"Now that you've agreed to testify against El Zapato, there is no chance of you ever safely going back to your old life, even after the trial, regardless of whether he is convicted," the polite professional explained from behind the desk with an emotionless expression. "You probably already knew that, but I must make it absolutely clear that we cannot allow you to leave here as yourself."
El Zapato was a real life supervillain: he was the sadistic leader of a terrifyingly powerful drug cartel. He controlled whole towns and cities in his home country and had ruled them with an iron fist. He was also notoriously difficult to convict and even more difficult to keep behind bars; he had spent some time in prison in Central America, but he had bribed his way out fairly easily. People who crossed him usually either ended up doing what he wanted, or they died under suspicious circumstances. After he killed your family, you swore to the sky and the earth that you would find a way to take him down. Now, here you are at the Witness Protection Bureau, the 25-year-old star witness for his upcoming trial in the United States.
"I have no life to go back to," you answer honestly. "If you can finally bring that monster to justice, you can hide me away anywhere, for as long as you wish!"
The agent took out a tan folder and a wooden box from behind the desk and continued her explanation:
"Normally, we would just create a fake name and put you in a random U.S. city where you could live far away from anyone who is likely to recognize you. However, this trial is obviously very different. The stakes are higher, and everyone involved is in significantly more danger. The judge and jury are going to have to remain under guard, and El Zapato himself is going to be in solitary until the trial and then for the rest of his life if he is convicted. The cartel itself probably has several well-funded spies and hitmen following you already. So we are going to take one of our more extreme measures in your case."
She opened the box to reveal a green glowing syringe and a silver programming pad.
"This is the Morfrite 300 nano-syrum," she continued. "It will be injected into you, and it will thoroughly alter your body and your genetic code within minutes. However, you cannot be reinjected for at least a month, so your transformation will be irreversible in the short term. This folder contains your main choices."
You looked through the papers in the folder, amazed at what you find. None of the identities fit your description at all. Some are a different height and weight. Many are a different race. Several are decades older than you. Some options aren't even human! You have a hard time believing that a vial of nanites can really turn you into anything so completely different. But the agent was right: what choice did you have? If anyone from the cartel noticed you at all, even in disguise, you would be dead. And maybe living out one of these lives would be better than plodding through life as a bitter, lonely victim of the most wanted man in the Americas.
"Here you go, ma'am. I choose this one," you say, handing her one of the papers.