Swappy Seconds - Part Two

My brow furrows however as I spot an image, the extreme distance on the picture making it fairly hard to make out. Tapping at the option on screen I watch as the app freezes for a second, the trait loading on my phone as the first thing to load is the simple button reading

'Purchase - $N/A'

Section by section loads into the profile for the trait, each broken seemingly by design as garbled text rests next to each identifier. "Can't be..." I mutter as I stare at the image of Megan, the tiny and mousey blonde grad student in her mid-twenties that Fiona and I mentored. The image on screen shows the young woman held standing by a series of padded metal cuffs, the frame behind her adjusted for her tiny five foot one build.

Her delicate pale chin shines slightly in the camera flash, a rivulet of drool having been wiped away from her brainless body in order to get her ready for sale.

Wild and curly sandy blonde hair puffs out around her head and drapes down past her shoulders in a massive yellow mane, the thick curly locks framing the dainty and delicate features of her face. Pale green eyes stare ahead through a set of small half-moon reading glasses, the pupils differing in size as they fail to focus without a mind behind them. Her nose is tiny and delicate with a slight up turn, the narrow and slight feature working in concert with her delicate jawline and faint cheekbones to leave her looking down right sweet.

Her build can best be described as 'tiny', her arms and legs lacking much in the way of muscle and sporting just the barest amount of fat to leave her with a soft feminine plush. Her torso is clad in a plain white button-up business shirt and a tight cream-colored cable knit sweater, her narrow waist and modest perky chest on display beneath the warm clinging fabric. Her legs are shielded from view, a long ankle length black skirt hanging from her flared hips in an attempt at some kind of modest yet professional look.

Reverse Hopper, Reversed Fortunes - Part Three

I open the driver's side door, hopping out quickly as I lurch and stumble on the uneven cobblestone. I hear a voice scream in shock as I appear from behind the dumpster, the cry quickly being followed by my world spinning as I'm brought to the ground along with the utter stranger.

"S... sorry..." I croak, groaning a little as I feel my arm pressing against their shoulder while my other hand rests grazed against the stones beneath me. As I try to stand I feel my arm tug on something, the feeling of their warm skin against mine pulling painfully as though we were super glued together.

"I... oh..." the voice mutters as her words catch in her throat. Leaning back I look down as I find myself staring at a bespectacled skinny and short woman in her late teens with long black hair pulled back into a thick braid, her large and heaving bust pooling to the sides of her petite torso. 

A set of pale icy blue eyes look up at me in shock, her delicate jaw hanging open as she begins to hyperventilate.

The Swap Cafe - Part Four

Patting down my pockets I quickly find a little blue rubber band, the clingy strap containing some kind of RFID chip in a rounded bulbous mound. Reaching up to the black box with it I hear a little digital beep, a loud click soon following as the gate swings back a little under it's own weight. With a shove I push it open, shuffling inside as I spot a large hand written sign on the side of the block of units.

PLEASE CLOSE THE GATE <3

Pouting a little at the need for the sign I gently push the gate behind me, listening out as I hear it bounce back into place before rattling against its lock. Shuffling along, fiddling with the blue band between my delicate fingers, I approach the first apartment. The corner unit features a little window beside the door, the view likely having been much better before the car park and eventual fence.

I wrack my brain as I try to remember if I had seen any other windows, the exhausted malaise gripping me making it hard to remember how I even got here.

"I need a coffee..." I mutter softly, reaching out to a familiar black box beside the door as it chimes just as the gate had. I grab the door handle and quickly twist it, a musty and unclean scent seeping out of the gap as I shuffle inside.

The Swap Cafe - Part Three

"Right" the dark haired woman snaps, stepping up beside the redhead with a glare. "You two are done and dusted right? Good..." she huffs, not even letting us give our response. "Thirty days, You..." she declares, pointing to Bronwyn in my body. "You will be back here at this time in thirty days. And You..." she continues, pointing back at me. "You can be back in thirty days to reclaim your body,  otherwise enjoy your new life Bronwyn" she states in a matter of fact tone.

We all watch as the dark haired woman storms off to the door, opening it up as the world beyond shows a rather bright street filled with trees along the median strip.

"You!" She snaps, pointing at me. "This is your stop, off ya go."

My heart leaps into my throat, my eyes darting around behind the clarifying glass lens as I look over the others standing around expectantly. My head buzzes as I look up at them all, even the other women in the cafe being at least an inch taller than my new self as my mind strains to accept my new height.

