Chapter 9 - A Million Different People

When Sam opened her eyes, it was immediately apparent that she was somewhere outside of the reality she knew. Iridescent butterflies flitted lazily between flowers of every shade imaginable, and the grass was the most vibrant green she had ever seen. Even the air had a shimmering, magical quality to it.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Sam muttered under her breath.

The alpha system looked at her with a quizzical tilt of his head and asked, "Who's Toto?"

Too distracted by her surroundings to pay him any mind, Sam wandered toward the sound of rushing water and happened across a cheerily burbling brook. She stepped into the water, shivering at the chill of the water. Sure enough, she wasn't dreaming, but she couldn't help but think, 'This place really is like Oz.'

Finally, she turned back and addressed Alpha 7419 with a smirk, "Next, you're gonna hand me a golden ticket and tell me that I'm inheriting a chocolate factory from some sadistic nut job who gets off on hurting children."

Surrounded by so much clean air, gentle fragrance, and pleasant sound, Sam felt as if her life of pain and suffering was being washed away, and the sudden relief that brought with it almost moved her to tears.

In the face of all the perfection and beauty of nature, the despair, hopelessness, and grief that had plagued Sam's life simply fell from her shoulders. The years of overindulgence and debauchery were similarly washed away, and the pure joy and relief that came so suddenly almost brought her to tears.

For some reason, the gentle expression on Sam's face inspired a sense of peace in Alpha 7419 as well, and he started to think that perhaps the future wasn't quite as bleak as he'd been dreading.

Thinking that his new companion might be a little chilly, running around in nothing but her underwear, the alpha system took the initiative to provide her with some proper attire. With a snap of his fingers, a large white door appeared in the middle of the field of flowers.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat to get Sam's attention. She looked over at him, and Alpha 7419 gestured towards the door, saying, "Would you care to change your clothes, and then we can get down to business?"

At the mention of 'business,' Sam suddenly flashed a mischievous grin at her system, and Alpha 7419 felt a chill run down his spine.

However, in a rare moment of restraint, she simply walked up to the door and stepped inside.

The moment Sam's eyes met with the scene beyond the door, she was so overwhelmed with excitement that she could hardly contain herself.

Inside, there was a massive dressing room absolutely packed with dresses, skirts, pants, blouses... Every scrap of clothing that she had ever wanted to wear but never had the money to buy for herself, all of it tailored to fit her perfectly.

Not just clothes but shoes and handbags as well, and a vanity laden with makeup and accessories. 

When Sam peeked inside the drawers, she was even more delighted. Squealing in delight, she whipped out an electric green thong and waved it in the alpha system's face. Giddy with excitement, she exclaimed, "Did you pick these out for me? How do you know me so well?"

Alpha 7419 had a look of disgust on his face as he dodged out of the way of the wildly flailing panties. Disgruntled, he told her, "I did nothing of the sort. This is a feature of the pocket dimension that we are presently in. Because everything in this space is created by using your own spiritual energy, it would be impossible for the wardrobe to display anything that was not a reflection of your inner truth."

As Sam darted this way and that in the dressing room, occasionally pulling out a shirt or skirt to try in the mirror, the alpha system quietly closed the door and turned away.

In the end, she decided on a silk blouse in a color that matched her eyes, a tight leather pencil skirt with a slit up the side, and a pair of platform sandals that added a few extra inches to her 5'2" frame.

Beaming delightedly, she began peeling off her drenched undergarments in favor of the black lace bra and panty set she had picked out. However, as she removed the bra, she was assaulted by a sudden heaviness dragging down on her pecs, and when the damp material grazed her nipple, it elicited a startled gasp.

Since when were her nipples that sensitive, and, hey, isn't that nipple farther away than usual? Like DD farther away?!

Sam's eyes grew wider and wider as she stared down at her chest and the two massive lumps of flesh that were now growing out of it. She reached out a tentative finger to prod at the unfamiliar objects.

The undulating ripple, accompanied by the sensation of being touched, convinced Sam that this was no optical illusion or visual hallucination. This was real. 

"My soul has boobs!" Sam shouted to Alpha 7419 on the other side of the door. She squeezed and hefted her new breasts, delighting in the unfamiliar sensation that was not at all the same as having her pecs played with when she was still in her physical body.

While massaging her breasts, Sam suddenly noticed a strange, irritating feeling between her legs, almost like getting an erection but not quite in the right place...

Suddenly gripped with an indescribable terror, she pulled her breasts apart and peered down at her pelvis in dread.

