Author's note: This story is connected to the Shudder universe. You do not have to read Shudder first to understand it, but it will help you appreciate some of the characters you'll meet along the way. 

In the near future, it wasn't a third world war that threatened to end humanity. It was the internal violence and unrest within each country that almost lead to the extinction of mankind. The state of the world under the control of increasingly corrupt politicians and dictators had led to the forming of a few peaceful protests. Those few had become dozens and then hundreds and thousands and the word peaceful was soon abandoned. Civil wars sprang up everywhere and leaders worldwide were brought down. Millions of lives were lost and those left when the dust settled wondered how long it would be until it all happened again.

Charismatic leaders of science and technology stepped in with a way that could end mankind's destructive cycle. Corporations, sensing opportunity, funded research that promised to put a stop to the violent tendencies of mankind. This was done in exchange for information vital to increasing their profit margins. They promised peace, as long as everyone was willing to part with their privacy. Most were still shell shocked enough from the recent atrocities that they readily agreed if it meant an end to crime and war. Corporations swayed dissenters by offering discounts on their products. Part with your privacy and save a dollar. With this logic in mind, a permanent solution was made to better manage a potentially volatile populace.

Everyone that had supported this new endeavor received free of charge exciting new cybernetic enhancements. People were opened up and chips and circuits were added to brain matter and optic nerves. Glasses were no longer needed and cancer and diseases were detected early enough to stop it almost every time. Other benefits were promised down the road but mainly safety was touted as the main reason everyone should get on board. Every person was essentially a camera. If you committed a crime, there were witnesses, you could be tracked. You would be found and stopped, usually permanently. Crime was now almost impossible to get away with, which drastically improved morale.

A surgery was required but the outward affects were completely hidden to the naked eye except for one piece that was purposeless left exposed. At the center of the neck, a flat square that looked like glass poked out of the skin. From it, a dull, red light could be seen. It was only a square inch but it was always on, sending a constant signal. The excuse for it being visible was that it would decrease possible interference that might have occurred if it resided inside the body. But the real reason was for authorities to be able to judge at a glance if you were a part of the new regime that was dedicated to a peaceful existence.

The new scientific solution for peace came to be known as Peace of Mind, or POM for short. Corporations gave discounts for food, utilities, fuel, everything they could for those who adopted POM early on. For everyone else, the prices went up, driving more and more to receive what was becoming a necessity. But what really silenced the naysayers was the swift drop in crime. The one thing POM did well was remind people that someone could be watching them anytime. It was always there, always watching. Every crime as soon as it was reported, no matter how big or small, was dealt with by the authorities and punishments were quick and severe. Lawyers became irrelevant, as did juries and courthouses. The evidence was always right there, impossible to refute.

After five years, POM became mandatory for every citizen eighteen and older. This was argued by many, but the statistics did not lie and the advantages seemed to outweigh the disadvantages. It was helping bring lasting peace to a fragmented society, and since privacy did not matter to most anymore, it became illegal to not have a red light visible on the back of your neck. Those that wanted peace had won. The corporations that wanted to know everything about everybody at all times were the real winners though, and they vowed to keep the population happy and tranquil as long as they bought their products.

Many would be anarchists tried to hack their POM or someone helpful volunteer, either through POM's wireless network, or by dissecting the cybernetics themselves and rewiring them. The network had thus far been a dead end. Those that were opened up and explored were also a dead end but in the physical sense that the test subjects were no longer alive anymore. All attempts to put the cybernetics back in place and sew up the human guinea pig failed spectacularly and always lead to the arrest and punishment of the person who tried.

A breach was bound to happen eventually. What was surprising was that it's security held out for almost ten years, which seems like forever with advances in technology. At least, it used to, but that progress had slowed, even halted for a time during the uprisings. Now a new century was right around the corner, and there still weren't flying cars or artificial intelligence. It was almost the same as it had been at the beginning of the 21st century as it had been at the end of it. But now the world had POM, creating exciting new advancements in technology to get them back on track. Peace was here, peace that could last. At least until one disgruntled eighteen year old with some lines of code threatened to put the world's potential utopia at risk.

