“You guys — you guys!”

“What?”

“Shh!”

“We have a problem.”

“What’s that?”

“There’s no more wine.”

“Shh!”

“What?”

“I said be quiet!”

“But— Wine.”

“Lindsay! Hush!”

“She’s got a good point.”

“You too Mark!”

Their voices echoed through the hallway, bouncing off the concrete walls. While Lisa might have been trying to sound responsible, the whole thing had been her idea in the first place. They had been at a house party, and Lisa had an idea… well… it seemed like a great idea at the time.

“Let’s go to the compression lab!” she’d whispered to Lindsay.

Lindsay’s eyes had lit up. “Yea! Hey Mark!”

“What?”

“We’re gonna sneak into the compression lab. Come with us!”

And realistically, Lisa was a grad student with 24 hour access to the lab. The consequences of getting caught were, well, there probably were no consequences. Her own advisor had come there after partying more than once.

The lack of more wine, however, might be a problem.

“You know what,” said Lisa, as she carded into the door of the lab, “I think there’s some beer left over in the fridge in the break room.”

“Yayy!” said Linsday. “You saved everything!”

Lisa powered on the compressor coil, thankful that they’d installed the noise dampeners last semester. Lindsay brought over a couple beers, and she loaded up the program.

“Cheers!” said Lisa. “We made it.”

“It’s not like this was that hard,” said Mark. “I mean, you do work here.”

“Shut up. Who’s going first.”

Mark looked confused. Lindsay just shrugged.

“What do you mean?” said Mark. “I thought you just wanted to…”

Lindsay jabbed him in the ribs.

“Mark’s going first,” she said.

“What goes on here anyway?” said Mark.

“Oh please. You know where we are.”

“Oh my god you’re mad scientists!”

“Shut up! You turned me into a frog last week.”

“I only gave you frog legs,” corrected Mark.

“Mark, go over there and get in the compressor,” said Lindsay, giving him a push.

Mark winked at her and took one more pull from his beer before getting into the upright narrow box next to the machine. Lindsay closed the door after him.

“What are we gonna do to him anyway?” she said, twisting the clasp to lock the door.

“Don’t know yet,” said Lisa, selecting the ‘secure’ feature. Inside the box was a muffled noise from Mark as the mechanical belts tightened around his waist and shoulders.

“Hmm… Big or small…”

“Let’s start with something small,” said Lisa, making a selection on the screen. Looking over her shoulder, Lindsay giggled and nodded.

Lisa pushed the engage button. There was a noise of energy being released into the box.

“All right,” said Lindsay. “Push down on the lever.”

Lisa took two hands on the lever next to the box and leaned down on it. The top of the box lowered by a bit more than a foot.

“All set!” said Lisa.

Lindsay opened the door to the box, and pulled Mark out by the hand.

“Oh my God,” said Lisa. “This is too funny… I wanna know what he’s thinking now.”

Lindsay took Mark’s hands and guided them to feel around the empty space where his head had just disappeared. He patted at his empty shoulders for a minute, before making a swipe towards Lindsay, who ducked.

“I’m sure if we could reach where his head is we could ask,” said Lindsay. “Like with a sense collar or something.”

“Let’s just leave him like that for a bit while we do you,” said Lisa.

“Okay, but first…”

Lindsay pushed Mark’s body over to a table. He seemed to get the idea and sat up on it. She started unbuttoning his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Help me get him naked!”

Lisa paused for only a moment before coming over to assist Lindsay, stripping Mark in a matter of maybe 30 seconds.

“Well,” said Lisa, giving Lindsay a look.

“I know… I wouldn’t have thought he was that big…”

“I thought you’d already, y’know…”

“No, I mean… we were going to, at some point, I’m sure. But … Well.”

She paused and took anther pull on her beer, finishing the bottle.

“Fuck it,” said Lindsay, grabbing Lisa around the waist. She pulled her into a kiss.

“Aww… are we drunk enough for this,” said Lisa.

“I know I am.”

“Let me — let me finish mine.”

Lindsay’s pants were already off by the time Lisa had gotten to her beer, and her shirt followed afterwards. Lisa grinned and just tossed back her beer before removing her top and skirt herself.

