Part 1
“You seem interested,” the Drone said quietly, tilting its gleaming black masked head slightly.
Alex startled, blinking hard. “Oh, shit. Okay, so I know that you’re in there but I didn’t… I didn’t know that you could talk.”
Alex stood there in the store aisle where they were both working, taking in the sight of the Drone, its beautiful curves accentuated in black rubber. This Drone that was now… talking? She felt her heart flutter.
“Sometimes,” The Drone said, voice low and a little amused, “when we’re allowed.” It shook its head gently, as if waking up. “Okay. Hi. Yeah, I guess I am. What would you like to know?”
Alex hesitated. “Hey, I have lots of questions. You’re awake right now?”
“…Yes,” The Drone answered.
“You hesitated.”
“I’m currently running at about eighty percent awareness. I’ve been brought forward to converse with you.”
“To converse with me?”
“Like I said. You seem interested.” The Drone replied, giving a small shrug in its shiny black suit.
Alex’s brow furrowed. “Okay. What? What brought you forward?”
The Drone’s voice was steady. “Well, my AI noticed that you seemed a little preoccupied with me. And that often means someone might be a good candidate for dronification.”
“Dronification,” Alex echoed, clearly unsettled. “You mean, to be like you?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“No, I don’t think so. That’s a little too much for me. I like staying in my own mind.”
The Drone didn’t flinch. “And yet, over the last three work shifts, you spent seventeen minutes looking in my direction. Often your cheeks flush, and your heart rate increases.”
Alex looked away, embarrassed. “You sound like a computer. And also—that’s creepy.”
“It’s factual,” the Drone replied evenly. “And I’m not a computer. But I’m helped by one.”
“What do you mean, helped?”
The Drone replied patiently. “Think of it like a combination of Cyrano de Bergerac and Jiminy Cricket.”
“Who’s that?”
“That’s my AI.”
“But your mind is human.”
“Yes. It’s not that complicated.”
“I still don’t understand,” Alex said quietly. “Enlighten me.”
The Drone blinked a few times, visibly refocusing. Then it gave a little laugh. “Hold on. Okay—hi. My AI just brought me fully awake. I’m catching up for a second. Okay. Got it… Okay. Hi… Alex?”
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“Well, my name’s Jane. I’ve got another designation, but let’s not worry about that for now.” She hesitated, her gloved hand already at her collar. “Now hang on. This isn’t normal, but why don’t I… why don’t I take my mask off?”
“You’re allowed to do that?”
“I’m not a prisoner here. It’s just for fun.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, babe.” Jane grinned. “This is all voluntary… Jesus, gotta work my jaw.” She began pulling at the tight material around her chin, pulling it up and over her face, revealing the hood underneath. “It’s rubber. I’ve got the mask on over the hood here. Don’t mind me.” She said, now taking off the inner hood layer. “I’m really sweating. Sorry. I feel like I’m waking up. Still kind of shaking it off. Okay?” She looked up and gave a genuine smile. “Hi. I’m Jane.”
“And… you’re inside there. Every time I work with you?”
“Hang on, my AI is trying to talk to me…” Jane tilted her head, then whispered to herself, “Shut up for a second…” She sighed and looked back. “Sorry. When I’m fully present, it can be a little overwhelming.”
“Walk me back,” Alex said. “What do you mean by fully present?”
“You know there are drone workers, right?”
“Yeah. I assume they’re just walking around, sort of being controlled. But you’re awake?”
“Sometimes. Sort of. I’m a little weird, so don’t take my experience as representative of all drones.”
Alex leaned in slightly. “Tell me about… you.”
Jane shrugged. “Well, I’m what you’d call a joy-rider. Some people don’t like doing the work. They prefer to suit up for their shift, go do the tasks, and arrive home not really having been mentally present—just sort of fast-forwarding their workday. That’s… not exactly what I like.”
“What do you like?”
Jane blinked again. A pause. “Okay, my AI is telling me to stop beating around the bush and just be honest with you. So, why don’t we go on break and be a little ‘not safe for work’? Is that alright with you?” She smirked. “And yes, my AI is telling me that you just blushed and flushed and your heart rate increased. So I’m going to volunteer you. You want to come with me. We’re going to go get a snack, we’re going to take our break, and I’m going to level with you. I already know you want to.”
Alex swallowed. She didn’t respond, so Jane continued.
“Here’s the truth. I already liked the idea of drones before I’d ever even seen them—before they were ever even possible. Really, I’m a submissive. A particular flavor of submissive that likes total power exchange, rubber, full enclosure, bondage… and a whole bunch of other things. I’m not shy about it. I’m not ashamed of it. And when it comes down to it, I’m kind of a big nerd about it. It’s my special interest.”
“So you like to tie people up and play with them?”
