Waking in a New Body

The first thing I noticed when regaining my consciousness was the aching pain in every inch of my body. I lay still to recover until a sound coaxed my eyes to open. A young man with apple cheeks entered the room.

"Have you come to?" His lips and eyes curved into a sweet smile. He tucked his white coat under him as he sat at the chair at my bedside and opened up his tablet.

"Wha-" My voice erupted into a flurry of coughs. "Da-date, what?"

"It is the 9th day of the 3rd month of the 284th year of the Novus calendar." He tinkered with the nightstand for a moment before handing me a sponge, "Open your mouth. This will help. Don't worry, it's just water."

I closed my eyes. It's been three days since my last memory. I opened my mouth and squished the sponge between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The liquid whetted my mouth. It felt good. He took the emptied sponge back when I nodded at him.

"I'd like to ask you some yes and no questions to start with. You can use your head to respond."

I nodded again. He didn't need my eyes open, so I closed them again. They felt like they were on fire. I wouldn't be surprised if a lump of hot coal were being pressed to my sockets, along with the rest of my body.

"Do you know where you are?"

I nodded.

"Have you signed the crossing agreements?"

My head grazed the pillow again. I could feel my hair shift and scratch against my neck. It was uncomfortable.

"Are you at the world Connection Facility?"

"Alright. That's good." We would go over this again later, but right now he just wanted an affirmation. After confirming my identity, he could start to help me recover. "Are you in any pain?"

I nodded again.

He paused. I heard him shift something, "Is that better?"

The tense pressure surrounding me let off briefly. The ache lightened. I nodded.

"Okay, let me ask again, are you in any pain?"

I nodded again. I heard some tapping and shifting around. I opened my eyes. He looked at the speed of my drip on the screen by my bed. This must have been what he'd adjusted earlier. He went back to his tablet. A short while passed before his eyes flashed with realization. "I'm sorry. We will re-evaluate your folio to assess the cause later. I'll give you some d-1 pin for now. Is that alright?"

I nodded.

He went to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle. He measured it out into a bowl and diluted it with water before dipping a sponge in again. When the hp potion touched my tongue a numbing and tingling spread through my mouth into my head and heated up my torso. The tingling ran from my head to my toes before it tapered off.

The pain in my body wasn't so intense when the tingling and heat had dispersed. I could feel the light pressure of the soft bed beneath me holding me up, the itch of my hair against my neck and ears, and the forced curve of my toes from the blanket tucking me in. A few flexes later and I could finally recognize the joints in my arms and legs and the fluidity of my spine in comparison. I turned my neck and it cracked as it stretched.

The room I was in was plain. There were a few alterations humans might not use for ease of transition. I assume the appointed doctor was also for this purpose. I've heard one of the first to cross over traumatized a human woman. It was nothing the woman did, of course, it's just that the body of a woman from our point of view would be a physical defect. Well, so would muscle men. A case that hasn't been publicly announced includes a few even who killed themselves when they woke up in a female body. Since then the training regime before crossing has included 'human physical form observation and recognition studies. Based on certain progress points and tests from this class, as well as our psychological assessments and assignments some of us are now assigned to a female body. This has lowered the chances of incidents and suicides significantly.

Those who have been assigned to a female body generally have higher scores and faster adjustment times. They are called Marys and are given special benefits. I was sent to the Mary program after only 2 human years of studying. With my progress and high energy, I was given a high ranking even in the Mary program.

The cause for the pain in my body was the unbalanced levels of energy from me and the capacity of the body. It was unusual for them not to make the adjustments for my energy ahead of time. The energy levels determine not only one's potential but depending on your energy levels you are given a body to match it. Too much energy is like trying to stuff the body of an Olympic athlete into the costume of a child and telling them to compete in the world series. The costume will break.

This is why I was alarmed when I experienced higher pain than they'd expected. How could my energy levels not be noted? They should have all the numbers calculated for the smoothest cross possible.

If the levels exceeded 180 or were lower than 90 the body must have special care. 120 is an average energy level and outliers will not be able to control their body as needed if the body's physical level does not match the energy levels. This is why I'm in so much unexpected pain. After years and years, the crossing has almost been perfected. Not to mention a dumb little mistake like getting the wrong level of pain medication.

They even missed my high energy levels? I had been trained specifically for the body I was going to take on. I was familiar with my new face, body, capacity, how to use it, its history, autonomy, and everything else.

I looked to the doctor.

He must have noticed something wrong because he gulped and took a step back. He grasped the tablet in front of his chest. "Did the pin not help? Does it hurt more? I can use a higher solution."

My feelings must have shown on my face. His energy levels were low so even someone as calm and collected as he would feel fight-or-flight under a user as strong as myself. I forced my energy down and leveled out my expression as well as I could. My teeth grinding as I spit out, "I'm. A. Mary."

In the World Connection facility in room 13 of the crossover ward was a frightened doctor with apple cheeks and a small teenage boy with low physical levels and raging energy.