Dreamscape Dreamgirl: The Escape [Man to Busty Anime Woman TG]

Commissioned Anonymously

Months after their time in Dreamscape, Jacob still can’t stop thinking about Mei. Where is she? Is she even still her, or has she become Brett again, and where is he? The only way to find out is to go back into the game and reconcile with his dream girl and hopefully, find a way for her to escape the evil company that kidnapped her.

~

Jacob stood behind the counter at the print shop, his hands gripped the edge of the benchtop so hard his knuckles were white. A polite, completely fake smile was plastered over his face as he listened to the woman in front of him continue to complain.

She was in her thirties, blonde, with a sour look on her face that looked damn near permanent. She rested her hands on the pile of posters she’d come to pick up, occasionally slapping them for emphasis. 

“This,” she said, her nasally voice made his ears ache, “is not what I ordered. I ordered glossy, not matte!” 

“As I tried to explain-”

“Do you not know the difference? These are matte, and I specifically said I needed a glossy finish. This is completely ruined! My whole event depends on these posters, and now it’s a disaster.”

For the third time, he tried to direct her to the order form where the box marked ‘matte’ was ticked.

“You see, this is the form you signed.”

“No!” she snapped, holding up her hand. “No, this is ridiculous. I needed them glossy. Look at this! Look at how dull it looks! My guests are going to see this and think I didn’t even care about the event. I can’t hand these out. They’re ruined!”

His smile strained, he couldn’t even get a word in. 

“This is such a waste of my time! I came to you guys because I trusted you to get it right. How could you mess this up so badly? This event has been months in the making! It’s important to a lot of people.”

Jacob bit his tongue; what he wouldn’t give for some stupid poster finish to be the worst thing in his life. Jacob’s eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. The day had barely begun, and his patience was already being tested. He wanted to snap, to tell her how pointless this entire conversation was. 

He could feel his temper rising; this woman had no idea how good she had it. It had been six months since Dreamscape. Six months since he woke up back as a normal, weak guy who couldn’t swing a sword, let alone wall climb or fight twenty gang members. Six months since Mei went missing. And what was he doing? Was he looking for her? No, he was standing here, listening to a woman rant about posters. 

“This is so typical. This is why I can’t trust small businesses to do anything right. I’m going to tell everyone I know how awful this place is. This is so unprofessional.”

Her ranting continued, but Jacob’s attention started to waver. He was supposed to be thinking about how to calm this woman down and ensure she left satisfied. That’s what Mei would have told him. The woman’s shrill voice brought him back to reality. 

“Do you understand how important this event is? I have people flying in from all over the country, and now you’ve ruined it. My reputation is at stake, and you people are completely incompetent!”

That was it!

“You’re right,” Jacob said, slamming his hand down on the counter. “You’re so right, your life must be so much harder than mine. You’re obviously dealing with the worst thing that could ever happen, huh? Posters with the wrong finish? That’s the worst thing in your world right now?”

The woman took a step back, blinking in shock. Jacob’s chest was heaving as the words tumbled out before he could stop them.

“You think this is important?” he continued, his voice rising. “You think this is some huge disaster? Maybe you should consider how lucky you are that the worst thing happening to you is that you apparently can't tick a box!”

He shoved the form in her face, and with a huff, the woman grabbed the stack of posters. She had her nose in the air as she walked out, and Jacob watched her go. She made a show of getting her phone out in front of the window and typing furiously before giving him a smug smile. 

The PC on the bench pinged: A new 1-star review for the shop. A one-sentence rant about unprofessionalism and how incompetent the service had been.

He sank into the nearest chair, rubbing his hands over his face

“Yeah,” he muttered, eyes still locked on the review. “That’ll help.”

A shadow peeked out from the back room, and Nari appeared and sat next to him. 

“That could have gone better.”

“A lot of things could have gone better lately.”

Nari nodded, Mei hung between them without either of them having to say her name.

“I just feel like we should be doing something!” Jacob cried finally. “Who knows where she is? Mei could be…being tortured or something for all we know!”

“Brett.” Nari corrected. “Mei was just his avatar, remember?”

“Of course, I know that!”

He did know that. Logically, he knew Mei was nothing but zeros and ones; Brett was the real person. The man who he'd known for years. The man who rolled his eyes and didn’t even like video games, and always yelled at him for slacking off. And yet…it was hard to think of him that way. 

His time with Mei had been short, but it seemed to eclipse his relationship with Brett entirely. Knowing that somewhere in the virtual world, his girl was trapped broke his heart. At the same time, though, he had to keep reminding himself that, technically, she didn't exist. Perhaps Brett had been unplugged this whole time and was being held in a secret facility doing…something. For him, perhaps Mei was a distant memory for him. If only she could be for Jacob. 

“Come on, we should get back to it. We’ve got damage control to do.”

Jacob bit his lip.

“Fine.”

~

The day couldn’t finish fast enough. When Nari finally flipped the sign to closed, Jacob felt ready to explode. He practically kicked open the back door and headed down the stairs, ready to go home and stew in his own frustration, when a voice called out.

“Hey, Jacob, wait up!”

It was Ryan, with a goofy grin on his face.

“We’re both off tomorrow, I was thinking, how about an all-night gaming session?”

Jacob grimaced.

“I’m not really in the mood…”

“Oh, come on. You haven’t logged into anything in weeks!”

Because the idea made him sick. He’d tried gaming a few times since the Dreamscape debacle, and it almost made a knot form in his stomach. Seeing all those pretty anime action girls dancing across his screen only made him think of Mei. He couldn’t even enjoy the jiggle physics anymore. Watching a 2D image on a screen just wasn't the same as holding those curves in his hands, not to mention, every design lacked one crucial thing: they weren’t Mei. 

“I’m just not that into gaming right now.”

“Not that into gaming? Dude, listen to yourself.” Jacob grabbed his shoulder. “I get it, Dreamscape was weird, but you have to move on.”

“Move on?” Jacob removed the hand from his shoulder, “Our friend is missing, Ryan! Missing, and you want me to play video games?”

Ryan sighed, his face turned pinched. 

