Little bird (Patreon)

— Damn earrings... — Brian muttered, struggling to fasten the tiny clasp. His fingers, trembling from the unfamiliar fine motor task, fumbled clumsily with the delicate hook. The mirror reflected a tall brunette in an elegant dress. The deep burgundy fabric clung to her figure, emphasizing curves Brian hadn’t even been aware of yesterday. His gaze slid downward, from slender shoulders to the graceful line of the back, unable to avoid the new reality of every curve and inch of this alien body.

— What the hell... — he exhaled, letting the earring drop from his hands as he clasped them together in frustration. He still couldn’t believe this was really happening. The assignment had seemed suspicious from the start. "Breathe, Brian, just take a deep breath and don’t think about how you look like a..." He hesitated, his thoughts scrambling for the right word.

— ...like a damn doll! — he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice rising unintentionally.

— Something wrong? — came Steve’s smooth, slightly annoyed voice in his earpiece. The tone made it clear that Steve didn’t understand why Brian was taking so long. — Anna, I get that you’re nervous about the meeting, — Steve continued, with that same edge of impatience. — But stop stalling. Just walk out there, act like nothing’s changed, and get the job done. You’ve done this before.

“Sure, Anna has done this before,” Brian thought bitterly, forcing a tense smile to sound more natural. “But for me...”

He took a deep breath, fighting off the rising panic. At the agency, Brian was known as a dependable, disciplined agent. A true professional. Ex-military, he’d handled countless dangerous operations and never hesitated to dive into the fray. But this mission? This was something else entirely.

His boss had secretly transferred Brian’s consciousness into Anna’s body—the girlfriend of a major drug lord recently captured by the CIA and kept under tight surveillance. The plan was straightforward: infiltrate the house, play the role, plant a bug, extract intel, and get back to his own body. On paper, it sounded simple. But living in Anna’s body was a nightmare Brian hadn’t signed up for.

Gritting his teeth, he stared into the mirror again, attempting to hold the earring steady. His new fingers were slender, delicate, and maddeningly inept at tasks like this. How did Anna deal with this crap on a daily basis?

— Can you hear me, Anna? — Steve’s voice was sharper now. Brian could picture him impatiently pursing his lips.

— Yeah... I hear you, — Brian growled through clenched teeth, trying to soften his voice into something more feminine. — Sorry, just... a little nervous. Big night, right?

— Exactly, — Steve replied, his tone cooling. — You know what to do. Just act natural. There’s no room for error.

Brian drew in a deep breath, finally clicking the earring into place. His voice, softer in this body, still felt alien to him, making him cringe every time he spoke. How was anyone supposed to take him seriously like this? He looked every bit the part of “Anna,” Reyes’s sultry girlfriend—a role he hated every fiber of. All his life, he’d relied on strength and cunning, but now he was fighting a losing battle against heels and a dress that clung to him like a second skin.

— Just plant the bug on his phone and get out, — Steve’s voice carried the tone of someone explaining something painfully simple.

Brian clenched his jaw, straightened his posture, and threw one last look at the mirror. A tall brunette with perfectly styled hair and lips the color of ripe cherries stared back. Her confident gaze could stop any man in his tracks, but inside, Brian felt like he was about to unravel.

— Alright, I’m ready, — he said, striving to sound convincing.

— Good. I’m signing off, — Steve responded, and the earpiece emitted a short click, signaling the end of the connection.

"What do you mean, signing off?!" Brian fumed internally, but the device had already dissolved into a tiny implant, leaving him completely on his own.

Suddenly, a young woman in a sleek black dress burst into the powder room, her expression tense, almost frantic.

— Señorita Anna! — she whispered urgently, grabbing Brian’s wrist. Despite her slender fingers, her grip was firm as steel. — We must hurry! Señor Reyes insists you leave immediately.

The woman cast a nervous glance at the door, her eyes darting as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment.

— It’s not safe here anymore!

Brian frowned, fighting the rising tide of panic.

— What happened? — he asked, mimicking Anna’s soft intonations. His voice sounded surprisingly natural, even though every nerve in his body was screaming.

— People from del Toro’s crew are here. They’re asking for a meeting, but... it feels like a trap, — the woman replied quickly, pulling him toward the door. — Señor Reyes won’t risk you being anywhere near them. You’re too important to him.

"Too important?" Brian thought grimly as he was led out of the room. He hadn’t gone more than a step before the woman tugged at him again, her voice desperate.

— Please, señorita Anna, there’s no time. They might figure everything out!

Balancing on impossibly high heels and trying not to trip on the gown that seemed designed to sabotage him, Brian’s frustration boiled over. He needed time—time to plant the bug and vanish. Leaving now wasn’t an option.

"Calm down," he told himself, trying to summon his professional composure. Slowing his pace, he gently tightened his hold on the woman’s arm, aiming for a more convincing excuse.

— I don’t think leaving is a good idea, — he murmured, carefully crafting his tone. — If del Toro’s people sense anything... maybe it’s better to stay and observe their behavior?

The woman froze, staring at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion, as though unable to comprehend why Anna would suggest such a thing.

— Since when did you start getting so clever, huh, señorita? — a heavy, mocking voice growled behind them.

Brian turned to see one of Reyes’s henchmen—a broad-shouldered thug with a scarred face and a gold tooth that gleamed under the dim light. He stood there smirking, his eyes full of suspicion.

— So, little bird, ready to fly? — The thug stepped forward, grabbing Brian’s wrist with a grip that made him wince. — Señor Reyes is waiting.

Brian tried to pull away but quickly realized that in this body, he lacked the strength or leverage to do so. Internally seething, he had no choice but to let the man lead him down a narrow corridor. His mind raced, desperately searching for a way out, for some kind of plan.

— Where are we going? — he asked, injecting a note of confidence into his voice, as though he belonged here. Inside, he was burning with irritation, but he knew any sign of fear would give him away.

The thug smirked but didn’t stop walking.

— You’re asking a lot of questions tonight, señorita.

Brian rolled his eyes dramatically, doing his best impression of Anna’s supposed attitude.

— Oh, relax, — he drawled with a touch of sarcasm. — I just thought this evening would be a little more... exciting.

The thug chuckled darkly, his grip tightening as he dragged Brian toward the exit. At the gates, a black van waited, flanked by more armed guards. One of them opened the door, gesturing for “señorita Anna” to step inside.

Reluctantly, Brian climbed into the van, the door slamming shut behind him. The interior was far from luxurious—dim lighting revealed crude upholstery and the smell of tobacco and metal lingered in the air. The thug and two other guards took seats opposite him. As the van rumbled to life, Brian felt their eyes boring into him, making his unease grow with every passing second.

"This is bad... really bad," he thought as the van snaked its way through dark, twisting roads. No landmarks, no clues, just an oppressive void outside and the low growl of the engine.

— Quiet night, huh? — he ventured nervously, forcing a weak chuckle to break the tension.

— Quiet enough, little bird, — the thug with the gold tooth replied, folding his arms over his chest. His grin widened, and there was something sinister in it. — Don’t worry, though. As long as you don’t do anything stupid, you’ll be just fine...

Brian clenched his teeth, maintaining a strained smile. He was alone, cut off from any backup, with no plan in sight. All he had left was his wits—and his determination to survive.