2: The (un)willing test pilots
The Gritek Industries Research Center loomed menacingly over the outskirts of Newhaven. As a technology leader in micro-robotics and nanotechnology, top secret tools for security technology and military appliances are being developed here... as far as the company management was concerned.
“No no no!” Cassandra Adela von Rabensprung's annoyed voice echoed through Test Hall C.
"Charm, elegance, Grazie! This is supposed to be a promotional video, not a horror movie! Nobody will invest in us if you keep flopping across the floor like a fish out of water. Let's start over again!"
The target of Cassandra's nagging, a woman, was lying in the middle of the room. At least according to her outline, it was a woman, for she was covered from head to toe in a seamless latex-like fabric, which forced her legs together, and her arms behind her back.
The figure let out a frustrated groan and tried to sit up, but without much control over her limbs she failed miserably and remained recumbent, completely exhausted.
“This isn't going to work.” Cassandra rolled her eyes in annoyance and shouted, "Pack up everything! We'll continue from here tomorrow!"
Two lab assistants immediately rushed up behind her, picked up the helpless form, strapped her to a trolley and disappeared into the depths of the building.
Cassandra rubbed her temples. "What a letdown. Not a single one of the contract slaves is any good as a promo model. It's no use," she grumbled. Her mind was already preparing itself for another fruitless day tomorrow when she had a different idea. A devious smile spread across her face as she pulled out her cellphone.
Next Day
It was still early morning when Ember stood in front of the imposing Gritek Research building with a queasy feeling. She and Cassandra had never been particularly close.
Her older cousin was imperious, had endless resources at her fingertips and had a habit of treating the people around her like her personal toys. It was a terrible combination, given that she also had a penchant for bondage. Even now, in her mid-twenties, Cassandra was the kind of girl who would learn a new knot and start practising on whoever she could get her hands on, be it an unlucky maid or her very own younger siblings.
But since Ember had started her studies at Newhaven University, the relationship had changed. Cassandra had been very eager to catch up with her cousin and regularly kept exchanging messages about city-life, kinks and her research. And today was no different.
“Nano-latex suit,” she mumbled, feeling her discomfort give way to curiosity. Cassandra was not someone you wanted to make an enemy of, and anyway, this opportunity was far too tempting.
“Emilia!” Cassandra greeted her cousin with a put-upon smile and open arms in front of the main entrance. She was wearing a long lab coat with meticulous business attire underneath.
Ember winced at the sound of her real name and shook her head “I keep telling you Cass. Just call me Ember or Em, as long as we’re in the city.”
Cassandra's grin widened "Sure thing, Emi. Come on now, let's get going."
She grabbed the young coed by the hand and led her through the interior of the building. Staff at the facility quickly stepped aside and guards waved them past as they made their way through exhibitions and checkpoints, deeper into the building.
“Wow, this place is impressive! But what about the picture you sent me yesterday? I thought Gritek only produced security tech equipment?”
“Oh, they do too. This is an ongoing… private project“
”And what does your father think about you using his company's research department to develop this-“ Ember blushed “...stuff?”
Her raven-haired cousin merely laughed mischievously and waved it off "They don't need to know anything. I didn't ask anyone before I commissioned the department to develop a nano-mesh with rubber molecules and, to be honest; I wouldn’t even want to know the answer." Her eyes lit up with excitement, "But I'm telling you, once we're done here, this ‘stuff’, as you call it, will sell better than any battle armour! I'm already in negotiations with the market leader in the field of latex gear, who can’t wait to get their hands on the material."
The two women came to a halt in front of Test Hall C and Ember found herself getting unceremoniously ushered into a side room.
“Here we are. Get changed and meet me in the main hall” and with that Cassandra was gone.
The side room turned out to be a simple locker room, in the middle of hung shiny black bodysuit, draped over a simple rack. The familiar scent of rubber filled Ember’s nose, as she immediately recognised the suit from the pictures. She ran her hand over the material. Smooth to the touch, but slightly less flexible than she would’ve expected from regular latex.