“What else can we do?” He said finally, “We went to the police, we put up posters, we flooded forums. It turned up nothing. Unless you have a new idea, we’re just going to have to hope the authorities can find Brett.”

“They won’t! According to them, they couldn’t find anything suspicious! The company must have paid them off or something, nobody is looking for her, Ryan!”

“Him.”

“Him. Whatever.”

“Look, I know it sucks.” Ryan said slowly, “But…we didn't even know him that well. I get that you feel responsible since we invited him to the event, but it’s not like we were super close or anything. I don’t get why you’re taking this so personally.”

Jacob looked at Ryan and felt like he was seeing him for the first time. They’d been best friends for a few years now; something that was easy when both their lives were nothing but games and an easy paycheque. This job at the print shop hadn't meant anything to either of them; it still didn't really, but unlike Ryan, Jacob couldn’t just put this behind him. Mei was missing, maybe hurt, and Ryan just…didn't care. He reached out and took Jacob’s shoulder again with a warm smile.

“Come on, new heroes are dropping tonight, if we pull an all-nighter we can get to silver rank by the early hours just like we used to. What do you say?”

Jacob scoffed and shoved Ryan away.

“I say you’re a selfish asshole who only cares about stupid games.”

“Stupid games? Dude, listen to yourself, calling our passion stupid?”

He really didn't get it, did he? Bret pulled his backpack tighter around his shoulders and walked to his car. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He muttered, getting in and stabbing the key into the ignition before Ryan could reply. 

By the time he got home, the steering wheel had imprinted on his skin thanks to his grip. On the one hand, Ryan was right; what else could he do? In Dreamscape, he’d been Gang, a badass who wouldn’t hesitate to take on a corrupt company that kidnapped his girlfriend. But out here? Out here, he was just some guy whose dad had enough connections to get him a job at a print shop. 

He spared a glance at his gaming PC, gathering dust in the corner of his apartment. Once upon a time he lived to play games, now he just came home and existed until it was late enough to go to bed. His thoughts were going in circles again, and he flopped down on the couch, desperate for some brainrot to take Mei off his mind. 

Of course, the first video he picked had an ad, an ad for Dreamscape. It was like a punch to the gut; there she was, smiling and winking at the camera. His Mei; she was as gorgeous as he remembered, and yet, there was something wrong. She looked too bubbly; they’d changed her outfit, and there was something missing behind her eyes. This was just a random picture; she wasn't his Mei. 

The words ‘Coming Soon!’ flashed across the screen and his heart ached. It might be his only chance, but maybe, he could buy the game day one, and she’d be there. They could escape together, or she could tell him where she was. 

Scenarios played out in his head, him heroically rescuing Mei from some terrible lab. She’s pretending like she had everything in hand and was just about to escape without his help, they’d both know it wasn't true, though. They’d flee the facility hand in hand, detonator in hand and kiss as the explosion blew the place sky high when they got outside. 

There was just one problem with his little fantasy, well, several, but one big one he kept butting up against. Mei wouldn’t be there in the real world, Brett would. A man. His work colleague, no less. All these months later, and he still didn't know how to reconcile these confusing feelings. 

At first, flirting with Mei had been a fun way to make her blush and enjoy checking out the hot body in front of him, but then it started to feel like something…more. Like, even if she was wearing a ratty old sweater and baggy jeans, he’d still want to have sex with her. Jacob wasn't sure if that was love, but it was more than he’d ever felt for any other woman, real or fake. 

The ad replayed again, and he watched his beloved smile and bounce over the screen. The weirdest part was, he didn't feel that way about her. Not this Mei, only his Mei. Aside from the costume change, they were identical, so what was up? Lust was never this complicated, so there was only one other option: he had to be in love. In love with a girl who only existed in cyberspace and whom he had no way of finding. 

~

Movies had given Brett a very specific idea of what being kidnapped would be like. He expected terror, threats, maybe a ransom; what he hadn't expected was boredom. He wasn’t sure how long exactly he’d been here; a few months at least. When he’d first been unplugged, he hadn’t thought to start counting the days until it became clear he wouldn’t be going anywhere for a long while. 

He sighed and fell back on the stiff bed in his dull, grey room, and remembered how exactly it had come to this. What felt like a lifetime ago, when he’d be Mei. 

~

She’d fallen, ass over tit, down that long black tunnel for what felt like far too long. By all rights, she should have been reduced to a fine red paste when she hit the ground, given the height, but instead, she flipped and managed a super hero landing with only minimal falling damage. Voices echoed down from the floor above, Gang’s loudest of all. He sounded panicked and then, all too quickly, he was gone. 

“Gang? Susu? Hey! Are any of you up there?” She’d called, but nobody answered. 

Then, figures started to appear from the shadows; she braced herself, giving her hips a wiggle in excitement; more things to hit! Instead of cyber ninjas or anything remotely appropriate, the people who appeared were in…suits. Not even the slick, black and professional kind that secret agents wore in films, just regular ass suits. She was being surrounded by middle managers. A thought that actually managed to be quite terrifying.

“Who the hell are you? What have you done to my friends and sister?”

One nodded curiously, looking her up and down.

“He has accepted the new personality wholesale. Fascinating. Tell me, what’s your real name?”
“Mei.” She’d answered without hesitation before realising they probably meant who she was on the outside. “Wait, no. Brett…you guys aren’t part of the game, are you?”

One of the suited figures shook his head; others looked at each other, raising their eyebrows and nodding, as if she were some pleasing new model of car they were considering. 

“Do you have any memory loss from your life before this game?”

“No, what is going on?”

“And yet you said Mei when we asked your name.”

“Because I thought you were part of the game!” She cried, only half lying. “I’ve been going by Mei for days now. It’s habit.”

“A habit you picked up quickly. Your brain waves are fascinating.”
Mei covered her head with her hand before realising how stupid that was and putting it down. 

“You have gone through the largest change of all your companions. We will be needing you for further study.”

The man said it coldly, factually, as if this had already been decided without her say. It probably had. 

“But the game is ending today.”

“Not for you.”

