You glanced down at all the paperwork the New You salesperson had handed you. It was still hard to believe you were jumping into changing your species like this. Maybe you would change your mind in the morning?
“Slow and steady sounds good,” you nodded at the salesperson.
“Great!” They took a few notes, “How about hooves and horns to start with?”
“Can we do the tail too?” You blushed softly.
They smiled and made a note, “Sure thing. Just make sure to get some pants tailored before then.”
“Right right.” You walked to the door in disbelief. You were going to have to buy all new clothes! And new chairs maybe! Were you really going through with this?
“There’s a one hundred dollar cancellation fee if you back out on the day of.” The clerk held out a small business card. “I’m Nic by the way. Feel free to give me a call if you had any questions.”
You went home and got a fresh night’s sleep. You kept expecting to shrug off this whole silly affair, but instead you had a dream about shopping for hooves like you were looking for a new pair of shoes. You woke up when you finally found the perfect pair of bull hooves.
Oh man, you were actually doing this. You went out to the tailor the shop recommended and for a pair of jeans and a pair of sweat pants altered. You kept trying to tell yourself you were getting in over your head, but at the same time you hadn’t mentioned your upcoming changes to anyone. You didn’t want them to talk you out of it.
Finally the night had arrived. Nic showed you in and got some of the last pieces of paperwork done. The front of the gene parlor had the vibe of a sunglasses boutique, but the back was a classic clinic. Everything looked well cared for an professional. He introduced you to the night shift nurse, as well as a stuffy looking man in a button down shirt.
He was the first person you talked to at New You who didn’t have a perfect hairline and flawless smile. He stuck out a hand, “The bull, right? I’m Agent Jackson with the Department of Identity.”
“Hello,” you tilted your head, “I can get my new drivers license updated here too?”
“Yes actually, but that’s not completely why I’m here.” He held up a dated looking digital camera. Not a phone. An actual dedicated unit. “I need to get before and after pictures of your procedure before you’re allowed to leave. You have no idea how many people think getting a new face means they can just got rob a bank or impersonate a celebrity.”
“Oh! Right, sure.” You tilted your head the other way, “Right now?”
“If you’re free?” He booted up the camera, “I know getting modded is disorienting, but I must insist that we get some pictures the second you’re back on your feet.”
You stood in front of a small backdrop the man had in the corner. “Hooves.”
The camera clicked. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll be back on my hooves,” you grinned.
“Right,” they spun you around and got one last picture, “Well then, good luck with your modding.”
The nurse got you situated in a bed. There were a few other people currently undergoing the gene modding process in the parlor already. You weren’t sure if you completely understood the technology to be honest. Some combination of an MRNA resequencer and nano-machines? It was powerful enough to reshape bones and turn toes into keratin, but it wasn’t exactly pain free. Your head needed to be adjusted for all the new sensations too. It was a little weird getting put into a coma in the middle of a shopping mall, but it was a common enough procedure these days.
There was a “sleeping” man in the corner whose face appeared to be gaining a month’s worth of bread growth right before your eyes. To your other side, an anthropomorphic wolf man was going in for some sort of adjustment. The changes weren’t fast enough for you to see Or maybe he was just almost finished? Both of them had an IV in their arm.
“Have you done this before?” Asked the nurse politely.
“Not since high school.” You settled back into your own bed.
“Well then. This IV bag’s going to put you in a light coma. You’ll wake up tomorrow morning with…” She started to check your clipboard.
“Bull horns, a tail, and hooves,” you smiled.
“Right.” She poked you without much warning, “Pleasant dreams.”