Judy didn’t know what to do.

It was a state of mind she was very familiar with, though that really only made her feel worse. A lifetime of anxiety-induced indecision and a paralysing fear of social interaction had seen her grow from a withdrawn and nebbish child into the adult life of a reclusive shut-in.

It was only thanks to the miracles of the modern age that she was able to find work on a freelance basis with mixed media - graphic design, sound design, programming - instead of simply wasting away in an attic somewhere.

She wasn’t stupid (though anyone would have struggled to convince her of this): She had a keen eye, a deft hand and a knack for problem-solving, so long as the problem could be expressed in a short email or project brief. If only she could maintain her composure when faced with… well, another person’s face, she might have become quite successful in life. As it was, any work that required an in-person meeting or even so much as a video call caused her to shut down in such a way that she couldn’t even bring herself to decline the invitation. The resulting reputation for ghosting had hurt her job prospects, and she realised that if she didn’t do something drastic, the work might dry up entirely.

Right now she had one major client that hadn’t yet written her off as a lost cause, but she could tell it was a close thing. Her work until recently had been very well received, but her contact there had recently been promoted to project manager and he had been determined to pull her up with him, despite her protests.

“It’s my supervisor,” one of his earlier messages read. “Several supervisors, to be honest. They’re refusing to believe that all of the work you’ve done for us could have been done by a single person.”

“What’s wrong with that?” she had replied. “Just tell them I’m a team of people. I could do with a raise.”

“They already think that - which is the problem. They think I’ve outsourced our work overseas.”

Judy had almost bent her stylus when she read that, and had taken a full day to think of a polite and measured way to respond.

“What the fuck?”

“They think you’re a workshop in the Philippines or India or God knows where. Point is, they don’t believe you’re real and now they’re demanding that I only use contractors who verifiably live in the country.”

Judy spent several hours typing up her honest and graphic opinion on what Li could tell his supervisors before deleting the lot and starting over.

Li Yu was not an especially talented IT engineer, nor did he pretend to be. Instead, his greatest talent appeared to be finding the right person for the job and ensuring they got the support they needed to excel. It didn’t sound like a big deal on paper, but Judy was very qualified to appreciate its value and rarity.

“What do they want? Passports? Birth certificates? I’ve got everything I need to prove I’m real - I’ll scan the lot and you can tell them where to stuff it.”

“I did suggest that, but someone’s given them the idea that those can all be faked. Which isn’t technically wrong but is also completely wrong. At any rate, they’re not interested in anything digital or on paper: They want to meet you in person.”

Judy tsked as she typed. “Bullshit, that doesn’t prove anything. I could be a hooker you hired for all they know.” It was an improper way to talk to a client, but her nerves were getting the best of her.

“You can expect a lengthy, if somewhat inept interrogation. I think they might want to take you on as a full time employee, if that’s something you’re interested in?”

“I like being my own boss.”

Judy and Li had spent almost two weeks trying to find a way to convince Li’s supervisors of the truth, but the company’s demands had remained in place. If anything, Judy’s repeated requests for privacy and her aversion to meeting in person had only made them more suspicious, and they had finally reached a point where Li was being forced to find another contractor.

Judy was at a loss.

She had considered showing up as requested, just like she’d considered going to the store to buy milk or even just open the door to receive her grocery delivery, but every time she did, something inside her locked up no matter how hard she fought herself.

“You’re just being a baby,” her unsympathetic parents had told her. Unsympathetic had been the response of the world at large, and she desperately wanted to hold onto the one person who seemed to understand her, or was at least willing to work with her.

But what could she do?

Years ago, a former friend had jokingly suggested that she rent her body out on a possession service - at least that way someone would be getting some use out of her. They hadn’t stayed friends for long after that, and while Judy had investigated much later out of morbid curiosity, the uniformly erotic nature of the service at the time had led to her closing her browser in disgust.