“Wait, what?”
And just like that, the suited figures disappeared. Not in a flash of light or a spray of pixels, just…gone. Like somebody has snapped their fingers and removed them from existence. 

“Um…hello?”

After a few minutes of yelling it became clear they weren’t coming back, so with nothing better to do, Mei climbed back up the endless stairs of the skyscraper to try and find the others. She found the office of the Eclipse Gang slowly repairing itself. Several Cyber Ninja guards stood, T Posing, while the room fixed itself and her hammer passed harmlessly through them. For the first time since she arrived, the world here felt fake. She could see all the cracks in the virtual reality; it felt…wrong, like waking up in The Matrix. 

The rest of the world was much the same. NPCs walked by, shops were there, but it all seemed colder now. People repeated the same lines of dialogue over and over, and went through the same animations. Maybe it had always been this way, and she just hadn’t noticed with her team around. 

Their apartment was the same, the items they’d forgotten to put back in their inventory were still there and everything. But no Susu Li, no Hua, no Gang. The last one hurt the most for reasons she didn’t want to think about. 

“He’s not Gang.” Mei reminded herself, “He’s Ryan and he’s a loser who doesn’t even like you.”

She wondered where they were right now, probably getting out of those pods back in their old bodies, laughing about how much fun they’d had. Did they know she was missing? Was she missing? Her health bar was still low, and there was nothing left to do, so despite how insane it felt, Mei curled up in bed and tried to sleep. 

The next morning, she was greeted with the same virtual world. Same NPCs, same dialogue, no missions to fill the time. So she started to explore. She figured out which buildings were real and which were just facades. She spoke to every NPC she could find, checked every store inventory, and ran across as many roofs as she could before hitting an invisible barrier. 

It took a few days for her to fully map out her tiny world, but when she had it, her heart sank. She had about twenty square city blocks in any direction before she’d hit a wall. The people and buildings beyond that point were nothing but pictures she could watch but not interact with. Twenty square blocks sound like a lot of space, but when it encompasses your entire existence, it feels rather small, especially when there is nobody here to talk to. Not unless she counted the shop owner who always waved and went ‘Hey there, need a pick me up?’ every time she walked past. 

A week passed. Then another. She wondered how much time had passed in the real world. People had to be looking for her by now, surely. Or rather, looking for Brett. She started to respond to the NPCs, more out of desperation than anything. At least she could pretend they were real people; she had all the dialogue memorised, so if she timed things right, she could almost trick herself into thinking they were having a real conversation. 

Eventually, doing that lost its lustre as well, and she started taking her hammer to the buildings. Smashing them up, hoping against hope for some sort of Truman Show scenario, where she’d knock down a wall and find a set and people she could actually talk to and get some answers from. That never happened, though, of course. 

She had been kicking a can along the virtual street one evening, wondering which of the seven meal options she was going to pick when it happened. A person. A real person, standing on the corner, looking around. It was a woman, datapad in hand, with short blue hair and armour that had been mixed with a maid aesthetic. Mei almost wept at the sight of her. Especially when she turned and spoke.

“Hey! Are you another player?”

“Yes!” Mei ran forward, grabbing the woman’s hands in hers. “I’m Mei! Who are you?”

“Kate…but I guess this character is called Lin?”

“I can call you whatever you like! I am so glad to see another person. Are you here for the beta test? What’s it like outside?”

“Um, I don’t know…you’re acting a little weird.”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just been…a really long time on my own.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Lin said, “You know, I’m a therapist in the real world, why don’t you tell me all about it?”

Looking back, that should have tipped Mei off. But she’d been on her own for god knows how long at this point and wasn't going to give up the chance to talk to a real-life person again. So they talked, Mei explained how she got here and what she had been doing for the last few, agonisingly lonely weeks of her life. It was only when she noticed the tiny red dot in the corner of Lin’s data pad that she finally got suspicious. 

“Why are you recording?”

“Oh, am I?” Lin laughed nervously, “I hadn't noticed.”

Mei’s eyes narrowed, and she summoned her hammer.

“You’re lying.”

“No I-shit. Compromised.”

A voice boomed over an invisible loudspeaker.

“That’s fine, we have enough, pull out.”

Those words made Mei’s blood chill; No, she didn’t want to be alone again! There was a few clicks, and Lin was gone. Mei held back the urge to scream. But then, to her surprise, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The world of Dreamscape wobbled before her eyes and faded to blackness, only to be replaced with the inside of her pod. 

Instantly, everything felt wrong. Her hips felt too square, her face too round; there was a prickle of hair on her chin and legs that felt downright grimey. Even laying down in this pod, she felt utterly wrong; her ass ached against the stiff back without all her extra padding and her chest felt oddly light. It was all so overwhelming that she didn't realise what was happening until the pod hissed open and a number of masked faces appeared above her.

“What is your name?” One asked.

“Mei,” She replied, without hesitation, only to cringe; that was the wrong answer. 

Or maybe it wasn't, considering how the group delightedly twittered among themselves as they helped her up. His legs wobbled like a newborn deer; they felt so weak, not just because her super strength was gone, but because they’d gotten thinner.

“How long have I been in there?” She asked, slightly terrified of the answer.

“A few weeks.”

The words were clipped, serious, without any care to the damage they inflicted. Two days had felt like a week during the demo, a few weeks…no wonder it had felt like months all on her own. It was a miracle she hadn't gone insane. Then again, maybe she had, judging by the fact that her body felt so off. 

One of the strangers sat her down on a bed, even sitting felt wrong. Her butt was too thin, her hips too square, there was no natural sway when she walked, or comfortable padding. Mei had to fight the urge to squirm. 

“How are you feeling physically?”
“Psychologically?”

“What gender do you most identify with?”

“Did being alone help you feel more female or male, considering the body you had?”

The questions came one after the other, but at rapid speed. The first few she answered, more out of shock than anything, but the longer it went on, the more irritated she got. After all that time alone, staying silent felt wrong, but she did it, out of pure stubbornness. 

