Soon to Be Anew
“Keep still! This has to be done! Do not cower!”
That wasn’t much more than a low growl. Nothing threatening, really. Just a simple statement. Direct, hard, cold. It didn’t ask for any response, positive or negative. This would be unthinkable, there. If he even whispered a word, they’d look at him as if he’s gone crazy or, worse, with a smirk of contempt. So, he just stood there quietly, as he was told to. Completely naked in front of them, under the scrutiny of their cold eyes and stony faces.
Then, the man facing him started out on his task. First, he coated his chest and belly with shaving lather and, soon after, took it off with a razor. All the hair he’d had there went away along with it. The man did the same on both his arms, one at a time, including his armpits. Next, it was his back.
The other men kept watching him attentively, looking for any sign of sorrow or regret from him. He showed none. Deep into his heart, yes, there was some dread for the loss of that part of himself, but he managed to keep it hidden from them. It didn’t matter, anyway. The man working on him was right. It had to be done.
He felt lather being applied over his crotch and the razor running down there, soft and menacingly. He felt the man’s thick, rough fingers holding his penis and ballsack firmly, moving them up and down, left and right, shaving around carefully. That took a bit more time. For him, it seemed an eternity till the man finished there and went down for his legs.
It was always the same sequence. Lather before razor, from the top of his thigs to the tip of his toes. Then, the man told him to turn around and repeated the routine, starting right above his buttocks, down to his ankles. He was told to bend over so the man could shave his butt crack properly. That was a bit slower, too, but finally it was over. He’d never felt so naked and vulnerable as then. The outer wall around his castle had fallen. He looked back at the other men. They kept unmoved. They had already gone through that process, he’d known it. He’d had plenty of opportunities to see their totally smooth bodies before. They didn’t look any bit less strong and tough for that. So, he straightened up and raised his head. “It’s alright!” he thought. “I still have my sword!".
But the man wasn’t still finished with him. He brought a low bench and told him to sit down on it. He did it. He couldn’t see what the man was doing behind him, but heard a click and the annoying buzz of a hair clipper. The man held his head firmly with his left hand and his right made a swipe over it, from the center of his forehead to the back of his skull. He repeated this move many times, front to back, all over the right side of his head. Then, he changed stance and did the same on the left side and back. At last, he pulled his head back and shaved his eyebrows, too. It was all really quick and effective. After that, that was a short pause before the man started spreading lather on his skull and face, then running the razor over them, taking off whatever stubble the clipper had left. It was the same razor used on his body. Damned razor that was ridding him of the last traces of his former identity. After that, he wouldn’t be the same as before. He’d lost the most remarka ble signs of his self. The ones that made him easily recognizable and recognized. His dark and curly hair was gone. No one who hadn’t met him earlier would have the lesser idea how it was before. Even those who did would need time to recognize him, now.
He looked at the other men around him. He sure couldn’t guess how they’d looked before. He barely could distinguish them. Yes, there were slight differences in head and face shape and proportions, variations of size and distribution of eyes, nose, mouth and ears, but those were much more subtle. There was need to look closer, harder, to see them. From afar, they looked almost identical. Even their bodies were similar in height, width and mass. All of them were heavily sculpted, like the best professional bodybuilders. If there was any variation in their biceps circumference, extension and depth of his pecs, it should be a matter of milimeters. All the time spent in the tanning chamber had reduced sensibly any difference in their skin tones. There was nothing really specific in anyone of them for one to get a hold on for their identification. They could as well be replicants of each other. And soon he would be just like them.
He’d gotten already very close in body shape. He was already a big guy before, albeit still fairly far from their body development. So, he’d spent the last six or seven weeks training intensely just to get there, reaching the same proportions, if not the same measures. When natural means didn’t make to the expectations, he was made to use artificial ones. Steroids, whatever it was needed to fill the established parameters. Although he was naturally darker than average, he still would have to go through many tanning sessions to get rid of his swimsuit marks and get closer to that skin tone of them. But that was the easiest part. The rest, well, he’d rather not think about it, yet. Anyway, when everything had been done, his former self would be no more.