“Soo…” said Lindsay, teasing Mark’s thigh before smacking away his approaching hand.

“You’re torturing him,” said Lisa.

“Come help me.”

Lisa came over to join, letting Mark cop a feel on both of them.

“Okay,” said Lindsay. “My turn!”

“What do you want to do?”

“Um… hm…”

“Want to be headless as well?”

“I don’t know. Surprise me.”

Lindsay got inside the cabinet and closed the door. Lisa locked it and went over to get everything ready. But more importantly, what to make of her friend? And the headless naked guy they’d brought over? And… well, what was she going to do?

She made a couple selections on the screen. First, Lindsay’s arms and legs. Hm… maybe a little more?

There. That’d be perfect. Lisa had tried it herself a couple times with her last boyfriend, and it had always been her favorite configuration. She hit engage and then went over to the box and pulled down on the lever. The box collapsed from the bottom and top together until it was only about two feet high.

“Mmph!” came a noise from inside.

Lindsay loved everything about the compression lab. The science was interesting, the configurations, the way compression felt like a massage and a deep stretch at the same time. More than anything though was the helpless look that people gave when they saw what had happened to them.

She opened the box and grinned at Lindsay, now much more ‘abridged.’

“Ohmygawd,” said Lindsay. “What’d you do to me? Take me out!”

Lisa picked up Lindsay, cupping her by the boobs. She brought her over to the mirror.

“Just the essentials,” said Lisa. “You’re a head, a pair of tits, and…”

She spread Lindsay’s tits apart so she could see her pussy in between.

“Oh shit!” said Lindsay. “And you kept my ass too?”

“I always thought of this as the best kind of sex toy.”

“You could’ve kept my arms,” said Lindsay.

“You’re right. I could’ve.”

“Mmm… can you give me to him?”

“I can… but first two things.”

“Oookay!”

“First,” said Lisa, sliding in a finger and eliciting a sharp gasp, “I got to find a condom.”

“In my purse, inner zipper,” said Lindsay quickly.

“Good. Second, where do I fit into this?”

“Just let me know what you want and it’ll happen,” said Lindsay. “Promise.”

“Great. Now then. Where’s your purse?”

#

“That was definitely different,” said Ann. “I mean, I never expected I would … except.”

She picked her head up off of Alex’s chest and looked up at her.

“I know,” said Alex, kissing her on the forehead. “And thanks for … for understanding I guess.”

“How do you like it?” asked Ann.

“I don’t know how to answer that question.”

“How does being two people compare to being one?”

“But see, I’m not two people! I’m one person. One mind. One body. It’s not like I have competing thoughts going on in my head.”

“Oh c’mon there has to be something that Michael and Angela disagreed on.”

“Sure there are. But I’m not… there’s even things I think I like that neither one of them do. But okay, there are some contradictions.”

“Such as?”

“I’m attracted to skinny girls like you, and also to big burly men with beards.”

“Hm… Okay. I guess that’s one.”

“But it’s not like I have Michael’s voice and Angela’s voice going on simultaneously.”

“All right yea. But you do have both of their memories.”

“Sure. Only it’s more… Hm…”

“So what do you like better,” said Ann, picking herself up to her elbows and pushing a leg over to straddle Alex.

“Between what,” said Alex, grinning.

“Being a guy or a girl. Cock or pussy. Which one’s better.”

“Well… they’re both really good. In different ways of course.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Alex closed her eyes for a moment. “Right now, I’d like to have a cock again.”

“So why didn’t you have them make you into a guy?”

“I didn’t choose. I don’t know that they did. We just … formed. Besides, what’s your answer?”

“Me? I don’t know!”

“Well, it’s not like… it’s not like it’s hard to switch now, is it.”

With that, Alex, shot her hands up between Ann’s shoulders and disconnected each at the joint.

“Uh-oh,” said Ann, with a huge smile on her face.

Alex easily flipped both of them over so she was straddling Ann, and just as quickly had her legs disconnected too. A moment later, she was holding up Ann’s detached hips.

“Too bad you can’t feel this,” said Alex, giving Ann’s ass a squeeze. “You should really get relays put in.”

“I know, I know. Michael and I — you remember, we talked about this?”