But that had been ages ago, and while she was certain that the market for erotic encounters would be no less lively, it might be possible that some respectable enterprises could have built on the technology. Working from home had become just a part of life; she hadn’t heard of anyone using possession for remote work, but it was possible, right?

Her initial results were not encouraging, but after a bit of tweaking with her search terms, she managed to find what she was looking for.

It was inevitable, really: Introduce any new piece of technology - especially one that allows you to manipulate a complete stranger anonymously - and someone will find a way to make money from it. Sex work was the obvious avenue, but there were plenty of other ways cash in and it went both ways.

Got an important test? Boring social event? Chores piling up? Let someone else take the wheel while you watch from the background, or take a nap in the comfort of your own head. Sign up now for a week’s trial of our fitness special: We do the reps, you get the results!

Judy wasted no time, clicking into the automated chat window that appeared.

---Hello! Are you a new or existing customer?---

---New---

---That’s great! Are you looking to rent or be rented?---

Judy grimaced. It wasn’t a pleasant way to think about it, but better to get people used to the idea as soon as possible, she supposed.

---Rent---

---No problem! Do you want to rent a body or an agent?---

---Agent---

---Fantastic! What kind of skill-set will your session require? For example, you can type “Housekeeping,” “Academic Exam,” or “Physical exercise”---

---Social---

---Almost there! What name would you like to be addressed by during this chat session? You do not have to use your real name, though we will require it before we can complete your booking!---

Judy hesitated.

Fuck it, why not?

---Judy---

---Thanks, Judy! I’ll pass your details along to our sales team, and an agent will be with you shortly! You are currently number [3] in the queue. Your estimated wait time is [15] minutes.---

Judy made herself a coffee while she waited and idly wondered what it must be like being an agent. Hell, now that she was taking the plunge, she might consider offering her own services - no doubt there were plenty of people who would like to pretend to have her skills - but then she remembered that doing so would almost certainly require she interact with someone face-to-face in her client’s body, and she cringed so violently that she almost spilled her mug.

Eventually, a new agent appeared in her chat window by the name of Susan. The idea of chatting with a woman was vaguely comforting before she reminded herself that it could really be anyone on the other side. Even if it really was someone named Susan, it might not be Susan in control. Judy shivered.

---Hello there! Am I chatting with Judy?---

---Yes, hello Susan.---

---Hi Judy, I understand that you’re looking for an agent to attend a social event for you. Could you provide some more details?---

Judy gave as much information as she could without mentioning names or businesses. She mentioned that she would need an agent also skilled in a wide range of media creation tools when Susan replied.

---Skill deficits will not be a problem. Our agents have their own skill sets, but they will also be able to access yours while in control. It’s an automated process that works regardless of whether you are conscious or not, and the information cannot leave your own mind, so the agent loses all memory of your life when they return to their body.---

This was a massive relief. More so than the possibility of being controlled by someone who couldn’t live up to her abilities in person, Judy had been terrified that the agent might try to steal her own memories and personal information.

---What level of expertise do you require? We have agents offering a range of engagement levels, from passive attendance to unforgettable enchantment. Prices are vary based on the difficulty of the task.---

Judy considered what kind of impression she wanted to make. It should be enough to prove that she existed, but “passive attendance” sounded like she may as well be getting controlled by a potato.

---Memorable and charming.---

---Thank you, Judy. I think I can find an agent that will meet these requirements. Before I leave you: You’ve used a female name for this initial contact. Would you have any objections to a male agent?---

Judy was stunned. She hadn’t expected this level of consideration - really it would have made sense for the company not to disclose anything that might make their clients squeamish - but it was a surprising act of honesty. Before she could type, Susan sent another message.

---There’s no guarantee that your agent will be male if you say yes, but it will be something I keep in mind while arranging a shortlist.---

Judy thought about herself, about the way she looked and about the way she lived. The way she saw it, there wasn’t anything worth perving on, and if they did she could obviously report them.