That was the beginning of it all. The little room, the endless questions and diodes being attached to her head each morning, followed by a barrage of psychological questions. It quickly became apparent that she wasn’t going to be let go any time soon, even if they had let her out of the simulation. 

~

That had been months ago. At least as far as Brett could tell. He’d stopped counting days now; there didn't seem to be much point. After a few weeks, he’d started to naturally go by Brett again, and started to think of himself as a man, but it still didn't quite feel right. He wondered if this is what it felt like to be transgender; just always subtly off about how your body looked and felt. 

The wall next to his bed groaned, and the bathroom opened up. Brett got to his feet to have a shower, out of habit. He didn’t have much to do these days, so he wasn't sweating much. At least a five-minute shower once a day broke up the monotony. The shower was nothing more than a little crevice in the wall that opened; no privacy to speak of. Brett was sure they were watching. He could refuse, of course, for the sake of dignity, but after a few days, that got old and smelly. 

He stripped down to the white sweatpants and long sleeve shirt that were now the only clothes he owned and turned on the water, letting the hot spray hit him square in the chest. His chest was flat, and the water flowed over the chest hair that still felt wrong there. There were no breasts, no cleavage for drips to slide down. He missed them and had no idea how to feel about it. 

The shower was where his dysmorphia was at its strongest, probably because he could see and feel everything in such stark detail. He hated his flat ass, his hairy legs, and the lightness in his chest and head. He was used to having long pink hair that got weighed down by water in the shower. He looked down at himself in irritation; it was bad enough being a prisoner in this facility, let alone being a prisoner in his own body. Secretly, he wished they’d put him back in Dreamscape. 

The water shut off, and he sighed before drying off. As soon as he was dressed, the door slid open, confirming they had to be watching somehow. In strode a familiar face, a scientist he hadn't bothered to learn the name of, clipboard in hand. Time for yet another set of questions. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Do you miss the game?”

“Are you more male or female today?”

As usual, Brett stayed silent; he didn't want to give them the satisfaction. The scientist continued to needle him until, to his own surprise, Brett spoke.

“Why are you doing this?”

The scientist blinked and quickly scribbled something down. 

“Seriously, what do you hope to gain from it?”

The man hesitated for a moment, perhaps weighing up whether telling the truth would get him more useful ‘data’. 

“A better understanding of human physiology and the concept of gender.”

“And kidnapping people and trapping them in a simulation is the best way to do that?”

“It’s all for the great good and understanding of mankind.”

“That sounds like some high and mighty bullcrap.”

The man didn’t reply again after that.

~

Jacob knew he was sulking. It was immature, but he couldn’t help it. Ryan wasn't being much help; he was still upset he didn't want to game anymore, and Nari was out of platitudes after several months. At least she was still worried about Brett, he could tell, but worry could only do so much. Hence, the sulking. 

At least while the shop was empty, the second somebody walked in he’d put on that fake customer service smile and serve them, mostly because the quickest way to get rid of a customer was to give them what they needed so he could go back to being miserable. He’d just finished with one and let his smile fall as the door closed behind them.

“You’re working hard,” Nari said quietly. Jacob just shrugged.

“What else is there to do?”

“That never made you work hard before.”

Jacob laughed a little, but it sounded bitter. She was right. 

“I guess, Brett was always on our asses, I want to make Me-him proud.” 

“If only you could have done that while he was here instead of driving him up the wall.”

Jacob flinched and Nari gave him an apologetic look.

“Sorry, that came out…wrong.”

“I’ll say.”

“Brett would be happy you’re taking things more seriously, that’s all I meant.” 

“Yeah…okay.”

He had no idea how to feel about Brett. Which was weird, because his feelings for Mei were so strong and clear; technically, they were the same person, but it was just so hard to think of them that way. Mei was fiery, a tease, and the hottest woman he’d ever met, and Brett was his older coworker who used to get on his case about watching game trailers during shifts. 

“Dude, holy fuck!”

Ryan practically fell between them, arm outstretched with his phone open. 

“They’re releasing the full game! Next week.”

The three of them stared at the phone and Jacob felt his heart lodge into his throat. Dreamscape was releasing, the full game, available for both PC and virtual pod experience in just one week. Mei was sitting on the side of the banner, hammer in hand with a wink and her tongue sticking out. But she wasn’t his Mei, not the real one. 

“How can they release that thing?” Nari hissed, “Do you think they kidnapped anybody besides Brett?”

“What if it’s like that anime we watched,” Ryan said animatedly, “where opening day, anybody who plays gets sucked into the game and has to survive for a whole year, and if you die in the game, you die in real life!”

“Try not to get a boner talking about it.” Nari scolded, “That’s a stupid TV show.”

“It’s one of the highest rated-”

“It’s not important right now!”

Jacob tuned them out. He was too busy staring at the announcement, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Soon, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of players would be running around wearing that skin. It felt sick, the idea that he could log in and see a dozen different Mei’s on the street, but none of them would be ‘real’. His lost love's face on a thousand strangers. 

That was the moment he realised he was in love with Mei. Not lust, like he’d thought, real love. He missed more than just that incredible body; he missed that smile, the way she teased him, how well they fought together back in Dreamscape. Brett or no, he loved Mei, and he wasn’t about to give up on her. What had he been thinking, sitting on his ass this whole time when she needed him? 

“Hey, man. Where are you going?” Ryan asked.

Jacob didn’t even realise he’d stood up. Nari looked at him warily. 

“Jacob?”

“I’m leaving.”

“But your shift isn’t over.”

“Did I stutter?”

One of them probably called out to him as he left, but Jacob ignored it. He had a one-track mind now: he was going to save Mei. He’d figure out the logistics of Brett later; right now all that mattered was getting access to Dreamscape early and saving his love. 

~

Brett knew his schedule by now: wake, bored, questions, shower, more questions, sleep. It was a dull existence, but a predictable one. So when one of the scientists walked in right after he woke up, he knew something was different. 

“How would you feel about going back into the game?” One asked, and Brett felt his heart lodge in his throat.