All that had been learned about POM's system and enhancements was posted on the web if you knew where to look, but after five years of failure, most had given up. But Adam Holland was either too young or too foolish to care about the short comings of those before him. As his eighteenth birthday had approached, he became more and more obsessed with the thought of hacking that which everyone said was impossible. He constantly reviewed the message boards of those that had tried, both in POM's network, and the cyber ware inside the minds that had been opened up.

Adam had dedicated his life to hacking and had gotten very good at it. He knew every time he did he was breaking the law and now that his POM had been surgically installed a week ago on his eighteenth birthday, he knew that from then on there was a record of it. He also knew that it was like getting audited by the internal revenue service. Chances were always good nobody was monitoring you, unless a crime had been committed by or near you, then everyone in the surrounding area had their recent histories played back remotely.

So Adam kept to himself in his room, away from any excitement and far from anything that could even resemble the appearance of illegal. He still lived with his parents. He had few friends and had graduated school early so there he was, day in and day out, committing crime on his computer at locations far away that could not be easily traced back to him.

What Adam was most proud of were the programs he had written himself. The one he had been working on the longest was the one he hoped would thwart POM itself. He called it Mind Hack and if it worked the way he hoped it would, it would grant him access to every part of POM, enabling him to hide or delete his presence completely from the powers that be. Mind Hack would not attack POM directly, or try to sneak in a back way, like most had before him. Rather, his program appeared to be a part of their system and only worked because Adam was newly registered in their servers, which gave it an opportunity to enter through the front door.

Adam knew this was a part of POM's controlling, money making process. New members had one opportunity for two week's to log in to POM and try to let it know everything about them that it didn't yet know. It already knew a great deal, but they always wanted more. Since minors couldn't be officially tracked until they were eighteen, this information willingly volunteered helped them to catch up on their new members. Each new fact learned provided a future discount for various goods and services. When you logged out, you were then locked out forever.

The log in did not get anyone very far into POM's system, but it got Adam far enough. With his program launched, he found he had access to, well, he wasn't sure. He was fairly certain know one had been this deep into POM before because he didn't recognize what he was seeing on any of the websites he had visited to prepare for this moment.

Actually he did recognize some of it. Names, hundreds of them, positioned around a localized map of his town. He tried to zoom out, but he could only see his town. He zoomed in and found he could zero in on neighborhoods, and then individual houses. Everyone that had cyber implants installed showed up as a name and a solid red dot on his computer screen.

Adam wasn't entirely sure how his program was interacting now with POM. He had wanted it to access everything but it just appeared to be localized. He didn't need everyone's names, but, since they were there, he decided to see what he could see. First he found his own name, he pressed the dot next to it and felt a jolt in his head.

Adam felt like electricity was coursing through his brain now. It didn't hurt, but was uncomfortable. He felt the back of his neck for his signal square because that area suddenly felt hot. His finger explored the small smooth surface. Despite feeling warm, it seemed normal. Trying not to be silly but being a little paranoid, he wanted to see it to be sure. It seemed silly, but it was the only external part of the implants he could see. He took a picture with his phone. The red light from the signal wasn't there. Adam knew this was either really good or really bad news. POM might notice a missing signal, or maybe he was suddenly just off the grid. On a whim, he took a video of the back of his neck. To his astonishment, the signal on his neck was blinking on and off, red to nothing, as if it were intermittently transmitting, or transmitting in a different way than before.

Adam blinked and thought about exercising caution. He should log out. Mind Hack should still grant him access to POM later. He could study how his program was affecting POM's systems and then log back in when he was sure it was safe to do so. But first, he wanted to test out one thing. Being off the grid was definitely the goal, but being able to log in and see what everyone else was doing, to spy on friends and neighbors and enemies, that was a definite bonus. And he had someone in mind, Candace Porter.

