"25.000 English" "Scotland Yard is still refusing to comment on whether last week's bombing of London's Parliament Buildings may have been the work of NIA terrorists." "Fortunately, due to the installation of a new Yamashita security system, the damage was superficial, owing to the fact..." "How many times have I told you?" "You're here to work, not watch." "Table six needs bread." "Oh, have the 1961 Quinta do Lisboa?" "That's a wonderful port." "Well, it's a celebration." "What you've done this quarter is an absolute miracle." "Not everyone thinks so." "Okay, it's time." "Okay, his data's in." "Am I sure?" "Yes, I'm sure!" "Ross, you're great, Ha ha!" "No, really, is it safe in Barbados now?" "It's triangulating." "They must've left the restaurant." "It cost us half a billion dollars to squeeze that scum off that island." "Well, not all of them, though." "YoUhave to have some caddies." "I swear to God, if this doesn't work, I'm gonna" "Enjoy your vacation, Eisner." "Good morning." "Sir, hear me?" "It's 9:15 a. m., and this is your seventh wake- up call." "Fuck off." "YoUhave opted to snooze six times." "Go away." "The snooze limit is 10." "Come on, give it a break, George." "Do you wish to snooze?" "The weather forecast in New York City is sunny and fair" " with a predicted high" " Shut up." "Quit." "And a low this evening of 58." "Go away." " Ah." "Off!" " Do you wi" "Good morning, George." "You still there?" "Yes, Mr. Toffler." "All right." "You were upgraded last night, George." " It's test time." "Ahem!" " Okay, Mr. Toffler." " I would like my coffee strong." " Strong." "Bathroom light on setting," " dim." " Dim." "Shower pressure pulsating, temperature normal." "Specify normal." "Just do it, George." "Just do it." "It's the usual" "Would you say please, pal, please?" "Specify it." "Oh, boy." "So late." "You know, George..." "I do not know what is worse;" "you or the people who try to fix you." "Shall I return to my defaults?" "No." "No, no, no." "No defaults." "I love you, George." "I'll always love you." "N ever change." "Again, at least 20 people dead and dozens more remain buried." "And appearing today for a third day before the U S Senate Oversight Committee on Mind Transfer, consumer advocate, Madeline Renard." "Apart from repeated violations of the law," "Xchange is now in the risky position of policing itself." "Monopolies are inherently unsafe and we know that." " Hi, Madeline." " Mind transfer is a tremendous technology, far too important to be controlled by a single company." " I cannot stress..." " Give it a rest, Madeline." "Off!" "Later, George." "You're late." "Mm- hmm." "Oh, oh." "Tell me." "No, it's George." "I, uh, had him upgraded yesterday." "He is becoming tricky." "He's, uh, trying to run my life." "He's completely out of control." "Then reprogram it and stop complaining." "Oh, gee, Ralpha." "With you around," "I can just deactivate my entire therapy program." "I wouldn't." "Not before you've seen the boss's message, anyway." "Play it." "Stuart, I need you in my office now." "You're not here, are you?" "Ahem!" "Good morning, Josh." "What's up?" "Uh, why don't you tell him, Mr. Lister?" "No, that's Darren." "He's my personal trainer." "He puts my body througHits paces once a week." "Josh." "That's you." "In that buff body." "And this is your trainer." "Darren." "You Xchange..." "with your trainer?" "Yeah." "Well, why should I bust my ass for good abs?" "Let him do it." "I get more work done that way." "This is very strange to me, okay?" "But it is your money, so..." "If you wanna flit from body to body, go ahead." "If you ask me, you're nuts." "Heard about Eisner Scott?" "Assassinated." "What?" "You really got to start waking up earlier in the morning." "They got him with a seeker missile." "Oh, no." "That's horrible." "What" "I just talked to him last week." "What happened?" "Do we know who did it?" "Who else?" "The N IA." "Wow." "So... who will be the new CEO at..." "Dinsey" " Arthur" " Mitland?" "Probably his son, but that's not a done deal." "They're having a press conference in two hours to reassure the investors, so, uh..." "You got to go." "You got to get there." "In two hours." "They're in San Francisco." "We're in New York." "That just can't happen." "You'll have to Xchange." "Xchange." "Travel will set it up with you right now." "But I don't switch bodies." "You know that." "Jesus, Stuart, stop being so 20th century!" "You'll like floating!" "It's a snap!" "You won't believe it when you take a shit in somebody else's body." "Look at these biceps!" "Yeah, I'm sure of it." "No way." "You got no choice." "Come on, Stuart." "You're our guy." " D. A. M. loves you!" " They sure do." "We bill them a couple of million dollars every year." "3. 5." "The kid's gonna be the new head honcho." "I think we'd like to stay on his good side." "Please, Stuart." "Okay." "Hey, uh..." "Do you want the company limo?" "No, thank you." "I have plenty of time." "I will walk." "Where the fuck have you guys been?" "Fucking Xchange!" "We needed those clones an hour ago!" "You know how much those bodies are costing me?" "Call Xchange." "It's their delay." "We can only afford them for a couple of days." "Like the company can't afford 20 minutes." "These clone bodies are a bargain." "You got a stiff neck?" "How come I always get stuck with the crappy G. E. F?" "I must be on some kind of list." "S- sorry." "You must be Mr. Toffler." "How do you do?" "I'm Propania Morgan," "VP at Xchange for Corporate Affairs," "New York" " Washington corridor." "I, uh, understand yoUhave some concerns." "Uh, concerns." "No, no, uh, Propania." "I think having my consciousness zapped 3,000 miles into someone else's body sounds like a lot of fun." "Mr. Toffler, I'm sure you're gonna find it's all..." "very routine." "I'm sure I will." "You'll be just fine." "So we just need two things from you." "If you'd like to have a seat... right here." "First we take a blood sample." "So if you'll just extend your forefinger just like that... great." "Breathe." "Would you care for a tranquilizer?" "It's not habit- forming." "Oh, no, no." "Water would be great." "Maybe we could just do this?" "We're done." "All your data's been transferred to our San Francisco host center and they'll be installed in your temporary Xchange I D." "Now, your personal I D will go under lock and key here... waiting for your return." "I just need you to sign our standard