The Mishap
The deeper they ventured into the abandoned Zaunite lab, the stronger the scent of chemicals and rust became. The air was thick with an oily residue that clung to their skin, and the dim glow of malfunctioning machinery cast eerie shadows across the cluttered room.
Vi led the way with her usual confidence, stepping over scattered blueprints and discarded glass tubes with little care. Her gauntlets hummed softly, ready for action. "I don’t like this, cupcake," she muttered, eyeing the ruined equipment around them. "This place looks like it’s one bad spark away from blowing up."
Caitlyn followed close behind, her rifle slung across her back. Unlike Vi, she moved with careful precision, her sharp gaze scanning every detail of the room. "That’s exactly why we’re here," she replied, kneeling to inspect a pile of shattered canisters. "According to the reports, a rogue chem-tech engineer was developing unstable energy sources. If we don’t contain it, we could be looking at a disaster."
Vi scoffed, nudging a broken vial with her boot. "Right. Because nothing screams ‘safe’ like messing with Zaunite science experiments gone wrong."
Caitlyn ignored her sarcasm, instead turning her attention to the center of the lab, where a massive machine stood humming ominously. It was a tangled mess of wires, glowing vials, and unstable energy cores, its central chamber swirling with an iridescent light. The entire contraption pulsed erratically, as if on the verge of collapse.
"That doesn't look good," Vi muttered, crossing her arms.
Caitlyn’s brows furrowed. "It’s an unregulated chem-tech core. And it’s still running."
Vi cracked her knuckles. "Well, let’s turn it off before it turns us into ash." Without waiting for Caitlyn’s analysis, she stepped forward, raising her gauntlet.
"Vi, wait!"
Too late.
Vi slammed her fist against the machine’s core. The moment her gauntlet connected, the energy inside it surged violently. Sparks erupted, cables snapped, and an ear-splitting boom filled the room. The machine pulsed once, twice, before exploding in a blinding flash of green and blue light.
A sudden, forceful pull yanked them both into the energy surge. Caitlyn felt her body being stretched and compressed at the same time, as if she were being dragged through space itself. Her vision blurred. Her ears rang. Then…
Darkness.
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A dull, aching sensation settled in Caitlyn’s head as she slowly regained consciousness. Her body felt strange—heavy, yet powerful in a way she wasn’t used to. The scent of scorched metal still lingered in the air, but something was off.
She groaned, pushing herself up onto her elbows. Her muscles tensed, her arms felt bulkier, and her entire balance seemed… different.
Something cold and metallic brushed against her fingers. She looked down.
And her breath caught in her throat.
Her hands, no, Vi’s gauntlets—rested in her lap, fingers curled in confusion. She wasn’t wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she was dressed in Vi’s worn-out leather jacket, her legs covered in loose-fitting pants.
Panic flooded her chest.
Before she could say a word, she heard a soft groan from beside her.
Caitlyn turned her head and saw herself—her own body slowly stirring. A hand—her hand—moved to brush away loose strands of dark hair, and the moment Vi blinked, realization dawned on her as well.
Vi, trapped in Caitlyn’s body, froze, her eyes darting down to her unfamiliar form. Then, slowly, she looked up at Caitlyn.
Their eyes locked. Horror settled between them.
Vi—in Caitlyn’s voice—was the first to break the silence.
"What the hell did you do?!"
Caitlyn, with Vi’s voice, snapped back immediately.
"I did something?! You’re the one who punched it!"
Vi pushed herself up hastily, but the sudden movement sent her, no, Caitlyn’s body—staggering. She barely caught herself, looking down at her hands in disbelief. "This is so weird!"
Caitlyn tried to get to her feet as well, but the moment she pressed her hands against the floor, she miscalculated her own strength. The enhanced power of Vi’s body sent her flying backward, landing flat on her back with a loud thud.
Vi burst out laughing—her laugh, but from Caitlyn’s mouth. "Oh, this is gonna be good."
Caitlyn groaned, running a gloved hand over her face. "This is an absolute disaster."
They were trapped.
In each other’s bodies.
And neither of them had the faintest idea how to fix it.