"Triethylene X," the doctor began as she pointed to an image on the screen depicting a complex chemical structure, "is a neurotoxin that was developed by NATO and its allies several years ago to be used in war. It is an airborne toxin that causes severe neurological damage to all animal life.
"Three months ago the chemical plant in Saudi Arabia that manufactures the toxin was ravaged by an earthquake, which resulted in the destruction of the steel container that housed the gas, thus releasing Triethylene X into the atmosphere. Fortunately, the reactive agent, "Forthesine," which is needed to make the toxin biologically active, was stored at a separate facility. If the two chemicals had been combined, we would have had a worldwide catastrophe on our hands. Suffice it to say, the introduction of Triethylene X into the atmosphere has resulted in secondary symptoms such as nausea, headache, fatigue, and dizziness being experienced by a significant part of the world population. However, a far more dangerous side effect, affecting only males, is the increased incidence of various sexual dysfunctions such as impotence, low sperm motility, failure to achieve or maintain an erection or ejaculation, and a marked physical lassitude accompanied by a general disinterestedness in sex.
"Several weeks ago, my colleagues and I began work on synthesizing a drug to counteract the effects of Triethylene X, and we are now at the point where we are ready to test its efficacy on selected volunteers. We have chosen ten men, ranging in age from 18 to 55 years, to serve as test subjects for our experiment."
At this point the doctor pressed a button on the remote control unit she held in her hand and a slide advanced to show an image of a different chemical structure.
"This," she continued, "is the molecular composition of 'Spermator,' a drug I designed to eradicate Triethylene X from the body. As you can see, the atomic structure is quite complex, but capable of being replicated in any laboratory. We have already tested Spermator on rhesus monkeys with excellent results, and we are now ready to try the drug on our human hosts."
The speaker, Dr. Diana DiAngelo, took a moment to take a sip of water from a glass that sat on the podium from behind which she had delivered her speech. She had been the senior Director of the University of Rome's medical laboratory for almost thirteen years and held advanced degrees in biology and genetics. She now stood before a small group of eleven other doctors—all women—whom she had called to attend the conference in the hopes that they would assist her in the upcoming experiment. She was a tall, elegant creature with lustrous auburn shoulder-length hair that framed a face of flawless beauty. Her blue eyes flashed whenever she became animated—as she often did when discussing subjects close to her heart. She had been a brilliant medical student and had achieved great notoriety for her work in biogenetics.
Her eyes surveyed the faces of the women sitting around the table in front of her, letting her gaze linger momentarily on each woman in turn, assessing their reactions to her speech.
First and foremost among them was Dr. Christiana Swensen, the brilliant inventor of the male fertility drug, "EJAX-472," and a woman who had served as her mentor for many years. Next to her sat Dr. Rebecca Hellstrom, Christiana's friend and colleague who had helped in the creation of the famous drug. There was Dr. Sheila Ford, the American geneticist who had once assisted Christiana during the EJAX experiments; Dr. Marion Cates, the distinguished British neurosurgeon who first discovered and mapped the synapses of the human brain; Dr. Francesca Cavalli, Diana's best friend and widely renowned for her innovative work in neurobiology; Dr. Juliette Desault of the Paris Institute of Medicine who developed the world's first completely safe oral contraceptive; Dr. Maria Ibanez, the famous Spanish pathologist who was one of the first women physicians to have discovered the connection between disease and altered mental states; Dr. Constance Schmidt, the celebrated German oncologist whose development of the molecular imaging scanner (MIS) replaced X-rays in the diagnosis of cancer; Dr. Abigail Wolff, the Australian anatomist who was the first to employ tissue transplantation in the restoration of the cellular lining of the lungs; Dr. Olga Rimorsky, the Russian biophysicist who helped to create a drug to cure the effects of radiation sickness; and Dr. Eva Gabor, a molecular biologist from Hungary whose many studies concerning the atomic structure of matter had elevated her to prominence in the world medical community.
The sun's rays filtered through the windows, providing a gentle illumination as the women sat and discussed the ramifications of the information they had just received from their esteemed colleague. Diana now took her seat at the head of the table, inviting further discussion.
"So, what do you think of all that?" she asked them, laying her glass on the table.
"Personally, I think it sucks," said Sheila. "To think that these fucking men have once again abrogated both their reason and their morals to produce this shit is beyond my comprehension. It's everything we stood against from day one."
"And that's exactly why you don't see one man on our team," Diana replied. "Notwithstanding the Sisterhood imperative, I was reluctant to include any male scientists because they might be in league with the bastards who invented this toxin. And we can't afford to let the cat out of the bag at this point."
"Definitely not!" Rebecca agreed, her long blonde hair highlighted in the sun's rays. "We can't let any man know what we're doing here. Otherwise it might compromise the experiment."
Christiana nodded. "No argument here. For all we know our male colleagues could have helped create Triethylene X, and the corporations who control and manufacture this poison would pose a serious threat to our project."
"To them human life is negotiable," Francesca said flatly in her halting English. "All they care about is their profitto."
"Well, they are not going to find out a damn thing," Diana assured her friend. "And the men we are using as our test subjects have all signed statements forbidding them to discuss the experiment with anyone."
Olga leaned back in her chair, toying with her pen. "That's good, Diana. The last thing we need is to have the multinationals on our backs."
"It's sick, isn't it?" Constance remarked with a sardonic grin. "Our goal is to help these innocent men recover their health while these corporate pricks, these purveyors of death, are seeking to destroy them. It's infuriating."