contract, negotiated by member nations of the ICC." "In a nutshell, you agree not to do anything illegal with Mr. Pernfors' body- that's your host." "So no illegal drugs, no skydiving, et cetera, et cetera." "Your insurance is liable for any injury to the host body." "Good." "All set then." "Good." "Follow me." "Oh." "Uh, you do have to spend the night in San Francisco." "You mean..." "I have to sleep in someone else's body, and they're gonna sleep in mine all night?" "Actually, you may find that you enjoy it." "Most people do." "It's... exciting." "New sensations, new taste buds." "New... bowel movements." "Would you like to have a seat up here?" "Would you care for some water now?" "Yes." "U m, I thought the whole point was to go and come back quickly." "Right." "Well, we do guarantee same- day travel within a five- hour margin, provided we have three days notice." "Two days and under and the ICC permits us a 36- hour window, but in your case, with just a few hours' notice, we found a host for you, but it will require a night's stay." "Everything's set." "Are you ready?" "Not really." "Travel well, Mr. Toffler." "Mr. Toffler?" "Mr. Toffler." "Walt Simons, Western Regional Manager." "It's a pleasure to meet you." "Welcome to San Francisco." "You'll find that mind travel is the safest form of travel in the world." "Now, if you'll just remain seated," "I'll take you through our acclimation program." "First thing I want you to do is take three deep breaths through your nose, into your diaphragm." "Exhale slowly." "Good." "Now, if it feels a little strange, that's because your breathing pattern may differ from your host's." "Takes a minute or two to relax into the pattern." "Now," "I want you to raise up your right hand." "Ahem!" "Make a fist." "Very good." "Raise your other hand." "Make a fist again." "YoUhave total control over your host body." "Easy, isn't it?" "All right, Mr. Toffler." "One last thing." "I want you to repeat after me." "Round the rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran." ""Round-" Ahem!" "Water." "That's all right, Mr. Toffler." "Take your time." "All right, Mr. Toffler." "Uh, back over here." "Once again." "Round the rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran." ""Round the rugged rock," " the ragged rascal ran."" " Very good." "Although the timber of your voice is different, it still sounds like you." "That's because it still is you." "Ready for the moment of truth?" "Come." "Take a whole new look at yourself." "Some of our clients find this positively... exhilarating." " Mr. Toffler!" " Yes?" "Your transport to the Wiltham is outside." "Please eat no strawberries." "That is your only allergy." "You will be checked for illegal drug usage upon your return." "This is your temporary I D." " Uh- huh." " Mr. Toffler." "As you know, you must wear it at all times." "Right." "Thank you for traveling with Xchange." "Have a prosperous trip." "Yeah." "Good luck." "Thanks." "That all looks great." "He'll never get the votes, the little shit." "So sorry about the loss." "Blow to the company." "What are you doing here?" "Uh..." "Oh, I'm Stuart Toffler" "I'm Kinsey" " Gebhart." "In the rush to get out of New York," "I had to Xchange." "Oh, of course." "Mr. Toffler." "Yes." " Right." " I remember you." "Dad was one of your champions." "Yes." "We, had a very close working relationship." "I'm so sorry." "Well, thank you." "Thank you very much." "I'm sure you and I will get along just fine." "I'll see you at the conference." "Ahem!" "Madeline?" "Madeline?" "Do I know you?" "It's me." "It's Toff." "Stuart Toffler." "Toffler?" "Jesus!" "I never thought I'd see you floating." "Oh." "Me neither." "I didn't really have a choice this time." "Oh." "You corpies." "There's always a choice." "You look great." "Bye." "Yeah." "Uh..." "Wine spritzer." "Ladies and gentlemen, as Chairman of the Board," "I want to share with you my sorrow for the loss of a great man and a great visionary leader," "Eisner Scott." "But I also want to share with you my unbounded optimism." "Eisner's strategic vision for the careful growth of the company and the brilliant management team he assembled guarantee a profitable future for us all." "Thank you." "Oh." "Uh..." "Eisner's son, Quayle Scott, would also like to say a few words." "Mr. Finerman." "That's his son." "Ahem!" "Ladies and gentlemen," "I have suffered a shocking... and personal loss." "But I am hopeful that the board will allow me the opportunity to follow in my father's footsteps." "And I am confident that together, we can take this company to even greater heights." "John Adams, Affiliated Press." "Mr. Scott, will we expect to see the same kinds of business strategies under your tenure that we saw under your father?" "Sir, I have far too much respect for my father, as well as the board, to begin changing things now." "Besides, I don't even know if I have the job." "Madeline Renard, IBNS." "Mr. Scott," "Yesterday, at a mine owned by a subsidiary of D. A. M. in South Africa, there was an explosion, and at least 42 workers are dead, and some are still missing." "YoUhave any comment on that?" "We are always saddened at the loss of any life, Miss Renard." "The, um" "Stuart Toffler, Kinsey" " Gebhart consulting." "Uh, half a million dollars has been allocated to the families of these, uh, victims, pending approval, of course, of a settlement plan by the ICC." "Let's see... that comes out to about..." "S11,000 per man?" "And is that what a low- hem life is worth these days," "Mr. Toffler?" "Well, uh, every life is unique and irreplaceable." "I'm sure that the Acting Chairman and Mr. Scott join me in feeling deeply saddened that Dinsey" " Arthur" " Mitland had any role in this tragic accident whatsoever, however so slight and circumstantial." "Well, let's not equivocate." "These were low- hem workers." "You're not going to tell me that if D. A. M. killed a bunch of people in the Northern Hemisphere, it would expect to get away so cheaply." "Well, we have no projections in that area, as we're not in the business of killing people." "Ms. Renard, rest assured, we are doing everything that we can." "And in light of Mr. Scott's recent loss," "I think it inappropriate to cross- examine him at this time." "If there are no further questions, gentlemen." "Hey." "Still fighting the good fight, huh?" "It's great to see you again, Madeline." "The shocking part is I think you really mean