Switched Ch. 08 - Paper Doll

Welcome to Book III of Switched! I'm so excited to be returning to this story. Expect three to five more chapters, roughly once a week, until we're done with Book III.

For our returning readers, here's a quick refresher: Jessica is a super-powered Variant who can Switch her consciousness with someone else's or just move hers over and leave her body empty. Her first, accidental, Switch is why she's a woman, but she's embraced her new reality and a threelationship with her partners, Bryan and Tawney. After defeating a supervillain and convincing a few more to turn themselves in, Jessica has been invited to join Division Zero, the superteam protecting the Southeastern United States.

Thanks to icedragonmo3 for editing and suggestions.

Book III

Chapter 08: Paper Doll

Appetizers

I don't know what I expected on my first day. A speech? Yeah, that might have been good. A speech and a handshake, and maybe a nice hors d'oeuvre platter. What I got instead was...

I got smuggled into superhero headquarters.

At least they had a sense of humor, I told myself. I was driven in the back of a delivery truck full of mannequins.

The trip seemed to last forever, but there was a wifi password written on a piece of tape on the wall and a little bluetooth speaker. By default, it played dramatic music like you'd hear at the beginning of an adventure movie, or during the part of the movie where the hero is strapping on all her guns.

By the time we arrived, the whole dramatic adventure music thing seemed kind of silly, which maybe was the point. It was really cool while I was putting on my costume.

I exited the truck, the superhero Paper Doll reporting for duty. I had on low-slung, skintight pants in Division gray, matching cowl, an equipment belt loaded with gear, gloves, boots, and a plain yellow tee. Pulling it all together was a floor-length duster scaled with armored plates and lined with pockets. It was fireproof and had an almost equally well-protected hood. Serious cheddar had been expended for this outfit, and Tawney had put in a lot of work.

I had no idea what was in half these fucking pockets.

This was a large, low, underground space that swallowed up echoes and light. Above me was the underside of Stronghold Tallulah and around me, the tremendous pillars that protected it from earthquakes. Each was large enough to swallow a city bus without burping.

There was a row of vans parked here, each marked with the logo of a different business, as well as a collection of civilian and municipal vehicles and even a big, yellow earthmover. Beyond, in the grey-lit distance loomed exciting, robot-like shapes.

I was greeted cordially by a group of smartly-uniformed military people who'd been waiting for me. Their leader was a tough-looking lady major whom I was definitely not going to call 'Major Babe'. She gave a nod to a lesser-ranked officer, who barked, "Honor guard, form up!"

I was unworthy. It's the office, not the person, I told myself. The honor guard fell into two lines facing each other, a lane of military discipline laid out before me.

"Honor guard, present arms!"

As one, they unslung very modern, very functional-looking rifles from their shoulders, then at another command that I couldn't distinguish from a very professional-sounding grunt, they angled them up and toward one another, making a roof over the lane.

"Welcome, Paper Doll!" trumpeted the officer with a fiercely proud expression.

There was something surprisingly powerful about such a ceremony. Walking their gauntlet of honor, I was overcome with a wave of gratitude and unworthiness. I'd never received this kind of attention and it was a scary thrill. I bowed profusely and blushed.

They reorganized into an escort formation as their leader became the unfailingly polite hostess. How exciting to meet you, Paper Doll. We've been expecting you, Paper Doll. Right this way, Paper Doll. Don't mind if I do. I noted her nametag: Chervenik. Much better than Major Babe.

I was ushered into an elevator but during the trip, it was hijacked. Some official override appeared on the display and it stopped on the next floor. We got out to allow a squad of tense soldiers, one of whom was carrying a flamethrower, to rush off to an emergency.

"Don't you have to go?" I asked the major, who was getting reports via earpiece and looking increasingly agitated.

"We have time," she said calmly.

We took the next elevator car while Chervenik received more reports and muttered responses into a mic. The soldiers, too, were getting reports on their communicators. One message must have been especially bad, because they all exchanged alarmed looks.

When the elevator door opened to admit another passenger, I hopped out quickly and blocked the exit. "Look, you've got an emergency. Go. I'll find my destination."

"Absolutely not, Ma'am," asserted the commander.

"Oh, no, really. I insist."

"Ma'am, I cannot—"

The doors closed and cut her off.