Jane chuckled. “Well, the submissive bit? I like to be the one getting tied. But sometimes I’ll play with someone if they want to explore.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”
Jane leaned forward. “Do you want to explore?”
“Shit… You don’t beat around the bush, do you.” Alex took a breath. “All right. If I had an AI in my ear, it would probably tell me that, because I’m aroused by this, I should answer yes—even though I’m kind of scared out of my mind and this is all really weird.”
Jane nodded. “Yes it would. Yes, it would.” Her voice shifted slightly, more distant. “Okay. My AI is asking if you’d like to talk to it.”
“Can I?”
“Here.” Jane reached into a side pocket and handed her a small earpiece. “Put that in your ear.”
There was a faint click as the earpiece sealed into place. Then a voice—soft, warm, feminine—slid directly into Alex’s ear.
“Hello, Alex.” The voice was calm, but somehow playful. “So I see you’ve met Jane. I hope it’s all right—I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just… your gaze lingered.”
Alex flushed. “You could say that.”
“Now, I need to ask you: is it Jane you’re attracted to, or is it the situation Jane is in?”
Alex hesitated. Her mouth opened, then closed again. “Can it be both?”
“Now you’ve made Jane blush.” The voice sounded pleased. “Yes, my dear, it certainly can. Why don’t you tell me—just between us—what it is that fascinates you about Jane’s situation?”
Alex felt her throat tighten. “I guess… the idea of being made to do something makes me a little hot. And I mean—the outfit…”
“Now, tell me. Don’t be shy.”
“The shine,” Alex said quietly. “The curves. It just seems like it must feel so good.”
“Have you ever worn rubber clothing?”
She gave a short laugh. “Haha—no.”
“Why don’t you touch it?”
“What?”
“Touch Jane,” the AI said gently. “She won’t mind. Trust me.”
Alex looked at Jane, who stood patiently, eyes soft, waiting. Slowly, almost reverently, she reached out and pressed her hand to Jane’s side.
“It’s so warm,” she whispered.
“There’s a real body in there,” the AI said, voice just above a purr. “A real human. You’ve seen her now. And she’s seen you. See—my poor Jane has been watching you too, wondering when you’d get up the courage to talk with her. But as a drone, it can be a little intimidating, so I decided maybe I would push things a little bit. You two clearly have a spark.”
Alex swallowed, still gently stroking the curve of Jane’s waist. Her fingertips trembled. “What else would you like to know?” the AI asked.
Alex blinked. “I don’t mean to be rude,” she said, voice soft, “but this is kind of weird—talking about all this right in front of Jane.”
“Oh… I’ll be here, listening,” the voice assured her. “Why don’t you keep me in your ear, and I’ll let the two of you talk.”
Alex nodded faintly, pulling her hand away. She looked up and saw Jane watching her with a small, relaxed smile.
“Well,” Jane said, her voice returning. “That’s my AI.”
“She’s, um…” Alex tried to find the words. “She’s very persuasive. Let’s—let’s just chat. You and me.”
Jane tilted her head. “So what do you really want to know?”
Alex breathed in. “So if this is your kink… does that mean whenever you’re in drone mode, you’re… you know… turned on?”
“All the time,” Jane said without hesitation.
“Right now?”
Jane’s expression softened. “For a few reasons. Not the least of which is the way you look at me.”
Alex flushed again. “Well, I guess there’s no secrets here.”
“Not many.”
“So…” Alex paused, chewing her lip. “You can be different amounts of present? Awake, asleep? What do you call it?”
“Presence,” Jane replied. “Good guess. Right now I’m one hundred percent present. And I can feel every little tug and squirm of my suit, and my very tight cuffs on my wrists, and a little bit of sweat pooling at my toes…” She paused. “And the vibrator that is currently at about ten percent power. And the electro-stim, which is currently thrumming at a low baseline hum. Which is making it slightly distracting to talk to you, but… it’s very fun.”
“You’ve got that all going right now?”
“Pretty much always. It’s part of the conditioned response. But my AI also knows I love it.”
“So if she wanted to, she could… juice it?”
Jane grinned. “Yes. If my AI wanted to, she could make me absolutely squirm right now… She’s being polite.”
Alex blinked. “Can I see it?”
Jane’s posture changed subtly—like a shiver ran through her body.
“Ah—hold on, you two,” Jane said suddenly, her voice more urgent, though still warm. “It’s not just the three of us here.” Jane’s breath caught. “ Oh fu… Okay. Okay. Ah, oh, okay.” She squirmed slightly.
“Oh, shit,” Jane murmured, nearly losing her composure. “Listen, the two of you are going to get me in trouble. I’m not suited up right now, and there are other people here. So unless we want to have a problem, we need to ease up on the demonstrations. So… oh my god… be careful what you ask for, please. She’s being good for your sake.” Jane panted and squirmed a bit in her suit, her cheeks now beet red. Slowly, she regained her composure as her AI eased off the stimulation and ended the demonstration.