Sure enough, there was only a smooth flat patch of skin where her cock and balls used to be. Panicking, her hands flashed down to her crotch, where, rather than finding a fleshy tool, she instead stumbled into a warm, damp cavern.

Sam: '...'

....

"Cough, cough," Alpha 7419 cleared his throat. Even with the door closed and the mind link blissfully silent due to the unique qualities of the pocket dimension, he could still hear the not-so-subtle moans that had started coming from within. "Could you... explore your spiritual body at some other time? We still have important business matters to discuss."

Making a face, Sam nonetheless pulled her fingers regretfully from inside her tight new pussy. Licking them subconsciously, she glanced at the still-closed door and called out, "So, um... Does this new body have something to do with the job?"

Despite her joy at having the parts she could only ever dream of while she was alive, Sam was not a transwoman. She was only a "she" part-time and still rather enjoyed having a penis.

"In a way, I suppose you could say that," Alpha 7419 conceded, but before Sam could open her mouth to ask the next question, he continued, clarifying, "However, calling it 'new' is a bit inaccurate. Nothing about your soul is any different from before you died."

"You are how you have always been."

Sam's breath caught in her throat, but she did her best to stay calm. On the one hand, she was relieved. In some ways, this was a kind of validation, wasn't it? She could now confidently stand up to all of the people who had ever mocked her or looked down on her for wearing women's clothes and say, "This is who I am, and nothing you do or say will ever change me."

On the other hand, being female had only ever been one part of her identity.

If her soul was female, then did the masculine feelings come from her male body? But that didn't make sense. There were plenty of trans people out there who never felt at home in the bodies nature gave them.

The more Sam tried to relax and reason things out, the more confused she felt. Anxiety built up in the pit of her stomach, and her breathing destabilized. Her knees were weak, and she let herself sink to the floor and buried her head in her arms as the world spun around her.

Sensing something was off about the sudden silence in the dressing room, Alpha 7419 cracked open the door and peeked inside, somewhat afraid that he would catch her doing something lewd.

Contrary to his expectations, the sight that greeted him was that of his host crouched in a defensive position, trembling as though she might collapse at any moment.

Torn between concern for his new partner and fear of being in such close quarters with a naked pervert, the AI hesitated in the doorway, but in the end, his concern won out.

Slowly, he approached the quivering figure and extended his hand to pat her lightly on the back in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. Sam flinched slightly at the cold touch on her naked skin, looking up at the alpha system in a daze as she mumbled something inaudible. 

Alpha 7419 bent down to better hear what she was saying. 

"No, I... but if... Where?" Sam uttered a string of disconnected words- not making any sense.

"I don't understand," Alpha 7419 stated, shaking his head apologetically. 

Those words seemed to have finally broken through to Sam because she suddenly burst into motion. She gripped the alpha system by his arms and shook him as she screeched in his face, "GIVE ME BACK MY PENIS!"

"Aah!" the alpha system yelled back at her in surprise.

Somehow, the two shouts canceled each other out, and Sam regained some semblance of reason. Not a lot, but enough that her grip on Alpha 7419's shoulders loosened, and he was able to break away.

The alpha system quickly brushed himself off and straightened his clothes, trying to calm his rapid heart rate. Although Sam's outburst was unexpectedly exaggerated, he had fortunately already perused the relevant manuals and knew that some discomfort was to be expected during the adjustment period.

To avoid looking directly at the naked woman on the floor, Alpha 7419 nonchalantly cleaned his glasses and calmly but firmly scolded, "You really shouldn't get worked up like this. Think for a moment. You're gender fluid, aren't you?"

"Yes..." Sam replied with a note of hesitation in her voice.

"You were female at the time of your death, yes?" the AI probed.

"Also, yes," Sam agreed, somewhat puzzled, but already her anxiety over her lost appendage was being replaced by curiosity.

"And at this moment, are you feeling masculine at all?" Alpha 7419 prompted. One of his eyebrows raised, his expression seemed to be asking, 'Do you understand yet?'

"No," Sam responded firmly. She felt as though she was on the verge of grasping what he was saying, but the impatient look on his face made her blush faintly in shame.

The alpha system sighed, resigning himself to his fate. Why did he get paired with such a spicy chicken host? "How about you try thinking like a man? Think about how it feels, the masculine things you like to do, anything that puts you in the mindset of being male."

