Take the Stand The New World of SwapTech chapter 3 by deleted_user

The courtroom of Judge Harding was a sanctum of polished oak and grim tradition, a place where legal gravitas was as thick as the dust motes dancing in the afternoon sunbeams. The air itself seemed to hum with the low, confident drone of the defense counsel, an immaculate man in a charcoal suit named Mr. Sterling. Sterling’s face was the very picture of placid professionalism, but his eyes, sharp and predatory, belied a deep-seated contempt for the opposing counsel, a sharp-witted young woman named Brenda Chen.

This was the Arbor Hills Lawsuit, a class-action suit against Swaptyx, a company that had made its fortune—and was now losing it—on the promise of "identity customization." Their flagship product, the Swaptyx Personalizer, promised a temporary body-swap experience. Want to know what it's like to be a world-class athlete? A brilliant musician? The Personalizer was supposed to give you a few hours in their skin. But a small, and apparently growing, number of users had found their temporary swaps had become permanent.

Swaptyx’s defense was that these were "user-caused anomalies," a polite way of saying the plaintiffs had simply broken the rules, or more bluntly, they were lying. It had been working, too. Sterling had sliced and diced every plaintiff who’d taken the stand, portraying them as either fraudulent opportunists or tech-illiterate fools who couldn't read an instruction manual. The jury was leaning in his direction.

Brenda Chen, however, had one more witness, a secret weapon she was saving for the eleventh hour.

“The plaintiffs call Mr. Jay Robinson,” Brenda announced, her voice a calm contrast to Sterling’s recent grandstanding.

A collective rustle went through the courtroom. The name was familiar. Jay Robinson was a middle-aged father of two, a man who worked a nine-to-five job in middle management, a guy who went to the same coffee shop every morning. He was the most relatable plaintiff on the docket. He was their last chance at sympathy.

The door to the chambers opened, and everyone turned to see the man who would finally humanize this bizarre case.

But it wasn't a man who emerged.

The hush in the room deepened. A gasp, then a series of them, rippled through the gallery. Even the bailiff shifted uncomfortably.

Striding confidently toward the witness stand was a woman. She was not in a pinstripe suit. She was barely in anything at all. The vision that glided gracefully down the aisle was a vision of sun-kissed skin and smooth, sculpted curves. Her hair was a waterfall of platinum blonde that cascaded over her shoulders and framed a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and a dusting of freckles across the nose. A set of large, perky breasts strained against the confines of a tiny turquoise bikini top, their ample cleavage threatening to spill over. Below, a matching bikini bottom hugged her slender waist and the flare of her hips, leaving nothing to the imagination. The rest of her body was toned and athletic, her legs long and muscular, a stark contrast to the expected physique of a middle-aged desk jockey. Her fingernails were painted a bright shade of hot pink, and she wore a pair of clear Lucite heels that clicked with each step, the only sound in the suddenly silent room.

The blonde woman reached the witness stand and turned to face the lawyer. Her eyes, a striking shade of jade green, met Kendra’s. She offered a small, knowing smile.

Judge Harding, an unflappable jurist of thirty years, adjusted his glasses twice.

Brenda Chen, for her part, simply looked on with a satisfied smirk. She had promised a witness who would prove Swaptyx's gross negligence, and she had delivered.

“Your name for the record, please,” the clerk said, his voice a dry croak.

The woman leaned into the microphone, her voice a sultry, throaty alto that made more than a few men in the gallery sit up straighter. “Jay Robinson.”

A new wave of gasps erupted. Sterling found his voice. “Objection, your Honor! This is ridiculous! That is not the plaintiff, Mr. Jay Robinson! This is a mockery of this court!”

The judge glared down at him. “Mr. Sterling, you will remain silent.” He then looked at the blonde. “Ma’am, are you indeed Jay Robinson?”

The blonde’s smile widened, a flash of white teeth. “In the, er, flesh. Though I’m not sure which particular flesh we’re talking about these days.”

The jury, who had been completely stone-faced for weeks, now had a dozen different expressions ranging from wide-eyed bewilderment to outright hilarity.

The judge sighed, running a hand over his tired face. “Very well. Ms. Chen, you may proceed.”

Brenda walked forward, her face a mask of triumphant calm. “Mr. Robinson,” she began, her eyes sparkling, “can you tell the court what happened to you? Tell us your story.”

The blonde Jay Robinson took a deep breath, and the monumental twin globes on her chest rose and fell with the motion, a spectacle the entire court was now mesmerized by.