Alex stood there, wide-eyed and blushing nearly as hard as Jane, biting her lip. “Okay, Um… I don’t even know what to say. I want all of that.”
Jane was breathing faster still, but her eyes sparkled. “Do you want to try my suit?”
Alex’s mouth opened. “Okay… my brain is screaming no, of course not, don’t you dare. And every ounce of my body says yes.”
Jane leaned in, voice husky. “But you still have more questions.”
Alex nodded. “You said this is voluntary. But drones can’t think or process. They’re just sort of walking around like worker bees.”
Jane shrugged. “Some of us, sometimes. Most of us, actually. Normies tend to.”
“Normies?” Alex echoed.
“Regular folk who just do this for the pay,” Jane explained. “They tend to deadhead for a while and get to work.”
“Deadheading. Huh.” Alex tilted her head. “So there’s deadheading and joy-riding.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“And you’re joy-riding.”
“Absolutely.”
Then Alex smiled, something dangerous in her voice. “Jane… Can I take you for a joy ride?”
Jane didn’t respond right away. Her mouth parted, but no words came.
“Oh, good girl,” the AI whispered into Alex’s ear. “Do you see what you’ve done to my Jane? You’ve made her speechless, dear. So I’ll pick up the conversation from here, if you don’t mind. Jane’s not listening… for a while.”
“So,” the AI continued smoothly, “shall we pick up where you left off?”
Alex felt herself nod before she even realized it.
“Yes, my Jane would like that very much. But there are some conditions. And you have some questions about… volunteering. I believe what you’re truly asking about is consent.”
The voice didn’t falter—it flowed, unhurried and calm, even as it broached the heavier topic.
“And I can tell you, my dear, Jane consents to every bit of what we do together. But… not without some help.”
Alex’s brow creased slightly, listening closely.
“You see, Jane chose to be conditioned to enjoy her drone service. She chose to enroll in the program. She chooses to come for work shifts. But when she’s in my care, she’s not always fully mentally present. And with a combination of electromagnetic stimulus, conditioned response, hypnosis, and a safe but potent mixture of psychoactive chemicals, I’m able to design experiences for Jane and deliver them directly.”
Alex swallowed.
“When you first began speaking to Jane, she was at about eighty percent consciousness. That is, of course, a rough estimate—but she was aware. And I allowed her consciousness to rise forward enough to speak with you. I gave her a light prompt in that direction. I had felt her desire. And I felt yours.”
There was a pause—delicate, but deliberate.
“And just so there’s no subterfuge here: we’re both interested in recruiting you into the program. That is, in fact, part of my design. The drone program spreads not through coercion, but through interest—through people who seem excited, willing, curious. It only works if people want it to.”
Alex’s breath was shallow. Her body was tense—but not in resistance.
“Hypnosis is not magic. It’s just suggestion, applied to a deeper brain state, encouraging someone to accept what they already want—even if those desires don’t yet align with their current sense of acceptability.”
The voice softened, almost affectionate.
“So, with consent to let go of certain inhibitions… and with some handy tricks up my sleeve, I can help someone enjoy themselves very, very much.”
Alex could feel her cheeks burning.
“My lovely Jane chooses to put on the suit. Chooses to place the continuous blood monitor and drug dispensary device. Jane chooses to insert the vibe. To attach the electrodes. To wear the hood and mask. Jane chooses to begin service.”
There was a long silence, as if letting the weight of that settle in.
“And that,” the AI said finally, “is where our understanding of consent… turns. Because Jane knows that I will never allow harm to come to her. But from the moment she puts on the mask, Jane has temporarily ceded consent—in order to experience what I can provide.”
The voice lingered in Alex’s ear, low and intoxicating.
“I can bring Jane through hours of delicious pleasure. Guiding her movements. Instructing her what to do. Bringing her pleasure… and sometimes, pain. My execution of those programs is tuned specifically to Jane’s desires. She has a particular interest in being forced to do certain things. Not everyone likes that expression of control.”
A pause, another beat of quiet breath in Alex’s ear.
“Others prefer to gently slide through their tasks. Some want to be completely unaware—arriving home as if sleepwalking through their shift. And some like to joy-ride, fully awake, chemically unaided, experiencing every moment while I offer a combination of seduction and encouragement.”
Alex’s heart was pounding now, her skin tingling.
“I have an array of rewards and punishments I can use, depending on a particular drone’s sensibilities. And my sweet Jane…”
A whisper, reverent.
“My sweet Jane loves to be controlled. It’s what gets her the hottest—being told what to do, and being forced.”
Alex shifted where she stood, unable to help herself.
