Zackery Taylor sat in the waiting room of the medical center with a textbook in one hand that had the title; Willpower 101 and a very small piece of formless matter in the other hand. The white cube was only the size of a pin head, a screen above it zoomed in on the molecules and atoms within the formless matter. Zack tried to reform the matter in accordance to the instructions of the text book. Thus far only succeeding in getting them to move a little bit, much less gaining the ability to connect the atoms or transform the matter in the way that the textbook depicted.

He flipped through the pages, learning all of the properties of hydrogen. The atomic mass, electron configuration, key isotopes, density, boiling and melting points. Everything an amateur chemist would already know. Which was probably the reason why there was a handful of people in the room who had already set down their cubes to begin reading the later chapters of the textbook.

A human woman in a white nurse’s uniform said “Zackery Taylor.” with his name called he got up and entered the doorway. Where he was immediately ushered into a very large machine.

A blue screen popped up in front of him, courtesy of Akma.

Initializing full body scan

The machine began to rumble and whir. Mechanical arms spun around him. After several minutes Zack found himself getting annoyed by the sounds but then it stopped and he exited into another room.

This time a gray wrinkly skinned alien doctor was waiting for him. The alien looked bored as Zack entered, the lids on it’s three eye stalks half open. It’s gender was a complete unknown, even if it’s species even adhered to such archetypes.

When the alien continued ignoring Zack he cleared his throat “Ahem.”

Instead of talking, text automatically appeared over it’s head “I am looking at your file. Do not disturb me.”

”Can I at least know your name?”

New text appeared that read “I do not need to know you and you don’t need to know me. I get one hundred patients a day and I will not fill up my mind with data that will be useless to me in half an hour.”

“O-kay.”

After five minutes of silence from the doctor and Zack quietly reading his textbook, the gray skinned alien reached forward with it’s long arms and tapped him on the shoulder, the text above it’s eye stalks read “Stand up, take off your clothes and be quick about it.”

‘So this alien wants to get personal with my body but not with me.’ Zack did as he was told and felt a cool breeze on certain regions that weren’t normally exposed. The alien’s fingers hovered over his every inch of his skin but didn’t actually touch him. Just as Zack was starting to wonder what the doctor was doing, text appeared above that read “I am transforming all of the toxins within your body into either harmless or beneficial materials, like protiens.”

“Well, I’m grateful but why?”

“This is the first phase of the copying process. Me and the other specialists will do what we can to repair your body, then Akmadouric will do everything we can’t do. After that is done, our aligned deity will duplicate your body. Then the real work begins.”

“But I’m perfectly healthy.”

A high pitched steam whistle of a voice said “No you’re not.” Zack pressed his lips together to keep from laughing as the alien talked “Every body has it’s own defects and deformities. Minor and major. According to your chart your knees need work. You must have spent 90% of your life with them bent in order for them to have lost that much cartilage.” then the gray wrinkly skinned doctor finished zir work and waved Zack out of zir office.

He managed to stifle his chuckles until getting out the door “If I had a voice like that I’d communicate mostly through text as well.”

Akma appeared through his vortex and said “That is a natural voice for his species, in fact it’s much deeper than most of his kind, to the point where an unaugmented human can hear it. Which is why he was chosen for his position.”

Zack sighed “In other words, I just showed off how much of a newbie I am by laughing. Wait, that’s a he?”

“Well, ‘he’ has an ovipositor, so that’s a matter of perspective.”

‘A male organ that lays eggs.’ Zack said “Okay, that’s more than I needed to know.”

Akma floated in front of him “And he wasn’t trying to hide his voice. Automatic text messages are a faster method of answering when you have been asked the question a million times before. He’s one of the people who is working for favor without risking his second body, using willpower at his level takes skill and there’s a steady gain in it, but without risk there is little reward. So he’s working as quickly as possible to achieve immortality for his true body before his secondary body needs another rejuvenation treatment.”

“Always a rush in the worlds of finance.” Zack followed Akma’s directions to navigate around the dome and made several stops at various specialists. The cartilage doctor repaired his knees and knuckles. One specialist babbled medical jargon that he didn’t understand. And the brain doctor insisted that he had a few ‘minor’ deformities, lesions and disabilities but thankfully did very little, leaving most of whatever work needed to be done to Akmadouric.

With the long day almost over, Zack stood before a white dais, glancing at the blue dais on the other side of the room.

Akma said “When you are ready, father will begin the final upgrading process and then immediately move on to duplicating your body.”

