his head slightly towards me.

“..does coffee go ‘off’?” I added.

“Uh, not that I know of? That stuff stays good for ages, and I only bought it a few weeks ago.”, he replied.

I took another sip. “It’s okay, I’ll get used to it, probably a new batch.”

Laura sighed and took the beaker she was testing, sealing it and throwing it in the van.

“Hey!” I chimed in, “easy, what did it ever do to you?”

“Another useless sample. I swear they have us checking the wrong area. What was the first sample you took?”, she asked me.

“63”, I replied, “the one just to your left.”

She picked up the beaker, unsealed it and emptied the contents onto a tray, separating it into its component parts. She viewed them all under the microscope but gave no indication of seeing an anomaly. She put the branch, followed by the leaf into the spectrum analysis machine and got nothing significant. She threw the moss in and closed the lid, starting the machine up again. Amongst other peaks on the screen, relating to various chemical elements, a much larger spike was seen to the far right hand side.

“THAT’S IT!”, she exclaimed. She moved the cursor to the peak and a readout at the bottom said “ERR: Out of Range.”

The other two scientists huddled behind her. “Out of range?”, Andy said, tapping the readout with his finger. “So this element is heavier?”

Laura typed in a few commands into the terminal and the peak was isolated, allowing them to take a better look at specifics.

“Actually, it’s just heavier than Carbon. It should be unstable here – look at the composition, it’s able to readily react with Oxygen however none of our air samples showed anything. So why is this one so different?”

She pulled the tray closer, and took another clump of the moss.

“This is wet. Were the other samples wet?”, she said, moving it between her fingers, water draining out of it.

They took the other samples of moss and felt them. Dry.

She took the moss out, adding it to a separate beaker and adding a red label to it, that read “Sample 1 – Essential” and jotted ‘moss’ below it in a marker pen. She proceeded to grab another sample of wet branch, and a wet leaf and analyse them again. No peak. No sign of the anomaly.

She looked through the other new samples, until she found more wet moss, and tested a small portion of each of the samples, each producing the peak. Each producing the same information.

“Seems this stuff reacts with water and some other element I can’t isolate. Quite strongly too. To not give a peak on anything else is bizarre. We’ll take this back to the lab and run some tests on it. We’ll head back now, we have what we need here. And we need to find out when it’s raining so we can collect some more samples, potentially.”Great. I hated the rain. Especially trudging through the forests in the rain. I did love the science behind the job though – for that, I would be willing to put up with the misery that went along with it.

[aamirastories]

Part 5

We're back again with Ammy! Thank you to anyone who reads and enjoys this!

Ammy

May 4th, 2033

Ouch. My eyes opened, albeit slowly as sunlight streamed through my window. As I rolled onto my back, I was quickly reminded of the previous night, my hip a sore memory. I pulled off the sheet and saw a bruise start to develop. I dismissed it as quickly as I had seen it – it hadn’t been the first time I had gotten this kind of treatment and I’m sure it wouldn’t be the last.

I switched on the TV, flicking through the channels.

“Tensions between Oman and…”

*click*

“And now, for $1000, what is the third element in…”

*click*

“Fertility is within your reach with F..”

I switched the TV off. I stretched, and as the sheet fell around me, the breeze from the AC made my skin instantly come up in goosebumps,  hastily throwing it back around me again. I gathered it up around me and stood up, stepping towards the window. Tucked away in one of the few quiet corners of the bustling heart of Dubai, my apartment was my cosy sanctuary. From my bed, nestled in an alcove, it offered a clear view of the entire living space. The kitchenette – one stove top, a few counters, a small fridge with its own freezer compartment, a microwave and a coffee machine - all of the essentials. All of my essentials, certainly. Coffee was becoming rarer these days and hence more expensive, but it was an extravagance I didn’t mind. I needed it. Especially today. The bathroom was nestled in the opposite corner, with its own shower but no bath. And how I would love to have a bath, to soak my soreness away and be lost in it.

As I looked outside, cars were moving through the city, the traffic building as it grew closer to noon. I had slept in, my sleep interrupted through the night by the bruise on my hip and the headache I still needed to take care of. My scalp roared and as I brought my hand up to my head, the memories rushed back, and I slumped to the ground. I closed my eyes trying to shut those images out but alas, my mind betrayed me. The girl seemed lovely; she was genuinely enjoying it. I was, however, used. I blinked a tear from my eye and looked outside again. Today, as any other, was a new day. I stood up, walked over to my bedside cabinet and picked up my Glass, looking at my schedule for the day.