"I agree it is disgusting," Maria said, sharing her colleague's disdain. "You would think scientists were enlightened enough not to be seduced by purely monetary considerations."
"In an ideal world, maybe," Marion noted. "But the truth is, there will always be enough money to force someone to sell out."
Eva laughed. "To the devil with them all!"
"Yes!" Juliette agreed. "May they all rot in hell!"
"Bloody hell!" Abigail exclaimed. "That's where those fucks belong!"
Diana smiled complacently. "But since we cannot send them there, the next best thing is to beat them at their own game. Our first test will be conducted the day after tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in medical lab A. Each man will be tested separately with all of us in attendance. I have also invited several dozen young girls—all interns here at the university—to observe and take notes. In addition, I took the opportunity to employ some of the local girls—prostitutes right here in Rome—to provide sexual services to the men to help encourage them to perform."
"Prostitutes?" Marion inquired with some amusement. "Do you really think that's necessary?"
"They're experts at what they do and they may come in handy."
"How long have these guys been taking Spermator?" Christiana asked.
"Two weeks," Diana replied.
"And what have your recent blood tests revealed?"
"A marked decrease in the level of toxicity for one thing, along with a slight improvement of sexual function in a few of the subjects."
"Such as?"
"An increase in sperm motility and improved blood flow to the penis."
"That's most promising," Marion said. "I would like to examine your latest test results if I may."
"Certainly, Marion," Diana said. "I'll have Francesca give you and everyone else copies of the lab work. I think you'll agree that Spermator is proving very effective."
Juliette looked skeptical. "What about EJAX-472?" she said to Christiana. "Would it have any impact on the toxin?"
"I've tried already and the result was negligible," Christiana replied. "EJAX is ineffectual in the presence of the toxin. Diana has already corroborated my findings."
"And it doesn't share the same nucleotide sequence as Spermator, which was designed specifically to nullify Triethylene X in the bloodstream," Diana added.
"Have any of the men experienced erections during the two weeks they've been taking Spermator?" Eva asked Diana.
"Two men have, yes. And one guy actually shot off right in my hand when I was giving him a prostate exam yesterday."
"Well! That's an encouraging sign!" Maria laughed.
"It was! Especially since it was a really huge load! He must have spurted at least a dozen ropes of sperm all over my hands and arms. I won't lie to you girls—it was really exciting to watch!"
"I'm sure it was," Sheila said, chuckling. "During the EJAX experiments I saw a bunch of guys cum like that and I can tell you that I had several orgasms just from watching them shoot those monstrous loads. I just love watching guys lose their juice!"
The entire room erupted into gales of laughter.
"A loving finger up the arsehole does it every time!" Abigail roared.
The women traded jokes with each other for a few minutes, using their gay banter as a means of relieving the seriousness of the moment. But it was apparent that no amount of gaiety could camouflage the anxiety that permeated the room.
"Good heavens, girls!" exclaimed Rebecca, her exuberant expression restored to its previous seriousness. "What are we going to do with the evil men who created this toxin? They're going to destroy the world if we don't stop them."
"I suggest that we concentrate our efforts on getting our patients well again," Diana said. "Then we'll deal with those scumbags."
************
The following morning all the doctors assembled in medical lab A to discuss the results of the men's blood work and to meet the men themselves. Diana wanted the test subjects to feel comfortable in the presence of the doctors and believed introducing the men to them would go a long way in accomplishing that goal.
The ten men arrived within minutes of each other, a look of hopeful expectation on their faces. They were escorted into the lab by one of Diana's assistants and told to sit on chairs prepared for them.
After pleasantries had been exchanged, Diana took out her notebook and gave the doctors a brief history of each patient.
"Daniel O'Brien," she began, "is eighteen years old from Ireland. He states that he has not had an erection for the past three months. Manuel Hernandez is from Cuba and is also eighteen years old. He claims to have lost his sex drive completely and no longer has morning erections. Socrates Katsoulous from Greece is nineteen years old and complains of experiencing a heavy feeling in his testicles at various times during the day. He has not ejaculated in two and a half months. Sven Hildegaard is from Denmark and is twenty-seven years old. He still achieves erections on an intermittent level but cannot ejaculate. Benjamin Wilkes is thirty-eight years old from England. He has no sensation in his genitals at all. Pierre LeBlanc from France is fifty years old and cannot achieve erection under any circumstances. Bill Travers from the United States is forty-three years of age and has not been able to maintain an erection for more than a minute since exposure to the toxin. Boris Stepanova from Russia is fifty-five years old and cannot ejaculate even though he can still achieve an erection. Antonio Longo is thirty-three years old from Italy and suffers from retrograde ejaculation. Rosario Bramante, also from Italy, is twenty-one years old and has not been able to achieve an erection for the past three months, although he did have several nocturnal emissions recently.
"In each of these cases, severe compromise of the reproductive function has occurred shortly after exposure to Triethylene X. The symptoms vary slightly from subject to subject, but it is clearly evident that normal sexual functioning has been impaired, with all symptoms being concomitant with exposure to the toxin."
Diana turned to face the test subjects.
"Gentlemen," she said, "the doctors are acquainted with your medical profiles and the results of your latest blood tests. They have questions for you and I would like you to answer each question openly and honestly. Don't hold back any information. Shyness and timidity will only serve to delay our progress." She turned to Christiana. "Dr. Swensen, you may begin."
Christiana looked up from her notes and rested her eyes on Daniel O'Brien. He was a sandy-haired, good-looking boy who bore a slight resemblance to Howdy Doody.
"You say that you have been unable to get an erection for the past three months. Is that correct?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Under any circumstances?"