“You know, as much as I like my body, I would rather be put inside some kind of hulking behemoth.”

“That is possible, but doing more than copying would cost father much more willpower energy and therefore bring your favor debt up to an intolerable level.“

He frowned and brought up the menu screens with a snap of his fingers.

Zackery Taylor + True body stats + Consciousness +Finances

He pressed the plus sign on the finances menu.

-Finances Favor Debt 54,000

Zack said “Bastard doctors actually milked me for that much. What else is new?"

Akma said “It’s normal for a newbie to have that much debt and for requesting services directly from Akmadouric, it’s going to be piled on even more. This is not a charity.”

Zack smirked “Even deities like to trade.” then walked onto the dais.

From his perspective he was instantly teleported from a standing position on the white dais, to a lying position on the blue dais.

Akma said “The duplication process is done. How do you feel?”

Zack said “Wait, what happened? Why do I feel so groggy.” he needed a minute before sitting up.

“The white dais puts people to sleep and then freezes them in time after father is done working on them. Look.” Akma pointed.

Zack could see a black capsule standing next to the white dais and he knew that it contained his true body.

Akma asked again “So how do you feel?”

Zack ran his hands all over his body and tested every muscle “My hands don’t twitch anymore when I’m not doing keyboard exercises.”

“Scientifically speaking, habits are brain damaging and so are routines. Fixing such neurological defects was a part of the repairing process. Muscles were also added to your chest and forearms. Genetically speaking, you were missing them.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever been called genetically inferior.”

”And it will be the last. While you are far from the perfect male specimen, you are in perfect physical condition. For the moment at least.”

A new screen appeared among the menus

+ Secondary body stats

He pressed the plus button for the first time and then saw more plus button show up.

-Second body stats +Sensory organs +Muscles +Cardiovascular Systems +Immune Systems +Reproductive Systems +Blood vessel Systems +Neurological Systems +Digestive Systems

Zack said “Okay, lets try something simple like, the muscles.” as he pressed the plus button Akma snickered.

-Muscles +Left arm +Right arm +Torso +Head +Left leg +Right leg

Zack frowned and pressed the 'Right Arm' button.

-Right arm

+Deltroid, +Bicep,+ Pectoraltis major, +Brachiellis, +Brachioradialis, +medial Epicondyle, +Pronator Teres, +Flexor Carpi Radialis, +Flexor Carpi Ulnaris, +Flexor Digitorum Sublimus, +Clavicle, +Acromion, +Supra Spinatus, +Infra Spinatus, +Teres Major, +Triceps, +Medial Epicondyle, +Olecranon, +Extensor Carpi Ulnaris, +Extensor Carpi Digitorum

There were images next to the names of each muscle group. Zack hesitated before pressing the plus button next to the word ‘Bicep’,then his mouth dropped as several pages of individual muscle fibers showed up on the screen. Not one fiber was capable of lifting more than a gram on it’s own.

Akma rolled on the ground laughing at him.

Zack said aloud “Ya know, I was expecting to see a single number rating for my body’s strength.”

The blue midget shrugged “Sorry. Things are never that simple.”

”Then make it simple.”

Akma said “Are you sure? You would want to know something like: how long it takes for your eyesight to adjust from light to darkness.”

“Yes”

“Then here you go.”

-Second body basic stats Description: A fully human 26-yr old male body. Although it has had all defects repaired, it’s muscles are very small and weak, clearly the owner hasn’t ever worked out a day in their life. Good eyesight and reflexes. Weak immune system. Low Stamina. Yet the mind is capable of advanced cognitive thought processes. Mind: 49 Sight: 20 Hearing: 15 Agility: 4 Strength: 4.25 Stamina: 3 Disease resist: 5 Cold resist: 2 Heat resist: 7

Zack said “That was quick. In fact, it was so quick that you could have just given it to me immediately.”

Akma shrugged “You need to know your body as well as possible. Besides, the look on your face was priceless.”

Zack shook his head with a bland look on his face.

Akma said “Open up the Consciousness menu.”

He followed the blue kid’s instructions

-Consciousness Tactics: 92 Leadership: 1 Intelligence: 403 Creativity: 389 Willpower Energy: 20/22 Willpower technique: 1st percentile, newbie +Skills

He pressed the plus button in front of the skills icon, then ratings for everything he knew from brushing his teeth to his keyboard exercises were displayed.

Zack said “Can we filter out the skills that will not help me for whatever role I will be doing?” Akma did so and three skills remained.