14:00 – Pharmacy

16:00 – Gym

Not a lot planned today. Thankfully. I was tempted to skip the Gym, but I needed to feel good about myself. Since I began working out 10 years ago, I’d been proud of my body. I put a hand to my belly and felt my abdomen. I was getting a 4-pack. I wasn’t too concerned with getting a 6 pack or being particularly muscly – I aimed much more for a toned physique, but I was proud of what I had achieved. Self-pride was what kept me from going to darker places.

I dropped the sheet, put some briefs on, put on a simple top and jeans and grabbed my Glass. I needed to head out to get some new coffee pods and milk and now would be the quietest time to head there as most of the commuters in the city would be purely focused on getting to work. Slipping into my shoes, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I turned, locked the door and spun around, ready to head to the elevator before a figure stood in front of me, a clear 5 or so inches taller than me.

“Rent, when is it coming? You only have a week!”, the male in front of me abruptly said. This was my landlord, a broad shouldered man casting a long shadow that engulfed me entirely. His eyes were sharp and scrutinising, his voice deep and resonant, each word carefully enunciated to emphasise the seriousness of his request. He had an air of intimidation surrounding him.

“I’ll have it for you soon I promise, I won’t be late again!”, I replied, giving him a soft and genuine smile before aiming to head around him. He sidestepped, standing in front of me once more, blocking my escape entirely.

“If you’re late again, I’ll find a new tenant. This is your last warning, okay?”, he added, looking me up and down.

His words trailed off into a murmur, "If you weren't—well. Mmhh," he taunted, the smirk on his face stretching into a sneer that seemed to echo in the tense silence. What a vile creature he was. If I wasn't what? Different? Transexual? The urge to press his smug expression against the cold, unyielding wall surged within me, a primal call to action. Yet, restraint prevailed; I quelled the tempest inside. After all, where would I flee? The world outside was just as unwelcoming, almost entirely devoid of confidants or sanctuary. 

 “Please let me go, I’ll get your money”, I replied, and forced my way past him and down the hallway. I looked over my shoulder and he was gone. I pushed the button on the elevator, the *ding* of the elevator almost startling me, my entire body on edge. The doors opened straight away. Finally, some luck. I headed inside, pushed ‘G’ and headed down, watching him walk away from me as the doors closed.

I stepped outside into the street, the wall of heat hitting me. It was late Spring, and the temperatures were already building. I figured at least in the late 30s in terms of temperature. I headed down the street and tried to smile at people heading past me. No-one made eye contact with me, they just stared straight past me, so I put my head down and kept walking, mentally walking through what had just happened, and what I needed to do today.

A few hundred metres later, I arrived at the store and stepped in. Though not uncomfortably hot, the AC that struck me as I entered, I was grateful for. I grabbed a basket and proceeded down the aisles, knowing where to head, taking what I needed and heading to the cashier. The daughter of the owner was waiting at the checkout – I was grateful this was a family run store and not a larger one. I’d always hated crowds.

“Good morning, Ammy!”, she said, beaming with a smile at seeing me. This was another reason I came here. This girl was one of the few people who greeted me with genuine happiness. She stood slightly taller than me, darker skinned with black long flowing hair and hazel eyes that twinkled when she smiled.

We chatted about the latest rom-com movie in the cinema – ‘Cupid’s Mishap’. I had seen it alone a few nights ago while waiting for an appointment and it was a movie we had both been looking forward to and always found ourselves chatting about when we met. As the conversation ended, she placed a finger delicately under my chin and looked me in the eyes.

“Have you been sleeping, Ammy?”, she asked me. I wanted to lie and say I had been sleeping well but I couldn’t. I could tell the look on my face was one of stress, exhaustion and whilst I’m sure I didn’t display signs of the incident last night, I’m sure signs of it still showed.

“It’s been tough, I’ve had headaches and restless nights.”, I replied, no omission by any stretch - I hadn’t slept properly for days.

She took out her purse and took out a small tube of cream, applying a small bead of it to her fingers and rubbing it gently under my eyes. It smelt of peppermint and the aroma of it filled my nose, instantly making me feel more alert, my eyes widening.