Adam hadn't seen Candace in years, but knew she lived only a few miles from him. She had been his babysitter when he was younger and he had had a huge crush on her. She had treated him like a child though, which he had thoroughly resented since there was only a five year gap between them. Adam had been eleven the last time he had seen her. After that, his parents felt he no longer needed a babysitter, something he was grateful for, but disappointed in since Candace would no longer be around. He stalked her on social media and knew she had gotten married shortly after her graduation and had a kid now. But seeing family pictures was not enough for Adam, not when he had POM to see through someone else's technologically advanced eyes. He scrolled through the digital map of neighborhoods and found Candace's house. She and her husband, Mark apparently, although he didn't really care, were both home.

Adam reasoned that the best way to look at her would be from another perspective, so he clicked on Mark's name. A message popped up from his Mind Hack program that had been running in the background. It read, "Connected. Do you want to send? Yes/No?" Adam's program was doing its job and giving him access to POM's internal systems. He just hoped it was working the right way and managing to go undetected. He typed Yes and hit Enter.

Adam felt a surge in his brain that was beyond uncomfortable and downright painful. Why had that happened? He was trying to see what Mark was seeing through his eyes onto his computer, but Adam's brain had paid the price. A new message popped up. "Access denied. Signal incompatible." Had he already been discovered? Was his program not working properly? Adam was frustrated by the denial, and again felt that wisdom dictated that he log out now and examine what was happening. But he had come this far, he would try once more, this time trying Candace herself. He clicked on her red dot on his screen. The same message popped up. "Connected. Do you want to send? Yes/No?" His fingers hesitated over the keyboard, then frantically typed in Yes and hit Enter.

For reasons unknown to Adam, there was a surge in his brain as his implants seemed to come to life. He saw a message on the screen. "Access granted. Sending..." Adam had a hopeful second as he eagerly anticipated images of what Candace was seeing right now projected onto his computer screen. Then his vision blurred, he felt very wrong, and then his limbs went slack and his face fell forward as his consciousness vacated the premises.

An instant later, a few miles away, Candace Porter was sitting in a chair, watching the television as her two year old son played with toys in her peripheral vision. Unaware to her, the signal square on the back of her neck started blinking as it began to receive something new. Her brow furrowed as her head suddenly tingled, and then everything faded to black as her body fell back against the chair.

A few seconds later, her eyes flew open and her body gasped as if she had been holding her breath underwater and hadn't tasted air for minutes. Candace looked around, confusion flooding her face. Her hands went up to the blonde strands of hair she could see out of the corner of her eye. She pulled it, hard until a piece of hair came out. "Ouch!" a voice yelled. But it was not the voice of Candace Porter, but the more masculine voice of Adam Holland. "How is this happening? Where am I?" Adam heard a child laugh close by. He turned Candace's head and saw a small boy, pointing and laughing at him.

"Mommy sound funny!" the boy said between fits of laughter.

"I'm not your mother, kid," Adam said shakily in his deep alto. This caused another fit of laughter from the boy. Adam heard footsteps coming from the next room and then a man entered. It was Mark Porter. He recognized him from Candace's pictures online. But that would mean... Adam's hands shot to his chest which he realized was noticeably heavier. As Mark picked up the child, Adam discovered soft, sensitive mounds attached to the body he was in. "Holy crap, I think I'm Candace," Adam whispered.

"What game are you playing with him in here that has him so worked up?" Mark asked smiling. "We're not supposed to get him all worked up right before nap, remember? Honey? Babe? You okay?"

Adam slowly realized Mark was speaking to him. He scrunched up the face to look attentive, and then nodded seriously.

Mark laughed and addressed the boy as he picked him up. "Is this part of Mommy's game? Seeing how weird she can be? Well you can play some more after nap." Mark started to move out of the room with his son but then stopped to speak in Adam's direction once more. "Candy, why don't you go to the bedroom, we should have an hour before he wakes up and maybe you can take a nap. I know you're really tired." And then Mark was gone.

