The Rules of the Game
The New World of SwapTech
chapter 5
by
deleted_user
The backyard looked like a postcard. Turf so green it hurt, cabanas dripping with white linen, and in the center—a chrome platform that hummed.
The host, Sienna Abramson, stood on it. The actress and former Victoria's Secret model was six feet of bronze legs and beach waves, wearing a bikini top and tactical pants. She smiled with teeth that had never needed braces.
“Welcome to Some Body to Love,” she said, voice syrup and smoke. “You signed the contracts. But it sure seems like none of you read them.”
Ken’s hand shot up. “Actually, I scanned the TOC—”
“Quiet, crypto,” Sienna purred. “You said earlier you're here because you’re rich. You think that matters? Cute.” She walked the platform’s edge, hips snapping. “Here’s the game. Every round, you vote someone out. Last one standing wins ten million dollars.”
Bruce cracked his neck. “Bet.”
“But,” Sienna held up a finger, “you have to win challenges to survive. Winner gets immunity. And control of that.”
She gestured. The turf split open. A machine rose. Seven feet of glass and steel, glowing blue at the seams. Two pods. Human-sized.
“The Machine,” Sienna said. “Winner picks any two players. Those two step inside. And swap.”
Silence.
Then Ruth laughed, high and nervous. “Swap what?”
“Everything,” Sienna said. “Bodies. Height. Voice. Dick size. Whatever you’ve got, you trade it.” She smiled wider. “You get a day or two to strategize in your new skins before the vote. Then someone goes home.”
Magnus stepped forward, beard beads clicking. “This is... unnatural.”
Walt adjusted his watch, sweating through his linen shirt. “So if I win... I could put Ken in Bruce’s body?”
“Or Bruce in Polly’s,” Sienna nodded. “Or yourself into anyone you want. Winner’s choice.”
Polly’s talon nails dug into her own arms. “Someone else could get my body? I've invested too much in... this.”
“Hold up,” Alejandra said, neon nails flashing as she pointed at the pods. “You’re saying I could wake up as... him?” She jerked a thumb at Charlie, who was scratching his belly through a stained Pikachu tee.
Charlie grinned. “Dude, I’d rock your body so hard—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Javi growled, stepping between them. His Stetson cast a shadow over his eyes. Then he looked back at Sienna. “This ain’t right.”
Sienna ignored him. “Here’s the kicker. Winner gets the ten mil. And they decide who—if anyone—gets switched back at the finale. Some swaps might be permanent. Forever.”
Laurel whistled. “That’s diabolical.”
“It’s binding,” Sienna said. “You all signed. Now—first challenge is waiting in the north garden. It’s physical. Brutal. Winner takes control immediately.” She blew a kiss. “Good luck, bodies.”
Chaos erupted.
Ken was frantically scrolling his phone. “The smart contract implications—”
Bruce ripped his tank top off. “Let’s go. I’m built for this.”
“Psh,” Svetlana spat. She was already stretching her hamstrings. “I was an Olympian. You were a bust of a first-round NBA draft pick.”
Ruth stared at The Machine, medical curiosity warring with terror. “The neurological implications...”
Magnus put his dinner-plate hand on her shoulder. “Fear is natural.”
“I’m not afraid,” Ruth lied.
Charlie belched. “I’m gonna win and put myself in Bruce’s body. Then I’m gonna f—”
“Don’t,” snapped Laurel. She’d stood up, cardigan falling off one shoulder. Her voice was steel. “Say it and I’ll make sure you’re first out.”
Charlie shut up.
Alejandra grabbed Javi’s arm, nails biting his scarred forearm. “If I win,” she breathed, “I’m putting Walt in my body. He can see how it feels to be called ‘little one.’”
Javi’s jaw tightened. “If I win, nobody’s touching you.”
“That’s sweet,” Alejandra said. “But possessive. I like it.”
“Move out!” Sienna clapped. “North garden. Now. Or you forfeit and go straight to the vote.”
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January 29
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