“This should help, and it also helps with the loose skin under the eyes when you don’t sleep. Ammy – take care of yourself. Make sure you’re getting sleep okay?”, she added, and gave me another warm smile. If it wasn’t for the fact her parents despised me, this girl could be a true friend of mine. I had hoped she would leave this business and set up something for herself so we could truly get to know each other.

I thanked her, as a customer behind me was getting impatient, signified by the tapping of their foot. Though I wanted to say something to them, I had figured it was probably a bad idea. I flashed my Glass over the scanner and once it had registered the transaction, I smiled after her. I touched her side softly and gave her a soft smile, mouthing the words ‘Thank you’, and walked to the door, the customer behind me almost occupying the space before I had left it.

“Bye Ammy!”, she said after me.

“Bye Kristy!”I said after her, truly thankful for the brief time we’d had this morning and I felt, for the first time in over 2 days, a smile fill my face. 

I headed back to my apartment, not caring if anyone smiled back at me. My head was held high, and I headed back up to my apartment, through the glass doors, up the elevator and, after taking a wary look to ensure the landlord was not lurking and waiting for my return, I headed into my apartment. I unpacked the bags, grabbed the pods and milk before taking them to the coffee machine to make myself my first cup for the day. And I had been looking forward to it.

As the coffee machine whirred away, the aroma of it filled the apartment and I sighed, closing my eyes. Once it was done filling my cup, I opened my purse and checked my FutureCraft ID and Appointment Slip were in there, before setting my purse down and taking my now ready cup from the machine.

I sat on the edge of my bed and savoured that cup. I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm myself – the memories of yesterday returning once again. Though it was a painful experience, emotionally and physically, I needed it. I just wish I had gotten paid. Should I go and ask for the money? At least my appointment this afternoon would guarantee payment. I just hated having to put myself out for others without reward, letting them use me for their gains.

Hopefully what I was doing would help stop all this. Not just for me but everyone like me.

One day.

[aamirastories]

Part 4

We're still not back with Ammy yet, but I promise it's coming! Until then...

Tracking Station Atlantis

March 10th, 2023

All my training. All those times watching my colleagues as they helped me figure out the systems I would be using. A lot of “you’ll probably never need to do this but..” and “it’s rare but..” had come to this. 

I looked over my console, looking around the other 40 or so consoles in the room, someone at each of them, headsets on, punching away at their keyboards, then looking up at the larger screen. 

I looked at the screen again and it showed a picture of Earth. Notably the northern hemisphere, centred on the northern US, somewhere around New York. A circle was flashing in the top-right, a dotted line drawn from it to somewhere over New Jersey, a counter at the bottom of the screen. 10 minutes, 25 seconds. The circle moved slowly towards the Planet.

I looked back at my terminal. Speed: 3000km/h. Distance: 500km.

The distance was counting down. A voice in my headset called to me.

“Tracking - any change in current speed?” the voice said.

“No - it remains 3000km/h”, I replied.

We had been tracking this for roughly 3 hours. Once it had come up on our radars, and we had checked the trajectory, three times just to be sure, it was confirmed it was going to impact the planet. The only thing we were unsure of was whether it would burn up in the atmosphere or impact. The damage wouldn’t be huge, but anywhere this thing hit, it would likely be a heavily populated area.

As the countdown proceeded, the area of impact grew smaller as the systems were better able to calculate its trajectory. Colleagues were calculating populations likely to be killed, satellites it may hit, tracking ISS orbits. Teams were working on ways to take this, what we had called an asteroid by now, out of the sky before it hit.

An hour prior, we were ordered to hand our phones and smartwatches in. No knowledge of this was to leave the room. Only people way higher up than us were allowed to know about this, and it was stressed to us that the consequences of inadvertent disclosure of information would be extreme. 

6 minutes. Every time my mind wandered; this thing hurtled ever closer. We were based in Nevada so well clear of the potential impact zone, but no-one knew what this thing was made of, and hence how it could be affected once it hit our atmosphere.

5 minutes. The impact zone had been confirmed. Population estimates were taken, and colleagues rushed frantically around the room with printouts covered in numbers, none of which I could discern but the looks on their faces were not revealing anything good.

