Chance grimaced as the doctor peeled the bandages off his body.

Ah – murmured the doctor. A satisfied smile spread across his handsome face.

He stepped back, dropped the balled-up bandages into a yellow bucket and motioned to Chance to sit up.

Chance looked down at the fruits of the operation. It looked pretty weird, but then that was to be expected. He was a pioneer. He ran his fingers along the line of small metal teeth like a fault-line. He looked up at the doctor, who nodded.

Raising his hand, Chance fingered his head and located the little tag. One last look at the doctor, who grunted approvingly, and Chance pulled the zip down between his eyes, down over his neck and chest to where the line stopped, just below his navel. He popped his face back like a hood, shrugged his shoulders and stepped out of his skin for the first time, shaking it off like a mechanic’s overalls, and stood dripping in front of the doctor on the bright hospital floor.

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