---No objections---

---In that case I think I know someone perfectly suited for this job. Let me get in touch with him to see if he’s available and I’ll send you an email with available dates and prices. Is there anything you would like to ask before I end this conversation?---

Judy hesitated.

---What happens if my agent

Judy left the half-finished message in the text box.

does something inappropriate with my body?---

---You can communicate with your agent from within your own mind at all times. Your agent is required to behave according to your direction, and we have harsh penalties for anyone who abuses the trust of our clients.---

Judy grimaced, but nodded. She only had their word for it, of course, but for now their word would just have to do.

---Thank you Susan. That’s everything for now.---

---You’re very welcome, Judy. We’ll be in touch soon.---

The window blinked out of existence, and Judy realised that she had deafened herself to the thunder of her own anxious heartbeat. She stepped away from the computer for a while, choosing to lie down on the couch under the skylight until she calmed down.

Was she really going ahead with this? But she’d already tried everything else with Li. The only other option was simply accepting that she couldn’t do any work for him anymore and watching her savings dwindle away as the work dried up. Not that she was expecting this to be cheap, but it at least meant that she could keep working with Li.

Should she tell him? Absolutely not! He was in deep enough trouble as it was - if she told him and he somehow let slip that she was being controlled by an agent, his supervisors would lose it completely! No, it was far, far better for her to keep this one little excursion to herself. Maybe she would tell him later, but not now.

In the meantime, Judy pulled out her phone and sent him a message.

---Any luck?---

Li’s reply came almost immediately; a sure sign that he was anxious.

---Not really, but I’m exploring some options.---

Judy sighed. That was the closest he usually got to admitting he was out of ideas. She’d saved him more than a few times with some last-minute creative solutions, and here she was again, saving them both.

---I think I might have something.---

---Oh?---

---I think I should just suck it up and meet your bosses in person.---

The ellipsis icon blinked on and off several times, indicating that Li was having trouble responding.

---Are you sure? You really don’t have to push yourself like that.---

---I don’t want to, but I think there’s too much at stake for both of us, so I’m preparing myself to make this one exception.---

---You’re definitely sure?---

---Definitely. Don’t let me change my mind.---

---I’ll call them now.---

And that was it. She was committed. Oh, sure she could still technically chicken out, but it would probably end both of their careers on the spot if she tried that. Li would almost certainly have to throw her under the bus just to keep his job. No, she was effectively locked in. All there was to do now was arrange a date, pay the fee and meet her agent.

***

The replies came in at almost the same time, with the possession agent making contact while Judy was still choosing which date to meet with Li.

Judy opened the chat invitation in another window.

---Hello, am I speaking with Judy?---

---Yes.---

---Hi, Judy. I’ll be your agent for the session you have requested. Are you still interested in our services?---

Judy hesitated.

---I just need to make a good impression on a friend’s bosses. No funny business. Can you do that?---

---I’ve got an excellent track record for good impressions. You’re in safe hands.---

---About that. Susan told me you’re a guy. Is that true?---

Susan counted the seconds under her breath before her agent responded.

---That’s correct. If this makes you uncomfortable, I can ask Susan to find another agent for you.---

It should have made Judy uncomfortable. If anything, she was more uncomfortable at how unbothered she was about it. Not about being controlled - she was plenty unsettled at the idea, even now - but it seemed like it really didn’t matter whether the person controlling her was a man or a woman. She’d be at their mercy either way.

---No, that’s fine. Susan told me that you get into trouble if you try anything.---

---That’s an understatement, believe me.---

He was probably telling the truth. Operations like this flew under the legal radar specifically because they didn’t cause any problems the law cared to investigate. Yet.

---Okay. I’ve been offered a dinner appointment either this or next Saturday.---

---I’m free both days. Which would you prefer?---

---The night after tomorrow, then. 7pm.---

---Until?---

Judy bit her lip.

---9pm. We turn up, we make small talk, we eat, we leave.---

---On that kind of timeline, I would recommend a 4pm start and a 10pm finish. Sessions are charged at a minimum of 6 hours anyway, and it will give us time to prepare and debrief.---

Judy’s eyes narrowed.

