Rental Body - Part One

Sitting in the lobby of the Swap Clinic, my eyes straining under the bright fluorescent lights, I await my number to be called. I had been here for a few hours, watching as those other people around me were called up one by one. All manner of people either sat or stood around the room, with Friday's being the Swap Clinic's busiest days.

My eyes flit around the cohort of the waiting room, my gazes darting from person to person much in the same way many were looking at me. A doughy older woman grinning eagerly as she seems to mentally note the younger men and women around her, a confident-looking young man seated with an extremely embarrassed and nervous woman on his lap, and an older man counting out a wad of cash one by one quickly reminding me why people were here.

I find myself looking at a young woman in a skintight red dress, her blonde hair wild and stained with a few telltale white globs. She struggled to stand upright, a mixture of alcohol throwing off her balance as well as the ridiculous height of her heels making standing up difficult.

With a sigh I stand up, offering her my seat. It takes her a moment, a dim and faint look of recognition spreading across her face. She stumbles and staggers over to me, the smell of stale vomit and liquor hanging heavily in the air as she wobbles between me and the seat.

"Thanks kid" she mutters, her words slurring heavily as she drops down into the hard plastic seat. "I owe you one. Next time...next time I'm here I'll suck...suck...your..." the young woman crudely states, trailing off as she falls asleep in the seat.

Looking down at her I immediately recognize what had happened, a grim reminder of what could happen to me.

The Swap Clinic had been around for years at this point, operating as a trading post of physical and mental traits. However, due to the high cost of these traits, the market that Swap Clinic could reach had always been relatively small. It was in an effort to combat this they began to trial a new system, a rental service where individuals could offer up their body or body/life for a temporary swap.

This new system had quickly caused a boom in short-term swaps, with the rich or just extremely eager temporarily borrowing the bodies of the young and beautiful in order to live out all their fantasies with little to no regret. Others took a more utility-based approach, borrowing a body/life when they wanted to avoid something like an unwanted pregnancy or a particularly troublesome college exam. Most of these swaps were only for a few days, perhaps a week for a full experience, however, some of these rental agreements could be arranged for years or even decades in the more extreme cases.

It was thanks to the rental service I was here today. Having lost my job a few months back I had been rapidly burning through my savings, leading me to look for ways I could make up for the shortfall. It was on the same day that I received my eviction notice that I received an advertisement from the Swap Clinic, telling me how my financial woes could be over with no work on my part at all.

I had thought it was too good to be true, but at the same time I had heard quite a lot about the Swap Clinic and knew it as a rather reputable company. However, as I look sloppy blonde in my former seat I can't help but wonder if it really was all too good to be true.

When I had called the Swap Clinic they had seemed eager to help, taking all my personal information including many measurements of my body. They had asked during this initial meeting how long a swap I was looking for. However, having no frame of reference I ad asked how long they recommended. The Swap Clinic had, perhaps not with my best interest in mind, recommended that I simply leave it open and they would select whatever was the most profitable offer.

With my mind solely on the money I had agreed to that, something I was beginning to worry was a mistake.

Before I can worry too much more about the situation I had found myself in I hear a voice call out from the front desk.

"386!" shouts a young man. He quickly stands up from behind the desk, his gaze sweeping the room as he eagerly awaits a response. "386?" he follows up with, his voice waning as no one responds.

Looking down in my hand I check my ticket, my heart leaping into my throat as I see my number. "Sorry!" I call out, hustling my way over to the counter, shifting and pushing slightly to get through the rather crowded lobby.

"Thank you sir" the young man chirps, looking over at a nearby computer screen as he checks something. "Sorry for the wait Mr...Hughes" he mutters, pausing as he checks the name.

"It's no problem" I respond nervously, looking around at the waiting room at large.

"So you're here for a rental?" he says, trying to strike up small talk. "First time?"

"Yeah" I say, wincing a little. "And yeah, first time"

"Well..." the young attendant says, trailing off as he appears to search for something on the computer. "We've picked out the most profitable offer as per your request...It looks like you've been rented out for...a..."