Jack walked down to the crime laboratory like a condemned man. It was a place where no officer on duty liked to go, because this wasn't like a typical lab. Two years ago the government started a new program to equip law enforcement with modern-age technology, using bizarre and sometimes unethical research methods.
Government-employed scientists scurried around the laboratory like insects, their coke-bottle lenses staring blankly back at whatever officers found their way down there. The whole room glowed a sickly green colour. It smelled like sulphur.
"Name and identification, please..." Grunted a balding, middle-aged scientist. His back curved slightly forward and his arms and hands were stubby things jutting out from his white lab coat, giving him a beetle-like appearance. Jack couldn't see his eyes behind his thick glasses.
"Jack O'Rourke, number 014726." He presented his badge, and the scientist scanned a laser beam over it.
"Excellent," He sniffed. "Follow me, please..."
Jack followed the scientist through several security checkpoints separating each chamber within the laboratory. At each checkpoint, he gave his name and ID, and one scientist handed him over to the next. This was done, he was told, so that no one scientist would know where the machine was located within the lab.
The machine in question was top secret. Even the police chief of the whole precinct didn't know anything about it. It was delivered in a wooden crate the night before by government workers. All the police chief knew, and what he relayed down the chain of command to Jack's boss, was that this machine would allow Jack to infiltrate the Russo crime syndicate. Nothing more, nothing less.
Finally, Jack entered a chamber with no other doors. In contrast to the others, this room was well lit. Two reclining chairs lay in the centre, positioned for two people to lie back like at a dentist's office. A large supercomputer hummed and clicked in the background. Several thick cables and wires ran out from the supercomputer into a pair of helmets, which lay at rest on a table next to the two chairs.
This room was not empty when Jack entered with the scientist. Inside was another insect-like scientist. Along with a woman.
"What's the big idea here? Who is this guy?" She asked.
Jack was equally confused; the young woman looked like she had no business inside a police station or crime laboratory. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She was thin, with strawberry blonde hair cascading down a pair of narrow shoulders that were dwarfed by the huge, bolted-on tits resting on her chest. Clearly fake, they had to have been at least H-cups (not even Jack's wife had boobs these big, and his wife was much larger than this girl. He guessed she couldn't have been more than 100 pounds soaking wet).
Her nipples jutted out from the fuzzy pink tube top she was wearing, which also had golden tassels dangling from the sides. Her midriff was showing, and her black microskirt barely covered her ass cheeks. Her skin was pale but free of tattoos as far as Jack could tell.
"What the hell is this?" Jack muttered. "What are you doing here, lady?"
"That's what I'd like to know!" She struck a pose, placing her hands on her hips. "These guys won't tell me anything. Do you know where we are at least?"
Jack gazed at the bug-like scientists, who were busy calibrating the machine, buzzing about it like flies. He answered, "Yeah. We're somewhere deep inside the crime laboratory of the Metrovale police station, precinct number 43."
She stalked over to Jack, looking him up and down. "So can you, like, get us out of here then? This place is way creepy, no offense."
Jack tried the door, but it was locked. He was about to pull aside one of the scientists to start explaining themselves, when the police chief entered the room.
"Ah! Sorry I'm late. Had a ten-fifteen to process, O'Rourke." The police chief shook his hand. Then, turning to the young woman, he bowed. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, miss."
"That's okay, can you just tell me what happened?" She repeated annoyed. "The last thing I remember I was dancing for a regular over at Score's... then I find myself here."
While Jack had suspected it, she had confirmed it. The woman was an 'exotic dancer' at the seedy strip club in the bad part of town. Jack was a faithful husband and didn't frequent Score's, but he was plenty familiar with the place due to the number of arrests he made around there. It was not a safe place to be at night.
"Your questions will be answered momentarily." Said the police chief. "Including yours, O'Rourke. I'm sorry I can't explain right now. What I need is for each of you to lie down in one of these chairs."
"What? Why?" She backed away, hitting her backside against the table. "What the fuck is this shit?"