that." "I do." "That was a- that was a very impassioned speech you gave in there." "Yeah, it was great for you." "So then you could demonstrate how clever you are." "It's just part of the job, okay?" "Accidents happen, redress is made." "It's just fair market value for a very unfortunate accident." "How do you sleep at night?" "God, to think I used to fuck you." "Thank you." "Need a date?" "Uh, no, thanks." "But, uh..." "Iove a cigarette." "Why not?" "Thanks." "It's a forgery." "It's a good forgery, but still a forgery." "No, I don't usually smoke, but tonight I'm feeling kinda..." "Why not?" "Yeah." "It's a good club?" "If you're floating." "Why not?" "ID, sir?" "Thank you." "Can I get you a drink?" "Yeah." "Beer, please." "That's not all you can get here, huh?" "First float?" "Yeah." "Pretty obvious, huh?" "Working in a place like this, you learn to pick out who's what." "Yeah?" "Over there." "Look at those vanilla voyeurs soaking up the atmosphere." "Ooh, that model over there." "How do we know what she looks like in real life?" "She could be ugly and 80 years old." "Oh." "These..." "are the hardcore ones." "They've even forgot what they really look like." "It could be pretty addictive." "Here come the clones again." "They come in once a week... but they never find anything." "They're just harassing us." "Look at that clone." "I bet those clone bodies are so very, very hot." "Floating?" "Cigarette?" "No..." "Oh, go ahead." "Indulge yourself." "Yeah." "God knows I am." "I... feel a little bad." "I don't know whether this guy smokes, you know." "Well, obviously he does." "Anyway... what do you think he's doing with your body right now?" "You know it's after curfew." "Yeah." "How you doing, officer?" "Let me see your tag." "Tag?" "It's after curfew." "Let me see your tag." "Oh, yeah, yeah, yes." "Oh, ha!" "Um, maybe I'd better introduce myself." "No, no, no, don't." "Remain a, uh... man of mystery." "Like, uh... everybody else in here, huh?" "That's why it's so arousing." ""Arousing"?" "This woman I'm in feels so very, very... vibrant." "Her nipples are positively singing." "Here, go ahead." "I'll take your word for it." "Oh, my, sugar pie..." "This is your first float, isn't it?" "Ahem!" "Yeah." "I'm Gloria." "Gloria Glowacki." "Where's the cop?" "Shut up." "He's dead." "What took you so long?" "Well, Fisk, I had to fly the old- fashioned way." "Well, sugar pie..." "This woman has the stamina of a thoroughbred." "We, uh... we might not be able to sleep with those singing nipples." "Oh!" "Ha ha ha!" "You're pretty funny." "Where're you from?" "New York." " Really?" " Ahem!" "Me, too." "Wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow morning." "Dial me your machine." "I'm gonna leave you my numbers so you can call me when you get home." "Here." "Hello there, sugar pie." "It was so very, very cool to play with you in San Francisco." "Now, you give me a call when you get back to New York and we'll play some more." "993678." "Shall we go again?" "I'm a dead man." "Mr. Toffler." "Welcome back." "So, it wasn't so bad, was it?" "I'm just ready to go home." "Ah, yes." "Well, we have a small delay." " Delay?" " Yes." "Your guest body's not yet returned from our New York office, but we expect him shortly in no time whatsoever, so, uh, why not wait in our lounge, hmm?" "And we do apologize." "I'd like to make a phone call." "Phone call?" "Uhh... certainly." "Oh, come on, Stuart, he's an hour late." "Haven't you ever been an hour late without something terrible being wrong?" "No." "Ha ha!" "How perfect of you." "Just relax." "I can't!" "Goodbye." "I have a very bad feeling about this." "Mr. Toffler," "Alison De Waay, CEO, Xchange Enterprises." "When they told me what happened," "I had the corporate jet bring me here right away." "You get to fly." "I float all the time, Mr. Toffler." "I wanted to apologize personally." "Please have a seat." "I don't need apologies, you know." "I just want to go home." "Can I get you something?" "No." "I'm afraid there's a problem." "What?" "Has my body been injured?" "No, no, not that we know of." "And in that event, we would assume all medical costs, including, but not limited to, replacement limbs or organs." "It appears your guest has absconded with your body." " What do you mean "absconded"?" " He hasn't returned." "No, I" " I know what the word means." "H- how is this possible?" "Well, it's not, theoretically." "I mean, we have double redundant psychological screening." "We're doing everything that we can to find him." "The authorities should pick him up by satellite from his data card." "Okay, well, uh, let's suppose that he's not wearing his data card." "Then what?" "Well... then he'd be breaking the law." "You see, that's my point." "I don't think he's gonna really care much about the law because he's already absconded with my body, right?" "So..." "I'm afraid it's even more complicated." "You were told a Mr. Pernfors is in your body." "Yes." "That turns out not to be accurate." "Not accurate." "Okay." "Unbeknownst to us, he was already hosting a Mr. James Fisk." "I'm sure you can understand" "Mr. Pernfors is eager to reclaim his own... body." "W- w- wait, wait, wait a minute." "This body?" " He wants this body back?" " That's right." "Okay, great." "So, then, where does that leave me?" "Uh, in the first body or in Fisk's body" "Uh, no." "Interpol has impounded that body as evidence." " Interpol?" " Yes." "Evidence of what?" "Body theft is a serious offense." "In that case, Interpol is obligated to impound the stray body in question." " Impound." " Mm- hmm." "Impound." "Because someone steals your body doesn't justify you taking somebody else's." "Of course not." "Mr. Toffler, I want to assure you this has never happened before." "Ha!" "Great!" "Boy, that really makes me feel a whole lot better." "Thank you." "Look, rest assured, we will find you your body." "And in the meantime... we will give you a loaner," "A corporate model that comes with all the perks of your C-4 classification." "These are clones!" "We call them G. E. F. 