---Prepare? Debrief?---

---We’ll need to recover the agent control device after the session. My services also include cosmetics and apparel at no extra charge. Policy prevents you from sharing any personal information or images that I might use to plan ahead, but I’ve found that I get the best results when I’ve had time to customise a look for the occasion.---

Judy had never once considered her appearance in terms of anything beyond personal hygiene. She was clean, but otherwise utterly unadorned. What would have been the point?

---I guess you couldn’t do any worse.---

---Ah. In that case, I think I can pleasantly surprise you.---

Judy sighed.

---Sure, sure. So what is this going to cost me?---

The agent sent her a lump sum figure as well as some possible payment plan options.

Judy grimaced. Whatever way she spun it, it was going to cost about a tenth of her total savings. Still, if it meant being able to maintain steady work, it was worth it.

---I’ll pay up front?---

---No worries. Susan will send you the Fund-a-Friend address directly. Would you prefer a home delivery or dead drop?---

Judy sighed. In her case, there wasn’t really much of a choice.

---Home delivery.---

---No problems. Once we have received payment, you will receive a form to add your address. We’ll need a photo of somewhere safe to leave the package - it’s about the size of a deck of cards. Once the package is delivered, you’ll receive another message to retrieve it. Instructions will be inside.---

---Okay. Is there anything else we need to cover?---

---That’s about everything for the time being. You should hear from Susan soon. I’m looking forward to working with you!---

The chat window turned grey as the agent’s side went inactive, and Judy did a quick skim of the conversation history before closing it. She’d only just accepted the dinner invite for that Saturday when another message from Susan arrived requesting payment and the relevant details.

Judy transferred her money to the nominated shell company, feeling her heart sink along with her bank balance. Once again, she had nothing to do but wait and hope she hadn’t just been scammed.

***

Judy couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t focus. She could barely eat.

The anxiety was killing her, and every second that the courier’s message didn’t arrive was agony. Had she been scammed? How would she know? The dinner was tomorrow and she still hadn’t heard a thing! How late could she leave it before cancelling?

Streaming shows was dull, the news was the same old crap, gaming felt hollow and pointless, music was just noise and everything she tried to eat turned to tasteless mush in her mouth.

She almost jumped out of her skin when the message notification finally came in.

Slowly, silently, as though she somehow expected the courier to be waiting outside to pounce on her, Judy carefully opened her front door the tiniest amount needed to see into the hallway beyond. Seeing nobody, she quickly opened the door enough to dart around the frame, reaching for the small paper package on the floor.

As she pulled back, she noticed a nondescript figure at the far end of the hall. It didn’t seem to have noticed her, but her blood ran cold as she pulled back inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

Before she had a chance to speculate, she received another message.

---Delivery confirmed. Have a nice day---

Of course it was the courier. There was no way they could risk their deliveries being stolen off the stoop. Still, it left Judy feeling rattled as well as light-headed, having taken yet another step to surrendering control of her body.

The package contained what looked like a single earbud, albeit with a much larger magnet casing than she’d ever seen on actual headphones.

It was tempting to try it on now. Not that she expected anything to happen, just to get used to the idea of wearing it. Nothing was going to happen if she put it in now, was it? Her appointment wasn’t until tomorrow, but maybe it would be a good idea to try it on so that she didn’t have second thoughts or maybe even make a mistake later. She should put it on. Nothing was going to happen. Just put it on.

Mouth dry, heart racing, Judy carefully slipped the bud into her ear as per the instructions. Without consciously meaning to, or perhaps trying to fool herself into thinking she’d done it by accident, she pressed the Connect button.

Nothing happened.

***

Judy had hoped that some kind of concrete evidence would alleviate her anxiety somewhat.

It didn’t: She was still anxious, she just had a weird earpiece looking thing to speculate about at the same time.