“Well, here goes nothing.” she thought and quickly started undressing. The suit had no zipper but it was strangely loose-fitting, like a pick-black hazmat suit, so Ember could easily fit through the neck-hole. She noticed that a hood was attached to the collar, dangling in front of her chest.
“Good thing my privacy had been taken care of,” she muttered, quickly pulling the garment over her head. The suit now completely enveloped her except for the eyes and her long, blonde ponytail dangling behind her head.
Cassandra laughed cheerfully as Ember entered the testing hall, wearing the baggy looking suit.
“Looking good Emi! I've got everything up and running in the meantime.” She energetically waved her newest volunteer to a large open area in the center of the hall and disappeared behind a control desk with many screens. Her muffled chuckle could be heard. "Ready to go?"
Ember just nodded and made her way to the indicated spot.
“So tell me Cass, how exactly did you want me to promote this nanosuit- ahh!”
She felt a static shock and jerked back as the rubber around her came to life. Before she even realised what was happening, the suit began to shrink. The glossy material contracted until it stretched taut over her body like a second skin, exerting slight pressure on every inch of it.
“What the- Cass!?”
“Amazing, isn't it?” came from the control panel "With the press of a button your suit can take any shape I want. And don’t worry. It’s not gonna squeeze the life out of you. Now raise your arms!"
The latex-clad blonde did as she was told, but the suit only seemed to tighten and pull them back in the opposite direction. It took all her strength to keep her arms up and soon her muscles began to tire. Ember could do nothing but groan in exhaustion as her arms were pulled back relentlessly until they touched behind her back and merged with the suit.
“I bet I'm really starting to look like the woman in Cass picture now,” she thought. At least now that her arms and hands were firmly secured, the pressure on her body seemed to ease off somewhat.
Her puppeteer rose from her desk. There was an excited grin on her face, but beneath her icy blue eyes Ember recognised the cold, controlling look she knew all too well.
“Okay, this is definitely something new”, she said, trying to maintain composure. Despite the strange situation she couldn’t help but feel excited.
“Come on, don’t be coy. It’s not like this is your first time modelling in restraints, is it?” Cassandra's grin widened, and she pointed to several observation windows at the edge of the hall.
“And to answer your earlier question, Emi… You’ve been modelling ever since you stepped into the room. We have cameras rolling at all times. But don’t worry; you’re already doing better than any of the other volunteers. “She licked her lips in anticipation.
“I was thinking we can start by demonstrating your range of movement. How about showing off some of your dance moves?“
Without waiting for an answer, she typed something into the computer and Ember felt her heels being lifted off the floor. Startled, she stumbled forward as the suit formed lumps around her feet that morphed into a sort of tight ballet boot, which forced her into a tiptoe walk.
“Cass, you can't seriously expect me to perform a ballet- oww”
An electric shock jolted through her body, silencing any protests. Her cousin was still smiling, but Ember spotted a dangerous glint in her gaze.
“It's just another bondage shoot,” she sighed, accepting the inevitable, and carefully began her ballet routine.
"Pirouette! Fifth position! Fouetté! Third position! Arabesque!" Ember was dripping with sweat as she tried to follow the instructions faster and faster. The supposed “nano-material” did nothing to prevent this. Under normal circumstances this would be a real challenge, but without control of her arms it was a fight against the inevitable. In the end all it took was one overstep. The unwilling ballerina stumbled. Her leg was still frantically swinging around, in an attempt to regain balance, as she watched the floor moving towards her face and-
The latex in her suit suddenly hardened into a solid shell! The air was forced from her lungs as Ember suddenly froze mid-fall. Bent over, one boot stretched back while the other remained unyieldingly fused to the floor. A gasp escaped her lips.
Cassandra laughed with feigned enthusiasm "Excellent performance Emi! You didn't think I would make you hurt yourself, did you? That would never get this suit sold!" She clapped her hands.
Ember heard footsteps. The lab assistant’s feet appeared in her field of vision and a mat was pushed in front of her face. Her shell turned rubber again and she landed on the padding with a soft thud.
Too exhausted to complain, she just lay there. Breathing heavily, she rolled onto her side.
“So, how was this for a bondage demonstration?”
“Superb!” came from the other end of the room "Except I told you... this was just the range of movement demonstration. But I'm delighted you're so eager to move on to the bondage part."