I've never lived in a building that didn't have elevators. Even the house I grew up in had one. One develops an instinct for them after a while.

I must have wandered the floor for five minutes trying to find the place. There were offices and what looked like a Marine recruiting station. A little sundry kiosk was staffed, but I wasn't ready to look like an ass by asking directions. Truth be told, I was realizing I'd made a dumb mistake, trying to let the soldiers go on to the emergency. They surely had their orders, which they would try to carry out, meaning if anything, I'd made them less available to handle an emergency, not more.

At last I stumbled into a lovely little reception room with colorful strands of paper dolls hanging from the ceiling.

There was also a soldier from my honor guard who immediately reported, "Paper Doll has arrived," to his communicator. To me, he said, "Ma'am, please come with me."

I was hustled out of the room feeling like a child who'd gotten away from her parents at the store.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"I'm afraid that's classified, Ma'am."

"Didn't I just join the team?" I asked.

He gave me a pained look, clearly conflicted by some bureaucratic nonsense.

I took pity on him and offered, "Tell you what, I'll stop bothering you about that if you never call me 'Ma'am' again, cool?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"So tell me what's going on? Huh? Tell me."

He grinned ruefully. "Sorry, Ma—Sorry."

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?"

"I'm taking you to your quarters." He tried not to look down my shirt and failed, but he was a professional about it.

Yep. I'd misbehaved, and now was being sent to my room.

Great first day, 'Paper Doll.'

Ass.

*

El Agua

The quarters. Were. Ridiculous.

It was like an apartment on a starship. Everything in it was voice-activated, designer-made and virtually indestructible, and the bathrooms? Fuggedaboutit. The closet was already full of clothes, trainee jumpsuits, workout clothes, shoes, pajamas, and generic masks. The fridge was stocked. The walls, floor to ceiling, were video screens. The place was so clean I took off my shoes.

This was really happening! It felt like there was something fluttering in my chest.

On the counter was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and a little box. While I examined them, the box spoke in a muffled voice, saying, "Open the box please!" and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

But of course the box talked. I opened it and found a sturdy-looking, high-tech bracelet with a blank display. It looked even more advanced than the apartment. "What is this?" I wondered aloud.

"I'm a comlink!" it chirped. I'd hoped it would respond, but I didn't want to ask a direct question and look like an idiot. Alone in my room. I was actually afraid of embarrassing myself in front of a bracelet.

It was a darned significant item. There was one thing all official supers had in common, and that was their comlinks. It was as close to a badge as any of them carried. Any of us carried.

Flutter, flutter, went my stomach.

"Put me on, Hero!" suggested the comlink.

My hands trembled as I did so. It fit loosely on my wrist, but as soon as I got the clasp done, it contracted until snug. The screen lit up with the words "Welcome Paper Doll. Address this unit as 'Comlink'. For assistance, say, 'Comlink, help'."

"This is so cool," I breathed.

At once it buzzed and displayed, "Incoming call from Frank N Stein."

"Shit! Answer!"

The little screen showed a video larger than it, which was a neat trick. I saw the legendary hero himself, the huge, affable, patchwork superhero. Behind him, clouds swung around the sky as he maneuvered in the air, and flashes of the ocean were visible. There was a constant, low susurrus of radio traffic that Comlink thoughtfully reduced to non-distracting levels.

Frank said, "Paper Doll, glad you could make it—Watch your zone, Puto Grande! Sorry. Hectic day. We are all completely over the moon that you could join the clubhouse! You made the big time, Kiddo!"

"Thanks. Hi. This is all very new."

He made an intense face and it was lit momentarily by stuttering flashes of red light. He turned his eyes back to me. "What do you think of Lady Lorelei? Ain't she a dazzler?"

"I haven't met her. There's some kind of emergency."

"Well, you'll like—urrk!" The display shook wildly, showing flashes of Frank, his coat, the sea, and a dark green tentacle the size of an oak tree wrapping his midsection. "She's great!" wheezed the hero as he struggled. The display became a blur of alternating light and dark.

I tried to make sense of the action by listening to the chatter. I said, "Comlink, can you put this on the wall?"

"Great suggestion!" read my screen, and it became an arrow as the display appeared on the wall. It was accompanied by a good bit more information, including a control to turn up the background radio chatter. Hoping to make sense of what was going on there, I did so.

