Swappers 2 Chapter Four (Patreon)

(Again, very much a work in Progress)

She didn’t think she’d be so tired.

Mindy stared at her new body in the mirror. The old girl, Janice Halloway, wasn’t too shabby, in fact she was in better shape than Ji-Huan at least.

She stood about 5’3”. A bit taller than her original body (and when had she started thinking of Mindy as her original but there it was), and had something of an intricate self styling hairdo. It was fluffy and gray and no matter what she did with it, it rearranged itself into a beehive updo. Her eyes were a deep cornflower blue, and her skin was dark tan from pigment enhancement; it did not look natural.

Her face looked as if it had work done, long ago when they used to actually cut you for cosmetic surgery. Her eyes were tilted up severely at the corners, and her lips were stiff and somewhat large. She actually lacked feeling in most of her face and knew it was probably from multiple procedures that had impacted her nerve endings.

Her hands had the traces of liver spots, but again they’d been removed by whatever process had turned her skin dark. Her breasts were tubular things that rested on her slightly paunchy belly if she didn't wear a bra and Mindy was surprised to find they were all natural and hadn’t been enhanced or filled with deadly silicone.

She walked stiffly, and the doctor had said she’d be getting a cane shortly. Her hip, knee, ankle, wrists, and neck all ached miserably, so she had received a couple of pain suppressor injections which had helped reduce the severity, but she still ached from all those joints.

Her voice was a deep throaty growl that sounded as if Janice had smoked a few packs a day for the last several decades. Since the resurgence of tobacco, people had embraced the new habit and it caused multiple side effects: Janice’s dentures (yes dentures) had dark stains that no amount of brushing had removed. She definitely had respiratory issues, and she’d immediately craved a cigarette as soon as the swap had completed.

The doctor had shown her to the smoking area, and provided Mindy with an actual carton of menthols so she was in heaven for awhile, smoking outside and enjoying the late November sunshine of Las Vegas. The plane to Orlando had arrived, but Michelle, Mindy, Jessica, and Justin had not deplaned. It was a complete mystery.

Someone knocked at her door, and Mindy answered it. An attendant handed Mindy a standard cane with a rubber handle.

“Here’s an assistive device, Mrs. Halloway. Dr. Effinger said to bring you this.”

“Thank you, dear.” Mindy said. “I don’t suppose there’s any word on my body?”

“No Ma’am, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.”

“Alright.”

“Will you be staying in your room today?”

She sighed. They’d assigned her a small hotel style room with bed, desk, room tab, and a few articles of clothing but nothing decent. She wore an orange jumper and didn’t like the texture against her older dry skin. She’d been cooped up in the Facility for almost 24 hours and was wanting to get out and do something.

“Dr. Effinger mentioned I might be able to go into town?”

“Yes, Ma’am, you aren’t a prisoner by any means, and can come and go as you please. We offer this as a service, but you have the right to leave the Facility at any time.”

The Facility notified her bank and all Mindy’s assets had been transferred to the Janet B-ID. Luckily, whoever was inside “Mindy” wasn’t after her wealth they must have been after something else. Jessica, Justin, Michelle, and of course, Mindy were still offline. 

She wanted to fly back home, but the Director had discouraged her saying “Let us do our jobs. If you are there, it only complicates things.” They didn’t want anyone notified of the swap issue to not alarm the body bandit.

“I’d like to go into town and do some shopping.” She tugged at her jumpsuit. “This is not comfortable.”

The attendant smiled. “Of course, Mrs. Halloway. Is there a destination in mind?”

“Oh, just whatever shopping area that is close. I don’t wish to go far.”

“Very well. I’ll order you an e-car.”

“Thank you, dear.”

The attendant smiled and left.

***

She found several outfits that were acceptable. Mindy had always worn sleek sexy, classy but smutty. With Janice, she wanted a classy look but anything sexy was right out. She found a few silk blouses with slacks and skirts. She also purchased some tasteful jewelry, perfume, underclothes, and other basic necessities. She found a small case for all of it to fit inside, with the new vac-pak inserts. She put on a white silk blouse with a pencil skirt and stockings, with the new stylish tiger spotted platinum stilettos. She wanted to look older, but like she still had some fire left, so the shoes would have to communicate that.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, she ordered a few cosmetics from the vendor in the dressing room. She put on some foundation, a light bronzer, enhanced her eyebrows a bit, eyeshadow in a gold tone that enhanced her tanned face, eyeliner that wasn’t too garish, then splurged and purchased some semi-perm eyelashes. Janice looked like a hot cougar when she was done, on the prowl. 

She frowned at the turkey neck. That just would not do. She ordered three silk scarves, and tugged on a navy blue one, wrapping it around her neck loosely to hide the folds of skin.

The stilettos were a bit hard to negotiate, especially with the cane, but it auto-adjusted to her new height.

She glanced at herself in the full length autocam. She’d turn a few heads.

Patting her hair, she left the shopping area and went to a small restaurant at the front of the mall. She was ushered to a table outside, and given a menu. She ordered a watercress sandwich and a cup of soup. She had just lit a cigarette when her personal tablet chimed.

THIS INCOMING MESSAGE IS FOR MINDY MCTAVISH. IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND IDENTIFY AS MINDY ENTER YOUR B-ID AND M-ID AS PASSWORD

A standard username and password box spawned. She entered her B-ID and M-ID and the message opened.

‘Mindy McTavish, if you ever wish to see your friends again proceed to the GPS location listed below. Do NOT attempt to notify anyone at the swappers Facility, local or federal authorities. If we see any people accompany you to this location your friends will be sacrificed.”

There was a standard GPS location listed below the letter. She clicked on it, and her tablet fired up a map location nearby.

Well, now it begins. She sighed, her stomach in knots. She wondered what they had done, what her friends were going through. Michelle and Jessica certainly didn’t deserve this, nor Justin. She felt panic rise up in her, but she breathed and made it through.

She called up an e-car and quickly directed it to the gps location. 

Getting into and out of vehicles was a much different experience. Each time she started to get out, her hip shot spears of pain into her, like ground glass. She used her cane to leverage herself out, and walked into a small diner.

As she entered her phone chimed again. “You have a reservation.”

The hostess seated her at a small table. Minutes later, the tablet chimed again.  “Under the table.”

Rolling her eyes, Mindy slid her hands on the underside of the table. She found something taped there, and pulled it out. A standard Memory Crystal.

“Put it in your phone and follow the directions.”

She slotted the memcrys into her phone, and a window spawned.

“Thank you for following directions and not panicking and not bringing in the police. You will need to fly to New Orleans. Inside this memcrys is an e-car voucher to go to the airport, and a plane ticket to Louis Armstrong International Airport. From there you will e-car to the Usher Hotel, where you have a reservation for tonight waiting. You will be contacted in the morning. Again, do not involve any authorities or outside individuals. If you do not appear in New Orleans at the allotted time, your friends will be sacrificed. Please do not test our patience.”

She pulled out temp tablet, and input Jessica’s ID. The autoattendant responded in Jessica’s voice that she was away for the week and wouldn’t be back until blahblahblah. She dialed Tabbi, but then disconnected, what if they were monitoring Candi’s? She didn’t know what to do. She felt panic rise in her chest, panic at the thought of what they might be doing to Jessi…and knew she had to follow their directions or she’d never forgive herself.

She stood, shaking. Thumbing the button on her tablet to call the e-car, she slowly made her way to the front, dragging her luggage behind her, feeling every year of the body she wore and wishing she’d taken someone else.