Ember growled in frustration as the nano-latex suit began to buzz and change shape once again. Too exhausted to put up a struggle, she felt her arms being pulled up and folded into a merciless reverse prayer position. Her legs were encased in a hobble skirt, and the latex around her waist moulded into a rigid corset.
The sudden pressure against her lips no longer surprised her; after all, it was a bondage demonstration. She meekly opened her mouth as the rubber pried her jaw open and formed a ball that completely filled her oral cavity.
“It's just another bondage shoot,” she told herself, trying to stay calm. But that calm was abruptly shattered when she felt a similar pressure between her legs.
“Oh this f- ing pervert-” Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as two solid rubber dildos invaded her compressed abdomen, leaving her writhing and squirming on the ground.
She had to summon all her strength to roll over and turn her head towards the control panel. Cassandra just winked at her.
"You see now, why everyone is so keen on this suit? Anyway, that concludes your part in our shoot. I'll have to make sure everything is in order for the next round of business talks. I can’t wait to see the look on that witch’s face when she sees the footage! As for you, you'll stay in storage for me. I may even let you keep one of them if you get along well." She gave a cold laugh and another button was pressed.
“Eahh, whae ehe heaa aae you eaakinm aboue?“
Ember was slowly beginning to feel alarmed. What kind of scheme had Cass gotten her into this time? The shoot was over, wasn’t it? But she received no reply. Instead the floor beneath her swung open and she slid down a tube into the dark depths of Test Hall C.
??? Floor
The “storage” was a dark, featureless room. In its center, completely strapped in rubber, Ember lay on the cold concrete floor, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The buzzing of her suit stopped and the constant pressure on her body finally subsided. The nano-latex suit seemed to be slowly coming to rest, at least.
“Finally,” Ember thought, tensing her muscles, but the restraints remained. Her limbs remained stuck to her body.
The blonde latex doll looked around. The room was sparsely lit, so no walls could be seen. However, she could make out a passage to her right that led into a bright corridor and began to wiggle towards it. She groaned as the two rubber intruders shifted around inside her with each movement. The sensation was overwhelming, but she bit down on her gag and inched her way towards the exit.
Finally at the threshold, she leaned against the wall and hoisted herself into a standing position. But when she steadied her bound legs and took one first jump down the corridor, the motion drove the rubber invaders even deeper inside her. Her wobbly legs gave in, as waves of pleasure washed over her and she hit the floor in an inglorious climax.
Minutes passed as Ember just lay there, breathing heavily with her emotions running wild. She was angry at her cousin, but that couldn't be helped. Cassandra did whatever she wanted. No; even more, she cursed her own kinky curiosity that had, once again, gotten her into such a bondage adventure. This outcome had been predictable from the start, hadn't it? Now she was utterly stuck in and getting penetrated by the most advanced latex suit science could produce. For how long?
Oh no! She had given the modelling performance of her life. If Cass wanted to continue this perverse game, she had no choice but to play along. But she would play by her own rules and make sure to get back at that black-haired brat along the way.
Ember felt a newfound surge of strength returning and continued to squirm her way down the corridor in a quest for freedom.
The clinically white corridors beneath the Gritek research complex were deserted. Something in her favour at least, because the hopelessly bound figure writhing across the floor like a latex worm was in no position to escape anyone.
Her arms pressed painfully against her shoulder blades and the tight corset forced her to take frequent breaks to catch her breath, but Ember was determined to find a way out of this labyrinth.
The corridors were lined with locked doors. One intersection later, the corridor widened and the doors gave way to empty cells with large doors and plexiglass windows.
“Hey, over here!”
Ember's head whipped around. The cell to her right was not empty and someone was rising from the cot. The woman was wearing a similar tight-fitting black bodysuit, but her version left her hands, feet and face exposed. She was also not tied up. She was perhaps two hand widths taller than Ember and had to be about the same age.
"You look like you could use some help. Can you get the door open?" Her short auburn hair waved wildly around her head as she waved hopefully and pointed at a control panel next to her door.
