Alfred Fox Presents "The Body Exchange"

A short story by Alfred Fox Presents. Exclusive to Hubpages. Alfred Fox is a published author who writes violent and horrifying material. His writing, which is sometimes humorous will still, no doubt, leave you shocked, disturbed and provoked.

Be warned,

Alfred Fox Presents ..........

This much is true!

In 1908, Charles Guthrie succeeded in grafting one dog's head onto the side of another dog's neck, creating the world's first artificially two-headed dog.

In 1950-1959, Vladimir Demikhov transplanted twenty puppy heads onto the outside of twenty fully grown dogs.

In 1959, China announced they had twice succeeded in transplanting the head of one dog to the body of another.

In 1970, a group of scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, led by Robert J. White, a neurosurgeon and a professor of neurological surgery successfully transplanted the head of one monkey onto another monkey's body. Dr White successfully repeated the operation on another monkey in 2001.

In 2002, Japan announced they had succeeded in grafting the heads of several rats onto the bodies of others.

In 2015, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced that he would be performing the first human head transplant in 2017.

The year was 2117. The population of Earth, 27 billion. Although back in 2017 (UNDESA) the "United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs" had predicted the population to be 11 billion, they hadn't at the time taken into account "The Body Exchange".

To visit "The Body Exchange", (Founded in 2086) you had to be a member of "The Body Bank" for more than five consecutive years....

"The Body Bank", which was founded three years before "The Body Exchange", was for the very rich, less than forty two percent of the Earth's population. It was a poor ambition to simply want to own a bank account. Now, you were classed as a nobody unless you were a member of "The Body Bank". However, to be a member, you would have to have thirty million pounds just to open an account and you would have to pay one million pounds into that account every year to keep it active. If you failed to pay, your account was deactivated 24 hours after your missed payment and to join again, you would have to come up with another thirty million pounds.

If you didn't have an account, the majority of citizens didn't, then you were classed as having a too short life span. Nobody would invest in you, financially or emotionally. Why bother if you were not sticking around.

Once you were a member, you could exchange your body at anytime at your local (B.E.C) Body Exchange Clinic. After you had exchanged your body, you would have to pay another thirty million pounds to continue being a member and the one million pound yearly installment.

The Procedure

The procedure had its risks, but the risks were minimal. It involved removing the patients head from their body and attaching it to someone else's body, usually a younger, healthier specimen.

The procedure took less than an hour and was performed by the latest "SC1 FUSION", a machine that could remove a patient's head by cutting through their spinal cord with such precision, it wouldn't damage a single nerve cell. Transferring their head onto another body and fusing the spinal cord back together.

Members

As a member of "The Body Exchange", you would receive a brochure‎ every month with the available bodies on the market. You would be allowed to exchange your body as many times as you liked, as long as you paid the thirty million pounds before every exchange.

You were also covered for "Emergency Replacement", which covered you for life threatening injuries which resulted from unforeseeable events, such as accident and emergency. However, for "Emergency Replacement", you wouldn't receive a human body unless you were in credit with "The Body Bank", instead you would be rushed to your local "B.E.C" for a "Clone Replacement". Clones were perfect in every way but for one, they only had a lifespan of three years, a result of compromised immunity. If you received a clone, you had to pay ten million pounds within six months of receiving it, if you failed, there were consequences.

When "The Body Exchange" opened, it was only a matter of years before there was a large increase in population all over the world. All other illnesses and diseases eradicated before the twenty second century, the population had grown vastly out of control.

Europe had seen their population rise more than any other continent. After the "North American and Middle Eastern war of 2043", after the rest of the world refused to take part or even intervene, Europe was now the most richest and most populated continent on the planet. North America and The Middle East, never really recovering from their devastated blows towards one another. The more their population grew, the harder it was for Europe to control their borders, eventually leading to all of the borders being succumbed by the sheer number of bodies passing through them.

In 2051, Europe became "The United States of Europe", and The United Kingdom...became its capital.

Jacob Rojinski had been born in The State of Polska, one of thirty two states in The United States of Europe. He was forty four years old and had worked on the fishing rigs in the Atlantic sea for the majority of his life. Jacob earned above the average wage of around seventeen hundred thousand pounds a year. Growing up in The United States of Europe, which had more B.E.C buildings in any other part of the world, Jacob knew from an early age that he would have to save hard to be able to live a longer than average life. By the time he was thirty eight years old, he had saved the thirty million pounds to be able to open an account with The Body Bank. He had also paid the one million membership fee for five consecutive years. Saving his money and making a few wise investments, at forty three years old, Jacob had become a member of The Body Exchange and could visit them at anytime to discuss his future. Planning on spending over half of his wages every year on the membership, at the same time Jacob's goal was to save another thirty million before he reached sixty years old. At sixty he would exchange his body, at sixty he would have to start all over again. It truly was a work to be privileged life. Life being the privilege.

One year after becoming a member, at forty four years of age, Jacob had an accident at work which resulted in his body being exchanged for a clone. Waking up in a bed at his local B.E.C, his first thought was that he was lucky to be alive. His second thought, he wouldn't have the ten million pounds to pay for it. At least, not within the six month time limit. Jacob had never been a sucker for small print. Anything that he signed his name to was read by him at extra length. Jacob had read the contract that was given to him when he had visited The Body Bank and the same contract again when he visited The Body Exchange five years later.

The contract had stated, under section 17(b) of the Contract repayment order that...

"In any event where a member of the B.E.C receives a clone under the 'Emergency Replacement' clause, under no circumstance(s) will they be allowed to keep possession of the clone, unless full payment for the clone is received within the six month time limit from when they take possession of the clone. If there is failure to make the repayment in the required time period, the clone will remain the property of B.E.C and will be retrieved immediately by B.E.C by any means necessary."

Jacob Rojinsk had only one option, leaving The Body Exchange on Warsaw street, he knew he would never be able to raise the money to pay off his debt within six months. He also knew that he only had three years left to live. His only option and the only thing that Jacob could think of to do, was to run.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Alfred Fox has published two books, a short, yet disturbing fable called "When The Lights Go Out" about the final days leading up to the 2011 London riots, and a novel called "Rideum Amrous" a horrific crime thriller set in London. His books will guarantee to keep you awake at night and disturbed throughout your day.