"You would have to swap with Lance" New David replied.
New Brad only took a moment to respond. The answer was of course a 'yes'. To New Brad, being in Lance's body would finally be the end of his second teenage years, the end of living life as Brad. Yes, Lance was 50 years old with graying hair, but he was handsome and willing to swap for a second chance at life.
"Hey, I'd be willing to become Lance if it means that I can be a man again! I'm sick of being in this short body!" I answered.
"As long as you're on the same page as me, I'm in. I'm excited to finally be able to restart me life. And they said life had no reset button." Lance chuckled.
With both parties in agreement, they resolved to visit the facility the next day to get the details worked out. New Brad and New David spent the rest of the day catching up with one another with Lance and New Brad swapping details about their lives. Everything seemed to be going smoothly before the three of them decided to retire for the night.
However, as soon as New Brad was in bed, he secretly took out his laptop and began typing furiously on the keyboard. Being forced to spend almost a decade as Brad, in a body that he did not want, had turned New Brad bitter and resentful. Yes, he told his brother that he had forgiven him, but was that really true? Had he truly forgiven him for stealing his body and for his ignorance? No. No he had not.
New Brad had come up with a plan. It was true that he had a younger mindset as a result of the swap, but he was able to use that to his advantage. A younger body meant that his mind was more flexible and moldable. He had many ideas but had finally put one into play. New Brad had been doing research about the facility that had swapped his body. As it turned out, the facility had only one location and it was a locally owned business. The facility had participated in numerous illegal experiments including his own body swap and New Brad was going to use that as leverage.
"We'll see who gets the last laugh" I mumbled under my breath.
The next day arrived and New Brad, New David and Lance quickly and hungrily gnawed on their food before heading to the facility. Everyone was excited about this day after all. The three then headed for the car.
"I call shot gun!" I yelled.
"Hey, I wanted to sit next to Lance"!
"Aw, come on David, it's not everyday that your brother visits. Once everything is over, I get the feeling that you'll be seeing more of me."
"Fine" New David grumbled.
At the facility, the trio checked in at the front desk and were met shortly later by Dr. Thomas.
"It's good to see you again Brad and David" Dr. Thomas announced jovially.
Dr. Thomas then brought the three visitors into his office. The room had an examination table in the back, a metal sink, a few soft chairs lined up against the wall and various hospital paraphernalia. Dr. Thomas wanted to evaluate New Brad and Lance before preceding with any surgery. He deemed it necessary to check their mental state and health and brought them into separate rooms for privacy. Dr. Thomas first went into Lance's room to ask some questions.
As he was speaking to Lance, Dr. Thomas took notes on his clipboard. From what Lance was saying, he was in a relationship with New David but he wanted a younger body, preferably New Brad's body. Ethically speaking, this would not work unless either New David swapped for a different body or Lance himself would have to select a different body. He let Lance know about this problem and Lance took it with stride. With that out of the way, it was time for Dr. Thomas to talk to New Brad.
When Dr. Thomas stepped into New Brad's room, he was met with a smile on New Brad's face. For some reason, this gave Dr. Thomas an unnerving feeling. Maybe it was New Brad's eyes. They looked sinister and seemed to betray his smile. Dr. Thomas shook his head. He thought that he must be imagining things. It's been a long day after all Dr. Thomas reasoned.
In spite of this nagging feeling of his, Dr. Thomas continued with his visit. As Dr. Thomas was ready open his mouth, New Brad handed him a bulging manilla folder with many documents and proof that his facility was illegal.
"It's fine with me if you want to take your time reading all of that. I've got all the time in the world" New Brad grinned.
"Where did you get this!? No, how did you get all of this information!?" Dr. Thomas gasped.
"And I have more. If you don't want me to expose you to your family, the media and the authorities, I suggest that we have a heart to heart chat." I coldly stated.
"Well, what do you want!? Money? Fame? Fornication?" Dr. Thomas said incredulously.
Dr. Thomas was in extreme stress and thoughts were racing throughout his mind while New Brad just stared blankly at Dr. Thomas, not caring about the unethical doctor that had a hand in stealing away his life. To New Brad, his family, his Dad's friend Larry, and Dr. Thomas could all burn in Hell for all he cared. Right now under his cool exterior, New Brad was seething with anger and unforgiveness towards those people.
"What I want is...."