“She can see the situation I'm in, though?” Ember thought, but nonetheless she scooted closer to the cell and pushed herself up the wall once more. The panel reminded her of a smart home touch controller that you would rather expect to see in an office than a prison.
Ember's legs were shaking like crazy, but she managed to press her nose on the door symbol; and to her surprise, it actually opened. The woman rushed out of the cell and caught her just as her muscles gave out. Ember felt herself being pulled back into the cell and set down on the cot.
“Careful, I've got you.” Hands felt the back of her neck, looking for the seam of the suit. "I think I know how to get this off. Try to keep your mouth as wide open as possible."
The latex mask was carefully peeled off her head. Ember moaned with relief as the rubber gag came free with a slick smack.
“Thank you,” she croaked.
"Don't thank me too soon. That's about all I can get off." The woman looked down at Ember and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. “What are you doing here anyway, alone, in the storage cells?”
“My cousin put me in here, while she’s busy with business negotiations.”
"Your-? During-?"
Ember had to laugh at the bewildered face. She leaned against her rescuer and began to recount the events of her morning…
“And I'm guessing you're one of the nano-latex suit test pilots then?” she concluded her story.
The young woman nodded embarrassed. "My name’s Samira by the way. I’m an investigative freelance reporter but-“ her face reddened.
“I also work as a temp at the C&T branch downtown. During my shifts there, I’ve heard multiple rumours about ongoing negotiations with Gritek, the nano- and security-tech company. So I investigated further, and it turned out that the local research centre was indeed explicitly looking for young women to test 'combat and safety suits'. So I signed up. I wanted to see for myself what the rumours were all about, and then sell my report to the highest bidder. But...”
“...You didn't read the entire contract.” Ember nodded sympathetically, she knew the stories of Cassandra tricking people into her games all too well.
Samira looked up "But you didn't sign a contract, did you? Why did you even decide to help your cousin with something like this?"
The blonde girl shook her shoulders nervously. She knew what Cassandra was capable of when she was refused favours, but she didn't want to scare off her fellow pilot.
"It's not that important- I don't really mind being tied up like this. I've modelled under such… circumstances before."
“Then why did you almost faint while trying to crawl through the cell corridor?”
Ember laughed. "You could say I don't like being taken advantage of. Initially, I really wouldn’t have minded helping to sell this stuff“, she strained against the suit, “But if Cass thinks I'm just going to wait in the basement afterwards and let two rubber dildos f-ck me, I'm going to leave no stone unturned to make her regret that decision."
Samira's green eyes scrutinised her for a long moment with a mixture of awe, disbelief and something else, curiosity. "You're right! After half a week, I'm really getting tired of this cell myself. I want to help; Wait here, I have an idea." She hurried out of the cell and disappeared into the maze of corridors only to reappear a short time later, pushing a trolley in front of her.
“I may not be able to get you out of the suit, but that shall not stop us from getting you out of storage,” she explained proudly and began to strap Ember to the handlebars. Once that was done, she eagerly pushed the restrained blonde down the hallway.
“So do you know a way out of here?” Ember asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately, no,” came the meek reply, "You may have noticed that security down here isn't particularly tight. That’s because as soon as you try to leave the company premises, the nano-latex suits switch to lockdown mode and they just collect you again. Believe me, I've tried."
They took a right turn.
“So can you help me out of this suit?”
“Negative.” I've never seen how to remove one of these. But I may know how to reconfigure it. I've seen the lab assistants do it."
The two women arrived in a brightly lit room that resembled a doctor's surgery, cluttered with files and lab equipment. Samira began searching through the cabinets.
“They used some kind of tablet to... Got it!” Beaming with delight, she presented the device to her cargo. The handheld screen showed a female silhouette and a selection of clothing and restraints that would have made any sex shop owner proud.
Ember eyed the tablet warily. "Please tell me you know how to use it. My muscles are starting to get sore."
“That shouldn't be too difficult.” Her new reporter friend nodded confidently and held the device close to her chest. “I just need to connect to the nano-mesh, select and-” The black bodysuit hugging her curves began to hum and a pair of elbow gloves and knee-high boots materialised around her body. She grinned with satisfaction. “Okay works, now you.”
