short stories

reshaped

"You're the first of millions to carry through with the Reshaping."

"Can you hear me?"

I'm staring into a blinding, sterile white light.  A distant hum follows the man's voice, as he repeats over and over, "Can you hear me?"  It's not whether or not I can hear him; it's if I have the strength to respond.  I try to open my mouth, but my jaws are glued together with what tastes like grainy, sour cement.  I attempt to nod my head, but it is pressed down to the cot I'm lying on, by buckles and straps.

I blink my eyes twice, and the voice says, "Very good."  Slowly, blurred figures swim into view.  A tall, muscular man with black curls nods curtly to a woman on my other side.  Other objects come into focus, as the man and woman weave in and out of my line of vision.  There's a speaker in the corner of the ceiling, a lime green curtain with floral print in white thread, and a shiny, metallic table, with pointed tools and utensils strewn across it.

The woman leans over me, her vibrant auburn hair draped over her shoulders.  "Are you comfortable? Blink twice if you need anything," she says, her voice soft and smooth like melted butter.  The man, somewhere out of sight, barks, "Elaine!  Get your hair out of the Prototype's face," and the woman trots off, fixing her hair into a tight bun.

Moments later, the man rounds up on my left, and sits down on a rolling, cushioned stool.  He places a white surgical mask over his face, and places two cold fingers on my chest.  "Steady heartbeat," he says, "A bit faster than usual.  Probably adrenaline."  Elaine appears on my right, her eyes beady and eager.  "Gown removal?" she asks pointedly, as she too places a mask over her face.  The man nods, and the woman proceeds to peel off my teal robe, exposing my naked flesh.

I shiver, watching the two above me pass medical equipment to one another.  Elaine's eyes lock with mine.  In an exasperated voice, she tells me, "Thank you.  You're the first of millions to carry through with the Reshaping, and you will guide a new, beautiful generation into safe, affordable refinement.  It is mandatory that I tell you what the following two hours will entail."

I feel a stabbing pain in my neck, and turn quickly to see the man has injected me with a yellow, translucent substance.  "That's just to ease the pain.  Kevin, isn't it?  I'm Elaine, and this is Brock.  We will be your Reshapers.  We're very practiced in the art of surgery, and were asked specifically do this job.  You are a Prototype for the rest of the world.  After the transformation is completed, we will know that the procedure is safe for humans, and can Reshape people across the globe.

"We will start by pumping in pectoral, arm, leg, back, and abdominal muscles with Proxyphin.  You won't feel a thing, I assure you.  We'll then present you with an array of nose, mouth, eye, ear, and hair examples that you get to choose from.  You will get to choose a head structure, and we will mold your skull to fit your preferences."

As she says this, Brock sticks a pointed tube into my abdomen, just above my pelvis.  I feel a dull ache spread from my stomach to my chest, and my torso goes numb.

"You're doing great, Kevin.  Take deep breaths through your nose."

Under my skin, I can feel the Proxyphin tearing at my muscles, enlarging them.  My chest inflates like a balloon as I feel the fluids coursing up my neck and under my cheeks.

"Do you see that?" Brock points out, his finger rubbing the flesh under my eye.  Elaine's eyes widen, and she backs away, her hand over her mouth.  "Dear God!" she screams, trembling.  I writhe against my restraints, my head completely motionless, as Brock yanks the tube from my stomach.  Clear liquid spews out from the end and douses his scrubs.

I can feel my face swell, and my eyesight goes blurry.  For a split second, all I see is a fuzzy white light.  Then there's a loud, deafening pop, and red splatters the field of white before my vision goes black.

author's note: This was really fun to write.  Maybe I'll turn it into a novella.  Who knows.  Anyway!  I decided to make a cover for it because I was bored and haven't used Photoshop in a while:

Hope y'all enjoyed!  I think I'll be writing fantasy next.  Stick around ;)