's." "Genetically engineered facsimiles." "I know what you call them." "They're not human." "Actually, a lot of our VIP clients like yourself ask for them for the high- risk recreational activities such as skydiving, motocross" "Yeah, I know." "Th- these things don't last more than a couple of days!" "Seven, actually." "Unfortunately, we can't get them to maintain life force any longer than that, but don't worry." "We're gonna find your body well before then." "Look, there's no way I'm getting into a clone, okay?" "End of story!" "Well, not quite the end, I'm afraid." "ICC law requires me to tell you that Xchange cannot be used more than three times in a six- day period due to corporeal separation syndrome." "Are you telling me that if you don't find my body before that clone expires, I'm dead?" "Let's try to be positive, shall we?" "We have lovely apartments here in the building, and your every need will be met." "What?" "L" " I have to stay here?" "I'm afraid yoUhave no choice." "The law requires us to keep you at your current Xchange location." "It's for your own safety, so that we can find your body." "We'll transfer you back as quickly as we can." "Oh, God, I mean, I'm fucked!" "You know, I'm totally fucked!" "I'm a prisoner here!" "Mr. Toffler..." "I am deeply sorry." "Please know that we are doing all we can despite the cost to resolve this sad and random calamity." "Wait a minute." "I got to make a phone call here." "No problem." "We'll just get you settled in your suite first." "Walt will take care of your needs." "Walt?" "Absolutely." "Mr. Toffler?" "Please." "Here are the guest suites, Mr. Toffler." "They're guarded 24 hours a day." "For my protection, right?" "Absolutely." "Mr. Toffler, I assure you, this is all completely routine." "Please." "I don't think so." "Hey!" "Stop!" "You!" "Hey!" "Security alert." "This building is sealed." "No civilian entry or exit." "Security alert." "No exit, huh?" "No civilian entry or exit." "Unless you're a clone." " Check the stairs!" " Okay." "All right, level 31." "Go." "Go!" "You will find this guy." "I'll kill you." "Move!" "Find him now!" "All right." "Finally, huh?" "L. E. Bytel?" "What?" "Dressed like that?" "Are you from L. E. Bytel?" "Are you replacing the guy who lost his arm in the shredder?" "Ahem!" "They didn't tell me what happened." "Figures." "Two on, two off?" "What?" "Your shift." "Your shift." "Two days on, two days off?" "Uhh..." "Yeah." "Okay." "Let's get going." "Here's your I D. D- 6 G. E. F." "Ahem!" "Come on, come on!" "Ahem!" "You okay?" "You all right?" "Yeah, sure." "Thanks." "Ow!" "Ow!" "You sure you're ready to operate the D- 6 G. E. F. 's?" "Sure." "Hey, uh, check your telltale." "Your telltale." "You understand?" "53 hours, 42 minutes." "After that, you're goo." "What?" "I thought I was good for seven days." "What do you care?" "Your shift is two days on, two days off." "You'll be back way before that." "See, this frame has already worked a shift." "Here." "Here's your temp I D. Now, listen to me." "Once you're finished out there," "I want you to come right back." "I mean, right away." "Every once in a while, one of these boys runs out of gas a hair early." "Especially these souped- up models." "Really?" "They don't tell the corpie bosses that." "If you get caught in a decomposer, it's not pretty." "Okay?" "Wait a minute, you know, nobody ever told me anything about this." "Listen, pal, there's a lot of things they don't tell people around here." "You know where the shuttle is?" "L" " I'll find it." "Thanks." "No, that's all right." "Sorry." "It's okay." "Where do they find these guys?" "Hey!" "Hey!" "See a civvie running around here?" "Black hair, tall, skinny guy?" "No, sir." "Hold it." "There's a problem." "I got to check your I D." "Sure." "I delegate some authority and 10 minutes later, everything turns to shit?" "I'm really, really sorry." "Well, track his I D, Walt!" "We're getting nothing on the West Coast satellites." "Hm." "Well, did it ever occur to you that he could've gotten on a fucking plane?" "He could be back in New York right now, for all we know!" "All right." "I'll, uh, expand the search parameters." "Good, and while you're at it, void his I D." "Right." "He won't have any credits." "He'll be a vagrant." "That'll flush him out." "Oh, and get the cops to warrant him for body theft." "Yeah, but if I do that, I've got to notify the FBI." "Simons, use your head." "The last thing I need are the feds poking around in here." "I do not want the media exposure." "Well, won't it look like we're trying to" "Look, just do your job!" "No problem." "Oh, and, Walt... screw this up and I have just one thing to say to you:" "Indianapolis." "Indianapolis is radioactive." "Welcome to New York Airport, and thank you for flying." "And remember, you are safer in the air than at home." "Josh, it's me, Stuart." "Hey, hey, hey." "Where are you?" "Wh- what the hell you doing out there?" "I'm back in New York." "I mean, uh, I've floated hundreds of times without ever having any kind of problem." "Shut up, Josh, okay?" "I need your help." "Yeah, all right, all right." "Okay, look, um..." "come on into the office, and we'll work this all out, okay?" "Okay." "Let me talk to Ralpha." "All right, all right." "Look, um..." "Don't worry." "Don't worry, okay?" "And, uh... we'll see you soon, buddy." "Okay?" "Ahem!" "Mr. Toffler." "Thank God!" "Ralpha, you are not gonna believe what's been happening to me." "Listen to me." "I don't think it's a very good idea that you come in here right now." "What do you mean?" "What's going on?" "Just go home." "I'll call you later, all right?" "L" "Mr. Toffler?" "Credit card account terminated." "Hello?" " Credit canceled." " Fuck!" "Sorry, my man, but I'm gonna have to take you to the cops." "Vagrancy laws, you know." "No." "Take me to the FBI building now." "Hey... personally I'd love to, but they'd examine my cab's trip record, and I'd get the big heave- ho." "You understand." "Like I said," "FBI it is." "We had a blip just for a moment, and then we lost him." "Where was he?" "New York City." "I told you." "You're right." "God help me." "Warning." "This is a federal building." "Transporting objects made of metal is forbidden without security clearance." "If the Yamashta screen detects forbidden items, you will be destroyed." "To gain access, please insert your card now." "Cordell Dickerson on duty, night shift." "How're you doing?" "Just sign in." "What are you doing in a G. E. F?" "My body's been stolen." "Really?" "That's strange." "Xchange hasn't reported it yet." "No shit." "How can someone steal your body?" "They'd never get through the I D check." "Ask Xchange." "Ask them how some guy named Fisk got into their damn system." "James Fisk?" "You know him?" "He's a corporate terrorist." "Are