"Wa... wait..." I squeak, eliciting a giggle from the redhead as she seems to relish my panic and confusion. "I don't know where I... where I even live, or how to put on makeup, or how to wear..." I blabber, clamming up as the dark haired woman storms over with a scowl.

"Ya body will remember that stuff okay" she huffs, reaching out to grab my wrist before yanking my forward and placing a hand against the small of my back. My hips rock from side to side, my chest bouncing violently as I'm raced towards the door.

"Now hurry up and get!" the dark haired woman yaps, finishing our little march with a hard shove. "We've got to set up for the..."

The Swap Cafe - Part Two

A little chime rings out as a set of footsteps stagger inside, heavy panting breathes following as the redhead practically skips up towards the front door.

"Sorry I'm late!" cries a shaking voice, her words fighting to come out between deep breathes. "I have my..."

"Thank you for showing up sweetie" the redhead coos, her words dripping with a painfully sweet tinge. "He's still here, I'll... just... take..." she chirps giddily, a giggle coming from her as I hear a two sets of footsteps begin to grow near.

"I'll see if Candace is ready with the tea, you two just wait... right... here..." the redhead chirps, pulling out a chair as I spin around to see a rather pale and soft young woman with ruffled brightly colored hair trudge tiredly towards the seat.

Mastered PC - Part Eight

With the table set up I simply stand at attention behind it. Freed from the previous command I feel my body once more under my control, however, I remain still and silent out of fear of having Fiona make another demand of me.

Hours pass as students walk up and chat for a while, mostly men who who look over the curves on display between Fiona and myself before leaving once either of us ask for them to sign-up. It was obvious why I was hear, the Literature Club having been Fiona's baby since her first year even though it had barely managed to draw in enough members to be counted as a club at all.

With her new pupil she had at least found a second member, nearly halfway to the five required to hold the club together. However, as the sun sits high in the sky the sign up sheets still remain completely blank.

I hear as Fiona sighs next to me, my whole body shuddering as I hear the sound of her pen scratching out her thoughts in the notepad once again. Twisting in place I stare as Fiona's pen darts back and forth, the notepad getting filled with sentences before each is crossed out and another takes its place. Pursing her lips Fiona looks over me, only eventually piping up to mutter to herself.

Full Form Fitness - Dumping Ground - Part Two

Suddenly, the machine roars to life as plumes of mist erupt from within. Despite the cold I feel hundreds and thousands of pinprick like bursts of heat begin to tease and dart across my skin. In a matter of moments I feel my muscles seemingly turn to mush, the mixture of targeted heat and surrounding cold easing my body beyond the realms of belief.

"Ten inches? Lucky you" the dark haired woman chuckles, the clattering of keyboard strokes barely reaching me as the machine continues to hum and whir around me.

"How did you..." I begin to croak, my throat soon refusing to make any sort of utterance as it too grows overly relaxed and numbed.

"Oh it's all here" the dark haired employee giggles, a key more keystrokes quickly following. "Don't worry, we know someone who will enjoy it far more. Thank you for filling that order for us, we needed another Show Room Body and that bulge will be peeeeeerfect. But as for you...We've been needing to have a bit of a clean out for a while now."

Partnered with the Swap Clinic - Part Two

Suddenly, I feel my legs and legs snap to the arms and legs of the chair. A low hum comes from beneath me, an electrical whine that seems to power something beyond my sight. I strain weakly against my apparently bindings, my wrists and elbows appearing downright glued to the metal frame beneath me while my ankles and knees follow suit.

"Just need to make sure you don't move to much" the blonde mumbles, her typing starting up again as I feel my head lurch back into the headrest of the chair. "Now... let's see what we have in store for you..." she mutters to herself, pausing as she reads something beyond the darkness of my rubber mask.

As my head impacts the headrest of the seat I let out a guttural gurgling in shock, the sound of the rubber squeaking against the hard metallic backing filing my ears. The back of my head seems to deform as I'm pulled against the shining steel plate, pooling out behind me as the rubber flexes momentarily as though it was filled with jelly. A whirling soon kicks into gear inside my ears, the mask suddenly snapping into a more rigid shape as I faintly feel my head pool back out and into some roughly human shape once more.

