Elle's friend Sarah has gotten ahold of a prototype device which allows one person to take control of another, seeing and feeling the world from another body. Told from the perspective of Elle, in this chapter Sarah takes control of her body and plays around in her room.

“I’m not sure Sarah, I’m not that desperate.”, I said.“Come on Elle! Aren’t you at least a bit curious?” Sarah whined.Body Rentals had been around for a few years now, but only recently had the price and portability of their control unit’s dropped low enough for regular people to afford them. Regular people like Sarah, who was now sitting on the floor of my room desperately trying to get me to let her try it on me.“Curious, yes.” I said “Keen for you to take control of my body? No.”“Why not? It’s perfectly safe!” Sarah pressed me. She knew I had a hard time saying no to her, and she could tell my reluctance was waning. “It’s easy as pie, all you have to do is stick the receiver to the back of your neck, and then when I put on the helmet and remote in, I get to see what you see!”“And make me do whatever you want.”“I won’t do anything weird!” she exclaimed. Sarah had been telling me all about the Body Rental kit on the way home from class. Her father worked for the company that produced them, and had brought home this new, portable version just yesterday. Sarah had snuck it out of her house -- without permission, I’m sure -- and brought it over to try it on me. Why she wanted to try out being the small mousy girl from biology, I had no idea, but the concept made me uncomfortable.See, the thing is, when you’re wearing the receiver, whoever wore the helmet had complete control over your body - as if it were their own. Sarah would be able to feel, see, and hear everything I did, and she’d also be the one behind the controls. …

Hi there! I'm a 23-year-old woman, renting out my body to pay for medical school. I work with an agency that uses neuralink implants to let my renters see through my eyes, control my actions, and essentially live in my skin while I'm unconscious. Once their session is over, I wake up without any recollection of what they've done. It's like I was asleep or in a coma, but meanwhile my body was up and about doing things. The industry calls us 'bodies for rent' or 'meatsuits', though some of us prefer to be known as 'surrogates'.

I let people rent my meatsuit (and I can’t remember it) AMA Hi there! I'm a 23-year-old woman, renting out my body to pay for medical school. I work with an agency that uses neuralink implants to let my renters see through my eyes, control my actions, and essentially live in my skin while I'm unconscious. Once their session is over, I wake up without any recollection of what they've done. It's like I was asleep or in a coma, but meanwhile my body was up and about doing things. The industry calls us 'bodies for rent' or 'meatsuits', though some of us prefer to be known as 'surrogates'. It sounds scary, but it's completely safe, regulated, and - dare I say it - kinda fun. Let's get into all the gritty realities of the renting industry. Ask me anything!   How does it feel when you wake up after being 'rented'? Any physical fatigue? Great question! It's a bit like waking up from a deep sleep. There's a period of disorientation, but that clears up quickly. As for physical fatigue, it depends on what my body has been doing. If my renter had been doing strenuous activities, then yes, I might feel a little worn out.   Aren't you afraid that someone might misuse your body? That's a common concern, but the industry has safeguards in place. Renters sign contracts agreeing not to harm the body or engage in illegal activities. Plus, there's constant monitoring by a neutral third party during the rental period. If anything suspicious happens, they can shut down the session.   How much can you make in this business? It varies depending on factors like the duration of the session, what the renter plans to do, and even the desirability of the surrogate. I make …

Just an average day working at Swap Tech Inc., Westboost Branch. It's just another day for Clarissa as she goes about her work... right?

Clarissa stumbled her way to work; a half-drank iced coffee in her left hand, her ID card in the other. She swiped her card at the scanner of the employee entrance to Swap Tech Inc., Westboost Branch. She shut the door behind her and took another sip of her coffee. “Good morning!” A chipper voice rang in her ears, someone with far too much energy for 8 in the morning. Clarissa turned over to see a tall, muscular man wearing a white tank top and black gym shorts. Around his neck was a specialized lanyard that read “Controller: Jill. Body: Vince.” Clarissa looked at him, standing eye to eye with him. “Already swapping around today? You know we’re not supposed to use the tech for personal reasons.” Clarissa said to Jill.  Jill laughed. “Relax. We still have time before we open. Let me have my fun.” She flexed her muscles at Clarissa. “You like?” “I’d like them better if I didn’t know whose body that was and what I’ve seen done with it.” She shook the intrusive thoughts out of her mind. “Anyways, if you’re in there, where’s Vince? He better not have gone out for a joy ride.” “Relax! He’s in the employee lounge. Everything’s all good. Take a chill pill!” Jill said as she patted Clarissa on the shoulder. “Hey, easy! Watch Vince’s strength!” Clarissa groaned, trying to make sure her coffee stayed upright. Jill let go and Clarissa readjusted her clothes and glasses. “Sorry!” Jill chuckled, the mannerisms very much contrasting with the bodybuilder body she was in. “Just get so excited in the mornings! Come on, you know this.” “Yeah, I know that. I’m just not used to you being able to hug with the power of Vince.” Clarissa made her way towards the employee lounge, …

It's easy to possess and direct someone physically. But the real challenge is helping their mental state. The mind and body are the most integral duo when it comes to making what you want a reality. So it's only right to teach someone that fact if they don't know it. Especially when they don't know why their mind and body aren't cohesive in the first place.

“Great job, Gina!” Ms. Rhodes says as the rest of us applaud, “Outstanding form!”   Gina gives a dramatic bow before getting back in line. Showoff.   “Ok, we’ve got time for one more performance,” Ms. Rhodes says, scanning the line to decide who’s going.   Don’t say me. Don’t say me. Don’t say me. Don’t say me.   “Tana!” she announces.   Oh, thank God.   “Remind your mother to order you another leotard. That pink streak is an eyesore. You’re up, Passion.”   I hate when she does that.   “U-uh, Ms. Rhodes,” I say, raising my hand, trying to figure out an excuse not to do it,   “If this is another doctor’s notice where he couldn’t find any paper, so he had you personally announce it, his objection is overruled. On the grounds that I said so. Now, let’s go. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can do my yoga.”   Goddammit. There’s no getting out of it, then. Might as well just get the humiliation out of the way. But let me at least do something I’m at least halfway decent at. I step away from the line and head to the uneven bars.”   “Excellent choice,” Ms. Rhodes says as pity applause follows.   I reach the low bar, taking a breath in an attempt to clear my mind. Ok. It’s just me. No one else is here. I’m all alone. Just here to do my standard routine. Nothing fancy. Nothing outlandish. Just something quick. Something simple, land, leave. Easy. Just a quick Shaposhnikova into a Tkatchev, a Shootover with a Pak Salto, Markelov, Double Tuck, done.   I hop and grab onto the low bar, perching myself up to a handstand. I then give two swings before leaping onto the high …