you saying my body's been stolen by a terrorist?" "Who do you think steals bodies, Mr. Toffler?" "If James Fisk has your body, you could be in real trouble." "I have 47 hours to live." "How's that for trouble?" "I have a feeling my people will be very interested in your case." "We've been trying to get a solid lead on James Fisk for two years." "Now wait here." "I'll be back shortly." "Great." "I die, he gets a promotion." "Don't touch that." "So where'd you learn how to do all this stuff anyway?" "Junior college." "May I help you?" "I need some personal protection." "Right now we have an excellent sale on pepper spray." "Do youhave the CEO attache?" "I'm terribly sorry." "The ICC regulations prohibit the sale" "To all persons without a ranking of C-4 or above." "I know." "I qualify." "I'm Stuart Toffler." "If you'll check my account with Kinsey" " Gebhart." "The number is 976769." "I'm undercover." "H m." "Uh, come with me." "Absolutely the latest." "Debugger." "Neural mace." "Teflon resin undershirt." "I'm wearing one right now." "Security screen pouch to shield against tracking." "And expanding baffle earplugs to guard against sonic stun, and these are not the cheesy white ones the cops have." "I know what's in it." "Really?" "Well, this is new." "A Sharper Way exclusive." "Protonic monofilament." "This is a single strand of iron molecules held in stasis by an Oberlin electromagnetic field." "Ahem!" "Exactly." "It's extremely dangerous." "An instruction booklet's included." "YoUhave to sign a waiver of liability." "Right now it's legal for you to own it." "We're not so sure about using it." "Hey, I've got something." "Where is he?" "Midtown Manhattan." "He's gone." "Must've got into a cab." "Well, where would he go?" "Think about it." "Use your head." "Where would you go?" "I hate to disturb you mad scientists, but I have something for you to do." "Change." "Hello, George." "I'm back." "Lights on, please." "Welcome home, Mr. Toffler." "Do a search on Madeline Renard." "Search complete on Renard, Madeline." "Play, read, view, print, or store the result?" "Read and store everything and give me what you got on Xchange." "International Commission on Mind Xchange." "Play it." "And I cannot stress strongly enough that this technology is too important to be used simply as a corpie travel perk and a sneaky way to relax work safety rules." "What" "Stop." "George, skip to the end, then back up 30 seconds and play it." "What about pure research?" "There could be medical applications." "We have to think about it." "It's our responsibility." "Two individuals at the door." "Stop." "Male, identities unknown." "Yes?" "Mr. Toffler, this is police officer Walsh." "May we talk to you?" "We believe we've found your body." "Really?" "Show your IDs, please." "Badges authenticated, but voice analysis does not match." "George, clear." "Sorry to disturb you like this, sir." "I think it'd be better if you came downtown with us." "No problem." "Just have to turn off the stove." " George." " Waiting." "Won't your computer take care of that?" "It's an upgrade." "Can't get it to do a damn thing." "Playtime!" "Crimescan is activated." "Sonic stun complete." "Audio and infrared video is being made." "Where'd he go, Freddy?" "I don't know!" "There he is!" "I repeat, Crimescan has been activated." "Got you, Toffler!" "Freddy?" "Lights on!" "Aah!" "Police!" "Drop it!" " Drop it!" " Wait." "Fucking cop killer!" "He's toast." "What?" "God, I hate these things." "Playtime!" "Security normal." "Sir, shall I return to search on Madeline Renard?" "Warning." "Unauthorized user." "Fucking safety features." "Gimme a hand." "So, what's floating, boss man?" "I'll tell you what's floating." "Because you fucked up, Freddy's dead, and now we have to use our last seeker missile on Toffler." "And how do you propose we find him?" "I've got his own I D Xchange data." "If he wears his real I D, then the cops'll get him." "If he wears his Xchange, then this missile will." "What if he isn't wearing either?" "That's a good point." "That's a really good point." "If he's not wearing either, then you owe me S250,000 for this missile, mace face." "Look, I'm gonna ask you one more time," "Miss De Waay." "Did Toffler steal that body?" "Technically, yes." "He's not legally allowed off the compound." "There's a world of difference between "technically"" "and sicking the hounds on him!" "Now, I want all the data from your psych screens, and I want them now." "Agent Dickerson." "Seems to me you're up a little early for someone who's working the graveyard shift." "Maybe if you got some sleep instead of threatening law- abiding citizens, you'd get farther in this world." "Piece of advice:" "Be Nice to me." "Who knows, maybe I'll put in a good word for you next time I play golf with the Attorney General." "If you any more questions, my assistant Walt Simons will be happy to help you." "Goodbye." "Hey!" "Get up here!" "Where's your I D?" "Go punching and get a hardhat." "Hey, Fisk!" "Fisk!" "What's up?" "Check it out." "That's it." "He's got the I D on." "Showtime." "Shit." "They must be tracking my I D." "Oh, my God!" "No, it's okay." "They're solar batteries." "They last a couple of days." "They could still get them." "You know something, Rix?" "I hate optimists." "Well, can't you just" "Just get back to me, all right." "Well?" "Gone." "The police had him, they lost him." "What!" "Disappeared." "Well, great." "I guess I'm going to New York." "If you need me, that's where I'll be." "Oh, and Walt, go down and get measured for your radiation suit." "I'm looking for Madeline Renard." "I'm afraid yoUhave the wrong address." "Goodbye." "Please," "I don't have much time." "Wait!" "Who are you?" "I'm in a G. E. F." "My real body was stolen." "They're trying to kill me." "Please enter the building." "My machine has found weapons on you." "Place your bag on the floor and step back 10 feet." "You may enter now." "It's a voice simulator." "I have a lot of enemies." "I'm listening." "Okay, okay, this is the part where the security camera gets shot out." "So it's anyone's guess how it ended, but its my guess he was defending himself." "H mm, fine." "Now prove it." "Meanwhile, I've got two dead cops shot by a fugitive wanted for body theft." "Oh, come on, that charge was bullshit!" "I talked to Xchange." "They lost his body and he panicked." "Dickerson, do you mind telling me one thing?" "Who's