"O...kay..." the blonde coos, the seat beneath her wheezing as she stands up from the aging padding. "Looks like you'll be getting one of the good ones" she explains, pacing around behind her desk as the sounds of drawers opening and closing barely reach me over the sound of the blood in my ears and the strange whirring.

Re: Job-Bod - Part Three

The roles keep flickering between each other for a while longer, holding for more and more time on each as it seems to grow more certain with it's decision. The crowd grows quiet, the sound of the band setting up in the Rent-a-Bod space and the shouts of those in the 'Innovation Center' being all that reverberates through the central hall.

Finally, the text seems to stop. The crowd along with blonde and myself waiting on baited breath for it to turn over one last time. As it sits on the role on screen longer and longer the crowd begins to cheer, the blonde soon taking her que, to gesture down at me.

"Let's hear it for the brand new TEACHER!" the blonde calls out, the crowd that had formed behind me cheering and hollering with excitement. I turn to face them, finding myself face to face with a sea of people, all eagerly looking between me and the image projected on the walls around us.

"If you'd just come this way" the blonde states, leaning down a little to speak to me directly. The blonde gestures to the side of the stage, towards a door leading off to what appears to be a back wing of the 'Innovation Center'.

"Uh..." I begin to mutter, squirm under the gaze of the woman above me and the audience behind me. "Wasn't this just a..." I continue, swallowing hard before croaking the finish. "A demonstration?"

The blonde chortles slightly in response, giving me a look of confusion and amusement.

"That's right..." she says slowly, cocking an eyebrow before looking at the computer. "A demonstration of, hopefully, our new process. The end of that process involves... you know..." the blonde continues, slowing down waiting for me to catch the drift without her outright saying it.

The crowd begins to murmur, muttering of confusion and frustration soon rumbling out.

Mangling Malfunction - Part Three

My eyes dart about in a panic, hastily assessing the sight of the short eighteen-year-old with glasses and pimples dressed in an anime shirt and baggy jeans.

My voice crackles out in a pained croaking gasp, my new vocal cords aching and stinging as the harsh ragged breaths rush against them. Nasal squeaking slips out of me, my mind racing to assess just what the hell had happened to me.

I'm barely five-foot-three, at least according to the anti-theft measurements in the door frame of the storefront, the ratty dirty sneakers likely adding just a little bit to my height. My hair hangs down past my slender narrow shoulders, thick light brown curls drenched by the rain and coated in layers of grease and grime clinging to my neck and face in a disgusting manner.

Mangling Malfunction - Part Two

I don't have much time to really let the disjointed words sink in, my stomach sinking as the needle is soon retracted to allow my shirt to be pulled over my head.

The sound of hatches opening around me fills the room, the noise only getting worse as various saws and suction devices come to life in preparation for the forced surgery that was about to commence. A screen flickers to life on the far wall, the monitor showing water dribbling down behind the display. Lines of text flicker on the screen, an intelligible scrawl flashing up as the machine attempts to explain that it was about to give me the full body of someone else trapped somewhere inside the machine.

Mangling Malfunction - Part One

Wandering down the street, short bursts of rain spitting down in the night air, I try to pull my leather jacket over my head for some semblance of cover. Clouds blot out the stars and the moon, the faint glow emanating from the sky doing little to illuminate the footpath.

A few scant street lights help guide the way, the warm glow also catching the rain as it threatens to come down heavier by the second. It was the calm before the storm, the pitter patter of sharp cold droplets and the rumbling of thunder in the distance tell me it was a race against time to find some sort of cover.

I hadn't intended to stay out so late, just a few drinks before heading to my waiting bed. However, seeing me drinking alone the bar had been 'kind enough to ply me with cheap liquor all night. I'd normally just call a cab or Uber home, though with the extra time spent out I'd unfortunately killed the battery in my phone. My head hangs forward, my stance listing from side to side as I try to keep balance on the wet and slippery path.

Suddenly, a flash of light fills the sky only to be followed by a near immediate rumbling boom of thunder. The heavens open above me, the gentle spitting of rain rapidly devolving into an intense deluge that threatens to sweep me off my feet.

Re: Mutual Medallion Mix-Up - Part Three

"Hughes?" Asks a soft and feminine voice beside my booth, the sudden intrusion into my own solitary thoughts nearly causing me to spill my coffee.

Snapping my head up from the slowly cooling beverage in my hands I glance over at the figure as they slide into the booth across from me, my eyes falling to a downright tiny and cutesy Japanese girl in a private school uniform.