On the one hand, he wanted to jump at the chance. He wanted nothing more than to have his Mei body back and all the confidence and strength that came with it. But on the other hand, being at this company's mercy even more than he already was didn’t seem like the best choice. Then again, maybe he could get word out via the game, maybe he could find a real player to tell the police what was happening, after God knows how long in this facility, the odds of him being rescued seemed slim to say the least. Trying to escape via Dreamscape seemed like his only option. 

“I’ll go back in.”

~

It was hard to contain his excitement as they led him toward the pod. It was laid out in a small room, the walls coated in monitors that seemed to measure everything from brainwaves and heart rate to things that didn’t even make sense. How did they measure ‘arousal’? And had they been doing that the whole time before? The thought made his cheeks flush. 

Brett did his best to seem nervous as they opened the pod up and let him climb inside. He didn't want to seem too eager, but the idea that in just a few moments he’d be Mei again made him want to jump for joy. He’d lived in this male body for so long, and yet now, it felt like a shell, like his real self was waiting to come out; pink hair and all. 

He settled into the pod, feeling his heart race as the diodes were attached and the roof closed over him with a quiet hiss. There was a rumble as the machine came to life, and the visor over his eyes turned black. That strange jolt moved through his chest, and his whole body went numb for a moment before he was suddenly standing in that empty black void. 

But he wasn't alone.

There he was, his real self, pink pigtails flowing down her back, hips cocked to the side, giant hammer slung over her shoulder and a grin on her perfect lips. 

“Hi There!” She beamed, just like last time. “I’m Mei Li! I’m a brawler, so you better watch out. Even with all my strength, I am pretty good at keeping my cool, well, except when my little sister Susu is in danger! Then you’ll feel my wrath!”

“Hell yeah, I will.” Brett grinned, punching the sky and not even caring if those freaks were watching. 

Mei Li shattered into cyan pixels that flowed over and around him, like glittering swarming fish that then sank into his skin, leaving a warm tingling sensation in their wake. Last time, his transformation had been humiliating, even a little scary. This time it was pleasure incarnate. 

Brett leaned on his knees and groaned in delight as he felt his ass start to inflate, straining against his sweat pants until they disappeared in a flash of pixels. For a second, his bare ass was on display before the familiar pair of booty shorts spread themselves across his cheeks. Not that it made much of a difference, the fabric was practically painted on and left nothing to the imagination. 

The tight-fitting pants pushed his cock and balls in, and he sighed in relief, feeling them slowly melt away. It was almost like his length was being consumed, back up inside him and in its place was a warm, wet hole and soft pussy lips that were immediately soaked. 

His hips stretched, and Brett couldn’t help but sway them a little side to side, feeling the bones click as his legs smoothed over. His spine popped, and Brett grinned, stretching his arms up and feeling his chest tingle. This time, he looked down in anticipation and watched as his breasts ballooned into being; round, bouncy and ready for all the jiggle physics. 

After weeks in his boring, square body, it felt so good to have curves that moved all by themselves again. A quick turn on his dainty toes, and he felt his ass bounce and his chest shake; God, it felt so good! 

His nails sharpened and turned a pretty shade of pink as he ran them across his skull. His hair grew in response, turning that hot pink shade he’d missed so much before, magically twisting itself into the twin pigtails. Electricity sparked across his skin; all the tiny details of his body quickly changing; sin smoothing, thighs thickening, it all felt so good he could-

“Ohhhhhh!”

A shiver ran down his spine, and Brett felt himself cum. It was only a small orgasm, but it was enough to make the transformation perfect and complete. 

“Hi there!” He yelled, listening to Mei Li’s voice echo through the void. “I’m back!”

He was complete again; no, she was complete again. 

The ground disappeared from beneath Mei’s feet, and she closed her eyes and let herself fall. Wind whistled in her ears as she tumbled down into the familiar city. It had been her prison, but as she opened her eyes and saw the glittering skyscrapers and graffiti hurtling closer, she grinned. It was like coming home; if being here meant being herself, she could learn to live with it. 

Mei hit the ground hard, but in this body, it didn’t matter. She stood up instantly and breathed in the fresh, digital air. A few seconds later, another figure appeared, Susu li, but Mei could tell from the odd glassy look in her eyes that this wasn't Nari. This was just a puppet.

“Hey!” Susu waved. “I’m here to help you be less lonely till the game launches! And find out how you’re feeling, tell me, do you feel more female now?”

Mei glanced down at her rack and raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah. Kinda.”

“According to our data, you are relieved to be back in your female body. Would you consider yourself a full woman now?”

Mei Li narrowed her eyes at the obvious bot Susu.

“You’re just an avatar, right?”

“That is correct!”

Mei slammed her hammer into the figure and smiled, watching the doll fly into a nearby wall with a satisfying thunk. She rematerialised a few seconds later, same blank smile on her face. At least here, Mei could let those bastards know exactly what she thought of them. 

~

Jacob sat hunched over his keyboard in the dim light of his apartment. The sun had set hours ago, but he hadn't gotten up to turn on the lights. As soon as he’d gotten home, he’d turned on his dusty computer and sent motes flying as his fingers bashed against the keys. He’d been searching online for hours. He needed a Dreamscape code. If he could get in now, mine the data, he could search every part of the game for Mei. The real Mei. 

Games got leaked all the time. All he needed was the right person and a single early-access key, and the right tools to crack it open.

It was on an old, invite-only forum he hadn't used since high school that he finally found something. A thread: “Pre-Launch: DS Client Dump” posted by somebody called SimzL33t. Jacob didn’t hesitate. He sent a message, bluffing with claims of inside contacts and debug tools. SimzL33t didn’t seem impressed but responded two hours later with a burner ProtonMail account and a price. 

Jacob didn’t flinch. He transferred the funds, it was almost everything he had but that didn’t matter, and minutes later, a link appeared. He downloaded the 18.4 GB package. Every second that passed, watching the download bar fill felt like an eternity. When he finally opened the folder, there it was: DS_proto-client-x84.exe. 

This was it. His ticket in. 

Now, he just needed one extra thing. And thanks to his searching around, he knew exactly where to look.

