Alter-Self - Chapter 3

 Cameron rewarded himself with the stale jelly donut as he walked back out to his truck. The rising light from the sun felt warm, already too hot compared to what he was used to in New York, but Peter’s body didn’t seem to mind. If he’d thought he stunk before, the stench of BO now was making him gag. He’d taken three rounds along the fence. Each round gave him time to ponder and think. The dream wasn’t ending. Usually, dreams jumped around and didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but this one remained logical for more than eight hours.

Something else was at play here, and though he wasn’t sure what it was, he’d decided on one thing: He would improve Peter’s life as much as he could while he was here. Maybe this was some sort of Quantum Leap thing, and Ziggy just didn’t have an Al available to come give him information yet. Or a twilight zone where he needed to see exactly what his mother had been harping on for as long as he could remember. It could be like Sliders, too, where he only had a brief window of time to find his way out or else he’d be stuck here. Whatever the case, he had nothing else to do at the moment, but Peter needed help.

“Pete!” Kenneth chased after him, breathing hard as he finally caught up. “Hey Pete, we just got a call from our lawyers. Jerry’s pressed charges against you.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“They’re requesting all the tapes from that corridor.”

Cameron felt sick. All his philanthropic plans fled from his mind. He wanted to push his friend’s moral limits and tell him to leave out the tape that mattered, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Alright. Do the police want me down at the station?”

“Not yet, but they said they’d be at your house later this afternoon with more questions.”

Cameron nodded his understanding. “Hey, Kenneth, thanks for helping me out all this time with my rounds, and I’m sorry it got you into trouble. Hopefully, soon enough, I’ll be lapping your times.”

Kenneth smiled and patted his arm. “No problem, man. What are brothers-in-law for?”

Trying not to show his surprise, Cameron nodded and forced himself back into the pathetic truck. Related? Why hadn’t he known that? He tried to figure out the connection. Kenneth wasn’t Celina’s brother. Celina had two single sisters, though, and another brother. Oh. It clicked with a few vague images coming into focus. Oh. Jeeze.

The only part of this whole mess that he couldn’t fit in were the memories. Vague and unformed, they were there, and when he just let himself relax, he almost felt like this life really belonged to him. Cameron kept coming back to the idea of a dream. What else made sense?

Throwing the shifter into drive, he made his way, as promised, to the gym’s address that Grieves left. When he walked inside, the man behind the counter looked up from the computer with a smile. “Hey! Welcome to NiChansu Gym.”

“I, uh, need to sign up for a membership, but I guess I really need to know how much it’s going to cost first. My boss said there was some sort of incentive program?”

“What company do you work for?” He half-turned and waved toward a set of desks where a large black man sat watching them. The man felt dangerous, even from this distance.

Cameron looked him up and down as he stepped out from behind his desk and crossed the distance.

“This is Leon. He’s one of our membership coordinators.” He addressed Leon, “this gentleman is interested in a membership, and he says his work has an incentive program.”

Leon assessed him with cold and calculating eyes. Who was this guy, some sort of ex-spy?

Leon’s deep voice rumbled through Peter’s chest. “Let’s talk first about your intentions? How do you plan to use your time here?”

“Uh.” Cameron had a gym back home, and a long-time membership, but every gym was different. “Free weights, I guess?”

“New to gyms?”

“No, not really, but I don’t know much about this one.” He decided to play dumb. Given his girth, there was no way to suggest that he’d attended a gym anytime recently.

“Well, we have a personal training course where someone can meet with you regularly to help oversee your program. Most people in your, ah, situation, prefer that because it provides stability. Someone else is managing the routines and doing the hard work of balancing the exercises out; all you have to do is show up.”

“That sounds amazing, but personal trainers are expensive, and I don’t have extra money.”

“Which company did you say you were from?” He turned and gestured for Cameron to follow. “We’ll see what kind of programs they have available for you and how much the rates will be.”