Thinking about this, his mind drifted back to an early past, when he was still his old self. He’d had a name, then. A pretty regular name, yes, but a real one, nonetheless. And a life history, too. Family, friends, work. He’d been a coach for professional athletes for years. He liked his job very much. Physical activities were always the big deal for him. The money wasn’t all that high, but it got him what he needed. He wasn’t much one for luxuries, after all. But, at the end, he’d gotten tired of taking blame for poor performances and no reward for successes.
So, looking on the net for a new opportunity, he found an ad that seemed promising. He send his data and waited for an answer. It got back to him pretty quick. It just said he looked acceptable but should go through an interview that was already scheduled for the next morning. Then, he went to the specified address, a large gym complex in a remote part of town. There, he met a man not much different from those he came to be with later on. A huge man, very muscular, with a bald head, dressed in a black suit and tie. That man took the whole morning questioning him, taking his measures, scribbling everything in a form sheet where pictures of his face and body, front, sides and back, where afixed. At last, he was told his profile would be sent to the main unit, abroad, for approval. He should wait for an answer sometime in the next 24h. If he wasn’t called back in this interval, it would mean he’d been refused. In that case, there was no possibility of recurring. He just should f orget it all and go on with his life. Otherwise, he would have to show up immediately to receive further instructions. The man didn’t want to tell him if he did have any chance of being approved. He just told him to wait.
The next day, he was called back. An hour later, he showed up again at the same place, where he met another man, almost identical to the previous one, in appearance as much as in manners. After hearing him speak for some time, he wasn’t really sure he wasn’t the same. The low, monotone sound of his voice, the scripted nature of his speech made him drift away a few times. It didn’t seem he lost anything important, anyway. It was just the usual bullshit about the company’s history, structure, mission, etc. From the little he managed to pick up, he got to know there were many units, spread all over the world, and he could be moved to any of them without first notice. The man said this was rather common, indeed, so much so it was rare one staying in the same unit more than six months. Just in case, he said, it was better for him to get rid of any current knots, wich could cause him trouble on his moving.
This wasn’t such a big deal for him. He didn’t have any strong link with anyone in particular, to begin with, neither too much belongings. It would take just a few days to solve that matter. And he loved travelling. That was just a bonus for him.
Then, came the shock. The man took him to a room, deep into the complex. It was a workout place, for employees only. There were three men there, practicing. At first sight, he thought they were triplets. He noticed small differences between them, but nothing remarkable. In a flash, he realized the man by his side, too, did have the same figure. If, instead of the black suit, he’d been wearing an outfit like theirs and those odd accessories, it would be hard recognizing him from the others.
They were seriously into their routines. It was a really impressive show of muscles. It seemed they hadn’t even noticed they were being observed or didn’t mind it, altogether. They stopped only when the man clapped loud to get their attention. Then, they all came close, forming a row right in front of him. Seeing them this close, a piece of speech that had gone unnoticed before, raised suddenly from deep in his mind.
“... will have to adjust to our standards ...”
This couldn’t be any clearer, now. He’d had no trouble realizing what kind of adjustments would be necessary, nor what would be the final result. It was absolutely visible there, right in his face, thrice. He just turned in his feet and, without a word, left the room, stopping briefly at the door, just to find his way to the exit. The man in the black suit caught him already out of the building, but just told him he would have another 24h to think. If he decided to accept their conditions, he should get back there the next morning to sign some documents and get more instructions. The man didn’t wait for an answer, just turned back and got in. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t get back. It was too much of an absurd! Outrageous! Ridicule!
The next day, he was back there. He signed all the documents presented to him and got the list of instructions to follow through the next seven days. After that, he would come back and get settled definitively in the complex and, then, start with his adjustment period. This was scheduled to last eight weeks, not much more or less, depending on his development. He agreed with everything and left to take care of his assignments. It wasn’t too much nor too hard, either. He sold all that was worth something, gave away part that wasn’t, threw the rest out. The money he got was partly used to pay all his pending bills and what was left was put in a specified bank account, as he was instructed.
He said his farewells personally to a few, closer friends and relatives, telling them he was leaving for a new job. To others, he just sent a brief notice. He cancelled every pending appointment he’d made previously. Last, he got his hair buzzed down really short. Then, on the seventh day, he called his contact and informed him he was ready.