"What I want is my original body back. Don't give me any excuses about how it's not possible. Brad and I share half of our DNA and your facility has done many inhumane experiments on others as well. I know that you have the means to fix all of this."
What New Brad was saying rang true. Dr. Thomas sighed and spilled the beans. The doctor went on to explain that the reason why they were told that the body swap was irreversible was to prevent anyone from using the procedure for unethical purposes such as prolonging one's life, improving one's appearance or receiving a new identity at the cost of someone else. That was ironic coming from the doctor as the business that he was working for was already disreputable.
"So how do you want to do this?" the doctor said in an defeated voice. He felt like he had aged ten years.
"First, I want you to convince New David and Lance that they both have to come for the procedure. Tell New David that you have to check to see if there is any organ rejection and tell Lance that we're both set for the swap. When you've put both of them to sleep, start the body swap procedure on New David and I. Oh, and don't think about trying anything funny. I've made copies of the documents that I've given you and I've handed them to someone to release to the media and to the authorities should I fail to contact them within a certain time frame."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm too tired to argue with you. You've really thought everything through."
At that point, New Brad and Dr. Thomas walked out of the room with the doctor arranging an appointment with the trio. The appointment was in two days, which was unusually fast for a clinic. New David and Lance did not seem to notice anything amiss though as both were very excited about the upcoming procedure. The three of them then headed for the car and time seemed to pass by quickly before the surgery date.
The day had come for the surgery. The trio were groggy and a bit hungry as New Brad, New David and Lance were given instructions not to eat or drink anything the midnight of the surgery date. With no breakfast, the three of them were able to save time and promptly get into the car and leave.
At the clinic, Dr. Thomas greeted the three, though this time around he had a disheveled appearance and a sort of weariness in his voice. The doctor swiftly brought the three into separate patient rooms and had them change into hospital gowns. Afterwards, a nurse had the three lay onto wheeled hospital beds while an IV drip was hooked into their arms. Before they knew it, New Brad, New David and Lance were each pushed into an elevator and blacked out one by one.
New Brad woke up from the sound of one of the surgeons speaking to him.
"Who is the president of the United States? How many fingers am I holding up?" the surgeon questioned.
New Brad was feeling a bit dizzy and off balance but was able to answer the surgeon's questions correctly. A patient transporter then pushed New Brad into his room and New Brad fished out a hand mirror that he had stowed away in his belongings. What greeted him was his original face, aged now to 25 years old. He was no longer New Brad but now just David.
David held onto the mirror for a bit while touching his skin and gawking at his body. David gently caressed his neat beard, his chest hair, his muscles and his new frame. He still couldn't believe it. He really was back inside of his old body. David even pinched his cheek just to make sure.
"Ouch. Okay that was dumb. Of course this is real. This means that I can drink alcohol, I don't have worry about growing up again and I finally have my body back. Life is good!"
Shortly after David was finished admiring himself, Dr. Thomas strided into the room.
"There. Are you happy now? You've got your old body back so please don't tell the authorities. I don't want to bring shame to my family and put them in the spotlight of the media."
"A deals a deal. I won't tell, however I want to exchange phone numbers with you. You've put me through so much trauma and stress so I have the right to contact you if I need anything else."
"That's fair, I suppose" the doctor answered meekly.
Once they were done exchanging numbers, David and Dr. Thomas had to figure out how to break the news to Lance and New David, who was now Brad again. Dr. Thomas contacted two nurses and had them bring Brad and Lance over. As soon as Brad walked into the room, he lunged at David and started punching him with all the energy he had.
"You! You stole my body and my life! What are you going to do about Lance and I!? What about my position as a manager of the factory!? You couldn't have just left things as they were!? You're so selfish!" Brad shrieked.
"It was my body and my life in the first place! You were the one who stole from me first and I've only come to take back what's rightfully mine! You were only thinking about yourself for all of these years! So how do you like the taste of your own medicine!? How do you like barely being a teenager, huh Brad!?" David yelled.
David was rightfully furious with Brad. Brad had robbed him of his remaining teenage years, time with his friends, relationships, events, his college years and career opportunities. David was never getting back any of the time that he had lost. Those stolen nine years would be forever gone. In those years, David had to live as another person in a humiliating life that was forced upon him, yet here and now all Brad was worried about was how his own life and relationship were in jeopardy. This situation gave David a chance to speak about how he truly felt all this time.
David then slapped Brad hard in the face and pushed him onto the ground. Dr. Thomas and a nurse had to intervene to separate the two of them.
While David and Brad were still fuming with raw anger, Lance walked into the room.
"Lance! Oh no! No! You can't see me like this! You shouldn't see me like this! This isn't how it was supposed to be!" Brad frantically screamed.
Brad's hysteria was understandable as Brad was now in his own anatomy again. He went from being 25 to 13 years old. In the years since swapping bodies with David, he had thought of David's life, body and name as his own. Starting today however, he was back inside of his original body. A body that he did not want to return to.
Lance only stared in silence at Brad and then to David. No one spoke a word. Everyone in the room had a sense of discomfort from the dead air. It was difficult for Lance to absorb the new changes. His relationship with New David was effectively over now that he had returned to his rightful anatomy. Lance had been an item with David's body, something that he could not forget. He still remembered that face, that voice, his eyes and the scent of his body.
Lance finally spoke and broke the silence.
"I need time to process everything. Brad, we're no longer together. It would be wrong. And David...I have mixed feelings about you. On one hand, I'm angry at what you did but on the other hand, I understand why you tricked us. I'd probably have done the same thing had I been in your shoes."
With that, Lance walked out of the room with a solemn look on his face, leaving David, Brad, Dr. Thomas and the nurse behind.