3 minutes. It had entered the atmosphere. Albeit slowed, its impact zone did not change. There was no time now to engage it. We just had to wait. I stared, transfixed – 3 minutes until projected impact. Missiles we launched altered the course of the object slightly but not enough. Now we could only watch on helplessly and brace for the aftermath.

My colleagues murmured stats back and forth, faces tight with stress. Estimates of casualty numbers – anywhere from 50,000 to 2 million – we had no idea of even what this was and hence our numbers ranged wildly. Outside our sealed room, I knew panic must be setting in but our job was to keep watching. Unable to save anyone.

2 minutes. We stopped. We all held our breath as we watched the countdown. What would happen. I briefly cast my mind to the people there. I could do nothing. I felt powerless. My heart raced. I felt myself bargaining irrationally with fate, a chant repeating in my head. ‘Please burn up, please burn up!’ I told myself. Now we could only witness whatever unfolded next. Ominous quiet filled the room. Heads bowed; eyes shut tight against the nightmarish reality hurtling towards potentially millions of people.

1 minute 11 seconds. The circle disappeared. 

“TARGET LOST”

We all looked round at each other. Was that good? Had it just gone under radar? Too small now to detect maybe? The farthest corner of the room frantically worked before they whispered to each other. The team leader of this part of the room, the primary tracking team, stood up and we were silent.

“Target burnt up in the atmosphere. We have confirmation no fragments have been detected. Visual tracking has confirmed the object exploded in the atmosphere with nil further fragments seen.”

Another second and cheers erupted. Those 3 desperate hours, watching that circle inch its way ever closer, threatening us with every pressing moment, was gone. I sighed a deep relief and collapsed in my chair. We skated the razor’s edge today, and I was exhausted. I needed a drink.

[aamirastories]

Part 3

I'm putting these out quite regularly now as I have a lot of this already written, but will slow down now to give a chance to catch up for those following along!

The Hikers

March 10th, 2023

My legs were on fire. I looked up. When my father said this was going to be a short climb to the top, I would love to know what scale of measurement we’d used. 

I looked down. Sure, we’d come a long way. Looking up again though, the top seemingly faded seamlessly into the clouds.

“Come on! We’re almost there!”, my father said.

Now I knew what deja-vu was. It was hearing that every hundred or so metres. My father was an ex-Navy seal – tall, rugged with short greying hair. Our bond grew after my mother passed away and whilst I struggled growing up, Dad had really been working on his bond with me and this hike was an example of that. Years of demanding special ops missions and training have left him tough, physically and mentally and even out of service many years, he still kept himself in great shape. I on the other hand was only just beginning to get used to this increased level of torture-come-training that he led me through weekly. I was skinny and was never comfortable with exercise, though I did always prefer exploring and Dad and I always had a bond through this. I however, was exhausted.

We continued climbing up the gradual slope, my legs burning with each step. I focused on regulating my breathing as I tracked our progress, counting over 500 laborious steps upward. The ground unexpectedly levelled off into a plateau still shrouded in mist, surprising me. Where was the peak?

“Almost there!” My dad called out ahead, striding vigorously towards the blanket of clouds. I hurried to catch up, confused. We'd hiked miles, the thin, cool air signalling high altitude.

As soon as I entered the fog, it enveloped me completely. The astonishing vista left behind vanished - there was only a haze of white. We wandered sightless amidst the swirling vapor; the mountain's peak shrouded. A surreal sensation came over me, as if floating in another realm high above earthly bounds. I focused on my father's broad back as my anchor point, shadowing his tireless gait through this bizarre, muffled limbo.

Just when unease began overwhelming me, the fog thinned. Crisp blue sky emerged above while sunlight dappled the rocks golden. Scrambling up boulders, I grasped a ledge, pulling myself to the summit on hands and knees, my heart racing and my lungs on fire, before standing up. I got a little lightheaded, but my father steadied me, as the weight of the rucksack on my back obeyed gravity and threatened to help me take the quick way back down the mountain. 

I looked around. The view was gorgeous. The sky was a rich blue with only a faint wisp of cloud on the horizon. There was a nice cool breeze which I appreciated as it helped to cool my face, sweat still pouring down it. I slowly turned, taking in the vista, careful not to lose footing again. 

In the distance. What was it? I called out to my father.

“Dad? What’s that?”