Multitasking: A The ability to be aware of, perform and switch between multiple tasks. Information processing: B+ You are able to take in all kinds of information at a rate above that of your peers. Making sense of chaotic environments. Cool under pressure: S No matter the situation, you are able to perform to the best of your ability

Zack said “Seems about right.”

Akma said “It should be noted that these skill and body ratings are by comparison of your fellow human beings.”

Zack made his way to the exit portal with his true body’s capsule in tow, taking note of the city’s layout along the way. No wonder everything under the dome had been built so quickly, the construction workers had simply placed the formless matter on whatever they wanted to build then used willpower energy to get the material they wanted and shape it however they liked. But whats more, they could make chemicals and compounds of the rare variety.

The shuttle he was aboard arrived at the exit portal in the center of the city, he grabbed a ticket but discovered that there was already a group for his city. After a bit of searching, he found his departure group. An increasingly familiar man in military fatigues was there with a balding man in his late forty’s, who was still holding his textbook and trying to make hydrogen in the other.

Zack approached the pair and read the names over their heads, Sargent Becker and Mr. Edwardson.

‘I suppose that takes care of introductions.’

Then he saw the number beneath the names, which was the same as the number on his ticket. Zack said “I guess we are all going to Saratoga, California?” then he sat down and asked Mr. Edwardson “Did you figure it out yet?”

The balding man answered “Like the book says, it is more caught than taught. I am already up to phase two out of the three.”

Zack asked “Can you give me any tips?”

”None that the book doesn’t already give.”

Sargent Becker said “I already managed complete chapter one, but Akma told me that my technique was very poor and I used too much willpower energy. Was feelin’ the effects for a few minutes afterwards.”

“Effects?”

“Oh you’ll find out what those are later,” Sargent Becker frowned “But ya know, joining an army is not a decision to take lightly and it’s not something that should be done without at least preparing your body. Skinny lil spitfuck like you ain’t going to do nothing but slow the rest of us down when we end up in the shit. ”

“Well actually I was told that my skill set was easily adaptable for a specific role and that I had a bright future ahead of me.”

The formerly disabled veterans mouth curled into a smirk as he chuckled “I suppose it’s a moot point then. Akma told me that we’re all gonna get our training regimes for certain specific jobs so even you might get a visible muscle or two.”

Zack responded to Becker’s jabbing remarks with a smile of his own “We shall see what state I will be in after the training phase completes.”

The Sargent’s face twisted into an almost gleeful expression “It’s good to see that you have control over your emotions. You’re not some immature overgrown teenager or anything.”

”Internet trolls try to get a rise out of me all the time.”

“Oh. You’re one of those kind of people.” all the smiles left Becker’s face “Listen, you may be a gamer but from what I understand about this whole true body/second body thing, is that buying a new ‘life’ as some may call it, is very expensive.”

“I know.” Zack snapped his fingers to bring up the menus. Then hit the plus button next to his finances “I can’t imagine how much a new leg would cost.”

-Finances Favor debt: 312,000

Sargent Becker said “Ya, still can’t quite move the toes on my new foot. Musta forgotten how.” then he glanced off to the side “Our number’s been called.”

The three of them grabbed everything they had and moved towards the grand gate. Unlike the minor gates in each city, this was an outgoing gate that could send a person to anywhere so long as they knew the location.

The yellow exoskeleton clad gatekeeper clapped zir mandibles together and clicked out “Passage to Sacramento, California now opening.” ze put one of zir six limbs on the event horizon of the swirling blue, white and gray portal. A screen of the Earth with white dot on the location of their city displayed over the head of the gate keeper who looked at it with the large eye on top of zir head, the eyes of zir shoulders looked at the portal and the console in front of mer.

Zack said aloud “There’s no way that those mandibles can produce the sounds necessary for the English language.”

Akma popped out of his vortex “Haven’t you figured it out already? I’m translating for you.” Then they steped into the grand gate and crossed back into their home dimension.

“Nobody is going to steal a kidney or anything from my true body while I am away from it. Right?” said Zack as he shut the garage with the capsule and all his Earthly possessions inside. Then he typed in the very familiar password he used for everything.

Akma said “It’s not possible to penetrate the capsule without the ability to manipulate time.”

As he was leaving the rental garage, a thought struck him and he said “If Akmadouric is going to such lengths to keep people alive, then just how intense are these battles?”

Akma said nothing, which was unusual by comparison of his normally talkative self.

Not for the first time he wondered 'Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?'