~

There were two versions of Dreamscape, one for the PC and one that would only be accessible via the virtual reality pods. With the launch in only a week, the location of the YuMio arcades were a topic of much discussion online. Avid fans had kept their eyes peeled for signs of arcades in their local area. If it weren’t for what happened during the beta test, Jacob probably would have been one of the ones searching and avidly waiting for a book website so he could be there day one. 

Now he was going a week early.

One of the locations had been scouted out, a small building in the local mall. The signs were still covered, but peeling back one to reveal YuMio’s avatar was all the confirmation he needed. If the game was launching in just a week, the pods had to already be installed and inside. 

He spent a good ten minutes standing in the alleyway behind the shop, staring at the back door and making sure there weren’t any security cameras. Somebody was going to discover him, that was for sure, but the longer he had before somebody inevitably unplugged him, the better. 

“Okay, Jacob, now or never.”

He could feel blood rushing in his ears as he slipped the lockpick into the door. Jacob had never broken the law before; he hadn't even picked a lock, just watched a bunch of tutorials online in an incognito tab. God knows if that would actually help if the police searched his computer. Consequences could wait, Mei couldn’t. It took an embarrassingly long time to finally click the door open, and when it finally did he winced, waiting for a siren that didn’t come. 

The whole situation felt terrifyingly real as he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Hearing the lock click back into place made all the dread he’d been pushing aside crash down over him. There was no going back now; he’d broken in, may as well go all the way. 

It didn't take long to find the main arcade floor and power up a single pod. The USB slotted into the side, and Jacob punched the air with relief and excitement as the chair lit up. The computer at the side showed the exe file running, and then, the pod opened. Jacob’s hands were shaking as he climbed in and hit the button to close it behind him. The visor closed, and the character select screen came up. A few seconds later, he was falling into Dreamscape City, ready to find and save his love. 

~

Escaping Susu Li was surprisingly easy. Whoever was controlling her was obviously playing on a PC, not inhabiting the body and that made her so much more rigid in her movement. Not that it mattered much, they must have been tracking her location somehow because she always turned up again. Mei didn’t mind playing escape; the babysitter was actually pretty entertaining. 

She was just enjoying being back in her old body. Some things were different; they’d updated her outfit a little, made the colours brighter, added more belts, and to her surprise, lessened the jiggle physics. Weird, she almost missed the way her tits would move independently of one another. Sure, it was unrealistic, but it felt wonderful. They still moved a lot, but it felt more subdued. 

“The fellas won't love that.” She snickered to herself, thinking back to that conversation Ryan and Jacob had with her at the print shop. 

They’d complained that a girl in skimpy armour was woke, how would they be feeling right now when they found out that the jiggle physics were toned down? She giggled at the memory, but then felt her heart ache. She missed them. Well, she missed Gang specifically. Not that she could ever in a million years admit that she had a soft spot for him. 

She shook her head free of such thoughts; she needed to get her head in the game. By her count, she had maybe three or four minutes before Susu appeared again; she needed to use that time wisely. She wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for, only that she’d know it when she saw it. Some way to contact the outside world. 

She checked every terminal she could find, finding only shop inventories and game menus; of course, the ‘Exit’ tab was conveniently greyed out for her. Not that she would have hit it anyway, she was in no rush to age ten years and become a man again. She typed away, trying to find a folder or file that could help her until another memory slowly wormed its way to the front of her mind. 

Once, back when she was Brett, she’d overheard Ryan and Jacob talking about a broken game. She didn’t remember all the details, but one thing stuck out, how easy it was to break games. They were developed over such a long period of time, little bits of code got left swept under the proverbial rug, and the simplest things could set it off. In a game as big and complicated as Dreamscape, there had to be something. The voice of a thousand tired IT workers on the end of a phone help line echoed through her brain: have you tried turning it off and on again? Have you tried CTRL+ALT+DEL? 

“It wouldn’t be that easy, right?” She whispered, trying the latter at a random terminal and balking when it brought up what looked like a normal PC screen. One without internet access.

“How can there not be access?” Mei hissed, leaning in closer, “Come on…”

The files all had names that meant nothing to her, random letters, numbers and words that led to more folders, with more confusing items. Finally, she saw something that made her freeze: network and player storage. Inside were more confusing files, but more importantly, there was a map of Dreamscape city, including several loading zones and empty areas that were separate from the main hub. One of which was a main processing room. If there were a place to get a message out, it would be there. 

“How the hell am I going to get there though…?” 

“Hi there, sis!”

Mei slammed her hand down on the console and reset it with a nervous smile.

“You’re back.” 

“Uh-huh! Can’t get rid of me that easily!”

“Yeah well, we’ll see about that.”

Mei had shattered the fake Susu into a wall enough times that her finishing move was locked and ready to go. With a fond smile, she hit her watch and felt her body start to move on its own. With a dramatic swing of her hips, she smashed her hammer against Susu, sending her flying into the air; Mei gave a nonexistent camera a wink and swung herself into the air, bashing her hips and ass right against Susu as she tumbled down. The woman flew across the skyline, disappearing in a twinkle while she landed gracefully back on her feet.

“Not bad, Mei.” She grinned, giving herself a slap on the ass. “God, I forgot how fun that felt. It’ll buy me some time, too.”

A flash of light in the corner of her eye made Mei turn, just in time to see several cyber ninja enemies spawning. The scientists were probably getting sick of her ditching her babysitter. If they expected it to annoy her, though, they were wrong, quite the opposite, really. Mei gripped her hammer tightly and cocked her hips to the side.

“You picked the wrong girl to mess with, fellas. I have a few weeks’ worth of frustration to work through.”

The ninjas came, and Mei laughed in utter delight as she bounced one off her hip and smashed him into the ground. God, it felt so good to move as a woman again, even if the jiggle physics had been turned down. She took down half a dozen before she took her first hit, and that just made her mad. So she went at them with even more power. She punched, she kicked, she swung her hips and hammer. She had almost finished them all off when she felt a shadow loom over her. 

