Tom Palmer adjusted himself in the mirror.  He was dealing with executives today.  Oh joy.

Tom was an engineer, and he dealt with more the production side of things, rather than the research side.  That said, he was always up to date on the latest products his company made.

He would for a medical company that specialized in experimental chemicals.  Mostly, this stuff was just improvements on existing products, but every so often something really knew came along.

It was called X-37.  If even half of what he had been told about it was true, it would revolutionize medicine.

He smiled at his appearance.  He was about forty, honestly below-average looks with short black hair.  But, he was dressed for a tour, with a blue short-sleeved button-up, tan pants, and tan steel toed boots.

He was ready.  Or at least he told himself he was.

He drove to work, glad traffic was light today.  He sooned got in the parking lot, parked his car, and was in the building.

He was met by Taylor.  She was a newer engineer, been there only two years, but she quickly showed herself to be intelligent and capable.  Tom took a quick liking to her.  He could see her ambition, but he could also see it was not motivated by ego or a need for power.  She was just good at her job, and wanted to move up.  He respected that.

"Forgot we were going to the floor?"  He asked with a grin.

"I got so focused on nailing what to say, but, yeah I did."

She had on a nice navy blue skirt suit, a lighter blue shirt, black pantyhose, but was wearing black steel-toed boots.

"I know, I'm normally so on with details like this."  She said, angry.

"It'll be fine.  Odds are, we'll have to find boots for these guys.  They never show up dressed right."

"Yeah, true!"  Taylor said as both sat in their reception area, waiting.

"Its how many?"  Taylor asked.

"Five.  Two big wigs and three assistants."  Tom said.

"So, how big the wigs?"

"Huge!  Big puffy damn things.  Look like you're in movie in the 1700's."

At that, she laughed.

"Should I practice my best feminine manners?"

"Fuck no."  He laughed.

"Good!"

Soon the executives, with their assistants in tow, arrived.

The first was a tall, slender woman of about fifty dressed smartly in a black pin striped skirt suit, black hose, and black flats.

"Sue Trenton."  She said, shaking Tom's hand.

"Tom Palmer, and one of our upcoming engineers, Taylor Hanson."

"Pleasure."  Sue said.

"Likewise."  Taylor said.

The other executive introduced himself as Max Sadler, but declined to shake as he was recovered from a cold.  He was short, a bit heavy, about sixty, and balding.

The next were the assistants.

Jane Campbell, a short, buxom woman in a brown skirt suit, white blouse, tan hose, but wearing a pair of brown steel toed boots, happily introduced herself.

Taylor also noticed her outfit was tight.  She guessed why.

"You've worked in a factory before."  It wasn't a question.

"Oh, yeah!  My last job was in one!  Yeah, never let anything be loose.  I had one close call, never again.  But, gotta be more formal..."

Taylor grinned at that.  She bet they all thought she was dressing sexy.

The other two almost seemed to be cut from same cloth, in their black suits.  Hell, beyond their ties and faces, Taylor thought, they were near indistinguishable.  One introduced himself as Lucas Slade, the other as Owen Proctor.  Taylor and Tom both shared a look.  They knew when someone was promoted past ability.

"So," Max said.  "You have something to show us?"

"Yes, Mr. Sadler, but first, no one is allowed on the factory floor without steel toed boots.  Safety issue."

"Are you implying this factory is unsafe?"  Lucas sneered.

"It's a requirement for everyone, regardless."  Taylor said.  "And I just happen to have boots behind the desk."

Taylor went and grabbed them, then came back around.  Max smiled and thanked her.  Sue didn't.  She put them on sullenly, almost angry.  Taylor saw sue and sue met her gaze.

"Sorry, thank you, just I've toured enough to know better!"

The two male assistants refused to thank her, and were annoyed at this.

Soon, they were on the tour.  Mostly, it was just normal stuff until they got to where X-37 was.

"So, this is where we make and store it.  This chemical is worth billions a year at least!"  Max said.

"We can ramp up about nine billion dollars worth.  Right now its at just above one until orders come in."

"Why so low?"  Owen asked.

"I literally just said why."  Tom said, annoyed.

"How fast can you ramp up if orders come in?"

"Six months to the aforementioned nine billion.  We have plenty of capacity, but having sure the workforce is properly trained..."

"What, that hard to learn to work a lever?"  Lucas asked.

"Said from someone who's never worked a day in a factory."  Jane muttered.

"Now, hold on..."

"Jane's right.  I'd rather be safe than anything else!"

"I mean, how hard could it be!"  Owen walked over and pulled a random lever, then hit some controls, going past the safety lines and even somehow hitting an override.  The machine, previously functioning normally, sped up.

"Time to go!"  Tom said.  He turned to see Taylor try to turn the machine off.

He gasped.  One second she was trying to stop the machine, the other she was balanced for a moment, her head severed from body by a piece of the machine.  He couldn't mourn, as his head, along with the rest, was soon severed by a large, thin chunk of machinery.

The chunk damaged one of the smaller tanks of X-37, and it came spilling out.  It was to aid in healing very quickly, but it in fact was much more powerful than that.  The compound kept their heads and bodies alive as they joined up.  Thing is, each head joined to the nearest body.

Tom stood up, feeling very shakey, seeing the machine was off.  Either Taylor managed to stop it before further damage or someone killed the power remotely.

He then looked down, seeing a skirt suit, black hose and black boots.  Taylor's boots.  He then turned and witnessed a sight.

Taylor walked unsteadily to him, dressed in the suit of one of the idiots.  He then saw Jane stand with what looked like his outfit.  Oh, oh oh no no damnit...

He realized what was going on.  He felt face familiar face and felt his neck, feeling where his neck ended and Taylor's began!

He almost didn't want to look, but had to.

Max stood up, his body clearly on Jane's buxom body.  The two idiots (Tom didn't remember their names at thst moment) had the fifty-ish body of Sue and the sixty-ish body of Max.

"Tom?"  Taylor asked, looking down at her masculine body.  "Just what the hell are we going to do?"