“Palisades Corporation.”

“Ah.” Leon said in a knowing way. “You’re Peter, right?”

Cameron clenched a fist. “Yeah.”

“I’m good friends with Jeffrey Grieves. He called a few months ago, but you never showed. Funny how I remember things like that, but I can’t remember my grandson’s birthday.”

“You have a grandson?!” Cameron gaped. The guy looked barely thirty.

Leon smiled. “I get that a lot. You should know better than to judge a man by how he looks.”

Cameron blushed. “Right, sorry about that.”

The whites of Leon’s eyes seemed brilliant against the dark skin surrounding them. They crinkled along the edges now as he smiled, melting away the danger Cameron felt when he first saw him. “Think nothing of it. We’re all about second chances here at NiChansu.”

“Right, so, the cost?”

“Nothing. Grieves and I go way back. We served together. Your company does have a program with us, and it covers about fifty percent of the monthly cost along with two classes, but he really believes in you. He told me to add you under his account and he’d cover the difference.”

“No, that’s too generous.” Cameron balked.

“Take him up on it. Sarg invests in men he believes in.” He put a hand on Cameron’s arm. “So, we’ll sign you up for a personal trainer? How often can you come?”

“Come?” Cameron tried to think of his schedule. “Every day, I suppose.”

“Alright,” he dropped back into his seat and started typing into his computer. “Henry’s got an opening about this time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday? And Lolita can do Tuesday and Thursday. What about the weekend?”

“Isn’t that a bit much? I mean, look at me.” Cameron backtracked, waving his arms up and down his body. “I’ll probably die from a heart attack in a week if I’m working out every day.”

“They do this for a living. Every one of our trainers knows exactly how to set up a unique program that will help you.” He sat back and eyed Cameron. “That is, if you want to make it happen. Peter, the will to do this has to come from you. You’re the one that’s going to have to drive here every day, and you’re the one who’s going to feel the burn, and deal with the soreness that comes from using muscles you don’t even know you have anymore.”

Cameron swallowed. He understood the burn well; he loved it, at least in his real body, but in a body like Peter’s, he felt exhausted just walking in a giant circle. “Let’s try it for a week.”

“Good man.” Leon smiled wide. “I like your strength. Come with me. Let’s meet your new trainers.”

Leon led the way up a wide flight of stairs to the second floor and toward a small set of cubical offices tucked in the back corner. He introduced Cameron to Lolita first, and despite her peppy smile, Cameron could see the tightening around her eyes that suggested distaste. Still, she followed them over to Henry’s desk.

Henry dropped the phone onto the receiver just as they arrived and smiled up at them with the same professional encouragement Leon had given.

“Hello, friend!” He stood and reached out a hand. “Are you coming around to meet the personal trainers and decide if you want to come here, because I can assure you that you do.”

Lolita giggled, obviously infatuated.

“I do want to come. I already know that, I’m just not sure I can do this.”

Henry nodded. “I know that feeling, sir, and let me assure you that you can do whatever you put your mind to. You’re, what, five fifty?”

“Not sure, actually.”

Undaunted, he continued. “I was six hundred and thirty-five pounds at twenty-three. My momma fed me nothing but soda and Cheetos when I was a kid. She had no clue, so once I got myself under control, I knew I had to help others do the same. You can do this.”

Cameron considered him. The man definitely looked good. “Okay. I’ll rely on your faith until I’ve got my own.” He reached out a hand and Henry shook it firmly.

Leon clapped him on the shoulder again, and Cameron’s throat thickened unexpectedly. This wasn’t even his body, but he suddenly felt like a great weight lifted off his shoulders. They got paid to do this, but money didn’t feel like their incentive and Cameron felt their immediate support.

“Come on, Peter, let’s head back down to my desk and finish filling out the paperwork.”

Henry stopped them. “Shall we start today? I’d like to go over some dietary guidelines with you while you’re working with me.”

