He Chose

His body. Their terms and conditions.

Nov 24, 2025

The new office still smelled like primer.

Senator David Reis rubbed his temple. He capped the empty vial, his daily T shot, and tossed it in the wastebasket. Ritual done. The antitrust briefing was at noon.

Anya leaned in the doorway. “Five minutes, David. Your nine o’clock is here.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Bolus. From IDENTAS.”

David frowned. “A donor?”

“He says you’re an alumnus.”

Bolus was thin. His suit was gray. Even his eyes seemed filtered, like grayscale video.

“Congratulations on the win, Senator,” Bolus said. His voice was flat. “We’re very proud of our placement.”

“Placement?” David asked. “I appreciate the support, but…”

“Not support.” Bolus tapped his tablet. “Therapy.”

David felt the air get thin. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Bolus turned the tablet. “Phase Three Phenotype Expression Trial. 2010. Participant 449B.”

It was his old face. The one before.

“My medical history is sealed,” David said.

“Your medical history is,” Bolus agreed. “Your license agreement is not. You are our most successful proof of concept.”

David’s throat burned. “You can’t own me.”

“Ownership,” Bolus said, “is a legal fiction. But fiction pays the bills.”

He nodded toward the wastebasket. “Your vote on the antitrust bill is next week. We need you to vote no.”

“Or what?”

“This is a subscription, Senator. Not a cure.” Bolus’s eyes flicked down, then back up. Taking inventory.

He placed a matte-black card on the desk. “Anya has my number.”

When the door shut, David swore the primer on the walls smelled stronger. Like the room itself was still drying around him.

That night, his skin began to itch. He searched IDENTAS. Nothing but shell companies, patents, trial abstracts.

He posted on X: Corporate ghosts knocking. Stay tuned.

Two minutes later, the call came.

“Violation of Clause 9,” Bolus said. “Your account status is now subscription-pending.”

Then silence.

The itch bloomed down his throat. His voice cracked when he tried to curse.

He went to the bathroom. Opened the cabinet. The vials were there, three of them lined up on the glass shelf. He pulled one out. Held it to the light.

His phone buzzed. He checked the screen.

The app showed his prescription flagged. Red text: Authorization required. Contact provider.

He tried the other vials. Same message.

The medicine was in his hand. He couldn’t use it.

He opened his front camera and went live.

“IDENTAS owns my transition,” he said. “They want my vote, or they take my body. Fight with me.”

Thousands joined. He scrolled through the comments, watching the numbers climb.

His vision blurred. He blinked hard. The phone shook in his hand.

“Fight with me,” he said again. His voice cracked higher.

The itch was inside now, crawling under his ribs. His throat felt wrong. He tried to swallow.

“Fight with…” The words came out breathy, thin.

His legs buckled. He caught himself on the sink. The phone slipped, clattered on the tile. The camera still faced the ceiling, the light fixture sharp and white.

“Fight…” Barely a whisper.

Then a thud. Out of frame.

The stream kept running. The comments scrolled. The view count climbed.

The light fixture didn’t move.

He woke in a hospital room. At least it looked like one. The doctors outside spoke in muffled tones. He was trending.

#HeChose already climbing.

His voice, high now, breathy, sounded like an echo of someone else.

Bolus appeared in the doorway, tablet in hand.

“Per Clause 17B, you’re non-compliant,” he said. “We can’t authorize treatment. Unless you sign.”

David’s hand hovered. His knuckles looked smaller.

He glanced at his phone on the bedside table. The live stream still rolling. The comments raced by: We see you. We see you. We see you.

He looked into the camera.

He smiled, barely.

Then he hurled the tablet at the wall.

“You have until midnight,” Bolus said.

Then he left.

David turned back to the phone. The stream was still running. Thousands of eyes on him.

He reached toward it.

The light changed.

Postscript:

“IDENTAS Health Systems announced Senator Reis is ‘receiving care’ following an undisclosed medical event. The hashtag #HeChose is trending in 47 countries. His office has not responded to requests for comment.”

THE END