Adam just sat for a moment. He was Candace. How had this happened? Somehow, his program must have altered his signal. It wasn't transmitting to POM, showing them what he saw, what he bought, what he was up to. Rather, it was streaming his consciousness into another person, his hot, former babysitter. He needed a mirror. Adam temporarily pushed away the terrible dilemma he might be in for the perverted prospect of seeing Candace without any clothes on. He stood up, took a step, and immediately crashed to the hardwood floor. He caught himself with his hands, minimizing the damage, but still felt like Candace would have a couple bruises from that sudden landing. He slowly got to his feet, more cautious this time. He took a timid but purposeful step and realized his whole sense of balance was off. Adam's consciousness was in Candace's body, but he was not programmed for her height, her walk, and her voice for that matter. Adam wondered if that could be changed as he checked the doors of the house until he found what must be their master bedroom.

He was gradually getting the hang of her body as he strode towards a large mirror attached to their bedroom wall. He reasoned she must use it to check out what she would wear. Today, he would use it to check out what she wasn't. He saw that she was wearing a loose fitting white t-shirt that hid her large bust and grey sweatpants that did nothing to reveal the cute butt she had to be proud of. Her blonde hair was shorter than he remembered it being, only coming down to her shoulders. It looked like it needed brushing. Adam looked closer at her face. It was still the same cute visage he fantasized about, but, he thought he saw bags under her eyes. She currently had the appearance of a young harried mom who probably needed to be treated to a night out on the town and then allowed to catch up on some sleep. He put those observations aside, remembering that he needed to make the most of this situation since he probably wouldn't be here again, assuming he could reverse the process. That thought lingered for a moment as he wondered how and if that were possible. He'd need to gain access to his computer and see what options there were. It should be as simple as canceling his signal.

While thinking he had let his hands begin to wonder. When they found the area that he was so accustomed to finding a penis, all other thoughts vanished. He rubbed the area gently over the sweatpants, then harder as a pleasant sensation started to grow. He made Candace's face contort to that of lust as she licked her lips. Since he hopefully would not be here again, he'd put on a show for himself. He began to slowly spin around as he lifted the t-shirt over her head, posing for the mirror sensuously as he threw the t-shirt aside, revealing two large breasts. She had lost the baby weight it seemed in every area except for there. They were bigger than what he had seen in pictures, and seemed too good to be true. He wasted no time and began groping them furiously, watching in the mirror as her hands pinched a nipple or caressed their soft sides and then lifting them up and dropping them to watch them bounce. He made a brief attempt to talk sexy to Candace's reflection in the mirror, but it didn't do much for him since it was his deep voice that came out.

Adam took a quick break from squeezing her breasts so he could quickly pull down her sweat pants. She wore white cotton panties underneath and he removed them just as fast. Candace was not managing her business down there as curly hair completely covered her pussy. Adam presumed this was probably because of her hectic parenting lifestyle, new mom and all that, or maybe it was what her husband was in to. Either way, he didn't care as one hand slid down, finding moisture under the bush, and the other hand finding a breast again. The sensations were so overwhelmingly pleasant and erotic that he found he was unable to stand. He fell back onto the large, soft bed. He kept one leg touching the floor and the other stretched out giving him plenty of room to let her fingers explore her nether region. Adam had become so swept up in the erotic new feelings and that fact that he had access to a body he had wanted for so long that he did not notice Mark walk into the bedroom.

Mark couldn't believe what he was seeing. He and Candace had been hot and heavy for the first couple years of their marriage. They were both young and had healthy libidos until their son, Austin, came along. Then it had all stopped.

