Hector knew he was in trouble as soon as he grabbed the big brown box off the doorstep of the McMansion on Beatty Street. He turned to see himself staring right into a video camera mounted inside the corner of the porch. He ran with the package to the waiting van shouting, "Shit, shit, shit!"
"What happen homs, somebody see you?"
"Worse, they got a surveillance camera," sighed Hector, "Well, maybe they won't recognize me?"
He looked down at the box and said, "Sh-e-e-e-e-t!"
"What?"
"They're gonna recognize me alright. I'm doomed. This box is addressed to Mr. Max Sommerset."
"The football quarterback? You are in deep shit, Hector," said Alonzo as he tried to start the van. "Damn, just a minute, while I fix this."
He disappeared out the driver's door, and opened the engine compartment.
"Might as well see what I ruined my life for," said Hector with a sigh. He tore open the box.
It looked like a fancy laptop, but it said Chronivac. Hector's heart skipped a beat, he'd heard of those. He flipped it open, and powered it up. He was the first user, so he set the password, and then, opened the Chronivac program.
Alonzo was cursing and banging things trying to fix the engine so it would start. The police might pull up any minute. He knew he should've boosted a van for this instead of driving his old beater. He could always dump it and Hector, and say the van was stolen. Ah, maybe this will start it.
Hector first changed his address to 888 Beatty Street, and grinned as the name on the package became his name. No theft here. He watched as the reality adjustment changed relationships, the quarterback was now his half brother, and his mother was married to Mr. James Sommerset. Well, his mama had divorced his father a year and a half ago while he was in prison, and Sommerset was a widower, wasn't he? Still with the Chronivac, Hector could make things better still.
Alonzo felt his low-rider jeans grow skin-tight against his body. His clothes were a livery service uniform, and he was about five years older, and now clean shaven. The van was now a limo, and Alonzo lowered the hood of the stretched car and blinked.
"Maybe it will start now, sir," Alonzo said.
"Yeah, whatever, Lonzo," Hector said still typing.
The engine roared to life.
Alonzo sighed in relief, and pulled away from the curb. "Hope your brother won't be mad, I am late," he added.
Alonzo had been straight, but for what Hector was planning now, he needed to be bi, or maybe gay. He played with the sexuality toggle.
Max was waiting in front of the athletic department with his gym bag when the limo pulled up.
Subject 3 lit up the screen as Max opened the door.
"Where have you been, Alonzo? Did Hector have you run errands or -uh, oh?" Max's confusion was due to the Chronivac changes taking place. Suddenly, he said in a desperate voice, "I was afraid you might have been in an accident, Alonzo!" He climbed in, closed the door, and planted a big wet kiss Alonzo's face.
Hector grinned. He had selected that they should be oblivious to the Chronivac, and they were pretty much ignoring him. That would change soon. Hector instructed Alonzo to drive to...