Pre-Swap Jitters The New World of SwapTech chapter 3 by deleted_user

Caleb’s palms were slick with sweat.

He sat alone on a curved leather bench in the Pre-Swap Lounge, cradling his SwapPass like it was a communion wafer. The room was beautiful, almost offensively so—rounded walls of blue marble, scented air humming with lavender and citrus, soft ambient music that made him feel like he was already underwater.

The robe they’d given him was white, plush, expensive. He looked ridiculous in it. Or maybe he just felt ridiculous.

He wasn’t one of these people. Not the silicon-skinned executives tapping through their check-in forms. Not the giggling girlfriends comparing projected cup sizes like cocktail options. Not the trio of musclebound influencers livestreaming from their prep suite. They weren’t scared. They were thrilled.

Caleb was trying not to throw up.

A soft chime came from the ceiling.

“Mr. Caleb Monroe? Your swap pod is ready.”

He stood too quickly, robe flapping around his knees. A young woman in silver resort livery appeared at his elbow. She was gorgeous in the way all Swap Resort staff seemed to be—perfect teeth, almond eyes, skin without a pore in sight. Her badge said MEL, and her voice was warm.

“First time?”

Caleb nodded.

She smiled, and it wasn’t unkind. “It’s normal to feel anxious. But I promise, once you wake up, you’ll be amazed.”

He followed her barefoot across the heated floor to Pod Suite C, heart jackhammering. The pod was sleek and white, shaped like a clamshell, with a gel-lined interior and overhead control screen. Next to it stood the other pod—the one holding her. His new body. His other self.

He couldn't look away.

She was… stunning.

A woman in her early twenties, Caucasian, maybe five-foot-six, with full lips and a dancer’s frame. Auburn hair fanned across the headrest like something from a shampoo commercial. Her breasts rose and fell gently under a tight sport bra—perky C-cups, high and natural. Hips, too—enough curve to feel feminine, but still slim. She looked sculpted, but real. Like someone who jogged every morning and drank kale shit on purpose.

“This is our Kira unit,” Mel said softly. “She’s yours for the week. She was grown here at the resort—never occupied.”

Caleb’s throat caught. “She’s... beautiful.”

Mel gave a knowing smile. “You will be too.”

He hesitated. “Is it really still going to feel like me?”

“The moment you wake up, your brain syncs to her neuro-lattice. It might feel jarring at first, but your mind is still your own. You’ll have full motor control, all sensory input, same memories. It’s you. Just... expressed differently.”

Caleb blinked down at her body—his body—and shivered.

Mel glanced at her tablet. “You’ve opted for the full gender realignment suite. That includes hormonal simulation, internal nerve reconfiguration, and biome sensitivity adaptation. You’ll feel everything as though it were your native body. Fully immersive.”

“I—I know,” he murmured. “I read the brochure. Twice.”

She laughed. “Then I’ll let you get settled.”

As she stepped out, he sat in the pod, heart hammering. The gel adjusted to his weight, warm and slightly electric. The shell began to close.

This is insane, he thought. This is actually happening.

The ceiling dimmed.

A countdown began.

“Neural sync initiating in 5... 4... 3...”

He closed his eyes.

And then—