"Ma'am, how about a transform some of your regular mannequins to Tony's specs? For the same money of course."
"Young man, if you can make them look as life-like as...Tony did," you have yourself a deal.
"Hey, Tony how does getting paid to have your likeness displayed here without being a mannequin yourself sound?"
"Too good to be true."
Jeff entered the parameters for plastic Tony and aimed the chronivac at the mannequin in D&G clothes next to where Tony had stood earlier. The result was very realistic, but it didn't have the same energy or vitality as Tony had when he was a mannequin.
"You see, it's not the same. I need mannequins that people will suspect or chronivac'd real people, this inanimate one lacks the vitality."
"Tony would you mind being a mannequin again for a few minutes, so I can use you to model changes on your copy."
"As long as I'm not disassembled, and it's only for a few minutes, sure, Jeff."
"Clay, Jefferson, come over here and put this mannequin next to the other, and be careful."
"Jeans?" asked the sales clerk Clay, and tch'd his tongue.
"Now Jeff?"
Jeff clattered away at the keyboard subtly changing the real mannequin. Tweaking the cheeks, adding a twinkle to the eye, adding a twist to the mouth, but nothing seemed to give it the same quality as Tony himself added to the mannequin.
"Ma'am, guess you're right, I can't make the copy look as alive as the original, even if they are identical hunks of plastic right now. Sorry."
"No, wait, there is a competition next week for the best window dresser in the nation, the prize is a cool million, but I want the publicity. I know, if all five of you would agree to pose as mannequins for 2 weeks, I will pay you $20,000 up front, plus $30,000 after I win the prize. You can program your chronivac to automatically turn you back, you can specify in the "rental contract for the five mannequins that they must be returned at the end of 14 days with all parts intact." That would be $10,000 for each of you, not bad for 2 weeks work, though I expect you to all be a bit more beefed up and mature for the display like your friend Tony," she said patting his crotch.
Jeff returned Tony to normal.
"$5000 per week to stand around in speedo, well if you can enhance my enjoyment at just standing around, Jeff, I'll do it," said Tony.
They collected and deposited their cashier check, and returned for Jeff's final prep work. Soon five identical Tony's stood laughing and joking in their briefs, all sporting similarly obscenely large bulges. Jeff programmed the timer, and hit the execute button. Then pulling on some coveralls, he went out to where his car was locked up and put the chronivac in the trunk. He put his clothes and keys in his employee storage locker, and waited for the clock to strike noon. At the first chime, the five started to get stiff. By the final chime, five extremely lifelike identical mannequins stood in the back room of Neiman Marcus' mens' wear department.
Under Ms. Chateau's direction, Carl and Jefferson finished stripping and dressing the boys in five different colored but identical Versace swim briefs. Then she had them carried to the front window. Carefully positioning each one in a different athletic pose: Jeff bent over with arms outstretched in a red speedo about to dive into an imaginary pool, Jack with his leg dangling in the imaginary pool, and one leg bent and resting on the patio, Tony sat watch in the lifeguard's chair with a pair of Spy eyeglasses positioned in his hands at his lips, Eric was sitting with both legs in the pool while Mark stood behind him with a tube of sunscreen and one hand suggestively rubbing Eric's shoulder. She grinning at her tableau, with the spotlight positioned, one would almost swear that Eric's bulge was glistening.
Versace swim trunk sales rose 50%. The store window was a big hit. The boys were enjoying the exhibitionism thanks to Jeff's mental adjustment. Then, a strange little Italian man showed up one day, and ordered Carl and Jefferson to take down the display.
"But sir, the judges are coming tomorrow to evaluate Ms. Chateau's work, and she left instructions that her display was not to be moved without her consent," Jefferson insisted.
"I am the new window dresser Aldo Tutti, and Ms. Chateau no longer works here. Apparently, she was having an affair with the vice president, and his wife-one of the prinicipal stockholders-found out. She's out. I'm in. And this Real-pastiche must go! Neiman-Marcus is all about illusion, so my vision for Versace involves taking these mannequins in the back room, sand blasting them and painting them in vibrant primary colors. Then putting the suits on that contrast most. The sandblasting will make the features more indistinct, so they could be any male, and the heavy color will give them a fantastic vibrant appearance. We'll paint them: red, yellow, blue, green and purple. The purple will wear an orange speedo, the red will wear white, the blue will wear pink, the yellow will wear black and the green will wear neon yellow. Now quickly, we have to have them ready for the contest tomorrow," Aldo ordered.
Carl Clay interjected this time, "But the mannequins are leased, we aren't supposed to alter them at all, and they are to be returned intact in just over a week. Besides sales are up 50% using this display."
"Well, if you won't do what you're told, I suppose Ms. Chateau will have friends to keep her company at the unemployment office."
Begrudgingly Carl Clay and Tom Jefferson obeyed. Carrying the five living mannequins into the back room.
"But Mr. Tutti, I think you should know," began Carl.
"I know all that I need to, now begone, I must have privacy while I create."
Aldo Tutti examined the naked mannequins tracing his fingers delicately over their bodies. Unable to make a sound, the sensient mannequins mentally moaned in ecstasy. Then he put on a respirator mask, and turned on the sandblaster. The pain was indescribable. They were going to teach him and Ms. Chateau a lesson when they got out of this.
Then he took out some thick yellow liquid, which after positioning the mannequins, he began to spray over their now rough surfaces. The fiber glass resin quickly set in place turning the five into generic featureless mannequins. When they were dry he spray painted each in a different color.
Eric, Jeff, Mark, Tony and Jack raw skins ached, but they could no longer see or feel anything as they were encased in fiberglass resin. They sensed themselves being lifted and moved, and then set down. They wondered what would happen when the time ran out and the Chronivac restored them. Would they be entombed alive?
They heard muffled applause as Aldo Tutti congratulated himself on his latest work.