In spite of her agent saying he would arrange their outfit, she had gone through her wardrobe and assembled what she judged to be… well, if not charming, then at least decent outfits. It wasn’t that she lacked a sense of aesthetic - her character and costume designs across several projects had been met with overwhelming positivity - it was just that she’d never bought anything flattering for herself because what was the point? The same went for makeup; while some women would at least apply what they considered to be the bare necessities, Judy just went bare. No need to bother painting her face when nobody was going to see it.

She had felt an odd kind of relief to learn that a lot of other women cottoned onto the same mindset during lockdown.

Still, she had a mismatched assortment of stuff that had accumulated in her room over the years. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy her agent - she didn’t want him going crazy or anything.

She kept in touch with Li, who was beside himself with excitement. She had to tell him to calm down several times, reminding him that this whole arrangement was very much a one-off and very, very much under duress. After this, his bosses could shut the hell up and be happy that he was getting excellent work from her at an affordable price.

The time seemed to pass both too slowly and all at once, and suddenly it was 3:55pm.

Judy lay on her bed, earpiece in place, the seconds trickling away on her phone screen.

She could still back out of this. Sure, she’d lose every penny of the money she’d spent, but she’d at least have never given control of her body to a complete stranger, to dance around like a puppet in front of other complete strangers.

She had the same argument she’d had with herself before she had opened the website, and again and again since then, and just like every other time, the part of her that wanted to just curl up into a ball lost.

She pressed the Connect button, her heart skipping as this time she heard the clear two-tone beep indicating that the device was connected and ready to download her agent.

Last chance to back out.

Judy took a shuddering breath, and pressed again.

It was like having a stream of ice-cold water poured into her ear; water that flash-flooded her entire body, causing her to gasp and choke and her body to shudder violently in place. For a brief moment she was terrified that something had gone wrong, that she was suffering some kind of seizure or maybe some kind of horrifying nerve damage, but the sensation quickly faded, leaving her still feeling cold to her core and strangely hollow.

She tried to raise her hand.

Nothing happened.

She tried to blink.

Nothing happened.

She tried to stir her suddenly sluggish heart.

Nothing happened.

All she could do was lay deathly still as her chest rose and fell with almost imperceptible slowness.

Once again, she was afraid that something had gone wrong. Had the transmission failed? Was she about to be left here, paralyzed by her own foolishness until she eventually died of dehydration? Nobody would even know she was in trouble - Li would assume she’d ghosted him and the agency certainly wasn’t about to get involved except maybe to recover the earpiece from her helpless body. Trapped and fearful, she couldn’t even muster the control needed to cry.

And suddenly, she felt a burst of warmth in her ear.

It wasn’t violent or overwhelming like it had been earlier: This time it was like she was an empty bottle, and someone was pouring warm honey into her. She felt it trickle down her face, her neck, the entire length of her body until it pooled in her toes, filling them with warmth and banishing the chill that had taken hold of her.

As the warmth reached her ankles, she felt her feet rotate themselves experimentally, flexing and curling her toes. It was happening! The agent was taking control!

The warmth crept up her legs, filling her calves, then her thighs, then her waist and…

Judy had been mentally bracing herself for some kind of flare of sensation as the warmth reached her sex - some indication that a perverted mind was gleefully savouring the control it had taken from her - but found herself almost disappointed when this didn’t happen. Instead, her body raised its bent legs up above her, rotating left and right as though testing for any mobility issues.

I’m perfectly healthy, thank you, Judy thought testily.

Her stomach and chest were next, and again Judy had to convince herself that she wasn’t frustrated at the lack of any sudden rush of sensation in her breasts or nipples. Instead, she felt her heart rate speed up to something more familiar, her breathing returning to its usual depth.

Now the warmth split at her shoulders, running down to her fingers as the flow found a new outlet. As with her legs, sluggish hands slowly came to life, lifting themselves into the air and flexing experimentally. Judy didn’t get the sensation that her agent could see anything yet, but the control and purpose behind the movement gave her the impression that this was a check they had done several times before.

