The Process - Pt. 1

I opened the door, stepped into the apartment, and dropped my bag of croissants and my coffee to the floor. The paper coffee cup promptly exploded on the linoleum floor.

"Holy shit, Viktoria! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry, Will. I was just waiting for you."

I had woken up and threw on my clothes from the night before and walked alone to a local bakery for some breakfast.

She stood in the darkness of our rented flat — just on the outskirts of old town. Dan had met her two days ago in a club. We'd been hopping hostels through Western Europe for a few months before getting bored and deciding to head further East for some adventures.

We had tired of public sleeping, and thanks to the exchange rate, we could afford an apartment to take the edge off. At least that was the plan.

But I hadn't seen much of Daniel for the last two days. He had hooked up with Viktoria after a crazy night of clubbing and ended up staying at her flat across town. We did meet up last night and go out, but at around 1 AM he pulled me to the side.

"Viktoria wants us to go to an underground club she's heard about. It's supposed to be rough but 'amazing.'"

"Amazing," I said sarcastically.

"Come on, it sounds like a great time."

I shuffled in place at the bar holding my beer. "I'm not so sure."

"Come on, man. I know you've felt a little left out since I met her, but you can't just stand around at the bar. Maybe you'll meet someone there."

"Nah, man. I'm good. You go have fun." I was over playing third wheel and just wanted to go home.

Viktoria sauntered up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you ready? Soon the club doors will close." she said in a heavy accent in broken English.

Dan nodded. "Okay, we'll be back. But it might be late."

"Whatever, man." I finished my beer with the club raging around me and then walked back alone through the cobblestone streets to our apartment. I slept fitfully that night and woke up feeling tired.

I collected my breath in the entryway of the apartment and picked up my croissant. "Viktoria, do you mind grabbing me a towel for this coffee?"

"Sure thing." She strolled languidly to the kitchen and then tossed a towel into my hands.

"God, what happened to your stockings? You look like you got attacked by a cheetah."

"I might as well have," she smiled. "They feel good ripped up like this. It was so nice to put them on this morning."

I looked up, confused. Something was off.

"Viktoria. Where's your accent?"

"Dude," she said. "It's me."

"It's you?"

"It's me — Daniel."

I stood in the puddle of coffee, perplexed. Viktoria turned slowly and walked into the dim light of our living room and slid into a chair.

Viktoria spoke with a strange calm in her voice. "The club was called The Process. It turns out it was an underground sex club. Viktoria was right about it. It was amazing."

"Please." I searched Viktoria's eyes for the punchline, but her perfect English and her familiar mannerisms made a chill run up my spine. "Stop fucking around with me."

"I'm not fucking around. We went to The Process. And it was great."

"'The Process?' It sounds like some kind of business cult. Seriously — Where's Will?"

"Will's at his apartment sleeping. We've had a long night. We were selected."

I took a step back. "Selected?" Viktoria's perfume lingered in the air. My gaze lingered on her ripped stockings and then moved back to her eyes, trying to make sense the strange way she was moving. She lifted a leg across to the armrest of the chair and stroked her torn stockings.

"To trade places."

I threw up my hands. "You're on drugs. That's all this is. I can't believe you.

She didn't move from her relaxed position. "We took drugs to change."

"I knew it!"

"It seems The Process is a hub for underground biohackers, people who hack their synapses and flesh. Biochemical geniuses. Geneticists. It wasn't a bunch of tweakers or drunks — it was a top notch club filled with brilliant people. I saw so many strange things. One person was half cow. They had horns, a tail, and a working udder. I'm not kidding. They had spliced their DNA with a bovine concoction and made the change. It was astounding. Evidently, they put on "Events" every weekend. This place was the future, man." I looked on in disbelief as the form of Viktoria continued. "And last night's Event was called THE TRADE. Who knew that Viktoria and I would be the stars of the show."

"I was nervous. We stood on a circular stage at the center. They had us spit into the same cup. And then we drank it."

I shook my head. "You're putting me on."

"Viktoria ripped my stockings."

Suddenly Viktoria moaned. "And she did more than that."

My eyes opened wide.

"The changes were too much. We were overtaken in desire. We fucked on stage. She was so deep inside me. Positively ravenous for me. I'm still so wet thinking about it. I've never been fucked like that, Will. A fucking like that will change you from the inside out."

No.

"At some point, when she had come on my tits. I had stood up and put on Viktoria's clothes. It felt right. By the time I had pulled her stockings to my hips, she was hard and ready to go again. That's when all of these rips happened."

No. No. No. "Dan! This is madness. You can't stay this way."

Viktoria didn't budge. She didn't laugh. She barely showed an emotion. She spoke coldly and matter-of-factly.

"I can stay this way. And I think I want to. I already gave Viktoria my passport. I have her identity card. It's not like I'll be able to leave the country — not looking like this. Not with my tits. Dan will go on with you. Of course, Dan and I will go to the visa office later this week and work out paperwork, but he still have to visit the embassy in our home town to get approved."

"Will! We're supposed to go back to college in a few weeks."

"My name is Viktoria. I'm staying here. Do you think I'm going to go back and get my finance degree when I can stay here and learn how to biohack? I want to be open. I want to be free."

"Please, man. Please. You have to change back."

Viktoria looked at me coldly. "Look, Will. I'm open to considering it under one condition."

"Anything," I said desperately.

"You have to go with us to The Process tonight."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Okay. If that's what it takes."

"Good."

I sighed and looked out the window.

"Will. You seem tense. Do you want a blowjob?"

"What! Are you insane?"

"Far from it," she whispered. "I just know it would help you relax."

The same stoic express remained on her face. It was uncanny. Clear.

"I think I'm going to get some air." I walked to the front door.

"Suit yourself, Will."

I grabbed my dayback and stepped outside and into the courtyard.

She watched me leave from the window.

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Thanks for reading!