It took him a moment. I pointed in the direction, and he finally spotted it, as it grew closer.

“An aircraft maybe? Seems to be going quickly whatever it is.” he replied.

“The trail though, it’s not white, it’s grey, almost black.” I added, and focused on it more, shading my eyes with my hand placed over my eyebrows. It was hard to discern a particular shape of it although it did glint in the sun, so I could only surmise it was made of some kind of metal.

It was coming more quickly now, the front of it turning a more yellow orange, and suddenly my heart began to race again.

“It’s definitely not an aircraft” my dad said. He picked up his phone and zoomed into it, getting a closer look.

As it got so close, we felt we could almost make out the shape of it, trying to work out exactly what it was, it exploded. The sound hit us about 4 seconds later, a loud bang, this deafening peal accompanied by a blast of scorching wind that sent us both backwards.

“WOW!” My dad said as he looked at me.

Where the object had previously been, a blue cloud was hanging in the air, spreading and becoming fainter as it did, the wind beginning to carry it over our heads. We stared at it for a matter of minutes before it completely faded. I could swear, before my dad looked at me that the faintest smell of what I could only describe as coriander was in the air but dismissed it immediately. We breathed air that had been endlessly hot – I could still feel the residual heat on my face. As the smoke dispersed, the sky looked pale and empty again.

“Come on, let’s head back down again. I need to write this down before I forget and post these pictures to some friends.” my dad said and began to step cautiously down the steep slope. I looked back up, no sign of where the object had been, before turning again and following him down, my path tracing his.

[aamirastories]

Not a new part!

Just wanted to let you all know - the dates I post are very important as this story will switch between times to help you understand the chronological progression of this!

[aamirastories]

Part 2

The Couple

 April 3rd, 2033

“Such a beautiful building” Amanda said, turning to her husband, Mark.

“It is – but we are late honey, we really should get inside!”, he replied.

FutureCraft was plastered on the side of the building. The architecture of it truly was beautiful – curved, entirely glass and it stood out from all the other buildings in the city. Passers-by would always stop to look at it, even if they saw it regularly on their daily commute.

They stepped into reception, where an automated kiosk greeted them.

“Please scan fingerprint” the machine prompted them.

Mark placed his finger in the area marked and the machine pulled up their appointment. Mark pushed “YES” to indicate they had arrived, and they took a seat.

“Are you excited? We’re really hoping this works” a couple next to them asked.

“We are – we really hope this is the one.” Amanda replied, squeezing her husband's hand. They looked at each other and smiled. They wanted this to work. With all that they were.

“Mr and Mrs Juniper?” a doctor asked, stepping out from his office. 

Amanda and Mark stood up. “Yes, that’s us.” They responded and walked towards the door. As they proceeded towards the office, the couple behind them shouted.

“Good luck!”

The Doctor took a seat behind a large desk, the city as a backdrop behind him, the view truly breathtaking, tall skyscrapers covering the view out to the horizon, reflections in the windows like starlight.

“Welcome to FutureCraft. I will be personally overseeing your treatment and will guarantee, as far as I can, your health will be my highest priority.

Amanda and Mark turned to face each other and smile. Amandas shoulders dropped as she relaxed a little.

“Just to outline the procedure,” the doctor added, “you will stay in a ward overnight, while we conduct a blood test to ensure you are given the right mix of treatments to enable you to get the fullest effect. Now, we have a simple contract for you to sign, most notably is the insurance portion. Be sure your details are correct, and you read it fully.”

As Mark looked down at the document, he read,

—

FutureCraft is the leading specialist in fertility treatments and will guarantee to be at the cutting edge of every treatment you receive. This agreement is a binding contract between you and FutureCraft and through this, we expect your complete honesty and compliance with all procedures throughout, with the trust that the specialists who work here are highly trained and leaders in their fields.

—

Below this was insurance details, bank details, boxes for signatures – Mark counted 19 of them, medical details and finally, before the final signature, a line that read:

—

In the very unlikely chance that you become severely ill during this procedure, you understand that whilst we cannot directly support you, your partner will be supported.

—

He signed this final box, sighed and passed the form back to the Doctor.

The Doctor grabbed the form from the desk, spinning it to face him while he entered the information into his terminal. A few questionings looks by the Doctor at his screen were dismissed as unimportant as he finished typing and looked back at them.