The police chief snapped his fingers. The two scientists who were buzzing about the machine converged on the poor woman. They dragged her, kicking and screaming, onto one of the chairs. They fastened her wrists and ankles into metal clasps welded into the sides. Then they tied a gag around her mouth. Her screams came out as muffled chokes until one scientist injected her with a liquid causing her to pass out.
Seeing this upset Jack greatly. The police chief sighed, "I'm sorry you had to see that, O'Rourke."
"If you think I'm going to let those bozos do that to me, chief..." Growled Jack, steeling himself against the two drone-like scientists standing idly beside the chair.
"Violence won't be necessary." The police chief held up a hand. "I figure I owe you an explanation for what you're about to go through."
"That would be very helpful, chief." Jack said through gritted teeth.
The chief guided Jack around and behind the big machine, showing him how it works and what the scientists will be instructed to do. "This machine was originally designed to help develop psychokinesis in its subjects. The ability to move objects around with one's mind." He explained to Jack. "However, for reasons we don't understand, the opposite happened. The machine perfected a way to move minds around between objects."
Jack couldn't believe his ears. "So you're telling me this some kind of... body swapping machine?" He thought such technology was impossible outside of the realm of science fiction.
"You could say that, yes." Nodded the chief. "You place a helmet on each subject, throw on the switch, and each subject will receive the mind of the other. In theory, there's no reason that its effects should be limited to humans... or living matter."
Then the penny drops. Jack glances over at the strawberry blonde's sleeping form reclined in the chair. "You — You can't seriously expect me to — "
"Yes?" The chief leaned forward.
"To — To switch bodies with that woman, do you?" Jack sputtered. "What the hell would that accomplish, chief?"
The chief pulled Jack in close by the shoulder, confiding in him like a brother. "Listen to me, O'Rourke. You're the finest god damn officer in our precinct. Your mental and emotional acuity is higher than any other officer I've seen in ten years. Now I want you to use your problem-solving skills, will ya? Where did she say she worked before coming here?"
"At Score's," Answered Jack. "Everyone knows about it. It's a titty bar in the bad part of town. Known to harbor criminals, smugglers, and gangsters. A lot of bad shit."
"That's right. Were you informed as to why you're here?" The chief asked next.
"I was told this would be an undercover operation." Jack said, and then it all made sense. "So you want me to infiltrate the titty bar as that blonde broad over there?" He thumbed over to her skeptically. "She can't even defend herself against these two scientist goons here, chief. She has no strength, no endurance training."
"Yes, O'Rourke, it is a risk." The chief nodded. "But there's a lot at stake here. We have another informant in Score's who tells us that the Russo crime syndicate is preparing to expand outward. We can't allow that to happen."
"Who's the informant?" Jack asked.
"They will make themselves known to you, when you get to work there." He answered.
Jack frowned. "I can't dance around and shake that girl's ass out there for strangers, chief!"
"You can, and you will, O'Rourke." Ordered the police chief. "You're in too deep to back out now. If it's any consolation, we have upgraded the machine to allow subjects to retain portions of their old skill sets. So you'll receive this woman's muscle memory and knowledge of how to please a crowd, while keeping your police training. And this woman will receive memories of your friends and family, so she can act like you when she is off duty."
Jack had forgotten about the other half of the swap. That this stripper would take over his body and life. "You can't let her impersonate me! What about my family? Don't they have a right to know?"
"Negative, O'Rourke. The fewer people who know about this technology, the better." The chief said flatly. "Rest assured — we will give her enough to live your life without too much disruption when you complete your mission."
"And how long is this mission supposed to last?" Jack asked, as the two scientists began escorting him onto the reclining chair. They fastened a helmet over his hair, screwing it on his head tight. Finally, they restrained his wrists and ankles in metal clasps.
"As long as necessary. Good luck, O'Rourke." The chief said, before giving the signal to throw the switch. That was all Jack remembered before passing out.
When Jack awakened...
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