They had done all sorts of kinky things before she gave birth, afterwards, she never seemed into it. When they did have sex, he felt like she was really just doing it to shut him up. But what he was seeing now was, well, the hottest thing he had ever seen his wife do. His eyes roamed up and down her naked body, watching her get herself off as if she was touching her erogenous zones for the first time. She was really enjoying herself as she fingered her lower lips. She seemed to alternate between brushing her fingers lightly against her clitoris, then pushing two fingers inside her, and then back again. It was as if she couldn't decide what felt best. All the while her other hand swapped back and forth between each breast, fondling each with increasing passion.

The erection in Mark's pants was painful as he quietly undressed. He didn't know why, but he felt like if he called out or made a noise, it would break whatever erotic spell had been woven and the erotic atmosphere would break. But he was being silly. She was just getting her groove back. She had to have known he'd be coming in here after putting Austin to nap. She must be performing for him, trying her best to get him harder than he'd been in a long while. Well it was working and he leaned forward and put his mouth to the breast her hand was not groping, being sure to avoid her nipple. The instant his lips made contact with the soft skin, he heard a low moan, much lower than usual. A split second later his wife's boob disappeared from his mouth as she had pushed back from him so forcefully that she almost flew off the other side of the bed.

Adam felt Candace's body had been very close to orgasm when an additional touch had registered, warm, wet, and welcome on the side of the slightly larger breast. He had not been able to keep from letting out a sound of appreciative lust, when the obvious dawned on him. Candace's eyes flew open and Adam saw Mark sucking on a breast. He reacted before thinking at the sight of a man hovering over his temporary body and flung himself back with his hands, trying to get away. He felt empty space below his head and was grateful he hadn't fallen to the floor. But now there was a man looking at him with a disturbing hunger in his eyes, and Adam was sprawled before him, Candace's pussy inches from his face.

In a flash, Adam mulled over his predicament. Mark wanted to fuck him, or her really, that much was obvious. Adam was not a fan of that at all, as he had never had any sexual predilections towards his own gender. He could put a stop to it by explaining the situation. Not a great option as he was in clear violation of several laws and probably many new ones they would have to create. He would no doubt face a severe punishment or probably the death penalty. He could bolt from the room but this body was naked and if he went outside like that, it would also be a crime and authorities would be alerted and everyone's POM's would be scanned in a square block and then he'd be found out that way. He couldn't say he had a headache or didn't want this, because for one, as soon as Candace spoke and Adam's voice came out, the jig was up. And two, he had just been masturbating furiously and was clearly very turned on. It was suddenly curious to him why it was his voice in her body. This would seem to indicate that the cyber enhancements were put in more than just the brain, which is something POM had not released to the public.

Adam forgot to be curious as Mark's tongue slipped into his wife's hairy bush and licked with the fervor of a man dying of thirst and this pussy was the last place to find water. Adam accepted his fate as the pleasure racked Candace's body again, different and more intense than before as this was clearly not Mark's first rodeo. Mark's strong hands went underneath Candace's body and he gently lifted her and positioned her against the headboard, all the while continuing the cunnilingus he was so adept at performing. Adam strained not to make a sound as the body he was in control of writhed in delight of Mark's oral dedication. Adam threw both hands over Candace's mouth to stifle a scream as he came in his temporary feminine form.

Mark felt his wife's legs tense up and knew he had given her something to remember. He smiled at her but then looked puzzled. "Is this a game you're playing with me? Not making any noise?" His wife looked at him quizzically, still coming down from her sexual high, and then gave a slow nod. He found this odd, and a little kinky. "Do I win if I make you scream?"

Her face registered panic at this and she shook her head profusely. Mark was confused at that response and started to climb towards her body, her legs open wide before him. With a playful smile, he asked, "So, you don't want me to make you scream?" She nodded. "Okay, you just don't want to make any sounds, is that right?"