“Wonderful. The $20,000 will be removed from your account within 3 days. Thank you for deciding to take treatment from FutureCraft. Mrs Juniper,” he said as he faced her, “please deal with final matters with your husband before he heads to our ward. He will be required there in 30 minutes time, where his first blood test will be taken. Mr Juniper,” he turned to face Mark, “you will be away from your wife for 3 days. I hope you are aware of this?”

They both looked at each other, smiled, Amanda more nervously than Mark, before both turning to face him again.

“Yes” he said.

“Wonderful” the Doctor replied and opened the door to show them towards the ward area.

They walked together through the ward, men in their beds, their partners beside them, chatting away. Other nurses made themselves busy checking charts and administering treatments. From a career spent in Military Service, and the vaccinations he would regularly be required to take, he was not fazed by injections. He saw this as a necessity to get the treatment he needed.

The Doctor stopped by a bed, picked up a chart and turned to face the couple.

“Here we are. The nurse will be here in 30 minutes to begin. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask for me, or ask a nurse.”

“Thank you” Mark replied, and the Doctor headed back towards his office.

“You’ll be fine” Amanda said.

“I know I will honey, but will you? All by yourself?” he replied.

She looked at him sternly but playfully. “Oh, I’m sure I can survive without your snoring, shoes left lying out and remotes down the side of the couch.”

He returned her playful look, and laughed, before kissing her.

“I love you,” he said, “and I’m so glad we’re doing this. I will contact you as often as I can, okay?”

Her playful look faded, but she softly smiled. “I know, I love you too – and I can’t wait for it to be done so we can finally try!”

They kissed again, before he got changed into his robe as a nurse collected his clothes and belongings, before he said goodbye to his wife, and sat in bed, busying himself reading a book – ‘A Future Lost’ – a science fiction novel he was re-reading again having not read it for years since.

A nurse approached, smiling at him and holding a syringe. “I’m sorry, I need to prep you, is that okay?” she said.

He looked up at her, and smiled back, closing his book. “That’s fine, of course” he replied.

The nurse placed her syringe on the table beside him and wrapped a strap around his arm.

“How are you with needles?” The nurse asked, as she tapped his arm, looking for the vein.

“Fine, don’t worry. I won’t fall asleep on you!” he replied, and she smiled back at him. He felt a sharp pinch on his inner arm as the needle went in and started to draw blood.

“I’m sorry we have to take so much” the nurse added, “we need to be sure to get the right dosage balance. Be sure to rest after this.”

The nurse finished taking the blood, checked its colour before placing it in a box and shifting his pillow slightly so he was more comfortable. 

“The buzzer is here if you need something” she said, pointing to a box with a red button on it beside his bed.

She headed off down the hall and he lay back, feeling a little woozy and let his eyes shut slowly, as sleep took him.

[aamirastories]

This is my first time writing, and I will probably go back and rewrite this once I have posted it all. I already have every Chapter lined up, so there will be regular content on this for anyone who is interested. Although this chapter does contain sexual content, it has intent that will be clear later. This is not erotica - it has adult themes throughout the story but few will be sexual in nature.

This will make a lot more sense as you read more into this!

Part 1

Ammy

May 3rd, 2033

A car hurtles past me, driving straight through the large pool of water that had gathered by the kerb. I stepped back but it was too late.

“Asshole!” I shouted after them. My feet were soaked. I sighed.

I went back to staring into the puddle, showing me a shimmering and swirling view of the Dubai skyline. The city was beautiful, there was no doubting it. Architecture of all shapes, lights of all colours, mesmerising to look at and I never got tired of it. One of the few beautiful things left in the world.

“Hi.” I hear a male voice say. I snap out of my trance and look at him, showing a polite smile.

“Are you Aamira?”, he adds.

“Yes”, I reply, nodding in response.

Aamira was the name my parents used. Everyone else called me Ammy, and I preferred it.

“My house isn’t far from here.”, he says, pointing down the street.

As we leave the cover of the bridge, rain pours down onto us both.

“So, is $200 okay?”, he asks me. I had no such thing as a ‘going-rate’, but I needed to pay rent and no-one was hiring me. Not even for the most mundane of tasks. It used to bother me doing this kind of work, but I had to lock that thought deep in my mind in hopes of never retrieving it.