The restraints enveloping the blonde coed began to buzz, which only further reminded her of the situation between her legs, and then it stopped again. She tried to move, but her arms and legs remained firmly welded to her body. She gave Samira a questioning look.
“Sorry”, she mumbled, dashing Ember’s hopes of freedom once again. “I can't get access to your suit. Some other control unit is still connected and overriding the controls.”
Ember gave a dejected groan but she wasn't willing to give up yet. "It must be the console in the main hall above us then! Can you take me back up?"
“I-” The confidence seemed to drain from her new friend's face, but she nodded resolutely. "I don't know if we can make it unseen, it's a lot busier up there. But I'll try!" She started pushing the trolley when Ember’s eyes lit up with another idea.
"Sam, wait! Can you scrounge up a lab coat for yourself down here?"
Experimentation Floor
Nobody paid any attention to the strange team making its way through the first basement floor. Then again, maybe it wasn't such a strange sight at all. Merely another lab assistant preparing another live test. Her cargo strapped to a trolley, restrained from head to toe in rubber with her face, once again, hidden underneath a hood. Just another test pilot.
And tests were in full swing. The two women crossed a room where engineers scanned clothes and costumes of all kinds. Behind them, mannequins dressed in nano-latex molded perfect imitations. They passed cells where doctors observed the vitals of various test pilots, bound in predicaments of varying severity. And finally, Ember and Samira found themselves in a spacious room with furnishings reminiscent of a chemistry lab.
“The ramp to the main hall is right back there.” She whispered to her cargo.
A huge group of scientists were gathered around a large observation cell with four transparent walls in the middle of the room. As they approached, they noticed a woman inside the cell. The young Asian, who could not have been much older than Ember or Samira, was staring defiantly into the crowd. She had fair skin and made a well-trained impression, which was easy to see as she was completely naked.
“Are you here to see my presentation too, newcomer?”
Ember bit down on the gag in shock and her head spun around. An older man in a shirt and tie stood on a retracted lifting platform behind them, surrounded by computers, and pointed to the cell.
"Err yes. We- I mean I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world Dr. ...Ink. "Samira squinted at the name tag and smiled shyly while instinctively pulling together the white coat that hid her latex suit.
“That's still Chief Scientist Dr. Ink to you!” The man eyed the strange ‘assistant’ with auburn hair and her suspiciously shiny gloves disdainfully.
"I can see why you're really here. To saucy novice scientists such as you, our nano suits may be just an endless source of fetish gear, but you're wrong! The potential of nano-weave goes so much further, even Miss von Rabensprung will agree with me when we're done here. That I was right from the start, with enough energy..."
Chief scientist Dr. Ink was so lost in his speech that he didn't even notice the saucy scientist's ‘cargo’ rolling her eyes in boredom through the eye openings of her mask.
“... but when I realised that the conductivity of the material combined with the elasticity of the rubber molecules- Oh, it started.”
The rambling would have gone on, but apparently the course of the performance was hard-coded, because suddenly all the lights went out.
“Hamm Mmohh!” As everyone turned towards the observation cell, Ember struggled against the trolley to signal her companion. This was their chance! But the reporter instincts of her friend had already taken over. She stood frozen beside her, her entire attention directed to the center of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, I am pleased to see you all gathered here for my presentation on the future of nano-fiber!” Dr. Ink, who had regained his focus, raised his hands theatrically. “Which the lovely officer Song has been brought in, to demonstrate for you.”
There was a loud rumble as a giant roll of the rubber fabric was dropped into the cell. The woman showed no reaction to it, merely making a highly impolite gesture towards the audience.
"You've all been running intensive tests on our nano-latex suits for the last few weeks, but a material that can take any shape need not be tailored into a suit. That was merely a cheap sales gimmick."
With the press of another button the shiny black roll liquefied, or at least that's what it looked like. The material dissolved and formed a shimmering black puddle that slowly began spreading out over the floor of the cell.
“Whether with remote control or autonomous programming, the nanofabric can be used to arrest and control. As you will see, the current program is set to seek out and subjugate anyone it comes in contact with!”