Candace smiled at him brightly, as if he had answered correctly in a game of charades. Her smile quickly faltered however, as he positioned himself in front of her, the pushed his cock at the entrance of her sopping wet snatch. He looked down and with one hand, he moved the tip of his penis up and down her slit, not letting it go in, knowing it was having an effect on his wife by the way her hands clenched beside him. He looked up and saw the expression on his wife's face seemed to be a mix of surprise, uncertainty, and lust. Whatever was going on with his wife, he was going to take full advantage of it. He gave his hips a thrust and the entire length of his dick disappeared into his wife's slick and inviting hole.

Mark was in ecstasy by the sudden warmth that enveloped his cock. He always loved the moments he got to be inside his wife and it had been so long. He was sure that ramming his member balls deep into her would have surely elicited some sound from her sexy, open mouth, but all that escaped was a gasp of air followed by rapid breathing. He smiled at this. She was acting like she had never been fucked before and was still refusing to make any noise. He slowly withdrew, taking in every bit of her expression. As his penis exposed itself to air once again, he saw that she actually looked disappointed. She looked down at his cock and acted like it was completely alien to her, but something that she wanted more of. Candace's eyes then met his and she looked imploringly at him. She hesitantly put both her hands around to his backside and started to draw him back into her. That was all it took for him to plunge back in, seeing the same gasp come out of her mouth and again, a look of surprise as if she had never felt anything better.

Mark started to withdraw again but her hands found his ass and she started to push him back in, even further this time. He knew what she wanted now and he began to pound her pussy. He steadied himself with one hand, letting the other travel down her leg. It was bumpy with stubble but he did not care. This was his wife, the woman he had married and to him she was sexy as hell. His hand traveled back up to her stomach and he felt her goose bumps underneath his fingers. She didn't like it when he touched her there since giving birth, as it still showed signs of stretch marks, something she was very self conscious of. She said nothing though, either because of whatever game she was playing or because she was too lost in the feeling of his dick slamming in and out of her, faster and faster. Mark wasn't in the best shape of his life, but he was still young enough to have fairly decent stamina, and he wanted to make the most of this.

Mark's hand found his wife's breasts and he squeezed them each firmly, one at a time, knowing that before getting pregnant, she really liked it when he'd be rough with them. They had become off limits as he watched them swell up and become increasingly tender. She had not allowed him to suck on the nipples anymore because they were now for their child. Since then he had treated them much more carefully but now, now he decided to press his luck. After grabbing them quite harder than normal and seeing no signs of discomfort from her, he lowered his mouth and began to suck on her tit. He thought he heard a low sound escape her mouth, but paid no attention as her hands squeezed his ass and pulled, thrusting him inward. The message to him was clear, she wanted him to go faster, so he gave her what she wanted.

Adam was no longer conflicted at being penetrated by this man. It felt too good to stop and he continued to encourage Mark to thrust harder by moving underneath him and grabbing at his backside. Adam's breathing was loud, as if he was running a marathon, but he kept his voice in check. He wasn't sure he'd be able to for much longer however, as he felt this body ascending to the top of the mountain once more. He noticed Mark was making a weird face, contorting in what seemed like a happy grimace. Suddenly Adam felt the penis inside him pulsing and warmth flooded into his new crotch. A moment later, Adam experience another orgasm and wondered how women were ever able to get anything done. Then Mark collapsed like a dead wait next to him, panting and happy.

Mark hoped this was not a one time event. He draped an arm around his bride and pulled her closer, kissing her cheek. "I love you babe. If you ever want to play that game again, just let me know."

Adam panicked as the afterglow began to fade. He needed an excuse to leave the house and get back to his own. He needn't have worried about having an excuse though, as Mark began snoring next to him a minute later. Adam maneuvered out from under Mark's arm, then began dressing as he formulated how he could make a plausible exit from this body and raise the least amount of suspicion. It was very possible the authorities knew he had hacked someone's mind and they were already on their way. It was also possible nothing like this had ever happened before and they had no idea what was going on. Either way, he needed to cancel his stream of consciousness to Candace's cyber brain implants and try to cover up his tracks.