A mini boss; when had he gotten here? His nunchucks were raised, and she didn’t have time to dodge. Mei braced herself, ready for the hit that never came because a second later, a distinctive blue sword sliced right through the boss’ chest. He burst into pixels, the cyan almost blinded Mei for a moment, but as they cleared, a new face appeared and her jaw dropped.

“Gang?”

“Mei!”
His arms were around her before she could think.

“I saw that fake Susu flying through the sky and I knew, I knew it had to be you! The real you!” Gang cried, “I’m so glad you’re alright!”
Mei didn’t know what to say. Gang was here; he could feel his body pressing against hers in just the way she’d missed. He’d saved her, again, and he was the first really friendly face she’d had in months. Tears welled in her eyes, but Mei blinked them back; he couldn’t know how much she cared! Not even now. 

A new shadow loomed over them, and Mei pulled back, spinning her hammer and sending the enemy flying. She flicked her hair over her shoulders and huffed.

“It’s good to see you, I suppose, but we are in the middle of a fight. Maybe leave the mushy emotions for after?”

Gang blinked in shock, then laughed and brandished his sword.

“You haven’t changed.”

“Like you’d want me to.”

He laughed and sheathed his sword. 

“We should go before more spawn,” Mei said, and Gang nodded before taking her hand and running. 

They ran through the streets, breathless and laughing. All the anxiety in the air vanished as they swung into an alleyway, and Mei tried to control her giggling.

“Oh, I missed you.” She sighed before she could stop herself. 

“Missed me, huh?” 

She rolled her eyes, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

“A little,” she scoffed, “I was fine without you.” 

The words tasted bitter on her tongue, a lie she couldn’t quite pull off. She could see the smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, the way his eyes crinkled with amusement. He knew her too well, and that realisation made her chest tighten.

“Liar,” he said, his tone warm. 

His words were like a challenge, and Mei felt her resolve crack just a little. She opened her mouth to retort, but her voice cracked, betraying her eagerness. She cursed herself silently, her cheeks flushing with heat. She remembered all those monitors back in the real world, including the one that somehow measured her arousal. Right now, those scientists were probably watching it with fascination. 

Gang took a step closer, his presence filling the narrow space between them. She could feel the pull of him, the magnetic force that drew her in when they first got here, even when she tried to push him away.

“Don’t act like you weren’t thinking about me,” he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that sent shivers down her spine. Mei’s breath hitched as he pressed her against the cold, graffiti-covered wall of the alley. 

Her heart was racing now, her pulse throbbing in her ears. She tried to maintain her composure, but his proximity was overwhelming. 

“I know we need to keep moving.” He muttered, “Find a way out of here…but first.”

Before she could respond, his lips were on hers, firm and demanding. Mei’s resistance crumbled in an instant. She surrendered to the kiss, her hands tangling in his hair as she pulled him closer. The months of separation melted away in that moment, replaced by a flood of desire that left her breathless and very, very wet. His hands slid down her sides, his touch electric through the thin fabric of her tight shorts. His armour vanished, leaving just the skin-tight shirt and pants he wore beneath. 

Mei moaned softly into the kiss, her body arching into his as he pressed closer. She could feel his hardness against her thigh; it had been so long that the want made her whimper. All that mattered was him, the way his lips moved against hers, the way his hands explored her body like he was rediscovering every inch of her.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured, “I was so worried.”

Mei held him tighter; he’d been worried about her. After months of not knowing if anybody even cared, she was gone, it felt good to know she was loved. 

She could feel Gang’s lips curve into a smile as he kissed his way down her throat, his hands sliding under her shirt to trace the curves of her breasts. She gasped, her head falling back against the wall as pleasure coiled low in her belly. Pleasure that doubled as he lifted down the low cut of her shirt and dipped his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth.

The sensation was electric, a jolt of pleasure that made her cry out. He suckled gently at first, his tongue swirling lazily before he switched to the other, his hands roaming over her body with a familiarity that made her knees weak. How many nights had she dreamed of this, hating how she couldn’t even get herself off imagining it because her pussy was gone. 

Gang’s hands moved between them, his fingers hooking into her underwear and shorts, sliding them down her legs. She kicked them off, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as he stepped back just enough to undo his own pants. She watched, her eyes wide, as he freed himself, his erection thick and flushed. 

“Miss this?” he teased.

“Shut up,” she muttered, and forced him to kiss her again.

Gang smirked against her lips, that arrogant smile that made her equal parts angry and horny. Mei wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms looping around his neck as he lifted her, his lips never leaving hers. The rough surface of the wall scraped against her back, but she didn't care. She could feel him positioning himself at her entrance, her body already wet and eager for him.

Both of them knew this was a waste of time. Who knows how long they had till somebody caught up, or took her out of the simulation entirely. They should have been trying to get to that control centre, not fucking in an alley, but right now, Mei couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. 

Gang didn’t hesitate; he thrust into her in one smooth motion that made her cry out. The sensation was overwhelming, his thickness filling her completely, the stretch delicious and long overdue. He began to move, his hips snapping against hers as he fucked her with a rhythm that was both urgent and deliberate. Mei moaned, her head falling back as she clung to him, her nails digging into his shoulders. 

It didn’t take long. Mei’s eyes rolled back as her orgasm crashed over her, waves of pleasure rippling through her body. She cried out, her legs trembling as she held onto him, her nails leaving marks on his skin. He followed moments later, his thrusts stuttering as he filled her with his release.

For a moment, they stayed like that, their bodies pressed together, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. Mei’s heart was still racing, her body buzzing. She could feel his lips against her forehead, his arms holding her tightly as if he were afraid she’d disappear. 

“We need to move,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. Mei closed her eyes, her cheeks flushing as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah…”

The convenient thing about virtual reality sex was that putting clothes back on didn’t take long. So it didn’t take them long to start running and for Mei to share what had been happening to her these last few months, and her plan to get the word out. 

“I’ve been studying the game code,” Gang panted as they ran, “I’m no expert, but maybe I can help. How do we reach this control centre?”

“It’s in the undercity, an area of the game that shouldn’t be open till level twenty or higher. So we head down.”

“You do know a thing or two about going down.”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe I missed you.”