“Yes, that I was going to buy you relays, but only in your neck and waist, so I could still leave you without arms and legs whenever I wanted to… But anyway. We also talked about switching privates, but you were never… You always wanted to be fucked.”

“Well, I still… It’s not like I’m not curious, just when the time came, that’s what I wanted.”

“So you’ve really never tried a penis on?” said Alex.

“Never,” said Ann.

“I would really like one right now,” said Alex, reconnecting Ann’s hips. “But I think I know where to get one from…”

“Where?”

“Dave.”

“Who’s… wait, that guy in Mechanical?”

“One of my old hookups,” said Alex. “Or, well, Angela’s old hookups, since apparently that distinction is important to people.”

“Can you maybe find someone oh… more our body type?”

“What?”

“I mean, Dave is like… if I’m going to try out a cock for the first time, I don’t want hips from some big hairy dude! I want to try from someone … slender. Feminine almost. Like, I still want to feel sexy.”

Alex looked down at her own slender hips.

“Hm… good point,” she said. “What about…”

Their eyes met.

“Alan,” they both said together.

#

“Hi Melanie!”

“Hey!”

Robert paused for a second. “Can I… get the door for you.”

“That’d be great. Thanks!”

Robert carded into the dorm building and followed her into the lobby.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Oh… couple minutes.”

“And so… no arms today?”

Melanie shrugged her empty shoulders.

“Nope!” she said. “I’m getting used to it.”

“What for —“

“Soccer. IM league. I signed up in the Co-Ed league with Tom from across the hall. Didn’t realize it, but it was the no-arms league. Except the goalies I guess. But it’s harder to balance you know?”

“Takes some getting used to I bet.”

“You’ve ever done it?”

“No I — well I had the connectors put in last year for the study, but never used them too much.”

“Well anyway. I’m going armless today, and then tomorrow is half-day.”

“Half-day?”

“Well, for extra speed, you can leave behind your torso…”

“Oh yea. I’ve seen that.”

“Yea. But I hear it completely changes your center of balance.”

“Hmm.. All right. Well, I’ve gotta change real quick and get to swim practice. But y’know, good luck!”

Melanie made her way up to the third floor and to her dorm room. Unfortunately, Kasey wasn’t in. She’d need to find someone else to help her unlock the door.

“Hey Tom!” she said, finding an open door further down the hall. “Can I—“

Tom looked up and took off his headphones. “Need a hand?”

“Ha-ha. That joke … you know how many times I’ve heard it today alone?”

“Well, it’s good you’re practicing,” he said, standing up. “Definitely takes a little getting used to.”

“How long did it take you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Weeks? I mean, walking around is the first step, second is actually running and playing the game. That’s another reason why it’s sometimes easier to go half-sized, because you’re a bit lower to the ground.”

“I haven’t tried that yet,” said Melanie. “That was going to be tomorrow.”

Tom followed her out the hall to her dorm and helped her unlock the door with the keys around her neck.

“Can you help me put my arms back on too?” asked Melanie.

“Sure, if you need. Hey maybe we can go kick a ball around later, get used to that.”

“Definitely. Could you set me up as a halfie?”

“Of course.”

“Great. But first I need my arms back on for something.”

Tom found Melanie’s arms on her bed, and helped reconnect one, then the other.

“Thanks. Hey. Were you doing anything important?” asked Melanie.

“Not really,” said Tom. “Just finding some new music. What’d you need your arms for anyway?”

“I wanted to do this,” said Melanie, with a devious grin. She grabbed Tom around the neck and twisted sharply. His head came loose and his body crumpled to the floor.

“Oh is this how you repay a favor?”

“Okay, I should have asked first. But it was just too… Like now that I have the connectors myself you can get me back. Otherwise it just felt mean.”

“Oh, I’ll find a way.”

“So I can I tell you something. And maybe this is weird, but…”

“What is it?”

“I really want to try on a guy’s body.”

“That’s not that weird.”

“Have you ever tried on a girls?”

“Yea, but it’s been a while.”

“Can we… switch? Like for a day?”

“Sure, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I get to take you out on a date,” said Tom.

Melanie didn’t say anything, just raised up his head and kissed him.