“Maybe he'll try to kill her, maybe not. I think we need Charlie. This world needs a solution for that damn stone. If it’s not Charlie, it will be someone else,” Pierce says, staring at Zora.
“It needs to stay in her chest where it is safe and stable. Julius would be wise to leave it in Charlie and not mess with it.”
“That’s a fantasy. Julius is rumored to be crazy from the crystal,” Zora adds.“And, that’s not all of the drama,” Zora says. “This is a competition. All of the girls want to win, and if they out Charlie, Charlie is done for. That is one less player.”
I frown. “The girls know about my heart?”
Zora pulls out a paper and frowns over it. “Yes, but they do not know which girl has it. Do not let them know it’s you. They could blackmail you. You only have three lifelines, then ejection from the game.”
“Lifelines?”
“If you are in a dire situation, you may say, ‘Lifeline activate.’ We will remove you from harm, or give you leverage,” Zora says. “You can die, so be wary.”
“This is crazy,” I say, thinking about all of the information. I feel like a double agent, which I technically am. “If this stone is so poisonous, how come I can have it in my heart?”
Zora looks up at me. “Great question. Your mother died in childbirth, and your grandfather saved your life with the heart, or you would have died too. Since it was placed in you at such a young age, your body adapted to it. Very lucky.”
“Wow,” I say. “Wouldn’t the girls assume it’s me with the heart issue because he is my granddad?”
“No, Bentley did a lot of experiments on a lot of people. It could be anyone,” Pierce says. “They would need proof.”
“I am going to have to be careful,” I say. “I am not interested in men like Julius, so it should not be a problem to avoid him.”
“Perfect,” Zora says. “We must be quick. I will leave you to it then,” Zora says, then nods at Pierce, leaving the room.
When she is gone, Pierce winks at me. “She’s a hard-ass.” He sits on the couch and continues, “You get to pick three things to change about yourself. We need to hurry.”
“What does Louis like?” I ask, then look at Dolly.
“Really large tits and a big ol’ ass.” Dolly looks at me with a broad smile. “Men love curves!”
Pierce frowns at Dolly. “Tone it down just a bit,” he says.
“You got it, Piercey.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Okay, boo-boo.”
He sighs and gets up. “Decide quickly, please. Popular choices are being in the best shape, and a skill to protect yourself.”
I think about this. “I will pick being in the best shape and a straight shot. I love guns,” I say, and feel a surge of excitement.
“You have one more,” Pierce says.
“Okay, something physical.”
I hear Dolly crack up. “You have tiny boobs, and FGI has the best cosmetic surgeons in the universe! They did mine after I won a mission a few years back.” I can see her proudly displayed cleavage. It does look nice.
I frown and look down.
Being a dancer, I have always lacked in that department. Being super skinny all the time meant not enough meat on my bones to grow them.
“Sure. I always wondered what it’s like to have them.”
Pierce chuckles. “Let’s go then, into the pod.”
The robot in the corner turns to Pierce. “I have confirmed and fixed all errors for her heart.”
Pierce nods. “Perfect.”
I take a large breath, feeling anticipation course through me as I step into the large pod. The doors close around me and I can see the writing on the screen.
I hear a pressurized sound, making me nervous.
I blush a bit. “Yes.”
I am about to ask if it’s going to hurt when a bright flashing of lights and intense heat all over my body make me scream.
“Shit!” I yell, then hear the machine power down. I am dizzy and my body feels fuzzy.
Oh, I feel weird.
I look down and immediately see my large breasts. “Holy cow!” I grab them, and they feel like Ds—so foreign. I didn’t even tell him what size! But I decide that I like them. I walk out, and I see Dolly clap her hands.
“I feel really weird.”
“Yes, you will get used to it. Dolly, I need you to be Charlie’s personal bot.”
“Fun!” she squeals. In a few moments, she has shapeshifted into a cute looking robot.
She is all copper with a metal skirt and glowing green eyes. She is the height of my waist with a little metal black bun. A large wind-up mechanism is on her back. She looks amazing!
“Holy cow,” I murmur. “That’s amazing.”
“I can hover too,” Dolly says, her eyes glowing when she talks.
“Perfect, Dolly. You still got it.” Pierce pats her on her metal hair. He glances at me and pulls out his virtual pad. “Now Charlie, how does your heart feel?”
I suck in a breath. “I have a mechanical heart already?” I hold my chest and I can faintly hear a ticking. “Unreal,” I get out. “It feels good.”
“Perfect, now spin.”
Dolly claps her little metal hands. “Oh, Pierce’s gonna make you look hot!”
Pierce smiles. “Spin.”
Like Cinderella?
I spin and feel my skin tingle and heat, then a white light flashes. I scream when I look at myself. “Holy shit!”
I am in a black Victorian dress, with a tight black corset. I am wearing a beautiful dark silk shirt under my corset that shows off my lovely new assets. My hair is in ringlets down my back with a lace hat.
“Can I see a mirror?”
Pierce claps his hands as he eyes me. “Of course! The black looks fetching with your hair, just like I thought it would.”
I look into a long mirror that appears suddenly on the wall. I suck in a breath, feeling my smooth golden skin. “My eyes are light periwinkle!”
“Yes, that’s from the stone. Julius has the same eye color as you,” he says. “When you arrive, you will have dark-colored contacts to wear.”
Such a pity I have to cover my eye color, it’s gorgeous. I wonder if this Julius guy’s eyes are as pretty as mine. Bad thought. I hope I am attracted to this guy Louis, I forgot to ask if he is handsome.
“I see. Wow.” I look stunning, my skin is perfect, and my new breasts look very eye-catching. “I don’t even recognize myself.”
“You ready?”
My heart starts to pound. “Is anyone ever ready?”
I feel a little sick.
“No,” Pierce says. “You will be arriving at the train station in St. Uspolia. And you will go straight to The Dahlia. Just be yourself and charm the socks off of Louis.
“They know you are coming and are pretty shocked that you are alive. Dolly will give you better details once you arrive,” he says with a smile.
“Okay,” I say.
“Extraction,” he touches his earpiece, “in, 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1!”
Shit.
I hear Dolly’s squeals as I tense. Everything goes black, yet again.
