"Okay, let me see here," Jake muttered to himself, scrolling down the extensive menu on the Chronivac program. The blue light of the screen highlighted his bemused expression. "There's got to be a perfect fit for Mike—hmm, 'Occupation'."
With his roommate in mind, Jake's finger hovered over the trackpad, ready to sculpt Mike's life in new, digitally-forged directions. His curiosity was interrupted, however, by a more pressing matter.
"Nature's call," he sighed, pushing away from his desk, leaving his laptop open, the Chronivac program eagerly awaiting further directions. Jake slipped out of the room and into the narrow, fluorescent-lit hallway of the dorm, feet padding softly towards the bathrooms.
Meanwhile, Mike entered the room, tossing a frisbee from one hand to the other, oblivious to the technological genie perched at the desk. Skimming the text on the screen, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Change the world around you... yeah, right," he scoffed. Desperate to distract himself from the droning hum of a life too normal, Mike sat down and eyed the 'name' field mistakenly as a search bar.
Leaning back and sighing, he quipped to the room, "Sure, let's see if this thing can find me something fun—how about a game controller?" Typing in 'game controller', he snickered and pressed 'Enter', not realizing he'd just engaged gears of reality far beyond his comprehension.
The air shimmered, as if heated by unseen fires; a faint scent of burning electronics wafted through the room. Mike blinked, suddenly feeling his body tingle. He looked down as his chest began to morph. "What the—?!" His nipples contorted into raised, textured d-pads, his shirt tightening with the strange growths jutting outward, tearing through the fabric into the open air. Panic and fascination intertwined in his widening eyes.
On his shoulders, something clicked into existence: sleek shoulder buttons that protruded outward, offering tactile satisfaction even through his shirt. “This can’t be happening,” Mike breathed, a hint of exhilaration seeping into his voice.
Gingerly, as if half-expecting to detonate, Mike pressed one of the chest d-pads, an enticing warmth radiating from it. The sensation was intoxicating, an intense pleasure in a form he couldn’t have fathomed.
“Wha... This feels... amazing?” He murmured, his fingers exploring his body further, discovering other unfamiliar features – ABXY buttons, thumbsticks, triggers. It was as if his chest and upper body he had become the console of a living video game, his body the user interface.
Then came the switch, an odd fixture nestled between his legs. Shifting it, another wave of transformation swept through him. His body compacted, joints reorienting to achieve the hybrid existence of a peculiar plastic toy robot with fox-like features—a living, breathing game controller with a twist.
The door creaked open, and Jake returned, eyes locking onto the surreal scene. Mike, now pint-sized, turned his fox head towards him, movements juddery as his ergonomic chest breathed with still-living plastic.
"Mike, what did you do?" Jake's voice was an odd mix of concern and disbelief.
"I-I typed 'game controller'... I don't know how but..." Mike's words were strained, baffled by his own surreal existence.
Jake kneeled down, a glint of awe under the concern. "This thing... It's called Chronivac. It changes reality, I was going to find you a job and..."
"A job?" Mike snorted, his laughter digital, yet infectious. He ambled over to the TV remote and flicked on the screen, a game console coming to life with a familiar beep. He interfaced with the console, pressing his own buttons awkwardly, laughter interspersed with sharp beeps and boops.
"This is insane," Jake said, his finger reaching for the 'revert' button on the emitter, ready to restore his friend.
"Wait!" Mike's tail flickered with hesitation. "I want... to explore this."
Despite the absurdity, Jake nodded, watching Mike focus, realize he could control the game just by thinking. As Mike navigated the digital landscape with growing dexterity, a true melding of mind and machine, Jake whispered, "This is just the beginning..."