Just a quick note, the rest of the book will be in Chase's POV :)
*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*

I winced as the sudden exposure of light washed over me, the bright white becoming too much to bare. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut again, attempting to let them adjust to the sudden change in brightness. 

I could faintly make out a man muttering. I couldn't make out much over the pounding in my ears; I could just hear the quiet rambling about steady heart rates, dilated pupils, and brain waves fluctuating normally.

I groaned as I slowly tried to sit up, my eyes still pressed closed, all the while being constantly reminded of the throbbing headache that had formed at the back of my head.

The intensity of the ringing in my ears slowly started to die down, and I could make out the voices of people I knew.

I quickly opened my eyes, wincing again as the light re-entered them, and waited for my vision to focus. Sure enough, I instantly saw two familiar faces looking back at me - one grinning widely and the other looking concerned.

"Hey Chase!" Leo said, a little over eagerly.

I nodded in response. It was only then that I registered my surroundings. I was in a small room full of machinery and wires. The bed I was sitting on was located in the middle of the room, with a small metal table next to it. There was also a mirror on the other side of the room, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Apart from that and a few clustered chairs, the space was pretty much empty. The decor was pretty plain as well; the room consisted of blank white walls, a white tile floor, and a window on each of the four walls. Basically, the room I was in was pretty much you're average stereotypical hospital room. But how did I get there? And why was I there?

"Chase?" Mr Davenport asked slowly, taking a small step back. I don't know why, but he sounded unsure; as if he wasn't sure if it was actually me he was talking to.

"Yeah?" I replied, instantly regretting it.

My voice sounded deeper than usual, but was also softer. 

I glanced over at Leo, who was looking down at the ground sadly.

I looked down at myself. For some reason I was a lot skinnier and wasn't as muscular. Confused, I frantically climbed out of bed, cursing under my breath as dizziness washed over me. Weirdly, the floor appeared a lot closer than usual, as my feet seemed to touch it as soon as I swung my legs out of the bed. I shook the thought off and scrambled over to the mirror, only to wish that I'd stayed in bed. Staring back at me was a man who wasn't me. The man looked in his twenties as opposed to me being eighteen. His brown hair was sleeked back into a perfect quiff, where as mine is spiky and a lighter shade. His green eyes contrasted well with his pale skin tone, but my eyes were hazel and I had tanned skin. But, the one major difference that really struck me was definitely the hight comparison: the man in the mirror was almost twenty centimetres taller than me.

I spun back around, stumbling slightly, and looked at my two family members.

"Is this some sort of a sick joke?" I spat, cringing at the sound of my 'voice'.

Leo bit his lip and looked up at Mr Davenport, who just shook his head.

My eyes grew wide. "What the hell has happened to me then!?"

"You died" a voice called from the side of the room.

I watched as Mr Davenport attempted to conceal an eye roll. I turned around to meet the guy that Mr Davenport so evidently hates.

"Hi there Chase," the man said, extending a hand. I stared at it, not sure whether or not to take it. In the end, the man shrugged and shoved in into his trouser pocket. "My name's Cliff York. I used to be an associate of you're fathers. Anyway, I'm the guy who saved your life".

I stood there in shock, not sure how to respond.

"I-- wha--. What d'you mean I died?" I finally replied.

Cliff sighed.

"Chase," Leo said, stepping in front of me. "What do you remember?"

"Well," I started, slightly taken aback by the question. "I remember you guys, if that's what you're going at. I mean, the last thing I remember is going on the apartment fire mission. I don't remember even coming to this place though".

Leo nodded and bit his lip.

"You nearly died on that mission, Chase," Mr Davenport suddenly said. 

I turned to face him, confused. 

"You kept on dying, your heart kept stopping, and there was nothing I could do. None of the doctors could save you..."

"Then Dr. York offered to help, and here you are," Leo finished.

I shook my head, still unable to understand what the hell they were talking about.

"I offered to let you be a part of a new program I've been working on," Cliff stated. "This project allows promising young adults, like yourself, to, in a way, cheat death so that they can fulfil their true potential. In short, without all the scientific theories to bore you, we were able to transfer your consciousness into a newer, healthier body".

I was still confused.

"How is that even possible?" I asked, looking down at my 'new body'.

"I helped work on creating you. Mr Davenport ever tell you that you were grown from a bunch of separate DNA cells? I specialise in genetics, and have been working on this theory ever since your father shot me down. None of my colleagues thought it was possible, to transfer a living consciousness into another body; they all thought I was mad. But you're my proof. All my work standing right in front of me... Honestly, if I were working on an ordinary human being, this probably wouldn't have worked at all. But you, Chase Davenport, aren't an ordinary human being. Your bionic chip, holding onto pieces of you subconscious... that's what made most of this possible. Not only that, I-"

"Just, shut up for a moment, OK!" I interrupted, trying to wrap my head around all of this.

"Chase, it was the only option," Mr Davenport said calmly.

"No! It wasn't!" I spat back at him. "Honestly, I'd rather've died than be forced to live in some poor other guys body!" 

I paused for a moment before turning to Dr York. "Is there anyway that you can get me back?"

Cliff shook his head. "You're body was completely fried. Practically none of your organs were working. The only thing keeping you alive was your chip, which built itself around your own personal conscience".

I cursed.

"I know, it was selfish of me to do that to you. But, I don't think we would've coped without you! Adam and Bree, they're crumbling without their team leader. I need you Chase, we all do..."

I watch as tears started to stream down the side of my fathers face, listening to him ramble on about how much I really ment to him. It touched a place in my heart, to know thst I'm more than just 'flash glue'. I sighed and nodded.

"Sorry," I choked out.

Cliff cleared his throat.

"Well, despite the body swap, you still have your bionic abilities. Don't worry, you're still the smartest man alive".

I smiled slightly.

"But," Cliff continued, "you are going to have to have a new identity".

"Why?"

"Seriously? Smartest man alive sure does come up with the stupidest questions. How do you think people'll react when they find out about this operation? We need to keep this a secret, especially from the rest of your family".

"I can't tell Adam or Bree?"

"No! They think you're dead, Chase. They'll go berserk if they find out you're actually alive, let alone looking like that!"

"But if I don't tell them they'll blame themselves for my 'death'".

"Sometimes lying is better than knowing the truth".

I sighed. He did make a pretty good point.

"Right," Leo said, clapping his hands together for effect. I could tell he was getting way too excited about all of this. "You're new identity is Gavin Fowler. You're twenty-five years old and have knowledge in anthropology, cellular biology, computers, and nanotechnology. You're currently Mr Davenport's intern, so you still get to hang around in the lab. You were born in Virginia as an only child and both of your parents died in a car crash when you were nineteen".

"You really put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" I asked.

Leo's raised an eyebrow.

"And, apparently, Gavin Fowler can sound extremely sarcastic, even when he's not trying to be."

I laughed, earning a triumphant grin from Leo.

"Well then," Mr Davenport said awkwardly. "Ready to go home Ch-Gavin?"