Change brings opportunity.
~ Nido Qubein
Mr. Fleischer leaned back in the tall executive chair behind his massive desk and regarded Dr. Maerwynn and the technician, Tomas. “How is it going with our auditor?”
Dr. Maerwynn said, “He is weak and easily manipulated.” She brushed her shoulder-length black hair from her strong face. With the artfully applied make-up, she still looked to be in her twenties, an illusion reinforced by her young, trim physique.
“And the medical evaluation team?”
“In the lab now with one of my assistants. They should be gone by mid-afternoon.”
“Good, good. Everything is coming together.”
Tomas said, “There is one small complication, sir. With the bodies sequestered for the audit examinations, we’re short two for today’s rotation.”
“I thought we accounted for the audit in our numbers.”
“We did,” Dr. Maerwynn said, “but the prison is late sending us the latest inmate transfers.”
“Shall I send the dispossessed to the vault.” Tomas asked.
Dr. Maerwynn said. “No. They’re not prepared for that. It would raise too many questions.”
Mr. Fleischer sat back in his chair, his face expressionless as he considered the situation. Tomas said hesitantly into the silence, “There is one other option, sir. The dolls are ready.”
Dr. Maerwynn shook her head, “I’d rather that information not circulate yet.”
“Can’t we just keep them sedated?” Mr. Fleischer asked.
“No,” said the doctor. “The drugs only work on the bodies. Once the souls are free, they’d be conscious within minutes.”
“Then what do you recommend?”
She grimaced. “We have to use the dolls.”
“I don’t need this today,” Mr. Fleischer growled.
“I see no other option.”
“Very well. Do it.” He leaned forward and fixed both of the others with his hard stare. “But keep it contained.”
Tomas said, “Shall I pick two random donors?”
“No.” Mr. Fleischer considered for a moment and then smiled. “Use Sarah and Jill.”
Tomas looked surprised, and Dr. Maerwynn said, “Jill is a good choice. That woman won’t care what she gets. But are you sure about Sarah? She’s still resisting the full corporal transfer.”
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Fleischer said with a grin. “I’m sure. This will provide the last bit of leverage we need to bring her into line. She’ll see one of the possible consequences of pushing back too hard. And if she tries to go public, any talk about getting transferred into a doll body would give us all the excuse we need to declare her mentally unstable.”
“Hopefully she’ll make the right choice and avoid any extra complications,” Dr. Maerwynn said.
“Agreed. I think the extra nudge will push her into line.”
“I’ll see it done,” Tomas said.
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“Good. And make sure we get that convict body ready for her next jump.
Chapter 7
Premonition
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
~ Sylvia Plath
Sarah couldn’t remember most of the afternoon. It passed in a blur as she struggled with the terrifying dilemma. Despite her best efforts, she could not think of a way to escape the situation with her identity intact.
She could run away, but that wouldn’t help much. She wouldn’t be old, but she still wouldn’t have her body, and she couldn’t bring herself to steal someone else’s.
She didn’t like Mr. Fleischer, but did not doubt he’d pay the huge promised bonus. One thing Alterego was very good at was paying its donors handsomely. With how badly he wanted her to accept the permanent corporal transfer, she could walk away very wealthy.
Was it worth torturing herself so much? By the amount of money rich old men and women were willing to pay for the chance at even temporary youth, it seemed she was the only person who felt her own, original body was worth holding on to.
She could not change the way she felt. So what was she to do?
She barely summed up enough courage to undergo the transfer back into that same old body to take it through its afternoon exercise routine. All through the two hour session, she watched the clock move with agonizing slowness.
“Sarah, what’s wrong.” Jill asked at one point. “You’re moving like a zombie.”
Sarah managed a weak smile. “Just preoccupied.”
“Why are you still wearing that old thing? I thought you were getting yourself back today.”
Fighting back tears, Sarah told Jill about the situation. She was startled when Jill laughed.
“You lucky gal.”
“How is this lucky?”
“You’re going to be rich!”
“Didn’t you hear me? They want to take my body forever.”
Jill shrugged. “But they said they’ll give you another one, right?”
Sarah nodded.
“Just make sure it passes the full medical screening. Don’t want to take one with cancer or something.”
“I don’t want to take anything,” Sarah said angrily. “I just want to be me.”
“So just tell them.”
“I did. They won’t let me.” She leaned closer. “I think they’re planning to force me to take it.”
“So take it.” Jill regarded Sarah for a moment. “I worry about you sometimes. You just don’t seem to get it. Take the money. You’ll be set for life. The company will take care of you. You won’t have to worry about anything.”
“I don’t trust the company.”
“Why not? Haven’t they paid you more money than any sane person has a right to deserve?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s there not to trust?”
Sarah shrugged. “Don’t you ever feel trapped here? Like a prisoner?”
“It’s not always about you, Sarah.”
“What?”
“You’re so stuck on yourself,” Jill said with surprising heat. “Here you’ve got it made. You get paid a ton. You’ve got no responsibilities. Alterego can take care of your entire life for you, and it’s not enough. You’re so selfish sometimes.”
Sarah stared at her friend, totally shocked. “Jill, I . . .”
Jill waved her to silence. “Think about the rest of us for once, Sarah. What will happen to us if you rock the boat and wreck things?”
“I didn’t—”
Jill spoke right over her. “If you mess things up, we’ll all be out of work. We’d all have to figure out how to take care of ourselves. That would be really mean, Sarah.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Good, then take the deal. Everyone will be happier.”
Not me.
After the workout, Sarah would have run back to the transfer lab if it wouldn’t have risked giving her old body a heart attack. Despite how much she wanted out of it, dying was not the way to do it.
Tomas was waiting for them as usual, but his normal smile was missing. In fact, he looked rather grim. On top of everything else, his expression sent a chill sense of foreboding crawling down her spine. With a shock, Sarah realized he looked strikingly similar to Mr. Fleischer when he wore that grim look. He could have almost passed for the man’s son.
Tomas helped Jill up onto her gurney and she asked, “So where’s my next body?”
Only then did Sarah realize the other two gurneys that normally held the bodies they would transfer to stood empty. The feeling of foreboding blossomed into full blown fear.
“They’re coming,” Tomas said as he prepared the pre-transfer injection.
Jill grinned wickedly, a singularly disturbing expression on her aged face. “You’re going to sneak in that sexy little number for me, aren’t you?”
“It will be little,” Tomas said with a rather forced grin.
Jill laughed and then cast a coy look at him. “I’m not sure it’ll be enough, but we’ll see. I might let you take me out.”
Tomas’s only reply was to jab the needle into her arm and inject the tranquilizer.
When he turned to Sarah, he was frowning. Wild fears popped into her head. What was he doing? Was he going to kill them? The idea would usually have seemed ludicrous, but she could not bring herself to laugh it off.
“Hold on a minute,” she said as he prepared her arm.
“Don’t move.” He leaned close, his gaze so intense Sarah pressed herself back into the bed. “I am sorry, Sarah. This will be . . . strange.”
“You’re making me nervous.”
He managed a weak smile. “Just remember. I’ll be there. I’ll look after you.”
“What’s going on?”
He jabbed the needle home. “I promise. You’ll be safe.”
The words looked forced, as if he didn’t believe them.
She tried to push his hand away, but moved too late. He injected the tranquilizer.
“I am sorry.”
His words faded to blackness.