authorizing this investigation?" "I am." "Well... you are screwed." "What can I do?" "I can get you on the News Network." "How will that help?" "Well, every time something's gone wrong," "Xchange has paid the people off." "Now we've got them red handed." "And you are the smoking gun." "Yeah, but how will that help me?" "Don't you want to stop it from happening to someone else?" "Right no, I want to stop this from happening to me." "And how about the police?" "I can't." "I'm wanted." "Why?" "It's a little difficult to explain." "Oh, and they're probably on their way here right now." "No, I can't be tracked." "Let me see." "We gotta do it quick or they'll be able to find me." "The purple one is mine and the orange one came with this body." "Purple, huh?" "So you're some high level corpie?" "What difference does that make?" "Toffler?" "Is that you in there?" "Mr. Corp himself." "Oh, I'm sure Xchange would be" ""deeply saddened to have any role in this tragic accident."" "What was it again?" ""No matter how slight or circumstantial"?" "Maddie, please, I know this seems ironic." "No, it's not ironic." "It's just." "It's the first time I've ever heard of it happening to the right person." "I need your help." "You corpies, you think your own little success proves the corporate system works." "Who do you think you are?" "You waltz in here and you expect me to save your ass?" "You're right, okay?" "Is that what you want to hear?" "That I'm over- privileged?" "That I'm sorry?" "Okay, I'm sorry." "Now I have 30 hours to live." "Will yoUhelp me?" "I really need to think about this." "Think about what, Madeline?" "It's me, Stuart." "Doesn't that mean anything?" "Don't!" "There was never anything and you made that perfectly obvious!" "Bullshit!" "I need your help or I'm dead." "I'll do anything you ask." "You'll give access to internal documents with the ranking above C- 7?" "Will you?" "Yes." "And you'll appear in court and on TV to authenticate them?" "Whatever you want." "Good." "Now we just have to find Fisk, and I can finally nail Xchange." "So you really think Xchange would try to kill me?" "Of course they would." "Word gets out they lost your body, they're out of business." "What about Fisk?" "Why would he want to kill you?" "Wait a minute." "Maybe he's already killed somebody." "What do you mean?" "At the San Francisco press conference" "Quayle Scott knew who I was." "Don't you work for him?" "I was in another body." "Quayle Scott didn't know he was talking to Stuart Toffler." "He thought he was talking to Fisk." "So he knows Fisk." "Wait, wait, wait." "Quayle Scott hired Fisk to kill his own father!" "You won't get away with this." "Not today, not ever." "I'll wait here." "Mr. Scott, there's a Joshua Lister from Kinsey" " Gebhart to see you." "All right." "Send him in." "Mr. Lister" "Where's Lister?" "I'm Stuart Toffler." "I'm afraid I don't understand." "I think you do." "Somebody stole my body, and you know who it is." "Do you know how ludicrous this sounds?" "YoUhave exactly 30 seconds to get out of my office before I call security." "That would be fine." "Because then I'll tell the cops how yoUhired James Fisk to murder your own father." "I really have no idea what you're talking about." "At the press conference in San Francisco, you knew who I was before we were even introduced." "You were shocked, because you thought I was Fisk." "Shocked?" "Was I?" "You see it's hard to prove what I was thinking." "You want to risk it?" "The Feds are already looking your way." "Okay, I'm listening." "I don't care about you or your father." "I don't care about any of this." "I just want my body back." "So just tell me where Fisk is and you'll never hear from me again." "You want your body?" "Turn around." "It's weird, huh, Stuie?" "I was right." "Bully for you." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "No!" "Don't shoot him here." "This is my office." "Come on, what am I supposed to tell the cops?" "You don't get it, do you?" "The cops are looking for Toffler." "For me." "A crazy body thief breaks into your office." "Him." "We can just blast away and get away Quayle Scott free." "I like it." "Go ahead." "Put it down." "Tell him to put it down." "Put- put the gun down." "Okay," "I'll put it down." "You're never going to get away with this." "You're breaking your arm, Toffler." "I don't feel a thing." "Security's on its way." "Shut up." "Oh my God." "You're coming with me." "I don't think so." "What are you going to do, shot you?" "Hi." "Yes?" "I think you shouldn't go there." "I can't breathe." "Mr. Scott." "Security!" "Stuart, wake up." "Come on." "Security!" "Come on." "And that's for dumping me." "Here." "Don't take it personally." "It's my ass here, too." "I don't see him." "N ice ass." "Nice?" "No, he's not here." "Help!" "What are you doing?" " Please help me!" " Maddie!" "Now." "I like that." "Let's go." "You were right about Quayle and Fisk." "Yeah, but why does Quayle still have Fisk hanging around?" "Well, obviously killing Dad was part one." "Why does Quayle Scott want to kill me?" "I only have 26 hours to live." "Don't flatter yourself." "It has to be something corporate." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Something corporate." "It's a power struggle." "You saw Finerman back there." "They hate each other." "Where can we find this guy?" "You want to see a polo match, you go to the polo grounds." "Let's go." "Hey, buddy, give me a hand with my luggage?" "Thanks a lot, I appreciate that." "Hello, we have to have a word with our associate." "Excuse me" "He's expecting us." "Hi, Ross." "Who are you?" "I'm Stuart Toffler and you know Madeline Renard." "Mr. Finerman, please don't do that." "Why?" "You may be the only person who can help us solve Eisner Scott's murder." "What about Eisner?" "We think we know who killed him." "Quayle Scott." "He hired a terrorist named James Fisk to do it." "Look, he may be a devious little shit, but I can't believe he'd kill his own father." "Anyway, what does it matter to you?" "Listen," "Fisk just tried to kill me in Quayle's office." "Fisk has my body." "And if I don't get it back by tomorrow, I'm dead." "Do you know of any reason why he would want his father out of the way?" "No really, unless it's the Xchange deal." "You said you were going to make Toffler disappear." "If he shows up with that Renard bitch, there is no merger!" "Quayle wants to buy Xchange." "He thinks he