“Sure, that’s fine” I reply, as we walk briskly towards his house, I hope he is right and it isn’t too far – I already feel a bead of cold water slowly moving down my back, causing my breath to quicken.

Around 300 metres later, I guessed, we arrived at his house. A terraced, 2-floor house, typical of the area and not in any ways extravagant but a ways more than functional. He opens the door and I follow him inside.

He shuts the door as I finish stepping through, and I am grateful for the shelter, and the warmth. He hangs his coat up and leaves me, and I hang mine up in an empty hook near to it, before taking off my shoes and stepping through. My socks squelched slightly, full of water from the idiot who decided to soak me, but I shrugged this off quickly.

As I step into the room, he is seated on a large couch next to another woman. In this light, I catch a better look at them both. Him, dark haired, slim build with an abundance of facial hair, I had guessed around 6’ from our walk to his apartment. The woman sitting next to him was a pretty brunette girl, shorter, and they were both dressed simply – him in a shirt and trousers, her in a skirt and simple blouse.

“Take a seat” he said, directing me to a chair near them both. “Would you like a glass of water?”

“I’m good, thank you” I replied. I’d had enough water for the night. And he was clearly stalling.

He turned to look at the woman next to him.

“This is my wife, she’s pretty isn’t she?”, he said, looking her up and down, and I nodded in agreement.

“She is” I replied, hoping he would cut to the chase real soon. This small talk always made things more awkward.

“Strip for her, honey” he said to her, and she leaned over and whispered something in his ear, looking somewhat nervous.

“It’s okay” he replied softly to her. “We need this, we know this is the only way.”

After another look at him, she looked at me and unbuttoned her blouse. She had a black bra on, a simple number, matching the rest of her outfit, nothing too extravagant. She sat up slightly and pulled down her skirt, before she was sat on the couch next to him, looking more nervous than she had done before.

I had seen this, seemingly a hundred times. It always went a similar way.

“I told you she was pretty, I bet you really want her don’t you?” he asked me.

“She is pretty, indeed. Does she want this though?” I replied.

“She does, yes. Now, can we see more of you?” he replied.

I was dressed in a turtle neck sweater, it being colder this winter than I had typically remembered. I pulled it off of me to reveal a white bra, nothing fancy. I briefly took a comparison of my breasts to hers and had figured mine were bigger. Although my body felt more of a tool than something I could enjoy these past years, I was proud of it, as much as I could be.

“Look honey, she’s really attractive.” The man said, looking me up and down. He liked the look of this tool it seems. It didn’t matter.

Accompanying my sweater was a set of simple blue jeans – I’d had these a few years and honestly they needed replacing, but they more than did the job and were comfortable after all the time I had them. I pulled them down, until I was dressed as much as his partner.

“And she looks big too, right?” he said, looking at my crotch. Now I felt shamed. An object. I had transitioned 10 years ago and had come to regret it as the years had gone on. Wishing I could go back and tell my past self of what would happen.

He stood up, and gestured for me to sit beside her. I took the cue and joined her. She did smell good. Her perfume caught my nose softly and I enjoyed the scent, and it actually brought a genuine soft smile to my face as I looked at her. She looked at me back and for a moment I felt we had a connection, albeit a small one. It was crushed when he said,

“Okay, might as well begin?”

I looked at her with a soft expression.

“Do you want this?”

He snapped at me, “Of course she wants this! Now begin!”

I closed my eyes and sighed internally. When I opened them, she had locked lips with mine, and I sunk into her kiss. Her tongue teased my lips and I grabbed her shoulders softly, her resting her hands on my hips. Her touch was ever so gentle. My hands on her were gentle too, I’d have hoped, and my thumb brushed her skin, which felt warm to the touch and her soft skin only served to make her feel more gentle.

I opened my mouth, and our tongues danced as my chest began to heave, my breath deepening, becoming lost in her. She moved her hands down to my thighs and I felt a tingle run from my abdomen down to my crotch, it beginning to stir as a result of it. I could smell her perfume more strongly now, only adding to the arousal and encouraging my hands to move down her shoulders and onto her waist. She moaned softly, her hands squeezing my thighs and the stirring only hastened. She had me in this moment.