Mutual Medallion Mix-Up - Part Three

"Hughes?" Asks a soft and feminine voice beside my booth, the sudden intrusion into my own solitary thoughts nearly causing me to spill my coffee.

Snapping my head up from the slowly cooling beverage in my hands I glance over at the figure as they slide into the booth across from me, my eyes falling to a dark-Skinned nerdy-looking bombshell in tight professional clothes.

Mutual Medallion Mix-Up - Part Two

Before long I had started to seek someone out, prowling in forums and communities in search of someone who might not only be wanting to make such a drastic life change but who would be open to the possibility of the Medallion actually working.

It was slow at first, not wanting to sound like a crazy person as I stayed pent up in my apartment. Bouncing from forum to forum I looked for someone like myself, a person who yearned for something different and who may take a chance to get it.

It was why I had come to the cafe, why I had hidden the Medallion itself beneath my clothes so I could feel it was still in my possession. It was all to meet the person I had found on a site for privileged idiots to vent about their problems.

Reading through the threads and chat rooms each and every day was a mind numbing and brain rotting experience. Stuck in my small apartment, watching my savings dwindle day in and day out I would watch as the wealthiest of the wealthy whined and complained about both the most inane things as well as problems that most would never even have the means to experience.

 

My cleaners keep speaking Mexican or something when in my home...

...And so in the end we had to fund the new library expansion to keep Kimberly in
the class...

My parents are being such fucking assholes. I wanted a Lexus but they got me a 
Tesla for the environment or whatever...

Does anyone know how to fucking change a grade? I slept through my last exam and 
my fucking asshole teacher failed me or something. Can I like, pay the dean or 
something? If my parents find out I'm...

My ex wants to take our kids to the Hamptons, but I got the lodge in the divorce 
so why she he still get to use it just because the kids want to go...

I can't believe they threw out my fucking shorts. Maria must have found them or 
something, that fucking bitch. Those things were fucking fire and made my ass 
look...

...So they paid me $500,000 to not come to grandma's funeral, what the fuck is 
wrong with those...

...And they still treat me like a fucking kid. I mean my trust gives me their 
salary each fucking month, they should know their place...

... And NOW he wants to move us to some fucking place in the mountains like some 
fucking Hicks! What about MY life?! MY friends?! MY...

Our driver's wife has come down with Covid, how can we best fire him and most quickly hire a replacement? 

 

Each if their stupid problems made my blood boil, with the proposed solutions being all the worse. From saying they should just have workers deported to suing teachers and schools for all their worth in retaliation for some perceived slight or paying off officials for all manner of reasons, it became apparent the people in the forum were all too happy to show their terrible side to the world.

Still, each day I bided my time in wait for someone to show up who seemed to fit the bill. If I was going to do this, to ditch my life and body for another, it would need to be with someone who was otherwise set up for life.

I had spent my life toiling away, working with my nose to the grind stone to get exactly back to square one. From working for the moment I could to help out with school, to all the late nights studying to get the right scholarships and eventually my many degrees. Where had it gotten me? Snubbed by my department and with moving back in with my parents on the horizon.

Why do that all over again when I could slip right into to a life with no financial worries or cares in the world?

After weeks of searching and waiting, occasionally dipping my ties into the proverbial waters I eventually stuck gold. The poster didn't seem to have a real problem, at least not one that would hurt me in the long term as far as I could tell.

Yet despite all this they sought something from the other people on the site. Over and over they posted about their problems, only to be largely ignored each and every time. With each post, every complaint, they would soon be overshadowed by groaning about rising interest rates on someone's fifteenth house or the insane price of alimony payments.

Eventually I stepped in, sending in a private message to give them a chance to vent more that they readily accepted. It came as a deluge, each day leading to another burst of replies and further grumblings about the life they seemed to be less than satisfied with.

As the conversations built to a fever pitch I finally let slip the all-important proposition, what if you never had to deal with those problems again?

It had taken some time to get them to open up to the idea. At first they had joked about jumping at the chance of they could, but soon closed back up once the suggestion of it actually being possible turned up.

Replies became more and more infrequent, worries that they were soon to disappear from the conversation building with each passing day. However, after a week without a reply I eventually got a message back. After hours turning into days of mulling over the idea it had finally seemed to sink in, the anonymous user finally asking.