Her arms quickly filled to the shoulder, and now the warmth was crawling up her neck, filling it as it reached the base of her skull and she felt her mouth swallow of its own accord.

With almost nothing of the cold remaining, the warmth passed her lips, her nose, her eyes, and then faded completely. Judy was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She blinked.

More accurately, her body blinked.

Judy saw her vision survey the room slowly, the agent controlling her body getting his bearings before slowly sitting up and dangling her legs off the edge. He reached up both arms to stretch, pulling her shoulders back in a way that made Judy regret the many long nights spent hunched in front of a screen. Next he rotated her body side to side, using her hands to anchor himself until her spine popped. After that it was her legs - again, nothing sensual like she had dreaded, just a clinical test of functionality.

Her body stood up, and Judy experienced the terrible vertigo that came from having her point of view change position without having any control over it. She had automatically and foolishly expected a kind of out of body experience, where she was an outside observer while her body was controlled. In hindsight, it was a silly way of thinking - she was still in here, she just wasn’t in control.

She watched her body look around the room again, and this time she felt a tickling sensation in her mind.

The bathroom is through that door.

She hadn’t consciously thought it, the knowledge had simply been pulled out of her, like a note out of a filing cabinet. Her mind shivered in unease at how easily her agent had dipped into her memory.

“It’s always unsetting when it happens for the first time,” she heard herself say and felt a gentle smile form on her lips. “You’ll get used to it.”

Her vision pivoted towards the door to the en suite and she watched - a passenger gazing through the viewing deck of her own eyes - as her room passed around her as her body walked itself forwards. It was a very disconcerting but also strangely fascinating experience.

Her hand reached out and turned the handle.

The light switch is on the right hand side at about waist height.

Her vision didn’t turn. Instead her hand reached out with the familiarity of one who had lived here all their adult life, flicking on the light without a second thought.

Her vision darkened as her body shut its eyes against the bright light. She never had learned to prepare herself for the glare, no matter how many times it caught her.

Opening her eyes slowly, she saw her body standing in front of the bathroom mirror.

It was a familiar sight: It was her plain face framed by her unkempt hair, her frumpy sweater over her wrinkled clothes. But the posture and facial expression were wrong. This other Judy in front of her stood with her shoulders back instead of the habitual slouch, and the expression of light-hearted cheer on her face was disturbingly alien.

Her body wrinkled its brow, but its smile didn’t fade.

“It’s not that bad, is it?” her voice said.

Judy was ashamed to realise that she mustn’t have seen her own smile in years.

“Well,” her body said, “hopefully we can change that, if only for today.”

Judy wondered what her agent’s name was, knowing even as she did so that he could probably hear or at least sense her question.

Her body tapped its nose with a reluctant grin. “Can’t tell you that, I’m afraid. But for the duration of my stay, you can call me JD.”

Like John Doe, Judy thought.

“Like John Doe,” her body agreed cautiously. “But I like to think of it as ‘Judy’ without the ‘u.’ It’s nice to finally meet you, Judy. Face-to-face, as it were.”

Judy groaned inwardly, but found herself warming to JD’s attempt at humour. It was strange that the first in-person voice she would hear in conversation for years would be her own, and the strangeness seemed to overcome the anxiety that would ordinarily cause her to shut down completely.

“It’s a benefit of the control I have,” JD explained. “Our emotions are nominally separate, but the process of communicating with you and accessing your memories involves passing on a part of my mental state into yours. So even if you are - as you think of yourself - a neurotic shut-in, you have enough of me in you right now to make the experience bearable.”

Judy marvelled in a mix of amazement and concern at the implications of what she had just heard herself say. She had truly passed the point of no return, now: A stranger was wearing her body, indirectly controlling her mind and all she could do for the next six hours was watch.

The loss of control was - if anything - a relief, and Judy found herself feeling strangely optimistic about the night ahead.

Her reflection grinned back at her.

“Let’s get ready then, shall we?”