I felt her shift slightly and opened my eyes, to see him behind her, unclasping her bra and letting it loose. I leant back from the kiss to take her in, for a moment. Her breasts were small but perky, her nipples clearly showing how aroused she was and I only guessed mine were the same. He moved behind me.

“No, she can do it.” I almost snapped at him. I moved back into kiss her.

As we resumed our dance, I felt her hands softly move behind my back, deftly removing it in one swift moment as I felt it move to my thighs. I discarded it and shuffled in closer to her. I felt a cold but gentle hand on my breast, and moaned softly.

“Ooh,” and giggled softly. It was like I had forgotten what I was here for, and I did not mind that in the slightest.

As she tweaked my nipple softly in her fingers, and kneading my breast slowly, I moved my hand up in response. Our movements were almost symmetrical, our hands wandering as we explored each other, before I felt my arousal almost disappear entirely.

“Yea, baby, feel her up good.” He said, and I didn’t even bother to look. I mentally shut him out and continued my exploration of her.

“Okay, underwear off girls” he added, and I almost told him to leave right there and then, then I remembered what happened the last time I did that. The bruises and black eyes meant I almost didn’t pay my rent for 2 straight months. It was only the kindness of strangers that even got me through, so I held myself short.

I pulled my underwear off and I was already fully erect. She followed me and we both looked down and back up at each other. She bit her lip and we resumed our kissing. I could hear him saying things but my mind had now become fully able to shut him out and focus entirely on her. She grasped my member softly and it twitched in response. I paused kissing her as I felt so sensitive to her touch that I could almost feel her fingerprint on it. We resumed our oral exploration and she began to stroke me every so slowly. I squirmed

slightly then sunk entirely into it. Her breath quickened as her arousal built quickly, I could almost feel her heart pounding through her entire body.

She sat on my lap.

“Now. I want you now” she said. I was right, she had me. I was completely lost in her. I grabbed her hips and slid her towards me and she, in one motion, sat up and then sat on me. I felt her warm, wet and tight around me. I had been blessed by being larger than average, and although I was not proud of what I had to do, I was proud, once again, with what I had. Blessed with a tool that I did not want to use this way.

She began to bounce on me, and I was unable to shut him out any more. He was sat behind me, and I did not even want to look at him. I looked into her eyes, her face squinted, mouth agape, clearly and genuinely enjoying the experience, as I was too. She was clenching around me, her breasts hypnotically bouncing. She grabbed mine and kissed me deeply. She kissed my cheek, my neck and then bit my earlobe lightly before softly whispering into my ear, away from him,

“You’re so fucking hot.”, leaning back again and locking eyes with me as she continued.

She kissed me again, her tongue dancing with mine, her squeezing my breast with one hand, my arm with the other and I felt my climax build. Way more rapidly than I had expected.

“I’m close” I said to her.

“Yes yes YES!” The male voice said next to me, and I held her hips now, quickening my movements as it built more and more rapidly before my vision darkened, leaning back and feeling the release inside her. Once. Twice. Three times.

My heart was racing, I couldn’t focus. I opened my eyes to look at her, her expression was not one of ecstasy, but one of worry.

All of a sudden, my head lurched to one side and I felt a shooting pain across my scalp. This man, this asshole was dragging me by my hair and threw me into the street. I would have fought back but weighing only 45kg, I was easy to shift around.

I landed into the street with a shooting pain in my hip, instantly feeling the cold water on my body as my clothes were thrown at me. I looked at the door. His partner was there, trying to run out to me but he pulled her back, yelled something incomprehensible at her, and then shut the door.

I gathered my clothes, looked around and saw the street was dead, thankfully. I could tell it was late and I was grateful for it, putting my clothes back on, soaked from the street and sitting on a neighbouring step as I composed myself. Tears came quickly. Anger came even quicker. I looked back at his door and wondered what I could do. What I wanted to do. I stood up, and then realised what could happen. He had probably expected me to come in anyways, and was ready for me. I turned, looked down the street to get my bearings and began walking.

If it had not been for the rain, my face would be soaked in tears. My scalp hurt, he had probably pulled hairs right out of it with the aggression he used. My hip was sore but I could tell the cold rain was numbing it somewhat – I knew later that wouldn’t be the case.

About a kilometre later, I arrived at my apartment. I opened the door, threw my jacket onto the couch, fell onto my bed and cried. I don’t think I stopped crying even as I slept.