Stay as Janice

Right now you need to keep cool. Looking through your glasses at your 'sister-in-law', it's clear that the smart play is to keep calm and act confident. For the years you've played the spy game without this incredible gadget, that simple mantra seen you through more tight spots than you can recall. Janice doesn't know anything about the pens, but you have a golden opportunity to find out everything you want. You flick back a loose strand of hair that has escaped your precise bun.

"Is Ron back yet?" Tina asks. You blow out those chipmunk cheeks and shake your head, raising a quizzical eyebrow. It's a strange question, your Janice mind hints.

"Why would he be? He's on the other coast, remember? Bank business." You tease the stranger, but something makes you wonder why she'd ask such a question.

"Of course," Tina says, rolling her eyes and reaching down to her phone. "I totally forgot. He hasn't texted me all week, I lost track."

Bullshit. You can tell a lie at a distance, and Tina Chan, consummate politician she may be, just told her sister-in-law a complete falsehood. You turn to conceal any sign of understanding betraying your disguise and pour the wine, adjusting the frame of your glasses.

"Can I get you a glass?"

"Can't, got to drive back. I just wanted to come over and make sure you were OK."

You turn and smile, seizing the glass in your fingers and twisting it gently to release the aroma. You take a long draught. "I appreciate it," you say, as Janice would. "I know how busy you are. Being a mayor isn't easy."

"Don't I know it. Although today it sounds like you're the one with the stressful job."

You decide there isn't anything else to do but sink into the role. You nod, collapsing in your yoga pants and sinking into the nearest sofa, kicking your legs up and letting the wine do its work. Below you can hear the heavy sound of a door banging, and frown apologetically. "No idea what's gotten in to her," you say. "Usually she's pretty quiet."

"Always the way. The moment you want quiet, you get noise." Tina's easy philosophy is a little too ****, you think. There's a strain on her painted lips, a tension in the corner of her mouth. You only notice it because you've spent so long studying faces and their interesting muscles. "Did she say she was having a party or anything?"

Suddenly it all clicks in to place. Your heart thuds fast for a moment. Tina knows. Knows what, you have no idea. But suddenly you begin to doubt that her arrival was purely to look after her sister-in-law. What if she's checking, trying to see if the jump between Mel and Janice has taken place? Is she looking for you, or are you just paranoid? The easy way would just be to zap her here, but that's also the move that Bell would expect. Your gut tells you that the safest thing to do at this moment is to keep calm and be Janice. Tina could have a microphone or camera on her person. Perhaps in that flower on her jacket breast pocket.

"No," you shrug, taking off your glasses to pinch the end of your nose, before polishing off the wine. "She's just a neighbor. Besides, with the chaos today I feel like I could nap through anything."

"You haven't slept yet?"

"Not a wink."

"Maybe, then, I should leave you to it?" Tina rises, smiling once more. You look up, a little surprised.

"So soon?"

"A mayor's life is never done. You've got my cell if you do need me."

"It's OK. I'll give that husband of mine a ring later. Then I'd better get some sleep. My boss has something going on, so work's going to be cray-zee tomorrow."

You smile that adorable chipmunk grin of yours as Tina leaves, before shifting your curvy form up and out of the sofa to pour another glass. The banging noise downstairs has stopped, and a quick glance out of the window confirms the SUVs are leaving, along with what looks like an ambulance. Obviously that 'tracker' Bell hinted it hasn't activated. But the involvement of Tina Chan is troubling. The mayor knew far too much. Could it be this company has already got one or more of these devices in circulation? That Chan's town is being used as some kind of test?

It's far-fetched, but then if you'd said eight hours ago you would be wearing another person's body, with partial access to their memories and mannerisms, you'd have laughed. And yet here you are. You are Janice Chan. You have her body, with all its imperfections. You have her personality and knowledge. You're in her apartment, drinking her wine.

You could stay as Janice, head in to work tomorrow and find out exactly what Bell is doing. This even complete's Bell's 'assignment' - you can be in her office as requested, and claim that you were simply testing out your abilities. Or you can make another move, this time without a trace. It should be easy enough to leave Janice to her exhausted sleep and find a new identity to take you the next town over. From there, you're sure you could probe whatever spider's web has been created with these pens, and find out how deep this plot goes.