can force Congress to deregulate it." "Open Xchange to the common man." "Make a fortune." "Just relax." "I never said it was going to be easy." "But if it's worth doing, it is worth the struggle." "So?" "Well, Eisner thought the technology was a time bomb." "God, that's the last thing we wanted." "It took him years to unload those damn theme parks." "You didn't seem to mind the killing your old man part." "Nice?" "Oh, I forgot, that was more than just business, that was oedipal." "Now look, even if you're right, the board is with me." "Not Quayle." "And they won't approve it no matter what he does." "When is the next board meeting?" "Tomorrow at three." "The Malliot" " Wilton." "Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick..." "Beautiful, huh?" "Yeah." "It definitely belongs in a museum, Rix." "All right, you flip up the red cover and it's armed" "Yeah, I know, okay, I know." "And then I flip the switch... and no more board room." "Excuse me, sir, you can't just come in" "I thought I told you Walt Simons was handling this." "If you'd been cooperative with me," "I wouldn't have to do this." "This is bullshit." "Say hi to the Attorney General for me, Miss De Waay." "Simons, we've just been subpoenaed." "Tell me something good, fast." "Okay, I figured out a way to track Toffler." "I'm listening." "logged on an uplink to the satellite." "We should be able to start tracking him in three hours." "Well, make it two and you're off my shit list." "No wonder Fisk was able to steal my body." "Quayle's in bed with Xchange, so they can do whatever they want." "Obviously." "Would you like some wine?" "Please." "You sure picked a bad time to start floating." "Think they chose you or a reason?" "Wrong place, wrong time." "If you're a terrorist, what better place to hide than somebody else's body?" "Especially yours." "Thanks." "You're welcome." "You know, I've never asked you this, how does it feel to be in a G. E. F. 's body?" "Here." "Thank you." "Cheers." "Strange." "Self- conscious." "It's like... you're wearing a new hat." "It looks good, it feels good, but it's not you." "And then you start thinking, well, maybe it's not the hat," "maybe there was never any of you to begin with." "So you think Quayle's gonna try to kill Finerman?" "Well, if he's willing to kill his father, why would he stop there?" "If we don't stop Fisk, more innocent people could die." "Wow." "You amaze me, Toffler." "You know, I thought I had you all figured out, and there you go and turn into a human being on me." "Thanks, I think." "Hey, don't give up." "A corpie never gives up." "You know, we really don't like that expression." "And who's we?" "We corpies." "No, I can't, I'm sorry." "I can't." "It's that body, it's just, it's not you." "It's not really you." "I'm sorry." "Come here." "Hello." "That's a nice voice simulator, Miss Renard." "Dickerson, FBI." " How did you" " Oh, come on, we're the Feds." "Caller encryption doesn't work on us." "Listen, I'm kind of busy right now." "You better be:" "A blind tip just came in with your address posted on the Police website." "My guess is Xchange put it there." "So my suggestion is to you, to get the hell out of there." "Thank you." "There's something you should know." "There's a D. A. M. Board meeting tomorrow and we think Fisk is gonna try something." "Like what?" "Killing Ross Finerman." "Maybe killing them all." "Listen to me, Miss Renard, why don't you just come in?" "I mean, there's nothing I can do for" "How did they find you?" "Your I Ds are shielded." "No no." "You can't shield this." "Okay, we better go." "It doesn't matter where we go, they'll be able to track me." "We have to get this thing off." "How?" "How does it feel?" "Cold." "Does it feel numb?" "Let's just do this." "Wait, be careful." "Don't damage it, or I won't know how long I've got." " Okay." " Ready, set... go." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "Oh, my God." "Shit." "Wait a second." "Shit." "Okay, hurry, hurry, hurry." "Oh, my God!" "Are you all right?" "Yes, yes, yes." "Where do we go from here?" "Hotels aren't gonna work, not with the whole city looking for me." "Who do you know that no one else knows?" "Well, I know someone, but I don't think you're gonna like her." "Hello?" "Hi, Gloria, Stuart Toffler." "Sugar pie!" "You know, I had a feeling you'd call." "Look, can I come over to your place?" "Aren't we eager?" "Oh, it's a little late." "Listen, Gloria, please." "I don't have a lot of time in this body." "I'm in a G. E. F." "A G. E. F!" "Whoa- ho, meet me at my apartment, and don't stop for coffee." "Maybe it's a bad idea." "It's better than getting caught violating the curfew." "Look, we'll spend the night, in the morning we'll go to the hotel and wait." "Here I am." "This is the real me." " Gloria?" " Yeah." "Hi." " Wow." " Thank you so much." "Yeah, I see you brought a friend." "Yeah, this is Madeline, Gloria." "Gloria, Madeline." "Mmmm..." "So, is that your fulltime body?" "Yes, in fact, but I only drive it on the weekends." "So, listen, it's great to see you..." "It's very good to see you." "... but I am exhausted." "Oh, don't you worry I'll take care of that." "You just come with me." "You can rest on the couch, Marilyn." "Madeline." "I've never been with a G. E. F. before." "Gloria." "You know these floater friends of mine..." "They have their own body transfer machine." "And you know, sugar pie..." "Gloria, please" "I know what it's like to be a man." "Listen, I can't do this right now." "Are you still going to have this body tomorrow?" "I really hope not." "Oh, no, yoUhope so!" "You see, I get the party tomorrow." "That's how they keep from getting caught by the Feds with their bootleg machine." "They just move it from place to place." "So, how about it?" "What do you say?" "Haven't you ever wondered what it feels like to be a woman?" "I guarantee you, once you've tried being a woman, you'll regret being a man." "Gloria, stop it!" "Please, I have a lot on my mind." "You weren't like this in San Francisco." "We'll do it again some other time, okay?" "There's coffee in there, Marilyn." "Madeline." "Yeah, whatever." "Well, I gotta run." "Ciao, sugar pie!" "Sleep well, sugar pie?" "Nothing happened." "We just talked." "It doesn't matter to me." "After today, we're done." "Gimme a break, Madeline." "I don't care, all right?" "Come on." "We're taking her car." "And put this on." "I borrowed this from Gloria's