For the first time, something like unease could be seen on the young woman's face, but it was already too late. As soon as her foot touched the puddle tendrils of rubbery goo wrapped itself around her legs and began to envelop her body. She tried to tear off the viscous mass, but this only accelerated the process as more of it started coating her arms. In a matter of seconds, the asian woman was encased from head to toe in nano-latex. Her muscles strained against her new suit in a struggle Ember knew all too well.
"Many of them have only seen nano latex as a transformative textile, but they're wrong! Think of it as an artificial muscle. Elastic, tear-resistant and the more energy you put in, the more strength is being applied!"
Dr. Ink turned a control knob next to his feet. The static buzzing from the cell could now be heard throughout the room as the voltage suddenly increased. There was no chance of escape for the trapped woman now. Her muscles strained in vain as the black mass took control of her body from the outside and mercilessly forced her into an upright position. Her arms remained motionless at her sides.
“Test subject Miss Song immobilised in under ten seconds.”
A murmur went through the crowd, then applause. Once again Ember tried to signal her trolley pusher, but Samira's full attention was still on the experiment as she frantically scribbled notes on a clipboard she'd pinched from somewhere.
“I'm beginning to understand how you managed to become company property in the first place”, Ember thought to herself. She had seen enough though. If Sam only signed up to write a story, that was her business. However, she wasn’t simply going to stay tied to a trolley and watch the whole thing turn into a weapons demonstration. The blonde began throwing herself against the straps rhythmically. Bit by bit, the trolley started moving closer to the lifting platform.
“But that's not all!” came the voice from there, as the applause gradually died down. "You are all already deeply familiar with the programmed restriction options, but I ask you: Why would you do this to a test subject that is one hundred percent under our control?"
He typed something into the PC next to him and the young woman began to wave and bow to the audience. At least the latex around her body bowed. The woman he had called officer Song was still visibly struggling under the skin-tight material, but she was powerless to resist.
“And it is precisely this process that can not only control but also improve, whether voluntarily or not.”
It clicked. Everyone looked up as a barrel fell from the ceiling right in the middle of the room. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the figure clad in latex reached out an arm in a single robotic motion and grabbed the heavy barrel from mid-air. Its fingers dug into the metal. With ferocity flowing through it, the figure began to tear the object into pieces as though they were paper, forming them into a ball as if the steel were playdough.
*BAM* *BAM*
The audience recoiled in shock as loud crashes echoed through the room and the lump of metal was thrown repeatedly against the plexiglass pane.
“C&T? Fashion and more? I just turned an irritating snoop into a loyal super soldier in front of your very eyes!” Dr. Ink threw up his hands in triumph and laughed manically. “Just imagine once we synchronise the combat routines in our database to-” His speech was interrupted by a softer crash at his feet.
Ember threw herself against the buckles one last time and the trolley slowly tipped over sideways and hit the platform. The speech above her fell silent. With a subdued groan, she pressed her face against the voltage regulator turning the knob as far as it would go. Static buzzing filled the entire room, but the blonde took no notice. She gathered all her remaining strength and rammed her head against the box. The thin control cable snapped and the regulator rolled, clattering across the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?”
A hand grabbed her ponytail and yanked her head back roughly.
“I'll have you working daily tests for this little stunt for the rest of-”
*BANG*
With a deafening bang, the lump of metal shattered the plexiglass and flew over the heads of the audience. Dr. Ink stared in horror as a puddle of nano-latex, suddenly energised by an electric field of maximum-strength, spread out of the observation cell and across the room.
A panicked Samira ran up next to her. "Oh God Ember! Are you all right? What have you done?"
Pandemonium erupted in the room. People in the room, Scientists and Assistants, started screaming and tripping over each other to get away, while the mass of living latex ensnared everything it came across, leaving behind only a mass of squirming, writhing bodies.
“Famm foa mooms sake, mee oue of heae!”
Ember shook her head vigorously and nodded towards the exit. That rambling mad scientist was still holding onto her hair, but Sam could still make it to the main hall control panel and get them out of this mess...
“Mhoo!”
At last, her friend seemed to realise that the time to investigate was over and snapped into action. She took one last look over her shoulder and shot off with surprising agility.
