"Hello?" called a voice Andrew didn't recognize. "Hellooo!"
Andrew peeked out the window at the driveway. Parked out front was a large, white FedEx truck. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't someone he knew and would possibly freak out.
"Um, I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I was told to deliver this thing from TransDem Labs pronto, but I need a signature! They said it was REALLY important. Hello?"
TransDem Labs...weren't those the guys that... Andrew dashed, or at least tried to, to the front door.
"Uh, hey," Andrew said. "I'll sign for that."
The FedEx guy cocked an eyebrow, giving Andrew a weird look as he handed him the signing pad. "Okay... This is for a Jeff Hodges."
Andrew hastily scribbled a signature on the pad and took the packege from the FedEx guy. "Uh, thanks, yeah, I'll be sure to get it to him..."
"Sure." And with that, the FedEx guy left to doorway and headed back to his truck, signing pad in hand.
Andrew slammed the door shut, planted a kiss on the cardboard box, and shuffled back to his computer, where the remains of the old Chronovac layed.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you-" Andrew jibbed as he fell into his computer chair, causing it to protest noisily at his new bulk.
Andrew looked at the label on the front, noting that the package was indeed for a Jeff Hodges. Hodges was Andrew's last name. As far as he knew, he only had one brother named Dave who was at college. Also, the name Jeff felt as if it should mean something to Andrew...but he just couldn't place where...
Andrew ran a hand through his thin hair before tearing the cardboard box's flaps open. Right on top of a shiny new Chronovac unit, sat a note reading in big, bold letters, "READ ME FIRST!!".
Andrew was just about to toss the note aside, before remembering it was being too hasty and impulsive with this technology that get him into this problem in the first place.
He opened the note first. It instructed him to first plug in the new Chronovac v4.1 system and to then use the new Chronovac's scanner on the old Chronovac emitter. Andrew did so, slowly and carefully. The 4.1 hummed to life, along with his computer. Andrew's monitor flashed a new screen:
"WELCOME TO CHRONOVAC v4.1
"We are currently analyzing your old CHRONOVAC v4.0 for old stored data, error reports, and temporal mites. We will be with you in a minute."
Andrew cursed to himself. Why did all these things always take so damn long!? Andrew nervously ran his fingers through what remained of his thinning hair, only to be reminded of his condition. Andrew felt to urge to snack on something to distract himself...
Andrew was about to leave when a new window popped up:
"THANK YOU FOR WAITING
"Analysis complete. Your CHRONOVAC v4.0 was affected be a SYSTEM 040 error, causing the system to crash and send corrupted emission data, causing unwanted transformations. Destruction of the machine didn't help much either..."
Andrew couldn't help but be bemused by the 4.1's frankness...
"All uncorrupted data has been extracted and the installed program on this local PC has been updated to match the new CHRONOVAC v4.1's standards.
"New features of the 4.1 include:
*Major bug fixes (including the SYSTEM 040 error)
*Advanced temporal mite repulsion
*Many new Transformation options
*Fixes to the Anthropomorphic transformation options (no more recursive paradoxes when Auto-Historical Adjustment mode is activated)
*Faster transformation times
*Genetic recursing (change your long-lost ancestors!)
*Enhanced pocket universal tunneling (want a major change, but worried about the fate of the world's timeline? Create a pocket universe of your local area!)
*Improved Auto-Historical Adjustment
*Deadlock
*WI-FI connection to other Chronovacs all across the world! See what others are transforming into. Share custom transformation sets with others. Now compatible with Facebook and Twitter.
*Advanced learning custom AI. Helps protect you from unwanted transformations and gives helpful advice (or I'll try, anyway).
*And lots lots more! (read the manual for a full list of improvements and de-bugs...no, seriously, read the thing!)"
Andrew quickly scrolled through the list, then opened to window reveal his personal information:
Name: Andrew Hodges
Age: 37
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 250 lb.
Body Hair Index: 15
--Special--
Head Hair Baldness index: 6/7
--Other--
There were other windows Andrew could open, but he was eager to lose this extra poundage, grow his hair back, and return to normal. He clicked a button labeled, Return Original Elements.
Name: Jeff Hodges
Age: 16
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 134 lb.
Body Hair Index: 3
--Special--
Build: Swimmer
--Other--
Andrew paused. So that's where the name Jeff came from. The 4.0 had done some tinkering with his identity! Andrew, formerly Jeff, fumed about this for a second before moving his cursor down to the SAVE button and clicking on it.
"ARE YOU SURE YOU WISH TO RETURN TO ORIGINAL ELEMENTS? THE PREVIOUS TRANSFORMATION WILL BE LOST. Y/N"
Andrew hovered his mouse over the YES button, but stopped. As much as he wanted to return to normal, the reason he was in this mess was because he wanted a change in the first place. Should all his effort be in vain? Maybe a few quick changes couldn't hurt...or could it?