Sam closed her eyes and did as instructed. Alpha 7419's tone gradually softened as he guided her in bringing out her masculine side, coaxing, "Relax and let the feeling soak into every part of your being. Once you feel that you have fully embraced that part of yourself, open your eyes and look in the mirror."

When Sam opened his eyes, his breasts were gone, and all of the usual bits were back in place. Letting out the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding, he smiled tenderly down at his member, gave it a little pat, and affectionately told it, "Welcome back, little guy. I missed you."

Alpha 7419: ...

"So, let me get this straight," Sam started, looking over at the alpha system, who was busy looking anywhere but at the naked man in front of him. "I can change my gender to whatever I want, whenever I want? No incantations, no techno gizmos, just think it, and it's so?"

"That's right," Alpha 7419 replied.

"Can everybody do that?" Sam asked, puzzled.

"No," the AI responded immediately. "Your gender identity is a part of your soul. You are what you are, and there is no way to change that without causing irreparable damage to your spirit body."

After hearing that explanation, Sam's whole face lit up, and he practically crowed, throwing his head back and shouting into the air, "You hear that, Mom and Dad?! I'm not a freak for being myself!"

"Well..." Alpha 7419's voice drifted off.

Sharp gaze snapping onto the system, Sam reacted defensively without thinking, "Am I wrong? You just confirmed my gender. Are you going to go back on that already?"

Sam knew he was jumping to conclusions, but this was a sore spot. His most sensitive sore spot, to be exact. 

In life, he had been forced to bow his head to society and live his life in a way that would be the least impactful to those closed-minded bigots around him. 

Not even mentioning his pseudo-religious parents, there weren't many people who would welcome a cross-dresser in the professional world. It was hard to find people who would accept him for who he really was outside his various flings and one-night stands. 

Even then, about half of them were just curious to try out the novelty of doing it with a guy who wears women's clothes.

"Calm down," Alpha 7419 tried to reason with him. "I'm not going back on anything. There are even more genders than you are aware of. Male and female are only two extremes, and the degree to which a person fits into those roles varies from person to person, even in your own species."

"However, a person's gender is usually a fixed value," he continued. "Souls like yours are an exception rather than the rule, and consequently, they are very rare."

"So I am a freak," Sam murmured, his voice low and his expression somewhat despondent. 

Looking at his expression of unwilling acceptance, Alpha 7419 couldn't help but feel moved in his heart. He tried his best to comfort the downtrodden young man, saying, "I didn't say you're a freak. I said that people like you are rare. Furthermore, this trait makes you uniquely suited to the tasks you'll need to perform as a transmigrator."

Still feeling less than reassured, Sam was nonetheless touched by the system's words. Blinking away a few unshed tears, he ran his fingers absently over the clothes hanging in front of him. 

To Sam's surprise, though perhaps he should have expected a magical closet stocked by its connection to his soul would do as much, all the clothing had changed along with his body and now reflected his more masculine tastes.

"Well, there's no use being upset about things you can't change, is there?" he shot a rueful smile over his shoulder at Alpha 7419. Making a shooing motion at him, he urged, "Now get out. I'm going to get dressed now, and I don't want you staring at my gorgeous ass while I do."

Alpha 7419: ... 

He wasn't trying to peak at anything, okay?!

With a slight blush of embarrassment and a hint of indignation etched on his handsome face, the alpha system hurriedly left the dressing room and shut the door.

When Sam finally emerged, he was wearing a sharp, pinstripe suit and a matching fedora, both in a deep midnight blue. His shoes were dark brown wingtips, and the wide tie that he wore around the collar of his pristine white dress shirt was a rich forest green that brought out his eyes.

"Now, listen here. See?" Sam drawled in his best impersonation of a 1940's American gangster. "Ya gonna tell me how it is, or are ya just taking me for a ride?"

Alpha 7419 rolled his eyes. Just because he didn't understand the reference didn't mean he didn't know it was corny. "Let's get down to business."

With a snap of his fingers, he caused the door containing the wardrobe to dematerialize and replaced it with a bistro table and a pair of wrought iron chairs. Tea for two steamed welcomingly, along with a small three-tiered tray of finger foods. 

The system took a seat and gestured for Sam to take the other as he elegantly brought the cup to his lips.

His prim appearance and business-like attitude tickled Sam's heart, like watching a stern-faced child play house, and he couldn't help but join in. He sat down at the table with an equally rigid expression. 

