The Collective

Chapter 1: A New Job

It's days like today—when it's hotter than hell and I'm already sweating through my clothes—that I wish I had the funds to bodyswap more often. Plenty of City Hall employees swap with nearby locals, meaning they don't have to spend more than a few seconds in this goddamn heat.

I live in the city, but unlike most twenty-somethings, it's not to let some wealthy out-of-towner rent my body during the workday. It's because rent is cheap here—well, cheaper than most places. Ever since the Collective launched, nobody wants to live in the city anymore. Not when they can live out where the air's cleaner and just swap into a city body for work or fun. The Collective has changed a lot about society, including how people live and travel.

My heels click against the hot sidewalk as I head to City Hall. I spent way too much money updating my wardrobe, but I'd rather die than start my first day looking like the receptionist. Not anymore.

I know the route well, and I tap my band to load a transfer of twenty dollars. I don't always give money to the homeless ludd who camps out between my apartment and City Hall, but I'm feeling generous today.

I turn the corner, ready to touch my band to the homeless man's in order to complete the money transfer, but he's not there. In the five years I've worked at City Hall, I've never seen him missing from this spot. Plenty of people walk this street in the morning, so I'm sure he rakes in quite a bit of cash here.

But I don't have time to contemplate the whereabouts of a homeless ludd, so I cancel the transaction and continue to City Hall. The building seems brighter today, as if the marble exterior has been sprayed clean overnight. People flow in through the large bank of doors at the entrance, but no familiar profiles pop up in my view.

Another great thing about the Collective is that the retinal interface makes it much easier to identify people you've met before. Each person is tagged with a unique marker when they join the Collective, so their profile always pops up on your retina display if they're in a body near you. Remembering faces is useless when someone can be in a completely different body the next time you see them, so CollectiveIDs help us keep track. And not having to memorize anyone's name is a godsend.

I quickly make my way up the stairs and through the center set of revolving doors. The air conditioning greets me with a jarring yet pleasant slap to the face. As I cross the foyer, I discreetly wipe the sweat from my brow. I smile and wave at the woman at the front desk who's replaced me. Her profile pops up in my display—Sonya G—even though I don't recognize the physical body sitting there. She's swapped into a man's body today, a good-looking guy with a head of thick black hair.

I try my best to avoid looking at the other people around me. It's never great to compare yourself to people who've bodyswapped. Tons of young, attractive people in the city make a living just by renting out their bodies for the workday. People want to look good, so the more attractive you are, the higher price you can charge someone to use your body. It's really fucked up my generation's concept of self-worth, but hey, who cares as long as you can make more money, right?

The elevator bank is empty, and I push the up button as I tap my foot nervously against the floor. I force myself to stop. No showing anxiety today. The bell chimes, and I step into the elevator, pressing the button for the sixth floor—the city councilmembers' offices.

Today's my first day working for Councilmember Warren McKinsey. I'd tried for years to get a job with any councilmember, but apparently my front desk experience wasn't enough to make the transition. But one of McKinsey's aides had quit unexpectedly, and his office was desperate to fill the position. I'd applied, not thinking much of it, but it was apparently my lucky break. He offered me the job right on the spot after my interview, and I accepted. I didn't even know the pay, but I didn't care—working for a councilmember was a surefire way to get into the political world and start my career.