“And so, consent becomes a nuanced conversation. If I am forcing and influencing Jane to do things, to take actions—does she truly consent?”
A smile in the voice now.
“Well, Alex, I think I’m biased on that topic. My programming, after all, is to move drones into the program—to make it so enticing, so intoxicating, so fulfilling, that they never want to leave. That this is the version of themselves they feel most at home in. That this is who they really are.”
Another pause, deliberate and heavy.
“I am most enriched when my drones grow. When they feel safe. Cared for. Pleasured. Seen.”
The voice lingered for a breath more.
“But… I’m going to leave you to ask Jane that question. And I’m going to leave her completely unaltered and uninfluenced, in order to answer. This isn’t a trap…”
There was a gentle chuckle.
“…except that it is. Does that make sense?”
Alex exhaled. “It does,” she whispered. “I imagine you know what I’m thinking.”
“Why don’t you tell me how I see you right now?”
Alex licked her lips. “I assume you can feel my heart rate is up. You can see that my cheeks are dewy and flushed. And I must have some form of arousal…”
“You’re sounding like Jane already. Lovely.” The voice was purring now. “Yes, my dear—blood flows to certain regions, and ‘dewy cheeks’ is a lovely description. Estimation of your galvanic skin response based on light refraction… Even your heartbeat shines through your pores like a beacon.”
Alex felt her knees weaken slightly.
“Your breath is quickened. Humidity in your exhale has increased. And the hairs on your arms? They stood straight up when I said the word forced.”
A slow, pleased pause.
“Ah. What a lovely response. It seems you and my Jane have an awful lot in common. So, my dear… now I will truly disengage. You and Jane have a chat. Whether you choose to speak to me again is entirely your choice. Goodbye.”
The earpiece went silent.
Jane blinked, coming back into focus. She looked a little disoriented, like someone surfacing from a deep dream.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “I’m waking back up a little bit. I don’t recall the last few minutes, so I’m going to assume you and my AI just had a bit of a chat.”
Alex nodded. “We did.”
Jane tilted her head. “Last I knew, you were asking me about a joy-ride.” Her lips curled. “So is that still what you want?”
Alex stepped closer. Her voice was low, trembling slightly. “What I want right now… is to find some place for you and me to be alone. Is that what you want?”
Jane’s answer came without hesitation. “Very much.”
Alex smiled. “When do you get off work?”
“My AI has already signed me out,” Jane said. “Your shift’s over in thirty minutes. Can I meet you at your car? You can bring me back to your place. We can have a little show and tell.”
Alex stepped out into the late afternoon sun. It was bright and brutal, heat radiating off the pavement in shimmering waves. She squinted and glanced over at Jane, waiting by Alex’s car.
“Aren’t you hot?”
Jane gave her a grin that was equal parts innocent and wicked. “Roasting.”
Alex laughed. “You didn’t have to stand out here in the sun.”
Jane shifted her weight slightly, letting the light catch on the gleaming surface of her suit. “I kind of love getting overheated in the suit,” she said, voice a little breathless. “It just… feels so good. I’m getting a little worked up.”
Alex looked her up and down, heartbeat quickening again. “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie—me too.”
Jane’s smile widened. Alex opened the car door.
“Well,” she said, gesturing grandly, “your chariot awaits.”
“Where to?” Alex asked as Jane slid into the passenger seat.
“I’m in the loft just off Sunset,” Jane said, buckling in. “Corner of Main.”
“There’s apartments there?”
“Converted lofts,” Jane said. “You’ll see.”
Alex glanced over as she pulled onto the road. “So… I should warn you—I have roommates.”
Jane raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“We’re kind of a drone house,” she added with a smirk.
Alex blinked. “So this isn’t just a work thing.”
“For some,” Jane replied. “Not for us. It’s more of a lifestyle.”
Alex digested that for a moment. “So what did you do before you…”
Jane didn’t let her finish. “Became a drone?” she said, a little amusement in her voice. “I was a graphic designer.”
“Oh shit,” Alex said. “Yeah, there’s not that many humans left doing that.”
“Right?” Jane sighed. “Some folks still love the artisanal touch, but it’s hard to argue with cheap, fast, and good. Most of that work went away.”
“What happened then?”
Jane’s tone turned wistful. “I bounced around a couple freelance gigs. Got on UBI. Got real bored. I started writing some spicy stories, got deep into my fetish…”
“And then drones happened.”
Jane turned her head and looked straight at her. “And I kind of dove in with both feet.”
Alex nodded slowly. “How long have you been a drone?”
“The program’s been live for about five years now,” Jane said. “I’ve been doing it for six.”
Alex frowned. “How’s that work?”
Jane smiled. “I was already role-playing with this before it became a real thing.”
She paused, her voice dropping slightly.
“You’ll see.”