(This article was entered into Tryst 1999, the IIT-D Technical Festival. As the topic was given and so was a word limit, there are some holes in the logic. Nevertheless, the article was ranked 2nd)

Hanis Nathan was a genius. He had reason to be. After all, he had attained at a young age of 29 what most people couldn't even dream of at 50. He had successfully converted mankind in its totality into mankind in the true sense of the word (For the benefit of those who do not know, Hanis, together with Yor pioneered the "Project Man").

It all started when Yor Ruhal got disgusted. The reason - his wife. He was really disgusted with the harridan. He was disgusted of the fact that she could never keep any bit of information to herself. In fact he was sick of womankind in general. After all, why couldn't women be of a more sedate nature? Why couldn't they ... "DESTINATION REACHED, PUSH THE "DOOR" BUTTON TO OPEN THE DOOR", the panel on his MotorLite beeped and thereby, broke his musings. He had reached the venue of the conference of the Scientist Fraternity. This was to be a special conference where all the theoriticians of the world would assemble. As he walked to his seat in the Conference Hall, he had an idea. Yes! He would put it through!

"Brother scientists and dear friends," he started when his turn came. "This is something I have been thinking since quite some time. Please bear with me till I finish, for you might find quite a few of my concepts outrageous. I have been thinking of a unisexual world - a world where there would be only men - a world from where womankind would be erased."

Immediately there were murmurs of dissent. After all, this would be a violation of a fundamental law of nature.

"I know you find this proposal ridiculous, but this is indeed a very effective way to counter various disadvantages that women pose. In the first place, women can never retain secrets. Secondly, what purposes does a woman serve? She is a very good partner for man during times of distress and helps as an ideal mate to care for his children. But a man can be as much a good friend of a man as a woman. And as regards reproduction, this can always be done artificially. Give it a thought, friends. Latest developments in genetic technology have made all mutations reversible. So, even if we land in any trouble we can always revert to the original configuration."

The issue was debated for quite a while, but eventually Ruhal prevailed. And the project was sanctioned.

This project, which Ruhal liked to refer to as "Project Man", needed an efficient brain coupled with a diligent pair of hands to take off. An elaborate search over all the databases of the earth revealed that only one person had the required qualificaions. This was Hanis Nathan - the creator of the first Pseudo-perennial machine and a D.Sc. in Anthropocomputing at an age of 23.

But convincing Hanis was not at all an easy job. Like all young scientists, he too faced a conflict between reason and passion. He certainly could not digest the idea behind eliminating one sex alltogether. He believed that the inability of women to keep thoughts does no serious harm to anyone. And in any case, the harm was always within limits of correction.

Finally Ruhal played his trump card, "Look Hanis, I agree you have some responsibilities. But if you refuse to comply in this case, you are likely to be ostracized from the Scientist Fraternity. It is now upto you to make your decision." For a moment there was silence. Then slowly, Hanis nodded. And that nod signalled the start of Project Man.

Within a short period of 6 years the two of them managed to create strains of a new gene called MIAGRA, or, Metamorphosis Inducing Alternate Gender Re-Allocators. This strain, if injected into the body of a woman even in infinitesimal amounts, would rapidly change the genetic construction of the chromosomes, by attacking the XX- chromosomes of the females and transforming them into XY. This would also induce the changes into subsequent generations by inductively disabling the X-part of the converted women. The disabled X-chromosome would, however, continue to produce ova. This would permit copulation. But of course, the techniques would be artificial. The two scientists also created the first Time Machine so that they could make a trip into the future and see the effects of their experiment.

On 30th January 2020, the world saw the "Project Man" come into effect. And, also on 30th January 2020, Yor Ruhal and Hanis Nathan made mankind's first ever journey in time. Entering their Time Machine, Hanis typed out

2 * (+100Y)

on the console of the machine and waited for the two to be transferred hundred years into the future.

Somehow, in the year 2120 AD, they didn't like what they saw. Rather, they did not like what they did not see. For miles around, not a single human being could be sighted. No! Certainly the effect of MIAGRA couldn't be so catastrophic and so quick! What went wrong?

Ruhal suggested, "Let's move back 50 years and find out how things were then."

Again, Hanis typed out on the console:

2 * (-50Y)

and the two were sent back by 50 years, to the year 2070 AD.

"Doesn't look much different," Hanis commented. And just as they stepped out of their Time Machine, it burst into flames. "Oh God! How do we get back now? We've got to find some help," he moaned.

Providence does have its own ways. As though in response to Hanis' lament, they saw a rather old man coming from a distance. And even before they could make him aware of their state, he asked them, "I don't know you, do I?"

"Maybe you don't. I am Yor Ruhal and this is Hanis Nathan. We were the scientists who started the Project Man in 2020 AD. Why isn't there anyone around?" Yor asked.

A nasty look crossed the newcomer's face. "So you are Yor Ruhal! Well, I haven't seen a worse misanthropist. Not only was your experiment a gross failure, the two of you fled into the future and never returned. Honestly, your databases don't deserve a place on earth!"

Yor was puzzled. "Could you please elaborate, Mr. ...?"

"Raban. Raban Hayes. MIAGRA converted all the women to men and you were satisfied. But worthies, you missed out some very valid points. You did account for reproduction by artificial techniques. But you didn't realise that in making a unisexual world you had deprived mankind of a very essential ingredient of life - the right to sexual activity. Most people were heterosexual by nature and you were forcing something very much against nature. The pent-up frustrations of a lifetime caused people to die out one by one. Furthermore, the converted women had to face more than simply this. Unable to release emotions that they would have done otherwise, they perished. I managed to escape God knows how. And luckily enough, I could get my two daughters out of this mess, too. Poor things, at least they did not die because of mental strain!! Look, I am old. 86, to be precise. After I die, what is to happen to my daughters? Why didn't you return from your trip to the future?"

Hanis proceeded to explain, "Mr. Raban, we would definitely like to return to the past and undo the experiment. But as you see, our Time Machine has just burst into flames. So we are really helpless." He paused to think for some time.

Yor said, "But this is preposterous! Mankind simply can't get wiped out. And the MIAGRA effect was not meant to be permanent." He paused. Something struck him.

"Mr. Raban, you said that your daughters escaped the Project Man, right?"

"Yeah, so they did," Raban said.

"Then we propose to marry them. Do you have any objections?" Yor asked.

Raban was almost overjoyed,"No, no! Definitely not! After all, that is the only way in which mankind can be saved. Go ahead!"

After quite a period of silence, Hanis put forth a very thoughtful question : "You just said that you are 86 years old. How old are your daughters?"

"58 and 56."

Then there was a deafening silence. The unisexual world had rendezvoused with death.