Cassandra and I spent the week, waiting for the procedure by giving each other a breakdown of our daily routines. It only made sense as we were going to be each other for the rest of our lives. "Of course, there will be some minor changes in the order of which we do things." serious, Cassandra said. "Just because you sing in the shower..."
"It helps wake me up." blushing, I protested.
"Well, 'Cassandra' can sing to her heart's content but 'David' will break out of that habit."
We shared a short laugh before mom peeked her head into our room. "David, Cassandra, it's time to go."
"Coming." with a sigh, we said.
The drive to Ambrosia Corporation was done mostly in silence and we soon found ourselves in a waiting area while final preparations were being made for the body swap procedure. Both Cassandra and I passed the time, staring at each other as if to take in who we were about to become. Cassandra and I may have shared a room but we had always disrobed and got dressed either in the bathroom or facing back to back, it was a matter of respect. I was slightly taller than her, but she had similar facial features to my own, we were twins after all. I tried not to imagine what she looked like naked, I would find out for myself soon enough.
"Could you two please stop staring at each other and talk to me." wearily, mom said. "This silence is a bit unnerving."
"Sorry, mom." turning to her, Cassandra said. "We're just nervous, that's all."
"You two are not the only ones." worry on her face, mom said. "Although we were assured that this procedure is safe, it's still experimental... any thing could happen."
I slowly nodded, seeing mom's fears. I had my own but it was too late to back out as a young, attractive woman, Gloria Adams, Larry's lab assistant, walked into the room. She had long blond hair, neatly rolled and pinned up into a bun. A long lab coat covered most of her body but I detected the tell tale bump of pregnancy. She walked over to us with a kind smile on her face. "David, Cassandra, Dr Thomas is ready to see you. This way, please."
Cassandra and I turned to each other and nodded before rising to our feet and followed Gloria out of the waiting area and down a hall to an awaiting elevator. A quick ride to the fifth floor and a few halls later, we were standing inside the laboratory of Dr Larry Thompson. The room looked something out of an old mad scientist movie with two operating tables in the middle of the room with side tables holding syringes, surgical equipment and two vials of a curious blue gel like substance. Standing amongst it all was a tall middle aged man with grey hair, Dr Larry Thompson.
"Welcome to my lab, David, Cassandra." smiling politely, he said. "I hope you are both feeling well."
"A little anxious and nervous." truthfully, I replied.
"Ditto." rubbing one arm, Cassandra said.
"Please believe me, if I did not know your family was in such dire straights, I would not have suggested this." serious, Larry said. "Rest assured that this procedure is safe."
He held up one of the vials for us to see. "This is called NeuroGen; basically, it regenerates nerves and brain tissue almost instantly where it's used." pausing, he added, "I don't have to tell you that the applications are boundless."
"Wow... that's cool." I said. "You're saying it can heal any injury almost instantly?"
"That's right; however, being the one who discovered this substance and developed it, I turned the research of its medical applications to other teams. Gloria and I see a more... revolutionary use for the NuroGen. We know that it can heal brain tissue so we theorized that it can also connect a brain into a body that isn't its own... making body swapping not only possible but a reality."
"So you're just going to surgically swap out our brains, using that NeuroGen to heal everything properly?"
"That's the basic idea but we are only 'swapping out' selected parts of the brain that contain your personality, knowledge and memories. A full transfer will not be necessary as your 'self' is contained within a small portion of the brain. Still, some skills you use automatically such as motor skills, language, driving, and so on will stay with your bodies."
"Why can't they be swapped out?" curious, I asked.
"They are located too deep within the brain to safely swap out." simply, Larry replied. "It works to your favor as boys and girls do certain things without thinking of it as they have done it all their lives."
"I see." wincing, Cassandra said. "Tell me, why can't we be switched back?"
"When used in high doses, as needed for this experiment, the immune system sees it as a threat and develops a resistance to the NeuroGen, taking much longer for it to work." frowning, Larry replied. "True, we could still swap the pieces of your brains back into your rightful bodies but, by the time the NeuroGen heals everything..." he shook his head. "You will both suffer from severe brain damage or worse, be killed."
"Is there a way to bypass the immune system?" hoping, I asked.
"Not without taking the chance of harming the immune system, leading to worse complications." serious, Larry replied. "We will work on a way but it could take years." he sighed. "This swap, for all purposes, is permanent. This is your last chance to back out, if you so wish."
"No, we agreed to this and we finish what we start." steeling myself, I said. Cassandra nodded in agreement.
"Very well." nodding, Larry said. "Gloria and I will leave while you disrobe and change into the robes for the procedure."
With that, the two left the room without a word, closing the door behind them. Cassandra and I sighed then we both gave each other a final nod and turned, back to back to disrobe. We were twins so adjusting would not be too difficult, at least I hoped. Within minutes, we were changed and Larry returned moments later with Gloria at her side.
"Please lay down onto the operating tables so we may begin." politely, he said. "Make yourselves comfortable while Gloria administers the anesthetic."
We did as Larry instructed and made ourselves comfortable before Gloria gentle took my arm and injected me with the anesthetic then did the same to Cassandra. It must have been very strong stuff as I felt myself going numb before the world around me vanished and I fell into darkness...
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