“Diet.” Cameron pictured the protein shakes and bars he was used to using. “Sure.”

Henry grinned. “You have a little powdered donut left on your chin.”

Cameron wiped it away, feeling the heat in his neck and cheeks.

“No worries, man, we all love donuts, but for the next week, you can’t eat a single one. You up for that?”

Cameron chuckled. “Boot camp all over again.”

An hour later, he trundled into the gravel driveway and let the dilapidated engine die. He’d have to take a look at it when he woke up. There was definitely a rattle in there he didn’t like. Stepping out from the truck, sweaty and feeling grateful that a shower waited only a short distance away, Cameron fiddled with the keys. A flash of lights accompanied the crunch of gravel as a car pulled in behind him.

“Peter?” the officer said, getting out of his car.

Cameron wanted to say no. He was a little sick of being called someone else’s name. “Yeah?”

“Jerry Wormheimer pressed charges for excessive force last night, and I need you to come with me for questioning.”

“I’d love to, officer, but,” Cameron gestured to his sweat-soaked clothes, “I really need a shower. Can you give me ten minutes?”

The officer walked a little closer and stopped cold. “Normally, that’s not an option, but I’m willing to drive around the block a few times as long as you don’t try anything stupid.”

“You’re welcome to come inside, or stay in the driveway, or whatever, but I’d really appreciate the time.” Cameron smirked at the officer’s chagrin and hurried inside.

He made his shower quick, knowing he’d need to deal with this, eventually. Sooner was probably better though, and maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get it worked through before Celina came home. He could picture the pinch of her brows when he told her he’d gotten arrested.

Still smiling, he rejoined the officer.

* * *

Cameron groaned. Pain. As if the excessive, exhausting weight on his ankles and legs wasn’t enough? He opened his eyes and rolled over.

“Ahhh!” His eyes widened as agony rolled through him.

The sidebar of the hospital bed whacked him in the arm and fire laced through him as he rolled back onto his back, regretting ever moving.

“Cameron?” His mother startled from sleep and hurried to his side. “Oh, my baby, are you alright?”

“What?” He stared around himself, took in the wires, pale room and hanging privacy curtain. “What?” he repeated, surprised.

After nearly sixteen hours in Peter’s body, he was suddenly just back in his, no fuss, no magic lights or out-of-body vortex. Had something happened that he was unaware of?

“Cameron, my sweet boy.” She fussed, brushing away his hair. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“I’m thirsty.” Of course he’d had enough sleep. Was the woman daft? How could she not be concerned that he’d gotten too much?

A thick straw came into view and he pulled back enough to see the hospital water mug in her hand. Taking a drink, he swallowed, realized how thirsty he really was, and sucked for another few seconds, downing a good amount of the fluid.

“Ma, what happened to me?”

“You were in a car accident, sweetie.” She settled the water back onto a rolling stand by his bed. “We were so worried. You don’t remember waking up and talking to us this afternoon?”

The memories trickled back. Afternoon? This afternoon? Unless it was the middle of the night, and even then, the timelines of his out-of-body experience and Cameron’s time in the hospital didn’t line up. Cameron decided to start slow. “How’s the cab driver?”

His mother’s eyes shifted from concern to anger. “She walked out with only a broken arm. They should arrest her. She had to have been on drugs or something. She could have killed you!”

“Ma, really, she was a bit crazy, but it wasn’t intentional.”

“She’s irresponsible,” his mother insisted. “I think we need to sue her company for damages.”

Cameron shook his head. “Nah, the truck came out of nowhere. I’m glad she isn’t seriously hurt, and hopefully she learned a lesson from all of this that will teach her caution. How’s the other driver?”

“Coma. He fell asleep at the wheel. The police said that when you two hit him, it actually saved his life. He was headed right off the edge of the road, and at the speed he was going, he would have died instantly.”

“Well, there’s the silver lining, I suppose. Minor injuries, but a life saved.”