People scattered in all directions. An arm swung at her face, but Samira ducked away and slid under a row of tables. She heard a scream to her left as two young assistants were thrown to the floor by rubber vines. Within an instant, both were reduced to latex figures, their bodies pressed tightly together coated by the shiny material. Samira picked herself up again and finally saw the exit in front of her. With a final dive she crossed the last branches of the dangerous black puddle, left the chaos behind her and stumbled on her hands and feet up the ramp to the upper floor.
The cool air of Test Hall C hit her face, but she didn't allow herself any rest. The main console was right in front of her and it was still on, just as Ember had suspected. She leaned over the screen, it showed a female figure and a selection of bondage items, exactly the ones on the tablet. Without hesitation, Samira deselected all items and hit confirm.
A loading screen appeared as the console tapped into the electrical field, reshaping the connected nano-latex suit in the room below her. Then everything around her went dark as the power went out.
Main Level
“What do you mean overloaded?” Cassandra's icy blue eyes flashed dangerously as she stormed into the hall, escorted by a group of security guards. "Do you realize you've blown the fuses all over the research complex? If this gets through to my father..."
The technicians around the control unit quickly ducked away into the shadows. None of them were particularly keen to try and further explain themselves to her.
“Miss Rabensprung!” Another flashlight appeared at the other end of the circular hall. Two security guards approached with a dishevelled Samira in tow. "This testpilot tried to run away during the outage, but got lost in the dark. We found her in the archives. She said something about a failed experiment on the test floor but refuses to keep talking."
Cassandra did not bother to inquire any further but marched straight towards the basement ramp.
The dark room below was an eerie sight, though it was anything but quiet. A cacophony of swearing, idle chatter and more or less muffled moans filled the scene of the unsuccessful presentation. The flashlights illuminated men and women trapped in latex of various designs. Some were bound at the arms and legs, others were completely fused into the shiny black mass that covered the entire room, barely able to move. It was an uncanny yet weirdly erotic view.
“That must be half the nano-research team down here,” muttered one of the technicians.
The guards immediately began to spread out and check on everyone, while the technicians turned their attention back to the power supply in order to free everyone as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Cassandra, continued to wander speechlessly through the room, followed by the guard holding Samira. They passed an empty observation cell made of shattered Plexiglas and came to a halt in front of an extended lifting platform.
Up there sat Ember, still in a skintight bodysuit but otherwise free. Her legs dangled playfully from the platform as she kept patting chief scientist Dr. Ink encouragingly on the back. The gray-haired man had his face buried in his hands.
When she saw her cousin below her, she waved at her with a proud grin. Her eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.
“Hey Cass, I’m done checking out the facility now! You were right; it really was worth a visit. Anyway, how did your business talks go?”
The sun had already set when Lea said goodbye to her brother. It had been a while since they had been able to catch up, so what started as a coffee date turned into half a day of chatter. Lea smiled contentedly; it had been a pleasantly uneventful day. She had just turned around from her apartment door when there was a knock.
"Hello, miss. We've got a delivery for a Lea—"
"Yes, yes, that's me." Lea brushed a strand of brown hair out of her face, signed for the delivery, and watched as two men heaved a large wooden crate into her living room.
"There you go. Have a good evening, miss." With that, she was alone again.
"What would Em's cousin want to send me?" she wondered aloud. In the end, her curiosity got the better of her. Lea removed the straps, levered open the lid and couldn't believe her eyes.
Inside the crate, facing each other, lay two women. Their bodies were pressed together and had been secured to its padded walls with thick leather straps, stifling any attempts at movement. The women were dressed in form-fitting black latex catsuits that immediately gave away that there were no further garments underneath. Their legs were folded back into a kneeling position and their upper bodies had been forced into heavy rubber straitjackets. Their faces were completely covered by masks, but Lea immediately recognized the long blonde hair protruding from one of them.
The two latex figures did not react to Lea's presence nor anything else for that matter, except to a soft buzzing sound emanating from between their legs, which elicited muffled moans from time to time.
Minutes passed while Lea stood there, dumbfounded, taking in the sight, until, at last, she burst out laughing.
“Seriously Em?!”