Crossing one leg over the other, Sam picked up the papers sitting next to his teacup and held them casually as if he were the father in a black-and-white sitcom, and they were the newspaper. Without looking up, he casually inquired, "So, Mr. Rabbit, you said that you are a transmigration system but that you're not like any of the ones I've read about. Then what are you like?" 

"My name is not Mr. Rabbit," the alpha system scolded, pulling a face like sucking a lemon. "If you must call me something, then use my designation, Alpha 7419."

Clearly, he disapproved of the nickname, but Sam wouldn't let himself be deterred by something like that.

"Okay, Alfie," he replied a playful spark glinting mischievously in his eyes. Dropping all pretense, Sam suddenly leaned across the table and, in a conspiratorial tone, demanded, "Spill the deets already! What's the job? What do I have to do?"

'Alfie' glared agitatedly at Sam's animated expression and couldn't help recalling a certain blue-haired system who also had a penchant for nicknames. Still, with such a simple-minded host, he supposed he would have to make a few concessions down the line, and as long as the man stuck with this one, a nickname was admittedly not the worst thing to capitulate to.

"I am a part of a policing organization called the Inter-Dimensional Monitoring Agency for the Investigation and Correction of Time-Space Divergence, or IMDA for short."

"IMDA's mission is to observe the various timelines of the multiverse for distortions, investigate the root cause of any anomalies, and ultimately correct any dangerous abnormalities."

With a far-off look of pride and dedication, the alpha system finished, saying, "In this way, we can ensure the safety and stability of the multiverse."

Sam pursed his lips and stared into the honey-colored liquid in his cup. There was no denying that he was an average student, and science had been a thorn in his side while at school, so a lot of what Alphie had just said had gone completely over his head.

What did manage to sink in was that this 'IMDA' was an inter-dimensional police force, or maybe disaster rescue, and this 'system' had recruited him to be a part of it.

And what was with that look? Was this guy some sort of zealot? 

Warily, Sam probed, "I'm not sure why you would recruit someone like me, though? I'm not super smart, strong, or even a little good at following instructions, so why would you want me? Is it really just because of my gender fluidity?"

Alfie: That's what I want to know...

Rather bluntly, the alpha system told him, "Your job is to be my host. You will be placed into the body of someone near death close to the epicenter of the disturbance, and through you, I will be able to interact with the world, investigate the root cause of the problem, and take appropriate action."

Of course, this was the simplified version. Alpha 7419 was afraid that his host would be frightened away if it sounded too complicated. Unfortunately, this minimizing of Sam's role actually created the opposite effect of what he'd expected.

"So, I'm basically just here to be your puppet?" he accused, his green eyes coldly scrutinizing the system sitting across from him. "I'm all for letting you stick your hand up my ass, but buy a guy dinner first."

Ignoring the look of horror on Alfie's face, Sam pressed, "Seriously, if you're just going to do it all on your own, why bother having a 'host' at all? Can't they stuff you into some dead guy instead and save us both the trouble?"

If he had known that this so-called job could just as easily be filled by a monkey, he would have just accepted his fate and moved on.

Alpha 7419 sighed heavily. "Impossible. AI systems are incompatible with the type of corporeal vessels needed to perform the tasks."

"Naturally, we tried. If systems could do the job alone, we wouldn't be beholden to such a blatantly inefficient partnership." The disdain in the AI's voice was hard to miss. As was the look of resignation. "The resulting corruption cost a lot of top-quality systems their lives. They had to be completely erased from existence to prevent the spread."

Even though Alfie's voice remained level throughout this revelation, the tea in his cup rippled, belying the otherwise imperceptible tremor in his hand. 

"Anyway, there are a few things that systems, as constructs rather than natural entities, cannot replicate, such as intuition, empathy, and imagination," Alpha 7419 continued, sipping his tea as though nothing was wrong. "Oh, and remorse."

Sam cocked his head curiously and asked, "Why remorse?"

"We don't make mistakes," Alfie stated matter-of-factly.

Sam: ... 

Isn't that just being too proud?

Putting that aside for the moment, he summarized, "Okay, Alfie, let me make sure I've got this right. You're gonna slap me into a meat suit, and then together, we'll hunt down the bad guys, save the damsels in distress, and avert natural disasters, all of which are threats to the peace and love of the universe or whatever. Is that about right?"

"The multiverse, not the universe," the system corrected. "But yes, that's more or less the idea."

"So, what do I get out of all of this?" Sam asked.

Alpha 7419 blinked in stunned silence at the audacity of this person in front of him. How was this idiotic, sex-crazed, selfish person in any way his perfect match?!