She rolled her eyes. “You think too much of things like that. Everything is karma or fate to you, but sometimes it’s just sheer coincidence and you didn’t need to be involved at all.”

He shrugged, not willing to get into his beliefs at the moment. “Have you been here all night?”

He scooted himself back and floundered until he found the controls for the bed.

“Your sister and I switched off. She just left, actually. She’s really worried about you; kept saying something wasn’t right, but she wasn’t sure what it was.”

“How long ago?”

“Maybe twenty minutes?”

“Ma, do you have my phone? Oh, and can you go down and see if you can find something I can eat? I’m starving.”

“Sure baby, sure.” She handed the phone to him and hurried from the room, purse in hand.

Cameron dialed, trying to ignore the growing discomfort in his battered body. “Misty?”

Misty yawned into the phone. “Hey big brother.”

“Misty, why didn’t you answer my call a few hours ago?”

“What are you talking about? I was sitting next to your bed a few hours ago.”

He thought fast, trying to avoid ‘crazy,’ while making headway with his sinking dread. “Did you get an odd call at all after the accident, while I was sleeping, I mean?”

The other end of the line sounded empty for long enough that he checked to make sure he hadn’t disconnected. “Misty?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I tried calling you back, like we’d agreed, and you never answered. Did you get my message?”

He listened to a few muttered swear words and could imagine her hand covering her mouth as the color drained from her already pale face.

Cameron continued, “I’m back, at least, but I still have no idea what happened. Just in case it happens again, please don’t ignore my calls?”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“No. No joke. Why would I joke? And how could I have even pulled that off from a hospital bed?”

“Cameron,” she said, suddenly serious, “you were in another man’s body!”

And it hit him like a ton of bricks. It hadn’t been a dream at all. What then? And would it happen again?

“Can you just come back and work through this with me?”

She assured him she was already turning around the car and appeared with wide eyes and a paler-than-average complexion not ten minutes later.

“Where’s my computer?”

“Computer?” She assessed his grim expression, then searched through the things they’d brought and handed it to him.

Cameron flipped it open, logging in more on habit than intent. His mind reeled at the thought. Had the accident done it? But he was back in his body now. He stared at the search bar for an entire minute while Misty paced the hospital room, muttering to herself.

“What do I search for?”

“Switching bodies?”

Cameron grunted and started with the first important point. ‘Accident, switched bodies.’

Science fiction stories, movies, and some article about alien abduction took up the first page. Cameron considered changing the search criteria when his eye caught a .org ending on one article. Living a second life.

He clicked on the article and read through it quickly. The four subjects of this scientific investigation lived at Blackfoot psychiatric hospital. Each claimed that they had an alter-ego. Two had given the supposed names, both stars in Hollywood, but the other two still refused even after six months of study. Each day they journaled about their other life experience, giving a full day’s experiences including some mundane and some exciting events. The two with Hollywood alter-egos had much more thrilling adventures in their alternate life, though the facts never paralleled the actual lives of the stars. The other two gave nondescript information, always relegating names and pronouns to the first letter or using some sort of code. As scientists studied them further, the subjects first became paranoid, then hostile, and finally refused to provide access to either their journals or interviews.

By the end of the article, Cameron felt slightly nauseous, but no closer to an answer. He closed out of the article and tried again, though the results were just as useless.

Finally, Mindy stopped her pacing and came to join him. “What if it happens again?”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t. You know how mom is always griping on us to ‘make something’ of our lives? This other guy’s life was the epitome of everything she wanted, mixed with everything she warned me about. I swear it could have been a dream, except it was too real.”

“And you called me.”

“Yeah, there is that.” He stared uneasily toward the screen. “It’s over now though, so I guess I don’t need to worry about it.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” She seemed just as glum, but after a moment she cheered up. “Can I write about it? This has given me some crazy ideas.”

Cameron’s eyes rolled. “Of course. Enjoy.”

Chapter 2a                        Chapter 4