"Let's go over our story again," said Farnsworth's head as it floated about in its jar. "You were helping me build a more efficient body-switching device, but it accidentally went off while you both had your hands on it. And now you're stuck in each other's bodies for a month, because it's not safe to switch back earlier."
"Uh, yeah," said Fry. "Sounds convincing."
"Let's hope so," said Leela. "We have to fool not only Philaster, but all our friends as well."
"Shall we proceed?" said Farnsworth.
Fry and Leela slowly moved their hands toward the Frink device, as if fearing they would be electrocuted upon touching it. This is absolutely crazy, thought Leela. What do I know about being a guy? It's not like putting on a different outfit.
This'll be a lot different from being attached to Amy's body, thought Fry. I'll actually be in Leela's head, looking at the world through her eye. It's so freaky.
"Now hold on tight," said Farnsworth. "The Frinkomatic will activate automatically in five seconds…two…one…"
The wheel-shaped device sent a mild, almost imperceptible electric shock through the bodies of Fry and Leela. They blinked involuntarily. When they opened their eyes, they discovered that the world around them had drastically changed.
Everything seemed flat to Fry, as if he was pressing his nose against a mirror. The fact that he was staring at a person who looked exactly like him supported this hypothesis.
From Leela's perspective, everything in the room had suddenly moved away from her, including the one-eyed girl who had appeared in place of Fry. To add to her surprise, she saw two transparent noses at either side of her face instead of the solid one to which she was accustomed.
Fry looked down and saw a white tank top supporting a pair of enormous lumps. He screamed in horror.
Leela looked down and saw a red jacket and no lumps at all. She screamed in horror.
Farnsworth grinned with satisfaction as he listened to them scream. "Oh my, yes. That's perfect."
"Fry! You gotta help me, man! The Robot Mafia followed me here!"
Leela groggily opened her…eyes.
"Fry…?" she spoke in a man's voice. "No, Bender. I'm Leela."
"You're Leela?" said the once frantic, now bemused robot. "Great! You can kickbox the crap outta those killers."
Leela let out a faint moan as he sat up. "He's awake?" said Amy as she hurried into the Planet Express lounge. "Schmawsome."
Zoidberg applied a very, very cold stethoscope to Leela's forehead. "I'm picking up a marked increase in brain activity," he stated. "Leela's in there, all right."
"What's it like, Leela?" Amy asked eagerly.
Leela looked over to the other couch, where Fry sat in her body, gazing into a handheld mirror with an idyllic smile. "Fry's certainly taking it well," she remarked. "Hey, Fry…?"
Fry continued to stare into the mirror. Her eye didn't move at all.
"Well?" said Amy, hands on hips. "What's it like?"
Leela rose up and took a cautious step forward. "It feels weird," she commented. "It's like all my body parts have been shuffled around. In a blender."
Zoidberg waved a claw in front of Fry's frozen face. "She's in a state of shock," he said analytically. "It's best not to disturb her."
"Why are you saying she?" Leela protested. "That's Fry. I'm Leela."
"Don't confuse me, young man," said Zoidberg.
Bender waved his arms earnestly. "Hello, meatbags! I'm about to die here! Does anybody even care, or are you too caught up in your gender confusion?"
Leela pressed her hands to her flat chest and sighed. "I miss my boobs."
Fry lowered his mirror and broke his silence. "All your boobs are belong to us," he droned, and then he began to giggle uncontrollably.
The Donbot held a patient vigil at the entrance to the Planet Express building. Few passers-by noticed him, and those who did promptly looked away and quickened their pace. There were no police officers in his field of view.
His stocky henchman Joey trudged toward him from one side of the building. "No sign of their delivery ship," he reported. "They can't escape by air."
The short, yellow 'bot Clamps approached from the other direction, clicking his vise-like hands. "I clamped their security system," he told the Donbot. "If we clamp 'em now, they won't know what clamped 'em."
"Poifect," said their boss, opening his machine gun case. "I don't want no witnesses. Kill everyone in the building, but leave Bender for me."
To be continued
