There was a pounfing on his wall, and his kid brother Richie said, "Hey Jeff, Ma's on the phone and wants to talk to you!"
"Oh--ok," Jeff said leaving the chronivac active. He muttered to himself about getting either a cordless phone or an extension in his bedroom. He also questioned why he'd thought it was a good idea to room with his kid brother, while they both attended State College. Jeff was a junior and Richie was only a frosh.
He headed to use the phone in the kitchen, as Richie ducked into the bathroom. When Richie came out a minute later, Jeff was still on the phone and his bedroom door was wide open. Since the kitchen phone hung on the opposite wall from Jeff's bedroom, Jeff couldn't see Richie slip into his room.
Richie sat down at the terminal, and smiled as he read what his brother was apparently considering. Then he paused, was Jeff really thinking about turning himself into a dog, or did Jeff's running joke have a hidden meaning. Jeff was constantly riding Richie for being a slob, and had promised to "paper train" his "bad puppy" of a little brother. Richie had always taken it good naturedly, but now he wasn't so sure. Well, if he had a choice, Jeff was going to be his dog and not vice versa.
Richie opened the help menu, and started scrolling fast. The more he read the more he grinned. He aimed the chronivac projector at the wall shared with the kitchen, and started to type into the program.
He selected the breed. Then selected the emotional temperment, making Jeff extra loyal and obedient. Then he paused over sex, and finally hit the male key. He went through selecting coloring, and size attributes. Then he keyed in reality altering settings, and hit the enter key.
"TRANSFORMATION COMMENCING--TIME TO COMPLETION 1:45 minutes," the screen flashed.
"1:30 minutes" the seconds counted down.
Richie jumped up and started to run to the kitchen to see what was happening to Jeff. He paused as he reached the end of the hall and assumed a nonchallant demeanor, and strolled over to the breakfast bar. Taking care to stay out of the kitchen, he leaned on the counter and peered down to get a better look at his big bro.
Jeff was seated on the floor wearing his boxers, and talking into the red kitchen phone. His normally smooth body was covered with silky black hair, and he was absentmindedly scratching his now hairy abs with his right foot. The foot looked a bit deformed too, as did his arms. Everything looked a bit elongated. Jeff's normally short nails were now about a quarter inch long.
Richie beamed as Jeff talked on ignoring him, and the fact that he was getting a lot hairier.
"Yeah, ma, I'm taking good care of Richie. You know I love him," he said, and looking up smiled adoringly at Richie. Richie smiled back emotional programming complete, he thought. Richie's smile broadened as he noticed the new canine canine teeth growing in Jeff's mouth.
"Yeah, ma, we'rrrrar ok--No, I didn't mean to snarl at you, guess I'm coming down with a crold orrr sumthin'" there was concern in Jeff's voice as he spoke. He stared at the paw that had been his hand, the phone handset slipped from his grasp and he rose to all fours and barked. A long black bushy tail slipped out of his boxers. He wagged it happily. Richie ran back to Jeff's former room which now only had a computer desk and a dog bed. He switched off the chronivac, and ran back to the kitchen. Jeff was still barking at the phone.
Richie entered the small kitchen, Jeff jumped up on his master to welcome him with his wet tongue and to sniff his master's commanding scent. Jeff still knew Richie had been his brother, and he'd once been human, but he also knew Richie was his master, and that he was now a dog, and he was content. Jeff sat on his haunches and stared up adoringly at his master as Richie spoke into the phone. Jeff inhaled deeply his master's scent as his nose rubbed against his master's crotch. Richie rubbed his new best friend's head as he spoke on the phone.
"Yeah, ma, your only son is fine! I just trained my dog to answer the phone. Still working on the secretarily skills though, haha!" and he bent down and whispered into Jeff's ear, "When I'm done, we're going for a walk in the park, I hear dogs are great chick magnets, and with you're help I'll get lucky."
"Yeah, I'm still here, ma. I just have to take Jef-uh, Max for a walk. Oh, you thought I'd named him Jeff after grandpa? Well, yeah, I took your advice and changed the name, don't want to insult gramps, now do we? Yeah, I love you too, ma."
Richie hung up the phone on the receiver, and picked up Jeff's boxers. He headed back to Jeff's room with Max in tow. He opened Jeff's closet. It was now empty except for some hangers, a dog collar, and a leash. Richie hung up Jeff's boxers, he had been tempted to wear them, but he was a briefs man. He collected the leash and collared Max, and then headed to his room.
He dressed for a run in the park. As he sat on the bed, Max dug through Richie's clothing on the floor, and sorted the socks, shorts, and shirts into separate piles. Then Max found a pair of running shoes. He carried them over and set them at his brother's feet.
Richie laughed and patted Max's head, "Good boy, you're still tidying up after me. Good boy, let's go pick up some chicks, bro! I mean, heh, let's go pick me up a chick and you a bitch, 'kay, Max!"
Jeff-now Max-barked in assent. He adored his master.