"¡Siguelo!"

"No, back up!

"Fuck shit fuck shit fuck! ¡Medico! ¡Medico!!"

"Got it!"

"¡Lo tienes!"

"¡Evitar el agua! Siempre!"

"Now, now, now! No, wait!"

"Forty seconds, Papi, hurry!"

"Make up your fucking mind!"

There was a loud, unidentifiable noise on the line, and then the chatter lowered in volume and Frankie was back on the screen.

"Anyways," he drawled, rolling his eyes in amusement. "You still with me, Doll?"

"Are you sure this is a good time?"

"Live in the moment, that's what I says. But no, we're about to follow this thing underwater and I've gotta go."

"No! ¡Evitar el agua!" I parroted. "Stay away from the water!"

"Oh," he chuckled. "That was Poco Peso. He's done with the lightning. Good lookin' out, though. Welcome to the team and... Hey." He flashed his uneven grin. "Sorry about the sea monster."

I laughed. "Give 'em hell, Frank."

He grinned. "Don't I always? Now tune in to this, cause it's your first assignment. You need to get up to the Command Center and back up your team, dig?"

"I dig, Sir."

"Knock off the kowtowin' and call me Frank," he chuckled, "Talk to you later."

I didn't think it rude that he hung up. I'd read about that sea monster that morning on the Reuters feed. There were evacuations in Sao Paulo.

My first assignment! All I had to do now was figure out how to find the place. I couldn't believe how thoroughly I'd fucked this whole thing up.

Blundering around looking for a map or even someone who'd give me directions, I walked out onto the main concourse and the sight stopped me in my tracks.

I've been all over the world. I've dined with the most powerful people in the country, played croquet with Kennedy kids (they cheat), gone to exclusive country clubs on remote tropical paradises, felt up the daughters of the best and brightest America had to offer, and experienced luxury like few others have. I lived for many months in an actual luxury hotel, until we wrecked their lobby.

Stronghold Tallulah completely blew me away.

The place was huge, for one thing. While only twenty stories, it took up an entire city block and the wide atrium that ran through the middle made it feel like a miniature enclosed world. And it was, to many of those who lived there. It had everything a person needed.

Before me was a wide plaza ringed with workshops and offices and even restaurants. People gathered in groups or huddled in conversations and their presence gave the place a liveliness and energy that made me smile. There were office workers, soldiers, scientists, technicians, pilots, a whole spectrum of professionals, supporting the super operation. I'm pretty sure I could see at least one cosplayer and what appeared to be an astronaut.

The place was full of natural light. Flocks of cobalt blue birds cavorted around a large flying platform in the space above. Cutaway sections of the plaza revealed lush vegetation below, and artful fountains and other water features on this level hydrated the indoor jungle with a spectacular series of waterfalls.

This was real. It was happening.

Strangely, I felt an idiot because I was the only one wearing a costume. Hopefully, I'd get used to that.

I raised my wrist and said, "Comlink, how do I get to the Command Center?"

"A guide has been provided for you. Return to your quarters and your guide will meet you there."

"Okay. On my way."

While I walked, I interrogated my comlink. "Comlink, what's going on?"

It replied, "Not much, what's up with you?"

"Aagh! Is there an emergency?"

"Stronghold is not currently under immediate threat."

It irked me that the comlink was so calm. "Where did the heroes go?" I demanded.

"They are deploying to meet a threat."

"Really, Comlink? You can't guess what I mean by that?" I got on the elevator, giving the guy I passed a 'can you believe this shit?' look.

"I'm sorry. I'm still getting to know you." Computers never gave sincere apologies. They couldn't even fake it. "Country Kaiju has been sighted in northern Georgia."

"Jesus H. Christ!" That thing had nearly stomped Atlanta flat the last time it appeared. The death toll had been in the thousands. Even now, several years years later, the damage still hasn't been fully repaired. "Fuck! What the fuck, Comlink?"

"Are you in distress? Do you require assistance?"

"No!" The idea of needing assistance right now was mortifying. It was bad enough I needed a guide to get where I was supposed to go.

It said, "Division Zero has a ninety-five point four percent success rate against this foe."

"What? It's only appeared once!"

Other passengers boarded the elevator, so I waited for my floor and relative privacy to continue. "The kaiju has only showed up once, right?"