Adam had time to think about what those tracks were as he struggled with the bra. He was a computer genius, but bra technology was beyond him. At last he figured it out the clasp, put on the rest of her previous attire, and went to their bathroom. He found her prescription medication, looking for something he could use. There was one to treat insomnia that should do nicely. He opened it and left it on the bathroom counter. He went to their kitchen and searched for alcohol. He found they had a bottle of wine and poured some into a glass. He took a little sip to get the taste in her mouth, making sure to leave a tiny bit in the glass, then put it where he had been sitting when he first found himself transported here. He was not at all sure if this would work, but he had to paint a picture for Candace when she was herself again.

Adam found car keys hanging on a hook and went outside to find a minivan. He hopped in and drove the short distance to his house. His parents were both at work, which was a huge plus. The door wasn't locked, something people rarely did now with the crime rate hovering just above zero. He went upstairs to his room, opened the door, and there he was, passed out with his face next to the keyboard. It was beyond surreal. He approached the computer screen and saw that he was still logged into POM and that his program was still running, still sending his signal. Adam hoped that when he undid this, that his body would be the one to come to first. He propped his body up in the chair and spun it towards his bed. He took his wireless keyboard and positioned Candace's body horizontally onto his bed, still close enough to see the computer screen. He selected Connected on the screen and options popped up. "End Connection. Y/N?" He typed Yes, and hit Enter. A few seconds later, his vision blurred, and darkness.

Adam jolted upright in his chair causing the wheels underneath him to creak. He looked at Candace lying on his bed and saw her start to stir. He grabbed the keyboard from her lap and hoped that she had not been aware during the time he had been in control of her body. He also hoped that she would buy what was sounding like a crazy story that seemed crazier the more he thought about it, but it was all he had. He watched as her eyes fluttered, looked around very confused, then sat bolt upright to look at him.

"What? Where am I? How'd I get here?"

Adam took a deep breath, moment of truth. With concern in his voice, he said, "Mrs. Porter, oh I'm so glad you're alright."

Candace focused on Adam, then recognition kicked in. "Adam? What's going on? Am I in your bedroom?"

She was starting to look like a cornered animal and Adam spoke quickly. "You're okay. I guess you don't remember. You drove into my neighborhood a few minutes ago and almost ran me over. You stopped and apologized and, well, you weren't making a whole lot of sense. You said something about you had been tired so you took some medicine for sleeping and had some wine. You mentioned, um..." Adam felt his cheeks burn hot. "You said something about getting intimate with your husband, but in different words. Then after you wanted something to eat and got in your van and then almost ran me over. You told me all that and then passed out and I took you inside and now you're awake. I was about to call an ambulance for you. Do you still want me to, or do you feel better now?" He waited, gauging her response.

Candace couldn't remember any of what Adam just said. She had been watching television while her son played beside her. She had been sleepy but, she was always sleepy these days. Had she taken something? She couldn't remember but, she did have the taste of wine in her mouth, and she could feel a soreness like she had been well fucked recently. Adam must be telling the truth. He had been a good kid mostly, why would he lie.

"Mrs. Porter," Adam asked again, "shall I call someone for you? An ambulance, or maybe the authorities?"

"No!" Candace yelled, then calmed herself. "Um, no please Adam. You know what they do to people who drink and drive these days. I can't believe I did something so foolish. I must have blacked out and, thank goodness I didn't kill you! I'm so sorry! And then for you to bring me into your home and look out for me. I owe you Adam."

Adam reigned in the smile that was pushing vehemently at the corners of his mouth. "Absolutely not, Mrs. Porter. You were the best babysitter I ever had when I was younger and I'm just happy I could repay the favor and watch out for you for once."

"Still, you're amazing. And, um, you'll keep this between us?" she asked with a hopeful smile as she stood up, ready to leave.

Now Adam allowed himself to beam. "I will never tell a soul, Mrs. Porter. I would hate for you to get in any kind of trouble."

Candace approached Adam, and saw as he stood that he was now taller than she was. She put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Adam. I really mean that."

