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[This story is heavily influenced by the Takeshi Kovacs/Altered Carbon series of books by Richard Morgan, as well as the television show of the same name. It is also influenced by the Eclipse Phase role-playing game.
Any infringement of these works is not intentional and should be seen as a loving, hopefully erotic, homage to writing and tv that I love.]
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The words blinked in the darkness across my closed eyelids. I tried to move, but found myself restrained; tried to open my eyes, but found them sealed; tried to speak, but found my mouth bound. The sensation against my skin told me I was in some kind of liquid, I assumed a suspension tank. I heard a hiss and felt the liquid drain away, feeling it slip down my body like a cold caress, I involuntarily shivered. All data is good data I thought, I know I am in a biological body from the reaction to the liquid and the cold air. I smiled to myself, I always preferred a bio-skin to a synth.
I felt myself being lifted and spun, placed on a hard surface as a blast of warm air dried me and I felt the restraints on my limbs loosen and then slip away. I relaxed, letting my mind feel its way around the body, tensing and untensing muscles, gauging strength and size. I won't know too much until I actually get to move around, but for now it is enough.
The surface moved and shifted from a flat surface to a chair, bringing me upright, still blind, still unable to speak. I heard footsteps.
"Welcome back Mr Richardson," the voice was soft, masculine, confident, "Please accept my apologies for the disconcerting lack of vision, my associates are working to fix that as we speak." The flashing words that I could still see in the darkness blinked out as light flooded my vision. I snapped my eyes closed immediately, protecting them from the glare and slowly opened them a crack. I felt my jaw loosen and my mouth opened as I explored my teeth with my tongue. "We hope that you may be able to help us with a problem," the voice continued and I tracked the speaker, opening my eyes a little wider as colour and shape began to be visible through the light. "We have sleeved you at great cost into..." I raised a hand and the voice fell silent.
"Before you tell me anything," I spoke, my voice deeper that I was used to, "I need several hours to get used to this body and how it feels, then I will be happy to discuss why you have brought me back."
"Of course," the soft voice replied. I opened my eyes fully and the body attached to the voice came into view. Taller than the voice suggested, but still slim, handsome features and black hair brushed with silver, an affectation of age and experience I thought. "Please," he continued, "Follow me to your rooms and I can answer any immediate questions you might have." I stood and glanced down at myself, my naked body; tall, although not as tall as the figure in front of me, I was broader and thickly muscled. My skin smooth and pale, my cock, not the biggest I'd had, but still a reasonable size. My first steps told me a great deal, this bio-skin had upgrades; I moved with an unconscious grace and sensuousness that was not my own.
"What is the date?" I asked, "How long have I been gone?"
"It is 2473, from our records I believe your last re-sleeving was in 2465, so you have been gone eight years Mr Richardson."
"And where am I?"
"You are on the orbital station Glory to the Stars, currently circling Jupiter."
"Hmm," I grunted, I had not been here for a very long time and I had not left on good terms. As we walked across the space to the exit I noticed several figures, two women and a man, clearly the re-sleeving crew, staring at me, their eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Ignoring the robe offered by one the crew, I followed the tall man out, seeing what affect my nakedness might have on anyone else we met.
He glanced back as he walked through the door, not acknowledging or reacting to my lack of clothing in any way. "In your rooms there is access to the InfoNet where you will be able to update yourself on significant events that have happened since you have been away." He carried on talking, but I zoned him out, living in the body, getting used to how it moved, how it felt. After only a few minutes he stopped, "And here we are, your rooms. Please, take as much time as you need to acclimatise and if you need anything, please call for me, Sebastien, and I will provide whatever you need. I hope we may talk later, or indeed tomorrow, about matters of business."
"Of course, Sebastien and thankyou." My voice still did not sound like me, but it always takes the most time for that to fit in my head. He nodded and swept away down the corridor, his tall, thin frame vanishing from view.
I stepped into my rooms and the door slid shut behind me, they were spacious, a luxury on an orbital station. Tastefully decorated white walls and wooden furniture filled the social space. A large screen fitted into one wall and a bar jutted out into the room. The floor was bare wooden boards, varnished dark. This was an extravagant display of wealth, but annoyingly it worked. The real wood, the light walls, it looked good. I headed into the bedroom, the same tasteful expense had been utilised here; a large darkwood bed dominated the room, a wardrobe of the same make as the bed stood open, a rack of clothes hung there, I imagined they would fit this skin perfectly. I turned and looked in the full length mirror, the body I had seen in the sleeving room looked back at me, muscled and smooth, but now I examined my face. Short dark hair, high cheekbones, full lips and bright blue eyes, impossibly handsome. This skin had been built to be attractive. There was a beep from the door to my suite, paused and headed back.
As I approached, the door slid open and a woman stood there, cheeks and neck flushed, trying to look everywhere else, but her eyes kept getting dragged back to me. I recognised her, one of the re-sleeving crew.
"I am so sorry. So, so sorry," she ducked her head, looking at the floor but then her eyes crept back up my still naked body. "I...I couldn't help myself. Please, may I come in, please?" I stepped back from the door giving her room and she dashed in, the door closed behind her. I looked at her as she stood there, brown hair bound back in a plait, large dark eyes, fine features, pretty. About average height and build but her body was concealed beneath shapeless overall I guess. I understood why, re-sleeving could get messy. Her breathing was deep and she fidgeted as she stood, staring at me.