"There are twenty-two recorded incursions involving Country Kaiju."

"What? Wait. Comlink. What was Country Kaiju's last attack?"

"Country Kaiju's last attack destroyed an industrial kitchen in LaGrange, Georgia in March of this year."

"Why didn't I hear about this?"

"Unknown. If you mean to ask why it was not a designated Rampage-level event, it was deemed too alarming for the general public."

"Wait, how did no one see it? That thing is as big as a football stadium!"

"The March 2022 instantiation of Country Kaiju did not exceed a diameter of ten meters."

"So... This is another substantiation?"

"That is not the word I used. I said 'instantiation'. Sometimes, people become offended if I offer them corrections. What is your preference?"

"Later. How big is the fucking kaiju now? Please."

"Its reported size as of six minutes ago was between three and seven meters. Do you prefer metric or imperial measurements?"

"Feet and inches. But don't tell my boyfriend."

"Got it. I'll use Imperial measurements but I won't tell Bryan Coleman."

"How do you know his name? Nevermind. Uh, what can I do to help?"

"You're already accessing advanced functions after a very short learning period. Way to go! I think we'll get along brilliantly."

Bryan and I played pretend a lot as kids, and he's always been a nerd. One of his favorites was Space Force, with him as The Daring Captain Z and me as A Different Alien Every Time. We talked to a lot of computers, and strangely, it was helping now. There wasn't time to reminisce, though, so I said, "Thanks. Kind of panicking here, though. Sorry. Can you get me someone—"

"Incoming call from Bright Angel," read the screen.

I winced. "Answer?"

The comlink asked, "Are you telling me—"

"Yes. Please. Answer."

Lorelei's face appeared on the display. She looked to be calling from some badass aircraft, most likely en route to the emergency.

"Paper Doll, I'm en route to the emergency. What is your status?" Well, I guessed that right.

"Standing in the hall outside my room with my dick in my hand," I replied. "Uh, I have no idea why I just said that. I'm so nervous! Uh, I was told to get to the Command Center."

"Do so. Make haste and stand by for further instructions."

"Aye aye, mon Capitan!"

"Thour't a silly creature."

With that, she clicked off, without even a few rounds of no, you hang up! We'll do it together.

I was on standby! I was standing the fuck by! Me!

"Aren't I supposed to have a guide?"

"Your guide is en route," said my awesome ultra-tech bracelet that was smart enough to realize I was alone and infer that I was talking to it. I wasn't, but the answer was useful.

While waiting, I worried.

My status right now was Hero Recruit. Over the next few months, I'd be treated, measured, trained, educated, and tested nigh unto destruction. If I made it through all that, I'd go on some field missions, and then if all was well, earn the title of Real Live Official Superhero.

In other words, this was my probationary period. Mess up, and it was all over.

I had so much time to mess up. Then they'd abandon me like everyone but Bry and Tawney.

This was not how I pictured my first day as a superhero.

*

Here it was, the storied Command Center, where struggles for the fate of the very country were played out, where the best of the best sat and planned how best to save us all. It was the Oval Office of superherodom, the very beating heart of Justice in all her forms. Nothing else mattered right now.

The sealed valves of a massive, sophisticated-looking security door stood before me. All I had to do was to step through.

I wasn't alone on my first visit. I was accompanied by a young chimpanzee.

I'd had serious doubts that she was the guide that had been sent for me, but she'd calmly taken my hand and led me away, and guided me through a maze-like series of hallways to our destination. She had now become my lucky primate.

We took a step toward the door.

It immediately said, "Paper Doll, admitted. Tiffany, admitted, but I'll be watching you."

"What'd you do?" I asked the little chimp. She just shrugged, and it was so cute it made me melt inside.

The doors de-interlocked, and opened in triplicate. The interior was bright and mysterious and jam-packed with promises.

Tiffany reached up and took my hand, and we walked inside.

*

Command

My simple, homegrown brain was not up to the task of understanding this. No wonder people with Variant abilities joined these teams and risked their lives for the public good. Their lives were so friggin' cool!

My life, now.

Nah. Still not processing.

There were space-age stylings everywhere. Every starship bridge I'd seen in movies looked like crack dens in comparison. This place was metal in various hues, flat panels of blinking lights, control stations, terminals... I couldn't identify most of the stuff in here!