Adam returned the hug, fully aware of her chest pushing into him. That had been his chest moments ago, beyond surreal. His body began to respond at these thoughts and he broke off the hug. "No problem, Mrs. Porter. Happy to help. Here, I'll walk you back to your van."

Adam watched from his driveway as she drove away, then ran back upstairs. He quickly logged off from POM. He should have no problem accessing it now with his program, but it would all be moot if one of several things had gone wrong for him. It was possible, but unlikely, that they had traced his digital interfering back to his computer. It was much more likely that they had noticed his signal was missing, or that it had jumped a few miles away, or that Candace's signal had disappeared altogether. He didn't know how all that worked, but if he wasn't busted within a few hours, he should be in the clear. The one thing he knew he had going for him was that thus far, a crime had not been committed in their area, or at least one that anyone knew about, and so any signal interruption might just blow over.

If he was still here tomorrow, he would try to go deeper into POM and find out about the cyber implants they all possessed. They were clearly more extensive than he knew. If he could access them, maybe he could help himself by keeping the host's voice. Was he really thinking of doing this again? He remembered how it had felt to be in Candace's body. If he hadn't already been caught, he was definitely doing this again, but he would be more prepared next time. The hard part would be the next few hours, waiting to see if someone was coming for him.

Many miles away, in a large building that staffed more computers than personnel, information was pouring in, a constant geyser of consumer data that burst forth in a never ending torrent. Crime had continued its downward trend, but there was loads of other, much more valuable things to go over, such as, where was the money being spent and how could the corporate overlords get more of it?

One analyst had gone over as much data as he could in one shift. Now he compiled his daily end of shift report and highlighted areas of concern for his supervisor. Instead of sending the information electronically, he actually took the time to print this report, as he wanted to hand it off in person. He knocked on his supervisor's open door to announce his presence.

"Got the numbers boss. Printed mine out because I thought you might want to see something interesting?"

"Put it next to this stack," the boss motioned at a leaning pile of paperwork. "Something caught your eye did it? I don't remember any crime being reported in your area?"

"There wasn't but, well, something weird happened. A signal stopped."

The boss didn't look up at this but continued looking at official documents that appeared to need his undivided attention. "Signals stop all the time. Happens when people die. That's hardly interesting or weird, just a fact of life."

The analyst knew this. Each time a person died it was flagged as a signal interruption. If a crime was reported in the area, those cases were investigated immediately and the perpetrator caught quickly. If there was no crime, and there hardly was anymore, it was investigated as time allowed, often times getting backlogged for days. When someone got to it, it was usually a death due to natural causes. If the person was alive, which was almost never the case, they were brought in, opened up, whatever issue fixed with their cyber ware, and then sent home the next day. But this issue was much different than death or a faulty signal.

"I'd agree boss, but this signal stopped, then resumed a few miles away, where another signal stopped, but did not resume."

The boss stopped looking at his paperwork. "What? That shouldn't...did you monitor remotely? I don't remember a request for that one and feel like I'd definitely remember a scenario like that."

"I didn't request a remote viewing because by the time I noticed anything suspicious, both signals were back. The first signal returned to its point of origin, then the second signal resumed and, well, that's it."

The boss mulled this over. They were only allowed to ever remote view if a crime had been committed in the reported area. When the technology had come available at first, many within POM had taken advantage of the situation and let it become their own private peep show. Swift action had been taken and the perverts had been removed. Spying on the general public with POM's technology was a serious crime, and each staff member's visual records were examined daily to ensure this kind of illicit surveillance was not happening.

The boss made a decision. "Okay, so if both signals are back, that had to be a glitch or something. If there was no crime involved, we do nothing for now. Flag both their signals and if it happens again, we'll bring them in and fix whatever's wrong."

The analyst nodded and left. He stopped by his computer and flagged the two troublesome dots. If anything else funny happened, they'd know immediately.

To be continued...