Shift Change

By Gary Travis

If Jamie had thought the group anything today it was that he wasn't happy. He was a 22 year old 5ft security manager. He must have weighed no more than 60kg piss wet through. He said he had the build of a 13 year old. He openly admitted that he was not really strong enough for the job and had been thrown in, but had grown to love it.

Somehow I felt that was not right and I needed to help him. I sensed that he would be happy with a better body but the same job. But it couldn't be me that he swapped with. Even though as the day went on, his body began to grow on me. After all it's not all about looks. It's also about mannerisms and life skills.

His job was almost perfect for one of the newest form of body switching devices on the market. I rang my colleague who agreed to come and speak to Jamie.

The next day Jamie was greeted by my colleague, Dean. Dean explained that there was a new camera on the market. It enabled the user of the camera to put themselves into the body of a suspect thief and prevent the theft. Dean explained that it could be used to upgrade his own body by switching his body with theirs on a permanent basis.

It was obvious from the questions he was asking that he was interested. Dean then explained that he could fit the camera for free, providing that he allowed his own body to be used as 'test' subject that scientists would explore and confirm that the process used was 100% safe. Of course it was safe, it was just a buy in method used by Dean. It meant that anybody on the switching network including myself would be able to access the body I had found so attractive.

The camera was fitted in one of the most vulnerable parts of the store. Dean then showed him the ropes and told him to only press the red button if he wanted to switch with the person he was zoomed into.

The device was like an iPad with a screen and touch screen buttons that he could carry around with him. Jamie knew that he could switch as often as he wanted, but was never allowed to return to his own body.

It wasn't long before Jamie's body appeared on the body switch network. And I instantly knew Jamie had selected his first new body.

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Jamie followed someone twice his size around the store before he knew he was sure. The guy he selected was built like a god to him and he decided he was going to be the first he was going to try out.

The guy wasn't shop lifting. Jamie had just picked his perfect form as the guy he wanted to be. He zoomed in, He hit the red button. Suddenly Jamie found himself looking at products on the shelf instead of the iPad screen.

He had selected his switch location perfectly, close to the security office where another device had been fitted. The reason he did it so close to the security office was that he knew he only had seconds to lead his old body to the security room before he realised what had happened.

 

He coughed and said in a very unfamiliar voice, "Excuse me sir, can you come with me?"

"Sure" his old body said.

He opened the door and his old body walked in and sat down.

"I feel a bit funny, something isn't right, I sound and smell different, what's going on, what's happened to me?" his old body asked. His old body then moved his hands to his head, where he would normally feel a cropped head, he now felt waves of longer hair.

"Well sir, I feel the only way you can find out is to show you a mirror." Jamie said

Jamie stayed in the shadows concealing himself from his former bodies view so as not to irritate him any more than was immediately necessary. He handed a mirror to him. His former body looked into it.

"What the fuck," he exclaimed. "I'm not me, who am I?"

"Sir I assure you, you are yourself. You banged your head earlier and you seem to have forgotten a few things." Jamie said

The whole experience was new to Jamie, and looking over to his old self he quickly realised that it far from perfect. His new double still hadn't seen the name tag on his inherited uniform, it had Jamie's name embossed on its plastic surface. Checking his notes Jamie quickly figured out it would soon be OK, stepping out from the shadows he knew new beefed up body would be no match for his old body should The guy in Jamie's body began to look at himself.

"What, why even, Why am I wearing, a supermarket uniform?" he asked.

He then noticed he was wearing a name badge, it read Jamie.

"Jamie, that's not my name, who the fuck is Jamie. Jamie customer services and security manager, my name is..... Uuurrrggghhh this weird i can’t think straight, this is not my body I’m not Jamie I am so confused. My name is, my names Ryan. What's going on?"

“Sir I feel I need to explain. My name is Jamie, I have stolen your body, there is no way to swap back, the second you leave this room, everything I need to know about you and your body will be transferred into my head. Our clothes will be replaced so I am wearing a uniform that fits me and you will be wearing something weedy from my wardrobe. You will then forget the body you once owned and looked after so perfectly. You will realise you have always had the body you have now. You will still be Ryan."

"Not a fucking chance," he stated. "Swap us back now or there's gonna be some shit going on in here"

He stood up and attempted to push the chair away from himself and table towards Jamie. It was hilarious as he fell flat on his back and the chair flung from under him. The table never moved. He then tried to lift the table with one hand, then with two. It never moved.

Jamie then moved to help him up then picked up the table with one hand. He wasn't happy at that point and came pounding towards him with his clenched fist. Jamie was amazed at how quick he reacted as he moved his open hand and cupped his former fist in his new hand. Stopping him in his tracks.

Jamie knew that this wasn't going to end easy and it ended up grabbing ryan by his collar and dragging him out of the room. Fortunately the knowledge and clothes swap happened fairly quickly and no one noticed a thing. It was a quick in and out with a bit of a scuffle but nothing that would of been picked up by the other guards. Ryan apologised and he let him go.

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Jamie never told me what he did in Ryan's body after that but I knew he was really happy after he swapped. I also know he tries out another body once a month, you should see the grin on his face when he has a new body. Of course each new body reacts differently sometimes they put up quite a fight, after all Jamie's new body may not be as strong as his last.

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