You weren't making this up right? About the chance to be someone else?

From there it was only a short matter to seal the deal, offering up a little information about the medallion to get them to finally take the hook. Before I knew they had turned the tables, quickly bombarding me with questions about my life. Having spent the better part of a month delving into their problems I knew just want to say to reel them in.

Before long they were suggesting we meet up, offering up their body and life on a silver platter in exchange for my own.

"Hughes?" Asks a soft and feminine voice beside my booth, the sudden intrusion into my own solitary thoughts nearly causing me to spill my coffee.

Snapping my head up from the slowly cooling beverage in my hands I glance over at the figure as they slide into the booth across from me, my eyes falling to a...

Mutual Medallion Mix-Up - Part One

Glancing around the busy cafe I take a tentative sip from my cup, my hand shaking a little and threatening to spill the piping hot liquid into my lap. It isn't just the heat of the drink and the risk of it dropping that was making me shake, the thought of why I was here almost leaving me more than nervous.

Shifting in my booth I feel my loose and oversized teal sweater shift over my slender lanky frame, catching the occasional hair as it moves. Beneath the warm and baggy fabric I feel the clunky bronze amulet around my neck shift and sway, the heavy and permanently cold metal accessory leaving my heart racing a mile a minute.

The Black Box - Part Three

With my tiredness mounting and my need to know peaked I flick open one of the boxes, watching as the lid flies off and the label tumbles to the floor reading...

Natural

Before I can even think about what I've done I feel an all too familiar static buzz begin to creep in beneath my skull. While for most it would likely feel horrifying and strange to me it was simply a reminder of life since I had the faulty implant installed.

The app plays a short video as the camera zooms closer to the black gift in the screen before hurtling inside, an endless shifting dark tunnel filling the screen as white text slowly begins to fade in.

     Please Find A Safe Location

1 Minute 59 Seconds Until Transference

The Black Box - Part Two

 

I quickly snatch up my phone, looking down to the thing that had seemed to fix my implant as I see the front page of the Black Box - Receiver app. A send large button sits at the center of the screen, a large bubble-like transparent object reading:

"Release Your Wishes"

Behind it, shrouded in shadows I can see what almost looks like balloons, the rounded jostling objects appearing to be trying to fly away while being held in place by the phone screen itself.

As I strain my eyes to read the text within I find it swirling and forming on each of the round colorful objects, as if they were reading and writing the sentences from somewhere.

The Black Box - Part One

Walking around my kitchen, watching the rain pelt down outside the window, I slowly make myself a pot of herbal tea. My phone rests on the nearby counter, a long line slowly filling as my internet chugs to download the large file to my freshly cleaned-out device. The kettle whines, plumes of steam erupting from the dinged red appliance as I quickly race to shut it off.

My head feels a little fuzzy as I hear the squealing of the whistle, a slight side effect of the poorly implemented implant at the base of my skull. The visual snow builds as I shut off the kettle, my vision rapidly returning as the noise subsides.

"Fucking..." I hiss, reaching up to the back of my head and running my hands through my short hair. "Hope this works" I huff, shaking my head, grabbing the kettle and pouring its contents into the teapot and over the various leaves and flowers I had placed within.

It had been months since I had this thing installed, months of subtle buzzing and the occasional headrush as it tested itself and the gray matter it monitored.

"Shouldn't have bothered getting an archive" I grumble, taking my teapot to the sofa to pour myself a cup. "My memory was fine, and now I can't even drink coffee without feeling weird."

Mirror Mirror - Part Five

As I reach out and press against the rippling pane of the mirror I feel my hand seep through, the tiny and delicate fingers I had been mirroring quickly shifting into my former larger and masculine ones as they exit the mirror. With my spectral hand gripping the frame I heave my tiny petite frame out, my world lurching as I rapidly shift from the shape of the pint-sized blonde to my previous towering form.

Looking down I find myself looking like myself once again, my translucent body being only clothed in the same pair of boxers I had worn when my body was first stolen from me. Sighing in my echoing and ghostly voice I simply stare at myself for a moment, clenching my teeth as I realize just what I was about to lose.

My eyes soon become drawn to the faint line of light connecting me to the mirror, a subtle blue trail leading from my chest to the mirror as I reminder of my spectral shackles. Another faint white light trails from the mirror, guiding my eye line to the snoring blonde on the bed as though to aid in finding the connected person for the coming act.