Even as she said it, Mei could still feel her pussy tingling as the lips rubbed together. It felt good, having a partner in crime again. Susu Li appeared once more, only to be banished to the stratosphere in a matter of seconds, and finally, they found a door that wasn’t set dressing. It led down into a black pit of nothingness.

“Guess they haven’t textured it yet?” Gang shrugged, “Let's go.”

The second they stepped onto the stairs, the world warped and shifted, the loading zone spun them across cyberspace and all at once, they were in an underground city, one devoid of NPCs. 

“This is creepy.”

“They probably haven’t got it loaded up, it’ll be a few weeks till people start getting access to this area.” Gang surmised, “Where to next?”

Mei looked around and felt it before she saw it. There was no explanation, but somehow, she knew the building at the centre would be the place they needed to go. The cavern loomed over them as they ran, a single red light shining down from the tip of the tower as they entered and started climbing the endless stairs. 

Mei wasn't sure what she was expecting when they reached the top, but it wasn’t a single computer console. It felt too…plain, especially with the half-rendered walls. Gang got straight to work, his eyes were steely, and Mei felt her heart thump just a little harder.

“No quips?” She teased, “You’re so serious.”

“This is serious business, it’s your life.”

Mei waited for the joke, but it didn’t come and somehow that made the butterflies in her stomach stronger. She was still grappling with her attraction to Gang, knowing who he was outside this place, now she was going to have to grapple with the idea of love? 

“Look, I found it.”

Gang stood aside and revealed a black and white screen filled with data that made no sense to her. What did, were the names and game characters. Mei looked at the list of names and personas and gasped. There was one for every main hero. Somewhere out there, somebody else had been captured and trapped in Gang’s body, another in Susu Li’s.

“They are using real people to map out the AI for their game.” She muttered, “That’s…insane. All while gathering data on gender analysis and dysmorphia?”

“And they picked you for Mei.”

“We have to send this information to…somebody, the police, I dunno.” She muttered, “We have to send it out there into the world so we can make sure anybody else who’s trapped gets out.”

“We will, just one more thing…”

Gang typed furiously until finally, he found it. An IP address and a location to go along with it. 

“There.” Gang breathed, “That’s you.”

“Brett.” She corrected, “Out there, I’m Brett.”

“Right…”

Gang shook his head and began typing furiously.

“We can worry about that later. Right now, I need to email all this to the authorities.”

As if on cue, a peppy, slightly off-kilter voice echoed through the half-finished room.

“Hello there! A bit off the beaten track, aren’t you?”

Susu Li blinked at them expectantly. 

“We’ll be unplugging you now.”

“Oh no you won't!”

Mei grabbed Gang’s arm before he could draw his sword.

“No, send the data, you’ll know where to find me.”

He swallowed and nodded, Mei risked one final kiss before rushing Susu. She knew it was hopeless; all they had to do was wake her up in the real world, but if she could at least keep the avatar off Gang long enough, it would be worth it. She only got one hit in before the world started to warble. Gang was yelling, and Mei turned just in time to see him punch Susu across the room before the world went numb.

~

When the pod opened, the world around him was in chaos. Time passed faster in Dreamscape than out here. What seemed like only a few seconds ago was really minutes, and that’s all the scientists at YuMio needed to panic. They didn’t even look at him as they rushed about, desperately trying to hide evidence and download files. Brett watches, feeling off in his male body again and silently hoping that Gang was alright. After a minute, he heard something that made his heart soar: Police sirens.

~

Epilogue

“I still don’t get it.”

“What’s there to get?”

“You got like, a million bucks in that settlement and yet you still want to work at a print shop?”

Brett laughed at Nari’s bewildered face. After everything they went through, it felt good to be back in his old life. Waking up in his own bed, going to his old job, it felt surreal. The months that had followed his rescue were a blur of court dates, interviews, flashing cameras, and so much more. YuMio’s reputation went right down the toilet of course, but the game was finished and, once a third party had verified it, safe.

“Not only that,” Nari continued, “But you spend your weekends in the game that tortured you for months!”

“I’d hardly call it torture, besides, the new company has made a lot of fun changes.” He shrugged, “All that data YuMio gathered about gender and identity; it might not have been the most ethical stuff, but it would be a waste not to put it to good use. So many people are using Dreamscape to live in the body they feel most comfortable in; it’s a good thing.”

Nari just shook her head in disbelief.

“You’ll never catch me in one of those pods again.”

Jacob stuck his head out from behind the shelf.

“You’re missing out, the new meta is fire.”

“Are you reading patch notes instead of filing again?” Brett asked with a knowing smile.

“...You can’t prove that.”

Brett just rolled his eyes and let Jacob be. He had actually turned into a pretty hard worker in the time he’d been missing. They still weren’t the best of friends, but there was an understanding there, especially because their alter egos were dating. 

Not everybody got it; even Brett struggled to understand some days, but there was a clear line between him and Mei. They were the same person, and they weren’t. During the week, he was Brett, single, male, in his forties. On the weekend, he was Mei, young, beautiful and hopelessly in love with Gang, not that she would say it out loud often. 

Jacob and Gang, Brett and Mei, they were both two sides of the same coin. They had reached an understanding. Brett and Jacob were colleagues, Mei and Gang were lovers and that worked for them. Brett wasn’t sure if it made him trans or gay or what; in the end, it didn’t matter. He was free, he was happy, and he had everything he needed. 

“Alright, let’s get back to it. We only have an hour till knock off, and I want this place in tip-top shape so I can walk right out that door.”

He had a booking at a Dreamscape Arcade, and so did Jacob. It had been a busy week, and they were both ready to blow off some steam. 

“By the way.” Jacob whispered when Nari disappeared, “Check your account, I got Mei a little something.”

Brett opened his phone and found the alert, smirking when he saw the new skin. Skin was an apt name, like most of the ones for female avatars; the outfit had more bare skin than cloth. A bikini top and pants with a pair of strappy heels that would be utterly impractical on a real beach. But something told Brett Mei wouldn’t have any issues walking on the sand in them. Brett looked at the clock and started counting down the minutes till Mei took the wheel.