Rimelion: The Exploiter

9. Tin-can

"The process was challenging, but your vital signs are within the norm. Previously, the success rate was under 1%, but I am state-of-the-art."

"Great. So, tall building jump or ten liters of whiskey—what's faster?"

"Miss Charlie?"

"Shut up, Tin-can!"

"Miss Charlie, please note that your emotions may be unstable for a while. This procedure was unprecedented; I reco—"

I hurled my old shirt at him. "Shut up!" I screamed, finally letting the tears spill over. A lot of them. People say men don't cry—maybe that's sexist. But now, being a girl for real, crying is fair game, right?

Even through my tears, I glanced up at the mirror. No, I thought.You aren't me.

***

Steam from his shower fogged up the clock, but Lucas wiped it clear to check the time. He still had a little while to dive into the game and meet up with his friend. Lost in thought, he absentmindedly fiddled with his phone, but when he dialed John's number, he was stunned to hear him—her—pick up.

"What do you want?!" snapped a trembling, melodic voice. Charlie's voice, sharp with anger. He blinked, mind reeling, but the screen didn't lie. A girl—one he recognized instantly—sat on the ground in a vulnerable position, wearing almost nothing.

The sight sent him stumbling, and he had to steady himself against the wall. "What... what's going on? How did you change in real life?"

"What do you think, master hacker? The AIs finally got me. It's over. Sorry, but I need to die."

"Charlie, please don't make any hasty decisions. I'll be there soon." Even though it wasn't the John he knew, it was. His mind raced, searching for answers, but nothing came. To hell with that! "I'll bring you some clothes, okay? Do you know your new size?"

"Five-five, small as a dwarf. The rest... dunno, don't care."

***

While I was contemplating exactly how much whiskey it would take to end me, my new capsule spoke up, "Miss Charlie?"

"What the hell do you want, you stupid piece of junk?"

"I would like to offer you an apology."

"An apology? Right now, I need answers! How do I get my body back?" I demanded, storming over to the mirror. Staring at my reflection, I struggled to find words for the mess of emotions crashing over me.

It hurt too much to bear, and I couldn't take it. I threw another punch—this time at the mirror—shattering it, sending shards of glass flying. I collapsed, letting gravity take over as I sat among the broken pieces.

"That may be nearly impossible. Your original body scan is archived in a secure government facility. We might require a hacker to circumvent the system. Even if you retrieved your old scan, transforming back would require at least thirteen canisters, as your former body mass is larger. Your telomeres would further shorten by approximately ten to twenty years."

"So... there is a way," I murmured, staring blankly at my ceiling and focusing on this one glimmer of hope. There had to be a way.

When the doorbell rang, I had no energy to answer, so I allowed Tin-can to access my smart home. What else could he mess up? Besides, if there was any chance of reversing this, he might be the key. No matter how much I loathed him, I'd need his trust. If that hunk of junk is even capable of trust.

Lucas burst through the door, practically skimming the floor. What a sight. I managed a weak smile as he dropped to one knee beside me. "John? No, Charlie—what the hell happened?"