closet." "You don't want to be recognized, do you?" "Fisk had better be there." "Hey, don't worry." "We'll put you back together again." "Sure" "All the king's horses and all the king's men." "Look!" "There's your body." "Let's go." "Stuart!" "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "How long have I been out?" "Oh, I can answer that." "But don't worry, you're not gonna last that long." "Gimme that toy, would you?" "I'm about to win a game." "I'm happy for you." "What are you doing?" "Watch." "Hey!" "Pretty potent stuff, huh?" "Can I have that detonator?" "See this?" "If I open this up and press this button, the whole world changes." "You found your way around the Yamashta screen, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "You're so smart." "We assembled the bomb in the conference room." "It's cool." "What does it fee like?" "All your school connections and family ties, all your corpie buddies." "None of them help you now, do they?" "Do you feel that?" "That powerlessness?" "Because other than corpies, that's what we all feel like all the time!" "That's what they will never understand." "You're not agreeing with him, are you?" "Not with his methods, but his argument is sound." "Yeah, see, Rix?" "That is a kindred spirit." "So you do all this to undermine the system, huh?" "No." "I just like to kill corpies." "It empowers me." "It's a great debate." "Can we just kill them now?" "No, we can't." "We have to wait for little big man to show up, so he can watch." "You know, you corpies are all a bunch of sadistic fucks." "See these keys?" "They're the only things that open this door." "And this one's mine." "And this one's yours." "Tick, tick, tick, tick..." "I'll be back." "Would you relax?" "Or have a drink, have a cigarette." "Fisk just called me from the plant." "Everything is under control." "Toffler and Renard will vanish within the hour." "What about Fisk?" "What if the Feds get their hands on Mr. Fisk?" "What would yoUhave me do?" "Want me to go down there and blow his brains out?" "Hey, that's a good idea." "Just you wait until he's finished his job, okay?" "Where would I be without you?" "Oh, baby, that's easy." "In corporate limbo, where I found you." "Your father wouldn't even return your calls, remember?" "Oh, God, I'm such an idiot." "I never should have dragged you into any of this." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry for everything." "No, stop saying you're sorry." "I'm sorry I didn't love you the first time." "But I do now." "So let's not give up." "Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute." "What?" "The monofilament." "It's in my pocket." " Which pocket?" " I think it's in my pocket." "Come on." " Which pocket?" " Reach in this pocket." "If you say you're just happy to see me, I'll kill you." "Very funny." "I got it!" "Okay, now take it out." "But be careful, don't hurt yourself." "I have it." "Now cut me free." "No, I can't see to cut your rope." "Just feel for it." " I don't know." " Come on, do it!" "Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait." " Okay." " Okay, I got it." "What, what did I hurt you?" "It's okay, turn around." "I'm all right." "Okay, 1, 2, 3, okay." "It's okay, it's okay." " I'm sorry!" " It's all right." " I didn't want to do that." " We're both free." " I'm sorry." " It's okay." "Here." "Take this now and go try to open up the door." "Go, please go." "There's nothing to cut here." "It's just a keyhole." "Now we're trapped." "Here." "Use that to pick up the key and then open the door quickly." "What are you doing?" "It's not my body." "No, you can't do this." "Please, we gotta get out." "Now, stand back." "No, don't do this!" "What are you doing?" "Oh, my" "Oh, my God." "Are you all right?" "I'm okay." "I'm okay." " Okay." " We have to go." "Okay." "Okay, I'll get the key." "Okay." "Okay." "Come on." "We've got to find Fisk." "I'll take care of him." "Find a phone and call Dickerson and warn him about the bomb." "Go." "Go." "Go." "This is agent Dickerson." "Please leave a message after the tone." "Dickerson, this is Madeline Renard." "There's a bomb in the hotel at the board meeting this aft" "That was a mistake." "Goodbye, lady." "Look, we all know that Toffler is unstable." "He never should have floated, so let's just forget about him." "John" "What if he's right?" "Hi." "Well, well, well, my two favorite people." "What have we here, huh?" "This is the answer to all of our problems." "And I thought killing dear old dad was fun." "Stuart, are you all right?" "Hi, there." "You just don't get it, do you?" "It's just so easy." "I seemed to have misplaced my I D." "Have you seen it?" "Toffler." "Toffler, are you all right?" "Go get the car." "Hurry." "Go." "FBI!" "Get the hell out of the way!" "FBI!" "Hey, there, sir." "Everyone get out!" "There's a bomb in here!" "FBI!" "Everyone get out!" "This is probably just Toffler." "Oh, shit!" "Well, get out!" "Lister, you're fired!" "Out, out!" "Everybody out!" "We can make it." "Quick." "Quick, let's go to Xchange." "Okay." "Shit!" "Come on!" "Shit." "Back up." "Hurry!" "Watch out." "Come on." "Come on, Maddie." "Go!" "Go!" "Faster!" "Xchange is too far." "We won't make it in time." "Ok, turn here." "Now, turn!" "Where are we going?" " Gloria's!" " What?" "Just keep going!" "Get us out of here." "Come on!" "Go!" "Maddie, watch out!" "Jesus, Maddie, watch out!" "Nobody moves." "Where's Gloria?" "Get out of my way." " Gloria!" " Right here." "Move it." "Marilyn, honey" "Where's the machine?" "It's in the other room." " Can you make it work?" " Yes, of course I can." "Okay, do it." "Quick!" " Okay." " Come on!" "Come on, this is an emergency." "Move it." "Hold him!" "I said hold him, goddamnit!" "Hold him!" "Put the head gear on him." "Quick!" "Oh, my God, please hurry." "Come on, do it." "I'm trying." "Okay." "How long does it take?" "It takes as long as it takes." "What's going on?" "It's started." " Is it working?" " Yes, it's working." "Is it you?" "It's me." "Check your telltale, Fisk." "You're dead." "Okay." "Weird, eh, Stuie?" "It's gonna be okay, Madeline." "Look out!" "Ow, Jesus!" "I really fucked you up, huh?" "Yeah?" "So, sugar pie, this is your real body?" "You know what?" "Bug off." "Oh." "Some other time." " Hey." " Hey." " Hi." " Hi." "Hi, Mr. Toffler." "That's me." "Come on." "The cellular number yoUhave reached," "Quayle Scott, has been terminated until further notice."